Some photos from home...

 

Yesterday was a day in which I thought I might lose my mind.  Sweet Grace was up all night Monday night with the stomach flu and Emmy had a rough night as well (8 wake-ups but who's counting?).  Tuesday was a tough day for homeschooling as Emmy was crabby and testing and the boys both had difficult work to do.  We managed, though.  Gigi is super sweet to come down and visit and help everyday.  Emmy gets excited when she comes and announces her arrival but she's still not sure she wants to play with Gigi without Mama nearby.  Last night we were going to try to leave her at home with Steve, Grace and Noah while I went to pick up Eli but she was terrified and we decided it was too soon.  She went with me and chatted all the way about "go Mama, Lu Xin, Eli" and smiled and giggled.  I think she felt heard.  

Today was much better!  No more stomach flu for Gracie, Emmy slept mostly through the night and woke up happy and smiling.  It seems to be working to have me sleep in her bed while she sleeps in the pack-and play right next to the bed.  She seems to feel safer.  She wakes up and checks for me and goes back to sleep.  I feel much more human today!  Emmy discovered Eli's plasma car and has been driving her car around the house.  She likes to sit in a laundry basket and read to herself or color and can do that for a couple of minutes…making progress!  She took a good nap today with the boys and I doing homeschool right outside her door where she could see us.  Today she seems more settled and like she feels more at home.  

Thanks again for your prayers, emails and notes and for joining us in our journey!

Love, 

Mandy

Progress...

Emmy update…

• Emmy has now become Ella's biggest fan.  If the dogs aren't in the house, she asks me multiple times an hour to go see Ella.  When we drive in and out of the driveway, she greets them (mostly Ella) and says goodbye to them.  She still a bit startled by them when they look at her but she "pat-pats" them a lot and likes having them around.  Today she drew pictures of Ella and Hero…and Emmy with her signature pigtails.
• Emmy has started to default to some English words.  It's bitter-sweet because I don't want her to lose her language but at the same time she so desperately wants to be able to communicate with all of us.  She refers to herself most of the time as "Lu Xin" but about a third of the time as "Emmy Lu Xin."  Especially when cheering for herself…"Yay!  Emmy Lu Xin!" 
• Emmy has taken to wearing scarfs.  She likes them in combination with a nice pair of my boots, her "glasses," and lots of bead jewelry.  Unfortunately her panda necklace from Grace gave her a rash but she has replaced it with lots of other options.  
• Emmy likes to do things herself…strapping herself in her carseat, going to the bathroom, putting away the dishes…you name it, she can do it!  And what's weird is…she can!  I'm not sure I'd hand most three year olds our breakable dishes but Emmy is very capable.  She sets the table every night for dinner, grabs everyone's hands and prays, "Thank you, Jesus!  A-men!"  
• Emmy gets who her family is.  She gets who belongs here all of the time and who just comes to visit.  She walks the visitors to the door and says, "Bye bye!" and gives them kisses.  Today Gigi came to play and it bothered Emmy that Gigi was leaving out the back door and messing up her usual "bye bye" plan.  
• Emmy will not watch anything on a screen unless it's a video of herself or her siblings.  We knew that from China because when she was sick we tried Chinese cartoons and she had no interest.  Today I put Sesame Street on thinking we could watch it together (and I could sit for a minute, honestly!) and she was having none of it.  The only part she paid any attention to was when one of the characters said, "Abby" for Abby Cadabby and she looked up to see if it was her cousin.  I know, I know...it's a good problem to have.  
• Emmy can now play "hide-and-seek" but she wants you to feel successful so she hides by laying on the tile and then calls out to you so you know where she is.  But she really likes playing it. 
• Night time and nap time seems less frightening and sad to Emmy most of the time, now.  Sometimes, though, she will cry silent tears in her bed.  Those times break my heart. 
• Emmy is brave, kind, beautiful, funny, fun, sweet, silly, busy, energetic, loving and precious.  How I love her!

Mandy

Life as a family of six...

