We have a name

Things are getting close. We expect to get our travel authorization early next week. All last minute preparations are moving along. We can't say when we will travel exactly, but we are shooting for the last week of June.

We have finally agreed on a name. Natalie Victoria Frank

Embassy Response and Visas!

Yesterday we got an e-mail from the Embassy in China that our paperwork had been processed. The next step is for our facilitator to take that paperwork and the letter of intent we signed back in January, to the CCCWA. The CCCWA will then send our travel authorization. When we get the TA we send five options for appointment dates to the US Embassy in China- That appointment is for us to fill out paperwork and get a US visa for Qui Miao. When we get that appointment confirmed, we will travel two weeks prior to that appointment date.

Today we recieved our visas to travel to China.

Visa Application

We sent in our applications for our China visas yesterday. Part of being able to do that was the requirement that we have some kind of travel plans. So here is what we know:
We were given two "possible" travel dates of June 17 or June 24 (of course we were strongly reminded these are not set in stone).
We will spend our first week in the Galactic Peace International Hotel in Nanchang, China. (sounds like something out of a Hollywood Sci-fi.
Our second week will be in the China Hotel in Gauangzhou, China.
I googled them both and they look nice. Of course we will post pictures to see reality.

Paperwork to China

We received notification today from the USCIS that our paperwork has been sent to China. All we are waiting for now is our authorization from China to travel.

I-800a

We received final approval of I-800a today from USCIS.

The adoption agency will now send this and other paperwork to China.

Paperwork Corrected

I made contact with the USCIS agent today and was able to correct the paperwork issue. I even received and e-mail notification that the I-800 was processed and our authorization was in the mail.

Hopefully we will get that this week and be on our way to the next step.

Paperwork Hiccup

We received notice from the USCIS of a "Request for Evidence" for our I-800 application. They are asking for a few documents we wouldn't have yet like a birth certificate as evidence of Qiu Miao's age.

Phone calls to USCIS has only landed me on voice mail, so we are waiting to hear from the adoption agency.

This is the final paperwork that starts the process for us to get travel dates.