One Month Ago Today....

....Ella was placed in our arms for the first time. It definately feels longer than a month ago. Ella has come so far in such little time. Her personality comes out a little more each day. She is turning into a giggly, smiley little girl.

She is soooo close to walking! She moves around rooms by holding onto furniture or walls to balance herself, and will even venture to take a couple steps to be able to reach something. For the first week, she mostly stayed confined to the living room with her toys. But now she is venturing around the house. I'm finding out quick the things that need to be baby-proofed!

And the girl can eat! As much as an adult at some meals. She eats all soft table food that we eat (she doesn't have any molars yet). And we have yet to find something she doesn't like, which works for me!

Ian is an awesome big brother. He wants to feed, hold, play, walk and cuddle with Ella. "Everything but the dirty diapers", as he tells me! He is just smitten with her. I think her favorite activity is when Ian lays down and Ella crawls all over him.

It's amazing how our family has fell into a routine. It's kind of like we've been a family for longer than just one month. Ella fits our family perfectly and we can't imagine life without her!

Enjoy some of pictures of our happy kids!

We're Home!!!

Sorry for not posting sooner....the jet lag is kicking our butts!

Our trip home was long but uneventful, thankfully. Ella slept most of the ride from China to Chicago. Unfortunately, neither Bill nor I slept due to a circus of misbehaving kids across the aisle. I was just waiting for the toddlers to give up, and after 9 hours of flying they finally did!

We made it through customs and immigration (Ella became a U.S. citizen when we passed through immigration) and walked out into the arrival hall. Bill's mom and sister had brought Ian down to meet us at Chicago! It's a good thing Ella was strapped to me in the baby carrier, because I dropped all my bags onto Bill when I saw Ian and ran (or rather waddled with a 22 lbs baby hanging from me!) over to him. I didn't realize how much I missed him until I saw him. I was so happy to finally have both my children with me that I started sobbing. Of course Ian got embarassed and asked me to stop crying - he's becoming such a little man. The others in our adoption group were standing there witnessing it all, and all the women had tears in their eyes also. Although we were so happy to finally be home, it was kind of sad to think that we won't be seeing this group of people whom we've grown close to over the last 2 weeks. We did plan to have a reunion in the summer of 2010 in Memphis (Graceland, here we come!), so that our daughters can keep ties with each other as they are 'sisters' from the orphanage.

Unfortunately the transition home has been hard. Bill and I have experienced jet lag...waking up in the wee hours of the morning because our bodies are still on China time. Bill even gave up trying to sleep and went into work at 4am last Thursday and Friday. It was Sunday before I felt like my old self. But Ella is still on China time. She's been waking up at 2am and wanting to stay awake until 6 or 7am. Then she wants to sleep all day. We've been trying to limit the napping during the day, with hopes of her sleeping more at night. Last night I was so excited because she made it to 3am before waking. Then I realized that with Daylight Savings time it was still 2am! Oh well, a girl can dream about sleep! Friday was the first of many 39th birthdays to come for me, and for my gift I asked Bill to let me take a Tylenol PM and sleep through the night in my own bed. He took care of the baby duty for the night. Best gift I've ever received!

Ian is one excited big brother. He loves to play with Ella (or rather reacquaint himself with all the baby toys he used to play with!). The only thing he's not interested in is diapers and feeding, as "that is just gross, Mom"!!! He always wants to give Ella a bottle, burp her and hold and snuggle her. And he's such a good helper for me. And he had the house decorated with Welcome Home signs and balloons.

We can't thank enough all the friends and family that have supported and prayed for us. We couldn't have done this without you.

Goodbye China

Here we are on Day 13 already. We leave at 5:45am tomorrow. Today we had the famous "Red Couch" picture. For all adoptive families that stay at the White Swan, it has become a tradition to take a picture on the red couches that are in the lobby. All the girls wore traditional Chinese silk dresses. (I'm bringing a whole suitcase of them home - they are only about $5 each!!!)

After the picture, we all loaded onto a bus and headed over to the American Consulate. It was a welcoming sign to see the U.S. flag. We were handed our daughter's passport with a visa stamp inside. This visa indicates that the moment she steps foot on American soil, she will be a citizen of the U.S. The administrator at the Consulate told us that they have processed over 70,000 adoption visas for U.S. families that have adopted from China, making that Consulate the busiest in the world for adoption visas. All the families had to raise their right hands and take an oath stating that all information that has been provided to the government is correct and that we intend on being the new parents of our daughter. Unfortunately they did not allow cameras so there are no pictures.

