Rollin' Rollin' Rollin! My Baby is Rolling!!

As we visited with Chick and Pea on Friday and played with their cool toys, I was reminded of a playmat that I'd been given for Hannah by a great friend a couple of years ago. At the time I wasn't sure if she might be too old for it when I brought her home but at 8 1/2 mos. she loves it!

As soon as we got home we headed to the basement and immediately found the mat and mommy put it up. I placed Hannah under it and she loved it! Kicking her feet, grabbing things with her hands and oh my.......rolling over!! Life as I know it has just changed!!

Around the house I build what we affectionately call 'Fort XiaoFen'. I take 3 pillows and put them together in a triangle, add toys and Hannah and she has a place to play for a few moments while mommy tries to get a few things done. I'm never far away as she still tumbles over and is unable to get up on her own but it does give her some freedom to play and me a moment to do dishes, make bottles or get dressed.




I was recording her fun on the play mat Friday and caught her learning how to roll over! So fun!!! It's now 3 days later and she still rolls over when playing on her mat but has yet to really try it elsewhere on her own. I'm sure it's only a matter of days though! So much for Fort XiaoFen that we currently build on my bed. That one may need to move to the floor soon!

First Play Date!

Friday, Hannah and I headed to Grandma and Grandpa's for lunch and then on to visit our friends Chick and Pea and their mommy and daddy. When I walked in the house K1 and I just hugged and hugged as we gazed at our 3 little loves sleeping in their car seats at our feet. Miracles all 3!!! (They were all covered in their matching blankets too! Thanks Auntie Dolores!!)

Ahhh....we've waited for and talked about this so long and couldn't be happier feeding our littles beside one another! (I love how this picture captures Hannah's little eyes. We make great eye contact during bottle feedings and I have increased her to 4 a day from the 2 she was getting in the SWI.)

After lunch it was time to play. Pea and Hannah enjoyed his aquarium toy and had a lot of fun. For Hannah it was a brand new toy and for Pea I think she had it jumping and moving more than normal which kept him entertained too.

Sorry Pea if my little girly climbed over you a little. She was so excited to get to the butterfly above you that sometimes she forgot her manners. :o)

Chick was there and enjoyed the fun from her bouncey seat and next time will be in on all the fun! Hannah and I are already looking forward to our next play date!

My New Bedtime Routine....and I Love It!!!

Life has taken on many changes in the past 19 days, one major one is my bedtime routine.

I've been a TV gal for as long as I can remember but lately it's just not so. I'll be honest and say that there is much I'd like to watch but I've quickly learned that when the TV is on my girly stops what she's doing and watches the TV. Be it eating or playing she'll stop and watch the action which has caused mommy to keep it off most of the time. I've gone from watching at least 4 hours a day to probably a total of about 6 hours (while she's been sleeping) since Hannah and I met. There is a PVR downstairs loaded with lots of great programming like Amazing Race, Survivor, 18 Kids and Counting and more....but for now they'll just have to wait.

Hannah's sleeping patterns here in Canada have not been quite as settled as they were in China. I hear that's quite common. After midnight she sleeps like a rock and I am grateful for that but before midnight she is more unsettled. I'm trying to get her to bed a little earlier each few days and it's working but she still wakes up a few times. The first wake up is normally within 30 mins of her going to sleep. At this point she's in her crib and I'm sitting on my bed about 2 feet away. She wakes crying and sometimes she calms herself and goes back to sleep and other times she needs a little rocking and cuddling. Never a problem!

Normally after this cuddle time she's back to sleep but for the past 2 nights this sleep has only lasted about 15 mins and she's quite wide awake and happily plays in the dark beside me. Her little feet kick (as they're kicking the laptop now) and she chatters away and sometimes plays with the tags on her taggie which she likes to sleep with. I look down and these most precious little eyes with an huge gummy grin are looking up at me as if to say, 'Hey Mommy....let's play! I'm not tired!' I'm trying not to give in to it (although it's hard as she's so cute!) but realize we must get into a better sleep routine. Once midnight hits it's like a switch goes off and she's down for the count....normally until 10am! Now, I'm enjoying these late mornings but truly it does make it quite difficult to get things done and throws her nap schedule for the day too. I hate to but I might need to begin waking her up earlier in the day (oh yah....that means me getting up earlier too!) so that she can get onto a better schedule). We'll work on that.....next week. :o)

She settles really well once I do. If I needed more sleep I'd try to go to sleep when she does but I'd be wide awake in the middle of the night. For now I'm going to try and read a bit by the nightlight and see if she settles. Still working out the jet lag kinks but it's only been a week and we'll eventually get our sleep groove on. Until then....enjoy a little of what I see. Is there any question why I'm so madly in love? Even at midnight when she should be sleeping she's totally adorable!!



Oooo....it's 12:40 and I think she's gone for the night. A little more rocking and she was out like a light. Every other night one's she's asleep at this hour she stays asleep so here's hoping tonight will be like the rest!

good night friends.......

First Doctor's Appt.

Hannah had her first doctor's appt. on Tuesday and she did great!! When Dr. Fitz walked in to see her he exclaimed how happy he was that she was finally here and she greeted him with a big gummy grin!

We talked about what I'm feeding her (currently formula, rice pablum, mixed fruit, bananas, and egg whites. Veggies were added later that day and more things each day. Peas and carrots were met with disapproval but sweet potatoes rock! (Thanks Deb!) Going to try the peas and carrots again tomorrow and see if they fare any better the 2nd time.) She has started eating in her high chair and quite enjoys herself up there! She seems dwarfed by the size of it but it happy as a clam and sometimes mommy is even able to get a few dishes done or bottles made while she plays before or after a meal.

I'm currently mixing her Chinese formula with a little bit of Canadian and slowly transitioning her to the Canadian brand. Dr, Fitz thought that was good so I'll keep doing it. So far, no complaints from my little love about the changes and truly, she's the one who matters! :o)

He weighed her and at 8 1/2 months she is currently 16lbs. 7.5 oz which is about 50th% on the Asian charts. As we thought, my little sweetie is long, measuring 28 1/2 inches and coming in around the 90th% on the Asian charts!! She was in the 90th% for height when I received updated info on her at 6 1/2 months so she's continuing the trend. Looks like she may be tall. Neat!! Her little legs are quite long and she fills out her 9mos sleepers well! Check out those beautiful long fingers too!

Her immunizations records were well kept and Dr. Fitz contacted a paediatrician who handles a lot of China adoptions and he said normally they just continue the immunizations on from there if they appear to be accurate so that's what we decided to do too. Unfortunately for Hannah that meant 2 boosters on Tuesday. Poor little lamb!! He apologized before giving them to her but she still cried....and mommy did too! It broke my heart to hear her cry but she soon calmed and quickly fell asleep in her car seat.

We booked her next appt. in 2 months so that the doctor could track her growth. We then headed downstairs to pick up containers for urine and poop samples. Welcome to motherhood!!

After stopping at home to grab some infant Tylenol we visited Grandma Perkins at the library for a quick bit while Hannah ate her lunch. She was none the worse for those 2 needles but I still hurt for her.

Fast forward to that night and she had a really rough go for about an hour and a half. Not sure if it was the needles or not but the cries of hurt were enough to break mommy's heart! After more Tylenol, rocking, walking, talking, calming, patting and singing she eventually settled and slept until 10 the next morning! Each night Hannah starts in her crib and wakes a couple of times but normally by about midnight she's in bed with me and soon settles for the night, not making a peep. Even though her crib is less than 2 feet from my bed, she's much more settled in with me. She loves to sleep with her little head against the side of my pillow and either and arm or leg....or both touching me. Should I happen to move away I feel this little 'scoot' beside me and she's touching once again and all is well in her little world. So precious!! I wouldn't change this for anything and I can't tell you what it's like to wake up to the precious little angel face sleeping peacefully beside me. Ahhhhhhh........

We're doing as many have suggested and getting lots of sunlight during the day. She naps with the blinds open and we get out a little bit each day so it will just take time for our sleeping to fully adjust but truly, other than the fact that we're getting up at 10am we're both doing great and truly kicking jet lag in the butt!

The little ladybug blanket she's snuggled up with above has very quickly become her favourite. She doesn't mind others but as soon as I cover her with this one she snuggles in, grabs it and a sweet, sweet smile crosses her face. If her passport is ready by Christmas we'll have to hop across the border and pick up a couple at tar-jay. If not, we'll talk to Auntie M3 and I'm sure she'll be happy to help us out. ;o)

Back to the important stuff....we were successful getting the poop samples that evening but mommy was pretty challenged by those little bags to collect the pee. I tried 3 different ones and each time she ended up with a wet diaper and an empty bag. Heh!

Today as we were playing I had her diaper off and she peed on the change table. I was so happy and quickly got some into her little container and we dropped it off this afternoon. Hannah thought mommy was pretty silly when she was excited that she'd peed on the change table!

As I'm sure you can tell I'm loving, loving, LOVING being a mom and Hannah is the light of my life! I'm trying to get her to bed earlier but am the first to admit that part of the problem is that I hate to put her down each night. I'm working on it and slowly she's getting to bed earlier but I tell you, feeling those feet at night and seeing her precious little face each morning still brings a wave of tears almost every day!

I am so blessed and cannot thank God enough for brining Hannah and I together. Wow.....WOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Spin Ball by Tiny Love

This great little ball was a gift from Hannah's Auntie Michelle and Uncle Mark. They sure knew what they were doing when they chose this toy! Hannah absolutely loves it and it will always bring a smile even when she's having a tough time!

It's by 'Tiny Love' and is called a 'Spin Ball.' They're not easy to find (I looked for one for ages but Auntie Michelle and Uncle Mark came through) but are well worth the search!

Ahhhh! So This is Jet-lag!

I was almost daring to hope that we'd somehow skipped the whole jet-lag thing but tonight (night 3) we're up and wide awake at 2:30am.

The first 2 nights were totally opposite to what I'd imagined they'd be like. Night one my poor sweetie was totally out of sorts for a couple of hours. We were home, just the two of us and had followed our normal bed routine of a bath, lotion, cozy pj's, bottle and then bed. She went right to sleep but woke within half an hour and was oh so distressed. Kicking, screaming, flailing and more. It broke my heart as I tried everything I could but just could not comfort her. Finally after about 2 hours of this, around 3:30am she drifted off to sleep tucked safely in bed beside me. Not for one moment after that did she sleep without part of her touching me. Sometimes I'd feel a hand and other times her little leg. Don't worry sweetie...mommy isn't going anywhere!

I woke for a bit around 8 and then again at 9:30 and thought I'd just lay there dozing until she woke up. You can imagine my surprise when we woke to the phone ringing at 12:15 in the afternoon!!

The second night was much the same. Bed around 9:30, slept for an hour, snuggled for half an hour, slept for half an hour, snuggled for an hour and then around 12:30 she drifted off not to wake again until 12:45 in the afternoon when I woke up too and gently woke her! So much for no more sleeping in! I haven't slept until noon in years and now we've done it two days in a row.

But....then there is tonight and I'm learning what true jet-lag is about. Hannah went down around 9:30 again but had a couple more snuggle times than the nights before. Then, around 2 she woke up and wasn't too keen about going back into her crib so she came in with me. I dozed off and around 2:30 woke up to find her laying awake beside me entertaining herself with her little fingers in the air and then by pulling my 'Darth' mask (I wear a CPAP at night) off my face. As I lay there and watched her quietly play with her fingers it broke my heart. How many nights had she layed awake in the orphanage and rather than call out had just entertained herself?

At this point I had a decision to make and it was an easy one for me. Some may not agree but I chose to get up and we enjoyed a middle of the night playtime together. When jet-lag hits and you're just not tired...you're just not tired. You can tell by this pic that sleep wasn't to be had at this moment. Why make her play by herself when mommy was only too happy to do her part and play along? We enjoyed reading some stories together ('The Bedtime Story'....subliminal messaging? :o) and played for about an hour. Around 4 she'd relaxed so we decided to head to bed again and that was it until this morning when I had to wake her at 9:00 as she has her first doctor's appt. at 10:15.

Our days and nights are still out of sorts and we don't have any real routine down yet but it will come with time. Right now I am constantly amazed with how well Hannah is doing and the new things she does every day!!

Home Safe!!

So much to share but for now, going to snuggle back into bed and wait for my precious to wake. Don't want to miss being there the very first time she awakes in her new home!

Will share more as I can. Thank you once again for all your prayers, love and support!!

*sniff!* Leaving China.....

And we're off....

Where has the time gone? 17 days have passed and it's time to say good-bye to China.....for now. As I was madly packing I was ok but now as I sit here with suitcases gone and final packing of the carry ons before me I'm in tears. It has been amazing, wonderful, a gift from God in every sense and SO much more. Words fail me and you know that doesn't happen often...or ever!

My baby is dressed in a diaper, happily playing behind me as I prepare to give her one last bath before we leave for the airport in an hour. She is more than I could ever have hoped or imagined and a gift from God unlike any other. I arrived in China as a single gal with a dream in her heart and I leave as a MOM!!!!!!!!!! A mom to the most amazing baby girl in the entire world!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! One who is perfect for me in every sense! We are already a team and work together as one. This morning as she needed extra snuggle time I just strapped her to me in the sunggly and together we packed. She was laughing and giggling at me as I ran around the room like a mad woman and I'd glance down and receive the biggest smile ever and a little mouth opened in sweet wonder, fully accepting of the little kisses I placed upon it. Oh how in love I am!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I cannot begin to express my thanks and appreciation to all who have helped this dream to come true!!

To China for blessing me with one of their very precious children. I am humbled and honoured that you would entrust her to me. I will love her forever and promise to share with her the beautiful country she comes from that is made up of even more beautiful people!!

