Sisters

What great friends and sisters Sarah Grace and Caroline are. They have bonded quickly. Neither wants to be away from the other for very long. They play together and make each other giggle. Sarah Grace loves teaching Caroline new things and they find plenty of mischief together. Sarah Grace loves saying that Caroline is her "very best friend." It's just how we imagined sisters would be. (They, of course, love to bicker over toys and sitting in Mom's lap)

Sarah Grace will be 3 1/2 next week. She started gymnastics today and seems so grown-up. She currently loves writing letters, watching "Super Why," helping me cook, crafts (in its loosest definition), telling long stories, and making up "knock, knock jokes." She asks everyday if it is almost spring. We are ready.

Here are some of our favorite shots of the girls. The first shot is of the girls at a Bounce House with 2 of their friends. They bounced and jumped for a long time but then all ended up on the bench watch "Ni-hao Kai-Lan" and "Diego."

The second picture is their first Sunday at church. Caroline was not happy to have to stop playing and have a photo shoot but I desperately wanted a picture of them in their dresses so I insisted.

The third picture is the 2 girls enjoying TV together. I had to take this one fast b/c Caroline will only watch TV for about 60 seconds at a time.

The last shot is one of my recent favorite of Sarah Grace.

Home Update

Life at home with 2 little ones is busier than I thought so here is our first blog update from home. They are keeping us on our toes but we are having fun.

Caroline is healthy (except for a runny nose). We went to the cardiologist the day after getting home and found out that the hole in her heart closed on its own. She is a happy girl. She loves to make messes everywhere. She has about 12 words and 6 signs now so communication is getting easier every day. She loves baby dolls and blocks and running. Here are some of our favorite pictures of Caroline. It's hard to get pictures of Caroline because she doesn't slow down very often!

Last post from China - Next stop, home!

Hopefully, this will be our last post from China! We are headed to the US Consulate in a little while to take our oath. Then we are heading back to the hotel, ordering a Papa John's pizza and packing our bags. Tomorrow morning, we will leave early for the aiport, fly to for a long layover, fly to Chicago for a short layover with just enough time to make our next flight! We are having a great time with our girls and we are ready to see friends, family and our house!

Almost Home!

We are on the home stretch!

Yesterday, our guides went to the Consulate for us to make sure that all of our paperwork was approved and it was! The US is in the process of issuing Caroline a visa to go home. That is one of our last steps. Today, we will go take our oath at the US Consulate and tomorrow morning get on a plane.

The bad weather that I mentioned is actually part of a nationwide snowstorm (we haven't had the snow though) that is hitting the country badly. In some areas, it is the worst storm in 50 years. Hundreds of thousands of people are stranded on interstates or in cities without electricity (knocked out by the snow). This is an especially bad time of year because so many people are traveling for Chinese New Year. Many adoptive families have been stranded in various provinces but everyone in our travel group is here. It looks like the snow should not affect our air travel tomorrow. Here is a link to a news story about the storm:

http://news.rednet.cn/c/2008/01/28/1429761.htm

Angie, Caroline and Sarah Grace all have bad coughs and the girls have runny noses. Other than that, we are healthy. The girls are getting lots of sleep, which is helping.

Yesterday, we saw Caroline laughing out loud many times throughout the day. She also wandered around our hotel room quite a bit away from Mama's arms. We are now seeing much of her true personality - friendly, happy, impulsive. She is a blessing.

I'm going to sign off so I can try to get a bit more sleep before the girls wake up!

More pictures

Sightseeing

The weather here is not nearly as warm as the forecast predicted when we left home. It has been in the 30s-40s. We packed for the 60s-70s! So we are wearing the same outfits a lot. We are thankful for laundry services in the hotel. Today is supposed to be in the 50s though so we are planning to go outside a lot (unless it rains all day).

Many of you have e-mailed asking to see more pictures. I have tried to get a lot yesterday and we are hoping to get more today and tomorrow. The main problem is that even though Caroline is making progress in her bonding, she typically screams if she is not in my arms. That limits the number of poses we can get! When she is successfully out of my arms, we just want to savor the moments. Yesterday, while Sarah Grace napped, Andy & I got some good playtime with Caroline. She's a funny girl and has a great memory. Her smile is infectious and when she laughs out loud, my heart melts.

