Sawyer's Pictures

I have had a request for more pictures of Sawyer. Today we went for a drive to the Minority Village, which created the perfect photo opportunity for him to show off his stuff. Not to sound like a jerk, but if you want information on the Minority Village, look it up on the web. It can describe the place better than I can. All I can say is, "WOW, these people have a beautiful culture. And the history of this culture that has lasted thousands of years is unbelievable." Something you will not see in the United States, unless you look at the Anasasi Indians of the four corners region, but their civilization is extinct. The Bai, Di, Yi, Hani, Tibetan and the fifty-one other minorities still exist today and have a great influence on the people and culture of the Yunnan Province. Anyway, more pictures of Sawyer.

Sawyer waking up

While we were driving to the Minority Villiage.

His first ride in a stroller (at least by us).

Staring in amazement at the riders on horseback.

The Family in front of the Di Buddhist Temple.

Getting blessed by a Di Buddhist Monk.

Sleeping through the rest of the Minority Village.

The Buddhist Temple In Kunming...

Yuantong Temple (Yuantong Si) has history of more than 1200 years. Located in downtown Kunming, it is a very easy temple to find, about five minute drive from Green Lake Hotel. The web site below said, "In 1956, the temple held a tooth of the Buddha here for a short time." I wish I saw that.
http://www.sinohotelguide.com/kunming/tour/sight/sighty.html

While we were there, the Monks were having a prayer ceremony. There were hundreds of people chanting and singing and praying. It is an awe inspiring sound to hear so many people sing in harmony.

We let Sawyer down to stretch his legs. He loves touching new things, especially plants, windows and, well, anything he can get his hands onto. He is a very curios little boy.

"Hey, where do you think you are going?"

"Oh, over to rub your hands on another monument."

What a curious little one. That might get him into trouble one day.

The Orphanage....(Shelby posting)

What a day! We visited the orphanage today and I am still recovering. The Kunming CWI is incredible. It is clean and well-managed and has a very good feel to it. The Director is a very kind woman who obviously cares about the children in her charge. We toured the orphanage and had the chance to meet a number of children. I met four older cleft-affected and heart children. They ran out of their class room and all wanted to be held. I held each and everyone of them and gave them hugs and love (of course with the permission of the orphanage tour guide). They were so friendly and happy. Next we visited the room that had the children with mental and neurological challenges. I think this room was the hardest because there was a little boy receiving physical therapy and it was very painful for him. Throughout our visit to this room, he cried from the pain of his therapy.

There was one moment that made my day......

Scott was holding Sawyer while I was loving up the cleft/heart children. Sawyer watched the whole thing and when I was done, he cried to be held by me. Well not five minutes later (with Scott totally not paying attention - lol) Sawyer grabbed my face and turned it to him and proceeded to give me a KISS!!!!! Our guide watched the whole thing take place and we both sobbed!!! It was so awesome! After that, all he wanted was Mama.

Next, we went to the Jade Factory. Well, Sawyer took his first digger thanks to me....He grabbed a standing sign that flipped to show a different side....I will let you imagine what happened...Anyways, we bought a beautiful jade buddha for me. As we were paying for it, Sawyer had his first melt down. Well the women at the Jade Factory (there was like 5 of them) knew instantly that he had to go to the bathroom. As background, we were told he was potty trained but have had him in diapers for pee-pee - no poop until today. They showed me how to hold him over the squattie pottie and whistle - once the woman did that, he pee'd bigtime. Scott and I both nearly DIED laughing! Well fast forward to lunchtime and we come back to the hotel room. I was determined to get him to poop, so I held him over the toilet with each leg over each arm and started whistling - Sawyer started grunting and then there was the most god-awful smell imaginable - MY BOY POOPED!!!

Overall, we are bonding incredibly well. We carry him everywhere - not because he can't walk, but because that is a great way to promote bonding. We have yet to perfect the tag-team event that is food, but Sawyer is eating well (the same amount of food that winds up in his tummy, ends up on me and Scott). We always pick up after ourselves - I know I hated parents that were rude enough to leave me a mess, so we always try to be conscientious.

We are visiting a Buddhist Temple this afternoon and the Minority Village tomorrow morning. Will post more later...Scott is watching football with Sawyer and I MUST intervene.....

July 24th 2006

The day that Sawyer changed our lives forever. We arrived at the Kunming Civil Affairs Office at about 8:30 am this morning. Susan, our AWESOME guide, started us in on the paperwork, a lot of paperwork.

At about 9:00 am, the doorbell rang and Sawyer walked through the front door with his caretaker. It was such a surreal moment, I had to watch it again on video because even though I remember it vividly, I needed to see it again to make sure what I saw really happened. The caretaker immediately put Sawyer down on the floor. After exactly one minute of checking us out(yes, I did time it), he came to Shelby with open arms (on his own I will add).
After about 2 1/2 hours at the Civil Affairs office, we went back to the hotel, grabbed some lunch and went up to the room to get to know one another. It was very hot in Kunming today with a lot of humidity. So we stripped him down to his undies and let him do some exploring. He was fascinated with his reflection in the mirror. I bet he was thinking to himself, "who's the man?"
Soon after checking himself out in the mirror, he took his nap (see picture in previous post). He was out for almost two hours. We slept right next to him in the bed, he wasn't the only one exhausted. When he woke up and got his bearings, we went on a walk through Green Lake Park. He was so wide eyed and curious about everything going on around him. He could not keep his focus on one thing, he wanted to see it all.

