This is my first post to this blog so Please bear with me. One main thing that I have to say is that I found a constant supply of PEPSI!! (Yeah) Ok with that out of the way. Yesterday, we walked around the city of Changsha. It is very busy. People drive worse than New Yorkers, no offense to New Yorkers, but no one has the right away. Anyways, we went to for a walk around dinner time to go to the grocery store, and find a western type of place for us to eat dinner. Well we found a KFC, McDonald's, and a Pizza hut, within a block from each other. And it is not too far from the hotel. We ate at Mickey D's. It really did taste like home even though, I do not like condiments on my hamburgers, and the Chinese people do not make plain hamburgers. So I had to suck it up and I scraped off most of the condiments and ate a double cheeseburger, and it was not bad, but this is in no way the start of me eating regular burgers, give me a plain burger anytime. We were like celebrities, while walking to and from the restaurant. We stopped at a baby store to buy more food for Rachel, and diapers, even the Chinese people like Rachel's bald head. LOL. Next on the way back we found a grocery store where we bought some snacks for us. They have Oreos.
Today we are supposed to go to a college campus and learn about the Changsha way of education. Well we are getting ready to go on that trip, so I am sure Sherry will fill everyone in on what will be next. Thanks for listening.
I love our life even when we are crazy busy. I am blessed to be a wife to an amazing man and mom of two awesome kids. This blog started off as a journal to adopting our daughter from China, but it's now a place where I can document and share our family memories.
Tuesday, May 20, 2008
Monday, May 19, 2008
Day Two...
I can't even put into words the joy that is in our hearts. Our little girl is the sweetest thing you can imagine. She is so extremely happy and vocal! Dave says that she takes after her mommy who likes to talk! LOL. Her smiles and laughs just make you forget all that we have been through to have this little girl in our lives.
We gave her a bath yesterday afternoon. She wasn't completely freaked, but I forgot how hard it is when your baby isn't sitting up and she is slipping all over the place. I had her leaning forward over my arm and she sucked on my wrist so hard that she gave me a deep red hickey! LOL. She smells so delicious! I just love the smell of a baby after a bath. Isn't her bald head just the cutest? Not sure when I will be able to use the gallon size bag of barrettes and ponytail holders my sister gave me from her twin girls! That's okay, I love kissing her bald head.
We had Pizza Hut for dinner last night! Yippee, it tasted just like the Pizza Hut pizza we can get at home. I think we may have found our main dinner menu for the next 5 days! Dave was elated to be eating something. The poor thing has lost weight already! Hey, I may even loose a few pounds while I'm here. Just can't seem to find anything we really like in the way of Chinese. I do try, but I've been pretty much sticking to white rice!
The jet lag has been difficult. It's 5:20 AM and I haven't been to sleep yet. I am wide awake. Tonight will be another benadryl night. I really don't want to take it every night, but at this point, I may not have a choice. I need to be completely rested so that we can take care of Rachel. Dave woke up at 4:00 AM and so did Rachel. She was talking and cooing away in her crib. I finally went over and laid her in bed with Dave and I. She is just so funny. The faces that she makes just crack us up. She smiles so big that you can't see her eyes. LOL. I put her back in her crib after a while and she was talking, laughing and yawning! She finally fell back to sleep.
We are going back to the Civil Affairs office today to do some necessary paperwork. Dave, Rachel and I have to go and it should take about 2 hours. I'm not sure what we do from there. I know that tomorrow we will be going to her orphanage which is about 2 hours or so away. I know it's going to be hard, but I think I will regret it if I don't go.
I hope you enjoy these photos. Her smiles and laughs come very easily!
Thank you all for your emails and kind words. Your support and encouragement have been priceless.
Love to you all
Dave, Sherry, Jake & Rachel
We Are A Family of Four!
What an amazing morning. I can't even begin to explain the joy in our hearts as we finally have Rachel in our arms. She is truly beautiful in every way. God has truly blessed our family and we are so indebted to him.
