Dear Sam and Sophie

Sophie's baptism

2010-05-10T19:27:00.000-07:00

This is for you, Mom--finally a few pictures from Sophie's baptism. She was baptized April 24 at St. Gertrude Parish in Chicago. During the ceremony, she kept wanting to play in the water! My sister and her husband are her godparents, and they provided the music at the ceremony. Most of my Women's Group made it to the church, and a bunch of friends joined us for a party at our house afterward.

I've got to admit she was pretty darn cute in her little white Chinese dress. I wore mine too!

Little helpers

2010-04-19T19:41:00.000-07:00

Auntie Trish is coming to visit tomorrow, and it's the day before her birthday. So Sam and Sophie helped me bake a birthday cake tonight. They both enjoyed licking the spatula/beaters.

It was the end of a busy day. Sam got his haircut (the second time he didn't cry) and we had Wiggleworms this morning. They both crashed in the "roller coaster" (what Sam calls our new stroller) on the way home from Wiggleworms. I should have left them there. Neither stayed asleep after trying to transfer them to bed/crib for nap.

All tuckered out!

Sophie's first Easter

2010-04-13T19:46:00.000-07:00

Some cute pix from Easter Sunday at my sister's house in Aurora. The Easter egg hunt was a highlight for the two kids. Sophie was pretty good at it, as you can see!

(Sophie wearing Easter sweater handknit by my mother 40-plus years ago for me and Amy. Sam wore it last year.)

We also had a phenomenal Easter liturgy at the 10:30 gym Mass--all the best music, plus Fr. Bill and the liturgical dancers.

Sophie had little interest in her basket (containing 1 chocolate bunny, one row of yellow peeps, one rabbit toy and one package of sidewalk chalk). Sam, on the other hand, couldn't stop talking about the chocolate.

Pictures!

2010-03-29T19:26:00.000-07:00

Sorry for disappearing. We've been so busy with our family of four. Here are some pictures from the past few weeks. Things are going pretty well--Sophie is a happy girl and a great sleeper. Sam is adjusting more and more every day to the intrusion into his life! We've had fun showing her off to lots of friends.

She still loves to eat!

She loves to play in the toy kitchen.

Taking a nap at my friend Kristin's.

Also happy in the bath, but hates having her hair washed.

Funny faces while eating.

Her first (unaided) steps were last Thursday while our friend Christian was visiting for dinner.

Playing under the dining room table.

Two nudie cuties in the tub.

With Auntie Amy for lunch in Aurora.

With Daddy at "Maple Syrup Day" at North Park. Friend Delia also braved the snow!

Thank God for the pack 'n' play.

My friend Lourdes visited back when the weather was so nice.

Big brother

2010-03-14T21:44:00.000-07:00

While getting ready for bed on Monday night (our second night home):

Sam: I love Mama.
Mama: Mama loves you. So does Daddy.
Sam: I love Daddy.
Mama: Do you love Sophie?
Pause.
Sam: I love Sophie.
Pause.
Sam: I think so! Maybe... Just a little bit.

On Tuesday, he bit her.
Here they are riding in our fancy, new-to-us stroller, compliments of our friends Karen and Jeff. Sam calls it "the roller coaster."

They're warming up to each other, though haven't had to spend too much time together since Sophie (and Mama) has still been on China time most of this week. So she's up when he's sleeping and vice versa. You can tell Sam is trying hard, but that the adjustment to no longer being the center of the universe is not fun. I am making a special effort to give him some one-on-one attention and snuggle time.

For her part, Sophie doesn't take too much gruff from him. Seems like she'll be able to stand up for herself!

One week down...

Family of 4

2010-03-08T21:34:00.000-08:00

Our first family photo! We don't look too bad for having traveled 7,000 miles! Photos courtesy of Amy.

At the airport

2010-03-08T21:30:00.001-08:00

I'll always remember this.

We're home!

2010-03-08T03:20:00.000-08:00

Ed was lucky enough to have a 36-hour birthday this year--but he spent 20 of those hours on an airplane or in airports. We had a few bumps (figuratively) with our flight to Shanghai (thought we were in the wrong terminal; walked to another; turned around walked back to the first one; missing baby seat ticket, etc.). But Sophie was good for the 2.5 hour flight. She's a decent little traveler.

We had to collect our luggage and recheck in as an international flight in Shanghai, but that was OK, as we had 5 hours there. We met some Americans--one, ahem, older gentleman who was marrying a younger Chinese woman he had met in UAE and a guy from Oklahoma who had been visiting his Chinese fiancee, whom he met online. Interesting. We also met a nice businessman from China who was going to Evansville, Indiana, of all places. We had noodles with him in the airport restaurant as our last Chinese meal.

Big mistake. Ed and Sophie both got sick from them--Sophie in the diaper within an hour of takeoff (other passengers laugh when you carry a baby into the bathroom with wipes and a diaper and walk out with a naked, except for the new diaper, baby). Ed was sick and pasty white the first few hours of the flight, but felt marginally better later.

To be honest, the 13 hours from Shanghai to Chicago weren't as bad as I had expected. We had bulkhead seats, with a bassinette on the floor, an empty seat next to us (armrests don't go up though--argh) and a very nice Chinese couple on the other end of the empty seat who made goo-goo eyes at Sophie a lot. She slept about 11 of the 13 hours, though mostly in my lap and arms. Unfortunately she didnt' like that baby cot. Ed held her so I could go to the bathroom and take a few catnaps.

We arrived to O'Hare and speeded through immigration, customs and the procedure with the "brown envelope," then walked out through the double doors--to nothing! The Manions, my parents, Sam, balloons and signs were at the other exit! My eyes teared up when I saw the first sign: "My mama always comes back. --Sam." That is what we all have been telling him for months.

I couldn't believe how different he looks--he's taller, heavier and his face looks different. I think he might have more teeth, or bigger teeth, or something. I know part of it is that I'm used to looking at Sophie now, so he seems "unfamiliar." Ed and I had prepared ourselves for any reaction (including him clinging to Amy and not wanting to see us) but he ran into my arms right away. Man, we missed him so much. That was, hands down, the hardest part of this trip.

My sister, her husband, kids and my parents videotaped, took pictures, carried our bags, escorted us home, carried everything inside (where we were greeted with a warm house and a welcome sign from our neighbors), and brought three days' worth of meals--one of which they immediately cooked, served and cleaned up after. It even included birthday cake for Ed, who checked in with his side of the family by phone as soon as we got home. We are very blessed to have such supportive family.

Sophie clung to me most of the time, but smiled at everyone, especially my nephew Kevin. Sam gave lots of hugs. In the car on the way home, he talked about sharing toys, and once home he tried to give Sophie a bottle and a kiss. Both made her cry. I think he is going to be a wonderful big brother.

We are jet-lagging, of course. The downside to Sophie sleeping the whole flight is that she now thinks night is day. She took a 2-hour "nap" last night but was up at 3:30. Ed and Sam are still sleeping and she is having breakfast while I catch you all up.

We are already having offers from friends for help and meals. Today we may make an appearance at the neighborhood WiggleWorms. But for the most part, we'll be settling in, unpacking and sleeping--and enjoying being a family of four.

Thanks to everyone--friends, family and strangers--who followed us on this journey. It's so good to be done! Now, as my mom says, we just have to raise 'em!

We leave tomorrow

2010-03-04T21:05:00.001-08:00

Sorry I didn't blog yesterday. I've been coming down with a bad cold (Sophie is coughing now too) so rested rather than blogged. Yesterday was our consulate appointment, and everything went smoothly. They checked our paperwork and we signed a form. Then about 15 families took the oath, which was really just saying that the information in your visa application was true. Still, I cried. I can't believe we are almost at the end of the this journey.

We couldn't take pictures, but here's one of Sophie on the bus from the zoo trip. We are dreading the long plane rides, and our itinerary is especially wonky because of our Orbitz problem. So we fly out out of Guangzhou Saturday morning and have to stay overnight at an airport hotel in Beijing. Then we leave Bejing Sunday morning, fly through Shanghai and then straight to Chicago.

We finished most of our shopping this (Friday) morning, though we still need to run to the supermarket this afternoon (and buy another suitcase to fit everything in.) Otherwise today is completely free. We were supposed to pick our visas from our faciliator, but actually the consulate did them while we waited yesterday. Ed and Sophie are napping, and I'm going to join them. I pulled a muscle coughing last night (hello-old age!) and my back is killing me today. Can't wait for the 15-hour flight.

Sophie continues to do well. She is so happy and smiley, very outgoing to strangers. She and Ed have completely bonded, though she still cries if I'm around. She loves to go for walks with him though. Today we were walking in the park and she was charming all the ballroom dancers. She is the perfect daughter for us and we can't wait to introduce her to her brother--and vice versa. Amy is trying to prepare Sam for that on her end.

Pizza dinner

2010-03-04T20:55:00.000-08:00

On Wednesday night our whole group got together for pizza at the Italian restaurant on the island. Ed had pizza, which was very good, and I had gnocci with spinach and gorgonzola cheese, which wasn't half bad. Sophie ate three whole pieces of bread and about five gnocci, plus quite a few mushrooms off the pizza.

Flowers at the zoo

2010-03-04T20:52:00.001-08:00

Apparently if you turn the "macro" setting on on our camera, it takes pretty decent closeups. Some others in our group have really nice cameras, and know how to use them. A woman named Stephanie took some good ones of Sophie that I hope to use for her adoption announcement.

Sophie at the zoo

2010-03-04T20:50:00.001-08:00

Quite honestly, she was too little for it, but enjoyed the day outside. Our visa appointment at the consulate was this morning, but our other rep went for us and called while we were at the zoo to say all our paperwork went through. Thursday we go and "take the oath," and then we're done. Whew.

