All At Once

With so many things up in the air this summer, I expected to ironically resolve all of our drama on one day. Changes have been in motion since Monday, when we learned we will stay in Shanghai. But still, today we have learned many things and I have some meaty updates to share.

The Move
I looked at apartments in Puxi this morning, and toured one that I liked very much. Upon deciding to move to Puxi, I knew that I would be leaving a wonderful complex. It comes as no surprise that our new complex will not be as green or as pretty as our current home. That said, our new apartment will be a better place for us. Although our current home is nicely decorated and feels quite homey, this new apartment has a better layout, a wonderful kitchen and two great bathrooms. Plus loads more space - enough to house little Mei Mei when she arrives, God willing.

The landlord showed us the apartment, and was very gracious and helpful. She was open to purchasing new furniture where we need it, and to providing a reasonable budget for the purchase. She was open to allowing us to move in on a tight schedule - we should be able to sleep in the new apartment the night before L--'s first day of school - August 25th.

The Adoption
The schedule of the move gave me a good excuse to call our social worker, and get an update on her accreditation. As I expected, she had delivered us no news because there is no news to deliver. She submitted all of her documentation at the beginning of July, as she told us. She has heard nothing since, and expects to hear nothing more until August 24th and the completion of the Olympics. The U.S. Embassy in China and the U.S. State Department are responsible for coordinating this change in her accreditation status, and both are no doubt frantically busy with the Olympics. She hopes to hear more that week, but still instructed us to hold our dates for the home study. The news leaves us optimistic. Please keep this situation in your prayers - please pray specifically that our social worker will receive sufficient accreditation to perform the home study on September 3-5, as scheduled.

The Trip Home
Our move to Puxi is costing Uncle H-- a few more pennies than they had planned for us this month, so we will not purchase our tickets home until the new fiscal year begins in October. But our plans are roughly as follows:

December 18th or so - Fly from Shanghai to Chicago and stay with Dave's family.

December 28th or so - Drive from Chicago to St. Louis to stay with Lynne's family.

January 3rd or so - Dave will fly from St. Louis to Shanghai, to embark on 3 weeks of bachelorhood.

Somewhere in here the girls and I hope to make a roadtrip to Kansas City. RFP for lodging is prepared. Any bids?

January 21st or so - Dave will return to St. Louis from Shanghai. He will enjoy a few days in St. Louis with us, and then our family will drive to Chicago for a few days again with his family.

January 30th - We expect to fly from Chicago to Shanghai, landing on Sunday the 31st. L--'s school resumes after the holiday break on Wednesday, so that will allow her a few days to catch her breathe and resume her normal sleep schedule before returning to school.

We look forward to spending so much time with our family and so many of our friends!