First Doctor Appointment

Last Friday Liddia had her first medical check here in the United States. Rachelle was more nervous than Liddia.


Dr. Gould, our pediatrician examined her, asked a few questions, looked at the medical records we brought from China, then said something that totally amazed me.


He said I have seen a lot of kids with spina bifida, and I know there are a lot of things that can go wrong, from infections to severe disabilities. Then he said "this little girl had angels watching over her". He said for her to be so healthy is amazing.


I don't know what faith Dr. Gould is, but he was very perceptive, and I think spiritually in tune. I agree, there is no question Liddia had angels watching over her.




We are so grateful that God has preserved her good health. We are grateful that the Chinese government was willing to send her to a very good hospital with the best doctors in China for her surgery. We are very grateful that God saw fit to bring us together.



We continue to be amazed that Liddia is doing so well with this transition. She has fit into the family like it was meant to be, which we believe is true.

Making Up for Some Lost Time

As parents we try to spend some one on one time with our children. Obviously we missed some time with the boys while we were in China.

Last Saturday night, I (Brendon) took the boys swimming, while Rachelle spent some time with Liddia. I am not a huge fan of swimming, but the boys sure like it. We had a good time.

First Few Days At Home

Liddia went to sacrament meeting on Sunday. Dad stayed with Liddia while everyone else went to the full block. This picture is proof that dad can get her ready for Church, and even do a decent job on her hair! As usual, she is always ready to pose for a picture, especially when she knows she looks so pretty!

Liddia has done very well so far with the transition to our family. We were actually expecting a more difficult transition.

We had prepared ourselves for the worst, knowing everything has changed for her. I can only empathize with her situation. She is with people that she has only known for about 3 weeks, they look different from everyone she has known, and she can’t understand anything they are saying! She is in a new place with new food and new and different things all around her.


It is normal for an adopted child to mourn their old life. She surely misses her old friends, her foster family, the surroundings and food she was used to, and a hundred other things.

Well, it has now been a week since she has been in our home, and most of the time she has been quite content. As long as we keep the schedule we have established, don’t introduce a lot of new things, or a lot of new people she seems to feel secure and happy.

We are very happy to report that the tantrums we came to fear while in China have all but disappeared. If she gets over stimulated with too many people, too much chaos, or just gets overly tired we see the signs and do what we can to stabilize again. But, happily, she has done really great.

She really enjoys her brothers, and her brothers enjoy her. She has begun ‘mothering’ Ben as much as he will let her. She really misses Max when he is gone. She calls him “Makis”.

We went for a family walk to show Liddia the neighborhood.

The United States of America...The Land We Love!

We have been home a week, and we have neglected the blog. Now that we feel like we are again part of the western hemisphere we are ready to continue providing updates to how things are going.

First things first. We are proud to be Americans!

In our travels we went through the customs lines in may airports. Of course since we were foreigners, we always went through the "Visitors" line. When we came back to the United States we went to the line that said, "United States Citizens". I wanted to say, "Yes! We are citizens of the United States of America! The greatest country on earth!"



I am also very grateful that our daughter will also have the blessings of this great nation. Liddia is now a United States Citizen.

There is nothing like leaving the United States to make you grateful for all the blessings we enjoy in this great land. Here are just a few of the things we were reminded we are very grateful for.

We are grateful...

• that when we turn on the faucet, we can drink the water! It is a real pain to have to either buy or boil the water before it is safe to drink.




• for freedom of speech! Our first night in China we suddenly realized we couldn't access our blog. At first I thought I was having computer problems, then I realized...we aren't in America anymore...(thank goodness for VPN).
  



• for freedom of religion. We did attend Church in Guangzhou, but it was very apparent that there were many restrictions we had to abide by.




• that we have 6 wonderful kids. In China they have something called the "Family Plan" which restricts families to having only one child. I wondered what they thought when they found out we have 5 children back home, and this was our 6th!
  

What a blessing to live in this great nation. This is truly the promised land and God has blessed and prospered this land.

Home

It is great to be home. Our immediate challenge is the jet lag. Today has been a rough day.

There are hundreds of things that need to be done after being gone so long. But it is like getting up at 3 in the morning to try to do them. Hopefully tomorrow will be easier.

Liddia loves her brothers. She gets along especially well with Max.

It may be a day or two before we give another update. There is a lot to do to regulate the family with a new sibling, all the other things that need to be done, not to mention switching our days and nights around again.

Back in the USA

Quick update. We made it back on US soil, Liddia is now a US citizen. We are in San Francisco waiting for our flight to SLC. Be home soon!

