Making Plans for Chinese New Year

Things have gone so well since we returned from China with our new baby girl. I'm pleased to report that the whole family is adjusting well to the changes in our lives. Zara is doing beautifully. She has attached to both Paul and me. And I can tell that she thinks her big sister is the best. Both girls are now attending the Children's Center in Steiner Ranch and LOVE it!

We are making plans to celebrate Chinese New Year next week. Just got back from the MT Supermarket, Austin's first large Asian grocery store, with banners, ingredients for Chinese New Year cake, red envelopes for gifts and a large golden pig full of candy.

When we returned home and opened our mail we found a wonderful envelope full of photos of Zara beginning at 3 months of age. Apparently Families Through International Adoption, the organization that makes foster care possible in China, carefully monitors the kiddos in foster care and takes a photo of them each month. I am going to start donating to this wonderful cause as they are expanding their foster care program and I would like to make this available to as many children as possible. It's such a wonderful cause.

I'm also reading the wonderful book The Lost Daughters of China: Abandoned Girls, Their Journey to America, and the Search for a Missing Past. I really connected with the author. The similarities in our experience were amazing and she writes of all the same concerns. I find myself crying often while reading the book.

Make sure you take a look at our wonderful new portraits of the girls.

We're Back!!!!!

We're back and adjusting to the vicious effects of jet lag. We're also stocking up on essentials, organizing and trying to ensure Zara is interacting well with all of our dogs. Our plans for blogging throughout the journey were disrupted by busy kiddos, the fact that Google Blogger would only display controls in Chinese, and a very bad earthquake in Taiwan that sent China back to the pre-Internet days.

So, with a backlog of about 1000 photos, I am taking a different approach - Google Picassa. Please feel free to visit the photo journal by using the link at the top left of the blog. I will add captions during the hours that I am awake and alone each night.

Happiest Baby in the World

And the parents are pretty thrilled too. I swear I've never met a happier baby. Not one tear has been cried in a very stressful day. Zara is beautiful, healthy, and full of giggles. We are so blessed and happy that she isn't traumatized. You should hear the hallways at the hotel. Definitely a different story. Here's hoping she'll remain such a happy little darling.

The trip to Civil Affairs was a real no-brainer. We met in the lobby, boarded a green bus, and 20 minutes later we stepped off the bus. Next we took an elevator to the 3rd floor of a government building and within 5 minutes we met Zara or Zara Noelle Lanxin M. She was wearing Santa pants!!! (pictures in the Travel Journal section of the blog).

Alina is so happy. She's been very affectionate, sisterly and protective. She's a huge help. When we returned to the hotel they were cleaning our room so we headed straight for the playroom (pictures in the Travel Journal section of the blog).

Well, that's it for now. Lots of site seeing, shopping at WalMart (War-Mart) and other fun things to come as we wait for Zara's passport to be processed. Then we head to the famous White Swan hotel in Ghuanzhou for Christmas. Happy Holidays everyone!!

Good Morning Changsha!

Changsha is really amazing. Its enormous. We're on the 33rd floor of the hotel so all you can see out of the window is on on sea of buildings. We are enoying extremely diverse breakfasts with a combination of Chinese, Japanese and American cuisine. Alina's favorite steamed pork buns are everywhere so she is eating well and enjoying herself. We keep waking up around 4 am but managed to go back to sleep this morning until 7 am. I think we are almost over the jet lag just in time to meet Zara tomorrow.

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Need a Little Christmas, Right This Very Minute!

How is it that everytime I make it to services at the Unity Church of the Hills they always seem to know exactly what I'm struggling with? This Sunday's service covered worry. Imagine that! I've worked myself into a frenzy with worry and anxiety over this trip to China. Ron also spoke of how Christmas and the love of family and friends can help resolve worries.

The service and the meditation definitely calmed my nerves. And it gave me a few tools to use in dealing with worry in the future. The big suggestion? Write down all of your worries on the left side of the paper and then on the right side list a series of responses and then put the paper away. Ron claims this allows you to put aside the worries. Then later on, go back and check on the paper to see how all of the issues you stewed over had resolved themselves. I'm going to give this a try. Will report on my results in a few weeks.

Our Itinerary - Holiday Travels in China

Here's our family's itinerary for the trip to China. I did a little research today and it looks like the hotels will be very nice. Even found a photo of Santa Clause in the Dolton Hotel in Changsha. Check out the pix on my photo portfolio at ......

12/14 Austin/Chicago UA6908 Lv. 640A, Ar. 913A
12/14 Chicago/Hong Kong UA829 Lv. 1008A, Ar. 350P on 12/15
12/16 Hong Kong/Changsha KA720 Lv. 215P, Ar. 340P
12/30 Hong Kong/Chicago UA896 Lv. 1135A, Ar. 1143A
12/30 Chicago/Austin UA7759 Lv. 300P, Ar. 547P