Finally home!

November 18-25... It is so great to finally be home! Olivia was welcomed home by lots of friends & family…and spent the first week at home with her grandparents and uncle. Our family is just goo-goo over this baby!!!! Livie & Mommy were both sick the first week after getting home. I had the worst sinus infection of my life…UGH….and Livie had a cold she couldn’t shake. She visited the pediatrician for a quick check and we both started antibiotics…..we were healthy within a few days.

Dreaming of home

Only a few more hours in China...anxious to be home...wish we could just click our heels. But kinda sad this is Livie's last night in her native country...at least for a while...she'll be back for a visit when she's older....maybe when we come get baby sister! :-) We'll touch down in Detroit at 1:20 on Friday afternoon...Livie will be a US citizen at that moment. What an amazing journey!...what an amazing blessing! Maybe I'll stop crying and be able to pull myself together by the time we get to Jacksonville...home at last around 5:15!! (6:00 a.m. on our body clock!) Pray for safe travels and a happy baby during the long flights!

Medical checkup...

A final medical check is required as part of the paperwork process. Here are a few pics of Olivia's checkup....healthy girl!!

Olivia received her passport today!!

Olivia Lanhu Stafford received her passport today....so she has permission to leave the Province! She looks so cute in her passport picture....little pouty lips. On the way to the appt to pick up her passport, we stopped at a porcelain store...Jiangxi province is famous for its porcelain....best in China. We picked up a few little pieces that we can give Livie for future birthdays....something she'll have from her home town. We've been packing all afternoon.....hard to do when she's awake!! She's sleeping now so we're trying to finish...need to have bags outside our door at 6:30 in the morning....leaving hotel at 8:00....stopped packing just long enough to send a quick update and a few pics. She was screaming her head off when we first put her down tonight....then she pooped (diarrhea...right after her bath, of course!)...cleaned her up and then her daddy held her until she fell asleep (pic attached...they sat on the windowsill). Livie's had diarrhea several times last night and today.....today she's only had formula, a few cheerios and pedialite. She doesn't seem to feel bad...getting lots of fluids....still her playful/grouchy-pants self (you'll see!)....maybe tomorrow the diarrhea will be gone....especially since we're flying to Guangzhou.....it's only a 1 hour flight. Tomorrow afternoon we have her medical exam...just a quick check up....and get her visa picture taken. We're really looking forward to getting to Guangzhou....need a change of scenery. Also need a fresh hotel room....our's here smells like poop!! We've been double bagging the poopy diapers and taking them to a trash can by the elevators....but the room STILL smells like poop. And now I think the smell is stuck in our noses....we think we smell like poop everywhere we go. At least we're not alone....all the families say the same thing! Fun, fun! Oh yea....she started holding her bottle today. I snapped a picture of her tonight...she's just drinking some water in the picture. She wouldn't drink plain water over the last couple of days....discovered she likes it warm....so we put a splash of water that's just been boiled in with the bottled water....she gulps it down now! More later....

Visit to Olivia's orphanage -- Yihuang SWI

Today (Sunday, 11/13) we went to visit the babies' orphanage...Yihuang Social Welfare Institute (SWI)....and the nannies & foster mom's (all the babies were in foster care for several months....then came back to the orphanage just a few weeks ago). Steve & I were reluctant to take Livie b/c we've really seen a big change in her in the last couple of days and definitely didn't want her to have a set back after seeing her foster mom or nanny (there was one nanny assigned to her in the orphanage...each nanny has about 4 babies....we also heard that she was very close to her foster mom). We considered only one of us going to the orphanage and the other staying back at the hotel with Livie. We finally decided (literally at the last minute) that we'd all go for the visit. We are so glad we all went! The bus ride was hard....3 hours each way on VERY bumpy roads....but she did great! She started crying when her foster mom held her (as if she didn't remember her...the foster mom was hurt/upset with this) and she didn't want to stay with the nanny very long....she quickly started reaching for me or Steve....we were just beaming!!!! What a feeling to have her reach for us...especially in the environment that we assume was so familiar to her! Veronica said the orphanage was a very good one (clean & organized) relative to many facilities she's seen throughout China. (Not all orphanages are approved for visits...the government has to approve visits....so we knew from the beginning it would be good if it was approved to receive visitors.) Olivia's nanny showed us the crib she slept in....attached is a pic of the nanny holding Livie next to the crib....again, Livie was squirming and reaching out to me! :-) We also took several pics of the current orpanage babies on the playground (several have already been "matched" and are waiting to meet their new parents!). We learned that the orphanage director actually adopted a little girl a few years ago....she's a special needs child. That made us all feel good....feel like he really loves the children and is taking good care of them (there's a pic of him holding his adopted daughter). We left the hotel at 8:00 this morning and got back a little after 4:00....we are all sooooo exhausted. Tomorrow we're going to pick up Livie's passport...so she can leave the Province and we can all fly to Guangzhou Tuesday morning. We are itching for a change of scenery!....REALLY itching to come home! We've all said that this parenting thing will seem like a piece of cake when we finally get home....this first week has just not been normal! Up early every morning, appointments, paperwork, bumpy bus rides, loud horns honking (constant honking!!!), cramped little hotel room, boiling water for every bottle....UGH!!! Oh well....no complaints....so, so happy to be with little Livie!

