All Packed!!

Bye bye Guangzhou. This has been an awesome experience, but I'm ready for some real fried chicken and banana pudding!! We just finished packing and our first flight is at 11:55 from Guangzhou to Beijing. This is gonna be the longest Saturday I've ever seen!! See ya'll soon!

Home Stretch

We are very much enjoying our stay at the White Swan. We are very busy though. We skipped the tour today so we could have some free time on the island. The Consulate Appointment went well this morning. And we took the infamous red couch photos this afternoon. See, every American adopting from China must come to Guangzhou because that is where the US consulate is and most families stay at the White Swan Hotel. This is where the photos take place. Most of the babies did very well.

Tomorrow morning I'm going with some of the others shopping off the island. I think William and Sophie are going to hang back. It's so hot and she gets cranky fast out there. In the afternoon we all go to the Consulate to take the oath. It's a little ride, so it will probably take most of the afternoon. Then it's time to pack!!! We may have to buy another suit case. Just depends on me keeping William in check!!!:)

Btw, this place has an awesome play room. Wish we had been here a little longer to take advantage of it!!

Oh Happy Day, We're in Guangzhou!!

Oh, yeah, we are doing well. Sophie's first plane ride was good. She was a real trooper! Thank you Lord. We were very blessed to have an empty seat next to us. We landed right before Guangzhou started getting any major winds or rain from the Typhoon. I could hear it howling outside in the middle of the night.

When we got in last night, we half way unpacked, gave Sophie her bottle and went to Lucy's for supper. French Fries!!!!! William had the grill pork chops and they were delicious. After that we did a little shopping. We went to Jordan's place and he is such a great guy! We got more shoes and some trinkets.

This morning we were off to get the visa photo and medical exam done. The photo and exam went well. The walk there though, was a little out of the ordinary. That was an experience not to be forgotten. I'll let the pictures do the talking. But let me say, come rain, snow, or flood......we're bringing Sophie home!!

We Are Here!!! More Later.......

The Chongqing Families

A Few More Pictures

Another Free Day

Sophie's doing little better each day. Today was Daddy/Daughter Day! William and Sophie stayed in while Mommy did a little shopping. I bought the most adorable little shoes:) Anyway, Sophie broke daddy in right. While I was out getting dinner, she did one of those, well ya know, yucky ones. You guys know how William's stomach is, BUT Daddy to the rescue!!When I got in they were kicked back in the bed and she was sucking down a bottle.

This evening, Sophie was invited to her first social gathering. It was Alyzabeth's birthday party. She turned two yesterday. She's in the white shirt wondering why all these babies are crawling on her mommy. It was a blast! Sophie loved the cake. She's trying to get to Alyzabeth! Just one more day here and then we are off to Guangzhou!

To Tonyia, William & Sophie, From All Of Us At Home

A little video from us to you, William & Sophie!! We love you all and miss you. Sorry some of the pictures are a little bit blurry but that's all we had to work with. Hope you can see and hear the video. You might have to turn the sound up some. Can't wait till you get home!! You are in our prayers!

A Few More Days

Hey guys. We miss you and HOME a whole bunch too! Wish I could see that video. Maybe in Guangzhou we'll be able to view it.

Sophie's a little better today......baby steps. This is so hard on her emotionally and she has a few teeth coming through. One has already. She's not eating the local food very well, so she's getting Gerber Puffs and Chicken Nuggets. Whatever works. I'll worry about nutritional value when we are home and I can READ what I'm buying. Some thing do have English on them and I saw some Oreo's in the downstairs grocery. And Ruth turn us on to these corn puffs that melt in her mouth and she loves them. Just a few more days here and we'll be off to Guangzhou. We're both very ready for that.

We are relaxing today. Here are some pictures of the park outside our Hotel. We spent a little time there this morning.

Well, we made it to Old Town this morning. Got some shopping done. It was cool to see such old heritage. The different smells and sounds were just amazing. I thought we got some video but something must have not been on right. I just hate that because it was just a very unique experience. Sophie was not a happy camper so we will be staying in tomorrow . Just thought we'd give it a try. We are counting down the days. There's no place like home! Sophie calling me!!

