We have our gal!

We have Annie! Her nickname is "ahchoo" said like u r sneezing. So for now we r calling her this b/c its also what she calls herself in pictures :)

I will post pics and more details later but in the past 3 hours that we have been with her she has been so sweet and easy going. She was looking at the photo album we sent her and pointing to our pictures when we walked into the civil affairs office. She immediately made the connection. Apparently she's been in a room all with other children about to be adopted and they carry around their photo albums like blankets and open and share them frequently with each other.


















This is the front of the building where we met her.....


She was yawning in the taxi so we came straight home to the hotel, fed her some snacks and noodles, and she fell asleep in about 3 minutes...Now Ev and I are trying to be quiet in our room and wondering how long she'll sleep - and what she will be thinking when she wakes up...

Funniest thing we learned from today were her 2 fears- 1. Thunder and lightning 2. 3 inch insects that wiggle on the bark of a tree (exact translation) I said, a worm? No! Repeat 3 inch insect on the bark on a tree :)

She is super cute and sweet. Laughed some at the office but since we got to the hotel became very quiet and serious. I think she was tired and nervous. But we are so thankful for today, and are so blessed to call her ours.

Thanks for being a part of this special day! Julie and Ev

Made it to Hangzhou

After 24 hours of traveling- 2 planes, one high speed train, and a taxi- we traveled almost 8 thousand miles and forward 13 time zones....whew! Our hotel is awesome (western beds- Chinese beds are notoriously hard) and our guide Sarah very nice. The first 2 things she told us were 1. Do not cross the street in China like you cross at home. Chinese drivers are very crazy 2) it's ok for Chinese people to drink tap water. But you do not drink tap water...only bottled.

They already had a pack and play set up when we arrived. We ate dinner and breakfast at the hotel- the breakfast buffet was ridiculously huge and great- a mixture of western and Chinese food. We slept decently last night with the help of some ambien and were ready to go this morning bright and early.

We walked to the biggest tourist destination in Hangzhou- West Lake. Most surprised by all the greenery here - for a city of about 6 million there are lots of tree lined streets, parks with grass and flowers too. The area around the lake is particularly lush. We took a boat to an island in the middle of the lake and explored- had my first squat potty experience(will try to get a photo of the "potty" or lack thereof next time. And we saw the world famous squirrel. See photos below.

We just awoke from a dangerous nap and are about to watch a movie instead of sleeping the rest of the day like our bodies want to. In the morning we go get Annie at 9am! Will post more tomorrow night!



Allaboard High speed train from Shanghai to Hangzhou







I think we found something to export to china- squirrels!















Our guide Sarah



West Lake

Itinerary

Friday, August 24- Friday, September 7.....the time zone is 13 hours ahead of central time

Aug. 24- 6am flight to Chicago, 11am flight to Shanghai (14.5 hours)
Aug. 25- 1:50pm arrival, fast speed train Hangzhou
Aug. 26- free
Aug.27- receive Annie at Civil Affairs Office in Hangzhou
Aug. 28- Adoption registration and notarization
Aug. 29-30- visit orphanage, explore Hangzhou
Aug. 31- get Annie's passport, fly to Guangzhou
Sept.1- Medical exam and TB test
Sept. 2-free
Sept. 3- get medical report
Sept. 4- free
Sept.5- consulate appointment
Sept.6- get Annie's Visa, take a van to Hong Kong
Sept. 7- fly to Chicago, fly home! Arrival 4:45pm United

Can't believe it's time to hop on a plane and become a mom of 3 in a different country. I keep thinking of Forrest Gump saying "Vietnam, it's this whole other country." Pretty sure that will sum up our thoughts at the end of this experience about China.
We hope to meet with Annie's caretakers and ask as many questions as are allowed to piece together her life Pre Ev and Julie...praying that our planes stay in flight over the north pole (how cool is that), that Annie is not too traumatized by leaving her friends and nannies behind, that we have the strength and wisdom to handle whatever this journey holds for us, and that we enjoy ourselves somewhere along the way! Lastly we hope all the drugs Everette has taken over the past 2 days will help him feel better(he's had fever and horrible cold- fluid in lungs) 1st time he's been sick in over 2 years- excellent timing!

Thank you all for prayers, words of encouragement, and support. We really can't wait to bring Annie home.



- Edie's and Annie's room (making sure I can post pics from iPad)
Next post.....from China!

Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Travel Approval! and New Photos :)

Travel Approval-  August 7th
We are leaving Friday, August 24th!
 Meet Annie....Monday, August 27
Landing back in Birmingham on Friday, September 7th




A few weeks ago I started doing important things- like choosing paint for our laundry room and starting to paint it....only to remember that I needed to paint the girl's room too- so quit painting the laundry room and started on the girl's room. I made a list of all the things I needed to do, and then lost it. These are just a small sample of how my brain is working right now.  When I took the kids to the farm this weekend to see my parents, Everette painted both the laundry and the girls room. He loves me :) One of his friends made the comment- wow, she's not even pregnant, and she's totally crazy and nesting! Thanks! (and yes, it's true- about both:))

So excited the time has come to SERIOUSLY start checking things off of our packing list - that sounds easy but it's 4 pages single spaced and my kids are with me every second until school starts August 20th. Hopefully I won't make them as crazy as I feel!
Can't wait. Also another family/friend I have made in Birmingham will be there at the same time and we are trying to coordinate hotels/flights to be together, especially on the flight home.

These pictures above are my favorites by far...I feel like the rest have been like mug shots! We sent her another care package last week and the lady, Ann, at Red Thread Packages, asked for an update of new measurements and photos and they sent her these. Everette and I agree that she is a Herring through and through- big head, puffy cheeks, knock knees, and a great sense of style. We love her!!!

I will update frequently as our plans unfold over the next 2 weeks...if you would like to follow our blog while we are traveling please sign up to follow by e-mail and you'll be notified when I post every few days. Loves!!

Best 4th of July Gift- Pictures from a family I met from the Hangzhou yahoo chat group that were at the orphanage picking up their little boy (they live in Minnesota). We got about 8 photos of her sitting in the little chair you see- they saw her WALK (this may sound ridiculous but we have never seen it written or been told or seen pictures indicating that she CAN walk) in from the outside into the playroom. She's wearing the dress and headband we sent her in a care package :)

We also got pics from of the orphanage but I will save for another post.
The bottom photo is an update photo from our agency, that also came on July 4th.

We got our I-800 approval June 29- it was cabled July 5- now we are waiting on Article 5. That should be less than 10 days from now- and then we are only waiting for Travel Approval! It's getting really close, but the days right now are really slow for me. It was so wonderful to see so many pictures of her- and at the same time it is sort of making me crazy!  I want her HOME. I want her know that she is so close to being loved, hugged, kissed, played with,  EVERYDAY by her forever family. She has spent a short lifetime of being juggled around from birth family to orphanage to hospital to foster family to orphanage again. I cannot wait to hold her!!!!

Thinking we will travel around the time school starts- mid to late August.

Charlie and Edie are getting excited! Charlie has been reluctant about having ANOTHER sister. We had been preparing for a boy and he got attached to a little boy whose file we looked at back in January - but finally told me the other day- "mom, i think we got the right one. she's the one" (which was followed by a high five and a wink) Made my heart smile. Edie is growing like a weed (97% for height) and each time something gets too small she says- "ok, mom. this is kinda small.  let's just save this for my new sister."

The girls' rooms is almost ready- got 2 twin beds set up and new bedding- but alas it's time to forego the green walls and paint them PINK! A friend is coming over Monday to help me choose so I don't end up w/ pepto pink (choosing paint colors is not my strong point- did anyone see our BLUE bathroom at the old house??!!)

That's all for now!

OH- Almost forgot- HER NAME IS ANNIE!! Annie Song Herring
We didn't name her this b/c of John Denver's song- which is my favorite JD song- but it helped make the final decision more fun :)

We are one step closer to bringing our little girl home! We were TOTALLY surprised to get our LOA (letter seeking confirmation) in 37 days. This moves our travel plans up a good bit- expecting to travel in AUGUST!! 


So, my anxiety hit full speed over the past few days - it was like thinking I was 3 months pregnant when really I just found out I'm 7! I had in my head that Charlie and Edie would go back to school in the fall and I'd have time to "get ready." Change of plans!!


Really working hard on lining things up- turning Edie's room and closet into a space for 2 girls is probably the most concrete thing I can do at this point. Mainly I'm just trying to prepare my heart and mind to be a mom of 3- worried about the transitions for everyone- myself and Everette, Charlie and Edie, and little Song- however difficult or easy they may be-but the nature of which are unknown. It's a different kind of worry than when I was pregnant- as Song will be 2 1/2 years old- full of her own history, comforts, preferences, fears, habits....of which we know nothing about right now.

