Day 4: The Great Wall really IS GREAT!

Today we visited the Mutianyu section of the Great Wall of China. It's about an hour and a half outside Beijing city but sooooo worth the drive. We walked through a sea of little shops before catching the chair lift up to the top of the mountain. I know some of you are about to have a stroke reading this. Me--Heights--Dangling mid-air from a thin wire cable. Sounds like fun doesn't it? Yes. I liked it about as much as being trapped on an airplane for 15 hours but I did not come all the way to China to be a weenie. By the time we made it to the top I was ready to shoot the Chief. He thought it was hysterical to point below, threaten to shake the chair and say things like "Here it comes!" and "What goes up must come down". Grrrrrr...

The views from the top were absolutely breathtaking. Mutianyu was partially restored in the 80's and is one of the nicer sections of the Great Wall. I snapped a few pictures of the unrepaired section in ruins in the distance. The contrast was obvious. Along the wall there were several vendors spread out along the paths selling snacks, bottled water, etc. One of them had a donkey "parked" below the bottom of the sidestair. Each day they haul drinks and snacks up the mountain from their home in a nearby village to sell to tourists. It takes them 1.5 hours one way to get to the top of the Great Wall. That evening they haul it all back down only to do it all again the next morning. Can you imagine?


I am not going to attempt to describe the beauty of this area. I'll let a few of the 200 photos I took speak for themselves...






This one is for you Sonjie...

After a couple of hours we rode the toboggan down to the base of the mountain. Super COOL (except the guys in front of us were a little pokie). Then Angela took us out to a late lunch. I can officially say I have NEVER met a french fry I didn't like--even in China. :-) Isn't this awesome? It looks like a hashbrown birds nest. Where's the ketchup? JK.

On the way back into Beijing we saw about 30 F14's and helicopters practicing for the National Day celebration in October. China is celebrating 60 years of "New China", as Angela calls it, and the ceremony is going to be HUGE. I have never seen that many military aircraft in perfect formation in my life.

There is so much more I want to remember about Beijing...the bicycles, the traffic, the crazy driving...but each deserve their own blog post and I don't have enough time right now. Angela is taking us to dinner in a bit and then it is back to the room to pack. We are hoping to stay up until at least 9 pm. We slept from 8 pm-5 am this morning so we are close to being on China time...HOORAY! This jet lag thing stinks. Hopefully a few more nights and we'll be completely switched. Lord help me when we have to switch back at home with three children. We leave in the morning to fly to Guangzhou. Please pray for a safe flight and that we make it to the right gate without our guide. She can't go past security so we're on our own after she checks us in. It should be an adventure. Two days until we meet MeiMei...

Wild Man & Little Miss: Did you see your Flat people on the Great Wall of China? How awesome is that? I hope you both have a fun Saturday with Nanny. Please listen and obey and we will Skype you a little later. Two more days until baby sister. We love you all the way to the moon and back again--Mommy and Daddy

P.S. For the record....
the Chief and I have not developed a spare tire since we came to China. We are wearing money belts underneath our clothes which makes us look a little fluffy.

Day 3: Speed Touring Beijing

~ sent Saturday 8:19 AM China time / Friday 7:19 pm CST

First of all, our baby at home lost his second tooth today. Woooohoooo Wild Man! Sorry we missed it but we know the Tooth Fairy will stop by even if Mommy and Daddy are away. We miss you both so much but we know you are having a great time. We'll Skype you in the morning. Have a great day!

Today we packed in the high points of Beijing seeing as much as we possibly could in one day. We are absolutely positively exhausted. Jet lag stinks but we know staying busy is the key and that is exactly what Angela did. She kept us BUSY BUSY BUSY! We keep saying "Can you BELIEVE we are in CHINA?" We have learned SO MUCH about our daughter's culture in only a day and a half.

First, let me say we are amazed by the size of this city. It is HUGE--HUGE--HUGE!!!! The Chief is quite the navigator. He can go anywhere one time and tell you how to get back there. Not here. Tonight he said, "I have a great sense of direction and I don't have a clue where we are". HA! This morning it took us an hour and a half to get to Summer Palace. We passed the Bird's Nest, Water Cube and Torch Building on the way. We didn't stop because traffic was AWFUL but I snapped a few pics out the window.

