Yes, we're home!

We've been so busy...we didn't get to post a final message from China, like I had wanted. But, Tuesday was insanely busy. We were trying to get the last minute shopping done...packing...etc. It was crazy. Megan did not sleep well that night at all. She was up way too much...and decided at 3am that it was time to wake up despite our best efforts to get her to sleep a bit longer. We had to leave the hotel at 7am, which we did. We got to the airport to find out our flight had been delayed to 11am. It would then arrive in Beijing at 2:15pm, which was not enough time for us to get our bags, re-check in for our international flight, and get to the terminal (which is quite a distance from the terminal we arrived at). So, our guide did some fancy foot work and we had to buy tickets for another airline. It wasn't too expensive, thank goodness, and resolved our having too much RMB (Chinese money) that we thought we had. The flight left a bit before our original flight was supposed to arrive, so we had to hurry to get checked in, through security and to our gate. They had just began boarding when we got there...so much for having extra time at the gate!!!

We made it to Beijing at about 12:30pm as we were supposed to. Megan was starving!!!! In China, you cannot carry on ANY liquids, gels or anything irregardless if they are for the baby or not. I had done some strategic packing and put an unopened jar of baby food right inside one of our checked bags so I could get it out when we got to Beijing. Megan scarfed it down while we were trying to get checked in to our international flight. So, we were good. They did allow us to keep some tynelol and mylacon for Megan on our international flight, but that's it. We THOUGHT we'd have an infant meal on the plane, but for some reason we did not. So, that's meant we had 5 bottles of formula, cheerios and fruit puffs for the entire flight. After several prayers that she would not starve on the plane, we made it to Chicago with her sleeping all but 2 hours of our flight! It was amazing!!!!! Of course, when we got to Chicago, no vendor in the airport sold baby food. We went and had dinner somewhere that had french fries so she could have a little something...and she ate LOTS and LOTS of cheerios and fruit puffs! When I asked about baby food, one of the vendors gave me a look like "what a bad mom, she didn't even bring baby food for her child!" I simply said, we just got in on an international flight and we could not have any liquids on the flight. I don't know that she believed me, but whatever.

Our flight from Chicago home was a 50 minutes delayed leaving because the plane we were taking was late coming in. Then there were storms in our area, we thought for sure we'd be diverted, but thank goodness we were not. And somehow they made up time such that we were only 15 minutes late! There was quite the gathering of friends waiting for us! Megan was famous (yet again!!!!). We were very exhausted, but it was so good to be home. Megan had the very last bottle on the way home from the airport, then ate a jar of bananas when we got home. She was quite hungry!!!

Sleep since we got home as been evasive. While Megan is already on our time zone, she has caught a cold and her nose is so stuffy she can barely breathe. Since she feels the need to have the paci, she can't breath though her mouth if the paci is in, so she sleeps in our arms, but once we lay her down, she lasts about 30 minutes and starts fussing. Consequently, last night I finally got her to sleep at 3am, left her on my chest, and basically slept leaning up against a stack of pillows. I made it until about 6:30am, then had to pass her off to dad. I was absolutely freezing! Dad got to sleep a little longer...then she took her normal naps today. Her afternoon nap she slept on her back on the bed for over an hour. So hopefully she'll sleep tonight. Her parents sure need more sleep!!!!

I have to upload photos from the camera...so there's no new ones right now. Check back in a few days...hopefully we'll have more time to get straight with the world and get them uploaded! Caring for baby, sleeping and keep the house somewhat organized is about all we're getting done right now! Heck, we're even forgetting to eat ourselves!

More photos

Chloe, Tessa, Ann, Leah, Zoe, Olivia, Megan & Rashan

Photos

Miss Hot Stuff loves to stand now

Yep, she's a purse girl!

Our new friend, Ann

The classic red couch photo

Big girl, now...sitting in the high chair!

Monday in Guangzhou

We had our medical check today. They simply look in her ears and mouth, make sure she responds to a squeaky toy, weigh her, measure her and check her over for scars. Megan was not too fond of any of this what-so-ever. Photos later. She does weigh 6.6 kg now which is over 13.2 lbs! We've put on a half of pound (or so we guess, since we really do not know where she started)! This is good news!!!

Today is very hot here...and we are very tired and ready to come home. Beyond ready to come home! We are leaving the room in a few minutes to take the classic red couch photos with our group of kids as well as entire group photo. The rest of the group is going on a dinner cruise, which we really want to go on, but considering our little Megan likes to go to sleep around 5:30 for the night, we didn't think it would be such a good idea. We had to go out last night late to get our laundry and she was a bear to get to sleep last night. I think it took over an hour...which is very unusual.

Well...we need to run...maybe I can blog more later, although I think I'm going to begin packing tonight. We already bought an extra suitcase for all our loot...so I need everything to find a home. Besides that's one step closer to coming home!!! Tuesday in our "swearing in" ceremony, described by our guide as an hour long with 59 minutes waiting and then we answer "yes" as a group. I still have a bit more shopping I need to do, but otherwise tomorrow will be hanging out at the hotel.

Snuggles with Megan

This morning Megan decided to snuggle with the elephant that plays a lullaby. This is yet another first.

She also had learned how to play peek-a-boo. I put the blanket over her face, said "where is Megan?", and she pulled the blanket off her face (and smiled, of course!). The problem with this is that when we are out and she's in the carrier, I cover her face when she's ready to go to sleep. Yesterday and this morning, she did try to pull the blanket off her face, but really only grabbed it and really didn't pull it off. So, we'll see.

It seems as though her true personality is coming out more and more everyday. And it's possible that her "cuteness" is really to get what she wants...the smiles come out and charm abounds. But, when we want something and mommy doesn't know what it is...man can we get fussy and mad! Oh my. And when she is hungry...LOOK OUT!!! She wants it NOW! She can put away the food, if she likes it. We did find out she's not too fond of pumpkin and not too crazy about a veggie mix of carrots, sweet potatoes and parsnip. But pears, oh boy, doe she love those. She almost ate an entire jar of pears after eating about a 1/4 jar of the veggie mix last night. The rice cereal here is in individual packets, and she is eating about a entire package every morning and still taking4 or sometimes 5 bottles a day plus cheerios or fruit puffs as snacks. We'll find out in the morning how much she weighs, surely she has gained weight.

We're going shopping today. Looking forward to it.

Saturday in Guangzhou

Mommy & a sleepy Megan at the Academy

Happy baby!

Completely tuckered out from playing with the stacking cups today!!

Okay...let's see...yesterday was pretty much a travel day. Our last day in Changsha, we did go to Hunan University to visit an Academy which some identify as the oldest institution of higher learning. It is 2100 years old...can you even imagine? It was pretty cool. They are a couple of really beautiful gardens there and we took some cute photos. Megan, as usual, was sleeping by the time we got to that part. I swear, our group thinks she sleeps too much...every time they see her, she's sleeping! She sleeps almost every time she's in the Bjorn. It doesn't usually take long either! Then she's awake in the room which prevents us from getting to nap when she naps (little stinker!!!)!

