Merry Christmas

I know that I have been very, very bad about updating the blog since we got home from China. I really did have good intentions, but I am also realizing how little free time I have these days. I am selfishly putting a nap for me in front of updating the blog... but I will try to do better.

We have had a very busy few weeks, and it feels like things have been non-stop since Thanksgiving. We spent Thanksgiving at Jess and Mark's, and dinner was wonderful. Everything was made from scratch, and it was yummy. Hana sampled most everything, but I think the stuffing was her favorite.


The following weekend brought a little snow and a visit from Jess and Mark, who were going to meet Mark's parents for lunch on Sunday. We tagged along and introduced Hana to the Nelsons, who brought her a rubber ducky, which has made her bath much more fun.

By this point, I was ready for a bit of a break, but the next weekend was a big one... Hana's first birthday party! Unfortunately, she got sick the week before her birthday, so she wasn't quite herself for the party. In spite of being a little sick, she seemed to have fun at her party. She didn't really mess in her cake too much, but I can't say that I was too disappointed by that. She actually got more icing in my hair than in hers. I think she is a little young to get really excited over the presents, and she didn't really know what to do. Luckily, her cousin Micheal was there to help her out, so that made it go a little faster. She enjoyed all the company, but by the end, she was exhausted and went down for a nap.


The next weekend, which was the last before Christmas, brought with it lots and lots of snow. I got home around 4 on Friday afternoon, and I noticed the first flake hitting the mailbox. It started to accumulate within half an hour, and the snow continued until the next night. We got a total of 17.5 inches, which finally melted with the rain we had yesterday.


Well, that brings us right up to Christmas, which we hosted this year. My parents, Ethan, Jess, Mark, Megan and Michael came up for Hana's first Christmas. It was busy, but it was good. Hana still didn't really have the hang of opening gifts, but she did know how to play with them. Michael had his own gifts, so he wasn't able to help as much this time, but he did open one of hers and was quite disappointed when he pulled out a dress. He was clearly willing to hand that over to her! Judy and Sally came by for a bit to visit on Christmas day. I didn't get to visit much since I was in the middle of Christmas dinner, but they did get to spend a little bit of time with Hana, which is good. Dinner was a little later than planned since the turkey took longer to cook than I expected. Shocking... the internet was wrong! I made Jess and Mark a little late to get on the road, but at least the turkey was good. Of course, like Thanksgiving, the stuffing was still her favorite, but she seemed to like the mashed potatoes too. All in all, she had a pretty full day with lots of excitement and stimulation. By 6, she could barely keep her little eyes open, so we put on her PJs, and she was asleep in no time. I think that she enjoyed her first Christmas, which we have been looking forward to for such a long time. But she was definitely worth every bit of the wait.

We are home!

We made it home late on Friday, after a 27 hour journey. Hana did very well on the plane, and she only really fussed a couple of time, which was mainly from boredom. I think I would have too if it were socially acceptable. The trip started off a little rocky. When we checked in with China Southern, they had no record that we purchased a lap ticket for Hana. So, we gave our guide some money to buy another one. While she was purchasing that, the clerk who was helping us left, and passed our info to another agent, who found Hana's ticket, so we then had to get a refund. We did make it to the gate as our flight started to board. So... we could breathe easy, until we sat at the gate for an hour and a half past when we should have left. So, we arrived in Beijing late, where we had to get our bags and change terminals. That took about another hour, so Brian was getting a bit nervous. When we arrived at terminal 3, we had to check in with Continental, and there was a really long line. Luckily, Brian's status allowed us to go through the fast line, so that took a small bit of the edge off. We then had to go through about 6 layers of security, and we made it to the gate just as they began boarding our flight. But, we did make it to the plane that would get us back to the US, so we were able to relax a little. Until we realized that Brian got pick pocketed and his passport holder was missing. Luckily, the passports weren't in it since we needed them to get through security. There were two of our credit cards in it, which we reported stolen once we arrived in Newark, and the banks identified the activity as fraudulent and declined the charges, so we are not on the hook for them.

I do have to say, I was never so happy to arrive in New Jersey in my life. Immigration was our first stop, where we gave them all of Hana's paperwork from the consulate. The immigration official then stamped her passport, which officially made her a US citizen. The customs part was pretty quick, and we then went to our gate, where we waited for our flight. Even though our flight home was delayed, I knew that we would eventually get there. Even if we had to rent a car and drive the rest of the way home. Our flight did finally leave, and we landed it to Richmond around midnight, and finally made it home about 1:30 AM. Here is a picture of Hana as her first day as an US Citizen:


We are still struggling through a bit of the jet lag, but I think I am finally getting Hana's days and nights straight. I don't know that I will see a full nights sleep for a while, but as long as I get some of my sleep at night, I will be happy.

I want to thank everyone for all of the wonderful comments that you left for us while we were in China. We couldn't actually access our blog while we were there, so I enjoyed reading all of them upon our return. I hope everyone enjoyed reading about our adventure. I'm glad we were able to share that with everyone. Now, onto the next chapter....

Our Last Day in China

Today we went to the US consulate to pick up Hana's passport and for the swearing in ceremony. As most of you have dealt with some sort of federal, state, or local bureaucracy at one time or another, you can pretty much get the idea of what the first 45 minutes of this process was like. The consulate is on the fifth floor of the building, so we navigated through the maze of escalators to get there. At the first checkpoint, we waited in line so they could check our passports. We then went to the next line, where we had to go through security. It was almost like airport security, but they didn't make you take off your shoes. However, they did not allow any electronics past security, so we had to "check" our camera. I was a little disappointed because I would have liked to get some photos, but I guess it's all in the name of security.

Once we cleared the checkpoint, we then went into this big room with a bunch of chairs and about 25 teller windows. Basically, just envision DMV, with the exception that the clerks at the consulate are behind glass. And like the DMV, we all just sat around and kind of waited until it was our turn. Our guide handed us a copy of her passport and our passports to verify everything looked correct. When it was our turn, we went to window 22, handed the clerk our paperwork and returned to our seats where we waited for another 15 minutes or so. Finally, the consulate official in charge of the adoptions came out and asked that everyone take a seat. She gave us a quick speech about the brown envelope and what to expect when we go through customs, as well as some things that we should do when we get back into the states. After that, she had the adoptive parents stand, raise their right hand, and take an oath that everything we provided is true to the best of our knowledge, etc... and once we were done, that completed the American, and final, part of the adoption. Of course, this is where we all got teary eyed. It was just so overwhelming. Finally, after so long, these beautiful babies are finally and completely ours, and we are finally able to bring them home. Of course, Hana is still somewhat in limbo until we land in Newark on Friday evening. We will have to go through immigration when we arrive, but the second that they stamp her passport, she will officially become a US citizen.

It's with mixed emotions that I type this since it will be my last blog from China. There are no words that can even begin to describe how wonderful this experience has been. I'm so glad we got to spend this time in China and learn about the customs and culture of her heritage. Tomorrow we begin our long trek home. I'm dreading the 26 hour trip, but I know that once we get to Newark, we are only a short flight away from a nice soft bed and lots of family and friends who are waiting for Hana to make her debut!

Consulate Appointment

Today was our consulate appointment, but we didn't actually have to go to the consulate.  Our guide collected everyone's paperwork, and she took it to the consulate.  The only thing we needed to do was be in our room between 10:00 and 11:00 in case there were any questions.  She called and let us know that everything was fine, so the rest of the day was free.  Unfortunately, after being on this island for 10 days, there really isn't much left to see.  We walked around for a bit, trying to get Hana used to the stroller before the long layovers on the trip home.  She did stay in it for about a block, but after that, I carried her and Brian pushed the stroller.  We did walk through Shamian Island Park, where there is always something going on.  There are always people in the park doing Tai Chi, although earlier in the morning is the best time to catch that.  Today there were a group of kids playing what I would call Chinese hackeysack, although it's not really a sack, but it is kicked the same way.  There was a group of people who were singing, while one woman was standing in the front pointing to the words.  It reminded me of music class as a kid or singing hymns in church.  A little further up the path was another  group of people who were ballroom dancing.  There was one couple who was really good, and we watched them dance the Tango.  Then there was the old ladies playing the high stakes mah jong under the White Swan bridge.  I think we are going to try and go out again tomorrow with the video camera so we can try and capture the experience as best as we can.

