It is done.

Our actual TA was delivered to our house by Fed Ex today. I knew it was coming, but there's still something exciting about seeing that big Fed Ex truck back into your driveway with the golden ticket you need to go get your baby in China!

And you know this is a really big deal to me, as I had Rich take my picture holding it! I avoid being in photos, pretty much at all cost. So, this is definitely a special occasion!

I wish words could describe the feeling of being done. Done with the paper chasing. Done with the wondering if your paperwork is moving. Done with the stressing over whatever step is next. Done with worrying that you filled out a form wrong. And... drum roll please.... done with the adoption funding. YES!! IT'S TRUE!!

It is with a very, VERY grateful heart that I share with you that our financial needs have been met!!

God orchestrated every penny of this adoption! He used crazy saving, fundraisers, a grant, and the generosity of amazing friends who wanted to be part of Ellie's adoption to make it possible. It is done!! Ellie's adoption is paid in full!! :)

I wish I could say that I waited through this adoption never doubting that we would have the funding we needed. But, I can't. If I am perfectly honest, I must admit that a couple of weeks ago when I knew our TA was imminent, I felt like I had 2 ton truck on my chest when I thought about how much money we still needed.  I've seen God fund other's adoptions over and over again. Why couldn't I have been sure - sure enough to get that truck off my chest - that He would do it for us? WHAT a faith building journey this adoption has been!!  GOD IS SO GOOD!

We are praising God for His incredible provision! He has worked through so many different people to make this happen, and we are so grateful for every single person who has participated in this amazing journey with us. THANK YOU!!!

It.is.done.   WWWWWHHHHHHAAAAAAAHHHHHOOOOOOO!!!!!

God funds what he favors. And God favors adoption. Our journey is a testimony to His faithfulness.

Now it is time to concentrate on packing and getting ready to meet my precious girl. Please join me in praying that God would prepare her sweet heart for her adoption. She is in foster care, and it will be so, so hard for her to leave her foster family. Please pray that God will calm her fears and let her feel safe with me.

Thank you all so much. Thank you.

My baby :)

I first saw sweet Ellie's face June 22. The 3 photos from her referral info were taken 6 months earlier in December 2009. These are the photos that came with her referral.

I tried to get updated photos or information, but was unsuccessful. I had resigned myself to the fact that I wouldn't get another photo or info on my girl until I saw her on gotcha day, which I know now will be October 18.







AND THEN... I woke up to this..........

and this....

And a short update, TOO!!!!

Her foster family calls her Xi Ruo.

We are all practicing saying that!

She drinks from a bottle.

How precious is that?

She sleeps with her big sister.

Savannah just melted when she read this!

She looks like an introverted girl. But she actually is a smart, active, and extroverted girl. 

Sounds like she'll fit right in here with this bunch!

She has a ready smile.

I can't wait to see it!

Her favorite food is congee mixed with mashed meat.

Uh...bet that doesn't last! But she can sure have it, if that's what she wants!!! I will be a congee making woman!!!

Her favorite toy is any toy that is new to her.  

I gotta get some GIRL toys! This house is full of boy stuff!

Her current measurements are: Height: 79cm; Weight: 9.5kg; Head: 46cm; Chest: 46.8cm; Teeth 12; Foot 12.8cm.

That makes her a size 12 month for weight and a size 18 month for height! What to buy???

We are very close to having all the money we need to travel, we got our TA on Thursday, I bought plane tickets yesterday, and today I received this! I can hardly type for the tears! The Lord has blessed me beyond measure!

Although I don't have final numbers on our exact travel costs yet, I know we will leave for China on October 14 and fly to Nanning. I will meet my precious daughter on October 18, and finalize her adoption on October 19. We will be in Nanning for the International Folk Song Festival!!!! And then travel to Guangzhou where the Canton Trade Fair will be running at high speed! Our consulate appointment is October 25 and Ellie will meet the rest of her new family back here in Knoxville on October 29! Festivals and trade fairs are no problem for God. He has it all under control!

We still have 3 fundraisers going on until the end of this month. So if you would like to be part of God's miracle of provision for Ellie's adoption, click HERE if you like jewelry, click HERE if you like awesome Thirty-One bags, and click HERE if you have your own precious sweetie who needs some pretty hair clippies! Thank you all so much! Seriously!! THANK  YOU!!

And now, because I simply can't resist, here are the photos cropped to just show her  precious face!!!! OH MY WORD!!!!!

Very Cool Tshirts!!!

My sweet friend, Mandie, is adopting a precious little special needs sweetie from China. Her name is Sophia. And she's beautiful.

Told ya. :)

Just like us, Mandie and her family are fundraising to help pay their adoption expenses and are selling some really awesome adoption tshirts!! QUICK!!! Click HERE to zoom over to Mandie's blog!! Tomorrow is the last day to place your order!! You don't want to miss out on these!!

And look at Sophia's sweet face. I think she's saying, "Would you please buy a tshirt to help my mommy come and get me?"

Breath in, breath out

We initially asked for a CA of Oct. 12. This would mean rushing Ellie's passport in Guangxi, but would have us out of Guangzhou before the trade fair madness. We were told this wouldn't work. Second choice, CA of Oct 18 .... or 19 or 20!!! No, no, no. All full. Next available CA - Oct 25, which, by the way, seems like an eternity from now to this waiting momma.