To Deborah at Open Arms who met me, accepted me onto the singles waiting list and at the perfect time said it was time to start.

I cannot begin to thank people individually as my heart is too overwhelmed to name all of you in person right now. The tears are flowing and as I hear my sweetness sit behind me happily blowing raspberries (her new trick since last night) I am too distracted by love to name people. I am SO THANKFUL to all of you who have loved me, encouraged me, counselled me, prayed for me and so much more. It is your love and more so prayers for Hannah and I that have brought us to where we are today. A family....blessed and brought together by God.

To my loving parents who from that very first phone call on January 11, 2005 when I called from Vancouver and said, 'Guess what? I'm going to adopt a baby girl from China!!' were 100% in support of me and prayed daily for both Hannah and I. It has been an amazing trip Mom and Dad and I cannot express to you how thankful I am that you have been here!!!

And finally, more than anyone I want to thank God who planned this time long ago. He has brought Hannah and I together and I will be forever grateful to Him for this daughter that He has brought to me. I will teach her of You at a very young age and together we will serve You as a family, fully devoted to you!

Love to each of you, Catherine xoxo

Peking Duck Dinner!

Thursday, November 12th, 2009 - Part II:

Tonight our wonderful guide Sara arranged for a Peking Duck dinner for our travel group. Six of the families were able to attend and it was a really neat experience! We went to a restaurant about a 15 min walk away but after the long, cold, wet feet morning, our family decided to take it easy and hailed a taxi. Never have we been in so many taxis as we have been in the past 2 weeks but they're very reasonable ($7 for a 45 min. ride) and also easy to locate as they're waiting at all the places we visit.

Before dinner I popped the Flip onto the lazy susan in the centre of each table and took a quick video of the great people we've been sharing the past 2 weeks with. It's been an amazing 2 weeks and life changing for all of us and I trust that we will stay in touch with one another as our daughters grow and we foster the friendships that have been born here. We arrived in China as a group of 25 and are going home as a group of 35 who will never, ever be the same due to the babies we have been blessed with as well as the time we have spent together here in China!

Dinner was a number of dishes that I'm told were very good. Heh, my chicken stomach still only tried a few but I did enjoy what I tried especially this hot sweet potato dish with candied sugar and sesame seeds poured on it. Oh my!!! Now that's one dish I'd love the recipe for!

At the end of the dinner the chef rolled the peking duck and carved it behind a glass wall. I tried a bit (we made it into kinda taco things) and it was good but I'm looking forward to getting back to food I'm more familiar with. I remember reading blogs of people who were in China and ate most of their meals at North American style restaurants and wondering why they did that. Guess what....that's totally me!! I'm not an adventurous eater and add to that the fear of getting sick from the food and not being able to properly care for Hannah, I've been pretty boring when it comes to food adventures. Dad and Norma have tried their fair share of new stuff but Mom and I have stuck pretty much to what we know.

Hannah also gave me one more dinner where I could eat...yay! She enjoyed much of it from my lap and then at the end was content to sit in her stroller beside me playing with toys and being entertained by a couple of the other kids that were there.

Sara gave gifts to each of the babies....these adorable, beautifully decorated headbands. Had to be fast but I did capture one pic of Hannah wearing hers. So cute!

Back at the hotel we had a bath and Hannah was ready for bed. Once she was asleep I was going over some paperwork that had just been returned to me and I noticed a small typo in her name. I quickly called Sara and she came down but said it was fine. It was just a space missing in XiaoFen and it would not cause any delays or anything to be issued with an incorrect spelling. Phew!!!

When Sara was in our room I had some videos up on the computer. She had been busy with all the families on Family Day so hadn't seen Hannah's original reactions when we met. She was amazed at how well she had done and that she was looking at me and even smiling. Her response and I agreed 100% is that it was God!! Truly He layed the foundation and many, many people had and were praying for Hannah and He was answering our prayers. Sara has been doing adoption trips for 10 years and she said she had never seen a baby react so well. Yes! Truly God!!

Sara also brought me a couple of things that she had helped us order. First is a jade chop that has an ox on top and when stamped it says, 'HANNAH, Yong, Xiao Fen, 2009 2 27' Cool!!

She also brought me a beautiful scroll that I had ordered and had been painted by hand using Chinese calligraphy. It says, 'The LORD has done this and it is marvelous in our eyes.' Psalm 118: 23; Family Yong Xiao Fen; Love Mommy Cathy' What a treasure this is and it will hold a place of honour in our home.

The LORD has done this and it is marvelous in my eyes!!!!!!

Tiananmen Square, The Forbidden City

Thursday, November 12, 2009:

Once again the night began with a bang as around 12:03 I heard the rumble of the clouds being seeded and realized we would probably wake up to freshly fallen snow once again. Drifting slowly, softly down to the ground, covering all in a beautiful blanket of white. Sounds so pretty doesn't it?

Well it was......but then we had to walk in it and the snow quickly lost its appeal! Our group may be made up of Canadians who know winter and how to handle it but, we're in Beijing and didn't pack for the north pole! Some like my mom had thought ahead to pack their winter coat while the rest of us made due by playing the game....how many layers can I wear? Many of us are beginning to resemble the babies in the orphanages who are bundled layer upon layer.

Today when we went out I knew we were going to be outside for an extended period of time so Hannah wore:
- tights
- socks
- long sleeved onesie
- pants
- fleece lined snow pants
- padded jacket
- spring jacket with a hood
- winter hat that covers her ears
- mitts
She was then strapped to me and my little heater was wrapped in a blanket. She was toasty warm which was reflected in the 1 1/2 hour nap she had snuggly strapped to mommy as I walked through Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden City.

The snow was still falling quite heavily so we brought umbrellas from the hotel and just followed one another through the sea of people, always on the lookout for our travel mates also carrying white and green Holiday Inn umbrellas. One thing I must say and you will see in the pics, is that the Chinese love beautifully coloured umbrellas and it really was quite pretty to see this ocean of umbrellas visiting these historic sites.

As per normal, the moment our feet hit the ground outside the bus the vendors were asking us to buy things. I hadn't brought gloves this trip and they sounded like a good purchase to make so I bartered and purchased some gloves. The other reason I did so was that I was hoping seeing me with gloves would mean that the vendors would stop trying to sell me their goods. Nope!! Once I had gloves they all thought I needed a hat! LOL!!

Both of these are amazing places with such history to them and the Forbidden City is filled with ornate, gorgeous buildings. In my head, as I prepared for this trip, I knew that The Great Wall would involve a lot of walking and stairs but I hadn't quite prepared myself for the amount of walking we would do at the other locations. It has been great and my back hasn't been sore since about day 3 but still... 2 1/2 hours of walking and climbing as the snow is falling is a workout for sure!! I was so glad to get to the bus at the end but also so glad to have had this opportunity. My parents have been nothing short of amazing and they showed this once again today as we shared this experience together!!

By the end of the trip we were all cold, wet, had wet, wet feet and were VERY thankful to see the bus! I'm still really glad I went but given my choice again, I think I'd choose a day when it wasn't snowing quite so heavily.

We went back to the hotel and got warmed up as I fed Hannah her lunch. I had to go back to the Silk Market for a fitting so Norma, XiaoFen and I hopped in a taxi and off we went. We decided not to brave the subway this time as it was later in the day and the subway would be busy and I just wasn't comfortable taking the baby on it with all those people.

The fun thing this time as we went through the market again was once again people remembered us and some even called out, 'Baby XiaoFen...how are you today?' Yes....we have made a name for ourselves at the silk market!!

I wanted to purchase pearls so went back to Candy's stall (#66 on the 4th floor if you're going to be at the market....she's a doll!! so friendly, happy, does beautiful work and honestly when she gives you a price you feel guilty accepting it and may even pay her more than her original price!!) I purchased some souvenirs and then had a necklace made for myself. Look how quickly and perfectly she restrings the pearls into a necklace, carefully placing a knot between every single pearl. It took her 5 years to learn how to do this...wow!!

Tonight was also a peking duck dinner for the group but it's 1:30am and I truly should get to bed! Will share that later!

Hutong Tour and More Shopping!

Wednesday, Nov 11, 2009:

My sweet baby girl slept in this morning as did her mommy so it meant breakfast in our room rather than joining the family at the buffet. Norma is the best and made sure I had breakfast too by bringing up some fruit, cereal and juice. Thanks friend!!

Today was a cloudy, cold day but thankfully not snowy. We joined the other families in the lobby at 9:30 and headed out on the bus for a Hutong Tour. SO cool!! Hutongs are ancient styles of living and I could try to explain it but if you click here it will give you a much better explanation!

We boarded bicycle rickshaws and took a fun tour through a wonderful old 'village' of hutongs in the middle of Beijing. Our driver was a cute old guy and we had fun together. Near the beginning, a man on a bicycle came up behind us and made a funny sound with his mouth. We just figured he wanted to pass but no, of course not! He was trying to sell us something even as we rode along! We laughed at this and didn't make any purchases while on the move.

From the rickshaw we could see all the alleys where the little courtyards are built off of. This video isn't very clear due to the bright snow behind our hutong guide but you can get an idea of all the traditions that go into these old homes. Quite fascinating!

One of the things I had done here as well was a neat presentation of Hannah's name done in pictures. Look how quickly he was able to create it! these are wonderful souvenirs of our time here in China to bring home!

After visiting the courtyard of a family, we boarded the rickshaws again and visited a couple of other parts of the village. One of the things Norma and I have noted during our time here is that they sometimes keep unusual hours. In this case they said there were numerous beer gardens and they were open every day from 5pm to 6am! (We noticed the spa at the hotel is open 1pm to 4am and yet another night when we went to visit Tiananmen Square at 8pm to see the beautiful lights, it was closed. Just unusual to us.)

After our rickshaw hutong tour Sara took us to an authentic Chinese market. Quite an eye opening experience and I was reminded once again (as I have been many, many times this trip) how great our working conditions, hours and wages are at home! This was a cold day and these people were working in their stalls with no heat and very little electricity. My flash lit the stalls much more than they actually were.

Toilet paper anyone??

From our tour of the Hutongs the bus headed to the Silk Market. We're getting to know our way around here and many of the people working at the stalls remember us too and call out, 'Hi! I remember you! Want to buy silk shirt?'

Today buying a silk shirt wasn't on the agenda but having a silk jacket made was so Sara joined Norma and I on the 3rd floor of the market and helped me place and order with a seamstress to have a silk jacket made for myself. I chose hot pink material with small white and gold asian style flowers. Very pretty. We browsed through magazines and quickly found a style that I liked, they measured, asked me to come back for a fitting tomorrow and then we paid and were off. That was fast! I'm sure it's going to be so pretty and will be nice to have on hand for special occassions such as Chinese New Year.

From the seamstress we headed back to some of our favourite vendors and stocked up on things we needed more of...silk dresses, scarves and more. It was also fun to see some of our travel group at the market and help one another out when one got a good price. The vendors were always happy to match the price given to one family in our group.

It was a great day once again and neat to see parts of China we might not otherwise get to see.

In the evening we decided to leave the hotel and head to KFC up the street. Hannah even cooperated so that mommy could eat a little supper. Think we're finally getting the groove of this. Yay!!

We ended the day with some playtime in Grandma and Grandpa's room. As much as these posts are interesting, truly what is a post without some Hannah in there? Enjoy!!

'The Summer Palace'....Covered in Snow???

Tuesday, November 10, 2009:

This post will begin with what happened just after midnight as it was really quite unusual. I was sitting at the computer and noticed the room was getting cooler and cooler. I pulled Hannah's crib further away from the windows and was working on a blog post. About midnight, out of the corner of my eye, I saw a bright flash outside the window and then something that sounded like really loud thunder but it lasted for about 15 seconds. Weird! And then....it happened again! It wasn't normal thunderstorm weather but I figured they're just different this side of the world and didn't think too much about it.

Fast forward to 7:30am when we wake to a lot of noise down on the street and we're quite curious. We're on the 7th floor and normally don't hear anything but today was different. As we opened the curtains we were greeted to fresh fallen snow and more coming down quite heavily. The noise we heard were the people across the street attempting to clear the parking lot. I'm guessing they don't have a lot of snow as they were using anything they could find....including fire hoses...to clear the snow. What fun they were having though! You can tell by the wandering tracks that possibly they were not used to clearing so much snow! The big brooms were a hoot but proved to be quite beneficial based on watching them.

The reason I started this post with the 'bang' that happened around midnight is China is shooting things into the clouds that is causing it to rain to help out with the drout. That will work....except we're in Beijing where it's cold and that 'rain' is falling as snow! It was really neat to see people enjoy it though and even adults were acting like kids and throwing snowballs at one another! Ok....that was my dad throwing one at me but hey, it's tradition and he made sure not to hit Miss H who was snuggly strapped to me.

Our first destination of the day was the Summer Palace and in spite of the snowy, cold weather, it was packed!! The main duty for the staff that day was clearing snow but once again they were having a great time doing it!! It was also fun to watch as the beautiful trees that were brimming with snow, became a great place for the locals to throw snowballs as their friends stood underneath and had it snow on them. We also saw men beneath a big old tree and their job for the day was to hold up the branches so that the weight of the snow didn't damage them.

As usual, from the moment our feet stepped out of the bus the vendors were ready for us trying to sell us anything from hats and gloves to post cards, chestnuts and even sweet potatoes baked above coals on a bbq attached to the back of their bike. Surprisingly the sweet potatoes were quite tempting but I'm guessing that was because we were quite cold. Once we got moving we warmed up. The snow had stopped and the sky was a beautiful blue and it was a great day to visit the summer palace. Quite a contrast from the smog of the day before!