I also started getting everything sorted and ready to be packed.  I have a pile of things that thankfully, we didn't need, so I will leave them for our guide.  I also made up some bottles for the trip home just in case we needed to make a formula run.  We did cut it pretty close, but I think that we do have enough to get home with a couple extra just in case we get delayed.  We also went out to dinner with one of the other families tonight, and then stopped to pick up our laundry.  I bought another little outfit for Hana to wear to Chinese New Year when she is a little older, as well as a few more pairs of squeaky shoes.  Brian did tease that I am going to force him to buy another suitcase for all of her shoes, but I told him we would be fine.  I did work on packing after Hana went to sleep, and with the exception of what we will need tomorrow and Friday morning, I pretty much have everything packed and ready to go.  And there is still plenty of room left in the suitcase, just in case I feel like doing a little more shopping.  :)

Red Couch Day

Today was Red Couch photo day.  For those of you who have no idea what I'm talking about, the Red Couch photo has become a tradition for Chinese adoptions.  The babies are usually dressed in traditional Chinese silk dresses, and they are sat on one of the red couches to get their photos taken.  First we took pictures of each individual family, and then we put all of the babies on the couches to get their pictures taken.  For our group, this part was slightly complicated, very funny, and extremely cute.  I think there is only one baby in our group who can actually sit up by herself, so all of the rest of the babies needed some assistance.  We put all of the babies on the couch together, and we managed to get them all wedged in so that they managed to support each other enough so they didn't all fall over.  However, one of the babies in the group decided to move, and then the others started to fall over like dominoes.  It was really quite funny... a bit like slap stick comedy.  Luckily, I used a bit of strategy and placed Hana on the corner, so she was supported on both sides and didn't fall over like the others.  I am also very proud to say that our girl behaved so well.  She did not cry at all during the photos, and I think she and Josie were the only two babies who didn't cry.  However, in the defense of the others, she has had Brian sticking a camera in her face for the past week, so she has actually become a bit of a ham.  Anytime a camera comes out, my girl strikes a pose. 

Since the photos weren't until this afternoon, we had most of the day free.  We all slept in this morning, and yes, I got very lucky with a good sleeper.  We got up and walked to Starbucks for Mommy and Daddy's morning fix, and then we went to breakfast.  After Hana's morning nap, we decided to give the pool a try.  I was a little leery because she HATES a bath, and I think if she cried at the pool as much as she does when she is being bathed, China may try and take her back.  But the pool went ok.  I don't know that she actually liked it, but she didn't hate it either.  She didn't cry when we put her in the water, but she did have this look of concern on her face.  After a few minutes in the pool, she did start splashing in the water a little, but that laugh never really came out.  We stayed in the pool about half an hour, but we decided to get out while she was still somewhat content.  So, I think we will need to build up to actually loving the pool, but at least she doesn't hate it.  We brought her back and thought that maybe a bath would be a little more tolerable after the pool, but it seems her opinion on that has not changed a bit!


We are pretty anxious to get home, and we started our packing during Hana's nap time today.  We wanted to assess whether or not we would need to buy another suitcase, but I think Brian managed to keep my shopping enough under control that it won't be necessary.  We did buy a small carry on, which we kind of thought we would need to do anyway.  Because we were told that there was a weight restriction for carry on bags, which isn't checked by the way, we didn't bring a carry on suitcase over, and I used her diaper bag as my carry on.  Since we have her on the way back, she gets a personal item, so I can now bring on the wheeled bag.  I also think that with 26 hours of total travel time, I am going to need the extra space for diapers, formula, and a change of clothes for everyone!  Plus, it was pretty inexpensive, and it can't be worse than the Samsonite we already have.  If we make it home with the zipper intact, then it is even better!

Guangzhou Zoo and Bus Troubles

Today we went to the Guangzhou zoo, where we spent about two hours this morning.  It's not a huge zoo, but it did have a giant panda.  However, like the rest of us, he thought it was too hot to do a whole lot today.  He was just lounging in the corner of his cage.  Every now and then, he'd get up and walk from one side to the other, which I think was just to please the spectators so they would go away and let him get back to his lounging.  I guess I can't blame him for that.  After the panda, we wondered around until we found the bird section, where we probably spent a majority of our time.  Of course, it was our love of birds that drew us there in the first place, but it was the abundance of cool, shady spots that kept us there so long.  And there were plenty since trees are essential to any good bird habitat.  They had peacocks, which they actually translate into Pea Foul in English.  There were a few males walking around, but none of them were inclined to give us a show of the beautiful feathers.  There were also a lot of parrot varieties, especially macaws.  There were a few scarlet macaws, blue and gold (although they call them blue and yellow), and there was even a grey.  However, the grey was no where to be seen, so I think it was inside the nesting box, and there was no coaxing it out.  Shocking that it just didn't want to cooperate.  I really was hoping to show Hana so she knew that she had one of those waiting at home.  One thing that I found a bit different than zoos in the US is that this one also had an amusement park.  I know that Busch Gardens has some animals, but I have never seen it the other way around.  The zoo is currently right in the middle of the city, but Kelly did mention that the zoo will be moving to the mountains in 2012 so they can get the animals away from the pollution of the city.  Makes sense, especially the birds since they have such sensitive respiratory systems.

By noon, we were definitely ready to get on that bus and head back to the air conditioned hotel.  However, we seemed to run into some very interesting bus troubles.  Our bus driver pulled close to the curb so we could all get on without having to dodge traffic.  However, he got a little bit too close to the tree on the side, and he took out about half of the windows on that side of the bus.  What was worse is that once the tree branch broke the window, it was then basically inside the window just enough that the bus got stuck on the tree.  He started to rock it back and forth, which then took out the last window remaining in the back.  After a few more minutes of rocking, he finally managed to get the bus loose, but as he pulled out, he hit the mirror on another bus.  The driver of the other bus came running out of his bus, shouting at our driver.  Very much like a crash in the US, except I just didn't understand what I assume were Chinese profanities.  I felt so bad for our driver because he really didn't damage the other bus, but you know that he would have some serious explaining to do about what happened.  Kelly quickly called to arrange for another bus to come and pick us up, and we waited in an air conditioned building at the zoo.  It was Kelly's first bus incident, so I assured her that this will make for a very funny story for us to tell about our trip.  Of course, we definitely got pictures of the bus damage to go along with the great story!

Hana had another really good day.  Each day, I can see her come out of her shell more and more.  She is getting more and more chatty, even around other people.  Today she has been laughing non-stop at everything.  I had her laughing so hard at dinner that she got the hiccups.  I wasn't even doing anything, but I guess she just realizes that mommy is silly, and laughs at me along with everyone else.  She did fantastic at dinner, so there is hope that I may actually get to go out and eat every now and then.  The first few times in a restaurant didn't go so well, so I assumed that my days of eating out are over.  However, since we pretty much have to eat out for most meals here, we are working out a strategy, and she is able to make it through dinner without getting too mad.  So I'm crossing my fingers that I will get a break from cooking every now and then.

We don't have anything planned until tomorrow afternoon.  We finished up most of our shopping today, so I think that I will start to think about my packing strategy so I can get it all back home without going too far over our weight limit.  The baby doesn't get a checked bag since it's a lap ticket, but she does get a personal item, which leaves us with an additional carry on.  I think we are going to get a wheelie carry on for some of the breakable stuff, as well as some extra clothes and baby stuff since our trip back will take so long.  I also think I may try to squeeze in a little pool time tomorrow as well, just to see if she likes that a little better than a bath.  Tomorrow afternoon is the traditional red couch photo, and we will all go out for our final group dinner afterwards.  Kelly will take all of our paperwork to the US consulate on Wednesday (gotta love that we don't have to go to our consulate appointment), and we go to get her passport and the swearing in ceremony on Thursday.  That will finish up the US part of the adoption so we can get on the plane and head home on Friday.  I have really enjoyed my time here in China, but I am ready to get home, sleep on a soft bed, and eat a big, huge salad!

