IT"S HERE! WOOOOOHOOOOO!

Our Travel Approval made it to our adoption agency from China today! They have already faxed our request for our Consulate Appointment (CA) to the US Consulate in Guangzhou. They are 13 hours ahead of us, so they should be getting to work about 5-6 hours from now on Tuesday morning for them. If someone is very prompt in getting to work and emailing a response to my west coast agency, we could know if we get our requested date or not by tonight. More likely that we will hear back tomorrow. Stay tuned for our itinerary! We have booked our tickets leaving New York for Hong Kong THIS FRIDAY April 4th. We would actually leave VA for NYC on Thursday night. I will post all of the details when things are firmed up. We may get to have Eliana in our arms as early as one week from today, Monday April 7th! Here we come, little girl!

"IT'S THE FINAL COUNTDOWN"...

In honor of this occassion, here is that Goofy Goober, Spongebob Squarepants with his awesome cover of that 1980's his by Europe - enjoy!

Travel Approval!

We received word today that our Travel Approval is on its way from China! It was just shipped today, March 27th. Our agency now has to make our Consulate Appointment for us so that we can firm up our itinerary. I will post again when I have more information! Incidentally, today is 2 years from the day that our friends Shelli & Jason Hutchinson received their TA for their daughter Rou Rou. Their blog was the first China blog I ever followed and their experience helped lead us to China adoptions and our daughter! Our families definitely have a 'red thread' connection! (If you don't know what I mean by that, scroll all the way to the bottom and read the red text on the bottom graphic)!

Laura Beth
:0)

Eliana's room & wardrobe evolving!

It doesn't look like Travel Approval is coming today. Hopefully soon! Our whole family worked hard this weekend getting Eliana's room in order and toddler proofing the house. Ben worked extra hard making sure his 'hangout room' (he is too big for a 'playroom') is safe for Eliana (and from Eliana). Her room is about 95% done. The twin bed, dressers and bookcases were mine as a child and some could use a fresh coat of white paint, but it was just too cold to sand & paint them in the garage this weekend. That may have to be a summer time project after Eliana is home. I also need to go through the baby books and toys that are stored in the basement and bring some upstairs. Here are some pictures of her room in progress and the results. (If the slide show stops, just refresh your screen):

The pretty butterfly flag and bulletin board came from our friend (and Hebrew teacher), Sara B. If you look closely at the flag, you will see Eliana's Chinese name and Hebrew name painted on it! Eliana's future preschool teacher, Sophia S, did the painting of the names. Sophia is from Hong Kong and speaks Cantonese. Isn't that great that she will be Eliana's teacher? Thank you ladies, for these special additions to our little girl's room! The cute bunny 'Shhhh' napping sign came from my sister. The adorable baby doll moses basket is from my mother and will soon hold a special baby doll that she is having made for Eliana. The cute little doll you see in the pictures is Magnolia - made by an adoptive mom. There are several things scattered about the room from our friend Shelli - a ladybug, a pink baby panda, and lots of clothes in the closet. The big white bear is from Lisa M and family, the mama and baby fox are from Sheila, the larger black and white panda is from Eliana's big brother and the baby black and white panda is from her Uncle Macey (who is five years old).

Speaking of closets, here is Eliana's, and her growing wardrobe. I sure hope this girl likes dresses! I have posted some pics before of several cute outfits we have bought. Here are a few more we have received from wonderful friends. The gorgeous smocked dresses were Eliana's very first outfits - a gift from my mother for Eliana's first birthday last July! The white linen ladybug dress is another gift from our friend Sara, along with the sassy little pink butterfly dress. The beautiful lavender and green plaid dress is from Eliana's Grandma Charlotte. The ladybug swing top & pants and the adorable mix & match purple and green outfits are more gifts from Shelli and the Hutchinson family. The ladybug bikini is from a fellow Qingyuan mama, Beth. Beth brought her daughter Mia home from Eliana's orphanage last fall. The Panda pocket dress and the adorable Asian halter dress were made by another adoptive mom. Have I shown you the Minnie Mouse sundress and hair bow before? Eliana is ready for her first trip to Disney! We are going to try to see Disneyland Hong Kong the day before we leave China. Of course, we girls must accessorize. Eliana has lots of hair bows, a sassy pink animal print backpack from her Aunt Lisa, two beautiful bracelets - a Star of David bracelet also from my sister's family and a gorgeous little "Mei Mei" (little sister) bracelet from the Hutchinsons. My autofocus didn't like the bracelets - sorry they are so fuzzy. And last but not least, every girl should have a few hats. Obviously, I am having a lot of fun with the clothes. The sizes are in a wide range, so they should last a while. We will wait to buy shoes in China and of course we will have to get some traditional Chinese silk dresses in multiple sizes for Eliana. Girls rule!

