End of the year musings...

Happy almost 2009 from Karis and Olivia! It was my father who kept saying at the beginning and during the middle of 2008, "it's going to happen this year (meaning the adoption), it's going to happen this year". After already waiting for 3 years and the slow movement in the world of adoption, I had no hopes for a little girl in 2008. I was looking at 2009 and beyond. When will I learn to "trust in the Lord with all my heart and lean NOT on my own understanding"?! Thank you to all who prayed diligently over the years for this little girl to arrive.



Arrive she did....and with a BANG! Each day she does something new and amazing. The other night towards the end of our meal, she decided to see if she could eat with her eyes closed. By jove, she could! The adults at the table were busting a gut as she shoveled food into her mouth while keeping her eyes squinted closed and a big smile on her face.






Christmas was pretty lively around the Day household this year. Most of the presents under the tree were for Miss Olivia, but wouldn't you know, she was more interested in playing with pots and pans in the kitchen then opening presents? One of her favorite new toys quickly became a box that one of her new toys came in. Now I know...all I need to make my little girl happy is boxes, paper and a few pots and pans.














The Sunday after Christmas was a very special occasion for us. Olivia was baptized by her grandpa (who also baptized me and my brother as infants). Olivia was blessed with the gift of a beautiful dress, sewn for her by a very special lady in our lives (thank you Trudy!). She also got her very first whole piece of cake!










So wow....it still doesn't seem quite real to me. But it is, it really is. Something that surprised me after becoming a mom is that I became a little more lonely without a spouse. My first thought was, "why would I be more lonely NOW?" I quickly came to realize that the lonliness had nothing to do with wanting someone else around to help me out. It had to do with the fact that I was now the proud mom of a beautiful little girl. One who is constantly doing amazing things and I constantly find myself wanting to say to someone, "guess what she just did!" or "look how beautiful she is today!". And then I realized that even though she doesn't have a daddy, and I don't have a spouse to say those things to, I have a family and friends that love her as much as I do, who want to hear about all the new things she's doing. So I know I say it alot...but THANK YOU. Thank you for falling in love with my daughter.



On that note...Happy New Year!

I'm redecorating...

Olivia here.

I thought it was about time I got a few words in. I really like my new home, and my new mom but I'm not so sure about the wallpaper border she put in my room. So I thought up a great plan...my mom thinks I'm napping but what I'm really doing is peeling that wallpaper off, piece by piece. I think it's a pretty good plan and my mom doesn't seem to have caught on yet.



I'm also learning lots of new things since coming to America. My Auntie Tine taught me how to "give five". My Auntie Cindy taught me how to wave "bye bye" and my mom taught me how to do thumbs up. She's also trying to teach me how to blow kisses but I don't really understand why you'd blow a kiss? I need to understand the rationale before I do the act! Oh yeah, and my friend Taylan taught me how to close doors!

I LOVE the food here. Especially chocolate cake (thank you Grandpa) and stawberry pound cake (Thank you auntie Luanne). Actually I love all the food here, I'm not too picky.

My mom told me they have to do another surgery to help fix my mouth. My surgery is scheduled for January 19th and I guess I won't be able to eat for a little while but my mom told me she'll give me lots of good stuff to drink. I like to drink almost as much as I like to eat.

I'll write more soon (I also really like the computer, I'm trying to get my mom to let me have my own facebook page but it looks like I'll need to do a little more convincing).

Bye Bye!

Doctors reports

Ok, so I tried the "mommy - daughter" self-portrait thing and it didn't work out so well, I'll keep trying...




We got good news today! Olivia's pediatrician called to let us know that all of Olivia's blood work came back normal! Whoohoo! She is a healthy little girl. With all of the smiles and laughter that come out of this little one, I kind of suspected she was!

We also saw the cleft surgeon this afternoon. He took a one second peek inside her mouth and said, "yep, let's schedule her for surgery!" He said the cleft palate is pretty wide and would like to do surgery soon. He also said there is about an 80% chance that the first surgery will be "unsuccessful". When I asked him what he meant by that, he said there is a risk that her speech will not be normal. If the first surgery is unsuccessful, they follow-up with a second palate surgery in about 6 months. He also said the surgeon in China did a pretty bad job correcting her cleft lip. He said he could try to do some reconstructive surgery on her face but wouldn't recommmend surgery until she was about 4 years old. I think she's absolutely beautiful now....so what if her nose is a little crooked!!

We see an ENT on Friday morning. They'll determine at that time if she also needs tubes put in her ears (a pretty common procedure with cleft kids). If she does need tubes, they'll be able to do this at the same time her palate is repaired.

After our visit with the surgeon, they gave us a tour of the unit she'll be staying on. She'll only be in the hospital one night, and I can stay with her.

After leaving the hospital, I got pretty teary! She's such a happy girl and is adjusting so well to her new life, the thought of putting her through surgery right now (or any time) breaks my heart. I know there are many moms and dads out there who have been through surgery and illness with their kids. Any advice you have would be most welcome.

