Safari Park & Fever...

Today began with our typical routine…showers, breakfast and making call to the kids. So happy that they are all doing well and enjoying themselves. I am pretty sure that everyone that is caring for them at home is spoiling them. They may not want us to come home! Rodney and I are both so grateful that our family is so willing to help us. Taking care of kids for an extended period of time is a lot to ask…we are fortunate to have such a supportive family….we love you guys!

A look from outside our bedroom window

We met our guide in the lobby to go to the Safari Park zoo. Safari Park is one of, if not the most famous zoo in China. It was only about a 30 minute drive from the hotel and amazingly, we never left the city. We crossed the Pearl River several times as it winds around and through the city in various locations.

China seems to take advantage of any possible "garden" spot. In the midst of a very populated area, there will be a well manicured garden area.

There will be 6 maybe 7 of the buildings side by side, then a few blocks away another set of 6 or 7.

You can see the very modern buildings overshadowing the older apartment buildings.

Sitting on Daddy's lap, headed to the zoo

When we arrived at the zoo, there was an overcast and we were afraid that rain may start…again. But it soon passed, with no rain, and the glorious heat was beaming down on us. We boarded a “train” to take the Safari Park tour. There were various animals in different sections that freely roamed. They were quite accustomed to vehicles and didn’t pay an attention to the approaching cars, vans and trains.

Welcome to Safari Park

A near bamboo tunnel leading the way to the "Train"

Ever seen a Mercedes Benz train before??

We pointed out animals to QiaoQiao, but she wasn’t very interested. We know that she is scared of birds. I guess she and her Aunt Nan have something in common ;-) She was soon lying on my chest and nearly falling sleep.

After the ride around the park, we got off the train and headed for the Koala and Panda Houses. In the Koala House, there resides the only twin Koalas in the world; or at least that is the claim. Seems hard to verify that one to me, but they were cute nonetheless. We approached the Panda House and I was excited to see a Panda bear for the first time. Connie has been to the zoo numerous times with other families so she sat out in a concession type area while we went inside the complex.



The “twin” Koalas. I am not disputing it, I just don’t know how they know they are the only ones in the world…yes, I am very argumentative.

QiaoQiao was so quiet and so uninterested in any of the sights. We entered the house and of course, like any zoo, there is that undeniable smell. We stopped to take a few pictures and Rodney told me that she was gagging. I felt of her head and she was “clammy”. We quickly tried to get through the crowd to leave the house and the smell. We barely made it past the first exhibit before….it happened. All over her dress, shoes, stroller. Rodney started grabbing the wipes, and it happened again. People started coming through and I was telling them to stop and go around…we were quite the spectacle I am sure.

Since Elli hasn’t had any accidents in a few days, I decided, in my infinite wisdom, that I wouldn’t take the big backpack with extra clothes…just the small one with some snacks for her. The only day I have EVER not taken extra clothes. She was totally covered. I began to undress her, take off her shoes which were…well, if you have kids you know what her shoes were like. I had to throw away her shoes and dress. So there she sat in the stroller just in her undies.

Now, if you have ever been to China, you know that you are, at times, the center of attention….especially after you have gotten your child. People look, check you over and seem to examine the child. So when we go out, I always try to make sure that she looks acceptable; nice clothes, shoes, hair fixed, etc. You just want the people to know that you will take good care of your child. Now imagine seeing foreigners with a local baby, in a park, that is naked…yes, the looks were coming and even some neck breaking double and triple takes….I can only imagine the thoughts, “stupid Americans”.

I had on a tank top under a shirt, so I took off my shirt and put it on Elli so that she wouldn’t appear totally nude…just poorly dressed now. An adult t-shirt on a toddler…it was a sight. When we finally got out of the whole Panda place and was approaching Connie, she had a very puzzled look on her face. She later told me that she knew I was hot, and thought that I just took off my top shirt. We were sooo ready to leave.

We gave Elli some Sprite and then some water, because she doesn’t like the carbonated feel in her mouth of sodas. We got the van and headed back to the hotel. She laid her head on my chest and started falling asleep. It wasn’t long until I could tell she had a fever.

We got in the hotel room and I took her temperature. It is about 101. Giving her acetaminophen was quite an ordeal. She kept spitting it out and got very upset with me. I got her cleaned up and in some pjs. She went back to sleep and I put her in the crib. She is still sleeping and sweating. Hopefully the fever will break and she will get to feeling better soon….I don’t want any of my kids to be sick, but especially not here, not now. There is sooo much concern of the swine flu. Please pray that she will get better soon. I don’t know that they will allow us to board a plane with a sick child. I am just praying it is something very minor and she will be better very, very soon.

Carter, Jacob, Parker & Anna,

You all would have loved the zoo. However, I don’t know that you would have liked the heat ;-) The Lions and Pandas were probably the neatest to see because I don’t recall seeing Lions and Pandas “in real life” before. I also saw a Tapir, which made me think of Parker and his Diego Dominos game. Hope you all have a good day today…we love you all!

Sending love & hugs to Carter, Jacob, Parker & Anna,
Rodney, Marcy & Elli

Medical Exam & Playtime...

I finally got back on, so I edited the post and got the pictures through....

