Home

I think I know why there are so many quotes, songs, stories, etc. about the beauty of HOME.  There is nothing like walking through your front door after being gone for a while.  This whole experience did not seem completely real until I saw our daughter unpacking her suitcase and putting everything away at 1:00 in the morning. 

Lorelei is doing really well overall.  She has adjusted to all of the changes better than we would have to be sure.  She has moments of sadness and frustration, of course, but she is trying so hard.  Please keep her in your prayers.

So far, this is what we've learned about Lorelei:

• She loves our dogs and is their new best friend.  She throws the ball for Indy more than he could ever want, and Panda will never be short of belly rubs.
• She has a keen fashion sense.  Loves skirts, dresses, headbands, and pretty shoes.  (No crocs for her!) 
• She is great at puzzles, and likes doing anything on the computer.
• She loves ketchup and french fries, actually ketchup with pretty much anything!
• She can drive a mean race car (think video games at Flight Deck!).
• Barbies?  Arts & crafts?  Jewelry?  Yes, yes, and yes!

Stay tuned for the rest of the story!

First night at home

Playing Barbies with our neighbor Mary

Sweet sign on our front porch from dear friends

August 22 & 23/Pearl River Cruise and saying goodbye

Wow, I can't believe how quickly our time here is coming to an end.  Perhaps it's because we are getting out and about more on our own and we're finding lots to do.  Yesterday we finally made it to our U.S. Consulate appointment and we are now approved to get on a plane bound for the states with Lorelei.  Later in the day we went on a night time dinner cruise on the Pearl River.  Guangzhou is all lit up at night for the river boats.  Really beautiful!

Oh, and yesterday we also went to a *huge* bookstore (six stories!! heaven!) and found books that are in Chinese and English and a few Disney movies in Chinese too.  Lorelei has already watched Snow White on baba's computer.  There is also a museum of a Han dynasty emperor just down the street from our hotel.  It was found intact about 20 years ago, so we headed there to check the excavation site and the many treasures that were found there.   Very cool!  Looking back, is it any wonder we were asleep before our heads hit the pillows last night?

Today all of the families in our travel groups met to take pictures and say goodbye, at least for now.  We are from all over the U.S., from all walks of life, but brought together by this shared experience of finding our children here.  Being here together and weathering the ups and downs has been such a wonderful thing... we can't imagine what this journey would have been like without them. 

riding the escalator at our hotel--every time we leave or return!

with our guide, Jason, who is now part of our family too

August 21/Sightseeing and shopping

Today we went on a tour with our fearless guide, Jason, and a whole bus-load of adopting families.  Our first stop was the Six Banyan's Temple, which is known for its pagoda.  There were many altars and different buddhas, including one female buddha!  Kyle and Lorelei enjoyed throwing coins into one altar.  Supposedly if you can get one to go through it, you will have good fortune.

Next we went to the Provincial Folk Art Museum, or Old Chen House.  It's also known as the Chen Clan Ancestral Temple.  The building itself is a work of art, the best preserved Qing Dynasty building in Guangdong Province.  Each room highlights a different type of art that Guangdong is known for, including carvings (brick, stone, wood, ivory), embroidery, and painting.  Chris was fascinated by "hand painting," which is done with no brushes, just hands and fingers.  Amazing! 

the entrance to the museum

a piece of the roofline/they have to repaint every five years or so

this wood carving is from one piece of wood!

 Last stop: the Guangdong Art and Craft Center.  Translation: shopping! We could have dropped some serious money here--there were so many beautiful things... tea sets, embroidery, jewelry, sculpture, porcelain figures.... but we stuck to my "list" of important things.  A traditional outfit for Lorelei and pieces of jade for Chris and I to wear.  The Chinese tradition is to pass down the jade from parent to child when the child is an adult, usually when he or she gets married.  So we will get to wear them for a few years at least!  Somehow a pretty fan and an embroidered purse for a certain young lady got purchased as well. 

