We're Home

The last few days of our trip were very busy, so we're sorry we haven't posted anything for a bit. On Thursday, we finalized the adoption and Nina's paperwork with the US at the Consulate in Guangzhou (which funny enough is right next to IKEA). That was followed by the traditional picture of the girls on the famous red couch at the White Swan (see below for their reaction to that!). Then, we hurried to pack and organize paperwork we'd need upon arrival...oh, and of course, get ready for a 13-hour flight with a 10-month old baby! It was pretty much as bad as we thought it would be (thank goodness for another family's mother, who happened to be a pediatric nurse--much better at giving Benadryl than we were).
When we finally got home, we sailed through customs and immigration (whew), and only managed to lose one bag (Terri's clothes!) (we think it may arrive in the US on Tuesday). Traci and Gene (Todd's sister and brother-in-law) kindly picked all of us up at Newark airport (our first chance to show off Nina in person!). We made it back to beautiful KOP by about 8:30 pm, showed Nina her room, ordered greasy American food from our favorite deli, and tried to get some sleep.
The weekend was a little tough--Nina's perfect schedule that she had in China went out the window of that plane! It's now Monday night though and fingers crossed that it is worked out by tomorrow.
We've had some visitors--Nina is already taken with her grandparents, great-grandparents, aunts, and of course, her cousins! We weren't as careful with picture taking since we've arrived home, but we promise to remember to use the digital more often.
We're so glad to be home, and can't wait for all of you to meet Nina. The postings are all so wonderful to read and we've been printing them to save for our daughter to read some day (she is a genius of course, but not that advanced yet!). Thanks for all of your good wishes.

Some pictures...
(In case any of you is crazy enough to waste your day looking at all of the pictures from our trip, you can find them at the following link: http://www.snapfish.com/thumbnailshare/AlbumID=40363255/a=5225021/t_=5225021)

Traditional picture of girls at the White Swan:



IKEA next to the Consulate:


Nina actually looking at the camera for a family photo!:

Nina likes her high chair:


Nina at her new house:


One of our early favorites:

Days 10 & 11...

The big event on Day 10 (Monday) was Nina's physical. She passed with flying colors. She weighed in at 9.5 kg (21 pounds) which seems a little on the light side (she was 21 pounds in January when we received her referral), but she didn't really stay on the scale long. The doctors all seemed to love her pudgy cheeks and legs!

Day 11 (Tuesday) was our trip to the Chinese countryside. We got a peek at what the "real" China outside of the citieslooks like. It was eye-opening to say the least. It really made us appreciate how unbeliveably lucky we are in the U.S. The single family homes are nothing more than shacks, and the newer, "nicer" homes are small, apartment like buildings where at least 3 families lives together. A dirty, mosquito invested stream ran through the village and was used to wash clothes and food, and to empty sewage. We couldn't help but to wonder if this was what Nina's life would have been like if she hadn't ended up with us.

DAY 10 PHOTOS

Outside the exam room:
















Nina with the Doctor:




Another one with the Doctor:



The exam really tired her out!





DAY 11 PHOTOS (from our trip outside the city):

The Village Temple:




Local woman preparing dinner:




Old Man's "single-family" home:



Cleaner "single-family" home:




Woman coming back from the fields:



Local women washing clothes and food in village creek:




We only have a few days left here--can't wait to come home, although it has been a nice trip. We actually started to pack this morning! Here's one last photo of Nina--we know that's all you really want to see.

Nina and dad in the park close to the hotel:

More Nina...