We all continue to transition.  Transitions are easier for some of us than they are for others although I would say that we are all a bit stressed with the transition.  Eli's figuring out how to be a big brother and how not to be the youngest anymore.  Noah's figuring out how to homeschool with a fun, busy little sister around.  Grace is figuring out how to do her normal life when she'd rather hang out with her sister all the time.  I'm remembering how to parent a three year old and what normal three year old behavior is and I'm learning more and more "Emmy Chinese" everyday and how to juggle homeschooling and Emmy without neglecting either.  Tricky!  Steve is bonding with our girl and juggling work and being a daddy to a little one again…he missed a lot of the 3 year old years with the big three because he traveled a lot for work then.  It's nice to have him home! :)
And Miss Emmy?…Emmy is still not in love with the dogs.  But now she will check their whereabouts and sprint to her destination as quickly as her little legs can carry her before they can move.  Her independence is more valuable to her than her (perceived) safety, I guess.  She's funny, funny, funny!  She will say, "Mama, bye-bye." and point at me and head off for the upstairs on her own.  Today she put on chapstick in the car and said, "Mama, Ni ka! (You look! -- like Look at me!)  So pretty!" and made a smoochy face and looked into the mirror.  Every morning I am greeted with a demand for pigtails and each evening before bath she must remove them before she gets in the tub.  She can clearly say "more," "up, please," "bye-bye," "thank you," "Hi, Ella," "I go, please," and probably other things I'm not thinking of.  She frequently does a list of people she knows…Baba, Mama, Jie Jie, Ge Ge, Eli, Nai Nai, Ye Ye, Gigi, Tay-tay, etc.  As I mentioned, homeschooling is tricky!  Emmy has a difficult time attending to any particular task or toy for more than a couple of minutes.  She spends a lot of homeschooling time attempting to figure out (by trial and error) what is hers and what is everyone else's.  Mostly, she would like the computers to be hers…and the pens.  Because washable markers are lame.  But each day is better than the last and, somehow, we are still completing our work.  It is important to Emmy that we're all "together."  She's still a bit fearful of me leaving her.  The car is especially scary and she feels better if I'm in my seat while she gets in hers…then she knows I'm going too.  The big kids are getting very good at strapping her in!  If I go outside, even to let the dogs out, she has to come with me.  But tonight Steve gave her a bath and I wasn't even in the bathroom and she did fine.  And she let him pick her up and gallop around the kitchen with her.  And Gigi came over to play today and, while Emmy tried to boss Gigi around about where to go and when, she eventually adjusted to Gigi being there and playing with her.  Nai Nai and Ye Ye came over tonight and both got to hold her (even though it was in a very fast game of "pass the Emmy" which she created and directed).  So I think things are moving in a good direction and am encouraged…and tired.  Sleep is still somewhat elusive though it is much better.  Only up twice last night!
Thanks for your continued prayers!

Noticings and Home Happenings...

Here are some things I've noticed since we've been home...

• Noah is amazingly persistent and patient.  While Emmy immediately took to Grace, looks for her constantly and allows Grace to carry her all over the place (and even asks her to), Noah and Eli are still working on connecting with Emmy.  Noah had a picture in his mind of what it would look like to have a little sister.  He imagined himself carrying her where she needed to go, playing with her, laughing with her, etc.  And many of those things are happening.  Noah is funny and Emmy often notices it.  Sometimes Emmy will play a bit with Noah.  But when Noah tries to pick her up or hold her hand, she often pushes him away.  He's trying so hard.  We're so proud of him.  He patiently waits for an opportunity to serve her and meet her needs (get her juice, bring her a toy, help with her shoes, etc) and dutifully does so.  It's emotional to watch as a parent of both of them.  I feel defensive for Noah and wish I could tell Emmy how great he is and make her bond with him right now.  And I tell Noah that I know they will be best buddies in time...of course they will!...and that he's doing all of the right things and he'll have to be patient.  And I feel sad for Emmy that she's nervous around boys and men in particular and wish that I could heal her little heart.  But I know that time and God will do that and I, too, must be patient and keep doing the right things.
• Eli also had a picture in his mind of what it might look like to be a big brother.  He can't articulate what that image was but he knows that the reality is different than his dream.  He's also really trying but in his own way.  This changing your family stuff is good stuff but sometimes hard stuff too.  Everyone has to figure out their new role. 
• We've always known that Grace is phenomenal with little kids.  She is truly gifted.  And Emmy is no exception to the rule that little guys are charmed by Grace.  She really loves her new sister and spending time with her.  Grace's challenge (and she's handling it nobly) is helping Emmy also see that her brothers are helpful and fun, too.  She has Emmy hold one of her brother's hands, too, when they walk.  She allows Emmy to sit between the boys at meals even though she really wants to sit there.  They are great kids, the big three.  We're so grateful!
• Sleep is really helpful when parenting a three year old who is grieving and busy.  I would like to have some of that.
• Emmy is super outgoing and also seems to love an audience.  At church today, the kids were practicing to lead in worship next week.  Emmy went right up there with them and was singing and dancing and smiling and charming everyone.  
• Emmy likes high heels.  And making noises.  Preferably together.  (Good thing the Cinderella high heels live at Grammy and Papa Joe's house!)
• Emmy likes helping.  She sets the table and clears it.  She sweeps.  She picks up toys and books.  She's awesome like that. 
• Although she is still very afraid of the dogs, she is significantly less so.  She even tells Ella to sit and lay down, claps for her and gives her a treat.  She has patted both of them as well.  She still does not like it when they do anything unexpected like walk around or look at her but we're making progress.
• I really, really, really like my family.  I love them, too, but I really, really, really like them.  Each one of them.  A lot.

