boo yah!!!

Whew!!! It has been a busy few days. I am missing my kiddos something fierce. Only 3 1/2 days until our family is reunited. I cannot wait!!!!!! My kiddos are going to love and adore their baby sister, and Lucy Mei will be in heaven!!!!

Ok, I'll start where I left off in the prior post....

The Pearl River dinner cruise. We passed on this tourist "activity" last trip. It was typhoon season and the waters were wavy, if the boats journeyed at all. This trip, we decided to give it a whirl, and I'm glad we did!!

Less than half our group attended (it's fairly expensive) and the food is reportedly awful. Our guide indicated the price includes a buffet dinner, a 90 minute cruise up/down the Pearl River and "clown" entertainment. We weren't exactly sure about the clown....but, we were in. What the heck. When in China....

We arrived at the boat and it was VERY WAVY. I thought I was going to throw up....another Mom with our group, also sitting at our table, was feeling the same. Suddenly our guide, Kathy, noticed us feeling queasy and ran over. She immediately began pressing her finger very hard above my upper lip and then on my temples. Apparently, she was rubbing a motion sickness liquid that left a beautiful, glossy green tint. So sad. Anyway, once we set sail, the waters calmed down a lot. Thank goodness!

First on the agenda, the buffet. It was an all out cattle crush. Manners were non-existent. The buffet was the worst "Chinese" food I've ever seen or smelled. TsingTao dinner for me! Lucy did eat the noodles and some rice though. She also loved sitting by the window and looking at the lights and sticking her fingers in the TsingTao pull-tab beer cans. Not good. 

Next was dessert, they brought out a tub of Nestle chocolate hard ice cream. I dished Lucy a big bowl, thinking Greg would eat some (he was upstairs taking photos). Lucy Mei nearly finished it off. This girl loves sweets!! Kathy ran over very concerned, "Ohhhh, no, stop feeding her.....she will have a belly ache." So, that was it for Lucy Mei. But, she handled it well. :)

Final item on the agenda, the "clown" show. Let me set the stage. I was standing and holding Lucy Mei. Greg was behind me taking photos. This creepy "clown" came running out dressed like a "pig" with fake breasts and nipples fully exposed, wielding a hatchet down on the ground and on the table. It was beyond frightening and bizarre.

Lucy literally jumped into Greg's arms, from mine.

FIRST TIME EVER!!!! BOO-YAH!!!!

She must have thought the creepy "clown" was too much for Mama to handle! Ha!!! It was the ice-breaker she needed and they've been lovey ever since!!! Praise the Lord!! Pearl River Cruise may be one of worst tourist attractions ever, BUT, it brought Baba and Lucy Mei together. LOVE.

We arrived back at the hotel around 9 p.m. and sweet Lucy was zonked. Next morning was the Safari Park at 9 a.m. and she needed to get to sleep asap. She slept great again that night and breakfast the following morning was more of the same. Not a lot of variety in her diet, for now.

We were excited about the Safari Park. It's awesome! We had toured last year with Ben. It is expensive though. Half of our group toured the Safari Park and the other half toured the Guangzhou Zoo.

Lucy enjoyed the animals and was only afraid of the mascot type animals. The weather was perfect and Lucy behaved very well....just soaking it all in. We were all tired when we returned to the hotel. We had about an hour before our group and family photos in the lobby. Lucy took a short nap and was NOT a happy camper when we woke her up....hence, her crying in the photo. :(

Greg and I ran into our guide, Jon, from Ben's adoption in the hotel lobby. He remembered a lot about Ben (thumbs up! :)....and said Lucy Mei looked like a "cartoon penguin".....but, that "it was a compliment"??? Hmmm. So, I did a little google research on famous Chinese cartoon penguins.

Do you see any resemblance? Ha! These are the "Pororo" Chinese cartoon penguins.

It was then off to dinner with our group to a Cantonese restaurant near our hotel. It was very good, pre-ordered again by our guides. We sat with Warren's family (as always! :) and the kids were great! The tables are round and contain lazy susans in the center. The waiters bring out many different dishes, family style....and Pearl River beer. Boo yah!

Lucy Mei loved the noodles and rice....would not touch a veggie to save her life. She was very sweet and patient. She and Warren sat next to each other, of course. Another great evening!

We walked back to the hotel and Georgette wanted to visit the outdoor playground with the kids. So, we stocked up on a few TsingTao's and headed outside. It was a beautiful night and we were anxious to try Lucy Mei on the swing....we thought her first swing. But, she LOVED it. (Ben was terrified of the swing initially. One of his only fears.) We are confident she had been on a swing before. LOTS of smiles and belly laughs.

It warmed my heart watching Lucy run around, playing on the playground with Warren and Jaden and behaving like a happy, carefree child. Laughing, smiling, clapping, imitating. Not a care in the world. Belly full, feeling loved and safe and secure. The change in this girl over the last 10 days is nothing short of phenomenal.

Ohhhhh, how we love this girl. Given everything she has gone through in her short life....and especially the last 10 days. The trust and love and confidence she has placed in Greg and I....there is truly no better feeling. She completes us. Our family will be forever changed and blessed. She is such a joy. She's the right mix of feisty and sweet. She's a mother-hen, yet loves being tended to. She's independent, yet a snuggler. And most importantly, she absolutely adores children.  

