We're still here

Hi, It's been a BIG while since we have posted. I believe life just got in the way...

Today, marks our 3 month "back home" anniversary. There has been a lot happening...

First, the Olympics! We were ready on 08/08/08 at 8:08am.

and 8:08 pm.

We all watched in amazement at the opening ceremonies, except Lara. She didn't seem to want anything to do with it (or the television, for that matter). China really put on a nice show! As we saw many of the points of interest highlighted throughout the Games, we could say "We've been there". The boys watched most of the Michael Phelps' races and were ready to set their own swim records - it was very motivational. After the Olympics were over, it was a withdrawal for all, but we really needed to catch up on some sleep!

We took a day trip to the IN state fair and then to Santa Claus, IN for some great fun at Holiday World! We ran into one of our travel families while we were there - Hi, Jie and family! This is a small world!

The boys started school. It was pretty uneventful, but Lara was really missing them. We starting counting down the days until her preschool starts and learning the calendar.

Oliver is all-day this year. Some days really drag by for Lara especially if we don't go anywhere. She plays with Legos and the dinosaurs, will occasionally watch a Chinese video and really enjoys crafting "projects" with paper, glue, tape, scissors and markers. She can be entertained for hours with her projects.

We had a visit with the D family and Deborah was open to giving Lara her first and much needed haircut. It turned out adorable - no more stringy ponies!

The haircut was in time for Lara to start school. She truly enjoys her preschool! She goes 3 day/week for 2-1/2 hours each day. Her teachers are wonderful and are helping her adjust. She enjoys being with other children her age. I don't think she ever experienced being with too many other children before since she resided in foster care in China. Her backpack will probably wear out before she gets big enough to wear it!

Labor Day weekend we spent in Michigan. Lara was able to meet many of her aunts, uncles, cousins and of course, Grandpa G! It was nice to get into the lake and have some fun!

We attended our first event with FCC as we attended the Harvest Moon celebration. The kids had a ball! The corn maze and moon cakes were a hit!

That was a very brief rundown of what we have been doing. Like I said, life happens...

Lara continues to amaze us! Her English improves every day. You cannot believe how much she has developed in these 3 short months! She is still rather shy around strangers and enjoys playing quietly by herself, with her brothers or with one or two others. She can dress herself - a huge accomplishment! She is recognizing letters and their sounds and wants "homework" to practice writing (we'll see how long that lasts). We still have our moments, but they are few and very rare. We thank God for this blessing that he has bestowed upon us.

We're famous

We've been finding things to do this summer even though not too much is actually on the calendar. Over the weekend, we were at a local festival and ZhuZhu had her first snocone. It was orange flavor. The boys came home with two goldfish - great for when the pond is finished. Tuesday, we went to a local county 4-H fair to see the cousins show their cattle. ZhuZhu was most impressed by the other animals and didn't care too much about the show. However, cousin John, she was recognizing you in the show ring.

That is one fuzzy chicken!

Hey, this goat is trying to eat my shoe (well, actually it is my brother's old shoe bacause mine are all too pretty to be wearing at the fair).

We even have time to blow bubbles.
We had our first check at Riley yesterday. I was surprised ZhuZhu could walk out of the clinic after they drew so much blood. She wasn't very cooperative when they wanted to poke at her, but we know her lungs are functioning well.

Today and tomorrow, our local radio station is running a human interest story regarding our adoption. You must remember, this is small-town America. Link here to see and hear our story. Vince will be on tomorrow so I will link his story then.

We're home!

It's been a very blurry 5 days since we have been home. We arrived in Cincinnati on schedule last Wednesday night, the 2nd of July, but were delayed on the tarmac. Some other plane was at our gate - the nerve of them! We sat on the tarmac for 40 minutes before being cleared to proceed to a gate. It was tears of joy to see Keegan and Oliver. They had both grown while we were gone! In fact, Keegan has grown at least an inch since May! Vince thinks that the boys seem so tall because ZhuZhu is so small (she is about the height of K&O at 2.5 years). We were so happy to be united as a family! And also happy to be off airplanes! We had been in 3 countries (China, Japan and the U.S.) and 3 states (Michigan, Kentucky and Indiana) within a 24hour period. We were overjoyed to arrive at home, but ZhuZhu took one look at the house (we had shown her pictures of our farm in China) and realized that the fairytale of having housekeeping, room service and a personal driver was over. At least I think that is what initiated the crying...

