Bringing Julianna Home

Happy Year of the Dragon 2012

2012-01-25T12:21:00.001-08:00

Here are a few pictures of our dinner out with the Winslow Family. P F Chang's is yummy!!

Love You Girl

2012-01-15T16:41:00.000-08:00

In memory of our sweet Minnie. June 1996 - December 30,2011

We miss you!!

Christmas 2011

2012-01-15T16:27:00.000-08:00

The Christmas season was so fun this year. Julianna was so into it all. She sat with Santa 3 times, baked cookies, saw Christmas lights, helped decorate, and was the "official" bow sticker-oner of all presents!! Both girls have the tigger stocking. We purchased both stockings right before Caroline was born knowing we would some day have a second child. Notice all our furry babies have stockings hung over the fireplace. There is also a picture of my favorite Christmas tree ornament. Every time we go to Disney, I have a special ornament personalized. This one is from the May 2009 trip Caroline and I took together right before our referrals came out. and yes, my entire tree is done in Disney ornaments!!!!

Our Favorite Place on Earth

2012-01-15T16:10:00.000-08:00

We were at Disney with family in November. We had lovely weather and the crowds were light. It was also the beginning of the Holiday season, so everything was so pretty. Julianna is a Disney Pro now. She knows the rides she wants and she will let you know if she has not ridden them yet! Lots of family fun!!

Halloween 2011

2012-01-15T11:00:00.000-08:00

Julianna was soooo ready for Halloween this year. Caroline practiced with here weeks in advance. (anyway to eat candy, right??)
This year, Julianna was piglet. We dug out a box of Caroline's old costumes and Piglet was what she picked. Caroline was a queen. Trick or treating is a fun, quick night. We only go to houses in our neighborhood, so it doesn't take long to hit 19 homes. I say it is just enough! They both come away with a bag full!!!

Happy Birthday, My Sweet Baby!!!

2012-01-15T10:42:00.000-08:00

(Yes, I know, I am waaaay behind)

Julianna turned a big three years old on October 6. We had a cookout here at the house and she had lots of fun!! It felt like a taste of Christmas with all the presents being opened. She was really looking forward to blowing out her candle. She picked Toy Story (no surprise there) for her cake. Her favorite present seemed to be the new bicycle we gave her. She is very good at it. I think keeping up with Caroline helps with that!!! My baby is growing up way too fast!! If someone firgures out how to slow it down, please tell me!!

Are you ready for some beach??? Just 11 months away

2011-08-03T07:25:00.000-07:00

I took the girls to the Outer Banks (us locals usually just say going to Nags Head) yesterday. I was thinking of our China family and snapped a few pictures to wet your appetite!!!! I can report that no sharks were spotted. LOL

Reunion 2011 Nashville Tennessee

2011-08-03T07:07:00.000-07:00

We just had our 2 year travel group reunion in Tennessee. Thank you to Madeline and Georgette for doing a WONDERFUL job planning this years trip!! We had a great time even in the horrible heat at the zoo. Can't wait to see all of you next year here in my own back yard!!

Happy Gotcha Day 2011!!!!

2011-08-03T06:52:00.000-07:00

August 2 is a very special day. Two years ago in Nanchang, China we met Julianna for the first time. It was such a wonderful day!! Here is a few taken in China two years ago, and some taken August 2, 2011. We had a fun day at the beach!!

Meeting Josh and Lily

2011-07-19T07:41:00.000-07:00

This year, CCAI, is holding their annual Adopteen Conference here in our area!! All weeklong, 50+ teens from across the country will be here doing fun things. (There was only one teen boy!! and he is a cutie!!)

The highlight for me, though, was meeting Joshua and Lily, the Chinese couple who founded our agency. I had been waiting for this opportunity for months to get a picture with them, and have Lily sign her book for Julianna. Julianna looks less than thrilled here in this picture, she is doing her shy smile though. She did let Joshua hold her, but wanted Caroline for the picture.

What a blessing this couple has been to so many families. They have helped thousands of Chinese children find homes. Their organization, CCAI, is amazing!!! I can not say enough good things about it. LOVE CCAI!!!!!!!! (Maybe one day I can use them again :)

Anniversary Time Again

2011-06-22T04:54:00.000-07:00

It has been two years now since we first saw sweet Julianna's face for the first time. I remember that Monday like it was yesterday. It was so hard waiting for the phone to ring, and then listening to the (few) details our agency had about our little girl. Then, running upstairs to the computer to see her cute picture for the first time. I remember rush of activity between June 22 and our departure date of July 29. Researching her orphanage, sending a package to her in the mail, final documents to gather and sign, phone calls from our agency with travel information, gathering the final money needed (looking over those crisp bills), packing and repacking. I could go on and on, but I am sure all of you in our group remember it too like yesterday.

Enjoy today. We will be doing exactly what Caroline and I did two years ago - we are going to the beach for the day. I plan to have a wonderful fun-filled day with my girls today!!! I love them so much!!!!!

A Disney Dream Vacation

2011-05-12T08:49:00.000-07:00

We are home now, but we were at Disney from May 3 thru the 10th. We had a fantastic time. I took the girls down a few days ahead of Gary. Then, Georgette's gang met up with us on Wednesday, and Gary arrived on Friday. The hotel was wonderful, the weather was perfect, and the relaxation time was fabulous. Julianna is now an expert Disney gal, and Caroline is my right-hand assistant. I could have stayed another 2 weeks!!!! One of our best trips yet!!!

Julianna and Jaden waited and were at the front of the line to met Buzz and Woody!

Toes

2011-05-12T08:47:00.000-07:00

How cute are these???

We were at the airport waiting to get on our flight to Disney and I just had to snap a picture of these cute toes.

Strawberry Time!!

2011-05-12T08:42:00.000-07:00

We all went to the strawberry patch to pick. Lots of fun!

Happy Easter 2011

2011-04-25T10:10:00.000-07:00

Caroline was the first up on Easter morning 6:15! She couldn't stand it for long, and she woke Julianna around 6:45. Julianna yelled, "WOW!" when she saw her goodies. We had a nice lunch and egg hunt at Teresa's house. Notice the little finger pointing to the "blue" egg in the cup. Blue is her color of choice!!!! She had to have her toes painted blue when she went with Caroline and I to the nail salon. She was so still and even kept her toes in the dryer the entire time. You would have thought she was 12 instead of 2 talking on my cell phone and reading a magazine while waiting for them to dry!! So wish I had my camera with me. No such luck!!

Spring Has Sprung!!

2011-04-25T10:02:00.000-07:00

We have been having beautiful weather here lately. We now have a new temporary pet (Caroline might think differently on this one, though). He is the little guy Caroline is holding in her hand. I saved him from certain road death.

