Getting closer.....

Last night I went to bed at 10:00. Being so close is really mentally exhausting. My mind just doesn't stop thinking and I am pretty upset about leaving Amanda and AJ behind....last night, it was Amanda (I take turns). I loved having her there when we were blessed with holding Kai for the first time and she was also present just a few hours after AJ was born. I so wish we could have afforded for her to go this time, but it just didn't work out. I know that it was intended to be God's plan that she not travel this time, and I also know that she will be fine with my sister, but it's that "Mama feeling" wanting her close to me during such an amazing moment in our lives. I think it's normal to feel that way, but it still hurts.

Our in-country itinerary didn't come in yesterday because our agency received NSN referrals and their translations took priority. It seems like everything is delayed, but I know that much of it is Satan trying to throw in those last minute wrenches and make me wonder if we are even doing the right thing. Although I was bummed because I really want to be finished with all the planning, I took it in stride and decided to head to bed early. Our God is so much bigger! And every fiber of my being tells me that Anna Grace is a child of my heart and created by our Lord to be forever ours.

After a week of complete insomnia and sleeping only 2-3 hours a night, I thought for sure I'd sleep all night. Nope! At 2:05 a.m., I woke up...bright eyed and bushy tailed! I'm done with Season 4 of 24 so didn't want to watch those again. I came to the computer and was happy to see several emails from people who had followed our journey to Kai and AJ and were still checking in and wishing us well on our trip!! I wish I could express how much it means to have so much support, especially as we get closer to that magical day. Thank you all for your sweet comments and emails. They are truly treasured, especially while we are in China when you feel so far away from home.

Getting back to my insomnia, I ended up falling asleep again around 4'ish. The boys were up and going at 7 a.m., so now I'm dragging....again. Oh well. It's part of the journey, I guess.

So, this morning, I await the itinerary so we can wire that money over and we're pretty much done except for some last minute packing, unpacking and repacking. Speaking of packing....I have brought it down to 3 suitcases, 2 backpacks, the laptop, a diaper bag, and the camera bag. And, I believe my Mom will have a suitcase and a backpack. Not bad considering last time we had 14 bags in all.

Please continue to keep us in your prayers that all go well and that we can travel to China and back without any major complications. But, most of all, please continue to pray that our little sweetheart be prepared for her new family and that she not grieve too much. Thank you and God bless!

P.S. When we leave to China, I will be putting our comments into moderation status. The reason for this is because sometimes blogger cannot be accessed in China (do not fear, my sister will post for us if need be, including pictures!) but if our comments are moderated, they will go directly to my email for approval and I can access them that way.