The Fanning Four

We had a great trip here. The 12 hour flight from Seattle to Beijing was very long but we were both able to sleep some. Everything went smoothly and we are getting settled into our hotel now. In a little while we'll go downstairs for breakfast, try and find some bottles of water, and then head out to the Great Wall. Thanks for everyone's prayers. Our goodbyes went really well and Bethy is doing just fine at home with grandparents. Will write more when I can. Having trouble with blogger so I'm posting from my email- hope it works! Sorry if it looks funky!

Today when we pulled into the airport parking lot at dark-thirty, Bethy exclaimed, "I see Caleb!" Boy do I wish it were that easy. But so far so good. We're in about our twelfth hour of our adoption labor and I haven't asked for an epidural yet. But while you all are in your comfy beds tonight, we'll be experiencing labor pains as we travel 12 hours to China. But it is so worth it!! We skyped with my Mom and Bethy tonight and she was happy to see us and asked if we had Caleb yet? In a few dad we'll get to finally say, "it's a boy!!!". I can't wait to watch Beth's reaction when she sees Caleb for the first time, hopefully through Skype. Thanks for all the prayers for the departure this morning. Bethy was in a happy mood, didn't cry, and had a great day today. I cried a bit but not nearly as much as expected. I feel peaceful and excited and Tom and I are enjoying our time together. I hope to blog while we're in China so keep...

Paperwork, long waits, feeling out of control in the adoption process. All "hard" parts of the adoption process. So far, nothing comes close to the difficulty of leaving this adorable face for 12 days. Y'all, it will be really hard to say goodbye to her at the airport- start praying now.  I really want to enjoy our time in China, to enjoy the first 5 days where it's just me and my lovely husband, and then to take the other days to begin to bond with our new soon. I pray for the freedom to relax and enjoy the journey. Pray for her tender heart too- she's been "off" the past few days and we know she is very sad that we're leaving. 12 days- we can make it! :) On a lighter note, we're almost totally ready. Bags are pretty much packed, his room is ready, paperwork is printed off, and a million other to do list items have been checked off. My Mom arrives tomorrow and Tom is taking the day off. So it will be a family fun day! And then we leave brig...

When Tom and I got married we worked really hard at preparing for the marriage, not just the wedding. It has paid off- we started with a really firm foundation that has continued these past four years. Our wedding was great too, by the way! : ) I've realized lately though, that I haven't done as good of a job in the adoption process. It's been a tough year- we moved, Bethy got diagnosed with asthma and had a really hard year of health issues related to that, and we swam our way through the murkey waters of the adoption process. A tough year, but a good one. It's all kind of been a blur. Although we've spent hours preparing for Caleb; thinking about his needs, his medical concerns, how to attach with him, etc., etc., etc., I've not had enough time to sit and reflect on the actual little human life that is about to enter my world. So last night after clearing out and cleaning up his room, bags neatly packed against the wall, I sat in the rocker for a while. I al...

Did you know that because we are taking a bullet train (how cool, right?) to Caleb's province that supposedly has no luggage car, our agency recommends we pack really light? Like really, really light? Either that or we can pay $600 for a private van..... So, I am packing for two adults and a 2 year old in one checked bag, one small carry on suitcase and 2 backpacks. Hold your applause until I actually accomplish the feat. Oh and the checked bag is supposed to be no more than 44 pounds. Yeah..... If we had more luggage than that, MAYBE we'd be ok or......... they would take our luggage and we wouldn't get it for three days. We'll be gone from his province in three days. Guess I'll have to leave out the kitchen sink I was planning to pack..... ; )

Hey folks, we're still alive here in the land of the chaotic! People have been so happy for us and they're also full of questions. So, here's my post dedicated to your questions. 1. Are you excited? Yes, definitely! It's been at least 10 years of dreaming about adopting a little one. Almost a year since we started this adoption process. Almost 4 months since we saw Caleb's picture for the first time. I'm ready to kiss those sweet little boy dimples! 2. Are you nervous? I am scared out of my mind! Haha! No really, I am. There are a lot of unknowns, a lot of grieving from Caleb, a lot of doctor's visits in our future. Plus, I am not looking forward to leaving Bethany. I'm a picky eater. I don't do well when I don't get enough sleep. I could go on, but I'll spare you. But Love prevails and that is why I am able to do this. We've researched as much as we can. We've talked to lots of people. God is our strength. 3. Is Bethany going...

It's just really amazing how everything is coming together. Caleb's province does not require a 5-6 day stay like almost all other provinces do so our trip is shorter than most trips. We will be 8 hours away from his orphanage and hometown, so there is no chance of visiting there on this trip. Some day we'll go back. So here's what our trip looks like June 29th- Leave from our home airport and fly through Seattle out to Beijing June 30th- Arrive in Beijing late at night (their time)- over 24 horus of traveling for us July 1- Tour Beijing- Great Wall, etc. July 2- Orientation with our agency and more touring July 3- Van ride or bullet train to his province July 4- We become parents of the sweetest little boy- his orphanage staff will bring him and leave him with us July 5- Fly to Guangzhou- every adoptive parent goes through here before leaving China July 6- Caleb's Medical Exam July 7- Consulate Appointment- we will take the official oath! It is also Tom...

The day our Travel Approval (TA) arrived: 5:34 AM- I began obsessing about whether TAs would arrive that day or not. 10:49 AM- The first TA was reported on the adoption message boards I read. 12:07 PM- The second TA was reported. More continued to be reported throughout the day. 12:38 PM- I emailed our social worker to ask if ours had come in yet. 12:49 PM- "Nothing yet", he replied 12:55 PM- "Has a package from China already arrived or is there still a chance for us today?", I asked 1:14 PM- "No package yet. I asked our staff to let me know if a package arrives.", he replied. That means, there's still hope! *I checked my email approximately every 45 seconds for the next 4 hours. 5:29 PM- I began to give up hope that ours would arrive that day and posted as much on the message boards. 6:09 PM- I sent one last email to our social worker telling him thank you for checking on things for us and that we were hopeful for next week. 6:14 PM- Got...

We got our Travel Approval today!!! Woohooo! Next week, our agency will work on setting up all our appointments and then we can book our plane tickets. But it looks like we'll be to China by July 1st!!! So excited, so nervous, so much to do! Thanks for all your support and prayers!

I promise to finish my illness/concert story but I just don't have it in me right now. My mind is consumed with waiting for our travel approval. I really wanted it to come last week. It didn't. I REALLY want it to come today. Nothing yet..... I am trying to trust the timing of this but I really want my little boy. I really want to spend his birthday with him. I also really want to be back for Bethy's birthday. I know, a lot of wants. I have no control over that though. It will arrive when it arrives and there is nothing I can do to make it arrive any faster. So, I guess I'll go clean out my closet.....