Lions and tigers and bears, oh my!

2010-03-04T20:45:00.001-08:00

After the excessive touristy-ness of the Bejing group tours, we were sure we'd skip the ones in Guangzhou, but we ended up doing all of them, and they have been pretty good. On Wednesday morning, we went to the Guangzhou zoo, which does have one panda. Unfortunately he was taking a nap while we were there. But lots of the other animals were active, including these two bears that were either fighting or playing in the water. Later, a lion let out quite a roar. I don't have much a telephoto lens on our camera, so as you can tell, you can get pretty close to the animals.

Cruise Part II

2010-03-04T20:39:00.001-08:00

The demonstration of life jackets right before dinner was not encouraging, but the views from the upper deck were awesome. Ed said all the lit-up buildings reminded him of Tokyo. Sophie fell asleep in the carrier with Ed, but that turned out just to be a very late nap. She was up past 11 that night.

Pearl River Cruise

2010-03-04T20:36:00.001-08:00

We hemmed and hawed about whether or not to go on the optional Pearl River Cruise ($60 for all of us, includes dinner buffet) but we're so glad we did. The food was so-so, but the views of the city were amazing. It's awfully hot and muggy here during the day, but the evenings are cool and breezy, though still mosquito-filled.

Some more pictures of the cruise to come.

Shopping in Guangzhou

2010-03-04T20:31:00.001-08:00

On Tuesday we did some more shopping, walking to the Pearl Market area again, this time with Kisha and her husband, Paul, and their daughter Chloe. I met Kisha online before our trip because we were both delivering walkers for Love Without Boundaries, a charity that helps children in orphanages in China. They are from Colorado and a really nice couple.

Here are bins of tea for sale, and pearls by the bagsful.

Red Couch photo

2010-03-02T15:54:00.001-08:00

On Tuesday morning we met with our co-group for the famous "Red Couch photos" at the White Swam. We are a travel group in and of ourselves, separated from others who were matched when we were because of our status as a "Hague family"--that is, we had to start over with our immigration paperwork after the US signed the Hague treaty on adoption, so we have additional requirements. (And we started over because we used our original, pre-Hauge immigration paperwork for Vietnam.)

But we have been traveling part of the time with another CCAI group of seven families who have all adopted children with special needs. We were with them in Beijing, then they went off to another province to get their children, and we reunited here in Guangzhou. They are all staying at the White Swan, while we are at the Victory (free internet, cheaper, and away from the zoo of the White Swan), but we see them throughout the day and really have connected with several families. While I don't want to put parents of special needs kids on a pedestal, they are a deeper-than-average group of people. And their kids are really adorable.

Each family had their picture taken on this red velvet couch in the lobby, then they tried to get all the babies together. I had to laugh because I think Sophie was the only one NOT crying! Most people dress their kids up in Chinese outfits. I only have one, and it's white for her baptism, so I didn't want to ruin it. She's wearing a cute dress I got at Target for about $2 on clearance. And I'm pretty sure her shoes and tights are hand-me-downs from cousin Clare.

She was kind of cranky before it was our turn on the couch and I worried she would be wiggling because she really wanted to walk. But as soon as we sat down, she was mesmerized by the hoard of cameras (about a dozen people taking pix, like the paparazzi!) and just laughed and clapped and raised her arms. So cute.

Pearl Market

2010-03-02T15:45:00.001-08:00

On Monday we went to the famous "Pearl Market," where they sell pearls and pretty much any othe gem or stone known to humankind. I did get a few things but it wasn't what I expected. I had hoped for more "made" jewelry; instead it was mostly plains stands of pearls that you could have made into necklaces or bracelets. I did find a few nice pieces, though: one for me, one for Sophie and a few gifts.

Monday was a nice, unplanned day. We took a long afternoon nap, then had to go to the White Swan to do some paperwork. Ed hung out with Sophie in the playroom there, while I took care of paperwork for our visa. Then we went out to "Lucy's" for American food with another couple from our group.

I also bought a carryon suitcase to take back all our breakable gifts. We may need another!

Sam report

2010-03-01T20:49:00.001-08:00

Every day around 1 or 2 p.m. (that's midnight Central time), we start checking our email obsessively, looking for the daily "Sam Report" and photos. Not only is my sister taking care of Sam for almost three weeks, she writes an incredibly detailed report and sends photos every day. She includes how his sleep went, what he ate, any cute things he said or did, if he was naughty at all, and all the fun things they are doing. They have been to Chuck E. Cheese (aka "Hell" to Andy), skating (see photo) and various kids' activities. But his favorite, Amy says, has been the Aurora University basketball games, where he regales everyone with "Go Spartans" and his dancing with the pep band (see photo).

The call yesterday went pretty well. When I said, "It's Mama in China," he said, "I play marble maze." I said, "I'm coming back soon," and he said, "My mama always comes back." Then "I play marble maze" and he was gone. No crying. The kids started roughhousing with him and he was distracted. Amy says each kid has their things to do with Sam: Jack likes to read him books, Clare ("Cware") changes his diaper and helps with bath, Kevin snuggles during the evening viewing of the "Huckle" video.

We cannot express how grateful we are to my sister's family for taking care of the most important thing in the world to us--but we're trying to with various items from Chinese gift stores!

Sophie sleeping

2010-02-28T15:16:00.001-08:00

Man, that girl can sleep! Here she is for nap. She usually falls asleep in my arns, with a bottle or sometimes not. For nap I put her in the crib, though I've been keeping her in our bed at night. Last night she went to bed at 9 p.m. (she had only one nap yesterday) and she's still asleep at 8 a.m., with only a little fussing during the night.

Yesterday was another milestone: Not only is she warming up to Ed more and more, not crying when he takes her, but he took her out on a 1-hour walk without me yesterday! I stayed in the room and did some grading online that I still needed to do for my class.

Last night we met some from the group for noodles and sat outside. It was a beautiful cool night (daytime was pretty hot and humid) and there was a huge full moon. Shamain Island is like a vacation spot. I keep saying that Beijiing reminded me of Manhattan; Nanchang was like Detroit or Cleveland (but much bigger), and this is like Bermunda.

But we are very antsy to get home and have our little family of four all together. This morning we are going to try calling Sam on Skype (without the video). We haven't had any contact with him yet, thinking it would be confusing or harder for him. But he has been crying for us more and more and think this may help. Wish us luck. I'm sure I will bawl after hanging up.

Old Chen House

2010-02-28T15:08:00.001-08:00

Next we visited the Old Chen House, which is now an art museum. We saw sculpture, beautiful embroidery and ivory carving. I bought some carved bracelets, but theyr'e camel bone, not ivory (now illegal).

This trip also included a visit to a government store (like the ones we went to in Beijing) but this time I succumbed and bought a nice piece of Jade for Sophie. I wanted at least one thing was that real jewelry for her from China. (though tomorrow we visit the Pearl Market, where supposedly there's lots of nice jewelry too.) I got her a small jade circle pendant, which is supposed to stand for long, happy family. Our guide says that's what most parents buy for baby girls. When they get married, they get a bangle. (Bangles also cost $200-$400 so that was out!)

We hit a supermarket across the street from the government store and stocked up on noodles, cookies, crackers. I also found an interesting liquor for my dad!

Baby blessing

2010-02-28T15:00:00.001-08:00

For the Buddhist blessing, we had to stand in line for a awhile, then entered the main hall with the there Buddha huge statues (representing past, present and future), then took off our shoes and knelt down. Some Buddhist monks chanted, rang bells, and sprinkled us with water while we prayed. It was hard to get a picture since I was in the middle of it, but here's Sophie during the blessing. And the statue of Kwan Yin. She represents the feminine face of the Buddha and is sometimes called the Compassionate Buddha. I'm trying to find some Kwan Yin statues for gifts, but so far no luck. I must work on my gift shopping in the next few days.

Buddhist temple

2010-02-28T14:56:00.001-08:00

We did a short sightseeing trip with our group today that included a visit to the Six Banyan Buddhist Temple. I was sad to learn that some in our group didn't come because, as evangelical Christians, they saw a visit to a Buddhist temple as contrary to their religious beliefs. While I respect anyone's decision not to participate in another religion's ceremonies (though the Buddhist blessing of Sophie was one of the trip's highlights so far for us), I can't imagine being so closed to even learning about a religion that is very important to your child's birth culture.

OK. Off my soapbox.

The temple was very beautiful but crowded because today was the 15th day of the lunar month, which is a worship day for Buddhists. (Also, we learned it is Chinese Valentine's Day!) We got some incense to pray to the Buddha, and I prayed for a long, healthy life for Sophie, of course. But I also said some special prayers at the Kwan Yin statue for my friends Karlin and Charles, who are trying to adopt from Nepal. That international adoption program is sounding very similar to Vietnam, and I worry it may close soon.

Smiley girl

2010-02-27T16:37:00.001-08:00

Sophie is such a happy girl. She is outgoing with strangers and will flash a smile that is adorable. She loves to play and has already learned to do "Peek-a-boo" with her dress. It cracks her up. So does "Old MacDonald Had a Farm." She also is very happy around other kids and babies. She had a good night on Saturday night. We're off today for some touristy stuff of Guangzhou this morning, then are free the rest of the day.

Food market

2010-02-27T16:04:00.001-08:00

Next to the medical market was a food market, where we saw live turtles, frogs, eels, and lots of fish and meat for sale. Lots of the fish were dried and hanging; I saw a whole bin of chicken feet. Our guide in Nanchung told us this saying about Guangzhou and Catonese food: "They eat everything that flies, except the airplane, everything that goes on the ground, except the car, and everthing in the water, except the boat." Indeed. I had vegetarian at the Thai place that night.