His favorite thing to watch was the people singing and playing the Ruan (a banjo type instrument) the Erhu (a two stringed fiddle) and the Gugin (which is like a seven string instrument without a bridge). http://www.philmultic.com/home/instruments/

Many of the local people were amazed that we were able to adopt a little boy from China. They gathered around Shelby and asked many questing. Being the proud parents were are, we loved showing him off. BTW-no one tugged at his clothing, they only wanted to grab his big cheeks. Can you blame them?

Sawyer wanted to get down and stretch his legs after being held all day, but he didn't want too be too far away from Daddy. So he grabbed Daddy's hand and walked with him to the exit on the way to find dinner. He loves to eat as much as his Daddy does and when he doesn't get food, he throws a fit like Daddy does. THAT'S MY BOY!!!

At about 9:00 pm, we all were getting tired. We gave Sawyer a bath and then sat on the bed. All he wanted to do is cuddle up with Mommy. In a manner of minutes, he was out. As I rewrite this at 3:00 am, I wrote this blog earlier but it was erased when I went to publish it, he still has not fussed or cried once.

We are so excited to be his parents, we can not wait until the sun comes up and we start another new day with him. Tomorrow we are off to see the orphanage, we can not wait.

WE HAVE SAWYER IN OUR ARMS!!!!!

July 24th, 2006, the day our lives changed forever. Today we finally touched Sawyer for the first time and OH WHAT A FEELING!!!!!!!!!


We will post more in a bit. Sawyer is sleeping right now, ...

...so we are going to take this opportunity to take a nap as well. We will post more this evening.

Pictures

Just after we got off the plane in Gaungzhou.

Landing In Kunming

Where we are staying. The Green Lake Hotel.

The first relaxing moment after a long flight.


Green Lake Park, right accross the street from our Hotel.
The Sunset over the Mountains.

Next post will be about Sawyer. Blog you tommorow!!

HOLY CRAP FOLKS - WE ARE IN KUNMING!!!!

Ok, so here's the low down. The flight from Seattle to LA was uneventful but for the totally smashed LA fisherman coming in from his trip to Sitka (I couldn't believe they were still serving him....and he was still coherent). The flight from LAX to Guangzhou was so long and so short at the same time. The seats in Premium Economy were nice but we didn't think it was as great as everyone has told us. Definitely worth the extra money, but don't let anyone tell you it is like business class - it is not.

We got to guangzhou and hopped an earlier flight to Kunming - got in around 9:30am instead of 1230pm. Shelby called Lily to let her know we were early, and then we proceed to barter with some guys at the airport until we found one willing to take us to our hotel for about $10 US dollars.

Kunming is OMG beautiful!!!! Flowers everywhere and incredibly clean. Our hotel is definitely 5 star. Our room overlooks the Green Lake Park and our bathroom has this crazy glass wall that is open to the room and the view. All Shelby has been saying is that she is "SO GOING TO SIT IN THAT TUB and admire the view.

Our guide is amazing to the say the least. Shelby has taken quite a liking to her - they are like two sisters picking on their big brother (ME!!!). We ate lunch at the hotel (incredible!), showered and then our guide took us around Greenlake and to Walmart. Shelby starting eating from the Street vendors and was chopping on these pickled, roasted quail eggs all afternoon (I had one, it tasted like a hard boiled egg). All she is talking about is trying the chicken feet here (she has issues) and how she promised a co-worker she would eat "snake soup" for her - snake soup is a "delicious" soup where the "cook" allows you to pick out the snake you wnat to eat and then butchers it and cooks it up then and there. We are determined to EAT OUR WAY THROUGH KUNMING!!!!!

We got a bunch of supplies at Walmart - what a trip! We got a bunch of hom baos and dumplings to eat for dinner tonight - they are so good.

Overall, there have been a few people who have "noticed us" but nothing like what some people have decsribed. It seems like everyone here is just living there life. There are minimal Westerners here but we feel like we have found our second home.

As we were riding through the city form the airport, we truly realized why fate connected us to Sawyer...this place is like water for a weary soul. We have never felt such peace and happiness. Our hearts are calm and our minds are sharp with excitement. We feel like we are on a pre-destined path that we have walked before.

Please do not feel the need to pray for us...we are already in heaven!

I am still trying to figure some things out with out blog, so I don't know if we are going to be able to share pictures yet. Let's hope for the best.

Till tomorrow, when we meet our son for the first time.....

Holly here, for Scott & Shelby.
As I write this, they are on a flight from Seattle to Los Angeles. From LA they fly to Guangzhou, and then connect to Kunming, where they will be united with Sawyer on Sunday, US time. (Monday in China) .

