Travel Blog

NEW PICTURES

2009-03-22T12:56:00.000-07:00

GOTCHA DAY VIDEOS

2009-03-12T18:18:00.000-07:00

IF you would like to see our "gotcha" day videos, please click here.... and scroll to the bottom...

New Post Added to Private Blog

2009-02-24T11:24:00.001-08:00

Homecoming

2009-02-21T07:07:00.000-08:00

Just a quick post...we are very exhausted and the jet lag is much worse than going over! I will post soon with lots of coming home pictures...

Thank you to all our friends and family who greeted us at the airport. We were shocked and overwhelmed! But, most of all, we were humbled at the love you have shown to us and our family. It made us feel very special to see all your faces there! Thank you.

Lily is doing good. She was wide-eyed last night when she saw her home for the first time and even more so when her big sister took her to see her new room complete with a closet full of clothes and tons of dolls! She seemed very happy, but I really feel like she will start grieving again hard very soon. Its just all a little too much for her to handle right now. Can you even imagine? She has spent the first 3 years of her life in one building...now, she has flown across the world and has new parents and a new family. We are going to lay low and love her through this difficult time.

Before I go, I wanted to share the link to the news cast from last night. I was really happy with the report except for one small comment at the end. The death of Sophie Ann did not lead us to adopt....we had already begun the adoption process before God gave us Sophie. But, its OK! I hope that our story inspires lots of people to open their hearts to these precious children all over the world. Thank you Fox News for wanting to feature us, we were so surprised!!!

Lots of love,
Aimee

NEWS STORY LINK:
CLICK HERE

THEY'RE HOME!

2009-02-20T18:35:00.001-08:00

Just a quick update to let everyone know that the Weather's Family is all together at home!
Everyone is great and Lily is completely in love with her big brother and sister (and they are with her as well!)
The Weather's had a great welcoming at the airport complete with lots of family, friends, and even a TV crew. For those of you in the area be sure to watch Fox 6 news at 10 pm for coverage!
I am sure that once Aimee has a chance to recover she will post an update complete with pictures.

Jessica

UPDATE

2009-02-20T11:31:00.000-08:00

Just wanted to let everyone know that Carlton, Aimee, and Lily have safely arrived in Detriot. All flights have been on time and smooth.

Can not wait to see them in Birmingham in a couple hours!

Jessica

Last post from China.....

2009-02-18T21:08:00.000-08:00

We want to invite all of our friends and family to meet us at the airport. We will be flying into Birmingham. Please...before you leave....check the status of the flights to make sure that they have all been on time...

We plan to call someone if we miss a flight...(Jess?)...and then she can post it on the blog. We don't want you to drive so far and not actually get to see us!!!

Here is our flight info:

February 20th, 2009

Guangzhou to Tokyo- Northwest NW28 Depart: 8:30 Arrive 1:40- 4 hour flight

Tokyo to Detroit- Northwest NW12 Depart: 2:30 Arrive 12:10-12 hour flight

Detroit to Birmingham- Northwest NW3637 Depart: 3:35pm- Arrive: 4:35pm-2 hour flight

One other note:

Many of you have emailed me and asked to have access to our private blog. We would love for you to continue on with us on our journey!!! Because of Blogger's rules...we can only have 100 registered viewers. I am well over that limit. SO, what I have done is created a "generic" log-in that many people can use. Its fairly easy to remember and you will need to use it each time you visit our blog. When you comment on the blog (and please do, I like to know who I am sharing my heart with...), you will need to just type your name because you will be logged in as "friends and family". My email inbox is out of control right now...so I am going to ask you to do me a favor. Please email me again and type "BLOG ACCESS" in the subject and just let me know who you are. I will then send you the sign-in info. I know this sounds confusing, but its actually quite simple. Email me here:

carlton1wea@yahoo.com
thanks!!

Today, we woke up really late! We all slept for 10 hours. Can you believe it? Right when I get adjusted to China time, its time to do a big switch-a-roo! I no longer have jet lag over here and I feel normal. Oh....I am soooooo dreading the flight and getting adjusted to the new time zone. Honestly, I am a little worried about it. Anybody got any tips for jet-lag and quick adjustment? Jet lag is the worst feeling...its like you are walking in some kind of fog....like a zombie! I hope the weather is nice at home..I have heard that getting outside in the sun is the best thing for jet-lag.

Ok, enough about that! This morning, we went to the Chen Temple. It was nice, but I will just be honest here...when you have done Beijing and seen the things that we have seen, well, it just wasn't that impressive. We saw lots of carvings out of wood, jade, bone....I bought several things from the gift shop. I was happy to get a beautiful tea set that was of good quality and did not contain lead. There are lots of tea sets on the island for much cheaper..but I want my kids to play and drink from them..and I cannot be worried that they are gobbling up lead. I also got some more ornaments for our China tree and a few other knick-knacks (is that how you spell that?) Lily played hide and seek and screamed "BABA" so loud. It was cute. She passed out on the way home and took a little nap. I remember our pediatrician back home telling me that when a child (or baby) is growing a lot, they will sleep a lot. Well, Lily is growing. Her hair has already grown nearly an inch or so in just a week! I know her little body is in shock and is starting to grow. She is still eating non-stop. I mean non-stop. She eats anything and everything. The only thing we have found that she does not like is carrots and spaghetti sauce. She loves warm milk, so I am going to have to start purchasing whole milk again. (we are a skim milk family). But, I think she needs the fat. She also loves Wahaha and drinks it all the time...boy, are we in trouble....I don't think they sell that at Wal-mart??? Carlton said he would drive to Atlanta to buy it if he needed to. (he is so smitten!) Wahaha is some kind of milk drink with a cocanut smell. All the kids drink it here.

This afternoon was our "swearing in" ceremony. We were not allowed to take any pictures due to security reasons...but we made a lot of mental pictures today. All of the families (13) all held up their right hand and said the oath. I made Lily hold up her hand that was holding the American flag and Chinese flag. I thought the little dress I made for her was perfect for this occasion. Originally, I had planned on her wearing it for her homecoming...but I have something else in mind for that! I looked at Lily today and thought about how much this is changing her life. She doesent understand right now....but her life is totally changed. Today, was a big day for my little one.

Tonight, we will eat our last dinner together in China. Of course, we chose to eat traditional Chinese food.

It will be hard to say goodbye to this amazing country. I will be leaving a good portion of my heart here in China. I am sad in a lot of ways....but my heart does flip flops when I think of seeing my children. Its been a long time and I cannot wait to give them a million kisses. I also cannot wait for them to meet Lily. Its going to be a great reunion. We know the road ahead holds many bumps and curves, but we also know the One who ordained all of this. We are fully trusting in Him to help us along this journey.

Thank you for loving us and "being there" for us. You have made us feel at home at a time when we are so far away! Thank you for your prayers and the precious comments and emails you have sent.

This has been one amazing journey....one we will never forget...

Love,
Aimee, Carlton and Lily

Relaxing in Guangzhou

2009-02-17T23:24:00.000-08:00

She will look at the goldfish now without screaming!

I think I just like this couch to myself....

We just had to take a picture of this belly...I am afraid sometimes that she is going to topple forward!!!! Obviously, she is a good eater!!!

She loves an apple!

This is how you eat noodles...Chinese style

Today was pretty laid back. We had the entire day to just hang out on the island. We did a lot of shopping and I purchased many things to give Lily for each anniversary of Gotcha Day, Feb. 11th. We also purchased a big suitcase to help us get all this stuff home! I also bought a black Chinese silk dress. I almost had a heart attack that I had to go up 4 sizes in China. How depressing is that? I told Carlton I am going to cut the tag out. Of course, he just rolled his eyes! I promise, I don't understand how women bear children over here...they have NO hips! Anyway..... It was a really good day..I just tried to absorb each and every moment. Life is so different here....and I tried to take mental pictures all day long. Part of me is so sad to leave...China will always have a piece of my heart. But, I am longing for the moment when my two other babies are in Mommy's arms. Thank you for praying for a good transition with our kids. I know its going to be really hard...I think it will be really hard on Noah. He has been Mama's baby for a long time. Seriously, I still carry him around and he is 40 pounds. He is a little "in love" with Mama and lets me know everyday that when he grows up he is going to drive a dump truck and marry me. I think Hannah Grace is going to do good. She has been wanting to have a little sister for a long time now...and now that time has come. She is such a loving child, so tenderhearted, such a "little mama". I can't wait to get back into our routine...I am looking forward to seeing all the school work she has completed while I have been away. She is so happy that I am going to give her a 2-week break from homeschooling. Little stinker, she loves a break! I promised her that if she did school work while I was gone, I would give her a little break.

Today, we also got a call that our paperwork was great except for one small detail. On her referral info, it mentioned she was slightly anemic. (really, really mild) When she went to her exam the other day, the doctor checked her and said she was not anemic and so they did not write it on her report. The consulate knew that it wasnt a big deal, but for "paperwork" reasons, we had to sign a piece of paper that stated we knew she was slightly anemic in March of 08. Otherwise, everything is great!! We will got for our "swearing in" ceremony tomorrow at 2:45. I can't believe this is it, she is finally ours!!! Thank you God for this precious gift....she is so perfect for us....we know that before the foundation of this world that you knew she was going to be ours and created her with us in mind. We are amazed each day at how she is just the "perfect" fit for our family. We couldn't love her more. We feel so blessed and humbled that He would allow us to be her Mama and Baba. What amazing grace! People keep telling us how lucky she is to be going to America...to have us for parents...while all the time, we keep thinking how blessed WE are!!! We are the lucky ones!! I wake up each day and just stare at those almond eyes and jet black hair!! I am in love!

This afternoon, Lily took her famous "red couch" photo. She liked having the couch all to herself. She wasn't too hot on taking pics with the other two kiddos in our group. We took lots of pics.

Tonight, we ate yummy Italian. Carlton and I inhaled a whole pizza in 10 minutes flat. Lily gobbled down a whole plate of noodles. We crack up when she sucks them down...its definitely picture worthy. This girl really knows how to eat some noodles. We need to stock up on spaghetti noodles!!

We are off to get some rest....1 more day here in China....

Love you all,
aimee

Feeling better!!

2009-02-17T04:48:00.000-08:00

Thanks for all your prayers. I woke up this morning feeling so much better. Thank you Lord for western medicine. Its quick and effective. I am going to continue with my antibiotics and pain medicine. Thanks for the tips on getting rid of sore throats too. I am going to start trying those! My ENT told me if I had my tonsils removed that I would be in the bed for 2 weeks. Yes, actually in the bed for 2 weeks! Um....don't think so. I can't sit still for 5 minutes.

Today, we mostly just stayed around on the island and shopped. I got several Chinese dresses in all sizes...a stamp with her Chinese name...lots of things from a Gift from China...a China Starbucks travel mug....a painting with her name.. t-shirts with all our Chinese names....and lots more odds and ends. I want to get some Chinese tea sets, just want to make sure they don't contain lead. I will get those tomorrow. We also took the disposable camera that the orphanage gave us and got those pics developed. Many of the pics are good, but many of them are blurry. We are happy to have a few more pictures of her life in the orphanage. Did I tell you that the nanny gave me a baby picture of Lily? It was taken when she was 1 year old. Its my only baby picture at this age and I cried when she gave it to me. Its so precious to me. I also have a black and white copy of her finding ad. When a baby is abandoned, an ad has to be put in the newspaper to try and locate the family. If nobody responds, then the child is considered an orphan. So, the black and white picture is when she was 3 months old.

We had lunch today at Lucy's with Lifeline's China facilitator, Lily. It was so good to have lunch with her and talk about everything! She is such a sweet lady and we were so happy that she took time to come and eat lunch with us (she lives 2 hours away). We have been so impressed with Lifeline while we have been in China. They just have an amazing reputation here. We are so blessed.

