JEMchina Journey to Mei-Li

To go private or not?

2009-04-30T13:31:00.004-04:00

UPDATE: Please remember I need an email address if your would like to follow the private blog. You can contact me through my profile, or leave your email address through the comments. Otherwise I have no way of sending you the invite. THX

In the past weeks, I've struggled with the choice to make this blog private or not. As our journey to China ended with bringing Mei-Li home, and a new journey has begun. I decided that I would start a new blog instead, to post updates/pictures about her, and invite my current readers and friends. Therefore, I will not be posting Mei-Li's pictures on this blog anymore. It is important to us to keep her privacy. I will leave this blog up for a while, because I know that many people are still waiting, and will find it inspirational and informative. I will eventually set it to private as a memoir to Mei-Li. If you would like an invite to the new blog, please email me. Let me know if I know you from a particular yahoo group, or just a blogville friend.

For those still waiting, my heart goes out to you, as rumors circulate that current referrals and TA's may be on hold due to the Swine Flu scare. I don't know if it's true or not that the CC*A has made that decision. But as someone who had a few bumps on the way, and skipped referral I can totally relate and understand your frustration. Just know that it will happen and soon you will see that long awaited first picture of your little bundle of joy.

Easter 2009

2009-04-13T10:10:00.000-04:00

Make a Smilebox scrapbook

First Shopping Trip

2009-03-24T18:44:00.004-04:00

I
It's hot back here mommy!

Travel Tips

2009-03-17T08:51:00.002-04:00

If you scroll down our side bar, you will see a section called "Our other sites" I had started a travel blog, just to help me get organized for the trip. I've posted our packing tips there, and edited our packing list which may be of some use for those following our blog that will travel later on to China. You can also find it by clicking jemchinatravel.blogspot.com

First Few Days Home

2009-03-16T22:20:00.002-04:00

The last 5 days seem like a blur. Can't believe we have been home for almost a week already. Mei-Li has been sleeping well and on schedule. She cries out a little less at night, but usually it last only seconds. We usually have to wake her up in the mornings, because she can go until 9:30 am. Only if Mom and Dad could sleep that long too:) We are slowly introducing her to baby food, but her favorite is still rice. So tonight I improvised and added rice to her chicken/vegetable food, and she seemed to take it nicely. She seems to be teething really bad, and spends most of the day biting her blanket or my fingers if they get close to her face. Her two bottom teeth are now showing. I've tried Humphrey's, teething gel, and sometimes Tylenol for her pain, as she seems to be quite uncomfortable all day long. But getting her to take any type of medicine presents challenges of their own. This child is very strongwilled, and will instantly spit it out.

We took her for her first walk around the neighborhood the other day, and she was out halfway through. She did fine in her new stroller, and has been doing great in the car seat. Now if only Mommy could figure out all those buckles. They should make those things standard form for all baby gear. Here are a few photos to enjoy.

We are home!

2009-03-13T22:56:00.002-04:00

Ok so it seems I left everyone hanging for a day or two. We did make it home safe and sound after a delay in Newark, We got in at 1 am which was really Thursday by then. We were extremely jet lagged on Thursday. And I think except for a short nap today, I must have gone almost 36 hours without sleep. Our camera also gave out, and I have not been able to download the final pictures of our travels home. So sorry no pictures on this post. But I promise to post more pictures of Mei-Li as soon as we can. Right now we are just trying to adjust to the time difference and get baby back on schedule. She's had a hard time adjusting to yet another new surrounding and a totally different climate. So I'm taking a short break from blogging, until we feel comfortable she is doing better.

Last Post from China

2009-03-10T08:56:00.004-04:00

Well the time has come, and we are packed and getting ready for our last sleep in China. Today, we went to the Consulate and had the swearing in ceremony for Mei-Li, and received all her documents for her citizenship, and her visa to travel. It was difficult not to get choked up. At that moment the process was complete and we all had such a feeling of accomplishment. Our baby girl is ready to come to AMERICA!

I'll post some of the final pictures in Guangzhou and the infamous red couch photo with all the babies and families.

We can not wait to get home. We are dreading the 25 hours of travel time to get there, but we know it's a MUST!

We can't wait for Mei-li to meet the rest of her family and friends. Though Mei-li has been doing pretty good here in China, she does have her moments. We plan to work through the attachment process once we are home, by using some of the methods, suggested by our agency and social worker. For our friends and family greeting us at the airport, please know that we will not be passing her around to be carried. This trip will be overwhelming for her, and we plan to gradually intergrate her into the extended family . Though Mei-Li has joined us at a very young age, we have noticed typical "orphanage behavior" She will need to learn to bond with us since she has not been exposed to that ever. Some typical things we do to our babies, she has no idea what we are doing. For example, if you extend your hands for her to come to you, she just stares at you and has no idea what you are asking. It will take time for her to learn some of these things that seem so simple to us. So I hope everyone undersatnds not to expect the typical 9 month old behavior most babies display at that age.

Well, see ya on the flip side, as this will be my last post before we leave for home. Thanks to everyone for all the comments, and guestbook notes. They were all read while we were here and very much appreciated.

Zai Jian

Almost time to go home

2009-03-09T19:58:00.003-04:00

Today is our last full day in Guangzhou. This is very pretty here with, overgrown trees and gardens. I'll post some pictures above.

Yesterday we had a nice day as far as weather goes, but we had to stay in our rooms while our guide went to the consulate for us. Everything is A. OK. Today is the swearing in ceremony, around 3 pm, and then they hand us Mei-Li's brown envelope which we hand over to immigration once we touch US soil. And she become an American Citizen at that moment!

Sorry for not posting more pictures, but my camera has been temperamental. I've missed great photo opps, and lets just say I'm getting a new camera when I get home. LOL!

Mei-Li is doing better everyday. We actually got a full nights sleep last night with no wake ups or cry. She went straight to her 5:30 am bottle. So we finally got some rest too. Everyday, she giggles a little more, and is doing better with the eye contact with me when I feed her. Of course she's a daddy's girl, but I knew to expect that. Sometime the girls attach to Daddy first because Mommy may seem like a threat . Mei-Li has blended in very nicely with us. She does have her moments but I think that's her personality. She's also quite the flirt with everyone in the street. She will normally have a smile ready at any sign of attention, unless she is zonked out.

More Cuteness

2009-03-08T20:38:00.002-04:00

Saturday In Guanhzhou

2009-03-07T20:09:00.003-05:00

Well Mei-Li was a very good girl for the Doctors. Not one tear. She weighed in at 18.9 lbs with clothes. Afterwards we took a stroll around the perimeter of Guangzhou, so we could locate all the stores we wanted to shop at later on. All the store keepers here are very funny, they run out to say hello when they see the babies, or hand you their cards/pricelists. They apparently cater to the Americans here. We also had dinner with group at Lucy's again, and then went to check out the White Swan to see what we were missing. Yep, it was much nicer looking than the Victory, but we hear our rooms our bigger, which is great if you have a crawler or a walker. We have neither as Mei-Li can only sit up, and roll from side to side. At this point it doesn't matter where we stay, we are very homesick and miss Michael and our home.

Today, we will be going to Sunday service on the Island, and possibly some more shopping. I think we have an optional tour scheduled to the Market. We are running low on some items, and desperately need batteries to keep our camera going. Since I blew up my rechargeable charger in Nanchang, my recyclable batteries are useless. The regular batteries don't last as long, and I've already gone through a pack of 8. At least they are cheaper here than in the US. I will definitely blog my tips for future travelers when I return for those still yet to travel. Though I thought I was very well prepared, I wasn't.

There are more pictures of the last 2 days on the link above, if you want to check them out.

We are in Guangzhou!

2009-03-06T08:25:00.003-05:00

We finally made it this afternoon to Guangzhou. We are staying at The Victory Hotel instead of the typical White Swan. We have only seen a little bit, but this is a whole different world from Nanchang. We got here kind of late afternoon, and by the time we headed out for dinner, it was already dark. We went to Lucy's known for it American food, which we had not had any in over 10 days. Wow it was great to have some grilled chicken that looked and tasted like chicken. Sorry no pics for today, as we have not taken any here yet. Will post some tomorrow when we head out for Mei-Li's physical exam. I hope that goes smoothly. We have come to learn that our baby has a strong personality and gets very angry when she doesn't get what she wants when she wants it. So lets pray she's a good girl for the doctors tomorrow. LOL

The Dancer

2009-03-05T07:30:00.004-05:00

Today the rain let up a little. However, the tour to Peoples Park had been cancelled thinking it would rain all day. Instead we visited a local porcelain shop, and went to a book store and off to dinner. We bought a few Chinese CD's and books for Mei-Li. We tried one out on the laptop, and to our surprise Mei-Li started dancing and laughing. We knew from her paperwork she was fond of music, but had no idea she liked it that much. Here's a short video of her busting the moves. LOL

Anyi Old Kwan

2009-03-04T18:41:00.004-05:00

Today we visited an authentic farmers village called Anyi Old Kwan. It is over 1000 years old. And what quite unknown for sometime. It became a tourist attraction, and they have a gate to enter where you must purchase a ticket to get in. They would not even let the van in, so we had to trek up the street. This was amazing! We were they only tourist there, and quickly attracted attention from the ladies, wanting to see if the babies were Chinese or American. When they saw Mei-li they quickly started to feel her ands for warmth, and advised me to tuck her hand in my carrier. They would touch her feet, look at her clothes, and were happy to see I was keeping her warm. They were so happy, and gave us the thumbs up. The picture where I'm standing next to the writings on the wall, says that this town is a one-child policy. This is right at the entrance of the village. The other picture of the table, is the typical entrance to someones home. That's the living room. These homes are as cold inside as they are outside. No heat. Though it looks poor, they have everything that they need. They live off the farm food, have a shoppette (pictures on the shutterfly link) Oh yeah and as we were leaving I even saw a dentist. Looked just one of the homes, a man laying on a reclining chair, with several men around him. They stopped as I passed by, and I peaked him. I hope they had some Novacaine NOT!

