Six Weeks Home

Sorry the update took a bit longer than the weekend :).  It took two weeks home of adjusting to the time change.  During those two weeks Anna was starting her day between 1 and 3 AM and would go strong until after lunch.  I had to wake her from her afternoon nap and she was typically not at all happy about it.  Those meals some of you provided were soooooo appreciated through those days.  She was extremely withdrawn and reserved during those first two weeks also.  At bedtime and naptime however she would rage for at least an hour before she fell asleep while being held.  Our other three were beyond thrilled to just have us and her home.  Thank you Jesus for that because there really would have been nothing left of me to give if they were in need.  Natalie especially just sat by Anna and waited for her to be ready.  We had never seen our big girl so patient but yet persistent.  Those first two weeks were truly brutal.  We knew it would be but I don't think anything could have fully prepared us on how to contain her grief and fear, support our other three, integrate her into the family, process all the depressing developmental assesments, catch up on work and bills and unpack on VERY limited sleep. 

Two days home.  They still will do anything to make her smile!

By the end of the third week home (first week in November) we were seeing a bit more of the Anna we saw in China and her days and nights were straightened out.  She was raging less, if at all, before going to sleep and was cuddling more when being rocked. 

No longer content running after the ball.  She wants her own stick too! 

The last three weeks have held the excitement of meeting with a CHOP plastic surgeon and envisioning her life with a repaired palate, teaching her some basic sign language and watching her go overboard on communicating, seeing our other three making up silly sentences using just their limited sign vocab and experiencing a much more relaxed, regulated and connected Anna.  Many days the hours are longer than the days themselves but we really are slowly progressing.  Some things I am looking forward to...  A second cleft repair opinion although her surgery is scheduled for February 3 at CHOP, expanding her signing vocabulary, starting a Mommy and Me gymnastics class (because we just need to do something fun together!), putting on her new Christmas dress and getting photos taken, watching her open Christmas presents, having her molars cut through (grrrrr...), reading through an entire book with her. 

Play Doh play is stressful but necessary.  Holding her doll helps her cope. 

Heading Home!!!

Anna is tucked in, all is packed and Matt is checking us out of the hotel.  Tomorrow we leave here at 5:45 AM for an 8 AM flight to Beijing.  We depart Beijing at 3:45 PM and arrive in Newark at 5:15 PM (add in 12 hours for the time change).  We are SO excited to get home that there is almost no dread in traveling that long with a 2 year old!  Almost :).  THANK YOU to all of you who commented and sent us emails through our time here.  That support and our faithful God kept us focused.  Each and every correspondence was saved and will be part of Anna's story!  I plan to update upon returning home and say a bit more about our time here so check back after the weekend.   

Happenings Update

Yesterday we made it to the jade and pearl markets.  Aron told us that much of the jade for sale is fake but looks very real.  There was one store in particular that she likes because of the owner's history in the jade market and the store's certification level.  It was a lot of fun looking through the different grades of jade and figuring out which look I liked best.  Watching Aron negotiate the best price for us was a highlight too.  She is so kind and fun but I'm sure glad she is on my side!  The masses of people continue to leave an impression on us.  The landscape is one apartment building after another.  We look out our hotel window and see cranes everywhere building higher and higher.  The population in the immediate city of Guangzhou is over 10.3 million and it is only China's third largest city.  To compare, Philadelphia's city population is 1.54 million.  As is our custom, Matt got an ice cream treat for enduring shopping.  Anna seemed herself again (as far as we could tell) and Matt was much, much better so we opted to go on the dinner cruise.  There were two other adoptive families on the cruise that we were familiar with and had a great time talking with them.  The one family is currently living in Shanghai and the other is from Texas.  The Texas family adopted a now 14 year old boy who is deaf and mute.  They were in a race to finish the paperwork and complete the provincial side of his adoption before he turned 14 because in China after age 14 a child is ineligible to be adopted.  This boy was such joy and his family so amazing that we couldn't stop watching them.  They were ordinary people but truly living an extraordinary life.  Oh yeah, seeing the lights of the city was neat too :).  

Today we had our Consulate Appointment and completed the final step in obtaining Anna's visa to enter the US.  Aron treated us to dinner at the Guangzhou Restaurant and it was by far the best food we have had since we have been here!  She is originally from Inner Mongolia and therefore has a taste for food that is very similar to ours.  BIG relief since she was treating and therefore ordering.  In China food is ordered and served family style.  It is considered cold and rude if you order your own platter.  The most "interesting" dish she told us about was Tiger and Dragon Fight.  Use your imagination and ask us later if you are right.  It was equally wonderful to have an extended period of time to talk with her.  

Tomorrow we are picking up some last minute souvenirs and packing for HOME!!!  Friday is almost here!!!!!

Getting Better

Last night Matt and Anna (and thus myself) slept much better.  Anna needed yet another dose of ibuprofen at 11:15 PM but was ok with just Tylenol this AM.  She is napping now.  If she seems ok we are going to go to the jade and pearl markets this afternoon but are prepared to cancel last minute.  This evening we are scheduled for a dinner cruise down the Pearl River.  We are prepared to cancel that last minute as well.  Matt too was feeling a lot better today and is also napping now.  After breakfast we did some quick gift and souvenir shopping around the hotel and got some squeaky shoes for Anna.  Most of the babies and toddlers we have seen have them on.  They have little squeakers in the heal so when the child or baby walks they squeak.  Like light up shoes with squeakers instead of lights.  Matt said "no way" to them until the sales lady showed him he could take out the squeaker. 

