One Month with Nina
I can't believe it's only been a month! Really, it feels like she's always been with us. I look at pictures of that scared little face one month ago, and it doesn't seem like the same outgoing and bubbly personality of the girl she is now.
I can hardly remember how she used to hate baths. Now I can barely get her out of the tub!
Last week Nina had her first visit with Dr. Springer - the International Adoption specialist who will be her pediatrician. Dr. Springer was amazed at how well Nina is doing! She had a few vaccinations then and will get blood work on Monday to check her titers to see what else she might need. She received vaccinations in China, but sometimes the strength they give is not sufficient enough and she will need re-vaccinated. She also had a TB test this week, which was negative.
Last weekend Nina went to her first baseball tournament and saw her first beach! She loved the sand! She also enjoyed the tournament! She played with the other kids (she loved being the center of attention) and also watched some baseball! She clapped when we clapped and gave all the boys "thumbs up" when they came out onto the field for the championship game!
She also finally tasted ice cream for the first time! We've tried giving it to her before and she wouldn't taste it. This time she did and loved it! Daddy was so happy it was an excuse to get ice cream every night at the beach!
Nina watched Evan hitting a baseball in the driveway and she wanted to try it herself! Evan got the tee and kid bat out for her, showed her how to hold it, and she was hitting the ball herself! He is so proud of her and hopes to be her tee ball coach someday!
As much as Nina loves playing outside, she is also a little girly girl. She loves jewelry and shoes (she's very particular about her shoes!). She doesn't like any crumbs on her face or hands and always helps put things away! She's constantly dancing - even when shes sitting down! She loves imitating and knows how to do different expressions such as "happy", "sad", and "surprised".
(Nina's sad face)
She loves getting kisses, especially from her brothers! But, they can't ask her for one. No! She has to tell them when she wants a kiss and they have to drop everything and come running! She is such a little princess already!
People love to tell me how lucky she is to be party of her family. But that's not true. Sure, she's better off with us than in the orphanage, but she would've been adopted by some family at some point. We are the ones who are lucky to have the sweetest, funniest, prettiest, and smartest little girl. We are blessed beyond words!
We are home - a Family of 6!
(On the plane)
She was good during boarding and then when the plane was waiting to take off, she started getting upset, which isn't like her. When the plane lifted off the ground the screaming got much worse. Then she vomited and quieted down. We had to change her clothes once again.
For most of the flight she was pleasent. She slept some, she snacked, she played. After we landed we were waiting for the luggage and I realized she had vomited all over herself! We got our bags and went to Immigration, where they needed to file her paperwork to register her as a US Citizen. I changed her clothes and she seemed happy!
(New American!)
We got her back in the stroller to go though another security checkpoint, drop off our checked bags, and head on the train to our connecting flight. I looked down and realized she was covered in vomit again! I had no where to stop and change her though! We went through security again and I had to lift her out of her stroller and then put her back in! Poor thing! Then we had to trek all through the airport to our gate. Finally I could change her again!!! Just in time before we had to board!
The flight to Pittsburgh was a quick one and she slept the whole flight. When we landed in Pittsburgh the boys, my mom and Tom, and my dad and Pat were all waiting for us!
At home she loved playing with her brothers! I don't know if she recognized them from all the face timing, but she acted like she did! She gave them all kisses and hugs!
Nathan read her a good night story
She slept ok....
Yesterday we celebrated her birthday with a cake. She was hesitant to try it at first (probably remembered the gross cake in China!), but once she did she loved it!!
She also enjoyed tea parties and picnics with her brothers and playing the piano!
She is adjusting great. She slept really well last night! She's just such a sweet girl. We are so incredibly blessed to have her in our family.
This will be my last blog post, so I wanted to say just how much we appreciate all of the love, support, and prayers from all of you. Every Facebook comment, text message, and email meant so much to us. Thank you and we can't wait for you to meet Nina in person! We are sure she will melt your hearts too!
Happy Birthday Nina - Hong Kong here we come!
The cake was the strangest I've ever seen or tasted. It had fruit that was held together with some gelatin. There was very little cake and it wasn't icing but some egg-like substance. Even Doug, who loves cake of any kind, thought it tasted disguising. Nina didn't like it either. We will be celebrating again with the boys when we return, so this was more of a rehearsal celebration.
We spent most of the day packing and then headed to get her visa and then to the train station.