Tomorrow will be a bittersweet day. On one hand, our daughter will become a U.S. citizen. On the other, Ella is leaving her home country, its heritage, and the only 'sisters' she's ever known. Tomorrow also marks the one year anniversary of the death of my grandfather. He would have wanted so much to see another great-grandchild of his. I'm sure he would have been tickled to meet Ella and see her personality.

We have made some wonderful friends on this trip. We hope to stay in touch for years to come, with annual reunions and periodic updates of how the 'sisters' are doing. It's been amazing to see the progression in each of the girls just since a week ago when they were handed to us. I can't imagine what a month at home will do!
















We can't wait to get home and see Ian - we have missed him very much. Thanks to all who have emailed and posted well-wishes to us....we love to read them! We just can't wait to get home and start the next part of our life together as a family with our new daughter!















If you would like to view more pictures from our last day in Guangzhou, click on the More Pictures link at the top right of this page. Then choose the folder called Day 13 - Tuesday.

Monday - Day 12

Another free day for us. Bill, Ella and I explored the hotel a bit more. There are 2 beautiful pools, and we brought our swimsuits. But unfortunately the weather has been gloomy and only in the 60's. It doesn't stop Bill from wearing shorts though!

Then we found the Swan Room. It's a playroom sponsored by Mattel in the hotel. That's how many adopted babies come through this hotel - enough to warrant a manufacturer to sponsor a playroom.

In the afternoon we took a taxi to the Guangzhou Folk Art Museum. It is a complex of buildings dating back to an emporer in the 1800's. The architecture was beautiful. My favorite exhibit was the embroidery that this province (Guangdong) is known for. It was so detailed and intricit that it looked like an oil painting.

I most likely won't be able to post again until after we're home. Tuesday we'll be packing and later in the afternoon going to the U.S. Consulate to take the oath for Ella's citizenship. We leave for the airport quite early Wednesday morning.

If you'd like to view more pictures from our day, click on the More Pictures link at the top right of this page. Then choose the Day 12 - Monday folder.

Sunday - Day 11

Sunday was a very relaxing day for us. We had nothing scheduled and were able to enjoy Shaiman Island. Cathy flew back to Shanghai around noon, and then Jen (MN) and I did a lot of shopping! I have no idea how I'm going to bring it all home!











For dinner, our guide took us to a wonderful Italian restaurant. We had a birthday cake and celebrated all the girls 1st birthdays, as we had missed them while they were in the orphanage. Ella loves anything sweet, so the cake and frosting were a hit.





























After the dinner, Jen, Jason and Addison strolled along the Pearl River with Bill, Ella and me. It is a lovely, quiet island and it was beautiful to look across the river at bright and bustling Guangzhou.

Ella is doing wonderfully. She snuggles up to us, and we even got belly laughs from her last night when Bill tickled under her armpits! And of course we're falling in love with her more and more each day. I just wish Ian was here to bond with his mei mei (little sister).

To view more pictures of our day, click on the More Pictures link at the top right of this page. Then choose the folder called Day 11 - Sunday.

Guangzhou

Last night my friend Cathy met us at the airport in Guangzhou. She is living in Shanghai with her family for 3 years and flew in to stay with us for the weekend. Here is a picture of Ella opening her first 'Welcome the Family' gift from Cathy.

We are staying at the White Swan Hotel. It is the most beautiful hotel we've stayed at so far this trip. It has a waterfall in the lobby, and many Chinese antiques. There is a coy pond and even a huge birdcage filled with songbirds.

The White Swan is located on Shaiman Island. The island is on the Pearl River and was originally settled by the English and French back in the 19th century. All the architecture is very European. It is very laid-back and relaxing compared to the cities in China. The streets are lined with trees, boulevards have parks in the center, and there are very few cars. There are a couple of big hotels on the island and many shops that cater to the tourists who are staying at the hotels. Every adoptive family from the U.S. must come to Guangzhou to go through the American Consulate, and most families stay on Shaiman Island. We are definately not an oddity being a Caucasian couple with a Chinese baby like we were in Nanning. The breakfast buffet at the White Swan is lined with high chairs. We've met so many new families with daughters from all over China. Of course I think we have the cutest one!

As a requirement of the American government, Ella had to have her first medical exam today. It was quite cursory, with a quick check of temerature, height (30 inches), weight (23 lbs - yes, she is a chunk!!!), hearing and heartbeat.

After the medical exam, Cathy took Jen (MN) and I shopping. She's quite the bargainer and able to converse somewhat in Mandarin with the shopkeepers. She drives a hard bargain and sticks to her guns. Jen and I bought so much that we also had to have Cathy bargain for a new suitcase to haul all the stuff home - and we each got a suitcase for the equivalent of $11 each!

