We’ve Arrived!

Greetings from Beijing!! We arrived last night, early evening.  The hotel looks great!  We had a nice stroll around the hotel last night just to get some fresh air, which was a great idea in theory.  The smog was so thick it looked like we were in a dense fog. checked out the convenience stores and got our bearings and then went home for a  good night's sleep (which didn't happen of course!!!!)  I woke up at1:30 and have been awake off and on since then!!!  Had a great breakfast and are now off to a traditional tea ceremony this morning.  Will post pictures as soon as I can!

I'm Off!!!!!!

It's almost time to leave the house for the airport. Wow.  What a journey it's been.  Some of it not so pretty, as most of you know, but a journey none the less.  It's hard for me to believe I am finally here, bags packed and in the car, waiting to start a new journey.  Thank you to all who helped out these past couple of weeks, your thoughtfulness was much appreciated.  I had intended to post a snapshot of the entire journey through photos, from the day I mailed my original application to a finished baby's room.  However, the photos are on different cards and I've run out of time, so I will add to this post at a later time (I'm sure I will have time when I return??!!?? :)  So here are a few pictures of the baby's room in progress and finished.  Enjoy and I'll talk to you from China!

24 hours from now....

24 hours from now I will be boarding a plane.  Yikes!!  I haven't slept in days now as the excitement has been building.  My friend Liz mentioned yesterday that she thought I sounded so calm but believe me, it's all an act.  I'm not calm, I'm excited and stressed and freaking out inside! So stressed that I was at the bank on Saturday, trying to get money from the ATM and I forgot how it works!!  WHAT THE HECK???  How can I forget how an ATM works???!!!!  I put in my request and when it didn't spit out the money right away but asked me if I wanted to complete another transaction, I got nervous that it wasn't working and I went and got the clerk to help me.  She patiently explained that the money comes out at the very end.  I was embarrassed to say the least.  She just smiled.  I'm sure I will be the talk at her dinner table tonight, the dumb lady who forgot how to get money out of an ATM.  I guess that's "mommy-brain" at it's best!!  To my defence however, I hardly ever use an ATM!!!!!

Thanks to everyone who sent good wishes through phone calls and emails and blog posts.  I won't likely have time to respond to everyone so please know that I got your message and am thankful.

My friends Rhonda and Josh are currently boarding their plane to China.  They left a day before us and will hopefully scope things out and give me the scoop when I get there!  I'm counting on it!  I have a few activities planned for the first couple of days in Beijing (not like me to sit around doing nothing!!!).  We arrive Thursday evening and are hopefully attending a Tea Ceremony and an Acrobatic Circus show on Friday.  After that, still needs a little planning.  

My friend Catherine has been kind enough to offer to post for me while I am in China.  Catherine has her own beautiful daughter and has been a wealth of advice and encouragement to me.  Thanks so much Catherine, I appreciate it!!  I will post as often as I can and include pictures to show you what I see of my daughter's homeland. I can't wait!!!  Maybe I should head to the airport early, just in case!!!  Is right now too early??!!

The Gift of Parenting

Saw a sign the other day....
The first gift of parenting is knowing you love your child before you've even met them
So true....

Pack-a-Palooza!!!!

Just finished packing what feels like an entire pharmacy into ziploc bags.  Here is what my bed looked like until an hour ago.....

And I didn't even purchase everything that was suggested, only what I thought I would actually use during the trip or later at home.  That's a lot of stuff, and you may notice there is not even one piece of clothing yet!!!!  How is all of that going to fit into one suitcase??!!!  Mom?  Dad?  Any room???

I'm Back and The Countdown is On!!!!!!

For those of you that check in here regularly, I've taken a bit of a break from blogging this summer.  I've been away vacationing and busy getting so many things ready for Grace (how do you babyproof a china cabinet anyway??;)) Anyways, I'm back on the blogging train, so don't forget to check in here while I'm gone.  I'm going to try my best to keep you updated while I'm in China.  The final countdown is on!!!!  I leave for china in 5 days!!!!  

OMG!! I LEAVE FOR CHINA IN 5 DAYS!!!!!!!!

For now, the waiting continues.  I just had my last vaccination needles this week, I've called my credit card companies, ordered my Chinese currency, checked out my cell phone use in China (doesn't work there, ugh), filled my freezer with easy meals, babyproofed all the lower cupboards and drawers, and now I just continue to wait till 2:55 Wednesday, when that plane takes off, changing my life forever.

Family Camping 2012

We had our annual Family Camping trip this past weekend.  Unfortunately my brother and his family weren't able to join us but we had a couple of new additions to the group, baby K and my nephew's girlfriend, K.  Like usual, my mom and dad were great hosts, opening up their camper and letting us invade them with all our sports gear and board games and munchies and everything else that goes with camping for 5 days.  The weather was a pleasant surprise as it was supposed to rain several times throughout the weekend and we didn't see a drop (my sister tells me it rained Wednesday during the night, but I don't believe her ;) ).  I treasure these family moments as you never know what the future holds and it's so nice to spend time together as a family.  My parents did a good job of instilling the value of family into all of us and it shows in the photos below.  My favourite is the one of my dad and baby K.  Life just doesn't get any better than that.

M is a little camera shy!  K on the other hand is not!

How does it feel setting up a tent after only 4 hours of sleep Eddy?

This guy loves the beach, no really, he does!

S. wearing his armour, homemade, incase you were wondering...

The boys pouring over the baby, how cute!

Get off of me!!!!

Riding the Yellow Dragon

How many people does it take to unload one canoe anyway????

Teenagers and their sandcastles!

Lynda looking her best!

Hey!  Where did your legs go??!

Men doing their jobs......

cooking

cleaning

drying the dishes...

Look out behind you Mom!

Wait for us!

Running up those sand dunes is hard work!

Don't jump!!!

I'm the King of the Castle!

AHH, it was only a mirage!!!! :(

Paradise only 4 hours from home...

How cool is that!  K is a great artist!

My favourite moment of the whole weekend....

The Baby Shower

how cute!!!

Marianne gave me a great China Travel Survival Kit!

Ladybug Nightlight

Panda Bear from my mom, the bear collector

What's wrong Patti, are you bored? sad? or just confused???

Even the dog had a good time, waiting for a nibble to drop off peoples' plates

I've been lucky enough to have had two official baby showers this summer with good friends as well a small gathering of a few close friends that honoured my referral with a beautiful basket of baby items.  Both baby shower hosts did a great job of decorating for the party with Asian themes going on big time.  We ate lunch with chopsticks, had paper lanterns, pandas, bamboo and jade everywhere and loot bags with ladybug themed gifts in them.  I received some wonderful gifts and had a great time catching up with friends.  I think I have just about everything I could possibly need now to bring a baby home!  I'm so lucky!!