The Quest for the Perfectly Packed Luggage

Donna has been getting a bit embarrassed about the number of times she has been seen in the return and exchanges line at our local REI outfitters. We completed our packing list about 10 days ago, which we considered a big accomplishment in itself. (There are about 100 widely varying China adoption packing lists on line, so the question is whom to believe.) Now comes the fun part. We are trying to pack for a 2.5 week trip in nothing but carry-on luggage (as recommended by our adoption agency), and we have been told to bring about 15 different prescription and OTC medications for the baby and parents, a blankie, a thermos for keeping boiled water for mixing formula, baby clothes in multiple sizes -- you get the picture. That means we need to find the packing gear that maximizes every inch of space. On Saturday, as REI employee Barry (we’re now on a first-name basis) handled the latest exchanges, Donna sheepishly said, “We’re getting pretty close. Each attempt is a successive approximation….” Barry kindly waved it off as if to say, “Oh, think nothing of it.”

And did we tell you that on one of her trips to REI, Donna met a woman who is adopting a daughter the same age as Mia? Both women were standing in front of the array of inflatable neck pillows. The woman asked Donna whether she traveled much, and if so did she think she could get by with the airline-issued pillows on a trip to China. (“How big are the pillows on the airplane?” she asked. Ha.) This led to the discovery that Robin was traveling to China just a week before us. They exchanged email addresses. Maybe the girls will be playmates.