Beijing day 1

We landed in Beijing a little ahead of schedule at about 10 till 3 on the 31st.  We made it through immigration, got our bags and strolled through customs.  We missed our guide and as we were just hanging out and looking for her, she called. We got to the hotel and got ourselves oriented to our room and figured out how to control the lights and what outlest swere safe for our equipment.  Then we walked to Wu-mart, yeah, that's what it's called and bought some bottled water and green tea.  Got a little dinner, showered and headed to bed.  Can't beleive we are in Delaney's country and only a few days away from her.  Wow!  Praising God for safe travels!

Our trip to Wu-Mart

And dinner, well, not terribly filling . . .

Chicago to Beijing

The previous post got a little long and I wanted to add more pictures so this is part 2 of our flight from Chicago to Beijing.

Travel days 1 and 2 Columbus to Chicago to Beiing

Well I;m awake here at 5:11 a.m. on Aug the 1st blogging in the bathroom again.  The potty makes a decent "office chair".  I'm in here because the lighting is good and I wont wake Larry.  I got a fair night's sleep. We were told we'd do well if we could make until 7 or 8 before going to bed but we held out until around 11!
We started early on Wed and headed to the Columbus airport.  No trouble checking in despite my worries from tuesday and not having tickets in hand.  Our last minute carry-on needed at little tweaking but we got it and then they checked it free for us at the last minute!  Yippee, we almost paid $100, glad we took our chances,  Our flight to Chicago was very good- Larry's first flight and he loved it.  I wass glad 'cuz there was no turning back for the next one and it was gonna be a dandy.  We were int eh very last seat at the rear of the plane and sate with an ICU nurse from OSU (thought of you Hailee and Olivia) and she was headed to Ireland!  Here's a few pics from that first leg, the day was beautiful and the sky so clear.

So then from Chicago to Beijing-a very long flight . . . they fed us but we just couldn't get enough to eat and we were freezing.  The last five hours were really bad for restlessness.  We were never nervous and no one got sick, thank God.  We were just really wiggly and slept only 1 1/2-2 hours combined. 

Still smiling!

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Can't sleep! Big Shocker, I know.

It's about 3:45a.m. on Wed. and I can't sleep so I'm in the bathroom of the hotel blogging so Larry can get some shut-eye.  I slept okay for the few hours I got.  We left home yesterday about 4:24pm and drove to the airport hotel here in Columbus.  We watched some planes take off and land and headed to bed around 10:00.  This post won't be terribly interesting I'm afraid but it's all documentation for our Little One.  This is all part of the story of bringing her home.  I'll add a few photos when Larry wakes so I don't disturb him now.
I want to thank everyone for such heartfelt sentiments yesterday.  We received so many texts, messages, and calls that we can't respond to them all but are so grateful for all your love and well-wishes.  We are definitely feeling your prayers as the calm began as we drove out of our drive way yesterday.  We thank God for all of you and send love to you all. We want to send a special "thank-you" to our house sitters, dog walkers, lawn care folks, neighbors, and our technical support guru.  You have put our minds at ease as well.  Love again to you all!

Our room number . . . her birthday! 

One week until Delaney Day!

One week from today, on Sunday August 3rd, we will have our Little  One in our arms.  Praising God for all His goodness!!
We have an empty seat soon to be filled . . .

And we had one last dinner as a "party of two"  Thanks to my wonderful hubby for dinner at Tuscany's plus  we shared a slice of red velvet cake- my favorite!

Travel Approval

The most beautiful document you've ever seen!

We received travel approval last Monday the 14th and now we leave in 4 days!

After the meltdown at midnight . . .

