We are off!!!!

We leave ATL at 2:55 pm, have a layover in Seattle & then are off to Beijing! We should arrive in Beijing at 11:40 pm China time!

Down to 2 sleeps!

I am almost packed! Hoping to finish up before 2 in the morning tomorrow, so that I can enjoy the evening with my family! Anybody who packs carry on only is amazing to me. NEVER could do it. The majority of my suitcase is for the baby & medication. I learned the hard way when we traveled to Vietnam, you need meds for EVERYTHING! I came home so sick & I do not want to repeat that.
Went to the bank today to get the $ we ordered over 2 weeks ago & she gave me crap! It is awful, so I have to go out in the morning to another bank to hopefully get better bills. I may be making the rounds to the banks around town. The to do list is a mile long! A new thing on the to do list is to go see my best friend's new baby! She should be delivering today! So excited for her! Can't wait to meet Emily's new play mate!
I also got a really cool necklace from my sister & parents today. I need to post a pic. It has my name, my husband's & all 3 kids names on it along with their birthstones. I love it!

Countdown - 5 Days to go!

I cannot believe the time is drawing near! We leave in 5 days to go to China!

Our Itinerary
06/30 - Depart U.S.(Atl --> Seattle --> Beijing)
07/01 - Arrive in Beijing in evening
07/02 - Free Day
07/03 - Beijing Tour
07/04 - Fly to Changsha (Capital City of Hunan Province)
07/05 – "Gotcha Day"! This is when we receive Emily!
07/06 - Paperwork Day
07/07 - Shopping Day
07/08 - Museum visit
07/09 - Fly to Guangzhou
07/10 - Emily's Visa Photo & Medical Exam
07/11 - Tour Chen Family Temple
07/14 - American Consulate Appointment & Visa Pick up
07/15 - Oath-taking Ceremony at A.C.
07/16 - Visa pick up & train to Hong Kong
07/17 – Departure from Hong Kong (Tokyo --> Detroit --> Atlanta!)

I still have lots to do. I haven't gotten packed yet! I am also waiting on my POA to arrive, which it should be here on Monday. We have had it but just found out last week that they want it to not be older than 3 months! More money that has been wasted, since I already have this document. It cost about $120 to get it reauthenticated because of the expedite fees & the overnight shipping fees. But what can you do? Speaking of money, we are going to the bank on Monday to get all the new bills I need for the trip. I currently have a to do list with about 30-40 things on it. So I better get to it! The countdown is on!

TA BABY!

I am so happy to say we finally got TA yesterday! I tentatively leave on July 1st! It is finally happening! We will know our consulate date on Monday, which will determine our final travel plans. I don't know what I will do being away from my family for 2 weeks. I have never been away that long. I think the longest I have been away from my husband was the 1.5 weeks I was in Vietnam after he went home. The longest I have been away from Christopher was 2 days after his sister was born & I have never been away from Olivia more than 13 hours while at work. I see big tears in my future. I am just going to eat them up over the next 2 weeks. My heart aches already thinking about how I will miss them. But they are going to be in for a big surprise when I get home with a new sister! Christopher has gotten so used to seeing Emily's picture that he says her name everytime he sees her picture. Yesterday, he was chanting "Emmy Kate, Emmy Kate, Emmy Kate!" after he saw her picture on the computer. I can't wait to have them all together. She started this journey to parenthood for us & what a blessing it will be to finally get to love on her & kiss her face. I can't wait to get my girl!!!!!