Step 13: Things get real

After what feels like a never ending wait, things are now happening with lightening speed!

Our completed DS-260 document was dropped off on 10/30/14, and our Article 5 was scheduled to be picked up on 11/17/14. I have been oh-so-impatiently waiting for our travel authorization, the final "permission slip" from the Chinese authorities that lets us travel to China to adopt Pearl. Many of the parents in my Facebook adoption groups have been posting about receiving their travel authorizations, choosing their US Consulate appointment dates, and finalizing travel plans, but we have heard...silence.

The agency wouldn't even confirm that the Article 5 was picked up. They just kept saying that they would only hear something if there was a problem. They told me that the travel authorization typically takes 2-3 weeks. Patience was recommended.

Meanwhile, it seemed like every other adoptive parent with a timeline similar to ours was posting that their travel authorization was ready in 6 or 7 days.

To say that I was getting upset and anxious would be the understatement of the decade.

Finally on Monday, 11/24/14, I sent a message to our agency asking if they received our travel authorization ("TA") yet. I figured it's been a week since the Article 5 was picked up and presumably taken by courier to CCCWA, so it should totally be ready. The next day, I received a response that our TA was pending.

Pending.

What the heck?

Is that "pending" as in, ready to go any time now? Or is that "pending" as in, it's nearly Thanksgiving and we plan to put you off until after the holiday weekend? The definition of "pending" certainly was not clear from that message, but the agency representative cheerily informed me that this was "exciting news" (picture air quotes here as you read this, please).

I was not excited. I was impatient. I was worried. I was not happy with my agency. I finally resigned myself to having to wait until next week for the travel authorization. I figured that we would receive the TA Monday and then have to wait a few more days for a US Consulate appointment and then, in all likelihood, we probably would not get to go get Pearl until January.

January! Sigh. But what could we do other than wait? I vowed to show grace for once in my life, but I must admit I spent a sleepless night last night. My thoughts were not gracious.

This morning, I was in a meeting at work and thought I would check my email just to torture myself some more with the lack of progress. And - guess what!!!

OK. It's kind of anticlimactic since I stated at the beginning of the post that things are happening now with lightening speed...

But I'm going to tell you anyway and you need to act surprised and excited!

There was a message from our agency informing us that our travel authorization arrived and - get this! - we have an appointment at the US Consulate in Guangzhou, China, on December 22nd!!

AAAHHHHH!!!! IT'S REALLY HAPPENING!!!

I whooped. Yes, right there in that meeting while someone was talking about something entirely un-whoopworthy. I then had to explain my whoop, which led to much excitement. I then excused myself to call Angry Driver.

I expected enthusiasm. I told him about the TA, the consulate appointment, the need to get a copy of Bean's passport to the agency ASAP, and the need to contact the travel agency to arrange our flights before 4 PM today. Since today is the day before Thanksgiving, everything had to be arranged today or else nothing could be done until Monday.

Angry Driver seemed excited, I guess. Mainly, he just kept saying that he and Bean were at the barber shop waiting to get haircuts, but that there was a bit of a wait so he could just leave and go home and take care of the travel stuff.

"No, no," I said. "Get your haircuts. Just make sure to get this done before 4 PM".

After five minutes of arguing with Angry Driver that he did not, in fact, need to leave the barber shop at that exact moment but could indeed take care of the details after the haircuts in an hour or so (it was only about 9 AM at that point), I finally told him that I had to actually work at work so I was hanging up.

By the time I got back to my office three hours later, I had 4 texts and two voicemails (one on my work cell phone and one on my personal cell phone). They were all from Angry Driver, who wanted me to make various flight decisions. People think that I'm bossy but what they don't understand is that if I don't make decisions, decisions just don't get made.

By 4 PM, the three of us were booked for travel from Blahtown to Beijing on 12/10/14. And 4 of us (!) are booked to fly from Hong Kong back to Blahtown on 12/24/14.

That's right! We are getting the best Christmas present ever: our Pearl!

Now that it is all happening, I'm starting to freak out a little. There is so much to do. We have cleaning, and packing, and organizing. My awesome uncle has agreed to house-sit for our six cats, our dog, and our hamster so we need to help make his travel arrangements. I need lists for my lists!

It still doesn't feel like this is happening in my actual life, but I know that things are about to get very real.

Game on!