Lasts

Often when you're pregnant you don't know when you're experiencing something for the last time as DINKs. For us, the "lasts" are very clear and we talk about them all the time. A few "lasts" we've experienced this week:

Carlos O'Kelly's with Matt and Jenn
Friday night date
Sleeping in Saturday morning
Filling my car up with gas
Haircuts


I know it's weird. We've waited so long for this but now the "lasts" are very real in our minds. Poor Psalms and Autumn don't have a clue what's coming. They don't know the "lasts" they're experiencing this very day. Ignorance is bliss.

What We're Doing and When

Thursday, July 5
Depart for Beijing

Friday, July 6 Arrive in Beijing!

Saturday, June 7
Beijing Sight-Seeing: Tiananmen Square, Forbidden City, & Summer Palace

Sunday, July 8
Church service & Great Wall

Monday, July 9
Morning Flight to Changsha
Afternoon - Meet Reagan RuXian Farrar Wellman

Tuesday, July 10
Civil Affairs Appointment - finalize adoption on Danny’s birthday!

July 11- July 13
Paperwork, Sight-seeing, & Shopping

Saturday, July 14
Afternoon flight to Guangzhou

July 15 – July 17
Fill out Consulate Forms & Medical Exam

Wednesday July 18
Consulate Appointment 9:30 am

Thursday, July 19
Pick up Ru’s Visa

Friday, July 20
Depart from Guangzhou
Depart from Hong Kong
Arrive in the USA!!

Travel Approval...Good Things Come to Those Who Wait

Our Travel Approval came through yesterday! We leave Thursday, July 5 with a bunch of other AWAA families. I can't believe I'm writing this. So much to do!! I'll post our itinerary when it's in order. We should know more details Monday or Tuesday.

I also might do some experimenting on the blog to see how it reacts to multiple pictures and videos. Want to be ready to update it in CHINA. So pay no attention to the man behind the green curtain...it's just me fiddling around so this works 7000 miles from home. :)

Packing...as an avoidance mechanism

First of all, my parents bought us possibly the largest suitcases in history. The only things larger are those trunks from "Joe Versus the Volcano." Admit it. You remember them. Every time Joe was in trouble, his oversized, nothing-can-destroy-us trunks would float by and he'd be saved whether from mystery water creature or drowning or volcano eruption. He camped out on them, got inside them to retreive supplies, heck he golfed on them. Man, I love that show. But I don't think that was my point originally.

My point is that we have big bags...and I'm filling them very quickly. How does one pack for a baby we've never met? I don't know what she's eating. I don't know if she's grown herself some teeth. I don't know what she is allergic to. She may hate pink and pretty much pink is the only color of her wardrobe right now. I have no idea how big she is so I have to pack a variety of sizes in hopes one or two of them will actually fit her. I don't know her eating or sleeping schedule.

I was staring at the suitcases earlier, just daring them to give me trouble, when it hit me: I'm stark raving mad. Who does this? People don't accidentally adopt babies. My friend Jessica has a little surprise! baby growing inside her right now. But we discussed it the other day and frankly, surprise adoptions just don't exist. I didn't accidentally fill out 5 inches of paperwork or by chance let people into my house to inspect our plug-in placement. No, sir. We did this fully and wholeheartedly and seemingly without the influence of narcotics.

Now I'm packing to become a mother on the other side of the world in a country where I speak the wrong language to a baby who may or may not be interested in us being her parents.

And, really I think that's why I find myself focused on packing these outrageous pieces of luggage. I can control packing. I can conquer packing. Packing is my friend. If I think about what's at the other end of this journey I will break out in hives from sheer happiness combined with the knowledge that I'm an idiot.

Orphanage news..

The thing is, my kid lives in an orphanage in China. This puts a damper on our relationship in so many ways. I'm done with this form of childcare and I don't recommend it to others. I'd like to just SKIP this and bring Reagan home, for crying out loud. That being said, if you have to spend time in institutional care, the Chenzhou City Social Welfare Institute is a 5-star establishment.

I've only heard good things about her orphanage and the "aunties" and directors who care for the children. A woman who just visited Ru's town last week said they've all made it through the floods and the orphanage was just fine. Thank God! She also told me that my daughter was being well cared for and loved.

Most likely we will not get to visit Ru's orphanage. I'd really like to see her home but the woman I just mentioned had to plan her trip months in advance and since China isn't exactly forthcoming with travel arrangments, I don't see this little excursion as part of our visit. Ru will be brought to the Hunan Province capitol, Changsha and we will meet her there at the Civil Affairs Office. We'll go some day though. I want to say thank you to the men and women who cared for our daughter and I want to see her world since I've missed out on so much.

Our LOA arrived today!

This won't mean much to those outside the adoption community but for those of you who understand...

Our LOA came today on Day 55 of the wait. This is INSANE. I've never seen one come so quickly and this means our TA could literally be here in 3 weeks or so. WOW. So today was good and crazy and OVERWHELMING.

We know we won't have the basement finished in time now. We've just come to terms with that. Daddy will be here for a week after we bring Reagan home and he and Danny can tackle the basement then and hopefully get it finished up. Whew. I'm off to make lists (one of my real talents) and then start tossing stuff in our enormous suitcases.

Reagan, your parents are on their way, Baby!