Happy Lunar New Year!!!

Dear Emily,

Happy <Lunar> New Year sweet girl! Where you are I know this holiday is a HUGE deal, in fact, from what we understand, the whole country pretty much shuts down for a couple weeks.  I cannot wait to come up with our own Chinese New Year celebrations with you! It's important to your Daddy and I that you know and continue your Chinese heritage.  We are learning all that we can to make sure we can help you do that!  Your Daddy is getting pretty good with his Chinese! He's been trying it out wherever he can!

We are working hard to prepare our "Dossier" (a big fancy word for a bunch of paperwork!) and get it to China as quickly as possible.  Things are going well.  Every day we are one step closer to us being a family!

We 're trying to decide on a color to paint your room.  We want it to be just perfect for you!  Daddy and Grandma and Grandpa and I have been working to put together a care package to send to you in China.  We got you a photo album and I've been trying to gather pictures to put in it.  I've learned that I have very few of our family that doesn't include us making funny faces.  :-) I wish I could know what you think the first time you see our face.  The first time we saw your face.... it was love at first sight!

We love you so much... each day we know more fully how blessed we are.  I cannot imagine being more blessed!

Oh Em... we can't wait to hold you!

Love you so much!
Mommy & Daddy

And one more step checked off!

Friday marked a milestone in our process. We sent off our i800a application. That's basically an app. Seeking permission from the us govt to adopt a child born abroad. Sending this off means our home study is approved!! Now we can apply for grants/loans to aid in this adventure! Getting that completed home study in my hands was a huge relief! I was a nervous wreck triple checking to make sure I had all the needed information/documentation. I'm hoping and praying I did it right! 

So we wait. In a few days we will get a "receipt date" that's when the countdown starts. It was taking 60+ days to get approval. Now I'm seeing people getting them in the 50 day range. I hear it's speeding up and we are praying that's true. Faster at this step = faster to the next step. Pray with us for a speedy step. 

In the mean time, we are enjoying our 6th anniversary today. watching movies and enjoying a quiet day together. I'm so blessed!  

My cup runneth over!  

With love and hope, 

Jenn and Rob

Joy in the journey.

One thing I'm learning in the midst of the adoption process is that while it's so easy to focus the end. The finalized adoption. The growth of a family. The realization of a dream.  There's so much that can be missed if we are focused on the finish line. 

So I'm trying.  Trying to enjoy each day and live it to it's fullest.  Back in the day... the "finish line" was marriage. I spent wayyyyy too much time waiting for/looking towards that goal.  I missed some important stuff.  While marriage is more wonderful than I could've imagined... I do wish I had focused on the moment more often than I did.  

Luckily... I serve a God who KNOWS me.  He knows that given the chance I'll focus on the finish line and not the journey.  The journey ... I've learned... is the best part.  Our wedding was great... Our marriage is better! So... note to self.... enjoy each day.  Enjoy every. little. part.  My busy schedule is a joyous distraction for that finish line.  :-) While life is extremely stressful and hectic lately... I welcome it.  It's all part of this awesome and wonderful journey and I don't want to wish away a minute of it! 

With love and Joy,

Jenn and Rob

Hurry up.... and wait! Ha!

Not much to report lately.  I've been hoping for the last week or so that our Home Study would be "approved" and we could send it on to USCIS for approval to "adopt a child born out of the USA".  That wait is approx. 60 days.  I'm ready to get started and get the clock moving.  Ugh.

We are planning and praying and anticipating.... I guess it's not all that different than being pregnant.  You worry if everything will be ok, if she'll like us, etc...

If you're praying for us and for this process.... add this to the list... approved home study this week.  i800a sent off this week.... AND... paperwork back from the Chinese consulate.  I have a stack of papers held up at the Houston consulate b/c apparently i'm the first one to have documents "certified" by the new Secretary of State.  The consulate doesn't have the necessary documentation to "authenticate" it and make it ready for the courier to pick up and mail back to us.

The i800a is our first of a few long waits.  It's taking about 60 days to get approval and in the middle of that 60 days you get fingerprinted and they check to make sure you're not a criminal or anything.  It's funny but... I've never been in "trouble" for anything but i'm scared to death they'll find something in my record, HAHAHA.  Well... I did get in trouble for chewing gum on the bus 2 times in 7th grade.... LOL... it's funny how your mind plays tricks on you.  We are just hoping the process speeds up and that we can get it done.  The i800a is the last piece of our dossier.  As soon as we get it, we will expedite certification and authentication and when our agency gets it our dossier will be complete.  After that... translation... then to China.  Then another long wait.

