Getting Closer

Things are moving pretty fast at this point. Since our last blog post, several things have happened in rapid succession:

1. Our I-800 form was approved by the USCIS.
2. The National Visa Center reviewed and approved all of our documents/visa petition.
3. Our paperwork was submitted to the U.S. Embassy in China and they confirmed that everything is in order for the adoption to be finalized.
4. Our paperwork was mailed to the Chinese Center for Children's Welfare and Adoption (CCWA) for final review.

So what does all this mean? Well, basically, it implies that we're at the last stage of the waiting process and should hopefully be receiving our travel approval within the next 2-3 weeks. Indeed, if all goes well, we should tentatively have a departure date of 8/10!!!

Meanwhile, on the home front, thing are also progressing quite well. Our remodel project is basically complete (sans a few touch-ups here or there). We've relocated the office and begun setting up the nursery. The cribs fit rather nicely and Andrea has been working diligently on getting it all decorated.

Also, we received new information for both of the kids today as well as recent pictures. And yes, we did notice that they have Parker and Xander in fru-fruey girl clothes - an injustice we shall remedy straightaway when we arrive in China next month. Manly shirts, shorts, and some sick kicks for the ladies are the order of the day.

Hong Xin Lei (Parker)
Height:80cm   Weight:9.5kg   Head:45cm   Chest:46cm   Feet:12.5cm   Teeth:8/6
Xin Lei is 19 months old now. He is a adorable little boy who likes to smile a lot. His physical development is good. Now Xin Lei likes to climb up and down, he can climb over his crib’s bar. He likes to climb up to the furniture and get his toys, and he loves playing his rocking horse. Sometime he likes staring at the outdoor things through the window. He can crawl very fast. By holding some thing, he can stand up for a while. He can do a lot of things with his hands too, like turning book’s page and holding spoon to feed himself. Also he likes to hold a pen and draw random things. He can recognize himself from the pictures. Imitating other people is also his favorite, for example, he likes to pat the baby and pick up thing on the ground like other people is doing. Now he can wave his hand and say goodbye to other people, also he can clap. When other child taking his toy away from him, he could be very upset and resistive, he does not very like to share things with other people. When he is not satisfied, he will be stubborn too. Now he can understand some simple words like demanding. And he can show you his eyes, nose, mouth and ears. He can call “baba” “mama” “dakai (open)”. He likes to be cuddled and kissed.

Fu Lian Hao (Xander)
Height:72cm   Weight:9kg   Head:45cm   Chest:45cm   Feet:11.5cm   Teeth:2/2
Lian Hao now can sit by himself. He can turn around his body when he is lying on the bed. By holding his arm, he can stand up for a while. Lian Hao is a active out-going boy, he is not too shy with strangers. He likes to play with adult. When he is happy, he will shake his body and laugh. He likes taking shower and playing water. Now he can hold the bottle and drink his formula. Some time he can be a little impatient. His main food are formula, rice cereals and congee, sometime he will eat some noodles, cake, boiled egg and fruit. He has good appetite, every time he can drink 160ml of formula. He eats 6 to 7 meals a day. He doesn’t like the hot weather. When sleeping in a room with air conditioner, he can sleep through the night, he like people to pats his back to sleep.