T Minus 2 & 1: YIKES!!!!

I missed a day. Sorry. Less than 24 hours until we leave. 6,247 things left to do. The Chief is cool, calm, collected and confident in God's plan for our family. I am excited to meet MeiMei but so so SOOO sad to leave Wild Man and Little Miss (I'm sure The Chief is as well but he has his game face on for my benefit). We have to board those planes tomorrow no matter what...even if we are willing one foot in front of the other. That probably means he will be willing MY feet forward but that's beside the point. Pray for us. Gotta run.

T Minus 3 days: will the paperwork ever end???

I have spent the entire afternoon making copies, organizing adoption paperwork and finalizing the Womble Family Handbook. I'm so ready to kiss this "paper pregnancy" goodbye. Right now it is almost 8 am Monday morning China time. Do you realize this time next week we will be preparing to meet MeiMei? I sure hope she likes us. If not? Well. I don't know. Please Lord let her like us. 3 days...

T Minus 4 days: Toys & other stuff...

Could someone please remind me what 17 months olds like to play with? Think small, lightweight and preferably without batteries. Remember I only have 44 pounds. Oh...if you haven't made your music suggestions you have until tomorrow. I'll be loading the ipod then. Back to packing...

Wheeler--I know what you are thinking. Maybe tomorrow...

T Minus 5 days: AHHHHHHHH...

5 days. FIVE DAYS! FIVE STINKIN' DAYS!!!!!!!!!!! Guess what? Wild Man has the stuffy nose nasty cough yuck-ness. PLEASE PRAY it is only allergies. Claritin...don't fail us now. For the record, I googled stressed out and this picture popped up. Little Miss was over my shoulder and when she saw it she CRACKED UP!!!! "That kitty is SOOOO FUNNNNNYYYY Mommy! He has googly eyes!" I wonder if she thinks this is what I look like when my googly eyes pop out? I wonder if this IS what I look like when my googly eyes pop out? Hmmmm...

T Minus 6 days: a word about commenting...

I am told, from other adoptive parents who have already traveled, that comments are your lifeline to home. I know there are MANY people who read our blog and do not comment. No big deal. I do not blog for comments. I blog to record the history of our family. However, this scenario is a little different. We are going to be missing our home, our children, our friends, our family, Sonic drinks, Camino Real, Target... :-) While we are away, please take the time to let us know you stopped by the blog. Your words will be a lifeline to us from across the world.

HOW TO LEAVE A COMMENT:

• If you are a Blogger member you know how to comment.
  
• If you are not, click the word COMMENT beside the time stamp below the post. It will pop up another box. Leave your comments in the box, tick "anonymous" (and don't forget to type your name so I will know who left the comment). Your thoughts and prayers are going to help us wade through 15 days away from home.

Just to clarify, this INCLUDES Grammy, Nanny, Lynn, Aunt L, Aunt B, Laura, Rhonda and anyone else who reads but NEVER comments. :-)

T minus 7 days: Travel Itinerary...

At this time, one week from today, we will be waiting for check in at the Continental Airlines counter. 7 days. 7 DAYS PEOPLE! SEVEN DAYS! Little Miss burst into tears yesterday on the way home from school saying "I'm going to miss you when you go to China". It is so hard to maintain the Mommy face when all you want to do is cry Charlie Brown tears along with her. If she only knew how much we are going to miss HER and her big brother.

Last night was our agency travel conference. Our trip itinerary is as follows...

Wednesday 9/9: fly to Beijing via Continental
Thursday 9/10: arrive in Beijing
Friday 9/11: tour Beijing
Saturday 9/12: tour Beijing
Sunday 9/13: fly to Guangdong (MeiMei's province)
Monday 9/14: meet MeiMei!!!!! (at home it will be in the middle of the night Sun PM)
Tuesday 9/15: Adoption Day
Wednesday 9/16: Medical Exam
Thursday 9/17:
Friday 9/18:
Saturday 9/19:
Sunday 9/20:
Monday 9/21: pick up finalized paperwork from Civil Affairs (she will officially be our daughter in the eyes of China)
Tuesday 9/22: Consulate Appointment
Wednesday 9/23: Swearing in Ceremony
Thursday 9/24: leave China bound for HOME

• land in Newark at 2 pm where MeiMei will become a US citizen when her feet touch the ground.
• arrive HOME @ 7:05 pm

T Minus 8 days: Lots of S words...

