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[ Up ] [ 2003 Nursery ]
2003 China Trip Preparation
Keith testing the "off road" capability of our stroller.
Like all new parents we are getting ready for our new baby, but in addition to the normal prep, we have a few additional things to do, including making sure we have our paperwork ready for China, deciding what to pack for our two plus weeks in China, getting a package for the orphanage together and more. On these pages, we've listed our "things to do" list, that includes both basic baby prep and adopting from China prep, along with helpful links.
1. Prepare Orphanage Package.
Immediately following your baby's referral, you can send a shoe-box full of items to the orphanage. In ours, we are placing a disposable camera. This is so the orphanage's nannies can take pics of our daughter's life before we meet her and give us the camera when we arrive in China. We also are including camera instructions in both English and Chinese--I found this on the web! And we are including a list of over twenty questions about our how/when/where our daughter was found and her likes and dislikes. For the nannies at the orphanage we will give chocolates. For our daughter we will include a blanket, 2 sleepers, a picture of Keith and me and a toy. For the other babies at the orphanage we will include and 2 packs of receiving blankets and 2 rattles. Additionally we will include crayons and coloring books for the older children .
2. Prepare China Packing List.
I consulted about 4 different lists and talked to many people who have returned from adoption trips to China. Based on this research I came up with our packing list. I will update our list with my own thoughts after the trip. Also, decide on what items you want to buy in China. We are looking for some jade jewelry, scrolls/art pieces, Chinese outfits for our our baby, a chop of our baby's name (once we decide it!), and such.
3. Decide on a Pediatrician.
In addition to the normal considerations to make when choosing a pediatrician, it is important to find one who understands the special needs of internationally adopted children, such as what to look for physically and developmentally when they first arrive in the U.S. and what immunizations should be given. We found our pediatrician questions online; the list was composed by a pediatrician who has adopted two children from China.
4. Ensure you have your paperwork to take to China.
You will need your I171 (the approval from the INS), approval letter from the US Consulate in China, an updated home study if you have moved or had a change in lifestyle, copies of your original home study, your passports and visas.
5. Write a will.
6. Ensure you have adequate life insurance.
7. Find out how to add your child to your health insurance.
8. Do the Nursery!
This is the fun part! We are working on ours. We are lucky to have furniture from Keith's grandfather, my grandmother and Keith's mom in the room. We also bought a sleigh crib and bookshelf to match. Our bedding is Pottery Barn dandelion and bee bedding. We still need to decorate with art, toys, lamp, curtains (Keith's mom is making), but we are on the way.
9. Buy baby gear.
We were amazed by the baby gear required. We read The Girlfriend's Guide to Baby Gear Baby Bargains to help navigate the maze. We've been buying lots and lots from Babies R Us!
10. Get new money from the bank.
Everyone adopting from China is required to donate $3000 to their child's orphanage. The orphanages prefer clean, new bills.
11. Learn about China!
It is important to raise Chinese-American children to be proud of both their Chinese and American heritages. We have always been interested in the Chinese culture, so this has been fun for us. We've read lots of interesting books, seen some great movies (Raise the Red Lantern is my favorite) and attended events such as Chinese New Year.
12. Learn about parenting!
If you are new parents like us, this is essential! We've been reading all the baby care books, questioning and spending time with our many friends and their babies, and we are taking Infant/Child First Aide and Taking Care of Baby classes. We also are reading more in depth raising children books such as Real Parents, Real Children, a book about raising adopted children and The Magic Years, a book giving insight into the emotional and mental development of children from 0-5 years. Of course, everything is academic and the true training will be OJT!
13. Meet your fellow travelers.
There are tons of Yahoo groups for people adopting from China. Our March 2003 DTC group has over 100 members. Additionally we are in a March 2003 DTC CCAI group, with members who have March 2003 DTCs and are with CCAI. It is likely we will travel with several whom we have already "met" online. The link for our March 2003 group is www.lucky-charm.org.
14. Write a book.
I was excited to learn that Lucent Books wanted to contract me to write another book for their Overview Series for middle grade children. I agreed and am still excited, but realized I need to get it done before the China trip as, until we get into a "groove," there will be little time in the first few months after China.