Mandy

Home!

Sorry I didn't post after the marathon flight. I think it actually went as well as it possibly could have. I had this super genius plan to help her avoid getting overly worked up by pushing her in her stroller around the airport until it was time for our flight to leave. She, of course, did not go to sleep in the stroller but walking in circles for two hours made me tired!  Our flight left at 9:45...way past any princess' bedtime...so Emmy was pretty tired when we got on the flight. But I think her nervousness and excitement won out because she didn't fall asleep until after 11:00. She really was a trooper, though. Sure, we had some three year old tantrums over the picture going off the iPad while it was playing. Sure, we went to the bathroom more times than anyone else on the plane. But I think any three year old would have struggled with that long of a flight.
We were thrilled to land in Los Angeles!  When we went through immigrations, Emmy became a U.S. citizen. I cried. It's my job.
When we arrived at the hotel last night it was nap time in China and night time in LA.  Emmy's body decided China won and we spent most of the night doing puzzles, coloring and eating and spitting out food. She finally fell asleep again around 3:30 am and we had to wake her at 5:30 to go back to the airport. We thought for sure she'd fall asleep on the plane to Denver but, nope, wide awake and joking!  Then she used her considerable charms on all of the awesome people who met us at the airport.  Even tired that girl is pretty awesome.  Her siblings adore her and she is particularly a big fan of Grace so I was able to do a few things by myself today!  We went to chickfila for lunch and she played and held hands with her twin cousin, Abby.  So much cuteness I can hardly stand it.
My favorite part of the day (and it was an awesome day!) was when we all had dinner at our own table together as a family. We've prayed and dreamed of this day for a long time. When we were talking about where we saw God at work in the last week, Noah just pointed at Emmy.  That about sums it up.  Emmy, by the way, responded with calling Steve "Yeye" again and getting her big siblings to, too.  Love.
I'll try to get photos from folks of today...too busy living it to take a picture. :)

Update #11

So a little glimpse into the humor of Emmy. Tonight as she was doing her 45 minutes of talking and singing before she goes to sleep, she got a little gleam in her eye and said, "Ni shi Mama.  Wo shi Lu Xin.  Ta shi Yeye." (Meaning "you are mama.  I am Lu Xin.  He is grandpa.")  And then she giggled uncontrollably as Steve told her she was a banana.  

Today we saw a totally new Emmy. She smiled and laughed a lot more.  She did not attempt to give herself to anyone. She was fun and funny and delightful. I think she's finally feeling mostly better, which helps.  We went to the safari park today. While Emmy does not overly like animals, it was such a nice day and it was fun to be outside. For Steve and I, who do like animals, it was a really cool experience. The animals are right there.  We saw a baby orangutan who was within three feet of us. He wasn't caged and was just playing on ropes over our heads and eating bread a trainer threw to him. He was all sorts of cuteness. Emmy wasn't enamored with him but she wasn't afraid either. She was afraid, however, of the giant panda suit man who insisted on touching her even though she was clearly saying, "Bu yao!"   But, Grace, we saw lots of pandas and there were even baby panda triplets there (but we didn't see them).  

We got back from the park in time for a late (and long!) nap for Emmy. Her passport and visa arrived so we are set for tomorrow.  After her nap we walked in the park (lovely, full of people, graffiti free, safe, wonderful!), got Emmy a milk (I understood when she asked for it!) and came back for some curry from room service.

