Oops!

I just got my email with the photos and saw what I posted. I can't see the blog here.

Here is the other photo I had wanted to put up instead of two of the same sweet smile and a couple mre. I can only send 3 at at time through email.

We are so in love with her!!

Priceless!!

We got a few hours sleep and feel much better! Yang Yang loves to rock herself while she sleeps and Mommie got less sleep trying mke sure she did not roll off the bed.... finally I decided to make her a pallet on the floor and slept from 2 am to 7 am!!! Yeah!! It is amazing how just a few hours sleep makes you fell so much better!! Aubri slept like a rock and had no idea why Sera YangYang was on the floor and she though I did n't want Yang Yang to sleep with her and was quite put out with me until I explained that I had put her in with me when I saw how much she was rocking and then had to opt for the floor to keep her from getting hurt and let me sleep a bit. We are going to start out the night that way tonight!!

We goofed off in the room too long this am and missed the buffet, but Yang Yang was thrilled to eat a corn sausage, a piece of watermelon from my neighbors, some mashed potatoes, a fruit cereal bar , some sweet potato crisps, and a cup of yougurt!! I wonder if she has eaten well lately, because she is eating as if she were starving..... I am letting her have what she wants right now, since it is good for bonding, but we may have to be pretty strict about portions when we get home. This is going to be tricky with Andy not wanting to eat much due to his meds!!

She is truly totally potty trained!!! Enough to clog up the stool and make housekeeping put out :-) Like I said, this little girl has been EATING!

We are heading out in a bit to go change money in a bit. I am dreading leaving the room almost, because when we went out for breakfast, or not, a few people smiled at Yang Yang and two really made disgusted faces at her. One lady even said something out loud and Yang Yang teared up and hid her face in Aubri.... I am sure we will face the same things at home too, though.

But just take a look at this sweetie!! If people can't see her beauty, I truly do feel sorry for them! Her smile is pricless!!

Prize reached!!!

After a total nightmare of getting stuck in the Shenyang airport, having to figure out how to get a deifferent flight and getting re routed through Shanghai... amongst a myriad of other complications in the process... we arrived in Taiyaun and Sera is with us!!! The other family traveling with us were so great and very helpful. I am so deeply indebted to them for helping me keep my sanity!

We went directly from the airport to the Cival Affairs office and got Yang Yang! She was very afraid of us and prefers Chinese faces of course! When she is in the room, however, she opens up and is a happy, funny and smart girl!! Aubri so happpy! So is her Mommie!

We are exhausted, since we stayed in Shanghai after arriving there at 2 am and having to drive across town from the Pudong airport to the Hongjiao ( sp?) airport to catch a flight at 8 am to Taiyuan. We stayed in a hotel in the airport and slept 3 hours... But the good things is that we survived it without coming totally unglued and all are now able to say we visited Shanghai and Aubri has another city to mark on her map!

We finalized all the China pieces of Sera's adoption today , less than an hour after meeting her. The Orphanage did not want to do that, they wanted me to keep her over the weekend and decide if I actually wanted her or "another child".... I could not believe it! I traveled all this distance for HER! It has tobe Yang Yang and I was fined getting it all done ASAP! I just sgned and put my red thumb print wherever the guide told me to. It was done fairly quickly and she is now Sera Eden KangYang !!

Sera " YangYang " is a great eater! In fact she LOVES to eat and is quite the little baby Buddah! She ate 7 chicken nuggets for lunch, ate a sausage and two cookies in the Walmart, and then ate a very good dinner. I was honestly afraid some would c0me back up! She has the cutest little voice and loves to sing to herself. She loved her bath and rub down with lotion and is now playing with Aubri on the bed. She is so excited about everything we give her or do with her. I am having to be cautious how much we give her at once. Her new outfit for the day and new shoes were difficult for her to put away in her suitcase, but I think she understands that they are hers since I put all her things we had sent her and she has kept with her in Changchun and Datong in the suitcase as well. She loves the stacking cups, loves putting things in an empty shoe box and is so very sweet to watch as she plays!!

We have already encountered several negative remarks and stares from the locals while out at dinner tonight. It really put me out, but I stayed polite and just told one me very pretty and that I love her ( in Mandarin :-) He looked shocked, but dropped it. It actually worked better than what I felt like doing would have... slapping his mouth fir saying such ugly words to my baby.... Some of the customs here are difficult to cope with here, like all the pushing as shoving, traffic etc.... but are endurable with understanding of the culture. I just cannot comprehend this piece though. It goes so against every fiber of my being. Please pray for me that I can still stay polite while dealing with these prejudices.

