Travel Approval! Consulate Appointment! Travel Plans! Pirates!

I can't remember where I left off.

My Article 5 was dropped off on August 5 and picked up right on time on August 19.  I knew that Travel Approvals (TAs) for Tuesday pickups had been running 6 days, but I also know that in adoption nothing is ever, ever certain.  So I was hoping for TA on Monday, but I knew it was possible it wouldn't happen.

{As an aside, my students start tomorrow.  So in the midst of all this, I am trying to get my classroom ready to go for the first day.  It's been difficult to focus...}

So I heard nothing yesterday.  Nothing nothing nothing.  Finally about 6:45 pm I gave up and decided it wouldn't happen, and decided to move on (HA!) with my day.  I had some stuff I needed to do and I figured I could get to work and get that done and eat some dinner and all would be well in the morning.

Naturally at 6:53, I received an email with my Travel Approval!  I was so incredibly grateful that it came yesterday.  For a multitude of reasons, including the fact that I need to be ready to go Wednesday for work, and if I am still waiting on pins and needles for my email to ding, I am useless. At any rate.  I immediately emailed my agency back with my preferred travel dates, and received confirmation of my Consulate appointment (September 24th, for those playing along at home) this morning.

This means that I am officially traveling in September.  

AAHHHHHH!

I leave September 12, meet Ella on September 15 (after which point she is with me the entire time), finalize the adoption on September 16, have my Consulate appointment on the 24th, and return home on the 26th.  

So what now?  GREAT question.  Booking travel, getting her room ready, packing (no, I really haven't started), and oh yeah, working.  :)  I have lots to do.  Tonight, I have to make pirates for work tomorrow.  So I should get cracking.  :)

Thanks for all the excitement!  19 days till Ella Day!

Where Things Stand

I really don't mean to leave people hanging...things are either moving really fast or really slowly and either way it seems like another day is good for an update.  But today is as good as any!

After I received my LOA, my agency filed an I-800 application on my behalf, which was a petition to classify Ella as my immediate relative.  That was approved about 9 business days later.  After that my approval was sent to the National Visa Center, where it was assigned to the appropriate Consulate (in this case, the US Consulate in China).  Those next steps are important but not very interesting to the outsider (I was assigned a case number, then had to fill out her visa application, then receive confirmation that her case had been forwarded to the Consulate).  All of that happened blessedly quickly for me.  My paperwork was all dropped off at the Consulate in China on August 5 (my birthday!), and should be picked up on the 19th.  After that I will be waiting for travel approval, which can range from a 2-4 week wait.

TRAVEL APPROVAL.

I get a little panicky just typing that.  So that is where things stand.  IF I am able to travel when I would like, I am just about five weeks away from travel.  If not, then I'm about 8-9 weeks away.  Still not long.  What it will depend on is the length of my wait for travel approval, and then if there are consulate appointments (our last stop out of China) available before the Oct. 1-7 holiday in China when I receive travel approval.  We'll see.  I am hoping for September!

I received a little update on Ella today, but sadly, it had no pictures attached.  She's stayed the same weight wise (27 lbs) and has grown a couple of inches.  She's crawling, and it sounds like she might be pulling up?  Hard to read between the lines but I think that is what it is saying.  She also likes chicken, meat, eggs, cooked fruits and vegetables...but NOT fresh fruits and veggies or cheese.  Too funny.  I am not a huge cheese fan (it has to be the right cheese and the right context...) so I understand.  We'll work on the fresh fruits and veggies.  So ready to meet this little girl and get things started!

I have a lot of things I'd love to update on.  Hopefully in the next few weeks I can knock some blog posts out!  I have a feeling I'll be pretty busy after that!