The Hottest Day .... So Far

Today, we visited Yuntai Garden, which I was looking forward to.  I have been dying to spend some time walking around a garden since arriving in China, but we haven't really had the chance until today.  Of course, today was also probably the hottest day since we have been in China, which is a feat since they have all been pretty darn hot.  We had about an hour and a half to spend in there.  The garden was rather interesting.  It had a lot of features that you would expect to see in a garden, like a rose garden, rock garden, etc.  However, there were also statues of cartoon characters, like Mickey Mouse, Buzz Lightyear, Pinkachu, Mario Brothers, and many, many more.  The garden wasn't really that big, but it did have a few different areas.  Most of it was in the sun, so we were hard pressed to actually find a shady spot to rest, but I did take advantage of the ones I did find.  I think by the time we were there for about an hour, we were pretty much over it due to the heat.  Brian mentioned that it really must be hot if I was ready to leave a garden before exploring every section of it.  I think that April or October would be the prime months for enjoying the gardens, but mid August was just miserable.

After the gardens, we headed back to the hotel where a shower was definitely in order.  I gave Hana a bath and put her down for a nap, and then I showered and joined her.  I think the heat just wore us both out.  Kelly took us all out for a Szechuan dinner tonight, which was very good.  I have been dying for some spicy food, which isn't really prevalent in Cantonese cuisine.  Since everything is family style, Kelly only ordered two star spicy.  I could have taken another star or two, but I think a lot of people don't have that same love of hot as I do.

Tomorrow morning is the zoo, which I am looking forward to.  There is no afternoon or evening event planned, so I think we may go and check out the pool tomorrow after Hana's, and probably my, nap.  Especially if it is as hot as it was today!

Touring Guangzhou and Meeting New Friends

We were able to squeeze in two tours this morning.  Our first stop was the Chen Family Temple, also called the Chen Family Academy.  It consisted of a lot of different little courtyards and open rooms.  It didn't look like it was a site where anyone would have lived, just a place for worship or meditation.  The entrance had two very large doors, each with a door god, which were meant to ward off evil spirits.  Once inside these doors, there was a hall that had beautifully carved screens that opened up into a courtyard with a lot of bonsai trees.  Most of the little rooms are now either shops or exhibits of pottery and embroidery.  There was one little shop where the artists painted on rice paper scrolls.  There were artists working while we were there, and one of them was using his fingers to paint, but the result was unlike any finger painting I have ever been able to accomplish.  The scrolls were just so beautiful, and some of the scenes had such fine detail, like bamboo forests, but you could see the details of all the bamboo.  We found a small picture of a panda bear, and we had one of the artists write her name on the picture in Chinese calligraphy and English.  It will have a home in her nursery, but I just have to figure out where.

After the Chen Family Temple, we visited the Six Banyan Trees Temple, which is also known as Guangzhou Liurong Temple.  It's a Buddhist temple, and the Six Banyan Pagoda, also called the Flower Pagoda, is one of the most famous landmarks in Guangzhou.  We lit three sticks of incense, for three wishes that we made, and placed the incense outside of the pagoda.  We also went into the Daxiong Baodian Hall, which contains three very large copper Buddhas.  The first Buddha represents the past, the second represents the present, and the third represents the future.  This is the hall where the Buddhist Monks perform their blessings, so we had Hana blessed while we were there.

It was a very hot day, so we were definitely ready to head back to the hotel.  Hana fell asleep on the bus ride, so we came straight upstairs so she could take a nap.  We had some time to grab a quick lunch and just relax for a bit.  In the afternoon, we had the opportunity to see Guangzhou from a bit of a different perspective.  My good friend Grace, who is from here, arranged for her sister Sophia to show us around Guangzhou.  She and her husband picked us up from the hotel and showed us around the Eastern section of the city.  We also went to the biggest shopping mall that I have ever been to in my life.  It made Tyson's Corner I and II, combined, look like a small mom and pop shop.  The fourth floor of the mall was nothing but electronics, and we went into one electronics store that was 7 stories.  I don't think I have ever seen Brian's eyes light up so quickly.  I had to quickly remind him that he could not fit a new TV in his carry on.  There was a floor that was dedicated to just camera equipment, and he came so very close to finding the tripod he has been eyeballing for months.  It was the right brand, but not the right model, but at least he got to look at one and get an idea of whether or not he would like it.  After that, we went into the Guangzhou Friendship Store, which is like a Nordstrom's.  We found a real silk scarf for Hana, which we will give her once she gets a little older.  We also bought a few very cute outfits.  Shopping here is a bit different and pretty interesting.  When you find an item that you like, the sales person will write up a ticket for you to take to a cashier.  Once you pay for your item, you will then go back to the sales person and pick it up.  I'd be afraid that if I did a lot of shopping, I'd forget my merchandise.  After we finished shopping, we went to have a real Cantonese dinner.  It was so good and very filling.  I was so full by what I thought was the end, but there were still dessert and fruit to come.  So, I was definitely stuffed after we left.  Hana was also very good during dinner.  She slept through most of it, and when she did wake up, she was just as happy as could be.  I guess that there may be some dinner's out in my future.  We had such a nice time, and I am so glad that I finally got to meet Grace's sister.  Like Grace, she is very, very sweet.

We have made it back to the hotel, and the baby and Brian are both sound asleep, and after that wonderful dinner, I'm not too far behind.  I need to call my mom and wish her a Happy Birthday, and I think it is safe to say that we are bringing her the best present this year.  However, I may have set the bar a bit high because there is no way that I will be able to top it!

Buy Local, Buy Fresh ... Guangzhou Style

After the medical exam and nap, Kelly took us to a street market that is a few blocks from our hotel.  This particular market is one of the oldest in Guangzhou.  It was definitely a bit different than the farmer's markets we are familiar with in the US. 

The first couple of blocks we walked was the herbal and holistic medicine vendors.  There were a lot of dried seahorses, worms, and various types of mushrooms and other fungi.  There was also a shop that specialized in ginseng.  In China, there are two types of ginseng, red is one type, but I can't remember the other.  Kelly said that they use the red ginseng in the summer and the other type in the winter.  Many of these ingredients are used in soups, so I guess this is the Chinese version of chicken noodle soup.  The deeper you got into the market, the more interesting and exotic the goods became.  Towards the end of this section, there were live scorpions, turtles, and geckos.  Brian also caught a photo of dried snakes, but luckily for me, we did not see the live version.

There wasn't really a definitive transition between the holistic section and the next section, which left a few in our group a bit concerned.  After leaving the holistic section with the scorpions and turtles, the next live animals we stumbled upon were kittens.  I know that all of the old cliches are coming to mind, but let me ease your worries and let you know that we were entering the pet section of the market.  Kelly had mentioned to me that we would be walking through a pet section, and as we entered that street, I noticed that the shops also had leashes, collars, pet bowls and food.  It was definitely different than PetsMart, and there were also animals that we would not traditionally keep as pets.  There were lots of puppies for sale, most of them little dogs, but I did see yellow lab and golden retriever puppies.  I know that lab puppies are expensive in the US, but I bet it would be as cheap as $50 USD in China.  Of course, there is no way of getting it home, so there was no real need to even ask.  Besides dogs and cats, there were also a lot of fish, birds, turtles, and crabs for sale.  They even had ducks, a bird that I think was a crow, chipmunks, and two very entertaining black squirrels.  It was actually pretty cool.  I was showing Hana some of the puppies and telling her that she has two of them waiting for her at home.

Once we left the street market, we then went to a shopping mall.  This was not too terribly different than our malls, just bigger.  We did see some bootleg movies for sale in one of the shops, but I don't know if Harry Potter would be the same in Mandarin.  We thought about getting Michael a copy of Cars, which might help him learn Chinese since he knows the English version by heart, but we weren't sure if it would play on his DVD player.  All in all, it was a pretty interesting experience and definitely not something that you see everyday!

