Not much time to write now, but I wanted to add these pictures right quick. We just received them this afternoon. I couldn't decide which one I liked best, so I just added all three! Everything is going great. I'll try to write more later today.
Leah
Wednesday, January 30, 2008
Tuesday, January 22, 2008
Update On The Plans
Preparations are coming along, and all is going well so far. There are two other families with Holt who will be at the Thai adoption board meeting with us. It has been fun emailing them as they get ready too. Their travel approvals were a total surprise, and they are scrambling to get everything done by the time we leave. We, on the other hand, would have been surprised if we had NOT been called, so we're a little ahead of the game. However, that definitely doesn't mean we won't be scrambling the last week ourselves!
I booked our flights Sunday, and we are flying out of Shreveport at 6:55 am on Thursday the 21st. (My parents are coming a couple of days before to keep Ian.) We will meet Olivia for the first time Sunday morning, go to the board meeting on Wed, do some paperwork at the embassy on Thursday, and then have Friday through Sunday to travel or see more of Bangkok. I think all three families may try to go to the beach, which suits us since we have been to Bangkok before. We will leave to come home on March 5th. I have posted our flight itinerary (to the left) and will include a process schedule later. If you follow our trip, don't think we'll leave Dallas and be in Tokyo 4 hours later!!! I'll have to see how many hours ahead we'll be- should be around 13 or so.
For an update on Brian's dad, he was admitted into the hospital again yesterday. He finished his chemo in December, but began experiencing a lot of pain the week before Christmas. He was eventually diagnosed with shingles, but I'm not sure if everyone is convinced that is the correct diagnosis. Please pray the doctors can relieve is pain and find out exactly what is going on. He is a wonderful man, and I know he and Brian's mom want to come to Shreveport to help take care of Ian while we're gone and celebrate when Olivia comes home.
Also, I and another lady at church are coordinating the women's retreat again this year, so I am also working on that at the same time we are preparing for Olivia. It is a pretty involved project- overnight, out of town, catered meals, speaker from Nashville, etc. It's fun though, and I hated not to do it again. Booking the hotel and events center are the main things on my to-do list today.
I hope everyone has a great day!
Leah
I booked our flights Sunday, and we are flying out of Shreveport at 6:55 am on Thursday the 21st. (My parents are coming a couple of days before to keep Ian.) We will meet Olivia for the first time Sunday morning, go to the board meeting on Wed, do some paperwork at the embassy on Thursday, and then have Friday through Sunday to travel or see more of Bangkok. I think all three families may try to go to the beach, which suits us since we have been to Bangkok before. We will leave to come home on March 5th. I have posted our flight itinerary (to the left) and will include a process schedule later. If you follow our trip, don't think we'll leave Dallas and be in Tokyo 4 hours later!!! I'll have to see how many hours ahead we'll be- should be around 13 or so.
For an update on Brian's dad, he was admitted into the hospital again yesterday. He finished his chemo in December, but began experiencing a lot of pain the week before Christmas. He was eventually diagnosed with shingles, but I'm not sure if everyone is convinced that is the correct diagnosis. Please pray the doctors can relieve is pain and find out exactly what is going on. He is a wonderful man, and I know he and Brian's mom want to come to Shreveport to help take care of Ian while we're gone and celebrate when Olivia comes home.
Also, I and another lady at church are coordinating the women's retreat again this year, so I am also working on that at the same time we are preparing for Olivia. It is a pretty involved project- overnight, out of town, catered meals, speaker from Nashville, etc. It's fun though, and I hated not to do it again. Booking the hotel and events center are the main things on my to-do list today.
I hope everyone has a great day!
Leah
Thursday, January 17, 2008
4 Weeks 6 Days. . .And Counting!!!
We finally got the call yesterday! The board in Thailand met Wed of LAST week, so I had just about given up for a travel approval call from our agency. I had even written in over the weekend to ask other waiting families if we could still get a call Mon or Tues, and they said "yes", but since it was already Wed I was getting discouraged. Then, about mid-day yesterday I saw where a family had just received their approval to travel. I was so happy for them but very disappointed and discouraged we hadn't been called. On the other hand, maybe there was still hope for us. Everywhere I went, that phone went with me! In addition, I was going to be preparing a meal last night for our neighbors who were leaving this morning to go get their daughter in China. I kept telling myself- "all in God's time" and trying to be patient. THEN about 4:45, with the phone within hand's reach of course, it rang and the caller ID said "Holt" (our agency)! Don't you know my heart skipped a beat. . .or two! Marissa said we had received first approval, which means travel approval, and that we would be attending the February 27th meeting in Thailand. I calmly said, "Thank you. We are so excited," but inside my heart was jumping!
