Wednesday, March 5

Wednesday, March 5

This has been a tough day all around.  Just before lunch, Adam and I had to say goodbye to our boys, which just about broke my heart.  I know they are in REALLY good hands, but I still miss them terribly.

My Dad drove us over to Seattle to catch our flight.  Our plane wasn't scheduled to leave until6:30pm, but we wanted to be there early.  We arrived over three hours early, and had lots of extra time at the gate, etc.  We boarded the plane as scheduled, but when it became departure time, they made an announcement that there was a "minor mechanical problem," and they were assessing what was causing it.

Later (maybe 30 or 45 minutes later) they came over the speaker again and said they figured out what it was and were trying to figure out how to fix it and they'd let us know.  Another 30-45 minutes passed...Adam and I played the card game "King's Corners" on the little tray table to pass the time.  Then the captain said they had figured out what was wrong, but it would take several hours to fix.  Nice.  The flight crew can't fly if too many hours have passed - there are strict rules about making sure they rest at certain intervals, so that was that.

So we de-planed and waited around while the airline tried to get everyone squared away with hotel rooms etc.  (This was an international flight, so it was a BIG plane.)  We finally got our hotel voucher, went down and collected our checked luggage (it was all there - SO thankful!), and took a shuttle to our hotel.  Coincidentally, this is the same hotel we stayed in for a night last August when Drake and Adam went to the Seahawks/Broncos preseason game!  It was even the same shuttle driver and same check-in clerk.  :)

We got into our room about 10pm, called our travel agent from the hotel room phone long distance, and then also called my parents to let them know what was going on - wanted to make sure someone "real" knew about the issue and could be a point of contact if anyone was wondering.  Then we decided to walk to a nearby convenience store in the pouring rain to get something to eat.  Our flight was supposed to serve dinner, but of course we didn't end up getting any...so we were pretty hungry!  We ate our convenience store deli sandwiches and watched basketball on TV while we ate, and then I came down to the lobby to email our WACAP caseworker with the update, and figured I'd update the blog as well, via email to my sister, who has graciously agreed to post for me when I email her with updates.

We made some new friends on the flight though - another family we will be traveling with (who I've been in touch with over Facebook) has an aunt and uncle who are joining them to help take care of their older children while they are in the process of adopting their new little sweetie.  Anyway, the aunt and uncle were on our same flight, and they are SO kind!  They fly frequently, and helped us figure out some things with reusing our boarding passes for tomorrow, and etc.  They made sure we were set up with a hotel, that we knew how to get on a hotel shuttle at the airport, and gave us big hugs before we parted.  Really nice folks!

While today has not exactly turned out as planned, we know God has His hand on this journey, and that things will work out exactly as He wills.  We're thankful that the plane didn't take off with mechanical problems, and we're thankful that the only negative repercussions of this delay for us will be missing the first sightseeing day in Beijing (and it ISN'T the Great Wall - that is scheduled for Saturday, so we should still be able to see it).  Overall, thanking the Lord that He is in control, and looking forward to leaving for China in the morning!

Packed

This has been like packing for three trips at the same time!  Everything Drake and Levi will need for over two weeks at Grandpa and Grandma's house (including homeschool), and stuff for Adam and me plus M in two different climates!  That includes tons of prescription and OTC meds, baby supplies, snacks for Adam and me, gifts for various officials, and a bunch of incredibly important paperwork, in addition to more common items like clothing. We are keeping the suitcases under 44 lbs each, because that is the weight restriction while taking domestic flights within China, even though international flights allow checked luggage to weigh up to 50 lbs.

Explosion in M's room on Saturday!

Adam packing

A very concerned kitty who recognizes when something is amiss!

This is MOST of the stuff we're taking!

The weather is not looking good. Praying to cross the passes not too far behind the snowplows when we head over to Washington tomorrow (Monday). 

Itinerary

3/5 - Depart Seattle (evening)

3/6 - Arrive Beijing (late evening)

3/7 & 3/8 - Sightseeing in Beijing (and getting over jetlag!)

3/8 - Fly from Beijing to Lanzhou (evening). Lanzhou is the capital of M's province, Gansu, where the formal adoption takes place and where we must apply for - and wait for - her Chinese passport.

3/9 - Meet and take custody of M at our hotel!  (afternoon)

3/10 - Go to Civil Affairs office to begin adoption process (adoption registration, adoption certificate, notary).  Apply for M's passport.

3/11 - Adoption paperwork process continued

3/12 & 3/13 - Sightseeing in Lanzhou (waiting for M's passport)

3/14 - Receive passport and fly to Guangzhou in Guangdong province (where M will receive the US visa for her passport!)

3/15 - M's visa medical examination including TB test

3/16 - sightseeing in Guangzhou

3/17 - Pick up M's medical report and prepare documents for visa interview

3/18 - Visa interview and oath ceremony at the US Consulate (morning)

3/19 - Pick up M's visa (afternoon).  Take train to Hong Kong (evening).

