Our Hotels...

I told dad to bring a tie.............

4 days

We will be in Shanghai, Hubei province and Beijing.

6 more days.....

Ok, only 6 days until we leave. I'm starting to feel emotional about all this... cried my way home from our agency this afternoon while picking up the last of the court documents and booking a side-trip to see Hildy's "finding place"..the spot where she was abandoned. Also starting to dread leaving Gus for 16 days... Nothing about this is easy...

9 days until we leave!!!

Only 9 more days until I get on a plane to meet my sweetie... Part of me is busy crossing things off the "to-do" list and part of me can't believe this is actually happening...I put in my Leave notice at work today, booked travel medical insurance for us, received our hotel and in-China flight bookings from our agency... Now just to double check the packing, get those last minute things for the flight, etc. This weekend will be busy checking and rechecking things (in my slightly obsessive manner...). I think I am almost ready to go... Woot woot!

Flights are Booked and Bags are Packed

Well I have the flights booked and we are ready to go. We leave at 1:15 on Wednesday, March 31st (less than two weeks away...) and arrive back home in Vancouver Friday, April 16th. I will receive Hildy on Monday, April 5th and will go to court in Wuhan so she will officially become my daughter on April 6th. I have goosebumps.....

And Away We Go!!!!!!!!!!!!

So we have been waiting for the past three weeks for one last piece of stamped paper from China to confirm our travel permission.... I just found out that we have received that document through our agency today and we are now free to book our flights. YAHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO that is the news we have been waiting for. We will chat with our agency in the morning to see the earliest a guide/translator is available... We will leave for Shanghai on either March 24 (a week today) or the following Wednesday (March 31st).
Our basic itineray:
-Shanghai for 2 days
-leave for Wuhan-receive Hildy on the third day in China
-fill out paper work, go to court, get to know my daughter in Wuhan for 5 days
-leave for Beijing, visit Canadian embassy, doctors, more paper work then wait for her passport to be issued while doing touristy stuff and getting to know Hildy
-fly home on the 16th day in China

Whew.............. simply can't wait to get on that plane.... Can't believe I will hold her within two weeks..............

Hurry Up and Wait

Well, all paper work is in, all bags are packed, all systems go....so hurry up and wait. We are waiting on one last piece of paper from China that confirms our adoption of Hildy. Once we get that magical paper, we can book flights, our agency can book a court date, hotels, in-China flights, etc. They have no idea when we will get "the paper"...they just told us they would notify us as soon as they have it. We do know that we will fly to Shanghai on a Wednesday , stay for 16 days then fly home on a Friday... so our best guess is that we will be leaving for China either on March 24 (long shot), March 31( could be) or April 7 (really hoping to leave before then..). Only time will tell.... we'll keep you posted... (no pun intended.. ok, it was intended...)

Hildy's Birthday Present

Here is a picture of Hildy's early birthday present. She should receive it tomorrow or the next day. It includes an outfit for her, a soft blanket, a soft bunny,a camera for her foster family to take pictures of her and them, cookies and candies for her foster family and a letter from her big brother, mom and dad in Canada. We are sad that we won't be able to hold her on her birthday but it won't be too long after that.... Still waiting on word from China as to the court date and permission to travel.... Hoping to know soon. This part of the wait is very hard...looking at that little picture of her and not being with her. Here's hoping we hear something soon!!!