Days 1 & 2 -

Wow, what a weekend. I don't think i have ever walked so much in my life. We have been having a wonderful time in Beijing. Our group is the best. We have all gotten along so well and are having a lot of fun with each other.

Day 1, Saturday - We climbed the Great Wall of China. (ok, almost climbed) It is steep. Beautiful country side though. We walked all around the area. I took lots of pictures, but so far have not been able to upload yet. Bought a few souviniers at the stands.

Next we had lunch at a very nice Chinese restaurant. They pretty much sit everyone down, and then start loading up the table . THey have a big lazy susan in the middle. Our drink of choice have been Coke, Sprite or Beer. That is all they offer.

Next we went to the Summer Palace. What a beautiful place. It is this huge man made lake, surrounded by mountains. This have been since about 1400 BC. This lake is huge, about the size of Squam, I think. I will have to read some more about it. We walked all through the grounds, and then ended up on a boat that took us back to the docks on the other side.

The crazy thing here are the vendors. These are people that make their living following you around trying to sell things. If you look at them, beware, they will follow you all day. We have been told to ignore them, and if they won't go away we have to say Buo You (not sure on the spelling, but phonetically it is BOO YOW (rhymes with wow)) We have to be very firm and cannot smile, or they will not take you seriously. I just put my sunglasses on and keep walking. I am pretty good at ignoring people.

Next we went the the Pearl Factory. THey showed us how the pearls are taken from oysters. Then we were allowed to purchase them. They have four colors, white, black, lavender and pink. I was very good. Only bought a few.

THen we had dinner and went back to the room. THis was our day from 9:00 am until 8:00 pm. I pretty much put my pajamas on and went to bed.

Day 2, Sunday - Our itinerary was Temple of Heaven and Forbidden City. If there was time they were going to arrange a Rickshaw ride, tour of the Hutang alleys and to meet a man in his courtyard house.

We did it all. The temples were beautiful, the crowds were crazy, the vendors were non stop. I took picture after picture of everything. My battery just about died.

The highlight of the day was the Rickshaw ride, and the visit to a very nice man's house. They rickshaw ride was hilarious. THey will weave in and out of the tiny streets, or alleys. THey are no bigger than my hallway. We did have a hit with a standing bicycle. The owners came out and there was a big yelling match right in front of us. The driver tried to offer them money, but they kept yelling. There was one lady blocking our way, and when our driver asked her to please move, she started yelling at him. He started yelling back. I have no idea what they were saying, but could get the general idea from there actions.

This man opened his house to us and let us visit. He told us his story, through translation. He had worked all his life as a mechanic. He was voted one of the top 100 mechanics in Beijing. THat is pretty huge considering there is 13 million people in this city. His family has lived in the courtyard house for 4 generations. Beijing is in the process of trying to tear down these courtyard style home and replace with highrises. He was offered 36 million RMB, about 500,000 USD, but would not sell. His family home is too important.

It is now 7:15 PM, and we are getting picked up at 7:30 am tomorrow to go to the airport. We then fly to Nanchang, go to the hotel, and then meet the babies at 3:30 or 4:00. Can you believe I will be holding Katy in less than 24 hours.

They went through everything tonite on what to expect tomorrow. I am so nervous, excited, scared, happy, and calm. All at the same time.

If I wasn't so tired, i probably wouldn't be able to sleep tonite.

I promise I will post pictures of Katy tomorrow. If I can't post, I will at least send emails to Dave and he can forward.

I am now signing off tonite, for I have to get ready to be a mommy to my sweet girl tomorrow.

Good Night,
Brigit

Ni Hao from China.

We arrived in Beijing at about 1:30 pm, China time on July 6th. I think that is 1:30 am EST. The flight was long and long. I had the middle of the middle and was pretty cramped most of the time. My Aunt did switch seats with me a couple of times. We ate, watched movies, tv, read, walked around.

The hotel is beautiful. It is the Capitol Hotel in Beijing. Our room is great, but the AC doesn't work very well.

It is hot and sticky, but great to be here.

Our dinner last night was wonderful. They just kept bringing us plates of food. Chicken, rice, potatoes, beef stir fry. I tried mostly everything. Some things were OK. Some i loved.

