Tuesday, March 31, 2009
Ellie-Kate is OUR'S!!!!!!
We had a terrific day here in Guangzhou!! After our last breakfast in the elegant and elaborate hotel dining room, Britti, Chelsea, and Emmy went to Starbucks and did a bit of shopping. We met our friends from Kunming at the waterfall and then the legendary red couch for pictures. Around noon, we went to the Swan Room and played for about 45 minutes. It was so nice to hang out with our friends, and the girls had a great time playing with the other kids. We sent Britti and Chelsea for one more take-out lunch from Lucy's and then Roger and I took Ellie down for more pictures, this time with the woman that we met on the plane from D.C. and her new daughter.
At 2:45, we met our guide and traveled to downtown Guangzhou with the other adoptive parents and their children to pick up her passport and visa and immigration papers and, of course, for the oath. It was a really special ceremony, and I have to admit to tearing up as the immigration officer spoke and then administered the oath. Eliza Kate Beck-Aden is really, truly, officially OUR daughter now!!
After the ceremony, we went out to dinner at the Italian restaurant with two of the Kunming families. We enjoyed an amazingly relaxing and fun time with our new friends. We've shared so much of this incredible journey with them, and it's hard to believe that we've only known each other less than two weeks. We exchanged addresses, and we'll definitely keep in touch.
We returned to the hotel, stopping at Jordan's for one more quick purchase as well as at another shop near the hotel. I took Ellie to take pictures with Kailynn (Ellie's friend from the Kunming orphanage) and her parents while Roger took the other girls to the Swan Room for one last play time with our friends from New York. We're really going to miss them!! We said good-bye, and we were all sad as we walked back up to the room.
Right now, we're scrambling to pack. We leave at 6 a.m., fly to Beijing at 8 a.m., and then leave Beijing for Chicago at 4:10 p.m. We'll arrive in Chicago at 4:30 p.m. CST on Wednesday (but it will feel like 4:30 a.m. on Thursday in China for us). We'll go through immigration (where Ellie-Kate will officially become a U.S. citizen!!!!!), pick up our bags and then check in for our flight to St. Louis. We should arrive in St. Louis around 8 p.m. and get to the hotel around 10 p.m.--around 28 hours after leaving our hotel in Guangzhou.
Please pray that we have safe flights, that we have patience with each other and with the various people around us along the way, that we'll be able to manage Ellie w/o too much trouble, that the jet lag won't be too horrible, and that we won't look too awful when we walk into the Millennium Hotel for the CSCA conference on Wednesday night. It's going to be the very first time that I've ever stumbled into a conference wearing sweats, but I'm not going to dress up for 28 hours of travel!!
Thanks so much to everyone for all of your prayers and support!! We are truly grateful to God for His infinite wisdom and provision and to all of you for everything along the way!! We can't wait to introduce Ellie-Kate to everyone when we get back to the U.S.!!
I'll post again on Wednesday night, just to let everyone know that we got in okay. However, longer posts will likely have to wait until Thursday or Friday. Finally, I'm opening up the blog now so please share the address with others that you think might be interested in reading about our journey.
More soon from the U.S.!!
Christie
At 2:45, we met our guide and traveled to downtown Guangzhou with the other adoptive parents and their children to pick up her passport and visa and immigration papers and, of course, for the oath. It was a really special ceremony, and I have to admit to tearing up as the immigration officer spoke and then administered the oath. Eliza Kate Beck-Aden is really, truly, officially OUR daughter now!!
After the ceremony, we went out to dinner at the Italian restaurant with two of the Kunming families. We enjoyed an amazingly relaxing and fun time with our new friends. We've shared so much of this incredible journey with them, and it's hard to believe that we've only known each other less than two weeks. We exchanged addresses, and we'll definitely keep in touch.
