Good News Today

We got an update today. 3 new photos included. We were told he is doing well and is on track developmentally. He is now over 11 kg. We just hope LOA is on the way. Many people say when you get an update LOA is close behind. I hope that is true. We need this LOA. We are ready to go to China and bring our big boy home.

We Heard Back

Our China program director called today. She said our dossier is now in review and we should have LOA in 2-3 weeks. She said there was a lot of dossiers to arrive in China at the same time so it created a back log. She assured us our adoption is still on track and we will have Austin home before the end of the year. Not the news we wanted to hear that we would still be waiting 2-3 weeks but at least we got news.

Still Waiting for LOA

I have to admit I am getting impatient. A lot of families that have waited less time than us have gotten their LOA. It seems to be no one at our agency is getting LOA. I asked the China program director and she said she had not seen a LOA for at least a month. She could not explain why not. She promised me their in China agency staff would contact China officials to find out why. I hope to get an answer soon. It is not helping my impatience when our agency is not getting any LOA. Please help us pray that our agency will be able to find out why the LOA's are MIA. Thanks everyone.

Still Waiting for LOA

We should get it at any time now. Of course we had hoped to have it this past week. We are really ready to go get our little boy. We spent this past week in NY visiting Jim's family. They have an awesome place on the St. Lawrence River. We went boating and jet skiing. We had a lot of fun. It would have been perfect if Austin was already home to be with us. Austin will go next year and have as much fun as his sisters did. Please help us pray our LOA comes soon. We estimate travel to China 3 months after we get LOA. Thanks everyone.

Another Awesome Update

This was included in a blog post from our angel Meghan. . . .

To the Grummons:
Austin is just so funny. He's so happy and loves attention. I'm going to tell you now--bring a ball! He loves throwing them, and has quite the arm! I spent my morning with him, and that's mostly all he and I did... And he never got tired of it. He can roll over on his stomach from his back, and vice versa. Like I said before, he can stand up, but with someone/something giving him a little bit of support. With his left hand, he can grab smaller things, but prefers his right over the left. We have a few nurses on our team, and they said that the issue with his hand can be corrected with physical therapy. He's such a funny little boy. The only time I saw him get fussy was when food came, and he didn't get it fast enough, haha! You're going to have a lot of fun with him :) I will send you my pictures of him when I get home... But Shannon took a few which may appear on flikr soon. Just keep checking!


We love you Meghan, Shannon, and the rest of your angels. There updates are beyond awesome. Our hearts are so comforted to hear good news and see our son in current photos. We could not ask for better news to ease our wait.

More news from China

This is a part of a post from our angels on a mission trip to Chenzhou.  I do want to thank them for updating us about our Austin, and helping so many orphans while they were there.  Please pray for them to have a safe trip home.

"To the Grummons family:
Your baby boy is just like a little teddy bear:) he's very chubby and a happy little boy. I think Lori and Shannon have pictures/video of me making him laugh (I'm not sure where it is though... Maybe check flikr again. If not we'll make sure you'll get them when we get home--I know you want them now, though!). He's very ticklish! :) I have some pictures of him standing up, but I don't think he's taking steps yet. They have a bar in the playroom where they have the kids stand to gain muscle to stand and walk, and he was standing there one day and moving his legs around. Austin is active, moving his arms around and playing a lot. He's generally a very happy baby, though. :)"

We got an update today!!!

A group of Americans are on a mission trip in China this week. They are working in Austin's orphanage. We got an email from the team today that says Austin is chunky, pleasant, and doing well. They were able to hug and kiss on him. They said he is not afraid of them. They have taken photos and video of him but they are having trouble sending those to us. The internet is not reliable in the rural area where they are staying. They affirm he is cute and just plain adorable. We want to hurry and get to him. The update has proven to us he is in great hands until we can get him home. We can feel the hands of God taking care of our little man. His orphanage is really a good place and we are beyond thankful for that.