Last night we took the girls to Fazoli's. (Andrew was gone.) Callie ate the fettucini alfredo with her hands, and it was all over her face. That didn't seem to bother her. At one point Callie said something, and Anna looked at her and said, "What do you want, Santa Claus?" I don't know which was more comical, Callie's face or Anna's wit.
This blog will probably be updated less and less since the journey for Callie is over and she is with us. Please follow our other two blogs:
milestones & stuff (our family life)
Forest View (my interests, etc.; a hodgepodge)
Thursday, July 3, 2008
Monday, June 30, 2008
Nighttime Is Still a Challenge
Perhaps I sound like a broken record, but I'll say again that Callie is doing really well. We are pleased with the transition. She loves to play outside, she loves to dance to Caty's CDs, she loves to play peek-a-boo, she loves to chase Ryans' dog, she loves to play with Leah and Aza, and the list goes on and on.
But the nighttimes still prove difficult. While for a few nights she slept through, that hasn't happened in a while. She's up 3, 4, 5 times a night, and rare is the time when she allows me to comfort her. So Sara is quite tired (though I think God is giving her extra energy, because she's not quite as falling-down-tired as I would expect).
We are seeking wisdom. Letting her learn to cry it out seems a difficult option since Caty and Anna sleep in the same room with her.
Church bike ride yesterday. Sara, Anna, Callie, and I represented 4 of the 12 who did the ride. Great weather. We cut out after a few miles and biked up to Sara's brother's house for pleasant conversation on their front porch. The weather was front-porch perfect.
We went to dessert this evening with Sara's brother's family as well. Ice cream at Cold Stone--a rare treat!
We do enjoy having both Sara's brother and my brother within walking distance.
But the nighttimes still prove difficult. While for a few nights she slept through, that hasn't happened in a while. She's up 3, 4, 5 times a night, and rare is the time when she allows me to comfort her. So Sara is quite tired (though I think God is giving her extra energy, because she's not quite as falling-down-tired as I would expect).
We are seeking wisdom. Letting her learn to cry it out seems a difficult option since Caty and Anna sleep in the same room with her.
Church bike ride yesterday. Sara, Anna, Callie, and I represented 4 of the 12 who did the ride. Great weather. We cut out after a few miles and biked up to Sara's brother's house for pleasant conversation on their front porch. The weather was front-porch perfect.
We went to dessert this evening with Sara's brother's family as well. Ice cream at Cold Stone--a rare treat!
We do enjoy having both Sara's brother and my brother within walking distance.
Thursday, June 26, 2008
Day at the Museum
Scantlin family quote of the day: "Trust me, I haven't farted since this afternoon." Andrew told us this when we were trying to determine the source of a particularly foul odor.
Andrew, Caty, and I went to the Lincoln Museum today, just days before its demise. Lots of people there today. If it had this business months ago, it wouldn't be closing.
Third or fourth time I'd been there. Learn something new every time. I was impressed with how seriously the kids surveyed various exhibits. Afterwards at the library, Caty picked up a couple books on Lincoln. A girl after my own heart.
Andrew, Caty, and I went to the Lincoln Museum today, just days before its demise. Lots of people there today. If it had this business months ago, it wouldn't be closing.
Third or fourth time I'd been there. Learn something new every time. I was impressed with how seriously the kids surveyed various exhibits. Afterwards at the library, Caty picked up a couple books on Lincoln. A girl after my own heart.
Wednesday, June 25, 2008
Andrew & CDYC
All the kids are back. Andrew got home from CDYC yesterday, and Caty arrived home from Michigan this evening.
Andrew received two "superior" awards (gold medals), 1 for preaching and 1 for the skit. The comments by the judges are impressive. He had a fantastic time, and the Lord seemed to really get his attention.
I'm looking forward to taking Andrew up to a Tigers game in a couple weeks.
Andrew received two "superior" awards (gold medals), 1 for preaching and 1 for the skit. The comments by the judges are impressive. He had a fantastic time, and the Lord seemed to really get his attention.
I'm looking forward to taking Andrew up to a Tigers game in a couple weeks.
Tuesday, June 24, 2008
Spiderwoman's Alias Is Anna Rachel
Scantlin family quote of the day: "I'm getting chubby." Anna said this as she was finishing her meal at Fish of Stroh this evening.
She wowed me later this evening. I strategically placed a balloon out of her reach at the top of the hallway wall. I then watched in amazement as she scaled the hallway walls in "X" form and knocked the balloon down.
She was pleased I was impressed, and she climbed again, her head touching the ceiling. Each hand on opposite walls, each foot on opposite walls, she inches up with amazing strength.
She wowed me later this evening. I strategically placed a balloon out of her reach at the top of the hallway wall. I then watched in amazement as she scaled the hallway walls in "X" form and knocked the balloon down.
She was pleased I was impressed, and she climbed again, her head touching the ceiling. Each hand on opposite walls, each foot on opposite walls, she inches up with amazing strength.
Monday, June 23, 2008
Callie's Feet; Weddings
Yesterday morning I sat with Callie at the table while she ate her breakfast of Kashi cereal (like healthy Cheerios). When she was done, I let her down out of her booster seat, whereupon she stepped on something with her bare feet. She then sat down on the floor and picked up her foot to discover a piece of her cereal stuck tightly there. She then without hesitation peeled it off, stuck it halfway in her mouth, and crunched down, chewing. Then she emitted, with no prompting from me, "Mmmm."
Sara took Callie to the orthopedist at Fred Toenges Shoes the other day, and after checking out her feet, he made an insert for her shoes.
Caty left with my parents and a couple cousins Saturday for Michigan. My dad's twin sister got married, and they went to the wedding. Andrew also left for CDYC Saturday morning. Anna was supposed to go to the wedding also, but she changed her mind, and we allowed her to stay home. Andrew will return Tuesday morning, and Caty will return some time Wednesday.
I attended another wedding of someone who used to be in my youth group at Northside. All these kids are getting married (Peter, John, Jacque, Phil, Andy, Chelsea, Scott, Jeff, Lisa, etc.), and some of them have kids!
Sara's brother and sister-in-law took us out to eat after church yesterday, and we had to wait a while on our food, which proved a little bit of a challenge since we had 4 kids, and Anna was the oldest!
Sara took Callie to the orthopedist at Fred Toenges Shoes the other day, and after checking out her feet, he made an insert for her shoes.
Caty left with my parents and a couple cousins Saturday for Michigan. My dad's twin sister got married, and they went to the wedding. Andrew also left for CDYC Saturday morning. Anna was supposed to go to the wedding also, but she changed her mind, and we allowed her to stay home. Andrew will return Tuesday morning, and Caty will return some time Wednesday.
I attended another wedding of someone who used to be in my youth group at Northside. All these kids are getting married (Peter, John, Jacque, Phil, Andy, Chelsea, Scott, Jeff, Lisa, etc.), and some of them have kids!
Sara's brother and sister-in-law took us out to eat after church yesterday, and we had to wait a while on our food, which proved a little bit of a challenge since we had 4 kids, and Anna was the oldest!
Thursday, June 19, 2008
Bike Trailers, Outdoor Fun, & Energy Drinks
Callie's doing much better today, although now she has a skin rash of some sort. Sara surmises an allergic reaction to her antibiotic.
Andrew's gearing up for CDYC. One of the ways is spending his/my hard-earned money on energy drinks. He and his bud Jason (pictured together) are each taking some.
Sara assembled and hooked up her bike trailer today. Rode Callie to church tonight to see some of VBS and then rode her back home. She says Callie loves the thing and talks the whole time she's riding.
Caty and I played some tennis today. The oldest 3 and I also played kickball. Trying to get Andrew and Caty to play outside can be difficult, but they need the activity. Especially Caty; she has no close friends in the neighborhood, so she stays inside and reads when we won't let her watch TV. (Don't get me wrong; I'm thrilled that she and Andrew both love to read.)
Need to pray about that. So many things to pray about just in terms of the kids!
Andrew's gearing up for CDYC. One of the ways is spending his/my hard-earned money on energy drinks. He and his bud Jason (pictured together) are each taking some.
He's entered the talent competition this year in two areas: a skit with Jason and another friend, Kelli; and preaching. He's preaching on Job 1. He spent a lot more time in prep last year for his sermon, so I don't know . . .
Wednesday, June 18, 2008
We're Not Looking Forward to the Weekend
With Callie feverish this week--her fever is very low-grade now, by the way--she and Sara have not gone to VBS at all this week. And Callie has missed her brother and sisters in the evenings when they've all been at VBS.
Andrew, Caty, and Anna are all leaving Saturday morning and won't return until Tuesday and Wednesday. Can you say "clingy"?
Andrew, Caty, and Anna are all leaving Saturday morning and won't return until Tuesday and Wednesday. Can you say "clingy"?
Tuesday, June 17, 2008
Did You Know We Have 3 Other Kids, Too?
Callie has had a fever the last two days. At various points it was 104. She, and Sara, did not sleep well last night. We have not had Leah for two days because of Callie's fever. She's now on antibiotic.
There's been a clamor (1 email) to hear about the other kids once and a while.
Andrew started Wildcat baseball this week. Not a promising start since both games they've fielded 7 or less players.
Caty is going to town with the library's summer reading program. She reads a lot, which is great.
Andrew and Caty are both helping out with Vacation Bible School at our church this week.
Anna is participating in VBS. She's also doing gymnastics this summer. She loves to do stretches with me, though I don't stretch quite as far as she does.
Andrew's gearing up for CDYC this weekend, and the girls are going up to Michigan this weekend with my parents' to my aunt's wedding. Callie will be lost without her siblings.
There's been a clamor (1 email) to hear about the other kids once and a while.
Andrew started Wildcat baseball this week. Not a promising start since both games they've fielded 7 or less players.
Caty is going to town with the library's summer reading program. She reads a lot, which is great.
Andrew and Caty are both helping out with Vacation Bible School at our church this week.
Anna is participating in VBS. She's also doing gymnastics this summer. She loves to do stretches with me, though I don't stretch quite as far as she does.
Andrew's gearing up for CDYC this weekend, and the girls are going up to Michigan this weekend with my parents' to my aunt's wedding. Callie will be lost without her siblings.
Saturday, June 14, 2008
Daddy's Girl
Last night Callie was a Daddy's girl, perhaps the first time since she joined our family. I was gone before she got up in the morning, and I was home just briefly in the afternoon, but she was asleep then.
We did talk on the phone for the first time. Sara held the phone up to her ear while I talked to her. She said not a word, but Sara said she was grinning from ear to ear when she realized it was my voice. She then wasn't in a hurry to end the call.
When I got home, she wanted me to hold her and play with her.
Often when she wants me to do something, she grabs my hand and pulls me to where she wants me. Several times it's to the piano, and we play together. If I stop, she stops, grabs my hand, and places it back on the piano. That's universal language for, "Play. I'm not doing a solo here."
We did talk on the phone for the first time. Sara held the phone up to her ear while I talked to her. She said not a word, but Sara said she was grinning from ear to ear when she realized it was my voice. She then wasn't in a hurry to end the call.