The details of the next three days escape me, but I do remember that there was almost nothing we could do to put a smile on our daughter's face. We were trying to catch up on sleep, find foods that she would eat (watermelon and apple juice were her staples), and comfort her. Trying to impose a few household rules didn't make her very happy either. To top it off, Oliver wasn't feeling well. Keegan held down the fort for a few days by answering the phone, fetching and reading books to ZhuZhu. For those of you who have brought a newborn home from the hospital, I'm sure you recall the overwhelming feeling of fatigue and helplessness. Very similar conditions at our house, only our "baby" was 32 pounds and potty-trained (a definite plus!).

Vince had a very low-key Fourth of July birthday. We did manage to make a cake and find a can of ready-made frosting. The boys decorated it with red, white and blue star sprinkles. ZhuZhu did not like the extinguishing of the candles. We were so tired that we were not able to attend any of the firework displays this year. Perhaps next year we will be able to attend at least one firework celebration for Baba's birthday.

Saturday evening, I made fried rice (I have never made this before) and salmon. ZhuZhu ate great and even had seconds! Guess what?! She slept 8 hours that night! Sunday, we managed to get out to a nearby family reunion for a couple of hours (with ZhuZhu, of course) and did not have any crying until supper. This is progress! Sunday night she slept great and today we did get into town to the library and a couple other places. She did very well, although still very shy, and I know the boys were itching to get out of the house (as was their Mom).

The boys adore their sister and ZhuZhu will follow Keegan around like his shadow. She is still warming up to Oliver, but he is just now recovering from his illness and is starting to play with her more. Vince went back to work today and I spent 2 hours in the garden pulling weeds - they grew while we were gone, also. It's pretty much back to normal here for all of us but ZhuZhu. She is discovering new places in the house and outside.

We continue to see improvement by the hour. Today, she started counting silverware while Keegan was unloading the dishwasher - in English! When we got to the letter "L" with her alphabet cards, I said "Lara starts with L. Who's Lara?". She responded, "ZhuZhu". She is smiling more and finding her place within our family.

We want to express our appreciation for your prayers and acts of congratulations to us. We will continue to update this blog, but on a less frequent basis. This has been the journey of a lifetime and I encourage any of you, if a red thread is tugging at your heart, to open it to the life of a child and encounter joy at every step. God Bless Us, Everyone!

Farewell China

The bags are packed and have already been taken away by the bellboy. We leave for the airport at 5:30 tomorrow morning and will not land in Cincinnati until 6:35. That means 26-27 hours of travel time until we finally get home if all goes well. We have had a great adventure so far, but are ready to get home and get started with life as a family of five.

Today we had a few group activities before preparing to depart. The first thing was an attempt to get a group photo of the children. This was rather entertaining to watch. Someone may have gotten a good photo, but we didn't. The best one is attached below. At least you can see all twelve of the children!Next was a group photo of all the families that traveled with us. This went better as we were able to contain the children. Our group consisted of twelve families from various parts of the U.S. We hope that we are able to keep in touch as we all have shared a very special experience.

This afternoon we had our group oath at the U.S. consulate. The room was packed with adoptive families (including many crying children). I would estimate there were over 50 families there. We had to present our passports and ZhuZhu's Chinese passport so they could confirm that we matched the paperwork. After that the whole group said the oath. Basically all we said was that the information in our documents was accurate to the best of our knowledge. Next we received more documents and ZhuZhu's Visa that allows her to come to the U.S. ZhuZhu will officially be a U.S. citizen as soon as her Visa is stamped in Detroit tomorrow!

