Updates . . . FINALLY :) (Scroll Down)

Working on updates today . . . FINALLY!
First 4 days home with a husband who has HORRIBLE jet lag
+ Holiday and family visits (awesome)
+ Son vomiting and jet lag husband panicking (China bird flu? China food poison? Airplane food poison). Mark ACTUALLY googled "vomiting" to try and self-diagnose . . . you can only imagine his findings!
+ Husband gone for business trip post-China days 4-8
+ 7 suitcases to unpack
+ 5 kids to feed (one of whom doesn't eat what we eat!)
+ 3 trips to the grocery store
+ golf, baseball and tee-ball
+ orthodontic appts. and pediatric appt.
=
no time to post updates or check e-mails! I did draft the entries and will get them posted by tonight!

First Four Days HOME - Lazy Days, Holiday Fun

Well, as you can see in the photos below, Thea is a happy, happy girl.

Our first 4 days home have been a whirlwind. Mark has had an awful time with jetlag. I mean aweful - feeling sick constantly, not able to stay awake during the day and getting up in middle of the night. For three days in a row, he slept 6-8 hours during the middle of the afternoon and then woke up in middle of the night at 3 or 4am.

As for me and the kids, we're adjusting well. I've been getting up much earlier than normal, but that will change soon enough. Kam and Thea have been waking up anywhere from 5a-8a. If Thea wakes up before anyone, she reads or plays in her room. She hasn't tried to wake me up yet. I always wake up because I hear her in the bathroom brushing her teeth and washing her face (something she does immediately after waking up every single morning).

The kids are just enamored with Thea. They try to do everything possible to please her. They share their food, bring her new dolls or toys constantly and just love on her. She has been very open to their affection and seems to reciprocate most of the time. Janie loves to crawl in the chair with Thea each morning and then play Barbies. Aunt Em and Aunt Kathy each bought Thea a new Barbie. It is not something my girls have played with before, but seem to have fun with now that Thea has an interest.

The 4th of July holiday was nice for all of us, except Kam. He spent the afternon playing with our neighbors, then came home with a stomach ache. He ended up in his room for the entire evening, getting sick several times. My nieces, Julia, Elli & Helana visited. After having fun in the backyard, we all walked down the street to see our city fireworks. Thea loved everything about the evening. When she was tired, she showed us that she wanted to go to bed.

Mark was completely paranoid about Kam getting sick. He actually googled "vomiting". I sat along side of him, not quite sure what would make us feel better or confident that he didn't catch anything in China or on the plane. Good news is that Kam was only sick for about 8 hours. After a good night's rest, he was back to being an active 8 year old.

We spent the holiday weekend swimming at Grandma Linda's pool. Our weather here was perfectly clear skies and gorgeous for two days in a row. Thea LOVES, loves, loves the water. She has us in complete and total awe of her willingness to try new things.

No issues YET. I know they are coming, but for now things are great :) Another update soon.

Fourth of July evening, having fun with glow necklaces (notice Mark's beautiful glow earrings!)

The clan, having fun coloring each morning.

Morning routine. Thea and Janie enjoying fruit and a little TV before the running around begins!

Photo Shoot After Church :)

Photo Shoot After Church #2 :)

Landed and Home Photos

HOME - Details, details, details!

Well, the official word, based off of Thea's expression is - She is happy with her home :) The airport greeting was a little overwhelming and she didn't want her photo taken (as you probably noticed in the hokey t-shirt family shot!) Even though she acted kind of shy and nervous, she had a smirk on her face. Outside of the terminal, as we waited to load up our car, she pointed to each of the kids and said their name. She had a HUGE smile on her face the whole way home in the car.

