18 month Update....

I can not believe that Grace has been home 7 months and 25 days, 34 weeks, or 238 days (rough guess)....

Halloween Day... in my cute t-shirt...

Visiting with Uncle BoBo and Aunt Carrie

Grace had her 18 month appointment this past Monday... She is 19lbs 7oz (still less than 5% on the CDC charts & just at 25% on the Chinese charts) and 33 inches (just under the 90th% on the CDC charts & right on the 97% on the Chinse charts).

This is Grace on April 18th at her first Dr's Appointment... 14lbs 15ozs & 29.25 inches

I will post the most recent Dr's appointment photo once I figure out how to get it off my phone....

(What a time for my camera to be at the shop)

She has been walking (by herself - no help from Mom or Dad) for a month... She has actually started trying to run with encouragement & holding on to our hands.

And in the last week she has really started jabbering away... She really likes to join Mom & Dads discussions... To cute... Ball is one of her newest words as well as Up...

More to come....

Update...

Grace is currently getting her confidence by standing and clapping. No real steps yet. Scott put her walker/baby stroller together three weeks ago. She can walk from one side of the room to the other pushing the walker but is still cautious. She has been in Gymboree since June and we just this past week moved up to the walking class even though she is not walking to give her more time with children closer to her own age.

At her 15 month appointment Grace was 18.4 lbs (< 5% on the American charts but 25% on the Southern Chinese charts) and 31 inches (75% on the American charts) and very healthy. The doctor seems to think that she might be cutting her first molar. Her gums are swollen but still no molar.

I think that I am going to look into a music class since Grace really seems to like music.

Six Month Update....

Wow... I can not believe that it has been six months since Grace was placed in our arms for the first time...

She has really changes allot over the last six months.

Happy Birthday Sweet Grace

MOM & DAD

LOVE YOU SO VERY MUCH!!!!!!!!!

Grace on Sunday @ her party...

Today is Grace's Birthday...

Our little sweet heart is ONE today...

We've had her in our arms for 60 days.

WOW...

So much has changed for all of us...

At referral Grace was around 13.5 lbs and is now 15.7 lbs
She's grown at least an inch and when she wakes up I'll measure her...
She did not sit up, now she does. (Not on her own but soon)
She could not eat off a spoon now she does. (She has her likes and dislikes)
Four teeth now she has six and more on the way.
and she loves to babble... DADA, MAMA, YAYA, and we think duck...


Opening Presents...

A special quilt from Grandmom...

A present from Grammy, Aunt K, and the cousins...

Initiation

Well, it's definitely been an interesting two weeks. Our first week back was pretty much as expected. Grace got to meet her grandparents, great grandfather, great grandmother, a few great aunts and several of our friends. We had an endless stream of food from friends and family in the house and were well taken care of. Good thing too since we probably slept 12 hours per day each of the first 4 days back. We were all adjusting, however, and I prepared to return to work Thursday.

Trouble began, however, about half way through the week when Grace started eating less. In China she would take about 5 full 8oz bottles per day - rarely leaving much behind. About Wednesday, however, she started leaving more behind and protesting when given what she did take. She also ran a low grade fever off and on.

Nothing seemed too serious and we assumed it was just her reaction to all the change - and a couple of more teeth coming in. Also, her first well-baby visit with the doctor was scheduled for Friday and things did not seem too serious. Thursday night, however, there were orange streaks in her diapers and we started to worry.

We saw the pediatrician Friday and by then her temperature was normal. We mentioned the fever, the change in eating habits and the stains. The pediatrician didn't think it was anything specific, but ordered some tests - blood work and a urinalysis. She thought Grace might be mildly dehydrated because of her decreased eating and that the streaks were not blood, but most likely a reaction between the absorbent crystals in the diaper and her slightly more concentrated urine. Since it was late Friday afternoon and Grace didn't have any exceptional symptoms, we planned to take her to the lab for the tests on Monday.

Over the weekend, however, Grace's condition bounced between normal and very frightening. Saturday morning she had a bad case of the chills so we called the pediatrician. They had us start giving her Motrin which helped with the fever. Her appetite, however, was non-existent. We were really starting to worry about dehydration. Things continued like this through Sunday.

On Monday, Grace went to the pediatrician but her fever was not high and there was still no diagnosis. She came home and went down for her mid-afternoon nap. When she awoke, however, things were much worse. She was listless and not interacting with people so Karen made the decision to take her to the ER.

