Tomorrow Dan turns 42 and all the boys (and girls!) at our house are getting ready to celebrate a nice, quiet birthday with Danny (we love him so!) Today Chaeli is fighting her first cold but is still managing to crawl all over the place exploring every nook and cranny of her room. I wanted to post a picture of Yen Yen all in black so her Na Na could see how cute she looks in the outfit she bought her. Also, these pictures are for my Auntie Carol who called today and wanted me to describe (in detail, on the phone) what Chaeli was wearing.

Now you can all see her and love her today! Please pray her little nose stops running and she recovers quickly from her first sick bug. Oh and before I forget… Yen Yen started eating solids! She LOVES sweet potatoes, plums and oatmeal – who would have known she would grow up so fast?!

The other day my good long time friend Tammy came over with her two very beautiful daughters (both of whom she adopted from China!) They loved Chaeli up and smothered her with kisses and giggles. Emma is the oldest and came from the Shaanzi provence and Abbey came from Guangdong Provence just like our Chaeli. Tammy asked us to bring her back some traditional Chinese clothing for her girls, and they were so excited to put them on! Emma, who loves to dance, twirled around in cirlces in her new dress, while Abbey playfully bounced on the couch. What an amazing site to see two children born of a common ancestory, in opposite parts of their country, finally together as the sisters God intended them to be. After seeing these beautiful girls playing together, Dan thinks we should go to China again and get Chaeli a little sister (I say I would take them all if I could!)

Dan’s parents Paul & Maureen came down a few days ago to meet little Chaeli. It was Grandpa Paul’s first time seeing his new grandaughter. We think he was smitten by her, of course Grandma was for sure! Chaeli seems to have that affect on everyone though… We still fight around here to hold her and rock her to sleep. Can’t wait for you all to meet her!

Yen Yen wanted to thank both of her Grandmas for the beautiful baby sweaters they gave her! The yellow and white one was lovingly knit by her talented Grandma Maureen and the blue one was lovingly bought by my Mom with the best shopping eye around! We call it her “blue bell” outfit. Funny how the colors I used to put on my baby boys (yellow and blue) are now adorning my little girl. I swore she’d never wear anything blue either, but what can I say? It is one of her best colors (just like pink and red).

The snow has kept us bundled up mostly inside these first few days but we did venture out to downtown Snohomish 2 days ago and will be returning there this afternoon. Chase runs track at the high school there, so while he gets his workouts Chaeli and I window shop in all of the antique stores and baby boutiques. She is so much fun to have around! She just started to clap her hands and really move around on the floor. She was crawling before, but now she is easily crawling from one room to another and is even standing up on her legs while holding on to something (wow! I forgot how exciting a baby’s first steps can be!) I wish everyone could have a baby at 40 so they could experience the fun and the joy that I am having. It is simply the best gift one could receive!

Today marked the first week home with beautiful Yen Yen. We woke up to a gorgeous sunrise on a Wintery day. The view from our window was absolutely breathtaking!

I took a few pictures of the boys outside today sledding with the neighbors (they were pretty excited about a no school day in the middle of the week!) I also managed to snap a photo of the tree outfront that looked magical with all of the snow laying on its branches. Winter can really be beautiful.

I kept Chaeli inside all day due to the cold and what did we do??? We played dress up together! This girl is just like a baby doll, so much fun to hold and squeeze. Why is it that Yen Yen looks so good in everything I put on her?! She just takes my breath away ~ especially when I am with her like this.

Chase and I ventured out today around 4pm in the snow and I stopped off and bought Chaeli her first little snow suit. It fit perfectly (6-9 mos). I don’t ever want her to grow up. We took her out to our back yard for a brief minute or two to let her experience the snow. She didn’t say much but her eyes were taking it all in. Brrr! I couldn’t take but a few minutes of it myself!

It is going to be so much fun watching Chaeli experience her life here in the NorthWest. She never had snow in her 10 months in Guangdong.

I hope you are all enjoying this baby as much as we are! She is so precious, in every way.

Our thanks goes out to Uncle Buddy who bought Chaeli her first music box! It attaches to her crib and plays bach and beethoven music while lights and fish move around in an aquarium. Chaeli loved it at first sight! The moment we put it in her crib she began dancing and crawling towards it. She loves to spin the crab and the seashell toys that are attached. My Mom asked me to post some pictures of her enjoying the music box in her crib so here you go Mom! Tell Uncle Buddy he’s the best!

