On to Hong Kong

I accidentally saved my post from yesterday to draft and didn't publish it. So now it looks like 2 entries in one day. But today is a great day as our little Ella has come so far in the week and a half we have had her.

Today Ella finally learned how to drink out of a straw. We only brought 2 sippy cups with us and one had a straw. She even had a hard time with the regular 9m+ one. Most children her age drink from bottles here and still take formula. But we really wanted her to be able to forgo the bottle since most children on the States stop using after one year of age. She likes everything in its place and seems to pick of any kind of sticker or tag on our luggage or her toys. That is so like our, Ava! 

She definitely loves to play with Chad and Ava. She runs from living room to bedroom back and forth just laughing and trying to get the attention of one of us to chase her.  She has the sweetest little laugh and her first word and only word so far was when she imitated Ava saying READY.  She also giggles when Chad and I kiss. We have been trying to teach her what a kiss and hug are by showing her.  So far she just receives them, but that's an improvement over last week. 

Well we leave in one hour for Hong Kong by van, and it will be 3 hours until we arrive. Then we have to be the airport 14 hours( 5:30 am local time) from now to begin the 18 hour journey home. Really not looking forward to that but yet I am. So prayers for us and especially Ella as I am not sure what to expect from her on the plane. I have definitely felt your prayers over the last 2 weeks and so appreciate all the love and support. I know The Lord has been with us every step of the way and he will see us safely home. Many blessings! 

Red pandas and other wonders

Yesterday Ava finally got her wish to see the elusive red or lesser panda. I have to say they are quite cute. Ella enjoyed the animals, too! When Ava and I were talking about our trip last year, she said that all she wanted to see was the red panda, which she saw in a book at her school. Chad and I were like yeah but what about the Great Wall that's one of the seven wonders?! She matter-of-factly said "I don't really care about a wall, I care about animals more". Well maybe one day she will appreciate her Great Wall experience as I am pretty sure when I was 7, I appreciated animals more than strategically placed stones!

We have meet some amazing families here that are adopting along with us. There are 2 other families with the same agency as ours that have adopted more than once from China. So we are quite blessed to have so much experience surrounding us as the "newbies".

One couple lives about 45 minutes from us and the other couple is from NYC. We hung out with the couple from NYC and their 1st adopted son (they adopted him 2 years ago) in Beijing and Zhengzhou quite a bit and have dubbed them our "comic relief". We have witnessed some pretty amusing things in their company and it helps to have someone to laugh with when things are stressful. The little boy they adopted on thus trip fits right in with them. He is a character, singing and smiling all the time even when he is misbehaving.  He call me and his mom nanny in Chinese.

The first day we hung out with them I almost puked on "V", the NYC wife. Let me explain myself. Oh yes, more details of the bathroom habits and rituals of the Chinese or "China people" according to Ava. You see here in China many places don't have Western toliets, they have "squatty potties". Yes, it is true to it's name just visualize a hole in the floor. Now talk about a hard stance for a pregnant woman! Well, I had my experience with one or two, and it wasn't so bad until we went to the Great Wall. I really would have preferred not to go but was in dire straits as baby girl is kind of one with the bladder these days. We as the Great Wall is primitive so are the bathrooms. I go in and immediately run out as the smell somehow almost knocked me out! Dear God in heaven, help me if I ever have to use one again. Port-a-potties ain't got nothing on these bad boys in China. So, I serious debated finding a quiet spot outside in the woods, but thought there might be a law against public peeing and my window of opportunity was quickly closing. (I had yet to find out about the split-pants at this point and the public peeing habits of toddlers or seriously might have hopped on the bandwagon) Ok, so I decided to woman-up and go in a stall and I just couldn't handle it. Simple as that. I am a wimp at sites and smells of bodily fluids with the huge exception of the stuff I dig out of people's gums. Go figure! When I run out of the stall, I run right into "V", who asks if I am ok. At this point I was afraid to speak for fear I would vomit on my new friend and have to face/avoid her for 2 more weeks. So, I shake my head "no" and run to the corner of the sink area where I find a less smelly area to take a deep breath. The deep breath I took was still so vile that I literally ran to the stall, did my business, and ran out in about 10 seconds flat. The 2 hours we were there touring, I had not one sip of water. So, it might seem trivial to some, but this girl is proud to be an American if for no other reason than our Western toliets and modern plumbing! ;)