It was another perfect night of sleep for our girl (and us!). Praise the Lord!!!

Lucy woke up dry (which she is most of the time) and pee'd on the potty. :) Bath time has been in the morning, and she loves it!!!! She also loves to brush her teeth and brush her hair.

She's also getting MUCH better about throwing things. I haven't noticed her throw anything in over a week! If she doesn't like her hair clip (which is most of the time), she takes it out and hands it to me. Same with her sippy cup or toy or snack cup.

Breakfast was interesting this a.m. because election coverage was on in the bar next to our breakfast dining room. It was still very early with polls just closing...but, it was all the buzz. According to our guide, China is 55% Obama.  

This morning was our TB check at 9:50 a.m. We met our group and returned to the medical office from Monday. We were first to be checked. Lucy Mei was freaked. They pulled up her sleeve and the screaming commenced. A quick 1 second glance and nurse indicated she was good to go! Yay! All the kiddos in our group were passed!!! Boo yah!!!

Back to the hotel for a quick potty break and then our group was leaving for the Pearl Market and shopping @ 11:20 a.m. Greg and I opted out of pearls. Not sure why. The pearl market is huge - like 9 or 10 stories with 25-50 stores on each floor! The guides took us to the top floor to an "approved" retailer. Nearly everyone in our group purchased bracelets or necklaces for their daughters or their son's future wives.

Our group then split up for shopping and lunch and cab rides back to the hotel. We went with Warren's family to McDonald's. Lucy's first McD's. She got a happy meal with fries, chicken nuggets and water....and a Hello Kitty toy. :) This girl LOVES fries. She does NOT understand the concept of "dipping" though. Ketchup, sweet and sour sauce - uh uh. We finally had to take the dips away - too distracting. She only wanted fries. I finally told her she had to eat some chicken before she could get more fries....and she did!  

We then decided to walk to Shamian Island (where we stayed on Ben's trip). There are a lot of touristy souvenir shops there and it's a beautiful island to walk around. We were all shocked at how deserted it was. Every room in the White Swan hotel is demolished. The touristy stores are nearly empty....shop owners begging for business. The island is now full of model photo shoots and local families enjoying the scenery.

Georgette, the MASTER shopper, walked away loaded. Greg and I, empty handed -- well, 2 Coke Zeros. So sad. We need to find souvenirs for the kids, but no luck today.

It was wayyyy past nap time for sweet Lucy Mei and she was glad to let us know it.

Girlfriend is STRONG. Ben, who we often had to wrangle in China, was smaller and quite weak. Lucy Mei is tall and very, very strong. On the other hand, she is VERY easy to console...vs. Ben who would rage for hours. Lucy is over it in minutes or seconds. But, the outbursts are almost on the level of Ben....thankfully very, very rare.

We caught taxis back to the hotel (showing a business card with our hotel address in Chinese) and now I'm blogging (finally!!!!) and Lucy Mei is napping. Greg is watching Obama's speech on his iPad and washing his dirty underwear in the sink. We are planning on the dinner buffet at the hotel tonight with Warren's family....no group dinner planned.

Tomorrow morning is the US Consulate appointment!!!!! BOO-YAH!!!!! This is the LAST official step in our journey and makes Lucy Mei an American citizen. We will wait for her Visa tomorrow evening and take a van to Hong Kong the following day (Friday). We will spend the night in Hong Kong (at the airport hotel) and fly home the following morning, Saturday!!!!! Our flight to Chicago is 14 hours. Yikes.

We are so close. It has gone by so fast, yet soooo slow. The journey home will be long and tiresome. But, I'm sure we'll all catch our adrenaline rush when we land in Evansville. I cannot wait to see my kiddos. Ohhhh, how I have missed them!!!!!!!!! I am so thankful God has blessed us with this amazing, courageous and beautiful child. The journey, albeit long and hard, is worth every second. But, I long for the moment I can hold each of my 5 kiddos in my arms.

Thanks for following along -- and for the emails and comments. We love reading each and every one!! Greg has posted lots of photos, I think. If not, check back soon and he will!

Love to you all!!!!

medical exam and stuff!

Last night's dinner was our first group dinner. We walked with our guides to a nearby restaurant called Macau Street. It's a local favorite and features a wide variety of food - Portuguese, Southeastern Asian and Chinese cuisines. The guides had pre-ordered for us, and thankfully everyone loved the food. Lucy Mei is definitely a rice and noodles only girl. No dumplings or veggies for this girl.

Our group sat at 4 large tables...and of course, Lucy and Warren were seated next to one another. Lucy Mei is such the "mother hen" with Warren....and very in charge! If his bowl was too far away, she'd move it closer. If his hands got dirty, she'd grab a tissue to clean them. If he did something "out of line", she lets him know and corrects him...and he listens to her! We so enjoy the company of everyone in our group. The kiddos are all amazing and it's such a blessing to watch them all bond and flourish with their new loving families.
We walked back to the hotel and toured the pool and playground areas with Warren's family. It's very nice!! Can't wait to get Lucy Mei on the toddler swing outside! Unfortunately, (not really) we can't swim until after the TB test is read in 48 hours. The pool is supposedly heated, not so much.