They send their love, and can't wait to share their first experiences and photos, as a family, with all of you!

Keep them in your prayers!

Blessings!

Momma and Ba Ba are on their way, Sawyer!!!

One More Day To Go!!!

We have one more day to go before we leave for Kunming and begin our amazing life long journey. We are so excited to see Sawyer for the first time . No matter what he does - babble, laugh, cry or scream - it will not matter. All Shelby and I want is to just HEAR his voice!! At this point in time, we would both welcome a full-blown tantrum, just so we can hold him and love him and show him we are there for him. I can not imagine going through this experience without Shelby, nor can she imagine the same. This is such a momentous experience that to go through it without the other is ...Unimaginable...the equivalent of missing your biological child's birth!

So to prepare for OUR impending "birth", we are nesting - finishing up small things around the house to make sure we are prepared for him. His room is totally stocked and ready for our Bao Bao to tear apart. We are also going to clean out our cars and put the car seats in for the first time (Shelby has been asking me to put her car seat in since APRIL!!!!) . It is going to be so weird to look in the back seat and see this small little seat there for Sawyer, but what a relief it will be to finally see the end of the tunnel.

Shelby (and I, although to a lesser extent) has been preparing for Sawyer's cleft needs also. She has already scheduled his appointments with the craniofacial team and had extensive conversations with all his doctors about his course of treatment, issues to address as he gets older etc. She can be an absolute PIA, but when it comes to getting answers and "taking care of business" she gets things done - fast and her way and never takes "no" for an answer....guess that's a typical attorney for ya....LOVE YA HONEY!!! Sawyer's craniofacial pediatrician will be the sister of one of the Ph.D.s Shelby works with at her biotech company. AND we have an incredible speech pathologist contact thanks to another one of her co-workers. There is no issue relating to Sawyer's known physical needs that we have not addressed - to be unprepared for dealing with his cleft issues would be unconscionable. At this point, I don't think there is any obviously foreseeable issue we do not have a plan for - it is amazing how if you just research things, you can be prepared for almost anything.

And its funny...the other day, I had an acquaintance tell me that parenthood changes you - no matter how many books you read or doctors you talk to, you can never prepare for it until you become one. And to a certain extent, he is right - you can not prepare yourself for every curve ball life throws your way. But....you can say that about any experience in your life! You can certainly level the playing field by being prepared for as many different types of "pitches" as possible. Parenting is all about common-sense, patience, caring, learning and understanding. If you have these characteristics, you are off to a good start. If you don't...well, what can anyone say?

We are so ready.....SAWYER HERE WE COME!!!!!!!!!!!!

We have Our TA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

We are now physically in possession of our TA. Words can not describe the feelings we are experiencing right now. We can not believe that this is finally happening. So, here is the game plan:

We leave on Friday from Seattle (6:30pm) and fly to Los Angeles (9pm). We then jump onto China Southern (12am) to fly to Guangzhou (10:30am China time) then onto Kunming. We arrive in Kunming on Sunday around 1pm local time. We will not meet Sawyer until Monday morning. We will finalize the adoption that day. We will stay in Kunming until Friday and then head back to Guangzhou. We hope to have our CA appointment on July 31st. We will head home on August 2nd and be back in Seattle by 1am August 3rd.

Its been a LONG (and sometimes frustrating and painful) ride and the best part is just beginning. We have longed for the day when we can forget about our needs and what may be best for us and concentrate on what is best for our son so that we can provide him with the most amazing and blessed life possible.

Sleep well bao bao, Mama and Baba are on their way........

OUR TA IS IN!!!!!!!!!

As I post this, Shelby is on her way to pick up our TA!! We leave on Friday to bring Sawyer Home!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

More to come Later.

Today Is Our Anniversary.....

Today, Shelby and I celebrate our Anniversary. I am so lucky to have Shelby in my life. She truly is my soul mate. I really don't know what I would do with out her. Everyday, I can not wait for her to come home so I can see her beautiful smile. She means everything to me. Happy Anniversary, Honey. I love you!!!

7 Things

So, I've been tagged. Being new to this Blog Tagging thing, I wasn't sure what to do. I turn to my friend who tagged me, Holly at http://journeyforsarahgrace.blogspot.com, and she told me what to do. Here we go:

7 things I'd like to do before I die (Only 7; how about a multiple of 7?):
-Bring Sawyer home.
-Ride horseback in Glacier National Park.
-Go white water rafting on the Arkansas River with my wife and my son.
-Visit Yellowstone before it blows up.
-Buy 20 acres of property in the wilderness, next to a river, and build our retirement home.
-Visit Europe.
-Visit the Outback of Australia.

7 things I cannot do:
-Imagine my life without my wife.
-Visit Antarctica.
-Ride a wild Orca in the Puget Sound .
-Jump out of a perfectly good airplane.
-Pet a Polar Bear.
-Become the next "Grizzly Man."
-Kiss a Great White Shark.

