Apparently there was a devastating earthquake here yesterday. Although we are closer to the epicenter than Beijing is, we didn't feel a thing. We're all safe and sound, and looks like the other folks in our travel group who are in different provinces are also fine (and were equally oblivious).
No shrinking violet, our Kate is feeling quite comfortable with us. Her favorite activity is bouncing the beach ball off of Dad's head and then quickly ducking down behind the bed and laughing. She also enjoys chasing big brother down the hallway of the hotel to and from the elevator. And this morning she and I looked through one of her new books, pointing to the different objects and saying the names (me in English, Kate in Chinese). She also went through the alphabet with me, repeating most of the letters.
Monday, May 12, 2008
Fabulous Day!
We are officially a family of four in the eyes of the Chinese government. We spent the morning running around the city getting all the necessary forms filled out and pics taken to make her part of our family.
We had all sorts of smiles this morning as we got ready for breakfast. The plan was to meet our coordinator in the lobby to take care of some paperwork that we had to abandon yesterday afternoon.
As she and I walked into the lobby and saw Mary, our coordinator, Kate's grip on my hand increased to almost painful. She stayed glued to me, sitting on my lap while I signed all the forms. As we went around to the different offices she would walk in by our side (while holding our hands) and then would eagerly lead the way as we left, holding a hand and dragging us out. And she was so excited when we got back to the hotel at lunch time.
She's been all smiles and giggles, quite the change from yesterday afternoon. And we couldn't be happier!
Our computer situation here in Nanchang is not as relaxed as it was in Beijing. I can't post photos and I can't read comments. But we'll keep trying!
We had all sorts of smiles this morning as we got ready for breakfast. The plan was to meet our coordinator in the lobby to take care of some paperwork that we had to abandon yesterday afternoon.
As she and I walked into the lobby and saw Mary, our coordinator, Kate's grip on my hand increased to almost painful. She stayed glued to me, sitting on my lap while I signed all the forms. As we went around to the different offices she would walk in by our side (while holding our hands) and then would eagerly lead the way as we left, holding a hand and dragging us out. And she was so excited when we got back to the hotel at lunch time.
She's been all smiles and giggles, quite the change from yesterday afternoon. And we couldn't be happier!
Our computer situation here in Nanchang is not as relaxed as it was in Beijing. I can't post photos and I can't read comments. But we'll keep trying!
Sunday, May 11, 2008
Heartbreak and Hope
We arrived in Nanchang yesterday afternoon and were told that the "babies" would be brought to the hotel to meet us. We had a little over an hour to sit and stew and wonder.
At four o'clock we went up to a meeting room in the hotel to meet Min (who, I'd like to announce, is in fact a Kate!). She is so tiny and looked so out of sorts. She was very brave for the first fifteen-twenty minutes, parroting back bah bah and mah mah as directed by the orpanange officials. But then I notice a tear and within seconds she was crying unconsolably.
We took her to our room where she cried herself to sleep in our arms. While she was sleeping, I took a look at the care package we had sent. The scrapbook hadn't been looked at and the white Teddy Bear we'd sent looked just and clean as when it was purchased. We think she had no idea until that morning about what was going on. And when the orpanage officials told her she was going to meet her Mom and Dad, was she expecting to see her bio parents?
She slept for over an hour and upon waking and realizing that it wasn't just a bad dream, started crying again. This time though, instead of hanging limply in our arms, she clung to my tightly to my neck and calmed down within a few minutes.
She sat with me watching Phil and Alex color, and then watching them play with playdough. She didn't want to participate, but was very interested in what they were doing.
After our room service dinner, we all put on our pjs (she had no hesitation in changing out of her clothes and putting on the pjs we brought for her) and climbed into the king sized bed and watched some of a video. We saw smiles as she watched the crazy chipmunks capers. After the video, we were the ones getting the smiles! Loads of them.
Now it's Monday morning and we are all awake (no tears, I was a little concerned that we'd start startled) and all smiles! She's been playing dominoes and I think Alex is going to try to get her started on chess. We'll let you know how that goes.
At four o'clock we went up to a meeting room in the hotel to meet Min (who, I'd like to announce, is in fact a Kate!). She is so tiny and looked so out of sorts. She was very brave for the first fifteen-twenty minutes, parroting back bah bah and mah mah as directed by the orpanange officials. But then I notice a tear and within seconds she was crying unconsolably.
