Hanging Out With My Sister Melissa - Too Cool!

Just Chill'n after Melissa got her first real experience of giving me a bottle. She did really good for the first time. I really liked getting my fingers into that long hair.

She's getting to learn all about babies... including diapers. She passed that test the first time too... with only some minor "consulting" help from dad.

Since she is out of school already she is going to be helping mom once dad goes back to work. I bet I'll be able to wear both of them out so they'll really appreciate it when he comes home from work.

I'm a Little Young For Pizza... Sure Smells Good!

My sister has to keep the pizza out of my reach because I've got one of the fastest grabs in the west.

Really she's is keeping me satisfied with a steady flow of Cheerios.

There is no lack of attention around here, there is so many people ready to respond to my wishes. Wonder if this power is going to go to my head...

-Signed: Princess Jessni

Here's a Picture to Prove That I Help With The Blog!

Most people think that daddy writes all of the blog and occasionally mom can sneak a word in. But I've been taking over more and more of the writing now that I've got this laptop figured out. We're doing a two handed thing my left and dad's right... we're so talented.

We'll be posting more about my adventures but I don't think we'll post everyday but please check back now and then to see what has been happening now that with my really cool family and friends.

First Horsey Ride!

I got to sit on the horse a few days before but this was my first horse back ride. I smiled and talked to Dizzy (the horse's name).

It didn't take long before I got on her. I did meet them on my first day home and then I wasn't too sure but after a day helping clean the barn I decided that they're pretty cool.

Of course there have been many first times for me things that I could write about but this one was really big.

Changing the Diet!

We're continuing to settle in and get switched over to formula and cereal brands available here. Also at the same time we successfully started on Cheerios and cereal via spoon.

Another major milestone is that we have had two nights now of sleeping through the night. It has required going to great lengths to keep her awake during the day. Hopefully the adjustment will complete in a couple days so we don't get so exhausted helping her to stay awake.



Every day it's easy to see strength and other improvements.

More Adjustments - Jet Lag

I'm so cute!
So many changes all at once ... first is the 15 hour time change, so much is screwed up. When do I eat, sleep ... so there goes any kind of a routine which was really key to her first 8 months of life. Guess this will be the first major break into the structured chaos that Jessni will come to expect in our house.

Food is the next area of big changes ... we started to move to a formula brand and cereal that's available here. Dad has successfully gotten her started on accepting solid foods. This was a surprise but I guess since she has never observed people eating before it was a completely foreign concept. Also her appetite continues to improve and at this rate she should be picking up some weight.

New surroundings maybe is the most significant and will take some time to take it all in. You can definitely sense that she is uncertain and overwhelmed so we continue to take things at a pace that she is able to tolerate.

The introduction of her much older brother and two sisters has gone well too. We haven't seen any issues meeting or interacting with new faces and most importantly Mom and Dad bonding / attachment continues to go very well. Based on what we have read on the subject she definitely knows who they are and all that time we had in China together has really helped get through what could have been scary during the trip home and all of the changes happening now.

Long Trip Home.

We're taking off for a very long trip home. This is a picture taken on the last leg of our trip which was a short flight to Portland from San Francisco ... we're so close now.

We had already survived the extremely turbulent flight from Guangzhou to Hong Kong. Wasn't sure if mom was going to get through it, the weather was stormy and she didn't taken any precautions to prevent motion sickness. Jessni slept through the entire flight without even a whimper.

Second leg is the long 11+ hour flight to San Francisco. Again Jessni was able to sleep through most of the flight with couple wake ups for changing and feeding. She has traveled extremely well.

San Francisco was the entry point to the United States. Here was the important step to finalize Jessni's immigration, she is now a US citizen. After so much ado, it seemed rather anti climatic when a after a couple of stamps it was announced that she was a US citizen.

We were met at the airport by our other children and friends. Oh it's so good to be home!

Homeward Bound !!!

We are all done over here, consulate oath taken, paperwork completed, fees paid, and suitcases are packed ... so I'll blog one more time before heading off to the airports.

Jessni has her China Passport and US immigration Visa all ready to go so we can get though immigration once we land on US soil (San Francisco).

It's so exciting and easy to get a little teary-eyed when you think about experiences we've already had. All of the babies / children in our group are doing very well. It's hard to believe they are the same child that was placed in our arms just over a week ago. Nothing beats a good dose of love from a mom and dad.

It's the 19th here already and we have 3 flights today. The first is from Guangzhou to Hong Kong (with a few hour layover there), then from Hong Kong to San Francisco (we have just a few hours to get through get luggage, process through immigration and catch the flight to Portland.