We visited an interesting bunny farm last week. I was ready to bring one of them home with me. But, the thought of brushing that hair every day stopped me. We have been to the beach once already too. I can't wait to go every week!!

Its Been a While

2011-03-25T13:28:00.000-07:00

Hello Spring!!

It has been about 2 months since my last post. I can now report that Julianna is officially completely potty trained. (Well, night time is a different story. She still has accidents while sleeping, but when she is laying down to go to sleep she refuses to put on a pull-up. Only "big girl underpanties" for her now. I have to slide a pull-up on her once she is asleep!)

She is talking like crazy!! She is a motor mouth! She knows all her colors, letters, letter sounds, and identifies numbers 1 - 10. She still loves books. Each week when we go to storytime, I pick out at least 20 books to take home to read to her. She quickly picks "favorites of the week" and knows the books by title.

5th Grade is coming to an end for Caroline. We are actually finishing up a few things now. It is nice to have a few things done early in the Spring. I learned that trick a few years ago. We ease back into things early in Aug. and don't go into everything until Sept. That way we are done a bit early with some things.

We have been on a lot of cool field trips this year. We went to a blimp hanger this week (built in 1941 for WWII). Caroline enjoyed the art museum, and we drove to Richmond to visit the Confederate White House recently. (Julianna was a bit restless on this one, so Gary took her out and Caroline and I were given a great private tour of the house. Sometimes it pays to have a wiggly toddler!!) We have a turtle and bird migration trip down on the beach in a few weeks.

I am looking forward to Easter and our now annual Disney World trip on Mother's Day week. Can't wait to see our buds!! " Watch out Buzz, Woody, and Jessie - Here come Julianna and Jaden!!!!!!"

Somebody LOVES Puzzles!!

2011-01-24T18:42:00.000-08:00

Julianna loves to do puzzles and she is very good at them. We have a shelf in the school room with her things on it, and everyday she picks out stuff to do. Everyday, she does some type of puzzle. She likes Toy Story right now, and has a few puzzles with "Buzz" on them. I found a cute ABC puzzle on the dollar isle at Target, and we take that one to restaurants with us. I dug out some of Caroline's old puzzles, and she happily completes those too. I had a great find this weekend at Micheal's. They had the nice wooden 24 and 48 piece puzzles on sale for $1.49!!!! I stocked up!!!

My Big Girl Turns 11

2011-01-24T18:25:00.000-08:00

Caroline turned 11 on January 2. She wanted to redo her bedroom, so we started with new bedding for her birthday. She made a good choice after staring at a catelog for months!! It looks really pretty!!

Sisters

2011-01-08T18:30:00.000-08:00

I love the look on their faces. Caroline is showing Julianna the ornament Santa left for each of them. It says, "Sisters make the best friends", and it has there names written on it. Beautiful!!

Christmas Day 2010

2010-12-28T14:25:00.000-08:00

This was a very fun Christmas this year!! Julianna kept saying in the days up to Christmas that Santa was going to bring her "Blue" things (blue is her favorite color) and he would bring Caroline "Pink" things. (when she checked with Caroline though, Caroline corrected her to "Yellow" things)

Anyway, the first thing Julianna ran for was her new tricycle. She then proceeded to put her new blue dinosaur in the back of the bike. She is quite the pro at opening packages. Her favorite present seems to be the little kitchen.

Caroline loves her new Wii game and crafts. She was also glad to see the new scooter waiting for her. Lots of fun times!!! As we were driving home from Christmas dinner at my brothers, the snow was really starting to fall. It was so pretty - Just the beginning of the 12 inches to come.

More Snow Pictures

2010-12-27T09:07:00.001-08:00

Christmas Blizzard December 26, 2010

2010-12-27T08:44:00.000-08:00

We were hit with a lot of snow!! Most places measured around 12 inches. It started about 8 pm Christmas night and continued all day Dec. 26 and finally ended late at night. It is so pretty. Caroline is having a blast. Julianna likes it for a light while, but yesterday she said the was cold and wanted the house. Today it was easier to go out because it was not blowing, so she was able to stay out a bit longer. I took lots of pictures with my new camera.

Fun at Disney With Friends

2010-12-27T08:32:00.000-08:00

The first week of December we met up with Georgette and Jaden at Disney World. We stayed at the beautiful Kidani Village at Animal Kingdom Lodge. We had loads of fun, but it was cold!!! Lets just say I bought long underware to take with me because I have done Disney in the cold before and it isnt fun. Julianna likes the characters from Toy Story, so Buzz is a hit right now. Too bad the wait time to see him was 55 minutes!! We had to settle for looking at him from afar. The one picture of her is when she is showing me her Toy Story figures. The parades were a big hit with all 3 girls. I remember when Caroline was 3 and how much she loved the parades. I am so glad I get to experience all of the character fun again!!!

Dress Up Fun

2010-12-27T08:28:00.001-08:00

Julianna was having fun dressing up!!

Thanksgiving Day

2010-12-27T08:24:00.000-08:00

Just a pretty shot of the girls on Thanksgiving.

Happy Halloween 2010

2010-11-01T13:25:00.001-07:00

Caroline and Julianna had lots of fun trick or treating. We went to about 20 houses mostly on our street. Julianna really had fun and caught on fast with what to do. She was super cute standing there holding out her bag. It was quite heavy by the end of the night!

It's That Time of Year for Reese

2010-10-25T13:29:00.000-07:00

We have two mini dachshounds - Reese and Hershey. We joke and say that Hershey DID NOT get any of the true dachshound genes. He is not the barker, not a digger, and definitely NOT the hunter. Reese, on the other hand, is a textbook weenie.

So, every Fall, Reese begins his mole hunting. He gets on a scent, and he digs trenches around our backyard following these moles. He is very focused. I even avoid him when he is in this state. I think he would take my finger off if he thought I was coming too close. He has only been successful once. I hope he never catches up to another one, but it does give him a fun activity and us a great laugh!! Oh, right now, he is dead asleep in his bed after a hard days work ridding our yard of pests!

Getting Ready for Halloween

2010-10-25T13:19:00.000-07:00

I finally decided on the girls' Halloween costumes. Of coarse, Caroline gets to pick, but once she settled on using her witch costume again I thought maybe Julianna could be a cute black cat. Well, she didn't like the cat costume when I tried it on her in the store. Caroline found a very cute little witch costume at Cracker Barrel, so that is what we went with this year. Turns out, Julianna really, really likes the hat!!

The Birthday Weekend

2010-10-25T13:11:00.000-07:00

Beautiful weather for both Julianna and Allie to celebrate their 2nd birthdays!!! We are so lucky to live so close to each other!

Look Who's Two!!!