street outside the gate of the orphanage

playground

orphanage director and his adopted daughter

Steve & Livie outside the front gate where she was found

playroom Olivia's crib

Olivia with her nanny Olivia with her foster mom feeding room crib room

Visit to the countryside in Nanchang

Today we went on a tour to the country side...we actually visited a village and went through a couple of homes. We are all stunned with the standard of living that is considered acceptable....it's truly not like anything we've ever seen. We all felt terrible b/c it was like we were just gawking at their homes...trying not to look shocked b/c we certainly didn't want to insult them. The ladies (2) who let us look inside their homes were so gracious and proud of what they have...it's all they've ever known....it's just their life. One of the ladies is a Christian and she wanted to be sure we all knew this....she was so sweet....she was about 80 years old. I held her hand and tried to talk to her...Veronica interpreted for all of us....I finally had to walk out b/c I was about to explode with tears and I didn't want her to see me cry....didn't want her think I felt sorry for her. Everyday there's something knew that overwhelms us here. Attached are a few pics of the village homes.

City tour in Nanchang

Here are few more pics from last night & this morning. We're all about to lay down for a nap....we took a brief city tour this morning here in Nanchang....only a couple of hours. Learned that Nanchang has 4m people.....didn't know it was so large....that's the size of Houston! Livie eats like she's the bottomless pit! Today she had a bottle at 6:30 am; eggs, noodles & a small bowl of congee (watery rice, basically) at 9:00 am; about a 3/4 bottle, small bowl of steamed eggs, noodles at 12:30 pm.....and she'll have a snack when she gets up from her nap. We finally just have to walk away from the table with her while the other finishes eating....she'll just keep eating & eating! She's not unique.....all the babies are like this....everyone is tripping out over it.....this unlimited supply of food is obviously a new experience for them. But they certainly didn't starve in foster care or the orphanage....Livie has a pot-belly (little Buddha!) so I know she had plenty to eat. Our agency sent a message out yesterday about the US Embassy releasing a warning that Islamic terrorists were planning attacks in China at four & five star hotels....we're at a 5 star hotel!!! Didn't want to mention this yesterday....didn't want anyone at home to freak out. Our guide said we shouldn't worry about it b/c 99% of Nanchang is Han Chinese...no Muslims. Anyway....today the Embassy released another statement that the info they received was not credible and the warning was retracted....no worries! (You may have heard about this warning in the news at home....just wanted you to know that we heard it too....the agency is taking good care of us....there is tons of security and guards everywhere in China....we feel VERY safe!!) More later.... hv yrbunijmovwzev7h9oopokui6fecewwxqxicnm g k ee n bgg6c898 Olivia just typed that!! :-) Sherry

Livie in the snuggly...

This is my favorite picture!! I love that little face!!

Trip to Wal Mart

Today was a free day...no appointments. We had a group trip to Wal Mart this morning to stock up on diapers and other supplies. After shopping, we all grabbed a snack at the KFC located in Wal Mart. Attached are a few pics...

