Wait, is that a light I see???

LOTS happened this weekend! We got our documents back from the Chinese Consulate all authenticated and written in Chinese. They have a cool red stamp that says something important I'm sure! And.....drumroll please.......Tony finished his workbook! LIFE IS GOOD! That means we're done. Done. Wow. It feels weird to say that. Done. GOD IS GOOD!

I think we're just going to organize everything and mail it in instead of driving it to Evansville. That'll save us moolah on a hotel room, etc. FTIA won't be able to send it all to China until my birthday, but at least it will be in their hands early. Soooooooo look toward the end of June for us to announce our Log In Date (LID). This date is SUPER important because it's the official date China recognizes we're here waiting for Abby. Yes, waiting....and waiting....and waiting....

Speaking of waiting, the latest incoming referrals took about 12 months. So, for now, our wait will be 12 months. That would put us at getting a referral (medical info and picture) next June. Then, hopefully, we'd travel late July/early August. Looks like I'll be missing the start of school in the Fall of 2007! And that is FINE BY ME! Now, this timeframe could change (it was 8-9 months when we started in January). So, instead of praying the process speed up, I'm just thanking God that His timing is perfect. Absolutely perfect. I have to trust in this. As Pastor Gloria said at IDX the other night, we just pray that for every step ahead we take, that God takes two. He's got it all figured out and will shine light on the next stepping stone when we need it!

Oh, and THANK YOU to Mom Sadler and Mom Foster. Abby got goodies this weekend. She got the most ADORABLE little Chinese baby doll. She also got the CUTEST Boyd's bear with a ladybug outfit, AND a Chinese pj set (in pink satin). Both the bear and the baby will probably travel to China with us when we bring her home.

I'll leave you with a neat thought. As you go to bed tonight, send a good morning thought to Abby (if she's conceived) and to Abby's birth mom. When you wake up in the morning, send sleep tight wishes to both of them. Trust me, it'll start your day fantastically, and end it peacefully.

WHEW!

Ok, our documents were submitted to the Consulate on May 22. Our courier emailed to say that she wouldn't email again until she sent them back to us via Fed Ex on May 26. Soooooo, our life will only hang in the balance for 2 more days. Pray that they find everything in order, stamp them, and send them back successfully! Good thing is, God is in control! How do people get through this process that don't believe in God?

It's there!

Ok, our packet has officially made it to Chicago! Since the courier takes every Friday off to volunteer at her daughters' school, she'll probaby walk it in to the consulate on Monday! Then, we'll look for it to come home to us by Thursday or Friday of next week!

In between time, please post a note to Tony to remind him to GET THAT PARENT WORKBOOK DONE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Keep an eye on that ticker across the top!

Only 2 dozen more days till Dossier Day!

Ok, prayers please!

We officially sent everything to Chicago via the courier today! Please pray that it makes it there, gets it's authentication completed, and arrives back home to us next week. Pray that neither the courier nor the embassy find anything wrong on the documents and all processing goes smoothly.

This is it kiddos. This is our last step before we organize it all and send it off to FTIA and then on to China. Can you feel the excitement?

Let's not talk about the wait time once we send everything in...let's just be happy we've come this far, God's provided a clear path, and our Abby girl is one step closer to home...to her forever family!

GOD IS GOOD!

Mother's Day

Yep, gotta do it...gotta brag. Tony got me the most beautiful silver ladybug necklace for Mother's Day. It brought me to tears. He gave me something to look at and hold on to until I can hold on to Abby. I love him for that.

As for Mother's Day in general.....the thing is, I have the best Mother in the world so I think the day was invented for HER! (nope, no brown nosing here! I mean, I'm not the one who put her name in the paper!)

Ok, ok, I hope everyone had a restful and fun Mother's Day.