Antlers and snake skins for sale

2010-02-27T16:00:00.000-08:00

Medical market

2010-02-27T15:58:00.001-08:00

Across the bridge is a medical market full of all kinds of interesting sights. Here is a woman selling dried seahorses, and the street full of various fungi and other things.

Around Shamian Island

2010-02-27T15:54:00.000-08:00

Our hotel is on Shamian Island and faces the Pearl River. It is a small, lush, quiet oasis, where a bunch of embassies used to be. We had lunch at an outdoor cafe (Ed has a hamburger!) and walked around. Lots of people wanted to speak English to us, and once again some Chinese ladies told me my child was too hot and to take off her sweater! Sophie does sweat a lot so maybe that's why they are saying that.

Here is is entertaining some grandmas in the park.

At the doctor

2010-02-27T15:48:00.001-08:00

On Saturday morning, we met our group at the White Swan, only about two blocks away. It was so great to see the people we had met in Beijing--and now with their babies. So many cuties and lots of boys. This is a group of parents who have adopted kids with special needs, most of them relatively minor (clept lip/palate, corrected heart disease, missing limb, albinism). So it is a pretty deep group.. Sh

We went to get the kids' visa photos and then to the doctor. Sophie was weighed, measured, had a short physical exam, hearing tested, etc. Then she had to have her shots. Because we are a "Hague family,"--meaning our immigration paperwork was begun after the US signed the Hague Adoption Treaty--we have additional requirements, including a battery of immunizations. After looking at her immunization record from the orphanage, they determined she needed six shots, and they give them to her all at once. It was awful. Two in one arm and leg, and one in each of the other. I really think that's too much. She fell asleep in my arms, took a good nap back at the hotel and woke up happy, though.

Sophie's first flight

2010-02-26T14:39:00.000-08:00

We arrived safely in Guangzhou last night, but late. Our flight was supposed to be at 5 p.m., so we left the hotel at 3 and were all checked in by 4. Then the announcements about delays began. Around 5:30, they handed out boxed meals to everyone. The plane finally left around 8:30. Luckily, we had met another family from Philadelphia (they noticed Ed's Flyers cap) and we hung out with them. They were traveling with both sets of grandparents, plus their 7-year-old daughter.

Sure enough, as soon as the plane took off, Sophie took the biggest poop of our 5-day history with her. Sam did the same thing on his first flight from Ho Chi Minh City to Hanoi, except I seem to remember him pooping more than once. The man in our row was nice enough to move so we could haul out the diaper bag and get situated. And unlike Vietnam, the plane restroom had a changing table, we took care of that. The flight was just over an hour and she was fine the rest of the time. Loved eating some endamame-type beans and rice, and holding hands with the little boy in the seat in front of us.

She is very social and will babble baby talk to strangers. When our guide, Grace, met us in Guangzhou, Sophie said "Hi!" Grace was so impressed, but I think it was a random babble that just happened to sound like "hi." We got situated in our room and fell right asleep. We are not staying at the White Swan, a famous Guangzhou hotel where most adoptive families stay. The Victory is right down the street, quite a bit cheaper, almost as nice and less of a zoo with adoptive families everywhere.

Today we have to go to the medical clinic for Sophie to get her shots. Because we are a Hague family she has to have all her immunizations before she can get her visa. It could be as many as 8 shots, so I am dreading this. She does have a mark on her shoulder, so I can tell she's had some immunizations already. We will bring her immunization record, and hopefully it will show she doesn't need many.

I didn't take any photos on the plane, so here are some random cute shots from Fengcheng. In the next photos we will be wearing shorts, as it is hot here (70s, maybe even 80s). So funny, as I had to buy mittens in Beijing.

Warming up to Daddy

2010-02-26T14:28:00.001-08:00

Although she still prefers me, Sophie is getting better about going to Daddy. She may still cry at first, but she quickly gets used to him, especially if they're walking with him carrying her in the bjorn. On the way home from Fengcheng, Ed gave her the bottle and she fell asleep in his arms. On Friday, he also gave her a bottle in the hotel room and they took a nap together.

But she still clings to me quite a bit. Her papers said she loved bathtime, but was screaming for us when we tried to bathe her. We tried changing the water temperature, gave her toys, etc. Yesterday I tried something new: I got in the tub with her. It worked!

Fengcheng sights

2010-02-26T14:22:00.000-08:00

In the city, and rice paddies in the countryside on the way home.

Fengcheng

2010-02-26T14:19:00.000-08:00

I'm not going to write a lot about our visit to Fengcheng exept to say that it was very emotional to go to her finding place and imagine her left there. We rented a car and driver and left early in the morning. It was about an hour and half away and very interesting, rural scenery along the way. But Fengcheng is actually a very big city ("small--less than 1 million," our guide says!) and didn't seem that different from Nanchang. We walked around a bit and had lunch, then got two baggies of dirt--one for us and one for our Belgian friends with the Fengcheng daughter.

While walking around, I was in a shop so Ed stopped to talk to these girls at a wedding photography place (we saw a wedding going on too--we always see weddings!) Anyway, when our guide and I caught up, they were holding her and said she was too hot! Nana (our guide) said I'm the first adoptive parent to be told by the "clothes polices" (Chinese women on the street) that my baby has too many clothes on! You can see in these photos that she's wearing the purple sweater that her foster mother may have knit her.

Sophie Yue

2010-02-25T14:53:00.001-08:00

I'll leave you with these two cute Sophie photos. I've been up since 5:30 a.m. blogging. It's the only time I can do it, as Sophie is not on my lap. I'm almost caught up, except for our trip to Feng Cheng (Sophie's birthplace) on Thursday. I may just post a few photos. It was very emotional, but Ed and I are so glad we went. We were trying to decide whether or not to go, and then we got a comment from someone I don't know saying, "Make sure you go to Feng Cheng."

Thanks for all the nice comments in response to "Anonymous." I had no idea so many "strangers" were reading this blog. I tend to think of my "audience" as mostly friends (online and otherwise) and family. Yesterday we got a comment from a Belgian woman who "happened upon" our blog and turns out she knows one of the Belgian families in our hotel here. Small world!

Today (Friday) we fly to Guangzhou, where we will stay until we leave while waiting for processing of Sophie's visa. I'm sad to leave Jiangxi, since this is where we met Sophie for the first time. But I am also anxious to get home. My sister's "Sam report" yesterday mentioned that we have reached the halfway mark on our trip, and my heart ached that we still have so long before we get to see Sam and have him meet his sister.

Next post will probably be from Guangzhou.

For sale int he market

2010-02-25T14:45:00.001-08:00

Chicks and hair.

Back to the market

2010-02-25T14:42:00.001-08:00

On Wedneday afternoon we went back to the city center and the open flea market. I needed more yarn (now that I had looked up the patterns on Ravelry), plus Ed got socks, we got another pair of squeaky shoes for Sophie. And we had lunch. There were some communication problems, but we ended up having meat on a stick and a bowl of noodles. More importantly, we were able to find our way home (we had taken a taxi there with a note in chinese from our guide). Ed's great navigational skills got us back to our hotel (walking).

The gardens

2010-02-25T14:37:00.001-08:00

View from the top

2010-02-25T14:35:00.001-08:00

The yinyang on the square on one side; the August 1 bridge on the other. Notice how grey/brown the view is. The pollution is just terrible.

Nanchang Pavilion

2010-02-25T14:33:00.001-08:00

Nanchang sights

2010-02-25T14:29:00.000-08:00

On Wednesday morning our guide took us to see "the pavilion" in Nanchang and gave us some history of Jiangxi Province. There was a music and dancing performance, but I think it's revealing that Ed and I were more interested in watching Sophie eat Cheerios than the girls with fans on stage! The gardens were very beautiful; Ed took a bunch of photos. Here I am ringing the gong four times for good luck.

Food close-ups

2010-02-25T14:21:00.000-08:00

Btw, that guy in the last picture with Ed was our driver to Feng Cheng, who safely got us there and back despite typical crazy driving. It reminded me of India and Ethiopia--te game of "chicken" when passing and the dogding of trucks, cars, motorscooters, bicycles and pedestrians everywhere.

On the subject of food...

2010-02-25T14:18:00.000-08:00

Lunch in Feng Cheng was spicy! We started with an egg pancake thing (reminds me of Spanish omlettes but without the potatoes, which I think you can see in the background of e picture with me and Sophie. Then we had a spicy beef dish, pork and cabbage (which cooked on the table--see picture with Ed) and this very interesting fried corn with sugar thing for dessert. Our guide says it's suggested that people trying to get pregnant (like her) eat the corn thing every day.

Our little eater

2010-02-25T14:14:00.001-08:00

We've mentioned several times that Sophie is a great eater (she really puts Sam to shame--maybe he will eat more after watching her), but even I was surprised when she climbed out off my lap, took an apple out of Ed's backpack pocket and started eating it! I chewed off some skin, but she basically ate almost a whole apple by gnawing on it with her four little teeth!

This is the restaurant where we had lunch in Feng Cheng on Thursday, where we had what I think is our best meal yet. More photos to follow.

Chinese take out

2010-02-25T14:08:00.001-08:00

We have had some great meals in Jiangxi Province. The food here is much spicer, plus our guide is not taking us to "Americanized" restaurants (though she has recommended Pizza Hut several times). Twice we ate at the Chinese restaurant next to the hotel. The first night we had spicy beef and brocolli, and Sophie had congee (rice soup).

On Tuesday we were going to go there, but Sophie took a late nap, so Ed brought the food back to our room. This time our guide ordered us pork ribs in rice and spicy eggplant and beans. Sophie had "steamed eggs," which is one of her favorites (pictured here). Seriously, I bet she had more than 50 spoonfuls of this stuff.