I am beat, having survived on very little sleep the past few days and am hitting the hay. I hope sending this via email reaches you all. I am uncertain about this internet connection. It seems to come and go. I will try to put up more photos in the am here, but for now, here are a few to tide you all over! :-) I hope it posts to the blog.. I cannot see it here.

Thanks for all your prayers! While the journey was not exactly as planned, it was all so very worth it!!!

Have a great day everyone.... Yang Yang has fallen asleep next to Aubri on the bed and I am going to bed too!

Fog anyone? Please come claim some and make it go away!!

We are currently stuck in the Shenyang airport. Every flight is fogged in. We were supposed to arrive at 3pm and receive Sera at 4..... That will probably not happen today. We will see.

The fog here is amazing! We drove through it from SiPng this am and had to take backroads due a road closing. It was quite the thrill ride experience! We saw lots of fields of corn, oxen pulling large carts of corn stalks, every type of two and three and four wheel vehicle imaginable and people everywhere ... especially walking in the street! Our dirver was trying to keep us from being glate and was passing everything in front of us. BUT we are here and now sitting and just killing time :-)

We saw the fostercare centers yesterday. I wanted to post, but our room had no internet access. It was a bit different, but comfortable none the less. The kids in the centers were so beautiful! It was just amazing how they have changed from the days they eneterned the centers and what they look like now. They were chubby cheeked, cuddly and lovable! I fell deeply in love with several and Aubri was taken by a few others. She was so good with them! Don't worry, none of the children who stole our hearts are available for adooption :-) We are so eager to meet Sera now though! We saw many phtos of her there and heard many things about her, Evidently she is a bit independent and wants to try doing everything she sees bigger kids do. She watched them intently and then just does it! She walks with a toddler swagger and has a little tummy shich she sticks out as she walks. I really want to see this in person!!

In any case, enjoy one photo of the many beautiful faces on the children in the Changchun and Siping Centers!! Aubri is holding the adorable Wei Wei and loved avery second of it!! I will try to post more later when I have a faster connection.

Right now we are in a hug crowd of people who are annoyed at the weather..... It really is FOGGY!!! I am going to put the computer away and protect my seat. these people are pushy!

All is well!! I just lost my post I had written and am starting over... Our guide will be here soon so this will be brief!!

We are safe and sound despite a very LONG trip which made mattresses made of boards covered with padding feel like HEAVEN!!

Aubri was so tired on the last flight that she actually fell asleep with her head in her food!! I posted a before pic.... She just could not wake up to eat!!

We are so much better this morning!! We have a nice room and went to eat breakfast. I stink with chopsticks, so while it was good, I may get to lose some weight!

We are off to see the foster centers today and get rid of 2 big bags! We will be in siping tonight and will get Sear tomorrow at 4 pm here, 3 am Thursday there!

It is almost surreal!! I will try to post photos of the babies tonight!

Add 10 hours to the trip :-)

This evening we left my sweet boy at Grandpa's and started off to bring Sera home!!

It was hard to leave him, but I know he will have lots of fun these next two weeks. He was very excited to have a bag of presents and eager to open the first one. I hope he knows we are also sending a big hug and kiss with each one! As soon as they are gone, we will be hugging him in person!

After my good friends had brought us to KC to stay over night in a hotel before catching a shuttle, we found out that the shuttle could not leave until after we were supposed to be at the airport!!

Soooo... we have spent the night just a little more than an hour away from home in an airport on the first leg of this trip :-) This truly will be an adventure!! Good thing Aubri likes to sleep on the floor!

Kids just really are too cute sleeping!

The next post HAS to be from China!

Packing is no fun...

I have gone over my lists and think I finally have the things we will need packed. Aubri's stuff is all in her backpack and roll on, mine is soon to all be in my new convertible Rick Steves bag, which I LOVE and my computer bag! I have a huge suitcase packed with our necessary liquid medicines, laundry soap etc.. and gifts. Then I have another duffle bag from IAAP to take. Once I get rid of the gifts and duffle, we will be traveling light!! I will have plenty of room to put anything we purchase in the big bag. There is way more than enough room for the Chinese Dora DVD's for my little Chinese Dora ( Sera) and the Ultraman Andy wants!