When I got home, she wanted me to hold her and play with her.
Often when she wants me to do something, she grabs my hand and pulls me to where she wants me. Several times it's to the piano, and we play together. If I stop, she stops, grabs my hand, and places it back on the piano. That's universal language for, "Play. I'm not doing a solo here."
Thursday, June 12, 2008
Naked, and They Felt No Shame
There's been a clamor (1 email) for more posts. So a couple snatches.
At one point this morning while I was making some trips in and out, I came to the screen door and Callie greeted me. She held up a very soaked pull-up with a gesture that clearly meant, "Here, you take it. It's passed the point of usefulness." Wondering from where this early Father's Day present came, I lifted Callie's pajama dress and found . . . well, you can imagine what I didn't find there. That's right, a pull-up.
In fact, while Callie hated to be undressed in China, America has tipped her the other way. There have been several times when I've been in the kitchen and I hear Sara's voice down the hallway begin to yell, "Hey, come back here. We're not done." I then hear the rapid patter of little feet and soon see my youngest rounding the corner of the kitchen naked from the waist down (and sometimes also naked from the waist up). We all get a charge out of it.
At one point this morning while I was making some trips in and out, I came to the screen door and Callie greeted me. She held up a very soaked pull-up with a gesture that clearly meant, "Here, you take it. It's passed the point of usefulness." Wondering from where this early Father's Day present came, I lifted Callie's pajama dress and found . . . well, you can imagine what I didn't find there. That's right, a pull-up.
In fact, while Callie hated to be undressed in China, America has tipped her the other way. There have been several times when I've been in the kitchen and I hear Sara's voice down the hallway begin to yell, "Hey, come back here. We're not done." I then hear the rapid patter of little feet and soon see my youngest rounding the corner of the kitchen naked from the waist down (and sometimes also naked from the waist up). We all get a charge out of it.
Sunday, June 8, 2008
Dedicated to the Lord Today
Today we dedicated Callie to the Lord at our church. She was dedicated along with her cousin, Sydney.
And she demonstrated during her dedication why she needs to be dedicated to the Lord and why she needs the grace that is highlighted in her middle name. What a stinker! Didn't want to be held, squirmed, and wouldn't stay put when set down. Our church family got a charge out of it.
Sara's sister (Suzanne) and her husband and son came into town yesterday and are staying until Tuesday with us. So all the cousins were together today: Andrew, Caty, Anna, Aza, Callie, Noah, and Sydney. Their respective ages are 13, 11, 7, 23 months, 19 months, 17 months, and 5 months.
We also celebrated Sara's 38th birthday (which was yesterday) and Suzanne's 30th birthday (which is today).
And she demonstrated during her dedication why she needs to be dedicated to the Lord and why she needs the grace that is highlighted in her middle name. What a stinker! Didn't want to be held, squirmed, and wouldn't stay put when set down. Our church family got a charge out of it.
Sara's sister (Suzanne) and her husband and son came into town yesterday and are staying until Tuesday with us. So all the cousins were together today: Andrew, Caty, Anna, Aza, Callie, Noah, and Sydney. Their respective ages are 13, 11, 7, 23 months, 19 months, 17 months, and 5 months.
We also celebrated Sara's 38th birthday (which was yesterday) and Suzanne's 30th birthday (which is today).
Saturday, June 7, 2008
One Month with Callie
It was a month ago yesterday that Callie first entered our lives. (Physically, that is. Of course, she had been in our prayers and on our hearts for some time before that.) It's hard to believe, after those first few days, the degree of happiness and satisfaction she exhibits now in our home.
She loves all three of the kids. She's all over the place in our home, loves to be outside, enjoys her baths, sleeps through the night, and often plays on her own.
She still can't go real long out of sight of Sara. Sara is like her one emotional anchor in this new world, but that's okay.
Yesterday, Sara turned the sandbox into a wading pool, and Callie and her cousins refreshed themselves.
She loves all three of the kids. She's all over the place in our home, loves to be outside, enjoys her baths, sleeps through the night, and often plays on her own.
She still can't go real long out of sight of Sara. Sara is like her one emotional anchor in this new world, but that's okay.
Yesterday, Sara turned the sandbox into a wading pool, and Callie and her cousins refreshed themselves.
Wednesday, June 4, 2008
What is the purpose of a spoon? Of a fork?
Let it not be said that Callie Wang never uses her utensils! She did today at lunch. While she clasped her fork in her left hand, she picked up cheesy macaroni and shoved it into her mouth with her right!
She did the same with soup last week, only that time--and here you see her true genius for one so young--she knew to hold a spoon in her otherwise useless hand.
She did the same with soup last week, only that time--and here you see her true genius for one so young--she knew to hold a spoon in her otherwise useless hand.
Tuesday, June 3, 2008
Bedtime
I sat with Sara during the bedtime routine tonight for Callie Wang. I helped, too, by playing "this little piggy" several times, "peek a boo" several times, by tickling and being a jungle gym.
But is the bedtime routine supposed to end up with Sara asleep and Callie wide awake, grinning from ear to ear?
In other news, I've created another blog to talk about things that don't usually fit within this particular blog's focus. You can check it out at http://kforests.blogspot.com/.
But is the bedtime routine supposed to end up with Sara asleep and Callie wide awake, grinning from ear to ear?
In other news, I've created another blog to talk about things that don't usually fit within this particular blog's focus. You can check it out at http://kforests.blogspot.com/.
Monday, June 2, 2008
Sara Resumes Watching Leah, and Callie Loves It
I now eat some of what I said in yesterday's post. While Callie ate breakfast, Anna sat beside her and got her to laugh quite a bit.
Leah was back today, the first time in over a month. And Leah and Callie (2 days apart in age) had a great time with each other. Sara said the day could not have gone any better than what it did.
As she was putting them down for naps, she had them both in her arms, and they were hugging each other. Callie wakes up hard. By that I mean she cries. She started to do so when she woke from her nap . . . until she saw Leah. Then the world was a much happier place.
In other news, Callie slept through the night last night--only her second time since we've had her. Good for Sara! (Nonetheless, Sara went to bed earlier than normal tonight.)
Of course, the cutest pictures between Callie and Leah occurred today when we didn't have the camera in hand, but we still got a couple of them together, one of which is posted.
Leah was back today, the first time in over a month. And Leah and Callie (2 days apart in age) had a great time with each other. Sara said the day could not have gone any better than what it did.
As she was putting them down for naps, she had them both in her arms, and they were hugging each other. Callie wakes up hard. By that I mean she cries. She started to do so when she woke from her nap . . . until she saw Leah. Then the world was a much happier place.
In other news, Callie slept through the night last night--only her second time since we've had her. Good for Sara! (Nonetheless, Sara went to bed earlier than normal tonight.)
Of course, the cutest pictures between Callie and Leah occurred today when we didn't have the camera in hand, but we still got a couple of them together, one of which is posted.
Sunday, June 1, 2008
Callie's Relationship with Her Brother & Sisters
Andrew and Caty are very good at getting Callie to smile and laugh, and they enjoy playing little games with her they know she likes.
I don't know how to characterize the relationship between Callie and Anna. Anna doesn't get Callie to laugh as much, but she doesn't try like the other two.
Anna loves Callie, but I think she's struggling a little bit with her own place in the family now. She's been a bit of a stinker lately, and she and Sara had a heart-to-heart the other day (which is somewhat rare to get Anna involved in).
I've been concerned about this possibility in particular and have tried to give Anna lots of attention, but she may struggle with all the energy and time Callie is requiring of Sara.
I don't know how to characterize the relationship between Callie and Anna. Anna doesn't get Callie to laugh as much, but she doesn't try like the other two.
Anna loves Callie, but I think she's struggling a little bit with her own place in the family now. She's been a bit of a stinker lately, and she and Sara had a heart-to-heart the other day (which is somewhat rare to get Anna involved in).
I've been concerned about this possibility in particular and have tried to give Anna lots of attention, but she may struggle with all the energy and time Callie is requiring of Sara.
Saturday, May 31, 2008
Callie Loves Eating, Playing; Hates Medicine
Callie developed a fever yesterday afternoon, but no other symptoms. This morning she was fine.
We found out that one thing hasn't changed--she still hates to take medicine, and it still requires two of us to medicate her.
A funny characteristic: When she doesn't want something, she often says "byow byow" (no no), shakes her head, and shakes her hand back and forth. Sara and I remember Sara's Grandma Goldsmith shaking her hand, too, when she meant no.
Callie has at least two loves: eating and playing outside. She sometimes gets very frustrated when she doesn't get to do one or the other.
Sara is still very tired. Putting Callie back to sleep in the middle of the night doesn't take long (so Sara tells me), but it still interrupts her sleep.
We found out that one thing hasn't changed--she still hates to take medicine, and it still requires two of us to medicate her.
A funny characteristic: When she doesn't want something, she often says "byow byow" (no no), shakes her head, and shakes her hand back and forth. Sara and I remember Sara's Grandma Goldsmith shaking her hand, too, when she meant no.
Callie has at least two loves: eating and playing outside. She sometimes gets very frustrated when she doesn't get to do one or the other.
Sara is still very tired. Putting Callie back to sleep in the middle of the night doesn't take long (so Sara tells me), but it still interrupts her sleep.
Wednesday, May 28, 2008
Learning English
List of words Callie is using:
She slept through the night for the first time a couple nights ago. We were elated.
- no
- peek-boo
- thank you
- there you go (when she hands something to someone)
- Mom
- Andrew
- Anna
- ba-bye
- more
- uh oh
(She calls Caty "Eee.")
She is so happy-go-lucky, and she's very comfortable out of our laps and arms. She's often exploring. Tonight at our senior pastor's house, she was all over the place, playing with anyone who was willing. It's like she's lived with us ever since she was born. The change over the last week has been incredible.She slept through the night for the first time a couple nights ago. We were elated.
Monday, May 26, 2008
Callie and Routine
Callie is doing great! She loves being outside. She's starting to enjoy her baths instead of screaming. She runs and jumps, though both feet never actually leave the ground at the same time. She's learning the routine of the Scantlin home.
Routine. Sara's routine in particular has been significantly modified. Sara and I tend to be task-oriented as opposed to people-oriented. As long as Sara removes several things from her typical daily list and adds "be there for Callie whenever she cries or needs Mommy to hold her," she will still feel fulfilled as a task-oriented individual.
Bigfoot is alive and well! Let's talk numbers. My son Andrew:
Age: 13
Height: 6' 2"
Shoe size: 14 wide
No. of times he's told me he loves me since we returned from China: Countless
Took the kids to a Chinese restaurant Friday night. Anna and I enjoyed the sweet and sour chicken until I opened my fortune cookie and read, "That wasn't chicken."
We've enjoyed our Memorial Day weekend thus far. Sunday my parents and nephew came over, and then my brother and niece. Finally we decided to get pizza, my brother's other two kids, and cake. We weren't planning on it, but we ended up celebrating my niece Audrey's 9th birthday.
This afternoon we're planning on enjoying a cookout at Sara's brother's house.
