We met some more of our cousins today!

Hi Everyone,

Today Ella had a great day. After playing at our park with Harley, where Ella found it so amusing that Harley loved to go down the slide too, we met Aunt Mindy, and our cousins Tate, Edie and Macy at McDonalds play land! What a day. Ella was too fast for her cousins on the play gym, so after explaining that her cousins needed her to show them the way, she grabbed Tate's hand and off they went. The girls had a great time and then we all came back home for swimming. Unfortunately, Ella's cousins are fishes and seeing them swim Ella would not get in her pool. She was pretty exhausted at this point, so all the girls had fun in a big bubble bath and watched Thumbelina to wind down. (Pic). Once our visitors left, Ella slept for a good hour. Now if only I could figure out how to get her to rest in her room during the day vs driving in the car. Small steps....
Ella is very excited for school tomorrow, and I had her help pack her lunch before bedtime so that she knows what she will be eating and also what is in each container. Hopefully we will manage at least half of our lunch tomorrow before playtime. I am planning on going back to work this week starting on Tuesday if all goes well. We are planning to hear nothing but more good news from the doctor and appreciate all the good thoughts and prayers on that front. One more update I am happy to share, when Ella rode her bike tonight after dinner as we walked Harley (part of our nighttime routine) she wanted to hold my hand the whole way. I have to giggle at the moments Ella picks for closeness... In my one hand I have a 65lb dog pulling on her leash at everything that moves because she thinks it is a lizard, and while holding Ella with my other hand I have to try and keep her upright on her bike and moving forward all the while smiling and laughing at how absurd we must look! :) I just love these moments!!!

Hmmmm, I thought playdates meant down time?

Hi Everyone,

I am very happy to report that Ella's doctor appointment yesterday came with great news! Her chest xray was relatively normal and that means no more work ups for that part! YEAH! Today we had our blood drawn for the necessary tests, and Ella was once again an amazing champ! The tech was going to call in people to hold her down, and I asked her not to call anyone as I would be able to help her and told her that Ella would not move just like most adults. True to fashion, she was able to handle the poke and was more interested in her band aid then anything else! As we waited we saw everyone come out with their arms wrapped and Ella was happy to see that she not only got her arm wrapped up but she also was able to put a sticker on top too! Today was our first true "time in" for Ella. Unfortunately after not listening to Mom, we went ahead and played with the answering machine and erased all the messages on the machine. Since we knew this was Mom's thing and not Ella's thing, we had to have a discussion on what that meant. Needless to say, this lead to crying and throwing our shoes which then resulted in the time in. Let me just say that having a time in where you have to have your child next to you as they work through their emotions is trying!!! Since my hearing had not fully recovered from the first visit to the school, I am pretty sure I am now deaf in my right ear!! Once Ella recovered enough to actually talk, we headed to the car for a "drive" which really means nap time. Later in the day, Ella had a neighbor over for a play date. Considering the amount of things for the kids to play with and the fact that they have their own little room for play away from Harley and Mom, you would think they could manage 15 minutes of play??? Ugh! We then went into activity mode and made some necklaces and painted a puzzle followed by baking Harley some of her favorite cheesy dog treats. Ella enjoyed herself and her new friend was so sad to leave! Fun time all around. My little one is learning to swim and managed to get her head under the water today! (Pic) Yeah! Ella also told me this morning that she liked school here in America vs her birth home. That was great to hear, and now I just need to work on getting her to eat her lunch at school. I think she is so excited to get to playtime, that she eats 10% and then heads out doors. This results in the massive breakdown we have when I pick her up from school. She will eventually pass out from exhaustion and when she wakes will eat her lunch and the snacks I bring. I know she will eventually work this all out, but have been working on the importance of lunch at school this week-end. Hopefully it will stick. Ella picked her lunch for the next week, so we shall see...

We are doing well at school!