Now, after sleeping on it, the excitement is no less. I'm getting ready to make some calls to inform our family and then on to flight and hotel reservations. Hopefully, the time will go quickly and Olivia will be home where she belongs! I know many families are frantic with so much to do, and although we do have plenty to do ourselves, we have already been preparing for quite some time. I told Brian the other night that I wanted to be able to go slowly and enjoy the preparations, not flying around in a dither the last few weeks. Hopefully, we'll be able to do that. Olivia's room is not too far from being ready, the highchair, carseat, and stroller have been purchased, and the to-do list has been made. Now, if I can just concentrate on the list!
Well, I've got to get busy (but not in a dither!) to find some good flights and get to work on those curtains! I'm happy to be able to share our good news with you, and I hope you enjoy reading about our progress as we count down the days!
Leah
Now, after sleeping on it, the excitement is no less. I'm getting ready to make some calls to inform our family and then on to flight and hotel reservations. Hopefully, the time will go quickly and Olivia will be home where she belongs! I know many families are frantic with so much to do, and although we do have plenty to do ourselves, we have already been preparing for quite some time. I told Brian the other night that I wanted to be able to go slowly and enjoy the preparations, not flying around in a dither the last few weeks. Hopefully, we'll be able to do that. Olivia's room is not too far from being ready, the highchair, carseat, and stroller have been purchased, and the to-do list has been made. Now, if I can just concentrate on the list!
Well, I've got to get busy (but not in a dither!) to find some good flights and get to work on those curtains! I'm happy to be able to share our good news with you, and I hope you enjoy reading about our progress as we count down the days!
Leah
Sunday, January 6, 2008
Where Does the Time Go?!
It's amazing how fast the time passes. I must remember that when I anxiously look at my calendar every day and count down the (predicted) number of days until we bring Olivia home! I say "predicted" because we continue to wait for an exact travel date. Hopefully, there will be news this week! Making preparations for her arrival has been fun and seems to help pass the time. Yesterday a friend helped me look for toddler beds, and Wednesday we will go to Jackson, MS to resubmit our fingerprints. Because Brian had some scheduled meetings in Bogalusa, LA, which isn't far from Jackson, we'll spend the rest of the week with him. As I may have mentioned in my last post, Ian loves staying in hotels and traveling, so he'll enjoy running around too- and we can check off another week closer!
As far as other news, Ian had an appointment with Shriners the other day and was fitted for new leg splints. We're looking forward to getting those next Monday and ordering a walker for him to use at school. He is able to use a cane and walk while holding someones hand, but tends to sit down often. The school, much to our disappointment, resorted to pushing him in a wheelchair to make it easier for them to get him to the classes in which he is mainstreamed. Hopefully, a walker with a seat will be recommended so that when he does sit down, he will still have to make some effort to get to his class- instead of just sitting back in a wheelchair while someone pushes him around. He's got it made right now!
Since Ian returns to school tomorrow, I've got to get busy on the women's church retreat. This is my second year to co-lead it, and since I'll be out of pocket for several weeks, I need to get the majority of the work done now. I've got a great partner to work with, and although she is very busy, she is a pleasure to work with.
A follow-up to the tire swing installation: All went well, and Ian LOVES it. He has fallen through the tire twice, but while he was still down he signaled "more" (by clapping his hands twice)! He's tough and I'm not sure there is anything that could dampen his enthusiasm for swinging!
Happy New Year!
Leah
As far as other news, Ian had an appointment with Shriners the other day and was fitted for new leg splints. We're looking forward to getting those next Monday and ordering a walker for him to use at school. He is able to use a cane and walk while holding someones hand, but tends to sit down often. The school, much to our disappointment, resorted to pushing him in a wheelchair to make it easier for them to get him to the classes in which he is mainstreamed. Hopefully, a walker with a seat will be recommended so that when he does sit down, he will still have to make some effort to get to his class- instead of just sitting back in a wheelchair while someone pushes him around. He's got it made right now!
Since Ian returns to school tomorrow, I've got to get busy on the women's church retreat. This is my second year to co-lead it, and since I'll be out of pocket for several weeks, I need to get the majority of the work done now. I've got a great partner to work with, and although she is very busy, she is a pleasure to work with.
A follow-up to the tire swing installation: All went well, and Ian LOVES it. He has fallen through the tire twice, but while he was still down he signaled "more" (by clapping his hands twice)! He's tough and I'm not sure there is anything that could dampen his enthusiasm for swinging!
Happy New Year!
Leah
Monday, December 17, 2007
A Successful Trip!
