First Birthday

We have been home for three months and have had the best three months of our lives. Ray and I are in awe of our little girl and so grateful for the blessing that she is. She is well adjusted. She sleeps well, eats well, loves people and is very engaging and charming. We take her everywhere as she is pretty content and easy-going.
She plays peek-a-boo, makes "funny face" and loves to clap. Anytime she hears 'yay' or 'good job' she claps. Hmmm, I wonder how she made that connection. She still shows no sign of crawling or pulling up so will start occupational therapy soon. Part of it is motivation, I think. She is so content wherever she is that there seems to be little drive to move.
Otherwise she is very healthy and thriving. She has met most of Ray's family and has met one of my sisters and her family. We'll make our first big trip to Florida next week to meet the rest of my family.
I cannot adequately describe the demeanor and personality of little Rebecca. She is just the calmest, most content, most loving human being I've ever met. She is very affirming the way she looks you right in the eye, smiles and nods and reaches out. She favors boys, but really likes everyone she meets. It will be quite an adventure to see where she goes in life and what God has planned for her.
Thank you to all the family and friends who have embraced Rebecca and welcomed her to the family. Ray and I feel so blessed by the love and affection expressed it makes our hearts full.

We're Home Sweet Home!

Whew! We made it!! I stopped blogging in Guangzhou as we no longer had free internet access from the room. I quickly sent a few emails from the business center and that was it. Now that we had adoption papers and a Chinese passport in hand, we could go to Guangzhou.
It was warmer there and we did have access to a lot more shopping right around the hotel. Rebecca was a trooper on the plane as always. Her first plane ride! I cried as we took off because as I held her in my arms, I thought, "wow, she really is ours and she is leaving WITH us!" It was a thrilling moment. Please note, that all of our intracountry flights were either on time or early and the planes looked new. Service was fantastic. So many things about China surprised me in that way. Things were better, nicer, more wonderful than imagined.
The days in Guangzhou flew by really. We submitted the paper work to get a travel visa for Rebecca and after a getting her photo taken and a brief physical we basically had free time. We toured a family compound and an active Buddhist temple. We also had a delightful dinner at a local restaurant with someone from the Bible Church. David called the concierge and gave the name/directions of the restaurant for us. The bell hop handed the Chinese note to the cab driver and off we went. We were the only Westerners in the place and certainly the only ones with a baby, so we were quite conspicuous. Nevertheless, in general, the Chinese love babies and the wait staff payed quite alot of attention to Rebecca and the meal was wonderful.
David also told us about the wholesale markets in town, so we saw where the Chinese shop owners buy the goods they sell to us! It again was quite an experience of local culture where we were definitely the minority. We always felt safe though and moved about the city with confidence and had fun.
We shopped at a local outdoor mall and found an inexpensive suitcase, to replace the one that kept malfunctioning on the way over among other things. We even saw a pet market where there were lots and lots of puppies, ducklings, chicks, rabbits, pet food and pet accessories. That was quite fun.
Friday was the big day. We went to the US Consulate where our paper work was checked once again, they verified that we were who we said we were - Rebecca too, then we took an oath. That was it. Our babies were welcomed to the US and we were on our way!
Off to Hong Kong for one night, then the flight home. We had a bulk head seat and a bassinet for Rebecca, so she basically maintained her schedule all the way home. We had an awesome welcome committee greet us at the airport where Miss Rebecca proceeded to charm everyone with her engaging stare and even a few coos and giggles. I thought she might be her quiet, pensive self in the car seat on the way home, but no. She giggled and laughed the entire way home. Something about it was very funny to her!
This is really a very brief overview of our last days in China. There are so many interesting side stories that would take a long time to write and long time for you to read, so I hope we get to share these with all of you in time. We took over 300 pictures and who knows how much video?
We are so glad to be home. We miss our travel group because we really bonded as one big family, but I think everyone is glad to be home. Rebecca continues to be a delight and shows us how to go with the flow and not worry about anything. She's adjusting beautifully and helping us do the same.

More Pictures!

Just Pictures!

Last Days in Nanchang

The rain has finally stopped and we did some sightseeing this weekend. Our group toured a pavilion on the river, a tao temple and an art museum. We thoroughly enjoyed getting out of the hotel. We also went to a local restaurant down the street and the food was fantastic. Our guide, Chris, did all the ordering. Spicy and wonderful, again served family style. We have now discovered Rebecca's favorite is Steamed Eggs. She just loves them! Its like a custard and served warm. Its very good.

There is a local tailor/laundry shop next to our hotel so we had matching outfits made for me and Rebecca and Ray got a gorgeous Chinese jacket made for him. We then took our laundry to them as they do the baby clothes for free. Its a colorful neighborhood and we enjoyed walking around the block after our purchases. Today is actually SUNNY outside so we're going back so Ray can get some good still photos. I want to go to the shoe shop and get Rebecca's shoes - great prices!

Today is our last full day in Nanchang. Tomorrow we check out of the hotel at 1:00 pm and head for the airport. Rebecca's first plane ride! We will then be in Guangzhou until Saturday, fly to Hong Kong for one night and then be home on Sunday. I admit to feeling homesick at times. I feel like we are camping out. We have to boil our water for everything - drinking, washing dishes, making formula, brushing our teeth. Our bathroom is also our kitchen. I miss western food, ice cubes and ice tea. I can't complain though. We are living in tremendous luxury in comparison to the people around us who probably are living in apartments the size of our room, full time!