Chaeli also got a new bath chair so that she can take bath swith her brothers without the worry of slipping too far into the tub. I snuck in and grabbed a couple of pictures of her with brother Cael who was teaching her how to play in the bath.

Cael also fed Chaeli her very first bottle today. This was a really big deal to Cael and he was careful to hold her “just right.” From the picture you can see how relaxed Chaeli was.

Cael came into the room last night to kiss Chaeli goodnight and I heard him tell her, “I would die for you Chaeli.” Those were strong words coming from a 7 year old boy. I asked him why he said that and he replied, “Because I would Mom.” Cael is learning to love and to attach with his sister in a way that is all his own.

Last night my dear, sweet friend Ali came over and brought Chaeli and I matching sandals from Hawaii’s best, most spectacular store “Cinnamon Girl.” It is a store that specializes in matching Mother & Daughter everything! Ali was so kind to think of Chaeli and me and to bring us these gorgeous shoes! How beautiful are they?! Thank you Ali for a one of a kind gift.

Well Chaeli is fast asleep, Dan is sacked out, and all the boys are tucked snug as a bug under their covers. I am enjoying my last few minutes of quiet time before heading down the hall to my slumber oasis. I can’t tell you how glorious and (much appreciated) my sleep is these days. It is something only mothers of infant children can comprehend.

Love to you all and I hope everyone is staying warm in the winter storm.

Love Sheila.

“I will ever praise you for what you have done.”
Psalms 52:9

Hello to everyone!

Yes, we are finally home (aah, feesl so good!) and safely nestled into the life we love. Our trip home went really well. I can’t believe it but it was actually easier coming home with Chaeli in my arms then it was going to China without her. She did really well on both flights, and so did I (usually I am a terrible traveler).

The only bummer was that neither of us slept for most of the 18 hours. Toward the end (of our second journey) Chaeli & Dan did finally get some shut eye but I was awake the whole time, listening to my ipod and crying over the glorious news that my baby was coming home! There’s a picture of Chaeli together with me on the plane and you can see her finally sacked out.

There are also a couple pictures of Chaeli when we landed in Tokyo and had some time to kill between flights at the NW Airlines executive lounge.

The moment we touched ground in Seattle Chaeli became a US citizen, so of course her Daddy wanted to catch that special moment in time!

Chaeli’s homecoming was so sweet. My sister and best friend Michelle met us at the airport to greet us (or should I say to greet Chaeli?) It was so cute because they were at the top of the escalator, practically hanging over the edge, to catch the first glimpses of Yen Yen!

It was really special having them there to meet us. And then at home both of the Grandmas and all 3 boys were jumping with excitement to see the little girl they had waited so long for! It was positively the best homecoming we could have ever had!

Chaeli is getting used to her new house, routine and especially her 3 big brothers. She LOVES her brothers! They have already taken over and feed her bottles, put her to sleep and have even taught her to stand up in her crib (I am not sure if that is oemthing I should be glad about???)

Anyhow, this little Yen Yen is filling us all with so much happiness and joy. She adds so much to our house. Everyone is always dying to pick her up or love her. What I like is that she is adjusting to her new time zone change very successfully. She wakes up around midnight, but has learned to comfort herself back to sleep rather quickly. She now sleeps the whole night in her crib and we are all getting the much needed rest that we need.

I will post again as life evolves with Chaeli. We are already looking forward to February when we get to celebrate her first year of life! Thank you all for your continued prayers for our little girl. She is happy and healthy and is learning family very well.

Hugs,
Sheila.

Sheila and Chaeli are tucked fast asleep and I thought I would take this time to briefly reflect upon the experience here in Guangzhou one last time.

Today we had our consulate visit. This is pretty much a formality for people adopting and returning to the US. For the event Sheila and I dressed ourselves up in traditional Chinese formal attire with Chaeli to commemorate the event. Sheila was a little self conscious with the high slit up the side of her dress but none of the men seem to mind, including myself. Our guide was saying that she was hearing the local Chinese women say what a beautiful woman Sheila was as we past them by. I would have to agree with that as well.

When we crammed ourselves into a van to go to the consulate, I was expecting something totally different than an office on the 4th floor of a downtown high-rise. Somehow images of a walled compound with Marines stationed at every entrance was my thought. Not a Marine to be seen as even the security guards were locals. Perhaps the cold war is over now?