I'm certain God is the one in control.  I'm certain His timing is perfect..... But I want my Emily Katherine. :-)  I want to start pouring on the love and making up for all she has missed out on in her 16 short months of life.  But alas... His will... not mine.

Say a little prayer for my mom, Granny Henderson, too (LOL.. she hates that name but maybe it'll make her laugh if she's reading!) She broke her knee cap last night tripping over all the mess in our garage.  I hate she's in pain and I HATE she's in for such a long road to recovery. Pray for her recovery in the midst of all the chaos/fun/craziness/busyness/excitement/stress in our lives!

With Love and Anticipation...
Jenn and Rob

Being Part of the "Club" and some awesome quotes...

These are all really great quotes on adoption.  As a member of the "club" I come across them every day.  

One thing that amazes me (apart from my precious girl's face) is all of these friends I've made.  I'm a stickler for not adding people on my Facebook if I don't know them in the real world... But all of the sudden that doesn't matter.  I've added, who knows how many new friends.  I've read blog upon blog and watched thousands of "Gotcha Day" videos.  I've rejoiced with each step of each new friend's adoption journey.  It's fun to get excited as each person gets one step closer to holding their baby and really awesome to read the blog updates and FB updates when they actually get to China! I know that I'm in the midst of something great.  It's like being in college, making friends that you KNOW will be there for the rest of your life! 

I'm so blessed by the process and have no doubt we'll be blessed by our daughter.

Each day brings us just a little bit closer!! We're coming Emily Kate!! Hang in there!!

With Love and Amazement 
Jenn

INTRODUCING.........

So... today we got Pre Approval :-)

What does that mean? Well.... that means... we get to share our daughter with YOU!

Emily Katherine Taylor

I cannot get this paperwork done fast enough.  However... we are at the mercy of two governments. I'm doing my part and those of you who have been frustrated by my lack of organization in the past... would be SO SO proud! Before we were matched it was just paperwork leading to a goal.  Now, now it's different.  The stress of crossing every T and dotting every I is overwhelming.  Now there's a little baby girl, whose face i've seen (countless times b/c we can't stop gazing at her picture) depending on me to get it right and get it done yesterday!

Ok ok... you don't care about any of that... you just want to see her face! :-) 

I can't blame you. 

It's a cute one. :-) 

Yep... that's our girl! We are soooooo in love and soooooo excited.  The time cannot tick fast enough BUTTTT  we have much to do to prepare for her! Don't ya just wanna kiss that face?!!? 

With LOTS of love and excitement!

Jenn & Rob

Blessed.

I. Am. So. Incredibly. Blessed. 

I cannot even list the ways I've been blessed In this adoption process. They are too many to count. The fellow adoptive parents, the agency, the process, etc. it's amazing. 

Before we decided to adopt, I often grumbled about why I had to wait for everything.... For marriage, for kids... But now... I feel like somehow...some way... I've landed smack in the place God intended. I'm grateful for every step. For the process..for the people I've met...not to mention the ones I never knew God would use so powerfully in my life!!  I'm grateful. 

Sure... I wish I could have my little one, yesterday! But ... On some strange, spiritual level, I know I'm right where God wants me! 

I'm blessed!

In case you wonder...

In case you wonder why I'm all discombobulated lately... here's a diagram I found of the adoption process.  It's no wonder that I don't know if I'm coming or going! :-) Ha!

And for those of you that are curious... you have to learn a whole other language to survive the process.  No... not mandarin... that would make sense... it's a slew of acronyms.  Here's a quick run down, in order of the adoption process.

1. HS        Home Study
2. Dossier   Collection of important documents
3. LOI       Letter of Intent
4. PA         Pre-Approval
5. I-800A   Application to USCIS to adopt a child from China
6. I-797     Notice Of Action  I-800A approval
7. DTA       Dossier To Agency
8. DTC       Dossier to China
9. LID         Logged In Date
10. OOT       Out Of Translation - dossier has been translated into Chinese and is "in progress"
11. Reviewed - with the new database that the CCCWA installed in 2013, there are some new steps that we can track now.  Reviewed shows when your dossier has been, well, reviewed by the staff!
12. Match Reviewed or Soft LOA - this is when your dossier and the child's specific file are given their final review and the LOA is issued.  It shows in the computer system as issued before it actually arrives in its paper form at the agency.
13. LOA       Letter Of Acceptance also called LSC (Letter Seeking Confirmation)
14. I-800       Application to adopt a specific child from China
15. A 5 or Article  5 Final approval from the United States for the adoption to take place
16. TA         Travel Approval
17. Gotcha Day  A day like no other
18. CA          US Consulate Appointment in China

We are wayyyyyyy at the top of this list  and working hard! It'll happen.... 

With Love and Excitement!

Jenn