Once we arrived home, Thea was a little reserved, kind of quiet. I think that lasted all of 10 minutes. Janie and Eva took her up to her bedroom. It was the cutest moment ever. I videotaped as Thea looked around at the Chinese characters and read them. The characters on the wall when you walk in the room read "QiuXiang's little room" (Jenny's excellent idea). Thea was beaming when she read that. She was spinning around, looking at everything and smiling. Since I was videotaping, I didn't get the Kodak moment in a picture to post :(

We had friends and family visit for hours, which certainly helped us stay awake! Grandma Carol blessed us with a full blown feast, Aunt Kimmy and Grandma Linda contributed to the great food and Aunt Janet had a big, beautiful "edible basket" delivered. It was full of chocolate covered fruit and the kids loved it. Later in the evening, Jenny came over with her husband and sweet little baby to help with the translation. Thea listened to everything I asked Jenny to tell her, but she did not respond at all.

Aunt Kimmy gave Thea a My Twinn doll and Aunt Kelly brought over a precious Asian baby. They were a big hit. I was really proud of Thea when she let Janie hold her baby for a while. Actually, I was really surprised. Before adopting Thea, we had a list of questions answered by the orphanage director. One question was "What is Qiu Xiang's favorite toy?" The response was "She does not own a toy, but would love to have a doll someday".

My normal overkill on the photos just didn't happen (sigh). I was in a complete daze. I might have even been truely sleep walking :)

Once our company left, our troop headed upstairs to get ready for bed. It was an amazingly smooth time, as everyone was exhausted. Thea climbed into bed, we said prayers (she giggled), all the kids kissed her goodnight and 20 seconds later, she was OUT.

The morning began at a different time for everyone. Mark woke up at 3am, Thea and Kam around 5:30 and then me. Getting adjusted to EST will be an ongoing challenge for a while!

Another update in a few days. Have a safe and happy 4th of July.

Mom, does she speak? If we crouch down like this, will it help?

I think this means she likes her new babydoll from Aunt Kelly and her new home.

My 3 girls with 4 of my nieces. Now 7 girls on Grandma Linda's side!

To Aunt Janet - THANK YOU for the chocolate covered fruit. YUMMY!

From Guangzhou, to Tokyo, to HOME!!!

After a LONG 22 hours in route, we are HOME!!!

Our trek started by meeting in the hotel lobby at 5:30a. I'll spare you the details, but you can imagine the happiness and outpouring of love we received from an 8 year old boy and 9 year old girl with only 5 hours of sleep :) I have to admit that I wasn't a picture of joy myself! However, the lack of sleep, believe it or not, was part of my big plan to get back on Eastern Standard Time!

Our flight from Guangzhou to Tokyo was great. The only little "snag" we had was barely making it on the flight from Tokyo to HOME. Once we arrived in Tokyo, we had to go through security again, with our 7, yes, I said 7, carry-on bags. I, of course, chose the line with the "trainee" security guy with an attitude. Is it just me, or is there someone else out there who ALWAYS picks the line with the slowest workers? Happens at the grocery store, the bank, and anywhere else I have the opportunity to choose my own line! Arghh. Oh well, anyway, we had to run from security to our gate and made it as they were announcing that the gate was closing!

On a better note, I wanted to mention our great seating arrangement. From Guangzhou to Tokyo Kam, Thea and I sat together and Mark was across the aisle. Behind us sat a fellow adoptive mother, her 10 year old son and the 12 year old daughter they had just adopted. Behind Mark was the grandma. The mother, Pam, and I talked between seats for quite a while during the flight. Kam introduced himself to her son, Ian. They played Nintendo DS together for most of the flight.

Pam and I had so much in common (she also has a 6 year old son at home, adopted from China 2 years ago and a 5 year old daughter). The boys had a great time together and BONUS . . . (at least from Kam's perspective), they both spoke English! :) I asked the mother where they were headed after Tokyo. She told me her flight number - it was the same as ours! Then I asked for their seat #'s. We were in seats 60 D,E,F & G. Their family was in 59 D,E,F & G!!! Out of more than 600 passengers, we were seated right next to eachother! ! This was not a coincidence. I have more to say on that in another post. Kam and Ian enjoyed playing games together, drawing together and watching movies together for most of our 12+ hour flight. Kam was so happy. Mark was able to sleep for most of the flight (whateverrrr). Thea enjoyed movies and slept on and off as well. She was an angel, no issues the entire duration!