3/20 - Depart Hong Kong for Seattle (early morning).  Arrive Seattle (early morning).

The funny part is, we are scheduled to arrive in Seattle before we leave Hong Kong, by about ten minutes.  Funny how time zones work!

Starting to pack

At least the stuff for M!

More of the story...

While helping Drake prepare today for his part in our "wild game feed" fundraiser that's coming up this weekend (he's doing a short oral presentation on M's city and province), I came across this blog post - wow!  So glad I found it.  This fills in some of the missing pieces in my mind about how WACAP came to be in partnership with M's orphanage, and also some more info about the orphanage in general.

The woman who wrote this blog post is also our travel agent for our trip to China; I spoke with her on the phone the other day!  It's a small world.  I'm finding that out more and more, especially in the international adoption realm.

Hope you enjoy this post like I did!

Sophie Visits Pingliang Children's Welfare Institute

Moving right along!

On Wednesday the 12th, we got "soft" travel approval (meaning we showed up in the CCCWA system as having received travel approval), "hard" travel approval (meaning the actual travel approval document arrived in WACAP's mailbox) and got our consulate appointment booked!  All in one day!  (It just doesn't usually happen that way.)  We got our first choice for consulate appointment - March 18th.  That date is what the trip to China is based around, so we were then able to purchase our international flights and schedule our in-country itinerary by Friday, the 14th.  Happy Valentine's Day to us!  ;)

We will be driving to Washington and then flying out of Seattle for China the evening of March 5th.  We'll take custody of M on March 9th.  There are many other steps involved in completing her adoption and making it possible for her to travel to the US that we will complete that week and the next, and then we'll fly back into Seattle on March 20th.  Whew!  Can't believe this is coming up so quickly.  And yet, at the same time, we long to get our little girl in our arms even sooner.

It's "real," folks!

Paper pregnancy

(I wrote this post a little while back, but hadn't "published" it yet.  Figured this might be the time since WE JUST GOT TRAVEL APPROVAL TODAY!!!)

Every once in a while, I'm going about my day and suddenly it hits me.  In about a month - possibly less than that - we'll have our baby!  It doesn't seem real that it's getting so close after all these many months of waiting to meet her!  But while it shocks me that it's coming so soon, it sometimes feels like I can't wait another day.  I have to say, I'm a far more patient person than I used to be, but it's still not my strong suit.  And of course, the nearer an anticipated event comes, the harder it is to wait for it.

Having experienced several pregnancies - two with happy endings - I can't help but notice the differences and similarities.  There is no physical evidence of this paper pregnancy, no morning sickness, heartburn, swollen ankles, difficulty breathing, or waking up three times a night to use the bathroom.  No squirming little body tightly squished inside, reminding me of what is just around the corner.  No Braxton-Hicks contractions when I climb the stairs too fast.  No doctor's visits.  No waddle.  No practicing for labor.  No birth plan.  No one saying, "When is that baby due?  Haven't you had that baby yet?"

This little person was conceived in our hearts on March 26, 2012. We didn't know anything about her yet, only that she was coming.

Morning sickness this time around was all the trouble we had in the beginning - switching homestudy agencies when we'd just started to get off the ground, and the 48 typed pages I churned out in the form of an autobiography, Parenting Resource Plan, and other documents once we finally got it going.  It was all the forms we filled out, the doctor's appointments, specialist appointments, the psychological evaluation, the social worker visits, and so many trips to the notary public on base that she started to remember us.

Heartburn was the additional three months that were added when we switched country programs within our agency - waiting and frustration.  No matter how many Tums I took, the additional homestudy requirements just wouldn't go away.

Once our dossier was almost done, we had breathing difficulty every time the phone rang and caller ID said "WACAP."  Is this a referral?  Is it going to be the one?  Excitement and dread at the same time.  Yes, dread - if you've ever had to turn down a referral, you reallyreallyreally don't want to do it again.

Instead of doctor's visits, we get regular calls and emails from our caseworker, checking in with us and informing us of progress.  Instead of practicing breathing for labor, we are fighting the military to allow Adam to travel.

There really is no waddle.  (Unless maybe you count the weight we gained between Thanksgiving and Christmas this year - gone now, thankfully.)

Soon we'll make a birth plan, called our travel itinerary.

And while I don't wake up three times a night to use the bathroom, I am finding it harder and harder to sleep these days.

And people say, "When are you traveling?  Any more news?  When are you going to get her?"


So here's what I know.

• Adoption is different than pregnancy, but oh so much the same.  Certainly not easier.
• I'm now convinced that "nesting" is psychological, not biological.
• I treasure the pictures of M from her orphanage the way I treasured my boys' ultrasound pictures...just a glimpse at the real little person who is becoming part of our family.
• Biological or adopted, all three are "our own."