Hi Everyone,

Pics are for our first full day at school! Ella is doing really well at school and has found a partner in crime in just one day. In Ella's class is a little girl from Vietnam named Mary, and she and Ella are as thick as thieves. Unfortunately, Mary does not speak any English either!! :) It is nice to see my daughter holding hands with her new friend and at play time all the kids are playing together which is just great! I volunteered for lunch time duty and was able to see Ella which was fortunate because yesterday she did not eat any of her lunch. They only have about 25 minutes to eat, and Ella could easily take 60 minutes. It was helpful to get her items out of her lunch bag and then open them for her so that she could eat. I will be packing easy items from now on and will be volunteering for the next couple of days until my leave is up. I am headed back to work next week which will actually be nice except for the fact that I need a VACATION! Ha, I am sure all my fellow Moms can understand that feeling or for that matter all my friends! These four weeks just flew by. My wonderful daughter burst into tears when she saw me again today. I know part of this is exhaustion but it is difficult to see and although I know we are still at baby steps in terms of attachment, it is hard to take. Unfortunately Ella is back to wiping my kisses off and will still not call me Mom unless her guard is down. Baby steps I know, but still very difficult to deal with on a day to day basis. I don't know how to explain this to everyone, and I am well prepared to continue the necessary work to help my daughter attach, but WOW I did not realize how four weeks of pushing and rejection from my daughter can take its toll! :) We will make it, and as I said before I left for China, I am looking forward to the next year and being able to look back and appreciate all of the difficult moments that eventually will lead to a healthy attached little girl. Pics include Ella's wonderful new kinder teacher, Mrs. Duplenty. All for now from this very exhausted lady, our love to all.

What a difference a day makes

Hi Everyone,

We are very happy here to report that Ella went happily to school today and actually wanted to stay for the whole day! I even left to go and get her lunch and after giving her the lunch I told her I was going to leave for a little bit. I am not sure Ella even heard the whole thing because she was so busy trying to get to the playground to play. In true Xiao fashion, she managed to finish the entire work page assingment for the day when the rest of the class was just working on one letter at a time. I explained to the teacher at the break the drive these children have to always be first and she laughed and said Ella would fit right in because she has two little boys who always need to be first too! I really cannot say what changed with Ella except that when we arrived home yesterday and went over all the pictures and added the names of some of Ella's classmates and Ella's teacher's name, she seemed a little happier. I think the biggest difference was when she realized that we would be coming home after school. I am not sure she really trusted me when I said I would not leave her at school. Grandma's cookie idea was a big hit too! Ella just basically walked right into class handed the teacher the bag of cookies and looked around for an empty seat. I am so happy for her. When I picked her up, she started crying and was completely exhausted, but I could tell she was happy too. She must have been so relived that she was going home and I am not sure what she was doing at lunch time, but after eating her entire snack of grapes and seaweed I brought, she pulled out her entire lunch! Poor thing. She must have been starving on top of everything. We are set to arrive on time tomorrow and try a real first day of school. I met a lovely Mom at the school who has successfully adopted two times from China and her daughter is in the first grade. We are hoping for a strong day tomorrow and thanks to everyone for their kind words for Ella!

How do we say DISASTER?

Hi Everyone,

Let's just say that our first venture at school was, how would you say politely a TOTAL DISASTER?!! Poor thing. We had been working for the past two days on what school meant, where it was what we were going to do and although I received an excited "Yes school" after we had our teeth fixed, I think the reality of school was a whole different thing altogether. The kids in Ella's class were adorable and all came up to say hello, but this overwhelmed Ella and that is where things started to head down hill. After getting her calm enough to go outside with the class and watch the recess there was a "Ranger" visitor that was going to talk to the class. We decided to stay for the Ranger and listen to the presentation, but when he was done talking Ella was pretty much finished with the whole school thing. I am not sure I can hear out of my right ear yet, :) and the pitch and volume of her vocal expression had every teacher on the floor opening their door to find out what was going on. Needless to say, we had to leave the school at this point and head home. After getting some lunch and feeling good about being at home, we went back to all the drawings and added names to the kids faces and the teacher's name and talked about how being sad is ok but yelling and screaming is not ok at school. "Tears and sad ok, screaming not ok". I am hoping she understood what she was saying! We made some cookies to bring to class tomorrow, Grandma's idea and will give school another go. I contacted my manager to request some changes in my return date given the fact that I was suppose to start back on Monday and we are still dealing with some medical issues and now the school element. Hopefully we will be on track for next week. I also will be looking into pre-K classes as it was difficult to watch Ella's eyes glaze over during the Ranger presentation and her showing zero interest in the activities. The extra year in a repeat environment might help her feel more secure. In addition, given my daughter's constant desire to be first with everything, I think kinder might be setting her up for some unnecessary feelings of failure. Will see how tomorrow goes and get a little more feedback from the kinder teacher. Including a pic of Ella riding on her bike. Great smile! Our love to all.