We returned to the hotel, stopping at Jordan's for one more quick purchase as well as at another shop near the hotel. I took Ellie to take pictures with Kailynn (Ellie's friend from the Kunming orphanage) and her parents while Roger took the other girls to the Swan Room for one last play time with our friends from New York. We're really going to miss them!! We said good-bye, and we were all sad as we walked back up to the room.
Right now, we're scrambling to pack. We leave at 6 a.m., fly to Beijing at 8 a.m., and then leave Beijing for Chicago at 4:10 p.m. We'll arrive in Chicago at 4:30 p.m. CST on Wednesday (but it will feel like 4:30 a.m. on Thursday in China for us). We'll go through immigration (where Ellie-Kate will officially become a U.S. citizen!!!!!), pick up our bags and then check in for our flight to St. Louis. We should arrive in St. Louis around 8 p.m. and get to the hotel around 10 p.m.--around 28 hours after leaving our hotel in Guangzhou.
Please pray that we have safe flights, that we have patience with each other and with the various people around us along the way, that we'll be able to manage Ellie w/o too much trouble, that the jet lag won't be too horrible, and that we won't look too awful when we walk into the Millennium Hotel for the CSCA conference on Wednesday night. It's going to be the very first time that I've ever stumbled into a conference wearing sweats, but I'm not going to dress up for 28 hours of travel!!
Thanks so much to everyone for all of your prayers and support!! We are truly grateful to God for His infinite wisdom and provision and to all of you for everything along the way!! We can't wait to introduce Ellie-Kate to everyone when we get back to the U.S.!!
I'll post again on Wednesday night, just to let everyone know that we got in okay. However, longer posts will likely have to wait until Thursday or Friday. Finally, I'm opening up the blog now so please share the address with others that you think might be interested in reading about our journey.
More soon from the U.S.!!
Christie
Monday, March 30, 2009
Praise God for everything!
Hi Everyone--
It's been nice to have a bit of time tonight to relax and reflect on our journey thus far. Truly, praise God for all of his guidance, assurance, peace, and provision. Ellie-Kate fits so well into our family, and we're so happy that she's part of our lives. Yes, it's been a stress-filled trip given that we've all been traveling for so long, away from our family and friends and very out of touch with our ususal world. However, as we interact with other families here, we realize that we've been very blessed in terms of situations that we've been able to avoid and opportunities that we've been able to have. Anyway, as I wind down this night and start to look forward to the trip back to the U.S. and then the conference before heading home to Athens, I wanted to take a quick moment to thank God for everything that He's done for us already and for everything that He's going to accomplish in the future because of this new little person in all of our lives. How cool is that?
Hope that everyone is doing well back home!! We miss everyone and everything so much, and we're eager to be on familiar soil soon.
Take care--
Christie
It's been nice to have a bit of time tonight to relax and reflect on our journey thus far. Truly, praise God for all of his guidance, assurance, peace, and provision. Ellie-Kate fits so well into our family, and we're so happy that she's part of our lives. Yes, it's been a stress-filled trip given that we've all been traveling for so long, away from our family and friends and very out of touch with our ususal world. However, as we interact with other families here, we realize that we've been very blessed in terms of situations that we've been able to avoid and opportunities that we've been able to have. Anyway, as I wind down this night and start to look forward to the trip back to the U.S. and then the conference before heading home to Athens, I wanted to take a quick moment to thank God for everything that He's done for us already and for everything that He's going to accomplish in the future because of this new little person in all of our lives. How cool is that?
Hope that everyone is doing well back home!! We miss everyone and everything so much, and we're eager to be on familiar soil soon.