So far when the locals find out that we are here adopting the babies they seem happy about it, and feel the babies are very lucky. I have to say that even though the weather was horrible, I was glad to take this tour. Our guide said that most likely our babies were born in areas like these. Mostly what happens, if the mother is pregnant, they take her to another village to have the baby. If it's a girl, then they return without the baby, and that's all I'll say about that.

TengWang Pavillion

2009-03-03T01:55:00.004-05:00

It continues to rain here in Nanchang. Locals say it has been raining for two weeks now. Add to that 30 degree temperature and it's cold for my Florida blood. Today we switched out the tours for the TengWang Pavillian since it is indoors. However, getting to the top of the steps in the rain, with a stroller and diaper bag, plus baby was quite the challenge. But we learn along the way. Next time we will not leave the Ergo carrier behind. LOL Daddy improvised by sticking her in his coat so we can make it down safely on the wet steps.

We reached the top of the stairs just in time to catch a show, a glimpse of it is in the video. Afterwards we took a quick walk to a local restaurant with our guide for some delicious lunch. This restaurant has individual rooms with tables set up to eat in private. It was quite the experience and the food was very good. Even the babies had a little taste of a particular custard made for them. Mei-li ate a bowl full. She must have gotten full, because she would not take her afternoon bottle. She has been a little fussy today. She seems to do OK in Daddy's arms though. With me she allows me to change her diaper, feed her, and occasionally I get a few smiles. I try to encourage eye contact with her, but she only holds it for a few seconds at a time.

This is our third day with her. As we get to spend more time with her we notice that she has not had to much stimulation or play time. As well I noticed today, with her first experience with banana puffs that she is OK if you feed them to her, but does not take them to her mouth when they are in her hands. On a whole she is really an easy baby, and likes to fall asleep on her own.

So here are a few pics, and don't forget to check out the link for the rest.

Zai jian

It's Official

2009-03-02T00:35:00.004-05:00

Well you are probably wondering where I've been. Things have gone so fast, we have not even had time to breath. We landed in Nanchang around 1:30pm and by the time we got to the hotel we had just under an hour to get ready for the babies. Then about an hour later the SWI nannies and director visited our rooms to answer questions. Then more paperwork and dinner by 7pm. We were so exhausted by the end of the day. Luckily Mei-li fell asleep quickly and we quickly followed behind. We had a very good night with her. Just one wake up at midnight, and we were up by 5:30 am to give us time to get ready to leave for Cival Affairs office. I of course kept checking on her every hour so to make sure she was OK.

Today, her adoption became official after we visited the civil affairs office this morning. We did some more running around to apply for her Chinese passport. We will get that by Friday, and then off to Guangzhou.

We knew this trip would be on the go, but we are near exhaustion. Tomorrow we are supposed to do some touring, but due to the bad weather, we may just stay in and catch up on some baby time. I've been unable to keep Mei-Li on any type of feeding schedule as we are always on the go. Today she got her second bottle, while we raced through Walmart for more pampers, and formula. Yes believe it or not there is a Walmart in China. Everything is done in a hurry here, and so was our shopping experience. So we missed out on taking pictures there. I'll post a few here from the days events, and the rest on the shutterfly link above.

Day Two in Beijing

2009-02-28T05:25:00.003-05:00

Today was our touring day. We packed in a lot. Started out today with visiting Tian'nemn Square, The Forbidden City, Olympic Complex. The Cloissette Factory, where we had lunch, and then off to the Great Wall. The weather here is pretty cold, and you'll see some snow on the ground from a previous snowfall before we arrived.

Tidbits and Observations from Beijing:

The city is extremely big and widespread, and very clean. You don't see trash on the street nor do you see garbage cans either. The air does not feel smoggy, but you will see in the pictures that everything looks like there is fog. Not sure if it's the cold weather or if it's pollution.

It's seems the common attire is black and chic. There were women climbing the Great Wall with boots with heals. I couldn't even make it up in sneakers.

Since today is Saturday, it seemed that these tourist spots were booming with visitors. Everywhere we went there were crowds. We were even asked to pose with some locals for pictures.

So I'm sure you are wondering about the baby. Well we leave tomorrow for Nanchang and arrive at about 1:30pm. The babies will arrive around 4:30 or so. Our guide is great and she already checked on the babies for our group. They are all doing well and healthy.

Though Beijing is a great city, our main focus of course is the adoption. So it has been difficult to get into that touristy mood you get when you travel. I don't know how quite to explain it, other than, yeah the city is nice, but we are ready to move on. I'm sure if we had come as just tourist we would feel different. I've posted a few pictures, but be sure to check the link up top for the rest.

Pictures

2009-02-27T18:35:00.002-05:00

This will be quick since we are headed out for the tour today. Here are two pictures from yesterday. We'll post more later. And you can also see the rest at the link on top.

We made it!

2009-02-27T04:36:00.002-05:00

We arrived in Beijing a little earlier than planned. The flight was super long. And have to say I even got a little air sick. We are now at the Beijing Traders Hotel. I'll post more later. Having an issue with charging the battery, as I already blew the camera charger. For now we are just going to rest, as we have an early wake up to tour the city. I'll post more later on.

We leave soon

2009-02-25T22:54:00.004-05:00

The day has almost arrived. We leave for the airport in about 5 hours. Technically that would be one more sleep, but since we have to get up at 3 am, I'd say that's a half sleep. I can now say we are finally ready, bags packed, and in the car. (hence no pictures) ;) We leave for the airport around 4:30am and I'm pretty sure I won't get any sleep tonight. Since we have a 13.5 hour flight to China from Newark, I've got plenty of time to catch up on some shut-eye. So my next post will be from Beijing on the flip-side. Bye for now!

One more week

2009-02-18T16:03:00.004-05:00

Unbelievably we have 7 more sleeps to go. It's incredible that we will leave in a week and finally meet Mei-Li. Today we received our in country travel arrangements, and our Gotcha Day will be Sunday, March 1st. How exciting. It seems almost as if we step off the plane, check into hotel, and off to Civil Affairs office. All that is fine by me:) The itinerary is very similar to what I posted earlier , so I'll just add some of the places we will be visiting during our trip to China.

Feb27 Arrive in China

Feb 28 Tian An Men Square, Forbidden City, Olympic Park, Great wall

Mar 01 Fly to Nanchang- GOTCHA DAY!

Mar 02 Finanlize registraion and notary- Official Adoption Day.

Mar 03 Visit People's Park

Mar 04 Tour Countryside

Mar 05 Tengwang Pavilion

Mar 06 Fly to Guangzhou

Mar 08 Sunday Church Sermon, Pearl Factory Tour

Mar 09 Consulate Appointment

Mar 10 Swearing In Ceremony

Mar 11 Come back Home!

2009-02-12T15:49:00.000-05:00

We're almost there...

2009-02-11T16:22:00.006-05:00

Well things have happened so fast, that I have not even had a chance to blog. On Friday we received word our TA (travel approval) had arrived and that they were going to immediately request our CA (consulate appointments) . Our entire trip is structured around that date. Once that date is confirmed we can book flights. Well needless to say, we got word yesterday that our CA was confirmed for March 9th. And the roller coaster began. Look for flights, book tickets, let agency know our itinerary. All that in a span of about 3 hours. My computer decides to crash in the middle of my flight booking. Talk about nervous breakdown. I went to bed with a headache that lasted all night. So though we still do not have our in country itinerary, it looks like it will go something like this:

Feb 26 depart to China

Feb 27 arrive in China

Feb 27-28 Stay in Beijing

Mar 1 Fly to babies province

Mar 1-6 stay in Jiangxi

Mar 7 fly to Guangzhou

Mar 9- CA appointment

Mar 10- Swearing in Ceremony

Mar 11- Depart back home

It's unbelievable that this is happening after such a long wait. Now I've got to get packing, and repacking. Just trying to pack everything for Mei-li the other day. I ran out of room. I thought I'd be able to get everything into a medium size bag. Yeah right, I think she has more clothes packed than I was planning on taking for myself. Yeah I know I know "pack light" that's what everyone says. But how do you pack for a child that you have no idea how much her current weight is, and if what you are packing will fit her. Let alone, all the toiletries, and baby gear you need. Well, lots to do in the next coming days. SO i'll post again when I know what day will be "forever family day" AKA Gotcha Day.

CNY Spring Festival

2009-02-09T16:09:00.003-05:00

This weekend our Local Community College (MDCC) hosted the annual Chinese New Year Festival. It was mcee'd by one of our local newscasters. The show was amazing as usual. They had the acrobat performers from epcot, as well as an amazing Jamacian/Chinese violinist. She is only 15, and wow she played beautifully. She was even invited to the Olympics to play in one of the ceremonies. Unfortunately my battery died out before I could snap a picture, but here are a few of the performers. I was able to get Mei-Li name in Chinese Caligraphy. When I spelled out the name for them, they were so amused it was a chinese name, that they gave me two drawings. I'm unsure what the second one says, but I'll be sure to keep it for her to see one day.

