And She Smiles...

Last night, our group went on a Dinner Cruise on the Pearl River. It was a buffet, and let's just say it was catered to locals... not Americans. Pig knuckles, chicken feet, fungus, and other Chinese delicacies were on the buffet. Nothing that even remotely sounded good. I ate a little bit of noodles, but was saving myself for the ice cream cart that was promised on the way to the cruise by our guide, R. Then, about midway through the dinner, an announcement was made..."Attention all Lifeline Families... unfortunately there will be no ice cream this evening... but we will provide plenty of watermelon." Fantastic... So, after dinner we went up on the top deck of the boat to make pictures of the skyline. Mia had so much fun. They were playing salsa music, which I found a bit odd, but it made for a great dance, so she laughed out loud. We were so excited to see her having fun, that it negated the fact that we'd had no dinner. This was the first time we had seen Mia being silly, laughing, and smiling for more than a nano-second. Once we returned to the hotel, I went straight to the snack shop within the hotel and grabbed a Haagen-Daas bar... for $10 US... What? They made a big profit on that ice cream bar, but man, was it good.

Much love,
Ashley

You must read this...

This article gives a wonderful "State of the Orphans in China" review... A must read. We are so fortunate that God allowed our family to save one little one from this kind of fate. God is faithful...

http://chinaadoptiontalk.blogspot.com/2010/07/amy-eldridge-of-lwb-speaks.html

Copy and paste the above link into your address bar and it should take you to it.


Much love,
Ashley

The United States said YES!

I am proud to announce that we had our appointment today with the U.S. Consulate office here in Guangzhou to petition for Mia's visa to come to the U.S. At this appointment we had to show the U.S. that we had completed the necessary paperwork, had received approvals on all the paperwork, had secured Mia's passport, and had completed all necessary immunizations required by U.S. law. We met all this criteria, so the U.S. said YES! They will issue her a visa... which for those of you who have not traveled internationally (like us), a visa is a page inside the passport that states that you have permission to enter a particular country. It is my understanding that not all countries require visas, but China does, and so does the U.S. So you see, a passport isn't enough, you must inform the country WHY it is that you are traveling to that country. We are now finished... the actual visa page in her passport will be ready for pick up Friday afternoon at the Consulate's office. At that time, we are free to leave. Unfortunately, we must wait until Sunday morning to catch our flight. We will be heading back to Hong Kong Saturday in preparation for leaving. So many prayers have been answered and we are very, very thankful. I am now thinking ahead to our journey home, the trip over here was a struggle... long and exhausting. The trip home will be harder with an infant in tow. God gave us a little "happy" at the Birmingham airport, by allowing our flights to be changed, thus giving us EXCELLENT seats for the long, 16-hour flight. I am already praying that God grant us another "happy" for the trip home. Nothing is impossible for God, especially something so simple as an airplane ride... :)

More Shots, More Shoes, and The Guangzhou Zoo

So, I didn't get around to blogging yesterday... mainly because there wasn't much to tell. We went back to the Medical Bldg. on Shamian Island and got the rest of Mia's vaccinations. She did fine and then we went shopping afterwards before catching the bus back to the hotel. We were on a mission... more shoes. Remember I told you about the cute, cheap shoes? Well, we stocked up yesterday... I bought varying sizes for the next couple of years... 17 pair total. I am really excited about those shoes. We stopped by Starbucks and had another iced tea and bought a few more souvenirs, before heading back to the hotel. Griff and Mia napped during the afternoon, and mom and I ventured out to the Friendship Mall across the street. This is a very high-end mall... designer names, very expensive price tags. We went into the supermarket to try to buy some snacks, but we ended up buying nothing. I am searching for a tea pot that I saw at Chen's Lineage Hall the other day, so I stopped into a little tea shop. I didn't buy anything, as I need to talk with our guide about price. The Chinese know that Americans bargain, so they set their prices high and expect us to try to negotiate a cheaper price. I am so skeptical about buying without first checking with the guide. So, we will see if I get a teapot!!! LOL... This isn't a teapot that you see in the U.S., but very small that you use to make tea with loose tea, which is so very delicious. Today, our group went to the Guangzhou Zoo. It was a zoo... nothing to get really excited about. I think the heat pretty much put a huge damper on the "Wow" factor of this zoo. We made a few pictures, but mainly "Sweated to the oldies" as Richard Simmons would say. The funniest thing about the zoo is that the Chinese found the Americans as interesting as the animals. They stand and stare at us, some wave at us, one family even made Mia and my picture. Funny... They are very curious about us, they glare at us sometimes, some smile. Some jabber words, none of which we can understand. I felt like the animals on display at the zoo, because the people there found us so interesting. Part of it, is that they are curious about Mia... especially her hairbows. You cannot find hairbows like hers here... so they are VERY unusual. Mia has been playing with her toys more today and she smiles every so often. I've been teaching her a little sign language so that we can communicate and she signed bird with me today! Cute. She waves at people, especially Chinese people. She has very thick hair, so she sweats as bad as her mama in this humid air. Oh, and I almost forgot... she let my mom hold her today without going bananas! Yay!!! We are winding this trip down and are counting the days. This morning I just stood in the shower and cried my eyes out because I am so ready to leave here and go home. We are on Day 14... four more to go. Tomorrow is our Consulate Appointment. This is the time that the U.S. looks over all of Mia's paperwork, for the seemingly hundredth time, and issues her a Visa to enter the U.S. as a citizen. Now more than ever, do I realize what a gift U.S. citizenship really is... Just a few more days and we're coming home... Thank you, Lord Jesus... Until then...

