The other day we sent a care package to Hong Mei. There is no guarantee that she will get it, but it was worth a try. The care package contained a disposable camera with a note in Chinese asking the orphanage/foster parents to take some photos of her in her Chinese home, a fleece blanket that she can get used to and bring with her when we pick her up, and a little photo album with pictures of us so she can get recognise our faces. (See photo above of me making the photo album!) I also stuck in an ample supply of Swiss chocolate to thank/bribe whoever opens the package.
Adoptive parents have mixed results with these care packages. Sometimes the package doesn't arrive (see photo of Dino sending it at the post office!), sometimes there is no indication that the items were given to your child, sometimes they hand the box back to you in its entirety when you arrive in China... However, if it goes right, we will have priceless photos of the baby's early home, she will be able to comfort herself with her own blanket when she switches to a new environment, and maybe she will recognise our faces when we meet her.
There is a whole cottage industry for this on the internet! There are services in China that will prepare, send, and guarantee delivery of the package, I was able to download a letter in Chinese with instructions for the camera, and I found a website with the addresses of every orphanage in China. Plus lots of parents post their experiences so you have an idea what works and what doesn't with the care package.
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