 We're talking about heading to Shamian Island (where the White Swan is) tomorrow morning to play and shop a little.  Then we'll have little miss take a late nap, check out at 5:00 and head to the airport around 5:30 for our 9:45 flight. Woo hoo!  I can't say I'm looking forward to 15 hours in the plane but it's totally worth it to get home!

Thanks for your continued prayers and thoughtful emails. I can't tell you how much it means to us to have your support!

Love,

Mandy and Yeye (hee hee)

Little Miss Hollywood

Not so sure about the safari train

What a difference a day makes!

Update #10

Today was our long-awaited consulate appointment.  Emmy took her last dose of antibiotics and we were off with Grace, the other Hand in Hand guide (who is also awesome).  Emmy's tuberculosis test came back negative so we are good to go on that, too.  Yay!  The consulate appointment went very quickly.  There were only four families there at the time. We all did the oath and then fingerprinting.  Tomorrow we will receive Emmy's passport and visa and we will have everything we need to go home Tuesday. 

After the consulate, we went to the jade market and bought each of the girls a jade pendant. Then we got some lunch and came back with a very tired, very crabby Emmy who was more than ready for a nap. 

This afternoon the sun came out again (!) and we were able to take a walk.  It was nice to be outside.  I love watching all of the kids heading home from school.  The little ones walk with their grandparents eating a snack and talking animatedly.  The middle schoolers walk with their friends, joking around and eating food they bought at the 7-11 or from a street vendor.  We bought hotdogs in rolls from a bakery (a kind lady talked with Emmy which threw her into a bit of a frenzy) and took them back to the hotel. Then we watched some soccer together and ate hot dogs and felt bummed for Noah that Ronaldo beat Messi for the Ballon D'Or.  Emmy seems much more interested in playing with Steve now!  Yay!  She was more teary today but also seemed more connected, too. And now there is one little princess who now answers most of the time to the name "Emmy" and says "please," and "more, please" and "no, no, no" who is sleeping in the pack-and-play next to me.  I think I will sleep too.  Have a great Tuesday, friends.  It was a good one here.

Pictures!!!

Update #9

First, sorry about the lack of posts.  I guess my emails weren't going through to Linds (who is posting for us). Hopefully this works. Emmy struggled to sleep last night...difficult to breathe I think...so we greeted the day at 5:00 am again.  Her cough had worsened so there was more vomiting...this time as we were walking through the very full and very fancy restaurant to our table.  I had to ask the hostess to wait a minutes while I pulled napkins off the empty table near us and cleaned it up.  Emmy just rolls with it, though.  She's all about yogurt for breakfast. We know about 10 complete three year old sentences in Chinese and "I want more yogurt!" is definitely one that we can understand.  

We were supposed to go to the safari park today but because of Emmy's cold and the significant rain we are staying in. Things were going pretty well...we colored, took the paper off the crayons from Caden, watched a little Frozen and played a bit. Cordelia, the gal from Hand in Hand, called to check on Emmy and came by.  We've discovered that being around some Chinese women can be confusing to Emmy.  She gets very agitated when they are around, gets snappy and fit throwy with me and angry acting. I think she's still not sure about this attachment and wonders if someone might take her home to see her nannies.  Please pray for a solid attachment with us. Anyway, Steve went with Cordelia to get an expectorant for Emmy from the pharmacy.  Emmy and I stayed in and she continued to be agitated and unsettled until Steve returned. So there!  She is attaching to Steve.  Speaking of Steve, can I just say how grateful I am to have him as a partner in this?  He keeps a sense of humor (for example: Emmy uses the term "jigga-jigga" indiscriminately for anything she wants or doesn't want...we aren't sure it's a real word but Steve has added it into his own vocabulary and it's hilarious!), she consistently is loving toward her and patient, even when she is not so loving toward him and he is supportive and helpful to me, too. He rocks!  

Emmy's napping now...here's hoping the expectorant does the trick. We are worried about her little premie lungs. 

Love you all!

Mandy 

Update #8

Last night it was difficult for Emmy to fall asleep.  She was grumpy and restless and I'm sure not feeling great. This morning she woke up full of it and ready to party.  Steve and I, on the other hand, have caught her cold and were tired and praying for the energy we needed to be the parents we wanted to be today. 