We started the day at the breakfast buffet. Aunt Karen is a huge help as you can see. There is always an adult to man the table while we make several trips to the buffet to get food for everyone. I don't know if the picture is clear, but the girls wore matching outfits yesterday! Too cute.

Yesterday, we spent the day sightseeing. We went to the Chen Family Temple which has along history. I especially love the picture where I am holding Caroline next to the tree. I have the exact same photo from when I held Sarah Grace next to the tree in 2005.

Then we went to a tea house. At this tea house, they make the best tea pots in the world. Sarah Grace talked for 12 hours before about how excited she was to drink tea. She told everyone on the bus how much she loves tea (She's never even had it). Well, it was a good thing I got a picture of her first sip because she didn't take any more sips. After the first one, she declared, "I don't like tea!" Caroline slept in the carrier through the whole outing.

With a free evening last night, both girls (and their parents) got very early bedtimes. Caroline even fell asleep fairly easily (still with her Mama though).

So all in all, it was a great family day.

We are amazed at how well Sarah Grace has done on this trip. It's a difficult trip and she has been a trooper. We are very proud of her. She has made good friends and seen so many things. When I asked her what her favorite part of China has been, she said "getting my baby sister." Just yesterday, she said for the first time, "I'm ready to go home."

We have reached the point of being tired of living in a hotel room! We are eager to go home and we have just 48 hours left. We are eager to bring Caroline to her new home and for everyone to meet her.

It seems that blogger won't let me post many pictures in this entry so I will post some in a separate entry.

A Full Day

Yesterday was a full day. We started out as a family at the breakfast buffet, which was nice. Many days we have had to eat in shifts because Sarah Grace wakes up earlier than Caroline. Yesterday we went together though. The breakfast buffet is amazing! I'll be disappointed to go back to our usual breakfasts at home. I've grown use to an elaborate breakfast.

Then, Andy, Angie and Caroline headed to Caroline's medical appointment. Here is the big news . . . The doctors couldn't find a heart murmur on Caroline. When we sat down, the doctor read Caroline's medical report and listened to her heart. The doctor looked confused so she took off Caroline's shirt so she could listen more clearly. At that point, she went to get another doctor to listen. I was getting very nervous and called our guide in to translate what was going on. Then the doctor looked at me and kept repeating, "No murmur, no murmur." We, of course, will take her to the cardiologist next week for another opinion but we are cautiously optimistic. At any rate, the hole seems to have gotten much smaller. We are praying that God has already healed our little girl.

After the medical trip, we went to a department store. The rest of our travel group has now joined us in Guangzhou (15 families) so some people needed supplies. We only needed a few things, but somehow while we were in the store, we added to our list: Chips Ahoy, a toy for each girl and some cookies that Caroline is wild about.

In the afternoon, Andy kept both girls for 2 hours while Angie went to a paperwork meeting. Andy did well with the girls. Caroline pretty much cries whenever she is not in Angie's arms so we were a bit worried. She settled in with her Dad quite nicely though and even let him hold her some throughout the evening. She knows how to walk but as she bonds to us, she has decided that she only wants to be held. The bonding continues to be a process.

We have discovered that Caroline is quite an active girl. She has a strong pitcher's arm and uses it to throw anything you put in her hands. She is certainly going to add some activity to our house!

Today, we are off for a day of sightseeing. We are all excited to get out as a family for the day.

We have reached the point in the trip where living in a hotel room has become a bit cramped! We are looking forward to settling in at home, where the girls have room to run and we have drawers where we can store everything!

Thank you for your continued prayers!

Orphanage Visit

We went to the orphanage. The nannies took Caroline and played with her for a few minutes. I walked up to them and my baby reached out for her Mama! That's all that mattered to me about the visit. Praise God for his miracle-working power. We are blessed beyond belief that He chose us for Caroline.

"God puts the lonely in families." Psalm 68:6

Sleeping and other stuff

Sleeping was good last night!

