Anticipation

It's two days until Chloe's surgery.  It seems like everything is falling into place.  I have had numerous phone calls from Cook's Hospital getting all the details arranged:  pre-registration, insurance and pre-op. Tomorrow they will call to notify us of our arrival time.  Our nanny will be helping with Caleb Thursday night and getting him to school on Friday.  Also, Caleb has some awesome friends who are going to come and pick him up to play on Saturday to give him a break.  Thanks Reese and Greg!

Caleb is very concerned about Chloe and her upcoming surgery.  When I picked Caleb up from school today he seemed a little depressed. I asked him what was wrong and he said nothing but continued to be sad. I asked him if something happened at school and he said no. Then with tears in his eyes he told me he was sad about Chloe's surgery. He said she was perfect the way she was and he did not want her to have surgery. He was worried about her being in pain and I told him we would give her pain medication which I think made him feel better. He was truly upset. We were at Target, so I suggested he buy her a gift to take to her in the hospital and I think that made him feel better too. What a sensitive boy.  He loves his sister very deeply. 

So I guess the next time I post her surgery will be done.  We can't wait to see her new smile!

One Month Anniversary

Today is our one month anniversary for getting Chloe.  It is hard to believe it has only been one month.  She continues to do great.  She is adjusting to our family and life in the USA at remarkable speed.  I think the thing that amazes me the most is how much English she is understanding.  She is still not saying any words, but she is understanding what we are saying.  Kevin and I just look at each other in amazement.  Are we going to have to start spelling things that we don't want her to know?  She is also doing normal toddler things.  She has learned to nod yes and no.  The other day she was going to put some play coins in her mouth and I said "No, we do not put those in our mouth."  She looked at me with a smirk and put the coins closer to her mouth like she was going to put them in there and was nodding no.  She knew exactly what I was saying and she was trying to push the limit just like every other toddler.  Little stinker!  She is also really great at mimicking which is the way she is learning a lot too.  A cute new thing is her praying.  At dinner we will tell her it is time to say a prayer and we bow our heads and clasp our hands.  Then while eating dinner, she gets a beautiful smile on her face, clasps her hands together and bows her head.  So sweet.  We hope that she will grow up to love the Lord.  She continues to LOVE Bailey.  She loves to feed her, play with her and of course lay on her.  Chloe also absolutely loves to be outside.  I am looking forward to Fall when we can spend a little more time out there without dying in the heat. 

Her surgery is still on track for Thursday morning.  The ENT said she would need tubes.  They are also going to do a hearing test during that time which I am glad about.  So all seems to be moving smoother than ever anticipated.  Praise God!    

More Photos

Chloe's first lollipop.  She loved it!

Swinging with Big Brother

Having a blast at the park

She just loves Bailey.  We see this everyday

So happy

She wore that bow in her hair all day

Having fun

Precious

Making a craft

Chloe's Surgery

Chloe's surgery is scheduled for next week on Thursday September 1st.  This date was much sooner than we had anticipated, which is both a blessing and quite frightening at the same time.  I guess any time would be difficult.  I continue to struggle if this is too soon given that she has not even been with us a month yet; but, the doctor really wanted to do the surgery as soon as possible before she started talking.  She continues to babble more and more so perhaps the timing is right.  They were able to get us in quickly with an ear nose and throat specialist.  We see the ENT tomorrow afternoon.  The ENT will determine if she needs tubes in her ears.  That doctor is also available to do surgery on September 1st.  So if she does need tubes, it will all be done at the same time.  It is a huge relief to know that she will only have one anesthesia.  I continue to worry about the post op period with the pureed food and arm splints (because that is what all good mothers do is worry)  I'm sure just like everything else, she will amaze us with her adaptability.  So, I should stop worrying and start thinking of some great pureed dishes that she cannot live without!

Dad and Chloe continue to bond.  Last night I decided that Kevin needed to put her to bed.  There was a little fussing/crying, but he was successful.  Kevin found out that she did not want him to rock her so he put her in her crib, she fussed a bit and then fell fast asleep.  Caleb was saying that he thought I should put her to bed at night because he does not like it when Chloe cries.  How sweet.

