"Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful." Hebrews 10:23
Wednesday, December 21, 2005
Yikes
The only thing that really upsets Hannah is not feeding her. No food, no peace. For six days we would feed her and she would vomit. She would immediately ask to be fed again, but we would stop feeding her until the next meal because we didn't know what was going on. On top of that, we really could not feed her a regular meal (clear liquids, etc.). This child eats like there is no tommorrow and we were putting her to bed hungry :( We did not feel like we had a choice.
She is better now and eating a regular diet. We will see an ENT sometime soon.
Despite the hunger Hannah was still an amazingly delightful child and her big Sister, MaCayla is showing she has a compassionate and loving heart towards her little Sister.
Oh, Hannah is drinking milk now. Yippee!
Thursday, December 08, 2005
Joy! Joy!
Sadly, I think I have been missing out on God's blessings from previous doubt and questioning God's plan in my life. Note to self-God is in control.
Monday, December 05, 2005
Potty Trained?
I failed to write about one very funny thing that happened to Deann right after we received Hannah. The foster mother very clearly told us she goes to the toilet after breakfast. Little did we know she literally meant toilet. Evidently, at thirteen months old Hannah was potty trained. Deann was holding Hannah as she changed her clothes on the bed when Deann began making whistling noises at Hannah. Hannah abruptly stopped smiling and looked at Deann with her head half cocked as if to say "are you sure?". What happened next can only be described as "yuck". We had read where the Chinese potty train very young children by holding them over the toilet (squatty potty) and whistling to signal them to start "going". Deann can confirm that the Chinese do in fact practice this method of potty training. Needless to say, we have since abandoned whistling when Hannah is present :)
Saturday, November 26, 2005
Final Thoughts
How will I explain this to Hannah one day? I dread the day I have to explain. "Why, Daddy?"
Observations on China:
The Chinese people are warm and friendly and eager to please Americans.
The toilet tissue in Guiyang is not perforated.
The same TP stretches like elastic.
I did not see a bike in Beijing made after 1970.
There are more buses than cars in Guiyang and more taxis than buses.
A Club Sandwich in Guiyang is made with egg.
Chinese who speak english well have a hard time understanding my Southern drawl.
An American with a Chinese baby draws a crowd on the street anywhere in China.
The Chinese will stare at you as if you can't see them.
If you smile at them they smile back and stop staring... for a moment.
English does not always translate well. For example, a sign at the Beijing Airport read "Exit Only in Peacetime" The correct translation is "Non Emergency Exit Only".
The Chinese are embracing capitalism.
The streets in China seem dirty, yet everywhere one turns there are workers cleaning the streets. I saw workers using a floor scrubber cleaning side walks.
When looking at the horizon in Beijing you see a yellow haze (smog). When you look straight up you see blue sky.
There are some curly headed Chinese people, but not many.
Bus drivers and taxis drivers should receive combat pay.
People walk slowly.
Women sometimes walk down the street arm in arm...and so do some men?
I could sit here writing all day about the things I saw in China. These are some that came to mind.
Also,
I loved the province Hannah is from...Guizhou.
Over 7000 Americans adopted Chinese orphans this year. May God Bless each and every family. Every family thinks they got the best one.
Friday, November 25, 2005
Home Coming
We are all sick to some degree. We all have coughs (lots of pollution in China)and Hannah seems to have some respiratory problems (minor we hope). I am sitting here watching her in the play pen and she is smiling at me with her wrinkled up nose and squinted eyes.
MaCayla woke up around 4:30 this morning and wanted to go to Mama Jo's right away. We also woke around 2 am. Jet lag is in full force right now. Nevertheless, we want to talk to everyone and see you all. Hannah has been apprehensive about meeting people, but I hope she will warm up soon.
One piece of our luggage was left in Chicago yesterday. It happened to be the one with everything we bought in China. Some of the things we bought in Hannah's province are irreplacable. We were very nervous about getting this bag back. Fortunately, United Airlines delivered it to our doorstep this morning around 7:45 am.
Several people left messages on our answering machine the day we left for China, but we left so early we missed your calls. We listened to them this morning. We were touched by the messages of encouragement and well wishes... Thank you.
Wednesday, November 23, 2005
We're Coming Home
Goodbye China...We love China, but we are ready to see 2761 Pierce Dairy Road. Maybe one day we will return to China. Undoubtedly, China will not be the same when we return. China is changing so rapidly that even the minority groups of Guizhou are abandoning their heritage to take advantage of the new prosperous China. If Hannah is interested we may come back so she can see Guizhou...we'll let her grow up a little first. We can't wait to see you all and introduce HANNAH! MaCayla is so excited to show everyone her new sister! See everyone soon.
