My Little Girl Is Growing Up!!

My Katie Mei started Kindergarten this week, she is growing up so fast. I am so proud of the little lady she has become. She is sweet, kind and polite and mostly I would have to agree with my Mom's one word of describing her, "elegant". I am so proud to be her mother.

Chongqing Girls Reunion!!

A little over 4 years ago we had the pleasure of meeting a couple (Terri and Kevin) that would be traveling with us to China for the same reason we would be going, the adoption of our daughters. Since we were with the same Adoption Agency our babies (Katie and Allie) were referred from the same orphanage in Chongqing, China. That makes our daughters Chongqing orphanage sisters. Our friendship was an instant click and we are blessed to have them as friends. Since we live approximately 2 hours apart, we try to get together 2 times a year.

First picture is Tia, Katie, Allie and Matthew. Bottom picture is Kevin crushing our Chongqing girls. Fun was had by all.

Labor Day!!

A Big Sigh!!!! I never looked forward to Labor Day, as it was always the unoffical end to summer. It's hard to believe that Fall is around the corner and my leave of absence from work has come to an end. Another Very Big Sigh!!!!

Unless a heat wave comes rolling in, I would say that these pics will be the last of the pool fun for the year. It's been a spectacular summer!

Pictures above are with cousins Andrew and Ryan. What a good time.

Fun with old friends!!

Sydney, Spencer & Katie having some Barbie doll fun.

Fun with a new friend!!

New Friends, Matthew and Frankie getting to know each other.

Welcome!!

Miss Bobbi and Miss Megan welcome Matthew to pre-school. They were both part of Katie's learning for years prior. Katie and Mommy adore them.

After I left, Matthew had a few tears but quickly recovered and joined in the festivities for the day. He had no problem with communication and I am not surprised because he is speaking quite a bit of English already. Katie enjoyed time with some old friends.

Sharing a bench at the pond in our back yard. I promised two lollipops each if they would sit still and smile for more than 20 seconds. (Bribes are necessary and part of life! and for now they are cheap. )

It's The Most Wonderful Time of the Year!!

Okay, you know that Staples commercial that comes on at the beginning of the school year, and the parent is dancing and flying through the isles in complete joy that it back to school time and the song that's playing is "It's the most wonderful time of the year" well...let's just say it's a good commercial. I have completely enjoyed my time being home with Katie and Matthew , a bit a sibling rivalry going on however, so it will be good for them to start school. Tomorrow they will both start 1/2 days for two weeks at the daycare/pre-school that Katie attended for a few years. She will get to spend some time with some old friends. After the two weeks, Matthew will continue to go there all day and Katie will start all day Kindergarten at a different school. I believe this next transition should be easy for Matthew since he is accustomed to being around many children. Having big sister Katie (a.k.a my little "minnie me") there should also be a plus.

A Peek Inside Shanghai Orphanage!!

The following pics were taken with the camera that I sent with Matthew's care package back in June. The camera was returned to us the day we got Matthew. It is a brief peek inside the orphanage. There are also a few pics of the outside of the orphanage which I obtained from the Shanghai adoption group that I belong to. I will forever regret not being able to visit the place Matthew spent the first 3 years of his life. I have been told that Shanghai orphanage is the wealthiest orphanage in China. From the pictures of the outside, it certainly could be true.When I showed Matthew the pictures, he became very excited to see some of his buddies. There seems to be one child in particular that he is pointed out to me several times. I believe this may have been his best buddy. I feel sad for the friends he left behind and hope they are just waiting for their forever family. I will now attempt to make a post on the Shanghai Orphanage yahoo support group and see if he is possibly up for adoption in the US.

All is good with Matthew. He continues to be a happy little boy. He is learning more English words every day. The cutest thing....... Last week was my brother in law's birthday, so when we called to sing Happy Birthday to him, Matthew started whaling out the entire "Happy Birthday" song in English. Word for word, clapping his hands and stomping his feet to the tune. This was absolutely something the children in the orphanage must have learned. Now we tell him everyday it's someones birthday just hear him sing it. (Pat, we didn't forget about your birthday, this is something you have to see in person.)

I took Katie for a pedicure and manicure today so that we could have some Mommy and me time. She just loves doing girly things. We are scheduled for more girlfriend time this week.

Life is good!

Shanghai Orphanage pics

A Week Ago Today!

One week ago today we arrived home with our new son. The feelings and emotions when the plane finally touched down on the runway was so overwhelming. We just survived the journey that seemed like an eternity. I recall thinking how relieved I was to finally be back in America, how excited I was to see my sweet princess, walking through the gate and hearing her scream Mommy would be one of the happiest moments of my life. Seeing our son and our daughter meet face to face was a moment I'd dreamed of for years. Finally, it was a reality.