Now to some personal thoughts...  This journey continues to amaze me.  I worried before we had Chloe about loving an adopted child the same as a biological child.  I know that may sound a little crazy, but since we had never been through this, I didn't know if I would.  When one of the potential domestic adoptions came up and then fell through, I was heart broken and very sad.  The love I developed in a short time for that child was so powerful.  That experience made me realize that I could and would love an adopted child as much as I love Caleb.  Now that Chloe is here, it seems silly that I even thought those things.  The immense love I feel for her overwhelms me.  God is amazing.  He puts on our hearts to adopt a child and then equips us with the unconditional love that a child needs, the same way he equips a mother who is pregnant.  Awesome!  The other thing I sort of fretted about was adopting an older child.  In the past I have made judgments on other people who adopted older children.  I felt sad for those people because I felt like they had missed out on some crucial time since they had not adopted their child as an infant.  Knowing that with an international adoption we would not get an infant, this was something I had to come to terms with.  But now that I have lived this, I feel like I have known Chloe all her life.  It's amazing to me how it seems like she has been with us all along.  Sure, we didn't see her first smile, or laugh or cry or the first time she crawled or ate cereal for the first time, but none of that seems to matter now.  I don't miss the things we did not get to experience.  Our experience starts now and I can't imagine how it could be any better.  So no one feel bad for me, I am truly content and would not want things any other way.

Chloe and Daddy

Today was a great day for Chloe and Daddy. Chloe was interacting and playing great with Kevin today.  I really wanted to take a nap and so Kevin and Chloe spent time together without me.  They played in her room and went to the park.  She was laughing and playing and did great.  Then later in the day, a very positive thing happened.  I was holding Chloe and then Kevin took her from me and she did not fuss!  Wow, that may be a first.  She has let him hold her before but usually she fusses a bit especially if I am standing right there.  Not this time.  I think she is falling in love with him.   It's about time.

We have gotten some of the test results from the pediatrician's evaluation of Chloe.  We found out that she has giardia, an easily treated gastrointestinal infection.  So she will need to take some medications for that.  We have completed her antibiotics for her ear infection.  Everything else has been negative.  We'll let you know if we find out anything else.

Recent Photos

Chloe and Bailey are becoming best buds

She loves to swim

First chore: feeding Bailey

She loves wearing big brother's shoes

My two precious angels

First day of school

Having fun at the park

Having fun at the park

Watch out, Bailey might eat you!

Back to Work

So today was my first day back to work.  I am planning to work 2 days a week for the next couple of weeks and then return full time after Labor Day.  I thought this might be a way to ease back into working full time.  Back when I made my schedule to return 2 days a week, I wasn't really thinking that she would only have been with us a little more than 3 weeks before I went back to work.  As this day has been approaching, I have felt fairly apprehensive about leaving.  This was my first real time away from her, minus running an errand while she napped.  I am definitely not an expert on attachment and bonding, so I am not really sure what the appropriate period of time should be in this situation, but I bet the books don't say 3 weeks. I worried that she may think her mother has now abandoned her (again).  But she did great and didn't cry at all while I was gone.  What an answer to prayer.  She is such an adaptable child.  It is truly amazing given her life's circumstances. And now it makes me feel better that Chloe knows that I may not be around all the time, but that I will come back.  What a relief.  I think it will make going back to work tomorrow much easier. 

I can honestly say that going back to work with her was easier than with Caleb.  With Caleb, I worried so much that my child would not think that I loved him because I worked.  I think I carried around some of the working mom guilt.  I will never forget our nanny reassuring me on that first day that he would always know and love his mother and I have carried that with me even to this day.  I guess I know now that being a working mother does not have to scar your children.  Boy, sometimes I wish I knew then what I know now.  So there is some relief to know that Chloe will hopefully know that her mother loves her regardless if I am here day and night.

Caleb started back to school on Wednesday.  So life here is in full swing.  I was kind of proud of myself Tuesday night and Wednesday morning.  Kevin was at a meeting and I got 2 kids bathed and to bed by 8 pm on Tuesday.  Then Wednesday morning I got 2 kids up and got Caleb ready for school.  I realize people do this every day and with more children, but I haven't and it felt good that we could do all that and be to school on time. Back pat for Kim (at least in my book).  And I give props to any families who do this every day with multiple children!
 

Chloe's Appointment with the Surgeon

So things went well at the surgeons office.  I guess the good thing was that there were no significant surprises.  Typically in the US, they do the cleft lip repair around 3 months of age.  Then they repair the palate at 9-12 months of age before speech begins.  The doctor said that if it delayed much after that, the children will start compensating for the palate and develop some bad speech habits which are hard to break.  I think he seemed a little concerned because Chloe is older.  He feels like we need to do Chloe's surgery as quickly as possible.   He did comment that the good part is she is just learning the English language now, so her speech will already be delayed compared to most children her age.  So, hopefully that will mean she won't develop any bad habits.