The buffet in our hotel is not bad. The breakfast is free and has Western and Eastern food. There's a creme brulee-type thing with raisins and cinnamon that I like, plus liquid strawberry yogurt. The coffee is STRONG but necessary. Ed usually has bacon, potatoes, noodles. Sophie has watermelon (she loves it and will take a huge piece and stuff it in her mouth), congee and little pieces of banana bread.

The hotel also has a dinner buffet, which we've had twice just for convenience's sake. There are a ton of dishes but I hardly get to even see them, because Sophie screams if I try to walk away from the table. So Ed plays waiter and gets me various dishes. Some of the English translations are funny: a dish called "kidney beans" is clearly green beans, one says "beef and carrots" but it's definitely not carrots we're used to. There was something that included "larynx" and one clearly labeled "dog." Ed thinks he might have accidentally eaten the dog. Oops.

For the knitters out there

2010-02-25T13:56:00.001-08:00

A typical Chinese woman knitting. Seriously, I see them everywhere, though our guide says it's not popular with younger people.

Spiritual Knitter in China!

2010-02-24T14:38:00.001-08:00

Knitting has been important on this trip. First, I actually got to knit a lot on the plane ride over. I turned the heel and made progress on a fair isle sock that is my airplane trip. Then I was knitting when we got the knock on the door for Sophie's arrival. I had just started a Daisy sweater (Yarn Harlot pattern) in purple for her. When I peeled off the layers of clothes she came in, there was a darker purple handknit cardigan sweater. Our guide says her foster mother probably knit it for her. Sniff.

Then I started seeing everyone knitting everywhere--mostly shop owners passing the time. They knit their sweaters in the round on double=pointed needles that are about 18 inches long and about size 0. Finally, I got to buy some yarn--some orangey wool to make the Nora Gaughn's hexagon cardigan for me (which I have been dreaming about), some red and black wool to make a Chinese style sweater for Sophie, and a gift for my Mom. Don't worry, Mom: this time, I didn't get you a skein of each color!

Flea market

2010-02-24T14:31:00.001-08:00

Our guide took us to the "flea market" in Nanchang's city center on Tuesday, where the quality is "not so good," she said,, but the prices were cheap. I bought some buttons at a little button shop (kiddie ones and some cool square purple ones), a pair of "squeaky" shoes for Sophie, some Chinese/English books for her, diapers and YARN!

I was so excited that our guide found me not one yarn store, but two! Here in Nanchang I see people knitting all over. And all the kids are wearing hand-knit sweaters. Some yarn store photos to come...

The hair

2010-02-24T14:24:00.000-08:00

Here's a few photos of Sophie from Tuesday. She will be with Ed while in the bjorn only if he is constantly walking. In this picture, she is wearing the sweater I knit for my godson Lincoln. Kristin is such a good friend--she lent it back to me for my kids!

We are spending time each day in the playroom on our floor in the hotel. Her play is so different than Sam's when we first adopted him, so I hadn't brought enough or advanced enough toys. She loves playing with balls and putting them in the box and taking them out.

She seems to love being around the other kids--the two Belgian families are often there, one with a little 15-month-old from Feng Cheng and the other with a 5-year-old girl who just got a 2-year-old brother. The boy often takes toys from Sophie, but she just sits there. He also brings her things, too. And today he came up and gave her a hug.

In this photo you can see her hair cut, and how squared off it in on the side. Ed calls it the "nun haircut"--apologies to my religious women friends. The back is really short and kind of layered so it curves a bit. I try to picture her with long hair, and wonder how different she'll look. With this round face, I wonder if short hair might be cuter. Anyway, the fact that her hair was clearly cut into a style, to me, is just more evidence of how well care for she was. I think her foster family did a wonderful job and must have loved her.

Down by the river

2010-02-24T14:13:00.000-08:00

Tuesday afternoon we took a walk down by the Fu River, which is right near our hotel. I collected some river water, dirty as it was, for Sophie's baptism. As some of you know, I had collected some water from the Jordan River when I was in Israel in 1999--not that stuff you buy in the gift shop that's probably from the tap, but actually got some from the river in an old plastic water bottle. I wanted it for my kids' baptisms (because Jesus was baptized in the Jordan). Never mind that I wasn't even dating anyone with potential at the time. I plan ahead!

I was warned to freeze the water because things might grow in it, which I did. And I moved that water from Park Place to Sandberg Village to our condo on Fairfield and now to our house on Sacramento.

Later, in Vietnam, I collected some water from the river in Ho Chi Minh City and from Halong Bay. We put that, half the Jordan water and some other sacred waters (like from my parents' lake) into the baptismal font for Sam's baptism.

Now Sophie will have water from her home country too. (And, yes, we boil the heck out of it first.)

Hanging out with Mama

2010-02-23T14:31:00.001-08:00

I just love this picture. She looks so cute in every outfit.

Clean bill of health

2010-02-23T14:29:00.000-08:00

Our agency has a physician come to our hotel room to check out the baby. She will have a more official physical later, I believe. The doctor declared her very healthy. As you can see from the photo, she did not like having that tongue depresser in her mouth.

Bathtime

2010-02-23T14:27:00.001-08:00

OK, I know you want baby photos, not local color. Here she is on Tuesday: with Mama before bath and Daddy after bath. As you can see from the nudie shot, she's really non that fat. She does have a lot of rolls on her thighs (a true Schlumpf!) and a very round face, but really isn't chubby all over.

Ed's a.m. walk Part II

2010-02-23T14:22:00.000-08:00

Oops. I think that last post was actually a picture of a man making a basket. Here are the fireworks. And women doing tai chi.

From Ed's Tuesday a.m. walk

2010-02-23T14:20:00.001-08:00

Soup for breakfast; fireworks for sale. Of course, because it is still Spring Festival (after Chinese New Year) there are fireworks going off all the time.

Nanchang sights

2010-02-23T14:17:00.001-08:00

Men playing cards; women buying kumquats.

Just outside our 5-star hotel

2010-02-23T14:14:00.001-08:00

Some photos from our walks in the area around our hotel. It's definitely poor, but lots of colorful sights.

Day 2

2010-02-22T19:34:00.001-08:00

On to happier things: Our first full day together went pretty well. Sophie took two solid naps. Mama joined her for the second. If you just hold her closely she closes her eyes and drops off to sleep. For those of you familiar with our sleep issues with Sam, she is a dream. But, of course, Sam slept well in Vietnam, too. So we'll see.

In between naps, we went for a walk behind our hotel, down winding streets where people live in 10-story buildings above small shops. We saw chickens, baby chicks and lots of hanging dried salt pork. Sometimes the meat was hanging right next to the laundry. Lots of people were sitting around playing cards; I saw one woman knitting. (see cross post on Spiritual Knitter)

We went to a supermarket and bought some provisions—raman-type noodles, some cookies, candies, bananas, diet coke and beer. While Ed was paying, a small crowd of people gathered around me outside and discussed Sophie, checking her teeth, touching her hair. Our guide had given us a laminated card that says, "We are Americans adopting this girl from China. We will love her very much." Of course, I had forgotten the card.

In this area, hardly anyone speaks any English and except for the ATM machines, there's not a lot of English translation. It's like night and day compared to Beijing, where I felt like I was in New York City (the nicer parts!) This reminds me more of Vietnam, though bigger. And way smoggier. I can't tell you how grey the sky is from pollution.

Sophie seems so happy; she laughs, smiles, plays little games. If she's grieving the loss of her foster family, it's hard to see, except that she clings to me constantly. Seriously, it's very hard to get dressed, never mind go to the bathroom (another reason for the shortness of recent posts). She went to Ed twice yesterday, both times while walking around outside. It's hard for me to carry her for long distances; she is 21 pounds and I can feel it in my lower back. In the room, she cries even when I set her down next to me. Sometimes she flirts with Ed by looking at him and smiling; other times she screams when he even tries to look at her.

For dinner last night we went to the Chinese restaurant next to our hotel. We were on our way there alone but ran into our guide in the hall, who pointed out that there is no English there. So she wrote a note with our order (Spicy beef, broccoli, rice, congee, and beer and bottled water) then stopped by to make sure we were OK. The beef was so good, but very spicy (allegedly ordered "mild.") Sophie ate the congee—vegetable rice soup and watermelon. She is a very enthusiastic eater.

Today is Tuesday. First of all, HAPPY BIRTHDAY CLARE! Sophie slept well last night, though woke up screaming at one point. Last night we noticed two more teeth pushed through (on the bottom), so now she has four on top and four on the bottom. This morning another milestone—her first poop. Believe it or not, she is already potty trained and peed on the potty (you have to hold her over it and whistle!) but she didn't poop until I was feeding her later, so in the diaper. Still, good news for the doctor, who came and checked her out this morning and declared her very healthy.

We reached Grandma and Grandpa in Arizona and the Manions by Skype yesterday and will try some more folks today. Thanks again for all the lovely comments. Yes, we do kiss her cheeks a lot! And yes she does kind of resemble a China doll with her round face and nun-like haircut. She looks cute as a button in every outfit we put her in, even her brother's old football PJs.

Today we have some free time but will hit the local flea market later this afternoon. I'm hoping to get a pedicure or swim in the hotel pool a bit. We have a few more days in Nanchang so want to see some of the city and shop a bit. They are supposedly known for porcelain. Gotta go—Sophie's up.

To "Anonymous"

2010-02-22T14:56:00.001-08:00

To the anonymous commenter who called my account of meeting Sophie "cold and detached":

Yes, we are excited and overjoyed and beside ourselves with gratitude and love for our daughter. When I wrote that post, I was still jet-lagged and probably a bit in shock that our almost five-year journey had finally resulted in this precious little girl. I just wanted to get the facts of our meeting her down for our friends and family--who all of course know how happy we are.

