TRAVEL APPROVAL!!!!!

We just received our TA from GWCA! Nancy, our travel advisor just called and told us that she has to make our consulate appointment and that our tentative date of travel is August 7th, 2009. If this date sticks then we will be in Beijing August 7th, travel to Celia's province and get her on August the 9th or 10th, travel to Guangzhou August 15th, go to our Consulate appointment on August 18th and travel back to the US on August 19th. WE ARE SO EXCITED!!!!!!!

Visa Applications

Last week we received our visa application forms to fill out on Tuesday and were told that we had to have them back to GWCA by Monday, the 13th. On Wednesday I e-mailed back and forth to our travel advisor to make sure that we were filling out the forms correctly and then on Thursday my dad took them and filled them out on the computer because they had to be typed. Just getting them typed was a crazy story in itself. After he got them typed he brought them to me in Hendersonville at work and then I took my lunch break, which ended up being about 3 hours, and took them to Greg at his work in Gallatin to sign. I then headed back to Goodlettsville to the FEDEX store and had them sent overnight. After that I got on the bypass, which has traffic backed up from one exit to the next and my gas light comes on. I pray the entire time on the bypass explaining to God that I know it was my fault that I didn't get gas but could He please let me make it to the gas station. I MADE IT!!! So I am pumping my gas and praising God at the same time. I then head back to work and finish my day. Friday, I was tracking our FEDEX package and it got to GWCA at 8:19 AM. I then e-mailed GWCA and made sure that they received the package, which they did. Greg told me later that I could write a whole book just on my experiences on Thursday. Next step: TRAVEL ARRANGEMENTS!!!! YIPEEEEE!!!!!!

New Picture

We just received a new picture of Celia today from the lady in China that sent her our care package. We think that the picture was taken at the end of June. Ann also sent us her new measurements and told us that she has 2 teeth on the top and none on the bottom. We are now working with our travel advisor to get some things in order to get us prepared for travel. The travel advisor has informed us that she expects us to travel in August around the 14th. We are so excited and we have fallen in love with yet another picture. ISN'T SHE THE CUTEST!!!!

Care Package

This morning I ordered Celia a care package through Red Thread China. A lady in China, Ann, owns this company and she has contact with the orphanages and will be able to find out her correct sizes and send her our package. In it I have put a pair of pajamas, a doll, a blanket, camera and a note stating that we are Celia's parents and we would like her to have these things and would they take some pictures of her, her caretakers, her orphanage director and her friends, with the camera so that we will have them for her for later. In sending this package through Ann I am hoping to get Celia's true sizes and hopefully be able to pack the correct sizes for her for our trip. Keeping our fingers crossed and trusting God!!

Next Step

We have received Celia's Medical Exam and her growth report and everything looks good. The reports say that she is a happy, healthy baby. On June 23, Greg accepted the package from the FedEx man. Imagine his surprise when Greg asked him if he could take a picture of him holding the package. Greg told him that he had a crazy request and then told him that he really needed a picture of him because he was delivering our adoption papers and that I would hurt him if I came home and he didn't have a picture. The man was a good sport and let Greg take 3 pictures of him and then told him congratulations. Greg said he was a nice guy. I had to have the pictures for Celia's scrapbook. After we read through the paperwork we signed off that we would accept the referral and then took them back to Federal Express the same night and had them sent back. Our agency told us the sooner we had the papers back to them the sooner we would travel. The papers reached GWCA today at 8:13 AM and we received an e-mail from our agency stating that they received our package and they were moving us to the travel phase. They said that we should receive some information from our travel advisor sometime next week. We are so excited!!! We are getting closer.

WHAT A DAY!!!!

This has been one of the most exciting days of our lives.  At approximately 11:00 AM this morning Greg and I officially became parents.  I cannot describe how we feel.  We are "over the moon" in love with her.  We think she is the most beautiful baby that we have ever seen in our lives.  Of course, we are not being partial or anything:)   We are finally coming down off of our adrenaline highs.  Looking back on today we were talking about what we were doing when we got the news.  Greg was out in the garden staking tomato plants and I was at work eating Chinese food for lunch.  Who would have thought that this day would have turned out the way it has.  It has been amazing and GOD IS AN AWESOME GOD!!!!    His timing has been absolutely perfect.  It has been a long journey but the wait has been worth it all.  We will continue to keep everyone posted on any upcoming events and hopefully I will have my head on straight the next time I blog.  Thank you all for all of your prayers and please continue to pray for us as we proceed.  We do have a 15 hour flight, one way, ahead of us.  

Her Name!!!!

We are going to call her Celia Lu En Jones. We are so excited!!!!! We should get her paperwork by Federal Express on Monday. Now we are ready to jump on a plane and pick her up. YIPPEEEE!!!!!!!