The Chinese believe the harder the bed, the better the bed is for your back. Well, we will have the best backs in America when we return. Literallly when you flop down on these beds there is NO rebound. So the goal is to make ourselves as tired as possible, then we won’t have problems going to sleep. We will see how that theory plays out.
Mia is so cute. She laughs and smiles a lot now. She slept through the night last night until 7:15. Most all of the other babies do this already but because of the sickness it threw her schedule off. She doesn’t feed herself but hardly any of the babies do. We think they were taught not to put things in their mouth. But she likes to have something in each hand. Her favorite toys are the room card and a water bottle cap. She sits up very well but she can’t walk yet. We were also told they don’t put the babies down on the floor. So they haven’t even had a chance to learn to crawl.
Today was a good day with Mommy. I held her for a long time this morning while we toured a folk art museum (old, very hot temple) Then we went to a department store to get some groceries and things for the group. At one point I lost David when Mia and I went to get diapers. I finally found him in the middle of the store, laid out in a massage chair.($2,700) He was in heaven. I told him it could be his father’s day present but it just wouldn’t fit in the suitcase.
We had lunch at good Old McDonalds. (I’m lovin’ it!) Those French fries tasted sooo good. The food has really been good but it’s just not the same. Tonight we ordered food in with 2 other families and all had a good time letting the girls play. One of them can walk and she has one speed, full blast. Mia loves to watch her cruise around the room. Mia laughs out loud and smiles at her.
Finished up most of the paperwork today. We had a 2 hour paperwork party this afternoon with all the families and I think we’re done. Today’s work was for US Immigration. Our guides will file it all soon and we will wait for Mia’s Visa and the swearing in ceremony later in the week.
Sunday, June 19, 2005
Saturday, June 18, 2005
Up up and away
Mia’s first airplane ride was a piece of cake. She was asleep within the first 10 minutes after takeoff. We arrived safely in Guangzhou at the Dongfang Hotel. It is much nicer than the other 2 hotels we’ve stayed in so far. After checking in we all rested and then went to dinner with some of the group at a Japanese Hibachi restaurant. Let me tell you they have nothing on the H.B.Japanese steakhouse. The food was good but there was a lot less for the money.
We met up with the other half of our travel group and it was good to see all the babies and new parents here. There is one boy and 25 girls in the group.
Mia is doing much better and eats more and more every day. She really likes noodles and bananas. We had trouble getting her to take a bottle because her lips were cracked but she is now taking it fine. We also discovered she likes Ice Cream very much.
Darla M. Thanks for the pics of the kids. It’s fun to see what they’re doing.Emily - Glad to hear the gerbils are doing well….. It’s so hot can’t wait to get back and get in the pool.
We met up with the other half of our travel group and it was good to see all the babies and new parents here. There is one boy and 25 girls in the group.
Mia is doing much better and eats more and more every day. She really likes noodles and bananas. We had trouble getting her to take a bottle because her lips were cracked but she is now taking it fine. We also discovered she likes Ice Cream very much.
Darla M. Thanks for the pics of the kids. It’s fun to see what they’re doing.Emily - Glad to hear the gerbils are doing well….. It’s so hot can’t wait to get back and get in the pool.
Friday, June 17, 2005
Thursday, June 16, 2005
Happy Birthday Baby!!!!!!
Praise God from who all blessings flow….
Our girl is one year old today!!! We are so happy that she is feeling good. We went back to the hospital this morning and the doctor said she looks well. We have to continue her on some medicine for 2 months. She has already received her first birthday present, her Aunt Sherry, our guide, brought her a little silver cross necklace last night. I think she was just as worried about Mia in the hospital as we were Zane don’t worry we haven’t had cake yet. We will save the “smashing in the face” until we get home.
The traffic here is just unbelievable. If you want to GO, you just GO, doesn’t matter which direction. Driving here is definitely not for the faint of heart. We decided today that if Paw Paw came here he would have to be buried here, because it wouldn’t take long before he would just kill over. On the other hand, Grandpa would love it. It could also be categorized as an extreme sport. Especially if you’re trying to ride a bicycle.
