update

Life as a family of Three has been awesome! Kiana is adjusting really well and we are all bonding to each other. We had fun celebrating her 1st Birthday with family and friends on August 30th. Kiana has learned a lot of sign language now and is starting to say a few words. Some of the words she has learned are Pooh, hi, bye, Juice, bear, and car. She isn't really walking yet but is getting very close. She has taken a couple steps but not confident enough to try any more, but we are in no hurry. We recently took Kiana to Pismo Beach, her first experience on the ocean and in the sand and she just loved it. She didn't want to leave.

She is also learning to know some of our friends and family. She spends time at her Grandpa and Grandma Lewis' every week. She is still bonding to us and close familiy and friends but she is definitely learning who her family is. She loves to play with the dogs especially Shane and Maiyah. From day one she was a dog lover so she fits right in with our family. We love being parents to Kiana and our love for her grows more and more everyday.

We are adjusting well at home, here is a photo of our first BBQ together as a family of three, thanks Brian for a delicious dinner. And then a photo of Kiana enjoying her new Glider Chair from Grandma Wall - I don't know what we would do without it. And then for my Birthday I got to share my favorite restraunt with Kiana - PF Changs and we went Miniature golfing. It was a lot of fun. We are so happy to be home with Kiana. Only big issues we had were sleeping but finally sleep schedules are starting to exist and we are getting some sleep.

Here is a photo of father and daughter at the Chongqng zoo where we saw Pandas and Tigers, it was fun but very very hot. Then I posted pictures from the red couch day where we all got dressed up and also went to the Consulate. Kiana didn't like sittig on the couch and was eager for us to pick her back up but we got some good photos before she started crying, all the babies are so beautiful. Then the last picture is of mom and daughter at the Beijing airport, last day in China and getting ready to go home. We were very eager to go home though we had a great time in China too.

Home and Quarantined

Okay, we're not officially quarantined, but as good as. We took Kiana to the pediatrician yesterday because we thought she had a cold. He tested her for the flu as well and she was positive for Influenza A subtype H1N1. She's had symptoms long enough that there's really no treatment - it will just have to run it's course. The pediatrician didn't seem very concerned of any risk aside from typical flu symptoms. She seems to be responding to infant's Motrin, which is encouraging.

Sheryl has also been feeling under the weather and has developed a fever. Our assumption is H1N1 as well. So we're avoiding visiting people until the sicknesses subside. We're thankful that we're not all 3 sick at the same time, and I'm hoping and praying I don't get it at all!

How ever did people survive without the internet? Right now it's our main portal to the rest of the world! But we're still itching to get out and see all of our friends and family! Thank you to all for your thoughts and prayers.

Short Clips from China

We will be home tomorrow but wanted to share with everybody some very short video clips we took while in China. First we start in Starbucks in Chongqing where Kiana first started coming out of her shell. Next we go to the Chongqing zoo where we saw some pandas.

See y'all real soon!

We're clear for take off!

We're so relieved to be back in our hotel room with Kiana's visa in hand! Thanks to all who were praying. Yesterday we were told we may not be able to get her visa because the US Consulate in Guangzhou was not notified of our change of address. It sounds like Shiyan did some serious intervention and persuaded them to issue the visa since this was something that was out of our control - the Fresno CIS office was supposed to take care of that for us. Thank you Shiyan!

So tomorrow we fly to Beijing early in the morning, then on Thursday we fly home. We're really looking forward to being home. Not sure how daily life with a little one will look, but it will be nice to start figuring it out.

Taxis, Scams, and Police Reports

So it turns out my intuition about the taxi ride wasn't entirely wrong. Later this afternoon Sheryl and I were in the local shops and bought some things at the nearby 7-Eleven. I tried to pay with a 100¥ bill (approx. $15) and the cashier rejected my bill. I tried with another 100¥ and the same thing!

Then I remembered back to when the taxi dropped me off at the hotel. He rejected my 10¥ bills because they were torn (some had the bottom corners torn off). So I gave him one of my 100¥ bills for change. He didn't readily give me change, so I assumed he didn't have enough change (he spoke almost no English, and I couldn't speak Chinese, so communication was pretty difficult). There was more "discussion" about the money, with me in the back seat and him in the front, til finally he motioned me to come to the front seat. I did, and more confused "discussion" pursued. Over the course of the "discussion", I had offered him either of my 100¥ bills and he had given them back to me. In the end he accepted my five 10¥ bills I originally gave him, saying they would be okay. So that settled it and I left him for the hotel.

