Home

We finally made it home!!!! What a crazy travel itinerary we had but we made it home safe and sound! And believe me there is no place like home!!!!

I was really surprise that Pei took right to the boy's after being home for only an hour she sat in Nick's lap and played! For this little girl that is a big deal!

Our time in China was a blur. The two weeks went by quickly but upon coming home it felt like we had been gone forever. We are so glad to get home. Living in numerous hotels with two young children is not easy! So just having the comforts of home has made this so much better.

I have to be honest . This is probably been one of the most difficult things that I have ever done. I know that no two adoptions are the same. So I walked into this knowing that this would not be the same as Ava's adoption. Both of these girls had the same beginning but very different experiences while in country. Ava was in numerous hospitals and then finally in a orphanage. She had no consistent caregivers and came to us like a blank canvas waiting for someone to make the first stroke. Pei on the other hand stayed at the orphanage just a few days and then was place with a foster family. She then stayed with this family till the day we meet her. So we prepared ourselves for a child that would mourn and grieve. Well so we thought.

I have to say that I was totally unprepared. I do not know if I could have prepared myself for this. Pei was in a combination of shock,panic and mourning. I found myself wanting to help her but not really sure what to do. As a parent it was a very helpless feeling.We just had Ava's two year post placement done for Russia . Our social worker is also an attachment therapist and said that this is the hard part .A child that has been in foster care has a difficult start but in the long run is so much better off.

We have made great progress but we have a long way to go. Pei is two and came to us with her own personality and way of doing things. So we skipped right over the honeymoon phase and dove head first into the discovery phase.We are all learning about each other and finding the new norm.

Here are a few tidbits that we have discovered:

~I have to say this is such a smart little girl!

~She is picking up English right and left.

~ She can eat her weight in cantaloupe!

~Loves Chocolate milk!

~Loves McDonald's french fries!

~Scared of strangers

~Loves Tex and Rocky

~Loves dancing and music

~ She loves to bath and swim!

~ She has one small problem with hitting ,so we are working on that!

Layer by layer we are discovering her personality.Pei is a scared ,sweet little girl that has had her whole world turned upside down. Please pray for her heart to heal and that she continues to trust us.

I am taking a small break from our blog to post for my friend ,Nikki, who is leaving this next week to pick up Quinn!!!!! We are so excited about finally meeting this sweet girl! So I figure one blog to manage,school starting and doctor appointments is enough with the dynamic duo in tow !

So, see ya in a couple of weeks!!!

Leaving on a jet plane!

We are leaving to go home!!!!!!!!!!

We have enjoyed our time here but it is time to go home! We have made lots of new friends and made lots of new memories . We had a great time with all of the other BAAS families! Just look at these beautiful girls!

We will be leaving bright and early tomorrow heading to Hong Kong and then on to LA.Please pray for a safe and smooth flight.

I will leave you with a few pics we took today at the Garden Hotel.

See ya in the USA!!

The sun is beginning to shine!

Today we went back to the Island to finish our shopping with another BAAS fam! Ashley and I had not reached our quota for squeaky shoes!!!! Everyone knows that a girl can not have enough shoes!!!! So all of our girls are no exception!I love the island but staying at the Garden is great too and the Island is just a taxi cab away!
We had a great day with the girls. Pei seems to be having more fun with Ava too! I just know these two will be the best of friends one day and it was certainly great to to see a glimpse of that today!
This trip has been hard but we are finally beginning to see the sun with Pei. She is one of the smartest children we have ever seen . I mean really smart. Maybe that is why it has been so difficult for her. She is so observant and knows exactly what is going on.I pray that her trust will come quickly and she can continue to let her guard down.
From the moment I meet her I felt like I have already known her. Not because of what I imagined her to be but because she reminds me so much of my friends daughter, Ariana. Michele wait till you meet her you are not going to believe this! Another petite olive skinned beauty!
Well here are some pics from today! What a difference a few days make! We have a long way to go but we are making progress!!!!

Turning a corner

Today was a much better day for all of us! Pei seemed a bit relaxed today! It feels almost like we are turning a corner. Although it is a small corner ...I will take it!
We went to the island to shop and have all the BAAS kiddos have their TB skin test read. Everyone passed with flying colors!
So we shopped at record speed and then went to the White Swan for some red couch photos. We also ventured out to lunch with our group. It was great to visit with all of the other BAAS families!
Here our a few photos from our day!

One step forward ,two steps back

When you are trying to get to know the grieving child it is just that one step forward and then two steps back. Pei is still grieving and is very guarded with us. We occasionally get a giggle but for now she is very serious and anxious. If I sit down she is fine but if I start moving around the hotel room she follows closely and whimpers. Nap and bedtime seem to be the greatest source of stress for her. We are hoping that her anxiety will begin to tapper off but living in a hotel is not helping!
We had a great day today. We went to the Yuntai Garden with several other BAAS families today. Despite the heat and intense humidity it was great to visit with the other families and see all of their beautiful kiddos.
We are off to the pool!Tomorrow we are going to the island to get the TB results and do a bit of shopping. Here are few pics from today!

Half way there!

