Waiting for Henry

Wow! Everyone has been sooooo nice! Thank you for calling, stopping over, and emailing us...it is such a joyful time, and we are blessed to have so many friends that are excited for us!

Now to answer the question on your mind...
"What happens next?"
First, Mark and I sign a bunch of forms, including a confirmation letter stating that we are accepting Baby Wieds as ours. These forms are sent to our agency and then sent to the DIA (Dept. of International Adoption) over in Vietnam.

Next the paperwork that is part of his dossier will join our paperwork, and it will all be translated and stamped,signed, and approved. This entire process can take between 6-8 weeks. Once that's done, all the paperwork is then forwarded to the US Immigration Dept. and the State Department office in HCMC where our case will be investigated and, God willing, cleared. The State Department says to expect at least a 60 day wait, but recently there have been families getting approval in 30)

Finally, one day we will receive an email stating that everything is approved. Our Giving and Receiving Ceremony will be scheduled, typically a week after receiving the approval. G&R is the formal process where the VN government officials present us with our baby. Then we find a flight and head to Hanoi!

We are praying that these next step go quickly and without a hitch. We figure the earliest we might travel would be sometime in October. We've got a lot to do to get ready for that special day when we bring him home!

On another topic...
Last night on our way out to celebrate, we were lucky enough to go meet new friends Jenna, Ed and their new baby Ella. They were on their way back to Wisconsin after picking up Ella from Vietnam. Jenna, I must say that you look fab after sitting on a plane for 15 hours or so...hope you don't mind that I posted these pics.

It was really fun to be able to surprise them with our news!
Ella is just adorable!!!







Happy day!