Tickets and Visa's mean travel....

ONE WEEK FROM TODAY!!!! We received our tickets and passports with visa's inside last night. WOW~ we are actually going! We have been actively in this process for nine months, but wanting to start the process for 3 years! We have been looking at her pictures for nine months and it just doesn't quite seem real that we will be holding her in 9 days (actually 8 since we jump ahead 12 hours when we get to China). We will be on a plane in 7 days!!! Praise God I will be holding my baby girl very soon.

I told Micah that I would be so glad to see him when he comes home and what did he say? "And I'm gonna be so happy to see Livi.....and you and daddy"!!! So as you can tell he is very excited to become a big brother! We will miss our little boy so much while we are gone.



Sweet girl, we will see you very soon and I pray that God prepares your heart for the family that already adores you!

Love you always,
Mommy

Our Travel Dates are confirmed!!

We received confirmation today of our travel dates. We will be leaving for China on May 18, a little more than three weeks from now!! We will be traveling to Beijing with another family from CWA that is going to the province right next to Olivia's. Then we will meet up with them again in Guangzhou at the end of the trip. Here is what our itinerary for the trip looks like:

• May 18 – Depart the US (from Washington D.C.)


• May 19 – Arrive in Beijing in the afternoon


• May 20 – Sightseeing in Beijing - The Great Wall and Forbidden City (day allowed for adjusting to time change and culture shock!)


• May 21 – Gotcha Day!! - travel to provincial capital city (Fuzhou) and meet Olivia (she will remain with us from that point on.)


• May 22 – Register adoption and apply for Livi’s passport


• May 23 – 27 – Sightseeing, bonding with Olivia (waiting for her passport to be ready)


• May 28 – Travel to Guangzhou, city where US consulate is located. (Livi's medical examination in preparation for visa appointment.)


• May 29 – Visa appointment at US consulate


• May 30 – Visa is available at end of business day


• May 31 – Travel home (via Hong Kong)

We will post a more detailed itinerary when our tickets are ordered, with times and flight numbers etc. We would like to thank everyone for your prayers and encouraging comments, and especially those who have donated their time and/or money to help us with this adoption. We are almost there, and we couldn't have done it without you. Please continue to pray that we will have safe travel and that Olivia will bond with us. God has confirmed our decision to adopt time and time again and we praise him for his goodness.

And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. Romans 8:28 KJV

TA is here!! Paper Pregnancy (adoption) Contractions Detected...

Olivia, we will be on our way very soon!!!!! I received a call this morning from CWA (our agency) and they received our TA this morning and requested our Consulate appointment so that we can travel on May 18th!! That is not quite 4 weeks from now. We first requested Olivia's information from CWA on August 21, 2006. If we get to travel on the 18th of May we will receive our precious girl exactly 9 months from then. So we are starting to have some paper pregnancy or adoption contractions! Now the packing preparations begin! And everything else to be ready for an active 2 year old!

Yesterday we held our yard sale/car wash fundraiser at our church. We had a LOT of donations and help from our wonderful church family. They all worked so hard, and we are very, very thankful for all of their help. We had fantastic weather and the sale went really well. I just finished counting up the proceeds this morning and we received $1950.29!!!! Praise God!! We will be holding our little girl very soon.

I love you Olivia,
Mommy

Olivia's Birthday Present...A new family

Earlier this afternoon we received the good news that our Letter of Acceptance (LOA) arrived at our agency. It is now on it's way to us and we should receive it in the morning. This is a major step in the process. We must sign this document, stating that we definitely want to adopt Olivia (Well, Duh!!). Once we return this to China we could receive Travel Approval in approximately two weeks. This would put our estimated travel dates on May 11 or May 18. That is just 5-6 weeks away. Yipee!!

We have alot to do to get prepared to go, including our Church Yard Sale that is scheduled for April 22. All the proceeds from this sale will help us bring Olivia home.

Please pray for us as we prepare to travel. We have alot to do to get ready and airplanes are not Mystina's friends. Livi is about the only thing in this world that could get her on a plane right now. She loves this little one a whole lot.

Hang on Livi, Mama and Baba are coming as fast as China and the US will allow.

Happy Birthday Olivia!!!! You're 2!!!!

Happy birthday to you
Happy birthday to you
Happy birthday Dear Olivia...
Happy birthday to you.



My dearest baby girl, I hope you had a wonderful day yesterday, April 1, 2007. I don't know if they did anything for you or not (probably not), but I hope it was a good day anyhow. Mommy and Daddy and big brother Micah miss you so much. We celebrated all day in honor of you. We went to the local amusement park that your brother loves and he could not wait to go on each one of his favorite rides with you. Then we stopped and got some ice-cream and made brownies wishing you a very Happy Birthday. Your new relatives in Nebraska were thinking of you and wishing you a Happy Birthday as were Grandma and Bopa in Florida.

We are so sad that we could not be with you for it, but are hoping to get some news this week about when we might come and get you. We love and miss you so much and hope to be with you very, very soon!

Love Mommy

Updated information and pictures on our PRECIOUS little girl!!!

We were privileged to receive an update on our little girl earlier this
week. She now weighs 24 lbs and is 31 inches tall. Yeah! She was only
15 lbs and 28 inches tall at 1 year old so she has grown.

Today is day 70 in the wait for LOA(Letter of Acceptance) and TA(Travel Approval). Her 2nd birthday is in 16 days. Don't think we will make it to China in time! Starting to get a little impatient now and REALLY wanting to go to CHINA!!! It has been 6 months 2 weeks and 5 days since we started the process to adopt her. Man is it hard to just look at pictures!, when all you want to do is
hug and kiss her!!! We are thankful for the pictures, but I just want
her in my arms!!

I know others have waited longer so please forgive me, but I am just
missing my baby girl!

Anxious, impatient Mommy

Decorating Olivia's Room

Well her room is almost complete. We just have to finish re-doing the little 3 drawer night stand (painting it white) and it will be finished. But here are some pictures of her room in the process.












It has been 51 days today since our dossier/file was logged in in China. Things in China are slow right now because it is Chinese New Year! It started on February 18. China basically shuts down for 2 weeks to celebrate and spend time with family. Hopefully things will pick up and move a little faster when they come back from Chinese New Year. Until they call us we just pray that God is with her and keeps her safe. And gives us the PATIENCE to wait!

Mama's Poem for Olivia

The Creation of a Forever Family

In your beginning a tearful mother with broken heart
Hoped she could give you a much better start.

A whole world away this mother prayed,
Her family, complete, would forever be made.

Born of my body you may not have been,
But my child you are and have always been.

Born in my heart and there to remain,
In a very special place only you could claim.

Of a more perfect child I could never dream.
One day you will know how much you mean.

God watches over you and He will create
A beautiful Family no one can separate.

He will bring us together, forever to be,
Your loving, adoring family.

~Mystina Zummach

My Dearest Olivia,

I love you so much and just can not wait to hold you in my arms.
I pray God is with you each day keeping you safe and brings you home to us very soon.

Love,
Mama