It really has been nice to have other families to ask questions and  talk with about what is normal that have already been through the process. We have already been asked to babysit "V" & "A"'s 2 boys if we need a boy fix!

I have added some pictures below of our visit to the zoo and our noodle-loving Ella.

One appointment left

Got up bright and early this morning to eat breakfast provided at our hotel before Ella's medical check-up. Ava was still feeling puny this morning and had not thrown up since last night. We felt pretty confident she was better but brought a plastic bag just in case. Right when we sat down poor little Ava threw up on the table. Thank goodness for the plastic bag. I guess making it 7 and 1/2 years without public puking is pretty good! She said that she felt better so got her some hot tea, toast, and a banana and prayed she would hold it down as we quick inhaled some food.

Then we boarded the van to go to Ella's doctor appointment praying that Ava wouldn't get sick again. At Ella's medical check, the Chinese doctor was very kind and saw Ava free of charge. He recommended some herbal remedy that was written in Chinese so no clue what it is. Our guide/translator, Jason, actually went and got it for us so hopefully it will help.

Ella had everything checked and we were especially curious about two things: her weight and eyes. So we were told when we were matched with her in October that her right eye has a condition called strabismus. Today we found out both of her eyes are affected, which we kind of speculated during the past week after watching her. Also, she weighs much less than we were told. Our update from the orphanage said that she was 27 or 28 pounds in November. Well today she only weighed 22 pounds. Her 2T's are way too big. She will run around the hotel room and all her pants fall down around her ankles. It is quite comical! I guess we need to buy some smaller clothes when we get home or fatten little Ella up. But it sure makes it easy to carry her. She also had to have her blood drawn for a TB test. That was a little traumatic as they take her away from us to a room with just the nurse. She cried in the room, but calmed down remarkably fast once daddy held her when she was done.

It has been a week since our Gotcha Day and she has opened up to us more and more. Now she is walking better, smiling and laugh more, and exploring our hotel like a curious toddler. It amazes me how far we have come in a week. To be honest the first few days were very hard as she only cried or was in shock. God has been so good to us as we are beginning to see what a sweet, beautiful little girl she is. We cannot wait to see Ella's progression with us!
So only our U.S. consulate appointment on Wednesday to get Ella's visa to enter the U.S. and we are done with all the government requirements here. Yay!

Daddy feeding Ella a banana

5 days to go!

I would totally be lying to you if I said that I wasn't homesick. Of course that is only inflamed by the fact that Ava and Chad are sick. Chad has a terrible, deep cough and feels icky, but at least one of our doctors back home gave us antibiotics before we left just in case. Ava woke up early this morning telling me she had an accident while sleeping. I thought pee but no it was poo. So, as I am scrambling to get out of bed (if you have been pregnant I use the term "scramble" loosely....picture a turtle stuck on it's back trying to right itself) and find the lights and door to bathroom,  I hear the sound of something spilling all over the floor. Oh yes, projectile vomit everywhere. She is upset, I am frantically running my hand up and down the wall, and finally we get the door open and then round two hits the bathroom floor. I can handle cleaning marble so I thought! Bless her heart we finally got the light on before both ends hit at the same time. I seriously tried to help clean Ava up I promise, but I will just blame it on the pregnancy and my super sense of smell. Thank God there was a sink close by is all I am going to say about that. So, I got Chad up which woke Ella up and that's how our morning started. Sweet little Ella didn't cry one bit about being woken up so early and entertained herself in our bed until I could get to her.
We all tried to go back to sleep to no avail probably due to the fact Ella likes to rub any kind of fabric she can get her hands on over and over which is surprisingly loud.  Then Ava said that she would go sit with us at breakfast and not eat so the rest of us could eat breakfast as she was feeling better.  Sweet girl! Right before entering the restaurant she threw up all over Chad's shirt front and back. Thank God he can handle vomit! So back to the room we went and still remain with Ava still not able to keep down liquids. Glad we decided to pass on the optional tour today and glad we have lots of breakfast bars remaining in our luggage. Hopefully tomorrow will be a better day. 

