I know, I know, it's been way too long since we have blogged. We are doing very well, despite Jade's recent ear infection, and now what appears to be a cold. She is such a happy baby, even when she doesn't feel well. And her strong will...well, suffice it to say that we have recently purchased James Dobsons book, "The New Strong Willed Child." We are just so happy to have this little girl for our daughter. She is wonderful and loving and sweet. I tell ya, I'm in love with her!
Jade began to crawl about 2 weeks ago, and can make it across the room so fast that we can't leave her for a second anymore. She is walking while holding our hands with great steadiness, and last week took about 4 steps by herself to Jeff, then back & forth between us about 10 times. Then, because of our excitement, she got so excited that she wanted to jump to me instead of walk. She was so cute! I think she forgot about it, because she's only done it once since then. I predicted that she'd be walking by herself by the end of August, but I was wrong.
So, Jade had a hard night due to her cold (and as a result, so did I), and she felt bad enough this morning that I stayed home from church with her. Now that she's had a little medicine and is finally able to nap, I thought I'd post some pictures so you can see how far she has come. Remember how she weighed 15 lbs. when we got home from China? Well yesterday she weighed 20 lbs! Woo hoo!!!
Jade has received her first party invitation from Mia, one of the children adopted in our group. Another couple in our group will be there, so we'll have a little reunion with part of our group. I'm so glad. We've shared the most important event in our lives with them, and I want to see them again. I wish everyone in our group lived closer so we could see them, too. I would especially love to see Patrick, Lianne, and Charissa. They are wonderful Christians, and prayed for us during our frightening nights in China. Patrick is the lung cancer doctor who was part of our "divinely appointed medical team," and he & Lianne are the Chinese couple who translated the medicine so Jade could have a shot instead of another IV in her head.
I'd better get the pictures posted before she awakens. Let us hear from you! We love you all & wish that we lived closer so you could share all of our wonderful little moments with Jade.
I can't get the pictures to load, so I'm just going to post this anyway...months after typing it!
Love,
Trisa
Sunday, September 24, 2006
Friday, September 01, 2006
To My Little Jadie Girl From Mommy
"I love you so very much I don't even mind that life made me wait so long to find you. The waiting only made the finding sweeter."
- Ronald Reagan
- Ronald Reagan
I hope to post more pictures of our trip to China, our arrival home, and others since coming home if I ever get enough time, but right now I thought I'd post a few recent photos while Jade is napping.
We went to Rochester, Vermont for our nephew Casey's high school graduation 2 weeks ago (what a fun time!). Our last day there, our other nephew Aidan, along with Jacob and Marissa were playing cards. Jade wanted to sit on the floor with them, and they gave her some cards to hold. I love the one that looks like she is actually discarding!
You can see Anne's dog, Elbie, in the background. She is the first dog Jade has ever seen. Jade loved her!
Jade's first picnic at Hilltop Park at the mouth of Great Bay, Dover, NH. It was a spontaneous picnic last Saturday. One of those fun times when you stop at the grocery store, pick up some stuff & drive to a park. She loved the water!
After church last Sunday, Daddy got Jade out of the car while Mommy went ahead into the house to fix lunch. Daddy & Jade came in with Jade's first flower for Mommy! I couldn't even get the camera before she had torn off all the petals, so here you can see the stem in her hand! She is one pretty little girl, isn't she?
We went to Rochester, Vermont for our nephew Casey's high school graduation 2 weeks ago (what a fun time!). Our last day there, our other nephew Aidan, along with Jacob and Marissa were playing cards. Jade wanted to sit on the floor with them, and they gave her some cards to hold. I love the one that looks like she is actually discarding!
You can see Anne's dog, Elbie, in the background. She is the first dog Jade has ever seen. Jade loved her!
Jade's first picnic at Hilltop Park at the mouth of Great Bay, Dover, NH. It was a spontaneous picnic last Saturday. One of those fun times when you stop at the grocery store, pick up some stuff & drive to a park. She loved the water!After church last Sunday, Daddy got Jade out of the car while Mommy went ahead into the house to fix lunch. Daddy & Jade came in with Jade's first flower for Mommy! I couldn't even get the camera before she had torn off all the petals, so here you can see the stem in her hand! She is one pretty little girl, isn't she?
Tuesday, August 29, 2006
Jade has Giardia
Our pediatrician's office called us on Sunday afternoon to tell us that Jade's stool samples show that she has Giardia, an intestinal parasite one gets from contaminated water. It looks like I may have it, too. This is something they test babies from China for. I just didn't think she'd have it. She doesn't really show too many symptoms. She's been cutting teeth, so I thought her fussiness was just that, but her teeth are through & she's still fussy. At least now we know why and can treat it. Treatment used to last for up to 5 weeks with a nasty-tasting liquid 3 times a day, but there is a new medication out that tastes good & is taken twice a day for 3 days. Yeah! She started it last night, so hopefully it will be over soon & she will be feeling better again. Despite a parasite taking most of her nutrition, she has gained 3 lbs. since coming home and looks wonderfully healthy! She's filling out well. Take a look at these pix. Finally, I can get some to download again!
This photo was taken a couple of weeks ago. My friend, Carol, brought her granddaughter over to play. Jade is 6 months older than Ella, yet is still quite small.
These two photos are from last week.
This one makes me think of my Aunt Jean! Maybe Jade will be a preacher when she grows up!
This photo was taken a couple of weeks ago. My friend, Carol, brought her granddaughter over to play. Jade is 6 months older than Ella, yet is still quite small.
These two photos are from last week.
This one makes me think of my Aunt Jean! Maybe Jade will be a preacher when she grows up!
Tuesday, August 22, 2006
Finally, Another Update
Well, life has just been busy. Happy, busy hands & hearts. It seems that every time I try to blog, Jade wakes up & needs to be held. And I still love holding her. Clean towels are piled up on the couch waiting to be folded & put away. Dirty dishes are waiting to be loaded into the dishwasher, but the clean ones need to be put away first. Usually these things bug me to death. Now, well now I just don't care. I'd rather hold my baby.
Jade had her first full check up last Monday and has gained 2 lbs., 12 oz! She's grown 1/2 inch in length. She looks so much fuller and healthier. I thought the doctor said (last time we saw her) that Jade was under the 5th percentile of growth, but she said (at this visit) that she has moved from under the 3rd percentile almost up to the 5th. I wonder how she has survived except for the grace of God. And the strong will that He gave to her. She is determined and persistent, and although sometimes I wish she weren't, I'm sure it gave her the fight to live. So, I am thankful for her strong will.
We were referred to early intervention since she still can't crawl. However, I'm sure she's going to be walking on her own by the end of the month. Her back & hips have strengthened and she is far less wobbly when she walks holding our hands. She can pretty much stand by herself.
It seems that Jade has been saying "Mama" for quite a while and we didn't realize it. It has become more clear, and I love it. She is such a happy baby. When she is really happy, she flails her arms & legs and laughs and laughs. I wish I could put a video of it on here.
Well, she's awake & calling for me, so I must go.
I've had trouble getting pictures to download to blogger since August 1, but I'll keep trying.
Trisa
Jade had her first full check up last Monday and has gained 2 lbs., 12 oz! She's grown 1/2 inch in length. She looks so much fuller and healthier. I thought the doctor said (last time we saw her) that Jade was under the 5th percentile of growth, but she said (at this visit) that she has moved from under the 3rd percentile almost up to the 5th. I wonder how she has survived except for the grace of God. And the strong will that He gave to her. She is determined and persistent, and although sometimes I wish she weren't, I'm sure it gave her the fight to live. So, I am thankful for her strong will.
We were referred to early intervention since she still can't crawl. However, I'm sure she's going to be walking on her own by the end of the month. Her back & hips have strengthened and she is far less wobbly when she walks holding our hands. She can pretty much stand by herself.
It seems that Jade has been saying "Mama" for quite a while and we didn't realize it. It has become more clear, and I love it. She is such a happy baby. When she is really happy, she flails her arms & legs and laughs and laughs. I wish I could put a video of it on here.
Well, she's awake & calling for me, so I must go.
I've had trouble getting pictures to download to blogger since August 1, but I'll keep trying.
Trisa
Saturday, August 12, 2006
Yes, we are still alive and kicking!
A couple of days ago, our new friend John told me we hadn't blogged since August 1. I was so surprised! Sorry about that. Life is mega-busy right now and I guess the time has flown by. It's hard to believe that we'll have Jade for 1 month on Monday.
We are all doing well. Jade is making progress every day. She is finally holding her bottle - well, about half the time, but still. When we hold her fingers, she can walk and we can see improvement in the strength of her back and hips. She chatters all the time in her sweet little voice. And she is so much fun to play with. She thinks almost everything is funny. She says, Ba Ba, Da Da, and just 3 days ago started Bye Bye! I think she is actually speaking half Chinese, half English with bye bye because she says something like Bye Jian. She tried to repeat almost everything I said yesterday. She clearly said Lao Lao (my mother), okay, hi, and bye bye daddy. I guess that was her first sentence! She still doesn't say mommy but she gives me kisses, and that's okay with me!
She's fussing, so I must go. I'll try to attach some pictures of China before posting this.
Love, Trisa
We are all doing well. Jade is making progress every day. She is finally holding her bottle - well, about half the time, but still. When we hold her fingers, she can walk and we can see improvement in the strength of her back and hips. She chatters all the time in her sweet little voice. And she is so much fun to play with. She thinks almost everything is funny. She says, Ba Ba, Da Da, and just 3 days ago started Bye Bye! I think she is actually speaking half Chinese, half English with bye bye because she says something like Bye Jian. She tried to repeat almost everything I said yesterday. She clearly said Lao Lao (my mother), okay, hi, and bye bye daddy. I guess that was her first sentence! She still doesn't say mommy but she gives me kisses, and that's okay with me!
She's fussing, so I must go. I'll try to attach some pictures of China before posting this.
Love, Trisa
Tuesday, August 01, 2006
Happy Days
I know it's been a long time since I have posted to this blog. I caught Jade's virus and have bronchitis and double ear infections, plus my right ear drum has a slight perforation from our plane ride home. And now jet lag is upon us. Poor Jade doesn't know if it's night or day, but she is still her sweet self.