The plan is for him to repair the lip and palate at the same time.  She will most likely only require an overnight hospital stay as long as she eats (and we know that is one thing our Chloe does well).  She also needs to see an ear nose and throat specialist because she will likely need tubes in her ears too.  Hopefully that can be done at the same time as the cleft lip and palate surgery.  The bad part sounds like after the surgery.  She has to wear something called a "No No Guard" for 3 weeks.  It is a splint that she wears that keeps her from bending her elbows.  It prevents her from messing with her lip and mouth.  How many battles do you think we will have about keeping those things on?  She is a very active and smart toddler and I am already imagining her finding a way to escape from those things.  The other bad thing is her eating. We will have to feed her with a syringe.  She cannot use a spoon or fork because it could damage the palate.  I did ask about things like hand feeding her soft eggs and he said maybe.  What you need to know about Chloe is that she wants what you have on your plate.  Do you think Kevin and Caleb will be up for pureed food for 3 weeks?  Sounds yummy!  Not sure how we will handle that.  Then after the recovery, he thinks she will need speech therapy, although the timing of that is unknown.

Over time she will need a few other procedures.  He predicts a touch up surgery around age 5.  A dental surgery around age 8-10 that will require a bone graft and a final touch up surgery around age 16-18. 

They are starting the insurance pre-certs, referrals to ENT, surgery schedules, etc and anticipate having her surgery in about 1 month.  So all and all we feel pretty good about it.  (You can ask me how good I am feeling during the 3 week post-op period).  Continued prayers would be appreciated.

Chloe Goes to the Pediatrician

Chloe saw the pediatrician today.  We made it a family outing which was fun.  I think the doctor was impressed with her.  He asked how sure we were of her birth date.  For many of these children that are abandoned it is usually an estimate of birth date unless they have some sort of note pinned to them when found.  Chloe was found at a few days of age, so we are fairly certain that her birthday is close if not correct.  He was amazed at her weight which was at the 40% on the American charts.  He said with her cleft palate he thought that was excellent.  She is about the 5-10% on height so that gives you an idea of her size.  I told the doctor that he would not be amazed at her weight if he ever saw her eat!  He also thought her development seemed right on target given the circumstances.  Unfortunately, she had to get four shots, a PPD (TB test) and blood drawn which they had to stick her twice for.  If any of you have ever taken your kids to get shots, you know how heart wrenching it is to watch them scream in pain from the shots.  She cried a lot today, but I don't blame her.  I would have probably cried too.  We found out that she has ear infections in both ears which is common in children with cleft palates.  He had told us that she will most likely need ear tubes at some point.  I think they will do that in conjunction with her other surgery.  So now she is on antibiotics and we hope that will clear up the problem.

We continue to be amazed with her progress.  I guess child development is an amazing process for any child and I remember being equally amazed as Caleb grew.  Chloe has only been with us for 2 1/2 weeks and the progress we have seen is astounding.  Since she has been with us, she has learned to walk and has learned some body parts.  She can blow kisses and give us 5.  She knows what it means when I say "Let's put on your shoes."  She lifts her feet for me to put them on.  She seems to understand more and more as we talk.  I wish I could learn a foreign language in a matter of weeks.  Truly amazing.

The kids seem to be adjusting to the time difference much better than the adults.  Kevin and I continue to struggle with jet lag.  It seems around 1 am we wake up and are unable to go back to sleep.  I have also been battling the conjunctivitis Caleb had and hope that Chloe and Kevin will not get it.  But all and all things are going much better than expected.   She has her appointment with the craniofacial surgeon on Monday.  We are anxious to find out what all this will entail.    

Chloe Meets Bailey

Chloe meets Bailey!  Chloe finally got to meet the last member of our family.  Just like most of Chloe's experiences, she is afraid at first but then she enjoys.  She was a little afraid of Bailey at first, but she started to warm up more and more.  Chloe really likes hair and so she liked petting Bailey.  At first, she only liked petting Bailey on her back away from her face and tongue.  But then she would hold her arm out for Bailey to lick her hand!  She would laugh and giggle at Bailey.  I'm not sure if she can figure out her tail or not, but Chloe tries to sit on it if Bailey is wagging it.  Bailey is so tolerant.  Thank goodness for old dogs!

We have had some visitors and Chloe has done really well with strangers.  We are still amazed at how well she is transitioning.  We went out in the car again and she has done great in the car seat.  She sort of stares out the window and takes it all in.  She made her first trip to Walmart.  We bought her some shoes that fit.  She really seems to like shoes. 

She seems to be a little more picky with American food.  I'm not sure if she has sort of filled her tank up, but she is not inhaling the food quite like she did in China.  She slept better last night and I hope that will be the trend.  Caleb on the other hand is still having problems with jet lag.  He was up from about 1 to 7 am this morning and then fell back asleep.  I had to be the mean mommy and wake him up around 10, so he would sleep tonight.