Baby Shower for Mei-Li

2009-01-31T20:00:00.004-05:00

Today was our baby shower for Mei-Li. We had loads of fun. We where glad to see our friends and family come out to celabrate, dispite the unsual cold front with high winds that came by. We had some fun games of which I'll post a few pictures. Thanks again to all who made it out. I can't wait to try out all the gifts we received for our new little one. I'm hoping the next few weeks pass quickly, as we anticipate travel end of the month or beginning of the next.

Gung Hei Fat Choi!

2009-01-26T12:09:00.006-05:00

Happy Chinese New Year! The year of the Ox! also known as the Spring Festival. This is one of the most important and celebrated holidays in China, and lasts for 15 days ending with lantern festival. It is a day to gather with family, and share in the traditional food. There is also some superstitions of do's and don'ts. One of them is house cleaning:

House Cleaning

The entire house should be cleaned before New Year's Day. On New Year's Eve, all brooms, brushes, dusters, dust pans and other cleaning equipment are put away. Sweeping or dusting should not be done on New Year's Day for fear that good fortune will be swept away. After New Year's Day, the floors may be swept. Beginning at the door, the dust and rubbish are swept to the middle of the parlor, then placed in the corners and not taken or thrown out until the fifth day. At no time should the rubbish in the corners be trampled upon. In sweeping, there is a superstition that if you sweep the dirt out over the threshold, you will sweep one of the family away. Also, to sweep the dust and dirt out of your house by the front entrance is to sweep away the good fortune of the family; it must always be swept inwards and then carried out, then no harm will follow. All dirt and rubbish must be taken out the back door.

Unfortunately, I already spoofed that one. I woke up this morning with the urge to clean top to bottom. Must be part of my Nesting mode as we prepare to travel for our daughter. I wanted to make sure that behind the fridge and stove floors were cleaned. Why? I have no idea she's not going back there. But I wanted to make sure areas that were her height were cleaned. Well after reading this I'm hanging up the mop until tomorrow. Some other taboos, are not to wash your hair (oh boy another thing that was a must for today), all debts should be paid, and money should not be lent on this New Years Day. Another one that's cute IMO is no foul language should be used, and often mischievous children our allowed to act up to avoid any spanking. Knives and scissors should not be used to avoid cutting off fortune for the rest of the year. And of course the traditional red envelopes are give to friends and children with crisp one dollar bills for good fortune.

There are many traditions surrounding this holiday, so in the next 15 days I'll be writing about some of the things I learn. In hopes that I can incorporate some of these tradtitions with our daughter.

New Photos

2009-01-11T14:57:00.006-05:00

I woke up this morning to another wonderful surprise of updated photos of what I now call our little chipmunk. Yes she is no longer considered a peanut. Her updated measurements show that she has grown significantly, and put on a few pounds. We used Ann from Red Thread China to send off a little care package to our girl. We included a disposable camera that the orphanage can use to take pictures of her in her daily environment. Once we meet Mei-Li for the first time the orphanage will bring the camera with them. I can't wait to see those pictures of her with her playmates and nannies. From the pictures, she looks so healthy and happy. Here's her current measurements at 7.5 months old:

Weights~ 18.7 lbs
Height~ 26"
Feet~ 4.9" (hmm not to sure if that could be accurate)
Head~ 17.3"
Chest~ 16.9"

So we had to make a trip to the stores today, to return all the 3-6 months outfit, as it looks she may have outgrown those sizes. We are so happy to have received this info today, as we thought it would be difficult to get this information from her orphanage. Ann from RedThread was wonderful and did a marvelous job!

Where exactly is she?

2009-01-07T19:57:00.004-05:00

Mei-Li is currently in Zhangshu City, part of Jiangxi Province. We will probably stay in a nearby town up north called Nanchang. It is the capital of that Province. In the coming weeks I will be learning more about these two cities as we will spend quite a few days here as part of our journey to our daughter.

1 week from referral

2009-01-05T21:54:00.007-05:00

It has been one week from "the call". Though emotions have calmed some, it seems like it was yesterday, and we are still giddy, and full of happiness. I've gone into planning mode, and of course a little shopping. Mei-Li is so young and tiny, that mostly the few clothes I had for her are probably going to be too big. As well, if we travel in February we expect it to be cold, so we needed a little shopping for warm clothes. So what I have done this week, besides look at her picture all the time. I did a little shopping for warm clothes between 3-6 months and 6-9 months outfits, updated the baby registery, and purchased the diaper bag that will have double duty as a personal carry on to china. Here are a few pictures of the "goodies".

Referral Day

2009-01-02T12:07:00.006-05:00

Referral day seems like somewhat of a blur. I was so excited that I think I did not even eat that day. Oh yeah we did go out to dinner later that night for my birthday and also to celebrate. Here are some pictures of those who got the news for the first time. My Dad was very emotional and was also very surprised. I called them early that day and told them they needed to come over right away. But they though it was for a birthday lunch and had no idea they would be seeing their granddaughters' face for the first time.

We Have a Daughter!!!!

2008-12-29T13:22:00.016-05:00

The day is finally here! Our referral came in at 9:53am and it got me totally by surprise. I had just heard on the boards that there were rumors that referrals may be in this week. Wow! I'm still in shock, so here are the details:

She's 7 months old

Her last physical in October she weighed 11.66 lbs and 22.8 inches

She is in Jiangxi Province.

I'll know more tomorrow when we get the package. Possible travel by February but we'll no more for sure in the next coming days. She's the best birthday present I could receive today!

UPDATE: After reviewing Mei-Li's file we are please to know she is very healthy. Here are a few more things about her.

She's a deep sleeper YEAH!!!

Quiet baby, but obstinate sometimes

Holds her head up while lying on stomach

Laughs aloud

Favorite toy, colorful toys

I noticed as I was sending off the paperwork today, that we were matched with Mei-Li on Christmas Day! What a wonderful present and blessing!

Finishing Touches

2008-12-22T13:30:00.009-05:00

As the end of the year approaches, my goal has been to finish up the nursery. I've taken a more laid back approach, and as I find good buys that fit in I get them. I found the chandelier I was looking for on Ebay, and the perfect area rug (BJ's) that had almost the exact same wall colors. The lamp store would customize the lamp shades, so I choose this lavender, daisy dot fabric, that even has sparkles. For some reason in these photos it looks pink, but it's a very light lavender. I think I'm pretty much done. I've left the walls very much empty to be able to purchase some keepsakes while in China.

Our Anniversary

2008-11-15T17:10:00.003-05:00

Today we celebrated our 23rd Wedding Anniversary! We had a wonderful Italian dinner, before heading off to the Cirque de Soleil to see the "Corteo" show. All I have to say is WOW, we have become fans of the Cirque de Soleil and always try to catch a show when they come to town. The show was AWESOME. We enjoyed a wonderful day together. Here's to at least another 23 more! Love ya Babe!

Happy Veterans Day!

2008-11-11T19:12:00.003-05:00

Happy Veterans Day! Today we honor those brave souls who have served our country. This is a special day in our family, since so many in my family have served in the military. Almost all of my uncles, Mel-li's Grandpa Oscar, and of course Daddy. A special Thanks!! to all those currently serving here and abroad.

Rumors!

2008-11-04T19:38:00.005-05:00

Rumor has it that referrals are on the way. The cut off date rumor is all over the place, on whether the 20th is in or not. However, seems that the odds of the 16th & the 17th being matched are pretty solid. We are LID 2/17, we are not sure if we will be in this batch or not, but are very excited to see our LID finally matched, and all my waiting mommas out there. I've been anxiously waiting to use this little graphic with the storks, and I'm so excited to finally be able to post it on our blog. So hang tight, and stay tuned!!!!

UPDATE: (11/13)Sadly we are still waiting for our referral. We should have some more news in the coming weeks.

Halloween 2008

2008-10-31T17:37:00.004-04:00

In the spirit of Halloween, I made up like a fortune teller/ gypsy. My first assignment tonight is to tell all my waiting mommas, that we will see our babies faces next week. Those of us who are 16th, 17th LID'er will definitely be in next referral batch. That's my prediction! LOL!

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

2008-10-31T14:36:00.006-04:00

HAPPY HALLOWEEN !!!

I was searching for some recent digital Halloween photos to upload today, and I could not believe I did not have any :( I don't know if I lost some photos on my computer or if I may have uploaded to an online storage site. I had to resort to my older photo albums and scan these pictures.

These were taken our first Halloween in our new house. Mikie was about 12, and I was dressed as some version of Elvira. I can't believe it has been 6 years since these photos. My Mikie is all grown up now. I might be spending Trick or Treat alone, as he started his first "real" job, and may be working late, as well as his Dad. So to keep in the spirit of things, I think I'll throw a gypsy costume together, and pass out candy to the trick or treaters. It's looking like we are going to have nice weather. It has been breezy all day, and the temperature is around the low 70's. Perfect weather for spooky makeup with no melt down.

TAGGED!

2008-10-24T19:23:00.007-04:00

I was tagged by my good friend Karen. Karen and I share the same agency, and LID date. We've had the pleasure of meeting twice and she's an absolute sweetheart. OK so off to 7 random things about myself.

1- I totally hate snakes. Can't see them even TV. If I do I have nightmares
that night.

2- I'm a chocoaholic. I guess the first part is admitting it LOL

3- I've always loved ladybugs, but have become more obsessed with them
when I learned they are sort of a mascot in the China adoption community.