It's Monday night, and we're home from New Orleans. The trip was pretty uneventful but still tiring. Neither of us have spent much time in New Orleans and would like to return sometime to look around a little more. We stayed downtown and enjoyed the short amount of time we were able to drive around.
When we went in for our appointment at USCIS (immigration) this morning we were prepared for anything. This isn't the first incident we've had with them during the adoption process, and we've been to the office once before, so we were ready. First, they had no record of our I600, which I filed in September, and she said we could refile it but that she wouldn't have it approved by the time we are planning to travel. This sounds like a disaster, but we can file it in Bangkok. It just means we will have to stay longer- about 14 days instead of 8-10. The second thing is that they would not retake our fingerprints today, and they couldn't get us scheduled and cleared before we (hope to) travel. Luckily though, they were able to schedule us in Jackson, Mississippi on Jan 9. It's about a 3 hour trip from Shreveport, so that's not so bad. All in all, it was a beneficial trip, and we got our questions answered. We didn't even get reprimanded for standing too close to the window, not standing behind the proper line, or giving Ian a drink! All of which happened the first time! They are real sticklers.
It's going to be a VERY busy week. Brian is going to Memphis, and I'm going to Jefferson, TX. Ian has doctor's appointment at Shriners Thursday, which usually takes about 4 hours, and I told Brian I would make candy for several of the people he works with. Plus, I have teachers' gifts to buy, a few more gifts to wrap, and to get us ready and packed to make the 6 1/2 hour drive to OK Friday night! Oh, and I forgot to mention we're hoping Holt will call us with a travel date to pick up Olivia!
I hope everybody is having a great holiday season. It's going so fast, our Christmas cards have not left the box yet!
Merry Christmas! Leah
When we went in for our appointment at USCIS (immigration) this morning we were prepared for anything. This isn't the first incident we've had with them during the adoption process, and we've been to the office once before, so we were ready. First, they had no record of our I600, which I filed in September, and she said we could refile it but that she wouldn't have it approved by the time we are planning to travel. This sounds like a disaster, but we can file it in Bangkok. It just means we will have to stay longer- about 14 days instead of 8-10. The second thing is that they would not retake our fingerprints today, and they couldn't get us scheduled and cleared before we (hope to) travel. Luckily though, they were able to schedule us in Jackson, Mississippi on Jan 9. It's about a 3 hour trip from Shreveport, so that's not so bad. All in all, it was a beneficial trip, and we got our questions answered. We didn't even get reprimanded for standing too close to the window, not standing behind the proper line, or giving Ian a drink! All of which happened the first time! They are real sticklers.
It's going to be a VERY busy week. Brian is going to Memphis, and I'm going to Jefferson, TX. Ian has doctor's appointment at Shriners Thursday, which usually takes about 4 hours, and I told Brian I would make candy for several of the people he works with. Plus, I have teachers' gifts to buy, a few more gifts to wrap, and to get us ready and packed to make the 6 1/2 hour drive to OK Friday night! Oh, and I forgot to mention we're hoping Holt will call us with a travel date to pick up Olivia!
I hope everybody is having a great holiday season. It's going so fast, our Christmas cards have not left the box yet!
Merry Christmas! Leah
Friday, December 14, 2007
Going To New Orleans
It seems my efforts to avoid a trip to New Orleans have been unsuccessful. I have tried several times (through telephone and email) to reach immigration, but no luck. I did speak with my senator's office but didn't make a lot of headway there either. So, after visiting with our social worker at Holt, we decided we should make the trip, find out if they are going to process our petition before our tentative travel time, and if not, get our fingerprints redone, withdraw our petition and refile once we get to Bangkok. On the other hand, if they are going to process it before travel, we just turn around and come home and wait on the approval letter. Ah, the joys of working with USCIS (immigration)! We'll leave Sunday after church, have our appointment at 10:00 on Monday morning, and come home. Hopefully, all will go smoothly. The only glitch could be that they won't do our fingerprints Monday and we'll have to go back at a later date. We'll let you know the outcome.
Coincidentally, our neighbors directly across the street are also adopting- from China. It has been fun going through the process with them, and we have been at about the same stage all the way through. This evening the husband came over to tell me they received a call today and it looks like they will be traveling the end of January. I am so excited for them and am hoping we'll be following right behind to Thailand. They are going to have their hands full as they already have 3 boys, ages 12-18. The little girl they are adopting is a little over two.
Tomorrow is going to be an interesting day. Santa is bringing Ian a tire swing, so "Santa" is going to be climbing up in our tree to hang it! (That's Brian, not me!) Of course you can't start any project like this without a trip to Lowes first, and this isn't a simple "throw a rope over a limb" tire swing, so it's a little more involved. Hopefully, if all goes well, and the frustration levels stay in check, by mid-afternoon Ian will have a new tire swing. If I get any good pictures, I'll post them!
