[waxhawfamily]

I was just wondering what the average is for how many times you have packed and repacked your child's suitcase between referral / trip one - trip 2.

So far, I have packed our son's suitcase twice, and will have to repack it again before we leave (whenever that is).

[Kendal]

We leave on Sunday for trip two and I have packed his bag 3 times in the past week! I think I am done....

[irinam]

My goodness, you will all think I am crazy, but I have packed her suitcase about 6 or 7 times and we don't even have a court date!!! I guess it made me feel like I had a bit of control.....

Maybe I shouldn't have admitted the number.......

[ddahl]

We do not have a referral yet and I am folding and packing. Don't know where I am going or when....but by golly I will be ready!

[Max'sMommy]

I guess I was obsessed with packing, my nesting feelings took over my thoughts, we pack and unpacked every Sunday afternoon over coffee and bagels. We bought vacuum bags and would roll up all our clothes and our 8 month-old baby's items so that we could travel with very little but the bags on our back. Any one out there who watches The Amazing Race? Well that was us! We traveled very far by plane, (U.S. and Russian flights) and did not check anything. We had fun with challenging ourselves to pack little and enjoy the experience much!

Have fun with everything you do and you will not forget or regret the time spent preparing for you little one!

[ATwinkleofHope]

I started packing in Oct when we got home from trip #1. Now I am leaving Sat and I am doing the final repacking. Through the months I have packed and repacked about 5 or 6 times.

-Jo

Married: 05/02/98
4 years ttc & 2 failed IVF's
Sent in application - 10-03-03
Sent in I-600A - 10-24-03
Homestudy completed - 12/24/03
Homestudy received - 01/21/04
Fingerprinting for INS - 02/10/04
Received the I171-H - 02/25/04
Assigned to Astrakhan region - 03/08/04
Dossier sent to region - 03/12/04
GOT THE CALL -> 09/20/04.
Leaving for 1st trip- 10/15/04
Met our baby girl – 10/18/04
Got the call for trip #2 – 04/11/05
Leaving for trip #2 - 04/16/05

[lakimnafite]

I have packed and re-packed about 6 times - so far! Every month that I waited for court, I repacked, looking at sized and the approximate weight and length of the baby that month. Now that we have lost our daughter and are starting over, I had to repack again looking at our potential referral's size. I'm sure I'll repack again for trip one and many times until finally bringing a baby home. Most of the clothes we had for our first baby are too small for the new baby So, more shopping and more repacking!

[stephw3boys]

You mean I should be packing??? I don't even know what I need yet! ANd I feel I will jinx our family if I pack. If I pack warmish clothes for soon (which is no longer really a chance) I would have to repack for spring. THen maybe the next size. SO I wait. I figure when I get a court date I will know what size and season and can go nutso then!!
I would just hate looking at a packed suitcase I suppose. Until I get a date of course.

[lyndayle]

Just kidding. We have a whole dresser full of clothes already for our two boys. Hopefully they don't grow out of them before our second trip. My sister works for a clothing company, gets incredible discounts, and gave us a whole wardrobe for both our boys when we told her their first-trip measurements. Luckily, she estimated for growth, so we ought to be okay on sizes. Fingers crossed.

Seriously, I have only gotten as far as putting some stuff in their new backpacks--things like toys, books, blankets, etc.--for the plane. We took our first trip in March, thought we were going back in May, then found out we had to get psych evals before we could get a court date. Bummer -- the Pavlis case in Chicago really torqued the Russians. I suppose some agencies automatically require evals for everyone, but ours didn't, so suddenly we are delayed until we can get our heads shrunk.

If I do one more thing or buy anything else for the kids, my husband will have a fit. He wants to bring them home desperately, but is discouraged by all the delays this last year. I think it's like someone else said, we're almost afraid that doing too much ahead of time will jinx the process. We know it's silly, but I put off painting the boys' bedroom for the longest time, too, just not knowing for sure if this was all really going to happen. If something goes wrong now, we will have a pretty juvenile guest room.

Still, I'm sure, deep down, that good things will come to pass, and we will be parents yet this summer. Too many people are praying for us for anything to go drastically wrong now. I can't believe we've come this far only to be stopped. So, for those of you who need to do so, keep on packing. Whatever it takes to keep the faith alive is good therapy.

[votemom]

have not packed. probably a good thing as if i had packed last summer/fall, nothing would fit by now. all the clothes people gave us are now too small.

so sad.

[votemom]

sorry. i just re-read my previous post and realize that sounds very depressing.

indeed, it is sad.

but.... we pray and we hope and we trust.

maybe just cuz it's mother's day that i'm a little blue.

it's all good.

[momm2be]

I packed the her suitcase about 5 times - mostly because I missed her and wanted to fold her clothes again. At the last moment (9:30 pm the night before I left) I realized I needed a larger suitcase- talk about self inflicting stress. Get it all early, keep your receipts and return what you don't need.

Talk about not thinking it through. Should have at least had a big enough suitcase.

And if I do it again, I would bring half of what I did. We got home and I didn't wear half of my clothes, Natasha wore all of hers because they were there, not because she needed them. Whenever we went to leave seemed she had on the same shirt and sweater.

Take multiple sizes- that was the best advice someone gave me and I ignored - no way she will outgrow the next size before I get there. Well in 3 short months she grew 2 inches and gained a few pounds. She squeezed into some of the jeans I brought and wore 1 outfit for just the trip, it was too small after being washed.

Tip for those traveling-- I just got back from the Children's Place outlet, they have last years winter hats/gloves/scarves marked down to 50 cents each!!!
I bought about 40 hats/scarves/gloves to send over after the summer.