Summer Palace was breathtakingly beautiful--one of the most amazing places we have ever experienced. In ancient times, it was the summer home of the Emperor built around a large manmade lake before our country was even established. How strange is that? It was significantly cooler there than the city and we could definitely see why it would be considered their summer retreat.

It is now open to the public and stays very busy year round. Angela said many older retired people come to the park to spend the day, exercise, socialize, etc. When we first arrived we passed a man practicing pinyin characters with a water wand. It was fascinating to watch. There were several others in the park and it was interesting to see the different writing styles. Our equivalent for handwriting.

The park smelled INCREDIBLE. It took us a while to figure out where it was coming from. I'm sure the locals thought what are those crazy Americans doing--smelling of everything in sight? LOL! Finally we figured out it was these tiny little yellow and orange flowers. I took pics of the id cards to see if we can get them at home. As for the rest of the place, I can't even begin to describe it. I will let the photographs tell the story.

We drove back into Beijing for lunch at a local restaurant. We ate the best sweet and sour pork EVER along with several other interesting but yummy dishes. I am perfecting the art of chopsticks (at my own expense) but I refuse to use a fork. My sushi loving husband was a pro before China so all eyes are on me. I'm going with the "When in China do as the Chinese"...at least for Day 3. I might be starving by Day 10 so don't hold me to it. Oh, I almost forgot. Angela ordered Peking Roast Duck (no pics, sorry). It wasn't the whole duck so thankfully no one came to whack off his head at our table. That is my favorite scene from "A Christmas Story". You know at the end when the dogs eat the Christmas turkey so they go to the Chinese restaurant for Christmas dinner. hahahahahaha. Tell me someone knows what I'm talking about? Anyway, back to the duck. Basically you eat it like a taco--rice wrap, roast duck, sauce, cucumber and onion. The verdict: I'll stick with tacos. :-)

After lunch we went to Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden City. This is what we took away from both...HUGE and historical. Thousands of years of history and symbolism in the Chinese culture.

I didn't realize the Emperor had one wife (the Empress) but many many concubines. Thus the reason why the Emperor had his own quarters and she had hers. Not exactly our idea of marriage but an interesting fact nonetheless. We had our photo taken with the Loving Tree in the Imperial Garden. It is supposed to signify eternal love. We took that to mean our way as opposed to the Emperors way. :-)

Once we left TS and the FC, we headed to ChinaCenterforAdoptionAffairs.

That's right girls. C2A2--home of all things adoption in China. It is, indeed, a real place. Not a fig newton of our imagination. We had to pick up our tickets to the acrobat show from a friend of our guide who works there. I wanted to go in and ask about my pal Cindy and when they are going to find her baby but I resisted. I knew Pam and Nancy might have a stroke so I took pictures of the building instead. :-) Sorry Cindy.

Next we took a rickshaw through the old hutongs of Beijing. Fascinating. There are families still living there and they welcomed us into their home. They were so proud to have us there. They let us look around and take pictures while she told us stories of the significance of so much of their culture including the color red and the marriage union tradition. Can you imagine us walking down the aisle with a red veil and the Chief with a red bow around his neck? No one would forget THAT wedding in America.

Finally we saw the Peking Acrobat show at 5:15. The show was AMAZING but by this time we were EXHAUSTED! I fell asleep during the show a few times. Not because it was boring but because the jet lag is brutal! The Chief kept nudging me because he said my head was thrown back with my mouth open. LOL! I was out cold.

It took us an hour and a half to get across town to our hotel after the show. The traffic is HORRIBLE here. I should NEVER complain about traffic again after this. We were hungry but there was no way we were going to stay awake long enough to eat another traditional Chinese meal without falling asleep in our sticky rice. So we broke the cardinal sin and ordered Pizza Hut on the way back to the hotel. I know. Someone out there just GASPED but that's OK. We ate quickly and collapsed into bed. What a day! We love Beijing. We love China. Next stop--the Great Wall, Temple of Heaven and the silk factory.