I absolutely hated lugging all the bags we took last year when we got Andy. We never used so much of it. I worry though ( since I am a worrier and come by it genetically) that we may be leaving something we will need and not be able to find there... but I would honestly rather worry than carry it!!

The panda phone is ordered, our hotel confirmation for Sunday night is here and all I need to do today is organize my adoption paperwork, pick up an antibiotic, trim the dogs, double check the packing lists, do laundry and get a medical form for Andy notarized! I know there are other things that wil l have to be done too...

I so hope I can sleep on the plane!!! I know Aubri will be out like a light!

If there are no posts for a few days, please bear with us. I will call my dad and he will tell a friend to post something if we have trouble with the internet our first few days there. We will be flying and hanging out in airports from 3 am Monday ( to get on a 6 am flight) until 8:50 pm TUESDAY!! Now that actually means 7:50 am here, but it will be way too long for me!!

If we can post from Changchun, you should probably see something late Tuesday evening here in the US, which will be Wednesday morning in China.
,
'Next post will be from China!

Gosh these two kids sure make me happy!!

- Get Your Own

Today was hectic. I have so many thngs to do at school and at home before I leave!! I got a lot of things done at school today, but my list is still so long! Keep your fingers crossed for me that I somehow find a way to get it all done before this Sunday, when we go to the airport! We will stay the night there and leave the hotel at 3 am to be at the airport 3 hours in advance.... It worries me that this trip seems so exhausting before I even get started!! I am sure I will find the energy somewhere!!

Tonight the kids went to the Church Trunk or Treat and had way too much fun. (Yes, I had to put "my" list on hold! ) Andy was a fireman clown and he had the dickens of a time keeping his little nose on and his fireman hat on! He was just too cute though! Aubri was a beautiful Ginny Weasley. With her red hair, it was absolutely perfect! She had wanted the wand when the last book came out and she kept her word that she would use it for Halloween! My baby is growing up!! I am so proud of her! She was so good with Andy and helped him play all the games and do his Trunk or Treating and then came back to the car and helped me pass out candy. I am so grateful that my kids are not greedy and were more excited to pass out the candy and see all the costumes than to get it :-) The sugar high will not be too bad here tonight. In fact they are in bed calmly listening to a book and CD and falling asleep right now. All the screams of excitement are packed way in the treat bags for the night.

I am on my way to bed to join them now. The rest of the things that must be done will just have to wait until tomorrow.

There is a plan!

We are getting close to leaving and I received our intinerary yesterday afternoon. At first it kind of scared me, but I am now adjusting to the idea of some pretty fast traveling before I get Sera. I am taking donations to the IAAP foster centers and will be going to Changchun, Siping and Shenyang in one day, before going to Taiyuan to get Sera on the 8th!!

5th- Leave at 6:15 am
6th - Arrive Beijing 3 pm
Fly to Changchun- arrive 850 pm
Stay in the Chang Baishan Hotel in Changchun
7th- Go to the Changchun foster center in the am
Drive to the Siping foster center in the afternoon
Stay in the JiPing Hotel
8th Leave Siping at 7 am and drive to Shenyang ( Andy's home town of over 7 million people!!)
Fly to Taiyuan at 10:50 am and arrive at 3 pm
Receive Sera at 4:30 pm and sign the bonding agreement
Stay at the YuYuan Hotel
9th Finalize adoption, notary, passport etc...
10th Wait in Taiyuan- walk around and sightsee around hotel ? There is a big park close by! I hope it is warm enough to go there!
11th Wait in Taiyuan-walk around and sightsee around hotel ?
12th Wait in Taiyuan-walk around and sightsee around hotel ?
13th Fly to Guangzhou
14th Medical appt for Visa
15th Consulate appt with paperwork
16th Oath Ceremony
17th Fly to Beijing
18th Fly home!!!!

Whew!!

We are on a tight countdown now!!! 9 more days until Aubri and I are on a plane!!!