Much love,
Ashley

The Red Dress

During the waiting months, I sewed and smocked outfits for Mia. It made me feel better about the whole thing, and kept me excited even through frustration. As I would complete something, Griff would say, "Yeah, that's good... but I can't wait to see her in a little red Chinese dress." So the other day, we were on Shamian Island and we bought the dress. I also bought dresses for Chinese New Year and Moon Festival for the next several years... afterall they were only about $5 a dress. That's crazy, isn't it? Anyways, we had group photos made this morning in the hotel lobby. As you will see from the photo, the majority of the children in our group are older. Mia is the youngest in our group. She is also the only one who had to get so many shots. Lucky us. We tried on her new dress last night and mom, Griff, and I giggled for the longest time. It was as if she knew she looked beautiful. And guess what? I had already purchased an enormous satin bow with a rhinestone center to wear with this special dress. :) I am the laughing stock of the group and every day when we get off the elevator everyone is waiting to see what she's got on top of her head today. Mia did not enjoy the photo session nearly as much today as she did last night. But we got some good shots anyhow. There is a little girl in our group that is a few months older named Ruthie. She is in the photo with Mia in the big chair. She is a doll. After the photos, we went back to our room and changed clothes. We went to a shopping mall where we bought pearls and other gifts. We bought Mia a strand of pearls for her wedding day, a pearl bracelet for graduation, and we also bought three pearl bracelets for Mia and me to give to her brothers' brides on their wedding days. I am already praying for the girls who will one day join our family... then Mia will finally get some sisters! I've bought some little items to give Mia for birthdays over the coming years. I've enjoyed getting to do this because I know I'll be glad I did this one day when we are home and far away from China. I have started googling how to make congee as I'm afraid this little girl is going to get hungry without it. Many of you have asked, Congee? Congee is much like porridge, very white and milky looking. It is often flavored with chicken, beef, or pork. The orphanages feed the babies lots of congee because it is easy to swallow and fast to feed. It rained today for the first time. It is so hot that eggs could fry on the concrete if we tried... Tomorrow we go BACK to Shamian and get the final three vaccinations. Mia has had a high fever from the shots she got Saturday, so I'm so thankful we didn't take all six at once. After we get our shots, we will do some more shopping. We are on the final week of this journey. It feels as if I've been away from home for a century. Again, I must tell you all how much your comments here and on facebook have meant to me. We are touched by how many people are interested in our story. Until tomorrow...

