WE ARE ON OUR WAY!

We had our "travel meeting" this past Tuesday and we know we will be leaving for China either on the 12th or the 19th of January! The travel date depends on when they can confirm our meetings with different officials and consulats once in China.

We will fly from LAX to Hong Kong. We leave on a Friday and arrive on a Saturday. We spend one night in Hong Kong, then fly to Guangzhou where we will stay for 2 weeks. Our "Erin day" will be our second day in Guangzhou!! That's when we pick her up, and begin the actual adoption process. She will be with us from then on.

We'll have appointments with the US Consulate, family interviews, get her visa, and so on for the next couple of weeks. When we arrive home with her -- wich will be either the 27th of January or the 3rd of February -- she will be ours!!

Several friends and family have asked if we are registered anywhere -- and we are. We have registered at Target -- and hope to do the same at Babies-r-Us and perhaps Penney's (or something similar). If you would like to help out with clothes -- we suggest about 12-months (or older). We need pajama sets, little onesy tops, and everything else babies wear. Little hippie-chick dresses are welcomed! :)

All of her growth and health information has been translated and the pediatrician says she is right on track for her age! She is healthy, normal, and growing. Her paperwork is updated and thorough, so we feel the orphanage has taken very good care of her. Her favorite thing to do is "sit in her walker," and her favorite toys are bright colored balls. She is on a good eating and sleeping schedule and we were shocked to learn she gets up at 6:30 am. That's about 4 hours earlier than we're used to getting up, so there will have to be some changes made. We hope she doesn't mind sleeping in!! :)

More baby room pictures will be loaded up soon -- we've been off-line for about a week (Earthlink problems). We'll keep you updated. THANK YOU so much for your calls and letters and gifts and well wishes. She is a lucky, little girl to come into such a wonderful circle of family and friends.

MERRY CHRISTMAS! Have a wonderful Christmas and holiday and we wish you a happy new year...which, of course, will be filled with lots of pictures and updates of Erin Cassidy!!

Much love, Steve and Sheila