Day 5

Today did not start out so well for Allyson.... she is very tired (missing her good 3-4 hour naps) and has had enough of us. She woke up crying and inconsolable this morning, she will only let Steve hold her at this point - he calls her his appendage :) so that is getting tiring for him also.  She has had a lot of changes this week and is a "tad" more vocal than her brother was at this point of the process!

We had a visit to her orphanage scheduled today and were hoping that seeing her foster mother would help her understand better what was happening and help explain to her that we were mama & baba.  We are sure that her foster family explained it before but she is only two so the fact that she would see us all together talking about what she likes and dislikes might help her understand.  We feel that it is important to go back and visit the orphanage so we can tell our kids where they came from and were cared for when they were babies. We have no knowledge of their lives before they came there so any information might be helpful when they are older and curious about their beginnings. It is not always an easy thing but in our minds worth it in the long run. There were a lot of tears, from foster mom, our guide, me, the other nannies and Allyson but she got to say good-bye and has really turned a corner with all of us.

While at the orphanage we got to meet some kids that are looking for families and visit with them for a bit (we asked to see them to get photos & info so they can be advocated for here in the US) our kids had a great time playing with them and we were honored to ask about them, give them some love and attention - hopefully their families will find them soon! Please, please, please  -if you are even thinking about adoption - call or email our agency Madison Adoption Agency - they are beyond wonderful and caring they will give you any advice and answer any questions that you have about
adoption!

 While we were touring around - pop pop kept the troops entertained on the playground.

Kian's foster mom got to see him!

We also had a "simple" lunch as they called it - it was quite a spread - at least 10 different dishes - pork, fish, rice, eggs & tomato, dumplings and more! It was all great food and we enjoyed being able to sit down with the people that had taken care of our kids.

Allyson is now sometimes letting me do things.... I am on clean up - she lets me wipe her hands and face. No holding her yet but I am able to touch her! She lets me help her go to the potty (yes - she is potty trained!). She still goes to Steve for comfort and direction but at least she is looking at me now :) slow and steady wins the race. 

Day 4

Today was Kian's 3rd birthday. He celebrated in style all day and told everyone we saw that it was his birthday - so cute :) He seems so big and older since we met Allyson... he is such a sweet boy and is loving his trip to CHINA. It is all capitols because for some reason him and brother always say it really loud!

We had no where to be this morning so after breakfast we walked down to the garden and koi ponds to play with bubbles.

After the bubbles you will never believe where we went - the POOL! Shocking I know :)

We also went to Allyson's medical appointment and the police station to apply for her passport. Not too exciting but jobs that have to be done to complete all the paperwork!

As you can see she is tickled by these appointments. We also learned today that she does not like to be woken up and do said appointments....

For Kian's birthday dinner we went to his favorite Mexican joint in China! Tekila's is down the street from our hotel and we ate there a few times last year and he loved it so we went there last night.

Hmmm.... seems to be someone else's favorite place also!

Watching people play pool....

On the way home we stopped at a great pastry shop and got a dessert to complete the birthday party!

Day 3

Today we made Allyson's adoption official, we went back to the provincial office where we met her yesterday and signed all the paperwork. She was a good little trooper for all the boring detail parts that we had to sit through.

 Allyson is a daddy's girl through and through - he has to be the one to hold her and comfort her at this point. We kind of expected that since we knew she was very attached to her foster mother. She will tolerate me but there is no love lost if I am not around! She had a complete meltdown today when she thought Steve had left and she was stuck with me - I was actually concerned for her safety because she was flailing around so much!

Kian is warming up to her more than yesterday although she loves to push his buttons and mess up anything he is playing with ;) we think Kian has a tad bit of better understanding of how much he was tormenting his brother for the last year :) Kian and Declan both woke up this morning and their first question was "where is Allyson"?

 We are getting a lot of swimming in while the weather is nice!

Jet lag is a killer though....

Day 2

We have Allyson! She is a complete riot. She has a very great sunny disposition and is fitting in well. She was very nervous at first but just like her older brother we think she was well prepared for what was happening. She is chatting up a storm, running around with her brothers and telling them how it is ;) Declan slept through the whole process of us going to pick her up, signing all the papers and leaving with her! Kian is not 100% on board with her being here but doesn't seem to mind her to much!

When we picked her up we were told that she is either on the move or asleep.... so far so true :) She is a busy, busy bee. As of now (9 pm) both the boys are crashed out and she is going strong. She will not change into jammies so to my local peps - don't be offended if you see this sassy lady in the same duds at breakfast!

Day 1

We took off from Newark airport straight through to Hong Kong at 1:50 am. Shhwooo - that is late or early depending on your perspective! It worked well since both (little) boys fell asleep and stayed asleep for about 8 hours. Once they woke up they were both well behaved and no one wanted to jump off the plane.  It is a 15+ hour flight - a long time for big or little to sit!

We landed in Hong Kong at 5:30 in the morning.... we wandered to our next gate for a 30 minute flight to Guangzhou China.

Guangzhou is the city we will meet Allyson in and stay in for the next week and a half to complete the adoption process. It is located in southern China so the weather here is HOT oh and might I mention HUMID. Oh my.....

So while we are recovering from our jet lag , swimming and having fun - the main purpose of our trip is never far from our minds.... please pray for our girl - she is about to have her world turned upside down! Although she is already loved and we can not wait to meet her she is not going to totally understand all that is happening and might not be so excited to meet us.

We will meet Allyson at 2:30 local time today - that will be 2:30 am for most of you! We will keep you posted :)

Thank You!!!

Travel Plans

Flights are booked, hotels are reserved and appointments are lined-up! We are headed to China ~ here has been the process so far:

Clear as mud! Don't worry we will keep you posted from here on out ;)

We are flying out on Friday night (early Saturday morning actually!) direct to Hong Kong. From there we have a short flight into mainland China. We will be staying at the same hotel we stayed last year when we adopted Kian. It is The Garden Hotel,  a 5 star hotel in Guangzhou China. (Also for reference - it is where The Little Couple stayed when they adopted Will. I had no idea how many people watched that show until we adopted Kian around the same time as they adopted their son!)  We are fortunate that our daughter is located in this same province so we will remain here for the entire 10 days that it will take to complete the entire adoption process. Then back to Hong Kong to hit Disney and sightsee.

We will get Allyson on Monday May 26th and she will be with us from that point onward.