The Pink Flower!

Since not a whole lot is going on and we are just basically waiting to leave for China, I thought I would give an update on the pink flower! Well, as you can see, it is thriving! I planted a border of all white impatiens early last June and look what popped up just a few weeks before our referral for Kaelin Bing! Coincidence? We say NOT! We just can't get over God's little sign to us that our precious little girl will soon be here! We also believe that this beautiful pink bloom is a sign that our Kaelin Bing is also thriving! One of the first things we are going to do when she is finally home is take her picture next to her pretty pink flower! Even my neighbor noticed it and says when she drives by my house it gives her goosebumps! This is definitely going in Baby Bing's scrapbook!
We hope to get our detailed China itinerary tomorrow! I will post it as soon as we do! 11 more days til we leave! Woo Hoo!

Playtime!

I had so much fun creating this little place for Baby Bing to call her own! I cleared out a corner in our living room so that she can enjoy her playtime while at the same time we can keep a watchful eye over her! Now, I know she isn't going to want to stay in this little habitat all the time and will want to explore and get into as much trouble as possible! I am hoping it will provide her with a fair amount of entertainment some of the time! OMG! 15 more days and we are China bound! I can't believe in just a short while she will be home playing with her new toys! Oh, and in case you are worried that she might crack her little noggin on the fireplace we are currently working on a solution and will have it completely padded and baby proofed before we leave!

Back in Business!

Okay, as if I don't have better things to be doing! After all, we are going to China and bringing our baby home in three weeks! But losing my background was just really bugging me, so I found a so called "back door" and was able to download this one! This will just have to do until I can work on it some more later! I may even break down and actually pay to have a professional blog makeover! Phewww! I feel a bit better now! Heehee!

Technical Difficulties!

CRAP, I've lost my background! That's what I get for using "free" stuff off the internet! Oh well, it was cute while it lasted! Back to the ol' drawing board!

Our Flights are Booked!!!

I keep saying over and over to myself, "Don't wake up, don't wake up, don't wake up!" I can't believe this is all finally happening and our dream is about to come true! I just got off the phone with our travel agent and we are going to China to get Baby Bing! The best part was when I had to confirm Bing's name for her ticket home! I just called Gary at work and he can't wait to get home to celebrate! WE ARE GOING TO CHINA!

We got our US Consulate Appt!

Finally! We leave on September 8th and we get our sweet little Kaelin Bing Wen on September 11! Our US Consulate Appt is on September 23rd and then we fly back home on September 25th! I will have way more details after we have booked all of our flights! I will post our itinerary as soon as I have it! CHINA HERE WE COME! YIPEE!

WOW!

After sitting here trying to think of the words to best describe the opening ceremonies for the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics, only one little three letter word deemed appropriate, WOW!
As my Big Man and I sat in our living room glued to our TV, he with his microwave popcorn and me with my goldfish crackers, we had no idea what a once in a lifetime experience we would be sharing. We have always enjoyed watching the Olympics over the years, but this year is, without a doubt, different! Different because our family now shares a heartfelt bond with this ancient and fast growing country called China.
We are still amazed that the same year (after waiting for so many) we will receive our beautiful Kaelin Bing Wen, the 2008 Summer Olympic games are in Beijing, China! Coincidence? We think not! Everything about our precious Kaelin Bing Wen and her adoption into our family is truly meant to be! She is our daughter and sister and she is Chinese.
As we watched, mesmerized by the dazzling showmanship and incredible precision of thousands of Chinese performers and dancers, we mostly sat and watched in silence. Aside from the occasional, "WOW!" there was, still, mostly silence. We both watched studying their faces each silently wondering if one of them could be our daughter's biological mother or father, wondering if that is what our sweet Kaelin Bing Wen will look like when she is older. The amount of dedication and months, perhaps years, of practice and commitment truly showed in this breathtaking performance. We both just couldn't help but feel an enormous sense of pride for all of them and hope that one day we can share it with our daughter. After all, this is her heritage and we will never take that away from her and we will always keep her enriched in both China's culture and language. Although our hearts swelled with pride, they also ached a little too. Ached because our Kaelin Bing Wen will not grow up in China and will never really know or experience these things first hand. We do have plans to take her back to China when she is older to let her see for herself the beautiful country she was born in. We do believe God has a plan, and though our precious daughter was born in China, He has chosen us to be her parents. There is no doubt in our minds about this!

We got our Travel Approval!

Late this afternoon we received an email saying we got our Travel Approval! Our agency is hoping that we can leave as early as August 29th or we might not go until the middle of September! The Olympics are definitely throwing a wrench into our travel plans! Grrrrr! We should hear something in the next 3-10 days on a definite date! Stay tuned!