The real journey begins!

The day is finally upon us. Doug and I will be leaving for China in the morning. It's so hard to believe. It feels a little bit like a dream. To think that in a few short days we will be meeting the child we have dreamnt about for so many years is overwhelming. I can't wait to see her sweet face for the first time.

Thank you all, so much, for being so supportive and hanging in there with us throughout our wait.

I hope we are able to stay connected with you while we're in China. We have set up a new travel site for our trip. We will do our very best to post as often as we are able.

Looking forward to seeing everyone again real soon,

Mary

www.babygirlschneider.shutterfly.com

2 days till China

Well, it's Sunday evening and all is quiet in Schneider house. We're actually getting ready to pop in a movie and relax. The four of us have worked hard all weekend to get our chores, errands, and shopping done. We even cleaned out the garage. I did, however, manage to find time to float around in the pool for a bit...and I made it to the gym for a much needed run on the tread mill. Woo hoo!

It's hard to believe that Doug and I will be leaving for China in only two days. I can't believe the time is finally upon us. The anticipation is building to a level that is hard to explain. We are really, really excited!

The picture above shows some gifts that we received this week. The quilt was hand made by my Aunt Jane and the doll was made by my good friend Stephanie! Thank you both so much for your kindness and generosity!

2 DAYS TILL CHINA!!!

Lauren has arrived!

My good friend Mardi along with her husband, Dan, her mom, Sherry, and her PRECIOUS DAUGHTER LAUREN arrived home from China today!! Jacob and I went to the airport to greet them along with Terri (another waiting mama) and others. It was so great to see all their smiling faces as they approached us in the waiting area. Lauren is so adorable. I'm so happy that they have arrived home safely.

Congratulations Mardi and Dan...and WELCOME HOME!!!



Norah, Sarah and my Dad came by today and we all headed up to the mall to get some much needed shopping done. I'm getting down to my last few errands...thankfully. I think by the end of the weekend the only thing I will have left to do is some cleaning and little bit of laundry! Yeah!

It's been a long week, but I'm starting to feel like everything is coming together!

5 days till China!

A Tea...FOR ME!!!

On Monday, my dear friend Leigh held a tea in my honor. If you've never been to tea at "Leigh's Tea Room", you are missing out. It was so nice to take a break from the errands and the packing and enjoy some time with "my girls". I don't know where, or who, I'd be without my friends and my sisters. Each and every one of them shower me with love on a daily basis...I'm so blessed! Throughout this journey, they have shown undying support and have lent me a listening ear more times than I can count. My friends (and sisters...who are also my friends) mean the world to me and I treasure them all.


The packing, for China, is well under way and the excitement is building. It's been a very busy week, but I'm finally starting to feel like I'm getting a grip on everything. Tomorrow the boys and I are going "back to school" shopping...how crazy is that?! Who goes "back to school shopping" in July?! WE DO!! They are going to start school before we return home from China, so it's a "must do".

I'm hoping that if I get enough stuff done tomorrow and Friday, I may be able to take some time to float in the pool with Jacob and Benjamin this weekend. I think it will happen! :)

5 DAYS TILL CHINA!!!

UPDATE: I must have been really tired last night when I posted this. We don't have 5 days left before we leave, we have 6...and last night (when I was typing) we still had 7. Sorry! So let me try this again...

6 DAYS TILL CHINA!!!! YEAH!!!

11 Days till China!!

The boys and I returned home from Flagstaff last night. We had such a great time. It was mostly women and children on this trip, so the food was good, the drinks were great and the conversation..even better. The kids had so much fun...all SEVEN of them!!! They played, hiked, swam, went to the skatepark, explored...played some more! My children are truly blessed to have such an amazing extended family and friends that we adore.

Although Flagstaff was beautiful and relaxing, I was itching to get home and get myself ready for China. My "to do" list is long enough to make you gasp.

We received our final intinerary for China a few days ago. It still shows August 3rd as being the day Kailahni will be placed in our arms! That's only 16 days away!!

Drum roll please....

(My visa to enter China)

Doug and I have officially decided on a name for our sugarplum! Are you ready for this?! Her name will be:

Kailahni Xiugang Elizabeth Schneider

As my Pop-Pop would have said, "That's one long call sign!" And he'd be right. It is!

Along with "re-naming" our child, the last week and a half have been busy. The packing is under way...kind of, sort of...not really. I've basically been organizing myself so I can shop and pack, but I haven't really done either. I still have plenty of time for that, so I'm not too worried. (Yeah right..wink, wink)

The boys and I are heading up to Flagstaff on Monday to relax in the tall pines with our family and friends. I'm really looking forward to that! Once we return home, I'm going to have to get really serious about preparing to leave. I think the "time crunch" will be good for me. Right now I feel a little bit like a chicken with my head cut off. But, soon, all will fall into place and we will find ourselves boarding the plane. YEAH!!

Our baby girl turned 10 months old today! Thoughts of her are completely filling my mind today. I've stared at her photos a million times and tried to imagine how she may have changed since they were taken. I can't wait for the moment when I actually get to lay my eyes of her! To think that, that moment is not far off, just thrills me. EXCITING!!!

We have our Travel Approval!

Chongqing City

We received an email yesterday evening from our agency letting us know that our travel approval had arrived and that they were requesting appointments for us at the U.S. Consulate in Guangzhou!

This morning we received another email letting us know that our appointment had been confirmed and that we can make our travel arrangements!

I've spent most of the afternoon on the phone with our travel agent BOOKING OUR AIRLINE TICKETS TO CHINA!!!!

According to our newly CONFIRMED intinerary, Xiu Gang will be placed in our arms on AUGUST 3, 2009!!! It's hard to type that without tearing up! It's so unbelievable.

Here's our travel itinerary:

Wed, July 29th - Depart Phoenix at 7:30 AM
Thurs, July 30th - Arrive in Beijing at 8:10 PM
Fri, July 31st - Free day in Beijing
Sat, August 1st - TianAnMen Square, Forbidden City and the Great Wall. CHI orientation that evening.
Sun, August 2nd - Fly to Chongqing
Mon, August 3rd - RECEIVE XIU GANG!!!!!
Tues, August 4th - Formal Adoption Process
Wed, August 5th-7th - sightseeing and free days in Chongqing
Fri, August 7th - Depart for Guangzhou in the evening
Sat, August 8th - Medical exam for Xiu Gang
Sun, August 9th - Free day
Mon, August 10th - Free day
Tues, August 11th - U.S. Consulate appointment
Wed, August 12th - Take an oath at the American Consulate and receive Xiu Gang's visa
Thurs, August 13th - Leave China. We will arrive in Phoenix at 5:43 PM that same day

I don't know what else to say. I don't know what to do right now either. Should we go out and celebrate? Should we start packing? Should I go to spin class, like I promised my girlfriend? My mind is a flurry....I'M SO EXCITED!!

I will tell you this...after much debate, we've decided to fly coach, BUT IF I HAD A MILLION DOLLARS.....