Yesterday was a big day!!!! We received our Consulate Appointment for 12/17, this is the final step before returning home. We also received an update on Faith. They have pictures & medical reports they will send with her. She also received the package we sent. YEAH!!! We bought our plane tickets and expect our Passport/Visa delivered today.

The biggest surprise was last night my Ladies Small Group surprised me with a baby shower. I was overwhelmed with love! They basically gave me my dream room for Faith. I will post pictures later.

So, we will leave next Thursday 12/6, gotcha day 12/10, return home 12/19. We don't have our itinerary yet. We will have our final travel meeting on Monday.

We received TA today!!! They are trying to get us a Consulate Appointment for December 17th. Tentative date for departure is next week December 6th. Which means we could have Faith in our arms on December 10th. I will update when we get more info.

Update on Faith

We received an update from the orphanage today. The slide pictures above are from today's update. Faith weighs 20.7 pounds and is 30 inches tall. I don't know how accurate the weight is I can't believe she gained 4.5 pounds in 4 months. If you notice in the pictures she has on several layers of clothes. She has 6 teeth. We still do not know if her palate has been repaired. Our agency is going to ask again. God Is Good, she is growing and thriving and we are grateful.

Finding Ad

Today we received the finding ad that was placed in the Jaingxi Business Newspaper. When a baby is found abandoned they place an ad in the local Province paper to try to locate the parents. While we were disappointed that the picture was not clear we are so fortunate to have this information regarding her finding spot.

Translation: Xing Fu Xiang, Female, She was born on March 20, 2006, On March 22, 2006 She was found under the Xingcun Stockade Village in the County. She has a round face, single eyelids, thick black hair, and has a cleft top palate and top lip.

We used Brian Stuy with Research-China.org to get our finding ad. We were very happy with his service here is the link to his site. Research-China.org

Update From Home

We are glad to be home. We missed Miranda & Ethan more than I could put into words. I think today we are finally getting over the jetlag. Faith is still on China time but is coming around. Last night she was only up for 2 hours in the middle of the night. Faith is adjusting well. She is finally allowing Darren to pick her up which has been a big help for me. She is still a little hestitant around Miranda and Ethan.

I had to take Faith to the doctor yesterday because she continued to have a yucky nose and congestion. I am glad I did. When we had the visa physical in China they checked her ears and said they looked good. Well, when we took her to the doctor yesterday she said there was so much ear wax she could not see in her ear. After the doctor cleaned her ears out she said she had a bad infection in both ears. There is no telling how long her ears have been infected or how many infections she has had. Chinese doctors are far different than our western doctors. Now, everyday I praise God we live in the United States.

The kids are waking up from their naps so I have to go. Here is a picture from our airport reunion.

Day 12 - December 18

Today we had our Oath Ceramony, if you can call it a ceramony. We basically went into a waiting room(government building waiting room) not a nicely decorated room. We stood up raised our right hand and repeated something(I can't remember what)with a group of about 55 other families and that was it. As uneventful as that sounds I still got emotional.

The rest of the day was spent packing and hanging out with friends. Here is a picture of our travel group.


We will be getting up at 4:30a.m. to come home. Our plane leaves at 8:30 a.m. Wednesday China time and we should arrive in Lexington at 4:30p.m. on Wednesday US time. Can't wait to see everyone and introduce you to Faith Fu Xiang Maas.

Day 11- December 17

Today was our consulate appointment. We did not have to attend our guide went for us and everything went well. We should get her passport with visa tomorrow at the Oath Cermony.

I did finally get my massage. Wow, did that hurt! My neck is much better but I had to suffer through a painful 30 minutes. Unfortunately, Darren had to suffer also. He watched Faith which I went for the massage. He said she cried to entire time but when I went to pick her up she stopped immediately. We did some more shopping this afternoon.

Tonight we did a river boat cruise down the Pearl River. It was very beautiful. All the buildings along the river were lit up. Faith fell asleep half was though the cruise.

