We made it to Albany!!

We made it!! Highlights of the 2 day car trip include deciding we do not like Maryland, a trip to the ER in Virginia, scary hotel neighbors, freaked out cats and a sea sick fish!  We are mostly unpacked and are starting to settle in. 

In Maryland we were shot a bird by a random person, and heard a 5 year old drop the F-bomb in chick fla. Niiiiiiiiiice. Maryland is on the bad list of states for us. 

We had a quiet Thanksgiving. We have had some snow, and actually it is snowing now! The kids made snowmen and think its great. 

We went to a tree farm and got our tree! And it is decorated. It is fun to see through Claire's eyes since it is her first Christmas. So far she is carrying around her special ornaments instead of putting them on the tree. 

We got fingerprinted last Wednesday for our NY homestudy update- so that is moving along. 

That is really it for now I guess. 

We have some big news!

Scott found a new job!!!!! At a different college!!!  In Albany NY!!!!  I am pretty sure there is this stuff called snow there. He starts 11-20. We are actually in Albany right now house hunting. It will not really affect the adoption- we have to submit extra paperwork to USCIS at the next time we send them stuff. So we will be working on that while China processes our Dossier. 

So Albany. It is beautiful. The trees are trunking colors. ( Who knew they did this for real in some parts of the country!!). It is between mountains so  I can see mountains off in the distance. There is a Trader Joe's. I am a bit disappointed that the New Yorkers here seem to want to be southern. I spied a Popeye's Chicken. There is a Cracker Barrell. Tons of. BBQ places that have both Memphis and Carolina style- and we southerners know the difference ;). 

Here is a pic of where Scott will be working. 

The Big Update

I know I have not updated the blog much. So here goes. 

June 2013- Claire had surgery. She had an intracapsullar tonsillectomy, adenoidectomy, and tubes placed in her ears. She did great!!! We stayed in the hospital overnight, and went home the next day. I also started a new job after her surgery. 

July- the cousins came to visit. 

August brought the beginning of First grade for Noah, and the beginning of Alex's adoption. 

So Alex. I first saw his picture back in March. After lots of praying, we decided we needed to see if we could get his file. He was on another agency's designated list- which meant they may not be willing to transfer his file. We wanted to stick with our agency, CCAI, because they are wonderful and we would get to re-use a lot of the dossier paperwork. Instead of needed to get 13 different things sealed, we only need to get 3 done. So I called the agency who had him. They said they wanted to keep his file one more week, and if they did not have a family come forward then they would transfer the file. That was on Wed. On Tuesday they transferred his file to CCAI!!  Then a whirlwind of paperwork began. We were in a time crunch because our fingerprints from Claire's adoption expired on 9-7. If we submitted brand new paperwork to USCIS, it would take forever. The current wait time for that approval is running 70ish days. They just approved those with receipt dates of 7/24. So we quickly filed an extension (our receipt date is 9/5!). We had to get our homestudy done quickly because USCIS requires it to get that approval. We were fingerprinted 2 Fridays ago, and our homestudy was delivered to them on Thursday. I am hoping for approval this week!!!!

Then we send our 3 documents to the Secretary of State (they are open!!) and then to the Chinese Consulate in Houston. Then we send it to our agency. They will double check it and send everything to China. DTC (Dossier To China). I am thinking that will happen the firt part of November. 

Then we wait on LOA (Letter of Acceptance). Last year for Claire we waited over 100 days. 109 very very long days. Even Noah remembers. He told me the other day that he hopes the LOA does not take forever this time. Right now it is actually running faster. About 30-45 days. LOA to travel is 8-10 weeks. For Claire we were on the plane 9 weeks after LOA. 

So when will we travel?? If things go fast I guess Feb. if things go slow- April. Chinese New Year is the end of jam this year (nothing happens for adoptions for 10 days, and travel is stopped for 2 weeks). 

And that's our news! You are now all caught up :)

Happy Anniversary!! Look at what we got each other!!!

This Friday makes 16 years of marriage for Scott and I. 

Last year for our anniversary we got Claire!!!

This year we would like to introduce our new son. 

Alexander ChenTing. He just turned 6 at the end of July. He is waiting for us in China.  We have started the paperwork and should travel to get him in late spring if the paperwork goes well. 

3 months home!!!

We got home exactly 3 months ago from China. Claire has adjusted great and it seems like she has been with us forever. She is adding new English words often. She just asked for string cheese actually. The boys love her and Aiden told me today that he want 5 brothers and 5 sisters. Ha!!

Medically she has gained a bit of weight- but is still wearing 18m size clothes. She does indeed have sleep apnea so she will have surgery for tubes, adenoids, and tonsils in mid-June. It will be in Charleston and will be one night (hopefully that is all) in the hospital over. The surgeon will also scope her nose to get a good look at her septum which will help for future surgeries.

I know I have not blogged much but life has been busy! And 3 kids make a ton of laundry!! Here is a cute pic from yesterday.