Then, it was back to the room for nighty night. Lucy Mei was NOT wanting to go to sleep because Mama was watching TV (CNN) and eating Pringles (ok, with a little TsingTao). Sweet Lucy was having none of it. So lights out for us all. Apparently, Greg is up half the night though - work emails, text messages (updates on Sam's basketball games) and watching football. He's napping now....after posting photos and polishing off a huge 600ml bottle of TsingTao. Oh, the joys of single child parenting!!!! Carpe diem!!!

Lucy Mei was a happy camper again this morning. She's ready to get dressed first thing....and eat! Luckily, I had gotten up around 5 a.m. to shower, so I was ready for her! We skyped with the kiddos back home....one at a time (it's the only way). Lucy Mei was busy eating Gerber puffs and waving as each kiddo took their turn. We miss them sooooooo much. It's so hard seeing their beautiful faces and hearing their sweet voices. I'm just not the same without them...a piece of my heart is missing. I know they are in great hands, but I cry just thinking about them. Only 5 1/2 days until all my babies are together!!!!!!

After skype, we headed to the breakfast buffet and were seated in the absolute furthest corner of this huge restaurant - we refer to it as the "adoption" section. A lot of families adopting from China, who are not in our group, also stay at this hotel. We are all seated in the "adoption" section. Hmmmm. Highchairs already at our tables. It's so fun! 

New Lucy Mei breakfast item today: apple juice! Yay! Would not touch anything other than banana, rice and noodles though. She is definitely the pickiest eater of all the kiddos in our group. Good news though, she isn't food obsessed and knows when she is full.

1 week ago we met our precious girl. Wow. It seems so much longer!!! She behaves very much like a typical 2 year old. Not a lot of patience (and it's lessening as we bond with her more :) and irritable and whiny when tired (overstimulated). But, she's also extremely happy and sweet. She gets over things VERY quicky. Not a tantrum so far!!!! Praise the Lord!

Honestly, she's amazing. Given everything this precious baby girl has experienced the past 7 days, we are in awe. Every single thing is new to her. She lacks nearly all typical toddler life experiences. It's like an infant that is 2 1/2 years old....but with a history and a life we know nothing about.

She has the sweetest little voice ever. Her smile and laugh will light up a room (and definitely her Mama and Baba's hearts!). She is strikingly beautiful and, we believe, very smart. She seems to understand almost everything we say. Unlike Ben, she's not so big on sign language - like nada. But, she understands a smile gets her most anything!!

She's also not a fan of cleaning up toys (that must have been Warren's "job" - he's a great helper!) and she doesn't know how to blow her nose. (Ben knew this immediately and was quite good at it!). She does NOT like hair clips / bows in her hair....but, Mama is as feisty as she is...so I sneak them in when I can. Her hair is very thin, like Ben's, due to diet and lack of vitamins. But, it IS styled every morning with gel and spray. Just sayin'. :)

She has the tiniest teeth I've ever seen. Her third "dimple" is the cutest thing EVER!!!! She can say, "up" and we're working on "please". She also points at every man and says, "ye ye" - meaning Grandpa. She also says, "Jie Jie" - Warren's nickname. She also says "Mama" and "Baba" and "Hi" and "Bye bye". She's working on "car", "tree", "nose", "eyes", "ears" and "mouth". She can also say "Ge Ge" (brother) and she's trying so hard to say all the kid's names. She almost clearly says Jack. She makes sounds close to Sam, Ben and Ellie. She seems to like to learn.

She bites her nails, sucks her thumb and plays piano on her nose with her other fingers....when she's sleepy. She loves her bath, but not the water poured on her head. She loves all children and children's TV shows. Other than the Chinese phrases above, we've heard her say nothing in Chinese. She seems to understand Chinese when spoken to her, but does not respond.

She loves to grab items off the shelves in stores....and attempts to chew the bag. The aisles are narrow in the 7-eleven, so we have to be quick! She can climb stairs but walking down a hill / incline was new for her. She did it, but was very unsure of herself. She's always proud of herself when she tries something new. We see her confidence building, day by day!
Ok, back to the morning -- after breakfast, we met our group at 9:45 a.m. for the trip to the medical exam building. Knowing our Lucy Mei, we knew it wasn't going to go well.

The first station was weight, height and temperature. She wanted no part of it. Seriously. Would NOT step on the scale. Screaming in terror. So, the nurses laid her on an infant scale. Poor girl was terrified. Big alligator tears, shaking and clinging to me....and that was just weighing her!!! Oh my. I think they guesstimated height (didn't see what they wrote down) and took her ear temp quickly, which I'm assuming was ok.  

Next station was eyes, ears and throat...all in about 10 seconds. After a very quick squeeze of a squeaky toy on each side of her head, hearing check complete. Ears then checked. Last, was the dreaded throat check. Girlfriend was not happy having her mouth pried open for this strange man to place a stick in it. Lucy is soooo strong and fought and kicked with every ounce of her being. I'm guessing she passed. On to the next station.

Next was medical and surgical. A doctor reviewed her orphanage medical records and noted her identified "special need". He attempted to listen to her heart and lungs but she was kicking and screaming. It took both Greg and I to hold her down. He also examined her unclothed (only her shirt on) and pointed out her Mongolian birth mark (on her lower back), which we obviously knew about. He asked about her gross and fine motor skills, and if she could walk without shoes....which he requested she demonstrate. We're guessing she passed because we were then instructed to head to the TB shot area. Stress!!!