Sophie's Catching On!!

No Zoo for us today. After a couple of days, now Sophie is starting to realize this is not vacation and is starting to miss her nannies. This morning was a little hard, but she is doing better this afternoon. I can't imagine what's going through her little mind. She also has a cold and is teething. So she's just having a hard go at it right now. We are going to try to make the outing in the morning. This is where she was born so I'm hoping to get some pictures and do a little touring other than right here around the hotel. It's about time for her to get up, I'm gonna go so I can get something done:)

FireCracker

Yesterday when we received Sophie, we saw her passport or maybe it was the visa photo, anyway all of the babies from her orphanage were wearing the same shirt in that photo. It read: Fire Cracker . William and I have come to the conclusion that that shirt was Sophie's!!! Man her smile is so big and she's mostly a very happy child, BUT like if she's trying to turn over and can't quite get in the direction she was aiming for, watch out. She will sling one and just as quick as she does that, once she's straight, it's all good. And she's very independent. When she's really hungry she'll let me feed her, but she would rather hold her own bottle and wants to grab everything!

Today was Adoption Registration Day, Sophie is officially Sophie Jian FOY!!! Thank you Lord. We are now waiting for her passport.

She's really off schedule with all this going we've been doing. William has gone to have dinner with the group this evening. Sophie and I are staying in as her 3:00 nap didn't start til 5:00. This evening may be interesting. Tomorrow is an optional trip to the Zoo. Not sure if we'll make that. We will be taking our cue from our DAUGHTER!

A Very Happy Girl

She is asleep right now. Oh my, what a happy little girl. We have another little ham in the family. She is amazing!!!

It was nap time, so I brought her back to the room while William spoke with the Nannies. I just layed her on the bed, she starred into my eyes and just feel asleep. I just keep watching her.

Anyway, William has gone to get some congee now for when she wakes up. The doctor will come by this evening for a check up between 7:30 and 8:30, so I might be a little later on that skype call!

Here She Is

Still Up

It's only 8:30 here. I'm still up. William's been asleep for a while. I went down and had dinner with some others from our group. Then hit the grocery store for some Sprite. That was interesting. This place kinda has that Vegas atmosphere. And the way some of these young girls dress and act kinda makes me wonder. This is not anything like Beijing. If you stop walking, crowds will come all around you and we haven't even gotten our babies yet. It's a little unnerving to say the least.
It is smoggy here and the smell can really turn your stomach. To me it's like a stale Ash tray with water that has been sitting for days. The air is thick.
There are some really nice families here with us. Ten to be exact. Not all of the babies are coming from the same orphanage. Sophie, Savannah, Augustine, Lydia, and I believe one other are in the same orphanage and have a four hour train ride ahead of them tomorrow. I have also checked out that baby formula thing Daddy told me about. I have the brand name written down. We don't want any of that.
Well, guess I'll try to get some sleep. You guys have a nice day:)

Btw, thanks for all the comments. I look forward to them each day.

Chongqing

We have arrived in Chongqing! Tomorrow is the big day. It has kinda seemed like we've just been on vacation. You know, all this sightseeing. It's been wonderful, BUT to walk in this door and see that crib. It was just ...... well ....it made things seem real. I'm putting together a diaper bag and that just felt good!

It's a lot different here. Today is the Moon Festival and their are alot of people out and man are they starring. I guess we'll get used to it, but it's a little scary. At the Great Wall we had a few ask to take pictures with me, they were smiling, very friendly. I'm just not getting that same feeling here. Could be wrong, this is just the first day. This is a MAJOR shopping area. There is this underground mall, Sleepless Town, under the Hotel that feels like it goes forever. Then you come up the escalators to this world of shops, stores high, even McDonalds is two floors. Everything is in walking distance and it is crowded. I haven't taken any pictures of this YET. But I will. For now these will have to do.

Btw, HAPPY BIRTHDAY CHRISTOPHER!

