Last Steps

Last week we received our I-800 approval from Homeland Security to adopt Gracie and our agency sent all our paperwork back to China last Friday for Travel approval. Travel approval should take 5-7 weeks to receive and of course our paperwork landed back in China just in time for a week long holiday when all government offices are closed. We've had good luck on timing in the last two steps so we're keeping our fingers crossed that this step will be on the short end of the estimated time. Once receiving our travel approval we will have 2-3 weeks to book tickets and pack for our trip.

It's been challenging to explain time and the adoption process to Molly. With each hurdle we pass we are excited and explain to Molly we are one step closer but still have a long wait. We think she understands the best a three year old can and when we received LOA and Eric said, "Gracie will be home soon," Molly said, "No Dad, just one more step." But then yesterday when I picked her up from school her teacher asked me if we were leaving for China soon because Molly said that her sister would be here for Halloween and it broke my heart. Eric and I are so excited to bring Gracie home and have another daughter but we are even more excited to see the joy on Molly's face when she finally has her sister home.

Approved!

It seems crazy this far into the process but we got our LOA(Letter of Acceptance) from China on Wednesday. It came in weeks ahead of what we were expecting so this is great news for us traveling this year and even possibly in late November. We were caught a little off guard and Marie had to scramble to finish the I-800 form which is the next step. She was on it though and got it out the same day the LOA arrived. We all did our parts. I came home at lunch time to sign the forms and Molly was a real trooper waking up early from a nap (something she normally hates) and pitching right in, throwing her shoes on and going right out to the post office with Mom. All she needed to hear was that it was for Gracie and she didn't complain a bit.

The time table for travel is still a little up in the air but our adoption agency is predicting the last week of November or first week of December. If all goes well we could be traveling during the week of Thanksgiving. The irony goes without saying. This is the first big step forward in quite a while and suddenly it seems right around the corner. At the very least we are certain that we will be a family before her 2nd birthday and it looks certain that we will all be together for Christmas.