This truly has been a remarkable journey! I admit that I didn't fully understand what we were getting into during our preparation. I read the information that FTIA gave us and even read most of the postings on the related Yahoo groups, but all of that doesn't prepare you for what happens to your heart. The only way to fully understand, is to experience it yourself.

We will post again after we have arrived home and ZhuZhu is a U.S. citizen. We wish our entire travel group a safe and pleasant trip home. God bless America!

Pearl River Cruise

Tonight we took ZhuZhu on a cruise of the Pearl River. It is the third longest in China and I also heard it was at one time one of the most polluted rivers in the world. There has been lots of green vegetation floating in the river and there are boats that go up and down the river picking this stuff out of the water with nets on long poles. The water is very muddy. I was told that the vegetation is from landslides that end up in the river, but who knows.

Our cruise was a dinner cruise and there were four families from our group that went. The weather was wonderful after having rained earlier in the day. We were able to stand out on the deck and look at all the lights on the buildings. The Chinese really go all out with the lights! Many of the buildings have animated displays that can only be done justice by video, but the photos give you a taste.

The hotel in the background is where we are staying, the White Swan.

ZhuZhu was in a good mood and really liked the feel of the wind in her face. She was all lovey tonight, so it feels like we are making good progress. She did a "magic" trick for us with her fingers that is really cute. I'll try to catch it on video soon. She continues to open up to us each day. We are just beginning to see her personality and it will be even more fun when we understand all that she is jabbering about.

We are close to wrapping up our visit to China. Very soon we will be on the way home to start the next leg of this adventure. We are sure that Keegan and Oliver will welcome ZhuZhu into our family with open and loving arms. We can hardly wait for them to meet her.

To those of you who have been following on this journey, we hope you have gotten a feel for how special this has been for us. We have really felt the love pouring out of the other adoptive families as they proudly shared their experiences with us over this past week or so. We hope we have done a sufficient job of providing you a window into this experience

I know that I came into this not sure what to expect. My emotions were all over the map. Now, only a week or so into this journey, I can tell you this for sure, when you see that sad face that you looked at in the pictures turn into a happy, giggling child who wraps their arms around you and plants a kiss on your cheek, there can be no doubt that this is right and good

You shall do what is right and good in the sight of the Lord.

Deuteronomy 6:18

Touring Guangzhou

ZhuZhu seems to be accepting that she is stuck with us. She is waking up happier and was ready to get out of her pajamas and into her clothes this morning so we could get going. She seems to like to be on the run and thus should fit in nice with the schedule that is normally maintained around our house.

We have been working on winking and other "tricks". She does high fives, knucks, and peek-a-boo. She also likes to "clink" the glasses before we take a drink. Oliver and Keegan should love all of these tricks and I am sure they will teach her additional things. Below is an example of her winking.

Marcy has been trying to organize a dinner cruise for us and some of the other families tonight. While she was talking to various families at breakfast ZhuZhu and I went looking for photo opts. Below you will see a few shots that were taken inside the hotel.
Today our group activity was to tour a few sites in Guangzhou. We went to Liurong Temple (six Banyon tree Temple) and the Guangdong Museum of Folk Arts (Chen Clan Temple), a museum that houses relics and artwork including famous embroidery.

At the temple, several families participated in a baby blessing ceremony. Marcy, ZhuZhu and I climbed to the top of the pagoda for a nice view of the city. The safety standards in China are quite different from what we are use to. There was only a small railing keeping us from falling 9 stories (actually 17 stories, there were 9 outside levels with an interior level between each). It was a hard climb as the head clearance was very low in many spots. It was also quite hot, imagine that in the sub-tropics.

Next was the museum with its many detailed carvings, embroidery pieces, and other fine works. We enjoyed seeing this fine work and cannot imagine how long some of this takes. some of the artists may have spent a lifetime working on these items.

The dinner cruise is still on for tonight with several families. Hopefully we will have some more good stories and photos to post after that.

Nice to see, nice to hold...

Nice to see, nice to hold.

Once broke, consider sold.

This sign was at one of the shops we stopped at today and I thought it was cute. The message was also very clear!