We arrived at the Civil Affairs office at 11:00 AM and we saw Rachel right away. Her nanny was holding her and she was very young. She was hugging and kissing Rachel as she was holding her. My heart completely melted as I watched them and I was hurting too knowing how much pain I may be causing Rachel in the coming days as she is being ripped away from everything she has known.
When our documents were finally confirmed, she was placed in my arms. She felt so wonderful and she felt like she belonged to us from day one. This little girl was meant to be with our family. Rachel just looked at us at first and whimpered a bit. So much was going on and the other baby's were screaming. I was thinking, wow she isn't crying much. Well, we left pretty quickly after getting her and headed back to the hotel since the Civil Affairs office was extremely busy with appointments today. The orphanage employees followed us to our hotel where they would answer any questions we might have.
When we got into the bus, that's when Rachel let us know that she was not happy! She cried off an on all the way back to the hotel. We got to our room and I let Dave feed her some Gerber bites, because she seemed to cry more when Dave was around. As soon as Dave fed her food, he was her best friend. I went off and met with the orphanage employees to see if I can get some questions answered, but they pretty much didn't have much more to say except for was disclosed to us yesterday. I did find out that there are 35 baby's in her orphanage and 20 employees, so she was cared for by the same caretaker each day.
When I returned to the room, she was having a screaming fit. We figured she was probably hungry so I had to find out how to make the formula which of course is written in Chinese. We finally got some instructions, but she didn't eat a whole lot. I figured maybe she was exhausted from the whole ordeal so I layed her in the crib. Well, she just completely opened up and had quite a few smiles to share with us. She's been talking and cooing since I put her in there. I picked her up and fed her a little more of her bottle which she finally did drink. Only about 4 ounces, but it's better than nothing. I'm hoping to get her some congee (rice like porridge) for dinner. She is a very good size. She is very long and not too thin. I think they may be right on with her weight now which is about 20 lbs. She has some skin rash on her back, maybe eczema. I wish I had brought some cream for her. I will bathe her after her nap.
She is so cute, as I'm typing this she is talking away in her crib and when I look over at her she smiles. She is starting to cry now. I really think she is tired and fighting it. Yeah, I think she just went to sleep! Gosh, I feel so utterly happy. I can't believe I have a sleeping baby in my room. I can't believe we finally have her! I am so overjoyed and truly can't wait to share her with all of you.
Dave, Jake and my father in-law left to go to a baby store to buy formula, diapers, wipes and some more toys. They should be back soon. I hope you like some of the photos.
Please keep the emails coming to my hotmail account which is sherrycrist@hotmail.com. I received many messages and have read all of them. I will try and respond if possible. I love hearing from all of you, they truly warm my heart.
Sunday, May 18, 2008
Changsha, China
We made it! We are in our baby's province, Hunan. I prayed so hard on the plane because there was some turbulence coming from Beijing to Changsha and I was a little shaken by it. I really wish I could be more easy when it comes to flying. I can't believe we are getting our baby tomorrow! We are so excited. I wish you all could see these hotels we are staying in! Words can't describe the beauty of them and so accommodating. We are currently staying at the Dolton Hotel on the 30th floor, yes the 3oth floor (the hotel has 46 floors!), which is reserved for adopting families. They even have a playroom for the children. We have a crib, bathtub for Rachel, baby bowl with spoon, etc. They really go all out for us adopting families.
We arrived around 9:00 PM at the hotel and at 9:30 we met with Susan, our facilitator, who went over our baby's information via a fax sent from the orphanage. She is currently 20 lbs and is 25 1/2" long. Not quite sure about this since she apparently weighed 18 lbs. at 5 months which is what was given to us at referral. She is eating solid foods and about 20 ounces of formula day. She can stand on her own for about 2 seconds! I got a kick out of this. She has 2 teeth already! She cooperates and likes to laugh.