We traveled to Hong Kong with two other families from our group. The train was very clean and so much leg room! The cab ride from the station to the hotel was about 40 minutes. We are staying at the Marriott next to the airport. The suite we have is gorgeous! It is the nicest room of our trip and we will have the shortest stay here!!! But, we are so ready to be home!
US Consulate Appointment
We weren't allowed to take cameras, phones, or any personal items into the consulate, so we don't have any pictures of this important occasion.
Since we had the first consulate appointment of the morning, when we returned to the hotel around 10:00, we decided to visit Luahua Park. It is an absolutely beautiful park! We thought the park in Zhengzhou was pretty, and this one puts that one to shame!
They even had rides at this park, so Nina rode her first carousel! She loved it, but I think she wanted to ride something more thrilling. She kept pointing to the other rides! We couldn't find where to buy tickets to the other rides and most of them were closed anyway.
We played for a little, but we were literally starting to melt!
On the way back we ate green tea and vanilla swirled ice cream cones from McDonald's. I am not a big ice cream fan, and it could either be the tea flavor or how hot I was, but it tasted so delicious!! Nina would not try any though!
Tonight we had our group picture taken.
And also a picture of each family and then all of the kids...
After our picture and a group meeting, the three of us headed back to Macau Street, the restaurant we had our group dinner at the other night. We wanted one last traditional Cantonse meal. We ordered so much food! The waitress tried to tell us we ordered too much, but we wanted to try everything. We had enough food to feed 10 people but it still only cost about $50 USD. We even had steamed cucumbers with garlic. I didn't know you could cook a cucumber, but it was so yummy!!! Nina ate a ton of noodles with mushrooms. The only thing is I noticed they use pork as a seasoning around here. So if you think you're ordering something vegetarian, it probably had little bits of pork hidden there!
Nina is talking so much more. She said "mama", "dada" and waved and said "bye bye". She is also saying other things we just don't understand. She was so quiet a week ago, but now I can only imagine how loud she is going to be on our flight home on Saturday!
Sleeping Pandas and the Pool
We started off the day at the Guangzhou City Zoo. We had really wanted to go the Safari Park, but our guides said it was too far and too hot for us to go in the summer. We mainly wanted to see the pandas, and since they had pandas at the zoo, we figured this would be fine. However, this was the best picture I could get of the pandas. I think we will have to go to the National Zoo in DC again soon!
We opted for a picture with the panda statues instead!
She thoroughly loved seeing the animals, which made the trip worthwhile. These were the first animals she's ever seen! But the highlight was definitely feeding the giraffes with Daddy!
After sweating at the zoo in 90 degree temperatures, we figured an afternoon at the pool was an order. We were afraid Nina wouldn't like the water since she's just starting to enjoy bath, but she loved it!!!
It was such an enjoyable afternoon! We felt like we were on vacation!
Medical Exam and Pearl River Cruise
On Thursday we weighed her and she was 7.9 kilograms. Today she was 8.6 kg! She gained over a pound in less than a week!
It was very busy there with our group's 12 families plus so many others from other agencies, but she was fine as long as she had some snacks!
Surprisingly, she was still hungry after the bus ride back to the hotel, so we tried a little western cafe across the street from the hotel! It was so good! If only I had a iced tea rather than a hot tea, I would've thought I was back home!
Besides ice, the other things I'm missing so much are the boys. It's so hard to be away from them so long. We face time twice a day, but I can't wait to be home with them soon to give them hugs and kisses and cuddles!
(Face timing this morning)
Tonight we went on a cruise on the Pearl River. It had thunder stormed all afternoon, but it stopped in time for the cruise. We ordered Papa Johns since our guides said the food on her cruise was terrible. Nina finally likes pizza!
At night, all the buildings and bridges in the city are lit up. It is really beautiful! Nina especially loved going under the bridges.
Tomorrow morning we will be going to the zoo to show Nina animals for the first time!
One Week
Today we spent the morning shopping and then had a group dinner at a Portuguese/ Cantonese restaurant. Nina tried mostly everything, but when she was ready to leave, she was ready to leave! She's getting comfortable and isn't shy about letting us know what she wants!
When Doug got up to get something she said "dada" and pointed to him! I was so surprised and said "what did you say?" And she whispered "Dada"! She really is understanding what we are saying. It's amazing how quickly she is picking up English. We will tell her to throw something in the garbage and she will or ask her to get something and give it to one of us and she does it. She tries to imitate us, too. If Doug winks at her, she will try to wink back! She's really a smart little girl. She is also doing better with bath and bed time too!
