For those of you interested in what a trip to adopt a precious peanut from China looks like...here's the itinerary we received from our agency today:
9/7 Leave U.S. for Beijing at 6 AM (Thanks, Ron and Maria for getting up with the roosters to take us to the airport!)
9/8 Arrive in Beijing after 24 hours of travel (will our eye masks, ear plugs, and sleeping aids work??)
9/9 Beijing tour - The Great Wall!
9/10 Leave Beijing for Changsha (the capital of Hunan)
9/11 Gotcha Day! We will meet little M for the first time!
9/12 Go to the Registration Office for Adoption Registration and Notarization.
9/13 Mid-Autumn Festival (most things will be shut down - but supposedly fantastic fireworks!)
9/15 Trip to the local department store. Free time. Rest, tour, shop.
9/16 Optional half day city tour to the Martyr’s Park in the morning. (Will this be M’s first park outing EVER?)
9/17 Visit Embroidery Factory in the morning. (Mimi, we’re thinking of you!)
9/18 Free time. Rest, tour, shop.
9/19 Leave Changsha for Guangzhou (This is a beautiful port city where we will finalize our adoptions and obtain a US visa for M. We hear there's also a Starbucks here...I think by then we'll need a taste of home!)
9/20 Your child’s visa physical exam and visa photo are today.
9/21 Free time. Rest, shop, tour.
9/22 Consulate appointment.
9/23 Go with to the U.S. Consulate to take the oath in the afternoon.
9/24 Time to go home! Depart for home via Tokyo and Minneapolis.
9/25 7:00 P.M. Arrive in CT exhausted and ready (Yeah, right!) to care for three busy boys!
