Spaghetti is Yummy!

We have been so blessed to have many meals prepared and delivered to us during our transition to parenthood.  Lucky for us, Kristin enjoys food and we have yet to find a food she won't try.  Tonight we had spaghetti and Kristin really "got into" the meal!  All the meals we have received have been delicious... tonight's meal was a little more hands on for our little sugarplum!  Thanks, Cara... it was yummy and lots of fun for Kristin!

                                              Who knew spaghetti sauce serves as an excellent face cream?

                                 Did someone say we were OUT OF SPAGHETTI?????

A little bath time takes away the tomato sauce!

Books, Spa Treatments, and Meeting more friends and family!

This week we had some warmer weather so we headed to Westwood to visit Kelly's coworkers and to see her second graders and also visited State Farm.  She is now enjoying bath time, reading or destroying any mail that may arrive and  reading her books.    This week she also met Grandpa Thrower for the first time!

Hey, I love this new place called home!

Pat the Bunny with my dad....

I  love my Spa Treatments.... these duckie towels are the best!

More junk mail for me to destroy!

Grandma Thrower loves coming to visit!

 First visit to Westwood... loved all the attention from the friendly office staff!

Aunt Rosie rides me on the horse when she visits!

Mom, Dad,.... do you know this man???  Oh, this is Grandpa T. !

Church Visit and more visitors

This week we are in a routine and finally over jet-lag.  We went to church and Sunday School for the first time, Gram and Grandpa Sawyer came up to visit, "Auntie" Denise came to meet our little sugarplum, as well as, many friends from work. Our family has also enjoyed meals provided by friends and family.  Kristin is still not very fond of taking a bath, but her sleep schedule is getting better.  

 Sweet Kristin all dressed up for her first visit to First Baptist.... It was a chilly morning!

 Kristin and daddy home from church..... she loves her Baby Einstein radio

One last picture - Mommy and her baby girl

1st Week Home

Our First Family Photo at home -Kristin loves her bottle

We have been home a week and are finally getting over jet lag - the first four days we were all having difficulty adjusting our days and nights.  Scott and I are were up really late, Kristin woke up multiple times during the night ( we were spoiled with her sleeping through the night in China) and we really had no schedule for sleep or meals.  We had a few visitors.  On Tuesday we had our first visit to the pediatrician on Tuesday, January 15th.  Kristin did well even after receiving four shots.  Dr. Mumbauer was pleased and felt she looked well cared for during her time in China.  She weighs 17.5 pounds and 28. 5 inches long.  He wanted her to continue eating table food, but discontinue rice cereal in her bottles.  Blood tests were also ordered which required 7 vials of blood, this was stressful for the nurse, mom and dad, and Kristin, but fortunately everything came back normal.  Our next appointment will be after she turns one year old.  My mom and dad were suppose to visit, but winter weather kept them away.  We have enjoyed our time at home with Kristin  and hope our timetable begins to resemble USA time soon!

                                    Gotta love it when people take picture of jet-lagged daddies!

                                    Hi!  Just hanging out with my daddy!

The hospital gave me this awesome hat..... 

We are home

After a long flight, we are finally home.  Our flight to Beijing was uneventful and after going through security, eating lunch, and walking to our departure gate, we did not have too long to wait before boarding to endure our 14 hour flight home.  For the most part, Kristin did well - we were very thankful to have an extra seat.  It seemed each time we got settled, the flight attendants were walking by offering more snacks.  We were so happy to finally arrive in Dulles, get through security and finally talk to family and friends!  Only one more flight and we would be on our way home!  We arrived at SHD around midnight.  Much to our surprise our dear friend, Jenny Allen, was waiting for us at baggage claim.  Our home was decorated with a beautiful sign Beth Lint drew for us and Kelly Sayre, Elizabeth Wheeler, and Angie Cole filled our home with flowers, family pictures, and food in the refrigerator so we would not have to go out.  We are certainly blessed to have such caring friends waiting for us in Waynesboro.  Our family of three was still on China time so at 2:00 in the morning we are wide awake savoring the moment we have waited so long to happen.  Kristin went to bed easily and Scott and I were still awake at 4:30 reminiscing our journey to parenthood.  Grandma Thrower and Aunt Rosa are arriving after lunch tomorrow.... we really need to go to sleep.   

January 8th - Today we headed back to the US Consulate to finalize our 7 years of paperwork! When we arrived there was a very long line with many families we met at our hotel or on Shamian Island who were also adopting. Finally we went through security - Kristin's Baby Einstein Music player caused some delay as they kept asking what was in the backpack - showing us on the screen - we had no idea, but eventually we pulled the toy out and fortunately they did not keep it and let us go through the line.

