Our First Day in Beijing

Our first full day in Beijing was very eventful! Thankfully, it was sunny, however it was EXTREMELY windy and very cold! We toured the Forbidden City, Tieneman Square and the Summer Palace. We also visited a silk factory and learned how silk was made. Of course, I had to buy some traditional outfits for Emily Grace and me! All of the places were very beautiful and centuries old. We had to keep pinching ourselves along with the other members of our group and reminding each other that we were half way around the world! The other members of our group are all very nice and just as excited as us. It is still very surreall that we will meet our baby in less than 48 hours. We have also eaten some very "interesting" meals that all seem to taste like chicken. Ha! Ha! It's 1:00 AM Sunday morning, so I guess we shold get some sleep. We visit The Great Wall later today and will post some pictures as well.

WE MADE IT!!! WE ARE FINALLY IN CHINA!!! It's 2:00 AM on Saturday morning and David and I are wide awake in our hotel room. Our journey began Thursday morning at 2:00 AM in Atlanta and we arrived 24 hours later at 2pm Friday in Beijing (We lost 12 hours). We were able to sit upstairs in a 747 which was pretty cool! We flew over the NorthPole (it was 90 degrees below 0), over Siberia, Mongolia and finally into Beijing. Due to this route, it never got dark which was a little disorienting. It is cold, cloudy, and raining and we are scheduled to see The Forbidden City and Tieneman Square today and hope the weather is better.

Our Travel Itinerary in China

Woo Hoo!! We finally have our travel itinerary and hotel information for China. We will be leaving on March 29th at 6:20 am which means that we have to leave our house at 3:30am if we want to arrive at the airport 2 hours before departure. Should we even go to sleep that evening? Who could sleep anyway?!!
* Thursday, March 29th- Depart for Beijing (Flight UA 7591)
* Friday, March 30th- Arrive in Beijing (Flight UA 897)
* Saturday, March 31- Beijing Sight-Seeing: Tiananmen Square, Forbidden City, Summer Palace
* Sunday, April 1st- Church Service and The Great Wall (Beijing Duck for lunch)
* Monday, April 2nd - Morning flight to Nanchung, THAT AFTERNOON-MEET EMILY GRACE MEI VENN!!!
* Tuesday, April 3rd- Civil Affairs Appointment
* Wednesday, April 4th- 5th- Paperwork, Sight-Seeing and Shopping
* Friday, April 6th - Afternoon flight to Guangzhou
* Saturday, April 7th - Fill out Consulate Forms
* Sunday, April 8th- AMY'S BIRTHDAY IN CHINA!! :) - Medical Exams for Emily Grace Mei Venn
* Monday, April 9th - Consulate Appointment @ 11:00am
* Tuesday, April 10th - Pick up Emily Grace Mei Venn's Visa
* Wednesday, April 11 - Depart from Guangzhou to HongKong then on to Chicago then to Atlanta!!! Arrive in ATL @ 7:45pm
flight: UA 897
We are staying in some very nice hotels, especially the one in Nanchung where we will have our first night with our baby. Take a look at this very modern hotel: www.glthp.com Galatic Peace International Hotel Also, in Beijing we will be staying at: www.hotelorientalbay.com Oriental Bay International Hotel.
I guess that it is pretty obvious that we are excited!!! The Count down is on!!! 8 days until April 2nd, but since we lose a day and since they are 13 hours ahead, I guess it is really like 7 days or even 6.5 days until we have our baby!!! ;)

Frozen Dinner Party with Friends

Today, Lissette, Nancy and I prepared 6 entrees to freeze, so that David and I will not have to cook when we return while still having fantastic food to eat. Actually, Lissette prepared the meals and Nancy and I sort of helped when we were not in the way of the CHEF!! These entrees are some of Lissette's specialties. We made: Chicken Cacciatore, Seafood Gumbo, Stuffed Eggplant, Chicken Pot Pie, Chicken and Shrimp Piccata, and Stroganoff. It was hard to put it all in the freezer for later and not eat it immediately. Lissette is a fantastic chef!!! Thanks Lissette for all of your hard work and time!!!! :)

HAPPY BIRTHDAY EMILY GRACE MEI VENN!!! March 2nd 2007
Today is Emily's 1st birthday and we are planning to mail a "build-a-bear" (with a message box inside the paw that speaks both Chinese and English to her) and a picture album of her new family. We are also sending a letter of gratitude to her foster mother as well as a gift. We are so disappointeed that we are not with our precious daughter on her first birthday, but we plan to make it up to her when we all come home. We are still preparing for our trip. We are trying to pack for two adults and a baby for a two week international trip in "carry-on" luggage only. Wish us luck!! ;-)