Thursday, March 11, 2010

Coming to the end of the rapidly fraying rope.

So as time approaches I am getting so very excited and very nervous about meeting Pierson Yong-Sheng and Maylin Yu-Fong. I know that it is going to be wonderful, but I am not naive enough to believe that the life altering transition will be flawless. There will be a huge learning curve for all of us as we learn to speak each other's language, learn each others facial expressions, our mannerisms, what makes each other smile, what makes us frown... What kind of foods the children eat, how long they sleep, what they like to play with...


But for now I live in the present there are so many things I wanted to get done before we left for Taiwan. I have resigned to the fact that my list is just not going to get done I am now working on the necessities like buying and wrapping presents for the foster family (while researching what sort of gifts I should buy and what color paper I should wrap it in... Asia has very different traditions). Making piles of toys to take to Taiwan to entertain the kids in the hotel and on the plane ride home, buying and packing medicines we may or may not need, ordering a stroller for the trip, getting insurance for the kids, booking our flights and hotels (which was no easy task because of the cycling convention in Taipei while we are there) cleaning out the garage so we can fully open the back car doors to get the kids in and out and so on and so on...


Things I am not going to get done, put out pine needles in the yard so that I don't have to after the kids come home, clean the house from head to toe, (thankfully a trustworthy student has volunteered to clean it for me while we are gone!) Make meals to freeze for when we get home.


Things I still have to do between now and when we leave, finish off the food in the refrigerator which might go bad while we are gone, pack for myself and the kids, get all four of our things in two suitcases and 2 carry-ons. Make a picture book of critical things like foods, toys, facial expressions, clothes, household items and anything else that may help us communicate with the kids before we speak each others language...


Well I could go on and on... but I think that I should start working on my list rather than ramble on about it here.

And these faces make it all worth it.

5 comments:

Kristi said...

Hey little sis,
Oh how I wish I was closer to give you mental support right now. Of course I'm not sure that adding "the chaos" that is my family to your to do list would be helpful...
My best advice for the packing? Lay out everything you think you need, pack it, realize you have too much, take some out, pack again, and repeat until you have it right.
And leave it to your friends and family to stock your freezer and fill your table for the first little while when you get home. You guys are loved by so many that I feel certain you will be abundantly blessed!
Oh I can't wait to meet your beautiful babies, how I wish timing (and money) were such that I was leaving with you next week...
I love you!

Kristi said...

Oh, and about the transition. There will likely be days that you think you won't survive. And then you will. And then you will wonder if there was ever a time without them.

Ashton said...

Good luck!

Tina Michelle said...

How exciting. I am so glad I get to follow you here. I have been reading your sister's blog and she keeps talking about you!
I would so love to go to Taiwan and visit my MIL and FIL. I look forward to seeing any pics you plan to post. Also, how old are your (well soon to be) children?

Larry and Carol said...

We are SO excited for you and cannot wait for the arrival of the newest family members. We will be following your jorney. Love to all of you. Uncle Larry & Aunt Carol