Liddia did very well on the flight. It is hard for anyone to sit in one seat for 12 hours, she did as well as could be expected. Just a little bribing with M&Ms helped us through.

In the San Francisco airport getting ready to meet brothers, with her new "Made in China" t-shirt.

The Amazing Race Begins

We received a pleasant surprise a few days ago. We were informed that we will receive Liddia's passport on Wednesday afternoon (today) around 5:00 pm. Once we receive the visa we are free to travel home! Our original paperwork said we wouldn't be travelling home until Saturday.

Well, when we got that piece of news we jumped on it immediately. I emailed Dave and he listed us on a flight out of Hong Kong for Thursday morning.

So...soon we will feel like contestants on the show "The Amazing Race". The reason I say that is when we told our guides we needed to get to Hong Kong to fly home we got a blank look. Apparently they don't usually send people through Hong Kong. We were kind of on our own to figure out how to get from here to there.

When our guide looked for hotels for us he said they were $400 per night, so I took matters in my own hands, did a little research online and with a little help from a college friend who lives in Hong Kong found one for $200. Still super expensive in my book, but better than $400 and actually $200 is not a lot more than we are paying here, so I booked the room, and by leaving early we save money anyway, and more importantly, we get back to our boys earlier.

So, the amazing race begins. Once we leave Guangzhou, we are on our own, making our way to Hong Kong, getting from the train station to the hotel, from the hotel to the airport, all knowing very little Chinese. Hey, it will be an adventure, and because it means we are moving closer to our boys, she is up for it...I think. This look on Liddia's face captures the feeling

We leave for the Guangzhou East train station at 4:45 pm, which will be before we actually get Liddia's visa. Our guide will rush the visa to the train station and do a hand-off before we board the train. Our guide tells us "no provlem, I get you da visa, no provlem." Hopefully, it really will be, "no problem".

We will arrive in Hong Kong just after 8:00 pm. We then need to get to the hotel, hopefully we can find a taxi with enough room to take us an all our luggage.

On Thursday morning there is a shuttle from the hotel to the subway which will take us to the airport. Then we get on the 11:30 am flight to San Francisco. Then a few hours later we take a flight from SF to SLC.

If the stars line up we should arrive in SLC Thursday afternoon at 3:39 PM, and we will breath a sigh of relief to be HOME!

We have really enjoyed our stay in China, we have seen some amazing things and it has been very beautiful, especially in Guangzhou. Here are some pictures.

Home Bound At Last

Today we pack up and move on to Hong Kong. We catch our plane tomorrow bound for San Francisco tomorrow at 11:30. The cool thing is we travel back in time. We leave on Thursday at and if all goes well we arrive 3:30 at SLC. Make no mistake it doesn't take four hours it is still a 15 hour plane ride. We ask for your prayers that we make all of our standby planes and we arrive home in one piece. We also ask for a prayers for Liddia, that she will handle the planes okay this time. I feel a little like the mother from Home Alone trying to get back to her son. At this point I would even endure a moving truck ride home with a band of Polka Players to get back to my boyz!

How many planes, trains, and automobiles?

How many planes trains and automibles does it take to complete our adoption from China?

Six planes, one train, and too many taxis and minivan rides to count! A rough count of the hours we will have spent in the air aboard an airplane by the time we return home will be 40 hours, and that doesn't count time in the airport checking bags, going through security, and waiting for the plane.

But we should count our blessings, we have been very safe in our travels. We only had one flat tire on the way to heavenly lake in Xinjiang Provence.

And...we didn't have to travel in one of these...

...or one of these...

Traveling safe on the streets in China is no small thing. The white or yellow lines on the road are just for decoration. Where we think there would be two lanes of traffic there are four. Why waste the pavement on the side right?

The rule is if you get close enough, the other car will move over. We saw one car pass another car while they were both making left hand turns, and this was on a very narrow street. This takes driving to a whole new level. You have to see it to believe it. When it gets scary you just close your eyes.

The United States Consulate

We went to the United States Consulate this morning at 8:30. It was our last formal government appointment to finalize the adoption and secure Liddia's US visa. When we got to the consulate there were lots of people in front of the building and lots of commotion. Apparently there was some kind of labor dispute. We were quickly ushered past all the people into the building.

After a few lines and security check, we delivered all our paper work and took the oath of citizenship in behalf of our daughter. It wasn't a beautiful ceremony, no fireworks or bands, it was pretty simple really, but it is a significant step for our daughter. When we touch down on US soil Liddia will be a United States citizen. We are hoping there won't be any fireworks then either. :)

At three years old she doesn't comprehend all the changes. She has a new home, new parents, new brothers, a new country... pretty much everything has changed for her.

