Our Meandering Road

WHAT CAN I SAY?

2011-05-26T10:43:00.000-07:00

OK, more than a year has passed....apology to all....now moving on. I will try to post a few updated thoughts and pictures soon.

2010

2010-04-19T11:33:00.001-07:00

And a few from this year...

Trying to keep up with life...

2010-04-19T11:08:00.000-07:00

So, its been like six months or something since I last posted anything. I'm not going to try to catch up...but I will give you some pictures to recap our lives.

Here's some from the end of 2009...

FALL IN THE DESERT

2009-11-17T08:44:00.000-08:00

I like fall...its the best time of year for St. George. The temperatures are pleasant...colors are beautiful...the early sunrise and sunsets are cozy. Its a great time of year. Here are a few pictures from some fun fall events.

Ice Cream after a visit to the Temple Visitor's Center for Family Home Evening

Picking apples at an orchard up the canyon...

A gorgeous afternoon at Zion's National Park

Playing in leaves after church

Halloween preview

2009-10-29T11:34:00.001-07:00

The kids went to a little Halloween party last week, so here is a preview of the "look" for my little trick-or-treaters this year... (although Emma insists that she is not going to be a kitty again, that she must have a different costume for each event...we'll see...)

DISCO KITTY

R.J. PING, THE PIRATE KING

My Little Blessings

2009-10-21T08:57:00.001-07:00

Of course my greatest blessings are my children. They are growing so fast! We had a busy, fun and special weekend. In addition to the Campbells coming to visit and paint Grandpa and Grandma's house we were also lucky to finally do RJ's "baby" blessing. Although he is 2 and 3/4...I was hoping we would still get to have this special event. My bishop approved, so we conducted just a small private blessing in the bishop's office. My wonderful father gave RJ such a beautiful and powerful blessing. I am so grateful. I was grateful to have most of my family there...missing some neices and a nephew...but otherwise, everyone was there to share in this lovely event.

Because RJ is too big to bless in the traditional "bouncing the baby" way, I sat in the middle of the circle with him on my lap while the bishopric, my father and RJ's uncle Matt and cousin Eric stood around and placed their hands on his head. I had fruit snacks at the ready, just in case RJ freaked out about all those men's hands on his head, but he seemed to understand the importance of the moment, as he sat perfectly still through most of the blessing, barely moving a single muscle. Grandma and Aunt Jan said they could see his face and other than rolling his eyes around a bit to try to catch a glimpse of what was going on, he otherwise was very still and calm. What a sweet expression of family love I felt...from my parents, sisters, brother in law, nieces and nephews and even my little daughter...all towards this beautiful soul who has already dug his way deep into our hearts. What a special bond we all already have with him.

September in review

2009-09-30T07:34:00.001-07:00

September has been a good month, and now it has passed, and I'm just now updating my blog...so here's a little recap:

LABOR DAY AT THE PARK:

AUNT GERI COMES TO VISIT!

EMMA TRIES HER SKILLS AS A BULL RIDER:

WILL THE REAL ANNIE PLEASE STAND UP?

RJ TRIES COTTON CANDY (AND DOESN'T LIKE IT) AT THE SCHOOL CARNIVAL

CHECK OUT THIS SLIDE!
HERE I COME!

SWISS DAYS PARADE

WHY IS THIS LADY PAINTING MY FACE?
AND THE RESULTS! CUTE!

6 weeks...or forever...?

2009-09-02T08:38:00.000-07:00

I think we are at about 6 weeks since RJ joined our family. 6 weeks sounds like such a short time, especially when it feels like RJ has been a part of our family forever. It is so absoultely joyous to have him in our family. It is hard to imagine life without RJ in it! The transition has been so natural and so 'easy'. Not that having two kids is necessarily 'easy' - it is definitely more crazy, more busy, more chaos, more exhausting and more fun! Emma and RJ fight just like any brother and sister would...but on the other hand, the first thing Emma sayss every day when I pick her up from preschool is "Where is RJ?" and "when are we going to see him?" They really are very cute together. Emma is now in all-day preschool, four days a week. It makes for an awfully long day and for her, especially with dancing classes and tumbling too...but she likes to be busy and I think it will be a little better for RJ to have some personal time with Grandma and Grandpa. So far, it seems to be working...but we are only a week into it...so we'll see! Here's a few pics of my beauties:

RJ and Grandma

Helping mom make a cake!

First day of preschool - 2009

Home...jetlagged...back to work...and life

2009-08-13T10:37:00.000-07:00

We've been home almost a week now. I am on a regular schedule, but the kids are still adjusting. I have to remind myself it is getting better. Last night it was 11:30 before they finally went to sleep...that's way better than 3:00 or 4:00 a.m....but still after trying for 2 hours, it is a little frustrating...

Already I am back to work...no maternity leave for you when you are self employed. Three weeks in China is more than I could spend not working. I've been blessed that business has survived and that my kids are so happy to be at grandma and grandpa's house...of course, knowing grandma and grandpa, who wouldn't love it! Its a constant party there.

RJ has adjusted beautifully (so far). He gets along with all the family and other than being a little shy around new people, seems to enjoy the attention and all the fun that each new experience brings. We have lots of things to take care of ... doctors, dentists, etc. etc. But all that will come with time. For now I am counting each moment and experience (except the ones at 2 a.m.) as a blessing to treasure!

Here's a few pictures of life at home:

With grandma in my garden, picking tomatoes (even though the garden is at my house, my mom has done it all...and I get to enjoy the fruits - or more accurately, veggies - of her labors)

RJ loves the swings and slide in the backyard!

And the pictures of my almost American boy!

2009-08-05T06:31:00.001-07:00

IT IS FINISHED!!

2009-08-05T06:28:00.001-07:00

At about 4:00 this afternoon I was handed an immigrant visa for my son Robert Joseph Ping Broberg, so that he can enter the United States and become a citizen! After all the worry, panic, tears, frustrations, headaches and heartaches, all the paperwork has been finalized and all that there is left to do is travel home. I am so very grateful.

So one final stretch...we will begin our journey home tomorrow, August 6, at about 11:00 in China. One bus ride, three planes, two shuttles, 16 hours and 45 minutes of flying, 7 hours of layovers, 7760 miles and approximately 27 hours later we will arrive home. I can't wait. OK, that might have been a tad bit sarcastic, but actually I truly can't wait. I am so ready to go home. Three weeks is really too long to travel. Emma has been an amazing little traveler...willing to eat whatever, sleep wherever, and so on. I am very impressed by her. And of course, Mr. Smiles...he is just willing to go with the flow...except if you try to hold him to any seat (high chair, seat belt, on your lap)...he doesn't do confinement...so, that will make for a very interesting flight.

No matter what, exhausted, brusied, a little broken, injured and incoherent....we will be home! I will start counting my blessings now...to help me survive the journey ahead.

Well, off to do a final rearrangement of stuff in the bags...then try to get some rest since I know it is going to be a very long road ahead of me.

Thanks to all of those who have followed along, prayed for us and shared this wonderful journey with us. Your love and support has been felt many times and appreciated constantly.

Aug 4

2009-08-04T01:48:00.000-07:00

We are truly on the countdown now!

Today was the consulate appointment for the adoption agency rep to take our documents to the consulate and get everything ready for our 'oath swearing ceremony' and visa issuance, scheduled for tomorrow. A par for the course there was a potential problem issue with my paperwork...one of the adoption papers from Lanzhou had my old California address on it and the consulate would generally not allow any mistake. But on Monday the adoption agency rep said that she had worked it out, but ended that assurance with: "lets hope they don't change their mind tomorrow." What???!! Anyway, I haven't heard anything for sure still, but it is 4:30, the appointment was this morning, and I think if there was a problem, she would have contacted me by now...at least I would hope so!