Medical Exam

We had to take Hana to her medical exam this morning, and I can already tell that going to the doctor is not going to be one of her favorite things.  The whole exam didn't take long at all.  We were able to walk to the clinic from the hotel.  We had to stop at the photo shop first, where the babies had to get passport sized photos taken.  After that, it was off to the clinic.  When you get there, there is a section in the back where the adoption physicals take place, and that section has three different examination rooms.  You don't have to visit the rooms in any particular order, which is good because it made it so much faster for each of the families to make it through. 

Hana's first stopped checked her eyes, ears, and throat.  The nurse in this room first tried testing her hearing with a squeaky toy, which she could care less about.  I was afraid that they would write down that she had hearing problems.  When that didn't work, she pulled out a tambourine, that sounded much more like a rattle, which Hana likes.  So she did follow the sound for that.  This room wasn't too bad for her, although she didn't like having her ears and throat checked.

Our second stop consisted of a bit more poking and prodding.  This was the medical/surgical room.  They checked her heart and chest, and this is the part of the exam where she had to get undressed.  She didn't much care for the doctor touching her too much, and she cried a little more during this part of the exam.  She gave me such a pitiful look, like she was trying to tell me to make the doctor stop.  I wish I could have, but I guess it's part of the process to get her back into the states.  I am glad that we are a non-Hague family so that we didn't have to get any vaccines administered while we were there.  I'm dreading that when we get home, but at least I know that it will not need to be repeated.

The last stop was temperature, weight, and height, which I thought would be the easiest since there is less prodding here, and I was almost right.  She did fine when they took her temperature, but she was not a fan of being weighed and measured.  The baby scale I recognized because I remember seeing one in my pediatricians office when I was a child.  I am sure they have changed some since then, but the concept was the same.  The measurement machine, on the other hand, was quite a bit different than what I would have imagined.  It kind of looked like a woodworking tool you would see in Brian's shop.  It had rails on either side, and the bottom part slid to meet the baby's feet.  The top was fixed, and it was cushioned for her head.  It looked kind of uncomfortable, and I would have probably screamed as loud as her if they put me in it too.  But, I will say that my girl is good and solid.  She has gained a bit more weight, and she is now a whopping 14.4 lbs.  She also grew a little as well, and is now 25 inches long.  She is not the biggest baby in the group, but she did weigh more than some of the other girls, and she is the youngest.  Brian and I have already mentioned that we don't think she will be a dainty girl.  She is pretty solid and very strong, so we think we might have a little athlete on our hands.  She has a pretty good arm, and she can kick pretty hard, which we have both experienced in the middle of the night.  She also has a very tight grip, which means she will be able to really grip a paddle when she is old enough to kayak.  I may still end up with a very girly girl like a few have mentioned, but at this point, I do believe that she will be more of a tomboy like her mommy.

The exam pretty much wore her out, and she was asleep about 2 minutes after finishing her exam.  Carrying 14.5 lbs of sleeping baby back to the hotel meant for a tired mommy,
but we don't have to be anywhere until 4, so there will be naps all around.  This afternoon, we will be heading to the market, which sounds like a very interesting experience.  I'll be sure to post about that later tonight.

Pearls and Jade ... Oh and a Rolex

Today we made a trip to the Jade market and the Pearl market. Both were pretty cool, but very different. The Jade market is run by the government, which means the jade is very good quality and can be certified as real. Poor Brian spent lots of money on his girls today. He bought a circle pendant for me, and he bought her a jade rat, since she was born in the year of the rat. He also bought a beautiful jade bangle, which is for me to wear now, but it will be given to Hana on her wedding day. It is an old Chinese custom to pass the bangle from mother to daughter. He even bought something for himself to carry with him while he travels so he always has a small piece of our family with him.

The next stop was the Pearl market, which was very different from the Jade market. It was at least 6 floors of jewelery stores. Some stores had buckets and buckets of pearls, while others had silver, turquoise, amethyst, beads... you name it, they had it. Thankfully, we had a guide to tell us which stores had the best pearls for the best prices. I didn't really want a full string of pearls, so Brian bought a pearl drop pendant for Hana, and pearl earrings for both of us.

Of course, we got the real deal of the day after getting back to Shamian Island. Brian went to Jessica's, where his good buddy Jack sold him a "rolex" for 200 Yuan, which is $29.30 USD. I about fell out of my chair when he got back to the hotel with that thing. I guess he felt bad about not buying anything from Jack yet, or else Jack is one heck of a salesman. I told Brian that we will have to get his picture with Jack before we leave. That's what I get for sending Brian out alone, but Hana was ready for a nap, so I stayed behind.

Hana is still not feeling her best, but she is definitely a little better than yesterday. She is getting another tooth, which is making her a little cranky, but she is still very pleasant, all things considered. She also has a cold, which I think I am now getting. We did take her to the hotel clinic last night because she kept tugging at her ear, and after the 15 minutes of screaming, I needed to be sure the congestion did not move to her ears. Luckily, it was just a cold, and we have plenty of baby tylenol to help her through it. I just hope that we both shake it before the flight home because there is nothing worse than flying when you are sick.

This afternoon starts the beginning of the US part of the adoption. I will be heading down to our guide Kelly's room to give her all of our paperwork that she will need to take to the US consulate. Brian took care of the Chinese part of the paperwork on Monday, but Kelly had all of the forms for us. He just needed to fill in some of the details and answer some questions, sign the documents and then bring the packet up for me to sign. However, we had to bring the paperwork for the consulate with us, which I collected, so it will be easier for me to take care of it then to try and explain my insane method of organization. Kevin gets it, but I doubt any other sane person would. It's going to be a big moment for the new Daddy as well. Since Hana is still sleeping, I will be leaving her here with Brian for the first time. He's very good with her, but he's also been a bit tentative to go it alone since he doesn't have any baby experience. So, this will be the first time he's not had me to call in a pinch. He's also not changed a diaper yet, only assisted me. So we'll see if he gets that chance while I am out. I am sure he will do just fine, so I hope this afternoon builds up his confidence a bit.

After the paperwork, our whole group will be going out for a traditional Cantonese dinner, which Kelly arranged. We were going to do it last night, but the passport office took a little longer than expected, so we decided to wait an extra day. We will all be celebrating the beautiful new members of our family.

Today she's officially ours... Really this time

OK, I know that yesterday I posted that Hana was officially ours, and the Chinese part of the adoption was complete.  However, I was off by a day.  Yesterday we completed all of the paperwork for the adoption, which was then sent to the "passport" office where we went this afternoon.  Our guide had all of the official documents, which she showed at our appointment, along with our passports.  When it was our turn, we took the baby to get her photo taken, which only took a minute.  This was the last step in the process, and Hana is now officially ours, well at least according to the Chinese government.  The US part of the adoption is still to come, so I guess we are in limbo for the next couple of days.

As for the three of us, I think we are all beginning to settle into our new family.  After her meltdown on Gotcha Day, she has been a very easy going and happy baby.  She seems to be bonding well with both Brian and I, but I do think she is a bit more attached to me.  I told Brian that is because she can smell his fear of babies.  So far, she has been eating well, and she slept through the night last night.  She even pooped a few times, which is a pretty big deal because the babies are often constipated after Gotcha Day.  If she didn't poop, I was going to have to result to other methods to encourage that along, and I am VERY happy to say that I didn't have to go there.  That may have actually set me back a bit with the bonding.

So, after a couple good days, I think I was lulled into a false sense of security because today on the bus ride back to the hotel, she had a complete meltdown.  She cried, well, screaming is probably a little more fitting, and there was nothing I could do to calm her down.  I tried to feed her, but that made it even worse.  I don't think I have ever felt so helpless in my life, and it just broke my heart to see her so upset.  I'm not really sure what caused it, but I think the main culprit is teething.  She already had one tooth that just broke the gum on Gotcha Day, but she now has a second that you can see coming through, and I think it is really hurting her.  Which also explains why she didn't want to eat.  We did finally get back to the hotel, and she started calming down when we got off the bus.  She's not big on standing still, especially when she is fussy, which made it impossible to comfort her on the bus.  She did calm down on the way back to our room, and once we got there, we were able to make her a little more comfortable.  We changed her into a dry diaper, gave her some baby tylenol, and put orajel on her gums.  I gave her her bunny blanket and laid down with her and rubbed her head.  I think it was less than 5 minutes before she was sound asleep.  I think after the couple long days that she has had, along with a cold and teething, she is just tuckered out.  So Brian is going to grab some take out, and we will spend a nice, and hopefully quiet night watching Chinese TV.  