This afternoon we get Mia’s passport and tomorrow morning we leave Nanchang for Guangzhou. It’s about a 50 minute plane ride.
I added some pictures from our trip to the Great wall on Sunday in an album.
http://www.kodakgallery.com/BrowsePhotos.jsp?&collid=811902995203&page=1&sort_order=0
I also have Today’s birthday pictures here.
http://www.kodakgallery.com/BrowsePhotos.jsp?&collid=843512995203
We really have lots of down time so I would love to hear from all of you!!! OK I especially have lots of down time, The official photographer, web-site updater and clothes washer would like to have contact with the USA...... David on the other hand is very busy feeding, diapering, rocking and just in general holding..... He is absolutley loving it. I keep finding different ways to console myself. My thought for a while was that it was only because of the fever. But now that it's gone things have only changed slightly.As you can see in the picture I was allowed to sit and play with Mia when David wasn't around. (It's really not that bad, we've had a good time joking and watching how all the babies have really bonded to one or the other parent) There have been about 4 out of 13 babies that prefer the father more. Our guide says it's possible she had a stronger bond with her foster father.
ABS ladies, hope you had a nice time last night at ladies night out…..I’m sure you missed me! =)
Our girl is one year old today!!! We are so happy that she is feeling good. We went back to the hospital this morning and the doctor said she looks well. We have to continue her on some medicine for 2 months. She has already received her first birthday present, her Aunt Sherry, our guide, brought her a little silver cross necklace last night. I think she was just as worried about Mia in the hospital as we were Zane don’t worry we haven’t had cake yet. We will save the “smashing in the face” until we get home.
The traffic here is just unbelievable. If you want to GO, you just GO, doesn’t matter which direction. Driving here is definitely not for the faint of heart. We decided today that if Paw Paw came here he would have to be buried here, because it wouldn’t take long before he would just kill over. On the other hand, Grandpa would love it. It could also be categorized as an extreme sport. Especially if you’re trying to ride a bicycle.
This afternoon we get Mia’s passport and tomorrow morning we leave Nanchang for Guangzhou. It’s about a 50 minute plane ride.
I added some pictures from our trip to the Great wall on Sunday in an album.
http://www.kodakgallery.com/BrowsePhotos.jsp?&collid=811902995203&page=1&sort_order=0
I also have Today’s birthday pictures here.
http://www.kodakgallery.com/BrowsePhotos.jsp?&collid=843512995203
We really have lots of down time so I would love to hear from all of you!!! OK I especially have lots of down time, The official photographer, web-site updater and clothes washer would like to have contact with the USA...... David on the other hand is very busy feeding, diapering, rocking and just in general holding..... He is absolutley loving it. I keep finding different ways to console myself. My thought for a while was that it was only because of the fever. But now that it's gone things have only changed slightly.As you can see in the picture I was allowed to sit and play with Mia when David wasn't around. (It's really not that bad, we've had a good time joking and watching how all the babies have really bonded to one or the other parent) There have been about 4 out of 13 babies that prefer the father more. Our guide says it's possible she had a stronger bond with her foster father.
ABS ladies, hope you had a nice time last night at ladies night out…..I’m sure you missed me! =)
Long Day
It was a very emotional and eventful day. We talked to our Dr at Texas Children’s last night and she advised us to take Mia to the hospital the next day. Her fever was still very high and she was not eating. Mostly sleeping all day. We were trying to find a source of the fever.
Our guide,Sherry, went with us to the hospital and helped us navigate all the red tape. There is no way we would have known what to do without her. After a few hours we were informed that she has a treatable disease know as Kawasaki disease. The doctor spoke very good English and was able to explain all the details to us. This is something that she contracted probably in the last 2 – 3 weeks. I have lots more info but will save it for later.