We arrived in Guangzhou about 7:30pm, which is way past Megan's bedtime. The new flight rules here mean no liquids, gels or anything in the carry on luggage. We were VERY short on time in the airport because it took longer to check in than the guide calculated (I think). Anyways, there was no time to get water for a bottle. We were able to get some inside the airport as we were running to our gate, but it was way hotter than we were comfortable giving her. So once we got on, we asked the attendant for cold water, and she didn't seem to understand. Or there wasn't enough cold water. So we tried blow on it, put in the open bottle under the air vent, etc. to cool it off. We were able to cool it off some and Megan didn't seem to mind that it was a bit hotter than usual. But, we couldn't take any baby food on the plane and she was really pretty hungry. It was a short flight (about an hour) so we were able to tide her over until we got to the Holiday Inn where we are staying. But it was probably 8:30pm before we could find the food and she got to eat. She was not crabby at all, though. She's such a good baby! She did fall asleep right away, though...and slept from 9pm to 3am without waking up (oh wait, she did have a bottle at 11pm). In fact, she did NOT move at all, she was simply exhausted.
Some firsts over yesterday and today....

• She rolled from tummy to back Friday morning
  
• As we were getting everything packed up, she turned from back to front (and about scared the crap out of us as we did not see her do it and she about rolled off the bed!).
• First airplane ride, of course. She did pretty good, but was quite withdrawn and quiet. We wondered if she was concerned we were going to leave her with someone else. Maybe she was grieving. Of course we'll never know.
• Grabbed my glasses for the first time.
• She's using her tongue...sticking it put some, of course we've been showing what to do!
  
• First french fry (She enjoyed sucking on that!)
• First time she's reached out for things rather than simply staring at them (last night it was the tag I took off the luggage and put on the bed--she grabbed it and was examining and tossing it to and fro).
• First time she really played with the stacking cups. I tried earlier, but she simply stared at them. I had tried putting one in each hand, but she had no idea what to do with them. But, today DH tried, he showed her how to bang them together, and she did it. In fact, she played for a good 30 minutes with those (that's a long time for a kid with no attention span!)
  
• She plays a mimic game that started Friday morning. I was holding her as we were waiting for our group in the lobby, and she starting moving her head side to side. So, I copied her. She was a little puzzled at first, but the started doing it again to see if I'd copy her. She loved the game. She even played it with one of the teens in our group.

Okay, I have a fuss-button right now..the naps today were too short...she's hungry and tired...Daddy's not any good right now..she thinks she's had enough Daddy time and simply wants Mom...gotta go...

Thursday in Changsha

I'm typing with one hand as Megan doesn't like to be put down at nap time. And silly me, I put her to sleep in my arms rather than the Bjorn so I could have both hands. Oh well. Megan (and us) slept better, but she still insists on going to bed at 5:30pm. Consequently, she was up to stay at 4:30am. Of course that doesn't count the several other times she woke up.

She woke up with a 100.3 degree fever, which is likely from teething...her bottom 2 are finally coming in. So the girls stayed at the hotel and DH went to the history museum.

Here are some photos...

Megan is sleepy...can you tell???


mommy & Megan

yummy carrots

Photos & Video

Lunch today! Happy baby!

This video was taken on Monday afternoon.

Bullet Points

Lovin' on Daddy VERY early this morning!

Someone being silly and wide awake at 5am!

We missed an entire day of posting, so here are a few highlights from Tuesday and Wednesday.

• We finalized the adoption paperwork on Tuesday and Megan officially--in the eyes of the Chinese government--is our child.
• We walked to a Friendship Store (a Government ran store so there is no bargaining). It was all high-end clothes and nothing we were looking for, so we walked back to the hotel.
  
• Megan did not sleep well at all. Well, let me rephrase that, she has frequently "night terrors" where while she is sleeping, she will cry out and thrash about. That means that Mom and Dad did not get much sleep. In fact, I just bit the bullet and put her in bed with me because every 45-60 minutes she would cry out and I would have to get up and pat her tummy or back, so I just gave up and put her in bed with me. Dad got far more sleep than Mom, but at 3am, Dad took over so Mom could sleep until about 5am.
  
• Megan finally fell in love with cheerios!
• She had baby food for the first time (with us, anyways)...I think it's carrots & apples..I know, quite the combo! She actually really loves it!
• We have cooled off her bottles to just warmer than room temp and she's good with it. Besides, she's much quicker at drinking it than when it was so hot.
• Megan is talking much more.
• She's strengthening her legs quite a bit now and loves to stand up now...and LOVES to bounce up and down!
• Her head is getting stronger and can sit better, if she wants to. Wanting to is the key!
• We noticed today that when a Chinese woman attempts to talk to her, she goes from the smiling, giggly self to a furrowed brow and serious expression.
• We took a taxi (yes, by ourself) to Wal-Mart. It was 2 story..and had some interesting things in it! We didn't stay too long, but we did need some more baby food and few "simple" toys for her (like a rattle).
• Wednesday we went to the Embroidery factory. Wow are they talented! There was a room of ladies working on different projects. Quite detailed work

Okay...that's the best I can think of with this tired brain...in fact, I'm punchy I'm so tired! And few photos from the last few days...

This is what happens when she rubs her face with this paci.
I guess the handle is quite flexible!

Our first Night

Megan actually slept pretty well last night. She finally fell asleep a little before 9pm and slept until about 3am. She had a small bottle, then slept for another hour. She wouldn't eat much cereal or congee (overcooked rice-like soup) this morning, but did take her bottle. She just now fell asleep in the baby carrier which is good since we have to leave in a few minutes to go finish up paperwork.

So...more photos when we get back this afternoon!!!

Megan photos

Megan with Orphanage Director

First Family Photo

Daddy is so cool!

Oh, and here's Mommy too!

Megan Day

What an exciting day!!! Megan was waiting for us when we got there. She was the only baby sitting in the area when we arrived, although 4 of the other babies were there in an adjacent room. We had to wait to go over to her until we were approved to do so. Boy was THAT hard! We probably waited 10-15 minutes until the final 2 babies arrived. I KNEW the minute we walked in it was her. I had no doubts. Once the remaining babies arrived, the group of 4 went first, then it was us. It brings tears to my eyes as I think about it. The video shows she is such a happy baby. This was her in the office. You can hear the other babies had a much more difficult time with the adjustment.





She is a paci girl. She was sucking on her fingers while we were watching her in the arms of the Director. Once they handed her to us and we were able to look at her, love on her and kiss her for a while, we pulled the paci out. She took it right away...and was happy as could be! She likes her bottles so hot they about burn our fingers, the director said "hot" 3 times (while I cannot understand Chinese, I knew what she was saying when I was listening to her).

Megan is SO laid back. She didn't care what kind of formula she had, how thick it was, what bottle she used, what bottle nipple she used, she didn't care whatsoever. She does not, however, have very good head control and is not the best at sitting up. I'm sure that will change soon, though as we begin to work with her more on the bed.

