A little birdie told me...

...that my travel approval is on its way from China right now!  No word on when it will arrive, but we cannot secure a Consulate appointment until it does.  Apparently our agency will try to get our appointment on December 7 or 8 if there are any slots left.  That would put us on a plane on Thanksgiving Day, November 25.   It still depends on many variables at this point, but we're getting closer.