Fast Forward to China!

OK, so I know I have tons of stuff to post about the time from referral to travel... but time flew! We're here in China on our 3rd day with Sarah. She's great! Glued to me, but great. This morning I figured out how to dry my hair with her in the baby carrier because she did NOT want to be put down or to have me out of her sight. She's dealing with the upheaval very well, apart from trouble sleeping (the crib is her enemy, and none of us are getting much sleep!). I'll try to post some photos if I can! and I'll send more details when I'm not trying to type one-handed (right-handed, no less) while a wiggly baby tries to type with her feet.

Debi

After a bit of sleep...

I slept better last night than I have for a few weeks -- I even overslept!

After a good night's sleep, I realized that Sarah has actually been born and exists... she's real! Oh yeah, and she was born in 2006, not 2007 like the last post said! That's cool -- I've had a "Year of the Dog" picture that my sister and niece gave Sarah up in her room for a year now, so I'm glad it actually matches her year of birth.

so now it's time to (a) make sure we have everything we need for Sarah's homecoming (yea, shopping!), (b) pack, (c) try to get ahead at work (or maybe less behind...), and (d) finish all of those "Before Sarah" projects. Worked like mad tiling the office over the weekend and will hopefully have that finished and the office put back together by next weekend. One project down!

Debi

Here she is!

At long last, we have a daughter! Sarah Elizabeth, currently known as Qing Jia Chen, was introduced to us at 1:25pm today by the staff of Great Wall China Adoptions. Well, they called and gave us her brief bio then. We got her photos a couple of hours later.

Isn't she a cutie??

Her stats:
Qing Jia Chen, born 9-30-07.

She is at the Chenzhou Child Welfare Institute in Hunan Province.

At her last medical exam on 7-11-07 (so about 2 mos ago), she was 17.5# and 27.5" tall. Her developmental report describes her as able to sit steadily, crawl, and stand while holding onto something. She knows her name, knows acquaintances vs. strangers, and likes listening to music and playing with toys and games. OK, this is sounding a bit like a baby dating ad. I don't know whether she likes moonlit walks or pina coladas... but she does like biscuits, so any playdate should probably include at least dinner and dancing.

She is apparently quite adept with blocks -- reaching, grasping, banging them together (see love of music above), is active, and has a ready smile and a quick laugh. From the looks of this photo, I think she also has an attitude! I started laughing when I saw it -- and I think it could be a challenge to not laugh when she pulls that frownie face in person!

Now we just have to wait till November to get her! The time will both fly and crawl, I'm sure.

What a great day! Debi

The "Baby Pool"

Nope, this is not like the kiddie pool you have nightmares about, where you just hope that everyone is wearing leakproof swim diapers! It's the good ole betting kind.

First, some history and then the game...

History -- a couple of pals in our adoption Yahoo group set up "Baby Pools" so that friends could guess on their kiddo's arrival. I laughed because it's common among my doggie friends to do "puppy pools" when they have a litter due (altho I'm not usually organized enough to do them). So then a doggie friend said "hey, where's the pool?!" So, here it is...

The Game -- you make guesses about Sarah and whoever is closest to correct wins a prize! Guess the following:

1. Sarah's date of birth (babies are typically 7-20ish months at referral)

2. Sarah's province of birth (see China map above)

3. Sarah's weight at her last medical exam (which was probably a month or two before referral)

For my dog friends - no, we are not guessing litter size; she will be a singleton! We're also not guessing sex since we requested a girl... even tho some pals from our agency were surprised last month to be referred a boy! they'd requested either sex, but come on, with a 95% chance of getting a girl they thought they were safe with pink and ruffles!

The Prize -- heck, what do you care? you're doing this for fun, not for the prize! but I promise, it will be something fun or yummy. once I figure out what it is...

How to Play -- just reply to this post. Have fun!

Debi

This chair won't be empty for long!

Here's Sarah's carseat -- isn't it cute? Right now, it's sitting in her room, but it won't be long before it's in the car with a baby strapped in!

After a LONG wait, our referral is getting closer by the minute. Our adoption agency, Great Wall China Adoptions, called today just to verify our phone # and to let us know that they expected referrals probably next Tuesday, Sept 4! So, by sometime that afternoon, hopefully we'll know who Sarah is! GWCA staff will call us to read the info over the telephone and then will email her photo.

I'll post photo and vitals as soon as we get them. So check back here for the latest!

Debi

more photos - the 4-legged kids!

Here are photos of some of the pooches. Sarah will have lots of dogs to play with! First photo is Willie, taken the last time he showed at Westminster (2006, I think?). As a gumpy old man as far as kids are concerned, he'll probably hide from Sarah a lot, at least until he learns her food-dropping potential.

And here's Gotcha the dalmatian with two of Willie's grandkids (Fiona & Fanny) when they were baby puppies. The puppies LOVE Gotcha! And Gotcha can't wait to have a little girl to play with.

Finally, a photo of Arthur, the Willie son we're just starting to special. He thinks being a showdog is pretty cool. When Sarah comes, we won't have much time to show ourselves, so will rely on friends to see to Arthur's career. happy viewing! Debi

Photos while we wait - Sarah's room

As I'm trying to figure out this blog-thing, I figured I'd share some photos. I'll start with the relevant ones -- Sarah's room. It's been ready for about 16+ months now, with little things added here and there since then. These photos are from several months ago, so they don't show the rocking horse (actually, a rocking butterfly), high chair, and cool carseat that are also crammed in. Basically, the room is at the "just add kid" stage.

The rocker isn't quite as plush as many, but it's an antique that I've always loved. Repainted and recovered, it fits right in. The books displayed above the closet are antique kids books I've collected over the years (mostly dog stories... surprise!).

Some moms-to-be get upset every time they walk by the empty room -- I just tell myself that I should enjoy looking at it while it's clean! I'm sure it won't be that way starting in a few months.

check out the little table and chairs -- they were mine from childhood! My own little Samsonite set -- it really lasted! Sarah will get my little rocker from childhood, too.

And here is her crib, made up with a red toile and cream bedding set.

Referral is getting close - finally!

Our LID (log-in date; the date our paperwork was registered in China and the date that drives the rest of the VERY slow march toward adoption) was 11-22-05. Yep, close to 2 yrs ago. Based on timelines way back then, we expected to get our referral around May, 2006. Fast-forward (or slow-forward...) to Aug, 2007.

Aug 2007 referrals included families whose LIDs went through 11-21-05, ONE DAY shy of our LID. :<. But the good news is that we know "our day" will be the September referrals, which will hopefully arrive right after Labor Day!

In about 2 weeks, we'll actually know who Sarah Elizabeth is! We'll get little photos, probably of her bundled up like the Michelin Man (or my personal favorite, the Pillsbury Dough Girl). We'll also get basic info about her age, size, Province she's from, and the Social Work Institute or foster family she's been with. Then we begin another "hurry up and wait" leg of this journey, while we wait for Travel Approval from China, gather items from packing list and figure out how to fit everything into 2 mid-sized suitcases. Oh, and try to finish all of those projects we said we'd finish "Before Sarah" (right.).

cheers! Debi

Testing 123

So I know nothing about blogs except that they exist... and they seem like a good way to chronicle our news, experiences, and the all-important cute baby photos as we head to China to adopt our baby girl! Here goes... Debi