Tonight, we went on the Pearl River dinner cruise. It was great....so relaxing. All of the hotels were lit up and it was so beautiful. Lily was good until she realized that the boat was actually moving...then she clung tightly to Mama. I tried to imagine what it must be like for her...all the new things she is seeing and learning...information overload?? Tonight, I really missed my kids back home. During the cruise, all I could think of was Noah and Hannah Grace and how much they would have loved this. Oh, gosh, I really miss my babies. I am trying to just be in denial...its how I cope. Today, Carlton and I just wished we could just have them escorted over here to us. It would be perfect. We have 2 more full days here in China. My emotions are so crazy. I almost feel guilty for taking Lily away from her home country...Did anyone else feel this way?

I am going to have to keep this post short. I am missing my kids pretty bad and I have got to distract myself or else I am going to have a breakdown. Susie, give them an extra hug and kiss and an extra bowl of ice cream tonight.

Tomorrow, our paperwork is being delivered to the Consulate. Carlton has to stay in our room from 10:00-11:30 to wait on a call from Rebecca to tell us everything is OK. Its our last hurdle. We will also be taking the famous "red couch" photo.

I love you all,
Aimee

Medical Exam day

2009-02-16T03:04:00.000-08:00

Please, just let me go back to Mama.

Everything looking good...

Our one picture before our camera accident

Who can resist that look?

This post might be short. I have come down with some kind of awful sore throat. This is not unusual for me...my tonsils have needed to come out for many, many years. I just don't have the time to have them taken out!!! I have started my antibiotics (Keflex, 2000 per day). I hope this knocks it out very quickly. Carlton is taking good care of me...making me hot tea all the time and getting our food to go. I have been quite stubborn and have refused to miss any outings with our group. I mean, Hello?, we are in China...I can't be wimpy and stay in my room! Please pray my antibiotics will work quickly.

So, this morning we started out with yummy breakfast. Laine, this time I got double tater tots. And you are right, I have never had such yummy tater tots! Lily ate good too. Her stomach is getting much better and handling food much better. Next, we went to Lily's medical exam. First, they took her temp and weighed her....normal temp 97.7 and her weight was 27 pounds! Then, it was hearing and eye test. To test her hearing, they sqeaked a toy. High tech,huh? Everything perfect. Then, the lady did her measurements. I was nervous. We have always been concerned about her growth and Carlton has been fervently praying for her growth while she was at the orphanage. Well, praise the Lord, the orphanage's measurements were either wrong, or Lily has grown!! We specifically asked all three doctors to look at her measurements. They took us to another room because they knew we were concerned. They looked at the Chinese growth charts and said, "Her head measurement is good, she is a little below average for height..weight is good." We walked back out of the room and lo and behold my sweet hubby was just a bawling! (I call him Paw-Paw now, because that's what he acts like, he is a SOFTIE!) I said, "what's wrong honey?" He said, " I am just so happy that she is OK, I have been praying so much for her." Well, then I start crying. SO, we had a little cry fest while we thanked our God for taking care of our girl. We stepped out on faith....and He has rewarded us greatly. We know that she has a lot of growing to do, but we were comforted today when we talked with the doctors.
To God be the Glory, great things HE has done.
Next, Rebecca asked me to go have a massage with her. Well, of course, I said yes. My back has been killing me from carrying her and she seemed to be doing really good with Carlton. SO, I went. It was really good, but I am sore from it. Rebecca and I had our massages together! It was so much fun. When I left there, I passed Sherry's Place. Oh, gee whiz. I bought too many shoes. Seriously, someone tell me to stop. I have enough for the next 3 years. How can I resist? They are dirt cheap. ANd they look adorable on her feet. I also got her a large silk blanket for her bed. Its really pretty. How will I ever get this stuff home???? I'll figure that out later.

When I got back to the hotel, Carlton greeted me at the door and he could not not stop smiling. Lily had been talking with him non-stop. She has become VERY verbal. But, not when she is around people. She also danced with him and sang him Chinese songs. He got most of it on video. He also told me that she talked with some friends back home on Skype. I couldn't believe it! He couldn't believe it either. This girl has changed so much in 5 days. Its like night and day. She has got her Daddy so wrapped around her finger.

Then, we went to the Botannical Gardens. Right when we got there...Carlton accidentally dropped my brand new camera. Its broke, its dead, its gone forever. I almost cried, ok, ok, I did cry. We used our video camera to take pictures today and Rebecca is going to let us use her camera the rest of the week. How sweet! Carlton promised me that he will get me a new one when we get home. So....Uncle Barry, can you help me locate one similar to yours??? You are the expert on cameras!!

The gardens were really pretty. It was a little hot, so we tried to stay in the shade. My throat really started hurting while we were there...and by the end, I was miserable. Before we came home, we stopped at the Carrefour and got a few groceries. Lily refused to sit in the buggy...bless her heart, she has never seen one before. I am still amazed at the things that are new to her, yet so normal for me.

Have I mentioned what a "girly-girl" I have?
She loves:
-for me to put makeup on her
-she loves shoes (good thing!)
-she loves hairbows (she has to have one in at all times)
-she loves jewelry
-she loves her baby dolls
-she loves pink
-she loves to twirl and dance
-she loves her new clothes (she smiles when I put them on her)
-she loves Bath and Body lotion
-she loves bubble baths

Did I mention that initally she was totally flipped out that she could see her arms when her clothes are on? She has never worn short sleeves and she pulled them down the first few days. She also does not like her bare legs to show. So...add to the list...she has never seen her own body.

She is also petrified of animals. We were told that at the orphanage they kept the kids away from all animals because Rabies is rampant. She hates animals...alive or dead. Sorry, I mean stuffed animals and statues.

She also gets into everything. We have got to child -proof our home. She sticks her fingers in places that I never knew existed. Long gone are the days of sleeping a little longer while the kids watch TV.

Better go. I hope to get some pics uploaded.

Oh. Tomorrow we have a free day. We are opting out of going to the zoo...Not really a good time to terrify her. We can go to the zoo any ole time! Tommorrow evening, we will go on the Pearl River Cruise. FUN!

Love,
aimee

To answer some questions from the comments:
-No, I didn't get a haircut It looks shorter when I pull it up.
-The sling is called a SlingLing Holds up to 35 pounds. Go to slingling.com
-Hannah Grace and Noah love talking to Lily. She likes to see them too. All children love other children. I am not quite sure she realizes that they are brother and sister.

Shop till you Drop!

2009-02-15T02:58:00.000-08:00

Discovering myself

The lobby of the White Swan...so, so pretty.

Playing Peek a boo with Mommy

First trip to the candy store....

SO many people!!!

This is the picture that the artist is making a painting of Lily from...

Exhausted is not even the word to describe how I feel right now! Our day started off with an incredible breakfast. Oh, Laine, I thought of you when I saw those tater tots. I closed my eyes and imagined I was sitting at Sonic. There was endless assortment of breakfast foods. I think I ate 12 pieces of bacon. Lily ate nearly that much. We totally just pigged out. I can't wait till morning to do it again! (why is my blog always talking about food?) I There are so many adoptive families here and you get to see everyone at breakfast. Carlton and I were talking this morning about how we see all these other children and we just can't imagine having a different child. She is "our" child. After breakfast, we headed out on our shopping adventure. Rebecca took us off the island to a big mall that the locals go to. It was so crowded and honestly I didn't enjoy one minute of it. It was like the day after Thanksgiving. I didn't care if they were giving away the stuff, I couldn't take one more minute of the sweltering heat and utter chaos. God knew what He was doing when we arranged for us to be Guangzhou in February. This is their "winter" and its 85 degrees, 110% humidity. I would just pass out and die in August. Lily was wringing wet and she had two accidents right in the middle of the stores. The people didn't even mind...they just helped me dress her and change her. One lady took us to a bathroom with only squatty potties and I just looked at her and said, "I don't know, I don't know how to use a squatty potty" and then I just handed Lily to her and said, "Help me". She held Lily over the squatty potty and Lily just went to the bathroom like it was totally normal (oh, wait, it IS normal to her! ) I know I had this horrified look on my face. I just kept telling the lady thank you, thank you. Lily was also horrified that she had an accident. I don't think she had too many accidents at the orphanage. We got a few special things today. Thanks to all your comments, it really helped. We came back to the hotel around 2:00 and Carlton went to the paperwork meeting. Let me just say this....Lifeline is amazing. We are so prepared and so taken care of. You don't have any worries. Trust me, there are people here having fits over their paperwork. We went shopping this afternoon here on the island, just me and Lily. We stayed in a store called "China Doll" for a while. They are going to do a painting of Lily for me. I also bought 7 dresses. I am embarrassed to tell you how cheap stuff is! Its great! I am going to stock up on dresses so she will have them as she grows older. We also stocked up on squeaky shoes. I would like to buy some bigger sizes, but I can't seem to find them. Any help? I bought size 7, I think...size 17 in China. She has such a tiny little foot! But, so does everyone around here! The biggest size I could find was at Jordans, size 17.

I also wanted to mention how much Lily is showing off her little personality. When Carlton is away, she jabbers non stop. Today, when it was just me and her, she counted to 3 just out of the blue. I have been doing a lot of counting and she has already picked that up. Her little voice is adorable...kinda low and raspy. It will make you melt. She also reaches up her arms for me to hold her and even let Carlton take her to the bathroom and hold her today.

I promised myself that I wouldn't get a stroller here...I really just wanted to hold her the whole time. But, its just impossible. My back is about to give out! I am so sore and my arms are like jello. I had to get the stroller. Its called survival. One of the stores just gave us a stroller to keep during our stay here on the island. Lily hated it at first, (probably never seen one), but now she is better. She likes for me to go fast!

Lily has her medical appointment in the morning at 9:30. I dread that. She doesn't like for anyone to hold her except me.

Love you lots!
aimee

Loving the Warm Weather!

2009-02-14T04:12:00.000-08:00

Just waking up, what a sleepy head!

I know I'm cute!

She loves her Bath and Body lotion!

She loves to pick our her snacks. You should see her eyes!

At the airport

Coloring on the plane ride

This is how I blog!

We are HERE!!

Our flight over was horrible! I have been flying since I was 9 years old and this was the worst flight ever! We got up in the air for about 30 seconds and we hit some major turbulents. The plane was going from side to side and up and down all at the same time. It felt like a roller-coaster. To make matters worse, people on the plane were screaming. I started telling Carlton we were going to die and he told me to "get it together" for Lily's sake. I just had a flat out melt-down. I became that woman that you DONT want to sit by on the plane. All I could think about was Hannah Grace and Noah and I just started bawling. It went on for several minutes and then it got better. Lily clung to me like a monkey for the entire flight. She would take my arms and put them around her waist. It was sweet, but after 2 hours, I needed some breathing room. I finally got her to sit in her own seat for about 30 minutes. She was fine and we colored for a while. The flight was about 3 hours. The landing was just as bad. We bounced so hard, we came out of our seats. Oh, dear, I am so glad to be safe in Guangzhou.

