MAYLIN2007

3/13/07 - Leave SLC to Beijing 3/15/07 - Arrive Beijing (its not as bad as it looks, they're a day ahead) 3/15-3/18- Beijing Tour (Great Wall, Forbidden City, Tiananmen Square etc) 3/18/07- Fly to Wuhan (Similar to flight from NYC to Tennessee) 3/19/07- GOTCHA DAY! (We get Maylin and its her 1st Birthday) 3/20/07- Adoption registration/notary/passport 3/21-3/24- Touring Wuhan (Yellow Crane Tower, Plum Blossen Festival, Hubei Provincial Museum etc.) 3/24/07 - Wuhan to Guangzhou (pronounce Gwan joe) 3/25/07 - Touring (Shopping, zoo, parks, etc) 3/26/07- Medical exam/Paperwork review (touring, shopping) 3/27/07- U.S. Consulate appointment 3/28/07 - Fly to LA 3/29/07- Fly to SLC

Here is a picture of us and the Passeys at our adoption agency picking up our referrals on Feb. 1. We had them over for dinner last night to get to know each other better since we are sharing one of the most important events in our lives. We made plane reservations last night for our trip to LA. Our agency will handle the rest. The Passeys brought us a darling yellow blanket that matches one they bought for their Emily! My son said this morning,"Those people we are going with are really, super nice." We agree!

On Friday, we heard that we have a consulate appointment March 27. So, travel begins on March 13 with a little tour of Beijing, but then on March 19th the good stuff begins...we get our baby! And yes, we get her on her FIRST birthday! What more could I want?! The day we got our referral, I told the agency and the Passeys, the family we are traveling with, that I wanted to get her by her first birthday. Well, I see it doesn't hurt to ask! We will hear travel details and costs on Thursday.

Yes, it is official we are going to China! In record speed, we received our TA (travel approval) today. We should hear by Wednesday when our U.S. Consulate Appointment is. Our agency says we could possibly travel in the next 2 to 3 weeks. Those weeks start after the Wednesday we hear about our appointment. Holy cow do we have a lot to do between now and then! We will be taking our kids and Laurel's parents are going too. We will be traveling with a great couple, we have been in the adoption process with. We will receive our babies together. We are glad we get to go with them. They are a great couple. Here's to leaving on a jet plane...hopefully in the next couple weeks!

Today we sent a treasure box to Maylin in China. We sent a soft, pink blanket, a stuffed bunny, a pair of pink socks, a photo album with family photos and a disposable camera. We sprayed the blanket with my perfume so when we get her she will recognize my smell. We hope her foster parents will take pictures of her with the camera so we will have more baby pictures.

We were anxiouly awaiting the translation of Maylin's paperwork. We finally got it and now we know a bit more about her. She was abandoned on the front steps of an appliance repair shop. She was wrapped in two blankets. The inside one was red and the outside one was purple with flowers. They report she loves steamed eggs, playing with friends and toys. They said she loves her foster mom and calls her mother (in Chinese of course). Okay, that broke my heart and I cried and cried. How hard is it going to be on the foster mom and the baby? I am glad she is loved, but it breaks my heart for them and me, cause I'm her mama! The report said she loves baths and gets very excited every time she sees the tub. They said everyone loves her and so do we!

Hubei is a province in China. Provinces are like our states. The Hubei province is in the central-eastern region of China. Hubei runs along the middle reaches of the Yangtze River. It covers 18,590,000 square kilometers and has a population of 58 million. It has a subtropical monsoon climate. They get 134 centimeters of rain a year, which is 52.5 inches. That is a lot of rain! The summers are very hot and muggy. Hubei has green carpets of rice fields, clear lakes, blossoming cherry flowers and wild mountains with primitive forests, caves and cool fountains. Besides being famous for its natural beauty, it is also famous for its historical artifacts. Here you can see ancient war sites, the Yellow Crane Tower which is a part of the Qing Dynasty, the Yangtze River Bridge which is 1,670 meters long and other monumnets and ancient cities. Maylin specifically comes from the county Qichun and was abanoned in Hengche Town. (The Qi, pronounced Chee, in Qichun is where she gets her last name. In ...

Introducing Qi Jia Kang! Born March 19, 2006 and adandoned the same day in the Hubei Province. She is currently in foster care, but has also lived in the Qi Chun Social Walfare Institute. We are pleased that she was moved into foster care, so much more love! She is currently 10 months old. The pictures were taken around 6 months. The only thing we really know about her is she uses a binki, likes to imitate people, loves to play with toys and is a moderate sleeper. We will receive more information today as her information sheet is being translated into English. We can't wait! All of the kids like her. Kenzie just cried huge tears and kept saying, "I have a sister." Austin carries her picutre around and Alex, well, he is a little unsure. Before bed he did say she was kinda cute, but he just didn't know about her yet! It will come as with any new baby coming into the home. *We received referral call, Thursday, Feb 1 at 11:43 a.m.