Tomorrow!!!

Today is our final day here in Guangzhou. We will go to the consulate and do the final step in this long process. All in all it has been a wonderful trip. Gracie is not the same girl who was "forced" into our arms 10 days ago. Each day she opens up a little more. Yesterday she discovered the joy of jumping on the bed! She wanders around the room singing Chinese children's songs and dancing. And she's really starting to be a talker, both in English and Chinese. It's really cute to see. Lily is beginning to see how much fun she can be and the two play really well together.
Lily will probably spend most of the day at the pool, as this is her last chance for awhile. She has really gotten brown! Both of her little friends have already left so she's stuck with boring old adults for the duration. All of us are anxious to get home, but dreading the flight. Lily is worried that she'll throw up again. She made all of us promise to give her our barf bags as soon as we board!
We have made some great friends here. The last week has been almost like a vacation because most of the paperwork is finished and the babies are really doing well. If you can believe this, we had room service deliver our lunch to the pool yesterday!!! Then the women went and had foot massages that lasted about 75 minutes and started at the tops of our heads!! It was a real luxury, and cost (including tip) 60 yuan each (that's about $8!). Today we will finish packing and the last-minute shopping. We will probably have one more group dinner tonight, which will be bittersweet for all of us. We have been through quite an experience with these people!
We will be arriving in Spokane on Saturday morning at 11:10, Alaska flight 2352 from Portland. Hope to see many of you there, and I can't wait for you to meet the newest member of the family! She will fit in nicely!!!
See you soon!

Computer Issues

It has come to my attention that Blogspot is not quite working. Apparently we post, then it gets "edited" and sometimes the post never appears!!! I will e-mail the group and see if that works!

Catching Up

I know, I know! I've been remiss in my blogging. But the days are so confused here, and sometimes we have to choose between quiet time or fun time for Lily (who is frankly bored with the whole thing) and touching base. Thank heavens for Kristen who is at least keeping the family up to date!!! She and Jeannie have been invaluable!
Today we go for Gracie's physical and visa photo. She still has the "kennel cough" but is otherwise doing very well. We had two days of mom-only, which frustrated everyone, but today spent time in Jeannie's room without me, and is right now hanging out with dad. He's trying very hard to be patient, and said last night he knew Lily was an exception in that she went to him immediately. But we all have to remember that today marks only one week since Grace has been with us.
We are really starting to see her personality. She is definitely 3!!! She can be very mischievous and has a devilish twinkle in her eye when she knows she's doing something she shouldn't! She is quickly learning what "no" means as we find ourselves saying it quite frequently! Gracie's language is coming along. She says all our names, including her own (Gracie, not Xi Dong) when we point to people. She knows boat, bye-bye, love you, potty, water, juice, more (as in food!).
Gracie has some weird behaviors, almost OCD. I've already told you about the slippers. When she goes to get toilet paper after going, she unrolls exactly enough to get to the floor, then she tears at the perforation. If it doesn't rip cleanly she goes to the roll next to it and starts again. I'm trying to get her over that. Our bathrooms at home only have one dispenser!!!
We have received some nice surprises. We got a whole book of pictures and journals from the Half the Sky Foundation of Gracie at school in the orphanage. She looks very happy and stimulated in the photos. Our guide is going to arrange for translation of the journals before we leave. It was so nice to see that she wasn't left in a corner somewhere and that she had friends and adults who cared about her. Last night we got a copy of her "finding notice." This is the ad that ran in the papers searching for her parents. There is a picture and a short notice from March 2005. The ad said she had a big mouth!!! When she cries she does (also when she eats)!
We are all getting a little stir crazy, but can see light at the end of the tunnel. We only have one tour left, the zoo, and the rest is paperwork for the consulate. We're well and can't wait to come home!!!
More info and pictures later.

