We Got Our G&R Tonight!!!

My heart is literally racing as I write this note. Rick is on call tonight and I just got home from a recipe exchange party and checked my email. Nicky emailed us tonight and said our G&R has been set for December 17th. Unfortunately, we are still waiting to hear from the US Immigration office in HCMC. It has been 10 days since they wrote us a letter stating they received our son's paperwork and it could take several weeks for it to be processed. CHI is hoping it will average to be a 3 week period. If all this comes in within the next two weeks we should be buying our tickets to Vietnam. We were praying this would happen before our group plans their vacation for the next year and I think it just may work out! The kids are going to be sad that Rick and my mom will be gone over Christmas but if things go faster while over there because of the new way of processing paperwork...they just may be home for Christmas or shortly after!!! Wow...what a true gift from God. I can't imagine a better way to celebrate Christmas. I am now panicked thinking of all the things I need to do. I still have Christmas shopping (and for one more now!) and packing for the trip to do in just a couple of weeks. Rick is going in tomorrow to get all of his shots and mom got hers last week. I will let everyone know as soon as I get the dates confirmed. I pray it all works out. I know that God has His own perfect timing. We have trusted in Him on this entire journey and even though at times we felt like things weren't going as smoothly as we had hoped and things were taking longer than we like, as time has gone by we realized it was all meant to be in the timing and order He planned for us. Have a blessed weekend. I can tell you we will be floating! Love, Natalie

New Pictures Today!

We just got these pictures of Jake today! We were so excited and had just been saying that it seemed like a long time since had gotten any from the agency. He is really growing! We can't wait to hold him in our arms! Natalie

New News!!!!

Yea! Today we received an email from Nicky telling us that our I-600 application was submitted with CIS office is HCMC today! We have been waiting on this email! They will be processing our application and will notify us directly when it is approved. She told us to expect it to take 3 weeks but it is all up in the air since this is a new process. This is something that use to be taken care of when you are "in country" but now we are doing this paperwork before we travel which should cut down the time we have to stay there. We are waiting on our G&R (Giving and Receiving Ceremony) dates but once we get both of these things we should be ready to travel. I am being optimistic but I have a feeling we could travel in approximately 6 weeks...give or take a week. However, as things have gone so far, we know all too well that any thing can change at any time. We are really excited about all of this and it has finally hit me that I have got to start getting things together for the short notice that we get to travel. There is a list they give us and I have gotten plenty of help from others who have traveled already. Well, I just wanted to let everyone know that we have finally gotten new news and it is good news! Natalie

Another family updates us on Jake!

Well, we haven't heard anything from CHI lately. The family I was in contact with recently is now home from Vietnam. I met another family through CHI who just went to Vietnam to pick up their child in the same orphanage as Jake. She was kind enough to let me mail her a gift so that she could take it over with them. We sent him a little car and a stuffed animal. I received an email from her today and she said he was very excited to get it. I wish I could have seen his face! I had sent her pictures of Jake and she said she recognized him immediately and he actually followed her out in the courtyard while she was trying to bond with her new son. She said he was doing his "fake" grin that we have seen in other pictures of him. Even though we haven't met him yet I am beginning to think he might be a little "ham"! It pleased us when she said he was easy to smile. She took a few pictures and will try to send them later. I am sure it is very busy trying to bond with a toddler. We haven't heard any new news but we are getting all the information together for shots required to travel in Vietnam. Hope everyone has a great week!

Newest pictures of Jake

I received these pictures of Jake from a friend who is getting ready to leave Vietnam after getting her son. She sent me these pictures on her blog. They are about a week old...so very current pictures of Jake.

Everything is in CHI's Hands

Well, we finally got our fingerprints renewed and our I 171 sent back to CHI. We had to do some more paperwork to fix the problems we were having with Rick's passports since we had disposed of his old one when we got the new one. I finally got everything in the mail today and it is once again the waiting game. Rick and I both feel like we could get a call any time but it could be just wishful thinking. A friend that has been in Vietnam (and was so kind to take pictures of Jake and measure his foot for me) is probably getting close to being on her way home. I can't believe it.....very exciting. Her experiences in Vietnam have sounded so positive and it is getting us really excited.

Soccer is finally over and it has been really nice. We have had time to actually sit and eat as a family (at home!) and the kids have had time to play after homework is done. We almost forgot what it was like to be at home! Nadia starts basketball again this weekend but the schedule is much less demanding than soccer. Luke is enjoying his gymnastics class and it is nice to be able to take it during the day when the girls are in school. He feels really big that we are doing something just for him.

Have a great week! Hope to report something soon.

Our precious son and brother to Nadia, Mia and Luke

We thought we would share some photos we have received from our agency or friends who have traveled to Vietnam recently. Jake is really growing up fast. We can't wait to bring him home!
Natalie and Rick


Hmmm....let me think about that!
I am a happy boy!

Now, who are you taking my picture?

Look mommy and daddy! I can walk! My first steps! I am a big boy!