Palate Surgery

Mia had her palate surgery on Monday the 13th. The surgery went well. She did have to stay in ICU for 2 days for her breathing. They said it was because she was so swollen from the procedure and the tube that was in her throat.

She was very happy to come home to see her brothers. We were very happy she was home too!

Carter

Carter, my little bud. Always a smiling kid. Eager to please and has an awesome smile and laugh. His smile reminds me of his Grandpa Jake.

*photo by Lisa Feather Photography

Tonsils and Adnoids

Christian was a super brave boy for his surgery. He did much better with his recovery than I did a few years ago. The little guy can breathe out his nose now and no more snoring like a grown man.

Playing Catch Up

Playing catch up is the story of my life! Some days I feel like a dog chasing its tail, and some people in the house wonder why I can crash at 8 like the little ones!

Anyways to get you all caught up:
Halloween- Chandler was an old man, Carter a skeleton, Christian an Asian man, and Mia a bumble bee.

Adoption Hearing- went very well. Mia was a firecracker, the judge was ok with it. :)

Plastic Surgeon- met the doctor--nice man, great staff. Palate surgery is set for Dec 13. We see the cleft team this Wednesday.

Tonsils- Christian gets his out on Nov 19.

So far that is what is going on in this house. :)

My Crew

A quick family picture. We will have professional ones done Saturday. I am a picture freak and cannot wait. I am pretty sure I am the only one excited.

Blood work and poo

Yesterday we went for some tests for Mia. Lot's of bloodwork, it took two pokes to get enough. But our girl was a trooper. On the way out they gave me some bottles/jars to collect poo. Yes, poo. Not just 1, 3 poo samples from 3 different days. Like one time wasn't going to be an experience, I get to do it 3 times. The poo gathering is to test for parasites.

The doc did call today and all her bloodwork came back stellar!

Circus and a 5th Birthday

Blogger is being difficult this evening.

As Tim said so well we took our circus to the circus. Ringling Brothers was in town last week and we decided to take the kids. It was a good time. If you went early you got to interact with the performers. Tim is helping with a magic act in the one picture! Oh and the couple hanging from the ribbons totally stole that from Tim and I. ;)

Christian turned 5. Can you believe it? Not me. Next year he heads off to kindergarten. Yikes. He wanted chocolate cake, chocolate icing and chocolate ice cream. Gotta love these simple requests. He helped decorate his cupcakes and we had his favorite for supper--spaghetti.

First Doctor Appt.

I took Mia to the pediatrician this week. He is such a great doctor/person. So glad we switched to him. He said Mia looks great; height/weight. Since we had 5 shots in China, we did not need any more right away. The others can wait till her 2 year appointment. We will go back in a couple of weeks to set up some bloodwork and have her ears flushed. (Her ears are pretty packed with wax). He also referred me to a plastic surgeon that has a cranofacial team. I have done some research on him and have only heard/found good things.

Update...

September has been a long month and we are only half way done! We have had school pictures, football games/practices, doctor appointments (for every child at various locations). I do like this time of year; the newness of school, the weather is JUST RIGHT, and the anticipation of fall. I did get family pictures set up. I am using this lady: www.lisafeatherphotograhy.com Her pictures look nice, the price was right, and she seemed up to the challenge of the 6 of us.

I have looked at what I need to do to get Mia an Ohio birth certificate and other post adoption stuff. Key word is looked, I need to get on the phone, fill out paperwork and write some checks. Since we are Hague, I should be getting her SSN in the mail soon.

I have rambled enough. Mia is adjusting well. Our days are a bit crazy and I am ready for bed before the kids are! I wouldn't have it any other way.

We are home!

Well we have been home since the 21st. Not gonna lie there have been some moments. Overall we are doing quite well. I went back to work on the 23rd. (I am lucky enough to work from home). Chandler and Carter started school on the 25th and Christian started pre-school on the 30th. I feel like we are into more of a routine, at least this week. I can tell that each day gets a little bit better.

Mia is doing so good. The boys adore her and she likes them! This girl is a smart little cookie. She watches and then she tries it. She is definately feeling more comfortable here and acting like a typical 19 month old. (playing in the toliet water, unrolling the toliet paper, trying to climb in the dryer, etc...)