On the way to the ER Grace became completely unresponsive and since she was rear facing in her car seat, Mom could not see whether she was awake or not. Mom started to panic but managed to get Grace to the ER where her fever spiked at 105! She was very sick and somewhat dehydrated and they immediately started her on another does of Motrin and IV fluids. They too, however, thought it was a virus that would pass but took urine and blood samples just to be sure.

When the urine culture came back it confirmed not a virus, but a urinary tract infection. The blood test came back later and indicated that the infection had spread past her bladder and into her kidneys. She was immediately started on IV antibiotics and admitted to the hospital for overnight evaluation.

Grace eventually spent 3 days in the hospital with mom and dad by her side constantly. During this time she had a couple of tests to determine if there was anything about her anatomy that made her more prone to getting these kinds of infections... fortunately they found nothing. Other than being a baby girl (who tend to get these more frequently than other people), she has no particularly higher risk.

She's fully recovered now, though she didn't eat anything for several days. Much of the progress we had made in getting her weight up has been erased, but we should be able to make that up eventually. On the plus side, she was able to be evaluated by a nutritionist and various therapists. They were able to give us a lot of pointers on how to get her on track nutritionally and developmentally. We would have seen them eventually, but being in the hospital made it happen quicker.

So, we're back home now and hopefully settling in to "normal life". I have to wonder what normal is, however. I told several friends at work about what was going on; some where shocked and concerned, others just smiled and said "welcome to parenthood".

Home at Last!

We're finally home with little Grace and just starting to settle in - little jet lagged and confused, but that will change in time. Mom and I still both feel like we're in an airplane when ever we close our eyes. Hopefully that will clear up with more sleep.


The journey home began early Saturday morning (Guangzhou time) and took one bus ride, 3 plane trips, one car ride and 30 hours to complete. Grace was wonderful through all of it - though a little frustrated that she didn't have any room to play on the plane (we're finding that she prefers to have a lot of space to roll around). Everything went smoothly - the flights were on time, customs in LA was easy and our bags all made it.


We spent our last couple of days in Guangzhou shopping. Other than an afternoon trip to the US Consulate to get Grace's visa there was not much more to do. We arrived in Atlanta to find Friends and Family waiting for us and a stocked refrigerator (and more food to come). Most of the time we've been awake today, we've just wanted to sleep. We've only just now had time to down load pictures and collect our thoughts for this blog. Hopefully tomorrow will be more normal.


It's been a long journey - 27 months of waiting and a 3 week oddesey on the other side of the world. Along the way we've enjoyed the support of our friends and family. Without that I don't think we would have made it through everything life has thrown at us during our wait. On our journey we met many wonderful people sharing our experience and hope to keep in touch with them over the years as our daughters grow up. Lastly, we want to express thanks to the local guides who helped us on our trip: Matthew, Michael, Hannah, Jason and Cathy! Without your help we would have been lost.

Guangzhou

We arrived in Guangzhou a couple of days ago - all of us a bit worn out and really ready to get home. We still have a little more waiting to do - after 28 months of waiting for the Chinese to match us with Grace, we now just have a few days to wait for the US government to issue her an immigration visa. In the mean time, we wait, we shop and we rest in Guangzhou.

This city is a stark contrast to Nanning. It's much bigger and much more cosmopolitan. Most importantly, we're not an oddity. While in Nanning, our group were among the few westerners in the city and certainly the only group adopting children. We had the complete attention of the hotel staff - many of whom were absolutely enchanted with our babies. In Guangzhou, however, we're part of a huge crowd of Americans who are here to complete their adoption process.

Every morning there are dozens of children in the dining room for brunch. Most are recently adopted children of various ages, but many are their new siblings who came along for the journey with their parents. In our group there is one family who is adopting their 5th child from China and they brought their two oldest daughters so that they could see their birth country first hand. There are so many children here that Matel has set up a special play room in the hotel. They also present each family with a special edition Barbie doll: "Going Home Barbie", in which Barbie is holding a holding a little Chinese baby.

The other difference between Guangzhou and Nanning is the knowledge of English. In Nanning, English was pretty much limited to some of the hotel staff and our tour guides, Michael and Hannah. In Guangzhou, it's quite common to find people who speak English very well; especially among the vendors and store owners that surround the White Swan. Most learn simply by immersion - the volume of English speaking visitors over the years has made it both possible and necessary. There is a young woman, Stella, who works in a small gift shop out side the hotel called "Home of Love". She speaks English particularly well. I asked her where she learned it and her answer was simply "right here!".

