One Step Forward, Two Steps Back...

We have now been in China for eight days. In some ways it has gone quickly, but in other ways we feel like we have been gone for a very long time. We are definitely missing our kids and can't wait to return home to see them.

After reading yesterday's blog, you might have been thinking "wow, things are going great over there." Well, they were. But that was yesterday. Today was a little more challenging. We started early as we had to get up at five a.m. to catch our flight from Guilin down to Guangzhou. After we arrived, we spent the remainder of the morning at the medical clinic where Taya, along with all the other adopted children, were given a series of medical tests. Picture about twenty children screaming in a couple of small rooms as doctors tried to communicate in English with frustrated parents. No, it wasn't fun. We were all tired, hungry, hot and wanting to be done - especially the babies.

After the experience at the medical clinic, Taya seemed to rewind about three days. Obviously she had been starting to feel more comfortable over the past couple of days, but after the medical exams she went back to the way she was acting around day two.

This afternoon, Brooke took Taya to the hotel so that she could put her down for a nap while I worked on yet more paperwork. Most of this paperwork was actually for the US Consulate where we have an interview on Monday morning. It took around two hours to complete the paperwork and get it all ready.

Not to make the day sound too bad, but it also rained all day today here in Guangzhou. Fitting for one our more difficult days, I suppose.

Lest I sound too gloomy here, we had a nice evening tonight and even found a place where we ate some pretty decent pizza. Taya has been a bit happier tonight, albeit not back to yesterday's demeanor just yet. A good night's sleep should help!

Sorry, didn't get any new pictures today. I was going to take some at the medical clinic, but Brooke told me she didn't want to remember it. Here's to a brighter tomorrow :).

Feeling More at Ease

Today we spent another day in Guilin. We have really enjoyed our short stay in this city. And for that matter, so has Taya! Today was her best day yet. She ate more, smiled more and even let me give her a kiss once in a while (as long as mom was holding her close). We also got a few giggles here and there. Finally, for the first time, she let Brooke put her down to walk around a bit. We haven't seen much personality from her, but today it started to come out. It is amazing how excited Brooke and I can get from just seeing her smile.

Tomorrow we leave for Guanzhou. We have some additional interviews and paperwork as well as Taya's medical exam that we have to do while there. While in Guangzhou she will become a US citizen. Our plane leaves at 7:30 am so it will be an early morning for all of us.

Below are some more pictures from today.

We went for a walk this morning in a great park that was right by our hotel, next to the river. We thought a picture by this statue was fitting.

Yes, I finally got to hold a baby that didn't cry! Ok, so I had to pay some guy a buck fifty to hold his baby monkey...it was totally worth it (yes, the monkey is real). At least the monkey didn't scream.

Later in the morning we went to a cool cave here in Guilin. There were amazing formations and it was also quite cool inside which was a nice break from the heat.

And now the exciting part, Taya was brave enough to separate a few feet from Mom and walk around. We probably took twenty pictures of her because we were so excited to see her do this.

Below is one of the plates they brought out at dinner tonight. Tanner, Tatum, Parker and Reagan, I took this picture for you since you love fish so much. Maybe we will bring some home for you :).

We took this picture this evening. This is only a few hundred yards from our Hotel. This city really has been the most beautiful by far and we can tell why many Chinese and international tourists visit here.

Slow, But Steady, Progress

We haven't been able to post for a couple of days as we have been traveling. Yesterday, we took a long train ride from the Southern part of the province (where we were in Nanning) to the Northern part of the province arriving in a city called Guilin. While the train ride was very long, we passed through some beautiful mountains and farm land. Guilin is quite different from the other two cities - Beijing and Nanning. It is a tourist destination and is surrounded by incredibly lush mountains that are stunning in formation. We took Taya on a boat down the Lijiang River that goes through many of these incredible mountains earlier today. It was really cool.

Taya seems to get slightly better each day, but it is a slow process. She still doesn't want anything to do with anyone except Brooke and we often look at her and feel bad as we can see the sadness in her eyes. But, she also laughed for the first time today and actually let Brooke put her down to play (Brooke just couldn't move an inch or she would cry). As you will see in one of the pictures below, she continues to warm up to me quite nicely...ok, maybe not.

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Brooke was planning to do most of this blog, but since she has nearly full-time Taya duty right now (which we would both love to see change), I get blog duty.

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Here are a few pictures from the last couple of days.

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The Day After

We woke up today excited to spend our first full day with Taya. On the other hand, Taya woke up today likely hoping that yesterday was all a bad dream. Not surprisingly, Taya wasn't the happiest for the first little while and cried quite a bit more than yesterday. However, by mid-morning she was doing pretty well. She still wants to be held constantly (by Brooke) and is quite melancholy most of the time. But, for what she is going through, we believe she is doing very well.