Today we went to a Buddhist Temple...the Six Banyan Tree temple. It is the only tourist type outing planned for Guangzhou so I decided we would go. It was pretty nice to do...just the weather as our only enemy. There is a little 'ceremony' performed by a monk where they bless the babies. I think culturally it is a nice event to do.

After we got back we went to lunch with Monica, Eric, Spencer and Sabrina (our friends from New York that we met earlier in Beijing). We decided to try the Cantonese restaurant. Overall since being here on Shamian Island we've just eaten American food, room service or ramen noodles in the room. I thought it might be nice to have a Cantonese meal..however most of the menu was not particularly appetizing. We ended up with one good dish, one acceptable dish, one edible dish and one slimy inedible choice. Not too bad, I guess. The most daring thing we tried...swan. It was o.k. Not something I'd choose again, but sounds impressive to have tried.

Since lunch we've just been at the room...trying to rest. And, I learned that tomorrow I have to switch rooms...for just my last night. What a pain. There is some kind of maintenance thing they are going to do and there will be no air conditioning in this part of the building. It will be worth moving for that! Actually, it might be good, because I can basically get packed up tonight and tomorrow and then have the morning on Thursday to do any last minute shopping. And then we will be heading home!!! Even though I dread the plane rides....I am sooooooo ready and so is Emma. RJ is just going with the flow...but only because he doesn't know how much fun it is going to be to be home with grandma and grandpa and aunt Jan, Austen, the girls, the Campbells and everyone else who is going to just adore him like we do!

Swimming: Round 2

2009-08-04T00:50:00.001-07:00

Red Couch pictures

2009-08-04T00:43:00.003-07:00

My cute kids!

August 3

2009-08-04T00:43:00.001-07:00

What a busy day we had today. First on the docket was our only adoption/visa related thing: the medical check for the visa papers. They first checked RJ's tb test to make sure he hadn't had a reaction...nope, all clear. The medical check really doesn't consist of much: An eyes, ears and nose check. How do they check his hearing? By pounding on a little toy instrument while he is looking somewhere else to see if he turns his head. Check. Then he was weighed and measured...25 lbs and 34 inches, according to their scales and so on. Then I had to answer some questions about his general health and his cleft palate. They measured his head (can't remember that one) and checked out his heart, lets, arms, private parts, etc.....and that was that!

As we walked back, I thought that maybe since we were already out and about, we would try crossing the bridge and going off our little island for a walk down the pedestrian shopping street, which was supposedly about a 10 minute walk. Maybe if you are an adult, without two kids and a stroller and it isn't a thousand degrees with 95% humidity, its a ten minute walk...but for us it took like 30 minutes, felt like an eternity and I was dripping with sweat by . But of course by that time, I wasn't going to just turn around. So, we walked down the street and found the McDonalds (which I though would be a nice cool rest from the blasted heat)...so up the stairs to the 2nd floor (it seems like all the restaurants are always up a flight of stairs). It was terribly crowded, and I didn't notice at first because of the general state of heat stroke I was feeling...but the air conditioning wasn't working. After getting the food, finding a table and sitting down...it dawned on me that I was still dripping with sweat. Of course about that time RJ woke up (he had fallen asleep, probably due to the temperature) and immediately made the sign to go potty...and before I could even stand up to go find a bathroom (which there wasn't one in the McDonalds anyway)...while standing on a chair at the table, he squatted and TADA! There is was again. Hmmmm....now we are in a dilemna...aren't we. So, back into the stroller...with soaking wet pants. I go to find someone to tell them that our 'drink' had spilled and we try to 'enjoy' the experience of McDonalds. Emma of course, who really wanted to go there, didn't have a single bit of her hamburger and my chicken sandwhich was disgusting. Hows that for a positive attitude? But we did enjoy the sprite, WITH ICE! That was the highlight. Then we started back down the street for the return trip. We did stop and shop a little. I bought the kids some Chinese looking outfits and each a pair of sandals. Then it was back up over the thousand stairs...across the bridge over the highway...to the bridge over the water and back to the hotel. How happy I will be to have a car again!

The kids immediately got into the tub, but because it took us so long, we had to hurry and get ready for the famous 'red couch' photo. There is a couch in one of the other hotels nearby where most adoptive families will go to take pictures of the babies of the group and so on. It is always quite an experience, and usually unsuccessful, to get 10 or 12 babies to sit together for a picture without crying, moving, etc. We had no real luck either. RJ sat pretty still, but was distracted by the baby who was screaming sitting next to him. It was really quite funny.

One of the other families who I met in Beijing (and whom I had met via the internet before coming) had a five year old boy. He and Emma had become fast friends in Beijing and were happy to see each other again. His family invited us to come back to the hotel to swim with them. Even though we were tired, Emma really wanted to and it did sound like a nice relief from the heat. We ended up swimming for like three hours. I wasn't sure that RJ would like it, after our first swimming experience. But, he loved it. It was a big outdoor pool, beautiful with a waterfall, warm and a little kiddie pool, that RJ could stand up

in. Once he got his arm floaties on...he was unstoppable. We even went to the deep part and he wasn't afraid to swim out with me holding him. It was a success. Emma of course loves the water and she had a great time. There were a bunch of different adoptive families there with their little ones, and it was nice to get to know some of them and swap some stories.

August 2

2009-08-02T02:43:00.001-07:00

The kids are in the bathtub for the second time today. RJ loves the water and Emma thinks it is fun too. They played for over an hour today and RJ just stripped and took of his clothes a moment ago and went and got in by himself. He loves to turn the water on full blast and just let it run. I have to take the plug out, so it can drain quick enough to allow for him running it full blast. I'm sure we are going to make the hotel go broke for all the water we are using...not very environmentally friendly of us...but, it keeps them entertained for a few hours. And that is pretty great.

We've mostly just stayed in today. It is just too hot...and all there is to do outside is shop or go eat. We did play at the little playground again today, but it was soooo hot, we were all dripping in sweat after about 2 minutes. But Emma has made a little friend and that is nice. So, other than all that, we are just hanging out at the hotel...playing, bathing and trying to survive. Since the pool is much warmer here, I think we will try it again with RJ. I think we will love it under the right conditions.

We had to go out today to get RJ's visa picture taken, but other than that, no adoption work today....just waiting mostly to various paperwork to run its course. The adoption people continue to tell me that there will be no problem with my paperwork from Lanzhou...but it is the weekend and they won't really be able to check with the consulate until tomorrow. Yikes.

.,j n lklklkl lk (that was typed by RJ...brilliant, huh?)

Another bathtub shot

2009-08-01T08:39:00.001-07:00

Here's a shot of my kids...loving the bath...and bubbles!

An ankle comparison

2009-08-01T08:37:00.001-07:00

I know...just what you wanted to see...but don't you feel sorry for me now? This is a side by side of my ankles....Can you guess which one is the one I sprained (or whatever I did to it...just bruised it maybe). Go ahead, feel sympathy for me. Just kidding!

August 1

2009-08-01T08:34:00.003-07:00

The only real event of the day was that RJ had to go to get his TB test for his visa. Even though he has already been tested by the orphanage, the US consulate is now requiring another TB test prior to it issuing a visa. Whatever. Anyway, we walked over with another family who is staying in the same hotel. They have adopted a 9 year old boy. None speak Chinese, and he doesn't speak English. How impressed I am with people's goodness and abilities to open their hearts to children in all circumstances. It was nice to meet them, they told us all about the pool on the roof and said it was just great, warm and fun. We might take another stab at swimming. We'll see.

Anyway, we walked down to the clinic and RJ got his arm injected with the TB test to see if there is a reaction. I was sure that, given his history, he would seem stressed out about being in a hospital setting, but he seemed just fine. Not only that but he didn't even make a sound when they pulled out the needle or injected him! I couldn't believe it.