More and more, as Jade's health improves, we see her personality coming out. She has a great sense of humor, loves music and has good rhythm, she has two hollow legs (eats everything we give her!), and is proving the orphanage's report that she can be stubborn & strong willed. She is so tiny that with her developmental delays, she seems like a much younger baby than she is. I know she will catch up quickly, especially once we begin early intervention, but I am enjoying her baby days. Every day we see changes in her. She can walk while holding our fingers. She gets so excited when she's approaching someone who is cheering her on, and she laughs and laughs. Her laugh brightens the room!! She is just adorable!
Jeff returned to work this morning and Jade and I went with him so we could show her off. She drew quite the crowd of admirers. It was so great, because I used to work there, so those were my former co-workers as well as Jeff's. Afterwards, I took Jade to the Kittery Town Hall where I worked until October '05. Again, the folks ooh-ed and aah-ed over her. Then we went to my mom's for a surprise visit. Two friends who live at her complex came down and we had a ball with Jade, especially with her walking back and forth between us.
Jade can now say "Daddy" in Chinese and English. I say to her, "Jade, say Mommy" and she sweetly says, "Da Da." She is just the cutest!
We were able to go to Harbinger on Friday night. I wasn't sure if Jade and I would feel up to it, but we did and it was great. We planned to go Saturday morning, but Anne's ride kind of fell through, so we took her halfway home (which was good, because Greg was able to meet Jade), and went on to Harbinger from there. We came home yesterday morning (Monday).
I am so grateful that Anne was able to spend Wednesday & Thursday nights with us. It helped us a lot to be able to sleep through most of the night.
Well, I can't spend all of Jade's naptime on the computer. The house is a wreck, so I need to go clean. I want to add pictures, but they are on Jeff's laptop and I don't know how to transfer them. I'll try to get him to do it tonight.
We'll try to post more often now that we are home and settling down.
Love,
Theresa
More and more, as Jade's health improves, we see her personality coming out. She has a great sense of humor, loves music and has good rhythm, she has two hollow legs (eats everything we give her!), and is proving the orphanage's report that she can be stubborn & strong willed. She is so tiny that with her developmental delays, she seems like a much younger baby than she is. I know she will catch up quickly, especially once we begin early intervention, but I am enjoying her baby days. Every day we see changes in her. She can walk while holding our fingers. She gets so excited when she's approaching someone who is cheering her on, and she laughs and laughs. Her laugh brightens the room!! She is just adorable!
Jeff returned to work this morning and Jade and I went with him so we could show her off. She drew quite the crowd of admirers. It was so great, because I used to work there, so those were my former co-workers as well as Jeff's. Afterwards, I took Jade to the Kittery Town Hall where I worked until October '05. Again, the folks ooh-ed and aah-ed over her. Then we went to my mom's for a surprise visit. Two friends who live at her complex came down and we had a ball with Jade, especially with her walking back and forth between us.
Jade can now say "Daddy" in Chinese and English. I say to her, "Jade, say Mommy" and she sweetly says, "Da Da." She is just the cutest!
We were able to go to Harbinger on Friday night. I wasn't sure if Jade and I would feel up to it, but we did and it was great. We planned to go Saturday morning, but Anne's ride kind of fell through, so we took her halfway home (which was good, because Greg was able to meet Jade), and went on to Harbinger from there. We came home yesterday morning (Monday).
I am so grateful that Anne was able to spend Wednesday & Thursday nights with us. It helped us a lot to be able to sleep through most of the night.
Well, I can't spend all of Jade's naptime on the computer. The house is a wreck, so I need to go clean. I want to add pictures, but they are on Jeff's laptop and I don't know how to transfer them. I'll try to get him to do it tonight.
We'll try to post more often now that we are home and settling down.
Love,
Theresa
Thursday, July 27, 2006
We're home!
Our travel journey has ended after 30 hours from Guangzhou China to Kittery, ME. What a long trip home! Everything went smoothly through all the airports, and customs in China and the U.S. If there was one important thing to stress about the whole trip it is to plan a long layover in Chicago on purpose. We got into Chicago at about 2 p.m., and we had a layover before our next flight left at 6 p.m. However, we did not realize how long customs was going to take nor that there would be a long wait while the Chicago Customs Officer processed our brown envelope of adoption and Chinese papers to make Jade a U.S. Citizen. We walked away from him at about 4:30-4:45 p.m., and then went through at least two more security checkpoints before getting to our gate a little after 5 p.m. So, it was really good that we had a four hour layover. Other adoptive families in the airport had scheduled their flights closer together, and they missed their connecting flight before the U.S. Customs officer even looked at their paperwork. Anyhow, we're home and open to phone calls, and visits. Thank you all for following our very special journey, and I'm sure that Theresa will add more information to the blog today or tomorrow.
Take care,
Jeff, Theresa, and Jade XiaoZheng Gilman.
Take care,
Jeff, Theresa, and Jade XiaoZheng Gilman.
Monday, July 24, 2006
Photo shoots today.
This morning we went to take pictures on the big red couch in the hotel. It is a tradition that adopted babies have their pictures taken together on this couch.
Of course, our little girl was ready for a nap, and NOT ready to have pictures taken or to be left alone on a couch with a bunch of other kids. So she cried quite a bit. We also took pictures on a marble landing in front of the waterfall and flowers in the hotel. That went a little better. We are planning to pack today because we leave for the U.S. tomorrow. It looks like we may need to purchase another suitcase! Although we may leave a few things here to make room in our existing luggage. We'll have to see how it goes this afternoon, and tonight with the packing. We leave really early Wednesday morning, and will arrive home late Wednesday night (due to the 12 hour time change). Thursday and Friday Theresa's sister, Anne will be staying with us to help take care of the baby while we sleep longer to try to get over the jetlag. If we can get readjusted then we hope to drive up to the White Mountains of NH where we have a camp retreat going on with a lot of friends and family. We would like to show her off of course, but jetlag, and Theresa's bronchitis may prevent it. We'll play it by ear. Anyhow, that's all for now. I'll try to upload a few pictures from this morning. Take care everyone, and please pray for us to have an uneventful flight!! Thanks. Jeff (& Theresa)
Well, yesterday was our 23rd wedding anniversary. What did we do to celebrate you ask? Nothing except wish each other a happy anniversary. Our celebration this year was all in the adoption of Jade. We need nothing else. Last night went well. We all slept through the night with 2-3 short interruptions to feed or comfort Jade. Theresa did have a bit harder time though because she seemed to pick up a cold from someone. Anyhow, when we woke up this morning Theresa's cold seemed to have turned into something worse. It turns out that she has bronchitis and double ear infections! And, that she got it from Jade. Yeah!!! Something else to deal with :-) Theresa did go up to the medical clinic in the hotel, and get some medicine so hopefully that will start to help her get better quickly. While we were there the doctor took a look at Jade, and prescribed another oral antibiotic to help her get better faster. Both of them took their medicine tonight without any real complaints.
We did some shopping this morning, and picked up some more gifts for family and friends as well as Jade. It is our plan to take home 17 gifts for Jade so we can put them away, and give her one birthday gift from our trip to China each year. We also picked up some more silk dresses for her. For lunch we went to Lucy's again. Lucy's is just down the street from the hotel, and they serve western food. If you have ever had too much of a good thing then you'll understand that I felt that way over Chinese food about five days ago. I like it, but it doesn't like me! (if you know what I mean). Anyhow, Lucy's has been a nice change although their concept of western food is not quite the same as real western food. This afternoon Jade and I played in the hotel, and took a nap while Theresa went shopping. At 6 p.m. we met some other members of the group, and our tour guide to go out for supper at a cantonese restaurant. It was very good, and I tried another half a dozen dishes that I've never seen before. I had been warned before this trip that it was wise to eat what was put in front of you, and to ask what it was after you had eaten (not before). I've been following that advise somewhat, but the truth of it is that most of the dishes are fine.
After supper tonight we picked up our laundry from a local shop, bought a few baubles, and went back to the hotel. Tomorrow, we go to take pictures on the red velvet couch with all the kids in their chinese outfits, and then we go to pick up their visa's and passports from the U.S. Consulate. The latter should go smoothly! :-)
Take care everyone,
Jeff (& Theresa)
We did some shopping this morning, and picked up some more gifts for family and friends as well as Jade. It is our plan to take home 17 gifts for Jade so we can put them away, and give her one birthday gift from our trip to China each year. We also picked up some more silk dresses for her. For lunch we went to Lucy's again. Lucy's is just down the street from the hotel, and they serve western food. If you have ever had too much of a good thing then you'll understand that I felt that way over Chinese food about five days ago. I like it, but it doesn't like me! (if you know what I mean). Anyhow, Lucy's has been a nice change although their concept of western food is not quite the same as real western food. This afternoon Jade and I played in the hotel, and took a nap while Theresa went shopping. At 6 p.m. we met some other members of the group, and our tour guide to go out for supper at a cantonese restaurant. It was very good, and I tried another half a dozen dishes that I've never seen before. I had been warned before this trip that it was wise to eat what was put in front of you, and to ask what it was after you had eaten (not before). I've been following that advise somewhat, but the truth of it is that most of the dishes are fine.
After supper tonight we picked up our laundry from a local shop, bought a few baubles, and went back to the hotel. Tomorrow, we go to take pictures on the red velvet couch with all the kids in their chinese outfits, and then we go to pick up their visa's and passports from the U.S. Consulate. The latter should go smoothly! :-)
Take care everyone,
Jeff (& Theresa)
Sunday, July 23, 2006
Good Times in Guangzhou
Here are some of my favorite pictures & events from the last few days.
At the airport on our way to Guangzhou, Jade felt it important to call a meeting of the Fuzhou babies present while they waited for their boarding passes.
After arriving in Guangzhou, we had to wait for a couple to arrive from Nanning Province with their new baby, so we sat in the market area & waited impatiently. Xiaohan's mom Jenny bought mini bananas for the kids. Jade kind of looks like the cutest little monkey learning how to feed herself!
I saw these statues on the internet and was hoping I could find them to take this picture. Apparently this is how they think Americans look. We didn't do much to persuade them differently.
Katie, the pediatrician with us, told us to get all the fluids into Jade that we could. The only thing she was interested in at lunch yesterday was Diet Coke. So we hesitantly gave her her first taste of Diet Coke. She actually liked it!
Now this is more like it. Fresh banana juice at the Thai Restaurant. It was really good!
The first time Mommy fed Jade with chopsticks was last night at the Thai Restaurant.
