The Countdown begins......

more sleeps until we leave for China!



Our bags are all packed!  Wow, that was a lot of work.  We are all getting so excited!  It's just so hard to believe it is finally here!  We first saw Emily's little face on Feb. 18 and got pre-approved to adopt her on March 1st (Seth's birthday!).  Its funny to realize that it has been a 9 month 'paperwork pregnancy' by the time we will meet her on December 3!! 

We've had several similar questions lately, so I'll answer a few of them here.

Does Emily speak any English??  No, and we don't speak Chinese, so we will certainly have the expected challenges in communicating while dealing with typical toddler behavior.  We will also use some sign language to help!  Plus, Emily will likely need speech therapy due to her repaired cleft lip/palate, so it may be difficult understanding her when she does learn English.  One day at a time!!  :)

Has Emily been in the orphanage?  We don't think so based on the information we have.  We think she was at the House of Love in Guilin first and has been in foster care for the last 2 1/2 years.  Often, China sends the kids back to the orphanage for a week or so prior to the adoptive parents coming.  We are praying that she didn't have to go there.  That makes us even more anxious to GO get her!!

How long will you be in China?  We will be there 15 days. We are going to Beijing to tour first and to try to get adjusted to the time difference as China is 12 hours ahead of us.  We are all really looking forward to experiencing Emily's country!  Our flight leaves from Pittsburgh on Wednesday AM and connects in Newark.  We will arrive in Beijing on Thursday at 3:00 AM our time which is 3:00 PM Beijing time after a 14 1/2 hour flight.  While acclimating to the time change, we will tour the Great Wall, the Forbidden City, the Summer Palace, and silk market. 

On Sunday, we will fly to Emily's province, Nanning, Guangxi.  She will travel 5 hours likely by train to meet us on Monday, Dec 3 with the director from the orphanage and usually a nanny or two.  From that point on, she will stay with us. She will officially be adopted and OURS on the 4th.  We stay in her province until Friday. Dec 7, to get her birth certificate and passport.  Once we have those, we will fly to Guangzhou where the US Consulate is located. Emily will need to have a medical exam to ensure her medical needs match what was listed on the reports we received, and to have a TB test.  We will also apply for and get her VISA to travel to the US.  As soon as we have that in our hands, we can leave!  We will travel to Hong Kong on the 12th and fly out on the 13th.  We will be home very late on the 13th since we will lose 12 hours.  As soon as Emily's little feet touch the floor in Newark, she will be a US citizen! 

For those of you so led, please continue to pray for us!  Please pray for our safety as we travel, for us to stay free of sickness and specifically for Kyle to stay free of his migraines, for Emily's heart to mend as she goes through this huge transition, for her to learn to trust us, and for her foster mom who so graciously took care of Emily knowing that someday she would be adopted.  Thank you for your prayers.  We are truly feeling them and have a peace that only God can provide!  

Wo an ai, Emily!   3 more sleeps!!