On the paper trail...

So, a little more on the adoption process. When you finally get word that your child is there, waiting for you, the first thing you need to do is... paper work! Not quite mountains of it yet, but you fill out a bunch of forms and trundle them off to the adoption agency.

We met with our social worker last week and filled out all the requisite forms, signed them, copied them, sealed them and delivered them. As a result, we have now FORMALLY accepted the referral and promised to love and cherish Kiyomi for ever and ever (of course, that was the easy part). Poor Kiyomi doesn't quite have the same luxury - it seems she's stuck with us.

On a more interesting note, we now have confirmed travel dates - June 30 to July 14. We're hoping to get there a couple days early to get over jetlag and get our bearings, but for all intents and purposes, we must aim to be in Beijing by Saturday, July 1. No itinerary yet. That should come in early June. However, we have been told that we will be travelling to Nanchang, the provincial capital of Jiangxi.

As you can tell from the maps, Nanchang is in the southeast of the country, and sits on the banks of the Gan River, about 60 kms south of the more well known Yangtze River. It is also located near China's largest freshwater lake, Poyang Lake. The city is small by Chinese standards with only approximately 2 million people. Historically, it is the site of the Nanchang Uprising - the first major conflict between the Communists and the Kuomintang on August 1, 1927.


This area of Jiangxi is known for porcelain and has been a bit of a grain basket, as the fertile soil in the area makes it China's leading grain producer. Weather-wise, we can expect it to be pretty darn steamy with an average July high of 33 degrees celsius. Sun hats, sun screen and tank tops are already on the list...

Through the paperwork, we also had to come to a final decision on Kiyomi's full name. We've decided her full name will be Kiyomi Jin-Dian Miller. Hope she likes it!

Thanks to all of you you have sent congratulations and such a warm welcome to Kiyomi. We'll be saving all your emails and posts to show her when she gets older, and let her know how much excitement and happiness her arrival caused.