home  |  about julia  |  our family  |  adopting julia  |  our emma  |  in china  |  we're home  |  guestbook


In China
 February 18  |  February 19  |  February 20  |  February 21  |  Forever Family Day  |  February 23  |  February 24  |  February 25  |  February 26  |  February 27  |  February 28  |  March 1  |  March 2  |  March 3

We anticipate traveling to China sometime in the month of February. We will keep you posted with details as they arrive from the CCAA and USCIS. Instead of the usual sightseeing in Beijing, China, the three of us will fly directly to Guangzhou, China from Rochester, New York to begin our first leg of the adoption journey. We will stay at Guangzhou’s White Swan hotel – the same hotel where we stayed for the last leg of Emma’s adoption journey three years ago! A few days later, Mike, Erin, and Emma will fly to Changsha, China (the provincial city of the Hunan Province) to meet Julia for the first time. The four of us, including Julia, will fly to Guangzhou for the final leg of the adoption journey. There’s no place like home in China than the White Swan Hotel where their breakfast buffets are unbelievably outstanding (Mike still talks about their French toast!); where the Mattel playroom and red couches are located; and where numerous stores that cater to adoptive families are situated nearby.

OUR ITINERARY

We received our travel approval (TA) from the CCAA on January 18th!

February 17th (Wednesday) – Departure from Rochester, New York to Guangzhou, China via New York City and Hong Kong.

February 18th (Thursday) – Arrival in Guangzhou, China (China is thirteen hours ahead of us on the East Coast). We’re staying at the White Swan Hotel.

Half a world away
Sometimes it seems we're so far apart
But a half a world away
Is not too far for a journey of the heart
 

My little one, my precious joy
I'm waiting for you
My precious son, my little boy
I know you're waiting too

Half a world away
A child waits for a family of his own
While a half a world away
A family waits to come bring him home

My little one, my precious joy
I'm whispering a prayer
My precious son, my baby boy
I hope to soon be there

Half a world away
So many miles to bring you home at last
And half a world away
So many months of waiting are past.

My little one, my precious joy
You're fin'ly home to stay
My precious son, my little boy
We celebrate this day...

Knowing we will no longer be
half a world away.

Jill Marshall-Work
February 19th (Friday) – Day of rest and adjustment to time difference.

February 20th (Saturday) – Second day of rest and adjustment.

February 21st (Sunday) – Travel to Changsha (provincial city of Hunan Province) from Guangzhou by plane. We will stay at the Dolton Hotel in downtown Changsha. This is our last day as a family of three.

February 22nd (Monday) – Our Forever Family Day! We’re officially a family of four!

February 23rd (Tuesday) – Registration and notarization day in Changsha for Julia.

February 24th (Wednesday) – Julia’s Chinese birth certificate, Chinese final adoption decree and Chinese passport being processed in Changsha.

February 25th (Thursday) – Julia’s paperwork still being processed in Changsha.

February 26th (Friday) – Julia’s Chinese passport and other paperwork picked up. We fly back to Guangzhou where the U.S. Consulate is located. The White Swan Hotel is our “home” again.

February 27th (Saturday) – Julia’s medical appointment.

February 28th (Sunday) – Paperwork for Julia’s U.S. visa being processed by the U.S. Consulate.

March 1st (Monday) – Paperwork for Julia’s U.S. visa still being processed.

March 2nd (Tuesday) – Julia’s U.S. Consulate appointment.

March 3rd (Wednesday) – Swearing-in at the U.S. Consulate. Red Couch day at the White Swan Hotel.

March 4th (Thursday) – Julia’s U.S. visa picked up from the U.S. Consulate. Travel to Hong Kong by train.

March 5th (Friday) – Departure from Hong Kong to Rochester. Julia, with her IR-3 immigrant status granted by the U.S. Consulate in Guangzhou, will become an U.S. citizen once we hit American soil in New York City!


Julia's province is right there!

Website by myadoptionwebsite.com