They escorted us in and sat us down in what looked like a dept of motorized vehicles waiting room and a nice woman came out and made us recite a simple oath. She explained to us that our children could be considered dual citizens (somewhat) but recommended they always travel with a US passport in the event of any trouble, so the US gov could intervene and help out. She also informed us that once we touch down on US soil, our daughter will immediately become an US citizen. I guess as American’s we don’t really consider the privileges of citizenship since we take it for granted everyday but somehow with her saying this it hit our emotional button as Sheila and I began to swell tears around our eyes. God Bless America!

Sheila and I have enjoyed our stay here very much as we have experienced the very best that China has to offer. The accommodations have been superb, the food excellent and the service has been the best I have ever experienced. And can they do laundry here or what? I don’t think Guangzhou is the real example of what China is, as one of my friends emailed me and said that I would need to travel with him so I could discover the true China. However, for me it has been enough to take in a culture that is evolving faster than our own and see the beauty of its people.

I thought I would share with you one of the consequences of China’s rapid development … pollution. What you are seeing in this picture is not fog but smog. It lingers everywhere. Growing up in LA wasn’t nearly as bad.

One of the things I will miss the most about China is the inexpensive services. Sheila and I had massages done for a total of 70 minutes each and only ended up spending around $20.00 US. And this might be higher than the average. They kneed you like a loaf of bread and hit every spot, but once they are done you feel so good. First they soak your feet in hot water with some type of Chinese herb, give you green tea to drink and then bring in hot towels and wrap your legs in them. And then some hot 19 year old beauty comes in and rubs your body down with scented oil…snicker snicker…actually Sheila didn’t leave the room once through the whole process.

We have managed to stuff our luggage full of Chinese trinkets, silks and nick-knacks and maybe spent pennies compared in the US but what we take home with us is even greater than the Good Buys we haggled with the local merchants for. My black eye pearls will always be a reminder to me of all the asian pearls still left behind.

Love Dan.

It is hard to believe that we are down to our last few days here in Guangzhou. Funny how you can make a home most anywhere when you are with the people you love. Our little hotel room (#1529) has become home to Chaeli here in China and she is getting very used to her routine here with her Mommy & Daddy. She has no idea that all of this is about to change again for her in just 3 days. We know though that it is all for the better, so we hold our breath anticipating what is to come for our little girl. Please pray that the trip home is a smooth one for Yen Yen.

And thank you to all of you who wrote back to us about how to conquer constipation in a small infant. Unfortunately the good remedies from home like corn syrup, prunes and glycerine suppositories are not common here on the island. We did manage to find and buy whole prunes (which Dan took the skin off of, and after mashing them down into a paste/puree) added to her formula and rice cereal. Chaeli ate it instantly and within the hour was no longer constipated! Hooray! We were clapping and cheering again! Crazy how having a baby can make you get excited again about the smallest things! Kuddos to my husband the smartest, resourceful man I know!

Chaeli does still wake up in the night to eat (she only takes about 4 ounces at a time so she is hungry about every 4-5 hours). I don’t mind though. I just think back to all of those late night/early morning calls with my boys when I was nursing them. And it was all so worth it, just as it is with Chaeli. They grow out of this baby stage so fast that I am trying to enjoy every moment of it…even when the moment comes at 4am. I am just so glad to see her face (seems I waited forever to have her with me like this).

We walked around the Shamian Island for the last time today, and spent some nice time in the park. I love the picture I caught of Danny and Chaeli together there. It is so natural. She really loves her daddy and I hate to say it (but she even snores like he does). Yes, it’s true. My girly girl can make a lot of noise when she is sacked out with her Daddy on the bed. The two of them are like a symphony of some very bad, loud music. I just lay there in the dark laughing and wondering “Why me Lord, why me?” Wasn’t it enough to have to live with one snorer???

To everyone who has been to China & to The White Swam Hotel before you will recognize this next girl instantly! It is the (famous) beloved Lucy. She owns a shop here on the island and has been doing our laundry for us since we arrived, and has also befriended us instantly. What is it about Lucy? Everyone knows her and adores her! And what is it about the way the Chinese do their laundry here? I am mystified! Dan’s shirts have never looked so good, and unfortunatley he too has noticed as he looks at me sideways in the mirror.

To Lisa Gilispie, Lisa Elrand & Tammy Tutton this photo is for you! I know how much you 3 love Lucy!

