We made it

This post is being sent courtesy of Richards blackberry. Blogger is blocked, but to our surprise Sprint is not.

We arrived in Guangzhou at 5:30 am Sunday China time after a relatively uneventful flight. After having the temperature guns pointed at our heads by hazmat specialists we were allowed to leave the plane.

The Guangzhou airport is enormous and very cool. The worst part of the trip was waiting 4 hrs for our flight to Hangzhou.

Upon landing in Hangzhou we were happy to see our guide Kelly waiting for us. She was smiling and waving a green Great Wall flag.

A 40 minute drive brought us to the Hangzhou hotel which Kelly described as old. The hotel is actually quite nice. We have a lovely 2 room suite and are close to many amenities including a bank, lots of shops and Papa Johns pizza which we had for dinner.

We pick up Maddie Monday at 9am which is Sunday evening in the US.

That's all for now.

Final Itinerary

The bags are all packed...well, except for Richard's. That doesn't surprise anyone, does it? We are all checked in for our flights. I think I have enough reading material to occupy myself for 16 plus hours. Let's get this show on the road!

Here is our itinerary, so you can keep track of where we are and when.

6.26.2009, 11:50 pm: Depart LAX
6.28.2009, noon China time: Arrive Hangzhou
6.29.2009, 9:00 am: MEET MADELEINE!
7.02.2009: Sightseeing Tour to Xihu
7.03.2009: Pick up Maddie's passport; Fly to Guangzhou
7.04.2009: TB Test
7.05.2009: Sightseeing Tour to Chen Family Temple
7.06.2009: Sightseeing Tour to Yuexlu Park
7.07.2009: Medical exam
7.09.2009: American Consulate Interview, Pick up Maddie's Visa
7.10.2009, 9:00 pm: Depart Guangzhou for LAX
7.11.2009, 6:11 am: Arrive Minneapolis

So this is probably it until we're on the other side of the world. Keep your fingers crossed that no one near us on the plane has a fever! We would prefer not to be quarantined!

It's So Quiet...

Well, Isabel is safely stowed away with my sister Patti in Wisconsin, and the house is strangely quiet. Even the cats keep walking around, bewildered at the lack of noise and activity. Other than the gaping hole in my chest, I'm doing fine. I miss her so much, but I know that this is the best course of action. Two weeks is, relatively speaking, a very short time, and the peace of mind I've achieved by making the decision to leave her home is invaluable.

I'll be busy today, running last minute errands and packing and unpacking and repacking. One nice thing is that I will be able to accomplish a great deal in far less time than it usually takes when my little helper is here.

In the end, I think this is better. Now Richard and I will have two solid weeks to focus our attention solely on Madeleine. I am hoping that we can make some small (or better yet large) strides toward bonding before we get home and rock everybody's world when the two girls meet.

I've been so busy of late making arrangements and getting everything in order that I haven't taken a lot of time to ponder the fact that we will be meeting our new daughter in just a few short days. This morning, I've had a couple moments of pure joy and excitement as I think about that meeting. We will soon be a family of four. We will soon have the two daughters I've always dreamed about. And very soon, this quiet will be gone. I can't wait.

A Really Tough Decision

On June 19, the US Department of State issued a travel warning to anyone going to China about the quarantine measures the Chinese government is imposing on anyone who lands in country with a fever or exhibiting H1N1 symptoms. It was this part of the warning that really caught our attention: In some instances, children have been separated from their parents because either the parent or the child tested positive for 2009-H1N1 and was placed in quarantine for treatment. This situation presents the possibility of Chinese medical personnel administering medications to minors without first having consulted their parents.

After much discussion and some last minute scrambling, we have decided that Isabel will not travel with us to China to pick up Madeleine.

I am heartbroken for many reasons, but I cannot in good conscience take Isabel with us when there is even a remote possibility that she could contract H1N1 and be separated from us.

I have never been away from Isabel for even one night, so I am going to miss her more than I can fathom, but my mind is at ease knowing that she will be safe and sound here at home. Many thanks to my dear sister Patti and her husband Bob who said yes without a moment's hesitation when I asked if they might be willing to take her while we are gone.