Finally we were in a small room that quickly filled up with lots of families adopting who were also there to take the oath and turn in paperwork. After our group oath, our name was called 1st. We answered a few questions and w ere told they would try to have our paperwork ready in the afternoon, but could not make any promises. We were okay since our departure date was two days away, but other families in our group were leaving the next day. Fortunately everyone received the paperwork in time. In the afternoon we headed to Shamian Island again - it was another beautiful day and again many photo shoots were taking place. I got a great little drum set to use during our Ancient China unit at school and the drum will also be a great way to line up students from recess.

Yesterday was a free day - we said goodbye to the Smith family who were headed to Hong Kong for the day and then ate lunch with the Divis family before they headed to Beijing. Scott and I spent time in our room playing with Kristin and packing for our trip home. She has been scooting to get around, but Tuesday night she crawled for the first time and today she was crawling even more! It is amazing how much she has changed in 8 days - it seems like she has been with us forever.

This morning we are up early leaving for Beijing at 8 am. Unfortunately we have a 6 hour lay over in Beijing and will arrive in Dulles around 7 pm January 10th. We are so excited to be going home and can't wait to see everyone!

Today we got up early to meet our group in the hotel lobby to board the bus by 8 am.  Kristin wore a dress in honor of her US Consulate appointment.  Once we arrived we stood in line for a short bit, only to find out our paperwork did not arrive so back on the bus we headed.  We all came back to the room for a morning rest with plans to meet at 2:20 for our 3:00 appointment.  We received a phone call around noon indicating our appointment is now scheduled for tomorrow morning - we meet again at 8:00.

It is a beautiful day so we went out for lunch meeting more families who are meeting their new family member.  One family was from the Plumlee Brothers (Duke basketball players) home town!  They are adopting a 13 year old today.  Prayers for all the families we met this week who beginning their amazing journey today!

After lunch we headed to the Subway to visit the Guangzhou Zoo.  A very nice Chinese lady helped us purchase tokens and showed us where to go and each time we boarded the subway, men always got up to offer the moms seats on the subway.

The Zoo was great - there were lots of animals - and it was a nice walk around the zoo.  We saw deer, monkeys, zebras, Asian elephants, hippos, rhinos, jaguars, lynx, lions, black bears,  red panda bears and one black and white panda bear.  We also saw giraffes - you could feed.  We were amazed at how close you could get to the animals.  It was a great day for the girls!

We are hopeful tomorrow we can finish our paperwork at the US Consulate office - two families are leaving on Wednesday to go home so the girls' visas and passports are critical pieces of paperwork!

Paperwork and Shamian Island - Sunday, January 6th

Today Scott met with our guide to complete Visa paperwork this morning  - we will need these before headed home.   Later our group headed to Shamian Island.  It was another beautiful area of China - we had a great view of The Pearl River and there were beautiful gardens and bronze statues throughout our walk through Shamian Island.  It was the first outing we placed Kristin in a stroller and she did great. As we walked through the Island there were multiple photo shoots taking place.  We saw several brides and models.  This must be a popular place for photography.

This area is also known for little shops to purchase traditional Chinese Clothing and other souvenirs to bring home.  We found a handmade Chinese doll to give to Kristin - maybe for her upcoming March birthday or Christmas.  We purchased a few Chinese outfits and a silk blanket to give to Kristin later.  My mom wanted some silk material and there was a store selling this as well.  Another store had hand painted bookmarks and fans. We were only there a short time, but enjoyed shopping and enjoyed lunch  at Lucy's - a place many Americans visit.   We have also met many other families who are also adopting who are staying at the same hotel.  A few families receive their child today - how exciting.

This evening we enjoyed dinner at a hotel in the restaurant that served Dim Sum.   The girls did great.  As always ordering a meal in China is always interesting.  We had the nicest manager who made great suggestions and the guys in the group were pretty adventurous.  The pork ribs were tasty and the guys enjoyed the Dim Sum.  We were also treated to fresh fruit and sweet soup for dessert - we were served green bean soup, red bean soup, and almond soup - everyone enjoyed it.  The manager was very kind and express how happy she was for the girls and said we have a very large heart to bring them to America.

Tomorrow we have an appointment with the US Consulate - this will be one of the last steps in our seven years of paperwork - Yea!!!!

Yesterday was filled with traveling. We awoke to a beautiful coating of snow on the ground - pretty to look at, not so much to travel. Originally our departure time was 11:00 , but we received a call at 9:30 to be in the lobby at 10!

Normally it takes about an hour to drive to the local airport, due to the road conditions it took almost 3 hours - some of the roads were sheets of ice, but we made it safely. Echo, our guide, walked us to security - I was teary-eyed saying good-bye -She was a fabulous guide.

As we went through the security - Kristin had her first "frisking" by security and then I had to hand her to a guard to hold while they frisked me - I was glad to have her back in my arms - We made it to one gate only to settle down and find out we were departing from another gate - We packed up again and had enough time to stop by the family restroom for fresh diapers for Kristin's first plane ride.

