Our Adoption: Week 34

How Far Along: 34 weeks 

How I'm feeling: I HAVE GOT TO HURRY UP AND GET READY!!!!!!!!
Gender: a precious and beautiful boy - Wow!  I can't believe you are going to be our son!
Total of bills so far: $14,113.96

(You can see what bills we've paid in the sidebar.)
Total money raised: $18582.64

Favorite Moments: We JUST got the news that our paperwork has been forwarded from the National Visa Center to the US Consulate in Guangzhou!!!  We will get the pdf of that some time early next week so that we can start the process of our Article 5 (brief explanation on article 5 below in the "what we're waiting for" section).  YEAH!!!

Prior to getting that news, last night when we called the NVC, we got our GUZ #.  Phil's been waiting for weeks for the moment he could say "Wud up, Guz?"  LOLOL!  The GUZ # is the case number given to the files that are in process... prior to getting that, you have a receipt number saying that the file has been received.  

Prior to THAT, we got our 800 approval in the mail on the Tuesday.  (Again, for those who are not adopting, which is 99% of the people reading this, the 800 approval is the US saying that Sammy can come into this country and become a citizen.)

Last night, after getting our GUZ #, I wanted to buy things for my baby!  We got a take-home outfit!  I'm super excited about it... Daddy pulled it off the shelf and showed it to me, and I might have flipped out right there in the store.  Except it wasn't in Sammy's size - we asked the sales lady and she said only up to 9months... until Phil went two shelves over and found it in 18 months!!!!!!!  Hee hee!  

Then we came home and got a few more things with my 30% off coupon online that weren't in the store that I had picked out earlier while waiting for Phil to get home from work so we could SHOP!  Oh and I ordered a red bunting from Amazon!  I can't wait for the things to arrive!!!  We'll most likely get his clothes for the time we're in China over there once we see how big he is, but we did want to take a few new outfits with us.  I might also bring socks and maybe a pair of robeeze or something like that.  Oh and I'll probably bring onesies since they are still in the nursery dresser drawer.  I also ordered the gifts for the people we want to thank in China last night... I'll share a picture of those next week.

The girls have helped me add to the "pile" this week.  We put the Ergo up on the pile and Starbucks via packets that we picked up at Costco last weekend.  

But the biggest news of the week is that WE GOT A SURPRISE VIDEO IN OUR EMAIL INBOX ON MONDAY OF SAMMY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  We're not ready to share it with the whole world, yet, as it's one of the very few things we have of him and are feeling possessive at the moment - but soon hopefully we'll post it.  I know most people are not going to understand this attitude, but right, wrong, or indifferent, we'll just continue to trust the Lord to give us wisdom in each step of this process.  Thanks for trying to understand.

Things learned:  I think I FINALLY know what Article 5 is... it's only taken me 35 weeks... I think I can finally wrap my head around the steps that are left and I TOTALLY FREAK OUT BECAUSE THERE ARE ONLY A FEW STEPS LEFT!!!!
What we're waiting for:  We need to get a pdf of the cable letter that was forwarded to the embassy in China.  Once we get that pdf in Phil's email, we can email it to our agency and they will send it to the China facilitator who will initiate the Article 5 "drop-off".  Article 5 (if I understand it correctly) is the official name of the form that the US files with China saying that we comply with everything according to the Hague Convention.  (The Hague Convention is the group of countries and the agreement between them that all agree to use the same rules and regulations when preforming adoptions internationally.)  The forms for the article 5 are literally dropped off and then there is a scheduled time for them to be picked back up completed 2 weeks later.  

Not to totally overwhelm people, but once that article 5 has been officially completed, then the CCCWA (China's adoption agency) will initiate our travel approval!!!!!!!!!  

What I am looking forward to:  Tomorrow, we are applying for my visa.  I'm looking forward to getting our Article 5 process started.  I am also looking forward to continue to check things off my to-do list to get ready for God's amazing delivery of our son!
Pictures:
a few of the things we got for Sammy - 

 We think this outfit looks like Sammy's monkey and would possibly make good travel clothes (one piece, hood option for extra warmth)

 This is the red bunting I ordered!!!

And this we got because Sammy is still a baby and even though we missed the newborn stage when this color is appropriate, we want to still enjoy the newborn into our family stage by celebrating with newborn baby blue (in an appropriate size of course)!!