Wen Love Calls

The Last Few Days......the month coming to an end

2010-07-28T06:29:00.000-07:00

Well, they had been eating a whole lot of it, and now they have a whole new appreciation for it.........rice! Each morning the students met for a breakfast of banana pancakes and toast, then headed out to a local rice paddy. There they learned to pull stalks, pull rice, separate seeds.....all things I'm sure they never envisioned themselves doing! Clothed in their rubber boots, straw hats, pants, and long sleeves to protect themselves from mosquitoes, it was HOT and the hard labor didn't help! Brianna said it was so hot, you just pour sweat standing still. She also mentioned a particular pesky problem....the presence of spiders....lots of them! B, well, she HATES spiders! A little farming experience, a little work on conquering your fear of spiders.....all while dripping in sweat! Needless to say, of all the community service projects they did, this one was not her favorite. I told her that although she wasn't necessarily enjoying it, she should go there with he eyes wide open and take it all in anyway....she promised she would. She did love the village they were in. She said it was beautiful, and peaceful there.

The early afternoons in Chengyang Dong brought them some down time where they had lunch and relaxed a little before heading to the local elementary school to teach English to the school children there. According to the trip leaders, the group did an excellent job coming up with topics to teach, dividing up responsibilities, and implementing their ideas. Working as a group, in and of itself, I'm sure has been a great learning experience. Brianna was AMAZED by how smart the students were!!! She was so surprised when two of the girls went up to the board and wrote a sentence, in English, complete with conjunctions and commas! That is pretty amazing!

Evenings in this peaceful village where spent on the deck of their hotel, having dinner, reminiscing about their day, and playing some group games.

For the next part of their adventure, they boarded a bus, and took a five hour ride to Yangshou....a beautiful town with views of the Li River and karst topography. Here they took a scenic bicycle ride, a bamboo raft ride down the Li River, and went on a morning hike to Moon Hill. They even took a Chinese cooking class!

Ending their time in China, they headed back to Beijing to tour some more of China's famous sites. They visited Tianamen Square, and the Forbidden City, places whose history Brianna is fascinated by but until now has only read about. Their final night in China was spent having a celebratory meal, where they reflected back on their accomplishments, the memories they have made and friendships they've built over the past month. With only ONE night left having to worry about eating or drinking something she shouldn't, poor Brianna got VERY sick! Her phone call, so very much anticipated, brought me the voice I hadn't heard in two weeks......and it sounded awful! By the time I talked to her she was doing a little better than she had during the night and her trip leader seemed to be taking very good care of her. By the time she boarded the plane (which got delayed over four hours!) from Beijing to LA, she was feeling a little better, but not well. Her text message upon landing in LA did bring me some comfort. She said she was feeling better, but had no appetite at all......I'll take that!

My next post will be after she arrives home!!!! Be patient, it may take me a few days!

Truly Unique Experiences

2010-07-20T18:34:00.000-07:00

Imagine getting to spend the day learning about, helping to take care of, and feeding these amazing creatures...

Brianna and the other students in her group spent the day at the Chengdu Research Base for Giant Panda Breeding. The Research Base is a world class research facility, and panda conservation education center. Established in 1987 with six pandas rescued from the wild, it is now home to 83 giant pandas. While there the students watched a movie about Pandas and how to conserve them in the future, and also had the glorious task of cleaning up poop and bamboo! Their efforts were rewarded with a rare opportunity to feed the panda cubs!!!! Brianna seemed to be very excited about this experience, however I think she may have been equally excited by the fact that they had McD's for dinner that night!

After leaving Chengdu, they boarded a plane and headed to Guilin in Guangxi Province. After a super late arrival due to some weather delays, they settled into their hotel for the night. In the morning they took a three hour bus ride to Chengyang Dong, a small rice farming community that has survived on subsistence farming for centuries. On their way they stopped to purchase some straw hats and rubber boots (if you could hear me you'd know I'm laughing out loud now!). Here they will spend their mornings working side by side with local families helping to bring in this year's harvest. Here's a little about where they are in the words of Scott von Eschen.....

"Daybreaks around the world are remarkably similar. Dark, dark silence followed by the distant call of a too early rising rooster, a creak of a door, the echo of a dog barking across the valley. The soft glow of morning begins to bath the homes in color, in seconds transforming them from black and white to technicolor. The village slowly emerges with the cry of a baby, and the whispered farewell of a worker’s early departure for a day of toil.

I’ve just watched Chengyang Dong emerge from darkness. It reminds me of so may other dawns I’ve experienced around the world: Costa Rica, Fiji, Tanzania, Guatemala, Tahiti, Thailand, Phillipines, Greece, Belize. The cultures might be dramatically different, but the way they greet each day in the same.

Chengyang Dong is a treasure of a town. Imagine a Hollywood movie set depicting life in a 16th century Chinese village tucked high in the mountains and you can get a sense of this place. Labyrinth-like passageways lined with multi-storied wooden homes–pigs and ducks living at ground level, the families living above them. A river, the center of everything here, winds through the village bringing life.

Water wheels line the river’s banks to feed the rice paddies. Small holding ponds are built to raise fish for their meals. Women and children wash themselves and their clothes in the river.

Everywhere we go there is a giggle at our passing, a delighted “Ni Hau” or “hello” followed by a laugh. The people are incredibly friendly–not many outsiders make it to their town and they are curious and gracious and welcoming. Tiny kids follow us through the streets wanting their picture taken and are delighted to see their image in the viewfinder.

This is a farming community, with rice as the main crop. Everywhere you look are terraced rice paddies belonging to individual families.

We’ve come at harvest season and the fields are filled with families irrigating, cutting, reaping, harvesting and drying their rice. The people work incredibly hard. Their incentive is obvious. Their rice yield now will feed their families until the next harvest in May. If they come up short, they go hungry."

In the afternoons the group will be working in a local primary school teaching English. According to their trip leaders Brianna's group worked hard last night preparing for their time at the school, coming up with lots of creative ideas for teaching. They are reportedly very anxious to try them out! The students there walk to school from villages as far as four hours away, and therefore spend weeknights boarding in the dormitories. School hours are from 7:55 in the morning to 8:20 at night! As part of their experience, Brianna's group will spend a night in the dorms. All students, many of the very same age, yet living very different lives. I wonder what each side will take away from their experience together...what lessons will be learned.

Word from Brianna is that she's feeling much better since leaving Tibet and returning to a normal altitude. I was worried about how sick she was feeling, but really felt she'd be back to normal once the altitude wasn't an issue any more. One week from tomorrow, we'll be returning to the airport to get her. Ella, who can now talk about Brianna without crying, is planning all sorts of things for her return. Things like balloons, and streamers, and a wide assortment of favorite foods! She even has suggestions on how the food should be displayed across the counters! And of course, I'm not allowed to breathe a word of her cuteness....because she wants it to be a surprise :)

Where in the World.....is Brianna?

2010-07-19T08:12:00.000-07:00

For three days, the students of Brianna's group worked with the children at Jatson Chumig School and Orphanage. The orphanage was established in 1993 and is home to over 150 orphaned girls and boys. Here's what Scott von Eschen, president of ARCC had to say while there on a scouting trip:

"Some orphanages are depressing…Jatson is just the opposite. There is so much life and energy here and the kids are so cute. It was so inspiring walking from classroom to classroom, meeting the kids, watching them working so hard at their lessons. You’d never know that they had suffered through some of the worst things anyone, let alone children, can go through."

Brianna seemed to really enjoy her time there. She said that the children were all very cute, and she was surprised by how smart they were, and how quickly they learned. On their last day the children all sang a song for them :) Resilient is really the only word I can think of. Children, who have gone through more than they should have and more than any one of us can imagine, and yet they smile, they sing, and they work hard.

After completing their time at Jatson, the group took a three hour drive up to the holy Namtso Lake where they were able to catch the stunning sunset over the mountains. Also referred to as "Heavenly Lake", it is the highest salt water lake in the world. Unfortunately, this meant that they were at an altitude about 3,000 feet higher than in Lhasa, an unfortunately this seemed to have a negative effect on Brianna :( She had a headache and was nauseous, apparently suffering from some mild altitude sickness. Still, she tried to enjoy her time at what is one of the three holy lakes in Tibet....a lake of crystal clear blue water, which to Tibetans symbolizes godliness, and happiness and is thought to cleanse the souls of all who visit it.

Then it was time to say goodbye to Tibet, and head to their next adventure.....the Giant Pandas! They arrived in Chengdu, and had a spicy dinner,...a local favorite, "Hot Pot". After dinner they all got a much needed Western treat....McFlurries! I'm sure they enjoyed those!

As I write, it it late evening in China, and Brianna has finished her day working at the Panda Breeding Center. I have yet to get any details of her day, but can't wait to her about! Keeping my fingers crossed that I'll get a phone call....really soon. It's been six days since I've heard her live voice! It's killing me.....even though I'm pretending (mostly to myself) that it's not, it is!

Expectations

2010-07-16T04:18:00.000-07:00

The decision to send Brianna away for a month, to the other side of the whole, came with several expectations. I expected that in some way it would better prepare her for her life away from home when she goes to college. After all, once you've navigated your way around a foreign country and through foreign airports for a month, finding your classroom on the other side of campus has to be a piece of cake! I expected that she'd mature and become somewhat more independent, and a lot more confident. All of these things would make her all the more ready when she leaves for college a year from now. What I didn't expect is how it would possibly prepare me! I didn't expect that DAYS would go by without hearing from her...leaving me wondering how she was, what she was doing. Sure, I knew that there would be times when cell phone service was non existent, but I didn't know that there would be times that she had service and still didn't call! I didn't expect that I would crave the details of her day and yet be left wondering how it went. I didn't expect that days would go by without hearing from her, and then a text would come asking for us to put more money in her checking account! I guess that's just a preview, and we'll get many similar text messages in the years to come :)

........I didn't expect that this trip would teach me how deal with missing her....how to deal with worrying about her....and how to have complete faith that we're both growing and it's a good thing, it's a normal thing.

Yesterday an update was posted on the Travel Log. It simply said that they finished their three days of work at the orphanage and then gave a small detail about each student. It said that "Bri was an awesome leader of the day and got the kids involved in many activities. She was very energetic about it"! Each day they pick a "leader of the day", and I'm sure she was great working with the kids! But I kinda wanted a little more detail! Last night came an email from her saying that the trip leaders had collected their phones (something they tend to do to prevent the students from spending the day sending text messages). She said that she and a few other students have been a little nauseous. High altitude, foreign food, malaria prophylaxis....hmmmm OK, she's a little nauseous. She said she was excited about their upcoming trip up to Namsa Lake....and that was about it! It wrote back typing as quickly as I could, hoping she'd still be near the computer, would get and read my email right away, and answer my many questions. Nothing! UGH!

So, I wish I could share with you all the wonderful details of her time in Lhasa, but I don't have any! Maybe, if we all keep our fingers crossed, I'll get some today! And when I do, you will know it :)

Cultural Immersion

2010-07-12T16:11:00.000-07:00

A small village, Napa Village, at the foot of the Himalayan Mountains. Tibetan style homes stand along the lake. Pigs, cows, and yaks roam about making it quite obvious that this is a farming village. The people here are very poor and live harsh lives. This was home for three nights for Brianna and the other students in her group. They lived the lives of the Napa people. They stayed in groups of five, with different families in this small rural village, eating every meal with them. During the day they worked with local builders to help build two recycling centers and ultimately completed them....an experience I'm sure was quite rewarding. Here is an excerpt from the parent Travel Log:

"We’re on Day 2 of our village stay in Napa village. We have completed the foundation and the first few layers of bricks on both of our recycling centers here that we have constructed. Yesterday was an awesome day; we had great weather and everyone worked together really well. We finished off the afternoon by playing soccer and a few group games together, and then we went back to our individual homestay homes. We then all met back together later on that evening for a dance where we learned a bunch of Chinese and Tibetan traditional dances as a big group, which was a lot of fun!"

After many days of waiting for some kind of word from Brianna, I finally got an email from her yesterday after she returned to Shangri la. It's a special kind of excitement I feel when I see I've gotten an email, a text, or a phone call from her and boy was I excited to see her email! She said that it was "cool" and "awesome" being able to stay with the family in the village. She also made a couple of comments that make me believe she's liking the accommodations much better at the hotels she been at! Comments about things like bugs....lots of bugs, and not being able to take a shower....for many more days than she'd like! Like I said, they lived the lives of the people of Napa Village....I think it just may be a little different than here. She was very happy to be back in Shangri la where she says it's "nice", and "cute". She's still enjoying her group very much. She said that it's been very easy to make friends with the people in her group and she loves them. So far that comment has given me the most comfort :)

The group left Napa Village yesterday and headed to Tibet, the "roof of the world"! There they were greeted with traditional white scarves by their guide Tenzan. These white scarves, Khata, are given as a sign of respect, good will, and compassion. They then headed to their hotel in Lhasa where they got a much welcomed opportunity to do laundry!

As I write this, it is now morning in Tibet. Today the group will be beginning their community service work at the Jatson Chumig School and Orphanage. They will spend the next three days working with the children there. This is the service project I've been most excited about, and I know that Brianna has been really looking forward to it too. Although it is not the orphanage that Owen spent almost two years in, I'm sure it will give her a glimpse into the life he had before coming home. Brianna and Owen already share a special bond, and something tells me that this experience will do nothing but strengthen that bond. I CAN NOT wait to hear about her day! I know that while part of what she does will be teaching English to the children, the lessons she will learn from these children will be far numerous and far greater than any amount of English she will teach them.

Word From the Other Side of the World

2010-07-07T15:18:00.000-07:00

It's been four days, four looooong days since I've last heard from B. I've been waiting, checking my phone, checking the travel log set up by ARCC....and finally, today, word from the other side of the world! The following is the message we got today:

We just arrived in Shangri La, a beautiful town located at 10,500 feet!! The last time we caught up, our group was about to embark for the infamous Tiger Leaping Gorge hike. Now, three days later, we're stronger, happier, and a little more tired. The hike was absolutely incredible! We were all trying to come up with good words to describe our three-day hike, but couldn't entirely wrap our heads around it. The hike was difficult, yet rewarding, full of spectacular views of the steep gorge walls and rushing Yangtze River below.

After a few jam-packed days in Beijing, this hike also allowed us all a bit of down-time in the afternoon which had been much anticipated. We took an afternoon hike on Monday to check out some stunning views above our gorgeous guesthouse, and finished the night with a couple of great games over a delicious spread for dinner.

Tuesday, we awoke to a yummy breakfast of pancakes, and set out for our big uphill climb. After 28 switch-backs, we finally hit the downhill and ended at the Tea Horse Guesthouse which was equally as charming as the one the night before. Our Chinese guide, Jonathan, gave us the opportunity to kill a chicken for dinner! Max stepped up to the challenge, and the sight was indescribable! Alas, we had fresh chicken with dinner...(just wait for the pictures!). Today, we left our guesthouse and finished the remainder of the Tiger Leaping Gorge hike. Today's hike was full of beautiful views due to the sunshine that finally crept out for the entire morning. We ended with tired legs, but raised spirits, and ate a delicious lunch before heading to the Shangbala Tibetan Yard where we are now!

Tomorrow, we begin our first community service project in Napa Village, where we will be constructing a recycling center for the local community. There, we will be in groups of 4 or 5 staying with the local families and learning more about this interesting and unique culture"

Sounds incredible, and I can't wait to hear just how incredible it was....from her! It's been so hard waiting, wondering and worrying. Though I did shed a few tears at the airport witnessing Ella's breakdown regarding Brianna's departure, I've somehow managed to keep it together since then. So, consider this a warning....one of you...don't know who.... don't know when, but one day (I suspect very soon) someone will ask me how B is doing in China, and the floodgates will open. I'm overdue. Just thought I'd warn ya....in case that someone is you!

I do know that the group will remain in Shangri La Until July 11th. They will end their time there with a celebratory feast and traditional Tibetan dance in the town center. They will then be off to Lhasa, Tibet.

Music to My Ears

2010-07-04T07:57:00.000-07:00

.......or should I say the beeping of my phone, alerting me that I have a text message....which has most definitely been music to my ears. For some reason, maybe because texting is the preferred means of communication for teens, Brianna has been sending text messages but has only called home once from China. Many times her text will say that she's unable to call right then, but then she'll continue to send several text messages. I answer each one thinking if you can text me WHY CAN'T YOU CALL ME!!!!! Regardless, the sound of those beeps, has been my favorite sound of the day! I take my cell phone everywhere just waiting to hear them.

It was through a text that I learned she trekked up and across the Great Wall of China the distance of 22 towers! Lets just say that Brian and I did not make if quite that far...not even close! It was also how I learned that she thought it was the hardest thing she's ever done, but that she thought it was "pretty cool". At 4:19am, my cell phone which was sitting right on my night table, beeped again and I learned she was sitting on a plane in Kumming China waiting to take off for Lijing. She said she was doing well, she felt good, she seems to be finding plenty to eat, and she misses us. But, my most favorite message and the one that makes me the most happy, was when she said "I love my group, everyone's so funny and nice". AHHHH......that was like medicine for my worried heart :)

As I write she is asleep in a guesthouse. She and her group will spend the next several days hiking along the Tiger Leaping Gorge which has spanning views of Jade Dragon Snow Mountain towering above the Yangzhe River below. As they hike from guesthouse to guesthouse they will pass the Naxi minority people who make up the population of that region. They will witness them going about their daily chores while they receive a glimpse of a world that has remained unchanged for centuries. After mornings of hiking they will enjoy the afternoons at guesthouses along the way where they will have time to drink tea and enjoy the scenery around them.