Yesterday, after cleaning my bathrooms and bedroom and doing loads of laundry and making more lists of things to do...I had two huge kennelog shots in my knees so that I am not hobbling when I stand up while in China. Andy finally got his kindergarten physical filled out due to not getting it filled out when we actually went for the physical... and got a different medicine to help with his attention in class. It is extended release and will hopefully also keep him calm when he is at Grandma and Grandpa's. We shopped for last minute meds, Easy mac, oatmeal, Gerber puffs, more Space Saver bags, more toys for the kids in Changchun, stuff for Halloween etc. It was a very long day with kids happily teasing and playing with each other just enough to distract me and make me exhausted! We have more to attack today! I have already cleaned out the refrigerator and put away laundry and am starting on the freezer. ( I am taking a break here ;-))

We also shopped for my dad and some unforeseen needs there with my step mom. She has been very ill with a UTI and having a worse time understanding what is happening to her. I feel so badly for her. It is the pits to be sick, but to not remember why you are so sick is just so sad... She is so sweet about it all though. I think she will be on the mend and Pop will be able to keep Andy during the week. Andy being around seems to help her keep her spirits up. He is a little clown after all!

Deb will be taking care of my house and dogs, and she and Rae will help with Andy on the weekends. Alice will bring Andy to school and bring him home. Andy's kindergarten teacher has also offered to help if needed. I feel so much better knowing he will be well cared for , even if Pop has more difficulty with Evelyn and cannot keep him. He loves them all and will be happy! That means so much!!

Some absolutely amazing friends and family have sent financial help which has really helped!!! It covered the cost of Aubri's and my flights over!!! I have had a friend send some hand me downs for Sera which are absolutely gorgeous!! I also had another online friend send me a baby carrier which is going to be an absolute God send! Even Aubri will be able to use it to help carry Sera, who will probably like Aubri much more than me initially.

I have co workers at school working together to help keep my classroom running smoothly and dealing with potential crises which may arise. They are all so wonderful and caring about my kids and classroom staff, who are also going to be carrying extra weight while I am gone. I have amazing paras who are all so good with the kids, but is is hard when there is no one to make that final call in a crisis decision and subs will not be able to either since they really won't know the kids and their histories. I will be able to reach them all via email, but they will be in the thick of it so to speak. I know it is tough to step in on a class like mine and I am ever so GRATEFUL for all their help!!

I have online friends to write to for support when things get tough.. and I know they probably will at some point. That is just the nature of international adoption, or kids, period ,for that matter ;-) I know they will not be judgmental and I so value their input!

Our family is so extremely blessed to have so many people in our life who are willing to help this little one come home.

THANK YOU from the bottom of my heart!!!! (You all know who you are ;-))

Mom to 2, soon to be 3, little monkeys

- who needs to go do more laundry, put up Sera's bed and go out and get a car set, duct tape, dog food, quart ziplock baggies, small tupperware for restaurant leftovers to eat when we don't want to go out and what ever else I forgot yesterday!! I am taking my list this time!!! ( andy pulled it out and drew on it yesterday.... ;-) Please pray my kids will walk with me quietly! Ha!! Have I mentioned that I HATE packing for these trips!

What a grin!!!

We will see this bright and cheery smile again SOON!! These photos were taken while Sera prepared to leave Changchun and travel to Datong with a nanny! I am so happy that she traveled with someone she loved! She looks so happy and healthy and has been so well loved!!! Cheryl knew how sad I was to see her sad little face in Datong. I know it made them sad too. She sent me these photos and when I opened them, my kids all heard me scream and we all laughed as we opened each one. There is no better way to start a day!!!

Well.. I bet there will be ONE thing....I cannot wait until I see that smile in person!

Sad news....

Seras SWI, or orphanage, insisted that she come back to Datong to be prepared to be adopted.... My poor baby was taken from the only people in her life who have seen her as special and worthy of attention and placed back into the place which ignored her and let her withdraw from the world to the extent that they labled her as mentally retarded....

A family was there today and took photos. She had just arrived there. She appeared to be very confused and afraid, BUT she did interact! She held the doll we sent her and kept it close to her. I am so glad that it is comforting her.

It is going to be a very long 3 weeks before I hold her... for both of us now!

Way too much fun!

1st time skating- Hockey style!

We went to our local hockey team's home game Saturday evening. We all had a lot of fun! Andy was so happy. He loved being loud at the hockey game, and after it he got to skate! Aubri skated too but her skates hurt her feet. Andy was such a trooper! Every time he fell he got up laughing! The hockey players really had fun skating with him! But not as much fun as he had!!!

