The Impossible has happened!!

If we wait for the moment when everything, absolutely everything is ready, we shall never begin.

--- Ivan Sergeyevich Turgenev

This is unbelievable. As you know...we received the pictures of our beautiful daughter on May 22nd. We were able to finish paperwork and send in our Letter of Intent and care plan to the CCAA by June 2. When this paperwork goes to China there is usually a minimum wait of 2-3 months for Travel Approval (T.A.). Well...Darren truly believed that we would travel way sooner than that. He's even gone so far as to say that we will be in China by July 20th, Summer's birthday. I have said over and over..."it's O.K. to be optomistic..just don't get your hopes too high!!" Well, if you know Darren, his bubble is not easily burst!! So he continued on with these kind of statements!! So...I stand corrected!! We talked to our agent yesterday and she said our TA was in the mail and we should start making travel plans. She wants us to be in Nanning on the 22nd of July to get ready to meet our daughter on the 23rd!! However, we are planning on going earlier so that we can be with our brother and sister in Chengdu. So our tentative schedule is to leave on July 16th. This is almost unreal. It finally really hit me last night when I was busily painting her room. Darren set the crib up and I put the bedding on...which I bought over a year ago! Now it seems real. There is so much to do and so little time! Yes...some of you are thinking..."what do you mean...you have had 16 months to plan?" This is true but with all the uncertainty I think I just held back!! Plus...I work much better under pressure!! :) And we are just ecstatic that we get to be with our little Xiayue earlier than expected! God is so good. We received 3 pictures of Xiayue and in none of them she is smiling. I was just thinking last night...as I prepared her room...I CAN NOT WAIT TO SEE HER SMILE FOR THE FIRST TIME!

Love at first sight!!

I thought I'd give you all a little glimpse of our reaction to seeing our daughter for the first time!! I copied it at a lower quality because I didn't want it to take forever to load! If you are wondering who Darren is talking to...it was our adoption coordinator Kathy!! She was on the phone as she sent the files because she wanted to hear our reaction!! She is such a special lady! We were so glad that she was part of it all!

Oh yeah...I think we have officially decided to name her Summer!! It just fits her sweet little face!






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