7 things I can do:
-Coping Holly hear: Anything I set my mind to.
-Be a responsible parent and husband.
-Become the official taste tester for my new company: Ice Cream by Scott.
-Build my family's dream home.
-Grill without burning the meat.
-Eat any food put in front of me (except Brazil nuts, a little allergic).
-Find my Happy Place (with my wife and children).

7 Things that attracted me to my wife:
-From the first time we met, I knew she was 'the one.'
-Her great love for dogs.
-Her desire to be an awesome mother.
-Her smile is mesmerizing.
-Her laugh is infectious .
-She likes to do the same things I like.
-She's from Boston.

7 things I say most often:
-When is our TA coming?
-Hey Honey?!! Can I get a new tool?
-I didn't do that.
-Do you want to go to Cold Stone?
-Oops!
-Didn't I do that a while ago?
-I Love You.

7 Books I love:
-Super Fudge by Judy Bloom
-Tale of a Fourth Grade Nothing by Judy Bloom
-Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck
-Red October by Tom Clancy
-Any History Book
-The Lost Daughters of China by Karen Evens
-The Lord of the Flies by William Golding

7 Movies I love:
- African Queen
-Blackhawk Down
-We Were Soliders
-The Sound of Music
-The Star Wars Movies
-Big Jake
-The Sons of Katie Elder

Shelby's Answers

7 things I'd like to do before I die (only 7?):
-Visit South Africa and Ethiopia
-Adopt a child from Ethiopia
-Live on a farm with tons of dogs, horses, alpacas and parrots and a huge garden
-Live in Scotland (or Europe)
-Pay for all my children's college tuition
-Meet His Holiness the 14th Dali Lama and meditate in a Buddhist monastery in Lhasa, Tibet
-Perfect my Dhanura-asana (bow pose) in my yoga practice

7 things I cannot do:
-Dhanura-asana (see above)
-Leave a dog on the side of a road
-Pee standing up (always drip on my shoes)
-Watch a speech by Dubya
-Vote Republican
-Stop thinking about my son
-Stop loving my husband/family

7 things I can do:
-Save more money
-Be more frugal
-Spoil my dogs rotten
-Breath deep when Scott does something stupid...
-Make a mean French onion soup
-Read more
-Love my family with all my heart and soul

7 Things that attracted me to my husband:
-Felt that I have known him all my life.
-His kindheartedness
-His optimism
-Bubble BUTT (YEAH BABY)
-His desire to be a great father
-How he treated my dog
-How he takes care of me and is always there for me no matter how bitchy I am

7 things I say most often:
-[Insert dog's name] NO!!!!!
-Scott NO!!!!!!
-Oh fer Heaven's Sake
-Are you dumb?
-Honey, before I tell you what I did, promise you will still love me....
-I am going to paint the baseboard this weekend
-I love you

7 Books I love:
-The Great Gatsby , F Scott Fitzgerald
-Anything by Jane Austin, Virginia Wolfe or Emily Dickenson
-The Art of Happiness, HH 14ht Dali Lama
-The Bell JAr, Slyvia Plath
-Civil Disobedience, Thoreau
-Leaves of Grass/The Song of Myself, Whitman
-Any cookbook ever written
-1984, Orwell

7 Movies I love:
-Gone With the Wind
-Casablanca
-Fahrenheit 911
-The secret of Nimh
-High Plains Drifter
-Urban Cowboy/Sat. Night Fever/Grease/Xanadu
-Any of the "Tammy" or "Beach Blanket Bingo" movies


7 people for me to tag? how about 2?
Since we are new at this, we really don't have anyone we can tag. But if they are up to it, I Tag:
Mrs D at http://wunschmachen.blogspot.com/
Kristen at http://kkfast.blogspot.com/

Just some thoughts......

We are going crazy in anticipation of our TA. It's really about to drive us nuts. Sometimes I wish we could just charter our own flight over to China to bring Sawyer home, but we can't. So this weekend, to finish getting prepared for Sawyer, we are going to do some touch ups and final preparation around the house. Therefore, here is what I am going to do:

First, I am going to jump up and down on Sawyer's bed to soften it up for him. I don't want him to sleep on a stiff new mattress. Plus, if I remember right, it's a lot of fun to jump up and down on a bed.

Then, I am going to take his tricycle and ride it around the neighborhood to break in the tires, the seat and the cool bell on the handle bars. RING, RING!!!

Then, I am going to dump all of his toys in the middle of his room and play with them for hours. I have to make sure they all work properly and the rug needs to be broken in a little more.

Next, I am going to make myself a banana split with lots of chocolate, put on one of Sawyer's bibs, gobble it all down, making sure I leave lots of chocolate on my face. This way, Shelby can practice wiping someone's face after they eat.

After that, I am going to run around in the neighborhood and find the biggest mud hole. I am going to dive into it head first and see how far I can slide. Then I am going to run home, ring the door bell and wait for Shelby's reaction. I will make sure I have a camera for that one.

This will all be followed by, me sitting right in front of the TV while watching Bob the Builder, Dora the Explorer, and the Wiggles, while eating more ice cream with a bib on. I have to make sure Sawyer is going to like these shows and the ice cream tastes good.