We arrive in Portland just about the same time as when we took off from Hong Kong. It's going to be so nice to be reunited with our other 3 children, although I suspect Jessni will steal the show and I'll have to wait longer to get caught up on hugs.

Happy Birthday to Sondra!

We had a group dinner tonight at the Thai restaurant, Banana Leaf and surprised Sondra with a cake and "Happy Birthday" being sung by the talented people at the restaurant. The food was very good and it was a very nice celebration for her .... 29th+ birthday.

Earlier we found out who's the wild ones among the group when they looked for "volunteers" to join in the singing and dancing performance. I was not one of them.

It has been fun getting to know each other as we have journeyed these few days together. We need to remain in touch as our daughters go up.

Hanging Out in The Morning... Then More Shopping!

This morning we need to hang out by the phone in case the consulate has questions regarding the paperwork that has been submitted.

Once they we get past this the only thing left is the formal ceremonial oath time and then we have completed all the necessary steps while in this country.

If no calls by 11:30am we're off to Starbucks to celebrate.

A group picture and dinner is planned for later in the evening so that will allow Sondra to squeeze some more shopping in.

Last night we had a nice video conference with all our children at home. It has been very nice to be able to get everyone on at the same time. IM and e-mail have also been great to stay in touch with family and friends. There has only been one other time that we have been apart for this long and we miss the hugs and time together at dinner.

People of China Are So Nice & Friendly!

Everywhere we go we are greeted with smiles and friendly faces. Many warm and friendly welcomes, several will say "hi" and "hello" as we walk around the city.

This has been a very happy time not only because of why we're here but how well we are received in their country.

People of China - Thank you very much for your gracious hospitality.

The picture is of a school "field trip" to the same park we were at today. A few took pictures of us taking pictures of them.

Out Being a Tourist.

Here's a picture while we rested in the park. It's very hot and humid today. 93F with 46% humidity so that makes it fell like 100F. Too hot, I'm used to the mild climate in Oregon which made it to a high of 78F and lows at night in around 54F.

The site seeing was short so now dad and Jessni will nap while moms heads out to shop... uninhibited by husbands and babies.

This afternoon marks the completion of the first week together. What a journey we've had already. We have gotten to know so much about each other in such a short time it's hard to believe it's been only a week.

Clean Baby ... Let's Go Shopping!

Clean babies ... well just have that clean baby smell. Not something that you I could describe other than "smelling like a clean baby". Probably a special patented formula that someone came up with. Girls really like it... myself I prefer the new car smell.

As we have been traveling around doing this or that, we have found ourselves making these verbal notes to each other on what we will want to do different "next" time. That's right ... we haven't even got home and we figuring out what to do to get back.

A Little Northwest - Longing for Home

We really don't need any reminders of home to make us have any greater desire to return there. Everyone in the group is very anxious to get their precious new ones home and get to a normal routine.

I expect there will not be too much of "normal" in the routine for a while as this will be another big transition for Jessica in such a short time. For what she knows we live in this hotel room and have Starbucks everyday for lunch.

She was definitely created to be our girl, she can't stand being stuck in the room, needing to be on the move. There are so many special behaviors that clearly show that God matched us from the very beginning.

Physical Examination & Visa Application Day

So main thing to get done today was getting Jessica's medical examination and Visa application out of the way.

Jessni came in weighing 17.1 lbs which is a little more than I had predicted based on the referral data using the growth charts. Her height was 28 inches long.

The smaller cut 9 to 12 month clothes fit her really pretty well. We really didn't have shoes to fit. She can make quick work at getting socks off so we don't bother and she seems to like it that way.

Nice Park Near All The Shopping.

Very nice park in the middle of area that we were shopping. It was very pleasant just to walk around, and today the temperature was a bit cooler and less humid then it had been.

Of course we had a Starbucks near by which was very refreshing in the middle of the shopping day. I was ready to quit after the first 2 or 3 shops but we needed to get a better idea of what was available and for what prices so I struggled along. And the Carmel Frap came just in time.

It's nice to get outside even if I have to go along for the shopping. We might have been able to get more of shopping done today... if I hadn't run out of money. There's at least one more day of shopping.

Shopping Day - Shamian Island

There were many shops that catered to the adopting families here on the Shamian area. The White Swan Hotel is right here so it's right at every one's door step. For us it was about a 25 Yuan ($3.50) taxi ride. That's actually quite a distance to travel and the traffic was bad since it's a regular work day.