I receive the email last night that we are confirmed for a CA on Oct 25. An eternity away, but I pick myself up and start looking at hotels in Nanning. Guess what? They are having an International Folk Song Festival then!  I kid you not. An International Folk Song Festival... in Nanning the week I need to be there! Hotel rates are triple. So we will be in Nanning for the folk song extravaganza and in Guangzhou for the glorious trade fair! Breath in, breath out...

I don't have a total yet. I'm sure it takes the agency travel people a few days to come up with that. But, they better hurry, before they run out of rooms in Nanning!

TA!!!!!

It's here!! It's here!!!

Working on a consulate appointment. Hopefully, we'll have travel dates very soon!!!

TA... not:(

I sure thought we would have our TA by today. They've been coming so fast. But.... nothing.

I read on Rumor Queen that the person who signs the NSN TA's was out. ...so no TA's were going out. I don't know if the person who signs the NSN TA's also signs the SN TA's. But, it makes a waiting momma wonder if the TA signers are out somewhere together.... not signing.  sigh

The Wait for TA

I think it's safe to say that with each piece of paper you need for an adoption, the wait gets worse. We are at the end. Just waiting on our TA from China. And the waiting is EXCRUCIATING!

Our TA could come today, tomorrow, next week, the week after that. All we really know is that it will come sometime in the future. I'm yellow on the Rumor Queen chart. That means we are 2nd in line for TA. There are 3 Article 5 dates still ahead of us. But, that's really just a guess, as it doesn't always go in order. So, I wait, jumping up and running to my phone everytime it dings saying I've received an email. I even have it set to ding at night. So, yep! I'm checking all night too!

We had another yard sale this past weekend. We had about 4 good hours of dryness on Friday.  The rest of the day Friday and all day Saturday was wet, wet, wet. We packed up everything Saturday afternoon and passed it on to two other families who are also fundraising for adoptions.

In the 4 short hours we were able to sell on Friday, we had one "customer" who... well... just threw me for a loop. I wish I had been able to respond with something better than I did, but it seriously caught me so off guard that my mouth was just hanging open.

The customer was an older guy. Maybe late 50's or early 60's. He saw an item I had marked at $20. This was a swinging deal for this item. Anyway, he comes over to me and says he will give me $10 for it. I told him that we were fundraising to adopt a little girl from China and asked if he would pay $15 for it to help us bring our daughter home. This man looked me right in the eye and said, "I don't want to do that! We don't need anymore of those people over here! And now, people are even going to get the (obscenity removed here) Haitians!

I was so totally caught off guard! Never has someone said something so directly hateful in my presence. I just did not know how to respond. The first thing that came out of my mouth was, "but these are precious children who have no parents."  His response was, "I don't care. We have enough problems here already."

Needless to say, he didn't buy the item. He left. Which was probably a good thing, as my husband came out shortly after and wanted me to point the man out to him.

I wish I had been ready to respond with something better. Something that might have made an impression on him. It's so hard to come to the realization that such hatred exists in this day and time. And such hatred from someone who lives here. Someone who has the blessing of living in the US with all it has to offer. Someone who should have compassion for those who live in circumstances we can not even imagine. Why do people see it as "them" and "us" when it's "we"?

Article 5 - CHECK!!

Our coordinator just confirmed that our Article 5 has been picked up and overnighted to CCAA in Beijing!! That was the very last thing we needed from the US for the adoption, and we are now officially waiting on our travel approval!! WWWHHHHHOOOOO!!!!

Party Time!! :)

A very sweet friend of mine, Margaret, is hosting a Thirty-One party for me!!

It gets better...

She's a Thirty-One consultant and is donating 100% of the profits from the party to Ellie's adoption fund! Yep!! She's donating her entire commission!

AND... it gets even better... :):)

Because she really wants to help Ellie come home, she is donating a City Weekender Tote to the person who drums up the most sales!!! A City Weekender Tote!!!! That's an $89 bag girls! And it is to die for!

The party will run the month of September, so you have a whole month to shop for Christmas, birthday and just because gifts! The catalog is online, but if you are a "I need to touch the catalog" person, Margaret will mail you one. :) Just email her. (Her contact info is below.)

This is an awesome opportunity to get some of the stunning Thirty-One line for yourself or for gifts, and benefit Ellie's adoption fund at the same time!! You are going to love this stuff!!! And, I'm here to tell ya, the catalog just doesn't do it justice either.  I know you'll be thrilled with whatever you order! It's so much cuter in person!!

City Weekender Tote Giveaway Details!!! 

Email your friends, post to your FB wall, and blog about Ellie's Thirty-One Fundraiser Party. Tell your friends to let you know if they place an order, and keep a list!!! (These must be folks who didn't receive an evite from me) Then, at the end of the month, email your list to Margaret. The person whose friends have the greatest total sales wins the amazing City Weekender Tote!!!!

Margaret is donating this bag to give everyone an incentive to spread the word about this fundraiser for Ellie. 

THANK YOU, Margaret!!!!

To see cool Thirty-One stuff visit Margaret's site at:
http://www.mythirtyone.com/margaretrob/

On the right, at the bottom, you will see My Events.
Click it and choose Anne Little's Thirty-One Adoption Party. This way, Ellie's adoption fund will get credit if you see something you just have to have. :)

If you have any questions, email Margaret at  
bcr1111@comcast.net

THANK YOU!!