Packing to Leave!

Well, we leave the country in 5 days! We will get to hold our daughter for the first time on July 5! We are overwhelmed with emotions--joy, expectation, fear, sadness, up and down daily or by the hour! We have been showered with love, gifts, and prayer over these last few weeks. We finished Brenna's room and have been packing for about a week! It's amazing how much we need to pack for two toddlers. We have been telling Micah a special story every day of our trip to China and the story of what will happen the day we get to meet Brenna. He can say that we're going to China on an airplane to get baby sister, but how much of that he understands.....I don't know! My mom and dear friend, Brenda, are traveling with us, so we'll have the kids out-numbered 4-2. We'll be home on the 16th, but in the meantime we'll be posting from China with updates. Sorry for the quick post, but I'm tired. I'll try to post something meaningful before we leave and I'll add some pics of her room and the two showers we have had. Love to all!

We Have TA!!!

Well, today we got more good news--we don't know what to do with ourselves!! We got travel clearance and are in the process of requesting our consulate appointment. Once we get that, we'll buy our plane tickets!!!!!!! Looks like we'll be going to China to get our girl in two-three weeks!! I can't tell you how long I've wanted to be able to say that! Yahoo! The cool thing is that we've been praying that we wouldn't be held up by our immigration clearance that we got yesterday--I feel like God was sort of winking at me by giving us our TA right after. He is able to do more than all we ask or imagine!

We Have Immigration Clearance!!

I just had to write and give thanks to the Lord and let you share in our praise! Chris just got the mail and in it was our immigration clearance that we had to get again b/c of our homestudy update! This was SUPER fast! God did it! This was the most unknown element in our next steps. Now, we are waiting for travel clearance and visas, which could come any day!! I am so thankful for this news--I've been discouraged today, heartsick over wanting to have her home with us. We continue to ask you to pray for the next steps and especially for our daughter. We're in the process of trying to get milk to her. We're going to celebrate this small victory in the meantime. Brenna, we're one step closer to you!!

Milestones Across the Miles

Well, today our daughter is 17 months old. We went out as a family to celebrate, but my heart wasn't really into celebrating. We are ready to hold her and share these milestones in person. We've already missed so much of her life and today is one more thing we've missed. So many people want to gloss over the loss and grief that is always some part of adoption. Yes, our daughter will gain so much when we are united, but she will also lose a culture, a language and her birthplace. She will lose the comfort of looking like everyone else. She will lose all that is familiar to her up until now, including nannies and other children in her orphanage. We will gain more than is speakable when we are united, but we are aware of what we've lost as well--TIME and KNOWLEDGE. I don't know when she took her first breaths outside her first mother's womb. I don't know her exact birthday. I don't know how she's been taken care of until now, what she's afraid of, what she likes, who she looks like. I wasn't there to see so many firsts or to teach her to trust from the beginning. So, today we not only celebrate but mourn. And long for that day when we hold her and start sharing our lives together. Please pray that we receive travel clearance and immigration clearance quickly. Please pray that she is safe from harm and is not afraid. Please pray for her physical needs to be taken care of.
So, to our precious daughter--we wish you love, peace, and joy on this special day. We are waiting for you and cannot wait to make up for all those special moments when we're together!