We spent much of the day today being interviewed and signing forms. In all interviews they asked very specific questions to verify that we really wanted to adopt and that we would take very good care of her. Considering the amount of paperwork and beauracracy we have been through in the past many months, it is amazing how much work we still have to do here.

Later this afternoon, we arrived back at our hotel and went down the street for lunch. While there, she actually ate quite a bit (she apparently likes Corn Cakes - whatever those are) and even smiled for us in the picture below.

Below is another picture at lunch, Brooke is feeding her a bite of the corn cakes. This restaurant had some pretty strange food on the menu (frog, camel, pig intestines, etc.). I tried a steak and some fried rice (it said it was beef, but didn't quite taste like Outback Steakhouse) Brooke had some spicey noodle dish.

Here are a couple more pictures. We are still trying to figure out who Taya likes more...

Surpassed Expectations - Our New Little Girl

Well, the day we have been waiting so long for finally came!! I don't remember being this nervous in a long time. We took a bus 30 minutes from our hotel where the local civil affairs people were meeting us with our new little girl. Earlier this morning our guide had explained that it would be a very tough day for all the kids being adopted, and so it was. They brought 5 kids in at the same time and most were crying as everything was new to all of them. Most of the adults were also crying, but obviously for different reasons. We had not seen a picture of her since she was around 12 months (over 6 or 7 months ago). When they brought her in the room, Brooke and I both looked at Taya, and then at each other, and no words needed to be spoken. We knew she was ours and oh was she beautiful! It is a moment we will always remember.

As you can see by the picture below, Taya was not so happy at first.

But, Brooke's natual instincts took over and she had Taya calmed down and drinking a bottle. She actually didn't cry that long, but rather became very tranquil and clingy and would not look at anyone, including Brooke.

After about 20 or 30 minutes, she actually fell asleep in Brooke's arms, likely exausted from a difficult day. I'm sure being taken from her foster mother was difficult and then she had about a four hour ride from her foster parents home to the hotel where we met her.

Once we got back to our hotel she was again awake, but very weary of us (particularly me, but who could blame her, right?). She cried a little here and there, but remained mostly quiet. She wouldn't play with toys, wouldn't eat, and just wanted to be held. But isn't she a doll!

She kept pointing outside, so we decided to take her on a walk. This proved to be a good decision as she actually let me hold her for the first time. Despite the fact that it felt like 150 degrees with the same amount of humidity, we all enjoyed our walk to the local park and she seemed to actually "not hate" us for a few minutes.

It is now around 8 pm here and Brooke just finished bathing her and is feeding her before bedtime. She has continued to loosen up a bit and we even caught her smiling a couple times while playing with some Cheerios.


As I reflect upon a pretty amazing day, I find myself also thinking back on the past couple of years and the process that we went through in getting here. There is no question that Brooke led us down this path. She has had unwaivering faith throughout the entire process that there was a baby waiting for us that we were supposed to find. And when she first saw Taya's picture, Brooke knew that she was the one. It took me a while to come around to the idea of adoption, let alone special needs adoption. And I certainly have had questions and fears come to mind throughout. But, if the feeling that I feel right now as I look at Taya is accurate (and I believe it is), then I know that Taya is going to be a huge blessing to our family. What a ride it will be!

Nervous Anticipation

We left for the Beijing Airport Sunday afternoon where we met a wonderful couple who are originally from Australia, but have been living in Beijing for over nine years now running a foster home here. They are the type of couple that all of us should strive to be. They are Christians in all senses of the word. About a decade ago, they were traveling over here and came upon an orphanage. They were so touched by what they saw that they decided to leave great jobs, a wonderful lifestyle, and family/friends to make a difference in China. They have been here ever since. We delivered to them the bottles and vitamins that Tanner collected for his Eagle project. They were so happy to get these for the many children who desparately need these liquid vitamins.

We arrived last night in Nanning, a much smaller, and vastly different city than Beijing. It is a nice little town, but our hotel is is a far cry from the Westin in Beijing. We went from one of the most comfortable King size beds we have slept in, to two twin beds that feel like we are sleeping on cement. However, it was quite a feeling to walk into the room and see a small little China crib next to our beds.

It is Monday morning and we just finished working out. Brooke and I were discussing the fact that it is so crazy that in a few hours we will be meeting a little girl who will be ours forever. It is nearly impossible to describe some of the feelings...there are feelings of anxiety, anticipation, fear, apprehension, hope and excitement all mixed together. It will be bizarre to see our new child for the first time. It is so different from the process we experienced in having our own children. Maybe it is the fact that through the pregnancy period, we both had the chance to prepare mentally and emotionally (and certainly for Brooke physically). Here, it is really hard to know what to expect. Who knows? What we do know is that it will be an intriguing day that we will never forget! Next post, we will have our new little child.