We took her to our room where she cried herself to sleep in our arms. While she was sleeping, I took a look at the care package we had sent. The scrapbook hadn't been looked at and the white Teddy Bear we'd sent looked just and clean as when it was purchased. We think she had no idea until that morning about what was going on. And when the orpanage officials told her she was going to meet her Mom and Dad, was she expecting to see her bio parents?
She slept for over an hour and upon waking and realizing that it wasn't just a bad dream, started crying again. This time though, instead of hanging limply in our arms, she clung to my tightly to my neck and calmed down within a few minutes.
She sat with me watching Phil and Alex color, and then watching them play with playdough. She didn't want to participate, but was very interested in what they were doing.
After our room service dinner, we all put on our pjs (she had no hesitation in changing out of her clothes and putting on the pjs we brought for her) and climbed into the king sized bed and watched some of a video. We saw smiles as she watched the crazy chipmunks capers. After the video, we were the ones getting the smiles! Loads of them.
Now it's Monday morning and we are all awake (no tears, I was a little concerned that we'd start startled) and all smiles! She's been playing dominoes and I think Alex is going to try to get her started on chess. We'll let you know how that goes.
Saturday, May 10, 2008
Two Blonds and Other Popular Tourist Attractions in Beijing
We started our day at Tiananmen Square with the main attraction apparently being Alex and myself. The other other folks in our group were amazed at all the Chinese people circling us and trying to take our pictures.
We left the Square and crossed the road to visit the never ending Forbidden City. It felt like we were opening up those wooden Russian nesting dolls, only in reverse, with each door we'd pass through revealing a slightly larger and grander version of the previous courtyard and buildings.
For lunch we had the traditional Peking Duck, although the head and feet had already been removed so it wasn't as traditional as I was hoping for.
Later, after a brief detour past the Bird's Nest and Water Cube, we found ourselves working off all that lovely lunch climbing along the Great Wall. The section that we traveled was incredibly steep and the centuries old steps varied in rise height from brick to brick. We had fabulous views of the mountains all around us and Beijing in the distance.
Tomorrow is the day. We'll be leaving our hotel at 8 am, our last few steps along our path to Min!
We left the Square and crossed the road to visit the never ending Forbidden City. It felt like we were opening up those wooden Russian nesting dolls, only in reverse, with each door we'd pass through revealing a slightly larger and grander version of the previous courtyard and buildings.
For lunch we had the traditional Peking Duck, although the head and feet had already been removed so it wasn't as traditional as I was hoping for.
Later, after a brief detour past the Bird's Nest and Water Cube, we found ourselves working off all that lovely lunch climbing along the Great Wall. The section that we traveled was incredibly steep and the centuries old steps varied in rise height from brick to brick. We had fabulous views of the mountains all around us and Beijing in the distance.
Tomorrow is the day. We'll be leaving our hotel at 8 am, our last few steps along our path to Min!
Friday, May 9, 2008
Juxtapositions
Yesterday while visiting the Hutong loo, I was thinking "how unfortunate that these dividers are not a little higher", whereas the local woman in there with us was perhaps thinking "how fortunate that I have this indoor facility with running water to use whenever I need it".
While stopped at a rather long traffic light at a busy intersection we noticed a group of about 20 or so men digging in the dirt (a la Holes) with what looked like garden variety shovels. One of the men in our group commented that in the States we'd have a big old backhoe loader making quick work of that job. But that one tractor would be replacing all those individuals. Maybe those men didn't see their digging efforts as outdated, but instead felt happy to have that job.
Saw a shiny new Mercedes sedan, stuck in the slow moving rush hour traffic, being passed by rusty bicycles.
The Starbucks in the 5 storey modern shopping mall down the road from our hotel seemed perfectly normal, almost expected. Yet this one just a few blocks from the ancient Hutong and Drum Tower made me feel a bit sad.
While stopped at a rather long traffic light at a busy intersection we noticed a group of about 20 or so men digging in the dirt (a la Holes) with what looked like garden variety shovels. One of the men in our group commented that in the States we'd have a big old backhoe loader making quick work of that job. But that one tractor would be replacing all those individuals. Maybe those men didn't see their digging efforts as outdated, but instead felt happy to have that job.
Saw a shiny new Mercedes sedan, stuck in the slow moving rush hour traffic, being passed by rusty bicycles.