Well it turns out that the shuffling of money and all the confusion was contrived by a shady driver. While he was handling my 100¥ bills, he exchanged them for fake bills. So not only did I pay him 55¥ for the taxi ride, but he took another 200¥ from me :(

When Shiyan found out about it this evening she insisted that we tell the police. So she hailed an officer and told him the story. He gave us a ride to the police station and an hour-long report ensued. They actually pulled up the video from a nearby camera and we saw the whole event happen (albeit from a distance and without enough visual to prove anything). So now China has a police report with my name, address, passport number, and signature. I also had to fingerprint my signature and several other sections of the report!

So that's how our "free" day went. Not the best way to spend a day. But this evening we took Kiana down to the swimming pool (which is VERY cool, BTW). She *loved* it! She was kicking and splashing and smiling like crazy. That was a good way to end an otherwise discouraging day.

Tomorrow we go to the consulate to hopefully get Kiana's visa. I'll be calling our Bethany office before going to bed (since our 11:00pm is their 8:00am). Please pray we get the home address issue worked out. If we don't, we won't be able to get Kiana's visa, and therefore won't be able to fly home as scheduled. We SOOO do not want to be delayed (not to mention paying for more nights in a hotel, more eating out, and possible flight postponement fees)! We're all eager for home.

Free day and other business

Today is a free day for all the families. Unfortunately for me, I wrote Kiana's Chinese name incorrectly on a document I had notarized in the states. Shiyan is spending her day at the U.S. Consulate in Guangzhou taking care of our paperwork, and she needed me to go along with her to re-do the document and have it notarized there. While I was there, the consulate employee informed me that their paperwork has our old address on it and they cannot issue Kiana a visa unless their records match the U.S. records. Shiyan said she would take care of it. I hope and pray it can be done quickly because we're supposed to go to the consulate tomorrow to receive Kiana's visa!

Shiyan had more to do at the consulate and had prepared me to take a taxi back to the hotel. So I hailed a taxi and we drove off. A few blocks away the car stalled. The driver restarted the car, but it lurched and stalled again. So he let me out of the taxi and ushered me into the taxi behind him. This little passenger exchange really made me nervous! Could it be a coordinated kidnapping? Did the first driver fake the car trouble? Just before the car stalled the driver had received a phone call on his cell phone. Shortly after the new taxi was on the road, the driver received a phone call. Could this be some shady coordination that would turn out unfavorably for me? I was memorizing as many street signs and landmarks as I could on the way back to the hotel, just in case I needed to guide somebody to my rescue! Fortunately I arrived back safe and sound, so I don't need to remember anymore that somewhere on the way back we passed the Global International Trade Center or the Five Countries Shoe Market :)

So I'm back in the hotel, and Sheryl and Kiana just got back from bargaining in the local shops. Now it's time for lunch.

Tonight we go as a group to eat at a Cantonese restaurant. Otherwise the day is free. We do plan, however, to take Kiana swimming for the first time, and we're looking forward to it!

Guangzou

Kiana had her first airplane experience yesterday and did GREAT! She is a born traveller. She enjoyed looking out the window and playing on mama and baba's laps. She slept on the bus to the White Swan hotel in Guangzhou though so didn't go to bed till almost 1am. We had to get up early for today so needless to say not much sleep last night. This morning Kiana had her medical exam and she did an awesome job! We are proud of her. It was a busy clinic full of adopting parents and very loud. We had to go into three different rooms to complete her exam. She is healthy and weighs 18.2 lbs and is 27 inches long. Then we had lunch in our room while Kiana took a LOOONNNGGG nap. This afternoon Brian is doing some paperwork and me and Kiana are hanging out in the room. She is playing with her stacking cups. Kiana needs her bottle so I will post more later.

Goodbye Chongqing, Hello Guangzhou

(I started this post days ago but didn't have time to finish it until today - 7-20-09. Sorry for the old news :)

Today was our last day in Chongqing. Shiyan took us on a short excursion to the Chongqing zoo so we could see the pandas. It was awfully hot and muggy so we didn't stay at the zoo long, but we did get to see a panda up close, feeding on bamboo leaves. It was very cool! It was a difficult trip for the children just because of the intense heat. Kiana did well for the most part, but the heat did take it's toll.