Fast facts, "it's official", and 1st bath

A few tidbits about Livie ---

• Weighs about 16 lbs
• Can't walk but is trying....tries to pull on things....walks if we're holding her arms
• Stands if she has something to hold on to...but she's still pretty wobbly and unsure
• She babbles a lot...no words (unless she's saying Chinese words that we don't understand...but I don't think so)
• We have her complete eating habits, schedule, favorite foods, 5 bags of formula...the Chinese brand that she's used to
• She likes all her toys....rattles & stacking cups the most...not terribly interested in stuffed animals....LOVES her little book
• On gotcha day, she was wearing a cotton long sleeve t-shirt and pants...and thick, quilted pants & jacket over that....socks & shoes
• She's taking a bottle....3 bottles of formula a day...and drinks her water from a bottle. We haven't tried a sippy cup yet...but I brought a couple....unless I see other babies drinking from a sippy cup, we'll probably wait until we get home to try it. She kinda holds the bottle herself but still drops it some...a bit unsure of really controlling it.
• She picks up cheerios herself and pops them in her mouth....she doesn't have great control with her fingers but she's trying hard....kinda just picks up the cheerios with her whole hand and palms it.
• She has about 8 teeth....and she'll clamp those little teeth down on your finger really quick....and it hurts!! :-)

It's Wednesday night here....she pooped twice today....right on schedule based on the info from the orphanage. It's the nastiest, snarliest, most disgusting thing we've ever smelled!!!!!! Gag-a-magget!!!!

She had her first bath tonight. We have a little plastic baby tub in our room. (This hotel is very nice...definitely 5 star...MUCH nicer than our hotel in Beijing...we LOVE it!) Steve filled it with water and it was the perfect temp...she acted like she was going to cry when her feet first hit the water, but she loved if after she sat down.....we couldn't get her out of it...she just wanted to sit there in the water. She was all fresh and clean....then I gave her a bottle at about 7:00 and she promptly filled her diaper as soon as she finished the bottle....and got poop on her clean little white night gown....had to strip her down again.....she's just sleeping in a diaper now....no PJs.

She HATES getting her diaper changed...screams the entire time....and HATES changing clothes. That's probably our fault.....seems like we nearly pull her ears off when we're pulling a shirt over her head!...we'll get better at that.

She & Steve are both sleeping now...she didn't whimper at all when we put her in the crib tonight...she's been falling asleep within a couple of minutes when we put her down (she took an hour nap this afternoon...she needed more but we didn't have time). Tomorrow is a free day...but we're all going to Wal Mart at 9:30 to stock up on supplies. I'll buy more diapers and maybe some jars of baby food. I did bring a box of rice cereal....today I just mixed a couple spoons of the cereal mix in with her formula....just to make it a bit more hearty....Veronica (our guide) suggested we all do this if we have some cereal. Livie seemed to like it. She sweats like crazy when she's eating...all the babies are little sweat pots!! Her hair is almost totally wet by the time she finishes a bottle. Last night I thought she was sweating b/c she was working too hard to drink....maybe the hole was too small in the nipple so I made it a little bigger. She's definitely eating a bit faster and seems like she's not working so hard....but she's still sweating a lot. Sounds like this is normal since all the babies are doing the same thing.

She laughed a lot tonight!...mostly when Steve was flying her up and down like an airplane. We went to the Civil Affairs office this afternoon to do some paperwork and be "interviewed" (standard questions...happy with baby?...promise to not abuse?...promise to educate her?...etc.). She is officially ours now.....today's activities finalized it! We were gone for about 3 hours...it was a bit cool and raining...about 65 degrees here (Nanchang has a similar climate with Jax). Olivia was sweating (all the babies were) but I had a jacket on her since it was cool outside....didn't want to take it off of her b/c I was afraid she might catch a cold (or her congestion would get worse). Her little outfit was totally soaked through when we got back to the room....stripped her down and put her in the warm tub....she loved it. I gave her a bit more cough medicine tonight...hopefully tomorrow her chest will sound clear and she won't be so stuffy. Most of the babies are stuffy...the orphanage director gave each family a box of medicine....but I'll stick with the stuff I brought for now and see if it works.

That's all for now....

