Concert, Court, Christmas and Christening

Wow!  What an amazing month it's been since Thanksgiving.  So much has happened and most of it has been in the last week.

Claire was all set for her first Christmas Concert at school.  There was a play and she got cast(without even auditioning) for the part of "The Littlest Angel".  She was thrilled and there were a lot of practices.  She had a costume and kept trying to tell me what she had to do.  So there we were, the night of the concert.  The kids were loaded in the car.  The girls had special, Christmas dresses they were wearing.  Tights and new shoes completed the outfits and everyone was excited.  We were running a bit late, but only because the seats with the best view were at a premium and we needed to get there to lay down coats.  We got about 4 blocks from home, from the back seat I heard Claire say "Mommy!"  I turned around and she threw up.  Then she began to cry.  Home we went, cleaned her up and into jammies while Kevin took Luke and Catherine to the concert.  I guess Claire's theatrical and concert debut will have to wait until next year.

Over the last week we have completed her re-adoption.  In China Claire was placed with us and the following day we adopted her under Chinese law.  For a variety of reasons and at the recommendation of our agency, we also adopted her under our local state law.  This was done on the 21st.  Typically a sad day for us as it is the anniversary of a family member's death.  But now we have a reason to really rejoice on that day!  Here is a picture of our family after the adoption order was signed.

Just a few days later, was Claire's 1st Christmas!  She was so excited.  She clearly understood what a special day this is.  On Christmas Eve she asked me to write a note to Santa for her.  It was full of thanksgiving.  "Mamma, daddy, thank you so much Santa" she had me write.  Christmas day she was so excited about each present and flew into the arms of each giver to hug and thank them.  Her joy was really wonderful to watch.  You can see how excited she was.

Then the day after Christmas we had Claire baptized.  We asked the Dotsons to be Claire's Godparents.  They are Tai's parents and if it weren't for Tai and his mom, Claire would not be a part of our family.  Who better to stand in that role than the very people who were looking after our child's best interests before she joined our family?  It was a really special day and Claire took it all in with a sense of importance, solemnity and reverence . . . .in her own way.  

Here is grandpa(who nearly didn't make it due to vandalization of his car) making the sign of the cross on her forehead.  Each of us there did this.

I think Claire wasn't quite sure what to think of all of this.  Especially when Father asked lots of saints to "Pray for us".  This was a special part of the ceremony as he had asked for the names of the people that were going to be there.  He then researched who their patron saints were and those were the saints he named.

Here she is being held over the font and being baptized.

Fragrant oil was poured over her head.  Looks like she really wasn't impressed with this part.  I can only imagine what was going through her head at this moment.  I love the smell of the oil and her head still smells like it even though we washed her hair many times.  

When it was all over we started taking pictures and the challenge was to get Claire to smile instead of the usual tongue sticking out.  This one is a keeper with Fr. Connelly and the Dotsons.

Our new normal is feeling really good.  Claire is funny, sassy and so loving.  There are times when she just looks at me, throws her arms around me and says "give a hug, mamma I love you."  What a beautiful sentence!  Kevin and I are getting used to having a third child around, Luke and Catherine are settling into the routine of having to share their domain with someone else and Claire is really doing a beautiful job of adapting to life in a family.  She has, by far, had the biggest adjustment.  

This amazing year is coming to an end and for all of it's blessings we are so very thankful.  We look forward to 2012 and all the adventures that life with our beautiful children will bring.

Already a TV Star!!!

We've been home just 2 months and Claire is already a TV star!  This story ran on our local news station this morning.  I had sooooo much more to say, but probably good they limited me to the short clip.

www.krem.com/news/national/International-adoptions-decline-because-of-complicated-process-136002228.html

Pretty great subjects . . . .I could have talked all day long on this subject!!!

1st Thanksgiving

We have been home a month and have celebrated, today, Claire's 1st Thanksgiving.  Each family has their own traditions.  I'm afraid that Claire might think that ours is something akin to WWE Smackdown.

While there have been many firsts and amazing things about having Claire with us, what I have been most surprised about is her language development.  Her receptive language is through the roof.  It seems she understands everything we say to her.  Her expressive language is coming along really well too and there have been times over the last couple of weeks where she surprised me by asking "Mamma may I have a hug?" and "Hi Mamma, how are you?"  

We've been able to get Claire and Tai together over the last month.  It's really sweet to see them together.   Yesterday we took them to Build a Bear.  It's really clear that Claire is happy to be able to see Tai.  Here they are walking around the mall.

There have been several other firsts since Halloween.  

First trip to Montana, first snow and first sledding trip all rolled up into one.

