Packing and counting down!

You might think that if you have 11 months between receiving the referral for your son and boarding an airplane to bring him home, you wouldn't be scrambling at the last minute. Well, in our case we have had exactly 11 months to prepare, and--despite my husband's exceptional organization skills and my telling everyone for several months that we would jump on the next plane--we are not ready!

In our defense (and I know this is weak), the fact that I am shopping for and wrapping last-minute Christmas purchases doesn't help. And we are so very, very fortunate to have John's sister's generous offer to paint our kitchen while we are gone, but that does mean I need to do some work there before we leave. Meanwhile, I have learned how to wire money, buy travelers checks, borrow measuring tapes from harried cashiers on Black Friday so I can find carry-on bags that meet the regulations for China--and that was just this morning.

Among the many things on our list of things we are thankful for is that we have this Thanksgiving break to prepare. John has been doing everything, from landscaping to laundry, putting finishing touches on Louis's room (see above), and figuring out why we can hear a mouse scurrying across our living room ceiling. Eek. Our rodent-loving niece Julia is happier about this than her aunt is. ;)

Meanwhile, I am trying to make my best guesses on clothing sizes for Louis. Our last measurements on him date to August 2008, so this is a bit challenging. I am not even going to try to buy shoes before we meet him. I just hope we have enough clothes to pick from to last us a few days until we can hit a store in Changsha.

No matter what happens, we will be on our way soon, and we can't wait! As John pointed out, if we arrive without Christmas gifts, no one will care because we will have Louis with us. (Besides, can't I shop in China?) But one way or another, one week from today we will be on our way to our son!