As for me, well, I don't sleep on airplanes (not without medication anyway :)). I was trying, hoping, praying to sleep through "27 dresses", "Horton Hears a Who", "Definitely Maybe" or assorted episodes of "Cash Cab". I would have paid to sleep through the airline instructions on how to keep from getting leg vein clots!! In short (well, not short, I don't do short, remember?), by the time we landed, I had been up for almost 36 hours straight.

On arrival, we were greeted by Ben, Janie and Eva, both Grandmas, my sister Kim, my nieces and awesome friends! If you know me, you won't be surprised that I arranged for the kids and I to wear hokey matching shirts. Mark boycotted his matching shirt at the last minute and I certainly wasn't up for a rebuttal at that point.

We arrived at 1:45p and had to stay awake until bedtime. My next entry shows pics of our first "1/2 day" home :)

Goodbye Guangzhou, off to Tokyo!

I love pics above the clouds. Kind of freaks me out and makes me happy at the same time :)

Photo for PaPa Mark. I was trying to capture the golf course in Tokyo as we landed.

We Landed!

At least someone got sleep!

Home with our FIVE kids FINALLY :) (hokey, I know . . . I know, but fun)

Our WELCOME committee :)

Benjamin is an optimist. Yes . . .all 32 lbs. of him believes he can be a helper and push our 300 lb. cart!

Final Day in Guangzhou, China

Yesterday was our FINAL day in China. Yes, after three adoptions, it is safe to say that yesterday was the last time we'll be in Guangzhou to make things official :) Truth be told, if I had a few nannies (for cooking and cleaning), 10 more limbs (for hugs, kisses and driving) and a few more heads (to outwit my children and watch ALL of their sporting events), I would love to adopt more children. But I don't, so . . . well . . . we are a family of 7 forever :)

We were out of the hotel room almost the entire day. The morning started out by packing up all of the suitcases, then we headed out to finish up a little shopping. Mark and I took the kids and he finished up his watch purchases (because he really needs another watch! sigh). I was on the hunt for Northface coats for all of the kids. On our first trip to China, the coats were my favorite purchase. This time, I didn't think of it (after all, it was 90 degrees and raining almost every day!) until my sister sent an e-mail asking me to get her one. I found a store right across the street where the worker offered to call the "factory" for me. She told me to come back after dinner to see what she was able to get.

At 2:30, we had to meet in the hotel lobby to head to our US Consulate Appointment, which took place 45 minutes away. All of the families with their children loaded up on to three separate buses. The appointment, to make things official on the "US side", requires parents to swear to the information provided for the adoption. The families (probably over 100 of them), all sit in the same room and swear together. After 3 times of doing this, I still think it is one of the best days . . . kind of the final step. We received our "brown packet" (to be given to the customs official when we land on US soil) and our children's Chinese passport and visa. The official asked if it was anyone's birthday. It was Katie's first birthday, along with another little girl. We all sang Happy Birthday before heading back to the hotel. Unfortunately, cameras are not allowed inside the Consulate, so I left everything back at the hotel.

By the time we got back to the hotel, it was after 5pm. We all headed to our rooms to dress the kids in their Chinese clothing for the imfamous "red couch photo" and on to a birthday celebration for Katie's first birthday! Steve and Beth graciously offered to host all of us at the Thai restaurant for dinner and birthday cake. Unfortunately, Gordon, Haruyo and Sumi could not attend. Haruyo caught something and has been very sick for a day. Dinner was delicious. Katie was just too tired from an exhausting day out with no nap, so she didn't get to enjoy her celebration as much as we did!

After dinner, Mark, Kam, Thea and I went out shopping again (shocking, I know). All the little shops by the hotel stay open until 11pm. It was a really nice night and I had to look at the Northface coats, and of course get last minute items I didn't get around to purchasing. I put Mark on the task of coat negotiating (he is getting excellent at that!) while I let Thea and Kam buy a few more items.