I'm not sure what the cell phone service will be there, but I am sure that I will be waiting for the beep of my phone.

A New Reason to Blog :)

2010-07-02T04:18:00.000-07:00

A couple months ago, while looking for a summer service opportunity for Brianna, a company called Adventures Cross Country was brought to my attention. There were several opportunities Brianna and I were looking into, but this particular opportunity was quite interesting. A month long trip, to China and Tibet.....the other side of the world, where she would have the opportunity to see first hand all the history of China she loves so much, and also to serve the people of China and Tibet in various capacities. She would volunteer in an Elementary school, at a rice farm, at the Panda Breeding Center, and at an orphanage. The decision was not easy, not for this mom, or the sixteen year old who would be missing an entire month of her summer with friends. But God has funny ways of leading you toward the right decision, and for Brianna and I He couldn't of yelled it any louder!

There was one spot left on the trip and it was now the "deadline day" to get the group airfare rate for the flight to China. We needed to make a decision....by 6pm, and she wasn't due home from school until 2pm. We talked, she thought, she wasn't sure. Then a painter came to give us an estimate for some work we were having done. Brianna, trying to decide, was sitting in the kitchen at my laptop, looking at pictures and stories from past student's trips. She doesn't usually use my laptop, but the website was already open so she sat and looked at it there. The painter, finished looking at what we wanted done, and asked if he could sit at the kitchen table to write up his estimate. With that, Ella walked in the room wearing one of her dance costumes. This sparked a conversation about how expensive the dance costumes are, which lead the painter to mention how expensive his son's cap and gown was for his college graduation. His son had just graduated from Stony Brook. I asked what he majored in, he replied that he was a history major...Brianna's love. Brianna smiles at his answer. He then went on to tell us that because of his son's AP credits he was able to graduate in three years, and then proceeds to say......"but the best thing he ever did was go to China for six weeks"!!!!! Brianna and I looked at each other and knew there was nothing else to think about! What were the chances of that. All the surrounding circumstances just happened to fall perfectly into place to lead to that conversation and for him to say that???? We knew, that was our sign.

Knowing and feeling it was the right decision didn't mean it was going to make it easy to actually but her on a plane and send her to the other side of the world. In fact the entire trip was something that was making us step way out of "our box". She was to pack a month's worth of clothing and equipment in a backpack??? And speaking of backpacks, no one here knew the first thing about them (that is until I spent an ENTIRE day researching backpacks!). Hiking boots, rain gear, hostels, guesthouses.....all things that simply did not exist in our vocabulary...until now that is.

We managed to figure it all out and get everything, all 34lbs. of it, into her backpack, and then the day came. The day that I would put my first born onto a plane and send her....to the other side of the world. I constantly reminded myself of the painter, his words, and what an incredibly wonderful opportunity this was for her, but I could literally feel the battle going on inside my head and my heart. A constant tug of war between emotions with my mind playing the coach to both sides....and I wondered if I would be strong enough to actually put her on that plane. It's hard, being strong, and it's hard to let go. But, I knew this would be an amazing experience for her and I knew it would change her....and I knew that that was probably what I was the most afraid of. She'd come back, a little more independent, a little more self confident having been "on her own" for a month and having had some world travel experience. And as much as I knew that was going to help her grow, I also knew she'd come home needing me just a little bit less, and I could feel everything inside me wanting to resist that. I reminded myself that being brave doesn't mean that you have no fear, it means doing something even though you are afraid and I told myself that it was OK to feel this way and let her go anyway.

So, she's there now.....on the other side of the world....having the time of her life, and I'm OK...mostly :)

She has spent today touring Beijing and will have another day there tomorrow. Then it will be off to Yunnan where they will spend four days hiking from guesthouse to guesthouse along the Tiger Leaping Gorge. I will continue to update this blog while she travels, though I'll probably have limited access to any pictures from the trip.

I just want to say thank you to everyone for their support, their kind words, and their interest in her trip :)

Summer

2009-08-06T18:20:00.000-07:00

OK....I know its been a loooooooong time, and I'm sure many of you have given up on me by now. But, since there are several of you who are still making comments about how long it's been since a blog post...well, I guess some of you still love us. That, or you are all just truly nosey people!!

Summer...it's just flying by! My calender the last two months...almost impossible to read! I think (and a say this cautiously) that things are calming down a little bit. Maybe??? At the very least, Owen is now done with his summer session at school, and we are ALL officially on a "summer schedule". It's been rough being the only one up...for hours, after he got the bus at 7:15...all summer!

Regardless of our crazy calendar.....largely due to J's insane baseball schedule and the fact that for whatever reason EVERY medical/dental appointment--what feels like a whole years worth--is squished (is that even a real word??) into the two months of the summer....we have been able to get in some summer fun! Here are some scenes from the summer:

This was Owen's initial reaction to seeing the pool this summer.....

Initially, when I indicated that we were going to go INTO to pool, he looked at me and shook his head "no". Then he saw Ella and J jump in, thought that was hysterical, and decided he'd join the fun.

Wondering if he'd be over the "panda incident", we ventured to the zoo.

All went well--just not a big fan of the Children's Zoo. We did just fine in the Butterfly house though....my second favorite part of the zoo :)

Then to Ella's favorite part of the zoo.....

And now...my FAVORITE part of the zoo....the Gorillas! I can stand there ALL day and watch them--seriously ALL day. They fascinate me!

How can you not want to watch this.......

OK, I know you're not here to look at pictures of Gorillas....but, it's my blog, and I LOVE Gorillas So, just one more.........

There's just something in those eyes :)

Owen's first Carousel ride...I do love Carousels too :) And now so does Owen!

He also loves opening presents...even when they aren't for him!

Gram :)

On July 2nd Brian and I celebrated our Anniversary. Ella was very excited ALL week about us going out for our anniversary, and personally picked out our outfits in advance!! Even though we were not going to a very fancy restaurant, we couldn't disappoint her, and wore our "fancy dress", and suit! The smile on her face when she saw us all dressed....PRICELESS. Here is how she dressed us.....

Swing set fun....

Again...my blog...love flowers :)

Owen's first Fourth of July...mostly spent...you guessed it....on the baseball field!!!!

Monday mornings, back to school, have been tough! This is Owen on a Monday morning waiting for his breakfast!

Moments captured....what are big sisters for???...pushing you on the swing.....

More fun in the pool

So Handsome!

Sharing summer snacks--Ben loves cantelope, and will stop at nothing to get some. Owen was happy to share :)

Ok, I really do have a lot more to blog about, but I'll let you enjoy this blog post for just a little while :)

Joy

2009-05-22T17:07:00.000-07:00

OK....I know it's been a looooooong time since my last post! I actually uploaded these pictures over a month ago and never actually got them published onto the blog! I plan of doing a lengthy "Owen update" in the next week or so (I have a lot to say!), but for now you'll have to settle for a few pictures. Once we get settled into our new summer routine.....or should I say lack of routine, I promise a more fulfilling post!

This was Owen's reaction when Ella and I brought him home a bear from Build-a-Bear!! Priceless!!
He was just a little excited to find a bear in the box!!!

A hose and a whole lot of fun!

A Picture Worth a Post of it's Own

2009-05-13T05:07:00.001-07:00

Ella and Mikey have been best friends since birth. I was so happy to capture this moment between them. They really do love each other!

Fun with Friends

2009-05-13T04:42:00.001-07:00

Yesterday, after Ella got out of school, we went to lunch and then to the park with Michael and Meaghan Grace. These three really do love each other!

Mother's Day

2009-05-11T16:30:00.000-07:00

Mother's day......my first as a mother of four.

Owen was very excited to bring me my cards and gifts
A beautiful card, made by Owen, which accompanied a gift...a mold of his little footprint!! A big thank you to his teacher!!

I LOVE this picture of these two cuties!! Look how Owen is holding his hands around her.

Meme, Gram, Poppy, and Aunt Ali joined us for brunch which we had brought in by our favorite caterer.

In my card from my sister--a poem written by her in the third grade. Just ignore the part where is says I punched her in the jaw....wasn't me....I would never (really, I can't believe I would ever do that!!) Aside from that part, isn't that so sweet????

Me and my Baby Girl. I was having Brianna take pics of us two to put in the frame Ella made for Mother's day. She really is delicious!!

Just when it finally stopped raining....a Shower!

2009-05-11T13:56:00.000-07:00

This past Friday we celebrated the upcoming arrival of Paige Min Shan. He mommy, Lisa, has been waiting a long time for her. Paige is waiting in a foster home until her mommy and daddy can come to get her.

Lisa, who thought she was going walking with Meaghan Grace's mommy, was quite surprised when 30 of her friends and family were waiting for her in Michelle's driveway!! Everyone had worked very hard to make this a night special for Lisa, and it was. It was filled with beautiful gifts, good wishes, and lots of love for little Paige who we will hopefully all meet VERY soon!!

Lisa, dressed in her "workout attire" approached the driveway
She realizes what's going on....for a moment we're afraid she'll run away!!!

Four lucky Mommies!! Michelle (Meaghan Grace's mommy), Lisa (Paige's Mommy), Joanne (Mia Hope's Mommy), and Me

Lisa got MANY gifts!!

Since this is my blog, I decided to post a picture of part of my gift!! Lisa's son plays many sports and Paige, just like Ella, will be spending A LOT of time on the field. I made Lisa a basket of things to make life of the field a little easier and called it "Fairy on the Field" (Lisa LOVES fairies!). In it were two t-shirts. One said "I have no life, my brother plays baseball", and the other said "My brother plays Lacrosse better than your brother". In the basket were things like travel snack cups, travel spoons, a travel formula/cereal dispenser, sippy cups, a bottle cooler bag and ice packs, a thermos, a blanket, disposable bibs, toys, bubbles, and snacks. The basket came out really cute!!

Love is.......

2009-04-27T12:54:00.000-07:00

.....giving someone you care about a foot massage

How cute are these two rubbing each other's feet with lotion after their bath last night?????

Seeing clearly

2009-04-23T16:23:00.000-07:00

Owen got his new glasses today!! Hooray, now he can hear and see!!! The minute the optician put them on he started looking all around. I was quite obvious that he was seeing much better!

Spring.....a time to blossom

2009-04-21T13:58:00.001-07:00

We had a beautiful weekend here in the Northeast and got to spend a great deal of time outdoors. I LOVE this time of year. The time when the world seems to go from black and white to color again. I am so enjoying how the landscape is coming back to life. While Owen was napping, Ella and I walked around our property looking at all the buds on the trees and all the perennials peeking there head back out of the ground.

The plum trees.......

The Cherry tree......

The Hydrangeas.......

The Redbuds......

Yes, I'm quite sure my neighbors were thinking I was nuts as I walked around taking pictures of our trees and bushes! This just makes me SOOO excited!!!

The kids were equally excited to get some much needed outdoor play. For Owen, it meant his first baseball lesson!! Ella, has by now, become a little pro--she's worked real hard last year and can actually hit pretty well now!

All ready with her pink bat and batting helmet

Look at that swing!

Next Ella decided to practice her pitching skills and poor Brian had to wear the pink helmet for his at bat!! He's such a good Barbie playing, pink hat wearing, tea party attending kind of dad!!

LOVE that face!!! I had uploaded a closeup of Owen as well and it somehow disappeared as I was adding text----UGH!!!

Now, it's Owen's turn. Dad is showing him how to hit. He had just woken up from his nap and wasn't quite awake yet when we threw him into the game!

Ella and Owen watch as J takes a swing (notice them holding hands!!!). Luckily for J, Ella didn't make him wear the pink batting helmet!

Enough baseball, on to the other fun backyard stuff........like driving the car......

or hanging upside down on the swing set.....

climbing UP the slide.....

or just picking Dandelions with your brother or sister :)

Flowers and trees aren't the only things starting to bloom.... so is Owen. I have noticed so many changes in the short week and a half that Owen has joined the hearing world. Right after he was fitted with his hearing aids, I began to notice him making new sounds. In addition to the new sounds, his vocalizations have seemed to change. I can't explain it, he just sounds different. The few words that he was able to repeat now sound just a little bit clearer, and he can now say "dada" as of a couple days ago. He is also understanding a lot more when we talk to him, and is starting to appropriately respond to a couple of verbal commands without cues such as gestures. It can still be quite frustrating, for everyone involved, when we cannot explain things to him and he doesn't understand what is going on. Such as when we need to break from playing outside and go in to eat. It would make things a lot easier on us, especially him, if we could explain that we need to go in for a little while and can come back out later. In a situation like that we get a lot of crying and understandably so. All in time :)

School is still going very well. It is a long day for him, but he really does seem to be enjoying it. He has yet to give me a hard time getting on the bus in the morning....thank God....and gets off the bus in the afternoon smiling. His speech therapist is back from her conference, so speech is in full swing starting this week. I am so excited about that! His speech therapist says he's so much fun to work with and is doing well. Wish I could fast forward six months to take a little peak at how he'll be doing then!

***Fellow bloggers....can someone please tell me why I sometimes can't get my post to publish with the spaces between the paragraphs that I DID put there????? I keep going back and adding then again, and the AGAIN it's publishes without the spaces??????

First Day of School!!!

2009-04-13T12:16:00.000-07:00

Dear Owen,

Today was your first day of school. It was a very emotional day for me, full of feelings of all kinds. I cried the entire drive there. I was worried that you would be frightened, I was worried you would think you weren't coming back home, I was worried that the day would be too long for you. But most of all I was overcome by the significance of this day. This day, it was the day I worked so long and hard for. It was the day that represented the culmination of everything I wanted to give you. We gave you a family, we gave you love, and we gave you the comfort of all your basic needs being met. Today was the beginning of new hope. It was the beginning of you receiving all the help you need so that you can reach you fullest potential. It was a silent promise fulfilled....a promise to your birth mother....a promise that I would give you everything I could, a promise that I would not only love you, but get you the help you need to make the most of your life. I would give you the life she couldn't give you, and make her sacrifice worth the pain of letting you go. Now, you have your wings, and I am going to love watching you fly.

Love, Mama

Today our little guy started school. He did GREAT!! I decided it would be best if I drove him there and let him take the bus home. We arrived at the school a little early and were greeted by his teacher. She brought us back to his classroom and Owen immediately began to play with some toys. There are only 4 kids in his class! There is also an aide in the room with the teacher. Looks like he'll be getting a lot of attention!! I was very comforted by the fact that his teacher is also an adoptive mom. I knew he was in good hands and with someone who would be very sensitive to the life Owen lived before we brought him home. What a blessing. In addition to getting a wonderful teacher, he also ended up with Speech Pathologist I was hoping he would have. I heard wonderful things about her and I was really hoping that he'd end up in her caring and knowledgeable hands.

The day seems to have gone pretty smoothly. I received a phone call at lunch time from his teacher saying that he was doing well. Later, when he arrived home, there was a note from her saying that the rest of the day went well and he had a great first day. The only issue he had was that he would not let them take out his hearing aids at nap time! I laughed, thinking what must have been going through his mind. He loves his hearing aids, so I can see him not handing them over to someone he barely knows!

I worried about his bus ride home and couldn't wait for him to get here so that he could see that home was the buses destination! I can't even think about how frightened he probably was not knowing where he was going. I felt terrible that there was no way to communicate to him that he would be going to school, and then later, coming back home. He got off the bus looking a little tired from his long stressful day--nothing a little Easter candy couldn't fix!! He perked up in no time! In his backpack was his notebook, filled with pictures of all the things he did throughout the day. His big smile in the pictures was definitely a comfort :) I am so grateful that we have access to such a wonderful school for him. There are so many hearing impaired children who don't live close enough to a school for the deaf and don't get such an opportunity. I know this is a wonderful place for him :)

All ready to go!

Owen's classroom

He looks very comfortable!

Here comes the bus!

He's home :)

Ella, who decided the house was so quiet she'd just stay in he P.J.'s and relax all day, was very happy to see Little Brother when he finally got home!

Happy Easter!

2009-04-12T18:48:00.000-07:00

Saturday night Owen got to color Easter eggs for the first time. I had bought a "rainbow" egg coloring kit that I thought was pretty cool, and a neat (meaning clean) alternative to the traditional dropping of the eggs into the dye and wait method. The kit came with little bags, in which you placed the eggs, and several colors of dye. With the egg in the bag, you squeezed in several drops of up to three different colors and rub them on the egg---making a rainbow egg. Very "hands on", very pretty,..and did I mention neat? J was not thrilled with this new technique and called it boring. I argued that staring at an egg in a bowl waiting for it to turn just one color...that's boring! Well, the little ones had fun, except Owen didn't like the smell of the dye and was making his OH SO CUTE STINKY FACE!! Owen, who I thought would need a little practice, was a pro starting with his first egg. Ella had fun too. The best part--they were very pretty....and didn't make a mess :)

Owen was very pleased with his treats from the Easter bunny! His favorite thing was a toy camera. He knew just what to do with it and went around the house taking "pictures", leaving his candy behind. Then, while Ella went around the house looking for the eggs the Easter bunny hid, Owen followed taking a "picture" of her with her newly found egg! By the time we were almost done he caught on! We then had a delicious breakfast of Bacon, Onion, and Cheese Fritatta. Owen, of course, ate every scrap of food on his plate. Then came Owen's favorite part of the day...getting dressed. He LOVED his new outfit. It is just too precious how happy he gets every time he wears something new. He went around the house and showed everyone his new cloths and new shoes. He then waited while I dressed Ella. When I was all done getting her ready he decided he'd complete her outfit and preceded to pretend to put hearing aids in her ears!!! How cute is that??? It is the last step in the getting dressed routine, one he was sure not to let her miss!

