Leaving for nanchang!!!

Today's the day we are leaving for Nanchang to meet the newest little member of the clan! Very exciting!!! Soon we are getting on the plan, we will land and meet Mei. I've heard she may even be waiting in the lobby when we arrive. They will let us eat & go up to the room and then its party time. Let the family unions begin! We may meet her in the lobby or they will bring her up to the room. Fill you in when it actually happens! The rest of the day will be spent bonding and tomorrow we all will go baby shopping.

One family on the trip told us the first time she adopted her luggage didn't arrive until midnight. She survived without baby supplies and survived. The group is great and very sharing with each other. It makes it a perk when away from home.

The locals we met in Beijing are very polite. At the jade store/factory we visited I met a little girl about 5 years old. So cute. It was Saturday and she was at work with her Mom helping be a bathroom attendant. Broke my heart. When I can out of the bathroom into the co-ed washroom, she quickly hurried to satrt the water for me, then fetched the bar of soap and place it next to me and silently motioned and finallt drapped toilet paper across her hand to offer me for drying. Kevin was standing behind her and gave me $2 for her for a tip. The little girl jumped out of her skin with excitment about the money. She ran over to her Mom and her Mom was so happy. They both smiles from ear to ear and nthanked us in Chinese. (No English spoken hear... none needed)

It was nice to see hw proud she was of her work and she could contribute to the family. I really like the local people. I think they fund us interesting.

More to come.

Kisses to all at home! Be good for grandma & Grandpa! Miss ya Jess- good luck at school! Thanks Mom & Dad & everyone for holding down the fort!!!
XXX 000
Jeannine

Leaving for nanchang!!!

Today's the day we are leaving for Nanchang to meet the newest little member of the clan! Very exciting!!! Soon we are getting on the plan, we will land and meet Mei. I've heard she may even be waiting in the lobby when we arrive. They will let us eat & go up to the room and then its party time. Let the family unions begin! We may meet her in the lobby or they will bring her up to the room. Fill you in when it actually happens! The rest of the day will be spent bonding and tomorrow we all will go baby shopping.

One family on the trip told us the first time she adopted her luggage didn't arrive until midnight. She survived without baby supplies and survived. The group is great and very sharing with each other. It makes it a perk when away from home.

The locals we met in Beijing are very polite. At the jade store/factory we visited I met a little girl about 5 years old. So cute. It was Saturday and she was at work with her Mom helping be a bathroom attendant. Broke my heart. When I can out of the bathroom into the co-ed washroom, she quickly hurried to satrt the water for me, then fetched the bar of soap and place it next to me and silently motioned and finallt drapped toilet paper across her hand to offer me for drying. Kevin was standing behind her and gave me $2 for her for a tip. The little girl jumped out of her skin with excitment about the money. She ran over to her Mom and her Mom was so happy. They both smiles from ear to ear and nthanked us in Chinese. (No English spoken hear... none needed)

It was nice to see hw proud she was of her work and she could contribute to the family. I really like the local people. I think they fund us interesting.

More to come.

Kisses to all at home! Be good for grandma & Grandpa! Miss ya Jess- good luck at school! Thanks Mom & Dad & everyone for holding down the fort!!!
XXX 000
Jeannine

I took this photo out the airplane window just before we entered in over China. Monogolia maybe... atleast I know it's not Kansas. Our route to China was up the eastern Us coast , over the North Pole (droppped him an early Christmas list for next year) andcontinued down with a turn for Beijing. Great flight...just long. Onlu 80 people on the plane so we were ablee to really stretch out and even nap laying down. Don't think we will be able to do that on the way home. We can only hope.

Sorry for the double posting of photos. I'm having a bit of difficulty. The directions on the blog is all Chinese to me! :) Not all the photos are going through and it is taken a while to get up what is posted. Lots more photos to come...:)

Ni Hao!!!

In the park at the Temple to Heaven, these two local men were plating chinese music. Other were playing cards and enjoyinh=g themselves.

