Family of Four

On June 25th we became a family of four.  It has been hard to find the time to post to the blog and I am having trouble uploading pictures.  How can it possibly be that another year has nearly passed by?  Adding a new sibling accounts for the lack of free time.  Who would think that adding one would seem more like adding four?  There are things you don't take into consideration like all of the time you will spend refereeing squabbles and sibling rivalry.  Don't get me wrong I love my daughters beyond anything I ever knew was possible and would not change a thing about our lives together except perhaps the bickering, if I knew how. 

A New Year and Animal Prints are in

Celebrating the holidays

Ready to go!

The Jaycee's Santa Parade

Having Fun.....So Proud!

Are we done?

This was Sarah's first year in the Santa Parade.  Although she said it was a long walk, and we were very worried that it would be too much for her, she had a great time!  We all did.  She did an amazing job and marched and danced most of the whole parade route.  She never fell not even when trying to traverse the potholes.  We both couldn't be any prouder of her.   We had the most perfect weather and it was nice to get watch the rest of the parade together after our dance group had finished.

Happy Halloween

Our favorite witch!

Thankful Friday - hehehe, I missed Thursday!

I am incredibly thankful for our precious sweetheart.  She is intelligent, loving, intuitive beyond her years and a joy to be with each and everyday.  How can it be that our little girl is going to school?  We are so proud of her. She is much more excited about going to school than I was for her to go.  When asked if she missed Mommy her answer was, "Not one eensy teeny weeny bit".  Heartbreaking!  I found out this week that she thinks we all sit outside in our cars.  No wonder she didn't miss me!  When Baba asked her how school was on the first day she told him, "Mommy and all of the other Mommies went in our car for drinks!"  Yes we were all nervous about leaving our little ones for the first day of preschool but these drinks were non-alcoholic!  V-8 for me and coffees for the others.  Sarah had it correct but it sure sounded like we went out for cocktails.

Can it be? Another year has passed?

It has been busy so I have not posted in just under a year.  Sarah has grown so much and is an amazing, beautiful girl.

Time flys!!!!!!!!!!!

We have been home just over 7 months and this is the first time I am getting to post.  Pictures first, I guess.

Picture for 6 month post-adoption interview.

Long time, no see..........too busy to post!

It has been very busy so I have failed to keep up posting.  Sarah is doing very well.  We found out on our visit to Shriner's that she is missing both fibulas.  The doctors were surprised because she is walking so well. 
Sarah continues to amaze us every day and is having no trouble stealing everyone's hearts.

more pictures from China

For all of you who have not experience a squatty potty here is a picture of one at the Great wall!

more pictures

Some photos of Sarah enjoying some ice cream cones given to her by her cousin Connor.   She wants ice cream for breakfast now.  Although I was able to get her to eat some vegetables for breakfast and wait until lunch for ice cream.  She is a very good eater compared to most children her age.

This is the defiant look she gives her Baba.  It's cute now but at 16 it won't be!

Adaptation

This was Sarah's way of adapting to being able too short to get up on the bed at the hotel in Guangzhou.  She tried it first with her socks on and then realized she'd have better traction barefoot.   It's hard to tell from the photos but she first stood on the bottom shelf of the night stand, then pressed her feet up against the side and shimmied herself up to the top, then pushed her way across the top.  I attempted to help but was told "NO" or something that meant don't even think it so I just grabbed the camera instead.

Mama and Sarah's first alone time

Guy had an appointment this morning and this was the first day time Sarah and I would be left alone for more than a few minutes.  Daddy got ready while I fed Sarah breakfast.  Then Daddy told Sarah he had to go somewhere but he'd be back.  She got a little nervous but I quickly brought out the finger paints and we had a great morning!  It went so much better than I expected.  No hitting, no meltdowns, not even any crying!

Home

We arrived home on Saturday, February 13th.  After approximately 36 hours of travel and one night at Guy's Mom's we were finally home.  The travel home was exhausting.  Sarah was sick, Guy was sick and I was getting over something but I was in better shape than the two of them.    By Monday we took Sarah to the local pediatrician for an ear and upper respitory infection.  One Tuesday we were off again to stay at another hotel to make Sarah's 9:00 appointment at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia.  They have a great international adoption clinic and did a very good exam.  They check health issues as well as developmental and attachment.  We were pleased with all of the reports.  She had to have labwork done and Guy was the lucky one to have to hold her for that.
This is the first chance I have gotten to post to the blog since being home.  Motherhood is exhausting.  We have all also been trying to get reacclimated to the time change.  Sarah has been really fighting it and up at all hours but I think we are finally getting closer to normal hours.  It was 5:30 AM wake up this morning which is improved from the 1:00 AM and 4:00 AM's.  Sarah is napping now.  I made chicken congee for the first time.  Congee is a rice porridge that is a very common food in China.  Our little lady needs to be feed very quickly upon waking from a nap.  The only thing that stopped the crying when waking up from yesterday's nap was a chocolate brownie.   It hasn't helped that we are waking her in the afternoon and she still thinks it's the middle of the night.
And the best for last.......I got 4 hugs today initiated by Sarah!

