Our first good nights sleep!

Wade only stirred twice last night and each time settled right back to sleep quickly....hope this starts a trend!

Since I was finally better rested I decided to take a road trip to visit my friends quilting away at Montreat. Wade was not at all anxious about meeting such a big group, he charmed his way right through his visit.

After coming home we stopped at the park in Yadkinville so he could run a little. He was delighted to see other children.

Everything is New!

Wade cracked me up today at our little independent grocery in Boonville. Down each aisle he just kept swinging his head from side to side...taking all these items in. And was straining to look around me to make eye contact with anyone that was near. That reminded me of Alden when he was a baby

We actually got a five hour block is sleep last night so maybe we are turning a corner on his jet lag. In our pre Wade days this weekend would have me at quilt retreat in Black Mt and a day trip to Merlefest. He is doing well so who knows maybe we will head up the mountain tomorrow for a quick visit!

Full day (trying to wear him down)

Last night I felt we digressed on the time change....Wade was so sleepy after dinner at 7:30 that he couldn't finish his bottle. Thence at 11:30 he was crying....two bottles of milk later and he was still fussing but at two he was happy and playing in his crib. I took him downstairs and we played until 3. Mike relieved me then and had him back to sleep by 3:15. We all then got to sleep until 6

So today the strategy was one afternoon nap . We met Lisa and Shelby at Tanglewood, visited the staff at CMS and Mary kept him during nap while I ran a few errands. We got home about 4 then had dinner at church then visited Uncle Kenny. Bath and in bed by 8:30

I hope we wore him out enough to get a long block of sleep tonight!0

Wade and Max

In an effort to keep Wade awake today (so he may sleep tonight) I went to the stride right store, target and met Max and his mommy at babies r us.

We also stopped a little while at Aunt Mary's and played with Alden and Landon for a wile.

Mike is going to work tomorrow so I hope we can all get a block of more than 2-3 hours at a time tonight.

Home!

Our trip home went well for Wade. He slept on each leg. We were really worried about the twelve hour flight from Beijing to Detroit. We had bulkhead seating and thought I would be able to use the bassinet that Delta has that hangs from the wall but he is over twenty pounds. So once airborne I just made a little bed at my feet with blankets and a pillow and he stayed there for probably six or seven hours. Mom and Dad didn't get much rest though.

We made it to bed about 1am and he was up at 5am. Today he has been grouchy and I hoped to keep him up until 6 but its not going to happen. I guess I will eat a quick bite then follow him to bed so when he is up ready to eat and play about 2 I can hang.

I also sent a few minutes touring the yard, we came home to Spring blooms!

Last Day Before Heading Home

All we have to do today officially is pick up Wade's passport with the Visa stamp in it later this afternoon.  We spent the morning packing up then had dumpling and noodles for lunch.  We strolled across the street to a large waterfront park.  My goddaughter Sofia noted that I wasn't in many photos so Mike took this one at the park.  Yes Wade is wearing swim trunks... we have just enough clean clothes to go to dinner tonight and start the trip home early tomorrow.

One of our friends at church travels to Guangzhou a couple times a year for business and one of his friends here is taking us to dinner tonight.  Hope he has kids or at least is ready to dine with a toddler.

I hope our next post will be that we are home.

Consulate Day

We had our consulate appointment today!  They will issue an immigrant Visa on Wade's Chinese passport to fly home.  Once his feet hit US soil in Detroit Saturday night he will be a US citizen.

I know Banjo will be ready to get out of the barn too.  Mike says we should sing the theme to Born Free Sunday morning when he gets to go outside.  He will probably not warm up to his new brother too quickly anyway.

I am sure Wade will have another round of adjustment in the cabin and Daddy will be one step behind putting things up out of reach.

We are all three coughing and wiping our noses... the poor folks that sit by is on the flight home.

Look out Boonville!

