LINK TO OUR JOURNEY TO JILLIANA

LINK TO OUR JOURNEY TO JILLIANA
CLICK ON JILLIANA'S PHOTO TO FOLLOW OUR JOURNEY TO CHINA

Friday, November 24, 2006

Posting at www.pomafamily.com

After we returned from China I posted at www.pomafamily.com under travel logs. After we were home a few weeks I began posting at www.pomafamily.com under home updates. That is where you will find the latest news. I would like to have the time to post both places, but at this point I just don't have the time.

Saturday, August 12, 2006

August 11

I am playing with my Kitty in the box. I think the kitty would like me to join her. With my Grandpa Buddy. In my big girl clothes that Meghan chose for me. The kitty and me having fun. Mommy and me. More updates at www.pomafamily.com in the new section, home updates.

Wednesday, July 26, 2006

New Post

New post at www.pomafamily.com

Saturday, July 08, 2006

Fourth of July at the Beach House

We went to the Beach House in Carlsbad for the Fourth of July. Mommy was really sick with a cough and so was my big sister Kami. Daddy had to take care of me at night because Mommy would cough and it would wake me up. Here I am in my stroller taking a walk with Mommy on the sand. Daddy taking me in the Ocean for the first time. I'm now an official California Beach Girl! My swing at the Beach House. Mommy and me on the beach on the Fourth of July. We tried to take a family picture but I was ready for a bottle and a nap!

Friday, June 23, 2006

We are still posting at www.pomafamily.com

Just wanted to let you know that I am still posting at www.pomafamily.com in the travel log section for a little whle longer. Vicki

Thursday, June 22, 2006

Look at me stand!

I am home only one week and one day and look what I can do!

Wednesday, June 21, 2006

Sunday, June 18, 2006

Emma Flipping us off!

! I appoligize right up front for this picture, but it is just too funny not to share! This is the day we met Emma "Forever in our Arms Day" . She was very sick with a cough, fever, and rattling chest. I think if you look at her finger you can see how she felt about the whole experience!

Tuesday, June 06, 2006

Room Tour

We have had Emma for one day and everything is an adventure. Mike went shopping for diapers and formula today, it took 4 clerks and eventually Uncle Joe to assist in finding the right formula and cereal. Emma is doing better however her cold persists along with the fever. She is definately teething and that adds to her misery. She loves her mom and clings to her for everything. Attached is another short video. Emma discovered watermelon during dinner tonight. The cold fruit must have felt wonderful on her aching gums. She spent 10 minutes sucking on it, eating noodles, and taking her bottle. We shot this of her eating and to show you our room which we have not left much yet.

Monday, June 05, 2006

We are posting at www.pomafamily.com

Just a remider. We are posting from China at www.pomafamily.com The video was put on here becuase I couldn't get it on the webpage. Vicki

Forever in Our Arms Day!

Thursday, June 01, 2006

We are here!


We are here! To see our trip go to www.pomafamily.com click on travel logs We will be posting mainly on www.pomafamily.com Click on travel logs. I would love to post here because it seems to be working fine but it would be impossible to post on both. I may thow some pictures over here. Yeah so excited! Just a tease. Guess what this is?