I know you don't really want to hear about every little detail, you just want pictures!! Here she is playing with dad. We had a big day today. It is Gracie's 3rd birthday. We went to a beautiful park where her skirt fell all the way to her ankles and she was oblivious! Then we had a potty emergency and the Warnes girls (G & L) peed on the street in front of the Sun Yat Sen Memorial!! More about that later. We go to a BBQ restaurant for a birthday celebration, then cake and ice cream!! All in all, a very memorable birthday!

Trying again with the pictures

Here is my second attempt at downloading. Good luck to us all!

OK, here is the deal. Apparently there is an error with the blogspot site right now and I get an error every time I try to attach the photos!!! So Sorry!

Day Four, All is Well

We are slowly but surely getting to know each other. Gracie is good at communicating her needs, whether by pointing or shaking her head, or looking troubled (this means "find the potty!"). She continues to astound us with what she knows and what she has already been trained to do. We don't walk around without slippers on, even to go potty in the middle of the night. We zip our own coats. We button. We feed ourselves using forks and spoons. It's like watching a little adult! She is still very quiet, but yesterday for the first time we were treated to giggles and smiles! What a sight that was!!!
Lily is being a great big sister. She is patient and gentle with her, and eager to help.
Yesterday we went to the Guangzhou version of Walmart! What an experience! The meat counter especially was an eye-opener. Gracie had to go potty and there were only the "squatty-potty" kind. I was so nervous but she went right in and used it like a pro. I wished I'd had a camera!!!
The White Swan has moved us because they are starting renovation on our floor. They put us in the adjacent apartments. We now have about 1700 square feet at our disposal!! Two bedrooms, two baths, a full kitchen, full laundry, living room, dining room, office, and 3 lanais!!! Jeannie and Kristen are next door in about 1200 square feet!!!!! Needless to say we are satisfied.
Here is a picture of Lily and Gracie so you can get an idea of her size. Tiny! Will try to blog more now that the Chinese side of things is over. We got our red book (the official adoption certificate) yesterday and are now just waiting for the passport. Next week we start with the Americans! Today we go to the Buddhist temple for a family blessing. Every time we walk by a Buddha Gracie points and smiles. Looks like we will be bringing one home.
Love to all and keep us in your thoughts and prayers. We can't wait to be home!

p.s.Well, I tried several times and can't seem to get the picture on here. Will try again after the Temple visit!!!

What a Beautiful Girl!

We have Gracie!! She is beautiful and precious and wonderful! When she first laid eyes on us she screamed bloody murder! But after about 5 minutes the screaming had turned into keening. Very different from Lily as Gracie is old enough to actually be mourning her loss. But today she was up to all sorts of adventures, from riding in the stroller to shopping to eating strawberry ice cream. She has a wonderful appetite and will try most anything. She still isn't used to the concept of seconds! She took a three-hour nap and had two BM's, so she's right on track. Gracie is doing very well with the potty, only one accident and that was because we didn't pick up on the signals.
We are in the business office at the White Swan and will attempt to get some pictures for you. We are all well and happy and loving our new family!! Lily is feeling much better and is a great Jie Jie.

Today is the day!

We are here in Guangzhou and today at about 2 we will be meeting Gracie for the first time. We got some updated info yesterday and apparently she has gained 2 pounds and shrunk 5 inches!! Not sure what to expect.

Lily got sick on the flight from Tokyo to Beijing and was sick the whole next day. She missed the tour including the Great Wall. Very sad, but she and dad caught up on their sleep and Lily made out like a bandit in the gift department!!!

We will post pictures next of our new girl!!! Love to all.

At last!!

Tomorrow is the day! We are all ready here, except for some last minute laundry and checking the paperwork 40 more times(yes, I admit I have a problem!!!). We leave at 10:30 am and arrive in Beijing the following night at 9:30! Saying it that way makes it sound more dramatic!! Then a quick day of sightseeing before flying to Guangzhou on Sunday morning and Gotcha on Monday afternoon!

We will keep you posted on all the news and adventures. Pray for a safe and smooth journey for us. We can't wait to see you all again!!

Only 4 More Wake-ups!

