OMG - It's becomming so REAL

Well there has been some excitement and disappointment in the last couple of weeks.

The disappointment is that our church won't allow us to have the people we want to be Tia's Godparents because they don't meet the requirements.  It is SO frustrating that one church is so strict and another of the religion isn't.  We did think about going to the other church so we could have "our way" but Sam doesn't like that church at all.  I understand and respect that.  Rules are rules for a reason, no matter how much we disagree with them.  So the search was on to try and find someone who we feel comfortable and confident that meet the requirements of the church and of course us. 

But the hardest part of this was telling the person when we desperately wanted couldn't be Godparents.  That was so heartbreaking for me as it was for them.  My heart is still breaking....

After much debate we have solved our solved our dilemma on who will be Tia's Godparents, and I must say that we are both happy and proud that they have agreed!  YEA!!  Now that is all settled and done with we will have the baptism later in the summer when Grandpa and Grandma can come out for a visit.

Then earlier in this work week we received word that the Travel Approvals were on there way and that meant that the Travel Dates were right behind them!  And folks we have them!!

Here is our itinerary for China:
             January 6    Arrive in Beijing, China
             January 7    Free day to recover from plane trip/jet lag
             January 8    Holt orientation
             January 9    Fly to Guangzhou, China (this is where the US Consulate is and happens to be the
                               same province that Tia is in)
             January 10  Tia!!!  We will FINALLY meet our beloved baby who we've dreamed of for so long!
             January 18  US Consulate visa appointment for Tia's visa
             January 20  Tia's visa is issued
             January 21  Fly home

The days between the 10-18 will be filled with meetings, paperwork and the Adoption Finalization Ceremony.  The thing I LOVE about Holt International is they don't leave you hanging.  We will have an English speaking representative with us all the time.  We will of course have some down time to ourselves to go shopping and or hang out with other families.

We looked at the temperatures for Beijing and Guangzhou and they couldn't be more different!  The average temperature in January in Beijing is 28 and for Guangzhou is 58!  WOW  Which winter coat do I take??
I guess a sweatshirt, scarf, hat and gloves are a must!!

We are toying with the idea of doing a tour of the Great Wall.  But after looking at the average temperature and the slope of the Great Wall, we're wondering if we should risk it.  If I understand it right, we have to take a cable car - um yea that requires me to be OFF THE GROUND!  I'm already worried about the 13-15 hour flight!  I'm sure the flight home will be better as I'll have to focus on Tia, but the flight over is a totally different story!  I want my mommy!!

Now that we officially know when we will be traveling to get our precious baby girl the reality is starting to sink in.  There is no turning back now.  I have all these fears and thoughts in my head.  The main one is "WTF am I doing?"  I know it's the "fear of the unknown" and that once we get her in our arms, our maternal and parental instincts will kick in but until then it's nothing short of  fear/anxiety/excitement all rolled into one. I have been assured that this is all normal, however when I told Sam how I was/am feeling he looked at me like I'm crazy.  Don't men have these same thoughts?? 

With the holidays just around the corner, Sam will be gearing up and will soon be starting to work the longer holiday hours.  Between getting the store ready for Christmas season and his photography he won't have a day off to put the crib together until Thanksgiving day.  On one hand I'm OK with that.  On the other hand, I'm getting SO EXCITED that I want it done yesterday! 

But honestly, it's working out for the best this way.  It will be just enough time for me to work on getting the final touches and get our required documents together and start packing for China. 

The BEST thing about these confirmed travel dates is now I can start buying the stuff we need to take to China for Tia.  I've been kept on a very short leash but now I think it's safe to say that it's OK to start buying the baby meds, diapers, wipes, formula, bath for our trip.  YEA!!