Packing

We now have the bare bones of the nursery set up, enough to get us started. And a good assortment of clothes, towels and sheets. It was fun going through the clothes we have and picking out what to bring to Taipei. The assortment changed a little after checking the weather forecast. Predicted highs in the upper eighties, and lows in the upper seventies with a dew point of around 70F means minimal clothes for all of us! Except for the airplane, where we'll want some warmer outfits and can pull out the fleece. Yes, for all of us.

The crib deserves some explanation in itself. Our neighbors, offered it as a loan. Made by his father, their two kids both used it as well as one other kid. It's a beautiful piece of wordworking and already well blessed with three happy childhoods. It can only bring our daughter sweet dreams.


The quilt will not be going with us to Taiwan, but I had to show it off. An unexpected gift from an old friend with unknown talents - we'll definitely treasure it! And it fits in with the general jungle motif that seems to becoming our nursery theme. I haven't yet put up our tiger print from Laos, but as tigers are supposed to be guardians of children (by Chinese tradition) it should be added to brighten up the nursery.

I have most of my clothes pulled out as well, and have begun to put together the medicine chest recommended by the UW Adoption Clinic. It's quite the assortment of bottles, tubes and powders, even in the pared down version that I made. Hopefully we won't need any of them on our trip, although I'm sure the infant Tylenol and the various diaper creams will eventually come in handy. The irony is, I'll be carrying a greater volume of stuff for our little 16 lb girl than for myself. Even if you don't include the diapers!

Last Update

Last update from the TWCA that is. I'll post at least once more before leaving for Taiwan.

The pictures this month aren't quite as angelic as last months, but she is still obviously a sweetie. She's grown quite a bit, with numbers more on track with her 3 month check up than last months anomalous measurements. Judging from her 5 month numbers, we're going to be bringing home a 16 lb baby - quite the armful!

The rest of the pieces are falling into place. Thanks to C's wonderful travel agent, our tickets are set up with bulkhead seats. I decided to move my departure up a day, leaving on May 25th. That will give us a day together in Taipei on the 27th to get our bearing before picking up Hsiu-Wen on the 28th. We aren't flying out until June 1st, wanting to give her some time to adjust to us. Hopefully we won't have melted in the heat by then!

Unfortunately the house is still a disaster. Somehow it isn't worrying me that much though, especially since I now have a bassinet set up in our bedroom. That, a diaper changing pad and some diapers, and at least we'll be able to go to sleep when we get home. Assuming we pick up bottles in Taipei. Okay, there are a few other things I need to get this weekend.

Final Ruling!!!

The email appeared today. We had our final ruling in Taiwan, so Hsiu-Wen is now our daughter! I'm still at work so I'm trying hard not to bounce up and down too much, but it is incredibly exciting news. And my brain is trying to accelerate into over-drive, mulling over the growing list of things that need doing. No sense of panic, since the time is now pretty much fixed and what can get done in the next two and half weeks will get done. I'm sure it will be enough to bring our beautiful little girl home.

We're still waiting on confirmation for our AIT date, but it will most likely be May 29th. C will be flying to Taipei from Japan; I'll probably leave Seattle on May 27th. We'll drive out to Taichung on Monday the 28th to pick up Hsiu-Wen, go to the AIT to apply for a visa for her to come home with us, and then be able to pick the visa on the 30th. That means we should be back home on June 1st or 2nd, depending on how much time we want to spend in Taipei letting Hsui-Wen get used to us.

One of the things that does need deciding before we bring her home is a first name! We'll keep Hsiu-Wen as a middle name, but are still working out what her first name should be. The list of possibilities isn't long, but very hard to choose from.

Putting together the baby room

I'm finally recovered from last week. That was busy! C hit the ground running Sunday morning, with a stop on the way home from the airport at a co-workers house to borrow some baby gear. Lots of baby gear!!! Car seat, toys, bassinet/play-yard, bouncy seat, collapsable stroller - wow. And accompanying advice on what works well, good resource books, etc. There are still things we'll need to buy, but another friend recommended Baby Bargains as a great book to get in and out of the baby stores efficiently.

Then we had a full week - a birthday party, getting out to a show, having dinner with a friend, selecting soapstone for our kitchen counters, touring a daycare and more. Oh, and spending two nights with our cats in a friend's spare bedroom, to escape the fumes from the newly refinished kitchen floor. I had thought C was leaving on Saturday morning, but on Wednesday discovered he was actually leaving on Friday. So much for the one peaceful evening I thought we would have together.