We are so blessed. I believe is the years of prayers of so many people...and especially the most recent prayers. Thank you so much to those who have prayed for us. Of course, we've only had her for a few hours, and tonight could be a completely different story, but I'm thinking she's just a content baby all the time!

A few thoughts...

In less than an hour, we are leaving to go to the Civil Affairs office to get Megan. We're simply waiting for time to pass at this point. I'm hoping we'll get to post something when we get back this afternoon, but I suspect it might simply by photos (which is probably what everyone is looking for aways!). I wanted to post a couple of thoughts....

First, our hotel here, The Dolton Hotel, is older than the hotel in Beijing, but really nice. It's one of two 5 star hotels in Changsha. The breakfast this morning was really good. It was so nice to see things we recognized..french toast, pastries and omelets to order plus the Chinese things we saw at the last hotel. The Beijing hotel room was so hot, it was never below 77 degrees. This room is a bit on the cooler side, more like 72. We are both a bit concerned about Megan staying as warm as she is used to. I think we can control the temperature in the room, but we're not really sure.

The weather is chilly and rainy here. I brought warmer clothes for Megan, but I'm concerned they won't be warm enough. We also brought mostly short sleeve shirts for us...so we'll be bundled up here as well, unless it warms up soon! (Guess I won't need my sandals here!)

It is still up in the air whether we will be going to Megan's orphanage or not. We plan on talking to Ashley sometime today about it. We are praying we get the chance, but I'm really not sure. Ashley is staying at the hotel on our floor tonight so that he can be available if we need assistance with the babies (need a doctor or have problems, etc.). He's been helping families for 10 years (but he looks like he's 20!) and is well versed in how to help with the transition. Pray that Megan transitions easily but pray that we can handle her transition (aka handle virtually no sleep and hearing constant crying). Pray that we know how to make her bottle the way she likes it and can understand what she wants.

Alright...leaving in about 30 minutes...so I need to make sure we've got everything we need as after we get Megan we will go to the "baby store" to find diapers, formula, baby food, etc. We won't likely be back to the hotel until mid afternoon.

Sunday in Changsha

We arrived this afternoon in Changsha at about 3:00pm. It's been SOOOO busy since then! We really like our guide, Ashley. He's so funny and his English is very good. They had us and the 2 other families that came from Beijing arrive at the airport at the same time as the 2 families who were in Shanghai for the past 2 days. So, we loaded up in our tour bus and headed to the hotel. The airport is in the country side, and it definitely looks different than Beijing. The houses are very different and even in the city, there just was not much traffic (although that could be because we came in on Sunday afternoon). Our hotel is absolutely delightful. A crib, baby bathtub and baby bowl and spoon were waiting for us in our room (talk about surreal!). We had a meeting about our paperwork and get the instructions about tomorrow (documents we need to bring, time we need to meet, what will likely happen, etc.). Then we ran down to one of the restaurants in the hotel for a quick dinner (Day 6 and I'm just about done with Chinese food!). We went back up to the hotel room to organize everything...we know where things are now...that's one less thing we have to worry about once we get Megan tomorrow (oh my gosh, TOMORROW!)

A few quick things...I'm feeling better, but definitely not feeling great. Of course a few truly good nights of rest would be helpful! I'm still averaging about 4-5 hours of sleep, and they are not consecutive. I'm one who needs a good 7-8 hours to feel rested, so I'm a bit foggy at various points during the day--in fact any point where we sit down for any length of time! DH slept better last night, hopefully he'll be able to sleep even more tonight! My head, though, is hurting almost constantly. Beijing was SSSOOOO dry, it was wreaking havoc on my sinuses...but it's much more humid here, so that might help a bit.

This still feels like a dream...but tomorrow...wow..tomorrow...in about 14 hours we will have Megan. Oh my goodness, the day is finally here!!!!

**** Other thing...there could be a snafu with Megan's passport on Friday. Apparently, the government just announced that Friday is a holiday and all offices are closed. So it could mean that we won't get the passport until Monday. While it does not change that we will leave Changsha on Friday, it could cause problems when we get to Guangzhou as we have an appointment at 10am on Monday, but if Ashley has to fly to Guangzhou with the passports, he won't be there by then. Please pray they "expedite" the process since it's the holiday so we can leave on Friday afternoon with her passport. Thanks.

Last Day in Beijing

It's late, we're tired...so quickly....what we did today.

Rickshaw Ride in Old Beijing

We toured the Hutongs (Old Beijing). We were able to visit a family's home. It was fascinating.

We also visited the Great Wall. As you can tell from the photos...the weather did not cooperate. There were low clouds, mist in the air and snow on the ground (yes, snow). The steps were very slick...we didn't go up very far at all, unfortunately.

True proof we were at the actual wall--no faking here.

We also visited the Jade Factory...what talent the artists have! GEESH. Then tonight we went to the Chinese Acrobat show. What I saw of it (my eyes were so heavy!), it was good. DH did see the whole thing and said it was really good.

That's all for now...we leave for Changsha in the morning...so it will likely be tomorrow afternoon that I get to add more information. I'm tired and we have to be completely packed, checked out of the hotel and waiting for our guide by 9am. Pray we sleep well tonight! We've not been getting much sleep at all. We are getting Megan on Monday at around 10am...(which is about 9pm Sunday Texas time). That's basically 36 hrs away! SO EXCITING!

Friday in Beijing

At Tian'anmen Square

Today was quite busy...we started off at Tian'anmen Square. You know, we always thought it looked big...but truly, until you are standing there, you truly do not realize just HOW HUGE the place is. Amazing. Truly amazing.

Then we went to the Forbidden City. What an amazing place. We walked and walked and walked and didn't get to truly see the place. Our guide, Rocky, said you could spend three days in there to truly be able to experience the entire place. And the throngs of people. I've NEVER in all my life been surrounded by SO MANY PEOPLE. But, it was really neat to see and experience it.

We then had a great lunch at a little restaurant near the Forbidden City. It was really good. We then went to the Pearl Market...and spent quite a bit! (Not as much as we could have!) Did you know that pink and lavender pearls are only found in China? Who knew. I think I was shopping in there for an hour...and had to simply quit, otherwise I could have found so much more.

Finally, we went to the Temple of Heaven. This was a location DH wanted to go to (being the history buff he is). At this point, it started raining a bit, so that was a kind of bummer, but at least we made it through the Forbidden City and Tian'anmen Square without rain!

Tonight we went to a Kung Fu show...it was more like a ballet with some kung fu moves. It was pretty good. Definitely interesting.

It's late...we just got back from the show...and we are exhausted! We've had a long day..and tomorrow will be longer still! Until later...

Miscellanous Thoughts

A couple of things I wanted to make sure to note:

• The hotel beds are like sleeping on a hard floor...they are not anything like mattresses as we know them.
• Our hotel is on the 10th floor...the view is fascinating!
• I've never been in such a clean hotel. The marble floors on the entry of our room shine like I've never seen.
• To get electricity in our hotel room, we have to put our room key in a reader/holder which we remove when we leave.
• Cars constantly honk at each other. I mean CONSTANTLY. I woke up during the night hearing tons of honking. They are used like a turning signal, we guess.
• People crowd on the buses so much that it looks like they are sitting on each other.
  
