The Invisible Woman

For those of us who are called "Mom"... Here's a beautiful reminder that our labor is never in vein.

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Consulate Appointment and Shamian Island

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Today was a very busy day. We are finally back in the room and the VPN is on! Quick... type before it erases! Some families had their consulate appointments yesterday so we chilled during that. Last night was the dinner cruise and Samuel and I skipped it. So glad I made that call because we were both tuckered out very early. We did go to the Noodle House with 2 other families for dinner (the other 2 families whose spouses aren't with them either). It was delicious and dirt cheap. Double score! This morning we took our tour bus to the American Embassy where I swore an oath and Samuel was officially approved for his U.S. Visa! We returned to the hotel for about 15 minutes, enough time to potty and repack the diaper bag. Then it was off to Shamian Island, one of my favorite places in Guangzhou. It's a quaint little island with shops and restaurants. We ate lunch at "Lucy's" right when we arrived. They cater to westerners and serve things like hamburgers and grilled c...
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Gotcha and Adoption Day

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Before I start writing about the whirlwind I am currently experiencing, I'd like to say thank you. Thank you for the meals and support back home. Thank you for the many prayers that are being lifted up for our family. Thank you for the encouragement through Facebook. I can hardly keep up with all the messages and comments. Please keep them coming. I can't respond to all of them or click "like" on every comment but I do see them all and appreciate every word. The support I am feeling half a world away is truly miraculous. Thank you. Yesterday was Gotcha Day. It was messy, and hard, and beautiful, and glorious. Samuel grieved deeply for losing everything he was familiar with. It was exhausting. For both of us. He is terrified of strangers and had clearly formed a bond with his caretaker. So many tears. So much fear and angst in his little heart. I honestly don't have much to say about the day because it really just felt like survival mode. I am unbelievably grateful...
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Miracles for Maggie

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It's been almost 2 months since I've written anything here but that's not to say big things haven't been happening. Since our immigration approval, we received our LOA (letter of acceptance) from China. In previous adoptions, this step took 60-70 days. It was a surprise to hear of our LOA only 25 days in to our wait! Today, our 800 immigration application will be overnighted to USCIS. This is asking permission for our specific child to immigrate to the U.S. This step should take about 2 weeks. After that, there are several little steps (and lots of paperwork) that happen in order to complete the process. We are pretty confident that we will be traveling in March but hopeful it could actually be sooner. Travel time after LOA is generally about 10 weeks out. We'll be on our way to get Maggie before we know it! In addition to a quick timeline, God has worked other miracles on our behalf. We shared on Facebook that we received a couple large donations recently, leav...
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