Routine. Sara's routine in particular has been significantly modified. Sara and I tend to be task-oriented as opposed to people-oriented. As long as Sara removes several things from her typical daily list and adds "be there for Callie whenever she cries or needs Mommy to hold her," she will still feel fulfilled as a task-oriented individual.
Bigfoot is alive and well! Let's talk numbers. My son Andrew:
Age: 13
Height: 6' 2"
Shoe size: 14 wide
No. of times he's told me he loves me since we returned from China: Countless
Took the kids to a Chinese restaurant Friday night. Anna and I enjoyed the sweet and sour chicken until I opened my fortune cookie and read, "That wasn't chicken."
We've enjoyed our Memorial Day weekend thus far. Sunday my parents and nephew came over, and then my brother and niece. Finally we decided to get pizza, my brother's other two kids, and cake. We weren't planning on it, but we ended up celebrating my niece Audrey's 9th birthday.
This afternoon we're planning on enjoying a cookout at Sara's brother's house.
Friday, May 23, 2008
Practicing English
Nights are still not perfect, but they're improving. Callie still wakes up often, but it's a little easier to get her back to sleep. In fact, I slept quite well last night--Callie never came to our bed! But then again, neither did Sara.
The night before last, all three of us were in our bed. Sara and I both woke around 4:30am because Callie was awake. But this time she wasn't crying. She was talking, real quiet. Neither of us moved, just listened. "Ba ba, Dad-dy. Cal-lie. Ma-ma, Mom-my. Cal-lie." Etc. Sara and I both got the impression she was rehearsing new words.
Sara has often touched herself and said "Mommy," then me and said "Daddy," then Callie and said "Callie," going back and forth repeatedly for some time, teaching Callie our names. I wish you could have heard Callie reciting her "lessons." It was very cute!
Sara said she did the same thing again early this morning, practicing words such as "Daddy," "Mommy," and "Andrew."
Other Callie news: She's still potty-trained, essentially getting Sara's attention in one way or another that she has to go. This is a good thing; Sara says she's horrible at potty-training.
Callie also spent some time outdoors yesterday, unsure of walking on grass but willing to try. She loves the outdoors. Later, she was out with Caty, Anna, and her cousin Aza watching Caty blow bubbles and Aza pop them.
Callie continues to adapt and transition. She's doing well. Nonetheless, we look forward to her sleeping through the night in her own bed without one of us in it. And we look forward to all of us being healthy; everyone except me is in some stage of a cold (though Callie's almost done with it).
The night before last, all three of us were in our bed. Sara and I both woke around 4:30am because Callie was awake. But this time she wasn't crying. She was talking, real quiet. Neither of us moved, just listened. "Ba ba, Dad-dy. Cal-lie. Ma-ma, Mom-my. Cal-lie." Etc. Sara and I both got the impression she was rehearsing new words.
Sara has often touched herself and said "Mommy," then me and said "Daddy," then Callie and said "Callie," going back and forth repeatedly for some time, teaching Callie our names. I wish you could have heard Callie reciting her "lessons." It was very cute!
Sara said she did the same thing again early this morning, practicing words such as "Daddy," "Mommy," and "Andrew."
Other Callie news: She's still potty-trained, essentially getting Sara's attention in one way or another that she has to go. This is a good thing; Sara says she's horrible at potty-training.
Callie also spent some time outdoors yesterday, unsure of walking on grass but willing to try. She loves the outdoors. Later, she was out with Caty, Anna, and her cousin Aza watching Caty blow bubbles and Aza pop them.
Callie continues to adapt and transition. She's doing well. Nonetheless, we look forward to her sleeping through the night in her own bed without one of us in it. And we look forward to all of us being healthy; everyone except me is in some stage of a cold (though Callie's almost done with it).
Wednesday, May 21, 2008
Sleepless in Fort Wayne
Each day is better, and each night is better. That's not saying much; as far as the nights go, we only had up to go.
Monday night was horrible. Callie was essentially up until 5am, and crying . . . no, screaming, the whole time. At one point (3:00? 4:00?) we sat her on the potty, at which point she stopped her screaming and said, "Byow pee pee" (No pee pee). She then resumed her screaming. Sara and I had a good laugh for several minutes over that one (our only laugh of the night). Part of the struggle was she wouldn't settle for anything less than laying across Sara's chest. The next day Sara slept until after 12:00, and Callie until 2:30.
Tuesday night was much better, though she screamed for quite a while, though she was in bed with us, and though she woke up half a dozen times through the night screaming. At least we got more sleep.
Now tonight Sara just came downstairs at 11:00--without Callie! And get this: she's in her own bed . . . asleep!
Wednesday nights look like this: we go to Bible study/youth group/kids club at 7:00. Afterwards we go up to our senior pastor's house along with a few others for socializing around the kitchen table. We expected Callie to cling to Sara the whole time tonight. But she surprised us. She played in the nursery, and she wandered around the kitchen, mainly because of her interest in a do--, a do--, . . . it's hard to say, a dog.
Yes, we've spotted a flaw in our child. She likes dogs, at least this dog, the Ryans' dog, "Marley" some call it. She kept feeding "Marley" popcorn much to our senior pastor's chagrin. Then she followed "Marley" around to pet it. (Apparently in my family's pet debate, I'm getting further outnumbered.)
Callie made Caty's night tonight when Caty came to the nursery after kids club. Callie was sitting on Sara's lap, saw Caty, got down off Sara's lap, walked over to Caty, and held her hands up, which in the universal toddler language means, "Pick me up."
Monday night was horrible. Callie was essentially up until 5am, and crying . . . no, screaming, the whole time. At one point (3:00? 4:00?) we sat her on the potty, at which point she stopped her screaming and said, "Byow pee pee" (No pee pee). She then resumed her screaming. Sara and I had a good laugh for several minutes over that one (our only laugh of the night). Part of the struggle was she wouldn't settle for anything less than laying across Sara's chest. The next day Sara slept until after 12:00, and Callie until 2:30.
Tuesday night was much better, though she screamed for quite a while, though she was in bed with us, and though she woke up half a dozen times through the night screaming. At least we got more sleep.
Now tonight Sara just came downstairs at 11:00--without Callie! And get this: she's in her own bed . . . asleep!
Wednesday nights look like this: we go to Bible study/youth group/kids club at 7:00. Afterwards we go up to our senior pastor's house along with a few others for socializing around the kitchen table. We expected Callie to cling to Sara the whole time tonight. But she surprised us. She played in the nursery, and she wandered around the kitchen, mainly because of her interest in a do--, a do--, . . . it's hard to say, a dog.
Yes, we've spotted a flaw in our child. She likes dogs, at least this dog, the Ryans' dog, "Marley" some call it. She kept feeding "Marley" popcorn much to our senior pastor's chagrin. Then she followed "Marley" around to pet it. (Apparently in my family's pet debate, I'm getting further outnumbered.)
Callie made Caty's night tonight when Caty came to the nursery after kids club. Callie was sitting on Sara's lap, saw Caty, got down off Sara's lap, walked over to Caty, and held her hands up, which in the universal toddler language means, "Pick me up."
Monday, May 19, 2008
Home!
Thank you for your prayers! We are home, safe and sound. The killer flight was the flight from Hong Kong to Chicago--14 hours! And all the parents were nervous about how their kids would do, because no one wants to be a nuisance to the other passengers because they can't keep their kids from crying and squirming.
Callie did very well, because in answer to your prayers, the Lord kept her asleep for most of the trip. She slept the first 4 hours and then about the last 6 hours, and during the awake times, she did well.
All the kids did well, except for one, and it was a difficult experience for her parents, though they wore it well. (On top of that, the turbulence made the mom sick.)
Anna and I played lots of UNO on the trip to pass the time.
Long lay-over in Chicago, and it was all I could do to keep from falling asleep. Eventually the six families went their various ways, and we said good-bye to people we had come to love and lean on for two weeks. (The seventh family left Guangzhou before the rest of us did.)
Andrew and Caty, Sara's brother's family, my parents, and three of my brother's kids met us at the airport. Andrew and Caty were able to elicit smiles from their new sister. We collected our luggage--it was amazingly never displaced during any of our seven flights--and went home. Home! China was great, but it's great to be home. Andrew, Caty, and Jessica had decorated, and Caty and my mom had baked a cake.
We were up until midnight talking with the kids, and Callie seemed to enjoy exploring.
The next day, Sunday, was a difficult day for Callie, possibly because of her cold, and possibly because she's experiencing jet lag. We had many "Welcome back" greetings from our church family, slept four hours in the afternoon (and could've probably slept longer), and then went over to my parents in the evening to show them my 27 quality pictures of China and the 838 other ones.
The journey for Callie is at its end, and yet the journey for Callie has just begun. I don't know what that means; it just sounds really insightful and deep, like something appropriate to put in a blog. Perhaps a better ending is, Man, am I tired!
Callie did very well, because in answer to your prayers, the Lord kept her asleep for most of the trip. She slept the first 4 hours and then about the last 6 hours, and during the awake times, she did well.
All the kids did well, except for one, and it was a difficult experience for her parents, though they wore it well. (On top of that, the turbulence made the mom sick.)
Anna and I played lots of UNO on the trip to pass the time.
Long lay-over in Chicago, and it was all I could do to keep from falling asleep. Eventually the six families went their various ways, and we said good-bye to people we had come to love and lean on for two weeks. (The seventh family left Guangzhou before the rest of us did.)
Andrew and Caty, Sara's brother's family, my parents, and three of my brother's kids met us at the airport. Andrew and Caty were able to elicit smiles from their new sister. We collected our luggage--it was amazingly never displaced during any of our seven flights--and went home. Home! China was great, but it's great to be home. Andrew, Caty, and Jessica had decorated, and Caty and my mom had baked a cake.
We were up until midnight talking with the kids, and Callie seemed to enjoy exploring.
The next day, Sunday, was a difficult day for Callie, possibly because of her cold, and possibly because she's experiencing jet lag. We had many "Welcome back" greetings from our church family, slept four hours in the afternoon (and could've probably slept longer), and then went over to my parents in the evening to show them my 27 quality pictures of China and the 838 other ones.
The journey for Callie is at its end, and yet the journey for Callie has just begun. I don't know what that means; it just sounds really insightful and deep, like something appropriate to put in a blog. Perhaps a better ending is, Man, am I tired!
Friday, May 16, 2008
The Journey's Almost Over
Last blog from China. We enjoyed our last full day in China. Sara and Callie went shopping with other moms to a pearl place and other shops. Anna and I did some shopping here on Shamian Island (mainly Anna). I'm telling you, Shamian Island is a shopping heaven or hell, depending on your gender.
We ate lunch at a Thai restaurant (The Cow and Bridge), a place we enjoyed 6 years ago, but we steered clear of the ostrich kidneys and the BBQ pigs feet.
This afternoon we all trekked to the US Consulate where we swore an oath that all the info we supplied was accurate, thus insuring that once Callie sets foot on American soil, she will be an American citizen. The gravity of the moment was lost on her as she fussed about us not letting her down to walk around.
