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Posted by on Jul 4, 2014 in Adoption, Fundraiser | 0 comments

Two words we’ve been waiting to say!

Our flights are booked (all 3 of them!). Hotels are reserved (also 3!). We’re braving one train and with every step of this adventure planning, my mind returns to one conclusion:We can.not.wait. to meet our boy. In the last few days, I’ve made his first doctor’s appointments, filled out school paperwork, and set up his afterschool arrangements for the three days that I work outside the home. We’ve made progress in packing and have stocked a small infirmary to take with us. We’re list-making maniacs! If it wasn’t enough to plan for our travels, we’ve also got Hannah’s plans for our trip finalized. She’ll be with a star-studded collection of aunts, Birdies, cousins, and loved ones. We hope she’ll barely notice we’re absent but we know that’s unlikely. We’re recording a few video snippets of messages for her to see us when we might be unable to Facetime (due to the need to sleep in China!). In the event you were plotting a ransack, we’ve also got the house...

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Posted by on Jun 23, 2014 in Adoption, Fundraiser | 0 comments

It’s Wing Week!

We are excited to hold our Buffalo Wild Wings fundraisers this week! First up is our local Mason event, which is TONIGHT! We’ll be there with friends and family for an extended dinner. Come hungry and bring your crew! If you still need a flier, let us know. They are also available in the sidebar. Just remember you select the correct location. On Friday of this week (June 27), we’ll be down in Frankfort (my hometown!) to celebrate with friends and family there. We’d love to see you if you can make it out. If not, you can help by spreading the word. People can dine at anytime for both events-lunch, dinner, or in between! See you tonight for some wings and fun! Don’t forget your flier! Mason’s flier—–>BW3sMasonFundraiser Frankfort’s...

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Posted by on Jun 16, 2014 in Adoption, Travel | 0 comments

We have TRAVEL APPROVAL!

Just got the call and we have TRAVEL APPROVAL (TA)! The letter from China saying we can come pick up Eli arrived to our agency this afternoon! They’re confirming our Consulate Appointment (CA) now and we should have that by tomorrow! The CA just tells us our last appointment in China so that determines when we can come home. We’ll need that information to book our flights but we’re fairly certain that we’ll meet Eli on July 21.<——It doesn’t yet feel real to type that sentence! There are round abouts 1.7 million details to work out now that we finally KNOW the dates-there are flights, hotels, and care for Hannah while we are gone. I’ll also be making calls (again) to all the grants we are still awaiting word from to see if we can get their final decision asap. We need to be fully funded well before we depart because our fees have to be wired there in advance. We’re hoping that our BW3 fundraiser nights are successful...

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Posted by on Jun 16, 2014 in Adoption, Family | 0 comments

That Sister, That Dad, That Family

It’s been a big week for our family-big emotions and big milestones. We’ve celebrated Hannah’s 4th birthday. We’ve laid to rest my Aunt Anne. And today-we celebrate Father’s Day. And through everything, there’s the waiting….waiting to be released from this nearly year-long wait to go pick up Eli and bring him home. In good times, it’s sometimes hard to accept that Eli’s missed another moment with our family. His sister’s birthday party was so much fun. It was a turtle-tastic, cousin/friend-filled day of bouncing, mutagen-making in misting rain, and a 4-year-old who is already so proud to be Eli’s sister. As we’ve prepared his room, Hannah helped to carefully set up his toys. She’ll occasionally borrow something but it’s almost always right back where she found it. She’s excited for him to sit next to her in the van and she talks with such pride about her brother in China. Eli’s got quite a sister waiting! And today-we celebrate the father Eli has waiting. I always knew Adam would...

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Posted by on Jun 9, 2014 in Adoption | 0 comments

Fundraising update and an invitation to join us for wings!

We’re in the final stages of this long, long wait. Any day now-we’ll receive travel approval, or TA, from China. With that approval, our last chunk of funds will be due and we’ll be free to go to China and *bring Eli home*. I usually consider myself a relatively patient person but this waiting game is a tough one! We’re not only waiting for TA but also to hear final word from more than TWELVE grants! Many of the granting organization prefer to wait until you are very, very close to traveling. I’m guessing they strategize a bit to see if they can wait out some people who will find funds elsewhere. It’s not necessarily a negative thing-with the end result being more children brought home to families-but nonetheless, it’s stressful! Like so many families, we can afford to welcome another child into our home but the upfront costs for adoption are a major challenge. Still, we’re compelled by a belief that adoption IS possible for diverse families. We’ve...

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