Andy & I were wide awake at 4 am (we haven't slept a full night since maybe January 13 though:) The good news is that it is 5 am and both girls are still sleeping. Sarah Grace fell asleep before 8 pm and Caroline a little after 9. Caroline fell asleep on me but sometime in the night ended up next to me in the bed! That's great progress.

After my last post about few dinner options, several people e-mailed me to make sure that I know about Danny's Bagels. We do and we have used them twice already. It's good. I just don't want to use them so often that I'm on a first-name basis with the delivery guy. By the way, for those of you traveling soon, the chicken noodle soup from Danny's bagels is very good. Each of our daughters ate an entire bowl of it and it's full of vegetables. We do have a dinner buffet in our hotel. For me, Andy and Sarah Grace, the bill would be $100! I hear it's good food, but I think we'll pass.

Some of you have asked whether we are taking Caroline to the orphanage. We had decided not to since we have had some boding issues. After doing a lot of research yesterday, though, we found that an orphanage visit is supposed to help with bonding. If she can hear her nannies tell her that it's good for her to go with us, it will help. An overwhelming number of parents told us that their bonding sped up immediately after an orphanage visit. We are praying that this information is correct and we are trusting God to use this visit to Caroline's benefit. It's so hard to imagine how her little brain is processing this information but we have prayed for months that God would help her to understand. We pray that He will give her understanding beyond her age and will continue to bond with us.

Have we mentioned that the nannies always called her "Xin Xin," which in the Cantonese dialect sounds like "Sun Sun?" We have called her this exclusively and she responds well to it. We'll wait awhile to tell her that she also has another name.

Loving this adventure,
Andy, Angie, Sarah Grace & Caroline

Such Progress!

What a day of progress for our family. Some highlights:

- We all slept last night for full nights. We even had to wake Caroline up for breakfast. (She slept on me all night but at least she slept)

- Sarah Grace & Caroline laughed with each other and played together.

- We went to the zoo this morning. Caroline was more bright-eyed than we had seen her. She was pointing at animals and attempting to say words.

- She clearly called for her DaDa today and maybe said MaMa, too.

- Andy & I each got to spend one-on-one time with each girl. We enjoyed it and both girls did as well.

- Caroline had fewer spells of sadness today.

Things are definitely looking up around here. Bonding will be a process but seeing progress encourages us tremendously.

We spent the morning at the Guangzhou Zoo. It was a chilly 42 degrees. Not too cold, except that packed for 70 degree days!

After that, Sarah Grace & Angie went to the Pearl Market. It's a huge 6-story building full of pearls. Jewelry dealers from around the world buy pearls there. It was overwhelming. I bought pearl earrings for both girls. Then, at a children's store next to the market, I got winter coats for both girls ($4 each). Sarah Grace & I took our first Chinese cab ride and it wasn't nearly as scary as it looks! We might try it again.

This evening we ate dinner at McDonalds. Dinner options are rather limited. Then we all walked around some stores. A clerk asked us where we are from. Sarah Grace responded by telling the clerk the name of our street! Cute answer but not too helpful for the clerk :)

Andy & Sarah Grace are asleep as I write. Hopefully Caroline will be soon. Tomorrow, we go to the orphanage.

Thank you for your prayers. God is using them powerfully in our lives.

Sweet Caroline

I type this one hand while Caroline sleeps in my arms so pleas ignore typos and lack of capitalization. Caroline is a sweet, inquisitive girl. She is having a bit of a difficult transition to our family. She was clearly well-loved by and well-attached to the nannies at her orphanage. She is missing them pretty badly and hasn't quite decided what she thinks of us! She likes to play with us but doesn't like to receive all of her care from us so she is having difficulty sleeping and she has episodes of sadness during the day. When she is sad, she mostly wants Mama and she doesn't like to sit down (in fact, she hates it.) Andy & I have spent many hours walking the hotel with her.

We are beginning to see glimpses of her personality though as she gets more comfortable. When we went shopping yesterday, she went crazy over a pair of red squeaky shoes. Her Daddy bought them for her as fast as he could. She is very proud of them!