Sorry it took us so long to post more pictures, but we've had some minor technical issues the past few days that prevented us from posting. Things have been going very well here in Guangzhou. Friday was a free day for us, as some of the other families in our group made the 4-hour (each way) trip to the orphanage in Yangchun. Nina's not a big fan of the bus, so we decided to stay back at the hotel -- more time fro us to bond! On Saturday we visited the Guangzhou Zoological Garden (aka, the zoo!) which is the home of Guandong Province's only Panda Bear. After the zoo, we visited a Buddist Temple where we were belessed by a Buddist Monk. We then capped the day off with a nice SNAKE dinner! On Sunday, we took a dinner cruise down the Pearl River in Guanzhou. Some of the pictures below are from the cruise. Today we have some more paperwork, and Nina's official medical exam. She seems perfectly healthy to us, so we don't expect any problems.

So, without further delay, here are the pictures:

Nina's 1st Bath:


Happy Nina:


Nina and Mom at the Zoo:


Guangzhou's Panda:


Bad Hair Day:


Nina and Mom at the Buddhist Temple:


Getting Blessed by a Buddhist Monk:


Snake Dinner Alive:


Snake Dinner Dead!:


Todd Eating Snake Dinner:


Pearl River Cruise Ship:


Dudas Family on the Pearl River Cruise:


Nina and Mom on Cruise:


The White Swan from the Cruise Ship:

Pictures...Finally!!

After six days, three cities, and three hotels, we've finally settled into the famous White Swan Hotel in Guangzhou. This not only means we can finally unpack our suit cases, but we also now have access to the internet. The first three days with Nina have been tiring, but amazing! When we finally got her on Tuesday afternoon, she was the only crier out of the bunch. But after about an hour, she started to warm up to us and has gotten more and more attached to us every day. She's the most energetic and talkative of all four of the babies, not to mention the biggest!! So far her sleep habits suit us just fine -- 9-10 solid hours each night!

So, here's what you've all been waiting for...pictures of Nina:

Group Photo right after we got her:


Nina and Dad:


Nina and Mom:


Happy Nina:

Dad's first bottle:


Todd's first diaper!


The Dudas Family at the park:


Nina and Mom at the White Swan:


We have lots of pictures of Beijing too...we'll post them next time.

Everyone is doing well so far. We miss you all and can't wait to get home.

We're here!

Hi everyone--we have arrived in Asia! After a long 16-hour flight, we arrived in Hong Kong last night (7 am Friday for you). The hotel is nice, but we're only here one night. Unfortunately, we can't see much of Hong Kong since we're only at the airport. The landscape is amazing--water all around us and mountains on one side. It is now Sat morning and since we've been up since 5 am, we thought it was a great time to get some internet blogging in. People here are friendly and all speak English. Later today, we'll take a 4-hour flight to Beijing. Hope everyone is doing well--we heard about the Duke loss. We're hoping to see good news about Nova soon.

Here We Go...

Ready or not, we're leaving for China on Thursday, March 23rd. Our trip begins with 1 night in Hong Kong, then 3 nights in Beijing. Hopefully, we'll have some time to adjust to the time difference (13 hours ahead) and culture. Our agency, Welcome House, has some wonderful sightseeing planned for us in Bejing--the Forbidden City, Summer Palace, The Great Wall, and more.
Then, we head to Guangzhou on Tuesday, March 28th to meet our daughter! We'll meet her late in the afternoon, and head back to the hotel. For the next few days, we'll have various appointments to complete the process--visa photo taking, medical examinations, notaries, etc. However, we'll spend most of our time "sightseeing" (not much to see there) and bonding.
On April 5th, we have an appointment with the US Consulate in Guangzhou, when we'll receive her Visa to travel--HOME--to the US. On Friday, April 7th, we arrive back on American soil, after a 14-hour plane trip.
While we're in Beijing, we'll stay at the Beijing Hotel and in Guangzhou at the famous White Swan Hotel. This is a luxury hotel with restaurants, shops, a pool, gardens, and more. If you want to check it out, use the following link:

White Swan Hotel

We'll miss you all while we're in China. It should be a true adventure, but we've been waiting a long time for this. Please keep us and our daughter in your prayers. We hope to update this blog while we're in China--so keep checking often to see pictures and get news.

At Last...