Dad hadn't brought his hat with him so he purchased this Beijing Olympics one plus gloves from one of the vendors. The funny thing is that the day before when Mom, Norma and I were at the market I had purchased 6 of these hats but they were all back at the hotel and of no use to dad there. OK - yes, I purchased them while sitting in McDonald's so now we have McHats to go with Dad's McSock's. Wonder what we'll buy there next time?

We entered the Summer Palace and it was beautiful. I'm not a history buff (as you may already have guessed) so I don't remember what we were told about the palace but I do know it was beautiful covered in freshly fallen snow.

Adam enjoying the tour while perched safely on Daddy's shoulders.

This picture makes me laugh as Toronto took quite a ribbing a number of years ago when they called in the army to help cover show. It's not exactly the same thing but this pic reminds me of that!

As per usual the tour took place during XiaoFen's nap time so she spent the majority of the morning sleeping peacefully in her snuggly, close to mommy. She loves her snuggly and I am so thankful for this as I plan on continuing to 'wear' her a lot when we get home and I'm also hoping to be able to keep up the walking. Exercise for me and napping for her. It's a win-win situation!

Once again we ended up being part of the tourist attraction and as we shared my note saying that this is my daughter that I have adopted and am taking home to Canada, it was thumbs up and bowing all round. The people truly seem happy that these beautiful little girls now have families and that they will be going to Canada. I am humbled by their response time and time again.

After a l-o-n-g 2 hour walk through the Summer Palace and it's gardens we returned to the bus where we went to a local restaurant for lunch. The food was once again very good and they even had ice cream for dessert!

From the restaurant we headed to the Silk Factory which was fascinating! We learned about single and double cocoons and what each is used for and also how they spin the threads for maximum strength. After watching them pull some pieces for silk duvets we did some shopping. I treated Hannah and I to new silk duvets. Really quite reasonable and perfect weight for summer or winter. Norma is teasing me that I am trying single handedly to have a positive affect on the Chinese eonomy by the time we leave and she's not that far off. :o) Not sure when we'll be back so I want to bring home items that hold special meaning to us.

Once back at the hotel Norma went for a well deserved massage and Hannah and I went to work on some paperwork with our guide Sara. What a cute pic of them together!!

Today for the first time, XiaoFen decided that tummy time was ok if only for a few minutes. Before this she would just scream and at the beginning didn't have much strength in her little neck. Now it's much stronger and she doesn't mind a bit of tummy time but before long lets me know she's ready to sit up again. The funny thing is that she rolls all over when sleeping but when awake has not yet discovered that she can roll over. It's kinda funny but I'm taking full advantage of it as it allows me to leave her in the middle of the bed while I quickly run and grab a diaper or something else we might need. I'm sure these days are numbered so I'm enjoying them while they're here!

One final bottle and snuggle before bed. I cannot describe to you what that little hand wrapped around my thumb feels like! Bliss.....pure bliss!!!

Three videos:

Shopped Til We Dropped!!

Monday, November 9th:

Today was a day with no official plans for our group for the families that chose not to have a medical done. Since Hannah will be coming home as a Canadian citizen and we're using the 'new' citizenship route I decided to skip the medical. She has an appt. booked with our family doctor early next week so figured I didn't have to put her through the trauma twice.

Hannah and I were up early so after a morning bottle and snuggle we headed downstairs to the lobby so that Auntie Norma could sleep a little later. We enjoyed people watching and seeing the families from our group who were going for the medical. I was sitting on a ledge of the fountain when I sat back a little too far or, a rogue wave came up and voila....wet seat. Oops!!

Hannah had a good night's sleep but her congested cough had me worried so I got her up a few times to settle her cough. We got a humidifier from the hotel and it has worked wonders but there are still times she just needs to be held upright so that the cough can subside and once it does it's gone for a long time. I love these middle of the night cuddles even though they're not for the best reason. She's sound asleep when I get her up and my stirring her can sometimes cause her to wake. Our room is quite dark but I can see her little eyes looking into mine and most precious is that her little hands come up and explore my face....just to make sure it's me\mommy. Precious!!! Normally I'm able to put her down within 5-10 mins and the cough subsides for a long time. She sleeps soundly....I wake to check her often.

Before I had her, I wondered what it would be like to wake with her in the night? Would I moan and groan? Would I long for the nights when I could sleep for hours without stirring? NO!!!!!!!!! I love, love, love waking to care for her, check on her....or, just listen to her breathe. I cannot tell you how she has changed my life and how amazing it is to be a mom to my precious XiaoFen!!!

Dad was fighting a cold today so decided to lay low at the hotel. Mom, Norma, XiaoFen and I were ready to do some serious shopping and oh how we shopped!!! Like old pros the 4 of us boarded a taxi at the hotel, took it to the subway and then the subway to the silk market. We entered via a new spot today and were in the shoe area. Before we knew it Mom was wearing new shoes and Hannah was the proud owner of some adorable pink 'Uggs'. I'm sure they're not authentic but then again, I didn't pay authentic prices either. :o)

What you should know is that the silk market is one tall building with about 6 levels of shopping. On each level is a variety of stalls, each about 8' across by maybe 8 feet deep, all selling the same/similar items. There is a shoe area, jewelry area, silk area, electronics, shoes....you name it. The sales girls/guys stand outside their stalls and offer you 'good deal' and invite you to come in and see what they have to offer. Like Norma said, it's weird but we can walk by a number of stalls all selling the same thing and then suddenly you're drawn into one and make your purchases there. If they don't have a size that you want they say, '1 minute' and literally run down the crowded area.

From the shoe area we went back to the silk dresses. We quickly realized that the wonderful people who run each stall have amazing memories!! Norma went to a stall where she had made a purchase 9 days ago and the lady said, 'Hi! I remember you! You were here and bought these pajamas and 3 scarves and you paid this'....and punched a number in the calculator that was exactly right! Wow!!! We faced this over and over again as we went back to booths that had been so helpful last time and we purchased more this time.

One of my goals for the day was to purchase little silk/poly dresses for Ro and Ree as well as a friend's little girl and of course, Hannah!!! We bartered (Bartered = sales girl punches a price into the calculator, then I counter normally at around 10%. She looks at me shocked and tells me I must be crazy then she punches in another number. I shake my head no, hit the clear button and come up in price a little.....back and forth, back and forth until we agree. I find it a lot of fun!!) Anyway, we eventually came up with a price of 54 yuan (around $8) a dress and then I went to town. Purchased dresses for the girls above and then 8 for Hannah! She has dresses for a long time to either wear for special occasions like Chinese New Year or, if she prefers, they can be for dress-up too. Here's a pic of Hannah and I with the girls who helped us purchase our beautiful dresses.

From the dress area we hit the toy area and a bit more before calling it a day for today. We headed across the street for McDonald's for lunch. (I must admit I've not been very adventurous when it comes to food and that is quite by choice and done purposely. Firstly, I'm not too sure what some of the food is and secondly, I want to do all I can to stay healthy for my baby girl.)

At 3:00 we were back in the subway and I looked at Mom and said, 'Exactly one week ago now Hannah was placed in my arms.' WOW!!!! I love her SOOOO much and cannot imagine a moment without her in it!! When we got back to the hotel Norma snapped a couple of pics of us together. I think Hannah is pretty happy with her mommy too based on all the smiles she gives me!!

We arrived back at the hotel in time to feed XiaoFen a little rice cereal and then Dad, Norma, XiaoFen and I headed downstairs to meet the group to go to the Chinese Acrobats show! Wow!!! It was an hour of fun and excitement and really neat to see! Hannah sat really well and between the lights, music, movement on the stage, Cheerios (which I learned each Cheerio can be broken into 4 pieces for a baby without teeth....who knew!!) a bottle and oh yeah, filling her diaper, she did really, really well!!

There are not baby changing areas in any of the restrooms so I decided to change Hannah once we were back to the room. Well!! I tell you, her diapers can be used for poisonous gas somewhere and the l-o-n-g....L-O-N-G bus ride back to the hotel (have I mentioned I'll never complain about TO traffic again?) was rough on the 3 of us as she was packing some extra baggage! (Her diapers are so bad that when I take them off her I take them outside the hotel to a garbage can in front of the hotel....honestly! Not sure what her mother is feeding her but truly she should stop! :o)

Back at the hotel for the night I fed Hannah her final bottle and she gave me a huge scare when she introduced mommy to 'projectile vomiting' (sorry....yes, this is our journal so you get all the good stuff...plus the poop and vomit!). I fed her a bottle and then as I sat her up to burp her the entire bottle came up in one foul swoop through her nose and mouth. It about scared me to death and after the 5 or so seconds it took her to do it, she looked at me and gooed and gahhed like nothing had happened! Wow! It was a pj change for both of us since we'd already had our bath and then off to bed for the night.

Before I headed to bed the temp dropped drastically so I pulled her crib closer to me as at this hotel it's quite close to the window normally. I loved having her so close so since then she gets pulled up next to mommy's bed every night. Ahhhh....loving being a mommy!!!









Two videos (click the arrows to play):

Pearl Factory, Great Wall and Cloissone Factory

Sunday, November 8, 2009:

My parents and I have adjoining rooms again here in Beijing so the day began with Hannah knocking on Grandma and Grandpa's door to wish them a Happy Anniversary!! At least I'm sure that's what her big gummy grin was saying! From there we headed downstairs to enjoy the delisious buffet breakfast that the Holiday Inn offers and to tuck away some fruit and congee for later.

We met with the group at 9am ready for a day of fun and adventures! Wow....today we were going to climb the Great Wall!!! The opportunity of a lifetime!!

As we drove to our first destination the bus driver took us past the Olympic sites from last year's 2008 Summer Olympics that were hosted by Beijing. What we could see of them was amazing but unfortunately the combination of smog and fog greatly decreased the visability. We were able to see them though and that's what counts!! We saw the Bird's nest, swimming venue (tired brain can't think of the name of it); the media center, athlete's village and much more too. What a neat experience to see these places in person that I had seen last year on TV!

Our first stop of the day was at the Pearl Factory. Oh my!!! We saw a quick video about pearls, watched a gal harvest more than 20 real pearls from one shell and then....shopped! Let's just say I'm really glad I let Mr. Mastercard know that I would be in China right now!! The pearls were absolutely beautiful and so reasonably priced. It was a treat to buy souvenirs for Hannah and I as well as some others.

From the Pearl Factory we boarded the bus once again and drove to one of the most amazing sites I have ever seen in my life...The Great Wall!!! Even with the skys as they were, the sight was awesome, amazing and just....WOW!!! We left the bus with great intentions of where we might go. I was pretty sure I wouldn't go far and that proved to be true but I was ok with that. I was at the Great Wall with my daughter and I climbed the Great Wall with her.....that's enough for me!

Norma and I have a friend who owns a Tim Horton's and she had sent us to the Wall with mugs when I mentioned that I wanted to get pictures of ourselves on the wall with the Tim's mugs. Fun!

Another thing I had done was purchased a lock and had it engraved with our Family Day. (It ends up it was 1 day early as they changed our Family Day but that's not important.) The Great Wall has these chains on it where couples who are newly married often lock a lock that is engraved with their names and has a red ribbon tied to it. I decided long ago (ok....after seeing it on Amazing Race) that when I went to the Great Wall with Hannah I wanted to lock a lock there to celebrate our Family Day. Today 'we' placed the lock there. So neat!!

Hannah and I didn't get too far up the wall (just past the section with the red and white sign) but it was still nothing short of amazing!!! I was surprised both by how steep the steps are and also how high many of them are! Thankful for those handrails for sure as it was difficult to properly see where I was going, especially on the way down, with my little love strapped to the front of me. Norma was much more adventuresome and climbed as high as the second tower that you can see in these pics! Wow....I'm sure the view was amazing from there but I was only too happy to keep my feet where they were while keeping my baby safe and warm.

Our final stop of the day was at the Cloissone Factory where we watched them make the beautiful vases and other hand crafted items. What an art this is! I didn't buy anything there but it was neat to see! We also dined at their restaurant and it was a really good meal!! Wasn't too sure what to expect when we heard that it was going to be an authentic Chinese dinner but mmmmmm....yummy!!

After a long day we boarded the bus around 3:30 ready to head back to the hotel. What should have been a one hour drive was over 2 as he battled Beijing traffic. I couldn't believe for a moment how busy it was!! Sarah was explaining that normally they have vehicle restrictions but these don't apply on Sunday so the traffic was crazy! Vehicle restrictions are in place that do not allow vehicles with a license plate that ends with a zero or nine to drive on Monday, one and 8 on Tuesday, etc. It was easy to see why they have done this. Never in my life have I seen traffic like we have here! It's going to be a long time before I complain about Toronto traffic!

Back at the hotel we were almost ready to call it a day. I had to prepare some paperwork for Sarah to take to the Canadian consulate tomorrow to get Hannah's visa. After that Norma and I headed out to the market where we stocked up on water and coke for the week. We also stopped at a little bakery across from the store where we purchased 2 little cakes to celebrate mom and dad's anniversary. We tried to make it through dinner but it was just not to be. As is becoming our habit, Hannah and I tend to stay upstairs or only make it downstairs for a few minutes before she's had it. She's ready for her bath, a bottle and to call it a night. Tonight we did this but were still awake to share in the cakes that mom and dad decided to bring upstairs for dessert. Hannah's paperwork says that she had cake twice a day so she was only too happy to tuck into this one too even though it was miniscule amounts being fed to her by mommy's fingers!

What a great day of celebration!! Mom and Dad's anniversary and The Great Wall! WOW!!!





















A video:


(Note from M3: this post is a new one and also the one below that's posted on Nov 7 titled "Sad to Say Goodbye to Changsha," so check that one out too.)

Happy Anniversary Grandma and Grandpa!!!