BTW... the funy look on Aubri's face was because she was uncomfortable with the teenage boy odor from having played a hard game.... In other words, she was really trying to keep from telling a really nice guy that he stunk :-)

Funnies...

You know, Andy really sounds like he has an excellent command of English. He has a huge vocabulary and talks all the time. Literally!

The past few days, however, I am really noticing that he is using words in situations he feels are appropriate and for the most part they are. Just because he is using words appropriate to the situation, however, is not meaning that he UNDERSTANDS them....

A few days ago, Aubri was crying because she did not want to go change her clothes to put on a bra and because she said her stomach hurt. She still has an enlarged spleen from her mono this summer and it makes her uncomfortable at times. Andy walked in and being the mimic that he is, he immediately started whining that he had a tummy ache too and that he NEEDED a bra! Yep.. he needed a bra, even when I asked him if he was sure that is what he needed. When I went and got him one of Aubri's, he changed his tune immediately!! Somehow I doubt he lives this one down with Aubri. It certainly stopped her tears and brought her to giggling quickly!! Maybe that is why he did it????

Today he met a friend of mine at Walmart. He has to always be the center of attention and kept interrupting us by telling my teacher friend that he knew her from college!! Where he heard that I have no idea!! Must have been on TV sometime when two people were talking. I don't know ANYone here from my college days!

He was also very indignant when my friend told him this morning that he had spilled jelly while buttering his toast. He replied very quickly, " I NEVER butter my TOES!".

'Never a dull moment around here!!!

Grandparent's day dancin'

New Photos!!

A family who recently traveled to bring home their daughter from the Changchun Center, where Sera is living, graciously posted photos on the IAAP group this week!! I am thrilled beyond words!! This little one has such a spark of life in her eyes now! Such a different child from the child in the Datong SWI photos a year ago!!

Change of plans!

Well... I originally was looking for plane fares for the 26th of October.... Now I am looking at the 3 rd and 4th of November. Our consulate appointment was not the one Cheryl had told me they would be asking for and it is now the 15th !

That is good in that Aubri is happy to not miss Halloween, Andy is happy we won't miss Halloween with him and I will not be playing catch up for parent teacher conferences. It is also super news that we will be in GZ with the same family we traveled with to go get Andy! I cannot wait to see them and their new son! It is sad, though, in that we will not have Sera sooner... I know that makes no sense, having waited this long. It isn't an insurmountable sadness, but I had been feeling such a sense of relief that she would finally be in my arms within the next month. OK, it is just a week or so difference....I can/will cope!

We sent off another care package, this time to a bit different address for the Dr who helps with the center. Hopefully it will arrive and Sera will know us when we arrive. I know she will be so scared. I just cannot imagine the fear....

I was moaning today to colleagues and worrying about being in her province for a week without much English around and feeling frustrated with communication, like it was last time. I then sat back and realized that she is leaving everything she has ever known and won't even have many familiar possessions for quite a while. Andy left people who loved him, but he also had experienced so much in life already. He had traveled, he had vacationed, he had been to amusement parks, he even had dance and gymnastic lessons with his foster families. Sera will have spent her time working on skills she had never learned, but will not have been out much, will be frightened of new things like grass and will be stared at and have negative comments made about her, due to her facial deformity, to boot while she is in China. It definitely puts my concerns about our time there at a trivial level, at best...

Lots of things left to do. At least I have another week! Having been really ill with kidney/colon problems at the start of school and just barely able to go to work, let alone get anything done at home, has put me behind in so many things and I am just now starting to begin to catch up. I feel much better now and am finally no longer drinking caffeinated or sugar free drinks. I was really messing up my health that way and now I really am starting to feel like a different person and have more energy. Good thing!! I know I will need it with 3 little people here!!

For some reason, my dad decided for me that I should also have my back porch rescreened in with windows instead of just screens, so that is underway right now, on top of everything else. All dogs, even our old Pasta doodle, had to stay in the house all day ( 11 hours) today , without access to a dog door and they actually did great. I had no extra messes!! I am cleaning out the closets to have room for Sera ,and getting rid of things that are no longer needed and really in the way, and have a pile of laundry a mile high tonight and am absolutely worn out.

I hope I get this all done before I have 3 kids to keep me falling behind further! But right now I am bleary eyed and crashing...I guess it time to quit, even this ,and it is bed time. More can be done in the am. A..n..d I have one more extra week to get it done...