And We're Off!

We are China bound!  Here is our itinerary:

Aug 7 - Leave London at 2:15 PM (this means leave the house at 8:00 AM to compensate for traffic/construction delays on the way to Heathrow and to satisfy my dear husband's need to be uber early everywhere.  I can't complain...he and I have never missed a flight).

Aug 8 - Arrive Beijing at 3:10 PM.  Yes...we lost an entire day traveling.  It is a long trip.  We have a layover in Dubai, which is a blessing and a curse.  It is a blessing because it breaks up what would be a very long non-stop flight and because I seriously heart Emirates airline.  It is a curse because the Dubai International Airport is CRAZY TOWN and my dear husband doesn't like it.  And because we have to entertain a 3 year old whose days & nights are out of whack for 4 hours in the airport.  But I kind of like Dubai International.  It is a cross between Las Vegas and the Grand Bazaar.  We arrived there once at 3:00 AM - I don't think I have ever seen a more rockin' place. 

 

Aug 9-10 - Spent in Beijing.  We will be staying at the Novatel Peace Hotel near the Forbidden City/Tiananmen Square.  We plan to see the Great Wall, the Temple of Heaven and explore the Hutongs.  We are trying to keep our Beijing stay very relaxed and low key.  We did "power touring" last time and it was great, but with a larger group and a toddler in tow, we don't want to over-plan and just see how we do.  We do intend to make a stop at "Snack Street" where we can sample some delicacies such as starfish on a stick or fried scorpion.  Yum. 

Aug 11 - Travel via train to Jinan, the capital city of Shandong Province.  We will meet Kyle at 4:30 PM.  Kyle is from Yantai City, which is some distance away from the capital.  One of the workers from his orphanage will bring him to us, and we're hoping this is someone he is somewhat comfortable with and who is familiar with his habits so we can ask questions about his routine. 

Aug 12-13 - Complete China portion of the adoption (registration, passport application, etc).  Based on our experience last time, we know this will involve a lot of fingerprinting and red ink. 

Aug 14-15 - These will be "free" days in Jinan while we wait for the passport to be processed.  We hope to be able to explore and take some pictures of Kyle's home province. 

Aug 16 - Receive passport/fly to Guangzhou.  Arrive in the evening.  We will be staying at the Holiday Inn Shifu again...we are so excited! 

Aug 17 - Medical Processing.  Kyle has to go through a compulsory medical exam to include a TB test. 

Aug 18-19 - Free Days - kind of.  There will be paperwork to do with our Guangzhou guides, who help us complete the U.S. portion of the adoption and work with the U.S. Consulate.  We also have to fit in a trip to the British Consulate to get permission for Kyle to enter the UK as a Chinese tourist (I know...it sounds complicated...because it is).  We hope to do some fun things in Guangzhou as well and take some time to relax at the hotel and continue to get to know Kyle. 

Aug 20 - Interview at the U.S. Consulate.  After this, we are just waiting on his passport with his visa to enter the U.S. (our situation is a little more complicated) back to us. 

Aug 21 - Free day...basically just padding in case anything goes wrong

Aug 22 - We fly back to England the same way we came.  Our flight leave at 11:55 PM, so we have quite a bit of the day to enjoy Guangzhou.

Aug 23 - Arrive back in England at 12:15 PM local time.  We should be tucked in at home well in time for dinner.  I spent quite a bit of time freezer cooking last week, so we have plenty of yummy food and won't have to rush out to the market. 

So that is our trip in a nutshell.  What I've left out is that we just got back from our family vacation this afternoon.  We flew in early afternoon and we’re scheduled to fly out again early afternoon tomorrow.  Clearly, we’re crazy. Yes, we had the opportunity to cancel/reschedule our vacation…in the end, we opted not to.  It would have resulted in lost money and lost opportunity…we won’t live on this side of the world forever and we took advantage of an amazing opportunity that was presented to us. 

Answers to some questions we've received:

The first time we meet Kyle will be the point where he is permanently placed in our physical care.  In other words, there is no "get to know you" period.  Please keep us all in your thoughts and prayers.  This is a tremendous adjustment for our little man.  We are ready for him.  We have been hoping, praying and planning for him for many months.  He many not see things the same way and he is about to have his life turned upside down. 

Kyle and Zack will be brothers.  Yes, real brothers.  They don’t share biology but they will share a family.  “Real” is the only word that fits. 

Kyle will be a U.S. citizen as soon as he enters U.S. soil. 

I will go back to work the Monday after we get home – yikes.  Lee will stay home for a bit and I will work a lighter work schedule, taking some more time off toward mid-late September.  It’s our goal to have both parents back at work full time and both the littles in nursery by the middle of October.  We’re playing things by ear and allowing our family the opportunity to adjust to being 5. 

We will have visitors/outings as soon as we feel ready.  Not knowing how Kyle will adjust to life with us, we’re not really making plans.  If you want to meet our newest addition, catch us when we’re out and about or give us a call and see if we’re up to company.  We will definitely be up to any offers to help with meals or chores.  Jet lag is brutal and we’re hitting the ground running with getting back to work and school.  If you are local to me and reading this, any help you can give would be welcome. 

Keep us all in your thoughts and prayers over the coming days.  We’re traveling a long ways as a family of four – and a relatively new family of four at that.  Read on.