Final Preparations

There's so many small details to take care of before we go. Sure, there's the normal stuff like packing the bags and making sure we have everything we might need, but on a trip like this there's so much more to deal with.

Which medications and how many of each should we take for Hannah? Should we park at the airport or should we try to arrange being dropped off and picked up when we return? Is our insurance carrier set up to start coverage on Hannah before we leave? Is the cell phone set up to work overseas in case of emergency? Does everything fit in the carry-on baggage we're using?

And the list goes on...

We found out today (8/9) that Hannah is STILL not set up for insurance coverage, despite several requests over several weeks. No one seems to understand how to handle insurance for an adopted child, and they don't seem to understand that if Victoria gave birth to Hannah she would be covered automatically only because the insurance provider would have been aware of the pregnancy through prenatal visits and such. Nothing like that happens when you're adopting, so the provider is caught off guard unless someone notifies the company of the situation and starts pushing the necessary paperwork through. Incompetence is SO frustrating sometimes, especially when the problems it causes can be prevented with very little effort.

Everything else is coming together bit by bit. Some friends loaned us a crib which we set up in our room last night. We've gotten volunteers to come cut the lawn whlie we're gone so we don't come back to knee-high grass. All sorts of offers for toys, clothes and such have been coming in. Our pediatrician provided lots of samples of medicine so we can go prepared for most common illnesses. We have the best friends in the world!

Soon we'll be doing the final packing and getting everything loaded up to take to the airport. It's taken over a year to get here, and now we don't feel like we've got enough time to get everything handled. I'm sure it'll all work out, though.