It's hard to believe that when C comes home, it may well be with our daughter - that Thursday night might have been our last night home, just the two of us. Mixed feelings, after wanting to be parents for so long, we're also recognizing that we're going to miss many aspects of our current life. Probably a good balance, to be excited about what it to come, still appreciating the wonderful almost 20 years we have enjoyed together.

C being away does open up his study for the constant shuffling of stuff. It will be probably another week or two before I can start putting things back in the living room/dining room/kitchen area, so much of the extra stuff in Hsiu-Wen's room needs to move into C's office. I shifted a few things in there yesterday, and was able to make enough room to put together the IKEA changing dresser we picked up a few weeks ago. First step towards making her room cozy and inviting.

Big Smile

Wow - this is a banner week. Monday we find out about the first ruling, now today we get an update. The update is from March 29th, a week and a half before C saw our beautiful girl. The photos are wonderful, and she is quite animated in the video as well. Measurements are a little funny - same height as a month ago? C says it is a wonder, given how much she squirms, they get measurements at all! The important thing is that she is growing well and has a well-practiced smile.

First Ruling!

Got a bit of a surprise today from our adoption agency that the court has already made the first ruling. Wow - didn't expect that for another week or two! Given that the amount of time between the first ruling and picking a child up from Taiwan is usually 4-8 weeks, things are moving quickly. Unfortunately C's travel dates are set in concrete, so we might not be able to pick her up as soon as absolutely possible. But waiting until the day after Memorial Day will probably be at most a delay of a week, and the Taiwanese agency will probably be okay with that. The courts could still surprise us and not make the final ruling for another month.

It just can't be easy - I know there are families out there with the bedroom perfectly organized, completely ready for their child to come home, who end up with the whole process dragging on for months. Meanwhile we are totally unprepared, are halfway through a kitchen remodel, are still going to get windows replaced, including a new window in Hsiu-Wen's room, and C will only be home for 6 days of the next five weeks. Well, at least I'll be able to keep busy while he is gone!

And suddenly this is seeming very real. I know there is still a chance the birthmother will change her mind, but it isn't very likely. While we've bought two bigger ticket items, they are both still in their boxes, just in case. We've held off on picking up a jogging stroller on craigslist. We didn't want to jinx anything. But I think we're getting beyond that finally!

The photo is from last week. As an extra bonus, we should be getting a medical update sometime in the next week. I'll post more when the new photos come in.

News from C in Taiwan

Had a wonderful talk with C this morning, who is currently in Taipei. He took the train out to Taichung yesterday to meet Hsiu-Wen, and was full of news of her. First, she is adorable. She was a little scared of him, and didn't really warm to him until almost the end of the visit. She did fall asleep in his arms twice, but woke up and started crying, finding herself with someone she didn't recognize. But he was able to play with her and enjoy her lively personality. Hopefully when we return to pick her up he won't be so scary (although I will be...).

C was impressed by how much the social worker (in the photo) who helped him with Hsiu-Wen knew about her and how well the social worker interacted with her. The social worker (whose name he didn't catch) said she thinks Hsiu-Wen is a very intelligent little girl. Apparently she is very interactive - really enjoys being talked to and played with. However, unlike kids who will play with one toy endlessly, she does get bored fairly quickly. And she sleeps less than many other babies that the agency works with. I think she'll be a handful for us! I'll have to bring a big bag of toys for our plane trip home to keep her amused. Also, the social worker thought that sending a CD recording with our voices would be very helpful. It's something we've been meaning to do, but time to actually do it.

It is wonderful knowing a little bit more about our (hopefully) daughter. And to be prepared for the initial shock that she is going to go through when we pick her up. C says she has a good set of lungs! The agency told C to expect to come pick her up in about two months. Apparently the homestudy of the birth mother has been completed, so we are waiting on the judge to finish reviewing things.

The timing is going to be tight! C will be completely unavailable until May 25th, so a date with AIT before May 29th would have me picking up Hsiu-Wen on my own. So unlike most people, we're not hoping for a very fast court process, just not a slow one! Still, April is zooming by and we've barely begun putting her room together or gathering the basics like a car seat. Obviously it is time to start moving a little faster.