It's Official... She is ours!

Today we went back to the Guangdong Civil Affairs office to complete the official adoption paperwork.  We arrived at the office around 10:30, and they started by taking our temperatures, which I am assuming that is due to the Swine Flu.  Next, each family had to go into the photo room to get our family photos.  The next stop was the adoption interview room, where we were asked a few questions.  The questions were pretty straight forward and simple, which of course means that I stuttered on the first one, "how old are you?".  Of course I knew, but I was slightly nervous and was expecting something different.  The other questions were things like, are we satisfied with this baby (well duh, who wouldn't be), do we know her Chinese name, do we plan to love her, educate her, and promise to never abandon her.  Each family went in one by one, which took a bit of time.  After that, the last stop was the  notary interview.  We were pretty much asked the same questions as the first interview, with a few additional questions added in, like what is our occupation and who do we work for.  The gentleman conducting the interview seemed excited to hear the Brian worked for Microsoft and asked him if he could fix all of his computer issues.  The interviewer did have a very strong accent, so he was a little more difficult to understand.  I didn't have too much of a problem, but a few of the other parents did.  I think one family may have even said yes when he asked if they would abuse the child.  Of course, they corrected the mistake, but it was a good bit of comic relief.  That also took a bit of time to get all of the families through, but we did eventually finish.  By this time, all of the babies were a little wiped out, including Hana, who took a full bottle and fell sound asleep.  But, the good news is that the Chinese piece of the adoption is complete, and she is officially our daughter.  Tomorrow we go to apply for her passport, which shouldn't take too long.  After that, no more official appointments until next week when we start the US part of the adoption.  I hope that goes well and that we have already encountered all of the bureaucracy before we left.

Now we are off to dinner where we are going to celebrate that we are officially Mommy and Daddy! 

Gotcha Day!

Today was THE BIG day when we finally got Hana.  I, of course, could barely sleep last night.  I fell asleep early, but I was up at 1, then 2, then 3, you get the idea.  I finally gave up around 6:30 and got up to get ready for today.  We walked to Starbucks before heading to breakfast.  After breakfast, we headed to the Bank of China to exchange our SWI donation to RMBs, and then we had to just hang out and wait for 2:00 to come around so we could head to the civil affairs office to get Hana.  I don't think 3 hours has EVER taken so long to pass.  But 2:00 finally came, and we were finally on our way to Hana.

Monday is the day for adoptions in Guongdong Province, so the adoption floor was crowded.  There were a couple different agencies there today, so we had to wait.  They kept all of the babies in a room behind a curtain, with the waiting parents trying to sneak a peek into the room.  In the meantime, there were nannies bringing babies out of the rooms to their families, and there were nannies bringing babies into the room where they waited until it was time to give them to their parents.  As the group ahead of us were getting babies, I noticed 3 people with 4 babies, and one of the nannies was holding a baby wearing a dress that looked like the one we sent to Hana in her care package.  However, I didn't get a good look at the baby's face, so I wasn't sure if it was her or not.  Finally, it was our turn to get our babies.  Luckily, the families getting babies from the Yangxi SWI were called first, but of course, we were the last from our group.  They did finally call our names, and they handed Hana to me, and it was done.  The whole Gotcha part lasted a total of 15 seconds.  Hana was such a good girl.  She did not cry when she was handed to us, and she didn't fuss at all while we were at the Civil Affairs office.  However, once we got back to the hotel, it was all over.  She was NOT a happy baby.  She cried for over an hour.  The poor baby was so scared and confused, and on top of all of that, she has a bit of a cold and is teething.  I finally went in and sat on the bed, turned on a Chinese cartoon (The Littlest Monk), and gave her a few toys.  After a while, she stopped crying and started playing.  She did get fussy a few other times, but she did finally get to a place where she played more than cried.  After a bit, she and I laid down, and it took her about 5 minutes, and she crashed out hard and has been asleep ever since.

It has been a pretty crazy and wonderful day, but Brian and I are both exhausted.  I am hoping that we will finally get some sleep tonight, or at least if we do wake up, it is to take care of the baby instead of just from the anxiousness of waiting.  Tomorrow, we head back to the civil affairs office to fill out our paperwork and officially adopt Hana.

We are in Guangzhou

We left Beijing this morning, and we arrived safely in Guangzhou.  Tomorrow is the "BIG DAY", so I am hoping that I can actually get some sleep tonight.  Needless to say, I am a little anxious and a lot excited to finally get Hana.  Unfortunately, we have to wait until 2:30 to actually get her, but I suppose if I have waited this long, then I can manage another 17 hours.  We had to be at the airport pretty early this morning, so I'm not going to go on and on with a long post.  I think I am getting ready to finish up a few things and get some rest so I am ready to be Mommy tomorrow!

Leaving for Guangzhou

 Yesterday was our last day in Beijing, and we spent the day touring with most of the other families in our travel group.  We toured Tienanmen's Square, The Forbidden City, and The Great Wall, and on our way back to the hotel, they drove us past the Olympic Park, so we got some photos of The Water Cube and The Bird's Nest.  We are visiting China during the peak season when all of the children are on their school break, so everything was pretty crowded.  Tienanmen's Square was huge, but it was packed with people.  Chairman Mao's body is enshrined in a building within the square, and people will stand in line all day just to walk by his body.  While we were there, I was approached by a Chinese family who wanted to take my picture.  Before I knew it, his wife handed me their baby son for the photo, and the poor little guy started to just scream.  I was trying to calm him, but it just wasn't working.  I'm really hoping it isn't what will happen when they hand Hana to us, but I have a feeling she is going to find us just as strange as he did. 

The Forbidden City was huge, and when we got into the first courtyard, I could not believe the size of courtyard and the buildings, nor the beauty of the craftsmanship.  When Veronica said that is just the outer court and there many more inner courts to follow, I was amazed by the the enormity of the place.  I was even more amazed that it only took 14 years to build!  But I suppose if you have 1 million workers, 15,000 craftsman, and no building permits and inspectors, it is doable.

After leaving there, we headed toward the Great Wall.  We had lunch at this place called Yu Long Friendship Store, which was also a workshop where they created these beautiful vases, bowls, and pictures out of copper.  We were able to buy a few items for our house and a Panda picture for Hana's room.  After that, we went to The Great Wall, and it was indeed great.  We have so often seen it in photos, but they just do not capture the enormity of the thing.  We did climb the wall, and we reached as far as the third tower of four.  It was pretty steep, and the steps were uneven.  In some places, there was almost no elevation change, and the next step was more like three steps, showing that they were definitely hand crafted.  You could also see where the years of use have worn down the stairs as there were dips in the stone.  It was amazing, and the view from up high was incredible.  It was so steep, that our ears were popping from the elevation changes.  It was definitely worth the climb, and there was no need for the gym afterwards.

Today we are headed to Guangzhou, and tomorrow is the day we have all been waiting so long for.  So I have to go and get packed and ready to leave.  Brian will upload our pictures later tonight once we get to the White Swan. 

 

Our Beijing Adventure

Since we arrived a day early, we had today free to do whatever we wanted. One other family came over early as well, so we all spent the day sight seeing. We started our adventure with a cab ride, and I am not exaggerating when I say adventure. The driving over here is crazy. No one yields, there is not such thing as right of way, they just come on over. Oh, and turn signals are some crazy thing that are put on the cars because the Americans seem to want them. And don't think that they will stop for pedestrians or bikes because they won't. There is a lot of honking, which seems to be what they use instead of signals or to warn pedestrians that they better get out of the way. After almost being sideswiped by a bus, Brian did point out that his driving should no longer scare me after this trip.