I am excited about traveling south to Guangzhou which promises to be a whole new experience in weather, food, our mobility to see things and more. We are not worried about the plane ride because Rebecca seems to take new experiences in stride and as long as she's in the carrier she's content and pretty quiet. Just taking it all in. Until then...

The Orphanage

We made the momentus trip to SWI Shanggao yesterday (Thursday). What a wild ride, literally. The yellow and white traffic lines are meerly suggestions and are followed sometimes. We played "chicken" with a very large truck, and a few cyclists here and there. Potholes the size of ditches slowed our way a few times, but the driver was great and the bus was actually a nice touring bus, so we closed our eyes during the scary parts.

We arrived at the orphanage to yet another cold, rainy day, but the reception was warm and welcoming in every way. We were led to a conference room, where mayhem broke out once again as the foster moms saw their little ones. There was rejoicing and crying and just lots of noise. Fresh fruit and candy was provided on the tables which the babies enjoyed. Our nanny was running late, so Ray and I patiently waited for her to arrive and get our turn with Chris who translated questions for us. She clearly loved and enjoyed Rebecca as much as we do and she was very gracious in pointing to me and saying 'mama' and pointing to Ray saying 'baba' which is dada in Chinese. The director made a short, lovely speech about how grateful they are to us, for caring for the children and wished us well.

Then to an abundant, fabulous lunch! They just kept bringing out the dishes. Served family style, on a turntable centered on the table, it was a feast! I can't tell you everything we had, but the purple stuff was really good and we felt adventuresome for trying most of it. The fresh peas were fantastic and I don't even really like peas. They even served red wine. This must of been extravagent for them. We didn't really tour the facilities and we didn't see any children. The director says they are all in foster homes.

Ray and I asked if we could meet the cook, as he was listed as the one who found Rebecca. They all kind of giggled, then called to him to come out. He just beamed. We got our picture taken with him and the staff just seemed so amused by the scene. One other family said he found their baby also, so they did the photo op with him too.

We then got a group photo at the gate of the orphanage where all of our babies were found. I just wonder if Rebecca's birth mom watched from across the street, from behind a crumbling brick wall, to see when her baby was found. I just wonder about her alot. I am grateful to her everyday for doing a brave and wonderful thing for us and pray that she somehow knows how much we love Rebecca. We know she loved her.

We did see a lot of the elderly residents that live on the compound. Precious elderly men watched the busy, chaotic scene of families and their orange bundles and just laughed. I got a great photo of them watching.

Could go on and on about the many scenes we saw along the way, but will end now. China is such a diverse country and we were grateful to get out of the big city and see some of the countryside.

Day 2 and Day 3 Nanchang

Where do I begin? Day 2 we had a series of meetings in the morning. Miss Rebecca was a trooper. It was cold and rainy, alot of waiting around and in and off the bus. She just hangs out in the baby carrier and is along for the ride. So sweet. At 11:30 we boarded the bus for the hotel when Chris announced, "Congratulations, they are officially your daughters!" We all cheered and celebrated the great moment.

We spent the rest of the day just hanging out at the hotel. After lunch, we all went down for a very long nap. Ahhhh. Ray and I snacked in the room for supper, but I went to the lobby restaurant for some broth for Rebecca. I told them 'noodle soup w/out the noodles, its for baby" they rushed around and quickly brought me a bowl and said, "free for baby." I have to say, the hotel staff and the Chinese people in general are so very gracious and accomodating. They dote on the babies and strive to provide excellent service and care for all of us. Its really very touching and definitely appreciated! That pretty much sums up Day 2.

Day 3 was one of pure luxury. Nothing to do but be with our Rebecca all day. She is the best company. Quite a chatterer and game for anything. Ray and I also got some alone tine. He was able to go for a swim and I went to the gym and hit the eliptical for a little while. Then, another wonderful long nap. After walking the floors the first night with Rebecca, someone in our group said to try sleeping w/the lights on. That did it. She slept for 11 hours the first night. And is well on her way to hitting that right now.

Ray gave her lots of tummy time and we already see her growing and developing skills she did not have two days ago. She has attempted to roll over and almost did! She is trying to sit up, is reaching for her rattle and bottle and grabbing them! She continues to enjoy watching her hands. Its a riot to watch. She twists and twirls them and chuckles, just totally amused by them. I call it baby tai chi because of the way she moves them and watches them - its almost like her own choreographed hand dance.

She's a great eater. Meat broth seems to be her favorite. And yesterday she finally had her first bm, so we are so very proud of her and happy that everything seems to be working well. I promise no more bodily function reports unless they are truly extraordinary. I'm praying I won't have any of those stories to tell.

Today, Day 4, is a huge day for us. We actually get to see the orphanage and meet her foster mother in person. Not every group gets this opportunity so we are incredibly grateful to have this chance. Its a 2 hour bus ride from here, so it will be a full days trip. We'll have lunch there and come back this afternoon. And, now that we know that our peanut travels so well, we feel she'll just go along for the ride and be ok. So, I'll close for now, and I am sure I'll have many stories to tell about our trip. Thank you all for your loving thoughts, prayers, emails, and facebook postings. We do 'feel the love' half way round the world and know you are celebrating with us. Thank you, thank you!