Debra-Roy-Anna-Grace

Grace is walking

2009-03-21T06:48:00.000-07:00

Grace started walking on her own on Monday. It was only 4 steps, but
by Friday she was walking all the way across the room. My first 2
weeks back to teaching was smooth. The students were even glad to see
me which made it extra fun for me. Now Anna and I are on a 2 week
spring break and all of us will leave to visit family in Tennessee next
weekend. Anna is already missing her teacher, and it has only been one
day of spring break. She loves school and her teacher so much this
year!! Roy is still doing well - actually right now Roy and Anna are
out for their special time at breakfast and the library.
Love, Debra:)

Grace is 1 year old

2009-02-24T06:22:00.000-08:00

It has been almost 2 months since I have added to the blog. Things have been very busy but I have also been avoiding writing about our story. Roy has been in the hospital twice this year with an episode of major depression. He has had depressive episodes before, but it has been so long ago that it was before he and I met. There was not an obvious trigger for this depression, but it did start with the insominia from the China trip. Roy has been home from the hospital since February 12th and within a few days was doing remarkably better. This is his second week working full time, and he even has energy to help out at home in the evenings. Believe me , I was needing some help with the girls.

Since I have written, we had our Baby Grace turn one year old on February 9th. She is doing great with activity and her sleep has improved too with 2 nights this week where we all slept through the night. She is not walkinng yet, but she loves to stand with her hands up showing me that she has her balance. Then she giggles because she is so proud of herself. As soon as she decides to walk, which could be any day, our lives will change again. How FUN! Grace has not gained any weight (just under 20 lbs) since we adopted her so I am always trying to push the food. The doctor is not concerned, but I know she needs to start gaining soon. She doesn't throw up anymore after eating, but that stopped before we saw 2009.

Anna still loves being having a little sister! They are so cute playing together!!! I have found some of Anna's behavior challenging so Anna went back to counseling last week. Also this week Roy and I are meeting with her counselor to get some ideas in how to improve our parenting to best help Anna deal with her anxiety. Anna has had a lot of changes with a new sister and Daddy being sick so we do want to understand her and support her the best we can. Anna has no behavior problems at school so I know it is directed at me and her wanting more of my attention.

Next week is my last week of Family Leave time, and I am a little nervious about how I will handle one more thing in my schedule when I return to teaching. I only work mornings and do love teaching so I know it will work out with a little adjusting. We have someone coming to the home to watch Grace for the mornings so I don't have to add another drop off during the busy morning time which will help. I work for 2 weeks and then have a 2 week spring break. Then I work another 7 weeks, and it is summer time. That doesn't sound bad so why am I concerned? Another change I guess is why.

Here are some pictures of Grace and Anna. I need to show off my cuties and my now one year old.
Debra

Saying Goodbye to 2008

2008-12-31T05:19:00.000-08:00

Grace has not lost a bottle in over a week now, and we are so glad the tummy issues are behind us. She still has a strong gag reflex so we try to be careful. This morning Grace ate 3 Cherrios before gaging on the fourth. She is learning how to move the Cherrio in her mouth with her tongue. Grace is not scared of our cat any more. Jasmine, the cat, is so good with the girls!! Roy has had problems with insominia since Christmas Eve and is now seeing a little improvement the last couple of nights. It is hard for him to function on no or little sleep but he still plays with the girls and does what he can. Even though we will be celebrating the New Year it will not be at midnight. Last night we were in bed at 8pm and that is the latest we have stayed up since returning from China as we have almost adjusted to the time change. Tonight we may party until 8:30 or 9pm. Happy 2009 to everyone!

Christmas day pictures

2008-12-27T13:55:00.000-08:00

>
> We spent about 6 hours on Christmas day in Noblesville with 16 family
> members gathered. Grace did pretty well being passed around, and
> Grammy was proud that Grace feel asleep on her. It was a good
> Christmas!!
>

Christmas Letter 2008

2008-12-24T19:38:00.001-08:00

Today I Kissed an Angel
today I kissed an angel I knew it from the start
the first time my angel smiled at me I gave away my heart
today I kissed an angel this angel child of mine
though not of my creation my child by God's design
today I kissed an angel my heart is dancing wild,
a family by a miracle blessed by this angel child.
-Unknown

