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| You have officially completed the paperchase, mailed everything off to your agency, received your DTC and LID dates... Congratulations!!! NOW WHAT? Do a dance for joy often referred to as the "Snoopy Dance." Call all your family members and friends so they can rejoice with you. Tell everyone at work, including your boss. It WILL happen and it will happen FAST. In 8-10 months, you'll be bringing home that bundle of joy! Don't forget to breathe, don't forget to relax, don't forget to have FUN! What are you going to do with all that nervous energy as you wait? Listed here are projects that we are undertaking as we await the glorious news. When you can no longer stand it, refer to these suggestions! Note: Links to sites outside of this website will open in a new window. >> Printable Version << |
| 1. Read EVERYTHING you can get your hands on about adoption, attachment and China. Remember--you WON'T have time after you are home with your baby. Visit the recommended Book List NOW!! If you read only one book, read Attaching in Adoption by Deborah D. Gray. It is a MUST for all adoptive families! 2. Visit adoptive family webpages (over and over again). 3. Check APC for referral rumors (over and over again). 4. Paint and finish your child's nursery. Try a stenciled border. Remember....if it doesn't turn out, you can always paint over it. If you like to sew, create your child's bedding. 5. Baby-proof your home. Remember to get down on your hands and knees to get a view of things from your baby's perspective. Maybe that floor lamp has got to go??? 6. Stock up on diapers (size 3 or larger) and wipes so you won't have the expense of purchasing them after you are home or while you are on Family Leave. Make sure to buy scent-free, allergy-free wipes for baby's delicate skin. 7. Stock up on baby medical supplies that may come in handy once you are home. Make sure your medicine cabinet has a thermometer, baby gas medication, baby constipation medication, teething gel, eczema cream, baby shampoo, baby soap, diaper rash cream, cold/cough medication, etc. 8. Participate in a 100 Wishes Quilt Swap. Sew the quilt or have it sewn by a professional. Make sure to create a scrapbook for your child to cherish--include all the wishes and scraps of fabric. 9. Take a truly awesome vacation and pamper your significant other! 10. Take plenty of long, hot, bubble baths! 11. Print out questions for The Referral Call and post them by ALL of your phones: home, work, cell. Practice reading them out loud! Remember, in all the excitement, your mind will be spinning, your hands shaking, your voice trembling. Then, put this cherished piece of paper in your child's lifebook. 12. Stock up on LOTS of chocolate for when you are waiting for the call! 13. Join Families with Children from China (FCC). Attend FCC meetings and build a network of other China adoptive families. 14. Enroll in a Red Cross First Aid and CPR class. 15. Learn some Mandarin, especially the Survival Chinese Phrases! 16. Watch for more referrals! 17. Start a journal and write in it frequently. 18. Get in shape!! Lose 25 pounds! 19. Start a family website and/or Yahoo Group to email family and friends while you are in China. It WILL happen! 20. Remember to RELAX! 21. Start working on a Lifebook or scrapbook for your child. 22. Get CDC recommended immunizations! Hep A/B, DPT. 23. Sew a fleece blankie for your child. 24. Research, buy and fill your diaper bag(s). 25. Research and buy a "Mommy car." 26. Buy DTC February 2005 T-shirts, pins, luggage tags, etc. 27. Buy gifts for Chinese officials, orphanage director, and nannies/foster parents. 28. Take a Parenting course ... not a newborn course. Check with your local hospital. 29. Take a seminar in Adoptive Parenting. 30. Find a pediatrician experienced in international adoption whom you feel comfortable with. Ask for recommended prescriptions for medications to take with you. Here is a list of Pediatrician Questions & China medical information. 31. Research China adoption medical issues from Dr. Jane Aronson. Read about medical issues which may affect children adopted from China. Dr. Jane Aronson's website has much to read and print out. 32. Find a day care provider AND a back-up day care provider. 33. Practice your responses to Dumb FAQs (DFAQs) so you'll know what to say in the supermarket check-out line when someone asks: "Is she your REAL daughter?" 34. Prepare a Care Package (shoe box size plastic container) to send your child when the Referral arrives. Include gifts for your child and her/his caretakers: clothing, small toy(s), blankie, 2 disposable cameras (in case one breaks), and camera instructions in Chinese. 