Care packages and visas.

When your child is half way around the world and you can't see them, touch them, talk to them...you'll go to great lengths to have some sort of contact.
 
Which is why on Tuesday we had a small package sent to EK.  It wasn't much, but I hope it's enough to provide her with some idea of what is soon to come.  We used a service in China that provides care packages for children in the orphanages.  Our contact, Helen, put together a package for us that included a blanket and a photo album with pictures I sent to her of our family.  I'm hoping they bring these items with her on Gotcha Day and the blanket will be something that feels familiar, smells familiar, when all else in her little life has been turned upside down.  And the faces in the pictures will soon be familiar as well.
 
We also got to ask several questions which I'm hoping will help us learn a little more about the newest member of our family.  And the best part...I should get a few pictures and a video of her as well!  I'd be lying if I didn't say I'm wearing out the phone checking my email for new pictures.  Even though Helen said it would be 3-5 days after sending for it to be delivered to the orphanage...and it was just sent Tuesday...
 
She sent me this picture below before she mailed it...

Yeah.  That's me on Kenny's shoulders.  At least she'll know we are fun!

We also got an email Tuesday that our visa applications had been delivered to the Chinese consulate in Chicago.  They will be picked up this coming Monday and then visas and passports overnighted back to us.  And at that point...I can technically travel to China...so I'm gonna need the rest of these folks dealing with our paperwork to step it up.

I got places to go, people!

Rewind: Spring Break

I keep saying I'm going to post more when life slows down.........

But alas, I realized...that's just not gonna happen! 

With soccer 3 to 4 days a weeks (sometimes 5!), church, school, part-time jobs, full-time jobs, adoption paperwork, feeding the two garbage disposals that live here, cleaning, laundry...you get the point.  It ain't gonna slow down any adding one to the mix!  Not that I'm complaining...

I'll just blog at 11:43pm.  While everyone else is sleeping/snoring.

I only require 7 hours of sleep a night anyway.  It's a proven fact.  That's my perfect nights sleep. 

And at this rate, I'm not going to get it tonight.

Our Spring Break consisted of a little bit of camping and a whole lot of working while Mom (aka Gammy) and I worked on Ellie Kate's room.  You've already seen a few pictures of that, so here's a few pictures of fun...

We did a little "hanging" around...I know...that was bad...



Papa taught us how to make funny faces.

 

We smiled for Gammy.

 

We even smiled for Gammy after church.  It was the only time we weren't covered from head to toe dirt all week.



We raced up the slides.  At least 47 times.
 

And just generally got as dirty as possible.  Which is what you do when you are a boy and you go camping.

 

Maybe I'll try to post birtday pics next.

 

You know, since that was only a month and half ago.





An Update on EK

Okay, let's go bullet point on this.  Because that's how I think.  Bullet point style.

And we'll start with the most important first...

• We received our LOA (remember the fondness for accronymms...that's Letter of Acceptance) on Friday!!!  This is HUGE news!  It's the coveted piece of paper that all Chinese adoptive parents wait for because it means you are traveling in 8-10 weeks.  (I've also seen 2-3 months, but I prefer to measure in weeks.  It much less daunting.)  We received ours on day 40 of waiting.  It can take up to 90 days or longer, but praise the LORD, He saw fit to bring us that approval in only 40 days!  SIDE NOTE:  I think I originally said we were waiting on our LOA from our LID, but later found out that you don't get to start counting days until PA.  Which was a huge bummer for me.  But doesn't matter now because now we have it!  (I'm also wondering how many of you are trying to figure out what all those accronymms mean...)

LOA!!!!

I've never been so happy to see a FedEx package at the door before!!

• Charlie was with me when I got the call Friday morning about LOA because he had a doctor's appointment.  I did get a single yell of excitement from him.  But I decided to go interupt Sam's class after I dropped Charlie back off at school and I got a full-blown dance, screams and running up and down the hallway from him!  Both equally excited we are one step closer to bringing our 'lil Ji home...but with very different ways of showing it!

