"Forever Family" Day 2 Video - in Hotel in Langhzou

We Made it Home!

Well, the trip home WAS hilacious as predicted - very long. The kiddos did well, just a long (friggin) time to be in the air and on the road. I was dileriously tired when we got home; we were pooped and happy. Thanks to our great neighbor friends and family that decked out our place with decorations. Ling Ling giggled when she first saw our overly rambunctious pups jumping all over us. They made fast friends and she is already feeding them and seeking them out from across the room - amazing.

We woke to Thanksgiving and a delicious meal from Oliver's that Cash's babysitter, Audra, put in the fridge the day before. Cash made a China adventure themed centerpiece on the table, Ling Ling fed the dogs crackers, and we enjoyed the day, as groggy as we were, together.

Goodbye China, Hello Family and Friends

Departure time is tomorrow! We arrive at SFO Wednesday night, just in time for Thanksgiving. We ARE very thankful. What a great experience we've all had. Thanks to China and our wonderful facilitators and hosts. See you soon...xoxoxox

Evening Boat Ride Down the Pearl River

Mrs. Liang took us on a ferry ride down the Pearl River where we seriously tripped the lights fantastic! What a party of lights! We all loved it and Cash was an instant celeb again. I will do a photo essay entry later of  the photos of some of the girls he has posed with, but this was a special night for him. The Canton TV tower, the tallest TV tower in the world, is spectacular.

Throughout our trip people have tried to hold Ling Ling but she'll have nothing to do with them, except for our facilitator, Mrs. Liang. She loves her!

Lions and Tigers and Panda Bears

We applied for Ling Ling's travel visa today with a group of about 12 other families with newly adopted children waiting to get their children and families back to the States. It was interesting and heartfelt to meet the other families and children. We swapped contact info with a family from Sacramento. The families were mostly from Mid-Western areas like Nebraska, Ohio, Chicago, and Kansas. There were two young boys and a few children overall with special needs or medical related issues. No cameras were allowed in the building. We had to swear an oath for something very important and official but neither Joel or I can remember for what exactly. Not to minimize the importance of the process but seems like more fanfare and regalia at this point; we are ready to get home!

After, Mrs. Liang took us to the Guangzhou Zoo and we had a fun time there. Ling Ling was asleep when we arrived at the tigers, her Chinese astrological sign. It was really cool too because an attendant was chucking huge slabs of meat from the railing to the tigers, six of them, and they were enjoying a feast right in front of us. I really wanted to see the pandas and was shocked to see how slumming it they were. Looks like some renovations are due for the panda digs.

p.s. Ling Ling's buzz cut is growing out a little...

Leaving Lanzhou and Dinos, Gansu China

Note from editor: This post should have been up yesterday, 11/18, before the two that precede it on the blog.

After five nights we depart today and fly to Guangzhao where we'll meet Mrs. Liang, our facilitator and get Ling Ling's medical exam and travel visa. Lanzhou, the capital of the Gansu Provence in North Western China, is an ancient, smoggier than you can imagine, megalopolis of 5 million or more. It is a city with a vivid history of dynasties, ancient artifacts, battles, ethnicities, and religion (birthplace of Buddhism in China) as it is a geographically strategic location with the Yellow River, a major hub of the silk road, and the oldest parts of China's Great Wall. The pollution here is almost unbearable and I have not wanted to take the kids (or myself) outdoors. We took a few jaunts about and found some serious Dinosaurs at the Lanzhou Museum. There is also an exhibit on gorgeous excavated bronze and pottery artifacts from the region and a beautiful exhibit on the Buddha. It was a great time and Cash was in heaven! He made us take tons of pictures of every exhibit.

Poolside in Guangzhou

We made it to our hotel in Guangzhou; what a beautiful place! Ling Ling slowly got acclimated to the pool and she loved it. Cash hit the water with enthusiasm; super fun.

THINGS YOU MIGHT WONDER

THINGS YOU MIGHT WONDER

So, the trip has been very smooth so far considering the major changes we all have been going through and being so far from what we know- all of us....Ling Ling has been a spark. She is easy going as well as having a ton of personality. Here is a photo Joel took with his iphone on our first morning together. It captures so much for me. 