2010-10-08T19:49:00.000-07:00

So hard to believe Julianna is already two!!! Her birthday was Wednesday, and we gave her a train table. We met up with Tara and Allie to see the Sesame Street show. Julianna really liked it. At one point, she got down out of my lap and was ready to walk right up to the stage to see Elmo. We took the girls to the mall for lunch afterwards, and they had fun running and screaming in the play area. They get to play together for the next 2 days - Julianna's party is Saturday, and Allie's on Sunday. So much party fun!!!!!

Cute Fall Pictures

2010-10-08T19:45:00.001-07:00

Here are a few good pictures from September.

ELMO

2010-09-10T04:52:00.000-07:00

Julianna really loves Elmo. It is nice we get to see the characters at Busch Gardens. As a surprise, I am taking the girls to the Elmo show next month. (You may think Caroline will not be so thrilled, but trust me, it is a day off from school, so she will love it!) Julianna birthday party will be the next day, and you guessed it, Elmo themed!!!

The Busy Days of Summer

2010-09-10T04:39:00.000-07:00

Sorry for the lack of posts. This summer has been busy. We stayed busy going to the beach, Busch Gardens, WaterCountry, the zoo, and even got in a quick trip to Florida.

Now, that it is September, maybe we will get back to some type of schedule. We are back into Caroline's swim team. She also has chinese school and a sewing class beginning soon. Julianna will have story time.

Julianna will be 2 in one month. Wow! that is hard to believe. I can really say, "Where did the time go?" She is super cute!! She is talking a bit more, loves to do what Caroline is doing, lets me put her hair is pig tails, and loves the alphabet. She has learned several letters and their sounds already!!! Oh, and she also LOVES her boots. See the picture below.

We had a great time at the Animal Kingdom Lodge ( although too short of a time thanks to no show Earl!) Julianna loved seeing the animals from our balcony. She had fun at SeaWorld and Aquatica. She really is a great traveler. Both my girls are good at traveling. Caroline is such a great help and has traveled to Florida many times. She is a pro!!! The only time Julianna had a fit was when I had to pull her off the carousel at SeaWorld. She would stay on one of those all day if she could!

Today... One Year Ago

2010-08-14T09:55:00.000-07:00

We were on a very LONG flight home with our sweet Julianna. She only had about 1 hour of unhappiness on the entire 15 hour flight!!! It was soooo good to get home!!

One Year Anniversary

2010-08-02T19:25:00.000-07:00

One year ago today on August 2, little Guo Dan Fen was placed in my arms. She was a tiny, sick, scared, crying, hot little baby. I remember thinking she felt so hot. The ride to our hotel must have been so traumatic for her. The orphanage worker told our guide she had just gotten car sick. I remember thinking I didn't want to do anything that would upset her more.

Since she was one of the last babies to arrive, it wasn' t long after we got her that I remember our guide saying, "Babies are hungary. Take babies to your rooms and feed them." Such an unusual feeling. Here we are, we were just given a baby, and now she's ours and we just go back to our rooms with her. No big fanfare - the baby is now yours. WOW!!!!

I tried to feed Julianna a bottle. I did not have the opening in the nipple right, so she got only a bit. She fell asleep fairly quickly and slept through the night for the most part. She was sick, exhausted, and I think she wanted to sleep hoping we would not be there when she woke up.

She slept a lot over the next 2 days. I think it was the combination of being sick and scared.

Each day was better, though.

Now, one year later, we have a beautiful, smart, happy little girl. I thank God, and China for giving us such a wonderful gift.

Enjoy the pictures. Some are from last year, and the pictures from today show her eating her Chinese food dinner. She LOVES egg drop soup!!

A Fun Day

2010-08-01T17:56:00.000-07:00

Today, to celebrate our one year gotcha day, we did some fun family things. We started the day off bright and early leaving at 8 am for Watercountry USA. It was a cloudy, cool day, so we did a few fun things. Then, jumped in the van and headed over to Busch Gardens for the afternoon.
Both girls had lots of fun. Caroline and Gary got to ride 2 BIG rollercoasters, and Julianna was happy to meet Elmo and Cookie Monster. I think for her though, "driving" the lady bug car round and round in the circle was the hit of the day!!! I have no pictures because I didn't plan on needing a camera at the water park. We did have a family pic taken at the beginning of the park and it is actually a very good shot of all of us!! I had to capture our 1 year anniversary some way.

One Year Ago

2010-08-01T17:49:00.000-07:00

All this weekend I have been saying,"We were doing this one year ago..." I remember waiting in the Newark Airport for 8 hours just to get on our flight to Hong Kong. and Oh, that horrible flight. Caroline was so sick. We only had about 4 hours of sleep then off we go to Hong Kong Disney!! Here are a few pictures from those special days. I would do it all over again in a heart beat!!!!!

A Fun Filled Reunion

2010-07-28T19:25:00.001-07:00

We had a blast at our one year reunion. (The hotel alone will leave memories for all of us. LOL) We met up with 6 other families in Ohio for a few days. We had fun at a big aquarium and a fabulous children's museum. Way to go, Georgette for planning it all. I can't wait for next year!!

Not Hairbows, But Headbands

2010-06-21T11:05:00.000-07:00

Remember how I said Julianna would not keep hairbows in her hair?? Well, about 3 weeks ago, I successfully put two ponytails in her hair!!! The ponytails remained in place for the ENTIRE afternoon!! I literally thought I had another Chinese baby because she looked soooo different!! She was so super cute, and she looked much older too. (don't want to rush that, though.)

Well, that concept did not last more than 2 days. Yep, she takes them out. About 10 days ago, I had her hair cut. It was much needed, and looks so good. So, pigtails will have to wait again.

Julianna may not like hairbows, but she LOVES headbands!!! Yes, she goes around the house wearing Caroline's headbands. She finds them and puts them in her self. Check out the pics to see.

Also, note the crazy, cheesy grin I now get from her when I go to take her picture!! Too funny!!!!

One Year Ago...

2010-06-21T10:57:00.000-07:00

It was one year ago (actually tomorrow is the exact date, but I think of the day as being on a Monday) we received our first picture of Julianna. It was such an exciting time. Caroline and I had quickly gone to get some baby girl balloons to have for our mailbox, Gary had just made it home in time for the phone to ring. Oh, and I can't forget Georgette calling me during "our call". I remember saying to Beth from CCAI, "Oh my gosh, it's Georgette. I can't believe she is calling during "my call". LOL

Here is the picture of Julianna from one year ago and pictures of her today. Love that baby to pieces!!!

Fun With Friends

2010-05-26T07:34:00.000-07:00

Wow!! We have sure had fun these last 5 days. Our good, good friends, Rusty and Georgette and little Jaden came from Ohio to stay with us. This trip had been planned since we were in China together!!! Georgette and I found each other on the internet at the beginning of our 4 year wait and we have talked ever since.

