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Friday, April 3, 2009
Looking Back & Reflecting
We started our journey because for some reason we could not have a second child and so desperately wanted a second one without the fertility drugs and problems. We found out later that my cancer was the cause of our beautiful daughter. Who'd have known that something so horrible could have caused something so wonderful to happen in our lives. The Burrell family and the Buescher family had a great influence on us to adopt, but we were unsure of where to adopt from. We eventually decided to adopt from China mainly because there were so many beautiful girls waiting for a family. Due to the one child law in China many girls were given up or abandoned in a public place ~ left to be found by someone that would take them to the nearest orphanage. Once we decided where, we met with Lifelink Adoption Agency in Champaign and started our paperwork. We wanted to plan our trip, so we took our time on the paperwork to plan out our wait for our daughter. Our dossier was sent to our agency on July 13, 2004, and then our Documents were sent to China (DTC) on August 9, 2004. Our Log in Date (LID) was August 17, 2004. After being logged in, we were told that it would be an 8 month wait to hear from China about our adoption. It actually was only a 6 month wait!
~On the airplane~
~Hong Kong at night~ 
We started our journey because for some reason we could not have a second child and so desperately wanted a second one without the fertility drugs and problems. We found out later that my cancer was the cause of our beautiful daughter. Who'd have known that something so horrible could have caused something so wonderful to happen in our lives. The Burrell family and the Buescher family had a great influence on us to adopt, but we were unsure of where to adopt from. We eventually decided to adopt from China mainly because there were so many beautiful girls waiting for a family. Due to the one child law in China many girls were given up or abandoned in a public place ~ left to be found by someone that would take them to the nearest orphanage. Once we decided where, we met with Lifelink Adoption Agency in Champaign and started our paperwork. We wanted to plan our trip, so we took our time on the paperwork to plan out our wait for our daughter. Our dossier was sent to our agency on July 13, 2004, and then our Documents were sent to China (DTC) on August 9, 2004. Our Log in Date (LID) was August 17, 2004. After being logged in, we were told that it would be an 8 month wait to hear from China about our adoption. It actually was only a 6 month wait!
@@@@@@@@Wright Referral@@@@@@@@
(Originally posted on: Mon. Jan 31, 2005 12:41 pm)
Steve got the call today around 11:30!!!!!!!!!
She is a precious little girl whose Chinese name is Jin. Her birthday is February 14, 2004.
That is all we know 'til the documents are translated, probably by Monday we'll know more! (Our social worker is new at this, as are we.)
Referral Translation
(Recieved on: February 3, 2005 ~ Origninally posted on: February 21, 2005)
Growth Report of JIN Yan Jiang
1. Admission: JIN Yan Jiang, female, born at about 9:00am on February 13, 2004, was found abandoned at the right side of the gate of Guiping City Land Resource Bureau on February 13, 2004 by the public who called 110 for police. The City Public Security Bureau searched her birth parents but having no result. She was then confirmed as an abandoned baby. After being approved by the City Civil Affairs Bureau, she was sent to our institute for care at 7:30pm on the same day. During admission, there was a birth note with her and the date written on it was taken as her date of birth. During admission, she was named as JIN Yan Jiang.
2. Meaning of the name:“JIN” is her surname. To memorize the place of Jintian uprising of the “Taipingtianguo”, Jintian County, Guiping City, our welfare institute put the first word “Jin” as the surname of all the children. “Yan Jiang” is used for differentiation with no special meaning.
3. Health Situation:During admission, she was 51cm in height, 3kg in weight, 32cm in head circumference and 32cm in chest measurement. She has been under excellent care of our caretakers since admission. She was healthy and normal in development. According to the medical examination of the District Entry-Exit Inspection and Quarantine Bureau, she is 64cm in height, 6.4kg in weight, 40.7cm in head circumference and 42cm in chest measurement. Also, she has passed the medical examination.
4. Intellectual Development:The physical and intellectual development of JIN Yan Jiang is normal. Her response is quick and her motor skills are coordinated. She can roll over, raise her head, crawl and take the toys, look for the source of sounds, differentiate the familiar people and strangers, babble and show happy when seeing food. If food is not given to her, she will cry and show dissatisfied. She loves listening to music. She will raise her body and shake backward when there is music. She loves sitting on the walker and moving forward with two legs. Now, she has a habit of kneeling on her crib when she wakes up and holding the rail with two hands while waiting for the adult to bring her out from the crib for activities.
5. Personality: JIN Yan Jiang is gentle and quiet. She loves listening to music and playing under the bed.
6. Living Habit:The rearing method of our institute is group care so there is a regular living routine for JIN Yan Jiang. She wakes up at 6:00am, naps at 9:00am, 12:00noon-3: 00pm and 5:00pm, and sleeps at 10:00pm with the light off. She has 5 meals per day with about 300ml per meal. She is mainly fed by formula, rice cereal and congee cooked with bones. Her meal times are 6:00am, 10:00am, 3:00pm, 6:00pm and 9:00pm. Mashed apples or bananas etc. are served in between. She has one bowel movement per day (normally in the morning) and several urination per day (at irregular times). Diaper is used. She is basin bathed for 1-2 times per day.
7. After admission, JIN Yan Jiang received immunization according to the government’s requirement for children. She received inoculation against B.C.G., Polio, Triple Vaccine and Hepatitis B etc.
Filled by: WEI, Jieqin
Sender: GAN, Dengkun
Guiping Social Welfare Institute, Guangxi
September 20, 2004
This is all we have so far! Without a date, though, of when theupdate was done.
Height: 66.5cm
Weight: 7.5 kgFoot: 11 cm
Head: 41 cm2 teeth
Favorite toy: Toys with sounds
Favorite food: Formula w. rice cereal and bone congi
We have our TA (travel announcement)! But it is all in Chinese. Weshould know specific dates to travel by the end of the week!
