Happiness is . . .

Park Day with Papa

2012-03-08T17:51:00.000-08:00

Audrey really seems to enjoy being in a swing and finding ways to ingest clovers everytime I tried to place her on the grass.

Gotcha Day, VPN's, and Jetlag

2012-03-04T01:08:00.000-08:00

So I kind of knew this but didn't come prepared, anyway. If you want to post to your blog or use Google or go to your Facebook page while in mainland China, you'll need a VPN, hence why I am just getting around to posting photos of Gotcha Day- that and jetlag. We've been back a week today, and the kids still are not sleeping through the night. It's 3:44 AM right now, and one just went down while the other has just gotten up, so either my husband or I am up half the night each night. We're literally surviving on joy at having our daughter and lots of caffeine.

Two things to bring to China then- a VPN and lots of cash. Our agency gave us an estimate of what we would need, and we're super glad we brought extra cash because they were off by about $500. In fact, if you want to shop and enjoy some good meals in the evening, plan on more than an extra $500 cash or come prepared to use a credit card although there are places you wouldn't want to use a credit card.

Great Travel Agent

2012-02-02T10:21:00.000-08:00

We decided to use a travel agent recommended by our agency and went with Todd at the Travel Society (303-321-0900). He worked with us until we got the flights that worked for us which, of course, happened to be the first flight itinerary he sent us, and there was very little layover time between flights. His fee is $150, but if you go with him, ask up front about the fee. We did not and were not told (was on the final bill), but still, the fee is reasonable. I would use him again for international flights.

Consulate Appointment

2012-01-30T08:27:00.000-08:00

We're leaving February 10 with our consulate appointment on February 23. I so cannot wait for this adventure to begin.

Travel Approval

2012-01-23T15:47:00.000-08:00

Travel approval arrived today. Now we just have to wait to hear back from the US Consulate, but the earliest that will be is Monday as the consulate is closed for CNY.

Video of Jiangcheng SWI, Audrey's Orphanage

2012-01-20T11:19:00.001-08:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3MMkbFil9I4

New Photos

2012-01-12T10:38:00.000-08:00

We received two new photos via email from our agency today. I am overwhelmed with joy to see her again, but the anxiety of being separated from her much longer just went up a notch. My baby girl is living the life of a character in a Charles Dickens novel. Okay, so the food is probably better where she is.

Visas

2012-01-10T09:50:00.000-08:00

We got our visas back today, and I am very pleased with the courier service we used. The website was very direct and easy to follow, and I was able to contact the service via phone and receive a quick reply. In addition, the courier service was swift in returning our passports with the visas inside.
We used the There's Always Hope! courier. The web address is http://www.theres-always-hope.com/. The email is info@theres-always-hope.com, and the phone number is (815)690-7035.

Gift Buying

2012-01-09T06:39:00.000-08:00

We've purchased the gifts for the caretakers and the other officials we'll encounter. Expect to purchase between six to eight gifts. We purchased six gifts for the folks we are expected to give a gift and two extra gifts just in case. We went with the Burt's Beeswax kits ($9.99-12.99) and Lindt truffles (American made candy) ($3.00-5.00). We're placing $20 in red envelopes also for the caretakers (the only folks besides a foster parent to whom we can give $) and are getting more chocolates for the other officials. We are spending between $25-$30 per gift and placing them in red gift bags with red tissue paper- assembling the gifts in China though to conserve space in the luggage.

I've asked other parents who have made the trip and read an interesting article (see below), and everyone seems to agree that the tee shirts, ball caps, pens, and scarves just get tossed in a desk drawer, so we went with gifts that do get used. In most cases, these gifts are just taken and not opened in front of you, but the parents who have witnessed the gifts being opened said cosmetics get the most favorable reaction.
http://www.informedadoptions.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=221&Itemid=30

You will go stir-crazy, or at least I am, while waiting for travel approval. It's a two to five week wait for families under the I-600A, so having a little shopping to do does help. We waited on making these purchases and buying additional clothes for Audrey and another carseat just so we would have something productive to do in the meantime. It has helped a little.

Sign, Seal, and Deliver

2011-12-29T05:20:00.000-08:00

So we have begun the paperchase again- lots of papers to be signed, notarized, and sent back to our agency before we can travel. We got some good news yesterday; Audrey's SWI will allow us to wire the orphanage donation/fee. And some not so good news- the US dollar has been losing ground since the orphanage donation was increased a few years back, so if you're awaiting a referral in the the near future, expect to spend $500+ more on top of the $5000 US dollars donation. No where had we read anything about the fluctuating value of the US dollar impacting the fees for China (may be our oversight), and it's not a huge difference but something adopting families should be aware of.

The paperwork, while tedious, actually helps me feel like I am doing something to bring our daughter closer to home. Since sending off the Letter of Acceptance (LOA) and her first care package, I have felt like I was in stall mode. Since the paperwork requires immediate attention as you have seven to ten days, depending on your agency, to complete it all, I will be briefly distracted from the wait for a day or two, anyway.

2011-12-22T14:01:00.001-08:00

More Pictures

2011-12-22T05:03:00.000-08:00

We will be adding more pictures today. Received two new pictures via FedEx yesterday with our Letter of Acceptance which we promptly signed and sent back via FedEx. Now begins the wait for travel approval.

Thank You

2011-12-20T19:12:00.000-08:00

Thank you, everyone, for your well wishes. We are so incredibly happy and blessed. I never thought this day would come.

The Call!

2011-12-20T10:25:00.000-08:00

We got the call today just before 1:00 pm, and she is a beautiful eight month old. She was born on April 05, 2011. Her name is Jiang Song Shi. "Shi" is Mandarin for "poem," which I think is a really cool name. We are in love, love, love!!!

She is in the Jiangcheng District Social Welfare Institute in the Guandong Province, so we won't have to travel too far when we head for Guangzhou.

Happiness is a beautiful baby girl to love!