We had a cook- in (because it rained on our cookout on Sunday)at our house, and we were able to see Allie and Julianne. We visited Colonial Williamsburg and the Outer Banks.

We ate some good food along the way!!

We will see them again in July at our travel reunion in Ohio. I can't wait!!

A Great Mother's Day Tradition

2010-05-13T18:44:00.000-07:00

Last Mother's Day, I remember being down because of referrals being delayed by the Swine Flu. No one knew when the next batch would come out. It was horrible - living each day wondering if the CCAA would mail the referrals and what date they would get to. We were so close, yet still sooooo far away.

At the last minute, I planned a quick 4 day "girls" only trip to my favorite place - Disney World. It was just Caroline and I, and we had a fantastic time. I remember thinking how nice it was to escape the internet and "Rumor Queen" for a while. It was also nice to do something special with just Caroline before the baby came home. While there, we discovered Mother's Day weekend was the perfect time to visit the "World" - nice weather, not too hot, no crowds.

Fast forward to this year, and here we go again. Only this time, we had a 19 month old with us. My sister and niece came along for the fun and we had a blast!!!

Julianna really liked the parade, didn't want to get off of the Dumbo ride, and loved floating around the lazy river with me. The look on her face when she saw Mickey on top of the parade float was priceless. Oh, and Caroline and I were able to get in a few rides on the Rock and Roller Coaster!! Great Trip!!!!

I think we have a great tradition going on!!!

YUMMY!!!!!

2010-05-07T04:24:00.000-07:00

I love the month of May!! Strawberries are ready and we went to the field on Sunday. Julianna went right to picking ( and eating!!!!!) She was so cute. She would push the bush back, grab one, pick it, and take a bite. She wanted to take bites out of every berry she had in her basket.

Beautiful Day at Busch Gardens

2010-05-07T04:17:00.000-07:00

A few weekends ago, we went to Busch Gardens. The weather was beautiful, and the crowd was light!! Caroline was able to walk on the roller coasters with Gary. ( Notice I said Gary and not me. These are the really BIG rollercoasters, not like the ones at Disney. I don't DO the coasters at Busch Gardens - EVER!!)

Julianna had a great time. I think she is going to be a big rider just like Caroline. She didn't want to get off the rides she rode. Luckily, because there were so few people there, the ride attendants let us stay on for a second ride.

Hair Bows

2010-04-09T11:32:00.001-07:00

I love baby hair bows. I bought a lot while waiting for Julianna. She wore them when we first got her, but now, she pulls them out. She loves to play "hair bows". This is when she drags out the hair bow box and we sit and put them in her hair. She smiles and waits for me to say how pretty she is, she admires it in the mirror, then yank - out it comes.

One day this week, she actually kept a bow in for about 20 minutes. This was also with sunglasses on. This was a big deal!! Caroline and I actually have to spell the words so Julianna doesn't get any ideas about pulling it out.

"May I have some of that PLEASE?"

2010-04-09T11:26:00.000-07:00

Nice weather and we were sitting on the front porch. Caroline was reading and then decided to get a cool pop. Julianna had to have some too. She started out sitting beside Caroline. Then, she slid right into her lap to be a bit closer to the good stuff.

Easter Morning

2010-04-06T17:51:00.000-07:00

Here's a few pictures from Easter Morning!!

I especially like the one of Julianna looking at her lamb. So sweet!! She really does love all animals - stuffed or real. (Wonder where she gets that from??)

Egg Hunt Time

2010-04-02T18:09:00.001-07:00

Julianna went to her first egg hunt today. She knew exactly what to do. She headed out into the field carrying her little bucket. She was happy to pick up the first eggs she saw and drop them into the basket. Except this was a special egg hunt. Each parent brought 12 filled eggs for their child and the eggs were LABELED with the kid's name. Julianna didn't care. She picked up all she saw. It was MY job to casually toss all the eggs BACK out that were not labeled for her. She ended up with 2 of her own. Thank goodness the big kids also picked up hers!!

Having Fun at Gymboree

2010-04-02T18:02:00.001-07:00

I've started taking Julianna to a Gymboree play class once a week. She loves it!!! When you ask her if she wants to go she makes her "Yes!" sound. She is not quite saying yes or no yet, but she sure has her own sound for either. For no, she shakes her head no and adds a certain squeal to it. You can ask her anything and get a yes or no answer.

Anyway, back to Gymboree. She loves the music, the slides, and the bubbles!!

New Panda PJ's

2010-03-14T18:36:00.000-07:00

I found these cute panda pj's at Babies R Us. So Cute!!

Dancing to the Music

2010-03-14T18:30:00.000-07:00

Julianna loves to dance. She turns her CD player on, and she loves to press the button on her fridge farm music. You can often see her standing in the kitchen swaying to the tune of "Old MacDonald". We love the fridge toy (thanks Georgette for telling us about this cute thing). The only downfall is that we find animal "behinds" all over the house.

Warm Weather Means a Trip to the Zoo

2010-03-14T18:18:00.000-07:00

We had some nice weather this past week. After Julianna woke up from her nap on Wednesday, we hopped in the van and drove to the zoo. It was Julianna's 2nd trip, so she remembered seeing some of the things there. She likes to ride the train and see the barnyard animals. I think she liked the pig the best!! ( I wonder where she got that from) There is one pig there that really reminds us of Ziggy. This pig is a bit bigger than Zig was, but still that same potbellied way. He comes to us when we call him over.

Finally... A Nice Day to Play

2010-03-01T13:17:00.000-08:00

We finally had a good day to be outside. This has really been a long, cold winter. The girls had fun in the backyard. Julianna has really taken to the slide. Caroline gave her a ride in the wheelbarrow too.

Happy Chinese New Year!!!

2010-02-23T12:24:00.000-08:00

It's the year of the Tiger. We had fun at our local FCC Chinese New Year party. We have been to this event every year while waiting for Julianna. This year she was finally with us!! We met the Winslow's for lunch at P. F. Chang's and then walked over to the party. Julianna had a good time!!

Six Months Ago Today

2010-02-02T17:45:00.000-08:00

Six months ago today, Julianna came to our family. It's hard to believe it has been six whole months! In one way, it feels like it was just yesterday that we were standing in a conference room with 11 other families waiting our turn to get our baby. How amazing to be with so many other families and witness so many "births". So emotional. I have such strong feelings and memories of that day in the Jeng Feng Hotel in Nanchang, Jiangxi, China. In another way, it feels like Julianna has always been with us. She is such a blessing. We love her so much.

Look at the difference six months can make.

More Snow Pictures

2010-02-01T09:55:00.000-08:00

I was not prepared. I had no boots for the babe. Oh well, she wasn't too impressed with it anyway. We went out walking on Saturday while it was snowing. Then, on Sunday, we put her down in the front yard to play with Caroline.