I have also been praying a lot for a certain group of kiddos in China. Through ELIM kids charity I have learned that kiddos and even adults in China who are HIV positive are shunned. They are ignored. They are not touched for fear of HIV spreading through simple contact (which we all know is not true!!) they are isolated. ELIM kids is a charity started by two Aussie physicians. They help raise awareness, they pay for foster care for these kids, and they will support kids and parents who are HIV positive by paying for meds and such to keep these kids in their own families. They are on FB and have a website. It is only 40 dollars a month to sponsor a kid- and they are my new favorite charity. Can you imagine never being touched by another human unless they wear gloves? It is heartbreaking.

Update!!

2 out of the 3 kids are sick. Scott is sick. Claire had her first neb treatment today. I started back to work last week. I survived Scott being out of town all week last week. Aiden and Claire love to pick on each other. They love to play with their strollers together. Noah gets his green belt tonight in tae kwon do. The laundry is only one load away from being caught up. I am still years away from being caught up on sleep. The van broke down again. Scott had to replace our garbage disposal. Niles (our cat) was sick with bronchitis.

With all the challenges the past 6 weeks- I am so happy. Claire is so happy to have a family. She has adjusted great!

Yet I can't stop thinking of all the special needs kiddos still waiting for a family. We have no plans right now to adopt again, but I can raise awareness. Of the kiddos. Of the special needs that are on my heart. Of the ethical issues surrounding adoption. Of how everyone can help. Of how to keep kids with their families (sponsor a kid through compassion international!!).

Well Claire just filled her diaper so all that will have to wait right now!

Re-entry Home!!!!

We made it home Saturday on time!! We had a huge gathering at the airport and a photographer took pics- so that will be another post.

I feel mostly over the jet lag so yay!!!!

Our church family is providing dinners for the next 2 weeks- and let me say how much of a blessing that is!! We did not have that when Noah or Aiden was born- family and close friends brought a few meals. It is so nice not to worry about cooking yet. And after eating out in China- the home cooked meals are a treat!!! And I have no worries about what exactly I am eating. (Yes there were several slightly suspicious meals-lol, and no I did not pick any dinners out of the tank although I could have!).

Noah is doing great! He loves being a brother again. Aiden is doing well considering he is no longer the baby. We have plans for each of us to spend some one on one time with him to help.

Claire is doing much better than I thought. She loves her ge-ge's (brothers). She has a regular check up tomorrow, and we will see her cleft team on the 19th.

It is the little things about being home that mean a lot. Like brushing my teeth with tap water! Eating raw veggies!! No smog!! No long flights!! I won't get run over by a moped or car or bus when I walk on the sidewalk!!!


And here are few pics of Claire I took this am.

First days in Guangzhou!!

Claire slept on the plane ride here- which was great since I was solo. My dad left zhengzhou to fly home and Scott left the US to fly here:). Members of our travel group helped with my luggage- I did not have to tote it at all. Our flight was late though so by the time we got to the hotel and checked in we were exhausted and went to bed. We woke up early this am and the hotel is wonderful!! Breakfast buffet was wonderful. Then Claire and I toured the six banyan tree temple- which was being cleaned in preparation for Chinese New Year, and the old Chen house which has examples of porcelain, embroidery, wood and bone carvings. Then the group went shopping and I bought a tea set. Claire then took a nap, then we went to Starbucks (nice treat- it is in the hotel!!) and played at the hotel playground before dinner with the group. I did some more bath tub laundry which is always exciting. I did send my jeans out for laundering today- so when I get them back I can wear some that no longer stand by themselves!!

Tomorrow is the medical appt and Scott will arrive in early afternoon! I know he can't wait to see Claire in person!!

China is so hard to describe though! It is beautiful and smoggy and crazy all at the same time. In Zhengzhou the scooters drive on the sidewalks- as do cars sometimes. Pedestrians do not have the right of way and it is nerve-racking. Every "stranger" we have met has been nice and curious. Many people have sent Claire good wishes. I have had my pic taken on the sly- but so far no one has asked to pose with me.

Our guides have been great! In Zhengzhou they had to deal with a passport issue for Claire. Here the guides have checked on me a lot and even offered to come sit with Claire for me to shower.

And so far I have not eaten at McDonalds lol!!! Although there is a 24 hour one right next door so that will probably change!

Some funny things are: there have been baked beans on the breakfast bar in all 3 hotels. And chicken feet on at least one. Oh and a full salad bar, including blue cheese dressing, was on the breakfast bar this am. I thankfully have not seen too much spitting- but have seen too many squatty potties.

Love this girl!!

She is so sweet and smart. She is attaching great, and points to her ba ba (daddy) and jie jie ( brothers) on FaceTime.

Yesterday we went to nanyang to apply for her passport. That is her hometown. 3.5 hours one way in a car. For a 20 minute appt!!! The passport official made a big deal out of seeing my original power of attorney for Scott- and then she could not read any English. She made our guide, Tim, translate it out loud to her on the spot. But it got done. Claire did really well considering the long ride.

