3 Days till China....

I am already a bad blogger....haven't thought of the blog all weekend. The pic I included here says it all: 3 days to go. This is a pic of the "Waiting Chain" I constructed for my daughter to help her mark the time until I go to China. (We will do a similar one to mark the time until I return from China). As you can see.....3 links left.

A quick synopsis of the weekend. My dog died on Friday. :-( I continue to mourn, and have the awful pit in the stomach thing going on, you know, when you wake up in the morning, and know something is different, and then it hits you, so-and-so is dead?? Yeah, that's me. I know, it takes time, it will pass.... Anyway, here is what I did for the China trip despite my grief.....Finally really fixed up the girls' room, finishing touches and all, thanks to Tia Linda. Went shopping for the required "gifts" for the Chinese people I don't know, I forget who they go to, I think orphanage staff....but, anyway, bought them baseball caps, since they were cheap and seem easy to carry. I also finished buying the last of Olivia's presents. She will have one present to open each day I'm gone. I cut out my Chinese language flashcards, provided by the adoption agency, so I can communicate in China. A few I don't think I'll need, like "I'm your Daddy," and "Extra Meat, Please" and "Where can I buy cigarrettes?" I put together a list of phone numbers for my mother to reach me in China, in case of emergency, and tested them by making a couple of calls to China. I think when hotel employees say they "speak English," they mean that the speak it the way I "speak French" after taking it for four years in high school. It should be an adventure. I put together the fabulous double jogging stroller that was a gift from my online posse. Olivia and I took it to the ice cream parlor, with Winnie-the-Pooh sitting in for Sophie. O loves it, and is convinced "her side" is the bigger seat, obviously designed for big girls. I got my "travel prescriptions" filled, and I decided I would no take the pills to avoid Typhoid. The pharmacist did just what they do on CVS commercials, and called me to the "private consultation area" to tell me that my allergy meds would interact with the typhoid immunotherapy regime, and I had to ditch the allergy meds for a week. Not possible I said, I'd be miserable, itchy, weepy, wheezing, and congested...not how I want to spend the next week. And no, I haven't had success with other allergy meds. She agreed that the odds of my getting typhoid are very slim, whereas, the odds of my being miserable with allergies are likely 95%. So, I made the decision to opt out of Typhoid vax, and hope for the best (Sorry Dr. Lytton). I also loaded my MP3 player over the past few days, 100 tunes now. Seems like a trivial thing, I know, but I really feel the need to have lots of music to distract me on the plane.

Talked to my mom and Tia Linda about my/our needs for when we get home....this is my biggest worry, actually....How can I be a mom to Olivia AND Sophie, if S is up all night with jet-lag, and I have to be up with her, I can't expect her to go to anyone else the first weeks we are home, it's got to be me/mommy....Anyway, I have been reassured everyone will continue to help with O the week after I get home....I am so grateful to have all these wonderful people around me, helping and supporting me/us.....I never could have gone ahead with this adoption, if it weren't for my mom and Linda.

I'm already not sleeping well, filled with both excitement and anxiety about the trip and all the subsequent changes....fortunately, Olivia has been an angel and slept until 9 am the past couple of days.....God, I hope Sophie isn't an early riser!

I have started packing.....packed up Sophie's things:

5 onesies
2 sleeveless onesies
3 heavier terry stretchies
2 light baby blankets
1 sweater (for air conditioning)
3 pairs of socks
1 pair of robeez shoes
1 darling "outfit"
1 floppy hat
1 bathing suit, built in swim diaper

Toys:

1 small teddy bear
1 small Chinese doll baby
3 touch and feel books
bubbles
stacking cups
1 complicated rattle thing that defies description, but has lots of texture, sound, lights, some noises, not too scary, I hope
1 pack of bathtub floaties (thanks to Lori)

Plus,
Her various recommended OTC meds and toiletries
A few diapers
A platex nurser bottle, with the drop-in inserts, so no bottle washing
2 kinds of nipples
1 Avent sippy cup
1 small bowl and spoon
32 single serving straws of formula (I know it's controversial, but I figured why not start her on American formula, and the single serving packets were neat)

1 Ergo Baby Carrier