On the way back from the clinic, we stopped at a little exercise park. It is full of equipment, mostly sized for adults to do various types of exercises. However, Emma found plenty to keep her busy and then, once we found the little slide/climbing set, there was something exciting for RJ to try. At first he wasn't sure, but it took only once and he was hooked on the slide experience! It was a joy to see him slide, laugh and then immediately run for the stairs again. He had such a good time. It is very hot and very humid here and his little cheeks got so red…but he just kept on going. I also met a woman who owns one of the shops that are nearby. Her five year old daughter was playing on the slides as well. She was absolutely amazed that I could speak Chinese. She said that in the five years that she had owned the little shop here that specializes in Chinese tourist type goods and adoption related trinkets, that she had met hundreds of adoptive families, but I was the first ever to speak Chinese. I don't know if that is true…but she really wanted to talk and talk. I was so hot and thirsty…but the kids were happy to play with her daughter and it was nice to visit.

We finally came back to the room and little RJ was so tired, he laid down and immediately fell asleep. Emma played some computer games and I tried to get a little organized. I then started on some laundry and while I was doing it RJ woke up and started playing with the water in the tub. It soon turned into a few hours of water and bubbles for both he and Emma while I did laundry. Again it was a joy to see them having so much fun. They get along great at those times, and just like all siblings, fight equally as often. RJ does not like Emma to touch his head and try to take him places or keep him from things that he isn't supposed to do. He has no trouble screaming at her and trying to shoo her away. She also doesn't have much patience with him when he acts that way and will fight right back. I guess that is healthy. I hope overall they are going to be good friends though.

We went through my paperwork this afternoon with the representative from Holt …no one is too sure whether it is all in order or not because in Lanzhou they used my California address on the adoption registration. I told them that it wasn't my current address like 5 times, but they kept assuring me that is was the one I was supposed to use. But I was not convinced…and the girl today that was reviewing it with me seemed to agree that it probably was wrong. And they would have to send it back to Lanzhou to get it right. Aaargh! She assured me that it wasn't going to hold anything up…but I feel like I can't trust anyone or anything…its been just sooo many problems with my paperwork. Until I am on that plane with my boy, I will be worried!

I guess there isn't much I can do right now. This is when I have to have faith that someone will do the right thing and it will all happen as planned. I sure hope so!

Airplane!

2009-08-01T08:34:00.001-07:00

July 31

2009-08-01T08:29:00.001-07:00

We started out the day as early as we could get through breakfast so we could shop up at the flea market at the old Buddhist temple. We didn't have much time because we were leaving for the airport at 1:00 and we wanted to go get noodles (in the opposite direction) one more time. The main purpose of the flea market was to get chops for some of the Campbells who didn't have chance while in Beijing. But, upon walking around the market, Karen saw an antique xylophone, with a dragon design. I saw that look in her eyes and knew that she would find a way to get it home…and she did. It was very cool.

Anyway, they did find a few other things, but then it was time to get back and get everything packed up and on our way. We had a quiet ride out to the airport, as both kids slept. I was glad to get to watch the countryside of the area where my son has spent his first two years. The hour or so to the airport was filled with small pockets of crumbling homes and neighborhoods, some farm areas and some industrial type plants. The countryside was quite dusty, with brown mountains close behind. Very rural, no indication of modern conveniences, cars, stores, etc. I thought how difficult life must be, even just for survival, just these few miles from the very busy and modern city of Lanzhou.

The Lanzhou airport is rather small, and happily Karen & Matt's gate was the same as our's (they left about 40 minutes before us). So, we got to see them off as they left for Beijing to begin their very long journey home. It was hard to see them go. It has been absolutely wonderful to have them with us. They have helped in so many ways and RJ has grown quite attached to them both. He happily waved bye bye to them as they departed through the door to head to the plane. Just after all the passengers of that flight had boarded, he kept taking my hand, so that we could follow them through the door. He would point to the door and make his little grunts…like, lets go! When he realized that we weren't going to go with Uncle Matt and Aunt Karen, he got a very pained look on his face and cried. It broke my heart. I have shown him lots of pictures since and tried to continue to assure him that we will see them soon. It is sad to see that little face feeling so sad. But we got out the crackers and the toy cars and that helped to dry the tears and pass the time.

I was happy to get onto our flight, which I learned for the first time that it was not a direct flight, but would stop over in Xian. That didn't make me too happy…I didn't need the travel time to be any longer than absolutely necessary. Anyway, the flight to Xian was only about an hour. Low and behold, not only did we stop there, but I had to get off the plane are re-board. That almost put me over the edge…come on! Trying to gather all our gear and get off, then back on…what a pain. Anyway, soon we were on our way to Guangzhou. I learned very quickly that RJ does NOT like being buckled up, in any way, shape or form. Training him to sit in a car seat is going to be a real challenge. Mostly he was o.k. on my lap, but did insist on walking up and down the aisle a couple of times. Emma slept through a good portion of the flight, which was great. Our biggest incident was when dinner came, but RJ wouldn't sit at his own seat, but only on my lap. So trying to manage the food and drinks and my son must have been such a sight. Unfortunately, RJ loves to drink! I didn't use my best judgment and had the flight attendant leave another cup full of orange drink for us. Soon, the entire cup of juice ended up on my and RJ's laps. A lot of it also spilled directly onto my shoes, which were off…nice and squishy and sticky when I put them back on. I just prayed for the next two hours that my pants would dry enough that I didn't look like I had an accident…especially because there was really no where to go, so I had to just keep sitting in the wet seat. Lovely. It was a true initiation to traveling with my two kids. I hope I learned a few lessons for the big day of travel ahead.

We got into our hotel in Guangzhou at about 9:30 p.m. and were so happy to see such a lovely room in the 'original' section of the hotel (which has been renovated and is really nice)…a huge king size bed and a little separate seating area. I really like the Victory Hotel. This is the same place that we stayed when we were here for Emma's adoption. Most families stay at the White Swan, but this hotel is half the price, has soft beds (unlike the White Swan, as well as most of the rest of China's hotels) and are much bigger in size. Other than apparently the lovely breakfast buffet at the White Swan, this is a much better choice…and the breakfast here isn't too bad anyway. So, here I am in the middle of this huge bed with my two precious children sleeping soundly on either side of me. Aaaah, heaven.

At the park

2009-08-01T08:28:00.001-07:00

Sorry that this picture is sideways...I have a few posting issues from China and can't seem to fix it right now. I'll try again later.

July 30

2009-08-01T08:25:00.000-07:00

Today was a free day to do as we pleased…not really any different from any other day, but Kaige wasn't going to check in with me until about 5:00, at which time she would bring RJ's Chinese Passport and all the adoption documents. Karen was sick with a bit of a flu or cold or something, so she needed some rest and some peace and quiet. I decided that I wanted to venture out and find a famous Lanzhou park/Buddhist temple/Zoo. I figured that now was as good a time as any to see how I could handle two kids on my own. So, with my increasingly swollen ankle, stroller and kids in tow…we climbed into a taxi to take us to WuChuan park. The taxi (which cost only 7 yuan – about a dollar) dropped us off off in front of a big plaza that looked like many shops, but not much like a park…but I figured I could go check it out. Emma had the first turn in the stroller, but mostly had to be out, because there was like a million stairs. I kept climbing stairs thinking "there better be a park up here after all this sweat and trouble." At the first landing were a bunch of individual 'stands' of people setting up pyramids of cans for someone to throw a ball at….like at the fair or something. I tried to navigate around, but RJ still managed to knock down a tower of cans before I could catch him. We crossed a bridge, again where there were lots of people selling trinkets and junk, mostly…although Emma and RJ were both fascinated by the little tiny turtles…I guess on sale as pets. I don't know for sure.

