Saturday - I think 9/6 Medical Exam Day

Oh yes, I'm loving these shoes. I feel like Zha Zha.
Practicing our frog pose.
All of the ladies at the museum are checking her out.
In front of the Nanjing Museum.
I kind of like this big boy. He's a lot of fun to play with.

In front of the clinic for the medical exam.
Yes, this was a major hit.
Trapper John.
All of the families in front of the clinic. This couple next to me are from Orlando and we love them. They have been great to be with. Their little sweetie is Christina. The little boy sitting is the 12 year old that is being adopted.

Today we had our medical exam (well, hers). It was not exactly a real detailed exam, but they weighed her and measured her and I think she was 20.4 pounds. It's hard to hear what they are telling you while there are 16 screaming little ones in a cramped room. I can't recall how long she was and I can't read Chinese. Suffice it to say, she is long.

They looked in her ears and said they looked good and did a quick listen to her. No very thorough. When the doctor (Bo kept calling him Trapper John - shorts, sandals and white coat - perhaps our docs should dress this way:), looked at her hands he had such a puzzled look. It was almost like he was wondering if we realized the she had no fingers except her pinkies. Imagine his surprise when I removed her socks. That really got his attention and then he proceeded to call all his colleagues to look at her feet as well. I felt like we were on display. She tolerated it pretty well though. He asked if she was walking and we said no, was she eating solid foods, we said no. Then he proceeded to inform us (through our guide) that she needs to be eating solid foods. No kidding Trapper John, we have only had her 5 days, how about you explaining that to the orphanage! I was a little upset, but I have to remember what Bo keeps telling me, "keep it under control, we're almost home". Bo has been my rock. I couldn't have done this without him by my side.

It was so good to see the other families. All of the children are so sweet and so many different stories and reactions. We have a 12 year old little boy that was adopted by another family. I cannot even imagine what that is like for them. He seems to be doing well, but I am sure there are many adjustments ahead. Well, for all of us.

Bo has to meet with the guides this afternoon to do paperwork and pay our final fees. (Side note for Leslie - BRING MORE MONEY THAN YOU THINK YOU NEED). Trust me on this one. Then we have an evening of no real plans. Most of the families are meeting at a restaurant here in the hotel for dinner. It's a Japanese place and Brady's eyes lit up when they mentioned steak. Oh that does sound so good.

We force fed little miss prior to nap time. We had gone to the grocery with the group and I bought her a different spoon and a carrier that she likes better. To be so skinny, she is heavy. My right arm is killing me. Bo really likes the carrier because it won't fit him. Guess what that means. When we returned to the room, I mixed her some cereal and pears and Bo held her tight and I fed her. She was not happy, but did manage to keep most of it down. I almost wonder if she has had some traumatic experience being fed. Please pray that this will get better. I feel so bad that she doesn't want to eat regular food and has a mouth full of teeth. Bo keeps saying it will just take time. Another good thing is that she let him hold her and take her bottle before nap time. That is a good sign. She really loves him.

The boys are doing well. Bo took them to McDonald's for lunch, but I stayed with Emma and ate peanut butter. I couldn't eat another burger. They have managed to do some homework, but still have plenty left to do. They had a life changing experience today with a little boy on the street begging. He was approximately 12 or 13 and was begging right up in every one's face. He was obviously delayed, but the guides have instructed us not to give them anything, so I held Bo off from giving him money. I felt sorry for him, but I didn't want to do something we weren't supposed to.

I received an e-mail today from the National Visa Center and there may be some confusion on the visa for her to come home. Please pray now that there won't be any problems that would cause a delay in our leaving. I don't think I could deal with that one.

Again, we love you all and appreciate your support and prayers. They are much needed. Emma is improving each day, but she is definitely behind developmentally. I made the mistake of comparing her to the other little ones, and I can see a difference. I still think that most of it is due to her being in the orphanage and not having her fingers to help her develop. She is blossoming so much, so I do think that she is going to be fine. It will just take some time and some meat and potatoes would be helpful too.

Time to sign off. Someone is waking up and I hear the grunting noise that would indicate that I have a prize waiting for me in her diaper. Isn't parenting the greatest:)

Guangzhou - Finally

Is she the skinniest thing you have have ever seen? Not too happy right now!
This is the bridge on the way to the town where Emma was in the orphanage.
In front of the Nanjing Wall. They built a wall around the city to protect it.

I feel like I have lost touch with the world as we were not able to use the Internet yesterday in our hotel for some reason. We are in Guangzhou finally. Our plane was delayed from Nanjing, but finally made it here. Right after we landed, major monsoon hit, so glad to be on the ground instead of the air.

We are in the China Marriott and it is very nice. The boys are loving the rooms with robes, and lost of hair supplies - too funny. Our hotels have been so nice while we have been here. This one has a Starbucks and McDonalds. I had to take a temporary break from my McDonalds boycott and eat a Big Mac when we got here. It was so good.

Little Miss Emma has had a very long day. She got up earlier this morning and then only got a short nap before we had to leave for the airport. We visited the Nanjing Museum this morning with our guide John and it was fascinating. Such amazing history. The Chinese certainly respect the history and have maintained it well. Emma was not as thrilled with all of the artifacts, but she loved riding in the stroller for the first time. But she wants to keep moving. She is very busy. Everyone has been very nice at our hotels. Americans could learn a lot about hospitality from some of these folks. Brady finished his first plate of food this morning and went back for more at the buffet and the waitress walked over and folded his napkin in that short period of time. He looked so funny when he sat back down. I told him not to get used to it. It's too hard to fold paper napkins. After the museum, we made it back to the hotel for a quick nap and then to the airport. Might I just say, she wasn't too impressed with the 2 hour flight here, so I can only imagine how much she is going to love the flight home. This kid has her mind made up the way things are going to be done and she ain't changing it! She will not go to sleep until you lay her in her crib, so holding her on a plane is going to be fun!

As our plane left the Nanjing airport today I couldn't help but think of her other mom. We found out that Emma was left in front of a dormitory at the Tobacco Mansion and was found and taken by police to the Tai Zhou orphanage. They estimate her date of birth to be Feb. 13, 2007. When I was looking out of the window on the plane all I could think about was that somewhere out there was a woman who made the ultimate sacrifice in my opinion and because of that I am now blessed with a daughter. It's been a hard day in so many ways. The emotions you feel here are overwhelming. That seems like a word I have been using a lot.

Emma has done very well the last couple of days. Much more at ease with us. She has such a sweet smile. You have to work to get it sometimes, but she has the cutest toothy grin. She seems to be feeling so much better and her lungs are much clearer. She is still coughing some, but no more fever.

I can't even begin to explain what this trip has been like for us. It's one of those things that you can never understand until you have been through it. Bo and I are waking up around 4:30 each morning and just sharing while little miss sleeps and we both agreed that we never realized just how much this involves. It's an exhausting process, but so worth it. I can honestly say that we have begun to really fall in love with her over the last few days. Each day has been better and she is so sweet. She is doing better with her little habits (grinding teeth, touching head with hand, etc.). They are still there, but noticeably better. The sweetest thing she does is suck at her little invisible thumb. It just makes me want to cry.

The people in the airport today were really looking at her and you knew they were checking out her missing digits. They don't shy away from staring at her and getting close and talking to others about it right in front of you. The sweetest moment of the day was when we were waiting in the baggage line at the airport and the crowd was looking at her and making us feel a bit uncomfortable and Ashton said to me "Mom" and gave me that look. I explained to him that it was okay, they were just curious and that they had never seen a baby like this before. He was quick to say just how rude that was and how he wanted to punch them. Yes, my son wanted to start an international incident over his sister. Too sweet. I think he is going to be very protective of her. I'm glad of that.

