Two Weeks and We're off to China

I can't believe that in two weeks my dad and I will be on a plane for a very long flight to China.  It is almost here and I am still not ready.  I have to go over all the paperwork and make sure everything is together for the umpteenth time.  I have a few questions for our agency about whether or not originals or copies go with me their directions are confusing.  We will have our in country itinerary early next week.  I think I have bought everything we need.  This weekend I have to start packing and make a list of anything we still need.  I have to wash the new clothes I bought for Christopher and pack what I'm taking for him.  I have to find all the pieces and parts to my camera for the trip.  The fun part is keeping within the luggage weight limits.  In China we get one piece of checked baggage each weighing no more than 44 pounds.  We also get one carry on weighing no more than 10 pounds.  I am hoping Beijing won't be too cold.  I don't want to have to pack to much warm clothing.  Guangzhou will be in the 70's weather wise.  It looks like Beijing should be in the 40's but could get into the 30's.  We'll need to stay warm on the Great Wall.
Dad and I leave the morning of November 15th and we'll arrive in China on the 16th.  We are in Beijing for a couple of days.  We'll get to see the Forbidden City and the Great Wall on our cultural tour.  We fly to Guangzhou on the 18th and meet Christopher on the 19th.  I can't wait to hold my boy.  It almost doesn't seem real that we'll be there soon.
I post about Halloween this weekend.  Sandy caused trick or treating to be cancelled.  It has been rescheduled for this Saturday.  Xuelian is being Princess Peach from Mario Brothers.  She also gets to dress up for school.  At school they have to dress up as a Saint.  She is being St. Kateri Tekawitha (sp.?)  That party was also rescheduled because school was cancelled on Tuesday again due to Sandy.  We didn't get flooding like they were expecting.  We did get a lot of rain that has helped replenish our ground water.  It was a nice steady rain.
We also have Family Fun Night at school tomorrow which should be fun.  I'll have a lot to post about in a few days.

Pray for Ivy Joy

I usually don't post asking for people to pray.  Today there is a little girl and her mommy who need all of the prayers they can get.  Ivy Joy came to her family from China with a very sick heart.  Her family followed God's call to bring her home and love her for whatever time she has.  She has had multiple open heart surgeries since coming home.  The wonderful doctors in Boston have fixed her heart but she is having trouble waking up.  They don't know if the medicine has settled in her tissues and is taking longer to leave her system which could be why it is taking longer to wake up.  She is being seen by neurology to see if everything is ok and they are going to look at her heart to make sure it isn't causing problems.  I am asking for everyone to pray that Ivy wakes up today and that God gives her mommy the strength to keep going.  They have been through so much and she is alone in Boston with her daughter.  The rest of the family had to go home so she is on her own through this.  You can read more about Ivy on her families blog Loving life with Lexi and Ivy Joy.  You can find it on my side bar of blogs I follow.  She is a very special little girl.  It is truly a miracle she has made it this far. Let's pray that she wakes up and makes a full recovery. Thanks.

Consulate Appointment Confirmed

We received confirmation of our consulate appointment on Friday.  This has allowed us to book our international flights.  My dad and I leave on Nov.15th, Gotcha Day(The day we get Christopher) is Nov. 19th, our consulate appointment is the 28th and we return home on the 30th.  We will be home and together as a family for his 2nd birthday.  I am hoping our agency will have our in country itinerary to us later this week.

We have Travel Approval

I am so excited we received travel approval today.  We are now waiting for a date to be set for our consulate appointment.  We are hoping to be traveling November 15th.  We will know for sure sometime next week.  Then we will make travel plans.  I can't believe that in less than 5 weeks I'll be holding Christopher in my arms.  There are so many things to get ready for travel.  It seems like so far but it will be here before we know it.  

My poor girly is really stressing now.  She is afraid I won't come home.  She says it is hard to trust because her China mom left her and she's afraid I will too.  I am glad Tim is staying home with her. It will still be hard but dad is here and hopefully she won't feel so alone.  Thank God for modern technology.  I'll be able to use facetime or skype while I'm gone.  I am hoping to talk to her once a day.

It has been a while since I've posted so I'll also give an update.  Xuelian has been doing really well in school.  It has been a challenging year for her.  She is doing all of her work on her own.  In the past teachers would read things for her or rephrase questions.  This year it is all her and she is doing great.  Her teacher sent a lovely update saying what a great student she is and how impressed she is with how well she is doing.  She is a little upset because she is used to all A's and she has gotten C's on a few tests.  We keep telling her she is doing great and how proud we are.  Can you imagine only speaking a language for 2.5 years and having to go to school and keep up?  She amazes us all the time.

She has been having a great time playing soccer.  Her team won their first game last weekend.  They have improved every week.  She used to stand back and watch the other kids.  This weekend she was right in there fighting for the ball and doing a great job.
 

We have a busy weekend coming up.  Xuelian is going to a birthday party tomorrow and has soccer games on Saturday and Sunday.  We also have to fit homework in somewhere.  I'll update next week.

