Three Peas In A Pod

What a Blast!!

2008-01-30T19:19:00.000-08:00

What a difference a year makes! It's been one year since we've had Leah in our lives and I can't imagine it getting any better than this...but I'm sure every year will just keep getting better and we can't wait to see what lies ahead!! January 29, 2007 marked the one year occaision. James went to work and Leah and I hung out and cuddled all day in bed until it was time to meet Dada (as she calls him) at Seven Moons for chinese food. After dinner, we went for ice cream, which just so happens to be right next door to my gym, and which I blew off for the day to honor our special day ~ getting ice cream is so much better than going to the gym!! But ice cream is the reason I go to the gym in the first place. Argh!!

Leah never ceases to amaze us...every single day! Because it's been so long since my last blog, I have a lot to catch up on. She is smart, funny, happy, adorable, beautiful, clever and so much more. She can count to ten, say her ABC's, take showers (okay okay, with me but still, it's so much easier than giving her a bath), she's almost potty trained, loves food, finally sleeping through the night, she's definately a ball buster ~ hum...I wonder where she gets that from! (me!). She loves loves loves clothes!!! So fun for mommy...not so fun for daddy! But wait...she also likes to watch football with dada so he has a buddy for Sunday afternoons. May not be a beer drinking buddy but whatev's ~ she's much cuter than his beer drinking buds! She has swimming lessons, music lessons and we also have a playgroup we meet up with weekly. Life's Good and we're all so happy.

All in all, we've had a FABULOUS year!

I was very inspired by our "one year anniversary" to blog and will make it a point to keep up. Even if no one reads it, it's a great journal for us :o)

Stay tuned for pictures...coming tomorrow night.

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Home Sweet Home

2007-03-14T17:10:00.000-07:00

First I'd like to correct the title of my last blog. In China, people do not say Goodbye. They say "See you Later"... So... I shouldn't have typed Goodbye China - See you later China would have been more appropriate. I'm going to check to see if I can edit my title...we'll see.

So we've been home a little over a month and things couldn't be better. Our first week home was very trying for all three of us. With James and I it was the time change, jet lag and sleep deprivation. For Leah it was including but not limited to, jet lag, sleep deprivation, time change, new people, new home with different rooms instead of one hotel room. Now she's in a big house with different rooms. At first, she was quite scared wondering whether or not we would come back in the same room as she was in. We've also been quite busy having people over to meet her and getting out of the house to do some visiting as well. She's already had two doctor visits and he deemed her very healthy. She's gone through a series of shots and will need more in a few months. Its so hard to watch. All her bloodwork came back negative -whew! She falls asleep in the car which is good because I thought I would have to buy a bus; as she always fell asleep on the bus in China. We've gone shopping, out to eat, we've taken her to see the ocean down in Narragansett and we also brought her to Boston. She is going to be a well rounded pea! James and I are entralled with her every single minute of the day and we have about 1,500 pictures to prove it. Yes, that' s right, 1,500 pictures and we've only had her a little over a month. What can we say, everything she does is worth a picture.

Also since she's been home, she has learned how to roll and she gives kisses! I swear that has to be the cutest thing on earth. She will even pucker up while she's crying if I ask her to. She is so fun and a really happy baby. There is only one thing that we're still working on and that's her sleeping habbits. Right now its trial and error. At first, we were putting her to bed around 8:30-9:00pm (same time she was going to bed in China) and she would wake up every two hours. We always went in to pick her up until she fell back asleep, which could take a really long time. Then one night we decided to see what happens if we didn't go in and get her....well, she cried for only about 6 minutes (we timed it) and she soothed herself back to sleep. From that day on, we just let her cry it out and her crying only lasts 10 minutes the most. Now we have another new thing which is putting her to bed earlier - around 7:30ish. We've seem some good improvement but she still wakes up and cries sometimes. I don't know - I guess with time she'll be able to sleep through the night.

