It's summertime...and the livin's easy

Hello, is anyone still out there? We know it has been far too long since our last post. But we assure you it is not from lack of enthusiasm over our little one's progress. Helena continues to charm and amaze us. We have been busy this summer with the busi-ness of life, but we have also managed to get some play time in, here and there. Helena knows all the parks around town by heart and has spent a fair amount of time swimming in Nana and Granddad's pool. We also managed to get out of town in July and spent an extended weekend up in Stanley Idaho, visiting some friends, and basking in the beauty of the Sawtooth mountains.
Helena loves spending time with her family, and is always eager to see her cousin Jake, grandparents, and aunts and uncles.
We keep in touch with Helena's orphanage '"sister" and her family. We had them over for dinner early in the summer and hope to see them again soon.

Although we have been diligent about the sun block, as the summer has progressed, Helena has gotten darker and darker. She is a beautiful golden brown. Can't say the same for her old man.

We hope you all are having a nice, warm summer...


HANGING OUT IN PARK CITY


HANGING OUT AT THE MOUNTAIN MAMA FESTIVAL
AHH, THE FRESH AIR OF THE SAWTOOTHS


HELENA TAKING PART IN THE SUMMER PAST TIME, BURYING YOUR FRIENDS IN THE SAND


"CHILLIN AT RED FISH LAKE...THE WATER WAS A LITTLE CHILLY, HENCE THE SCOWL


DINNER WITH HER "SISTER" RUBY, AND RUBY'S SISTERS

QUALITY TIME WITH UNCLE TYLER. SHE STILL HASN'T FIGURE OUT THAT HE CAN'T REALLY READ.

ALTHOUGH HELENA HAS A LITTLE-KID TABLE AND CHAIRS, SHE PREFERS TO BELLY UP TO THE BAR ON HER BOX OF LEGOS.

WITH NO SAFE PLACE TO PLAY IN THE BACK YARD (YET) DADDY HAS TO GET CREATIVE ON THE DECK. HELENA LIKES TO POUR, SPLASH AND SQUIRT.

NO FEAR. HELENA JUMPS INTO DAD'S ARMS AT THE POOL...CHECK OUT DADDY'S TAN!

18 Months and 32 inches

Our little “Pink Dragon” is one and a half today. Five months since “Gotcha Day” and counting…the time has just flown by. We are so thankful for her and this day we hold her especially close, and reflect on the struggles currently being endured by the people of China.

As we write this, there are literally hundreds of thousands of survival stories unfolding in Southeastern China. Our hearts are breaking for those with no voice, the many orphans, those who have just found themselves orphaned, and especially those who have lost children. After visiting an orphanage and witnessing the mediocre conditions that exist in “normal” times, we can’t imagine the state of things for those little souls this day. Our thoughts are also with those caregivers who must be struggling to put their own families’ lives back together, as well as dealing with the needs of the orphans.

Our adoption agency is also a non-profit charity and we have included the text from an e-mail we received from them yesterday. They have set up a fund to help with basic supplies for those orphanages in dire need. From what we have read and seen, the Chinese government is doing all it can to help the people in Sichuan. But today China did something that is not typically in their nature…they asked for help from the outside.

“Wenchuan earthquake in Sichuan Province has resulted in the tragic death of at least 15,000 people and the collapse and damage of more than 4.5 million buildings and houses. In response, Chinese Children Charities/CCAI has established Earthquake Relief Fund (ERF) to help orphanages purchase tents, food, diapers, medicine, clothes, and post-quake building repairs and construction. Chinese Children Charities is a 501©3charitable organization. 100% of your tax-deductible contribution will go to help the orphans in China. Please go to www.chinesechildren.org to make an on-line contribution, or mail your donation check to Chinese Children Charities, earmarked “ERF”
Thanks for your support!

patiently Waiting for Summer

A real Spring or the lack there of is keeping us all a little antsy these days. It will get warm for a day or two and then cool off.
Today it snowed a fair bit and at one time seemed like a full-on February blizzard was upon us. Helena has heard about "the boys of summer," now she waits for their arrival.

Three months and counting with our little pink dragon and we are still having a blast. She has been busy learning how to play on her own as well as with neighbors and friends. She has an amazing sense of humor and likes to try and scare her Mummy, when she comes in the room.
She will also pitch and toss, when you are trying to change her diaper and then flash a little smirk as if to say..."I was just messing with you!" As the weather warms she is spending more time getting to know our yard and how to navigate the grass, the sidewalk and the driveway.

