tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-124641652012-02-16T02:39:52.941-05:00Our China adoption websiteDanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02111424435275193597noreply@blogger.comBlogger1601100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12464165.post-13487144436926705112010-06-06T17:41:00.002-04:002010-06-06T17:55:44.273-04:00

Robby's ear is out is what one of Robby's classmates said the first day Robby came to school with his ear uncovered. I thought that was funny. The kids all looked at it and them that was that. A couple of them said they couldn't touch Robby (they had to be careful). I told them they could touch him, hug him etc; they just couldn't hit him across the side of the head. They thought that was

Mommahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11794939612418126172noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12464165.post-76009811708345280452010-05-26T11:17:00.004-04:002010-05-26T11:22:22.443-04:00

Robby's ear is still covered by the cup. When I look at the pictures I took last Friday, it seems so surreal. He has an ear....I am just not used to that. Because I don't see it everyday, it hasnt really hit me that the ear is actually there. He is so looking forward to being able to take the cup off and keep it off tomorow night. His classmates are anxious for Friday to come so they can see

Mommahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11794939612418126172noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12464165.post-5238858218195500832010-05-21T20:55:00.003-04:002010-05-21T21:13:15.044-04:00

We took the stuff off of Robby's ear tonight for it's second cleaning. Wow, it's an amazing difference from last week! The ear is much less swollen and the stiches are less pronounced. I was amazed when I saw the difference. This was the first time Daddy and Emily had seen Robby's new ear other than in pictures. Emily said it was 'earish', which, if you know Emily seems like such a natural

Mommahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11794939612418126172noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12464165.post-6104426286980270272010-05-18T21:23:00.002-04:002010-05-18T21:32:56.595-04:00

Security at LAX was interesting. First, traveling with a seven year old does not qualify you for the family lane or priority seating on the plane. The kids have to be under 5. So here I was trying to juggle our shoes, backpacks, coats, computer and carryons in order to get them in the bins for the scanners. The TSA agent looked at Robby and wanted to know what the whole hat/cup thing was....

Mommahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11794939612418126172noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12464165.post-50614635427879604002010-05-18T21:16:00.003-04:002010-05-18T21:23:00.239-04:00

Robby is doing great. He started back at school yesturday. The kids were all excited to see him. The first thing one of the kids said to him was "cool hat". He is no longer having pain, but at times the itching is really bad. Tonight he was having trouble sleeping because his ear was driving him crazy with its itching. I know it is the stiches and the healing process, but it doesn't make it

Mommahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11794939612418126172noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12464165.post-59157601806560312112010-05-16T20:43:00.003-04:002010-05-16T20:54:50.994-04:00

Here are the promised pictures. Like I said the ear is very swollen and not the prettiest thing. But still it is a really cool thing to see. If you look at his ear, you can see the different parts. The ear lobe is his original "liite ear", the top part is the skin graft. On the picture from the back you can see a thin line right at the rim of the ear, that is the full thickness graft from his

Mommahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11794939612418126172noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12464165.post-12052082838012434992010-05-13T22:00:00.000-04:002010-05-14T22:46:27.631-04:00

We saw the doctor this morning and he 'opened the present'. I will admit it was very odd to see this ear on my son's head, and very exciting at the same time. All things considered it looked great. A little Frankenstienish due to the stitches and the swelling. It is definitely ear shaped, it is just swollen and bruised. He has three different areas of skin that were stitched together; his

Mommahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11794939612418126172noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12464165.post-45247515261201476912010-05-12T23:27:00.002-04:002010-05-12T23:33:35.658-04:00

Robby wanted to go back to Chinatown today and it sounded good to me too. We returned to a couple of the same shops, but mainly explored a different section. Robby got some snacks to bring home to his kindegarten class, and we bought some more gifts for the family. We forgot to get the bakery items we were going to eat for breakfast in the morning. We are bummed. Another great meal of fried

Mommahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11794939612418126172noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12464165.post-73078967765831915662010-05-12T18:03:00.003-04:002010-05-12T23:20:08.366-04:00

Robby has a gift from Dr. Reinisch that is nothing short of amazing. Under Robby's nike cap is a plastic cup covering bandages covering a new ear. An ear we have yet to see. It has been seven days since his surgery. I look at Robby and am reminded of a present under the Christmas tree with a tag that says 'do not open until Dec 25th' Only for us, it says 'do not open until May 13'. Tomorrow

Mommahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11794939612418126172noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12464165.post-18022893327021213332010-05-11T22:34:00.003-04:002010-05-11T23:29:23.264-04:00

We went to Simi Valley today and saw the R. Reagan museum. I found it facinating, but Robby was quite bored most of the time. We saw an exact Replica of the Oval Office, Pres. Reagan's Air Force One and Marine One. Several interesting displays included the suite he was wearing when he was shot, his saddle and boots, various gifts from dignitaries around the world and a piece of the Berlin Wall

Mommahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11794939612418126172noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12464165.post-29484591714695342032010-05-10T23:50:00.002-04:002010-05-10T23:51:04.817-04:00

at least for the time being I am able to post pictures again. I went back and edited some post to add pictures.

Mommahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11794939612418126172noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12464165.post-51712664485150933742010-05-10T21:10:00.000-04:002010-05-12T23:25:51.686-04:00

I mentioned in an earlier post about the bilingual menue. We ate at a Korean resturant today. The menue was in Korean, English and Spanish and pictures for those of us who still needed help. We had some wonderful noodles with black bean sauce: a new Korean favorite. Gotta find a recipie. The other dishes include water dumplings (steamed), somekind of pickled veggie (yellow), pickles and a

Mommahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11794939612418126172noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12464165.post-31313551155346726622010-05-10T11:44:00.003-04:002010-05-10T23:43:02.987-04:00

A great day in Chinatown on Sunday. As a drove into the area and saw the Chinese style architecture and writing, I felt something relax. Not the kind of relaxing you feel when you have been anxious and suddenly feel safe. The kind of relaxing you feel when you come home. I felt at ease and like I belonged here. I love the Chinese culture and people. Chinatown has a relly nice 'tourist' area

Mommahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11794939612418126172noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12464165.post-27579704857995246972010-05-09T10:37:00.003-04:002010-05-10T23:38:41.172-04:00

Yesturday we spent the day with Reyes, Natalie and Grace. We met them when we went to China to adopt Rachael. Grace and Rachael are fromt he same orphanage. They are my kind of people. How I wished they lived closer. It was so nice to be able to visit with them and talk. Robby had a ball playing with Grace. She is so adorable. They looked really cute together.On the way to their house, about

Mommahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11794939612418126172noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12464165.post-49698225399133957192010-05-08T21:50:00.002-04:002010-05-08T22:07:39.279-04:00

Robby is at 90% today. We visited friends (more on that later) They have a 5 year old daughter and Robby spent the day running and playing with her. He rode bikes, threw balls and rough housed with the dad. it was so good to see him laughing and playing. He only really had touble when he tried to hula hoop. He couldn't twist like that because of the skin graph. He was very good about

Mommahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11794939612418126172noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12464165.post-38174045535282541602010-05-07T20:16:00.003-04:002010-05-10T23:32:57.806-04:00

Robby got his tubes out today at 1:00. What I hadn't realized before is that one tube was under his skin about 2 inches and the other about 3. Yuk. He now looks like he has been bitten by a vampire. After getting that done, we drove up to Griffith Park. On the way we past the Chinese theater and saw (from the car) some of the stars on the sidewalk. We had lunch at a little restaruant in the

Mommahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11794939612418126172noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12464165.post-91801484993590360102010-05-06T21:10:00.004-04:002010-05-10T23:49:09.501-04:00

well my success at posting pictures is not being repeated tonight. I am not enough of a geek to figure out what I am doing wrong. Sorry.We are staying in the Koreatown area of LA. I found it humorous that the Chinese restaurant we ate at tonight had a bi-lingual menue: English and Korean. We also got a side of Kim Chee (Korean cabbage) with our lomein. It was wonderful food, except for the

Mommahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11794939612418126172noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12464165.post-19677150923257658252010-05-06T20:53:00.001-04:002010-05-06T20:59:03.792-04:00

We arrived at the surgery center at 7:00 am and left at 8:00.......a very long day. Robby's surgery went very well. Dr Reinisch said every thing went smoothly except for some unexplained bleeding at the end which they were able to stop. The recovery room was a little rough for Robby. He did a lot of thrashing as he was waking up and had some trouble breathing. He had a lot of mucus and

Mommahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11794939612418126172noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12464165.post-38516558029585281502010-05-05T12:37:00.002-04:002010-05-05T12:48:42.495-04:00

Robby thinks we have a fancy rental car because the windows opperate with a hand crank instead of automatically. : )I know that LA is surrounded by hills, but still for some reason it surprises me evertime that I see them. Right now I am overlooking the Hollywood Hills, not sure where the sign is, I havent seen it yet. I can also see the Melrose area from the surgery center.I am easily amused.

Mommahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11794939612418126172noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12464165.post-51934537620205781272010-05-05T11:58:00.001-04:002010-05-05T12:13:31.061-04:00

We went to Santa Monica on the coast on Tuesday. It was a beautiful sunny day in LA, but when we got to the coast it was cloudy, foggy and very cool. Litteraly about two miles from the shore the fog set it and stayed the entire four hours we were there. Withing five minutes of eastbound driving we were back into sunny skies and the temp was in the 80s. We did manage to play in the sand some and

Mommahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11794939612418126172noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12464165.post-76619721085807423922010-05-05T11:50:00.002-04:002010-05-05T11:57:56.974-04:00

Robby just started his 8 to 10 hours of surgery. He wasn't nervous which is good, but he was annoyed that he wouldn't get to eat breakfast or lunch today. His surgery is called a medpor ear reconstruction. What Dr. Reinisch will use is a type of plastic called medpor that is ear shaped. This is the same stuff they use in hip replacement. He will use what he can of Robbys little ear and take a

Mommahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11794939612418126172noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12464165.post-20220842203544404612010-05-02T22:30:00.005-04:002010-05-02T22:36:51.449-04:00

I am trying to see if I can actually post pictures. This is a shot of Robby's ear as it is now.

Mommahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11794939612418126172noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12464165.post-56574640973118144142010-05-02T15:29:00.003-04:002010-05-14T22:55:51.204-04:00

First an update. Robby is finishing kindegarten this June. He loves school. The BAHA (hearing aide) has been wonderful for him. Once he started wearing it, his speach really took off. He still has language issues related to his hearing loss and learning a whole new language. He tends to drop the ends of words (common among the hearing impaired) and doesn't use pronouns and prepositions very

Mommahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11794939612418126172noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12464165.post-26824461904582839862009-01-09T01:13:00.002-05:002009-01-09T01:13:57.281-05:00

Robby had his hearing test today, now that he's had his BAHA a month, and tests out with perfectly normal hearing at all pitches! What an answer to prayer!!

Danhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02111424435275193597noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12464165.post-55606154013431935152007-11-20T08:39:00.001-05:002007-11-20T08:39:55.481-05:00

Robby has had the surgery now for two weeks, and we've noticed that he's able to hear things that he never noticed before.  He walked by the dishwasher while it was running the other day, and cocked his head, listened, then excitedly pointed and said, "Mommy, water, water!"  So far, the list of sounds he's hearing for the first time include: toilets flushing, toilets filling, dishwasher running,

Danhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02111424435275193597noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12464165.post-70926653649534963232007-11-12T13:28:00.000-05:002007-11-12T13:38:02.104-05:00

We made it home Wednesday with no problems. I want to give a special thanks here to Northwest Airlines. They have a special program where people can donate their unused air miles, NW then matches the miles and gives tickets to families traveling for medically necessary reasons. They will give the child and a parent free tickets, no fees attached. They even sent Robby a teddy bear and a

Mommahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11794939612418126172noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12464165.post-33685368053546141492007-11-06T20:16:00.000-05:002007-11-06T20:24:10.655-05:00

We saw the doctor today. Robby was given a clean bill of health. His ear and his leg are both healing nicely. The doctor removed the bandage from Robby's leg; the one that was supposed to stay on two to three weeks, but had been peeling since Friday. He showed us how to take care of his skin graft. They also trimmed the plug in his ear and gave us a script for an eardrop antibiotic. We see

Mommahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11794939612418126172noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12464165.post-25070115259531267892007-11-06T15:11:00.000-05:002008-12-13T02:08:47.644-05:00

Danhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02111424435275193597noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12464165.post-36651542425370791962007-11-04T17:56:00.000-05:002007-11-04T18:06:37.167-05:00

What you are actually seeing in the picture of the post op ear is the new ear canal. Currently there is a plug in the ear, kind of like an ear plug you would use to reduce noise. Yeah, the red color is blood, but it is not seeping blood. The only time that happens is when he lays on it there tends to be a red spot on the pillow. There are also some stitches behind the ear. After a time of

Mommahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11794939612418126172noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12464165.post-60967267222208844102007-11-04T13:22:00.000-05:002008-12-13T02:08:47.934-05:00

Not for the squeamish, but it is what it is. This is the surgery we traveled to California to achieve. Basically, they use a Dremel type tool to make a hole through the bone, and carefully separate some parts of the ear that I'm a little fuzzy about. Then, they use a skin graft from the thigh to form a ear canal, using the membrane to fashion an eardrum as well.

Danhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02111424435275193597noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12464165.post-67747962597214473532007-11-04T09:05:00.000-05:002008-12-13T02:08:48.896-05:00

Sorry about the lack of updates, Dan and I thought the other one was taking care of the blog. Robby is doing really well. He occasionally complains about his hear hurting, especially in the morning. We figure he is bumping it at night. He is taking the occasional Tylenol, but no codeine.Our biggest problem continues to be the bandage on his skin graft. It has started to peel away, something

Mommahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11794939612418126172noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12464165.post-36588681466477044422007-11-02T08:54:00.000-04:002008-12-13T02:08:49.360-05:00

My son can hear better! Even with the packing in his ear and his head wrapped in a bandage Robby can hear me when I talk in a quiet voice. Before the surgery, he would not have heard the voice! We are so excited. The fan in the bathroom automatically comes on with the light. Robby complained the fan was too loud. He said nothing about it before surgery.He also seems to be pain free this

Mommahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11794939612418126172noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12464165.post-84790947890037780172007-11-02T00:30:00.000-04:002008-12-13T02:08:49.972-05:00

Robby's surgery went very well. The doctor said there were no major surprises and everything looked good. He was very pleased with how well every thing went. After surgery, when Robby woke up, he was not a happy camper, as is to be expected. He was very groggy for a while and was saying, "Mama ear owie". The nurse gave him Tylenol with Codiene and some apple juice, and in a few minutes he

Mommahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11794939612418126172noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12464165.post-91764658844541170262007-11-01T10:40:00.000-04:002007-11-01T10:57:09.920-04:00

We are here in California and Robby just went back to the surgery room. He was given verced (spelling?) to make him calm down. Actually, it affects the body like alchohol so he is acting fairly drunk right now. It is actually pretty funny. :) He should be in surgery for two to three hours and then a hour or so in recovery. The doctor said he will be out of it most of today, but by tomorrow

Mommahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11794939612418126172noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12464165.post-49669122041495265472007-10-27T19:20:00.001-04:002007-10-27T19:32:56.999-04:00

Robby is scheduled for surgery this Thursday, Nov 1. He will be having two processes done. On his right side he will have an ear canal built to allow sound into his inner ear. Since his left ear is so bad, building a canal on that side would be useless, instead he will have a bone anchored hearing aid implanted (BAHA). Actually what is implanted is the plate that the hearing aid attaches to.

Mommahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11794939612418126172noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12464165.post-72688491956768000422007-10-27T12:37:00.000-04:002007-10-27T12:48:30.252-04:00

Wow, life is crazy with two active preschoolers. I thought I would post an update of some of the latest news.Robby is doing really well in preschool and loves going. He still does not talk to the other kids or interact with them yet, but he follows the routines and loves to go.Rachael has quite bitting him, for which Robby is thankful. She still lashes out and smacks him occasionally or

Mommahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11794939612418126172noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12464165.post-84828959177942461122007-09-27T18:16:00.000-04:002007-09-27T18:30:38.215-04:00

Remember this post? Sunday, July 1Lost ticketsOur tickets went missing today, and we couldn't find them... still can't. After a frantic two hour search behind book-cases and the refrigerator, and tearing things apart, we called Northwest Airlines, dreading the discussion. I'll cut to the chase and eliminate the tension. Although the tickets we'd received looked like paper tickets, they were just

Mommahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11794939612418126172noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12464165.post-59018469724579536332007-09-27T12:55:00.000-04:002007-09-27T13:04:36.356-04:00

Robby finished his second week of preschool yesterday. He is attending "Praise Express Preschool" at our church. He attends Mon. Tues. and Wen. and absolutely loves it! In fact, last Thursday he was putting on his shoes and said "school". When I told him there was no school that day, he got mad and threw his shoes across the room. Every day when I pick him up he is full of grins. Tuesday

Mommahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11794939612418126172noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12464165.post-7335746220555075122007-09-14T11:30:00.000-04:002007-10-27T12:51:01.956-04:00