4- I like to have my toes covered before I fall asleep. Must have been all
those horror movies when I was little.

5- I love to travel, meet new people, and new cultures.

6- I sing while I'm driving, but not in the shower.

7- I would love to experience living in a place again where you can enjoy the
four seasons, and it snows.

OK so now I have to tag 7 other people, but I'll have to get back to that. Because all my bloggy friends have been tagged already. So I'll have to sneak around and see who has not bee tagged yet :)

Ladybug Float

2008-10-21T20:51:00.005-04:00

I've been looking for this ladybug float for Meili but have had no luck. I wanted one with the shield for sun protection, but have not found one. I think it's so cute.

OUR LID Anniversary is today

2008-10-17T08:04:00.002-04:00

Yes today marks the 32nd months since we have been logged in with China and waiting for our MeiLi. So what have we been doing for 32 months, well besides waiting and waiting and waiting I think we are totally prepared to go to China right NOW if they called us. Yes we have the nursery ready, baby clothes, various supplies needed for China bought, and separated into categories. Jesus has all his shots, me not so lucky. The computer, cameras, and all electronic equipment ready.

All we need is a referral. Will we get one, in November well, that's the tricky part. We don't know. We DO know there has been a switcharoo with our LID date which can mean more waiting for us. So I've decided this will be the last month I count our LID anniversary date.

I found this crazy information on the number 32. And I feel 32 is a lucky number, so I'll stop counting now, and hope and pray we will get a referral soon, if not in the next coming months. SO here's what the number 32 signifies:

The Number 32

Prime Factors of 32=2x2x2x2x2.

32 can be Partitioned 8349 ways.

32 can be Partitioned 17 times with each term no larger than 2

32 can be Partitioned 102 times with each term no larger than 3

32 can be Partitioned 351 times with each term no larger than 4

32 can be Partitioned 831 times with each term no larger than 5

30 can be Partitioned 1540 times with each term no larger than 6

The maximal number of regions into which a plane can be divided by 6 circles=32

The 32 crystal classes.

The Icosidodecahedron is an Archimedean Solid with 32 Faces. It has 20 triangles and 12 pentagons.

A Truncated Dodecahedron is an Archimedean Solid with 32 Faces. It has 20 triangles and 12 decogans.

A Truncated Icosahedron is an Archimedean Solid with 32 Faces. It has 12 pentagons and 20 hexagons.

The Chemical Element Germanium has an atomic number of 32.

An adult Human has 32 teeth.

The thirty-two permutations of yin and yang over 5 places.

The 22 paths + the 10 sephitoth of the Tree of life=32.

Each of these ten allowable rotations generates, by itself, a unique point group. In addition, there are 22 possible combinations of rotation operations, giving a total of 32 possible 3-dimensional point groups. Each point group corresponds to different crystal class. Each crystal class places constraints on the axial geometry such that each of these 32 classes may be associated into one of the 7 crystal systems, each having different constraints on the axial lengths and inter-axial angles.

http://ruby.colorado.edu/~smyth/G30102.html

the 10 basic elements can be combined in only 22 ways to produce the 32 crystal classes or point groups.

http://www.brynmawr.edu/geology/201/crystallography.html

"It is the number of letters of the alphabet which God would have taught to Adam. Some of them would have been lost. Someone claims indeed that the face of God would be formed of 32 letters which all were not discovered, nor deciphered and ordered. If that had been the case, the man would have found his dignity of the son of God. The Gospels have succeeded to decipher 24 letters, the Pentateuch 22 and the Koran 28."

Adoption for All: The Fairness for Families Petition

2008-09-30T18:01:00.003-04:00

Please help us get the word out, and sign the petition.

UPDATE: 10-15-08

WOOHOOO!!!

Seem our voices were heard, and the issue with the I600A was clarified. Here's a condensed version of the message from the Joint Council:

Dear Families & Friends,

After advocating on behalf of adoptive families for the past 6 months, Joint Council is very pleased to confirm that USCIS has announced a very positive ruling concerning the I-600A process.

In summary, it is our understanding that, effective immediately, families who filed Form I-600A, Application for Advance Processing of Orphan Petition, prior to April 1, 2008 and whose USCIS approval of that petition (aka the I-171H) has not expired, will be able to proceed with their adoption under the I-600A process if they take certain steps while their approval remain valid. This means that families with valid Form I-600A approvals will not be required to transition to The Hague process via Form I-800A. In order to maintain their status as ‘grandfathered’ cases, families with non-expired Form I-600A approvals must request a one-time free extension. Then, prior to the expiration of the one-time free extension, families must file a new Form I-600A and pay the appropriate fee.

This is a giant leap for us, as we though that we might be faced with having to renew our documents one more time, and that would have meant dealing with the new for I800a, and the new regulations. Thanks to all who signed the petition from our link.

Mid-Autumn Festival

2008-09-14T14:23:00.002-04:00

Today is the Mid-Autumn Moon Festival in China. This is considered the 2nd most important holiday, after Chinese New Year. Traditionally the event celebrates the Autumn harvest. Families gather together, and enjoy mooncakes, and gaze at the moon. There are several legends surrounding this holiday, this is on e of my favorites:

"Children are told the story of the moon fairy living in a crystal palace, who comes out to dance on the moon's shadowed surface. The legend surrounding the "lady living in the moon" dates back to ancient times, to a day when ten suns appeared at once in the sky. The Emperor ordered a famous archer to shoot down the nine extra suns. Once the task was accomplished, Goddess of Western Heaven rewarded the archer with a pill that would make him immortal. However, his wife found the pill, took it, and was banished to the moon as a result. Legend says that her beauty is greatest on the day of the Moon festival."

Today, we will celebrate by joining our FCC families at Miss Yips Restaurant in Miami Beach. We will latter walk down Lincoln road with the children who will hold lanterns. We also release white balloons representing the moon, once we get to the beach. We all get to tie a message to our balloons. Every year we pray for the safety of our little Mei-Li. We hope to one day celebrate this holiday with her, and our FCC family. This will be our 3rd year at the event with out her, but we really hope she will be there for sure next year.

Gatlinburg, TN Day One

2008-09-13T12:04:00.005-04:00

Sept. 7th, we started on our 14+ hour drive to Gatlinburg, TN. Lets just say the 14 hour drive was training for our 13 hour flight to China. We arrived at the south end of the Smokey Mountains by noon on Monday, and it took us about 2 hours to get through the mountain. We were overwhelmed with the beauty of this National Park. We stopped a few times to look at the rivers, creeks, and headed out to the other side of the mountain where we would be staying in a log cabin in the woods. We didn't realize how high up the mountain the cabin was. And well after a few missed turned turns, slight damage to the bottom of the car we made it.

Gatlinburg, Day Two

2008-09-13T12:03:00.000-04:00

After hibernating in the cabin the first night, we visited the aquarium in town, which was spectacular. One of the exhibits is the tunnel-like aquarium that you walk through, and feel like you are in the water with the fish, manatees, sharks. As you can see we had a little fun here, and let the inner child shine through LOL

Gatlinburg, Day Three

2008-09-13T12:02:00.001-04:00

On the third day, we spent the day on the mountain, we did our first hiking trail to Laurel Falls, needless to say, we were mistakenly misinformed that this was the easy trail, because it was paved. Yep, they forgot to tell us it was a 1400 ft hike to the waterfall, and 2.6 miles roundtrip. Hellooo My feet were killing me, and I was slighlty disappointed to see that a 40' waterfall is not at all that big in person. However, we did have a great time, and laughed along the way, as my paranoia set in thinking bears were following us. As we got closer to the falls, their was a bear sighting. A momma bear and two cubs; however, we missed it, before they diappeared down below. So no bear sighting on this day :(

Day Three-Part 2

2008-09-13T12:01:00.000-04:00

We also drove through Cades Cove, which is an 11-mile scenic auto tour. We saw deer, wild turkey, and horses. It rained a little so we don't have many pictures, plus I was really tried from the hike. Oh and I forgot to mention, we didn't bring any food or water with us, so I was about to faint, right before we entered Cades Cove and found a little snack shop. Not many pictures of me here, as Daddy is not the greatest photographer and we ended up with blury pictures.

Gatlinburg, Day Four

2008-09-13T11:59:00.001-04:00

Well like everything, "All good things must come to an end". On our last full day in Gatlinburg, we tried to jam pack the day with as much as we could withstand. We started out the day, with a 1 hour horseback riding tour through the foothills of the mountain. Daddy's horse was named "Kong" and mine was "Thunder". We were the last two horses in the group, and my horse was a bit noisy, and daddy's horse was lazy. All he wanted to do was stop and eat, and well, take bathroom breaks hehehe. We had so much fun on this day. We also, took another auto tour through " Roaring Fork" and did another 2.8 hike to "Grotto Falls" This was one was quite treacherous, and I wanted to quit and go back, but I kept going. This waterfall, was lots of fun. As it was the only on in the park, that you could walk on, and around it, and dip your feet in the freezing cold water. Oh and Daddy decided to wash his hair once we made it to the falls. LOL!

Referrals Came in

2008-09-03T21:17:00.003-04:00

Wow referrals caught us by surprise this time, not much rumors, and boom they were here. They went up through LID's of 2/9/2006. Which is great news for us FEB LIDers. Sadly though, I may not be as next as I thought I was. There have been some developments on our journey to Mei-Li with regards to our agency closing, and other legalities. We seem to have been bumped out of our original date, and are quite uncertain of our new LID date. We hope and pray for a miracle that we will soon have more news to share.

