LOA!!!!

Yes, I realize this post is a few weeks late, but things have been busy and I just got around to publishing it!

September 23, 2013

This morning Caroline and I were at home getting ready to head out the door to her dance class. She decided to throw a fit about having to wear her dance outfit at the same time that our home phone rang. We never use our home phone, it's really just the number we give to people we don't want to talk to. (Solicitors, people, none of you of course.) Well apparently we gave it to our adoption agency too. I grabbed the phone and ran in my closet to avoid the screaming coming from C's room while holding my breath. I figured the only two things they'd be calling about would be to give me news about the typhoon that hit the day before or that our LOA had finally come. Sure enough, our LOA was showing up in the system!!! After 160 long days of waiting (the average wait is 50-60 days) we were moving forward again!

Of course at this point we really have to leave, so after an excited conversation and a few instructions from our agency I grabbed Caroline, told her that Lily's paperwork that we had been praying for every day finally came, and ran out the door. I called Brian from the car, and called him, and called him, until he finally picked up. It may have been the CALL ME NOW text I sent him that did the trick. I told him the good news through tears, and he was ecstatic! Then I had to compose myself and go into C's class. I texted and posted the news on facebook, still in disbelief that this had actually happened. Amanda called me from her grandfather's funeral after she got her good news (their LOA showed up too) and we cried laughed and cried together. The rest of the day we sent each other "OMG" and "Holy cow!" texts.

While our wait was crazy, ridiculously long, I know that it was all in God's timing. Originally we thought that we'd be traveling to China in September, so back in March I signed up for a half marathon November 9th. The longer our wait got, the higher the chance that I wouldn't be able to do the race. Brian also has his annual ophthalmology conference November 13-15. Almost all of our friends from residency were going, but we were a maybe since we didn't know our travel plans. Again, the longer our wait got, the higher the chance that we wouldn't get to go. A few weeks ago I felt like God was telling me that we would travel over Thanksgiving. But, the longer our wait got, the less likely that seemed. Now that our LOA is actually here, we are better able to predict our travel dates. Get this: not only did God work it so that I can run my race (and not have to worry about training in China), Brian and I can attend his conference without kids, and no one will have their birthday in China (mine is Nov 2 and my mom's is Nov 19), but there is a definite possibility that we will be traveling over Thanksgiving! That means Brian misses less work, the kids miss less school, and there's a chance that my dad can come with us as well! There are a few more steps that have to happen before we can book flights and go get our girl, but we are praying that they all line up so that we leave the week of Thanksgiving. Also, did you know that Thanksgiving is really late this year? It's November 28th. Usually it's like the 23rd or 24th. Coincidence? I don't think so!

 

We (shockingly) had more paperwork to complete, so we headed to the UPS store with our LOA in hand and our I800 application. Poor Caroline thought that since Lily's paperwork had come that meant she was coming home now, and when we got to the UPS store she asked where Lily was. Soon, sweet girl, very soon!