Our TA Is Here !

Our agency received our TA (travel approval) today! Now they can schedule our consulate appointment (CA) and we will know the exact dates of our travel and can book our flights to and from China. Right now it lookds like we'll be leaving Sept. 11th and returning about the 27th. That means we could be holding Alyssa in our arms in just 3 weeks! (How awesome is that???)

Now it seems like we'll have to really rush to get everything done before we travel. We've been putting the finishing touches on Alyssa's room. Hanging things on the wall and organizing her closet. We put the new matress in the crib and washed the sheets and crib set.

I'm starting to create a packing list for us. Fortunately, there have been a lot of families who went through this before us, and I can use their lists as a starting point for ours. When we started this process, I thought it was funny when I heard people talk about practicing their packing for thier trip. I thought that they must be really "anal" people. Now, I'm thinking it's not such a bad idea when you consider the tight luggage restrictions on international flights and the 44 pound limit on our checked bags. Combine this with the fact that most people want to take just about everything they might possibly need to care for their child in China, and the idea sounds even better. I'm sure the list will need to be "tweeked" several times with intermittent discussions about what can and can't go. (I'm sure my personal stuff will be the first things to be cut from the list.)

When you add all the other things that need to done around the house like cleaning the garage, baby-proofing the living room and kitchen, Gathering all our adoption documents, mowing, booking our airfare, etc., it seems like we're no where near ready for all of this. I know we'll get it all done, because we've got a beautiful baby in China depending on us. I'm focusing on the bright side of all this. Once we get on the first plane, and our journey begins, we'll be able to relax and treat the whole trip like a big vacation. And when we finally get to hold Alyssa for the first time, it will all seem worth it.