As we do every Easter we headed to Meme and Poppy's house for dinner. Owen was quite delighted that Poppy was also wearing a button down shirt and a sweater vest! His only problem was that Poppy's top button was open, but he made sure to have him button it so he'd be just like him.

And now for the best part of the day.......GRAM MADE PICKLES!!!!!!!!! For those of you who don't remember, one of Gram's Christmas presents was jars so that she could make pickles. When we were little, Gram always made homemade pickles and we've been asking her for years to make them again. Needless to say, Owen loved them!! My sister and I agreed, they were just as we remembered them :) Thank you Gram!

The OH SO CUTE STINKY FACE!!

Egg dying fun!

Fun...pretty...and non mess making

Dad and J joined in

So pretty :)

Checking out the Easter treats

The favorite camera

Finding eggs

Owen, being the photographer

Finally joining in on the egg hunting fun!

Breakfast

The princess and the prince :)

All six of us in the car together for the first time and really feeling the need to give in and get the mini van!!

Dad and J with Aunt Ali

Gram :)

Beautiful B

Barking Brody!!

Owen leading Meme around the house

B and the little cutie dog

Poppy and Owen

Poppy, Owen, and Ella

Owen checkin' out how Meme set the table

New family photo :)

Ella and Owen pose with their Great Grandmother

Ella LOVES her big brother!! The feeling is mutual!

Dinner time!!

Eating one of Gram's pickles

He even tried Artichoke!

Dessert....yum! Meme makes good cakes!

Owen making Poppy button his shirt!

Hello to the World of Sound!!!!

2009-04-09T20:37:00.000-07:00

Today was the big day....the day Owen' was fitted with his new hearing aids. I don't think I could have been more excited!! We arrived at the Audiologist's office and Owen immediately began pointing to his ears, as if he knew exactly why we were there. I actually think that somehow he really did know why we were there! Once again, he was the perfect little patient. He cooperated well through the entire appointment and basically let us do whatever we needed to do. He sat well through the fitting of his earmolds to his hearing aids, the programming of his hearing aids, and the verification testing that was done to ensure his settings were appropriate. At one point during the appointment Owen was sitting on my lap and I was leaning over his right shoulder talking to the Audiologist. All of a sudden it was like a light bulb went off and he realized that he was hearing me from his right ear. He turned, looked at me with surprise written all over his face, and gave me the biggest smile. Welcome to the world of sound little guy!!!

Sportin' his new HA's
Happy to hear!

Those lips!!!!

20 Years! WOW!!!

2009-04-04T19:31:00.000-07:00

Twenty years ago I took a seat in front of a girl in homeroom on my first day of High School. Who would have know, twenty years later, that girl would still be one of my dearest friends. On April 4th, Dana and I traveled back to our High School for our 20th reunion! Wow, 20 years!!! I really can't wrap my mind around how that can possibly be. Sitting in the same cafeteria, looking at the same faces, was sort of a surreal experience. Amazing how quickly time passes. It was so nice to see everyone again. I think we all look GREAT!!!

Old friends

Back to school

Me and Traci

Me, Dana, and Traci

Dana, Christine, and me

A Little Bit of This......A Little Bit of That

2009-04-03T19:14:00.000-07:00

Well, life around here, it's been a little CRAZY!!! I think, I THINK, things will calm down soon. Then again, I feel like I've spent my life saying "things will calm down when.......", only to find that they never really do!

Things continue to progress in a positive way. Owen should be sporting his new hearing aids this week. He will also be sporting some new glasses! He was seen by an Opthomologist this past week and it seems that I was right about his vision not being so good! He's pretty nearsighted. I'm waiting to him to have his hearing aids so that we can see which frames work well with them. As indecisive as I usually am, I think I already know which frames we'll go with as long as they fit nicely with his HA's. Of course I will be taking Brian with me for his opinion, just in case I'm not making the right decision. It never hurts to have a second opinion on things such as these. In the case of the poor sales people who must suffer through my indecisiveness, it DOES hurt them for me not to have someone with me for a second opinion! I am usually kind enough to warn them ahead of time just how long it will probably take me to finally make up my mind. My decisions are ALWAYS very well thought out, and well, that just takes a long time!

Owen is all set up to start school on April 13th!! I'm excited, nervous, and sad all at the same time. What a new world it will be for him. He'll be able to hear, see, and be getting the help he needs. I am so excited for him!! I just know he's going to do great! I am sure he is going to love school. He loves structure, routine, and having "something to do". I do worry about his fears the first couple of days, but I know that he will adjust quickly.

We've made huge strides on the animal front. We went to Sophia's birthday party at an animal farm and he liked all the animals! I was shocked! I had actually considered not taking him to the party, because judging by the "panda incident", I didn't think that goats and cows would go over too well! Ella loves it there, and I didn't want to ruin it for her. But, the way things worked out I had no choice but to bring him and hope for the best. He was very excited to see all the animals, bottle fed the goats, hand feed a few animals, and even went on a pony ride! That was much better than the screaming I thought would be going on! Needless to say, Ella had a wonderful time too!

Here are some pictures of a little bit of this...and a little bit of that...

Kisses for Big Sister...Owen LOVES Brianna!
Ben, joining Ella and Owen for some cantaloupe. Ben LOVES cantaloupe and at this point had already had two bowls!
I guess he was full because when we got back home later this is how we found him. We just love this cutie cat. He is so full of personality!

This is Zeus. He is almost 16 years old now. We adopted him, along with his brother Apollo who we lost when he was only 7 to an aggressive cancer. Zeus spent most of his life being a "scaredy cat". In his kitten days he spent a lot of time hiding under our bed and until recently wouldn't venture down from the second floor. Well, I guess he's either loosing his mind, or he's old and just doesn't care anymore, because here he is laying on the rug by the front door. He's been coming down more and more. Even Ella is amazed when she seems him downstairs! He is also Ella's favorite. The other day she told Ben "I love you Ben, but.....I love Zeus more". At least she's honest! She does have every right to love him more though. He sleeps with her EVERY night, most times right on his pillow. That old guy loves that little girl!

The little helpers carry the groceries into the kitchen. Of course this was all Wen's idea!

He sure does LOVE to be a helper

And he inspires other, usually not so hard working, family members to help too!

He tried REALLY hard to bring in the water too!

Today at Sophia's birthday party, Owen was loving Uncle Angelo!

Meeting the Easter Bunny for the first time!

The cute little baby goat. Ella was still talking about his cuteness on the drive home!

Pony ride time!

Owen's first pony ride. As for me, I stood at the fence shocked that he got on!
Who would'a thought!

Loving up the Birthday Girl!

How cute is the birthday hat on the bunny???

The favorite part of the party....bottle feeding the goats

Owen Update

2009-03-25T05:18:00.000-07:00

Ok, I know this is overdue. Things have been a little busy around here :)

Owen has had all of his evaluations. The results of his hearing test revealed that he has a moderately-severe to severe hearing loss. With this degree of hearing loss, normal conversational speech is inaudible to him. No wonder he has no speech! Can't hear it, can't say it. He is scheduled to see an ENT this Thursday. He has a little bit of wax in his ears that we need to have removed before we can take impressions of his ears for new hearing aids. He will be wearing two, behind the ear style, hearing aids. I've been researching several brands and haven't yet decided what we'll go with. Things have changed a lot in the four years that I haven't been practicing, and hearing aid technology has evolved greatly. So much to think about! Then there's the little decisions like do I get beige to match his skin, or do we make it a little fun and go with a set of blue HA's????

All of Owen's evaluations for services through the school district have been completed. Everyone was very impressed with how appropriately he plays, how smart he is, and how friendly he is. He will mostly likely be attending a full time preschool program for hearing impaired children. I had the chance to tour the school and meet many staff members. Everyone seemed wonderful. The school is very nice and in addition to the classrooms has a full gymnasium, full kitchen, and computer lab with brand new computers, all of which the preschool children have use of. The classes are very small, about 7 kids, with two teachers in each class. The school uses an Auditory Verbal approach in which the children are taught spoken language auditorily. I CAN NOT WAIT to see how Owen does once he's properly aided and getting the help he needs. We are waiting for state approval for school placement and his CPSE meeting is probably going to be next week. He can start school immediately after that.

As excited as I am that he will be getting the help that he otherwise never would have received, I am so worried about him adjusting once again to a new situation. I know it will only take him a few days to realize that he goes to school and then comes home, but it makes me sad to think about how worried he'll be in the beginning. I see it every time we do something that's not quite our regular routine. For example yesterday I took him and Jason for haircuts. Well, we have never left the house with just the three of us. When he realized that just the three of us were leaving he went and sat at his little table, looked at me and shook his head "no". I kept waving for him to come and he started to pout :( Poor little guy was so scared and confused. Leaving with just me and Jason was unpredictable, and he couldn't predict what would happen next.

Things still continue to get easier and easier everyday as we get to know each other better and he learns whats expected and acceptable. We have had far less whining, and no tantrums. He no longer cries at bedtime, but instead fully participates in the routine. He helps pick up the toys in the living room, and shuts off the television. When we get upstairs I usually let Ella watch a little television while I sit with Owen until he falls asleep. He now turns the T.V on for her when we get upstairs! When we're all washed up and ready for bed they both sit on Owen's bed and I read a book or two. He then kisses Ella goodnight and takes his hearing aid out. The other night he even tried to open the battery door like I do each night! No more crying, no more pouting, no more self soothing behaviors while he falls asleep.

What amazes me most is that he's only been here about a month! Most people can't believe how very little time he's been home. I can't wait to see what the next few months bring!!

The Birthday Boys!!

2009-03-15T14:40:00.000-07:00

HAPPY BIRTHDAY JASON AND OWEN!!!!!

On March 14th we celebrated both Jason and Owen's birthdays. I am so grateful that we were able to have Owen home before this day. We celebrated with some family and a couple of close friends who may as well be family :)

Jason turned 13!!!! WOW, it sounds weird just saying that! It never ceases to amaze me how quickly time goes by. That day thirteen years ago seems like yesterday, and at the same time so long ago. And for thirteen years I have never stopped being so proud to be his mom. I love my big guy :)

Owen turned 3!!! I am so grateful that we didn't miss this birthday! I am glad we were able to celebrate his birth, but at the same time could not stop thinking about his birth mother the entire day. Honestly, I don't think there has been a day that I haven't thought about her and wondered. I wish she could somehow see his smile :)

This post has taken me all week to get published!!! Could someone please request that just a couple of hours be added onto the day??? There just isn't enough time to get everything done in 24! I do have more to tell you....about his evaluations.....another day. For now I'll let the birthdays get a little attention!!

Enjoy the pictures. Of course now I wish I would have taken more. And one day, hopefully one day soon, I really do want to learn how to use my camera a little better...you know in my spare time!

Good morning little birthday boy!
Birthday kisses
Birthday hugs :)
Can you stand how cute these two are????

Owen takes Ella to show her the Happy Birthday sign above the door. I love this picture, it just does something to my heart :)

Ella loves her the big Birthday Boy too!

It was a Y*nkee birthday for J, complete with opening day tickets at the new stadium!

Presents!!

Owen quickly became very good at getting the wrapping paper off his gifts!

A new bike! No more riding Ella's princess bike!

B with Uncle Angelo--with their cane and crutches, both recovering from there injuries, and both enjoying being waited on! (Angelo broke his leg in three places after falling on the ice--OUCH!)

Owen showing off his skills with chopsticks

Ella and Sophia having dinner together. Sophia's mommy Dina and I have been friends for over 23 years!! That makes me feel really old!

The boys hang out and have dinner

Cousins

Ella, Sophia, and Nikki. I've been friends with Nikki's mom Dana since H.S. Next month we go to our 20th reunion! Again, felling REALLY old!!! It warms my heart to see Ella with Dina and Dana's daughters :)

Owen really loved Nikki! Who could blame him?

More presents!

Happy Birthday!!!!!!

New scooter from Meme and Poppy.

Just because.......

2009-03-12T12:23:00.000-07:00

Just because........ I know there are some of you (not gonna mention any names) who are needing a "blog fix"! I really don't have much to say. Things are continuing to go well and continue to get easier each day. It just happens to be my favorite time of the day. The time when the light coming in the living room makes it such an inviting room. It is my favorite room in the house (now that the novelty of the laundry room has worn off that is!). Some of you (again, not gonna mention any names) would say that it lacks color.....yes, it is "monochromatic".....and I LOVE it that way! Did I mention it's my favorite room in the house????? I love to sit in here, I love the way it "feels"......peaceful, warm.....especially this time of day. So, needing an excuse to sit in here today, I decided to take my laptop and do a little blogging in my-----colorless room. By the way, beige does happen to be a color ya know!

The view from where I'm sitting.....I could sit here all day with the sunlight pouring in. Who needs color????

OK now for some pictures of the kids!

"Best friends" Last weekend was beautiful here and perfect for a little outdoor play!
Owen and Meg pose for a picture together. Please ignore the fact the Owen is riding Ella's princess bike. Notice the snow in the background---I wasn't quite prepared for bike riding whether considering last week we got over a foot of snow. Rest assured, some little someone will be getting a new bike for his birthday!
Ella has already taught her new brother that the view of the T.V while sitting on the COFFEE TABLE is quite good!

Over the weekend Owen met Poppy. They were instant friends!

Ella also introduced Owen to Slurp**s! Once he figured out what it was, he liked it!

Handsome little devil--thank you Aunt Dana and Nikki for the cute shirt!

The Difference a Week Makes

2009-03-07T05:12:00.001-08:00

Oh boy, what a week!! A pretty exhausting one at that! Slowly, we are making our way into what is our "new normal". Bringing a new child into your family, who already has his own formed personality and ideas, and figuring out where he fits into that family, is no easy task. But a week has already made such a difference. He has already learned how to play nicely with Ella, he doesn't whine half as much as he used to, he has only had one tantrum all week, he's not falling apart every time I tell him "no", he's sleeping at night from 8pm-6am now, and he's eating just about anything we put in front of him!! He's has eaten oatmeal twice for breakfast, ate chicken nuggets for lunch the other day, and last night joined us for Friday night pizza! Ella said "he's NEVER going to eat pizza", and I agreed. So I had the noodles all ready to go, but when he walked into the kitchen decided that I would break a piece of pizza off and let him taste it. It didn't get spit out, so I let him take a bite, and another, and another. Then, when he saw Ella and B sitting at the table he decided that he and his slice of pizza would join them. He ended up feeding himself...the WHOLE slice! I guess I shouldn't be happy and doing a dance of joy that my new child has now added chicken nuggets and pizza to his diet, but it sure does make life a lot easier not to have him push away everything you offer him. Today for lunch we had sandwiches and he ate his whole ham and cheese sandwich. Ahhh.....the little things, like having everyone eating the same meal--it makes life so much easier. Life in general has gotten a little easier each day and for the most part Wen is very happy, smiley, friendly, and easygoing. I just exhausted!!Here's lookin' forward to next week!!!

We also got a lot accomplished this week as far as getting Owen set up with all his medical appointments, and evaluations. We were at the pediatrician yesterday. Things went well especially considering his last encounter with a doctor was not a pleasant one! His pediatrician thinks he looks great and gave us all the necessary referrals for specialists and lab work. I am going to have him seen by an opthamologist. I'm just not convinced that he doesn't have a little something going on with his eyes. I also got him registered with the school district the other day so that we can start having him evaluated for services. I was very pleased with my meeting with the special ed coordinator. To my advantage, she is a speech pathologist and has a love for working with the deaf and hard of hearing population. I truly felt like he would end up getting everything he needed, and I wouldn't have to fight for anything. She has already started looking into preschool programs for him. We are going to be taking him to the local school for the deaf to have his evaluations done. Both she and I felt this was a good place to have him evaluated as they are very familiar with this population. They do have a preschool program there that is for hearing impaired children with hearing aids and cochlear implants. I am really hoping that this is where he will be placed. Considering that his auditory system has basically been unstimulated for three years, he will not only need to learn how to talk, but he'll need to learn how to hear and make sense of all these new sounds he's hearing. I think that a program where they are familiar specifically with the needs of hearing impaired kids, not just speech delayed kids, is probably the best place for him right now. It'll take a few weeks before we have everything figured out, but at least we're on our way!

Here are some pictures from the week :)

Ella being goofy in her "big sister" shirt
Owen....LOVING his big sister!

Playing rough with the big brother!

Poor Jason!

Handsome with his new haircut

Friday night pizza

Who would have thought...pizza...he's eating pizza!!! Definitely not noodles!

Snow Day!

