Our First FCC Activity

Last night we went to our first official FCC (Families with Children from China) dinner. It was a casual dinner for families waiting for their matches. We were a bit nervous about dragging Lilly to a restaurant with people we have never met and hoped she would be on her best behavior ( for the last week she has been throwing these really LOUD, drawn out fits!!!). But she did great and even had another little girl to play with ..whew!

We were a bit ahead of most people there in the waiting game, but it was still fun to exchange stories and feel their support. As one person said last night, it's hard for people to understand what it feels like to be waiting for what seems like forever unless they are going through it too! Right on!

There was one family who already had 2 little girls from China (4yr old and 2 yr old). They adopted both through Holt, too! We loved talking to them about their trips (they just returned about 6 months ago with their youngest) and the settling in phase. This is what we learned:

1. The flight to China is fun and exciting. The flight home is a nightmare to be dreaded!

2. The first 24 hours with your new child can be utter H-E- Double Hockey Sticks...but hang in there it will get better in a twinkling of an eye and suddenly your child accepts and loves you. How cool is that?

3. The kids will adjust to time changes easily - we (yawn), on the other hand (yawn), will suffer for weeks:) YAHOO!...(YAWN!)

4. Learn to haggle and you'll get great deals. Neither Eric nor I are very good at this. Luckily we have a friend who is an expert and can give us some tips...Never give up, never surrender!!!

5. Pack your suitcase light (no more than 40 lbs), but stuff your back pack until it is almost heavy enough to force you to fall over on your back with your feet kicking in the air like a flipped over turtle.

6. The food is great, but you can pretty much count on getting sick sometime during the trip. Yum, yum!. We have our anti-biotics already filled and waiting!

There was lots of other useful information and tips, but this is all that is coming to me at the moment. The point is we learned a lot. Our next activity is the Chinese New Year Celebration on the 30th...Can't wait!