Finally, I am going to run around the house in my underwear (boxers, not Spiderman tighty-whiteys as many of you think I wear) while screaming the "I love you" song from Barney.

Shelby is either going to really love me for testing the limits, or she'll have me committed because she'll think I've gone nuts. I'll let you know what happens.

Prayer For A TA:

Dear Lord,

Hear my prayer. Please let us get our TA next week so we can bring Sawyer home. So, I can hug him and squeeze him and call him Sawyer. Lord, please give me the strength to be able to play with him and his toys and not break them. Please let me have extra ice cream so I can share it with my son. Please do not let Timber buck when we turn him into Sawyer's little Horsey. Please let Bee Bee be a protective third parent and guard Sawyer at night while he sleeps. Please let Cao shower him with kisses from his little wet noodle of a tongue. But most of all, please let us bring Sawyer home safely.

Amen

Happy Fourth of July!!!!


Ahh yes, the Fourth of July. The day we celebrate our Freedom from British rule. The day our young neighbors, well sometimes older neighbors, go out and buy hundreds of dollars of gunpowder, wrapped in paper, with a fuse stuck into it all to make a loud BANG. YIPPEE, do you know how much fun it is to watch your dog dive under your bed everytime she hears a BANG.

Now, don't get me wrong, next year I am going to give my son a show that would make the Tacoma Freedom Fair's show look like a ten year old put it on. But, I have to get permission from my wife first. She might let me light a "fountain" that only sparks and does make any noise; or those things you throw down on the ground and they pop. But who cares, next Fourth of July we will be with our son, watching fireworks, eating hot dogs and drinking soda (Honey, if you are reading this, I am kidding about the hot dogs and soda...she is anti-sugar and processed meat...but what she doesn't know won't hurt her....). I can not wait!

So in recognition of the Fourth, I have made my list of things NOT to do while lighting fireworks:

10. Do Not remove the stick from a bottle rocket, then set it on the ground. It might end up chasing you and you never know where the thing will blow up.

9. Make sure the bucket that you are putting the fireworks out in is full of water. You do want to keep your eye brows, don't you?

8. While lighting an Artillery Shell, do not stand over the tube waiting for it to go off. It will leave a nice dent in your forehead.

7. If your neighbor's fireworks have a louder boom than yours, do not try to add more gunpowder and retape the firework with duct tape. It just doesn't work. Leave the packing to the professionals.

6. If you are intoxicated, put down the lighter, place the fireworks in a dry place, and go to bed. Stupid things can happen while L.F.W.I. (Lighting Fireworks While Intoxicated).

5. Make sure you are outside when lighting your fireworks. You do not want to explain to your wife why you have a new skylight in you garage.

4. If you are afraid of lighting the wick, DO NOT use a can of Lysol to create a long distance flame. You might have another type of firework in your hand.

3. Do Not duct tape the big rockets to your rollerblades to see if you can set the new land speed record, it doesn't work and roadrash sucks!!

2. Don't try to light more than one artillery shell in the same tube at the same time. Your fireworks that you wanted to go up in the air will turn into ground fireworks. This would not be cool, especially if its you first date. Girls don't dig burn holes in their shorts (personal experience).

1. Don't get into a bottle rocket, roman candle, or artillery shell war with you neighbor across the street. Your wife will be pissed when she comes home and finds the front porch covered in ash. But, you could try to tell her that Mount St. Helens blew up again.

Have a wonderful and safe Fourth of July, but just in case, keep 911 on speed dial (personal experience).

How Much Fun Did We Have Today!!!!

Today was a great day. We met up with our friends that live down the street who have a beautiful and wonderful daughter from Kunming. Her parents, Mike and Nancy are great people. Every time we get together with them, my mouth hurts and my belly hurts because I am lughing so hard, the entire time. We all hopped in our truck and went to Mt. Rainier National Park.



It was a clear and hot day on the mountain. We first stopped at Longmire and had a picnic. The camp robbers would not leave us alone. In 1888 and 1889, James Longmire and family developed the this site as Medical Springs and Hotel. People believed that the natural spring water, that was bubbling up from the ground, had some natural healing powers . After we ate, we went on a little hike around the Trail of the Shadows. Where there were two natural springs where Longmire would access the "Medical Water."

A large open meadow where I wish I could build my dream home:

There was this cool little cabin, were a worker would stay while the hotel was open:

How cold would that of been in the winter? Can you say, Burr?

Though it was a short hike, there were a lot of cool plant formations and scenery. Our friends little girl would run down the path from sign to sign and yell, "I found another sign." These signs were all over the place and I think I ended up reading them all. Thanks Melanie.

After our little hike, we all hopped back into the truck and went up to the Paradise observatory. We walked around and took in the scenery. Mike and his daughter Melanie, could not resist going into the snow:



After spending about an hour up at the observatory, we finally decided to head home. But, we had to stop and get one more picture of the group(minus me, I was taking the picture):



What a fun day.

