Thanksgiving

So much to be thankful for today.

We're all packed for Disneyland.  Closets are all cleaned and sorted.  I've gathered every thing I think we might need for China and Luk's room is done.

It's a gorgeous warm sunny day, we're at a park meeting friends for a walk and play.  It's all good.

Jia's Gotcha Day!

Jia's Gotcha Day today, I told her the story this morning about the day our beautiful baby Du Xiao Yu was placed in our arms.  She really seemed to listen today and she totally 'got' that she gets to pick out dinner tonight.  We're having noodles.  Big surprise hey?!  She asked if I'd take her to school today and she told her teachers it was her gotcha day.  So sweet.

Here are the pictures I posted from three years ago. 

Our first glimpse.

Finally holding her!  Five years of waiting!

One very happy Mommy and one pretty scared baby.

Back in our room.  She still loves to moosh her cheek into mine.

Yup, she peed on me right away. 

Cutest little thing ever.

Smiles on the first night!!

First or many bottles with us.

Soooo many times we had to help her get her feet back in the crib. 

Jia and Eric are at home right now putting together our crib for Luk.

 

 

No news

No news on Luk.  Still waiting for TA, travel approval.  Still no word on tentative travel dates.  Just assuming at this point that it should be November. 

We've been busy gathering and packing for Disneyland and China.  I've also been cleaning closets.  No idea why now, but it feels good to have everything sorted.  Purging.  Luk's room is well underway.  Details left to deal with in there, the fun decorating stuff.  I love walking in there to all of the blue and the furniture in place.  Makes the process feel more real.  Jia likes to visit his room too, she goes and sits in his little blue chair and talks about how it's not her room.  She is being a good sport about the new brother, lets hope this attitude holds! 

Jia and Fei helped build Luk's bed.  So cute.  And yes, Jia did manage to screw the supports down on her own.  Jia helped me clear space in my bedroom for Luk's crib this morning.  Then she asked if she could help build that too :)

 

The airplane light fixture is awesome!  Still some details to add, will post better pictures after the weekend.

LOA signed

The envelope didn't arrive until this afternoon.   Eric brought the girls to the office and we got everything signed and put into a courier bag for Monday. 

I thought we'd get the original referral package, but we didn't.  I was hoping the original pictures were better, was wanting the little passport photo and was even hoping there was updated anything.  We don't even know if he is in foster care. 

Shockingly the loa was dated Sept. 2.  Only took 26 days for loa and then 25 days to get here.

Giant leap of faith. 

I know you're all going to ask 'how long now?'.  No clue.  Usually 8 weeks after loa.  However,  we have no travel group, it's a new computer system and there aren't many Canadian families adopting from China anymore and not much for a tracking system.

I soooo wanted more pictures of our son today.  Sigh.

LOA! LOA! LOA! LOA!

LOA!!!

SHOUTING FROM THE ROOFTOPS!  LOA, LOA, LOA, LOA!!!

LOA BABY!!  We're coming Luk. 

For everyone tracking...51 days for LOA.  We'll see the date stamped when we get it.  I don't know how many days it took to get to Canada and then from the Ministry to our agency, the official number will be lower.

Sunrise just called Luk's LOA (Letter of Acceptance) is in their office, going courier to us today.  Hoping we'll have it tomorrow and then we can sign it and send it back to Sunrise before the weekend and they'll send it to the Ministry in Victoria and from there back to China.  In the past we've signed and hand delivered to Victoria to save time, but CCWA is closed all next week so there is no major rush. 

The LOA is where we started with the girls.  It was a part of the referral.  This is the major difference between non special needs adoption with China and special needs adoption with China.  Right now is where we're used to starting.  Typically it's five to eight weeks to travel after LOA.  We're not with a group and will travel on our own, so still NO clue when we'll go.  Next we wait for travel approval, TA.  This is the document we take to China and hand over when Luk is placed with us.

Such a relief to get to this point.  Luk is ours.  Not much can go wrong at this point.  I'm going to sleep soooooo great tonight. 

Blue!!

The project is underway. 

Celebrating Luk's 2nd Birthday

Our little man is two today.  The last birthday he will celebrate without a family.

We are soooo ready to go get him!