I like asking 3-year-old Genevieve what her name is. "I'm a GENNIEBEAN!" she proudly proclaims. I would qualify that further by saying she's full of beans. Sometimes, she actually tries to say "Genevieve," but it comes out more like "Genabeeb," which is also cute (the alphabet apparently has TWO letter B's in it, in the world according to Gen). I think Genabeeb should have a heavy Indian accent.

I've really been debating bringing Genevieve along. The side of me that just wants to be practical, and get us into China and out of China with the least amount of potential grief, is telling me to leave her with Grandma Joanne for a couple of weeks. The side of me that wants our whole family to be present for the addition of a new member to the family really wants her to be there. We've applied for her passport, so we can decide either way when we're closer to the date.

So, here are the pros and cons, as far as I can figure, for bringing Miss Gennie along.

Pro: I don't miss my baby Gennie for two weeks straight. I'm selfish, so that matters.
Con: I get a break from 3-year-old Gennie for two weeks straight. I'm selfish, so that matters.

Pro: The whole family meets and welcomes Eleanor Zitao, and we become a larger family TOGETHER.
Con: The whole family meets Eleanor Zitao, and we have to police the whole, entire, big ol' family together.

Pro: Sometimes having another child around really brings out the best in Genevieve. She LOVES having other kids over.
Con: There's no guarantee these kids will actually like each other.

Pro: Gen did quite well on our REALLY long car trip to Canada earlier this year.
Con: You can't stop and see Yellowstone when you're spending 15 hours on a plane. On the other hand, you can't move about the cabin when you're in a car. On the other hand, having 'em strapped into a confined space can be good, too.

Pro: How fun to visit another country with the whole family.
Con: How fun to have a smaller risk of public tantrums.

Pro: I think it's very important for Sarah and Genevieve to REALLY have an idea of where Eleanor came from.
Con: Where Eleanor came from will be very foreign to them, hopefully not in ways that are scary.

Pro: Having everyone come together at the same time means we all start the adjustment together at the same time, and we're in it together.
Con: Having everyone come together is a lot of adjustment going on at the same time, so hopefully it's not too rocky.

Pro: I really think Eleanor will be more at Genevieve's level than Sarah's level for play and social activity. I think they could be very comforting to each other. There's a chance that they could be each others' best friend and guide.
Con: Sometimes peers can make each other (and their parents) batty. Genevieve has a lot of energy and independent will that, at the wrong time of day, can make her a stubborn monster. Which leads to....

Pro: Eleanor will get to see how discipline works in our family from the very beginning. You get a choice about how to behave, and then you live with the consequences of that choice. Sarah can demonstrate the benefits of making the right choice most of the time. (Such an easy kid!)
Con: Having to discipline kids while on a trip to China takes work.

On the more positive side, Pro: Eleanor will see we're not strange, terrible people, and that we love our daughters very, very much. She might be encouraged that we've done this parenting thing before.
Con: Hopefully we won't be so stressed that she has questions about this. :)

Pro: It's a once in a lifetime trip for a kid. (Well, at least a once in a childhood trip).
Con: It's a once in a lifetime budget-breaker for a parent. (Tain't cheap!)

Right now, I'm leaning towards taking everyone to China. Our understanding is that the guides in China are wonderful, that we don't HAVE to go on tours or shopping excursions if everyone wants to just camp out in the hotel room or run around the park, and that it really would be wonderful to have the whole family meet Eleanor when we go. Sarah was present for Genevieve's birth, and it was wonderful to be together for that. I want both of my girls to be present for Eleanor joining our family, too.

I think it shows a certain respect to bring other family members along - that you aren't just there to whisk the kid out of China and get her the heck back to the U.S. Eleanor's birth country matters, and we respect her origins. I want our family to remember how special this event really is. To realize how special each one of my girls is. And how special they could be together, when they decide to be sisters.