Matthew continues to bond with us more and more each day. He has showed no signs of looking back. He continues to be a happy little boy who is discovering new things everyday. His sleep schedule is basically good and he has adjusted almost completely to our time. (Can't say the same for me, I have a hard time staying up past 8:00 pm....Yawn Yawn (It's 9:45 pm)!! We did have to convert his daybed back into a crib, he seems to be more content with that at this time. The room he slept in had 21 children, so I was thinking having his own bedroom and sleep time would be an obstacle for us, but I am happy to say, after a few minutes of whining, he goes right to sleep.

He continues to eat good, fruits, vegetables, rice, noodles. I have introduced some American food, but he seems happiest eating food he has been accustomed to. He has very little interest in anything sweet. (Let's see how long that lasts).

The testing of the water seems to have subsided almost entirely. He is no longer being naughty. I believe our biggest obstacle is still the language. He has already learned several words and says them all day in an attempt to communicate with us. (Hi, Bye, How are ya, Hungry, Good boy, etc. etc.) He repeats everything we say. He is like a sponge and will be talking English in no time. He absolutely loves his sister (Kaylia he calls her). Katie on the other hand has had a little bit of a tough time sharing our attention. I will call some of her school friends and have a play date this upcoming week so she can have some "Katie time".

Having two children has certainly been an adjustment for me...(Yawn again!) I think I may need to go back to work soon so I can get some rest. (LOL!) I still have not completely adjusted back to our time.

I have pictures to share, will try to load them tomorrow!

We're Coming Home!

We went to the American Consulate office today, they verified all our information and that we infact have the correct child, stamped his passport with the Visa for entry into United States, we then had an oath swearing ceremony, we had to raise our right hand and swear that all the information we provided for this adoption was correct and truthful. That was it, they said congratulations you are finally done and may leave China. We're coming home!!

No pics today, we were not allowed to take any pictures at the American Consulate, they take all cameras, cell phones and anything electronic from you before you enter.

Tomorrow, we get a flight to Hong Kong, stay overnight and then finally take our flight home arriving at Newark airport. We will arrive Saturday. As soon as we land, Matthew will become an American Citizen. I am not sure if I will have a chance to update again. Hopefully the forecasted typhoon won't cause any delays.

Thank you to everyone in my family and everyone in my husband's family at home who has taken such good care of our daughter (and two cats) over the past 3 weeks. We have been blessed with a very supportive, loving family and couldn't have gotten through this without everyone. We look forward to sharing many happy times together. To Harriett, who spent the past 3 weeks at our home to keep Katie's schedule as normal as possible in our absence, Thank you. Thank you to my niece Judi, for posting my updates to my blog everyday so everyone could follow our journey. Pat, you have listened to me endlessly day in and day out about this adoption for nearly 3 years. Thank you for the daily supportive emails while in China. You are a good friend. To my husband, who stood beside me through this journey, we have been through more than most to complete our family, the past 3 weeks have been trying and joyful. I can't think of anyone I would rather do life with. To my daughter, Katie Mei, you are the most incredible child, thank you for just being you. Seeing life through your eyes convinced me to push forward and take this journey to your brother. Matthew, you don't know it yet, but you have so much awaiting you. Let's go home.

Thank you for following our journey.

Final Approval Received!

Today we got word that the final approval that would determine if we would leave China on time had arrived. What a relief. There had been a mistake discovered at the end of last week. US Consulate had us approved for a girl not a boy. So my adoption agency and my home study agency along with our local Immigration office had to do some pretty quick work to make sure we could leave China as planned.

Since the air conditioning was getting repaired in the wing we were in, they had to move our room. So we packed and moved to another building around the corner. It was a lazy day since it was very rainy. Not too many pictures to share. We did venture out to the Italian restaurant for pizza again tonight. On the way back we witnessed the most disturbing incident. We were walking past one of the local shops and they have a cute white poodle for a pet. This absolute crazy lunatic Chinese man apparently didn't like that the poodle had barked at him and he grabbed this umbrella and started running after the poodle and the poodle, of course, was barking more, so he took the umbrella a slammed him in the nose. UGH, I looked right at him and spoke a foreign language #$%^&<*&^!@#*&^%$@. I know I was taking my chances, but I couldn't hold back. He kept walking thank goodness. Innocent little animal yelped for 3 minutes. I am an animal lover so this really lit my fire.

