Special Deliveries

We had two wonderful packages arrive at our house today. Now I don't know about all of you but I LOVE getting packages and really any type of mail. There's just a little bit of excitement seeing something with your name on it show up in the mail box that doesn't require a payment of some sort. So when I went outside and had these today.....well let's just say Xan and I both were pumped.


Xan was so excited to have a box to open when she got up from her nap today.....VERY EXCITED! She is now the proud momma to "Sweetie" a stuffed Cheetah who sleeps not so quietly and drinks her milk ever so slurpingly. You will be happy to know, however, that Xan has already mastered the art of multi tasking....she was able to feed Sweetie while also devouring several of the Starbursts that were in her package. She loves candy and she comes by that very honestly......I snagged a few myself. :) (If you care to see more there is a video below of her explaining her gift.)




Now this may not look like much to most of you but to me it's pure wonderfulness. (pardon the making up of my own words but this situation requires it). This signifies the end of a long road....actually it's not really the end but more like the beginning of the next stage. This is the seal that is given to documents sent to the Chinese Embassy



We sent 11 of the 13 documents required for our next adoption to the "next to last" and then "last stop" in the paper chasing process. We sent them to the US Secretary of States office where they are certified and then they send them over to the Chinese Embassy where they certify that the US Sec of State is ok to certify them.......of course all these stops require a fee. This little package cost us about $300 in fees but hey...whose counting. Anyway.....here are the documents we received back today. The top page you see on each one is from the US Sec of State and then the sticker/seal you saw in the pic above is placed on the backside of each one by the Chinese Embassy.



We are now only 2 documents away from being finished with the paperwork. Unfortunately one of those 2 takes about 80 days to receive so we're still waiting but God is good. His timing is perfect as is so evidenced by the little starburst eating momma that is my Xan.

Once we get the final 2 documents completed and through all the various certification processes then we will send it all to China and that date is referred to as your DTC date which stands for Dossier (pronounced doss ee aa) To China and is a very big day. Everything really begins moving thru the Chinese system on that date and you calculate the anticipated wait from that date. We will throw a party.....you will be invited....we will celebrate.....we will dance.....we will jump up and down.....we will be oh so happy.....I will probably cry.....we will throw a party. That being said, we will also begin a very long wait. The current wait time is over 3 years from DTC date to getting our child. AAAHHHHH....just thinking about it saddens me but again I look at Xan and am comforted by His adorable, sweet, little Asian reminder of His sovereignty.



Enjoy the video. Love you Nana & Grandaddy!