Awesome

That is the word. First we started out at the Jade Carving Factory. It was interesting and we got Sophie a few pieces of Jade. One, a necklace that she can have at an earlier age and a jade bracelet. It has the same significance as a wedding band and is passed down the generations. Then we did lunch, again, pretty good. Next was The Great Wall. Chris you would not believe it. The architecture of it all is unreal. It is truly breathe taking. The roofs look like they are made of a rounded tile, sitting on a cement base. Everything has such detail!

We check out tomorrow morning at 5:00am to catch a 8:20 flight to Chongqing. We'll do a little shopping in the afternoon and then get rested up for Gotcha Day Tuesday!!

Settling In

After a very long flight, we are now very much settled in. Yesterday was rough, but that is all behind us now. This morning we toured Tiananmen Square and The Forbidden City. It is just unreal. We are in CHINA!! We are enjoying the locals. They are very helpful. It is very crowded here, but you do get used to it. We had a very nice lunch. Ate a lot of different things. I can't really tell you the names of the dishes, but it was very good. William even liked it. We left the group early today to have time to get back to the room and relax. We will probably go out later on our own and check things out. Even though we are having a nice time, I'm really eager to get to Chongqing!!!

We are Here!!

Sorry it took so long. It was a very long flight, we did not sleep. Just trying to figure out everything. Elaine, please call Lee and let her know we are here. Everything's fine. Getting ready to go touring. I'll check in later with more details.

Our Travel Itinerary

9/11 Leave the U.S. for Beijing.
9/12 Arrive in Beijing at 1:55pm
Go to the Holiday Inn Downtown.
9/13-14 Beijing tour.
9/15 Leave Beijing for Chongqing
Go to the Golden Resources Hotel.
9/16 In the morning take an optional walk to nearby by shopping for baby supplies. In the afternoon, receive Sophie at the hotel!!!
9/17 At 13:30 walk to the registration office to complete Adoption Registration and Notarization.
9/18 At 9:30 Optional half-day city tour to the Chongqing Zoo to see the panda.
9/19 At 9:30 optional half-day city tours to the People’s Hall.
9/20 At 14:30 optional half-day tour to the old town – CiQiKou.
9/21 Free time in Chongqing .
9/22 Receive Sophie's adoption registration certificate and notary paperwork. Rest and start packing.
9/23 Receive Sophie's passport this morning.
Leave Chongqing for Guangzhou. Go to the White Swan Hotel.
9/24 Have Sophie's visa physical and visa photo taken today.
Meeting today to prepare paperwork for consulate appointment
9/25 Today is Consulate appointment.
9/26 Go to the U.S. Consulate to take the oath in the afternoon.
Receive visas at the conclusion of the oath ceremony.
9/27 Leaving Guangzhou at 11:55am for HOME!!!!!

Updated Info

I just love that smile. She is growing so fast! I thank God for this quick travel. I don't want to miss anything else. I really didn't get alot of information. Just the normal weight, head circumference, height, you get the picture. Not much longer baby, hold on, we're coming!!

Working It Out

Ok, some of you already know that I've been totally stressed for the past 24hr. I'm a planner and not usually a fly by the night kinda girl. And Ike was a bad word in my house last night. That coupled with the fact that we have never flown, well you get the picture. With that said, I booked my flights at 10:30pm last night and I'm not looking back. The Lord is in control!! I am giving it to him. I REBUKE this fear that is trying to steal my excitement!!
About 30 minutes ago, He reminded me what that airplane flight was all about and that he will take care of things. He reminded me with UPDATED PICTURES. I just melt when I see her smile. I'll do a picture post this evening after William gets to see them!

BTW, on August 18th she weighed 16.5 lbs and was 26.4 inches long.

CA's Have Arrived

Leaving Sept 11th. More details to come..........

Hanna, Ike, Josephine!!!.......

Yikes!! As we are preparing to hopefully leave next week (still awaiting CA) We are now preparing for Hanna too. She is forecasted to be here on Saturday. Now we had already thought about this knowing that September is the peak of Hurricane season. But Ike and Josephine, come on! So just in case I'm gonna make a HUGE hit at the grocery store and triple my dog food order. We feel very fortunate to be having my mom and uncle house sit while we are gone and we want to make sure they will have everything they need too if they have to bunker down while we are gone.