We are easing her into biking. The helmet is a tough one for her to deal with. We must admit it looks pretty funny, but damn cute too. It's unfortunate that she didn't grow up in the 70's, when kids had thicker skulls and didn't need silly helmets. Hopefully the helmet will eventually become associated with "fun," but not as of yet. She and I went for a little ride, with her in the bike trailer. It worked out fine for a while, but then something set her off and she had had enough. To avoid the neighbors calling the sherif on me for child endangerment- at least that's what Helena was calling it, Daddy had to pick her up and carry her in one arm as he pushed bike and trailer with the other (for several blocks). We haven't been out again, but next time we will try the jump seat- behind the cruiser bike instead of the trailer. If anything we will look cooler.

Still not a great nap-taker in her crib, Lena loves to crash out in the car seat. Sometimes I will be driving and take my eyes off her for a moment- or is it the road for a moment?... and she is out cold. So we drive home and park in the garage and she takes a nice long snooze. I figure that will work until mid summer when the garage heats up to a balmy 207 degrees.

Last week she took her first buddy bath. Cousin Jake and her had a ball. We can't wait to get these two in the pool.

We were only home a month and Helena started insisting on going out on Friday and Saturday nights (dancing, she tells us). We make sure she has a safe, sober ride home and what else can we do. I included a picture of her applying her lipstick, as she waits for her ride- before heading out the door.

Thanks for checking back with us and keep those comments coming.

Spring Fever

Even though spring is a slow in coming this year, we had to get out for a little hike. She loves riding on Daddy's back but is also running on sharp rocks just to let us know she is becoming more independent.






















Baptizing a sixteen month old is no easy task, but she handled it pretty well considering that a man she didn't know very well poured water on her head.












Now that the snow has melted in the front yard, we spend a lot of time looking at old leaves, playing in dirt, sweeping, and catching a few rays of sunshine.

As far as Helena is concerned, the tub is the best place on earth.

Ready for bed.

Life with Lena

We have a chow hound on our hands. We have not yet found a food Helena refuses; she even ate brussel sprouts. One of the few words in her repertoire is "UM", said with urgency, which means "feed me right now". She also says "dada" and an occasional "mama" but both are a little indiscriminate. A few days ago she picked up "hi" and "do" (which means dog).
She's still a terrible napper but a great sleeper at night (12 hours, hallelujah). All in all, she's an easy kid, makes us laugh every day and we feel very lucky and blessed. The serious child we met in China has been replaced by a giggly, happy girl

I headed back to work part time a couple of weeks ago and started back full time on Tuesday. Justin, however, is now officially a stay-at-home dad. Huge decision for both of us but we feel it is the right one for our little family. Luckily, they still want him to stay on part time in his marketing position and he will be working full days on Mondays (my day off) and telecommuting several hours during the week. Will likely do him some good to have adult conversations during the day. By the way, Lane decided he hung the moon soon after we returned home.

Settling in

We so appreciated everyone's support during the big trip, however, we got a little sick of ourselves and we thought we would give you all a break.... until now.

So, we are finally settled into a routine and family life is very nice. Helena had a wicked upper respiratory infection when we got home and we were all thoroughly jet lagged. Our first week was rough, but things have smoothed considerably. She is a great sleeper and she eats everything in sight.

Here are a couple of recent pics. The hair is a little longer, and the nose a little runnier. You can see why we didn't to post too many pictures of our snotty-nosed kid :)

Home at Last!

After a 12 hour flight to LA, and a hour more to Salt Lake City, we made it home at midnight on Friday. Helena's new Aunt Kelly, Uncle Tyler,Nana and Granddad were there to greet us.

The transit went  extremely well and Helena was a very good little traveler. Our agency finished as strong as when they started, exceeding our expectations. Jason, our CCAI rep checked us in, worked out any last minute details with the airline, and escorted us to the security checkpoint with a big hug and well wishes for the New Year. After a little dinner on board, and with the help of Benadryl, a veterinarian (trained in administering medicine to small squirmy critters), and a bassinet attached to the bulkhead, Helena slept the next nine of the twelve hours on the long flight. With a wailing 3 year-old sharing the cabin with us, Helena's parents were not quite so lucky (Helena's seasoned orphanage ears could care less about the noise). 

Our arrival in LA, with immigration and customs also went smoothly. INS was extremely  courteous, efficient and helpful (as was the general service in the airport). I told Val it felt like everyone at LAX had just taken a customer service course.  

Aside from a small delay, we arrived in Salt Lake without a hitch and seeing my folks and sister and bro there to meet us was truly a very special moment Valerie and I will never forget. I get teary just thinking about it and I think the above image really caught the moment. 

The worst part of the whole journey (from beginning to end), was the thirty minute car ride to our house. We knew she would not like it, but Helena absolutely freaked over the car seat. She seriously balled for thirty minutes straight- we had never seen her that angry. Wow, good times ahead in the car I tell you. 