Christie
We have our travel dates!!!! We leave March 31st at 6:05 from Bloomington! And return on April 14th!
Travelling persons: Mr. Steven Kenneth WRIGHT
Mrs. Christie Marlene WRIGHT
Adopted Child: JIN Yan Jiang (MYAH ALEXIS JIANG WRIGHT, 2004/02/13)
Address: 62 SHORT'S DRIVE, NEOGA, ILLINOIS 62447, USA
Trip to Nanning, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region
Tentative Itinerary:
April 1, 2005
6:05 p.m.
- Arrive in Hong Kong by UA#895
- Stay at the Marco Polo Hong Kong Hotel (********)
Address: Harbour City, 3 Canton Road, Tsimshatsui, Kowloon
*********3*****
Tel: 852-2113 0088 Fax: 852-2113 0011
- Room type requested: * Double-bedded room
* Non-smoking floor * Breakfast is not covered
April 3, 05 (Sun)
7:45 a.m.
- Meet you at the hotel lobby and travel to Hong Kong Airport
- Briefing session on the way to the Airport
10:15 a.m.
-Fly to Guangzhou by China Southern Airlines CZ#302
11:05 a.m.
-Arrive at Guangzhou Airport
2:40 p.m.
-Fly to Nanning by Shenzhen Airlines ZH9580
3:40 p.m.
- Arrive at Nanning Airport
- Stay at the Mingyuan Xindu Hotel********
Add: No. 38, Xinmin Road, Nanning City, Guangxi, China
***Postal Code: 530012***********38**
Website: http://www.nn-myxd.com/
Tel: 86-771- 2118668 Fax: 86-771-2830811
- Room type requested/available:
* Double-bedded room
* Breakfast is covered
* A baby crib
April 4,05 (Mon)
A.M.
- Meet you at the hotel lobby and travel to Civil AffairsDepartment to meet Myah
AM/ PM
- Family photos taken at the hotel
April 5, 05 (Tue)
A.M.
- Meet you at the hotel lobby and travel to Civil AffairsDepartment for adoption registration
- Travel to Notary Public Office for notarization
April 6, 05 (Wed)
- Wait for notarized documents and Myah's passport
April 7, 05 (Thur)
p.m.
- Notarized documents collected by ISS staff
April 8, 05 (Fri)
p.m.
- Myah's passport collected by ISS staff
April 9, 05 (Sat)
a.m./p.m.
- Travel to Guangzhou by flight
- Stay at the White Swan Hotel, Guangzhou (*****)
Address: No. 1 Southern Street, Shamian Island,
Guangzhou,Guangdong, China (*************1*)
Tel: (86-20) 8188-6968 Fax: (86-20) 8186-1188
Website:www.white-swan-hotel.com
- Room type requested/available:
* Double-bedded room
* Non-smoking floor
* A baby crib
* Breakfast is included
April 10, 05 (Sun)
- Free time
April 11, 05 (Mon)
- Visa Medical check-up at Guangzhou Quarantine Station
April 12, 05 (Tue)
10:00a.m.
- Visa application dossiers submitted by ISS staff
Noon
- Move to Guangdong Victory Hotel (******)
Address: 53 Northern Street, Shamian Island, Guangzhou, Guangdong,
China (************53*)
Tel: (86-20) 8121-6688 Fax: (86-20) 8121-9889
Website: http://www.vhotel.com/
- Room type requested/available:
* Double-bedded room
* Non-smoking floor
* A baby crib
* Breakfast is not included
April 13, 05 (Wed)
a.m.
- Attend visa ceremony at the U.S. Consulate
3:00 p.m.
- Myah's U.S. Visa collected by ISS staff
3:20 p.m.
- Travel to Guangzhou East Train Station
4:55 p.m.
- Travel to Hong Kong by Through Train T821
6:45 p.m.
- Arrive at Hunghom Train Station, Hong Kong
- Stay at the Regal Airport Hotel (******)
Address: 9 Cheong Tat Road, Tung Chung, N.T., Hong Kong
(************9*)
Tel: 852-2286 8888 Fax: 852-2286 8686
Website: http://www.regalairport.com/
- Room type requested:
* Double-bedded room
* Non-smoking floor
* Breakfast is not covered
* A baby crib
April 14, 05 (Thu)
9:00 a.m.
We made it to Hong Kong! It is very beautiful here! With all the lights twinkling in the dark!
The flight was long, but it did seem to go by fast. We did fly with one of the other families in our group...
We need sleep after that 15 hour flight!
Christie and Steve
~On the airplane~
~Hong Kong at night~ 
Day 1
(Original post: Sat. Apr 2, 2005 12:59 am ~ 4/2/05 HK time)
(Original post: Sat. Apr 2, 2005 12:59 am ~ 4/2/05 HK time)
It was a restful night, at least for me. Steve woke up at 3:30am HK time restless. We were up and moving at 6:30. We decided to venture out of the Marco Polo Hong Kong hotel to look for a McDonalds for breakfast. With no luck, we headed back to the hotel and had a wonderful buffet breakfast. Once finished with breakfast,we had decided to go back to the room and freshen up before heading to Victoria Peak. One of our travel mates called to have us meet in the lobby. We met with the group, took some pictures, and then everyone chatted about what they were doing for the day. We and 2 other families were headed to the Peak, so we all traveled together. We had to take a ferry to Hong Kong Island. Walking to the ferry we found the McDonalds! Our hotel is actually in a territory called Kowloon which is a part of Hong Kong. Once we traveled across Victoria Harbour we rode a double decker bus to the Peak Tram. The Tram took us up to the Peak which is 1,312 feet above sea level. Up at the peak you can walk around a viewing deck and across the road is a mall. We, of course, had to shop! We decide to ride the tram again. We were going to take the bus back to the ferry, but we did not have enough coins for the bus. We decided to be adventurous and walk to the ferry. Some native teenagers asked us for a picture. Thinking we were to take their picture, but they wanted a picture with us in it!!! Weird Americans, I am sure they were thinking! It was actually pretty easy to find our way back! Once we did we hit Harbour City Shopping Mall, which is apparently the biggest mall around! We had to go to Toys R Us for Jesse! Once we get rested we may go to the Kowloon Park. Tonight we are planning to go to Hard Rock Café with some travel mates and maybe some more shopping. HK seems to be mostly shopping. It is just simply beautiful here! Hopefully I will have time to do more writing later. If not I will probably not write again until later, after we get to our next hotel. Tomorrow we have to be checked out by 11:30 am (4-2-05) to catch a flight to Guangzhou. And then on 4-4-05 we will get to meet Myah!