Soooo sad. I covered Lucy's eyes as they stuck the needle in. Obviously, she was NOT not a fan. Vaccinations at home will not be pretty. Poor girl. But, a big hug and a few kisses from Mama and she was good to go. :) We will return to the medical exam office in 48 hours for the TB test to be read.

We arrived back at the hotel around noon. Lucy (who had a late breakfast and snacked on Cheerios most of the morning) ate a nasty vienna sausage thingy, a swig of apple juice and off to nap. She started to cry very loudly though - which seemed odd. I went to check on her and the poor girl had her shirt half off and twisted around her neck. So, no shirt at nap-nap. Just like her brothers!! Then, she was out. The over stimulation and stress of the morning wiped our sweet girl out.

She did let Baba hold her today in the elevator and he even kissed her a few times on the bus! She is definitely opening up more to Greg. He dressed her this morning and he had her laughing while playing ball.

She pooped on the potty again....a little bit....and then proceeded to pee on the floor as we walked to the bed to put on her diaper. So sad. She definitely gets the hang of the toilet...maybe Mama was rushing her a little today? :( She is definitely not a fan of pooping in her diaper. This is a very good thing. We likey.

Tonight we are going on the Pearl River Cruise with our group. We didn't take the tour last time, so we opted for it this time. It includes dinner and lots of photo ops. :) We meet our group at 5:45 p.m. - so a later night for our girl. Tomorrow is the Safari Park. We LOVED the Safari Park with Ben, so we're looking forward to it!

Speaking of Ben's trip....Greg was in the lobby yesterday and ran into our guide, Jon, from Ben's trip last year!!! We love Jon and, needless to say, he was shocked to see Greg back again!! He remembered "Gang Gang" Ben....and Greg showed him pictures of Lucy Mei. He is escorting another family staying in our hotel this week.

I guess that's it for now. Lucy Mei (and Greg) will be up from nap soon. We're hoping to visit the playground before the dinner cruise.

As always, thanks for following! New photos are posted!

Blessings,

guangzhou! LOVE!

Apologies for the late post!

We all slept in this morning (7:15 a.m -- slackers!.), no time for blogging once sweet Lucy Mei is awake! (She's napping now in a pack-n-play :)

Yesterday was a big day!

It (Saturday) marked our half-way point in this journey and our flight to Guangzhou, in the southern part of China. Guangzhou is home to the US Consulate's office where we will receive Lucy Mei's Visa and immigration paperwork. She will officially become an American citizen when we touch ground in Chicago!

Our last morning in Zhengzhou went quickly. We needed our luggage outside our door by 9:40 a.m. for our 10 a.m. departure to the airport. Breakfast went well. Lucy was loving the rice and Cheerios's and Sam skyped with us at the table! Gotta love technology! The weather was rainy and very cold. A perfect day to be heading south! :)

Our group loaded 2 buses (lots of luggage!) and we were off. Thankfully, Lucy loves the bus rides. She sits in a seat by the window (with a seatbelt, if the bus has one). I sit beside her and hold her hand. :) She stares quietly outside and just takes it all in. Can't imagine what she's thinking!

We arrived at the Zhengzhou airport with plenty of time to spare. Traveling in big groups - with our agency - ROCKS! Our guides are wonderful and everything is taken care of for us. The kids keep each other occupied (for the most part!) and the support and companionship of the other parents is priceless.

After getting through security, we found a small indoor playground. It was very apparent Lucy had never played on a playset or been down a slide. She was intrigued though. She hesitantly agreed to sit on my lap going down a circle/twisty slide and she loved it!!! Belly laugh and all!

We spent the rest of our pre-boarding time cruising around the airport with Lucy Mei on a luggage cart (just like Ben!!....free entertainment in China!!) searching direly for a Coke Zero. No such luck. 

 

(On a side note - while I'm thinking of it - we weighed Lucy before checking out of the hotel. For reference, Ben is 4 and weighs 34.5 lbs. Lucy Mei 2 1/2 and weighed 32 lbs. :) She's also very tall. She fits her size 3 clothing perfectly. Big girl!!!).

The flight to Guangzhou was about 2 hours and Lucy Mei did great! She seemed nervous at take-off and landing (had a window seat all to herself!) and looked to me for reassurance that all was OK. :) She slept on my lap the entire flight...and so did Mama. Hoping for the same on our 14 hour flight from Hong Kong to Chicago!!!

We arrived safely in Guangzhou and immediately noticed the extremely warm temperatures! Awwww. We waited forever for our luggage and then met our new Guangzhou guides, Jason and Kathy. LOVE. They are bundles of energy!!!! Extremely nice and very attentive and helpful.

We also LOVE Guangzhou. The weather is AMAZING!!!! The air is clear, people wearing shorts and flip flops (or "slippers" as our guide calls them). It's in the upper 70's with a beautiful breeze and lots of sunshine. Our hotel, the China Hotel, is a Marriott. It is outstanding. Truly, first class. Last trip we stayed on Shamian Island at the famous (in the adoption world), White Swan Hotel. The White Swan is currently closed 2 years for renovations. In addition, the US Consulate's office and the Medical Exam office are now located off the island. So, adoptive families are staying in Guangzhou city. We plan to visit the island during our visit though. The scenery and architecture are beautiful (think Greg -- photo ops).