The plane ride went well and we arrived at the hotel around 5:30 that evening. The hotel is beautiful - very large and quite fancy. We settled in our room and had dinner with the Divis before settling in for the night - we were all tired! Kristin tends to fight falling asleep - she is so afraid she will miss something - She will sit with me to look at books we brought from home, we put on the lullaby CD, and then she goes to sleep between 7:30 and 8:30 - all but one night she has slept through the night until around 7 am.

Today we went to have the medical check completed that is required during our visit. It was about 45 minutes away -the appointment went by quickly. There were also several other families who were adopting at the clinic. The medical check included - a picture for the medical file, hearing check (squeaking a plastic toy), looking in ears, and mouth check - tongue depressor in the mouth. Next, we went to another room for measurements of Kristin's head, body length, foot, and she listened to her breathing with a stethoscope. Our final check was checking her weight - She is 17.5 pounds. We left the clinic and headed to a nearby supermarket for bottled water for all of us, Coke Zero for me, and Scott found some Oreos - he was a happy guy!

We ate lunch in the room - Kristin loves to eat and will try most anything - at meals, she will move daddy's hand or my hand towards her if we have food in it so she can have a taste. We love feeding our little one and eating as a family. Kristin just went down for her nap - it is the first time we have been in the room during the day for her to map. Later today we are going to walk around some of the nearby shops. Tomorrow we are headed to Shamian Island for some shopping and lunch.

Pictures of the Pavillion

Porcelain shopping in Nanchang

Today is our last full day in Nanchang and with our guide Echo who has been wonderful. The weather has changed to being much colder with snow in the forecast for tomorrow, therefore, our outdoor adventures, were short due to the wind and cold temperatures. Our first visit was to a Pavilion which was another beautiful place to visit - the Chinese are fascinated with Americans and many asked to take our pictures with them. The Pavilion had six floors we visited - all very beautiful. We saw a traditional Chinese show with singing, dancing, and music on one floor, a gift shop on another floor - we purchased a wooden nesting doll set for Kristin. Each floor told a story about Chinese history. Next we came back to the hotel where another wedding was taking place. Today is a holiday and since we arrived in Nanchang we have seen at least three wedding parties! Nanchang is known for porcelain and we went to a local porcelain shop which had traditional tea sets, porcelain vases, chopsticks, plates, bowls, etc. It was hard to choose from all the intricate designs of the tea sets to bring home as a keepsake from Kristin's place of birth. We finally chose a tea set created by a local artist and some porcelain chopsticks were given to us with our purchase. Kristin is teething and slept a little during our adventures today, but decided when we got back to the room she preferred to play with mom and dad instead of napping. Around 4:00 we walked to a nearby McDonalds to pick up dinner and during our walk it began to sleet. After eating we began packing for tomorrow's trip to Guangzhou. We are hoping our first family plane trip goes well. There will be at least 4 babies on this flight - let's hope all the passengers enjoy baby sounds!

Buddest Temple, Scrolls

This morning our sweet girl slept in until after 7 - she wakes up very happy and ready to eat. After breakfast we met Echo to see where we could go today. There were three choices and we all decided on visiting a Buddhist Temple and another beautiful park near a lake. The Buddhist Temple was beautiful inside with many different artistic representations of Buddhism. There were also several people meditating and worshiping at the temple today. Next, we headed to another gorgeous park by a lake which was being dredged for cleaning - It was another beautiful park and is probably more beautiful when the lake is full. The park also had a Temple of Taoism we visited - also very intricate with tremendous artwork. Today was much colder with lots of wind near the park, but we had a wonderful time. Some friendly college students came up to us to welcome us to China - this is a great way for students to practice English. Since English is a mandatory course throughout school in China many younger people speak English quite well enjoy talking with Americans visiting China. This afternoon Echo arranged for a lady to come to our room at the hotel to paint our daughter's name in calligraphy. All the families met in our room - we were expecting a piece of paper we could frame, but were impressed with the scrolls she brought to paint the girls' name. It is a beautiful piece of artwork with our daughter's Chinese name, birth date where she was born, and we could choose 4 wishes for the lady to write the characters in calligraphy on the scroll. We were also able to videotape while she was working. It was a unique opportunity and a beautiful keepsake for Kristin. Again tonight we ate together in the rooms so the girls could have some playtime together. Pizza Hut was on the menu for tonight - it was similar to pizza at home, but with less sauce. Kristin had a great day becoming more and more comfortable with mom and dad - smiling more often and babbling. She is teething, but still eating and drinking well. She napped today on our adventures and went to bed really easily tonight. Tomorrow we head to a porcelain shop and a pavilion - which offers more inside shopping. The temperatures will be colder tomorrow - it worked out perfectly to plan inside shopping on this day. Friday will be our last day in Nanchang and there is snow in the forecast - we are happy to be traveling to Guangzhou with warmer temperatures!

