There were times it felt as if this post would never come.
It’s time.
It’s time to go to China to meet our daughter and bring her home.
We leave in two days.
Wow. It feels surreal just typing that. But. It’s true. It’s time to go. An update on the the completion of our adoption timeline:
After our Article 5 was picked up on Monday, July 10th, we were told to anticipate Travel Approval anywhere from one to two weeks later. So, you can imagine our surprise when we received Travel Approval just three days later, on Thursday, July 13th (exactly three months after we saw our Bella on an advocacy site and knew she was ours)!!! We requested our consulate appointment (CA) date, which was confirmed on Monday, July 17th. Now that we had our CA, it was time to plan our travel - book flights (both internationally and in-country), reserve hotel rooms, schedule facilitators and guides, etc. We also learned the most important date of all...what would be our “Gotcha Day.”
We will be meeting our girl on Monday, July 31st.
Oh, and did I mention that, while we were at the beach, on Tuesday, July 18th, we received updated photos and videos of our Bella again? And she is rocking her newhair buzzcut.
Because we were at the beach with my “side” of the family all last week, this has meant that this has been, and will continue to be, a ridiculously crazy week as we finalize all the details before we leave...in TWO DAYS!!!!!! I am SO glad I got so many things for our trip done ahead of time. While there is still a ton that needs to be done, having so much accomplished means I will still be able to sneak in some good, quality time with Banks, Raleigh, and Harrison before their worlds (and mine! And my hub’s! And Bella’s!) get turned upside down.
_______________________________________
For those who have asked and who are interested, here is our itinerary:
July 28th - Fly to China
July 29th - Arrive in Beijing, China, then fly to Hohhot City, Inner Mongolia, China
July 30th - Rest
July 31st - Our Gotcha Day!!! Meet Bella and she is with us forever now <3
August 1st - Complete local adoption paperwork
August 2nd - Rest and local touring in Inner Mongolia
August 3rd - Fly to Guangzhou, China
August 4th - Medical appointment and visa photos completed for Bella
August 5th and 6th - Rest and local touring in Guangzhou
August 7th - Consulate appointment
August 8th - Rest and local touring
August 9th - Receive Bella’s visa, drive to Hong Kong, and depart for HOME!!!
August 10th - Arrive home with our Bella
_______________________________________
I need to take a minute to thank our Nana and Pop and our Bammy and Digby, from the very bottom of our hearts, for taking care of our trio while we work to bring their fourth squad member home #LuCrew. <3 This trip would not be possible without them and we will be eternally grateful for the love and care they will spoil our kiddos with while we are away. I am going to miss them like CRAZY-I know I will be homesick for them-but they will be in the best of hands. And to help them keep track of how long we’ll be gone, we’ve created a paper link chain, so that they can pull off a link for each day that we’re gone. Also, they will be opening a little surprise package each day we are gone--from crafts and toys to candy and activities, I hope these little treats will be something for them to look forward to each morning.
And to each of YOU, dear family and friends: thank you for your support, encouragement, and love, throughout this journey. Thank you to my sweet friend who is setting up a meal train for us to help with our transition/jet lag recovery when we return home. Thank you to my dear friend who will be capturing our homecoming via her amazing photog skillz. Thank you to all the special friends who have offered to help by hosting my kiddos for playdates both this week and while we're gone so I can get all.the.things. done. Thank you to all our generous people who fundraised for us, who bought cookies from me, who donated to us. Thank you to to my local adoption friends who have been my rocks--what would I do without you?! Thank you to everyone who has gone out of their way to send messages and emails and texts throughout this process, who have asked about the details all along the way, who have been alongside us, each step of this journey.
Most importantly, thank you for every.single. prayer that has been said on our behalf. We have felt them all. Please, please, please continue to pray for us: please pray for smooth traveling, with no major mishaps or issues; please pray for the three precious littles we will leave at home during our trip; and, most importantly, please pray for our Bella. Please pray for her grieving, scared heart, pray that she will attach quickly and securely to Clay and me; pray that she is functioning and developing well, with no unknown health issues; pray that she feels how much she is loved and adored. Finally, please pray that all six of us adjust well to our new, wild and precious life, once we are finally united.
Thank you all so much! I am planning to blog all throughout our trip to China; so, be sure to check back here often for regular updates, details, and photos. I will also be posting daily photos of our journey on Instagram (lindsayluton), if you want to follow along.
Now, it’s time.
It's time to get our girl.
I will not leave you as orphans. I will come to you. John 14:18.
