Deanna always asks such good questions! Here are my <long-winded> answers...So what are you packing?
We’ll be there for 5 – 6 weeks, so we’ll need a lot of stuff. But there will be times when we’ll be lugging our bags up and down stairs, or having to hold them in our laps in compact cars, so we need to pack light, in small bags. But it is typically VERY cold in November, so we need lots of layers. And we don’t know what size our child will wear, so we had to buy multiple sizes. And there will be a lot of down time, so we need lots of books, movies, etc.
Based on all of that, we plan to take a total of 2 fairly small rolling suitcases, and 2 – 3 carryon bags. Here’s a brief, basic version of our packing list (you should see the detailed version!)… and because the list is long and our bags are small, I’ll probably be buying some space bags for our clothes!
Medicine for us and the child
Snacks (peanut butter, granola bars, etc.)
Wet wipes, Hand sanitizer
Travel packs of tissues, Toilet paper
Zip lock bags in a variety of sizes
Toys
Sheets, Towels
Kitchen Sponge, Clothes line
Flip flops
Various sizes of kid clothes
Clothing for us (Each: 3 prs pants, jeans, 5 shirts, long johns, sweater, coat, 2 prs shoes, hats, gloves, scarves)
Books, magazines, DVDs
Laptop, headset
Digital camera, Camcorder
Flashlight
Converters/adapters
Paperwork
2 small photo albums
Lots of toiletries (travel size for carry-on; larger for checked bags)
Travel clock
Hair dryer
Medicine for us and the child
Snacks (peanut butter, granola bars, etc.)
Wet wipes, Hand sanitizer
Travel packs of tissues, Toilet paper
Zip lock bags in a variety of sizes
Toys
Sheets, Towels
Kitchen Sponge, Clothes line
Flip flops
Various sizes of kid clothes
Clothing for us (Each: 3 prs pants, jeans, 5 shirts, long johns, sweater, coat, 2 prs shoes, hats, gloves, scarves)
Books, magazines, DVDs
Laptop, headset
Digital camera, Camcorder
Flashlight
Converters/adapters
Paperwork
2 small photo albums
Lots of toiletries (travel size for carry-on; larger for checked bags)
Travel clock
Hair dryer
And what are the suggestions for the flight home with a boy who's never been on a plane?
We’ll have the laptop with movies and cartoons – Zack has lots of Pink Panther and we thought that might work well since there’s no language barrier with The Pink! I am attempting to learn key words and phrases (do you need to go to the bathroom, are you hungry, do you want a snack, are you thirsty, do you want a toy, are you sleepy, etc., etc.). Beyond that, if there are any suggestions from experienced parents, please share!!
And how will you get him a passport?
Our in-country facilitator will help us get through that process once the adoption is final. All of that has to happen before we head home.
Our in-country facilitator will help us get through that process once the adoption is final. All of that has to happen before we head home.
Thanks for the questions - if anyone else has any, ask away! BTW, I just noticed that we’ve surpassed the 10,000 mark on the hit counter… COOL!
24 Days!
7 comments:
Trail Mix from costco has been great...for us and the kids at the orphanage...don't forget a washcloth either...skype account with credit on it so you can call land lines back home from computer. Uno and other easy card games are a must...I am tired of Uno...
Time is moving fast ;)
Great list, thank you :) It's much better than mine!
What age are you hoping to adopt? If it's a toddler, you might want to pack DVDs with Barney, Teletubbies, Baby Einstein and Sesame Street. My almost 5-year old still watches Barney from time to time. Stickers, crayons and coloring books usually work great on the plane. I love "Crayola Color Wonder" sets - the markers color only on the "color wonder" paper, so no mess!
What paperwork are you taking? I was thinking about a dossier copy, but if it's not apostilled, it can't be used... I'll probably print out the visa requirements from the Embassy website, maybe some forms.
Why do you need to take sheets and towels? Aren't they usually provided when renting an apartment?
Oh, I love the new look of your blog!
Nataliya,
We're hoping/praying for a child up to 5 years old... your ideas are great!
Our facilitator here is helping us with paperwork, but it's pretty much just the embassy stuff.
As for sheets/towels... they're home comforts more than anything I guess :) I bought micro fiber towels that are really soft and dry super-fast.
Thanks for commenting on the new look... I was wondering if anyone had noticed!
I noticed the new look of your blog too, but kept forgetting to mention it to you. It looks great.
As for suggestions for LG, you may even want a few flash cards with basic things you might not have the words for. Nana could probably give yall some ideas on that score. Even tho it was a different situation, she had to do a lot of flash cards and other things when first learning to communicate with Uncle Ken when he was little and hadn't learned to read lips or speak yet. She can give yall suggestions i.e.:keeping empty cereal boxes and other containers til you get new so that you can always have a visual that you are out of that item. Anyway, I was little myself, so I don't remember a lot, but Nana and D'Daddy can probably help.
I too noticed that yall are over 10,000 hits on your blog....very cool. And, 21 days til yall leave.....it's getting here fast, isn't it? We can't wait.
We love yall,
Mom and Tommy :-))
I am so excited for you! Even in moments when it feels like time is slow, 24 days will fly by. I cannot be there to celebrate, but I'll be praying for you guys, all 3 of you. It will be awesome to hear how this experience changes you and all the people's lives who are intertwined with yours, in GA, Ukraine, and even Africa! Love and Peace, Sarah
Some more phrases from an "experienced parent:
How about learning, "Are you gonna throw up?", "Where did you get that?" and "We don't eat stuff we find on the floor in the store". ;-)
If you do the space bags, how would you keep sucking them down to size? Is there a pump that you can take with you? They would save a lot of room. Also, what if you have to open them for security? Are they easy to collapse again? I was wondering about using them myself but I haven't checked into them yet.
The space bags work best with a vacuum, but you can also roll them to get the air out. I'm still debating them. I've got a lot of our stuff together in one room, but I don't plan to start the actual packing until a week before, so once I get to that point, I'll decide if I need the extra space or not.
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