Waiting for Liddia's Visa, and Feeling Like Monkeys

The last step in the long government approval process is getting Liddia's US passport. We have done the paperwork and now we are just waiting for everything to go through the system. Our appointment at the US consulate is Tuesday morning at 8:30.

Another family we met in the Hotel 'adoption play room' said they are on their 3rd week here in Guangzhou at the White Swan. They said it was like living the movie Groundhog Day. We had a good chuckle about that, all too real.

To pass the time we try to do some interesting things while we are here. On Monday we went to the Zoo with the Herschi's. It is a very nice zoo with lots of animals. Liddia really liked it.

We had a great time, until she got tired and hungry. We are learning that tired + hungry = Liddia melt down. That is a recipe we want to avoid, especially in public in China.

Here is one of the "don't mess with me" looks.

You shouldn't get the impression the melt downs are more frequent or worse than they really are. I write about our melt down experiences because they have added spice to our China trip, and it is part of our adoption experience. Liddia isn't a bad girl, she has a few bad habits, but it is how she survived in the orphanage. We know that things will get better when we get home, in a routine. So, here's our latest melt down experience, enjoy!

People in China seem to be very curious about Americans, very nice, but curious. But when you add the fact that these Americans are carrying around a Chinese baby, our status moves from a novelty to unusual phenomenon.

And when you are in the zoo, and the Chinese baby with the Americans starts crying very loudly, that is when you become one of the exibits. In fact, just like the monkey exhibit, people gather around to get a closer look! I am exaggerating of course. It is not that bad. The people are kind and friendly, but certainly curious, and a few may be suspicious.

The local people wonder why we have these children. They don't seem to know about the orphans or the adoptions. In years past, some wild roumors went around with crazy explainations as to why Americans wanted to adopt these children, none of them the real reason, out of love.

But, I think they still wonder, and in the midst of being a zoo exhibit you start thinking, "these people probably think we kidnapped this girl!" Then you start wondering if you will find out what the inside of a jail in China looks like.

But, we survived, and no one called the police.

We've Come a Long Way In 10 Days

Yes, we have come a long way in 10 days, and not just in an airplane.

It was about 10 days ago that we got Liddia and it has been a white knuckle take your breath away roller coaster ride. The kind that leave you dangling on the precipice, anticipating the big drop one minute, and the next minute you are doing loopty loops through the air.

We have felt emotions from pure joy to sheer terror.

Now that we have gotten past the sheer terror part, we can feel the seeds of love begin to sprout. Love helps you look past any short term problems, tantrums, or whatever. There is a calm assurance in love.

Isn't there a scripture about perfect love casting out all fear? (1 John 4:18) That seems to be what is happening. Before the love started to sprout, there was room for fear.

Love is not instantaneous, it takes time to sprout and grow. I don't think "love at first sight" exists. Perhaps that is what we naively expected, to instantly feel that overwhelming love that parents have for their children. This sounds bad, but at first it was a bit like tending someone else's child. And in this case there is also the fears of attachment problems, bad habits from the orphanage, etc.

To suddenly be thrown into the parent role of a three year old who doesn't know you, and can't communicate with you is a bit terrifying for both the parent and the child.

We talked about some of the 'sheer terror' in the faith and fear post a few days ago. The fear was all too real the first few days, and compound that with being alone in a forign country, unable to speak the language, along with some homesickness.

It feels so good to feel the seeds of love begin to take root! The heart of these parents are turning to this child, and the heart of this child is turning to these parents (isn't there also a scripture about that somewhere? :)

God is teaching us how to love a child that He has loved from the beginning. It is all about love. Asking for it, nurturing it, learning to extend it, and being greatful for it. Everything goes better with LOVE.

(We met a very kind brother at Church today who took these pictures and then emailed them to us. Thank you brother Hackworth!)

Taking It All In

We walked around Guangzhou today and took some pictures. Some of these are in the same area I jogged in last night.

The above picture is of something we can't even guess what it is, no clue. It is a plate with water and a glob of something with tiny worms swimming around.

There was a large bag of dried seahorses. When we showed interest the fellow took one out so we could see it.

I think these are dried lizards on a stick. Not sure what they are used for, maybe just novelty decorations. I am showing my ignorance of Chinese culture. Those of you much smarter than us, can let us know.

Lots of outdoor street vendors selling anything you can think of (and some things you have never ever thought of!)

One street we walked down was like a pet store. We saw turtles, rabbits, fish, dogs, cats, frogs, and crabs.

This last picture needs an explanation. Sorry it is so blurry, we were being jostled about by the crowd.

During our walk, Liddia needed to go potty, and as usual she is pretty urgent about it. Well, it is tough for us to find public restrooms, so I started hunting.

We entered the store shown in the picture hoping to find a restroom. You can't see it very well so I will attempt to describe. There must have been one thousand people in there, and I am not joking. The isles were about two feet wide, shoulder to shoulder filled with people, you think I am exaggerating, I am not.

What you see is an entrance, once you get inside the isles are very narrow. You thought Wal-Mart was bad, it doesn't hold a candle, even Wal-Mart day after Thanksgiving!

What made it worse is Liddia was in a stroller. Trying to be polite, waiting for an opening in the crowd didn't work. You just had to be bold and keep moving.

The funny thing is that Liddia was really tired and she fell asleep by the time we made it to the restroom at the back of the store. We didn't want to wake her, so we forged the crowd again trying to exit the store hoping to make it back to the hotel before she woke up. No such luck.

Sunday In Guangzhou

Attending Church with the Guangzhou International Branch was a wonderful experience. The Hirschi's, our new friends from Clinton went with us.

We were a little worried about finding it, but we didn't have any trouble at all. After the taxi dropped us off near the address a kind security guard noticed us (I think we were hard to miss, a group of Americans wandering around in Church clothes) and showed us where to go.

The branch meets in an office building and is for non Chinese nationals, there were people from many different countries there. We watched the Sunday morning session of conference. This was Liddia's first Sunday at church. She was just like any other three year old and it was difficult to sit still for so long. At one point she started to fuss, but as soon as we started singing, she became very interested listening and watching everyone. She loved the music and I think she could feel the sprit through song. It was a special little tender mercy from the Lord to witness.

After watching the conference, there was a baptism of a Korean sister. It was a special experience to be there for the baptism. Of course there was no font in the building, so a temporary font was set up.

Quite a unique experience.

All Ready for Church

I did some research and found the address to the Guangzhou 1st Branch. I think we have found it on a map the hotel gave us, so if all goes well we will attend Church at 10:00 this morning.

I am really looking forward to attending Church in Guangzhou China. What an amazing and wonderful thing that we can meet here and partake of the sacrament. Hopefully we can find it!

Liddia was especially pleased with her new shoes and beautiful dress! She talked and talked, and said the name of her friend Shi Muhou a lot. I suppose she was wishing her friend could see her in her new dress.

Here is a video and some pictures we took:

What a Fascinating Place

This is such a fascinating place. I went for a quick evening jog, I know I could exercise on the treadmills in the hotel, but why do that when I could jog the streets of Guangzhou and explore such an interesting place?!

It turned out to be not such a short jog. When I returned, Rachelle said she was about the call the police.

I had no idea where I was going, and it was near 10:00 at night. I know you are all thinking I am crazy, but it is very safe here (and I can run fast!)

I just happened into a very busy shopping district, kind of like the Gateway in downtown SLC, only Chinese style of course. It was very late and there were still hundreds of people milling around shopping, eating, talking, etc. Instead of getting in a good run, I ended up wandering the streets observing the culture, people, and the sights of a city with over 20 million people.

Unfortunately I didn't have my camera, I will go there another time and take some pictures.

When she was good she was very, very good...

We thought you might like to see the typical sweet Liddia. Yes, as mentioned we will need to work on the tantrums, but she can also melt your heart with sweetness. My dad use to quote me this little poem when I was a little girl, he thought it described me. I'm sure some of you have heard it. It now describes our sweet Liddia.

"There was a little girl,

who had a little curl,

right in the middle of her forehead.

When she was good,

she was very very good,

But when she was bad she was horrid."

I guess like mother like daughter! :)

This is Liddia's sweet side. And may I say, thank goodness, we see much more her smile than we do her tears!

谢谢 (Thank you)

谢谢 (I suppose Joe Crandall and Uncle Thom [and may be a few other Chinese scholars] will be the only ones who can read that--it is Thank you in Chinese.)

Sorry for the guilt trip we gave everyone on the last post...but Rachelle would say it was worth it to hear from all of you!

You are all so wonderful! We know you have busy lives back home. It is nice to read your words of encouragement, and believe me, Rachelle put on her glasses and read and re read each one, with a smile! Thank you. Your words of encouragement mean a lot.

That picture of Rachelle was an old one from my phone. Rachelle's favorite comment about the picture was from our friend April, who said "Oh and E gads! Rachelle what a picture!" So Rachelle doesn't feel singled out, here are pictures of Ethan, Drew, and me with our really cool glasses.

See, we are all pretty goofy! It's not just Rachelle.