The wait is over and the preparations have begun

The blog is up and the wait is close to over. As many of you know from my incessant ramblings, we first saw Van back in October and now the day we never thought would arrive is drawing near. Here's how our timeline worked out:

Oct 2007-We saw the very first photos of Van who struck quite a resemblance to our favorite baby picture of Scott.
November 2007-We assembled and submitted our dossier for him
December 2007-We received our PA (pre-approval)
January 2008-We received our LID (log in date for dossier)
February 2008-We sent our first care package with family photos, some toys, a baby blanket and some PJs
March 29, 2008-We sent a birthday cake
April 9-We received our LOA (letter of approval)
April 30-Our third wedding anniversary! While driving to the Bruce Springsteen concert to celebrate, we got the call that our TA (travel authorization) was en route.


So now the packing frenzy begins. We've got our "To Do" list for the weekend and it's jam packed. We just got our travel itinerary and it looks like this:

Thursday May 15-Depart Dulles for Beijing
Friday May 16-Arrive Beijing early afternoon
Saturday May 17 -Orientation and sightseeing
Sunday May 18-Sightseeing in Beijing
Monday May 19-Travel to Guangzhou
Tuesday May 20-Gotcha Day!!!
Wednesday May 21-May 28-lots more paperwork, medical exam, Van's passport, etc.
Thursday May 29-Immigration Ceremony
Friday May 30-Travel home!