Old FAQ

Edited and updated to reflect new information... Last Updated 8/12/2005

1. When (travel/arrive/etc.)? We finally know our travel dates, a full month later than we hoped to travel. Our best guess is that there were delays because the U.S. Consulate moved in Guangzhou in early August.
2. Do you have pictures? Yes, of course we do! You must have missed the posting when we got our referral.
3. Why didn't you know the gender? Aren't all Chinese adoptees girls? While 92% of children eligible for adoption in China are girls, it's still a crap shoot. We now know representatives of the CCAA visit the orphanages with a list of eligible parents, and match up kids accordingly. If there are boys, and someone requested one, they get one, otherwise, everyone gets girls.
4. How old will Rachael be? Chiang Yu Ting was found 8/27/04, apparently 5 days old, so they've set her birthday at 8/22/04. We should get her 1 week after her first birthday. Cricket seems small, and comes from a province known for small kids, so will likely be about the size of a U.S. 9 month old.
5. Where will you travel in China? We know we will be in Beijing for a few days, travel to some city in Fujian province (South-East China) to get Fu Ting. We will be there for 5 days, then on to Guangzhou (gwon-zjóe) in Guangdong Province, since that is where the US Consolate is in China. Depending on which province Cricket's orphanage is in, perhaps a few more cities as well.
6. How long a flight is it to China? From what we can tell, about 15 hours, leaving noon one day, and landing around 3pm (local) in Beijing the next day.
7. Do we get to sightsee? Yes. For sure, we will get to see the Great Wall and the Forbidden City, and the pearl market at Guangzhou. Beyond that, who knows?
8. When in China will we get Rachael? Likely around day 4, August 28, and Cricket is ours at that point, and travels with us from that point forward.
9. What's with the Cricket? Click here for details...
10. Will we visit Cricket's orphanage? We sure hope so, but it depends where the orphanage is. The Fujian province has some pretty rough country, and our travel group has 5 orphanages, which may be overwhelming to organize. If not, we will meet, likely in our hotel, and will get to meet one or more of Cricket's care-givers from the orphanage.
11. Is Chinese adoption expensive? About $16,000 - $18,000.
12. When will Cricket become a citizen? By current US immigration law, provided both parents travel to the adoption country, Cricket will automatically be a U.S. citizen when the wheels of the plane touch U.S. soil.
13. When is the adoption process "done"? We plan to re-adopt Cricket after returning to the U.S. in order to give them an Ohio birth certificate. (It would be a pain to go through life in the U.S. with a Chinese birth certificate in Chinese.)
14. Do you need baby stuff? Yes, darn near everything... we already gave away most baby stuff 10 years ago. We are registered at BabiesRUs.
15. What do Emily and Kayla think about getting a baby in the house? They are very excited.