Update on Faith:
She is becoming more congested and stuffy everyday and we are seeing more & more food coming out of her nose. Her lip looks fantastic but it is obvious she will still need some work inside her mouth.

Day 10 - December 16

Sorry but the internet was not working so I am posting a day late. Today we did more shopping! We attempted to go to church but Faith was not cooperative. Darren went in with the rest of the group while Faith & I walked around. It was a very relaxed day.

Sometime yesterday I hurt my neck and have a big knot. I can barely turn my head so I decided to get a massage to try to work it out. The hotel sent me to a place around the corner. When I arrived their we ladies standing out front in formal gowns with fur wraps. The entrance was dark except for rope lights & black lights. There was a spiral staircase which led downstairs where you get the massage. After talking to them a few minutes I decided that was not quite what I was looking for. It was a 90 minute full body massage which required you to take a shower and change into an "outfit".

Update on Faith:
She is doing well and seems to be adjusted to Darren & I. She is still attached to me and will not let anyone else pick her up. She is still getting hives and their seems to be no obvious trigger.

Day 9 - December 15

This morning we went to have the kids physicals. Faith did not like it at all. In fact she protested the entire time. She officially weights 18.7 pounds a few pounds less than the orphanage had reported. After the physicals we completed all the paperwork for our consulate appointments. The rest of the day we had free to roam the city. We journeyed over to Guangzhou City and visited a local shopping district. We were the only non-Asian people around but we still felt quite comfortable. The Chinese people are very welcoming. We also did some souvenir shopping on Shiaman Island where we are staying. The shops here cater to adoptive families. We found a few things but are still looking for those perfect souvenirs.

How was Faith today?? To sum it up in 2 words VERY GRUMPY! She cried through breakfast, bathtime, diaper change, medicine, physical, and every time she did not get what she wanted. She is in bed now and has woke up twice crying. I don't know if she is finally grieving or just having a hard day.

Day 7 - December 13

Today the sun came out for the first time since being in China. It was nice to feel the sun on my face. We had a busy day of touring today. In the morning we went to the countryside to see how the local farmers live. We have some great pictures. I am unable to post them today hopefully I can tomorrow. In the afternoon we went to a Chinese resturant and the Tengwang Pavillion. Today is our last day in Nanchang, tomorrow we travel to Guangzhou. I am excited to get to Guangzhou so I can finally do some shopping. Due to the weight limit on in country luggage I have not been able to do much shopping.

Update on Faith: She continues to have hives at least once a day. After contacting our doctor we think it is not food but an nervous reaction. We did get confirmation today that her mouth in not completly repaired as she had chocolate coming out of her nose this afternoon. We were excited today to finally receive a picture of Faith before her lip repair.

Day 6 - December 12

We did not do much today. We stayed around the hotel this morning and this evening went out to shopping mall and Pizza Hut. Yes, we are still in China. The mall was actually nicer than our local mall in Lexington.

Please continue to be in prayer for Faith. She continues to get hives about twice a day. We are not sure if it is a food or due to stress. She seems to be able to tell when they start because she will start scratching and showing me where it itches and sure enough about 1/2hour to an hour later she has hives. Other than the hives she is doing great and continues to get stronger every day. She is still attached to me but is beginning to let others get close to her and play. YEAH! This gives me a little break. That's all for now. I did update the Photobucket so enjoy the pictures.

Day 5 - December 11

Today was a quite day. We had breakfast with friends and then went to the People's Park. Of course it is winter but it was still beautiful. I can only imagine how beautiful it is in the summer. There were many people out in the park. It is very common to hear about older ladies coming up telling you that your child does not have enough clothes on, I was prepared for that. I was not prepared when they told me that I should not carry my baby in a carrier with her legs wrapped around me because it will make her off balance and bowlegged. Oh well, sometimes you can't win! This evening we made a trip to a shopping district to walk around and eat at McDonalds.