Soaking Up The Culture

Today we did a city tour which included the 6 Banyans Buddhist temple built in 500 AD and the Chen house.  The Chen house had many rooms filled with historic arts and crafts.  Some of the ivory carvings were incredible.  Wade, seen in this photo at the Chen house, does fine if he is moving or has something to eat.  Our new favorite is called a snow cracker.  It is a small rice cracker that is salted and lightly drizzled with sugar. Maybe the Asian grocery at home will stock them.  It's kind of a kettle corn taste and I just had some with peanut butter while he naps.

I have tried a lot of new things and am not brave enough for lots too.  One surprise is what they call a tea egg.  It's basically a hard boiled egg that is cooked in a mixture of tea, soy sauce and spices. It gives the plain old egg some zing.

Our breakfast buffet is over the top.  You can have English (baked beans and toast) Indian, American or Asian.  The spread of pastry and breads alone usually fills Mike's plate.  This morning I had congee with chicken.  Basically it's Granny Marshall's chicken and rice but cooked down to almost a porridge.

Well better wrap up.  I can't access my Blogger or Facebook accounts so many thanks to Mary and Mrs. Goodneedle for taking the time to post my e-mails. Aunt Mary you will have your work cut out for you in May!!!

One Week As A Family

Our scared little boy that didn't want his clothes off a week ago now laughs through bathtime and likes to stand in front of the mirror with his shirt off and beat on his chest.

We really don't have much left to do until our US Consulate appointment on Thursday where we get Wade's visa and we take his citizenship oath.  Today he had a medical screening.  What a scene!  12 families.  Taking theor children to three stations where they checked very basic vitals.  Wade only got upset with one Dr. that used a tongue depressor to look inside his mouth.  Anyone over two had to have blood drawn for a TB test so we were lucky to skip that one.

Tomorrow we take a city tour and have a dinner cruise on the Pearl River in the evening.  These outings cost a little extra but we hate to miss out on seeing more than the hotel.  Wade seems to nap ok in the stroller and we haven't really gotten into a routine yet but all that can come when we get home.

Mike is about a day behind me on the cold but I hope we can both get past the worst of it before the long trip home on Saturday.

First Airplane Ride

Wade did great on his first airplane ride.  Our group left early today for Guangzhou. Here we get a medical test, apply for his immmigrant visa and finally take an oath at the US consulate.  We are in a much more western influenced area for sure.  There is a McDonald's across the street and a Starbucks in the lobby.  I think Mr. Morgan (Krispy Kreme CEO) will understand if I have a latte.

Wade had his first batch of french fries and of course he loved them. He has never had food he has to bite so we will have to watch him close.  I think he was poking the fries through the opening at the back of his palate.  I hadn't even seen this opening until today and it doesn't appear to be a problem.  The cleft team at Baptist will know what he needs next if anything.

He is sure a busy boy and very determined once he sets his mind on something.  Mike hopes that will translate into a good work ethic. ;)

Mmmmm... fries!

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Visit To Henan Museum

 Today we visited a large museum, one of the three largest in China. It's amazing the history this country has and how advanced theor society was even thousands of years before Christ.  We had to buzz through many rooms as Wade didn't nap.  He had the most fun jumping up and down with Daddy in the lobby.

I knew it was inevitable, the travel... the environment... and a little boy with a constant runny nose. I AM GETTING A COLD.  Good thing tomorrow we travel to our last city.  Tonight we can pack and try to rest.

The parents are wearing me out!

Trip To Orphanage

I really agonized about the decision to take Wade back to visit his orphange. I wanted the photos to share with him someday but also knew he would be so confused and possibly very upset when he saw his friends and special nannies.  God granted is a wonderful experience with no stress at all for little Wade.  We hired a driver to take us on the trip which was a little over an hour and one of the agency reps went with us to interpret.

