Itinerary

We received our itinerary. It looks great! I thought about posting it here, but decided it might be more prudent not to.

To sum it up:

We leave for Beijing on February 17. We'll tour there for a couple of days then head to Fujian. February 21 will be Jon Paul's gotcha day! We'll spend the next week filing paperwork and touring Fuzhou. Then we'll head to Guangzhou for the US side of things. Jon Paul will get a medical exam, he'll be sworn in as a US citizen, receive a permanent visa and then we'll be on our way. We're taking the train from Guangzhou to Hong Kong for one last night's rest then we'll all be flying home!

It's going to be a whirlwind... and I am so excited! There is so much to do between now and then...

The countdown begins!

We purchased our plane tickets last night. It's now beginning to feel real. I have begun to make "lists"... of things that need to be done before we leave (22 days is not much time to prepare) of things we need to take to China... of things each of the dogs will need (they are being farmed out to seperate friend's homes) I think now that there is really nothing adoption related to "do", I'm creating things! Guess it's part of nesting.
Speaking of nesting, I bought a really cute, very masculine crib sheet and blanket and put it in the crib. Our little man can't sleep on pink floral crib sheets... I just won't allow it! :)

Well, we've got our consulate appointment: March 2, 2011. It appears as though we'll be traveling from February 17 - March 5. Pope's Gotcha Day will be February 21, almost exactly 2 years since he entered Hidden Treasures Home. We can not even begin to thank Deena and Mike for all they have done. And everyone along the way who has helped us.

We pray now for Pope. For a smooth transition into our family. We'll all be together in LESS than a month! It's so very exciting and nerve wracking... and this mom CANNOT wait!

TA!

I have never been happier to see 2 letters in my life! Our TA came today!

I am hoping and praying we'll be able to get a March 1 or March 2 consulate appointment... then we're on our way! Hang in there, Jon Paul... Mom and Dad are coming!

Amazing, amazing!

The internet is an amazing thing! We met a couple who just arrived home with their first child, also adopted from China. She has an eye condition that looks very similar to Jon Paul's. It's been fortunate to find her and read her blog. She has amazing posts about her daughter's appointments. One thing she did do is take her daughter to an occularist... something I had not really thought about for Jon Paul. They plan to have their baby girl fitted for a prosthetic eye. Again, not something I had considered. Thank heavens for networking!

Still waiting

Our agency received 2 TA's today, but neither one was ours. I am still hoping, praying that we will receive our TA before Chinese New Year which begins February 3. I realize this is all in God's hands, not mine. Mike and I were really hoping to leave for China in mid-February (I was thinking that perhaps our "Gotcha Day" might be February 21.) No matter... it will happen when it's supposed to happen.

"The Lord is not slow in keeping his word, as he seems to some, but he is waiting in mercy for you, not desiring the destruction of any, but that all may be turned from their evil ways." 2 Peter 3:9

Camille

You are my analytical child.

You ask a million questions and genuinely want to know the answers.

When I don't know the answer you tell me to "Google it."

You love spending time with Daddy.

You refuse to wear pants.

You love princesses, glitter and anything that sparkles.

You are a singer, a dancer and an actress, all wrapped into one.

You don't always remember someone's face, but you always recognize their hairstyle or shoes.

You love "one-hundred-twenty-five" and asking if something happened "in real life"

You are the Mayor of St. Francis.

You are an incredibly-outgoing child.

More than once a total stranger has told you that you made their day.

I hope you always love people the way you do now.

You are wise beyond your years.

You can't understand why some people don't believe in God.

You love to sing and dance. And you do so, every single day.


Every night you give me Hollywood kisses and Eskimo kisses and butterfly kisses and then giggle and ask if I'd like an American dog kiss too.

Everyone should be so lucky.

Just being around you makes me smile.

You're the girl who never forgets to tell me that she loves me to the moon and back.

You're also the girl who then asks if Mars is farther because if it is you love me to Mars and back.
I love you too baby girl.

Appointments

Mike is pretty confident that We'll have TA and be home by the first week of March. I really hope he's right. Given the timeframe, and the doctors we want to see, Mike thought we should schedule the appointments now.

If you're in the Philadelphia area, and you're not familiar with CHOP ADOPT, we highly recommend it! We had Camille enrolled in this program, and it's absolutely fabulous! Very comprehensive and they have a variety of doctors and different specialists there to examine your child once you arrive home. They also have a medical referral review service, prior to your LOA.

International Adoption Health Program at CHOP

We also have an appointment for Jon Paul to See Dr. Alex Levin, he's a world renowned pediatric opthamologist. Here's a short article written on his return to our area from Toronto.

Dr. Alex Levin - Wills Eye Hospital

Visas

Mike and my dad went to the Chinese Consulate in New York City today to get Visas for our passports. They took the train from Hamilton station. When they arrived at the consulate, they encountered a very long line. They expected a long wait and a long day. Fortunately, the security guard on duty recognized Mike (and Otis, his Seeing Eye Dog) from their visit this summer when they were doing some "city training" runs in New York. The security officer took Mike and my father right to the front to drop off their passports. So kind! Then the guys had breakfast at a local diner and spent the day exploring the USS Intrepid before it was time to pick up the passports and head home. A great day, two-fold... Our visas are done and my husband and father had an enjoyable day of male bonding. God is good.

Jeremiah 29:11-13
“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.”