Sarah Grace has also had a bit of a adjustment. on tuesday, she ignored caroline all day. yesterday she made some great strides though, trying to comfort caroline during her sad spells. We know they will be good friends.

Today we are going to the zoo.

Chinese New Year

All of China is elaborately decorated for the upcoming New Year celebration. This is their most important holiday. It seems like people walk around looking at the decorations, just like we do at Christmas. They are getting ready for the Year of the Rat.

What a face!

A Family of 4

I will try to describe in words a truly indescribable day. God, the giver of all good gifts, has given us a treasure.

The long story of the day involves some lost luggage (later recovered), only 3 hours of sleep last night for any of us, not enough food, no nap for Sarah Grace, scary traffic and a trip to the Civil Affairs office only to find out that the babies were actually coming to the hotel.

The short story is that none of that mattered after we met Caroline. A staff member from the orphanage, along with our guide, brought her to our hotel room door about a half hour before we expected her. After waiting for months, it seems funny that we were unprepared when the moment finally came. She walked in carrying the doll that we sent her in her last care package.

For months, we have prayed that Caroline would have joy. This prayer has been answered. This baby is joyful! She is charismatic and loves to laugh. Sarah Grace welcomed her into our family immediately and they took to each other quickly. Caroline is absolutely precious. She has been content all evening, except that the bottle I made her did not meet her standards. Hopefully I can figure out that problem soon. Andy & I are blown away by what a great kid she is. We are blessed beyond our wildest dreams with 2 amazing girls.

So far, she isn't talking much. She seemed to have a word for bottle though. She laughs and laughs. She will go to both Andy & I. Since we have just had a few hectic hours with her, we don't know many of her likes and dislikes yet. We had the chance to ask her nanny lots of questions. When I asked what Caroline likes, she said, "Everything." She explained that she is a happy baby and only gets upset if someone takes her toys. Her nanny said that she is extroverted.

She did get fearful at bedtime when she couldn't see us so Andy rearranged the hotel room and created a bed for her that allows her to see us. She wanted us right next to her as she fell asleep.

Tomorrow, we have some official appointments and the chance to go to Wal-Mart. We have lots to buy. The diapers I brought are too big. The weather is too cool for the clothes I brought. Our 12-months clothes looks like they will fit her well. I didn't bring enough toys either.

I want to write more but I am beyond exhausted and I'm not even sure the sentences I'm writing make sense. It's been a big day.

God is good all the time.

Great Wall of China

What a wonderful day! We started out at Beijing International Christian Fellowship for church. We had to show our passport to get in since only foreigners are allowed. From there, we went to the jade factory, a delicious lunch and a bit of shopping. The highlight of the day came next when we went to the Great Wall. Sarah Grace loved it! She would have climbed to the top if we would have let her. As it was, she climbed pretty high. She made snowballs and ran around laughing out loud. She’s making friends with all kinds of people on the bus. Not very shy at all on this trip. I’d write more but we are exhausted from the long day and we have to leave for the airport tomorrow at 5:30 am. We will fly 3 hours to Guangzhou and then meet Caroline in the afternoon.

Our next blog entry should include pictures of Caroline!

Thank you for all your prayers. We are marveling everyday at how much we can feel the prayer support behind us. The trip is so smooth and we feel God’s presence. Please keep up you prayers!

China, Day 1 - Rest, rest, rest

It is Saturday evening here. We've had a LONG day, waking up at 1:45 this morning, bright-eyed. Sarah Grace took a brief nap this morning and we all took one this afternoon. Waking her up after her afternoon nap proved very difficult since her body thought it was the middle of the night. We took her outside in the cold, cold air to try to invigorate her. She got a second wind and now we are hoping she will wind down soon and we will all sleep through the night!

Today was a low-key day. We spent most of the day at the hotel and did a bit of shopping. We went to Carre-Four (similar to Wal-Mart) twice today. Some of our interesting discoveries there were: Shrimp-flavored pretzels, Mexican Chicken Tomato Potato Chips and Chinese New Year socks for me.

