Random Pics

We've been home almost a week.  Things were a bit rocky those first few days. 
Sleep is still difficult to come by but was a wee bit better last night.  I'll take it.
I think I was asleep long enough last night to actually have a dream.  :-)

Here are some pics of Q and the boys and family since we've been home.
We think she's learned her first word...'no'. :-)  She and Jake are still not best
buds yet, but now she at least talks to him.  She will stick out her finger and
point to him and say 'no'. He just wants to give her love and thank her for all the
yummy treats she drops on the floor, but she wants nothing of it.  In time. :-)

Enjoy the pics below.  Some are from China and others are from the plane
ride home, and a couple are of Q and the boys.

Her first Red Sox jacket...gotta love it. :-)

Listening to some worship music on mom's itouch.  She loves music.

Sleeping-- we're still sitting at the gate as there was that 'special weather' that we had to wait to clear.

Last view of China

First view of your new home.

Welcome home sweet Q!

Future go-kart driver? :-)

Brothers and sister---could it get any better than this!? :-)



Home!!!

Okay, so we're a few days late posting this, but we're home!  We had about 30
hours travel from our hotel room in China to our door at home.  We're still
dealing with the nasty jet lag, but at least the nausea and headaches are
not as bad.  Sleep is still an issue but after talking with some really great
friends who've been there and done that, I've decided that it's going to
be what it's going to be. 

She did pretty well on the plane (for a two year old who's had her
world turned upside down).  We got on the plane in Beijing to come
home and the captain came on the intercom to tell us that the tower
would not let us leave the gate due to 'special weather'.  HMM...why
were other planes allowed to take off and land?!  Come to find out
later from the captain that it was only international carriers that
weren't being allowed to leave the gates.  Um tower, can you come
explain that to my 2 yr old who's getting ready for a 13 hour flight
and will not be happy to learn that she's going to spend an extra
45 mins sitting in an airplane that isn't moving?  We couldn't be
happier when the wheels touched the ground in New Jersey.
She also did well on the 2 hr car ride home, esp with it being her
first time in a car seat. 

She was a little shy at first when meeting her brothers and
grandma, but quickly warmed up and was playing with them
in no time.  She's still not sure of our dog, Jake, but we're sure
in time, they will be best buds. :-)

So, our travel is over but the journey continues over the next
few weeks and months as we continue to bond with each
other and truly become a family.

We want to again thank all those who kept us in prayer as we
traveled and continue to pray for our daughter and her
transition to our family.

I'm not sure how often I'll be posting in the next few weeks
as we'll be playing and sleeping a lot. :-)

We thank God for calling us to open our hearts and home
to our sweet pea! 

I will post a few pics from the first few days home soon...
promise. :-)

About that difficult post in Zhengzhou

We've had a few of days to let it sink in and process things.  It's not
that the place where she was for part of her life was so bad... because it
wasn't. She was given love, food, and medical care all of which we are
so grateful for.  That's the bright side.

From the moment we went to the orphanage, we could tell that they care for
these children and only want them to have a loving home and the opportunity
for a good life.  We received a book with lots of pictures from her time at
the orphanage.  There were notes from her nannies written in Chinese and
translated for us.  The notes to our daughter were of love for her and hopes
for a bright future.  They also wanted her to remember her roots. 

Now to the not so bright side.  It was so difficult to walk into that building.
We knew months ago that we wanted...needed to see where she lived.  When you
are on the other side of the world just looking at the cute little boys and girls
waiting for families, it's easy to forget where they live.  There are so many
needing attention that they don't get a lot of one on one time.  They do spend
a lot of time in their cribs or alone on floor or in walkers because there just
aren't enough nannies to give each child the special attention they need.

There aren't just little ones there.  There are older children waiting for families
as well.  Children who will probably wait forever.  We asked the orphanage
director what happens to the children that don't find families.  He told us that
the ones who are able to go to school and finish (orphanage school), they
usually find some kind of job (most likely very low paying) and are then on
their own. The children who have mental/physical disabilities and age out are
sent to another facility to live out the rest of their lives.