Sick

We had Anna's TB test read this AM and whoo-hoo it was negative!  That is about it for good news today.  Matt and Anna are both sick.  They both had a fever and just enough congestion that they were awake from about 2:30 on (which means me too :)).  Anna's was a bit scary because it took both ibuprofen and Tylenol to bring it down to 100.6.  Matt's headache is so intense that it is making him vomit.  Aron took us to our hotel's DR and after an exam he diagnosed them both as having a strep infection.  He prescribed antibiotics and a more traditional Chinese remedy for both.  Anna cried tears when watching Matt get examined.  I think she was worried for him!  At least we aren't looking at the 26+ hours of travel tomorrow.  Aron said that families frequently get sick in Guangzhou because they were running on adrenaline while in province and then when they get to Guangzhou they relax a bit and it hits them.  Please say a prayer for both of them.  Matt never gets sick so this is difficult for him to deal with in itself.  And poor Anna.  She is tired, feeling terrible and has to endure us trying to figure out what she needs.   

One Hand

Today we are down to one hand as we count down to returning home.  Its a big deal.  To us anyway.  Our kids at home are having a tremendous amount of fun.  One of the "good-bye" presents we gave them was a journal that they could write us a note or draw us a picture in when they really missed us.  Two days ago we were skyping Tim and he said that he wished we were home with Anna.  We said we did too and that it would be soon.  I added that he could write us a note or draw us a picture in his journal.  He clarified that he wished we were all home but didn't really miss us.  Ouch.  But then again that is what we wanted.  I think what he meant was that he didn't miss us enough to write in his journal (he doesn't especially care for writing).  They have a note from us everyday and a present almost everyday.  They only get presents at birthdays and Christmas so this was a HUGE deal.  Natalie gets lots of Qubo time at Nana's and serious craft activities at Mom-mom's, Elias just had a sleepover at Trevor's and Tim has Uncle Jonny all to himself at some of his baseball games.  And that is just a fraction of their highlights.  Their lives are NEVER this full and exciting.  Thank you to all of you who have cared for them, prayed for them and made their days special while we have been gone!!!  You have played a vital role in us bringing Anna home.

Out the door to Mom-mom & Pappy's with their bags of presents and notes. 

A great friend and a pile of sand.  Life just could not be any better for him at this moment.

And on the China front...  Anna was exhausted last night.  She was very mellow this morning and I thought felt warm to the touch so she got more ibuprofen.  Tonight her temp started rising at as the ibuprofen was wearing off.  We gave her more but she was still cranky and went to bed early.  We are praying her little body does what it needs to do with all those vaccines and isn't too stressed over them.  The great news is that her TB test looks fine.  That means we won't have to go through x-rays or deal with the threat of an additional two weeks here.  Today we went to a botanical garden that was amazing.  A greenhouse full of orchids and roses all over.  It took me to a very happy place.  Afterwards we stopped at a Carrefour (like a Wal Mart) for a few items.  We almost bought a broken bottle of wine there from Anna somehow grabbing the neck and then dropping it.  Matt caught it before it hit the floor!  Our guide surprised us by treating us to lunch.  We typically go without a real lunch so we were thrilled!  Its also very nice to have your guide with you so they can tell you what is spicy, suggest what is good and inform you of what the meat really is.  We had pigeon today.  We left the head on the plate though :).  Ms. Li, the China rep for Welcome House, called our guide this morning and asked her to take us out to lunch on Ms. Li's tab.  The biggest disappointment of our trip here is that we do not get to meet Ms. Li.  We have SO much to thank her for and she has been a mother hen while we have been here.  That support goes a long way in helping you stay strong when everything is so unfamiliar.    

Guangzhou

We arrived in Guangzhou yesterday at noon.  Here we complete the US side of her adoption and obtain her visa so she can enter the US.  Anna did beyond fabulous on the trip here.  Before takeoff they gave her a little book and that kept her occupied for almost the entire hour flight.  We think it was the new toy thing.  Our guide in Guangzhou is Aron.  Her English is tremendous and she is very personable.

In Nanning airport.  She spent over an hour dripping water from her bottle into the lid and then drinking the drops out of the lid. 

She thought she was SO COOL in her purple sparkly butterfly sunglasses!

Anna had her visa photo taken this morning followed by the dreaded medical exam.  She howled through every exam and the shots.  She was required to get a total of 6 shots (10 vaccines) and a TB test.  There is a US law that requires any Hague convention adoptee to be fully immunized according to CDC childhood immunization requirements.  In theory it sounds good but when put into practice you have physically and emotionally fragile children being forced to endure all those sticks while the people who they are trying to learn to trust, hold them down.  Its a given that these children are going to be on different vaccination schedule, if any at all, so of course they are going to need a tremendous amount to "catch up" to the US schedule for their age.  Its just ridiculous that we would not be allowed to do this through her primary care doctor upon returning home.  Fortunately however, (yet another "Thank you God!" moment) Anna did not seem to have any anger towards us for the shots and was laughing and giggling when we were back in the hotel room.  She was very tired tonight.  It was hard to pick her up or hold her without touching or bumping a shot site.  I think she is going to be hurting tomorrow. 