Tomorrow is going to be one of the best days of our lives. We will be sure to keep you all posted with photos. I would love to fill you all in on other things we've done in Beijing, but I'm completely exhausted because I've been up since 1:00 Am this morning and it's already after 10:30. Needless to say, I was up all night thinking about Rachel. I took some benadryl and it's starting to kick in.
I can post on our blog, but we can't view our blog, so please email me at sherrycrist@hotmail.com. I can check my email. I love hearing from everyone. We miss you. Tomorrow the Crist Family will be a family of four!
Oh yeah, we are scheduled to leave the hotel at 10:40 AM to go to the registration office for our 11:00 appointment to get Rachel. While you all are sleeping, we will be meeting our baby for the first time!
We arrived around 9:00 PM at the hotel and at 9:30 we met with Susan, our facilitator, who went over our baby's information via a fax sent from the orphanage. She is currently 20 lbs and is 25 1/2" long. Not quite sure about this since she apparently weighed 18 lbs. at 5 months which is what was given to us at referral. She is eating solid foods and about 20 ounces of formula day. She can stand on her own for about 2 seconds! I got a kick out of this. She has 2 teeth already! She cooperates and likes to laugh.
Tomorrow is going to be one of the best days of our lives. We will be sure to keep you all posted with photos. I would love to fill you all in on other things we've done in Beijing, but I'm completely exhausted because I've been up since 1:00 Am this morning and it's already after 10:30. Needless to say, I was up all night thinking about Rachel. I took some benadryl and it's starting to kick in.
I can post on our blog, but we can't view our blog, so please email me at sherrycrist@hotmail.com. I can check my email. I love hearing from everyone. We miss you. Tomorrow the Crist Family will be a family of four!
Oh yeah, we are scheduled to leave the hotel at 10:40 AM to go to the registration office for our 11:00 appointment to get Rachel. While you all are sleeping, we will be meeting our baby for the first time!
Friday, May 16, 2008
We are in China!
We made it safe and sound to Beijing yesterday afternoon. Thank God for a safe and uneventful flight. It was the longest 14 hours of my life! We are currently staying at the Capital Hotel and it is absolutely beautiful. We probably could never afford to stay in a hotel of this caliber in the USA.
We all are somewhat jet lagged. We went to bed around 8:30 last night and were up by 3:00 this morning. I don't understand since we didn't really sleep on the plane nor did we take a nap when we checked in. I'm hoping tonight will be a better night.
We started early this morning with a tour in Tienanmen Square and Forbidden City. We almost felt like movie stars with the way the Chinese people were looking at us. I really noticed them staring at Jake and commenting and pointing. I couldn't figure out why they were so interested in him. After touring we went to lunch at a real Chinese family home. A retired hospital worker started inviting people into her home two years ago and serving lunch. It was truly authentic. Her home was very modest and she had a turtle for a pet that just roamed her house. The food, what we ate, was good. Dave is starving! He has only eaten some white rice, actually he's eaten very little white rice. I think we all may loose some weight on this trip. I really thought Jake would have tried more, but he's turning his nose up at everything.
After lunch we took a Rickshaw Tour (a man riding a bike pulling us) in a small section of Beijing. What an experience! We drove through what looked like alleys. We really are spoiled Americans! These people live so modestly. Some people don't even have their own bathrooms. There were so many smells and I didn't recognize any of them. I've never seen so many people in one city. The Chinese people drive like maniacs too! HOLY MOLY! You really need to try and NOT pay attention to the road. I wonder how many accidents or wonder how people get hit in one day. The automobiles are sharing the road with bike riders. There are probably more bike riders than automobile drivers. There is no such thing as "right of way." It's pretty much who can make it first.