Our group is spread out in this hotel. In Zhengzhou we occupied most of 1 floor. However, we are just 3 doors down from Warren! Marriott originally booked us 4 floors above Warren, but we were having none of that!!! We are on the 8th floor with a beautiful view. The room is gorgeous and smells great! - even has a see through window into the bathroom. I'm not a big fan...thankfully, there is an electronic screen for privacy. :)

Everyone at the hotel seems to speak English. There are a lot of Europeans, Westerners -- very international. There are playrooms inside, and outside. Also, an outdoor pool and a Starbucks and a McDonald's downstairs!! 7-eleven is right outside the hotel. The biggest plus for me, the entire hotel smells amazing!!! Even the elevators! It's a beautiful scent....no smell of smoke at all!

While we waited for our luggage to be delivered to the room, Mama relaxed with a can of TsingTao. :) It's soooo good. There's something about an old-style pull-top tab of TsingTao. Love it. Actually, I loved 2 of them! Lucy Mei and I cuddled and snacked on the bed. She's so fun, this girl!!!

We met Warren's family around 7 p.m. for dinner. We decided on a Chinese restaurant in the hotel. It was very good, but VERY expensive (although our guide indicated it was "cheap"...hmmmm). $9 for Lucy Mei's apple juice. So sad! Lucy and Warren sat in high chairs next to each other....I can't get enough of these two together!!!! Lucy sweetly shared her food with Warren. When he got messy, she would wipe his hands. They even held hands! They're killing me, these two!!! He makes her so happy. We are starting to see more of her true personality shine through, even when Warren's not around. :) A very good thing.

The dinner, well, it was hilarious. Georgette and Rusty and Aunt Betty crack us up. Soooo, Rusty wanted a dish with chicken that wasn't on the menu. The waitress was not understanding him, so he started flapping his arms like a chicken. Then, Aunt Betty started the chicken dance. I think we were all a little slap happy at this point! (I know I was a wee bit tipsy - 2 more TsingTao's with dinner!) It was a great time though. Nice to relax, laugh and enjoy a great dinner with good friends.

We all stopped at 7-eleven on the way back to the room for "treats". Greg, a pint of Haagen Dazs ice cream. Me, a can of Pringles (gotta have the salt!). It was $17 total! Wowza. Children in China typically drink and eat everything hot. Greg gave Lucy Mei a tiny bit of ice cream and she made the funniest face! She liked it though....once over the initial shock. She had likely never experienced anything that cold before. It was a later night for us, all asleep by 10 p.m. As usual, Lucy Mei is a great sleeper. Never a peep. :)

Our pretty girl awoke this morning all smiles. She is definitely accepting change and new experiences much, much better now and feeling more comfortable with us every day. It's such a beautiful, heart warming thing to experience. Every moment with her is pure joy. Seriously! Even her cries. LOVE her to pieces!!!

This morning's late start had us slow going. We needed to unpack, shower, bathe Lucy Mei (Greg did again and no cries!) and skype with the kids before breakfast. Sam (at his friend Preston's house - big shout out to the Shake's!) skyped us and we learned he did great in his first basketball game of the season! So proud of him!!! We also skyped with Gramma Joy (Greg's step mom) in Chicago. Her niece, Angelina, was also there visiting. Angelina studied in Beijing and knows Chinese. She spoke a little to Lucy Mei, but got no response. Lucy just waved and said, "Hi". :) We also skyped with our next door neighbor's daughter, Lizzy, and her friend, Morgan. Lizzy is like a daughter and very close friends with Sam (same grade/school) and our kids. We tried several times skyping home to see Ellie, Jack and Ben but no answer. :) Hoping to catch them tonight (Sunday morning US). Missing them all soooooo much!!! Can't wait for them to meet Lucy Mei in person. They are going to win her over in seconds!! Oh, the hilarity's that await us! I cannot wait!!!!

We headed to the breakfast buffet around 9:45 a.m. I've never seen anything like it. It was ginormous!!! I ate my usual protein bar in the room with my Coke Zero (so sad, no getting "off schedule" for me), but Greg and Lucy Mei loved it. Lucy ate 1 1/2 bananas and a ton of rice. She also drank a lot of milk - cold! Yay!! She wasn't interested in much else today though.

Our group is taking a temple tour and shopping trip today. We took the same tour last year with Ben's adoption, so we opted to spend the day at a nearby park. It's a beautiful day here! The park was amazing!!! Lucy just soaks it all in. She saw a young couple playing badminton and could have stood there for an hour. There were boat rides, an amusement park, nature trails, kids playing everywhere.

We stopped to eat a snack and an elderly couple (grandparents?) were sitting by us with a precious 1 year old boy. They held up 4 fingers....asking if Lucy was 4. We held up 2 fingers, they were shocked, to say the least! They spread their arms like, "tall". We shook our heads, agreed.

They tried to speak to us in Chinese, so I showed them our badge which indicates, in Chinese, that Lucy Mei is being adopted by us....and states her Chinese name, Qian Geng Yun. The elderly woman read the badge and laughed. She pointed at Greg and Lucy Mei - signaling she thought they looked alike!!! She was very surprised Lucy was adopted! SOOOOO funny!!!