On a more pleasant note...  Happy Birthday to my dad today!!! 

Last Day in Nanning

We really can hardly believe this is our last full day in Nanning!  We leave the hotel tomorrow at 8:30 AM for an 11 AM flight to Guangzhou.  We have an odd mix of nervousness and relief about moving on.  We spent the morning at the Green Hill Mountain park.  We toured a Buddhist temple and a Taoist pagoda there and fed the fish.  

Buddhist temple with incense in front.

Taoist Pagoda

From the top of the pagoda.  Bridge was built over river to expand Nanning city.

Expansion of Nanning.  The picture doesn't convey the massiveness of this. 

Itty bitty yet powerful jasmine flowers.  Mary said they are also called 9 mile flowers due to the strength of their scent.  

 

Precious!

For her nap today Anna went down, in her crib without any screaming or needing to be held!!!  We did the stern voice thing and kept her laying down.  She drifted off with her butterfly friend under her head, her doll in her arms and zero anxiety.  Wow!!! 

Sleeping and Eating

Naptime today was the same as yesterday: Screamed herself to sleep in Matt's arms.  Last night she was able to fall asleep in her crib with Matt rubbing her belly.  Tonight she went to sleep without any screaming!  She worked HARD to keep herself awake too.  Threw everything out of the bed, undressed herself completely, sang, babbled, screeched, etc.  What seemed to keep her from getting upset was telling her in a stern voice that it was time for bed - lay down, no throw - lay down, keep clothes on - lay down and so on.  The way she flops onto her bed and lays there perfectly still for quite a few minutes as soon as she catches a glimpse of one of us coming over, makes us wonder if she didn't have lots of experience with playing in her crib and as well as being reprimanded for doing so.  We think there is something she is processing but we will take the screaming reprieve for tonight and keep trying until we find what works or until she has made sense of what she needs to work out. 

Food seems to be a big question for some so here it is.  Breakfast is at our hotel and we eat a mixture of Chinese (fried rice noodles, fried vegetables, steamed buns, fruit and really whatever else we are adventurous enough to try) and Western (eggs and toast).  Lunch is in our hotel room over Scrabble while Anna sleeps.  The yogurt is from the market across the street and is so good I don't want to know how much sugar is in it or if it isn't pasteurized.  Matt's puffed wheat bars are also from that market and he says they are edible when dunked in coffee.  The Kit Kat bars are the hotel's previous night hand out and the remainder is from home.  We are thankful for a big breakfast :).  Dinner is out somewhere.  One of our favorite places is adjacent to our hotel.  They have very good food for super cheap and a very large selection.  Pictures and words in English are a huge plus as well.  Its work to place our order though because you order many different things and each dish is ordered through a different window.  There is one chef who has very good English and is kind enough to walk through with me and put our order in at the various windows.  He wasn't there tonight so I found a waitress with a "trainee" badge and convinced her to walk with me and decipher my gestures and sign language.  She did a good job and had a great sense of humor with it all.  I'm sure it gave her something to talk about later.  Tonight we had vegetable pancake, boiled broccoli, beef and boiled noodles and beef and green peppers with rice. 

Breakfast

Lunch

Our favorite Chinese diner-type restaurant.

Today

Honeymoon is officially over.  Today Anna woke up angry and vacillated between an unsettledness and rage.  Naptime was by far the worst part of the day.  She eventually screamed herself to sleep in Matt's arms.  On the positive side, she continues reaching for us to hold her and seems to be feeling better over the past two hours.  We are working on teaching her to use a transitional object to comfort herself.  Right now she does this thing with her cleft and her hair that Matt has termed "lick 'n stick".  Aside from being gross, it doesn't seem to be doing much for her.  We have a butterfly friend and doll that we are showing her how to cuddle.  She seems to have taken naturally to her socks however.  If the butterfly friend or doll aren't warmly received, we will be fine with socks. 

Navigating in Nanning

We think we finally have a handle on this. 

Rule #1 - Don't stop.  Matt almost caused a chain reaction crashing of motorbikes yesterday because he stopped to let one go in front of him.  It seems like others anticipate your movement and base their route on that.  A bit different from us not even trusting blinkers.

Rule #2 - Patience.  NO ONE gets irritated.  You will be cut off, horns will be honked and lights, signs and road markings will not be followed: No big deal. 

Rule #3 - The larger vehicle is always at fault.  If bus and car collide, it is bus's fault.  If car and motorbike collide, it is car's fault.  If motorbike and pedestrian collide, it is motorbike's fault.  We heard this and think it has to be true, otherwise there is no way so many motorbikes could share lanes with cars and buses the way they do.  

Rule #4 - When the light isn't changing fast enough for you, say that it is broken and proceed as you would like.  Matt especially liked this one. 

Rule #5 - When crossing the street take one lane at a time.  Yes, you have just inches between you and cars moving past you on both sides, but when in China...