Leah's Birthday was Thursday, February 22nd. In the morning, Leah and I went to Kristen's house to visit. Kristen has two daughter's - Madison (3) and Abby who is turning one tomorrow. I was really happy to be able to catch up with Kristen and to see the girls. What's also cool is that Abby and Leah are only a few weeks apart so it's going to be fun to watch them grow up together. Madison is just adorable - with an imagination as big as the universe! It was fun listening and watching her play. After we left Kristen's, Leah fell asleep in the car within seconds so I decided to take a really long drive so I wouldn't have to wake her up on my very short drive home. Later the evening, James came home with Chinese food from Seven Moons and we had some cake for her. It was just the three of us and it was perfect. On Saturday, Feb 24th, we had our immediate families over to celebrate her birthday and they were all so excited to be here with Leah. We had pizza, opened presents and let Leah dig into her chocolate birthday cake right on the dining room table. At first, she was very dainty...just putting one of her tiny fingers right into the cake and after about 6 or 7 licks, she dug right in and grabbed a big chung of cake. The next thing we knew, she had it all over her hands, face, belly and legs (yes, we took her fancy party dress off so it wouldn't get ruined). It was so fun to watch her. We gave her a bath and shortly after, everyone left so we could get her settled down for the night. She didn't sleep good that night - um...could have been all the sugar!! She got some really nice gifts. My parents got her a musical snow globe with her name and birthday insribed on it, Joyce and Jim got her an exersaucer which she absolutely loves and they also got her a learning teddy bear and a Playskool CD player. Michele got her Baby Einstein books and baloons, Chris got her a savings bond and a pink Boston Red Sox hat and Kim got her some new outfits! She had a very good 1st Birthday and we enjoyed it too!

We have a lot of offers for babysitters but James and I haven't been ready to leave for the night yet. It's only been a month and right now, we're cool with hanging in on Friday and Saturday nights. It's been too cold to go out anyway. That's not to say we haven't been "tearing it up" on a Friday or a Saturday night - we've had some friends over for some eats and drinks. It's been fun. We're in no rush to go out at this point. The warmer weather is just around the corner and we'll be more antsy to get out after she goes to sleep for the night. Hey, we may be an old married couple with a baby but that doesn't mean we don't like a drink or two...or eight. Just kidding. Seven is our limit...okay...kidding again. We're parents now and we don't get to sleep until noon anymore. Although if Leah can take a morning nap, James and I might be able to sleep off our hangovers...okay okay, I'm still kidding. Those days of partying are long over. We're a little more sophisticated now - we like to go out for a nice dinner with a glass of wine instead of going bar hopping.

Today we had Early Intervention come over to do some paperwork. In about a week or so, a counselor will come back and evaluate Leah to see if she need therapy. Its recommended when an adopted child comes home. Her Gross Motor Skills could use some work but we'll see what happens when they come over to observe her. James left work early so he could be here when the lady came over today and once she was gone, we had the rest of the beautiful afternoon together (it was about 65 degrees today). Just like old times back in China, we bundled Leah up and strapped her in the Baby Bjorn and the three of us took a walk around the hood; and again like old times in China, she fell asleep within minutes. I guess there's something about moving and her falling asleep. Maybe I'll lay her down ontop of the washing machine and see if she falls asleep. Am I just nuts or did I hear that somewhere? Anyway, we also looked through a recipe book and James made some dinner instead of the usual easy meals that I make - God, I really don't like cooking. I don't know what it is but I just don't like it. Leah always eats like a champ though. Just because I don't like to cook doesn't mean she doesn't eat well - veggies, fruits, meats, poultry, milk...etc, you name it, she eats it. I always make sure she eats well - for those of you who are wondering what I give her :o)

Well, its 9:00 and Leah's been sound asleep (hopefully she won't wake up) and I'm ready to veg out with James. So until the next blog...

Peace out,
Kerin, James & Leah

See You Later China

2007-02-06T04:08:00.000-08:00

Today is the very last day for me to blog. We are getting ready for all of our traveling that we'll be doing within the next two days. Tomorrow we leave here, Guangzhou, to fly to Beijing. We'll arrive in Beijing at 11:00pm (Wednesday); and then get about 5 hours sleep before the little pea wakes us up. Our flight back home isn't until 5:25pm, Thursday (4:25 in the morning for you - Thursday morning, that is) and hopefully it's a nice quite flight all the way to Chicag0 - we're are praying she sleeps - I think it will make for a much peaceful flight for everyone on board. She is extremly vocal these days. Doesn't think anything of it when she screams on top of her lungs for no reason other than to let everyone know she is in the room - then is gives us this huge smile. The smile is cute - screaming is not so cute.

So today we had a free day all to ourselves. We did some shopping around here and then we took a taxi off the island to the other parts of Guangzhou (couldn't buy much though because of the weigth limits we have with our luggage while traveling....that's a bummer). Somehow I ended up walking through a meat market and let me tell you, that is something I could have done without. Actually, it wasn't that bad but I was really grossed out by the floor. James didn't have the same pleasure of walking through it :o) I think I"m going to throw out these sneakers when I get home.