We decided to head back to the room for Lucy's nap, around 2 p.m, I am blogging and Greg just headed down to meet our guides to complete US Consulate physical exam and immigration paperwork.

Tonight is a group dinner night at a Portuguese restaurant, close to our hotel. Should be fun!

Tomorrow morning (Monday) is Lucy Mei's medical appointment and TB test. Not thinking she's going to be a big fan. The medical exam is a requirement for the US Consulate's office prior to issuing the Visa. All adoptive children must complete the physical and children over age 2 must have the TB test. :(

I can't believe it's 1 week tomorrow that we met our beautiful, sweet girl. She has come so far, so fast. She is such a tremendous blessing and a joy, truly a miracle. She's still warming up to Baba, but we're certain she's making progress. Baba is definitely smitten with her!!! Oh my. There's something special about Daddy's and their girls. I know it will mean the world to Greg the first time she reaches for him. Please continue to pray for Lucy's comfort and trust in both of us.

Thanks to all those helping out at home!!! We couldn't be here without the support of our family and friends. Thanks also to those following our journey and praying for Lucy Mei's transition. We appreciate all of your love and support.

As someone very special to us likes to say, "over and out". :)

 

free day #2 and big milestones!!!

Up at 4:30 a.m. today. BUT, a big day ahead. We need to pack and have our luggage outside the door at 9:40 a.m. for our flight to Guangzhou!!!! So excited!!! Love Guangzhou and ready for the change....and being 1/2 way through our trip!!!

Ok, so yesterday.....

Started with Lucy Mei sleeping 12 hours!!!

7:15 p.m. - 7:15 a.m.!!! Su-weet!!!

She whimpered a little in her crib and then started "talking". Greg walked over to say good morning and lifted her out of the crib. She screamed....and screamed. So, we group hugged and then she fell into Mama's arms and promptly stopped crying. Poor girl. Poor Baba. 

First things first, Lucy Mei needed her shoes on (with her jammies).

She then played with a few toys on the bathroom floor while I showered....picking up her iPhone (yes, she has an old iPhone of ours....no connectivity, but lots of apps :) and saying, "Hello"....or something like that. She was also busy studying the photo albums. :)

Lucy also seemed very happy this morning. Laughing, being very playful with me and just a lot more comfortable overall. She is starting to understand more and more basic instruction, and definitely "No"....which she responds very well too now! :)

Another big first this morning, drinking out of a sippy cup!!!

We've nixed the bottle and formula altogether. She drank water and a yogurt drink from her sippy cup before breakfast. She also learned to suck from a straw! It's messy, but progress nonetheless.

Greg had been to 7-eleven in the morning and brought back some apples. Like, the biggest apples I've ever seen. Lucy wanted one....we were so excited. I think she thought it was a ball! :) Greg took a bite to show her how to eat it....and then she did the same. We thought she liked it. Then she began throwing it like a ball. I guess we need a knife for apple slices. :)

Greg had already showered and was ready for breakfast. He also had some work to do. So, he took his laptop and headed down to breakfast. We met up with him a little later. Lucy sat patiently with Greg at the table (in her highchair) while I went to the buffet for her food. Yay!!

Unfortunately, she wanted nothing but white rice (not even a tiny spec of carrot in the rice for this girl) and watermelon.....oh yeah, and the fried dough sticks. But, waaaiiiiit for it......she drank milk!!!! I filled her sippy cup with steaming hot milk and topped it off with a little cold milk, shook it and she loved it!!!! One MAJOR milestone down!!! (Ben did NOT like milk initially and it took a lot of work once home for him to begin drinking it.)

Still need to work on the table etiquette. Literally, wow. It's a mess. Maybe it's because Ben was sooooo extremely neat but wowza. Chezzy (the dog) is going to love Lucy Mei!!!!

Next stop was the play room in the hotel. We met Warren's family there and the kiddos played for 45 minutes or so. Lucy Mei did great!!!! She was very quiet, and observant mostly. Not aggressive in any way. She loves watching the other kiddos play and smiles and laughs at their goofiness.

Lucy's personality (as assessed by me @ 96 hours in) is that she's extremely good natured, loving and goes with the flow, most of the time :). She doesn't fight for control like another precious little child we know very well, adopted from China in June, 2011. :) :) For example, she wanted to take the stroller to breakfast. I kept pushing it back in the room and explaining we were walking. She would not budge and started to cry. I pried her hands loose and asked her nicely to hold my hand. She did and off we went. No more tears. Praise the Lord.
She also gets over things very easily and quickly. Temper tantrums are not her style! Very easy to soothe and comfort (think, distract :). I would not necessarily describe her as strong-willed. She does know what she likes and what she doesn't like....and she's not flexible on that. And of course, she's extremely fearful of new things and people. She's also impatient at times (i.e. always wanting to go-go-go when outside of the room) but I think a lot of that is driven by the change in her life. She's not "settled", if you will. She's very apprehensive, but becoming much less so every day!!!!

We headed back to the room at noon for nap time. She ate a late breakfast so a nasty vienna sausage thingy and a cookie was all she needed. Parents of the Year, I tell ya! She went to sleep fairly easily. I needed to be in her sight (on the bed next to her crib) for her to fall asleep though. She slept for 2 1/2 hours! Greg worked on photos, mostly and I caught up on Facebook, blogs and emails.

