As anyone who has any familiarity with the world of adoption knows, there is a lot of hurry up and wait involved with this process. We are finally in the last stage of hurry up and wait. Currently we are waiting on our travel approval. Once we have our TA then we will get our travel dates and most likely travel to China 2-3 weeks after our TA. So right now we are guessing that we have just under 5 weeks until we travel. Yikes!
Super exciting and yet bittersweet as we have made the difficult decision to leave the other kids here. This was such a tough decision. We prayed and contemplated all of the details. We examined all of our options. But finally it became clear to us that we just couldn't/shouldn't take the other kids. Our decision was affirmed by our kids' response when we told them. Honestly, I think they took it better than we did. They were sad of course, but they immediately focused on the positive and most importantly, getting their sister home. I adore our kids. Sometimes they make me crazy, they're kids. But I absolutely adore them and I am so thankful for their presence in my life.
Selfishly, can I confess, I am totally looking forward to a couple of days traveling just with my husband. We'll skip all of the tours. We've done that. We might even fly right to her province. This is no longer anything but an adoption trip. We're going there to get our girl. Period. But I am also looking forward to being back in China. Since I've been there before, I know what to expect. Plus, I just love traveling. I love watching other cultures in action. I learn so much from other people. And I am blessed with a man who has also discovered a love of traveling. We are really looking forward to this trip.
Then there is our sweet girl. I can't wait to show you pictures of her darling smile. We were blessed to receive a video of her a while ago. We were able to hear her talking! What a gift!! We saw her smile and dance. Amazing! We cannot wait to go hold those little hands. Kate and I are having a wonderful time preparing for another girl in the family. We're going through all of Kate's things that I saved and getting rid of everything that won't fit our new one. Such a fun time in our house!
I promise I will start blogging more, especially while we are there. I will post pictures so that it's more fun to read. But for now, please pray for our girl, that her heart would be ready for our love, that her transition will go smoothly. Pray for our current kids as we all prepare for this trip, that they would be safe, healthy and happy. Pray for Sean as he prepares to leave the country. It is difficult to do work when you are in a totally opposite time zone. Thanks for following us on yet another journey!