Wednesday, May 31, 2006

Baby Shower

Last night my daughter Kami, my sister-in-law Stehphany, my best friends Julie and Debbie had a baby shower for Emma. The shower was actually planned for tonight, but when we found out our travel arrangements they had to change it to May 30. I can't tell you how proud I am of my daughter for all the effort and hard work that went into her planning this shower. I know now that she will be able to handle just about anything that life throws her way. She made sure that I didn't have to do anything so that I wouldn't be stressed out before leaving. Kami, I just want you to know how wonderful I think that you are. You have such a loving, compassionate spirit. I love you! Here is one of the cakes with our little Emma on it. Who could eat that cake? Here are Kami and Meghan leading us in a game! They asked questions of Mike beforehand about raising children and about our experiences with Kami and Meghan when they were little. They video taped his answers. At the shower they would ask me a question. Here is an example. How many diapers does a baby use in a day? Then the guests would guess what the answer was and write it down. I then answered the question, which of course was 12. Then they would play Mike's answer, which of course was also 12! And if they guessed right they got a point. It was the best shower game I have ever played! Mike was so cute with his answers. The big one he got wrong was what Emma's name means! The deserts were awesome. This one was a favorite. Missy from my soccer team made it! I will have to get the recipe, because so many people want it. So Missy send me the recipe! Here we are waiting for things to begin. So many people came! I am such a lucky person to have so many people that care. My Mom had so many friends come in support of her. I had friends from Church, friends from soccer, friends that became friends along the way becuase they were friends of friends, family, Marlene who does my hair and just about eveyone elses hair that was here. Friends that have been friends as long ago as being at my baby shower for Kami and Meghan, friends that I have worked with etc. Thank you all so much for coming and supporting us as we begin our new journey in our lives. We appreciate all the love and support that you have given us. I want to especailly thank my daughters for being such special people. You are everything that I have ever hoped for. If you had not made parenting such a joy, I don't know if this is something that we would be doing again. I love being your Mom and I am so excited that you get to share in this time with me. I love you girls!

Monday, May 29, 2006

Referral Call

This is the day of the referral call, Meghan and I are seeing Emma for the first time.

Sunday, May 28, 2006

PACKING AND ONLY 3 DAYS TO GO!

On Saturday we finished packing except for just a few things still in the laundry. We are taking one big suitcase( the one pictured in bright blue at the bottom of this picture. It holds my clothes, Emma's clothes, Emma's diapers, some of Emma's formula, Cheerios in those Pringle cans, etc. On the top left is Mike's medium sized suitcase. It has toys for Emma, all the office type stuff (pen, white out, stapler, paperclips, rubberbands etc) Emma's Hip Panda (carrier) and Mike's clothes. These will be our two check in suitcases. The one on the right at the top is a carry on that just makes size (I hope). It has all of the bottles, bowls, spoons, more formula, medicines for Emma, medicines for us, things for washing clothes (clothes line, soaps), things for washing bottles, (nipple brush, bottle brush, inflatable sink, tongs etc.), bath supplies for Emma, diaper bag supplies, baby wipes and on and on! Here is a picture of the suitcases. In additon to this Mike will carry a backpack (his carry on) that will hold all the electronics (video camera, digital camera, ipod and speakers, extra batteries, etc) and the all important dossier and papers. He will carry the lap top in it's case as his personal item. I will have the small case pictured above as my carry on and a diaperbag backpack that for this part of the trip will hold my toiletries and things for the plane. Whew! Another view of the suitcases! Emma, here we come! Only 3 more days until we leave and only and only 8 days until you are in our arms. Today you are 9 months old! We will meet you when you are 9 months and 8 days old. I wish we could have come sooner baby!

Thursday, May 25, 2006

Green Stroller and Airline tickets!

O.K, one of these days I will figure out how to download the pictures in the order I want. So they will be a little out of order. Kami and Meghan playing with the jogging stroller my YPO forum sisters bought for me. A girl has to have her favorite colors. Daddy loves walking around Babies R Us with his pink stroller. All the women stop to admire it. I am ready to lose this baby fat! I just need Emma and off we go! The Airline tickets are here!!!!!!!

The girl's are excited to put the stroller together for their new sister.

Emma's ticket with her Chinese name. I am so excited to have the tickets in my hand! (The girls made me do this!)

Shower continued!

It was Laurie's birthday, my shower, Cathy's 50th birthday, and Myrna became a Grandma again!! Here is the jogger they got me. It was to be delivered to my house today, but I wasn't home. It should be there tomorrow when I get home! I am one lucky mommy! Thank you forum sisters for being there for me throughout this long wait for Emma. You have been there for me on my up days and my down days. You have been there throught the tears and the smiles. You are the first ones that I shared the idea of adopting with. You have shared in this whole process with me. I want to thank you all for the support that you have given me. I can't wait for Emma to meet her Mommies friends! Thank you!

