Uncertainties....

We are set to leave in 22 days. Sylvie's room is ready, we have packing lists typed up, we have informed our employers and arranged time off....

Now with the Swine Flu, there is some concern that CCAA (China Center for Adoption Affairs) might be holding off on issuing Notices of Coming to China - travel approval.

We were expecting to receive our Notice of Coming this week, or next week. Our travel facilitator has told us we will have to wait to see if if arrives in BC by Tuesday. If it has not, then we can assume that CCAA is delaying sending out approvals. Even if we do receive it, CCAA has advised families at this point not to travel.

At this point we just have to sit back and wait to see what happens with the Swine Flu over the weekend and the next few weeks. This is going to be a difficult couple of weeks, we would appreciate any good wishes and vibes. We are so close, and now....

Leaving on a Jet Plane..(well not quite yet!)

Our Travel Facilitator has begun booking our flights and hotel arrangements for our trip to China. While we are waiting for our Notice of Coming To China (also known as Travel Approval) to arrive, we have our travel dates. We know that we will be leaving on Friday, May 22 and returning on Friday, June 5.

We will travel to Vancouver, and then onto Shanghai on Friday morning, and arrive after a 11 hour flight sometime Saturday afternoon (taking into consideration time differences). We will stay overnight in Shanghai and leave the next day for Nanning, the capital of Guangxi. I have included a picture of an Air Canada Boeing 767 we will travel on.

The next few days, while not finalized, are general plans. We know that once in Guangxi we will meet Sylvie in Nanning, and that the children are brought to a hotel by an orphanage worker. There is a brief introduction and time for us to ask questions, before the nanny returns. This is a very short transition time and we are hoping that it goes smoothly, and Sylvie transitions well. The next few days are spent in Nanning completing adoption paperwork. Once this paperwork is completed, we travel to Beijing. We stay in Beijing for another few days completing immigration and sponsorship paperwork.

We will be returning on Friday June 5 on a direct flight from Beijing to Vancouver. We are excited because another Canadian family Joyanne has been talking too online will be on the same flight. It is a relief to know that we will not be the only ones on that flight with a crying baby! We will then catch a flight from Vancouver to home and hope to arrive in the afternoon.

We will let you know our itinerary as is progresses. Our plan is to update the blog during our time in China, and use SKYPE to communicate with friends and family back in Canada.

We have been busy trying to get all the little detailed organized and tidied around the trip and home. Joyanne has been busy working on a travel packing list, and Cory has been out shopping for car seats and strollers.

Updated information...

We are still waiting on our Travel Approval (TA) from China. Typically it takes 8 weeks to recieve travel approval, so we are looking at leaving around the end of May, beginning of June. Of course we are hoping that our TA will come sonner, we can't wait to meet her! Some other good news...

We received updated information on Sylive today!

Measurement information:

Height: 72.5cm Weight: 8.4kg Feet length: 11.5cm Teeth: 4 in, 2 on their way!

Other comments included in the report note:

• She is active and outgoing and likes to smile and copy others.
  
• She likes plastic toys, colorful balls and toys which make sound as soon as she touches them.
  
• She enjoys crawling around and playing with other children at the playroom.
  
• She is afraid of thunder, firecrackers and is shy in front of strangers.
  
• She can crawl, roll over and sit by herself; can walk by holding onto a railing.
• She takes a bottle twice a day made of milk and rice cereal, and eats one bowl of meat congee or plain congee with ground vegetables three times a day.

We are happy to have this updated information, now we can start organizing clothing and diapers to bring over to China for her. I am thinking of getting baby items organized and then starting to get her suitcase packed over the next two weeks.

Cory and I also visited our Doctor today and received a tetanus booster shot and other medications to take on our trip to China. Tomorrow we are meeting with a pediatrician that will be taking care of Sylvie when we arrive back in Canada.