Two weeks since Gotcha!

It has now been two weeks since gotcha day and Sarah is a true joy to our family. She has such a strong personality I could not imagine her not being a perfect part of this family ;-) and its hard to believe that it has ever been any other way. She appears to be adjusting so well to the changes that I wonder if it could be this easy?

We had several beautiful days went to a soccer practice and a school play and a soccer game of Samuel’s and now everyone is back at work and school so its just the two girls at home. I do hope she does not get bored with me too soon as she has such a high level of energy and there is only so much we can do the two of us. But once I do return to work I think she will do great at the Day Care center and will have Samuel there with her until Fall.

She is struggling with her nap times a bit as no matter how tired she fights to go to sleep and always wakes up crying but sleeps well thru the night no matter what. She has a very healthy appetite, likes hot dogs, fries but no burgers but loves her fresh fruit, yogurt and cheese which I am very very happy about. She had her first taste of Spaghetti and it was clear that she did not care for that at all. I am trying to introduce new things here and there but for the most part we are still on Rice / Oatmeal Cereal, fresh fruit, eggs, rice and noodle soup.

She just adores her big brother and is getting more comfortable playing with Samuel, she loves music and we sing a lot together. Samuel seems to be having a bit more difficult time dealing with the reality of no longer being the baby in the family so we hope to work thru that sooner then later.

Sarah is also tolerating the two dogs in the house now which is good, she still goes potty during the day and is picking up some words in English as well. Garry calls her his Roller Coaster Girl she loves to be flown thru the air and up and down. None of the rest of the family is huge on crazy rides. This coming week we need to get her appt. for the International Clinic setup to get a solid checkup and catch up on some immunizations as well.

The little ones

Home Sweet Home

Ok so last night what started smoothly turned into a 3 AM wakeup and ended with Sarah finally some time later falling asleep in our bed. We had a good day trying to start a bit of a routine and getting luggage put away. Sarah is starting to get near the cats already and by this evening she was letting Rusty play with her sneakers.

We all went to Samuel’s soccer practice and Sarah did great even with all the people there as if she never knew any different. There is a playground and she loves the slide. After practice we went to get some groceries into this house as we where out of milk and fresh fruit urgghhh. Sarah agrees; no Bananas and Grapes is really not the way to go so we stocked up for the weekend and it is supposed to be a very nice one. We also went out and got this little girl some jeans as all of the ones I had here where to small. She truly is a good sized two year old and of course we had to get pull ups and I hope that by the time I go back to work she is 100% potty trained.

I am doing fairly well adjusting to the time change, Sarah I am not sure yet she took a good nap this afternoon and went right to sleep this evening. Garry is a bit on the tired side but I hope that he will feel better before he goes back to work on Monday.

Sarah is quite taken by her big brother Steven but is starting to let Samuel get closer already as well, which is good as I think he is taking this a bit harder and of course having to share the attention now with another sibling. But it will get better I am sure of that. Both of the boys right away last night noted that they are very much looking forward to home made Belgium waffles this weekend so I guess that was my hint hint ;-)

We made it back home!!

Finally we are back home after being up and going for almost 24 hours now we are home. Our last day in Guangzhou was pretty uneventful as it was raining and storming most of the day and we had to cancel our Pearl River Cruise. We also decided to focus our shopping into a central location as we where unable to go to a wholesale market which was unfortunate. We also never got the chance to say goodbye to our little friend Millie and her family but I do hope we will be able to get together with them some time soon.

Sarah did not sleep well the night before we left and by the time I got done packing it was well past midnight and at 5:30 AM Wednesday morning China time we left to the airport. Sarah all in all did very well during the four plus hour flight to Tokyo, then 12 hours to Detroit and during the two hour delayed flight to Minneapolis all three of us slept at the same time for a change. The worst part of the flight was the security checks to many to count how many we really went thru and just shy of stripping you down and taking every bit of liquid you had on you out of your luggage it was a pestering ridiculous joke. I could not even take any juice or Pediasure on board for Sarah.

We arrived in MSP at 4:30 PM Wednesday and finally by some time around 6 PM we arrived at home. Oh it was so nice to see the boys I did not realize just how much I truly missed them until I had them both in my arms again. Samuel was so excited to see his sister and I was sad to see he seemed hurt that she was not as eager to let him hug and kiss her but this was all so new to her. The boys the animals who can not come near her yet. We are starting to work on the cats the dogs may have to stay outside for a bit. She loves her big brother and I am sure in a few days will be buddies with her brother Samuel.