Many of the shops had much of the same thing so you really should spend time looking for where you can get the best deal. They barter here and have bee told that you can often get 50% less then originally asking. The prices are generally good so we don't push beyond what they really would like to get. 25% to 30% off what was marked, if it was marked.

With so much competition, you can get the best deals when buying much in a single store after shopping around some.

No OSHA Over Here.

The scaffolding is typically made out of bamboo, even for much taller buildings. I couldn't believe it the first time I saw it. Now I don't think about it much since it is so common place around the city.

They must not have too many issues as it was also used on large commercial projects as safety fence and safety catches.

Even if the material was common in the US I really doubt that construction companies could get approval to use it.

Happy Jessica.

Here she is ... giggling with a big grin and twisted tongue.

Dad can usually can get a big grin or a giggle with a few well defined exceptions. As Sondra stated that usually means it's time for mommy.

A message from Sondra

It's great to be a Mom. As I gaze at Jessni, I know I could not love a child any more than I love her. She is wholly and completely my daughter even though she was born to unknown parents in a foreign land. Adoption is an amazing thing! And with is comes the overwhelming responsibility of caring for and protecting this child until she becomes an adult. And the worry.

I am very anxious to get back to my country home, and let Jessni get settled in. We walk down the street now, and her head fly's back and forth trying to take it all in. Talk about over stimulation. I think she's born to be a country girl. There were livestock in her town, but in all the driving we never saw a horse. (I did see a couple poor cart horses in Beijing, but thats all.)

We are going to top off this Mother's Day to a dinner at Pizza Hut. We layed low today, cuz Jessni has a fever. Please pray that she will get better and not need any antibiotics. I just wanted to let you all know too, that I do get to hold Jessni, when ever she is fussy, or if she needs her diaper changed. That is when Gary is eager to give her to me!

6 days and counting, and we'll be leaving on a jet plane...Love you all!

Emotional Day For Us.

Saturday we were up early to for a 3+ hour bus ride to visit the orphanage in Yangxi and visit her finding place.

It was great to get out of the city and see the countryside as we traveled to Yangxi. The climate is very tropical and the place is beautiful trees, flowers, and farm fields.

We do like the country and would choose to live there if were staying.

The first picture is part of the downtown area. The city was larger then expected and had an old town and the more modern portions. Primarily an agricultural area but there was some industry as well as some significant building projects underway.

We had excellent hosts at the orphanage, which shared some local fruit and lunch with us prior helping us see the different finding spots for each of the girls in our group.

Sondra wanted to include this picture of the "water buffalo" tethered in a grassy area across the street from the restaurant that we had lunch at. Most farms had one or more and there were even a few in town.

Happy Mother's Day!!

Happy Mother's Day. What an exciting time for mother and baby.

So much that comes back to you when you start toting another one around all day and night. So many years have past and those times were so precious.

We have loved each stage of our children as they have grown into fine young ladies and gentleman. It's going to be such a joy to do it again with another.

PS: Mommy does get the baby ... now and then. We'll try and get more mommy + Jessni pictures.

City Picture from Hotel

This was taken from the restaurant, which rotates... like the Space Needle in Seattle.

It seems we always start on that side and only get about a quarter of the way around by the time we're done with breakfast. We made it almost halfway during dinner.

Picky Picky Picky

I don't want to try anything new because I already know I won't like it.

There's no way you're getting that past my lips.

Wonder what kind of pizza I'll like. Cheese?

I Can Roll My Tongue ... Just Like Daddy!

I can twist and roll my tongue just like dad... isn't that amazing.

Mom and Dad have me giggling and laughing, and they are laughing too.

Boy are we having fun together.

Today we had most of the day just to play in the hotel room. Of course we had breakfast but we went as late as possible and called it brunch.

Then we made a quick run to Starbucks before getting passport application in. We topped off the day with a dinner cruise down the river. All the buildings were lit up like Vegas. I liked the wind blowing in my face, and a new trick of being upside down.

IT IS OFFICIAL!!! - Let's Celebrate

Party time! It official. Meet the newest member of the family.

This is going to be an important day, the day Jessica was officially born into our family.

How special can that be ... to have two birthdays! Hum... I wonder if she can get presents and a cake with candles on both days...

You bet!

All Ready For The Official Interview.

They are looking good. Don't they know what they are getting into?

Just waiting our turn to go see the officials to "Make it Official" of course.

At this point I'm still looking a little serious because I'm still uncertain of all that is happening.

If you thought is was big deal for mom and dad just think on what it's like for someone only as big as me.

Here's One of Me Looking at You Looking at Me.

I really getting to enjoy all of this attention. Especially daddy, he just won't let go. You'd think this was his first baby.

