My final travel call with my adoption agency took place this weekend! Three hours and multiple pages of notes later, I am ready to get on a plane and get my girl. :) In planning my travel I am fortunate that at least part of my airfare will be paid for by points, so that is a great help financially. However, I got the AMAZINGLY great news that our trip is tentatively planned for late June/Early July! Bad news....we are right at the beginning of "travel season" in China, also known as "Holy CRAP, those flights went up in price again?!?!?!"
I am reaching out to cyber space in the hope that someone, somewhere, would have some Marriott points they would be willing to donate for our hotel stays. At this point, the low estimate is about $150/night for 14 nights- well over our original budget and about a month before we had planned on traveling. If you or anyone you know can help- please contact me through this blog and thank you in advance! :)
Wednesday, May 13, 2015
Sunday, May 10, 2015
Mother's Day and....
Besides the obvious celebration of Mother's Day, today marked a very special occasion: Exactly one year ago today I informed my immediate family that I was in the process of adopting a child.
At the time, I was planning on adding a 5 year old Ugandan boy to our brood and blissfully unaware of the term "disrupted adoption". Only a few months later would I learn of a bull-dozed slum, some questionable ethics and the unknown whereabouts of the child I had hoped would be my own.
Fast forward to today and we are excitedly awaiting the arrival of a 3 year old Chinese tot who, in 6-8 short weeks, will call the United States her new home.
As I make the final preparations to bring home my little girl, I cannot end this day without paying respect to two very special people who have made this entire process possible: Elizabeth's birth mother and foster mother.
It was her birth mother's sacrifice that will allow me to have a family to call my own; her protective instinct for this little girl to bring her to a safe place; and her love that made sure she her complex medical needs were cared for.
It will be her foster mother's tears that I will share while in China over the departure of the baby she watched grow the last 2 years, tell me how to sooth when she cries, and clue me in as to the things that make her most happy.
This Mother's Day, and every one to follow, will be a time to remember these important women who helped to bring my little one home.
For some more insight on the adoptive mom perspective, check out this piece by Kathy Lynn Harris and have a Happy Mother's Day!
On a not-so-sappy note:
Come check out our Amazing (But Possibly Too Big For My Yard) Yard Sale this weekend! All proceeds to benefit Cradle of Hope Adoption Center's Zhang Guan Ning. :)
At the time, I was planning on adding a 5 year old Ugandan boy to our brood and blissfully unaware of the term "disrupted adoption". Only a few months later would I learn of a bull-dozed slum, some questionable ethics and the unknown whereabouts of the child I had hoped would be my own.
Fast forward to today and we are excitedly awaiting the arrival of a 3 year old Chinese tot who, in 6-8 short weeks, will call the United States her new home.
As I make the final preparations to bring home my little girl, I cannot end this day without paying respect to two very special people who have made this entire process possible: Elizabeth's birth mother and foster mother.
It was her birth mother's sacrifice that will allow me to have a family to call my own; her protective instinct for this little girl to bring her to a safe place; and her love that made sure she her complex medical needs were cared for.
It will be her foster mother's tears that I will share while in China over the departure of the baby she watched grow the last 2 years, tell me how to sooth when she cries, and clue me in as to the things that make her most happy.
This Mother's Day, and every one to follow, will be a time to remember these important women who helped to bring my little one home.
For some more insight on the adoptive mom perspective, check out this piece by Kathy Lynn Harris and have a Happy Mother's Day!
On a not-so-sappy note:
Come check out our Amazing (But Possibly Too Big For My Yard) Yard Sale this weekend! All proceeds to benefit Cradle of Hope Adoption Center's Zhang Guan Ning. :)
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