Craziness!

I sat on pins and needles all weekend, waiting and hoping for our travel itinerary to come from the agency in China that books adoption appointments for our agency here in the US, Madison.  When I opened my email first thing this morning, there it was!  Finally. 

But, what a cold splash in the face it was!  Our emailed itinerary wasn't at all what we expected.  Asher is in Tianjin.  This is the same city, same welfare institute, that Claire was from.  Naturally, we expected things to be similar. 

Nope.

Tianjin has decided not to expedite passports so that you can come in on a Monday and leave on Friday.  It will now take 7 full days to get a child's passport so that threw everything off.  

The email we got this morning, asked us to be in China on the 15th of February.  Go check your calendar.  Do you see what I see?  Yeah.  To be in China on the 15th means to leave the US on the 14th.  TWO weeks from now. 

The good news?  Because there is some good news!  The good news is that instead of getting Asher on the 21st, like we thought, we will get him on the 16th!  The bad news.  We still can't come home until March 5th.  March 5th, y'all.  That means almost three weeks in China. 

Now, I love China.  Don't get me wrong, I really do.  But, three weeks?  When five of my kids are on the other side of the world?  Seems like a crazy long time to be away.   I guess we will roll with it, right?

So, in all it's craziness, here is our itinerary!  

2/14:  Fly out of Charleston at some God Forsaken time in the morning!
2/15:  Arrive in Beijing {after two connections in various cities and 24 hours travel time}
2/15:  Go straight from airport to train station to Tianjin.
2/16:  Meet Asher and tour orphanage
2/17:  Go to Civil Affairs office to complete the adoption and then apply for Asher's passport
2/18:  Free
2/19:  Free
2/20:  Visit Ancient Culture Street
2/21:  Pick up adoption Certificate
2/22:  Free
2/23:  Free
2/24:  Pick up Passport and leave for flight to Guangzhou
2/24:  Arrive in Guangzhou
2/25:  Free
2/26:  Take Asher to have visa photo taken, take TB test and have medical exam
2/27:  Visit Safari Park
2/28:  Pick up TB test
3/1:  Free
3/2:  Visa Appointment at the Consulate and oath-taking ceremony.
3/3:  Free
3/4:  Pick up Asher's Visa in the late afternoon
3/5:  Depart Guangzhou for home
3/5:  We will arrive home the same day we leave China because of the time difference, however, we will have been in-route for 22 hours!  Fun stuff. 

Lots of free time in there to get into some international trouble. 

Just kidding! 

We will have to find something to do with a 3 year old, because I'm thinking that blogging in the hotel room is not going to be his favorite pastime. 

Boy, when they say adoption isn't for the faint of heart....they are not kidding.  Not one little bit!