SNOW

2010-01-30T19:07:00.001-08:00

We had about six inches of snow today!! Caroline played in it ALL day long!! Enjoy the new pictures. I didn't have any snow boots for Julianna, so Gary carried her on our walk. She liked tasting it. Hershey and Reese liked the snow, but they came in covered with snow balls all over their legs and belly. This is Hershey galloping in the backyard.

More Cuteness

2010-01-30T18:42:00.000-08:00

I wanted to add some more cute pictures!! I am loving her hair. Notice how much it has grown out and changed. Soooo cute!! In the 2nd picture, she is showing you her panda on her shirt. She is ready to go swimming at the Y with Caroline in the next shot. The funny one with her yelling was when she was calling for the cat.

What's Going On With Us

2010-01-20T18:28:00.000-08:00

Well, it has been a long time since my last post. I really wasn't sure I would post anymore. I figured I talked to everyone that could possibly be interested. But, after hearing from a few of you, apparently I was WRONG!!! So, here I go...

We we have been busy. But it is always a good busy. The Fall was fun with Julianna's first Halloween. Thanksgiving quickly came around and we had a great big family meal at a beautiful beach house in Nags Head. December always seems to fly by. Not only were we doing all the fun Christmas things, but we also went to Disney for 5 days right before Christmas. It was a lot of fun!!! ( As always)

January has included Caroline's 10th birthday, a run in with a nasty (and I mean Nasty) stomach bug. You don't want all the details,but the only one of us to escape it was Gary.

We are back into a school routine with swim practice, art class, and chinese school.

Julianna is enjoying the Y pool with Caroline and I. She is walking and saying a few things. She says Ma-Ma, Da-Da, duck, night-night, and Ho, Ho, Ho. She has her own sound for drink, and food. She loves her food!!!! She is a great eater. She had her 15 month appt. last week. She is 20.8 lbs (25th percentile) and 29.6 inches (also 25th percentile). Her doctor is very pleased with her progress.

I wanted to just post some random thoughts on Julianna:

*I love the way she rubs her fingers together to "call" the kitty.

*I love the way she usually kicks back in her highchair and props one of her feet up on the tray.

*I love the way she kisses with an open mouth.

*I love the way she crawls over and takes the bone from the dogs.

*when I am sitting cross legged on the floor with her, I love how she plops down in my lap and expects a book to be read to her. Don't even try to get up when she wants to read a book. She absolutely loves books. They are her favorite thing!!

*I love how she takes her CD out of the player to change it to her "dance" music.

*I love how she holds her hands up to be picked up to dance.

*I love how she waves hi to Caroline all the time. She loves her so much.

*I love how she says, "UMMMMMM" when she wants food.

* I love how she goes, "AHHHHH" after she has a drink.

* I love how she always smiles and giggles when she walks to me.

*I love how when she hears music in a store, she starts bobbing her body to the music.

*I love how she will stick out her tongue when you ask her to show you.

* I love a little naked bum-bum standing up in a bathtub!!!!!

We have had Julianna for over 5 months now. The time has flown by!!

3 Months With Julianna

2009-11-02T17:16:00.000-08:00

It was 3 months ago on Sunday, August 2 that Julianna was placed in my arms. It is amazing how much she has grown and changed in 3 short months. She was 15 lbs. in China and she had such a bad cold. Now, she is healthy and weighs 19 lbs. She is crawling everywhere and pulling up on anything. She is relaxed and happy.

Sometimes I sit and think "Wow, did we really go half way around the world just a short time ago and have a wonderful baby given to us?" It all seems a bit surreal to think of 12 families all waiting in a conference room in a downtown hotel in Nanchang, Jiangxi China and someone walks in and gives you a baby!!!!! We are so blessed!!

It is true what they say, time does fly when you are having fun!! These 3 months have gone by so fast. I am loving every minute of it!!

Enjoy the Halloween pictures. Caroline was a butterfly and Julianna was a caterpillar!!

Fun With Friends

2009-10-10T18:01:00.000-07:00

This week we had the chance to meet up with a travel buddy at Chuck E. Cheese. This is a very special travel friend because this family lives only about 45 minutes from us, used the same agency as us, and they were logged in the same day as us. ( oh those many years ago). In the adoption world, this is truly amazing. Anyway, I remember us saying to each other 4 years ago that our babies would probably be from the same orphanage because of all our similarities. That prediction came true.

Julianna and Allie lived together in the same room at the same orphanage for the first 9 months of their lives. They were born just 6 days apart. It is a very special friendship.

The girls had a good time riding the little rides, seeing the singing characters, and just seeing each other. It was so sweet to see both of them so happy and thriving.

Somebody Turned One!!!!

2009-10-08T17:44:00.000-07:00

Julianna turned one year old on Tuesday!! We had a small party, and she loves her new toys.

She is doing so much. She crawls every where, she pulls up on anything, and she stands alone for a few seconds. She has been teething alot lately, and I have the bruises on my right shoulder to prove it.

It just amazes me how much she has changed in the two months she has been with us. She has just blossomed. She loves the pets and Caroline. It cracks me up to see her sitting in her highchair every morning beside Caroline. They watch cartoons together!!! and I mean she really watches them. If I am in her way trying to feed her, she will lean out of the way to look around me! She loves Sid the Science Kid!!

Here are a few pictures of the last few weeks. Be sure to check her out in the birthday hat.

New Pictures

2009-09-28T16:59:00.000-07:00

Julianna has been with us for 8 weeks now. She is such a sweet little baby!! She is always happy. She sleeps well, and she is eating great. She has gained 4 pounds in the two months home. I said the other day that I think the memory of the horrible 15 hour flight has now left my memory. I could truly do another China adoption if it were not for the fact that the wait is now 7 + years. Hmmmm???

Life is good!!!!

Hello to all our travel buddies out there. We miss you.

Enjoy the pictures.

Been Home 2 1/2 Weeks

2009-09-02T18:12:00.000-07:00

Hi to everyone!! I know I am bad at posting. Mainly because I talk to all that I think would want to see the blog anyway. But, I know a few of you still check for pictures (mainly you, Georgette!!!) So, here are some new pictures of our happy baby. Julianna is doing really well. She is such a sweet, happy girl. It is hard to believe we have been home with her for 2 1/2 weeks. Things are starting to settle into a routine. Caroline and I play with her all day. It is so much fun. Caroline is the best big sister. She is so much help, and she just loves the baby so much. Life is exactly how I wanted it for so long! Enjoy the pictures.

Home and New Pictures

2009-08-19T11:50:00.001-07:00

Things are settling in for us here at home. Here are a few pictures from this week. She is such a happy baby!!!