35. In the Care Package, include the Orphanage Questions in Chinese -- if you are fortunate, someone will write out the answers to the questions and give them to you when you receive your child. Later you can have the answers translated to learn about her health, and for her Lifebook. 36. Include a small photo album in the Care Package with photos of Mama, Daddy, Sister, Brother, Grandma, Grandpa, doggie, kitty, home, nursery, etc. Under each photo, cut out and paste the Chinese characters explaining the family relationship to your child. The staff at some SWIs will show these photos daily to your child the week before you arrive to help familiarize her/him with new faces and concepts. 37. After The Call, mail your baby's Care Package to her/him! Orphanage Addresses. 38. Put together a medical kit for China or order one online at: Adoption_A Gift of Love. 39. Interview and sign up with a pet-sitter or kennel for your four-legged critters while you are in China. 40. Set up all your bills so they can be paid electronically. Plan to schedule bill payments in advance of your trip, or have someone else pay your bills while you are gone. 41. Make sure you have the right luggage for the trip. Check zippers, locks & wheels for functionality. Buy or borrow luggage you don't have. The Carry On Only and ChinaTravel Yahoo Groups have fantastic travel advice. 42. Start Packing: Make a list of what to take with you, keeping in mind the expected seasonal temperatures. Obtain any necessary clothing and special supplies such as medications. Sample Packing List 43. Purchase Packmates to make the most of the space in your suitcase. Packmates has an adoption special ($2 per packmate with a minimum of 15? ordered), but you have to CALL to get it. The number is: 707 864 3882. 44. Walk around your neighborhood wearing a child carrier with your dog in it for real-life experience (or 20 lbs of potatoes for a less alarming experience for your neighbors!) . 45. If you are bringing a child with you to China, prepare a Help! Lost Child document for the child to carry at all times. Here's a sample Terry Garlock made up for his daughter, in Jan 2003. 46. Order Translation Vocabulary Cards from China Connection or Chinese forAdoptive Parents. 47. Get China visas for all travelers. 48. Research and buy a new digital camera or videocam, and (this is CRITICAL!) ....... 49. ..... Make sure to learn to use the camera / videocam BEFORE you leave for China! 50. Start a college fund for your child-to-be. 51. Save extra money in an emergency account for unexpected expenses once you are home. 52. Get your car serviced BEFORE you go to China. 53. Stock your freezer with easy to make/reheat meals for the first few weeks you are home. 54. Make a plan with a family member/friend to stock your fridge before you come home so that you have fresh items: milk, veggies, fruits, etc. 55. Research and buy a car seat. Learn how to install it. Practice taking it in and out of your car. Have your workmanship inspected by a Certified Car Seat Safety Officer. 56. Check for the latest REFERRALS! 57. Purchase and learn how to use an international calling card. 58. Prepare and address your baby announcements. 59. Make or buy an extra-special garment for your baby's Passport photos and the "Red Couch" photo. 60. Find the perfect model of stroller for YOU. (You can also buy strollers for unbelievably cheap prices in China.) 61. Research post-adoption tasks such as birth certificate, re-adoption, social security card, legal name change, child's new passport, proof of Citizenship. Start gathering the paperwork necessary. For USA residents, there is an international adoption Yahoo Group for each State which can be very helpful in traversing State Law intricacies. 62. Research all the different legal paperwork you need to revise for your new child and prepare it so all that's needed is to mail it in: new Will, Power of Attorney, insurance/ stocks/ bonds beneficiary changes, etc. 63. Remodel your house, finish andy unfinished improvement projects, or re-landscape your yard!!! HGTV is a great sources for inspiration! 64. Learn how to use chopsticks. 65. Look up/research your child's zodiac sign. 66. Prepare yourself mentally for the not-so-perfect Gotcha moment. 67. Research different travel options, tours, etc. 68. Did we mention RELAX!??! |
Please email additional ideas to the webmaster at: [email protected] |
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