When she woke up, Greg got her out of the crib. It was her normal cry...but, we went with it. Greg actually changed her diaper!! She whimpered, not cried :)

At 3:00 p.m. we met some families to walk to the mall, Wal-Mart and dinner...and to get outside of the hotel. We met Warren's family and another family from our group, Angela and her 14 year old son, Tanner. They live in North Carolina, near Asheville, and adopted two beautiful kiddos this trip. 6 year old Mae Li Scarlett and 20 month old, Jett. We walked the 8-9 blocks to the mall to look for Gerber Puffs (can never pack too many of those things!) and Warren needed new shoes. The mall was interesting. Dogs inside, smoking, rows and rows of "lingerie" stores. Kids in split pants everywhere. I'm not understanding the split pants....so, do they go anywhere? In the mall we saw a puddle of pee on the floor....dog or child? Not sure. So sad.

Next stop, Wally world. We all split up for different things. Greg and I were looking for crayons. Apparently, Warren colors very well and we didn't bring any with us. Also, we needed some balls. This girl loves balls! We found our items + Goldfish and met up with our group. Did you know they sell split pants at Wal-Mart? Ha!

Our group headed over to Pizza Hut. Yep, Pizza Hut. Don't judge. Seriously, the Huts are good here...and fancy!! We ordered deep dish cheese pizza and TsingTao, but they were out of TsingTao - soooo they brought us Corona's instead. Strange. Lucy Mei was amazing. She held my hand and sat in the big girl seat beside me. She ate all her pizza and tried to use an adult fork. She sipped water from her sippy cup and was very, very patient.

She is such a beautiful and sweet child. We're still in shock from it all. Seriously. We sit in amazement at her trust in us, her acceptance of the MAJOR changes in her life, her open and loving heart, her playful personality....her absolute beauty. Loving every second with her.

We returned to the room and decided Greg should give Lucy Mei her bath. Yep, it was time. He took off clothes on the bed (while I was hiding in the bathroom) while they tossed the ball to each other. No cries!! He carried her to the bathtub and gave her a bath. NO CRIES!!!!! They played with the bath toys for a long time....

.......and then Greg thought she may need to potty. She was tootin' in the tub. :) Greg picked her up, dried her off and placed her on the potty.......and Girlfriend pooped!!!!!! Yay for Lucy Mei!!!!!....and Mama and Baba!!! :) It was obvious she was used to the potty (unlike Ben, who was terrified of the potty). What a relief!!!

We returned to the room and did Facetime with Sammy. He's staying at his/our friend's house for a few days and loving it. He seems so happy to be away from the chaos at home. :) He has his first basketball game on Saturday!

We were interrupted by the doorbell - our guide, Rita, with Lucy Mei's PASSPORT!!! Yay! We just need her Visa from the US Consulate's office in Guangzhou and we're heading home!!!

We then skyped the other kiddos at home. We decided one-on-one would work best. Everyone wants to talk at  once. :) It worked much better that way. Lucy LOVES waving at the kids and trying to say their names. This girl is gonna love her brothers and sister!!! The kids were ready for school and looked great! My parents are doing a wonderful job!!!! They are getting a routine down that works well and kids are loving it. Tonight they are going out to eat with my sister and her family and kiddos. Missing them all something awful. Not much longer though!!!

Lucy Mei was very sleepy and pointing towards her blanket and crib. I put her down (after letting Baba give her a kiss on the cheek!!!) and she was asleep in 5 minutes. She's still sleeping and we haven't heard a peep from her all night. It's 5:30 a.m. here.

Greg and I weren't far behind. We are usually asleep by 8 p.m. :)

All in all, a VERY good day!!! Her smile makes me sooooo happy. I laugh every time she smiles. That kind of happy. LOVE HER!!!! Praying for further bonding with Baba today but we're also leaving everything she has known so far with us....our hotel, our room, etc. Flying (her first time) and arriving in a new city with a new dialect, hotel, etc.

Off to shower and pack. Until tomorrow! Prayers for further bonding and safe travels. :) Thanks to you all for following my wordy journey! I don't ever want to forget a minute of it!

Blessings,

road trip and bonding!

It's 6 a.m. here!! I slept until 5:17 a.m. this morning! Progress. Greg is off to 7-eleven again for Coke Light and our sweet Lucy Mei is still sleeping.

Lucy (or LuLu or Lucy Mei or Funyon.....) had a wonderful day yesterday. Best day yet! We were to meet our group at 8:30 a.m. in the lobby for an all day trip to the Shaolin Temple and "world famous" Martial Arts Academy in Dengfeng - about a 2 hour trip.

We started the day with Greg, yes Baba, actually picking her up from the crib. She cried and he walked her over to me. We group hugged. She cried harder, so I took her. We group hugged again. Just having Greg touch her is major progress. :)

I changed her diaper and set her up for a mini breakfast while I showered. Cheerios and a muffin. Greg was working on photos. They were in the same room together and talking for about 20 minutes!!!

Lucy Mei does not like our hotel room....nor do the other children in our group. It's odd. They always want their shoes on and point or stand at the door. Lucy wanted her shoes on with her jammies first thing this a.m. and was sitting by the door.

After everyone was finally dressed and bags packed (lots of snacks!) for our bus trip, we headed down to breakfast. Lucy preferred to ride in the stroller. Sooooo happy she's loving the stroller. This girl is solid and heavy!