Yesterday we had Elli’s medical exam. The clinic is here on the island, so we didn’t leave Shaiman yesterday. Connie arrived at our room and we completed the Consulate paperwork for our appointment on Tuesday. Just like typical bureaucracy in the States, the bureaucracy is the same at the Consulates. Multiple forms all asking the same thing with repeated information…insane. So I wrote our address, names, phone numbers, birth dates, etc., multiple times and completed the necessary hoops. We then struck out to walk to the clinic. It was another very humid day and by the time we got past the first block, I was blotting sweat from my face.

We arrived at the clinic and were being registered for our appointment. We saw the Reeds again and made a lunch date with their family. Soon we were taken back to for Elli’s exam. The doctors didn’t know Cantonese, so Connie was translating their Mandarin to Elli. It was a very quick exam and in fact, the doctor looked and looked at her palate trying to find the “repair”. She told Connie that her mouth looked perfect…and it does. You would never know if you weren’t looking for something. It is very, very small. We headed back to the hotel and tried to freshen up a bit before meeting the Reeds.

Elli found her lip gloss in her backpack. I had actually forgotten about it, until she pulled it out. Everybody got lip gloss…even daddy. You will also notice the clips in her hair – she fixed her own hair and had clip everywhere.

I meet the Reeds through one of my yahoo groups. They are adopting a little girl with an amazing story and a miraculous second chance of a family. They are also naming their daughter Elianna, just a different spelling and calling her Ellie, again different spelling, so it is pretty neat that we are here together. We went to the Italian restaurant again to eat lunch with them and it was again, wonderful.

After eating, we headed back to our hotel and let the girls play. They were hilarious! We have no idea what all they were saying, but they would yell at each other and run in circles and then just laugh…is was so funny. Ellie (Fen) would try to pick up things and put them away and our Elli would throw them on the floor. Ellie would call our Elli “MeiMei”, which means little sister. Very sweet girl!

Soon after the Reeds left, I put in the DVD that we bought at the electronics market…as soon as it began to play; Elli started singing one of the songs. We sat in the chair in front of the computer and her eyes were getting sooo heavy. She soon collapsed on my chest and was out for the night.

Carter, Jacob, Parker & Anna,

Today we go to Safari Park…a zoo. We should see a Panda Bear!! Pretty excited about that. I hope we get some really good pictures and the storm is supposed to be over, so NO RAIN!!!! I am sure it will be hot though! We love you guys & girl. Talk to you soon.

Sending love & hugs to Carter, Jacob, Parker & Anna,
Rodney, Marcy & Elli

Yesterday's Happenings

FINALLY, I am able to access blogger again! Just about everything was blocked yesterday for me, but today it is working again….so I have lots to share.

Yesterday we went to White Cloud Mountain. It was a short drive to the entrance where we boarded a small “electric car” to ride up to the temple half way up the mountain. Basically it was a big golf cart with about 4 rows of seats. They use the battery powered vehicle to eliminate the pollution entering the area…however, I am pretty sure the pollution from the city below enters “nature” area. But hey, I guess it helps.

Tons of goldfish and If you can see on the rock...several turtles.

Happy Buddha

After about 8 minutes we arrived at the entrance of the temple…and that is when the skies opened up and poured!! We walked up to the first temple, passing a small pond full of gold fish and turtles. There sat the “Happy Buddha” aka James, along with the 4 guards and temple guard. I was hoping that the rain would stop, but it didn’t in fact, it got heavier. We pushed through and went to the other 2 temples and made our way back down to wait for the car. While we waited, Elli told me that she had to go to the restroom…there was no restroom. So Connie pointed us to a corner…not my thing, but okay, here we go. Doing my best to keep privates private and her pants dry, I was very relieved when Elli was finished and to see that we accomplished the task and were dry. As I stood up and got Elli back under the small roof that was keeping us from the monsoon, Connie told me that I had Elli go to potty wrong. Instead of her facing me, I should have had her back to me. Seriously?!? I think going in the corner is wrong…so we are even.

Past, Present and Future

One of the female Buddhas. She is the deliverer of children and give protection.

There is a pretty cool legend associated with this statue. It is said that the people living on the mountain had ran out of water and were about to die. A monk had a dream one night of a tiger digging in the ground and a well sprung up from the ground. He got up from his sleep, went to where his vision showed the tiger and there was a well. They built this statue to commemorate the tiger that helped the people. There is a well at the belly of the tiger that you can see bubbling up. I took a picture, but you really can't see "bubbling" in a picture ;-)

When the car finally arrived, we finished going up the mountain to see the lookout point of the mountain. It was really pretty and the cloud had settled in the valley area between the mountain and Guangzhou. You could barely see the buildings in the distant. After we took some pictures we were ready to go down the mountain…in a cable car! I am scared of heights, like scared of a step ladder! I get dizzy changing a light bulb, no joke. My strategy was to just look at Elli’s head the whole time….stay focused. Thank God it wasn’t that bad. The worst was the drop off, but then after that it was okay.

While we were on the mountain I got soaked. My pants were wet up to my knees and my shoes would “squish” when I would walk. My hair…oh gosh! It was sticky, fuzzy and wavy….just bad all the way around. At one point I said to Rodney, “my hair is so bad.” He replied, “yeah, its pretty bad.” And of course I know my make up is long gone. My face feels sticky and slick! I feel like I desperately need a shower. So let’s go to a restaurant full of locals!

