Travel Plans! Only Two More Weeks To Go!

October 16, 2012 - A beautiful little 18 month old is about to turn our lives upside down. I’m amazed how relaxed I am about all of this. I’m very excited, but no anxiety or nervousness. My guess is it’s probably a combination having wanted this  2nd child so badly, having a great parenting experience with Hunter and Kerry is so organized and on top of things.

 

We are still trying to figure out the best middle name for Tia and need to make a decision soon. It’s so very hard. The golfer in me still loves her original name, Ping, but that’s probably not going to happen. I’ve come up with Tian Michele and Tian Olivia as my final two. Kerry offered Isabella, which is a beautiful name, but none of us look Spanish, right? The discussion will continue...

 

Only 2 more weeks until we head to Beijing.  I can't wait to see her. Our Visas are in process and expected back on the 18^th. We found our best deal to fly in / out of Beijing from West Palm Beach. Once we reach Beijing, we will spend 2 days touring  the city and shaking the jetlag, then head to Zhengzhou on the 4th. GOTCHA DAY is November 5th! Let the bonding begin! Our US Consulate appointment is on the 15th in Guangzhou. Back to Beijing on the 16th and then home on the 17th! Whoo! 16 days in China. Now I need to start thinking about what to pack. It's going to be cool. Highs in the lower 70's. Regardless, I'm planning to travel very light so I have room for all the stuff Kerry is going to ask me to carry home. hehe.

 

 

 

We got quite a lot accomplished this weekend. I can check the play set off the to-do list. Second floor stained, handles and stones painted and a few small repairs. Everything is safe and secure. I will be adding her seat swing this week. Tian’s room is basically done. Hooray! After we got the P.I.A. entertainment armoire out of the room! OMG! Ask me about that effort one day. Got the wallpaper border up and hung a pair of curtain rods. Hunter did a great job helping. Other than a hook in the ceiling for a crib canopy and installing a new ceiling fan with custom pink chandelier Kerry found, I’m done in there and she’s going to handle the final decorations.

 

 

My favorite part of the weekend was sitting with Kerry in Tia’s (almost finished) room last night. Done for the day, Hunter was finally asleep, glass of wine in hand, relaxing in the glider, Tian’s pink purse nightlight on and looking at (and laughing at) all the air bubbles we missed in the wallpaper border. We chatted about everything from the room’s configuration to medications we need to bring with us on the trip. There were a few moments of silence sprinkled in as we enjoyed the room we worked so hard to make perfect.

 

 

   

LUIS! YOU ARE THE MAN! Amazing what this fella has done to transform our garage into a living space. The walls were sanded this weekend. The only thing Luis has left is installing an A/C vent, a closet door, floor boards and a ceiling fan. I’ll be able to handle the rest. I think I’ll be painting next week! I’m not that excited about the paint. Kerry has a vision for the room! Tuscany! Know what that means for me? Ugh. “Why honey, why? Are you SURE you want use a faux paint technique in there?” If I can’t talk her out of this, my time involved on this job just doubled.





Hunter is doing great. Got his mid-semester grades. 3 A’s, 2 B+’s. So no complaints from us. And his Flag Football team won their first playoff game last night. Hunter made some great flag pulls. They play again Saturday. He's the handsome one there bottom right. I couldn't be more proud of this kid. He's really coming into his own.

He hasn't really shared alot about Tia. He did say that he's happy that he will get less attention from us with Tia around. Huh? Meaning: Mom and Dad will stop riding his ass! I think he's going to be a great big brother. I see how he treats Brooke and Bella. You can't fool me with your 5th Grade coolness Hunter.  You softy.