Oh my goodness, I think I am in love! The White Swan is beautiful. Palm trees, hot humid weather, flowers blooming, a waterfall in my hotel!!!!! Thanks Karla for the room! The first thing Carlton and I said when we walked in was," Thanks Karla." Our room is big and has a view of the Pearl River. At night, it looks kinda like Las Vegas.....lots of colorful lights everywhere...its very pretty. There are lots of boats cruising up and down the river. Lily likes to watch them go by. I am happy to report to all of you waiting to travel that the White Swan has updated their bedding! Its nice, white fluffy down comforters!! We have a king size bed and asked housekeeping to take down the crib. We are not going to use that!! We have lots of room, it is bigger than any other hotel we have been at. (Sorry I complained so much Karla, I really like it here...you were right!) When we got here, I scooped Lily up and took her over to the waterfall and fish pond thats inside the lobby! She totally flipped out. I had to remind myself, my sweet baby, has never left the four walls of her orphanage and had never seen a fish!!! She was scared to death! There is so much for us to teach her. I can't wait to get her home and just experience life for the first time with her!
We went and had supper at Cow and Bridge with our awesome guide, Rebecca, and 2 other families. The food was great, it was Thai food. Lily ate until her little belly poked out! We are now back in our room. I just finished giving Lily a bath. We splashed and had lots of fun. I was trying to get her to give me the washcloth and she yelled, "mama!" I almost cried! She is continuing to jabber in Chinese. I think its the cutest thing, I just wish I knew what she was saying. Her little personality is really starting to show. She is so much like Hannah Grace. She is such a perfect match for "our" family. She is also a very determined little girl. She really does not like for me to do things that requires using your hand. She wants to try and open things herself. Her arm does not hold her back in any way that I can see. Honestly, I have to remind myself that her little hand is not there. She just functions so normally without it. I can see in the future when someone might ask me about it and I will have to think to myself, "Oh, is she really missing her hand?" Its really amazing how she just adapts to everyday things. I also noticed her determination today when we were walking up the stairs in the hotel lobby. Lily can still be a little wobbly when she is climbing stairs (just another thing that she has never done). She saw another girl come walking up the stairs beside her (about her same age) and the little girl was going faster than she was and all of the sudden Lily just took off. She was almost running up the stairs to keep up. She is so determined, nothing is going to stop this little girl. What a spunky spirit! (stubborn like her mama!) Another thing that I want to mention is how sometimes I forget that she is Chinese. I know this is weird and maybe its just me....but every now and then, I will just think that she is my biological daughter. I will start thinking things like, "Oh, she must get that from her daddy, or her toes are just like her mommy's" Its just so amazing, the love is no different that a child that is born from you. I am amazed each day at just how special adoption is!

Well, we are off to get some rest. Tomorrow, Rebecca is taking us shopping. :) I can't wait! Thank you for your comments. I took notes. They were very helpful. I can't wait to get started!

Enjoy the pics,

Lots of love,
aimee

Just a quick update

2009-02-13T14:23:00.000-08:00

Thanks for all your encouraging words. I am up early now reading comments and Carlton is sleeping next to that little bundle of love. When he wakes up, I will make sure he reads all these comments. I think it will help him.

Just wanted to write a little about last night...

We got back to our room and we were exhausted. We ordered some dumplings and rice (room service). By the way, it was $4.00. ???? Lily gobbled down about half of our order. I just had to stop her and take the food away. No belly ache as of yet. OK, so anyway...last night, I put her in the bath and made lots of bubbles. (she is amazed at bubbles). She started jabbering like you wouldn't believe. Of course, I had no clue what she was saying. It was all chinese!!!!!!!!!!!! I would imitate her Chinese and she would bust out laughing. Look, I know I am not good at my chinese, but now my own daughter is laughing at me! (the honesty of kids!) So, then, in order for her to get more soap squirted on her hands, I would make her say something. She repeated almost everything I said....she said, "toes, soap, please, mama, baba, wo ai ni, boodie, and the best words of all.....she said, "ROLL TIDE!!!"

Carlton was sitting in the room at the computer while I was giving her a bath and I poked my head out the door and screamed, "Did you hear that????" Well, sweet daddy, was just a cryin'. I said, "what is it?" He told me he was just so happy and so thankful that God had allowed us this amazing opportunity and he loved just hearing us laugh and talk together. I was so happy he said this, because really, I thought he was crying happy tears because she said Roll Tide. :)

Well, I am off to pack up our things.

OK, I am in need of YOUR help. For all you "been there, done that" families....can you please tell me where to shop and what things I should buy??? HELP!!! Please help me!!!! I don't want to forget something!!!

I already have: pearls and cloisonne. Thats really it.

Oh, Lily's head just popped up. gotta go
aimee

2009-02-13T03:49:00.001-08:00

Orphanage Visit

Ready for the big day!

The Nanny's love her so much!

She is going home next week. (I cant find your email address!)

Saying goodbye...

Buying the air conditioner..for Grace Fellowship

Buying more with leftover money...

Train station where she was abandoned..

MY FAVORITE PIC OF THE DAY!
We are leaving the place where she was abandoned!

A gift from Jincheng City

When God adopts us, sometimes we still grieve for our past....

First off, I want to say that last night I gave Lily a bath and she said, "Mama, Baba, and Wo Ai ni (I love you!)" I did have to bribe her with bubbles to talk but she did it! She reminds me so much of Hannah Grace, just so sweet and timid. (Sorry Noah, I love you too, but you are NOT timid at all!!) She slept well last night. I did too.

This morning we had an early breakfast and heading out at 7:00am. The fog was really, really bad. Like you couldn't see 2 feet in front of you. Under normal circumstances, I would usually go bananas. But, I know I am right where I am supposed to be, and I knew that God would see us through it. About 15 minutes later the fog lifted. Our guide started clapping and the driver made a cross over his heart! Then, I realized just how nervous everyone had been!!! We arrived in Jincheng in about 4 hours. First, we went to the orphanage. The nanny's came running up to Lily. It was really hard, but I handed her over to them. Actually, she jumped out of my arms to go to them. This was not what I expected. I really expected her to cling to me. NOPE. I really feel like this is more like a foster parent transition. Its actually a good thing. She is definately attached to her caregivers. They love her so much. Ok...let me tell you, we were treated like royalty from the time we arrived. When we stepped out of the van, cameras were flashing and there were news media there. Oh my! The head of civil affairs was there to greet us. It was very, very overwhelming. We were taken upstairs to Lily's room and all the kids were waiting on her. I got a lot of video, but I don't feel right about putting it on this public blog. They all sang to her and told her goodbye. She was totally overwhelmed. I know I was. There were about 30 kids in this small room all staring at me!! I saw a little girl there and she is being adopted next week. I am sorry I can't find your email address....so I hope you are reading my blog!!! Then, they took us into her bedroom. I think there were about 20 beds in there. This orphanage is overcrowded and they are going to build a new one soon. Lily laid down on her bed and I tried to pick her up and she cried. Oh, my heart. Finally, I just picked her up and let her cry. The orphanage was really, really clean. And it smelled good too. Then, they took us to a conference room where fruit was waiting on us and some hot tea. They answered all 35 questions I had written out. The media was still flashing thier cameras!! (Ok, for a split second, I imagined I was a movie star that had come to China to adopt!) That thought went away quickly when I thought about our bank account. :) Then, we went outside and walked around the courtyard where the kids play. Do you notice the statue?? It was in some of Lily's pictures that they sent to us. They do not have a playground. I already knew this, because she had no clue how to slide. They said they play with a ball in the courtyard. Next, we were whisked away to go a purchase an air conditioner/heater as a gift from our generous church, Grace Fellowship. I really can't describe how thankful they were. We did get it all on video and we will share it at church in a couple of weeks. After that, we had some money left over and we asked them to take us to a clothing store. They really were shocked. We bought so much stuff for the children. I felt like Santa. We just walked in the store and said, "Pick whatever you like, whatever the children need." We also explained to them who it was from. They were very, very grateful. We left there and they took us back to the orphanage because they wanted us to see the air unit being delivered. We saw it and they installed the unit in Lily's old room. Then, we went to the Finding Spot for Lily. This is the place where her mother abandoned her. It is recorded in her files exactly where she was found. They took us to the spot. It was hard for me. I can't imagine being in her shoes. What she must have felt like.... We took some pictures and lots of video. My favorite picture of the day was taken at the railway station. Lily was abandoned in the waiting room of the train station. Then, she was taken to the police station and they took her to the orphanage. After that, they took us to a very nice hotel and escorted us upstairs to this private room for lunch. We had a fancy, shmancy lunch. It was very traditional Chinese. I am not too sure what I ate today. Pray it stays down OK. It was pretty yummy. LIly didn't eat alot, she was so tired. They did a lot of toasts and we stood up several times to toast our glasses. Carlton did a toast too. We would just be eating and someone would bust out with a toast. It was very neat. The man in charge presented us with a gift from Jincheng City. It was 2 BEAUTIFUL vases made out of porcelain. I promise it looks like is has 14K gold on it. (I should have taken a pic of them) We were stunned. We told them they would be placed on our mantle for everyone to see. Today was definately worth the trip. Lily is grieving hard right now as you can see from the pic. It is breaking my heart, but I know in the long run, this is what is best for her. Its just really hard to watch your baby hurt like this.

The ride home was uneventful and we are in our hotel room now getting our stuff packed up. We leave for Guangzhou tomorrow. And let me tell you....I can 't wait to get there!!!!!!!!!!!

Before I leave, let me post some things that i learned about Lily-
-she is shy
-she likes to clean and to be clean
-she had one caregiver who really loved her (she was bawling today when we left)
-she likes to play by herself
-she likes to play ball
-she likes noodles, rice
-she does not like animals(poor Piper)
-she does not like stuffed animals
-she takes a nap everyday from 1-3
-she has never used a real potty, just a squatty potty
-she likes bananas
-she likes warm milk to drink

She is having nothing to do with Carlton, I mean nothing. Poor Carlton, he is such a lovey daddy and this is so hard on him. He knows its good, we need her to develop an attachment to me first. But, its hard on him. He wants to smooch on her so bad!!! We know this will come with time.

Off to pack, enjoy the pics.

Love you all!!!

aimee

MVI 1355

2009-02-12T01:58:00.001-08:00

And Yes, I know Boo means NO!

Making Progress...

2009-02-12T00:14:00.000-08:00

Having her 1st breakfast this morning!

Going to the elevator

This is our first family photo taken yesterday about an hour after we got her.

Lily "sealing" the deal

worth every penny....

Love that bow??? Jess, she loves her doll!

The sticker game worked...lots of eye contact!

I'm not diggin' McDonalds

No kidding.
The first time on a slide.

I don't know..I just liked this picture.

t
Stacking blocks are a must!

My sleeping angel.

Today we made some progress. Thank you for the sticker game idea...it worked! This morning, she woke up and I thought she would cry...being in a new place in all...but she didn't. She didn't want to look at either one of us. I think she was in denial of the whole situation. We went and ate breakfast and I made her a big bowl of congee and spoon fed it to her. I think she loved me for those minutes! After breakfast, we headed to back to Civil Affairs to finish the paperwork. Thanks to our incredible agency, Lifeline, paperwork was a cinch. I am giving a big shout out to my favorite social worker, Karla. Thank you for being the most organized person on the planet! I had zero worries today. Also, the guide mentioned how incredibly good our paperwork was! I said, "Yeah, I know, we use Lifeline." The paperwork took about an hour. We had to answer a lot of questions. Like, "Why do you want to adopt from China? Do you like your baby? (uh, yeah!) Do you still want to adopt your baby? (um.....YES!)" Lily had her hand stamped with ink and we all made it official with our fingerprints! Our guide also handed over our payment to the orphanage. (All I could think of was how we are also bought with a price!). Oh, it was alot of money, but she is worth every cent!!! What a great way to use the money God has so richly blessed us with!!! We took another picture after we recieved her Chinese Passport. Her little passport picture is so cute!!! After that, we took Lily to her first McDonald's trip. There are so many things this child has not experienced. (like looking in the mirror, riding an elevator, eating french fries!) They also had a little slide in the restaurant and she had no clue what to do on it. I almost cried. I had to show her how to slide. She was scared at first, then she liked it. There are a lot of things that she has never seen or done. We are seeing that she is delayed in many areas, but that is to be expected. I would say she is on an 18-24 month development level. Oh, I am so glad we get to take her home and teach her! Its just like a clean slate to work with! We have some hard days ahead, I am sure, but we know that we know, that she is our gift and she was made especially for our family. She will learn and grow in time... and I will love her every minute along the way! Oh, by the way, she hated the fries. It was the first thing that we have given her that she spit out. Oh, pooey, I guess I will be at home making dumplings!! (can you get those take-out??, could someone check on that for me? Seriously, I am not kidding! I think they are called pot-stickers) After McDonalds, we went to the museum. Lily really started to open up and laugh a lot. She has gotten really clingy to mama. She doesent want to look or be held by Carlton. This is really hard for him, but he knows that this is a GOOD thing!!! She reaches for my hand when we walk and has given me a couple of kisses today! Lily and I didn't really look at much at the museum, we were naughty and played hide and seek. I had her laughing so hard!! She still has not said too much. I don't think her vocabulary is very developed. I may be wrong, it may still be too early. I also think she is just naturally very timid. She gets shy around other chinese people too.