First time making snowflakes

The first wedding and dance

And the first visit to Santa.

We were reminded that it was a year ago today that we got approval from the Chinese Center for Adoption Affairs to move forward with Claire's adoption.  How blessed we have been in the last year!  We are amazed at what a perfect fit Claire is for our family and are thankful each day for her!

2 Weeks Home

We are two weeks home and I just have to say it again:  Claire is the bravest soul I have ever met.

She was beyond excited to land in Seattle.  I could hardly keep her in her seat.  Somehow she knew this was a very important moment.  As soon as the wheels of the plane touched the ground, she became an American citizen.  After a brief layover, we boarded a plane for the short ride home.  We arrived at noon on October 20 to family and friends waiting for us at the airport.  Instead of being shy and timid, this is how she looked.

Here she is meeting her cousin, Stephen, for the first time.

And, here she is with her friend Tai(Long Long to her) who was the catalyst for this whole process.  They hadn't seen each other for 18 months and it's clear how happy they are to see each other.

We arrived home and she explored the entire house.  She grinned from ear to ear.  She carefully put her things away and while she wasn't thrilled with dinner(Tacos, we were craving Mexican food) she seemed to be very happy to be home.

The next morning she began throwing up.  She couldn't keep anything down and so day 1 home we called the pediatrician.  Since she couldn't keep fluids down, he prescribed nausea medication which she refused to take.  I even dissolved it in a cup of warm water and it was still a no go.  She slept, oh how she slept.  15 hours that first night and day(not counting all the sleep she did on the plane).  The following day, she initially seemed better but threw up as we were walking out the door for soccer.  So she and I stayed home and snuggled while she slept.  There was lots of snuggling which was good.  I just wish it hadn't been because she was sick.  

By late in the afternoon we were really worried and on the verge of taking her to the emergency room.  She was listless, sleeping, not talking and not eating or drinking.  She is 35 pounds and 42 inches tall at 8 years old, so she doesn't have an ounce to spare.  As a last ditch effort, we went to a Chinese restaurant.  We ordered wonton soup and chow mein.  Initially she said she didn't want any, but we told her that if she didn't eat we would have to take her to the hospital.  She ate a bit, then more and more.  We took the leftovers and headed for home.  She fell asleep and when she woke, she was about 75% her old self.  She polished off the remaining food and was just fine after that.  We think now, that while she may have had a touch of the flu, that she was grieving everything she had left behind.  The only place, people, food and language she had ever known.  While she was well prepared and wanted to be part of a family, it's a pretty tall order in terms of a transition and this appeared to be her way of dealing with it.

Since being home, here have been lots of firsts.  The first doctor's appointment where she said, clear as day(much to our surprise) "Hello David Morgan" to her doctor.  She has started school.  

She has been to her first Zag Event.

And her first Halloween.

She has faced it all with enthusiasm, excitement and with such bravery that I am in awe of her!  We could not have picked a child more perfect for our family and she is rolling like she's been with us for years.  We feel so incredibly blessed, that she has joined our family.  We are amazed at the gift that God has given us and the way in which He has orchestrated his plan.  This whole process has been, and Claire herself is, a miracle!

Guangzhou

Friday October 14 was a sad day for us.  Stephanie had to leave us early in the morning to head back to Boston.  We feel so fortunate that she was able to spend a week with us and for Claire to get a taste of what a wonderful Jie Jie (Big Sister) Steph is.  We also left Jinan where we made a lot of wonderful memories, the most important of which is that is where we met Claire! 

We flew from Jinan to Guangzhou.  We stayed at the Victory Hotel which is on Shamian Island.  It was our favorite spot we stayed in China.  It is a quaint spot in the middle of the hustle and bustle of Guangzhou.  The Island was easily walkable even for Kevin.  There are lots of shops for souvenirs and while they are probably more money than going into the city, the people that own the shops were so kind to us and our children that we didn’t mind spending a little extra.  We made friends with many of them and really will miss seeing them every day.               

                                                                                                                                         We did do some local shopping through the markets(which were interesting for the types of things they were selling) and visited the Safari Park.  The Safari Park was pretty neat, but the kids were just fried and so the day wasn’t as great as we’d hoped.  But we’ve been here 14 days and on the whole they have been troopers so they get a little grace for a bad day!   The Pandas were amazing and everyone perked up when we got to their exhibit.

