Our Adoption: 25 Weeks

How Far Along: 25 weeks 

How I'm feeling: dreaming all night long about getting our letter of approval, wondering when it'll happen!
Gender: a little boy
Total of bills so far: $11,685.71

(You can see what bills we've paid in the sidebar.)
Total money raised: $7804.26

Favorite Moments: Family Reunion!  We went to PA for my Grandma's 90th birthday bash and got to see most of my extended family on my dad's side.  It was a long trip out and an even longer trip back in the span of 4 days but I loved being able to see my Grandma.  She and I always had a special bond.  I know she doesn't remember me anymore, but that's okay.  I know she liked meeting Titus - he looks a lot like my dad as a little boy.  :)

Things learned:  Continuing to learn more and more about adoption and parenting special needs and institutionalized children.  We got our final training package today.  It's an 8-hour program that we need to finish before we leave for China.  I look forward to getting some good insights from that.
What we're waiting for:  LOA - Letter of Approval.  It is the letter that the China Adoption Agency (CCCWA) will issue us once our dossier has been approved and we are officially matched to be Sammy's parents in China's books.  :)  As we are waiting for that, we are filling out more paperwork for the steps that follow so we can be ready to hit send as soon as that LOA comes.  

What I am looking forward to:  The graduate class I'm taking to be over.  I know that God has me in this class for many reasons, but it is SOOOOO much work.  It's not fun and I don't find the content remotely interesting.  ONE MORE WEEK!  This time next week, I will be finished!  Then I can renew my teaching license until 2019.  

I'm also really looking forward to finally being able to get started on planning for our school year coming up!  I'm getting excited to implement some new ideas, rearrange the room, and delve into a new aspect to homeschooling: Classical Conversations!!!  It's a group that meets every Tuesday morning to do a bunch of things together (Lily will get to do show-and-tell and little presentations and group collaboratives, etc!!!)  I couldn't be more excited! I wonder when Sammy will come home - I really think this fall.  

I'm hoping for September or October, but I don't know how likely that will be.  I just pray almost non-stop that God will bring Sammy home soon.  Once I start to think about all the pieces that have to happen to bring him home, I start to get worked up.  But really, I don't have to dwell on the million things that have yet to be done... just the fact that God has the d-day already set and how we get there really doesn't matter.

Mommy and Grandma T