My sweet husband watched Ella for the evening and told Cathy and I to go out to dinner and have a drink. We ended up at a wonderful Thai restaurant and talked for 2 hours over a bottle of wine and some seafood. Who knew I'd have to come all the way to China to have a long, uninterrupted chat with one of my dearest friends?!

If you'd like to view more pictures from our first day in Guangzhou, click on the More Pictures link at the top right of this page. Then choose the folder called Day 10 - Saturday.

Day 9 - Friday

Didn't do too much today. Packed up the suitcases to head to Guangzhou this evening. I haven't bought many souveniers so far, but my suitcases sure aren't packing as nicely as they did before!

It's the last day in Ella's province. I think all the families are ready to move on to the next leg of our trip. It is sad to think that we are taking Ella from the only place she's ever known though.

We've had many interesting encounters with food here. Most everything we've tried is very good. However there are some things we haven't tried. There was a super-long cafeteria style restaurant near the hotel. Bill took some pictures of the menus.

If you'd like to view more pictures from our last day in Nanning, click on the More Pictures link at the top right of this page. Then choose the Day 9 - Friday folder. You may be able to zoom in on some of the menu pictures to get an idea of what kinds of food are available.

Ella's Back!

It's amazing what 24 hours can do! Last night Ella started to give us eye contact while feeding her. And she woke up smiling and giggling this morning. What a relief! And we found out from the other families this morning that they all had a rough day yesterday. It must just be something about that 3-day mark. And I'm guessing the adoption agency probably knew it, as they had nothing scheduled for us that day.

Today we went to Green Mountain Park. It was very beautifully landscaped with temples and relics, gardens and towers. There was a coy pond with an unbelievable amount of fish waiting to be fed by the tourists. It was an overcast day, which helped keep the heat down. But the humidity was so high.

After the park we went to the Pearl Market. Guangxi province is known for the pearls from the South China Sea. We are about an hour from the sea and 2 hours from Vietnam to the south. The ethnic minorities are apparently very similar here to what they are in Vietnam, and there is a large population in Nanning from Vietnam and Laos.

Friday we fly out in the afternoon to Guangzhou, the last stop on our trip. My dear friend Cathy, who is living in Shanghai, will fly in to see us. We get in late in the evening so I probably won't get to post.

If you'd like to see more pictures from our day, click on the More Pictures link at the top right of this page. Then choose the folder entitled Day 8 - Thursday.

Free Day

Wednesday was the first day that we had totally free, no appointments, paperwork or tours. It was great being on our own schedule.













In the morning we walked to the Nanning People's Park, which is about 2 blocks behind the hotel. It was absolutely beautiful. Very lush and green, clean and relaxing. There were quite a few groups of elderly people playing instruments, singing and playing cards or checkers. There was an area of the park that was for children, with amusement rides and game vendors. And there was another area that had goats, rabbits, peacocks and pot-belly pigs. Even though the temperature was 92 degrees and high humidity, it was a much-needed break from the schedule we had been keeping. And Ella took to the stroller like a champ (we checked out a stroller at the hotel front desk), which gave our backs a much-needed break from her 22 lbs of weight!
















The rest of the day didn't go so well due to the grieving that I wrote about in the last post.

If you'd like to view more pictures from our day, click on the More Pictures link at the top right of this page. Then choose the folder entitled Day 7 - Wednesday.

She's Ours - Officially!

Today was the day we did the provincial paperwork and ceremony to legally adopt Ella. First we went to a office where the notary was. We were asked if we were willing to care for Ella, never abandon or abuse her, and give her the best education and medical care available.

Then it was back to the building where we originally received the babies for a round of similar questions, fingerprints and a million signatures. The orphanage director and nannies were there. We could really tell from their reactions to seeing the girls that they truly did care deeply for each of the babies. That was very comforting to me. The director asked us to email her pictures of the girls' new lives in America, which was more of a personal request than a requirement. It was fun watching how the nannies could get each of the girls giggling, whereas us parents have yet to figure those tricks out. A couple of the babies reacted strongly to the presence of the nannies, and cried terribly for them once they left the room. Ella did not seem to be affected by that - at least outwardly.

Back at the hotel later that afternoon, we finally heard Ella cry...and cry, and cry, and cry! She was chewing hard on her fingers, and feeling her gums we could tell that she has molars about to pop through (she already has 8 teeth).