Wednesday, May 24, 2006

Surprise Baby Shower!!!!!!

Tonight I am in La Costa with my YPO sisters. We had spa treatments this afternoon and then had our meetings and went to dinner. When we came back from dinner our rooms were all set up for a surprise baby shower!!!! I had no idea! I am the luckiest person in the world to have friends that care so much about my family! Emma got so many cute things! Aren't those plates the cutest? The words are written in Chocolate! They also bought me a green jogging stroller to match my green m&m motorcycle!

Tuesday, May 23, 2006

Itinerary

May 31, Travel. June 1, Travel. June 2, Arrive. June 3, Visit the Great Wall. June 4, Tour Tiananman Square, Forbidden City, Old Street, visit the silk factory, lunch at the Hard Rock Cafe, airport. June 5, Go to the local adoption center to meet Emma Sophia Mingjing Poma. June 6, Bonding with babies and shopping. June 7, Visit the Three Gorge Museum. June 8, See the Panda's at the zoo. June 9, fly to Guangzhou. June 10, Medical exam for Emma. June 11, Visit museum and pearl market. June 12, Visa Appointment, sightseeing and Jade market in the afternoon. June 13, Ceremony at the US consulate, pick up visa's. June 14, relax or shop and then on our way home.

Passports, Visa's, Dossier's Oh My!

Our Visa's are ready! Our passports are ready! And I have put all the critical papers in the Dossier to take with us. In addition to the whole dossier we have added- ammended I-171H form with new fingerprint dates, the contents of the famous brown envelope, the I- 1600 form, the Medical examination of Applicants (for Emma), The Affidavit for vaccinations, latest pay stub, travel insurance, the names of my group from EAC, papers that we have that tell what to do if Emma is sick, Chinese directions to our hotel in Beijing, and important numbers we may need, a convertor chart to convert Yuan to USD ! Whew!

Monday, May 22, 2006

MAY 31!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

We are now leaving on May 31 at almost midnight!!!!!! Our plans are falling in to place. Tomorrow I make the drive back to Los Angeles to pick up our visas! One set of our airplane tickets should arrive tomorrow and the other set on Wednesday or Thursday. We are getting closer!

Sunday, May 21, 2006

Travel Approval and Consulate Appointment!

We now have travel approval Leave, June 1st Arrive in Beijing, June 2 Tour the Great Wall, June 3 Tour the Forbidden City and other sightseeing, June 4 Leave Beijing and fly to Chongqing also on, June 4 Get Emma "M" Day, June 5 Fly to Guangzhou, June 9 Consulate appointment, June 12 Fly home, June 14 Tomorrow we will start working on getting our flight arrangements! It is going to be a busy 10 days!

Thursday, May 18, 2006

Busy Days!!!!!

Today Kami and I drove to the Chinese Consulate to turn in our Visa application! On the way back we had a million errands to run! With a tentatiive TA of June 1st I have a lot to get done!

Wednesday, May 17, 2006

Tentative Travel Approval

Today is our Anniversary! Twenty-six years! And today my agency called and told me to go get my Visa. We have tentative travel approval! What that means is that my agency has word that TA's are on their way and they expect that we will be able to travel on or near June 1st! This is way earlier than I expected! That is only two weeks! Needless to say there is much to do. My shower is planned for May 31! And we have plans to be away both weekends before travel! Emma we are so close! Mommy and Daddy are almost there to scoop you up and give you all the love you deserve! We will know more in a few days. Probably early next week.

Tuesday, May 16, 2006

Updated Picture's Of Our Emma

Today we received new updated pictures of Emma Sophia Mingjing Poma! I am so happy to have recent picture. She looks a little scared. She is wearing my favorite colors, pink and green! And anyone who knows me knows that I love bunnies! We have new sizes too. She is 8 1/2 months old and is 16 1/2 lbs and 26.7 inches tall.