What a champ!

Hi Everyone,

All I can say after today is that my daughter is the most amazing strong individual! Our day started with an outing to the park where they have this great playground along with a nice grass area for Harley. Ella Xiao loves the swings, so of course this was were we spent a good 30 minutes at the start of our visit. Unfortunately they did not have the grownup swings but the kind that have the bucket seat and Xiao, only weighing 38lbs, was a cinch to fit in. After I could no longer push her due to the bilateral rotator cuff tears from pushing, :) I suggested she try out the slides. Well my little one had bilateral blister burns on the back of her legs from the seat and didn't even notice it until she went down the slide. UGH! I felt horrible, and of course because she was being so stoic and I am on my knees taking a look to see how bad they really are. It was at this moment when Harley decided to make an entrance to check out what I was looking at. This untimely entrance resulted in a pretty big melt down for Xiao that had all the mothers looking over at me and wondering if my dog had bit this poor child. Out of about five women, one ventured up to inquire what had happened. When I looked up at her with what I am sure must have been a "you have got to be kidding me look" she said "Oh is she with you?" Too funny however, not so much at that moment. We made it home where I was able to put my old nursing skills to use and before long my daughter was repeating that she was too big for those swings and they were bad. We managed to recover and meet our cousins Hanna and Connor and Aunt Ann-Marie for lunch at the McDonalds play land and thoroughly enjoyed ourselves! The play set was amazing and Xiao loved to climb to the top and be as fast as she could! Our dental appointment was at 2pm so after a quick nap, we headed to the doctor and my daughter was truly a champ. The doctor managed to fill seven cavities and fixed all four of Xiao's top teeth. He used nitrous during the procedure, and Xiao was the perfect patient. The only time she became upset was when the gas wore off and she did not like the sensation that her mouth was numb. I had to pull out the snow white dress I was saving for Halloween when we got home, and this pretty much diverted her until her mouth was working again! :) I wish her doctor could have seen the look on her face when we got ready for bed tonight and she realized that all her teeth were fixed. She kept pointing to them and giving a thumbs up. She now has a Hollywood perfect smile in time for school. I am so thankful to her doctor and the entire group at LaCourt's office for fitting us in and doing an extraordinary job. We are going to Xiao's new school in the morning and meet the teacher during recess time, and I hope things will go well. Our love to all....

We seem to be settling in.....

Hi Everyone,

Well, we ventured out yesterday to the Zoo and to meet our Aunt Mindy and cousin Macy. Although I could not get Ella Xiao to walk at all, she was willing to ride in one of the car strollers they have. We feed the giraffes, or I should say, I feed the giraffe as Ella looked on in horror (pic). Ella tried her first snow cone, and did not enjoy it. In China the kids have no experience with ice or cold drinks, and I am finding that Xiao does not like any cold drinks. Outside of sprite, I am having a hard time to get her to drink anything! I am going to try the flavored water in lemon/lime and see if I can't get her to drink that. At the Zoo, Aunt Mindy blew a bubble with her gum and had Xiao laughing hysterically. It was a great time by all, and Connor and Hanna loved feeding the giraffes. Ella's favorite exhibit was the monkey cage where all the monkeys were playing and screaming nonstop. It was pretty funny to watch. Today, Xiao met her cousins Charlie and Liam and her Aunt Kristi. Ella really liked Charlie but had no interest in the baby. :) Aunt Marianne came down last night and man did she get a work out in the pool! All her nieces and nephews wanted to be with Aunt Marianne, and she was so great with all of them. We had a nice dinner at the local Chinese restaurant by our house and Xiao actually ate a couple of new things that I can now add to her diet. Turns out she likes pot stickers even though she would not eat them in China. Also, we loved the orange peel chicken. Good news. The tofu and shrimp has run its course after 2 1/2 weeks. I am happy to report that Ella actually pet her puppy today for the first time! Harley is still adjusting, and even has regressed at play school. Thankfully Erica and Christopher the owners of Dawghouse are willing to work with her to help get her back on track. If you live in Tucson and have a dog, I can't say enough great things about their dog care! What a treat for your dog! We have a very busy day on Monday with appointments, so tomorrow we are planning to just hang out and enjoy the pool. Unfortunately it turned green while we were in China, and I am still working on getting it back to normal. It is at least normal enough to swim in! Our nights are cooling off here, so we don't have many more swim days left unless Xiao can tolerate the cold water. Including some pics of the zoo visit. Hope you are all doing well!