However now I'm feeling like the teething crying has proliferated into grieving crying - grieving for the only life she's known until now, the only people she's been attached to, the only place she's lived. She's with strangers now, and she doesn't understand what's happening to her. The crying is just different than before. She cries when we try to console her, but stops if we leave her by herself. She turns her head from me when she's crying and I try to come closer. She prefers just to sleep all the time, which is probably easier for her than dealing with her emotions. It is heartbreaking to say the least, but a necessary process for her to go through before she can fully trust and bond to us. Let's just hope it's a short process rather than a long one!

Not too many pictures from today, but if you'd like to view some click on the More Pictures link at the top right of this page. Then click into the Day 6 - Tuesday folder.

Gotcha Day

Ok, so I'm a bit behind on my blogging...give me a break - I'm a new mom!!!


Monday morning started extremely early. We had to leave the hotel at 5:30am, which meant up at 4:30am. Unfortunately both Bill and I were up at 3:00am...plenty of time to meet for our ride to the airport, but it meant just that many less hours of sleep before we received Ella.


The flight to Nanning seemed so long. Everyone commented on how it seemed longer than the 14 hour flight we all took from Chicago last Wednesday. Anticipation was playing into it for sure.


Nanning is like paradise. Bill and I are amazed at how similar to Mexico it seems. If you just change the language on the street signs you'd think you were in Playa del Carmen - minus the huge resorts. Coral colored hibiscus, hot pink bouganvilla, pink petunias, banana trees, sugar cane - they are all over here, growing wild along highways and professionally landscaped for hotels. There is farmland everywhere, and from the plane we could see that every inch of rural land is either plowed or terraced for growing fruits and vegetables. In fact, it is known as the "Green City" here in China due to its lush tropical foliage. Nanning is considered a small city in China - only 2 million people. And everyone rides a scooter here. Much fewer cars than Beijing and thousands of people on scooters and bicycles. Nanning is a direct contrast to Beijing this time of year - warm, muggy and colorful vs. cold, windy and drab. Technically Ella is from a town about 3 hours east of Nanning, but we are here because it is the capital of Guangxi Province and where we need to do all of the official paperwork.







So on to the good stuff...

After settling into the hotel for an hour, we were off to the civil building where the babies were brought by the nannies. The anticipation of our group was unbelievable. Some of us had tears in our eyes, everyone was smiling, some were shaking. We've all waited 3 years for this day to come. After what seemed like forever, one worker called each of our family names individually, checked our document and passports, and then the director of the orphanage brought our baby in and handed her to us. It was an amazing experience.







As you can see from the pictures, Ella was asleep when the director handed her to me. She slept for probably another 15-20 minutes amongst all the commotion of the other families and babies! When she did wake up, she just looked at us with her beautiful eyes and crazy hair. I'm sure we're the strangest looking people she's ever seen...we look and smell very different from what she is used to . But she didn't cry, and 24 hours later as I'm writing this she still hasn't cried at all. She seems to be very content and not fussy (so far!). She has been snuggling up to us and reaching for us. We've gotten 2 smiles out of her this morning. I think she's still in shock and just trying to soak it all in. She is a non-stop eating machine when we give her a bottle or some table food. And last night she went to bed at 8pm and we had to wake her at 7am this morning - not a peep out of her all night! (But unfortunately the beds here are just as hard as in Beijing and neither Bill nor I slept again last night!)


Ella sucks her left index finger upside down, just as I remember my youngest brother doing. She even has the same callous on it from sucking. We did hand her a pacifier last night and she took it right away and kept it in throughout the night...kind of strange considering she's almost 15 months old and has never used a pacifier, but if it makes her happy I'm all for it.




We're having a great time with the other families. You do develop a certain special bond considering we've all just gone through 'labor and delivery' together! It's fun seeing the differences in babies and their similarities due to being from the same orphanage. It seems like most were good sleepers last night, which could mean they developed that way from the orphanage schedule or maybe they were just wiped out from the long and terrifying day they had.


I'm going to try to get a nap in while Bill and Ella are napping. Ian, if Gramma is reading this to you, we miss you soooo much and can't wait to see you!


If you'd like to view more pictures of this unforgettable day, click on the More Pictures link on the top right of this page. Then click in the Day 5 - Monday folder.

Day 4 - Sunday

Today we went to Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden City. Tiananmen Square is the large plaza that sits in the center of Beijing. Government buildings border it. It also holds the mausoleum of Chairman Mao Zedong, who was the founder of the People's Republic of China which ended the reign of emperors in China. The lines of people waiting to see the tomb stretched on for as far as you could see, and it is like that every day.