Well the past few days have been LONG! Pei has grieved pretty heavy and would not let anyone come near her but me. So, it was a little stressful the last couple of days in Nanning. When we started packing up to leave the Marriott her anxiety was building .She retreated and only wanted to be held the rest of the day. I really enjoyed visiting our daughters hometown but I am glad to be moving on to Guangzhou!Pei gets car sick so dragging the kids to do a lot of sight seeing was not in the cards.So we spent a lot of time in the room. We did go visit Green Mountain and it was beautiful. The girls loved feeding the koi!
So after a flight delay we finally arrived in Guangzhou and crawled into bed about 2:00am. So this morning we had to be up and in the lobby at 9:30 to go to Pei's medical.She woke up this morning and was back to her silly happy self :) So we were decided to take a chance and send Dad with Pei. I figured it could be a great way for them to bond with him being the rescuer OR he could be the bad guy! Well it worked! And she did great with him!She needed 4 shots and they said her hearing seems good.
So here a few pics from the past few days in Nanning and Guangzhou.
Enjoy!

Goodbye

Today was a really hard day. First off the car and Pei are not on good terms.Poor baby gets sick every time we get into the car. So when we left the hotel I am armed with my little baggy. By the time we get to the orphanage she is looking green from the car ride. So we get out of the van and coming down the street is her Foster mom. Well she jumped to the ground and took of for her. Her arms were out and she was screaming her name. It was the saddest thing I have ever seen. This is the first time that we have heard Pei cry out loud. Up till now she has silently weep. We sat and visited with the family. It was wonderful to meet with them and hear all about Pei. They are very loving and have taken good care of Pei. She has been blessed to have them in her life and them to have had her.

We bid our farewells and Pei cried herself to sleep in the car...out loud. She is no longer trying to internalize all that she is feeling .I know today was hard for her but has helped jump start this grieving for the only family that she has ever know.

Pei came back to the room had a bath, some noodles and a 7 up. Then she was back to her silly self giggling and playing. But when it came to bed time she crawled up in my lap and tears just rolled down her cheeks. In so many ways she is like a baby.She has a pacifier and it is very soothing to her. But she is also a active little girl that runs ,jumps and has the most infectious giggle. She is so smart. You say words to her and she will repeat them perfectly. Her hearing seems really good. We had prepared ourselves for the unknown in this area because we really were not sure to what degree her hearing ability would be. She is the same height as Ava but she is so thin. Ava looks like a Russian wrestler next to her! So we will be hitting the bluebell ice cream when we get home!

Today we are off to do a little site seeing! Wish us luck in the car! For those of you that are traveling soon I am posting a picture of the naval patch that they use for motion sickness.It seems to work pretty good!

The New Norm

The past few days have been a blurr.My days and night are a bit mixed up and I have been waking up at 4:00a.m.! I am glad to say these two have been sleeping in :)

Things have been going well here. We are all trying to find the new norm.Pei has done really well. Yesterday there was a few moments of laughter and giggles but it seemed like it is starting to sink in that she is not just visiting us.At times she will seriously study us . She is starting to follow me around everywhere. If I step into the other room she goes to check where I am at and calls mama!.

Pei is so smart and picking up words quickly. She is so timid and compliant. But rather assertive at times with Ava. I know she was in a foster home with a boy who was adopted in the US this year. She also has a foster sister that she lived with. So she definitely is used to kids!

Ava has been just in awe of Pei! If you can not tell by the look on her face!She is really being a great big sister! Here are the two giggling sisters!

When it is time for bed she becomes so quite. I picked her up and placed her in bed and that is where she stays. She will not move a but only her eyes. I think at times she is terrified but unlike Ava who will yell ,scream ,cry and verbally ,tell you Pei internalizes all of this. It is so hard to watch because you want to comfort her and take all that she is feeling away.There were no tears last night but I really wish she would have a really good cry and not try to be so brave.She is still such a baby .Still taking a bottle of formula 3 x's a day but so brave that she does not just break down and sob. I am having a hard time wrapping my head around this.

Today, we have been invited to the orphanage by the director to meet with the foster parents. I really think that seeing them will be sad but also bring in a little closure for Pei. She has been with this family since she was an infant . So, I can only imagine what this little child is feeling inside.We are also going to Pei's finding place.I am sure this will be a very emotional day for all.

I will leave you with a few pics from yesterday!

Nikki ,Mc Gruger figured out how to get on my blog! So, sister you get a break today!

Nick and Jake We love and miss you soooooo much!

Gotcha Day!

Today I met my daughter! I can not believe this day is finally here. We went to the Lottery hotel in Nanning at 3:30. We went in a room with several other families. The first family was called up and in walked the most frightened little girl I have ever seen. She cried so hard that I began crying. It was truly heartbreaking. They then tell us to go into the other room. When I rounded the corner there she was! She immediately got out her photo album and started looking at the photos and matching our faces to them . She was calling me Momma with 20 minutes. She obviously had been looking at our photos for months now. Ava and Pei began running around the room and giggling. This is one of the happiest little girls I have ever seen! The orphanage director slipped out and we were off to the hotel. At this point not one tear had been shed. We ordered room service and the girls played . So we are getting ready for bed and in total silence, tears rolled down Pei's little cheeks. She silently mourned the loss of her foster Momma tonight. I held her close, gave her a bottle and she drifted off to sleep.

Please pray that her little heart heals quickly. It is so heartbreaking to see.

Here are a few pics ! I will post more tomorrow!