The Starbucks in the 5 storey modern shopping mall down the road from our hotel seemed perfectly normal, almost expected. Yet this one just a few blocks from the ancient Hutong and Drum Tower made me feel a bit sad.
Most Hutong Homes Have No Bathrooms or . . .
. . . Getting to Know Our New Travel Buddies.
Our first full day in Beijing and we are officially exhausted! We managed to stay up until 9:30 last night and I managed to sleep until Phil woke me at 6:30 this morning, but poor Alex was up at 4:00 and didn't go back to sleep until this evening at the Chinese Acrobat Theater!
We started our day at the Temple of Heaven park. Built in the 1400's as a place to give thanks for the good harvest and originally only accessable to the Emperor, now is a major tourist attraction and city park. The park is used daily by the seniors in Beijing as a health club and social center. Huge open areas are littered with what looks like kid's playground equipment, but is in fact apparatus for the adults to keep fit. And the place was packed!! It was amazing watching the various fitness routines taking place. In other areas of the park we found seniors playing cards, dominoes, various musical instruments and singing old familiar songs from their youth. Much healthier than sitting around watching Jeopardy.
We then went to one of the many Hutong neighborhoods that can be found in Beijing. The Hutong are narrow alleyways that date back to when Genghis Khan destroyed BJ and the Chinese had to rebuild the city. Today there is a combination of one-storey ramshackle dwellings and historic courtyard homes. Our group cruised around the area in a 5 rickshaw caravan through the maze of homes to our lunch destination.
We dined in a two room home, the double mattress propped up against the wall to make room for the table. The food was amazing. The homeowner kept bringing plate after plate of various veggie dishes, peanuts, rice, pickled cucumber, dim sum and, the group fav, the sauteed garlic sprouts. The family dog hung out at our feet for a while until his owner got wise to him and kicked him out (we think he knew that perhaps our chopstick skills could yield him a snack).
While on our Hutong tour it was explained to us that most of these homes have no bathrooms and therefore the families rely on the many public restrooms dotting the neighborhood.
We visited the Drum Tower, that originally marked the center of the old Mongol capital and was used to both mark the hours of the day and announce the closing of the city wall gates. One of the best parts of the Tower visit was the dizzyingly steep stairs we had to climb to get into the tower.
After the Drum Tower as we were returning through the Hutong, a few of us decided to use one of the public toilets. Ten turkish toilets (sometimes known as squatty potties) awaited us with little 3 foot high by 4 foot long partitions separating each one. No doors. No privacy. Quite the moment that we were able to share on this first day!
We ended our day at the theater watching incredibly strong and incredibly bendy acrobats. Before the show began we started chatting with some Americans sitting in front of us (not with our group) that had their teenage son with them and are also adopting. They also get their daughter on Mother's Day and have their consulate appointment on the same day as ours. And the husband works for Caterpillar. Small world.
Our first full day in Beijing and we are officially exhausted! We managed to stay up until 9:30 last night and I managed to sleep until Phil woke me at 6:30 this morning, but poor Alex was up at 4:00 and didn't go back to sleep until this evening at the Chinese Acrobat Theater!
We started our day at the Temple of Heaven park. Built in the 1400's as a place to give thanks for the good harvest and originally only accessable to the Emperor, now is a major tourist attraction and city park. The park is used daily by the seniors in Beijing as a health club and social center. Huge open areas are littered with what looks like kid's playground equipment, but is in fact apparatus for the adults to keep fit. And the place was packed!! It was amazing watching the various fitness routines taking place. In other areas of the park we found seniors playing cards, dominoes, various musical instruments and singing old familiar songs from their youth. Much healthier than sitting around watching Jeopardy.
We then went to one of the many Hutong neighborhoods that can be found in Beijing. The Hutong are narrow alleyways that date back to when Genghis Khan destroyed BJ and the Chinese had to rebuild the city. Today there is a combination of one-storey ramshackle dwellings and historic courtyard homes. Our group cruised around the area in a 5 rickshaw caravan through the maze of homes to our lunch destination.
We dined in a two room home, the double mattress propped up against the wall to make room for the table. The food was amazing. The homeowner kept bringing plate after plate of various veggie dishes, peanuts, rice, pickled cucumber, dim sum and, the group fav, the sauteed garlic sprouts. The family dog hung out at our feet for a while until his owner got wise to him and kicked him out (we think he knew that perhaps our chopstick skills could yield him a snack).