All of the stress has really been hard to bear. So we are taking a few days off, and going on vacation to the Smokey Mountains in TN. That's if our plans are not interrupted by yet another hurricane scare. We'll update the blog upon our return from our adventurous vacation. See ya soon....

Funny Image

2008-08-22T22:36:00.003-04:00

This image in hilarious. It's so funny that I came across the image today. I posted a few days ago, about how there was light at the end of the tunnel for our adoption. This picture could not be more appropriate LOL!

LID Anniversary

2008-08-17T20:11:00.002-04:00

It has been 30 loooong months that we have been waiting for our Mei-Li. Our LID came and went, and honestly I don't give the date much importance anymore. As a matter of fact, I forgot about it on the actual date. We started this journey in August of 2005, and it has now been 3 years. We are hoping to see the light at the end of the tunnel in the next coming months. Of course, how many times have I said that, but people it's for real this time. January 2006 LIDs have been assigned and they are going into FEB 2006 in September. YAHOOO!! We know that there were not any LID dates during CNY the first week of Feb 2006. SO we anticipate that the next set up referrals will start on 2/6/2006 LID. From that date there are only 9 LID dates to get to ours. However, that can easily convert into a 3 month or longer wait, depending on how many dates CCAA get through. We are praying they have a couple of good batches in the coming months so we can see Mei-Li hopefully, before Christmas.

A New LOOK!

2008-08-14T21:55:00.002-04:00

My blog has a new look! So what da ya think? Thanks so much to Danielle at:

Blogs by Danielle

She did a wonderful job once again. She's having an anniversary sale for the month of August to celebrate her one year anniversary, and many blog makeovers later. She also donates a portion of her proceeds to Half the Sky and other organizations. So take a peak at her site if your thinking about make changes to your own blog. She's a pleasure to work with:)

Images from the 2008 Olympics

2008-08-09T18:50:00.007-04:00

The opening show for the 2008 Olympics was nothing short of spectacular. The preciseness with how the dancers performed was nothing I had ever seen before. I have to admit, there have been rumors that perhaps the Olympics could be the blame for the slow down in referrals this year. It has been very hard for future AP's to endure the wait. But after seeing this show, it all comes into play. The organization of this event has been massive, the dancers, choreographers, security, construction workers. Beijing has been like a sleeping dragon who awoke last night blowing flames. Here are some beautiful images of the event.

Chapman Interview

2008-08-06T21:38:00.001-04:00

As many may know in the adoption community Steven Curtis Chapman, lost one of his daughters from China earlier this year. They have recently interviewed to discuss their grieving and loss. This interview has been an inspiration to me, to see the strength and love this family shares.

In Loving Memory

2008-07-29T23:39:00.004-04:00

of my grandma who passed away on Saturday, July 26, 2008. You will be missed, and deeply loved always and forever.

Though grandma lived to 94 we expected her to live much longer, as she was full of life, and in her words, "still had things to do" LOL! Apart from her "things to do" one of my goals was for her to meet her great grand daughter Mei-Li. Grandma was of Cuban with Chinese decent, and our adoption from china was to be of special honor to her. Sadly she fell ill, quickly, and was taken early from us, but we know she is at peace and in a better place. We know she will be here in spirit following our journey to China, and will forever be in our hearts.

Diaper Bag Dilema

2008-07-23T19:29:00.007-04:00

I'm having trouble deciding between these two JJ Cole diaper bags. One is called the diaper system and is pretty cool, because it also brings a mini bag, that has a diaper changing pad, as well as, Ipod , cellphone, and pacifier pod. It also, has these sturdy durable straps that can be attached to the stroller. The JJ Cole Logic bag, seems to have simmilar features, but it's a hand free style which would be great for China if baby is being held in carrier. I love them both, one is 69.99 and the sling style is 29.99. Decisions, Decisions. I almost want to buy them both.

Independence Day!

2008-07-04T13:17:00.007-04:00

Happy 4th of July to everyone! Hope everyone is out there enjoying the holiday. We will be enjoying the hot weather today 90+ degrees and take a dip in the pool, enjoy some smoked BBQ ribs that hubby is slaving over. (those are his words LOL) nd maybe catch some fireworks later.

My Witchy Predictions

2008-06-10T17:26:00.011-04:00

During the long enduring wait, I have been keeping track of the referral cut offs to see how many days they match each month. However, we know that the CCAA, more or less, refers about 75-100 or so babies per month. So in an effort to figure out more accurately when we can expect our referral with a 2/17/06 LID, I came up with the following table using the data from the Rumor Queen site, and how many LID polled per LID date. From this recent referral batch in June we see they processed 8 calender dates, which represents about 6 actual LID dates, and they matched about 103 families. So assuming they continue to match at that rate, we could see a September referral. Since we are on the tail end, it's possible it might be in October, but I'll keep my fingers crossed for September. See Table Below

Table

2008-06-10T16:34:00.015-04:00

Ref. Month	Date	Date	LID's Polled	#of Days
June 08	Jan 13	Jan 20	103	8
July 08	Jan 21	Jan 27	106	7
Aug 08	Jan 28	Feb 9	103	13
Sept 08	Feb 10	Feb 17	107	8
Oct 08	Feb 18	Feb 27	99	10
Nov 08	Feb 28	Mar 4	94	6
Dec 08	Mar 5	Mar 9	102	5

Please Chip In

2008-06-06T10:15:00.006-04:00

We were deeply saddened to hear the news from a fellow Precious Panda that her husband passed suddenly yesterday. Deb is a member of our January 2006 DTC Yahoo group, and is expecting referral news with this June referral batch. We can not imagine the pain she must be going through right now, especially when referral news was imminent for them. I will have this widget up through the weekend for any one who wants to pitch in, and I'll arrange to send her flowers by Monday. You can also visit the Chip In Page at:

http://flowersfordeb.chipin.com

if you would like to add the widget to your blog.

No rumors

2008-05-31T14:38:00.002-04:00

Seems it's very quiet in rumor land. Don't know what to expect this month by way of referrals or cutoff dates. We can only hope they make good progress, and that we are able to stay on target for a fall referral.

HAPPY MEMORIAL WEEKEND!

2008-05-25T22:36:00.003-04:00

I got a little inspired this weekend to make one of my cakes for our friends BBQ. They were having a pool party and thought this was perfect for dessert. I usually do my best baking when I feel stressed. It's a great stress reliever to spend hours baking and decorating when you have stuff on your mind, that you just don't want to think about. And this has been quite the stressful weekend. With my grandmother ill in the hospital, our plans changed from one day to the next when we had planned a mini vacation. Those plans were halted due to her unexpected illness. Grandma turned 94 this year, and at that age every day is a blessing. We hope she can pull through so that one day she can meet her great granddaughter, from her fathers homeland.

I hope everyone is enjoying their weekend. And that we take a moment to remember all those who defend our country, and those families that do not have their loved ones around this weekend because of their selfless courage. Regardless of differing political views on the current war, we should take a moment to think about all those who are separated from their families this weekend, and pray for their safe return.

Earthquake in China

2008-05-19T21:49:00.003-04:00

Many have recently asked us if we think the earthquakes will delay or affect our adoption. The true answer is we don't really now for sure. We have not been advised of any delays due to the tragedy in China. However, we feel we may not be affected as there are not many international adoptions from this province through our agency. We think things will continue as normal for now. The map above shows the epicenter of the quake, and the orphanages around the region. Please visit Half the Sky Foundation if you would like to make a donation for the relief efforts in China. Though it seems many orphanages fared well, there is a shortage of supplies, tents, and basic necessities needed for the children. In reality our journey to MeiLi seems quite small in comparison to the pain and suffering going on right now. With almost 30,000 people lost due to this disaster, our hearts and prayers go to the people of China. I can not imagine that several days have gone by, and there are people and children, that probably don't have anything to eat or drink, or a safe place to lay to sleep tonight. The region has been hit with many dangerous aftershocks, and people are scared to go into their homes. Orphanages in the region report to have the babies outside in tents where available. They are just to scared to stay in the buildings right now. I hope and pray that all the children are safe tonight.

Ni Hao!

2008-05-03T16:07:00.005-04:00

Hi Everyone! Seems May referrals are in and some special friends Susan & Riz got the phone call this week. We are so thrilled and are sharing in their joy right now as they see their precious daughters picture for the first time. We are jumping for joy and wish them a speedy TA so they can be a forever family soon.

No word yet on the official cut off. We think it was Jan 12th which would mean only a 3 day batch. This pushes out the possibility of our referral to maybe September instead of August. On a worst case scenario if they continue doing small batches as the Olympics approach it could even be as late as November. Bummer... We are still hopeful though, as the CCAA does not have a set number of days they do every month, that we see better batches in the coming months. We are anxious to get all this waiting behind us. We have know been waiting about 33 months since we singed our contract with our agency. It's quite unbelievable the extended wait time. But seeing referrals for our yahoo group this month has lifted all of our spirits. And we know we will all be matched. It's just a matter of time.

Scrap Panda Weekend

2008-04-06T21:29:00.005-04:00

Last weekend several future adoptive parents got together in Walpole, MA for a scrapping weekend. Melissa opened her home to us and was an incredible hostess. Our intent was to work on the lifebook for our daughters. However, we had to much fun and took a day trip into Boston, for shopping and dinner at PF Changs. The first picture is the whole gang in one of the connecting walkways in the mall. The second picture is Karen (left) and me (on the right) having fun at dinner. Karen and I share the exact same agency and LID date so we will most likely travel together and share the excitement of receiving our daughters on the same day. I've also had the opportunity to meet a few others from our sister agency that share the same LID date. How cool is that, that our daughters may all be from the same orphanage. This long wait has given us the opportunity to get together on a few occasions, we have all formed special friendships, that I hope last beyond our trip to China. We all are excited about future reunions with our daughters. It would be neat to see our girls develop special friendships with each other.