Someone loves to shop!!

We ended the day with another wonderful meal with our group, this time Cantonese food.  Our Chinese food at home does not even come close to the food here; it is soooo good.  One thing we will definitely miss about being here!  (Although I have to admit...  a steak sounds really good right now.)

August 20/Red couch photo

Today we went back to Shamian Island to have Lorelei's TB test read.  While we were there, we stopped in at the White Swan hotel to have a look around.  This hotel is famous in adoption circles because many families have stayed there.  I have heard about the "red couch photo" since we started the adoption process, where the babies are dressed in traditional Chinese clothes and lined up on the couch together for a picture.  Well, despite not having any Chinese clothing or babies, we got a family "red couch" memory.

the waterfall in the middle of the White Swan hotel

one of many jade sculptures

August 19/Safari Park and a new perspective on parenting

“Courage doesn't always roar. Sometimes courage is the quiet voice at the end of the day saying, "I will try again tomorrow.”

I'm borrowing this from a church friend's Facebook wall because I needed it today--COURAGE.  Courage in the face of huge changes that will be expected of me in order to parent this precious girl in the way that she needs.  Courage to allow my need to be in charge to take a backseat to her need for a bit of control.  Courage to believe--in the challenging moments when it's easy to feel overwhelmed--that things will get better. 

Not to worry... we are all doing fine in the aftermath of our first little "storm."   And each day is "fresh with no mistakes in it", to borrow a line from Anne of Green Gables.  That thought has never been more comforting to me!

Now, onto the Safari Park.  Wow!  We all enjoyed it, the kids especially.  It seemed like a completely new experience to Lorelei; she really liked the safari ride through the park.  Our girl does not like to be hot and sweaty (neither does her mama), so by the end she was ready to go.

Next to figure out how to get enough dinner in her today.  Last night she downed three bowls of fried rice, five dumplings, and an entire plate of an asparagus-like vegetable!  And I think she could have kept on going!

August 18/Medical Exam and Pearls :-)

Today we took Lorelei to have her medical exam and she did great, although her mama was a little worse for wear by the end.  The clinic here was definitely an experience.  I am SO grateful for our CCAI guide, Jason.  He is a wonder!  He navigates us through all of our hurdles and requirements like he's done this a thousand times.  (Actually, he has--he told us that he has helped 2600 families since starting with CCAI.)  Lorelei was not sure about getting her visa photo taken today; we ended up mugging around for the camera to help her feel comfortable, and that is how this photo happened! This is my badge of motherhood picture!

Afterwards we headed to the pearl market to do some shopping.  The market is actually hundreds of small jewelry stores in one multi-story building.  Jason guided us to a reputable store and Lorelei now has pearls for someday. 

the pearl market

Our paperwork process is almost done.  After our consulate appointment on Monday, we will have done everything we need to come home.  In the meantime, we will do some more sightseeing and touring.  Tomorrow... the safari park!  It's supposed to be fantastic (and they have pandas!).

at Yue Xiu park near our hotel

August 17/Day 2 in Family Age

I have been reading a book about international adoption that says you should think about how old your child is in her "family age," or how long she has been with you.  This is helpful when considering how much Lorelei has to learn about being part of our family.  I think she is doing remarkably well so far.  There have been moments when I could tell she felt scared or uncertain about the situation, but for the most part, she is trusting us in those moments.  I am just amazed by that! 

Today we went to a city park close to our hotel for a few hours.  It was beautiful (and HOT), but the neatest thing was a playground that was for exercise!  All ages, young and old, playing and exercising together.  There were also groups doing tai chi and dance lessons in other areas.  Later in the day, we went to apply for Lorelei's Chinese passport to come to the U.S.  Each piece of paperwork is one day closer to coming home!
Tomorrow we go for her medical exam, but thank goodness, we found out today that she does not have to get immunizations here.  Please pray that she does well!

A ride in the park

She has figured out how to use our video camera!