We are now back to our room and enjoying some "down time". Its amazing how calm I feel now that I am not WAITING!!!! I have her and I just feel great! We will head down to the Chinese restaurant for supper. We are going to put a limit on food tonight. She had an upset belly today.

Tomorrow morning, we leave really, really early for the orphanage. It will take us 4-5 hours one way to get there. I am more and more sure each day, that we HAVE to do this. Lily needs to say good-bye to her nannies. Its very important for her to say goodbye and for them to say" This is your mommy and daddy." I hope to get some pictures too. I will share them if I am allowed.

Love you all,
aimee and carlton AND lily!!!!!!

Still Feels Like A Dream...

2009-02-11T13:21:00.000-08:00

Almost there, the van ride over!

I have put a few more pics from Gotcha Day and also some pics from last night.

I want to share some things with you before she wakes up this morning...*by the way, I didn't sleep a wink, I stared at her all night!!! She looked like an angel!

Yesterday was incredible. We arrived at Civil Affairs at 2:30. We paced the floor and looked out the window and then we just sat down and stared at the doorknob. We were waiting on it to turn. One time, I thought I heard someone and I nearly jumped out of my skin. At 2:59, the doorknob turned and the director poked his head in the room. All of the sudden, I was completely calm. I stood up and walked over to the door where she was. I knew her. I knew every square inch of that child. I dropped to my knees to see if she would come to me. She was so frightened. I don' t think she has ever seen an American. As you could see in the videos, it took some time (about 3 minutes) for her to come to me. She had brought the pillow that I had made her and I was pointing to it saying, "mama and baba", hoping she would understand that it was me. Finally, (thanks to Helen), I offered her a rice cookie. Helen told me everything that she would like! She finally "waddled" over to me and I honestly thought I was going to melt onto the floor into a big puddle. There is a lot that we want to say about adoption and how it relates to our Father...but we will share that later. But, it is such a tangible picture of God's love for His children. I have never seen it presented so clearly in all my life. I am changed. Carlton is changed. We know Him better than before. To Him be All Glory.

We stayed at Civil Affairs for about an hour. I was so thankful that our "gotcha" day was just our family. It was very quiet in the room and I think it really helped calm her. I could not and still cannot take my eyes off of her. We just stare at her. She must think we are nuts. We did not go to Walmart after getting her. It was just too much. I mean, Walmart can stress me out. You know? We took her to the hotel room. All was well for about 30 minutes. She played with her stacking cups (thanks Erica), she played with her doll, and looked at some books. I took off 3 layers of clothing. I kept trying to keep it slow, but, honey, I could not wait to get those clothes off !!!! The orphanage returned everything that I had sent her. So, I got all of her clothes back. YuanYuan (this is what we call her now) is very tiny. Most of the things that I got at my shower are 3t and this is good, because I know she will grow. But, she cannot wear a size 3. She is wearing a 24 month and maybe she could wear an adjustable waist 2t. When I showed her the shoes, I got the biggest smile. She is a big time "girly girl". She also loved her clothes that I brought that were pink. She loves to play mommy and baby with her dolls. She wraps them up in a blanket and rocks them in her arms. So, far, she has not said one word. Poor baby, she is in shock. OK, so yes, I remember where I was going....So after about 30 minutes, I was holding her and I heard her start this low sound cry, then all of the sudden she was wailing. Now, its hard to describe this cry. But, it sounds like the kind of cry someone would do if they just recieved a phone call that something tragic had happened to a loved one. She was moaning, grieving. It was horrible. But, I knew her pain and i just held her and sang Jesus Loves Me to her. It really did not help. Nothing would console her. This lasted for a good hour. She cried so much, her hair got wringing wet. Bless her heart. I dont really like to think about it. After she quieted down, I showed her a Chinese movie. She liked that and even smiled a couple times. Then, we took her downstairs to the CHinese restaurant and this is one experience I till never forget! She ate and ate and ate and ate and ate. 2 plates of rice, 2 plates of noodles and 4 dumplings. She also drank 1 bottle of Wuhaha and another bottle of yogurt milk. She also ate about 12 cookies. We finally said, "Bu -NO". I really thought she might pop and I didnt want her to get sick. It was very hard to say no, but I had to. She did not get sick so far. We came back to the hotel room and I gave her her first bath! She did not know what to do. When I showed her the soap, she opened her mouth to eat it. She I rubbed it all over her and told her to smell it. She loved that. *we gotta get this girl some bubble bath!.... I washed her hair. It was all nasty and matted from crying. We got her dried off and put her PJ's on. I said, "Mama layla, Baba layla, YuanYuan layla" (mama tired..etc) I pulled down the covers and she crawled up in the bed next to me. In 5 minutes, she was asleep and she is still asleep (its 5:45am) She did not cry last night, but I am sure that will come soon. We have a long way to go with attachment. She is not making any eye contact at all. (any body got some encouragement on this?) I am playing some games with her to make her look at me, but she won't hold it longer and 2 seconds. Carlton told to me to relax, its just day 1. I am going to try and carry her in the sling today.
Oh, and about her arm. I almost forgot because its such not a big deal to us. I love her little arm. I think I love her MORE because her little hand is NOT there. She is very determined. When I tried to help her with her blocks, she wanted to use her arm and do it herself. There is nothing stopping this little girl. I kissed her little arm over and over so she would know that I love her. Poor baby, she didn't know she was going to be in such a lovey family. Carlton and I are just really affectionate with our kids. We kiss on them all the time. We snuggle a lot. Thats just the way we are. We also say I Love You a lot during the day with all of our kids. (Noah is so attached to us, he won't even talk to us when we call, he is too busy playing Wii and just yells, I love you Mommy!) He knows we are coming home. He is just enjoying himself while we are gone! Hananh Grace is the same. Oh, I miss my children. Susie, smooch on them for me!!!!!

Well, today, we have to go to some more paperwork. I am not sure what we are doing the rest of the day. We will be visiting the orphanage tomorrow. *Friday I am really, really looking forward to this, although I am nervous about how YuanYuan will react.

Grace Fellowship- the orphanage director will be coming with us to pick out the air unit. We will video this for ya'll and share it at church. I think we might be doing a YOUTUBE video to be shown at church this Sunday.!!! We miss you all.

Hugs from China,
Aimee

All Videos are at the Bottom

2009-02-11T01:49:00.001-08:00

2009-02-11T01:38:00.000-08:00

I to

When I first held her...

Getting everything ready for her....

MVI 1201

2009-02-11T01:37:00.001-08:00

MVI 1221

2009-02-11T01:36:00.003-08:00

Gotcha Day 2

2009-02-11T01:36:00.001-08:00

Don't Wake me if I am Dreaming...

2009-02-11T01:02:00.000-08:00

VIDEOS OF GOTCHA DAY ARE AT THE BOTTOM....SCROLL DOWN

OH, AND GRAB A BOX OF KLEENEX. DON'T SAY I DIDN'T WARN YOU!!!!!

I cannot put down the words. I will once I gather my thoughts. I am so in love with my girl. I want to share these words and then I will write again later.....

" But this I call to mind, and therefore I have hope: The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases, his mercies never come to an end. They are new every morning. Great is your faithfulness. The Lord is my portion says my soul, therefore I will hope in Him. The Lord is good to those who wait for Him. To the soul who seeks Him. It is good that one should wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord" Lamentations 3:21-26

She is perfect, perfect, perfect. More beautiful than I ever imagined. I am smiling and I can't stop. Carlton is too. Actually, he
is beaming.

2 hours and 45 minutes to go..

2009-02-10T20:09:00.000-08:00

The tension in this hotel room is thick. We are pacing the floor. Back and forth, back and forth. We have been in here for 3 hours watching the clock go tick-tock, tick-tock. We have been praying that Lily would have safe travels to Taiyuan.

Pray for my heart, that it won't bust wide open!! I know that I will have a peace that surpasses all understanding. I know it. I have had it before, in a time, when I thought I wouldn't be able to take another breath. I have no doubt that it will be there today.

OK, so Carlton and I are gonna go grab a little bite to eat. Then, we go to the lobby to review paperwork. Then......off to the Civil Affairs Office. Oh, me, my hands are shaking as I type this.

The next post will be of our daughter.

love you all,
aimee

Reflecting

2009-02-10T12:55:00.000-08:00

I am nervous, happy, scared, excited, sad...you name it. Writing is very cathartic for me...so bear with me as I share my thoughts.

Oh, dear. I am already crying. Its happy tears, I promise. First of all, thank you for praying for good sleep for me last night. I fell asleep at 9:00pm, woke up at 3:00am and went BACK to sleep for another hour and a half. Now, thats a miracle. Thank you. I am well-rested.

I remember so clearly when Carlton and I felt "the call" for international adoption. Well, actually, its something we talked about when we were dating in high school. But, we felt a real burden back in May of 07. I can't really explain it. We just knew we had to do it and we tried to say to ourselves..."oh, no, not now, we want more biological children...adoption is for when you are older and can't have any children....we can do it in our 40's.....our kids are too young...we don't have enough money....what will our family think?" Oh, and the list goes on of excuses we thought of to put off adoption. But on May 8th, we couldnt say no. (Maybe this is what it feels like when people are called to the mission field?) We just couldn't say no. We put aside all the excuses and rode to Birmingham with another couple and attended an International seminar at Briarwood Presbyterian. This was hosted by Lifeline. Funny thing is, besides the couple that went with us, we told no one. I didn't even tell my mother and I tell her everything. We knew this was something we had to do and nothing (not one of our excuses) was going to stop us. I remember listening to the presentation. I remember looking at Carlton and seeing that big grin on his face. I remember we didn't discuss anything after the seminar. I remember THAT night we RAN up to Karla and told her, "Sign us up, we have to do this, and we have to do this now." Now, you may ask, "Why China?" This is the country we felt called to adopt from and basically we knew that this was where our daughter was. Simple as that. We took home the application and began filling it out. We mailed it back to Lifeline with 3 days. We trusted God to provide us with the finances to do this. And He did. Friends and family gave to us generously. When you are doing an adoption the first $6,000-$8,000 is the hardest. Well, for us it was. You cannot apply for any grants until later down the road. So...this money you have come up with on your own. I remember every single one of those gifts. I cried at each one. I thanked God for each one. One day, I will share with Lily about the incredible generosity of her friends and family. Thank you. Thank you is not enough.

Now, I do want to share something else. At this point in time (May 07'), I was not pregnant. We were trying to have another baby and we had told Karla that night at the informational meeting that we wanted to have another baby. She said it was fine because the wait times for China were so long. We continued to pray that God would give us another child. And he did! I found out I was pregnant in early July. I remember seeing that positive line on the test and then I kept it a secret until one afternoon after church. We went to eat with some sweet friends and I made up a poem and he read it at the table. His eyes got so big and I have never seen him happier. We were so happy. I tear up when I think of the joy we felt those early days of my pregnancy. Well, most of you know my story. But, since there are many, many people from all over the world following this blog, I will share breifly. At 15 weeks of my pregnancy, we were told our daughter would not survive. Our little girl, Sophie Ann, did not have a brain. Through amniocentisis, she was diagnosed with Full Trisomy 13. She was born at 33 1/2 weeks and lived for 9 incredible minutes. It was heartbreaking. There are pieces of my heart that I am sure that will never be mended. It was the darkest time in our lives. But through our sadness, God taught us things that we we would have never learned otherwise. Looking back, I am able to see things that He has done to prepare me for THIS day. Lily will never take Sophie Ann's place, but she is very special to us in that God specifically chose THIS child for our family and to help mend our broken hearts. Had Sophie Ann been healthy, Lily would not have been our daughter. We would have not been able to accept her referral. I already love Lily so much. She is ours and she is a gift to us.