Almost time.....

I pick up Mia's visa at 5:20 today in our guide's room. Some people in our group are heading out tonight, most of us leave tomorrow. We leave The White Swan at 5:30pm and head to the airport. I am hopeful that Mia will do well on the long plane ride. Shoot, I am hopeful all 3 of us do well on the long plane ride! We fly Guangzhou to LAX; LAX to Detroit. My ride will be waiting for me in Detroit. We are ready.

We went back to the Pearl Market today. I finished up my shopping there. I did buy Mia a pearl necklace for later; wedding day or college graduation--a big event.

We explored the hotel grounds more today. We saw the lap pool, and had heard about a pool with a waterfall. That waterfall pool was really nice. I would love to have the trees and landscaping in my backyard!

I think that re-entry will be a doozey. At least until we get a routine down. Please be patient with us. ;)

Consulate

Today we went to the US Consulate in Guangzhou and took our oath. Pretty painless, Mia's visa gets issued tomorrow and we leave on Friday night. She was feeling really good today. She even played with Maw Maw (that is a first).

Squeezing in a bit more shopping tomorrow before we leave. ;)

Tuesday the 17th

Today was visa day. We had to hang out in our rooms until 11:30 in case something was wrong. Turns out I missed filling out a paper. Not a big deal, took a whole 3 seconds to fill it out. We did some shopping today. Let me just say that it is a good thing Guangzhou is far from Ohio at Christmas time. Good prices on nice stuff.

We also had the infamous Red Couch photos today. We were running behind--shocking right? Mia was not thrilled, and cried. We also did a group shot of all the families.

The waterfall picture is what is in our hotel lobby. It is pretty.

My brain feels foggy. I am sure I need rest. Mia is still feeling the effects of her shots. We also confirmed our flight outta here today. China has been nice, but I am ready to see my fellas. ;) (we have been using Skype, and that has helped.)

Pearl Market and Shots

Today Mia got 5 shots. She did fuss, but did very well. She settled down right afterward. She is a good eater, and has even started giving me kisses on the cheek. :)

As a group we went to the Pearl Market. Not really a pearl kinda girl, but the prices were right. The market is 2 buildings that are 4 stories tall, with shops everywhere. The one picture is of the inside of the pearl shop the other is the inside of the shopping center.

Guangzhou

We made it to Guangzhou on Friday night. We saw the active and lively girl on the plane that was described in the paperwork from the orphanage! She did very well on that short flight. So far we have had her physical; she weighs 23 pounds and is 31 inches tall. She will get 5 shots on Monday. She will not be a happy camper.

Today we visited a Buddhist temple, Old Chen House and went to a small shopping center. Monday morning we head to the Pearl Market. Per our guide the prices are 1/6th or 1/7th the price we pay back home.

Sleepy....

Low key day

We decided to hang out in the room today and take it easy. I think each day is getting better. She did cry today, but had more smiles and giggles. Momma is going to the orphange tomorrow. I thought about it, but I am sure Mia would want her nanny. It would bring more sadness. Momma will take pictures and ask questions for me.

Mia and I will hang out here, play and take walks.

Tuesday -day 2 with Mia

Today was busy, we went to the registration office (she is officially in China's eyes ours--I have more to do when I get home since I was the only parent that traveled). We also went to the notary office and the Lotus Center. Lotus is a giant shopping area. It was overwhelming to say the least. Our group was the quite the show there.

Mia is grieving, she has cried for about 2 hours today. There were bright spots and snippets where we saw her personality come through. She is very observant and likes to copy what you do. She walked for us for the first time today. Her legs were a bit wobbly, but it was good to see.

Tomorrow we plan to lay low and hang out in our room.

Presenting Rui Rui

I won't be too wordy, because I know you really just want to see her. ;) Mia was there when we arrived at the government building to get the children. I walked up the steps and there she was! In the pictures there are two nannies. The girl in the white top (with long hair) and the girl in the purple top were her nannies. Both ladies were very sad to see her go. The one in purple is the one she called Mama.She had been her nanny since she came to the orphanage. I cried, they cried, some daddies in the group cried. We feel so lucky that she was loved and cared for so well.