So this trip seems very bittersweet at the moment. I am so happy to finally be traveling to get our Maddie. Not having Isabel there to be a part of it all is sad, but in my heart, I know it is the right thing to do at this time.

Isabel Turns Two!

Neither Richard nor I can believe it, but our baby has turned two. Where did the last year go?

Considering we are leaving for China in five days, we kept the celebration fairly low key this year, but Isabel still had a great time.

We began the celebration on Saturday with a breakfast date with Clifford the Big Red Dog. The Minnesota Children's Museum has a Clifford exhibit running throughout the summer, and about once a month, they are offering these quick meet and greets with Clifford himself. Let's just say Ibby is probably still a little too young to appreciate meeting a cartoon celebrity. She could tolerate him from a distance, but up close, she wanted nothing to do with him. She wouldn't shake his hand or say hello or even play peek-a-boo. In fact, in two face to face encounters, she started to cry. She was content to stand back and observe him with the other kids, and she was more than happy to say "bye bye" and wave when he retreated from the room.




After breakfast, we spent a couple of hours exploring the museum. Miss Isabel had a ball running from exhibit to exhibit. I think she most enjoyed the grocery store and the bus.



By this time, our continental breakfast had worn off, so we headed to Grandma Sandy's house for lunch and CAKE! Isabel loved the balloons and the cool Cheerio book from Grandma and Aunt Sue. Oh, and the cake wasn't too bad either.



After a quiet afternoon at home and pizza for dinner, Isabel opened her card from Erin and gift from Aunt Pat, Uncle Bob, and Jake. Oh, and had a little more cake. There was a small meltdown right before bathtime which could have been caused by the overstimulation of the day or perhaps a bout of low blood sugar after all that cake was finally digested.



Sunday, June 21, was her actual birthday. We began the day by taking Daddy out for breakfast since it also happened to be Father's Day. Then we came home, so Ibby could open the presents from Mom and Dad. Let me just say, Isabel thoroughly knows and understands the word "presents," and she enjoys them very much. So far it's a toss up between the xylophone and the Little People Busy Day House.



Oh, one more thing. She got a real kick out of the Happy Birthday song. We sang it to her yesterday at lunch, and she just beamed from ear to ear. Daddy and I sang it to her this morning and then had to do two encore performances since she would laugh and clap her hands and say, "Again!"

It was so much fun for us to see Isabel enjoy her birthday so much. We are so proud of our big girl. Happy Birthday, Isabel!

A New Playset

Just this week, we had a small corner of the lot in the back of our home landscaped to accommodate a playset. The playset itself has been sitting in the garage (in Daddy's space) for the last three weeks. With the landscaping finished, it was time to set the sucker up. Neither Richard nor I was really looking forward to this task. We both came down with whatever Isabel had that made her projectile vomit earlier in the week, and we'd just come off of two days of almost complete paralysis and no food. We figured we were at about 85% capacity this morning, so we decided we better get her done. Besides, it won't be long before there are TWO toddlers to entertain around here. The more play possibilities, the better.

9:15 AM: Everything is out of the two gargantuan boxes and spread across our lawn as well as part of the neighbors'.

9:30 AM: Wow! It's already beginning to take shape, and it's only been 15 minutes.

9:50 AM: The walls start to go on and Isabel decides she loves it even in its unfinished state.


10:15 AM: A quick check of the instructions reveals the walls went on the wrong way...thank goodness we caught the mistake early on in the construction process.

11:00 AM: Break time!

11:45 AM: Bridge and tower proving a bit difficult to secure when someone keeps running back and forth across the bridge.

11:47 AM: Pose for Mommy!

12:15 PM: Just a few last screws to tighten...

...and TADAAAAAAAA! A new playset!


Three hours. Not bad. And not a single argument! Oh, and just in case you thought all I was doing was playing photographer, here is evidence to show that I replanted several hostas while Daddy and Isabel did the building. Well, Daddy did the building while Ibby performed product testing.

China, Baby!

Despite the WHO declaration of a swine flu pandemic today, we received travel confirmation! It looks like we will be departing on June 26...two weeks from tomorrow...and returning on July 10. Our consulate appointment has been confirmed for July 8. I can't believe this is really happening!