Anna stayed back at the hotel with her friend Taylor and Taylor's grandma. During the three hours we were gone, they watched Little Women, and when two people kissed at the end, they both went into the bathroom and gagged, saying, "It's bad enough when our parents do it."
As I type at 8:23pm Friday night (8:23am Friday morning in Fort Wayne), I am dumbfounded that God has led us to adopt now a second daughter from China. The adventures he takes us on.
Callie is right now being a toddler and reminding me of what we signed up for: she's into everything. There are not enough high places in the hotel room to put things out of her reach.
We are ready to come home, but tomorrow will be a very long day, literally. We need to be up at 5am, and then we're flying to Hong Kong, then from Hong Kong to Chicago (the killer 12+ hour flight), then from Chicago to Fort Wayne. Our day, due to time changes, will be around 36 hours long.
We again ask for your prayers and thank you for your prayers.
We ate lunch at a Thai restaurant (The Cow and Bridge), a place we enjoyed 6 years ago, but we steered clear of the ostrich kidneys and the BBQ pigs feet.
This afternoon we all trekked to the US Consulate where we swore an oath that all the info we supplied was accurate, thus insuring that once Callie sets foot on American soil, she will be an American citizen. The gravity of the moment was lost on her as she fussed about us not letting her down to walk around.
Anna stayed back at the hotel with her friend Taylor and Taylor's grandma. During the three hours we were gone, they watched Little Women, and when two people kissed at the end, they both went into the bathroom and gagged, saying, "It's bad enough when our parents do it."
As I type at 8:23pm Friday night (8:23am Friday morning in Fort Wayne), I am dumbfounded that God has led us to adopt now a second daughter from China. The adventures he takes us on.
Callie is right now being a toddler and reminding me of what we signed up for: she's into everything. There are not enough high places in the hotel room to put things out of her reach.
We are ready to come home, but tomorrow will be a very long day, literally. We need to be up at 5am, and then we're flying to Hong Kong, then from Hong Kong to Chicago (the killer 12+ hour flight), then from Chicago to Fort Wayne. Our day, due to time changes, will be around 36 hours long.
We again ask for your prayers and thank you for your prayers.
Thursday, May 15, 2008
Callie Characteristics
God answers prayer! Three to four hours after I posted our lost blog entry, Sara was up with Callie, still feverish and miserable. Sara called our pediatrician friend in KY who assured Sara she was doing all the right stuff. Shortly after the call, and while Sara was still holding Callie, her fever broke! She woke up much better and playful. She had a mild fever again in the late morning, but that broke at lunch, and her cold is subdued. Thanks for the prayers, and keep praying, please.
Many of the electronic controls are on a console by the bed in our hotel, well within reach of Callie. So our “Do Not Disturb” sign is always on, and the radio is always on, too. Usually we’re listening to either contemporary Chinese music or to a Chinese call-in program.
Callie and I have developed at least 10 little games that I am asked to do over and over and over and over and over. I think I did “this little piggy” 20 times in a row tonight. No joke. I think part of it is her trying to learn our language, and I think the language issue is still a big thing with her.
When Callie is hurt, she doesn’t say, “Ow, ow.” Instead, she says, “Oh, oh” and places her hand on her ouchie spot. Once we rub it and kiss it, she’s usually good to go.
We learned from Alison, our Beijing/Guangzhou guide, that Callie is calling Anna “Sister," me “Daddy," and Sara “Auntie” in Chinese. Alison attempted to correct her. Analyze that one if you want.
It’s been interesting to Sara and me that Callie has bonded to both of us about equally as well, which is highly unusual. It has not turned out that way in any of the other families. In 3 of the families, the adopted bonded to Mom tightly. In 2 of them, they bonded to Dad, to the point where neither one of them wanted Mom at all and would cry when Dad would leave the hotel room. Both of those moms really struggled for the first few days until their daughters warmed up to them. And in one family, the girl bonded instantly to the 12-year-old sister. Side effect: the one bonded to is worn out after just 2 or 3 days. (Anna bonded instantly to Sara in ‘02.)
More bonding issues: Mixed results on adopted kids bonding with their new siblings. Callie is always concerned where "Je je" ("sister") is, but she never really wants Anna to hold her.
One of the traditions for adopting families in Guangzhou is “the red couch picture” wherein all the adopted kids of the group are dressed in traditional Chinese dress, placed together on a red couch, and their pictures are taken. That precious little tradition took place today. Only two of the kids were not cooperative, as predicted by their parents. (See the picture on the left.)
Anna bought herself a Chinese Barbie-like doll. We couldn’t find a name for her, though, in the box. I suggested Kow Lung, but she’s not going for it. Anna also made friends with a boy, Taylor, in our travel group who is slightly older, which is great for her. Nonetheless, I'm keeping my eye on that boy . . .
Chinese TV: Our days are usually busy, so we don’t watch much. However, we have taken in some professional sports: table tennis, badminton, and sumo wrestling. I still haven't figured out the philosophy behind, "Get as large as you can, and wear as little as possible."
We did a 2-hour river boat cruise on the Pearl River this evening. Guangzhou is beautiful at night along the river, all lit up with neon, and the weather was perfect.
Last night we went to a traditional Chinese restaurant. In the lobby were cages and tanks holding several menu items, most of which were alive: varieties of fish, turtles, shrimp, one variety of snake, sandworms (very large), water beetles, etc. Our actual meal was much tamer than that, however. Tonight for supper we had Papa John’s.
Three prayer requests:
1) Pray Callie continues to mend and the rest of us stay healthy.
2) All of us are concerned about how well our kids will handle the 12-hour flight home Saturday. Pray for all 7 families and their adopted daughters. (Callie’s showing signs of not wanting to be held all the time.)
3) Pray both our flights (to Chicago and to Fort Wayne) are not delayed or cancelled.
Many of the electronic controls are on a console by the bed in our hotel, well within reach of Callie. So our “Do Not Disturb” sign is always on, and the radio is always on, too. Usually we’re listening to either contemporary Chinese music or to a Chinese call-in program.
Callie and I have developed at least 10 little games that I am asked to do over and over and over and over and over. I think I did “this little piggy” 20 times in a row tonight. No joke. I think part of it is her trying to learn our language, and I think the language issue is still a big thing with her.
When Callie is hurt, she doesn’t say, “Ow, ow.” Instead, she says, “Oh, oh” and places her hand on her ouchie spot. Once we rub it and kiss it, she’s usually good to go.
We learned from Alison, our Beijing/Guangzhou guide, that Callie is calling Anna “Sister," me “Daddy," and Sara “Auntie” in Chinese. Alison attempted to correct her. Analyze that one if you want.
It’s been interesting to Sara and me that Callie has bonded to both of us about equally as well, which is highly unusual. It has not turned out that way in any of the other families. In 3 of the families, the adopted bonded to Mom tightly. In 2 of them, they bonded to Dad, to the point where neither one of them wanted Mom at all and would cry when Dad would leave the hotel room. Both of those moms really struggled for the first few days until their daughters warmed up to them. And in one family, the girl bonded instantly to the 12-year-old sister. Side effect: the one bonded to is worn out after just 2 or 3 days. (Anna bonded instantly to Sara in ‘02.)
More bonding issues: Mixed results on adopted kids bonding with their new siblings. Callie is always concerned where "Je je" ("sister") is, but she never really wants Anna to hold her.
One of the traditions for adopting families in Guangzhou is “the red couch picture” wherein all the adopted kids of the group are dressed in traditional Chinese dress, placed together on a red couch, and their pictures are taken. That precious little tradition took place today. Only two of the kids were not cooperative, as predicted by their parents. (See the picture on the left.)
Anna bought herself a Chinese Barbie-like doll. We couldn’t find a name for her, though, in the box. I suggested Kow Lung, but she’s not going for it. Anna also made friends with a boy, Taylor, in our travel group who is slightly older, which is great for her. Nonetheless, I'm keeping my eye on that boy . . .
Chinese TV: Our days are usually busy, so we don’t watch much. However, we have taken in some professional sports: table tennis, badminton, and sumo wrestling. I still haven't figured out the philosophy behind, "Get as large as you can, and wear as little as possible."
We did a 2-hour river boat cruise on the Pearl River this evening. Guangzhou is beautiful at night along the river, all lit up with neon, and the weather was perfect.
Last night we went to a traditional Chinese restaurant. In the lobby were cages and tanks holding several menu items, most of which were alive: varieties of fish, turtles, shrimp, one variety of snake, sandworms (very large), water beetles, etc. Our actual meal was much tamer than that, however. Tonight for supper we had Papa John’s.
Three prayer requests:
1) Pray Callie continues to mend and the rest of us stay healthy.
2) All of us are concerned about how well our kids will handle the 12-hour flight home Saturday. Pray for all 7 families and their adopted daughters. (Callie’s showing signs of not wanting to be held all the time.)
3) Pray both our flights (to Chicago and to Fort Wayne) are not delayed or cancelled.
Wednesday, May 14, 2008
Sick; Guangzhou
We would appreciate your prayers for Callie. She started developing a cold on Monday, and her cold continued to strengthen today with a horribly runny nose, junky cough, and eye matter. Tonight she has developed a fever as well. We long to see her on the mend and feeling better.
Tuesday was a day of waiting. We waited around the hotel until 2:30pm when Isabel picked us up. We stopped and got Callie’s passport and then made the hour-long trek to Fuzhou’s airport. Having checked through with a couple hours to spare for our 7:20 flight, we took our time eating supper at the airport. Then our flight was delayed 100 minutes. Flight at 9, Guangzhou airport at 10:15, check in at our hotel around 11:45. To bed around 1.
No liquids are allowed to be carried onto China flights, so we had no medicine for Callie from 4 to midnight.
We are staying at the White Swan Hotel on Shamian Island in Guangzhou. Shamian Island is a beautiful place to be, albeit a bit of a tourist trap (the Gatlinburg of China), and the weather is gorgeous. Anna and I went swimming outside tonight at 8:00 amidst palm trees and with a full view of the Pearl River and the slick cruise boats navigating her waters. (Hopefully tomorrow night we'll be on one of those boats.)
Callie and the other adopted kids had a "body check" today at a nearby clinic (to satisfy the US Consulate, I think). Same place Anna had hers 6 years ago. We pointed out different places to Anna here in Guangzhou that we have pictures of from our trip to adopt her.
Our whole group is united once again from their various cities of adoption, and most of them have stories to tell about the earthquake. Two families were in their rooms on the 22nd floor. They grabbed their babies and flew down 22 flights of stairs in record time. One father thought on the way down that this could be the end: “If this thing’s going to fall, we’ll never make it out in time.” The one grandma in the group was on the 20th floor with her grandson and thought she was having vertigo. Another family was on the 5th floor of a restaurant when the chandelier threatened above them and a crack appeared in the wall. They made it out, and curiously enough, their waitress followed them out to collect for their drinks which they never even got a chance to sip. We are grateful for the safety of our travel families, but we mourn the enormous loss the Chinese have sustained.
Pray for Callie.