Day 1 and 2: Travel to Beijing

~sent Thursday 9-10 8:00 pm China time / 7:00 am CST

We left at 4 AM for the airport after a very long night of packing. We managed one hour of sleep before the alarm went off at 3. The Chief said, "Hey, it's just like Lion King--Eet is time!" HA. Special thanks to my pal Rebekah who got out of bed long before the chickens to take us to the airport. We flew from home to Newark to catch our flight to Beijing. The little plane ride was uneventful and we landed in time to talk to Wild Man before he went to school. He wanted to know if we were in China yet. HA--we WISH it only took 2 hours! We didn't find enough miles to purchase our tickets but we scored enough to upgrade to BusinessFirst on the way over. We boarded the plane in Newark early at 11:25. You know when you are waiting for a flight and they call all "Elite Members" to board first. Then you sit there rolling your eyes while they board first. Well, that was US today! HA! Flat Wild Man and Flat Little Miss loved their new seats at the front of the bird--so did Mommy and the Chief! WOWSERS!

The plane was having some computer issues which is what caused our delay in departure. UGH! The ugly cry was about to show up. Several thoughts of I WANT TO GO HOME passed through my mind. A few thoughts of popping out my bottle of happy pills but I held off thinking I was going to REALLY REALLY need them later (like when we were actually IN the air). And how was the Chief in all of this? Calm as usual reminding me that "It's OK. He's got this." Then I remembered that sweet little face that needs her Mommy to come pick her up. OK. I'll wait. After they shut down the plane a few times they finally fixed the software issue. Just an extra 2 hours in BusinessFirst. What better way to enjoy the luxury than while we are ON THE GROUND--my favorite place to be on an airplane.

If one must fly 14 hours one way in a big bird in the sky THAT is the way to go. The food was fabulous. The entertainment system rocked. The flight attendants were very kind and professional. Too bad that will probably be the one and only time anyone ever lets us pass the elusive curtain. We slept about an hour and a half total. We watched movies. The Chief watched back to back episodes of Everybody Loves Raymond. LOL! That's a little inside joke with the Chief's family. Hi Uncle A! :-)

It was about 7 hours into the flight when the "are we there YETs" started rolling through my head. Nope. We're over the coldest most remote area of the planet. Hmmm...let's not get off here. We did travel the polar route but we flew to the left up over Canada, the North Pole, across Russia into Beijing.

We landed about an hour later than our original arrival time so we made up about an hour along the way. The screen said at one point we were flying 597 mph but I pretended that I didn't read that. About an hour before we landed we had to fill out the Quarantine Bureau sheets verifying we have not been in contact with anyone with H1N1, our whereabouts in China and how to reach us. I sure hope the guys around us that slept nearly the entire flight were just catching up on some zzzzz's. That would be a real bummer. This is a picture of us with about 1 hour left. Don't we look gorgeous? hahaha...

We landed about 2:45 pm China time and made it through the quarantine checks, immigration, customs and baggage claim without issue. Both of our suitcases made it! Our guide, Angela from Ladybugs N Love, was waiting for us outside baggage claim. We all packed into an elevator to the parking garage. Apparently there is no such thing as personal space here. I have never been that close to complete strangers in my entire life. Seriously. There were people squished up against both of us and no one thought anything of it.

Our driver...how cool is that--OUR DRIVER...was waiting for us. I kept making small talk with him and then reminding myself--Oh yeah--he doesn't speak English. :-) He just smiled at me and shook his head. After a hair-raising, death defying car ride from the airport to the hotel, we unpacked and showered to go out for dinner. We knew we had to get out of the hotel room or we would be asleep at 5 pm. Angela took us to a very nice restaurant. The food was AMAZING!!! We had beef and mushrooms, fried rice, Kung Pao chicken (not the Americanized version), dumplings and some other things I can't remember the name. There was a TON of food for the three of us. The Chinese eat family style so we just took what we wanted and put if on our plate. It was our lucky day too--they have Sprite in China! Now if I can only find Dr. Pepper I am good to go. While we were at dinner, we called the children before they went to school this morning. It was so great to hear their voices and hear they are having fun.