And Another Gift

Today was a free day which means nothing was planned for us.  Tomorrow is a free day too.  We have a number of free days since we have to stay in Nanning 7 extra days due to China's National Day holiday from October 1-7 (it was either this or wait until the end of November, beginning of December to travel).  We are shopping around for a stroller for Anna since she greatly prefers that over the front pack.  We are renting one from the hotel right now but feel like we need one for Guangzhou and especially at the airports.  After breakfast we walked to the Wal Mart shopping center and then explored more of Nanning on the way back.  When we were at the intersection opposite the hotel I took a few minutes to shoot some video of the traffic because that is what I thought I was going to blog about today.  While we were standing there a man walked past us and stared.  Nothing unusual but then he immediately turned around and was really looking at and talking to Anna.  There was something about his face that was different.  It was not the hard, stern stare that we were accustomed to.  He started talking to us and we noticed that he was missing his right forearm and his left hand was clefted.  He said he was looking for a couple from England who had adopted a child and were staying at the Magestic (the hotel we are staying at).  He said the foster mother wanted a picture of the child and her family but the orphanage did not give her a picture.  He said she missed the child very much and called him insisting he locate the family and get a picture for her.  I assumed he was talking about a couple and their child that left soon after we arrived.  I wanted his information though because that morning over breakfast Matt and I had a conversation about how we could go about sending updated pictures of Anna to her foster mother and who we should and shouldn't ask about doing so.  Even though I think this gentleman was more interested in me passing on his info to the couple he was looking for, he gave me his card and said he was with Grace & Hope for Children.  He then said the husband's name was Matthew Wade.  Due to our paranoia (a future post) we did pause before admitting that was Matt.  He walked back to the hotel with us and we had conversations and were allowed observations that were nothing short than a gift from God.  God has given us SO much in this process and with Anna and now this.  It is completely humbling that He would continue to give more than we could ask or imagine.

The past few days I have been wrestling with the "rightness" of taking Anna away from a foster mom that loved her, a foster family that was home to her and out of her birth country.  I think I'm looking for a framework to operate from so that I can pass on her story to her with as much truth and compassion as possible.  Anyway, I asked Mary what Anna's future would look like if she would stay in China.  If her palate would be repaired, if she would be taught how to speak, if she would go to school, if she would be able to get a good job...  Mary said "oh yes" to all of them.  She even went onto say that if someone is disabled the government provides them with an "easy" job.  None of this aligns with what I have heard prior to coming here but I think Mary was sharing with me what she was told and truly believes.  Today I saw and heard the other side. 

While we were standing outside our hotel with this gentleman many people were coming and going.  We had the opportunity to see their eyes on him and their expressions.  When asked to take a picture of all of us, we saw a woman scared to take the camera from his hand and tell a boy next to her to do it and take the picture.  We heard what it is like to look for a job in China when it is considered that you have a disability.  We watched this man and he not one bit disabled!  We told him his English was very good and he shyly thanked us and told us that he learned on his own.  He did not go to University because he grew up in the orphanage.  He told us of him and his wife adopting a child with a similar condition to his and how upset his wife's parents and his brothers and sister were that they had done so because they are only allowed one child (due to China's one child policy).  

He told us that Grace & Hope for Children had sponsored Anna's lip repair AND foster care.  (When meeting Anna we asked who paid for her lip repair and were told that China had done so.)  He said it is important for cleft children to have their lips repaired before they go into foster care because the foster mother can be scared by the appearance of the clefted lip.  He said that due to the foster mother's age, Anna was most likely her last foster child.  He said that the foster mother's grandson would tease Anna and make her cry.  We gave a "Thank You" note and pictures from one of her photo books to pass onto her (although he said it will be difficult to get them to her - electronic is much easier).  He took lots of pictures including some with Anna playing with the gifts that her foster mom gave to her.  He seemed annoyed over her bald and thin spots and said that the foster mothers think that if they hold the babies too much they will get spoiled so they let them in their cribs for too long.  He said he tells them different but they don't always listen.  We affirmed that we thought Anna was very well cared for and loved.  

We are so incredibly grateful for this charity and those who support it!  Grace & Hope for Children.  www.grace-hope.org  The man we met today is Paul Huang. 

Happy Birthday Anna!!!!!

2 years old today!!!  Our hotel gave the gift of a beautiful and delicious birthday cake and Welcome House is treating us and Mary to dinner tonight.  Anna was so excited over her cake she grabbed a fistful of icing while we were coaxing her to blow out the candles.  After she was cleaned up she had a whole piece and wanted more.  Timothy, Elias, Natalie and Nana & Pop-pop (and whoever else is at their home :)) are celebrating with a Dairy Queen cake.   

 

This morning we had a tour of the countryside and a village.  It was less than an hour drive.  The city just sort of stops and the country starts.  It was quiet and beautiful and we heard birds for the first time since we have been here.  Mary said the people in the country are healthier than the people in the city and probably happier too.  

I will never complain about doing laundry again. 

Dinner

Tonight at dinner Anna actually ate some Cheerios instead of feeding them to us.  Other highlights on the video, besides Matt's chopstick talent, is Matt trying to get her to say "ba ba" which is "daddy" in Mandarin and all she will say is "ma ma" :).

