Friday, October 31, 2008

We made it....

We made it but, Noah did not sleep much. So neither did we. I can't figure out how to sign in or post because everything is in Chinese.

so this message is being relayed by my parents....

Wednesday, October 29, 2008

6 Hours

Well, we are packed and everything is under the weight limit.

Tuesday, October 28, 2008

48 hours

We are leaving in 48 hours.

Everything is in the staging area (as Mark calls it) we just have to load the suitcases. I spent most of last night grading labs so I am caught up with my school work.

Mia turned 9 months yesterday.

Sunday, October 26, 2008

Quilt

Here is a picture of Mia's Nana and Poppa with her 100 wishes quilt.

There is a tradition in northern China of making a Bai Jia Bei or “100 Good Wishes Quilt” to welcome and celebrate a new life. The quilt maker invites 100 people to contribute a square patch of cloth with a wish for the baby. Much of the time the squares were scraps from worn clothing and is said that the luck, energy, and good wishes of the people who wore these clothes then surrounded the child when she was wrapped in the quilt. For us this quilt will represent the love, support and prayers of our friends and family. The quilt is then passed down from generation to generation.

Thank you to everyone who contributed fabric. And a HUGE thank you to my mom for sewing it. If you missed out on sending fabric but, have a wish for Mia, I can add it to the back of her scrap book of wishes.

Saturday, October 25, 2008

Trip Highlights

Here is the schedule for our trip:

Oct. 30th: Leave Nashville 8:30 am

Oct. 31st: Arrive Beijing 10:00 pm

Nov. 1st: Sightseeing in Beijing: TianAnMen Square, Forbidden City and the Great Wall.

Nov. 2nd: AM-- fly to Nanchang, PM Meet Mia!!!!!

Nov. 3-7th --- Paperwork and sightseeing in Nanchang

Nov. 8th -- fly to Guangzhou

Nov. 9th-- 14th Paperwork, shopping and sightseeing in Guangzhou

Nov. 15th Back to Nashville

Where is Jiangxi?


Mia is in Yifeng which is in the Jiangxi provience. We will stay in Nanchang and they will bring Mia to us.

Jiangxi Province, China is a place of misty mountains and dense forests that border the province on three sides. The mountains gradually slope into hills that fade into a river valley in central Jiangxi. Over 2,000 rivers wind their way through Jiangxi, most of them emptying into the Gan River, which flows the length of the province from north to south. The Gan empties into Poyang Lake, which in turn empties into the famous Yangtze River.

People love spicy foods in Jiangxi; the food even smells spicy! It is labeled huo la: fiery hot! People in Jiangxi eat a lot of fish, vegetables and dumplings. They also like to cook using chili peppers and pickled, fermented produce like cabbage and mushrooms. We can't wait to taste it.

Jiangxi Province is famous for its beautiful porcelain. Tourists often visit the town of Jingdezhen, China's porcelain capitol, and also the Tengwang Pavilion in Nanchang, a pavilion made famous in an ancient Chinese poem, "Preface to Tengwang Pavilion" by Wangbo during the Tang Dynasty. Nanchang is also famous as the birthplace of Chinese communism. The Communist Revolution began on August 1, 1927 in Nanchang. That's why many things such as streets and schools are named "August 1" in Nanchang.

About Mia


We received our referral on September 2nd, 2008. Here is what we know.



Chinese name: Zhuang Lu Chang
Birthday: January 27,2008
Now Waiting in the Social Welfare Institute of Yifeng County, Jiangxi Province, People's Republic of China
Here is what we know about her:
She is active, restless, fond of imitating, fond of listening to music, fond of playing with toys, has a ready smile, laughs aloud, quick in reaction, fond of playing games and impatient sometimes.
On June 20th she was 13.9lbs and 24.4 inches.

Let the Journey Begin

We are going to attempt to blog our journey to Mia. We leave in 5 days.