After our rickshaw tour, we went to a silk factory where they walked us through step by step how silk is made. Very fascinating. The kids really got a kick out of the silk worms. The guide let each of the kids take one home. Afterwards we were given a shopping opportunity, which of course I couldn't pass up! I bought Rachel two adorable Chinese outfits, shoes and a pearl necklace and earrings which I will put away and give to her for her 16th birthday.
After the silk factory, we went and saw an acrobat show. Absolutely amazing, what we saw of it anyway. I think jet lag set in for most of us because we could barely keep our eyes open. What I did see through my slitted eyes, was truly spectacular. The acrobats were so brave and the stunts they did were so dangerous. I don't think Jake saw much of it at all as he pretty much slept through the entire show.
Following the acrobat show, we went to dinner at the Peking Duck. We were really hoping for KFC or McDonald's at this point, especially Dave. I tried duck for the first time! I don't think I would eat it again. Very fatty and greasy. Jake wasn't fond of it either. Honestly, I think it may be the spices they use that really isn't appealing to us. Eating with chopsticks is quite a challenge. I should use them every day because I get tired of trying and I just give up and stop eating. A great way to loose weight for sure! I may have to buy some chopsticks and use them at home.
Tomorrow is going to be another busy day. We have to meet our guide by 8:30 and travel to a Jade Factory, and then we are going to the Great Wall. We are looking forward to seeing one of the "Wonders of the World". Following the Great Wall we are going to the Living Hope International Orphanage. We brought candy to share with the children since they don't get much of it. After the orphanage, we are going to the Olympics site! The Olympics is being advertised everywhere and lots of people trying to sell you Olympic souvenirs.
Well, I'm getting heavy-eyed, so I'm closing for now. I will update again when we arrive in Changsha, Hunan province on Sunday. We miss you all! Only 3 days till Rachel!
We all are somewhat jet lagged. We went to bed around 8:30 last night and were up by 3:00 this morning. I don't understand since we didn't really sleep on the plane nor did we take a nap when we checked in. I'm hoping tonight will be a better night.
We started early this morning with a tour in Tienanmen Square and Forbidden City. We almost felt like movie stars with the way the Chinese people were looking at us. I really noticed them staring at Jake and commenting and pointing. I couldn't figure out why they were so interested in him. After touring we went to lunch at a real Chinese family home. A retired hospital worker started inviting people into her home two years ago and serving lunch. It was truly authentic. Her home was very modest and she had a turtle for a pet that just roamed her house. The food, what we ate, was good. Dave is starving! He has only eaten some white rice, actually he's eaten very little white rice. I think we all may loose some weight on this trip. I really thought Jake would have tried more, but he's turning his nose up at everything.
After lunch we took a Rickshaw Tour (a man riding a bike pulling us) in a small section of Beijing. What an experience! We drove through what looked like alleys. We really are spoiled Americans! These people live so modestly. Some people don't even have their own bathrooms. There were so many smells and I didn't recognize any of them. I've never seen so many people in one city. The Chinese people drive like maniacs too! HOLY MOLY! You really need to try and NOT pay attention to the road. I wonder how many accidents or wonder how people get hit in one day. The automobiles are sharing the road with bike riders. There are probably more bike riders than automobile drivers. There is no such thing as "right of way." It's pretty much who can make it first.
After our rickshaw tour, we went to a silk factory where they walked us through step by step how silk is made. Very fascinating. The kids really got a kick out of the silk worms. The guide let each of the kids take one home. Afterwards we were given a shopping opportunity, which of course I couldn't pass up! I bought Rachel two adorable Chinese outfits, shoes and a pearl necklace and earrings which I will put away and give to her for her 16th birthday.
After the silk factory, we went and saw an acrobat show. Absolutely amazing, what we saw of it anyway. I think jet lag set in for most of us because we could barely keep our eyes open. What I did see through my slitted eyes, was truly spectacular. The acrobats were so brave and the stunts they did were so dangerous. I don't think Jake saw much of it at all as he pretty much slept through the entire show.