"She is fond of dancing..."

That's right - it is full moon again! Happy Purim, everyone! I hope many of you enjoyed Purim festivities last night. I am hoping this full moon will soon bring our Travel Approval to us. It has already brought us something very special...

Shall We Dance?

Hamster Dance

We got some updated information on Eliana today! She will be approximately 20 months old next week. Here are some of the highlights from the original English translation of the Chinese report [my comments are bracketd]:

• Height: 76cm (29.92 in), Weight: 10kg (22 pounds). [She has steadily been hovering around the 10th percentile for both height and weight on the US growth charts -she is petite]!
• Tooth: up 2 bottom 4 [Our last report said 12 teeth, so I have inquired about this. It wasn't specific with top & bottom, so I think it is likely that the 6 may be more accurate - she may well be missing some upper teeth due to the cleft in her gumline]
• The orphanage name her. Qing for Qingyuan [city of her orphanage], Zu- Homeland, Guo- Harvest [Guo can also be translated as fruit]
• Diet routine: 8:00am with congee, noodles, bread, milk etc. nutrition foods [whatever that means], 10:00am drinking water; 11:30am steamed rice, 2:00pm with congee, noodles, bread, milk, fruit .4:00pm drinking water, 5:30pm dinner, 9:00pm milk [clearly, mama needs to learn to make congee - kind of like a rice porridge, I think]
• She sleeps about 10-12 hours each day. 12:00pm for nap . She likes sleeping on her back. Sometimes sleeping on her stomach . She likes sleeping alone [it is not uncommon to have more than one child to a crib in the orphanages - clearly, Eliana enjoys her 'personal space']
• She likes all kinds of toys. Mostly are colorful toys . She is fond of dancing. [LOVE this!]Usually the activities time is at 9:00am to 11:00am, 2:30pm to 4:30pm.
• She can speak some simple words , can understand some words. [Well, she will get to start all over with language acquisition in English, but we know she will catch up quickly - especially after her palate is surgically closed]
• When she is angry, she likes be kissed by the nannies , she expected the nanny to talk to her . [We are happy to accomodate with kisses and conversation - whether she is angry or not]!
• She is afraid to be lone. She needs turn off light at night.
• She is very healthy now. She has always been a healthy baby.
• She has no mark or scar on her body. [of course we know about the cleft lip scar]
• She is not allergic to any food.
• She is active , cute and restless. [Sounds like she will keep us busy]!
• She can run, walk, climb up and down. [Hmmm...better put up those stair gates]!
• Her best friend is Qing Zu Chun.
• She takes one bath each day in the morning. Sometimes when she is dirty due to the activity , we will bath her ,too. She sit in the bathtub. One day each , summer time twice each day.

Come on, TA! We are ready to put on our dancing shoes and sweep Eliana off of her feet!

Laura Beth
(tapping her toes in anticipation)

Hang on, Little Tomato!

Lyrics:
The sun has left and forgotten me
It's dark, I cannot see
Why does this rain pour down
I'm gonna drown
In a sea
Of deep confusion
Somebody told me, I don't know who
Whenever you are sad and blue
And you're feelin' all alone and left behind
Just take a look inside you and you'll find
You gotta hold on, hold on through the night
Hang on, things will be all right
Even when it's dark
And not a bit of sparkling
Sing-song sunshine from above
Spreading rays of sunny love
Just hang on, hang on to the vine
Stay on, soon you'll be divine
If you start to cry, look up to the sky
Something's coming up ahead
To turn your tears to dew instead
And so I hold on to this advice
When change is hard and not so nice
If you listen to your heart the whole night through
Your sunny someday will come one day soon to you

I heard this song on another blog and just loved it. So, I stole their idea (thanks, 'saucytomato')! I wasn't familiar with the band, Pink Martini, but I love their sound and will be adding many more of their songs to my iPod. This song was inspired by a 1964 advertisement for Hunt's Catsup in a LIFE magazine (below)! The lead singer, China Forbes, just released a solo album called '78 last month.