Take care--
Christie
Adventures in Guangzhou--Monday, 3/30/09
Today was an odd combination of stress and relief!! Our guide presented our paperwork at the consulate on our behalf this morning at 9:30 a.m., and she had instructed us to wait in the room between 10 and 11:30 a.m. She had indicated that she would call around 11:30 to let us know if she needed any other paperwork. After breakfast, we returned to the room to wait, and we let Britti, Chelsea, and Emmy go out to the shops for more souvenirs so that we could focus if we needed to find or clarify anything. They returned around 11:45, but we still hadn't heard anything. Around noon, Roger, Emmy, Chelsea, and Ellie went down to the Swan Room while Christie continued to wait for the call. When they returned around 12:45 p.m., she was still waiting. Although we were pretty sure that everything should be okay, it was still nerve-wracking to wait and wonder what was up. At 12:50, Roger decided to call to see what was up, and we learned that everything had gone fine. Although it was a little frustrating to be kept on hold for so long, we concentrated on the great news that we were through that last hurdle!! Christie headed out for a much needed work-out, and Roger got Ellie down for a nap.
When Christie returned from her work-out and showered, Roger went out to get some exercise and explore the island, and the girls went shopping. We bought cute little Chinese dresses with tutu skirts for Ellie-Kate, and Britti bargained with one of the local storekeepers for a good deal on a new purse. How are we going to get all of this stuff home??
We went out for dinner to a nice Italian restaurant. It was terrific. Once again, Ellie proved that she LOVES pasta and pizza :)
Although this trip has been the adventure of a lifetime, we're really looking forward to being home and introducing Ellie-Kate to everyone. She's just a doll!! She's very easygoing, happy, outgoing, and loving. She also is really connected to her parents. Even though she loves her sisters, she prefers to be held by us, indicating that she's definitely attaching to us. We've met some kids in the Swan Room who will reach up their arms to anyone. Ellie certainly knows her family, especially her mommy and daddy. Especially given the challenges that we've read about before our trip, Ellie's reaction to us is great news. Praise God that she's fitting into our family so well!!
Tomorrow is our last full day in China, and we've set up times to take pics with other families and their children that we've met during our trip. We'll share those pics tomorrow night. We also have our last adoption activity-- taking the oath that we'll never abandon her. We can't wait for all of these steps to be complete so that she's our daughter and a U.S. citizen. What a big day for her and for us!!
When Christie returned from her work-out and showered, Roger went out to get some exercise and explore the island, and the girls went shopping. We bought cute little Chinese dresses with tutu skirts for Ellie-Kate, and Britti bargained with one of the local storekeepers for a good deal on a new purse. How are we going to get all of this stuff home??
We went out for dinner to a nice Italian restaurant. It was terrific. Once again, Ellie proved that she LOVES pasta and pizza :)
Although this trip has been the adventure of a lifetime, we're really looking forward to being home and introducing Ellie-Kate to everyone. She's just a doll!! She's very easygoing, happy, outgoing, and loving. She also is really connected to her parents. Even though she loves her sisters, she prefers to be held by us, indicating that she's definitely attaching to us. We've met some kids in the Swan Room who will reach up their arms to anyone. Ellie certainly knows her family, especially her mommy and daddy. Especially given the challenges that we've read about before our trip, Ellie's reaction to us is great news. Praise God that she's fitting into our family so well!!
Tomorrow is our last full day in China, and we've set up times to take pics with other families and their children that we've met during our trip. We'll share those pics tomorrow night. We also have our last adoption activity-- taking the oath that we'll never abandon her. We can't wait for all of these steps to be complete so that she's our daughter and a U.S. citizen. What a big day for her and for us!!
Adventures in Guangzhou--Sunday, 3/29/09
We were so tired on Saturday night!! The stress of situating into a new place really took its toll on us on Saturday, and we slept over 12 hours! We woke up late--around 8:30 a.m., took showers, and headed down to breakfast around 9:15. The breakfast at the White Swan is included in the price of the room, and it is massive!! All of us really enjoyed all of the options, and we lingered longer than we should have, and we had to rush to get ready for the Chinese/English church service which started at 11 a.m. Ellie-Kate looked so cute in her new lavender dress, and church was only a short stroll away from the hotel. It was packed!! We understood none of the Chinese and part of the English translation, but the praise and worship service was refreshingly familiar. However, we had to chuckle that the English songs were accompanied by a piano (and were very traditional), but the Chinese song was set to a tape, and they rocked!! We didn't know the words at all, but we longed to sing along :)
After church, we took pictures at the waterfall in the hotel (see below), and we went down to the Swan Room to play. We met another family from Iowa who was adopting an older girl who had lived with their other daughter in a foster family. We have heard the coolest stories during our time here, and one of the best parts of our trip has been meeting all of the other adopting families. Lots of very cool people!!