Thanks again for following along with us. I'll leave you with a couple of prayer requests....and I thank you for keeping "little O" in your prayers:

1. Please pray that Olivia's first palate surgery will be completely successful and that she will NOT need the second surgery 6 months later.
2. We'd also appreciate prayer on the timing of this first surgery. If I had my way, I'd postpone it forever. They are talking about either December or January. There are pros and cons to both months.

Thank you!
Karis

Finally, a good nights sleep!

I've had a few requests to keep the blog updated and I thought it was a great idea as we would so appreciate continued prayer!

We've been home almost a week now! I would say the hardest part about the past few days is that we've both been on China time. Sleepy during the day and wide awake at night! Thankfully, I think jet lag is starting to come to a close. Last night we both slept really well. Not sure if we've completely rounded the corner, but I'm praying it is so!!

Yesterday, Olivia got to meet her wonderful pediatrician. She was there for about an hour and a half and did really well! Her biggest problem were her ears. Lots of hard, yucky gook (that's a medical term I think I learned back in nursing school) in both her ears. She did not like the big metal thingy the doctor used to get it out. She's got some fluid in her ears (not surprising with her cleft) so the doctor put her on amoxicillin (which she LOVES and wanted more of....hmmmm....moms, how do you deal with this one?!). Other than the ears, he thought she looked great. He took lots of blood (which is routine with internationally adopted babies...they'll check for infectious diseases like hiv, hepatitis, tuberculosis) and asked me to bring back 3 stool samples to check for parasites. I'm thankful she's still in diapers :) So we'll wait for the tests and see him again in a couple of weeks. She'll get some immunizations at that time most likely.

Next week, we see her cleft surgeon for the first time. Hopefully at that visit, we'll decide the best time for her first surgery. Mommy doesn't really want to think about surgery yet though....

Otherwise, she's doing really well! She loves her home and her room. She loves her toys (especially blocks and things she can try to figure out). She's so curious! She loves her baths....and is learning how to brush her very short hair all by herself. Mommy is dressing her in pink as people are mistaking her for a boy....that's ok....mommy was mistaken for a boy too at her age!

Thanks again for the continued prayer for bonding and adjustment to her new life. And thank you too to those who have called and left messages!! I've been so tired that I just haven't been able to answer the phone much but today is a much better day and I will start returning calls very soon!

Love you!!!
Karis and Olivia

p.s....please forgive the poor photo, we need uncle John back here to take better pictures :)

p.s.s....one more cool story! Last night when I stopped at the pharmacy to fill her antibiotic, the pharmacy tech said, "Have you been here before?". I said, "I have, but this one is for my DAUGHTER". It was the first time I said that!! My DAUGHTER!

Safely Home!!

We're HOME!

Olivia was such a trooper. She made it through 14 hours on airplanes, endless security checks (in China they even frisked her!) and lots of waiting in lines. By the time we arrived in Mpls, we were SO happy to see the smiling faces of friends and family, thank you guys so much for welcoming us home. Olivia can't wait to play with Ella (who welcomed her to town so graciously! what a sweetie she is!!) and the other new friends she has yet to meet. And I just have to say a very special thank you to Luanne who took care of us so well at the airport! We even got a congratulations from the pilot on the plane! We also loved our welcome sign and flowers, thanks you tuesday night guys! And thank you auntie Maria for the perfect fitting hat, it was much needed on our drive home and Olivia even left it on her head!

When we got home, Olivia ran around the house like a mad woman, laughing and smiling and so excited! She also spent a little time getting to know grandma and grandpa. It was so precious to see her warm up to them pretty quickly. By the time grandpa had to leave to take John back to the airport (as he had one more flight today, back to San Diego) she was giving hugs to grandma and grandpa (and she does not give out hugs lightly!). Pretty special.

This evening, as we were getting ready for bed, I put on some music and we rocked a little bit. As we rocked, the tears just came and came! After 3 1/2 years of waiting and preparing her room, she is finally here. There were so many times during the wait that I was close to giving up, thinking it would never really happen. But then it did, and she is amazing and she is exactly who God created for me. And me for her. Now I am a mother. And Olivia is a daughter, and a granddaughter, and a neice. It kind of blows me away.

Photo Blitz!

Hi all,

This is my last blog entry before leaving for the US. I know you all have wanted to see more pictures... so I've been working on an Olivia photo ablum. I took over 1,100 pictures on the trip, so the blog is just a sampling. The trouble with taking so many photos is that it takes a long time to sort through them! But at last I've got something ready for you. For those who can't get enough pictures of my cute little neice (a.k.a. Karis' cute little daughter), check out my new Picasa Web album here:

http://picasaweb.google.com/johnday88/OliviaInChina?authkey=FWS8kqrCPAA#

You should not have to sign up for any account to view the album. You should be able to see a nearly full screen slideshow... and you can even download the pictures to your computer.