Following the acrobat show, we went to dinner at the Peking Duck. We were really hoping for KFC or McDonald's at this point, especially Dave. I tried duck for the first time! I don't think I would eat it again. Very fatty and greasy. Jake wasn't fond of it either. Honestly, I think it may be the spices they use that really isn't appealing to us. Eating with chopsticks is quite a challenge. I should use them every day because I get tired of trying and I just give up and stop eating. A great way to loose weight for sure! I may have to buy some chopsticks and use them at home.
Tomorrow is going to be another busy day. We have to meet our guide by 8:30 and travel to a Jade Factory, and then we are going to the Great Wall. We are looking forward to seeing one of the "Wonders of the World". Following the Great Wall we are going to the Living Hope International Orphanage. We brought candy to share with the children since they don't get much of it. After the orphanage, we are going to the Olympics site! The Olympics is being advertised everywhere and lots of people trying to sell you Olympic souvenirs.
Well, I'm getting heavy-eyed, so I'm closing for now. I will update again when we arrive in Changsha, Hunan province on Sunday. We miss you all! Only 3 days till Rachel!
Monday, May 12, 2008
Two more days...
We are leaving for Beijing, China in two days! I got horrible news this morning that China had an earthquake that hit Sichuan, China which is about 900 miles from Beijing and 600 miles from Hunan which is where Rachel's orphanage is located. The earthquake was felt all the way in Pakistan and Thailand. The death toll is at about 5,000 at this point but is expected to climb. I feel so horrible for the people of China. I feel so selfish because I keep hoping that this won't affect our trip. I have so many mixed emotions this morning and my stress level has about reached boiling point. I know God is in control and I know we are going to bring our little girl home.
To top things off, I have an inner ear infection which has caused me to feel dizzy and have tingly feelings in my head! I knew something wasn't right and finally went back to the doctor Saturday morning. They are treating me with zithromax, a five day antibiotic, and hopefully it will be knocked out of me before getting on our plane Wednesday early afternoon.
Dave was given a baby shower on Friday by his friends at work. What a wonderful gesture. Most times men are forgotten when it comes to things like this. A co-worker named Denise, made a cake resembling a Johnson & Johnson baby powder bottle. What a talented woman! It was beautiful and tasted great too! Hopefully I can post a picture at some point! We received a very generous gift card for Babies 'R Us and a cute brag photo book. We really appreciate everyone's thoughtfulness.
McHugh Associates, Inc. had a nice little shower for me last week. We received 5 outfits, dreft (baby laundry detergent), baby bottles, wipes and gift card to Babies 'R Us. They got a cake from one my favorite places, Baskin Robins! I love their ice cream cakes! The gifts will come in great use and we really appreciate everyone's generosity and thoughtfulness.
My mother in-law and I spent part of Saturday cleaning and organizing Rachel's room. I bought the cutest butterfly mobile to hang from the ceiling over her crib. It is absolutely perfect in her room. Rachel is one loved little girl already! She has so many great things that were bought for her last year for my Adoption Shower which was in March of last year! A whole year ago all these wonderful things were bought for her and now, she will be using and playing with everything in just a few short weeks.
This may be my last post before we leave for China. I really hope you all will continue to follow our journey. We heard that China will be blocking Blogger due to the Olympics, so a couple of Dave's co-workers will help us out with updating our blog while we are in China. We will email them our updates and photos and they will update our blog. Hopefully it will all work out so we can keep you posted on our travels.
We love you all and truly appreciate your love and support during this most amazing journey. Please pray for our safe travels, bonding with our daughter, safety and health.
Love,
Dave, Sherry & Jake
To top things off, I have an inner ear infection which has caused me to feel dizzy and have tingly feelings in my head! I knew something wasn't right and finally went back to the doctor Saturday morning. They are treating me with zithromax, a five day antibiotic, and hopefully it will be knocked out of me before getting on our plane Wednesday early afternoon.