Today XiaoFen's Grandma and Grandpa celebrated their 51st Wedding Anniversary and she decided the best way to show them how much she loves them is a trip to the Great Wall!!

Happy Anniversary Grandma and Grandpa!! I love you!! Hannah XiaoFen xoxo

More facts about Hannah

Here are a few more facts about my sweet baby girl that I want to remember so will capture them here:

- She's wearing 9 mos. clothes and they fit her well. I have some 6 mos clothes with me and the summer stuff fit in Changsha and it didn't matter if the pants turned into capris but now that we're back in Beijing it's much cooler so her little legs must be covered. I brought 8 pairs of tights for her and am so thankful that I did as she's needed them most days. I've only been told off by one Chinese Grandma so far, letting me know that I didn't have enough layers on her. I just smiled, said thank you....and then took her picture to capture the moment! :o)

- When I first met XiaoFen 6 days ago she didn't really do much with her hands. When a toy was held out to her she didn't really know what to do. Now she holds toys, shakes them and truly plays with them. She also uses her soft little hands to run through mommy's hair or place on her cheek. Ok....she also uses them to scratch me occasionally and pull my hair but we're gently working on that and I wouldn't change it for anything. At least she is using them and I'm thrilled.

- My baby girl is long. She was 27" at 6 1/2 months but I'm not sure how tall she is now. When she is around the other babies about her age she seems longer than some. Also, I think she's about 17 1/2 lbs. Not sure how accurate this is as it's with me stepping on the scale alone and then again with her.

- When my sweeties is hot at night she will kick, kick, kick until the blankets are off her. Of course, when mommy gets up to check her she covers her up again. I keep a variety of weighted blankets near the crib and eventually throughout the night we seem to find something that we're both happy with. She....something just right and me....something she'll keep on as the room can be chilly at times.

- In some ways Hannah is much like your typical baby who spent her first days in an orphanage and others she is very different. Firstly, she drinks bottles slowly. Thankfully she is finally drinking (took 4 days before she really began to eat or drink much) but she takes her time. An average 8oz. bottle will take 30 mins to drink....and I love it!! 30 mins of holding her, snuggling her, whispering into her ears that I love her and making wonderful eye contact with one another. So thankful for this precious time that we share together numerous times throughout the day.

- XiaoFen has a beautiful gummy grin with no teeth to speak of yet. I'm guessing it won't be long but for now she's all gums. I feed her little snacks of Gerber Puffs that I break into teeny, tiny pieces and also bits of rice and watermelon from my fingers. She'll take a spoon but finger feeding seems most effective and enjoyable for both of us.

- Hannah is a cuddler and snuggler and has taken to her baby carrier really well! She spends hours each day in the Baby Bjorn and little bits in the sling. I also brought a Baby Hawk but she's a little bit too tiny for it yet so we'll wait and grow into that one. At breakfast today for the very first time I put her in the stoller for a bit and left her with mom and dad for a couple of minutes while I went to get food. Those from our group that saw me teased me as it was the first time they hadn't seen her strapped to me. :o) She enjoyed herself and before we knew it she was in the carrier again and we were off for the day! I am SO thankful for the carriers as it's healthy for both of us. My back sometimes aches but it's a good pain and I wouldn't change it for anything!!

- Hannah loves to be naked!! Whenever her diaper is being changed or after her bath she does this adorable little dance! Here's a video of it taken just a couple of hours ago.

That's all for today but I'm sure I'll have more 'Hannah Facts' in the future.

Sad To Say Good-bye to Changsha

Saturday, November 7th

Today was a day of many mixed emotions. We had packed the night before and our suitcases were in the hall by 8:20am...ready to be picked up and prepared for our trip to Beijing. We enjoyed a final breakfast at the Dolton and said goodbye to the ladies who had cared for us so lovingly. They're truly AMAZING!!! Talking to the babies, picking up toys when mommy's hands are full of baby and even following me around the buffet and filling my plate for me as my 'helper' sometimes knocked food onto the ground. LOL! There's nothing like selecting breakfast with a handsome gentleman in a black suit and tie, wearing white gloves, filling your plate and carrying it to the table for you! Hannah and I have chatted that this is not something she should get used to as 5 star hotels are not the norm for mommy and baby in Canada. :o)

We boarded the bus at 9:40, hoping and praying that today's trip was not to be a repeat of last week and thankfully it was anything but! We arrived at the airport, checked in, went through security and when we got to the gate they were already boarding! We again took a little bus to our plane and as I walked towards the stairs I couldn't help but think of Hannah's birth parents and whisper a thank you to them and to God who brought she and I together.

On board the plane they had this neat little seatbelt that attached to mine and wrapped around Hannah. As our plane left the ground I cried....the big ugly cry with tears running down my cheeks, for so many reasons. For my precious daughter who is not aware now, but who was leaving the province she was born in. For her birth parents whom I will be forever grateful to. I don't know their reasoning as to why they had to give up little XiaoFen, but God does and I'm forever thankful to Him for bringing she and I together. For Hannah's caregivers in the orphanage. She is an amazing little girl and I know she was loved and well cared for by them. Her smile lights up my life and I cannot begin to imagine how hard it must be on all of them to have her precious little personality leave the orphanage. I know for a fact that she brought them much joy as she has already brought me more than I could ever have hoped or imagined!!

As the plane left the ground, my tears were also those of sheer joy!!!!! I cannot tell you the number of times I have been on planes since beginning Hannah's adoption and my arms have ached to know what it would be like to be holding my sweet daughter and the plane left the ground and today God showed me what it was like.....and it was marvelous!!

She drank her bottle like a little trooper and really didn't react to the flight at all. She had a couple of fussy moments but that's just my little XiaoFen and totally normal. One thing mommy learned is that I'm really glad it's going to be grandma or grandpa who is sitting in front of us for the next flight. She loves to kick her feet and push the seat in front of her. There isn't much strength in those little legs but it will be so much easier if it's grandma or grandpa and mommy doesn't have to try to stop her. We both had a bit of a nap and before we knew it we were in Beijing. All our luggage arrived safely which is something we never take for granted, especially where there are now 38 of us in our travel group when you add the babies!!

The bus took us back to the Holiday Inn Central Plaza, where we had stayed last week and we began to settle in. Hannah and I tried to join Grandma, Grandpa and Norma for supper but by then it was nearing her bedtime so we opted to go back to the room, have a nice warm bath, play together, have a bottle and snuggle in for the night. Mommy was up until almost midnight unpacking and getting settled but it felt SO good to be prepared for the week. Living out of a suitcase is tough so I was happy to have drawers to unload her stuff into and to get a feeling of what we have on hand. LOL....you name it, we have it! Our room is known as the local Wal-Mart and if other families are missing something they sometimes come see if we have it and if we do we're only too happy to share! They share with us to so it's a great system for all.

Hannah has had a cold since Thursday so the night was rough with her up coughing and congested. Mommy was pretty frightened when she kept coughing and coughing but I got her up, gently rocked her and talked to her and eventually her cough subsided so that she could go peacefully back to sleep. This happened a couple of times throughout the night but I cherish those extra snuggles, only wishing they were for another reason other than being sick. The next day we asked for a cool mist humidifier and Hannah is sleeping much better. Thank you Lord for caring for my precious baby girl!!

It's really kinda cool to see how mommyhood has already changed me in so many wonderful ways. It's no longer about me....it's all about my Hannah and what is best for her! Currently supper has become a thing of the past. With our schedules and tours the way they are it seems were eating just around the time she's getting ready to settle for bed. Eating earlier wouldn't really help too much either as she normally has a fussy period between about 4pm and 6pm where she just likes to fuss...and watch mommy try everything she can to make her happy again. I'm sure she finds it quite entertaining! :o) So for now, Grandma, Grandpa and Norma are enjoying some wonderful visits and dinners together in the dining room while my sweetie and i enjoy quiet time in the room playing, bathing, eating, praying and then drifting off to sleep. Hannah puts herself to sleep very well which is another huge blessing! I have the very best baby in the whole world as God has blessed me beyond measure!!

Another thing I notice has changed is that I'm no longer a 'noise addict.' In the past I always had something playing...the radio, tv or both!! I couldn't walk into a room without turning something on. Now, I prefer to hear the sweet sounds of my baby when she's awake or her gentle breathing when she sleeps.

Speaking of sleeping...that's what I should be doing. It's almost 12:30 and my personal alarm clock normally rises around 6:30am for cuddles, snuggles and ...food!! Better have that bottle ready or she'll be sure to let me know i forgot!

Tomorrow is a big day...the Great Wall, Pearl Factory and Cloissone Factory! Getting ready for a day of excitement!!

A video:

Wow!! What a Difference

This first video was taken on Tuesday morning. Hannah could barely sit up and often tumbled over. You may also see that she's not really too sure yet what to do with the stacking cups. I showed her how to hold them and she was quite able to do so but that was about all!

All I can say is WOW!!!!!!!!

Fast forward to today....just 4 days later and check out the changes!!! My sweet baby girl is sitting so much taller and stronger. Her little neck is stronger and look at her play with the toys!

Truly it is an amazing transformation to watch these beautiful little ones grow and change and learn before my very eyes!! So cool to see it in person after reading other's stories but most amazing is to see the changes in my own precious daughter!!!

First Visit with Grandma and Grandpa!!

Mom, Dad and Norma have been really understanding and supportive of my choice to do 100% of the caring for Hannah when it comes to holding her, changing her and feeding her. They have been a HUGE help keeping mommy going and supporting me in more ways than can be counted....helping to get food from the buffet, schlepping our TON of stuff, running here and there, even cutting my food in a pinch when my hands were full of baby. I could not be more thankful for their help!!

Today is Saturday, day 5 since Hannah has been with me and today my very patient parents and Norma were able to hold Hannah for the first time while I sat nearby. You can tell by the smiles on all 4 faces that they all enjoyed this visit immensely! I will still be doing the lion's share of Hannah's care for attachment reasons but I was happy to share her with them!

Enjoy the pics!!

Open Arms Families

I want to say a quick WELCOME to those of you who are following our journey as family and friends of my fellow Open Arms families!!! We're having a great time together and I'll try to post a few pics here for you to see some of them. Sorry there aren't more but I'll work on that. SO far behind in blogging but when my baby girl is awake, playing with her is just too much fun!! Hope you catch a glimpse of your loved ones here!!

My Baby Is Still a Baby!!!

I cried huge tears of joy when I received Hannah's referral call in August and at the time she was only 5 1/2 months old. Fast forward 10 1/2 weeks and a beautiful BABY was placed in my arms!!

Some wonderful things about my sweetie that I don't want to forget!

- although 8 months, 1 week old, my little sweetie's muscles are not very strong and she finds it difficult to sit alone. I put pillows behind her for support or if she tumbles backwards/sideways. That being said she has still managed a face plant into her play mat forward before I could reach out to her!

- even though she is 'older' her favourite position to be held is my very favourite to hold a baby! Her beautiful little head tucked into the crook of my left arm and her little body across mine. If she's awake we can easily gaze into one another's eyes. If she's tired, when I put her into this position she will fall asleep within moments, often singing sweet songs to herself. Beyond cute!

- the first day we met, when I fed her her bottle her little legs were rigid and she'd pull away if I tried to touch her little hands. By day 2 her legs were relaxed, she allowed me to hold her hands and sometimes would even put her little fingers in my mouth as a game.

- she loves, loves, loves to smile!!! I am blessed beyond measure to have such a happy little girl!

- she doesn't really feed herself yet but I'm only too happy to oblige! She lets me hold her bottle and also feed her from a baby spoon or my fingers. Such wonderful bonding opportunities and I'm so thankful for these.

- the way she holds her little hands she has her thumb tucked under, sticking out between her pointer and her middle finger. Too cute!!! Baby hands!!! Even if she's holding a stacking cup she often still has her little thumbs tucked under

- she's still not crazy about how mommy is making her bottles but we're getting closer. Warmer/hotter than I'd imagined. Also, when i shake them up I need to shake and shake and then shake some more. Sometimes finding clumpy bits in the bottom which might be why she doesn't drink as much as I thought she would. Oops!

- once my girly mastered her first poop she has proved to be a pro! 2-4 messy diapers a day which makes mommy very, very happy! Who knew poop could be so exciting??

- my sweet Hannah is what I would say is a typical baby who has spent and extended amount of time in an orphanage. Although I firmly believe that she had great, amazing, loving care, I don't believe she got the 'normal' amount of stimulation. Because of this she is developmentally in some ways younger than her chronological age. They say that for every three months a baby is in an orphanage, be prepared for them to be 1 month delayed. I feel this is Hannah's situation but that is totally ok with me and I know she will catch up quickly. Although 8 1/2 months chronologically she acts more like a 6 month old. Still pretty wobbly sitting but getting stronger every, single day. She does not really sit up from a lying position on her own although even in the past 2 days, if I have pillows behind her and she falls back she will attempt and occasionally succeed as getting herself into a sitting position. She does not crawl yet but that just means it's something exciting that we get to learn together!!

- when she gets going into a 'good cry' she squeeks a little like a mouse although even today that was missing. Hope it's not gone for long as it's kinda cute.

- she is an amazing sleeper and she has quickly taught mommy how to best meet her needs. She still naps twice a day but with our crazy, wonderful schedule here in China she is proving to be very adaptable and quite happy to sleep on the go. Movement of a taxi or bus will often bring on sleep. Another awesome thing is that once asleep, I can easily move her and she stays asleep. So thankful! Once again, one of those crazy things I prayed for and God answered.

- I am very thankful that her crib is in my room at home!! She wakes sometimes and I see those little eyes look for me, catch mine and then she drifts back to sleep quite contentedly.

