We're getting VERY impatient here.......

Waiting in general is not fun. Waiting to be allowed to bring your son home from the other side of the world is close to torture. We're very close to completely running out of things to do in order to keep our minds occupied. We have no more bathrooms to rip down and re-tile, we have no more rooms to redecorate and repaint, no more landscaping that needs to be done, and well....we definitely don't need to eat any more of the goodies I continually seem to be baking. Much to our neighbors amusement, we even resorted to repainting the garage door this weekend. Can you tell we're ready for Graham to be home? We're not allowed to travel to Korea until we know his visa and passport have been issued. At this point in the game though, we're so desperate to be there, that camping out on the streets of Seoul is starting to sound like an appealing, although probably illegal, option. :) So here's as much as we know right now. Graham does not currently have his visa and we're not sure about his passport. The agency in Korea needs his passport in hand before the embassy will issue his visa. Issuing the visa is very quick, normally completed in less than 24 hours. So, although we've been saying this for a while now, we're sooo close. Every day this gets harder. But, every day we know we're one day closer to having Graham in our arms.

7 months old today...

Today Graham turns 7 months old....7 months that he's been living on the other side of the world without his Mommy and Daddy. We think, and we're sure you'd agree, that it's time to get him home!!!! We're beyond anxious to meet him, learn about his personality, and most importantly finally get him into our arms! We think about him constantly. We wonder if he's getting enough hugs and kisses, does he get stories read to him, what he's doing at any given moment, what his bedtime routine is, what he likes to eat, what he doesn't like to eat, favorite toys, does he like baths or doesn't he, is he starting to crawl, what does his little voice sound like, and what helps to make him happy when he's sad. Our list of questions could go on and on. This may seem strange, being that we've never met him, but we really miss him and would give anything to have him with us right now.

Graham's Room!

We can officially say we are ready for Graham to come home! Of course, we've been "ready" for a very long time, but now he has a nice room waiting for him at home! We've worked really hard on it, and are happy with the way it turned out. We're still working on accessorizing the shelves, and we're waiting for a lamp and big soft rug to be delivered, but other than that, all the room needs is our little boy! So, as soon as the call comes (PLEASE, PLEASE, make it be soon!) we'll be ready!

We are sooooooooo close!

We've heard through the grapevine (confirmed through our agency) that travel calls are coming pretty fast from Korea right now. Families are waiting on average just seven weeks to receive travel clearance as compared to the 8-14 weeks it was taking at this time last year. That means, that we could be due for our call as soon as next week! WOW!!!!! It's back to jumping every time the phone rings!!! COME ON KOREA!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Crossing our fingers and hoping.....

We found out today that a family who received their referral just 20 days before us from the same agency in Korea got their travel call today!!! If this is any indication of how quickly things are moving, we have a LOT to do, AND FAST!...finish Graham's room, buy gifts for all the agency staff in Korea (in Korean culture, it is expected that gifts are given too each individual who had a role in facilitating the adoption), finish shopping for Graham, make a packing list since I'm sure we won't be thinking clearly when our call does come, baby proof the house, the list goes on and on. For some reason we felt like we had an endless amount of time to complete these tasks, but thankfully, we don't! We are both absolutely ecstatic at the thought that Graham and his adorable cheeks, will be in our arms very soon!

One more thing to check off the list!!!!!

(No, this is not a new picture of Graham. We're just so in love with those cheeks that we wanted his face at the top of the blog rather than buried somewhere in the middle! :) )

This morning we were notified by CHS that Graham had his official government physical which is required to apply for his visa to come home! We have to sign a form (called a Class B Waiver) acknowledging what the doctor found during this check-up. We are pleased to say that Graham is VERY healthy and the only thing the doctor noted was a "pin head sized birthmark on the fourth finger of his right hand"....seems silly that such a small thing is worth noting, but we'll take it! Some individuals in the adoption community who have been through this process before, feel that the Class B Waiver is a sign that the travel call is just a few weeks away. Others feel that it is just one more item to cross off the list. We're choosing to believe the first, and are keeping our fingers crossed that maybe, just maybe, Graham will be home in a few weeks! It really is crazy and unbelievable to know that in only a matter of time, that adorable little boy propped up in the red throne, will finally be at home where he belongs!!!

One step closer!!!

Today in the mail, we received the most wonderful envelope from the US Government.....it was our I600 Approval! WOO HOO!!!!!!!!! This means that the US is completely done with their part of bringing Graham home and all that is left to do is wait for Korea to do their thing. Waiting for Korea is the longest part of this process, but it feels very good to know that there is only one piece of the puzzle missing! COME ON KOREA!!!

On Sunday, Graham turned 6 months old. We know that he is being loved and very well cared for, but we can't help but think about the milestones we're missing as he grows. With each day we know that we are one day closer to bringing our son home, it's just that the days don't always seem to pass quickly enough. We'll just say it again...it's time for Graham to be at home with his Mommy and Daddy, so COME ON KOREA!!!!