I Can't Believe It!

As of Friday, November 11th, 2005 after 8 months and 3 weeks of paperchasing, we are DTC.

Which means we are officially "Paper Pregnant"!

We couldn't be more excited (and relieved) to move on to the next phase. Here's a big THANK YOU to all our friends and family who have been so supportive through this phase. It means a lot to us that you care enough to join us on our journey to our daughter.

Now on to the fun stuff...I've gotta pick a room to paint pink...or purple! Oh, and we have to celebrate...Do I need to make reservations at the Cheesecake Factory? I'm think I'm having cravings. Heehehehee!

(I didn't come up with this ultrasound...but it was too cute, so I used it anyway)

Timeline Changes Announced

Here's an excerpt from an e-mail I received from the agency today:

To America World Families:
There has been an uncertainty regarding the timeframe from log-in to referral that needs clarification. As stated on the Weekly update, the CCAA is experiencing some delays for several different reasons. In the beginning of October they had a national holiday; at the end of the month the trade fair occurred. The Center is also expecting to move to a newer facility to enhance their productivity and improve service to families. This move will occur from the middle of November to the middle to end of December. It is expected that things will be slowing down in the coming months due to these changes. We do not have specific confirmation on the length of the delay, but we estimate approximately 9-10 months from log-in date to referral. When we are given more specific information, we will notify families accordingly.
While this is difficult to accept at this time, this delay will be of benefit to increase productivity and efficiency. We pray that the Lord will give you all peace during this time of transition for the CCAA.

If this new information holds true our timeline to get Kayla will be closer to:

DTC (Dossier to China)- mid November 2005
LID (log in date) - mid December 2005
Referral date (day we find out we're matched) - September or October 2006
Travel to China - October or November 2006

Needless to say, the news of a possible 2 to 3 month delay is very disappointing. Of course, the timing is and always has been in God's hands. Please pray with us that CCAA's move to the new office will allow them to catch up on processing adoption applications more quickly than estimated.

Doh! Oops! Uh-oh!

Bobby stayed home on Monday to meet the FedEx man and turn the package, plus the photo-pages, back around to the agency. In the meantime, he was reading over our checklist and realized...his words..."oh crap, we forgot to send the homestudy". That's right, we forgot to send the fattest document of the bunch to the folks in Tallahassee and in Houston for their approval.

So I got a call at work from my frantic hubby who was *driving* the homestudy to Tallahassee for certification and overnighting it to Houston, plus paying for expedited authentication service. I would have been okay with putting it in the mail and waiting for the next Friday, but he had his heart set on being DTC this Friday (Awww! So sweet).

We still may not make the cut since it all has to be at our agency by Wednesday, but Bobby sure put in over the top effort in trying.

Embassy in Houston

We're moving fast now compared to the early stages of the paperchase. Our notarized, certified paperwork has now arrived at the Embassy to be authenticated. With any luck we'll have it back by Monday. That means we could be DTC as soon as the 11th! Then we'll change categories from *paperchasing family* to *waiting family*.