CA and our plans

On Monday we received the call that we have a consulate appointment on April 17.  That means we will leave next Wednesday, April 3, land the night of April 4 (ugh!!) and spend a couple days in Beijing, preparing and getting used to the time change.  

Then on Sunday, April 7, we will fly to her province of Henan and stay in the capital city of Zhengzhou.  On Monday, April 8, they will bring her to the community affairs building where we will meet her for the first time.  This is called her gotcha day. She will come back with us to the hotel and we will have a trial 24 hours, where we can change our minds.....yeh right!!  Never gonna happen!!!  But this does allow families to change their minds on the rare, but possible occasion that the child they received does not have the same medical condition or is much worse than they were lead to believe.  I can't even imagine the emotional turmoil that would bring.  We don't see that being even a remote possibility for us since we have been able to talk to her foster home, but it is still part of the time line. 

Then on Tuesday, April 9, we go back and make her ours.  This will be forever Caitlyn day, the day she becomes a permanent part of our family and we will celebrate it forever, just like an extra birthday!!  This is a glimpse of hope coming from such a sad situation.

On Wednesday, April 10, we will make the journey by bus to her home city of Jiaozuo, where we will apply at the local police station for her passport.  They will question us to determine our eligibility, which from my understanding is just for their own curious nature because she will already ours.  But we still have to gain favor or they could sit on her passport and cause us delays.  We hope to be able to visit her orphanage, which from what we understand, does not generally allow visitors, and we really hope to visit her foster home, Eagles Wings.  The foster home is completely open to us visiting, so we hope that it can logistically happen, with the guide's schedule and transportation. 

The next few days will be paperwork and waiting on passports. 

On Sunday, April 14, we leave Zhengzhou for Guangzho, Guandong, China, which is where the American Consulate is. 

Monday the 15th, is her medical appointment.  This is a US requirement to make sure she is healthy enough to enter the United States. 

Tuesday, April 16, we will have a free day while those families with children over 2 have to go back to the clinic to have the Tuberculosis test read. 

Wednesday is our consulate day.  This will give Caitlyn her visa to enter the United States. We will also be shopping in the afternoon.  

Thursday, April 18, we should receive her Visa packet.

Friday the 19th we take a van to Hong Kong and on Saturday morning we fly back to the US.  We land in Atlanta at 7:55 Saturday night.  As soon as Caitlyn lands, she is an American citizen. 

We hope that anyone who wants to, will join us at the airport to welcome us home, but then we will go in to hiding for a week or two to adjust to our new family.  Caitlyn will not be away from David or I for the next 90 days, no babysitters, no nursery at church, but we will start to slowly introduce her to people as she is ready.  

From what I understand, coming home is the hardest part of the trip and we are scared to death to put it all together and deal with the jet lag, all three kids, Caitlyn's needs being in a completely new environment and the boys' needs dealing with a new little sister and just normal school and sports stuff.  It will be a rough adjustment, but we know that we will eventually fall in to a routine and we pray that it happens relatively quickly.  We hope and know that you will support us during that time. 

In mid May, Caitlyn will go to CHOA for her evaluation and we hope to do surgery in June to allow her the rest of the summer to heal. 

Going to China

We are going to China.  

Last Friday we got TA, travel approval, but it was a little anti-climatic because we couldn't make travel arrangements until we were assigned a CA.  Since China is 12 hours ahead, we had to wait until today to get our CA.  

So it is for real!!!  We leave 4/3, get Caitlyn on 4/8, have our consulate appointment on 4/17 and head home on 4/20.  

I'll post more details when I have them.  Connor started throwing up very early this morning, so I have been cleaning in addition to frantically checking and responding to emails from travel coordinators and our agency. 

Waiting.....

We're waiting, AGAIN.  Anyone notice a theme here?  Something I am supposed to be learning from all this waiting on God?

So we started to wait for TA, travel approval on March 8.  Today was day 14 and we still have not been approved.  Probably most frustrating is that others who have been in line less time have been approved.  That happened a lot for us for LOA.  It happens.  It is not a perfect system, but it is really frustrating.  

Once we get TA, we then have to request our CA, consulate appointment.  This takes about another 24 hours. Travel approval gives us permission to come to China, but when we go is determined by the CA.  The CA is at the very end of our trip, so everything is backed up from there. We are hoping to leave on April 3, with a CA around April 16.  We have to have at least 8 days before we travel, according to our agency.  So that means we have to have CA and TA by next Tuesday.  We serve a mighty big God, so it could still happen, but it is cutting it close.  We have many reasons that we want to be in China at that time.  After looking at several factors, we have determined that is the best time for us.  But I am reminded that it is not up to us!!!  We are getting everything ready to leave April 3 and if not, we will aim for a later date.  :(  (Insert Big sigh and crocodile tears.)  Either way, Caitie will be home soon and I am trying not to worry. 

Here are some verses I am pondering in the mean time.  All copied over from Bible Gateway.

Jeremiah 29:11
For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

Philippians 4:6 
Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 

Matthew 6:25-34
²⁵ “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? ²⁶ Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? ²⁷ Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?

²⁸ “And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin.²⁹ Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. ³⁰ If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? ³¹ So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ ³² For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. ³³ But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. ³⁴ Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

A baby shower

 Sandy threw me a sweet baby shower last Saturday.  Because it was opening day for several sports and scouting for food for the cub scouts, she did an open house.  It was kind of like a mix between a baby shower and a sip and see.  I opened presents three times and got to visit with several sets of friends throughout the day.  It was really a great, very special time.  I feel so incredibly blessed by my friends and their thoughtfulness.  Unfortunately, we somehow never got pictures of me or the guests, but we got before and after pictures!!  LOL