• People are always in a hurry. Always running to wherever they are going.
• There is no personal space as we know of it.
• People stare and double take when they see us. From the back, they don't notice DH with his black hair, but me, well, that's another story! I didn't notice it much as I was too busy yesterday looking at the buildings. But DH noticed.

I'll keep updating this list as we think of things!

Adventures Day One

After a very good night's rest (went to bed at 7pm last night and woke up at 6am), we went down to breakfast at the hotel. I'm not exactly sure what on the buffet was American (except crescents, toast and oj, oh, and DH said there was cereal), but what I tried was pretty good. I don't remember ever having steamed cauliflower and zucchini for breakfast, but I was craving veggies last night, so that worked out! There was fried rice, fried noodles, salad (yes, lettuce), tomatoes, beans, cabbage and a bunch of other stuff I have no idea what it was. DH had "preserved pork" (aka bacon) and some sort of sausage which he thought was European because it tasted different. It was an experience.

Then we ventured out to find some more bottled water. It took about 10 minutes to get instructions to the supermarket which was around the block. You really don't realize how difficult it is to get around somewhere when you do not speak the native language. That's a new experience for me. Anyways...we thought we knew where it was...so we began walking...and walking...and walking..and didn't find what we thought we had seen yesterday as we got to the hotel. But we did find a convenience store, DH said the lady behind the counter had quite the look of surprise when we walked in. Got some yummy potato sticks (which I read on someone else's blog were really good...and they were SO RIGHT!), pringles, water, tea, cokes and only spent about $7. As we were walking back, we saw the supermarket we were supposed to go to! We both laughed at that point!!!! We probably walked a mile or more trying to find that supermarket, and it's only about 2 or 3 blocks! But, now we know where to go...we'll be the "experienced ones" when the other families come! One family comes tonight, the other one staying at this hotel with us comes Friday, I think. Then Mary comes on Friday as well, but they are staying at another hotel quite a ways away.

I cannot see the blog here...but I am having no problems posting at all. Please keep leaving comments...I set it up so that they are emailed to me, since I suspected I would not be able to see the blog...it's so nice to see who is following our journey!

Today we are taking it easy...the only English TV stations are HBO and CNN, but I did bring a few DVD's that we can watch on the laptap. So between reading, movies, napping and heading back out to go to the supermarket (the RIGHT one!), we're simply hanging out...enjoying our few moments of relaxation before the really busyness starts! Tomorrow is a bunch of sight seeing...and I believe we are going to the pearl market...silk market..jade market. But, I'm not sure if we'll do all these Friday or some on Saturday as well. Exciting stuff!

We made it!!!

Siberia--which we flew over for quite a while

parts of Beijing from the air

And we are COMPLETELY exhausted. Neither of us slept much on the flight and both of us were awake around 2:30am Tuesday morning. We survived the longest flight of all time, I swear. I would say we survived in one piece, but well, I got VERY SICK on the decent and landing into Beijing. I wasn't feeling great when we arrived in Chicago, but after I ate, I felt better. I think the fact that we didn't eat much on the flight to Beijing (I wasn't crazy about the food, who does that surprise?? haha). I think I ate 4 granola bars trying not to get sick. I started feeling bad about 6 hours into the flight...then they fed us hot ham & cheese about 45 minutes we landed. Not good. I was so sick...it was the worst I've ever had on a flight, but flying is not my most favorite thing.

So...we are grabbing some oatmeal for supper and calling it a day. Not sure what we are doing tomorrow, but I know we have to go the supermarket to buy more water.

More tomorrow...when I'm more "with it".

The Excitement is Building

We got our final itinerary today...

3/25--Leave DFW 6:55am for Chicago; Leave Chicago 12:35pm for Beijing
3/26--Arrive Beijing 3:50pm
3/27--Free day...probably SHOPPING! (and napping)
3/28--Tian'an Men Square, Forbidden City; Temple of Heaven; KongFu show
3/29--Great Wall, Hutong (old Beijing Area) and Chinese Acrobatic Show
3/30--Arrive in Changsha 3:05pm
3/31--MEGAN DAY!!!
4/1-4/4--Documents completed in Changsha
4/4--Arrive Guangzhou 5:50pm
4/5--Megan's Visa photo
4/6--Free day (AKA SHOPPING!)
4/7--Visa appointment
4/8--Shopping while waiting for Visa
4/9--Leave Guangzhou 9:25am; to Beijing, leave Beijing 12:25pm; Arrive DFW 10:41pm

THIS IS FOR REAL!!!

In a week....

We will be handed Megan. If you are wondering what that might look like, here is an excellent video from a different agency. Ours might not look exactly like this, but likely be very much like this. I thought I'd share so you have some idea of what the moment we get Megan will be like. (Have tissues handy, wait maybe I'm the only one who needs them when I see this video!?)

Hours left..

Two and half days left...which means we have about 60 hrs remaining. And in about a week, we'll get Megan!!!! Oh my...SO EXCITING!!! We should be getting our final itinerary tomorrow (unless it arrives today since they said by Monday). I'm anxious to see what the schedule looks like!

The "to-do" list is getting shorter! We knocked out quite a few things today...we got the worst ones out of the way (well, almost all the bad ones). So for the most part, the next 2 days will be somewhat relaxing.

We have decided on a movie. Since we have tickets to one particular theater (and not one we usually go to), we have limited choices. So of our choices, we decided to go to see the Dr. Seuss movie on Monday. We figure Monday will be better than Sunday and there will be less traffic and fewer people (we hope!).

Only 5 Days!

FIVE DAYS! FIVE DAYS! FIVE DAYS!!!

Oh my gosh...DH is at his last day of work before we leave...neither of us can believe that we will be leaving in only 5 days! But we are SO EXCITED!!!

In about 11 days, we get our little Meggie (can you believe that? She already has a nickname!). My family has nicknames for everyone...whether it's my nieces Ash and "B"...or my nephew the Braid-ster (also known as Bray and Brady-Boy)...you gotta have a nickname in my family. At this point, Megan's is Meggie, but sometimes also called M&M (Megan MeiLin, get it?). Although I think she'll be Hong-Hong for a while when she's first placed with us, as I believe that's what they call her at the orphanage. So it'll probably be Megan Hong-Hong for a bit until she gets used to being called Megan.

Okay...so...I think today might be a relax day (other than figuring out some technology things for our trip). The remaining things on my list of things to do need to wait until Sunday or Monday (like the remaining laundry and final cleaning). Yeah!

She's 10 Months Old TODAY!

This is another of the updated photos we got.
She's a trumpet player like her Daddy!

I simply CANNOT wait until we get her in our arms! But we are getting so close now.

Things to do before we leave for Megan:

• Kris' last day of work (DONE!)
• Get Megan's Room ready (DONE!)
• DH last day of work (Thurs.)
• Clean house (ugh, must I?)
• Dog haircuts & baths (We both HATE this job, b/c the dogs HATE it!)
• Go to a Movie (Are there any good ones out this weekend?)
• Add last minute things to suitcases
• Get Megan's airline tickets in the mail (DONE!)
  

