China

China is a really cool place. There is so much history. With only two days in Beijing, we really run non stop.  We started quite early this morning and went to a Jade factory. It was ok. Then we went to the Great Wall. Holy Cow! The Great Wall of China is truly magnificent! It was so amazing. We hiked up for an hour, then back down. It was freakishly steep in some places, and by the time we got to the bottom, we were all wiped out completely! I loved it! It's difficult to describe how cool it really is. We left there and went to the 2008 Olympic Village. We saw the Bird's Nest, and the Magic Cube. There are some really beautiful sculptures there, loads of people, and tons of crazy food vendors. In the evening we went to a Chinese acrobat show. We saw 8 motorcycles in a little wire cage ball. Crazy. Of course a million 60 pound Chinese girls that fold themselves in half. And, if you're doubting that we saw a dozen girls on one bike all holding fans, you would be wrong. We totally saw that.

I'm anxious to get moving and get our girl. These days have been nice, and we're getting used to the time change, food, and people. We have people taking our pictures constantly. It's funny. We're all nervous and antsy to get our kids, and it's making everyone a little.... I can't explain it. We just want our kids already!! We've been working towards this end for months and months, a months! Let's get on with it already.

We fly to Zhengzhou in the morning, then one more sleep until we get our girl. We so can't wait!! 

Beijing

We arrived in China and started with a bang. We went to Tienanmen Square, the Forbidden City, and Old Beijing. It's an election year here, and the city is decorated  for it. There are these amazing sculptures of flowers all over the city. We went on a rickshaw ride there, and got to go into a local person's home. It was awesome. She had an amazing garden, and huge crickets in little cages. We are so super tired. Our group is really nice. We're still trying to figure everyone out, there are several families. There is very much anticipation among all of us to meet our girls. It's sooo close now. two more days.

On Our Way

Tonight is our last night in our own bed as our little family of 5! My emotions are running so thick right now, I can barely breath! My next post will be from Beijing! In less than a week, we will be a family of 6! I can't wait to get this little girl in our arms, finally!! I feel like she's been part of our family for such a long time already, but to hold her, and love on her, I truly can't wait!

We have the most amazing parents, family, and friends that are going to take care of our babies at home. It has been a lot more difficult to leave than I anticipated that it would. It's going to be great though.  I'll for sure post every day from China, and as many pictures as I can, with a shared laptop, and the ipad!

We cannot wait to share our girl and our experience in China. It's going to be amazing, I can tell.  It's like parenting in another dimension. You have no idea how amazing being a parent is until you become one. And I think we know that our adoption experience is going to be epic, but we can't understand it fully until we've been through it. Just 5 more days to baby girl #4!

love love

Packing

A crazy thing has happened this past week. First on we purchased our airline tickets, and were thrilled that we had a months notice as it saved us around $800 per ticket!! I have started packing, and gathering, and packing some more, and gathering a bit more. It's been so fun to have tiny clothes in the house again, and diapers!! I'm actually so excited for diapers. I got my diaper bag in the mail last week and I love it! The car seat also arrived, and I quite love it as well. It is becoming sooooo very real now. The crazy thing is that I have suddenly become very concerned for her well being. I've always been concerned for her, but not like now. I'm worried that she's going to get hurt or something. I beg Heavenly Father every night to please please please keep her safe until we can get her home.  I have dreams about her almost every night, and I have to look over into her bed and see if she's there, they are so real! They are good dreams, she's with us, and it's so wonderful! I woke up Chloe the other morning and in her still-half-asleep way, she asked "Is baby home?" I told her that she was still in China and she said "Oh! I thought she was home, I had dreams about her all night!" In two and a half weeks, she'll be with us, forever! To say we can't wait is such an understatement!

Just one China girl short, or maybe two.

Travel Approval- TA

We've got it!! We've got travel approval!! However, and this is a big huge however, we will not be traveling to China in a week like everyone else that gets TA because of....

CHINESE NATIONAL DAY!

The entire country shuts down for a week the first week in October, and they can't put our trip together and arrange all of the necessary appointments soon enough to get us there and back before the country closes shop and goes to a week long party!!! I daresay the Chinese know how to celebrate.

So, Happy Birthday Dear China, take care of our girl for one more month.  I believe that a month from now, we will be in China anxious as ever to meet our baby for the first time!

Care Package

No word yet on travel approval.  It's too early to be expected, but we're close. I came across this picture of the care package we sent to our girl.  It's hard to put one together, the regulations are quite strict. It has to fit into a very small box, and it can only contain a few different things in it, etc.  We sent her balloons because every update that we've gotten said that she loved balloons. We also sent a book with big 8 X 10 photos of each of us, and our dog. She needs toys to grab and hang onto, so we had to find some that were cute and would fit. They said no clothes, but it was too cute, and totally cheap, so if it ends up as diaper rags, oh well. I hope the cameras get used, and we will get to catch up on a small portion of her life with the first people that knew and loved her.  We don't know, and may never know if she received it or not, but we hope.  Adoption is about hope in so many many ways.  Hope runs deep on both sides, hers and ours. We are close little girl!

Waiting

I have learned that there is a difference between "Your Article 5 is in." and "Your Article 5 has been issued." a 2 1/2 week difference. No worries, it's all done now, and we should be getting travel approval in the next couple of weeks. We are so ready to have this little girl home!

With my first three girls, I had c-section births. My first was a whole new experience, and I took it as it came.  With my second and third however, I knew what lay ahead as far as recovery, getting no sleep, learning to nurse, hormones, etc.  As my delivery date would draw near, I would think to myself "In 4 weeks, I'll feel good again, and things will be normal."

I'm saying that again to myself now. The logistics of leaving the other 3 in the care of family and friends whom have more than generously offered to care for my girls, drive them around, keep them safe and happy, etc etc etc is killing me.  Our trip to China is going to be long. There is no way around it, and I have anxious girls. I'm an anxious Mama. So, I say to myself "In 8 weeks, we'll all be feeling good. We'll be together, safe and happy, and we'll be living our new normal."

I have been feeling my girl so much lately.  It's not something I can explain, but as we pray for her several times a day, I feel her more and more and more. It's distinct. She has a powerful spirit. I feel it. It called to me all of the way from China, and I will be forever thankful that we listened. To think that in just a few weeks, she will be with us is so happy!!  It is so very very happy. I have loved this journey!!