We have TA!!!

YAY, we are so excited we received our Travel Approval call less than 2 hours ago - we plan to leave on March 12th, we just have to wait for confirmation for the Consulate appointment to be certain. We should know for sure by Tuesday next week. Oh my, less than 2 weeks, that sounds so fenominal right now. Thank you Lord for answering my prayers, I prayed that we'd be able to make the March 12th group, not only because we wanted to go sooner rather than later but it works out great with spring break for our kids, they will be able to spend most of the time we are gone with family in Indiana!!! We're coming Angel, can't wait to meet you!

Hope you all have a wonderful weekend, we will post when we know our travel plans.

A new photo of Angel!!!

YAY, we have photo of her from another family that visited the orphanage a week or so ago!!! From the looks of the picture, looks like it must be potty time. We are so excited to see her walking and not being held as in most other pictures we have of her. Isn't she a cutie...




Still waiting on our Travel Approval, hoping this week yet - we'd love to be able to leave 2 weeks from today to bring her home!!!

Testing video

We just got a new web cam so we can take quick video clips of Angel and Skype with our children while in China. Kailey and I tested it out to be sure we could work it. So here we are:



No news yet on our TA, it's gotta be close though.

We are up to 188 pairs of sock though - how amazing is that!!!!

143 pair of socks so far!!!

Thank you to all who have contributed, we are going to far exceed our goal. We have received socks of various sizes and for both boys and girls so they will benefit all the children at the orphanage. Thank you for being such a blessing for the needs of these kids.

Have a fabulous day.
Impatiently waiting for TA.
Tracy

Happy Valentine's Day Angel!!!

We celebrated Valentine's Day with you in our hearts today, we can't wait to meet you next month and bring you home. We pray you are healthy and that we will be there soon to love on you!

Updated info on Tian Tian

She is almost 21 months old now, here are her current health stats:
Height: 30.3 inches
Weight: 23lbs

Here are some additional questions they provided answers to:

Does she have a nickname?
We call her “Tian Tian” or “Xiao Tian”. (Xiao means little).

What are her height, weight and feet measurements now?
Height: 77cm; Weight: 10.5kg; Head: 44cm; Chest: 46cm; Teeth: 12; Foot: 12cm.

What are her favorite foods and activities?
She loves sweet food. Her favorite activities is: play with other children in the play room, such as cockhorse, ball, etc.

What makes her happy?
Giving her a hug makes her happy.

What kind of food does she eat, how much, and when?
6:30am breakfast: a piece of cake, an egg or a small bowl of noodles.
11:00am Lunch: half bowl of rice or a steamed bun, a small bowl of vegetable or meat.
4:00pm Supper: half bowl of noodles or a steamed bun, a small bowl of vegetable and/or meat, and some congee.
9:00am and 3:00pm some fruit or snacks.

Does she drink from a bottle or cup, how much and when?
Now she is learning to drink from a cup. She drinks about 80ml, takes about 6-7 minutes to drink it.

When does she sleep and nap, how long?
Nap: 11:30am-2:00pm; Bed time: 8:00pm-6:00am.

Was there one person who took care of her or many?
Daytime she attends preschool class at the orphanage, there are teachers. Night time there are nannies take turn watch the children. There is no particular nanny takes care of her.

How would you describe her personality?
She is shy in front of strangers. She is active after she gets familiar with her/him. Has a ready smile.

Does she have any likes/dislikes/sensitivities?
She likes toys, such as cockhorse, dolls, etc. No sensitivity.

What else would you like to tell us about her?
She is potty training.

New Photos!

Just received these updated photos and some info about her, I'll post the info in a bit. Isn't that grin contagious!

We are next on the list for TA!!!

What a great week! we received a new photo of RuTian that was taken a month ago by a family that was there to bring their child home. She doesn't look very happy but she was probably wondering what the strangers were doing.





Also this past week the two families before us received travel approval on Thursday and one of the two said they should be leaving in about 10 days to travel, YAY for them! So we should be one of the next in a group to receive TA!!!! Crossing our fingers that we hear something in the next few weeks. Lord grant me patience. In the mean time we are rearranging the girl's room and getting all the things we need for the trip and return home.

We did receive notice that the care package that we ordered has been sent and she should be receiving it tomorrow (later today for her). Below is a picture of what we was sent: a blanket, a photo album of us so she can get familiar with us, two disposable cameras so they can take some pictures of her and those she spends time with, a letter to the orphanage director and caretakers, and some nuts and candies for the caretakers.



We hope to get some feed back as to her size and such from the letter but will have to wait and see.

Jason and I are going in this week to get our second set of Hep A/B shots and Typhoid. Then all we have left is to update our Tetanus and I think we'll be all set on the immunizations we plan to get.

We'll keep you updated.

Tracy

I'm on a sock mission for the orphanage...

We would like to make a donation to the orphanage of something they are in need of for the kids so I e-mailed the Yahoo group I belong to of parents who have adopted from the orphanage Angel resides in. The response I received is that they need sock for the babies, toddlers and children. Something so small but much needed, so I'm on a mission to gather at least 100 pairs of socks to take over there with us when we go. If you would like to contribute, we would greatly appreciate it. You can mail them to us at: Tracy Downey, PO BOX 433, Altoona, IA 50009

Thanks so much!