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Sunday, August 4, 2013

As pregnant as a giraffe


We are on day 73 of waiting for LOA.  Average time is 30-90 days, so we are well within that timeframe, but we are so, so antsy!  We've been waiting for our son since September 2012 and our daughter since March 2013!  It feels like forever.  Apparently I have the gestational length of a camel or giraffe (13-16months)...let's hope we don't stray into dolphin territory (17-19 months)! 

It's been a long time since I've posted anything because, well, there hasn't been any news to report on the adoption front.  But, life goes on while we wait for the new additions and we've been busy!  

Mr. Incredible has been home with the boys as he is most summers and they've been having a great time together.   Fishing, kayaking, bowling, movies, shark tooth hunting and going to the pool to beat the heat have been the most popular activities.  The boys have been in swimming lessons most weekday mornings this summer and in the in-between times, we've managed to get away for a few short vacations. We spent a few lovely days on a large local river canoeing and camping with friends and also a few very hot days at the beach.  We were there over the Fourth of July and the kids got to hang out with their cousins, play in the waves, enjoy very noisy, bright, front row seats to some great fireworks and pig out at our annual visit to Five Guys.  We've made this a Fourth of July tradition because honestly, the burgers are so delicious that they're dangerous!  It would be easy to make a habit of it, so it's become one of our Fourth of July traditions and we look forward to it every year.   It's almost always followed by a trip to a local ice cream place...It's truly a day of gluttony!  This past week, the boys both are in camp while Mr. Incredible had meetings for work.

Based on conversations I've had with other moms in real life, by email and by some adoption forums I visit, it seems that things have really slowed down this summer for China waiting families.  The LOAs are the last part of things to be getting back on track apparently.  The US Consulate in China where our kid's visas are processed is closed for a week in July while they move, so they will have at least a week's worth of visa appointments to catch up on plus all the other work they usually have.  

This past week as we had to put a new transmission in the minivan and replace our washer, we felt sure that our LOA (and final fee along with it) would come any day!  In fact, as soon as I heard that the washer bit it, I called our agency, convinced that our LOA was "the third big thing".  But, there was no news and we continue to wait.   Everyday, we are hopeful that we'll get the call that our LOA has arrived and we can move on to the next step.  

In better news, some families we know are traveling soon, so that means that China's new computer system is working because their paperwork was processed and they will probably pick up their children in August.  These families also have kids who live in the same place as our son and we are hopeful that they will meet him and be able to tell us how he's doing.  

Hopefully next time I will have more (better) news to report!

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