Tuesday, November 22, 2005
Hannah Loves Playing in the Park
Do You Think Hannah Has Gained a Pound or Two?
Two More Days
This picture was going to be our Christmas card this year, but Hannah said "no it's not".
No touring today. We are finished touring. We will skip the buddhist blessing tommorrow. We went to a buddhist temple in Guiyang...BTDT. Today we continued our bargain shopping and walked to a McDonalds for lunch. Tommorrow we have our consulate appointment and Thursday we leave at 5:30 am to come home.
Before I forget you all must know how great MaCayla has been on this trip, which at times has been very stressful. She has barely complained about anything. We are so blessed to have such a wonderful little girl. Hannah is another blessing and she has been wonderful despite the upheaval in her life. I can't wait for everyone to see her. She is so mild mannered and soft spoken at this point, but you can see she is a real pistol.
Thank you all for your thoughts, comments and prayers. Although we have rarely responded to e-mails and comments each one has meant more to us than we can say.
Sunday, November 20, 2005
Famous Red Couch Photo
Hannah Update
Today we prepared our documents to apply for Hannah's US VISA. I think there were 10-12 different documents we had to check and re-check before our agency sent them to the US Consulate for review.
Ironically, Hannah is now the healthiest one of us. She is doing great and MaCayla cannot believe how much she eats. MaCayla was telling me today that the stomach is the size of a persons fist. She said Hannah's fist is so small her stomach could not possibly hold all she is eating. Hannah refuses nothing except milk (formula). She ate broccoli today at lunch with carrots. She drinks from a cup. Her smiles are coming easier and easier. I can even get her to smile sometimes. She loves MaCayla who can make her laugh and smile at will. She will go to most anyone without a fuss for a little while. Last night we placed her in the crib at bed time and she laid down and watched us for a little while and then went to sleep without crying or trying to stand up.
We ate at the White Swan Buffett tonight. Deann found a tiny octopus in her shrimp fried rice and lost her appetite. After MaCayla saw the octopus she lost her appetite. After a little while I found myself sitting at the dinner table all alone eating until my heart was content, octopus and all.
Oh, we found out that Hannah was left at the doorstep of a villager in the Nanshao Village in Jianhe County, Guizhou Province. The man who found her was named Xiao Jianfang. Maybe that is where they got the name Ya Fang. This was a tiny village. No one I asked in Guiyang knew of this village.
Saturday, November 19, 2005
Deann woke up today with a sore throat. MaCayla coughed all night. Hannah slept like a baby...oh, she is a baby. The glands in Deann's neck are very swollen. Besides that, it has been 10 days since she's had a decent cup of coffee. In Beijing and Guiyang the coffee was awful and we were lucky if it came to us hot. Today is a new day at the fabulous White Swan were the coffee isdelicious and hot...we are told. We will know in a few short minutes as we go to the breakfast bar, which we have been told is one of the best in the world. This is a five star hotel...can you believe we are in a five star hotel.
Bucky, don't worry we don't have to tell Hannah you are her uncle we can just tell her you are one of the families crazy friends:)
Joan commented that I look thin...this is true...I hope to fatten up here in the next few days. We ate at a Restaurant called Lucy's last night and I had a huge plate of fried noodles and I had one bite left when the waitress took my plate. I was actually a little anry I didn't get that one last bite. I still had my chop sticks in my hand.
Doug, now I know why you use chop sticks when we eat at Happy China. I actually like using them now too, especially when I eat noodles.
The family in the picture with us are from Marietta, GA. They are great with wonderful sense of humor. Also, it is nice to hear other Southern voices.
Grandparent Warning
Interesting Picture
Guizhou Families
The families pictured are the Guizhou Travel Group. These people are the nicest and most patient people on the planet. Sick children, new families and strange surroundings will make one show their true colors and the people in this picture are like a rainbow. Look closely at this picture and you will see that many of these children are 2 years old. They need special parents with a strong fortitude to get through the bonding process. These kids have come a long way in the past 5 days.
I can see the Blog now that we are on Shaimain Island at the White Swan. I need to proof read a little better. Anyway, if you are reading this for the spelling I suggest you need a life. I am rushed everytime I post so spelling and grammar take a back seat.