Mia has been grieving. We did get a glimpse of her personality later this evening. We played and sang songs. She is bigger than I thought she would be. My hip and back think she's about 30 pounds. (She is 19 months)

Today is THE day

Right now it is 6:32 in the morning. I woke up at 5:30, nervous. I have butterflies in my tummy. We meet at 9:30 in the lobby and get our children at 10. Please pray for this transition for Mia. Her world is about to be turned upside down.

Aug 8th and 9th

It has been a busy busy time so far. I have used several squatty potties (I would have taken a picture, but was afraid of dropping something in it), visited a jade factory, the Bird's Nest and The Cube where the Olympics took place, watched an AMAZING acrobat show, and climbed the Great Wall. Momma went all the way up, I on the other hand said no way, and sat and waited for her. The steps are very uneven and steep. The 2 days of tours in Beijing were great. It cost us about $75 U.S. each --not bad at all. We also had 2 Chinese lunches. (The fish picture was from one of our lunches.) I was not brave enough to try it.

We flew today into Zhengzhou, Henan. We exchanged money at a bank and went to Wal-Mart for supplies. Let me tell ya, it is a mile there and a mile back to good ole WM. I told mom that if I had to walk to our Wal-Mart I certainly wouldn't buy as much stuff! (the chicken picture is from Wal-Mart)

Our guide Yisha gave us a paper today that had little snippits about our children. I found out that Mia likes little dogs and cats and likes to chase them. She also claps her hands and shakes her body while listening to music. She is afraid of seeing lots of strangers--That one will be a big one- especially tomorrow. She is walking now.

We came back from Wal-Mart to find the crib in the room. It seems very real now. We get our children at 10 am tomorrow.
(I can get email at my woh.rr.com account).

Tours Today

Today was a busy day. We saw the Forbidden City, Tiananmen Square, a silk factory, and took a Rickshaw ride. We definitely saw things that we had never seen before. Tomorrow is the Great Wall, a jade factory, the Bird's Nest, and an acrobat show. Hopefully the pictures show that I am attaching.

(I am blogging through email and I cannot see the finished product. Please forgive misspellings.)

In Beijing

We made it to Beijing. Blogger and Facebook are blocked here. Adapter is giving me fits, will keep working on that.

The LA to Guangzhou flight was not that bad, we slept most of the flight.
I will try to post more later....

Itinerary for China

When I read other people's adoption blogs I liked seeing their itinerary for China. Here is ours:
August 4 Leave for Beijing
August 5 Arrive in Beijing
August 6 and 7 Tour Beijing
August 8 Leave for Zhengzhou, Henan
August 9 Meet Mia!! Our family day
August 10, 11, 12 paperwork and free days/tour
August 13 Get Mia's passport and head to Guangzhou
August 14 Get Mia's physical and visa photo
August 15 and 16 Free day--tour/rest/shop
August 17 Consulate appointment
August 18 Take oath at Consulate
August 19 Pack for home
August 20 Fly to LA>Detroit
August 21 HOME!!

Summer Pictures

Leaving.......

We will leave out on the 4th. Lots of flying for two inexperienced travelers! We should be pros by the time we get back, right?

We are all excited. I know that this time will go fast. I am sure that I should be doing something right now, but feeling overwhelmed.

TA!!

Travel approval came Monday. I could leave the 28th or August 4th~
WOW, it is really happening!

In a Holding Pattern

We are in a holding pattern, waiting on TA. I honestly don't expect to see that till the end of July. However, if it wants to come earlier that is fine with me.

It is so hot here this week. Reminds me of Arkansas summers. We bought the kids a pool for the backyard. Well worth the $$ spent on it.

I have been trying to keep busy and not let the wait consume me. So I have bought a few things for the trip; stuff for Mia, a new carry on, batteries for the camera, etc... I have started laying out her clothes as well. It would be so easy to over pack. I expect my visa to be back early next week. Now to get my mom to get hers sent out pronto.

Zoo

Today we went to the zoo. It was an awesome day, the temperature was just right. The boys had fun and we got out of the house.