2008 has been the best year ever since we became a family of four! We kissed our angel Grace on December 8th and returned from China on December 18th with great joy and some jet lag. There is no better gift than another beautiful child in our family during this Christmas season. In China, Anna loved climbing the Great Wall and was a natural big sister at caring for Grace. At church on Sunday, Anna was the proudest I have ever seen her as she held her baby sister tight. Roy and Anna will go back to Eli Lilly and Park Tudor School on January 5th, but right now the four of us are enjoying each other. I am taking three months family leave time with Grace, who after about a half hour of screaming when she met us has claimed us as her family with her love. Thank you for your support and friendship through our adoption process. We know we are blessed with our family and friends!
With Love, Gratitude, and Peace,
Debra, Roy, Anna, Grace (and Kitty Jasmine that Grace is not so sure about yet)

Christmas Eve

2008-12-24T19:17:00.000-08:00

A couple of hours after I posted yesterday, Grace vomited but only about a fourth of the bottle so it is still getting much better. Today was the first day that we decided to wake Grace up from her morning and afternoon naps after 1.5 hours of sleeping to try to get her on our time zone. Last night from 9 pm to 10 am, Grace only slept a total of 2 hours. I took a long nap this afternoon trying to make up for working the "night shift" as Roy calls it. Anna is starting to do better with the time change. Christmas will be such a busy day with family in Noblesville (only a half hour drive) that it will be good for the time change or a total melt down. Grace had a bath in the kitchen sink today, and I posted picture of it. Grace is crying so I am done writing for the night.

Doctor visit went well for Grace

2008-12-23T13:40:00.000-08:00

Grace's doctor visit went well. (Thanks for asking Cathy.) He is not so concerned with her loosing a bottle since she is hydrated and feeling well. He thinks it will improve with age (by 12 months). I am thrilled that we have gone 48 hours without vomiting a bottle so I think things look better already. Maybe her stress level is decreasing a little. Grace loved the waiting room of the doctor's office because there were lots of kids to watch. The doctor was also wandering if a laser had been taken to her 2 haemangiomia spots because they are indented, especially the one on her lower back and to a lesser degree on the bottom of her foot. He is not concerned about anything and said she looked on target developmentally for a 10-month old. We are still struggling with jet lag, but thank goodness that is the only problem going on here. Only 2 days to Christmas and Anna is getting excited. Tonight we are going to wrap a few presents for cousins. We will spend Christmas day in Noblesville at my sister's house (Angela) with my parents and Bonita's family (other sister). Anna and Grace will have 5 cousins to play with ranging in age from 21 to 5 years old. Anna wishes it was all 10 of her cousins so we will have to see the Tamura cousins again soon so she can show off her baby sister. The pictures are the cousins, Alexis and Olivia, visiting on Saturday. We have not been taking many pictures since home so I will have to get the camera out on Christmas day. Grace has been smiling more and pulling herself up to furniture. I think she is getting more comfort and stronger everyday.

Hoping for a better night

2008-12-20T20:09:00.000-08:00

Last night was a bad one at our house. It was 6:30 am until I had my first sleep for the night. Unfortunately, Anna is having lots of trouble with the time change adjustment. Grace takes about 3 naps a day and sleeps a few hours at night if she is not throwing up in her bed. Grace has been throwing up at least a couple times a day which I think is gag reflex and having a cough. I started making her bottles a little thicker to see if that would help since I am wondering if she is getting liquid in her lungs. I am not trying foods other than congee (rice porridge) because she has such trouble with gagging. Sometimes she will throw up immediately after a bottle, but it can be a half hour or two or three hours after a bottle when she throws up. I have an appointment with Grace's doctor on Monday so it will be good to brainstorm with him and hear his ideas. Grace is pretty good natured even though a couple more teeth are cutting since leaving China. She definitely wants to me held lots so that is what I am getting done here. We are thinking of going to church tomorrow if we have a decent night, but we will see how we feel in the morning.

We are home!!

2008-12-19T20:14:00.000-08:00

There were no flight problems coming home, actually all our flights were on time. I am glad we came home on yesterday since Detroit had 8 inches of snow today. One day would have made it a lot more difficult with the news reporting that about 1000 flights were cancelled today due to bad weather. It was fun to be welcomed at the airport by Bonita, Angela's family, and Paster Lori. Anna loved the signs at the airport so much that we let have her wish of being in charge of the signs here at the house. My parents came over today for a short visit since going to the airport at night would be too hard on Dad.
my mom was able to hold Grace without any crying (from Grace) which is better than she did for other family members at the airport. Anna is still not asleep, and I hear her coming down the stairs. I let her sit with me for a few minutes. Now Grace is awake because she threw up in bed. Grace has a cold and the coughing causes her to throw up easily. I think I better go-I will post more tomorrow.

