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!!!
Monday, March 31, 2008
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!
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!
Sunday, March 30, 2008
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.
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.
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.
Saturday, March 29, 2008
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!
Rickshaw Ride in Old BeijingWe 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, March 28, 2008
Friday in Beijing
At Tian'anmen SquareThen 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...
Thursday, March 27, 2008
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.
Wednesday, March 26, 2008
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!
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 airAnd 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".
Monday, March 24, 2008
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!!!
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!!!
Sunday, March 23, 2008
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!?)
Saturday, March 22, 2008
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!).
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!).
Thursday, March 20, 2008
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!
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!
Tuesday, March 18, 2008
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!)
Sunday, March 16, 2008
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!!!
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!!!
Friday, March 14, 2008
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???
Wednesday, March 12, 2008
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!!!
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!!!
Thursday, March 06, 2008
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.
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.
Wednesday, March 05, 2008
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.
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.
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