The list is looking pretty good...good thing, too...only 7 days left!!! YES! ONE WEEK!

9 DAYS!

Okay...we're down to NINE DAYS!!!!

We're working on last minute things...cleaning the house, bathing the dogs, etc. I'm going today to buy the last few things we need for Megan's room at Babies-R-Us (I'm not making DH suffer the traffic and boring shopping of BRU! what a great wife-y I am...)

I only have one day left a work...Monday. DH only has 4 days left! Thanks to Easter weekend, he has a few extra days off...we plan on seeing a movie next week since it will be A LONG time before we get the chance to do that again!

We should get our final and official (completely detailed) itinerary Thursday or so.

Two weeks from TODAY....we'll have Megan! OH MY that's so exciting!!!

Only 16 days...NO 11 days!

Yes! 11 days before we leave...that means only one more Friday before we leave for China!

16 (ok or maybe 17) days until we get Megan!!!! OH MY GOSH! That's about 2 weeks! HOORAY!

We had our travel meeting this week...which (for us being so far away) was an almost 3 hour conference call. Literally, the battery on my cordless phone almost ran out! We got all sorts of information and became even more excited about our upcoming trip. Well, and reading Wendy's blog adds to my excitement! Wendy is in Hong Kong right now...just hours away from getting their daughter, Catherine! I'm so anxious to get to China. We'll be that much closer to Megan.

It's still possible that the entire group could visit their child's orphanages because of all the humanitarian work done by the agency last month. We simply will need to inform our guide that we'd like to go once we get to Changsha. DH & I are 100 percent sure we want to go, and yes, Megan will go with us. We realize that it could be difficult for Megan to see what she's familiar with and then leave it again, but it could also bring her some level of closure/comfort. I don't know. We are both aware of the potential consequences for us and Megan, but we both want to see the only hometown Megan has known. It is closer to Changsha than we expected, it's apparently only about 2 hrs away.

Other piece of news from the travel meeting...they are working on us getting the babies in the afternoon on March 30th rather than the 31st. I am PRAYING that is the case! Getting her about 24 hours earlier...there are no words. We should get our final itinerary within the next few days...then we'll know more specifics at that point!

We're going to China!!! Pinch me, someone...anyone???

We're Going To China!!!

La-la-la-laaaaa-la (can you hear me singing it???)

This morning (after a horrible night of virtually NO SLEEP...no, I don't know why...) I wake up to see a "Breaking News" email from our agency director! EVERYTHING IS CONFIRMED! We have travel dates! We do have our travel meeting via conference call this afternoon, so I'm sure we'll get more idea then, but as of right now....

March 25th (very, very AM) leave for China!
March 26th arrive in Beijing
March 27-29 tour Beijing
March 30 arrive in Changsha
March 31 get Megan!!!!
April 4 arrive in Guangzhou (to US Consulate to get Megan's Visa)
April 7 "ceremony" where we promise to make Megan our forever daughter (DUH!)
April 9 COME HOME (and arrive home...very, very PM)!

YIPPEE!!! We have dates!!!! We have an OFFICIAL time line! Now, let's go....today!!!

Here we come, Megan, to bring you home!!!

Travel Approvals

YEAH!!! Our TA arrived today (a day before they were expected!) YIPPEE!!! Somehow I did not get the email...and Keith assumed I did and didn't say anything until I happened to check his email tonight.

I'm assuming they will request Consulate Appointment today/tomorrow. I'm told that it takes up to 5 days to confirm the CA. I, personally, think we could still go the week I wanted to (March 18th)...but I don't make the decisions, so we'll likely go March 25th as they estimated.

oh my gosh...I am so excited!!!!! It feels SO incredibly real now...we REALLY are going to CHINA to get Megan MeiLin! THIS MONTH!!! wow. I'm overwhelmed. overjoyed. but speechless.

Tentative Dates

Do you think if I would have posted the "no news" post earlier I would have gotten all this good news earlier? Maybe. Who knows!?

On an exciting note...we received an email from our agency last night that TENTATIVELY we are scheduled to get Megan on March 31st. Yes, it is exciting to know...but darn it, I was hoping for the week before. This means we'll likely leave the week of March 24th and return around April 9th. Ugh. That means only 2 weeks before Megan and I leave for the birthday party. Only 2 weeks between when I get OFF a plane and when I get back ON a plane. Oh my. I'm going to have to begin to psych myself up for that one.

Our Travel Approval (TA) is in transit...should be here Friday or Monday. Once it gets here...then the visas can get done, but most importantly the final thing can be scheduled before we leave: the Consulate Appointment (CA). The entire trip rides on what date the CA is. Let's hope it's April 7th or 8th.

On a not-so-exciting note (depending upon your perspective, I guess)...my mom is having major surgery this afternoon. Well, she says it's not too major, but part of the procedure the doctor will stop her heart then restart it. That's major to me. Please pray for her. We pray this will help her to have more energy, feel better and make her heart work better. She'll have to remain at the hospital overnight for observation. I appreciate your prayers for her since I'm sooooo far away and can't be there. Thank goodness for my sister (and maybe one of my brothers too, I'm not sure) who will be there during the entire procedure.

Finally!!! New Photos

Look! She's sitting on her own now!!!!

She's "all grown up"!

Oh my gosh! She has changed so much!!! Now I really can't wait to go and get her!!! Almost counting the days...does look like we'll leave the week of March 17th...YES! 2 weeks! Seem so far away when I consider I won't see her for 3 weeks, but when I think of what needs to done before then...man, that's soon!

No News

Hence the silence from me...every day I think, I should post I haven't heard anything. But then I think, oh we'll get our Travel Approval tomorrow...or we'll get our updated photo tomorrow. Well, that's been several days...and still nothing.

So, I'm posting that I know nut-ting (Hogan's Heroes has been on at my house a few many times in the past few weeks!). We were supposed to get an updated photo this past weekend, but haven't seen it yet. I was hoping for TA before now, still nothing.

Maybe my post will bring both of them! (I HOPE!) I'm still hoping we'll leave the week of March 17th, but it could be the following week (let's pray not). We do have our travel conference call tentatively scheduled for March 12th, so that's a step in the right direction.

Megan's Shower

Almost the entire gang...minus a few

Most everything...not neatly organized!
Megan also got a car seat and wagon not pictured here.

There was a Chinese theme...the food was SCRUMPTIOUS!
And this is pretty much only the sweets side, there was also
homemade wantons, fried rice, and chocolate fondue.

This is a beautiful little blanket my friend Vicki made
for Megan to use on the plane.

This cute little outfit...definitely going to China!
(Since we'll celebrate Easter in China this year.)

We have the sweetest and best-est friends ever! The shower this weekend was so absolutely overwhelming. Megan got so much stuff (as you noticed)! And I could only post a FEW of the photos! I took several!

Thanks everyone...God has certainly blessed us through each of you.