Found a great school

Hi Everyone,

Well, we had our dentist visit today and Ella Xiao was such a champ! She was able to hold still for the xrays and let the doctor check out her teeth and really was so great. Her cousin Hanna came along for moral support and we were in and out in no time. Unfortunately for Ella Xiao we will be returning to see the dentist on Monday to take care of some much needed care. The doctor had actually adopted a young girl from Korea, and was really supportive and informative as to the poor state of Xiao teeth. Thankfully they are all her baby teeth and the doctor said her adult teeth will not be affected. YEAH! I was envisioning quite a dental bill in my future, but am so thankful that Ella Xiao will be ok! I investigated a new school today and really liked both the teacher and principal. My neighbor and friend Marie is actually a teacher for the 1st grade. The kinder class will have 16 including Xiao and I think this size should suit her just fine. It is called Immaculate Heart and the tuition is doable. The nice part is that their schedule will work with my work! Thank goodness!! As the sole bread winner, I really could not afford to have the half day kinder and since Xiao is use to full day schedule, this should be a great transition. I will be bringing Xiao to see the school on Tuesday, and depending on the additional medical care she requires hope to start her on Wed or Thursday. I am scheduled to go back to work the beginning of Sept so this would work out perfect. We are hoping that all the medical will turn out good!!
The picture is of Ella with her cousins Connor and Hanna. They all look pretty happy! Harley on the other hand is really having a hard time adjusting. She rediscovered her monsoon closet today and although she only uses it when she hears the thunder from the monsoons, she spent some time in there today while we were all in the pool. Poor thing. I am showering her with extra attention, but she doesn't understand why all the toys do not belong to her! A hard transition for technically the "first born" :)! We are off to meet Aunt Mindy tomorrow at the Zoo and looking forward to meeting our cousins Charlie and Liam and Aunt Kristi over the week-end. Aunt Marianne will be visiting over the week-end as well! Our good thoughts to all!

Fun Day

Hi Everyone,

Well, we had a very fun exhausting day today. We started the day by taking Ella Xiao and her cousins Hanna and Connor to the local dinosaur interactive museum. Unfortunately there were no dolls, no princesses and no frilly things for Xiao, so after digging for a dinosaur and getting dirty hands we were pretty much done. I tried to push the envelope a little with Xiao today and requested that when she wanted to be picked up or needed Mom we use the words to ask for this instead of "huh" "ah" or just plain yelling which honestly after three weeks is like nails on a chalk board for Mom! :) That said, it didn't go so well, so we are going to work on that and I am very pleased that she is using more words and speaking up with yes/no and asking for the food that she would like. All great things going into week three. After the museum we went to the store to buy shoes, and Ella Xiao picked out four pairs that actually fit. Yeah! We even purchased our first pair of flip flops, they of course have thumbalina on them, but they are flops. After dinner, our neighbors came to visit. They have a lovely daughter named Paige, and her brother Alex and another neighbor boy Eli all came to say hello. They said they have been very patient but could not wait anymore to say hello. Ella Xiao enjoyed meeting them, and of course when they said good-bye, she had a hard time. Good-byes are still a tough thing for Xiao but seeing that her cousins and Aunt Ann-Marie come back each day has helped. Tomorrow we have our dentist appointment and I am going to check out a new school for Xiao. Hoping to find that small classroom setting for my very sensitive daughter to help with her transition. Ella Xiao got a call from her Aunt Julie and Marianne today, and she actually has said both their names to them, so this is certainly a treat. They love hearing it! I am posting some more pics of Xiao, a distorted self portrait close up shot Xiao took, one showing my daughter's flexibility, her true princess self and even when we fall asleep we can hold onto our sucker! (p.s. Karen it was great to hear from you and thanks for the encouraging words about your friend.)