All of the walking and shopping we did today wore the little one out; she took a long nap and woke up just in time for dinner. She showed off her vocals at dinner time and then all the other babies started chiming in. Now it's time for bed and she is not tired at all. She loves to scream but she is really quick to smile and laugh and laughs most of the day and almost always wakes up with a smile.

We are a little sad to be leaving the birthplace of our daughter. China has so much more meaning to us - its a beautiful country and the people are very gracious - we will certainly miss being here and definately have plans to return when she is older. On the other hand, James and I are really anxious to get home now that the time is near. We can't wait to sleep in our own bed, live out of a closet instead of a suitcase, brush our teeth with running tap water, use the dishwasher to clean the bottles and most import, to show off the newest addition to our family. She is so cool and James and I are so very LUCKY to have her in our life.

Okay, pray for our safe flight....see you soon

Love Always
Three Peas in a Pod

I bet you can't wait for her name!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Greetings from Guangzhou

2007-02-05T04:17:00.000-08:00

We arrived in Guangzhou yesterday evening. What a total difference between here and Nanchang. Guangzhou is so westernized! The streets are clean, there is a lot of shopping, KFC, Pizza Hut and a ton of Americans! Anyone who adopts in China stays here in Guangzhou at the White Swan Hotel. We are really glad that we were able to stay in Nanchang near where she was born. It was the real deal and gave us a first hand look of a chinese city viturally untouched by western influences. We had a beautiful hotel and the food was excellent too!

So here we are at the White Swan Hotel and it really is five star. There is a elevator attendent on every floor so wheather you need to go up or down, the attendant pushes the elevator button for you. There is a huge American breakfast buffet set up on the first floor. We enjoyed it but were kind of missing the Chinese buffet in Nanchang. Oh well - we won't be choosey.

Today we took the baby to her Dr's appointment. They weighed her (20lbs) and took her height (28inches). Then they checked out her ears, nose and throat and last but not least they checked out her tummy and heart beat. According to these Dr's, she has a good clean bill of health! We have an appointment the day after we arrive home to get her checked out by our own peditrician. Also, over the last few years we got to know a couple, Catherine and Thom. Thom is the guy James went out with looking for a bar to "tip" back a few - if you remember James' blog; and Catherine is a peditrician so we're really fortunate to have her in case there is anything medically that we might need her advise on etc. They're a very nice couple and they have a "cute as a button" daughter , LiLi. So...anyway, after the appointment, we walked around the streets and the came back to get ready for the famous "Red Couch" picture. We dressed her up in a traditional Chinese dress that we had hand made the other day. Oh my God - She looks absolutely adorable in it. Okay, scroll down and take a look. She was so happy in her dress :O). Then, we went to a Buddist Temple where the babies were blesssed by a monk. That was really cool. We all had to take our shoes off before we entered and the knealt down in front of the alter. Behind the alter were three big Buddahs that represented Past, Present and Future. While the monk did some chanting, he blessed all the babies with this little green leaf that had some type of liquid on it. Actually, he sprinkeled us all with the liquid - so we're all blessed by the monks. It was quite an experience to see and be part of this ceremony. After that, we walked around and took pictures outside and even got some shots of the monks. We were not allowed to take any pictures in the temple.

We're only here in Guangzhou for one more day to get some shopping done. Then the next few days we'll be traveling back to Beijing and then finally home. So...to sign off on our very last blog, we want to thank everyone that checked in with us, we really enjoyed all your comments. We're happy that we could "take you along" on our trip.

We've had such a great time on this journey and finally holding our precious angel in our arms was by far, the best part of it!!! We can't wait for you to meet her - you're going to love her to pieces!

See you soon.

Love - Three Peas in a Pod

P.S. - okay, this might not be our last blog - we just had to buy more time with the internet service so I have until tomorrow night - so...please check it out and post more comments - we love to hear from everyone

P.S.S. - did you enjoy the Super Bowl? We were thinking about everyone having a good time at the parties. Hope you had a good time :o)

2007-02-05T04:06:00.000-08:00

Red Couch Pictures

2007-02-05T03:59:00.000-08:00

Buddist Temple

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Life is good!

2007-02-03T00:34:00.000-08:00

Hi Everyone!