Megan Update

Well, I just received a short update on Megan...she's grown VERY LITTLE since they took her information in November. She's now 12.8 lbs (let's not put that .3lb on all in one day!) and 24.5 in (I think she grew a 1/2 inch). But they did say she is doing "good" (whatever that means). She's just waitin' for her momma and daddy to come now!

This little tyke...wow is she little...can't wait until we can hold and love on her! And hopefully she'll put some pounds on in no time when we get home!

Still waiting for our Travel Approval (TA) which I hope will arrive within the next couple of days as more and more families from other agencies are beginning to receive them today.

Completely Unreal

There have been so many moments since we received referral that I've thought "wow, this is real". (Like when we were going the paperwork with the agency.) But, then I get caught up in the normal routine and can (on some level) forget all about it. After all, we've been in the holding pattern for so long...it felt like we'd purchased a place there permanently (my sister agrees!). Of course, I'd walk past Megan EXTREMELY cluttered, messy, jam-packed room and be reminded, that we--in fact--have received referral! (Now, if only the translation of all our documents will arrive so we can know a little more about little Miss Megan MeiLin!)

This weekend, though...something about TAs beginning to arrive (and Feb coming to a close) has me overwhelmed that this is real. It's not been a wonderful dream. It's real. We know what Megan looks like...we are going to China in about a month! OH MY GOSH! My church family is having a baby shower this afternoon and I think it will be even more real both at the shower and afterwards. Boy, imagine how real it's going to be when we finally get our travel dates. Oh my! I swear, at that point, the stress level will be out the roof! Getting my students, work and home situated is already beginning to stress me out.

To reduce the stress (and shorten the "before we leave" to-do list), I did spend some time yesterday getting a list of easy-to-prepare meals on the fridge (meals that we have all the ingredients for already...or are already prepared in the freezer). If the list is prepared, it will require very little brain work as we are recovering from jet lag. I've reviewed my many "travel suggestions" I've accumulated over the past several years. I've reassessed my packing list...made changes. Oh, and I've determined this weekend what clothes I'm taking (we still need to work on DH--but I know what kinds of clothes, just need specifics). Having all these things done help reduce the stress...it's the "what are we going to forget" thing that's getting me.

SO MUCH TO DO!!! SO LITTLE TIME!!!! Just repeat: It will all get done....deep breath..it's going to be fine...it's all going to be fine.

Travel Approvals

While ours has NOT arrived, a few others who received their referrals with us have received theirs! So, they have begun arriving!

Up to this point, I'm cruising along...doing what I need to do for work, school, home, etc. Once we get TA, I just know I'm going to come to a dead stop once ours arrive. Not only will it be completely real at that point, but we'll have dates on when we will leave, meet Megan and (best of all) come home.

The agency had us send our passports yesterday, they should arrive on Monday. We must be getting close to ours arriving too...so there you have it travel approvals (TAs) are on the way! Lord willing, ours will arrive early next week! Gettin' closer!

Is It Possible???

I'm not even sure if I should blog this yet...but I think it is an awesome illustration of what God can do. So here goes...

Back last Spring, our church did a RCCares Ministry project for an orphanage my friend works with in China. They did not have running water, and we collected money for the China Well Project (to helped fund the orphanage to dig a well and, in fact, they were also able to get a purification system so they won't want to boil it any longer!). Anyways, the staff decided to also give us $1,500 for Megan's orphanage to use to meet needs at her orphanage. We were overwhelmed at the time. We had NO IDEA what doors it could open for us when it was time to find out WHAT orphanage she was at, or when we would bring her home.

I found out today. The director of our adoption agency is in China right now doing humanitarian work at the three Hunan orphanages the girls from our travel group are currently living. I emailed to find out if he could tell me how best to meet the needs as Shaoyang orphanage. He was so grateful that the church would donate money and offered either 1) to find out what needs they have for us to purchase the items when we arrived OR 2) to pool the money with funds he had already alloted to give to Shaoyang and purchase the items right now while he is there. I felt that giving him the funds to meet the needs NOW is the best option (for a number of reasons not excluding the positive impact it could have on our agency--and other China families with the agency--in future relations with China). He then...and here's the miracle...asked IF he could arrange for us to visit her orphanage to see the donated items, would we be interested?

If you remember in my previous post, since her orphanage is so far away and many orphanages do not allow families to visit, I figured there would be no way for us to visit on this trip. I figured maybe when we go back when Megan is older on a "homeland tour" we could visit, but I NEVER expected to be able to visit now! Look how good God is...that because of the kindness of our church family almost a year ago, we may be able to visit her orphanage because of the items that will be purchased.

Is that not amazing? I'm flying on cloud nine...and it's still only a possibility. It might not happen, but the possibility is simply exciting to me!!!

Happy 9 months old!

Today Megan is 9 months old!

How we wish we could mark it with you, baby girl!!!! Maybe we'll be together to mark your 10 month? Okay, maybe shortly after!

What do I love?

Being Valentines and all...I thought I'd post some of what I love...

Miss Megan MeiLin, of course! While knowing what she looks like brings me to a new kind of love for her, I've loved her for many, many years. I'm not sure if it started back in 1999 when I knew I had a daughter in China or in 2000 when I began praying for our children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Or maybe it was when finally began the process to bring our Megan home. But at some point in there, I have loved her. Seeing her face last week makes me love her even more...to know who she is and where she is brings a new level of love.


Of course, I would be remiss if I didn't mention my wonderful husband. (And maybe he should be posted in the #1 spot, but my new love took it!) While he's an "old" love, its gotten sweeter with age. I've been in love with him for more than 11 years. I often reflect how different my life would be if I had not met him. And I must say that I think it would not be as fulfilling as it is right now. I could come up with a laundry list of things I have right now that I would have without him, but they would be minor compared to the fact that I wouldn't have him in my life. He is such an amazing, wonderful man. Really most words fall far short of explaining and describing how much I love him and what he means to me.


Happy Valentine's Day, my loves!

Our Document In Transit

We just found out that our document we signed saying "Yes! This is our daughter!" was sent to China today!!!!!

And now we wait...again.

Now we are waiting for our Travel Approval (TA). This is our invitation to come to visit the country so we can apply for our travel visas. These come within 2-5 weeks of sending the document back to China. I'm thinking it will probably be about 3 weeks, but one never knows.

One step closer to bring our Megan MeiLin home!!!!

Where is Megan?

Shaoyang CWI

Megan is located in Hunan province, as I mentioned before. But we have found more information about her orphanage. First off, we found a photo of her orphanage! I don't know when it was taken, but I found the photo at Half The Sky (HTS) as they have program there. This is good news. HTS is a program that hires nannies to come and work with the children so they can be more developmentally on target. They nurture the babies and decrease the nanny-to-child ratio so each child can receive more one-on-one attention. HTS is a non-profit program which does not increase costs to the orphanage. We have sponsored various programs with HTS. In fact, this past Christmas, several family members received the present from us of sponsoring a nanny for a month (and who knows...it could have been Megan's nanny!).