Two Days Home

Hi Everyone,

Well it has been a busy two days home. Ella Xiao's cousins came on Monday and we had a wonderful day playing and hanging out with them after a very rough start in the morning. Xiao had a minor melt down but managed to pull it together and help make lunch. The time change has been grueling coming back. We had our doctor visit today, and learned that Xiao had viral pneumonia while in China. Thankfully she is doing great and we will get a repeat x-ray over the week-end to make sure everything is ok! Xiao is slowly adjusting to her new dog. We did not enjoy meeting Harley despite meeting the wonderful Erica and getting a sucker and a little miniature bulldog toy from Erica, but after two days, we are willing to say hello and actually be in the same room as the dog. Poor Harley is adjusting to the half house situation and after some major pouting is starting to realize that she cannot go into Xiao's playroom to get all of her toys! :) A special thanks to Erica for lugging out all of Harley's food and bedding when I came to get her. It was very much appreciated! We will be getting additional blood work and shots next week and hopefully will be ready to start kindergarten the end of next week if all goes well. I am struggling with finding the right class for her as our public classrooms have 27 and 28 in their kinder class. I really cannot see Xiao doing well in this environment. St. Marks which has a great class despite saying they would hold a spot if one became available while we were in China, gave the spot away, so I am scrambling to find a smaller classroom. I am posting some pics of Ella Xiao with some of her friends from her trip, her wonderful Aunt Marianne and first pics at home! Hope you are all doing well!

We are home!

Hi Everyone,



We made it home today! In all my different scenarios in my head, never did I envision our homecoming! We were met at the airport by Uncle Chuck, and despite his big size, we even smiled at him. Could have been the very cool hello kitty bag he gave Xiao, but one never knows! :) It was a nice transition to Arizona, and since Marianne and I had parked our cars at Chuck and Kristi's new house, we got lunch and hung out for awhile. Xiao really enjoyed playing with her cousin's train set and really liked Charile's room with the monkey. Although I was a little nervous about leaving Aunt Marianne, we were very interested in our new car and our new car seat which is so fun to click into and out of. Xiao even managed a quick 30 minute nap on our drive down to Tucson and woke refreshed and still a little anxious as to what going to our house really meant. Since we had no food in the house, we needed to stop at the grocery store for bananas and watermelon our staples these days. After noticing the chocolate in the healthy food isle, I gave into Xiao's request for the chocolate. Although I tried to persuade her to get the one with peanut butter inside, Xiao was adamant that we get the mint one. After checking out and trying our first juice box, we snapped into our car seat and were on our way home. I told Xiao that she had to share her mint patties, one for Mom and two for Xiao, and after happily watching Mom eat hers, Xiao shoved the whole patty in her mouth. So, here I am giving a running dissertation on our neighborhood, the park, how the gates work etc, and it took us about 15 minutes to get home during which Xiao would just nod her head and I watched with growing anxiety as her lips became pursed and she would not talk. As we pulled into the driveway, we were met by my neighbor Marie and her son Jason who happened to be passing by. Although she smiled, Xiao would not say hello. My wonderful friend Mindy and my neighbor Shiela decorated our front door with balloons and all things hello kitty which was still met with only a nod and a smile. No words. As I opened the door and introduced Xiao to her new playroom and bedroom, I watched in horror as her face became more anxious and her eyes were as big as saucers. Finally, when I asked for the 100th time if she was ok, Xiao opened her mouth and in it was the ENTIRE mint patty! Needless to say, it promptly went from mouth to shirt to pants to floor. UGH!! Poor thing! She had this chocolate in her mouth for no less than 20 minutes and was too upset to let me know! We will be working on this issue along with her very serious/stoic demeanor! Xiao has a wonderful playful side and the best laugh and hope to hear more and more of that! After we were cleaned and dressed in new clothes, we happily went from bedroom to playroom and after finding the princess dress up drawer and puzzle drawer happily played until dinner. I don't think I will ever forget her face as she opened her mouth and all that chocolate came out! What a homecoming!!! Bed time went smoothly, and Xiao does love her new room and after putting her doll to bed happily climbed into hers. Looking forward to tomorrow and having Xiao meet her cousins Conner and Hanna and of course her dog Harley! Love to all and a special thanks to Aunt Marianne for coming with us to China and sharing in this amazing adventure.
p.s. Will attempt to download some pics and post tomorrow!