While on our Hutong tour it was explained to us that most of these homes have no bathrooms and therefore the families rely on the many public restrooms dotting the neighborhood.
We visited the Drum Tower, that originally marked the center of the old Mongol capital and was used to both mark the hours of the day and announce the closing of the city wall gates. One of the best parts of the Tower visit was the dizzyingly steep stairs we had to climb to get into the tower.
After the Drum Tower as we were returning through the Hutong, a few of us decided to use one of the public toilets. Ten turkish toilets (sometimes known as squatty potties) awaited us with little 3 foot high by 4 foot long partitions separating each one. No doors. No privacy. Quite the moment that we were able to share on this first day!
We ended our day at the theater watching incredibly strong and incredibly bendy acrobats. Before the show began we started chatting with some Americans sitting in front of us (not with our group) that had their teenage son with them and are also adopting. They also get their daughter on Mother's Day and have their consulate appointment on the same day as ours. And the husband works for Caterpillar. Small world.
Thursday, May 8, 2008
We're Here!!
We left DC around noon on Wednesday and arrived here in Beijing around noon Thursday. The flight was great; well as great as a 13 hour flight can be and we've managed to stay awake all afternoon.
We decided to forgo the cab ride to the Olympic venue area. One high speed flight a day is our limit. Instead we wandered around the pedestrian area that's a few blocks from our hotel. We're in a very trendy part of town. Everything is glitzy and new. Loads of Olympic souvenirs to be had. I love the Beijing mascots, the Friendlies! Oddly, my two guys don't see the charm in the cute, colorful cartoon pandas. If only Min were here with me . . .
We decided to forgo the cab ride to the Olympic venue area. One high speed flight a day is our limit. Instead we wandered around the pedestrian area that's a few blocks from our hotel. We're in a very trendy part of town. Everything is glitzy and new. Loads of Olympic souvenirs to be had. I love the Beijing mascots, the Friendlies! Oddly, my two guys don't see the charm in the cute, colorful cartoon pandas. If only Min were here with me . . .
Tuesday, May 6, 2008
Today is the Day!!
We leave town this evening, the final leg of our nearly 3 year journey to Min! Our flight to Beijing leaves tomorrow and we will be in BJ around noon on Thursday.
Our hotel is across the street from the Forbidden City, so when we get to the hotel and get checked in we're planning on heading out to explore! We've got to do what we can to try to stay awake until Thursday night and hope we sleep through the night. Wishful thinking, I know. Most likely we'll get checked in and go straight to bed!
We are also hoping to go check out the new Olympic stadium in BJ, the one dubbed the Bird's Nest.
Another cool structure that has been built for the Olympics is the aquatic center, The Water Cube. Hopefully we can grab a cab and head over there Thursday evening!
Looking forward to posting from the road! See you in Beijing!
Our hotel is across the street from the Forbidden City, so when we get to the hotel and get checked in we're planning on heading out to explore! We've got to do what we can to try to stay awake until Thursday night and hope we sleep through the night. Wishful thinking, I know. Most likely we'll get checked in and go straight to bed!
We are also hoping to go check out the new Olympic stadium in BJ, the one dubbed the Bird's Nest.
Another cool structure that has been built for the Olympics is the aquatic center, The Water Cube. Hopefully we can grab a cab and head over there Thursday evening!
Looking forward to posting from the road! See you in Beijing!
Monday, May 5, 2008
Waldo
Alex' sixth grade class at Exploris has been tracking and studying Eastern Box Turtle populations near Lake Raleigh. It has been a year long ongoing study with the students finding turtles, recording data about the turtle's size and appearance, and putting a transmitter on the turtles so that they can track their movements and habitat choices.
A few weeks ago a reporter and photographer from the News and Observer (our local Raleigh paper) joined the students on their Waldo search. Follow the link to the article to learn more about the students' Waldo studies. Also click on the "related content" link about halfway down the page. There you will find 11 photos of their field work and Alex is in one of them!!
Waldo Article
A few weeks ago a reporter and photographer from the News and Observer (our local Raleigh paper) joined the students on their Waldo search. Follow the link to the article to learn more about the students' Waldo studies. Also click on the "related content" link about halfway down the page. There you will find 11 photos of their field work and Alex is in one of them!!
