Itinerary

Hi everyone; Jimmy and I finally have our itinerary, here are some of the highlights... We leave the U.S. on April 5th and fly from Providence to Newark, and then Newark to Beijing. We arrive in China on Friday in the afternoon. The next day, we are going to the Great Wall with all the 27 families, definitely can't wait to go there! On the 8th, we will be going to the Forbidden City and an Acrobatic Show in the evening. On April 9th, we will fly with only 3 other families to Nanning in the Guangxi Province and in the afternoon, we will finally have Laina in our arms! You will all be asleep after eating your chocolate Easter Bunnies...We stay in that area for 7 days, getting to know our babies and doing local sightseeing, etc.,as well as getting legal documents, etc. From there, we fly to Guangzhou, where we will meet up with all the families again, this time, with all the new children. The Consulate is there, we will have the 'swearing in ceremony' and enjoy that beautiful area for 3 days and then on the 19th, fly back home.We are so excited we can't even stand it! The next 11 days are going to go by in a blur. Laina, here we come! Here is a nice photo by a man named Frank Pettit, of the Hills of Guangxi.

Other China Babies

Hi All; Just thought you might appreciate these China cuties! 16 panda cubs, including 5 sets of twins, in Sichuan, China. I just might stay in China as this guy's assistant! I love the little one looking in the box.(Thanks for the photo,Sarah.) We are busily finishing Laina's room, will post a photo when it's set up. Packing, making lists, getting ready for our meeting tomorrow; we are psyched to meet the other families that we are traveling with, 27 families in all. Wow!

Blog Visitor Tips

Jimmy and I love to read the "comments" from our posts, you can just click on the word 'comments'and type a message in the box that comes up. Also, did you notice that the Weather Girl on the right side of the blog changes her clothes? We added a Chinese Horoscope link to click on too; look up your birth year for fun. Jimmy is a Rabbit, Nancy is an Oxen, and Laina is the Year of the Dog. Looks like we'll get along just fine! China, Here We Come!

China Bound

Finally we have our travel dates. as we thought we'll be leaving Providence R.I. on April 5th at 6:00am (which means at the terminal@4:00) for a short trip to the beautiful city of Newark N.J. then a 4 hour layover and then board our plane, and proceed directly past go, to BEIJING. Haven't gotten our in- china itinerary yet, expect that and all the other relevent info on Friday. Now the real journey begins.
Will be back sometime......maybe!This photo is of a village near where we'll be heading in the Guangxi province........beautiful hey.

Almost Time to Go!

We still do not have our exact travel dates, but we do have our Consulate appointment scheduled in Guangzhou on April 17. This means we can figure on going somewhere around April 3rd-6th-ish..SOON! YAY!We are energized now, finishing Laina's room, making piles of stuff to pack and lots and lots of lists. In Beijing, where we start our trip, the average temperature in April is a low of 47*F and a high of 67*, and in Nanning, where we will go to get Laina and stay for a while, has an average of 77 high and 65 low. Sounds pretty good! We were able to send a Care Package to her at the orphanage; in it we put a disposable camera, a toy, a blankie, a 'Baby's First Photo Album' with pictures of us and our families, etc. and some candy for the people who open the package. All we really care about is getting that camera back! We had a friend translate a letter inside asking them to take pictures of her, her caregivers, her friends and her cribmate, etc. This is something that other adoptive parents have done in the past and got back much-cherished photos of the time before bringing the baby home. I like to put a photo on my posts so here's Laina again just because she is so beautiful!

Paper Cutting

This is a photo of a paper cutting that hangs in Nancy's parents' dining room. They traveled to China more than once, but this cutting was a gift for their 50th anniversary from their friend, Pei Ying, who was a guide on one of the trips. Paper cutting was invented during the Han Dynasty(207 B.C. - 22 A.D.) In Chinese, the cutouts are called "window flowers". No matter how complicated, every design must be cut out as an unbroken, continuous peice and requires extensive patience and creativity. In this one, there is a Dragon and a Phoenix, as well as chrysanthemums. The Dragon and the Phoenix often serve as metaphors for matrimonial harmony, and the 'mums' are a symbol for long life. Enjoy!

A Friend for Laina

I am attempting to post today from "afar" to practice before the trip. This is a picture of my friend's daughter, Annabelle who was born in the Hunan Province. She is adorable! And what a good helper with opening presents at the Baby Shower; I think she was hoping to take this doggie home...Laina and I will definitely have 'play dates' with her and her Mom, Stephanie.

Packing and Planning

Here's an update: We now have a Travel Meeting with all of the families that are traveling with us(27!) scheduled for March 23rd. Still no exact travel dates but we have been in touch with our agency and they are trying their best to make our appointments in China for early April, as there is a large Trade Fair in mid-April there. Meanwhile, we are making piles of stuff to pack, reading up on the regulations for carry-ons and baby formula and making shopping lists! Today, I will sort all the baby clothes to bring to China from the Shower, which are still "on display"! We can't seem to put them away, guess it makes us feel closer to her. We assembled a new high chair at the table, can't wait until she is in it! For fun, here are some of the cute "fortunes" that were inside homemade cookies at the shower...

" Diaper spelled backward is repaid. Think about it."

"Children are a great comfort in your old age, and they help you reach it faster too"

"You know your children are growing up when they stop asking you where they came from and refuse to tell you where they are going"

" In raising my children, I have lost my mind, but found my soul"