A rough transition

It is good to be home but unfortunately we have had a bit of a rough time once we got home. Our plane ride was long but went well. Sophia only had two dirty diapers on the entire thirty hour trip home. We were well prepared and have become experts at changing diapers in inconvenient places at inconvenient times. Sophia, Katie and Anne slept most of the trip home. Steve wasn’t so lucky.

Steve’s parents and grandmother met us at the airport. Susan was also there to take pictures of the homecoming. (Thank you, Susan) Everyone was very excited to see Sophia. We can’t wait to share more memories with Sophia and our parents.

We got home to very excited pets. Kaegogi, our dog, was very excited to see us but wasn’t so sure about Sophia. She does not like it at all when she cries. Kaegogi avoided us for the first two days. She has finally forgiven us and seems to be enjoying the baby, especially when Sophia feeds her. The cats have been very lovey. Gir and Noelle have let Sophia pet them and don’t seem to mind when she pulls a fist full of fur from their backs. Saturday Sophia was sleeping on the couch. Gir cuddled up right next to her and slept with her. It was so cute.

Sophia went to the doctor on Friday. Her bronchitis is gone. The Chinese medicine worked wonders. She still has a cold and cough but hasn’t been running a fever. We are still having trouble in the GI department. We are awaiting some test results to see what is going on. We are not sure if it is a parasite or a viral infection.

Steve has been very sick since Sunday. He has been running a high fever and feels like he has the flu. He hasn’t been this sick in years. Anne was very ill with a GI thing for 24 hours on Monday but is feeling much better today.

Anne’s mother, Grandma Barbara, came down to visit for the weekend. Her friend Auntie Pat came down with her. It was so nice to have Grandma meet Sophia on her first full day home. Sophia did wonderfully with both Grandma and Auntie Pat on Friday. But she had a rough day on Saturday. She was very cranky all day and only wanted to be held by mama. She is not at all on our time schedule. She is taking long naps during the day and waking up at 3:00 AM. There are several other babies from our travel group who are also waking up at this magical hour. We have been too sick to try to adjust her schedule but today is the day. We are waking her up from her naps and getting her outside in the sunlight more. Hopefully in the next few weeks we can work this out.

We want to thank all our friends and family who have helped out. Thank you, Mom Braunfor stocking our refrigerator before we got home. Thank you, Mom Acampora and Auntie Pat for taking the trip down to visit us. Thank you, Andrea C, for bringing by dinner when we were too exhausted to cook. Thank you, Abbie, for bringing by some groceries when we were too sick to go out. Thanks to all those who have offered to help out. We will be taking you up on your offers when we need it.

We will try to update this blog weekly to share in Sophia’s adjustment and milestones so check back every now and then.

Stay tuned

Coming soon....
How we made it to America without being covered in poop
Sophia's first day as an American
Meeting grandparents and friends in the airport
Meeting Grandma Barb and Auntie Pat
A day without sleep is like a day without sleep
Sleeping cats and children

For all those wondering Sophia is over her bronchitis. Her cold is breaking up. Her diarrhea seems to be getting better. She was VERY cranky today. We are not sure if her days and nights are mixed up or she is teething. It could also be that she is mourning her loss of the foster parents.

For all friends and family that have offered to help out we really do appreciate it. We will probably be slowly taking you all up on your offers.

Once we get some sleep and gain some sanity we will post the stories and pictures.

Our last day in China

Wednesday, August 23

Today was our last day in China. We spent it changing diapers again!!! We did the last of our shopping. Anne has bought small gifts to give Sophia for her first sixteen birthdays. They are all small items but will hopefully serve to honor her roots.

We also crossed a foot bridge off of Shaiman Island and went to an open air market. This was quite a cultural experience. They sold items used in traditional Chinese medicine such as scorpions (dead and alive), snakes, starfish, turtles, centipedes (6 inches long), chickens and other very interesting items.

On the way back two young guys came up to us and asked if they could talk to us to practice their English. They were very nice. They asked us questions about our hobbies and about America. Their English was quite good. They learn it from watching TV with English subtitles.

We also had the opportunity to meet one of our neighbor’s old college classmates. He came to visit us in the hotel. We had hoped to go out and have him show us more of Guangzhou but we can not stray too far from the hotel with Sophia being so sick. He runs a university which teaches English. He offered Steve a visiting professorship. Perhaps some day we can take him up on that and come to live here for one semester.

We also went to the American Consulate today. We took an oath stating that we were honest in our paperwork through the adoption process. Sophia is still a Chinese citizen with a Chinese passport and a visa into the US. Once we touch down in San Francisco tomorrow she will become an American citizen. Sophia wore her traditional Chinese dress for this ceremony. Katie and Sophia also got beautiful matching light blue traditional dresses. They took Katie’s measurements yesterday and had a tailor sew it. We picked it up today. It is beautiful. Katie made a good choice when picking out the fabric.