We went to breakfast and were seated at a table next to another American family adopting a six year old boy.  What a gift that was to hear their story and meet their precious little guy!  It was energizing to be around people having a similar experience. And it was interesting to watch Emmy watch the other American families. You could almost see her processing those western faces in families with the Chinese faces. Talking with the family and hearing their story made me tear up and I spent much of the morning crying at various things like the kind boy at the park who gave Emmy a little fish toy, the groups of people doing tai chi and playing basketball and table tennis and hacky-sack, the huge amphitheater of people doing aerobics together that Emmy and I joined, the small groups playing music with interesting instruments, the beauty of the park and how being human on a Sunday looks the same wherever you are...spending time with people you love doing things you like to do.  I wish you all could have been there.  We miss you.  

We then discovered a new tiny restaurant and ate some delicious noodles and rice and mutton. Then we were back to the hotel for a nap, a snack, playing with the new toys from the park, some swinging and playing with a new friend (playing is a stretch...mostly Emmy told him the swings and slide were hers...stinker!).  Dinner was chicken curry (yum!) from room service.  We stayed in because Emmy's cough is getting worse and is causing her to vomit a lot.  We are supposed to go to the safari park tomorrow but I think we won't because she's just not feeling well (and, as you know, animals aren't her favorite anyway). We can stay here and maybe walk to the park and keep working on using "please" and "thank you" and play with instruments and snuggle.  Counting down the days until we're home...5!

Update #7

Last night Emmy slept much better...though we didn't get in until 11:00 so we went to bed late.  Her cough has still been pretty nasty, especially when she gets excited or is really active (and being three that is pretty much all of the time). Today we had Emmy's medical appointment for the consulate. Our guide was Cordelia who was very good -- kind but no-nonsense and professional -- perfect for her job. (An aside, I've been thinking about how tricky Anna and Cordelia's jobs are and how well suited they are for them. The in province guide has to be a counselor/translator/tour guide for both parents and child without creating an attachment with the child that will be confusing.  She has to encourage and guide parents who are equal parts thrilled and terrified. And she has to know and understand the Chinese aspect of the adoption. The Guangzhou guide has a similar role but also must understand the US aspect of adoption.  Today Lu Xin told Cordelia that Cordelia was "Mama." Before her, Anna was "Mama" and "Jie Jie."  And a lot of the time, I am "Jie Jie."  It's nice to be on the side of having adopted before and knowing that Lu Xin will be fine...great even...and that we will all be fine. But if Anna and Cordelia weren't so great at their jobs, it would be more confusing and painful for the children and the families. But Anna and Cordelia just reminded her who the mama and baba are and moved on. Because the reality is that Emmy will not understand what it means to be in a family for a while.)

So...medical appointment...Cordelia took us to the appointment.  She explained to Emmy what would happen at the appointment and Emmy was fine until the baby before her cried through her ear and eye check. But once the doctor did my ears and eyes, she was okay with hers. The next part was a body check and then the dreaded TB blood test.  They will not allow parents in for that one. Apparently, it was difficult to find Emmy's veins so it took awhile and was scary for her.  But she was brave (as she is) and earned two lollipops. The doctor there prescribed some antibiotics for her cold.  Hopefully she will feel better tomorrow. After lunch, she took a two hour nap and then we mostly stayed in the room. During that time I had the brilliant idea of blowing up a balloon to play with.  Um...yeah.  Emmy?  Terrified of balloons. The offending balloon is hidden safely in the closet now so Emmy can once again wander freely around the room without fear of it jumping out at her.  We also drew with crayons (Steve and I) and a pen (Emmy) and made necklaces out of beads (Steve and I) and took them apart (Emmy again).  We are working toward bonding with Baba so he did bath time tonight with me safely in sight. He's way more fun than I am. I would totally bond with him!  Then we went adventuring in the hotel and found a playground on the 4th floor. Emmy did the slide a couple of times but her cough came back with a vengeance so we came back to the room for dinner. Maybe more slide tomorrow if she's doing better.
I remember last time we came to China we were ready to be home and do life together in a more...regular (non-hotel, kitchen-to-cook-in, whole family together) way by the second day in Guangzhou. We are definitely in that space. Many of you have mentioned experiencing something similar. We are trying hard to live in this moment and in each as they come...even while we are on hour two of waiting for a darling little voice to stop taking and go to sleep!

Update #6

Last night was a rough one for our little one.  She woke up once every half an hour crying for "Mama"...I'd put my hand on her head or hold her hand and say, "I'm here." Then she'd fall back asleep for another 30 minutes.  She woke up having had her first accident (with us) and a pretty good bloody nose to boot.  We had our last breakfast in Nanjing and then packed our bags.  Emmy helped put the items in bags and also "helped" take them out and put them back in drawers.  At one point, Steve was going to take her on a walk in the hall but she burst into tears. After lunch, she took a nap then we went on a walk. She was a bit more apprehensive than usual. Last night Anna told her that she would go on an airplane to Guangzhou.  She did not look thrilled.  When our guide came to pick us up to go to the airport, she got very quiet.  Then our guide told her we were going to the airport to go to Guangzhou.  Lu Xin yelled, "Bu Yao!" And burst into tears. She cried quietly all the way to the airport and when it was time to get out she started getting frantic...kicking and screaming. Our guide quickly started talking to her. It turns out Emmy somehow got the idea that she was going to Guangzhou with just Baba but she wanted Mama to go, too.  Phew. Easily solved.  Once that was cleared up, she was much happier.  Our flight to Guangzhou was delayed by about an hour and Emmy became more excited, manic and anxious as we waited.  Finally it was time to fly.  Behind us on the plane was a year old baby.  Lu Xin called her Mei Mei and tried to talk to her and comfort her throughout the flight. Also, Lu Xin's favorite nanny had given her some chocolate cookies which we saved for the flight (risky move). She was excited to see them and, in typical Emmy fashion, gave one to mama, one to baba and one to Mei Mei before she ate her special treat herself. That's the good news. The bad news is that eating them all fairly quickly combined with decent turbulence, excitement and nervousness and a nasty cold equals tossing her cookies in the friendly skies...onto her shirt and into her mom's hands. Then she got to wear her mom's sweater for the rest of the flight because her parents, who really have parented three other three year olds, forgot to pack a change of clothes for her.  Eventually she fell asleep for the last 30 minutes or so of the flight. Waking up upon arrival and still wearing my huge sweater, poor exhausted, sick Emmy also threw up while waiting for our luggage and while waiting for our driver outside which led to a lovely family asking our guide where on earth we are from.  We are now finally in our very fancy hotel, covered in throw up and snot and trying to get Miss E back to sleep.  But we are here and beginning the second half of our adventure. Tomorrow we will go to medical appointments for Emmy. Thanks again for your prayers for us and for Grandma.  And thanks again for your emails. You guys are the bomb-diggity and we are blessed.

Update #5

Last night sleep did not come so easy for Lu Xin or for us.  She has a pretty nasty cold which took a turn for the worse last night and kept her up from 2:45-4:45.  Then the cold gave her a fever today too.  We mostly laid low today. She was a bit sadder today and less interested in Steve (hard to be the Baba).  She had a couple of teary moments. It was hard to tell how much of it was the transition and how much was not feeling well.  We did take one walk and discovered that Emmy does NOT like anything with fur. Ella and Hero may not be a happy surprise for her. :( She doesn't even want to touch stuffed animals. 

This evening we had our celebration dinner with Anna.  The dinner was delicious.  We had dishes that were unique to Nanjing.  Emmy enjoyed an egg dish and wrestled with her chopsticks.  She most frequently uses her left hand which is fun and in China is a sign of intelligence.  After dinner we walked around the mall.  Emmy chose some fake plastic glasses and hair ties.  She really, really likes glasses.  

Tomorrow we fly from Nanjing to Guangzhou.  We are very ready to begin the next part of our journey and to be one step closer to home but please pray for Lu Xin.  This was the most difficult part for Eli. Flying from his home province of Hefei to Guangzhou was confusing and terrifying for him.  It's a tough transition as Emmy has started to think our tiny hotel room is home. Also, please pray for my Grandma June (one of the amazing women who Emmy Jun is named after). She fell and was hurt pretty badly. She is recovering at the hospital now.  

Thank you for your emails. They help us feel loved and connected to home!

Mandy and Steve

Update #4

This morning began at 5:00 am with an early morning wake-up by a little princess who needed to go potty.  We got to do a long FaceTime call with the three big kids and Grammy and Papa Joe which was super nice.  Emmy loved seeing them and talking to them.  She also liked trying to put chopsticks in their mouths.  We then went up for the breakfast buffet (delicious, by the way!) at which Emmy ate much more than Steve or me.  We think that we've figured out that she likes pretty much anything but a couple of vegetables and pizza.  (She really hates pizza but that didn't happen until lunch.  She also really loves milkshakes but that also didn't happen until lunch!)  