After playtime, Ellie-Kate went down for a nap, and we spent the afternoon shopping, playing in the arcade and Swan Room, getting a quick workout (Christie), and managing to eat at Lucy's for lunch (take-out) AND supper.
Overall, Sunday was a really low-key day, but it went by quickly. After all of the touristy stuff in Beijing and then adoption paperwork in Kunming, it's nice to relax and do at least a few "normal" things as we wait for the final surge of adoption details on Monday and Tuesday.
After church, we took pictures at the waterfall in the hotel (see below), and we went down to the Swan Room to play. We met another family from Iowa who was adopting an older girl who had lived with their other daughter in a foster family. We have heard the coolest stories during our time here, and one of the best parts of our trip has been meeting all of the other adopting families. Lots of very cool people!!
After playtime, Ellie-Kate went down for a nap, and we spent the afternoon shopping, playing in the arcade and Swan Room, getting a quick workout (Christie), and managing to eat at Lucy's for lunch (take-out) AND supper.
Overall, Sunday was a really low-key day, but it went by quickly. After all of the touristy stuff in Beijing and then adoption paperwork in Kunming, it's nice to relax and do at least a few "normal" things as we wait for the final surge of adoption details on Monday and Tuesday.
Sunday, March 29, 2009
Adventures in Guangzhou--3/28
Hi Everyone--
I'm really sorry that we didn't post updates over the week-end. On Saturday, Roger and I did lots of important paperwork in our hotel room with Judy, our guide. After carrying those documents all around China, it was odd to just turn them over to a relative stranger, but I just had to trust that she knew what she was doing. After the flood of signatures, Roger and I took Ellie-Kate for her medical exam while the other girls waited in the hotel room. It was kind of an assembly-line system of checking basic medical issues so that the children can be cleared for visa approval. Our guide worked us through the maze quickly, and we saw several parents that we had met along the various points of our journey thus far. After the medical exam, we went back to the hotel, got the other girls, and went for lunch at Lucy's-- a relatively close and inexpensive diner near our hotel. We learned that Ellie really likes chicken congee (even though she loves pasta much more). After lunch, we did a bit of shopping, and we discovered Jordan's (actually Jordan discovered us as we were walking. He found out that we were from Ohio, claimed to love the Buckeyes, and invited us to come to his store for a free gift). Jordan did a calligraphy of Ellie's English and Chinese names for free, and it's just lovely. Back at the hotel, we went to the Swan Room, sponsored by Mattel. It contains lots of baby and toddler toy as well as a huge red ball that Emmy loves. When we got there, a group of parents were doing their paperwork. We were glad that we got to do our's in the privacy of our hotel room instead. We played for awhile and then decided to head out for dinner. Unfortunately, it was raining pretty massively, and we wrestled with ordering pizza (again) or eating the expensive hotel restaurant food. We just couldn't eat pizza again so we opted for the hotel restaurant. Because all of the regular tables were reserved, we ended up being seated in a private room overlooking the river at no extra charge-- wow!! It was nice to just be together and eating great food without the distractons of being around other guests. (We've learned that many folks like to smoke as they eat, and we can live without that!!)
I need to pause for a bit, but I'll get back on later today and continue to catch up the blog, along with more pictures :)
Christie
I'm really sorry that we didn't post updates over the week-end. On Saturday, Roger and I did lots of important paperwork in our hotel room with Judy, our guide. After carrying those documents all around China, it was odd to just turn them over to a relative stranger, but I just had to trust that she knew what she was doing. After the flood of signatures, Roger and I took Ellie-Kate for her medical exam while the other girls waited in the hotel room. It was kind of an assembly-line system of checking basic medical issues so that the children can be cleared for visa approval. Our guide worked us through the maze quickly, and we saw several parents that we had met along the various points of our journey thus far. After the medical exam, we went back to the hotel, got the other girls, and went for lunch at Lucy's-- a relatively close and inexpensive diner near our hotel. We learned that Ellie really likes chicken congee (even though she loves pasta much more). After lunch, we did a bit of shopping, and we discovered Jordan's (actually Jordan discovered us as we were walking. He found out that we were from Ohio, claimed to love the Buckeyes, and invited us to come to his store for a free gift). Jordan did a calligraphy of Ellie's English and Chinese names for free, and it's just lovely. Back at the hotel, we went to the Swan Room, sponsored by Mattel. It contains lots of baby and toddler toy as well as a huge red ball that Emmy loves. When we got there, a group of parents were doing their paperwork. We were glad that we got to do our's in the privacy of our hotel room instead. We played for awhile and then decided to head out for dinner. Unfortunately, it was raining pretty massively, and we wrestled with ordering pizza (again) or eating the expensive hotel restaurant food. We just couldn't eat pizza again so we opted for the hotel restaurant. Because all of the regular tables were reserved, we ended up being seated in a private room overlooking the river at no extra charge-- wow!! It was nice to just be together and eating great food without the distractons of being around other guests. (We've learned that many folks like to smoke as they eat, and we can live without that!!)
I need to pause for a bit, but I'll get back on later today and continue to catch up the blog, along with more pictures :)
Christie
Friday, March 27, 2009
Safely in Guangzhou!
Hi Everyone--
Just a quick note to let you know that we're in Guangzhou at the White Swan Hotel. It's a really impressive facility, but we were so spoiled in Kunming. Our rooms there were larger, and we had the beautiful Green Park right across the street. However, I'm sure that we're going to enjoy our time here, especially after we get settled and get some much needed sleep. Please pray for our spirits as we enter this homestretch of our journey in China. We're all so ready to be home instead of in one more hotel here on the other side of the world from home. On the plus side, we praise God for bringing us here safely and for allowing Ellie-Kate to be part of our lives. She's really terrific, and we love her so much! More tomorrow-- Christie
Just a quick note to let you know that we're in Guangzhou at the White Swan Hotel. It's a really impressive facility, but we were so spoiled in Kunming. Our rooms there were larger, and we had the beautiful Green Park right across the street. However, I'm sure that we're going to enjoy our time here, especially after we get settled and get some much needed sleep. Please pray for our spirits as we enter this homestretch of our journey in China. We're all so ready to be home instead of in one more hotel here on the other side of the world from home. On the plus side, we praise God for bringing us here safely and for allowing Ellie-Kate to be part of our lives. She's really terrific, and we love her so much! More tomorrow-- Christie
Thursday, March 26, 2009
Adventures in Kunming--3/26/09
We had the opportunity to visit the orphanage in Kunming today, and it was a truly special experience. When we received Ellie-Kate on Monday, we were told that she was a "favorite," and we certainly found that description to be true today. We toured the facility at the same time as another couple from our hotel who received their 13 month old baby on Monday as well. As we came to learn, Ellie-Kate was found in the same city as the other little girl, fostered in the same village as that other girl, and stayed in the same room as her when they both returned to the orphanage last week. We're so blessed to be able to know her and her family, and we hope to keep in contact with them in Guangzhou and in the US.
As we walked through the very well-kept facility, caregivers (known as "nannies") kept coming up to Ellie, calling her by her Chinese name, and hugging her. These women seemed very affected by Ellie's departure, and our guide told us that one of the staff members was "heartbroken" that Ellie was leaving. (However, even though they were upset, they all seemed genuinely happy that she was going to have a good home.) We are truly blessed that she was so beloved, that they took such great care of her, and that they returned so many of the items that we had sent to Ellie to us on Monday.