The Summer Palace was the first stop. It was built in 1750 during the Manchu Qing Dynasty as a summer get away for the emperor. It is beautiful and huge. We started climbing the stairs to the palace, and it just kept going higher and higher. We did make it to the top, where there was a great view of the city below. We were trying to imagine what the view looked like 350 years ago, before you could see the big McDonald's sign in the background. The gardens were immense, and beside being beautiful, the landscaping was also very functional. There were a lot of big trees planted near rock walls and boulders that created cool, shady spots to take a quick rest, as well as pavilions positioned to catch the cooling breezes. And today was hot enough to show just how well thought out the design truly was. One thing that really struck me is the intricate carvings and detail that went into building the palace. The architects and craftsmen who helped build this palace were truly amazing. I think you almost need to spend at least a full day here, if not more. Unfortunately, we only had half a day, so I am sure there were a few things that we missed.

Our next destination was The Temple to Heaven. It was built in 1420, during the Ming Dynasty, to offer a sacrifice to heaven. It wasn't quite as large as the Summer Palace, but it was still pretty immense, and of course, it had beautiful gardens. We went to into the temple area, which actually consisted of about 4 buildings, in addition to the temple itself. We could really only walk into one of the buildings, which housed artifacts from the various dynasties that used the temple. We were able to climb up to the temple, and the stairs contained sections of carved stone. We couldn't actually go into the temple, but you could look inside of it. Like the summer palace, it contained intricate carvings and painted details. The Temple was surrounded by a beautiful garden which had several walking paths. We were able to do a little strolling through the garden, but we were running out of time so we didn't get to do see it all. I think it's a bit like the Summer Palace where it's just too big to get through in less than a day.

I think one of the more interesting things about today is how the Chinese react to us. Some will stare at you, and it's funny because they are not discrete about it. It's kind of funny. They are also not shy about asking if they can take a photo with you. There were a few times at the Summer Palace where we were asked to take a picture with some of the Chinese children or teens. However, once we got to The Temple of Heaven, you would have thought we were celebrities. We were walking towards the Temple, and one man asked if he could take our picture with his son. Then another man wanted a photo, and before you know it, the five of us were surrounded by about 15 or 20 people with 4 or 5 people taking our pictures. There were also a few teen boys that wanted to get pictures of Melissa and I. We also found a group of girls who all wanted pictures with us, so each of them handed their cameras to Brian to shoot the photos for them. I told Melissa they must have thought she was Kate Gosselin and wanted to get their picture taken with someone famous. After we got our photos with each of them, they did get pictures with Brian and Brian, as well as Jacob, Melissa's son. He was the funniest because he is 10 and a little shy, and you have all of these cute Chinese girls, probably high school or college age, putting their arm around him to pose for pictures. The poor thing was a little embarrassed, but Brian did tell him that he will LOVE that photo someday.

Brian has headed out to the Electronics Market to see if he can snag a deal on a tripod, but I decided to stay behind. Even though I did get a lot of sleep last night, I am starting to feel a little tired, and I know that I don't have the energy to spend the amount of time Brian will probably need at the electronic market. Not to mention that this is a good opportunity for me to update the blog and share our adventure. I'm very glad that we came a day early as we got to see a bit more. We will be heading to the Great Wall tomorrow, so I am sure that I will have a little more to share then.

We Made It to Beijing

Well, after the LONGEST flight I have ever been on, we finally made it to Beijing yesterday afternoon.  It was a pretty uneventful flight, which is what I hope all my flights to be.  There are a lot of movies, shows, music, and games provided on the flight, which actually made it go pretty fast.  We also got up and did a lot of walking around, which was advised by mom and Patricia, but after sitting on those seats too long, no encouragement was really necessary.  We tried to sleep on the plane, but it was hard to get any real sleep.  It was daylight for the whole flight!  The Newark to Beijing route actually flies North, past Greenland and over the Pole, down through Siberia and Mongolia, and into China.  Because it is the summer, the pole never sees night, so neither did we.  It truly was the longest day I have ever experienced.  But we are FINALLY here.  :)

We are on our way!!!!

We are officially on our way. I actually managed to get both bags below the magical 44 lbs, even with all of the baby stuff we are bringing. I could have actually fit all of our stuff into carry on bags, but I guess I am learning that baby's really do require a lot of stuff. At least most of the things will be used during the trip, leaving us room for all of the shopping that I will do while in China. :)

We left the house this morning at 4:15, which is a bit early for me, but surprisingly enough, I was very pleasant and chipper. I guess that is a second miracle from this long awaited trip. My VERY GOOD friend, and I can't stress good enough, Stephanie woke up early and rode with us to the airport so she could drive my car back to her place and save us a ton of money on parking. I can't even begin to thank her enough for that, but I'm sure I can think of something to at least get a start.

When we got to the airport to check in, Veronica was working the desk, and she moved us to an earlier flight to Newark. Of course our Beijing flight leaves at the same time, but at least there are more breakfast options in Newark. We made it through security pretty quickly, in spite of one rude lady who basically cut in line between Brian and I when the TSA was checking our boarding passes. And yes, I still remained pleasant and chipper. It may be due to sleep deprivation, but it might just be that I am too excited to let that annoy me too much. See.. I told you miracle!

I managed to sleep during most of the flight to Newark. Brian said this is the first time I slept this soundly in weeks, and he is convinced it is because there is nothing I could actually do on the plane to prepare for the trip. He's probably right. But I will say that even though it was on a plane, the sleep did feel good.

So now we are in Newark, waiting to board our flight to Beijing. It's a pretty long flight, so I'm not looking forward to 14 hours on an airplane. Brian did load a lot of movies onto the laptop, and there are power ports on the plane so we can keep the computer charged. I am also sure that I can find a few opportunities to nap on the flight and try to catch up on what I've lost over the last couple of weeks. I also promise to get up and move around during the flight to prevent deep vein thrombosis after the warnings from Mom and Patricia.

We are wondering if we will actually see any night since we will be chasing the sun west, but we are thinking we probably won't. I do know that I will probably be very tired of looking at the ocean after so many hours of nothing but blue below me. I will be very happy when we finally land in Beijing. We arrive tomorrow at 1:30 PM, Beijing time, which is 1:30 AM EDT. We will try to stay up until 9, just so we can get onto China time. I think that after such a long day of travel, even I can slow my mind enough to fall asleep.

We Leave On Wednesday

I'm still finding it a little hard to believe, but we are actually going to board our flight to China on Wednesday. I don't think it has actually hit me yet that we are finally going to get to meet Hana. I suppose the hours I spent packing (and repacking) last night should make it seem a little more real, but it still hasn't completely sunk in yet. I guess getting on the plane and landing in China will make it seem more real. And if that doesn't do it, then I am sure that when they hand her to us, it will become real very fast. :)

We are almost ready to go. I mentioned above all of the repacking I have done. We are limited to 44 lbs a piece on our intra-China flights, so I packed everything, just to find that both bags were over the limit. So, I started pulling out some things to get us under the limit, and Brian is spending his day off looking for more travel sized containers and a smaller, lighter thermos. As of this morning, I had each bag down to 40, but I would feel better if I could get them both to 38, just for a little wiggle room or uncalibrated scales. And for all of you wondering, I am only taking two pairs of shoes, and I am contemplating leaving the sandals at home. If my feet happen to appear in any of the pictures, you will know what I finally decided.

As of now, here are the highlights of our itinerary:

8/4 - Leave for China
8/5 - Arrive in Beijing
8/9 - Fly to Guangzhou
8/10 - Gotcha Day! This is when we get Hana
8/11 - Officially adopt Hana
8/19 - Consulate appointment
8/20 - Get Hana's passport
8/21 - Fly home

There is a lot of sightseeing and shopping that will happen while we are there, but I wanted to hit the highlights. We will definitely post from China when we can, so be sure to check our blog. There will also be a lot of photos being taken, some which we will post here, but check out the rest at our zenfolio site http://walker.zenfolio.com.