Only three nights left in China. Not that I would like to wish the days away....but here's to them going by fast. I am so homesick and ready to get back to some simple things that one might take for granted, like ICE!!!! A tall glass of water with ice, brushing my teeth from the facet, not a glass of bottled water or eating a piece of chicken without the head on my plate. (LOL!) Oh, a cup of coffee, I haven't had a cup of coffee in nearly 3 weeks. And most of all, kissing my daughter good night instead of throwing her kisses through SKYPE video.

Matthew continues to be ham everywhere we go. Practicing his English....saying Hi and Hello......Good bye, waving to the locals because he knows it gets their attention. The best though is when we go to the restaurants and calls the waitress over to order food or soda that we have not allowed him to order, so now we ask them...What did he just ask you for? and then tell them, No he can't have that. At the Italian restaurant, we were done eating, and he called the waitress over, we asked her what did he say, she said "he said the pizza was good" ! (Cute, I think he was flirting)

Pictures are right after Matthew's bath, he was being very silly and putting his undies on his head.

Chicken Head!

The heat here makes it almost impossible to go out during the day. (around 115 heat index) We do venture out once the sun goes down and it is still near 100 degrees. Humidity is unbearable. We have had the pleasure of joining other families for dinner two nights this weeks. One night was at an Italian restaurant. We had Pizza and Spaghetti with Meat sauce. It was actually very good. And the pizza, hands down was the best I ever had. (Really)

Last night we all ate a Thai food restaurant. I ordered a half chicken thinking that would be safest. So I ate a few pieces and then came across the half HEAD of the chicken with eyeball, beak and all right there on my plate. UGH !!! Are you kidding me... They say that they include the head so that you don't think you are being cheated. Needless to say, I was done eating on the spot. If anything, we all had good laugh about it.

WHEW!!!!

This morning we got a clear TB X-RAY result.

The doctor told him to stand in front of the xray machine as they took several views. He stood there like a champ as we watched through the window. He was such a good boy!

A Safari Visit!

Have I mentioned how hot hot hot it is here. Today's heat index is 113, and it feels every bit of it. Not exactly perfect conditions for a Safari, but that is what we did today. We only were able to stand the train ride and decided not to do the walking part. We decided to go back to our hotel and go swimming in the pool. The pool however, is on the rooftop and the temperature of the water had to be over 90 plus degrees. Not very refreshing. Also, the pool is not exactly the safest place for children. (rooftop with railings).(How do they get away with the conditions?)

Tomorrow we go for the results of Matthew's TB skin test and from the skin reaction, it is clear that he is positive as suspected. So we will do a chest x-ray in the morning. Our guide seems to know many people as well as have allot of clout here, she made a call to a doctor to ease my anxiety and he assured her that Matthew comes from a very good orphanage and it is only likely that he is positive due to the vaccine he was given. The doctor said to look at it as a good sign, that he was vaccinated. There is currently a family here going through the worst nightmare.....Their daughter tested positive and the chest x-ray came back positive for TB. This family is facing terrible odds of either leaving the child and finding foster care, or one parent staying for several months of treatment and still no guarantee of a clear x-ray. They have been lobbying all possible congress people in the US (This is a United States rule !!) and still have not been able to get the child home. My heart goes out to them. I will feel better after tomorrow morning when we have a clear ticket to go.

Belly Laughing!

Matthew seems happiest when he is doing something that he should not be doing. He lets out this huge belly laugh that comes from his toes, then looks at you from the corner of his eye. It is actually quite funny. (For Now!) Here are a few picks of him intentionally spilling water. He thinks this is hysterical!!

Guangzhou/Medical Exam/TB Test

We arrived safely in Guangzhou last night. Matthew did fairly well with his first flight, but had a hard time staying buckled for the two hours. We settled in our room and asked them to send in an extra bed, they sent us a crib. Well, Matthew was so excited to see the crib, it made we wonder if that was part of why he was having such a hard time going to bed. We put him in there and he covered himself up and went to sleep. I had thought all along he might still have been in a crib. Hopefully his daybed at home will be okay, but if not we could turn it back into a crib for a short time if this will make him feel more secure for sleeping.

This morning we took Matthew for his Medical Exam and TB test. I would estimate that there were about 100 families there, many of them American. The children were all ages, but we did see more infants than older children. He was so cooperative for the doctors giving the exam. We will have to return on Monday morning for the reading of the TB test.

We were then free to wander around on our own through some of the local shops. It is very hot and humid here, so we came back to the Hotel so we could all take a nap and head back out later when it is a bit cooler.

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Bonding Time!

It's raining again today, actually we are having a whopper storm, so it was a good choice to hang back at the hotel and spend some one on one time bonding with Matthew. Having looked up some chinese words to communicate with him has been key here. He is no longer bouncing around and is fairly calm, happy and smiling. He likes to stay busy busy busy, which is a problem for now since there is not very much to do at the hotel except take him swimming, which he does love.

