Our trip to Zhengzhou, China

On January 3, 2016, we took a 2 hour flight from Beijing to Zhengzhou. The smog was terrible, even visible in the airport upon arrival. It was in this airport that I used the "Squatty Potty" for the first and only time during our entire trip. Grippers were on the sides of toilet, and I had to use my own toilet paper (Packed the camping style kind), as none was supplied.

(Please note that this photo of "Squatty Potty" was taken at Guangzhou Zoo, you get the picture) From the airport, we went to our hotel. We were given new updates about Eowynn. We went to Wal-Mart with our two new guides to purchase necessary supplies for our soon-to-see daughter. Formula, rice cereal, diapers, cookies, etc. were bought for her. Back at the hotel, we converted my backpack into her diaper bag and put snacks and toys in her little elephant backpack. We prepared her feeding station in the hotel room. The hotel staff was kind enough to put cribs in the adopting family rooms. Moreover, all of the adopting families in our group were on the same hotel floor! This was probably our favorite hotel of the three, mainly due to this reason! We really bonded with other families and children here!

In the evening, we ate dinner at the hotel buffet and went to bed, knowing that tomorrow would be the day we finally meet our little girl! Unbeknowns to her, this would be her last night that she will ever have to sleep in her orphanage. For tomorrow, she will meet her forever Mama and Dada, who will love her and care for her! Tomorrow will be the best day of our life, but the worst day for her, as we are taking her away from all that she has ever known. Next post: Meeting EMR for the first time!

Look who's 19 months old!

Short post...Our sweet daughter turned 19 months old this past week. That is all for now!

One Month Home!

We have been home a month now with our sweet baby girl! She is all smiles, giggles, and learning more and more with each day! She has brought so much joy to our life already and feel so very blessed to finally have her home. So, let me take you back to December 30th, 2015, the day we left for China. All of our bags were ready to go! Dane and I also took two smaller backpacks as carry-ons.

Our first stop, part one of our trip: Beijing, the Capital of the People's Republic of China. We arrived in Beijing on the afternoon of New Year's Eve. We were met by our guides at the airport, along with other families in our group. We went to the hotel, checked in, exchanged our U.S. money for Chinese currency, Yuan. We rested that afternoon and night, as we were exhausted.

We woke up New Year's Day morning, had breakfast at the hotel buffet, and headed out on our first tour with our guides and group. We took a bus to Tiananmen Square.

One million people can fit in this square!

We also visited the Forbidden City and Imperial Palace.

That afternoon, we rode in a rickshaw to a local family's house for lunch. The family had prepared several Chinese dishes, which we passed around and shared with other families in our group.

That night, we went to a Chinese restaurant with two other families. We learned to eat with chopsticks!

The next day, we got up early and headed out to the Great Wall of China!

It was so bitter cold and windy on this day. Some steps of the wall were strenuous and steep at times. We placed our Family Love Lock on the wall, made a wish, and tossed the key over the wall. Dane engraved it for us prior to leaving for our trip.

We went to an acrobatic show that evening, and then back to the hotel. So, this part of the trip in Beijing was mainly for touring the sights and gaining a better understanding of Chinese Culture and History. On January 3rd, 2016, we flew to Zhengzhou, the city where we would finally meet our sweet little Eowynn. Coming soon: Part 2 of our trip to China!

Our Journey To Eowynn!

With our three suitcases packed, we departed for China on December 30th, flew to Dallas, then boarded our flight for China! We flew up over Denver, then over Alaska, and finally over the Pacific Ocean. We arrived in Beijing on New Year's Eve.

The views of the mountains from the airplane were amazing as we started our descent into China. It was the middle of the afternoon when we touched down in Beijing. There we met our guide and a couple of other families in our group. We went straight to our hotel to check-in. The purpose of us flying into Beijing was to be immersed in the Chinese culture. Our agency provided guides to take us on sightseeing tours around the Capital of the People's Republic of China. More to come...stay tuned, as we are still adjusting back to our time zone and getting little Eowynn on a schedule. I will update when I can, as right now our focus is helping her to adjust at home with us. Posting next: The Great Wall of China...

Then, all the details about this sweet little girl and the moment we first saw her and held her for the first and forever time! Such a sweetie she is! Feeling so very blessed!

Someone is getting excited...

This little boy is getting excited! He was so cute during this photo session! Luckily he doesn't mind wearing shirts and such! He is just all smiles!

Bono is really looking forward to dropped food pieces from this little seat!

I finished Eowynn's "Forever Family Day" outfit, complete with little headband!

I opened this little fortune during a trip to D.C. a while back. Who knew that this would soon be coming true!

Our Journey is Almost Complete...

Just one more week to complete Eowynn's adoption puzzle.

We are so very grateful for the love, prayers, and overall support for our journey to our daughter. Dane finished Eowynn's bathroom yesterday. Here are some pictures, cherry blossoms and elephants...

It won't be long now until our baby girl is home with us. Today, Dane got her stroller ready to go!

Tomorrow, we will get her car seats ready in our cars, thanks to our local fire station. We also booked our airfare today, and hope to receive our final trip itinerary soon from our adoption agency. The countdown is on! We cannot wait to hold little Eowynn in our arms!

The final step has arrived....

Woot! Woot! Today, we received our travel approval! We have to choose from given dates for travel, book our airfare, and then bring home our sweet baby girl! What a new year it will be for us and our family!