We had sent a camera in a care package to Sophia in July. We were given back the camera we sent. We had that developed today. We were very pleased to see Sophia in parks near her foster family’s home (center picture.) There is a lady holding her lovingly. We assume this is the foster mother. There is also a young boy hugging her, probably her foster brother. It is nice to see Sophia in such a good environment with people who obviously cared for her.

We are a little concerned about our long trip home tomorrow with Sophia still being sick. We packed over ten diapers in our carry on bag and hope that is enough to get us home. We leave the hotel at 5:45 Thursday morning (tomorrow), travel about 30 hours, and arrive home about 11:00 PM on Thursday night. Keep us in your thoughts and prayers.

Another Day, Another Trip to the Doctors

Tuesday, August 22

Today Sophia woke up with a fever. We gave her Motrin and it went down quickly. She was much more cranky and clingy today than she has been all week. The medicine that we were given yesterday doesn’t seem to be working. We went through two shirts and three pants today. Thank goodness laundry is cheap here.

At 5:00 we told our guide that she still wasn’t doing any better and he brought us to the doctors here at the White Swan. These doctors were great. They played with Sophia while doing the exam and definitely did a more thorough exam. She had a temp of 100.4 and has bronchitis, which we suspected from the start. We were given new medicine. This regime is getting quite complicated. Steve feels like he is a pharmacist mixing everything up. She is now taking cough medicine, a new antibiotic, a decongestant and Motrin three times a day. This is followed thirty minutes later with the medicine for her diarrhea. Let’s hope this does the trick. She is obviously not feeling well today. We have an appointment on Friday with our doctor as well.

This morning we took Sophia’s picture on the red couch. While we were there a Chinese woman came up and asked me if Sophia was my daughter. When I told her she was she looked very confused. She told me she could not be because our hair was different. I explained that Sophia Li Hua is a Chinese baby. She promptly looked at Steve and said, “So this is not your husband?” After explaining he was and that we adopted Sophia she looked very confused. She could not wrap her mind around this. I explained that Sophia was orphaned and we asked the government if we could take her home with us to America. This is not the only time Chinese folks have been confused about Sophia. Many ask if she is a boy or girl. These questions make me think that the orphan problem is really kept out of the news. People here seem to have no idea how wide-spread a problem this is, nor how many children are adopted into forever families. It is mind-blowing. The Chinese do not question authority and this is quite evident in the dealings we have had with them thus far. I am thankful for our freedom and the liberty of not being kept in the dark.

Two people, on two separate occasions, told us Sophia looked like Anne. I am not sure if it is the curly hair or the long nose!!! The gentleman today told us it was our eyes.

Sophia played a bit with her friend Katlyn in the playroom today. Sophia walked using a push toy. She did not last long seeing she wasn’t feeling good. The picture above says it all. Sophia is tired of being sick and just wants to be home and feeling better. I think we are all feeling that way today. It has been a long and trying day.

A note from Steve:
As far as I was concerned, going to China to get Sophie was one of the most important events in my life. I had hoped to be able sneak in a visit to a martial arts school or maybe take a lesson or two. Who would have thought that finding a martial arts school in China would be difficult? Not me, but it was easier to find Micky D’s than it was to find any kung-fu school. I had to settle for visiting the home and museum of Wong Feihong, the most famous martial artist in Chinese history and the shrine to my teacher’s, teacher’s, teacher, Ip Man. Katie and I took an hour long taxi ride to Foshan, a neighboring city, to find the city’s Ancestor Park and the museums. After we entered the area we saw people doing Tai Chi and young kids practicing their lion and dragon dancing routines. The kids were wonderful and later when we were wondering the grounds, a few of them were showing off for Katie and me. Next we wandered through the museum and read about Wong Feihong. Once again, Katie was accosted for a picture since her blond hair is a major attraction. The shrine to Ip Man was a pleasant surprise and I even amused other tourists when I worked out on the wooden dummy in the area. Then Katie and I tossed coins up on to a Buddha statue for good luck and performed a brief Confucian ceremony to honor our ancestors. It was a great time in the hometown of one of the arts that I teach and that will always be a special memory for me.

One week and one million diapers later

Monday, August 21, 2006 (We have had Sophia one week today!!)

Sophia is getting into quite a routine, blessing us with a dirty diaper to be changed in the middle of the night and then another one right after she awakes in the morning. She takes these dirty diapers in stride, never even crying when they are full. We are the ones that are crying with the stink and the mess. The medicine does not seem to be helping in the least bit. We were planning on visiting the doctor here at the White Swan after breakfast but were told we had to go for our medical exam for the visa so off we went. She did not want to leave mama or baba’s arms for the visa picture. She looks quite scared.

The medical appointment checked her weight (18.4 pounds) and length (28.75 inches), her hearing (by ringing a bell and playing a toy piano), and her throat. It was a very quick and efficient process. The doctor seemed pleased by her chubby little legs.