....the Referral has arrived! Here's her info:

Name: Chun Hua Xi
Welfare Institution: Yangchun City Social Welfare Institute
Hospital: Yangchun City People’s Hospital
Date of Birth: May 28, 2005
Placement Institute: Yangchun City Social Welfare Institute, Guangdong Province
Medical History:

Physical Growth:
Height: 70 cm. (27.5 inches) Weight: 9.3 kg. (20.5 pounds)
Head Circumference: 41 cm. Chest Circumference: 44 cm.

Physical Development: Normal
Mental Development: Normal

REPORT ON THE DEVELOPMENTS OF THE CHILD

Part I: Circumstances When Taken In
On May 29, 2005, a little girl baby was found abandoned at the gate of the Yangchun City First Middle School. This baby was then dressed in a set of white baby clothes and wrapped in an old adult jacket, with her dense hair a little bit wet. She was afterwards taken into this Institute for nurturing and supervision on the same day after approved by the local Civil Affairs Bureau. At that time, doctors from this institute gave her a physical examination, and found that she was then 50 cm in height, 3 kg in weight, 33 cm for her head circumference, and 32 cm for her chest circumference, and was diagnosed “a healthy little baby.” Based on the examination of her physical development, the director and physicians determined her birth date to be on May 28, 2005, and gave her the name “Chun Hua Xi.”

Part II: Status of Growth

One: Growing and Eating
Months Height(cm) Weight(kg) Head (cm) Chest (cm) Teeth(Num.)
1 56 5 36 37
2 57 5.5 37 38
3 58 5.8 38 39
4 60 6.5 39 41
5 61 7 40 43
6 64 8 41 44

Under the careful nurturing of the caretakers, Chun Hua Xi lives a well-regularized life and is developing well. She has been fed with Jinding formula, and after she was 5 months of age, supplemental foods such as fruit juice, and egg yokes are added.
Two: Physical and Mental Developments
Chun Hua Xi has been physically and mentally developing well. When she was only 1-2 months old, little Chun Hua Xi could utter some clear gutturals when crying. At 3-4 months, she could give smiles when amused, and her hands were no longer tightened into a fist, and while lying on her tummy, she could lift her head and her upper chest up. At 5 months of age, when hearing music playing, she would show excited expressions, and move her body from side to side. Now, as a 6 month-old little baby, she seems interested in everything around her. When seeing a new thing, she will fix her eyes on it. This is a lovely and adorable little girl one loves at first sight.

Three: Developments in Language and Emotions
Chun Hua Xi is an active and playful little girl, who loves to be carried to play outdoors, and who will utter “Yi-Yi-Ah-Ah” when happy, as if “talk” with her caretakers. However, Hua Xi is very shy and timid, who can easily be frightened into crying. But she will soon calm down if the caretakers pick her up to hold her in arms and tap on her back gently.

Part III Medical History
Chun Hua Xi has never been seriously ill since she was taken in, with the exception of occasional colds. However, she has once caught fevers, nose congestions, running noses and coughs. After being taken good care of the orphanage doctors, she would soon get recovered. Besides, she has no allergic reactions to medications.

Part IV: Vaccinations
According to the Guangdong Province Government’s requirements for children vaccinations, Chun Hua Xi has been vaccinated against B.C.G., Polio Vaccine, DTP and Hepatitis B. Please see the attached records for detailed information.

Routine Schedule: This baby gets up at 6:30am and goes to bed at 21:00pm, and takes her nap between 12:00 and 14:00pm. Her feeding time is at 7:00am, 11:00am, 15:00pm, 19:00pm and 23:00pm. Each day she poops once at around 9:00 am, and urinates normally.

Sleep: She sleeps a deep sleep, and likes to hold a towel in her hands when sleeping.

Eating: She drinks ‘Jinding’ formula mixed with rice powder, 5 times each day, 180 ml each time. Supplemental foods such as vitamins and fruit juice are added.