care package

Here's a picture of the care package. She should receive it in about 3 days.

another care package

I ordered another care package this week. We sent Allison a soft photo album with 6 pictures of us so she can get used to seeing the faces of her new family. We also sent a security blanket and some mooncakes (treats) for the orphanage staff and children. We hope to receive some updated information and pictures of her too.

Still nothing in the mail yet from USCIS. I think we'll give them another week before we start emailing them again. We are still hoping to leave in later October.

October travel

What a crazy week this has been. I'm sad that we couldn't leave this week, but at the same time I couldn't take the stress of being in limbo! I'm definitely ready for some yoga this weekend. Our agency will now reschedule our embassy appointment and we will likely travel around Oct. 22. Of course we're still waiting for our I171H renewal, but it should come soon, and if it doesn't, we were told it is sometimes necessary to get a congressman involved.

Tuesday mail

Nothing in the mail today. We're getting down to the wire now. We've decided that if our renewal comes in the mail tomorrow, then we'll make a decision based on flights/prices as to whether we can still leave this week. If it doesn't come, then we'll have to wait another 5 weeks due to the China holiday and trade fairs. So we would then leave around Oct 22 with an embassy appt. on Nov 2 or 3. I know we will get there eventually, but the waiting really stinks!

Monday mail

Well, if our renewal doesn't come in the mail tomorrow we will have to cancel our embassy appointment and look at traveling in October. I haven't given up all hope that it could be in tomorrow's mail. And if it is, we will gladly scramble to finish packing and hope we can find flights at a decent price. We're upset that traveling in October will mean we will either miss Ben's birthday or Halloween. It could also mean swine flu season and quarantine risks. So, crossing our fingers for tomorrow!

Tentative travel dates

Here's the scoop. It's complicated, so I'll try to condense it. We have a consulate appointment on September 28 which means we'll leave on the 17th. These are tentative dates because if our amended I171H doesn't come in the mail between now and the 16th, we can't go and we'll have to reschedule for late October. All we can do is be ready and hope for a miracle that USCIS expedites our request. SOOOO STRESSFUL!

Still unsure about travel dates

Our agency is trying to secure a Consulate Appointment (CA) for us the last week in September and if they're successful, we could be leaving around the 17th. Otherwise we may not be going until late October. BUT, we have to wait for our amended I171H (orphan visa) to come in the mail before we can go anywhere and that could be cutting it close for a September departure. I am not much of a "fly-by-the-seat-of-my-pants" girl anymore, much more of a planner, and this is stressing me out!!!

Testing

If you are wondering about the last two posts, we have heard that Blogger is blocked in China, but that you can do a blind post to the blog from email. So Chris was testing it out, hence the picture of our boys in their underwear!