For the most part it has been a non-stop, go-go trip. I am ready for routine and familiarity. I am an adventurous person by design but maybe more so when you take the dose of 7 months pregnant out of the mix. But the good thing about the city we are in now is there isn't the cloud of cigarette smoke and smog that follows you day and night. I didn't realize that smoking was such a big thing in China.
Everywhere you go there is someone smoking nearby. Oh and burping, spitting, blowing snot (without use of a tissue), and let's not forget the pooping and peeing in public places with all the split-pant toddlers running around. Don't worry for those of you back at home we will not carry on those traditions once back home!
You may be asking right now "split-pants- what are those?". Well let me educate the fortunate souls that are not privy to that info. In China, the way most children are potty trained are by way of pants that are essentially split open in the crotch from front to back. That way when they have to go to the bathroom they don't have a diaper, pants, or pull-up in the way. So last night while dining out we got a full-frontal show of a 2 yr old little boy running around the table spreading open his split pants for all of us lucky people to see his little privates. Now I am no prude, but come on I don't want to see that while eating or better yet explain to my 7 yr old why that boy was playing with his wee-wee in a restaurant. And every bench or chair you sit on could potentially be contaminated wirh E. coli or have  poop or pee on it. I take it you have a lovely mental picture by now.
Our guide did mention that people are sick a lot here. And she thought maybe it could be all the germs from the split-pants. Hmmmmm......ya think?
Moving right along because honestly I am getting more germaphobic the more I dwell on this and we still have 5 days here. Sooooo the food has been pretty good. Well small confession, all the hotels have Western style items like: eggs, toast, yogurt, fruit, pastries, and bacon. So we fill up on that each morning. We have been to several traditional Chinese restaurants that our guides have taken us and they were pretty good except the fish flavored tofu dish. Only one word for that DISGUSTING! Honestly, I have preferred the vegetarian dishes over the ones with meat.  Some of the sauteed veggies (not sure what but they are green) are really good. Lots of cabbage, carrots, and onions are in the dishes too. Some of the meat has been questionable especially some of the beef we have had. Very strange textures. Ella eats anything so far except some Chinese style green beans. When she was in the orphanage, she mostly ate eggs, noodles, fruit, and rice. So our Western palate will be very different and diverse for her. 
Thing have great improved with Ella. She has allowed Chad to touch her more and more. And I can go out of her site for a little while without meltdowns. Now she looks for Ava and loves to play with her. Big improvement from the first few days! She will have to readjust after we get home, but hopefully she won't regress too much. 
Tomorrow morning we go for medical appointment to have Ella checked out. It is a government requirement and then the afternoon to relax. So we are wrapping things up to get home. Miss everyone and thanks for your prayers!

Progress!

Yesterday after I updated my blog, Ella woke up from her nap and our daughter, Ava, was showing Ella how to play with the toys we bought her. Well an hour or so went by and all of a sudden Ella gave the biggest smile then laughter followed. So we have made some progress. The picture below is a little blurry but you can see the most beautiful little smile! Well off to Guangzhou today so hopefully I can get wifi there to update. Blessings!

We Are Alive!