The traffic in Nanjing was horrible and the driving will give you a heart attack. Nashville has nothing on the driving here. It's amazing that we have not been in an accident. I hold Emma very close when we are riding because I'm afraid she's going to get hurt. No car seats here.

Well, it's bedtime at last. We are very exhausted after such a long day. Tomorrow Emma has her medical exam here and we get to see our other AWAA families. I have seen a couple of the dads in the lobby tonight and it was like a reunion. We have really missed seeing them and can't wait to see their children. It's a unique kinship that you develope with these folks.

Thanks again for all the sweet comments and your prayers. We have felt them so much. I know they have sustained us when we weren't sure what we were doing. Keep them coming! 14 hours on a plane home in a few days is going to be a killer!

We love you all and praise God for this journey.

Orphanage Photos

Sorry, these are out of order. You might want to start at the last picture. These are the orphanage workers and they took the boys and Bo to lunch. Bo said he had never seen so much food. He did pass on the chicken head soup.
Sleeping in the orphanage. I can't stand to think that is how our girl has spent most of her life.

The is the orphanage that Emma was at and the directors and workers. They had this sign hanging when the guys got there. Pretty nice of them. Bo said they were so nice and so appreciative of him and the boys coming such a long way to see the orphanage. They thanked him for taking Emma and providing for her. They obviously cared a lot for her.
One of the ladies that works at the orphanage. She was with Emma when we got her. They had fruit prepared for the guys when they arrived. The man is John our guide. He is a God send.
Workers at the orphanage folding clothes.
This was Emma's crib for the last 18 months of her life. Wooden mattress.
This is Emma's next door neighbor. They were buddies and now have been seperated. Wonder why Emma cried so hard last night - now we know. She misses her friend.

Good Morning from Nanjing

Well, little miss and I survived the day alone and it was a full day. The guys were gone for almost 12 hours, so I am so glad that she and I didn't make the trip. Bo came back with tons of pictures and a heart full of love for the orphanage. I will let him do the blogging on it, because he has so much to share.

Emma did great yesterday, but had a break down about an 1 hour before they got back. She wouldn't eat, wouldn't be consoled. I think she was grieving. It was the most pitiful cry and there was no making her happy. As of right now she has not had anything to eat in about 18 hours, so I am hoping she wakes up starving. I tried so hard to feed her and she won't let you hold her and feed her, she has to be laying down. She would have no part of it. I really believe her heart was breaking last night. It was so sad. Of course, my heart was breaking for her as well. But today is another day and we will see what happens.

She is very alert and follows me around the room. She is babbling more and has said momma several times. She cracks up at the funniest things. She is still grinding her teeth a lot, but it seemed like she did it less yesterday. The saddest thing of all is that she sucks her imaginary thumb when she is tired. She doesn't put her hand in her mouth, just up close to it and sucks. It's almost like she knows there should be something there and it isn't.

She is precious and we are falling in love with her more and more each day. At first it seemed like we were babysitting, but now she is beginning to feel more like ours. I think it all just takes time.

Today were are supposed to go sight seeing, so say a prayer that she will be okay and not fuss too much. I practiced with her in the stroller yesterday and she wouldn't lean back at all. I'm sure she has never seen a stroller before.

Thanks again for everything and we love you all. 8 more days and we get to come home.

Sept. 3 (I think)

Little miss is sleeping right now, so I decided to use my time wisely. She seems to feel better today, although she is still congested. No fever today and she finally pooped after having a glycerin supp. Three times to be exact!

The boys and Bo have gone with our guide to the orphanage today and I am anxious to hear their reactions. The orphanage gave us a DVD with some pictures on it of her and they gave her a gift for luck. They seemed very nice and obviously cared for her. One of the nannies asked our guide to ask us how we felt about Emma's hands and feet and would be able to help her. We explained that we would get her taken care of and that we loved her regardless.

I managed to sleep last night for the first time with a little help from a Phenergan. I had some nausea last night, but luckily none of us have been sick. Not unless you count homesick. Now we are all certainly that!

China is a completely different world. It's amazing the differences and I guess when you are a small town girl, this really seems crazy. I am looking forward to heading to Guangzhou and meeting up with the other families. It's kind of lonely here.

We appreciate all the sweet comments and all the prayers. This little girl is special and I will admit, I have more concerns that I had planned on. She has all of the sensory issues that a little one that has spent her entire life is an orphanage should have. She has a ready smile though and laughs out loud at the funniest things. I know that she is going to be fine, it will just be nice to get home and have a doctor examine her and tell me these things.

We love you all and cannot begin to express the gratitude we feel for all the love and support that you have shown. To be half way around the world and know that people are praying for you makes it much more tolerable.

Bo is a push over. This girl has him completely wrapped and Brady is smitten with her too. Ashton has finally warmed up and now thinks she's funny and cute. I think he has just been so overwhelmed. I am glad the boys are getting to experience this. It's a life changing event.

Tuesday, Sept, 3

Well, where to begin. It has been an overwhelming 24 hours.

Our flight landed in Nanjing and we headed straight to the office where Emma was. It was supposed to take an hour, but it was only about 25 minutes. We walked in and there were babies everywhere. I couldn't spot her at first, but then one of the boys said "There's Emma". She did okay when they handed her to us, but then she started whining. She is pretty sick. A very bad upper resp. infection and I wouldn't be surprised if doesn't have pneumonia. She had a fever and was very pitiful. They had her on medicine, but I immediately changed it.

It is a very high stress situation to be in that room surrounded by people who speak no English and babies that are crying and it's so hot in the room. It's a very claustrophobic feeling. It's very rushed and I was about to fall apart. Bo was doing very well and handled all of the major decisions. He was wonderful. The boys have been great as well.

She slept great all night after finally going to sleep. She didn't want to be held. She wanted to be in her crib. She woke up around 6 p.m. and today we had to go to the Civil Affairs Office again to do the paperwork. She was whining the entire time. I have given her Tylenol and Motrin for fever and I think her ears may be hurting as well.

We then went to some fabric place with all the silk tapestry. It was a blur because she was so fussy. We didn't want to go, but we felt like it was required. We finally made it back to the hotel (without being in an accident - the driving here is out of this world) and she took a bottle and went to sleep.

She isn't walking yet and is only taking a bottle. I am very upset about the fact that she isn't eating anything else, but I guess it will come with time.

Bo and the boys are going to the orphanage tomorrow, but Emma and I are not. She isn't well enough for the trip, approx. 2 hours. I just don't want to put either of us through it.

Please pray for all of us. It's much harder than I imagined. I knew that there would be some problems, I guess I just wasn't prepared for all of it as well as I thought. I really need the added strength right now, so please pray hard.

She is a cutie. Very skinny, but after we get her home and give her some real food maybe that will improve.

We love you all and will post again when we can.

Gotcha Day

Okay, so we are very tired and the baby isn't thrilled with us and I can't get the pictures to come up and the new hotel is charging us for each minute. I just got her to sleep and I am in the boys room doing the typing. Sorry that I will have to post pictures in the morning when I can figure it all out and have the energy.

She is very long legged and skinny. She smiles fairly easily, but has a bad cold right now with a lot of chest congestion. I immediately started her on the Zithromax that Dr. H sent and am thankful for it. I have also given her Tylenol and Motrin as she has a fever. She is very flexible. Her hair is short and looks like it was recently cut.

I am sorry not to have a picture and more to say, but we are exhausted and I am going to sleep while she does. I promise to do better in the morning.

Please, please pray for us. She is not feeling well and we still have a lot of time here to finish things up. She also has the classic orphanage problems, self soothing. It's very sad to think about.

I love you all.