Enjoy! Now I had better get myself to bed. Tomorrow's trip to the airport comes early!

Uncle John

Homeward Bound!

It's about 9:30 pm here on Tuesday night and we are packed and ready to go. We leave for the airport at 6am tomorrow morning (around 4pm Tuesday afternoon MN time!). Our first flight (to Narita, Japan) is about 4 hours and then an 11 hour flight to Mpls (and then one more flight to SD for my little brother who will by that time be very tired!). Prayers for a good girl on a very long flight would be much appreciated!

A really good thing happened at nap time today. I have a pretty outgoing, non-cuddly little girl (kind of like her mom I guess!). Today at nap time, she let me rock her to sleep for the very first time. It felt so wonderful, and I'm hoping the trend will continue on the airplane tomorrow!

Everything went really well today. We went to the American consulate this afternoon to pick up the babies passports and visas. There were about 50 adoptive parents there with their kids and they had us all stand and take an oath that everything we had written on our documents was true. I was the only one in the room who did not say the pledge outloud as my daughter decided at that very moment to have a very loud tantrum....the whole room laughed. The whole room except mommy.

I can't believe this trip is coming to an end. Thank you for following along with us. It's been so wonderfully comforting to me to know that home has been just a blog away!

We love you!
Karis

The White Swan... according to a China native

Ni hao!

My mommy, uncle and auntie don't know a lot about China and they can't speak Chinese like I can. I thought I would tell you about the White Swan hotel on Shamain Island. It has a beautiful waterfall in the lobby. With that lead in... here's the real scoop on the White Swan. Watch my video.

See you all very soon!

Olivia Tian Yi Day

Mommy takes Shamian Island by storm

We finally made it to Shamian Island on Monday afternoon and mommy Karis had a blast shopping while Uncle John helped Olivia learn how to get really dirty. There was this little park area that was very fun to run around in and in it there was a platform area with a couple of steps. This is where Olivia began to learn how to do stairs. It is the cutest thing to watch and she only did a face plant once.

After loading down the stroller with shopping bags we ended up at Lucy’s outdoor patio for dinner. It is a comfortable place with great American burgers and countless families who have adopted little ones. It was here that Olivia learned the art of posing for Uncle John and his camera.

We had a great afternoon and evening and it is a beautiful location. In some ways it’s too bad we didn’t stay at the White Swan (which is on the island) as it’s a great place to get out and walk around. However, the China Hotel (Marriott) where we are staying is incredibly beautiful and there is a Starbucks right inside that we have been to every day at least once a day.

This morning (Tuesday) our entire group met together for pictures. It was actually a great time. The kids got down and ran around and played with each other and the adults had time to visit. There were cameras going off all over the place. One older gentleman who’s not part of our group, but who’s been staying at the hotel, watched us for quite some time this morning. He even took some pictures and visited with us. He commented about the kind of love these kids were learning. It’s amazing how an outsider can see that something truly beautiful is happening.

We hope you enjoy the group shot. It’s quite different than the first one we took at Tiananmen Square before we got the kids. It’s been great meeting the other families and watching their children blossom in this past week. There is one family though that we really need to lift up in prayer. They did not receive their child. The baby was misrepresented in the information they received and they knew they could not care for her or give her what she needed as they have three other children at home. The heartbreak and pain they’ve felt is truly unimaginable. Karis knows how blessed and fortunate she is that Olivia is all she was represented to be and much, much more.

This afternoon (Tuesday) we are on our way to the American Consulate. This is the final stop before the airport. Here Karis takes an oath, we’re not exactly sure for what, but I think it’s to promise to love and watch over Olivia no matter what. Then she receives Olivia’s passport back with her Visa. Then we have all we need to board our airplane heading back to the States on Wednesday morning.

This will probably be my last blog. I wish I could explain to you what a privilege it’s been to be on this journey with Karis and Olivia. Their relationship has bloomed. Karis is an incredible mother and Olivia’s personality is something else. I’m sure you will all learn to enjoy her just as I have.

It’s been a great honor relaying our journey to you. I hope you have enjoyed the blog and the pictures and videos. I look forward to being back home and sharing the adventure in person.

Signing off from China,

Auntie Teen

P.S. Karis will have one final blog later today.

Finally, Sqeaky Shoes!

Yesterday (Sunday), we spent the morning sightseeing and in the afternoon, after a little nap, we did a little shopping. I wish I could tell you exactly where we went yesterday morning; it was some sort of museum. On our way there I remember thinking, “now that’s a good idea, taking 12 families with new babies to a museum!” Thankfully it was not quite like our museums back home. We did see beautiful art work and carvings but there was lots of run around room as well. After the museum they took us to tea house, to learn how to make tea the Chinese way and have a tea tasting party. Olivia wasn’t really into tea tasting, in fact she was a little grumpy by this time so auntie Tine and Uncle John will have to tell you which tea they liked the best.