 

Last night in China

Well this is it.  Our last night in China, what a wonderful trip.  We had dinner with the 2 families we were with in Beijing and a third family from our group that we met in Guangzhou.  We had a great meal, our guide ordered us pigeon.  They serve it with the head on it so we asked if they could cut off the head, so they did and left it on the serving plate!  We all had a good laugh.  It is not the type of pigeon you see in the park, these are raised like chickens.  We are the first family to leave, the rest go home on Saturday.  Long day on Friday, we need to be in the lobby at 6 am, 5 pm Thursday PA time.  Our first flight is at 8:30 from Guangzhou to Beijing and then we have a lay over until our 5 pm flight to Newark. 
 
We had a free day today, after breakfast we went to the park and Sarah played on the slide and see-saw.  We met Greg, Cindy and Caroline there, Caroline is a few months younger than Sarah, they live in Ohio. Then we walked along the Pearl river and watched people dancing in the park.  The Chinese people are very friendly.  James, a college student likes to go to the park and find Americans to practice his english. He spent time talking to all of us this past week. Sunday is Chinese New Year, one of the biggest holidays in China, so there are many people traveling.  For many Chinese this is the only time they go home to see there family. 
 
Well, that's it for now.  We need to finish packing and get to bed.  Looking forward to going home but not looking forward to the snow.  It was 75 and sunny here today.
 
Thanks for all the thoughts and prayers.

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Last Full Day

It is hard to believe we will be leaving for home tomorrow morning.  As much as we miss home, our family, friends and pets, we are sad to leave.  We will miss all of the new friends we have made here.  Making this journey together has brought many of us close.  The country is beautiful and interesting and all of the people from China have been very good to us.  We finished all of our paperwork yesterday and took the oath at the US Consulate.  There is also something sad about leaving our daughters original homeland. 
Today is a free day to relax and enjoy ourselves.  It is the first free day we have had in sixteen days.  Tomorrow we leave early at 6:00 am.  We will try to have an early dinner with the other people from our group.  If we can convince the other we may try pigeon, a local speacialty.  It will be the last time we will see each other until we meet at a reunion or we schedule a get together.  None of our group are flying home together. 
We walked around town a little today and everyone tells us how beautiful and smart Sarah is.  The local people are amazed at how good she speaks chinese.  We are amazed at how much english she has already picked up.  She is very outgoing, very talkative and extremely stubborn.  When you mix the stubborn with the beautiful it is so hard to keep a straight face when she is acting up.  She also has a great sense of humor. 
I don't know if anyone has been posting comments to the blog as we cannot see the blog.  We can only post to it by email.  Thank you all for your emails, prayers and well wishes. 
 

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Snake for dinner

It is a good thing we will be going home soon because if we stay too much longer there is no telling what we may be eating next!  Guy wanted to try something new before we went home....I guess scorpion wasn't different enough..... so our guide to us to a restaurant that had snake.  Of course none of the other families cared to come with us.  We had fried snake, fried snake skin, snake congee and and vegetables with wood ear mushrooms.  I will miss wood ear mushrooms.  I love them.  Sarah must have eaten snake before because she was very excited when the waiter brought it to our table and she wanted some right away.  The snake was pretty good but there isn't that much meat on them.  The snake congee was very good.  Everyone in our group thinks we are crazy trying all of the new foods but we both find it very interesting to learn about and experience the local customs.
 
Sarah is doing great and we get closer everyday.  I am still not on bathroom duty but considering the squaty potties and am actually lucking out.  I have become used to using them myself but haven't had to master holding a 22 lb child over one. 
 
All of the guides have told us how smart Sarah is.  They say her language is very clear and she is extremely bright.  We think so too but we are her parents so of course we would think it.  It is truly amazing what she can do and how fast she is learning things.  She is such a character and has the silliest laugh.  She is very outgoing and everyone comments how beautiful she is.  She is out with her Daddy right now walking around the hotel and I stayed behind to rest a bit but now I miss them. 
I hear someone yelling Mama at the door!  They are back.  Guy is claiming Sarah drug him to the ice cream stand in the deli! 
 
 

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more pictures

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Good news!

Sarah passport was issued this morning and should be arriving here tonight.  We also had Sarah's TB test checked today and she is ok!  No x-rays needed.
After going for the medical clinic we played in the playground for a bit then walked through Old Guangzhou.  We visited the market place where all sorts of things are sold for Chinese medicine.  It was as crowded as Times Square on New Year's Eve.  Many people here are on vacation for their New Year's on Feb 14th.  It is a big holiday here.  All of the grocery stores are very crowded and it looks like ours at Christmas.  Both Guy and myself had a roasted scorpion. I only ate one....he had three.  I still can't believe I ate it and it was good.....tasted like roasted chicken skin.  I also held a snake when none of the guys in our group would.  I was a bit afraid.  I quess I was in a daring mood today. 
  
 

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Guangzhou

We have been out a little sightseeing in Guangzhou and Shamian Island this morning.  It was raining but warm.  Everything is so fast paced it is hard to really see much.  We visited the Guangdong Folk Art Museum and visited the Goverment shop for some presents for Sarah when she is older.  The island is beautiful and this hotel is nicer than any I have ever stayed in.  We have some free time now to go wander around the hotel and island.  I attached a few pictures but will add more later. 

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