I will post a new picture of Hannah very soon for all her adoring fans. MaCayla continues to be a great big sister.
I just want everyone to know this process has not been easy. We have had many stressful moments and at times have been pushed to the edge of the emotional abyss. Anyone considering adoption from China needs to be prepared for the worst and hope for something a little better, but not much. With that said, it is more than worth the effort. Just look at Hannah and MaCayla with a little sister.
Friday, November 18, 2005
One More Maio Picture
I am bending down in this picture and I have my knees bent. These girls were so small. The necklace I am wearing was given to me after I married the girl on the left. Deann married a Maio boy in the same ceremony. The marriage didn't last too long... maybe five minutes before we got back on the bus and returned to our hotel.
Amazing Day Part II
After going to the Miao Village we went shopping at a minority store in Guiyang. We bought several things that are part of the minority art work in Guizhou. We bought silver, jade, batek and tommorrow we are going to purchase a really cool hand carved flute.
Tonight we finally had some home cooking Guiyang style. The amount of food we had on our table was amazing. There were three types of dumplings, fried spicy egg plant, a pork dish, a chestnut dish, noodles, and a fried banana desert. I think I may be forgetting something. Anyway, all this cost us $10 and there is no tipping in China for food service (there is tipping for other services)! The walk to the restaurant was interesting, as well. At times you have to walk in the street because the sidewalks are full of food vendors at night. So, there is nowhere to walk except with the traffic. We ate dinner with a few other families who were brave enough to try some local cuisine. It is very enjoyable to get to know the other families. They are all so interesting and fun.
Regrettably, this day must come to an end now...it is our bed time. Off to Guangzhou tommorrow at noonish. The final leg of our trip and we are ready to move on. The people in Guiyang were so friendly and they love our babies. Most of them have no idea foreigners adopt Chinese abandoned and special needs children until they see us in the street and we show them the card (written in Chinese, of course) we have explaining why we have a Chinese baby. They say "Lucky baby", because they know these children will be well taken care of in the USA.
I wish I could respond to everyones e-mails individually, but I barely have enough time to write on the blog. Please know we appreciate each and every comment and e-mail. We can't wait to see you all and introduce you to Hannah Yafang.
Oh...Hannah continues to do better and better. I placed her in her crib tonight to go to sleep and she cried for less than a minute and dozed off. She is showing us how smart and energetic she is now...which is great...she is so cute...Many Chinese women stare at her and when I see them they tell me she is beautiful...I say "thank you she looks just like me". Also, many Chinese people tell me she has a good name...Ya Fang.
MaCayla has some congestion and Deann was dizzy tonight. Hannah is OK and now my other girls are under the weather...go figure.
The Most Amazing Day
Today we visited a minority village in Guizhou Province. The teenage boy and girls danced and sang for us dressed in there traditional costumes. We got to dance and sing and even had to drink out of a bull horn. The girl in the middle holding up the peace sign looks a lot like Hannah. I couldn't take my eye off of her, because I think Hannah may look like her. You see, Hannah is Maio just like this teenage girl. Hannh may grow up to look just like her. The Maio are a minority in China and are very distinct in their culture and looks. I have been told the Maio are respected for their dancing and siging, as well as their good looks by Chinese standards (whatever that means). They were a very handsome group of young people performing by my standards too!
Hannah and MaCayla Update!
Hannah broke out of her shell today. She is much more active. She is doing all of the things we believed she could...like crawling, talking, crying louder, eating more, drinking more, laughing more...it has been a great day so far. No bad diapers today. As a matter of fact, no dirty diapers at all. Oh boy! She is becoming a Mama's girl. MaCayla told me today she didn't realize she would love Hannah so much. When you see her you will fall in love with her too. She is precious and a delight to be around. We are the luckiest parents on earth. It is such a priviledge to parent two wonderful children. God is good! MaCayla is doing homework right now, but she is receiving a better education just experiencing all we have seen and done.
One note: if you ever come to China stick with the Chinese food. They do not make western food to our satisfaction.
Thursday, November 17, 2005
Qian Park Trip
The man in the photo is a famous calligrapher in Guizhou Province. The scroll he is holding he just finish painting for Hannah. The first two images on the top of the scroll are her name and the rest is a poem he wrote for her. The poem says something about beautiful music, birds singing in the park...I don't remember the rest. Somehow the characters mean one thing individually written, but when placed together they form a poem. I didn't fully understand. Anyway, it is beautiful and we will place it on the wall in Hannah's room.