Today our travel group activity was "shopping". ZhuZhu was very patient and quite well behaved throughout the adventure. More details on the shopping later.

This morning had the least amount of tears of any morning so far. We barely used one tissue! ZhuZhu seems to be getting into the routine (if you can call it that). She really did good today and only cried a little at bed time. She wanted to go back out on the town, but at 10:00, it is time for bed. It has been pretty much regular parenting battles lately, such as not picking up toys, putting away dirty clothes, or brushing her teeth. We are picking our battles at this point, but will have to make sure we get more consistent once we get home.

ZhuZhu continues to get lots of compliments about how beautiful she is when we are out and about. Part of it is a ploy by the shop owners to make you feel good and want to come into their shop. I think all of the children here are cute in their own way, but ZhuZhu has to be the cutest (I might be somewhat biased . . . ).

The shopping was pretty incredible. First, we went to a store where all the merchandise is guaranteed genuine. I think it may have been state-owned. They had several grades of jade, beautiful porcelain, and other treasures. You can purchase many things on the street, but when purchasing fine articles and works of art, it is best to purchase at a place like this. Jade is particularly valued in China - and a red string necklace with a jade pendant is usually given to children at 1 year by the eldest member of the family. It will bring safety to the child and of course, happiness. We did make a few purchases here. We are trying to find items for ZhuZhu that are particularly valued in her birth country for future gifts to her.

Next was the pearl market. Imagine looking up 6 stories and seeing shops of jewelry all around you on each floor! That is what this was like. All of the shops house different types of polished rock or gems. They are all on 16" or 18" strands. You have your necklaces, bracelets and earrings made there. There are also pieces already made using the stones of the particular shop. We spent all our time in the pearl shop. They were lovely, as you can see below. A few purchases were made here as well. How could I resist!

There are some beautiful, ornate pieces here at the hotel. Here is one of them. All are for sale, although I don't know that I would want to put this in my carry-on bag.
Tonight, we were talking with our boys, Keegan and Oliver. ZhuZhu said "Ni hao, Keegan" and "Ni hao, Oliwer". Then she said "Hi, Keegan" and "Hi, Oliwer". And "bye -bye". We were showing her their pictures when she was talking. It was very cute! She has such a little voice. I know they are in love with her already, aren't you boys? They have been so good while we have been away. We are very proud of them!

It's difficult to believe we only have two days left in China and then we are on our way home with our daughter. We have been meeting new families every day, either in the hotel toy room, at breakfast (which, by the way, is fabulous at the White Swan), or while we are out and about. Every family has its own story - most of them are spine-tingling. Here, we hear the word "destiny" a lot. It is truly God's plan for each of these precious children to become part of a loving and caring family. I am trying to link some websites of other travel families to this blog - it may not work tonight, but stay tuned. Caution: these sites are addictive! The children are true blessings of God's grace! Please continue to keep us and all these families in your prayers. Good night.

5 star room service

Greetings from Guangzhou, Guangdong, China. ZhuZhu has her wings! We had a successful flight after roughly a 1/2 hour delay. Several of the other families we met while in Nanning were on the same flight with us to Guangzhou, and many are staying here at the White Swan. ZhuZhu did great for the first half of the the flight. It was only about an hour long, so not much time to get antsy. She wanted to get out of the seat belt about 45 minutes into the flight, but we were able to convince here this was not a good idea by showing her the "fasten seat belt sign". She did have a hard time with the decent, or maybe she was just tired. We gave here a sucker for the departure, but with the short flight length didn't give her another for the decent. Anyway, we ended up waiting to be last off the plane to give her some time to settle down. Nothing major, just some tears.

ZhuZhu ended up falling asleep on the way to the hotel, so maybe her mood was more related to being tired and hungry than issues with the plane ride. We will see when we fly next week if planes are the problem! We rode to the hotel with one of the travel group families, Steve and Christine. It was like hooking up with life long friends when we saw them. We had so much to talk about, sharing our experiences. I also ran into a few others from the travel group as I snooped around the hotel looking for something to eat.