Faith has really attached to me and will not let anyone else hold her. I am glad she has attached to me so well but it would be nice to have a break. She is very thin. Her arms are about the size of a newborn. She is unable to push herself up when she falls down. She even has trouble holding her bottle to feed herself. She is able to walk and is getting faster every day. We can't tell much about her palate but it does look like the hole is gone. Her mouth is a mess though. Her teeth are way out of line and grind together when she eats. I see a lot of dental work in our future. She is really coming out of her shell. Today well heard a lot of laughing and she is trying to mimic everything we do. We could not love her more! She is absolutely beautiful and we can't wait for you to meet her. Enjoy the pictures from today.

Day 4 - December 10

We have been amazed as to how well Faith has adjusted to us. She slept well last night, I actually had to wake her this morning. Today was busy! We ventured to Walmart to buy a few supplies. After lunch we had to complete our paperwork to make the adoption final. As of around 4:30 today Faith is officially our daughter. Tomorrow we will visit People's Park, park where locals hang out in the morning for exercise and socializing. The rest of the day is free. Please keep Darren & Faith in your prayers. Darren was beginning to get a cold when we left the US and it is finally hitting him. Faith broke out in hives this evening and we are not sure what caused it. Other than those minor annoyances we are having a great time in China. Sorry, no pictures today hopefully I will catch up tomorrow.

Day 3 - December 9

GOTCHA DAY!!

Around 4:30 p.m. China time we received Faith Fu Xiang Maas. Although we were elated to see her she was not as happy. She cried in the adoption office and did not want us to pick her up. She did play with us and shared her candy. On the bus ride to the hotel she began to warm up to us. She really came out of her shell when daddy started playing with her. She smiled for the first time and started talking although we have no idea what she is saying. She is walking although a bit wabbly. She is very weak and has difficulty bending down to pick things up and holding her bottle. She is healthy! She was exhausted and feel asleep in my arms as I was exchanging money and the front desk. Even with all the noise, she is a heavy sleeper! I am also exhausted so I am off to bed. Tomorrow I will have more time to write. God bless you.

Day 2 - December 8

Today was a big sightseeing day. In the past families have had one and a half days for touring but we only have one day. Our guide, Susan, was kind enough to send the entire day with us so we could see all the main tourist sights. We started at 7:30 in the morning with Tianamen Square and the Forbidden City. Then we traveled to the Great Wall. Darren & I both made it to the top section. It was absolutely beautiful! Next we had an authentic Chinese meal & toured the Cloisonne factory. We finished our day with the Summer Palace. We were so exhausted we went to bed without eating dinner.

Day 1 - December 7

We traveled 22 hours from Lexington, Ky to Beijing China. It was a long flight but uneventful. We met up with two other families with AHH, one from Richmond, KY and the other from Maryland. We will stay in Beijing until Sunday morning when we fly to Nanchang to meet Faith. Thank you for all your prayers God has blessed us with wonderful family and friends.

LOA HAS ARRIVED

Today we received our Letter of Acceptance from China. One more step closer to going to get our little girl. The LOA will be mailed back to China tomorrow. The next step is to wait for TA(travel approval). The current waiting time is 2-4 weeks. Once we receive our TA we can go! We will start making travel plans while we wait for TA and make final plans once it arrives. Here are some pictures of us officially signing LOA saying, "Yes, we want Xing Fu Xiang to be our daughter".

I don't have any update information, we continue to wait for our LOA. As time passes it looks less likely that we will be able to travel before Christmas. I have been doing a little research about Faith's province while we wait. Faith is from the Xingcun Village in Xinfeng County which is in GanZhou City in Jiangxi Province. I have yet to find any information about the location of her village. Xinfeng County is located in the southern part of Jiangxi Province where it borders with Guangdong Province. Xinfeng County is known for their naval oranges. Here is a website for Xinfeng Orange

Here are some pictures of her orphanage I found from my yahoo group.