While in Guangzhou we completed all the US requirements for our adoption.  Claire underwent a physical examination, which included a TB test.  On the 18th we had our appointment with the US Consulate.  There we took an oath that the paperwork we filled out was true and correct.  We signed paperwork to apply for Claire’s Visa which was approved.  The end result of all of this work is that the minute we are wheels down in Seattle, Claire is a US Citizen!!  When they told us that at the US Consulate, I teared up.  This is the culmination of approximately a year of paperwork and prayer to bring Claire home.  I can’t believe that we are finally to this point!

As I type this we are on the road to Hong Kong and will fly out early in the morning for home.  We’ve been looking at pictures and are amazed that this wonderful trip is over.  With that said we are looking forward to getting home, getting back to our routine, sleeping in our own beds and eating some of our regular favorite food.  First up . . . .Tacos!!

And by the way, in case you were wondering . . . .Claire is fitting in just fine!!  Yes, those are her underwear on her head!

ZaoZhuang Part 2

After our orphanage visit and tour of the site of the first battle between the Chinese and Japanese during World War II, we were treated to lunch.

I use the term “treated” lightly here because what really happened is we were wined and dined.  We thought that we would be having lunch with Director Lu and a couple of his staff members.  We arrived at a restaurant that was floating on a lake.  We had an idea at that point, that we were in for something special.

We were taken to a large, private room.  Our guide and Director Lu talked for some time and pointed at many seats.  It became clear that a seating arrangement was being put together.  At first we were told that we were being hosted by the Director of Civil Affairs from ZaoZhuang who had joined us earlier in the day.  As it turned out we were actually being hosted by the Director of Civil Affairs from the city where the restaurant was located.  Kevin and I were seated next to our host with Director Lu on his other side.  The rest of the family was to our right and the assistant Director of Claire’s Orphange, staff and others were to the left.  In all there were approximately 17 people seated around this huge table.  This was clearly a very big deal!

We were warmly welcomed by our host and he stated that he didn’t know what kind of Chinese food we liked so he ordered many things and hoped we liked what would be served.  He assured us that we would not offend him if we did not.  Then the food began arriving.  I wish we had taken a photo of all the food that was served, but that seemed rude.  Suffice it to say that if you can imagine it, it was served.  We tried many new foods, my favorite of which is Lotus.

After eating for a few minutes, the toasting began.  There were many toasts to Kevin and me, our family, to me, to our host . . . .Kevin and I were drinking beer as were many others.  Some were drinking a local wine.  Glasses were raised and as is our custom, unless you are in college, we sipped our drinks after each toast.  After about the 4th toast, I was told “Bottoms Up!”  I could tell that the men were skeptical of whether I was up to the task.  The glasses were small wine glasses and as a good Montana girl I met the challenge to their delight.

Our lunch went on for approximately 2 hours when we were told that they were cognizant that we had to take the train back to Jinan and probably should finish up.  Many pictures were taken, business cards were exchanged and we were ready to leave a wonderful lunch.  This is a picture of our host, Director Lu and the Director from ZaoZhuang.  

Director Lu offered to take us to see the new orphanage and we eagerly agreed.  It was a long drive but the new orphanage is very nice.  The construction was mostly completed although it didn’t look like finish work was done on the inside yet and there was landscaping to do.  We were told that they were awaiting government approval to move in.  The currently orphanage houses about 50 children.  The new one will house approximately 500!  

We left the new orphanage and headed for the train station.  We said goodbye to Director Lu who, it is clear, is a very kind man and has Claire’s best interests at heart.  Claire is clearly fond of him, but I had to tell her to look back one more time to wave goodbye.  Our girl is so ready to be with us and to put her former life behind her.

It was a wonderful day and one we never will forget.

ZaoZhuang

On Thursday morning we were up early to make our trip to ZaoZhuang where Claire's orphanage is located.

We had been anticipating this trip for a long time but wasn't entirely sure that we were going to get to go. When we got our final itinerary, it was listed and I was told that it was confirmed. This was a very big deal because Claire is only the second child from the orphanage to be adopted internationally. Our friends, the Dotsons, were not allowed to visit when they came to get their son, so I wasn't counting on it until we were actually there. 

We made the trip by train which was a really great experience. We were met at the train station by the assistant director of the orphanage and one of Claire's nannies. It took about 45 minutes to get to the orphanage and when we arrived there were many people outside awaiting our arrival.



They had cameras and seemed genuinely happy we were there. We were escorted upstairs to a nice conference room where we were served fruit and the director, Mr. Lu gave us the history of the orphanage. We talked for some time and then headed for a brief tour. We saw some of the rooms in which Claire spent her time.