I forget that this blog is read by people who don't know us at all. And who apparently think it is OK to try to ruin our first days with our daughter with cold and nasty anonymous comments. If you are a person who is still waiting and having a bad day because it's hard to see other people getting their children, I'll pray for you. Otherwise, get a life. And thanks for giving me the final push I needed to make this blog private as soon as we get home.

Daddy's little girl

2010-02-21T20:18:00.001-08:00

She goes to Daddy now, though still prefers me. She definitely knows how to cry to get what she wants!

It's official!

2010-02-21T20:11:00.001-08:00

It's Monday afternoon in China, and as of about 10 a.m. today, our adoption of Sophia Yue Schlumpf Butler is official. The paperwork went very smoothly, thanks to our in-country guide. We got to ask the orphanage rep a few more questions about her foster family, which was nice. They clearly took such good care of her--no skin rashes, diaper rash, and obviously they fed her enough. We were interviewed, got our photo taken, and paid some fees, then it was over. While there, we met a group from Spain with their babies; here in our hotel, two Belgian famlies are getting their babies right now. I can hear them crying in the hallway.

We Skype'd Mimi and Pop-pop (Ed's parents) and tried to reach my parents, Manions and Trish, but Sophie fell asleep before we connected with them. We're all going to take a little rest now. She slept from 7:30 p.m. to about 5 a.m., getting up only once, waking a few other times, but not even crying. We're free the rest of today. Will try to walk around the area near the hotel later this afternoon. The sun is trying to peek through the smog! More pictures to come. She looks so cute today in her little dress.

Sophie so far

2010-02-21T12:28:00.000-08:00

Sophie was supposed to arrive at 4 p.m. Sunday, but I nagged Ed into being ready early, just in case. At 3:25 p.m. we had a knock on the door. I was knitting; Ed thought it was the laundry pick up. There was our guide and a man holding the cutest, chubbiest little girl in a traditional red Chinese outfit. She was not crying. The men didn't stay long. I took her first, which now means she won't go to Ed and is glombed on to me at all times. She cried at first (says something like Mama--meaning her foster mom) but stopped pretty quickly, as long as she is being held constantly.

Observations so far:

* She is so advanced developmentally. At 14 months, she can almost walk on her own. She babbles baby talk and is really curious and exploring things. There is a playroom in the hotel and she was having a blast trying to kick this big ba..

* She eats! As you can guess from her chubby cheeks, she is a good eater. At dinner she ate steamed egg, rice soup and mashed up peaches. So no having to teach her solids.

* She is snuggly. She likes to be held at all times, and will press her face against mine. It's very common for them to attach to one person first, and apparently it's me. Ed did try to feed her her first bottle, which went OK as long as I was lying right next to her.

* She sleeps! I was cuddling her after dinner and she dropped off around 7:30, with her clothes and all the lights on. At 10 she woke up (no crying) and we put her in jammies and gave her a bottle. She sleeps practically on top of me, and woke up around 2 or 3, but again didn't cry.

* She is playful. Already she likes laughing at herself in the mirror, sticking her tongue out then touching my stuck-out tongue, and shaking her head from side to side imitating me and laughing.

Today we do our paperwork, and the adoption is official. We'll be in Nanchang for about 5 days waiting for processing, then off to Guangzhou (I think I'm spelling that wrong but don't have time to look it up. She is stirring in bed.)

Thank you for all the wellwishes and prayers. We can't believe we're finally at the end of this long journey. Of course, the real journey is just beginning!

We've Got Sophie!

2010-02-21T04:20:00.001-08:00

All is well. More later.

Bye-bye Beijing

2010-02-20T14:00:00.001-08:00

It's Sunday morning and we're getting ready to check out of our hotel in Bejining and fly to Nanchang. According to our itinerary we receive Sophie this afternoon at our hotel. So next time I write, it may be with pictures of our daughter! I didn't get to finish posting about yesterday: we had another Americanized lunch, both a jade and cloisonaisse (spelling?) factory, pictures in front of the Olympic "Bird's Nest" (very cool), then an acrobatics show. We both got a decent night's sleep last night.

Funny Signs at the Great Wall

2010-02-20T13:52:00.001-08:00

Climbing the Great Wall

2010-02-20T13:33:00.000-08:00

OK, so the trip to the Great Wall was worth the tour bus scene. It really is an amazing sight, even from the ground. And from the top, it's breathtaking. The climb is a bit like the Camelback hike in Phoenix. But if the 3-year-old girl in our group could do it, so could I! Ed and one guy went even farther than the rest of the group and got some great pix. (I can only load 2 pictures per email post, so I'm doing some extra posts today with pix only.) It was crisp and sunny; both Ed and I got some sunburn on our faces. But we definitely lost layers on the way up. The mountains were beautiful, though not that green in winter. But it's worth it to avoid the summer crowds. In addition to Chinese tourists, we climbed with some Israelis and a group from Sierra Leonne. So far, the most amazing part of our trip!

Cute Chinese kids

2010-02-20T12:59:00.001-08:00

More pix from Forbidden City

2010-02-20T12:46:00.000-08:00

Alll touristed out

2010-02-19T15:08:00.001-08:00

Today (Friday) we saw Tienanmen Square, the Forbidden City, a "Silk Factory" (where the presentation had the aura of an infomercial) and the "Hutong" area, which is the older part of Beijing, plus lunch at a restaurant that had forks on the table. So draw your own conclusions there. Our guide was great, especially in explaining what seemed like each of the 99,999.5 rooms of the Forbidden City, but it was too long of a day for a bunch of jet-lagged people. We'd been up since 3 a.m.

We met about six other families who will be traveling to another province, but who we will meet up with later in Guanzhou. Some have kids with them, including a very sweet 3-year-old. But it confirms that it was best not to bring Sam. He's a little too "energetic" for all these organized tours.

Next up: the Great Wall, the Ming tombs and a "Jade factory." Notice the quotes.

Ni hao

2010-02-18T05:24:00.000-08:00

We made it safely to China last night, were awed by the airport and easily got a cab to the hotel, Novotel Peace, which seems to be right on the Rodeo Drive of Beijing. We slept, then had a wonderful breakfast at the hotel (it's French so food is very good), then walked around to see a bit of the city. It's the holiday, Chinese New Year, so the streets were eerily empty and quiet. Ed likes to take pictures of weird food in markets; these are chicken feet. I took a 4-hour afternoon nap, while Ed explored some more. He found an outdoor market, where we returned for dinner of noodles, pot stickers and meat on a stick. We bought our first souvenir: a goofy panda hat for Sophie.

Sam is doing very well at Chez Manion, where reportedly he didn't even cry on Day 2. Amy is sending me daily reports and photos about how much fun he is having and all the cute things he says. "There's Jack! and Cware! and Kevin! ... I love them!!!"

I hope I can sleep tonight. Tomorrow we meet up with our guide, George, and some other families for a tour of Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden City, which are only about a mile from our hotel. Thanks to everyone for all your well wishes. Only two and half more days till we meet Sophie!

Konnichiwa

2010-02-16T23:01:00.000-08:00

We made it to Japan and just got a nice, detailed report (and photo) from Auntie Amy about the Manion's first day with Sam. (love the free yahoo internet cafe in the airport) I guess it went quite well. Amy says he tells people that his Mama and Dada are going to China to get Sophie.

It was so hard to leave him. Both Ed and I had a few tears this morning. But we know he is in good hands.

Next: flight to Beijing, then sleep!

ORBITZ SUCKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2010-02-15T22:31:00.000-08:00

So, just a friendly warning that if you're ever booking a very important flight, say, one to go pick your adopted daughter up from China, don't do it through Orbitz. Because apparently they can cancel your whole reservation and just send you an email (which may go into your spam folder).

Then, the day before you leave for a trip you've been waiting four and a half years for, you'll learn you have no flight there or back--and that most tickets now cost about $4,000 each.

And what do you think Orbitz will do for you? NOTHING! Except explain to you how their fine print says that when you think you have a "confirmation number" from them, it' s really "subject to availability."

It is now my life's goal to put them out of business.

But first we have to go to China and get our daughter. We got a reasonably priced flight through Expedia (fingers crossed) but it means we're leaving about nine hours earlier and have to come home a day later.

So, as of about about five hours ago, we had neither a flight nor had started packing. Now we've done both--and I'm going to bed.

Thanks for all the notes and calls wishing us safe travels. Now just send those bad vibes to Orbitz.

Testing, 1, 2, 3

2010-02-14T20:42:00.001-08:00

In 48 hours, Ed and I will be on a plane to China (well, actually, a plane to Los Angeles, but from there we get on a plane to China.) Lots of packing still to do. And still very nervous about leaving this little cutie back home, though I know he's in good hands with Auntie Amy and family.

I'm just testing to see if we can post via email so we can keep you all informed while on our trip.

Happy Valentine's Day!

2010-02-14T20:31:00.000-08:00

Sam went ice skating for the first time today. He did pretty well. Didn't fall and could walk by himself on the skates in the warming house.

He kept saying, "I skating!" and "I like it!"

It was a bright, sunny day in Chicago--a rarity in winter.

Both Mommy and Daddy were tired after three times around. Ugh.

CHÚC MỪNG NĂM MỚI!

2010-02-14T20:18:00.000-08:00

Sam enjoys Pho noodles with chopsticks at the St. Henry celebration Saturday night (where Ed and I, and Ed's friend Dan, are the only non-Vietnamese).

Sam gave out red envelopes--and got a bunch too. Dan's wife Linh and her family are so welcoming to us at this event. Happy Year of the Tiger, everyone.

TRAVEL APPROVAL!!!!!