Another, particularly welcome, difference between Guangzhou and Nanning is that the AC in our hotel room actually works. Our room is Nanning was particularly warm. Even when it was 65 degrees outside, our room was never below 78. The last couple of days in Nanning it got into the high 80s and that made things even worse. Guangzhou is even hotter (think DC in July) , and more humid... but at least our AC works right. I am still not sure of the AC in Nanning was broken, or whether energy shortages dictated that things like AC be sacrificed. I suspect a little of both.

Yesterday we did our visa paperwork and Grace had her physical. Everything is OK... she's gained about a pound and a half, and an inch and a half since our last medical update (which was dated 3/4). She's eating regularly and sleeping well, but I suspect that we'll have to make some big changes to her diet when we get home. She's underweight and is a bit malnourished. Nothing, however, exceptional was found and other than her weight she is in very good health.

Today was a bit of a free day - there was a city tour planned, but most of the folks in our group opted not to go. We're all wiped out from a week of parenting on the road. Of the 10 families in our group, only 3 went on the tour. I think there will be more participation in tomorrow's event, pearl factory tourn.

We did, however, participate in another Chinese adoption tradition - the "Red Sofa" pictures. The White Swan lobby is nicely decorated with red velvet sofas. It's become a tradition for families and groups to pose for family photos on them when they stay at the White Swan. Amazingly, we were able to get all 10 babies to sit still on the couch long enough to get a good group shot!

One leg closer

We left Nanning and Guangxi Province yesterday for the next leg in our journey - Guangzhou. Our last few days in Nanning were uneventful, though we did spend some time touring the local cultural museum, parks and a local Buddhist temple.

The thing that struck me the most, however, was just the people. Not for the differences, but for the similarities. In fairness, most of the folks we were exposed to were decidedly middle class. Our hotel was situated very close to the major retail districts of Nanning and there were many people visiting the area because of the annual Qing Ming holiday (known to some as Grave Sweeping Day). It was clear many were in town to shop. China's middle class is becoming more and more consumer oriented and it's growing fast. They have their department stores, shopping malls, Super Wallmarts, celebrity endorsements, and kids racing down grocery store aisles just like we do. The Chinese middle class may not be as large or as accessible to all segments of society as ours is, but even that is changing.

Nanning, however, is behind us now. As we left, Karen started to cry because she realized that Grace was leaving her birth place possibly never to return. I think we'll come back when Grace is older, though. Grace handled it better - only really getting upset as we started to land and the cabin pressure changed. A bottle helped some. Her big challenge came later when she awoke from her nap and was in (once again) another strange place. It wasn't quite so bad this time, but it was a shock for her - one she'll have to repeat just one more time.

Guangzhou is now ahead of us. This is where we will complete the visa process that will allow Grace to enter the US as a legal immigrant, and then immediately become a citizen as soon as we step of the plane in LA. All of this is just a formality - forms to be filled out, documents to be verified. Grace is ours now, legally and emotionally. However, it does take several days, so here we are for the next week.

Guangzhou is a much larger and more cosmopolitan place than Nanning. Life in Nanning seems quiet by comparison. Guangzhou is also the place where every adoptive parent must come in order to complete the same process we're working through. There were 10 families in Nanning, but here it's impossible to count. Every family, no matter what their agency, comes here.

There must be over 100 families here all adopting children of various ages. Most of them are staying in the same place - the White Swan Hotel. It's a very nice hotel if a little dated, but it's particularly famous in the adoption community. Of the thousands of adoptive families that have come to China from the USA in the past 15 years, I would not be suprised if 2/3 of them came through the White Swan... people some times refer to it as the White Stork.

As the focal point for all Chinese adoptions by Americans, Guangzhou has developed a small cottage industry serving the needs of adoptive families. There is a wide variety of baby merchandise, family services, western restaurants, etc, all here to serve the needs of adoptive families. In fairness, this would be a destination whether or not Chinese adoptions were so popular. Guangzhou is a principal city for trade and commerce and hosts a number of key trade and industry shows each year. However, the popularity of Chinese adoption and the fact that Guangzhou is the only US Consulate which processes immigration visas have had an obvious impact on the character of this part of the city.

We're here for 5 days - we did our immigration paperwork today and have a physical for Grace this afternoon. Then it's just a short wait while the consulate issues her Visa. Once that's done, it's home... and one more big adjustment for Grace.

Settling In

Well, it's been a while since our last post - there just hasn't been time before now to do more than a few personal e-mails.

