Iris' Home for Now

Hi everyone,

Thanks so much for all the great phone calls and email messages. It means so much to know that Iris already has this amazing community of family and friends so eager to meet her!

I'm a touch overwhelmed by everything right now. We have so much to do and I want to do it all right now! I want to start packing, and I want to learn about formula and bottles (Amelia was breastfed so this is all totally new to me); I want to dig out all of our baby clothes and go through them; I want to pull out all of Amelia's old baby toys and baby gear and I want to go to China right now! It's really hard for me to focus on work and my volunteer committments. My mind is neither here in Edmonton nor is it in August. It's in China, mid-September! I have to remind myself to just take some deep breaths and enjoy this time of preparation. (Serenity NOW!!!!)

Anyways, I thought you might be interested in seeing where Iris is right now. According to another blog from a family who has a daughter that spent the first year of her life in Xiajiang SWI (which is where Iris is right now), the pictures below are of the orphanage. Not at all what I expected! Apparently it is also a senior citizens' centre and a nursing home. I hope she is happy there. I can't wait to get her home!


Below is a picture of the field just outside the orphanage. Quite pretty isn't it? I love that she lives close to the mountains. I grew up with a view of the Rockies just outside my bedroom window.

Unfortunately, we won't be going to the orphanage. Iris will be brought to Nanchang, which is the capital city of Jiangxi province to meet us, either at the hotel or at a government office. I would love to see her orphanage and meet her caretakers, but that will have to wait for another trip. I know of at least two other baby girls that are being adopted by families in Western Canada at the same time as we adopt Iris. I can't help but wonder if one of them is Iris' crib mate.

We've been making our travel arrangements and finding a bit more about what will happen when we get to China. We are considering flying into Beijing a couple of days early to deal with jet lag before we meet Iris. It seems so unreal that it is all happening already! So exciting!