Another Exciting Day...

JACK...MAMA WILL SEE YOU SOON!!!

Today was another exciting day!  First I get an email that our travel approval had arrived and then a little while longer I received the email I was really waiting for -- OUR ITINERARY!

Our tickets are reserved and first thing in the morning, I confirm the purchase of them.

So dad and I are heading out December 05 at noon.  Montreal to Toronto, Toronto to Beijing.  There is very little time between landing in T.O. and connecting to Beijing, which is nice.  No sitting around doing nothing...but there is literally very little time to catch the connecting flight!!!!

I don't know the schedule once we arrive in Beijing.  We still have to get to Urumqi, which is another 4 hr flight.  And I still don't know when I will finally be holding my baby.

The suitcase is out and I'm starting to pack because next Thursday will be here before I know it!  Leaving at noon doesn't give me a day of getting last minute things done since we'll have to be at the airport early.

I can't believe I'm travelling across the world for a third time to meet another beautiful boy chosen to be our son.  This will probably be the last time (unless God has other plans :-) ) so I will be soaking it all in, as much as I can.  My heart hurts thinking this is our last adoption but I will enjoy my 3 beautiful blessings to the fullest.

Is it December 05 yet?!?!?!?!!?

Past Two Days...

Rewind to February 2012.  I did some research and found an organization that gives out adoption grants to Canadian couples (even to couples from Quebec) who meet their criteria.  All I did was fill out a form, and send a couple of other documents.

 

Fast forward to November 21, 2013.  At around 8:30pm the phone rang.  I did not recognize the phone number so I ignored the call.  The person phoning began to leave a message (which we can hear).  "Hi. I'm calling from blah blah blah.  A couple of years ago you applied for an adoption grant..."  Me: JONNNNNNN GET THE PHONE!!!  So they are doing a draw this weekend or early next week and they wanted to know if we are still interested.  Ummmmm YES!  When Jon told her we were waiting to leave she said they would do the draw ASAP!  On the website it says they give grants of up to $10,000.  If we win half of that, it would be wonderful.  I immediately thought just maybe this is why we haven't left yet, but of course I am not getting my hopes up.

 

It was bugging me to know when I had sent in the application.  I remember it was early 2012 and I remember I had sent an email asking for confirmation that our application had been received.  I searched my emails and found this...

 

On 2012-03-01, at 8:36 AM,

> We have received it.  You will only hear back from us in the form of a letter if you receive the grant.  We'll keep it in the draws for one year.

 

Take note our name was only suppose to be kept for 1 year...here we are 21 months later!  Also take note of the date...MARCH 01, 2012...Yup Jack's birthday.  If you know each of our adoption stories there is always something that has happened (adoption-related) on each of their birthdays.  It's pretty awesome actually! 

 

-Homestudy started on July 11, 2006 -- Nathaniel's bday

 

-On July 26, 2010 we sent off an application to the Philippines for adoption #2 (only to be denied) -- Fredrick's birthday

 

-Adoption grant application confirmed on March 01, 2012 -- Jack's birthday.

 

Even if we don't win the draw, it's still pretty cool -- each just makes our beliefs that our boys were chosen by God that much stronger!

 

Fast forward to November 22.  I came home from work and was talking to my dad.  He is getting very anxious to go and was pretty disappointed we hadn't got the ok to travel yet.  It was 5:30ish when I checked my emails to find an email from our resource person.  She said our Travel Approval had not been received yet, but it was in the system that it had been issued, so it's just a matter of days before we get it.  She said our agency is preparing for us to leave on December 06 with the group that is leaving.  OH.MY.GOODNESS...2 weeks to go!  So now dad is pretty  happy!!!  I will be away on my birthday but I will be celebrating it with my dad and Jack!  We will be getting home just days before Christmas.  Add some jet lag and it is officially going to be one crazy Christmas!!!  I hope to get some Christmas shopping and decorating done before I leave.  We put up a real Christmas tree so we may get one literally right before I leave otherwise it will be up to Jon and the boys.

 

It has been quite crazy emotionally these past 2 days.  Please pray with us that we would a) win the grant b) leave on December 06.

