Fall is almost Here!

The boys swam this afternoon.....maybe the last warm day for swimming for 2006. Kind of a sad thing, since T. Walker went from needing to hold onto a parent most of the time to doing cannonballs off the side of the pool deck!
There is a definite change in the air though!
Lillie continues to blossom. She has a great sense of humor and will crawl into the middle of whatever Gill and Walker are doing, and asserts herself, sometimes a little too much.
Monday, October 9, 2006
Last Warm Day for a Swim

Recovered?

Three weeks have passed by and we are finally feeling somewhat human, although with three children to keep track of, we are outnumbered and in my case outmatched. You definitely need to "step up your game" with three children. (I heard this one from a friend)
The boys are adjusting and Lillie is doing great. She sleeps through the nights and has since the first week thanks to some good advice from a pediatric PT. She is trying to walk, she stands all the time now and feels more and more confident each day. She eats most anything. So....she really has been a joy. She adores her brothers and think they are hilarious.
Thanks goes to everyone who has kept us in their prayers, the meals provided by the church, and MOPS at First Baptist. What a lifesaver those meals have been.
Tuesday, September 26, 2006

Lillie's Journey Home

Well, we take Lillie from her birth country in just a few hours to her new home, new brothers, new relatives, new friends. We are packed and ready...more than ready. Our plane leaves 8:30 pm Friday Central Standard Time, 9:30 am Saturday here in Hong Kong. We have a 3 1/2 hour layover in Tokyo, then we get on a plane to DFW. We may not look pretty when we get to DFW, but inside we will be very happy.
UPDATE!!!
We made,check the pictures below!
Saturday, September 2, 2006
Flying Home!!

Catching Up/Consulate/Hong Kong

Well, it has been a few days since the last posting. Things are not always accessible on Blogger in China and the past few days were no exception. We could load Dropshots, but not access the Blog. Someone, somewhere must have made the Chinese Central Committe mad with a blog. Anyway, we are back on-line here in Hong Kong.
The final act with the U.S. Consulate was to take an oath. We bussed on over to the newly moved Consulate about 45 minutes away. You take nothing with you except your baby, your passports and a bottle for the baby. No cameras were allowed in the consulate. There were a total of 55 families in the room; so doing the math, there were 110+ adults,and 55 (maybe more, if there were any twins in the other group) babies/toddlers. There was only one boy in our group, not sure of the number in the other group. Anyway, we presented our passports for verification, and we presented Lillie so they could verify she was the baby in the passport and visa photo in her Chinese passport. A U.S. State Department official came out, gave an 8 minute talk on procedures at immigration on our return home, we stood, pledged we had told the absolute truth through this whole procedure, to the best of our knowledge (yes, the oath really has the knowledge thing in it) and we were done! We then waited for Lillie's Chinese passport with her new U.S. visa. To clarify, here in China, we are her recognized custodial parents, she is still a Chinese citizen until we touch down in the U.S. and the immigration officer stamps her passport. That is the exact moment she becomes a U.S. citizen. The moment at the consulate is bitter sweet, the culmination of several years hits everyone at that moment, because there is literally only one thing you have to do, and that is, just go home. (not neglecting the fact we have to raise the little rascal)
Several families immediately left for the airport to catch flights home. This is the bittersweet part, these people have become friends, and in some cases, their duaghters may have shared a crib with Lillie for a significant number of months! We hated to see people leave.
We went back to Shamian Island and the White Swan Hotel for a final night. We ate with friends, shopped (haggled) one last time, and finished packing. Thursday morning was another move day, to Hong Kong. Lillie must think we live in hotels. This is her fourth hotel, and second plane trip.
Anyway, we are here for one more night, then we fly home!! We can't wait to see our boys. T. Walker and Gill have been so brave without us. I know they are anticipating getting their little sister, teach her how to walk, run, ride a bike, shoot baskets, swim, fish, and how to talk dad into stopping at Sonic.
Here are some the photos and videos from the past few days.
Thursday, August 31, 2006



Friday, September 1, 2006
Hong Kong, Lillie, and cranes

Red Couch Day

Nothing major on the agenda today except the Red Couch photos. A famous place for adopting families is the Red Couch area located in the White Swan Hotel, 2nd Floor Lobby, Pearl River side of the Hotel. This is where your baby is photographed with other babies from your travel group on the famous Red Couch. It was total chaos! Our group had several who could run, we had no luck in corraling them all in, so we resorted to parents sitting with them in the picture.
We had a formal farewell dinner at a restaurant close by with all CHI families, I believe a total of 27 in all. It was fun, the food was great and Lillie ate and ate and ate. She likes the social scene also. We caught up with friends we met in Beijing from earlier in the trip.
Afterwards, we went shopping. There are many little places located within steps of the hotel for shopping, getting laundry done, etc. We met a nice woman at dinner last night who runs an antique and art gallery nearby and had fun shopping for Chinese art.
Again, click on the pictures below for the photos of the day. We go to the American Consulate tomorrow to take an oath and get Lillie's visa. Thursday, we head to Hong Kong, then Tokyo and Dallas on Saturday.....can't wait to see everyone.
Tuesday, August 29, 2006

Visa Photo/Medical Exam/Pearl Shopping

The Visa Photo and Medical Exam for Lillie went fine.....Lillie passed the hearing test, weighs more, had a normal temperature, a normal chest auscultation (listening to the heart and lungs), and can scream as loud as any child in China. She promptly took a bottle and went to sleep for three hours. If there is something she doesn't like.....she just goes to sleep. A day of firsts....crawled after we set her down on the floor, played on the floor by herself, and sat in a high chair. She is a wiggleworm, is constantly in motion, studies things, shows displeasure by throwing things, laughs at funny things, and said "da da" today (as we were shopping for her wedding pearls.....she got what she wanted!!) She has beautiful eyes, and eyelashes and all the Chinese people make comments about them. She continues to improve daily. We feel blessed.
The adoptive families we have met are so much fun. Lillie will have many friends to keep up with across the United States. And.....she will be a great addition to the Adoption Fellowship group in Rockwall. We can begin to count down to the day we get home...see our boys...now big brothers, and get Lillie finally settled into a permanent home.
Thanks for all the comments....we have enjoyed them so much!!
Monday, August 28, 2006

White Swan in Guangzhou

We made it to the White Swan Hotel in Guangzhou....all the babies did great on their first plane trips.....some crying, the occasional fit by some, but overall, a good first flight.
We put up some photos on dropshots, go to the link or click on the pictures here to tske you there....we are tired, and very glad to be here. Our travel group of nine families has done alot of moving about......some have called it Planes, Trains and Automobiles, others have referred to it as Rolling Stones Tour, move every three days. The babies are doing well, almost all have been sick or are recovering from illness. They are tough kids and know how to survive. With a little more time, they will be catching up to their peer groups back home.
Well enjoy the pictures and new videos.
Sunday, August 27, 2006