- I hate to put her to bed at night as my arms feel empty without her. I look forward to the time she wakes each morning for our early morning snuggle and first bottle of the day

- she doesn't suck her thumb or any fingers going to sleep but when upset she chews and sucks on the pointer finger on her left hand and it has a tiny callouse on it from doing this.

- even though she is used to it, I cannot wait to let my baby sleep in her crib. We're staying at an amazing 5 star hotel and the 'mattress' on her crib is still a wooden board with a folded towel and sheet on it. That's it! She does have a beautiful baby duvet to sleep under and I'd like to keep my eyes open in the market and possibly purchase one of those.

- when she gets too warm sleeping, her little legs kick together and in about 3 kics the duvet is off. So cute!!

- the first night Hannah slept very soundly and truly never moved. Since then she's had one super restless night and now 2 pretty normal ones. It will be interesting to see what her true sleeping habits are like once she's more settled.

- although I have looked closely it appears my baby girl does not have any mongolian spots. I was surprised by this as I thought most Asian babies had them but I guess not all do. She's currently sporting a tiny bruise on her right cheek from a little tumble at the orphanage before we met and also a mosquito bite above her left eye that she got our 2nd night together.

- there is nothing as precious and amazing as the feeling of my sweet daughter reaching up from her carrier and placimg her hands on my cheeks or running them through my hair.

Have I mentioned lately.........I LOVE HER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

There is so much more but I'll send this off now with a couple of cute pics!

Ahhhh! So this is why posts are slow in coming...

Yes!!! And I couldn't be HAPPIER!!! Sorry for the slow posts but when my baby is awake the computer takes a far away back seat to it!!!

Also, I love receiving your comments and will take the time to read each and every one of them. Please understand that if you have emailed me and I have not responded to that I will, in time. Thanks so much for your understanding!!!

Now...back to our regularly scheduled blogging....

Yay!! We're Officially Mother and Daughter!!

**You may notice that these posts are being back dated. I've asked M3 to post them for particular dates to help me out with timeframes later on.**

This morning dawned bright and sunny. We only had the sheers closed in the room so as I sat at the computer capturing as many details as I could from yesterday. As light slowly filled the room my daughter's sweet sleeping face was gently illuminated. Finally around 7:20 she opened her eyes ready to greet the day having slept right through from 10:00 last night! Unfortunately, I was not the person she thought she was going to see when she woke up and it broke my heart to see the initial fear in her eyes as she tried desperately to remember where she was and who she was with. The fear and tears that followed lasted for only seconds and as I reached into her crib to lift her out she greeted me with one of her amazingly beautiful gummy grins!!! Oh does my sweetness know how to smile!!

I attempted to feed her a bottle with little success. She took about 2 oz. but that was all. Not sure if it's the consistency, flavour or temp that is throwing her off but we're trying and hopefully I'll learn how she likes it soon! At breakfast she ate a little congee and another oz. from her bottle so I wasn't too concerned even though I wished she was eating better.

At 9:30 all the families met in the lobby. My parents and Norma were going out to check out some local shopping as Hannah I and ventured out with the rest of the group. We went back to the Civil Affairs Office where each family had a variety of appts. to finalize our adoptions. They consider the first 24 hours a 'harmonization' period and the adoption is not finalized until all of the paperwork is completed with the officials the day after the adoption takes place.
The first stop was with an official who had me put my right thumb print on my signature of an official document and then took Hannah's little right foot and covered it with red ink also and stamped it oon her adoption finalization paperwork. So cute to see her little footprint there and they gave me a copy too...cool!! One of the funny things is that before leaving the hotel I had thought about the 'clothing police' (aka....little Chinese grandmas) who will reprimand you if you don't have your baby dressed warmly enough. She may do it in Chinese but trust me...there's no question what she's saying! :o) Knowing this and that it was a cool day with a predicted high of only 14o I'd put tights on Hannah. Suddenly as our turn was coming about I realized that they were going to take her footprint so I quickly began to take her tights off. You guessed it....as I sit there with my baby on my lap, changing her out of her tights, Sarah calls me so I go into the first official's office with her little snaps all undone. oops! Thankfully the family in front of me were still busy with the official so I was able to get her snapped up and ready to meet her people!! As the official hands me back her footprint page and my Passport she says, 'Congratulations! You're a Mom!!' I couldn't help the tears that immediately filled my eyes!!

We had an official family picture taken of the two of us and also met with a Notary Public where I shared why I wanted to adopt my precious Hannah, what my future plans were for her and also had to promise that I would never abandon her. As I answered that one I couldn't help but hold her closer, and with tear filled eyes, nod my head in affirmation that I would never, ever, ever leave or abandon my sweet baby girl. At this point the notary public stands and with a big grin, shakes my hand and says, 'Congratulations! You are officially the mother of Yong Xiao Fen!' She is my daughter......FOREVER!!!!!!

Because of the nature of the paperwork we were doing, the Director of Hannah's orphanage and the Asst. Director was also there. Hannah lit up when she saw this beautiful woman (Director) and when she took Xiao Fen in her arms she laughed and smiled at her too! They played together for a bit then we posed for some pictures. I expressed my thankfulness to them over and over again for taking such amazing care of Xiao Fen! I will be eternally grateful for the love and care that Xiao Fen received at the DaoXian SWI in Hunan province! I was also thrilled that these people were there because I had really hoped to visit her orphanage but this is not possible due to H1N1. I wanted her to have an opportunity to see them and be held by them. I've read that it's healthy for the babies making the transition as by now she and I have spent time together and we're getting to know one another. Then, to go back to the people she knows and loves and be happy with them and then have them place her in my arms, her little world kinda says, 'Hmmmm....I trust this lady and now she's handing me back to this new lady so she must be ok.' Hannah enjoyed her visit with the Director but came willingly back into my arms and greeted me with a huge gummy smile when our quick visit was over. Sadly some of the older babies are having a much harder time of it. One in particular walks the halls calling out constantly for her nanny and crying huge alligator tears. It breaks my heart every time I hear her and I pray that soon she will cry out for her mommy and daddy and that her precious little heart will begin to heal.

We boarded the bus just before noon and headed back to the hotel for some time of relaxing and hanging out together. There is a beautiful soft duvet in the cupboard so we spread that out on the floor and it becomes our play area. Hannah can sit a little but not much and will kinda flop her nose to her toes if not supported properly. We keep pillows behind her for support but she still managed a face plant once before I could get to her when she flopped. Oops!

One of the gentlemen in our group (James) is an awesome photographer and offered to take family pics in the lobby. I don't have the ones he took yet but this one Norma got of Hannah and I is beautiful!

Hannah loves her carriers and I carry her everywhere we go but I wanted a stroller for meal times when I've finished feeding her and want to try and get a couple of bites into myself. (Have to say I'm guessing this 'Baby Diet' will be great for the waistline! Don't care if I eat....it's all about Xiao Fen!!) Mom, Dad, Norma, Hannah and I, with the help of our guide Sarah writing down the address for us, loaded into a taxi and off we went. Upon arrival we eventually found Wal-Mart and enjoyed some cultural shopping. Don't remember chicken feet in our deli or 'Duck in a Bag' in the fresh meat area!! Will have to look for those when I get home...NOT!! I found a stroller for Hannah as well as more formula and a couple of other things I wanted/needed.

We went outside and tried to flag down a taxi. We were at a taxi stand where you could push a light that literally waved a hand but nope, they all just kept speeding by even though many were empty. it felt like we were on The Amazing Race. We decided to be brave and cross the crazy-busy street so that we were at least going in the same direction as the hotel. Crossing the street in China is not for the faint of heart! When someone asked what my best suggestion was I said it was to bury ourselves in the middle of the throng on Chinese people crossing the street...and don't check signs or lights or you'll get behind and you don't want that to happen. So far this approach has worked really well and it sure does make for some fun cultural experiences!

Once we crossed the street Norma was able to flag down a taxi for us within mere minutes. yay Norma! We made our way back to the hotel, enjoyed dinner in the restaurant on the 1st floor and then it was Hannah's bedtime. A bath, fresh diaper and clean jammies.

WAIT!!! I almost forgot the IMPORTANT announcement! At 5:45 pm Tuesday....yes, I took note of the time!....Hannah had her first official poopy diaper! WHEEE!!!! For anyone who has travelled the long road of International Adoption you know the excitement of this first diaper as it means her plumbing is working properly. Yay Hannah!! Guess we won't be needing those prunes I brought after all.

So there we are. End of Tuesday, November 3rd. Offical Adoption finalization day!!!! Hannah Catherine XiaoFen is my daughter FOREVER!!! Thank you Lord!! You have been faithful always and today I thank you and praise you for the most amazing gift that is, my XiaoFen!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Oh What a Great and Glorious Day - Hannah is HERE!!! - Part 3

We boarded the bus around 4:30 for the return trip back to the Dolton and oh what a different ride it was!! We were now holding 10 precious babies and the bus was much louder than when we had driven the other direction. Hannah was still calm and still just trying to figure it all out. I'm guessing she had never been outside the orphanage until this morning and now, after a long 5+ hour drive from DaoXian to Changsha, and meeting her mommy, she was travelling once again. Before long my sweetie decided it was nap time and cuddled in for a rest. Ahhhhhhh!!!

We arrived back at the hotel and went to our room to wait for Sarah to come and share details from the orphange about Hannah's daily care. It was about an hour and a half before Sarah arrived and my sweetie napped during some of that time and was awake at others. We had some tears and can I say she has the sweetest little cry? She can get wound up for sure but it's still a little cry and in her most upset times her little voice squeeks which has led to the nickname of 'Little Squeek' at times.

I eventually gave her a couple of stacking cups and all was right in her little world once again. I had taken a toy to the Civil Affairs office but it had appeared to scare her so I was being cautious. It would not be unusual for her to not have really had toys or many toys until today so I didn't want to overwhelm her. I love her little hands when she holds things as she still has what I call 'baby hands' and I love it!! Her little thumbs are tucked in and stick out between her index finger and middle finger. So sweet! Note to self....catch this in a pic...don't have one yet.

Sarah came to our room around 6:00 and shared about Hannah's daily schedule. She currently has 2 bottles a day of formula with rice cereal mixed in with it. I'll continue with this for a bit to ease her transition and then move her to cereal in a bowl and formula seperately. She likes vegetables, rice, fruit, mashed pork, steamed egg and....cake! LOL...my baby girl still likes her cake!

She was described as outgoing, happy and generous and I can already see these traits in her. I cannot believe the number of smiles and giggles we get!!

Once Sarah left we decided to grab a quick bite to eat before meeting to do paperwork for the civil affairs office. I attempted to eat a little soup but was much happier taking care of my baby and feeding her a little congee.

We met the rest of the families at 7:30 where Hannah fussed a bit at first and then decided to conk out. It was her bedtime and she was ready to go to sleep. Back in the room I changed her diaper and put her down for the night. I had decided to keep her in the little outfit she came in so as not to change things too quickly. So much in her little world had changed today so if being in her orphanage clothes (which were the pj's from her care package!) would give her any comfort then I wanted to offer her this. (I've now taken these and placed them in a ziploc and will put one piece in her crib the night we move to Beijing and another piece when we go home to Canada. Trying to help her adjustment with smells that are familiar to her.)

My sweet baby girl was asleep for the night around 10:00 and she slept right though until 7:20 the next morning! I was amazed too that she didn't really move in her crib at all. The position I left her in is where she was all night....because mommy got up often to check! :o)

There you have it folks....our Family Day in the details that I can remember. Thank you for making your way through all the details. I know it's a lot but more than a blog, this is our Family Journal and I want to capture as much of it as I possibly can to share with Hannah later.

Thank you for all your comments and emails. I'm the first to admit that many sit unopened in my in box right now but please know that they are greatly appreciated! As I have time I will read and enjoy them but my focus has changed in a wonderful way to the sweet baby girl behind me who is starting to stir, ready to face another day together as mother and daughter!!!

Oh What a Great and Glorious Day!!! Hannah is HERE!!! - Part 2

Hannah is in my arms and oh how I love her!!!!

My beautiful daughter Hannah was placed in my arms shortly after 3pm on Monday, November 2nd, 2009!!!

I was immediately struck by how calm she was and how much eye contact she was making!! She put her little head back into my hand and gazed deeply into my eyes just checking me out and soaking it all in. So curious and yet....so calm. God had prepared this time long ago and now He was causing my daughter and I to gaze deep into one another's eyes and begin the time of getting to know one another. And, it was good! So very, very good!!! I truly believe God allowing her to be so young (8 months, 1 week) at the time of our meeting is a HUGE part in her openness to just check me out to see what I was all about. I was speaking quietly to her, telling her how much I loved her and guess what, I was calm too! I was so sure I'd burst into tears when I held her but that happened earlier and then again a few times after I was holding her.

After a number of minutes of gazing at me she took her beautiful little head and placed it on my shoulder and snuggled into my neck! Such an amazing feeling and one that I cannot describe in words!!!

We walked around the room and visited with some of the other families. Many of the babies were calm but as anticipated, families that had received older children were having a rough go of it as these precious little ones understood so much more of what had been changed in their little lives. It's so hard to watch them grieve, hurt and arch their backs away from their parents and yet it's a good thing too as it shows that they know they've lost something and are grieving for that. In time they will understand more but for now they just understand loss.

This picture of Hannah and I is with her travel nanny, rather than the nanny who cared for her on a daily basis. Often this time of handing the babies over to their new families is just too difficult for their primary care giver so anothers travel with them. She offered to hold Hannah for the picture but I wasn't letting go! :o) You would have needed a crow bar to pry my baby out of my arms!! LOL!
The other baby in a similar outfit to Hannah is Emma and they both lived in DaoXian SWI. I don't believe they were in the same room but when they see one another you can tell that they recognize one another and it's precious to see! They even reached out to touch one another's hands....so sweet!

We were at the Civil Affairs Office for about an hour and enjoyed some sweet times together! Check out this video!!! Can you see those smiles and hear the giggles and chattING? Such a happy, happy girl!!!

I wish for so many reasons that I could finish writing about the day but once again am falling asleep at the computer so going to go to bed and then hopefully wake early to write more.

Thanks you for all your comments and emails!! As time permits I will take the time to read each of them and soak in what you have to say. Based on the activity of the past 2 days with Hannah in my life I'm guessing that time might come sometimes when she's 18! Will write more tomorrow....

Gotcha Moment video:


Fingers in Mouth video:


Check Out Those Smiles!! video:

Oh What a Great and Glorious Day!!! Hannah is HERE!!! - Part 1

Wow, wow....WOW!!! How do I begin to capture in mere words what today has been like??? I cannot begin to do so but will make an attempt as I don't want to forget a single detail of this most amazing, life changing day!!!

Here we go.....

After a short night of about 2 hours sleep, I woke up to a sun filled room and called out to anyone who would listen, ok....Norma who was still trying to sleep ;o) that TODAY was Hannah day!!! T-o-d-a-y!!! Not tomorrow, not the day after that, not a week or a month or a year away but TODAY!!!! Wheeee!!!

It was 7am so we got up and began to get ready. I'd packed the diaper bag the night before, wanting to be prepared at a moment's notice for us to GO! Our appt. wasn't until 3 in the afternoon but I wanted to be ready.

Can I tell you once again, how amazing God is??!!! I wasn't sick. I wasn't living in the restroom....I was bathed in his peace and excitement! I wasn't thinking clearly and probably could not have told you the answer to 2 + 2 but...I also wasn't sick. Normally in stressful situations I feel extremely ill and today, God said 'nope...I give you My peace' and that was it....His peace flowed through me!!! It's humbling to type that as I know literally hundreds and possibly thousands of people around the world were praying for Hannah and I and I could tangibly feel your prayers as God answered them over and over and over again!!! Thank you for praying!!!!!

Back to Hannah Day....
Around 8:00 Norma and I headed down to the breakfast buffet. What a beautiful hotel we're in! It will deserve a post all its own later on. I enjoyed a b'fast of cereal with 'clod milk'...heh, typo on the sign ;o), bacon, an omlette and the most amazing fresh fruit. Asia has amazing fresh fruit!!! Knowing this might be my only/main meal of the day I tucked into it as once again I wasn't feeling ill so could enjoy it.

After b'fast I boarded the bus with my parents as Norma and Leslie headed off to find a local market and buy some supplies for us and souvenirs for her family. The bus took the majority of the families to the National Bank of China. At least, I think that's the name of it. Just went to check the name on my recipt but it's in Chinese. lol!! This morning's order of business what to exchange large amounts of Canadian travellers cheques into Yuan for our orphange fees tomorrow as well as other assundary fees. Exchanging money into Yuan in China is a lengthy process but I was just so thankful that I'd been able to travel with travellers cheques rather than US bills that it was no problem at all. I felt SO vulnerable as the gentleman handed me a stack....literally about 4" tall of Yuan! **gulp** Where was my bodyguard?? 'DADDY!!!!!!!!' Yup...still need my Daddy!

From this point our group was splitting into 2 different destinations. My friend Russ (a coworker who is also in my travel group....cool!!!) was taking a taxi and going directly back to the hotel. I asked him and he was only too happy to take my cash with him, so I felt like a million pounds had been lifted off my shoulders!!! (Hmmmm...come to think of it....that $ is still in his safe. There's about $6,500 there.....if their family isn't at b'fast tomorrow I'm checking to see if he's still in the country! :o)

After Russ headed to the hotel, a group of us went to the local Carrefour Market. It was directly across the street from the bank but due to it being too dangerous for us non-educated Asia street crossers, we waited for all to be finished at the bank and took the bus across the street. Heh!!!

Mom, Dad and I were able to buy all that we needed for our time here, including all of Hannah's supplies. Armed with a picture from Sara's blog I was able to buy diapers, wipes, baby food, snacks and the exact formula Hannah drank at the orphanage. I bought enough for her to hopefully stay on that formula while we're here in China and then to transition her off slowly to Canadian formula once home.

(It's early Tuesday as I'm typing this and trying to get as much done while my bundle of love is still sleeping. Her little legs have begun to kick around her crib a bit and I've heard a couple of sighs so I think she's beginning to wake.....after having slept all through the night since 10pm last night!!! Have I told you lately how amazing she is??!!!)

We returned to the hotel at 1:30 and needed to be downstairs in the lobby at 2:30. Norma has been a HUGE help and once again she anticipated my needs and had gone above and beyond. The top I was wearing for Family Day had been ironed and freshened and was ready for me. The gifts for Hannah's nanny, director and possibly the Notary Public also needed to be prepared so she helped me get those ready too. She was so patient and supportive during my excited, can't-tell-you-what-day-it-is frenzy of preparation excitement. Thank you Norma!! She'd gently ask at different times (as the safe was wide open and in our main path, 'Do you need anything in or out of the safe' and I'd just say, 'sorry..I really don't know.' Heh...couldn't have answered that.

We were eventually ready to go, dressed, fresh make-up applied, diaper bag with warm bottle, Passport in hand and gifts. We headed to the lobby around 2:25 to meet the other excited families and my parents. I had myself a good cry in the lobby, just realizing that Hannah was probably in the city too and within MINUTES would be in my arms!! We drove to the Civil Affairs Office and as we pulled up some of the babies were being taken into the building!!! There were shouts of excitement, tears and the already emotion filled bus just ramped up with excitement 100 fold!!!

We made our way to the 3rd floor where we saw the sign for International Adoptions. Yes! More tears!! We went in to the room where 7 of the babies were. There was one who could possibly be Hannah but I wasn't convinced that it was her. We were asked to go into the room next door so we did and I began to pace with excitement!!

The hand-over time was a combination of so many feelings and emotions and so much more. I felt like I was in a dream, looking in from the outside and then they called my name and it all became a wonderful, amazing reality!!! Hannah was here, safe, warm, curious and in my arms!!!

I know this isn't fair but I'm going to close this post here and start a new one to cover the remainder of the day. I have a feeling my sweet baby girl will soon be awake and I want to spend time with her. I'll continue with the post soon....promise!!!)

Sorry Folks....More Tomorrow

I would love to post more about today but just cannot keep my eyes open. Yesterday's travel challenges led to a short 2 hour sleep, followed by a busy, emotional day. I've sat here for the past 15 mins trying to write a post and have fallen asleep more times that I can count. I'll share details and more Hannah pics and videos! tomorrow.

Ok....a couple more to tide you over! You twisted my arm!! :o)

Hannah is here!!!

This is Norma typing for Catherine because she's busy, busy, busy!!

Lots of details to come but here are some pictures to tide you over for now. She's absolutely perfect; the most beautiful baby in the world (spoken by the proud Mommy).

She has already entertained us with many smiles and giggles and boy can she talk! Yes, she is her mother's daughter. More to come later.

It's almost Hannah time!

I'm within an hour of having Hannah in my arms!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Just finalizing packing gifts, getting myself dressed and makeup redone so that I have mascara to cry off. Oh my....this is really happening!!!!

It's almost time!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

(posted by M3, who is now going to bed. TubaDad has been given a Blogger crash course and is standing by, ready to post the next amazing part.)

Safely in Changsha at the end of a VERY LONG DAY!!!

** sorry to be so late in posting today but one read of this and you’ll understand why!! This post was written at a variety of times throughout Sunday, November 1st and early Monday, November 2nd **

8:40am – Holiday Inn Central Plaza , Beijing

Leave hotel via bus and travel in light snow to the Beijing airport. It was quite pretty to see but then, not so much!! Flights delayed for an undetermined amount of time. When we check in at 9:30 all flights from 7:00am are still grounded. Uh oh!!

2:00pm – Beijing International Airport

Greetings from the Beijing airport! Why are we still at the airport? Well, due to a cold snap and freak November snowstorm our flight is delayed for an undetermined amount of time.

There are departure monitors everywhere but unfortunately they only display the original departure time which was about 2 ½ hours ago so we’re not finding them very helpful. Thankfully our wonderfully capable guides Sarah and Louise are listening intently to the announcements in Chinese and keeping us updated. So far we know nothing other than flights originally scheduled to fly out about an hour and a half before us are boarding so hopefully we’ll be out of here within the next couple of hours. We’re watching planes be de-iced so all is well. Just so very, VERY thankful that we were not supposed to meet the babies today or our group wouldn’t be nearly so jovial and relaxed!

I had a minor moment of panic when we couldn’t find Mom and Dad earlier in the day but we tracked them down at the gate and all was well. With the departure delays we were given the option to exchange some of our travellers cheques into Yuan. We got separated when Mom and Dad went through security before Norma and I as we were still at the bank. We were asked to make our way to the gate and Mom and Dad did that and almost boarded the wrong flight! Oops!! Thankfully a gentleman behind them read their boarding passes and let them know that they were getting on the wrong plane. Phew!! Louise eventually found them waiting at the gate and all’s well as we’re together again.

The airport itself is chilly! So chilly in fact that the airport staff are driving around in their little carts and handing out blankets. We look quite funny sitting here 2 and 3 people to a blanket but we’re warm and that’s what matters. We’re headed to Changsha where the temperature was 32oC/90oF yesterday and I’m just thankful that at the last moment I chose to change from wearing capris into jeans for the flight. Guess waking up to the ground covered in snow and it snowing quite heavily made it an easy wardrobe decision.

Sitting here is an interesting look into the local culture. I’m struck by the families I see. Never more than 1 child. It’s an interesting phenomenon to observe. I’ve known for a long time that the one child policy exists but to see it in action is eye opening and humbling. There is so much that we take for granted!

Louise just returned with an armload of noodles. Mr. Noodles which are not considered a delicacy at home suddenly become a meal of desire when the options are few and the lines are long. Dad and I thought about getting KFC but the lines of people were 10 wide and 20 deep. Not having cell phones that work in China to keep in touch should the suddenly decide to board our plane we opted for Pringles and Coke for lunch.

Ooooo….it’s 2:45 and they just called our flight! Wheeee! And we’re off!

6:30pm – on the tarmac in our plane – still at Beijing International Airport !

OK – Kinda false alarm. Ugh!! It’s now 6:30 and we’re still in Beijing !! Yes, our plane boarded at 2:45 but that’s as far as we got. We’re not really at a gate but were bussed to our plane in the middle of the tarmac. We boarded, they closed the doors and then….started to serve food and drinks. Not a good sign that we’d be leaving anytime soon. Little did we really know! The current word on the street….err, in the aisle, is that there are still 54 planes in line before us so truthfully I don’t have a clue when we’re leaving! It’s a 2 hour flight once we’re in the air so I’m thinking if we’re at the hotel by midnight that will be a really good thing.

Most people are doing ok although there have been a couple of near brawls as some have been yelling at the flight attendants. Not sure what they think they can do so just sitting here and capturing what I can before my laptop battery dies. Norma, Russ and Leslie are sitting 2 rows in front of us and are entertaining themselves and the rest of us with some hilarious distorted pics taken by their Mac Book Pro. Too funny!!

As much as today has been far from what any of us expected, we’re just so thankful that it happened the day before we get the babies. Tomorrow morning’s plan is to exchange money at the bank for the orphanage fee and then prepare to meet the babies!!! Ahhhhhh!!!! While we were on the bus to the plane we realized that we were just 24 short hours from receiving the babies!! SO COOL!!!

I’ll try to get this sent off to M3 before heading to bed tonight. When I wake up tomorrow morning it will finally be HANNAH DAY!!! God is SO GOOD and I thank Him for sustaining me through this entire wait. Tomorrow is the day God planned long ago. The day that He would bring us together as mother and daughter!!!

4:00am Monday, November 2nd – Dolton Hotel, Changsha

Phew!!! We finally made it!! Our plane was de-iced at 9:30 pm and we took flight at 10:00. 11 ½ hours later than scheduled and 7 hours after we boarded the plane!!!

Things did go from bad to worse on the plane and after A LOT of yelling they allowed those who wanted to to leave the plane. Thankfully most of those who were most upset chose that option and things calmed down after that.

I fell asleep immediately after the plane took off. Tears of relief flowed as I watched them de-ice the plane with the thoughts that we truly were flying to Changsha and meeting Hannah would not be delayed. Such joy!

The flight was smooth and uneventful once we took to the air. We arrived in Changsha just after midnight, at our gorgeous hotel around 1:30am and now at 4:00am have finished unpacking and really should be trying to sleep…..SOON!! Wanted to update you.

I have done pretty well today with only a few moments of tears. When Sarah first said we’d be getting the babies tomorrow – I cried. When our plane took off – I cried! When I realized that tonight was the very last night that my sweet baby girl would be sleeping where she is loved and comfortable – I cried. I know that what I am doing is the right thing but oh how I wish it cold be easier on her. She has no idea how her precious little world is going to change in just hours but I do. I love her, I’ll care for her and I am her Mom and together we’re going to make it through these next few days of confusion for her little heart.

I covet your prayers for Hannah and I. She as she leaves all she knows behind and learns to trust someone new. For myself as I seek to meet her needs in the very best way I can and long to calm her as her little heart heals. For her nanny who will have to say good-bye to her later today. And for the precious little ones who she knows from her room in the orphanage? Will any of them be blessed in the future to have a mommy to call their own? Praying for them too.

Thank you friends! Trusting God each and every step of the way! He is right beside Hannah and He is right beside me. And in a few short hours Hannah and I will be together forever. The family God planned and ordained long ago!!

Praise God from whom all blessings flow!!!

Now, must get to bed and try to sleep!!!








Canadian's response to the flight delay:

The Non-Canadian's response to the flight delay:

Uh oh: woke up to this text message from Catherine

She sent it to TubaDad's cell phone at 5:18pm China time (middle of the night for us):

"Still in beijing due to snow earlier. 6 hrs delayed so far. In plane 2 hrs but still at gate and no signs of leaving. So thankful not getting baby until tomorrow or i'd be a mess! SOOOO EXCITED!!! Less than 24 hours to hannah!"

Catherine's flight to Changsha was supposed to depart at 11:25am China time and arrive at 1:35pm. I'll update as soon as we get another message.

(posted by M3)

McSocks? What's Up With That?

Breakfast was super yummy!! It's included with our room at both hotels and there is lots to choose from for each of us. The fruit is so fresh and there are lots of choices on the buffet. You'll notice that the only thing about Dad's breakfast this morning was that he started to eat it with chopsticks. They didn't last long but made for a good pic.


After breakfast we headed out on our Amazing Race adventure! We're back and had a ton of fun together!! Our adventure began at the bank. When you go in, a security guard prints a ticket for you and then you sit and wait your turn. The wait was about half an hour and during that time we were both entertained and we did some entertaining too! Norma and I are still giddy (probably to a total of about 7 hours sleep each in the past two nights) so when the computer kept calling out 'Twinkle Bunny' it had us in hysterics! It was a long stream of Chinese words and then would end with 'Twinkle Bunny.' It probably happened about 6 times in the time we were waiting and every single time we cracked up! Heh....doesn't take much to entertain us!


We entertained a young girl who was sitting there as Robert had out his Chinese phrase book and was trying to count. We could tell she was listening as she'd grin at some of his pronunciations. We started talking with her and enjoyed getting to know her a little and trying out our very limited Chinese! It was fun and helped to pass the time.

After leaving the bank our guide Sarah hailed a couple of taxis for us and we were headed to the subway station. Unfortunately there is more than one entrance to the station and Robert and Bonnie's taxi left them at another entrance and we didn't end up seeing them again for a few hours. Lesson learned....Squish into one taxi or be more specific about final drop off destination!


The subway was fun and we were pleased that we navigated it so easily. Most things were similar but one difference was that our belongings all had to be x-rayed before we could enter the platform. Not such a bad idea! We did really well in the subway until we hit a crowded transfer station and about 30 people crowded in to an already full car! We were pushed and shoved but held our ground and then just laughed when we crawled our way out of the crowd at the next station. Won't be taking Hannah on the subway, that's for sure!!


When we got to the silk market, the fun began! First, we had to cross about 10 lanes of traffic. You need to know that here a pedestrian has the very least rights when it comes to the roadways. We made it across in little bits and found ourselves laughing again when we'd be in the middle of 10 lanes of traffic with 5 going each direction at a good clip and us standing there wondering when we might be able to venture the rest of the way across. We made it and had stories to tell.


Our first stop was at a McDonald's to use the facilities and that's where the title of this post comes from. Going back to early in the morning, Dad realized that he'd forgotten to bring any white socks so that was his goal item to purchase today. Fast forward to noon when we're in MCDONALD's and the ladies have gone off to use the restroom. As per normal, the ladies are lined up out the door....unless you wanted that squatty potty and that one was free for the taking. Given a choice, each of us decided to wait. We eventually made it in and upon exiting we all started to laugh!! There was dad, sitting at a table in McDonald's....buying SOCKS!!! A lady had approached him and said, 'For you sir....very good price! Only for you sir! Here...SOCKS!' LOL....yes, she had a bag of socks and was trying to sell him Nike socks. Genuine Nike I'm sure! ;o) She started out at about 60 yuan ($10 CDN) for 3 pairs of socks. Nope...he wasn't paying that. She said, 'OK sir...60 yuan for these' and added another pair!! He still didn't budge. By this time we'd joined him and were enjoying the fun. You can imagine our surprise when here's dad, sitting in McDonald's, bartering for socks!! In the end she sold him about a dozen pairs of socks for 60 yuan and he's set for the rest of our trip and then some. Want to make us laugh today? Just mention dad's McSocks and we all burst in to laughter!!


We went to the silk market after that and each had our turn at bartering. Fun!!! Mom, Norma and I each purchased some souvenirs. Shopping in the market is an experience unlike any other!! Each and every stall has gals standing on the outside doing their best to get you to come check out what they have to offer. They call to you, show you things, put things in your hands and should you show the least amount of interest they call after you, pull your arm to get you to come back and can put on the saddest faces if you don't look at their wares.


The normal way to barter is by calculator. They punch in the number and the first one we're supposed to punch in back is 10% of their price! Wow!! They look at you with shock, tell you you're crazy and then they punch in another number lower than their original one. It goes back and forth, back and forth. If you can eventually reach a price you both agree on you've made a deal and all is well. If you can't reach an agreeable price you begin to walk away and they will normally follow you, call out to you and often grab your arm attempting to pull you back to their stall. It's fun but a lot of work too! I bartered with one gal for a silk dress for Hannah for almost 20 mins. I didn't 'need' it so walked away a few times but she kept pulling me back and coming down in price. The first price she quoted me for 1 little dress was 925 yuan ($154 CDN!!!) and in the end I paid 65 yuan or about $10. Not sure what I 'should' be willing to pay for a 100% silk Chinese dress. Anybody know? Also, can you buy them for less money that are not 100% silk? Want to get good deals but also don't want to rip people off. 2 different ladies today told me I was a tough bargainer. Heh...guess that's because I'm willing to walk away if we can't reach a price I'm willing to pay. Bartering is a hoot but may require a nap afterwards after all the work of agreeing on prices!

We decided to grab a snack at McDonald's before tackling the subway home. As we were approaching the restaurant we were all asking Dad if this was a lunch visit, or was it time to buy more McSocks? :o)


When we got back to the hotel Norma and I decided it was time for some pampering. I won't have much time for this come Monday so we quite enjoyed ourselves. She had an amazing massage and I opted for a Milk Foot Bath and Foot Massage. Ahhhhh!! What a treat for my feet and legs after sitting so much yesterday!

We're in the process of repacking our suitcases right now as the ones staying in Beijing need to be downstairs at 8:30 tonight to go into storage. After repacking it will be supper time. Going to venture out to a restaurant down the street. We're told there are pictures and English words on the menu so hopefully all will be well and we'll order what we can eat.

Thanks for reading this far. I know it's a lot but I want to document as many of the details of this trip as possible. This is our China Travel Journal so I want to capture the details for later.

Less than 48 hours to Hannah!!! Tomorrow's schedule is breakfast, leave for airport at 8:30am, fly to Changsha and check in to the Dolton Hotel. This time tomorrow night I'll be in Hannah's province!! WOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!! So very, very close!!!

Our Own Version of "Amazing Race"

Not sure if it's jet lag speaking or our sense of silliness but we're off! Armed with a few instructions written on a napkin from the breakfast buffet, a "help" card for the hotel to give to a taxi driver to get us back here, a few yuan in our pockets and a sense of adventure, the 4 of us and another couple are heading out to face the city on our own!! We're going to walk to the bank to change a bit of money into yuan and then taking a taxi to the subway and boarding it to places unknown. Destination goal: The Silk Market! We've heard that our adventure includes crossing at least one street so that in itself should prove interesting!

Will share more of our adventure when we get back! We're off!!!

Baby Update!!

One of the first questions I had for our guide Sarah when we met was to ask if she knew what time we were meeting the babies on Monday and she did!!!

3:00pm on Monday local time (which will be 2am Monday for my family and friends in Ontario) will be HANNAH TIME!!!

When she told me this Norma laughed as I gasped when I heard that there was a time, an actual time, that I could prepare my heart for!!! As I type this the countdown is on and in less that 57 hours, Hannah will be placed in my arms!!!

I cannot begin to tell you what this feels like....excitement, giddiness, a little *gulp* fear, but more than anything...peace! A peace that only God can provide as He prepares me for the final hours of 'Waiting for Hannah' and moves us into the next amazing phase of our lives...'Home with Hannah!!' Safe together, a family that God ordained long ago! His perfect timing to bring us together is right around the corner...and I must admit to peeking around the corner in great anticipation of what is to come!!!

I also have a Praise and answer to prayer to share with you!! Many of you have been praying for my health and Hannah's care package. I'm back to 100% after a rough week and guess what.....Hannah's care package arrived in China yesterday and will be delivered to her today!! Just days before we will meet she will see pictures of her Mommy, Grandma, Grandpa and Auntie and also receive the little blanket that should still smell a little like Mommy so that when we meet I will not be a total stranger to her! The package took 7 weeks to arrive in China but it's here and will be with Hannah before I am! Cool!!

Thank you friends for all your notes, comments, emails and mostly for the prayers you are offering on behalf of Hannah and I! God is good and He is bringing each part of our story together one piece at a time!

Now, it's 6:30am Saturday and time to begin getting ready for our day. Not sure what today's plans are....just know I can't wait to see what ends up happening!!

(Posted by M3, Catherine still can't get on Blogger, but she does see all of your comments by email)

We're in Beijing!!!

(M3's note: Catherine wrote this and emailed it over for posting because Blogger is blocked in Beijing right now. She sent it at 7am Pacific time on Friday, which was 10pm on Friday in China. I think...?? That's pre-coffee morning math...)

Mom and Dad arrived at my place bright and early at 4:45am Thursday morning. After some last minute packing...putting my clothes in an extra suitcase they had brought for me since I didn't have room for anything but some clean underwear and a nightgown in Hannah's suitcase, we were off!! It was surreal to be driving out of the driveway and realize that the next time I entered my home it would be with Hannah in my arms!!!



Norma's hubby had dropped her off at the airport and she was waiting for us when we arrived. (Yes, this was our luggage and didn't include Norma's as she had already checked hers while waiting for us to arrive. Oops!) We checked in and then decided to grab one last cup of Tim's before taking to the skies. Our first flight was about 5 hours long and took us to Vancouver where we had a 3 hour layover before boarding our 10 hour flight to Beijing!!! Cool....we're going to China!!





One of the treats on our 2nd flight was flying over Alaska and seeing these beautiful mountains. They were breathtaking!!



We enjoyed having the individual screens to watch TV and movies and I we were all thankful they were there as it helped to pass the time. Got fidgety a few times but not bad. Caught 2 good naps of over an hour each which is a big help when just sitting there but excited to be reaching our destination!

We arrived in Beijing shortly after 4pm local time on Friday. Wow! We're in China!!! All went well with customs and the temperature checks. We were all glad to get the stamp of approval and be on our way! One of our guides for this trip is Sarah and she met us outside baggage claim. Georgia and Mike (who are adopting Tessa were there too so Sarah took a group pic for us. Not too bad considering we've been travelling for more than 24 hours by this point!





The drive to the hotel took us longer than normal as we hit Friday evening rush hour but it did give us an opportunity to see some of Beijing's beautiful buildings lit up. While we were travelling today we also came across these:

A guy waiting for his wife/girlfriend. Check out that bouquet!! Never have I seen such a bouquet. It was gorgeous!!

Yes, we're in Beijing and squatty potties abound. Norma took a pic of the first one she found. :o) Thankfully we had the option to choose a western style one so that was our preference given the choice!!



OK - MUST go to bed. Only got about an hour and a half sleep last night so my body says it needs sleep! Signing off for today and will post again either tomorrow or Sunday.

Greetings from Beijing!!! Only 3 more sleeps to Hannah!!!!

And she's off!!!

M3 here, acting as calm, objective backup blogger during Catherine's insanely exciting trip. (Oh who am I kidding, there will be no calmness, and objectivity's probably not in the cards either.)

The big news is that as of right this minute, Catherine is IN THE AIR! That's right, she is flying to China to meet Hannah, this very second.

A little funny, while we're waiting for a report of safe travels: I talked to Catherine at midnight last night (um, that was five hours before she was supposed to be picked up for the airport) and there was not one single thing in her suitcase as yet. Crazy girl!!



After five hours of frenetic activity (judging by the timestamp on these images she sent and asked me to post), this was the sight just minutes before that airport pickup. Wahoo!


Go, Catherine, go! Folks all around the world are cheering for you and we all can't wait to hear more.

Flight Information!

Here is our flight information for the next couple of weeks.

Thursday, October 29, 2009
Toronto to Vancouver
Air Canada flight 029
Departs: 9:00am Arrives 10:55am

Vancouver to Beijing
Air Canada flight 029
Departs: 1:40pm Arrives: 3:40pm (Fri, Oct 30th)

Sunday, November 1st
Beijing to Changsha
China Airline flight 1349
Departs: 11:25am Arrives: 1:35pm

Saturday, November 7th
Changsha to Beijing
China Airline flight 1344
Departs: 11:45am Arrives: 2:00pm

Saturday, November 14th
Beijing to Toronto
Air Canada flight 032
Departs: 6:50pm Arrives 6:40pm SAME DAY

If you would like to meet us at the airport you're more than welcome!! It will be a wonderful treat to introduce you to Hannah!

An Open Letter to Family and Friends

Dear Family and Friends,

As I prepare for the arrival of Hannah, I have learned that while decorating the nursery and stocking up on baby essentials is important, even more important is the emotional health of my baby. In her short life (8 months today!), my daughter will have gone through more changes and life altering experiences than most adults could handle. Imagine how much harder the changes will be for her. While she may not consciously remember the events, she will still experience immense loss, including feelings of grief and trauma. Currently she is very attached to her nanny and next week that precious woman will place her in my arms and Hannah will deeply feel the loss of her in her life. She's already experienced the loss of her birthmother and will soon experience the loss of familiar and comforting caretakers as well as the sights, smells, and language of her birth country. Her world will turn upside down. She will struggle with feeling safe and secure and she may lack the ability to trust that I will meet her needs.