We made it to San Fransisco

Hi Everyone,

Well we made it to San Fran! What a champ Ella Xioayun was on the 12 hour flight. We had a brief melt down when I tried to get her to rest and the BIG strange male flight attendant wanted to talk to her, but outside of that she was amazing! Aunt Marianne really did a great job playing with her and for a 5 year old to hang out in a seat for 12 hours is pretty awesome in my book! Aunt Julie met us at the airport with flowers and watermelon and became an instant favorite and actually robbed Aunt Marianne of the first kiss! :) So happy to see that she is adapting and each day she is smiling more! We head home tomorrow and we get to pick up the big girl Harley on Monday. Can't wait to see her and also see how Xiao likes her dog. We are enjoying pointing to Aunt Julie's cat and she actually pet her once, but the big dogs have not been met with any type of success yet. Hoping to make that transition a happy one! :) The twins are a little young for Xiao, but she will be meeting her cousins Hanna and Conner on Monday, so that should be great fun for Xiao. One fun new thing for Xiao, but not so much for Mom, is the concept of being carried. We think it is great fun to be carried and not have to walk, and although I LOVE the physical contact, carrying around a 40+ lb little one is something!!
Disneyland in Hong Kong was amazing fun. Our new adoptive friends Tammy and Dave met us at the gate with their son B and new daughter Mei Mei. What a great day and Ella Xiao LOVED space mountain but her favorite ride was It's a Small World. Honestly, I think it is impossible to have a bad day at Disneyland and what fun it was to hear Xiao laugh and smile! We had a small freak out during the 3D movie presentation because it was a little too much sensory overload but enjoyed every other part of the day except saying good-bye to our new friends. Turns out we do not like hugs for good-byes which is certainly understandable.
Today we went to Golden Gate park and although the huge climbing playground was scary at first, by the end of our time there we had climbed everything, had two wipe outs and LOVED the swings. A success all around. Trying to keep everyone up until tonight so that we can try and get adjusted to the time change. Tired campers all around but two starbucks and a coke and happy to say that we are still awake! Xiao fell asleep on the muni on the way home from the park but woke up once we got to Julie's place. There are so many fun things to do at Aunt Julies , and the twins are fun to watch!
Thanks to all my friends for your posts and comments! Can't wait for you all to meet Ella Xiao!

Hi Everyone,

Well, it has been a busy couple of days! We have resorted to eating in the lounge area with take out because the interest in Ella Xioayun is too much at meals times and we are trying to avoid the inevitable melt down from the questions and comments. This has helped tremendously and meal time is actually a fun time now. My daughter, as expected, is quite the pro at chop sticks and although she likes to use her fork and knife for the breakfast foods, all the rice and noodle dishes must have chops! :) We have enjoyed some local outings the past few days. We went to a local park where they have some kid rides which was wonderful. Ella Xiaoyun only wanted to go on the fast and crazy rides and because of her size, a parent had to accompany her. Tried to get Aunt Marianne to pony up and go on the rides but she just smiled and shook her head. Needless to say, three days later I still need to see a chiropractor and I lost my sunglasses on the neck snapping roller coaster ride. Worth it to hear my daughter laugh out loud and smile the whole time!! Too funny. We have to protect Ella Xioayun on the outings because since she is older, people want to talk to her and ask questions. This never ends well, so we are still trying to block her! We went to the local zoo which was amazing fun, and Ella Xiaoyun was able to see all the animals we have been reading about. She really liked the elephants and zebras but became really excited to see the show were some local artists were dancing and singing. Yesterday was a visit to another beautiful local park where we saw many people dancing, practicing Tai Chi and playing hacky sack! It is still over 90+ degrees here with about 100% humidity so you can imagine how we all must look during these outings. Completely drenched in sweat! This park had a nice muesuem that had some interactive fun things for the older kids to enjoy. Unfortunately one of the displays was a map of the world and showed the flight patterns to the US. Our coordinator told the older kids the path they would take on the plane, and this was a little too much for little Miss Ella Xiaoyun. I had to carry my 40+ lb daughter all the way back to the hotel from the park which was over three blocks away. Nothing like a mid-day work out! :) Some of the best times for Ella Xiaoyun are at the swimming pool, where she is quickly becoming a very daring jumper and swimmer! We practiced floating yesterday along with kicking and again, there is nothing like hearing her laugh out loud! She spoke her first full English sentence yesterday when we were playing at the pool with the ball. She was throwing the ball for Aunt Marianne to catch, and she said to her "Ready?" and when Aunt Marianne did not hear her, she said " Are you ready?" Wow, that was pretty impressive and she had so much fun! I am able to help her through her melt downs quicker now, and she will actually accept some physical contact with me so each day is a step forward. I am so grateful she is so brave and doing the best she can, and can't wait for her to meet her new family.Hope you are all doing well!