Finally we reached the park entrance. The park was humongous. Really lovely and seemed like a wonderful place if you just wanted to stroll and relax. But we were looking for the zoo…which there didn't seem to be any signs for …and I couldn't remember how to say zoo in Chinese. So, I picked a path and up we went and around…into the Buddhist temple, got stuck in there, and back down. I was beginning to think we would never find it…but we did eventually get on the right path. Of course I was exhausted by that point, but I am glad we found it. It was the kind of zoo that makes adults sad, but the kids didn't seem to mind…the kind of small empty cages, cement floors with the animals pacing back and forth…the kind we used to see when we were kids. Anyway, the most amazing thing about this zoo is the lack of restriction. There is definitely no ' Don't Feed the Bears' policy…for the bears or any of the other animals. The bears were obviously used to people feeding them, as they would look up from their pit and wait for food from the crowd. Even the animals in the cages, if you could reach over the little barrier and get food through the cage wire, they would just wait for it. I couldn't believe a kid of about 9 or so leaning over the little railing and putting crackers on to the tongue of a small bear. Emma and RJ loved feeding the deer and goats.

Overall, the zoo was a success. Only one melt down from RJ when Emma got into the stroller and I guess he had decided that it was all his turn. Boy was he mad at her! The boy definitely has some fire and strong will in him.

When we got back to the hotel, it was about 2:30, I was hungry and so was Matt. Karen still wasn't feeling well, so she said I could leave the kids to nap while Matt and I walked back to the yummy noodle place. That sounded good…so we headed off…only to find that it was closed. I guess it is just open for lunch! Darn. So we went back to the hotel for a bowl of noodles. Not quite as yummy, but still good.

We all then walked up to the pedestrian shopping street a few blocks up from the hotel. Mostly just 'regular' shops – clothes, cosmetics, etc., but kind of in the middle is an old Buddhist temple that is now a flea market, mostly chops, calligraphy and antiques. We got there a little late and most of the vendors were gone, but we knew that there was enough stuff we were interested in that we would come back in the morning before we had to leave for the airport.

Our final stop was at a favorite restaurant that we have found here in Lanzhou called Pizza Mira. Yep, pizza in China…and it isn't half bad! The best part? It's the only place that I've ever found in China with all you can drink fountain drinks with ICE! Of course, no diet coke…but still cold drinks…as much as we want! Pretty amazing.

We then went back to the hotel to pack our bags. It was a disaster for me. I was trying to consolidate into just one bag, but I have way too much stuff, even with Karen and Matt taking a good chunk of my stuff…I couldn't put it all into one bag and still be under the per person weight limit for a domestic flight in China. RJ was totally wired. I couldn't get him to settle down, even way after Emma fell to sleep…he figured out how to climb out of his crib and then he would run around, pulling stuff out of my luggage, or pushing the buttons on the safe, or playing with the toilet handle, or turning the t.v. on and off, or picking up the phone and pushing buttons…etc. etc. It was after midnight when I finally gave up and just laid down next to him so that he would go to sleep! He is one BUSY boy! He is happy, sweet and doesn't say much…but he is so curious and so into everything! I hope my house will be miraculously child proofed when I get home. Ha Ha!

July 29

2009-07-29T11:32:00.001-07:00

Today we went out and saw a few sights around town. It started with a stop outside the Zhenglin seed factory. That was the sight of where RJ was found at just 2 days old. It is a difficult piece of history to face, but I think it is important as we start to piece his story together for him…even the painful parts. Someday he may want to know about his life before he became part of my family...and these things are a part of that life. The seed factory was on a busy street. His papers say that a policeman found him near inside the back door by an abandoned house. I wonder if his birth father worked at the factory or if his birth mother lived nearby. There were some very tall apartments nearby, but also some very worn down brick huts. Of course they might not have lived close by at all, but because RJ was only about 2 days old at the time he was found and the likelihood that they would have been quite poor, they probably couldn't have come from too far away.

After that painful dose of reality, we went to the nearby water wheel park. It goes along the famous Yellow River, which runs all the way through Lanzhou. The park has many water wheels that replicate those along the Yellow River used for farming. They are quite amazing, although none of them were 'on' as we were at the park. It was a lovely walk and really nice to see a little bit of Lanzhou city. Then we went for a meal at a restaurant near the hotel. On our way back to the hotel, I promised Emma I would buy her a popsicle. So, at the first little vendor on the street I saw, I decided to just run over so I wouldn't slow the group up. Just as I was approaching the little ice cream stand, I missed a step down on the uneven sidewalk, I felt my ankle twist under me…and down I went….all the way. I was certain I sprained my ankle, but after I sat on the curb for a minute, I realized that I would be able to walk on it…even though it was already swollen and hurt like crazy. I limped back to the hotel, and put it up while we all napped…hoping that it was not sprained. How would I ever manage with my two kids if I had a sprained ankle? Although it is swollen and a bit bruised, I have been able to walk almost normally on it, so I think all will be well.

Anyway, after our nap, which we have all come to enjoy quite a lot, I decided that we should try the pool. Emma loves to swim…and I figured RJ would too. The pool at the hotel was not very nice and it was very crowded. We had quite an audience of observers watching our every move. We got ready, swim caps (required in all the pools in China) and arm floaties and all. Emma started in first…it was cold she said. I thought, I'll just dip RJ in from the side to get him used to the water. Maybe it was the cold water…but boy did he hate it. So, then I got in and thought maybe if I was in there and held him as we played that he might like it. But no such luck. He hated everything about it and screamed and fought to get out. So, swimming for the first time was a loser…but at least we tried. Poor thing, he seemed quite traumatized. But he recovered quickly. He is so good natured and easy going.

Only one more full day in Lanzhou, then off to Guangzhou for a week. We are already ready to go home. Emma often says she misses her home and friends. She has done so great for these two weeks, but we will definitely be anxious to get home.

Just a few more pictures

2009-07-28T08:16:00.000-07:00

I didn't get a chance to write this afternoon while the kids were sleeping and now its after 11:00 and I'm too tired to write anything...so I will just post some more photos...since that is what you want to see most anyway. Right?

Sister and brother

2009-07-28T08:13:00.000-07:00

Making it official

2009-07-27T08:12:00.001-07:00

This morning was really insightful and sweet, but so sad too. We had the meeting with the orphanage director, civil affairs bureau officer, notary, adoption facilitator, etc. It is kind of the formal meeting where all the official adoption documents are signed and finalized. It isn't really much ceremony, mostly just paperwork and some exchanging of gifts. We all went down to a little office room in the hotel and all the officials met there. It was very convenient. RJ and I didn't really do anything, except every once in a while, I would have to sign another paper. RJ was happy playing with a little toy that I had taken for him. Emma was playing too, although not nearly as quietly, of course. At one point near the end, after I had inked my thumbprint onto several documents and RJ did his right foot…Emma and Matt went out because Emma wanted to play. Suddenly RJ began sobbing. He put his arms around my neck and his head buried in my shoulder and hung on for dear life. His crying kind of shocked us all because we hadn't heard him hardly whimper, let alone these deep sobbing cries. Everyone thought that he was crying because Emma had just left the room. But I think it was because we had just kind of moved around a bit and I think RJ noticed that the director of the orphanage was in the room. I'm not saying the orphanage director is a bad person. I'm sure he is not…but, I do think that RJ had seen him there and was afraid that he would be taking him away again. Just four days earlier RJ had been taken from his foster family's home and returned to the orphanage to await this adoption, per orphanage policy. I am certain this had been very traumatic for him. This stress seemed to be just too much for him to bear and he would not look at anyone, he kept his head buried into my neck and cried and cried. I kept assuring him that he was staying with me, but he would not be consoled. We did our best to exchange gifts, I even tried to set him down once or hand him to Aunt Karen, so that I could properly accept a beautiful ceramic pot from the orphanage, but RJ clung to my neck tightly and hung on for dear life. We then had to take some pictures and exchange more gifts and so on before we could go. At that point I couldn't get out of that room fast enough. I could see, hear and feel the stress that my son was experiencing and it was so painful. It wasn't until the five of us were back in the elevator and the door closed that he started to calm down and stop the crying. What pain my sweet little boy has experienced in his short little life, I can't even begin to imagine. I just hope and pray that I will help to heal and ease those painful times and provide the security and peace that he so deserves. He is such a beautiful spirit and so very special, I believe not only to me, but to the angels and a loving Heavenly Father who, for purposes which I do not know, has led all of us down these both painful and blessed paths that now have joined together.