An interesting thing is that the king and queen of Sweden were visiting in Guangzhou when we arrived. We didn't get in until around 9 p.m., and there were fireworks in their honor, so the traffic was stopped and jammed everywhere. We got close to the hotel (White Swan), which is on Shamian Island, and came to a barracade. The fireworks were being set off on the other side of the river - very close to the hotel. It was extremely hot & humid and very late for the babies, so our national guide Rose jumped off the bus, spoke to the policeman, got back on the bus, and they moved the barracade so we could to go through! We were quite impressed with her! And very glad to get into the hotel & get our babies to bed. Seems like everything is an adventure!
At the airport on our way to Guangzhou, Jade felt it important to call a meeting of the Fuzhou babies present while they waited for their boarding passes.
After arriving in Guangzhou, we had to wait for a couple to arrive from Nanning Province with their new baby, so we sat in the market area & waited impatiently. Xiaohan's mom Jenny bought mini bananas for the kids. Jade kind of looks like the cutest little monkey learning how to feed herself!
I saw these statues on the internet and was hoping I could find them to take this picture. Apparently this is how they think Americans look. We didn't do much to persuade them differently.
Katie, the pediatrician with us, told us to get all the fluids into Jade that we could. The only thing she was interested in at lunch yesterday was Diet Coke. So we hesitantly gave her her first taste of Diet Coke. She actually liked it!
Now this is more like it. Fresh banana juice at the Thai Restaurant. It was really good!
The first time Mommy fed Jade with chopsticks was last night at the Thai Restaurant.
An interesting thing is that the king and queen of Sweden were visiting in Guangzhou when we arrived. We didn't get in until around 9 p.m., and there were fireworks in their honor, so the traffic was stopped and jammed everywhere. We got close to the hotel (White Swan), which is on Shamian Island, and came to a barracade. The fireworks were being set off on the other side of the river - very close to the hotel. It was extremely hot & humid and very late for the babies, so our national guide Rose jumped off the bus, spoke to the policeman, got back on the bus, and they moved the barracade so we could to go through! We were quite impressed with her! And very glad to get into the hotel & get our babies to bed. Seems like everything is an adventure!
Saturday, July 22, 2006
Compare these pictures!!
Good Morning! It is Sunday for us, Saturday night for you.
I didn't realize how bad Jade looked the first night until I compared pictures. No wonder we couldn't recognize her!
Look at the difference in her eyes!
Our sweet little girl is doing better and better. I fed her noodles with chopsticks for the first time last night. She got so excited when they brought the noodles to the table. She smiled and laughed and banged on the highchair tray! Guess they ate a lot of noodles at the orphanage.
Today is our 23rd anniversary, and Jade gave us the best gift we've ever received - Jeff picked her up & she said "Ba Ba!" which means "Daddy!" She said it every time we asked her to say it. We were so delighted that she actually spoke, and she started laughing and snuggling on Jeff's neck.
Our pediatrician left today for Beijing and will go home on Tuesday. We were a little nervous about being here with a sick child without her, but it appears that Jade is over the worst of it, so I'm sure we'll be okay.
Everyone is going to a Buddhist Temple today to have their babies blessed by a Buddhist monk. We are not going, nor is the other Christian couple in our group. We are not feeling our best today, so we are going to stay close to the hotel. We'll do a little shopping after we find something for lunch.
Please pray for these things:
- It appears that I have caught what caused Jade's pneumonia. Hers was not attended to well enough, so she got far worse than I will. There is a 24-hour clinic here at the hotel and one can buy prescription meds over the counter, so I'm going to get some Robitussin cough syrup.
- Jeff is having stomach trouble and has been for several days.
- I guess we are exhausted. Having your first child come to you very ill will do that to you.
- Our trip home. Jade had a very hard time on the plane from Nanchang to Guangzhou and that was only about an hour ride. We have some children's EarPlanes for the ride home, so hopefully that will help.
- Pray that we will be a good witness to the other members of our group. One couple seems a little offended that we have chosen not to have the Buddhist blessing for Jade. We want them to know that our beliefs are true & sincere, and see that as positive, not as if we are passing judgment on them.
- Most importantly, pray for Jade's continued recovery and that there will be no more problems trying to get her home.
Love to you all - we absolutely can't wait to get home!
Trisa
I didn't realize how bad Jade looked the first night until I compared pictures. No wonder we couldn't recognize her!
Look at the difference in her eyes!
Our sweet little girl is doing better and better. I fed her noodles with chopsticks for the first time last night. She got so excited when they brought the noodles to the table. She smiled and laughed and banged on the highchair tray! Guess they ate a lot of noodles at the orphanage.Today is our 23rd anniversary, and Jade gave us the best gift we've ever received - Jeff picked her up & she said "Ba Ba!" which means "Daddy!" She said it every time we asked her to say it. We were so delighted that she actually spoke, and she started laughing and snuggling on Jeff's neck.
Our pediatrician left today for Beijing and will go home on Tuesday. We were a little nervous about being here with a sick child without her, but it appears that Jade is over the worst of it, so I'm sure we'll be okay.
Everyone is going to a Buddhist Temple today to have their babies blessed by a Buddhist monk. We are not going, nor is the other Christian couple in our group. We are not feeling our best today, so we are going to stay close to the hotel. We'll do a little shopping after we find something for lunch.
Please pray for these things:
- It appears that I have caught what caused Jade's pneumonia. Hers was not attended to well enough, so she got far worse than I will. There is a 24-hour clinic here at the hotel and one can buy prescription meds over the counter, so I'm going to get some Robitussin cough syrup.
- Jeff is having stomach trouble and has been for several days.
- I guess we are exhausted. Having your first child come to you very ill will do that to you.
- Our trip home. Jade had a very hard time on the plane from Nanchang to Guangzhou and that was only about an hour ride. We have some children's EarPlanes for the ride home, so hopefully that will help.
- Pray that we will be a good witness to the other members of our group. One couple seems a little offended that we have chosen not to have the Buddhist blessing for Jade. We want them to know that our beliefs are true & sincere, and see that as positive, not as if we are passing judgment on them.
- Most importantly, pray for Jade's continued recovery and that there will be no more problems trying to get her home.
Love to you all - we absolutely can't wait to get home!
Trisa
P.S. Regarding Jade's Visa
One more thing...Jade did get okay'd by the doctors that did her visa physical. So, she did pass. We should be getting her visa in a couple more days.
Update on how we're doing.
Sorry we haven't been updating the blog. A lot has been going on in the past 24-48 hours. We are doing fine, and so is Jade. We are in Guangzhou China, and Jade passed her Visa physical even though the doctors gave us a hard time. They indicated that Jade had severe pneumonia, but after we voluntarily had a chest xray done it was determined that it is mild pneumonia. It was probably much worse a few days ago before we started the antibiotics. So, they have probably done the trick. We are continuing one antibiotic for a few more days, and if she takes a turn for the worse we have another one that we can use. She is doing much better though. She has less of a cough, and is much more alert. We expect a full recovery in just a few more days. She has started laughing, smiling, and even doing a little singing in the past 24-48 hours. A 1000% improvement. We think that now we are seeing more of her real personality now that she is feeling better. When we get home we are taking her to our new pediatrician for a checkup. Over the next three days we are doing a little sightseeing, and then Wednesday we start our flight home. We will be flying to HongKong, then Chicago, IL, and then on to Boston, MA. It's a little weird, because of the time difference we leave here on Wednesday, and arrive home late Wednesday. Please pray that Jade will do well on the trip home. She cried quite a bit while we were flying to Guangzhou, but was fine taking off and landing. Also, pray for us because it will be a longer flight to get home. I think it is 17-18 hours from Hong Kong to Chicago, and then another 2.5 or so hours to fly to Boston. We'll try to update the blog each day of the next three days.
Jeff (& Theresa)
Jeff (& Theresa)
Tuesday, July 18, 2006
Ni Hao!
Ni Hao! (Nee How) Good morning!
Zheng Zheng hen hao bao bao! (Prounounced "Jung Jung hun how bow bow".) This means Zheng Zheng is a very good baby. She really is. Even while feeling so bad, she has been so, so sweet.
Jade had a good night. She's coughed a bit, but the cough sounds much less rattle-y and she hasn't woken up at all. In fact, she's still sleeping. She's so cute. Sometimes her feet are sticking out through the slats of her crib and you can only see blanket & feet.
Besides Jeff having a little stomach trouble, we are both doing very well physically. And, despite the hard parts of Jade's illness (the frightening hospital, the abandoned babies at the hospital, etc.), this is a wonderful trip. China is beautiful & peaceful, then dirty & frightening, then old world & new world. It's really good that we're able to experience as much of Jade's country as we are. It's good for when she asks questions about China later, but it's also good for putting everything else in live into perspective.
Well, Jade's up & we've bathed her & we're about ready to go to breakfast, so we'll post this and hope it makes sense, unlike the last few I've been half asleep through.
LoVE YIOU ALL - THAnks for you caring and prayers (and orating!). Jade is helping me type!
Trisa, JADE, & jEFF
Zheng Zheng hen hao bao bao! (Prounounced "Jung Jung hun how bow bow".) This means Zheng Zheng is a very good baby. She really is. Even while feeling so bad, she has been so, so sweet.
Jade had a good night. She's coughed a bit, but the cough sounds much less rattle-y and she hasn't woken up at all. In fact, she's still sleeping. She's so cute. Sometimes her feet are sticking out through the slats of her crib and you can only see blanket & feet.
Besides Jeff having a little stomach trouble, we are both doing very well physically. And, despite the hard parts of Jade's illness (the frightening hospital, the abandoned babies at the hospital, etc.), this is a wonderful trip. China is beautiful & peaceful, then dirty & frightening, then old world & new world. It's really good that we're able to experience as much of Jade's country as we are. It's good for when she asks questions about China later, but it's also good for putting everything else in live into perspective.
Well, Jade's up & we've bathed her & we're about ready to go to breakfast, so we'll post this and hope it makes sense, unlike the last few I've been half asleep through.
LoVE YIOU ALL - THAnks for you caring and prayers (and orating!). Jade is helping me type!
Trisa, JADE, & jEFF
Another Update on Jade
Now that Jade (Zheng Zheng as they called her at the orphanage - pronounced Jung Jung) has gone to bed, I can write a few words before falling asleep.
First, I have to say that I was wrong in my last post. I said we did not need an orater. Then I opened an email from my brother Michael. It was the most beautiful & loving prayer. I was so moved by his words that I couldn't read it to Jeff. After reading the prayer, I said, "Well, I guess we did need an orater after all! Click on comments under "Orater Needed" and read his beautiful prayer.
