Today is a GREAT day!

First, we got an email from our agency that our consulate appointment was approved for August 14th.  That means we travel next week.  Our proposed itinerary has us leaving on Wednesday, 8/1.  Yes, just one week from today!  We will spend 3 nights in Hong Kong, then fly to Nanjing.  We are scheduled to meet Jack on August 6th.  If all goes as planned, we will return home on August 16th.

The best news of the day came just a little while ago...we got updated pictures and measurements!!  Jack now weighs 26.4 lbs and is 2.6 feet tall.  He is definitely not a baby, but he is a gorgeous toddler.  See for yourselves....

We are BURSTING!!

We are going!!

Our consulate appointment was confirmed! We are leaving next week. Not yet sure of the day but planning to book flights in the next 24 hours!

Travel Approval

Yesterday was awesome.  We got our travel approval (TA)!  Our agency gave us a few possible dates for consulate appointments, and we requested the earliest one!!  If we are able to get the appointment date we want, we will be leaving for China next Thursday, August 2nd!  Nothing like last minute, right?  I rushed home yesterday to start packing!  The luggage restrictions are pretty strict and we are trying to pack as light as possible.  I started laying out certain items, like medicines and other baby supplies...that alone takes up a whole suitcase!  Luckily we will be able to do laundry or have it done while we are in China.  We are bringing clothing in various sizes for Jack, since we don't know how big he is right now.  We requested updates on his measurements, but haven't received any new information.

I can't forget to mention Avery's reaction to the travel news.  When I told her that we might be leaving next week, her response was, "Well, I have to check what field trips I have..."  Little does she know that she will be going on the filed trip of a lifetime!!

Although we have been anticipating this event for years, we are now in last-minute panic mode.  We have lists of tasks to be accomplished and items to be purchased in the next few days.  It is expected that families adopting from China will bring gifts for the orphanage directors, nannies and various others.  It is a challenge to find appropriate items that are not MADE IN CHINA!  Typically, families bring items that are unique to their home state.  I think we brought Florida t-shirts last time, and maybe some American candy.  Just more to pack!

We are still learning the ins and outs of blogging.  If you are getting this post as an email sent directly to you, I assume you are not getting any photos.  To see the photos, you have to actually visit the blog.  I am not sure what happens when you go to the blog and either "subscribe" or become a "follower."  Could someone try that and let us know?!  For those who haven't actually been to the blog site, the link is:  http://journeytojackandback.blogspot.com


It is now Wednesday afternoon in China. Let's hope they are working on confirming our consulate appointment. I will post more details as soon as we hear anything!

Yes!!!!!

We have TA!!! Possible travel on August 2nd!

A special day

Today is a special day for us.  First, Jack turns 17 months old today.  As that little boy continues to grow without his family, my heart aches for him.  A little selfishly, my heart aches for us, too.  It makes me sad to think about what we are missing.  When we finally bring him home, we are going to have to make up for a lot of lost time.  I can only hope that he is being well cared for and loved by one of the nannies in the orphanage.  Of course, nothing takes the place of the love of a mom, dad and big sister. One of the women I correspond with online, who is currently in China getting her son, commented that her son has a lot of issues that probably could have been prevented if he had been adopted months earlier.  Possible rickets, low muscle tone, etc.  While Mike and I  knew that OUR children were coming from China and we chose this path with our eyes wide open, still, this makes no sense to us.


Switching gears, on a happy note...today is the 7th anniversary of Avery's "Gotcha Day."  On July 20, 2005, we waited in a conference room at the JJ Sun Hotel in Lanzhou, China.  We were family #6.  They called us, "Morrison, number 6," and suddenly Avery was in my arms.  She was 9 months old and stole our hearts from the minute we saw her.  Other than the day Mike and I got married, I never knew I could experience such deep and unconditional love.  Becoming a mom was the most amazing gift and the best thing that ever could have happened to me.

Fun stuff for Jack!

Thank you Uncle David and Uncle Ron for the awesome t-shirt! We can't wait for Jack to wear it.

Jack doesn't know it yet, but he is already a Red Sox fan!

Counting down...

I hesitate to say this, but I think we are in the "final stretch."  We got an email yesterday indicating that we are now OFFICIALLY waiting for our travel approval (TA).  It can take 3 to 8 weeks from today to get our TA.  From that point, we will be traveling in 2 to 4 weeks.  So, that means that the very earliest we will be going to China is the end of August.  The latest would be October, barring any unforeseen obstacles.  I am still hopeful that it will be August, while Mike is thinking September.  I think it's funny that we are now "officially" waiting.  What have we been doing for the past 6 years?  I guess we have been "unofficially" waiting.  Speaking of the past 6 years, I calculated (with help from convertunits.com) that since the day our paperwork was officially logged into the system in China (9/4/06) we have been waiting 2,138 days.  It has been 5 years, 10 months and 8 days.  But who's counting?  Thanks for hanging in there with us!