A Champion!

2009-07-27T07:59:00.001-07:00

Once RJ settled into sleep our first night, he did well, sleeping until after 7:00 the next morning. But once he woke up he was restless, clearly needing to go potty. However, I am trying to figure out how this whole potty thing works here. Children don't use diapers, but wear split pants, so they start potty training very early. RJ definitely is potty trained, but I don't know how to facilitate it, Chinese style. I brought diapers, pull-ups and underpants. The underpants will work fine, if I can figure out exactly how to help him. He has pointed or taken my hand to the potty every time he has needed to use it, but pretty much once he steps foot inside the bathroom door, he squats and squirts. That would make sense, if he were wearing split pants…but he isn't. So, we went through two pairs of underpants, just trying to make it all the way to the potty. Now I am taking them off in advance, and also trying to just go in regularly, so it isn't an emergency. How fabulous it will be if I can stay the course and teach him that potty is not just making it to the hole in the bathroom floor, but actually getting to the potty…to have him already trained at 2 and a half would be terrific. He hates wearing pull-ups, but he will put up with the underpants. Perhaps we will have to call him Captain Underpants!

Anyway, so far that is the biggest adjustment we are trying to figure out together. In every other way he seems to just have a 'go with the flow' attitude. He is so pleasant. Well, there might be one thing that he takes very seriously and I already see that you don't get in his way of…FOOD. The boy is a champion eater. I haven't found anything yet he isn't too fond of…except maybe an oreo cookie. This afternoon he ate a huge bowl of noodles with dumplings and cabbage, then came back to the hotel, ate a package of peanut butter crackers (6 total), a box of raisins, a nectarine, an asian pear, a baggie full of cheerios and a chewy granola bar. I don't want him to get sick, but he sure seems like he is able to handle it. At two and a half he is already better with chopsticks than most people I know!

HERE HE IS!

2009-07-26T09:54:00.001-07:00

Well, now the big day has come and gone. It was surprisingly calm and easy. The flight to Lanzhou went smoothly…well, the check in and so on did…the flight was actually quite turbulent, then we got off the plane and were immediately met by our guide, Kaige. She is a Holt employee and actually runs the foster care program for the Lanzhou orphanage and another nearby city's orphanage…about 110 children currently under her organization. How thrilled I was to learn that R.J. was a part of her foster care organization, and so she knew him personally. During the bus ride from the airport to the city center she was able to tell me many things about R.J. and his foster family and his life over the past two years. What a blessing to get to talk to someone who has known him personally.

We got to the hotel at about 3:00 and were told that he would arrive around 3:30! We got checked in, took our bags up to the room and by the time all that was done, we were told R.J. was in the lobby!

We immediately went down to meet him. There he was, just sitting on the woman from the orphanage's lap, eating a sucker. Emma got to him first and then he came to me without making any sound. He was very calm, or maybe in shock, not sure what was going on. We played a little bit there on the floor of the hotel lobby. Then there was a little paperwork to do. Karen, Matt and Emma just played with R.J. We had taken a few toys from the room, plus he had the little toy truck that I had arranged through a service (Red Thread China) to have sent to him. I was told that it was against the orphanage policy to give the children personal toys or to take pictures from a disposable camera that I had also had sent to the orphanage so that they might take some pictures of him for a bit of a record of his life. Nevertheless, there he was, happily playing trucks with Emma and running around. He was very quiet throughout. No cries or anything. It was not what I was expecting, even though I didn't know what to expect! I thought there would be some kind of outward indication of trauma or something. But there was none.

After I finished the intial paperwork, we went back to the room and played some more. He was delighted with building towers from the stacking cups I brought and he loved rolling a little ball. He and Emma got along great so far. He laughed a little bit as they played, but was overall quiet as could be.

We were then whisked away to get some pictures taken that are necessary for the adoption paperwork. Then we were on our own to find dinner. We walked down the street but really didn't find much and ended up in a restaurant that none of us really liked much…except R.J. The boy is a great eater…even though he is quiet small and thin…he had no trouble with any of the food and probably would have kept eating all night if we would have let him. He especially seemed to enjoy the Sprite. He would drink, then wiggle up his face when the bubbles of the carbonation set in to tickle him. He was delighted with dinner and with his bath afterwards. The hotel we are in doesn't have bath tubs in the rooms, but they supplied us with a little tub that we put on the floor of the shower. Emma even enjoyed a little bath in it!

Emma and R.J. played some more, until I finally insisted that they lay down. Both went to sleep quite easily, but R.J. has been restless, crying some, seeminingly quite uncomfortable with the circumstances of his new sleeping arrangements. We tried the crib, but ultimately now he is sleeping next to Emma. I am quite tired and as soon as I finish posting this, will go to bed, with him next to me. Hopefully that will ease his little spirit enough so that he can sleep.

It was an exciting day, but really quite calm. I was not the emotional wreck I expected to be…just very peaceful and happy. How blessed we are!

One More Day!

2009-07-25T08:51:00.001-07:00

Just one more day until we meet our beautiful boy. I am so very excited and ready. But pretty scared too. It is going to be a huge adjustment for all of us. I hope I am ready for the task.

Emma and I needed to got to an orientation meeting today presented by my adoption agency. I felt adventurous and decided to take the Subway. That was new for me. I hadn't ever done that here...but I figured I had done it in other places and it couldn't be too hard. And it wasn't, it was actually very easy. Fun advenure.

At the meeting, they talked about the adoption process and so on. But the best part was that we got new pictures of RJ. They were taken just recently and were so cute. Showed him walking, with the help of some other kids. All of them were smily and so on. I took a picture of the pictures to post here…obviously that is not going to give you the best quality of prints, but still I wanted to share.

July 24

2009-07-25T08:50:00.001-07:00

We took a pretty slow day today…just walked around the streets near the hotel. We went up to the Lama Temple, didn't go in, but did do some shopping. The vendor lady was so funny. It was great to bargain with her…and she would just laugh at us. In the evening we ventured out to a restaurant near the hotel, no English speakers, no English menu, just me and my not so terriffic Chinese. But I did o.k. and we ended up eating a pretty delicious meal…nothing weird, no pig intestines or cockroaches or anything…just yummy food. I was happy that I still have some ability to speak the language!

July 23

2009-07-23T08:27:00.002-07:00

Rickshaw (Hutong) tour

Giant Pandas

Confucian temple

Bye Bye to Campbell kids :(

July 22

2009-07-23T08:27:00.001-07:00

Terra Cotta Factory

Terra Cotta Soldiers site

Hot Springs

Dumpling dinner

Overnight train back to Beijing

July 21

2009-07-23T08:15:00.001-07:00

Xi'an city wall

Exhausted.

Hotel, swim and REST

July 20

2009-07-23T08:09:00.001-07:00

Bird's Nest, Water Cube (Olympics 2008 sites)

Temple of Heaven

Silk Factory

Acrobat Show

Overnight Train to Xi'an

July 18

2009-07-23T07:50:00.000-07:00

Arrive in China

Tiananmen Square

Forbidden City

HOT

Half a million people in Tiananmen?? Probably

Blisters on Feet

Humid

Exhausted!!

