All Smiles

As you can see, Ally is all smiles! It would take me too long to tell you about how well she's doing. She's more than we could ever have asked for! She's funny, smart and has a LOT of personality. She LOVES music -- ANY kind of music.......even singing to her as best you can is ok -- she just tries to sing with you. She has learned many words and knows what we're saying and asking her to do. The funniest is when you ask her what a sheep says......"Baaaa".

As you can see, we're thankful and blessed. Lindsay is doing great as a 1st grader. More pictures of her later -- she is minus a couple more teeth!

Update

I finally have found the time (and remembered) to post new pictures of our family.  Some of you have seen these, but many of you haven't.  Ally continues to just flourish.  It's been over a month since I've posted, so much has happened.  I think, though, to sum it up -- Ally really just fits our family and we are just enjoying her.  When we first brought her home, she was very quiet, introverted and shy.  She was happy to just sit on our lap and take everything in -- but didn't want to go very far or get very far from us.  She was "easy".  NOW......she has learned what her "forever family" means.......that she can cry (or yell!) and we will come running. That there are toys -- and when she gets bored, there are more toys --- again, if she just "summons" us.  

I have to admit, we probably run to her too quickly, but we'll figure all that out.  We are enjoying spoiling her and making up for lost time.  Lindsay is the best big sister and is enjoying the summer with Ally.  We have a great babysitter that helps Michael, so he has time to oversee his business and have a little "Michael time" when he really needs it.

Am posting a few updated pictures.  Lindsay graduated from her Montessori primary class about 4 days after we returned from China -- some of the pictures are of that event.

Again, thanks to all of you -- especially my email friends on the China adoption web sites --- who continue to write and share stories.  I pray you'll all find the child that was meant for you.....it's the best life!  Cheryl

Still Digging Out!

I haven't posted in a few days.......just too many things to get accomplished!  Many of you who have been here know the drill......trying to settle in, unpack, do mountains of laundry -- all while incredibly jet lagged!    We are, thankfully, getting back to some sort of routine and we all slept relatively normal hours last night.  Ally is the Champ -- goes to bed at the right time and sleeps 10 hours!  What a blessing!  

Not a long post today......just wanted to put up this picture of the Chinese officials who came on the airplane when we flew from the US to China.  I think I already blogged this, but they took everyone's temperature with a forehead scanner -- so it took about 90 minutes or so before we could get off the plane.  Don't know if they're still doing this or not, but if you're traveling anytime soon, this is what you may experience!  At the end of the day, it was all worth it!

New US Citizen!

We arrived at Newark last night around 5:30pm.....after about 24 hours of travel.  Those of you who have done this before know the drill.  Actually, we were more fortunate than other adoptive families that we met along the way because many of them still had another flight within the US to get home.  We had a 2 hour car ride to CT, which wasn't too bad -- especially because we could all sleep!   Our day started the morning before around 6:30am when our guide picked us up to go to the Guangzhao airport.  Continental airlines did not have Ally's lap seat (even though I'd called days before to book it) -- so that was a real hassle both at the Guangzhao and Beijing airports.  But - we got through all that and took two flights to get home (first was on China Southern).  The girls both are such good travelers - such a blessing. We had extra room for Ally to lay down and sleep on the long flight, which also was a good thing. She's a great sleeper!  

The picture is of me taking her to her new room for the first time last night.  We were jet lagged and tired - so pictures aren't extensive -- but at least you can see that we're home.  The journey was amazing and it all really hasn't set in yet that Ally is really ours and we are really home.    It became a bit more real this morning when we took Lindsay to school......she was excited to see her friends and excited for everyone to meet her baby sister.  Everyone at Lindsay's school just loves her so much (which is why we love the school!) and they all couldn't wait to meet Ally.  It was her first warm welcome to CT!

We will keep posting during the days ahead......I think Michael may put some of his photography on that we just didn't take the time to post while we were gone. He's an amazing photographer and really captured some great moments.  I would also again like to thank my friend, Gayle, in St. Louis.  If not for her - we would not have had the blog and couldn't have shared our story with you.  One last word for today ......I know many of you following along are waiting for your little ones from China.  My encouragement to you today is -- don't give up!  It will happen at the right time -- and the wait is all worth it!  Cheryl

A Real Family Day

This will be our last post from China. We had a wonderful day of just being a family, as you can see from the pictures. After breakfast, Lindsay went swimming in the rooftop pool at the hotel . It was warm and Ally and I cheered her on from the deck. It was good "kid time" for her. She has had to hang with so many "grown up " things this trip......We are praying Ally is at least half the traveler Lindsay is!

We were picked up by our guide and driver in the afternoon and taken to the American Consulate, where Ally's paperwork for her visa was completed. We took the oath - and just like that - the adoption was final! She will be a US citizen when we go thru customs in the US at Newark. Not a very glamorous place -- but it will look like heaven to us by then, I'm sure!

Thanks to all of you for following. Your prayers, kind words, etc., mean the world to us -- especially a world away. We couldn't ask for a smoother trip - one we've been determined to enjoy every day. We are embedding these memories in our brains - and writing down the Lord's faithfulness to us at every turn.......so we can pass these memories on to Ally (and remind Lindsay of them). It's hard to believe we've only had her in our family for a little more than a week.....she just fits like a glove. More when we get back to the US..Cheryl

Today was a day that was mostly free for us. Our guide, Judy, went to the Consulate to do all our paperwork and called right before noon to say it was completed and they had no questions. That's good news because it clears the way for today's ceremony there which is for Ally's citizenship. We're looking forward to that and so hope they'll let Michael take pictures. Speaking of Michael and pictures, the first one on the blog is of Michael at a paper shop yesterday (with a worker). We had the guy in the photo write Ally and Lindsay's name in Chinese characters on really nice paper. Many of you know that Michael has written in a journal every day since he was 19 yrs old......anyway, he loves paper and writing and was fascinated with this shop. It took quite a bit of doing to get them to understand the girls' names, but we eventually got it completed. After that we had a great lunch with our friend, Melissa, then off to more shopping. Even Lindsay bought 2 bracelets, which she is very proud of. She also scored a couple more Chinese dresses -- she just loves them. We ended up at Melissa and John's house........an apartment on the 39th floor of a skyscraper. The picture of Ally is at their house.......Ally is looking at pictures of our family and our dog, Major. Melissa and John have a French Bulldog that sent Ally over the edge at first......which concerned Michael because Major is a permanent fixture in our family. But - this dog was little, had a high-pitched bark and moved really fast -- I think all that scared Ally. Major is a black labrador and much more quiet and gentle (although he weighs almost 100 lbs).....so we'll see. Another adventure awaiting Ally in CT.

The last picture is of the street next to our hotel. As you can see, there's lots of nightlife and, again, shops for anything you could ever want. We enjoy just walking at night and taking it all in. Can't believe we have just one more day here........Cheryl

A Fun Day With Friends

China Dress

We drove to meet our friends from CT who have lived here for a few years now -- what a treat to be with people from home! Went to lunch at a great place - and then shopping! To a market where you could buy anything you needed. As you can see, one of Lindsay's major purchases was her "China dress". She had a couple of these that I bought on a business trip to Beijing a few years ago, but they are too small. We bought Ally a little pant suit - she'll have to grow into hers. There is also a massive electronics market -- anything you could ever need in that area. Michael is going back today - probably to purchase a new lens for the camera (he REALLY needs it you know!). Seriously, he can get it for about 1/2 the price he would pay in the states - and needs it for his business.
Back to a little more shopping tomorrow with our friends. Our guide is at the Consulate completing paperwork for us today - and hopefully, won't need our help. Our friends here have promised us homemade lasagna tonight. As you can tell, we're really enjoying our trip.....although we're anxious to start our new life at home, we will miss this place. It's so interesting and overwhelming at the same time. Many of you have asked for more pictures of dad (and the whole family).....we'll have to work on that. Thanks to all of you who have posted comments.....especially Lindsay's friends. She misses all of you!

No More Drs!

We were up early again this morning.....it's becoming the norm; something to accomplish every day in getting Ally back home. Today (yes, Sunday) was Ally's visa photo, medical check-up and yes -- more paperwork! We drove about 30 minutes to where the clinic is and were ushered through many rooms for different checks......length, weight - and then she was seen by the Dr. She didn't like being handed to him, which we're taking as a good sign that she is bonding with us and understands being handed to a stranger. Anyway, she screamed while he listened to her heart. At the end he said he couldn't hear a murmur and he believes the hole in her heart is closed!! We, of course, want our own Dr's opinion back in the States, but everything we've seen so far seems to suggest that her heart is normal. I was glad they did really nothing but cursory checks on her (nothing involved) b/c I saw no universal precautions (e.g., gloves, etc) being used. It wasn't fun having them examine her knowing they had just touched another child before. We all survived, though.

Good-bye Kunming.....Hello Guangzhao

We left Kunming City today for Guangzhao. We had a pretty uneventful morning of packing and the usual stuff -- my least favorite part of this trip ---- packing with two kids in tow. But, Michael and I are a good team and we get it done. We left a lot of things behind in Kunming City for the orphanage.........at least the things we had and didn't need won't be wasted. Our guide and driver helped us to the airport, which was a God-send. There's not much English in the airport in Kunming City - but she got us to the check-in and we figured it out from there. One picture is of us in the bus going to the plane --you get to the plane in KC by riding a bus that is PACKED full of people - then you get out on the tarmac and board. Anyway, we navigated it just fine and Ally's first plane ride was uneventful and even enjoyable. Lindsay is feeling much better -- so we were all in good shape to travel. We met our guide, Judy, in the Guangzhao airport. A really nice lady........we went thru what we would need for the paperwork and medical checkup for Sunday after checking into the hotel -- and by that time, it was 9pm. Judy did tell us how to order a Pepe's pizza, which we were thankful for..........those little touches of home make it all so much easier at times! Don't get me wrong - we love experiencing the culture here.......but sometimes, you just have to have a slice of pizza! Off to bed.......we have our medical check-up for Ally tomorrow -- and, you guessed it - more paperwork!! Also hoping to see friends from CT who have lived here for a few years.........that will also be a welcomed oasis!

Back in the Game

Sorry we haven't blogged for a while, but Lindsay took ill on Wednesday night after dinner - likely something she ate, although we've been very careful and can't really pinpoint what it might have been (we've all pretty much been to the same places and ate the same things). She was very sick all night on Wednesday and Thursday was the same - plus a fever. Thankfully, I was able to talk to 2 western Drs (spoke english) who confirmed that I should start Cipro quickly. Problem was, we only had the adult tablets, which we tried to crush up and feed to her in water ......let's just say that didn't stay down long enough to be absorbed. So - another call to another Dr and he reminded me that azithromycin (Zithromax - thank you Pfizer) was the next best thing and I might be able to find a pediatric solution. After many charades and must frustration at a local pharmacy down the street, I was able to locate exactly what we needed. It comes in a "sachet" (for those of you in pharmacy, that will take you back a ways) that you have to dilute with water. I had to guess b/c everything was in Chinese and I couldn't read the instructions. The internet was some help, but not much. Anyway, I am mixing this power in a little cup and pulling it up in a syringe to give to her by mouth.........I knew there was a reason I had to endure that compounding lab in pharmacy school! Thankfully, it has worked and she is better today. I really resisted all the advice here re: going to a Chinese hospital.....just wasn't my first choice. We are fortunate you can just buy any antibiotic you need OTC here.....something as many of you know is a bad idea ..contributes to resistance and antibiotics becoming ineffective -- but, I guess when in Rome......(or China!). Michael and Ally went with our guide yesterday to see where Ally was likely born. Let's just say the pictures are pretty heart breaking. I had thought she was from Kunming City, but turns out they found her in a village about an hour outside the city. The people there make bricks and it's dusty, dirty, etc. You get the picture. Michael said it was good that I didn't go, although I wanted to. We will have to decide whether to post some of the pictures......they just seem very personal. The pics here are of fun things we have been able to do. There's a park not far from the hotel and we walked over there a few nights ago to watch the dancers.....local people.....very interesting. We also stopped on the way back from an excursion on Wednesday so Michael and Lindsay could hit golf balls.........the Chinese man in the kilt was a first for us (although he was very gracious!). The other pic is of mom and Ally, who continues to do well and shows us a little more of her personality every day. I went to the gym here today - by the way, if you visit here -- just know they have brown outs and unanticipated power surges .........NOT the best thing when you're on a treadmill, but I'm still in one piece! Anyway, when I came back to the room she looked at me, smiled and clapped her hands........that made everything all worth it! Cheryl

It's All About Teeth!

We had a better day yesterday and today -- just sightseeing and hanging out more......not so rushed having to be so many places. We went to the Bluebird Restaurant across the street from the hotel last night and actually did ok ordering by ourselves (mostly just pointing at pictures and hoping for the best!). We sat outside - it was a great night. Anyway, we got our first real smile from Ally at dinner .......where we could actually see her teeth! She hasn't let us get close enough until now. Anyway, she ate like there was no tomorrow - we finally had to just make her stop. She's a great eater and sleeper -- a real Blessing for this family, believe me. We walked around the Lake not far from our hotel - there were so many people out enjoying the evening. People stop and talk to us every few feet . There were dancers in the park and we stopped to watch them learn a new dance. It's all so very interesting....such a different culture. So - back to the theme of this post, which is teeth. Lindsay's two bottom front teeth have been loose for weeks. This morning one was really bothering her - so she let Michael pull it. As you can see, she's very proud --- as many of her schoolmates have already lost many teeth. She feels a bit caught up now! The last picture is of the Native Village (I think that was the name of it). We enjoyed it somewhat -- nice place to walk and it was a nice day. We stopped for an ice cream and immediately were surrounded with locals, as you can see from the picture. The Chinese man holding Lindsay just walked up and scooped her up like he was a long lost relative. I always panic a bit when someone does that, but they are the nicest people and just want to talk about the USA. Michael brought them pictures of our family, our dog, etc., and they are just thrilled to see them. We will miss the people here when we leave....