Dave was given a baby shower on Friday by his friends at work. What a wonderful gesture. Most times men are forgotten when it comes to things like this. A co-worker named Denise, made a cake resembling a Johnson & Johnson baby powder bottle. What a talented woman! It was beautiful and tasted great too! Hopefully I can post a picture at some point! We received a very generous gift card for Babies 'R Us and a cute brag photo book. We really appreciate everyone's thoughtfulness.
McHugh Associates, Inc. had a nice little shower for me last week. We received 5 outfits, dreft (baby laundry detergent), baby bottles, wipes and gift card to Babies 'R Us. They got a cake from one my favorite places, Baskin Robins! I love their ice cream cakes! The gifts will come in great use and we really appreciate everyone's generosity and thoughtfulness.
My mother in-law and I spent part of Saturday cleaning and organizing Rachel's room. I bought the cutest butterfly mobile to hang from the ceiling over her crib. It is absolutely perfect in her room. Rachel is one loved little girl already! She has so many great things that were bought for her last year for my Adoption Shower which was in March of last year! A whole year ago all these wonderful things were bought for her and now, she will be using and playing with everything in just a few short weeks.
This may be my last post before we leave for China. I really hope you all will continue to follow our journey. We heard that China will be blocking Blogger due to the Olympics, so a couple of Dave's co-workers will help us out with updating our blog while we are in China. We will email them our updates and photos and they will update our blog. Hopefully it will all work out so we can keep you posted on our travels.
We love you all and truly appreciate your love and support during this most amazing journey. Please pray for our safe travels, bonding with our daughter, safety and health.
Love,
Dave, Sherry & Jake
Thursday, May 8, 2008
Itinerary
May 14th - Flight to Beijing
May 15th - Arrive in Beijing
May 16th - Visit the Palace Museum, Forbidden City & Tian-anmen Square. Rickshaw Tour.
May 17th - Visit Great Wall, Pass by Olympic Site, Visit Living Hope Training Center, Chinese Acrobat Show
May 18th - Visit Summer Palace. Fly to Changsha
May 19th - Registration Office to Pick Up Rachel!
May 20th - Registration Office for Paperwork
May 21st - Sightseeing - Yuelu Academy
May 22nd - Visit Embroidery Factory
May 23rd - Rest or Orphanage Visit
May 24th - Flight to Guangzhou - US Consulate is there!
May 25th - Sightseeing & Shopping - Chen Family Museum & Pearl Market
May 26th - Medical Check, Visa Photos and Paperwork
May 27th - Baby Group Photo at White Swan
May 28th - United States Consulate - to take oath and receive Rachel's visa
May 29th - Coming HOME!
May 15th - Arrive in Beijing
May 16th - Visit the Palace Museum, Forbidden City & Tian-anmen Square. Rickshaw Tour.
May 17th - Visit Great Wall, Pass by Olympic Site, Visit Living Hope Training Center, Chinese Acrobat Show
May 18th - Visit Summer Palace. Fly to Changsha
May 19th - Registration Office to Pick Up Rachel!
May 20th - Registration Office for Paperwork
May 21st - Sightseeing - Yuelu Academy
May 22nd - Visit Embroidery Factory
May 23rd - Rest or Orphanage Visit
May 24th - Flight to Guangzhou - US Consulate is there!
May 25th - Sightseeing & Shopping - Chen Family Museum & Pearl Market
May 26th - Medical Check, Visa Photos and Paperwork
May 27th - Baby Group Photo at White Swan
May 28th - United States Consulate - to take oath and receive Rachel's visa
May 29th - Coming HOME!
Monday, May 5, 2008
Whirlwind
Dave and I returned from a relaxing weekend. We were a little bummed about the resort we stayed at in the Poconos, but I realized that we were there to relax, celebrate and enjoy some time alone. We had plenty of that! I think we need a weekend away with the just the two of us at least once a year! I hope I remember that next year.
