LOA on it's way to China

Woohoo!!! I just got an email that our LOA is on it's way back to China. The estimate until travel approval is 3-4 weeks. Of course I'm hoping 3 weeks (or less), but like my other post said it will probably be 5-6 weeks with our luck. Oh well, at least it will be warmer. This weekend I washed the girls spring/summer clothes and put up the winter/fall clothes. Those girls have a lot of clothes. I saved some of the 18-24 month clothes because I have no idea how big Sophie will be. We're getting so close and I'm getting so nervous. I just realized something, 4 weeks would be on 4/18. That's my birthday. I will be 35 and my grandmother will be 85. What an awesome birthday present that would be. An earlier birthday present would be okay as well. I know we still won't travel until mid to late May. Now I'm concerned about missing Brandon's 8th grade graduation. I don't even know what day it is yet. Like I said with Maddie's ballet recital, somebody can tape it for me but I sure would be sad to miss it. Middle school has been a long 3 years and I'm sure high school is going to be an even longer 4 years. P.S. Can you tell I'm really loving the animation! I also want to say there are some agencies saying that TA's are on their way. I hope so. I hope there are some LOA's mixed in with them as well!

Times a Wastin!!!!!

I don't know who you are, but will you please send your LOA back to the agency? I got mine on Friday, had a minor heart attack over it (see post titled D'oh) and it arrived at the agency yesterday waiting to go back to China. Apparently we are now waiting on one family to return their form. Come on already. This is the child you agreed to adopt a long time ago. Send the form back. The rest of us are waiting!

TA and LOA week proclaimed

I know that our TA is not coming this week, but I am officially proclaiming it TA and LOA week out in blog and yahoo land. I am hoping that Amy and Heather's TA's come this week. I am also hoping that Sabrina's and Beth's (but she doesn't have a blog) LOA comes this week. It's been a while for them as well. So come on and join me. Let's send some good thoughts for TA's and LOA's!

D'oh!

This was me today. I was anxious to receive our letter this morning so I stalked the front desk waiting for UPS to come. As soon as he did I ran upstairs, made a copy and grabbed my purse. I wanted to run to the dealership and have AJ sign the letter so I could send it right back. I made it to the shop in record time and finally found him (on the Matco truck). He signed the letter, I signed the letter and then I dated it. I kissed him goodbye and drove to the post office so I could send it out. I figured I would send it Priority since it's the weekend. I had delivery confirmation slapped on it and then handed it over. I got in the car to drive the 15 minutes back to work happy that it was on it's way. Halfway to work I start think that I didn't check the very important box that stated "yes we accept this referral". D'oh! I remembered signing it, I remembered dating it but I just didn't remember checking the box. I got back to the office and it really started bothering me. I called the agency (by this time it was 1100 so they were just opening up on the west coast) and asked to speak to my SW. She wasn't there yet, but I left her a voice mail. I also sent her an email. I wanted to know if they could check the box for us. Well after about a minute I decided that I had better call the post office and have them hold out the envelope and go back and get it. About 30 minutes later I was at the post office again feeling like a fool. I had to wait for 10 minutes because there was only one person behind the counter. When I got up to the counter I explained the situation. The person wasn't the person that I talked to on the phone, but luckily that person was just down the hall. They handed me my envelope and I ripped it open. Yep, you guessed it I forgot to check the box. Double D'oh!!! Guess I learned my lesson..... slow down!
P.S. Thank you all for the wonderful comments. We were so excited (and still are).

FINALLY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Our LOA came today!!!!! I can't believe it. On Monday we received and email from the agency that said there was a possibility that we wouldn't receive our LOA. We might just go straight to TA. I was kind of shocked to get the call today, but at least I know we are moving forward. We will have the letter tomorrow, sign it and send it right back. It should go back to China on Monday and then in about 1 - 3 weeks (probably 4-5 knowing our luck) we should have travel approval. I'm still thinking (hoping) for May.

LOA week proclaimed!

Amy over at catching butterflies has declared this TA week. I hope she and everyone else waiting gets their TA's, but I'm going to declare this LOA week. LOA stands for letter of acceptance. This is what we are waiting on so that we can again wait for our TA. It would just be a relief to have this letter so that I can whine about waiting for TA. Amy asked what else TA could stand for. What about LOA? What else could it stand for?