Ally in "nice light"

The two other pictures are of Ally........dad the photographer saw her sitting in "nice light" -- so had to take her picture (we only have about 500 and counting!). Great pictures of her -- just too bad there's a hotel bed in the background! She's such a good baby and warming up to us more as the days go on. We actually saw a few more smiles today....Lindsay has more success than we do with the smiles. We are hoping to get Ally's passport tomorrow....we'll see. There's a national holiday on Thursday and Friday this week - so if we don't get it on Wednesday, we have to wait till Sunday to go to GZ. We're hoping we can get it tomorrow and leave for GZ on Friday

Off to the Flower Market

We had a much more relaxing day today. Up early, as usual for me -- but I need my quiet time in the morning! Had breakfast downstairs in the hotel and then off with our guide to an open air flower market.......flowers as far as you could see -- really beautiful and inexpensive. We bought 2 large bunches of lilies and some roses for about $6 ! Too bad we can't bring them back to CT. The people in the flower market were (as usual) very curious about all of us, especially Lindsay. They love her light skin and will just walk up to her and touch her which, admittedly, she's growing tired of. Today a woman squeezed her cheek and said that she had "fat cheeks"..... of which Lindsay too great offense! I tried to explain to her later that, in this culture, that's a good thing.......to be "fat" is equal to being "healthy" -but she wasn't buying it! We also went to the jade factory -- beautiful things there as well. Much less expensive here than Shanghai.

Our First Tomorrow

Our first real day together as a family was very hectic, having to complete all the necessary paperwork to apply for Ally's passport. We all started the day early with our driver and guide and went to the Civil Affairs office. Lots of paperwork and pictures . There was another family there who got their baby while we were doing our paperwork........so we got to talk to the for a while and will also see them at the end of our trip for another paperwork day. All the paperwork took the entire morning and we were ready for lunch. We finally got Ally to eat rice and an egg........before today it was just milk and formula. She was hungry, which made me happy. Lindsay is a great helper and a very proud big sister......can't say enough about how much help she is and how excited she is about the entire experience.

Ally is still pretty reserved with us.....we have gotten an occasional smile out of her - and she finds Lindsay very entertaining -- but she's still a bit "skeptical" of us -- especially Michael. Not sure how many men she's been around in her short life, but in this family - she will find out pretty quickly that she and Daddy will become good friends! Looking forward to some good sleep and a more relaxed day tomorrow (nothing we HAVE to do). I do want to get out and see Kunming City, though. We really haven't seen much -- just the streets and offices!

Our First Tomorrow Photos

Here she is!

As you can see, we met Ally today around 4pm local time. It was a whirlwind day. We started out in Shanghai and flew to Kunming City this afternoon. Upon arriving, our guide brought us straight to the hotel. Ally was already there -- but sitting in a waiting truck. They brought her into the lobby..........we recognized her right away .......she looked just like her 4 month old picture -- just a bit older! She cried when I first held her -- we've been told she was with a foster family but returned to the orphanage for the past week (not sure why that is, but it seems to be standard protocol).

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She seemed to be attached to the orphanage worker who was the one that brought her in. Anyway, we did what most families do -- went straight to WalMart!! Our guide is wonderful - we could never have navigated that store - it is so big! We will write more tomorrow.......really beat and Ally is already asleep. We are already in love with her........Cheryl

We are really tired and going to bed soon. She is pretty quiet, but warming up to us. Lindsay is helping a lot...hasn't left her side. We did get a couple of smiles out of her -- but she's still pretty serious with us. I promise to write more tomorrow. Just need to get everyone to bed. Lots of paperwork to do tomorrow.

More photos

Shopping in Shanghai

Hello Friends. If you're reading this it's because my good friend from St. Louis, Gayle, has graciously offered to post for us on the blog. We have had no access to our blog for the last day, so we've sent her the post. Hoping for better connectivity in Kunming City. We had a "free" day yesterday to shop and just hang out in Shanghai. I "needed" to replace a pearl earring that I had lost (from a trip to Beijing) -- so we went to the pearl market. Also stopped by a few other shops and ate lunch. The picture (if it's here!) is of Lindsay and our guide, Irene, having tea. Irene is a real sweetheart -- a Blessing for us since we've been here. She is 26 years old, married and works for the tourism board here. So - she knows where everything is in the city AND speaks great English. She also loves Lindsay and they became great friends. We met her cousin yesterday after we returned to the hotel. It was hard to say goodbye to her -- she was such a lifeline for us. We ate our first McDonald's burger last night for dinner -- which, I must say, was a treat for us ......just a little reminder of how much we miss home. We are up early this morning - packing to go to Kunming City. If all goes as planned, we meet Ally today......still can't wrap our heads around it, but many of you out there following the blog who have done this know the feeling well. We are just going to enjoy the Miracle of this whole thing. Irene said yesterday how "lucky" Ally will be -- that we are going there to "change her life". I have this sense that WE are the ones who are (as Irene puts it) "lucky" .....that Ally will bless our lives in ways we can't imagine.....................more later. Cheryl

Out in Town

Michael and Lindsay had a fun day yesterday doing some local sightseeing. Most of you know Michael is a professional photographer and loves to be around "the locals". They hired a guide, Irene, who speaks English -- which is obviously a big plus when you want to be out and about. The picture here is of Irene and Lindsay getting ice cream in town. They went for tea and also to a teddy bear restaurant for lunch (yes - it was just a restaurant with big giant teddy bears sitting in the chairs with you......very fun for a 5 yr old!). I actually had very productive business meetings all day, which is one of the great things about this trip.....getting to see my international colleagues and figuring out how we can be more aligned across many miles and cultures. So many great people here. Can't believe we will meet Ally day after tomorrow. In some ways it seems like it will be forever.

Hello China!

As you can tell from the title of this post, we made it to Shanghai yesterday. We are thankful for uneventful travel and a pleasant flight (all 14 1/2 hours of it!). We were detained on the plane while Chinese government workers in hazmat suits and goggles came on board the plane and took every passenger's temperature. We also had to fill out health forms and answer questions.......but other than being delayed for a bit, we had no issues. Arrived at the hotel and got good sleep last night. I'm working today and Michael and Lindsay are out sightseeing (with a guide who speaks English -- finally!).

For those of you who have adopted from Kunming City previously, we have learned that Susan will be our guide. We have spoken to her once on the phone already. She seems very pleasant (as many of you have told me) and she is still telling us we'll get Ally on Sunday late afternoon after we arrive. I'm not sure we'll ever visit the orphanage because of their fear we could bring the swine flu. We will see.

Oh yes -- I had a lot of problems getting on the blog, so my access to this website may be spotty at times. Will obviously post as much as we can. Need to get the husband to download a couple of pictures ............he loves being out and seeing the people, sights, etc., so that may be a challenge. Bye for now.

Ready to Travel

Just a quick post on the night before we travel.  We are all packed......a bit more "stuff" than we wanted, but I think we did great given that I have a business trip on the front end of our trip and we have our 5-yr old in tow.  All of you who have been there before told me not to overpack -- so we'll see!  I am excited to get to visit our office in Shanghai and have full days there with the staff (some who I haven't met yet).  Really looking forward to connecting and getting some business done......which is life as I know it!  Then on to Kunming City on Sunday.  They are telling us we will get Ally delivered to us at the hotel on Sunday after we arrive.  I just can't imagine.......   I have to say Michael and I are humbled at the number of people who love us and are praying for us....we really feel all your support!  And so many of my email friends from the different adoption groups who are following the blog.....again, I'm floored that I've never actually met any of you - but you're interested enough in us to follow our blog.  Thank you and we'll try not to disappoint! We will post again some time after we arrive.......Cheryl

A Wild Week

We have certainly experienced a roller coaster week.  We started the week with our agency advising us not to travel as planned .....to put off our trip because of the swine flu outbreak in China.  While we are respectful of their advice, we did not feel good about staying at home and waiting for the swine flu to leave Shanghai.  Thankfully, we already had all our appointments with the various agencies there, which they were still willing to honor -- so we insisted on going.  We are hearing they are segregating passengers from countries where swine flu has been reported when you get off the plane in China.  We will likely go through temperature and other health checks.  Pray for no fevers or sickness for us or anyone else on our plane!

We (obviously) have a very busy weekend ahead packing and trying to get last minute things accomplished at home.  Oh yes -- and we have a recital at school tomorrow .........life definitely goes on!

Our First Post

This is our first post in our Journey to Ally.  Ally is our 2nd daughter who is in Kunming City waiting for us.  We are hoping to travel to get her the week of May 18.  The swine flu outbreak has things a bit "iffy" -- but we are trusting we will get to travel as planned.  We have a bio daughter who is almost 6 years old.  She is VERY excited to be a big Sister!