The park we visited today had monkeys in it roaming around freely. People were feeding them. They were biting one lady on the hand, but she kept feeding them. The monkeys fought with each other over the food. We were standing right there in the middle of them. I do not have any pictures, but I do have video tape.
Hannah had a great day. She had only two (stinky) diapers today. She ate well, but will not drink any type of formula and drank little water today. She is so small we think she may be getting enough fluid from the food she is eating. She loves noodles and rice cereal. The rice cereal has lots of water.
We go to a minority village tommorrow. I am told the villagers will put on a singing and dancing show for us in their traditional costumes. They wear lots of silver necklaces and silver headresses. I am looking forward to seeing these people as they are Maio people. Everyone here has told us Hannah is definitely Maio. I want to see what Hannah mght look like when she gets older.
MaCayla is doing great. Several of the parents have commented on how good she is doing. They are right...she is doing great. She is maturing some on this trip and taking the big sister thing in stride. Even with how well MaCayla is doing we know there could be some rocky days ahead as we trasition from 3 to 4.
We are blessed to have great friends & family who have prayed for us these past few days. We have definitely been feeling everyones love sent our way. Keep up the prayers they are working. So many people in this group are having a slow time of bonding with their children. I have seen some major melt downs with some of the 2 year olds. Keep them in your prayers, also.
We ventured out into the street today to look for some shoes for Hannah. At one point we were quickly surrounded by dozens of people who encircled us. I thought I was video taping this, but when I looked down to stop the tape I found out I never starting taping. We have a laminated card with us that explains why we are here and when the people read it they thank us for what we are doing. We are the ones who are blessed most by this opportunity. After we tried to move on the people just started following us, but not very far.
The people here cannot help staring at us. I just stare back and smile. Sometimes they will get very close or follow you around trying not to look like they are following you.
Good night, it's bed time here.
Wednesday, November 16, 2005
Hannah's Progress
Yahoo! FareChase - Search multiple travel sites in one click.
Wal Mart and The Forbidden City
I don't think I have written about this incident at the Forbidden City. I am having a hard time remembering what I have placed on the blog because I cannot see it here in China. I will explain later, if you care to know. Anyway, at the Forbidden City in Beijing we saw a small political protest. As we were entering the outer gate a commotion began near the middle bridge. Police came from everwhere and started evacuating the area near the gate. Later we learned that some young men passed over the middle bridge to try and enter the Forbidden City. That bridge is reserved for the Emporer (they do not have an Emporer now)and to pass over is taboo. There is a guard standing right in the middle of the bridge. There are several bridges to pass over, but not the middle one, which is guarded by a chain. I saw the police placing one suspect in a van. Oddly enough he put him in the front seat. They where handling the protestors very roughly, but for some reason it seemed like it was choreographed. just my perception, but if i was going to fight the police it would be much harder than the protestors were fighting. It seemed like they were just making it a little harder to be arrested, but not really fighting. I guess they were making a statement. After it was all over we made our way into the city. We were a little unerved as we pushed our way through the gates. Yes, pushed...we were in a throng a people and MaCayla was scared. It was like arriving just after kickoff at a Georgia game, but not as much pushing and shoving. i don't think there were and drunk rabid Dawg fans in the crowd. Except for me...minus the drunk part.
Traffic
Tonight we took a cab ride to Pizza Hut in Guiyang. There is no roller coaster ride more thrilling than a cab ride in China. Traffic lights are hardly a suggestion and lane lines are meaningless. They have a signaling system with horns and lights that everyone understands and adheres to...I guess. It appears chaotic and unorganized, yet as cars and pedestrians come within inches of colliding someone always gives way. It is like a giant game of chicken with thousands of cars involved.
The pizza at Pizza Hut was exactly like the pizza in the USA. Hannah loves pizza (the bread part anyway). She also loves rice cereal (which we found out today). She continues to have many pooh diapers, but not as many as yesterday.
Each of the 14 families with us are facing their own challenges with their new daughters. Some cry, some cannot pooh, they are all sick (ear aches, upper respiratory infections, temperatures) and some fight violently to get away at times. Half the babies are 2 years old and understand Chinese very well and even speak some. They all have their own way of grieving. Despite the challenges there are great moments of love and affection. All the familes are taking two steps forward after one step back. So ground is being gained in the battle to win these little girls hearts and confidence.
I tried to send another picture with this post, but the cute picture of Hannah wrinkling her nose kept loading. Maybe it will work better tommorrow.