 

Dear Jack,

 

Mommy is COMING!  Mommy is COMING!  Oh baby boy I am so ready to hold you, tell you I love you, give you a bath (yes it is an exciting thing for your mama), wrap you up in your blankie, snuggle with you and read you a book.  Please humor me even if you think I am crazy! :-)  You will have your forever family soon baby.  You will have a mommy and a daddy and two brothers (have I mentioned how crazy they are??).  You will go to church, make new friends, learn about Jesus and learn a bunch of worship songs.  We have a pretty fun time around here and we can't wait to share it with you.  Your BIG brother always thanks God for his home and that it is full of love.  That says it all sweetie...God is love and we share His love with our boys...can't wait to love you more and more!

 

Mama...see you soon xoxo

N-O-V-E-M-B-E-R!

I can't believe it's November already.  I am that much closer to packing a suitcase and boarding a plane for Toronto, then to Hong Kong, then to Beijing, then to Urumqi!  (good grief!!!)  This past Thursday I opened my agenda to see what was on schedule the coming week only to discover I had missed not one but TWO doctor's appointments on the Wednesday!  This has NEVER happened to me.  When I schedule things, those dates are immediately registered in my brain-agenda.  So I guess my brain really is somewhere else -- perhaps in China!

 

In my defense on Wednesday I got a call from our agency to say they had received our "Letter Seeking Confirmation" which is the last step before we travel.  I had to fax off a signed copy to them that day, go to the agency on Thursday to pick up a package of documents to be completed and returned Friday morning.  Included in the package was visa forms and other travel forms.  Ahhhh that much closer now.  This is what Thursday afternoon looked like for me...

 

 

 

Jon's responsibility throughout the process is to, sign here, here and here!  So I asked if he could return the package to the agency Friday morning for me so they could get it sent off to China.  I phoned to ask him how it went.  What he said next, had he been standing in front of me, would have got him a good shot in the nose! LOL!  He said, in all seriousness, "I hope this is the last I have to do.  It's a lot of work for me." I think I went silent for a couple of minutes, I was in absolute shock that he would say something like that. It wasn't until he started laughing that I realized he was joking.  Again my brain is elsewhere because I would never take a comment like that so seriously from Jon.

 

I hand wrote the visa application forms which apparently I was never told they had to be printed from the computer.  So today I have to recomplete the visa form for myself and dad and get them to the agency tomorrow.  Never a dull moment...never a dull moment.

 

I feel like I still have so much to do, but really I don't.  If I don't have everything Jack needs while in China or once we arrive home, no worries.  There is a Walmart in China and a Walmart here.  I'll get what I need when I need it.  I am worried about packing though.  Both other countries were +30oC.  Shorts, teeshirts, and flipflops.  Now we're heading into cold territory.  I'm being told to pack lightly but I don't know how you do that when you have to pack a snowsuit, boots, and warm clothes.  If anyone has suggestions...I'm open to them :-)

 

I will throw this out there too...to all "believers of prayer"...if you think of our family, could you please pray for Fredrick.  I get emotional every time I stop to think about how he is going to feel when I'm gone.  Yesterday I was so sick, so Jon kept him away from me and there were a couple of meltdowns because he wanted to be with me.  I just pray that the Lord would watch over him and that the 2 weeks will go by quickly for him and that my absence wouldn't be too hard on him.  I am hoping Lolli, daddy and family will occupy his time that he won't even have time to think about me.

 

Dear Jack,

 

Mommy and pappy are coming soon.  You look like such a happy boy in the recent photos we received.  I am sure you are being well loved and cared for.  It breaks mommy's heart to know that you will be leaving all that you know, all that you love.  Mommy and daddy promise that we will provide you with a very loving home, with 2 really fun and loving big brothers and a great opportunity for your future.  We will be there for you through all the good and even the bad times.  We will be open and honest with you and will answer all your questions to the best of our abilities.  There may be times you hate us and we get that.  We can't even imagine what you or your brothers may feel as you grow up and we will never pretend we understand, because we don't.  All we can do is be there for you as your mom and dad and guide you the best we know how.

 

Love you baby boy!  See you soon.  Mommy xoxo