Library of America

Loa - check out the link

List of acronyms - here's the ultimate list

Here's hoping that this week is a busy one. I think we all need it. I have to run Maddie to the dentist..... I hope to see lot's of good news posted on the yahoo groups when I get back.

4 months

Today it has been 4 months since we received our log in date. It almost 5 months (3/20) since we were date to China and 3/23 will be one year since we started this whole thing. I'm optimistic that we will receive our letter of acceptance this week. I hope I don't get let down again.

This bites

This really bites! Today is day 115 and nothing. I can't believe we have been waiting this long. Today I lost it. I heard a song today driving in. It was the same song that I heard on the day of Maddie's referral. It is "Feels like today" by Rascal Flats. I thought it was a sign. I started bawling. I told myself not to get excited, but it really did feel like today.
All day I kept thinking I would get an email or phone call from my agency. I had a couple of missed calls from the 206 area code. This is a Washington state area code. That's where our agency is. I had been in another office and I came back and saw the missed calls. They didn't leave a message. Well it turns out it was a pilot who lives in Seattle who didn't leave a message. After I got off of the phone with him (he was whining about his days off and I really didn't want to hear his over paid behind whining about having to work) I had to go to the restroom because I lost it. I really, really, really thought I would hear something today. Other agencies heard today. People who were logged in after us received their LOA's today ( and every other time in the last 3 weeks or so). People who were DTC before or during the same time that we were who were NSN and then decided they wanted to adopt special needs because they didn't want to wait as long, received their LOA's today and the last several times that LOA's have been sent.
March 23rd will mark one year since we have started this whole process. I am so weary today. I am so tired today. I know I have no control over it and I'm really, really, really trying to be patient. The thing that bothers me is people who have waited less time will end up bringing their children home before I do. Meanwhile, my daughter sits in a cold orphanage in Dandong China (where they had their worst snowstorm in 57 years) on the border of North Korea 93 miles from a nuclear test site. My daughter sits in a cold orphanage not growing because of not receiving proper nutrition and because of her thorax and spinal deformity.
It's my turn now (it's also Heather's turn and anyone else who was logged in SN's prior to me and yes there are a few, not many but a few). It's our turn to celebrate our LOA. It's our turn to worry about airline rates and what hotel we are staying at. It's our turn to get to say when we are traveling. It's my turn to leave work and not come back for 4-5 weeks. My visa expires in July. I really hope I get to travel before then.
Okay, I've said my peace. I think I'm going to go cry again.

This is how I feel right now about the wait

Wow. I feel like I'm waiting for our I-797C again. I know it's beyond anyones control and I just need to be patient. I'm trying. I really, really, really am.

Side note, I would like to thank all of the people who disrupted their adoptions last year. Thanks to you, children have to wait a lot longer now for their families. If it weren't for you, I and every other family wouldn't have to wait for a seeking confirmation letter and then our TA. We would be able to just get TA and then go get our children. Now some families are waiting over 150 days. We only have 39 more days to go till we hit 150. Just again, my heart felt thanks for all that you did.

Okay, that's off of my chest. I need to get a life. Acutally, I need to get my daughter!

110

Today is day 110. We are still waiting. I finally got an email back from the agency and it basically said we are still waiting. They have no idea. Nobody after us has received their letter and the group before us received theirs in early Feb. There are some rumors that TA's are getting mailed tomorrow (Thursday) from China so maybe LOA's will be mailed as well. I hope it is true because I am so very tired of waiting. I just want my daughter home. I just want to be able to get into a routine with her home. I just want to be able to plan things.

I got nothing, how bout you?

I didn't get anything. Not even a return email from my agency asking if they had heard anything. People logged in in December are getting their letters. Where the @#%^ is fine?!

Letter's of Acceptances are arriving

Letter's of Acceptances are arriving today. I am going to cry if we don't get ours. I just saw someone who was DTC after us and logged in in December who received theirs today so hopefully ours will be here. It's going to be a long day!

Good and Bad

The good about not having travel approval yet:
1. I will probably travel in May and it will be warmer. The temp averages between 72-76. My kind of weather.
2. I get to take Maddie to the beach for one last trip by herself.

The bad about not having travel approval yet:
1. Sophie is getting older.
2. Sophie needs her mama

That's it in a nutshell. I'm going crazy. I can't concentrate. I can't do anything. I've even lost interest in American Idol. I spend my days at work and my nights at home surfing the yahoo groups for anything regarding LOA's or TA's. I guess one of these days it will get here.