LOA-Check, I-800 Check, Halfway to our Kindle Giveaway Goal, Check!

       This might be a first in all of China adoption history but our LOA and our I-800 approval came the same day.  Due to the mix-up with our LOA the I800 was still being processed and I guess they don't care about a misspelled name so when I called the USCIS office today they happily informed me that I was approved.  The USCIS office typically  does not like to be bothered so I always hold my breath and say a prayer before I call.  I hate to tell them they are on my speed dial from this past fall when we waited 3 months for our I800A.  They might just think I am a stalker and have nothing better to do with my time! So off we go to the next step NVC.  Okay and if you aren't part of the China adoption world you might wonder what all this lingo means well the LOA is the big letter of acceptance that China feels we are qualified to make Talia our daughter and the I800 certifies that the United States feels the same way!  Thank goodness...ha!
      In addition to all of this great news we are halfway to our current giveaway goal today! So if you haven't entered and would like to just click on the donate button to the right. The giveaway ends on Monday night, April 16th at 8:00 pm.

• $10 for 3 entries
• $20 for 7 entries
• $35 for 14 entries
• 1 additional entry for posting on facebook
• 1 additional entry for posting on your blog

     This tablet is the latest model for Kindle and we are also including a two year warranty for this giveaway. If you don't want a new Kindle Fire or don't have the funds to enter can you please help spread the word and pray for us. We need this giveaway to be a huge success....thank you so much! You can also donate via our Brittany's Hope grant here https://www.brittanyshope.org/seedling/Youngerman-Postiglione/

     Little Miss Talia Mei is coming home soon:) I told Harper the good news when she woke up from her nap!

      And just in case you forgot how cute Talia is! Here is a picture of Talia with her foster family in China. We are so grateful to them for their dedication and love they have shown our daughter as she waited for her forever family. We are eternally grateful to them and Grace & Hope-the foster care organization that sponsors Talia in Yulin, Guangxi. (This picture was taken last May-She is the child on the right.)

    On a spiritual journey note I have been listening to a series, entitled, "Rubble to Rejoicing" by Dr. Michael Youseff. Here is his webpage http://www.leadingtheway.org. I love his sermons! He talks about suffering, timing, challenges and ultimately finding gratitude for our circumstances. Oh how thankful we are for everything surrounding our little girls lives, no matter how devastating, it seemed it was part of God's perfect plan and in His perfect timing we will meet our newest daughter. Today was an all day happy crying fest for me from my over the top emotional high! I am sure the passengers in their cars at stop lights were probably wondering what I was listening to on the radio...ha! Little did they know all of my good news today! 

Happy Easter, yes it was happy!

     I was actually able to enjoy Easter even with our new LOA wait. Everyone asks, "How is the wait"?, "How are you doing it"? or the sweet sentiments of  "I would be crying everyday if it was me"! Quite honestly I don't have time to cry and there are always much bigger things to cry over in my opinion. So although we are waiting, once again, I treasure the moments I have with my only child right now. Pretty soon her little world is going to be rocked in a big way!

Just look at my sweet chick (compliments of the grandparents!)

                ...and she was so sweet when she  colored eggs she wanted Talia's name to be with hers!

       So do I have my moments of seriously how much longer is this wait and seriously will any grants come through. Sure, I am only human but I really only think about it now for a split second and then go on about my day and planning out the rest of our fundraisers. I have to say I also cling to this verse and if you don't know it memorize it!  "I can do all things through Him who strengthens me"! (Philippians 4:13)  So although we are a big ways away from our financial goal and a big ways away (probably July) from traveling to Talia I am at peace and worry free.  I know through Him all things are possible and I know through Him every detail and every dollar is orchestrated.  He knows how this is all going to turn out and that is our 2nd baby girl from China in our arms this summer.  I am not sure how it will happen, or when it will happen but I believe firmly it will happen. 

Happy Easter from our family and our sweet 1st child home, Harper Lily!

LOA wait, again! What?

     Yes you heard me right we are waiting for our beloved LOA (Letter of Acceptance) once again! I guess China thought 101 days was not long enough to wait for our LOA! I think my adoptive friends thought I was playing a cruel April Fool's Day joke when I told them the news!  It seems the Chinese government liked Todd's last name better without the "u"!

....and 2nd mistake we forgot to check the box that "We accept" which we just noticed on our copy tonight!