The countdown has begun at our house. Each morning Lily tells me how many more times to wake up before we leave for China! We are pretty much packed now, with just the incidentals left to go in. Lily has decided she won't go trick-or-treating this year since we leave the next day. She will stay home and answer the door. She's never really been a big fan of the holiday anyway, except for the candy!

Lily has created her own blog for her classmates. They will be checking it at school, too! You can view it at lilygetsasister.blogspot.com.

The day is almost here! Pray for a safe and smooth journey for us!!!

All the Pieces are Here!

We received the last piece of the puzzle on Friday when we got our In-China itinerary. We now know our hotels, flight from Beijing to Guangzhou, and all the tours we will be going on. Now it feels real! We have most everything done for the trip and will focus on wrapping up loose ends here before we travel. It's going to be a great adventure for all of us, especially Lily! She will be taking lots of school work so she doesn't fall too far behind. And we will be creating her own blog so her classmates can follow her on her journey. I hope she is old enough to remember all this. What an experience!!! My thoughts are turning now to a little girl so far away. How much does she know about us? How will they prepare her? Is she excited, worried, scared? So many questions, but only two weeks until we hold her and tell her we love her! Not much longer, Baby!!!

Two Weeks From Today!

The time is quickly approaching! We will be on our way in just two weeks. On one hand it seems really soon, but on the other so far away. Just trying to stay busy and organized so it all comes together smoothly. Those of you who know me well know that I can get a little anal about being organized! When it comes to things like this I don't like surprises. I've checked our paperwork about twenty times just to make sure we have everything. And I will probably check it twenty more times before we go!

On another note, we finally have good news from Guatemala! My neice's adoption process there has finally started to make good progress. She got out of PGN last week, which means the adoption is FINAL!! Bella is now officially a member of this crazy family. Now they just need to deal with the Americans to bring that baby home! It is funny: After very long (mine) and difficult (hers) journeys, these two miracles will be coming home within days of each other!! Happy Thanksgiving to us all! Congrats and God bless to Sharon and Greg and their darling little family.

CA and travel dates!!

We got confirmation of our Consulate Appointment today, along with our schedule. We leave home on November 1, Gotcha Day will be November 5, our CA is November 15, and we return November 17!!! It is all very exciting. One month from now we will have our Gracie Girl! She is already packed, so now I'll start on the rest of us! Now, before you laugh, remember that I'm packing for summer weather, so it's clothes that we are no longer using, as Fall arrived here last week! It's really starting to feel real now, and the clock is ticking. In the meantime I have lots to keep me busy, including house guests, school committee meetings, and Halloween!!!

Travel Approval!!!

We just received word that we have Travel Approval! That means we can now set up our US Consulate appointment and book our flights! Yippee! It is tentatively set up that we will travel AROUND November 1, with a consulate appointment sometime in the week of November 12. Of course, nothing is official until we get the appointment. We should hear next week about that!
We're coming Gracie!!! Just a little longer!

Maybe you CAN have too many clothes!!

My sister and niece threw a great shower for Gracie last week. I think there were about 30 people there, and as you can see, the girl cleaned up!! She will be the best-dressed kid on the block! Of course, Lily was not impressed by the clothes, but she did like the ball! Thanks, Jeannie and Kristen, for the great party. And thanks to all my friends and family for the great gifts. I hope Gracie knows how much she is already loved!!!

Not much news, but lots of action!

We have been working hard, getting our travel papers ready to go. We sent off our passports the other day to get our visas. I won't rest easy until I get them back! We also sent a family picture and a little letter to Gracie that our agency will translate and include in a care package they are sending to her. What an experience that was- writing to a stranger who is your daughter, in only 500 characters (not words!) that someone else will read and translate!!! But it's on its way and I hope she understands that she is loved already and there are MANY people waiting for her to come home!
We have started to think about what to pack, and will get the list out soon. Once we have specific dates (Nov 1 is a good bet) I will post here. In the meantime, it's just hurry up and wait - which we've had lots of practice doing over the last 22 months!!!