We met the orphanage director and staff, and I gave them our donation of clothes and quilts.  We then went to Wade's room. Several rooms with about 12 babies each opened onto a little courtyard.  The children and nannies all came out shouting Xiao Ran (pronounced show ran).  He waved and grinned.  In his room we let him down and he crawled under a crib laughing... they told us that this was his.  His primary caregiver had the day off but I saw several that I recognized from photos.  He was passed around happily.  One four year old ran up and they said he called Wade brother.  He has already been matched with a family in the states too.  My heart was about to burst, I would have taken him home too!  We thanked them for taking such good care of Wade and told them a little about his new home. We took photos and video that I will share later.

The cleft babies are so scary to most parents here.  We were told where Wade was left and that his parents were most likely farmers and didn't have the money to get the corrective surgery.  There were some toddlers in his room and about 8 infants.  Mike commented on the trip back that he now understood how so many families return. One in our group is getting theor third and another is getting their fourth.

This photo was taken on the ride home, he sure loves his Daddy and he is actually upstairs now with him during a nap.  I am so blessed to have two special boys to share my life!

  

Monkey Boy

The scared little boy that slept so still in his crib the first night is coming out of his shell!

Wingman

Taking photos with this front facing tablet camera is a challenge!  Here is Wade and Daddy both sporting their Snoopy shirts today!

Wiped Out

Trip to WalMart for more diapers and formula then Mom and Dad stopped at KFC for some chicken to go.  Wade almost made it home before falling asleep.  Once asleep he sleeps hard.  Scooters bicycles and pedestrians all share the sidewalk here and nothing phased him.  We are taking it easy today as tomorrow we are taking a trip to Kaifeing to visit his orphanage.  He may get upset seeing some of his nannies but we decided that this short term sadness will be worth it to be able to tell and show in pictures where he came from.  One of the CCAI representatives will go with us to interpret.

We are basically waiting here for all the children's passports to arrive before heading to Guangzhou on Sunday.

We Found A Park!

Just a short walk from the hotel is a beautiful park with a large pond full of goldfish and lots of blooming trees.  We all needed to get out of the hotel and enjoyed exploring.  We are a bit of a novelty to most Chinese.  I tried to steer out of a picture today only to see the subject motion to get another one with us in it.  Wade likes his hat that Aunt Mary got him for the beach... and it helped that Daddy was wearing one too!

Adoption Certificate Day

WADE slept until 4:30 this morning and woke up ready to eat. He had some rice cereal and banana then took a bottle. We didn't get any crying until it was time for that first bath!  He had a second breakfast with us downstairs then all 10 families loaded the bus to go back to the registration office. There we got our official adoption certificate from the Chinese government and made one more stop to have it notarized (which cost about $600)  At that rate I owe Laura P a bunch of money for notarizing all.our dossier documents.

We have made it back to the room with a tired little boy so we laid him right down  He soothes himself to sleep by rocking his head back and forth. He has been crying some but chewing on his fingers. I think there are some molars coming in. Another trip to Wal Mart will be in our future for anbesol.

Many of then other families have to travel today or tomorrow to apply for passports. Wades is already done so we the next three days pretty easy. We have requested a trip to Kaifeng later in the week to tour his orphanage.

There is a park in the next block and the weather is pretty nice so we will put that new umbrella stroller to good use.

And we have a family from Shanghai (ex pats) who are adopting a little boy from the same orphanage that Max was in. They have volunteered there for a while and remember him. They will be able to share photos and stories with Sam and Marc.  Small World

Meet Wade

Wade and his orphanage rep were one of the first to arrive this morning giving us just enough time to hand our cameras off and walk in to meet him. Because he has been in a city orphanage he has really only seen other kids and his nannies. He was not impressed with us. He has had a rough day but finally feel asleep by rocking his head from side to side on his back. Tomorrow we will try a bath and clean clothes. He ate a bowl of plain congee (rice cooked to almost mush) for dinner but hasn't taken a bottle well. We will have to work on that more tomorrow too. We have to go to the registration office tomorrow but have the afternoon free. He liked the bus ride so hopefully it will go well. Daddy has so far been his favorite. They have played haul the goldfish around in Chuck the dump truck and strolled up and down the hallway in the stroller. Wade has not forgiven me yet for the diaper change..