Well after a week with little contact to our know world, I have finally figured out how to access our blog. It seems so many websites are blocked in China. I was told I needed a VPN but had to set it up before coming here. I was getting frustrated about not having a way to keep in touch with friends and family so I decided to do some researching late last night while everyone was asleep and found a VPN  I could download here. So yay!
It has been a whirlwind the last 8 days. So much to do in such a short time. But Monday the 17th was officially the BIG day. I wish I could say that Ella ran to us with open arms, but that wasn't the case and we were prepared for that. Until you know someone that has adopted or you have researched adoption, most people (including us years ago) don't realize that they are still being taken from everything they have ever known even if it seems less than ideal living conditions. So they are usually scared or go into shock mode.
When we met Ella on Monday she was very upset and understandably so. I cried for her and with her because I know my gain is her loss right now. And as her mom, it really hurts to see her grieving. It was very obvious when we visited her orphanage on Wednesday how much she was loved by her nannies. They started crying the minute they saw her from afar. Of course that made Chad and I start crying because even though we couldn't understand what they were saying to each other we understood the body language and tone of voice that exuded love. Ella and her nanny laughed and talked together like mother and daughter. Ella pointed to the children in the room and told us all their names. She even pointed at Chad and me and said "Baba" and "Mama". We saw were Ella slept and I will just say it is still hard to put into words all the little faces looking at you and all the cribs lined up in the dark room. The smell was awful and yet I have heard this was a nice orphanage. I had just learned 2 weeks prior that there are 3x more boys than girls in the orphanages and now I can vouch for that. I think there were 2 girls and maybe 16 boys? Ella's crib was still empty but every crib was occupied and tightly packed in the small room. But with that said the nannies and orphanage directors seemed very sweet and caring. For that I am truly thankful. When it was time to go, Ella ran back to her nanny screaming and kicking when I tried to get her. She wanted to stay. And I didn't blame her at all. You don't miss what you have never known. Meaning being part of our family. How could she know what a family really is? That was something my mom used to tell me all the time growing up, the part about not missing what you don't know.

So here we are on Friday afternoon and Ella has yet to speak or laugh except the time

6 days and counting......

Hard to believe less than a week until we get our E! I have been shopping, packing, and more shopping. There is so much to do my list making has gone in OCD overdrive. But the good news is I have an experienced international traveling friend coming over to reign me in from over-packing either tomorrow or Monday. (love ya, D!)

We had our online conference call with our adoption agency today. I have to say CCAI has been fantastic. So glad we chose them to help us with this journey.

It is hard for me not to get emotional, aka crying, when I think of E. Part of me hurts for her as I know this will be tough for her. She will be taken away from everything she knows, sights, sounds, smells, people, and places. Yes, she is only 2 yrs old, but old enough to distinguish that we are white people who smell, talk, and look different from her world. My prayer is that God opens her heart to us easily and quickly.  The other part cries out of sheer joy because she is our second child, whom we have prayed about for so long, and we are her second chance at a family. So cheers to seconds!

 I prayed for this child, and the Lord has granted me what I asked of him.  1 Samuel 1:27

China here we come!

So the mad dash has begun. Off to Beijing, Zhengzhou, and Guangzhou in 10 days! A journey in the making since God laid it on our hearts over 10 years ago. A process we officially began in June of 2012. As I sit here and think about the process I am absolutely amazed, astonished to the point of pinching myself at times, that we are 2 weeks away from holding our beautiful, Ella. I mean over the last few weeks I have "blogged" myself out by reading packing lists, things to do, and things not to do when traveling to China for adoption. So many things to pack yet we can only travel with 40 lbs. once in China.

Why a precious one from China?  If you know me well, you know that I have always had a fascination with Asian culture and people. And to be brutally honest, I don't understand how the sex of a child determines the value of a child. My heart hurts to even think that a child is less valuable to a culture because they are born a girl. A woman is invaluable if you ask me as humankind would have ended without her!

So today after talking with another woman that is also adopting from China, I thought maybe I should record this journey in a blog after she asked if I had one. Hopefully, I can have some time in China to post as I have read mixed reviews about internet access.

Here is the last picture we received from the Xinyang Children's Welfare Institute in Henan province of our daughter.