After the medical exam another doctor consulted with us regarding her diarrhea. He reviewed her medical chart from the hospital in Chengdu. He told us, with our guide interpreting, that is not bacterial and gave her some medicine that should bind her. Let’s hope this does the trick.

After the medical appointment we went out to find a place to do our laundry and then did some shopping. We bought some squeaky shoes, some traditional Chinese outfits, and some gifts for future birthdays. Guangzhou is really a charming city. The shops are amazing. The people all seem very friendly and we found a place around the corner that serves Hagen daz ice cream. We know what we are having for desert later.

Sophia is truly amazing. She is laughing more each day. She is imitating everything we do and learning so much through exploring. She seems to be playing with her voice today. She is cruising along furniture and can sign “more” when asked to. She also knows how to play “peek-a-boo.” We say “peek-a-boo” and she covers her ears!!! She does this consistently. I am sure she will fine tune it in a few days and learn to cover her eyes. She is a doll. She loves to cuddle and doesn’t mind us giving her lots of kisses.

Chengdu

August 20

We spent the morning in Chengdu. After a short morning swim for Katie we headed out onto the streets. Chengdu is a beautiful city. It is cleaner than Chongqing but just as busy. There were so many people riding bicycles. In Beijing, Chongqing and Wolong we constantly heard car horns blowing. Here the ringing of bells from people on bikes was almost music to the ears. The amount of bike traffic is amazing. The streets have a lane for bike traffic and then the car traffic. You feel like frogger trying to first get through the bikers and then the drivers. It is quite scary at times. I hesitate too much and take far too long to cross a street. Steve plows right through.

Sophia went on her second plane ride today. She slept through most of it. We “double-diapered” for the plane ride and it is good thing. Right before landing Sophia had, yet another, dirty diaper. The two layers saved mama’s lap.

Guangzhou seems beautiful. There are bright lights and the city has a very British feel to it. We did not see much of it on the bus ride to the hotel but what we saw we liked. We are at the famous White Swan Hotel. The service seems great so far. We had dinner in the hotel tonight and Sophia, who can no longer eat anything but her rice cereal, congee, and formula, did a great job entertaining herself while mama, baba, and Katie ate. She loved the sound of a spoon hitting a table.

First trip to the doctors

Saturday, August 19th

What was supposed to be a three hour return trip to civilization turned into another marathon driving event but this one included barf, poop and pee by the bucket full. Although our driver did an outstanding job, otherwise I wouldn’t be typing this, he couldn’t control the amount of traffic off the mountain and it took us a total of seven hours to get to Chengdu. Sophia has a bad diarrhea problem and we had to make three high speed, multiple-G diaper changes. Two other kids threw-up because of the bumpy ride and another had a major diaper leak. Our bus driver must love us!

We got to Chengdu just in time to send out our clothes to the laundry and then decided to take Sophia to the local children’s hospital for some help with the diarrhea per recommendation of our guide and the doctor at the hotel. The hospital was close by so we got into a taxi with our guide for another white knuckled ride. The hospital was very efficient but not as clean as the hospitals at home. Thank goodness we were in and out of there quickly. The doctor wanted a culture of Sophia’s bowel movement. On command, Sophia would not perform. They asked us some questions, gave us some medicine and sent us on our way with a little plastic cup to bring a sample of her BM back. The medicine we were given consists of some pills we need to crush and some powder we mix with water, maybe something like pedia’lite. We have no idea what we are giving her but we trust the Chinese medicine seeing it is so well established. They also switched her formula to a lactose free one. She does not like it one bit. We got back to the hotel and before long Sophia gave us the sample we needed. Our guide brought it back to the hospital. We will hopefully hear the results tomorrow. If she wasn’t acting so cheerful we would be really worried.

Steve ran out to a local Pizza Hut for dinner and we agreed it was just what we needed after nine days of all Chinese food. After that Katie and Steve had a quick swim and we all returned to the room for playtime. Sophie is learning so quickly. She already is signing “more” and maybe “daddy”, has begun to crawl and pull her self up to stand and imitate our clapping and silly faces. We all can’t wait to get home and have you meet this adorable bundle of cuteness (Katie’s phrase).

Pandas!!!

Friday, August 18th

Today we visited the Wolong Panda Preserve. It has many adult and young pandas and we saw lots of pandas really close up. There are a number of pandas at the reserve that are used to human contact. As a matter of fact, Katie, Anne and Sophia got to pet a panda while Steve took our picture. It was really wild. The reserve also has sixteen baby pandas and it was hilarious to watch them play with each other. They wrestle with each other just like little kids. After the visit with the pandas we shopped at the local shops run by Tibetans. We got a few more gifts for folks back home and a Tibetan baby carrier (a very colorful embroidered sash). After a quick lunch, we took a long nap and walked around the hotel grounds. Besides the pandas, there isn’t much to do up in Wolong. That wouldn’t be a problem, if we were here for a vacation. Everyone in the group can’t wait to get back to a luxury hotel

Low point

Thursday, August 17th

Every trip must have its low point and today was it.
To begin with, it is never a good idea to leave a Five Star hotel if you don’t have to. Our every need was either on-site or blocks away.