I'm including a couple more photos from the end of our trip and a few from here at home.

The kids with our guide Alison

The clinic we went to for Chloe's physical exam



Our bouncing baby girl weighs 9.7 kilograms

Chloe sacked out and Caleb watching his Harry Potter movie on the plane

Chloe, the ball needs more air.

Our trip to the US Consulate

I love my new rocking horse

Little sister and ge ge  (big brother)

Playing around in the mirror with Daddy

At the park in Guangzhou

See, she does let Dad hold her





We Are Home!

Home sweet home!  We made it home last night around 7 pm after about 24 hours of travel.  Chloe did great on the flights.  We are so thankful for that.  The first flight was about 4 hours from China to Japan.  She threw a little fit when we got on the plane and about 1/2 way through, but they were short lived and totally tolerable.  She did really well.  On our long flight from Japan to Los Angeles about 10 hours, there was an extra seat next to us and after dinner we laid her down and she slept the rest of the way.  All the flight attendants were commenting on how good natured she was (little did they know how the flight from Taiyuan to Guangzhou had gone).  One of the flight attendants was so nice and asked a lot of questions regarding Chloe and Caleb.  When we landed in LA she made an announcement over the speaker welcoming big brother Caleb and Chloe all the way from China home to America.  It was really sweet.  We had a fairly tight connection in LA, about 2 hours.  But what we did not know was the immigration paperwork would take extra time and they would not process it until all the passengers from the flight had made it through immigration.  After all was done, we rushed to the gate and made it with a few minutes to spare before boarding.  Again she did great on the flight.

We made it home and Rosana and Kevin's parents were at the airport to greet us.  Rosana brought each of the kids a stuffed animal with a helium filled balloon.  That may be the first balloon Chloe had seen and she was very interested in it.  Surprisingly she did great in the car seat on the way home.  When we got home, Rosana had the dining room decorated.  What a wonderful homecoming.

Chloe seems even more comfortable here at home.  She loves her room and all of her toys.  She even seems to be getting along better with Kevin and Caleb.  She slept pretty well last night.  She woke up around 2 am and was up for about 2 hours, but then fell back to sleep.  We all slept until about 10 am.  Much needed rest for the weary travelers.  The funny thing since she is home, is she still loves to have her shoes on.  The shoes from the orphanage which fit her were kind of smelly, so I did not have her wearing those.  She has been wearing these tennis shoes which are too big for her, but she loves them.  This morning when she got up, that was one of the first things she wanted me to do was put her shoes on.  We are hopeful that her adjustment period here will go well and we can start getting into our new normal. 

I want to thank all who have prayed and supported us during this awesome journey.  We certainly felt the hand of God on our safe travels and experiences.  I will continue to enter in the blog for the next days and months to come.  She has her first appointment with the pediatrician next week and then the surgeon the following week.  Kevin and I are anxious to see what kind of procedures she will need.  She already has a beautiful smile and we look forward to the transformation.  So now I am off to do laundry and lots of it.  Sounds exciting doesn't it? 

Last Day in China

Today is our last day in China. We slept in this morning.  After breakfast we went back to the park and walked around.  We fed the fish.  There were swarms of koi fish that were one on top of the other when people were feeding them.  The kids enjoyed that. 

Chloe continues to warm up to Kevin.  Last night she let him hold her without crying.  They were playing games so I stayed out of view.  But even when she saw me, she still let Kevin hold her.  Then today at the park, she let him hold her again.  This is huge! 

We were able to find a pharmacy last night.  With the bit of English that the workers spoke along with pantomime we were able to get across that we needed eye drops.  There was only one type of eye drops for kids, so that is what we bought.  His eyes are a little better today.  We bought him some goggles and he went swimming while Chloe took her nap today.

Our plan is to get packed tonight.  We have a very early morning tomorrow.  We will leave the hotel around 6:45 to head to the airport.  I hope she sleeps well tonight.  So, I guess the next blog entry will be when we get home.  Hopefully I will have nothing exciting to write about the flight home.  Until then….

US Consulate Appointment

Today we went to the US Consulate.  There were lots of adoptive families there.  It’s been sort of interesting because the numbers of international adoptions in China is down.  Our agency only gets a couple of referrals a month.  Here in Guangzhou we seem to run into a lot of people adopting, so I would have liked to see it at the height of adoptions.  It was very nice because our agency/guide had all of our paperwork together and we handed them a packet and a few minutes later we were on our way.  Our guide will pick up her visa and paperwork tomorrow and then we leave on Thursday morning. She officially becomes a US citizen when we hit US soil and land in Los Angeles on Thursday. 