Mom knows the tricks though... she just mentions the word diaper and just like magic I get to be with mom... for awhile anyway.

You can see by my face that I'm getting more comfortable with all that is happening.

Going Out To See The Notary.

After sleeping almost 12hrs straight through last night we are all dressed up to go get official.

Mom and Dad are doing great at making me feel at home. I still don't know what to make of all of this but so far it's working for me.

The hat is OK but I'd rather have the chance to play with my hair. Dad noticed that I do that when I'm starting to stress a little. That's when it makes sure that I know that things will be OK.

A Smile for Daddy!

There's a smile that made it on the camera.

I'm pretty wiggly, I like to kick my legs so I can get them strong. I really want to jump, run and play. It's exciting when dad helps me jump into the air... perhaps I'll be a pilot.

I have a ticklish tummy and strong grip. Guess that is a bad combination when climbing on monkey bars.

Need to work on that crawling technique, got that rolling around stuff down... maybe I'll just go straight to walking.

And then there is sitting up straight... haven't figured that out very well either.

Sigh... nobody ever said this was going to be easy.

Crashed After an Exciting Day.

It's been a long and exciting day for me. I had to ride a in a bus for over 3 hours and then hang out in the strange office building for what seemed like forever.

Then to top off everything I got whisked away with these people that talk funny and call me by a different name...

Phew. I wonder what's next...

I'm really tired... yawn... yawn... it's not even close to bed time... oops. ZZZZZZzzzzzz.

I don't even know what to dream about yet.

Doesn't Mom and Dad Look Happy!

Jessica is still busy checking out all of the other families getting acquainted with their new little ones.

What's important in this picture is we are all three together... which is the beginning of so much more.

Baby Meet Daddy!

Who is this guy with a prickly 5-o'clock shadow on his face?

And there is hair growing in a weird place... where is his mouth?

Guess I'll get used to it. Mom did.... or at least dad thinks so.

Got Ya! - Our Lives Have Changed Forever!

Got Ya Day! And what a day it has been, and I write more on that later because nobody will read it now.

Video camera was running during all of the "meet and greet" for all of the families. We were nearly last so the room was getting pretty crowded with families checking out the new ones.

So here is the first picture you get. She was solemn and looked around at everything. She never did cry and hasn't up to the point of this writing. We have gotten smiles and some laughter.

Today is "Got Ya" Day

So today is the day, it seems like it has taken so long to get us to this point in the process.

The picture is of the empty crib waiting in the room.

Bet you can all sense the anxiety in the posts.

We are off to complete some of the paperwork that is necessary.

NEXT POST WILL BE BABY PICTURES!!!

Yesterday Was a Travel Day

Yesterday was a travel day and everything went very smooth. We flew from Beijing to Guangzhou where we'll be for the next several days.

The airport and airline experience was very pleasant and service formal. The seating was a little tight for us large Americans.

The photo is of a toll booth as we neared the airport on the way to the Beijing airport.

The Asia International Hotel is very nice and we are high in the building. It has a rotating restaurant at the top that you can see the city for miles.

Great Wall = Awesome!

Our bus ride from Beijing took several minutes but we got to see much more of the city and the beautiful countryside as we left the city.

Wow. The Great Wall is more that great! It's really difficult to describe how amazing it is.

The hike was tough at points and some of us called various points the "top" before turning around for the decent back to the bus.

Since the wall goes on for miles, it would take much more time then we had to see it all.

Sunday - Schedule of Activies

Sunday morning we attended a bi-lingual church service at the Beijing International Christian Fellowship. And then off to guess what ... more Chinese food. The particular restaurant was chosen primarily due to it's proximity to the Pearl Factory and the Summer Palace as those where also on the schedule for the day.

So once completed with lunch we toured the Pearl Factory before heading on to the Summer Palace.

Everyone is pretty tired of walking around by now so we didn't really do much but the minimum walk through the Palace.


While in the Palace we saw several demonstrations of the young taking advantage of the split pants. Of course much to the surprise of all of us and the toddlers traveling in the group. Guess that will take some explaining.

Outside the Palace as we find in many parts of the city are street vendors trying to sell you things like a 3 dollar Rolex or as in the picture to the left a cooked sweet potato. These guys had 3 wheeled bicycles rigged with a cook stove made from a barrel and they would be "peddling" cooked sweet potatoes. They smelled good but didn't take him up on his offer.

We wrapped up the day bowling a couple of games in the hotel's bowling alley.

We're pretty worn out from all the walking and we have the Great Wall to visit tomorrow morning so this will be it for the blog today.