Katie, Sophie, Anne and Steve almost missed the plane because of a mix-up with the tickets and boarding passes and if that wasn’t bad enough, baggage pick-up on the other end was self-serve. We almost left the plane without our luggage and that would have been the end of most of our stuff.

We took a short ride to have the worst Chinese food we’ve ever had and had to confront the potty monster. What’s the potty monster? Most toilets here are simply a foot and a half long trench that you squat over, squatty-potties. They can be quiet challenging to use and we ended up having to find a hotel with western toilets.

The ride from Chengdu to the Wolong Panda Preserve was originally reported to be between two and three hours. Then four. It took us over five hours and some of it was actually quite dangerous. To get to the Preserve we had to leave the main highways and travel on narrow, two lane, switch-back, precipice hugging, roads, go over bridges with very low retaining walls and through single lane mountain tunnels. All at high speed and often with us passing other vehicles (buses, trucks, motorcycles, farm tractors) or with them trying to pass us. Nerve racking. Then it got worse. The actual road to the Panda Preserve is also made up of narrow, two lane, switch-back, precipice hugging, roads but it’s under construction. So it’s often only one lane, maybe. The construction is never ending and what we would do by machine, the Chinese do by man-power. Boulders too big to haul away? Hammer them into smaller pieces. Or better yet, sculpt them into a wheel shape and roll it away.

We finally arrive at our hotel. As Dorothy said to Toto, “We are not in Kanas anymore.”
It had rained today and eventually the hotel leaks when it rains. The floor in our hotel room, which is quite scary to begin with, is wet. The room is musty and there is no place to even open our suitcases. We all met for dinner in the hotel restaurant. Just when we thought things could not get worse, we were faced with lousy food, nothing that the kids could eat, no high chairs and two rats running up the wall. Granted this is a mountainous place and the hotel has a rustic feel but the rats put us over the top. Many of us asked to leave after we visited the pandas tomorrow but that will not be possible. We will need to spend two nights here.

One cool thing was the people and the shopping right outside the hotel. The grounds are really breathtaking. There was music and some people dancing right outside. The tiny shops had beautiful wall hangings, knitted socks, and lots of stuffed animals, pandas of course.

The people in China come right up to you and talk to you in Mandarin. We have no idea what they are saying most the time. They do not gesture much, but one person made it clear that Sophia did not have enough clothing on (the clothing police) and another that her nose needed to be wiped. Sophia does not like it when people come up to her and touch her, shake her arms and legs. She usually calls “mama.” This area is much different from the cities we have been in. There are many more Tibetian people here. The handmade items are colorful and beautiful.

Sophia was a joy tonight. She played on the bed, laughing and smiling. She is really starting to crawl. She also pulls herself up to her feet. She copies everything we do. She even helped clean the bed full of her cookie crumbs after she saw Anne brush them away.

GOOD MORNING, CHONGQING!!!!

August 16th AM
Sophia slept through the night in her crib. She awoke at 5:30 and initiated us into parenting her. She had a bowel movement. Before we knew it the diaper was leaking onto the bed. Anne quickly changed her and called to Steve to run the bath. It was a mess. The prunes were a bit too much. Anne stripped her down and was just about ready to put her in the bath when she pooped all over Anne and the bathroom floor. It was explosive. Anne handled it very well. Steve and Anne both broke out laughing.

We then thought it was a good idea to give her a bottle before we gave her medicine. She did not agree. She threw up all over Steve and the bed again. We called housekeeping to come pick up the dirty towels and linens. While they were in her she threw up again. They quickly brought more towels. It seems to be a combination of her cough and playing upside down with daddy.

We then had a nice breakfast of congee (good for the tummy) and some potatoes. She then took a nap lying on mommy. Mommy wanted to sleep too but as soon as Anne moved her off she started crying. She woke up in the best mood. She played with Anne on the bed.

She then got on the floor and played with Katie. She really began crawling when Katie put the toys out of her reach. She is opening up more each day. At breakfast she was waving to daddy (which we are calling baba- the Chinese word for daddy.) She might even be starting to sign more when she wants more food. She started to clap her hands and feet. She likes holding mama’s hands and making them clap. She seems to call for mama when she wants to be held by Anne. She has said baba a few times as well. We are in love.

Today we have what we hope is a quiet day. There is nothing scheduled for us. We will just spend time bonding. This could be the last blog for a few days seeing we are going to a more rural area tomorrow. We fly out in the morning and then take a bus to the Wolong Panda Reserve. We will be spending two nights in the Panda Inn. We will get online to update this if it is possible but if you don’t see any news, no need to worry. We miss everyone and we can’t wait to see you at home. Look for more updates, if not tomorrow then in three days when we get to Guangzhou. At this rate she will be speaking English in full sentences and be ready to run in a marathon.