We send our love,
Christie and Steve
Day 2
(Original post: Sun. Apr 3, 2005 6:05 pm ~ 4/3/05 HK time)
(Original post: Sun. Apr 3, 2005 6:05 pm ~ 4/3/05 HK time)
Today we woke up extremely early, 3am. We laid around, finally got moving at 6am and went to the breakfast buffet at the hotel again. After breakfast we walked to Kowloon Park. It is a magnificent park! So clean and well kept. It had an aviary, goldfish pond, and several water fountains. Many people were exercising or doing Tai Chi or meditating. It was very peaceful! When we came back to the hotel, Steve ventured to the McDonalds down the street alone. He was solicited many times to buy a suit or a watch or even shoes. The people working try to hand you a flyer, and then try to get you to come into their store to have a suit made for you. They really "dog" you and don't like "no" for an answer. Steve brought back drinks, which are Light Coke instead of Diet Coke. It tastes very different! Too much syrup – it is funny tasting. At 11:00am we are going to check out of this hotel to fly to Nanning City to our next hotel, and then tomorrow we are able to meet Myah! We are all so excited! It is just hard to imagine that soon we will have a daughter!DAY 2, PART 2Once we checked out we met our International Social Service Worker(social worker), Echo Poon. She speaks broken English, but is very understandable. There were 3 families that had to leave earlier because they could not get a direct flight to Nanning. They were accompanied by our other social worker, Ginny. Echo took us to the airport in HK and helped us to fly to Nanning. Once in Nanning we went through all of the checkpoints. Echo was stopped by the authorities because she had so much paperwork with her. Steve, Casey (a travel mate), and I were stopped also. We were asked why we were there because they had never seen so many foreigners come at one time. Apparently we are one of the biggest groups that have come through, especially with our agency, Lifelink. Lifelink has used this area before, but never this orphanage. After the scare of Echo being stopped, we were able to board a bus to the hotel. Echo told us that if they would not let her go, they would have had 16 very unhappy people! To funny! The drive through Nanning was very disheartening. While HK is a skyscraper on any piece of flat land, Nanning is smaller buildings, still pretty tall. There were people everywhere in very poor situations! Roadside open stores, food venders, dirty areas! Oh my, I was almost in tears! It doesn't seem possible that people can live like this. I know it is all they know and grew up with, but since we know so much more it seems crazy! The bus ride was an adventure, in itself! They do not have any road signs or very many lines on the road to guide where you go! They just drive! Many times, it felt like we were going to hit someone! After we checked into the hotel with Echo's help, we met to walk to the Wal-Mart! The Wal-Mart was a 20 minute walk, in these not so nice areas! One building had a concrete wall around it with glass shards imbedded on the top, like barbwire. I assumed this building to be apartments because it had clothes hanging outside the windows. The people stared us down! They have never seen so many foreigners, apparently! We got many looks and almost caused many accidents! The Wal-Mart was also very different! In the meet section, you can find fresh turtle! Of course the food was different, but I did find Dove chocolate!!!!!!! They do not have any diet or light coke here! Only the regular stuff! We may go back tomorrow to buy formula or whatever we need after we get Myah! Even though the area around the shopping place is poor and run down, the Wal-Mart itself is three stories high, and is near a mall. We bought KFC for dinner and took it back to the hotel (which later didn't agree with me). We also were able to call Jesse! He was fine, but had a loose tooth and there was a bully picking on him! He did tell us not to forget to bring Myah home! He is such a sweetheart and I miss him so much. He did not seem to miss us much because he quickly handed the phone back to grandma! And that was another end to another day closer to getting Myah!
I love you all!
Christie
Day 3 Gotcha Day!
(Original post: Mon. Apr 4, 2005 12:49 am ~ 4/4/05 HK time)
(Original post: Mon. Apr 4, 2005 12:49 am ~ 4/4/05 HK time)
We interestingly enough didn't wake until 5am, probably due to my sickness episode at 2:30am! We have decided that it was the grease from the chicken…never thought my good dieting would cause a problem! We ate in the hotel for breakfast because it is included in the price. But let me tell you, it was interesting! Congee which is a favorite in China is usually made up of rice, milk (I think), and whatever else they want to throw in. Today it was pig's bloody meat! YUM! Shall I bring home samples??? We ate toast and eggs, and tried some of their pastries. Steve really likes the chicken sausage, which is all white and I gag watching him eat it! After breakfast we met Echo and Ginny in the lobby to head to Civil Affairs to meet Myah! When we arrived, there were babies in the next room; we just knew they were ours! They were! The officials came first to talk to us, then they were going to read the babies' names and the parents' names. Of course, we were called first! When they handed over Myah, she just bawled and bawled and bawled! She would pause and look at us and start all over again! We found out she liked to bounce and walk, but then she would look at us and bawl and bawl!!!!! Funny looking Americans! We took pictures with the Director of the orphanage. And she cried some more! The other babies were all so much more content and hardly any crying! She cried all the way back to the hotel on the bus! In the hotel, she cried! We finally changed her diaper – didn't work. We finally decided to give her a soothing bath – didn't work. We finally decided to give her some medicine because she was pulling and digging at her ears – didn't work. Steve finally sat down with her and bounced her – IT WORKED, she fell asleep and so did Steve! We'll wait to see how she is when she wakes up! She is adorable when she sleeps! That is what we used to say about Jesse with his colic too! Here we go again with baby #2! Myah is so tiny! She fits in 6/9 month clothes and doesn't seem to want to sit-up yet. We'll see how she does in a couple of days when she is more relaxed around us! The social worker stated that it will be about 2-3 days before they adjust! Keep your fingers crossed that it is less!
Day 4
(Original post: Tue Apr 5, 2005 2:53 am ~ 4/5/05 HK time)
Day 4
(Original post: Tue Apr 5, 2005 2:53 am ~ 4/5/05 HK time)
We had an adventurous night! I was sick, sick, sick! Myah found the plastic on her crib and started chewing on it! Otherwise she slept wonderfully, with the exceptions of tossing and turning. She took ½ a bottle when she woke-up, started fussing again and then fell back to sleep until I woke her to go down to eat breakfast. She ate cheerios and a teething biscuit. We had an appointment with the Civil Affairs Department again, this time to certify our adoption! The director gave Myah some really cool gifts and pictures from the orphanage. Myah did really well (meaning she did not cry much), until we had to get back on the bus and go to the notary. At the notary she cried and cried while we had to sign papers and answer more questions. I am praying that she is teething or she could have an ear infection. At least today, she doesn't look at us and cry. She just plain cries. I remember another little boy who did that! Here we go again! God must have put us together for that reason! He knew we could handle it! I could handle it better, if I wasn't sick! Yep! Still have the queasiness. Drinking tea seems to help! Steve went to Wal-Mart earlier, while I stayed with Myah to try to calm her down. We finally calmed down and fell asleep, and then she started up again for a half an hour, and then fell asleep again. Steve came back with McDonalds and some other goodies! I know I should not have eaten it, but I have lost 5lbs already and have met my weight watchers goal! If only I was in the States to get another silly sticker! Once Myah woke-up again, Steve and Myah went to the little food court to get her some Congee. We held her down, literally, and fed her! Once she got the idea that it was food, she ate and ate! Steve kept telling me that I didn't want to know what was in the Congee. I believe him too because it was gagging me! We had to give her a bath when she was done because of the messiness. She hated that bath! We dressed her and then went and talked to the social worker. Asked a few questions about Myah and talked about her crying. She basically stated that she was adjusting, but that it was good she ate the Congee. We tried to go for a walk, but I just couldn't do it with my tummy, so wonderful Steve bought a cheap stroller and rolled her away! Steve is a blessing! Keep us in your prayers! We need them!
Thanks Aunt Mel!
Myah is doing so much better!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Can you believe in just oneafternoon!!!!!!!!!! When Steve came back from the walk, she took a bottle and had a bowel movement! Seems gross, I know, but it is a big step in the right direction! She played and played all afternoon, then fell asleep for about 2 hours, then she woke-up and took another bottle!!!!!! Almost on her schedule they gave us. She loves to just sit in her crib by us and play! Who'd a guess we would have an independant child, again! We are getting there and all your prayers are working! Keep them coming! It is 9:14pm here and we will be hitting bed again by her schedule at 10pm for the entire night! Yeah! Have a good day there and we miss you all very much!
Today was rather an interesting day. We woke-up beautifully after a full night's sleep! We took some bottle but not too much. We went downstairs for breakfast. Myah threw a tiny fit because mommy forgot the Cheerios. Steve ran upstairs with her and found them. Then she was fine on my lap eating her Cheerios. We realized that the group was leaving for the Nanning Minority Museum, so we quickly pulled our things together and out the door we went. Yesterday we could not decide if we wanted to go because did not want to burden others with her screaming, but Steve decided that she should probably get out and get used to it. To bad, so sad – kind of situation. Myah actually did really well! She grumped a little, but so did the others! She and the others fell asleep around 9:30/10:00. We have all decided that the schedule that they gave us was all wrong on their naps. No way could they only have a nap from 11:00 to 12:00 every day! Myah fell asleep yesterday 2 or 3 times before bed! We all walked around the museum wondering exactly what we were looking at because it was all in Chinese and no tour guide. Our social workers were there, but did not tell us what we were looking at. We finally figured out that it was drums. I took some illegal pictures, which I will share. Then we were later directed to go outside for a little show. The show started with a song and the people sharing something to drink. Idrank it, which I will probably regret later. It turned out to be a mixture of water and white wine. YUCKY! Then we headed in a different area, an outside stage. We sat on little stools and watched them bang drums, sing, and dance. We even joined in on some of the dances! It was the traditional dress and dances for the area. It was very interesting, even though it was all in Chinese. Myah didn't like the drums, since it woke her from the nap, but she didn't do too badly. Once the show was over, we headed to the shopping mall. The mall was huge! We all headed to the baby section like a herd of cows being guided by our social workers! All of the natives stared at us and gawked at the babies, but in a nice and smiley manner. They all tried to play with Myah, but she didn't want to have anything to do with strangers. After we all finished baby shopping we headed to the McDonalds. Myah tried the fries, but didn't seem to like them. I am sure that will change later! We did get her to drink 3.4 of a bottle! Once we finished there we all herded back on the bus and headed for the hotel. Myah was grumpy when we arrived back, but it was almost time for Congee. Steve ran down to the food court, but once back Myah didn't want any. We finally got her down for a nap and she continues to sleep now! Sweet baby, especially when sleeping! I hope you all don't mind my LONG posts, but I just start writing and I want to fit it all in! So I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I am writing it!Miss you all!
{This post was from Jesse's first grade teacher ~ Mrs. Kepp ~ I cried when I read it the first time and I cried again as I posted it this time!}
Christie-
I hope you will get this. I am so excited to read your emails! I am extremely happy for you and Steve and Jesse and Myah. She is beautiful!!! As I am typing this letter Jesse is sharing his clues for the share box! Can you believe he brought a dinosaur?? He is doing great and I pulled him aside this morning and showed the picture of Myah with the note. He was very excited and said, "I love her too!"
I think he would like to say something to you: Mommy, Daddy and Myah- I love you too and I miss you. I did the share box this morning and I have been a good leader. Are you going to buy me a toy? I know you have Myah because Mrs. Kepp has shown me the pictures.
Love Jesse
It's me again. I will try and keep Jesse posted and let him email you guys often. We all miss you but we are doing fine. We can't wait for you to come home so we can met Myah. I am relieved that you are feeling better Christie. I sure this has been an exciting but trying few days. My thoughts and prayers are with all of you. Be safe and enjoy! I hope to hear from you soon.
Love,
Yesterday evening after the museum and a little nap for all three of us, we played with the other babies and went to the near by park with 2 of the other families. You had to pay $2 a piece in China dollars for the park, which is about $0.50 per person in U.S. The park was very well kept compared to the rest of the city! It even had amusement rides, which unfortunately were closed for the day. Myah loved hanging her head over the side and watching each brick go by! All the elderly ladies inspected us to make sure the babies were covered, no skin showing and no fingers in the mouth! After the park we all ate in the hotel. Steve and I had hamburgers and fries! Steve ordered a coke and the lady looked at us funny, so I said soda and actually got soda water! He finally asked another waitress for a coke and she understood. The language barrier is much more seen here than it was in Hong Kong! Today we headed out to Guiping, the city of Myah's orphanage and abandonment spot. It was worse than Nanning (the place we are staying now). Trash everywhere, people didn't seem to care! I saw one little boy, about 3 or 4 years old, pooping on the sidewalk! I was so depressed that it took all of Myah's smiles today to cheer me up! She was mommy's loving little girl today! There was a police guide or escort to each sight. I am not sure why, except that we did not know where we were going in this huge bus. We went to Myah's abandonment spot and took pictures, as we did with all the families. I held her so tight, like I just knew someone was going to steal her away. It was weird being in the area where we could have seen her parents. We also went by the orphanage, but could only take pictures outside. We were not allowed to go inside. It was unfortunately the nicest building in the alley, and that is not saying much! It broke my heart! Again I held her so tight! I guess I was thinking they would snatch her away! I know that is not true, but I could not help myself! The drive was three hours there and three hours back! Our bus driver was a miracle man, due to the situations he got us in and out of. We went down some streets or rather alleys that some people had to back up their chairs or move their umbrellas. Myah started the trip off bad, until we figured out to give her a seat of her own. Myah was all smiles with her own seat, until daddy tried to sit with her! She was my little angel today! Did I mention how wonderfully she goes to sleep at night? You turn out the lights and she is asleep! It is like magic! Yeah! And she sleeps all night! Some of the pictures are through the bus window because we did not stop much or get to walk around to take pictures….sorry if they are fuzzy, the window was dirty!
Day 7
(Original post: Fri. Apr 8, 2005 7:55 am ~ 4/8/05 HK time)
Day 7
(Original post: Fri. Apr 8, 2005 7:55 am ~ 4/8/05 HK time)
Today we had a relaxing morning getting started. We didn't have to rush anywhere. We did need to buy diapers, so we walked to Wal-mart after breakfast with the Ruffolo family. We bought a few things including my much needed DOVE dark chocolate fix! After the sweaty walk to Wal-mart we decided to walk to the park again to see new and exciting things. We did see a ton of school kids out on a school trip! They were adorable! They all wanted to practice their English with a "Hello", "Good-bye", and "Good Morning" (even though it was lunch time!). Steve made the mistake of shaking one of the little boy's hands as he said "How are you" and then Steve got clobbered with kids! All want to shake American man's hand! They all loved the babies and wanted to see them and google at them! We also took pictures of the squatty potty! Yes, you have to squat to go potty! We decided to head back to the hotel and rest a bit before we headed out again on a little sight seeing trip.
At this point Myah is being a normal average baby! Her disposition reminds me of Jesse! She is so adorable! She giggles and smiles and is just so darn cute! She is trying to walk, but hasn't quite made it yet, only 2 steps at a time. She has 2½ teeth and I am thinking more are trying to come in. She takes bottles, but won't eat from a spoon. She will take finger foods (foods you can put on your finger and give her), but not much more. We will have to change that later.
At 2:00 we met downstairs to head out on the bus again to a mountain. The mountain we did not see it, except to drive up it and then later back down it. But it was pretty narrow at times and our bus driver did an excellent job as usual! Up on top we had to walk up a short distance and then there were many places to stop. The first was a rather tall tower. We climb up 8 or 9 stories to the top, just to see out windows and take pictures! The breezes were wonderful! We found out later that it was 96 degrees! Then we went to a temple or two to light incense for wishes. It was interesting, but boy did that ash blow off and burn my hand! We did see monks performing some kind of ritual, but I am unsure what it was. Echo, our social worker, said that we can go to see a monk in Guangzhou to have the babies blessed. Once we visited all of the sight seeing spots, we headed back down and to a souvenir shop. Some of our group asked where we could purchase gifts from this area that may be special, but Echo stated that this is a minority area and has nothing special that they do or that they are all about. So we headed back to the Nanning Minority Museum gift shop. I did buy Myah one or two special things: a bell bracelet that has Chinese on it which states clever/smart and a ball that a teenage girl would throw to the guy she is in love with. I asked for a bracelet that said love or something sweet and Echo said that the Chinese are materialistic and would not have that type of bracelet. I want to try and keep the ball for Myah for a wedding present! Steve stated if we can find it when that day comes! For those of you reading this that will be at her wedding…. Remind me!
Once back at the hotel, Steve ran to Pizza Hut for dinner and Myah and I stayed behind. Echo brought Myah's passport and a newspaper from last July with Myah's finding ad in it. A finding ad is an ad that announces that these children were abandoned and will become the government's children if a biological parent doesn't come and claim their child. The same day Myah's ad is in there are 23 other kids, not all the same birthday though. It is just too sad that the biological parents have to abandon their children, but on the other hand we are so lucky to have her now!
Day 8
(Original post: Sat. Apr 9, 2005 6:04 am ~ 4/9/05 HK time)
Day 8
(Original post: Sat. Apr 9, 2005 6:04 am ~ 4/9/05 HK time)
Today we hit the road early and headed for the airport. We flew from Nanning to Guangzhou. Believe it or not, all the babies did very well on the plane! Myah did super, but then again she fell asleep before the plane took off until I had to take my seatbelt off! She did really well! The airports were hairy to get through with all of our junk and a new addition, Myah. That took all morning! We are at the White Swan Hotel and it is fancy! Granite on the floor in the room, jade statues and a waterfall in the lobby, hall servants to push the elevator button for you! Really all out and fancy! When we got settled into the room, Steve and I were antsy so we took off to hit the shops! Of course, what else would we do! Steve loves to spend money as much as I do! And besides who knows when we will ever get back here again! Myah was a hit at the shops! Two free rattles and free ladybug hair clips! They all said what beautiful skin she has. I was thinking that they like the lighter skin color, so maybe she will pass for more of a white person. Or they were saying she is beautiful, so we'll buy more. I am not sure! We did buy a bunch for her! And we'll do more later, I am sure! We walked around trying to find McDonald's without much success. We wound up in a food market area. I don't think the people liked seeing us there. Lots of shady looks, but it could have been my exhaustion too! We walked and walked and walked! Finally we found our way back to the hotel, and looked at the room service prices. Steve decided to head out again by himself, this time. We were getting grumpy (me more than Myah)! Steve just got back with McDonald's! Time to eat! Chat more later! Keep those e-mails coming! I feel like I am only a few miles away intead of thousands!
Love you all!
Christie
Saturday
(Original post: Sat. Apr 9, 2005 6:24 pm){This is an e-mail from my sister ~ Jesse was too cute!}
Saturday
(Original post: Sat. Apr 9, 2005 6:24 pm){This is an e-mail from my sister ~ Jesse was too cute!}
Howdy! Moving day #1 done. We got alot of the big stuff. Enough for mom to stay over here now. Jesse has a cough. I think it is from some drainage that he has going on. I bought some cold/cough stuff in chewables. He doesn't like them but will take them for me. Really was kind of out of it today. He helped on the little stuff. Showed off his muscles carrying an end table. It was so cute. I think he is really missing you guys today. He is use to you being here with us. But he is fine when we turn on the XBox and John and him play the 4-wheeler game. Well Mom is coming over so we can do supper. He says to tell you that he loves you and that he wants a G-gundam. He also says that he will share his Game Cube, but Myah will need to get her own GameBoy. Too cute.
Well, we will write more later.
We love you all!
Today was an interesting day, okay maybe not! Steve got the sick bug that is going around the families. A couple of others have it too! Steve wasn't going to go with us to the temple, but he said that he was feeling better. So we all loaded up on the bus to the temple to have the babies blessed. I was thinking that the temple would be far away in the country or in a remote place, boy was I wrong! It was right smack in the middle of town! Beggars were there waiting for the bus, too! Most were crippled or handicapped in some way or form. There was one "blind" man, but boy could he follow us down the street with his bowl. They do not have a fear of tapping on it and making lots of noise too! It was kind of sad, but I don't know how their government works to take care of disability pay or even the homeless that we saw under a bridge as we drove to the temple. We were discouraged from the very start not to give to any beggars, especially children. I didn't see any children, but there was one man causing traffic problems. His legs were deformed and he was sitting on a cart that looked like a mechanics cart that they roll under cars with. Well he was trying so hard to get to us from the street that a bus was having trouble getting passed him, another bus, and the car the man was next to. Our social workers guided us around him. There were three or four different temples inside the courtyard surrounded by brick walls. In the middle of it all stood another giant tower that you could walk up. The temple had lots of incense burning and people bowing to the Buddas around at the different temples. The people placed offerings of every kind at the front of the temples. They placed food, flowers, Dove candy (the best offering I saw), and even money; all for wishes of luck, fortune, and maybe even love. Our group had our babies blessed, too. The blessing was done by a monk chanting and beating on a drum. We kneeled, shoeless, in front of the alter and made our wishes. Mine was simple (a life long happy family), so I thought the chanting was a little on the long side. Myah and I (and I am sure Steve, too) got fidgety quickly! After the blessing we were given time to look around, take pictures and Steve walked to the top of the tower with Myah in-tow. Steve continued to feel better, and that was a good thing because once we were back on the bus Echo announced that we were headed to the Zoo. The zoo started out okay, but different. Not many animals, of any interest anyway. I asked Ginny, one of our social workers, if her and Echo get bored coming to the zoo all time. She answered with a giggle, "No. I have never come in this entrance before." I took that as a yes, but we don't mind. They did have a Giant Panda, but he was sleeping and all caged up. Steve seemed to get some good pictures. We walked and walked to find that silly panda, too! It would have been a better zoo for older children. It had amusement rides, a monorail, shows, and dinosaur land. Once we finished, we headed back to the bus. Steve was so glad to see the bus, but stated that it was the longest ride back to the hotel he has ever had. He was starting too look alittle green, again. Steve literally ran up to the room, poor thing! After an hour we had to take laundry to a small shop down the street, the hotel is too pricey, and we had to exchange money. At the bank a guard helped Steve find the right forms, and played with Myah. He said she was beautiful and played and played with her. I think some one could have robbed the bank twice while he was playing around. I didn't really like how rough he played with her, but I didn't want to insult him and say "Leave my baby alone –PLEASE". So, I gritted my teeth and we got out of there as quickly as we could. Next time, I will stay outside with Myah! He meant well, as do all of the people here. BUT, I am her mommy now and on the protective side! She's my little girl that I have to protect! While Steve tried to sleep, Myah and I played on the bed. Poor Steve! We giggled and laughed and tickled and giggled and laughed and fell asleep. All are napping and soon it is time for dinner. I doubt Steve will be up for that. Myah and I will have to fend for ourselves, somehow......if she wakes up......have a good day there!
Day 10
(Original post: Mon. Apr 11, 2005 7:32 am ~ 4/11/05 HK time)
Day 10
(Original post: Mon. Apr 11, 2005 7:32 am ~ 4/11/05 HK time)
To start off, Steve is feeling better. Not a 100% yet, but much better! We started off early (7:45am) because we had to take Myah to the medical clinic for a check-up for the adoption. It was a mad house in there with all the adoptive parents! We apparently were not the only group there this morning! The doctors were nice enough, but it was all very primitive. For the hearing check, they squeaked a duck and rattled a tambourine. One held on each side of her face to see if she would look toward the sound. Well, of course she is going to look, the lady did it right in front of her face, not behind her back or nothing. Myah did have a fit when the doctor tried to listen to her heart. Dr. Snowden is going to have his work cut out for him when we get home! After the medical check we did breakfast before we did pictures as a group. Most changed their babies in cute little outfits. I had to follow suit and do the same. The one I wanted her to wear was too big, so I put her in her pink dress that we got her for her first church day. It was cute, but a fight to get it all fastened up. We took all kinds of photos and had one "professional" person take one. We'll see how that turns out! We also took pictures on the famous red couch. Apparently every adoptive family that comes through the White Swan Hotel has to have a picture take on the famous red couch. When we arrived here, Steve and I were confused because there are numerous red couches. We could not figure out which one was the famous one, but we just picked an empty one and took pictures. They are all famous, I guess. After a much needed nap, we set out for the Jade Market with the group. We walked through other markets too, most of the markets looked the same. One sold centipedes for medicine making, another sold scorpions for making soup, another sold animals – we weren't sure if it was for food or pets. We also saw a place were they were selling pet supplies, so we hope those little kittens and puppies and even turtles were safe from being eaten. At the Jade Market, it was store after store of jade jewelry or nuggets or whatever you wanted. We didn't buy much in the way of jade. That can be expensive here. We also went to the Pearl Market. That was cheaper! Unbelievably cheap ($5 US for a necklace)! It was store after store of pearls too. Echo helped us barter with one shop owner which was fabulous because we didn't know what we were getting into, he didn't speak English! I never realized this but Echo and Ginny can speak at least three different languages! How awesome! We roamed around the mall area too. Very interesting shops, much like ours. They had an indoor mall of shop after shop and an outdoor mall of shop after shop. They also have KFC, three McDonalds, and a Pizza Hut – where we ate the American Special, which is cheese and pepperoni. After seeing the food market, I would have to say that is REAL chicken they have at these KFCs! Tomorrow we head to a children's clothing mall where apparently we can find name brands for really cheap too. Oh, and we don't have to move hotels! Echo was able to keep our rooms for one more night. So, now we don't have to pack up for one night and change hotels! We were all very thankful for this! Make sure that you check out the photos too! Steve is pretty good with a camera!
3 more days!
Can't wait til we get home!
Today we were supposed to actually move to the other hotel, but since we did not have to we found a wholesale kid's clothes market. A small group of us took a van to the market. The market was interesting in the fact that it was store after store, again. Most of the shops would only sell in bulk, but we found a shoe store that would sell only one pair, so we bought a few pair of squeaky shoes. Squeaky shoes have a tiny squeaker in them that make them squeak when the child walks, and it can be removed when you do not want it to make such a loud noise. Apparently, the squeaky shoes help them learn how to walk because they like to make the noise. We did not take many pictures today, though. After the wholesale market, a few wanted to go to the pearl market that missed it yesterday. Steve, Myah, and I tagged along. It was fun to help the others bargain on their pearls. To bargain, the seller puts a price on the calculator and then you counter act with another price on the calculator until you reach a price you can agree on. The deals were not as good as yesterday, but he saw us coming today! We did a nap when we came back to the hotel, and then more souvenir shopping. I have been unable to find anything for Jesse's class or my students. There is nothing small and cheap to bring 40 kids! I guess they will have to go without. We tried every store we could! After a long day of shopping we ordered a pizza, and remembered we forgot to get diapers. After we eat we will have to venture out again! Tomorrow will be more of an exciting day! Tomorrow we have to go to the US Consulate for a ceremony and presentation of her passport and visa. There will be no picture taking since it is against the rules, but I'll be sure to write about it!