Lucy's breakfast was not as varied as the prior day. She only ate watermelon - like an entire watermelon, I think....and "fried dough sticks" with syrup. Yep, 3 of them....and they are large! This girl is gonna love the Fall Festival!!!

She is very well behaved, but very messy when eating. Table manners are something we'll need to work on. :) Ben never wanted a flake out of place. Lucy Mei is all over the place. Cracks me up! Girlfriend shovels it in. We're just glad she's eating!

Next stop was meeting the group at 8:30 a.m. in the lobby. Lucy Mei is not a waiter. She wants to go. Stopping at traffic lights or with the group or waiting in line, not a fan. Fortunately, our tour group is very punctual and off we went. 

The bus trip was, by far, the best 2 hours I've spent with my girl. I placed her in a seat belt next to the window and we held hands. If I moved my hand (to get a swig of Coke Light :) she would reach for it. She started tickling me (under the chin), grabbing my neck and pulling me in to kiss her!! Seriously!!! I melted. Ohhhh my. She has the most beautiful smile I've ever seen....and 3 dimples to boot!!! She loves to laugh and imitate and play ("this little piggy", "pat-a-cake"). I held her hand the entire way. I would look at her and she would smile. No reason. Ohhhhh, this Mama's heart was bursting!!!!

She is slowly, very slowly, opening up to others. But, always terrified to be out of my site in public. In the room, she's OK (which is progress!). No one else can hold her. But, she will sit near others and sometimes they can touch her. Teeny, tiny baby steps, but we'll take 'em!

The Shaolin Temple is set in the mountains. It was beautiful!!!!! The air was clear and my eyes and throat felt normal again. There's an ever present smog in Zhengzhou. The air is thick, pollution is awful. The Temple is home to a world famous martial arts academy so our first stop was a martial arts show. Lucy did great and it was a very interesting show.

Next stop was lunch, which was preordered by our guide. Lucy and Warren sat next to each other. Oh, these two. Lucy is soooo attached to him. It's awesome. Just seeing how she lights up around children, we know her heart will be open up quickly to her brothers and sister :) The waiters filled a Lazy Susan with various dishes and rice and tea. I placed a little of everything on Lucy's plate but she would only eat the rice...plain, white rice. She literally shoveled it in. She was a hot mess!!! Thank goodness for Mama's Tide Stainstick! LOL! Warren, on the other, Mr. Neat & Tidy....ate green onions. Like, a LOT of green onions. He'll try almost anything. It was time for Warren's diaper change and Lucy Mei was NOT happy when Warren's daddy took him outside. Lunch time for Lucy was over at that point. I had to find Warren. :)

We then headed  to the temples. Folks, I gotta be honest. I'm not into it. We spent 11 days in Beijing and 9 days in Guangzhou in June, 2011. We saw enough temples to fill a lifetime. Lucy was in the Boba carrier and we walked around. People stared (not nearly as badly or rudely as Beijing though). Lucy loves to be moving. So, we moved. We didn't hear anything the guide said and Lucy Mei was freaked out by the big Buddhas anyway.

Last stop was a burial ground for monks, I think. Lucy was walking by this point loving the flowers and grass and just being outside. I'm not sure she was outside much, if at all, in the orphanage. :(

Zhengzhou, Zhoukou - the cities we are visiting on this trip are very different than Beijing and Guangzhou. The bus trip home was very interesting. We were detoured from the interstate and traveled through some very, very poor, rural settings. I'm assuming they are very typical though. It was so sad. Utterly shocking to me.

China is the birth home of my 2 beautiful, precious and amazing children. I will always speak respectfully of their heritage and homeland. But, I cannot imagine their lives here. I don't want my heart to be judgemental......I realize it's an entirely different culture. I just don't get it. Any of it. Radically different. Perhaps the people here are happy. It's all they know. Perhaps they know, and they have no choice. It's just hard to imagine, that's all. 

Lucy slept on my lap the entire trip home, nearly 3 hours. We arrived at the hotel and Greg needed to meet our guides for some paperwork. I gave Lucy Mei a bath. :) LOVE! She played much better with her toys tonight too! Fed her a few snacks and a yogurt drink, brushed her teeth and off to bed. She is a great sleeper!!!! She likes the crib and sleeps completely through the night! YAY!!!  

Greg and I ordered room service....some spicy chicken and rice thingy for me and noodles for Greg. I mostly drank the TsingTao and ate some Pringles (repeat of last trip for those following along!). Off to sleep by 9 p.m.

Today is our last day in Zhengzhou and it's a "free day". No plans other than packing and maybe hitting the playroom and taking a walk to the park. Chillaxin.

Lucy Mei melts my heart. Her beauty is mesmerizing. Her soft skin, her chubby little hands and fingers, her eyes so deep. Her pain, insecurity and lack of love until now, so apparent. We see glimpses of her personality more and more each day. She is funny, playful, feisty and determined. We can see how love will ,and already has, changed her life. Please continue prayers for her to open her heart to Greg. He's trying so hard and I know its painful for him. Can't say I'm not loving all the Lucy Mei cuddle time though! :) 

Thanks again to all those following. We love reading each and every comment!!! :) Yesterday's photos are posted on Shutterfly. Greg is on it!

Blessings,