It is official

August 15th, evening

Sophia is doing wonderfully. She is starting to come out of her shell and we have gotten some really good smiles from her. Katie is the best at getting her to laugh and smile. This whole process is amazing. We are really beginning to figure her out. We definitely know when she is tired, she can get very cranky and clingy. We are also pretty good at figuring out when she is hungry. She is a good eater. We gave her some cheerios, congee (rice cereal/soup that is feed to all the babies here… adults eat it with dried fruits in it as well), potatoes and watermelon. She likes to finger feed herself. We figure about 1/3 goes into her, 1/3 on her and 1/3 on the floor. Feeding her the congee ensures her belly is full. She likes her bottle and drinks about four a day.

For lunch she had some turkey, potatoes, rice and congee. She enjoyed it all. She slept through dinner tonight. We all went out to a Sichuan cuisine restaurant. The food is very spicy. It is believe that if you eat spicy food, you will sweat and then be cooler. I don’t know about that. I do know that I did sweat after a few of those dishes. Sophia had a much milder dinner in the room afterwards, rice cereal and prunes. The diaper changes should be fun tomorrow.

After dinner a few of us asked to be taken to a store. Some people had to buy a stroller. We wanted a few more clothes for Sophia. We packed very lightly and she has spit up on some outfits so we are running low. The shopping was an experience. Our guide took us, thank goodness. We went to a French department store with a name that starts with a C. I could not believe how big this was. If Shihong wasn’t leading us through it, asking people where the stuff we were looking for was, we would have never made it out of there alive. The store was packed. There is no personal space her in China. People stand right (and I mean right) besides you. They push if they want to get through. I guess it is survival in a county that is so heavily populated. We got stares before we got the baby but now we can’t walk anywhere without being stared at. We are also out of Beijing and I think this city sees a lot less travelers. People come up to us and talk to us in Mandarin. They admire the baby and touch her. It got very overwhelming after a long day in this hot weather.

It is over one hundred degrees here today. It was hot at 8:30 this morning and did not cool off at all this evening. The humidity is oppressive. Chongqing is called one of the three furnaces of the world and I can attest that it is true. I have never felt anything quite like this. Many stores do not have AC. It is something which words can not describe. We will be looking forward to Thursday when we got to the mountains to visit the panda reserve. We will get some respite from this heat.

The driving in China is frightening. Apparently the rules of the road are merely suggestions. It is rare that cars stop for red lights. Cars cut over into your lane without a blinker. There have been three cars driving to merge in the lane we were driving at one time. It is a game of chicken. None of the cars want to give in, so they sped up and try to be first into the lane. There are no seat belts or car seats in China, so we have the babies on our laps. It scares me to death every time we get into a taxi or our van. I can’t look out the windows.

And the most exciting, although that is not the most accurate word, part of the day was our appointment at Adoption Registration Center at 2:00 today. This was the moment that Sophia officially became part of our families. We were merely babysitters on a trial period before this “ceremony.” We all went in for our family pictures. This becomes part of her adoption paperwork. Sophia was sleeping and we had to wake her up for the picture. She did not like that at all. She kept falling back to sleep before the guy had time to snap the picture. We then were fingerprinted as part of the form. We were handed her adoption decree and a little gift, a gold etched plate in a wooden box. It is beautiful. It was a very meaningful moment to know that Sophia is officially ours. It is a good thing because they are not getting her back!!!
We have a small copy of the offical picture but until we can get it scanned and on-line the picture that Katie took above is all we have. (Linda do you recognize Hollie's dress. We got more compliments on that dress today. Tell Hollie Sophia thanks her and can't wait to meet her.)

One neat thing is that there were nannies from the same orphanage many the children from our travel group were in. We watched the babies and the nannies interacting with the babies. Just as we were leaving the families arrived. They are also staying at our hotel and I am sure we will bump into them tomorrow.

Sophia is asleep in her crib. Last night she would not go in it without screaming so she slept with us. It is important to the bonding process that she knows we are there for her and she is not being abandoned again. She has had some major changes in her life in the last day or so. We was separated from her foster family and then given to this doting family who doesn’t look, smell or talk like people she is used to. All in all she is doing great with the transition.

Oh, and one last thing. She is beginning to crawl. She likes to be carried and probably hasn’t gotten much floor time. I am sure she will be full out crawling by the time we get home.

We couldn't be happier

August 15th AM
Today is our first full day with Sophie and we are having a great time! Sophie, Steve and Katie slept throughout the night but Anne was too excited to really get much sleep. It was all she could do to not wake Sophie up to play early this morning. After we all got up and ready we ate breakfast. We were happy to find out that Sophia is used to feeding herself and she likes potatoes and watermelon. She also likes spoons and is trying to get in on the feeding action.

