Confirmed Travel Dates

We got the word today that we will be leaving for China on May 22 and returning on June 4. We will actually be returning on June 5 due to our plane tickets. We get to spend one day in Hong Kong so that we can make an early morning flight out.

We should be meeting Annika on Monday, May 26.

I need to get soooo much done between now and then.

Travel Approval

After you receive your referral for a child, the next big hurdle to cross is getting travel approval (not really a hurdle, just something else to wait for). Our approval arrived this morning. Our agency has given us the tentative departure date of May 22, which means we would meet Annika on May 26. We will receive our definite travel dates in the next couple of days and then we can finally make reservations for our flight to Beijing and really start to panic about everything we will need to get finished in 3 weeks.

Since I am on spring break this week I am hoping to get several things done. I went shopping today to buy most of the things left on our packing list. I will have to take a picture of everything (that is in a pile on the nursery floor) that is going to need to fit in our suitcases. Since we are flying domestically in China we are only allowed one 44lb suitcase to check and one 11lb carry-on. I think I can accomplish that but it will be a tight fit.

Jiangxi Province

Annika is currently living in the Yigfeng Social Welfare Institution in the Jianhxi province of China. I have been in contact with a woman who traveled to the orphanage on March 19 and from what she said, Annika may be staying in foster care at the current time. Sometime the children will be placed with foster families if their papers have been sent in to placed for adoption. I guess the exposure to a family helps prepare them to live with their forever family in the future.

We will be traveling to Nanchang in Jiangxi when we go to get Annika. She will be brought to Nanchang from Yifeng to meet us. There are several other families in our travel group and they have all been referred babies from Yifeng SWI as well, so we will all be traveling together. Nanchang is on the northern side of the province and Yifeng is about 2 or 3 hours away.

Little Ms. Annika

We are very excited to introduce the "world's cutest baby" (according to big brother Alex)

Annika Lin Beach
Chinese Name: Zhuang Lu Mu
Birthday: 9-18-07Jiangxi Province

YAHOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Just got the call from David.  It’s a girl!!!!!!!  Birthday 9-18-07!!!!!!!  8 MONTHS OLD!!!!!!!!!

 

More info to follow.

 

 

Test Run

I am just trying out the “blogging by  email” thing to make sure that I will be able to post from the school once we get the info on Annika.  My plan is to just post a short, we got it, here’s the basics type message and then a longer one in the evening with picture(s).  Keep your fingers crossed.

 

 

Test