We also were allowed to visit the babies that were there. We were not allowed to bring the kids or take pictures. This was heartbreaking because we knew that these children were considered "too disabled" to be adopted. The sadness of it was overwhelming, but at the same time we know that Director Lu and his staff are very good, kind people who give care to their children that is just not available in larger orphanages. Soon after leaving these rooms, we left the orphanage. Many of the nannies had tears but Claire was ready to go.

Director Lu had planned a lovely day for us. We were taken to a city monument that commemorated the first battle between the Chinese and Japanese during the second world war.



It was an amazing place with beautiful architecture including a spectacular temple.



After a couple of hours there, we left for Lunch which was an adventure and deserves it's own post and pictures!!

China Update

Hi,

Well, it's been an interesting day since I last posted, so I thought I'd better update you. The last couple of days have been amazing. We have done and seen so much that it is hard to explain all that has happened. 

Starting with the most important: Claire.



She is the bravest soul I have ever met! She has faced this whole ordeal with such anticipation and excitement. And, even when things weren't going as well as we hoped, not once did she turn and run. We made a trip to her orphanage and she didn't want to go, but said that she would, to say goodbye, and then she was leaving. She is telling Chinese people that she is a foreigner from the USA. She dangled her toes in a swimming pool for a couple of minutes and then jumped in with all kinds of excitement. When we walked through security at the airport, she said goodbye to the only person in our group with whom she could completely communicate never looking back and with a huge smile on her face. 

It hasn't been all rainbows and angels singing, there has been A LOT of testing and acting out, but it is clear that she has been prepared to have a family, whatever that means, and there is no going back. I have shown pictures of her and said "I think she looks like she has spunk." I was so right and it is one of the things that I love about her. The last 2 days she has really been fun and our day ended tonight with playing games, snuggling and her taking pictures of she and I making funny faces. 

Now to our other adventures: Wednesday the 12th we had a free day so we decided to do some sightseeing. We were still in Jinan, the provincial capital of Shandong Province. Jinan is famous for their natural springs. We went to visit this area called Bau Tu Springs. It was beautiful! Lots of old Chinese architecture.



Beautiful springs



and people who treated Catherine like a rock star.



If I had $5.00 for every person who wanted to take her picture or have their picture(or child's picture) taken with her, I'd have had the whole trip paid for and then some! Later in the day we went to Dao Ming Lake. 

This is in the center of Jinan and was also a really beautiful walk.



We took a boat ride that reminded me of the River Walk in San Antonio. Here is where Catherine began teaching Claire the fine art of wrapping daddy around your finger. I think she already has mastered "The Look."



We headed to bed early as we had to be up to meet our guide at 5:15 a.m. to head to ZaoZhuang for Claire's Orphanage visit.

Day 2 with Claire

Today was a busy day as we had to go to the Civil Affairs Office and the Notary Office. We signed a bunch of official looking documents, all in Chinese. So I'm trusting our guide ShaoLi (Missy) that we didn't just agree to repay the US debt to China! Even Claire had to participate in this most important paperwork.



After it was all done, we had to take pictures with Director Lu, his staff and the lady that helped us at Civil Affairs.



The lady with the short hair, one of Claire's caregivers, teased Claire that she should come back to the orphanage with her. Claire declared "No! I am staying with them!" Claire is a sweet girl and clearly has a mind of her own. She is already testing us and it is challenging to redirect her behavior when she doesn't understand English. She is brave beyond words, she pretty much got in the pool today with very little hesitation. She loves to do hair and fancies herself quite the beautician. Hours were spent today working on Catherine, ShaoLi and Stephanie's hair. This is one of her creations.



Someone has allowed her to use electronics as she seems to be relatively skilled at the use of an iPad and computer. I've got to figure out how to lock my iMac screen. Tomorrow is a bit of a quiet day for us. Nothing in particular is scheduled so we are going to go do some sightseeing and a little shopping with Stephanie. On Thursday we are going to Claire's Orphanage in ZaoZhuang. Director Lu also wants to show us around the city. He is a very kind man and clearly loves the children. He is being so very generous with his time with us and we are really looking forward to the day with him. It will be good to see where Claire has been and we are hoping for more information and pictures of her. To Be Continued . . . . .

Got Her!!!

I never thought it would, but today finally came!  We were nervous, excited, impatient and thrilled all at the same time.

Claire, her caretaker and the director of the orphanage were supposed to arrive at 10 a.m.  Our guide, Missy, met us at 9 so we could get gifts and orphanage donations prepared.  10:00 came and went and we learned that the fog/smog/rain was slowing down travel and that Claire was car sick so they had to stop for medicine. They said they would arrive at 10:30 . . . .which became 11:00.  They finally got here at 11:30.  