We ran in the grocery store for a few supplies and came back to the hotel to crash. We were exhausted! We are going to bed now hoping to get some great sleep before our big day of touring tomorrow. Love to all at home. Give our babies at home hugs from Mommy and Daddy. Thank you so much for your comments and emails. No time to reply now but we are reading the comment emails. Your words mean so much to us. Three days until MeiMei day!

Love,
Mommy and the Chief

WE ARE HERE!!!!!

PRAISE THE LORD WE ARE ON THE GROUND!!!!  It is 5 pm here in China.  We just made it to our hotel.  We were delayed about an hour and a half in Newark due to COMPUTER ISSUES.  They kept powering down the plane the whole plane and then powering up trying to get it to do whatever it was they wanted.  Just what the girl with the flying anxiety needed to start her 14 hr flight. So, we arrived in China an hour behind schedule but the most important thing is WE LANDED!  Somebody out there better be proud of me because I did not take one little happy pill.  I was holding out until I really REALLY needed it and I made it without one.  :-)  Thank you for your prayers!  We are exhausted.  We slept about an hour and a half on the plane.  That gives us a grand total of 3 hours of sleep since we both got up on Tuesday morning at 6 am.  It was a long night of packing Tuesday night.  We are off to shower, find some dinner and try to stay awake until a reasonable bedtime.  I am sending this by email so pictures are to come when I have time to upload.  Courtney is manning the blog since blogger is blocked but I wanted to at least email to let you all know we are fine.  What time is it?  What day is it?  Really, who cares.  We are IN CHINA PEOPLE!  4 days until we meet MeiMei. 

 

Mom-we will call in a bit before Wild Man and Little Miss go to school.

Taking to the Sky

Hello fellow Womble Times readers!

The Wombles are in the air! They had about an hour and a half delay due to "computer issues" but as far as I can tell, they lifted off around 12:45pm CST and will land in China around 2:20 AM CST. Please continue to pray for them today as they are en route to the other side of the world. I'll post an update when I get it.

Courtney

Next stop--CHINA!

Emotions are high and quite frankly I am a mess. This will probably not make much sense but I need to say this. Don't say I didn't warn you...

Very shortly we will load overflowing luggage into the car and head for the airport. Our pal Darren is picking us up at 3:45 am. Now THAT is a real friend. Essentials have been crammed into every last square centimeter available. Lists have been checked, double checked and rechecked. Last minute phone calls have been made. Schedules have been arranged and typed in chronological order for each member of the Womble family. Everyone "on call" is officially "on call" until further notice. After all these years, the day has finally arrived.

Within the hour I will kiss two of my babies goodbye for the next 15 days. Not because I want to but because it is the decision we feel is best for them. As I have said many times, the only hesitation I have EVER had with our adoption is leaving Wild Man and Little Miss at home. I know they will be loved immensely while we away but I can not help but wish there was some way, ANY WAY, to bring MeiMei home without being half a world away from her brother and sister. I know our absence is going to be difficult for them, especially Little Miss, and already my heart is aching. 15 days without holding two of my babies. This is going to be the hardest two weeks of my life. There have been many hard weeks in my life but I have a feeling this may top the cake. Oh please God. With every ounce of my being I pray that You will keep us all safe. Wrap your loving arms around them. Comfort them in our absence. Help them to be strong and sweet and smart and brave. Remind them Mommy and Daddy love them to the moon and back again (even if we are looking at opposite sides of the same moon). It is my hearts cry tonight. Please keep us all safe and bring us all home together as a family of 5 in 15 days. In Jesus name. Amen. Ok--moving on--I can't go there right now--too much...