I am prepared to meet her emotional needs so that she learns that I will always take care of her and I will always keep her safe. I covet your prayers for Hannah and I as she learns to trust me and pray that her little heart opens up to love me as her Mom.

I also need your support. In order to form a strong and healthy attachment I will allow her to regress so that she has the opportunity to go through all of the emotional stages with me despite her chronological age. Although it may appear that I am spoiling her, I have been advised that it is best that I meet every need quickly and consistently. Until she has learned that I am her parent, I will need to be her primary caretaker at all times. It is essential that I always hold Hannah, feed her, and do all of the nurturing. You may wonder how long this will take, but the timeline is different for every child. I will follow her lead and trust my instincts as her parent rather than worry about what society expects.

We have all been waiting anxiously for Hannah to arrive but she has not been waiting for us. She may show her grief and confusion in many ways and I am prepared to help her through it and prove that she and I are a forever family and this truly is her last stop. I trust that as my family and friends you will help me to do what is best for my daughter, and I thank you in advance for your support and understanding.

Love, Catherine

(For more attachment information I recommend going to: A4everFamily.org)

Everything But the Kitchen Sink!!

Wow!!! These are the meds and 'stuff' that I'll be taking to China for Hannah and I! It's hard to believe but when I look at much of what's here I don't want to be without it when there, and then again once home. If we don't need some of them I'll be returning them to the store when we get home but much will become our home pharmacy. Having been quite sick this past week I've been reminded how important it is to have the proper things on hand.

Some will say that I can purchase much of this in China and you're right but, if I or my baby are sick I don't want to be trying to find a pharmacy and even more importantly, I don't read a speck of Chinese so I don't want to be guessing what something is or how much I might need!

You may wonder how I decided what to purchase and that's a funny story! For the past almost 4 years I've carried this picture in my purse that I had snagged from some one's blog. More than 2 years after I put the picture in my purse I was at my friend Karen's place and she was showing me her daughter's photo album. Suddenly I jumped up, ran and got my purse and said, 'Look!' Here was a copy of the pic she's put on her blog back in January of 2007, long before we'd ever met let alone become the great friends that we are now! How cool!!

Off to work on packing. My pharmacy is together. Paperwork to be copied tomorrow is put together....almost. But clothes for Hannah and I? Oye!!! The weather is so much warmer than I'd prepared for it to be (33oC this coming Friday in Changsha!) so I'm having to rethink my packing a bit.

Wheeee!!! I'm packing for CHINA!!!

Hannah's Nursery!!!

The finishing touches are all in place and I am finally ready to share Hannah's nursery with you!

Her actual nursery has a toddler bed in it which she will use later. In the beginning I'm going to start with having her in my room. She will never have slept on her own so it would be quite difficult on her to be placed in a room on her own and I'm also hoping that her being able to wake up and see me there will help with the attachment and bonding we'll be building together. When she's ready I'll move her in here and if she's still in her crib the toddler bed will be moved to the basement for a while.

A sneak in a tiny pic of the 'before' so you'll see where it's come from with a lot of help from Mark, Michelle, Joy and my Dad. Can you tell I prefer to work with others rather than alone?




Without further adieu I give you Hannah's nursery!

A little train made by Auntie Doris.

Wall Words that didn't quite end up like I'd expected so I'm calling them Wall Whispers. They say, 'Such a big miracle in such a little girl' Love that!! (Open the picture and squint real hard and you may see her wall words :o)




Thanks for your help everyone! Together we have created a beautiful, peaceful room for Hannah!

There's A Crib In My Room!!!

Wow! Mark and Michelle were over a few weeks ago and they helped me prepare for Hannah to come home. One of the exciting moments of the day was when we put Hannah's crib together in my room!!

Reading the instructions
When Mark brought this piece up from the basement and placed it against the wall I began to cry. He's like, 'What's wrong? No crying! Miiicccchhhhheelle!!' LOL! Just seeing the crib begin to take shape after having been in the basement in a box for over 3 years, was a little overwhelming. Heh...sorry Mark.
Work in progress
The finished crib
Hannah's name on the wall

Wow....this is the crib where my daughter will sleep!
Thanks for all your help Mark and Michelle!!

A Gift From the Heart!!

This beautiful gift of a baby pram for Hannah is truly a gift from the heart!! More than 10 years ago Grandma Dale found these prams and purchased one for her great granddaughter Victoria, one for a special friend's granddaughter and, one for herself. This beautiful pram has been one of Grandma's secret treasures and something she has enjoyed for many years.

Last month she chose to give this very special pram to Hannah!! When it was brought into the room I cried for SO many reasons! To see Grandpa pushing the pram, when he had had such a rough year and there were times that we didn't know what God had planned, was AMAZING!! God has done so much in Grandpa's life and at the end of the post you'll see just how big a miracle HE has performed!!

Grandma wrote in their card that people tease her about 'Grandma's Version' of the Bible and her verse (slightly altered :o) for that day was, 'Hope deferred maketh the heart sick - but when the desire cometh we all rejoice and praise the Lord with Cathy!' I like that translation!

Grandma and Grandpa, thank you so much for this beautiful pram! It will be such fun to watch Hannah play with it with her dollies and also take it for walks outside. For now, it holds a place of honour in her nursery and is a wonderful addition to her room.

Now, I promised to share with you God's answer to many, many prayers!! After almost 8 months of being hospitalized due to medical mistakes made; Lord willing, Grandpa is coming HOME for good this week!!! Sharon has been bringing him home for weekends since early in the summer but this week, Grandpa should be coming home for good!!! Truly, this is a miracle!! God is so good and we PRAISE HIM for answered prayers!!

I love you so much Grandma and Grandpa! It's homecoming time! First Grandpa and then soon after that your Great Granddaughter, our precious Hannah!!

Grab a Tissue...

...and hop on over to see the sweet, beautiful, adorable Daphne!!

Could not be happier for you D & D!!!

Please Pray...

After our church service on Sunday my friend Deb looked me in the eye and asked, 'How can we pray specifically for you and Hannah right now?'

What a blessing it was to hear those words and I shared a couple of things with her. Since then a number of other people have asked me the same question and wow, it's an amazing, humbling feeling to know that so many of you are praying for Hannah and I right now and asking for specific prayer requests.

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.

Philippians 4:6

I have a few requests right now and will update these as the days between today and our meeting grow closer and closer together.

1. This may sound silly but one of my first requests is that the care package that I mailed to China 5 1/2 weeks ago would arrive so that Ann could forward it to Hannah. This is the package that contains the blanket I have slept with and also 2 photo albums with pictures of myself, my parents and Norma in them. I'm guessing that Hannah has never seen anyone with blond hair and I don't want to cause her any more grief or frighten her the day we meet. She will already be going through a lot of heart challenges as she is removed from all those who she knows and loves. Seeing pictures of us ahead of time will help her little heart make the transition a little bit easier. Also, the blanket will help her in that it will mean when we meet she'll have another piece of her puzzle in place as it will be a scent that she has smelled already. Thank you for all the prayers that you are offering for my sweet baby girl. God is hearing every single one of them. I'm so thankful that God is in the details and cares about all our requests...even a care package that is somewhere between Canada and China!

2. Please pray for Hannah's nanny, Jiang Xin Chang. As I am counting down the days until I meet my precious daughter, I believe she is counting too. The DaoXian SWI has one nanny for 4 babies so Xin Chang has most likely been caring for Hannah since she entered the orphanage almost 8 months ago. This parting will be challenging for her too.

3. This evening I am fighting a cold. Throughout the day I had little nigglings that something might be up so I began drinking Airborne but tonight it's pretty much confirmed as in the past hour or so my throat is quite sore. A cold is a cold and I will survive. It's just with the trip to China coming up next week I don't want anything to cause extra stress if I can possibly help it. Thankful it's this week though and not next week.

Thank you for praying!! As I have more prayers and/or updates I will post them here too.

Single Digits!!!

Wow!! Only 9 more sleeps until we leave for China!!!

Wow, wow....WOW!!!!

First Known Picture of Hannah!!

Wow!!! Here is one of the earliest pictures of my precious baby girl and quite likely the youngest picture of her that I will ever see!!!

2 days after I received Hannah's referral (yes, if your remember the timing it was 6 days before I saw her official referral pictures!) I was blessed to locate Hannah's Finding Ad* and see her beautiful little face!!! I fell in love instantly! She was less than 1 month old when this picture was taken!!

One of the ladies in the DaoXian SWI Yahoo Group had done some research and located finding ads for babies located there and posted links to the group. It took my breath away to look at this little picture and know that I was gazing at my DAUGHTER!!!

A *Finding Ad is placed in the newspaper by an orphanage, normally within the first couple of months of a baby being found. In Hannah's case it was placed just shy of a month after Hannah was born. The Finding Ad shared information about where my beautiful baby girl was found, what she was wearing and the date that she was found. The orphanage places this information in the newspaper allowing the birth family to come and reclaim the child should they choose to do so. I hold tight to this little piece of information and I can't help but wonder if a dear woman on the other side of the world also has this ad tucked away, knowing it may be the only picture of her beautiful daughter that she will ever have? I pray for Hannah's birth mother and birth father and ask God to comfort them. As I am anticipating Hannah's 'firsts', is this dear woman aching over all of the 'firsts' that she is missing? I truly believe with all of my heart that she is and I ask God to comfort her when the tears for her daughter freely flow. I will forever be grateful to her and the precious gift she has given me in Hannah Catherine XiaoFen.

The finding ad information is personal to us and in time I will share these precious details with Hannah and should she choose to share them with people it will be her choice. This is her story to tell, not mine and I am keeping this information for her alone.

Soon this beautiful little girl will be placed in my arms!! Two weeks from today Hannah and I will become mother and daughter, forever!!

Oh! So This Is Nesting!!

When I was talking with my friend Carol tonight she finally helped me pin down what my current state of mind is....I'm nesting! :o) I've heard it happens to pregnant women late in their pregnancy and I'm now realizing that it happens to adoptive moms too...and it's happened to me!! Suddenly, when I should be packing like a mad woman and making sure everything for my trip is ready before leaving for China (in just 12 days!!!), I'm cleaning cupboards, drawers and closets like there's no tomorrow! In about 75% of the house, every closet, cupboard and corner has been emptied, tidied and cleaned. Last Saturday I even tackled the garage which had only been done once in the 12 years I've lived here.

What's the problem you ask? Well, it's that much of the 'stuff' that has been removed from it's normal place of habitation has been moved into the hallways upstairs and down. (Oh, and packing for Hannah and I for our trip is started but is nowhere near finished!! You'd think I'd be focused on that...nope. Not yet, but SOON!)

In the past I was able to freely walk from the main floor to my bedroom in the dark, knowing the exact path by heart and not really having to think about it. Now, not so much!! There are bins of clothing, a vacuum, toys and more filling my well-known path and walking it in the dark threatens bruised shins and purple stubbed toes! I know I should be packing but oh, cleaning the house is giving such a sense of accomplishment too! This is the home Hannah will come home to and when she's here I'm going to want to be with her, not cleaning out closets. (I have left my room partially because it's too much to handle right now and partially because it will be a good room to work on while Hannah is napping as I plan to stay close while she sleeps.)

So, it's a wonderful, fun time of nesting. I sometimes question my timing when I wake up in the morning and plan my 'To Do' list but at the same time, it feels amazing to open a cupboard without the fear of things falling onto my feet. Yes - it was sometimes that bad!

So, for now I nest, clean, pack, dream, giggle, gaze at pictures of Hannah and pray. Yes, my plate is full but I wouldn't want it any other way! I'M PREPARING TO BRING MY BABY HOME!!!!!!!!!!

A couple of other notes:
1. I know you're excited to see Hannah's nursery and it's almost done....like 99% done so I hope to post pics early this coming week. Thank you for your patience and encouragement to share in the fun. I love her room and often stand in the doorway and just gaze into it...and dream!

2. I am terribly behind in blog reading and am sorry that I'm not commenting more. I'm trying to read but not commenting often. Thanks for understanding friends.

Now...gotta fly! There is more nesting to be done! LOL!

Blog Makeover!!

Thanks Danielle for the beautiful new blog makeover!!! It’s a wonderful change and it makes my heart sing to see Hannah’s beautiful face each time I see the new header!!!

If you’re considering a blog makeover I highly recommend Danielle – the design girl! She’s great to work with; fast; listens to what you want and is happy to accommodate your requests!

Also, if you mention that you’re visiting after being here at Catherine’s Chatter she’ll give you a $10.00 discount! When you place the Deposit for your order, click the ‘Custom Payment’ button at the bottom of the order and enter $25.00 rather than the normal $35.00 deposit and say you’re visiting from Catherine’s Chatter. You won’t be disappointed!

Thanks again Danielle! I lurve it!

Child's Backpack Giveaway!!

Catherine’s Chatter is hosting a great giveaway! Check out All Children's Furniture.com for your favorite brands like Roadmaster, KidKraft, little Tikes and more! Giveaway ends October 21st at 11:59PM!

I've checked out one of these great backpacks and it's wonderful! Fun, bright, well made, lots of little pockets to store little girl treasures in and strong straps to carry those tresures around.

If you'd like an opportunity to win this backpack for a special little girl in your life, please leave a comment.

And the winner is......
Ilene, I will be emailing you to ask for your address to provide to the giveaway organizers who will be shipping the adorable backpack for Lauren!!

Congratulations D&D!!!

Today was D&D's day!!! They received a referral for their precious Baby D!

Could not be happier for you friends!!! What fun it was to change your title in my sidebar from your LID to 'Preparing to Travel!!!'

CONGRATULATIONS FRIENDS!!!