In the nearly four years that Ryan and I have been married, we've moved around... a lot... trying to find a place that is of best fit for both of us. We lived in a small town in Iowa for a year while I was a public music teacher, a year back in Vermillion, SD for graduate school, a year in Lincoln, NE working at a small, private university, up to Fargo, ND for a bit, and now we are down in Southern Mississippi. If you would have asked Ryan and I when we got married if we would ever live in North Dakota or Mississippi, we both would have laughed at the question.
Our families have been so incredibly supportive throughout our transitions (and I'm pretty sure that we are master packers and movers now).Though we live quite far from them now, they are still a large part of our lives. Texting, phone calls, Facebook, and FaceTime are all frequently used. Soon after I moved down to Mississippi last November, I remember telling my supervisor that at some point in the near future, that I would be accompanying my eldest sister to China as a travel companion in their family's next adoption (Little did I know at the time that we'd becoming back with two kiddos!) I remember thinking at the time how far away it was and how much time there would be to prepare for it, but it has snuck up on me! This process has gone much more quickly than the last and very early Friday morning, I will be on a plane, meeting up with Kelli in San Franciso, and on the way to China for a couple of weeks.
We're both hoping to keep our blogs and Facebooks updated as best we can, knowing that Internet isn't the best and can be spotty for travelers. I'm bringing my Nikon and hoping to get lots of pictures to share the experience with y'all.
Below is our schedule for while we are in China (courtesy of my sister's blog :) )
June 28th – Leavin’ on a jet plane
June 29th – Arrive in Beijing. We’ll have enough time to shower, take a nap, and eat a small meal.
June 30th – Hop on a plane to Zhengzhou, Henan Province where Noah and MeiLi are. Once we’re at the beautiful CP hotel, we’ll head out with our guide to Walmart to buy Chinese diapers and baby formula. And take lots and lots of pictures. China WalMart is an interesting experience in and of itself. We’ll also head to the bank to exchange money and buy tickets to ride the bullet train.
July 1 – it’s GOTCHA DAY!!! We’ll travel with the group to the Civil Affairs Office and we’ll receive Noah and MeiLi at the same time. After a mountain of paperwork, we’ll be granted 24-hr guardianship of the kids.
July 2 – It’s ADOPTION DAY! We’ll head back to the Civil Affairs Office with the group where we’ll sign more paperwork to officially adopt both children. As soon as we take the oath with the provincial officials, they’ll officially and forever be our son and daughter! We’ll head back to the hotel for a quick lunch and then it’s off to the Zhengzhou Police Station to apply for Noah’s passport. We’ll have the opportunity (depending on how the kids are doing) to tour Noah’s orphanage at this time.
July 3 – We’ll be hopping on a bullet train to head to MeiLi’s home city, Zhumadian, to go to the police station to apply for her passport. We’ll also have an opportunity to visit her orphanage. Of course that too is dependent upon how she’s doing. I’m actually excited to ride the train and all I can think of is the Disney Channel’s song about the bullet train. “Bullet Train. Bullet Train. OHHHHH. So faaaaast.”
July 4 – Happy Fourth of July! We’ll get our notary documents, but otherwise it’s a free day.
July 5 – We’ll get some of the passports for the kiddos in the group. Those still not issued will be mailed to Guangzhou. Otherwise it’s a free day which means those of us with little kiddos will be headed back to the Chinese WalMart for diapers and baby food because the Wally World in Guangzhou isn’t that easy to get to.
July 6 – Hop on a plane and leave Zhengzhou for the fabulous Guangzhou. GZ is amazing and I can’t wait to get back there.
July 7 – Prepare paperwork with our guides. Otherwise it’s a free day. I think this is the day that a group of awesome ladies and I are going shopping on the island with a fantastic guide. Can’t wait to go to the pearl market as I’m planning to buy pearls for our kids’ wedding days. The cost differential and quality are amazing!
July 8 – Medical appointment day.
Note the big ol’ frowny face. We’ll all head to the medical office where they’ll poke and prod my babies, but worse yet because they’re all over 2, my babies will have to have tuberculosis blood draws. So sad.
July 9 – Head back to the medical clinic to receive kiddos’ results. Pray that they come back negative or are low enough that they’ll pass. Otherwise we have to do/pay for chest x-rays for the kids. Other than that, it’s a free day.
July 10 – Consulate Day! Woot Woot!! We take the oath at the consulate today and I plan to have the kids all decked out in red, white, and blue. Great day in the adoption world.
July 11 – A CCAI rep will pick up our kiddos’ visa packets from the consulate today. Otherwise it’s a free day for us. Lots of resting up and packing.
July 12 – Leaving bright and early to head back to the states! Yahoo! It makes me sad to think of the kids leaving their home country, but I hope when they’re older they’ll want to return to see what it’s all about. There’s no possible way that they can understand the enormity of how their lives are about to change for the better. Thanks to my mommy superpowers and the time change, we’ll leave China and arrive back home on the very same day.
We’ll get back into Des Moines on the 7:20 American Airlines flight. For those of you wanting to meet the kiddos, this is probably your best chance for a good month or so. We’ll be cocooning at home and the kids will have multiple medical appointments too.
--Kristi