Hi Everyone,

Very excited to say that today was a great day with no tears and Ella Xiaoyun actually ate at all meals!:) The other families from CHI that have been at their Provinces, all came to the hotel today. It was nice to reconnect with some of the families that we had spent time with in Beijing. After waking up very solemnly, little miss Ella Xiaoyun is doing pretty good! We had to return for our TB check and of course since she had received the vaccine, she was positive. This required an x-ray which was negative in order to receive her visa. This is all required by the new reqs from the US govn. Hated to expose her to the x-ray, but would also like to get her home! We visited the market again after the medical to get some more juice boxes and crackers that she loves. Aunt Marianne has been dubbed Switzerland as almost all of the older kids just love her and can interact with her! One of the Mom's whose little one wont even look at her could not believe how her daughter opened up to Marianne. It has been great for Ella Xiaoyun too as she does enjoy getting her down time from the lady who is now her Mom. I am amazed at how advanced Ella Xiaoyun seems for her age! Xiaoyun can add/subtract, knows her entire alphabet in English and when she is willing to talk surprises us with how many English words she truly knows. The activities I brought have been a life saver and I truly believe have helped Ella Xiaoyun and I move forward pretty quickly. We made little pig coin purses yesterday which taught her how to sew, and we then gave them to all the little girls in our group. They were quit a hit, and Ella Xiaoyun loved making them. The pool was closed yesterday for a modeling show, so we turned our tub into a small swimming pool and had a lot of fun and actually was able to see Ella Xiaoyun's funny side! She has a great sense of humor and we actually laughed together for the first time! Amazing! Turns out my little one is the biggest girly girly around! Barbie wins out over all the toys, and if anything ha! s pink i n it, we LOVE IT!! After being upset by something that was said to her at dinner by a local resident, we went back to the room and painted our nails pink which ended the melt down in half the time it would have taken. The local people are quit enthralled with Ella Xiaoyun and want to come up and say how pretty she is and ask questions. This never goes well, so Aunt Marianne and I are now pretty much having to block her from anyone talking to her without telling us what they are saying. She has quickly become a favorite to all with her "Hello" greeting each day at breakfast and her adorable smile. Am so thankful for my amazing daughter and how strong and brave she has been. Love to all and hope to update soon.

Hi Everyone,

Day three and having a real strong day for Xiao Yun. There is another family here that is adopting a little 22month old girl, and they have a 5 year old daughter. They are on the same floor, and we have been playing with them this morning. They have this wonderful executive lounge which gives us some extra space to play and run around. Xiao loves to do stickers, puzzles and color. We played an indoor version of golf which she enjoyed but the American style of jump rope just had her shaking her head. Xiao is pretty much sticking to the banana and watermelon diet so we will add some ice cream today for calories and she enjoys all the food she picked out at the local market, mostly snack items but all calories count at this point. Today is a rest day with no activities which is nice for Xiao and frankly for Marianne and I too. It has been pretty much non-stop action from the get go. Xiao was a trooper yesterday with all the appointments, and we had a fun game of hide and seek which she is very good at playing! :) Our love to all and hope you are doing well.

Hi Everyone,

Where to begin? Xiao Yun (Sheeoo weiun) is the most amazing little girl! I am not sure how to describe the last two days? Gotcha Day was quit indescribable. We all took the bus to the adoption center at 2pm on Monday, and then rode an elevator to the 8th floor where we all then waited in a large room. The children were actually in a little play room next to the big room, and as we rode up in the elevator, one of the parents baby was riding up at the same time.Dad recognized the baby but Mom was not too sure. :) As we were waiting, Xiao Yun was brought in. I did not get to see her face but only saw her from behind and new it was my daughter. Of course the next 30 minutes was trying to catch a glimpse of her face to no avail. The social workers call each family one at a time and then present the child to the family. On this day there were about 15 families from various agencies, and you can imagine the noise level and because there is no air conditioning, it took the whole event to another level. When Xiao Yun came out, she had the most amazing smile and actually looked me in the eyes and was the most amazing little trooper. I managed to keep it in check because honestly after saying hello to your child, you then need to ask your prepared questions of the nannies with your social worker who interprets for you.