When I awoke this morning I knew it would be a good day. The last thing I remember before opening my eyes this morning was dreaming of my grandmother. She was sitting on the bed next to me and I was telling her I missed her. My grandmother was a best friend to me and in all the years since her passing I can't remember even 5 times of dreaming of her. Take it as you will, but to me it was clearly a message that she is right here with me.

Tomorrow we get the final adoption paperwork and can leave Shanghai! Onto Gaungzhou where the American Embassy is located to complete the United States portion of the adoption.

Adoption Day is Official!

Today the adoption of Matthew was finally official. We arrived at the registration office and waited for about an hour for an orphanage official to arrive. Matthew was apparently bored and decided that he would like to run around the room scream and jump up and down on the waiting room furniture. Oh, did I mention the spitting.......There was not much we could do accept sit there and smile as all the locals in the room stared us down! So, we decided that it was time to learn a few Chinese words: Tiaopi- You are being Naughty, Bushi- No, Tangxia - Please Sit Down.

The registration office apparently decided they weren't believing Scott's signature matched his passport, so they made him sign his signature over and over and over and over again. Come on, are you kidding me. Finally they gave us our official adoption certificate. I questioned where was the birth certificate and what about his immunization records. I found myself searching frantically through my paperwork to see what was missing. The end result was they didn't have them and are now going to send them to our hotel tomorrow via courier.

Since we arrived here 100 days ago, I mean 10 days ago, Scott has been itching to take a ride on the Maglev Train. It runs between the airport anddowntown Shanghai. It tops out at 250 miles per hour and takes only 7 minutes to go 22 miles. He (Scott) was like a little boy boarding a train for the first time. (I guess I just don't get it) (must be a guy thing). Matthew seemed to enjoy the ride, but not as much a trying to climb over the back seat.

LOL! We got off the one side of train at the airport and there was a Kentucky Fried Chicken and had lunch. For a minute there, I thought I had on my ruby red shoes and I was home. Surprisingly Tasted the same.

More swimming and then we walked to the market (in the rain) because Scott's nighttime munchies were getting dangerously low. They had M & M's, Kit Kat's, and butter cookies that were in recognizable packaging.

Tomorrow we have decided to just hang back at the hotel and skip any planned excursions. We thought it best to spend some bonding time with Matthew. We are so ready to leave Shanghai. Friday can't come soon enough and we are looking forward to the familiar sights of Guangzhou.

Wizard of Oz

More paperwork today, and when we arrived, they informed us that today would only be for the notarization and would not be the adoption day, tomorrow will now be the adoption day. UGH...Exhale....we are so ready to come home, or at least move to the next legg of the race. It is a rainy day, so our guide took us to a Mall(sort of). We were in search of a stroller since our little one is a bit active and since we have alot of walking to do here as well as Guangzhou and airports, we thought it would be easier on us. As we were looking at the strollers, Matthew was saying No, he wasn't going to sit in it, but after we wheeled him around a bit, he was happy to be riding. We also purchased him legos today and he sits for hours playing with them. (Great for this rainy day).

So far, besides dumping his liquid yogurt all over the hotel floor (on purpose)(and laughing) and sticking his entire arm in the toilet after he did pee pee, all is good. Oh, let me also mention, he is still having a bit of the ready, aim, and fire whatever item is in his hand at us. It's a work in progress right now as he is no longer phased for more than 2 seconds that we remove the item that was tossed for a bit.

Nap time seemed to be a bit of an issue today, we had him lay him down and he was furious and kept getting out of the bed to put his shoes back on. He kept saying the same thing over and over and over. (This is where the communication is so difficult) He didn't want water, he didn't need to us the potty and his belly was full. The only thing I can think of is that he just didn't want to nap. His orphanage information says that he takes a nap everyday, so I am not sure why is was so upset. We had to shut the blinds and make the room dark before he would go down, but he finally did. After nap, Scott took him swimming in the hotel pool, but this was obviously all new to him. Bed time seems to also be an issue as it is now 10:30 pm and he is showing no signs that he will be going to sleep anytime soon. He started out getting very furious again, but is now laughing with his feet hanging off the bed and trying to reach the phone.

Since I have what I came for, now all I want is to be in the comfort of my home. There's no place like home and no place like America. Do you think If I put on red ruby slippers, I will be able to wish myself there. Here goes.....Closing my eyes.......Click, Click, Click......There's no place like home, there's no place like home, there's no place like home.......Damn I'm still here...... Oh well.

More tomorrow...I have to try to get our little one to sleep.