We have our travel approval - there's no turning back now!

Our long-awaited travel approval arrived at our adoption agency yesterday! It only took about 3 weeks for the CCAA to issue the document. At least things are moving quickly at the end of our adoption journey. We should find out early next week when our consulate appointment is. We know that our weekend will be very busy getting ready to travel at a moment's notice!

Happy 2nd Birthday, Helaina !

Helaina's birthday was February 27th. She is now a whopping 2 years old! We celebrated our daughter's birthday by having dinner out at a Chinese restaurant, followed by an adorable ladybug cake in her honor. A large piece of cake is in our freezer just waiting for her when she finally arrives home! We also had Blessed Kids send a birthday cake to Helaina in China, along with a toy panda bear and several disposable cameras for her nanny's to use. Hopefully the cameras will be returned to us when we pick up Helaina so we will be able to see the birthday celebration she had with her pals at the orphanage.

This pink and purple tricycle is a birthday gift for Helaina from her Daddy. Those dreaded words -- adult assembly required -- were on the box. After over an hour of assembly time and one bloody knuckle from a screwdriver mishap, Daddy had Helaina's shiny new trike all "ready, set, go"... , complete with a basket for her favorite doll to ride in!

Helaina's crib is ready!

Helaina's room is now complete. Her Daddy put this beautiful crib together in no time at all. She has a comfy mattress to sleep on and pastel blankets to keep her warm and cozy. We can just picture her standing in the crib with her little hands gripping the rail - trying to climb out!

We've got our Letter of Acceptance !!!

Just one of the many lucky ladybugs scattered around our house !

On Monday, February 4th we received the call we've been waiting for. Our adoption agency called and told us they received our LOA in their morning mail. It took only 2 months for the CCAA to issue our approval - an entire month sooner than we were expecting. We were at our agency in the afternoon signing that wonderful document and it was sent back to China the very same night. We're hoping for a quick turn-around on our travel approval, but with Year of the Rat celebrations in China it will probably take at least a week longer. We're praying for travel by the end of March - hopefully sooner. Hang on, Helaina, we're almost on our way !!