It would also appear that this is a very small orphanage. According to here, there are only 68 children there. Of course, I don't know when that number was recorded as the program began there in 2003. There is also more information about the city of Shaoyang.

It looks like her city is likely 2 hours away from where we will be in Changsha. So, I would say it's safe to say that Megan will be hungry, cranky, tired and in a need of a diaper change when we meet her! And I don't think we will be given the opportunity to go to her orphanage since it is so far away. It would be neat to do so, but maybe we can do that when we got back to visit one day. It's been so neat to read more information about where she is right now.

More Information

Megan MeiLin
Here's one of the photos (my personal favorite is in the previous post)

No, I haven't fallen off the place of the earth...but my head has been the clouds! Does that count? God is so good. A little about getting "the call".

I was carrying BOTH phones with me everywhere I went around the house. I wanted to make sure that I had them on hand when the call came. I was very peaceful all morning as I busily worked on grading papers and getting caught up with my students. At about 11:30am, I couldn't help but wonder if the package had arrived, and then my mind began to wander, so I quit working. As I was making lunch, the doorbell rang (and the dogs went crazy, they HATE it when they miss someone at the door and the doorbell rings!). I noticed there was no one there, so I figured it must have been the mail carrier. So I looked out, and sure enough a package. I was not expecting anything...so I was pleasantly surprised by a beautiful Angelbear Lovie (with Megan's name on it!) from my friend Melissa. I was so blessed by the timing of this precious lovie. I sat holding the precious angel watching my soap opera, waiting for time to pass and the call to come. About 2pm, I began to wonder where-oh-where is my call! I figured it was 3pm NY time...surely the package had arrived! Then at about 2:10pm, my cell phone started ringing. I was expecting Keith to call, but I realized it was a little early for him...looked at caller id...and it was Rachael our social worker! I immediately got a lump in my throat...she said "kris"...immediately the tears started! I couldn't even speak! I think I did squeak out...just a minute, let me get my note sheet. She told me the basic information--asked me what questions I had--and I still couldn't speak as the tears just flowed! Hung up with her...immediately called Keith. I was able to remain somewhat composed to tell him the info. He acted so calm and cool...wrote it all down then immediately went to tell some of the ladies he works with (he works with almost all ladies, bless him!). He was supposed to be leaving work at 2:30, and Rachael had said it was going to probably be an hour before we get the photos. So I was glad I didn't have the temptation sitting there waiting for me! While I was waiting for Keith I called all the usual suspects: Nana, Grandpa, Auntie, and a couple of friends. Then I waited. The phone kept ringing as each of them called me back for more information...and I waited for the photos and for Keith to get home.

Finally, at 3:10 or so, I called Keith to see how close he was to home...we were nearing our hour since the call and I figured the photos could arrive at any moment. And what does he tell me? He is JUST LEAVING THE OFFICE???? I said: What? Get your butt home! We could be getting those photos any minute now! You better speed home! At about 4:30, still no pictures, so I called Rachael...she wasn't in the office! WHAT?! Finally at a few minutes after 5pm, the photos showed up and she called to tell us that she had a meeting at the corporate office and had gotten stuck in traffic on the way back to the office.

While it was so hard to wait until almost 5pm to see her precious face, I'm so glad Keith made it home and we were able to see them together. Our hearts were overflowing with love and joy at this precious girl that the Lord has given us to raise! She is certainly more than we expected. And I couldn't help but think of something Hannah said about Samuel recorded I Samuel 1. We have a figurine in Megan's room that has a paraphrased version on it: "I prayed for this child and the Lord answered my prayer and gave her to me. Now I dedicate her to the Lord. She will belong to the Lord all her life. " Boy does that say it all for us!

Some basic information we know about our precious Megan: she likes music, she laughs, she can locate the direction of a voice, she's fond of playing with toys, she is impatient sometimes, she's active and restless. She is close to a caretaker (who's name is written in Chinese on the documents). Her weight of 12.5lbs was taken in November when she was 6 months old. She really is a tiny baby girl. And one of the youngest in our travel group...and certainly the smallest of the ones I've seen thus far. We are blessed beyond words! Thank you for following our journey, which has now taken the turn we've been waiting for: raising a precious darling from China!

Introducing Our Daughter

Megan MeiLin

Birthdate: May 18, 2007

Age: 8.5 months

Weight: about 12.5 lbs

Province: Hunan (Known for "Spicy Girls"!)

We feel so blessed!
MeiLin (pronounced May-Lynn) is after Auntie Katie Mae & Nana Lin
We'll get more information tomorrow.

Surprisingly, she looks a lot like Ian! And her expression...just like many of the photos we have of him! God is so good!!!

Referrals Have Begun Arriving!!

Not ours...don't get your hopes up, yet! We're definitely Monday.

So...I'm getting to sit back and relax to see the ones that arrive before us!!! The person that I know of is on the West Coast...she still knows no details, they simply got the call they had arrived! Everything is being translated! She's logged in 6 days after us. Someone with the same date as got the call, very young little girl...another person on the 27th, also got the call, but I don't know any information. I'M SO EXCITED!!!!

See...Europe, West Coast, East Coast. Crazy, I know.

It's Official...We're Overdue

I feel like a pregnant woman a week past her due date.

While I didn't experience that with Ian, I CLEARLY remember my mom being 2 weeks overdue with my little sister (I was 10). She wouldn't leave the house...every time she did, people would say, "you haven't that baby yet?". Of course, my response would be: "No, I have, I'm just this fat! Obviously, I haven't! Thanks for pointing that out, I might not have known otherwise." (of course, I didn't get the snide remark skills from her, she would NEVER have thought--let alone say--such a thing!) Anyways, she got very sick of it. So we rode our bikes to the store for the small incidentals so people wouldn't ask the question. (I grew up in a small town, everyone was in everyone's business.)

No...the baby's not here yet. We're officially past our due date. In fact, as of last night, they hadn't even been mailed to our agency yet!? News is it will likely be the beginning of next week before they arrive. How in the world am I supposed to wait ANOTHER weekend? HOW? Do tell...

Maybe I should stay in the house...and not answer the phone.

Update: The agency called DHL...they were sent yesterday (or was that today, only yesterday our time? anyways....)they will arrive Monday!! I don't know what time...but MONDAY! For sure!

It's close!

Apparently referrals are arriving in Europe!!! WOOHOO!!! So, it's likely they will begin arriving in the US later today! Typically (for some reason), they arrive on the West Coast before they arrive on the East Coast. And as luck would have it, our China agency is in NY. Although I'm still holding out hope we'll receive it today, tomorrow is more likely.

I'll take Thursday...that's only 24 hours away!!!!

We are finally down to HOURS!

We're almost there!!!

So...I wake up this morning...after a weekend of realizing Monday is not going to be "the" day either since we've heard NOTHING...to see that a couple of large agencies are telling their families that matching have begun. What's matching? It's where they match babies with families. What's this mean? Well, typically it means that referrals will begin arriving within the next couple of days! For some reason, by the time we hear about matching, they are likely done or almost done matching and the referrals are getting ready to be mailed...oh my gosh we've almost reached the summit!!!