From Tiananmen Square we walked into the Forbidden City. This was the home of 24 different emperors (one at a time) and housed over 3,000 people who supported the emperor on a daily basis. The complex was forbidden to anyone but royalty, and therefore the name was derived. The complex was absolutely huge and we walked 2/3 of a mile from one end to the other.

Next we rode in rickshaws through the hutong. The hutong is the 'old' city of narrow streets and courtyard residences. Some of these houses date back 300+ years. We were fortunate enough to be invited into the home of a 290 year-old residence. It housed 3 families - the grandfather, daughter and son. The daughter gave us a talk about her family and the history of the house. The hutong area is very poor, with communal toilets and not very many amenities. The government owns a lot of the property and rents houses out very inexpensively to poor families. However the few people that own their own properties are very lucky - if they were to sell the property they could get $8,000 per square meter. The land is quite valuable as it is the center of Beijing.

Finally we ended the day with a tea ceremony. It was just what we needed to end the cold and blustery day!

For more pictures of our day, click on the More Pictures link at the top right of this page. Then click on Day 4 - Sunday.

I probably won't get a chance to post tomorrow. We leave for the airport at 5:30am to fly to Nanning. At 3:00pm we get Ella! I'm sure we'll be in a for a long night. The next post you will be able to see us with our daughter!

Day 3 - Great Wall

Today we had a busy day. First the group toured a cloisonne factory about an hour outside of Beijing. Cloisonne is an ancient art of combining metal-working with painting. You can read more about it and see examples here. It was very interesting, but unfortunately I couldn't really view it from an art form perspective. Thanks to my safety-awareness training at work, all I could see is the potential safety hazards in the ancient production process: a man guarding his face from the kiln heat with his arms, unguarded grinders, no personal-protective equipment. I know, I'm kind of a geek to think about that stuff when I'm 6,000 miles away from home and work. Deb B - if you're reading this, can I mark this down as my February safety observation?!

Then we drove to the Great Wall at Badaling. There were people everywhere! We first took a cable car up part of the mountain, and then hiked/climbed up to another section. It was literally shoulder to shoulder with people. Fortunately we had great weather - clear and sunny and about 35 degrees. The wind was a bit brisk but it felt good to be outside in the fresh air and doing something active. I think we all felt refreshed and rejuvenated after the hike. The Great Wall is over 4,000 miles long, was built to try to keep out enemies of China, and was constructed between the 5th and 16th centuries B.C. It is estimated that 2 to 3 million Chinese died as part of the centuries-long project of building the wall.

I seem to be quite the novely in China - a lot of Chinese people wanted to have their pictures taken with us. I'm not sure if it's my red hair, the fact that I was wearing a pink hat and scarf with a lime-green jacket, or that we were Americans! Or maybe they're just plain friendly people!

After the Great Wall, we went to a Chinese luncheon and then to a jade factory. Jade is a precious stone that is carved into various designs by artisans.

Bill & I rested a bit back at the hotel and then caught a taxi to the Wang Jing Fu night market. It was kind of like the Times Square of Beijing, with lots of neon, fast food, stores and restaurants. But off to the left of the main drag, there was the Snack Street, with outdoor food vendors selling everything from glazed fruit on a stick to pigs intestines, starfish and crickets. All grilled before your eyes. The smell was unique to say the least, to the point of overwhelming at times. And I need to tell you that our guide, Joy, forbid Bill from eating any street food as he wanted to. We had asked her for directions on how to get there and she said "no street food - too important for you not to be sick"! Just a disclaimer stating that Bill didn't chicken out on the food...the wrath of Joy if he had become sick was too much to chance it! Next time we're in China.....

The traffic in Beijing is horrendous - all the time. There are 16.3 million people in the city, and I swear they are all in their cars at the same time on the freeways! And road signs and rules are just a 'reference' for drivers - basically if you can find an inch on a road someone will take it. We were in a taxi last night that made a right hand turn across 6 lanes of traffic from the leftmost lane! But what is amazing is that you don't see accidents everywhere, or scratched or smashed cars. They somehow all manage amongst the chaos.

Beijing is also a city of extremes - new and old. A fancy Land Rover next to a donkey pulling a cart full of bricks on the freeway; Starbucks next to a roadside noodle vendor; Burberry and Dior next to a cart selling chopsticks; the stereo-typical old Chinese man in rags walking down the street next to an obviously wealthy woman.

If you would like to view more pictures from our day, click on the More Pictures link on the top right of this page. Then choose the Day 3 - Saturday folder.