Gotchya Day was 3/31. That morning we signed several documents, including one agreeing to a 24 hour "Harmonious period" - basically they're giving you 24 hours to determine if you are bonding well with your child. When I first read this it kind of seemed a bit silly to expect the child to form a bond that quickly (ours was instantaneous). I was wrong.

Grace's first couple of hours were relatively easy - neither she nor any of the babies cried at all when presented to us. We came back to the hotel and she fell asleep in my arms. I laid her down in the crib and she slept for about 30 minutes... then the fun began.

When Grace woke up she was confused, scared and screaming what in baby talk must translate to "where the heck am I and who are you people!?" She was inconsolable; nothing we did could calm her down. We did give her a bottle and she took it easily - in fact, she had two that afternoon. That's pretty good given a lot of children shut down entirely... better yet, feeding is bonding. Still, she would not stop crying when she was alone with us. She was ok when I walked her around, or when we were with other people - such as when we all got together for the family photo that goes on our official Chinese adoption certificates. She finally tired herself out and went to bed at her normal time (8:00pm).

She slept through the night and woke up an entirely different baby. She was still wondering who these strange people were, but she was calm. Good thing too since we had a busy morning schedule. Day two is when you finalize the adoption - at least where Chinese law is concerned. Our first appointment was with a Chinese adoption official - basically a short interview where they once again confirm we're doing this willingly, why we're doing it, that we will love, feed, protect and educate our child and, that we will never abuse or abandon her.

While waiting for our turn with the adoption officials, we got to meet the nannies who cared for Grace at the orphanage. There were two of them - one older and one younger. Interestingly, it seems they both spoke different languages. The babies were known in the orphanage by their middle names - Jiao in our daughter's case. The older lady referred to our Grace using the Mandarin pronunciation - which seems to rhyme with "meow" but with a G. The yonger woman, however, used the Cantonese form; which sounds more like "goo" (but not quite). We're told that Cantonese is what the babies are most likely to respond to and we've been trying to use her Cantonese name - slowly introducing "Grace" and "Emily Grace".

While we were all waiting our respective turn with the official, the nannies worked the room. Our guides introduced them to each of the parents and they helped translate any questions we had for them. We did find out that while none of Grace's crib neighbors were adopted recently, some are due to be adopted in the next month.

During all this time Grace was calm and happy. I was even able to make her laugh. Through this, and the next appointment with the passport officer, she was calm and alert. She took about 5 bottles all day (her normal amount) and seemed to be settling in. So it seemed like 24 hours made a big difference.

Today, though was yet another experience. We did a bad thing last night and let her stay up an hour later than normal. She had to be woken up this morning and she did not like it. She took her first bottle without any objections, but was cranky as we got her dressed and packed up to go on a group shopping trip.

Then her attitude changed. She was OK while we were in Wallmart, but still a little fidgety and cranky. We wrote it off to being tired. Then we went across the street to McDonald's for a quick lunch... that's when it began. She got more and more cranky and fidgety, and she would not take her bottle.

Thinking she might just be wet, Karen changed her diaper and that seemed to help. She started to eat again and Karen left me with her in McDonald's while she went to one of the nearby department stores. About 5 minutes after she left the crying began again... whining mostly at first.

Then I felt it and smelled it. Not 10 minutes after Karen changed her, she had her first poopy diaper. Of course, I am alone, in McDonald's, surrounded by people who whose language I do not speak. I had also only changed one diaper so far and that with Karen's help.

I thought I could ride this out and wait for Karen to return and bail me out. No such luck. With each passing minute, Grace's cries got louder and more desperate. I knew what needed to be done, but I didn't know where to do it (no changing tables in the restrooms) and I didn't know where in our diaper bag all the things I needed were (I'll not make that mistake again).

Finally some of the other folks from our group arrived and one of them loaned me a diaper and some wipes. Unneccessary had I been familiar with our own diaper bag... but a god send at the time. So, our daughter passes one of her first post placement milestones (first poopy diaper) and I pass one of my first daddy milestones (first public, unassisted, diaper change).

Unfortunately Grace was still kind of cranky and out of it... as we later learned, this episode was just the start. She was actually kind of blocked up and that was causing her a lot of distress. What happened in McDonald's was just a little relief. When we got home, though, everything resolved itself and she's back to being happy, playful and hungry.

So, it's been a whirlwind 48 hours, but things are starting to settle in to a pattern. I think, with a little more time and a lot more sleep, things are going to be OK!

