Better Day

After all of my complaining yesterday, it ended up being a good day.  I received news that my package to Natalie arrived and will be delivered to her in the next few days.  Last night I got an email from the Adopted Children's Immigrant Visa Unit at U.S. Consulate General Guangzhou telling me that our Article V has been issued, which is good news.  This means that our Travel Approval should definitely come in 3 weeks.  Usually it would be 2 weeks, but we are delayed due to the holiday in China.  

I talked to Holt yesterday about our chances of being able to leave on March 6th.  It is definitely possible, but several things do need to fall into place pretty quickly after we receive TA.  If we get it by 2/20 like I am hoping, that leaves us 2 full weeks to get the trip planned.  Holt has to make all of our in country arrangements in China for travel between the different provinces, etc.  They also have to receive permission from our province that we can come that week to get Natalie.  Apparently most provinces in China always grant permission, but there are a few that sometimes decline and make you wait until the next trip.  Well Natalie's province is one of those of course!  

Holt has now added another travel date the following week (March 15th) so even if we get delayed we will only have to wait a week.  We REALLY want to go on the 6th though because Luke is on spring break and will miss much less school, and our friends Pete and Addie are also going at that time to pick up their daughter.  We have walked through this adoption process with them after meeting at our parenting class back in April, and have said all along how great it would be to travel together.  I will push as hard as I can to make this happen so we can leave on the 6th, but as with everything else in this process, I can't control much.  

Please pray that -

Our TA will come by the 20th so Holt has enough time to get the arrangements made.

Natalie's province grants permission for us to come that week.

That we get her visa appointment in Guangzhou at the right time.