I am home today and tomorrow where I'm supposed to do laundry, catch up on house work, organize, pack and shop for last minute items needed for China. Well, I spent an hour and half cleaning my laundry room! Why?! I have so much to do and I clean the laundry room. In the middle of cleaning my laundry room, my friend, Heather, called and I told her what I was doing. She says that I'm nesting! LOL! Of all things I'm supposed to be doing and I'm cleaning the laundry room.
I started washing some of the baby's clothes that I'm taking to China for Rachel. So strange to be washing such small clothes again. I held up Rachel's little white sock and showed it to Jake. Jake says, "now Mom, make sure you don't mix them up with my socks!" LOL! Yeah, I'm sure it's difficult to tell his size 11 men's socks with her little itty bitty white socks. I will need to keep them separated so that doesn't happen again! LOL!
LHAA forwarded us a tentative itinerary for China. We are going to be very busy people for the two weeks we are in China. The great news is that we will get Rachel on May 19th! OMG, that is only 11 days from today. I can't wait to feel her and hold her next to me. I really hope she takes to us. I know it will be very traumatic for her in the beginning, but I hope she feels the love that we feel for her already.
The biggest news in China right now is the ramped spread of Hands, Mouth, Foot Virus which has taken the life of over 20 Chinese children. I didn't know this virus could be deadly. I spoke with my pediatrician today and they explained that it is a virus and doesn't normally cause death. It's very important to keep the child hydrated which could have caused the death of these children. The virus pretty much needs to run it's course which means there is no medication to treat this virus. I pray that we are not affected by this disease while we are in China. We will be very cautious with our hand washing hygiene.
I will update our blog with our itinerary when all is confirmed.
I am home today and tomorrow where I'm supposed to do laundry, catch up on house work, organize, pack and shop for last minute items needed for China. Well, I spent an hour and half cleaning my laundry room! Why?! I have so much to do and I clean the laundry room. In the middle of cleaning my laundry room, my friend, Heather, called and I told her what I was doing. She says that I'm nesting! LOL! Of all things I'm supposed to be doing and I'm cleaning the laundry room.
I started washing some of the baby's clothes that I'm taking to China for Rachel. So strange to be washing such small clothes again. I held up Rachel's little white sock and showed it to Jake. Jake says, "now Mom, make sure you don't mix them up with my socks!" LOL! Yeah, I'm sure it's difficult to tell his size 11 men's socks with her little itty bitty white socks. I will need to keep them separated so that doesn't happen again! LOL!
LHAA forwarded us a tentative itinerary for China. We are going to be very busy people for the two weeks we are in China. The great news is that we will get Rachel on May 19th! OMG, that is only 11 days from today. I can't wait to feel her and hold her next to me. I really hope she takes to us. I know it will be very traumatic for her in the beginning, but I hope she feels the love that we feel for her already.
The biggest news in China right now is the ramped spread of Hands, Mouth, Foot Virus which has taken the life of over 20 Chinese children. I didn't know this virus could be deadly. I spoke with my pediatrician today and they explained that it is a virus and doesn't normally cause death. It's very important to keep the child hydrated which could have caused the death of these children. The virus pretty much needs to run it's course which means there is no medication to treat this virus. I pray that we are not affected by this disease while we are in China. We will be very cautious with our hand washing hygiene.
I will update our blog with our itinerary when all is confirmed.
Thursday, May 1, 2008
Busy Bees...
Well, our minds have been in a whirlwind this week with all the planning and packing we need to do. There is so much to think about. I feel so overwhelmed, but it's a good overwhelming feeling. I'm definitely not complaining! We've been waiting so long for this and God has finally opened the doors for us.
Our 14th wedding anniversary was yesterday. Hard to believe that Dave and I have been married for 14 years. My mother in-law reminded me that 11 years ago around this time we found out we were pregnant with Jake and now we are heading to China for our daughter. We announced on Mother's Day that I was pregnant and just a few days after Mother's Day this year, we will have our new daughter in our arms!