We were in bed very early, 8:30 pm i think. I don't even remember falling asleep.

Now, here we are at 7:00 am in the business center. I can't post pictures yet, but will keep trying.

We are visiting the Great Wall of China, and Summer Palace today. Should be some great sight seeing.

Less than 48 hours until I meet Katy.

Talk to you all soon.
--B

Next Stop..... Beijing, China

OK , we do stop in Newark first, but then off to China.








The wait is over, the Nursery is finished, the packing is done, the paperwork is completed, the tickets and passport are ready.

Katy - Here we come!!!!

Ready, Set, Go .....

OK, it's 9:35 pm right now. I am getting picked up at 5:00 am and I still have not finished packing.

I was checking out some of my other friend's blogs and they had nice pictures of everything lined up and ready to go. So I thought I would share where I am in the process.



This is my Aunt Marianne's stuff above. She just got here about 8:00 pm.

Below is Katy's bag. All ready to go. I have been packing that for about two weeks.

And of course here is my stuff, still not ready to go. I think I should be done soon, hopefully before the shuttle comes to pick me up.

Three More Days......

The Countdown has begun. I will be leaving in less than 3 days. I am almost packed. Actually, I have packed, unpacked, packed again. I think i may have to do this one more time. Everytime I do that, I take out more stuff.

I have everything I need for Katy. Now the question is how do I bring my stuff. Thank God for the Space Saver bags. I have used two of them and you can fit alot into them. Then just suck the air out.

I still have a very long To Do list, but I am going to finish it tomorrow. Then I can enjoy the 4th of July and relax.

I also received Katy's finding ad. Whenever they find a child, the SWI will take out an ad in the newspaper to see if anyone will claim them. There is a soomeone in China that searches the archives and will send pictures of the ad to you. It actually looks really good. There is a picture of Katy at about 2 weeks old. This is another thing I am going to put away for her. She will be able to look at this when she is alot older.

OK, I have to go. I have to pack again.

Guess Who Is Leaving in 7 Days

That would be me!!!!

I am getting closer. Two more days of work, and then it's all about the trip. I have started packing, finished the crib, and have shopped until i have dropped.

I will be posting some pictures again, as soon as i can find my cord to bring them to my computer. Probably should find that soon as I am going to need it for China.

Hold on Sweetie, 12 more days until I am holding you. I will be there soon.

I Have Met Such Wonderful People on this Journey

I have met such wonderful people on this journey to bring our baby home. When we had our travel meeting today, we got to see our friends, Colleen, Shirley, Kathryn and Sam. They were so kind to give Katy the most wonderful gifts.

I snapped a few pictures:

Thank you Kathryn for the cutest picture and frame. This is going into my car on my dashboard so i can see her as i drive to work. (Actually, that might be a bad idea as i will be looking at her the whole time and not paying attention to the road. Maybe it will go on the fridge)

Thank you so much Sam, for the wonderful beach towel. I love the pink and green. It is going to match wonderfully with her bathing suit.

Shirley, this blanket is awesome. I love the color, ladybug, and it is so great to have something with her name and birthday on it. It is so soft and I can't wait to bundle Katy up in it. Thank you so much.

Colleen, I love the little onesie. The saying is absolutely true. She is worth the wait. I am going to snap one of her first pictures of her in this. Thank you so much.

We have been overwhelmed by your thoughtfullness. We are so looking forward to sharing this experience with all of you. So far it has been great, and it is only going to get better. Thanks again.

Brigit & Dave

Introducing China 138 !!!!

Here we are - China 138.

Today we had our travel meeting with the whole group we will be traveling with. It was such a great meeting, and we talked about alot. I did know alot of what they were talking about, but it was nice to hear it from Wide Horizons.

It is starting to become real. We were talking about the moment when we will be meeting our children and what to expect, and i started to feel like I was going to burst into tears. Happy Tears, but still had to hold them back.

I can just imagine what that day is going to be like.

We met for about 3 hours and then headed off to lunch with some of the group. It was alot of fun to excitedly talk about what we were going to bring, about the long trip, how we picked China to adopt our babies, the heat in China, the food, and we went on and on.

