On our way

The visas are in our hands!  Bags are packed and we're ready to go!

God has been so faithful.  He has heard and answered your prayers.  Last night at about 9pm we found out that the visas had been issued and were in the hands of Fed Ex.  This morning at 9:30 they were at our door.  I was quite nervous before that time.  I mean, Mark and I would still have gone, but I really want Mom and Emma with us.  That was way too close for comfort. 

So here's the schedule of events for the next few weeks and then the next several posts may just be pictures.
Friday, August 30th  Fly Orlando to Detroit to Beijing, arrive August 31st
Sunday, September 1st  Fly to Taiyuan
Monday, September 2nd  Elsie will be in our care
Tuesday, September 3rd  Adoption day, she officially becomes a Fertig
Wednesday-Thursday, play in Taiyuan, hopefully with an opportunity to visit the orphanage
Friday, September 6th  Fly to Guangzhou
Saturday, September 7th  Mandatory medical check-up
Sunday-Monday  Play in Guangzhou
Tuesday, September 10th  Consulate appointment to apply for Elsie's American visa
Wednesday, September 11th  pick up the visa and fly to Beijing
Thursday, September 12th  Fly Beijing to Seattle to Orlando

That's a lot of traveling.  We know Emma is a pretty good traveler, but we have no idea how Elsie will do.  We're thankful we have Grandma along who worked in a preschool for over ten years!

A special gift today

Updated pictures and information on Elsie!  Unexpected, because we didn't get this for Emma.  Now we know how big she is and have these sweet new pictures.  In the sea of all that's happened to us recently, receiving these pictures is really good to help our hearts get even more excited for our little girl.

Elsie, in a few days you will have a Mommy, a Daddy and a big sister.  A community of family and friends are ready to welcome you and love on you.  You will no longer be an orphan, you will be ours!

On the verge of change, once again

Well friends and family, the time has come.  In less than a week, we board a plane to head back to China to pick up Elsie.  The next four weeks are going to be crazy busy as we make preparations this week, pick her up next week, travel to get her American visa the week after that and then return home with our new little girl as a family of four.  We covet your prayers and will try to keep you updated every step of the way.  Thank you for joining us on this journey to bringing both our girls home.

This week please keep praying for Emma’s and Erika’s Mom’s visas.  We have been told they’ll be back in our hands on Wednesday.  We have also begun our yearlong internship program and so we were gone all weekend and have meetings on Tuesday and Wednesday.  And of course there’s the packing and getting ready to leave early Friday morning.  So yeah, we’re a bit overwhelmed.

Emma is thriving.  She’s super talkative (which can drive Mark nuts at times).  When she doesn’t have enough vocabulary to actually tell the story, she mumbles gibberish with facial expressions and hand motions and voice intonations.  It’s just adorable.  She asks questions incessantly.  She loves playing with other children and has had no problem with the childcare that we’ve put her in (PTL!).  She really is doing far better than we ever imagined.  Now, what will this next child bring???  

One down, one to go

We got Emma's passport today!  Praise the Lord!   It was in our hands for about an hour before we sent it off to get the visa.  The visa company we are using says that if they receive it by Monday, which they will, they will get the visas and return them to us by Wednesday.  We leave Friday.  Keep praying, friends.  We almost have all that we need for Emma to come with us.

cutting it close

We've asked you to pray for Emma's paperwork so that she can travel with us to get Elsie.  I think we'll be able to get it all, but man, are we cutting it close.  If all goes as I suspect, we will have her passport with a chinese visa in our hands maybe 2 or 3 days before we leave.  Tomorrow we will go to Miami to show up in person to get her visa.  We cannot wait for the Certificate of Citizenship and then go through the mail.  Then we will receiver her passport in the mail (after paying all kinds of expediting fees) and turn around and send it to an agency in Washington D.C. who will help us get Emma and my mom their visas. 

Please keep praying that all of this works. 

Something new to accept

Many people who adopt children bring them home as soon as possible.  They try to provide stability and routine to help the child transition.  Many experts recommend that adoptive families guard time together and to be a family, asking extended family members and friends to wait a bit before being super involved in order to help the child bond with his/her new parents and siblings.  

We often find ourselves doing things differently than what’s expected, what’s normal or what’s recommended.  Sometimes because we chose it that way and sometimes because we didn’t, it’s just the way it happened...not the normal way.

We’ve had Emma for two and half months now, and tomorrow is the first time the three of us will be in our home.  A few days ago I said, “we’re going to spend a few days at Grandma and Grandpa’s house and then we’re going to our own house.”  She kept repeating the phrase “zi ji jia (my house).”  This is a totally new idea for her.  God has provided for us this summer.  We have lived in friends homes, sometimes with them and sometimes when they were gone.  We have been tangibly loved as friends and family graciously opened their homes to us.  But we are so thankful that tomorrow we will have our own apartment and a place to put our own things.  It’s been three months since Mark and I have had our own house and in her three years and four months of life, Emma has never known “my house.” 

We’re hoping and praying that this crazy transitional summer has helped her to know that places and people change, but Mommy and Daddy don’t.  We hoping and praying that this has been helpful for her bonding with us.  And we are thanking God that she is such a laid back, go-with-the-flow kind of kid. 

I’m also hoping that I can learn a bit from her about how to transition.  Circumstances change, people do come and go, but if I fix my eyes on my heavenly Father, I am safe and loved and I too can go with the flow.  I can trust that it doesn’t matter where I am as long as I’m with Him. 

Keep praying!

We travel to get Elsie in less than 20 days.  We have purchased four tickets to China and five to return!  So crazy!

However, we still don't have the proper paperwork for Emma.  We need her Certificate of Citizenship in order to get her passport and we need that before we can get the visa that gets her back into China.  Please pray this all gets worked out quickly and easily.  We're also moving into our apartment in Orlando this week.  Life continues to be rather nuts, but we're having lots of fun!