All Packed

I can hardly believe that we are packed and ready to leave for China! 6 people traveling for 21 days with only 3 suitcases. We leave in 12 days. Time is really starting to fly by now. I still have to pack the girls carry-on back-packs with new games and books but that can wait until next week. I'm just happy to have the big stuff done. I still have to wash a few outfits for Kaiden to toss in there but it's pretty much done. Now we just have to wait.

Intra-China

Our intra-China flights and hotels have been booked and paid for. We won't receive our exact itinerary until 3 - 5 days before we travel. Just 3 more weeks to go! Lots of packing for the trip and packing up of the house as well. We will be moving somewhere shortly after we return home from China. The less I have to pack with a new toddler at home, the better! We are packing lightly for China though. Intra-China flights have a 44 pound luggage limit and the friends that we are staying with have a washer/dryer that we can use. Of course this means many of our pictures will look like they were taken on the same day because we'll be wearing the same clothes!

Consulate Appointment

We'll be in China in 4 weeks! We received our appointment with the American Consultate today for March 31. Now we have our tentative itinerary. This means we are able to book our international flights. Once those are paid for, then our agency will begin scheduling our intra-China flights & hotel. Here is what our schedule looks like:

3/13 - Depart U.S. in the afternoon

3/14 - Arrive in Beijing

3/16 – Gotcha Day! (this is the day that we meet Kaiden and get to take him with us)

3/17 – Finalize Adoption at Civil Affairs

3/18 – 3/27 – Enjoy your time in Beijing! (spending this time with our friends that currently live there)

3/27 – Receive your child’s passport

3/28 - Fly to Guangzhou on the morning

3/31 - AC appointment

4/1 - Family goes to AC to pick up passport with visa and take oath in the afternoon then fly back to Beijing

4/2 – Depart China (and arrive back home on the same day because of the the time change)

Travel Approval

Travel Approval arrived today! Now our agency has to apply for our appointment with the US Consulate in Guangdzou to finalize the adoption in China. Once we have that, then we can make travel arrangements. That should only take 2 - 3 business days to get. We could still be in China in just 4 weeks!

Tentative Timeline

Here is what our schedule while in China will tentatively look like:

Here’s a current GWCA schedule for a family adopting from Beijing (I used tentative dates, yours will be for a different week, same time frame):

3/6 – Depart for China

3/7 – Arrive in Beijing

3/9 – Meet your child

3/10 – Adoption finalized

3/11-3/19 – Sightseeing and enjoying your time in Beijing

3/20 – Receive your child’s passport

3/21 – Fly to Guangzhou

3/23 – Consulate appointment

3/24 – Receive child’s visa

3/25 – Fly back to the US

The trip for a family adopting from Beijing is longer than for families adopting from many other provinces (although not as long as some). The standard trip is not quite 3 weeks long.

No News Is

Just no news. I supposed I needed to be reminded of that hard lesson on patience that I've been taught this past year. We were very hopeful that we would receive Travel Approval on Friday but we did not. We are still hopeful that we could receive it within the next few days. CCAA would have worked all week-end so that they could have this week off for travel to celebrate Chinese New Year (Spring Festival). If we don't receive it within a few days, it will most likely be a few more weeks. Pre-travel arrangements continue to be made though. Our VISA applications are due on Wednesday. My dear friend who currently lives in Beijing where her husband is currently employed, continues to make preparations for our arrival. She has thought of more things than I did already. She has turned out to be more of a blessing than I could have imagined. I'm looking forward to visiting her and her family when we arrive.

Another Outfit

Shopping for boys is honestly, just not fun at all. I did have a little fun today looking for outfits for Garrett. Not nearly as fun as it would have been for a girl, but definitely cheaper! While picking out a few boy outfits for Garrett (Jeff & Sue didn't know the sex of the baby so they only had neutral clothing) I found a few things on clearance for Kaiden. Of course when trying to find a present for Garrett from their cousins and Uncle Pete, nothing on clearance was exactly what I was looking for. I stumpled upon a rack of Michigan/Michigan State clothing. Nothing on clearance and nothing on sale either. But I knew Uncle Pete would want to get the baby a Michigan outfit. I caved and bought Kaiden one as well. It's too cute! For a boy that is. I justified by saying that everything else I've bought for him is not so cute and was pretty darn cheap. Here it is: