US Consulate Appointment

Today we visited the consulate for Lily's visa. We should have her passport and documents Thursday afternoon and be ready for travel on Friday. Chris and I went with Lily and Mia alone. We let Nancy stay back and get some much needed rest. We also need to start practicing without the extra help. All went fine. We even did a little shopping while we waited for the other family.  It was funny to see IKEA right next to the consulate. 

After lunch and naps we walked to Lihua Lake Park near our hotel. It was so nice to stroll around and enjoy.  Mia had fun taking pictures. Lily took a short nap in the carrier. We strolled for about 2 hours. 

We start packing today and preparing for our long haul home. I can't wait to be back home!!!

Six Banyan Tree Temple

Today we visited the 6 Banyan Tree Temple to receive a special blessing for Lily. It is so beautiful and peaceful there.  We also did a little shopping and I was able to find a jade heart for Lily like the one I bought for Mia 2.5 years ago at the very same store.

Yesterday we did the Pearl River cruise at night to see al the light of Guangzhou. It was a nice evening and a nice boat ride. Lily had the best time running around the whole time.  We knew from experience the food wasn't that great so we brought Papa John's pizza onboard with us and had our own pizza party. We had fun!

We have been so exhausted by the heat that we barely can stay up past 9pm. Everywhere we go we're sweating. The stores and restaurants are hot and sticky, especially when you're chasing a 2.5 year old around. We beg for air conditioning and people think we are crazy. 

Lily is your typical active 2 year old. She is always on the go and always wants to be entertained. She is extremely demanding and has no problem asserting herself when she isn't getting her way. She is a handful but she's also very loving and seeks affection. She is still not in love in Chris. She'll take cookies from his hands and even play ball with him but he cannot look at her directly or touch her. She gives off a warning scream. A loud warning scream!  Poor Chris is heart broken. He was hoping she'd be in love with him by now and I feel so bad.  Thankfully she will go to my sister which gives me a few minutes break every now then. 

Mia is still being a wonderful big sister and taking on her role beautifully. She talks about teaching her baby sister about all things. She still amazes us everyday! She's been my rock, my angel through the difficult  moments and there have been many. 

I think the storm is passing and Lily is getting better and understanding there are limitations and expectations now. We are 3 days aways from flying home and I can return to a little normalcy (i.e. not living in a hotel room and eating out for every meal in China)

We have Lily's visa appointment at the U.S. Consulate tomorrow. Yay! 1 step closer to coming home. Again, the internet has been a little challenging so I can't post as often as I'd like too. 

Thank you guys for the love and support. Please continue to pray for us!

Lily doesn't  like the big camera!

Medical Exam Day

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Medical Exam Day

Our days have been quite full with 2 little girls that need attention. Mia has been a little more observant and a little more needy but nothing unmanageable. I've included her in some helper activities which she seems to enjoy. She's such a trooper and makes us so proud. Little Ms. Lily is acting like a typical 2 year old. She's curious and loves her new independence. She is funny and demanding but I started to try to curve her terrible 2s. We found out from the orphanage director that they would give her whatever she wanted to avoid a meltdown, so my theory was correct, she is one SPOILED little girl. We'll work on that! 

We had to take Lily for her medical exam for her U.S. Visa. Pictures are posted. She behaved better than I expected. Part of the exam is a TB test which includes a blood draw without the parents in the room. Yes, you read correctly. All we could do was stand outside the room and hear her little screams! Painful for both of us. She quickly calmed down after with a lollipop. 

Then we went shopping again. The visit to the grocery store here is an adventure. It's interesting to just pick up stuff and guess what it is. We found some pretty neat stuff, but I have to say, we are not lacking anything from home at all. We can find pretty much anything we need right at the Carrefore. 

Well today we're off to the zoo with our new friends Adriana, George and Sydney.