Can you not see the attitude just oozing off this little girl's strut...hands on hips and all!

At the bottom of the mountain, we took a short walk to an old, traditional Chinese restaurant that specializes in rice noodles. We ordered an assortment of rice noodles, dim sum, vegetables, tofu, fish and a beef dish. When we first sit down we were served hot tea and I was worried that Elli might burn herself. I moved the cup from her plate and she was insistent on getting the cup. After thinking it had cooled some, I gave it to her and she gulped it down. I guess Aunt Stephanie has a fellow tea drinker.

Tea in the cup to the bowl to the cup to the bowl to the mouth...busy girl.

Elli quickly picked up her chopsticks and was concentrating on getting them just right. She soon began playing like she was feeding me. She is pretty good. When our food arrived, we began test tasting all the foods. The dim sum arrived first. One was a shrimp filled and the other I didn’t get to taste because Elli ate it all. It looked like it had maybe fish and vegetables, but again, nobody knows but Elli ;-) The shrimp one was really good. It tasted like a shrimp dressing filled pasta.

Practicing before our food arrived.

Shrimp dim sum...tasty

Next came the noodles. There was a curry noodle…I tried it, but I can’t do curry. The smell, the taste, just not my thing. There was a sweet one with black sesame seeds that was okay, but very bland. Then there was one that had a faint tomato taste, but again very bland. The next one was hot and spicy with bean sprouts. I liked that one best. It was very crunchy and the heat lasted long after you had swallowed the food. In the center of the noodles was a sushi type roll that I knew from the beginning I would not try. It had some type of cream sauce in it that looked like mayonnaise…there was no way I was doing that one. Rodney tried it and said that it would have been good IF it didn’t have that sauce – duh!



The fish dish was small nuggets of fried fish with tofu. I tried the fish and the initial taste was okay, but then it was followed with a very fishy after taste. I also knew better than to try the tofu, just my personal taste. As I watched Rodney’s chopsticks head for a piece of tofu I sat back to watch. He put the piece in his mouth and…..yep, that’s what I thought. The expression was priceless. It was like he was trying to keep a normal expression, yet it was so unnatural and forced. Needless to say, he didn’t get another piece. Elli on the other hand loved the tofu.

Rodney's favorite - Tofu!

The beef dish was good too. It was spicy and again very hot. It had a very strong peppercorn flavor. The odd thing about the beef here is that it is very, very tender. Almost, too tender in a sense. But if you can get past the textural issue, the flavor is good. The vegetable dish was also good. It was a green with garlic, mushroom and what appeared to be pork. It had a little bit of a bitter flavor but kind of reminded me of broccoli stems…good. We finished up the meal with some steamed rice, which was good of course. I love rice, so there is no rice like real Chinese rice. I could eat rice everyday…wait I do!

After we ate, we made our way back to the hotel. When we got back to the room, Rodney told me that he was hungry and he had totally given up on Chinese food. I didn’t think it was bad, but he didn’t like it at all; which is funny because at home, he loves Chinese food. However the food here in Guangzhou or Cantonese food is very bland compared to other parts of the country. There are some Thai influenced foods here, but for the most part it is not spicy at all. The climate here is sooo hot, the culture foods of Canton is “cooling”. Not like the foods that you would get at your typical Chinese restaurant back in the States.

So for the 4th night in a row…La Dolce Vita. Rodney had the spaghetti and I had the spinach ravioli again. It started raining again on our way and then when we where making our way back to the hotel. The summer season is the rainy season here. It typically rains everyday for about a half hour or so, but yesterday it rained about all day long. I was very tired and so was Elli. We climbed on the sofa and she started getting restless. We went and got in the bed and it wasn’t long until she was out.

Elli has continued to do beautifully. She seems more and more comfortable with Rodney and has become quite the loving girl. She reminds me of Anna at times when she holds my face with one hand on each cheek and gives me a kiss. She is such a sweet heart. Occasionally she will get a little “wild”, but for the most part, she is very even tempered and a very good girl. You can tell that she was very well cared for at the orphanage and knows a lot. Unlike our first adoption where everything we encountered was an introduction to Anna, for Elli she knows how to play, how to bathe, how to brush her teeth, she knows what a telephone is, what a camera does, etc. Such a different experience.

QiaoQiao loves her baby

At some point, the baby got hungry and Elli thought she needed some crackers.

No joking...Elli did this diaper work all on her own. She can do a diaper

better than most men I know.

Taking a nap on Mama's chest...one of my "dreams" that has become a reality

Carter, Jacob, Parker & Anna,

Elli has found her lip gloss and ate about half of it this afternoon. She put it on the baby doll, on her coloring book, daddy, me and all over her face. She is playing right now in the floor with her broken crayons…yes, she has broken all them too ;-) She is a very typical 3 year old, but you are going to love her to pieces. We went to the electronics market today, but no luck. Sorry. It seems like the prices have gone up some since the last time we were here. It could be because the dollar has dropped though. Hope you all had a good time today and will talk to you soon!!

Sending love and hugs to Carter, Jacob, Parker & Anna,
Rodney, Marcy & Elli

I Need A Nap!