I'm hoping we go early August to get home in time for Charlie to start first grade on August 20. I REALLY want to be here to help him transition- he is so sweet and sensitive and I think will do better if we are here- but it may have to be my mom helping him, and that's the 2nd best scenario. I've lined up family to be on call as we won't know our exact dates of travel until 2 weeks b4 we leave- thanks family for being so flexible! 


The flip side of me is so thankful to be able to meet my little girl 2 months sooner. I do not want her to spend any more days without a family of her own than necessary. We sent her a care package last week and got confirmation that it arrived- it had an album with 25 pictures of us that were labeled mom, dad, brother, sister, dog, etc... (hope she likes dogs!) She got 2 new dresses, a pair of shoes, hair clips, a stuffed animal- and the package had a disposable camera that I HOPE the caretakers will use between now and August. So at least now she knows who we are, and that we are coming for her. I have heard that the staff at this orphanage prepares the children well for the arrival of their new family- so hopefully she is looking at our pictures often and smiling, like we are of her. 


 The photo above is the latest photo- taken April 2- will ask for another update in a few weeks and maybe get lucky with new pics/info/measurements. OH- and Ev and I have a date tonight to decide on her name! TBA! That's all for now! 

The Chinese believe that there is an invisible red thread connecting people to those they are destined to meet.

It's strange how we already feel so connected to Song. How could we not with that SWEET LITTLE FACE! I have framed photos all over the house- in the kids' bathrooms, the kitchen, staircase- it's like she has always been a part of the family. Now we just have to meet her!

The internet is a blessing these days for international adoption- in some ways, it enhances this "red thread" theory, literally.  I joined a yahoo group of families who have either adopted from or are in the process of adopting from the CWI of Hangzhou- and from one e-mail introducing myself, I got back about 10 responses- from ALL OVER the WORLD- Denmark, Sweden, Netherlands, Canada, and of course the U.S. Welcoming families gave me links to their blogs, insight into the city, and most important to me- the conditions and care at the orphanage.

Everyone has had great things to say. We DID get confirmation that Song is not living with a foster family like we originally thought- she is back at the orphanage. My guess is that she was allowed to live with a family while she was recovering from her surgery, and once she was strong that family took in another child to take her place who needed more assistance.

We are sad that she is longer with a family- it was easier waiting to bring her home thinking she is getting individual care - but I don't feel like I can complain from all the good things I've heard about her orphanage. At least she will be used to being around other kids, right?

The orphanage was built 3 years ago, and the pictures I have seen are very tidy, colorful, kid-friendly. It sounds like the staff get really attached to their kids- I have read stories in blogs of caretakers crying when the adopting families visit the orphanage to say goodbye with their new children.

(Side note to explain above- when you first meet your child in China it usually is in a Civil Affairs office in the capital city of the province where your child lives. You then might be allowed to go and visit the orphanage where your child lived - with permission- a few days after receiving custody of your child. This gives you a chance to see where your child lived, meet his/her caregivers, and the orphanage director. We are lucky in that the orphanage and civil affairs office are both in the city of Hangzhou- minimizing travel for us if we get to see the orphanage).

We were told that she goes to "kindergarten" (what a smart 2 year old!) - aka preschool- everyday. I heard they even have a music room! (ummm, Edie's preschool doesn't have a music room!) Most families received some sort of "scrapbook" from the time their child came to the CWI until they were adopted. The kids are dressed well- and her health seems amazing. She is right on track for a Chinese girl- my niece, Safina, who is adopted from Russia (whose birth mother was from Tajikistan- borders China) has almost the exact same measurements as Song- and they are only 2 months apart. It's so awesome that they will be so close in age- and are from the same continent!

LASTLY- THE PHOTO ABOVE....

A family from the Hangzhou yahoo group told me to check with a group called Red Thread Charities- a non-profit based in Minnesota- to see if they had recently been to Hangzhou and might have pictures of Song. Jane Steinmetz works for Red Thread Charities and responded to my e-mail with - Yes, I do have pictures of your daughter from our trip in October :) Hooray! She sent me 5 photos- the one above was the only close up of her.

www.redthreadcharities.org If you have time check out this organization- they travel several time a year to train orphanage staff and facilitate medical and developmental care for the children.

That's all for now. Praying our little friend was hugged today!