Myah
(Original post: Wed. Apr 13, 2005 11:17 am)
Myah
(Original post: Wed. Apr 13, 2005 11:17 am)
{This post was from Jesse's first grade teacher ~ Mrs. Kepp}
Steve, Christie and Myah,I am so excited that everything is going well for all of you! The pictures are beautiful and so is Myah. I show all the pictures to Jesse often and he always says "Oh I just LOVE Myah!" He is doing great and is ready to meet you at the airport. I believe he is feeling better, his nose is still running some but I think it is just a spring cold. The weather here has been nice and sunny and warm until 2 days ago and then it has turned rainy and colder. He did a great job on his pretest today. Christie, if you would like to come to multi-cultural day it is all day long. You might find a time that works well for you and Myah. We will be at the elementary building in the morning and the middle school during the afternoon. I will be presenting on China in the morning and the afternoon we visit a story teller and look at exhibits. Just let me know and if you and Myah are too tired we would understand. We have a lot of time in the school year for visits. Steve's dad came in this morning to look at all the pictures. We wanted to share them on Friday of the Spring Sing but things were kinda hectic so he came in this morning. He said he can not wait to get his hands on her. He sure acted like a proud grandpa!! I wish you well on your travels home and I can't wait til we meet that sweet baby girl!Love,
Today (4/13/05) we went to the U.S. Consulate here in Guangzhou. We were not allowed to take anything with us! We had to go through metal detectors and security! Once we arrived there we had to be matched up with our child by having someone look at us and our pictures to make sure we all matched up. Then an official looking African American lady (I didn't catch her name or title) came in and had us swear that we would take care of the child and never abandon her. We all said "I will" and then we left the building. It was very short and sweet! After we finished there we had to head back to the hotel and pack for our train ride to Hong Kong. We had bought a suitcase here in Guangzhou because we had bought a lot of souvenirs for Myah and us. We closed it up and tried to pick it up, but oops! The handle popped off, so we tried the other handle. And low and behold, it popped off too! Good thing it had wheels! We had to use the handle for the wheels to pick it up! Steve then decided to try and compress it a little by zipping up the expansion. Wouldn't you know it that zipper broke. Steve was still able to close it up, though. We finished early and sat around watching television, and played with Myah. We headed downstairs at 2:30 for the buses to take us to the train station. Once there we had to go through all the security checks and such to go back to Hong Kong. We just prayed that no one would need or want to open the suitcase. We were afraid that it might fall apart on us! Myah did not like the train ride. She squirmed a bunch and wanted to just get where we were going! It was around 6pm when we arrived in Hong Kong. Once there, again, we had to go through all the security stuff. We all hopped on a bus and headed to the Regal Airport Hotel. The hotel was attached to the airport. This made it nice to walk to McDonalds, since it was raining! We ate our McDonalds and it was time for bed! Unfortunately, we did not have a room with internet access so I could not e-mail anyone. But that was okay because it was only 9pm and we were exhausted!
Day 13
(Original post: Fri. Apr 14, 2005 ----- typed after we were home)
Day 13
(Original post: Fri. Apr 14, 2005 ----- typed after we were home)
We set off for home at 7am! We were at the airport and ready to get going! This was good because we could not figure out the airport for the life of us, even with the little map! We had to go through all the security again. And again we were worried about our suitcase falling apart! We made it to the gate to wait for our plane and Steve hunted down some soda. We skipped breakfast! The first flight was not too bad. It was 6 hours and Myah had her own seat, but then sleepiness set in! She screamed her little head off because she could not get comfortable! A lady behind us stood up to look at us to see if we were beating our child. But we were not and Myah finally fell asleep. We then arrived in Tokyo, Japan for our first layover. It was a quick layover of 3 hours. We sat with 2 other parents in our group and let the girls play. Once on the next flight of 10 hours to Chicago, Myah again had her own seat and didn't do too bad until she became tired again. She was squirmy and could not get comfortable. We fed her Cheerios, we gave her a bottle, and we tried everything to get her to relax. She finally fell asleep for a short period, then woke up again later. She wanted to play, but trying to get her to play quietly or calmly was not fun! She was rambunctious. I finally got up with her and stood at the back of the plane (about 3 rows behind us) and rocked her. Unfortunately, there were other people back there that wanted to cheer her up by playing peek-a-boo. Now trying to get a baby to sleep while others were keeping her awake was a challenge! I went back and sat down again, but she just wanted to play. We squirmed some more, stood and rocked some more, others played some more, we sat again, we patted her back and finally fell asleep! Steve and I tried to sleep, but couldn't really get any good sleep. They were playing some good movies, so I watched the movies and relaxed until she woke-up again. When it was time to depart, we had to get the stroller as we always did. But this time we had to wait and wait and wait and finally we had to get it ourselves! Crazy! Only in Chicago! We had to go through customs this time, so we hurried went through passport checks and immigration for Myah – she became a U.S. citizen when she came into the country with her adoptive parents! Then we found our luggage and went toward customs. I thought it would be a big deal, but it was not! They told us to leave our bags and head on to our connecting flight. So we did! We had to take the tram to our terminal which was confusing for us small town folks! We found our gate and sat. Steve found the McDonalds and we had a snack before boarding the airplane to Bloomington. Myah loved the french fries. We boarded the plane with 2 other families from our group. Myah did not like the flight this time, at all! She cried her little eyes out! Finally she fell asleep as we were getting close to landing. And naturally I had to wake her when we got off the plane. Once we got off the plane, I saw Jesse, Melissa, and Mom. I started to cry at the sight of Jesse! He had grown so much and I was so happy to be home and to see him! We were exhausted, but we finally made it home! Well, almost. We took pictures and chatted with Mom, Melissa and Jesse. Jesse held Myah in his lap for the very first time, and I was in tears again! We are finally a family of four! We had dinner with Melissa and Mom, then Jesse, Myah, Steve and I drove home to Neoga. Once there Jesse hit bed and we did some unpacking. It was unreal that we were home together safe and sound, and ready for a REAL bed. Myah fell asleep with no problems as we seem to die in bed. We were home!
We have fully adjusted to the time change and caught up with the jet lag. Myah is still a doll, but gets cranky when tired or her teeth are bothering her. Myah has had her first doctor's appointment with Dr. Snowden. Dr.Snowden stated that overall she looks good, but she needs to gain some weight to catch up with her height. Her hemoglobin was low, so he prescribed iron for her to take. The nurse also tested for lead poisoning and gave her two immunizations. The doctor liked that China gave her all the others, but wondered about why they gave so many Polio shots. She is adjusting to all the sights and sounds that she is exposed to, and of course she is getting used to Wal-Mart. She had her first church service, too, which she slept through. She warmed up to people real nicely. She gets such a curious look on her face. If we could only know what she was thinking, when staring at people and things! She does have more of a problem with elderly people, grass, wiping her face, baths, and she is not sure about the dog and cat yet. She loves people with brunette hair, glasses, and of course her mommy! She is eating table food and drinks whole milk from a sippy cup. It is amazing how much her curiosity is growing and it will be interesting to watch it grow more too. I can't wait to see her this summer exploring outdoors and learning more new things! Stay with us...
Check-out our family blog... http://thewrights4.blogspot.com/
Christie
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