Claire is a little, bitty girl (as you look at the picture below, remember she is 13 months older than Catherine). But she is full of personality.  She has dimples for miles and has a beautiful smile. 

Claire was well prepared.  She clearly is ready to be part of a family.  We called her BeiBei and as soon as Director Lu left she said, "No my name is Claire Elizabeth."  She started calling us Mamma and BaBa right away.  She sad on my lap fairly quickly.  She and the kids have been holding hands 

 

and she has been doing Catherine's hair. 

More importantly (I guess) she is already testing us.  Or I guess I should say she is testing me.  We went to dinner and she decided she didn't like the food and wanted something else.  I said no.  She tried crawling under the table and staying out of reach of either of us.  That happened a couple of times.  She is actually a bit bossy and seems used to being in charge.  But she is also adorable, and fitting right in.  She seems really anxious to learn English.  We went to Walmart and she picked out 2 things for learning English.  By the way, this girl has no trouble saying what she wants!  And she is really smart.  She saw a Barbie and came up to me to ask for it.  I hesitated, clearly leaning towards no and so she said "I'm going to ask daddy."  He, of course, said yes!  

For those of you that haven't gone back to the beginning, Claire's best friend Tai (Long Long) lives near us and we learned of her from his mom.  So, today we were able to Skype so that they could see each other.  It was also really great because Director Lu and the caretaker were able to see Tai who they clearly miss very much.

Today we had to sign paperwork that we agreed to care for Claire and that if we didn't want her that we would promise to bring her back.  Tomorrow we go to the civil affairs office and start the paperwork to formalize Claire's adoption.  The lawyer in me understands why this all needs to happen.  The mother in me just wants to get all my kids home.  

So, in a nutshell, that is Gotcha Day.  Everyone is asleep, exhausted from the emotions of the day.  Tomorrow promises to be a new adventure!

Last Day in Shanghai

We have spent 3 days in Shanghai. Today is our last day and we head to Jinan tomorrow. We are going by high speed train and still it will take us about 4 hours to get there. China is HUGE!!!

Yesterday, we spent the morning looking for a bank to exchange some money and checking out the area around our hotel. In the afternoon we met our guide, Summer, and went to a digit market to get me a camera. We met with great success and turned our sights to an electronic translator. We didn't find what we were looking for so we will keep looking. We decided to take in an acrobat show. The kids were exhausted(we all were) and fell asleep during the first 1/2 so we left at intermission. We had not previously scheduled our driver and Summer to be with us, so we took cabs and I had visions of the headline "American dies in Chinese Traffic." The concept of red lights, walk signs, lanes or signaling a lane change is completely foreign to the Chinese. And the horns . . . Kevin says if he was a government official here he would make it his mission to outlaw horns. I think I agree. Our new friend Sun Chuan, who was going to intern at my office last summer and live with us, came from Nanjing to see us. It was great to meet him in person. He spent several hours with us and we are hoping that perhaps next summer we will see him in the US.

Today we went to Luke's orphanage. There were so many emotions today for me so I can only imagine what Luke is feeling. He is a typical male and isn't saying much. There has been some angry behavior and snuggling late this afternoon and evening. Both of which were totally expected. The woman giving us a tour said there are over 500 children who live at this orphanage. My question was where are they all??? The place was like a morgue. Except for the room where we got to see some "babies", and two older children in the hallway, we did not see any children. We were told they were in other buildings, but it was so silent. We didn't see any signs of children in other buildings and there was no one outside. It's kind of hard to hid 500 kids, but somehow they managed.

We were taken to a room that had about 16 kids in it. They ranged in age from 2-5. We were there right at nap time so we tried to be quiet. The ones that were awake were curious and watched us, but they remained lying down and didn't make a sound. Can you imagine??? 16 children that young being quiet??? It was very difficult . . .some seemed sad or we got blank stares. But some had quite the personality. Like this little girl.
 

And these little guys...

Catherine walked among the cribs, stroking hair and holding hands.

Luke walked around to some of the cribs, and at one point he just sat in a chair and watched. But there was this one little boy that reached out to him and Luke seemed drawn to him as well. Here is a picture of them together.

A caretaker came in and we told her Luke's Chinese name. She said she remembered the name . . .Don't really know whether she truly did or not, but she and the others seemed genuinely happy to see Luke. I asked for a copy of Luke's file. I was told that the lady who prepares the files was not in today. It was Saturday of a holiday week. I was also told that some information in the file cannot be disclosed. I was told that there would be an email coming with information that we perhaps did not have. I won't hold my breath, but am hoping for the best.

I can't believe we got to be there. It was something I will cherish for the rest of my life. I hope that one day Luke will too.