Updated Pictures of Sawyer.....



Isn't he so cute, I just want to grab him out of the picture and take him home right now!!! Why are we having to wait so long to bring this adorable child home.

Here is his update information:

His development is the same level as other kids of his age. He is very outgoing and active. He likes to play with his big brother. He can call "Mo Mo". He knows his foster family and doesn't like strangers. He can walk alone. Sometimes he will fall, but he can stand up again by himself. He likes to pick up, follows and leaves. He likes to watch ants and pick them up to play. He likes toys, especially balls. He likes puppy. He can find stuff from drawers. He also can turn on TV and adjust the volume. He can copy the action from TV. He doesn't react that well of normal voice. But he can hear when you talk to him loudly. He likes to put his right hand fingers into his month.

He still needs help when he put on clothes. He doesn't know to use a spoon to feed himself. He can hold fruit or snacks to eat. He is not picky at all. Likes to eat vegetable, meat, fruit. He has 3 meals a day. Breakfast is noodle, case, congee and roll. Lunch and dinner is rice with vegetable, meat or egg. He will show he needs to go to restroom. He sleeps and eats very well.

We can not wait to bring him home....Please, I pray that we can make this wait go by faster.

Oh The Stress.....


So, Sawyer is going to be home in the next month or so. We know we have 99.9% of everything we need to do before he comes home done, but it feels like we are 99.9% away from getting anything done (if that make sense). We have been running around like chickens with their heads cut off buying him cloths, putting together toys that we got from the baby shower at Shelby's work, and watching the boards for TA news. This is the hardest of all.

We have been seeing couples with LOI dates after ours get their TAs already. We are being reassured that our Dossier has special circumstances to it and that we will be getting our TA shortly. WHY CAN THEY JUST SEND IT TO US NOW???!!! SAWYER WANTS TO COME HOME!!!!

Ahhh, I feel better that I let that out. So, what I am going to do now is think of things I need to do before Sawyer gets home:

I am going to run through the neighborhood and scream from the top of my lungs while wearing a tu tu and a pink leotard.

I will be changing all of the phones in the house from the touch tone to the rotary dial phones.

I am going to unplug the Computer, remove the cord and throw it up into the attic so that it gets buried in the insulation. That way we can not look at the boards and get stressed out about our TA (or read the APC).

While running around the neighborhood screaming in a tu tu and a pink leotard, I am going to dress the dogs up in Sawyers cloths (as stated in an earlier post) and tell everyone "they are my kids, got a sucker?"

Or any other crazy things I can think of. I just need to get the stress out of my system.

Suggested Reading Before You Go To China!!!

When Shelby and I started this process just over a year ago, the first thing we did was to join one of the online groups. Ya know the one……”the list that shall not be named”. Yes I am talking about APC. Over the past few months, it has gotten to be very painful to read this board. Don’t get me wrong - at the beginning it was very informative. We found many suggestions about books to read before we went to China. These books were/are all geared to preparing yourself for the adoption: Chinese culture, adoption/attachment issues, infant/toddler grief etc. Ya see in China, things are a little different than they are in the United States. Adoptive parents need to remember that they are going to a different country (with a different culture, different attitudes, different ways of thinking) and the things that are socially acceptable here might not be socially acceptable there. So please become knowledgeable about adoption in China and Chinese Culture, and Provincial Culture for that matter, before you go over to China. It can only help you and your child in the long run. And of course, it helps to alleviate that “American Tourist” stereotype!

Besides reading books, adoptive parents should talk to people who have adopted from China. They are a great resource of information. There is a great couple in our neighborhood who adopted a beautiful girl from China. She is even from Kunming - the same province as Sawyer. They have been wonderful. These parents (and even their daughter) have told us about Kunming and the Yunnan province: about the people, cool places to eat, cool shops to go to, and about places to see while we are in Kunming. The most important thing they told us was about the people and what to expect from them, what type of food they have and where the cool sights can be seen. One thing that they kept reiterating is that you need to dress your child in long sleeves and long pants all the time, regardless of the weather. Ya see, the Chinese believed that if you show too much skin on the child, the child will become cold and could get sick. If you walk around and your child’s skin showing, the older generation will come up to your child and try to pull the sleeves and pant legs down to cover the exposed area. They do this, not out of disrespect, but only because they are TRULY CONCERNED ABOUT THE WELFARE OF YOUR CHILD!!!! The Chinese truly parent via the infamous “village” method (i.e. Hillary Clinton…not the Village People, although we do plan on raising Sawyer to love their greatest hits…its fun to stay at the YMCA). The Chinese love their children, and their behavior is culturally acceptable. DEAL WITH IT, RESPECT IT and do things differently when you are back in the States.

Anyways, on to books! The first book I suggest reading is 'The Lost Daughters of China' by Karin Evans. It doesn't matter if you are adopting a boy or girl. This book was a wealth of knowledge. It also told us about how to dress the child while in China. But, the main theme of the book is what to expect when you adopt a child from China. It introduced us to the whole process of the wait, the referral, the orphanage customs, the gift to guides and facilitators, the gift to provincial personnel, the gift to consulate personnel, and what to expect from the people in China. This book is a must read for anyone who is adopting from China.