After a long home study, we finally had our Log in Date for China in July 08. There were many paperwork obstacles that we had to overcome. But, we can see His perfect timing in them all now looking back. We accepted Lily's referral in August of 08. We were on cloud 9 for a long time and then reality sunk in and the wait began. Again! I had a big calendar that I kept at home and I would happily mark off each day that passed. (karla, you can quit laughing at my big calendar now!) There were many days I just sat and obsessed over the wait and then there were some days I was so at peace with it. Just another time in my life that I learned a lot of things. I know the timing is perfect and was perfect.

So, here we are....in China....only 9 1/2 hours away from seeing our baby girl. I can't explain my feelings. I wish I could. My heart is about to explode. My throat is tight because I am on the verge of squawling at any moment and as I type this Carlton is fast asleep in the bed??? What??? God love that man, I need someone like that. No worries, just complete faith.

OK, I am off to pack up some things for sweet Lily. I will post again before we leave.

Thanks for listening,
love,
aimee

22 hours and counting....

2009-02-10T00:23:00.000-08:00

Talking with the locals

Did you spot anything in this picture?? Hint (its a bug)

I thought this was a funny pic, I really didn't wear this today!

I took this one for the Phi-Mu Aglaia!

We get Lily 3:00 pm China Time on Wednesday. That means we get her at 1:00am early Wednesday morning Central Time in USA.

We will try to have a post up on the blog by the time you all wake up on Wednesday. I know you all want pictures, so I will try to feed your craving! I am sure that it will be hard for me to put down all my feelings down initially, but I will at least post pictures. (maybe even a "gotcha day" video!) I will do my best at posting, seeing how I will have a little bundle of joy sitting in my lap!

Breakfast this morning was actually pretty good. The bacon was yummy and did not taste like jerky. There were a lot of odd things on the buffet. Some of the things I liked, but not for breakfast! I just can't do stir fry veggies, meat dumplings, and egg rolls early in the morning. Ugh... We noticed they had a big pot of rice congee and I thought..."Hmmm...I'll make that for Lily on Thursday morning!"

Today, Carlton and I ventured out and walked a couple blocks to a local park. Boy, oh, boy did we get stared at! I mean really, really stared at! This province does not have many adoptions each year and its not a big tourist town, so I don't think people see a lot of Americans. This province is known for producing coal. Its a little hazy and can be hard to breathe. We had a great time just "taking in" rural China. This is the part of China that most Americans never get to see. I actually kinda like it...its growing on me. The people are very kind and they love for you to talk to their children...which, of course, we do! We saw lots of kids today at the park. My stomach did flip-flops all day. All I could think about was Lily. Even my very laid back husband is getting very giddy!! So...anyway...we walked around this beautiful park. Sometimes, we found a bench and just people watched. We really loved watching all the people dancing in the park. People really love the small things in life and I love that about them. I have really come to see how rich and wasteful we are in America. The majority of the world does not live like we do in the USA. We are filthy rich, even the poorest among us are rich compared with how the rest of the world lives. I am ashamed of how materialistic my heart can be. My house seems like a mansion now and its an average 1800 square foot home. I have an indoor bathroom (3 of them actually), a heating and cooling unit, a stocked pantry, clean carpet on my floors, a washer and dryer, a bathtub!, green grass for my children to play on, 2 cars, and the list goes on. I encourage you to look around at the things you have and count your blessings. Be grateful. You are extremely, extremely, blessed. Don't work yourself to death, enjoy your family and SERVE what is important in this life. Stuff is NOT important, it hold no eternal value.

After the park, we met our guide in the lobby and he took us to Wal-mart. We got a lot of things for Lily that Helen recommended. OH, I forgot to tell you that I talked to Helen this morning and she told me that she has been so worried about us. She told us that she was going to come to Taiyuan to help us. I said, "Oh no Helen, we are OK. We are fine. Please don't worry." How sweet is that? She was going to come 6 hours just to take care of us! So, anyway...Helen told us just what to get for Lily. I wrote down the names of all of it and took it with us to Wal-mart. She told us to get Wuhaha. Its like yogurt milk. We also got rice cookies and noodles. I would have never known what to buy for her had it not been for Helen. We also got her a big picture book with English/Chinese words and a 4-DVD set that teaches little children English using musical jingles. (this set was $2.50) Can you believe the good deals? I also got a thing of Pantene conditioner, Pantene Silky Spray, and toothepaste. We got 4 huge water bottles, 3 Cokes, Fruit Juice Boxes, and many bottles of yogurt. Our whole entire buggy was $28.00. Oh, this is funny. They scanned our plastic Wal-mart bags and charged us for them!!! But, hey, these things are very sturdy. You couldn't bust them if you tried!

I wanted to get her some shoes, but I think I will save my bucks for squeaky shoes in Guangzhou. (I hope I have enough room in my suitcases!!, we are already over our in-country limit!) I also don't know exactly what size her little footsie is!

After Wal-mart, we had our guide take us to McDonalds. What is wrong with me? I can honestly count on ONE hand how many double cheeseburgers I have eaten in the last 10 years. 2 of them have been in China! Its so yummy. I also crave Coke. Not Diet Coke, but plain Coke. I never drink this at home. Never!! But, I promise, it tastes better here? I know, its crazy! I can't wait to get my little sweetie pie her first happy meal! And then a big, cold, ice-cream cone! Ok, enough about my food issues...

Carlton and I wondering what in the world we are gonna do tomrrow until 2:00 (which is when our guide comes to pick us up) It makes for a long day when you get up each day at 4:00am. OH, boy, this is really going to happen????????? Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh. Ok, I feel better now!

I will post again in the morning. I will probably not get much sleep!!!!

love,
aimee

Feels Like Christmas Eve- So Excited!

2009-02-09T15:22:00.000-08:00

Thank you for your encouraging comments. After seven hours of sleep and reading your comments this morning, I do feel better. I also emailed Karla and knowing she is there if we need her, really helps too.

Last night we met our new friends. All I can say is that God is so gracious that He put a couple here in the middle of China who we can relate to on so many levels. We are very like-minded in almost everything. Amazing, huh? We talked non-stop (Noah would say, "jibber-jabber") over dinner last night. They walked over to our hotel (they are staying a couple blocks down the road) and we ate dinner at the hotel. It was OK. I had pizza, but it didn't have any sauce. They gave me ketchup to put on it. (this did not help my already weak stomach). During dinner, all I could think, was wow! these people are sooooo much like us! We are grateful for their precious friendship. Its really good to not have to play charades to communicate.

Its 7:30am here and we are getting ready to go try out the breakfast buffet. I am hoping the bacon doesent taste like beef jerky! I hope to find something yummy, because I am so hungry. I need some calories, big time. I am dreaming now of a big bacon, egg and cheese biscuit with those round, greasy hash browns. But, I need to face reality, I am not going to be eating that!

After breakfast, we are going to venture out, but not too far. We are supposed to meet our guide in the lobby at 3:00pm to go to Wal-mart. I really wish we could have done this tomorrow so Lily could have picked out some food that she likes.

Check back soon, I will be updating the blog more often. I want to put down all my thoughts leading up to our big day! The countdown begins!!!!! Less than 30 hours to go!

Love you,

Thank you for "being" there for me. Its like online therapy when I read your comments,
aimee

We're Here!!!

2009-02-09T00:07:00.000-08:00

Look what was waiting in our room...........

View from our room of Taiyuan city

View from airplane

Starbucks was just as good here!

Saying good-bye to Helen

OH my, we are here.

Our driver came to pick us up at the hotel right on time and guess who got out of the van? YEP...HELEN! Surprise! SHe said she didn't want to leave me, she thought I might cry if everything didn't go just right. Oh, boy, was I glad she went with us! When we got to the airport, we found out our flight had been changed to 2 hours earlier! There was no way we could have communicated without Helen. NO way. I think I would have just sat down on the airport floor and had a meltdown. Believe me, I am feeling really weepy today. OH, thank you God, for sweet Helen. She got us right where we needed to be.
We arrived at the airport and met our new guide. He took us to the hotel and left. He is coming back tomorrow at 3:00pm. We are on our own for supper, water, and lunch tomorrow. What???? I am so sad. I miss Helen so terribly bad. I am just tearing up as I type this. I am trying to figure out how to call her. Ok, Aimee, just get yourself together. It will be OK.

Excuse me, I have got to grab some tissue.
Ok, I'm back.

I am so happy to see in my comments that my online friend is here in Taiyuan. We are going to try to call them in just a minute. I hope I can figure out how to use the phone. My friend is adopting too. We will both get our babies on Wednesday.

We will find out tomorrow what time we get Lily on Wednesday. It will probably be afternoon because she is coming by bus and it takes 5 hours.

The hotel we are staying at is...well, its OK. Its not Park Plaza by any means. Its clean and that's what matters. The first room they gave us had 2 twin beds. Um, no. They switched us to a room with a small desk and a queen size bed. The beds here feel like you are sitting on a box spring. (its not like I am gonna sleep anyway!). The room is very small. I don't even know how we will open our suitcases. Honestly, I don't care. I just want my baby. I will sleep on the floor and wear dirty clothes and maybe even not flat iron my hair... This city has a lot of pollution. Its very hazy and I keep sneezing and so does Carlton. Helen gave us some masks, maybe we should go for it and use them. It is so loud outside. Today is the last day of the Spring Festival and they are shooting firecrackers like crazy. Its so loud. And it just 5:00pm. I will post some pictures of our view.

Grace Fellowship- We want to thank you for your very generous donation for LIly's orphanage. Lifeline has made contact with the orphanage and they are stunned! We will be buying them an air conditioner/heater. We will purchase this when we arrive in the city on Friday. Your gift will be keeping lots of children warm at night. It is very, very cold here in the winter. It will also keep them cool in the hot summers. Thank you. We will be giving this gift in your name.

Helen, if you are reading this...please call us. OH, we miss you terribly bad. We are at Shanxi Grand...room number 2908. Phone number: 0351-8829999 Connie, I know you are going to call me again too! SO good to hear your voice today.

OK. I need to go. I am a little homesick and I just need some time. I miss my kids. Please hug and kiss them for me.

Love you,
Aimee

Tick-Tock Tick-Tock

2009-02-08T15:27:00.000-08:00

Today is Monday in China. I woke up this morning at good ole' 3:30am. I forced myself to sleep another hour. At 4:30am, I couldn't take it any longer. I got up! I woke up to a really bad case of nerves! My stomach is in knots. Today, we fly to Lily's province. It's really happening and for some reason, I just can't grasp it. Karla, I know I am driving you nutso with e-mails. But, I know you love me! I just need to be reassured that everything is OK.

I have waited so long and prayed so long for this child. The emotions I am feeling are hard to explain. I have never felt them before. I cannot wait to hold her in my arms and love her forever. It makes me smile to think of Hannah Grace and Noah playing with their sister. This feels too good to be true.

I will be forever grateful to this amazing country. I love China and I love their people. I am sad to leave Beijing, but I am happy to be one day closer to holding my daughter.

I will post again when we arrive in Taiyuan, Shanxi. I hope my computer works OK there. Hopefully, each room will have its own personal computers. That would be good.

Our flight leaves at 1:15am Monday Alabama time.

We are going to walk over to Starbucks for breakfast. I need a boost!

Love you all,
Aimee

Sunday, February 8th, 2009

2009-02-07T23:29:00.000-08:00

WaMArt!