In the afternoon, after our nap, we ventured out to do a little shopping. We’re staying at a Marriot and unfortunately it’s not on the island where the White Swan is so we haven’t been able to get to those great shopping or eating places yet!! (They are taking us there this afternoon though for some shopping and we think we’ll stay and eat dinner at Lucy’s and take a cab back!) We do have a tiny little mall next to the hotel (well, it’s kind of a mall….) and I was so happy to see that they had squeaky shoes! I’d heard so much about squeaky shoes and finally Olivia has a pair! It was almost like putting the red slippers on Dorothy….they went on her feet and she was transported into this happy little kid who wanted to walk and walk and walk and walk!

This morning is our consulate appointment. Thankfully, because all of our paperwork was done ahead of time (we had a paper party with our guides 2 days ago), the parents did not have to go to the consulate. We were just asked to wait in our rooms while our guides take our paperwork. They will call if there are questions. So I wait. Olivia is sleeping, and John and Christine ventured out in a taxi to find WalMart. We’re out of diapers. Mommy isn’t quite into this mommy “being prepared” thing yet, but every day I’m learning!

It’s hard to believe we leave for home in just 2 days. On one hand, it feels like we have been in China forever, on the other, the time has gone by so fast.

I have been so blessed to have two such amazing people with me, uncle John and auntie Christine. I know I’ve leaned on them a lot these past few days and they’ve been my rocks! I think I owe them both a vacation in the Bahamas now. This one has been anything but restful! It’s also been such a blessing to lean on the words and support of all you China mom’s (and dad!) who have had the same experiences. I know I will continue to learn from you and I very much look forward to watching our kids grow up together. And to ALL my dear friends and family who I know are praying and loving Olivia so much already, thank you. I can’t wait to see you and give hugs and introduce you to this little girl we affectionately refer to as “Bam Bam”.

Love,
Mommy Karis

More videos

Hi all,

I have a little time to upload a couple more videos. They were both taken on "Gotcha" day, the first day we met Olivia. As you saw from the first video I posted, Olivia started laughing when Karis was changing her clothes. The first video is a continuation of that process. The second video shows a ticklish little girl.

Enjoy,

John

Medical exams... yuck!

Hi all,

Yesterday (Saturday) was Olivia’s medical examination day. The U.S. requires a brief medical exam before allowing adopted children to be imported. It was quite the scene. All 12 children in our adoption group were examined, and there were other groups there, as well, making it quite the madhouse. Lots of crying babies! As you can see from the first picture, the halls were lined with families and their children.

Olivia did quite well, with only a few little bouts of crying during the yuckiest parts. There were 3 stations: 1) measurements, 2) ENT (ear, nose, throat) and 3) physical exam.

1) At the measurement station they took Olivia’s temperature, weighed her, and measured her length. She did great during the 1st 2 checks but did not like being forced to lay down in a vice grip that measured her length. Ok, it wasn’t really a vice grip, but it did have a bar at the top, and a moving bar at the bottom.

2) ENT: Olivia did more crying at this station. Sticking something in her ear was not her idea of a fun game… so that set her off. Then the doctor tried to stick a tongue depressor in her mouth, and that wasn’t so fun either. But it was over very quickly and she calmed down in mommy’s arms right away.

3) The last station was where she was checked from head to toe for… well, I’m not sure what the doc was looking for. He examined her arms, legs, stomach and back, and since they are all pretty cute I’m sure there was nothing to report.. other than cute.

The medical report was sealed and sent directly to the American Consulate, so we didn’t actually get to see what it says. I’m sure she got a good bill of health!

On Saturday afternoon Karis filled out Olivia’s US Visa application, the last step before we can bring her home! We’re almost there!

Health report for the rest of us: Karis never did develop this cold I have. Thanks to all who prayed. As for me, my cold is progressing. Thankfully I’m past the fever and sneezy stage… but now I’m in the coughing stage. Your continued prayers are appreciated. Christine is healthy as a horse. I’m sure she appreciates being compared to a horse (sorry Christine).

On that note I’ll close for now. We’re running a little behind on blogging, so hopefully we’ll be able to get caught up tomorrow (Monday)! We have to hang out at the hotel in the morning to be available in case the US consulate has any questions regarding the Visa application. Then Monday afternoon we have a shopping trip planned. I’m trapped in China with 3 women (2 adults and 1 2-year old) who like to shop. They keep me busy carrying the stroller and the camera equipment, though, so that’s enough to keep me entertained… :-)

Signing off for now,

John

Dear Mrs. Ottinger's 3rd Grade Class

I'm so very happy that you are following along and watching our trip in China! I wanted to tell you that Olivia saw some older kids today (probably around your age). We had to go to the doctors office this morning and as we waited to see the doctor she smiled and played peek a boo with some older kids (We'll make sure to write more about the doctors office later). I think Olivia would love to come and visit you in your classroom if Mrs. Ottinger says it is ok.