You all would not believe how easy it is to get Hannah to go to sleep. She knows when it is time and falls right off. I hope this will continue. With that said we have had a very trying day. Hannah vomited at breakfast (I call it vomit because it was so much, but it would technically be called a spit up), another vomit/spit up after lunch in the room and on the bed. A poop right on the bed. Deann thought she was finished and took her diaper off to change her and there she blows (the diarrhea makes things unpredictable). Enough of the bathroom talk for now. I can't promise I won't write about it more in the future, so if you are offended I apologize in advanced.
It is 9 pm'ish an I am off to bed. We are finally starting to recover from the jet lag.
Before we left for China we mailed a disposable camera to Hannah Foster Family. We just had them developed. This is a photo from that camera. We have not seen very many smiles from Hannah like this, so far. It looks like she is waving. The pictures we received from the Foster family show Hannah in a different light than we have seen. She is very happy with them. She has been very quiet with us. She is very scheduled and sleeps well. She eats very well. We hope her personality will start to bloom soon. We think she is potty trained, but she will not go in a western toilet. It scares her. Overall, she is a very good baby.
Tuesday, November 15, 2005
Let's Walk
Monday, November 14, 2005
Does She Have Teeth?
She has 6 teeth to be exact, and a smile to go with them. She does not walk on her own, but she can walk holding my hand. All the clothes we brought to China are too big for her. Even the 12 months clothes seem too big. We do not see a lot of smiles yet, but we have only had her 21 hours. She is subdued by the fever and ear ache, but she gets along with all of us. She took a nap this morning at the meeting to finalize the adoption. She is officially ours now and no one can take her away :) She wimpers when she cries. MaCayla is adjusting well and trying to help, sometimes all little bit to much. She can't help herself.
MY GIRLS
Foster Mother
More Pictures!
GOTCHA!!!!!
2! That's Right 2 Hours Until We Have Hannah!
Look what we found in our room when we arrived in Guiyang. Two hours and Hannah may be playing in that crib. Can you believe it! We are hoping for some good bonding time. No expectations of bliss, just time together to figure how to get to know Hannah (and Hannah to get to know us). I doubt anyone will read this before we get Hannah. It is midnight in the States, but please pray for Hannah. She may not know what to think of our big noses :) Seriously, she may not like leaving her Foster family at first. Also, pray for MaCayla as she gets use to 2nd fiddle for a few days. Then we'll have two first fiddles. Oh boy!
Sunday, November 13, 2005
Updated Picture of Hannah!
This picture was taken around October 30th. We received it today at our Beijing orientation. It looks a little funny because it is a picture of a picture. Look at those darling eyes! We have another picture of her standing next to her crib. Her update said she can say Mommy and Daddy and she likes to talk. It also said she loves to put a play phone up to her ear. Talking and loves to play with the phone...and she's not even a teenager yet :) I think I may be in trouble. We get her tommorrow and we will meet the Foster Family. The handoff is scheduled for 3pm China time. So it will be 4 in the morning in the USA when we get her. The sweater she is wearing looks hand made. She seems so healthy. We are leaving to tour the Forbidden Palace and Tianamen Square now. I will post the other picture later.
The Forbidden City
On Sunday after our orientation we visited Tianamen Square and The Forbidden Palace. It was very interesting and we had a very pleasant walk through the city, which is very big. We took many pictures. We are starting to feel a little better from the jet lag and just in time to get Hannah tommorrow. We are getting to know many people in our group and are enjoying their company as we all prepare for a very emotional day on Monday. Most of the children being adopted in our group seem to be older than the norm and everyone is anxious about the bonding issue.
Saturday, November 12, 2005
Hutong Family
Smoozing
Watch Out for That.....
There are 16 million people in Beijing and I think we saw every one of them today. I mean there are people and more people everywhere one looks.
We toured the Great Wall today, road in a rickshaw and visited a Hutong neighborhood. The Great Wall was steep and had very uneven steps, the richshaw was fun, and the Hutong neighborhood was very insightful into the way some of the Chinese people live. It was all exhausting and MaCayla has fallen asleep again at 6pm.
Good news! We will get an updated picture of Hannah on Sunday at 9am. I will take a picture of the picture and post it here around noon Beijing time, so when you wake up Sunday morning you can see the latest picture of Hannah. We are very excited to get an updated picture eventhough we will have her the next day. Stay tuned!
The Great Walk!