China is gearing up for Chinese New Year in a couple weeks so the stores are all decorated with special holiday displays. Beijing is also gearing up for the 2008 Olympics so we see the Olympic mascots, The Friendlies, everywhere we go (http://en.beijing2008.cn/spirit/beijing2008/graphic/n214068254.shtml). They are very cute.

Sarah Grace is having a great time so far. We are so glad she is with us on this trip. Today, while I was playing a game with her, she said, "I love it that you're my Mommy." We are having so many precious moments with her.

Tomorrow, we'll start the day with church then go to the Great Wall of China. We hope to go to bed early so we can leave for the airport early Monday morning.

We are here

We are here. Exhausted but here. It's 2:30 am on Saturday and we are wide awake. Sarah Grace has already had her bath this morning and keeps asking when we can go to breakfast! The jet lag may last awhile! We got to our hotel yesterday evening, went out for a little while (but it was too cold to walk far) and came back and crashed. We went to bed way too early, knowing we would then wake up early but we were too tired to stay awake any longer. We slept about 4-5 hours in the night.

The flight was great. No delays or complications. Sarah Grace did a fabulous job on the plane. She slept about 4 hours. She played and read and played with her Aunt Karen for most of the flight. She's excited to be in China.

We haven't taken a single picture on our camera yet but when I do, I'll upload some pictures.

We're going to relax this morning after breakfast and then maybe join our group for sightseeing this afternoon.

God is good. We are just 2 days away from Caroline now!

Thank you for all of your prayers. We have had countless answers to prayer already!

We're packed and ready to go

We got everything into 2 suitcases, 2 backpacks
and 1 carry-on bag. Combine that with 1 preschooler and 1 toddler and let's hope we have enough hands to carry all of it!

We leave bright and early Thursday morning and will arrive in Beijing on Friday evening.

If you'd like to pray for us while we are gone, here are some requests that we have been bringing before God:

1) For safe travels with no delays

2) That we will have no anxiety about the trip but that we will trust God with every detail of it

3) That Caroline will know who we are when we meet and that she will bond with us quickly. Also, that we will know how to comfort her in this big transition for her

4) That Caroline & Sarah Grace will become fast friends

5) That we will enjoy ourselves and create memories to treasure

Our next post should be from China!

Where we're going

Lots of people have been asking us where we are going in China and if it's close to Sarah Grace's orphanage. Here's a map of China to give you an idea.

China is roughly the size of the United States. We will start in Beijing (arriving on Jan 18) in the northeastern part of China. We will be there for the weekend sightseeing and trying to adjust to the 13-hour time difference.

Monday morning the 21st, we will go to Guangzhou in the far south (Guangzhou was formerly known as Canton. It's a port city). The weather is lush and tropical. We are hoping for mid-upper 70s! We will stay there until we head home on the 30th. When we adopted Sarah Grace, we ended our trip in Guangzhou so we've been before and we're looking forward to seeing it again. It was the favorite city of both Andy & Aunt Karen last time. Being in Guangzhou for 9 days, we hope to have a nice leisurely visit with lots of time to explore the city. I'm hoping to get brave and try the subway this time. My other goals are to see the Toy Market (a 6-story mall filled with nothing but toys) and the Pearl Market. Caroline's orphanage is about 45 minutes west of Guangzhou in Foshan and we hope to visit the orphanage.

Sarah Grace was in Chongqing, closer to central China on the Yangtze River (This is where China recently built the 3 Gorges Dam).

9 days and counting!

Definite Travel Plans

We're going to China!!!

We have airline tickets. We are leaving in 12 days to meet our precious daughter. Here is our itinerary:

Jan 17 - Leave at 8:45 am. We will fly to Chicago and direct to Beijing.
Jan 18- Arrive in Beijing at 4 pm (China time). Total flight time: 14 hours, 45 minutes.
Jan 19-20 Tour in Beijing
Jan 21 - Fly to Guangdong and meet Caroline. We will have custody of her that day.
Jan 22-29 - Sightseeing, official meetings, etc.
Jan 30- Fly home and land in Indianapolis at 8:06 pm on Wednesday evening!

Our hearts are full of joy as we count down the days!