Si Va A Ser

2008-04-03T21:01:00.003-04:00

I love Anne Geddes photography, and this video has a beautiful song called "Si Va a Ser"- meaning if "it's going to be"...by Pimpinela and refers to having a child, and that it will be when it will be. As we have waited so long for our referral, we have just resigned ourselves that it will happen when it will happen, and this song represents all the longing we have, as well as, hope that it will happen one day and we just have to wait.

A dedication to Mei-Li:
Our love for you Mei-Li has no timeline, and we will wait as long as it takes to have you in our arms. You will arrive at the right moment that it is meant to be, and we know that the long wait will be erased instantly when that day arrives. Our love for your will continue to grow through out this wait, and once we are together we will shower you with kisses and love, that will last a lifetime.

It's Easter

2008-03-23T10:19:00.000-04:00

Easter @ Bopmyspace.com

March Referrals

2008-03-11T22:23:00.003-04:00

The March referrals began arriving the first week of March. So what does it mean to us, well not much other than they are now into 2006! Yeah! It has been a special month because some of my pals on the Jan DTC group have begun to see referrals, and others are on pins and needles as they are next. I joined this group, shortly after our file went to china. "DTC" means documents to china. When I originally joined I expected to learn what to expect before traveling to China, but I got so much more. The only good thing about this extended wait, is the friendships made on the group and what a sense of family we all have now. I've even had the opportunity to meet some from the group, and will likely travel with a few that share our same agency and LID date.

So the ball is rolling now, and we expect to see referrals for our group almost every month from now on. Soon it will be our turn, and we can't wait to experience some of the emotions our pals are feeling. Congrats to all the new families!

Let's Party Like a Rock Star!

2008-03-07T21:56:00.010-05:00

Are you ready to party in Blogville, well then please join me in The Ultimate Blog Party at 5minutesformom.com
This is the first time I attend, but it's a great place to check out other blogs specially made by Moms. Oh and did I forget to mention they have lots of giveaways.

Some of my favorite giveaways are:

Other cool gifts are: #17, 34, 15, 20, 16, 40, 61, 119, 102, 40

So for those new visitors linking here from Mr. Linky...a little about ourselves. We are in the journey of a lifetime to adopt our daughter from China. This blog is mostly about our adoption journey and anything related to China. We have been in the wait for over two years. We also have an 18 yr old son. We expect the summer of 2008 to be our year , finally meet our little one, and become a forever family.

I little bit more about me. One of my favorite things to do is bake. I find it to be a great stress reliever, and my family enjoys all the goodies. Here are some photos of some of my home made creations. Have a slice:

So if you visit, please leave a comment or sign our guest book, so we know you were here!

Thanks for visiting...Evelyn

PS . Oh and check back in a few days..there will be some neat changes.

New Beijing International Airport

2008-02-29T18:43:00.005-05:00

So what's new in China on leap year day. The new airport terminal officially opened! China is gearing up for all the increased travel expected this year for the Olympics. It's seems they have covered every angle. So they opened a new terminal to help handle the already overloaded airport. It's not small by no means. It's the size of 170 soccer fields. The roof top was designed to look like a dragon. I can't wait to step foot in it. It must be an amazing structure. The British architects says it's the biggest building in the world. The volume of passengers is expected to rise to 64 million in 2008 up from 20 million in 2005.

We expect to travel to Beijing on our trip to China, but it all depends on when we get our referral, and if our agency will have to re-route us to avoid the Olympics. It's quite a shame if this happens, as we would miss the tour of the Great Wall. However, our focus remains to be united with our daughter, and that's what is most important to us. Hopefully, we will be able to travel to China again when our daughter is older, so she can see her homeland.

What to expect when expecting from China

2008-02-23T09:24:00.002-05:00

This is a wonderful article that I recently read on other blogs. We have been asked to spread it around, in hopes that other waiting parent, friends and family will read it, and educate themselves about what to expect from institutionalized care.

Friends and Family- Please read this.
What to Expect When You're Expecting (from China)…….
A MUST Read for Adopting Parents
Below is a letter from Amy Eldridge, from Love Without Boundaries, addressing the recent adoption disruptions and parental preparedness. If you are reading this, think about posting it on your site - a waiting parent who reads your blog may benefit from it.
*****
I have been so saddened by this situation. I most definitely wish there was a way to educate ALL adoptive parents about the truths of institutional care, however I have come to realize in my daily work that there are just as many parents who are not online reading everything they can find on adoption as are.

There are hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of parents out there who have no idea what life is like for a child in an orphanage, and who head overseas to pick up their perfect child only to be handed a baby who is unresponsive, thin, unable to eat….. and on and on and on.
While adopting my son last month, I walked several times over to the White Swan to talk to parents, and over and over I spoke with moms and dads who had no clue whatsoever about the issues their kids were having. I heard so many times things like, "she won't eat solid foods" (oral aversion), "she has no muscle tone" (muscle atrophy from lying in a crib all day), "she won't smile" (pure grieving from being taken from her foster mom). I guess since I live China 24/7, I assume everyone adopting does, too, which is not the case.

I talked to at least a dozen parents who didn't even know their child's orphanage name, and while I gently said "you might want to memorize that for your child's sake", at the same time I was trying to process how many parents get all the way to China without ever reading about post-institutional issues. It was sobering to me.

Babies in the NSN (non special needs) as well as the SN (special needs) path can have issues with attachment, motor skills, emotional issues and more. I think all of us on the WCC (Waiting Children China) list acknowledge that, while also acknowledging that all children (whether bio or not) can have these same issues. Living in an orphanage of course increases the odds.

I think the easy out is to say that agencies have to do more, as well as social workers, but I do think that most of them do try to give information to the parents but often parents don't want to hear it or else think it won't happen to them. Again, I am often surprised to talk to parents leaving soon and to realize they are not prepared. One family was adopting from our foster care program, and when I told them that the child was DEEPLY attached to the mom, the father said, "guess she might cry for an hour or so then?" An hour or so? She had been in foster care for over a year! I tried to explain that this little girl was about ready to lose everything she had ever known, and that they should not expect her to be sunny, happy, and full of personality after an hour. I told them to please remember the 72-hour rule.......that after 72 hours they would probably see her spark, but that she would probably grieve for a long time after that as well.

I think for many adoptive parents, they just don't want to read the "bad stuff", and so I do think that ultimately it is the parents who are at fault for not doing more to educate themselves. There certainly are books galore out there about post-institutional issues. I equate this to when I was pregnant with my kids and I would read "What to Expect When Expecting", and I would get to the C-section part and always skip it. Each and every time I would jump to the next chapter as "that wasn't going to happen to me". Well, on my fifth baby, when they were rushing me in for an emergency C-section, I sure was wishing I had read that section earlier! But at that point in the OR, while they were strapping my hands down to the table, it was too late, and so I felt complete panic when I could have been prepared. I think adoption from China is very similar to giving birth...it is much more rosy to only read the happy stories on APC, but I now encourage every family I meet to read the harder ones as well, because if you are the family who is handed a child that is limp and listless and who looks autistic, what you have learned in the past will help you make the right decision for your family during those very emotional first few days.

I have been called many times in the last few years by parents in China worried about their children. I agree that having a support network to help you through the initial time is essential. Everyone should go to China with at least one phone number of someone they can call if they are panicked upon meeting their new child. I remember feeling so alone when I was handed my daughter and she was so tiny and limp. Because our foundation often helps with the kids who have been disrupted, I am aware that sometimes there are children who have much more serious issues than originally reported…. and that is such a hard thing for a parent to get to China and then discover their child is truly autistic or has serious mental delays. I think everyone on both the China and international side would agree that it is absolutely wrong of an orphanage to not be honest in their reports, and no one would excuse that, but I also know without a doubt that the majority of kids who are disrupted are just suffering from institutional issues and would catch up quickly in a loving home. It is always a very sad day for the orphanage and everyone involved when a child that they know is absolutely fine, but perhaps thin and grieving, is returned by their new parents for being "delayed".

I think far too many people believe their child's life is going to begin the moment they meet them. The truth is, and everyone must realize it….. a child's life is going on RIGHT NOW in China, and all of their experiences are shaping who they are. The vast majority of aunties that I have met in China are such kind and caring people, but it absolutely is not the same as having a mom and dad at your beck and call. I have had new parents call and say "we didn't think living in an orphanage would affect her at all", and those statements truly puzzle me. How could they not contemplate life in an orphanage?

Walk through Babies R Us and you will see every gadget known to man to make our children's lives here as ideal as possible. Now Americans have two way video monitors, so that when baby awakens not only can mommy see when to immediately rush in and comfort him, but she can talk to baby so that he doesn't even have one single second where he feels alone. How many new parents would have a newborn and then put that baby in a crib 22 hours a day on their own? How many would only feed their baby, even if they were really crying hard, every 8 hours? Or prop the bottle in her crib and then not watch to see if she ever really ate?
Of course no one would do that…... we feed newborns on demand, comfort on demand, love continuously…. and whether people want to recognize it or not, that is NOT the life of an orphan in an institution. .….. even when the aunties are as good as gold. I remember one night when I took some volunteers in for the night shift in an orphanage, when normally just a few aunties are working. One mom looked at me with tears in her eyes as she slowly realized that it was absolutely impossible with just two hands to feed every child, to comfort every child, to soothe every baby who was crying. She said her heart was aching to realize that her own daughter most likely had many, many times where she cried without someone to comfort her..... and she told me that for the first time she finally understood why her daughter had such a deep seated fear of being out of her mom's sight.