I've been waiting for this news...and now it's here!!! WOOHOO!!! Only a couple days of waiting left! What's your best guess? Tuesday? Wednesday? or Thursday? I'm guessing Wednesday...I'm hoping Wednesday...I'm praying Tuesday! (But, I'll take Wednesday!)

Well, It's Not Today!

Referrals are not going to arrive on Friday, the 25th. Darn it. In fact, there has pretty much been not a stitch of rumor news. Since China is 12 hrs ahead of us...it's already the weekend. So, lookin' like Sunday night/Monday morning before we'll hear anything. Bummer. It's going to be a busy weekend anyways...and...

Hopefully, our LAST weekend without our referral!

What a week!

And it's only Wednesday!!!! So, let's see...


1. WE BOUGHT A NEW CAR! Our Explorer has been giving us problems for a few months and we pretty much knew it's days were numbered. So, we've spent the past couple of weeks researching and went looking (aka shopping for us, we never just look!) on Monday. We test drove this one...and realized it was THE car (even though we had planned on buying a used one)! The new model has quite a few more safety features the previous models do not--it was a huge factor in our decision, and the price was not really all that much different. So, there you have it. We are the new owners of a 2008 Ford Escape. The color is interesting, officially called "Light Sage", but looks a little gray or cream with a hint of green. Interior is a light tan (they call it camel). Can I just say: LOVE IT!

2. The Spring semester started yesterday...figured out yesterday there were things that were screwed up in the class, so I frantically worked on fixing them before the students figured it out! Man, I swear I can do all the planning in the world...and it STILL does not go right! And I really need to figure out a routine for checking 2 classes...tracking it all, etc. I'm trying not to get stressed, yet anyways!

3. We are just days away from referral...I'm hoping they will be mailed on Friday so we'll get them the beginning of next week. I'm thinking though, with not one rumor, they'll likely not be mailed this week. As long as we get it next week, I'll be happy! (Of course, if I had a choice, I'd prefer it be toward the beginning of the week! haha)

So there you have it...a crazy, exciting week! And next week...well, it will top them all!

One week left...

(Well, and maybe a few days)...but it's so exciting!!!! It just doesn't seem possible! The day is finally arriving!!!! It brings back memories when I was pregnant with Ian and they told me I was having him that weekend (over a month early). I remember thinking, "you have GOT to be kidding me! The day has arrived"...and I didn't really even get to think about it..until I was in labor for 36 hours...had lots of thinking time then! haha.

So...we are in the final days of this pregnancy with a gestation period longer than an elephant....25 months not counting the time of gathering the documents, etc. which would bring it up to 32 months. geesh.

No rumors...which why would THIS month be any different than the previous few!? I'm just hoping they are mailed THIS week...so we'll have our referral the beginning of next week...please let it be so!

It is Finished...Kinda

I am finished with the doctorate from the standpoint of the coursework. I passed my oral exams on Thursday morning (although technically I think it was around noon). At any rate, that part is finished. Now, I have the part most people falter at--the dissertation. See at this point you don't have regularly scheduled classes or a syllabus schedule created by someone else to follow. It's simply you. All up to your dedication, focus and discipline. My discipline says a year...we'll see if I can get it done in that time frame. I sure hope so! I want to be able to strictly focus on Megan as soon as possible! Yes, I will do that for a few months, but beginning this summer, research and writing is going to have to move up on the to-do list so I can ultimately get it off the list!

So there you have it...I'm officially a "Doctoral Candidate"...whatever that means!

And then there were 2...

Two weeks to go...I am truly in shock.

It seems unbelievable. I sure wish I knew WHEN exactly we'll get the THE call. And I sure wish Keith & I could be together when we did get the call...but doesn't look like that will happen, unfortunately. Oh yes, I could (aka maybe should) wait to open the email with her photo until he comes home. But seeing as how I cannot wait to give him his birthday presents once I buy them....I'm thinking I couldn't wait to open the email until he gets home. Unless, of course, he is on his way home...but even then, I honestly don't think I could wait!

Will it be Friday the 25th??? Monday the 28th???? (Or Tuesday or Wednesday?) Or not until Thursday the 31st???

Matter how to you look at it...very soon!!!

TWO WEEKS!

1 down, 3 to go

At least that's my best guess...three weeks left before we get referral! AAAAHHHHHH!!!!! I will admit that the excitement has not yet returned to the level it was last month (when we thought we'd be getting it at the beginning of Jan), but I'm sure it will return soon. Heck right now most of my friends and family are almost more excited than I feel right now. Don't get me wrong, I am excited, but I'm not like I was last month. Last month, I couldn't stop smiling every time I thought about it. This month...not yet. I'm sure next week or maybe the week after that the smile will return and not leave!

Since I spent so much time the week of Christmas working on finalizing my packing list and purchasing items, I'm turning my focus to house and school things. My classes are all ready for the semester to begin, so I can focus on the dissertation and creating the plan. (No, I haven't gotten that done yet! Unfortunately. And the motivation to do so seems to have dissipated, I'm sad to report.) I have to do this now. I just have to. I'll never get this done by my goal date if I don't get moving on it! I'm meeting with my major professor next week--after my oral exams. So I need to be ready to truly discuss it with her. At this point, I'm not really ready. But I have a week, so I'll be ready by then. Short goal deadlines...that's the only way it's going to get done!

To make it even more complicated right now...my only living grandparent--my grandma--turns 90 in March. My dad & uncle want to have an open house for her and they have opted for late April so that I can be there too. (I am so thankful! I wanted to be there but thought I'd have to miss it because we'd be in China!) Apparently, Grandma is really excited about Megan; she loves babies! So, somehow it's all going to work out. I had planned on taking Megan back to SD at the end of April, but it might end up being a little earlier in April than I had planned. Now, let's pray we return from China by the end of March so I've got a few more weeks to recover before leaving again! And how am I going to grade online postings and papers for up to 44 students this semester as well? (And that's 4 papers per student, too!) I have no idea whatsoever. Can we say stress????? Yep. I'm a glutton for punishment.

Stylin' and Profilin'

A few weeks ago I was at Hobby Lobby and saw this pre-made flannel material. It was a bit spendy (for my likings anyways), but absolutely adorable. They had a couple of similar ones that were really cute, too. I talked to my MIL, who sews literally hundreds of blankets a month, to see if she'd be willing to simply sew a piece of flannel on the back and tie it. She agreed and did it in a matter of hours. It turned out SO CUTE! I absolutely love it! It's not too thick because it doesn't have any batting in it, but not too light since it's double thickness.

Megan will be stylin' and profilin' with this cute blanket with her! Now the question is...should we take it to China or not? Hhhmmm...

February or Bust

Well, our agency just called...they are not hopeful that we are in this month. The cutoff is still not official, but it seem it is 12/19. Man does that stink.

So...onward and upward...looking forward to the next batch. They will do at least one day (us) next month. Last year the February batch came on the 1st...so looks like it will be the last week of Jan or first few days of Feb. Then travel sometime in March.