It's been six days since we've had the baby and have I mentioned that she is just the cutest! She amazes us every day. She's said her first few words - DaDa, MaMa and BaBa...now wheather or not she was saying these words before she met us, we don't really know but James and I like to think that she's started saying these words just for us! She also likes to scream - just for the fun of it and because she can. We're pretty used to her belting it out! God she is just adorable. We can't wait to bring her home and show her off. We weighed her yesterday and she's just a little under 20 lbs. She is sitting here right on my lap being such a good little girl.

Today was a pretty chill day. After breakfast, James went to a "white-out" party. One person from each couple needed to fill out a bunch of forms and there is always a need for white-out because the many mistakes people make. I had the honor of hanging with the baby. She took a nap and I pretty much looked out the window at people hanging out their laundry to dry and the traffic at the intersection below. Trust me, watching the traffic in China is not boring as one might think....Once she woke up, we just played. We had KFC for lunch - not bad. Just like the chicken at home but a bit more spicier. We also went to the local park with another mom, baby and the mom's sister that she brought along on the trip. So...now we're just waiting for dinner time.

We check out of this hotel tomorrow to fly to Guangzou. We'll get there in the afternoon and there is another whole itinerary that we'll follow for a few days. It's not bad. We actually enjoy following an itinerary. James and I are usually fly by the seat of our pants type of people. Things change when you have a little "pea"

Okay, that's about all for now. I'll catch you in Gaungzou. Please check out the last blog if you already haven't done so - we posted alot of pictures. Just keep clicking "older posts"

see you tomorrow.

Love us! :o)

Spicy Baby

2007-02-02T00:59:00.000-08:00

Well Hello...It's been a few days since you read anything from us. We've been either too busy or too tired to blog. So here we are, one week after our arrival and 5 days since we've had the baby and it just keeps getting better. She is really starting to come around and figure out that we're not going anywhere. It's been tough for her but she's really getting happier.

I have alot to catch up on....

So, I'll start off by letting you know what we did yesterday. Hum, I already forgot. Oh, but the other day (Wednesday) they took us shopping at the local Walmart (yup, a Walmart, just like home) and that whole experience would leave anybody speechless, but let me try to sum it up. I believe half of China's population was in the store, with isles so small, an American has to walk down the isle sideways sucking in our guts :o) - okay, I'm exagerating but trust me, you can just about walk down in a single file - good thing they teach us that when we're in kindergarten. On our trip there, we picked a few things for the baby and some beer and Pringles for us - what more can two parents need?! Oh, and the grossest toothpaste - yuck - but it cleans the teeth (we hope). It was a mad house. It really makes Christmas time in our Walmart just a walk in the park. I think after the first 10 minutes in there, we were all ready to leave. Way Way Way too many people.

Okay, now I remember yesterday (Thursday). They took us to this Pagoda Palace that was built in 652 AD. It was real cool to look at and we walked the steps to the top. We walked around the perimeter of each floor checking out the sights. In the distance, we saw the largest ferris wheel in the world, and trust me, it looked pretty big from afar so I can only imagine the immensity up close. This Pagoda was on a river and in the middle of the river was this dirt island with buffalo grazing, on sand, I assume. I'm not sure how the buffalo got there - oh, they must swimming water buffalo. Then we went to the local restaurant - for thoses of you who thought I would starve, no worries, I've been pretty good eating all the meals. Although, it's a little tough for me in Nanchang, Jiangxi because they like spicy foods and I'm not a big fan. James, however, is a fan so he's had a nice full tummy. They like to call the girls around here "Spicy Girls". These girls include all of our babies because there all from Jiangxi, Spicy Babies. After lunch, every day, we always go back to the hotel because the afternoon is naptime for most of the babies. So pretty much from 2:00 - 6:30 (6:30 being dinnertime) we have to ourselves and spending most of our time in the room. Dinner is always in the dining room downstairs and they sit us at 3 big round tables with a huge Lazy Suzan in the middle. Kind of like a wedding. After dinner is James' time to spend with the baby. She's hasn't had any men around her orphanage, except the director, and where not even sure how much time he spent with the babies....so, my point is that she has been trying to get her used to James. And by him taking her for a stroll around the lobby has been quite helpful for them to bond. It's getting better day by day. Last night, James and Tom, a nice guy we met from our agency and got to know him and his wife, Catherine, pretty well over our long wait, went out to see if they could find a bar to get a beer or two (Catherine and I stayed behind to get the babies to bed). They didn't find a bar but they walked the streets and got a real feel of the local life. - Hi, James here,
Haven't had much time to get a word in edge wise, with Kerin being a blog hog. We'll leave it to me to go out with the boys have a few. "Guys will be guys". It is very difficult to describe how city people live. It is totally different from any city I have ever been in. The local streets around our hotel do give you a flavor of how the people really live in cities in China . There are more apartment buildings than you can possibly count, and just about every window has laundry hanging from it, sometimes meat too. At street level, there are "shops" selling every possible thing you can think of, from shoes, to recycled metal, to video tapes, to meat on stick, all within 25 feet. All except a bar! Tom and I walked for several blocks getting deeper and deeper into the back streets, it is here where the typical Chinese city dweller lives. Very narrow dark passageways packed with people. A restuarant in this part of the city consists of a 8 ft shop front with a small wood fired grill, cooking some sort of meat, with seating for six. From the looks we were getting, I suspect they haven't seen too many Americans, if ever. But the looks were not malicious, just of curiosity. We were totally alien to them. There is very little crime here, so while I felt a little strange, I felt safe. After walking for about 30 minutes, we found a small place to have a beer. It was not a bar, just a larger type restuartant, seating for 12, no English spoken...we managed though. After a pretty good 50 cent beer, we heading back to hotel. As much we enjoy experiencing the culture here, it is nothing compared to the experience of holding this little girl in your arms, having her look up into your eyes and laugh her little laugh. It is just incredible, and the real reason we are here.