The aunties are trying their absolute best, but that doesn't equal mother/child care. I remember being in an orphanage in the north this past winter and the aunties were so proud of how they had 6-8 layers of clothes and blankets on every baby to keep them warm. They were swaddled so tight that they couldn't move, but it was freezing in the orphanage and so the aunties wanted the babies to stay as warm as possible. What alternative did they have? It really was freezing there…... I was cold in my wool coat, so the babies couldn't be up and about with just 1-2 layers on, with the ability to move their arms and legs. To stay warm they had to be immobile, and so of course all of those kids have weak muscle tone. But the aunties were truly trying their best, and when a parent is given one of those beautiful children on adoption day, I am sure they will go back to their room with concern and say "she can't sit up by herself…. she can't put weight on her legs". That is absolutely the truth, but she also survived 10 degree weather in a very cold province and she will catch up soon enough with parents to encourage her.

To not acknowledge that living in orphanage circumstances can cause lower body weights, low muscle tone, inability to make good eye contact is very sad to me. Can it be overcome? Most definitely! The one thing I have learned over and over again about the kids in China is that they are fighters and survivors. But for some reason, people seem to want to ignore these issues in public forums.

Recently, one of our medical babies that we had met several times in person was adopted, and we all knew that this child was a "spitfire". When the family arrived and spent a few days with her, they decided she was too much of a handful for them and they wanted to disrupt. She absolutely was not what they expected. When they called their agency, they were told they had two choices: adopt the child, bring her to the US, and change their expectations of what they were hoping for, or adopt the child, bring her to the US and the agency would have a family waiting at the airport to adopt her locally. Option three of leaving the child in China was never once given. I admire that agency so much, as they were thinking of the child and the child alone. The family followed through with the adoption and handed the little girl to a new family upon her arrival in the US. As horrible and tragic and emotional as it was for everyone involved...I still feel this was the right decision for the agency to make. It was done in the absolute best interest of the child, who had waited a long, long time for a family. I wish more agencies would advocate for the rights of the child, instead of always seeming to give in to the parents, especially in those cases when they know with absolute certainty that nothing is permanently wrong with the child. Recently with another disruption, the agency I spoke with told me that it was "easier" to just get the family a new baby.

Sometimes easier does not equal right. The first baby who was rejected has now been labeled "mentally challenged" even though the agency knew the child was really going to be okay.
I think all of us, who do realize that delays occur and that babies can usually overcome them, should be these children's advocates by continually trying to educate new parents on what to expect in China. By helping them be better prepared, we just might help stop a disruption in the future. I love Chinese adoption with my whole heart, and it is my life's work…. but I also want every family who goes to get their baby to go with their eyes open and to be as emotionally prepared as possible, for the child's sake.
Amy Eldridge, Love Without Boundaries

In the past two years that we have been waiting for our daughter, I have tried to educate myself on all the potential issues an orphan from China can have so we can potentially recognize them and work through them. We hope our families and friends are just as understanding at the beginning when we try to form the bonds of attachment with her, that are so very important for her development, and intigration to our family.

2 year LID Anniversary

2008-02-17T19:38:00.002-05:00

February 17th. Today is our 24 month LID anniversary since we have been logged in with the CCAA. Often anniversaries are something to be celebrated. However waiting two years is not much to celebrate about. We actually started this process long ago. Here the numbers to be exact:

Days in years 2.54
Days in months 31
Days in days 928
Days in hours 22276
Days in minutes 1336559
Days in seconds 80193563
Day in Milli seconds 8019356290

Heck, but who's counting. LOL. What we do know is, that there is no way we will pass 2008 without Mei-Li at least that is what we think. With referrals coming out only 6-8 days per month, we are about 7.5 weeks away from the top. However, that can translate into 7.5 months more of waiting. So what does all these numbers mean, well we would anticipate a referral around August-September of this year at that rate. If there is a speed up, then we could get a referral earlier, which would be fine by us.

Today was the last day of CNY. We had planned to attend our local festival, but the rain kept us away. Instead we ate a Bonzai, a new Asian restaurant near our house, which turned out to be pretty good.

2008 Year of the Rat

2008-02-03T10:10:00.000-05:00

2008 New Year is the year of Rat. Most likely this may be Mei-Li's birth year.

The Chinese year 4706 begins on Feb. 7, 2008. This holiday is the most important and widely celebrated in China.

The lunar calendar, dictates what animal is your year. I am the year of the monkey and Jesus & Michael are both the year of the horse. The celebration usually lasts for about 15 days.

The year of the Rat

Those born in rat years tend to be leaders, pioneers, and conquerors. They are charming, passionate, charismatic, practical and hardworking.

How Families Celebrate

At Chinese New Year celebrations people wear red clothes, decorate with poems on red paper, and give children "lucky money" in red envelopes. Red symbolizes fire, which according to legend can drive away bad luck. The fireworks that shower the festivities are rooted in a similar ancient custom. Long ago, people in China lit bamboo stalks, believing that the crackling flames would frighten evil spirits.

The Lantern Festival

In China, the New Year is a time of family reunion. Family members gather at each other's homes for visits and shared meals, most significantly a feast on New Year's Eve. In the United States, however, many early Chinese immigrants arrived without their families, and found a sense of community through neighborhood associations instead. Today, many Chinese-American neighborhood associations host banquets and other New Year events.

Chinese New Year ends with the lantern festival on the fifteenth day of the month. Some of the lanterns may be works of art, painted with birds, animals, flowers, zodiac signs, and scenes from legend and history. People hang glowing lanterns in temples, and carry lanterns to an evening parade under the light of the full moon.

In many areas the highlight of the lantern festival is the dragon dance. The dragon—which might stretch a hundred feet long—is typically made of silk, paper, and bamboo. Traditionally the dragon is held aloft by young men who dance as they guide the colorful beast through the streets. In the United States, where the New Year is celebrated with a shortened schedule, the dragon dance always takes place on a weekend. In addition, many Chinese-American communities have added American parade elements such as marching bands and floats.

We hope to teach Mei-Li about her culture, and hope to share some of these festivities as she grows. Last year we attended the celebration at our local Communtity College, and got to see first hand how it is celebrated. It had a wonderful show, with all types of talent. As well, we even had a chance to do a little shopping, and bought MeiLi her first pair of red Chinese slippers.

Rumors..rumors..

2008-01-24T18:45:00.001-05:00

There are rumors and excitement in the air, as referrals are expected soon. We are hoping they get through December. This would mean referrals earlier than expected for some of my Panda friends. This would be great news, and just the uplift that we need. It's starting to feel like it's really going to happen soon.

2007-12-29T18:57:00.000-05:00

Another year rolled in, and it's my birthday, and I'll cry if I want to..hehehe LOL
Since hubby has been out of town, my son really went out of his way to make my birthday special. He surprised me with an ice cream cake, flowers and a gift certificate. Wow I was impressed. I think this was a first for him. It was really sweet of him and his friends (wink wink) to do this for me. I can't stop thinking, that as this wait has extended, I'm getting older. So my new years resolution is to whip myself into shape, so I have all the energy in the world when MeiLi arrives.

Happy Holidays

2007-12-21T18:18:00.000-05:00

Christmas @ Bopmyspace.com

The holidays are upon us again. WOW what a year this has been. I remember in early January, anticipating a referral this year that didn't happen. And the thought, of yet another year going by was dreadful. But I must admit, this year went super fast. I wanted to wish everyone who views this blog, a wonderful holiday season, and Happy New Year, from my family to yours. I hope this will be the last Christmas we spend without Mei-Li. And that we have better news to report next year. (((hugs)))

MeiLi's Nursery Updated

2007-12-01T18:16:00.000-05:00

Well, I've been keeping busy lately, with doing some year end house renovations. One thing I tackled was redoing the floors on the second floor including stairs and baby's room. Today, I finished up by adding a closet organizer to the her room. I found this neat little shelving system at BJ's for under $90 bucks. I had to improvise a little as it's designed for a much bigger closet, which I did not bother measuring before I bought it. It was complete, when I was able to add all the cute little gifts I have received for MeiLi. I decided not to put the crib back in for now. I really got tired of looking at the empty crib. I think it will at least give me something else to look forward to doing when she finally arrives. Once we get referral, I'll put the finishing touches in her room. Enjoy the pictures!

Happy Thanksgiving!

2007-11-22T11:00:00.000-05:00

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!

This Thanksgiving has been a little bittersweet this year, as we expected Mei-Li to be here by now. I remember last year's celebration, we said a little prayer, and hoped she would be here by now. Perhaps in a high chair, near the table, sharing in the festivities. But we are hopeful that she will be here next year for sure!!! We also were missing her great grandpa, who passed away last year. However, we were very Thankful to have the family together for a wonderful dinner. There were many things to be Thankful for this year, but above all we are together, happy and gratefully thankful for the future opportunity to be parents to this unknown little bundle of joy.

2007-10-29T00:10:00.000-04:00

Wishing all my fellow bloggers a safe and Happy Halloween! Getting motivated to decorate this year without MeiLi has been quite the challenge, as this is now the 2nd Halloween we hoped to have her with us. As referral news approaches we hope to here good news for the December LIDer's. Hopefully there will be a speed up now that Nov 2005 is completed. With that said and not written in stone, we hope to have her home by next Halloween for sure!