Let me start off with the fact that I can't access blogger, so I am
emailing this post and can't do any type of formatting. I also want
to thank you that have posted comments and emailed us. We love
reading the messages and agreeing with your very complimentary
comments about Elli :-)

Today was a not so busy, busy day…if that makes any sense. I don't
really think it was the activities of the day as much as it was just
the day. I am really feeling tired, especially around 5:00 pm, it
is about all I can do to keep my eyes open and then of course you
have the heat and humidity. It drains the energy out of you. It is
incredibly hot and you barely make it around the block before you
are questioning if taking a walk was really a good idea.

We went to the police station today to apply for Elli's passport.
It was a rather quick trip that just consisted of turning in some
paperwork, comparing our passports, a short interview and taking
Elli's picture. No biggie. But man, was it hot!

The mornings are still the best for me in regards to food. I have
tried "different" things which I normally couldn't do at "breakfast
time". In the afternoons, starting around 3:00 pm, nothing really
sounds good and experimental eating isn't an option! For you fellow
China adopters, you know that Lucy's is the "staple" restaurant if
are needing a taste of home...french fries, hamburgers, even
quesadillas. We ate at Lucy's quite often last trip. Well, this
time…no good! We have eaten there two times and both times I
couldn't eat my food. The fries were still good, but that was it.
They are closed now for "renovations" and won't open back up until
the 11th I believe, but honestly, no love lost. So that put us in
quite the dilemma…what are we going to eat?!!??!

Let me introduce our new best friend….La Dolce Vita! We have eaten
there for the past 3 days. It is one of those places that we would
eat at even if it were at home...delicious! We have had salad,
pizza, mushroom lasagna, spaghetti and spinach ravioli. Elli LOVES
it too. Tonight I had the spinach ravioli and she ate well over ½
of mine and then about 2 pieces of Rodney's pizza…plus salad and
bread. Seriously our grocery bill has just gone up by at least
30%...this girl can eat!

We have made it back to our room for the night and I am just about
ready to crash. Elli is playing in the floor. She is still very
timid towards Rodney at times. She likes to play with him, but
doesn't really like him to show her affection. I told him he should
take her out by himself for a walk around the floor and overlook the
balcony…she likes that. I thought they could use some time alone.
While they were out, he took her to the convenience store next door
and let her pick out some candy. He said she did really good until
they got off the elevator and then she said, "Mama" and started
running towards the room. When he opened the door, she ran in and
almost started crying as she approached me. I picked her up,
opened her candy and she was fine. It will just take a little while
for her to really learn to love Baba like the other kids.

Sorry, no pictures for today. Tomorrow we go to White Cloud
Mountain and to eat at an old Chinese restaurant, so I am sure I'll
have some good ones from there.

Carter, Jacob, Parker & Anna,

We love you guys and hope you are having a good time. The time here
is passing quick enough. Although we are having a nice time and
enjoying our trip, we just wish we were with you all. I saw
something that I thought you boys would like…Jackie Chan Shampoo!
How funny is that? It is a really cheesy picture of him on bottles
of hair care products…very funny. We will talk to you soon!!

Sending love and hugs to Carter, Jacob, Parker & Anna,
Rodney, Marcy & Elli

It's Official...

Again, another day of very fast “official” adoption proceedings. We zoomed into the Civil Affairs building, had our family portrait made, zoomed through 2 interviews, paid the fees and were done! The adoption is official and final. Tomorrow we go to have Elli’s passport picture made and apply for her passport. For this adoption to have taken almost 3 times longer than Anna’s…the adoption appointments in China have gone about 3 times fast…I think we deserve it though!

Elli did wonderful last night. She went right to sleep and slept through the night. No crying, no fussing, just perfect. She woke up this morning a little quiet, but it only took about 10 minutes and she was our little QiaoQiao…running and playing all over again. We all got ready for breakfast, our early morning appointment and of course, our first introduction to the family. We called our kiddos at my sister-in-laws so they could see and hear their new sister for the first time. She greeted them all very softly with, “NiHao”. She took a stab at saying some of their names….some came out better than others. Although she liked looking at the screen for a while, it didn’t last – there is just too much to do around here.

We left the room to eat some breakfast before meeting our guide to go to the Civil Affairs building to finalize the adoption. At breakfast, she ate part of an omelet with cheese, mushrooms and green peppers, fruit, fried rice noodles, fried rice, fried dumplings, potatoes, and a croissant. She really is too sweet using the fork the way she does. She will take a bite and then use her fork to rake any stray food into her mouth…very, very cute. I tore off a piece of the croissant for her and put a little strawberry jam for her to try – oh yeah baby!!! QiaoQiao is a big fan of the jams. She wanted it on her potatoes and more and more on her bread. Her little white dress was soon a white and multi-colored polka dot dress. Rodney had some watermelon on his plate. He cut her a small piece and fed it to her. She ate it right up and took her fork to his plate and looked up at him almost questioning him if she could have another. He nodded and she began raking the watermelon from his plate to hers…no more watermelon for Baba. She loved breakfast.



After returning from the Civil Affairs, she ate a snack in the room and we tried to take a nap…ha! I put her in her crib and she started to get upset…so I got her out and laid with her on our bed…she just tossed and turned. I finally tried the crib again and she stayed in there for about 15 minutes and then she was up playing and I knew it wasn’t going to happen. So I got her out. The nanny told us that she took a nap between 12 and 2, but she didn’t today! Oh well, maybe she will be ready for bed tonight…I hope!



She is trying her limits more and more. She will pull away, smile and do what we tell her “no” to and is being a typical 3 year old – that’s a good thing. I have had to get stern with her a couple of times because she has found an outlet under the computer desk. I tell her no and she will just grin and slowly move her hand towards the outlet. At one point she swatted at me and acted like she was going to put a toy in it – oh gracious, here we go.

Carter, Jacob, Parker & Anna,

You better get ready!! One of the best ways to describe Elli is to take Anna and Sam and mix them together – you got QiaoQiao. She can do anything she wants….open bottles, fold her clothes, put her shoes away, fix her hair and dress herself. She is talking up a storm and starting to sing little songs…I wish so bad I knew what all she was saying. We love you all very much and can’t wait to get home to have all you close!

Sending love & hugs to Carter, Jacob, Parker & Anna,
Rodney, Marcy & Elli

"Gotcha Day" Recap...

As we headed out yesterday afternoon towards the Civil Affairs building, I couldn’t help but be nervous about the reaction we would receive, or the effect that we would have on Elli. We didn’t want to “grab her up”, even though we wanted to “grab her up”. My biggest fear was that she would be scared. There is a very big warring in your heart on “Gotcha Day”. The one side is so excited, so thrilled, so anxious for the day that you have waited for so long and the other is the incredible sadness knowing that they are leaving all they have ever known. You are taking them from their normalcy and turning their world completely upside down. It can be a painful transition…even if things go best.

We arrived at the familiar building, the crowded drive and got out of the van. We made our way up to the 8th floor and joined a room filled with smiling, anxious parents. You could fill the excitement and nerves. Across the room was smaller room with children. I glanced into the room and saw some children staring back across the way at all the strange adults. We turned to put our things down and I got out my camera. As I turned back around, I saw one of the sweetest sights dressed in pink ruffles. QiaoQiao had arrived and was walking into the “waiting room”. I snapped a quick picture, but only got her back…but I saw her face and it was stunning.



A family that I have had contact with for a long time was also getting their daughter and they were first. I was so honored to get to witness their family meeting for the first time. I held their video camera for them as their daughter recognized her parents and called them by name. It was a very special moment for a little girl that has waited for many years to finally have her day.

We were called away to sign some paperwork because it was our turn to meet our daughter for the first time. We walked across the room where a nanny and Qing Zu Qiao stood waiting. She was looking around the room, staying very close to her nanny and holding a big white bear close to her chest. I waved at her and she returned the gesture. I knelt down and smiled. The nanny started pointing speaking to QiaoQiao. She opened her mouth and said, “mama, baba.” We applauded her actions and she smiled. The nanny then asked her to say, “mother” and “father”. She did and did so very well.





I began showing her some of the toys in the backpack that we prepared for her. She was interested in the doll and her long, slender fingers reached out to touch the dolls arm. She handed me the bear and we traded. She was examining Rodney and me, checking us out from head to toe. I got out a sucker and she was very, very interested. I unwrapped the sucker and she quickly took it. At one point, she took the sucker out of her mouth and offered a taste to me. I thanked her and she smiled.

I was reaching out toward her, but not to intrusive. She still hovered very near her nanny, at times nearly going between her legs to find security. The nanny would gently nudge her forward. She loved the “magical” baby bottle that she just could not figure out where the milk was going when she turned it upside down. She laid the baby doll on my lap and we fed the baby. We had an opportunity to ask the nanny some questions about her daily routine, feeding habits, likes/dislikes, etc. She seems like a typical 3 year old. She told us that she wasn’t a picky eater but especially liked snack foods…yep, she is ours!

The orphanage had packed a little bag of treats for her, cookies and crackers, along with a photo album that they had made of her. There are some really sweet pictures that I will try to share later…but some really sweet images that we are very fortunate to have.

As we sat and played, she slowly made her way into my lap. I was glad that she initiated the closeness. She was standing between my legs as I held the baby; she slowly lifted one leg and Rodney said, “pick her up, she wants you to pick her up.” I lifted her into my lap and we sat looking at coloring books, stickers and again, the magical bottle.

After about 15 minutes, the guide gathered her items that we brought and told QiaoQiao goodbye. She just looked at her and the nanny walked away. I believe Rodney and I both held our breath as she rounded the corner and we could no longer see her wondering the reaction we would have. But nothing. We played a bit longer with stickers and Connie asked if we were ready to leave.

As we made our way to the hallway and elevator, Elli pulled her hand from mine a couple of times. I allowed her to wonder just a little before pulling her back. We walked outside and waited on the sidewalk for the driver. As we got into the van, I could see her face changing, she was scared. I quickly got inside the van, pulled her up in my lap and she began to cry. The tears were rolling. She had a very small, pitiful cry. The kind of cry that makes you want to cry with them. I rubbed her back, tried to comfort her and then I remembered the cookies we brought. Rodney got them out, and the tears quickly ended…a girl and her comfort food – again, confirming she is ours ;-)

She seemed to enjoy the ride back to the hotel after calming. She was taking in all the sights and the busy streets. After we got to the hotel, she examined the room and began to play. We finished up some paperwork and she colored and played with her baby. She did amazing.



Soon Connie left and it was just us. Just us. She seemed very comfortable playing and laughing. Running and being very, well bossy! It is really funny because I will tell her no and she will give me a little attitude, sometimes, but for the most part she does it. Rodney on the other hand – hahahahahha! She doesn’t get upset, but she isn’t intimidated by him at all! She has swatted at his hand, stomped her foot and shouted something at him when he tried to get her to stop unplugging things on the computer…she did this all while smiling at him. She just isn’t scared of him. She isn’t scared of me either, but I think maybe being used to female nannies, she sees me as an authoritive figure – Rodney, he is just a big play thing!





It wasn’t long until we went to get her some shoes because we had a little accident and they got wet…plus they were too big and she was tripping in them constantly. She didn’t want Rodney to pack her, so I had to pack her to a local shop for some shoes. Oh my gosh…she is a chunk! It was a relief to find some shoes that fit her BIG feet! She wears a Chinese size 25…which we were told is about a US 9…Anna wears a 6.5 and Parker is about 10.5…yes, she is a big girl. So far the clothes that I have brought seem like they will fit her well, 3 & 4 Ts.

After getting some shoes, we knew that she was getting hungry so we went for some dinner. One of the funniest things I have ever seen in my entire life. The way that she would use her fork to eat her noodles…it’s and art form I tell you. She is talented. Rodney and I laughed so hard and she would just grin and keep on eating. Sweet, sweet girl.

We are so thankful that things went as well as they did. I know that we “aren’t out of the woods yet”, but I couldn’t imagine them going any better. She is just a jewel.

Carter, Jacob, Parker & Anna,

You all are going to LOVE Elli! She is a hoot. Funny, funny girl and knows exactly what she wants and when she wants it…just like you all! I think when you see her later tonight, she is going to love seeing herself on the computer…she is quite smitten with her face & we are too!

Sending love & hugs to Carter, Jacob, Parker & Anna,
Rodney, Marcy & Elli (QiaoQiao)

QiaoQiao Has Landed!

Oh my! I don't know what else to say. More beautiful than any picture we have seen, and smart...soooo smart. We weren't at the Civil Affairs office very long at all. In fact, I am guessing we were in and out in less than 20 minutes. Since we have been back to the room she has played dolls, colored, drank a whole bottle of juice, ate cookies, touched every possible button she could find, turned on the tv, changed channels and has used the potty 2 times!

I will fill you in on all the details later, but just wanted to share that she is here with us and doing absolutely wonderful...only a few tears that quickly dried. So thankful!

Glad this day has finally come,
Rodney & Marcy

The Last Night...

Tonight, somewhere in Qingyuan in the Guangdong Province of the Peoples’ Republic of China, a little girl, called QiaoQiao by her caregivers, was put to bed in the Social Welfare Institute for the last time. Tomorrow afternoon, unbeknown to her, she will make a life changing journey to Guangzhou where she will meet the family that has loved her and wanted her for a long, long time. Tonight is the last night that Qing Zu Qiao will be an orphan.

I don’t know what she knows or understands about the comings of tomorrow. However, I try to prepare myself for the reaction that my 3 year old would have if she was taken from what she knows. I understand what the natural reactions of what a 3 year old could be, but I also know that God can help her and help us to help her. All we can do tomorrow is just be there for her, love her and wait for her to eventually love us too.

Tomorrow is a monumental day in our lives. We will no longer be parents to 4, but 5. No longer 1 girl, but 2. A day that comes to us by a whirlwind of circumstances, heart aches mixed with joy. She has a story that is filled with amazing people that have loved her – from the birth parents that cared for until she was just too sick and they couldn’t do it any longer, the person that found her outside the market and got her to safety, the Brehms that fostered her until she was strong, the incredible volunteers and workers with Love Without Boundaries that provided her palate surgery, the orphanage staff that has taken care of her daily, Half the Sky that has given her opportunities in their preschool program, the adoption agency that was dedicated to find her a loving home and the ones that began our journey to her who we will forever be grateful. Each played a vital role in her life and their contributions will be told to her over and over as we share her beautiful story.

Tomorrow is a new chapter in her life. A chapter that will be far different from any that has been written of her in the past. She will become the daughter of two adoring parents, the sister of another and 3 brothers, a granddaughter, a cousin, a niece, and have an extended family and friends that are all anxiously awaiting her arrival.

QiaoQiao,

Sleep tight and have the sweetest dreams you have ever dreamed. Tomorrow will be a busy day for you and full of many new sights and sounds. After many, many months of us staring at your picture, wondering what your voice will sound like and just how big you actually are, tomorrow will bring the physical reality of just who you really are. Until we meet…

Sending our sweet Elli all our love,
Rodney & Marcy

A Few Pics...

A little bribery never hurt...some goodies for Elli

On our way to China!

Central Park from above

Okay, I know it is small....but, the small island in the center - Ellis Island and the small green thing - Statue of Liberty...hey, its the best I could do

About to board in Hong Kong for Guangzhou

Yummy...breakfast!

Statue Garden

I just wanted to post a few pictures while I had a break. We went walking after breakfast and got incredibly hot and sweaty!!! The humidity is just through the roof right now. The only cool place right now is by the river where there is an awesome breeze blowing across the walk. No wonder that is where so many gather to exercise, dance and nap.

