Adoption Trips

We made it to Vancouver 50 minutes late. We left Toronto 45 minutes late so our gate etc.changed. V is now the unofficial information officer. She has helped two travelers so far.

Well I have time for one more post. We OVER SLEPT. We were supposed to get up at 4:30am but instead we woke up at 5:15am. I have never showered and shaved as fast as I did this morning.

Now our ride who was supposed to arrive at 5:40am is not here. It is 5:47am and we are ready to go now except no one to drive us.

Only 28 hours until Shanghai.

My last day is done.

We leave for the airport at 5:40 in the morning so we will need to be up at 4:30 in the morning. The flight from Toronto to Vancouver is 5 hours. Vancouver to Shanghai is 18 hours. Total flying time 23 hours. We are likely to be some sorry sight when we get off the plane in Shanghai.

Packing is all done except for the lap top. This will be the last post before we get to China and I don't know when we will post after that. Maybe before we leave Shanghai or maybe not until we get to Taiyuan. We will have to see what the internet availability is.

Off to bed we go. Only three more sleeps before gotcha day.

V is done working for an anticipated 39 weeks but they did not take the usual step of revoking her access to the office. The offer was made jokingly for her to bring B to work and keep him by her desk.

They had a baby shower for her as well as a catered lunch. She was very happy when she got home. Two big items were added to B's list of goodies. An all terrain Jeep branded stroller and an automatic diaper pail.

One of my co-workers donated a change table, jolly jumper and for later on a booster seat.

Add in what we know people are buying him for Christmas and there will be little left for us to get him except food, diapers, clothes and love.

Tomorrow is my last day at work. Not much to do I hope. One meeting at 11am and one at 1pm and then I will try to sneak away.

As my brother phrased it in an email to me today 'only two more sleeps until we leave'. I will go one further. Four more sleeps until we meet Brandon and then according to my co-workers we never sleep solidly again for 20 years.

Well only 1 more day of work for V and 2 for me.

The garage is finally cleaned up. The car, lawn mower, hose mobile and barbecue are all inside. I have a stack of card board 2 feet high at the end of the driveway. I sure hope they take it tomorrow.

I picked up some money belts and more plug adapters. V needs to go to the bank on Thursday to get some travelers cheques and then we are ready to go.

Friday morning 6am V's brother will take us to the airport. From there we don't hit a bed again until Saturday at 18:00 or almost 24 hours after you factor in the 13 hours time difference between Shanghai and Toronto.

We are excited, nervous and scared all at the same time.

I got most of the garage cleaned up. I will finish today so that I can park the car inside while we are away.

T***y is going to drive us to the airport and pick us up again. He will need an extra car seat to get B as J's seat is not deigned for rear facing.

I got most of the cupboards and all of the drawers child proofed and I finished the Christmas lights.

The gate on the stairs went in on Sunday so no rugrats can climb.

I finished all of the photocopies yesterday. I believe I have all of the documents we need.

I need to deposit enough money to cover the air line tickets and our travel cash in the bank today. V will withdraw money Thursday.

I got a type a plug adapter for China from Radio Shack last night. Today I need to get a couple of money belts.

The folks at work through a surprise shower for me this morning. It was a surprise. I thought perhaps a few of the people in my immediate group might get together to get something but the gathering was quite large and the gifts were overwhelming. V was very pleased that everyone at my work gave us their best wishes.

Brandon surely has almost everything he needs now.

Slightly under nine days to go.

Track us at
www.intectus.com/china
tvrafuse.blogspot.com

Great News.

China Civil Affairs says we can travel to the orphanage where our son was taken in and raised. This news means that the itinerary below will be updated when we have the new information.

Our web page was updated with a countdown to B as well today.

Track us at
www.intectus.com/china
tvrafuse.blogspot.com

OKAY!

We have the itinerary:

Nov 28 8:30 am AC37 to Shanghai
Nov 29 16:45 arrive in Shanghai go to SAS Radisson Hotel
Nov 30 1/2 sightseeing in Shanghai
Fly to Taiyuan, Shanxi in the afternoon
Dec 1 Pick up B at the Civil affairs office, complete registration and notarisation
afternoon is free
Dec 2 Apply for B's passport and shop for B
Dec 3 1/2 sightseeing and 1/2 free
Dec 4 Receive Notarised papers and passport then fly to Beijing for to Jinlun Toronto Hotel
Dec 5 Free
Dec 6 Medical in the morning, paperwork in the afternoon
Dec 7 Sightseeing at Great Wall
Dec 8 Apply for Canadian Visa in the morning, afternoon is free
Dec 9 Sightseeing in the morning, afternoon is free
Dec 10 Sightseeing or free
Dec 11 Get B's visa in the morning. Farewell dinner in the evening
Dec 12 Fly to Vancouver on AC30 17:45 arrive at 12:30. Leave Vancouver AC38 to Toronto
arrive 21:50.

Looks like no trip to the orphanage for us.



Track us at
www.intectus.com/china
tvrafuse.blogspot.com

Not much of importance today. I have 8 business days left before we travel and V has 7.

The people at V's work have purchased us a stroller and are getting something call an activity centre as well. As long as it is not the same thing that M and B****a are going to buy B then we should be able to avoid returning it.

I put the lights on the Christmas tree. Some time this week I have to clean the garage as well.

Dave Maslen did not get back to us with the in China travel itinerary so I will have to bug him via email again tomorrow. He should know we all need to get US cash or travelers cheques together and we need to do it soon.

V gave $5000 US to a co-worker to get it exchanged for 'good' bills required in China. That scares me. I probably won't sleep until she gets the good bills back on Wednesday.

Track us at
www.intectus.com/china
tvrafuse.blogspot.com

We got some of the Christmas shopping finished and I got off my butt long enough to drag the tree up from the basement.

After reviewing Children's Bridge Group 120's website I have determined that adoption paperwork will be completed on Sunday Nov 30 but we will not meet B until Monday December 1st at 8:30am in a conference room at the Grand Shanxi (Saan Sigh) Hotel in Taiyuan (Die Yern) China.

Track us at
www.intectus.com/china
tvrafuse.blogspot.com

Okay we got an answer on the feeding habits at the Datong Social Welfare Institute. The kids have been introduced to some solids. They sometimes get a hard boiled egg and a girl from an earlier group that went to Datong last year ate noodles and vegetables when offered by her new mom. We are told what they eat will be discovered by trial and error. Likely lots of error and much trial.

Track us at
www.intectus.com/china
tvrafuse.blogspot.com

Only 15 days until we arrive in Tai Yuan and meet B for the first time.

We attended the Children's Bridge pre travel seminar today and met 2 of the other 5 families we will travel with. A few things we have not thought of including over the counter medications for us and B. Went to the Shopper's on McLaughlin at Derry to get a few things our nurse group leader thinks we should be bringing.

The other 2 families and V and I are wondering what the Datong SWI feeds the kids in addition to milk. They can't just be using milk.

Lots of questions about technology and how we will update families while we are in China. I think I will use this blog site since it can be updated through a standard web browser. The only thing we can't do is upload pictures. We will have to do that on the group site http://www.intectus.com/china

The house is not ready for Christmas and we have not finished our shopping. I also have to get the garage cleaned out of all of the left overs from the deck build so that I can get the car and BBQ into the garage before we leave.

Tomorrow is another day of shopping.