We will never forget the sounds, smells and esp. the faces of the children
at our daughter's orphanage.  We just wish we could translate these things
to our blog post to allow people to experience it for themselves.
We think it would be more difficult for people to turn away from the need.
These precious children just want a loving family to call their own.  We're
not saying that everyone should go out and adopt, because adoption isn't
for everyone. It's not an easy road to travel.  It's a walk in faith.

We will never forget her finding place either.  We were given the finding
ad (ad in the newspaper that has the child's picture, location of finding place
etc. The ad is placed to allow family to claim the child before they are placed
in the care of the orphanage.).  The ad described her finding spot, what she
was wearing, and the fact that she was wrapped in a blanket.  Inside the
blanket was 200 RMB.  We assume that the money was placed there to
help whoever found her possibly provide her food and get her either to
a hospital or the orphange.  It seems from this that her mother cared for her. 
Even though she might not have wanted to give up her daughter, that due
to her medical condition she felt she had no choice.  I can't even begin
to understand what that must have felt like.  To love your child so much
that you put her in a place that you know she'll be found, provide some
money for her care and hope that she gets the care and love she needs.
We will never let Q forget that her mother loved her.  Yes, it will be
difficult to explain to her why she was given up.  It will be just as
difficult for her to understand. 

Not sure how to end this post...I've been wrestling with it for a few days
now. Like I said at the beginning of the post, it's taken a few days for us
to let things sink in...process the things we saw.  We will never be the
same.  As S said before, we're thankful for Q and the blessings she will
bring to our family. She's been part of our family for a week and a day but
it feels like much longer (in a good way).  People have said she's lucky, but
we think it's the other way around.  We are so glad that we listened to God
and traveled this road.

I'm not telling people to go and adopt as I've said before, it's not for
everyone.  Maybe advocate for orphans by raising money for
needed items.  Pray for those in the process and the children waiting for
families.  If God has spoken to your heart and you've been afraid to
listen....don't be afraid...He's right there with you, every step of the way.

Last Post From China

Today was our last day in China.  We have mixed feelings about the day.
We have enjoyed most of our time here, learning about our daughter's homeland.
We hope that we've taken enough pictures and written enough information down
to show her one day and tell her about the place she was born.

We pretty much had another free day.  We slept in (yes!), packed, napped and
took a long walk for the last time around the island.

Not too much else to say from this side of the world except that we'd
appreciate some prayers for travel.  We leave early in the morning, 6 a.m.
our time, to board our first flight to Beijing at 8 a.m.  We should be home
(NJ) sometime tomorrow early evening.  Then a short (ha!) drive home.  It
seems like a short day, but we will have a very long day of travel ahead of
us and with a toddler to boot.  Should be interesting to say the least. :-)

We want to thank all our family and friends who've been praying for us
during our time here in China! 

Enjoy the last few pics from the day.  Next post will be from home! :-)

She waved to the doorman each time we would go out or come in the building. It was so cute. ;-)

Last walk in the park.

Somebody wants to play peek-a-boo....

There she is! :-)

Baba and Q enjoying the fish. She loves the water and anything to do with fish.

Consulate Visit

Unfortunately there are no pictures to commemorate this big day.
No cameras are allowed in the US Consulate.  Needless to say
S and I swore an oath, along with everyone else in our travel group,
that all the info we've provided to the US government in regards to
the adoption are true.  They then called us up one family at a time to
something similar to a teller's window at a bank and verified our pictures
with our passports and Q's picture and passport to ensure she is
the child we are supposed to be adopting.  Then, with just one signature,
it's done.  Now we just wait for her visa to be prepared and picked up
by our travel guide tomorrow.  Then we'll be ready to leave China.