Is anyone out there?

2009-07-23T05:29:00.001-07:00

I've been having some blogging issues...but hopefully this will resolve some of them. So, this is a test. Here are a few pictures from our first few days.

So far so good

2009-07-19T06:13:00.000-07:00

Well, we arrived safely in Beijing...after a very long day of travel...but we didn't get stopped by any quarantine issues or anything! We did have to stop in our hotel lobby today and get our temperature read before we could be cleared. Apparently we all passed...I guess. At least our guide seemed to think so.

It is blasted hot and humid in Beijing. Our first day, we arrived into China at 5:20 a.m....so, we couldn't check into the hotel yet and we just figured we would go and jump into the sightseeing. I'm not sure that was such a good idea. It was so hot and we just walked and walked and walked...sweat dripping, exhausted, jet lag setting in...and because it was Saturday in China is was soooo crowded. I swear there must have been a million people in line in Tiananmen Square waiting to go into Chairman Mao's mausoleum. Boy did I wish that I had brought a stroller with me...or insisted on stopping to get one before heading to Tiananmen and the Forbidden City. It was sooo hot and Emma just couldn't walk it...so me or one of my nephews ended up carrying her. We all were extremely grateful for a bed when we got home...and mostly slept from early evening until this morning. That was great for jet lag. I don't feel the effects at all today. I'm exhausted, but I think it is from walking and heat.

Today was a trip to the Great Wall, pearl factory, jade factory, cloissone factory and the Summer Palace. Again...lots of walking. But it was hazy/fog all day, so that made a huge difference with the heat, I'm happy to say. We had a great time at the wall. Some of the young and strong hiked quite a ways up...but not me. With the 400 or so stairs I took, that was enough hiking for me. Emma sure had fun, as I took a bubble blower thing. Watching her dance around amidst the bubbles on the great wall was wonderful. A really once in a lifetime event.

Now I am tired and I'm going to shower, tend to my 4 blisters and go to bed so I can be ready for another full day of adventure tomorrow. We sightsee for most of the day, then tomorrow night we get on a sleeper train and head to Xian for two days. Sounds fun!

My Grateful Spirit Sings

2009-07-16T11:10:00.000-07:00

Unexpectedly I received the following email this morning from the Salt Lake City office regarding my USCIS update.

"I have approved your changes and I am sending you the notice from our office and forwarding the Visa to the NVC. ... Good luck with going forward with your adoption. I wish you the best."

In other words, it appears that overall, the crisis has in essence resolved and I can go on to China without this burden weighing on me constantly. I am so grateful that I went forward with my plans.

The congressman's office, the wonderful and angelic Ashley, here in Utah has been a lifesaver. Congressman Matheson get my vote forever!

So it appears that all my original plans are a safe go ahead and I will be meeting up with my Holt adoption group for orientation on the 25th of July as scheduled.

Thanks to all of your prayers and thoughts. This stressful time has been a real test and had many discouraging moments...but I am so grateful to a loving Heavenly Father and Savior who continue to bless me and work miracles in my life.

come what may...

2009-07-15T16:33:00.001-07:00

Come what may, Emma and I are getting on a plane tomorrow to begin this adventure in China.

The "pre-adoption trip" with my sister Karen's family will begin Friday morning on our 1:40 a.m. flight to China and go through July 23rd.

July 24th starts my official adoption trip with a little orientation conducted by my agency on the 25th

On July 26th I will be in Gansu province picking up my boy!

Other than the still unresolved nightmare USCIS issue with the addendum/updated I-171H (see the previous posts, if you don't know what I'm talking about), we are pretty much ready to go!

I am going on faith that the USCIS problem will be resolved by August 5th. I am leaving many phone numbers and all my paperwork with my sister Jan to champion the USCIS problem from the US. I have arranged for multiple sources of communication with the states and I am putting a great deal of faith into dear Ashley at Congressman Matheson's office. She has been my source of hope this week, as she has contacted USCIS officers, congressional workers and so on, to get this pushed through by August 5th. She has been hopeful....so I am trying to be hopeful as well.

Oh, and of course quarantines still remain a real possibility too. Aaaaah the "adventure"

It remains to be seen what exactly will happen...but....

COME WHAT MAY...I WILL BE ONE STEP CLOSER TO BRINGING MY BOY HOME....

And that is what keeps me looking forward!

WELL SOMEBODY HAS TO DO IT!

2009-07-13T14:56:00.000-07:00

I've just finished my second addendum/update interview with an angel of a social worker who drove clear here from Ogden (five hours)...do complete a 'new' update to my homestudy. She believes she can get it done, approved by Holt and back to me before I leave for China. So, that is some good progress.

However, on to the USCIS issue....
On Friday the Los Angeles USCIS office (where my paperwork/file was originally processed) told me that because I now lived in Utah they couldn't do my update, so they would have to send the file to Salt Lake City. The officer told me that she did that on Friday. I then sent an urgent plea to the Salt Lake City USCIS office to please expedite my update so that I would know that it would work out for my travel dates. Today I received an email from Salt Lake...no, they can't help me because Los Angeles is supposed to do it and they should not send the file. So, I called Los Angeles...Nope, she said, we don't have jurisdiction, Salt Lake has to do it, besides, the file has already been sent. So right now, I can't even ask any office to rush the process, because no one will take responsibility for it! I have now called my congressman, Matheson's, office. Ashley who deals with these issues for the congressman has promised to make contact with the two USCIS offices to try to get someone to take responsibility...then, we will work on getting the update! Oh, the fun never ends.

Test of Faith

2009-07-08T14:02:00.000-07:00

I suppose it would really be too much to ask to just be able to get excited about our trip to China in 8 days....every day actually is bringing new stress....and new tests of faith.

For the past month or so, I have been fearful of the fact that in China they are still coming on to every plane and taking every passenger's temperature. If you are within 3 rows of anyone with a temperature, you get quarantined for 7 days while they see if you have the swine flu. This has happened to at least two adoptive families that I know of...probably more, but they aren't blogging all the time. Anyway, yesterday it was announced that China would be relaxing its policies regarding the quarantine. Not that the possibility is totally eliminated, but....a least less threatening. That was a big boost to ease some stress about the trip....

Then at about 3:00 yesterday, when in speaking with a representative from my adoption agency, I learned that I may not actually be able to get RJs visa on the date scheduled because the US consulate is implementing a new policy. The following is the extent of what the policy is:

Information regarding Home Study Addendums
Please note: if there have been any major changes to the adopting parents’ circumstances since the most recent I-600A approval, or if the child to be adopted does not meet the criteria as shown on the current I-600A approval notice (for example, they were approved for a healthy child but are now adopting a special needs child, or they were approved for a child under 18 months and are adopting a four-year old), the parents must contact USCIS for an updated I-600A approval notice. Failure to ensure a valid I-600A approval prior to travel could lead to significant delays in issuance of the child’s visa.

Let me tell you what that means. In most cases, before a person is able to adopt internationally they must get pre-approval from the U.S. Citizens and Immigration Service (USCIS). This is the agency that deals with immigration issues (and we all know how messed up that system is....just to give you some background with where I am going with this).

The pre-approval form is the I-600a. You go through a process of a home study, fingerprinting, criminal background checks, etc. etc....when you have all that paperwork together you submit it along with the I-600a. The USCIS then determines whether you are 'qualified' to adopt a child from abroad. You have to get this pre-qualification before you can send your request to China to be matched with a child. The pre-qualification only lasts 18 months. If you don't finalize an adoption within those 18 months, you either have to file a renewal or start the process over.

