I've circled the cities where we'll be staying in China. I didn't circle Shanghai, but if you look above Guangzhou and to the right, you'll see Shanghai.

We have confirmation. We're definitely leaving on March 27th. We'll be flying American Airlines flight from Chicago to Shanghai and then Shanghai to Beijing. Coming home we'll fly from Guangzhou to Shanghai and then on to Chicago.

It's really happening!

And now for the mail bag...

(Those of you out there who are more experienced feel free to jump in. I'm winging it.)

adaptors/converters - The converter is used to let our appliances work in China. I think this is where that 120/220 thing comes in. The adaptor just allows the plug to fit in the outlet.

thermos - It's used to carry hot water with you. The babies are used to very hot bottles. You mix the hot water with regular bottled water when mixing the formula.

ziploc bags - These are to protect and/or contain leaky items. It can also be used in place of packmates. A lot of people will pack an entire outfit in a ziploc and then squeeze out all the air. This reduces luggage space and organizes your clothes.

luggage - We're taking one 26" to check and one 21" carry-on each. I will also use the backpack diaper bag as my personal item. We're not filling the 26" as it would be too easy to go over the weight limit. This should give us plenty of room for souvenirs. Jim's carry-on bag will contain the electronics: laptop, cameras, and related paraphernalia. My carry-on will contain spare clothes, baby stuff, and emergency toiletries in case our checked luggage takes the scenic route. On the way home, we can always choose to check it, if necessary.

Okay, time to get back to work.