On the agenda for the day...

Little Miss starts school today (a post of her own forthcoming). Lots of shopping for last minute items for China. Then a follow up appointment with the surgeon. Neurosurgeon that is but since I am going with "S" words you'll have to go with me on that one. Tonight is our travel meeting for family and friends taking care of the children while we are away as well as our agency conference call about our trip. 8 days...

UPDATE: My neck is healing well. I will continue Physical Therapy until we leave next week.

T Minus 9 days: we are down to single digits...

T Minus 10 days: Let's talk food...

To all my China AP amigas...

Please tell us your favorite restaurants in Guangzhou. We will be there 11 days since MeiMei is from Guangdong province. We are going to need a little variety with that many days of eating out. Ugh! Please share the good and the bad. Our tummies will thank you!

T Minus 11 days: She's makin a list & checkin it twice...

Imagine you were leaving home for 15 days and traveling to a place you have never been. What is the ONE THING you would never want to forget? Remember I have 44 pounds per suitcase. SBM--do not tell me to pack 10 pound weights and gym clothes. That is YOUR packing list, not mine.

Don't forget Day 12 ipod songs. My pal Rebekah suggested "God is Bigger than the Boogie Man" by the Veggie Tales. :-) Hehheh. Good one Rebekah. I've added it to the list. I'm sure it will make me laugh every time I hear it.

T Minus 12 days: Let's load the ipod...

I'm loading the ipod for our 15 day adventure. If you have song suggestions please post them here. Think happy--encouraging--praiseworthy--make you smile music. If it might make you tear up you can rest assured it will make me cry the ugly cry. I reserve the right to veto any sappy song. Go ahead. Help me with my playlist. It would make my day.

MAY WE HAVE YOUR ATTENTION PLEASE?

Wild Man and Little Miss have some very exciting news to share... Now I know they do not look over the top excited but they were. It was well past their bedtime when I coerced them into holding signs that "spell AT backwards" as Wild Man pointed out. Turn that "AT" around and what do you have? Travel Approval! Travel Approval! Travel Approval! Our agency called tonight with the news! WE. ARE. GOING. TO. CHINA!!!!! We have to confirm our Consulate Appointment before we can make travel arrangements. If all goes as planned we will leave September 9th, meet MeiMei on the 14th, Consulate Appointment on the 22nd and fly home on the 24th. That means we leave for China in 16 days! Hold on MeiMei...three weeks from today we will become your forever family. Praise the Lord! WE. ARE. GOING. TO. CHINA!!!!!

Another one bites the dust...

It has been 3.5 weeks since our Article 5 was signed. 63 days since LOSC. Still no Travel Approval. Every time the phone rings I feel like my heart is going to pound out of my chest. Is this it? {as she runs furiously to the caller id} Nope, it's _____(not my agency)_____. I may win the record for hitting refresh on RQ at least 1 million times before this is over. I wonder if she gives out awards for that? Anyway. Almost everything adoption related has happened on a Friday. Our referral. News of our PA. Our LOSC. Our NVC cable. Delivery of our Article 5 to CCAA. All on a Friday. I was hoping today was going to be a Friday repeat. Oh well. I guess I can stop now. It is 1:45 pm in New York. I'm sure DHL has already made their rounds without leaving behind our prized document. One more week down the tubes. Ugggggghhhhhhh! I know. I know. He is never late. He is never early. He is always right on time. Yes. I know. If you figure out the definition of "right on time", please let me know. I think it's Swahili for "back off woman--you'll get it when I want you to get it". In the meantime I'm off to take a nap. It's the only time my wheels aren't turning.