Next decided to do a little shopping before it got too hot. Evidently, there is no "before it gets too hot" time here in Chongqing and we were sweating just walking to the the stores two blocks away. The area of Chongqing that we are in is more of a mix old and new with six foot wide tailor stalls and snack shops across the street from million dollar high rise offices. We shopped in the state run bookstore and an up-scale department store. We purchased a few Chinese-English books for Sophie, a martial arts book for Steve and a sippy cup for the baby. While we were walking Sophie fell asleep. What a doll.

Since we are in a less cosmopolitan area than Beijing, we are getting a lot of looks and a few questions. Saying hello always seems to break the ice, especially with the kids, since it gives them a chance to try out their English.

Sophia did not stay asleep when we got back and so it was blog and play time. We took turns playing with her on the floor and have begun to see smiles and hear her beautiful voice. Of course, everything new is very interesting. She is already very attached to Anne and wants to know where she is at all times.

We feel very fortunate to have Sophia in our lives. Every family joined through adoption always feel like their child is the best. I can certainly say we know we have the best child. We are starting to be able to figure out when she is tired or hungry. She lets us know when she wants something. She is so much fun to play with and hold. I never want to let her go.

Sophia is a doll

August 14

We got to our hotel at about 2:00 PM and no sooner got off the bus when our babies came in the lobby. They were probably waiting for us to arrive. Steve recognized Sophia right away and I riffled through my carry on to find the video camera.

They handed Sophia to me (Anne) She cried a little bit but settled down quickly. Katie then had a chance to hold her and finally Steve. She cried a little every time she was passed off but settled in quickly. We brought her back to the room and gave her a bottle which she drank very quickly.

Then Anne took a bath with her. She loved the water. Katie joined the bath and all the girls had fun. She played with Katlyn, Heather and Todd's daughter. She is in my lap now as I type. She is reaching for the keys and every now and then types a few letters. Steve is doing paperwork.

She has a bit of a cold so we gave her the antibiotics the doctor gave us. We will write more later once we settle in. We just wanted to let you know that she is beautiful. We are in love and she is quite content.

-A Note From Katie
WOW! Where should I start?She is really cute, and she loves water. We should get along well...
She has already made some friends,taken a bath, had a bottle (two, actually), played with some toys, and almost took a nap.She hasn't cried much, though. All of the babies are adorable, but little Sophie is the cutest! Well, Anne said to stop typing,so I will. If you have comments to me,
Write for Katie please. Thanks!

Our last day in Beijing

August 13

Today was fantastic and the high point of our trip so far. We began the day with a boat ride across a small lake and saw both the “hot” night spots of Beijing and the first section of the Grand Canal that brought the Emperor’s concubines from 1700 kilometers to the south.

Next we climbed up the Drum Tower which the city residents relied on to tell time. It was also a great spot to be able to look across Beijing and see the contrast between the old and the new. It was much easier to climb the Drum Tower than the Great Wall.

After the tower we returned to the lake for a boat ride and a serenade. The musicians were two beautiful young women who played mandolins. Since it was Sunday many families were out and about. One family left the driving to their young daughter. She was much more interested in looking at us than in driving and this resulted in the family’s boat hitting both a bridge embankment and a few other boats.

For lunch the guide arranged for us to go to a local family’s home. This area is known as the Hutong district and it is named after the old courtyard homes found there. The courtyard homes were originally the property of one family and often had four generations living there. Now the government has taken the homes and put four or five smaller families into these houses. Our family’s father is an outstanding worker at a local factory who has been rewarded with the larger part of the Hutong. He and his wife cooked the best meal we’ve had here and told us a little about their lives in Beijing. They showed us around the whole house and we were amazed at the number of pets kept by the families. If we ever feel that out house in Laurel is too small, we just need to look at the pictures from our visit here.

After lunch we joined a rickshaw tour of the area. The poverty we saw impacted each of us. We later discussed that this may be the life that we are taking Sophie away from. Much of the area is being rebuilt, as is much of Beijing, in preparation for the 2008 Olympics. The work never ends with workers and machinery going day and night, seven days a week.

Our next stop was a freshwater pearl factory where Anne did a little early-bird shopping. To continue a tradition from the Acampora family, we bought pearls for both Katie and Sophie to wear on their wedding day. We got a few other gifts but we can’t tell you to much more without spoiling a few surprises when we get home.

The last stop of our tour of Beijing was a visit to the Summer Palace. Unfortunately, it started to rain just as we arrived. It was very difficult to move through the area without losing an eye to a passing umbrella and we moved through the park quite quickly. We’ll have to check it out next time.

We arrived back at the hotel and spent some time repacking and thinking about how, after tomorrow, our live will never be the same. Sophie, here we come!