I also recommend that you find a travel guidebook for the province where you will be traveling. Not only will this book give you ideas about places to see, eat, or stay, it will also give you background on the area you are visiting. For instance, since Sawyer is in the Kunming SWI, we bought a book called 'China: Yunnan Providence, The Bradt Travel Guide' by Stephen Mansfield. In this book, it gives you the history, customs, religion, and the story of the many different minorities in the Yunnan. It also talks about where to eat, stay and what to visit while in Kunming. We also bought a book for quick reference on Mandarin phrases. A funny thing I saw in this book didn't even pertain to trying to communicate. It said that people in China are more lax in public. The passing of gas is normal in everyday life. I find this very funny, and it is a tradition that I will bring back with me and teach Sawyer (sorry honey, but it is like taxes, death and watching football – inevitable).

Since we are adopting a toddler, and this is the first child for both if us, Shelby found a book called 'Toddler Adoption: The Weaver's Craft' by Mary Hopkins-Best. This has been suggested reading by many people who have adopted toddlers. One blog I have read, and also suggested this book, said that they have both biological and adopted children. This book and these people have said that nothing is the same when it comes to attaching to an adoptive toddler. When he/she throws a tantrum, you DO NOT ignore them; you hold them close and tell them that it is okay. They need to understand that you are going to be there for them and you are not going to leave them. It says to remember that a majority of these children just came from a stable environment (where some may have had foster parents that they thought of as their mama and baba) and now they are in a completely new place with new people (who do not look like them, act like them, talk like them or even smell like them) and who are now automatically assuming the role of mother and father. It will take time for the child to adjust, but the worst thing you can do is ignore the child when they are having a meltdown. PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE, hold them close and let them know that you will be there for them. They are having the tantrum because they are confused, possibly grieving and most likely just plain old frustrated! They do not need boundaries put up at this time – they need to know that you will be there for them no matter how hard they cry, no matter if they hit or slap or bite, and basically NO MATTER WHAT!!!

We believe that one of the most important things we can do for Sawyer is to have an understanding, appreciation and respect for his culture and his homeland. We may not always agree with China’s way, but we will always be respectful of and thankful to China for giving us the greatest gift imaginable. Please do not go to China with the attitude “I will do as I want” and disregard Chinese social norms that do not match your own. Please be open-minded and respectful!

And for god sakes, DO NOT USE A HARNESS TO CONTROL YOUR CHILD (Hip Huggies, Backpacks and even carrying them in your arms are better alternatives). Finally, EAT THE DARN FOOD: diversity won’t kill ya, and neither will a bit of “traveler’s tummy”. Lord knows we are not traveling to China so we can eat KFC and Pizza Hut.

Bottom-line – we are so excited for our TA to come and have much more reading to do. If you have other suggestions or comments for me, please don't hesitate to post them – we are open-minded after all.

We're So Excited.........

We just heard today from Small World that our paperwork is through the review room and into the matching room. Which means that we might be receiving our travel assignment in a couple of weeks. WAY TOO COOL!!!!!

Shelby spent forty-five minutes on the phone with the Director of the agency, Kathy, telling her how excited we are about finally seeing the end of our long journey to bring Sawyer home. It was a year ago this week that we decided to adopt a child from China. We were driving around Mount Rainier trying to decide how to get over yet another miscarriage. We happened to stop at the Paradise visitor's center and as we were getting out of the truck, a father, mother and obviously adopted Asian child walked by. What more of a sign could we have asked for? From that moment, we have never looked back.

We can not wait to bring Sawyer home. I am going to have my little Football Buddy. I can't wait for him to play with his new toys and sleep in his new bed (mainly ours for the first few months). Shelby can't wait to read him books and take him on hikes and walks with the dogs. We both can't wait to take him around and show him places and things about his new home.

The really cool thing is, we have been taking Mandarin classes from an older gentleman (Lin Yaguang) and his wife (YunXia) in Seattle. They are both from Mainland China (Chonquing). She has agreed to watch Sawyer one or two days a week to help him maintain his Mandarin and expose him to more of his culture. They are an awesome couple. When he teaches, he makes sure we are pronouncing the word or phrase correctly before we move to the next subject. He will also be giving us phrases to put on flash cards to take with us to China. So, we will be able to communicate when we do not have a guide.

We know that at this moment, we are on the verge of a life-altering change. It is an amazing feeling - the anticipation sweet, the longing sharp and the joy indescribable. It is moments like these when you know deep in your soul that life is not random and without reason.

Our life is just beginning.....

Waiting

What do you do while you are waiting for your TA (travel authorization) or your referral for your child from China. There are many things that you can do. You can start a blog so that people can read about your waiting for your TA or your referral. You can paint every room in your house in preparation of the new bundle of joy that will soon be home, but you're still waiting. You can go shopping for all the cool toys that you didn't have when you were a kid so that when your little bundle of joy comes home, he can immediately destroy the newly painted house that you prepared for him, but you are still waiting. Are you getting the theme of this post. WE ARE STILL WAITING AND IT'S DRIVING ME NUTS!!!!!!!