2010-01-28T12:16:00.000-08:00

Sophie Yue, here we come! Official travel approval came yesterday and we have a consulate appointment. Looks like we'll leave Feb. 17 and return March 6.

So much to do....

Suggestions for packing, sightseeing in Beijing, Jianxgi and Guangzhou appreciated. And anything else we should know before travel.

New Year's delay

2010-01-20T16:16:00.001-08:00

We were so excited when we got our second-to-last approval (from the U.S. consulate in China) on New Year's Eve Day. But since we have not received final Travel Approval (TA) from the Chinese government, our agency says we will not be able to travel until after Chinese New Year (which is February 14 this year).

Even if we got approval this week (it is Week 3, so it could come any day), we couldn't get to China and complete our adoption before everyone takes a week off for the holiday. So they estimate we will probably leave sometime that next week, maybe February 19.

A whole 'nother month. Sigh.

It's so depressing, because most people travel within 6-8 weeks for China. We had to wait FOUR LONG MONTHS between referral and travel for Sam, and now it looks like that's how long we'll have to wait for Sophie.

Hang in there, honey. We're coming as soon as we can.

Snowy day

2010-01-07T20:29:00.001-08:00

I'm behind with Christmas photos, but here are some from today's snowy day.

Ed and Sam shoveling the front walk. The little Sam-sized shovel was a gift from our neighbors.

After nap, we headed to the little sledding hill in the park just a block from our house. I didn't get any shots going down the hill. Let's just say he won't be earning any medals for bravery any time soon.

Don't do it, Sam! Lucikly, his tongue didn't stick to this metal pole in the park.

He was having a blast playing in the park and cried when it was time to go home. So I bribed him with a little hot chocolate. Mmmmmm.

Happy new year!

2009-12-31T18:03:00.000-08:00

Just got the word today that we got the approval from the U.S. Consulate in China (this is the one our agency said could be anywhere from 2-6 weeks. It was just over 2 weeks, with the holidays!)

Now just waiting for regular TA (travel approval) from CCAA, which is usually about 2-3 weeks. Then we buy tickets and leave within about two weeks. So January travel is still possible, though it would probably be the end of the month. Looks like we might be over during Chinese New Year--exciting but expensive!

We are very much looking forward to 2010, since it will be the year we finally meet our daughter and bring her home into our family.

Happy birthday, Sophie Yue!

2009-12-29T21:41:00.000-08:00

We wish we were with you to celebrate your turning 1 today! I'm sure your foster mama did something nice for you. I talked about you on "Fox Valley Today," a television show where I was plugging my book this morning. And we raised a glass to you at the dinner following our friend Jon's mom's funeral tonight. And we talked about your birthday with Sam, who still insists on saying, "No like" whenever we mention you these days!

Since our referral, we've been waiting for 1) our homestudy update because of our move; 2) for our homestudy update to be approved by Illinois DCFS; and 3) our I-800 approval, which we got about 2 weeks before Christmas. Now we are waiting for additional approval from the U.S. Embassy in China (which is taking between 2-6 weeks, according to our agency), and then TA from China (another 2-3 weeks). We will travel about 10 days after that.

So while January is still possible, it's looking like it might be February before we get to travel to get Sophie Yue. Please hang in there, honey. Mama and Daddy are coming soon!

Cutest. Dragon. Ever.

2009-11-06T14:00:00.000-08:00

Dear Sam,

For your first trick-or-treating, you dressed as a dragon, compliments of Auntie Amy. She bought you the costume last year, but I think we were too exhausted to celebrate Halloween then. We had just celebrated your first birthday and baptism with lots of family and friends.

Our new neighborhood had a little parade starting at the park with all the costumed kids, maybe 100 people with parents. Of course, you were the absolute cutest one there. I don't think you were afraid, but you did seem a little confused by all the kids in their costumes. And you never once complained about the somewhat ridiculous outfit we put on you!

We had tried to practice saying, "Trick or Treat" with you before we went out, but all you kept saying was, "Candy! Candy!" When I'd ask, "What do you say?" you'd say, "Please, candy!"

We only went to a few houses because you kept wanting to stop and look at the candy in your little bag. You also enjoyed seeing the other kids come to our house and ran to the door every time the doorbell rang.

Now whenever I mention Halloween, you say, "Thank you man" with the "thank you" sign. That's what you seem to remember from Halloween: saying thank you to the man who gave you candy. Such nice manners.

It is so fun to watch you experience all the little kid things: birthday parties, trick or treating, etc. You really are thriving. Seeing pictures of little Sophie, it's hard to remember that only a year ago you, too, were this little thing who had some catching up to do. Everyone said we'd be amazed how fast it happened, and we are. Can't wait for next year, with two of you trick or treating.

Sam turns 2!

2009-10-24T19:55:00.000-07:00

The day started with a new-to-Sam (gently used) tricycle. When he saw it with the bow, he said, "Happy to me!"

Next came a big party with 65 people (including 26 kids) at our new house. Yikes.

There were mimosas and bloody Marys for the grownups; juice pouches for the kids. And chocolate cake for everyone.

Thanks to this cold damp weather we've been having, the pinata had to be taken downstairs. It was filled with Tootsie Rolls and peanut butter cups.

Once the party was over, the sun came out (of course). So Sam went for a walk with Auntie Trish, who was visiting from Philadelphia. She was a great help at the party, too!

Playing in the park. A perfect birthday.

More pictures!

2009-10-15T16:20:00.000-07:00

There's a little smile! Many people have commented on how (ahem) "healthy" she looks, with those chubby little cheeks. At 6 1/2 months, she weighs 14 1/2 pounds, while Sam at 7 months weighed just under 12 pounds. We're telling Sam to "eat up," lest he get his butt kicked by his younger sister.

How we learned about our daughter

2009-10-14T21:34:00.000-07:00

Dear Sophie,

Your Dad and I are embarrassed to admit that we were eating lunch at Chili's, a rather pedestrian suburban restaurant that we rarely if ever frequent, when we learned about you for the first time. Here's why.

We had learned the day before that we had been included with this batch of referrals and that calls would be made the next morning at 11 a.m., our time. Your Dad had to teach his class at Aurora University until 11:45, and I didn't want to get the news without him, so Sam and I traveled with him to Aurora that Tuesday morning. While he taught his class, we went shopping at a nearby Jewel, visited Auntie Amy in the library and a bunch of other AU people, and ran around on the quad. It was a chilly but sunny fall day.

Around 11:30, I still hadn't gotten the call, but Sam and I went to hang out side your Dad's classroom door, just in case. Some students saw us peek in, and your Dad came running out. False alarm. Class let out at 11:45, but still no call. So the three of us found an empty classroom, where we could show Sam Sesame Street videos on the computer and waited.

And waited. By 12:15, still no call and we were hungry. So we decided to go to lunch. Auntie Amy came with us. We were going to go to Panera's, but I decided I needed a little mid-day glass of wine to calm me down. So Chili's it was, since they have a bar. (I ended up going with a strawberry mojito!)

We ate lunch and jumped every time the phone rang, but it was always friends calling to see if we had news yet, so we didn't answer. Dad had a turkey sandwich and I had a shrimp taco salad. Sam ate lots of my shrimp and threw his milk on the floor.

Just as the bill arrived, the phone rang and I saw the 303 area code. So off your Dad and I went to the vestibule, where we put the phone on speaker and got the news that "It's a girl." I was taking notes and crying, because all the news was so good. We had been worried about virtual twinning with your brother, but that won't be a problem. We were also happy to learn you have been in foster care almost your whole short life, though we know that will make it harder for you --and your foster mom--when we come get you. Still, it means you have attached to someone, and that's good.

Auntie Amy tried used her iPhone to see if the email with photo had arrived yet, but it hadn't. So we dropped her back off at work and drove the hour home before we got to see your cute, chubby little face.

Oh, and Auntie Amy paid the bill for lunch. She's always doing that. Thanks, Amy.

Love, Mama

It's a girl!

2009-10-13T13:27:00.001-07:00

We are happy to announce we have a daughter!!!!!!

Name: Feng Yue Chun (Yue means "moon"; Chun means "Spring")
Born: Dec. 29, 2008
Feng Cheng City Social Welfare Institute (in foster care since Jan. 5)
Jiangxi Province
At 6.5 months: 24.8 inches tall, 14.5 pounds, 16.3 inches head circumference

Likes to be carried to the street to play
Favorite toy is a rattle.
Likes to be gently rocked or patted to sleep.
Deep sleeper!
Sucks her fingers
Can hold up her head, roll over, grasp toys
Laughs out loud, knows her name, responds to faces
Likes music
Smiles (though not in this photo. And it looks like she might have curly hair!)

We'll have more photos tomorrow. Story of how we got the news to come...

(Also looking for help in pronouncing "Yue.")

It's a boy!

2009-10-12T20:15:00.000-07:00

No, not our child from China.

Ed's brother's wife, Kremena, had a baby boy today. They named him Nicholas. Congrats to Tom, Kremena and big sister Elena!

The Butlers will go from two grandchildren to four practically overnight.

BIG NEWS!!!!!!

2009-10-12T14:17:00.000-07:00

I've been meaning to post to this blog to let everyone know that we sold our condo, bought a house, moved and that Ed is now teaching a class at Aurora University. Also that we finally got approved for the I-800 immigration paperwork and technically could be getting a referral any month.

But now the bigger news is that we are getting our referral--tomorrow.

I can hardly believe it.

Four years ago (to the month) when we started this process:
* I worked for U.S. Catholic (now I work for Aurora University)
* Ed worked for ABN-AMRO (now he is a certified teacher)
* We lived in a two-bedroom condo (now we live in a 4-bedroom house)
* We had been married one year (we just celebrated our 5th anniversary)
* We had no children (now we have Sam)
* George Bush was president. (Now we have Obama!)
* I had never written a book. (My book of reflections for adopting parents just came out--see sidebar to the right. And I'm working on a second.)