Tuesday was a day of waiting. We waited around the hotel until 2:30pm when Isabel picked us up. We stopped and got Callie’s passport and then made the hour-long trek to Fuzhou’s airport. Having checked through with a couple hours to spare for our 7:20 flight, we took our time eating supper at the airport. Then our flight was delayed 100 minutes. Flight at 9, Guangzhou airport at 10:15, check in at our hotel around 11:45. To bed around 1.
No liquids are allowed to be carried onto China flights, so we had no medicine for Callie from 4 to midnight.
We are staying at the White Swan Hotel on Shamian Island in Guangzhou. Shamian Island is a beautiful place to be, albeit a bit of a tourist trap (the Gatlinburg of China), and the weather is gorgeous. Anna and I went swimming outside tonight at 8:00 amidst palm trees and with a full view of the Pearl River and the slick cruise boats navigating her waters. (Hopefully tomorrow night we'll be on one of those boats.)
Callie and the other adopted kids had a "body check" today at a nearby clinic (to satisfy the US Consulate, I think). Same place Anna had hers 6 years ago. We pointed out different places to Anna here in Guangzhou that we have pictures of from our trip to adopt her.
Our whole group is united once again from their various cities of adoption, and most of them have stories to tell about the earthquake. Two families were in their rooms on the 22nd floor. They grabbed their babies and flew down 22 flights of stairs in record time. One father thought on the way down that this could be the end: “If this thing’s going to fall, we’ll never make it out in time.” The one grandma in the group was on the 20th floor with her grandson and thought she was having vertigo. Another family was on the 5th floor of a restaurant when the chandelier threatened above them and a crack appeared in the wall. They made it out, and curiously enough, their waitress followed them out to collect for their drinks which they never even got a chance to sip. We are grateful for the safety of our travel families, but we mourn the enormous loss the Chinese have sustained.
Pray for Callie.
Monday, May 12, 2008
A Gazebo, a Pagoda, and Roast Duck
We did not feel the earthquake today. It's 10pm Monday here in China, and I didn't even know about the earthquake until a few minutes ago when I went online.
Callie is doing well. She loves to play and laugh and be outside, but there's also moments, few though they are, almost of borderline terror where she suddenly gets a scared look in her eyes and comes running for one of us, insisting we pick her up, and then clinging tightly to us lest we set her down.
She loves the telephone in our hotel room. We've disconnected one of them so she can play with it. Her idea of playing with it is having me talk on it while she presses the buttons. When I say "Bye," she looks up and says, "Bye," by which she means, "You pick that up and start talking on it again while I press the buttons." It's tremendously fun for one of us.
Though the purpose of our time in China is obvious, there are many side benefits. One of them is the fun Anna and I have shared. Like this afternoon. Sara put Callie down for a nap, and so instead of making Anna be quiet in the room, she and I went for one of our many walks. This time we walked to a large gazebo-like structure out in the middle of a pond, sat down and played several games of UNO. Surrounding us was the warm breezy air, the pond full of fish, and people frequenting a tea house across the way.
I know Anna enjoys this even though her mouth may say otherwise. I hugged her at one point this morning and said, "I sure am glad for all this Daddy-daughter time." She grinned and said, "I'm more interested in Anna-money time."
We visited a tea house today where we treated to four different kinds of tea, and then we were treated to the opportunity of buying some tea. I think the women enjoyed that.
We also visited the Xichang (?) buddhist temple. There were several buildings and statues on the premises (one hall had large statues of 500 of Buddha's disciples!), but very peaceful, and the nature was great: a large banyan tree, a large pond populated by turtles, open courtyards, breezy halls. Physically beautiful, but spiritually depraved. There were many, many, many worshippers there in various buildings (it didn’t seem crowded because of the size of the complex), and they were bowing before statues, praying, burning incense, touching relics, placing offerings.
Isabel was surprised because there’s usually not many people there. When she asked someone, she found out it was “the founder of the Buddhas birthday.” I don’t know what that means. Buddha’s birthday? I looked it up online but couldn't determine anything. A fifteen-story pagoda stood in one of the courtyards. As we exited, a lady with three turtles in a bowl tried to sell us one.
Isabel took us to a traditional Chinese restaurant where we lunched on mushroom and pork soup, roast duck, beef, broccoli, fried noodles (in which were mixed various foods, including squid), watermelon, and coke, no ice. We persuaded Isabel to eat with us and were delighted to learn more about our guide.
Fuzhou is beautiful; tomorrow will probably be our last sight of it.
Callie is doing well. She loves to play and laugh and be outside, but there's also moments, few though they are, almost of borderline terror where she suddenly gets a scared look in her eyes and comes running for one of us, insisting we pick her up, and then clinging tightly to us lest we set her down.
She loves the telephone in our hotel room. We've disconnected one of them so she can play with it. Her idea of playing with it is having me talk on it while she presses the buttons. When I say "Bye," she looks up and says, "Bye," by which she means, "You pick that up and start talking on it again while I press the buttons." It's tremendously fun for one of us.
Though the purpose of our time in China is obvious, there are many side benefits. One of them is the fun Anna and I have shared. Like this afternoon. Sara put Callie down for a nap, and so instead of making Anna be quiet in the room, she and I went for one of our many walks. This time we walked to a large gazebo-like structure out in the middle of a pond, sat down and played several games of UNO. Surrounding us was the warm breezy air, the pond full of fish, and people frequenting a tea house across the way.
I know Anna enjoys this even though her mouth may say otherwise. I hugged her at one point this morning and said, "I sure am glad for all this Daddy-daughter time." She grinned and said, "I'm more interested in Anna-money time."
We visited a tea house today where we treated to four different kinds of tea, and then we were treated to the opportunity of buying some tea. I think the women enjoyed that.
We also visited the Xichang (?) buddhist temple. There were several buildings and statues on the premises (one hall had large statues of 500 of Buddha's disciples!), but very peaceful, and the nature was great: a large banyan tree, a large pond populated by turtles, open courtyards, breezy halls. Physically beautiful, but spiritually depraved. There were many, many, many worshippers there in various buildings (it didn’t seem crowded because of the size of the complex), and they were bowing before statues, praying, burning incense, touching relics, placing offerings.
Isabel was surprised because there’s usually not many people there. When she asked someone, she found out it was “the founder of the Buddhas birthday.” I don’t know what that means. Buddha’s birthday? I looked it up online but couldn't determine anything. A fifteen-story pagoda stood in one of the courtyards. As we exited, a lady with three turtles in a bowl tried to sell us one.
Isabel took us to a traditional Chinese restaurant where we lunched on mushroom and pork soup, roast duck, beef, broccoli, fried noodles (in which were mixed various foods, including squid), watermelon, and coke, no ice. We persuaded Isabel to eat with us and were delighted to learn more about our guide.
Fuzhou is beautiful; tomorrow will probably be our last sight of it.
Sunday, May 11, 2008
Another Talker?
Over the last few days, I have reflected on what God has done. Never had I dreamed that I would ever set foot in China, let alone twice. Never I had ever given any thought to adopting--I assumed any and all children I had would be biological--and now God has given me two beautiful daughters by that very means, and in the process he has deepened my understanding of reinforced my gratitude for his adoption of me in Christ Jesus (Galatians 4).
As I write this Sunday evening, half way around the world our own church family at Northside Missionary is gathering in the sanctuary to join together in corporate worship. Those are our brothers and sisters and Christ. And yet here in China we have millions of brothers and sisters as well, practically all of whom we don't know yet, but we will one day.
How's Callie doing? She's doing great. She appears to be a happy-go-lucky kid, though she may have a bit of stubbornness, too. We had a great day with her today.
I previously described Callie's voice as husky and low. It's not super-low, and it's not really husky. It's clear; it's just not as high-pitched as other toddlers. And when she's comfortable, she says quite a few things. We've had our guide, Isabel, listen to her a few times to see what she's saying. Isabel indicates it's mostly toddler talk, not real words. Could've fooled us, because it's nonetheless Chinese toddler talk.
She always calls my hat a "maugy" (hard "g"). Tonight, whenever I took it off, she would start saying, "maugy, maugy," retrieve it, bring it to me, then grin real big when I put it on, thus hiding her brown eyes and displaying two rows of tiny white teeth.
Isabel told us that Callie talks more than any other adopted kid she works with (at that age, I assume). That's what I was hoping for.
We went to a national forest in Fuzhou this morning. It was beautiful--bamboo plants, a bird sanctuary, a 1000-year-old banyan tree (enormous), palm trees, mountains and water in the background. After lunch, Sara, not feeling well, slept most of the afternoon. So the girls and I took a walk to a new park, and we had a great time.
Despite her mild symptoms, Sara enjoyed her Mother's Day. I close by wishing my own mother a Happy Mother's Day. Thanks for taking care of Andrew and Caty while we're gone.
As I write this Sunday evening, half way around the world our own church family at Northside Missionary is gathering in the sanctuary to join together in corporate worship. Those are our brothers and sisters and Christ. And yet here in China we have millions of brothers and sisters as well, practically all of whom we don't know yet, but we will one day.
How's Callie doing? She's doing great. She appears to be a happy-go-lucky kid, though she may have a bit of stubbornness, too. We had a great day with her today.
I previously described Callie's voice as husky and low. It's not super-low, and it's not really husky. It's clear; it's just not as high-pitched as other toddlers. And when she's comfortable, she says quite a few things. We've had our guide, Isabel, listen to her a few times to see what she's saying. Isabel indicates it's mostly toddler talk, not real words. Could've fooled us, because it's nonetheless Chinese toddler talk.
She always calls my hat a "maugy" (hard "g"). Tonight, whenever I took it off, she would start saying, "maugy, maugy," retrieve it, bring it to me, then grin real big when I put it on, thus hiding her brown eyes and displaying two rows of tiny white teeth.
Isabel told us that Callie talks more than any other adopted kid she works with (at that age, I assume). That's what I was hoping for.
We went to a national forest in Fuzhou this morning. It was beautiful--bamboo plants, a bird sanctuary, a 1000-year-old banyan tree (enormous), palm trees, mountains and water in the background. After lunch, Sara, not feeling well, slept most of the afternoon. So the girls and I took a walk to a new park, and we had a great time.
Despite her mild symptoms, Sara enjoyed her Mother's Day. I close by wishing my own mother a Happy Mother's Day. Thanks for taking care of Andrew and Caty while we're gone.
Saturday, May 10, 2008
Enjoying Callie, Fuzhou
We want to thank everyone who has posted comments or emailed us. Your messages have been an encouragement to us. We have a lot of free time, so we're online every day.
Our normal routine in Fuzhou is: out and about with our guide Isabel in the morning; on our own from lunch on.
We had a great day with Callie today. She napped some this morning, so she was awake in our hotel room all afternoon, and she played and played and played. She has finally taken some interest in Anna, much to Anna's delight--Anna's been patient--and the two played together quite a bit. Callie likes to have fun, it seems, and enjoys the games Sara and I play with her to get her to laugh. For instance, Sara slowly goes after her and then tickles her. She does this repeatedly, to the point where Callie is squealing with laughter before Sara even gets near her.
This evening I did "This Little Piggie" with her toes for the first time. She liked it so much, each time I finished she grabbed my hand and placed it on her foot to do it again.
