7/30/06 (Sunday)

Today we had a day to do whatever we wanted. So, we slept in til nearly 8. Poor Jeri still wasn't feeling very well, so I took all the kids swimming. Oh, my goodness, what a stir I made. One woman with 4 little Chinese kids and a little white boy. I could see everyone talking behind their hands. The new boys splashed in the hot tub and the older ones swam in the real pool. I just sat back and let the boys squabble all they wanted, ddidn't even try to shout across the room at them. They didn't do much more than splash each other in the face, so no harm done anyway. It's Sunday here and the pool was crowded, lots of families but none with more than one child (except me of course).

After all that swimming the kids were hungry so I took them to lunch, then back to our rooms for a rest.

The rest of the day was spent in just lounging around and packing stuff up. Wei Long seems to be at home with us, insisting on controlling the tvaa(like all men), and he always has to be the one to use the room key to open the door.

There's so much junk in the room, I'm afraid I'll forget something. We're supposed to have our bags picked up in the morning at 8am. So, I'm getting to bed early and will need to be up and showered with everyone dressed and the final packing done.

Wei Long is counting on his fingers now the days until he meets Baba. Gary, hope you're ready for this little fellow, he sure thinks a lot of you. He is known by name by all the hotel staff and has showed them on his fingers the number of days in Guanghou and then the day he will meet Baba. He's anxious to get home now, and so are the girls and I.

I'm thankful that no one else has gotten sick. I think Jeri must have gotten food poinening somehow.

Well, my next update will be from the White Swan! Can't believe we spent all this time planning and looking forward to this trip, and now we're just as anxiously looking forward to getting home.

7/29/06 (Saturday)- a hard day

I think today is the hardest day I've had so far. Poor Jeri has been sick in bed. I won't go into the gorey details but she cannot keep anything on her stomach.

The kids slept well last night and we were up bright and earlly to meet our guide. We went to the museum, but mostly to shop! We got the famous Pine Tree artwork made of iron. I also got a couple of rather large paintings on scrolls. Hope I can get them home in one piece.

We came back to the hotel to check on Jeri and I decided to take the kids swimming. Let me just say it was a less than enjoyable experience. Wei Fu and Wei Long whined the whole time. They whined if anyone came within 5 feet of them and pointed like they had been hit with an axe or something. They would splash each other fiercely in the face with water, then cry when they got splashed back. I finally resorted to making the splasher sit out for 5 minutes. That worked! No more splashing, but plenty of very very loud whining. I ignored it to the best of my ability.

The other three had a great time playing in the water like they usually do. Towards the end our new boys kind of got the hang of it and had a good time too. I think we (especially dear Jeri) have a lot of hard work ahead of us. But I'm praying that I'm wrong and that social skills are quickly learned.

After a couple of hours in the pool the children were very hungry, and very vocal about it. Cathy, our guide, and I took the 5 of them to a nearby restaurant and they had a good lunch. I had Cathy tell them that I wanted them to rest for a while after lunch, and they were really good about it. I had two portable dvd players, ours and Jeri's and one was playing Automan in Chinese and the other was playing the Lion King in English. I propped up my poor achey brakey legs and rested for a relatively quiet hour.

Then followed lots of playing with loud toys, gameboys, cars, barbies, and cards. The two new boys are having a hard time sharing today. Much whining again and pointing and tattling and pouting. Again I ignored as much as possible, and put away toys that they couldn't come to agreement about.

Poor Jeri couldn't make it to supper so I took all 5 up for a quick bite. I wouldn't let them eat much because I'm determined no one else is going to get sick if I can help it. Again we had bickering in Chinese, and some sly kicks under the table. It's hard to call them down when they don't understand what I'm saying. I would like to explain to them why such behavior is unacceptable, but can only say "bu" and "bu hao" for now. Finally the short meal was over, and we're back in our room. Adam will stay with his mom again tonight and I will have the others.

Poor little Wei Fu got out his picture album of the orphanage and his friends and cried a little. I comforted him the best I can and asked Jesus to bring comfort to his little heart. He's watching TV right now, so I hope he is settling down and will be calm for the rest of the night.

To be perfectly honest, I wanta go home! I know you aren't surprised by this statement after I just described my day. I want to make the best our of the one day we have left in this province, but we don't have any plans for tomorrow. I hope Jeri is feeling better and that no one else is sick. I have a terrible head ache, but I think it's just stress. A good night's sleep should cure it!