Well, since China is taking so long in getting 'healthy' infants placed with families, I've already renewed once and got a second pre-approval in July of 2008. Then in March, I changed my focus a little from what is known as a non-special needs child to a special needs, this sped up the process for me considerably. I was matched with wonderful RJ! However, RJ is a different 'category' of child than what my home study states that I am approved for (a healthy infant girl, between 9-18 months).

So, I have to do what is called an addendum. A social worker has to review your info, and the things that have changed and write an addition to your home study. OK. No big deal. Done. Well, in the past, when you had to have an addendum, you could just take that hard copy to China, present it to the consulate and they would process your adoption application based on your pre-approval, plus this new information that still includes a recommendation for you to adopt, but just that the circumstances have changed a little.

Now, all of a sudden, like as of this week, you can't just show up with your addendum. According to the consulate, now you have to get your pre-approval updated with the addendum information. In other words, I have to send it back to the USCIS office here in the US, have them approve it, then they send it to the National Visa Center, then the National Visa Center send the information that you have been pre-approved on to the consulate in Guangzhou. Well, all that would be great....except that process could take anywhere from 6 weeks to 3 months!

My consulate date is set for August 5. My tickets are purchased. My adoption date is set. My sister's family vacation (7 people) to China is planned....tickets purchased, tours arranged....the works....all based on that August 5th date. If my now newly required pre-approval isn't in China by that date, I won't be able to bring RJ home. I might be stuck in China for weeks...months....who knows? If the consulate really is enforcing this, I just don't see any way that I will be able to get it done before I leave. I have called the USCIS office in L.A. I have emailed. No reply. The addendum will be in FedEx today to them...but I don't know if they will even bother looking at it, since my file is in L.A. (that is where my pre-approval was done, initially) and the local office where I am 'supposed' to file is in Salt Lake. To have to get through at least two, maybe three, federal government offices before the approval gets to China is just not likely to happen in less than a month, I am afraid to say. I haven't called my senator, yet....but I will.

I am beyond concerned.

FLY, FLY, FLY!

2009-07-02T11:14:00.000-07:00

Well, the tickets are purchased and the itineraries are coming together. It has been a long week in making all the right arrangements...but we are almost there, so that I can focus on other things to get ready! So here is the plan:

We begin our journey on July 16th in the late afternoon from St. George to Las Vegas to catch our first flight: Las Vegas to LAX.

We then meet up with the Campbell family (all 7 of them!) at LAX

Together we will take our long flight LA to Beijing - leaving at 1:40 a.m. on the morning of the 17th and arriving in Beijing a day later on the 18th at 5:20 a.m. (the flight is about 12 hours, but with the time change and all, we lose a full day)

We will have some fun tourist time in Beijing for about 3 days (18-21)

Then, I think, a trip to Xian (where the famous terra cotta soldiers are) for 2 days then back to Beijing to see the Campbell kids off on a flight back to the USA on July 23rd.

The rest of us: me, Emma, Karen and Matt, will have one 'free day' in Beijing before I meet up wtih the other adoptive families from my agency for orientation on July 25th.

The next day we fly off to Lanzhou in Gansu province....and that same day we will meet RJ!!!!

We will stay in Lanzhou for about a week completing the adoption and waiting for RJ's chinese passport.

On July 31st (Happy Birthday Jan!) we fly out again - Karen and Matt will fly back to Beijing to catch their flight home; and Emma, RJ and I will fly to Guangzhou in southern China to complete the visa paperwork.

August 6th is our final day of flights. We start in the afternoon and fly from Guangzhou to Beijing (3 hour flight), have a layover of about 4 hours then fly from Beijing to Los Angeles (12 hours), then have a short layover (hopefully enough time to get through customs and change terminals) and fly from Los Angeles to Las Vegas (1 1/2 hours). Hopefully someone will pick up three weary travelers from the airport...and drive us another 2 hours home. That day is going to be an adventure...and a real test of my will and strength as a single mom of two - a 2 year old and a 4 year old. Pray for me!

ADOPTION DATES CONFIRMED!

2009-06-24T11:13:00.000-07:00

JUST GOT WORD FROM MY AGENCY THAT THE DATES FOR MY ADOPTION IN CHINA AND APPOINTMENTS TO GET RJ'S VISA ARE CONFIRMED AS FOLLOWS:

Beijing arrival : 24 July
Holt orientation : 25 July
Date to province (and meet RJ): 26 July
Guangzhou Arrival (for the US visa paperwork): 31 July
U.S. consulate visa appointment: 4 August
Visa issued: 5 August

Now, it is time to firm up flight plans...for the family vacation and all else!

YIPEEE!

TRAVEL APPROVAL

2009-06-18T14:00:00.000-07:00

I JUST RECEIVED AN EMAIL FROM MY AGENCY STATING THAT OUR 'TRAVEL APPROVAL' HAS ARRIVED!!!

This is the final document that we wait for to come from China before my agency can finalize the actual travel date, adoption date, consulate appointment for a visa and so on!!!

The travel days will be based on when we can get an 'interview' time at the US consulate for RJ's visa. From there, they will count back days for the other dates that must occur first: the ADOPTION, getting RJ's Chinese passport, conducting the required medical exam, filling out paperwork, etc. etc. The US consulate in Guangzhou is closed tomorrow, so the agency won't be able to make firm dates until early next week. But they said that travel should be expected to be mid-July!

This will be interesting. My sister Karen is planning a big family vacation around these adoption dates. The plan is for her family (7 of them) and Austen (my nephew) and me and Emma to all go for an extra week to China, the week before I am needed there for the adoption. Then all the kids will come home and I will stay for the 'adoption trip' - along with Emma, of course, and Karen and Matt. Besides the fact that it will give us only like 2 weeks to prepare...the most 'interesting' part is that Eric, Karen's son, is still on his mission in Arkansas - until July 14.....hmmmmm. We are just having to take it one day at a time....and figure it out!

I'm so excited though. I will have RJ in my arms in about a month!!!! I simply can't believe it.

The Timeline to RJ

2009-06-08T09:50:00.001-07:00

Some have inquired regarding the adoption process and time frames involved, and how it compares to Emma's adoption timeline.

As you will see from the process below, intercountry adoption is not for the impatient or those who can not tolerate red-tape! Much of the process, especially the unknown waiting period (which has now been over 2 years for me) is a big pain...but then again, I shouldn't complain... I'm told the childbirth process is pretty uncomfortable...so, I guess it all evens out ...ha, ha!

So, here's a little recap of the journey (so far) to RJ. You will see that there are four basic entities involved in this process. Here is a list to keep them all straight:

Adoptive Parent (that's ME!)
Holt International (that's my adoption agency)
USCIS - the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (the government agency that allows for intercountry adoptions and controls the staus of the adopted child - to become citizens, permanent residents, etc.)
CCAA - the China Center of Adoption Affairs (the central Chinese govt. entity that approves and processes adoptions of Chinese citizens)

June, 2006 An agency (not the one I used for Emma's adoption) calls to find out if I am still interested in pursuing an adoption because my name (which was place on their waiting list more than two years ago), has nearly reached the top of the single's waiting list. Of course I tell them YES...I want to do another adoption. They tell me that they will be in touch a little closer to the end of the year, but that they just wanted to update their information on the waiting list. There is a limit on the quota of how many singles can adopt per agency per year. They anticipate having a singles slot for me in early 2007.

July, 2006 Another agency, Holt, calls also to let me know that my spot on their single's waiting list is coming up in the next few months. Cool. Now I have a choice of agencies. I will need to decide before the end of the year.

August 15, 2006 Holt contacts me with urgent news saying that they have just learned that China is not going to be accepting single applicants at all beginning January 1, 2007. However, if I want to rush...and I can get my documents submitted by early December, they will have a single slot available for me and I will be able to get my application to China before they cut off single applicants. So, I contact Agency #1 (which is the agency I want to go with) to ask them about this policy. They don't know anything about it yet. They definitely have a spot available for me - but it won't be open until early in 2007. Out of an abundance of caution that the policy might come into effect, I choose to go with Holt, since I can start the process right away and can for sure get my papers in before the CCAA decides not to take more single applicants (if that even happens).

