We're Going to CHINA!!!

Both Kevin and I are so excited we can hardly sleep at night! The Tylenol PM is flowing at our house! And it is only getting worse. You think that you have reached the height of excitement and anticipation and then it goes one level higher. What we are most anxious for is to have Mia and settle into normal life with a family of five. But in the meantime, we think more and more of the events in our more immediate future.

On September 6th, dear friends are planning a toddler shower for Mia! I went with Michelle and the girls to register on Saturday night. It became a four hour ordeal at Toys-R-Us and Target but WHAT FUN!! Every new step makes it seem more real that we are actually going to bring that darling little girl home.

And then September 13th, the trip begins. We just received our itinerary. And now it seems so official!

Sept 14: Arriving in Beijing by NW 29 at 21;35

Staying in Wang Fu Jing Grand Hotel in Beijing

Sept 15: Local sightseeing: visit the Forbidden City and the Great Wall

Sept 16: Fly from Beijing to Guangzhou at 09:15,

Arriving Guangzhou at 12:20, White Swan Hotel

WE MEET MIA!!!

Sept 17: Registration and notarization

Sept 18: Apply passport, visit Shang Xia Jiu Pedestrian Shopping Street

Sept 19: Local sightseeing: visit Six Banyan Temple & Family Chen’s Temple

Sept 20: Local sightseeing: visit White Cloud Mountain Park

Sept 21: Local sightseeing: Yuexiu Park & Zoo

Sept 22: Local sightseeing: Liu Hua Hu Park

Sept 23: Getting legal documents, taking visa photo and Physical check

Sept 24: Visa appointment at 10:30

Sept 25: Swearing in the ceremony at the Consulate, getting the visa

Sept 26: Leave Guangzhou at 08:20.

And on that same day, we arrive home to greet family and friends at the airport! And real life begins again with all of our girls tucked in their beds... the moment we have waited for since January 15th when we first laid eyes on our newest daughter, Mia.

Mia's Room

We have transformed Kevin's green "manly" office into a sweet pink ladybug room, perfectly fit for our new daughter! Let's hope she loves pink!! Her sisters Emma and Savannah, are ready to have her here in person! Her friend Tian is too!

A Look Back to Summer

Even though I was pretty consumed with waiting for our LOA, we had a great summer!

We had a great time at the lake with some wonderfully, supportive friends.
























The girls also had time to play with friends!

And Better...

We are going earlier! Can you believe it? We had an "urgent" call from our agency this morning and of course, we could only think the worst.... something had happened with Mia! But it was just a change in the Consulate Appointment which meant frantic phone calls with itinerary changes approved in China and new tickets issued by the travel agency and "change fees" charged... but HEY! We're going to see MIa two days earlier - PRICELESS!

So here is the new plan...

September 13th Leave Asheville and tour Beijing for a few days

September 16th Leave Beijing, fly to Guangzhou, and hug Mia for the very first time

September 24th American Consulate appointment

September 26th Return home and hug all three girls at the very same time

For some reason, by changing these dates, we are able to spend less time away from our girls at home! For that we are very thankful!

And believe it or not, all of those frantic changes took place during my lunch hour (20 minutes for a teacher) at school.

And It Just Keeps Getting Better!!

The dates our set! Our itinerary is approved! Our tickets are paid! And here is the plan:

9/15 Leave Asheville airport and travel to Beijing for our cultural tour of the capital city

9/18 Travel to Guangzhou for "Daddy Mama Mia" Day, or as some call it "Gotcha Day" or "Forever Family Day" but it is the main event! The reason we're going! The day we finally get to hold that sweet girl!!

10/1 Back home to Asheville after a long day of travel!

School starts tomorrow! So we will focus on school during the day and juggle packing lists in the evenings! Hopefully someday in October I'll start sleeping again!

Travel Approval

For the past 24 hours, we have said to each other... "another 2 weeks and we will probably get TA!" TA is travel approval and it means we can plan our trip to finally put our arms around Mia!

Well today was my first day back at school! And I have no computer in my room at the moment! So I went to another teacher's classroom to check my email. I was surprised to find new measurements for Mia on an email from our agency. Awhile ago, I heard that updated measurements might come with the TA.... so I literally ran back to my room to find my phone beeping with a message from Mei at our agency in Charleston! The phone was busy when I returned the call so I had to wait for an eternity (3 - 4 minutes) until I finally got a voice at the other end! OUR TA HAD COME ALREADY! I couldn't believe it! I screamed! Told everyone! Tried to call Kevin! Finally hopped in the car and ran to find him! We are celebrating today! Almost to the last step in the process!!

So... as our friends and family watch the sights on the Olympics, know that we will be there soon! On the Great Wall, in Tiananmen Square, at the Summer Palace in just one month from now! Our tentative plan is to leave September 13th and tour Beijing for a few days. We will then fly to Guangzhou where we will meet Mia! We should arrive home on September 26th! All of this hinges on the Consulate appointment being scheduled for September 24th... hopefully it will be set in stone in a few days!

We are grinning from ear-to-ear tonight! It is really going to happen!!! MIA! We're coming!