Guess Who's Walking!!!

I'm late posting this since she actually took her first solo steps a couple of weeks ago. Then she didn't show much interest until the last couple of days. She is still a little wobbly and you can just see the concentration in her face. She is just so proud of herself when she gets from point A to point B. If you had bet me two months ago that she would be walking today, you would have won.





Yeah, I know it's been a while since my last post. All is well, just busy and haven't made the blog a priority. We had my friend Andree' from Seattle here and then my parents, sister, nieces and nephew were here. LuLu enjoyed meeting her Aunts and cousins and was happy to see my parents again. We really had a blast and both of those visits deserve a post of there own. I'll try and get some pictures up soon.

Six Week CheckUp

We went to the Dr. last Wednesday for our 6 week checkup. Yes, we have been home 6 weeks. It has FLOWN by!! She now weighs 18.4 pounds and is 29.25 inches long. So, in 6 weeks she gained 3.3 pounds and grew an inch!! We are now officially on the growth charts.

She is also pulling up on anything that is stationary for a second and cruises around from object to object.

Here are a few words that she will say:

Da Da

Ma Ma (finally!!)

Nite Nite

Thank You - although it sounds nothing like "Thank you" and I'm sure I'm the only one that would recognize it.

She will do the signs for "eat", "more" and "dirty" (we made that one up - you just wave your hand over your nose)

She can point to her foot, teeth and dimples. Well, she actually points to the same general area for both tooth and dimples. Yeah, I know most people start with nose but we think the others are much more fun.

Really the only thing that could be improved is the sleeping. I don't think she has slept through the night since we got back from China. The last week has been a little better in that she is easier to get back to sleep once she wakes up so hopefully we are headed in the right direction. Typically she wakes up around 1:30 and 4:30 am expecting a bottle and is downright peeved if you don't immediately produce one. I really think the ONLY way she knows to fall asleep is with the bottle. I'm sure she's waking up more now during the night due to the huge transition that she has gone through. And then of course once she's awake and trying to fall asleep again, she is looking for the bottle. So it's a process of teaching her HOW to fall asleep. I'm sure we'll get there, it's just taking a little time.

Do You See What I See?

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Originally uploaded by Jon and Karen

Yep, there is a tooth coming in on top. I thought I should make an announcement. My friend Kristen heard it from the owner of our local Thai restaurant and wasn't too happy about that. The latest pearly white peeked through a few days ago and I think the second top tooth isn't far behind.

I know her life will be much easier with teeth but man I'm going to miss that gummy smile.

For Those Yet To Travel - Part Two

As I was giving LuLu her bottle last night, I realized how far we have come. We all hear over and over again that the caretakers in China have probably cut a larger hole in the bottle's nipple. Most packing lists include several nipples and something to cut the hole larger. Even though I had heard this for over three years, I had no idea just how big the hole would be.

When we received LuLu, we also received two boxes of the formula and a bottle that she was using. If I had not seen the nipple myself, I would never have realized how big they make the hole. About one third of the nipple was gone. No sucking required as with a hole that big, the contents would literally pour out.

We immediately went to a smaller hole. Even with that, she would not suck but would just move her tongue around to get something out. We have gradually worked our way to a slightly modified fast flow nipple. In the last couple of days, she has also been drinking out of a straw style sippy cup. She is so proud of herself when she is successful with that cup.

I know this was our experience and yours may be different but I thought I would mention just how big of a nipple your child may be used to. If I had not seen it myself, I would never have guessed.

Here she is with her new sippy.

For Those Yet To Travel

Last night, I was reading through the posts from China and it occurred to me that it really doesn't tell the entire story. Don't get me wrong, in many ways I think our trip was a "best case scenario" and I don't take that for granted. However, for those yet to travel to meet their little ones, there are a couple of things I wanted to point out.

First of all, even under the best of circumstances there are some tough moments. LuLu came from what some say is one of the "better" orphanages. I do think she was shown lots of affection and I am grateful for that. I will admit however, that I wasn't quite prepared to be handed a child in her physical condition. I won't go into details because it's her story not mine. I've travelled all over this world enough to know that different cultures have different standards for cleanliness. It's just different. But when you are handed your child in that condition, it's hard. I would have told you I was prepared but I wasn't.

Also based on updated measurements and these pictures that we received just before we travelled, I knew she would be tiny. However, her size literally took my breath away. Even our facilitator (who has seen lots of babies over the last 12 years) was concerned about her size. I fought back tears everytime I changed her diaper.

Now all of these things are EASILY overcome. But they are real and they were hard to see so I wanted to mention them for my friends still PATIENTLY waiting.

Now that I see more of LuLu's personality I know that much of her "contentment" the first few days was really just her being overwhelmed. Or it could just be that there was never any reason to fuss before, I don't know. And although she is a generally happy child I can promise you she has now learned the fine art of fussing. So my advice is that even if your child seems "fine", keep it very low key those first few days. Since we were a travel group of one family, we were able to keep it very low key and that certainly helped. Actually we were probably downright boring the first few days.