One of her clearest phrases is pronounced, "byow byow," which means "no no." Sometimes when we take her to sit on the potty, her face drops, and she starts moaning "byow byow, byow byow, byow byow." She cries while she sits on the potty, but instantly stops and stares into the toilet when it's time to flush.
This morning Isabel took us to the museum about the city of Fuzhou (pronounced "fooGOH" [soft, soft "g", as the "j" in bonjour]). The city is 2200 years old. Of particular interest were two mummies, unbound, lying in clear containers of formaldehyde (?).
Fuzhou is the capital of Fujian province. The province's pop. is 13 million, 6 million of which live in Fuzhou. The weather is somewhat tropical. We've experienced high 70s and low 80s, and a couple days have been pretty muggy. We've had a good deal of precipitation, too, though rarely heavy.
From the museum we went to a mall, at least four layers of shops. Now it was my face that dropped; Jim's, too. But we managed to get out in under an hour. We then went searching for an instrument store for Jim. Found one where he purchased a traditional Chinese instrument, a horn of some sort, for 70 RMB ($10).
This evening, our wives felt adventuresome and hungry, so with the hotel's help, we hailed taxis, went to KFC set in the bustling nightlife of downtown Fuzhou, ate as we were conspicuously the center of attention, and took taxis back to the hotel. (My chicken sandwich was more than chicken, as cooked into the meat were what appeared to be soybeans, corn, and carrots. It tasted good.)
We were planning on going downtown to see the Olympic torch run through here tomorrow, but Isabel doesn't think it's a good idea. Most of the downtown streets will be closed (so we'd have to walk), and crowds of over half a million are expected.
One of the side effects of toddler adoption is back pain. Jim has a black belt in Shaolin, and I have a few rather large black belts myself; nonetheless, due to clinging toddlers, we have both discovered underdeveloped back muscles.
We've two and a half days left in Fuzhou . . .
Our normal routine in Fuzhou is: out and about with our guide Isabel in the morning; on our own from lunch on.
We had a great day with Callie today. She napped some this morning, so she was awake in our hotel room all afternoon, and she played and played and played. She has finally taken some interest in Anna, much to Anna's delight--Anna's been patient--and the two played together quite a bit. Callie likes to have fun, it seems, and enjoys the games Sara and I play with her to get her to laugh. For instance, Sara slowly goes after her and then tickles her. She does this repeatedly, to the point where Callie is squealing with laughter before Sara even gets near her.
This evening I did "This Little Piggie" with her toes for the first time. She liked it so much, each time I finished she grabbed my hand and placed it on her foot to do it again.
One of her clearest phrases is pronounced, "byow byow," which means "no no." Sometimes when we take her to sit on the potty, her face drops, and she starts moaning "byow byow, byow byow, byow byow." She cries while she sits on the potty, but instantly stops and stares into the toilet when it's time to flush.
This morning Isabel took us to the museum about the city of Fuzhou (pronounced "fooGOH" [soft, soft "g", as the "j" in bonjour]). The city is 2200 years old. Of particular interest were two mummies, unbound, lying in clear containers of formaldehyde (?).
Fuzhou is the capital of Fujian province. The province's pop. is 13 million, 6 million of which live in Fuzhou. The weather is somewhat tropical. We've experienced high 70s and low 80s, and a couple days have been pretty muggy. We've had a good deal of precipitation, too, though rarely heavy.
From the museum we went to a mall, at least four layers of shops. Now it was my face that dropped; Jim's, too. But we managed to get out in under an hour. We then went searching for an instrument store for Jim. Found one where he purchased a traditional Chinese instrument, a horn of some sort, for 70 RMB ($10).
This evening, our wives felt adventuresome and hungry, so with the hotel's help, we hailed taxis, went to KFC set in the bustling nightlife of downtown Fuzhou, ate as we were conspicuously the center of attention, and took taxis back to the hotel. (My chicken sandwich was more than chicken, as cooked into the meat were what appeared to be soybeans, corn, and carrots. It tasted good.)
We were planning on going downtown to see the Olympic torch run through here tomorrow, but Isabel doesn't think it's a good idea. Most of the downtown streets will be closed (so we'd have to walk), and crowds of over half a million are expected.
One of the side effects of toddler adoption is back pain. Jim has a black belt in Shaolin, and I have a few rather large black belts myself; nonetheless, due to clinging toddlers, we have both discovered underdeveloped back muscles.
We've two and a half days left in Fuzhou . . .
Friday, May 9, 2008
Sunshine after the Storm
Thank you for your prayers. The evening was wonderful!
After naps, we decided to go for a walk to the nearby park with the other family adopting with us here in Fuzhou, Jim and Shelly Peters (and daughter Caity). Sara carried Callie much of the time, and during that time, Callie started calling things out in Chinese. Sara knew the word for "tree," and asked Callie about it, and there was a language connection! Further, Callie now recognizes me as "Daddy," and I understand her word for "hat." She also almost said "gentle" in response to a game Sara plays with her.
When we got back to the hotel room, there was crying because we were back in our room, but then Sara got out some books and started reading to her, and Callie got down off her lap--she's clung to us the last day and a half--and started drawing with Anna, and then kicking the ball, and then playing with the other toys. Then she started laughing and smiling, and we had a wonderful play time for over an hour. That smile of hers, and her husky little voice, and the squeal of laughter--it melts our hearts. God is so good.
I love Callie's eyes. I fell in love with Anna's eyes because they were so big. And I love Callie's eyes because they're so hidden. When she laughs or cries, we wonder if she can actually see anything. She has such a beautiful face, and her expressions powerfully move our hearts, either with pathos or delight.
This morning we went to the Fuzhou orphanage which oversaw Callie and Caity's care and their placement in foster care. We purchased a cake, and about 20 kids with mild special needs (ages 7-14?) came and greeted us, shared the cake with us, and sang with us. Beautiful kids; great enthusiasm; well-mannered; and not likely to be adopted because of their age. Then we went upstairs and toured the nursery of babies with special needs. Some sleeping, some staring, some smiling. One little girl stood up and waved to us with a big smile on her face.
One women in the nursery said that Anna looked like Sara, which brought a laugh to everyone, because we all know she looks like me!
Lunch at a very large McDonald's today. It's kind of funny how Chinese food reminds me of home.
Today is our daughter Caty's 11th birthday. It's hard to be away from her on this special day. But she has been very understanding. Ironically, my parents are taking her to eat Chinese food for her birthday.
Saw more dogs today, none of them very cute.
After naps, we decided to go for a walk to the nearby park with the other family adopting with us here in Fuzhou, Jim and Shelly Peters (and daughter Caity). Sara carried Callie much of the time, and during that time, Callie started calling things out in Chinese. Sara knew the word for "tree," and asked Callie about it, and there was a language connection! Further, Callie now recognizes me as "Daddy," and I understand her word for "hat." She also almost said "gentle" in response to a game Sara plays with her.
When we got back to the hotel room, there was crying because we were back in our room, but then Sara got out some books and started reading to her, and Callie got down off her lap--she's clung to us the last day and a half--and started drawing with Anna, and then kicking the ball, and then playing with the other toys. Then she started laughing and smiling, and we had a wonderful play time for over an hour. That smile of hers, and her husky little voice, and the squeal of laughter--it melts our hearts. God is so good.
I love Callie's eyes. I fell in love with Anna's eyes because they were so big. And I love Callie's eyes because they're so hidden. When she laughs or cries, we wonder if she can actually see anything. She has such a beautiful face, and her expressions powerfully move our hearts, either with pathos or delight.
This morning we went to the Fuzhou orphanage which oversaw Callie and Caity's care and their placement in foster care. We purchased a cake, and about 20 kids with mild special needs (ages 7-14?) came and greeted us, shared the cake with us, and sang with us. Beautiful kids; great enthusiasm; well-mannered; and not likely to be adopted because of their age. Then we went upstairs and toured the nursery of babies with special needs. Some sleeping, some staring, some smiling. One little girl stood up and waved to us with a big smile on her face.
One women in the nursery said that Anna looked like Sara, which brought a laugh to everyone, because we all know she looks like me!
Lunch at a very large McDonald's today. It's kind of funny how Chinese food reminds me of home.
Today is our daughter Caty's 11th birthday. It's hard to be away from her on this special day. But she has been very understanding. Ironically, my parents are taking her to eat Chinese food for her birthday.
Saw more dogs today, none of them very cute.
Thursday, May 8, 2008
A Rough Day
Two parts to this posting: this morning's events, and then Callie's sadness.
First, just a sidenote to the NMC guys: Until today I had only seen one dog in China. That was yesterday, and three people were chasing it. I saw two more today, and all three dogs seemed to have the same scared look in their eyes. (Sara's in bed right now, so this paragraph will make it to the blogsite for now.)
We started the day by doing a web cam with Andrew and Caty at Ben and Jess's. They got to see their new sister for the first time, and we got to talk with our kids for the first time since Saturday morning.
(By the way, I learned from my dad, who measured him with his big shoes off, that Andrew is now 6'2" tall. He's only 13!)
Then we went shopping at Wal-Mart. There are at least three in Fuzhou, as well as a Sam's Club. On three levels! Sara got practical items, and I stocked up on snacks I'm more familiar with.
From there we went to Panda World, where we saw Giant Pandas as well as "Lesser Pandas," what we call in the States Red Pandas. We saw a "Lesser Panda" show. I'm sure they had been trained, but not even food could seem to entice them to do much of their routine. We learned halfway through the show, by way of apology, that it was mating season. The price of the ticket was worth that announcement.
As we drove through downtown we saw drummers and dancers and dragons rehearsing for the ceremony on Sunday when the Olympic torch comes through Fuzhou. We may get to see it ourselves.
Parents are amateur, yet experienced, child psychologists. This is the role Sara and I have been playing all day as we have tried to discover the source(s) of Callie's sadness. She has spent a great deal of the day crying, some of it wailing, and most of it obviously sad.
We suspect two sources. First, we've discovered she's potty-trained, but communication issues between her and us led to a great deal of discomfort on her part today. We think we've got some of it sorted out, but not yet all of it.
Second, we think she's grieving the loss of her foster mom and that environment. She doesn't like being in our hotel room: she often points to the door, indicating she wants to leave, and when we return to our hotel room and shut the door, she often starts bawling. It's gotten to the point that she starts crying even as we head down the hall to our room. This evening, she was sitting in my lap, and she said "Mama" a couple times and pointed to the door. "Mama" was what she called her foster mom.
Our hearts are ripped for her. If you pray for us, she could use your prayers to help her as she grieves.
First, just a sidenote to the NMC guys: Until today I had only seen one dog in China. That was yesterday, and three people were chasing it. I saw two more today, and all three dogs seemed to have the same scared look in their eyes. (Sara's in bed right now, so this paragraph will make it to the blogsite for now.)
I.
We started the day by doing a web cam with Andrew and Caty at Ben and Jess's. They got to see their new sister for the first time, and we got to talk with our kids for the first time since Saturday morning.
(By the way, I learned from my dad, who measured him with his big shoes off, that Andrew is now 6'2" tall. He's only 13!)