So, here's where we stand at this time. Katie conferred with the lung cancer doctor & ER nurse in our group and recommended that we give Jade the rest of her IV meds in the form of a shot.
God has shown Himself present in this situation in many ways and I am so grateful that He is with us. Here are some of the incredible "coincidences" that have occured.
When we had our first visit & IV at the Children's Hospital Sunday night, they sent all of the medicine in powder form & IV bottles of saline home with us. Each time we go in for an IV, we hand them the meds & they mix them & do their thing. This morning, Katie thought that we might be able to mix them in small amounts, so Jeff looked up the weird-named medicine. It was hard to find, but they found it. She looked at the medicine bottle & couldn't read the Chinese.
About then, a couple in our group Patrick & Liane came in to see how Jade was doing. Patrick is a lung cancer doctor & did his first 2 year residency in pediatrics years ago. And, get this - Patrick & Liane are Chinese! So they translated the medicine bottle for her. Then Liane told me how they are Chistians!
Not being pharmacists, neither of them knew what amount to give an infant, so they went to consult with Meredith, the best friend of one of the women in our group. The reason for that is that Meredith is an ER nurse! This is what she does all the time and she knew just what to do & how to do it!
So, they mixed up the medicine & all three of them came in to give her her shot. We had our own little medical team present. Jade screamed and got real mad, and when it was over, they handed her to me and she went to sleep within 5 minutes. It was so good that she was able to have a good amount of sleep-time.
Around 1:30, Jade woke up & needed a bottle. I thought she felt hot, but taking her temp showed 97.6, so we went to get a bite for lunch in the restaurant downstairs. She began to droop again during lunch, so we left early. We got back to the room & cleaned up her messy diaper and found her to be very hot. So, we took her temp & it was 102.2. I lost it while watching the numbers get higher & higher. Katie came and helped us make some decisions and we decided to try things her way instead of the Chinese medicine way.
Katie is not alarmed by this situation and feels confident that Jade will be well soon. Before writing to the blog tonight, Leanne called reassuring us of their prayers. She also gave me 3 scriptures to look up. I am just amazed that all of these people really care about us, especially Jade.
The phone just rang a few minutes ago, and Liane was calling saying that she & Patrick had just prayed for us and reminded me that when we call on God, He hears us and promises to help us. The Lord is so good. He knows the kind of help we need, and He knows way ahead of time, so He has everything in place before we even know it. Liane also gave me some scriptures to look up. They were on an old piece of paper in her Bible that had fallen out just after they prayed for us.
I am about to fall out of this chair because I am falling asleep so I'll have to write more tomorrow. Thanks for your prayers & for being orarters for us!
Love,
TB & Jeff
First, I have to say that I was wrong in my last post. I said we did not need an orater. Then I opened an email from my brother Michael. It was the most beautiful & loving prayer. I was so moved by his words that I couldn't read it to Jeff. After reading the prayer, I said, "Well, I guess we did need an orater after all! Click on comments under "Orater Needed" and read his beautiful prayer.
So, here's where we stand at this time. Katie conferred with the lung cancer doctor & ER nurse in our group and recommended that we give Jade the rest of her IV meds in the form of a shot.
God has shown Himself present in this situation in many ways and I am so grateful that He is with us. Here are some of the incredible "coincidences" that have occured.
When we had our first visit & IV at the Children's Hospital Sunday night, they sent all of the medicine in powder form & IV bottles of saline home with us. Each time we go in for an IV, we hand them the meds & they mix them & do their thing. This morning, Katie thought that we might be able to mix them in small amounts, so Jeff looked up the weird-named medicine. It was hard to find, but they found it. She looked at the medicine bottle & couldn't read the Chinese.
About then, a couple in our group Patrick & Liane came in to see how Jade was doing. Patrick is a lung cancer doctor & did his first 2 year residency in pediatrics years ago. And, get this - Patrick & Liane are Chinese! So they translated the medicine bottle for her. Then Liane told me how they are Chistians!
Not being pharmacists, neither of them knew what amount to give an infant, so they went to consult with Meredith, the best friend of one of the women in our group. The reason for that is that Meredith is an ER nurse! This is what she does all the time and she knew just what to do & how to do it!
So, they mixed up the medicine & all three of them came in to give her her shot. We had our own little medical team present. Jade screamed and got real mad, and when it was over, they handed her to me and she went to sleep within 5 minutes. It was so good that she was able to have a good amount of sleep-time.
Around 1:30, Jade woke up & needed a bottle. I thought she felt hot, but taking her temp showed 97.6, so we went to get a bite for lunch in the restaurant downstairs. She began to droop again during lunch, so we left early. We got back to the room & cleaned up her messy diaper and found her to be very hot. So, we took her temp & it was 102.2. I lost it while watching the numbers get higher & higher. Katie came and helped us make some decisions and we decided to try things her way instead of the Chinese medicine way.
Katie is not alarmed by this situation and feels confident that Jade will be well soon. Before writing to the blog tonight, Leanne called reassuring us of their prayers. She also gave me 3 scriptures to look up. I am just amazed that all of these people really care about us, especially Jade.
The phone just rang a few minutes ago, and Liane was calling saying that she & Patrick had just prayed for us and reminded me that when we call on God, He hears us and promises to help us. The Lord is so good. He knows the kind of help we need, and He knows way ahead of time, so He has everything in place before we even know it. Liane also gave me some scriptures to look up. They were on an old piece of paper in her Bible that had fallen out just after they prayed for us.
I am about to fall out of this chair because I am falling asleep so I'll have to write more tomorrow. Thanks for your prayers & for being orarters for us!
Love,
TB & Jeff
Monday, July 17, 2006
More pictures!
On the plane from Beijing to Jiangxi, Jade's province. We get Jade tonight!! Woo Hoo!!!!!!!Jeff, Theresa, SWI staff (she handed Jade to us), Mr. Zhou, the SWI director. This is in our room about an hour
after receiving Jade.Daddy & Jade the night we got her. She was so sick.
Mommy gives Jade her first bath.
Update on Jade's health
We are tired, but holding up well. Jade's temp. hit 102.8F yesterday, and this morning it was 100.6F. The children's Advil seems helped to break the fever yesterday, and we are giving her that whenever her temp. is up (not all the time as advised by our U.S. doctor who arrived last night). Jade is really worn out, and crying more, but very attached to her new Ma Ma. Her appetite has improved quite a bit since the first night, and we are giving her more congee mixed with fish soup -- she loves it! The pediatrician from CAWLI is determining if we should take her back to the Children's Hospital to do IV's number 3 & 4, or she may be able to just give the medicine as an injection to Jade. We'll see. We really think that Jade will improve over the next couple of days. We were told that she had the measles the week before we got her, and she does have little red raised bumps all over her chest and sides, but there is also the possibility that it is scabies. As a precaution, we are going to apply the cream for scabies before she goes to bed tonight. Hopefully, that will help get rid of them, and reduce her itching. Although we understand the itching may continue for several more days.
Jeff (& Theresa ) Gilman
Jeff (& Theresa ) Gilman
Good Morning!
I think it is hilarious, the typo I made when saying that prayer was needed. No, we do not need an orater! If you oraters did pray, however, your prayers were answered! Jeff and I have both awakened feeling much better this morning.
Our pediatrician, Katie, arrived last night at 10:30 and came straight to our room to check Jade. She is wonderful and sweet and very caring. She thinks that Jade had a slight case of pneumonia. Jeff has said that all along, but I thought it was bronchitis. So, Ba Ba had good instincts. : )
Katie said that if Jade's fever doesn't come back that we can switch her from IV anitibiotics to shots or oral meds that she has brought with her. I was thrilled to hear that, as it is so hard to watch her crying so hard while they put needles in her head. But...Jade awakened with 101.4 fever, so I don't know what Katie will say. We see her at 9 this morning for the routine medical check she is to give the babies. They gave us the first slot since Jade has been so sick. I am so glad. If Katie feels that Jade should continue with the IV's, we will take her back to the children's hospital at 10, and then again at 2. Whatever will make her better is what we want, of course, but the hospital just feels so unsanitary. I think that the inside areas (where we put the babies on the pad on the counter) are sanitary, and Rose told us that that hospital has a policy of never using a needle twice, which we witnessed yesterday when the first attempt at the IV in her head did not hit a vein. That was a comfort to us after seeing and smelling the filth throughout the other rooms.
Jade woke up at 4:30 for a bottle and drank very little, but seemed to feel much better. She actually smiled several times and gave us a few short laughs when I rubbed my nose on her tummy to see if she was ticklish.
Well, Jade is awake again and wanting Ma Ma, so I'll close. Please continue to pray for Jade.
If anyone at our church is reading this, would you please keep Jade on the prayer chain? Praise the Lord that she is much improved, and please keep praying, especially since her fever is back.
We love you guys,
TB & Jeff
Our pediatrician, Katie, arrived last night at 10:30 and came straight to our room to check Jade. She is wonderful and sweet and very caring. She thinks that Jade had a slight case of pneumonia. Jeff has said that all along, but I thought it was bronchitis. So, Ba Ba had good instincts. : )
Katie said that if Jade's fever doesn't come back that we can switch her from IV anitibiotics to shots or oral meds that she has brought with her. I was thrilled to hear that, as it is so hard to watch her crying so hard while they put needles in her head. But...Jade awakened with 101.4 fever, so I don't know what Katie will say. We see her at 9 this morning for the routine medical check she is to give the babies. They gave us the first slot since Jade has been so sick. I am so glad. If Katie feels that Jade should continue with the IV's, we will take her back to the children's hospital at 10, and then again at 2. Whatever will make her better is what we want, of course, but the hospital just feels so unsanitary. I think that the inside areas (where we put the babies on the pad on the counter) are sanitary, and Rose told us that that hospital has a policy of never using a needle twice, which we witnessed yesterday when the first attempt at the IV in her head did not hit a vein. That was a comfort to us after seeing and smelling the filth throughout the other rooms.
Jade woke up at 4:30 for a bottle and drank very little, but seemed to feel much better. She actually smiled several times and gave us a few short laughs when I rubbed my nose on her tummy to see if she was ticklish.
Well, Jade is awake again and wanting Ma Ma, so I'll close. Please continue to pray for Jade.
If anyone at our church is reading this, would you please keep Jade on the prayer chain? Praise the Lord that she is much improved, and please keep praying, especially since her fever is back.
