Our adoption: 37 weeks

How Far Along: 37

How I'm feeling: FREAKING OUT!!!!  SOOOO EXCITED!!!

Gender: GIRL!  

Total bills so far: $19,017.89

Bills this week: $3987.80 (plane tickets - Amazing to see our girl's name on a plane ticket!); $420 sent to Brody and Jenny as the first installment of paying for their plane tickets up from FL

Ways God is working: 

We just got our travel approval!!!  

Things learned:  1. That our van was ready for purchase and pick-up!  2. That the US Consulate in GZ was still unable to issue visas and families were still stuck in country... and that the State Department issued a visa suspension for two particular weeks in the near future.  3. That our TA had been issued!!!!  4. That our consulate appointment has been confirmed for July 14th.  5. That WE WILL MEET OUR DAUGHTER ON JULY 6TH!!!!!

*That the US Consulate was able to issue the visas for the adoptive families finally and then again successfully this week!

6. That we will be flying out on July 3 and returning July 17th and that Todd is still a great adoption travel agent to work with!!!

Stuff we've done for the adoption this week: BOOKED PLANE TICKETS!!!  Also, sent our itineraries to Lifeline so they can start working on the in-country travel and arrangements.  Wrapped gifts for the kids while we're in China.  Packed - LOL!  Went clothes shopping for easy dry clothes for Daddy for hot and sweaty China.  Packed Daddy - WHAT?!  We're nearly packed???  LOL!  Started clearing out rooms and rearranging furniture (Mommy moved the piano - she's highly motivated, eh hem - nesting, to get the house cleaned before leaving for China).

What I am looking forward to: getting on that plane!

Pictures of the week:
On the way to buy a bigger van

making-sure-I-still-want-it test drive

Whoa - that's a lot of seats!

We got our TA!

Incredible design by God: the girls had summer camp in the afternoon on Monday from 3-5 and Phil told me the night before that he had a meeting at work right up until 4pm when Sammy's physical therapy was supposed to start.  This meant that I'd have to drop the girls off and then take the boys to PT .  We have a temp therapist while our normal one is out on maternity leave and I was a little nervous showing up with both boys since there are signs on the gym saying siblings are not allowed in the gym.  Then Titus wasn't feeling good.  So I decided that I'd just stay in the waiting room with Titus while Sammy did therapy on his own with the therapist.  Last minute before we left the house, I decided I'd grab my computer to work on child care notes for our house parents.  After getting Sammy off with his therapist, I turned on my computer and decided to connect to the wifi.  Then I got a text on my phone - a brand new Facebook friend that is at the same point in her adoption as we are - saying CHECK YOUR EMAIL!  I quick clicked on my gmail and there it was!  The subject line: Your Travel Approval Copy is Here!  I started yelling OH MY WORD OH MY WORD!!!  Titus we just got our travel approval! He started cheering and running around and yelling just like I was.  LOL  The receptionist was happy to congratulate us.  Titus said he had to go to the bathroom, which was in the gym, so we went in there and I decided we'd go tell Sammy.  Titus walked up to him and said, "Sammy, we got travel approval and can go get our baby sister, Jemma, now!"  And Sammy put his hand up all business-like and said, "I'm doing therapy here."  LOLOLOL  What a funny guy!  Then I called Phil who was getting gas and then picking up the girls from camp.  I said, did you check email???  He said no - what??  I said, we got Travel Approval!  He was shocked!  Hahaha!  He came to PT so we could sit for a couple minutes talking about our excitement and the Consulate Appointment request and everything we could in a matter of minutes.  It was a lot of fun!  Then he and Titus left to get the girls and I stayed to wait for Sammy.  Sammy took this picture of me outside of PT.  

Right after we got our TA, this rolled in right in front of us!  Talk about the Power of God's Mighty Hand!!!  (It's moving from the left side of the picture to the right.)

We got our Consulate appointment and were working on booking plane tickets - must have worn Titus out!  (or it could be that he has a cold)

I wrapped gifts for while we are in China

I bought these Chinese Christmas Ornaments and saved them for this - there is one for every day we are gone that the kids can hang up on the cabinet door knobs in the kitchen as a countdown for us coming home with their baby sister