Just had to include a recent family photograph.  This was taken on  Annalisa's 19th birthday.  If the Lord wills, our next family photo will include Laura Daniela!!!

Formal Referral Received!

After a wait that was much longer than expected (8 weeks), we have at last received our formal referral for Laura yesterday (February 8, 2013).  We had received our I800A approval on December 11th and expected to have the referral in three to four weeks after that.  While we did at times become impatient, the one thing Colombian adoption has taught us is to trust the Lord's timing, not ours.  He is good, always!

Knowing the translated referral was on its way, Lenna kicked everything into high gear and was ready to submit our I800 (as opposed to the I800A mentioned earlier) application to the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS).  Up until now, USCIS has approved us to adopt from Colombia generally.  When the I800 approval is received, it means we're provisionally approved to adopt Laura specifically.

The approval typically comes in about two weeks, so we think we're about six weeks out from traveling, barring any unexpected delays.  (Like they're ever expected!)

So that's the scoop for now.  There's quite a sense of excitement in our home as we anticipate the arrival of our newest daughter and eagerly look forward to welcoming her into our lives and hearts.