In a few short hours I will board an airplane. Two actually. The first of which is one of those tiny little commuter jets that hold about 50 people including the crew. It makes me want to toss my cookies just thinking about it. The second will be a very large--no make that HUGE--metal tube flying at 500+ miles per hour above some of the coldest most remote areas of the planet for a total of 14 hours and 1 minute. I can assure you I will be seated and secured TIGHTLY during that time. Who needs potty breaks anyway? I am 99% certain there are not enough "happy pills" in my carry on (or the Chiefs) to remove the scary thoughts from my overanalyzing brain (but I plan to challenge that theory). I'll get back to you. Don't worry. I have made sure the Chief has enough Kleenex in his pocket to wipe the drool from my chin. According to my calculations (I love to say that), the drugs should wear off about the time we spot land again. I've never literally kissed the ground of an airport but I'm thinking Beijing may be my first. I can do all things...I can do all things...

In approximately 24 hours we will land in the country of our daughter's birth. We have never set foot upon the continent of Asia and yet somehow it already owns a piece of my heart. Can you believe we are going to China? CHINA, PEOPLE!!! I have been "expecting" this child longer than my other two pregnancies combined. I've been "pregnant" WAY. TOO. LONG! When I think about all of this I am so overwhelmed. We are going to CHINA! Oceans will no longer divide us. Governments and bureaucracy will never again stand in our way. After a few days absorbing as much Chinese culture as two Americans can take in (while conquering jet lag and hopefully avoiding H1N1 quarantine) we'll take to the hopefully friendly skies once again for a "quick" three hour flight to Guangdong. Our southern girl waits for us there. I bet you never thought you would EVER hear me categorize a 3 hour flight as "quick" but in comparison to 14 it sounds like a cakewalk.

In six days we will walk, perhaps run, wholeheartedly into the Civil Affairs Bureau in Guangdong, China to meet our daughter. No longer will she be our daughter who waits for us in still photographs. She will become a living, breathing, walking, talking face with a new name. A first name her brother chose. A middle name with such significant meaning. I honestly can't believe I am typing these words. The wait will soon be over and she will be in our arms where she belongs. Oh how I can not wait for that day. Despite the unknowns of this week, there is one thing I know for certain. MeiMei was meant to be our daughter. Whatever the next few weeks, months and even years may bring, we will face it together. As a family. I pray she will feel the love we have to share with her and want to accept it. I have faith the One who created her will heal her heart. It will take time but I believe it will happen eventually. Just as I dreamed of the day I would hold Wild Man and Little Miss, so have I dreamed of September 14. After all this time, six days feels like we're nearing the end of the home stretch. This is happening. This is really really happening! What a blessing it is to become a parent each and every time we are given the opportunity. Though equally as miraculous, this "birth" feels a tiny bit more humbling.

Fast forward to 15 days from now when we will all be together as a family. A forever family. After I kiss the ground at the airport, I'm going to sprint to baggage claim where I know I will cry the biggest Charlie Brown tears of joy ever to be shed. It is quite possible I will knock down half the people in front of me on the escalator to get to my babies. Seriously--you guys better hold up a sign telling everyone in the path of the Mom and Dad with the Chinese baby to MOVE IT OR LOSE IT! No, I'm not kidding. I will spare no life or limb to get to them so everyone in my path better get the heck out of dodge. Coming through....Coming through...Excuse me....Pardon me...I have not seen two of my children in 15 days...MOVE. IT. PEOPLE.

For months I have been saying I wanted to get this show on the road. Can you believe it? The curtain goes up today. We are beyond practice and dress rehearsal. No more list making and travel planning. This is it! We are going to meet MeiMei in SIX DAYS. On one hand I am sooooo overjoyed. humbled. in awe. ecstatic. On the other, I know what I have to do in a few minutes and I am overwhelmed with sadness. I wish I was a world traveler. I wish I was brave and strong. I wish I could get on that plane without one ounce of fear. I wish...I wish...I wish... I want my cake and eat it too, ya know? Can't we just wiggle our noses like Samantha Stephens, skip the plane ride, take Wild Man and Little Miss with us, grab our girl, absorb a little culture and take the Dorothy approach on the way home? There's no place like home...There's no place like home...There's no place like home... So true... There is NO PLACE like home. I know that is just a dream. Instead I have to step out in faith trusting that He is bigger than my Mommy fear and my anxiety about the next 15 days. On that note...

