T minus 6: The party photos

Here is a link to the photos from the baby shower my co-workers gave me. I've been playing around with slideshows on flickr.com, so hopefully, this will work! Once you click the link above, hover your mouse over the first photo in the slideshow. The letter "i" will appear, and if you click on it, you'll get photo titles and comments.

T minus 8: It's party time!!!!

Today was party day! My co-workers threw a little shindig for me today in place of my normal staff meeting. There were TWO delicious cakes and presents and lots of people...and lots of FUN! A few people took some pictures, so as soon as I get them, I'll share them here.

Speaking of posting photos, I also tested out a few other ways to do posts today. I found that if I upload the photos through flickr.com, I can create blog posts directly from there. I can also upload a bunch of photos and then provide a link for you to see them all in a slideshow.

T minus 9: Introducing Guest Host, WD

Today, you can see that we've been running all sorts of tests ro make sure that we can make posts from China. We are not taking a laptop with us, but plan to use internet cafes and business centers to keep in touch with you.

We know that some people report problems reaching the blogger site from China. If that's the case, I now know how to make posts via email, although posts made this way won't have any photos, which is what you'll really want to see.

I also know that some people have no problems creating blog posts but cannot view their blogs from China. If that's the case, you might still get photos, but you might have to tolerate a bit of weird formatting.

And my super-duper backup plan is to have my favorite father-in-law, the infamous WD, make posts for me. We have calling-cards that will allow us to check in with folks, and I'm hoping that WD will be able to forward the information and any photos I might be able to email him to the blog.

In summary, just ignore our silly test posts we made today.

As I'm typing, we have the last episode of King of Queens on TV. Ahhhh, the wonders of television. On last week's episode, Doug and Carrie decided to adopt a baby and it seemed like they had all the paperwork submitted to the agency in hours (it really takes 4-6 months), and then they commented "Now, we just have to sit back and wait for the call." Well, tonight, they got the call...and I don't think that 18 months of waiting has lapsed in the storyline.

They also got other facts wrong...you think they'd do their research! They were referred a baby that was four days old. That just doesn't happen with adoption from China...it takes about 6 months for the children to be legally cleared for adoption. And Carrie said she was going to call to make arrangements to get on the next plane to Beijing, when in reality, you'd have to wait 3-4 weeks for a travel authorization. If only it went that quickly....

T minus 10: Happy Mothers Day!

Well, I feel a little better today - my throat is still swollen and I still ache all over, but not nearly as much, and I was still able to enjoy Mothers Day!

This morning, before crawling out of bed, I was showered with gifts. From K and EJ was a silver baby bootie charm with Sophie's birthstone in it. K bought me one when EJ was born, and although he was unable to find one that matches, Sophie's is also beautiful. I put them both on the same chain and wore them today in honor of my two little gems!

And despite my gift mantra "you can never go wrong with jewelry", hand-crafted Mothers Day gifts are simply the best. EJ gave me this lovely tea cup she made in art class, one of her "gem" rocks, and a cute MOM tag that hangs on the fridge and allows you to clip paperwork there...



After church, we went to my cousin's house for a delicious brunch with her family, including my aunt and uncle. I took a nice snooze on the way home, and was treated to a yummy steak dinner. Life is good.

So, Happy Mothers Day in honor of moms no longer with us, Mom (Grandma H), E (Mamaw S), Great Grandma K, all moms, everyone whose moms are already departed, everyone who wants to be a mom but isn't, and everyone who is waiting to become a mom.

EJ's Birthday Party photos

Here are the pictures from EJ's birthday party. I know I said I would post them last night, but I felt HORRIBLE for most of the day yesterday. The nurse at the travel clinic told me that some people getting the MMR booster have a reaction of swollen glands, achiness, and fever, and I had it all yesterday, combined with nausea last night too! I feel a little better today, but not much.

Anyway, EJ and her friends made necklaces and bracelets at a local bead shop and had a really great time. And K and I learned just how much noise four little giggly girls can make in the car! From left to right...E.B., J.G., K.M., and EJ.

T minus 12: Got the itinerary!

Okay, I am cheating and writing Friday's post on Saturday morning, but I wasn't home yesterday between 7 A.M. and 10:30 P.M., so this will have to do.

Yesterday afternoon was our travel meeting and were able to meet most of the folks who will be traveling with us, which was so much fun. We got our plane tickets and our itinerary, which looks like this:

• 5/23: Depart for Washington DC and connect to flight to Beijing.
• 5/24: Arrive in Beijing. A guide will pick us up at the airport and get us to our hotel.
• 5/25: Our bonus extra day. About 8 families of the 19 will be there early, so I'm sure we'll find something fun to do.
• 5/26: Trip to the Great Wall.
• 5/27: Tour the Foribdden City and Tian An Men Square. Fly to Nanchang.
• 5/28: Meet Sophie!!!
• 5/29: Notary appointment
• 5/30: The doctor will examine the children and we'll get to do some sightseeing.
• 5/31: More sightseeing
• 6/1: Get Sophie's Chinese passport and depart for Guangzhou.
• 6/2: Get Sophie's visa physical.
• 6/3: Sightseeing
• 6/4: Visa interview at the US Consulate's office
• 6/5: Swearing in ceremony, receive Sophie's visa.
• 6/6: Depart for Hong Kong. Depart Hong Kong for Chicago. We'll get to Chicago less than two hours later (plus the 12 hours difference), and then have a few hours to stretch our legs before we get on the last flight home that night.

Whew! We're going to be busy.

After the travel meeting, I met some of my pals for dinner and we had a great time. I was exhausted when I got home, but that didn't seem to prevent me from sleeping beyond 6 A.M. I have another long day today - EJ is going to a friend's party at noon and then we're taking her and three friends to her party later in the afternoon. Stay tuned for pictures tonight!

T minus 13: Got the shots...

...but not all that we expected to. The nurse at the travel clinic was very helpful and said that we didn't need malaria, based on the fact that we will not be in rural areas. And she also said that typhoid wasn't required in our circumstance either, since we will most likely be eating at the hotel or other nice restaurants, not in people's homes or at roadside food vendors. So, we opted out of that one as well. K and I did both get a tetanus booster, and I also got a MMR booster. Poor EJ, she missed school today and didn't need any shots after all, since we've all already had Hep A/B.

Tomorrow is our travel meeting. I can't wait to meet all the families who will be traveling with us.

And finally, Sophie is 8 months old today. Gee, the last month has gone by so quickly! And we'll have her home with us before she reaches the 9 month milestone. I wonder about her progress over the last few months since the initial development report was compiled. Does she have teeth yet? Is she sitting up? Crawling? We'll know in a little more than two weeks!