Ellie did fine at the orphanage. She wouldn't go to the nannies, but she did allow a few administrators to hold her for pictures. Most importantly for us, Ellie already seems to be bonding to us. Of course, she might just prefer our food :) She really loves sharing pizza and spaghetti with us, in addition to her baby food. We're still trying to get Ellie to take formula, and she doesn't care for bottles except to play with them, but we figure that we'll get through the next week and then keep trying as we settle into home with her.
After the orphanage, we came back to the hotel, and Chelsea and Emmy went with Christie and Ellie to the playyard in the hotel. They had a blast! Afterward, we took turns going out into the Kunming area and exploring. We concluded the day by going, once again, to Pizza da Rocco. Rocco even treated us to dessert after learning that we had to say good-bye b/c we're leaving tomorrow.
In the pictures below, you'll see ones from the orphanage with Ellie's roommate from the orphanage. You'll also see pics from the play area, from dinner at Rocco's, and with another family who is staying at our hotel who just adopted a second child from China.
Tomorow, we leave for Guangzhou, and we're excited to be at the White Swan with the other families that we have met here in Kunming as well as the one family that we met on our flight to Beijing from D.C. It'll be so cool to get pics with the kids in famous and traditional places at the White Swan, and we've heard that Guangzhou is a neat place, especially right around the hotel.
We'll send a quick update tomorrow after we get settled in our next hotel room.
Please pray that we have a safe flight to Guangzhou. (We're headed out at 5:50 p.m. and should arrive around 8 p.m.) Please also pray that this next leg of paperwork goes smoothly and that Ellie-Kate will be officially our's soon. She's such a special little baby, and we can't wait for everyone to meet her ASAP!
As we walked through the very well-kept facility, caregivers (known as "nannies") kept coming up to Ellie, calling her by her Chinese name, and hugging her. These women seemed very affected by Ellie's departure, and our guide told us that one of the staff members was "heartbroken" that Ellie was leaving. (However, even though they were upset, they all seemed genuinely happy that she was going to have a good home.) We are truly blessed that she was so beloved, that they took such great care of her, and that they returned so many of the items that we had sent to Ellie to us on Monday.
Ellie did fine at the orphanage. She wouldn't go to the nannies, but she did allow a few administrators to hold her for pictures. Most importantly for us, Ellie already seems to be bonding to us. Of course, she might just prefer our food :) She really loves sharing pizza and spaghetti with us, in addition to her baby food. We're still trying to get Ellie to take formula, and she doesn't care for bottles except to play with them, but we figure that we'll get through the next week and then keep trying as we settle into home with her.
After the orphanage, we came back to the hotel, and Chelsea and Emmy went with Christie and Ellie to the playyard in the hotel. They had a blast! Afterward, we took turns going out into the Kunming area and exploring. We concluded the day by going, once again, to Pizza da Rocco. Rocco even treated us to dessert after learning that we had to say good-bye b/c we're leaving tomorrow.
In the pictures below, you'll see ones from the orphanage with Ellie's roommate from the orphanage. You'll also see pics from the play area, from dinner at Rocco's, and with another family who is staying at our hotel who just adopted a second child from China.
Tomorow, we leave for Guangzhou, and we're excited to be at the White Swan with the other families that we have met here in Kunming as well as the one family that we met on our flight to Beijing from D.C. It'll be so cool to get pics with the kids in famous and traditional places at the White Swan, and we've heard that Guangzhou is a neat place, especially right around the hotel.
We'll send a quick update tomorrow after we get settled in our next hotel room.
Please pray that we have a safe flight to Guangzhou. (We're headed out at 5:50 p.m. and should arrive around 8 p.m.) Please also pray that this next leg of paperwork goes smoothly and that Ellie-Kate will be officially our's soon. She's such a special little baby, and we can't wait for everyone to meet her ASAP!
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