Do you remember a few days ago I told you she has one word that she says so far? Well, I thought I better tell you what that word is! I'm sure she'll start saying more pretty soon but right now all she says is "ayya"! Now here is how you have to pronounce it. First, you have to pretend that you are about to karate chop a board or something. Next, you have to make sure the second syllable is much louder than the first. OK....now you try it. "AYYYYY YA!!" Nice job!

Olivia can't wait to meet you all someday soon. Thank you for reading about our trip.

Love from Olivia's mommy (Karis)

CheesyGrin

It has been a long and wonderful day that began at 430am. Then a 40 minute van ride to the airport and a 2 ½ hour flight to Guangzhou, topped off with another 20 minute ride to the hotel. The little one was very squirmy and certainly did not want to take a nap despite the fact that she was quite tired. However, thanks to her favorite toys – Charmin travel toilette paper holder, stacking blocks - and treats we made it to sunny, less smoggy warm Guangzhou. They compare it to southern Florida and so far that has been true.



Well, we know we disappointed yesterday with no pictures so we will try to make up for that today. Olivia has been very entertaining and has kept the three of us in stitches. If you’ll remember yesterday’s blog; John described Olivia’s sleep habits. So, here’s a picture of that event we affectionately entitled “sleeping acrobat.” Despite her falling to sleep rituals she has been sleeping through the night and Karis has had to wake her nearly every morning. Even still Olivia wakes up happy - truly incredible.



When in China, you do as the Chinese do…that is you dress them in multiple layers of clothing that don’t match at all. As you can see, Karis has fallen into this pattern. Thankfully there are many wonderful clothes awaiting Olivia once she gets home. The last photo is one of my personal favorites.

Since the beginning Olivia has been known to flash cheesygrins. Sometimes they come out of no where and every time they make us crack up. Karis is blessed to have such a cheerful, happy baby. Even though she is quite happy she still can throw a tantrum and scream and make noise with the best of them. In fact, her grandma has described her as Bam Bam. Thankfully, there have been none so long or as bad as that first one.



And finally, we are including a bonus. Yes, you get to watch another video of dancing baby. This was taken this afternoon while eating at McDonalds. She is the only one I know who can get three adults to dance along and look totally silly in a public setting.



As for tomorrow (Saturday), we will first be going to see the doctor. I mean first thing is we’ll be going to Starbucks :) Then we’ll go to the doctor. This is standard for all of the adopted babies. We are glad, because if we had to guess, we’d say Olivia has an ear infection. She’s constantly pulling on her right ear. She also definitely has a little cold and a pretty deep cough. Hopefully we can get some of that cleared up before we leave on Wednesday.

After that we get to go do some shopping. It is much easier to have food in the room and eat here once in a while. Oh yeah, more peanut butter crackers and Ramin Noodles. We’re not sure what the rest of our time here looks like yet, but we’ll keep you posted as we know. Thanks again for your comments. It is just as fun for us to read those as I’m sure it is for you to read the blog.
With great joy,
Christine

Last stop, Guangzhou

Hi all, It's now Thursday evening and we're getting up at the crack of dawn tomorrow to begin our last leg of the jouney in China. We will be picked up at 6 am to head to the airport. We fly to Guangzhou where we will spend the rest of our time here! It's hard to believe we have been here a week already, and yet it also feels like we've been here an eternity! Today was our free day, with absolutely nothing on the schedule. It was great to sleep in and not have to worry about meeting our guide to go somewhere. I ended up spending most of the day in bed as my cold has hit its peak. I'm without any NyQuil, so I decided to try to sleep it off today. I'm feeling a little better, but still sneezy and congested (2 of the 7 dwarves I think.. :-). A couple days ago when I started getting a sore throat our guide took us to a pharmacy and we bought some herbal lozenges. I have no idea what I was taking, perhaps some ancient Chinese secret (but it didn't seem to help much).

As I write this Karis and Christine are in bed, and Olivia is praying. I suppose that needs explaining. Olivia has been a bundle of energy this evening and is not going down to bed well. She has a habit of sitting on her knees with her face to the bed, rocking back and forth. The position she is in reminded me of someone laying prostrate on the floor in prayer. She's just getting rid of nervous energy I think, and it's kind of cute. Soon she will fall asleep, which is exactly where I should be going soon.

Sorry no new photos to post with this entry as we've been busy preparing for our final leg of the journey tomorrow (and I've been in bed most of the day). Stay tuned for word on our arrival in Guangzhou! Please pray for safe travels and a well-occupied little girl. This will most likely be Olivia's first plane ride!

John

P.S. Karis says that she is now getting a sore throat. Please pray that she doesn't develop what I have! I'm pretty sure it's just a cold, but it's a bad one, complete with fever and chest congestion.