Waldo Article
Wednesday, April 30, 2008
Jiangxi
Min is currently living in the province of Jiangxi, highlighted in pink on the map.
Although little known outside of the province, Jiangxi cuisine is rich and distinctive. Flavors are some of the strongest in China, with heavy use of chile peppers, pickled and fermented products! Looking forward to some fabulously spicy food!
Jiangxi is the main area of concentration of the Gan varieties of Chinese, spoken over most of the northern two-thirds of the province. Examples include the Nanchang dialect, Yichun dialect and Ji'an dialect. The southern one-third of the province speaks Hakka. There are also Mandarin, Hui, and Wu dialects spoken along the northern border. With all this in mind I'm feeling less guilty about not knowing more Mandarin!
Jiangxi is well known for their incredible porcelain. Apparently the thing to get will be a tea set (child's) for Min. It'll be fun to take her around and let her choose one to bring home!
A little Jiangxi claim to fame: in 2007, Jiangxi (specifically the Zhelin Reservoir, about 40 km from Nanchang) was the filming location for the fifteenth series of the show Survivor. Too bad we don't/didn't watch the show. Maybe we should rent that series?
Our Itinerary
We have our detailed travel plans for our time in China! We'll be doing quite a bit of sightseeing and touring over the 2 weeks of our visit. So much icing on an already very sweet cake! The highlight of the 2 weeks will be on Sunday, May 11 when we finally get to meet the newest McKenzie! We are all very anxious to reach that moment.
We have 3 full days in Beijing. We'll go to TianAnMen Square and the Forbidden City. We will visit the Great Wall. We will be ferried by rickshaw through centuries old Hutong neighborhoods and visit the Temple of Heaven. And we'll get to see a Chinese acrobat show. Hopefully we'll also be able to check out the "Bird's Nest" that has been constructed for the Olympics that is 100 days away.
While in Min's province we've got two days of sightseeing set up for us and a free day to enjoy the sights (aka shopping!). Apparently there is a shop directly across the street from the hotel where we will be staying that makes the traditional Chinese silk dresses with next day turn around. We choose the silk and they will make the outfits. I believe that we will be visiting that store! Plus, they also provide free finding ad services.
We will be in Guangzhou for 5 days and have alot of paperwork and a medical visit for Min's US Visa. So far there isn't any sightseeing set up for us but I know from having followed other family's journeys that there are loads of interesting markets, great parks and a zoo. I also know that it is incredibly humid there so we may just hunker down at Starbucks sipping iced lattes and people watching.
We have 3 full days in Beijing. We'll go to TianAnMen Square and the Forbidden City. We will visit the Great Wall. We will be ferried by rickshaw through centuries old Hutong neighborhoods and visit the Temple of Heaven. And we'll get to see a Chinese acrobat show. Hopefully we'll also be able to check out the "Bird's Nest" that has been constructed for the Olympics that is 100 days away.
While in Min's province we've got two days of sightseeing set up for us and a free day to enjoy the sights (aka shopping!). Apparently there is a shop directly across the street from the hotel where we will be staying that makes the traditional Chinese silk dresses with next day turn around. We choose the silk and they will make the outfits. I believe that we will be visiting that store! Plus, they also provide free finding ad services.
We will be in Guangzhou for 5 days and have alot of paperwork and a medical visit for Min's US Visa. So far there isn't any sightseeing set up for us but I know from having followed other family's journeys that there are loads of interesting markets, great parks and a zoo. I also know that it is incredibly humid there so we may just hunker down at Starbucks sipping iced lattes and people watching.
Sunday, April 27, 2008
Single Digits
OK folks, we are down to single digits in our countdown to China! I cannot believe that we are so close to such an amazing event and I am still capable of normal daily functioning. Of course a broken table this weekend could be indicative of some stress simmering within. Hmmm.
Friday, April 25, 2008
The Perfect Gift
We just found out that we will be meeting Min a day earlier than what we had originally been told. We will meet her on Sunday, May 11. Mother's Day!
Monday, April 21, 2008
Only 15 Days Left to Pack
Even in the best of situations I loathe packing. I'd much rather drive than fly because I can toss all those last minute things into the car. I like to have shoe options. I like to have clothing options. I'm not good with having to fit things neatly into a suitcase (or 2 or 3). I love traveling, but hate the packing.