What an unexpected gift!!!

We got a wonderful surprise this morning. A woman who also received a referral from the same orphanage as Gracie found a picture of her from last July!!! Now, we're not 100% certain as the children are not named in the photos, but she put that picture alongside one of Gracie's referral pictures, and I think it's a match!! I will attach them so you can see!

Thank you, dear friend, for the gift. I will respect your privacy and not name you, but you have touched my heart so deeply today!

New information on Gracie Xi Dong

We got our package from Great Wall this morning with Gracie's medical information and growth report. She is tiny!!! At 30 months (May) she was 22 pounds and not quite 31 inches - that's roughly size 18 months for clothes! In fact, when we got Lily at age 18 months she was 21 pounds and 31 inches. I'm still trying to grasp how little this sweetie is. Hopefully she will start to really take off as soon as we get her home. She is potty-trained (yeah!) and loves to take showers. Gracie knows some words and likes to talk to herself. She runs, jumps and climbs stairs. She started walking at 18 months, fairly typical for orphanage children. As to why it took her so long to get referred, who really knows? We were certainly ready a long time ago, so she couln't have been waiting for us!!! We're hoping we will get some updated info along with pictures as soon as the orphanage gets our acceptance notification. Thanks for all your kind words. We are all so thrilled and can hardly wait to get our hands on her!!!

Trying again on the pictures!

Sorry, not too savvy on the whole blog thing! Here are the pictures.

Here are the pictures!!!

Here are the pictures of our Grace Xidong! Check out the attitude and the stylin' shoes! Can't wait to get my hands on her!!! We are so thrilled.

It's a girl!!!!

We just got the call! Her name is Mao Xi Dong from Guangdong Province. She was born November 9, 2004!!! She loves music, singing, talking and imitating. She's sometimes obstinate and impatient, and has bonded with her care-taker. We are totally over the moon!!! We will post the pictures as soon as we get them.

YAHOO!!!!!

News from CCAA

I got two surprises early this morning. The first was when I went to get the paper off the front porch and someone had replaced our door mat with a ladybug mat!!! I have a short list of suspects and will confirm later. Then I logged on to the CCAA website to see that they have updated the info. They have completed matching for families up to November 25, 2005, which confirms what we knew all along: WE'RE IN!!! So this also means that referrals have been mailed!!! Hold on to your hats, kids! It should be tomorrow (or Wednesday at the latest)!!!!!

It's September 2...Still waiting for word...

Happy Labor Day week-end to all! We are keeping busy this long week-end, trying not to think about what SHOULD be coming next week! The three of us spent a nice day yesterday exploring the beautiful countryside. Today Ted will play in a Whiffle Golf tournament and then we'll all have a BBQ tonight. Ted has to work tomorrow, so Lily and I will get chores done and get her ready for her first day of school on Tuesday. Of course, I will be checking the web every 10 seconds to see if anyone in Europe is posting a referral - they don't have to wait for the holiday!! We'll keep everyone posted... ARGH!

Still Waiting

It looks like we will be waiting until after Labor Day to hear anything. We were hoping to hear this week, but it doesn't look good for that. Now we hope to hear next week about our beautiful baby!! And just to add to the excitement of it all, there are rumors all over the place that there are "several" boys in this batch!! Now wouldn't that be fun!

We will keep you posted if we hear anything. Have a wonderful, safe holiday week-end.

The Wait is Almost Over!

After nearly 21 months of waiting, our referral is close at hand! Ted, Lily and I expect to see a picture of our Gracie Girl by the end of this month (August) or early next month (September). Then we will most likely travel to get her in November. Our paperwork was logged into the CCAA (Center for Chinese Adoption Affairs) on November 22, 2005, so it will be two years that we have been "pregnant!" Now I know how an elephant feels! We will keep everyone posted through this site, including pictures, as soon as we get them!! Thanks to all who have helped us through this process. Lily will finally get to be a big sister soon!!!