It’s Thursday morning, Olivia is still sleeping soundly, and I wanted to say thank you. Thank you for all of your prayers, for your amazing words of wisdom and comfort and for being with us every step of the way. The past couple of days I’ve been so tired and there have been moments I’ve wondered if I could really do this. And then I’ve felt your prayers….and I look at this little girl who is now my little girl and I am in awe of her!



Olivia is amazing!! She has so many smiles, she laughs easily, she’s curious and adventurous, and SHE is teaching me so many things! She’s so patient with me as I change her clothes. She smiles and claps when she eats. She loves to be held by her mama and reaches out to me to be picked up. She talks (a one word vocabulary so far!) and sings and we’ve even seen her do a little dance.



Wednesday was her first bath. I was a little apprehensive, not knowing how she would like the water, but what was I thinking? She loved it! She splashed and splashed and when the water got in her eyes she just wiped them and kept splashing! She also had her first shopping experience yesterday. On the way back to the hotel we asked our guide what people thought of seeing Americans with a Chinese baby. Our guide said, “The clerks in the store thought she was cute, they thought she was American!”

We received her passport at the end of the day yesterday so our work in this town is done. Today we have a free day (which we are all very much looking forward to) and then tomorrow we fly early in the morning to Guangzhou. We’re all very much looking forward to reuniting with the other families in our group there. We’ve missed them!

Thank you again….knowing you are all praying and loving us from afar has meant so much to me. Oh there I go again, crying. I’ve done a lot of that the past couple of days. It’s those dang hormones….:)

I love you!
Karis

Three gears: Reverse, and 2 forward

Sorry, about the delay in writing. We’ve been exhausted and some are fighting colds.

Anyhow, yesterday (Tuesday) was a very long and trying day. We drove 2 hours to Olivia’s home town of Baoding City. Then we had to sit in a government office for another couple of hours while applying for her passport. It was here during that long wait that we discovered Olivia can stand and yes walk. It began with her backing away from her mother while playing (thus reverse), and then she walked back to her mom (first forward). This was an incredibly exciting moment at first. Then we discovered she liked to run (second forward) as well and as any parent knows the chasing game had begun.

A second momentous event happened during our time in Baoding. A woman from the orphanage was there as well. She went to pick up Olivia and tried to hold her not once, but twice. Each time Olivia turned her head and clung to her mom. She was not about to go back. I believe God has heard and is answering the prayer of bonding we’ve been praying. AMEN We have seen other small signs of bonding throughout our day and a half with Olivia. It is really special to see Olivia hold her arms for her mom to pick her up.

Next we had lunch at an authentic Chinese Restaurant. It was actually quite good. Then we continued on our long 2 hour journey back to the hotel. We got to stop at a shopping market. It was kind of like a Chinese version of Super Wal-Mart. There were all kinds of food, produce, meat and other food items we could not identify. Then they also had clothes, shoes, bedding, baby items and cosmetics, etc. It was really fascinating.

To top off our day we were in the hotel eating some noodles and crackers with Peanut Butter for supper. Something set Olivia off (we’re still not sure what) and she had her first 20 minute melt down (as my sister likes to call them). This is to be expected with any child, but we figured if anyone deserved a good cry and tantrum it would be from a little girl who was abandoned, raised in an orphanage and now is with very strange looking people. But, when she was done, she raised her hands for mom to hold her. I think that’s how it works with all children.

I could go on and on, and maybe I will later tonight. However for now I leave you with some things you can be praying for:
1) Sleep – believe it or not, Olivia has slept quite well. It is the rest of us. Karis as a nervous new mom is up frequently checking on her little one and John is battling a cold and I, well I am just not sleeping well.
2) Continued bonding and understanding between Olivia and Karis.
3) Peace, strength and confidence for Karis as a new mom.

Thanks for following along. It is fun for us to read all of your comments and know that you are all on this journey with us. If some of you moms would send words of encouragement to this new mom that would be great.
Love Christine AKA Auntie Teen

First laugh!

Hello everyone! It's now Tuesday morning. I'm in my room alone and have not seen Karis, Olivia or Christine yet. We have an early schedule this morning, so I don't have a lot of time to post more pictures... but I thought this would be super fun for you all to see. ~ John

P.S. This is a video, my first time posting on blogspot. When I tried to view it after posting I got a message that said the video is not yet available. If anyone else has ever posted a video on Blogspot please let me know if this is normal and if it just takes time. There was a message in my browser after I posted, but since we're in China web pages default to Chinese... so I couldn't read it! I don't know if I was supposed to click something else to make the video available. Perhaps it just told me that the video would be reviewed before being available, but I don't know. Any Blogspotters our there that can help me?