Then we went shopping at Wal-Mart. There are at least three in Fuzhou, as well as a Sam's Club. On three levels! Sara got practical items, and I stocked up on snacks I'm more familiar with.
From there we went to Panda World, where we saw Giant Pandas as well as "Lesser Pandas," what we call in the States Red Pandas. We saw a "Lesser Panda" show. I'm sure they had been trained, but not even food could seem to entice them to do much of their routine. We learned halfway through the show, by way of apology, that it was mating season. The price of the ticket was worth that announcement.
As we drove through downtown we saw drummers and dancers and dragons rehearsing for the ceremony on Sunday when the Olympic torch comes through Fuzhou. We may get to see it ourselves.
II.
Parents are amateur, yet experienced, child psychologists. This is the role Sara and I have been playing all day as we have tried to discover the source(s) of Callie's sadness. She has spent a great deal of the day crying, some of it wailing, and most of it obviously sad.
We suspect two sources. First, we've discovered she's potty-trained, but communication issues between her and us led to a great deal of discomfort on her part today. We think we've got some of it sorted out, but not yet all of it.
Second, we think she's grieving the loss of her foster mom and that environment. She doesn't like being in our hotel room: she often points to the door, indicating she wants to leave, and when we return to our hotel room and shut the door, she often starts bawling. It's gotten to the point that she starts crying even as we head down the hall to our room. This evening, she was sitting in my lap, and she said "Mama" a couple times and pointed to the door. "Mama" was what she called her foster mom.
Our hearts are ripped for her. If you pray for us, she could use your prayers to help her as she grieves.
Wednesday, May 7, 2008
Crying and Laughing
Quite a day of emotions. There's so much to relate about our newest daughter, too much to communicate in a blog posting. So, some highlights.
At breakfast, she fed me (Kent) quite a bit of my breakfast. I had her in my lap, and she grabbed a piece of bacon and held it up to my mouth with a serious expression. I took it, and she proceeded to add another piece and another, and then French toast, and then a forkful of scrambled eggs (though the fork was empty by the time it got to my mouth). She had a big appetite, too.
Later, while we were eating lunch in our room, an empty McDonald's cup fell to the floor, and she started laughing; so we set it up and knocked it down. Outright hysterical laughing on her part. She gestured for the cup, threw it down herself, and laughed and laughed. We kept this up for a while.
But there were times of real tears, too; sometimes she was quite inconsolable. She apparently is somewhat potty trained, and our failure to understand this probably led to great discomfort on her part. If you think of us, pray that we will understand her better.
Overall, a good day, and great improvement over yesterday. She lets me hold her sometimes, loves the comfort that Sara gives her, and she enjoys Anna as both a playmate and a servant of sorts.
She is fascinated with a picture album of her siblings. She kept pointing at each one, waiting for us to name them--over and over and over again. (Point) "Andrew." (Point) "Caty." (Point) "Anna." (Point) "Caty." Etc. It's like she's trying to learn our language through endless repeating.
She explored our room today, constantly opening drawers and closing them; also putting things where she thought they should be (which is not necessarily our preference).
Anna and I walked around the small lake/large pond in front of our hotel to the park on the other side. A beautiful park! (Cheryl and some of you other ladies would love it.) Hundreds and hundreds of potted flowers, 4, 5, 6, 7 rows deep lining all the walks. Chinese artwork along the way. Bonzai (?) trees carefully sculpted. And many people, too. Walking, sitting, taking pictures, sitting at tables playing cards, spectators gathered around them. Of course, we were the center of attention, too. (Not exactly my favorite thing, but it was worth the trip to the park.)
Our adoption of Callie was made official today with visits to the Civic Affairs Office and the Notary; also to the police station, where we applied for Callie's passport.
A final anecdote: Walking back to the hotel from the restaurant this evening, a girl younger than Anna shouted, "Hello, how are you?" Sara responded with a Chinese greeting, to the great delight of the girl and the adults around her. As we continued on our way, we heard the girl repeat her English greeting twice more with obvious enthusiasm and delight that she could use her lingual skills.
If you think of us, continue to pray for Callie's adjustment. "Callie" means something like "beautiful girl." She certainly is.
At breakfast, she fed me (Kent) quite a bit of my breakfast. I had her in my lap, and she grabbed a piece of bacon and held it up to my mouth with a serious expression. I took it, and she proceeded to add another piece and another, and then French toast, and then a forkful of scrambled eggs (though the fork was empty by the time it got to my mouth). She had a big appetite, too.
Later, while we were eating lunch in our room, an empty McDonald's cup fell to the floor, and she started laughing; so we set it up and knocked it down. Outright hysterical laughing on her part. She gestured for the cup, threw it down herself, and laughed and laughed. We kept this up for a while.
But there were times of real tears, too; sometimes she was quite inconsolable. She apparently is somewhat potty trained, and our failure to understand this probably led to great discomfort on her part. If you think of us, pray that we will understand her better.
Overall, a good day, and great improvement over yesterday. She lets me hold her sometimes, loves the comfort that Sara gives her, and she enjoys Anna as both a playmate and a servant of sorts.
She is fascinated with a picture album of her siblings. She kept pointing at each one, waiting for us to name them--over and over and over again. (Point) "Andrew." (Point) "Caty." (Point) "Anna." (Point) "Caty." Etc. It's like she's trying to learn our language through endless repeating.
She explored our room today, constantly opening drawers and closing them; also putting things where she thought they should be (which is not necessarily our preference).
Anna and I walked around the small lake/large pond in front of our hotel to the park on the other side. A beautiful park! (Cheryl and some of you other ladies would love it.) Hundreds and hundreds of potted flowers, 4, 5, 6, 7 rows deep lining all the walks. Chinese artwork along the way. Bonzai (?) trees carefully sculpted. And many people, too. Walking, sitting, taking pictures, sitting at tables playing cards, spectators gathered around them. Of course, we were the center of attention, too. (Not exactly my favorite thing, but it was worth the trip to the park.)
Our adoption of Callie was made official today with visits to the Civic Affairs Office and the Notary; also to the police station, where we applied for Callie's passport.
A final anecdote: Walking back to the hotel from the restaurant this evening, a girl younger than Anna shouted, "Hello, how are you?" Sara responded with a Chinese greeting, to the great delight of the girl and the adults around her. As we continued on our way, we heard the girl repeat her English greeting twice more with obvious enthusiasm and delight that she could use her lingual skills.
If you think of us, continue to pray for Callie's adjustment. "Callie" means something like "beautiful girl." She certainly is.
Tuesday, May 6, 2008
We have Callie!
I'll start with the middle of our day and then relate the earlier part afterwards for the few of you who may be interested in that.
Checked into Lakeside Hotel in Fuzhou around 1pm. Ate lunch at a nearby restaurant with Jim and Shelly Peters (the other couple with us adopting here)--they served Chinese food! We were told to be in our rooms at 3:30. At 3:45, our Fuzhou guide, Isabel, came and told us that "your baby is here" and we had to fill out some brief paperwork.
We then headed down to the room where Callie and Caity (the Peters' girl) were playing happily. Their happiness ended when they realized we were entering their lives in some way. Both started crying.
But Callie is adorable! We recognized her from her pictures. She walks, talks a little bit, and seems to be a smart kid. Her voice is kind of husky. She cried pretty much for 90 minutes straight. She had a cookie stick in one hand, a full bottle of formula in the other, tasted neither one, but held on to them as she cried and cried. And she kept pointing to our room door, indicating that she wanted to go back from where she came.
(Jacque: Don't read the rest of this paragraph. Callie's the same age as Leah G. Imagine Leah being uprooted from her situation and how she would feel.)
But now, four hours later, she's far more content. As you can imagine, she's taken quickly to Anna, who does everything for her. They have colored together, and Anna has led her around the room. Callie has done some exploring on her own. We are fully realizing we have a toddler, not a baby.
Callie has also begun to warm to Sara's kisses, and we've gotten some smiles and even a few short laughs. She's even warming up to me. A few minutes ago she brought me a pencil, and then she brought me an empty folder.
As to her right ankle, there appears to be a bulge on the outside of her ankle, and she seems to be flat-footed in both feet.
It is difficult to convey all. Keep praying for us. We still have much to learn about each other.
Earlier today . . .
We flew out of Beijing at 9am. But before we got out of the airport, security had confiscated Anna's blunt-nosed scissors and Shelly's chapstick. (I felt safer.) The seven families in our group went five different directions. Our flight to Fuzhou was 2 1/2 hours and uneventful. Fuzhou, pop. 6 million, has more of a tropical climate, including rain. It looks to be a beautiful city. There are definitely depressed areas. I saw a couple water buffalo.
On the way to the hotel (an hour's drive), Isabel gave us a questionnaire that Callie's foster mom had answered, which we found very helpful.
Checked into Lakeside Hotel in Fuzhou around 1pm. Ate lunch at a nearby restaurant with Jim and Shelly Peters (the other couple with us adopting here)--they served Chinese food! We were told to be in our rooms at 3:30. At 3:45, our Fuzhou guide, Isabel, came and told us that "your baby is here" and we had to fill out some brief paperwork.
We then headed down to the room where Callie and Caity (the Peters' girl) were playing happily. Their happiness ended when they realized we were entering their lives in some way. Both started crying.
But Callie is adorable! We recognized her from her pictures. She walks, talks a little bit, and seems to be a smart kid. Her voice is kind of husky. She cried pretty much for 90 minutes straight. She had a cookie stick in one hand, a full bottle of formula in the other, tasted neither one, but held on to them as she cried and cried. And she kept pointing to our room door, indicating that she wanted to go back from where she came.
(Jacque: Don't read the rest of this paragraph. Callie's the same age as Leah G. Imagine Leah being uprooted from her situation and how she would feel.)
But now, four hours later, she's far more content. As you can imagine, she's taken quickly to Anna, who does everything for her. They have colored together, and Anna has led her around the room. Callie has done some exploring on her own. We are fully realizing we have a toddler, not a baby.
Callie has also begun to warm to Sara's kisses, and we've gotten some smiles and even a few short laughs. She's even warming up to me. A few minutes ago she brought me a pencil, and then she brought me an empty folder.
As to her right ankle, there appears to be a bulge on the outside of her ankle, and she seems to be flat-footed in both feet.
It is difficult to convey all. Keep praying for us. We still have much to learn about each other.
Earlier today . . .
We flew out of Beijing at 9am. But before we got out of the airport, security had confiscated Anna's blunt-nosed scissors and Shelly's chapstick. (I felt safer.) The seven families in our group went five different directions. Our flight to Fuzhou was 2 1/2 hours and uneventful. Fuzhou, pop. 6 million, has more of a tropical climate, including rain. It looks to be a beautiful city. There are definitely depressed areas. I saw a couple water buffalo.
On the way to the hotel (an hour's drive), Isabel gave us a questionnaire that Callie's foster mom had answered, which we found very helpful.
Monday, May 5, 2008
Fort Wayne to Beijing
We flew from Fort Wayne to Chicago, and then took off from Chicago at 2:20 Fort Wayne time. Flight lasted 12 hours 25 minutes. Beijing is 12 hours ahead of us, so we don't have to change our watches. (Little things like that are cool.) The flight was uneventful except for a bad case of turbulence as we descended to Beijing. Anna LOVES flying.