Today, Friday, we went to a porcelin shop. Porcelin orginates from Jiang Xi Province and this store had the best quality known to man. We bought the baby a tea set for when she gets older and we bought two plates to hang in our kitchen. It really is beautiful and would have loved to purchased more but we still have some traveling to do and we already have way too much stuff. We also went to get the baby's passport. She is still a Chinese citizen, so its a Chinese passport. Once we get home, we finalize the adoption by making her a US citizen. She is screaming her head off in her passport photo which she will probably love when she is older.
We went to the countryside. A typical farming village of where are baby is from. Oh my God. It really makes you understand first hand how unbelieveably fortunate we are. I mean really really fortunate. The village that we went to was very very poor and there is no heat or electricity. We walked around this village and it brought tears to our eyes that there are people having to live like this. They were warm, freindly and very curious, especially the chidren. They were mezmorized by our video camera, and of course our babies. There is such a difference between the city and the country.

I also wanted to tell you about our guides that have been with us every step of the way on this trip and they are so important in getting us through this "first" part of our lifelong journey. First we have Lori, who is a social worker from Wide Horizons. She has been to China 5 times and is very familar with the adoption process. She has been really helpful. Then there is Candy. She is our international guide. She lives in Beijing with her husband and has been and will be with us throughout this whole trip. She is really sweet and just a lovely girl. She knows all the "in's and out's" of everything we need to know. And last but certainly not least is Cindy. She is the local guide here in Nanchang. She grew up in the countryside but her family moved here to the city when she was a young girl. She has been telling and showing us everything about Nanchang. All three of them have made this so much easier.

And lets not forget about the baby, she is doing great. As I mentioned in the first paragraph, she's really starting to come around and enjoy us. Of course, she still has her moments. She is SO super cute with everything that she does. She has the cutest little giggle. She is very content wheather she is holding a packet of sugar, hair comb or a rattle. She doesn't care what it is, it definately occupies her. She isn't figity either....she sits still alot which makes it much easier at feeding time. Oh boy can she eat! She likes everything, including eggs(we hate eggs). She barely needs a bib and she even sits still in the tub! She has beautiful dark skin and big brown eyes. The cutest little mouth, I mean REALLY cute with four teeth on top and bottom. It makes you just want to eat her up. You're are going to flip when we bring her home!
Well thats alot for now, there so much more to say about her, but words do not do justice. We'll try to keep up the blog.
Take care

P.S. to check out all pictures wou will need to click "older posts" at bottom of page

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Top: Cindy, our local guide from Nanchang. Bottom: Candy, our national guide from Bejing.

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Baby don't cry

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So sad

2007-01-30T23:58:00.000-08:00

Sleep? What's that?