We love you guys,
TB & Jeff
Orater Needed
Jade is doing much better tonight - but Jeff and I feel like we are both getting sick! Woozy heads, sicky stomachs, rubber legs. We need to be well to take care of Jade!
Thanks for your praers.
Thanks for your praers.
We are parents!
Blog July 17, 2006
It was undoubtedly the most emotionally charged moment of my life when they placed our little Jade in my arms at 6:45 last night.
We flew out of Beijing into Nanchang, Jiangxi yesterday afternoon. On our ride to the hotel, our guide told us that the babies would arrive at 6:30, so we would arrive at the hotel at 5:45, get our luggage into our rooms, eat in one of the hotel restaurants at 6, and get our babies at 6:30. We could hardly make it to our rooms for our nerves. We could hardly eat for our nerves. Then the guides told us the orphanage director called and said they’d be a little late – 6:45. So, we all tried to sit still at the table & chat. Mostly we compared how we were all feeling.
All four families rode up in the elevator together. We were instructed beforehand to wait in the hallway, just outside the elevator on our floor (we are all on the same floor). When we got off the elevator, we heard babies crying from a room nearby. I got all teary and thought I couldn’t breathe. Suddenly, the orphanage director, Mr. Zhou (pronounced “Joe”) & 3 staff members came out, each with a baby. We all just about simultaneously burst into tears. Jeff and I couldn’t recognize Jade, so we kind of did a process of elimination. One woman’s best friend was her travel companion and was supposed to be taking pictures. She was bawling the loudest! Then others started bawling. I didn’t. I was too overwhelmed to let my throat relax enough to cry so loudly. It was a little comical – we sounded like a bunch of toddlers the way our group was boo hoo-ing. They then called the names of one couple, and the Mr. Zhou gave them their baby. Then they said, “Jeff & Therese Gilman – Fu Xiao Zheng” and a lady brought her to us. Jeff filmed while I held her and she cried. But not for long. The other two families names were called & their babies were handed to them. And we all continued to cry and talk to our babies. I kept saying, “Wo ai ni” (I love you), “Ni hen piao liang” (You are very beautiful), and “Wo shi Ma Ma” (I am your Mama) and “Shi Ba Ba” (your daddy) while pointing to him. I wanted to tell her not to be afraid and that everything was going to be alright, and I couldn’t think of another Chinese word!! So I also spoke to her in English. Then I turned to Jeff and said, “She’s burning up – she’s sick.” Then she coughed a terrible bronchitis-type of cough and laid her head on my shoulder. At that point, they instructed us to go to our rooms and get to know our daughters. The lady who brought Jade to us came into our room with our national guide, Rose. We had the time to ask up to 100 hundred questions about Jade, her past, her schedule, etc. Rose was our interpreter. We learned that Jade had just finished 7 days of medicine IV’s because she had had the measles! She was still pretty much covered in spots. After they left, we gave her a bath (the lady said she loves them) and put her in jammies. We noticed that Jade was getting hotter and hotter and her breathing was shallow & rapid. I could feel the rumble of her lungs on my hand while I held her. My instincts said to take her to the doctor, but I wasn’t sure what to do, so at 10 p.m., we called the pediatrician who is meeting us here tomorrow (she was in Boston). She had told us to call anytime and that she was used to be awakened at all hours. After hearing her breathe over the phone & asking about her breathing & temp (102.7), she said to follow my instincts & take her to the hospital. So, we called our national guide who has been with us our entire trip. She called our local guide and told us to meet them in the lobby in 10 minutes. They had a cab waiting and took us to the hospital. I have to tell you, I wanted to turn around and return to our room the moment we walked in. It smelled horrible, the waiting area was actually outside (and it was raining), and it was filthy. But Rose said it was the most popular hospital in Nanchang and Jade was having labored breathing, so we stayed. After waiting 30-45 minutes, we were called into a small room with two doctors sitting at small desks. It was a bizarre situation. Customers crowded around the examining table to make sure the doctors did not take a patient in the wrong order – I could hardly get in the room with Jade, much less up to the doctor! They sent us upstairs – through lots of litter – for a blood test. I did not want them to stick my baby with one of their needles – who knows if it was sterile? But I had no other help, so I asked the Lord to cleanse the needle and the ladies hands & to keep Jade safe.
We were then sent back downstairs to wait another ½ hour or more. Then we were called over to be told that she had a bacterial infection and that she had to have 4 sessions of antibiotic IV’s. We waited some more, then were called to an area where we had to lay Jade on the outside counter and the nurse would reach through the window she was sitting at and put an IV in her head. Jade cried and cried. They sent us with the bottle to anther filthy room with IV holders and chairs. There was a bucket of IV needles and used gauze in the middle of the room. We sat there until the IV was done. While we were there, two abandoned babies were brought in in cardboard boxes. I felt so sad thinking that it was probably similar when Jade was found. And I felt so bad for those babies. One was a boy and almost 3 years old, I think. It will be much harder for him to lose his parents at this age.
We left the hospital around 1:30 a.m. and all went to bed. It was hard to sleep because Jade kept coughing so hard. I kept jumping up to check on her.
So, we are seeing a little improvement in Jade this afternoon. We gave her some infant motrin drops this morning and her fever broke while we were at the adoption office. We were so relieved!
Jeff continues the story…
We took Jade back to the Children’s Hospital in Nan Chang for another IV of antibiotics this afternoon, and it went very well. She slept through most of it. We have noticed that even though she is sleeping a lot today, she is acting better, and is more responsive. Although she made it very clear that she was not in the mood for a bath! So, we gave her a sponge bath. Her eating seems to have improved, and her cough is a little better, but there is still quite a bronchial rattle when she coughs. This afternoon around 4:45 p.m as I am typing this she is playing a bit with Theresa, and seems to be very miserable and tired still. Our pediatrician arrives later tonight, and we have the first appointment to see her in the morning at 9 a.m. when she will do a complete exam of Jade. That will make us feel a lot better.
We have completed all of the adoption paperwork today. Last night after they brought the babies in we signed papers to be nanny’s for one night. Today, we became their actual parents forever! Lucky babies! That is what people say when they find out that we have adopted a little girl from one of the Social Welfare Institutes (Orphanages). Hopefully, Jade will sleep well tonight, and so will we. We will be in Nan Chang for another four days, and then we will be traveling to Guangzhou to stay at the White Swan Hotel. This is a famous hotel that adoptive parents stay at, and we expect to see a lot of them there. In this hotel that we are staying in right now there is a large group of adoptive parents from Spain who have just gotten their babies. Everyone here is very happy!
That is all I/we can think of to tell you at this moment. Sorry this was so long, but we had quite a bit of catching up to do. We will try to upload some new pictures of Jade in the next few hours.
God bless you all, and we appreciate your prayers for Jade’s health.
Jeff & Theresa
It was undoubtedly the most emotionally charged moment of my life when they placed our little Jade in my arms at 6:45 last night.
We flew out of Beijing into Nanchang, Jiangxi yesterday afternoon. On our ride to the hotel, our guide told us that the babies would arrive at 6:30, so we would arrive at the hotel at 5:45, get our luggage into our rooms, eat in one of the hotel restaurants at 6, and get our babies at 6:30. We could hardly make it to our rooms for our nerves. We could hardly eat for our nerves. Then the guides told us the orphanage director called and said they’d be a little late – 6:45. So, we all tried to sit still at the table & chat. Mostly we compared how we were all feeling.
All four families rode up in the elevator together. We were instructed beforehand to wait in the hallway, just outside the elevator on our floor (we are all on the same floor). When we got off the elevator, we heard babies crying from a room nearby. I got all teary and thought I couldn’t breathe. Suddenly, the orphanage director, Mr. Zhou (pronounced “Joe”) & 3 staff members came out, each with a baby. We all just about simultaneously burst into tears. Jeff and I couldn’t recognize Jade, so we kind of did a process of elimination. One woman’s best friend was her travel companion and was supposed to be taking pictures. She was bawling the loudest! Then others started bawling. I didn’t. I was too overwhelmed to let my throat relax enough to cry so loudly. It was a little comical – we sounded like a bunch of toddlers the way our group was boo hoo-ing. They then called the names of one couple, and the Mr. Zhou gave them their baby. Then they said, “Jeff & Therese Gilman – Fu Xiao Zheng” and a lady brought her to us. Jeff filmed while I held her and she cried. But not for long. The other two families names were called & their babies were handed to them. And we all continued to cry and talk to our babies. I kept saying, “Wo ai ni” (I love you), “Ni hen piao liang” (You are very beautiful), and “Wo shi Ma Ma” (I am your Mama) and “Shi Ba Ba” (your daddy) while pointing to him. I wanted to tell her not to be afraid and that everything was going to be alright, and I couldn’t think of another Chinese word!! So I also spoke to her in English. Then I turned to Jeff and said, “She’s burning up – she’s sick.” Then she coughed a terrible bronchitis-type of cough and laid her head on my shoulder. At that point, they instructed us to go to our rooms and get to know our daughters. The lady who brought Jade to us came into our room with our national guide, Rose. We had the time to ask up to 100 hundred questions about Jade, her past, her schedule, etc. Rose was our interpreter. We learned that Jade had just finished 7 days of medicine IV’s because she had had the measles! She was still pretty much covered in spots. After they left, we gave her a bath (the lady said she loves them) and put her in jammies. We noticed that Jade was getting hotter and hotter and her breathing was shallow & rapid. I could feel the rumble of her lungs on my hand while I held her. My instincts said to take her to the doctor, but I wasn’t sure what to do, so at 10 p.m., we called the pediatrician who is meeting us here tomorrow (she was in Boston). She had told us to call anytime and that she was used to be awakened at all hours. After hearing her breathe over the phone & asking about her breathing & temp (102.7), she said to follow my instincts & take her to the hospital. So, we called our national guide who has been with us our entire trip. She called our local guide and told us to meet them in the lobby in 10 minutes. They had a cab waiting and took us to the hospital. I have to tell you, I wanted to turn around and return to our room the moment we walked in. It smelled horrible, the waiting area was actually outside (and it was raining), and it was filthy. But Rose said it was the most popular hospital in Nanchang and Jade was having labored breathing, so we stayed. After waiting 30-45 minutes, we were called into a small room with two doctors sitting at small desks. It was a bizarre situation. Customers crowded around the examining table to make sure the doctors did not take a patient in the wrong order – I could hardly get in the room with Jade, much less up to the doctor! They sent us upstairs – through lots of litter – for a blood test. I did not want them to stick my baby with one of their needles – who knows if it was sterile? But I had no other help, so I asked the Lord to cleanse the needle and the ladies hands & to keep Jade safe.