I am so excited that we finally get to go to China, and that by this time next week, we will have Hana!

Hana's Nursery

In an attempt to make the weeks pass a bit faster, I decided to completely redo the nursery. I know... I had the nursery somewhat ready, but it was stuff I had bought years ago, at the beginning of this journey. So much has happened in the nearly four years since we started this journey that the original theme just didn't really seem to be the right room anymore. And now that we know she will be a girl, there just wasn't enough pink and a total lack of red, so it had to be done. So, we have changed from Peter Rabbit to what else... LADYBUGS!!!!!!!! Shortly after referral, I found the cutest ladybug bedding that is pink and green, which matches the rug, so it worked out well. And it worked well with the adorable ladybug bean bag Tracy got for Hana. Brian was a very good sport and indulged me on this. Not only did he not commit me for starting over again, he even agreed to cut out the flowers and ladybugs for the wall. My good friend Grace helped me paint the first four lady bugs and flowers, but once they were mounted, we knew the wall still needed something more. So, back to the garage Brian went to cut one more ladybug and two more flowers. Jess was also here, and she envisioned some stems for the flowers, so Brian found a dowel that made beautiful stems. Once we had those, we decided that we needed yet another flower and leaves for the stem. So, poor Brian had to return the garage once again. I think when I asked him the last time if he loved me in an attempt to butter him up, he even said "No". Of course he quickly told me he was kidding and he loved me very much, and asked me how many more flowers I needed. We spent Saturday afternoon painting and Sunday afternoon mounting flowers, stems, and bugs, but it was time well spent. The finishing touch was the Ladybug Picture we received from my friend Nicki, titled "Traffic Jam", which, she bought at Arts in the Park before I changed the theme. So, it was clearly meant to be. Below are the pictures of the finished product, which was put together with so much love from so many people.

We're Going to China!

We received confirmation of our consulate appointment today, so we were finally able to book our flights! We will leave Richmond on Aug. 5, which is only two weeks from today! It will actually be Thursday when we arrive in Beijing, where we will hang out and sight see on Friday and Saturday. We leave for Guangzhou on Sunday, and Gotcha Day is Monday! We are so excited... and a little panicked since I have a lot of little things to get done before I go. A little ironic really, considering I had 3+ years to prepare. :)

We are almost there!!!!!!!!

TA has Arrived

Great Wall called today to let us know that our TA has arrived, and they said that we will probably arrive in Beijing on August 7th, and once they confirm our consulate appointment, all that is left to do is book our flights. That is a week earlier than they had originally anticipated, and it's only 2 and a half weeks away! In three weeks from today... we will have Hana! We are so excited. If I didn't have so much to do, I don't know how I would survive the next few weeks!

We got more photos!

We received updated photos, as well as growth measurements for our girl today. We are sending a care package for Hana to her SWI. We have heard so many good things about Red Thread China, so we decided to send our package through them. We submitted our order last night, and she immediately sent us an email letting us know that she would work on our package and get it out to Hana in the next couple of days. Then today, around 10:00 AM, Ann send me an email with updated measurements and three new pictures! I can't decide which one is more adorable! She definitely likes to laugh, and she squints her eyes when she is laughing, just like her mommy! She has also grown since her referral info. She has gained 2 lbs and grew an inch. I bought a few 3-6 month outfits for her, based on her referral measurements. But I think I may need to exchange some of them for 6 months. She may grow another inch by the time we get to China. Oh how will I survive these last few weeks?!

Paperwork In... Paperwork out

Our referral documents arrived today, via FedEx. The poor FedEx guy must have thought we were crazy! The dogs started barking like crazy, and I looked out and saw the truck. He put the package on the porch and was walking off when I ran out the door and asked him if we could get a picture of us with him. He looked at me like I had three heads! Brian then explained that today, he was the stork and was delivering us our referral documents. Once we shared our story, he was a good sport and took some photos with us.

I must admit that the package was a lot smaller than I expected. Considering that I had to send off my dossier in a box, I guess I was expecting a box in return. Fortunately, it wasn't. It was a letter from our agency, detailing what we needed to sign and send. It included our agreement with them, as well as the letter of acceptance to the CCAA. It also had her medical records and her growth report... in Chinese. We signed all the docs, and Brian made copies and scanned them into the computer. And off I went into town. Lucky for me, Grace is working in Richmond this week, and she very kindly translated the reports for me. From what we could tell, she was healthy, but of course, we are not doctors. As for development, she seems to be on time with her age group, and she is very social. She laughs aloud, knows her name, responds to facial expressions, and she likes being held. She is active, restless, but she is a deep sleeper, just like mommy used to be. She is fond of music and playing games, so she will fit right into our family.

We also received the translated version of our medical report. As fate would have it, the pediatrician we selected is on vacation this week. Luckily, I am fortunate to know some very wonderful people. Neha, a doctor and wife of a co-worker, agreed to review the paperwork. Other than being small for her age, which is common for girls of Asian descent, she is a healthy baby. :)

So, after leaving work, I stopped by FedEx to send off our acceptance documents to Great Wall.  So, they are on their way! Now what? Well, we wait of course!

It's Still So Surreal

It's been three days since we received our referral, and I still cannot believe that we have finally been matched with our daughter. I must have looked at her picture 1000 times yesterday, just to make sure that I hadn't dreamed it all. I wrote the quick highlights post on Friday, but I wanted to give a little more detail about our amazing Referral Day!!!!!

My mom was actually throwing me a baby shower on Saturday, so we were at my parent's house. As I already mentioned, I had been tipped off that a package was on the way, so I already had the anxious, excited, nervous feeling going on. Around 9:30, Great Wall emailed, letting us know that they were expecting a package that they thought were referrals, but weren't sure. They also said that the packages usually don't arrive until 1:00 PM, Texas time. So, now, I have at least 4 and a half hours of sitting around waiting. I was pretty much climbing walls by this time. I was toggling between refreshing my email and Rumor Queen every 5 seconds. Poor Brian was trying to get some work done before the call, and of course, he has me pacing and hitting refresh in the background. He's so patient and understanding, but I know I had to be driving him CRAZY!!!! Mom needed a few things from the store, so I volunteered to go. I needed to get away from the house, and computer, for a little while. That was around 11:00. Luckily, that burned about 45 minutes, so I was a little closer. But it looked like we still had a couple hours until the call. Brian decided to go up and take a shower around noon, and I worked on setting up the video camera so that we could film the call once it finally came. Once we got that set up, I of course returned promptly to my computer. I was chatting with Tracy through Facebook IM where she was talking me through the "contractions". Then, at 12:37, we got the email from Beth that the stork has landed at Great Wall, and we were in! Brian and I were both a bit teary eyed, and my mom got chills, and of course, started crying too. So, we rushed upstairs to wait for the call, laptop and tissues in hand. At 12:55, the phone rang. It was Kaylea from Great Wall, who shared our referral news with us. She told us that we had a beautiful, daughter. She told us her name, when she was born, her province and SWI. She also told us that she was healthy, healthy, healthy, and she had the most adorable chubby little cheeks. She gave us her measurements and said she would be sending us a picture in a few minutes. After the call ended, we were just so overwhelmed with happiness, and of course, Mommy cried, and Daddy even shed some tears. It was just so amazing to finally know who she was and where she was waiting. And to know that she was still so young and we would be there for so many of her firsts! Of course, I go straight back to the computer and hit refresh every half second, luckily it was only about a minute, until we got the email with her picture. After so long, I finally got to see my beautiful daughter, and it was probably one of the most amazing moments of my life. She is the most beautiful baby I have ever seen, and I was immediately in love! As crazy as my day had been up to that point, I was immediately filled with such overwhelming peace to finally be able to look at my baby! There really aren't words to capture what I felt, but it was incredible.

