Well Baby Check

We got a new WBC!

Beau's check-up was dated May 23rd. Beau now walks holding onto furniture! Looks like he will be walking soon!

Weight: 18.1 pounds (He gained 3 oz since last month! Hey...any weight gain is good, right?!)

Height: 28.3 inches (He was 27.9 inches in April)

Congratulations Sarah!

Raleigh and I spent the weekend in Nashville celebrating my cousin Sarah's high school graduation. We are so proud of you Sarah!! She will be attending Belmont University in the fall.

Showered with Love

Last week, the sweet kindergarten teachers at my school gave me a wonderful shower for baby Beau. All of the teachers were invited and it was held at Twisted Taco in Buckhead. It was a fabulous afternoon filled with love!

Thank you....Mandy, Kenny, Christina, Lana, Shea, Dara, Sarah, and Nicole for such a special shower!!

There were G's on the back of all of the chairs! (our last name starts with a G)

These beautiful arrangements were on all of the tables!

Nicole and Emily (Nicole and I had classrooms right next to each other at school! Emily taught first grade this year but next year she will teach kindergarten.)

This is a group shot of all the kindergarten teachers.

Shea and Sarah

A Big Day

It has been quite the day! Lots of excitement!!!

-Raleigh and I are celebrating our 5th wedding anniversary today!

-Sweet Beau turns 11 months old today!

-Today was my last day of school!

-We got an email from our social worker that our EP was approved!!!

I am off to celebrate!! So much good news for one day! Thank you Jesus for the blessing of my wonderful husband, the completion of another year of teaching, and for bringing us one step closer to our son!

Congratulations Kaitlin!

Over the weekend we celebrated my cousin Kaitlin's college graduation. She graduated from Belmont University in Nashville! We are so proud of you Kaitlin!!

In our seats waiting for the big event! (Kaitlin's boyfriend Kevin, Erica's fiance Matt, and my cousin Erica)

We got a new picture!

Today when I came home from work, I had an email with 3 new pictures of Beau! We definitely were not expecting any new pictures, so this was a huge blessing!! Beau usually goes in for his WBC (well baby check) closer to the end of the month, so I'm not sure if he had a visit to the doctor today or not. Either way, we are thrilled to have the new photos. Beau is about 10 1/2 months old in the picture. He will be 11 months old on May 26th.

We love you Beau!

So...what is next?

Our friends and family are so excited to help us welcome Beau home and often ask what is left in the process. I thought I would try my best to give an update on the remaining steps of this journey. For all of you adoptive moms that have already done this part, please correct me if I miss anything.

Steps to Bring Beau Home

• I 600 needs to be approved. I spoke to USCIS yesterday and the lady I spoke with said that we should be assigned an officer this Thursday or Friday. Once you have an officer, some people are approved that day while other families wait a week or two more for approval.
• EP (emigration permit) needs approval. Next week will mark 3 weeks of waiting for approval. The last few batches of EPs were approved in 3-5 weeks, so we could get approval next week or at least by the end of May.
• After EP approval, Beau will make an appearance at the embassy in Seoul. (EA=embassy appearance) During his EA, Beau will have his picture taken for his Visa. (From what I know, the Visa is actually a small stamp/picture that goes inside the passport.)
• Next, Beau will have a visa physical (VP).
• If the doctor that checks out Beau for his VP notices a special need, he may need a Class B Waiver. A Class B Waiver is basically a form that states that you aware of your child's special need. You sign the form and have it notarized and send it back. This can add about a week to the process. You never really know if you will need a Class B, so we will just wait and see.
• Then...Beau will have a visa interview (VI). Obviously it is not much of an "interview" since Beau can't talk, but it is still a part of the process. :)
• Finally, after VI we will wait for our travel call (TC).
• Since we have decided that Beau will be escorted home, it may be a few days or weeks after our TC before Beau actually comes home because the adoption agency will need to find an escort and arrange flights.

So...that is pretty much it....I600 approval, EP approval, EA, VP, possible Class B waiver, VI, and then TC.

How much time will all of this take? If I knew, I would be sure to tell you, but I don't know!

Family Shower

On Saturday, I was given a beautiful shower! It was a shower with all of my sweet family! The hostesses were my sister Angie and my cousin Erica. Everything was so special.

Look at those cute booties!

(from left to right) my cousin Courtney, my cousin Erica, me, my cousin Sarah, my cousin Kaitlin, my sister Angie (Courtney's baby Landon is due on June 30, so our boys will be about one year apart! So fun!)