Most of this is probably things you guys already knew but I wanted to pass it on anyways.

EDITED TO ADD: Stephe's question in the comments regarding sizes reminded me of something else to share. We always hear to bring several sizes of clothes when you travel. It's true. Even if you have updated measurements like we did, it's still a good idea. Based on measurements we received just before we travelled, I could look at the clothes size charts and tell that she fell into the 6 month clothes. However, that wasn't completely accurate because most of her weight was from the belly up. So 6 month tops fit but bottoms were a different story. Most of those were too big. Of all the clothes I brought for her, I think she wore the same 4 or 5 outfits over and over. We just did laundry. You can also find what you need in most cities in China. However, for me personally I would not have wanted to worry about that in the first couple of days. As a new parent, I had enough to process those first couple of days without going clothes shopping.

We're Still Here

and all is well. I have just been busy and have not kept up with the posts. I was down for a few days with a cold turned ear infection but on the mend now.


LuLu is scooting across the floor with ease now and will even venture into a room by herself. Her scoot is done with one leg in a sitting position and the other leg has the foot on the floor. Hard to explain but maybe you can get an idea in this picture. It's actually quite efficient since she is half way there when she wants to sit down.

She is now a champion eater and really doesn't turn down much of anything. Hopefully her number of teeth will catch up with her appetite soon. She weighed 15.1 pounds at the doctor three weeks ago. She's filled out quite a bit since then. Her cheeks are fuller, she has quite the belly and she is working on having thighs. We go back to the Doctor in three weeks and I'm betting on at least 16.5.

For some reason, her favorite thing is having a lime in each hand. She goes crazy for them everytime she sees them. Walking through the grocery store, she just about jumped out of the hip carrier as we walked past the produce. If you came to our house right now, I can not promise that you would not step on a lime. At this rate, we are going to have to open up a Mojito bar.

Here's A few more pictures from the last several days

Here's what we have been up to...

It's been just over a week since we have been home and it has flown by. Here's a little of what we have been up to. We have moved from Up Dog to Down Dog.

Cleaned the rug

Recovered from jet lag. As you can see, some have done better than others.

Tried to juggle limes

Discovered watermelon

Been swimming

Had a belated one year birthday celebration. Complete with a very special dress made by my Mom and worn by two of my nieces.

We also had our first Doctor's appointment since being home. We will have more official word when the blood work comes back but so far so good. Speaking of blood work, frankly that experience sucked. I could go for a while without having to do that again.

Unfortunately, we haven't returned all the lovely Welcome Home emails and phone calls. And we haven't sent Thank You's for all the gifts that have poured in. Maybe next week.

Back Home

We arrived back home last Wednesday right on schedule. Everyone is doing great, despite the jet lag. We actually felt human today. We were welcomed by pink balloons and American flags lining the driveway and a huge Welcome Home sign made by my out of town relatives. And I thought I had cried all the tears of joy I could possibly cry. Thanks Guys!!! My parents have been a HUGE help since we got home. My poor Mom is cooking and cleaning like Cinderella so Jon and I can enjoy LuLu. Our friends Becky and Larry brought a Mexican feast last night complete with Corona and limes. We continue to be spoiled by everyone's love and generosity and I hope that someday we can pay it forward.
I promise to be back soon with some pictures of our first few days home. I will say that LuLu has become quite the daredevil and can't decide if she wants to crawl or walk first.

All Packed Up

We're all packed up and are leaving Guangzhou in the morning. We are sad to be leaving China but excited about getting home as a family of three. We have spent the last couple of days seeing the sights and finishing up the last details. Sorry I haven't posted but just so much going on. LuLu is eating everything that we let her and is getting more mobile by the day. Jon and I have had to up our game on getting her diaper changed now that she can roll over. She is also very close to being able to go from laying down to sitting up and she likes to practice that move just as the dirty diaper comes off and the clean one goes on. Good times.

The next post will likely be after we get home and settled a bit. Here are some pics from Guangzhou. We have lots more, just haven't had a chance to get them uploaded.

Up Dog

Until last night, when we would put her on her stomach, LuLu just didn't know what to do. She could not really lift her head or didn't know to try. Now she is doing a pretty decent Upward facing dog. Of course, it's usually followed by a pretty good face plant. She also rolled over this morning. She was very proud of herself.

P.S. Yes, I now see the rubberband on the floor and I realize it's a choking hazard.

Catching Up

Here are a few pictures taken just before we left Nanchang and a couple from the flight to Guangzhou.

Greetings From Guangzhou

We made it to our hotel in Guangzhou last night around 9:00pm. LuLu did great on the flight. The flight was just a little over an hour so it was good practice for the long flight home. Not so much for her, but practice for us of course.

It's now Saturday just before noon and we are already done with her visa photo and medical exam. She passed the "extensive" medical exam with flying colors. She now weighs 15.4 pounds.

When we returned from the medical exam, we spent some time with our facilitator and finished all the paperwork that is required for the US immigration side of things. Everything is going so smoothly, it's like we have been sprinkled with fairy dust this entire trip.