Its now almost midnight and I am not sure if I am just not tired or just over tired but Sarah and the boys are in bed and it seemed almost too easy to get her to lay down after a nice bath so we shall see what the night brings :-) Our Little Miss Sarah now officially a US Citizen and a member of our family. One of the most amazing things to me is that she really does look a lot like Garry and we even had a few people in China mention that to us and even more amazing is that she is really here with us in her own room and it is as it was never meant to be any other way!

Temple of the Six Banyan Trees

Another Day in Guangzhou

It’s been another day another sight to see, we went to the Buddha Temple and had Sarah’s Blessing by a Master Monk, went to the Freshwater Pearl Market and purchased her earrings and necklace for later days. All the sudden it seems our time her is breezing by. We had our Embassy Appointment this morning and everything went fine. Tomorrow afternoon we have our oath ceremony then we will get Sarah’s US Visa and Wednesday at 5 AM we leave to the airport to catch our 8:20 AM flight to Tokyo then back to the US.

We met some great families here some from our Waiting Child Online group and the kids are all such a joy and I really feel like it helps each one of them to have the others to share this part of their journey and the transition.
Sarah is doing great every day she picks up on something new, she such a joy! She is very funny to watch when she shows via facial expression what her reaction or mood is, she loves to sing and hums with me sometimes she is learning to blow kisses and loves to sit and look at books. However, we did have some encounters with cats and dogs and she was not a happy girl so we will have to work on that when we get home. She is a very good eater and once asleep she sleeps quite late. She is also partially potty trained and I wish I would have know ahead of time to bring some pull-ups as I have been unable to find them here. So during outings diapers have to do but I hope she won’t revert back to all diapers.
Today we also celebrated her 2nd Birthday with a little cake but most certainly have to have another small belated cake and celebration with her brothers at home.

Guangzhou has been good to us the people here are very kind and though we did not get as much of a chance to venture of the island this little area of colonial houses and the people living here have been super nice. We where able to do some shopping on the island and hope to get the rest at a Market off the island tomorrow morning. I wish I would have more time and yes more funds to shop for clothing for the two little ones Sarah and Samuel because the clothes here are super cheap and the girls stuff very very cute and plenty. Also there is some amazing art here and I really wish some of it would be easier to get to the states but oh well. I would have like to purchase a tea set here but I don’t know that it would arrive in one piece and I would be very unhappy to have it broken.

First Day in Guangzhou

We made it to Guangzhou

We made it to Guangzhou the last stop on our trip to get Sarah’s US Visa. We arrived late Friday Evening; Sarah did very well on the flight and did not fuss much once we got going. She most certainly does not like to sit or stand still for very long unless she is eating :-)

Our Hotel is quite nice and has all the amenities needed even though this is Trade Fair weekend it is not very busy. There are some adoptive families here mostly those of Waiting Children, I believe more are arriving over the weekend and there will be a Oath ceremony on Tuesday after all the children’s Visa Paperwork has been submitted.

This morning we had Sarah’s medical exam and all went well, we finished our Visa Paperwork for submission on Monday and spent the afternoon with several other families here and did some clothes shopping for Sarah and we bought her first pair of squeaky shoes …..lol……she seems to enjoy them quite well. Tomorrow we will go to the Temple of the Six Banyan Trees.
Having a long history of about 1,400 years, the Temple of the Six Banyan Trees is one of the four best Buddhist temples in Guangzhou and located on the Liurong Road (meaning the Six Banyan Trees Road). There we will have a blessing ceremony for the girls
The temple's proximity to foreign consulates in Guangzou has made it a regular destination for families participating in the international adoption of children from China. Typically families receive blessings for their newly adopted children at this temple in front of the statue of Kuan Yin.

Afterwards we will go to the Perl and Jade Market and then back to the Hotel for the kids to be able to nap. In the afternoon we may take some time to do some gift list shopping and get some traditional outfits for Sarah to take home.

Got Milk!

Time in Changsha

Oh what a week it has been our little Sarah is quite the little “spice girl” she is high energy and is still a Mommy’s girl but starting to let Daddy carry her around and she loves to play with him. She is very smart and already knows how to give kisses and how to say NO …. Lol… she eats like there is no tomorrow and her favorite are steamed dumplings and yogurt.
She is getting better every day about going to sleep and it’s a bit less of a fuss every time. She is very strong and wants to be very independent feed herself and drink on her own. She does not want anything to do with formula and a bottle contrary to what we have been told. But really she eats and drinks enough to cover all the basics. Garry and I have to eat fast to get anything at all …lol…

The people around here are quite interesting to watch most are very friendly and interested and smile at you some give you scolding looks if you are in shorts and sandals … and of course if you child is not totally covered up …..Sarah finally lets me put her into a stroller when we take walks as 23 pounds on one hip can get a bit much after a while. This little girl just amazes us how fast she learns and how she knows exactly what she wants. She has a lot of determination and does not seem to be afraid of anything. She sleeps thru the night and boy does she ever keep us on our toes and we have some good laughs at times watching her.