New Parent Stuff

I horrified our dear guide the other day when I told her that in America we have our children in diapers until about age three.  Anna came to us China potty trained and Mary is working very hard with us to understand it.  We see babies being carried and toddler aged children with split pants: The pants are open down the backside and nada is on underneath.  Every hour or two they are squatted over a potty (which is a hole in the floor) or sat on a child's squat pot.  They stay there until they go.  We cannot fathom the patience that must be involved in stopping what you are doing every hour or two to help them squat and also make sure they stay there until they go.  The day Anna came to us we went to the market and bought her a child's squat pot for just a few bucks.  It was obvious she knew what it was for.  It was also obvious she was good at testing if she really had to sit there.  She sat down fine but would make eye contact and stand up.  We would move toward her and she would plop back down.  Mary said sometimes children have to be held down with force until they go but Chinese have strong backs so it is ok.  I think we will manage without the restraint :).  We still have diapers on her since we are rookies at this China potty training.  She will only wet them while sleeping or if she has a chance to get in the squat position.  When we were at the park yesterday Mary said it is ok for children to squat next to a tree if they have to go.  Mental note made to absolutely go around ALL puddles.  We would have an audience if they saw us maneuver taking off her diaper cover and diaper without letting her get into a squat position.

Last night Anna had ice cream.  We suspect it was the first time with as big as her eyes got.  She wanted more and more.  She cried lots of tears yesterday when it was time to leave our room to go to supper.  Usually we tell her it is time to go bye-bye and she is so excited to get her socks and shoes on and go.  Yesterday though something went off inside of her and we have no idea what caused it.  We think it was teething related but of course wonder if there was something more.  Time will tell.  Please continue to pray for her and this immense transition. 

People's Park

Little girl is sleeping extra long for her nap so I had a chance to download and now upload some more pics and video.  Today we had an "official" tour of the People's Park.  We went yesterday on our own after breakfast out of desperation to establish some sort of routine.  The park is very close to our hotel and we don't have to cross the street to get there.  (More on the traffic here in another post.)  It is a wonderful place.  There is grass and we even caught a glimpse of some butterflies and dragonflies.  (Are we sounding a little homesick?)  Matt thought he saw a squirrel but it turned out to be a very large rat :).  It has an amusement park, lake, places of historical interest and lots and lots of walking paths.  There are many retired men and women who gather for ti chi, playing instruments, singing, playing games, etc.  In the lake there are tens of thousands of koi.  Our guide Mary told us that it is considered good luck to feed them so there is no fishing or catching of them allowed.  Good to know :).  In the amusement park there are stands where you can shoot a BB gun at a wall of balloons and if you pop a balloon you win a prize.  In China the citizens are not permitted guns of any type so we were laughing at the thought of Matt sitting down to do this and popping an entire line of balloons.  We were actually almost hysterical at this thought.  Matt said yesterday "people about break their necks" turning around to continue to stare at us after they walk past.  We were told by our agency that in China it is not considered to be rude to stare but wow, we didn't expect this much attention.  In defense of the Chinese here in Nanning, we are not a common sight.  In the seven days we have been here we have seen exactly seven people who were not Chinese in appearance, and they were all in our hotel.  We have seen one woman with wavy hair and one little girl with wavy hair.  Zero with curly hair which I cannot pull back because I am then seemingly unrecognizable to Anna.  We have seen zero men with facial hair as well.  It is also so hot and humid here we are continuously drenched in sweat when out walking around and have yet to see a Nanning native sweating.  Add in us pushing around a Chinese child who insists on wearing an Old Navy baseball hat and holding a toddler spoon in her left hand with her arm completely extended.  I'd probably "about break my neck" too :).

Anna on her ride.

Our WONDERFUL guide Mary.

Flower nursery at the People's Park.  Those are ALL apartment buildings in the background. 

What we see when we go out: Anna's hat on, spoon in hand, arm extended and stares. 

Nanning Zoo

One of the notes from Anna's foster mother was that she likes new toys.  This sort of puzzled me.  What kid doesn't?  Today we had the opportunity to say "Oh, THAT'S what she meant." 

We spent the morning at Nanning zoo.  We had a great time despite sweating uncontrolably.  There weren't a ton of animals but a bear, tiger, lion and acrobatic show as well as a dolphin show.  Anna wasn't terribly interested in the shows but sat on my lap very contentedly.  When we were at the dolphin show we were about a quarter of the way through it when a family with a young boy came and sat next to us.  The boy had a pink squeaky elephant.  She zeroed in on that pink squeaky elephant, bolted from my lap and made it crystal clear that she wanted it.  There was NO distracting her.  I put some distance between us and the toy but she was not letting it go.  We left the stadium and walked to a place where we could still see the show.  There happened to be a toy vendor there but no pink squeaky elephants.  She was content though with a new car.  On our way out Mary worked to find her a pink squeaky elephant.  Less than a dollar and a wonderful souviener for Anna's first trip to a zoo. 

Video and Photos from Meeting Anna and First 24 Hours

 

Meeting Anna!!!

Leaving with her!

Paperwork in the hotel room.  Sealing it with our signatures and thumbprints.

Finalizing her adoption the next day.  Stamping her right foot.

Leaving the notary.  She is officially ours!!!

What you don't see is the video prior that shows Anna laughing whenever Matt would pound the ball and her throwing the ball back to Matt.  I had to clarify because in this one it looks like he is trying to annoy her.  I chose this one though because you can see and hear more of her.  

