What have we here...???

It has been a big week and a half in the Sturgeon household. Not only did we get our I800 approval, our approval from the National Visa Center, our official letter stating so, and got all of that off to our agency who can now send all of our info to China, we also got OUR visas! Holy cow. Now, at the beginning of next week, we will have our Article 5 dropped off, and then in two weeks (well, a little more due to a Chinese holiday) we should have our Article 5 picked up. What that means, essentially, is that in two weeks, we will officially be waiting for our Travel Approval from China. That part of the wait can vary from 1 to 4 weeks, but recently, it has been taking just over a week! To sum up, we could conceivably have our travel approval by the middle of October and make the November travel group. Of course, this is all still part of a very variable process, so everything is subject to change. It is, however, starting to look very feasible that we could be meeting Carter Allen in just over FIFTY DAYS!!!!

It's at this point that this whole "we're expecting" becomes a reality. When we fill out that application, it seems like the end is an eternity away, then BLAM! We're leaving, like, tomorrow, and there's so much to do. Not that I'm complaining! ;) In fact, we're still praying it all comes together because nothing is written in stone -- nothing is ever for certain in the infernal process, but I'm starting to be in the initial stages of being cautiously optimistic! God willing, Carter honey, we'll be with you soon!

I-800 Approval!

That's right! One more very important step closer. We got an email from the USCIS in response to my inquiry that informed us that our application would be approved 9/11/2014. Um. That's TODAY! Yay! From here, our application goes on to the National Visa Center (the NVC). They will give us a GUZ number which will allow our agency to drop our documents off at the US Consulate in China. They will issue us our Article 5 (A5) so we can get our Travel Approval (TA)from China and set up our Consulate Appointment (CA) date. Yes. We are THAT close now! All that remains to be seen is, can we still sneak into our agency's November 7 travel group. It is kind of a long shot, and we would likely have incredibly short notice before we travel; however, I don't know if this momma's heart can take another month away from her son. I need him home with his mommy and daddy -- with his brothers. I need all my boys together under one roof.

On the opposite side of the equation, however, is poor Carter. A little boy who has no idea what is about to befall him. He is about to be ripped away from everything he has known: his foster family of two years, the food he is used to, the smell, sights and sounds he is accustomed to....his very country. My heart aches for him, and I wish there was some way we could assure him that it will all be ok. I wish there was some way he could know how much we love him already. So, as much as we ask for prayers for us to travel in November, we ask for even more prayers that our little guy's heart is somehow being readied for what is to come, that God will prepare him for his world to be turned upside down.

We love you, sweet Carter. We can't wait to show you how much!