Travel Approval is Coming

I guess the news has been slow recently, but I have been busy! I've been trying to buy things for our trip as I think of them or am told about them. I have various medications and snacks for Scott & I as well as Gwen, both catagories of items being highly recommended "must-haves" by folks who've been to China and back. I've sorted clothes and acquired outerwear for Gwen (thank you everyone who has helped clothe my girl!), bought jammies and socks for her, and continued to add to my little shoebox of toys to take. I've finally made the purchase of space saver bags, a wonderful invention that you put your clothing or other soft items into so that the air will all be sucked out of them and they will take up half the space in your suitcase than if they weren't in the bag. I'm hoping one of these bags will magically make the quilt I made for Gwen small enough for me take to China!

Friday night I dreamed about Gwen, good and long. It seemed like the whole night. She was so sweet! She smiled and cuddled. In the dream, I took her in the hotel pool in China and she loved it! I don't even know if they have indoor pools at the places we will stay... but we did in the dream.

Today we received an email from the Children's Hope China Travel Coordinator... she said our travel approvals are being mailed from the China Center for Adoption Affairs this week. Again, this doesn't mean actual dates, but it does mean that CHI can now make our appointment at the American consulate, and this is what drives the entire travel schedule. We also received a list of the families that will be getting their daughters from Yibin Children's Welfare Institute, where Gwen is. There are only 3 others, so four families total that will travel to the Sichuan province together from Beijing, where our entire group will be together before splitting to go the different provinces where our daughters are waiting. There was one family who's daughter is the same age as Gwen... maybe she and Gwen are buddies! It will be neat to see. I've emailed these other 3 families and received emails from some of them as well... it's amazing to think about how we will share this life changing experience with these strangers and come away as friends.