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Thursday, June 25, 2015

We have TA!

Received the call today that I have TA (Travel Approval) for David! The agency has sent in the request for our CA(Consulate Appointment) and once that is confirmed then travel plans can be finalized.


While it might be possible to travel by mid to late July, I have decided it is still best to wait and do August travel. Having an extra adult being able to go at that time will really help with getting around with 2 boys espeially if Bobby needs to use his wheelchair alot! Also travel in August means that Bobby can go to MDA Summer Camp which is a very special time.

I am able to check off of our list Chinese Visa for Bobby and I as they were delivered yesterday! I also now have a very lightweight transport/travel chair to take with us for Bobby since the adapted stroller is very heavy and most likely too long for some of the elevators in country. Packing has also started. I have 2 suitcases out for China along with 1 suicase for our trip to see Taylor next week, 1 suitcase for Bobby at MDA camp and 1 suitcase for our camping trip for the RR reunion. Looks like I will have to do laundry at the campground for Bobby so he has some clothes to wear as most of his will  have been packed and worn for MDA camp!

We are so close now! Soon these 2 will be back together, this time as brothers!


Thursday, June 18, 2015

An Early Surprise!

Imagine my surprise when I checked my email this morning and saw that my Article 5 was picked up today! I didn't expect this until next Tuesday so quite a nice surprise to see. So now the wait for Travel Approval begins. Some have received it in a few days and one of my fellow adoptive mom that lives just up the road from me waited an excrutiating 22 days! My hope is that I receive TA in the next couple of weeks. That would allow for our Consulate Appointment to be made and then I can book travel. Since we will not travel until 1st week of August, I am hoping to be able to get seats together and maybe slightly lower prices on airfare since we are not buying tickets last minute.

Our summer is already flying by and we stilll have so much to do before school starts and we travel to China. Bobby has Extended School Year services on Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays for an hour a day and we also have several dr appointments and MDA events. Today on the way to a dr appointment we stopped at Dunkin Donuts so Bobby could pick out a donut. When we got in the van Bobby said "I don't know if David will like donuts, but I will help him pick one out!" He is talking more about David and what he will help him learn when he gets here. Bobby is very excited to get his brother home.
Bobby and I saw Jurassic World on Monday and enjoyed the movie. In the movie, the boys are visiting the Jurassic World Park without their parents as they were invited to go by their aunt who works there. At the end of the movie when the parents came in and hugged the boys, Bobby started squirming and crying (well trying not to cry) he looked at me and said "Nothing, I don't want to talk about it." I know he is attached and bonded with me, but he still struggles with not having had a family before and really grasping that he has his own family now and that we are his forever. It breaks my heart and I am sure that some of those struggles will rear their ugly head while we are in China. He is so excited to go back, but nervous at the same time and understandably so. We will face the good and bad together.

This boy lights up my life!

And I am sure this one will too!

Friday, June 12, 2015

Article 5 and a Tentative Schedule

My Article 5 has been dropped off and should be picked up after the Dragon Boat Festival holiday, hopefully June 23rd. Then the TA wait begins. For many it only takes about a week, but unfortunately several families have been caught up in longer waits of over 2 and even 3 weeks. While we could possibly travel the last week in July if everything aligned right, I have spoken with my agency and our tentative travel dates will be in August. If the next steps proceed without delay, I hope to leave on August 6th. That would mean getting David on August 10th and a consulate appointment on August 17th and flying home August 20th. It would also mean we celebrate Bobby's 9th birthday here in the US and then about 2 weeks later celebrate David's 12th birthday with him in China. This way I will also hopefully have an extra adult along to help. Bobby has had more difficulty with falling, especially on uneven ground and has great difficulty with stairs, so I think it prudent to have another pair of hands along since China is not known for it's accessibility.

I sent off for both Bobby and my Chinese Visas, so that will be another step out of the way soon! Doing that made it seem much more real as far as how close we are to travel. I also received an update on David and a nice video. His favorite colors are green and blue. He doesn't like sponge cucumbers(which is good because I don't even know what a sponge cucumber is!!) He likes to go on field trips, be outdoors and play basketball ( guess I will be looking for a league for him to join!) They describe him as an extroverted, happy child who likes to help others <3 "He is very happy to have a family and is anxious to meet his family"(which I think probably should have translated "is anxious for his family to get there" as most of his friends have been adopted in the last few weeks)

It also looks like the new house will not be finished before we travel. I decided that can be a positive as it will allow David to help set up and choose things for the boys bedroom and playroom. Hopefully that will help him to begin to feel comfortable in this transition and help him understand that he is an integral part of our family.

As hard as it is to wait for the last few steps to be done, Bobby and I have so much planned between now and August, that I am sure time will fly! Considering I need to pack for a short trip to see Taylor, Bobby's week at MDA camp, The RR reunion and China along with needing to pack as much as I can to move (hopefully not too long after we get back from China0, I am sure that there will not be enough time in the day to accomplish all that I want to!

Here are a couple more pictures of David from when the agency went to visit. Very soon we will be there and he too will finally have a family!