Wednesday and yesterday's level of anxiety I have rounded the corner and I'm now finally getting excited again about all the things that matter.  These past few days have been trying! I realized after packing our checked baggage that our carry-ons can only be 11 pounds each once we are in China.  With this limit there was no way I could follow the USA's limitless weight approach to carry-ons and expect to make it all work in China.  You see, I had all the important stuff left to put in the carry-ons- stuff we didn't want to loose sight of but it wouldn't all fit- CRISIS! I had to take all of it and there was no where left to put it- couldn't go in checked bags because China doesn't offer insurance and frankly there was no amount of insurance that could recover the importance of some of this.  So 3 calls to the airport, multiple automated answering services, and then finally at 12:15 am on Thursday I got some answers; however; in my sleep deprived state I didnt realize that I still couldn't take everything despite what United Airlines told me- I still had to make it work!  Went to bed around 2:00 am and started my day trying to figure out this puzzling issue.  Something was gonna have to give . . . anyway after whining to my co-worker, my sister-in-law and a few other friends - I made some sacrifices and now its settled.  Small issue, in the big scheme of things? Yeah, but it had to be resolved and I had to get most of it to China.  I can'tt take a U-haul or pack mule so I figured it out.
Photo issues resolved - check
Storage of photos resolved- check
Video capabilities- check
Checked bags packed- check
Flights scheduled - check
Hotels booked- check
Anxiety under control- CHECK! - for now anyway!!!

One last run to Wal-Mart . . . (as only two)

and to Dairy Queen- that's what we did last night.  I have been managing the pre-trip preparation with multiple lists and crossing things off as they are purchased or accomplished and a new list is made every 4-5 days.  So last night we took our list to Wal-Mart for what we think was our last trip to get the last of the items on our list.  Diapers, being one, see previous post as I had forgotten these- I know, crazy, right?  And I need some snacks if I'm going to survive in a country known for cooking with shellfish and nut oils.  So I got some tuna, vacuumed sealed chicken, beef jerky, oatmeal, oh and Pringles! 
So, then it occurred to me, one last trip to Wal-Mart before our trip, then it really set in, one last trip to Wal-Mart and running errands before we are a family of 3!!!! Wow!
If you read yesterday's post then you know the level of anxiety I described and reported how I was having all these physical issues because of it.  Well, something, nothing pivotal, but Something happened on my way home yesterday that I began to feel calm, genuinely calm.  Not calm for just a sec or two but deep   breathing sort of calm. The type of Peace that only comes from God.  Sooooo thankful for that, because I was really wondering if I could make it until Tuesday without having a meltdown. 
Now that the pressure of packing and doing paperwork has subsided, our flights arranged, and hotel accommodations are made too, and essentially all packing is done; we are starting to calm back down to a sub-normal state and be civil to one another again.  That's a good thing.  I was beginning to wonder if we would even sit together on the plane! 
So thankful for what God is doing and pray He's preparing her heart to accept us.  He obviously has His arms around us and is encouraging us along the last few steps on the path as we turn the corner and join hearts with her on a new path.  

Can I just say, . . . STRESSED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Oh my golly the level of stress I am feeling is undescribable!  Chest pain, GI upset!  Other things I can't speak of, hmm well. Anyway, the bags are packed and just a few more things to add. Need to pick up a few more snacks, oh and some bigger diapers.  Still waiting on my last purchase from Amazon.  Travel bag, money belts,  CARES harness for Delaney for the trip back, squeeze tubes for detergent.  Yeah I realize that was not a real sentence but my thoughts are not complete at the moment either, just like long lists of things: rubber bands, snack bags, bobby pins, camera batteries need charged. Carry-on needs packed. Clean house- oh how I need to clean house.  Thanks for listening to my rumblings! Good day all!

Packing continues . . .

so glad I started early!!  It took several hours to pack Delaney's suitcase today.  I cant believe it took so long!  Her little stuff was harder to roll, band and bag than ours.  We are using a smaller suitcase for her and I thought that made sense because she's a much smaller person.  However; I forgot all the crazy stuff we have to pack for her.  I'm just trying to keep it all to a minimum to make our baggage handling easy.  I put in 9 outfits, I think,  of various sizes, with many mix and match pieces.  A bathing suit. A sun hat. A jacket.  Pj's. Socks.  Blanket. Bottles.  Medications.  Thermometer.  Feeding supplies. Snacks.  Toys, including phone, bubbles, books, bath toys, lovey, plus a mini backpack full of stuff to play with on the plane on our way home.  I packed and re-packed, pressed the air out of the bags and re-sealed.  Took things out, added things, messaged friends in our Facebook LID group. 