Did I mention that Wei Fu loves to play dolls with the girls? He had an older girl who he really cared for at the orphanage and he really misses her. Wei Long makes his Automan beat up on the girls dolls and tries to take their heads off. They squeal and quickly take them away from him.

I'm going to upload a few pictures of the kids, don't be shocked at the sad state of this room. I challenge any one of you to keep a cleaner room when you have all these children and suitcases in tow.

PS: Even with the whining I still squeeze my sweet little boy every chance I get. He's a doll, and this is so unsettling for him. He is going to fit perfectly into our family.

And my sweet little girls are singing softly together right now. The most beautiful sound on earth. How blessed I am to have them. They are so sweet through all the tough times. We miss you so much, dear husband. I wish you could hear the girls singing right now.

7/28/06 (Friday)

The children slept til nearly 7am this morning. Poor little Wei Long says his tummy hurts. I think the food has been way too rich for him. So he ate very little breakfast, and even less lunch. But he did have a long visit in the bathroom so hopefully that helped him.

Julia’s hives are much better today. We have avoided having here even go near the seafood. I will try to get her benedryl later if the hives return, but I hesitate to give her any meds that I buy here.

We got Wei Long's passport and Chinese adoption paperwork today. I'm so glad that part of it is behind us. The assistand director came to our hotel room. Jeri and I both think he's very handsome. Maybe Wei Long will look something like him when he grows up? We spent the day in our room waiting on all the paperwork. It was late, about 5 when we got the paperwork from the notary.

All day long Wei Long felt a little sick. So I decided not to take him to the big restaurant on the 29th floor. Instead, I took the kids to the noodle shop on the second floor. I let Wei Long order for himself and it was a huge mistake. The little stinker ordered 4 plates of appetizer. And we also had a big bowl of fried rice and two huge bowls of soup. I thought the soup came in individual bowls, but boy was I wrong. The tab for this huge spread of food was only 127 yuan or about $16 dollars. It would have easily fed 3 or 4 more people. I was embarrassed over the waste, but I had no idea a bowl of noodle soup would be that huge. The appetizers Wei Long ordered were good choices, he just ordered way too much. We had a good laugh as the food was brought to our table though. Wish I had brought my camera.

I stopped by Jeri's room on the way back, and she was very sick. I don't know what to do for her. She had taken pepto and immodium, but her stomach is still very upset. I have brought Wei Fu to my room for the night. I told Jeri to call if I could help her in any way, but I think she just needs to sleep it off.

The boys are being boys right now. I'll try to say this delicately. A horrible smell is coming from their bed and they are both holding their noses and pointing to the other boy!! No language needed, huh?

I am fixing to turn out the lights and see if I can get them all to go to sleep. It's like a giant slumber party in here. That's right, me and 4 kids. I'm just going with the flow right now, letting them have fun and make memories. This day will never happen again so I'm just making the best of it that I can. I just feel so sorry for poor Jeri.

7/27/06 (Thursday)

Wei Long woke up with a bit of a stomach ache today. He refused breakfast. I’m afraid the food is a little too rich for him. And I have been letting him eat anything he wants. He ate some eel last night. I have decided to choose his food for him if possible. I don’t think he’s used to eating so much seafood, or just so much food period.


After breakfast we took the kids swimming. They had a great time. I have been taking them a little bit every day. I’m afraid they disturb the other swimmers. Swimming is like a job here. People come in and quietly swim their laps, then get out. They seem to choose a “lane to swim in. Of course the children don’t stay in a “lane” but swim and splash all over the pool. The pool area is tiled and very slick. Lisa fell a couple of times, and she broke her beautiful jade bracelet. I’m afraid I won’t be able to replace it.

After swimming Cathy took us to a restaurant around the corner for lunch. It was the first time we’ve eaten anywhere but the 29th floor restaurant. I’m afraid my girls made pigs of themselves again. They had pork ribs in a spicy sauce and they ate a LOT. What a spectacle we must make when we are out and about.

Then we had a rest because Wei Long’s tummy was still hurting. I tried to get him to nap, but I think I’m the only one who fell asleep. At least I made him rest a while.

Then we were out and about on the streets to do a little shopping. I got Wei Long some games for his gameboy (which we left at home). And we all got fans with beautiful pictures on them for about 20 yuan each.