Not too much else happened here today.  We just tried to pass the
time with a walk or two and a much needed nap after breakfast.  The
nap was much needed as Q didn't sleep very well last night and we
then had to wake her up at 6:30 a.m. to be ready for our early morning
consulate visit.  Did I mention there was a bus ride involved?  By now
I'm sure I've mentioned how much she adores bus rides. :-)  She didn't do
too badly going to the consulate, but ride back was not pretty.  You can
imagine what a 2 yr old who was woken up early, eaten only a few dry
cherri*s, and hates bus rides would look and sound like. :-)  That was
our sweet Q. 

So, breakfast and then a nap were in order after our return.  She napped
pretty well (almost 3 hrs) but still woke up in a cranky mood. After the
nap, we got out and spent some time in the fresh air.  The weather today
has been very nice.  A gentle breeze and lower humidity and sunny skies.
She had a better evening, so we're hoping for a better night's sleep.  At
least that's our prayer. :-)

So, we'll close with a couple of pics from the day.  Tomorrow is
another free day.  We'll spend part of the day packing and getting
things in order for travel home on Friday.

Good night from China!

Q looking at all the pretty flowers

Q sat and listened to these people play for a long time.  She was

swaying back and forth in her stroller and clapping her hands while

they played.  She loves this kind of music.

Sorry, just had to show that Q does have her moments when

she's not so sweet. :-)

More Shopping & Red Couch Photo

Today was free day.  We slept in, skyped the boys and grandma at home then
had breakfast (well, brunch). :-)

We then strolled the streets of the island as the weather was nice and we had
nothing else to do.  We shopped at Jenny's (very nice lady who has very
good deals on dresses and squeaky shoes).  I highly recommend stopping at
her shop if a visit to Guangzhou is in your plans. :-)

So, squeaky shoes secured.  Gifts for family and friends bought.  Now, just need
to figure out where everything is going to go in the suitcases.
After a much needed nap, it was Red Couch Photo time.  It's a tradition for all
adopted children to get their photos taken on one of the Red Couches at the
White Swan Hotel.  Most everyone cooperated.  It had been a long day for
some in the group as they spent most of the day at the zoo.

Tomorrow is our Consulate appointment.  It's very early...7:10 a.m.  I have a
feeling we're going to have a lot of unhappy babies on the bus in the morning...
and probably a few unhappy parents. :-)  This will be the last of our official
paperwork required before we leave China!  We are very excited about that.
We have enjoyed our time in our daughter's homeland but are really looking
forward to going home!

Pearl Market and River Cruise

Today we spent the morning at the pearl market and the evening
on a dinner cruise on the Pearl River.  We had a brief appointment
at the clinic to check Q's TB skin test (negative). 

Fun was had by some at the pearl market (meaning mom was the
only one having fun). :-) We were asked by a friend to buy some
pearls for them and S tried on one of the finished necklaces to show
her what she can expect.  We hope you like it, D! :-)

Picking a strand of pearls.

A strand for S (eat your heart out).

Q spied a fun toy to ride on while mama shopped.

The Pearl River cruise was an hour and a half long.  We had dinner on the boat as the sun went down.  Once it was dark, many of the bridges and towers were lit up with multicolored lights.  It was really cool.  Check out the pictures, but they don't do justice.

One lighted bridge on the Pearl River in Guangzhou.

B & Q with the Canton Tower in the background.

Tomorrow is a free day.  We will do some shopping (squeaky shoes, etc.) and Red Couch pictures in the afternoon.

Another Day Closer to Home

Today started out with a tour of a Buddhist Temple and the Old Chen House.
Then lunch in our room followed by a nap for Q and mom. :-)  In the afternoon
paperwork was prepared for our consulate visit on Wednesday.

We enjoyed a group dinner at the local Thai restaurant.  Very good food and
great company.  Q and I ended the evening playing with the other girls and
their moms in the hotel playroom.  Fun was had by all.

Tomorrow we get to sleep in a little. :-)  We get to go to the Pearl Market
in the morning.  In the afternoon we get Q's TB test read.  In the evening,
we will take a dinner cruise on the Pearl River.  We're hoping Q will enjoy
that as she LOVES water. :-)  So far the tours involving cars/buses haven't
been a favorite for her.