Isn't it amazing how BIG God is? Before the beginning of time He ordained THIS day. THIS child. THIS family. THIS country. THIS miracle. He planted THIS seed in my heart as a little girl before I knew where it would take me. He brought two teenagers together who happen to share THIS heart for babies all over the world without Mommy's and Daddy's. He orchestrated every last miraculous detail of THIS awe inspiring story--her story--a story I can't wait to tell the world once she is safely home in our arms. He knew THIS day would come even before she was born--before WE were born. Did I always believe THIS day would come (especially over the past year)? No. But you know what? He did. He knew even when I stopped believing. In the winter, when I desperately wanted to believe He was bigger than my fears. When I wanted to believe He had a plan but I wanted Him to tell ME the plan. When I cried myself to sleep at night wondering if all of this was in vain. You know what? He already knew about March 27. He already knew about MeiMei. He already knew her story before she took her first breath. He knows her story from this day forward and we are so humbled He chose us to be part of it. I adopted Hebrews 11:1 as my verse for MeiMei long before we ever knew her face. It says "Now faith is being sure of what we HOPE for and certain of what we do not see". Somehow we knew this was the plan He had for our family. No, we did not hope for the circumstance behind how she will become part of our family. We hoped that someday we could become the parents of a child who needed a family. In so many ways, it is my children who have helped grow my faith, each in their own way. Even before holding this child in my arms she has taught me that faith is not about God answering your prayers. It is about believing He can and He will, if He so chooses, in His own time. That time is now. Thank you Lord for calling us, providing for us and encouraging us to find the daughter and sister you meant for our family.

-To those who have prayed with us--for us--over us...
-To those who wrote letters vouching for our stellar parental status (hahaha)...
-To those who listened to me fuss--cry--scream--yell--about this ridiculous process when you had no idea what in the world I was talking about...
-To those who celebrated each small victory when, secretly, you couldn't remember what PA or CA stood for but you celebrated anyway...
-To those who encouraged us when it seemed today would never come...
-To those adoptive parents who are/were in this boat with us--supporting us as only those who have been there-done that can do...
-To those who are putting their own lives on hold the next 15 days to help two of our babies feel safe and loved while we are away...
-To those who have loved and supported us throughout each and every step of this process...

From the very bottom of our hearts, THANK YOU! We have been blessed by amazing friends and family. Please know we could not have waded this process without your prayers and encouragement. We love you all so much more than words can convey.

-Specifically, to my dear friends SBM and CA: I know today is bittersweet for you and I want you to know I understand. I know you are overjoyed for us but I imagine a tiny part of you wishes you were boarding a plane today. I wish I could take both of you with me. I wish we were doing this together but for whatever reason it is not to be. I have and will continue to pray every single day that God will lead you to your girls. I love you both.

And on that note, I am going to turn off the waterworks and stop spilling the depths of my soul. To my girls--you know who you are. I am taping Philippians 4:6-9 to the seat in front of me so I will not forget what I know is truth. I will DELIGHT in the Creator of this amazing and humbling opportunity. I will not allow fear or worry to steal my joy. {Deep breath. This is where the fear and worry comes in. Gulp.} Right now I'm off to blow kisses and whisper prayers over two of our sleeping babies. Goodbyes do not come easy for me. I'm fairly certain I could use a few therapy sessions about that topic but after 31 years, what's a few more days? At this moment I have to don my Mommy face, convince myself that our children at home are going to have the time of their lives while we are away, take a few plane rides and go get our girl. PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE pray for the safety of our entire family over the next 15 days (and several extremely brilliant pilots with thousands of hours of flight time on their resumes). I'm not sure if this makes any sense. No time to proof or rearrange after an hour of cathartic journaling. If you are still with me--BLESS YOU SWEET LITTLE HEART. To my precious MeiMei--your days without a family are numbered. Ready or not here we come. Next stop...CHINA!!!!!!

All our love,
Mommy and the Chief

Testing 123

Testing 123...14hrs!!!!!

(sent from my iPod)

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.