Tomorrow at 6:20 AM we are off to China to meet our daughter.
We fly BTV-ORD-PVG (Shanghai)- Lanzhou. 27 hours. If we land in Lanzhou on time, we will meet her on Monday, March 8th = Sunday night March 7th U.S. time. We'll be with her in Lanzhou until Friday, then fly to Guangzhou for a week, and then return on March 19th. She has cleft lip and palate; her first surgery is March 29th.
Her Chinese name is Hu (that's her last name) Dong Ling. When we first got her referral, it felt extra-right as "Dong Ling," sounds a little bit like my Dad's name, Donald. We are naming her after him: Dalia Ruth Wolkoff -- Ruth after my Grandma, Ruth Freidson.
I have felt the love and enthusiasm of every single email, phone call, box of hand-me-downs and hand-made quilts (!!), smile and gift, from family, friends, colleagues, CAWLI -our adoption agency, the North Branch School community, the Synergy Football Club (Calder's soccer team), Middlebury people.. everyone has been so generous and supportive. Though we have waited 4 years, of late, time has not been plentiful enough to call and write personally.
Today, I am thinking about her foster family in Tianshui, where she was born, and am sad to know that while we are just meeting her, they are saying goodbye. Perhaps it will not be forever.
Meanwhile,
Grandma Patty said a prayer for Dalia and our journey tonight at Shabbat services in Rancho Mirage (thanks, Mom!);
Grandma Ginger will go with us to the airport, take care of our animals for the next few weeks, drive Henry and Calder around to practices, and help build and paint sets for the NBS Play
Blair and John will have Henry and Calder at home and share our excitement from Ripton.
We will try to post from China - not sure it will work. Thank you for thinking of all of us, most of all, Dalia.
Love, Dina and Tal