Tomorrow is her medical exam appointment. Thankfully she doesn't turn two until Friday and doesn't have to get any blood drawn!
Sightseeing in Guangzhou
Nina was her usual smiling self. She just loves being out and about!
We then visited the house of Chen. This was once the house and private school of the Chen family. It was kept in tact during the cultural revolution because the family printed pictures of chairman Mao there. It was later sold to the government and is now an arts and crafts center.
(This is embroidery, not a painting)
After nap and a paperwork meeting, we went to the executive lounge for some snacks.
Nina slurped down 2 bowls of noodles and 1 or 2 tea sandwiches. Then we went to dinner at a Japanese restaurant with another family. She then ate shrimp, scallops, snow peas, salad, some miso soup, and a few more noodles!
Tomorrow is the dragon boat festival. We were looking forward to experiencing a real Chinese holiday, but our guides have told us it's too crowded to get near the the boat races. We are doing some shopping instead and then we have a big group dinner tomorrow night.
We made it to Guangzhou!
She didn't sleep on the plane and was pretty squirmy so I hope this is not a taste of what's to come on our travels back home next week. After we got to the hotel finally, we had to wait over 2 hours for our bags to be delivered. We ended up just going to the executive lounge for a light dinner. Mommy and Nina are exhausted so this is a short post tonight. Tomorrow I think we will be touring and shopping, so there should be more to report tomorrow.
Last Day in Zhengzhou
We had dinner with another family and it was just like hanging out with old friends at home. We have some of the nicest families in our travel group and it's so much fun getting to know everyone.
This morning after breakfast, we did some face timing with her brothers as usual. When Nathan waved and said "bye", Nina waved and said what sounded like "bye"! She also gave him so many kisses on my iPad, that it is still sticky now. After that, we went to the Henan History museum with two other families.
I wanted to go to learn a little about where Nina comes from. Since her city, Luoyang, was the capital of China for many years, there were lots of interesting artifacts from there. I took lots of pictures for her to be able to use for future school projects. Nina is so interested in seeing everything!
After he museum, we made a trip to walmart to get the girl some shoes that fit! I don't know if it was the heat, the smog, or just the time of day, but there seemed to be less scooter traffic than usual!
I've tried to explain to the boys that when I say we are going to Walmart, it doesn't look anything like the walmart on route 8!
(Dried chickens)
(Meat Popsicles? I have no idea...)
(Fresh fish)
After walmart, we began packing up. We have so much stuff! As much as I'm looking forward to new scenery, I don't enjoy the packing and unpacking that goes along with it. Nina was in such a great mood this afternoon. She wanted to help pack and was full of smiles and giggles! She kicked her ball around the room and acted much more like a toddler today! She is definitely coming out of her shell!
Tonight at dinner, Nina had her first meltdown. She was exhausted and only had a 10 minute nap in the van this afternoon. All of a sudden she just started screaming! After a few minutes, she was back to her cheerful self and finished her dinner. But, we went back to the room, got her a bath, and she's been sound asleep since 6:45. Tomorrow morning we will finish packing and head the the airport at 10:00. We will be in Guangzhou tomorrow afternoon! The last leg of this trip is almost here!
Aquarium
Although she seems to like me holding her and playing with her, she didn't want anyone but Doug when it came to bed time. She wouldn't let me hold her at all and screamed for Doug. I understand and I am guessing I remind her of her nannies at the orphanage, but it still was a bit heartbreaking.
Today she was back to liking me. We ended up going to the aquarium after going back and forth as to whether or not it was worth a cab ride through the city (cab rides through zhengzhou are definitely white knuckle experiences). But, we had a great day and are so glad we went. Watching Nina see things for the very first time is awesome!
Back at the hotel we have had so much fun playing. She has given us so many kisses! She also seems to be more relaxed with her food. She has offered us bites and will set her cookies down while drinking juice. Before, she would hold everything at the same time for fear we would take something away from her. Hopefully, she is learning she will never have to go hungry with us.
We are just waiting for a call that our paperwork is back from the notary. Then, we will pick it up and get some dinner. Although Nina would rather have noodles again, Daddy wants Italian again tonight.