Tomorrow is our US Consulate appointment where Chaeli will be granted US citizenship and access back into the states with us. It will be a BIG day for her! We have all had beautiful Chinese (traditiona)l clothes made for her big day and we promise to dress up and take lots of pictures for everyone back home to see! Afterwards the Consulate appt., it will be back to the hotel to begin packing for the long, long trip home. I can hardly wait to see my boys again. Dan and I miss them terribly (it is all we talk about now). We have been showing Chaeli her brother’s 3 pictures and teaching her their names. Of course all she ever says back is “Da Da” and “Uh Da.” You can imagine who is gloating over that! Dan loves his girl. He was walking by a shop today and saw a dress in red & black and said to me, “Oh Chaeli looks so good in those colors Sheila. Go in and buy her that dress.” Yep, he is hooked now… line and sinker.

The last bit of news I have been saving to share with all of you is in regard to our adopting from China again. Of course it is something we have talked a lot about, and even discussed again in detail the whole way over here. Dan and I both agreed before receiving Chaeli that Chinese adoption was something we would pursue again.

But the day I received Chaeli something changed inside of me. I told Dan it was like I was so satisfied, so full, and so complete. Having Chaeli fulfilled every longing inside of me. I tell you all of this because only 2 days after I voiced my heart to Dan we heard the news that the CCAA had just made a new change to all international adoptions. All families with four or more children now would no longer be able to adopt from China. When I heard this news I couldn’t believe it. It was like confirmation to my heart. The still, small quiet voice I had heard telling me that Chaeli was it, was the truth. Chaeli really did complete us.

We came to China exactly when we were supposed to, to get the specific child that was made just for us. Our hearts are so full and so overwhelmed (with what we have already been given) that we can only say Thank You Lord. Thank you for giving us so much. It was her, only her, and Chaeli is so much more than we had ever fathomed she would be.

May you all be blessed in the New Year, and may your dreams come true in 2007 like ours did miraculously in 2006!

Sheila & Dan.

Hello to everyone back home! It is New Year’s Day here in China, and back home all of you are getting ready ready to celebrate New Year’s Eve. How we long for home! My sister wanted me to comment on the food (since I always do on our trips!) so here I go…

Dan and I have come to really love the Thai food restaurant here on the Island. It is by far our favorite! We have eaten there so many times that it is hard to count. The breakfasts in The White Swan hotel are amazing! They have a HUGE brunch selection of very good food ranging from french toast, eggs, various breakfast meats, fruits, baked goods, parfaits, cereals, juices – you name it! Picture a big brunch at like The Everett Pacific Hotel and that is what this is like. We eat a big breakfast everyday and then sometimes eat a light lunch out. Dinner we like to do close to home – here in the hotel because it is just easier with Chaeli (and by that time I am ready for pajamas and down time). We have spent many meals out too with other families too so overall our eating experiences have been really good. That is not to say that we don’t miss the smells and tastes of home though, because we do! The thing I find interesting here though is that everything we eat and drink is good. Neither Dan nor I have gotten sick anywhere from anything, and we have eaten a lot outside of the hotel. I was expecting to have to be more careful here (like in Mexico) but really it has all been great! The cokes taste a little flat compared to what we get at home but we tend to drink more tea here than we do pop anyways. Surprisingly the lattes are excellent! The Starbucks here has really got it right and there is even a Seattle’s Best Coffee knock-off shop just a block from our hotel that I have visited a couple of times with Chaeli. She sucks on her ba ba and I sip on my latte. We are two peas in a pod!

Last night Chaeli was fussy so I got very little sleep.

I think I was up like 3 or 4 times in the night with her. Laura get your beauty sleep now because you will need a storehouse of sleep to draw upon during the late nights when everyone else is sleeping and your baby is awake. I think Chaeli is constipated again, and wouldn’t you know there is no prune juice around here. She won’t take any solid foods or any other liquid other than her formula anyways, so I am not sure what good it would do us if we found it anyways. It could just be all the change that is doing this to her. When we first got her she was constipated and then appeared to be fine every day after that. It wasn’t until last night again that I began to get suspicious of bm problems. All of you Moms reading this will remember the times your baby pulled their legs in, and arched their backs straight out in pain…that is what little Yen Yen is doing. Please pray for her to get into a regular cycle again, especially before we board the plane for home on Thrs. We really do feel so lucky/blessed to have such a healthy, happy baby, but constitpation can really hurt and we don’t like to see her hurting. All of the new families we have met, since our group departed 3 days ago, have had babies with chronic ear infections and or fevers/colds. We are so thankful that Chaeli did not have to suffer through any of that. Her medical exam was excellent.