It was nice to see my old friends, as well as meet new friends.

Thanks Colleen for taking the picture and sharing with everyone. I am sure this is the first of many pictures of the group. I can't wait to see the picture with us all holding our girls.

15 DAYS TO GO !!!!!!

We Have Our Travel Dates !!!!

Our itinerary just came through. I will be leaving for China on July 5th. That is only 2 and a half weeks away !!!!!!!!!

I will be holding my beautiful baby exactly three weeks from now.

July 5th - Leave for China!

July 6th - Arrive Beijing

July 7th - Great Wall, and the Summer Palace.

July 8th - Forbidden City and the Temple of Heaven.

July 9th - leave for Nanchang. Meet Katy that afternoon !!!

July 10-13 sightseeing in the Province, legal paperwork....etc)

July 14th - leave for Guangzhou

July 15 - local sightseeing.

July 16th - photos for babies and physicals.

July 17th - Visa Appointment.

July 18th - Swearing in Ceremony at the Consulate, fly back to Beijing. Stay over in Beijing.

July 19th - leave Beijing....arrive home to start our new life as a family of 3

I am so excited. I am feeling a little overwhelmed with everything i have to do, but i just need to take a deep breath and relax. Everything will come together.

Hold on sweetie, I will be with you soon.

Survivor China Location Revealed...

Just read on a fellow adoption mommy's blog that Survivor China is rumored to be at Lake Poyang. This is in Katy's province of Jiangxi and is near the capital, Nanchang.

Guess where I will be in July - Nanchang.

Check this out!!

Location of Survivor China Revealed A reliable source has revealed to SurvivorSkills that the production for Survivor 15 will be based in the Jiangxi Province of Mainland China. The filming locales, and base camp should be around 40 km (24 miles) from the capital of Nanchang.The filming will most likely be at Lake Poyang. Lake Poyang is largest freshwater lake in China. It has a surface area of 3,585 km² and a volume of 25 km³

How cool is that. I am not sure how far Guixi is from Lake Poyang, but I will be in Nanchang, and may see the Lake.

Another cool thing is my friends, who i will be traveling with, thier daughters are all from Lake Poyang Social Welfare Institute. (orphanage)

Dave and I don't miss an episode of Survivor.

We are Survivor geeks, but this season is going to be extra special. I can't wait.

Travel Approvals Are In !!!!!!

I got the news today that our travel approvals are at Wide Horizons. That means they can now make the Consulate Appointments and we will be on our way.

I am guessing the second week in July. Maybe July 9th.

Wow, that is close. I am starting feel overwhelmed again. I have to start packing. I also have to finish the room.

Why is it that we have been waiting for over 19 months, and now i feel like it is coming way to fast.

I don't care. As long as i get to hold my baby in my arms by the end of next month, all will be right with the world.

We have a travel meeting on June 20th and will hopefully find out everything then.

Keep your fingers crossed.

Our Baby is 9 Months Old Today !!!!

Today Katy is 9 months old.

I feel sad that I am not with her today, but we will be there soon. I am so happy we are going to be spending her 1st Birthday with her. I have already started thinking about how we will celebrate her big day.

I am sending wonderful thoughts to you sweetie, and soon we will be together.

Update Since our Referral......

Lots have happened in the last couple of weeks.

• We have formally accepted our referral. (No surprise there) Katy is one step closer to us. I think about her at least 500 times a day. I have been carrying her pictures around and look at them whenever i am having a bad day, or pretty much every minute. It instantly puts me in a good mood.
• My wonderful friends threw me the best baby shower. We received some of the cutest outfits, and alot of things from my registry. I had been waiting along time for that day, and when it was here, it exceeded my expectations. I will post some pictures very soon.
• The nursery is almost done. Just have to get a mattress and bedding and it will be ready. I have also started my packing list. Still have more shopping to do.
• It looks like we may be traveling some time in July. I am getting really excited about that. It doesn't seem that faraway anymore. We have actually started planning our life around Katy. Invitations to parties and events, holidays, vacations. The list goes on and on, and it is fun to think we will be celebrating life's events with our little girl.
• I have celebrated my first Mother's Day. It was a little bittersweet to not have my Katy with me, but Dave made it feel very special. He bought me a beautiful card, and gave me a digital photo frame. I already loaded it with my 3 pictures of Katy and can stare at it all day if i want.
• Also, did anyone catch the last episode of The King of Queens? I really was disappointed with it. (Spoiler Alert) They ended the series with Doug and Carrie adopting a baby from China. The thing is, it was so not right. In the next to last episode, they decided to adopt a baby, then last night they get a call from thier Social worker that there is a baby they have been matched with. This all was supposed to happen in three week time. Also, they automatically sent the picture to them via her blackberry. The baby was only 4 days old, and they flew to Beijing the next day to pick her up. WHAT??? Now i know it is a TV series, but they couldn't do a little research. I think they should have at least made it seem a little real. Anyway, just wondering if anyone else caught that episode.