He ate a bowl of plain congee (rice cooked to almost mush) for dinner but hasn't taken a bottle well. We will have to work on that more tomorrow too. We have to go to the registration office tomorrow but have the afternoon free.  He liked the bus ride so hopefully it will go well.

Daddy has so far been his favorite. They have played haul the goldfish around in Chuck the dump truck and strolled up and down the hallway in the stroller.  Wade has not forgiven me yet for the diaper change.

We are in Zhengzhou

We have exchanged a lot of money and bought our baby supplies! Tomorrow morning all 10 families will leave together and go to the place where the children will meet us. We were given a question and answer sheet about Wade or Guo, Xiao Ran as he is known now. We bought the formula he has been drinking and know a little more about his sleep schedule. He likes cookies and drinks water with sugar in it....no wonder he has such full cheeks.

We have a Wal Mart just 15 minutes by foot down from the hotel. What an experience. It's three floors and the carts must have magnets in the wheels because it sticks to the ramp as you change floors. We spent a lot of time checking out the different products. Like who knew Lay's potato chips come in prawn flavor. Or if your brand of duck neck is getting too expensive you can switch to their Great Value brand.

We have also spotted the Chinese postal service trucks...but no post cards or mailboxes.

Well off to dinner and the next post should be what you all have been waiting for, the Brendle family!!! We pray he will get over his fear quickly. If we have a good week we will try to go to Kaifeng later in the week and visit his orphanage.

Second Day of Sights

We still didn't sleep great last night but its getting better. We started out this morning at a jade factory then off to climb a section of the Great Wall. We had the option of a steep Northern route or a busier southern route. The guide gave us two hours to tour and it took almost all the time to reach the top of the steeper route visible from the parking lot. It was almost all stairs and they are purposely not even so intruders would stumble if trying to sneak up in the evenings. They recently used google earth to estimate it runs 5,000 miles.

Another family style lunch then a trip to see the 2008 Olympic stadium "the birds best".

We then went to an acrobat show and bade it back to the hotel about 7:30. Tomorrow we have to be Oakes and ready to leave by 7:15 to catch our flight.

So time to get packing ... Literally

First full day in Beijing

The plane ride was grueling yet the trip home will be with a toddler so trying to not worry about that now. We got to our hotel about 5pm local time which put us up about 27 hours. After a pack of nabs we went to bed. We managed to stay in bed until about 4am.

I wished Mike a Happy Birthday...he wasn't even sure what day it was! The breakfast has all kinds of foods and attached is a shot of him trying to eat pancakes with chopsticks.

We are traveling with 6 other families. Only three of us are rookies all the others are getting more children. The CCAI guide took us to the old part of Beijing where took took rickshaw rides through the narrow streets. Then lunch at a Chinese restaurant and a walking tour of Tienemen square and the forbidden city.

It was the kick off of the Victory Junction fundraiser at Krispy Kreme and we were supposed to wear these tshirts to work today. So I spread the message to the Chinese instead.

The hotel surprised Mike with a birthday cake and handwritten card so we will have to find friends to help us eat it! It's The Great Wall tomorrow and Sunday we fly to the Henan capital. For everyone at home as you go to sleep Sunday night, we should be arriving as a group at the office where our children will come to meet us!

On our way!

We got up at 2:30am this morning to be in CLT in plenty of time to catch our flight. Thanks Aunt Mary for getting up with the chickens to drive us. We now have a three hour layover before the long flight to Beijing. You know it's long when they are showing 4 movies!

The waiting area is already filling with other families on the same adoption journey. Not all are traveling to the same province or with our agency....but all have consulate appointments around ours so we may see them again in Guangzhou

At least we won't have the only crying toddler on the flight home. One couple has their mother along. Oh how I know one of ours would have loved to make the trip with us, and nothing like have someone with experience along!!!

Well thinking we will go grab our last cheeseburger and sweet tea for a while.

We will be exactly 12 hours ahead of NC so when we land we have to tell our bodies it's 2pm and not am.

Let the adventure begin!