Dryers at Wal-mart?

Sunday, Feb. 8-09

We have experienced a piece of heaven today.

This morning after breakfast we headed out for the day by ourselves. We got in the taxi and gave the driver the piece of paper with the name of the hotel where the church was located. We were so happy when we arrived because we thought our drive was going to be a little longer. We walked inside the hotel and asked the lady where the church service was located. She said, “Oh, in the business center.” Carlton and I went over to the business center which was about as big as my living room. “Hmmmm…”, we thought, “doesn’t look like church is going to happen in here.” We asked the lady in the business center, “Is this where church is?” She got on her phone and made several calls. Then, she went over to a cabinet and handed us a box. It was a converter for an outlet. I almost started to panic because I knew something was not right. They thought we were saying, “charge”. Oh, dear, where is Helen when we need her? Oh, yes, she is just a phone call away. We asked the hotel to call her. The hotel clerk spoke to Helen for a moment and then handed me the phone. Helen then said, “I am so sorry to tell you this, but your taxi driver took you to the wrong hotel.” We were on the wrong side of town! I really tried not to freak out..but a small part of me wanted to just cry! We got into a new taxi and this man was very nice and took us to the correct location. To enter this church, you must show your foreign passport or ID. It is a Christian church. They have service in a huge auditorium, there were well over a thousand people there. Most people did not look like us. We were definitely in the minority. I loved it, I really, really loved it. It made me think about heaven. We really enjoyed the early service and were able to sing praise songs in Mandarin. WE have some video we will share later. It was really amazing. We would like to share more of our heart about today’s church experience, but right now we cannot. I can tell you that it really impacted us on a deep level. We hope to share more later.

After church, we took a taxi to Wal-mart. Let me tell you , that was an experience. Thank you, but I’ll pass on Wal-mart in Beijing!! The food section was interesting. The smells were really strong and a couple times I got nauseous. The meat was lying out, it was not wrapped up. Ugh. I told Carlton I can’t imagine being pregnant in China and having to deal with the smells. Some smells are OK, but others are really strong. We walked around for a little while, but we didn’t buy anything. We couldn’t read the packaging so we didn’t know what anything was! There were not a lot of American things. I saw some cosmetics that I recognized, but that was about it.

We came home after Wal-mart to rest. We are trying to get some rest before we have our little one running all over the place!!!! (ooh, I just got chills typing that!) I can’t believe we are getting so close. I have waited so long and now the time is drawing near. Its very surreal. The excitement is almost too much to bear!

Tonight, we will eat out. I really want to find a place with some yummy dumplings!

Tomorrow, we will be checking out of our hotel at 12:00pm and our driver will take us to the airport!! Our fight leaves at 3:10pm and we will arrive about an hour later. We will be staying at Shanxi Grand Hotel…not sure of the room number. This is it guys….this is the place where Lily will lay at night all snuggled up next to her mama. Carlton promised me that I can “hog” her. He even told me I can be the first to hold her on Gotcha Day. (Like he had a choice?)

Love you all,

Thank you for your encouraging words that you are leaving for us...we love to read them early each morning!

Aimee and Carlton

Saturday, February 7th, 2009

2009-02-07T04:30:00.000-08:00

Downtown Beijing

Summer Palace
The long corridor that is hand painted

The roof of the corridor

private temple for empress

The lake is man-made, its over 500 years old! Its at Summer Palace

Made out of marble- its not a boat, but a dock used by the empress (Dragon-lady)

This boat was used by the emperor to carry her all over the lake while she drank her tea..

Oh, this place never looked so good...

Inside the Bird's Nest

Bird's Nest, Beijing Olympics 2008

Water Cube

Each day is getting better and better!! Today, I woke up at 5:30am!!! I am going to bed about the same time each night….around 10:00pm. So, anything more than 6 hours is just icing on the cake!!! We met Helen this morning at 10:00am in the lobby. First, we went to Summer Palace. This is the place where the emperor stayed in the summer. It is so beautiful. The lake is ginormous and it is man-made! They dug this lake by hand (or tool). It was made in the 1400’s. Amazing huh? They took all the dirt and made a mountain out of it. It also has the longest corridor in the world. The ceilings are hand-painted. It really is almost too much to take in. The Chinese people are an incredibly smart group of people. It’s no wonder their civilization has survived for so many years. Each day, I am more and more amazed.

Have I told you we feel like movie stars here? Everyone (especially children) loves to take pictures with us and practice using their English. People here are so friendly. Sooooo friendly!!! For some reason, I thought I was going to be scared over here. Wrong!! I feel safer in Beijing than I do walking in the parking lot at the Oxford mall. The crime rate is extremely low. People (in general) do not break the law in this country. The only thing that makes me nervous is the language barrier. Sometimes, it can be hard to communicate if Helen is not with us (which is not often). Chinese is not like Spanish where you can “figure out” some words. Uh… nope, not going to “figure out” any Chinese words even if your life depended on it. I just wanted to tell everyone how safe it is here. I think Americans have a wrong view of this country.

So..after Summer Palace, we stopped at McDonald's. I know, I know, “When in China, do as the Chinese!” Well, if you could see how many people in China eat at McDonald's you would understand that I AM doing like the Chinese. Seriously…oh, alright, I’ll be honest. I woke up thinking about an extra large double cheeseburger with and extra large order of salty fries with an extra large Coke! I am not being dramatic when I tell you that tears came into my eyes when I bit into that cheeseburger. My taste buds went wild!! They kept saying, “more, more, feed me, feed me!” Helen even told me to slow down. I was stuffing those fries in my mouth about 6 at a time. I don’t think I really chewed up my food. After about 5 minutes, Carlton asked me where my cheeseburger was, I said, “it’s gone.”. He couldn't’t believe it. He has only eaten half of his sandwich! The funny thing is…I don’t really even eat McDonald's back at home. Ya’ll know I went looney after I watched that show about that man who ate McDonald's and almost died. But, when you go 5 days eating healthy tofu, your body goes a little nuts. I am happy to report that I feel like a new woman after my extra-large combo meal.

After our yummy meal, we went to the Olympic Center. Once again, I started saying to myself, “Are we really here?” I just watched this on TV not too long ago and now here I am half-way across the world standing inside the building which held the opening ceremonies??? We walked all around the center and took lots of pictures. We also saw the water cube where Michael Phelps rocked the house! We planned on going to the Nationality Park, but Mama layla…(Chinese for “Mommy is tired!”). We thought it would be best to come back to the hotel and rest for about an hour and half before we went to the Chinese acrobat show.

The show was really great. Helen got us tickets for a great price. We were in the VIP section. Those were the most flexible people I have ever seen! After the show, we walked around down town. It reminded me sooooo much of New York City. There were lots of flashing lights and people walking in all different directions.

We got back to our room around 8:00pm. We are going to take it easy and get some sleep. Tomorrow, we are going to church in Beijing! We will be attending a Christian church that is just for foreigners. We had intended on going to a Chinese Christian Church, but it is too far to go. We will not have our sweet Helen tomorrow! She wrote down a note to give to the taxi driver and also put her cell phone number on the paper. She wants us to call her when we get out of church to make sure we are OK. Isn’t she the best??? We don’t know what we are going to do tomorrow afternoon. You might think I am strange, but I really want to go to Wal-mart in China. I know…you’d think I would not want to see that place, but I do! Maybe we will go there…who knows where we will end up….Carlton and I love a good adventure.

We will let you know how church goes tomorrow.

Thank you for the comments that you are leaving. Carlton and I love waking up and reading them. It’s such a joy!

Love you all,

Aimee and Carlton

MVI 0853

2009-02-06T14:28:00.001-08:00

Friday, February 6th, 2009

2009-02-06T01:17:00.000-08:00

Roll Tide from Beijing, China! (Jade Factory)

This is my favorite pic of the day, you agree? If only you could see Carlton's big grin!

Going down...

Our lock attached to the Great Wall

A finished product

A worker making Cloisonne...very tedious labor

Having a "real" tea party!!!

I can’t believe it!! I actually slept this morning until 4:30am!! (are you noting the sarcasm in my voice?) I woke up so early only to hear my hubby sleeping so hard a sonic boom wouldn’t wake him up. What is wrong with my body??? Everything is so out of whack! I am happy to report that I did not get sleepy at 9:00am this morning so that is great!

After breakfast, we met Helen in the lobby at 9:00am. She arranged for us to have our own personal driver for the day. Our first stop today was the Jade Factory. It was very interesting. Jade is very popular in China. When a girl turns 18, she is always given a jade bracelet as a tradition. The only thing we bought was a “generation ball”. Helen told us that we needed to have that and we might not be able to find it in Guangzhou. The ball has 4 layers that stand for each generation. Its really amazing how they form this ball. I got a small one for us to have as a family. Next, we headed to the Great Wall!!! Its going to be really hard for me to put into words our experience at the Great Wall. The pictures are not going to reflect the beauty either. One word….Breathtaking. First, all I could think was, “Am I really at the Great Wall of China????” Then, once I made myself realize that yes, I am in China, and yes, I am at the Great Wall…I started to take in all the sights. OK, one thing that was a surprise to me was how steep the wall was!! I didn’t know this was going to be the Biggest Loser and I was going to gain Buns of Steel on this trip. I tried not to whine too much, but at one point, Carlton was pushing me from behind. You can stop laughing now. It was a total body workout. I really wanted to quit at the first tower, but Carlton was like a kid at the candy store and of course, I couldn’t let him down. I toughed it up, and walked to the top. Seriously, though, people with heart conditions should not attempt to climb this wall. The view was amazing. We took lots of pictures. It is really amazing that this wall was built in the 1400’s. It was used as a protection for the city. It goes on for miles and miles and miles. Truly an amazing place….and I am not a history buff! We also purchased a lock that has our name engraved on it. The lock symbolizes love. Once you lock it, you throw away the key, and your love will last forever. I told Carlton he is stuck with me now. We spent over 2 hours at the Great Wall. It was not that cold, I actually ended up taking off my sweater and gloves. Carlton told me he was so proud that I climbed so high and I told him maybe I needed another massage??? After the Great Wall, we went to the Cloisonne factory. This is also very popular in China. They make beautiful things from copper. It is a very long process. We watched them make it at different steps in the process. Then, we went and purchased 3 things for Lily. We are planning to have a celebration every year on her Gotcha Day, Feb. 11. I plan to give her a gift each year from her home country. Today, we bought a beautiful bracelet, a jewelry box, and chopsticks. Don’t worry Hannah Grace, Mommy is going to get you some too! But, it’s a surprise!!! Next, we went upstairs to a fabulous restaurant and ate more Chinese food!! This food was a little bit more like American Chinese food…but way better! I ate until my belly was about to pop. Carlton says I need to fatten up…all I have eaten is healthy Chinese food and doing my Buns of Steel workout at the Great Wall. If I lived in China, I would have a hard time keeping my weight up. Everything is so very healthy..no fats or grease. I have to say that I have never felt better. On our way home, Helen talked to us for a long time about Chinese adoption. She has been working with adoptive families for several years. She told me that in China, they do not give children cold things to eat or drink. It is not good for their stomachs. She told me to make sure and warm her milk. Helen does not drink cold milk to this day. The Chinese people believe that “warm” things are much better for your body. The people here are so health conscious, but in a different way than in the States. We are more…worried about being thin and what not, but here, they are more concerned with “whole” body health. Its very interesting to me and for those of you that know me…you know how I love to hear about alternative methods for ailments! Oh, and that massage that I had…Helen told me it was Acupuncture Pressure Points Massage. Oh, how I wish I could find someone back home that does this!! So….after the yummy meal, Helen took us to a Tea House. We had a tea party! (Hannah Grace, you would have loved this!) We tasted all kinds of tea. One tea, was good for your blood circulation and anemia, another tea was good for high cholesterol and high blood pressure, another tea was good for your skin and warded off the wrinkles!!! Ok, Ok, I purchased some tea. I also got this tea mug that has a strainer and when you pour in the tea, it changes to a different picture. My mug has the Forbidden City on it. Finally, we headed back to our hotel. Helen is going to come over to our hotel room tonight and she is going to put Lily’s Chinese character name on the silk painting I purchased. Have I said how incredibly sweet Helen is??? Then, we might just hang out together. I love just talking with her…I am learning so, so much. Like today, I learned that if you have an upset stomach to drink hot, hot water and to squeeze the soft part between your thumb and first finger. Sorry, that was random, but it might be helpful to you one day.

