Preparing for China...in the bedroom?

China preparation has started taking over our lives. Packing lists, care packages, doctor's appointments, a carefully planned summer of chaos. Through a series of strange events, we are now preparing for China in our bedroom. And I'm not talking about the piles of carefully balanced clothes starting to gather in the corner on top of hardy suitcases.

It all started last November when our outdoor cat, Chipper, decided to have kittens too late in the fall. Unfortunately, kittens do not survive harsh Indiana weather outside, even in the warmest of cat houses. So, my big heart led me to bring Chipper and her crew down into our basement to live until they were big enough to survive outside. At Christmas, during a warm couple of weeks, the kittens successfully transitioned back outside. What a touching success story!

Here's where it gets messy. We soon discovered that Chipper had brought more than kittens into our home. My legs mysteriously started itching with little red bites. You guessed it, FLEAS! A major battle ensued against the invading fleas. Beds were stripped, linens washed and rewashed, and the vacuum cleaner was used and abused. To make cleaning simpler, our cozy, soft bed overlay was disposed of leaving our hard mattress bare. (I "donated" the overlay to the cats who appreciated it). The first week of sleeping on our stripped down mattress left us with bruised hips and ribs. But I would not invest in another pillowtop until I was sure the fleas were gone. After a couple weeks, I realized I was getting used to the hard mattress and made a startling revelation ... this was perfect practice for China!!! Mattresses in China are, well, back-breaking-ly hard. As in, a piece of plywood covered with a little padding, topped with a small blanket. So now I have embaced the utilitarian sleeping arrangements. I refuse be a "soft American" (at least in this way) and will enter China with hardened bones and joints.

I call it the "China Lens" effect. Every event leading up to travel and adoption is filtered through this "Lens". How will this affect my new daughter? How will this affect our trip? What can I do to prepare? Are the kids as ready as they can get? Have I thought of everything?