Where Oh Where Has The Time Gone?

Well, we have been home for over two months now and I am amazed that it has just flown by! So much has happened. Emmett is doing so well, it feels like he has been with us forever. It is so fun to see his personality coming out and watch him learn more about his new world every day!

Here is a quick update of the past 2 months for all of you have been wondering:

1.) Emmett had his first emergency room visit a week after we got home. Yes, it is true. And for all of you who knew little Qi Fu in China, I am sure you are not surprised! He fell off a chair that he was standing on and hit his head on the corner of the wall. The cut was superficial and didn't need stitches, but we took him in anyway just in case. Hope this isn't a foreshadow of the years to come!!!

2.) We went to the Temple and were sealed as a family on May 2, 2009. Eric's parents, his two sisters, Kelly and Sandy, his brothers, Craig and Brian, and our sister in law Crissy were all able to attend. It was one of the most amazing experiences of my life! To be in the Temple with all three of our children was something I will never forget nor ever be able to fully put into words. Almost too good to be true.

3.) Emmett saw the orthopedic specialist and we were happy to learn that the surgery he had on his feet in China looks good! The only continued "therapy" he needs is wearing a corrective shoe at bedtime. And, surprise of all surprises, he loves to wear it! Go figure.

4.) And speaking of his feet, they are giving me much trouble! He has the smallest, fattest, WIDEST feet I have ever seen!!! I have looked everywhere for shoes for him. We went to Stride Rite and they measured his feet ( he was a 3 baby/toddler) but could not find any shoes that would fit. They even tried him in a 51/2 - 2x wide and his foot wouldn't go in! I am now looking into custom shoes and have begun to rethink our future retirement plans and Hannah's college fund as I plan ways to siphon money from them. What can I say, we all have to sacrifice? Hopefully, his feet will even out as he grows...

5.) Emmett's circumcision was a success. And by that, I mean he had very little discomfort or complaints. You wouldn't even know he had anything done by the way he acted. Yeah!

6.) Emmett has picked up English so quickly! It amazes me everyday. He is now putting together 3-4 word phrases. My favorite is "I dub dew" (I love you) and "Ninny, no!" (Lilly, no!). He begins every day with asking to "eat dereal" and have a "dwink". I actually forget that he has only been speaking English for 2 months because he sounds like any average American 2 year old! He and Lilly talk my ear off all day long. It's a wonder I am not insane yet...Or maybe...

7.) As has been the situation since we first picked up Emmett, everywhere he goes he is Mr. Popular. People at church, at stores, at doctors offices, at the gym, etc. can not resist his charm. He is the life of the party and usually the center of attention. He loves it...mostly. Sometimes he gets frustrated when other kids try to mother him and treat him like a toy. But, he usually just tells them no and runs away when he has had enough.

8.) Emmet has seen more doctors in the past 2 months than I have seen in my whole life. He has been to the pediatrician twice (for check up and shots), the urologist several times, the pediatric orthopedic specialist, the lab for blood work and both urine and stool samples (let me tell you how fun that was!), and the orthopedic shoe guy (don't know what his official title is). We still have a plastic surgeon (to remove the skin flap on his ear), another round of shots, a follow up orthopedic appointment, the dentist, and one more urologist visit to look forward to this summer. Whew!

Well, I think that sums up our busy lives with Emmett. Of course this does not include all the events revolving around Hannah and Lilly. I could go on and on...but let's just end with a reminder that we are so blessed to have such a wonderful family and great friends who love and support us. Thanks to everyone!

Our First Day Home

Let me just start by saying: I love my bed! I guess it's the little things like nightly comfort that you take for granted until it is taken away. For the past two weeks we have been sleeping on the hardest, pokiest mattresses ever made. And for the 6 days in Nanning, we had 2 twin beds for the three of us (Emmett had a crib that we would move him to after he fell asleep). So, every night we would rotate so that someone got a bed to her/himself. That was the worst. The night in Hong Kong was the exception. There we had a huge bed - I swear it was larger than a king, or maybe I was just desperate after the twin beds - and a crib. It was very comfortable and we all slept well. But, still, doesn't compare to home.

And speaking of home, Emmett has done really well. We did not get home until after 10pm and we were all exhausted, but he still walked in the house and began to explore cheerfully. I think he was amazed at the size of our house compared to what he has been used to.

He did not, however, relish the idea of sleeping alone in his new room. The poor guy cried in his new bed even though Eric slept with him (at least until he fell asleep). I can only imagine how confusing it all is for him. And he woke up several times during the night crying and disoriented. I had a very disrupted night, but I actually expected it. Kind of like coming home from the hospital with a new baby. The funny thing is, Eric slept through it all! Once he fell asleep, nothing woke him. He was surprised the next morning when I was describing the night to him! Go figure.

Emmett's first day home was great. He and Lilly ran around laughing and playing all day. He ate well, and even took a 4 hour nap (after his initial crying - this time Lilly volunteered to lay down with him). I think he is getting used to his new surroundings and life. Our only problem is finding clothes that fit. Today I put on him some 18 month sized jeans and they fell off! Luckily, my friend, Heather, loaned me a box of clothes and there was a pair of 12 month jeans in there that fit perfectly. It was kind of ridiculous! I mean, come on, the boy is almost 3 years old!

Lastly, I just want to say thanks to everyone who has supported us and encouraged us over the last 4 years - especially Kathy, Jana, and Nicole. You guys were there when I started talking about adoption and I could never ask for a better support group. My only regret is that both Jana and Kathy moved away this summer and were not here for our homecoming. But, I know you both were here in spirit and love. So, thanks! And a HUGE thanks to Nicole and her family for happily and lovingly keeping Lilly while we were gone. I can not even express my gratitude for friends like you guys. It was so nice not having to worry one moment about Lilly while we were gone. I am so thankful that Heavenly Father has given us friends that become our family. And thanks to everyone for the balloons and banners when we got home. It was fun to know people were routing for us!

We're Going Home!

We are now officially finished with our adoption! Yesterday we went to the US Consulate to pick up Qi Fu's passport and Visa and swear our oath. And now we are heading home after a 2 hour train ride to Hong Kong. And speaking of Hong Kong, this city is amazing. We opted to not spend a day here, but maybe someday we will make it back here to explore. But, our hotel here is the nicest hotel I have ever stayed in and that includes the Hilton Time Square and the Ritz! It is very modern with lots of chrome and frosted glass - very posh...I love it!

Today is a day of mixed emotions for me. I am so happy to go home - especially to see Lilly, but it is so sad to say goodbye to people that we have become so close to in such a little bit of time. It is amazing how quickly you bond when you share such an emotional journey together. We have cried, laughed, complained, toured, and eaten with our group of families everyday for the last 2 weeks. I am thankful that we are all on the east coast so that we can have reunions and get togethers. And "yahoo" for the Internet and facebook! Makes the world a lot smaller.

Now we are on our way to the airport to begin our 19 hour journey home. It should be an adventure that we will never forget - especially considering we will have a very active little boy to try to keep in a seat! And I am not happy because there was a mix up with our seats and I have a window seat - I know a lot of people like that, but I am an aisle girl all the way. We'll see what we can negotiate...

See you all in a little while:)

Photo on The Red Couch at the White Swan

Guangzhou and The White Swan

Well, we finally made it to Guangzhou and the White Swan! The White Swan Hotel is amazing. It is the mecca for adopting families from the US - the place is just crawling with us. It is really neat to meet families from all over the States and to be reunited with our friends from Beijing. I am amazed at how many people are here for their second or third adoption. Maybe we will be back in a year or two...

We are on the last leg of our trip and I think I speak for everyone when I say we are so ready to be done! We have all really enjoyed our trip to China, but it sounds so good to go home, see our Lilly, get Emmett started on his new life, and not eat out for a very, very long time (especially Chinese food). Last night we went to the "American Buffet" for dinner and we were all so excited. They even had chicken nuggets and mini-cheeseburgers!

Yesterday was our last paperwork day! We (ie Eric - I am, so sick of papers that he took over the task) did the papers for Emmett's Visa. On Thursday we will go to the consulate for an oath taking ceremony and then we will be COMPLETELY finished with the adoption. YAHOO! We also had to take him for his physical yesterday. He was not so happy about that. Actually, he was doing fine because our friend Vipa (she is the woman that is on her 4th adoption and who is super prepared) kept giving him some cheerios. But, when they left he broke down - not because of the impending exam, but because his supply had dried up!

Well, that brings me to the next topic - Emmett's mooching ability. I am not exaggerating when I say that he gets goodies from people all the time! All he does is go up to them and smile and they give him whatever he wants. It's like he has some mystical power or something. Yesterday alone he got cheerios (from Vipa), a tomato from a lady at the park, a barbie phone from a vendor, 4 flags from some man in a store, a box of blocks from the girls in the Holt office, a balloon from another mom, and of course candy from random strangers. I think that completes yesterday. I tell you, he is a charmer so you better hang on to your valuables when we get home or you will magically find yourself giving them to him. Man, I sure hope he uses his powers for good and not evil as he grows up :)

Emmett and two of his friends spent some time at a playground after their physicals. It was so cute to watch him climbing up and going down the slides. You would never guess that he has anything wrong with his feet - they do not limit him in anyway. We also got to see a Chinese school in action yesterday as we walked around Guangzhou. They were out in their courtyard practicing something. We did not know if it was for some type of performance, or if they were doing a gym class of sorts. But they were standing in formation reciting and dancing. There were a couple of girls that kept looking at all of us and smiling and covertly waving. I think they enjoyed having an audience.

