After a very fun filled (and long) day yesterday, I was thrilled to find an email from our agency in my inbox late last night stating that Chung Yi has confirmed our appointment with AIT (American Institute in Taiwan - similar to a consulate) for 4/1 and that we will be picking up Colby on 3/31 at 10am! HOORAY!!!! Let the booking begin! We want to fly the long leg deluxe again since the room to move was unbeatable and we'll likely have a mobile toddler this time instead of an immobile infant. I've found some killer fares out of either Seattle or San Francisco, but I'm having a hard time joining them up with flights back to Chicago or Milwaukee. Seems like the flights exist, but only at times that would require us to be sitting around an airport for hours on end with an overtired overtravelled toddler or leave us running uncomfortably close to having to hope and pray to get through customs and immigration lightning quick. I think I'll give a few recommended travel agents a call and see what they can work out. If they can come close to the fares I can find and book us all the way through, we'll do that.
I do want to say just a bit about our day yesterday. Despite my attempts to send her away (ha ha ha), I have been making an effort to do some special things with Kailin while she is still an only child. I've had most of this week off as the boys are staying with their grandparents. Yesterday we went to an open gym at a gymnastics place with some friends. Kailin took awhile to let loose, but once she did, she LOVED the trampolines and the foam blocks pit. It was hard to pry her away when it was time to go. Then we enjoyed some fine dining at a little Irish place (oh, maybe it was actually McDonald's....) and then it was off to do a little shopping for the trip (she's excited for us to buy things and pack even though she knows "Mommy and Daddy go big plane and get Colby. I stay Grandma Grandpa."). Kailin had such a fun time picking out new pacifiers (binks) for her brother and some little bath toys that we'll take along. She cracked me up on the way home. I knew she was very tired and it wasn't long and she said, "I think I'll rest my eyes for a little while, mom." I had to stifle a laugh! She was out before I could say, "I think that's a great idea!" Then it was off to our friends Leslie and Mia's last night for Mia's birthday. The girls always have a blast together, so it was a great end to a long (but fun filled) day.
I do need to confess my "this is so annoying it's funny" saga of yesterday. Monday, along with our final decree, we got our final invoice. The agency needs the money by next Monday so that they can wire it to Chung Yi. Our federal tax return was supposed to be deposited 2/22-2/28. My experience has always been positive with this and we've always gotten our refund on the early end of the time quoted. So of course all week I am poring over our online statement waiting for the money to post so that I can go and get a cashier's check and send it off. I must've checked 900 times yesterday morning before we headed out. Nothing and no pending transactions. So part of our day yesterday was spent going to a different bank to withdraw funds from our home equity line to cover us until our refund posts. Guess what posted to our account last night? Yep. Not that I'm not happy to have the money, but come on.... so today we'll be spending some time visiting our bank to get the funds and the other bank to pay back the "loan" we took out yesterday. I suspect I'll hear no objections from Kailin - she always gets a treat at the bank!
I do want to say just a bit about our day yesterday. Despite my attempts to send her away (ha ha ha), I have been making an effort to do some special things with Kailin while she is still an only child. I've had most of this week off as the boys are staying with their grandparents. Yesterday we went to an open gym at a gymnastics place with some friends. Kailin took awhile to let loose, but once she did, she LOVED the trampolines and the foam blocks pit. It was hard to pry her away when it was time to go. Then we enjoyed some fine dining at a little Irish place (oh, maybe it was actually McDonald's....) and then it was off to do a little shopping for the trip (she's excited for us to buy things and pack even though she knows "Mommy and Daddy go big plane and get Colby. I stay Grandma Grandpa."). Kailin had such a fun time picking out new pacifiers (binks) for her brother and some little bath toys that we'll take along. She cracked me up on the way home. I knew she was very tired and it wasn't long and she said, "I think I'll rest my eyes for a little while, mom." I had to stifle a laugh! She was out before I could say, "I think that's a great idea!" Then it was off to our friends Leslie and Mia's last night for Mia's birthday. The girls always have a blast together, so it was a great end to a long (but fun filled) day.
I do need to confess my "this is so annoying it's funny" saga of yesterday. Monday, along with our final decree, we got our final invoice. The agency needs the money by next Monday so that they can wire it to Chung Yi. Our federal tax return was supposed to be deposited 2/22-2/28. My experience has always been positive with this and we've always gotten our refund on the early end of the time quoted. So of course all week I am poring over our online statement waiting for the money to post so that I can go and get a cashier's check and send it off. I must've checked 900 times yesterday morning before we headed out. Nothing and no pending transactions. So part of our day yesterday was spent going to a different bank to withdraw funds from our home equity line to cover us until our refund posts. Guess what posted to our account last night? Yep. Not that I'm not happy to have the money, but come on.... so today we'll be spending some time visiting our bank to get the funds and the other bank to pay back the "loan" we took out yesterday. I suspect I'll hear no objections from Kailin - she always gets a treat at the bank!
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