Today we have free time. She is napping and we have big plans to go to Walmart. I will try to take some pics bc it is very interesting.

Tomorrow we are planning to tour Shaolin temple which is the birthplace of Kung fu!! That should be cool. On sat we fly to Ghuangzhou and we say bye to Ye Ye (granddaddy). Scott will arrive on Monday.

More about gotcha day!!

I think the pics speak for themselves

Gotcha Day!!!

I still can't believe that I have Claire. First she is perfect!! So we pull up to the civil affairs office and our guide said that some of the babies were there already. I was not expecting Claire to be there but when I walked in I knew she was before I even saw her. Then someone walks up to me and says YuTing- she recognized me from the photos we sent. And there she was. They said she is scared of strangers so I sat on the floor and whipped out the Cheerios. She took some from my hand as the nannies showed her how I matched the pictures in her book. She was sitting in my lap in the next few minutes. She has been very close by ever since. The nannies for her foster care home in shanghai brought her to me. It was obvious that they love her. They were very happy that she was not scared of me and she did not cry. The nannies and I cried a bunch. They brought me clothes and formula for her. She fell asleep for her nap on the bus ride back to the hotel and is still asleep! I will post some pics later- they are still on the camera.

Pics from Beijing!!

Yesterday we did the forbidden city and Tiananmen square. Today we saw the Great Wall and we will go see an acrobat show later. Here are some pics!! Tomorrow we travel to Zhengzhou.

Travel!

So we finally made it to Beijing. Travel was tiring and very overwhelming because of how long it took. Our guide picked us up at the airport- and he is great!!! He is very nice and is showing us the sights around Beijing tomorrow.

I have never taken such a long flight before! We were about 14 hours in the air. The plane was so large that there was no turbulence and you could not even feel it banking when turning. I got to watch movies that were PG 13 instead of G lol!! We lucked out and some families that we know we're on our flight! We sat right behind my friend Gwen and her family- and they are also with CCAI so we will be together just about the whole trip!

I am so happy to be in this country of Claire's birth. I can't wait to see more of it tomorrow! It was dark when we arrived. Oh and the smog is not too terrible. Brandi- yes it smells like China!!!!

Well off to bed!!!

We are going to China- on Wednesday!!!

We got our travel invite. Our appointment has been made at the consulate in China. The flights are booked. The bags are half packed (but it is weird bc the suitcase is 3/4 full....). So here we go!! Our travel plans are as follows.


We (my dad and I)leave Wednesday morning and fly to Atlanta. 2 of the adoptive moms I met through Facebook are on our same flight leaving Altanta. Squealing will be heard at the gate when we meet up!

We leave Atlanta at noon to Korea. We arrive in Korea at 5pm on Thursday. Yep. Gotta love the time difference.

We leave Korea at 7pm and get to Beijing about 8pm and we will crash at the hotel.

We tour in Beijing (where I will freeze ) and fly to Zhenzhou on Sunday.

On Monday the 21st we get Claire!!! We have lots of paperwork and have to wait for her passport to be issued.

On Saturday I will fly to Ghuangzhou with Claire, and my dad will fly home. Scott meets me there Monday. We will have Claire's medical exam which is required for her visa into the US. Our consulate appointment where they approve all the immigration paperwork is Thursday, the 31st. We will get her visa on Friday and begin the trek home!

We will fly out of Hong Kong at 1am sat morning. Arrive in Korea at 5am. Leave Korea for Atlanta at 10am. We arrive in Atlanta sat am at 9. Yep, we get to Atlanta an hour before we leave Korea!!! Crazy!!! We clear customs and immigration and Claire becomes a US citizen!! We have a long layover because our first choice flight home was full- but this gives us the chance to see Scott's brother and his family!! And they get to meet Claire!

We will arrive home at 2:55(ish)pm. All are invited to greet us at the airport!! We will be the exhausted travelers with a wailing toddler. Should be easy to spot!!


WE ARE GOING TO CHINA!!!!!

The wait is hard-but this helped!

For part of my Christmas gift (the main one being china!!), Scott gave me some money for a charm of Claire's Chinese name. So I ordered it today! I got it from www.jiayindesigns.com (Facebook- www.facebook.com/jiayindesigns). I can't wait to get it. Most of you know that I wear birthstones for my boys everyday. Claire shares a birth month and stone with Noah- so I wanted something different. I love her Chinese name-Yu Ting, and we are keeping it for her middle. Her nannies call her Ting Ting. I am excited that I will have a beautiful charm of her name.

This journey has seemed so long. We are now only waiting on that travel invite from China. There is a rumor that our agency will get some tomorrow. I pray ours is in the envelope!! If so we will leave the 16th. I could be getting on a plane in one week and one day. If so, we will get Claire 1-21. That date has special meaning anyway because on that date in 1994 (19!!! Years ago) that Scott and I started dating!!

I will update with travel plans very soon I hope!!