2009-08-18T18:05:00.000-07:00

HOME IN THE USA

2009-08-16T19:10:00.000-07:00

Hi All!
I just wanted to quickly update the blog to let everyone know we made it home safely. We have been home now exactly 24 hours, and all things considered, we are doing ok.
The long flights to and from China are just killer!!!! There is now other way around it, the flights are baddddddddd!!! I guess once you survive that, you can survive anything!!
We are adjusting to US time, and Julianna is doing great. I am trying to shake the worst cold/sinus infection ever. I will post new pictures later.

We are doing great!!!

2009-08-10T17:12:00.000-07:00

Hi from Guangzhou!!!

I have to apologize for not posting much on this blog. I have been communicating the most through emails to my sister and cousin. It is a bit hard for me to post to the blog and I find it even harder when I can view the blog to see what I have said in the past.

So, a quick update. We are all doing great!!! No one is sick. Julianna has an ear infection that was found yesterday at her medical exam. She now has an antibiotic. I know she had the ear thing last week when her cold was so bad, but anyway, she has some medicine now.

You never would have know she felt bad. She is all smiles and laughs. She drinks a ton of her formula with rice cereal. Usually she wants 2 8 oz. bottles each time.

She loves Caroline!!!!! Caroline is her personal fetcher when she throws her toys.

She loves her bath time now. She has even kicked in the pool her at the White Swan.

I am doing some shopping which is fun. Today will be a busy day with the Pearl Market and a dinner cruise.

I have not really been homesick like I thought I would. I think the 2 weeks has gone by really fast. We will be home on Saturday.

Have fun looking at the pictures.

We are in Guangzhou!!!

2009-08-08T06:33:00.001-07:00

Hi All!!!!

Just a quick post to let everyone know we have made it to the next part of our journey.

We left Nanchang, Jiangxi today at noon and took a short flight to Guangzhou. It is here that we will spend the next week finishing up the paperwork to bring Julianna home. We already have her passport. We will get her visa in this city.

We are having a fantastic trip!!! I am surprising myself by not being home sick. Julianna is doing great. She is really opening up to us. She is all smiles and laughs. She loves Caroline, and she already has her playing fetch with her toys she throws down.

This trip is so organized and everything is so easy.

As I type this, both girls are asleep on the king sized bed, and I am looking out our window to the beautiful Pearl River.

Here are a few pictures over the las few days.

China Day 5

2009-08-03T16:55:00.001-07:00

Hello, we are in Nanchang, Jiangxi. We arrived her on Sunday afternoon. We just had time to check in to our rooms and go to a meeting room to hear instructions from our guide, Evelyn. She told us to bring everything - cameras, camcorders because the babies were due to arrive at 5 pm, but they may show up early.

What a crazy feeling to be sitting in a room glancing out the door to see if any babies are there.

The first two babies arrived and it was so sweet to be able to watch it all happen. It really was not how I expected. The babies came from 3 different orphanages, so they all arrived at different times.

Wouldn't you know, we would have to wait to the last for ours to arrive. Caroline was watching and waiting looking out the front window from the second floor where we were.

Finally, they got there. She was dressed in a yellow split pant outfit. Only one layer of clothes. Thank goodness because she was sweating so much. They told me she had been car sick.

She cried just a little when I took her. She is so sweet and pretty. I love her eyes.

She had a pretty restful first night with us. Monday was a busy day with paperwork appointments and a trip to Walmart. We had Pizza Hut pizza for dinner.

Caroline is finally feeling herself again. It has taken 4 days to be back to normal. Jet lag and motion sickness stink.

Here are a few pictures of our first days with Julianna. We love her so much!!

"Toto, I don't think we are in Kansas anymore"

2009-08-01T14:02:00.001-07:00

I hope this post makes it to our blog. When I try to access blogger here, it only comes up in Chinese!!

We are all fine and adjusting to everything. The time change and motion sickness kicked our butts yesterday, but I think we are on the mend. Caroline was able to get a good 9 hours of sleep, and she is feeling much better!!

Our big international flight was delayed by 7 hours, so we arrived in Hong Kong at 2 am their time.

We ventured out yesterday with the Winslows to Hong Kong Disneyland. It is much smaller than ours, but still fun. The parade was a hit with Caroline. They sprayed water from every float.

The trip is very organized everything is taken care of for us. As Gary says, "How could anything go wrong? We are doing the same things 18 other families are doing."

Today, we fly with all the others to Jiangxi to get the babies in the afternoon. Wish us luck!!!

The Spruill's have arrived in Hong Kong!!

2009-08-01T13:35:00.000-07:00

Hey, We made it into Hong Kong after traveling on the"flight from Hell". 15 hours is crazy!!!!!!!!!!!! I managed not to open the plane door and take my chances by parachuting out!! LOL
We all got some sleep on the plane. Gary probably the most, then Caroline then me last. Lots of kids on the flight were air sick including Caroline. That made me feel terrible.
Once we got to the airport things were better and easier. Customs easy, luggage easy (and it all arrived) we found our guide easily and the ride to the hotel was easy. All 3 families were in a tour van. We didn't even have to waste time and energy checking in to the hotel. Our guide had done that for us and had the room keys ready.
We crawled into bed around 4:30 am here and slept for about 3 more hours. I think my body is still on your time. We still plan to go to Disney today with Tara's family and call it an early night tonight. We take a short flight tomorrow to where the babies are and get them in the afternoon. I hope it is not too stressful tomorrow.
I will try to call home today, but I am not sure the cellphone will work.
I miss the pets alot and I can tell Caroline does too. I haven't tried to post to the blog yet. This is the first thing I got to.
I'll email again later.
Love, Lanie

This is a Test!!

2009-07-24T14:04:00.001-07:00

This is a test to see if I can post to my blog through my email. Here is a cute picture of Julianna!!!

Our Itinerary

2009-07-23T18:16:00.000-07:00

Well, with flights booked and hotel reservations made, we now know our schedule for the trip.
We leave on July 30 and get into Hong Kong on the night of the 31st. ( Don't forget, they are 12 hours ahead of us)
-Aug. 1 - Hong Kong Disney
-Aug. 2 - fly to Jiangxi Province and get Julianna that afternoon
- Aug. 3 - paper work
- Aug. 4 - Rest or city tour
- Aug. 5 - waiting on paperwork to be completed
- Aug. 6 - Get paperwork back
- Aug. 7 - Get Julianna's passport
- Aug. 8 -Leave Nanchang, Jiangxi for Guangzhou on China Eastern Flight
- Aug. 9 - Free time
- Aug. 10 - baby's physical and visa photo taken
- Aug. 11 - more paperwork
- Aug. 12 - Consulate appointment
- Aug. 13 - Go to Consulate and take oath
- Aug. 14 - Leave Guangzhou for Hong kong
- Aug. 15 - Fly home!!!!!

