Bal Mandir

LOA today- YAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

After stalking my email for the past month, today, on day 67 since our paperwork has been in China, we received the notice that we have been approved by China to adopt Garrett!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  What a relief to be moving ahead with sending in his US immigration paperwork, and getting closer (by babysteps) to bringing him home!!! oh happy day! we can really get excited now!  :)

update from the orphanage!

"Garrett is the leader among the children his age. He is naughty and likes to fight over toys with other children. He also likes to play and hang out with the caregivers. The caregivers all love him. He can say some simple words, although not very clearly. Because his pronunciation is not very accurate, we need listen very carefully in order to understand him. When he interacts with the caregivers, he understands everything that is said to him. He is a very bright child."

trying to be patient!

I am STALKING my email, morning, noon and night awaiting the Letter of Acceptance from China!!! 
The shortest wait I have heard of so far, for this part of the process has been 36 days- today is day 36.  I hope we are on the shorter end of the spectrum- think good thoughts for those processing our paperwork over in China!!

Merry Christmas!!!!

And what a wonderful Christmas indeed! We are so fortunate to be awarded a grant from Gift of Adoption for $5,000!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I am still in happy shock!!!!!
At this point, I now will have enough money to go and bring Garrett home!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I feel absolutely blessed to have received such incredible support in our adoption journey over this past year, Garrett would not be about to start life with our family without the help that each one of you have given, either in the form of donation of funds towards the crazy amount of fees or in all of the positive thinking towards reaching this goal!  I am amazed.  And just thrilled to be closer to getting the call saying "come and get him now"!

Wishing you and your families a magical Christmas and holiday season with lots of love.

Wonderful News!

On Sunday night, I was preparing dinner.  I had felt a little discombobulated all day for some reason (my paintings I was working on for Christmas presents just weren't turning out), and since I didn't know who was calling, almost didn't answer the phone.  But for some reason, I just picked up, and was told my the Affording Adoption Foundation that I was being awarded $1,500!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! This was one of the many grants to which I have applied-and the only one that has chosen us for a grant-  it was such a fantastic surprise and just MADE my Christmas!!!!!!!!  I am so thankful to have been given such a generous grant- Affording Adoption Foundation really DOES support us adopting parents!!!!!!! Now I know where my charity donations will be headed in the future (when I am done with all of this fundraising for Garrett!!)!  Keep up all of your good thoughts!  Another grant- from Gift of Adoption is being reviewed this week, and I am hoping that the committee will help us to reach our goal of bringing Garrett home!  All 20 of my fingers and toes are crossed and I am envisioning Garrett opening his Christmas gifts next year!!!!!!!!!!!! What fun!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Yay!

I have a Log In Date of 12/2/11!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! That means that China officially has my paperwork- good news!