We got the tickets.

Before summer is over, SS is finally going to meet her Great-grandmother and her Abuelo. We will spend two days in NY and nine days in PR. P is going to have to work over one week without a day off upon our return. That is the sacrifice he is willing to make for this to work. While we are concerned about how being away from home, and the exposure to so many new things will affect SS, we have to go. This is not a vacation, it's something we need to do. P and I have not taken a vacation in way too long. Thankfully for us, our daughter was born in China and our relatives reside in interesting places. Otherwise, we would never leave this place.

This will be P's first visit to PR and he is really excited. Is it the pristine beaches with warm water, SS's first dip in the ocean, the opportunity to visit my birthplace, or our planned visit to El Yunque rainforest? No, P is going to be busy searching for the Chupacabra. The man even owned a T-shirt with that hideous thing emblazoned on its front. SS and I will make sure to take lots of pictures of our adventures at the aforementioned places.

The Abus already purchased a stroller for SS. We are sure going to miss the Hummer while we are there.

I have officially begun my downward spiral into the ultimate anxiety attack as I step on that airplane. I don't have a problem with flying, it's crashing that worries me. Why board a hunk of metal that defies the laws of physics? Because it is too darn far to drive.

Before we had SS, I traveled with over a dozen children who were obviously not mine. I never gave it a second thought. First, minors under sixteen do not need an ID. Second, if anyone questioned why I was flying with them, my work ID would suffice. If that was not enough, a phone call and the problem would be solved. Not once was I asked my relationship to the children. So why am I worried about traveling with SS? It did not cross our minds when we returned home from China, and SS had to travel under her Chinese name. Now, we both find ourselves wondering if we should bring her passport, even though it is not required for travel to PR (it's a Commonwealth, just like traveling to any State). One of those little extra things we have to worry about. I also pity the pour soul who dares to ask.