PS - I appreciate all the emails, but I wanted to mention I am unable to reply to emails right now. They keep getting timed out. I will try to reply again when we arrive in Guangzhou this weekend.
It's Official!
Then we headed to the notary office for more paperwork. After we returned to the hotel, we had an hour before we had to get the van to Luoyang where we would apply for her passport. We really started to see her personality emerge! She was smiling and even let out a little laugh!
The van ride to Luoyang was exhausting. Nina slept the entire ride there. It should've taken no more than 2 hours to get there, but it took us 3. The speed limit was 100km, but I noticed our driver only went between 50-60km. But, it was nice to be able to see a little of where she spent the first 2 years of her life. Luoyang is a cleaner and less congested city compared with Zhengzhou. We passed through beautiful moutians and countryside. We asked to see her finding spot, but our guide said it would've been another 2 hours to get there. I believe it is a more rural area, but still under the jurisdiction of Luoyang.
(After applying for her passport)
On the long ride back, she was an angel in the van. She didn't make a peep as long as daddy held her. She didn't want me at all. (Disclaimer: there are no seatbelt or car seats in china). We thought it was funny that she must've used a smart phone before. She took Doug's name tag from his neck and started swiping it with her finger. So we gave her Doug's phone and sure enough, she knew what to do!
Back at the hotel, we found the first thing she doesn't like to eat...pizza! We played and got to see a lot more of her personality. She points to things and gives a little smile. She was having so much fun, it was really hard to get her to go to sleep.
Today, she woke up refreshed and ate the biggest meal ever at breakfast! I did start her on antibiotics since she still has a fever. We didn't have anywhere we needed to be today so we walked to the park near the hotel. We just strolled around and then had a snack and blew bubbles. It was such a relaxing morning and so nice not to have to be somewhere at a certain time today.
We are back at the room waiting for Nina to finish her nap (she still won't nap in her crib) and then we will probably have an early dinner. We are deciding what we might do tomorrow since we have a free day again then. We will go back to the park and maybe even take a trip to the aquarium. It will be fun to see her reaction to fish and sea creatures!
Gotcha Day!
Once we got back to the hotel, she enjoyed playing with a light up toy and a ball. We even got a little smile out of her! She doesn't seem to like dolls though. I'm going to do my best to change that! 
She is just skin and bones though. She wants to eat constantly. She also has a fever and either has scabies now or has just been treated. I gave her some Tylenol and will probably start the antibiotics and scabies treatment I was prescribed just in case. I also think she might have a hernea. Her belly button sticks out only when she cries. She does not want anything to do with the crib either. I think it reminds her of the orphanage and I don't think she misses it there at all.
Below are a few pictures from today. I'm too exhausted to write much, but we are overjoyed to have our daughter with us. Tomorrow is going to be an even longer day with the registration office and then traveling to Luoyang to apply for her passport. Thanks for the prayers everyone! We appreciate them!
Zhengzhou
They also gave us each a translated letter from our child's caregivers. They had information about favorite foods and when they sleep and eat. Ours also said that Nina " is tiny but active. She is seldom quiet". We think she will fit in so well with our active and loud family! It also mentions she has never seen an animal before! Hopefully we can take her to the safari park in Guangzhou to remedy that!
At the Crown Plaza we got upgraded to a 1 bedroom suite. The rest of the families are on another floor. While it would be nice to be closer, I think we will appreciate the extra space after tomorrow. The rooms are so beautiful, but the air quality in Zhengzhou is absolutely terrible. I actually had to use my rescue inhaler and I really haven't even been outside much. I'm a little nervous about how I'm going to fare throughout the rest of the week here.
Next time I write we will have Nina with us!!
The Great Wall
I was surprised by the amount of steps! They are all different sizes, some being a few inches and some being a few feet! Going up wasn't too bad, but coming back down was scary! There were lots of people and some just stop and sit and you have to try to get around them.
We called it quits after reaching the second tower. When we came back down, Doug enjoyed his reward.
After we left the Great Wall, we toured a cloisonné factory and had lunch. On the way back we drove through the Olympic village.
Climbing the Great Wall is supposedly a great accomplishment and the Chinese consider anyone who climbs it a "hero". But I am more proud of the fact that I was able to use a squatty potty. I have been nervous about that! They are absolutely disgusting and I will from now on have a new appreciation for western toilets.
Tomorrow we leave early for our flight to zhengzhou. Only one more full day until we meet our girl!