Have a great weekend!
Leah
Coincidentally, our neighbors directly across the street are also adopting- from China. It has been fun going through the process with them, and we have been at about the same stage all the way through. This evening the husband came over to tell me they received a call today and it looks like they will be traveling the end of January. I am so excited for them and am hoping we'll be following right behind to Thailand. They are going to have their hands full as they already have 3 boys, ages 12-18. The little girl they are adopting is a little over two.
Tomorrow is going to be an interesting day. Santa is bringing Ian a tire swing, so "Santa" is going to be climbing up in our tree to hang it! (That's Brian, not me!) Of course you can't start any project like this without a trip to Lowes first, and this isn't a simple "throw a rope over a limb" tire swing, so it's a little more involved. Hopefully, if all goes well, and the frustration levels stay in check, by mid-afternoon Ian will have a new tire swing. If I get any good pictures, I'll post them!
Have a great weekend!
Leah
Tuesday, December 11, 2007
Looks Like February!
Marissa, our social worker at Holt, called yesterday. Anytime you see it's your agency calling, you tend to get a little excited! However, I really didn't think she was calling to say we had been approved for travel. . .and she wasn't.
We have been having some problems with USCIS (immigration) regarding one of our petitions (form i600) and our fingerprints. Without going into a lot of detail, let me just say that if they are not going to approve our petition before we travel to Thailand, we HAVE to make a trip to New Orleans ASAP to get the fingerprints redone. Then we will just refile the petition once we get to Thailand. That may sound simple but it's a 6 hour trip to New Orleans and Holt isn't sure what will happen if the embassy in Bangkok sees two petitions on file. They want to make sure we aren't held up once we get to Thailand, and it's better to take care of things now so that there aren't any surprises once we get there! Anyway, she suggested I contact our state senator to inquire as to the status of our petition. It is amazing how much goes into an international adoption, and you really can't grasp it until you are in the middle of it.
With that said, Marissa thinks we will travel in February! The board in Thailand meets two times a month. This February, they are meeting the 13th and 27th. So, it looks like we will be in Thailand, picking Olivia up, at one of those two meetings.
As the time gets closer, I am starting to count the days more. Previously, I didn't keep track because I knew it would only make the wait seem longer. Now that we're getting closer, I feel like I can start counting them down and I won't be discouraged- just more excited! First, we get the travel call, and then all of the preparation really kicks in. At that point, we know exactly how much time we have left.
I need to make that call to the senator's office. The sooner we have an answer from immigration, the better. I went ahead and scheduled an appointment in New Orleans for Monday just in case they aren't going to go ahead and approve us. That means we'll leave this Sunday afternoon and spend the night there.
To leave any comment to a post I write, I think you just click on "comments". I'm not sure if I have it set up so that all comments are available to be read or whether only Brian and I can read them. Anyway, that's how that works.
Have a good day-
Leah
We have been having some problems with USCIS (immigration) regarding one of our petitions (form i600) and our fingerprints. Without going into a lot of detail, let me just say that if they are not going to approve our petition before we travel to Thailand, we HAVE to make a trip to New Orleans ASAP to get the fingerprints redone. Then we will just refile the petition once we get to Thailand. That may sound simple but it's a 6 hour trip to New Orleans and Holt isn't sure what will happen if the embassy in Bangkok sees two petitions on file. They want to make sure we aren't held up once we get to Thailand, and it's better to take care of things now so that there aren't any surprises once we get there! Anyway, she suggested I contact our state senator to inquire as to the status of our petition. It is amazing how much goes into an international adoption, and you really can't grasp it until you are in the middle of it.
With that said, Marissa thinks we will travel in February! The board in Thailand meets two times a month. This February, they are meeting the 13th and 27th. So, it looks like we will be in Thailand, picking Olivia up, at one of those two meetings.
As the time gets closer, I am starting to count the days more. Previously, I didn't keep track because I knew it would only make the wait seem longer. Now that we're getting closer, I feel like I can start counting them down and I won't be discouraged- just more excited! First, we get the travel call, and then all of the preparation really kicks in. At that point, we know exactly how much time we have left.
I need to make that call to the senator's office. The sooner we have an answer from immigration, the better. I went ahead and scheduled an appointment in New Orleans for Monday just in case they aren't going to go ahead and approve us. That means we'll leave this Sunday afternoon and spend the night there.
To leave any comment to a post I write, I think you just click on "comments". I'm not sure if I have it set up so that all comments are available to be read or whether only Brian and I can read them. Anyway, that's how that works.
Have a good day-
Leah
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
.jpg)