We were back in our room by 11:30am and had the room until 3pm. So we went down to the Chinese restaurant in the hotel (as opposed to the international buffet on a different floor) and tried to have a sit-down lunch. Kiana was tired and fussy so it was difficult, but we managed.

After lunch I went down and got a Chinese massage (my leg's been hurting and I thought it might help) Shiyan recommended the massage service offered by this hotel, and another couple got massages and really liked them, so I decided to give it a try. It was an interesting experience! At one point the massage therapist was completely on top of me, with her knees digging into my calves and her hands working my shoulders!

Our flight left Chongqing about 6:45pm. It was the first airplane flight for all of our babies, and there were several adoptive groups on the same flight. We were so proud of Kiana who showed no sign of disliking the flight or the change in cabin pressure. We heard later that one family from another group was not let on the flight due to some problem with their boarding pass. Shiyan told us after we landed that our group has been blessed this trip with smooth travels. I attribute that to God (and I believe Shiyan deserves credit, too - she has done an outstanding job guiding us on this journey and making all the necessary arrangements!)

We are staying at the White Swan hotel on Shamian Island in Guangzhou. It's a beautiful, relaxing place. We're really enjoying this part of the journey.

Our first full day with Kiana (Xiu Huayin - pronounced Shoo Hwa-yeen, aka, yin-yin) has been great! Kiana got her first bath and liked it for the most part. We were so fortunate to be able to talk with friends and family back home (via Skype for some and by phone with others). The capabilities of communication over such distances is mind boggling!

Today was actually the day Kiana became legally ours. We went back to the adoption office and were sworn in as her legal parents. Here we are swearing that we love her and will never abandon nor abuse her - in good or difficult times.


After making the pledge, Sheryl, Brian, and Kiana were all fingerprinted (with red ink, of course) on the official documents. We were then given a certificate of adoption, displayed here.


After some time in the hotel room this afternoon, we ventured out to a nearby shopping mall where we had dinner and bought a pink Peter Rabbit hat for Kiana (which was more challenging than it sounds - nobody speaks much English in these parts!). We went to the nearby grocery store for diapers and baby food (she's not eating as much as she should, so we're trying alternative foods to find something she'll really take to).

Later this evening we walked a block from the hotel to introduce her to the most important family tradition.



And finally came back to the hotel. Sheryl walked her around the hotel coridors until she (Kiana) fell asleep. Then brought her back into the room and snuggled with her a bit.


The difference we see in Kiana is night and day from yesterday. She's getting playful and interacting tons more. There's been no sign of her reaching for others nearby (which would be a significant sign of bonding issues). She definitely knows she belongs with us and likes it. There's also no sign of a preference for either one of us.

Tomorrow is a totally free day, and we're looking forward to it!

Baby Kiana

2:10pm and we're in the bus headed off to be united with our daughter. We arrive early and spend some time preparing some forms that need to be submitted for the adoption. As soon as we finish with the forms, we rush out to a waiting room where they start calling our names. There's plenting of shuffling of camera's to make sure each moment is properly captured. And finally we were called and matched with our beautiful baby girl.







We've had the rest of the evening free to spend time alone as a family and get to know our new little one. We went down to the hotel buffet for dinner, and as we were finishing our meal a caucasian woman made her way over to us to ask us where we were from. Turns out she is from Holland and 11 years ago the were in Chongqing adopting their baby girl. She's now nearly a teenager and this is their first time returning to China, along with their daughter!

Kiana has really been pretty good this first evening together. She hasn't eaten a whole lot and towards the end of the evening was getting fussy. We were told she's an introvert and does not smile willingly at strangers. We have yet to get a smile out of her, but she looks us in the eyes and enjoyed a musical toy we brought for her. She's now asleep in her crib, Sheryl's crashed in bed, and I'm ready to sign off as well. We'll post more pics in the next few days. 4 more days in Chongqing and then off to Guangzhou where we get her American visa.