The Great Wall

August 12

Today was a physically exhausting day. After breakfast we headed to The Great Wall. Once again the vastness is something words can not explain. The never ending stairs, winding up the mountain side is remarkable. We were determined to make it as high as we could. We had two hours to climb. Steve, Katie and I made it to the first tower. Steve and I forged on higher while Katie stayed with others in the travel group who decided the first tower was enough. Steve and I made it to the second tower (you can see the second tower in the picture above) and two other guys in the group made it to the third. This was an experience. Some steps are very steep and others are not. There were many people also trying to make it up which made it very difficult at times. We were all proud of ourselves for making it as far as we did. Katie called her mom from the first tower of The Great Wall. (see photo)

After The Great Wall we headed over to the Jade Factory. This explained the process of how jade is carved and how to identify the real stuff from the fake stuff. We bought a few items there.

We then had a great lunch in the restaurant attached to the Jade Factory. The food was good and plentiful. I snuck in what may be one of my last naps for a while before we headed out to the Chinese acrobat show and then to an absolutely delicious dinner at a very fancy restaurant.
Laura (another mom in our travel group,) Katie and I then ventured out on our own in search of a stroller for Laura’s older daughter. We bought one for Sophia seeing we don’t know how easy it will be to find in Chongqing. Beijing is so safe. We felt totally comfortable on the streets. Our guide wrote down the address for us and after asking about three people we found were we needed to be.
Well, it has been a very long day and I am falling asleep as I type this. Time to get to sleep.

First Full Day in China

August 11

China is amazing. We had such a great day. We started with a tour of Tian’an Men Square and the Forbidden City. Tian’an Men Square holds Chairman Mao’s mausoleum and is surrounded by the Great Hall of the People and China National Museum. Across the street is the entrance to the Forbidden City. The Forbidden City is comprised of 9,999 ½ buildings. The reason behind this odd number is the believe that God has 10,000 building in heaven so any earthly king should have ½ less. The vastness of the Forbidden City is breathtaking. The detail in the carvings and ornate paintings were remarkable. The corner of the roof of each building had numerous animal carvings, the more important the building, the more mythical animals.

It was extremely hot today. The humidity seemed much worse than at home, something I did not think was possible. We were the recipients of many stares. One family pulled Katie aside and took a picture of her with their children. Katie was a trooper. She cooperated without even a dirty look. Katie has really been amazing. It is hot, we are constantly busy and facing a totally new culture and she has been so mature and easy going. She is a huge help with the two families with younger children, she is able to keep the children amused.

The street peddlers were something else. They came right into your space and tried to sell us things; many following us even though we said no. This happened yesterday at the airport with our luggage. One woman grabbed my luggage right from me and wheeled it to the bus. I gave her $1 and she wanted more. She followed me despite the fact that I was shaking my head and saying no more.

After the tour of the Forbidden City we went to a Dai Restaurant. Dai are a minority people in Southern China and look to be related to the Thai/ Vietnamese/ Laotian. The food was served on lazy Susan and each dish was fabulous. Women were also dancing through the lunch.

We then headed to the Temple of Heaven. This is the place were the emperors would pray and perform ceremonies to ensure a good harvest. Once again the buildings were quite big and ornately designed. There was a very pleasant breeze. We walked through a park and saw locals playing cards, singing, and doing a Qi-Gung type energy exercise.

We also visited a silk market and watched how they make silk blankets and coverings. We had a chance to stretch the silk ourselves. We were very close to buying a silk comforter. It is so soft and comfortable. The hotel has one so we are getting spoiled.

The night was finished off with an amazing performance, Chun Yi- The Legend of Kung Fu. This told the story of a young boy as he joined the Shaolin Temple and became a warrior monk. The show was used Wu Shu (martial arts) to illustrate this story. They were top-notched athletes. While we were typing this we were watching TV and this same show was playing!

Our guide, Tony (his American name) is fabulous. He takes time to explain the sites we are seeing and tells us very interesting facts. He is very funny and down to earth. He taught us a little Mandarin today and sang an American song (You are my Sunshine) for us. The told us this is a song he enjoys singing to his 16 month old son.

The storms that are hitting China are south of where we are now and north of where we will be so they won’t cause us any problems.

We are exhausted after a wonderfully long day of touring.

We are here!!!

August 10th

We are in China!!! It really is surreal. We had a long flight over. Our flight from Chicago to Beijing was 12 ½ hours. At about eight hours in we didn’t think we could endure any more. Amazingly enough we did!!! There were four families from our agency on our flight. We got up and walked a bit on the plane. We visited the other families and chatted a bit to pass the time.

One family has a four year old daughter with them. Katie helped keep Sarah entertained. She was a huge help. Katie really does have an innate ability when it comes to taking care of children. I am not sure she realizes just how good she is. Katie was a trooper on the plane. She did not complain at all.

We were very concerned about Steve’s back after his surgery six weeks ago. Thank goodness it was not too painful on the flight over.

We are now in our hotel, the Beijing International Hotel. It is a five star hotel. It is really nice. Our room is a good size and once we figured out how to turn on the lights we settled in. It is now Thursday, 5:30 PM in Beijing. We have been up for 24 hours with a few short (very short) naps on the plane. It is 5:30 AM according to our body clocks. We need to stay up and adjust to this time zone.