Speaking of being random, did I tell you that I got my flat iron to work? Ok…I thought I was prepared, but nope!! We brought 2 converters and neither one worked. We finally got the front desk to find what I needed…a transformer!! It’s a black box that you plug your appliances into. So, all is well on the hair front.

Tomorrow, we are off to tour the Olympics buildings!! I am really excited about this. I loved watching the Olympics this year. We are also going to Summer Palace and Nationality Park (Helen highly recommended this park). Oh, almost forgot…we are also going to see a Chinese Acrobatic Show tomorrow night.

Connie and Laine….could you please tell me where you went to church when you were in China. I know Connie went in Beijing and Laine went in Guangzhou. We would like to go in both places. And, oh me, I will be taking my little china doll to church in a week or so. (my stomach just did another flip-flop!!) Let me know where the church is located, if you can remember. Erica, where did you do laundry in Guangzhou? I am so excited to hear that Clara said I love you. How precious. I can’t wait to see her...

Better go for now.

Love to you all,

Aimee

Thursday, February 5th 2009

2009-02-05T04:58:00.000-08:00

Eating dumplings!

Hot, steamy, dumplings

Cooking the dumplings

I finally did it!! I made it just right! It passed Helen's test!

Not too much, not too little, just right.

I
About to start making dumplings

Helping Helen in her kitchen

You have to hold the cup like this....

Helen is pouring our tea

o
Market

Forbidden City

Tienanmen Square

Carlton is eating dried squid, and yes, I tasted it too! Tasted like dried tuna fish??

Llama Temple

Carlton and I both were wide awake this morning at 3:00am!! What is it with 3:00am?? We went a head and got up and were able to talk to some friends and our children this morning on Skype!! How amazing is that?? We are half way around the world and we can talk to people back home for free!! It was so good to hear familiar voices. We had breakfast this morning at the hotel and I tried a bowl of rice congee. I know that Lily eats this for breakfast so I wanted to taste and try it for myself. Helen is going to teach me how to make congee also. It tasted really bland...kinda like a porridge of some sort. Not bad, just really bland.

After breakfast, we were planning to start touring right away. But...at 9:00am this morning, I hit a wall!! All of the sudden I couldn't put one foot in front of the other! I was so tired. I called Helen and we decided to start our day at 12:00pm. I fell on the bed and passed out. All I remember is my body making weird jerking movements from pure exhaustion. When I woke up, I felt so much better. We met Helen in the lobby and planned out our day. First, we went to Llama Temple. This is the oldest Llama temple in Beijing. It is also famous because it has the largest Buddha statue carved from a tree. Many people worship here each day. We spent about 2 hours at the Temple. Next, we went to Tienanmen Square. This square is between the government buildings, the people's congress, the history museum and the great hall. Helen explained the history of the square and then we walked to Forbidden City. The Forbidden City was the emperors palace for the Ming and Ching Dynastys. Twenty-four emperors lived in Forbidden City. It was huge, it has 9,999 1/2 rooms. Its impossible to explain how beautiful and how big the city is. The pictures do not do justice, trust me on this one. We stayed about 3 hours here. Helen is so wonderful. She explains everything to us. Since Carlton has an undergrad in History, he is really loving this. Its like a History text book coming to life. Next, Helen took us to a local market in her neighborhood to get the items we needed to cook dinner. The market is not like your ordinary Wal-mart. You buy the items and pay for them at each counter. For example, you pay for your fruit in the fruit section. I know those people thought I was nutso for taking pictures of their grocery store!!! We bought a large amount of food and it cost $3.50 US. We could probably feed 6 people with what we bought. Helen told us that we were the first couple she has cooked for at her home!! We felt extremely honored. Helen is a terrific cook and I learned so much. One thing I have learned, is that people in China eat so healthy!! They do not even have desert. She said, "Why do you want to eat something sweet when you are full?" I just said, "hmmmm..I don't know, because it tastes good???" OH, and by the way, the white stuff we ate yesterday was tofu or bean curd. I never knew I liked tofu. It is really not that bad and it is very, very good for you. When we first got to Helen's house, she sat her table down and we all sat around the table while she served us 2 different kinds of tea. The first tea was good for your stomach and the second tea was good for your liver. (No wonder these people live to be well over 100) The tea was really good. She also taught me how to hold the cup and how to sip it. Believe me, you have to practice. I am so glad I am learning these things so I can teach it to Lily. I really love learning the traditional Chinese practices. We had some really great conversations about traditions and her life growing up. I am just like a sponge, really soaking it all in.... Once again, I am amazed at how close the families are. She told me that when they finished eating supper, they just sat around the table and talked. She is very close to her mother and father. She also said that the Chinese people do not understand why people in USA do not take care of their parents when they get old. Its not even an option in China, you just do it. You take care of your parents. They come and live with you and you also support them financially. Its a totally different mind set over here. I really do love the way they love family and their sense of community. Helen also taught me how to make traditional Chinese dumplings (also called pot stickers in USA). Oh....they were heavenly!!! I think I ate about 10! They were filled with beef and cabbage and were boiled, not fried. She also made us homemade egg drop soup and some kind of leafy vegetable that was sauteed in oil and garlic. Yummy!! We dipped our dumplings in vinegar and soy sauce. We were so thankful for our time with Helen. It was such a special treat for us. I am really coming to see that we are having an experience of a lifetime. We would never have this experience if we were in a big travel group. I love that it is just us and Helen. So special. She takes such good care of us. Thank you Green family for this amazing recommendation!!! I have been instructed by Helen to come to your house and teach you how to make dumplings. She made sure that I knew what I was doing, since I was going back home to teach!!!
We are really enjoying our time here in China. We love seeing all the historical sights...BUT...my mind just cant stop thinking of my baby girl!! Today, I saw many, many little girls and my heart nearly stopped!! I just can't wait to hold her in my arms!!! I also checked the weather for Guangzhou, and its supposed to be 80 degrees!! I started having a fit because I didn't bring Lily any summer outfits. I did not realize that it would be that warm. Then Carlton reminded me that we can just take her shopping and buy her whatever she likes. Oh, I do love that man!! Speaking of weather...the weather in Beijing is fabulous!! I think its around 45-50. But, its a different kind of cold. Its colder than what it sounds like. I am wearing jeans with tights underneath and 2 shirts and coat. I haven't gotten cold one time. Perfect weather, just perfect!

There are many, many other things that we want to share about today...but time will not allow us. We look forward to coming home and sharing our hearts with you all.

Tomorrow, we are off to the Great Wall! We will also stop at the Jade Factory (thanks Kim for the tip..I will hold off on purchasing jade until Guangzhou). I do plan to purchase a piece of jade jewelry for Lily and Hananah Grace. This is a very traditional gift that families give thier daughters. Helen has a jade bracelet that has been passed down in her family for many, many, many years. She wears it every day. We will be spending the day at the Great Wall. Helen said we will have lots of time to climb and she knows just where to take us. Supposedy, there are many spots that you can climb and some are better than others. What would I do without Helen??? I am really looking forward to seeing the Great Wall... I am going to the GREAT WALL OF CHINA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!....this trip is just too amazing.

Love to you all,
Aimee and Carlton

Hannah Grace and Noah,
We loved hearing your voice this morning. I am so glad that you had a fun day and got to go to the movies. Noah, I know you loved eating all that cotton candy. I hope you remember to brush your teeth really good tonight! We are very proud of how good you are being for Aunt Susie. Ya'll are the best children in the world! We will talk to you soon, We love you very, very, very, very, much!!!! We are sending you a big kiss!
Mommy and Daddy

Thank you for all your comments. Reading your comments is the first thing we do each morning. We laugh and cry at the same time. It makes us feel at home. Thank you!

Enjoy all the pictures... I will upload a video in the morning. Too tired to wait on it to download!

Wednesday

2009-02-04T05:21:00.000-08:00

Hot Pot

Helen cooking lamb!

Chopstick experts?

Standing in front of Temple of Heaven

This is me with Helen

Older people having a good time

We are pulling silk for a blanket

Hu-tong tour

She made us tea!

Rickshaw

Drum Tower

Wednesday, Feb. 4^th, 2009

This morning we started off having breakfast in our hotel. It is really fancy…and we had an interesting assortment of foods. They had your normal breakfast foods such as bacon, pancakes, eggs, pastries, and toast. They also had a few items that were interesting to say the least…baked beans, fried rice, sushi, and stir fry chicken. I love me so good old stir fry chicken and fried rice…but for breakfast?? Ugh. We were enjoying our lovely 5-star breakfast when all of the sudden I hear a loud bang on the table. I look up and Carlton is cracking his hard boiled egg on the table. All the ladies came running over to us as if we were making a noise to get their attention. I started laughing so hard, I couldn’t even speak. Oh, my husband, just a good ole country boy. After breakfast, we met Helen in the lobby. She sat down with us and we made a plan for the week. We decided to do the hu-tong tour, silk factory, and Temple of Heaven today. Traditionally, a hu-tong was a water well, but this word now refers to “old Beijing”. The hu-tong is an area in Beijing with traditional houses on narrow streets. Tours of this district are done on rickshaw. Our tour included the drum tower used during the Ming and Chen dynasty to count time. The tower was used until 1924 (the tower is about 600 years old!!). We saw them perform a show on the drums. After seeing the tower, we took a rickshaw through hu-tong and visited a local family. This family was very nice and even offered us a cup of jasmine tea. Next, we went and toured the Silk Factory. We were shown how the silk is taken from cocoon to blankets. We also went upstairs and I purchased the cutest outfit for Lily. These outfits were a little more expensive, but of very good quality. Helen then took us to see the Temple of Heaven. This temple was used by the emperors to seek the aid of the gods in producing good crops. Today, the temple is open for visitors and the temple is used by retired men and women for entertainment. We were impressed with the Chinese community. Helen told us that men and women gather together to play cards, dance, sing, play hacky-sack and other fun activities. Most of the time, they don’t even know each other. The Chinese are very friendly and welcoming people. It was really an amazing sight to see all these older people enjoying life together. I really liked it… We also purchased some local art. One piece was two panda bears painted on silk and the other was a mother with her children during Chinese New Year and it was painted on silk. After Temple of Heaven, Helen took us to a very popular local “hot-pot” restaurant. I have to admit, I was a little nervous. All I could envision was a big chicken head or fried cricket looking at me from my dinner plate. But, it was actually very tasty. Ya’ll are not going to believe it, but I ate all kinds of “weird” things. Hot Pot is a copper pot that sits in the middle of the table and you put your food in there to boil. Don’t fall out of your seat, but I ate lamb, beef, fish (strange looking), really odd peanuts, parsley, bean kur?, bean sauce and stringy potatoes. I attempted to use chopsticks, but had to resort to the use of a fork. (it took the waitress 15 minutes to find me a fork). This was a very good traditional Chinese meal. So, my motto this trip is, “When in China, do as the Chinese”.

We got back to the hotel about 6:15. The day was capped off by the most unbelievable massage you could ever imagine. For $28, I got an hour and a half head to toe massage, foot massage, and an herbal foot soak?? Oh, it was heavenly. This was a sweet treat from my hubby. J

Carlton and I are having the experience of a lifetime. I believe right now we are in shock. Being in China is such a shock to your system. It just completely rocks your world in every way. The sights, the sounds, the smells…its all very overwhelming. But, I absolutely love it here. I never imagined I would have these kinds of feelings about this country. I am very relaxed and I almost feel at home.

