New Pictures of Zoe

Sonja is traveling this week for business so Nathaniel and I are "batching" it for the next few days. I took Nathaniel to wrestling practice at Gross High School and we went to the Hyvee for some quick take out Chinese food.  Nathaniel mentioned that he is looking forward to teaching Zoe to play sports...I hope she enjoys sports for his sake. Nathaniel has been invited to practice with his high school wrestling team this year which is a great opportunity to meet other kids from his school.  He seems to really likes the guys he wrestles with and the coach has taught him a number of new moves which I am sure he will try on me when I am not looking...the price you pay when you live with a teen age boy who likes wrestling...

 In the past week Sonja and I had the opportunity to attend a Holt sponsored conference call to discuss travel and any other related items.  It was quite interesting  and informative as Steve provided a lot of good tips for the travelers (I think he said there were approximately 17 families traveling next month...quite a few) to consider.  A day or two later we had a phone discussion with Beth and Bonnie from Holt who provided us with a lot of good information about Zoe.  The more we talk to those that are familiar with her the more we realize how lucky we are that we have been matched with Zoe. She has a lot of changes for such a young girl but she is very well cared for.  Everyone just loves her, they all have mentioned what special girl she is.  We really cannot wait to meet her and bring her into the family..  Attached is a few photo's of Zoe...isn't she just lovely?

Some of the Holt professionals while riding in the car to a picnic where they took these pictures talked to Zoe a little about her uniting with her mommy, daddy, and brother; she told them bravely that "wo bu pa, bo bu ku" "I will not be scared, I will not cry." What a brave girl! She knows her new name now, and seems to like her name.  A Holt staff member felt her name fits her well...I am so pleased. So the countdown is on, and we are working hard to get everything ready...as ready as we can be...anyhow...more to come thanks for checking in on the latest updates....

Don’t hit the panic button just yet…but I am close

I have read a number of adoption blogs where the parents-to-be are nearing their time to travel internationally to finalize their adoption and you sense a mild to hysteric panic in their blog posts. I thought to myself, “No Worries…we got this….how hard could this be…”

Well, I think I am beginning to experience that same mild panic sensation that some others had expressed in their blogs.  On one hand, both Sonja and I are so excited about bringing Zoe home (we really can’t wait to meet her) and on the other hand…how in the heck are we going to get everything done in preparation to travel. This past weekend Sonja and I worked with the airlines to ticket our Omaha to Beijing and Beijing to Omaha round trip and one way airfare for Sonja, Nathaniel, Zoe and I.  Holt International partners with a travel agency whom specializes in international adoption travel and we will utilize their services for all of our travel requirements in China.  Sonja has been working on a little photo album for Zoe that will be sent to her in advance of our trip. Sonja is pretty creative and I must say has done a great job putting the photo album together.  This week, Sonja and I will attend a conference call hosted by Holt International (our adoption agency) to help us get prepared for our travel.  This session should be very informative and help us as we get prepared for our trip.  Holt has done a very nice job throughout the process…We have received awesome support from everyone we have worked with both locally as well as from Holt’s corporate office. They are thorough, patient and very understanding considering they are dealing with a large number of adoptive parents in all stages of the adoption process.

Packing for the trip will be a hurdle…the good news is the weather in China looks to be very nice this time of year.  Temperatures in Beijing ranging from 60-80 degrees.  So, shorts will be in order…however…I must apologize in advance for any unintentional harm my pasty white legs might create. The gamma rays that bounce off my long bright white legs may be a hazard to others… I am resigned to the fact that I have virtually no chance of blending in…There is still so much to do as we get prepared for our trip…including developing a comprehensive checklist that will help us in remembering what we would/could easily forget.  

Everything is becoming so much more real for Sonja and I.  We knew the adoption process would take somewhere between 15-18 months.  Unlike pregnancy when you first notice the physical changes, the first moment that this felt real was when we received pictures, video and medical history of Zoe. Both Sonja and I knew immediately Zoe was the one… I think the second real moment for me was when we received travel approval and arranged the flights this weekend.  The anticipation and excitement is actually very similar to when we were expecting and had Nathaniel…I am not sure that we are any more prepared as parents 14 years later but hopefully  wiser and more patient.

Anyhow…more to come...thanks for reading…

Fried Scorpions…delicious...yummy!

Have you ever watched the show on TLC hosted by Andrew Zimmern called Bizarre Foods? I think I have been too lenient with Nathaniel in allowing him to watch that show.  He told me the other day that he was going to try eating a delicacy in China….fried scorpions.  I told him that it won’t be long and we will have a once in a lifetime opportunity to try whatever may be appealing. Between you and I, fried scorpions will not be on my top 10 list of foods I try while in China. But to each their own!  He added one caveat, that he would eat a fried scorpion…not the big ones, the smaller less plump/juicy ones for $5.00. I might take him up on that challenge as long as I can get it on video. Wow, only $5.00…I am getting off cheap. Hmmm...$5.00 per scorpion...what if he likes them? I think Nathaniel is getting excited which makes both Sonja and I happy and breathe a sigh of relief. I think the good news is, as the travel date approaches, about 6 weeks or so from now, we will be making a journey of a lifetime. For all of us. However, I am feeling the pressure as there is so much to do and I feel I am walking through a foot of mud.  That is…we are making progress...but slowly.