August 17, 2006 Send initial application to agency.

August 21, 2006 Do fingerprints (for criminal records check), send request for certified birth certificate copy, sign employment verification authorization

August, 2006 Get three letters of reference from friends stating that I am a great adoptive parent applicant!

August 23, 2006 FedEx various information forms, criminal record statement, financial statement and other information to Agency

August 30, 2006 Medical exam to assure that I meet the requirements imposed by the CCAA for an adoptive parent.

August 31, 2006 Receive notice of completion from Agency of the "formal application phase". Now I am ready to begin the Home Study phase (once pre-payment is received, of course!)

September 1, 2006 Go to L.A. Police Department and get a clearance letter stating that I have no criminal history.

September 1, 2006 First meeting with Social Worker, Ilana, at her office

September 2, 2006 Second meeting with Social Worker.

September 7, 2006 Submit, in person, at the Los Angeles USCIS office the I-600A (the application for the intercountry adoption).

September 7, 2006 Do fingerprints for USCIS approval

September 11, 2006 Home visit by Social Worker

September 6, 2006 Send Birth Certificate to Idaho Secretary of State for authentication

September 11, 2006 Send Birth Certificate to U.S. Dept. of State for authentication

September 7, 2006 Send Guardianship letter to Arizona Sec. of State for authentication

September 7, 2006 Send Home Study to CA Sec. of State for authentication

September 20, 2006 Submit birth certificate to Chinese Embassy for final authentication

October 5, 2006 Send USCIS Form I-171H (Notice of Approval of Advance Processing) to CA Sec. of State for authentication

October 6, 2006 Receive official word that the restriction against singles will not be implemented by January 1st...so no need to worry or rush. However, since I am already so far into it....I just keep plugging along at lightning speed!

October 25, 2006 Submit all documents to Chinese Consulate for final authentication

November 3, 2006 Submit all documents - the "Dossier" to Holt for review and to send to the CCAA!

November 10, 2006 Dossier shipped from Holt to CCAA in Beijing!

November, 2006 Received "brown envelope" from US Consulate in Guangzhou China (basically all the immigration documents that I will need to submit at the time of adoption)

December 8, 2006 Receive email indicating that after May 1, 2007, no more single applications will be accepted. Of course my application is already on its way...so I should be OK!

December 13, 2006 Logged in to the CCAA system in China

January 22, 2008 Interview with Social Worker for Home Study update (because the first one is expiring - they only last 18 months)

March 19, 2008 Submit renewal I-600A

April 23, 2008 Fingerprint appointment for USCIS renewal application

April 23, 2008 Received notice that CCAA had completed its review of all dossiers logged in before December 31, 2006. In other words, they have looked at my file and I passed all the requirements...now I just have to wait for a referral!

July 2, 2008 Refingerprinted because first attempt failed

July, 2008 Received notice of approval I-171H (valid until January 2010, Fingerprints valid until October 1, 2009)

November, 2008 After a two year wait from the time of log in with the CCAA, (with Emma the wait was about 7 months) I begin to consider the option of a "China Child of Promise" or, in other words, a child with minor correctable medical needs that classify them as harder to place for adoption

March 6, 2009 Submit Medical Checklist - indicating conditions that I would consider for acceptance of a referral

March 26, 2009 Receive a call from Brian at Holt that I have a possible referral....and do I want to see the picture. OF COURSE! I fall in love with RJ Ping's beautiful face.

March 27, 2009 Send my Letter of Intent to Holt to send on to CCAA. It is the letter that indicates that I want to pursue an adoption of this beautiful little boy.

May 26, 2009 Received from CCAA the Letter of Approval - or the Letter Seeking Confirmation. This letter is one that says CCAA has approved me to go forward with the adoption of RJ and now, I need to send it back with a formal indication that I will proceed.

June 18, 2009 Receive document known as Travel Approval. It is issued by the CCAA...to allow the agencies to set appointments-- on the China side: official adoption date, and Chinese passport issuance, etc. and on the USCIS side: medical appointment and consulate appointment with USCIS (for issuance of the US visa)

????? Travel date
????? Date to pick up RJ for adoption
???? Adoption finalization date
????? USCIS Consulate appointment date

100 Good Wishes

2009-06-02T10:34:00.000-07:00

Originating in the northern part of China is a supposed tradition to make a “One Hundred Good Wishes Quilt", or 百家被 (Bai Jia Bei) in Chinese, to celebrate the birth of a baby. The quilt is created by fabrics donated from friends and family members of the baby. The fabric patches are sewn together into a quilt that contains the luck and good wishes from all those family members and friends. (The "100" part is a figure of speech to represent "a lot" - there isn't some kind of magic number 100). Along with the fabric, each family member or friend, offers a 'good wish' for the child's new life. The result of course is a patchwork quilt, full of love and memories from special people in the child's life. What a special treasure for the child to keep forever and remember the wishes that so many loved one have made for him!

When I started the adoption process again, back in 2006, I joined some adoption groups on the web to share in the journey with others who were in similar circumstances. At different times over the past few years, some of those groups have had fabric exchanges and good wishes swaps. I also was blessed to have fabrics from many dear friends from my church in California who so generously made me a quilt, along with wishes and everything, when I moved from there. So for more than 2 years I have kept fabric squares and wishes in a box...just sitting there waiting for inspiration to come.

On March 27, 2009 the inspiration came. RJ Ping Broberg was introduced into my life. Almost immediately I pulled out my fabric squares and wishes and started a quilt for RJ. While certainly I am not a professional quilter, and I ended up tying the quilt instead of quilting it, I think it turned out cute and I love having all these wonderful squares from my dear friends and my adoption 'friends' around the world. I even made a few squares that have pictures of RJ, grandma and grandpa, Emma and me. Here is the result:

Now Emma wants to know when she gets hers. So I guess I better get started on it!

2009-05-26T21:52:00.000-07:00

HERE HE IS....

Introducing R.J. PING BROBERG!

RJ = Robert Joseph (Robert for my dad and Joseph for my mom's dad)
Chinese Name: Lan Yan Ping
Date of Birth: January 12, 2007
Place of Birth: Lanzhou, Gansu Province, China (central China)

On March 27 I sent in my letter to the China Center of Adoption Affairs (the Chinese agency who places Chinese children for adoption) with a request, the Letter of Intent (LOI) that we be allowed to add RJ to our family. My agency had called the day before asking if I would be interested in looking at a file of a little boy, just over 2 years old. They stated that they knew I was looking for a younger baby, but thought I might still be interested in looking. But, they said, just a warning...once you see this picture it will be awfully hard to resist! Thats o.k. I said...I'll just take a little peek. Boy were they right!! It was love at first sight. Even though I was trying to be logical and non-emotionally attached...I just felt something, like I knew that this was the child waiting to be part of our family. My agency only gave me until noon the next day...March 27... to decide for sure. That day, I had already decided to take the day off for Emma's birthday - so that gave me a chance to really talk with my family and contemplate in the quiet (well, as quiet as it gets with Emma around!) By noon I felt certain and I was ready to send in my LOI to the CCAA.

Today May 26,2009, 60 days after sending in my LOI, I received the letter from the CCAA wherein I affirm that I wish to adopt RJ. Now I have to wait for Travel Approval (TA) and a few weeks after that we will be off to China. Hopefully no later than August! Pray for us. I am SOOOOO ready to have RJ with me and Emma and all the rest of my wonderful family and friends.

Here are a few more pictures (taken around August 2008):

And a couple recent pictures (March 2009)