Happy Birthday to our Beautiful Boy

Dear Matthew--- Today you turn two and from half a world away Daddy, Mommy and Olivia are sending our love and hoping that on some level you can feel it and know how very much we wish we were with you today. We are sad today but also happy in knowing that this will be the last birthday you will spend without us. We will celebrate today with a small cake and we will sing Happy Birthday to you Olivia will blow out your two candles( she loves to blow them out even if they are not for her).Each day gets us a little closer to you and as soon as they tell us we can come we will be there as fast as we can! Your room is almost finished. as we have been working on it we have enjoyed imagining you in it.We look forward to the day when we can hold you and love you and when you will be ours forever. Love Daddy, Mommy and Olivia

WE ARE DTC !!!!!!!

We are DTC 4/30/09. We just received a telephone call from HAS saying they have reviewed our dossier. There are no corrections( I guess third time is a charm LOL) and it will be to China via DHL tomorrow morning. We can presume our Lid is about two weeks later but they will give us a definite LID when they get it. We are jumping for joy at our house. Hold on Matthew-- Daddy,Mommy and Olivia are coming All the Best-- Kate.

One Step Closer

Our dossier is finished sent and received by HAS yesterday. We are a very short time away from DTC. I can't wait to be able to write those three little letters. I will update as soon as we have any news. All the Best Kate

Olivia's Big Day

Olivia and my niece Siobhan had a beautiful day on Saturday. The pictures speak for themselves. All the Best-- Kate

Day 6

We are on day six of a approximate 10 day weight for the final documents to be returned from the China Consulate. When Steve and I forwarded our initial documents to the preparer we inadvertently forgot to sign one of the documents. This held them up from going with the original documents. So again we wait. I keep reminding myself that we are getting closer. It seems,recently at least, that the LOSC have been coming more quickly the last group in 75 days. So we wait and pray for a swift travel plan. Matthew's room is all painted and now just needs the finishing touches and we will put up the crib and his bed. I can't wait to walk into that room and see it all ready for our beautiful boy.
Olivia's first Holy communion is this Saturday and they are predicting beautiful weather.I will post pictures as soon as I have them.Hoping everyone is enjoying the Springtime--- All the Best---- Kate.

Hooray!!!!!!

I just received the call from our homestudy agency that our 171H was received by them this am.Yippee!! Now that will need to be certified which they are taking care of and our 171H and our homestudy will join the rest of our dossier and be forwarded to HAS.We are now officially done waiting, wondering and worrying about our documents.The next step is DTC. Today is a good day!

Patience...Patience...Patience

I know it's a virtue and I'm not feeling virtuous today. We are still waiting on our I171H it has been two weeks. I know that they received it because they certainly cashed our check in a timely manner. Having been down this road before I know I have reached that end of the road feeling regarding the paperwork. All the other documents are with the preparer and our homestudy will be ready to go this week. I have confidence that the preparer and the homestudy aency are doing everything they can to move this along. I don't have the same confidence in USCIS. I just have to trust that all is well and that it is just the bureaucratic wheels turning. I suppose this is where my need to control comes in. Working on that.
We are preparing for Easter and Olivia's upcoming First Holy Communion, so April is a busy month. We are having a three family communion party as my niece Siobhan and Olivia are in the same class at school and will make their communion together. Olivia's dress is beautiful. The one she wanted was a lacy tiered halter number,so not appropriate ever, we had some compromising to do.She looks like a little angel in her outfit. Hoping everyone enjoys the beginning of Spring Stay tuned I can't wait to post DTC... All the best Kate.