Like our rec room area :)?  This where we sit and play Scrabble when she takes her afternoon nap. 

Meeting and Our First 24 Hours Together

We were prepared for the worst in the amount of information we would receive about Anna as well as her transitioning to us.  We never imagined the best case scenario, but I think we have it.  Yesterday when we picked her up we received a two page translation of her daily eat and sleep routine, what she eats and how she eats it (HUGE for us on account of the cleft), what she likes and is afraid of, what her personality is like, etc.  We also had the opportunity to ask every possible question to the orphanage's foster care contact person.  And it gets better. One of the questions we asked was when she came from foster care to the orphanage.  That morning they picked her up from her foster home and she came immediately to the meeting place.  The foster care contact person is obviously a seasoned and caring woman.  She provided us then with a diary written by Anna's foster mother.  Today she provided us with over 60 pictures of Anna growing up and her foster family and their home along with mementos and gifts from her foster mother.  Most of these items were given to us when the orphanage director was not in the room and we were shushed from talking about them when he returned.  Thank you just doesn't cut it but that was all we had.  

And Anna.  Instead of appearing institutionalized she almost seems spoiled!  She clearly makes us aware of her wants and dislikes and has us laughing with her imitations.  If she doesn't want something she throws it.  Hard.  If we weren't so impressed with her strength and aim we might be a little annoyed.  Something to deal with later though.  She was making eye contact with us from the start.  I was so not prepared for that I almost don't know how to interact with her!  She wasn't scared at all when we met.  They said she stared at our picture for much of the ride there.  I was so glad we knew to wear the same clothing as in the picture after hearing that.  She had the toys and books that we sent to her.  She LOVES the music toy Elias picked out for her!  Her eating yesterday was very much trial and error unfortunately resulting on the error side.  Today she ate very well and loved the American stuff.  It is all very soft and you have to get it in just right or it comes back out.  Mouth and not nose thankfully!  (Food tends to come out the nose of cleft babies.)  She is not talking at all (probably due to the cleft) but is always babbling and "chirping."  Her hair is very thin and we were told that it fell out due to a calcium and zinc deficiency.  Thus she has a bit of a mohawk look going right now.  She loves her hair.  She is always touching it and smoothing it down.  She sticks her four fingers in her mouth and then wipes it in her hair.  Today she even spit in her hand and smoothed her hair down with the spit!  We are assuming this is what her foster mother did.  Anna was obviously very well cared for and loved immensely so we can't get too disgusted by it.  Going to sleep was a lot better tonight.  There was a lot of energy last night and today for nap there was pure rage which is an indicator that she was grieving her foster mom.  I have no doubt her foster mom is grieving as well so please, please, please say a prayer her too. 

Tomorrow we have a free day so I will upload photos and videos!

Thank you for all of your words of encouragement and sustaining prayers!  We deeply appreciate each and every one!

We made it!

We made it to Nanning!!!  So did our luggage which was a BIG relief.  We left home Thursday at 7 AM and got to our hotel in Nanning this morning (Saturday) around 1 AM.  We could only sleep and hour here and there so we were both feeling pretty bad by the time we got here.  The flight from Beijing to Nanning is one we will not forget anytime soon.  The smell of smoke and body odor was so strong and we were already nauseous from lack of sleep that all we could do was keep our eyes closed and minds blank.  Add in the continuous coughing and sneezing around us too and you get a glimpse of what we are talking about. 

We have a WONDERFUL guide whose name is Mary.  Matt's comment was "you just can't go wrong with a name like that".  We are walking out the door now to meet her and drive to get Anna!!! 

Itinerary and Thanks

Our itinerary is added.  Next to the "Home" tab there is a tab labeled "Itinerary".  Click on that and you can see what we are doing and when.  China time is 12 hours ahead of US time.  Bags are just about packed and the house is almost clean (but then the house has been almost clean for years now so its unlikely that status will change...).  This weekend I want to finish the kids' schedule and notes. 

THANK YOU to the one who gave the gift of money on Saturday, through Anna's savings account at National Penn.  It is greatly appreciated and needed!  

About a month ago my mother-in-law was in the grocery store and met a mom and her 2 year old daughter who also has/had clefting and was adopted from China very recently.  We connected and I was able to meet her face-to-face today as well as her new, beautiful little girl.  Seeing her smile and being obviously well adjusted gave me so much encouragement as Matt and I are perhaps overly prepared for a difficult start with Anna.  THANK YOU to this friend who graciously passed on their family's unused critter treatments from their trip to China.  Hoping that we too will be able to bless a family with the gift of these (which means we won't have needed them :))! 

We Have Travel Dates!!!!!

We found out this AM that we have secured a Consulate Appointment of October 12 at 9 AM!  We will be leaving September 23 and returning October 16.  We will meet Anna on September 25, complete the provincial adoption requirements September 27-30, "hang out" in her province during China's National Day holiday (October 1-7), travel onto Guangzhou to complete the US part of her adoption and, provided she does not test positive for TB, we will all return home on October 16.  Her birthday is October 2 and we get to celebrate it with her, in her homeland!!!  God is so good!!!

Plan B?!?