Submit a comment if you're interested in anything in particular. We're taking requests... photos and topics of interest.

All is Well! - Scored at Starbucks!

Finally made it to Starbucks and after Carmel Frappuccino.

The store was only about 3 large Beijing blocks so it really wasn't too bad of a walk.

They tasted just like what you'd get at home. This will be worked into the schedule at least a couple times a day while we are still here. Once in Guangzhou, our guides indicated that one was near the Hotel there as well.

Starbucks makes her happy...ier. She was already happy.

Really Getting Tired of Chinese Food.

Other than the first night here all meals have been a different style of Chinese food. Even when described as more of a western style nothing is really very similar to what we experience in the states. One couple ordered a pizza from Pizza Hut yesterday and then to the Hard Rock Cafe tonight. We were tempted to go too, but stayed with the group to have Beijing Duck which was very good.

Rickshaw ride in Hutang

This has got to be the best way to travel to and through the Hutang area.

The streets were very narrow and twisted and turned often. The pase is just right to be able to see all the sights.

We went to a private home and had a wonderful Chinese lunch. Then we toured around the area some more, stopped and walked through a shopping area, learned about a lot of history from our guide, then finished off at the deaf grade school. There, a little girl came out and sang us a song. It was a very enjoyable relaxing afternoon.

Forbidden City

So there are just way too many pictures and it would need many pages to describe this place. What I've posted is only very small bit of what is huge complex.

We walked and walked and walked, and just when you thought we might be getting to the end you entered another area and so we walked some more.

The City is made up of main buildings called Halls of Supreme Harmony, Gate of Heavenly Purity and Place of Earthly Tranquillity. There was no way I was going to be able to keep up with what our guide was saying so I did what I could to capture in the sides. It was all very impressive that these were created between 1420 and 1911.

By the time we made it though the Forbidden City, the weather had warmed up to mid 80s and we were looking for shade and a Coke. If you want to more about this place I guess you need to "Google" it. It was truly amazing.

First stop Tian'anmen Gate and Square

First stop today was Tian'anmen Gate and then Square directly on to Tian'anmen Square.

It is presently a big holiday here in China so the crowds were great as many were using the days off to travel to the capital city and take in the sites.

The first building in the picture is the "Gate" building and was the first entrance to the Forbidden City.

From there we walked on to the Tian'anmen Square which is heralded as the worlds largest square. That is were we found that people wanted to have their picture taken with us. At first it was quite a shock but before the day was out we have our images along side several smiling faces.

The weather was beautiful, you couldn't ask for anything any better. I think it was in the mid 70s and a cool breeze made it just right when we were at the square.

Tian'anmem Square

The Beds are Hard!

No joke. There is no cush in the matresses. Sondra did bring a backpackers self inflating pad that she has on her side which helps but cannot overcome the total firmness of these beds.

Since it still cools off at night the hotel turns off the air conditioning at night. So the room got warm and stuffy during the night. It wasn't until 3 in the morning that I decided that I should look into why it had gotten that way. I did find that the windows did open so that helped but then there were all of those city noises that we are not used to.

Bottom line: not much quality sleep our first night here. But after today's long tour we should sleep very soundly.

Breakfast Fit For a King!

Our day really started off great with a excellent spread of local and western cuisine. You name it they had it. We sampled many of the foods, and over the next couple days should be able to get them all.

Everything did taste great and were much braver then the night before.

We will certainly be sure not to miss this each day that we are here.

So far we have yet to make it to a Starbucks. Are you as surprised as I am?

Another Glimpse of Town

Here is another picture just around the corner from where we are staying. We didn't venture out too far last night but we did have much too see.

Sorry there really is no way to capture it in words or pictures.

Most interesting is there is a such a contrast all around you most of the time of both new and the old, the run down and the fancy right along side each other.

Well got to grab some breakfast and look for a Starbucks. Ta ta.

Not too brave on the first night in China

We weren't very daring on our first night and since we were tired and looking for something quick we ended up at McDonald's.

We ordered by pointing at pictures on a menu and they had one girl that did seem to know enough English to be very helpful.

The food is tastes exactly the same as in the states. The portions are smaller. A medium size drink is still a medium size and not huge.

You can see Sondra in the very bottom right hand corner of the picture.

While staying in Beijing.

While in Beijing we are staying at the Guangxi Hotel. It has everything thing you would expect from a nice hotel. A bowling alley, swimming pool, billiards, spa, weight room, shops, restaurants and more.

The picture is of the main lobby.

All of the staff have very impressive looking uniforms.

They are all very helpful but I've found very few to know much English. The older will send you to the younger since they do know some.