In the park at the Temple to Heaven, these two local men were plating chinese music. Other were playing cards and enjoyinh=g themselves.

This tree is in the Forbidden City in the private gardens. It is very poppular for young couples to have their engagement/wedding pictures in front of it because it symbolizes the two trees joining as one- forever united. The gardens were beautiful.

This tree is in the Forbidden City in the private gardens. It is very poppular for young couples to have their engagement/wedding pictures in front of it because it symbolizes the two trees joining as one- forever united. The gardens were beautiful.

We're Here!
Don't think I can keep my eyes open, but just wanted to say we arrived and all is well. We had a full day packed with sight seeing! Not much time to rest and tomorrow we are climbing the Great Wall of China!

Everyone in our travel group seems very nice and we have two adorable little Chinese girls with us. Today we saw the Temple to Heaven, Tian An Men Square and a local show. The food was great- so I hear. I didn't venture further from the white rice & beer. I did have the epi pen close at all times. Having a great time,we are walked out. The locals enjoy watching us foreigners- even had a few young girls want to take ther pictue with us. Very cute!

Enjoy a few photos... I'll tell you the full scoop when we are all home!

Love you all and miss you guys!!!XXXOOO See you very soon! mom & Dad

Travel Plans

Our Travel Plans...

1/24 Leave for Beijing

1/25 Arrive in China

1/26 -1/27 Sight Seeing & Time Adjustment

1/28 Travel to Nanchang / "Gotcha Day"

The Day we have all been waiting for! It's hard to believe!! I'm sure it will start to feel real during a melt down or when my stomach starts to growl and all the food around me is SHRIMP! (I'm allergic...) Then reality will set in. And I'm looking forward to it. Either I'm 10 lighter or bigger from eating all that pizza and beer. (One of our Drs said to drink beer, if bottled water or soda can't be found) to make sure we stay hydrated. :()

1/29-2/2 Paper Work & Bonding in Nanchang

2/3-2/4 Travel to Guangzhou

2/6 - 2/7 "Just incase Days" (extra time to iron any glitches out)

2/8 Leave for Hong Kong (A little sight seeing in the city...shopping too!!!)

2/9 Leave for Home!!! Hopefully a nap is included!!!

2/9 Mei gets to meet her new family. Her new sister & brothers will be so happy to meet her along with Grandma & Grandpa. I'm sure it will be great & memoriable!!!. I'm looking forward to this part! Break out the video camera!!!

We'll give her some time to get adjusted and then we will have a small baptism. She will then meet the rest of the extended family.

Getting Closer

Getting Closer....
Just thought I'd update everyone with the latest. Still nothing is set in stone, but it is now a firm tenative. Our agency is just waiting on confirmation for one of our appointments from China. But if all goes well, here is the agenda:
Jan 24 leave for China
Jan 25 arrive in China
Jan 25 -27 stay in Bejing
Jan 28 travel to Nanchang
Jan 29- Gotcha Day ????

Jan 29- Feb 2 in Nanchang
Feb 3-4 stay in Guangzhou
Feb 6/7 visa application
Feb 7 -9 return- fly out of Hong Kong

The if depends on appointment & plane availability.

More to come! Keep you updated!

TA

As of late today- Tuesday, 1/9...still no TA! Bummer

Traveling soon!

Still no word on our TA (tavel notice), but hoping that we will be leaving on Wed. 1/24 and meeting "chubby cheeks" on Friday 1/26. We better rest up because I'm sure Mei will have a lot to say. She wants to catch up and fill us in on her first 9 months. I'll try to remember that cute thought in the late night night hours when she is singing me a lullaby at the top of her lungs. If she is anything like her older sister, I'm sure it will be a solid 5 days that we see crying & tears. It's only a blip on the grand sceme of things. Lately I've been packing! Alot! Just finished all the meds today. Unbelievable the amount of meds we are packing! Well Mei's pictures are back up. I took them down because I was nervous I shouldn't have put them up and I would upset China. But I've heard it's ok. I'll make sure when we are traveling that I post a whole bunch of photos- smiles & tears...