September Catch Up

I don't know where the month went, but it's almost over and we're through the paperwork.  Our Article 5 was issued on September 7, and our Travel Approvals on September 28.  So I was pretty close to where I expected to be.  I did not, however, expect to have a full month to wait for travel.  Our travel dates are October 27 to November 11.  The earliest Consulate appointment we could get was November 9th, so we have more than a two week stay in China.  I'm not too happy about that, but since it's our last time there for awhile, I will make the best of it.

In the middle of getting travel approval and making arrangements, we also got an update from the orphanage with new measurements and photos.  I'm happy to share them, and cannot believe how much Joshua has grown!  He is now a little over 30 pounds and 33.5 inches tall!  Sarah is quite delayed and only weighs about 17.5 pounds and is around 27 inches tall.  She is about five months older than Merrilee was when we got her, yet she is a couple pounds lighter.  She also only has two teeth at 18 months old.  There is no way of knowing if the delayed growth is nutritional in nature, or due to her spina bifida.  We will just have to wait until we bring her home to see a doctor before we know what is going on with her.  I was glad to see some growth, though, even if it was small.  Her height and head circumference have increased slightly, so that is progress.

I will try to post more often as we get closer to the date of departure, but there really won't be much more adoption news to share, other than maybe some clothes shopping!

Here are the newest photos of our babies.

Joshua looks like he's got a killer smile.  Hope he's as happy a little guy as he seems.  Sarah does not smile in any of the photos.  I look forward to the day we get a grin out of her.  I'm getting excited to get over there and gather them up into my arms.  They've both gone too long without a family!