************TRAVEL APPROVAL************

Today we received Travel Approval (TA) from China so we can bring Jack home. We are hoping to leave on the 6th and meet him on the 10th, but have to wait to make plane reservations and final plans until our agency is able to confirm our appointment with the American Consulate. This is one of the last things you do before heading home. We could possibly end up leaving on November 13th also. We will be gone about 2weeks. It's a good thing we have lots and lots to do, it will help these last few weeks go by quickly.

Annie and Jack have birthdays only 3 days apart. Now they will have Family Days very close together also. We left for China 3 years ago on November 7, 2005 and met Annie on November 9th.

After waiting for so long, Jack will finally meet his family in a few weeks. We know he knows we are coming, but we don't know if he knows how soon it is. I can't truly imagine what he is thinking right now - he must be excited and scared at the same time, just like we are. For him, though, almost every single thing about his life will be different - the language, the people, the tastes, the sounds, the smells. I am always amazed at how brave Annie and Bethany have been in coming to their new lives and I am sure Jack will be the same way.


Bringing Jack home will complete our family. It will be strange after we get back because since April 2005 (when we started the process for Annie) there have only been a couple of months where we weren't formally involved in some step of an adoption - and during those months we were thinking about it. But it will be time now to settle in and watch all three of our wondeful children grow.