December 12th & 13th

We are in Taiyuan (where we get Emma)!

Our "day" started at 4:00am Friday when we checked in at Sea Tac and ended at 9:30pm Saturday night when we landed at the Taiyuan airport.

Today we are going shopping to get last minute stuff and hopefully meet up with the other family that is adopting the same day we are.  

I need a nap.

A Good Cause

Robeez, a company that makes shoes for infants and toddlers, is donating up to $250,000 in shoes to the organization Kids in Distressed Situations. All you have to do is go to www.seasonofgiving.robeez.com and send e-cards to friends and families. You will also be entered into a drawing to win a shoes and socks set, which would look great on Emma.

I do not like cold!

It is supposed to be 28 degrees when we arrive in Taiyuan. We will be in Taiyuan for 6 days then we move onto Guangzhou where the weather is sunny and 75 degrees. Can you say packing dilemma? How do you pack for a 50 degree difference?

Any suggestions?

We are FINALLY going to China!

Here is our itinerary...

December 12th - Leave Seattle at 7:30 am

December 13th - Arrive in Shanghai at 5:45 pm (Spend the night in Shanghai)

December 14th - Leave Shanghai at 10:35 am and arrive in Taiyuan at 12:30 pm

Try to relax!

December 15th - Get our daughter!!!!!!!

December 16th - Interview with Civil Affairs and Justice Dept and apply for Emma's passport

December 17th - Tour of Taiyuan and shopping

December 18th - Pick up our notary documents

December 19th - My birthday! Pick up Emma's passport and fly to Guangzhou at 4:00 pm

December 20th - Emma's medical check up

December 21st - Guangzhou Zoo

December 22nd - Interview with US Consulate

December 23rd - Pick up Emma's visa

December 24th - Free Day

December 25th - Leave Guangzhou at 8:00 am

Arrive in Shanghai at 10:00 am

Leave Shanghai 1:45 pm

Arrive in San Francisco 8:00 am

Leave San Francisco 10:30 am

Arrive in Seattle 12:45 pm (yeah home)

We are going to go get this cutie!

The end is in sight

I spoke with our woman at the adoption agency yesterday and we should be traveling in about two months!

Now all of those things that I said I wanted to do before she arrives, I really have to get started on.

Here is my list (This way it is written for the world to see so now I really have to do them)

1. paint and add a pad to the top of Emma's toy chest
2. refinish the rocking chair (it is the one from when I was a baby and is 1970's dark brown)
3. paint Emma's room and put it all together
4. finish her blanket (I just need to put the finishing touches on it)

And put the rest of our new house together. Oh by the way, we've moved.
Don't worry about me, I'll be fine.

Thank you so very, very much!

I received almost 120 fabric squares for Emma's quilt. Thank you so much! I just finished figuring out the placement for the squares and we will, hopefully, sew it all up this weekend. I will definitely post the quilt when we finish.

It was very exciting to see people really getting into the process and writing wonderful wishes & prayers for Emma.

On the timeline front, it seems that it is getting pushed back. I don't know if things are slowing down or if the Olympics are messing with things, but depending on who I speak with at the adoption agency we will be able to travel sometime between June and September. We'll see.

We are staying busy though. We need to move closer to Ft. Lewis for Jake's new job in the Army, so we have put an offer on a house in Fife. Yes, Fife. We decided that it would be better to move before Emma comes home so we are trying to get everything in order as soon as possible. So, if you know of anyone looking to rent a house in Kenmore. Send them our way.

As soon as all of the papers are signed for the home, I'll post pics. It really is very nice. I think it will take awhile to get used to the idea that I live in Fife. I am such a north-end snob!

It's nice to get away.

I went on vacation last week with my mom, sister and brother-in-law to Hawaii. It was very warm and we were very lazy, which was nice. We saw lots of waterfalls and went to a botanical garden full of beautiful tropical flowers. And I ate many, many cups of shaved ice.

Have you ever seen berries like these before?

And look what I came home to!! I love my husband.

Some of you may know that we were having problems getting our I-171H form. This was the last form that we needed to get before our paperwork was sent to China. We were given the run around for over a month, but while I was on vacation Jake drove over to Yakima and asked them in person for the form and they completed it for him, then and there. We were told we weren't supposed to do this, but desparate times call for desparate measures. We are already on a pretty tight timeline with Jake going to school and this month long delay did not help matters. Again, I love my husband.