Things are better!

Today things are much better. Last night Addison calmed down pretty quickly. She slept very well last night and only woke up three times but was easily comforted and went right back to sleep. We gave her a bath this morning and she surprisingly really liked it! I am having a hard time trying to find the right bottle and consistency of formula. She has taken some from the bottle but I have also had to spoon feed her. Our guide tells us that a lot of babies (even those without cl/cp) don't eat well the first few days.

Earlier this morning we went to the Civil Affairs Office and completed the adoption. Addison is officially ours! Her personality is starting to come out. She is very curious and loves to look around. She has been walking more - we just need to get her some shoes:-) This afternoon I laid down with her on the bed so she could fall asleep for her nap. I had her laying down next to me, but she wanted to be closer to me --- so she climbed up and laid on the top of my head and before long she was fast asleep. It is wonderful that she is getting comfortable with me She has even laughed and smiled quite a bit.

Renee and my mom seem to be having a good time as well. All three of us have a hard time believing that we are actually in China. Enjoy the picks and I will update more tomorrow. thank you for all the kind comments!

Gotcha Day!!

I am only going to do a short post. Gotcha was a little tramatic for Addison. She pretty much screamed and cried for about an hour and half. I don't think it helped that we were shoved in a tiny room with forty families who were all waiting for and receiving their children. Most of the children were crying, one poor older girl was so stressed that she threw up. Thankfully Addison in calming down. She really hasn't cried since we came to the hotel. She seems developmentally on target and is very aware of what is going on. Her cleft is pretty severe, but we have faith the Drs. will be able to fix it without any problems. I will post pics tomorrow (later today for those in the US). Thank you all for the kind comments and prayers. Please keep them coming. I hope and pray Addison will bond with us very quickly.

We made it to Guangzhou

We arrived safely in Guangzhou this afternoon after the worlds shortest plane ride. We took off from Hong Kong and arrived about 30 minutes later. Thankfully it was a smooth ride in a newer plane. We haven't explored much....just checked in to the hotel and we are waiting for Papa Johns to deliver pizza. It will be interesting to see how the pizza compares to the one you get in America.

For those of you who were wondering about the bathroom picture....Yes, it is a real bathroom. In some areas the Chinese use "squatty potties," instead of toilets. Thankfully they are moving away from them and going to more western toilets. The squatty potty we saw was in a bathroom that had western toilets....so we have not had to use one yet. Thankfully, I think we may get away without having to use them on this trip...or at least I hope that we do!

We are staying at the Victory Hotel on Shamian Island. This island was originally a British Territory. From what we have seen it looks like the island has lots of old buildings and is very small. From what we have seen so far mainland China is much different than Hong Kong. Hong Kong was very modern and most everyone could speak English. Here it is a little harder for us to understand one another. It is also very smoggy here and we have smelt some things that were very unpleasant. However, we are excited to explore this part of China and experience their culture.

It is hard to believe that tomorrow I will be meeting our new daughter...someone we have never meet but have grown to love over the past four months. It is all so very surreal. I can't even begin to imagine what I will be feeling tomorrow when I hold her in my arms for the first time. It is also so exciting that I will be sharing this experience with nine other families. I am sure that there will be a lot of crying and laughter. Tomorrow will be the end of our 19 month adoption journey and the beginning of a lifelong journey.

I certainly wish with all of my heart that Bob and Nathan could be here with me to meet Addison. It will be hard not having my best friend and husband standing beside me when Addison is placed in my arms. We have dreamed for the past seven years of adding to our family and I wish that we could have met her together. I know they are with my in spirit and tomorrow they will be laughing and crying along with me.

Please pray that Addison will feel safe in my arms and that she will know that she is loved. We hope she will have an easy transition and won't be too traumatized by the whole experience.

The Clampetts Go to Hong Kong

Today we took a tour of Hong Kong. We visited Stanley Market which was located right along the South China Sea --- in the "rural" area of Hong Kong. We rode water taxi or sanpan in the Aberdeen Bay. We drove up to the top of Victory Peak - the tallest mountain in Hong Kong (or at least until they chopped the top off and put the rocks and dirt in the bay. We ate a traditional dim sum meal which was very good. Later in the afternoon we walked around Kowloon Island and found Nathan Road which is home to 2500 shops. Then we walked along Hong Kong's Avenue of Stars which is located on Kowloon Public Pier. At 8pm there was a light show on the buildings surrounding the Hong Kong Harbor. The whole day was quite an experience for all of us. We really enjoyed our tour and seeing the different sights of Hong Kong. There are four other CCAI families that toured the town with us. For the past few months we have all gotten to know each other over the Internet so it was nice to be able to put their names to their faces.

Tomorrow we take a plane to Guangzhou --- the city where we will meet Addison! It is hard to believe that in two days we will have her. I wish Bob and Nathan could be here with us --- I know Bob would have loved the Dim Sum and Nathan would have loved all the lights, sounds and smells.

We are Here!!

Well, we survived the 15 hour flight from Newark to Hong Kong. All in all the flight wasn't too bad, just very very long! We all slept about four hours total. So after 25 hours of travel we are more than ready to hit the sack. Tomorrow (Saturday) we will be touring Hong Kong. I will post more pics of us tomorrow and pics on the plane. I think we are still in a state of shock that this is actually happening. I wish with all my heart that Bob and Nathan could be here to share this experience with me! Check back tomorrow for a better update!

And....THEY'RE OFF!

Bob sitting in for your normal intrepid reporter...

The three wary (soon to be weary) travelers have started their epic adventure. It was surprisingly emotional for both Adreanna and I. Not really sure why, but I'm betting it has something to do with Monday and the return trip. It's so hard to believe that in 15 days we will have a little girl running around our humble home. We're both looking forward to it, but I'm sure many things will catch us offguard.

The three of them in Hong Kong is going to be a sight to behold! I so wish I was there to witness it. This morning, I was reminded of the Jeff Foxworthy skit, "The Clampetts Go To Maui". For those of us used to traveling (especially overseas), it was truly comical. I've been alternating between laughing at that and missing my wife terribly.

They are in the air, on their way to Newark right now. Please ask God to keep His arms around them as they travel.