Friday, late afternoon, our agency emailed us a plan B for traveling in September.  It still had to be reviewed by their China rep who could quite possibly say no, it would not work.  We spent the day yesterday (Saturday) traveling home from Alabama so I didn't have a chance to check email until getting home yesterday evening.  After a good 30 minutes on the phone with Verizon tech support (in India I think...) they were able to help me figure out why I could not get online.  All worthwhile (For me anyway: Verizon tech support earned her paycheck with my call.  I actually heard relief in her voice when I said I was connected!) because there was an email from our agency with specifics on their plan B and a response from the China rep saying that she thinks it could work.  We will not know for sure until next week (of course...).  The kicker, well there are two, is that we will have to be in China for an extra 7 days and thus it will cost more.  Approximate dates are leaving for China September 23 and returning home October 16.  That's a looong time for us to be away from Timothy, Elias and Natalie and an equally looong time for Matt to be in a foreign country.  I'm more concerned for us missing our three at home than them missing us.  They will be with loving, caring and competent grandparents and family friends.  As for Matt being out of the US for that long, I have no doubt he will pull himself together:  When he heard 3 1/2 weeks he thought he was going to be physically sick but somehow found the ability to hold it down. 

Now that our travel approval has been issued, Anna has most likely been returned to the orphanage.  We trust in His perfect plan and His redeeming, restoring power.  Please say a prayer for her and the hands taking care of her. 

Ughhh

Instead of emailing the agency called this morning.  Tell tale sign that it was not good news.  They could not get a Consulate Appointment in September.  They are talking of December travel but are attempting to squeeze us in before then.  I can't even go to thinking of December.  There is a rumor that travel approval is only good for 90 days so the agency rep was going to check into that as well. 

Matt could not sleep last night thinking that next week we would be leaving so he just went into work at 11:30.  We were all so optimistic especially after such a quick travel approval.  It is all in His timing.  I wonder how many times we have repeated that.    

Stunned

Yesterday, September 1, our wait for travel approval started.  It typically takes 3-5 weeks for travel approval to be issued and we were counting on it being expedited which meant roughly a 1 week wait for us.  This morning I received an email that said our travel approval had been issued.  Our agency's China rep took it upon herself to go to the director of the CCAA and plead our case.  He issued our travel approval IMMEDIATELY!!!!!  I have never, ever heard of this!  Our agency submitted a Consulate Appointment request and we should find out tomorrow if we are traveling in September and when.  Praying for one more miracle as we wait to find out about the Consulate Appointment.  

The kiddos and I are in Alabama right now squeezing in a visit to Dave, Mary and the cousins.  It is wonderful to be with Mary and have her be part of this anticipation.  We are all looking forward to Matt and Anna being part of our next visit and already have plans for places to go and things to do.   

First Gift From Her Family!!!

We were sent an an email today stating that our care package will be sent to Anna within the next two days.  Below is what we sent to her and her foster family/caretakers.  The service delivering it to her will translate our letter and include a disposable camera.  We are really, really hoping for pictures of her foster family and their home.  Please pray for this.  Please also pray that what we sent helps provide a solid transition for Anna.  We have duplicates of everything sent (except Brown Bear, Brown Bear is in English :)) so if she doesn't come to us with these items we are able to provide her with something familiar.  

 

Thanks to all of you who have been praying for us as we pack and make arrangements for leaving September 9!!!  The best word to describe how we are feeling is sustained.  We have moments when the amount of what we have to do yet and the reality of what we are doing weighs down on us.  However those moments are only moments and we are grateful for the peace and perspective our God is so graciously giving. 

The Ride Continues

We had our travel meeting tonight with our agency.  While there was quite a bit of info passed onto us and more things added to our already lengthy lists, nothing was a big surprise.  That gave me a boost of confidence.  

We are feeling very taken care of by our agency.  They have been promised by China Center of Adoption Affairs that we will have our travel approval issued by September 7.  The travel agency has seats on hold for a flight leaving September 9.  Unfortunately they have to release them for periods of time until we actually purchase them and we run the risk of them being taken.  Another potential problem is not being able to secure a consulate appointment to finalize her adoption and have her visa issued.  We can not secure a consulate appointment until after we receive travel approval.  This means we may not know for certain if we are traveling until September 8 (my conclusion).  Could this be any more intense?  I don't think so.  Its a good thing I don't get motion sickness! 

Down and Up

I'm going to try and explain this detailed, confusing process as simply as I can.  Last Friday (August 6) our I-800 approval was cabled to the US Consulate in Guangzhou.  To submit our paperwork for the Article 5, our agency's representative in China needs a letter from the government division that sent the cable.  This letter generally comes in about week after the cable via postal mail.  The paperwork for the Article 5 can only be submitted on Thursday.  If we did not make this past Thursday's drop off there would be no way we could travel in September.  AMAZINGLY the cable confirmation was emailed to me on Monday and then forwarded to the China rep on Tuesday (early Wednesday morning in China).  Equally amazing is that we missed the Thursday drop by just 45 minutes.  Couriers are involved and the physical paperwork does travel quite a distance so it is understandable but still incredibly disappointing.  We were now waiting until the very end of November to travel.  Its a bigger picture than we can see and we have no other option than to trust.  It is a place of peace but all to easy to wander away from. 