They treated her with a special IV for most of the day. We were allowed to take her back to the hotel tonight to sleep but we have to return to the hospital in the morning for them to check her. The IV worked wonders. About an hour and half into the IV she just came alive. The fever came down and she is just a new girl…
We are all so very relieved. There will be follow up for it when we return home but for now she is doing soooo much better.
We have no pictures today, I think you can understand why.Thanks to all of you who have emailed or left comments under the pictures. If you leave a comment as anonymous I do not know who said it unless you include your name in the message. I have not been able to send out any emails but I can read any that come in to my regular email account.
Our guide,Sherry, went with us to the hospital and helped us navigate all the red tape. There is no way we would have known what to do without her. After a few hours we were informed that she has a treatable disease know as Kawasaki disease. The doctor spoke very good English and was able to explain all the details to us. This is something that she contracted probably in the last 2 – 3 weeks. I have lots more info but will save it for later.
They treated her with a special IV for most of the day. We were allowed to take her back to the hotel tonight to sleep but we have to return to the hospital in the morning for them to check her. The IV worked wonders. About an hour and half into the IV she just came alive. The fever came down and she is just a new girl…
We are all so very relieved. There will be follow up for it when we return home but for now she is doing soooo much better.
We have no pictures today, I think you can understand why.Thanks to all of you who have emailed or left comments under the pictures. If you leave a comment as anonymous I do not know who said it unless you include your name in the message. I have not been able to send out any emails but I can read any that come in to my regular email account.
Wednesday, June 15, 2005
Better today
Mia seems to be feeling a little better today. She slept pretty well last night, only waking about 3 times. But the stretches in between were much longer than the previous night. She has eaten more today than we have seen her eat so far. She really likes a local favorite, congee. It seems to be very smushed rice cooked until it doesn't resemble rice any more. Then sometimes they add chicken, and you eat it warm. Her temperature has come way down but she still has a low grade temp and is still sleeping most of the time. We are hoping for a new day tomorrow.
We ordered a Pizza today from Pizza Hut. It was sooooo goood. We've both enjoyed the local dishes but the pizza was just wonderful. The best money we've spent on the trip so far.
I've added some pictures today. Before we came to China I sent a disposable camera to the orphange to ask them to take some pictures of Mia in her environment. We had hoped to get pictures of her with her foster famiy (they call it a First family) But we later learned that when sign the letter to accept the referral the babies are all taken back to the orphanage until the parents arrive. So she was there about 7 weeks. Well, when they handed us to her the camera didn't come so I assumed the package never cleared customs or they had not chosen to do what was asked. After all the babies were matched with their parents the orphange director stayed so the parents could ask him questions. We didn't have any specific questions and just asked if there was anything he would like to tell us and his assistant pulled out the camera. You would have thought David and I had won the lotto. We were so excited saying Thank you , thank you. Then they began conversing back and forth with our translator. I said," what are they saying" She said they are saying,"You are TOO excited"
Yesterday while we were at WalMart we had them developed through the one hour processing. I posted some of them on the link below. They are just pictures of pictures so not great quality. These are priceless to us and most of the babies in the group shots are in our group here.
We also learned from the director's assistant that Mia's foster parents were in their 50's and they had 3 children.(obviously before the policy) She said,"they loved her very much."
http://www.kodakgallery.com/BrowsePhotos.jsp?&collid=505702495203
We ordered a Pizza today from Pizza Hut. It was sooooo goood. We've both enjoyed the local dishes but the pizza was just wonderful. The best money we've spent on the trip so far.