I was glad to get back to the hotel and take a cold shower. It’s not real hot here, at least by Texas standards, but I seem to be sweating a lot anyway. Poor Julia was covered with hives and very very itchy. I gave her a cool bath and it seemed to help. There is entirely too much seafood in the restaurant. Even the fried rice has shrimp in it. We are trying our best to avoid it, but it seems to be in every dish. But, by 10:30 all 3 children were sound asleep. I slept with Julia, just in case she has breathing problems during the night. But everything was fine, all slept well.

7/26/06 (Wednesday)

We went shopping today. Wei Long picked an Automan. It’s an action figure, red, and makes a loud noise when you push a little button. I think he’s a superhero, but I’m hopelessly behind on things like this. We also got an Automan mask for Wei Long, and some toy cars and a ball. The girls got a Barbie-like doll with lots of clothes for about $10 each. They love having something to play with.

I wish you all could have seen Wei Long in the clothing stores. He is so picky about his clothes. He couldn’t find anything he liked in the first store, so we left empty handed. We were in a little shopping area that has both sides of the street lined with tiny little shops. At the second shop, Wei Long chose two little outfits and a pair of shoes. He tried on several but could only find the two that met his standards.

At a third shop, I chose two more outfits for him. I tried to explain to him that he needed enough clothes so that I wouldn’t have to get laundry done every day.

He’s so cute in the new clothes.

The kids went swimming before supper and Wei Long loves the water. He’s not afraid to put his face under. He’s so cute. And he loves to show off for us. What a sweet little man we have. I’m so glad he’s ours.

7/25/06 (Tuesday)

Tuesday
Wei Long ate a huge breakfast this morning and then we went swimming for the first time. He did great! He likes to stay in the hot tub a lot because the water is warmer. The pool water is too cool for him. I put swimmies on his little arms and a ring around his waist and he was set.

After lunch we went to the Civil Affairs office again to register the adoption. Wei Long agreed that he wanted to be adopted by us, and signed his name to the paper like a grown up. He was very excited to see the assistant director again and I could tell that he was telling him everything we had done for the last 24 hours. He made swimming motions and talked and talked.

I’m a bit sad that he is leaving this very kind man. I can tell that they care about each other. But Wei Long really wants a family, and we love him and will take care of him from now on.

I feel so sorry for the family who is traveling with us. They are adopting an 8 yr old boy. And he cried and cried at the Civil Affairs office. I cried too as I watched him. It was so hard for him to leave his own assistant director, but he does want to come to America and have a family of his own. I’m going to ask Jeri if I can post a link to her website here later.

Now the Chinese part of the adoption is finished. We will get the boys’ passports and the notarized documents on Friday.

Wei Long has such a great personality. He is known by name by the hotel staff by now. He is such a little sweetheard. And he never meets a stranger. But I swatted him on the bottom with my hand this evening. He was turning summersaults down the hall of the hotel, and pretended he didn’t hear me when I told him to stop. So I gave him a little swat and he quickly straightened up! My, but he has captured my heart. He is so lovable.

7/24/06 (Monday) Wei Long, at Last

We're in love with this little boy! He's precious. So little and cute and full of life. And such personality. He never meets a stranger.

We entered the Civil Affairs office about 3:30pm. And he was there waiting for us on the 7th floor. He let me give him a great big wonderful hug, and had the sweetest smile for me. He is much smaller than I expected. Only the pajamas I brought will fit him, none of the other clothes.

While Jeri and her family spent time with the translator and Wei Fu's nannie, Wei Long and the girls chased each other around the Civil Affairs office, hiding behind the chairs and under the tables. They were quiet with their first game of Hide and Seek, but Wei Long would aim a pretend gun at them and shoot them when he found them. We looked over the photo album I had sent him, and he already knew who we all were. He showed me with pantomine that the wanted to go swimming, and I told him yes, as soon as we could.

We came back to the hotel and the children played with bubbles. The room was awash in huge bubbles. They had a great time with them.

At 6pm we went to supper in our hotel. There is a revolving restaurant on the 29th floor of this hotel. Wei Long was fascinated with the view from the windows. He was so grown up at supper. There was a very large buffet, and he quietly pointed to the dishes he wanted to try, and held up his palm for the ones he wasn't interested in. He ate a lot of food for such a small boy. (Julia turned over a glass of water on Adam). He talked nicely with Mei's parents who joined our group for supper. And surprise, he uses a knife, fork, and spoon very nicely. He refuses to use chopsticks. He was eating the shrimp, shell and all, until I showed him how to peel them. But he learns quickly and was very neat in his table manners.

