Cambodia Take 2

We're off to Ancient Khmer, after an early and successful day at the US Consulate in Guangzhou. That's right--I-600A--check! Fingerprints--check! We had a few frustrating moments upon arriving at the consulate, as I thought we had an appointment, but instead had to wait/push our way into a very 3rd-world-like-"line", instead of the orderly Americaness we were expecting (hoping for). Oh well. Eventually we got to hand in all of our papers, and then a very nice man helped with the fingerprinting. I tactfully tried to figure out how we could help speed up the results without really asking. The answer: nothing, of course--wait for government bureaucracy, just like everyone else. Bummer.

BUT...now we're on holiday! While baby girl will stay on my mind, it will be fantastic to have a distraction for the next week. Plus, we have a sad history of trying to visit Cambodia and failing, so it is time to MAKE IT HAPPEN. Plus, we get a couple of days in Singapore at the end. 2 new countries in a week? Could be worse. :) xoxoxo til the next time

News

It has been an exciting couple of weeks.

We received word that our home study was completed on Easter Sunday. Fantastic. Monday it was notorized and arrived in Shekou yesterday (in ONE day!!). I DHL-ed the IAG copy* this morning, along with a few other do-overs for our dossier. We will now take it to US consulate along with every other type of paperwork imaginable and file our I-600A on Friday. This is a big deal. Along with this super important document filing, we will get fingerprinted for the FBI clearance. Supposedly the results will take 4-6 weeks.

Otherwise, there is more big news, but nothing we can celebrate too heartily just yet. Our hearts are a-stir, and there have been a few sleepless nights. I'm thankful for all prayers and Melatonin. Both did the trick last night and I conked out for 10 hours straight. Back to my old self...sorta.

We leave for Cambodia late Friday night (after the consulate trip). I think it will be a perfect way to keep our minds occupied, see some awesome famous stuff, and relax (hopefully). Gotta love teacher holidays. :)

*World Partners Adoption/ International Adoption Guides (IAG) is our agency! I don't think I've announced here before, so if anyone reading this is in the research stage, please contact me and I can give you our personal perspective. We are VERY happy to have chosen this particular agency.

New hobbies while we wait...

Include:

1. Kung Fu. So far I've only had one class, but I'm pretty sure I am a natural. Except...it involves a lot of choreograph-type-moves, which is not my strongest asset since I never had any kind of dance class in my life. And, being slightly competitive I always think I can push the limits a little too far, which resulted in extremely sore hamstrings for about 3 days (I was trying to kick as high as the instructor).

2. Guitar. I bought Shannon a guitar this weekend. He's always talking about how he wants to be able to rock out, so I decided to help him get started. It's been fun for me too, and takes me back to highschool days when all my friends and I were trying to learn how to play. Some were actually quite successful. I've realized that the internets makes learning how to play songs a lot easier and more fun. Shannon has already learned one song! ("Horse with no Name"). I'm also buying a keyboard off of some teachers who are leaving this year, so soon we will be a duo. Fun times.

3. Looking at apartments online. I found a few websites for Shenzhen rentals that I've been checking out. We (I) want to move next year. Our Shagadelic pad has run its course. I'm not sure if this will really happen, but it's fun to look at places. I've seen some wild Asian decor already (worse than ours). I just really want a warmer apartment to bring our little one home to...there's only so much one can do to a blue/orange/red color-schemed living room.

4. Coaching Track and Field. It's been a while since my ol' track days...I forgot how fun it is to be out there.

5. Baking with mulberries. Love love love my itty bitty oven.

So, those are the hobbies that come to mind at the moment. I imagine we'll drop some and add some more before picking up Baby Girl. She may even come home to a decoupaged bedroom. :)