Yesterday, Cordelia took me to The Beijing Road which is a famous street of mega shops, where all the young people hang out in the hundreds.

She told me that today there would be a hundred thousand people on those same streets for The New Year celebration (thank God we were there yesterday and NOT today). The street is very old and very famous. In fact there were portions of glass that you could view down into that allowed you to see several layers below the city where the historic orads were first built int he 11th century and even earlier. It was fascinating to see the materials they used and what those ancient roads looked like. We stared and them for a long time and tried to imagine the Chinese people and what they were like 900 years ago. It boggles your mind. And then here I stand, in 2007, looking down at these ancient roads with one of their beautiful babies in my arms. What a moment in time.

Dan was asking me the other day what I loved most about Chaeli. I thought that was an interesting question so I thought on it for awhile. Oh there were lots of things that came to my mind. For example, I love the way Chaeli loves me and lets me love her as much and as often as I want to. I love that she looks at me with her black pearl eyes and really looks deep into my face. I love that she draws people in to her wherever she goes, as if she is a magnet pulling them close to her. But the more I thought about all of the things that I love about Chaeli, the more I came to the conclusion that the thing I loved most about her is that she came with a story. A magnificent, unforgettable story.

My good friend Anna wrote to me and told me that her daughters Ashley & Brittany were trying to understand adoption and to put their young minds around the concept of how a Mommy could get a baby from anywhere excet her own body. As I thought about that I realized that the greatest thing about Chaeli is her rich, heart felt story that came with her to me. I will never forget her story, so for all of the Ashleys & Brittneys out there this was written for you…so you can come to understand the story of Yen Yen…

Once upon a time in a far, far away land, many oceans away, there lived a very kind Chinese girl who had really beautiful eyes. This Chinese girl fell in love with a Chinese boy. It wasn’t long before the girl realized that she had something wonderful that was growing inside of her. It was a tiny baby. The girl did not know what to do becasue she could not take care of a baby in her country, but she loved her baby anyway and would secretly pray for her, not letting anyone know.

When the baby grew it would kick inside of the young the girl and make her happy. She already loved her child so much. It was like having a great treasure hidden inside of her that only she knew about.

After many months, the day came when the girl gave birth to the baby and she saw that it was a beautiful Chinese girl, just like her. She hugged and kissed her baby and carefully kept her hidden away because she knew that she would not be able to keep her in her country. For 8 days the young Mother held her baby and loved her baby, memorizing every detail of her precious face. She knew that very soon she would have to give her baby away because she could not afford to keep her, even though her heart wanted to hold her baby forever and ever.

After 8 days the young mother went to a secret place in the night where she knew she could leave her baby and she would be found. It was a special place that her people knew very well. It was beside the Pearl river. The young Mother dressed her baby girl in a white outfit and gently laid her inside of a basket under a Banyan tree, along the East side of the Pearl river. She then carefully placed a pink blanket over her baby so she would be warm. The young Mother hid herself and kept watch in the night until the people came and found her baby. The mother believed that if she prayed to the Banyan tree it would protect her daughter and would give her baby a good home and family. As the girl prayed to The Banyan Tree, the real God in heaven looked down and heard her praying and crying out. He called all of heaven together to listen, and promised to answer this prayer to protect her child, for the young Mother’s heart was pure.

On the other side of the world there was a mother who had always wanted a baby girl. She tried many times to have a girl of her own, but could not. Instead, this mother had 3 wonderful boys and she was very happy. She began to forget about the dream of having a daughter of her own. But God in heaven remembered her prayers too and He was working out a plan. A perfect plan, for both of the mothers.

This is the story of Yen Yen. She was made by a Chinese Mother who will never forget her, and has been given to an American Mother who will never leave her. Both Mothers will forever love her. Both Mothers will always care for her. One will hold Yen Yen in her arms, the other will hold her in her dreams.

This is why my favorite thing about Yen Yen will always be the story that came with her. Not everyone has a story like hers. Hers is unique and unforgettable and will follow her all throughout her life. She has two mothers, a banyan tree, and a miracle working God who have watched over her and the greatest of these, of course, is her miracle working God.