We spent a couple minutes more, just looking at that photo and sharing the moment together. But, I also knew that mom, Megan, and Ethan were downstairs, waiting to learn about the newest family member. So, we went downstairs, called Kevin, and shared our news with the family. Big shocker... my mom cried!  She was absolutely ecstatic. Brian went to call his mom and Sally O, while I called Auntie Jess, who was at work. Jess got teary eyed as well, and we are hoping that she hasn't gotten poison ivy since she trying to get rid of it when we called. The remainder of the afternoon was spent making calls, sending emails, and updating blogs. There were so many people who supported us through this journey, and we wanted to share the long awaited news!

It really was nice to be at my mom's because we were able to get everyone together and have a celebration dinner. By the end of the evening, I was absolutely exhausted, and actually slept for the first time in two nights.

What can I say... it was an amazing day, and we are truly, truly blessed.

The Stork Has Finally Landed!

We are thrilled to introduce Hana Walker!

A little birdie had told me that Great Wall was expecting referrals today, and our referral counselor had sent out an email this morning letting us know that a package was on the way. At about 12:37, we got another email stating that the Stork has landed, and our referral was in the package. At 12:55, we got the call! We had been matched with a healthy, beautiful baby girl! Her Chinese name is Song Yun Tang, and she was born on 12/17/2008. She is from the Guangdong Province, and she is currently at the Yangxi Welfare home. She can already hold her head up, roll around, and grab her toys. This wait has been long and often times hard, but it truly was worth it!


***UPDATE***
I realized that in all of Friday's excitement, I had forgotten to include her height and weight stats. She is 22.84 inches (58 cm) long and 11 lbs (5.2 kg).

Could today be THE DAY?

Yesterday brought more chatter on the forums that matching is complete. Several agencies were telling their families matching is done and the speculated cutoff is 3/20 (so we would have been in anyway). Our agency hasn't actually said anything public about referrals, but they did get TAs (Travel Approvals) yesterday. And, I had a little birdie tell me she called Great Wall, and she was told that they were expecting two packages, one yesterday, which we now know is TAs, and one today, which we hope are referrals!

I found most of this out last night, so I naturally got extremely excited. I did manage to nod off a few times last night, but I was a little too anxious and excited to sleep. So, I've been awake since 6, up since 6:30, and I'm pretty tired. And yet... I still can't sleep. I guess I'm like a kid on Christmas Eve... except it will be more like afternoon until I know anything for sure.

Oh, and if you all want to have a little fun with numbers, check out the ticker on the bottom of the page. As of today.... we have been LID for 3 years, 3 months, and 3 days. I'm not normally superstitious, but that has got to be good luck for something right? Ok... maybe it's becoming evident that I really didn't get enough sleep. :)

Keep checking back, as I may make more than one post today. Hopefully I can end off my blogging day with a picture of a beautiful baby!

Rumor Has it Matching is Complete

After weeks of silence, which was beginning to drive me a little crazy, today there was finally a rumor about referrals. A couple agencies have told their families that the CCAA has completed matching, but there is no confirmed cutoff date. One agency is saying saying the 20th, but none of the others are confirming. So, we should be getting our referral in this group even if our LID hadn't changed. Today is my friend Alice's birthday, and she was hoping that we would get our referral for her birthday, which unfortunately didn't happen. However, it does mark the end of the deafening silence and brought with it a really good rumor! I'm not really sure when the stork will actually land, but I have my fingers crossed that it will by Friday. That way, I can go into the weekend finally knowing something about my baby and not fretting all weekend whether I will hear something on Monday. Mom is also throwing me a baby shower this weekend, and I can't think of anything better than to be able to share her picture with everyone.

It's almost time! Stay tuned......

Less calm, but not yet neurotic

It is officially mid-month, and there has not been one murmur of a rumor out of China. I was really hoping that this week would bring something... but not a peep. I'm hoping that we may begin to hear something mid-week, but I'm beginning to resign myself to the fact that we may not get our referral until sometime next week, or the week after. I'm a little disappointed because I am so ready to see my daughter's face. But, I also know that just a few more days or weeks of patience, and I will finally know who she is. I have been wondering if someone is looking at our file and looking at baby files, and is determining which baby belongs with us. Or maybe we have already been matched, and they are waiting for the final sign off from the director so they can get that stork flying. Wherever they are, I just hope they finish up soon.

It's 8:15 AM in China, so the CCAA should be at work. Cross your fingers that they are getting referrals ready to send.

Surprisingly Calm

I have noticed that ever since the last group of referrals arrived that I have been remarkably, and uncharacteristically, calm. Ever since January, when March LIDs began receiving referrals, I have been very anxious, excited, nervous, etc. Now that I am so close, I would have thought I would be climbing walls as I wait for referrals. Especially since I'm not really even sure when they are going to come. But, surprisingly, I'm not. I'm not sure if it is because the thought of being next hasn't sunk in, or if it's just that knowing that we are next gives me some sort of calm that I can finally see that light at the end of the tunnel. I have also started to practice yoga again, which is also probably helping as well. Whatever it is, I am glad that I am worrying less and can actually enjoy these last couple weeks as I prepare myself for motherhood.

It's Official... WE ARE NEXT!!!!

Well, the stork landed today, and as rumored, the cutoff was 3/14. So, there is a very, very good (99%) chance that we are next! Not really sure when to expect referrals, but at least I will only have to go through this one last time.

I have to admit that I don't think all of this has actually set in yet. I keep saying, and typing, "We are Next!", but it just seems so surreal. I guess after waiting for 3 years, I just can't believe that this is actually going to happen. I think even Brian is beginning to feel the realness of this all.

We are definitely excited, and maybe a little concerned that Brian will not be able to finish the toy box in time for her to come home. But I suppose if I coax and help, maybe we can get that done.

I'm sure that this will sink in soon, and I will just have to make it through the next few weeks... sanity intact. I guess I made it 38 months already... so what's another couple weeks right?

Until next time....

May Referrals are FINALLY on the way

In case some of you thought I broke my promise to update referral info... I promise I didn't. May referrals are very, very late due to the Swine Flu, or H1N1 Influenza if you want to be official. The CCAA didn't officially say that referrals were held due to the flu, but that is the unofficial word. In any case... I was frustrated, angry, sad, and just plain discouraged when the news broke about referrals being held. And poor Brian had to live with me. Anyway... we finally heard some rumors this week that referrals are on the way, and our agency is expecting to get a package, that they think is referrals, tomorrow afternoon. They don't have an official cutoff date, but most of the rumors are saying that it is 3/14. I'm not too disappointed because I wasn't even sure if they would get that far, and they did. What's really exciting, and I'm still not quite used to saying it, is that WE ARE NEXT! There is only one day left before ours, so I think it is finally safe to believe that we will get our referral in the next bunch of referrals.

Now, the real irony is that my next question is When?. In most "normal" months, you can pretty much bet that referrals will be at the end of one month, or the beginning of the next. Since the May referrals were so late arriving, it really makes the when question a little trickier.

Scenario 1: The referrals arriving tomorrow were matched before the Swine Flu pandemic, and the CCAA is working on matching families with babies that will be sent at the beginning of June.

Scenario 2: Due to the delay, the next group of referrals will not be sent until about 30 days from now.

Scenario 3: May will be considered skipped and the next referrals will not arrive until July.

Needless to say, we are pulling for one, but of course, I have no real idea of when to expect our referral. I truly would have thought I would know something a little more definitive when I got this close, and FINALLY provide a good idea of when. But I still can't. I guess this thing really will keep us guessing to the very end! Oh well, I guess I've made it 38 months... what is another few weeks right?!

Two Days Down... 8 to go

April Referrals have arrived and two more days were referred (March 7-8, 2006). While not a stellar amount of days, March 7 was a huge day with lots of dossiers, which means that China matched a lot of babies to families, which is a really good thing. So, what does that mean for us? Well, I hate to admit that as close as we are, I still can't give a definite date, but my best guess is that we received our referral in July. If China is able to match as many families next month as they did this month, then there is a small chance that we will get our referral in June, but it's a long shot. Kind of like roulette, the odds are small, but the payoff is huge. :)

So, we are still waiting, and next month will be much more telling of "when". I hope some month soon, everyone will come to get our most recent update and be pleasantly surprised to read... "We have our Referral", complete with information about Hana and maybe even a photo.