T-39 Hours

I'm really quite sure this is the hardest packing job I've ever had to undertake.  Mexico for 7 days and then China for 21 days.  With kids.  And shut down the house.  And hand off my business, which, if I have counted right, is 11 active deals.  Lets hope I counted right.

And all the while thinking about Randi.  I'm very sad that Harmony will not know her.

Ups and Downs

Late Thursday night, we got a call that turned it all upside down:  Tara's Mother Randi Gustafson had died suddenly.  We're still reeling from this, emotionally and logistically.

The Big Green Light to Spend Ooodles of Money

Today our "gotcha day" was scheduled for 4/8/13.  YAY!  Less than 3 weeks to Harmony!

That meant we could book flights.  Tara played travel agent and got us all set up for flights to and from China (Yay Tara!).  We need a few more in-China flights, still, but at least we know when we leave and come back.  I can now say I've spent $7500 on one trip booking.  All Cattle-Class, mind you.  Sometimes, I think first-class might be wasted on us anyhow.  By the end of the trip, nothing really makes us comfortable, so why try harder?

We got TA!

Another small step....we got the OK to travel!  Now, in the next 48h or so we will be getting assigned a date at the US Consulate in Guangzhou, and from that date we can plan backwards to our Gotcha Day, and from there book flights.  So, Gotcha Day will be either April 8th or April 15th.  April 8th will give me big work-related ulcers, but the sooner the better!!

Birthday Photos!

We got more photos!  (Trust me, photos are MUCH better than me blathering on about kids, China, food, or a giant octopus giving my Wife hickeys).

Harmony's birthday was a few days ago, and we sent a Birthday Party Package through a service in China that helps future Parents with this stuff.  They always send such nice cakes and the kids love them.  We did the same for Lian in 2009, and the party left a BIG impression on her.  She talks about it to this day.

Aren't the cakes over there fabulous?  I think they use and airbrush or something.

Enjoy the pictures!!

New Pictures!

We got a few new pictures!  One of CCAI's wonderful staff were at Harmony's orphanage in Feb and met Harmony.  We are so very very very jealous.  :)  Here's one of her sleeping:

And here's one of her after her nap:

The CCAI rep got to read her some books later on:

From the CCAI rep:  "When I was there, it was nap time and she was taking her nap, so I took a photo of herJ . after one hour, she wake up and I was organization donation items with our staff, I asked her “ which item you like to have? Cloth or books?” she looked at me for a few second and grabbed a book, then we started play the sound animal book gather, I push the head of a animal and then make the animal sound, she quickly turned a page and told me which animal I was trying to imitate. Gosh, she is smart and sweet!!! Her friends saw her paying and came to her to play with her ( you can see the photos) later, I asked her to go out with me to visit other floors, she just looked me and shake her head, I said ‘ why” she said ‘ I do not know you” she was so funny"

It's time to wake up this sleepy blog! The Peltiers, all four of us, will be traveling to China near the 1st of April 2013 to adopt Harmony Peltier.  She's turning 4 very soon and we are VERY anxious to meet her.