Two months since LOSC...

and we still do not have Travel Approval. 22 days since Article 5. 61 days since LOSC. What's the hold up? Great question. Apparently the very important person at C2A2 who needs to sign off on our Travel Approval has been out of the office. It is typical of every major government organization to have ONE PERSON IN THE ENTIRE OFFICE to sign important documents. You know--documents that are not just documents. They signify CHILDREN's LIVES!!! We knew VIP was out last week and assumed he would be back on Monday. Now we are not so sure. No one seems to know FOR CERTAIN if that is the case. So...what do I know? ABSOLUTELY. POSITIVELY. NOTHING. Still waiting on TA. Still waiting to make travel arrangements. Still waiting to see if we are going to make it on a plane by September 16. Still willing the phone to ring. Still praying for His perfect timing. With each day that passes, September 16 feels further and further out of our reach. This is a really really bad roller coaster. I want off. Now.

Ring phone. RING!

United Airlines or Continental Airlines miles...

Request: If any of you happen to have United Airlines Mileage Plus miles or Continental One Pass miles and would be interested in transferring them to us we would welcome them with open arms (and a few shouts of joy). Two round trip tickets to China and a one way ticket for MeiMei are not pocket change so every little bit helps. If you have flown either airline in recent years you may have frequent flyer miles in your account that you are unaware. If you know us in real life, feel free to call anytime or email us here. I know this is a long shot but it never hurts to ask. :-)

Tropical Storm Goni...

Tropical Storm Goni is supposed to hit land near Hong Kong and Guangzhou in about 9 hours. It is the lowest rated tropical storm, but it still makes this Mommy a little nervous. Where Mei Mei lives is a ways inland, so it will most likely just be a tropical depression (less than 40 mile per hour winds) by the time it gets to her. You can follow along here. I’m praying anyway!

Article 5! Article 5! Article 5!

I just received the coveted email a few minutes ago. Our Article 5 was issued yesterday, July 28. I assume it was picked up 7-29 and overnighted to C2A2 in Beijing on 7-30. It should arrive in Beijing tomorrow (which will be our tonight--remember they are 13 hours ahead). Let the countdown for Travel Approval BEGIN!!!!

WE.

ARE.

GOING.

TO.

CHINA.

PEOPLE!!!!!!!

The Waiting Place...

"The Waiting Place.....

for people just waiting.
Waiting for a train to go
or a bus to come, or a plane to go
or the mail to come, or the rain to go
or the phone to ring, or the snow to snow
or waiting around for a Yes or No
or waiting for their hair to grow.
Everyone is just waiting."

Oh, the Places You'll Go!
-Dr. Seuss

Does this scare the begeebeez out of anyone else?

14 hours--39,000 feet in the sky--on a very large metal tube...

*Option A equates to about 7 hours above the Pacific Ocean...

*Option B spends over half the flight time above some of the coldest most remote polar regions of the planet...
Where's the Calgon? The brown bag? The happy drugs? I need them all now just thinking about it. The Chief says he would like to have all of the above x 10 since he has to sit beside me no matter which option we choose. I am SURE he will be wishing he could sit on the opposite side of the plane on that big day.

{To the Chief--just in case you are considering it--not a choice--you married me--it was in the fine print--must hold wife's hand and subsequently endure gradual loss of circulation during labor and flights for the sake of love and marital bliss.}

OK--I must stop researching flight options. I can do all things....I can do all things....I can do all things....

DS-230 delivered--check!!!

Our DS-230 was delivered today, Thursday, to the Consulate in Guangzhou, China. Now all of the documents needed to issue the Article 5 are in the hands of the Consulate. Only two more steps until we receive Travel Approval! Have I mentioned that WE ARE GOING TO CHINA PEOPLE?!?!?!?!?!?!?!