In celebration of our anniversary and our upcoming China trip, Dave and I are going away this weekend for some much needed alone time. We haven't been away without Jake since he was a baby. Jake has stayed a night or two away with my in-law's, but Dave and I haven't gone away by ourselves. We are headed to the Poconos to one of those all-inclusive resorts. Hopefully we will get some much needed rest and continue to work on our to-do lists. We should be able to come back in full swing and prepare for our trip.
TRAVEL ITINERARY
We are definitely flying out of Newark, NJ on May 14th at 12:10 PM. We decided to go out of Newark because it is a non-stop flight to Beijing, China which is where we will spend a few days sight-seeing. You can't go to China without some sightseeing! We will arrive in Beijing at 1:50 PM on May 15th. We basically loose an entire day due to the almost 14 hour flight and the 12 hour time difference. It's already 8:35 PM there now!
I don't know much more than that at the moment as we haven't received our complete itinerary yet. We may not get that until the end of next week sometime. I know that we depart Beijing on May 29th at 3:45 PM, but we will need to get to Beijing from Guangzhou which is another flight since it's about 1200 miles. We arrive back in Newark at 5:30 PM on the 29th. We are getting back the day we lost in the earlier part of our trip! I'm sure jetlag will set in rather quickly!
I think we will meet our daughter for the first time on either day 3 or 4 of our trip. Once Rachel is in our arms, she will be with us for the remainder of the trip! I am so looking forward to that. We will be able to continue seeing her country with her for the remainder of our time in China. I really plan to take lots of photos and notes so that I can share them with her. Going to your childs' country is such a great benefit as I will be able to share our experience of her country and culture with her in the future.
I will keep you posted with more information as we get it. Stay tuned...
Our 14th wedding anniversary was yesterday. Hard to believe that Dave and I have been married for 14 years. My mother in-law reminded me that 11 years ago around this time we found out we were pregnant with Jake and now we are heading to China for our daughter. We announced on Mother's Day that I was pregnant and just a few days after Mother's Day this year, we will have our new daughter in our arms!
In celebration of our anniversary and our upcoming China trip, Dave and I are going away this weekend for some much needed alone time. We haven't been away without Jake since he was a baby. Jake has stayed a night or two away with my in-law's, but Dave and I haven't gone away by ourselves. We are headed to the Poconos to one of those all-inclusive resorts. Hopefully we will get some much needed rest and continue to work on our to-do lists. We should be able to come back in full swing and prepare for our trip.
TRAVEL ITINERARY
We are definitely flying out of Newark, NJ on May 14th at 12:10 PM. We decided to go out of Newark because it is a non-stop flight to Beijing, China which is where we will spend a few days sight-seeing. You can't go to China without some sightseeing! We will arrive in Beijing at 1:50 PM on May 15th. We basically loose an entire day due to the almost 14 hour flight and the 12 hour time difference. It's already 8:35 PM there now!
I don't know much more than that at the moment as we haven't received our complete itinerary yet. We may not get that until the end of next week sometime. I know that we depart Beijing on May 29th at 3:45 PM, but we will need to get to Beijing from Guangzhou which is another flight since it's about 1200 miles. We arrive back in Newark at 5:30 PM on the 29th. We are getting back the day we lost in the earlier part of our trip! I'm sure jetlag will set in rather quickly!
I think we will meet our daughter for the first time on either day 3 or 4 of our trip. Once Rachel is in our arms, she will be with us for the remainder of the trip! I am so looking forward to that. We will be able to continue seeing her country with her for the remainder of our time in China. I really plan to take lots of photos and notes so that I can share them with her. Going to your childs' country is such a great benefit as I will be able to share our experience of her country and culture with her in the future.
I will keep you posted with more information as we get it. Stay tuned...
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