It turns out that Xiao Yun has been in a "family home" that is run by the orphanage and basically for the past 3.5 years has had a MaMa (Mom) and BaBa (Dad) and five other siblings. Shocking news since I did not know this is any of my updates, and was not prepared to help her with a transition from that setting but am very thankful because she had been loved and taken care of and clearly attached to them. There was another little girl from the same orphanage that was the same age and actually a friend of Xiao Yun's and unfortunately did not fair so well with the whole situation and basically started a complete melt down of all the older children including little Xiao Yun because they pulled her away from us to go and help this little girl and show her how to act, to no avail. Not comfortable with Xiao Yun having to handle that, I went up to the group and suggested that we all go back in the room where the kids originally wait and play in there with the parents until she felt comfortable. It was pretty rough from this point on because as you can imagine, the kids are realizing that they are now going to have to go with these strange looking people.

Fast forward to back at the hotel, and Xiao Yun is trying to keep it together only slightly interested in the toys and new clothes, and it was a pretty rough day and night until she finally fell asleep. It is an awful thing to hear your little one cry for her Dad and cry to go home, it certainly makes you question what is the best thing for your child. Yesterday, after a great start to the day outside of meal time which is turning out to be a tough time for Xiao Yun. I cannot pin down the actual cause, but think it is because she might feel that she has to eat what is put in front of her. To say she is tiny is an understatement, she is a beautiful tall 5 year old that is so little, I want to just give her bowls and bowls of ice cream! :) Anyway, after breakfast we had to go back to the center to finalize the adoption and unfortunately this was a difficult time for Xiao Yun because she did not want a new MaMa understandably so!

When we got back to the hotel, we went swimming which was the first time I actually got to here Xiao Yun laugh! Pretty wonderful! We spent the rest of the day shopping at the local market where we bought a pearl necklace for Xiao Yun and a new Barbie! :) Poor thing was so tired, we did better at dinner with her understanding she could tell me what she wanted and did not want, and since I let her pick out what she liked at the local market, we had back up items for her to eat. Turns out McDonalds is universally appealing, and we will be having that for lunch today for Xiao Yun to try and get her to eat a solid meal- hard to believe that I am excited about her eating this, but really just want her to eat a full meal!Xiao Yun is an amazing artist and I think off the charts in intelligence. As we were waiting yesterday for our turn with the authorities, I pulled out a kindergarten book, and basically Xiao Yun finished 75% of it in about 15 minutes even though it was in English. She can count to 20 in English and knows her ABCs and something in English that they each letter stands for. She can right her name in Chinese characters and because she was a part of the Half Sky program, I actually have a documented packet of her progress and pictures of her since she was about two I think. I am so thankful for this and for the education she has received. The nannies say that she is always the first to want to perform in front of the class and loves to dance and sing. Can't wait to see her want to do these things again, and am hoping for another great day today.We are going to the local park to play this morning and then off to the island for the check-ups and medical reports.

Greetings from China!

Hi Everyone,

Hope you are all doing well! We made it!!! After a very long flight we unfortunately had a four hour wait at the airport because one of the families became separated and lost half their group! I suppose this is one reason why the agency requests that you do not bring a large group!! :)It is amazing here. VERY HOT and HUMID!! On Saturday we went to the Forbidden City and Ten. Square in the morning. Our guide told us that she had never seen that many people at these locations, so traveling during the summer holiday here has proven to be a slight challenge. During the afternoon we hiked the Great Wall! All Marianne and I can say is that pictures do not do this amazing wonder justice. It was absolutely beautiful and despite the 90+ degrees with 100% humidity, we hiked on up and took some amazing photos! It was cloudy yesterday, so as we were coming down, completely drenched head to toe in sweat, a light shower started and by the time we made it back to the bus, a full down pour occurred. Perfect ending to a very long strenuous day!Today, we traveled from Beijing to Guangzhou were we are staying at The China Hotel. We were given a room with a king size bed, and despite my appreciation to Marianne, could not imagine 2 weeks sharing one bed! Thankfully we were able to get the right room that we had reserved, and we have a nice view of this amazing park across the street. Weather here is the same, but we are going to take a stroll later to check out the park!Tomorrow we will travel to the adoption center and I will meet Ella. Please keep us in your thoughts and pray for a smooth transition. I am pretty excited abet exhausted with the 4am wake up call to start the day.