We made our list of pros for traveling later - Most likely have the immunization "catch up" waived due to a law change, more opportunities for introducing ourselves to Anna and putting more transitions in place, travel with two other wonderful and local couples, get projects finished...  And then on Friday Matt got a call.  The China rep felt terrible about us missing the Thursday drop and wants to try and expedite our case.  It is a long shot but she is willing to try if we want her to.  We will know on September 7th if she is successful in doing so.  If she is successful we would leave on September 10th.  (Yes, two entire days from travel approval until travel.)  Do we want her to try?  Yes.  Go for it. 

The countdown is on and my list is made.  If anyone has any verses to keep us at that place of peace we would greatly appreciate them.  You can post them in the comments below. 

Up and Down

On Monday we received our I-800 approval!!!  With receiving this the China Coordinator at Welcome House told us to expect to travel in October.  More good news!!!  Today though she informed me that after corresponding with their China rep, we have to travel by September 10 or wait until after November 26.  This is due to so many events happening in Guangzhou (where we finalize her adoption) that securing a hotel there will be next to impossible in October and November.  If we WOULD be able to secure a hotel we should expect to pay a ridiculous amount.  Travel by September 10 is equally next to impossible on account of having to wait for the NVC letter stating that our I-800 was cabled, the Article 5 and travel approval.  

I could use a glimpse of the big picture because all I can see right now is additional hurdles in attachment and more time needed in speech therapy because of this wait.  My biggest fear is that she was returned to the orphanage to when we submitted our Letter of Intent to adopt her.  It seems to be common for the Social Welfare Institutes to request that the foster families do so when they know a child is going to be adopted.  With looking at waiting until November to get her, this fear has sucked the breath out of me too many times today and made tears flow.  I trust in His plan and His timing.  I know that He redeems and restores.  Its just that a glimpse, just a bit of reassurance, would do so much right now. 

Fun Stuff

Yes, another visual change to the blog.  Sorry to those of you who momentarily think you are on the wrong site. 

We are still waiting for I-800 approval (US Citizenship & Immigration).  I'm expecting we will receive it by the end of next week or very beginning of August.  Besides being one step closer to pick up Anna, after we receive I-800 approval we can send her a care package.  Timothy, Elias, Natalie and I went shopping this week and they picked out items for Anna that they thought she would like.  Interesting that what they picked completely goes with their personalities: Timothy found the softest blanket EVER, Elias a toy that lights up and plays music and Natalie a "friend" to hug and love. 

Ever hug the UPS guy?

I almost did today because he brought our...

LETTER OF APPROVAL!!!

Thankfully Matt was home to encourage me to get a grip. We will be filling out forms this weekend, rushing them back to Welcome House on Monday and then waiting for I-800 approval, the second and final step of Anna's immigration approval.

Tana

So We Wait

Today it has been 60 days since we submitted our Letter of Intent to Adopt and we still have not received a Letter of Approval (LOA) from China Center of Adoption Affairs (CCAA). Who's counting? Me, our agency and an online forum that other obsessing pre-adoptive parents are a part of. Not Matt. "When we get it, we get it. Its out of our hands." And he's off planting more sweet corn or something for the deer. While I wish he would share in some of my stress over this, its probably very good he doesn't.
Why are we counting? We can't move forward with her adoption until we receive the LOA. Our agency expected to receive this letter by the end of May. They know where our dossier is at in the process for us to receive the LOA so we do feel very taken care of. CCAA doesn't give estimates on "how much longer" so by our own estimates we are expecting our travel will be bumped back to October/November. That is assuming we receive the LOA in July or August.
So we wait. It is a relief to know that she is not waiting for us in the same way we are waiting for her. The extra time also gives us an opportunity to learn some more Mandarin and possibly Cantonese (because we don't know which she is familiar with), put together a photo book to send to her that introduces us to her and read, read, read about what to expect.

Tana

Introducing...

Anna Yuan Landis!!!

She is now 19 months old (18 months in this picture) and we are hoping and praying to bring her home before she turns 2 (October 2nd). Yuan (pronounced youON) was the name given to her by those in the orphanage. It means "a beauty." We couldn't agree with them more. We chose the name Anna as well for its meaning: Gracious and merciful. It is our deep desire and prayer that she will live life filled with a gracious spirit as well as be merciful to all (us included) who have made drastic decisions and changes on her behalf, without her consent. She is in the city of Yulin which is in the province of Guangxi. Yulin is in southern China, between Hong Kong and the Vietnam border. As far as we know she is currently in foster care and has been so since almost 9 months of age. She is said to be active, fairly extroverted, energetic, restless and fond of imitating, listening to music, playing with toys, reading picture books and playing games. She has "a ready smile", gets along with others well and enjoys being outdoors. She is also noted as being a deep sleeper :). We were thrilled to see that she experienced some difficulty transitioning from the orphanage to foster care but after 10 days attached to the foster mother. Thrilled because it hints to us that she had bonded to those in the orphanage. We expect to have our own significant difficulties with this but we are optimistic that she knows what it is to be loved.

These are two of the 5 pictures we received with her referral. In the picture to the left we anticipate her to be about 12 months. In the picture below we anticipate her to be about 7 months.

You can click on any of these pictures to make them larger. Thanks for sharing in our joy and anticipation!!!