That is all for now. More updates later.

Dreams Can Come True !!!

With great excitement, we would like to announce our Referral news. We have a daughter.

Guo Yuan Sen, soon to be Katherine Linda was born on September 3, 2006 in the Jiang Xi Province in China.

We don't have all the details yet, but should see her beautiful face either Friday or Monday. It's going to be a long week.

Words cannot express the feelings i have right now. I have been in a fog all day. The funny thing is, i was driving down the highway to visit a client, when the phone rang. I saw that it was Wide Horizons and nearly drove off the road to answer. I pulled off the highway and into some random parking lot get all the information. I was able to make about three calls when my cell phone died. Thanks God one of the calls was to my husband.

I pulled myself together, visited my client for about 4 hours, drove home and have been on the phone and internet for the last hour spreading the news.

I will hopefully hold her in my arms in July.

Come back soon to see her debut.

I am off to make some more calls.

Here She Comes !!!

The stork is going to be landing at our house in the next few days. You heard it here. We have received confirmation that we have been included in this batch of referrals and we should be receiving a call any day now.

We probably won't see Katy's picture until sometime next week. At least we will know her Chinese name, where she is, how old she is and hopefully more. Then we meet with the social worker next week and receive our packet of info.

Stay tuned for some exciting news.

With A Heavy Heart We Are Forced Again To.....

We may not get our Referral this month. It has not been confirmed, but it seems likely.

Rumor Has It....

I thought i would fill you in on the latest rumors. I have heard that Referrals have been mailed, and are somewhere in the US.


This could mean we could get our call as early as Monday or Tuesday!!!!


The funny thing is, next week will be two years exactly that we received our packet in the mail from Wide Horizons. We started this wonderful journey on April 5th, 2005. Now we are going to see our beautiful baby's face possibly on April 5th, 2007. WOW.


I am going to be a Mom. I can't believe it.

This Says It All

This seems to be my motto for the last 17 Months. As i get closer to our referral date, I look back at the last couple of years and can't believe how slow it seems to have passed.

Every month that the referrals were issued I knew we were getting one step closer but it still seemed so far away. Now, we are weeks away from looking at our daughter's face for the first time and can't believe how quick it is coming. I feel like I have a million things that should be done, but I can't bring myself to do them yet. I want to see her picture and then it will be real.

So, from the time we receive our referral to the time I board the plane for China, I am going to be a woman on a mission. I have my lists ready, I have my ideas in my head.

I am just Waiting, Hoping and Dreaming, and definitely won't have to Repeat.

Look for coming attractions of Katherine Linda's beautiful face. It should be anywhere from April 2nd to April 12th.

Happy Birthday !!!!

March is a very busy month of birthdays for me. So I thought i would send out a Happy Birthday to my family.

Cori, Lily and little Brian - I hope you all have a wonderful birthday.

Love, Sister and Aunty.

Referral News!!!

The latest rumors are referrals were sent with a cut off date of October 24th. What does that mean for me.

WE ARE NEXT !!!!!

We will be in the next batch of referrals due at the end of this month. I am beyond excited. I am trying to remain calm, but i keep breaking into a big smile everytime i think about it.

I am not going to be posting again until i hear more news from the referral front. I have been incredibly busy with work, trying to tie up projects until my baby leave. (it feels weird to say that) I also need to start getting ready for a baby in the house, and my trip.

Hang in there, good news coming soon.