The next few days are spent mostly being tourists. There are no more official activities to be done in Nanning. We're just here waiting for Grace's passport to be issued and then it's off to Guangzhuo and her appointment with the US government to get her immigration visa.

Gotchya!

This is it, the big day - with joy and thanks in our hearts we announce the arrival of Emily Grace Jiao! We've waited many years for this day and throughout it all we've know the love, prayers and support of many people. If we can return 1/10th the love we have received, Grace will be a very lucky girl. For all the love and support we have received from all of you over the years, thank you from all three of us!

We arrived in Nanning last night where we were greeted by our agency representatives, Michael and Hanna. They will be our guides, facilitators, and translators while we are here in Nanning. They spent some time with us this morning assisting with the various official Chinese documents that we need to conclude the adoption. This afternoon they took us to the Lottery Hotel where we and Grace were united.

There are 10 families in our group and 10 babies... interestingly, there was not a lot of crying. The babies all looked a little confused, they seemed more curious than frightened. We know that's already changed; Grace just woke from her nap and realized she's in a strange place with strange people. That too will change, though, she's ours now and in time she'll be more comfortable around us. In the mean time, we're prepared for the transition.

Tomorrow is more paperwork - the finalizing of the adoption. Then we wait here for a week or so while Grace receive a passport before heading off to Guangzhuo to apply for her immigrant visa.

In the mean time, I think we all just need a nap.

One more step

Our visit to Hong Kong is over. We had fun, but it was mostly a rest stop. We did meet up with family for dinner though; Karen's sister's step son, David, lives and works in Hong Kong and he came to meet us. As nice as it was to stop and catch our breath, though, we're eager to get Grace in our arms... which will happen tomorrow!

We're in the Hong Kong airport now waiting to board our flight to Nanning in just a few minutes. It's a short flight - about an hour. We'll get in around 7:00 and then to the hotel. Hopefully we'll be able to sleep tonight; despite the two days of rest in Hong Kong we are still exhausted. I think our bodies are still in the eastern time zone.

Our luggage situation was resolved without any problems, but unfortunately one other couple in our group hasn't been so lucky. As we were checking in, their bags were still not confirmed to be coming in. We certainly hope this gets resolved tonight, but if not there are 8 other families and we all have some spare baby supplies.

They are starting the boarding process so there isn't much time to write... it may be a few days before we get to post again - our priorities are about to change! However, our next post, whenever that might be, will have very good news!

In Country

Well, we're here - in China, finally!

We arrived last night around 7:00pm local time. Everything on the flight was near perfect, though when we arrived we found that our checked bags had not. Given everything we had experience from Cathay Pacific, though, I was not worried. It's always a pain to arrive without your luggage, but the airport staff was already aware of the problem and knew our bags were delayed rather than lost. Sure enough, they were delivered to our hotel just a few minutes ago.

There are 9 families all ultimately going to Nanning to be united with their children, and another 4 going to Nanchang. Our agency arranged two excellent tour guides; Matthew and Joann, and they took us all on an organized tour of Hong Kong, doing some sight seeing and shopping and finally ending with very delicious Dim Sum lunch. Despite the jet lag and exhaustion, I think we all appreciated the chance to see a bit of this place and spend time meeting our fellow travelers.

However, while it's nice to see the city and meet our travel companions, I don't think there is one of us who wouldn't gladly pass this up for the opportunity to get right on a plane to Nanning. It's good to meet, relax and adjust - but the anticipation about the next step in our journey is THICK.

Tomorrow it's off to Nanning - there to meet little Grace for the first time!

In the Air, pt. 2

In the Air!

Well, on the ground actually - in New York! We left for the Atlanta air port at 6:00 this morning and arrived at JFK where we'll pick up the flight to Hong Kong in about 30 mintues.

It's been a busy week - making sure all the loose ends at work were tied up, getting last minute items, packing and cleaning the house. There hasn't been much time for blogging. Finally a bit of a break!

Our friend Eric picked us up this morning at 6:00am - we're probably being a bit conservative, getting to the airport about 2 hours before our flight to JFK. Good thing, though, since Delta and many other airlines grounded their MD88s yesterday, canceled a bunch of flights and generally created a mess in the airports this morning.... but, we got off.

ATL to NY was a good flight, small plane but not uncomfortable. We met a couple of nice people on the way, including a nice woman from Florida who is also on our flight to Hong Kong (she is headed from there to meet her husband Brunei)... so we're all having a quick lunch before hopping on a 777 for Hong Kong...