Scorpions and Pizza Exotica
After that, the thought of any food at all wasn't very appealing. We walked through the mall (beautiful mall by the way!) and decided on Pizza Hut. I know, but we just needed something basic at that point. However, Pizza Hut was anything but! It is interesting and exotica to say the least!
We had to explain we wanted just cheese pizza. And it did hit the spot!
First Day in Beijing
We awoke this morning well rested! After our interesting breakfast buffet, we boarded the bus for a tour of Tianamen square and the forbidden city.
(In the forbidden city, I got to use a 4 star bathroom! )
The Forbidden City was amazing. It was so much bigger than I expected. The CCAI guides, especially Alice, were so knowledgeable and we learned so much. If it wasn't so slow to upload pictures here, I would share more.
(Imperial Gardens)
We then took a rickshaw tour through a local hutong.
Most of the hutongs in Beijing have been demolished for new skyscrapers, but this one had been kept by the government to show off the history of the city during the Olympics in 2008. A hutong is a Mongolian word for a water well. It has then come to mean alley. Each alley has courtyards where families used to all live together.
We had lunch in the hutong at a local family's home. I was a little nervous about this, but it was great. It's nice to see how locals really eat. I learned that while Hunan food is spicy, and Sichuan food can be sweet, Beijing food is simple and somewhat salty. They use mostly just a little soy and oil to bring out natural flavoring.
Soon Doug and I are going to venture out to Wangfujing street and do a little shopping and check out the street food (scorpions and star fish on sticks, for example). Although we won't actually try anything, I'll be sure to take some pictures!
Travel Approval!!!
Over the next few days, I saw people posting on Facebook about receiving their TA's with dates long after my own. I'm happy for them. Really I am! But at the same time I am feeling a little frustrated that they're getting consulate appointment dates and there are only so many appointments available with the shortened work week. (June 2 is another holiday in China - Dragon Boat Festival).
After having a good cry on Friday around 4:00, knowing that I wouldn't be getting travel approval until at least Monday, Doug and I headed downtown to watch the Pirates game. In the car around 5:30, I happen to check my email and low and behold - We have Travel Approval!!! What a wonderful Mother's Day gift!
As of now, we are trying to leave May 21st, but there really might not be any Consulate appointments left the week we need. If those TA's came just a few days earlier, that wouldn't have been an issue. I really hope to travel that week because then we would be with Nina on her second birthday and she would have her physical examination before she turns 2 which means no blood test or TB testing! One less thing for me to worry about! Although that still might happen, it's more likely that we will leave May 29th. However it works out is how it is meant to happen. We'll be getting our girl, regardless, so that's really all that matters.
I'm talking to a few travel agents who specialize in adoption travel, but of course we can't make any plans until we know which week we are going. Looking forward to finding out on Monday or Tuesday and then the crazy packing/planning can begin!
Surrounded by Love
(What??)
(Completely in shock here!)
I think I might still be in shock! The decorations were gorgeous. It was the most beautiful shower I've ever seen. I can't put into works how thoughtful and kind my friends and neighbors are to do such a generous thing for us. We are really just so incredibly lucky!
(My kids even had gifts for their new sister. Thanks mom!)
(If I knew where they were going, I would've made them dress nicer!)
(Family picture before the boys left. They had their own party at home and then came back.)
(Opening gifts. Look at that stack to my right. We are so spoiled! And Nina will most definitely be the best dressed two year old around!)
(Some of my beautiful friends! I love you ladies!)
I can't even begin to put into words how fortunate we feel. We are not only grateful for the gifts at the shower and the hand me downs of beautiful clothes, toys, books, etc, that friends have given us over the last month, but we are so incredibly grateful for all of our friends and family. We are so blessed to have all of you in our lives!
Her Name is...
More exciting news to announce is that I am finally finished with paperwork - at least until we travel to China! We received our I-800 provisional approval last Monday. We also received our Visas from the Chinese Consulate last week. Today, we received the NVC letter and were able to complete the DS-260 I already mentioned. At this point, our agency needs to e-mail our documents to their representative in Guangzhou. They will hopefully be able to submit our documents to the US Consulate there tomorrow (Tuesday), if not the next day is Thursday, so fingers crossed for tomorrow! What's next? More waiting! We wait for Article 5 pickup (US Central's Authority for Hague Adoption - I just looked that up now!) and then the long awaited Travel Approval!!