Thank you so much for the lovely comments, emails, thoughts and prayers. We haven't had a chance to respond to all of them but they mean a lot to us.

I realize it's the second post in a row without pictures. We'll try and get some up later today.

Our Last Night In Nanchang

We had another great day here in Nanchang. We took a nice walk to what they call "City Mall". We also got to walk around some of the side streets and alleyways and got a glimpse of life here in Nanchang. LuLu came out of her shell a bit more today. She even scolded us a few times when we didn't get things just right. It's great to see her little personality more and more each day. She is eating great and seems to be getting stronger each day. She is now trying to roll over. Also, when she is sitting on the floor she walk her hands out and stares at the floor like she knows if she get her arms and legs going in the right direction, she could go places.

We are heading further south tomorrow to Guangzhou. That is where we will complete the US immigration part of this process. Jon and I are both a little sad about leaving out little cocoon we have established here in our hotel room. To be honest with you, this hotel room would not have impressed me if if I had walked into it back home. However, to us it has been absolute paradise for the last 4 days. It is this room where we first met this amazing little person that we are blessed to share our lives with. This is where we heard her giggle for the first time and where we get to see that big gummy smile several times a day.

Still In Nanchang

The rain slowed a little yesterday so we ventured out. We picked up the official adoption documents from the notary and then we headed to Walmart for a few supplies. Of course, LuLu slept through most of the adventure. Picture Walmart on Christmas Eve, multiply it times a million and that was the scene that she slept through. She played a good bit of the afternoon and crashed just before we headed out. She woke up just as we were getting back to the hotel.
Nanchang is known for their porcelain so we are going to head out today to get her a Porcelain tea set.
Here's a few pics from the day.
Disclaimer: We are NOT bathing her in dirty water. She is still scratching quite a bit so it is an oatmeal bath.

She's A Sleeper

Man, this kid can sleep. I think she has a little bit of a cold and mostly I think it's just her way of "dealing" with all the changes. She seems to get up, take in as much as she can and then crash. She had two, two-hour naps yesterday and then slept from 8:30pm - 5:30 this morning. She had a bottle and went back to sleep. It's 7:40 am and she is asleep again. Every time I put her in the baby pouch, she falls asleep on me. When she is awake, she's happy. She loves to be held and if you put her down, she will whimper.

And patient, she is very patient with us. I am sure that she has figured out she got a couple of rookies. I've worn the baby pouch wrong, made bottles that were too thick and too runny and she just goes right along with it all.

She is TINY. I knew she would be tiny according to the latest measurements we received just before traveling. However, I was still surprised. The dress she wore yesterday was a 3-6 month dress and it fit. Actually the matching diaper cover was a little too big. I don't think she has been given much in the way of solid foods. She will eat from our chopsticks or fingers but she's not a big fan of the spoon. She wouldn't eat much at all (other than her bottles) the first day but yesterday was a little better. She ate a fair amount of steamed egg last night. So all in all, she is doing fantastic.

What else? Oh, yes Mary she has dimples!!! We can see them when she smiles. Also, She is sleeping in the crib in the hotel room, not with us. Well when she feel asleep after her bottle this morning, I put her in my bed, but generally it's the crib.

Here's a short video of a couple of giggles that we managed to get yesterday.

More Pictures...

All is well. We were done with our paperwork in about an hour this morning. It was a blur but our facilitator was awesome at getting us in and out. LuLu slept through most of it. She probably would have slept through the entire thing but they made me wake her up to take her picture. We spent the rest of the day just chlling in the hotel. Lots of smiles. Here's some pics. We are headed downstairs to dinner soon.

Here She Is...

We've been a family of three for about four hours now. We've played, had dinner and now she is sound asleep. She likes a bottle at bedtime so we got one ready and she took it like a champ. She feel asleep in my arms as she finished the bottle. We've had a few smiles and Jon even got a kiss. We are blessed beyond belief. We have a morning of paperwork tomorrow and oh, who am I kidding, no one is reading this... Here's the pictures!!!!

Lulu's on the way!

We made it to Nanchang!  We're in our hotel - with internet - and they're bringing the babies in an hour!

Great Wall Photos

Beijing Day Three

Once again, our "handlers" (guide and driver) gave us an action packed, exciting day.  Highlight was The Great Wall. Sorry we don't have any pictures at the moment. We crashed when we got to the hotel last night (Great Wall kinda kicked out butt) and the camera is already packed up. Anway, I know I keep using this word but it was amazing.

When our travel dates became "asap", we really thought we might have to forget the few days in Beijing. We are so grateful that it all worked out and we have had this opportunity to experience Beijing, even if only for a few days. Makes us want to come back.

We are packing up and will be checking out in about an hour and heading to the airport. We have about a two hour flight to Nanchang. Still no confirmation on whether we will meet LuLu today or tomorrow but they are hopeful for today. So are we!!!

As long as I can get connected, I will post tonight from Nanchang. Hopefully with the picture we have all been waiting for.