2009-03-03T17:18:00.000-08:00

Just when I was ready to get back into a routine---SNOW DAY!!! We got hit with about 14 inches of the white stuff. Ella was asking all morning to go out and play. We were all wondering what Owen's reaction would be. Here's how it went:

We're all ready to go out!
Ella LOVES the snow!

Wen would only walk on the path that Brian shoveled!

Jason convinces him to stop whining and go play in the snow. For a minute he's having fun.

OK, maybe it's not so bad

OK, it's kinda fun

I'm starting to remember that I really don't like this.

A little snow in my mouth....I really don't like this very much!

Ella in the meantime is having a GREAT time! My angel making a snow angel.

Having fun with big brother, who shares Ella's love for snow play.

Owen enjoys the snow a lot more from inside the house! He laughs while he and B watch Ella and Jason play outside!

In case you couldn't tell from the pictures, Owen did not really like the snow. First, he wouldn't come out of the garage. Then, he only would walk on the path Brian shoveled. He finally found some fun in throwing the snow...for about 2 minutes. Then the whining began again. I was just fine with taking him back in. I am not a fan of being wet and cold either!

The first couple days

2009-03-02T06:01:00.000-08:00

It's a snow day here in the northeast, so I figured I'd give my friends a little reading material and do a little blogging!

The first few days home with Wen have been going well. Everyday he seems to be more and more comfortable here. He and Ella have been getting along very well and he is absolutely delighted to see her when she wakes up in the morning (he ALWAYS wakes up first). Ella seems to be adjusting well to the big sister roll. There have been some things that she's had to get used to! First, Ella is usually pretty quiet in the morning. She'll wake up. Sit on the couch for a while and have her cup of tea (yes, her cup of tea!), and gradually start her day. Wen wakes up raring to go! He's bright eyed, ready to play, and LOUD!! He's vocalizing away, playing, dropping toys, banging things! As soon as Ella wakes up he wants to play. No more sitting on the couch quietly for her! Also, since Wen doesn't talk, he'll often"show" Ella what he wants her to do. For example, if he wants her to sit on her little car so he can push her around, he'll take her by the hand over to the car, and try to pick up her leg and put it over the seat of the car! My poor timid Ella! Luckily, she's less nervous about him doing things like that, and he's been less "pushy" everyday!

I think attachment is going well. He really seems to know that we are his family. He'll come to me now for comfort if he gets hurt. He's more and more affectionate each day. The cutest is when he's holding Ella's hand and then kisses it! Just too darn cute! Yesterday we were at a friend's house for dinner and Brian needed to leave to pick up B. When Owen saw him leaving he ran after him, but then was fine when I went and called him over to stay with me. Sleeping has been a little bit of an issue. He'll wake a few times in the middle of the night, and the other night was up for a couple of hours. I know it took me several days to get adjusted while in China, so I'm hoping that soon his body clock will adjust and he'll be sleeping a little better.

As for me, the jet lag hasn't been as bad as I thought it was going to be. I'm starting to think that maybe I don't need as much sleep as I used to believe! My biggest adjustment has been getting used to the new increased level of noise in the house! I don't like noise much, and it has been VERY noisy!

Wen has his hearing test scheduled for March 16th. I can't wait to see what his hearing loss is like and get him appropriately fitted with new hearing aids. He's going to need some pretty intense speech/language therapy and I'm hoping that we can get him in a hearing impaired preschool program. Luckily there is a school for the deaf not too far from us that does have a preschool program for hearing impaired and deaf children.

Here are some pictures of Wen's first couple of days home

Discovering his toys and getting to know Aunt Ali
All these toys and all he wanted was B's phone!

Showing Ella his "new toy"

Ella shows Wen her room

The first morning home Wen went to look out the window and look what was on it---A LADYBUG!

Looking out into his new yard

Loving his new sister

Brushing their teeth together!

Having lunch together :)

I LOVE my big brother!

Remember the pickle story from the airport? This was a gift for Brian from our good friend Angela! How hysterical!!!

We're Home!

2009-02-27T18:11:00.000-08:00

"Remember today, for it is the beginning of always. Today marks the start of a brave new future filled with all your dreams can hold"

Welome Home Owen!

After about 25 hours of traveling, we arrived home at about 8:45 to a very warm welcome from our friends and family, AKA the paparazzi! Cameras in hand, they all waited at the end of the driveway anxious to see the little boy they all heard so much about. Ella immediately jumped out of my mom's arms and into mine..something we were both longing for :) I then took her around to the other side of the car, followed by B and J, to finally meet "little brother". As soon as I opened the door Wen, like he knew just who Ella was, reached out his hand and took hers. Needless to say that brought a couple of us to tears! It was dark out, but the driveway was quite lite by all the camera flashes. I can't even imagine what was going through his little head! He was very happy to see B, and J as well and greeted each of them with a huge smile. Once again, we were blessed with magical moments. Four siblings who just met, yet seemed to have know each other for so long. How could that be? My heart is so grateful.

The kids were anxious to get Wen inside and show him his new house. He willingly went around the house holding one of their hands and went room to room. He amazingly seemed very comfortable with each of them, as well as with my mom and my sister. We all had a very late night that night finally settling in at about 12:30. Like clockwork, Wen was up at 6am!

Overall things are going very well. Wen absolutely LOVES Ella (and Ella loves him!), and is very happy when he sees B and J. We're still all getting used to the time change and I've been walking around a foggy and a bit overwhelmed by lack of sleep, the mess developing around my house, and the suitcases full of laundry that still need to be done. Also, my Ella who was so brave without her mom for two weeks, has come a bit undone! It's like every suppressed emotion is now coming out. She will not let me leave her side for more than a second and has been so overly emotional. That's mainly the reason this blog post has taken me so long. Ella basically won't let go of me, which makes it a little hard to type! And of course her needs have to take priority. So I now sit at my table with my laptop while the two little ones are eating lunch, trying to get it done!

Here's few pictures from Wen's big welcome home! In the next couple of days I'll hopefully get a chance to post some pictures of our "new family".

My mom had this beautiful banner made to welcome Wen home. (She also made sure the house was clean, the fridge was filled with food, and all the laundry at home was all done--how wonderful is that!!)

Michelle, Joanne, and Lisa came earlier in the day and decorate the house with balloons
Wen's new friends
Ella, Meg, and Mia are anxiously waiting!
We finally make it home to the large crowd gathered in front of our house
I'm greeted by our other children

Wen's first glance at the paparazzi awaitin his arrival!

Brianna, happy to finally meet Wen

The smiles on their faces...priceless

Ella, so happy to have "little brother" home at last!

No words for this one :)

A new family

Goodbye Guangzhou, Goodbye China

2009-02-24T20:14:00.000-08:00

It's our last full day in China. We head out early tomorrow morning for our long day of travel.

Yesterday afternoon we had our traditional "red couch" photos. It's a tradition to have pictures taken on the red couch in the lobby of the White Swan hotel. Wen wasn't in the best mood considering we had to wake him up from his nap. He definitely wasn't his usual smiley self, but still the pictures came out pretty nice.

Last night we attempted to eat some authentic Chinese. We stopped at two local restaurants, but after reviewing their menu decided that we really didn't need to eat Chinese. If I had been in the mood for some fried frog, sliced swan meat, or maybe a little ostrich kidney it would have been fine to eat there. I was way too hungry after not eating lunch and there was just no way I'd be able to get enough steamed pigeon in me to make me full! We then decided we'd try the German restaurant, but they were having a party there and were not seating for dinner. Much to my luck.......La Dolce Vita is right next door to the German restaurant and that's were we ended up. AAHHHH.......happiness. Again we had a very delicious meal. Actually I think it was probably better than any local restaurant we have home! A little Pizza Caprese (mmmmm), and two more wonderful pasta dishes (and of course a nice bottle of red wine) were on last night's menu. Of course we went through a couple of baskets of bread as well. Marianna, you would be very happy there. If you knew how good the food was I think you would even muster up enough courage to get yourself on a plane to China! We again worked on getting Wen to convert over to the Chinese-Italian he now is. A little olive oil and balsamic vinegar....he actually asked me to put in on his plate! Then the bread dipping began. Yes, we will be able to go out to eat when we get home!

We spent part of the morning packing and then headed over to the park. Wen had a great time! Again the local women were "mothering" him. I told Brian that if any of the Chinese women on the plane ride home offer to feed/entertain/take care of him DO NOT SAY NO!!! I'm sure they'll give him back once we land! Yes, I am dreading the long flight home. This is the part of the trip I was always worried about the most. So I am once again asking for your prayers-lots of them- for a safe, easy, and otherwise uneventful journey home. Please:)

Again, I want to thank all of you who have been so interested in following our journey. Your comments, emails, and facebook messages mean more to me than you know. Wen has so many wonderful people to meet when we get home :) You have all been so supportive over this past year while we worked so hard to get Wen home.

I also want to thank my mom and my sister who took such good care of our other three kids while we were here in China. We couldn't have done this without you :) Thank you.

Meaghan Grace and Mia Hope your provided the inspiration for us to follow our hearts and bring your new friend home. We can't wait to see the "three dimples" all together! I can't wait to see if Paige will be the fourth "dimple"!

My husband, who trusted me enough to make this happen...thank you, I love you.

*B, J, and El---just one more day! I miss you guys so much it hurts. We love you and can't wait for you to meet your new brother :) You guys are going to be the best big brother and big sisters he could ever have. He is one lucky boy that you will be his family and one day he will know just how much you all wanted him to be your brother.
XOXOXOXOXO
Mom and Dad

P.S- Mom-I think maybe you should take the Panda rocker out of Owen's room! We can't have him be afraid of walking into his new room!

Red Couch picture
Wen wants Tai's hat

Wen gets Tai's hat and is very happy!

Tai runs away! His mom and dad better be careful, I just may be sneaking him into my suitcase and taking him home!

Travel group (the two other GW families left Tuesday)

Wen was determined to ride on the little car with this big stuffed animal. He tried, and tried, and tried to sit on it with him. Then Tai's dad put him on Wen's shoulders---he was very happy to have a solution!

MMMMM.......some great bread dipped in a little olive oil and balsamic....who wouldn't like that???

Doesn't he look so cute in his new hat???

LOVE the personalized jersey - thanks Laura!

A local little boy and his grandmother

Yep, another women feeling the need to take care of Wen. She thought his hat was too big and decided to adjust it

Every adoptive mom just has to take this picture

La Dolce Vita

2009-02-23T21:27:00.000-08:00

Well the second half of our day yesterday went much better than the first. We opted to walk back to Shamian Island (with our guides) from the pearl market instead of taking the bus. We first walked through a very busy business section with lots of stores. There were SOOOOOO many people! Wen and his little friend Tai were mesmerized just watching everything that was going on. We just love watching them and wondering what was going through their little heads. We next walked throught the pet market. I didn't take any pictures here as it's not something I really care to remember and for the sake of my animal loving friends and family I'm not even going to bother describing it. I'm sure me saying that says enough :( After getting through the animal market we walked through the herbal medicine market. As we walked our guide stopped along the way and explained what things were and what they were used for. It was quite interesting and the Chinese definitely know something we don't know. They are all very thin (we have not seen even one overweight person here--seriously!), and they have such beautiful skin.

When we got back to Shamian Island we decided to go straight to dinner. We were joined by our new friends Heidi and Jason and there son Tai (who is one cutie patootie). It was a beautiful walk to the restaurant. We opted for Italian and were VERY pleasantly surprised by how good our meal was. We went there thinking "Italian food in China????". Brian and I can be very critical when it comes to Italian food. Upon arriving we were initially comforted by the beautiful building the restaurant is in, the cleanliness of it, and the fact that they have western style toilets! Already I was thinking this would be our place for lunch and dinner the next couple of days! We sat down to baskets of bread and breadsticks complete with a balsamic and pesto dipping oils. The bread was so light and delicious. Now I'm thinking "OK, this could be good". Then came the true test--our meals. Brian and I ordered Penne with onion, bacon, and tomato sauce , and Chicken with a spinach wine sauce. They were DELICIOUS!!!!! Even Wen enjoyed his spaghetti with tomato sauce and some bread dipped in pesto!! Hooray--that I can make! Later we saw the chefs-two big Italian guys and that explained everything! Our meals combined with the wonderful bottle of wine we ordered, and the company of Heidi, Jason, and Tai was like a little taste of heaven. I was soooo happy and content. It was like my battery was recharged and I was thinking OK, OK, I can do this for a couple more days"! Needless to say, I'm really looking forward to going back there :)

We had a very pleasant walk back to the hotel from the restaurant. On the way we stopped for some Starbucks, and did a little more shopping! There were lots of people out walking and still lots of people in the park exercising.

To make the evening even better we had two important firsts last night. I got my first kiss!!!! AAAHHH, yes, my first kiss. I was holding Wen and puckered my lips and he leaned over and kissed me! Dad later got at kiss too. Also, last night was the first time he let me lay with him to go to sleep. I then put him in his little bed that is right next to Brian's (basically attached to it) and he slept there all night. Either he was really wiped out from all his shots, or he's finally starting to realize that when he wakes up in the morning we will still be there.

Tomorrow we go to the Consulate to take our group oath. Then we'll get all packed up and ready to head out on Thursday (of course in between that we'll be going back to La Dolce Vita!!)

*B, J, and El- We are DONE shopping for you!! El-have fun at school today!! Tell Ms. Diane I said hello. Two more days!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Brian bargaining in the pearl market. Look at all those bags of pearls!!
So many stores, I'm not sure how they can all make money. These were ALL pearl stores!

Wen and Tai just taking it all in! I just LOVE this picture.

Herbal medicine market

These dried seahorses are used for making soup

Scorpians, yes scorpians, also used for a medicinal soup

This artist was making carvings out of ox bone

This little girl was reading in the park and was just as sweet as she looks. She spoke English and was delighted to pose for a picture. She is definitely one of the beauties of Shamian Island.

One of the many couples taking their wedding photos in the park yesterday.

Family photo in front of a "lucky" tree. Notice the trunk--it's like many thin branches twisted together. The trees are so beautiful here

La Dolce Vita!!!!

Spaghetti face!

Wen and Tai. Wen is very nuturing and gentle toward Tai. It make you wonder if he helped with the younger children at the orphanage--ya know at the ripe old age of not even three!

Tai's shoe came off---Wen was helping him put it back on! It actually makes me a sad that he is so independent and was forced to grow up so fast :(

Shoe is on, now he helps him get up!

My first Oreo---this is no rice cookie! Slowly they are beginning to corrupt me!

Joy, Fun, and Frustration

2009-02-22T21:27:00.000-08:00

This blog post brings out a wide variety of emotion today. First the joy and fun part. We had a wonderful time at dinner last night with our travel group. Four of the five GW families met and went to the Cow and Bridge. My meal was just OK. Maybe I should have opted for the steamed pigeon, or the ostrich kidney! I think tonight we're going to try Italian---that should be interesting! We then went back to the hotel and spent some time in playroom. Initially we were the only family in there. Wen spent a great deal of time arranging all the toys. He's going to be a wonderful "cleaner upper". We were then joined by two of the other GW families. It was so wonderful to finally see Wen playing with other children. He had a GREAT time. For the most part everyone played very nicely. Toward the end of the night it was just us and the Cook family with their new son Levi in the playroom. Wen and Levi had a blast. They were running, rolling around, and having a great time! The pictures of the two of them speak a thousand words. Levi is quite a character. He is four years old and has some command of the Chinese language. He runs around talking, and laughing, and talking in Chinese. I can only imagine the stories he was telling us. He has quite a personality and I could have watched him all night!

Now for the part of the post that is part funny, part frustrating. We had our medical exam this morning which all adopted children must have before returning to the U.S. The best way to describe it is controlled chaos. There were very many people there and you are basically brought to different "stations" for different parts of the exam. First, we had our "hearing test". This is the funny part of the story. The doctor took a squeeky fish and put it next to Wen's ear to see if he would turn to look at it. Well, we hadn't taken his hearing aid out, so of course he heard it. Then I took his HA out and the doctor once again took the fish from in front of him, held it to the side of his head, and squeezed it. Well, he wanted the fish and had watched it in her hand, so of course he turned when she squeeked it--he had watched her put it by his ear. Well, from this "test" she decided that he can now hear and actually told us he didn't need his hearing aid anymore!!!! I was trying really hard to be respectful, but the ridiculousness of the situation got the best of me. I was laughing so hard I had tears rolling down my face!! Brian was having a hard time controlling his laughter as well. The rest of the exam was pretty uneventful until our last stop. Apparently under the new Hague regulations all children who are returning to the U.S are required to have all vaccination required by the CDC----BEFORE they leave. I had no idea that this was the case and was a little unprepared for what they would tell me. The doctor looked at his vaccination record and determined that he needed FOUR shots for EIGHT different diseases!!!!!!! They said he needed MMR, DTaP, HIB, and Varicella!!! I argued, begged, and pleaded, to no avail, against this assault on his little immune system. Unfortunately, the consulate will not issue his Visa without meeting this requirement. I am so furious that I was forced to allow them to give him SO many on the same day. I really wish this could have been done at home, in a much safer manner. Please keep him in your prayers that he will suffer no side effects from the many vaccinations he recieved today. His poor little arms are SO sore :( I am just sick to my stomach thinking about it.

After Wen's nap we went on our scheduled tour to the pearl market. Once again, we made some purchases! I really liked the pearl market :) Funny because if it wasn't for the fact that I had to pick up something for Meaghan Grace I probably would have skipped going there. Wen was napping and after his ordeal this morning I really didn't want to wake him up. But, I had an order to fill and my girl's at home were liking that we'd be going to the pearl market today. I'm really glad we went, but once again the purchases are a surprise....sorry girls!

We ended up having a really nice afternoon and evening....more on that tomorrow! It's late, I'm tired and I'm not even gonna proof read this tonight...so just pretend there aren't any spelling/grammatical errors.....it's 9am in the U.S and I KNOW some of you have already been stalking my blog for a couple of hours!!

*B, J, and El--you all got some really cool stuff today!!! Three more days until "little brother" comes home!!!!!!!

The boys in the travel group (no girls in the group!)
Our group dinner

New friends

The local people excersising in the park

Beautiful Shamian Island

The medical exam place

Notice the tambourine...notice me TRYING to keep a straight face!

Crazy crowded!

Things are starting to not go so well....and we're not even up to the shots!

Can you stand the cuteness?????

Shopping, shopping, shopping!

2009-02-21T22:21:00.000-08:00

Shopping, that about sums up today! We went on our scheduled tour to the Chen Clan Temple. We thought we were going to see another buddist temple, but actually it's now a folk art museum---with, of course, stores where you can buy things! I did make some purchases, again. We got a chop (kinda like a stamp) with Owen's name written in Chinese, and a scroll with our family name on it. The other things we bought there are a secret....they're gifts :) Then it was off the the jade and provincial porcelain place (this is what our guide called it). Ummm.....we shopped a little more :) We got some chopsticks--we're gonna need those, a jade pendant for Wen, and some other goodies for our other kids which I'm not going to mention, because they're surprises too! Sorry for the suspense B, J, and El! I also splurged and got myself and Ice Jade braclet--very pretty.

We got back to our beautiful hotel, had some lunch, and brought Wen back to the room for a nap, AKA "my blog time". I must really love you blog crazy people (you know who you are!) to be spending every nap blogging. Especially now that we are in Guangzhou and I could be shopping! It really is nice to be here. There are so many little shops and the hotel is actually located on an island-Shamian Island. Our room looks out the the Pearl River which is the 3rd largest river in China.

Tonight we will be meeting the other GW families for dinner at the Cow and Bridge, a Thai restaurant here on Shamiam Island. It's nice to have a greater variety of food now. Also, the breakfast buffet here is wonderful! Luckily, they did have noodles for Wen. So far we have tried french fries, tater tots, chicken nuggets, french toast, pancakes, and toast. The only thing he has even tried was a french fry. He took one bit, chewed it, and spit it out! I told him that sometimes we need to run through the drive through for some fast food when we are out, and they don't sell noodles! Hopefully, once he see's Ella eating he'll decide to try some new foods.

Enjoy today's pictures :)

*B, J, and El--lots of shopping means some good stuff for you guys! I think you'll like our purchases! B and J- enjoy your last day off (and go to bed early tonight!) El-you're lucky, I think Meme is making meatballs today, YUM, I'm jealous! We love you guys. We're almost home!

The view from our window

Now that's a jade ship!

It's a whole new world out there!

This is how Owen has been falling asleep! When he's tired he grabs Brian's hand, brings him over to the bed, tells him to lay down, and climbs on!

Outside the Chen Clan Temple

This artist is fingerpainting. His work is unbelievable!

Magnolia --- for you mom :)

Wen and his new friend Tai. Isn't he so cute???

I don't care how hot they are, I'm hungry!

Noodle lover!

Hello Guangzhou!

2009-02-20T23:27:00.000-08:00

Views of Guangzhou

First plane ride
Explaination to follow!
A world of new discoveries

We have arrived at the White Swan Hotel and are on our last leg of our journey! We left our hotel about 8:00 this morning for the airport. Departing Nanjing was a little bittersweet. We are happy to be heading home soon, but I couldn't help but feel a little sad as we left Wen's province and the only home he's ever known. We are grateful for the time we spent there and very grateful for our wonderful guide, Jin. She was wonderful!

Today's blog post may be a little boring since it was really just a travel day. So you'll have to settle for a little blurb about some of our experiences with the people here in China. We have been somewhat of a spectacle while here. Me having curly blonde hair (something not often seen in China!), and us being an American couple carrying around a Chinese boy. We have been stared at, pointed at, and I have been asked to take pictures with people---we'll I guess I wasn't actually asked just kind of coralled into the picture. Yesterday while waiting for our guide to purchase tickets to Dr. Sun's office we were really stared at and I even caught one guy taking pictures of us. Today at the airport was no different. We had our biggest audience ever. We were walking around the terminal killing time. When we arrived back at our gate we were welcomed by a mass of people just sitting and staring at us. Seriously--they were ALL staring. Brian joked that he wanted to get some paper and start giving out autographs! Some people smiled, some just stared, and some were very interested when they noticed Wen's hearingaid. One women was gaving us the thumbs up! Besides always being surrounded by the papparazzi, we have also been surrounded by women wanting to make sure we are taking good care of Wen. They check to make sure he has enough layers of cloths on (he never seems to have enough for them), and they always want to make sure he has something to eat. Feeding him seems to be every woman in China's concern. Everyday we needed to give our guide a report on what he ate for dinner the night before and what he had for breakfast that morning. Apparently every little complaint he had was because he was hungry, and she would (with every good intention) tell us to feed him! Today at the airport I came out of the bathroom and Brian told me to look at what he was eating. I looked down and he was eating a pickle!!! Confused, I looked at Brian and he told me that a women had come over and offered him pickles and peanuts. Despite every smiling attempt by my husband to tell her "no thank you", she still bent down opened the bag and let him take a pickle! Then, when were boarding the plane I was getting into our seats and turned around to find Wen holding two packets of some kind of Chinese snack! Again, confused, I looked at Brian and he told me that the lady sitting in the row next to us gave them to him. I am surprised that on adoption day when we promised and signed that we would take good care of him they didn't make us prepare a meal plan/schedule and hand it in! We don't seem to have any parental authority here. One women in the store today decided that he didn't want to be in the stroller any more and just took him out!! (What a blessing the stroller has been--he weighs 40lbs and totes around his backpack EVERYWHERE making him at least 45-47lbs!! He was getting a little heavy to carry around everywhere and his little legs tire quickly)

It was very interesting seeing the airport through Wen's eyes this morning. He was just absorbing everything. He watched the airplanes out the window, as well as the trucks that bring the luggage to the plane. He stared at the fish in the fish tank. He was especially interested in the mannequines in the shops. I can't imagine what he was thinking looking at those headless plastic people! His first airplane ride went pretty well. He did not like being seatbelted into the chair at all. I know this is new and lots of parents have the same struggle. He became quite cranky by the end of the two hour flight. I assured him that our trip home would only be an additional 11 hours! It should be fun!

As much as we will miss the beauty of Nanjing, we are happy to arrive in Guangzhou. We look forward to meeting up with our Beijing travel buddies and are happy we will have the company of a few other families from GW as well. The change of scenery is also nice. As I had mentioned in previous posts, with the exception of the two times we had dumplings out with our guide, we were basically eating all of our meals in the hotel restaurant. I was getting pretty bored and seriously counting down the number of times we still had to eat there! The food there was very spicy, much to Brian's liking, but I was having a hard time finding something I liked to eat. I finally found a steak sandwich that was really good and ate that three nights in a row!!

Until tomorrow!

*B, J, and El--there is much shopping to do in Guangzhou, we will be bringing you home lots of goodies!

Here Comes the Sun!

2009-02-20T01:03:00.000-08:00

Finally, a sunny day in Nanjing!! We had a great day touring today!

Last night with Wen went pretty much the same as the night before. He's pretty easy going and is basically happy as long as he naps and eats! I had mentioned that when we first met him we initially thought that he may have a problem with his eyes because he was holding things very close to his face when he looked at them. He really hasn't done that since. I think we'll have it checked out anyway, but we not really too concerned about that any more. We were also concerned about his gross motor skills when we first met him. He seemed to be a little unsteady on his feet. We have now figured out that it was probably because he couldn't bend his knees with all the layers on pants he had on! His walking seems to be fine too. Again, last night he didn't want anything to do with the crib. For those of you who know us, all of our children have always ended up in our bed, so it's really not something we mind! We layed him down on the bed in between us and he stayed there for a couple of minutes......then he climbed right on top of Brian, put his head on his chest and fell asleep! Just too cute! He did come over to me again last night, look at me, and say "mama" so at least I'm getting a little attention! He also asked me to carry him at one point today instead of Brian (poor Brian was lugging him around all day! We finally went and bought a stroller because we knew that he would need to nap while we were out today--he's still sleeping in it as I write!) The only problem we may face when we get home is feeding him. He LOVES his Chinese food! He has rejected every American food we have offered him without even taking a bite! And...we're gonna have to get some chopsticks! Today at lunch he refused to use a spoon to eat his dumplings (all 6 of them!) and instead used chopsticks! He did quite well with them. I finally slept better last night, only waking up twice! I was also able to stay up last night until about 10:30--wooohoooo! Needless to say I felt better today than I have the entire trip.

Today we had an absolutely wonderful day of touring. The sun was out and it was a little bit warmer because of it. We visited Ming Tomb Park, Dr. Sun Yet-sen's Mausoleum, Dr.Sun Yet-sen's office, and the Old City Town area. Ming Tomb Park is where the first emperor of the Ming dynasty is burried. It just happens to be the Plum Festival here so there was a lot of celebration going on at the park. It was extrodinarly beautiful there. I don't know if I've ever seen so much beauty in one place. The pictures will speak for themselves.

From there we went to Dr. Sun's tomb. It was atop 392 steps which represent the 392 million people in China in the 1920's. The mausoleum was built from 1926-1929. It is constructed with 8 platforms. There are three doors at the entrance. The middle door is only for very important people, and has only been opened three times. Looking from the bottom you cannot see the platforms. Once you get to the top, and look down you only see the platforms and not the steps. The view from the top is breathtaking! When you are walking back out of the mosuleum you cannot see the first platform from inside the building and all you see in haze. It looks like you are going to walk right out into the sky!

Next we went to the Old City Town. In the middle of the town is a Confusious temple. All around it are streets of stores and alleys with small storefronts. It was very crowded and busy. We did make one purchase there-some rain flower stones. Our guide told us that we probably couldn't get them anywhere else.

Tomorrow we leave for Guangzhou! The last leg of this trip. We have really enjoyed our time here in Nanjing, but look forward to having the company of a travel group in Guanghzou! We also look forward to being able to get some St*rbucks! There isn't one anywhere around our hotel here in Nanjing.

Thank you to everyone who is leaving comments, and emailing us. We love you read your comments. Please keep them coming! I've been spending most of Wen's daily nap blogging and like to know you're all reading and enjoying!!

*B, J, and El-we must have walked 10 miles today! Poor dad had to carry Owen about 7 of those 10! B and J-Make sure you get rested over the weekend for back to school on Monday! J- I hope you feel better today :) El- We took a picture of a sign for Disney Princess on Ice in Chinese! Only 6 more days until "little brother" comes home!!!

A Rainy Day Touring

2009-02-18T23:44:00.000-08:00

Things here continue to go well. We are enjoying our time in Wen's province, but I have to say that I am starting to get a little homesick. I miss my other kids, my bed, my Keurig coffee maker! I also miss going to bed after 9pm and not waking up five times a night. Last night I really thought I was going to have my first good nights sleep--didn't happen! I'm feeling a little worn out, maybe more than a little, but know that I really need to concentrate on absorbing all I can in our time here.

Each day after naptime Wen really has a lot of energy! Yesterday he was especially energetic, a little too energetic. We really got the sense that he was just trying really hard to deal with his grief and this was how he was doing it. Almost as if he thought if he just kept laughing he wouldn't cry. He of course calmed down for dinner, because eating is his favorite activity. After his meal we got him an ice cream cone. I don't know if this was a first for him, but he didn't seem too sure what to do with it at first. That didn't last for long! He did do something really funny with it. The other day Brian was teaching him to do "cheers" with their cups. Last night he picked up his cone to do "cheers" with their cones! We were just cracking up! Then a little ice cream dripped on the table and he immediately licked it up right off the table! After returning to the room we played for a little while and then got ready for bed While we were getting ready I had a magical moment. I was sitting on the floor getting our PJ's out of the suitcase when Owen came over, looked at me, and said "mama". Needless to say, that brought a few tears to my eyes! I shook my head yes and he repeated it again. Well, if he's only going to have one word, I'm sure glad it's "mama"!!

Last night was the first night that we had a little bit of trouble with him, if you can really call it that. The first night we had him I held him as he fell asleep. The next night I tried to hold him, then he asked for Brian and he tried to hold him. He still was not happy so we put him in the crib and he immediately fell asleep. So last night we decided to go right to the crib. He was not happy. Not wanting to ignore his cries we took him out and layed him on the bed and he quickly fell asleep. We later transfered him to his crib. Through the night he semi woke a few times and was crying with his eyes still closed. Each time one of us would go over to the crib, lay a hand on him, and he would immediately stop. Poor little guy, I can't imagine all the things going on in his head. Although it makes me sad to see him sad sometimes, I know that this is a normal and healthy thing.

We were able to make arrangements with our agency to add some touring activities to our schedule. Today we visited the Yangtze River Bridge, the Zoo, and the Nanjing Massacre Museum. The Yangtze River Bridge was the first bridge to be built soley by the Chinese people. Before that China used the help of Russian engineers to build there bridges. The bridge was built from 1960-1968 and is a tremendous source of pride for the people here.

After that we went to the zoo....in the rain! It has rained every day since we got here, but that doesn't seem to stop anyone around here. So, to the zoo we went with our umbrellas in hand. The first stop was the pandas. Brian and I were very excited to see them. Wen, not so much. At first he seemed very interested and even got mad when Brian, who was once again carrying him, turned around and he could no longer see the panda. It was amazing watching the panda sitting in the tree eating and climbing it's seemingly too small limbs. We couldn't believe that the tree limbs could hold his weight. Then we went over to see the other two pandas who were indoors. All was fine until one of them starting walking around. That is when Owen started to freak out. He was terrified! Those of you who know us, know that this isn't really going to work in our animal loving family! All I kept thinking was "thank God I didn't go with the safari theme I was thinking of in his room"!! We left the pandas and went to see the giraffe so I could get some pictures of them for my giraffe loving Ella. Yep, hysterics again! We were supposed to go see the animal show. We decided that the lions and tigers would at the very least cause just as many tears and just as much screaming, so we skipped it.

We then headed over to the Nanjing Massacre Museum. The museum is located in the downtown area of Nanjing. The drive there was, aside from the rain, a beautiful drive. This part of the city is quite pretty. The streets are tree lined. The road to the museum is lined with Sycamore trees that are so big they meet over the street and form a canopy. There are also small plum blossom trees planted in between them. Plum blossoms used to be the national flower until 1949 when the peony, my personal favorite, became the national flower. I couldn't really get a good picture of this because the windows of the van were very foggy and covered in rain drops (which was a good thing as it made me less able to see all the "near misses" going on around us!). The museum itself is quite large and beautifully designed. It was built to memorialize the Nanjing Massacre. In December 1937, the Japanese invaded Nanjing the then capital of China. In a six week period of time, 300,000 people were slaughtered. The Japanese troops were ordered to kill all Chinese people-men, women, and children. We also learned of the Americans who helped save many lives, like Minnie Vautrin an American missionary who is credited with saving 10,000 Chinese women and children. It was a solemn visit to the museum as there is so much suffering an death depicted there and many human remains were actually discovered under the ground where the museum is built.

We had our first meal at a local restaurant here in Nanjing. Our guide took us to a dumpling restaurant. She ordered us a variety of dumplings and they were all delicious. Wen especially enjoyed them-he ate FIVE!!!! The total cost for our meal was the equivelant of 5 US dollars. That was for me, Brian, Wen, and our guide!!! Much cheaper than the meals we've been eating in the hotel, and I actually enjoyed it more!

One more surprising thing happened today. Wen actually came over to me this morning and was tapping his hearing aid. Somehow both Brian and I both knew he was trying to tell us his battery died (Somehow we know just about everything he's trying to tell us!). Sure enough his battery was dead! It amazes me enough that he is so good about wearing it, but to be three years old and be able to communicate that it wasn't working properly is just astonishing! I think of all the patients who came into the office over the years for follow up visits and presented with hearing aids that weren't even working because the battery was dead---and they didn't even realize it! Not only does this little guy willingly wear his hearing aid all day, but he can also tell me that the battery is dead! Each day he does something that just leaves me speechless!

*B, J, and El-the zoo was so big and so beautiful. B-you never would make it around here on crutches! There is so much walking! J-I think Owen eats more than you! Ella-the giraffes were so cute, but they wouldn't come out to far because of the rain-I hope you can see them in the picture. Only 7 more days till you meet "little brother"!

Cheers!
I think he likes it!

The Yangtze River Bridge

Handsome little man and his happy mama

The backpack comes everywhere! We're wondering if he'll be less attached to it since the panda incident!

Family picture on the bridge tower

A master artist painting inside glass in a shop at the bridge tower. Yes...we did buy another souvenir!

Panda fears!

The panda climbing the tree--so amazing to watch!

Just for Ella-see the giraffes in the back. They didn't want to come out in the rain.

Our lunch stop. Our guide tells us that this restaurant is the Chinese version of fast food!

Lunch!

No trouble eating his dumplings! He doesn't have trouble eating anything really.

The sign at the entrance of the museum. We were not allowed to take any photos inside.

The footprints in the stones are those of some of the surviors of the massacre

Living in a Dream

2009-02-17T21:17:00.000-08:00

I am seriously starting to wonder if the last couple of days are a dream. I can't believe how unbelievably well things are going with Wen. I asked Brian today "Do you think this is just too good to be true? Do you think we'll wake up tomorrow and he will have changed?" I can honestly say that there is not one thing I'd change about how things are going. It boggles my mind that this little boy has know us for just 48 hours and yet is so comfortable with us. He is really loving his Dad. He copies everything he does! They brush their teeth together and do their hair together. When we got off the elevator this morning Brian went back up to get something we forgot. Wen was desperately looking around for him! At breakfast this morning Brian got a cup of juice and Wen insisted on having one too. He then proceeded to hold the cup just like Brian and in the same hand, take a sip when he did, and put it down on the table when he did. When Brian got up to go get some more food, Wen called him (a simple loud vocalization), and then waved him back to the table and patted the seat! He is just too darn cute. He does like me too and he will hold my hand, let me feed him, take him to the bathroom, change him, and play, but he's favoring his dad just a little I think! He amazes us all day with how smart he is. Without a saying a single word he effectively communicates his every want and need. It's funny because had he not been hearing impaired and was talking we'd be having a harder time communicating. But because he's always had to rely on other means of communication, and has become so proficient at it, we have no problem at all! His cold seems a little better today. I did start him on the Zithromax we brought last night. The mucous coming from his nose has been very green and he sounds like he has some congestion in his chest. I was worried about flying with him Saturday to Guangzhou so I started the antibiotics. For those of you who know me, I am not quick to jump into meds, but really felt it was a good idea this time. He's been sleeping GREAT! He does seem to be grieving a little bit at bedtime and gets a little sad. He takes a two hour nap in the afternoon and sleeps through the night from 8-6. He is completely potty trained and has stayed dry through the night. Really, could this kid be for real???? We are so incredibly blessed. We just keep looking at each other completely amazed! I can't wait to get him home, get a good set of hearing aids in his ears, and get some speech therapy started. I'm sure he's just going to take off once he's getting the help he needs. He hasn't been responding to sound all that much and I was starting to think that maybe his hearing is worse that I was originally thinking. His vocalizations sound very much like those of a severely hearing impaired person. Then last night I put in a Ses. Street DVD which is one of those sing-a-long types. As soon as the music came on he began to dance. So he's obviously hearing something. I shared with a couple of you a dream I once had. Every once in a while God sends me these dreams. When I awake from them there is no doubt in my mind that they have meaning. In this dream, Wen was with Brian. Almost like he had gone to China to get him without me. I approached Wen from behind and could immediately tell that he was not completely deaf because he responded to my voice. When he turned around, he had no mouth. I took my finger and touched his face where his mouth would be and his mouth appeared and opened. The next day when I remembered this dream I was flooded with emotion and immediately knew that this was "one of those dreams". I told Brian about my dream and told him that I think that God was trying to tell me that Wen was not completely deaf, but he could not speak, and that my finger opening his mouth symbolized that I would be giving him the ability to speak. I guess it was "one of those dreams".

Some cute things about Owen:
*Everytime we leave the room he stuffs his pockets with toys, gets his coat and backpack, and then takes our hands and brings us to our coats
*He's very good at cleaning up and remembers where things go. Maybe he will teach the other kids how to do this!
*Last night at dinner I put his jacket and backpack on and he then went over to the chair got my coat and handed it to me!
*He knows how to press the elevator button, and when the doors open he quickly enters and stands like a little soldier toward the back. If the doors open before it's our floor to get off and he see's Brian and I aren't moving, he waves the other people waiting into the elevator!
*He's very social and loves to smile and wave at people
*This morning while on a video call with Brianna I was pointing to the computer and telling him "B". He jumped off my lap, ran over to get picture pillow we had sent to the orphanage, jumped back on my lap and pointed to Brianna on the pillow! Smart little guy!

We spent the morning at the Nanjing Museum. Nanjing is so rich in history and culture. We are really lucky to be spending our time in province here. The museum is the third largest museum in China and houses over 420,000 antiques. When I say antiques, I mean antiques! Some of the things we saw today dated back 7000 years!!! I hope you enjoy today pictures :)

***B, J, and El: B and J- you would have loved the museum today. There is so much history here. We did pick up some gifts for you! El-we bought you another surprise today! We love you guys-only 8 more days until you meet "little brother"!

All ready with his jacket and his backpack!
The Nanjing city gate (one of them!)

In front of the museum

Tomb of Early Liangzhu Culture- 3000 B.C

This tomb was unearthed in 1990. It is the largest in Zhaolingshan Tomb site so far. There were approximately 60 burial accessories found in it including jade, stone, earthenware, and ivory. It is thought to be a tomb of a young male who was probably the head of a tribe.

Rain Flower Stones-called such because the people believed that flowers rained from the heavens and turned to stone

Jade bracelets

Laquer- China was the first country to use laquering techniques. About 7000 years ago, wood products coated in laquer and pottery decorated in laquer first appeared. In the Shang and Zhou Dynasties Laquer was a luxury of the noble. By the Ming and Qing dynasties, laquer techniques became a nationwide handicraft industry and various laquering centers were established.

Breathtaking beauty and detail in design

A "Cloud Brocade" emperor's robe. "Cloud Brocade" is specific to Nanjing.
Of all the ancient drapery, brocade represents the highest techniques. Incorporating weaving techniques of all dynasties, Yun Brocade of Nanjing is called "Cloud Brocade" in Chinese. The Chinese name derives from the omniform patterns which are as beautiful as rosy clouds. It is also said that the name originates in the cloud-patterns which often appear in the brocade. As the quintessence of Chinese weaving techniques, Yun Brocade of Nanjing comes first among the three types of celebrated brocade in ancient times (the other two are Song Brocade and Shu Brocade). As a traditional type of figured brocade in Chinese brocade, Yun Brocade of Nanjing is praised as "One of Unique Chinese Techniques", and "Treasure of the World".
Figured Brocade of Nanjing originated in the Kingdom of Wu in the 3rd century. As a government agency on the national level, Brocade Office was established to regulate brocade production and distribution in 417, the 13th year during the Period of Yixi in the late Eastern Jin Dynasty. The office was also called "Douchang Brocade Office" because it was located beside Douchang Temple on the bank of Qinhuai River in the southeast of the capital. Here is one of the major characteristics of Yun Brocade. Specifically, as one of the "hundred schools of handcraft", brocade craftsmen in the Later Qin Dynasty inherited the traditional brocade techniques in the Western and Eastern Han Dynasties, the Kingdom of Wei (ruled by Cao Cao and his descendants), the Western Jin Dynasty, and even the early Period of Sixteen Kingdoms. In the early Period of Sixteen Kingdoms, in particular, ethnic rulers were especially fond of gold-wefted brocade. Therefore, experts generally believed that Yun Brocade of Nanjing was formally born in 417 when Brocade Office was officially established in Jiankang (contemporary Nanjing) in the Eastern Jin Dynasty. Accordingly, Yun Brocade of Nanjing embraces a long history of over 1580 years. When the production of Yun Brocade was at its peak, there were over 30,000 weaving machines, as well as nearly 300,000 people engaged in it or in related industries. It was the largest handicraft industry in synchronous Nanjing. At the museum there is a loom and two women demonstrate how it is made. Unfortunately, we were not allowed to take pictures of the loom. It was incredible, and complex. The finished products are beautiful. We did buy a framed piece to bring home, and also one for Wen's room.

An example of one of the many porcelin pieces on display.

You can not tell from this picture, but the decoration on this pot is actually Chinese charaters symbolizing longevity. It was a gift to the emperor. There are 10,000 characters painted on this pot!

In China, being it's an agricultural country, the pig symbolizes wealth. These earthenware pigs are 7000 years old!!!!!!!!

Earthenware vase

Man playing Xiao on Bent Knees- AD 25-220

Tripod with Ogre-mask design Food Vessel 1600-1100BC. Unearthed in the Dacun Reservoir in Lianyungang, Jiangsu, the city where Wen is from

The groovy van that takes us around town! Check out my new purple bag I bought at the silk factory :)

Sights of the city

Adoption Day

2009-02-16T21:03:00.001-08:00

Today was the day that our adoption of Wen became official. We started the day out at the breakfast buffet in the hotel before heading out to the Civil Affairs office to finalize the adoption. At breakfast Wen ate a wide variety of foods and a lot of them! He had a whole fried egg, a whole banana, a bowl of congee, two pork sausages, and a piece of Brian's banana bread. This boy can eat! After breakfast we went back to the room for a phone call home so the kids could see their new brother. They were all excited. Wen happily waved back to them and blew them kisses! Too precious! It was while we were on the phone that Brian made him laugh for the first time. We've had lots of smiles, but no real laughs yet. It was so nice that we all shared his first laugh together. We then headed back down to meet our guide and head out to the civil affairs office. After another crazy van drive over there we arrived and were greeted again by his nannies. We answered some questions asked by the official such as why we wanted to adopt Wen, and were made to promise that we would never abandon or mistreat him. We then had to "seal" the paperwork with our thumbprint. All three of us left our red thumbprint by our names, even Wen. The final goodbyes were said to his former caretakers. He walked back and forth hugging each of them a few times as if he knew this was their final goodbye, and them came to me.

Next we headed over to the local Carrefore, which is like a giant Walm*rt only more! We picked up some snacks for all of us, juice, bananas, and a suitcase to pack all the extra things we've been collecting. We came back to the room, had a little lunch, and Wen quickly went down for a nap.

I am so grateful for the way things are going. We truely could not have asked for things to go any better than they are. He is so smart, so sweet, playful, and funny. He is enjoying all the toys we brought him. It is so funny how everytime we leave he stuffs his pockets with his toys. He is a character. We are truely blessed!

Happy, hungry little boy!

Wen leaves his thumbprint and makes it official

Final Goodbyes

The Nanjing Library

Riding the escalator to the second floor

Look familiar? It's pretty easy to find snacks you are used to here.

Familiar looking chips

You can buy fish there too!

King fruit from Thailand

Our guide decided that we didn't need bags, we could just put our purchases in the suitcase we bought. We just go along with what she says!

These are all the cloths Wen was wearing when we got him.....yes he was wearing EVERYTHING you see!! When we arrived at the Civil Affairs office today the first thing the nanny did was check to see how many layers of cloths he had on! I don't think she was happy with his one pair of pants!

The cloths piled just so you can get an idea of how incredibily thick they all were!

Sleeping baby boy :)

Gotcha!

2009-02-16T02:47:00.001-08:00

If you smile at me I will understand, cause that is something everybody everywhere does in the same language. - Crosby, Stills, and Nash; Jefferson Airplane, Wooden Ships

......and smile he does!

With butterflies in my stomach we headed over to the Civil Affairs office at about 1:00 this afternoon. We were the first to arrive. Shortly after we got there a nanny and orphanage director arrived with a little girl who was going to be adopted today also. Brian and I anxiously awaited Wen's arrival and carefully watched out the big window waiting for him to arrive. Then, there they were, two women holding each of his hands turning the corner. They came through the doors and Wen walked right over to me! I offered him a little stuff monkey, but he was a little unsure of it. I think he wasn't sure if it was real! Then I pulled out the trains....he loved them. He continued to inspect EVERYTHING in the room! He even tapped me on the arm and pointed to the baby across the room. He was very curious about everything around. He was accompanied by the head nanny who told us that he is very smart. We quickly came to the same conclusion. He imitates everything you do and you only have to show him once how to do something. He's even learned how to work the remote for the T.V.!! When he arrived he was wearing a hearing aid in his left ear. The nanny said "mama" and he quickly repeated it. So it seems that he does have some hearing and is benefiting from his hearing aid. He also seems to really like wearing it. I'm glad I didn't have to fight that battle. I asked about the hearing in his other ear and they told us that it's about the same. Needless to say as soon as possible he'll be wearing some top of the line digital hearing aids- in both ears! It doesn't seem like he has a lot of expressive language at this point. I also think he may need glasses! He tends to hold things very close to his face while he examines them. So we'll definately be getting his eyes checked too. He also has a bit of a cold.

While we were at the Civil Affairs office we needed to go upstairs to take a family picture. I put out my hand to hold his and he immediately took my hand and started walking with me! He then let me pick him up and carry him up the stairs. We came back down, asked the nanny a few more questions. They presented us with two books filled with pictures and information about him. We will definately need to get that translated right away. They also gave me a braclet made of little crystal balls and told me that Lianyungang city (where he is from) is know for their crystal. Needless to say I was extremely touched by the gesture. Then it was time to leave. The nanny waved to him, blew him a kiss, and he in turn did the same. We left the office with him in my arms :)

Just before getting back to the hotel Wen fell asleep (he probably needed to close his eyes too so he couldn't see crazy driving that goes on here!). He was only asleep a couple of minutes when we got here. Brian carried him out of the van and brought him up, but he didn't stay sleeping. We got back to the room, our guide showed him the potty, and then took Brian down to the grocery store to get some snacks for him. She was very concerned about us feeding him! She told us what to order from room service and that she thought we should give him an early dinner....which we did! Boy can this boy eat. He ate 4 wontons and two bags of cookies! He even shared his cookies, feeding one to each of us. In the room we all played and were constantly amazed at how incredibly smart he is. He also is very proud of himself when he figures things out and turns to you with the biggest smile on his face. He smiles a lot and has the cutest little dimple in his right cheek! Through the night he spontaneously said "mama" and he will repeat it every time you say it to him. He also has wonderful fine motor skills. We were very impressed with his coloring! He colors the smallest little things on the page and pretty much stays in the lines! We also gave him a bath tonight. He was wearing three pairs of pants (two quilted and one regular, three shirts (two quilted and a sweater), and a jacket!!!! Tomorrow I will post a picture of them. I didn't want to lay them on the bed to take a picture and have him want them back on! Another funny thing to note, when he arrived he was holding a Mentos candy in his hand. He held on to that thing all the way home, through his bath, and the whole time we played, until he finally asked Brian to open it! At about 7:30 we could see that he was getting tired and was starting to look a little sad, so we shut the lights. That's when he started to cry. I held him on the bed, rocked him, and rubbed his back. He only cried for about 5 minutes, and at one point looked at me and smiled :) He quickly fell asleep. Here are some pictures from the day! I am wiped out, but thankful for a good day, and thus far easy transition, and hoping for a good night's sleep!

Our first glimpse of Wen turning the corner

We meet at last! Not too sure about the monkey!

He loves those cups!

His first bath. He was much skinnier without all his layers of bulky cloths!

Having fun with Dad

Look at that smile....and that dimple!

Have you ever seen a three year old color this good???

Nanjing

2009-02-15T00:47:00.000-08:00

First, make sure you scroll all the way down as I added the pictures from Beijing today!

We started our day bright and early this morning leaving the hotel at 5:45 to catch our flight to Nanjing. The flight was basically all Chinese people, and us! It just so happened that the girl we were sitting next to was from California and came to visit family in Nanjing. So we had a translator on the flight! We arrived at the airport on schedule and met our new guide who immediately seemed to be very experienced. Later, she told us that she has seen over 1000 children be adopted in her 12 years working as a guide! I think we are in very capable hands :) After a very interesting van ride we arrived at our hotel the Nanjing Parkview Dangshan Hotel. It's actually quite nice. We were a little hungry so we went to one of the restaurants in the hotel for lunch. The hotel is a little bit away from the tourist area of the city and our guide recommended that we eat at the hotel, not at the restaurants in the area. We decided she probably knows best and went to the Coffee House for some lunch. We decided to go with some Chinese fare since we are in China! When we first sat the table had been set like you'd see it back home, with a fork, spoon, and knife. Brian and I ordered and within a couple of minutes the waitress came over, and without a word took all of our silverware, and set down some chopsticks! Luckily, we had a lot of practice yesterday. When you're really hungry you have no choice but to figure it out!! Lunch was pretty good, and we soon realized that the waitress would not approach the table unless we asked her too. We wanted to order some coffee, which by the way is VERY expensive here! A cup of coffee is about half the cost of one of our meals! Coffee must be an expensive item here because this was also true in Beijing. We went out for dinner last night and it only cost about $25 in U.S money. Then we went back to the hotel and Brian bought a cup of "mocha chocolate coffee" in the lobby of the hotel and it was about $10!!

Ok, a little about Nanjing. Nanjing is the capital of Jiangsu province. The city is approximately 2000 years old. It served as the capital of China for several dynasties and was the capital until 1949. "Bei" means north, "Nan" means south, and "jing" means capital. So Beijing is known as the north capital, and Nanjing is known as the south capital. The city wall around Nanjing is the longest of its kind int he world.

Here's some pictures. I have to go get ready to meet our little man tomorrow!! We will be meeting him at the civil affairs office at about 2:30. I'm getting a little nervous!!