Our evening ended LATE, back at the hotel, packing up all of our last minute purchases. My next entry will be a summary of our trip HOME!!! Goodbye for now.

PS - Thea was a trooper, even at late night shopping. Polite, sweet and loving.

Kam and Thea with a CUTE little pug puppy at one of the shops.

Ice cream, again. Vanilla this time, not green bean!

Traditional Chinese outfits modeled by Thea, Kam, Shawn and Sophia.

Final night - family pose at the White Swan Hotel, Guangzhou, China!

Guangzhou, Final Day Photos

HAPPY BIRTHDAY Katie! (With our guide, Judy and Beth)

We Leave in 4 Hours!!!!!!!!!!!

YEAH!!!!! Only a few more hours and we're headed for the airport :)

Friends and family, our flight arrives at 1:45p, via Northwest on July 2. We hope to see you there. We are SOOOOOOOOOO excited!!

We weren't in the room much today and I can't stay awake any longer to type a summary of our day, but it was great, again. I plan on typing our entry from the Tokyo airport during our layover.

THANK YOU TO EVERYONE, AND I MEAN EVERYONE for following along on our journey. I'll post a few updates after we arrive home.

To each person that I have not had a chance to respond to via e-mail - I PROMISE I've read your e-mail and I WILL respond once I am HOME, in my OWN chair, with my favorite cup of coffee :)

Goodbye from China,
Love,
Kari

Another GREAT Day!

Well, today was another great day for Thea. She is just such a wonderful little girl.

Not too much to type about. It rained on and off AGAIN all day long. Our goal was to make it over to the medicine market (holistic medicine street), but with the rain we couldn't. I shopped a bit with Beth while Mark played in the White Swan play room with the kids and up in our room for a movie.

Later on in the afternoon, it cleared up long enough for us to take a walk in the local park and the kids had a chance to swim a little bit. The local park has beautiful bronze statues everywhere. There are also bronze statues situated on all of the local sidestreets. Some of the statues are really funny!

For dinner, we headed to Lucy's, a little restaurant down the street that serves American food. Finally, Thea doesnt' eat until the table is cleared! When she is full, she says "all done" and rubs her tummy. She is very proud of herself for using English :)

Our wonderful friend, Jenny, called Thea tonight. Jenny helped us with the Chinese characters in Thea's room and she is going to help us with translation with Thea. Jenny told Thea that we are heading home soon and that when she arrives, there will be someone to help her if she needs to communicate something to us. Thea didn't say anything to Jenny on the phone, she just listened intently and smiled. Jenny, we are SO thankful for you and appreciate your help so much!

Since there isn't a whole ton to tell you all, other than going on and on about how blessed we are with our daughter, I wanted to type a poem that I love. I've put it below.

Only one more full day here and we head HOME!!!! We are SOOOOOOOOO excited :)

Warmest wishes from China for one more day,
Kari

"I Would Gather Children"

Some would gather money
Along the path of life,
Some would gather roses,
And rest from worldly strife.
But I would gather children
From among the thorns of sin,
I would seek their twinkling eyes,
And reveal mischievous grins.
For money cannot enter
In that land of endless day,
And roses that are gathered
Soon will wilt along the way.
But oh, the laughing children,
As I cross the sunset sea,
And the gates swing wide to heaven
I can take them in with me!

Author Unknown

Guangzhou Day 5 Photos

Mom, I miss the "Eva" look!

Do you think she likes her picture taken?

Official Beijing Olympic store

Bronze statue imitating foreigners adopting children

Guangzhou Day 5 Photos

Hmmmm :)

Beautiful park around corner from White Swan Hotel

Guangzhou Day 5 Photos

Isn't this tree beautiful?

Large stone in park with Chinese characters

Sometimes the translations are just funny :)

Spitting fined! You'll pay $3-$7.50 :)