We were then sent back downstairs to wait another ½ hour or more. Then we were called over to be told that she had a bacterial infection and that she had to have 4 sessions of antibiotic IV’s. We waited some more, then were called to an area where we had to lay Jade on the outside counter and the nurse would reach through the window she was sitting at and put an IV in her head. Jade cried and cried. They sent us with the bottle to anther filthy room with IV holders and chairs. There was a bucket of IV needles and used gauze in the middle of the room. We sat there until the IV was done. While we were there, two abandoned babies were brought in in cardboard boxes. I felt so sad thinking that it was probably similar when Jade was found. And I felt so bad for those babies. One was a boy and almost 3 years old, I think. It will be much harder for him to lose his parents at this age.
We left the hospital around 1:30 a.m. and all went to bed. It was hard to sleep because Jade kept coughing so hard. I kept jumping up to check on her.
So, we are seeing a little improvement in Jade this afternoon. We gave her some infant motrin drops this morning and her fever broke while we were at the adoption office. We were so relieved!
Jeff continues the story…
We took Jade back to the Children’s Hospital in Nan Chang for another IV of antibiotics this afternoon, and it went very well. She slept through most of it. We have noticed that even though she is sleeping a lot today, she is acting better, and is more responsive. Although she made it very clear that she was not in the mood for a bath! So, we gave her a sponge bath. Her eating seems to have improved, and her cough is a little better, but there is still quite a bronchial rattle when she coughs. This afternoon around 4:45 p.m as I am typing this she is playing a bit with Theresa, and seems to be very miserable and tired still. Our pediatrician arrives later tonight, and we have the first appointment to see her in the morning at 9 a.m. when she will do a complete exam of Jade. That will make us feel a lot better.
We have completed all of the adoption paperwork today. Last night after they brought the babies in we signed papers to be nanny’s for one night. Today, we became their actual parents forever! Lucky babies! That is what people say when they find out that we have adopted a little girl from one of the Social Welfare Institutes (Orphanages). Hopefully, Jade will sleep well tonight, and so will we. We will be in Nan Chang for another four days, and then we will be traveling to Guangzhou to stay at the White Swan Hotel. This is a famous hotel that adoptive parents stay at, and we expect to see a lot of them there. In this hotel that we are staying in right now there is a large group of adoptive parents from Spain who have just gotten their babies. Everyone here is very happy!
That is all I/we can think of to tell you at this moment. Sorry this was so long, but we had quite a bit of catching up to do. We will try to upload some new pictures of Jade in the next few hours.
God bless you all, and we appreciate your prayers for Jade’s health.
Jeff & Theresa
Saturday, July 15, 2006
What a day!
This morning I woke up at 4:30 a.m., and Theresa was up around 5 a.m. After breakfast we gathered with the rest of the group, and got on the bus to go to the Great Wall. On the way we stopped at a jade factory. There we took a tour explaining the different types of jade, and the way to tell quality as well as real verses fake jade apart. It was very interesting. Not being a jade expert I don't really know how much it costs in the U.S. It seemed fairly expensive to me so it must be worth much more in the States than I realize. After doing a little shopping we left to go to lunch. I have to say that we (especially me) have been very adventurous when it comes to trying out the different unknown chinese dishes here. Our guide typically orders about 8-10 different dishes for five people. This is a huge amount of food to get onto each table (five people at each table). A few of the dishes we do not care for, but many that we have never tried in our lives are quite good! And, no one has gotten sick so that is also good. After lunch we went on to the Great Wall. It was about 93 degrees today, and very, very humid. So bad that our native guide was also having a hard time dealing with the heat. She said that when families come to adopt in the month of August that they just stay in the hotels. It can get up to 105 degrees in August, and it is just to hot to take them out anywhere. Anyhow, at the Great Wall we of course took a lot of pictures, video, bought Theresa a hat to shade her, a folding fan, a t-shirt for me, and probably something else (I can't remember) -- oh, water. We went up part of the Great Wall, and there were so many people that it was very crowded. Some of our group went about halfway up the Great Wall, but came right back because it was to crowded, the way got very narrow, the people in front of them for several rows were just stopped, and small children were wheezing in the hot weather. It was a beautiful place, a neat place to be, and wonderful scenery all around us. All I can say is "I've Climbed the Great Wall!" We left after two hours there, and went to a Friendship Store that sold Cloisonne' vases, jewelry, and assorted items. We took another tour there to see how they make it, and it is very painstaking work. While we were going through the factory tour one of the ceiling fans shorted out, and blew scaring some of the women workers. Especially, one lady who was working right under it! From there we went to see a Beijing acrobatic show. It was fantastic! They were very good. After the show we went out to supper, and ate some more strange, but good food. I knew before we left for the trip that this was going to happen, but it is still strange when the peking duck comes on the plate with the whole head, and the fish comes with the head and the tail still attached!!
Now, after all that touristy stuff let me tell you what is happening with our adoption. Tomorrow (Sunday) we are going to Tianamen Square, to the Forbidden City, and then flying from Beijing to Nanchang. It is in Nanchang where we will pick up our daughter, Jade. The orphanage Director and staff will meet our group out in the hallway of the hotel, and give us the babies at 6:30 p.m. It is at this time that we can ask them up to 100 questions. They will also give us one packet of her formula and her cereal. Then in the morning we will see the Director and staff again to register (adopt) her, and complete any necessary paperwork with them. She is then ours!!!! We will then stay in Nanchang until 7/21, and then continue on to Guangzhou until 7/26 when we leave to come home.
That's really all I have to say for today. We are in the midst of packing because we have to put our luggage outside before 7 a.m. tomorrow morning (Sunday). The bellmen will take the luggage to the airport, and when we arrive in Nanchang it will be waiting in our hotel room. Very good service here! We also have to get our adoption finances in order, and copy some of the paperwork for our guide. So, I will say, "zai jian" (zi chin) or "goodbye" for now.
Jeff
P.S. I'll try to upload a few pictures tonight as well.
Now, after all that touristy stuff let me tell you what is happening with our adoption. Tomorrow (Sunday) we are going to Tianamen Square, to the Forbidden City, and then flying from Beijing to Nanchang. It is in Nanchang where we will pick up our daughter, Jade. The orphanage Director and staff will meet our group out in the hallway of the hotel, and give us the babies at 6:30 p.m. It is at this time that we can ask them up to 100 questions. They will also give us one packet of her formula and her cereal. Then in the morning we will see the Director and staff again to register (adopt) her, and complete any necessary paperwork with them. She is then ours!!!! We will then stay in Nanchang until 7/21, and then continue on to Guangzhou until 7/26 when we leave to come home.
That's really all I have to say for today. We are in the midst of packing because we have to put our luggage outside before 7 a.m. tomorrow morning (Sunday). The bellmen will take the luggage to the airport, and when we arrive in Nanchang it will be waiting in our hotel room. Very good service here! We also have to get our adoption finances in order, and copy some of the paperwork for our guide. So, I will say, "zai jian" (zi chin) or "goodbye" for now.
Jeff
P.S. I'll try to upload a few pictures tonight as well.
Friday, July 14, 2006
My view on the last couple days
First, we're having a good time. At 8:30 a.m. we're headed out to THE GREAT WALL for most of the day, and perhaps an acrobatic show. Last night we ate Peking Duck dipped in a special sauce, wrapped in a thin pancake with cucumber, and fresh Spring onions. It was pretty good. We also tried several other authentic foods, and I enjoyed most everything.
Yesterday, it was about 88 degrees F. with a humidity level of 64%. The air was thick enough to cut it with a knife, and it felt like you couldn't really get a clear breath. Any slight improvement was a blessing even just walking into a non-airconditioned store. The longer we were out that more we got used to it, but our entire bodies were just pouring off sweat (I know you want to read stuff like this). Another thing, everyone drinks bottled water over here. The water in many of the restaurants, the hotels, and throughout China is not purified, chlorinated, or purified in any way. So, even the local people drink bottled water, or boil the water first and then drink it. If you take a shower (and I highly recommend them to most people) you have to remember to keep your mouth closed, because if you get any of the water from the shower into your mouth and/or swallow it you are likely to pick up a bug from it. From other people who have traveled to China I understand that it does not have a pleasant outcome for a few days. We brought a prescription with us to immediately take care of such things should it accidently occur either from the water, or from eating in a restaurant that has washed their food with the water, or from anywhere else.
The rest of our group showed up last night. There are now eleven of us here adopting five children. Everyone is very nice, and last night they were very tired from their trip. It looks like we'll have a good time with them, and really bond through this experience. We all ate together last night (Peking Duck, etc) in a local restaurant that I was talking about earlier. The table had a large glass lazy susan, and our guide ordered all sorts of dishes (including Peking Duck) for us to try. She even ordered sweet 'n sour chicken, and lemon chicken which she said the restaurant fixes because they are american dishes, and that is what americans like when they eat there -- they were pretty good, but I enjoyed the authentic dishes more.
Well, it's almost time to go to breakfast. We had a nice time talking to a lady from Portland, Oregon yesterday, and her to teenage boys. She used to live here 27 years ago, and she has brought her sons that were born in the U.S. back to explain how she lived and grew up here. Her story about going to school three times a day, carrying buckets of water several times a day, and other facts were very interesting. However, I'm not sure the boys are going to really appreciate it. Hopefully, it will help them understand more about their mother, and where they come from. Another lady at our breakfast table was from Indonesia. She is here for a conference, and we had a good conversation with her as well.
Everyone keep in touch. We've received a few personal emails, and enjoyed them. We've also gotten compliments on updating our blog, and how people are enjoying reading along as we continue our journey here. If you would like to send us a personal email you can send it to either jeff_gilman@yahoo.com or trisab@comcast.net.