2007-01-30T22:44:00.000-08:00

Yes, that's right, we didn't sleep much at all last night. She's was pretty fussy all day yesterday (Tuesday) and just as fussy during the night waking up litterally every half hour. Oh my God! - I feel like I'm going to die from lack of sleep, but have no fear, I googled and read that no one has ever died from not sleeping - might get a little crazy though - wait, we're already are crazy! I really need a nap - just like the one she is taking now but I'm afraid to lay on the bed because she might wake up and I'm kind of liking the peace and quite (that sounds so motherish). Regardless, fussy or not, she's still so cute. I really want to keep biting her but I think the authorities might take me in! Just little nibbles :o) I have to tell you about how she get's ready to cry - it really is precious - she sticks out her bottom lip and sucks it back in...then she'll have a "bood" on her face. After that little process, she will scream on top of her lungs with her little teeth showing and little round mouth - It is so cute. After about 30 seconds, it's not as cute - just loud. Okay, on with our day; after a sleepless night and a cranky morning we all went to the local park. She was okay sitting in a stroller,that we rented, all bundled up like a pink eskimo. She seemed sad today - we think she is grieving over the loss her home and caretakers that she's had for the past year. Either that or she really needs a poop. Who know's! No really - it just takes time but it breaks our heart seeing her sad and crying. All the meetings that we went to while we were waiting helped out alot. Giving us an idea of what and what not to expect - so I'm sure she'll come around. I must say that she always seems content when we're at the restaurants eating breakfast, lunch or dinner. Oh, and she loves the bus rides. So, we'll just have to buy a bus when we get home. Things are slowing down as far as the adopting process and paper work. I think we're all done here in Nanching but still a little more when we get to Guangzhou. We'll be in Nanchang until Sunday morning and then fly down to Guangzhou.(2hrs) So for now, we're just chillin here until then. We'll try to blog tomorrow

P.S. We know your all anxious to know her name (believe it or not, we were still deciding on the bus ride to get her). We just feel that we would rather tell you in person than over the blog.

The Newest Pea

2007-01-29T22:05:00.000-08:00

Sorry for the delay with the blogging...We have a little pea to take care of now....okay, let's cut right to the chase - scroll down.

Isn't she the cutest baby you've ever seen? We think so. She is simply amazing. James and I have been in awe since the moment we met her. Words really cannot describe how we feel about this baby girl. We saw her for the first time yesterday (Monday 29th - your Sunday). It was about 5:00 in the evening when we first saw her and had her in our arms. She was soo scared and cried almost the whole time we were at the Civil Affairs office. Walking into that office was the most intense experience we've ever had. There was a group in there already with their babies and most of them were crying. It was just a run of emotions - really, words cannot describe it. So, we got our baby and they dressed her up in brand new outfits...She had 3 layers of clothes on. A pajama outfit, a full pink sweater outfit and the thickest snowsuit I've ever seen. They also gave her some fancy red boots to match the snowsuit. She looked like a staypuff marshmellow. Like I mentioned earlier, she was sooo terrfied. We had our family picture taken and then an interview with the CCAA (China Center of Adoption Affairs) After being there about an hour, we headed back to our hotel and she actually fell asleep in my arms. She must have exhausted herself out from all that crying. Not for long though - she started up again and we decided to hang out in our room instead of going to dinner. She cried for an hour in our room. We put some tunes on and then all of a sudden, she stopped. She really enjoyed us for the rest of the night. She laughed and giggled a little and overall has been pretty calm ever since. Her and I fell asleep around ten and woke up at 4:00am...I've been up since - she on the other hand took two long naps . We gave her a bath this morning which our leaders didn't recommend but she was sweating so much from crying that she just needed a bath - it was just that simple. She was a trooper in her little tub getting her hair and body all nice and clean. She's such a good baby. James and I the luckiest people.

Today, we went to the office and paid our fees - I have to tell you that handing that money over was the a pretty good feeling. It was alot of cash to be carrying around. James has never felt so good handing money over to someone else. After that we met the orphanage director at the notary office and had another interview - sign some paper work and she is officially ours! We couldn't be any happier. She's been soo good - we fall in love with her more and more that the minutes go by. She is teething so she's has been a little fussy but I'd be to if i were getting new teeth. We're all taking a bus trip to WalMart and I'll be able to pick up some ambolsol - hopefully that will help

We have to sign off for now, so we can take that trip to Walmart. We love reading everybodys post, so keep them coming. We love you all and we'll check in with you soon.

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2007-01-28T06:11:00.000-08:00

Let the Good Times Begin!