So, after 17 days, 4 hotels, 4 cities, and a total of 7 airplane flights, we will be home!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Showered With Love

2009-07-23T05:10:00.000-07:00

Julianna is all set!! I can't think of anything more we could need or want. My sister and niece gave me a fantastic Chinese themed shower on Saturday. Everything was so pretty - from the Asian decorations and food to the pretty cake. We got a beautiful stroller, high chair, and money for the car seat along with clothes, toys, and even a wagon. I bet you can guess that Caroline likes the wagon the best! We spent the night and Sunday taking everything out of the packages and getting it all ready. Caroline washed up all the bottles, cups, and plates. I think she is ready for her real live baby doll.

Flights Are Booked

2009-07-23T03:58:00.000-07:00

This has been a CRAZY week! We were told of our Consulate appointment date, so we were able to book our international flights. You talk about crazy. One minute I was about to book a flight for $4,000.00 then 5 seconds later the prize jumped to over 10,000.00!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Two of my friends were able to get the good price for the flight and I was left in the cold. You talk about stress. I couldn't find a flight much less one at a good price. Then, Tara came to my rescue. She helped me find a good one on Continental and now its a done deal.
We leave Norfolk on Thursday, July 30th and get home on August 15th. Oh, and you know what, we are flying with Georgette and Tara on the flight over to Hong Kong.

TA's Have Arrived!!!!

2009-07-17T19:15:00.000-07:00

Caroline and I went to the beach today with some friends. When we got home, Georgette was on our answering machine. She said, "Oh my gosh, why aren't you ever home when important things happen???" ( I wasn't home yesterday when we all got updated pictures.) So, I knew TA's had arrived!!!!
TA's are travel approvals issued by China. So, CCAI faxed the consulate and requested consulate appointments for all of us. We will know our consulate date early next week, and then we can book our flights. It looks like we will leave on July 29 and be home Aug. 12. can you believe it?????? We will be leaving for CHINA in less than 2 weeks - 12 days to be exact!! We will probably get Julianna on Sunday, Aug. 2. Oh my gosh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Here Is Julianna

2009-07-17T03:59:00.000-07:00

We received some great new pictures yesterday from our Agency! The pictures were taken June 23, 2009, so she was 8 1/2 months old. I just love her hair!! I think she already needs a haircut!

When will we go??

2009-07-17T03:55:00.000-07:00

Our agency called yesterday. They wanted to go over all the important information to make sure everything was in order. They gave us 2 possible dates we may leave. We could go on Wednesday, July 29 and return Wed. August 12 or leave Wednesday, August 5 and return Wednesday, August 20. We will take the first dates, please!!!!!! We will know for sure very soon.

We Have Our Visas!!

2009-07-17T03:50:00.000-07:00

One of the last things we needed to do for travel was visas. In addition to a passport, you also need a visa to enter China. Who Knew?? Anyway, thanks to Carol and Dependable Adoption Services, we were able to get all 3 visas quickly. I just mailed her our applications, passports, and fees, and she hand delivered everything to the Chinese Embassy in Washingtion, D.C. All 3 passports came back to me in the mail yesterday. So, what is a visa?? A pretty, fancy sticker attached inside our passports, of course!! Now, we can officially travel to China!!!

An Updated Picture!!!!!

2009-07-11T15:31:00.000-07:00

I have an updated picture of Julianna!! ( Actually I have 4 with her in it.) A family posted to our orphanage yahoo group that they had just returned from China, and they had the opportunity to visit the orphanage. I just knew she had to have a picture of Julianna. I waited all week for this family to return home and to post pictures. Here she is!! She is in the pink walker, and she has just turned 9 months old!!! She looks so sweet! The baby next to her is Allie Grace. Allie is going to be adopted by my friends who live about an hour from us. We have the same agency and will travel together. You can check out their blog listed under my favorites.

A Busy Two Weeks

2009-07-03T18:26:00.000-07:00

Wow! It's hard to believe, but on Monday it will be two weeks since we got the call about Julianna. A lot has happened in the two weeks. First, we received a travel packet of documents from our agency. Have I said how wonderful our agency is??? Our agency is fantastic!!!!! Everything we have to do is completely explained. CCAI makes it so easy for us!! We had to sign, date, and notarize 5 documents, get a cashiers check and Fedex everything back ASAP. We had to start working on getting our Visas for the trip. Who knew you had to have passports and visas. We had to contact the National Visa Center to see if there was a record in China of our adoption case. Luckily, ours was there. I have heard stories of others not having a record of their case. Also this week, I gathered all our documents we have to carry with us to China.
Caroline and I also put together a care package for Julianna. We were given the address of her orphanage. We were able to send disposible cameras, a blanket, a toy, a teether, and a photo album wih pictures of us. Usually the Nannies will use the cameras and take pictures of the babies and give them back to the families. I hope we get them back.
Now, we are in the waiting mode again. Since or acceptance letter was sent to China, we have to wait for China to grant us Travel Approval (TA). Once we have TA, our agency will apply for our Consulate appointment. The Consulate will issue Julianna a visa to leave China. Once we have our Consulate appointment, our entire trip can be planned around this date. Lets hope we get TA soon!!!!!!!
Here are a few pictures. Caroline with the balloons we put on the mailbox, the flag hanging on our porch, and our care package. It should be in China by now!!

Another cute photo

2009-06-28T07:11:00.000-07:00

Here is one of the additional photos we received in our package of information on Tuesday, June 23. Can you believe the Fedex man actually delivered our package to the wrong house??!! Luckily, our neighbor was home, and she quickly brought it down to me. Julianna is 5 months old in this picture too. This one is my favorite!!

Here she is!!!!

2009-06-22T16:46:00.000-07:00

Introducing our new baby girl!
She is 8 1/2 months old. She is from Jiangxi Provence. Her birthdate is Oct. 6, 2008.
Her name is Guo, Dan Fen
Guo is her surname
Dan means red
Fen means fragrance
This referral picture was taken in March 2009 when she was 5 months old.
Her name will be Julianna. We have not decided on her middle name yet.

TODAY IS THE DAY!!!!!

2009-06-22T08:12:00.000-07:00

Today is the day we get the call!! Today we will find out her age, measurements, Chinese name, and where she is living. We are sooooo excited!!! Caroline and I just made a quick run to the Dollar Tree to buy pink balloons to tie on our mailbox. Gary is on his way home to be here for the phone call and to see her picture. I can't wait to hear what her Chinese name is because part of that we will use for her middle name. Julianna ?????. We will know soon.
Only about one more hour - I think that it is going to be one long, nervous hour!!

We will get the call on Monday!!

2009-06-19T11:48:00.001-07:00

Our agency just posted that they have received a group of matches. They will call us on Monday some time after 12 noon.
Wow!! Our file is matched with a baby and sitting on someone's desk in Colorado right now. It is weird to think that after 4 long years.

