Itinerary, etc.

Two days.

We leave for China in two days.

In spite of me telling myself this over and over, my brain still refuses to believe it. Our tickets are on the desk, bags are being packed, there is a car seat in my car, and still I keep thinking it's not real.
In the interest of full disclosure, I'll say that while I am very excited, I also have moments absolute fear and panic. What are we thinking? Everything is going to change! We have a very comfortable existence and can mostly do what we want when we want to, why change that? I am fully aware that these are normal thoughts and that all parents go through these worries. I'm ok with it. However, these thoughts till plague me, especially at night. I'm a worrier, what can I say?
I am also beside myself with excitement and can't wait to get on that plane. Exactly one week from today I will be holding my daughter. How can I possibly top that moment? What have I done to deserve such a wonderful blessing?
So, yes, I have a lot of emotions right now and rather than actually getting ready to leave, I decide to blog. Oh, and post our itinerary, since everyone wants to know the details (and I loved looking at people's travel plans while still waiting for our time to come). Here's the breakdown:

2/7 Leave U.S. for Beijing.

2/9 Arrive in Beijing. Go to hotel. Free time. Enjoy!

2/10 Tour Beijing. Tiananmen Square, Forbidden City, Hutong Tour, and optional acrobatics show.

2/11 Great Wall.

2/12 Depart Beijing for Zhengzhou

2/13 Today you will receive your child! Congratulations!

2/14 Finalize adoption. Rest or optional group shopping trip to the Lotus Center (or Wal-Mart) in the afternoon.

2/15 Free time or rest.

2/16 Free time or rest.

2/17 Receive your child’s passport.

Leave Zhengzhou for Guangzhou

2/18 Take bus to Shamian Island to complete your child’s visa physical and visa photo taken this morning.

2/19 Free day in Guangzhou.

2/20 TB test

2/21 Free day in Guangzhou.

2/22 Free day in Guangzhou.

2/23 Consulate Appointment

2/24 Visa Pickup

2/25 Depart China for the USA.

Answers to other questions we have been getting:
-Our flight from LAX to Hong Kong is 15 hours, 3 more hours from HK to Beijing (it was a better itinerary for us, that is why the detour through HK)
-Yes we are excited
-Yes, we will have a guide with us the whole time in each province. Each guide speaks Mandarin, English and any local dialects. Different guides for different provinces
-We are traveling with a group of about 8 families that are also adopting through our agency. Each family is different, some adopting older kids, some have children already, etc.
-We will only be together as a group in Beijing and Guangzhou, to pick up the children each family goes to the capitol city of the province their child lives in. We got to Zhengzhou since Nora lives in Henan, others will go elsewhere.
-Yes, we are nervous
-Yes, we plan on bringing home cool souvenirs.
-We don't know if we are going to be able to visit the orphanage while we are there, we have to arrange that with our guide, but we are really hoping to. They will be bringing her to us rather than us picking her up.
-Our flight home will be 12 hours HK to LAX. Once we land on US soil Nora will be declared a US citizen. That is taken care of before our final flight.
- China is 15 hours ahead of us, so when it is Sunday noon for you, it will be Monday 3 am for us.
-Yes, we are excited and nervous and a whole lot of other things.
-Yes, we will be getting one of Nora's awesome sweaters when they bring her to us.

Not sure if I covered everything, but feel free to ask other questions that I missed.

Now, if I may be a little more personal since I want to remember how I felt so close to leaving. I feel like this is all a dream. I will wake up tomorrow and find out that we still have 3 more steps to get through, or that we've only just started our dossier. I know, logically, that is not the case, but it's still not real. It wont be for a very long time, I'm sure. It hasn't flown by, nor has being this close made all the waits disappear. Those waits were extremely difficult and the fact that they are over doesn't wash that all away. But time has passed. It has continued forward until the day that happens to everyone else is about to happen to me. After 3 years of waiting, we are getting our daughter. That little face I've dreamed about even before she was born will be next to mine and I don't have to wake up and say goodbye.

Nora, you are so loved. Thank you for letting us be your parents. Thank you for putting up with our weirdness and fumbled efforts to be what you need. We are far far less than you deserve and you are far far more than we could ever earn. Thank you for visiting me while I slept so I could hold onto hope while I waited to hold onto you. One more week, sweet girl.