First full day with Olivia

The orphanage director came to the hotel this morning to give us lots more info on the babies....Veronica (our guide) is working on the translation now....not sure yet what all is included....I think more info about how she was found, her daily routine, etc. She weights about 16 lbs now....has about 8 teeth and LOVES to eat. I think she'd eat as long as we put food in front of her. She wouldn't take a bottle last night but snacked on cheerios and drank water. This morning she drank a full bottle of formula around 7:30, then around 9:30 had some eggs, noodles & rice cake (never had seen this before), then at 11:30 had another little snack. She went to sleep last night at 8:30...woke up around 4:30 but we didn't pick her up out of the crib...then she went back to sleep until 7:00. She's exhausted from all the activity yesterday...us too. She slept about 20 minutes when we were in the conf room with the orphanage director (pic attached) and is taking a good nap now (1:00 pm). She's a little congested....gave her some cough/congestion medicine this morning. She's otherwise very healthy.....and pooping right on schedule. We both almost hurled earlier changing her....she stunk up the whole room....holy cow!!! Steve was a real trooper! :-) She loves all the toys we brought...stacking cups, rattle toy, little duck that quacks...and really loves the little books. She's sleeping with a book clutched in her hand now! She's really starting to attach to us....never cries when we hold her....always cries when we put her down! We tried to put her in a highchair at breakfast and she wanted no part of that....screamed her head off like we were torturing her...but stopped IMMEDIATELY when I picked her up. It's so funny....she definitely has a little on/off switch....and knows how to get her way! Attached are a few pics.... Steve practicing his diaper technique on a balloon before we left Beijing, both of us on the plane flying to Nanchang to meet Livie, the orphanage director and our guide (Veronica), 2 nannies who came today from the orphanage...they're playing with Livie (you can tell they love her!), Livie sleeping on daddy's shoulder & Livie playing in mommy's lap (we were listening to a Baby Einstein CD...Lullaby Classics).

Olivia!!

Livie sucks her toes just before falling asleep!!.... Long, exciting day!!!...Livie and her daddy are both sleeping now! (It's 9:15 p.m. here in Nanchang.). She definitely has some lungs on her...but she calms quickly. We're all getting to know each other and feel like we're bonding quickly. She even laughed tonight when Steve was playing with her (I got a half smile...he got the laugh!). She looks just like her referral pics. Doesn't look like a butterball without all those layers! She's little....sleeping in 3-6 month PJs....willl probably wear mostly 6-9 month clothes. We're exhausted, elated, overwhelmed, frazzled...so happy to have her in our arms! She is so beautiful. What an incredible experience!!! Sherry

Flying to Nanchang in a few hours

3:20 a.m. Tues morning here in Beijing and I'm wide awake. We're so excited!! Steve is still sleeping so I'm trying to be quiet....maybe at least one of us will get a good night's rest. We're leaving the hotel to head to the airport at 10:00...our flight to Olivia's Province is at 11:40 (we're about 10 minutes from the airport...and they're taking care of all luggage...we don't have to check in at the airport). It's about a 2 hour flight....will arrive in Nanchang around 1:30. We'll then go directly to the Civil Affairs office....where we'll get the babies!!!! Our appt there is at 3:00....so we'll have her when everyone at home wakes up in the morning!! We loaded one of the backpacks last night to use as her diaper bag. Our guide said they'll give us a supply of her formula so we don't need to pack any food for her. After we get her, we'll have about an hour bus ride to our hotel. There are 12 families in our group....but there are 4 groups just from our agency going to this specific Province today...in all, 40 families will get their baby today (again, this is just from our agency!...our month was a BIG batch of referrals!). Our group is first...thank goodness! In our group, we're family number 4...so we're 4th out of the 12 to get our baby. This is a surreal experience!! This country is great...the people are incredibly gracious...they are so sweet and happy to meet us...and very excited when they hear that we're in China to adopt a baby! We can't believe TODAY is THE DAY!!!! Hopefully we'll be able to post pics tonight so check out the blog tomorrow morning. We've had no problem posting while in Beijing...hopefully we'll have no prob in Nanchang. Say a prayer for healthy and happy babies! :-)

Last Day of Sightseeing before Olivia

Today was a full day of sightseeing and our last in Beijing. We fly to Nancheng in the morning and will head to the Civil Affairs office at 3:00 pm to meet Miss Olivia Lanhu Stafford for the first time. We are excited and very anxious! We started out the day going to Tiananmen Square and Forbidden City. After a few hours we headed to The Great Wall of China. Below are pictures from the day:

Steve at Tiananmen Square

Here we are at The Great Wall....

Military outside of Forbidden City

Not sure about this?????

Eleanor was our flag carrier at The Great Wall. Her family is in our Travel Group and she is soooo excited about getting her little sister tomorrow.