After walking around for a while, we decided to come back to the room to cool off. We got to talk and see Carter & Anna at my sister's house this morning right before they were getting ready for bed. We called right in the middle of Anna's french manicure and pedicure, so she was showing off her nails and toes. Even though it has only been a few days, it seems like Carter has changed. I guess he just seems "bigger" and more mature. Hopefully tomorrow we will be able to see Parker & Jacob...we miss them all soooo much. Rodney is hungry - again, so I think we are going to go back out and see what else we can get into. We looked at some menus while walking around and Rodney found some that he would like to try. Melissa, I am sure I will have some good stories for you soon ;-) I will post more about our day and more pics tonight when we get back.

Sending love and hugs to Carter, Jacob, Parker, Anna & Elli,

Rodney & Marcy

ps

By the way, even with the newly purchased hairspray - my hair is still pretty bad

The Adventure Begins...

In an effort to make the time change transition a little easier and to be able to sleep on the plane, I stayed up all night again this time. It seemed to work pretty well our last trip across the Pacific, well, other than Rodney constantly waking me up telling me that if he couldn't sleep I couldn't either...we are all about equality at our house (sarcasm alert!!). We left around 5:00 am (thanks Rick) and headed to the airport to catch our first flight.

Trying to minimize our luggage this trip, I cut our check in bags by 2 this time. Pretty impressive I think, considering the incredible urge to, "pack it just in case". It is really hard to not bring too much stuff. One of the bags was over by 4 lbs. So I pulled out some stuff and crammed in my backpack...totally messing up my whole system, but I managed :-) We finally boarded a plane headed for Newark, NJ...I mean a tiny, tiny plane headed for Newark, NJ. I don't consider myself claustrophobic, but I didn't like the close quarters at all. I have been on a 4 seat wide express jet before, but this one was 3 wide and was very "squatty". I was glad to get off that ride!

We arrived in Newark and grabbed some lunch. I have never been to NYC, so it was nice to see the NYC skyline as we ate. Flying above the city, we could see the Statue of Liberty as well as notable scrapers, like the Empire State Building.

Next, we were on our way to Hong Kong. Thankfully, the flight was far from full and Rodney and I had an empty seat on our row, so it was nice...lots better than the last time. We were all packed on that flight like a can of sardines! Not much fun to be cramped for 15 hours. We finally arrived at Hong Kong and soon boarded the flight to Guangzhou, a lovely 35 minute flight...wouldn't it be nice if they were all that short?!?

Our driver was waiting for us and took us to our hotel. We checked in and Rodney wanted to go search for some food...imagine that. He nearly made a mad dash to guess where? Lucy's! They were closing, so he has to wait yet another day for his sweet n sour pork. We made a stop at the Seven11 and got some soda and chips. It really didn't matter, we were both pretty whipped, yet somehow I only managed to sleep about 2 hours. I got up, showered and woke Rodney, because I was getting hungry!!

We hit the Victory breakfast buffet (Angela - it was goooooood!). We are staying in the annex this time, so we didn't do the main hotel buffet...which I prefer this one much more. The eating area is very cozy and the food is exactly the same - but without the very strong aroma ;-) Rodney had some fruit, an omelet, toast and seriously probably 3 glasses of orange juice. He definitely got his Vitamin C for the day. I had the fried rice, noodles, toast and dumplings. Honestly, all joking aside for those that remember my loathing the breakfast last time, it was really good...almost like comfort food in a way - odd.

Connie, our guide again, came to our room after breakfast and discussed the coming days and what we needed. We went to the bank to exchange some moola and headed to the department store for hairspray...hairspray? Oh yes, I opened my luggage last night when we arrived to discover that there was a very strong smell, like alcohol...no, perfume...no, HAIRSPRAY! Apparently one of our suitcases was searched because my toiletry bag was all messed up, the straps were undone and the cap on the hairspray was off...all of the hairspray sprayed out - in the bag, all over my denim capris (Shanda, can you believe - the same capris as the pen incident!) some socks and of course all the other items in the toiletry bag. So, after my shower, my hair looked fabulous. In fact, for the last 2 years I have joked Rodney about his "Buddha" comment from Connie - well this time, it was my turn. When she came in we were reminiscing and I asked about getting some hairspray, because there is nowhere on the island to buy any. She told me that she would take me to get some today if I wanted. She said that she remembered last time that my hair was always "so nice and pretty, not like now." How funny is that?

We got a cab and headed to the shopping mall...huge shopping mall. Found the hairspray, got some cookies for Elli and grabbed a cab back to the hotel. Now I am really under pressure. I mean, now Connie knows I have hairspray and is expecting good hair everyday! Just kidding, I am not that vain. And even though Connie remembered a lot about us, Anna and the boys, she obviously didn't remember my hair! We love her!

Tomorrow is free day again and then we will meet Connie on Monday afternoon at 2:00 pm to head to the Civil Affairs to meet Elli. Very exciting, nerve wrecking and anxious all rolled into one big butterfly in the pit of my stomach. She is 3...not a little baby that you can hold and console with rocking, bouncing or a bottle. We are trying to prepare for the worst reaction, but praying and hoping for the best. Either way, it will be a day that we will never forget.

Carter, Jacob, Parker and Anna,

This computer is sooooooo slow. It is about to drive me nuts! I have some pictures that I wanted to show you, but it will not let me download. I don't know what the deal is, but I am going to do some more tinkering and see what I can do. We hope that you all are having a good time, being good and helping out. We love you more than I can put into words and wish we could give you hugs and kisses...yes, Carter and Jacob - kisses!! I miss all of you so much and cannot wait to get home.