Another great thing about being in Guangzhou is the shopping. Hannah and I spent the afternoon going to a lot of fun shops. We did our first bargaining and it is kind of addicting! Hannah even got into the act. And we met this really nice lady. Her name is Ju D. She told us she has been a Christian for four years (pretty rare for China)and that it was some Americans who told her about it. We talked with her for about an hour and during that time another American woman came in to tell her good-bye. So, obviously she makes friends all the time. We exchanged e-mails before we left and she actually had a whole book of people's e-mail addresses. It will be fun to see if she keeps in touch!

Our Days At The People's Park In Nanning

Yiling Village and Humble Pie

Today Jane took us to a local Zhuang village. China is made up of 56 different ethnic groups. The majority for all of China is the Han people. But, here in Guangxi the majority is made up of Zhuang. The first time we met Jane she told us that she took one look at Qi Fu's picture and knew right away that he was Zhuang by his features. She said he is very Zhuang. She also claims that at least 2 of the girls in our group are Zhuang also.

The Zhuang people are known for their ability to do fine embroidery and sing. They have festivals where there are extemporaneous signing competitions and the boys ask girls out by singing to them! We seriously hope Qi FU has inherited this singing ability! They are also pretty small people - very slender and shorter than most - totally explains his size.

Yiling village is a very typical village for rural China and since all but one of our children came from rural orphanages, Jane really wanted us to see what life is like there. Let me just say, it was a very humbling experience. But it was also very eye opening for me. I just kept thinking that these people had very little, but their children were still loved and taken care of. There is no crime - everyone in the village trusts one another and they never lock doors. The children run around the whole village by themselves because everyone looks out for everyone else. The sense of community is very strong. It is too bad we have lost these traits. I think church is probably the closest thing that remains.

Most people in China live on about 1500 Yuan a month (about $200), but people in these villages live on a lot less. They still adhere to very traditional practices. Jane warned us that we would see the women working very hard doing their laundry on rocks at the watering hole, farming, carrying heavy loads, etc, while the men will be sitting around playing games like chess and checkers. She was right. (But to do the men some justice, she did point out they too work hard during the week days in the cities or on farms, but after work they get to come home and relax while the women's work is never done!) And the men help out with children very little in public. The men think that carrying a child or changing it, etc, will make them look weak. So, it is left up to the women - although they may help out in the privacy of their own home. As matter of fact, Eric went up to some men playing a game to take their picture and they laughed at him because he had Qi Fu on his shoulders! It was pretty funny.

We were also told to bring candy with us for the village children. Chinese people are constantly giving children candy - Qi Fu always has a piece or two stored in a pocket that some random stranger gave to him. And it is usually hard candy that he tries to bite. I really don't like this practice! Anyway, I do not know what we expected, but it certainly was not the mobbing we got when we showed our bags of candy. There were children everywhere grabbing and laughing and running away and then coming back for more. At one point we had to shew them away so that we could walk.

After we started walking again, we noticed a little boy about Qi Fu's age standing with his grandma watching us. He looked very shy and would not come over even with his grandma's prodding. Qi Fu noticed him and took one of his own candies from his pocket and walked up to the boy and gave it to him. It was so touching! I hope he keeps this type of compassion and generosity throughout his life.

I wish I could describe the smells in the village. They were...not that pleasant - a mixture of animal, fire, cooking flesh, and typical farm life. Trust me, I did not do it justice. And the flies were something from a horror film - they were EVERYWHERE. I have never seen so many flies in my life and I grew up on a pig farm. And speaking of pigs, we visited the home of a lady in the village who was the "richest" person there because she raised pigs and sold them. She had a typical 2 story home where her adult children and their families lived on the second level, and she lived on the first with the pigs. No joke. (Note: here in the countryside - especially among the Zhuang - the people are allowed to have more than 1 child, that is why this woman had 3 children - 2 daughters and 1 son.) Her house was made of cement and was still very humble by our standards, but a mansion according to theirs. It was pretty neat to see and she was very gracious.

Since a picture can say a thousand words, here is a slide show of our visit. I really hope you can get a feel for the village and the people there.