No that is not the score of a game, nor a team's record. Seven and Zero are the results of Robby's CT Scan. The Doctor rates each ear on a scale of 1-10 in order to determine whether or not surgery to open the ear canal is a viable option. He looks at a lot of different factors regarding the formation of the inner ear. Obviously Robby's ears are vastly different. His right ear rates a 7,

Mommahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11794939612418126172noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12464165.post-66143950180158883552007-09-12T08:08:00.000-04:002007-09-12T08:13:58.815-04:00

Robby had his CT Scan done on Friday. We then sent the images to a surgeon in California who will evaluate them to see if surgery will be beneficial to Robby. This would be a surgery to open up his ear canals. Robby did great for the CT Scan. He laid still enough that we did not have to sedate him; quite an accomplishment for a four year old who has no idea what is going on. I think part

Mommahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11794939612418126172noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12464165.post-69392091694342665302007-08-27T12:06:00.001-04:002007-09-11T15:29:16.557-04:00

Rachael and Robby are getting along a lot better now... in fact Robby has been bitten just once in the last week! They have reached the point where they will play together without fighting for several minutes. They love to play outside with their tri-cycle, bike and scooter. Sometimes Rachael tries to mother Robby which he does not like....Well I started that post several days ago and had to

Mommahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11794939612418126172noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12464165.post-60629814178346412912007-08-27T11:57:00.001-04:002007-08-27T12:06:12.316-04:00

The "duh" has to do with Robby's hearing evaluation last week. The Mandarin translator did not show up, therefore we couldn't easily communicate the instructions to Robby. He was supposed to drop a block into a pail every time he heard a sound, plus a couple of other things. Anyway the results of the test showed that Robby had a profound hearing loss 0f 80-90 decibels. We know this is not

Mommahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11794939612418126172noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12464165.post-55422943434268499052007-08-09T16:35:00.000-04:002007-08-09T16:40:20.777-04:00

We saw more doctors today. Because the kidneys form at the same time as the ears, whenever there is a problem with ear structure the doctors check the kidneys to make sure they are developed properly. Robby had an ultrasound today and then we saw the urologist. Everything is fine with his kidneys. The ultrasound showed no malformations. This is a relief. Our visit with the ENT and

Mommahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11794939612418126172noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12464165.post-32964903231464422392007-08-03T15:02:00.000-04:002007-08-03T15:18:11.450-04:00

Robby had his first appointment with the International Adoption Clinic today. We met with a dietitian, a physical therapist and a pediatrician. The dietitian was pleased with his eating. (He eats a lot of meat and fruit and drinks a ton of milk or yogurt smoothies. He is not very fond of vegies.) The physical therapist said he was right on target for his age. There were some things she

Mommahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11794939612418126172noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12464165.post-45031722754182854832007-08-02T23:40:00.001-04:002007-08-02T23:44:06.514-04:00

On a whim, I went to maps.google.com tonight, and pulled up Urumqi, to see if I could spot our hotel from the satellite photo. Funny enough, I found it almost instantly. Click here to see where we stayed. To the left is the park we visited a few times (where Rachael and Robby ate dripping ice cream surrounded by locals). Our hotel is the shape of an upside-down Y, with a circle on top, on the

Danhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02111424435275193597noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12464165.post-92039678920570366492007-08-02T23:20:00.000-04:002007-08-02T23:28:08.839-04:00

Two and a half years ago when we had just finished the paperwork for Rachael, I joined a yahoo group for families whose paperwork went to China at about the same time. Having similar log in dates in China would mean we would get our referral at the same time. Through this group we met a family that lives in the Columbus area. We are still in touch with them. Darla has a friend who she knows

Mommahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11794939612418126172noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12464165.post-78325305283019221432007-08-02T20:06:00.000-04:002007-08-04T15:53:39.575-04:00

Bedtime has been going really smooth the past few nights, no more crying and sleeping through the night. That is, until last night. About 15 minutes after I put the kids to bed, I heard noises and giggles coming from their room (Robby and Rachael have bunk beds and share a room). When I checked on them, they were both up on Robby's bed. I put Rae in her bed and told them to go to sleep. A

Mommahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11794939612418126172noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12464165.post-52665405952195228652007-07-25T10:57:00.000-04:002007-07-25T11:07:04.347-04:00

Thought I would let you know of some of the good things happening. Bedtime last night was still rough. Robby cried for about 40 minutes, luckily Rachael was able to fall asleep during his crying. They then both slept through the entire night! Yeah.Secondly, Robby is now on a lot more friendly terms with the cats. He will now pet them, although he still a bit shy of them, it is nothing like

Mommahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11794939612418126172noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12464165.post-74077102919239987272007-07-23T21:05:00.000-04:002007-07-23T21:16:11.284-04:00

Okay, do you have the Disney song running through your mind? It is amazing how small a world we sometimes live in. Some examples:There were two other families from Ohio in our agency travel group: one from South Point and one from near Granville. It turns out that the family from South Point attends the Nazarene Church there. Carolyn is the Mission President for her church, a post I held at

Mommahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11794939612418126172noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12464165.post-38359489726646713562007-07-23T20:57:00.000-04:002007-07-23T21:05:19.042-04:00

But enough about Dan and I.... :) Actually bedtime has become quite interesting the last couple of nights. The kids are currently in their bunk beds screaming and crying...feeding off of each other most likely. Robby is crying for attention; the minute we walk in he shuts up. This child must have been spoiled rotten in China. Rachael is crying because she no longer wants to sleep in her own

Mommahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11794939612418126172noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12464165.post-62516081789786053882007-07-21T10:28:00.000-04:002007-07-21T10:42:06.864-04:00

The kids (as Rae and Robby are called) have been doing much better together. One example:They share some good time at the table eating cheesy potatoes (thanks Beth). Then it is on to fun with stickers and bouncing on the top bunk of their beds. Great times for the two of them. The only bad part of it was that it was happening at 1:30 in the morning! Jet lag does nasty things to your body's

Mommahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11794939612418126172noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12464165.post-669624936418509272007-07-20T02:22:00.000-04:002007-07-20T02:24:10.217-04:00

Now that we're back home, and are up until 3am dealing with jet-lagged toddlers, we've lots of time to backfill posts with pictures, so please skim back through the past few days if you like photos.

Danhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02111424435275193597noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12464165.post-84418048289212038572007-07-20T01:29:00.000-04:002008-12-13T02:08:51.096-05:00

Any of you who have ever flown know there is basically one way to sleep in economy class: tilt your seat back a small amount and hope you can sleep sitting up. If you are smaller in size and lucky enough to have an empty seat next to you, you might even be able to turn on your side a bit. When you are only 32 inches tall, like Rachael, it is a whole different ball game. You can curl up on Mom

Mommahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11794939612418126172noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12464165.post-5821789239965628942007-07-19T23:06:00.000-04:002007-07-19T23:09:02.898-04:00

Amongst all the turtles, frogs, snakes, lobsters, oysters, fish and eels being sold on the wharf in Guangzhou at the seafood market, there were also many vendors that had water bugs and grubs for sale.For dinner. Play the video to see the wriggling...

Danhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02111424435275193597noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12464165.post-43642665053821432692007-07-19T03:26:00.000-04:002008-12-13T02:08:51.734-05:00

Well, it is 3:30 and Rachael's body doesn't know if it is a.m or p.m. (For the record it is a.m Eastern Daylight time, p.m. China time.) Everyone else is sound asleep and Rachael is wide eyed and ready to go, although a little grumpy. Me? I would be asleep too if I had my way, but someone has to watch her. She was a bear to get to sleep last night at well. Ganggang on the other hand had

Mommahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11794939612418126172noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12464165.post-60183258513373730182007-07-18T21:10:00.000-04:002008-12-13T02:08:51.876-05:00

Tonight we clearly heard Robby use his first two English words. Taylor walked into the room and he said, "Hi". Later when my parents left, Robby waved and said, "Bye". What a smart boy we have!I am off to get the kids and then myself into bed now. How wonderful it will be to sleep in my own bed.

Mommahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11794939612418126172noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12464165.post-55515253019856498682007-07-18T21:04:00.000-04:002008-12-13T02:08:52.342-05:00

Twenty-five hours after leaving our hotel in Guangzhou this morning we arrived at our front door. We are tired, weary, worn-out and happy to be home. Did I mention that we were out of energy? Our flights, though long, were uneventful and all our luggage arrived at the airport with us. Dan especially was hammered hard, still getting over his sickness, and wasn't able to sleep on the first two

Mommahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11794939612418126172noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12464165.post-25771549739047954202007-07-17T09:17:00.001-04:002007-07-17T09:17:12.095-04:00

I was sick Monday and most of Tuesday, with some kind of bug that wore me out and made me weak, along with the Traveler's Scourge -- nuf sed.  While the family went out shopping and on a river cruise, I spent the day in bed sleeping and reading, except for two hours in the lobby and by the pool waiting for housekeeping to clean the room.  Fortunately, it seems to mostly have run it's course, and

Danhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02111424435275193597noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12464165.post-7076147714265616662007-07-16T23:55:00.000-04:002007-07-17T00:06:20.943-04:00

We have decided if we ever need a set of Rachael's dental records we will probably just be able to check Robby's arm. Rachael has decided to take her jealousy out through biting and pinching Robby, often for no clear reason. He just takes the abuse and cries...he has yet to learn to fight back. Some day he is going to haul off and hit Rachael and boy will she be surprised. Most of the time

Mommahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11794939612418126172noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12464165.post-6105104756502915482007-07-16T23:46:00.000-04:002007-07-16T23:55:55.766-04:00

This is a phrase that has become quite common in our family since the weekend. As Robby comes out of his shell more and more we are beginning to see how spoiled he must have been. He has this 'wonderful' little whine/cry he does when he doesn't get his way. He will bury his head in his hands and have at it, periodically lifting his head to see if we are watching. The slightest thing can set

Mommahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11794939612418126172noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12464165.post-746485607907233732007-07-16T22:52:00.000-04:002008-12-13T02:08:53.318-05:00

We are comfortably settled in at the White Swan Hotel on Shamain Island in Guangzhou even if the room is a bit crowded. This is the most famous hotel in Guangzhou and is where Richard Nixon, George Bush Sr. and Queen Elizabeth stayed when they were in town. Shamain Island is a small Island on the Pearl River. It was developed by Europeans as a place to build their embassy's and to live. The

Mommahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11794939612418126172noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12464165.post-89619648232664563302007-07-16T22:30:00.000-04:002007-07-19T22:35:41.277-04:00

Yes we are still alive, no we are not sitting in a Chinese jail for anything. The last several days have been hectic and the new hotel charges outrageous rates for internet service. In Urumqi we had connecting rooms, here we do not so that makes a big difference in being on the computer as well. As you can imagine, trying to do blogging with two preschoolers running around can be rough, as can

Mommahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11794939612418126172noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12464165.post-13811424471533773372007-07-13T22:36:00.000-04:002008-12-13T02:08:53.967-05:00

edited for content and pictures...Friday, after receiving Shagang's passport (Chinese) we flew to Guangzhou (formerly known as Canton). This is where the American Consulate is. As a Chinese citizen Shagang has to apply for a visa to immigrate to the US. We will receive his visa Tuesday and then the last of the paperwork is finished. With that visa, once we land on American soil Xin Shagang

Mommahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11794939612418126172noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12464165.post-52988616299681455602007-07-12T21:16:00.000-04:002008-12-13T02:08:54.781-05:00

Shagang actually ate a pretty big dinner last night, when we ate at a Muslim restaurant. Now, when you hear "Muslim restaurant", what do you think of? We were expecting a restaurant with Middle-Eastern dishes, of a Turkistan theme. Nope, it was hard-core Chinese, with a few local dishes, and following Halal. If you can read the menu there, it included whole roasted goat, spiced tripe, boiled

Danhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02111424435275193597noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12464165.post-69011888307648111222007-07-12T20:11:00.000-04:002007-07-12T20:39:35.960-04:00

We can't see our blog from Beijing or Urumqi due to censorship of Blogger, so can only publish, and can't see the resulting post.So, we're taking a risk with this posting... something we usually don't like to do, because we like publishing a high-quality blog. However, we wanted to make this available, even if the gamble doesn't pay off, and it looks like junk on our blog.Here's our YouTube

Danhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02111424435275193597noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12464165.post-28046179091161139562007-07-12T14:50:00.000-04:002008-12-13T02:08:54.971-05:00

Stuck in the hotel with 3 napping kids and rumbling tummies, we eyed the room service menu, and decided to make do with what we had around the hotel room. Actually, we had a nice lunch, as you can see. Becca cut up a peach, nectarine, apple and an orange, into a quart zip-lock bag and I tossed in pistachios. With some leftover Uyghur flat bread, lychee fruit, Man Ha Dun, and a Chinese

Danhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02111424435275193597noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12464165.post-5879220506135358472007-07-12T14:11:00.000-04:002008-12-13T02:08:55.837-05:00

This morning we went to a famous local bazaar that's filled with vendors hawking mostly dried fruit and nuts of every description, and lots of dry goods -- daggers, scimitars, furs, cloisonnes, Russian and Cashmere trinkets, handmade silk and wool (Persian-style) rugs, silk and wool clothing, Persian pointy shoes and Genie-in-a-lamp style lamps, Urghur drums, Chinese cymbals, Kazakhstan tars (sic

Danhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02111424435275193597noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12464165.post-20457574766395150332007-07-12T08:56:00.000-04:002007-07-11T20:57:41.840-04:00

I got to say something this morning for the first time that my father always said, in various formats -- "OK, Houser boys and girls, let's go to breakfast..."It's sinking in now. I have a son. How cool is that??!!??

Danhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02111424435275193597noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12464165.post-35943518089131529722007-07-12T08:17:00.000-04:002007-07-11T20:19:10.862-04:00

In case you've not noticed the trend, blog postings go up pretty quickly, but it takes longer to get the associated pictures posted.You might want to consider scrolling down periodically to see if we've added photos for the prior day or two, as we get a spare moment.

Danhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02111424435275193597noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12464165.post-35993855644895167952007-07-11T23:02:00.000-04:002007-07-11T19:44:38.572-04:00

People sometimes comment to us about the Chinese not wanting their children. I just want to clarify that this is an incorrect assumption: the Chinese people love children. There is a governmental policy limiting families to one, sometimes two children in order to help control population growth. (Agricultural families can have up to 4, and ethnic groups are not restricted.) However, we have

Mommahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11794939612418126172noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12464165.post-46712026127598871782007-07-11T22:47:00.000-04:002007-07-11T20:41:17.794-04:00

Buns and fruit are becoming a regular routine for us here in Urumqi. In Beijing we found that the restaurants often had English words, or had pictures of their food on display, thus allowing us to point to what we wanted. In Urumqi, you see very little English, they just don't get the tourists here. It is interesting to note that almost all signs are in Mandarin, Arabic and sometimes a third

Mommahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11794939612418126172noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12464165.post-78174704058551035672007-07-11T20:57:00.000-04:002007-07-11T21:04:16.002-04:00

Obviously communicating with Robby is not easy...we use a lot of gestures and pointing. We learned some very basic American Sign Language before we left. This morning I asked/signed Robby if he was hungry, he just stood there. I then asked/signed if he was thirsty, he shook his head yes! I gave him water and he drank it. He then took the bottle cap and hid it in his fist. He put both hands

Danhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02111424435275193597noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12464165.post-83217668945813607492007-07-11T19:05:00.000-04:002008-12-13T02:08:57.114-05:00

Heavenly Lake is a two hour drive outside of Urumqi and is said to be one of the most beautiful lakes in China. After seeing it today, I would have to say that this statement may very well be true. It was gorgeous! The lake is surrounded by mountains which are dotted with pagodas and sheep (and satellite dishes). The drive from Urumqi was through a countryside that reminded me a lot of the

Mommahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11794939612418126172noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12464165.post-45531702523244878482007-07-10T22:08:00.000-04:002008-12-13T02:08:57.717-05:00

Tonight, while Kayla merrily spent 4 hours on MySpace, Becca, Rachael, Shagang and I took a walk in a local park. It was very nice enjoying the beautiful scenery and peaceful surroundings with family. We bought ice cream for Rachael and GangGang, and watched them eat it while we were slowly surrounded by over 3 dozen curious Chinese locals. A few of them spoke a couple words of English, and my

Danhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02111424435275193597noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12464165.post-48842141061467025192007-07-10T17:09:00.000-04:002008-12-13T02:08:58.462-05:00

I'm sure our son thinks we're crazy. Not only do we not use squatty potties (see photo), but we also sit in a bathtub to bathe. Judging from his reactions, he's definitely never seen a Western toilet, nor has he been in a bathtub before, likely a bucket bath. Washcloths were normal, but sitting in water was not. He also apparently has never used any utensil but a spoon, as forks are new and

Danhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02111424435275193597noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12464165.post-5675256317230533952007-07-10T09:13:00.000-04:002007-07-10T05:09:18.633-04:00

Robby slept through the night with no problems. He went down easily although he was once again a little overwhelmed. He awoke with smiles and laughter ready to play. When we went to give him a bath, he was again unsure, but now he is playing and splashing his daddy. We are going to go get some congee and then go to a park.

Mommahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11794939612418126172noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12464165.post-48089592380844767382007-07-09T22:11:00.000-04:002008-12-13T02:08:58.599-05:00

In China nicknames are very common. Robby's given name was Sha Gang, but he was called GangGang (Gang1Gang1). It is not pronounced like a street gang. The "a" is pronounced 'ah', like what you say when the doctor is looking in your mouth, but with a high flat tone, the first syllable longer than the first. (Think "Gong" like in "The Gong Show") He will look at us when we say it and that is

Mommahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11794939612418126172noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12464165.post-25574915491752305612007-07-09T21:51:00.000-04:002008-12-13T02:08:59.346-05:00

Wow, what a day this has been. As Dan posted earlier, everything has gone wonderfully. Robby, or GangGang, as he is called, is doing amazingly well. So far the biggest tears/fit we have seen has been by Rachael. She was none too happy when GangGang was in "her" stroller, even though she didn't want to be in it. The little green monster of jealousy is rearing its' head, if Robby is doing

Mommahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11794939612418126172noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12464165.post-16938633519372609142007-07-09T17:34:00.000-04:002008-12-13T02:08:59.651-05:00

We picked up Xin Shagang this morning, and he's wonderful. I was very worried for the first 10 minutes, because he was in shock, quiet, and uncommunicative, and I wondered if he was totally deaf. Nope, he was overwhelmed and anxious, and started coming out of his shell within 2 hours. Playing with his sisters at the mini-playground in KFC and getting chicken nuggets for lunch seemed to be the

Danhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02111424435275193597noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12464165.post-7437715254652202012007-07-09T02:26:00.000-04:002007-07-09T05:30:12.285-04:00

We have arrived in Urumqi, the birthplace and home of our son, Xin Sha Gang. The moment we have long waited for is now a mere seven and a half hours away. As you prepare for bed on Sunday night EST, we will be preparing to meet our son for the first time. We are scheduled to arrive at the Civil Affairs Office at 10:00 where Sha Gang will be waiting for us. We are both excited and overwhelmed

Danhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02111424435275193597noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12464165.post-88580378295101233492007-07-07T17:20:00.000-04:002007-07-07T12:22:36.113-04:00

After our walk through the Summer Palace, we crossed the street to the pearl market. Dan won big points in the husband department at this store! He bought my birthday present: a black pearl and diamond ring and a bracelet to match the necklace and earrings I have from our last trip. Then he boosted his ratings even further by buying me ice cream covered in chocolate. What more could a girl

Mommahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11794939612418126172noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12464165.post-46502212604828483002007-07-07T14:06:00.000-04:002008-12-13T02:09:01.097-05:00

All four of us can now say we have officially climbed the Great Wall. And climb we did. There were two sections to the wall where we were today: the steep climb and the moderate climb. Kayla joined a couple other families from our travel group and climbed the steep part. She made it past the three tower and nearly to the fourth, and it was an impressive climb. Good job Kay! Dan and I used

Mommahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11794939612418126172noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12464165.post-35844636328925333502007-07-07T10:10:00.000-04:002008-12-13T02:09:01.670-05:00

We stopped outside one of the stadiums for the 2008 Summer Games, and saw the Birdsnest Stadium, where the opening ceremonies will be held. This is a pretty wild looking structure that is quite an apparent engineering and architectural accomplishment, and shots of this stadium will obviously be a central visual accompaniment to the 2008 games. Granted, none of that imagery will be as cute as

Danhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02111424435275193597noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12464165.post-70326556043294304692007-07-06T22:47:00.000-04:002008-12-13T02:09:01.959-05:00

We went out in the cool of the evening and did some shopping for water, snacks and fruit from the local market and corner fruit vendors, and wandered for a few blocks taking in the sights and sounds. The streets were filled with vendors grilling and cooking dishes in the open air, and the pungent smells of roasting meat filled the air, mixing with the sounds of laughter, motorcycle horns beeping

Danhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02111424435275193597noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12464165.post-43231372520516477022007-07-06T18:42:00.000-04:002008-12-13T02:09:03.441-05:00

After waking up brutally early this morning, we had a relaxing day, and did a Hutong tour. Hutong means "water well" in Mongolian, and derives from the need of the Chinese people to dig their own wells when they rebuilt the residential areas burned by the invading Mongols. Hutong now means twisty, narrow street.We took a hutong tour on bicycle rickshaw, and ate at the house of some hutong

Danhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02111424435275193597noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12464165.post-60220484499191243102007-07-06T06:43:00.000-04:002007-07-06T05:53:37.252-04:00

Since we are in China, all the blogspot commands are in Chinese...I can't figure out how to do most things and Dan is not here....he is getting a massage for his aching feet. I also can't access crickethome, so I have no idea what Dan has already written. That said....The flight over was, as expected, looooong. Rachael did amazingly well. She cried for several minutes when she was over tired

Mommahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11794939612418126172noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12464165.post-36550863725595293672007-07-06T06:13:00.000-04:002008-12-13T02:09:03.582-05:00

We've backfilled several pictures, so you might want to scroll down to check out past postings.Sorry for the delay in pictures... Google apparently thinks everyone connecting from China can read Simplified Chinese, so all the Blogger controls are in Simplified Chinese, as you can see...

Danhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02111424435275193597noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12464165.post-44205652369047588492007-07-05T23:48:00.000-04:002008-12-13T02:09:05.191-05:00

We walked down the street in front of our hotel, and about a mile down the road is the Temple of Heaven. It was interesting to see the gawking... for Chinese, seeing a blonde girl is strange enough, let alone Becca's curly brown hair, and my red hair and beard, accompanied by a Chinese girl that (strangely) doesn't speak Chinese. There were several kind-hearted people we spoke with, and got to

Danhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02111424435275193597noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12464165.post-75985101220641946642007-07-04T18:56:00.000-04:002007-07-04T18:57:23.347-04:00

Rachael was up shortly after 3 this morning, apparently for good, seeing her 3 hour rest as nap, not sleep. So, we're up, and likely going to hit breakfast by 7:15 local, after nice long showers to wash off 25 hours of travel. Then, it's off to the Temple of Heaven.

Danhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02111424435275193597noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12464165.post-83995102023792885162007-07-04T18:54:00.001-04:002007-07-04T18:55:49.462-04:00

Our blogging may be somewhat restricted over the next couple of days... We can't see our blog, just the posting site, and all the buttons are in Simplified Chinese. Apparently, Blogger.com presumes that, if you're connecting from China, you read Chinese, and they don't even provide an "English" button. Some of our sites we use to manage accounts and pictures are blocked, kinda par for the course

Danhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02111424435275193597noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12464165.post-89261539357108459022007-07-04T18:39:00.000-04:002008-12-13T02:09:06.314-05:00

After a Loooong flight, we're in Beijing and everything is good. Rachael had a few rough times on the long flight from Detroit to Tokyo, and I held her for 45 minutes where she sobbed and hovered on the edge of sleep, incredibly over-tired. Once she dropped off, she was fine, and woke up a happy and refreshed kid. Nothing really out of the ordinary to report about the long journey. Tokyo was

Danhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02111424435275193597noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12464165.post-73308412675184846122007-07-02T23:38:00.000-04:002007-07-02T23:42:44.114-04:00

The last task is done... back from Kinkos to make copies of the medical authorization forms for Emily, and I think we're ready. Sure, there are several more things we could do (heck, is housework really ever "done"?), but it's time to call it complete, and execute the plan. We've been packed for a day, and have thought of 1/2 dozen last minute things we forgot to add, but no last-minute

Danhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02111424435275193597noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12464165.post-78972985091796845402007-07-02T19:42:00.000-04:002007-07-02T23:50:06.404-04:00

Yikes. The weather forecast for Beijing while we're there is 102, 96, 97, 98 and 101 degrees, and that's with showers and high humidity -- likely little wind and fog. I've not experienced 100-degree fog before, this should be, um, interesting!Sunday we're going to go to church, then (amongst other stops) tour the Forbidden City. I can't imagine touring the Forbidden City in 101 degree heat with

Danhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02111424435275193597noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12464165.post-71908751663783075992007-07-01T23:00:00.000-04:002007-07-02T00:01:58.267-04:00

Our tickets went missing today, and we couldn't find them... still can't. After a frantic two hour search behind book-cases and the refrigerator, and tearing things apart, we called Northwest Airlines, dreading the discussion. I'll cut to the chase and eliminate the tension. Although the tickets we'd received looked like paper tickets, they were just receipts for e-tickets. So, our discussion

Danhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02111424435275193597noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12464165.post-75812821300070218532007-06-29T07:00:00.000-04:002007-06-29T07:02:33.739-04:00

Many folks have questions about our adoption, so we compiled a FAQ - "Frequently Asked Questions" list, with a ton of links and info. If you have questions, check out the FAQ by clicking here. If you have questions that aren't on the FAQ, please leave a comment, and we'll answer it. :-)

Danhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02111424435275193597noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12464165.post-41514580978909601882007-06-28T19:49:00.000-04:002007-06-28T22:26:18.938-04:00

I can't tell you enough what a relief it is that Emily has care now while we were gone. That was a big burden on my mind, and I'm so glad we found trustworthy, caring people to watch her and help us make this adoption possible. Praise God for working this out!!! It came about through circumstances that were seemingly coincidental, but we see that it's Providence, not coincidence. We can now shake

Danhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02111424435275193597noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12464165.post-65711001013252470042007-06-28T11:06:00.000-04:002007-06-28T11:12:29.785-04:00

Our favorite people right now are Karla/Kenny, Beth/Mike, Jenny/Ed and Terri/Drew. These wonderful people have stepped forward to watch Emily while we are gone. They are earning jewels for their heavenly crowns! This takes such a burden off of our shoulders; now we can focus on getting the other 100 things done that we need to accomplish before we leave!Okay, I can't leave out Taylor, she is

Mommahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11794939612418126172noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12464165.post-57054363960945578482007-06-28T07:21:00.000-04:002007-06-29T01:08:29.357-04:00

Many of you know that the older children adopted from China often have special needs and you may be curious about Robby. He has a condition called atresia-microtia. What this means is his ears did not form normally. We know that he is missing the upper half of his right external ear and some or all of his left ear. Additionally, both his ear canals are closed.While he does have some hearing loss

Mommahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11794939612418126172noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12464165.post-82598248399136174012007-06-27T20:11:00.000-04:002007-06-29T07:07:09.711-04:00

Edited and updated to reflect new information... Last Updated 6/28/2007This document attempts to answer the most frequently asked questions we get about our adoption, the adoption process, and our blog. Have a question you don't find??? Post a comment, and we'll answer it.When?(travel/arrive/etc.)? We finally know our travel dates, and are flying out July 3.Wow, a boy! We decided that we

Danhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02111424435275193597noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12464165.post-75155325967605989922007-06-27T20:00:00.001-04:002007-06-27T20:00:08.876-04:00

Want to know what time it is in Beijing, Ürümqi or Guangzhou?  Care to find out how roasting hot we are in China?  You can click here for Beijing, and here for Ürümqi.Beijing and Guangzhou are 12 hours AHEAD of EDT, so add 1/2 day if you're in Eastern time zone.  Urumqi technically is on the same time as Beijing, but is really two time zones later than Beijing, so lunch is at 2pm instead of

Danhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02111424435275193597noreply@blogger.com0