Ok OK One more BIG STEP

WHOO HOO!!!! State seals are officially in place! Tony was able to take some time to run to Indy on Friday afternoon and get that done. They attach a form to the front of each document and then put a gold seal over the top edge to hold both papers together. They look SO OFFICIAL and SO pretty! Now the last big step is to get them authenticated in Chicago. We'll hopefully get them sent out early this week. Once they're back, we organize everything and send it on! WHOOOOOOOOOOO HOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! LESS THAN A MONTH TO GO! (check out the ladybug!) Thanks for the prayers everyone. My mom is doing better, and Mindy and Anna are chugging right along. Also, thanks for the prayers for me. My neck is mending as long as I keep those muscle relaxers coming! I want to wish a Happy Mother's Day to all who have children, who want children, who are waiting for children, or those who just feel like a mother to the children they teach or know. We love you all lots!

Ok, NEW and IMPROVED physical form in hand! They thought it was quite comical to have to take a PERFECT sugar score off the paper!

The plan Stan.....is to take everything to get state sealed on Friday.

We have a field trip to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Friday, so I might not be able to blog...but be sure and check out the ladybug counter on that day! Exciting stuff!!!!


Quick prayer request(s):
--Please pray for my mom and her leg/foot/hip combo...... she needs lifted up. Pray for a pain free night. I think she needs some sleep!
--Pray for Mindy and Anna. Mindy is dealing with a possible kidney stone and Anna has been sick as well. She'll have another doctor's visit in three weeks.
--Pray that we are able to send everything out for authentication next week.
--Pray for Abrielle's birth mom....especially on Mother's Day....

Doctor form-take 3

Ok, just a minor setback for today. Our coordinator said my doctor put my sugar count on my medical form and it should only have the date. Now, mind you, the count was PERFECT, but the Chinese government won't understand it. They just need to know that I had a RECENT sugar test. Sheesh, who knew? Let's just hope third time is a charm.

If all goes well, then Tony is taking all of our documents to Indy on Friday to get them state sealed. That alone will be a huge sigh of relief. Then, from there, they will be sent to be authenticated in Chicago. Hopefully this will occur next week. SOOOO, inching our way there.

Please pray for the remainder of the process before sending it off to go smoothly. And in case I forget on Mother's Day, PLEASE pray for Abby's birth mom. Regardless of her circumstances, she needs peace of mind, and knowledge that she'll be doing the best thing for her daughter, and she'll be giving us the best gift ever...our Abby girl.

Can I get a WHOO HOO????

It's in, it's in! Our I-171H form is IN! We have our last document!!! WHOOO HOOO! We have been approved by the Department of Homeland Security and Citizenship and Immigration Services, and in record time (according to our coordinator).

So here's the to do:

• fax some documents to Charlene our coordinator so that we can confirm they look okey dokey. (hehe, did I just type that? okey dokey? I'm in a fabulous mood!)
• Get her approval and assemble everything to get State sealed next Monday or Tuesday.
• Get everything even more assembled and send it to Chicago to the Chinese Embassy for authentication.
• Convince Tony he doesn't have to wait until June 11 to finish the parent workbooks. MINE IS DONE!
• Get everything even more assembled than before and hand deliver it with a big pink bow to FTIA in Evansville on June 12!

I can see the light at the end of the tunnel! GOD has been SOOOO good to us. The money has been there when we needed it and prayers have been answered!

And all this with a 1 month, 1 week, and 1 day until DOSSIER DAY! I'm OVER THE MOON with excitement! (wow, I need to cut back on caffeine!)

MAKE IT THE BEST DAY EVER!

Jeopardy music

Does anyone else hear that Jeopardy music? Da da da da da da daaahhhh.....It's the sound of WAITING...waiting on our fingerprint reports to see if they were acceptable or rejected. Hopefully we'll hear something by the end of this week!

Ok, here's the latest list of to do:

• Finish workbooks. (Tony is halfway through his, and I'm on the LAST section!)
• Take one more picture of our downstairs (They need three interior pictures, I only have two)
• Get our 117H fingerprint form/approval
• Get them state sealed
• Get them authenticated
• SEND THEM TO CHINA :)

On the political home front....you better vote today! If you don't vote, I don't want to hear your mouth complaining about the government! How's that for SADLER?