We had our travel meeting...

We had our official travel meeting last  night at our agency in Syracuse. We met some of the people we could be traveling with if all of our TA's come in around the same time. Really nice people. One of the women Gary and I recognized we think from 2 years ago at a Chinese New Year's party we went to, they were also a waiting family back then, There LID was in 2006, so was the other woman's we met last night, her LID was also in 2006. Our LID was 2007, but we were only about 6 months I think behind them. We are all special needs families, they were very nice and easy to talk to. One of the Mom's is married, her husband was on speaker phone from China, he's traveling on business. The other woman is a single Mom, and her sister will be traveling with her. We are going to Hengyang-Hunan Province. One family is going to Mongolia, and the other will be in Guangzhou the whole time they are there.

The meeting was held by Golda. She is the retired attorney that still works with the agency when the families travel. Golda has been to China 16 times, and travels all the time. She left for Prague today. It was a very informative meeting, and a lot of the stuff we had heard from people we know that have been to China, or read somewhere else. We are a little bummed that we will not be staying in Beijing though. We will only be there for a layover on our way to Hunan province. They put together a pre-trip (go a few days early and do a whole tour of Beijing), but they put it together as a 5-day pre-trip. That turns a trip that is 2 weeks to begin with pretty much a 3 weeks trip, and we don't want to do that. Plus the cost was another $1150.00 per person. I would have loved to have gone to the Great Wall, and Tianamen Square, and the Grand Palace, but the other things scheduled were really not things we needed to do. There was a tea service, a Kung Fu show, massages, and tour the Olympic venues...not really necessary for us to do. We really wished they had put together a 2 or 3 day pre-trip, that would have been a little ore doable.

But I think of it this way. We are going to get Avery, she's the focus, she's the journey. So, we'll go get our girl, and tour in her province, and that really seems more important to us. To get a lot of her history, pictures from her province, souvenirs from her province, soak up that culture for her to have and look at, us to tell her about, and make her feel that she has a tie to her history, and we will do that in a big way for her. We will be in her province for about a week, then we will travel to Guangzhou after that and stay there for about a week to finish up the rest of the documents. 

We will meet and actually talk to Frank, our liaison in China through the agency a lot while we are there. It sounds like he checks in daily, and that was great to hear. Golda talked about New Life's (our agency) long history of China adoptions and how we should be treated while we are there, which is very good, and the relations that they have formed in China make us feel very pampered, and special. I guess they take extra special care of us-hope so!!

They talked about us not really needing to take "gifts" with us. They said China is changing, and with the tipping program they have set up for us, it isn't really needed. But I feel like we should take something with us. She did give us a long list of things they like, so I think we should take some gifts. This contradicted a lot of the families we know that got back recently, they did take gifts. She also said not to pack Avery a lot of clothes because we can buy them there, again, we should pack some clothes obviously, and diapers, and a few other things. She said not to pack toys, but I am going to pack some of the soft toys and books we've gotten over the years. We will need some things for stimulation and keeping her attention, especially on the plane rides etc. So, I'm going to talk to some of the people we know who have just recently gotten back, and some that will be back in a week or so, and see what they took, and go from there.

It was a good meeting. I was happy to meet the other families, and see our adoption agent Pat-she's great!!  We had to sign a bunch of papers and got them notarized right there on site.

Today is our 14th Wedding Anniversary. We are hoping maybe our LOA comes in today. We signed off on our first homestudy 3 years ago on our Anniversary. So maybe it will bring us good luck again!! It is the 18th, dividable by 3, Plus 1 plus 8 is 9 , also dividable by 3. Cross your fingers for us.

Our baby girl turns 1 next Friday on the 28th. Wish we could be there. We want to get our LOA so we can send out a care package to her!!!!

Oh this journey that we have been on for 3 years. So many ups and downs, and joys and concerns, frustrations and excitements!! 

We just want to go!!! Go get our little ladybug, and hold her and never let go!!!

We are coming Avery!! Soon!! Love you little girl, our ladybug, our sweet daughter!!!


Love, 
Mommy & Daddy