But one thing has remained constant: We can't wait to be the parents of a little girl (or boy--which is a possibility) from China. We'll post the news as soon as we get it tomorrow.

Thanks to everyone for your years of prayers and support.

Kissing cousins!

2009-08-04T06:38:00.000-07:00

Sam and his cousin Elena from a visit last month. I took these photos over a few minutes while they were sitting on some steps at Millennium Park. They're so cute together!

Sorry I've been so quiet. We put our condo on the market over Fourth of July and it just sold. Then we found a really cute house in the city and our offer was accepted. We close and move in early September. Whew!

Daddy's Day

2009-06-21T19:08:00.001-07:00

Happy Father's Day to Sam's Daddy, his two wonderful grandpas, and his biological dad. We had a really nice day, starting with letting Ed sleep late (all weekend!) and homemade blueberry muffins for breakfast. Sam gave "Dada" a tripod for his camera and videocamera so he can take even more pictures of him. We went for a bike ride in the afternoon (pix at Spiritual Knitter) and out for lunch, then went to Foster Beach before dinner.

We should have been prepared from last time, but Sam surprised us by literally sprinting to the water. Even after falling down and swallowing some water, he went right back in.

For dinner, I made ribs, corn, green beans and watermelon--the perfect summer meal!

He's such a happy little boy!

Token Mama photo: from yesterday's outing to Blues on the Fox in Aurora, to see my nephews' band play. He was spoiled all day by all the Manion cousins.

He even slept six hours in a row last night, though he's going through a phase of going to bed super late (sometimes after 10 or 11). Hopefully he'll give his Daddy one more gift tonight and sleep through the night.

Getting in touch with Sam's German roots

2009-06-01T19:38:00.000-07:00

(He does have "Schlumpf" in his name!)

Just another boring Saturday night playing in the laundry hamper.

So Mama and Dada decided to walk up to Maifest, the big German festival in Lincoln Square. Sam and Mama polka'd to "The Beer Barrel Polka." (bad photo, but you get the idea)

Speaking of beer barrels...

All polka'd out.

Hallelujah!

2009-05-15T05:33:00.000-07:00

Happy Mother's Day Week to everyone out there: to my mom, my sister, all those who have "mothered" me throughout my life, to my grandmother who is celebrating her first Mother's Day in heaven, all mothers-to-be and those who desire to be mothers, including those waiting for their adopted children, and especially to those celebrating their first Mother's Day as a mom, including me!

Sam and Ed took me out to one one of my favorite restaurants for Mother's Day, Ethiopian Diamond. Yum! Sam felt at home since everyone was eating with their hands, and he liked the spicy food. Plus that had a little drum for him to play.

Our celebration was on Monday since I spent the actual Mother's Day at Aurora University's graduation. At first I was bummed I had to work all day on my first Mother's Day, but then I figured it was appropriate since my new job has been so darn family friendly the rest of the year. Really, it's amazing how everything works out. Two years ago I was hating my job and Ed was stressed about finishing his teaching credential. Now I have a great job and he's subbing, which has meant Sam hasn't had to go to daycare. It's really worked out for the best.

Sam also gave me a card and a flower. But the best two gifts didn't cost anything. First, about a week ago, he started saying "Mama." This, after about six months of saying "Dada." And... (Insert music from Handel's "Messiah" here), he finally slept through the night!!!!!!! For about a week, since getting over his latest ear infection, he's been doing much better, putting himself to sleep with his bottle (with Ed or me just lying next to him, not holding him) and getting up only once or twice at most. Then, on Tuesday night, he slept from 10:30 p.m. to 6 a.m. He hasn't repeated it since, but I think we've turned a corner. Next: getting him out of our bed and into the crib.

On Tuesday night we went out for pizza with a group of other adoptive families and then took Sam to Lake Michigan. As soon as we put his bare feet in the sand, he got so excited. He said "Wawa" and took off for the shore. It was COLD, but that didn't stop him! He is such a water baby. It should be a fun summer at the lake, neighborhood pool and Lake Keesus.

And, just to remember how far we've come, this picture from Hanoi eight months ago. It's one of my favorites. Happy Mother's Day to me--finally.

Trip to Arizona

2009-03-29T06:49:00.000-07:00

I'm finally getting around to posting some pictures from our Spring Break trip to visit my parents in Arizona in early March. Mr. Not-So-Happy in his cowboy hat posing near a cactus. This was right before we left. The weather was gorgeous the whole time we were there, and my parents were the best hosts.

Grandma made chocolate chip cookies just for Sam.

We spent a lot of time at the pool. We also got to see our friends Kathy and Kevin Misiewicz who spend their ND spring break down there too. They just go back from fall semester in Australia.

Sam is a true water baby. He loves swimming.

We got to go to my Uncle John's 70th birthday party. His four daughters surprised him by showing up for the party. The next day we went to a Brewers game. (Gosh, my hair looks dark next to these guys!)

We went for a hike one morning. Sam got to meet a horse up close!

Hiking with Daddy in the backpack.

Our friend Kevin (a Holy Cross priest) came over for dinner one night. This is his last year in Arizona, so I'm glad we got to see him.

Sam models his new swimwear from Grandma. The floatie vest if built right in. Handy, though it made him top heavy so he had a hard bending over and getting up when he fell.

Froggie robe, also from Grandma. All the cool people have terrycloth robes for at the pool.

Goofy froggy hat is a hand-me-down from Wisconsin friend Susie. I'm glad you like dorky hats, Sam. Mama loves them, too.

Sam's first haircut

2009-02-02T15:22:00.000-08:00

Dear Sam,

Today you got your hair cut for the first time. You were 15 months old.

Before: We have never cut your hair, and you've got a nice head full of it. Not only does everyone think you're a girl, you can hardly see past those bangs. It's kind of has an 1980s Asian pop star look.

During: You started out great, liked sitting in the little car, and didn't flinch when she spritzed your hair with water and started cutting. It also was your first exposure to this thing called "Elmo." You seemed intrigued, since the only TV we let you watch is sports and PBS's "The News Hour."

Alicia from KidSnips (owned by my friend Sabrina's cousin) was good at cutting hair on a moving head.

But when she turned on the blow dryer to drown out the sound of the clippers, she lost her happy client. You didn't mind the clippers' sound, but hate loud noises like vacuum cleaners, blenders and blow dryers.

Mama had to hold you for the last part of the haircut.

After: I think the balloon was your favorite part of the day. Mama cried a bit because her baby is gone, replaced by a very handsome big boy.

Happy new year!

2009-01-25T12:04:00.000-08:00

Dear Sam,

Chuc Mung Nam Moi! For your first celebration of Lunar New Year (or Tet), we took you to a party at St. Henry's Church, where everyone was Vietnamese American, except your Mom, Dad and your Daddy's friend, Dan.

Dan is married to Linh, who was born in Vietnam. Her whole family was at the party and they loved meeting you!

You got to meet Gabrielle, Dan and Linh's baby who was born last February. Isn't she cute?

You got lots of red envelopes with $2 bills in them!

There were guys playing Chinese chess.

And nuns selling sandwiches and spring rolls.

And bingo, featuring a guy who made up a song telling a story with the numbers. The whole party was very LOUD!

Of course, there was pho.

You ate the noodles.

Then we went to Mass (all in Vietnamese). I loved the music from the choir. At the end there were firecrackers and the dragon.

We have another celebration in February with the local Families with Children from Vietnam group. Happy first new year in America, Sam.

Blogging absence

2009-01-08T08:30:00.000-08:00

Thanks to several of you who have written because you were worried about my absence from this blog (and from my Spiritual Knitter blog, too). Not only has it been crazy with the holidays and my return to work, but we have been dealing with some major sleep issues with our whole family.

Also, I wanted to return this blog to being one about adoption (both Vietnam and China), not just a showcase for photos of Sam. But I will leave you with two from Christmas, one from Wisconsin and one from Philadelphia, both with Sam's grandpas.

We have consulted lots of experts and friends about the sleep stuff. I'll blog about it when I have some time (which may not be until the sleep problems are solved!)

First Vietnamese American elected to Congress

2008-12-08T03:07:00.001-08:00

By CAIN BURDEAU,
Associated Press Writer
Sun Dec 7, 10:11 pm ET

NEW ORLEANS – The first Vietnamese-American elected to Congress took advantage of dissatisfaction with a longtime incumbent dogged by corruption allegations and reflects the changing nature of New Orleans politics since Hurricane Katrina.

Republican immigration attorney Anh "Joseph" Cao defeated Democratic U.S. William Jefferson on Saturday in an election postponed for a month by Hurricane Gustav.

The victory for a 41-year-old child of Vietnam War refugees was greeted with amazement and drew parallels to last year's election of Gov. Bobby Jindal, an Indian-American Republican.

It also confirms a general shift to the GOP in Louisiana, where the Democratic Party dominated for generations and no Republican had represented New Orleans since 1890.

"This is kind of uncharted waters here," said Larry Powell, a Tulane University historian.

Cao was buoyed by low turnout, a lackluster campaign by Jefferson, strong third-party candidates and the election being postponed a month by Hurricane Gustav. State and national Republicans seized on the race with a well-funded and effective campaign, bombarding targeted neighborhoods with automated telephone calls, signs and flyers.

Jefferson faced some of the most direct attacks since 2005, when a wide-reaching corruption probe against him was made public and FBI agents found $90,000 in alleged bribe payments in his freezer. He currently faces trial on charges of money laundering, racketeering and bribery, but no date has been set.