The mess- yeah I should have made my bed, but priorities folks!

Ta-DAH!!!!

How neat and organized, hope TSA doesn't mess it up!

Oops, need to add some diapers!!! . . . . .

Leaving on a jet plane!

It is so hard to imagine we are at this point.  We received our travel approval on Monday and today we received confirmation of our consulate appointment, . . . so we are leaving on July 30th to bring home our baby girl from China.  We set up our flights and it looks like August 3rd will be "Gotcha Day" or Forever Family Day. As I was confirming our flights and the spelling of our names I could barely hold it together when they asked me to also verify Delaney's name and birthdate and referred to her as my daughter.  Wow! 
We are mostly packed, except for the carryon and some food items.  Need to do Delaney's bag too but it's semi-packed.  Feeling like I have a pretty good handle on this, God is so good. 

Tonight I sit . . .

in a lovely little gray stuffed chair in Delaney's room,  It's situated at one end of her white convertible crib.  Her chest of drawers faces me with very little room left inside.  Her closet is behind me mostly organized by size and season and it too is packed  pretty tight.  Her room is dim and a soothing shade of lilac as butterflies hang  from the ceiling,  White wooden letters spell out her name above the crib.  We've hung book shelves and displayed some favorite books; ones I cannot wait to read to her with silly voices and warm cuddles.  Some stuffed animals adorn the shelves and the fabric "buckets" sitting around the room.  And some very special gifts are displayed awaiting for her arrival. It's been a long time coming to this point.  Lots of preparation. 
You see, tonight marks exactly 8 years that we began this adoption process. It was July 15th, 2006 that we made the commitment on paper to begin this process.  The process to bring home a child and grow our family through adoption. 
This room reminds me lot of mine when I was young, white furniture, pale colors, lots of stuffed animals and books, soothing lights.  I pray this room brings her comfort.  I pray she's not troubled by nightmares or sad memories of the past that I can't fix or understand.  I know I can't wish away all the bad, nor would it be healthy.  It's the struggles in life and the hardships that force us to grow and propel us toward needing something bigger and stronger than ourselves.  Like God.  In that respect I hope she comes to know God early in life.  That she will be quickly grounded in the Truth and never depart from it.  This is ultimately the most important thing for her. 
Yeah the many books, clothes, toys, and stuffed animals that await her are all from people that await her arrival.  People who have prayed for her and for us. We're very thankful for these things, but mostly thankful for the prayers that have held us up over the last 8 years.  This wait has not been easy and now its coming down to the last few weeks before our world changes forever, and hers too.  I keep having to remind myself that she is not eagerly packing bags and making plans to join our family.  She has no concept of families, airplanes and hardly the idea of adoption.  She's such a tender unmolded Little Person that will soon be transformed and influenced by so many things beyond her control. Yet so brave, how many of us could leave all we know and take up life with a complete stranger and make a home on a foreign land where we don't understand the language and nothing looks or smells familiar.  There's not much comfort in that.  Not a choice many would make.
But we're asking that of her, to accept us as her family as Mama and Baba, to make all her decisions and to trust us.  And why should she?  We will need to prove ourselves over and over to her to gain her trust and love and convince her that we are a "Forever Family".  It's my prayer that God is working in her little heart to let her know that we're okay, not perfect but okay.  It'll take time and forgiveness, trial and error but I pray she's patient with us as we learn this new parenthood thing.  Delaney Grace He Mei please know that there is a God in Heaven that is bigger and more powerful than any of us and He can handle any situation.  He is joining us from complete opposite sides of the world to become a family.  Your God has known you since before the foundation of the world and He has loved you and set your course.  And Mommy and Daddy have loved you since God put the idea of you in our hearts and we will do all we can to keep you on the course He has set for you.  We love you and we will be there soon. . . .