Anyway, to distract myself from the waiting, I have come up with the ten stupidest things people can do while they are waiting for their child to come home from China.

10. Test out the little potty training toilet you bought for your little one. (You might have to dump it a couple of times).

9. Have a tricycle race around the block, with other waiting parents, while wearing the Halloween outfits you bought for the child.

8. Take the Lincoln Log set and build a scale replica of an old English Castle in your front yard. When the Home Owners Association comes and demands you take it down, you threaten to dump hot tar on them.

7. Take your little one's stuffed animals to work with you, dress them up in a suit and tie, put them on your desk and when your boss asks you a question, tell him you are going to have talk to your associates.

6. Call the other waiting dads and arrange "The First Annual Adoptive Dads Radio Flyer Down Hill Derby." Wagon to be returned to the child's room once the race is completed. (Dents give the wagon character).

5. Break in the child's bib at the next office meeting.

4. Break in the binkie at the same time.

3. After a long night with your family, put on a pair of your baby's diapers and tell your parents you are testing the capacity of the pampers. Only the best for your child.

2. Dress your dog up in the kid's cloths before your wife gets home. She'll Freak out.

The number one stupidest thing you can do while waiting for child:

Read the APC Board!!!!

Terror Threat Levels

With the killing of Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, the United States has issued a terror threat warning to Americans traveling to China. According to Reuters News: "The United States warned on Friday of a possible terrorist threat against its interests in China, especially in the three major cities of Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou."

While I believe that we should be aware of our surroundings while we travel through China, I will not allow my family to succumb to this fear mongering. Our United States Government has come up with the "Terror Threat Level" chart to help us understand the severity of any threat to the United States.

Lets talk about the terror threat levels. I think it would be best if we look at the chart that was provided to us by our children's favorite show, next to Sponge Bob Square Pants, Dora the Adventurer or even Bob the Builder. That's right, the Sesame Street version of the terror threat levels.



We all know that the day is coming when the streets of America will be flooded with furry puppets making us do their bidding. After years of pulling their strings, and I know about pulling strings (our purse strings), they've had enough. It's time for them to start pulling our strings.

So our Government, in their infamous wisdom, came up with the threat levels, so let me explain them:

The Green or Oscar Level: This level is when there is Utopia on the the planet. There is no threat to any one and people tend to stay out of everyone else's business. Life is good at this level, every child has their forever family and Gotcha Days are happening all the time. There is peace on Earth, the grass is always green. The Sky is always Blue. There is always food in the refrigerator. It's our happy place....It's a great place....to fantasize about!! Don't you people know that this will NEVER happen. Utopia is a fictional place! People... don't get attached to it!!

The Blue or Cookie Monster Level: This is a slightly elevated level over the Green (Oscar Level). In this level, everyone is getting along fairly nicely. Our cute little children are playing together in the park and there are no worries of us running out of Cookies. MMMMMMMMM.....COOKIES (in Homer Simpson Voice). I like cookies, especially when he crumbs fall on my shirt. It's like having a snack waiting for you later. Cookies are good when you dip them in Ice Cold Milk. It make it easier for them to go down and then you can eat more. Ooops, once again I went of subject. But I find it easy to talk about myself and my family and the cookies we eat...MMM, COOKIES.

Sorry about that. We are going to combine the Yellow and Orange categories. We all know that Bert and Ernie can never be separated. Where you find one you will always find another. Just like me and food. Where there is food, there is me. Just like where there is a Banana, there's a Banana split. Or where there is Ice Cream, there is a Root Beer Float. Or where there is a cow, there is steaks. Or where there is chicken, there are chicken wings. I love chicken wings. Bert and Ernie are like Chicken Wings to Ranch dipping dressing. You dip that hot deep fried wing into that cold rich dressing and its like you've gone to heaven. Anyway, back on subject. It seems I can not stay on subject or get to the point of this blog, so let me try...

RED or ELMO LEVEL: This is the most dangerous level. This level is where the whole world is taken over by little furry red creature that talks like Yoda on Helium. We are talking Armagedon here. Brim stone, fire, Howie Mandel as President. Picture it, Howie having peace talks with Iran: Deal Or No Deal. UGH OOH, Elmo fall down. After eating the banana split, the Root Beer Float, the steak, the chicken wings with the ranch dipping sauce, and the cookies, if I fell down, I would be able to get back up. I would teeter totter there on the floor until the fork lift came and picked me up and put me back on my feet. That would definitely be a red day in my book.

Please people, be vigilant, but don't let the world scare you.

Happy Threat Level Watching.

Sawyer's Room















Well, Sawyer's room is 95% finished. We just need to get more toys and a little touch up, here and there. I think we have a good start on the clothes for the boy, but every time we go to a mall, we find ourselves in the children's store. The boy is going to have more clothes than both of us put together.

Hurry home Sawyer!!!