In conceding the race, Jefferson blamed fatigue among his supporters.

"I think people just ran out of gas a bit," Jefferson said Saturday night. "People today flat didn't come out in large numbers."

In many ways, Cao won on a protest vote by white voters from both major parties indignant about Jefferson's staying power. Analysts said white voters turned out by a ratio of 2-to-1 over blacks.

Nonetheless, Cao's win was viewed as improbable and important for the Asian communities of eastern New Orleans and the West Bank, a series of suburbs across the Mississippi River from the city.

"It's a David and Goliath story," said Joel Waltzer, a lawyer who's worked for 20 years representing Vietnamese homeowners and fishermen in eastern New Orleans. Before starting his own law practice, Cao worked for Waltzer.

Katrina made Cao's win possible, Waltzer said.

"Before Katrina, they were an ignored constituency and now they are strong enough to elect their own congressman," Waltzer said. "They've become ambitious. They want a voice in their own rebuilding, a place at the table when these very important decisions are made."

The community — made up of war refugees from Southeast Asia who came here in the 1970s — has gained in strength since Katrina and it is widely viewed as a rebuilding model.

"They jumped onto it with nobody's help," said Pete Gerica, a commercial fisherman and industry advocate who lives near the Asian community, known generally as Village d'Est or Versailles.

"It's a self-contained city," Gerica said. "They have steelworkers, carpenters, everything they need right there. They have shoe makers, they got people who make clothes. They are a very tight-knit family and that's what makes good people, when you put family first."

Cao (pronounced "Gow") is largely unknown, but his compelling life story attracted many voters. He was born in Vietnam and had to flee the country after Saigon fell in 1975 at age 8. His father, a South Vietnamese army officer, was imprisoned by Communist forces and later released.

He earned a degree in philosophy from Fordham University, a Jesuit college in New York City, and moved to Louisiana in 1992 as a seminarian. He earned his law degree from Loyola University in New Orleans.

He has personally experienced the destructive powers of hurricanes in the low-lying region. His home in an upscale suburb outside New Orleans' levee system was flooded by Katrina and Gustav.

Gerica said Cao could put a new face on Louisiana's reconstruction and, if he works with Democrats like Rep. Charlie Melancon, do good things for the state. But, he added, his lack of seniority and experience could be a detriment.

Cao has close ties with the powerful Vietnamese Catholic church, Mary Queen of Vietnam, and vowed that his political bid was motivated by his religiosity.

"It was something that I was called to do, literally, in the religion sense," Cao said.

The congressman-elect describes himself as a political moderate with only one firm policy belief: He is against abortion.

As a lawyer, he has worked for Boat People S.O.S., a national Vietnamese-American advocacy group for refugees. He became known in New Orleans in 2006 as a leader in an emotional campaign to close a new landfill for Katrina debris. In 2007, Cao ran for a state House seat as an independent and lost.

He said his win Saturday proved Louisiana is open-minded.

"The people of Louisiana are very special, very progressive," he said, "and I think we will serve as a beacon for the rest of the country."

Link to full story here.

Great news!

2008-12-05T05:39:00.000-08:00

The two other Lutheran Social Services of MN families who had been waiting for I-600 approval for three months got it on Monday. YEA!!!! They had 48 hours to get to Vietnam for their G&R--and we thought our trip was rushed with seven days. They are literally getting off the plane, going straight to the orphanage to get their babies, and then going to their G&R. What a whirlwind.

One woman, Laura, and I have been corresponding (read: complaining about the wait) and talking on the phone for over two years now, so I feel like I know her. And our sons shared a nursery for many months. I hope to meet her some day. Here is her daughter's website; not sure if they'll be blogging or not.

They are probably picking up their babies as I write this. Prayers and blessings to both families.

Thanksgiving in KY

2008-12-01T14:07:00.000-08:00

Sam has been sick, so I'm a little late with posting our pictures from Thanksgiving. He also has really attached, as in, he prefers to sleep in our arms rather than in a bed. But he's had such a cold (and possible ear infection) this past week that that may explain his excessive crying and clinginess (we hope). He also said "Mama" today; mostly it's an elongation of his previous "Mmmmmm" whine. But it definitely means "Would this woman please pick me up and hold me?"

On to the Thanksgiving pictures from our visit to Lexington, KY, to see Ed's brother, Tom; Tom's wife, Kremena; and Sam's 2-year-old cousin Elena:

We left Tuesday to avoid traffic (still the car trips were not that great with Sam). That morning I made the cranberry-orange relish in the meat grinder, while Sam looks on. He likes to sit in his high chair and watch what's going on in the kitchen.

The Butler men and their babies.

Sam loved the front porch swing. We'll have to get one of those when we get a house.

Relaxing with Mama on the couch.

Sam's dinner: Turkey and vegetables (left) and sweet potatoes. He ate very little of either. But he did like the Sweet Potato Souffle made by Tom and Kremena's friend Amy (she also made the turkey; all the food was awesome.) We blame the sugar in that for how he bounced off the walls later that night.

Playing at a nearby park. Everything must be licked.

Elena in her PJs. Isn't she adorable? She sure wasn't happy, at first, that another baby was in her space. But by the end of the trip, they were good buddies.

Kisses goodbye!

What is this white stuff coming out of the sky?

2008-11-19T18:32:00.000-08:00

Sam's first snowfall in Chicago. He saw a few flakes in Rice Lake last weekend when we were there for my Grandma's funeral. And still hasn't really seem much accumulation. Can't wait to dress him in boots and snowpants and go build a snowman.

Sam rejects Satan

2008-11-18T19:05:00.000-08:00

The day after his first birthday, Sam joined yet another family: the Catholic one. We celebrated his baptism on Oct. 25, 2008 at St. Gertrude Parish in Chicago. It was a beautiful ceremony, with about 35 friends and family attending. As you can see from the cute picture above (photos courtesy of Leigh Ann Drevs), he wore a lovely white aio dai (traditional Vietnamese dress) with a gold dragon on it.

The ceremony had a few personal touches. We added some water from meaningful places to the baptismal water: some from the Jordan River, from Halong Bay, from my parents' lake and the river near where my parents grew up, and from the pond near my sister's.

Sam has two godmothers: Ed's sister, Trish, and our good friend Kristin. They each read a reading, one from the Book of Samuel and the other from Vietnamese Buddhist monk Thich Nhat Hanh (Fun fact: I got to interview him a few years ago).

My sister and her daughter Clare sang "Child of Wonder" to conclude the ceremony. It was beautiful! Peter from St. Gert's accompanies them.

A post-baptism party with lunch of buffalo burgers, chicken and catfish sandwiches, and sweet potato fries was held at the No Exit Cafe, part of the Heartland Cafe. Yum!

It really was a special day, especially because of those who came to welcome Sam to the Catholic family. Not only were Ed's parents and sister there from Philadelphia, but also his brother from Kentucky. Plus Ed's good friend Matt had a layover in Chicago and made the party. Cathy, Bryan and Kevin from U.S. Catholic were there, as were nearly all of my women's group. Lots of other kids too: Mesfin and Mari, Lincoln, Jovie, Vivian, Nico. Thanks to everyone for making it a very special weekend for our family.

Grandma Doris

2008-11-06T19:42:00.000-08:00

Today would have been my Grandma Doris' 97th birthday. She died Monday, after being hospitalized with pneumonia two weeks ago. I had a mixed relationship with my grandmother--I loved her dearly and have many fond memories of time spent with her, but she also had been judgmental of me and my life in my adulthood. Still, we had time to reconcile and got closer, especially after my grandpa died about 10 years ago. I think she was very proud of the writing work that I've done, though when we would discuss church politics, she would often say, "I wish you thought the way I do." To which I would respond, "I wish you thought the way I do!"

She was an educated woman, with a college degree, when not many women had one. She taught home economics and raised three children, including my father. She was attractive and stylish, and would probably be horrified that I'm posting this photo of her looking less than her best. I credit at least part of my creative gene to her (and almost all of my pack rat gene). I think she had some regrets in her life; she had wanted to travel more, see more of the world, maybe have a more sophisticated life than the one she had in small-town Wisconsin. She was from the Chicago area and often talked about life as a young girl on the farm near Gurnee.

Grandma Doris had prayed tirelessly for Sam (and for Sophie). She also helped us financially with the adoption by advancing us some money meant for her great grand-children's education. She was so excited when we got our referral. "Is he particularly cute or anything?" she asked before I could show her the picture to confirm that, yes, he was! In the past few months, even as she lost interest in the Packers (which had previously seemed to keep her alive from season to season), she would always ask about Sam, my dad said.

We had wanted to drive to northern Wisconsin for Sam to meet her shortly after returning from Vietnam, but Sam had been so difficult in the car seat that we kept postponing it. Then we heard that the pneumonia couldn't be cured and her heart wasn't strong enough to pump the fluid out of her lungs. She returned to the nursing home from the hospital last week and we knew it wouldn't be long. Two days later we left for Rice Lake, even though my aunt reported that she wasn't really recognizing people anymore.

Sam was a trooper, sleeping the whole 6 hours on Friday night on the way there. On Saturday morning we visited Grandma and she definitely recognized him. Her eyes opened and lit up, though she was so tired it was hard for her to keep them open. Later she said, "Sam." And then, "I am so tired."

My dad stayed by her side Saturday night until Monday night when she died. My Auntie Sue and my cousin Kim were with her when she died, too. My grandma lived a long, productive and happy life, but I am still so sad that she is gone. I wanted her to see both my kids, and I wanted them to know her. But I am glad I was given the opportunity to have Sam meet her before she died. And I know she will continue to pray for our family, but now from heaven.

May eternal rest be granted to you, Grandma Doris, and let perpetual light shine upon you. May you rest in peace. Amen.