After breakfast, we went back to the government office to complete the paperwork for the adoption.  The other three kiddos were there, too.  The sweet friend who had such a hard time yesterday was much better today and only cried a little bit when the nannies left.  Emmy, of course, had to go potty immediately upon entering the building and walked right past the nanny and orphanage director with me to get there saying, "Hiiiiii!" as she walked by.  She was charming…playful, funny, fun and sweet.  She colored, told the nanny and director funny stories and sang them songs but did not stray from my side.  Steve and our guide, Anna, had to go exchange money for Emmy's orphanage fee so I stayed with Miss E.J. (as Grace is calling her) and the orphanage folks.  They moved to the sides and just watched her, smiling, and then we exchanged emails so I can update them on Emmy.  (We are so impressed with her orphanage.  I don't think I mentioned it yesterday but they gave us a life book for Emmy yesterday.  It has journal entries and photos from around the time she was 6 months old until now.  We are so grateful!  What a treasure to have!)  After we exchanged emails, they decided it was time to go and I told Emmy to say goodbye.  She shouted (in Mandarin), "Goodbye, I'll meet with you tomorrow."  And they left and that was it.  No crying this time.  It was a bit sad that she thinks she will meet with them tomorrow.  But, as Steve said, maybe tomorrow could be 10 years from now and we will come back for a visit.  

On our way back from the office, Emmy decided that she needed to "shao pi-eh" (okay, I know that's not the actual pinyin but that's what it sounds like to my very untrained ear and means go potty) but we were not back yet.  She becomes a bit more frantic.  Then as we're driving in very busy traffic in the middle of the numerous tall buildings in the very huge city, she notices across the 6 lanes of road that we are driving past the hotel…our 3 1/2 year old…who has seen the outside of our hotel building once…and who was carrying on a conversation with Anna at the time…says, "Oh I see home now.  There it is!" and calms down.  Smart kiddo, huh?

After a lunch of pizza and milkshakes (what were we thinking?), we spent the rest of the afternoon attempting to nap (which looked like playing with her doll in her crib and teaching an invisible class all about types of fruit), going on a walk around Confucius Temple area (and getting our photo taken with a group of teenage girls) and then leaving because someone in our group had to "shao pi-eh."  Then Emmy wanted to take a bath and play with beads with Baba.  Right now she is helping me blog and eating some noodles.  Hopefully sleep will come more easily for her tonight.  She has a pretty nasty cold which will be hard to get rid of with so little sleep.

I think this evening we will go back to the old standby for dinner (noodles - yum!) and hope to get her in bed by 7:00.  

Love to all of you and thanks again for your prayers!

Love, 

Mandy, Steve and Emmy 

Hi, Noah here. I really wish to see her in person.  She is so cute! (-:

Gotcha!

And now, the moment we've all been waiting for…we met our girl! 

At 1:20, we left the hotel for the government office.  Lu Xin was supposed to arrive around 2:00 with three other children who were also meeting their families today.  The first child to arrive was a darling nearly-three year-old girl.  It was so difficult to watch her fear as she met her family and her nannies left.  She finally allowed her dad to hold her but didn't stop crying the entire time she was in the office.  Then two darling boys came with their nannies and met their families.  One of the boys was intrigued by his dad's iPad which helped their bonding considerably!  The other looked nervous but was not crying.  

At 2:45, Lu Xin finally arrived and had to go potty immediately upon arrival (I'm sure I would too after a 4-5 hour drive).  She had her photo album that we had sent and was not about to let go of it.  Steve and I, however, were not as interesting as the album.  It was obvious that the orphanage staff had tried to prepare her but…I don't know how you prepare someone for that kind of a change all of a sudden.  She showed us photos in the album and who her big brothers and big sister are and even who her Mama and Baba are as long as we didn't touch the album because it. was. hers.  Other things that were hers were her scarf, her coat, her hat and her juice.  

When it was time to go upstairs for the family photo, the nannies tried to talk her into holding my hand but she was having none of it.  But she would sit with us for the photo (and I believe made the V for Victory sign in the photo…we'll see tomorrow).  After the photo, the nannies again tried to get her to go with us but, seeing that she wouldn't, the nannies disappeared.  Poor Lu Xin was terrified.  It was heart-breaking.  She was screaming, crying and kicking as we got into the van to drive back to the hotel.  All the way to the hotel, she called for her favorite nanny.  She melted into me with her crying and looked pleadingly into my face and asked again and again for her nanny.  Sigh.