Landed at the new Beijing airport (opened 3-26), largest in the world. It is beautiful and modern and enormous. Checked in to our hotel along with 6 other families.
Next day (Monday) up early for a long sight-seeing day. Tiananmen Square (the size of 60 soccer fields). The Forbidden City (9999.5 rooms--we didn't tour all of them). A cloisonne factory and lunch with westernized Chinese food.
Beijing's downtown just goes on and on and on. A city of 18 million. There are people everywhere. A beautiful CCTV tower being under construction. Two towers that join at the top. Our guide Allison says it's one of the 10 contruction wonders of the world.
On to the Great Wall. Did some heavy-duty climbing. Steps very steep and uneven, and we went way up (and then back down). Very beautiful and ancient (and now) touristy. Stopped at a jade store. Including the jade store, we were offered many times today to lighten our wallets.
Drove by the new olympic buildings. Wow! Hats off to the architects. Back to hotel at 6:30 for supper, and we're exhausted. Have to have our suitcases packed outside our room doors at 5am (5pm, Monday, Fort Wayne time), because tomorrow we fly to Fuzhou, and tomorrow we're supposed to get Callie!
Anna thoroughly enjoyed the day. We all did. We're looking forward to tomorrow.
Landed at the new Beijing airport (opened 3-26), largest in the world. It is beautiful and modern and enormous. Checked in to our hotel along with 6 other families.
Next day (Monday) up early for a long sight-seeing day. Tiananmen Square (the size of 60 soccer fields). The Forbidden City (9999.5 rooms--we didn't tour all of them). A cloisonne factory and lunch with westernized Chinese food.
Beijing's downtown just goes on and on and on. A city of 18 million. There are people everywhere. A beautiful CCTV tower being under construction. Two towers that join at the top. Our guide Allison says it's one of the 10 contruction wonders of the world.
On to the Great Wall. Did some heavy-duty climbing. Steps very steep and uneven, and we went way up (and then back down). Very beautiful and ancient (and now) touristy. Stopped at a jade store. Including the jade store, we were offered many times today to lighten our wallets.
Drove by the new olympic buildings. Wow! Hats off to the architects. Back to hotel at 6:30 for supper, and we're exhausted. Have to have our suitcases packed outside our room doors at 5am (5pm, Monday, Fort Wayne time), because tomorrow we fly to Fuzhou, and tomorrow we're supposed to get Callie!
Anna thoroughly enjoyed the day. We all did. We're looking forward to tomorrow.
Wednesday, April 30, 2008
Misc. Thoughts
Three days from today Kent, Anna and I will be flying to Beijing, China. Andrew and Caty will be with Grandpa and Grandma Scantlin. Callie will going through her day, like any other. I can not imagine what this change will be like for her. Although we have longed for this day, it will rock her world. Please continue to pray for Callie and us, her parents, that we would lean on the Lord for whatever trauma she may experience.
Kent is the writer in our family. Those of you who know me well know that I do not enjoy writing. I am hoping Kent will help with, and/or take over, while we are in China. I am sure you all will find his writing much more interesting than mine. It is our understanding that each of the three hotels we will be staying in have in-room internet access.
Please pray also for Leah, the little girl that I babysit. I have been watching her since she was three months old. (Leah is 2 days older than Callie.) She will be staying with others while we are gone and for a couple of weeks after we return. I am sure that seeing Miss Sara with another toddler will be a bit of an adjustment. We have been praying that Callie and Leah would become great playmates and that both girls will adjust to their rolls in our lives. Leah is a wonderful little girl and I can not wait for Callie to meet her.
Thanks to all of you for your prayers. We will need them over the next few weeks.
Kent is the writer in our family. Those of you who know me well know that I do not enjoy writing. I am hoping Kent will help with, and/or take over, while we are in China. I am sure you all will find his writing much more interesting than mine. It is our understanding that each of the three hotels we will be staying in have in-room internet access.
Please pray also for Leah, the little girl that I babysit. I have been watching her since she was three months old. (Leah is 2 days older than Callie.) She will be staying with others while we are gone and for a couple of weeks after we return. I am sure that seeing Miss Sara with another toddler will be a bit of an adjustment. We have been praying that Callie and Leah would become great playmates and that both girls will adjust to their rolls in our lives. Leah is a wonderful little girl and I can not wait for Callie to meet her.
Thanks to all of you for your prayers. We will need them over the next few weeks.
Thursday, April 24, 2008
Travel Dates
We are now 10 away from take off and 13 days away from hold our precious daughter in our arms. According to our itinerary we will meet Callie for the first time Tuesday afternoon on May 6. Please continue to pray with us that her transition to our family will go well.
We would like to thank those of you who are so faithfully praying for our family. It is our belief that this is the most important thing you could do for us. We would also like to thank those of you who have given gifts of financial assistance. We cannot begin to express what a blessing this is to our family. Please continue to pray with us for God's provision.
Thank you all for your friendship and prayers.
We would like to thank those of you who are so faithfully praying for our family. It is our belief that this is the most important thing you could do for us. We would also like to thank those of you who have given gifts of financial assistance. We cannot begin to express what a blessing this is to our family. Please continue to pray with us for God's provision.
Thank you all for your friendship and prayers.
Sunday, April 13, 2008
One Step Closer
They say that the only the constant in life is change. ( I know "they" say many things.)
Our travel dates have changed. We received our flight itinerary on Friday. It will be necessary for us to spend an extra day in China due to scheduling at the Consulate. I know it is all in God's timing, and we would not have it any other way.
Here are some prayer requests.
1. Safe travel
2. Smooth transition for Callie (and her parents)
3. Seat rearrangement on our flight to Beijing- right now there are not 3 seats together
4. Seating on our flight back- an empty seat for Callie would be great
5. No cancelled flights- we are the last flight of the day out of Chicago on the trip home
6. Andrew and Caty- this is a long time to be apart
7. Finacial provision
Thank you very much for your prayers.
Our travel dates have changed. We received our flight itinerary on Friday. It will be necessary for us to spend an extra day in China due to scheduling at the Consulate. I know it is all in God's timing, and we would not have it any other way.
Here are some prayer requests.
1. Safe travel
2. Smooth transition for Callie (and her parents)
3. Seat rearrangement on our flight to Beijing- right now there are not 3 seats together
4. Seating on our flight back- an empty seat for Callie would be great
5. No cancelled flights- we are the last flight of the day out of Chicago on the trip home
6. Andrew and Caty- this is a long time to be apart
7. Finacial provision
Thank you very much for your prayers.
Wednesday, April 9, 2008
Countdown
Three weeks from tomorrow we will be leaving for China. In many ways it does not seem possible that we are this close. In other ways it seems like a very distant dream. Either way we are excited. God has blessed with "a beautiful girl", the meaning of the name Callie.
Please continue to pray for a smooth transition. We would also ask you to pray for the financial provision for this adventure. We know that the Lord will provide, we want to be faithful in asking.
We will be traveling with 7 other families. Five families are from Kentucky, one is from Georgia, and one is from California. We are all adopting through the Special Needs Program. One mom is a pediatrician. What a blessing.
Thank you for your prayers. We greatly appreciate them.
Please continue to pray for a smooth transition. We would also ask you to pray for the financial provision for this adventure. We know that the Lord will provide, we want to be faithful in asking.
We will be traveling with 7 other families. Five families are from Kentucky, one is from Georgia, and one is from California. We are all adopting through the Special Needs Program. One mom is a pediatrician. What a blessing.
Thank you for your prayers. We greatly appreciate them.
Tuesday, March 25, 2008
Travel and Update
On March 20th we received an medical update and a new picture of Callie. At this time we are being told to plan on leaving for China on May 1st and returning on May 14. We are very excited about finally having travel dates. Although we are excited and are making plans to bring Callie home, she is unaware of the huge changes about to take place in here life. Please pray that our transition would be smooth.
Please continue to pray for the requests listed above. We will make every effort to keep everyone as informed as possible.
Please continue to pray for the requests listed above. We will make every effort to keep everyone as informed as possible.
Monday, March 10, 2008
Accepted
This morning, March 10, 2008, A Helping Hand received our Letter of Acceptance from China. This means that China has accepted our paperwork and is granting us permission to adopt Callie Grace Wang, aka Wang Gang. Thank you, Lord. We have been praying for this day. It looks as though we will be traveling around April 21. We should know sometime next week.
We have several prayer requests.
1. Pray for Callie, this may be a difficult adjustment.
2. Pray for her foster parents, it may be difficult as well.
3. Pray for Kent, Anna, and Sara as they prepare to travel and travel.
4. Pray for Andrew and Caty as they will be stay in the U.S.
5. Pray that the Lord would continue to provide.
I will try to keep posting with any new information. Thank you for your prayers.
We have several prayer requests.
1. Pray for Callie, this may be a difficult adjustment.
2. Pray for her foster parents, it may be difficult as well.
3. Pray for Kent, Anna, and Sara as they prepare to travel and travel.
4. Pray for Andrew and Caty as they will be stay in the U.S.
5. Pray that the Lord would continue to provide.
I will try to keep posting with any new information. Thank you for your prayers.
Wednesday, January 23, 2008
She is walking!
On January 22 we were informed that Callie is walking now. Her foster mom said that her right foot turns out slightly. We are happy to hear that she is progressing, sorry that we are missing some milestones. However, The One who loves her beyond what we are even able (hard to imagine) has not missed one thing.
The CCAA , China Center for Adoption Affairs, is questioning our income amount. But yet again the Lord provided a raise for Kent this year that covers the amount they want us to make for a family of 6. We will just leave all the details to Him.
The CCAA , China Center for Adoption Affairs, is questioning our income amount. But yet again the Lord provided a raise for Kent this year that covers the amount they want us to make for a family of 6. We will just leave all the details to Him.
Friday, January 18, 2008
Here She Is
We would like to introduce you to Callie Grace Wang Scantlin, currently known as Wang Gang.
Her birthday is October 24, 2006. We are all very much looking forward to meeting her and bringing her home.
Our paperwork requesting Callie was sent to China in December. It is our understanding that we will not hear from China for 4-6 months. Please pray for Callie, and us, during this waiting time. It is difficult for us knowing she will be our child and waiting for paperwork approval and travel dates. I must rest in the fact that the Heavenly Father knows a mother's heart.
This is my first blog so it may take me some time to get the hang of it. I would love any advice from those of you with experience.
Held By Him
Sara
Her birthday is October 24, 2006. We are all very much looking forward to meeting her and bringing her home.
Our paperwork requesting Callie was sent to China in December. It is our understanding that we will not hear from China for 4-6 months. Please pray for Callie, and us, during this waiting time. It is difficult for us knowing she will be our child and waiting for paperwork approval and travel dates. I must rest in the fact that the Heavenly Father knows a mother's heart.
This is my first blog so it may take me some time to get the hang of it. I would love any advice from those of you with experience.
Held By Him
Sara
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