Friday, November 11, 2005
It's 4 am, Again
Smile
Serious Jet Lag
Yesterday was very relaxed. We ate breakfast in the hotel at their amazing breakfast bar. They will short order cook your eggs any way you like (scrambled, omelet, over easy...my favorite, etc.). Later, we went shopping at a very modern mall with six levels. We only bought one baby outfit to replace the clothes Hannah will be wearing on Gotcha Day. After that we tried to eat lunch at 3 pm. MaCayla wanted to swim in the hotel indoor pool,so we did. We didn't swim much because there was a hot tub in the swimming room and it felt much better than the cold swimming pool. We skipped supper and came back to the room and watched a DVD. Deann fell asleep before 6pm and MaCayla followed shortly thereafter. I tried t0 stay awake, but succumbed to Mr. Sandman at 7:30pm. Now we are all awake at 1 in the morning and very hungry. Only five hours until the breakfast bar opens:0
Thursday, November 10, 2005
RX
It is amazing how many people work in the retail stores. A childrens clothing store we visited had 16 employees in a store a quarter of the size of Madison Drug. At first I thought they were all shoppers. Incidentally, there were few to no people shopping.
What's This!
A Room With a View
This is the view from our hotel window. It is almost 4 in the morning and we are all wide awake. We are trying to adjust to the time zone. We are anxious to get going today and take it easy at the same time. We plan on eating a very early breakfast and then venturing out into the city for a walk. We need to unscramble our brains. Way too much informaton overload yesterday as we arrived in Beijing and were extremely tired. On top of that I have a sinus infection, which I am finally letting Deann treat me for. I gave in because the pressure in my head is hurting so bad. I wanted to try and beat the bug myself. I can't believe we are so close to finally meeting Hannah Yafang. I will keep you all posted of our adventures here in Beijing.
We're Here
Here we are in Chicago. Ready to go to Beijing. We arrived in Beijing after 24.5 hours of travel. MaCayla slept some, Deann slept less and I did not sleep at all! I am very drowsy as I type this so you will have to excuse any typos. Our flights were very uneventful and smooth. We arrived in Beijing and immediately went to our hotel. As we were riding along in the mini-bus I began to notice people staring at us. I felt like an animal in the zoo. We went to a restaurant to eat supper and no one there spoke english. We simply pointed to pictures and they brought us mostly what we thought we ordered. Our server was a young girl who felt compelled to help MaCayla eat, so she started feeding MaCayla with her chop sticks. It was quite hilarious as MaCayla did not know if she should let her. MaCayla was so taken aback she forgot to chew and swallow the food the girl placed in her mouth and she sat there for a few seconds with a large leek looking thing hanging out of her mouth. Everyone in the restaurant was staring at us. One man refused to be seated next to us. He looked disturbed that we were even there. Everyone else just smiled as they stared. I was too tired to smile back. It is time for bed. We are only a few days from getting Hannah, Amen. Hopefully, we will be refreshed after a good nights sleep.
Monday, November 07, 2005
Travel Schedule
Holt orientation 13 November
Date to province * 14 November Province destination Guiyang Gotcha Day
Date to Guangzhou 19 November
U.S. consulate visa appointment 22 November
Visa issued 23 November
U.S. return date 24 November
Thursday, November 03, 2005
One Week Away
Speaking of Hannah, we leave for China in one week. MaCayla is the most excited I have ever seen her, Deann is anxious and I am my laid back self (secretly I am anxious, too).
Saturday, October 29, 2005
Merry Christmas?
Monday, October 24, 2005
Sunday, October 23, 2005
Happy Birthday Hannah!
Hannah is one today! Happy birthday Ya Fang! Because we will not have her today, we are planting a tree in her honor. We will be celebrating after church with Mama Jo, Big Pop and the Adkins at the Happy China Restaurant. We miss her so terribly. At times there seems to be a huge hole in our hearts. This may be the hardest day waiting so far.
We are literally counting the days. MaCayla and Deann created a calendar and posted it in the kitchen. MaCayla marks of each day as they pass.
We understand the Chinese often shave a child's head to celebrate their first birthday. We really hope Hannah's Foster Family doesn't practice this tradition, but if they do we repect their right to honor Ya Fang. May God bless them for helping take care of this precious little girl.
Of course when Hannah arrives in the US we will have a mega celebration for her birthday. Deann and I invited the world to MaCayla's first birthday. It is so funny to look back at the pictures of the people we invited to MaCayla's first party. I know many of them were glad to come, but they had to question how we doted over MaCayla. We did and we still do. Despite her parents MaCayla is a very mature, well adjusted seven year old:)
We love you Hannah Yafang!