Back at the hotel, we got into the room and she warmed up very quickly.  Apparently Steve and I are pretty funny at times because within a few minutes she was smiling and within an hour she was giggling up a storm.  How grateful we are for her fun, chatty personality.  We went to get dinner (noodles!) to bring back to the room and she fed herself and us dinner (which may have included a sweet bag of Trix).  It reminded us of Eli.  He would always share whatever food he was eating.  Sweet kiddos. 

After dinner, she wanted a bath and washed her own hair and body innumerable times until the water got cold.  Then she put on her pjs (4t is a bit big but we are guessing 3t is tight…she loves to eat!) and her boots from the nannies and we played for a while.  Before we left, Grace, Noah and Eli made a video of themselves dancing to a Chinese children's song.  She played it over and over and danced and sang with them.  Love!

At 7:00, we started getting ready for bed…brushing teeth (new experience for her, I think), going potty 400 times, reading books, praying, songs.  And then, she talked and attempted to climb out of her crib and go to the potty and talked and talked and talked and sang for two hours and 45 minutes while I hummed "Baby Mine."  We finally were successful in outlasting her but I'm not sure I'll have much of a voice tomorrow. :)  

I suppose I better hit the sack since I only had 5 hours of sleep last night and who knows how tonight will go! :)

Love you all!  Thank you for your prayers.  Keep em coming!

Mandy and Steve 

Update #2

Today was a day of adventure.  Steve and I spent the day discovering the Confucius Temple area but began the day with an old friend…Starbucks!  

We then entered the Confucius Temple area just as people who work there were arriving.  It was so quiet and peaceful.  The buildings are all very old and are now primarily used for commercial purposes.  We walked along streets and alleyways that looked like they came straight out of a movie.  As we neared the river that splits the area, we saw a beautiful reflecting pool and a pagoda.  We decided to go to the museum attached…the Imperial Examination Cultural Exhibition.  From 605 to 1905, China used special examinations given in each province and then in Nanjing to select and evaluate students for special assignments, government positions and for prestige within their own province.  Even international students came to participate in the examinations.  The goal of the students was to become the "Principal Graduate" or top student each year.  This system is said to be the "fifth greatest invention" of China (I'm not sure what the top four are!) and has spread all over the world.  We were struck by the vast history of Nanjing, the intense pressure on the students (some were threatened to be disowned by their families if they didn't pass) and the beauty of the place.  Here's what it looked like:

We then had a delicious lunch at a little restaurant and the spiciest noodles either of us have ever eaten.  We were completely entertaining to the folks working at the restaurant. :)

  

And tomorrow…we meet Emmy!  Our Nanjing guide, Anna, just called and said she'll pick us up tomorrow at 1:20 to go meet our sweet girl.  Keep praying, friends, we can feel your prayers. 

Love,
Mandy and Steve 

Update #1

Lindsey has graciously agreed to post for us while we're in China.  Thanks, Linds!  So we won't be able to read any of your comments as we can't access the blog while we're gone.  If you'd like to communicate with us, the best way is my email address: amandapouliot@hotmail.com.

Happy, happy birthday, GDP!  Speaking from the future, I think you're birthday is going to be a great one.  ;)  We love you kiddo and miss you lots.

Our flights yesterday and the day before went very well.  We got to ride in "the largest commercial jet in the world" according to Steve's aviation engineer friend from work on the leg from Los Angeles to Guangzhou.  We got in to Nanjing in the afternoon and tried really hard to not sleep but only made it until around 4:00 pm…thus we are up at 4:00 am.  Oh well, we'll adjust before we get to meet Emmy I'm sure.  

Nanjing is really beautiful.  It was the capital of South China during the Ming Dynasty.  There is a giant wall (similar to the Great Wall of China) that surrounded the city and still exists today that we actually drove through on the highway on the way to the hotel.  Our hotel is located in a shopping mall called Aqua City.  We'll have to check that out today sometime.  We hope to go do some other sight seeing today as well.  We'd like to see the Confucius Temple and Purple Mountain as well as some other things near the hotel.  The Confucius Temple is within walking distance from our hotel but I think we're going to attempt to navigate public transit to get to Purple Mountain.  :)  Luckily the people we've met in China so far are extremely helpful and patient with us in our lack of ability to speak Mandarin. 

Mandy and Steve