The packing has begun . . .

I know what you're thinking.  We don't have a travel date yet so isn't this a little premature?  Well, considering we have to take enough items to function for two weeks, travel three cities in China and 5 flights (at least) with a  new Little Person we've never met before.  Yeah, I think it's time to get packin'.  Although I procrastinate a lot in my life, and I'm late most of the time, I am surprisingly a very thorough "packer" and prepare for weeks at a time.  Whether it's an overnight stay or two weeks, I am a major list maker.  Here's a sneak peek at my lists.

Since we began the adoption nearly 8 years ago I have had plenty of time to gather info and research and that's exactly what I've done.   Thanks to many adoption related websites and online forums of adoptive parents, the info I've gleaned is endless and looks like it will prove to be invaluable.  In the past few weeks I pulled out my "adoption binder" and started going through the info and re-reading.  Yes, I set up a white 3 ring binder with various categories and inserted copies of helpful websites or printed info, hole punched it, and stuck it within the binder.  Several times in the past week I have pulled out the "packing list" section to take a gander.  I had a total of 34 pages of info that I then broke down into the following spreadsheet categories;  clothes,  medications, toiletries, food, miscellaneous and carry-on.    Yep, a little OCD buts it's workin' for me, and considering the Dr. gave me a steroid shot for my sinus infection, I'm putting it to good use!

 

 

 

A must watch . . . Enjoy and surprise!

Pickles. Snakes. And oh yeah, Article 5!!!!!!!!

From my last post you know we were really bummed that our Article 5 had been delayed and in turn we wouldn’t be traveling in July.  Okay,  so I was supposed to used this time to really crack down on packing, planning, etc.  After 2 weeks of  sinus trouble, a day off work, 4^th of July prep and being tired and bummed out, this  prevented anything productive from happening,  Oh, and our ice maker/water dispenser in our fridge started leaking beyond repair. Then we got our motivation going . . .

We made freezer pickles and they were a success.  We made dill pickles too and they were a success.  Then we found a copperhead by our out building  on Tuesday- Larry shot it DEAD with a .38 and again, SUCCESS!! 

Super happy about that one!  We are still counting our blessings on that one and will for quite a while.  God is good!  When I detected it, I didn’t know it was a copperhead, maybe a cow snake, hmm, took some pictures of it.  Calmly stood and looked at it for a while, went on to work.  Sent Larry the pics via text and he didn’t look at them ALL day.  Then at 3:45 he discovered it was a copperhead. “Why didn’t you tell me?”.  “I sent you pictures and told you to check your messages 3 times”.  “How close were you when you took those pictures?”  “Oh, about 3 feet or so, I took it like this” (arms stretched out waist high duplicating my picture taking technique)

Long story short, the THING is dead, I don’t even like to say the “s’ word and sometimes refer to it as “it”.  It is at the taxidermist now but we are unsure if it will be able to be preserved.  I am not thrilled with a “snake mount”, I would much rather have its head lopped off and stretch its skin across a board, sorta like a nice belt.  Oh, well, my Hubby earned it, he’s a brave soul.  I too am very thankful  he is okay and was able to blow its head off, safely destroy it for the safety of our family.

Okay and onto adoption news,  that is why you come here right?   Ha Ha made you read the snake story, are you sitting on your feet yet?  Got the heebie jeebies?. Sorry, at least I left out all the gory details, no pics either I’ll put those in another post when he gets the  THING back and I’ll let you know so you can just totally skip that post if you’d like. 

On Wednesday morning we got an e-mail form the American Consulate in Guangzhou that our Article 5 had been picked up the 7^th and was being forwarded to CCCWA in Beijing and they will issue our TRAVEL APPROVAL!!!!!!.  An e-mail from our adoption agency in Austin revealed that we should have TA  (travel approval) in 2 weeks!!!!!! They will then request our consulate appointment and then our flights can be booked!!!!  Woo Yoo!