We talked to the boys this morning and she is starting to recognize her name because when Samuel was calling for her she started to look around trying to figure out where it came from. We had the Webcam up so they could see her. China is fascinating and disturbing and interesting all at the same time but we are glad to be going home soon to try and find our own routine with our new family of five.

Sight Seeing

Sight Seeing in Changsha

Thursday in Changsha is almost over and tomorrow at 3 PM we are leaving to fly to Guangzhou for Sarah’s medical exam and Visa processing. We spent the last two days doing some sight seeing. Apart from being the capital city of Hunan Province, Changsha is regarded as one of the famous historical and cultural cities in China.
We went to visit Yuelu Academy which is about 1000 years old and was almost completely rebuild after the Japanese Bombings. There was a small Garden with some of the most amazing flowers to see, such beauty.
We also visited the Hunan Provincial Museum to see the recoveries of the relics including the Mummy from the Mawangdui Han Tomb. All three tombs were excavated between 1972 and 1974. According to the research this place was a family graveyard from at least two thousand years ago. The Museum does display the body of the mother, quite interesting.
We also visited the Changsha Embroidery Museum which was amazing and fascinating. Everything here is literally hand embroidery and some of the pictures take years to complete I can not begin to describe the amazing artwork this is and how beautiful the finished products are. I wish there would have been a way to take one of the larger pieces home. Unfortunately we where unable to find a piece containing Yongzhou Scenery anywhere.

Adoption Day

Day two and the Spice Girl

So its official today was the day we did our legal paperwork and Sarah is now officially and legally ours :-) There are a total of 30 Baby’s going home from this Civil Affairs Office
It is amazing how many traits of her very strong personality will fit perfectly into our family, she is a very happy girl during the day and wow can she eat. I ordered the Won Ton soup for her and she ended up eating my bowl of Cream of Mushroom Soup and a few other things she got her hands on. She can feed herself and she wants to be very very independent. She is taking a bit longer to warm up to Daddy but she will let him sit down and play with the blocks with here or feed her when she is in my lap. She loves bananas and honey gram crackers, which where god sent last night when we tried to get her to sleep as it was the only thing that got her to stop crying after about an hour long fit before bed time.

Happy Girl when she is awake BUT throws a fit like you would not believe when she is suppose to sleep and you can tell this is when she wants her care giver. She woke up twice last night and the first time it took a while to get her back to sleep in our bed….lol………. I thought for sure the whole hotel would be awake. The second time I was able to rock her back to sleep fairly quickly but oh the tantrum today to get her to nap………. She was so tired and just exhausted herself to go to sleep but once she naps its for a good 2 – 3 hours.

She is a very smart girl that we can already tell she picks up much after just seeing it one time and her motor skills are amazing. Her favorite toy by far is the stacking cups we brought.
She is also suppose to be potty trained but with all these changes we are not taking any chances as we found out the girl eats and processes at the same level. So I think at this point sleep time will be our biggest challenge…. I think her brothers are in for a big surprise with this little one ……..lol….. she is a Motto no question about it.

Gotcha Day!

Well today was Gotcha Day !! We all got up early and arrived at the Civil Affairs Office at 9:30 AM and our girls where already there. The first one of course in sight running around was Sarah lol… at first we did not recognize her because they cut her hair quite a bit but with that you could also see Daddy’s ears peaking out.

Well there she was first not sure of what’s going on then she did let me take her and sit on my lap. She saw the cup in my bag and reached for that right away. The first thing I noticed this little girl has on strong grip on her. She took a big drink of juice and the cereal puffs where gone in no time she really likes them. She did smile and laugh a lot and there was only one time when I though she was going to cry. When we got back to the hotel Garry met with the director to get some questions answered and come to find out they apparently did not move her to foster care a month ago but merely 6 days ago because it seems we have ourselves a profile of the typical Dao Hunan Girl, very headstrong does not like to be scolded and is extremely determined when she wants something ………lol………… sounds like she will fit right in and will give her two brothers a run for their money.

Well all I can say is that she definitely showed me in the first two hours of being in the hotel that her character description is right on. We where rolling on the floor, trying on each others shoes, turning the hotel room up side down until we took a bath and she finally got tired and a bit upset over Daddy trying to put some meds on a rather big burn mark she apparently got touching a hot water boiling pot, at which point I picked her up and she fell asleep in my arms within a few minutes and I am expecting her to wake up here shortly as its been a good two hours since she started her nap.