"Everybody should birth a 2 year old"

This is Karis’ comment as Olivia taught her mommy how to help her get dressed.
It’s been an incredible day! It began with a van ride through rush hour in Beijing, continued with a 2 hour train ride through the country side to Shijiazhuang, then we moved on with several hours in government officials’ offices and finally about 4:30 this afternoon Karis and Olivia Tian Yi Day became mother and daughter.
Amazingly enough, the transition went quite smoothly. For the most part Olivia was calm, even when the Nanny handed her to Karis. It wasn’t until a little later that she began to cry. This lasted only a few minutes and then she got quiet again. She was this way all the way back to the hotel and through her dinner. It was a joy to watch Karis feed Olivia for the first time. (Yes, she loves carrots and apple sauce.)


Then she changed her clothes and an amazing thing happened…Olivia began to laugh. We think it is because her mommy is so inept at changing her clothes, but we can’t be sure and Olivia didn’t mind helping her one bit. No matter what the reason she opened up and became a smiley, happy little girl within just a few short hours.
Even when Karis introduced Olivia to her grandma and grandpa via the webcam she was still giggling and talking and mimicking her uncle John. It was a pretty incredible sight.
She is a healthy, beautiful, little girl who has nearly outgrown those 24 month clothes she’s received. The nanny from the Orphanage says she sure loves to eat and we think by the looks of her and how she ate this evening she is correct.
It is an amazing thing to watch God fulfill a dream he laid in Karis’ heart. A verse he has given to her is, “He who calls you is faithful; he will surely do it.” (1 Thess 5:24) God surely has done it and to describe it is beyond words.
As I close for today, uncle John is sleeping in the chair, mommy Karis is sleeping in the bed and baby Olivia is sleeping in her crib. It is an incredibly peaceful moment. I would say the Lord has been faithful as we’ve prayed for years about this moment. It truly couldn’t have gone much better. I would remind you though to continue to pray. This is only the beginning, Karis and Olivia both have much to learn about each other; how to trust, how to love and how to bond. I know the Lord is in their midst and it truly is an amazing thing to watch.
Blessings,
Auntie Teen

A great climb!

Sunday was another event-filled day! We started off the day with a church service, then went a jade factory, lunch, climbed the Great Wall, and finally attended an acrobat show. By they time we made it back to the hotel we were once again exhausted.

The highlight of the day for me was the Great Wall. The portion of the 4,500 mile wall that we visited was on a hillside… so in order to “walk” along it, we climbed, and climbed, and climbed. Karis is not so comfortable with heights, so Christine and I pushed her up. Well, not literally… but a little encouragement went a long way. My comment as we were climbing was that I didn’t think those steps were built to code. Of course waaaay back when they were built there were no building codes! Some steps were little, some steps were BIG… and some steps were just right. (But most were BIG!)


We finally made it to the top of one section. It was a great sight to see, and a fun accomplishment. As you can see from the group shot of us… there was still more wall to climb, but we were on a schedule (and perhaps a bit wobbly knee’d), so we headed back down. The trip down was perhaps more challenging than the climb!

As I write this it is Monday morning, and we are boarding a train that leaves at 9:47 am for Shijiazhuang, the city near where Olivia lives! We were excited to hear that our next leg of the journey would be via high-speed train. After getting to the hotel and unpacking, this afternoon we will meet little Olivia at last! I’ll let Karis talk more about that if she has time this morning. It’s an exciting day!!

Signing off for now,

(soon to be) Uncle John

They wouldn't let us sleep.......

Our day started at 8:30 am in the lobby of the hotel. We, along with 10 other AWAA families, were escorted around town by the most wonderful guide named Sherry. We started at Tienanman Square (along with 250,000 other people….it was quite crowded!), entered the Forbidden City (with the same 250,000 other people….), shopped at a pearl market and silk factory, visited the Summer Palace and ate Chinese food….twice. We arrived back at the hotel at 8pm, very happy to be back and ready to relax!

It’s been fun getting to know the other families in our group. Two of them are adopting their second child from China. The families are from all over the country, we are the only ones from Mpls.
We received some fun news this afternoon! We found out we will be taking a train on Monday morning to the city where we will get Olivia. John is very excited to take a train in China….my first question was, “is there a bathroom, and if so how many stars?” (Our guide rated the bathrooms for us today…I wasn’t able to use anything less than 4 star, Christine braved a 3 star). We also found out Olivia will be the first to be adopted out of this particular orphanage in two years and we’ll get to visit the orphanage. That will most likely happen on Tuesday (the day after we pick her up).
One more day of sightseeing….and then Olivia. As we sat on the bus on the way back to the hotel tonight it seemed kind of surreal to me to imagine that all of these families would soon have one more. Soon there will be 11 added to our group. Each family in our group is adopting a special needs child. 10 girls and 1 boy.
Two more sleeps until we get to meet you Olivia. We can’t wait.

Goodnight!
Karis

Safely in Beijing!!

We made it! After about 26 hours of travel we finally made it to our hotel rooms around 11 pm, Friday, November 7th. I left my house in San Diego just before 5 am on Thursday morning. I flew from San Diego to Portland, while Karis and Christine flew from Minneapolis to Portland. Together we then boarded an Airbus 330 to Tokyo, and finally another A330 to Beijing. AWAA, Karis’ adoption agency, had someone at the airport waiting for us. It could not have been any easier! We had no troubles at all during travel.