As we close for the evening, a few pics from our day.  Enjoy!

5 more days!  We can't wait for our family and friends to meet Q!
We can't wait to see our boys again!  We love you J & D!

In a good mood as the tours begin. ;-)

The Pagoda at the Buddhist Temple, it's leaning too much now to allow people to go into and walk to the top.

The girls just hangin out at the temple. Seriously moms, can we go now?!

Baba and Q. Bonding is going well. :-)

Q having fun at the hotel play room.



Guangzhou, first full day

We arrived in Guangzhou, China yesterday (Friday) evening around 9 p.m. local
time.  By the time we got to the hotel and settled into our room it was after 10 p.m.

Q was ready for bed well before that.  She was D.O.N.E. with travel by the time
we got off the plane.  She wanted nothing to do with yet another bus ride.  She
screamed at the top of her lungs for several mins as our tour guide was trying to
give us instructions on the next days plans.  Thankfully she fell asleep and slept
through the check in process and even the ride up to our room.  I was going to
put her in her pj's, but decided that it was best to let sleeping toddlers sleep. :-)

Our first full day in Guangzhou started with the physical exam and TB test.
She hated every min. of it.  The only part of the morning she enjoyed was the
new ride she scored after breakfast.  She loves the stroller...my arms thank her
for that.  Even though she weighs less than 20 pounds, she gets heavy after
awhile. She weighed in (with clothes,shoes and a belly full of congee) at
8.4 KG and is 77cm long (without shoes).  Thankfully her ENT exam was
negative for an ear infection (we had worried that she was developing one as
she come to us from the orphanage with a nasty cold and was acting as if her
ears were bothering her).

After the doctor visit, we strolled through the streets of the island.  It is very
nice here...quiet...no mopeds whizzing by...just the occasional car.  Next on our
list (after dropping of some laundry) was Starbu*cks.  It's been so long!  It was
SO GOOD! :-)  We strolled some more and let Q walk and burn some toddler
energy.  She is pretty brave and tries to walk in the other direction from where
you're going (one of her favorite games) but when strangers approach, she
comes right back for us.  Good sign.

As far as bonding goes, she goes to both of us now.  Although she prefers me
in the morning, she warms up to S sometime after breakfast.  She still likes to hit
(thanks again to the spoiling from foster grandparents), but it seems to be getting
a little less frequent.  We've learned to say no and no hitting, no kicking, and
no throwing in Mandarin. :-) 

She loves music and loves to sing/babble.  She'll fit right into the family...and no
not the babbling part. :-)

So enjoy the pics.  Tomorrow is a tour of a Buddhist Temple and the Old Chen
House.  We will have some paperwork to do in the afternoon.  Dinner with our
travel group at a local Thai restaurant. 

Good night from Guangzhou!

 Bus ride from hotel in Zhengzhou to the airport.

Discovered the slide at the Zhengzhou airport and loved it.

Wiped out after a long evening of travel.

Like my new ride?

Not so much fun with the nurse...wait till she finds out what mama does for a living.

View from our hotel room in Guangzhou

Q exploring child statue in the park.



Leaving Zhengzhou

A quick post before we leave Zhengzhou (pronounced Jin-joe in case you where wondering). We are packing bags now, but had time this morning to go to the park about 2 blocks away. The weather has been nice while we have been here - 20 to 25C (68 to 77F) and no rain.  As mentioned in the previous post, we are going to Guangzhou (Gwan-joe) tonight.

Here are a few pics from the park and a cute video of Q.

Zhengzhou Park.

What is this green stuff?

Like my hat?

B & Q at the park.

 

Give me the camera.

Q using the remote as a cell phone.

As also promised, some pics from the local Wal-M*art.

We also included some pics of the city.

 Get some 'fresh' chicken....only 80 cents a pound.

 This store was 3 levels.  We only went to two.

To cross the street is taking your life in your own hands. Cars, bikes, and mopeds have the right of way, not pedestrians.

Next post from Guangzhou!  Hugs and love to you J&D!!