Then, the children discovered that there was ice cream! Wei Long was so excited because he said he has never had ice cream before. He pointed to what we thougth was chocolate, and they gave him a nice scoop in a bowl. He took his first bite and shuddered. He made that face that people usually make when they eat something very sour. We all laughed and laughed. But he kept eating bravely and told us it was very cold. Finally, someone else tasted the ice cream and it wasnt chocolate at all! It was a very bitter coffee ice cream. So, Jeri let Wei Long try a bite of vanilla and a huge smile lit up his little face. He loved it.

Mei's mom took him to the buffet to get his own dish of vanilla, and he came back with a beautiful scoop of ice cream with a marshmallow for a nose and two cookies for ears. It looked like a little bunny. He scooped up the nose onto his spoon and insisted on giving this first big bite to his mommie. What a sweet little boy. He has completely captured his mommie's heart by being so sweet to her. He will hold her hand and guide her around, showing her things. He is so affectionate with his new family. He gives us lots of hugs and even kisses in the privacy of our room. He has learned Julia and Lisa's names, but sometimes calls them er mei and san mei or just jie jie.

The girls played with him and they watched tv til bedtime. He didn't want to go to bed, but was so tired. So, after a quick bath (taken all by himself) we went to bed around 10 pm. He let his mommie sleep with him and we slept soundly til about 5 am.

So, after a dream of a first day, I don't know what to expect. Lisa and Julia are so glad to have this little guy as a brother, and I feel so priviledged to have him in our family. He's a wonderful little boy.

7/23/06 Sunday in Beijing

Sorry, will upload soon.

7/21/06- Orphanage Visit (Changzhou)

Well, it has been several days since we visited Changzhou, so my memory is not as fresh as I wish it was. But here’s a stab at it. I may modify this later after I consult with the girls.

We were disappointed to learn that we would not be allowed to visit the temporary orphanage facilities. We would be allowed to go the the old orphanage where Lisa stayed which now houses the senior citizens.

Lisa and I both recognized the facilities when we drove up. The large statue was no longer there though. It was raining and muggy, so we were led directly inside to the same room where Lisa and I first met! The furniture was all different, and there were no children, but we still recognized the room. Soon the director and assistant director came to meet with us. We gave them the pictures sent by two other families who had adopted previously from Changzhou and they were very glad to get them. Then Lisa gave them the photo album she had prepared for them and they looked at it with her.

A bit later we were joined by the nannie who took care of Lisa and a child who Lisa used to play with. I’m sorry I didn’t remember this girl’s name. She needed assistance in walking, and I’m sure you’ll be surprised to learn she is 17 years old! Lisa was a bit quiet during the entire meeting.

We were able to learn a bit from the director. She says she has a picture of the old couple who kept Lisa for the first 4 years of her life and that she will email it to us. I have her email address and I’m going to try my best to get that picture for Lisa. The director says she saw that couple just last month and told them that Lisa is doing well and that she was going to visit Changzhou. She also promised to forward a letter and picture to them from Lisa. So, we’re going to try to contact them! Lisa would really love that. She loved this old couple. We also got the name of the city where they live, but not their names. I sincerely hope the director follows through on her promises to Lisa.

We took the director and nannie out to lunch at a local restaurant. They were very cordial to us, and we learned that the director had canceled an important meeting to meet with Lisa. I was very grateful that she took the time from her obviously very busy day and met with us.

After lunch, we started the very long drive back to Nanjing. We stopped by the Nanjing Jade Museum and I bought both the girls a beautiful jade bracelet.

Next morning when we got to the airport we learned that our flight had been canceled. So we were able to catch an earlier one. This caused me tons of problems because there was no one to meet us at the Beijing airport. I walked around for over half and hour, then decided just to risk it and take a cab to our hotel.

I was not able to contact our guide in Beijing because I didn’t have her phone number, so I just checked myself in and waited! I sent emails to everyone I could at our agency to let them know I had arrived safely. The other two families had already arrived and were checked in also. So I just met with them and the guide in the lobby at 5 as planned. They had spent a few hours waiting around the Beijing airport looking for us, but just on the later flights. They never thought we might get an earlier one. And the airlines would not give them any info about which flight we were on for security purposes.