Jeff
Yesterday, it was about 88 degrees F. with a humidity level of 64%. The air was thick enough to cut it with a knife, and it felt like you couldn't really get a clear breath. Any slight improvement was a blessing even just walking into a non-airconditioned store. The longer we were out that more we got used to it, but our entire bodies were just pouring off sweat (I know you want to read stuff like this). Another thing, everyone drinks bottled water over here. The water in many of the restaurants, the hotels, and throughout China is not purified, chlorinated, or purified in any way. So, even the local people drink bottled water, or boil the water first and then drink it. If you take a shower (and I highly recommend them to most people) you have to remember to keep your mouth closed, because if you get any of the water from the shower into your mouth and/or swallow it you are likely to pick up a bug from it. From other people who have traveled to China I understand that it does not have a pleasant outcome for a few days. We brought a prescription with us to immediately take care of such things should it accidently occur either from the water, or from eating in a restaurant that has washed their food with the water, or from anywhere else.
The rest of our group showed up last night. There are now eleven of us here adopting five children. Everyone is very nice, and last night they were very tired from their trip. It looks like we'll have a good time with them, and really bond through this experience. We all ate together last night (Peking Duck, etc) in a local restaurant that I was talking about earlier. The table had a large glass lazy susan, and our guide ordered all sorts of dishes (including Peking Duck) for us to try. She even ordered sweet 'n sour chicken, and lemon chicken which she said the restaurant fixes because they are american dishes, and that is what americans like when they eat there -- they were pretty good, but I enjoyed the authentic dishes more.
Well, it's almost time to go to breakfast. We had a nice time talking to a lady from Portland, Oregon yesterday, and her to teenage boys. She used to live here 27 years ago, and she has brought her sons that were born in the U.S. back to explain how she lived and grew up here. Her story about going to school three times a day, carrying buckets of water several times a day, and other facts were very interesting. However, I'm not sure the boys are going to really appreciate it. Hopefully, it will help them understand more about their mother, and where they come from. Another lady at our breakfast table was from Indonesia. She is here for a conference, and we had a good conversation with her as well.
Everyone keep in touch. We've received a few personal emails, and enjoyed them. We've also gotten compliments on updating our blog, and how people are enjoying reading along as we continue our journey here. If you would like to send us a personal email you can send it to either jeff_gilman@yahoo.com or trisab@comcast.net.
Jeff
Well, this is just so exciting. It's hard to believe that we are actually in China! It looks almost like any other large city, but with a little Asian flavor to the buildings, plus Chinese on everything. It's kind of like being in ChinaTown in Boston or NYC. Except for the mix of old- & new-world. It's very westernized, yet there is old-world all around us. You know, a rickshaw driver talking on his cellphone. Along with a lot of traffic, there are people riding bicycles everywhere. And rickshaws. Not the kind we imagine, though. The ones we've seen so far are driven by bicycle. Drivers are very agressive. Both of our taxi drivers today nearly ran over several people! Cars have the right of way, but usually stop for pedestrians that are already in the street. Apparently the taxis don't. They just beep & beep until people stop walking. The roads are so congested that there are underground walkways & overhead bridges for pedestrians to cross the street in many places. All vehicles literally drive about a foot from each other. Those of you who know me know I am a nervous rider. Only one of the three vehicles we've riden in, so far, has had seatbelts. And yet, I have hardly been nervous. It's actually kind of fun! God is so good!
A huge answer to prayer is that the heat - although very hot & horribly humid - is not killing me. When we walked out this morning, the air was so thick it felt like I couldn't breathe. But the taxi was air conditioned, so once we were in it, we were okay.
We had dinner with Rose and the rest of our group tonight. We let Rose order for us, and it was fabulous! I was afraid I might not really like authentic Chinese food, but it was very good. I even tried the Peking Duck. It was delicious! But it was the first time I've ever eaten where the head of the animal was also on the serving plate! I thought how our little vegetarian nephew, Aidan, would not be very happy with a duck head on the table!
If you look just past the Sprite bottle to the left, you'll see a partial plate of sliced duck. The long part across the back is the head & neck. (You can click on the photo to enlarge it.)
You can see, near the front of the photo, the edge of the large glass turntable. It's almost as big as the table. It was fun - you just gently spin it until you get to the food that you want, take your chopsticks and bring some to your plate - even when you've been eating with those chopsticks. Talk about double-dipping! Learning to eat with chopsticks is no longer just for fun - it is a neccesity. There were no other utensils, so I actually ate my entire meal with them. I've never really been able to do it, but I guess hunger will drive you to anything!
We are to drive 1-1/2 hours to visit The Great Wall tomorrow. Sunday we will visit The Forbidden City & Tien En Men Square, eat lunch together at a restaurant, and move on to the airport to fly to Nanchang, Jianxi. They will bring the babies to us in the hotel that night. So...in less than 48 hours, we will have our little Jade in our arms. Some people call it "Gotcha Day", others "Forever Day", but I just keep thinking it is going to be the best day of my life - the day I finally become a mommy. It makes me all teary just thinking about it.
I've been falling asleep while trying to type, so I'm going to go to bed now. Hopefully, we'll be able to sleep past 4 tomorrow.
It's funny - it's after 9 p.m. and I can still hear cars beeping at pedestrians as they drive by our hotel!
We'll check in tomorrow - and add some great pix of The Great Wall!
Love you all!
Theresa
A huge answer to prayer is that the heat - although very hot & horribly humid - is not killing me. When we walked out this morning, the air was so thick it felt like I couldn't breathe. But the taxi was air conditioned, so once we were in it, we were okay.
We had dinner with Rose and the rest of our group tonight. We let Rose order for us, and it was fabulous! I was afraid I might not really like authentic Chinese food, but it was very good. I even tried the Peking Duck. It was delicious! But it was the first time I've ever eaten where the head of the animal was also on the serving plate! I thought how our little vegetarian nephew, Aidan, would not be very happy with a duck head on the table!
If you look just past the Sprite bottle to the left, you'll see a partial plate of sliced duck. The long part across the back is the head & neck. (You can click on the photo to enlarge it.)
You can see, near the front of the photo, the edge of the large glass turntable. It's almost as big as the table. It was fun - you just gently spin it until you get to the food that you want, take your chopsticks and bring some to your plate - even when you've been eating with those chopsticks. Talk about double-dipping! Learning to eat with chopsticks is no longer just for fun - it is a neccesity. There were no other utensils, so I actually ate my entire meal with them. I've never really been able to do it, but I guess hunger will drive you to anything! We are to drive 1-1/2 hours to visit The Great Wall tomorrow. Sunday we will visit The Forbidden City & Tien En Men Square, eat lunch together at a restaurant, and move on to the airport to fly to Nanchang, Jianxi. They will bring the babies to us in the hotel that night. So...in less than 48 hours, we will have our little Jade in our arms. Some people call it "Gotcha Day", others "Forever Day", but I just keep thinking it is going to be the best day of my life - the day I finally become a mommy. It makes me all teary just thinking about it.
I've been falling asleep while trying to type, so I'm going to go to bed now. Hopefully, we'll be able to sleep past 4 tomorrow.
It's funny - it's after 9 p.m. and I can still hear cars beeping at pedestrians as they drive by our hotel!
We'll check in tomorrow - and add some great pix of The Great Wall!
Love you all!
Theresa
Today's events thus far.
Well, we have learned that we can post on our blog but not see if from here. So, we'll continue. Today, we had breakfast at the Rose Cafe in the hotel. It was very nice, and they had a wide selection of various foods for Americans, Chinese, and other countries. Afterwards we contacted our guide, and she took us to the famous pearl market where she and Theresa had a great time. Theresa watched them string pearls. The building we went to was full of all kinds of vendors all trying to speak to us, and get us to come to their booth to buy something because we are rich americans (it didn't work). It was very much like what we would consider a flea market setup in the States. We picked up several items at very good prices.
The people here are very friendly, and willing to try several times to help us bridge the language barrier. Even though we learned a few words or phrases in Mandarin -- we didn't learn them well enough :-) but we're managing. Theresa even talked a vendor down on a couple of prices! It is very common to barter here to get a better price, and it is fun. After shopping we came back to the hotel, and went across the street to MacDonalds for lunch. It was very good, and two big Mac values meals only comes to about $4.50 total. Yuan is .80 to the U.S. dollar so it is easy to figure out what you're paying if you just divide all the Yuan prices by 8.
Another thing that I think is interesting is our room key. It controls whether electricity is on or off in our room (I'll upload a picture). After you enter your room you have to put the key in an electronic card holder on the wall inside the door. This activates the electricity throughout the room. If you remove the card the electricity is cut off after a few seconds. Very neat! And, very energy conscious. The smog here in the city if quite bad. There is a yellow haze all through the air. Thankfully, our room is on the 17th floor where there is less smog that can come in. This is especially good since Theresa just found out that she has asthma. Speaking of health...I've been very glad that the three wisdom teeth that I had removed two weeks ago are not bothering me at all. That was a big concern, and having it done only two weeks before we left it was questionable if I would be over it in time for the trip.
The other couples from our agency should have landed from the States by now, and they are headed to our hotel to join us. If they are not to tired we are going to go out to a local restaurant later tonight. For what you ask? Chinese food -- what else!!!
I'll try to upload some pictures after I post this text.
Jeff (&Theresa)
The people here are very friendly, and willing to try several times to help us bridge the language barrier. Even though we learned a few words or phrases in Mandarin -- we didn't learn them well enough :-) but we're managing. Theresa even talked a vendor down on a couple of prices! It is very common to barter here to get a better price, and it is fun. After shopping we came back to the hotel, and went across the street to MacDonalds for lunch. It was very good, and two big Mac values meals only comes to about $4.50 total. Yuan is .80 to the U.S. dollar so it is easy to figure out what you're paying if you just divide all the Yuan prices by 8.
Another thing that I think is interesting is our room key. It controls whether electricity is on or off in our room (I'll upload a picture). After you enter your room you have to put the key in an electronic card holder on the wall inside the door. This activates the electricity throughout the room. If you remove the card the electricity is cut off after a few seconds. Very neat! And, very energy conscious. The smog here in the city if quite bad. There is a yellow haze all through the air. Thankfully, our room is on the 17th floor where there is less smog that can come in. This is especially good since Theresa just found out that she has asthma. Speaking of health...I've been very glad that the three wisdom teeth that I had removed two weeks ago are not bothering me at all. That was a big concern, and having it done only two weeks before we left it was questionable if I would be over it in time for the trip.
The other couples from our agency should have landed from the States by now, and they are headed to our hotel to join us. If they are not to tired we are going to go out to a local restaurant later tonight. For what you ask? Chinese food -- what else!!!
I'll try to upload some pictures after I post this text.