After the consulate meeting we went back to Shamian Island.  We walked around and then ate at a western restaurant named Lucy’s.  We took our first taxi in China back to our hotel which cost about $3.  I was amazed because the trip was very pleasant.  The driver did nothing crazy.

Caleb seems to have developed conjunctivitis.  He swam in the pool two days without goggles and I’m not sure if that had something to do with it.  His eyes are blood red and irritated and draining.  We may try and find a pharmacy to see if we can get him some sort of eye drops. 

Chloe is doing well.  She again did not sleep well last night.  She sort of cries and cries out throughout the night.  Last night she even woke up big brother.  We had to be up early this morning and when I woke her up, she seemed to be in a good mood.  She is taking a long nap now.  As I have said before she eats tons.  We have not found anything yet that she will not eat.  We went for McDonald’s ice cream last night and she inhaled that.  Our guide had told us that they may not like cold things because they are not use to it.  Not for Chloe, she LOVED it!  She also seems fascinated with hair.  I’m not sure if it is because she doesn’t have much or what.  When she is upset she likes to have my hair in her hand.  She also loves to touch Caleb’s hair.  She continues to warm up to Kevin.  She has been interacting more and more with him.  She lets him play more games with her and even let him play a game where he kissed her on the cheek.  It was so cute.  She usually sort of pushes his arm away and is sort of sassy about it.  She does not really let him hold her which has been a little difficult on me since that means I am always the one holding her.  I do know that if the tables were turned, I would be having a hard time dealing with it.  Not Kevin, he takes it all in stride.  I keep telling her that Daddy is a good guy and that he is not going anywhere so she should start warming up to him.  She is still doing well with Caleb.  She is sometimes sassy with him too.  We are trying to teach Caleb to read her body language to know when she wants to play and when she wants him to leave her alone.  I bet when we get home, he will be wishing that she would leave him alone!   

We are anxious to get home.  Tomorrow is a sort of do nothing day with nothing planned on the schedule.  I imagine that we may go back to the park that is near our hotel in the morning and hang out and get packed in the afternoon.

Fun day at the Guangzhou zoo

Fun at the Guangzhou Zoo

A hot day at the zoo I

A hot day at the zoo II

A hot day at the zoo III

A hot day at the zoo IV

Cooling off

Several groups of people like to dance in the park on Shamian Island

One group was waltzing to the 1964 Jim Reeve's standard "adios amigos, adios my friend..."

They also like to sing in big groups like this

Driving on the highway in Guangzhou

I would have thought they would have made a bigger deal with the pandas, but they were treated like any other animals at any other zoo

Caleb and Sophia feeding the giraffe

First ice cream

Guangzhou Zoo

Chloe finally slept like a champ last night.  Maybe it was from the assistance of the Benadryl that I gave her.  Desperate times call for desperate measures.  We all needed a good night’s sleep and that is what we got.  I think that is the first night I have slept through the night since in China.  I finally had to wake Chloe up at around 8:15 this am for breakfast and our outing to the zoo.

We were excited to go to the zoo to see the pandas.  The zoo was really big and really nice.  I think Chloe really liked the animals.  She would stare and point.  We were able to see 2 pandas.  One of the pandas was out walking around.  It was exciting to see.  Caleb and his new friend Sophia were able to feed the giraffes.  The giraffes got really close and they fed them leaves.  The zoo trip was really nice but it was really hot and humid.  We were all ready to leave at 12:30. 

We are back at the hotel now and Chloe is napping.  Caleb and Sophia are at the pool, I’m sure having a great time.  It has been good for Caleb to have someone to play with.  They seem to get along really well. 

Our plan for tonight is to go to bed early.  We have to be on the bus at 7:30 in the morning for our 8:30 appointment with the US Consulate.  Here we will complete her visa paperwork and go through the oath ceremony to make her a US citizen.  An exciting day for us.  We are finally seeing the light at the end of the tunnel and it makes me happy!  Unfortunately we are not allowed to bring cameras in to the consulate, so we will not be able to take photos or videos of her big day.

I am ready to get home.  It is tough to live out of a suitcase for 2 weeks.  I am a little apprehensive about the plane trip home as well as her adjustment there.  We are missing Bailey and I’m sure she is missing us.  Our trip to China has been a great experience; one I will cherish in my heart forever, but as they say “There is no place like home.”  I appreciate all the comments on the blog.  It emails me with the comments and they are fun to read.  It is like having a little piece of home with us here.