I know God was looking out for me and the girls. We have had one flight which was delayed for a couple of hours and this one was actually canceled. But both times we were able to get where we needed to go without too much trouble. I must admit it’s a bit scary to be in an airport where hardly anyone speaks English and have no one there to meet

7/19/06 Wed- Orphanage Visit (Yongxiu)

What an exciting day. I didn’t expect anything like this. We were met at the orphanage by firecrackers! And most of the staff and children were outside to greet us. How touching.

We were taken up to the director’s office and served watermelon! Julia was at home immediately. I have never seen her so comfortable with new people. But she seemed to know that this was her first home and that these were home folks.

Then we were taken outside for a look around. The grounds were so familiar to us, just like the pictures and videos that other families have shared with us. We walked down to the little pavililon by the water. Several of the children came out to p lay with Julia and Lisa. And I sat and talked with Mr Cai (the director), the assistant director, and a couple of nannies. Also present was the man who oversees all the orphanages in the area. The men smoked and we watched the children playing. We spent a very pleasant half hour outside before going back to the directors office.

Now they brought out all of Julia’s paperwork and let us look at it. We already had copies of everything they had except the paper that told about her being found. I tried to take a picture of it, but it didn’t come out very well. Julia was very interested and looked at everything they had. We learned that she was left at the gate to the orphanage and that she was found by and old man who has since passed away. They took us outside and showed us how the gate was closed each night, and that Julia’s loud, persistent crying had caused the old man to come out and find her. I must admit to being sad at the thought of my precious girl being left there. But if she hadn’t been, then I wouldn’t have her as my sweet Julia. Afterwards we talked about and we know that God had planned for us to be together all along. And I told Julia that whoever left her there must have stayed hidden behind the buildings there until the old man came out and got her and brought her into the warmth of the orphanage. I don’t know if I mentioned that the orphans are in one bldg and the old folks are in an adjacent bldg.

After this we were taken back inside and allowed to tour the bldg. We went into a couple of rooms where there were beautiful babies in walkers. There was one nannie assigned to 4 children, sometimes 5. But in each room we went into, there were at least two women. The older women from the adjacent bldg were in with the children, helping with them. They all gave Julia big hugs and welcomed her. They were so friendly to us all, I think they felt we were a part of their family.

Two of the older girls and one older boy followed us around the whole time and Julia loved playing with them. I would have loved to bring all of them home. The smallest girl in the pictures was so precious, so friendly and sweet. She stole my heart completely.

Then the staff told us they were going to take the girls shopping and buy them some clothes! We didn’t know what to say. I know they don’t have much money and didn’t want to accept, but was afraid I would hurt their feelings if I declined. So we all piled into the vans and off we went to a local clothing store. What a ball the girls had! They tried on clothes and shoes and we created quite a stir in the small shop. Julia was thrilled to get a pair of shoes that she just loves. The shoes were only 20 yuan each, less than $3 a pair. I don’t know how much the shorts and shirts were though. Julia is so careful of those shoes, you would think they were Cinderella’s glass slippers.

Next we took the orphanage staff out to lunch at the hotel we were staying in. What a great time we had! The men ordered beer, I think. And they kept toasting us. The party got a bit louder as time went on. We had a private dining room all to ourselves. And Julia thoroughly enjoyed the food. She ate like a little pig! The staff said it was because she was at home and everyone loves home cooking. We were toasted again and again, and invited to come back as often as we liked and to stay as long as we wished. They said I could come and stay and help at the orphanage if I wanted to!! Maybe they had too much to drink?? But honestly, we felt very welcome and accepted, just like we were amongst family.

Later we went shopping and I bought the orphanage a new washing machine. They need 4 in total. The machine was $2000 yuan, and you get 8 yuan for each dollar. So it was less than $300. Each little apartment needs a washing machine. Julia had to use the squattie pottie for the first time and wet her pants. All the ladies were very sympathetic, and she quickly changed into the new pants they had bought her.

Then the staff took us to see some local sights in Yongxiu city. But it was so very very hot that we had to cut the tour short. The heat was making the girls sick, and I was so sweaty (and a bit smelly).

They drove us to the entrance to the toll road and there we said our good byes. I think we all left a bit of our hearts in Yongxiu.

7/19/06 Wed- Orphanage Pictures