"Matched" (aka LOA processed)

Things are starting to move along again for us!  We are now “matched”, which means our LOA has been processed.  Basically this means we have the electronic LOA, and are now waiting on the paper copy.  I’m hoping it will be here by the end of the week, but it may be next week before we can get it.  Once it arrives our agency will overnight it to us, we’ll sign it, and overnight it back.  That will then set off another series of craziness with submitting our i800 (final immigration paperwork), visa requests for us, and eventually we’ll get a visa for Evan as well.  I’ll blog about that as it happens.  The main thing is that our LOA is on it’s way!  Again, this is not a step that most people would have known about with the old system, but now that the new computer system is in place they can see all these steps.  Oh, and we are on day 132 today of our LOA wait.  So that’s where we’re at adoption wise.

David and I went to Myrtle Beach this past weekend for a couple’s getaway, or “baby moon”, or should I say “adoption moon”.  This will be our last couple’s only trip for a while as we will be faced with all the attachment/bonding stuff, as well as surgery, when Evan gets home.  It was a much needed break for both of us, and gave us time to focus just on each other and our marriage.  We spent much of Saturday at Myrtle Waves water park (yes, I’ll admit that I’m 37 and still love water parks—I guess I’ll always be a kid at heart).  We also enjoyed walking on the new boardwalk there, going to a couple of antique shops, and going to the flea market (David’s favorite).  I felt so refreshed after this past weekend, and am already looking forward to the next one sometime next year.  Next up is our family trip to Disney World in a few weeks. We’re all excited about that!  I will update again when we receive our LOA (hopefully in a few days)!

Oh, one quick side note:  I asked our agency if they could get a video of Evan for us last week, as we didn't have one and were curious to see some of his mannerisms, etc via video.  They were able to get us a video on Friday--it was such a blessing!  Our agency has been amazing!  That was a great way to end the week.