Just in Time for Halloween

2007-10-28T22:44:00.000-04:00

Just in time for Halloween..I just saw these cute binkies at Billy-Bob Pacifiers
They are two cute.. and a perfect accessory to those baby Halloween costumes. OK so I admit they are not a baby need, but receive an honorable mention on my blog LOL

20 Months LID Anniversary

2007-10-17T00:05:00.000-04:00

It seems like our adoption is growing weeds. Yes...we are 20 months in waiting today, and probably more months of waiting are ahead. I can't believe so much time has passed, and I can't even make an educated guess on when our adoption will be complete. We know the last LID referral date was November 30th 2005! as of the first week of October. We await next months referrals in anticipation and hope that once they get into Dec 05 LID's that there is much more progress than the latest 4-6 days of a month referral.

Check out my Slide Show!

2007-10-02T22:42:00.001-04:00

A few weekends ago we had a wonderful gathering with some AP in waiting at Epcot. Most of us had similar LID dates or very close to ours. We had the chance to meet 3 other families that will most likely travel with us to China, as they share our same LID date and agency. It was an awesome weekend, filled with food, fun, and great company. At Epcot, we had a "champagne moment" and also visited the China Pavillion which had an acrobat show. We also had an honorary family who had recently traveled to china, and were a wealth of information. Thanks Patrick, Alesisa, and hugs to baby Maya. Also, a big thank you to Lori, for organizing and sponsoring the event. I think she is still in recovery mode. LOL

Moon Festival 2007

2007-09-30T09:34:00.001-04:00

Last night we celebrated the Chinese Moon Festival with our local FCC Group at Miss Yips on South Beach. What fun we had watching all the children. We saw many new faces, as some of our families traveled this year to China. I think we were the only couple that is still waiting :( We also ran into another family where our hubby's work at the same place, how cool was that. They have a daughter that is about 5 from china, and a handsome son. They are starting the paperchase for daughter #2 from Taiwan.

So these were the nights events. We had an awesome dinner at the restaurant which included, Honey Chicken, Mangolian Beef, Veges, for dessert they served Lychee Fruit and Moon cakes. OK... I have to admit we ordered the chocolate mouse cake pictured above, and the photo of Jesus tells how good it was.

The children, got there paper lanterns and glow sticks ready, as well as, colored dragons and other Asian themed pictures at the table. Then we wrote out our wishes/message on the card, and attached it to the white balloons representing the moon. These were to be released at the beach. We all took a stroll down Lincoln Blvd to the beach, where to our surprise no moon visible due to the clouds:( This year I was stopped at least three times, and asked what were the balloons and all the kids about. I was proud to inform them they were children adopted from China, and we were celebrating the Chinese Holiday. I was met with smiles and praise which was a welcoming thought.

Ear Check Monitor

2007-09-29T06:26:00.000-04:00

Ear infection are a common occurrence among children, and very difficult to detect unless you take them to the doctor, at the first sign of ear tugging or a fever. But now there is this hand thermometer type device, that will tell you if their is fluid in the ear. And guess what you can get it at Walmart.
I like this device, because frequent ear infections in children can lead to hearing loss, and the infamous "tube" operation in worst case scenario. Who wants to put their child through that. Though it's not made to replace your doctors advice, it may be good in catching the infection while still in the early stages.

Blog Award

2007-09-13T22:59:00.000-04:00

A fellow blogger Stephe at GiorgiaDanette
nominated me for "Nice Matters Blog Award"

"This award is for bloggers who are nice people, good blog friends, and those who inspire good feelings and inspiration. Also, for those who are a positive influence on our blogging world."

However, Stephe's blog has been an inspiration to me. I've learned so much from her and fellow bloggers this year. Following everyone's journey's has made this long wait much more bearable. And Stephe keeps us all organized as we plan for our travels at the Packing List Challenge Blog
So thanks Stephe for the nomination, and your talents in the blog community.

So the hard part is, I'm supposed to pass this one to seven bloggers. This is difficult, but I wanted to mention the first two blogs I came across, when I first started to research China. The Double Happiness Blog was the first journey I followed to China right when we started fresh in the process. I had the opportunity to follow their journey not once, but twice, as they adopted Gwen and then Maddy.

The second blog was Adoption Blog. I think this must had been the very first website I viewed and read about. Here, I was introduced to the China Adoption Forum and the first online buddies I made. I learned a lot about the China adoption world there.

Here are some of the other blogs I frequent:

Waiting for Lauren Elizabeth
China Ladybug
Sunflowers & Ladybugs
Three and a HighChair
Alena's Path

Oh my god that's seven..I can keep on going. SO I pass this nomination on to these fellow bloggers, and hope they do the same. A big THANKS to all of them for keeping me inspired and motivated.

Baby Briefcase

2007-09-13T22:43:00.000-04:00

I love this Baby Briefcase for organizing all the adoption paperwork needed for the China trip. It comes with the following items inside:
15 durable plastic folders
• 20+ researched folder categories
• Thank You Note Tracker
• 2 Baby Wallet Info Cards
• Framed Photo Pocket
• Convenient Pen Slot

You can find it for under $30 at Organized from the Start

Turn you Blog into a Keepsake Book

2007-08-31T20:08:00.001-04:00

Many of us in the adoption community have blogs to journalize our adoption experience, or jot down our thoughts while we wait. Technology has advanced quite a bit from the days when I kept a little journal with a locket on the side. Now your thoughts can be public for all to read. I classify this as a cool baby find, even though it's not baby gear. But many, I think, would like a way to keepsake personal blogs for your children. Blurb.com has just the tool to do it. Prices start at 12.95 and range depending on the number of pages. There is some software to download which "slurps" your blog entries and pictures. How cool is that? Definitely, booking this site, for future use.

Travel Mugs

2007-08-17T16:28:00.000-04:00

Here are two travel mugs I like for carrying hot water in China. They are both made by Bodum. The fist one is called LIPSTICK I like this one because of the spout, easy for pouring. The second THERMO is a little bit more economical and half the size, and also features the vacumn design.

Cool You tube video about the Bugaboo

2007-08-16T20:50:00.000-04:00

This is a cute video from Bugaboo Strollers introducing their new stroller Bugaboo Bee. It speaks for itself, so not much to comment. LOL

Furbaby Lunchbox

2007-08-14T23:26:00.001-04:00

OK at least that's what I'm calling these. They may not be baby related, but I'm sure I can somehow justify myself for getting one these for just under $10 bucks. Hmm keep bottles warm, cold, what do you think? LOL they are too cute. Oh and I almost forgot to mention they have a baby line.

Check these out at BUILTNY

Tri-Flow Nipple

2007-08-14T00:30:00.000-04:00

I recently saw an article about this new product by Munchkin
For us future adoptive parents, we have been forewarned that sometimes babies have an aversion to the bottle, or have been used to being fed with a fast flow nipple in the orphanage. This is a great option for traveling, as there is no way you can predict what type of bottle baby will like best. This particular nipple allows you to adjust the flow of the formula. Pretty cool huh! It comes in two sizes and can be used on wide mouth bottles like Advent or regular size bottles.

Puddle Jumper shoes

2007-08-14T00:29:00.000-04:00

Now what's a girl to do without a collection of shoes. Every time my Mom sees me with a new purse or shoes, she Polk's fun at me, and reminds me of my passion for shoes and purses since I was a little girl. She says, every time I got a new pair of shoes I wanted a little purse. Hmm some things never change. LOL I love this shoe line from Puddle Jumpers

As well, I must note that a portion of their sales are donated to worldwide orphanages. Kuddos to them.

Compact Stroller

2007-08-13T23:37:00.000-04:00

I've been looking into strollers lately, and even thought the Bugaboo is the latest trend. I wasn't totally into it, especially the steep price. But I came across this one which I like even better, and it folds up to a very compact size which I love. At $239 its much more affordable. Definitely keeping this one as a contender. You can check it out at:

LetsgoStrolling.com

Favorite Car Seat by Britax

2007-08-12T21:24:00.001-04:00

So far this is the car seat I have chosen. After numerous reviews I feel this will keep Mei-Li the safest. And the colors are just perfect. This particular style is the Britax Boulevard. Here is the product description:

Product Description

The crown jewel in the Britax line of True Side Impact Protection restraints, the Boulevard Convertible Car Seat features deep side wings with EPS foam for optimum side impact protection. The Boulevard also showcases built-in lock-offs, 5-point harness with front adjuster, tangle-free webbing, push button release LATCH system with patented Versa-Tether, and a sculpted base which ensures an easy installation and a secure fit. Comfort abounds with a plush, washable cover, while additional comfort foam, patented HUGS system, shoulder belt comfort pads, integrated toddler pillow, and a removable infant body pillow provide a perfect, adjustable fit as your child grows.

Manufacturer's Age: Birth and up

Child Weight Min: 5 lbs

Child Weight Max: 65 lbs

This is the BabiesRus link:

Britax Boulevard Convertable Carseat

Cool Diaper Changing Pad

2007-08-12T18:19:00.000-04:00

I love this diaper changing pad invented by a mom of three. She invented this pad after she found that the regular rectangular pad just didn't cut it for a sqiurmy kid. I love the pockets that you can tuck the diapers into, and have everything handy while changing baby. The item is now on Target.com and part of the parent inventor section. You can find out more on: