Final Countdown!

In less than one week we will be traveling to China for our new daughter! The girls are excited and can't wait to meet their new sister. We are continuing to fundraise to cover travel expenses. If anyone wants a bracelet, Yankee Candle Car Jar or need a baby / lap blanket let me know. I will ship everything prior to leaving.

Less Than 2 Weeks

We are traveling in less than 2 weeks! The girls are getting excited to have their new sister come home. Last weekend we had our last yardsale before travel. We made $165.00 so at least we made some money towards our in-country fees. We are still short some funds but I will keep selling items locally and on FB. Keep a lookout for items available and everything will be shipped prior to us traveling. Thanks!

Still Fundraising!

Three weeks from today we will be in China! Time is flying by. We are still fundraising for the last remaining in-country cost. Tomorrow, we are having a large yard sale, so we hope to raise funds while cleaning out the house.

Three Weeks Before Travel

We are counting down the days. Approximately 3 weeks before we leave to bring Elana home. We are still trying to raise funds. So far, we have bought our international plane tickets (on credit card), was approved for a loan to help cover most of the in-country fees, but we are still short $2500 for the orphanage donation. We still have many items listed for sale: movie posters, blankets, Yankee Candle, toys and Bath & Body Works to name a few. This weekend we are having a yard sale. But, none of this is stopping us. To see the pictures of our new daughter and to know she is coming home soon is all worth it. Please visit our FaceBook page for items to buy.

Fahey Family Adoption: Buy It Now

Last Online Fundraiser!

We are having our last online fundraising event before we get Elana. We have many items listed for auction; toys, jewelry, Yankee Candle, movie posters, kids makeup sets and more. Visit our link to see if there are any items you may want for yourself or a gift for someone. All items will be mailed before the end of the school year if you are looking for teacher gifts. The auction will go until May 9.
https://www.facebook.com/events/349687098565701/

Countdown has begun!

We leave in 35 days to bring our new daughter home! Bought plane tickets yesterday and applying for visas today. We are so short on funds, it is not even funny. However, I know when they place Elana in our arms, every piece of the process is worth it. If I have loans and credit card bills for the request of my life, I will never regret the decision to bring our daughter home.

We are planning another yard sale on May 15 & 16 and I am trying to put together another auction before we leave. Most of the items we made and the other items we bought on clearance. If we can make a few dollars on each item, it is at least something.

Consulate Appoinment!

Our Consulate Appointment is June 15. Things are moving very fast. Booking airline tickets, getting the house ready and preparing everyone for their new sister. We are far from being fully funded, so every little bit helps. Please continue to look at our Facebook page for items we are selling. https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.1392169761074770.1073741827.1387398011551945&type=3

We have Travel Approval!

Today, we received TA for Elana! Our agency has requested a Consulate Appointment for June 15-19. We should know early next week and then start booking our flights.

Day 4 Since Article 5 Pickup

Not sure how long the wait is between Article 5 pickup and TA, hopefully not long. We are very excited to bring Elana home. Her sisters are still counting down and going through their toys to get them ready for Elana. We are planning a big yard sale in May to raise funds for travel expenses. We are praying it will be a success. The fundraising is still going slow, but we are making some money from Ebay sales. In the last month, we have made approximately $300. Every little bit helps! We still have blankets, bracelets and other items for sale on our FB page Fahey Family Adoption. Please continue to visit our FB page and Reece's Rainbow page to make donations. Every donation on Reece's Rainbow is tax deductible.

Day 2 of Waiting for TA

Our Article 5 was picked up on April 20. It should be delivered to CCCWA any day. Now we wait for Travel Approval (TA). We still have items available on our FB page. All items are "Buy Now" or you can make an offer. Someone donated to our FSP today on Reece's Rainbow. Thank you so much!!

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.1392169761074770.1073741827.1387398011551945&type=3

Article 5

Our agency is picking up our Article 5 on April 20! The Article 5 is issued by the US Consulate after receipt and review of the LOA documents and the I-800 Provisional Approval. The Article 5 verifies that our adoption case meets all of the Hague requirements. (Thanks to our agency for providing this explaination)

Our Article 5 will then be delivered to CCCWA (China's Center for Children's Welfare and Adoption) and they will issue our Travel Approval. Still hoping for travel in June.

We still have a long way before being "fully funded" for the travel expenses and in-country fees. Please look at our "Buy Now" album. There are lots of items available. Any donations to our FSP on Reece's Rainbow are Tax Deductible!

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.1392169761074770.1073741827.1387398011551945&type=3

Day 12 of Waiting

It's day 12 of waiting for word on our Article 5 and Travel Approval. Everyone is getting excited knowing Elana will be home soon. We hope to travel in June. The girls have started a countdown with post-it notes all over their door. We are still trying to fundraise to help with travel cost and in-country fees for Elana. Everything listed on facebook is "Buy Now" or "Make an offer." We hope to generate more funds from this. We are planning a yard sale the first weekend in May, so we hope this is a success. If you have any items you are willing to donate to our yard sale, let me know and I will pick it up. And no Mama, I can't drive to NC this week:)

You can view items for sale at

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.1392169761074770.1073741827.1387398011551945&type=1

NVC Letter & Pictures

Today, we received our letter from the National Visa Center. We submitted our DS-260 form online and our agency has requested our Article 5. We should have Travel Approval in a couple of weeks. We also received new pictures of Elana. She looks happy with her birthday cake!

Fundraising

For this adoption, we have been trying to fundraise to cover the travel and in-country cost. It has been really hard to say the least. The girls and I have been making blankets (both quilted and crocheted), potholders, headbands and anything else we can think of. Last weekend, we had a booth at a local business to sell our items. We made around $80. The girls were disappointed, but I explained to them it is $80 more than we started with and everything helps. We have done good selling handmade bracelets made by Haitian families and we are selling right many movie posters on Ebay. So far, we have made approximately $1000 from these items. We still have a long way to go! This Saturday, we are going to have a booth at our local Chick-fil-a to sell blankets. If you are in the area (Apopka-Huntclub location) please stop by and say hello. We will also be handing out Reece's Rainbow bracelets.

I800A Provisional Approval

On Saturday, March 28 we received our letter from USCIS stating we are approved to classify Elana as a relative. Next we wait for approval from the National Visa Center and then we can apply for Elana's visa. Hoping to travel in early June.

LOA Received

On March 6, 2015, we received "the call." This is when the agency calls us to say they have our LOA (Letter of Acceptance). China has given us approval to adopt Elana! Now, things will be moving fast. Next we submit the 1-800 application to Immigration and wait for the "Provisional Approval" to be issued. The case is then transfered to the US Consulate in Guangzhou and Article 5 is issued. Once the Article 5 is issued, we wait for Travel Approval (TA) from China. We are hoping to bring Elana home in the next 3-4 months.

DTC & LID!

Our Dossier has been sent to China and Logged In at the CCCWA. Our official Log In Date is January 20, 2015! Now we wait for the Dossier to be translated to Chinese. After translation, our Dossier will be reviewed and hopefully we will receive final approval. Everything is moving much faster than we had planned, but we are very excited and hope to bring Elana home soon. I have added a timeline on the right side of the blog for anyone interested in the process.

Please take a look at our Facebook auction and watch for other giveaways coming up soon.

Valentine Gift?

Want a Valentine Day Gift? Anyone who donates $5.00 to our FSP will receive a crochet heart ornament and pencil. Send me a message with your address.

http://reecesrainbow.org/85632/sponsorfahey

Auction

We are having an auction on Facebook to help raise funds for travel expenses to bring Elana home. There are a lot of items that would make great Valentine Gifts, Birthday Gifts or Mother's Day gifts. Please take a look and share with your friends.

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.1392169761074770.1073741827.1387398011551945&type=1&l=e0399d4e2b

New Donation Site

We now have our Family Sponsorship Program (FSP) set up with Reece's Rainbow. If anyone would like to make a tax deductible donation to Elana's fund, please use the button to the right. Continue to check back, as we will be listing items for auction.