Our house was warm and welcoming and stocked with Mom's home cooking. We hunkered down for the weekend and started to recover from our colds and jet lag. Helena has taken to the place quite well. She likes her new room and all her new toys- especially her book collection. She seems to like her bed, even though the time change has been a real bear for her to break (hard on Mummy and Daddy too). She took a bath last night and absolutely had a blast. I think she would have stayed in all night, if we would have let her. 

Last night Helena helped me take down her match photo that has been on the back of our kitchen door since December 7th. She seemed to recognize her old self, but only for a minute, then she glance up at me with a quick little smirk and I knew what she was thinking...I'm not the same girl I was, when this photo was taken. 

We created this web log to give our families the opportunity to follow us along on our trip. We know from comments and emails that our family has grown well beyond our dreams. We have been touched with all of your well wishes and support. Thank you all for allowing us to share this amazing experience with you. It was truly a trip of a lifetime and we are excited for the next phase in our lives and the changes and challenges it is sure to bring. Val and I have not discussed the future of this blog. I suspect we will update it periodically with images of our family, especially our daughter as she continues to make us laugh and cry and worry and wonder and most importantly, count our many blessings.  Check back with us every so often. But for now, as they say in China, "bye, bye"

Ready to go

Well, we have our most precious cargo, and a few thousand other things nearly packed and we're ready to get home to Utah. The rest of the group has left already and are flying through Hong Kong. We tried to be as direct as possible by flying Guangzhou to LA, apparently with hundreds of other travelers. We have Benadryl and ibuprofen at the ready.

The chickenpox scare seems to have abated and at this point they are allowing travel...whew. I like China, but I don't want to live here. It's been the trip of a lifetime, one we will never forget. We can't wait for all of you to meet this little sweetie. She is changing very quickly so we must hurry home. Love to all.

Good, Bad, Sad

First, the good news. Our representatives went to the US consulate appointment for us today and everything cleared. Helena is officially our child. Yeah! We will do our swearing in at the consulate (as a group) tomorrow, but this is a small formality and after this we are free to leave the Peoples Republic of China. We have confirmed our airline reservation and we will be leaving Friday evening for Los Angeles.

Now the bad news. We may have mentioned it in a previous email, but there are a few children at this hotel with confirmed cases of chickenpox. At first there was one child, who we have actually seen. Now we hear there are at least two. These two families and the rest of the people in their travel group are now quarantined and can not visit the consulate for their swearing in until February 9th. We were told by our representative this afternoon that if anyone of our kids breaks out with the virus, we (the entire group will be quarantined as well). After this announcement Val ran around telling everyone if your kid gets the pox, keep your mouth shut! I rode up with a guy in the elevator earlier and I guess the situation has been escalated and the CDC is involved and a ruling is expected, etc. So, once again, keep your fingers crossed and remember us in your prayers. We are not home yet.

Now for the sad...
Yesterday was a memorable one for me, although unlike most of the memories I have gathered since arriving in China, this one wont leave me with a pleasant aftertaste.
I traveled with one of the families in our group to the city of Yangxi, about 180 K to the southwest of Guangzhou. Yangxi is where their little boy was abandoned and placed in the care of the local orphanage. We traveled by van through the country and arrived in town and spent about an hour visiting with the orphanage vice-director, touring a part of the orphanage, where their baby slept, and meeting some of the nannies that cared for him. Part of the tour included us walking through one of the rooms, with infants in their cribs. I have seen pictures and heard the stories of how the cribs are arranged in little islands for six to eight, but it is hard to be prepared for actually seeing this with your own eyes. Needless to say, it was not a good scene. The place was very sterile (but not in a clean way) and the poor little faces had very little if any expression on their faces. These were the same faces on our groups' children the day we received them and we have watched transform into happy little children over the last week and a half.
I will say that it appeared the nannies cared for the children (in their own way), but they obviously lacked much in way of personal contact. There were also some special needs children in the room and it was obvious that they needed more specialized care and support than what these poor women could provide.
The play area was basically void of toys and also very institutional-like. The kitchen where the bottles were prepared was also not great. I was told by our representative that this orphanage was not "the best", but not bad compared to where our little Helena spent the first 13 months of her life. I was so troubled by this scene as well as the scene I imagined my daughter endured while waiting for us. The mother of their new little boy (who has two beautiful daughters from previous trips to China), remarked to me "you see, this is why we came back for another one!"
I will say that there were a couple happy little souls, following us around and babbling to their nannies and no one looked malnourished. Also, the nannies were very happy to see their old "boarder" and they called out to him from the balcony (the boy and his father stayed down on the playground, so as not to traumatize him- but he was pretty cool about the whole ordeal). We were told by the vice director that they have had fewer and fewer babies available for adoption for the last three years. And most of the children they cared for would be adopted. We did not see older kids or any other people, other than this little group on our tour. China is changing very rapidly for the children these changes appear to be good for the children. There are more in-country adoptions, fewer people having kids, and with a middle class larger than the entire US population more couples can afford the roughly $30K fine to have more than one child. There also remains a strong demand for these little darlings- from Copenhagen to Kansas City.

