We got TA!!!

WE GOT IT!!! Travel Approval to go get Baby David!!


Excited big sister

What's next? Waiting until Monday to firm up travel plans. Right now plans are to arrive in Beijing around Dec 8th or earlier, and travel to Tianjin to receive David on December 10th!!!!!!!! We'll let you know more as soon as we hear. Whoop dee doo!! (Singing and dancing a silly song...wait a minute, oh for Pete's sake, it's the Wiggles!)...

A Brief Update

PThe orphanage staff says Qun Qun eats rice, steamed bread, fish, meat, vegetables. He is a good eater. He sleeps well and doesn't wake during the night (let's see if that lasts!)

He likes to play with toy cars, stuffed animals.
He can move to music
He likes to look at picture books and be read to
He likes to talk, but only can say some simple words.
He keeps quiet when he is told no.

A Preschooler's Life

First, let me say that there is no news about Baby David, sorry! We should hear something about travel approval in another week. It's frustrating, but we're almost there!!! Meanwhile, friends Russ and Cindy took video of David on their trip to adopt Chloe, but we were afraid to post it since we weren't close enough to adoption. But here it is!!!



Emily doing ballet with a sidewalk chalk ballerina

A Day at the Park

So we meet friend Nicol and her kids Delanie and Dylan at the park one day. In one section of the park, old men play Bocce ball on a Shuffleboard course. Well, Emily decided she was going to play, too, so as I was talking to Nicol, Emily begins running away from us towards the Bocce Ball court.
Suddenly, I spot her in between the old guys, who are laughing (thank gosh). Emily is pointing at balls, describing the colors and telling the men how to play. I retrieve her in utter embarassment, only to see her sprint off again a minute later! This time she is in the middle of the men, telling them you kick a Bocce Ball, you don't throw it! Then old men are having a great time.

Shortly after that, Emily discovers a pair of awful looking, rubber Halloween teeth in the back of Delanie's tricycle. In the mouth the teeth go, and for the third time, Emily sprints towards the Bocce Ball players. As I catch her in time she tells me she wants everyone to put their teeth in for the game! ACK!!

Email from Santa

So Emily and I are in Target, and spot the most beautiful, purple dressup outfit. Velvet, off-the-shoulder, broach on the corset, and shimmery tulle skirt. "Oh Mommy, I NEED DIS, dis is bootiful! I really, really love it!!" It really was gorgeous...but how to make it a surprise Christmas gift? I think fast. I tell Emily that if I buy this dress, I have to mail it to Santa, who will decide if she should have it for Christmas, and he'll bring it on Christmas Eve. She agrees. Meanwhile, a lady pushing her cart down the aisle started snorts with laughter and I'm mortified.

So, I'm thinking she'll forget all about the dress, but the whole way home she's asking. So, we decide to email Santa and tell him the dress is coming and would he please ok it. First, he responded with an affirmative on the refrigerator door...then the next day he replied to Emily's email with a YES!!

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Other Scenes from Preschooler Life

Every girls needs to ride a tricycle at least once in heels.

We FINALLY discovered how to take video on our camera that we can post to the Internet!! So here is Emily singing "This Little Light of Mine" with a cheap candle I bought for $2 in Amish country almost 10 years ago!

Happy Birthday, Uncle Baby David!

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David Jian Qun, or "Qun Qun" as he's known at the orphanage, turned 2 on Sunday. Thanks to Mommy brain, it's Tuesday and I'm finally posting! We had a fun dinner/birthday party with adoptive families and friends at Lucky Garden 2, our favorite Chinese restaurant. I'd post pictures, but Mommy-soon-to-travel-brain is dominating me right now, so I'll post as soon as I remember to call Natalie for the photos!

David received lovely birthday gifts, including books (love 'em), bilingual flash cards, a Christmas outfit from Grami Frani, his first Tonka toy, and sleeping bags for him and his big sister! Watch for the slideshow photo of Emily decked out in her sleeping bag on her bedroom floor, with her brother beside her, in his bag. Too cute!

We also received an update on David, and he weighs 25 pounds and is 30 inches tall! To compare, Emily weighs 27 pounds and is 38 inches tall. Hopefully David was weighed in all his clothes and is a bit smaller than his sister...according to Cindy and Russ, he's a Buddah Baby! Well, it's a good thing Emily can be bossy and David doesn't speak English. I'm not looking forward to their first real "encounter"! :)

Here are photos of a day at the park with friends Delaney, her little brother Dylan, and friend Hannah. Emily is fascinated by Dylan, since he's a little brother and she can lecture him on being careful. "No, Baby Dylan, that step is too high for you. Be careful!" Mommy Nicol led the kids on a fun treasure hunt through the park. It was just a gorgeous, cool day...finally!

Also included above are pictures of Emily's Uncle Baby David doll, which we use in role play to prepare Emily for being a big sister. It's really working, except for the photo of baby David, er, forgotten on the garage floor. Well, we did forget him in the car one day...and ok, he sat in his stroller outside for an entire afternoon. But we're still learning to be a big sister...as well as a mommy to 2! :D

I received my travel visa to China today, and we're just waiting for Travel Approval from the Chinese government and our subsequent travel dates. AACCCKKK!!!! Kevin finishes his MBA degree (after 6 years of attending college part-time) in 2 weeks, about the time we'll know exactly when we're travelling! A big AMEN to that one!!!! Daddy's been doing schoolwork nonstop after work seven days a week for weeks now, so we never see him! We miss him terribly (and vice versa, he says). But there's a light...and a SON at the end of the tunnel, just waiting for him!!

Take care, everyone.

Love,

Caroline

P.S. I just came across this adoptive dad's website of photos of China. This is a must see, since they really capture the essence of the Chinese people...their exotic looks, and their wonderful sense of architectural design. The photos of Nanning, where we adopted Emily, are just incredible.

Happy Halloween!!!!

Hi all,

Hope y'all had a great Halloween! It's been a wild week of Halloween parties. Take a look! And, Daddy and Emily carved their first pumpkin together--Thomas the Train! Emily is dressed as a mermaid.

We did our usual Pirate House. On Halloween night, Emily and Mommy handed out candy and skull/bones stamps, while Daddy donned his pirate suit and fought off marauding kids! The kids asked where the plank was this year (we make the kids walk a plank over dangerous, shark-infested waters, otherwise known as a blue tarp.) Next year will be even harder with 2 kids, but we'll have to build our plank. We're famous in the neighborhood!

News on Uncle Baby David

Woo hoo!! Things are finally moving along. These photos are from Russ and Cindy's visit to the orphanage, and from our volunteer friend at the orphanage. Isn't Baby Uncle David adorable? Apparently David was the only child who wanted to play with the scary, lifesize blonde doll. I guess he likes Blondes. :)

We did learn that David just started walking, and is pretty unsteady. But he's doing it! Ah well, one major milestone missed, but we have many more ahead of us. Emily just walks around saying, "I a big sister!" and (waggling her finger) "No Baby David, that stove is HOT!"

Tomorrow we receive the famed Letter of Approval (LOA). After that, we wait for Travel Approval (TA), followed by an actual travel itinerary. We're definitely travelling to China in December. We're not sure exactly when, but travel approval (TA) is just weeks away. And then we're off!! We're going to miss Emily terribly (she'll stay with the grandparents), but we're happy that she's looking forward to being a big sister. :)

Take care,

Caroline