• Speaking of 'lil Ji, we chose to leave Ji in her name as part of her Chinese heritage.  So her name will be Elizabeth Kathryn Ji.  Ji is actually her family name or last name, but after some research we discovered Ji means wisdom and has roots in Korea, which is neat since when we started this whole process, we started in South Korea.  Plus, once Sam dubbed her 'lil Ji, it has just stuck!  No way that couldn't be part of her name!

• Our signed LOA and supporting documents (a TON of paperwork) was placed in the capable hands of FedEx last night at 7:15pm.  And when I checked this morning, had been delivered at 9:56am to the Birmingham Lifeline office.  Now, our I-800 will be sent to USCIS for processing and I am working on getting Kenny and I travel visa's to get into China.  There are several more big paperwork steps between now and us getting our travel approval.  Just pray everything moves along smoothly and with no hitches!  Note from the editor:  As I was typing this, our social worker texted and said our 800 is going out today!!  YAY!  We should here back on that in about 3 weeks!

• I'm shooting for us to travel mid/late June.  Please know that no one has officially told me that's what's going to happen.  But in my bullet-point-style-need-to-have-a-plan-thinking, I've decided that's when it will be.  Just add that to your prayer list.  June would be perfect timing, allowing us to have the rest of the summer with EK and the boys to just chill while everyone gets to know each other.

• She now has a painted room complete with a crib!!  There has never been a crib in this house since it has been Cook territory, so that makes me incredibly excited and a tad bit emotional all at the same time.  My mom is working on several pieces...curtains, crib skirt, quilt...that will make it look very girly.  Cause that also doesn't happen much around here!  And I painted the room White Scallion (read as a pale, pale green).  Sam swears it's just white, but it's really not.  I also am in the process of refinishing a piece of furniture I found on the side of the road (yes, the side of the road).  It was perfect changing table size.  I couldn't pass it up.  It's looking very shabby chic...

This was really to show the color of the room.  Dad was putting the crib together and having some technical difficulties...

This is after two coats.  It kinda looks like a giant gumball here.  But I'm going to dry brush a coat that's lighter in color and distress it.  I'll try to remember to put a picture of the finished product.

I had a little help with some art projects for her room.  The boys painted owls and Tristan painted some wooden owls that I found at Micheals.  They were all very cute and the boys loved having something to do to help us with her room.

• I also found out we will be in Guangzhou for the majority of our trip to China, instead of being split between her city and Guangzhou.  Because she is so close to Guangzhou (close being about 5 hours), they will bring her to us and we will have an opportunity to visit her city sometime later while we are in China.  On one hand, this cuts down on our traveling and I'm sure being able to just set up camp in one place for the whole trip will be nice, but honestly, I wanted to see as much as China as I could.  I'm a little sad our whole trip will be mainly spent in one city.  But the Lord usually has a reason for all that He does, so I'm gonna just go with the flow and know that we will be in Guangzhou the whole time because that's part of His plan!

• This is not really an EK specific update, but since we are adding more hineys to the family, it's been a topic of conversation.  We need to make a decision about what to do about our aging cars.  Kenny's is still kicking along and we recently had some work done to it that should sustain it for a while.  I am still driving Big Blue the Explorer.  But Blue has a few faults.  One, he only seats five.  And yes, there will only be five in our family, but that's gonna seriously hamper the school carpooling situation which is a huge help to us and the friends we carpool with.  And two, Blue needs a new transmission (among other things).  Badly.  So, do we put a new transmission in Blue so he runs smoother?  (As smooth as a 9-year-old car with 140,000+ miles can run.)  Or bite the bullet and let 'ol Blue go for something a little newer and bigger?  (Yes, I'm thinking mini-van.  But that's a whole other topic worthy of it's own post.  Mainly because I never thought I would utter the words "want" and "mini-van" in the same sentence.)  I'll tell you the issue.  Blue is paid for.  I despise having a car payment.  Don't want one.  Don't need one.  I know it's just a car, but we need wisdom about the best thing to do.......and I don't think we know yet what that will be.....  If you see anyone giving away mini-vans on the side of the road, just let me know!!

That's all I know.  I realize (as my sweet husband pointed out) that if I posted more often, the post wouldn't have to be a mini-novel.  Either way, you now know what I know.

Just keep praying all keeps moving along fast!