Medical Exam Day

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Day 4 with Lily

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Day 4 with Lily

We stayed in most of the day today to try and get Lily on a schedule that is comfortable for her. Both girls napped around 12:30 so we could avoid any meltdowns in the afternoon. We ventured out to a German restaurant for an early dinner and so glad we did. It was EXCELLENT!!!! 

Lily is another firecracker!! She is definitely showing signs of the terrible 2s and I'm sure that our language barrier isn't easing her troubles any either. She and Mia had bath time together today and Mia washed her hair. I had to contain myself from squealing over the cuteness of that scene. They pretty much keep to themselves so far but I'm sure the sharing meltdown will happen eventually. We have 1 week left in Guangzhou. Tomorrow we have Lily's medical check-up for her U.S. visa and then off to lunch.

Again, thank you for your prayers, love and support! They are appreciated! :)

Day 3 with Lily!

So we've gotten to know little Ms. Lily a little better today. Here are some things we've seen already. She's very sweet but very stubborn (sounds familiar huh?) When she doesn't get her way, she cries intensely. She's a very good eater with a healthy appetite. She loves to run up and down the hallway in the hotel or at the playground. She giggles when I kiss her neck. She learned to give "high 5s". Doesn't love the stroller yet. She likes to color and Mia's Chinese Legos. She doesn't like the dark. She speaks mandarin but I don't understand her. She repeats what I tell her to. She knows Mia is her big sister and will call her JieJie (Jieh-juh) big sister in Chinese when I say it. She knows Chris as Baba (daddy in Chinese), Nancy is Ayi and of course Mama. She's still not loving her Daddy yet but we all know that too will change. Her nickname is Chuchu and responds to it very well.

We didn't do much today so there aren't many pictures. We did go the Public Safety office where we were granted Lily's passport which we'll receive at the end of the trip. Chris and Nancy ventured out to pick-up Lebanese food for dinner. It was a nice change from the hotel food and the Chinese food.

Overall, we're doing well. Thank you for the love, support and prayers!

Pictures from Susie

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Lily is ours!

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Day 2 with Lily!

It's official, Lily is ours!! We went to the notary office and took an oath to finalize our adoption today. Lily was good all morning but then she started to get mad at Chris and now she doesn't want him to sit next to her but she will happily accept from from him as long as he doesn't linger too long. It's expected so I'm not worried. We all know how things started with Mia and now look, they are 2 peas in a pod. Lily loves to be outside but she had a melt down today at lunch. Again to be expected. It was very hot in the restaurant and she hadn't had a nap yet. Once we returned to the hotel and air conditioning, she was all smiles and happy to be back in the room. After a bath, nap and dinner we ran around the playground and she was once again content. She has a cute little raspy voice.

Mia is doing fantastic! She is such a good girl! She is not showing any signs of jealousy. We bought her a big box of Chinese legos today and she was one happy camper. She earned those and more! She never ceases to amaze me. She is behaving like a big girl well beyond 3 years old. I'm one proud momma bear when I'm even getting compliments from Chinese people.

What a day! 

Guangzhou - Day 2

We had a wonderful 2nd day. We strolled around the neighborhood and enjoyed a little shopping. We met the other family that are also adopting a little girl. We had Dim Sum lunch at Sky 1 Tower and enjoyed a new local park. We found out that we are meeting Lily at 2:30PM on Monday (today) and I don't know how I got any sleep last night. It's 6:30am now and our new life as a family of 4 is about to begin. Can't wait to meet Lily and see her personality and how Mia and her will begin to form this friendship.
We'll post the meeting pictures as soon as we can.
Click on the link to see our pictures from Day 2....

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We're in China!

I'll make it short since I'm not sure this is going to post. We're here!!! The flight was fine. Mia slept 7 hours and again just before we landed. She colored and played with her BFF Titi. She's such a trooper. I'm so thankful we are here and we are safe!!! We're going to Dim Sum lunch tomorrow and then we'll meet Lily on Monday. Our Internet connection is really bad so I'm not sure we'll get as much Skype time as we'd like to. Until tomorrow...

Susie