It’s time.
It’s time to go to China to meet our daughter and bring her home.
We leave in two days.
Wow. It feels surreal just typing that. But. It’s true. It’s time to go. An update on the the completion of our adoption timeline:
After our Article 5 was picked up on Monday, July 10th, we were told to anticipate Travel Approval anywhere from one to two weeks later. So, you can imagine our surprise when we received Travel Approval just three days later, on Thursday, July 13th (exactly three months after we saw our Bella on an advocacy site and knew she was ours)!!! We requested our consulate appointment (CA) date, which was confirmed on Monday, July 17th. Now that we had our CA, it was time to plan our travel - book flights (both internationally and in-country), reserve hotel rooms, schedule facilitators and guides, etc. We also learned the most important date of all...what would be our “Gotcha Day.”
We will be meeting our girl on Monday, July 31st.
Oh, and did I mention that, while we were at the beach, on Tuesday, July 18th, we received updated photos and videos of our Bella again? And she is rocking her new
Because we were at the beach with my “side” of the family all last week, this has meant that this has been, and will continue to be, a ridiculously crazy week as we finalize all the details before we leave...in TWO DAYS!!!!!! I am SO glad I got so many things for our trip done ahead of time. While there is still a ton that needs to be done, having so much accomplished means I will still be able to sneak in some good, quality time with Banks, Raleigh, and Harrison before their worlds (and mine! And my hub’s! And Bella’s!) get turned upside down.
_______________________________________
For those who have asked and who are interested, here is our itinerary:
July 28th - Fly to China
July 29th - Arrive in Beijing, China, then fly to Hohhot City, Inner Mongolia, China
July 30th - Rest
July 31st - Our Gotcha Day!!! Meet Bella and she is with us forever now <3
August 1st - Complete local adoption paperwork
August 2nd - Rest and local touring in Inner Mongolia
August 3rd - Fly to Guangzhou, China
August 4th - Medical appointment and visa photos completed for Bella
August 5th and 6th - Rest and local touring in Guangzhou
August 7th - Consulate appointment
August 8th - Rest and local touring
August 9th - Receive Bella’s visa, drive to Hong Kong, and depart for HOME!!!
August 10th - Arrive home with our Bella
_______________________________________
I need to take a minute to thank our Nana and Pop and our Bammy and Digby, from the very bottom of our hearts, for taking care of our trio while we work to bring their fourth squad member home #LuCrew. <3 This trip would not be possible without them and we will be eternally grateful for the love and care they will spoil our kiddos with while we are away. I am going to miss them like CRAZY-I know I will be homesick for them-but they will be in the best of hands. And to help them keep track of how long we’ll be gone, we’ve created a paper link chain, so that they can pull off a link for each day that we’re gone. Also, they will be opening a little surprise package each day we are gone--from crafts and toys to candy and activities, I hope these little treats will be something for them to look forward to each morning.
And to each of YOU, dear family and friends: thank you for your support, encouragement, and love, throughout this journey. Thank you to my sweet friend who is setting up a meal train for us to help with our transition/jet lag recovery when we return home. Thank you to my dear friend who will be capturing our homecoming via her amazing photog skillz. Thank you to all the special friends who have offered to help by hosting my kiddos for playdates both this week and while we're gone so I can get all.the.things. done. Thank you to all our generous people who fundraised for us, who bought cookies from me, who donated to us. Thank you to to my local adoption friends who have been my rocks--what would I do without you?! Thank you to everyone who has gone out of their way to send messages and emails and texts throughout this process, who have asked about the details all along the way, who have been alongside us, each step of this journey.
Most importantly, thank you for every.single. prayer that has been said on our behalf. We have felt them all. Please, please, please continue to pray for us: please pray for smooth traveling, with no major mishaps or issues; please pray for the three precious littles we will leave at home during our trip; and, most importantly, please pray for our Bella. Please pray for her grieving, scared heart, pray that she will attach quickly and securely to Clay and me; pray that she is functioning and developing well, with no unknown health issues; pray that she feels how much she is loved and adored. Finally, please pray that all six of us adjust well to our new, wild and precious life, once we are finally united.
Thank you all so much! I am planning to blog all throughout our trip to China; so, be sure to check back here often for regular updates, details, and photos. I will also be posting daily photos of our journey on Instagram (lindsayluton), if you want to follow along.
Now, it’s time.
It's time to get our girl.
I will not leave you as orphans. I will come to you. John 14:18.
No comments:
Post a Comment