Sending love, hugs and kisses to Carter, Jacob, Parker and Anna at home and Elli in Qingyuan,
Rodney & Marcy

Hotel, Sweet Hotel...

We have finally arrived!! We are both exhausted and thankful to finally be here. I have been working for about an hour trying to gain access to blogger.com With the anniversary of the demonstrations in Tsquare, access to blogger as well as privacy servers have been blocked by the government. I finally found another server, but had some issues...but I don't give up very easily when I really want something :)

My laptop is also giving me some issues w/freezing. I have done some updates and hope that the problem is resolved...so we will see. Fortunately, there is a desktop in our room, so if I have too much trouble, there is a backup. Last time I had some issues with formatting, so my fellow "teacher" friends, please excuse the continuous paragraphs if I can't change the html.

Tomorrow is a free day other than meeting with Connie, our guide. I am sure that we will be in "crazy" schedule mode for the next couple of days. Thankfully we have those to adjust before we meet Elli...oh yeah, we will soon have Elli!! It seems like an eternity to get to this point, but we are finally here!

Carter, Jacob, Parker & Anna,

We have some pretty funny stories to tell you about our flights. We thought of you multiple times...especially when we were going through the movies on the flight and they had all the X-Men (except Origins of course) and the video games :-) You guys would have been in heaven!! I will give more details of our trip tomorrow and hopefully a few pics.

The sights, sounds and smells are all so familiar and a flood of memories came back as we approached the city of Guangzhou. It was only 2 years ago that we were here with Anna sending you boys messages. We hope to talk to you in the morning and love you bunch, bunch, bunches!!!

Sending love and hugs to our babies at home and our baby in Qingyuan,
Rodney & Marcy

Planning, Packing & Pooped...

That just about sums it up!! Rodney is trying to tie up all loose ends (even though there is NO WAY he can get it all done before we leave). I am trying to plan where the kids will be, what they need and packing for our trip. Oh yes, and we are totally pooped! I don't think we will have much trouble sleeping on our flights - well, I know I won't.

The last few days has been a whirlwind. There are soo many 'irons in the fire' right now, you can hardly see the fire for the irons! The dry wall should be completely hung by tomorrow and while we are gone, it should be finished, the garage door installed and waiting on us to return to begin the fun part - painting!!! I know we will be tired, but I am sooo ready for all of us to be home and moved.

Saturday was my break down day. I cried just about all day thinking about leaving the kids for two weeks. There is such a feeling of being 'torn'. I am so excited to go to China and get Elli you just cannot imagine, but then there is this horrible knot in the pit of my stomach thinking about leaving my other babies. It is the initial act of leaving that is so incredibly hard. Last time was the same. I remember standing on the sidewalk in front of the airport as my parents were getting into their car to leave and I stood there crying because I was really leaving my babies for two whole weeks. Then in less than 15 minutes, I was just giddy that I was on my way to bring Anna home. Such a crazy mix of emotions - there is nothing else like it!

Today, Carter and Jacob had an honor roll field trip, Anna had speech and I had about 25 million errands to run - seriously. I got almost 1/2 done ;-) Tomorrow, we have speech again, I will finish the other 12.5 million errands and Jacob has an E conduct field trip to a baseball game tomorrow night. I will try to finish our packing and Wednesday should be our Free Family Day!! The kids have a whole list of things they want to do on our "last day" they like to call it. I think they just do it to gain sympathy and hopefully more money for the festivities. Sorry kiddos - we are on a budget.

Sending love and hugs to our Elli,

Rodney, Marcy, Carter, Jacob, Parker & Anna

Nice Surprise...

It has been pretty busy around our house, so I haven't had the opportunity (or energy - sick again!) to post. But, on Tuesday I got an email from a family that is adopting a child from Elli's orphanage. She had recently gotten an update on their daughter when she sent a cake for the kids. She sent me the pictures she got "just in case" there was a picture of Elli in the group of kiddos. Much to my very pleasant surprise - there was a beautiful shot of her face.

With all the kids very focused on their special treat in front of them, the odds of Elli turning from her snack so that the camera could capture her face, were pretty slim. I guess she just knew that her momma needed to see her face on Tuesday :-) Even though we are sooooo close to going to China, it still seems very "unreal". The same feeling happened with Anna...you just can't believe it is really happening until you hold them in your arms. I am so ready to finally be with Elli. To see her face, hear her voice, hold those chubby hands and kiss those cheeks...is it June 8th yet?!?!?

Ready & sending love to our Elli,

Rodney, Marcy, Carter, Jacob, Parker & Anna

Consulate Appointment - Confirmed...

We have a confirmed Consulate Appointment as of this afternoon...June 16th. That would put us leaving either June 4th or 5th, arriving in Guangzhou on the 6th and getting Elli on the 8th!! We would then be leaving China on June 18th arriving home some 25 hours later - the same day :-)

Right now we are just trying to decide exactly when to fly out. Our agency has told us that the circumstances are not typical, so we know that things, such as a cancelled appointment, could happen. We are just praying that it doesn't and we have a very smooth, enjoyable trip to bring Elli home.

Sending love & hugs to Elli,
Rodney, Marcy, Carter, Jacob, Parker & Anna