Three months to go!

Every day and night my family has been praying for their little brother in China. This has been going on since the day we decided to adopt. My son has been praying for a little brother for years.  It is wonderful to be able to pray circles around a specific little face. A face we will see every day in only a few short months.

Last Thursday, we received a phone call from our case manager. She always asks if it is a good time to talk. Whenever she calls it is good news, so you make time!  I happened to be riding in a car on my way to my inlaws house after dinner. I was pretty sure I knew what she had to say, and I was right. She had our Letter of Seeking Confirmation!!  (LOC)  This was not just good news, it was AWESOME news!  Now our countdown to travel can start. She then said that we had some papers to fill out and ran through a list of upcoming steps. The upcoming steps pretty much lost me, but I know she will walk us through them.

Next steps...
(* is where we are now)
     Send in our I-800 form to USCIS (plus additional forms and copies)
    * Wait for provisional approval (2-3 weeks) We also get to apply for our Visas.
     Counsulate approval (2-3 weeks)
     Travel Approval (2-8 weeks, of course we are hoping for the shortest times!)
     After we have travel approval, we can book our flights to China.
     Travel to meet Luke!

The flow chart below is more specific...and still a little confusing...
 

   
As you can see we are getting very close!  Now we get to really start preparing for our new son.  I have been looking at baby toddler items at the store.  It is really fun looking at items for little ones again! I am finding it very difficult to buy clothing not knowing his size.  The last, and only, update we will receive was dated from Christmas day.  By the time we travel it will be over 6 months since that update.  We can always buy there, but I like to be prepared.  So the other day, after resisting for months, I finally broke down and bought a couple of outfits.  Who knows if they will fit....at this point I don't mind if they don't.  It really lifted my spirits to see some little outfits sitting in our crib, waiting to be packed up in a few short months!  I am hoping this time will fly...