Oh, Kiana's given name is Xiu Huayin (pronounced hoo-ah-yeen). Her nickname at the orphanage was yin-yin (pronounced yeen-yeen), so we're sticking with that for now, and as she bonds with us we'll transition her to Kiana.

Lots of love from Chongqing,
Brian & Sheryl

Travels to Chongqing

Well here we are in the Beijing airport, checking our luggage for the flight to Chongqing.




















When we arrived in Chongqing we immediately noticed how green it is. There's also tons of construction going on to keep up with the growing population. Our guide (Shiyan) said Chongqing is becoming a cement forest, which is pretty accurate. Here we saw some people plucking the grass along the side of the freeway.
















We arrived at our hotel, went to our room and settled in. Then went to the 9th floor where there is a very nice Chinese restaurant. At 1pm we met in the lobby and Shiyan walked us as a group to the supermarket where we bought supplies and some practical donations for the orphanage. Then back to our room to prepare to go get our little girls.

Brian

We're off to Chongqing

Today's the day! We're nearly packed with 5 hours of sleep under our belts. In about 15 minutes we leave our room, meet downstairs and take the bus to the airport. The flight to Chongqing is close to 2 1/2 hours.

When we arrive in Chongqing, we'll go to our hotel and settle in. We'll then go to the Civil Affairs Office in Chongqing to receive our daughter at 3:00pm. There will be some paperwork to do here, but not much. After that is done, we head back to our hotel to try to figure out this whole parenting thing!

You'd think with it being this close it'd feel more real to me. But so far this has felt like a touring vacation and that this is just another one of those planned activities. There are moments of clarity when everything sinks in and almost overwhelms me. It's a mixture of anxiety and excitement! I know my world's going to be rocked, and it's incredible.

I can't say enough how much all of the support from home and around the world means to me. Sheryl & I are truly blessed to be surrounded by so many loving, caring people!

Not sure when we'll be able to post again, but we're eager to share photos of us and our daughter :)

Love to all,
Brian

The Great Wall of China

A photo from our room, the acrobat show and a river

Here are some pics from our flight here and one of Beijing out our hotel window. We had our temps taken on the plane and still have to have it taken twice a day because someone on the plane has a confirmed case of the virus, please pray we stay healthy.

We have been have a great time here in China. We are really enjoying being able to get to know all the other families in our group. Touring Beijing the past few days, been long days so not much resting up but very educational and fun. We went to the Acrobat show the first day and it was unlike anything I have seen but was really good. Then we did alot of other sightseeing like the Great Wall of China. What I liked the best about it was the cable cars even though I was afraid at first. One thing that I have noticed is there a lot of people and we end up being squeezed between many people we don't know but our group has done a great job staying together. Our meals haven't been too adventurous yet cause by the time we get back to the room for dinner we are so tired we just get pizza hut or eat at the hotel restraunt. We sure do love the breakfasts they serve, it amazing all the choices and some things are not what you would expect for breakfast like corn on the cob, rice, noodles, pasta salad, but then some other foods like fried breadsticks and dim sum. We did get one good Chinese meal though yesterday which was also connected to a shop with jade.

It hasn't been as hot as I expected for the first part of this trip but think it will get hotter at our other stops. Still hot and humid but bearable at least. We went to a Pearl shop today, it was fun to look around, never been to one before.

Most importantly is that tomorrow we fly to Chongqing and will get our Kiana in the afternoon around 3pm. I am still in disbelief that its tomorrow, finally we I get to hold our daughter. I am excited and a little nervous at the same time. Please pray that we have a safe flight and that all goes well with getting our little girl. We will be flying with several other families in our group tomorrow so will be nice not going alone.

We are in China! Had a nice flight here though are very tired, haven't slept hardly any for two days so will be trying to go to be early tonight. Passed on going out tonight with others in our group but will meet everyone tomorrow after getting some good sleep hopefully. I think I am tired enough to sleep on the hard beds. ITs a nice hotel, still sinking in about where we are. Probably will more so tomorrow. Took a few pics and will try to load them soon. Saw two movies on the plane and got some good reading in. Now I am hungry so am very glad we packed so many snacks so will eat and go to bed early

Four more days till Kiana :)

Here are a couple pics of our preparation for China. Kiana's suitcase is all packed. And here is a pic of our dogs - Maiyah, Natisa, Cosette, and Shane and their very short hair cuts