I was hoping to send this update last night… but boy were we tired! It’s now 5:30 am on Saturday morning and I can’t sleep! I’m exhausted from barely sleeping on the plane… but that internal clock of mine won’t let me sleep. Time for my first blog entry.

Today our guide is meeting us at 8:30 am in the hotel lobby and we’ll be off to tour Tienanmen Square, the Forbidden City, and the Summer Palace. It’s likely to be a grand day! The forecast calls for partly cloudy skies and a high of 53 degrees.

Signing off for now,

John

p.s. The first thing out of Karis's mouth this morning was "do you remember where we packed the toilet paper?"

When we meet....

Only one week until I meet the little girl I've been waiting more than three years for, and one week until she meets the mom she knows nothing about. She's lived for two years in an orphanage, two years in the same place, with the same people, and it's all she knows. In a travel meeting today, they stressed the importance of having no preconceived expectations about "gotcha day". Each union with each child is so different they said. Some children cry for days, some become "almost catatonic" and some seem ok. But each one grieves. The only material things that will come with her on "gotcha day" are the clothes on her back. And they told us today to let them wear those clothes for awhile. "Even though your first instinct will be to put on those cute new clothes you brought, let them keep what they know for a little while". Even though in my heart I've been her mom from the moment I saw her sparkling eyes in those pictures, I'm going to look different, smell different, and sound different than anything she's ever seen or experienced before. She won't know at that moment we meet that I'm mom (or maybe she will....that's what I've been praying for anyway).

So dear family and friends, thank you for continuing to pray as our journey together as mom and daughter begins....in only one week. Please pray that all of us will stay safe and healthy as we travel. Please pray that they allow all of our luggage on each plane we board in china (we've tried to stay within restrictions but it's really hard!!). Please pray that all of my paperwork will be complete and that we won't run into any red tape. And most of all, please pray that I will know how to be mom and that Olivia and I will get to know each other on her terms, and in her timing in those first few days together. Please pray that even though we will all be so new to her, that she will feel safe and loved with us. Yes, safe and very much LOVED!

And thank you John and Christine for making this trip with me. And THANK YOU all my family and friends for following us in this adventure.....WHOOOOOWHEEEEEEEE, we're going to CHINA to bring Olivia HOME!!

p.s....I bought pink duct tape to hold her diapers together in case the size I bought are too big :)

Travel Itinerary

This is really happening! We got our travel itinerary today....5 days until we leave for China.

• Thursday, Nov 6 - Leave for Beijing
• Friday, Nov 7 - Arrive in Beijing (REALLY tired....:)
• Saturday, Nov 8 - Beijing sightseeing (Tienanmen Square, Forbidden City, Summer Palace)
• Sunday, Nov 9 - Beijing sightseeing (Church service, Great Wall)
• Monday, Nov 10 (Kata's Birthday!) - GOTCHA DAY! Morning flight to Shijiazhuang, afternoon meet Olivia Tian Yi Day, Civil Affairs Appointment
• Tuesday - Thursday, Nov 11 - 13 - Paperwork, sightseeing and shopping
• Friday, Nov 14 - Flight to Guangzhou
• Saturday, Nov 15 - Sightseeing and shopping
• Sunday, Nov 16 - Medical exam and consulate paperwork
• Monday, Nov 17 - Consulate appointment
• Tuesday, Nov 18 - Pick up Olivia's visa
• Wednesday, Nov 19 - Depart for HOME!!

Travel Approval came today!

It looks like we will be traveling to China on November 6th with a tentative return date of November 19th or 20th. My adoption agency said they would like to get us to China and home before Thanksgiving.

Olivia...you will get your first taste of Turkey! And mashed potatoes...and gravy....and stuffing....mmmmm!

Welcome little one!

Well, it's finally happening. Olivia Tian Yi was welcomed into the family (mommy, grandparents, uncle, extended family and MANY friends) the moment we saw her. After receiving a referral on 8/17/08 we knew that this was the little one God had created especially for us. And we were created especially for her. 24 hours later (after frantically calling physicians, my insurance company and lots of people to ask for prayer) paperwork was sent to China requesting to adopt this little girl. On 9/5/08 I received my pre-approval from China and on 9/25/08 I received my referral acceptance. Whoohoooooo!!! Now the fun really begins! The wait for my travel approval....and then we're (me, uncle John and auntie Christine) off to pick her up and bring her home! Olivia will be 2 years old on 10/30/08! I can't believe it's actually happening....

So as soon as the travel approval comes, we'll start working with the travel coordinator to book our trip to China. If all goes as planned, we will be in China within the next 5 weeks. Woweeeee and NI HAO! (That's all the chinese I know)