We are DTC...Finally!

Today we received word from our agency that our dossier has completed all necessary steps,

including translation, and is officially on its way to China!  

We hope to be logged in to their system within the next month and then we will wait to be matched with a child.  

There's a chance that they could decide to hold our dossier until Carter's first birthday,

but we are hoping that they will log us in right away.  The general policy is that
the youngest child in the family must be a minimum of 12 months old before another child
can be adopted, but we are told that they sometimes make exceptions.  They have no policy
regarding pregnancy, only babies who are already part of the family. 

We were hoping to have our dossier on its way to China before Carter was born,
but with him coming three weeks early, we weren't able to make it.  

We are trusting that whatever happens with regards to our log-in date is part of God's plan

and is necessary in order for us to be matched with the exact child He has chosen to become our daughter.

Carter turned 6 weeks old today.  He is growing like crazy and seems to do something new every day. 

Newborns typically gain 4-7 ounces per week and last week ours gained 13!  He must know he's got

a lot of catching up to do after being born so early plus losing weight near the end of the pregnancy.

Here's a quick video I took the other day - I love all the little sounds he makes:

He found his thumb this week which is great because he's not a big fan of pacifiers. 

He also started smiling this week.  Real genuine smiles, not just when he's passing gas!

It melts my heart every time,
even at 4:00 a.m.