Tuesday - last post from China

2008-12-16T18:08:00.000-08:00

All the paperwork went smooth and is complete at the US Consulate. Tomorrow we have the "oath ceremony" where we will have no pictures because we are not allowed to even bring a camera in the building. This morning we played in the "Swan Room" which is a baby play area in the White Swan Hotel with many babies from our group. Anna received lots of attention playing ball and chase with me and other adults from our FTIA group as Grace finished her half hour morning nap. After waking Grace liked playing ball and playing with the small kitchen. Anna and I did a little shopping, just the two of us, in the afternoon. Last night, the three families with Yangxi babies from Guangdong Providence tried a little local restaurant that Margie found. The food was great and atmosphere even better.

Roy started packing dirty clothes today, and we are excited about only one more day until traveling home, Roy wasn't feeling so well today- he said he had really low energy but was a trooper joining us on outings. He doesn;t think he is getting sick, maybe it is just the jet lag catching up with him. This will be our last post until we are home. We fly out early Thursday morning (Wed evening Indy time) starting at Guangzhou to Tokyo to Detroit to Indianapolis. For those meeting us at the airport, it is Northwest Airlines landing at 6:33pm from Detroit. Thanks for all the support we have received!!!!

2008-12-14T23:03:00.000-08:00

The girls are both down for a nap and Roy is exercising so I thought it was a good time for me to organize pictures and start a blog post for tonight. So far we have taken about 600 pictures and that is after deleting lots of the "nothing" pictures Anna has taken just for the entertainment of taking pictures. The tour this morning was two places we went to 4 years ago with Anna. The Temple and the Folk Art Museum are very pretty and very old China. We were out for only 3 hours but it always seems longer with the girls. At 5 pm today we are going to take the Red Couch picture with the babies and a group picture too. When Roy returns from working out I would like to see if Roy and I can get some Chinese shirts for the pictures since I already got matching outfits for the girls. We are thinking of ordering Papa John's pizza tonight (yes Papa John's is here in China) since pictures may take a lot out of the girls. Tomorrow the passports and visa will be picked up at the US Consulate by our guide, Helen; but she wants us around the room at noon in case she needs to call us with any paperwork problems. Hopefully all will go smooth. Wednesday, we go to the US Consulate for an "Oath Ceremony" where we promise to love and never abandon or abuse Grace. Then pack on Wednesday night to fly out very early on Thursday morning. Yes the countdown for home is here!!

2008-12-14T04:35:00.000-08:00

Anna is trying to teach Grace to walk in some of the pictures; they mainly play. Grace can now say mama, can make kisses, and cut a new tooth on the bottom today. Her mouth looks like she could be getting lots more teeth soon. Anna and I had a foot and back massage today as our special outing together - my choice, of course. We also went to the park both in the morning and afternoon, which is Anna favorite. This evening we decided to eat Chinese in the hotel. It is a 5 star restaurant, and the food and live music were fantastic. I was glad we didn't have any break-downs in the restaurant. Both girls fell asleep at the end of the meal. Grace woke up when I put on her PJ's and is still awake, but Anna only woke to brush her teeth then went to sleep for the night at only 7:30pm. I think it was the massage that must have relaxed Anna or maybe all the playing at the park. Tomorrow we start touring at 9:30am which should be a good day.

Great Birthday for Mommy

2008-12-13T11:41:00.000-08:00

Saturday morning, Ann talked in a very grown-up way about her emotions. She told me that she has a million different emotions all at the same time where sometimes is doesn't like Grace and Mommy and sometimes she loves us. I let her talk and know that this is all normal. I was so proud of Anna for being able to express herself so well. Anna still has always been gentle and kind with Grace even if the other emotions are present.

Today was the first day Grace showed up that she could stand up in her crib on her own as Anna and her played in the crib together. It is also the first day we got BIG laughs from Grace when we blew air/raspberries on her tummy.

I had a great birthday celebration! The White Swan Hotel brought a cake up to the room with a red rose since our coordinator told the hotel it was my birthday. This evening the 6 families went to dinner together, and it was fun to hear how the 3 families from the other providence were doing now that we are all at the White Swan Hotel to finish the paperwork. I included pictures of the other 3 families at the hotel breakfast this morning.

We are doing well and tomorrow is a free day with no paperwork or tours.

Early Saturday morning

2008-12-12T13:05:00.000-08:00

I am the only one up at 5am and feel very refreshed since neither of the girls had me up in the night. I had a solid 7 hours of sleep in one stretch - WONDERFUL!!

Here is a little more information about yesterday. Anna loves her little sister and is gentle and attentive with caring for her. However, Anna is having trouble seeing Mommy giving so much attention to Grace (normal behavior in this situation), and I feel the brunt of that with poor behavior. Anna started breaking out in a little hives yesterday, and I know it is just stress from the changes. She ate nothing new that day for breakfast or lunch so I don't think it is an allergic reaction to food. I gave her some Benedryl and try to give her lots of attention. Anna has never had hives before so I know she is having a tough time. Patience, patience on my part is easier with some sleep so I think it will be a better day.

The other 2 families are doing well. (Thanks for asking Millie.) Ella is eating better and giggles in the van sometimes. Katie has the biggest smile and laughs so loud. Just yesterday is the first time we have been able to get Grace to laugh at all. Grace is a happy baby and likes to play by babbling and clapping her hands, but it was nice to hear a giggle too. Every day she is opening up a little more. Grace seem to enjoy going out and seeing new things. Every tour we have taken she is very curious and has perfect behavior. (Only moms may want to read this next part...) Poopies improved yesterday for Grace. Grace's BM's had been so hard that it hurt her so much, but with more juice and a "baby tea Chinese remedey" Grace is doing much better as of last night.

Today is my birthday. I have the best gift in the world, my family is complete!

Friday - Yun Tai Garden Tour

2008-12-12T05:29:00.000-08:00

Today we went on a tour of the Yun Tai Garden which is a nice walk and
beautiful. This afternoon we all took a short nap and stayed in the
hotel most of the afternoon. This evening we went to dinner in a
restaurant that is a railroad car and Anna had a very fancy chocolate
milk. I think she liked the milk better than the meal. Grace loves
her congee, and I took lots of pictures of her eating today.

Thursday was full of new things...

2008-12-11T04:55:00.000-08:00

Thursday was full of new things...

Today we started with giving Grace her first bath in a hotel, and Anna
was the helper as always. Grace enjoyed the bath by clapping her
hands, and after Anna showed her several times how to splash the water
she got brave enough to splash the water a little. We spent almost 3
hours out and about on a shopping tour of downtown this morning and
purchasing a tea set, pearls, DVD's, and some traditional dress for
the girls. Near the end of shopping, we noticed that Grace had a new
tooth since yesterday. It either broke through in the night or this
morning. We did notice some drooling this morning and were glad we
gave her some Tylenol for the discomfort before we went shopping. Now,
Grace has one tooth on the bottom and both of her top front teeth.

This afternoon Anna and I had a special lunch date at Lucy's (American
food) as Daddy stayed home for Grace's nap. Even though Anna is great
with Grace, she is missing my full attention which is causing some
normal jealousy. Another new thing was the pool at the White Swan
Hotel. It was the warmest day at 79 degrees so we decided that if we
were to go to the outside pool it would be today. Anna has been
begging since we arrived here in Guangzhou to visit the pool. The
outside pool is not heated and the water was a cold 62 degrees. Anna
was still in and out of the pool for a half and hour or so.

After such a busy day we should have been smart enough to know
carry-out would be better for dinner than going to a restaurant. Well,
we were not that smart as we walked across the street for Chinese food.
In our defense, we did carry-out last night and this was a close
restaurant that we went to during our last visit. Before the food
came, it was our first time with both kids having a major break down at
the same time in a public place. Fortunately, there was only one other
family in the restaurant at the time, and they also had an adopted
girl. Things did settle down and the food was good. The girls were
both asleep before 8pm, and I need to go to bed soon because it will be
another early morning without a doubt. Today started at 4:30 am for
Anna, and Grace slept in to 5:45. Oh, what will tomorrow bring? Maybe
less new things is a good idea!!

Pictures and more pictures...

2008-12-10T06:10:00.000-08:00

Anna has played a couple days in the local park and has made friends with several local Chinese children. Grace has had diaper changes by Anna even if it is a little different than being changed by the Nanny pros. Anna was the photographer at the Medical Clinic and did a great job. Grace had to do the harder work of being examined, but she calmed down nicely after a scream or two about the ear check. Grace weighted 20.2 lbs and was 28.5 inches long. I wonder if the weight is right since at the update from her orphange at 8.5 months we weighted 17.6lbs.

It is fun to see the three girls in our group start to interact. They definitely know each other from the orphanage. I posted a couple pictures of the other 2 families we are with right now. Margie and Bruce's little girl, Ella, has been sick and is still not eating or drinking much, even though her fever has lifted. April and Dan's girl, Katie, doesn't like to eat right now- maybe the shock of everything. Our Grace eats well, but she lost a lot of her bottle after falling asleep in the crib tonight when she was coughing. Grace has a strong gag reflex so we have to be careful. Grace is becoming even more playful and will crawl over to me and put her arms up to be held. She likes to be held by all three of us - but I am the favorite right now. Lucky me! Grace especially likes Anna to read her books, talk back and forth with her, and to blow raspberries. Our family is bonding and loving each all day long. We finished most of the paperwork we needed to do today so now we wait for things to process as we do some sightseeing. It was just a week ago that we left for China and our lives have been changed forever. One more week and we are home!!

Pictures and more pictures...

Day 2: Grace is calm and playful

2008-12-09T06:24:00.001-08:00

The first picture is Anna sleeping on the floor next to her new sister. Grace slept 10 straight hours last night. Oh, I hope that continues!!! We are having so much fun playing with our new baby! She babbles lots and loves to have her clothes off to crawl around. Anna is the big helper who likes to hold and play with Grace. Anna still needs to be held too as Mommy is giving the new baby lots of attention. We are having fun!! Grace gags easily which we found out with 4 big spit-ups so far. The one tonight was at a Thai Restaurant when she emtied her stomache after having a full bottle. She does not like new textures so we won't try any crakers or cherrios for a while. Today we had to return to the Civil Affaris Office to do interviews, passport photos, notary, etc. The paperwork is going smoother and faster than when we were in Chongqing almost 4.5 years ago adopting Anna. Then we spent time shopping in a dept. store for baby things. We purchased some interesting snack food, which we will find out when we try it what it is exactly since we don't read Chinese. Tomorrow we see have the medical exam.

Grace is Here!!!

2008-12-08T03:14:00.000-08:00

The pictures of Gotcha Day are in the reverse order so look at the end to see the beginning of the story. You can see things ended peacefully and Grace is sleeping in her crib. Grace was a screamer for the first 20 minutes, and then fell asleep on us because she had no nap today. There were 15-20 babies in the Civil Affairs Office meeting their parents for the first time and our baby won the prize for the loudest. She would stop crying for about 10 seconds to study our face and then start the scream again. She is sitting up very well, crawling, clapping when Anna sings to her, and eating congee (rice paste soup). She has one tooth on the top and one on the bottom that look like they have just broken though in the past few days. Anna is a wonderful BIG sister and even helped change her first diaper. Tonight Anna had put a blanket down to sleep on the floor right by Grace's crib. We are in love all over again and couldn't be happier!!! Our family is now complete with a little more paperwork to do during the next few days. She is so CUTE!!!!! Thank you God for our precious Grace and, thanks to family and friends for your support.

Travel day to Guangzhou

2008-12-07T12:53:00.000-08:00

Yesterday was our travel day from Beijing (north and cold 20's-30's F) to Guangzhou (south and warm 66 F). Anna was very excited all day and by the end of the day we were all tired and cranky. We like the White Swam Hotel in Guangzhou and did a walking tour to remind us where things are located. We were so tired that we fell asleep fast last night. It is now Monday at 5 am, and we have been awake for a couple of hours here. Anna would not go back to sleep after waking in the night so I hoping for naps before we get Grace at 2pm today. A nap not just for Anna but for me too. I will post a few travel pictures - some Anna took on the plane. I am unpacked and ready to meet Grace. Today our family will be complete!

Saturday night in Beijing

2008-12-06T03:30:00.000-08:00

We had a great time touring today in Beijing. Anna was most excited to see and climb the Great Wall of China!! Anna won in our family getting to the top first, and we had to keep asking her to slow down so we could stay as a group. Coming down was a little slower for her, but she was a trooper even having to slide down on her behind on a several of the BIG steps. She kept asking me, "Is it really true that we are in China?" She just wanted to hear me say, "Yes, we are really here in China!" Our group of 6 families had a Chinese family style lunch, and I included the fish that Anna had many questions about since it is served a little differently in China.

The Summer Palace was another long walk this afternoon, and Anna kept up with the group which is impressive since she is the only child with 14 adults. Actually, she was the only one playing games when we would stop for a short break. She is getting lots of attention and loving every minute of it.

Our FTIA coordinator (tour guide), Catherine, is the same person that we had 4.5 years ago when we adopted Anna. She remembered us and even that we received Anna in Chongqing. Catherine keeps commenting that Anna sure is a happy little girl. We are all having a great time, but Anna most of all!!

Flight delays but in China at last

2008-12-05T03:24:00.000-08:00

Our flight from Detroit to Toyko was delayed 3 hours because repairs had to be made to one of the engines on the plane. We were all on board, and they kept us on board trying to save the time of reboarding everyone. This meant we were on this plane for over 16 hours and landed the same time our next flight was taking off. We were with 3 of the other families adopting and all had to spend Thursday night in Tokyo. After being on flights all day+ the bed felt extra comfortable in Tokyo, and we arrived at our Biejing Hotel about 4 pm on Friday. We had an hour at the hotel and then went to the acrobatics show tonight. The show was wonderful, but Anna got scared with the intense music so I took her out in the lobby for a few minutes. Anna was so tired she ended up sleeping during most of the show and is asleep in bed even though it is only 7pm here. I think it will be dinner in tonight - peanut butter crackers. Tomorrow we tour from 8:30am- 5:30pm so it will be a full day at the Great Wall, the Summer Palace, and seeing the location of the summer Olympics.

Anna was so excited when we did finally arrive in Biejing that she had trouble walking straight - she only wanted to dance in circles and celebrate. We are all doing well and are counting down until Monday to see Grace.

Leave tomorrow for China!

2008-12-02T11:24:00.001-08:00

We leave the house at 7:30 am tomorrow for the airport- which is about our normal time to leave the house in the morning so that is nice. We fly from Indy to Detroit to Toyko to Biejing. I think it is about 23 hours from airport in Indy to airport in Biejing. It sounds worse when I say that we leave at 10 am on Wednesday but don't get to Biejing until 9:40 pm the next day. It is the time change of adding 13 hours that makes it so long. It will probably seem like 2 days on the flight. We are almost there to hold you, Baby Grace!!

Thanksgiving Celebration Ending

2008-11-29T06:32:00.000-08:00

We are leaving Tennessee in a couple of hours to head back to Indiana. We have had a wonderful visit with Roy's side of the family. Right now Roy is at breakfast with his dad and both of his brothers. I think it is special that they can have time without everyone else around. I image the conversation is a little different than with all the wives and kids around. Anna has had 3 short nights of sleep because she is too excited to go to bed early but is still up at either 6 or 7 am. I think she will take a good nap on the 7 hour drive home today.

It is 4 days for the count down to our China trip. We are all so excited to complete our family of 4 with Grace!

Debra

Yangxi Orphanage caring for our Grace

2008-11-29T06:03:00.000-08:00

Yangxi Social Welfare Institute

These are pictures that other people have taken of the Yangxi Orphanage. They are not pictures of our Grace.

The Yangxi orphanage facility was completed in early 2002, and immediately began doing international adoptions. Yangxi is located in Western Guangdong, one of the few areas in China where abandonments are increasing.

The orphanage has four babyrooms, two on the second level and two on the third. The children move from room to room as they age, so every child is cared for by all of the nannies. The children sleep in steel cribs, one per child.

Prior to mid August 2005, all of the children were surnamed "Qiu" after the orphanage director. The CCAA at that time instructed the orphanages to give names that reflect their birth cities, so the orphanage changed the surnames to "Yangxi." In June 2006, the CCAA notified the orphanage that "Yangxi" was an inappropriate surname, since there are no surnames in China like it, and everyone would know that the children were from the orphanage. So, beginning January 2007, children are surnamed "Song.""Song" has historical significance in Yangxi County, being an old name for this area.

<>There is no foster program in Yangxi.

Yangxi County is 300 kilometers from Guangzhou in south west Guangdong Province, west of Yangjiang City. There are 460,000 people in the county, which includes nine towns: Zhilong (or Zhigong), the downtown area of Yangxi County, where the orphanage is located; Chengcun, Xitou, Shangyang, Pupai, Shapa, Rudong, Xinxu, and Tangkou.

Prominent crops in the area include potatoes, rice, wheat, sugar cane, peanuts, as well as various fruits. Fishing is the most important industry, due to its proximity to the South China Sea. 42% of the area is wooded mountain region, making wood the second most important product. Average temperature is 72 F (January 60 F, July 82 F).

Alexis Allen was honored today by Riley Hospital

2008-11-19T13:21:00.000-08:00

http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2008811210456

Alexis, my neice, was honored as the Riley Champion in the Indianapolis area. She was asked to flip the coin at the Colts game on Sunday and the Pacer game last night as part of the honor. Her family also received complimentary tickets for the professional sports events. Today she spoke at a banquet of 1200 people at the Westin Hotel in downtown Indy. On the radio this afternoon Alexis compared going to Riley Camp as getting to go to Disney World. She is a good fundraiser for Riley! She will be on the local news at 5:20 tonight.

Below is the article that was written in the "Riley Messenger."
Motivated and motivating - this Mini pacer is grateful for Riley Hopspital and Camp Riley
Alexis Allen, an outgoing, optimisted 14 -year-old from Noblesville, Ind., was born with spina bifida, a birth defect that involves the incomplete development of the spinal cord. The form of spina bifida she has led to hydrocephalus, an accumulation of fluid in and around the brain, and paralysis from the waist down. Alexis had 10 major surgeries in 10 years at Riley Hospital for Children. "It is nice to have Riley Hospital so close to home," said Angela Allen, Alexis' mother. "We have a special regard for the staff and what they have provided for Alexis." Alexis utilizes a wheelchair. While the disability prevents her from doing things as easily as other children, Alexis and her family always find the silver lining. The eighth grader at Noblesville Middle School maintains a great attitude and is especially outgoing. "Alexis is a social butterfly," and Shay Dawson, director of therapeutic recreation at Bradford Woods. "People do not see her physcial disability because she is always smiling and enjoying life." Dawson, who directs summer sessions for Camp Riley, agreed with the selection of Alexis as a Riley Champion. "She is a good leader and an eloquent speaker for being 14 years old. When it comes to a challenge, she puts her nose to the grindstone and just gets it done," said Dawson. "She has a very positive impact on other campers." These qualities explain why she was chosen to speak on camera when WXIN-TV (Fox 59 Indiananpolis), came to Camp Riley to showcase the importance of the facility for children with physical disabilities. "I don't know what I would do without Camp Riley," reflected Alexis. "It has made me more indepenmdent. It also provides me the opportunity to feel normal by helping other kids." Alexis has attended Camp Riley since she was 8 and has plans to attend even beyond the age limit of 18. Someday she hopes to become a counselor and have Shay's job. Shay is certain Alexis can achieve it with hard work. Her attitude helps her shine in athletics as well. Through the Rehabilitaion Hospital of Indiana (RHI), Alexis participates in wheelchair basketball, soccer, tennis and adaptive water skiing. Her basketball team, known as the Mini Pacers, practices every Saturday from September through March and competes in tournaments in Indiana, Illinois and Michigan. Alexis has spoken on behalf of Riley Children's Foundation at several fundraising events, including at the Purdue University Dance Marathon. Her former principal at Stony Creek Elementary School, Bob McDaniew, also recruited her to help represent Kids Caring & Sharing (KCS) at the Indiana Association of School Principals Conference in 2006. KCS is a stateside school fundraising program that annually raises more than $680,000 for Riley Hospital. "We are very proud of Alexis." added Angela. "Her personality and confidence have blossomed." A champion from an early age, Alexis has now offically received the honor.

Inside China Travel Itinerary

2008-11-19T13:13:00.000-08:00

We leave two weeks from today on Dec 3rd, but don't get to China until Thursday. We will return on Thursday, Dec 18th at 6:33pm on NW flight 1011 at the new Indianapolis airport. If you want to see the new airport or our new baby come join us for a celebration at the airport!!

Inside China Travel Itinerary
Guangdong Group
December 4— December 18, 2008

Dec. 4 (Thu) Arrive in Beijing Flight: NW 29 Arr.: 9:40pm
Stay at Zhaolong Hotel (3 nights)
Tel: 01186-10-65972299 Fax: 01186-10-65972288
FTIA Coordinator: Catherine: 01186-13910937695

Dec. 5 (Fri) – 6 (Sat) We will arrange tours to the Great Wall, Summer Palace and Forbidden City.
(Watch Acrobatic Show on Friday afternoon)

Dec. 7 (Sun) Morning: Beijing to Guangzhou Flight: CA 1315 (11:10am-2:10pm)
Stay at White Swan Hotel (11 nights)
Tel: 01186-20-81886968 Fax: 01186-20-81861188
Local guide: Helen: 01186-13724018461

Dec. 8 (Mon) Afternoon: Go to the Civil Affairs Bureau of Guangdong Province to receive your child

Dec. 9 (Tue) Morning: Go to the Civil Affairs Bureau of Guangdong Province to complete the adoption
registration and notarization procedures

Dec. 10 (Wed) Afternoon: Pick up the registration card and go to the Public Security Bureau to apply for your child's passport

Dec. 11 (Thu) – Dec. 14 (Sun) Tour may be arranged and will be optional. Free time available if not touring
Have visa picture taken and medical exam performed for your child on Friday

Dec. 15 (Mon) Afternoon: Tour may be arranged and will be optional. Free time available if not touring
Pick up all notarized paperwork and the passport for your child

Dec. 16 (Tue) Morning: Your local guide submits the visa application documents for you to the U.S.
Consulate

Dec. 17 (Wed) Afternoon: Have the group-oath taken at the U.S. Consulate
Receive your child’s visa

Dec. 18 (Thu) Morning: Guangzhou to Tokyo Flight: NW 28 Dep.: 8:30am

Have a wonderful trip!

There is no arrangement of visiting the orphanage on the itinerary. The round trip from Guangzhou City to the orphanage is about 6 hours, the fare is about $450.00 (it can be shared by the families going together). You can pay the fare to your local guide if you decide to go.

(Please note: your actual schedule in China may vary slightly from this itinerary)

China Travel December 3-18!!!

2008-11-13T08:08:00.000-08:00

YEAH!!! We found out this morning that we are traveling to China to bring Grace home from Dec 3-18. It is probably Monday, December 8th that we will have Grace put in our arms which is one day before Grace turns 10 months old. Yes, we will have to have a 10 month family birthday party for her in China. When we adopted Anna, she was 5 days younger than Grace will be when we meet her. Couldn't be much closer in age for the Gotcha Day. I am so excited!! This means we will be able to travel to Roy's family in Tennessee for Thanksgiving. Then only 2 days of school/work until we leave for China. We will do some quick laundry and be on our way to Baby Grace!! Hang on Grace, we are coming soon!

Halloween Pictures

2008-11-09T03:31:00.000-08:00

This next week we should know travel dates to China to bring home Grace.

Here are some pictures of halloween for my Anna "Banana. " She really got into trick-or-treating this year. She would sing songs at people's door and gave out hugs to some of your neighbors. Not the shy Anna that trick-or-treated last year. Daddy also had a party at his work the day before Halloween and at school they had a parade of costumes on Halloween day.

Today we go to the Park Tudor Fall Play of "Charlottes Web," and Anna is very excited.

Travel Approval (TA) is coming this week.

2008-11-04T03:47:00.001-08:00

Our agency found out that China is planning to send our TAs on
Wednesday 11/6. This means that our agency, FTIA, will receive them on
Friday or Monday so travel can be set. FTIA is going to try to get a
US consulate appointment for Dec. 17th which means we will leave on Dec
3rd and return on Dec 18th. It all depends on if the US consulate has
an appointment available on the 17th. If they don't then travel could
be pushed back a week which is a US consulate appointment on Christmas
eve. I don't know if that is even possible but we will see. It is
exciting to have a target date that is less than a month away. The
baby suitcase has been packed since Halloween, and now I am going to
start getting the paperwork organized for the trip. Grace we love you
and are going to be there next month to bring you home. This will be
the best Christmas present possible for our family!!!

Updated Pictures of Grace at 8.5 months

2008-10-27T11:05:00.000-07:00

These are current pictures of Grace at 8.5 months. She is 28 inches tall and 17.6 lbs. A little smaller than Anna was at this age so it may be easier on my back. We are so excited and want to travel now, but no travel approval from China yet. The earliest we will travel is Nov 26th but more likely Dec 3rd or Dec 10th. The crib is set up, and I am wanting to pack to get my baby!!!!

Anna turned 5 this week

2008-10-25T16:10:00.000-07:00

Anna had a Hannah Montana Birthday Party this last week. We tell her that she looks bigger, acts older, and of course will be a wonderful big sister. The games included painting and decorating boxes, relay races, musical chairs, temporary tattoos,, Hannah Montana and Miley singing contests, etc. They had a great time!

Finding Ad Picture

2008-10-25T15:32:00.001-07:00

Finding Ad Picture

Grace's picture was posted in the local Yangxi papers on April 3rd,
2008. This is a part of the adoption process in China because parents
are not allowed to put their children up for adoption. A picture must
be run in the newspaper stating that the baby was found in case someone
is looking for the baby. The date of the finding is listed and them 3
months must pass before the adoption paperwork can begin. Here is
Grace in her Finding Ad and she is only one month old in this picture.
The picture is not of great quality, but it is probably the youngest
picture we will have of our Grace.

Adopting Grace from China

2008-10-25T13:43:00.000-07:00

We received our referral on 9/29/08 for Grace. Her Chinese name is Song Yun Hong with birthdate 2/9/08 at Yangxi SWI in Gaungdong providence. We are waiting on Travel Approval from China and hope that we travel the end of November or the first part of December. We are so blessed and thankful to God, our agency (FTIA), and to China for this precious gift.