Now to explain the title of this post. When we arrived, we were very hungry. It had been about 9 hours since we had eaten. Our plan was to eat at the airport in Nanning, but there wasn't really anything to eat once you got through security. We said, "why not get room service?" I'll tell you why, a hamburger and a coke would have cost 188 RMB plus a 15% service charge. For those unfamiliar with the exchange rate, this equals about $31.80. Yes, I did the math right and that is only for one. If we both wanted to eat our own, it would have been over $60. Getting hot dogs would have saved us about $3.00! Needless to say I went on a snack mission but it was too late and all the shops in the hotel were closed. We had crackers, granola bars, and water; nice Chinese meal.

This morning was great fun getting to see most all of the travel group again with their new additions. Each child is so darling. I think awesome is an over used word, but I have to admit it is truly awesome to see how much love all of these families have to share with their newest members. There are MANY adoptive families here, most with infants (11-15 months) from all parts of the world. The entire area we are in (Shamian Island) caters to the adoptive community.

ZhuZhu had to test us a few times today to see where the boundaries are. She did not want to put on her dress - the dress we had been trying to get her into all week. We did finally manage and she went to breakfast pouting. She perked up when she saw all the babies. We met the group at 10am and walked a few blocks to have ZhuZhu's photo taken for her visa application and then around the corner for the medical exam. It cracked us up to see the signs in the medical clinic "Quiet, Please". There were probably 20-25 children plus parents and other family member in this quite small office. Plus, there was a lot of crying. ZhuZhu was great in all the exam rooms.

Had lunch at Lucy's - a small restaurant with Western style food. ZhuZhu wanted french fries - again. We'll start the nutritional program at home and make sure we have the waitress tell her next time that they are out of french fries (we did that in Nanning). Vince took care of paperwork this afternoon and the girls went shopping. ZhuZhu needed shoes! Really, she did! Found a pair of squeaky sandals that fit her (most of the items here are for the infants - there is not very much for toddlers or older children unless you are looking for the traditional dress). Some time since then, she has removed the squeakers and tossed them somewhere - the little stinker! The squeakers are actually cute at first, but get to be quite annoying.

After dinner, we went to the toy room here at the White Swan. It has just been renovated and is a great room for the kids to blow off some steam. ZhuZhu went right for the Duplos! Keegan, better put your Legos on a higher shelf or just get used to some new designs created by your sister!

Played with Bao Bao, also. His parents, Janet and Kevin, were our "neighbors" in Beijing and are right down the hall here. I don't know if dinner ever got on the table - too many cooks in the kitchen!

ZhuZhu got her first dose of neon tonight, as we ventured out of the hotel to check out the night scenery. The White Swan sits right on the Pearl river. The photo shows one of the hotels on the other side of the river.

Yiling then off to Guangzhou.

Today we will travel to Guangzhou, the last leg of our trip before the big return home on July 2nd. We will be staying at the infamous White Swan Hotel. Apparently this is a very nice hotel that caters to adoptive families.

Before leaving Guangxi, we added a tour to Yiling village. This area has a very unique landscape that may have inspired Dr Seuss.

We were taken by our guide to a farming village where we were able to walk out in the fields. We saw corn, rice, tomatoes, pumpkins, potatoes, and many other vegetables. We talked with one man who was harvesting his corn. It actually looked quite nice with large, long ears. He told us he has 1 acre of corn and 1 acre of soybeans. The corn is used to feed his pigs. We told him we also raised corn and beans, but he probably thought, "Yeah right, you really look like a farmer."

ZhuZhu LOVED the animals. This was in her report, and they were not lying when they told us this. She wanted to pet everything. She seemed especially fond of the sow that had 10 piglets. She also liked the baby calf. I think she will like the farm.

ZhuZhu still has occasional moments, but they are getting fewer and further between. We are very much enjoying that wonderful personality that you all will likely fall in love with very soon. This afternoon as we are packing she has been making necklaces, playing with puzzles, and trying on her new sunglasses. I think she likes them!