Wednesday, October 19, 2005
Monday, October 10, 2005
WooHoo!
Friday, October 07, 2005
Officially Unofficial
Monday, October 03, 2005
A Long Journey
Sunday, October 02, 2005
Special Delivery
http://www.vimeo.com/clip=11581
Saturday, October 01, 2005
Travel Approval , But No Travel Date?
Wednesday, September 28, 2005
Blog Name
I was fully expecting a miracle to happen in our lives and it did. MaCayla Joann Cook 6lbs 10 oz, born August 26, 1998. No fertility treatments involved. Now we have another miracle. Chen Ya Fang, 7 lbs., born October 23, 2004 in Guizhou, China.
Tuesday, September 27, 2005
Map of China
Monday, September 26, 2005
Update!
We have an update on Hannah. We were totally surprised on Friday night when we received an e-mail around 10pm. She weighs 16.7 lbs and is 27 inches long. We also received head, chest and foot measurements. Her feet are 10cm. That is half the size of MaCayla’s. She looks so much bigger in her photos… all those layers of clothes. What a hoot!
Wednesday, September 21, 2005
Guizhou
General Musings
Guizhou, "No three days without rain, no three cents, and no three feet that are flat". How depressing a description. The infant mortality was 50% in 1934. Parents waited a month after their childrens birth to celebrate. The people plant, tend and harvest rice on terraces carved into the hillsides using oxen. This back breaking work has produced a hardy, strong people who take nothing for granted. The landscape is beautiful in all the pictures we have seen. There are more Chinese minority groups in Guizhou than any other province. The area were Hannah was found is know as The Autonomous Prefecture of the Dong & Miao Minorities. One description I read about the people of Jianhe County is the are fair skinned, strong and beautiful. If you know anything about these areas of China please post them in the comments section.
Monday, September 19, 2005
VISA, FCC, and Guizhou Website
We attended a FCC (Families with Chinese Children) picnic in Athens on Sunday. What an amazing group of people and children. They were all friendly and very interested in our referral and travel plans. Unfortunately, none of them had been to Guizhou where Hannah resides. I was not surprised by this as Guizhou seems to be an area that does not refer many children for adoption.
I found a web page of a young man's adventures in Guizhou. He is from Hong Kong and traveled with family to Guizhou to inspect school buildings his Granfather had built in some of the poorest areas of China. There are many photos on his web page of everday living in cities and remote villages. He has a fascination with food and photographed everything he ate on his two week trip. He gives descriptions of the food and many of the dishes are quite "exotic". Don't read this on a full stomach. His english is very good, but unusual in his descriptions. Evidently, drinking alcohol is a favorite past time of the people in this area, because as the "Guest of Honor" in many of the places he visits he is required to toast all of his hosts, many times. Here is the link http://kamleung.com/triplog/0208guizhou/guizhou.htm Bon appetite!
To My Fair Lady
whose dream was to have a second baby.
She prayed and she cried,
few understood how hard she tried.
Her tears grew into a pond of sadness,
driving her at times to it’s shore of madness.
Her days grew dark and dim,
as her hope seemed so slim.
As her faith began to diminish,
a loving voice said “wait, I am not finished”.
Then came the least of these from the east,
her shimmering eyes seemed to calm the fair lady’s grieving beast.
Slowly, her days grew brighter,
the burden a little lighter.
The little one from the east,
brought a message of hope and love, a banquet feast.
With her faith filled,
the lady’s heart began to still.
She began a journey, but not without fear,
finally, her days had a different kind of tear.
The trip began traveling toward the sun as it set,
but this was no reason to ever fret.
At last a brown eyed beauty,
filled her arms wearing tiny booties.
The pond of tears began to dry up,
as she fed the babe from a little cup.
Another little one from the east,
has filled a heart with hope and love unceased
Travel Planning-Not!
Dear China Families:
We are writing to invite families who received a match on 1 September 2005 to participate in a travel planning conference call scheduled for the date listed below. This call is for all families regardless of the province your child is from and will review travel planning for your adoption travel to China. We will discuss your trip inside China later, during the call we conduct for each group when travel dates are set.
Friday, September 16, 2005
Now We Wait...Again!!!
I bought MaCayla a roll up piano today so she can continue to practice her piano lessons while in China. The piano is made of rubber and shaped like a mat with a speaker on the end. She loves to play and practice. The piano rolls up and fits in a small case that can easily fit in her back pack.
