Life Under Calico Skies

Our Song - UPDATED with animation, 06/04/05

I thought I'd leave one last, quick post explaining the title of this site, Life Under Calico Skies.  It is from a Paul McCartney song, Calico Skies.  This song is one of my favorite Paul songs, I absolutely love it.  Mostly because I've come to think of it as our song with Zoe. 

In the days leading up to our referral and especially since we found out who she is, I've played this song while driving in the car.  And always, without fail, I sniffle and cry as I sing along to it.

If you want to hear it, I've attached the file. 

-Michele

Here's the new version:

Larger, clearer version here: (original wouldn't fit on this screen)

http://www.sistersattic.com/cal.htm

http://www.sistersattic.com/art.htm

-Michael

The Night Before

It looks like this will be the last time I post here before we're in Hong Kong.  By the time most of you read this, we will be on a plane. 

Tonight, we installed the carseat.  Holy moly, that was not easy.  We should have done that before hand.  We really need to move the shoulder straps to a higher position, or at least I think we do, so I hope that we're able to figure that out when we come home. 

Anyway, I'm sooo tired.  It is midnight and we have to get up at 4:00 am.  Maybe it isn't a good idea to go to sleep, I don't know.........

See you in Hong Kong! 

-Michele

no more lists!

Michele and I are finally done packing. I can finally put this fricken checklist away. One last hurdle (thank you american airlines), i have to go to the airport-AA desk early in the morning because Zoe's ticket home from China didn’t show up in the mail this week. It should be straight forward right? I sign an affidavit stating that her ticket was a no-show, and wham I walk out with a ticket. Nothing is that easy for me.

Also, I’d feel better if when I called AA, they would stop telling me that our daughter is departing from Peking (while we are leaving from Beijing). The first time they told me this, I put the agent on hold so I could scream my favorite explitives in privacy. Tomorrow Ill probably have to remind them again that the airport code PEK does not mean Peking. Should I be the one who has to do this?

-Ray

Packing

This is it.  It is finally happening.  We are actually packing to go meet our baby girl, Zoe YiHui.  Someone said to me, "The time waiting for her must have flown by for you." 

My response: 

"Uh, no.  Last year and the early part of this one took FOREVER." 

Not a day went by that I did not think about our little girl, not a single day.  And that is not an exaggeration.  Every day I would wonder where she was, what she looked like, and who was loving on her.  And every day I would calculate how much time remained  between then and the day that we would see her face.      

And then one day, it finally happened, we got the call and someone said, "Your daughter's name is Guo YiHui"  And that was it! We knew her name and saw her pictures.  And until that moment, we never knew you could fall in love with someone through a photograph.  But we have, we are completely smitten her! 

Right now, our minds are focused on the two suitcases taunting us from the living room.  We've managed round one of packing, and plan on going through everything one or two more times to see what we can live without.  Our suitcases can weigh no more than 44 lbs, and surprisingly clothes, medication and baby stuff adds up to 44 lbs mighty fast.   

We have a lot to do before we leave on Tuesday, so I guess I'd better get back to it!   

-Michele