Throwers in front of Buddist Temple

At a park

Statue in Temple and scroll for Kristin

Hey, can you do this?

A Day in Nanchang

This morning our sweet girl slept in until after 7 - she wakes up very happy and ready to eat. After breakfast we met Echo to see where we could go today. There were three choices and we all decided on visiting a Buddhist Temple and another beautiful park near a lake. The Buddhist Temple was beautiful inside with many different artistic representations of Buddhism. There were also several people meditating and worshiping at the temple today. Next, we headed to another gorgeous park by a lake which was being dredged for cleaning - It was another beautiful park and is probably more beautiful when the lake is full. The park also had a Temple of Taoism we visited - also very intricate with tremendous artwork. Today was much colder with lots of wind near the park, but we had a wonderful time. Some friendly college students came up to us to welcome us to China - this is a great way for students to practice English. Since English is a mandatory course throughout school in China many younger people speak English quite well enjoy talking with Americans visiting China. This afternoon Echo arranged for a lady to come to our room at the hotel to paint our daughter's name in calligraphy. All the families met in our room - we were expecting a piece of paper we could frame, but were impressed with the scrolls she brought to paint the girls' name. It is a beautiful piece of artwork with our daughter's Chinese name, birth date where she was born, and we could choose 4 wishes for the lady to write the characters in calligraphy on the scroll. We were also able to videotape while she was working. It was a unique opportunity and a beautiful keepsake for Kristin. Again tonight we ate together in the rooms so the girls could have some playtime together. Pizza Hut was on the menu for tonight - it was similar to pizza at home, but with less sauce. Kristin had a great day becoming more and more comfortable with mom and dad - smiling more often and babbling. She is teething, but still eating and drinking well. She napped today on our adventures and went to bed really easily tonight. Tomorrow we head to a porcelain shop and a pavilion - which offers more inside shopping. The temperatures will be colder tomorrow - it worked out perfectly to plan inside shopping on this day. Friday will be our last day in Nanchang and there is snow in the forecast - we are happy to be traveling to Guangzhou with warmer temperatures!

A Day in Nanchang

Today we spent the morning with Kristin playing in the room and then went to breakfast. She enjoyed pieces of bread, eggs, and congee - a Chinese food similar to oatmeal. We met our guide and the Divi family and took a cab to a nearby park. The parks in China are amazingly beautiful. It was a beautiful day and lots of people were there due to the holiday. We walked through the park and the Chinese people were so nice, many came up to Kristin to touch her furry pink bear outfit. The park also included an amusement park with lots of rides for the children - there were roller coasters, flying bobs, water boats, bumper cars, zip lines, etc. One game children went fishing for small gold fish and they could take as many as 5 fish home. There was also a water area with really large Koi fish - they were at the bridge where people were feeding them. It was a beautiful day to spend some time at the park and the girls loved it. Next our guide took us to a Chinese flea market - it was a great adventure. I found a basic calligraphy books my students may enjoy when we learn about Ancient China later this year, as well as, a few picture flash cards with fruits and animals. Our friends bought some squeaky shoes and decorations for the Chinese New Year. There were so many people at this market area and lots of food vendors including skewers of cherry tomatoes, lots of fresh fruit, sugar cane, and a jambalaya stew, and then some other items we were unsure what they were. We came back to the hotel for Kristin to nap and then Scott and other people from our group walked to the market to get some more bottled water and rice cereal. We had our 1st playdate tonight in our hotel room where Julia and Kristin could play together as we all dined on KFC. It was quite the experience to order at KFC - a bucket of chicken was ordered which came with a few pieces of chicken, nuggets, sandwiches,ears of corn, a roll, etc. The Divis oldest daughter "A" kept the girls entertained by blowing bubbles. She has been a delight to have on the trip and is a wonderful big sister! Kristin stayed up and played with mom and dad a little longer - she plays with the stacking cups and loves her music box. She also loves just bouncing to mom and back to dad. She is sitting up fairly well and her legs are getting stronger and stronger each day. She went to bed easier tonight and we hope she sleeps as well as she did last night. Tomorrow we were scheduled to visit Kristin's orphanage, but since we found out she was cared for in foster care and the trip is 2. 5 hours one way by van we decided to not do this. Five hours in a van did not seem like the best way to spend with our baby girl. Echo, our guide, is planning a surprise trip tomorrow morning since we already booked the van. Tonight over dinner the families were sharing how it doesn't really seem like we are in China - everything has gone smoothly and we have enjoyed every adventure. Our guides in Beijing and Nanchang have been fabulous. We will be here until Friday and then fly to Ghuangzhou. where we will spend several days completing adoption requirements.