It is very rainy here. We are going to relax a little and then grab some dinner. We haven’t decided if we will venture out of the hotel. It think it depends on the weather. We will also explore the hotel a bit. It has a pool which will be great at this point.

After a short nap we headed out in search of something to eat. It had stopped raining. There were plenty of McDonalds and KFC but we decided against them. We walked down the street and found an incredibly nice mall, International Plaza. This was a very upscale mall. We ate at a Thai restaurant. It was very good. We are now getting ready for bed. Tomorrow we have a full day of touring.

China here we come!!!

We will be leaving tomorrow morning bright and early. We are packed, everything is in order, and we have our pet sitter/house sitter all prepped and ready to take charge.

We got our itinerary yesterday and it is very exciting. Please pray that we have a safe journey.

8/9 leave from BWI, fly into Chicago and then to Beijing

8/10 arrive in China and rest

8/11 Visit the Forbidden City, Tian An Men Square and the Temple of Heaven

8/12 Visit the Great Wall, see an acrobat show, have a welcome dinner

8/13 Take a rickshaw tour of the Hutong district, visit the Dram Tower, a school, the Summer Palace, take a dragon boat on the Kunming lake, listen to traditional Chinese music played by a musician on a scull boat in Shi Sha Hai. Have lunch in a family home and learn how to make dumplings with the family.

8/14 Leave at 8:00 to fly to Chongqing. Be united with Sophia at 4:00!!!!!!!!

8/15 Do some paperwork and bond with the baby

8/16 More bonding time with the baby

8/17 Fly to Chengdu

8/18 Visit the Wolong Panda Preservation

8/19 Return to Chengdu, visit and Dujiangyan, an ancient irrigation system

8/20 Fly to Guangzhou

8/21 Sophia will have medical exam, tour Guangzhou

8/22 Sophia’s paperwork will be delivered to the US Consulate. We will shop and tour in
Guangzhou

8/23 Go to the US Consulate for visa ceremony and to get Sophia’s visas.

8/24 Fly to Hong Kong at 8:20 AM, take an 11:30 flight to San Franscico, then fly to BWI after a five hour layover in SF. Total travel time will be approximately twenty-six hours but we will arrive at BWI at 10:33 PM on 8/24.

Packing

It is hard to believe that we leave in less than three days. Today we are going to spend the day packing and getting the paperwork in order. As you can see we have quite a bit of packing to do.

Sophia's quilt

I finished the quilt for Sophia's crib today, perfect timing!! I am really pleased with the way it turned out.

Nick's 19th Birthday

Today we went to New Jersey to take Nick out to lunch for his 19th birthday. We had a nice afternoon. Hard to believe Steve has a 19 year old son, 10 year old daughter and will have a 9 month old daughter next week.

We are leaving August 9th

Things are really moving fast. We got our travel approval onTuesday and Thursday found out that we have our consulate appointment on August 22, which means we leave on August 9th. We will meet Sophia on August 14th.

We will be coming on on August 24, if we can get a flight back that day. It seems that everyone is leaving China on August 24th. We are looking into flight options and should have everything set for our trip to and from China today. Once we are in China our agency takes care of everything. They will send us our itinerary on Monday.

We leave in FIVE days.

We got our TRAVEL APPROVAL!!!!

Our agency emailed us shortly after 1 PM today, August 1. They just got our travel approval. They have emailed the US Consulate for an appointment. We should know our travel dates tomorrow or Thursday. I am thrilled beyond words. Soon this wait will be over and we will have our daughter in our arms!!!!

Sophia's storybook

On Sunday Diana, Ariel and I had a scrapbooking day. We started at 9 AM and finished up about twelve hours later. I made a story book for Sophia. I used some lifebook ideas I have found and created a very simple story to read to her. I will make a lifebook with more details as she gets a little older. For now this is her story. I will add pictures that we take in China to complete the book. I am very pleased with the way it came out.

Our Last WAITING Parents Meeting!!!

Last week we went to our last waiting parents meeting. I have been going to these almost every month. It has been a wonderful support and resource. It is held at the adoption agency. The coordinator of the China program brings different people in to talk. Mostly the guest have been parents who have recently adopted. They bring their daughters and talk about the entire experience. It is always good to see how well the children are doing and to hear about the whole adoption process.

We brought Sophia's picture to show everyone. We also brought the book that Steve and I made for the care package. Actually I should not take much credit on this book. I copied the pictures for it and then Steve did all the work. He found the Chinese characters for mom, dad, big sister, big brother, dogs and cats and labeled each picture. It came out great.

It was nice to be there at the waiting parents meeting knowing this was our last meeting. I hope to some day go back to those meetings as the invited guests with Sophia. These meetings were a great help for me. I hope that I may have the opportunity to help others.