Enough babble, we know you all tune in for the photos.
-Today was Red Couch picture day. This is a tradition at the White Swan. All of the newly adopted children sit on a red velvet couch in traditional Chinese dress for a photo. With 15 babies this is easier said than done.
-Val has already started teaching Helena about good oral hygiene (no dragon-breath in our family!)
-Helena with our "minders" Kathy and Jason (both very caring, gracious people)

Lanie and Friends

Well, as you can see, she is becoming a bit more social. She is rooting for Ruby to walk like a big girl and Reid is teaching her to play 21. We had a good day today, despite my cold. The days of having a pity-party for myself are over and I'll just suck it up and sing lullabies. Speaking of lullabies, I thought she would NEVER go to sleep tonight. We have been counting our blessings that she has been such a good sleeper, down by 7:30 and up at 7:00. However, tonight she thought that Mommy lying her back down thirty times was the most fun she's ever had... smiling at me the entire time. So, Daddy had to play bad cop and she FINALLY closed her eyes at nine. Time for us to do the same. Most of the families are ready to go home to their families and friends, including us. Just a few more days until the BIG appointment at the US consulate...keep us in your thoughts and prayers and thanks, as always, for the support.

Life at the Swan

A couple shots today. Helena, catching up on her reading...she has really started getting grabbie and loves to hold something in her hand (usually a cheerio in one and something else like her toothbrush or room key in the other). It took a couple days for her to have any interest in toys. Her item of choice was a teething biscuit, which she wouldn't eat, but just hang on to in her death grip. Also some smiles, when Helena and Mom played airplane today. Fun stuff.

In the world of Chinese adoption, hopeful parents don't talk about the stork, they talk about the Swan...The White Swan Hotel. The Hotel does a very tidy business, catering to adoptive families. The White Swan sits on a little island, surrounded by the Pearl River. In its heyday the island was home to many of the countries' consulates. Today, only the Polish consulate remains on the island, but it still has a very old, colonial feel to it. Some of the old buildings around here are beautiful old structures and some date back several centuries. Equally as impressive are some of the huge old trees- not sure of the varieties, but they have great, grand limbs that branch out like large banyan trees. In addition to the 711, where we buy our juice and beer (and where Justin was asked out front if he needed a "good time" one night), every little store attempts to Westernize itself with a name, like Lucy's Place (our lunch spot), Suzy's Place (they do our laundry), Michael's Place (decent folk art for sale), and Linda's Place (cheap t-shirts and souvenirs).
The White Swan is not that old. Built I'm guessing in the 60's or 70's it is considered a four star hotel (I think), and it obviously still carries some cache with the local populace. There is a constant stream of brides and photographers, shooting around the hotel. And the Chinese staying at the hotel seem fairly well-to-do. The hotel is packed with staff, all friendly and willing to help. Lots of security, door men and every floor has a floor attendant that greets you when you get off the elevator "hello, dis wey plees," Or "house da baybee?"

For us, and for dozens upon dozens of western couples, the Swan is home for up to two weeks, while the adoptions are finalized. We were fortunate to not have to pick up our daughter in another province and then have to relocate and come here. We will stay our entire trip in the White Swan, which makes things very easy and two weeks is long enough to get into a routine of sorts. Probably one of the most fun activities of the day is breakfast. We head down between 8 and 9 to eat our western style buffet. This time of day restaurant is a sea of little Asian babies. Quite a thing to see, parents of all shapes and sizes from all over the US and abroad doting on their new little angels. We greet many of the families in our group and check in on each of the children's progress. One of us feeds little Helena her breakfast of rice congee, bananas, watermelon and banana bread, while the other runs around gathering food for the nest. The rest of the day varies, depending on the activity, but we usually manage to get our little one down for a nap, get to the gym, hang out in the play room (where most of Helena's smiles appear), and visit the Koi pond and waterfall.

We continue to feel very luck with our little girl's progress. She sleeps very well (almost twelve hours a night), eats like a horse (not much you put in her mouth that she rejects), and amuse us with a little personality quirk (like kicking her little foot back and forth when she is being held and content). One thing Helena has not taken to is wearing diapers. She fusses quite loudly whenever we lay her down to check her diaper or change her clothes. And Val has taken to calling her "Complana" when its changing time.