We are getting SO close to having Eliana with us! This week is Ben's spring break and I was really hoping that our family would be spending it together in China. In fact, I had plane tickets that I had booked back in December that were to leave on March 14th for Hong Kong! I finally had to cancel them on Thursday when it was clear that I wouldn't be able to jump on a plane on Friday to go get my daughter. So, we will spend spring break finishing up Eliana's room (finally!) and I will be packing things into our new luggage. We are hoping for travel approval some time during the next 1-2 weeks so that I can book new flights and we will soon be on our way!

Last week Adam was traveling. Early in the week Ben and I put together Eliana's high chair, which I love. I only had to take it apart and start over once. ;0) It is a piece of nice wooden furniture rather than a huge plastic monstrosity and it blends right in with our kitchen table and chairs. The best part is that Eliana will be able to sit at the table with us instead of being pushed off to the side eating off her own tray. It adjusts as she grows and can be used as a desk chair later. I think I have finally figured out the new car seat. It has been a long time since Ben has needed a car seat and all this "Latch" stuff is new since then. I feel old and out of the loop! As soon as I can get the car cleaned up I will install it. That will probably be the first and last time the car will be clean for a couple of years!

Later in the week Ben got sick with a bad head cold and now Adam has it too. So, it is probably a good thing we are not traveling at the moment. Hopefully everyone will be well soon and we can be on our way!

All for now,
Laura Beth
(ready to go pluck her tomato from the vine)

We have our Visas!

I went into DC today and spent some time at the Chinese Embassy's Visa office. We have our Visas! I could actually go to the airport right now and get on the next plane to China. Of course, they wouldn't give me my daughter when I got there, but it is exciting to think we could go at any time! The Chinese Visa is a large sticker that takes up a whole page in our Passports. It shows images of the Great Wall and the red seal shows the Forbidden City and the stars from the Chinese flag. It is actually really cool looking - click on it to get closer look. This one isn't ours - it states (in Chinese) that it was issued in Vancouver:

At least this guy had the sense to blank out his data - you would be surprised how many images are floating around in cyberspace of people's actual documents!

With the Beijing Olympics coming up this August, I think that China has changed some policies and procedures to make it a little easier to obtain Visas quickly for tourist trips to China. Of course, the price of a Visa went up recently. Ours are actually good for a whole year, and for multiple entries of up to 60 days each. I did that because it was the same price as a single-entry visa that was only good for one 30 day trip in a 90 day window. Gee, maybe we will go back for the Olympics in August!

We also filled out our pre-travel questionnaire form for our adoption agency and emailed that to them today. That is where we state our preferences for the pre-adoption touring destinations, hotel room preferences, etc. I made all kinds of special requests...they will be so ready to put me on an airplane just to shut me up and get rid of me! I am a very 'high maintenance' client, I am sure.

In other news, I ordered some ultra lightweight luggage on spinner wheels for our trip and it arrived today. It looks quite snazzy, but it is so light that I hope it doesn't disintegrate on our trip! It is supposed to have a 5 year warranty, so we will report back on how it does. I am going to wash Eliana's clothes for the trip and start packing her suitcase this weekend. How fun! I need to go buy diapers, wipes and sippy cups! I will also start packing things we are bringing to donate to her orphanage and her foster home, along with medicines, first aid items, toiletries a few toys & books, gifts for our guides and the nannies and the orphanage Director and other officials, and anything else I can pack in advance.

We have quite a lengthy packing list - which is why I needed the ultra-light luggage. Weight limits for checked luggage on domestic flights in China are 40-44 pounds per person - not per bag. However, it seems they have no limits on the carry-ons in China. Apparently, people also get up and roam around during take-off and landing during flights in China. Quite different from US domestic flights, where you would get tackled if you did such a thing! Our international flights have similar size & weight restrictions to US domestic flights. I am going to attempt to pack lightly on the clothing side for the family since we can have our laundry in China for a very reasonable price. The tricky part of packing clothes for this trip is the vast weather difference between Beijing (think latitude of Philadelphia) and Guangzhou (think latitude of Havana, Cuba) in the spring. We will need jackets in Beijing and bathing suits in Guangzhou!

All for now,

Laura Beth
(Eliana's China-approved mama)

My lunacy confirmed

Well, our "Letter of Seeking Confirmation from Adopter" is now in my hands. Can you guess on which day the CCAA printed and stamped our approval letter in China? February 20, 2008 - the day of the full moon and the total lunar eclipse! In case you missed it, here is a link to my rambling post regarding that event and how I hoped that it meant news of Eliana was on the way:

http://chinastork.blogspot.com/2008/02/did-i-mention-that-i-am-lunatic.html

So, that confirms it - I am definitely "luney". Ben decided to make his entrance into our lives following a new moon and solar eclipse and Eliana's arrival was announced on full moon and lunar eclipse! Now if that isn't a balance of Yin and Yang, I don't know what is! Don't worry, I am not going all 'new age' on you, but there can be little argument that the moon and the sun are both powerful forces of nature acting upon the Earth (and its inhabitants)!

Ocean Size Love

It's here! LOA on Day 82!

I received a phone call from our agency at 2:35pm Eastern time today. They received our LOA in Oregon! Hooray! This is the good news we have been waiting for. It means that our paperwork has passed final scrutiny and our application to adopt Eliana has been officially approved by the People's Republic of China. They are also asking us in the document to confirm that we indeed plan to follow through with her adoption. That is why it is now called the Letter Seeking Confirmation or LSC. So, do you think we will be signing that paper? You better believe it!

Our agency is sending the paperwork to us overnight. We will need to sign and it will go straight back to FedEx tomorrow night for priority overnight delivery back to Portland, Oregon on Wednesday. They will then forward it on to China on our behalf. Once the CCAA receives our confirmation, they will issue our Travel Approval (TA). This process can take anywhere from 2-4 weeks. We are obviously hoping for two weeks (or less)!

Once our agency receives our TA, they will call us to let us know and then contact the US Consulate in Guangzhou to schedule our Consulate Appointment (CA). At the Consulate appointment we will have a swearing-in ceremony and get Eliana's citizenship paperwork, which we will hand over to the US Customs officials at the airport upon our return to the United States. Eliana will have a Chinese passport and will need a Visa to enter the US, where she will immediately become a citizen. We will get her US Visa in China. Our agency will also make arrangements with the CCAA to schedule the day when we get to meet Eliana in Guangzhou. Guangzhou is the capital of Eliana's province of Guangdong, where all of our adoption formalities will occur. One of her caretakers or another staff member from her orphanage will travel with her for the 1.5-2 hour drive south from Qingyuan City to Guangzhou to turn her over to our care. That day is usually called "Gotcha Day", or sometimes Forever Family Day, Adoption Day - but whatever you want to call it...we are ready for it!

We are really hoping to complete our travel before the Canton Trade Fair in Guangzhou, which starts April 15th. Although it is not impossible to travel to Guangzhou for an adoption during that time (just ask our friends, Shelli & Jason Hutchinson - they did it in 2006), it is certainly difficult to find a hotel room during the fair and prices are sky high. We will get our Consulate appointment scheduled as soon as possible after TA and then buy our tickets and make hotel arrangements accordingly. If it happens to be during the trade fair, we will deal with it. It would be great if it were before the fair. Our other option is to wait until the second week of May to travel (the first week is a national holiday). No thank you! I will take the trade fair over waiting until May! We have waited long enough, thank you, and so has Eliana! Hang on little girl, it won't be long now!

Where is Eliana? We will be meeting her and adopting her in Guangzhou. She currently lives in Qingyuan City Social Welfare Institute (SWI), north of Guangzhou. Her SWI houses both orphans and the elderly. She also spent 8 months in a wonderful foster home in Dongguan/Dongwan (east of Guangzhou), called True Children's Home after having her cleft lip surgery, which was sponsored by TCH. We will most likely be flying in and out of Hong Kong. You can see all of those cities on this map of southern China, below. You can use the up, down and left/right arrows to move the map around and use the + and - to zoom in and out. Click the "Sat" button to add satellite imagery or the "Ter" button to see a topographical version.

View Larger Map