*B, J, and El- I hope you had a Happy Valentine's Day! B and J- Hope you like the movies. B- I tried not to give you a lot of candy! Ella- how where you chocolate lollipops? I know you love them! Just think -tomorrow you'll get to see "little brother" on the computer!!

The beautiful ceiling in the lobby of the main building of the hotel
Lobby of the wing we are staying in

The view outside our window. As seen everywhere in China you see a mixture of old and new. In the background the tower you see is for the television station.

View of the pool outside our window. Of course, it's only in the 40's so it's not open right now. I guess, like Brian, they don't like the way it looks covered!

Beijing Pictures

2009-02-14T22:45:00.000-08:00

The veiw from our hotel room

Our VERY hard beds

The old city wall from the Ming Dynasty

Tian an Men Square in front of The Monument to the People's Hero

There are five bridges into the first gate into the Forbidden City. The middle bridge was for the emperor. The emperess was only allowed to use the middle bridge on her wedding day. The other bridges were for used by others according to rank.

Inside the massive Forbidden City

One example of why you need to watch your step!

Tai He Dan- Hall of Supreme Harmony. "Tai He" means harmonious operation of all things on earth. This is the first of three main halls. It was first constructed in 1420 during the Ming Dynasty but rebuilt several times because of fires caused by lightening. The present building was built in 1695. During the Ming and Qing dynasties important ceremonies were held here such as the emperor's birthday, the lunar New Year, and enthronement of the emperor.

The emperor's throne
The more animals that decorate the corners of the building's roof, the more important the building

With our Beijing tour guide Grace

This tree, in the Imperial Garden, is the Tree of Love. The interlocked branches of this cypress symbolize loyal love. An appropriate Valentine's Day picture!

At the silk factory the girls give a try at stretching the silk. We were not very successful!

Our first Chinese meal! Everything was very delicious.

The AWESOME Great Wall of China

Not soon after we began climbing the wall we heard a loud crash. This car somehow lost control and was stuck hanging over this wall! Brian went down to help pull people out of the 10 foot ditch below the car!

Just a glimpse of how steep the stairs are on the Great Wall

Taking a little rest with Rebecca and Heidi from our travel group

Up atop the Great Wall

Brian made it all the way up !

I made it up to that tower after all of those steps and decided that was good enough for me! Brian kept going and made it all the way to the fourth tower-the last one on the right side of the picture.

We drive past the Water Cube and the Bird's Nest for a quick picture

A Day of Touring

2009-02-14T05:46:00.001-08:00

We spent the day touring Tian an Men Square, The Forbidden City, and the Great Wall. Unfortunately blogger is not being cooperative tonight and I can't seem to get any pictures uploaded. Hopefully I'll be able to get them up tomorrow. We had a great day and made some new friends in our travel group whom I'm sure we will continue to stay in contact with from here on. All of us are adopting waiting children. There are three boys and one girl who will be meeting their new families in the next couple of days. We leave tomorrow morning at 5:45 for our flight to Nanjing!!! So I'm sorry to keep this so short, but we are exhausted! I promise to post more tomorrow

Hello from Beijing!

2009-02-13T00:51:00.000-08:00

We made it to Beijing!! After a very bouncy take off and then a relatively smooth, but loooong flight we made it to Beijing at about 3:00---P.M on Friday here, A.M back home. The flight was good. We had free on demand movies and they fed us three times! The man sitting next to us moved his seat, so we lucked out and had a seat in between us to strech out a little. Neither of us got much sleep. We're going to go out now and stock up on some bottled water and try to stay up a little longer so we're not up at 2 AM. We meet tomorrow morning for some touring and I'll try to post pictures after that.

B, J, and El--We hope you had a good first night. Ella, did Brody sleep with you? We love you!!

Here We Go!!

2009-02-11T20:18:00.000-08:00

In just a little over 12 hours we will be boarding a plane to travel to the other side of the world to meet our new son. I can't even begin to express the mix of emotions I am feeling tonight! Thank you to all of you who have called,or sent emails over the last few days. Some of you I didn't have the chance to get back to, but know that your good wishes are greatly appreciated! It's so nice knowing how excited everyone is for us. Please keep us in your prayers for our safe travel, our health, and a smooth transition for Wen. I know that the emotions I am feeling tonight pale in comparison to those Wen will be feeling on Monday. I hope he finds trust and love in our eyes and our smiles, and I pray that God's gives us the intuition to know how to comfort him.

A couple of pictures before I go. A few of you have asked me to post pictures of Owen's room. It's pretty simple right now. I really didn't want to decorate it until I got to know him and what he likes.

Well, see ya in Beijing!

6 More Days!!!

2009-02-06T12:18:00.000-08:00

Only 6 more days until we leave! I can't believe we're almost there. Yesterday was exactly one year since we signed the waiting child acceptance letter for Wen from Great Wall. A year ago I never dreamed that it would have taken this long to bring him home. This past year sure has been one heck of a roller coaster ride! I don't know if I'll ever be able to say that I'm completely ready to leave, but hopefully I'll at least not forget to do something really important! Each day I have several moments where I say "oh shoot...I forgot about xyz". I'm hoping all those moments happen before we leave! It's all the little things I worry about forgetting like leaving the kids insurance cards, and putting Ella's dance bag where my mom can find it. Ya know all the things that aren't on the agencies "check list"! On a good note, I'm mostly packed...or at least I thought I was. That was until I checked the forecast today. I packed thinking that it would be 30-40 degrees in Beijing, 40's in Jiangsu, and 60's in Guangzhou. That is what weather dot com said the averages were this time of year. Well, as of my last check this morning Beijing and Jiangsu look like the weather is going to be about 10 degrees warmer than average, and Guangzhou's forecast is....in the 80's next week!!!! I didn't pack thinking summer. So I think I now need to rethink my packing a little bit. Other than that I did get the medicine kit together and Owen's backpack is all filled and ready for him.

As I scurried along through the day I am finding myself needing to intentionally stop and "be still" for a couple of minutes and in those moments reflect on and "feel" what is really going on here. The purpose of all the lists, the purpose of all the rushing around, and the reason for the overflow of emotion I am living with. It still amazes me that there is a little person on the other side of the world, whom I've never met, and yet I feel so strongly connected to. It amazes me that I could love someone whose face I've never seen in person. It's in those quiet moments, that I allow myself to be still, and feel the presence of this little soul in my heart. It's those quiet moments that soothe my frenzied mind and are truly the most enjoyable part of this experience thus far. The moments where I stand in awe of God's handiwork, in awe of the strength of the invisible bonds that connect each one of us, and in awe of the face of a little boy whom I've never met but somehow is already so much my son.

Happy Chinese New Year

2009-01-26T19:51:00.000-08:00

We celebrated Chinese New Year with our good friends. They started the tradition last year and this year invited us too! We all made, or attempted to make a Chinese dish. This was the first attempt at cooking Chinese that I've ever made. Too bad our friends had to be my test kitchen! I made Chicken fried rice and Chinese Vegatable soup. They seemed to get a thumbs up! The other delicious dishes we had were Chicken Lo Mein, Peking Pork Chops, Chow Mein casserole, and Shrimp stir fry with Bok Choy. It was a great night, with great friends.

My Baby Girl Turns 4!!!!

2009-01-26T16:38:00.001-08:00

On January 23rd my little baby girl turned 4!!! In case you haven't noticed, I am just head over heals in love with this little pip squeek! She is my beautiful, super sensitive, extra girly, incredibly generous, smart, sweet and snuggly little munchin. I can't believe she's four already. In the morning we opened a few presents with Daddy and then got ready for our favorite activity-music class with Miss Mary. After music we went to lunch with Sophia and her mommy. Sophia's mommy and I have been friends since we are 13. It's so nice to watch the girls play together. Later, when B and J came home, we opened more presents and then went to Ella's favorite restaurant for dinner. The next day was birthday party day!! She invited some of her little friends to the most adorable party place for a Princess Pampering Party. All the girls had a great time. Of course we had to invite Mikey too. We couldn't have a birthday party without her best friend--even if he is a boy and it is a girly kind of party! Later on we had some family over for some more celebrating. We opened MORE presents and had birthday cake. A very special birthday weekend for my very special Baby Girl!

A Big Surprise!

2009-01-26T10:40:00.000-08:00

Last Sunday I was surprised with a shower for Owen given by the Mommies of his "neighborhood friends". Judging by how I was dressed, you will see that I had NO idea what was going on! We were supposed to be going to my nephew's birthday party, but Ella woke with a little fever. Brian, who now didn't know how he was going to get me out of the house, was trying to convince me to take her to the party anyway. I thought he was NUTS!! Ella kept asking me to go in the basement to play. I was spending a lazy Sunday morning in my PJ's after getting home very late from a party the night before. Finally at about noon I told her that I needed to get dressed and then we'd go down--thank goodness I got out of my PJ's!!! In the meantime Brian and Jason were getting ready to go to the birthday party. Behind the scenes, Brian is calling Meaghan Grace's mommy and telling her that he doesn't know how he's going to get me out of the house! Now, Brian is in the kitchen waiting for J to come down when Brianna comes out of her room and asks if he can drive her to a friend who lives in the neighborhood so she can get a math sheet she left in school. Brian turns around and says "Can you drive her and then when you come back I'll leave?" I'm thinking "is he kidding me?????" and I say to him "you're leaving, why don't you just take her and then be on your way?" Not wanting to argue, I put on my shoes and leave to take B. I get outside to my car, which needs to be cleaned of snow, having a few choice words for my poor hubby who has now very cleverly gotten me out of the house. I look at Brianna and ask for clarification of what we are going to get and ask "doesn't she have a fax machine???". As we drive to B's friend I notice a bunch of people outside the house next to her friend's. I ask B "what are all those people doing outside that house?", as all sorts of possible answers to my question swirl through my head----NONE of which include that they are there for me!! As I get closer I see people waving and start to see familiar faces....and it all comes together! With my hair in a ponytail and barely any makeup on I got out of the car in shock.

It was a wonderful afternoon, filled with special touches, thoughtful gifts, and loving family and friends who were all there to help welcome a very long awaited little boy. He got so many wonderful gifts, but the one that touched me the most was from my mom. She filled a hamper with gifts--one for every holiday he has missed with his family since he was born. Included were all of his "little brother" presents. My mom has always given the other kids a gift on each other's birthdays! There was one for each one of B, J, and El's birthdays that he missed :) Needless to say, the whole room was crying while I explained the gifts! As for me, I could barely speak while explaining. Thank you mom! Thank you everyone! I wish Wen knew how much he is already loved and how much everyone is looking forward to finally meeting him.

Consulate Appointment Confirmed

2009-01-20T11:27:00.000-08:00

We received word today that our Consulate Appointment is confirmed! I have now purchased our airline tickets. We leave February 12th at 12:15 pm on our non-stop flight to Beijing!!!!!!!! I'd like it if everyone started praying now for a safe and uneventful flight-I HATE to fly!! I do have to say that even with all the delays and aggravation the timing of our trip could not have worked out better. For that I am so very grateful. And just think.....Brian and I will be spending Valentine's Day, alone, on the Great Wall of China. How cool is that??? I won't have my complete itinerary for a few days, but we should have Owen in our arms by 2/16.....that is even cooler!

TA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2009-01-19T14:53:00.000-08:00

Well, apparently we DID get TA on Friday! I was told this morning that they came in very late in the afternoon and there just wasn't enough time to inform everyone before they left for the day! All that worrying for nothing! GW has requested a consulate appointment for 2/24. If that appointment is confirmed we will leave on 2/12!! Keeping my fingers crossed that there are NO MORE DELAYS!!!!! If not then Owen will be in our arms four weeks from today :)

A Test of Patience and Faith

2009-01-17T10:03:00.000-08:00

Great Wall got another batch of TA's yesterday, and again ours was not there. I'm am struggling today to find some peace with this. Some of the families that got their TA's yesterday received their LSC's two weeks after us. So I am confused as to why ours isn't here yet. Our signed LSC did get "lost" for a couple of days, but still was mailed back to China before those LSC's were issued. So why has the other family who received LSC on 12/15, and three families who received LSC on 12/29 gotten their TA and not us??? With many offices in China now being closed or closing for Chinese New Year this week, the thought of how long this could delay things is a little unbearable right now. This truely is a test of patience and faith.

Delayed--AGAIN!

2009-01-10T07:39:00.000-08:00

Well, so much for worrying that we may be leaving in three short weeks. Great Wall received a bunch of Travel Approvals this week and ours was NOT in the batch!! So leaving on 1/29--out of the question. Now we are hoping that GW will be able to juggle things around and will be able to get us in the 2/12 travel group. The conversation I had with our travel advisor, Rebecca, at Great Wall did not leave me feeling too confident. So hear we are--waiting again---hoping that our TA arrives this week, and hoping that GW can work things out that we leave by the middle of February.

Update

2009-01-08T04:46:00.000-08:00

I heard from Great Wall yesterday after submitting my travel information sheets. Originally, we were told that we would probably be traveling the first week of February. So when I sent in the forms I noted that I would indeed like to leave February 5th, or latest February 12th. This would make babysitting arrangement sooooooo much easier because the kids are off the week of the 16th. Well, I got an email from the Rebecca who is handling our travel arrangements at Great Wall. She said that she saw my note, but she had us tentatively scheduled to leave on January 29th and return on February 12th!!!!!!!! AHHHHHHH....that's only three weeks away!!!! I did call her to ask if there was any possibility of waiting until 2/5 and she said that she'd have to check on guide availability. Not that I don't want to run there right now and go get the little guy. I just think Ella would do best if my sister, who is a teacher and also off for February break, was able to come to our house to watch her. There's about to be big changes in her world! Knowing that she's as comfortable as she can be in my absence would surely make me feel better. Of course we've had plenty of babysitting offers for the kids, but with Ella's food allergies there are only a few people I trust. So I should hear from Great Wall today, and I'm just going to trust that things will work out the way they are meant to :)

In the meantime, starting today, I think I'd better kick it up a notch in terms of getting ready!! I have been picking things up along the way that we will need for the trip. This week I raided the "travel size section" at Bed, B*th, and Beyond. What fun that was!! Also, Ella and I were in one of the big toy stores this week and picked up a few things for us to bring to China for Wen. But, our favorite shopping trip of the week, was right here in our own attic!!! Before putting the Christmas decorations back up there and I went and took a look around. I was sure I didn't save much of Jason's old toys, but to my surprise there were quite a few things up there. I knew I saved his trains, we brought those down. Also up there was his beloved castle playset, his pirate ship, all of his cars, a big box of dinosaurs, some St*r Wars figures, a bunch of games, some boy appropriate dress up cloths, some trucks, and a remote control motorcycle (still in the box!). Ella also made out pretty well on our shopping trip! Little does she know there is still more up there that will be perfect for her next year! We spent the rest of that afteroon playing with her favorite attic find---Twister!! She was hysterical!

Today my best little helper and I are going to start painting Wen's room. I've waited a while to start, not knowing what I wanted to do in there. Time is a runnin' out now! So we're just going to keep it pretty neutral as far a theme for now---which is soooo hard for me to do, and just fill it with some toys. Once we get to know what he likes we can pick a theme! We picked out a beautiful grayish blue for the walls(called Blue Stream), and a light tan (called Everlasting--liked that name!) for the trim. Hopefully I'll like it on the wall. I have been know to repaint rooms immediately upon finishing them because I didn't like the color! Drives Brian crazy, but I really don't have time for that this time!

Well, it's off to painting I go!

We Have a Name!

2009-01-01T17:24:00.000-08:00

After MONTHS of contemplation we finally have settled on a name. Lian Han Wen will be

Owen Alexander HanWen

I feels so right! I love the fact that "Wen" will always be a part of his first name. I was having major issues with "taking his name away from him". Also, as most of you know, our other kids have always been called by the beginning sound in their names--B, J, and El--so he can be "O"!! I did hesitate for a little while hoping that my bloggy friend Rebecca from China!Baby wouldn't feel like I stole her name(she will be traveling for her Owen very soon!). I did email her, expressing my concern, and got her full blessing! Thank you, Rebecca.

So, Owen it is!

Christmas

2008-12-30T12:59:00.000-08:00

I'm finally getting around to posting some pictures from Christmas. I had been battling an upper respiratory thing the week before Christmas which I thought was on it's way out when I suddenly took a turn for the worse on Christmas Eve. I got through Christmas and then spent most of the following day in bed. It's been hard catching up. Of course at the same time I also received all this information from the travel department at Great Wall. So, blogging has been way down on the list as I try to get a handle on everything. Here's a glimpse at Christmas---

Christmas day-Ella in her Christmas dress, and J, as always, in his newest football jersey from my mom.
This was Brody all tired out after the Christmas festivities!
During dessert on Christmas Eve Mom always breaks out the "poppers" and we all wear the paper crowns found inside. Don't we look cool????
You'll see from this picture and the next that Mom and Gram had the very same reaction when opening their gifts. Mom got the audio books from the Twilight series. Gram got mason jars---explanation---when I was a kid Gram used to make her own pickles. They were the only pickles I ever liked. I've been asking her for years to make pickles and she always come up with an excuse why she can't. Her latest excuse was that she didn't have jars----so now she does---NO MORE EXCUSES GRAM!!!!!!

Yes, very bad lighting, but it would have been a nice picture
Yes, another explanation---apparently there is a song about "Chicken noodle soup with a soda on the side"---I have no idea, but it's always been this inside joke between Jason and Ella. So when Ella asked Jason what he wanted her to get him for Christmas he said "chicken noodle soup with a soda on the side"----so that's what she gave him!

Ella loved her Cinderella perfume from Brianna!
From Jason to Ella-Hulk hands-again another little inside joke of theirs. She's now been beating him up for days!

LSC has made it to Great Wall

2008-12-23T15:52:00.000-08:00

Just a quick note---Our LSC did arrive a Great Wall yesterday afternoon! It will be going to China tomorrow :)

Now it's back to baking!!

Taking a Deep Breath---Many Deep Breaths

2008-12-19T14:22:00.000-08:00

With a big smile on my face, and lots of love in my heart, I took our signed LSC to the post office and sent it overnight to Great Wall on Wednesday. Now, at 5:30 on Friday, they still haven't received it!!!!!!! Nobody at the post office can seem to tell me where it is, only that it left our local processing plant on Wednesday at 6:08pm. According, to their computers it still has not scanned in Texas!!!! DEEP BREATH, DEEP BREATH, DEEP BREATH......this means our LSC will not go to China until Wednesday......assuming it ever gets to Great Wall! Hopefully there are just a lot of packages being sent during this busy time of year and it's just taking longer than promised. The good news--they will gladly refund me my $16.50 since they failed to fulfill their commitment. As if I really care about the $16.50!!!! Yes, yet another delay. I know there is "a reason" why my LSC didn't leave for China today, but I do wish that my faith in God's perfect timing wasn't tested quite so much!

......keeping my fingers crossed for a Monday delivery!

THE WAIT IS OVER!!!!!!

2008-12-15T08:53:00.001-08:00

After 104 days the wait is over. At 11:05 this morning I got the call that our LOA/LSC has finally arrived!!! I am so excited right now I can't even type, but I wanted to let everyone know. How I can't wait to see that smiling face in person! Our agency anticipates us traveling the first week of February, exactly one year since we signed the acceptance letter for his referral. I'll post more later. Right now I can't even think!

100 Days!

2008-12-11T19:49:00.000-08:00

Well, we're officially in the Cenentarian Club. Today marks 100 days waiting for LOA/LSC. Getting to 100 days was not something I really ever imagined would happen. Oh well, maybe day 101 will be my lucky day????

Worrying Woes

2008-12-04T07:02:00.000-08:00

First--no, no China news! 92 days and counting...but hey--the days not over yet!

This post is simply to vent a little. For those who don't know, my little Ella is one of approximately 12 million people who suffer from food allergies. While I am fully aware that she could be afflicted with far worse things, the truth of the matter is, food allergies are responsible for about 30,000 Emergency Room visits and claim the lives of about 200 people each year. In relation to other conditions, that number may be small---unless one of those 200 was someone you loved. For no explainable reason, food allergies have doubled in the past 10 years. Ella is one of about 1.8 million people with allergies to Peanuts and Treenuts. Unfortunately, her allergy is life threatening. Her very first reaction was an anaphylactic reaction in which her throat was closing. At 2 years old she had put a cashew in her mouth, spit it out, and within minutes had no voice--her larynx was swelling. Luckily, while we all had no idea what was occurring, someone was watching over her and her condition did not progress to the point that she couldn't breath. The thought of what could have happened that day is unbearable. Although the hives and fiery red rash she was covered in for several days following that incident were a reminded of what could have happened, we were blessed with just "a warning". Now, armed with an Epipen, my search for any and all information food allergy related began. Sadly, I would find little comfort in what I read. Somehow food was now a potential enemy, but not only food. There would be many other hidden hazards---in soaps, in lotions, in hair products, in makeup and in cleaning products. The thought that my little girl could accidentally ingest something and her throat could close in 1-2 minutes became my most haunting thought. I struggled, and still struggle, to find a balance between stressing the importance of being careful with what she eats, and scaring the hell out of her.

So here we are today. I have learned everything I possibly can in order to understand her allergies and protect her. This knowledge however is not enough to comfort my constant worries. There is a part of me that worries everyday about her. Aside from the obvious, I worry most about her feeling different. I hate that she has to have "her own" food and "her own" cupcake at parties. I hate that she is restricted in the restaurants she can go to and the foods she can eat there. I hate that her allergies have the potential to disclude her from certain activities at school where food is involved--which was an issue just today and what initiated this post. All the while I hide from her how my heart breaks for her every time she can't be just like her three year old friends and I make a constant effort to make her feel like its "no big deal". I try to find the right way to teach her how to protect herself without making her allergy a handicap. We got through Halloween, which is by far the most challenging day of the year, but now there are new worries as we approach the Holiday season. Can she eat the food at the parties we go to? What safe dessert will I pack for her? Will there be nuts out at the party? Will someone enjoy their delicious nut filled cake or brownie and then leave residue in a place where she'll come in contact with it? Will a kind well intentioned person offer her food she can't have while I'm not looking? While other people just don't understand the severity of the situation, I wonder if I'm looked at as the "neurotic mother". That however is not something I worry about. I have to be the neurotic mother. I have to be vigilant. I have to protect her.

So today my thoughts are with all the other moms who struggle everyday to keep their children safe from something others look at as just a basic necessity--food. To those who know all too well that most people "just don't understand". Those who are fellow "master label readers" of everything, not just food. Those of you who, once again, told their child that they couldn't eat something they wanted because it could make them sick. Those of you who spend the school day praying your child will be safe in someone else's care. Those whose daily accessories are a bottle of an antihistamine and an Epipen. Those of you who pray that you'll know when to use that Epipen and you'll administer it before it's too late. Those of you who have, or will have to look into your child's eyes when they first come to the realization that the food they're allergic to will not only make them sick---it can kill them. Those of you who pray daily that the reason for this rise in food allergies will be discovered and one day there will be a way to prevent or cure them. Those who know that no one ever intentionally eats a food that can trigger a fatal reaction----it's ALWAYS an accident, and therefore everyday try to prevent that accident from occurring--try to predict if there is any way possible that the food your child is about to eat may have be cross-contaminated.

While I wish that a life threatening food allergy was not a part of Ella's life, I am also so very grateful. Grateful that her allergy is just to peanuts and treenuts, unlike those with multiple food allergies which make the normal task of eating a nearly impossible task. I am grateful that she is otherwise healthy and that although she has something that is a bit of a disability, she is not handicapped by it and does not have a condition that causes her constant suffering. I know that there are worse things, and I thank God that it is not one of those things we are dealing with.

Happy Thanksgiving

2008-11-27T06:59:00.000-08:00

Happy Thanksgiving to all of you who read this blog. Some of you are family, some are old friends, some are new friends, and some of you I don't know. I just wanted to wish each of you a Blessed Thanksgiving. I am grateful to each of you for the love and interest you show by following along in our journey. Happy Thanksgiving!

85 Days......and Counting

2008-11-26T12:51:00.000-08:00

Today marks 85 days waiting for LOA. Great Wall has said that they usually get LOA's between 85-90 days. So does this mean we're truly in the home stretch?????? Can I say with confidence "any day now"??????? This has all taken so much longer then anticipated and yet there's still a little part of me thinking "wait, I'm not ready yet!!!!" Not that I'm not dying to finally see that sweet little face in person, because I sure am. Not that I'm not longing to met the son I already feel is mine. There's just that little voice pestering me with all the things that still need to get done. For example, A NAME!!!!! I know it is driving some of you crazy that we haven't decided on what we will be calling our little guy. Please be assured that it's driving me crazy too!! I'm waiting, and waiting, and waiting to say a name and have it feel just right. Maybe with LOA will come some sort of divine inspiration. I can only hope! In the meantime, in case there is a name that I haven't come across in the two baby name books I have, I up for suggestions!

85 days......and counting! Any day now!

Magical Memories

2008-11-13T12:46:00.001-08:00

Over the summer our vacation planned were suddenly derailed when the timing would have prevented me from having our dossier documents Certified and Authenticated as soon as I possibly could! Out of guilt for turning our vacation into a day trip into the city while I went to the State Department and the Consulate, we told the kids that we would take them to FL in November. So off we went on Saturday as promised. Of course, out of everyone, Ella enjoyed this trip the most. She loved EVERY minute of. She loved the landing on the plane, she loved the shuttle ride to the baggage claim, she loved the hotel room, she LOVED EVERYTHING. It was so much fun watching her take in everything, living in the moment, and getting pleasure out of things others wouldn't even notice. We crammed A LOT into four days, and did as much as we possibly could in that time. Needless to say we were all exhusted by the time we arrived home at 11:45pm Tuesday night. Here's our trip in photos!

A couple of "weird things" happened while we were away! The first was while we were on our flight to Orlando. Sitting next to Brianna was a woman and sitting behind Brian was her husband. They were VERY friendly and told us all about their college aged children and their current vacation plans. During our conversation the wife mentions that they live in the town where I used to work and she asks us where we live. We told her we live about 40 minutes away from them in @*#&$%. She then says "I think I was just in @*#&$% on Tuesday". She tells us that she was on her way to another town with a client and made a wrong turn and remembered seeing a sign saying @*#&$%. She then goes on to describe the development she turned into and guess what---it was OUR development!!! As she's describing the neighborhood Brian is sitting there smiling and she says "you live there, don't you???" Yes we do!!, Brian tells her!! With that I take Ella to the bathroom. I get back and Brian turns to me and says "Melis, she's a speech pathologist". I look at her and say "Oh, I'm an Audiologist and I used to work in your neighborhood" (for those of you who don't know as an undergraduate your degree is in Speech Pathology and Audiology and you then chose one of those for your Master's degree). She then says to me "I took a little bit of a different route and mostly teach sign language now". Shocked, I say "Oh, we're adopting a little boy from China who may be deaf, I might need you!" She then replies "Oh wow, I do private work too. I go to people's houses and teach the child as well as the family sign language. We do things like go to the park, or out to a restaurant and learn all the relevant signs---and now I know where you live!" Needless to say I was temporarily speechless. All along I have always strongly felt that Wen was probably hearing impaired, but not deaf. I compose myself, turn to Brian and say "Well, I guess maybe he is deaf". What are the chances????? Did God just plop this person into my life because I really am going to need her??? And she drove past my house just the other day????

Second "weird" thing--later the same day we're on line to see the famous mouse. I look behind us and see a women with a little Chinese girl. I point her out to Brian and as I do I realize the mother looks really familiar. I'm trying to place her and then realize it was a women, who I don't know, but who's blog I followed the entire time she was in China!!! I remembered her whole story, and both of her children's names. Of course I went over to her to let her know that although she's not a celebrity, she's been "spotted" and tell her that her daughter is just as beautiful in person as she was on her blog! Brian just stood there shaking his head. Again---what are the chances????

Being my first attempt at a slide show, please forgive any spelling/grammatical errors in this post. It's taken me too long to finish it and I just can't proof read and "fix" another thing!!! Off to make dinner for a hungry family!

Happy Halloween!!

2008-11-01T07:35:00.000-07:00

This year Ella had a very difficult time deciding what she would be for Halloween. She changed her mind several times! She finally decided that she'd be a giraffe. She LOVES giraffes. We had a beautiful day to trick-or-treat and as always we did it with Ella's best friend and boyfriend Mikey. Jason went around with a group of his friends and came back with a sack full of candy. Brianna who is too old to get dressed up, but apparently not to old to want candy, did go out with her friends dressed basically like themselves!

Ella stood still two days in a row, first for her school Halloween party and then for Halloween, while her face was painted
The cutest giraffe ever!!!

They're all ready to go get some candy!
The boys. J is the one with the B@rt mask on. He kept it on for about one block!
El sharing a ride with her best friend
Poor Meg trailing behind!
Ella asked Mikey to hold her hand as they walked back toward the street. He always takes such good care of her!

Mom and Dad with their little "Giraffie"

Super, Soggy, Soaking Wet Monday

2008-10-28T13:25:00.001-07:00

What do you do when it looks like this outside your window??????

You have a movie party with your friends!

Can you stand these two little buddies holding hands??? Ten years from now we won't be letting them even sit next to each other!!

What better way to spend a rainy afternoon.......
Than watching a movie full of fairies and flowers!

Two Bedrooms Done!

2008-10-28T13:06:00.000-07:00

Brianna and Ella's rooms are done! Two down, two to go! I just love the way they came out. Luckily, so do they! Next, Wen's room. Just have to figure out what the heck I'm doing in there-- any suggestions are welcomed :) Then, since everyone else was getting a new room, I told Jason that we'd repaint his room. I hope I'm not sick of painting by then! Here are the girl's new rooms:

El's New Room

B's New Room

Pretty purple bathroom

Rebecca's Giveaway

2008-10-26T06:42:00.000-07:00

Rebecca, the wonderful woman who designed my beautiful blog is having a giveaway with some AWESOME prizes!! She and I have become "online friends" as we both wait for LOA to bring home two very special boys. With travel to China right around the corner she is hoping to raise some money to help cover the rest of her adoption expenses. She has had some VERY nice, and very valuable prizes donated by some generous people. Click on the link on the side "To China for Owen" to read all about Owen and help bring this special little boy home or go to her site at www.tochinaforowen.blogspot.com .

Update!!!!!!

2008-10-20T06:19:00.000-07:00

Over the weekend we got a long awaited update on Wen! Oh how I wish I was able to post his picture so I could share his beautiful smile with everyone! In his original referral pictures he looked so grumpy. It was wonderful to see him smiling! According to the information I received our little guy is extroverted, lovely, smart, and loving. He is a quick learner. They call him "Xiao Shuai". Xiao means little, and Shuai means handsome. He's potty trained and tells his nanny when he needs to use the bathroom. He drinks from a cup. They reported that he talks and says MaMa. I don't know who he'd be calling MaMa, and maybe they're just saying this because they think that's what I'd like to hear. But, if he truely is talking he must have some hearing. I guess we'll have to wait and see! I can't wait to be able to post his picture. Hopefully just a few more weeks!

Pumpkin Picking

2008-10-15T15:18:00.000-07:00

We spent most of the long weekend working on Ella's new room. As excited as she was about her new room, she still was asking all day, everyday "when are we going pumpkin pickng?" So on Monday we made some time to finally take her. She was sooooooo excited! Now she keeps asking, everyday, all day, "when are we going to carve the pumpkins?" Hopefully we'll get to that this weekend!

Ella was just a little happy to be at the farm!
J carries a heavy one
El tries to carry a heavy one too!
Brianna....with us......and smiling, strikes a pose!

Handsome x2
This is Ella's "I'm so excited I can't keep my tongue in my mouth" face!
Now for the best part...the roasted corn!
Ella LOVES corn!

Happy Birthday Brianna!!!!!

2008-09-30T10:22:00.001-07:00

Happy Birthday Brianna!!! WOW! That's about all I can think, WOW, 15 years old!! When you and Jason were little people would often come up to us and say "they are so cute, enjoy them now, they grow up so fast". Of course I smiled and thought "I know, I know, I've heard that a hundred times". Now, 15 years later, all I can say is "WOW, 15 years old"!!!! How all of those people were right. Were has the time gone? How is it that 15 years can pass so quickly. Wasn't it only yesterday you were playing Barbies while watching the Power Puff girls????? Look at you now. We are so proud of the beautiful young lady you've become. Happy Birthday!!

Our beautiful 15 year old!
Big sister, little sister

Ella was so excited about getting everything ready for Brianna's birthday!
Brianna seemed very pleased with her tickets to see "Legally Blonde" on Broadway
A bunch of friends who came over to celebrate.......12 fifteen year old girls.....very loud!! It sure sounded like they had a great time!
Brian worked sooooo hard to get the fire going in the fireplace......as soon as it was going strong......they all got out of the pool!!!! Of course they did!! Well, it looked really pretty from the house anyway!

In Love.....with my new laundry room!!!!!

2008-09-15T16:50:00.000-07:00

I am very well aware of just how ridiculous I sound, but I can't help it. I LOVE my new laundry room!!!!!!! And I am so pleased with my beautiful Wild Cherry Red washer and dryer!! They are fabulous and so much fun, and oh...did I mention beautiful????? I am quite sure that the novelty will wear off eventually, but for now I'm going to enjoy it. Laundry is so much more fun, and the best part is the way the washer and dryer "sing" to you when the cycle is finished!! My poor friends who have just happened to be on the phone with me when the washer or dryer were done!! Most importantly, I have not been left with a single mud stain on any of Jason's disgustingly dirty football cloths. The room is so pretty with all the red accessories. I had so much fun decorating. Considering the rest of my house is, well, very neutral, this little pop of color was refreshing (no comments from you Dana!!!).

In addition to the new laundry room, moving the washer and dryer allowed us to now take the space where they formerly lived and convert it to pantry space. What a pleasure!!! No more food shoved onto and falling off of the shelves! So first the pantry................................

These are the shelves that had already been in the room on the wall opposite the washer and dryer. This was were the food used to be stored. And now.....
LOTS of room for food!! That's the space the washer and dryer used to be in.

And now for the laundry room.............

Before.........

.........And After
I just LOVE those red beauties!!!!!!

On the bottom--double doors-coat closet, single door-utility closet.

Above the closets more storage!
I just love all the accessories I found to decorate the room, especially the little stool where the kids can sit and take off the muddy cleats!