2007-01-28T04:21:00.000-08:00

Hi Everyone

Today is our last day in Beijing. Tomorrow morning we fly down to Jiangxi, Nanching to meet our baby girl. This is way too exciting!

Today we got up early to go to the Summer Palace. This palace is where the Emperor summers. Kind of like New Yorkers go to the Hamptons during the summer months but only the Emperor's residence is ten times bigger. It's sits by a man made lake and let's see...that's about it really....nothing too spectacular to report about it. It was soo cold that we were just anxious to get on the bus to head over to lunch. For lunch (and dinner as well) they usually sit about 8-10 people at a table (kind of like a wedding) and there is a big lazy susan in the middle. That is where they put at least 8 different dishes for everone to taste. The food has been really good so far. Hopefully it will be just as good at our other destinations. When we got back to the hotel, we went for a walk to check out some local stores. I really needed a nail file and we walked into this one place which happened to be a somewhat of a department store. So, here we are trying to find a nail file (you think no big deal) and all of a sudden, we're are surrounded by about 4 people trying to help us - and they know no such thing as "evading one's space" they get up real close and try to communicate with us by sign language of some sort. It is quite an experience shopping here with all the people trying to help out. We went to a pharmacy and there was at least two employees per isle to help out. Back home, you can wander around for hours and see not one sales person in sight when you need help. If our two countries can get together, there could be a happy medium. Okay, enough about the shopping.

Before dinner we took a bus tour of Tian'anmen Square. This is equivalent to the Washington DC Mall. All the government agencies are located here and there is a huge portriat of Chairman Mao. This part of Beijing is very important to Chinese people throughout the country and they try to make it here at least once in their lives. We were unable to get off the bus and walk around because it was too busy for the bus to park but we were able to see everything. It was really nice with all the buildings being lit up. Dinner, as usual was delicious.

We came back to the hotel and our guides held a quick meeting as to what is going to happen tomorrow (Monday 29th) and what to expect. We will arrive in Nanchang around 2:oopm. We'll have just enough time to check in our hotel room and pack a small bag (diaper bag that is) with everything from baby bottles to rattles and some other necessities. We'll then go to the CAA offices where we will meet our babies around 4:00pm!! (This will be 3:00 in the morning for you - when you're sound asleep). Oh my God...Can you believe it?! It's so surreal..and alot of the other couples are in agreement with us...just surreal. We were told that they will give us our babies and then to make our way to a private corner part of the room to get to know her and wait for the next step which is to take our first family photo. After that, we'll go up to our room and then James and I will officially "freak out"!! We have our baby!!! Just kidding, I really think we'll do fine. We've been waiting forever and we're definately ready for this and whatever may come our way with a child - it's going to be awesome :O)

So this is the last blog until tomorrow night...maybe once she goes down to sleep, I'll be able to type up another one to let you know how our day went. Isn't this exciting?!

Stay tuned!

2007-01-27T15:36:00.000-08:00

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2007-01-27T14:45:00.000-08:00

We Made It!!!

2007-01-27T04:27:00.000-08:00

What a journey this has been so far. What was supposed to be a one hour layover in Chicago turned out to be two hours which was okay since James upgraded to business class - we were able to hang out in the lounge at the terminal. Around 2:00pm, the called us to board to take off for 2:15ish. James and I were to say the least out of our minds to be sitting in an awesome section of the plane - (totally worth checking out last minute about upgrading). And sat we did...on the plane for about four hours! There was something wrong with the radar. Just as it was coming close for the pilots to become illegal, they got things rolling and all worked out. We finally left ground at around 6:30pm. We had a excellent flight - nice and smooth...but none the less, LONG. We arrived in Beijing last night (Friday) at 10:30pm. We couldn't wait to tear up our suitecases for our PJ's to get a good nights sleep. James slept, I didn't. So there I was in the middle of the night pie eyed and watching HBO in Chinese! I eventually fell asleep but not for long.