      

        My agency caught the typo mistake today before it got sent back to China.  They explained that although this will delay us it is much better to catch this now then when we are waiting for Travel Approval (TA).  So they put a positive spin on this mistake...ha! At this point I might as well too!  This wait to Talia has been beyond long and we are tired, delirious and going a bit loco! (Just ask my parents who have been down here visiting us for the past couple of weeks) We just want to hold our little girl and give those sweet cheeks some much needed kisses! 


So when will the new LOA come? That is the million dollar question. They said it would get reissued next week but we all know China and their time frames. Please pray that this does get expedited and handled immediately!

LOA-Baby girl whohoo!!!!

     After 101 (yes you heard me right!) 101 Days it took to get our LOA! I am back in my hometown this week without my husband so it is quite hectic but we are so excited to finally have that piece of paper. I don't have time to write much but just wanted to share this huge step! Harper's LOA only took 34 days so this was agony! All in God's perfect timing though! Funny it should come on a day when I was away from my computer and phone (which never happens!) So Talia should be coming home in June we hope! We also were blessed with some other wonderful news this week! New pictures of our sweet angel and she just hit 23 lbs.!!! I am sure they weigh her with all the clothing...mind you it is 70's there..ha! 

"For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." Jeremiah 29:11

Hang on baby girl we are coming soon!

 
     What a doll baby right? She also looks a big naughty! Looks like Harper and her will get along just fine. It might be mommy and daddy that will need to up their vitamin regimen to keep up with two toddlers! We are so excited for our little family and for our two girls to finally meet! A big huge thank you to the adoption community for keeping my spirits up during this wait. You are all so amazing and I could not have done it without all your prayers and positive thoughts!

Day 84

    
    Day 84 and we are still waiting for a tiny piece of paper that reads, "LOA". If you see me and I seem a bit more frazzled then usual or I am checking my phone a million times during our conversation it is because I am anxiously getting through my day one hour at a time! Please forgive me! The "Letter of Acceptance" or LOA  can take 1-4 months and well we are we tracking 3 months... agh! This is the big okay from China that we can adopt Talia. It also means your dossier is perfectly acceptable to China and they do not need any further information. I never thought we would this long. With Harper's adoption we only waited 34 days and I remember the feeling of shock when we got the call. We had just driven 11 hrs. from Philadelphia to Charlotte. I had my baby adoption shower back in my hometown that weekend and we were spent from the drive back and excited to unpack all our baby loot! We began to unpack the car and I checked our house phone for any messages we might have missed during our trip. I saw on the caller ID that our adoption agency, Madison, called us. I honestly did not think much of it and went about helping Todd bring stuff in. Right before we were about to put our feet up, sit on the couch and watch the Bachelor (yes we use to love that show now we have no time to watch it!) I listened to our messages and there was our sweet coordinator's voice telling us that we received our Letter of Acceptance from China and that we would be on a plane in 3 months! I remember freaking out because we had to fill out a bunch of United States adoption paperwork, (I-800) that night. We were so tired from the trip so Todd made a big pot of coffee and we stayed up until 1 am doing paperwork! When the FedEx guy came to our door the next day to deliver our LOA I was taking pictures of his truck and him holding my letter! He was walking too fast to my door so I even yelled, "Please stop this is important and I need to capture it"! People that have not  adopted probably think I am crazy but that FedEx guy is a very important figure in the adoption world. He is either our best friend or our worst enemy depending on what he has in his hands that day! If it is a letter that got denied in the authentication process and I have to redo it you better believe I was not happily greeting him at my door with a camera but if it is an approval letter, well then the above scenario would occur!
   The past few weeks I have not wanted to leave the house because I was waiting by the phone. However, yesterday another adoptive parent with our agency said they got their LOA and it came via e-mail so you can imagine how many times I have hit the refresh button on my computer only for it to read, "No new mail!"
   The sad thing is I don't think I will have the same amount of excitement when we get Talia's LOA. This time it will be more of a "Oh thank goodness my eyes were getting ready to be burnt by the monitor and my iPhone" and "Oh yes I can now schedule play dates again for my daughter"! 
    Please hope for both daughters sake, and my eyes, that we get our LOA in the coming week! The only analogy I can use for this wait is like being pregnant at 8 months and then being told you have four more months instead of one!