We did notice that she has a big Mongolian spot on her lower back and whatever the Director describes as mosquito bites is all over her body and we are guessing it may be Chicken Pox or an allergic reaction but definitely not bites.
Also her measurement where actually pretty accurate and most of what I brought is too small so we need to do some shopping really soon. We also where told she is in diapers but was not wearing any when we got her. So we have to ask about this in the morning when we got back to the Civil Affairs office to finish the official paperwork.

For the rest of the Day we will order Pizza in with the other two families that got their Girls today, one from Sarah's orphanage and just keep it low key.

Gotcha Day!!

5:20 AM in the morning

Ok so both Garry and I have been starring at the clock since about 4 AM in the morning and we finally decided to get out of bed. Garry asked me how my contractions are doing lol....... 4 more hours to go its' going to be a very long morning.

There are a million thoughts going thru our heads and Garry asked me if I am ready... are you kidding me? I have been ready for this little girl for many years she has been in my heart before I ever had a face or a name.... I am as ready as a Mom can be when she is expecting a new child. Time will tell and we have to find our own rhythm as a family of 5 now :-)

From Beijing to Changsha

Off to Changsha

Last night was pretty difficult to sleep thru Garry woke up very early and I woke up at about 5:15 AM. Off to the airport at 8:30 AM and we meet up with another Crossroads Family also adopting a little girl 2 weeks younger then Sarah from the same Orphanage.
We left Beijing at 11:30 with a slight delay and the flight to Changsha though short was the worst experience of turbulence I have yet to experience. Even worse we did not understand anything the Stewardess said lol…… so we just sat and prayed.

We got to Changsha and met up with our local guide, did some paperwork after we checked into the hotel which is btw very very nice. The rooms are very big and there is just about everything you could need in the room, well ok there are no washcloths in the Hotels in China so if you travel soon make sure you pack some ;-)
Our travel companions are accompanied by their “adopted” whom spend a year with them as a foreign exchange student, he is from Beijing. He took us out to a local restaurant to experience some real Chinese food which was a pretty cool experience. Lets just say what we think is Chinese Food is not the true Chinese cuisine.

We found out that we will meet the girls Monday morning at 9:30 AM, which was even more difficult after our guide told us that the girls are already in Changsha. But we have to wait to meet them in the Civil Affairs office. Ugghhhh 12 more hours :-/

We are actually glad that we kept so busy sight seeing as it helped to keep our minds of the anticipated meeting some. But now that we are here it’s been really really hard for me to not want to go on a hotel hunt to find them lol……. Even more so after we found out that Sarah was moved to a foster home from the orphanage about a month ago and since then had to deal with a few health issues, which I am sure to ask more details about tomorrow. I was pretty upset to hear that she got a burn on her hand for one.

But for now we just have to wait, it is going to be a very long night.

The Great Wall of China

Our Day at the Great Wall of China

The Great Wall of China….. Well there are no words to describe how amazing it is to be standing on such a piece of architecture and history. We only seen a tiny fraction of the wall and walked for quite a while from one of the towers to some nearby and let me tell you better get in shape if you plan on taking that hike lol…..

It is hard to believe that something so amazing and beautiful is just outside the city limits of Beijing, what a change in scenery. Trees with Cherry Blossoms all over the mountains as far as you can see. The most amazing thing, how many lost lives to build something so unbelievable and how amazing to have gotten all the materials etc. up these mountain that are actually very steep. By far the one place I would say don’t miss if you have to pick just one sight to see.

About the Olympic Stadium

We are ending our stay in Beijing with another beautiful day here, marvelous weather and a trip to the Great Wall of China.

On the way to the Great Wall we had the opportunity to see the new Olympics Stadium in the process of being built, one called the Birds Nest as its shape looks like one and the other being the Stadium Pool. In addition there is a huge number of apartment buildings being built and trees are plated all around the city in large numbers which was great to see.

One of the things that was amazing is that none of the workers around here that lay brick, work, on the buildings and roads use any kind of power tools. Everyone we saw was using regular hand tools and everything is done by hand. The people of China do work very hard there is no doubt about that and you can tell every one is proud of what they do.

The Forbidden City

More about Beijing

One of the interesting things we noticed in Beijing is that you hardly see anybody that is not all bundled up no matter how warm it is outside and I got some pretty funny looks from the little old ladies on my short sleeves and even more Garry when he was wearing shorts today. Lol…

Also we have been told that the beautiful Cherry Blossoms we have been able to capture on some of our pictures in full bloom are only in blossom for one week. They are such a sight of beauty and displayed in all the gardens and sights you see in Beijing.

