Officially Waiting for TA !!!!

This afternoon we received confirmation that our Article 5 was picked up and delivered to Beijing. We are officially waiting for TA (travel approval)!!!!!!! I always love this step, because it means we are days away from getting on a plane and more importantly it means that Remy is days away from having a family and a home. We really have no idea when we will actually receive Travel Approval, but the current trend is 3-11 days.  Jordan and I are hopeful that we will be on a plane in the next 3 weeks. We shall see. In the meantime we are busy getting closets organized and doing some last minute things around the house to get ready for Remy's arrival. It's going to be an exciting next few weeks.

We have our PDF and Article 5 Drop off.....

On Wednesday morning, Sept 10th, we received a little gem of an email...our pdf from the National Visa Center. This is the last nugget that the government needed to walk our case into the American Consulate in Guangzhou to start the process of administering Remy's visa.  Today.., Sept 11, those documents were "dropped"off and Article 5 has started to be issued. This takes a total of ten business days. Our in country rep will pick up our Article 5 and overnight them to Beijing. Once that happens, we are officially waiting for Travel Approval. I am so ready to hop on a plane NOW, but I must patiently wait just a few more weeks. It brings me so much comfort to know that she is the loving care of her foster home, Swallows Nest. We give thanks to the Lord for providing a wonderful place of shelter for her these past two years.

GUZ and the DS260 filed !!!

We got our GUZ today and consequently I was able to file Remy's visa application ( DS260)   It was a very long form. I didn't have to do this for Rex so it really is the first thing that has been new to me. I am so glad this part is almost over. Now we wait for an email from the NVC and that gets forwarded to our agency. Once this happens we are officially cabled ; article 5 drop off. I am so excited I could burst bc this means that we are VERY close to travel.

1800 Approval ...and some darling pics

Well baby girl, today we received confirmation of our 1800 approval. This is a piece of paper that classifies the "adoptee" as an immediate relative granted by the United States. We are so excited, because this means that  MAMA is almost finished with the paperwork (until we get to China), but most importantly it means that we only have a few more steps before we are waiting for travel approval. And we can't wait. Your siblings have started school and I have started nesting like crazy preparing for your arrival. Daddy and I talk about you every night and contemplate our predictions of our travel dates. We are trying so hard to reach you before you turn two (oct 22), but if we are delayed, we also know that whenever you are finally placed in our arms, it will be the perfect time.

I have been blessed with some darling pictures of you. I can't believe how beautiful you are. You have grown so much since your referral pictures. Your smile is beautiful . I am told you are smart and a very happy girl.

So what's next......? We don't have much longer to go....Let me see if I can break it down. And by breaking it down, I mean totally copying and pasting from my friends blog bc she has already written all the confusing steps down. :) (Thanks, Sandy)

We have received approval from US immigration, and they will forward their approval to the National Visa Center.

Then the National Visa Center will send us a letter saying that they have received our file from USCIS (immigration). This letter will be forwarded to the US consulate in Guangzhou and will in return give us a GUZ # and invoice number that is specific to Zhou Jun Xin.  (Remy) 

Then I must fill out a DS260 form which is Remy's Visa and receive confirmation of this form being filed via email in a pdf format. This is then forwarded to our agency and they email it to their representative in China to drop off at the US Consulate . 

Then the US consulate will issue what's called our article 5, which will be picked up by our agency and sent to Beijing, and delivered to the CCCWA.

And finally, after all of that, our travel approval will be issued!" 

Isn't that enough to make you bonkers? It can be confusing, but really we are just waiting on two tiny little pieces of information so that I can fill out that visa paperwork and then forwarded it to the US consulate. I am thinking that this can all be done by next Thursday..and possibly even Tuesday . We shall see...... either way...we are SO CLOSE to going back to China for our 4th child and we couldn't be more excited.