So, we should be receiving our approval for travel documents today via FedEx. More than likely, we will not actually get them until tomorrow as the documents need to be signed for. So, our next steps include:

1. Begin working with Holt International’s Adoption Agency’s recommended travel agency. I am really of the opinion that they all know the ins/outs of international adoption travel. Leave it to the experts.
2. Begin collecting all the documentation we need to bring with us to China.  Holt has been very good in providing us with a complete list.
3. We need to finish Zoe’s room. Sonja has made progress...but we both need to buckle down and get it done.
4. Begin packing…what to bring...oh what to bring…for sure I will want to bring my Cheez-it’s. Can’t leave home without them.
5. Apply at work for our leaves of absence.
6. Plan on stopping mail, newspapers and get a lawn mowing service.  Lawn still has to look good when we are gone.
7. What ever else we need to do between now and then.

Needless to say, we are getting very excited about Zoe.  Our first introduction to her via pictures/video was in November so we have had a lot of time to think about her. By the time we pick her up she will have just turned four years old.  We will have missed her birthday by about a week but that’s OK as we can make up and celebrate (if she will allow us to) while we are in China.

So what’s up with Nathaniel these days? Well he is in full swing with his new baseball team, the “Ralston Rams”. All the players are becoming quite friendly and enjoying playing baseball.  The team hosted a spaghetti feed and raised around $2,000. The Gross high school coach has invited him to practice in the offseason with the team.  I think the coach likes him and Nathaniel is holding his own...even though most of the boys he wrestles with are two years ahead of him. Finally, Nathaniel is getting ready for his band duet. He is working with another student who plays the piano and he tells ne they are souding pretty good.  He only has about a week left before they compete... I have heard the song he practices so many times…I find myself humming the notes to the song. Fortunately he sounds much better than I do!

Enough rambling…thanks for checking in…more to come…

Like Charlie...we just got our golden ticket

Well a year and 4 months later (but whose been counting) it looks like we will be getting to meet Zoe in China and bring her home to the United States.We received an e-mail from Holt International letting us know we will travel early May. Which means we received our travel approval. So that was huge news... So exciting...we just need to let them know so they can help us with travel arrangements. Great news...however this couldn't be a more difficult time for Nathaniel. It is the end of the school year and baseball has just started. So...we are giving him a choice of what he wants to do...We will honor his decision....he does not have much time to decide...

So...now the real work begins which includes making decisions around travel, packing...what do you bring...and what should you leave at home...we are open to suggestions...we have waited so long that we really have not put a lot of thought to this stage of the process. That also means Sonja better get that room finished...only 4 or so weeks left. Now the pressure is on. Oh well, this is the fun stuff...

Thanks for dropping in...we cannot wait to bring Zoe home...

Yes....I am a red neck...at least today.

This weekend Omaha reached a balmy 66 degrees.  So Nathaniel and I went to a couple of friends baseball games. it was cool but it was great to sit back, relax and watch them play ball. Sadly to say, I burn quickly which includes a red face, red legs (like the old baseball team) and yes....a red neck! It hurts too...but not too bad. What is exciting about today is that Nathaniel's new baseball team "Ralston Rams", at least new to him had a double header today. Nathaniel and his team played well.  The coaches he plays for and the boys the plays with are all very nice much like those he played on with his old team "Bellevue Bruins". We have been lucky to play for these two teams...just good people.  So, yes...wrestling season in officially over and Nathaniel took 4th place in the 106 pound class (which scores points for the overall team) at the State Tournament which was a nice accomplishment for him and his team took second place. His grandparents would have been proud of him. Coincidentally, his high school wrestling coach called him to let him know that they have off season workouts he can join even though he is not officially in high school yet...I think he was quite excited about that...so we will make what we can knowing he is in baseball season now and that must take priority since baseball is in season as we speak.

We just learned that Nathaniel's cousin Payton made the Freshman Cheer squad at her school so we are extremely excited for her...that is a huge accomplishment. Way to go Payton!

An update on bringing Zoe home. Last week we received our official visa's so that we can travel to China. We also completed all of our 2011 Nebraska required adoption paperwork so we are in good standing at the moment. Nebraska requires that you update it (medical, security, etc.) each calendar year. So, we are in our second week of waiting to see when we travel. We know for sure it will not be in the month of April, but are crossing our fingers it will be May or at the latest the first or second week in June. We are betting on May. Sonja continues to work on Zoe's room and is getting closer to what she has envisioned.

I think Nathaniel's activities and working to get Zoe have been great for the soul.  I am still very melancholy due to the recent events but must say am keeping myself busy.  I think the same goes for both Sonja and Nathaniel. However...we keep plugging along...Thanks for checking out the blog from time to time...