Much love,
Ashley

Medical Exam and Big Improvements

We went to the Shamian Island this morning for Mia's medical examination. All Chinese children must have a complete physical before they are eligible to apply for a Visa to leave China and travel to their new home country. Mia weighed 17.5 pounds and was generally healthy. The doctor who did her exam called two different doctors to come in and look at Mia. They were speaking Chinese so I didn't know what they were saying, but our guide said that she was astonished that Mia's "special need" was a light birthmark on her temple. Mia has to get six vaccinations, so they suggested we let her take three today and three more on Monday to lessen the side effects to the vaccines. We agreed and she took her shots like a champ. She hardly cried... that is no lie. She has cried much, much worse when I sit her down on the floor beside me. This goes to show you that psychological pain is much more powerful at times than physical pain. That just spoke volumes to me. Mia sat in a highchair at breakfast, ate well, did great at the clinic, and actually rode in a stroller today on Shamian Island after her exam. See, your prayers, my prayers are being heard, they are being answered, and I am so thankful. We stopped by Starbuck's after the exam, and I had an iced tea. Can I just tell you it was so wonderful? It tasted like tea from home. Oh, so good. Ice... such a luxury. I will not ever take it for granted again. Why no ice here? Well, we can't drink the water here... we are brushing teeth with bottled water, not drinking ANYTHING that is iced. The water has parasites that are harmful to our systems and can result in a bad intestinal sickness. The local people here are immune, but not us. However, the ice at Starbucks is imported, so we can enjoy!!!! Yay!!!! Tomorrow, we will do pearl and jade shopping which I've been very excited about. Can't wait to show you all my purchases!!! Until then...

Much love,
Ashley

Friday in Guangzhou

Man, I'm on a roll here... I finally have enough internet connectivity to upload, so I'm going to get caught up!!! It is afternoon here on Friday and Griff and Mia are napping. We visited Five Rams Statue today and Sun Yat-sen's Memorial Hall today. It is unbelievably hot here. Alabama heat is very similar, but I do think it is hotter here. Your clothes just become soaked with sweat. Mia gets very irritable with the heat, so I think that may be part of her problems when we sight-see. Five Rams Statue was really pretty. It was much like a park, lots of it shady and many people gather there to enjoy it. They play a game much like what we call Hacky-Sack and others go there to do their "exercises". Several older women came up to us and patted Mia, smiling at us and giving us the thumbs up. M, our guide today, said that they are happy for the babies because they are getting adopted. They are appreciative to us for giving them families. The women were just lovely and you could sense their genuine admiration for us. I felt so good after meeting them. Hot, but good. :) After the park, we headed over to the Sun Yat-Sen Memorial Hall. This is a very old, beautiful building that is used for congregations, concerts, meetings, etc. It is lovely, but not air-conditioned, so this is where Mia began to totally unravel, and so did I. Again, our guide discouraged us from forcing Mia to ride in the stroller as her crying is very upsetting to the Chinese. So, again I carried her. The sling works well for a while,but then she begins to overheat and so do I. You know how fiery-tempered I am, and how much I despise to be hot, so you can imagine that this is the recipe for disaster. We went back to the bus and sat and waited on everyone in our group to come back. We came back to the hotel and gave Mia a quick, cool bath and I gave her a bottle and she was out like a light. Oh, I almost forgot... this morning, very early, she was sleeping between Griff and me... she sat straight up and began to speak words... Chinese. Griff poked me hard in the back to wake me, not knowing that I was awake and had heard her too. We giggled because we figure she was calling for help... "Come rescue me from these Americans!" Ha, ha. I can't wait to hear her talk again. Griff is in love with her and is working very hard to earn her favor. She is letting him hold her some, as I am giving out and can't physically keep it up. She is definitely coming around. We still think she is basically throwing temper tantrums, many induced by overheating and frustration that I won't hold her constantly. Our guide, M, talked to her for a little while today and told her that I was her mama and that I loved her very much and she laid her little head down on me so sweetly. M, said... "She knows you love her. She understands." It is so lovely watching M talk to her. I wish I could speak Chinese! I have learned one word... sounds like "My-Cow" which means "Stop crying." LOL... Tomorrow, we go for her Medical Examination. We have been warned that she may have to get as many as eight vaccinations... so many that they are allowing us to split them up, 4 tomorrow and 4 more on Monday. As part of the Hague Convention rules for international adoption, children being adopted to the US must be current on all vaccinations. The orphanages are unable to give as many as the US because it is so expensive here. This is why she must get so many. Please pray for Mia. This will be a very hard day for her. Again, your comments are wonderful and I love reading them. I am sorry that my posts are so sporadic. Internet connection is a nightmare. All in all, we are doing well. I can't wait to see Cole, Garrett, and Nolan. I miss them so, so much. I'm also looking forward to a home-cooked meal at my Grandmother's... LOL... Until tomorrow.

Much love,
Ashley