Jeff (&Theresa)
Thursday, July 13, 2006
We're awake :-)
We are up now (4:20 a.m.). We went to bed around 9 or so because we were both falling asleep. Today, we were planning to go to the Zoo in Beijing, and if possible we may try to go to a couple other sites in Beijing by taxi. It is still very hard to believe that we are actually in China, and that we will have Jade the night after next! Everytime we think of getting Jade a smile appears on our faces. Our guide, Rose is probably in her late twenties or early thirties, and she is so sweet. Her english is excellent. One thing that has struck me overnight is the way that old and new China are mixed together even in this big city. By that I mean we walked down the street with Rose last night to see old bicycles in rows on the sidewalks, new buildings, old buildings, tiny old stores beside new more modern stores, and even a three foot wide opening where they had Peking ducks hanging on hooks with an open wood fire oven in the wall of the building cooking them. Rose said we have to try Peking duck while we are here, go to the Great Wall, and see an acrobat show (she is going to try to see if she can squeeze this in after the Great Wall). Those are three things you have to see when you come to Beijing. Gotta go! Theresa wants to use the computer to check her email, and we're enjoying a Sunkist orange we bought off the street -- yes, it's okay to eat it as long as you wash it thoroughly with bottled or boiled water. We're also removing the skin from it, and the peaches we purchased. It's good. Jeff
We're in Beijing!
Well, it took a long time but we are now in China! We left our house at 4:30 a.m. on Wed., 7/12 to catch the limo bus to Logan Airport in Boston, MA. Then we flew 2.5 hours to Chicago, changed planes, and flew from Chicago to Beijing which took 12.5 hours. What a long plane ride. Thankfully though, everything went without a hitch. We did find out on the flight to Beijing that there were three forms we had to fill out in order to go through customs, to get entry to the country through immigration, and another form to get into the baggage claim area to pick up our two large suitcases. No problem. It took a little figuring to fill out the forms, and one form wasn't available until we got into the Beijing airpot. But, we figured it all out. Our guide, Rose is great. She met us at the airport, drove us to the hotel, passed on several tips about our stay, and showed us around a little bit. It is now 8 p.m. Beijing time (8 a.m. EST), we've had supper, and we're settling into our hotel room for the night. Friday we go to see the Great Wall, Saturday it's off to The Forbidden City and Tianamen Square, and Sunday evening we get Jade! We've taken a few pictures, and will do our best to load them up to the blog shortly.
Friday, June 23, 2006
Jade Is On Two Adoption Websites
I just think this is so cool. Jade's pictures is on two Adoption Yahoo Groups Homepages!
We belong to several Adoption Yahoo Groups & they put pictures of member's kids on their homepage. Since it was just Jade's birthday & she is one of the newest referrals for June, two of our groups have put her picture up. It's just so exciting to me to see her precious little face - her toothless smile - and know that that baby is MINE!
If you'd like to see those homepages, their addresses are:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/June2005DTC-CAWLI/
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/FRUGAL_ADOPTIONS/
Check out our new little countdown ladybug at the top of the page.
We belong to several Adoption Yahoo Groups & they put pictures of member's kids on their homepage. Since it was just Jade's birthday & she is one of the newest referrals for June, two of our groups have put her picture up. It's just so exciting to me to see her precious little face - her toothless smile - and know that that baby is MINE!
If you'd like to see those homepages, their addresses are:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/June2005DTC-CAWLI/
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/FRUGAL_ADOPTIONS/
Check out our new little countdown ladybug at the top of the page.
Wednesday, June 21, 2006
Yesterday Was Jade's First Birthday
We had a birthday party for Jade last night. How could we not celebrate the birth of our precious gift from God? We had 12 people over, roasted hotdogs, & put a candle in a pecan pie and sang to her. We video-taped it so she can see it when she’s older, and know that we were “with” her on her first birthday after all. I printed her picture out in an 8x10 and taped it in her high chair to represent her. It was fun. We received some generous gifts (which we did not expect). We are so, so blessed. And so, so grateful.
The Lord has done great things for us, and we are glad. Psalm 126:3
The Lord has done great things for us, and we are glad. Psalm 126:3
We Have Our Travel Dates!
Seems I can't make a title for these posts without exclamation marks! Everything is just too wonderful! Oh, happy, happy, happy!
Here is what we know so far:
Leave Boston 7/12
Arrive Beijing 7/13
Fly to Jiangxi Province 7/15
Receive Jade 7/16
Fly to Guangzhou 7/20
Consulate Appointment for Jade's Visa 7/24
Leave for Home 7/28
Sack out for 24 hours (right!)
Go to Harbinger's Summer Rally 7/29 to show off our precious little bundle of joy!
It's so hard to believe that this is really going to happen.
I STILL HAVE SO MUCH TO DO!!!!!!!
Here is what we know so far:
Leave Boston 7/12
Arrive Beijing 7/13
Fly to Jiangxi Province 7/15
Receive Jade 7/16
Fly to Guangzhou 7/20
Consulate Appointment for Jade's Visa 7/24
Leave for Home 7/28
Sack out for 24 hours (right!)
Go to Harbinger's Summer Rally 7/29 to show off our precious little bundle of joy!
It's so hard to believe that this is really going to happen.
I STILL HAVE SO MUCH TO DO!!!!!!!
Monday, June 19, 2006
Travel Approval!!!
We received our travel approval from China today!
Now we wait 24-48 hours for Jade's Visa appointment at the US Consulate. Everything about our trip is built around that appointment. Our agency is asking for July 24. If that is the date we get, we will travel July 13 - 26. We will know for sure what our travel dates are in the next day or two. We are so, so excited! Oh, happy day!
Now we wait 24-48 hours for Jade's Visa appointment at the US Consulate. Everything about our trip is built around that appointment. Our agency is asking for July 24. If that is the date we get, we will travel July 13 - 26. We will know for sure what our travel dates are in the next day or two. We are so, so excited! Oh, happy day!
Friday, June 09, 2006
Our Visas Have Arrived!
Fed Ex came this morning with our Visas. Another step toward China!
We submitted our flight & name requests to our agency yesterday. This is the first time we have had to officially write out what Jade's American name will be. Somehow it did something to me. Every step is exciting at this point!
We continue to wait for TA (travel approval from China). When that comes, our agency will make an appointment with the US Consulate in Guangzhou so we can get Jade's Visa & passport. Once that appointment is made, our agency will make our travel reservations and we will travel 1 or 2 weeks later.
Time is moving faster & faster and we still have so many things to do before we go. That said, I must go to the bank & withdraw some cash for the trip. We have to get as close to new bills as possible. Clean & crisp. No wrinkles, fold lines, writing, fading. China values brand new American money. Don't know why, but they do.
So, here's to Fed Ex! They keep bringing such great things to our house!!!
We submitted our flight & name requests to our agency yesterday. This is the first time we have had to officially write out what Jade's American name will be. Somehow it did something to me. Every step is exciting at this point!
We continue to wait for TA (travel approval from China). When that comes, our agency will make an appointment with the US Consulate in Guangzhou so we can get Jade's Visa & passport. Once that appointment is made, our agency will make our travel reservations and we will travel 1 or 2 weeks later.
Time is moving faster & faster and we still have so many things to do before we go. That said, I must go to the bank & withdraw some cash for the trip. We have to get as close to new bills as possible. Clean & crisp. No wrinkles, fold lines, writing, fading. China values brand new American money. Don't know why, but they do.
So, here's to Fed Ex! They keep bringing such great things to our house!!!
Born In My Heart
Not flesh of my flesh, nor bone of my bone
But still, miraculously my own.
Never forget for a single minute
You didn't grow under my heart, but in it.
~Author Unknown~
Wednesday, June 07, 2006
Baby Audia!
Our newest grand-niece, Audia Janean Feagler, daughter of Olivia (Saunders) has been a delight to meet and hold. It is like living in the Twilight Zone...she is identical to Olivia at that age. Olivia & Audia are visiting from Wyoming for Katherine's high school graduation.
Care Package Sent to Jade
It is customary for parents to send a care package to their child in the orphanage after referral. Here is what we sent.For Jade:
A Baby Mickey Mouse receiving blanket that we slept with
A "Baby's First Gund" stuffed kitten that we also slept with
Pictures of us and the cats, Baby & Jack
A disposable camera with a letter to the orphanage director asking him to have someone take pictures of Jade and her surroundings, neighboring children & nannies. The letter includes a questionaire for them to fill out so we can get to know our baby better when we get her. Hopefully they will take the pictures and return the camera to us when they bring Jade to us. Sometimes parents don't get the camera or questionaire back, but it's worth a try.
For Jade's nanny and other employees:
Severy hand lotion samples
Postcards of our area
Lindt Chocolate miniatures
Maple Sugar Candy from Maple Grove, St. Johnsbury, VT.
A short note to Jade's nanny thanking her for taking care of our baby girl
In this picture:
Since June 20 is Jade's birthday, I also included a wrapped gift with a note asking them to give it to her on her birthday from her Mommy and Daddy (Ma Ma & Ba Ba). It was the pink stuffed bunny in the top of the box. It plays "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star" when its tummy is pressed. There are also red lights inside its cheeks that alternate blinking when the music plays. You cannot see the lights unless they are blinking. The orphanage reported that she loves music, so I hope she'll like this new toy.
I mailed this on Saturday morning and it should arrive next week.
Announcing Our Referral In Church
Two days after receiving our referral, we announced it to our church. Being the worship leaders in our church made it easy for us to surprise everyone with our announcement.First we sang a song that I wrote about 5 years ago called, "Lord, We Thank You." We project our worship songs on a screen using Jeff's laptop & a projector. Jeff put Jade's photo on his laptop just after the worship songs. After the church sang my song, he switched to Jade's picture. It took a few seconds for people to realize just what they were looking at. I said, "We're thankful that we received our referral!" and the church clapped. A few cried. It was a very special moment for us.
Our church family is a huge part of our lives and they have prayed for a long time for this referral to come. They have seen us through the heartache of childlessness. They've witnessed our coming to peace with God's plan. They know that we trust Him with everything...even our children or lack thereof. They know what I was thinking when I wrote, "You've listened to our prayers. You've heard the cry of our hearts. You've proven to us again, You are faithful and true, faithful and true. So, we thank You, thank You, thank You for all You have done for us."
(c) Theresa B. Gilman
A Visit From The Stork...er, Fed Ex!
For those of you wondering what mode of transportation the stork takes, now you know...it uses Fed Ex!This guy was so nice! I told him he was our stork and he was so pleased!
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