I've added some pictures today. Before we came to China I sent a disposable camera to the orphange to ask them to take some pictures of Mia in her environment. We had hoped to get pictures of her with her foster famiy (they call it a First family) But we later learned that when sign the letter to accept the referral the babies are all taken back to the orphanage until the parents arrive. So she was there about 7 weeks. Well, when they handed us to her the camera didn't come so I assumed the package never cleared customs or they had not chosen to do what was asked. After all the babies were matched with their parents the orphange director stayed so the parents could ask him questions. We didn't have any specific questions and just asked if there was anything he would like to tell us and his assistant pulled out the camera. You would have thought David and I had won the lotto. We were so excited saying Thank you , thank you. Then they began conversing back and forth with our translator. I said," what are they saying" She said they are saying,"You are TOO excited"
Yesterday while we were at WalMart we had them developed through the one hour processing. I posted some of them on the link below. They are just pictures of pictures so not great quality. These are priceless to us and most of the babies in the group shots are in our group here.
We also learned from the director's assistant that Mia's foster parents were in their 50's and they had 3 children.(obviously before the policy) She said,"they loved her very much."
http://www.kodakgallery.com/BrowsePhotos.jsp?&collid=505702495203
Tuesday, June 14, 2005
First Day with Mia
Mia was very sick last night and most of today. She didn't sleep very much at all and kept waking up frequently. Her fever was around 102. She sounds very congested and can only take a few sips of her bottle before she has to stop and breathe. We started her on the Zithromax(antibiotic) as soon as we saw the fever was going up and she seems to have started feeling better around noon. She actually ate a little egg and tomato. She has slept most of the day. However when she is awake she is very happy. She smiles and even laughed a little at David. She likes to be held(by Daddy) and will settle for me when he's not in the room. I'm having fun giving him a hard time but I think he is really enjoying the favoritism.
We got positive sleep reports from all the other families in the group. 13 babies in all. Most of the babies slept a good 9 - 11 hours. We are staying at a very large hotel in Nanchang. Right now in this hotel there are 200 adoptive families and babies.Our guide told us the hotel manager was a little overwhelmed when we arrived. It has been very interesting to meet the other adoptive parents from literally all over the world. Some from Canada, Spain, Netherlands and England. You can't get on the elevator without running in to someone new.
We had a mandatory notary meeting today, It was mandatory because after a short 4 question interview Mia became officially ours.
After the meeting we went to a Wal-mart supercenter. It was a true WalMart. Very intresting to see all the things they sell. They even had door greeters,(they used their best english to say "welcome to Wal-mart"
Not many pictures today because Mia has been so sick and has slept almost all day. I added a few to yesterday's gallery because a friend on the trip took several photos of us in our gotcha moment. I was so glad he did because it was like a wedding or graduation. I was so excited and it went so fast I don't remember a thing about it.
Please remember Mia in your prayers today. We pray that this fever will leave her and she will feel like playing and eating soon.
http://www.kodakgallery.com/BrowsePhotos.jsp?&collid=592570785203&view=edit&rnd=531208
New phots on this link
We got positive sleep reports from all the other families in the group. 13 babies in all. Most of the babies slept a good 9 - 11 hours. We are staying at a very large hotel in Nanchang. Right now in this hotel there are 200 adoptive families and babies.Our guide told us the hotel manager was a little overwhelmed when we arrived. It has been very interesting to meet the other adoptive parents from literally all over the world. Some from Canada, Spain, Netherlands and England. You can't get on the elevator without running in to someone new.
We had a mandatory notary meeting today, It was mandatory because after a short 4 question interview Mia became officially ours.
After the meeting we went to a Wal-mart supercenter. It was a true WalMart. Very intresting to see all the things they sell. They even had door greeters,(they used their best english to say "welcome to Wal-mart"
Not many pictures today because Mia has been so sick and has slept almost all day. I added a few to yesterday's gallery because a friend on the trip took several photos of us in our gotcha moment. I was so glad he did because it was like a wedding or graduation. I was so excited and it went so fast I don't remember a thing about it.
Please remember Mia in your prayers today. We pray that this fever will leave her and she will feel like playing and eating soon.
http://www.kodakgallery.com/BrowsePhotos.jsp?&collid=592570785203&view=edit&rnd=531208
New phots on this link
Monday, June 13, 2005
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