Beijing

Update from Beijing

Well it is Saturday morning in Beijing, much like yesterday just a beautiful beautiful day, lots of sunshine and it gets quite warm later in the day. I wanted to post about our Friday after we got back to the Hotel but we where both so tired we went to bed and out at 8:30 PM and did not wake up again till 6:30 when the alarm went off.

We went to see the Forbidden City yesterday and ughgh we walked there and thru and almost back putting on about 5 + miles as our Hotel is 2 miles from the City. The compound is just huge but both Garry and I where a bit disappointed as many of the buildings are under constructions and where covered with these big tarp like pieces. There where a lot of people at the City and to my surprise the majority of them where Chinese.
I guess we both expected to see more artifacts there then we did. However the Garden at the end of the City was just gorgeous. Plants and trees in shapes I have never seen, it was amazing and oh would be the most beautiful place to relax if it would be less crowded … :-) we took lots of pictures and I will try to get some of them posted.

In the evening we went to see an acrobatic show it was pretty fascinating and those little kids did some amazing things on that stage. We took a taxi there and let me tell you the couple of times in a cab here in Beijing I would neither want to be on the road driving nor be somebody on a bike riding out on these roads. Its crazy on the roads of Beijing, you are on your own just make sure you run fast enough when you walk because neither bikes nor cars will stop. Lol……. Chicago or Dallas is a piece of cake compared to this.

Today we are heading for the Great Wall of China we booked a half day tour and then later this evening we will head back to the Pearl Market which is right down the road here. We did get a good taste of bargaining road vendors …… all in all it’s a different experience all together …. There is not enough time room and words to describe this experience accurately but overall Beijing is big, overcrowded, lots of concrete and if its not that is a bill board lol…….

So till next time ….

Hello From Beijing

Looks like we made it :-)

It is 11:00 PM Thursday evening in Beijing. The flight overall really was not to bad though long NW was great and the food was plenty and good. Garry and I where both pretty tired on our flight from Tokyo to Beijing and now its late in the evening oh what about 10 AM at home and I am wide awake.

Other then nobody using a turn signal and just driving and walking as if there are no traffic guidelines or driving rules the roads remind me of the bigger cities in Germany, if you look passed the huge amount of billboard’s downtown here. Quite interesting and very different but so far everyone has been extremely friendly. Garry is checking to see if there are tour brochures downstairs in the hotel and then we will try to plan out Friday and Saturday sight seeing.

Till then :-) Good Night from Beijing

Looks like we'leaving!

Well this is it.... all our bags are packed we are ready to go lol... Not... well either way we are off in a couple of hours for a long flight after getting to bed at 2 AM this morning. Well one way to look at it is we are already adjusting to the 13 hour time difference. :-)

So off we go at 3 PM our flight leaves to Tokyo then Beijing. The hardest part at this point is leaving the kids here, I feel like I am missing something that I need to write down or have taken care of for them..... Especially Samuel I just don't feel right about leaving him for two weeks but at the end I am sure its the best for us all to be able to concentrate on Sarah for now.

We'll talk to you next from China !!

Its almost time to go!

Can you believe it in two days we are finally of to China. It still has not quite sunk in yet that it is really and truly happening. It may not even hit me until we land and just to think that in exactly one week we will hold Sarah in our arms. Just the thought of that gets to be a bit overwhelming at times. When you stare at a picture for so long and then you are down to counting the days and hours no more months!!

Friday was my last day at work until July. I am very much looking forward to having this time off, yet at the same time it will be interesting to no not think about work for 12 whole weeks for once. Lol…

We told the boys yesterday at breakfast “Just imagine next time we all sit down for our big weekend breakfast there will be an actual person sitting in that high chair instead of a big blush Pooh :-) – their sister whom has already been such a part of our hearts and our family will really be here in person.” WOW!

We will try to post updates here on a regular basis but of course Sarah will dictate most of that schedule while we are in Changsha :-)

Till then!

Sarah's Room All Done!

Garry worked very hard these past few months and for those that know how much of a boys room Samuel had well you know how much of a change this is. Samuel’s room was ALL Boy in red, blue, green and yellow primary colors with trucks and cars and planes. I could not find anything that shows the full room but the first two pictures may give you an idea. One of the pictures we tried to make it look not so boyish to send to the CCAA :-) but you just can’t hide that border etc.

Well here it is finally her room is all done and what a change it is from the carpet to the walls and everything else it’s a brand new room and we hope she will love it.