Grace, we're on our way!

What's in a Name?

When little Guo Jiang Jiao comes home with us in a few weeks, she'll be known to us as Emily Grace Jiao - but we'll call her Grace. Whenever you name a child, people always want to know where the name came from. People have many reasons for choosing the names they do. Some choose it to make a statement about their hopes for the child's individuality, some choose it in honor of a beloved family member, still others pull out a baby name book and randomly turn to a page. There are as many different reasons as names.

In our case, it was family. The name Emily appears may times in both our families. My wife's mother is Emily, my cousin is Emily, our niece is Emily. My dad's mother, who passed before I was born, was Emylou.

Grace, on the other hand, was chosen for my dad's step mother - the person I knew all my life as Grandmother. She helped merge two families (3 kids on each side) into one and all through my life I knew her as Grandmother... not as "dad's step mom", but simply Grandmother. The unity she and my Grandfather created in their extended family has been a powerful, comforting and inspirational influence on my life.

So, our daughter will be Emily Grace. We also want to keep part of her Chinese identity in her name, will also use Jiao - which means lovable or tender.

Travel Worries.

Well, I have a new found respect for travel agents. I've never really used one for personal travel, at least not in the last 20 years, and definitely not since the rise of the Internet.

Earlier this week we were told that our agency was trying to get our travel group locked in to an early appointment with the U.S. Consulate in Guangzhou. That appointment date is what determines when adoptive families get to travel and no firm plans can be made until that date is known.

On Monday our adoption agency informed us that the Travel Notices (the official approval to travel from the Chinese) had gone out and that they were requesting appointments for a date which would require us to travel as early as next week. By Wednesday morning they had those appointments and by Wednesday night we had a sample itinerary from the travel agent.

That's where we hit the snag. Many families purchase a lap ticket for their child on the return trip, but some purchase a regular seat. The extra room in coach adds comfort to the final leg of a very exhausting journey. In our case we wanted to do this, and also get a 3rd seat on the way out. We're bigger folks and 17 hours crammed in a coach seat is not our idea of comfortable.

When we mentioned this to the travel agent, she went back and worked out a couple of scenarios. However, for reasons I still don't understand, the airline could not confirm that any of the 3 seats, coming or going, would be together. Now the whole purpose of this was to have more room between the two of us so possibly not getting them together was unacceptable. So, as of last night, no tickets. Keep in mind, we're supposed to fly out next week.

The agent went back and started working a few other options, but I went most of the day without hearing from her. In the mean time I am going out of my head and really not able to focus at work. I got stuff done, but spent much of my time agonizing over whether or not we would be able to find a flight. All of my own personal searching on airline and travel websites had been fruitless. I was starting to worry that, after 26 months of waiting, I was putting us in danger of even more delay because of my desire for personal comfort.

Finally, though, late this afternoon, we heard from the travel agent. She had found us seats on a different airline. There had still been some difficulty getting seats confirmed, but she had been successful in convincing the airline to assign the seats. The only gap is the first leg from Atlanta to New York - it's on a Canadair jet and only has a 2-2 configuration.

So now, thanks to the hard work of our travel agent, we have seats. One more thing off the checklist and one more step on the journey.

Welcome

Well, it's been a long road. To those who have supported us over the years, THANK YOU!

After over two years of waiting, things are now happening very fast! Two weeks ago we received our news that our daughter is waiting in Guangxi, PRC. Guo Jiang Jiao is a beautiful 9 month old girl and we just can't wait to meet her! We're naming her Emily Grace, but calling her Grace.

We received pictures, medical reports, and more pictures - and we began the process of getting ready to travel. Usually, this process takes several weeks - 4 to 8 weeks. Visa's have to be obtained, travel authorizations granted and consular appointments have to be made. Then, and only then, we make travel plans.

Yesterday, however, we heard from our agency - travel authorizations had been received and the consular appointments had been requested. We could be traveling as early as next week - just three weeks after receiving our referral!

So, now begins the mad dash of getting everything in order. We have to get our money together, we have to get our travel kits together and we have to get our flight plans on very short notice... It's a real pain in the tail... and absolutely, without a doubt, 150% worth it!

One of the many things now being done in haste is the establishment of this blog. We're hoping to use this to keep our friends and family informed of how our trip is progressing. Bare with us, though, we are novices to blogging and there are going to be some rough patches. There will be days when we post many times, there will be days when we're just wiped out and won't post anything at all. We hope, though, that we can use this to share in our wonderful experience.