Thanks for all the emails and being a part of our adventure! We are thrilled to share and love all the support we are getting from our friends and family. Our dear friend Jenni has been posting the excerpts I've been writing for the blog as Google is banned in China and we are blocked out of it. There may be comments or questions you have that we have not seen because of this. Here are a few questions you might wonder.

Is Ling Ling as cute in real life as in the pictures? YES! AND WE THINK SHE IS MORE ADORABLE EVERYDAY. 

Have there been challenging times with Ling Ling as this is such a big adjustment for her and us? YES. OVERALL NOT NEARLY AS CHALLENGING AS WE EXPECTED. WE'VE HAD SOME WAKEFUL NIGHTS AND TOUGH TIMES PUTTING HER DOWN FOR SLEEP. WE WALK HER UP AND DOWN THE HOTEL HALLWAYS AT NIGHT AND SHE FALLS ASLEEP IN OUR ARMS. SHE EATS LIKE CRAZY. SHE INSISTS ON FEEDING HERSELF. SHE GETS MAD/FRUSTRATED AND DOES THE CLASSIC BODY FLAIL OCCASIONALLY. SHE LOVES STEAMED ROLLS AND FRIED RICE. SHE GIGGLES AND GAZES IN OUR EYES. IT SEEMS LIKE SHE IS CONNECTED TO US ALREADY. SHE DOESN'T WANT ME TO LEAVE THE ROOM. SHE REACHES FOR ME TO PICK HER UP. SHE IS FALLING IN LOVE WITH JOEL WITH EACH PASSING MOMENT. WHEN SHE WANTS SOMETHING SHE BLURTS OUT "GOHHH!" OR "AAAAAA!" AND WE TRY TO FIGURE IT OUT. WE THINK SHE WAS REALLY LOVED AND GOT A TON OF ATTENTION IN HER FOSTER HOME. 

How is Cash coping with everything? HE IS A CHAMP AND A LOVE. HE HAS SAID THE TYPICAL 4 ALMOST 5 YEAR OLD STUFF YOU'D EXPECT LIKE, "MOM, I WISH WE JUST GOT A PUPPY INSTEAD OF A SISTER". HE GETS CABIN FEVER IN THE ROOM AND WANTS TO TOUCH EVERYTHING OUT IN THE WORLD WHICH WE ARE CONSTANTLY ASKING HIM TO STOP. CASH TAUGHT LING LING HOW TO KISS (CRAZY CUTE) AND THEN SHE BIT HIM REALLY REALLY HARD IN THE LIP AND LATER ON THE NOSE. SURPRISINGLY, HE BRUSHED IT OFF AND STILL TRIES TO KISS HER. HE LOVES CHINA AND IS IN LOVE WITH ALL THE GIRLS. THEY LOVE HIM TOO AND COME UP TO HIM AND TALK TO HIM, TOUCH HIS HAIR AND TAKE HIS PICTURE. THE FOOD IS TOUGH FOR HIM BECAUSE HE IS A GRAZER AND THERE ARE NOT ENOUGH SNACKS AROUND THAT SOUND GOOD. HE'S BEEN LIVING ON SHRIMP, GRANOLA BARS (WE BROUGHT), FRENCH FRIES AND YOGURT FOR THE MOST PART. 

How are you and Joel doing? WE ARE EXHAUSTED. WE ARE HAPPY. WE FEEL VERY LUCKY. WE ARE GETTING HOMESICK. WE HAVE GOTTEN INTO ONE PRETTY GOOD TIFF, BUT HAVE RISEN TO THE OCCASION OF OUR CHINA ADVENTURE TO GET OUR SWEET DAUGHTER. WE HAVE FOUND SO MUCH JOY IN THE PROCESS IT HAS BEEN EASY TO TOUGH OUT THE RUNNING AROUND, THE LACK OF SLEEP AND DOWNTIME. 

What Words Cannot Say