This trip is really going to challenge my travel preparation issues. We've been told to pack light which I find laughable when you see the piles of things we need to take for Min, official paperwork, the gifts for her caretakers, gifts for officials and our coordinators, toys and activities for keeping 2 kids cooped up a small hotel room happy for hours on end, the meds that will help alleviate all sorts of ailments, and clothes and toiletries for the 3 of us. Add to this the fact that domestic China travel only allows one checked bag per person. And before you reach for that body-bag sized duffel realize that there is a 40lb weight limit per bag.
When I start posting photos of the trip I think our attire will quite nicely illustrate how we managed to get everything to China. I just hope for the sake of our fellow travellers that our return flight to the States is not full.
This trip is really going to challenge my travel preparation issues. We've been told to pack light which I find laughable when you see the piles of things we need to take for Min, official paperwork, the gifts for her caretakers, gifts for officials and our coordinators, toys and activities for keeping 2 kids cooped up a small hotel room happy for hours on end, the meds that will help alleviate all sorts of ailments, and clothes and toiletries for the 3 of us. Add to this the fact that domestic China travel only allows one checked bag per person. And before you reach for that body-bag sized duffel realize that there is a 40lb weight limit per bag.
When I start posting photos of the trip I think our attire will quite nicely illustrate how we managed to get everything to China. I just hope for the sake of our fellow travellers that our return flight to the States is not full.
Saturday, April 19, 2008
Bridge Building State Finals
Last week Alex' Bridge Building Team competed in the state finals. The state is divided into four regions, with teams from both middle and high school at the competition.
Our bridge team spent the month in between events fine tuning both the bridge and the skit. The bridge we entered this time was 10 grams heavier than our previous entry, our engineers having determined the additional weight was a necessary trade off for a more secure structure. The face paint created this time for Yodaneer was a much nicer shade of green (that was the only change for the skit group . . . "if it ain't broke. . .").
Once again our skit crew wowed the crowd with their production of Star Bridge . They won best presentation and were awarded a check for $100 from the NC DOT! While our new bridge did much better than last time, the extra bulk on the bridge didn't translate into being the strongest of the 4 entered.
Everyone had a great time and the best part is that everyone is excited about being back for next year's team! Alex even has a title for next year's skit: Star Bridge II: Return of Darth Deadload!
Our bridge team spent the month in between events fine tuning both the bridge and the skit. The bridge we entered this time was 10 grams heavier than our previous entry, our engineers having determined the additional weight was a necessary trade off for a more secure structure. The face paint created this time for Yodaneer was a much nicer shade of green (that was the only change for the skit group . . . "if it ain't broke. . .").
Once again our skit crew wowed the crowd with their production of Star Bridge . They won best presentation and were awarded a check for $100 from the NC DOT! While our new bridge did much better than last time, the extra bulk on the bridge didn't translate into being the strongest of the 4 entered.
Everyone had a great time and the best part is that everyone is excited about being back for next year's team! Alex even has a title for next year's skit: Star Bridge II: Return of Darth Deadload!
Thursday, April 3, 2008
Wednesday, April 2, 2008
Easter Egg Hunt
Some pictures from our Easter Sunday at Ron and Amee's house. Alex had a great time with his friend Colin, and Colin's sisters, Alyssa and Taylor, who were visiting from Illinois. Thanks to Erin for the information on making photo collages!
World Autism Awareness Day
Our son is on the spectrum. He wasn't diagnosed until the age of 10. He has Aspergers/HFA. We love the person that is our Alex. All his amazing abilities and unique interests and ways of viewing the world make our world much more colorful. Sure, I'd love for social interactions to be easier for him but in our mind his autism is not a disease, it's a difference. A difference that makes him who he is.
We have friends who have a different view of autism. They have children on a different part of the spectrum. They love their children. Love the unique people that they are but want more for their children. The want to see more time and research put into autism studies to see what can be offered to enrich their children's lives. They would like to see a cure.
For us a cure would mean our son wouldn't be who he is. It would be like taking him away from us. But a cure for our friends would allow their children to develop into who they could be and would give so much more of them to their families.
Tuesday, April 1, 2008
Travel Dates!!
We have our official travel dates and our consulate appointment! We will leave for Beijing on Wednesday May 7 and we will be a family of four on Monday May 12. Our US Consulate appointment has been scheduled for May 20 and we'll return to the states a few days later.
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