Several times during the day, I am reminded of the big reason we are here! I have seen so many precious children running around. Carlton and I just look at each other and smile! My stomach does a flip-flop every time I think about what will be happening this time next week. Oh, my heart….that sweet baby girl will be in my arms. Saying that I am excited is just an understatement.

Tomorrow, we are heading to the Forbidden City, Tiananmen Square and we are having supper at Helen’s house. She is going to teach me how to make home-made traditional dumplings. She told me that Lily would love them and that it is tradition to cook them on Chinese New Year. So, of course, I have to learn!!!

I love and miss you all,

Aimee and Carlton

Hannah Grace and Noah,

We are hoping to have Skype working by tomorrow. I miss hearing your voices and seeing your faces. Are you having fun with Aunt Susie? I am sure she is spoiling you rotten and that’s okay!! I love you both and Daddy and I are sending you a big, big, hug and kiss. Talk to you soon!!

Hu tong tour

2009-02-03T20:29:00.000-08:00

Oh, be still my heart...I am in love with China. I love every single thing about it. I love the people, I love the smells, I love the history. I am totally, completely in love.

This morning, we met our incredible guide Helen. I really want her to come home with me. She is just like a sister. We planned our week together. I am now in a coffee shop in the middle of rural Beijing. We just finished the hu tong tour. We rode on this rickshaw and we were invited inside the home of a sweet family. Oh, so much history....the families are so close. The lady asked me and Carlton to come and live with her! Precious. Oh, I truly love the people here.

In just a few minutes, we are going to the Silk Market. Ooooohhh cant wait!!! We have a very busy day planned and I don't have time to get into all the details of all the incredible things we are learning. I just know this...God is so big. He is not just the God of the US, but He is the GOd of all nations. THere is such a big world out there. This world is just so big. I keep singing that song from PBS... "Its a big world, its a big, big world" I know, of all the songs to be singing....but hey, I listen to it every morning when my kids are having breakfast.

But, really, there is just so much world out there. God is teaching me so much....and oh me, I have only been here 24 hours.

Thank you for your comments. They are awesome.

If you would like to call, we are at Park Palace Wangfujing Room 504, A good time is at night, between 8-10pm. That would be around 8:00am your time.

I love you all.

I still cannot believe I am in China!!!! Is this for real???????

aimee

A few Pictures....

2009-02-03T15:14:00.000-08:00

THANK YOU!!!!! For all your precious comments. When I read them, it makes me feel like I am talking with you (or you are talking to me!) Carlton and I sat here and read every single one of them. They have brought tears to my eyes!!!! Please keep them coming, I think they will ward off the homesickness!!!

Love you all so very much,

Aimee and Carlton

We will update the blog very very soon. OK? I know what its like to be sitting on the "other side" waiting for an update!!! We are off for a big day on the town!!!

2009-02-03T15:10:00.000-08:00

Hello from Beijing, China!!! We arrived safely here last night. WE had no problems going through customs or getting our baggage. I give Northwest an A+. The flight from Detroit to Tokyo was terribly LONG!! We were on the plane about 13 hours. Carlton and I drank tons of water and got up every couple of hours and walked around. There were several movies to watch and I listened to the IPOD some (thanks Annalee). We sat next to a precious young lady from China. We got to talking and she helped me with my Chinese. I didn’t realize that I was pronouncing so much stuff wrong!!! I feel pretty confident with it now. We were also pronouncing Lily’s name wrong. Her Chinese name is YuanYuan. It is said, "whuan, whuan" Its really hard to say, but she helped me perfect it. Carlton on the other hand….well….bless his little country bumpkin heart. He told me he would just let me speak the Chinese language around here!!! Speaking of country bumpkins….boy I never knew what a small town girl I was until now!! Um…I think everybody knows we are tourists, we just stare at everything with our mouths wide open!!! Beijing is incredibly beautiful at night. There are so many lights. It kinda reminds me of Vegas. Everyone is so sweet. Our guide, Helen, had our driver waiting for us in baggage claim. He was holing a sign that said, "AIMEE". Do you know how good it felt to see that? He was instantly my best friend. When he saw us, he got on his cell phone and called our guide Helen. I talked to her for about 10 minutes. She is simply precious!!! She was giving me all kinds of tips, like Don’t drink the water!!!, and don’t exchange your money until I can help you! She is going to take good care of us. We checked into our hotel about 10:30pm and all went well. Our room is stunning. Its so modern. We couldn’t figure out how to turn the lights on. Seriously, ya’ll, someone should be filming this….this is good reality TV. I slept OK. My body is totally confused…its hungry and sleepy at all the wrong times. I slept about 3 hours and then woke up for a while and then slept another hour. Carlton snored like a baby. I know my adrenaline is still running high. We can’t stop thinking about the fact that our baby girl is less than 1 hour plane ride from us. When we were about to land, I happened to be listening to the IPOD and Stephen Curtis Chapman’s song "When Love Takes You In" came on. It was so surreal, like this is all some kind of dream. Yes, I did start bawling like a baby. I couldn’t help but think of Lily and how her life is about to change. When love takes you in….and tells you that you belong. I am still amazed at how marvelously adoption parallels with the gospel. I think I will let Carlton do a post on that soon. We are so happy to be here, in this amazing country. We love China and this country will always hold a special place in our hearts. They have given us an amazing treasure, our daughter…
Today (Wednesday, Feb.4th), we will be meeting our guide Helen and start sightseeing at 1:00pm. I am not sure what is on the agenda today. Maybe Tiananamen Square, Forbidden City?? I think we might see a show tonight. Who knows!! We apologize for not posting last night. We are having some computer problems. Carlton is going to be calling home today to get the problem taken care of! For now, I am using his computer and copying images and word documents to a Jump Drive. Then, I take it to the hotel’s computer room and upload them there.
Hannah Grace and Noah,
Hello sweet my kiddos! We miss you so much. Hannah Grace, how is your school work coming along?? Have you started reading your new book? I miss giving you kisses and hugs! Noah, are you being a good boy? I hope so! I miss snuggling with you in the early morning hours. Please email us and hopefully we will have Skype working soon and we will be able to see you! We love you both so much.
Mommy and Daddy

Well, we are off for a big day...love you all.

PS. Jess, can you call Granny? Thanks.

WE MADE IT!

2009-02-03T09:17:00.000-08:00

Hi everyone! This is Aimee and Carlton's friend, Jessica. Just wanted to let you know that they have made it to China. They are having some computer problems, but are working on those so check back soon for an update.

Good Morning!!!

2009-02-02T04:40:00.000-08:00

.

Hello friends and family!!

We were up very early this morning!!! Can you believe that I actually slept last night??? I fell asleep around 10:45 and woke up at 3:26am. *my alarm was set for 3:30

We were ready and out the door by 4:00am. I went a little nutty checking my purse for my passport...(ok, I checked at least 50 times) and I would not loosen my grip on our paperwork. Do you see me holding it there in the picture??? :) And I am still holding it when we got to the airport.

We had plenty of time to grab some breakfast and for me to BLOG!!! The laptop is working well and as you can see, we were able to upload pics without any problems.

I am still in shock that this is really happening. Carlton and I just keep looking at each other, we don't have to say a word, we just smile.... and we keep smiling.... I feel like I am living a dream. For so long, I have read other people's blogs about their journey to China and now here I am...getting on a big bird heading to China. Its surreal. Very, very surreal.

For the past few days, I have been praying for Lily and asking God to prepare her little heart for this big transition. We have been loving her for so long, but she does not "know" us. We are strangers to her. I pray that the transition would be easy for her. I am expecting a lot of grieving during the first few days. But you know...I know all about grief and I will truly understand her pain. I will grieve with her and just hold her and love her through this process.

SO....I know there are many, many people that are reading this blog. I would love for you to leave a comment and let me know you visited. This blog along with all of the comments will be printed off and made into a book for Lily. Even if I dont know you, please let me know you visited.

OK....the next time I talk to you again, it will be from CHINA!!!!

(is this really happening?????)

Love to all,
Aimee

ITINERARY

2009-02-01T19:48:00.001-08:00

Itinerary: OK, So remember this.....China is 14 hours AHEAD of Alabama So, when my itinerary states a certain time, please remember I am 14 hours ahead of you!

Feb. 2- Depart B'ham at 8:12am, Depart Detroit at 1:45pm(13 hour flight)
Feb. 3- Depart Tokyo at 6:20pm Arrive Beijing at 9:40pm

Feb. 4th- Rest until lunch time. Meet our sweet guide Helen around noon and begin sightseeing!!!!

Forbidden City

Tiananmen Square

That night we will see an Acrobatic Show.

Feb.5th-

Temple of Heaven

Old Beijing by Rickshaw (hu tong) This will take us through old, narrow streets to see authentic residential areas, local grocery markets and often time tourists are invited inside to have tea with the locals.

Feb.6th- Great Wall, Summer Palace, Jade Factory, Olympic Park to see Bird's Nest and Water Cube

Feb.7th- OPEN (silk market, bei hai park...)
Feb. 8th- Carlton and I explore Beijing without a guide ( somebody should be doing a reality show on us) rest, shop, hangout, try to locate the 90 minute massage for $17 (no, I am not kidding)

Feb.9th- Depart Beijing at 3:10pm, arrive in Taiyuan at 4:10pm
Feb.10th- Enjoy the day in Lily's Province, ask Carlton "how much longer" at least 400 times, try to rest before the big day. (yeah right!)

Feb. 11th- GOTCHA DAY!!!!! We don't have a time yet..we think morning, so this will be actually be Tuesday for you!

Feb. 12th- Take a 4 hour bus ride to visit Lily's orphanage

Feb. 13th- Another day in Taiyuan with Lily, shop, take in the culture.. maybe go sightseeing

Feb. 14th- Fly to Guangzhou! (yeah! warm weather) Happy Valentine's Day! I will be missing my sweet children back at home. We always make a big to do about Valentine's Day. Arrive at the White Swan Hotel.

Feb. 15th- Lily has a Medical Exam

Feb. 16th-Shop? Do whatever our guide has planned for us....

Feb. 17th- sightseeing, Pearl River Cruise

Feb. 18th- Consulate Appointment!! more shopping...

Feb. 19th- Pick up Lily's Passport, Take our Oath!

Feb. 20th- COME HOME!!!! Arrive in B'ham at 4:35pm

The excitement is almost to much to bear!!

China HERE WE COME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

(I can't believe I'm the blog everyone is reading!!!! I can't believe this is my TRAVEL BLOG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

see in you china!!!!
aimee and carlton

2009-01-20T12:19:00.000-08:00

Our flight plans have been made! We will leave February 2 for Beijing! We will spend several days touring Beijing and then we will meet Lily on Feb. 11th! We will fly home on Feb. 20th! Now, the packing begins!!!

2009-01-16T08:14:00.000-08:00

TRAVEL APPROVAL IS HERE!!!!!

We are hoping to travel early February.

YEAH!!!!!

Meet our daughter...Lily Ruth-Yuan

2008-09-15T11:01:00.001-07:00

Oh, that smile! It melts my heart!

Lily is 3 years old and her special need is "limb difference". As you can see in the photo, she is missing her left hand. Lily is God's gift to us and we think she is just perfect! We are counting the days until we can hold her in our arms and love her forever. We are hoping to travel in February of 2009, which is not to far away! We received our LOA on December 29, 2008 and are currently awaiting travel approval.

This is not our family blog which is password protected. This is our special travel blog that will be open to the public. We would love for you to follow our journey and we covet all your prayers for our family.

We are continuing to add pieces to Lily's 100 good wishes quilt. If you have not contributed, we would love for you too! Her quilt blog link is added to the sidebar.