I read a blog last night about a medical team that went to China to perform surgeries for orphaned children. Oh my! What a need for the children of China. The name of the organization is Love Without Borders. The blog address is http://lwbchina.blogspot.com. If you don't want to cry do not click on that link.
Wednesday, September 07, 2005
Sunday, September 04, 2005
Introducing Hannah Yafang Cook!
Dear Friends and Family,
Finally! We are blessed to have a new Daughter and little Sister. The description we were given says she is very energetic and smiles all the time.
Love,
Deann, MaCayla & Patrick Cook
Chinese name: Chen Ya Fang
Soon to be: Hannah Yafang Cook (we think)
Birthdate: October 23, 2004
Foster care through Qiandongnan SWI, Guizhou
Patrick Cook
Thursday, September 01, 2005
THE CALL!
Evidently, Holt does not do very many adoption from this province...according to our contact at Holt. This is a recipe for an adventurous trip to China as our guides will probably have little experience in this part of China. I have already read that changing money and finding places to eat can be difficult in this part of China. It's all about getting Hannah. "Whatever it takes" is our new motto.
MaCayla cried as Deann received the call. Deann cried and I wiped away a few tears when she called me with the news.
We are ready to go to Guiyang, China, now! Just a little longer sweet Ya Fang.
Monday, August 22, 2005
Take a Deep Breath
Nothing worthwhile in life is ever easy. Why should this be any different?
Some of the things running through my mind, randomly (and Deann's too, I'm sure).
How old will Hannah be?
What will she look like?
How big will she be?
Where is she?
What is her name?
Who is taking care of her?
What is her personality like?
Will she be walking, crawling, talking?
The wait will surely get harder when we receive her picture. Life seems to be on hold until we know something.
Sunday, July 31, 2005
NEXT
Thursday, July 28, 2005
Funny Feeling
Tuesday, July 05, 2005
Speculation
We know another precious daughter is awaiting us at the end of all this and we have faith that all will be well and this agonizing wait will be a distant memory, but just the same we can't wait!
Because the last batch of referrals did not make it to the month of December (DTC) for our agency we were very disappointed. Our DTC is January 28, 2005, which puts us 2 to 3 referrals out. Right now referrals are coming once per month with 3 to 5 weeks of DTC dates. We are 9 weeks out with our 1-28-2005 DTC date.
Some very close friends recently gave us a boost of encouragment by showing their support for our decision to adopt. Their support means so much to our family. It is very humbling when people go out of their way to do more than is necessary to support our decision. We only hope that we can be the kind of friends they have been to us.
Hannah is somewhere in China right now. Deann and I would not be surprised if she was born very close to both of our Birthday's in March. That would make her 4 months old as I write this. That would make Hannah 7 months old when we get her. That may be unrealistic now that I think about it. It is more likely she would be 9-11 months old. If everything remains steady with the CCAA we will probably be traveling to China at the end of October.
Tuesday, May 17, 2005
Running the Race
Wednesday, March 30, 2005
Hurry Up and Wait
Deann and I had our first Hepatitis A and B shots yesterday in preparation for our trip to China. I asked the nurse if it would be OK to run afterwards and she assured me it would be fine. It wasn't. Immediately after my run my muscles began to cramp (all of my muscles). My head began to hurt and later I began to shiver. My temperature went as high as 102.5 and my heart began beating rapidly. I was very close to going to the hospital, but I stuck it out. I feel better today, but I still have a low temperature and my body aches. Evidently, this is extremely rare. It could be a coincidence that I have something, but I do not have your normal flu or infection symptoms, like a runny nose, sore throat etc. They are recommending I skip the next two doses. Deann had no adverse reaction.
The next four months could be very long as we wait to receive our referral. Everyone says it will be over before we know it, but it still seems like a long time.
Sunday, February 27, 2005
Another Rainy Night (Day) in Georgia
We are starting to research the details of our trip to China. Everything is a mystery to us right now as we do not know what month we will travel let alone what day. We have a long way to go before we can solidify our agenda, but it is never too early to plan.
I bought a camcorder yesterday and read the manual. I actually read manuals...I know that's a bit unconventional, but it seems to work well for me. The camcorder is nearly smaller than the digital camera we bought in 2002...amazing! I hope to practice using the camcorder now so I can make a movie of the big day when we finally meet Hannah.
As soon as Deann finishes sorting through baby clothes she has piled up in the new nursery I will post a picture of the Winnie the Pooh themed room.