After breakfast we boarded a bus to go to a Jade Museum and then hopped back on to go to the Great Wall. I swear there had to be about 3,000 steps to the top, some incredibly steep. About half way up, I thought I was going to die - then we saw a tall blonde girl (Sweedish I think) walking by me with stilletto boots. Yes, that is right, walking up the million steps with spike heels! C'mon now...who in their right mind hikes in heels? Seeing that got everyone motivated to go up. It was worth the pain and agony...it was absolutely beautiful being way up there...It's really amazing to think that humans built this about 2500 years ago, without any equipment to help carry up the bricks. I honestly think going down was much harder than going up. Our legs became like jello. We were very excited to have experienced that journey. Let's see....oh, we also went by the stadium where the 2008 Olymics is taking place. There is this huge bubble type of building which is going to house the swimming pool and we saw the Nest which is another venue. Not sure what sport is taking place there. After that, I think we were all ready to come back to take a nap but no...we ended up at a theater for an acrobatic performance. That too, was awesome. These gymnists were bending their bodies in ways that shouldn't be bent. We ate dinner and now we're back in our room getting ready to sleep...its only 8:00pm but we don't care - We can't hang like we used to!

Catch you later...

by the way...two more days to baby time!

3 More days to Baby!!

2007-01-25T09:13:00.000-08:00

We've made it to Chicago! Only 16 or so more hours to go and we'll be in China. We barely slept last night. Seriously, how could we?! This is way too exciting to actually sleep! We had our families over for a visit and pizza, and after all our goodbye's we got geared up to pack as much as we could into two suitcases. I don't know how we did it but we did. There is more stuff in the suitcases for her than the two of us combined. You name it, we've got it. We made it through the gates at TF Green by the skin of our teeth - there was somewhat of a delay when scanning in our carry on's - of course we're not carrying anything we shouldn't be but they picked us to go through our bags - isn't that just lovely. I needed that like another hole in my head. We made it though and that's all that matters. Our flight is delayed by one hour to fly out to Beijing but that's okay because we are styling right now sitting in the VIP lounge at O"Hare International Airport...Is it o'hare? I don't know - no wait, O'Hare is in England but whatever, we sitting in the VIP lounge! There is some comfy seats, TV and a small little buffet. There's also a bar. We got very lucky- last night at 2:30 in the morning, James ran upstairs to ask me if we should upgrade our seats from economy to business for just a little bit more money - absolutely! ! I can't believe the excellent deal we got! Wait a minute...we are at O'Hare. See, this is what happens when you don't sleep - you don't even know where you are.

The last three days back home were really hectic - I was running around like a chicken driving up and down Route 2 a hundred times daily always thinking of something else I had to get for the trip. Its crazy. You think you have a plan but you really don't or at least that was the case with me/us. I guess I'll have to get used to it...having a child is a crazy ride anyway :o)

This is it for now - nothing exciting happening here at the airport except for two business men getting into a heated conversation in a different language. That's all the excitement I have until we get to China. Stayed tuned...

Kerin & James

2007-01-20T13:14:00.000-08:00

We're coming!

2007-01-18T19:24:00.000-08:00

Thinking back when I was a child, digging a deep hole in the sand at the beach and my mom asking me if I was "digging to China", that maybe subconsiously, I knew what I was doing.

Well here we are...one week before we travel to meet our baby girl - we can't believe after what seems like a million years of waiting, its finally time bring her home. Most of you know that we got our call on November 30th....James was home from work (sick as a dog, I might add) with the flu debating whether or not he should answer the phone or just roll over and go back to sleep. I'm happy to say he picked up the call only to hear the voice of Nancy, our social worker, letting him know that we finally got our referral! I almost passed out when he called me at work to tell me and I think he literally passed out from putting what little energy he had into writing as much information about our daughter as he could. Our daughter's name is Cen Li Lian and she was born February 22, 2006 in Jiangxi, Nanchang provence. What we do know about her is that medically she seems to be right on target (we'll see when we get there). She's obstinate (o'boy), likes to listen to music (she'll fit right in with this family) and she loves her music box and toy blocks which I have yet to get - I'll get them this weekend. You would think that after a long wait, we'd be prepared with everything but anyone who knows us, we're last minute Larry's. Everything always falls into place and we're getting there. We have her room ready, the house is somewhat baby proofed - but not really, just those plastic things for the light sockets; the stroller and highchair are put together and a carseat is waiting to be strapped in. Now, if she comes with instructions, we'll be golden! We are seriously bursting at the seams with excitment and anticipation to meet our daughter. Oh yeah, we're still trying to decide on a name...we'll keep you posted - its a long flight and I promise by the end of the flight, we'll have her name. We're all about keeping our friends and families "on their toes".

I just want to sign off on my very first blog by saying that we are truly blessed to be surrounded by wonderful family and friends and appreciate all your warm wishes. We hope you follow us on our journey by keeping up with our blog and maybe even posting a comment or two. We'll do our best to post everyday including pictures.

okay...bye for now.