Waiting and waiting and...

2009-06-18T14:07:00.000-07:00

All set for the call!!

Camcorder ready - check!

List of questions ready and waiting by the telephone - check!

It is hard to believe the time is finally here.

What will happen next

2009-06-17T14:26:00.001-07:00

Once the referrals are mailed from China, our agency will receive them and then translate the information on that day. The next day someone from our agency will call us with the baby's basic information. We will find out her Chinese name, her birthdate, her measurements, and where she is living. Then, they will email us a picture.
Our agency will then overnight mail this package of info. to us.
We have our list of questions waiting beside the telephone, and the camcorder ready to record the famous phone call.

The stork is about to fly

2009-06-17T14:19:00.000-07:00

Our agency just posted a message on their website. It said that the next set of referrals has been completed by the CCAA (China Center of Adoption Affairs). Yes, you just read that correctly, referrals for this batch HAVE BEEN COMPLETED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
We are certainly in this batch because they have issued referrals for every one through March 14th. We are March 15th.!!!
Some where on the other side of the Earth, our file with our picture has been placed with a picture of a sweet little baby girl.
Now, we just need those files to be mailed. It could be in the mail right now or arrive at our agency by the end of the week.
Stay tuned!!!! Come on stork - fly!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Still waiting...

2009-06-09T17:38:00.000-07:00

It's June 9th, and we are still waiting for rumors of referrals.
Come on stork, lets get flying!!!!

and the cutoff is.....March 14th!!!!!

2009-05-21T09:34:00.000-07:00

The CCAA finally sent out referrals after a bit of a standstill apparently caused by the Swine Flu. I am sooooooo glad to finally see referrals!!!! I am excited to finally be able to say,"We are next!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" They have issued referrals to everyone who has a date through March 14. We are the 15th!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The next set of referrals could be sent out at the beginning of June ( which would put everything back on the normal schedule for referrals), or 1 month from now (around June 20), or they may be sent more near the beginning of July. No one knows for sure when we will get our referral, but we can finally say, WE ARE NEXT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Off to Disney (Again!!)

2009-05-21T09:23:00.000-07:00

First, this post should be dated about May 14, 2009. I often scan Southwest Airlines for good deals, and wouldn't ya know it, I found one!!! The great rate just happened to be over Mother's Day weekend too. So, this was the fastest Disney vacation I have ever planned. Caroline and I flew out Saturday, May 9 to Orlando. We had a fantastic time just the two of us. We stayed in a one-bedroom house at Disney's Old Key West for 3 nights. We had a blast at Animal Kingdom and MGM on Sunday. We loved Typhoon Lagoon on Monday especially because there were no lines. Of course, the Magic Kingdom was magical!!! What I learned is that I should have made the trip longer because there was absolutely no reason for us to come back home. No work and no school. We are basically done with school for this year. Yeah!!! I'll keep that in mind the next time I find a good rate!!
It was a nice trip and a nice diversion from all the talk about the swine flu. It seems the swine flu has delayed referrals from being issued at the beginning of this month (May 2009). Who knows how long this standstill will be.
Go away Swine Flu!!!!!!!

Duck tongue and fried starfish, anyone??

2009-03-08T12:59:00.000-07:00

I figured I needed to do a new post. They are now finished referring babies to people with log in dates through March 6,2006. That means, that we are now into single digits, folks!!
Yes, only 9 days until the CCAA is at our date of March 15th. And really, 2 of those dates are weekend days, so technically, only 7 more days until they reach us.
So, we could see a referral at the beginning of April. But, most likely at the beginning of May or June. Not much longer now.
Now, to the meaning of the blog title. Ever since seeing a documentary on the food of China, Caroline has wanted to try something exotic. Apparently, duck tongue and fried starfish made it to her list of things to try while in China. It has become a family joke. She will tell you that she thought the tongue looked tasty, and she really hopes to try it.
Well, foreign travelers to China are advised of several things. One is not to eat food from street vendors. This is where I thought you had to get the duck tongue. But, low and behold, I was reading a blog of a family currently in China to adopt their baby, and the dad mentioned that the hotel buffet did indeed, have duck tongue.
So, Caroline may get to have her duck tongue and eat it too!! I will definitely have pictures of the event.

Lots O' Luggage

2009-01-19T16:31:00.000-08:00

Yesterday, we went out and bought new luggage. Our old luggage was shot from many trips (mostly to Disney World), so we knew we were going to have to buy new.
How many pieces of luggage do you take to China? If you could see all the things I am gathering to take with us (did I forget the kitchen sink??), you would say that we need a lot of luggage!!
We ended up with 3 of the biggest pieces you can get (29 inch) plus 2 boarding bags. Those pieces along with one back pack for each of us should (hopefully) do it.
The weight limit for each piece is 44 lbs. I will be weighing them before we go!! Also, you are only allowed 1 checked piece on your in-China flights, so it makes sense to only take one piece to check each.
Now coming back, we will have one special extra person with us, so we can have more luggage coming home. Many families buy a cheap piece of luggage while in China for all the things they buy. You don't think that will be me do you??

The Room

2009-01-12T09:22:00.000-08:00

This weekend we worked on getting her room finished. Some people in this process quickly rushed to decorate a room at the beginning of the wait. We did not. The room has been a spare bedroom, a junk room, a cat storage room, and most recently a Christmas stuff room over the last 3 years.
A few months ago, we picked a new paint color and began to work. It is a pretty yellow. I had also been studying the Pottery Barn Kids catelogs for months to find a good matching color scheme.
Yesterday, it all came together. The room has the yellow walls, bright pink poka dot floor length curtains, and many other bright pink accents. It looks really pretty. The crib is up with 2 cute panda bears waiting in the corners.
Now, we will have to wait and see if she truly wants to sleep there. Ha Ha!!! It has been our experience in the past that babies would rather sleep snuggled up with mom in the "big bed". We will see on that one. We may just go ahead and purchase her double sized bed and have that in the room for us to camp out on.
Maybe soon I will learn how to post pictures to this site.
Stay tuned. It is getting closer.
Delaine

We are getting closer!!

2009-01-07T11:41:00.000-08:00

Hi, welcome to our blog. We created this blog so all of you could follow our trip to China. I hope to be able to send messages to this site while we are there.
This has been a long, long process. Longer than we ever thought it would be. When we began the process back in September 2005, the time frame was about 1year from start to finish. Then, China began a slowdown and here we are 3 years later.
But, we are finally getting closer!!!! China is now up to our month of March. Our log in date ( the day our paperwork was registered in China) is March 15, 2006.
China is now only 15 days from our date.
We now expect our referral (a baby picture along with her basic information) either the end of January, end of February or the end of March. My guess is at the end of February we will have it.
Travel is usually about 6 weeks after that!!
Stay tuned!!