Update on Christopher

We arranged for a care package to be sent to Christopher Xiaohu a couple of days ago.  We sent mooncakes and tea for the Mid Autumn Festival as well as a photo album of us, a stuffed animal and letter.  Anne at Red Thread China (care package company) told us she would get an update on Xiaohu for us.  Well imagine my surprise this morning when I saw an email titled red thread update.  We have 6 new pictures and new measurements.  He is now30.7" tall and weighs 27 pounds.  We even received a picture of him with his nanny and friends!

 I love the look on his face.  This kids has quite the personality.

 I just LOVE this picture with his friends and nanny!

I love the pictures of him putting on his shoes.  I do think these pictures are the result of something being lost in translation.  I had asked as part of his measurements for his shoe size.  I didn't receive a shoe size or even a measurement of his foot but did get these pictures.  I am wondering if it was translated to what kind of shoes does he wear.  They must think I'm strange.

Well I can say that I am a very Happy Mama today.  I can't wait to get there and hold this cutie.

First Soccer Game

It was a beautiful day to play soccer.  It was just the right temperature not too hot and not too cold.  Xuelian woke up and told Tim that she needed a good breakfast because she had to be ready for her game.  I think she had sausage, eggs, fruit and orange juice.  Xuelian had a great time playing in her first soccer game.  It was great to see her having fun but was painful to watch as well.  There are a bunch of new (to soccer) kids on the team including her.  They are playing against kids who have been playing soccer for a couple of years.  Well it was a blow out.  I know it was at least 10 to nothing.  She and the other new players didn't know what they were supposed to do and none of the coaches said anything.  I think I need to talk to the coaches at practice.  I've never played soccer.   I would like to know what she should be doing so that I can help her learn.  What I noticed was that they would say you are defending now.  Well the kids didn't know what you need to do when you are defending.  I think the coaches don't realize that when you have never played before you need to be spoon fed what you are suppose to do.  When we started yelling from the side lines what to do they jumped in.  I hope this week goes better.  It would be great for team moral if they could at least score and not be shut out.  I also think that some of the nervousness will be gone.  She wants to learn and play well so hopefully we'll see improvements every week.  I know this was hard for her she came home upset because she didn't know what to do.  I told her there is no where to go but up from here and that we'll help her learn the game.  

Back in the Swing of Things

Xuelian's first day of school was August 28th.  We have been running ever since.  It is amazing how much paperwork comes home in the first week of school.  We are finally settling into our routine. We are up early making breakfast, packing lunch and making sure everything that needs to go to school gets there. Then we are out the door to the bus stop.  She is so excited to be riding the bus this year.  She loves talking to her friends on the bus.  We have only one day where I pick her up at school.  Fridays she has soccer practice right after school.  I head over a little early and watch some of practice.
She has been doing really well in her classes.   We have been really proud of her and how she handles homework.  Xuelian comes home with homework every night as well as studying for spelling and any other test coming up in the week.  She gets home has a snack and watches one cartoon.  Then she gets her homework done.  She is motivated to get it done so she can get outside and play.

First day of school

I had to take a few silly pictures and then she posed for the nice one.

She also wanted a picture that showed off her new backpack.

This weekend she will play her first soccer game.  The first game was last week but she was under doctors orders to not play.  She hurt her left index finger at the first practice.  One of the boys kicked the ball at the end of practice and hit her in the hand.  It swelled up that night.  By Sunday it was really bruised and swollen.  We ended up going to the emergency room for an x-ray.  They said it wasn't broken but wanted us to see a specialist.  We went 3 days later.  He said while he couldn't see a break the bruising was consistent with a break.  It was his opinion that there was a small break that couldn't be seen.  She has to keep that finger strapped to the one next to it for two weeks.  She wasn't allowed to practice or play soccer last week but she is cleared for this week.  She is excited and nervous to play her first game.  I'll post pictures next week.

In other news all of our paperwork has been sent to China.  We are waiting for confirmation that it is at the US Consulate in China.  Once there it will be two weeks until Article 5 is issued and then it is off to China's side for TA which is Travel Approval.  Our travel coordinator says we have a 50/50 chance of November travel and a 90% chance of traveling the first two weeks of December.  I'm a little bummed. Christopher turns 2 on December 8th so we may get to him days after his birthday.  I am still hoping to be there for it.  I am just happy that it looks like we will be together as a family for Christmas.  My dad and I sent in our passports and Visa Applications.  That was one more thing to check off the list.  However, we found out that Tim and I have some extra paperwork to get together since he isn't traveling.  I am stressing over traveling without my husband and daughter but it is what's best for her.  I looks like I'll be gone for our anniversary which is a few days before Christopher's birthday.  I can't wait to go get him.  I know it's silly but I am stressed over being away from my husband.  I don't think we have been apart more than a three or four days in a row in the almost eight years we've been married.  I have to say I really don't like this.  I am so glad my dad is going so I won't be all by myself.

I have been getting things ready for Christopher.  We have his room almost finished.  We need a rocking chair and to clear out the drawers that have our overflow still in them.  We also finally found car seats that will fit in our cars which wasn't easy.  They are so big now.  We ordered gates for all of the stairs and to keep him in certain rooms.  We'll install those right before I leave.  The cats are going to hate them.  They can't stand change.   I figure they'll be hiding for a few months once little guy gets home.  They did the same when we first brought Xuelian home.

It's hard to see but we have decorated with a CARS theme.