Digging to China

Chinese Couple Forced to Abort 8-Month Pregnancy

2011-08-16T10:28:00.000-07:00

Disturb Us, O Lord

2011-06-16T10:48:00.000-07:00

Disturb us, O Lord
when we are too well-pleased with ourselves
when our dreams have come true because we dreamed too little, because we sailed too close to the shore.

Disturb us, O Lord
when with the abundance of things we possess,
we have lost our thirst for the water of life
when, having fallen in love with time,
we have ceased to dream of eternity
and in our efforts to build a new earth,
we have allowed our vision of Heaven to grow dim.

Stir us, O Lord
to dare more boldly, to venture into wider seas
where storms show Thy mastery,
where losing sight of land, we shall find the stars.

In the name of Him who pushed back the horizons of our hopes
and invited the brave to follow.
Amen.

Prayer by Sir Frances Drake
(shared with me by a friend adopting from Ethiopia)

Live The Language - Beijing

2011-02-17T10:45:00.000-08:00

EF - Live The Language - Beijing from Albin Holmqvist on Vimeo.

Cleft Palate Surgery

2011-01-28T18:59:00.000-08:00

My son's cleft palate surgery was on Tuesday morning. The day before, I couldn't help but pity our son, as I thought, "he has no idea what tomorrow will bring." Though I was more than obliged to provide all of his favorite foods on Monday, including 3 pancakes for breakfast, chicken and sweet potato fries for lunch, and 3 servings of lasagna for dinner...thata' boy.

Tuesday morning, my husband and I sat with our rather cheerful son who had managed to somehow not think about breakfast, so it was that much harder when he, so cheerful, went in the OR for surgery. The surgery was from about 9:15 a.m. - 11:30 a.m. The nurse called us from the OR twice to give us an update and let us know that things were going great.

When he came out of surgery we heard him crying, and the doc lead us into the recovery room. He looked so pitiful. I couldn't help but cry thinking that he had been through this kind of surgery once before - but in China and with no parents there to hold his hand and sit with him while the anesthesia wore off and the pain mounted. Such a brave little boy.

The surgeon said that the surgery went great, and that he had great muscles and tissues with which to construct the palate. He had quite a bit of bleeding and was drugged for most of the day, so the first day was difficult - miserable in fact. He slept well the first night given what he had endured that day, though I'm sure it was because of the morphine. The next morning after the surgeon came to remove the stitch in his tongue and clean out his mouth, he was a new person. He was eating and drinking, laughing and watching his favorite movies. So well, actually, that we were able to come home that afternoon.

Funny to think that a boy born in China, living in an orphanage with a special need now lives in America, has a family who loves him dearly, and no longer has a special need.

Next Tuesday is the Big Day

2011-01-18T19:01:00.000-08:00

Next Tuesday, Levi will have his cleft palate repaired. I have every confidence in the surgeon. She is a wonderful, very optimistic physician and she sets my anxious mind at ease with her bedside manner. However, I am not so confident in my son's pain tolerance and will be relying heavily on prayers and God's grace to get through some difficult recovery days in ICU. I can't imagine having to go through all of the changes that he has had to endure in such a short amount of time, though albeit they are all good changes. Please keep him in your prayers. Next week will be rough, no doubt, but how awesome is it that a boy who was born with a special need living on the other side of the world in an orphanage, now has a family who loves him and soon will no longer have a "special need". So glad I can be part of this miracle.

Oxytocin "The Bonding Hormone"

2010-12-13T16:58:00.000-08:00

Excellent article from Holt International:

Oxytocin “The Bonding Hormone”By Abbie Smith, LCSW, Director of Clinical Services, Holt International

Since the last e-newsletter, I have learned about a hormone often considered integral to self-regulation. Oxytocin has been called the anti-stress chemical, the love hormone, the soothing, healing, regenerative hormone – the human race’s “social glue.” It creates feelings of attachment and is responsible for making us feel loved and secure.

The release of this hormone is a learned response. It is not automatic, like the adrenalin that releases when we are frightened. In fact, oxytocin is the body’s natural counteraction to adrenalin. Adrenalin hypes us up to fight or flee. When we realize there is no danger, oxytocin calms us back down. However, without proper nurturing care in the first three years of life, children’s brains don’t develop an effective oxytocin response. Consequently, they don’t calm down. In cases where one suffers prolonged neglect or abuse, the oxytocin response may be so underdeveloped that the child’s system gets locked in the fight, flight or freeze response. Sound familiar? Let’s look into this a little deeper. The information in this article is based on the book The Chemistry of Connection by Susan Kuchinaskas.

A baby’s brain develops at an astonishing rate within the first three years of life. The quality of care a baby receives strongly influences this development. Trillions of neurons just lay in wait for a certain type of repeated experience to jiggle them awake so they can grow and connect with other neurons. These connections make pathways that strongly influence who this little one will grow up to be.

“Mothering also trains the baby brain to release oxytocin in times of safety and comfort,” Susan writes in The Chemistry of Connection. “In response to loving care, the neural network begins to branch out. How many oxytocin receptors the baby brain develops, how sensitive they are, and how much oxytocin is produced depends a great deal on how much nurturing, love, and intimacy the baby gets in the first few months of life.”

“The oxytocin response should begin to form in the first few months, and continue to develop through the first three years,” she continues. “But it won’t happen automatically. It seems that mothering – the right kind of loving attention – is what sparks the genetic potential for a brain rich in oxytocin into realization. Being nursed, cuddled, and cooed over by his mother stimulates the growth and directs the pattern of oxytocin in the infant brain’s reward center. If he doesn’t get much attention the parts of his brain designed to handle social interactions won’t develop the complex interconnections that make those responses strong and healthy.” When she’s picked up and comforted, her pituitary gland releases oxytocin, which counteracts the adrenalin and cortisol. In the months of holding, rocking, cuddling, nursing, and baby talk, Mama’s soothing touch will set the pattern for the down-regulation of fear. The newborn learns to generalize the oxytocin response from the primary caregiver to other people in the family, and then to an ever-widening circle of relationships.

By the end of the three-year period of rapid brain evolution, a child’s emotional thermostat – how she reacts to stress and intimacy – is set. Luckily our brains are flexible and can learn to increase its oxytocin response at any stage of life. It takes concerted and sustained effort with a lot of repetition to reset this emotional thermostat. Remember it took three years to build so remodeling it won’t happen overnight. Let’s look at some ways to help reset your child’s thermostat.

First, parents need to calm themselves down and be emotionally available to their child. This will take a bit of preparation. Arrange for someone else to attend to the other children in the home and give yourself time to relax, unwind, and get into a loving feeling. Children can tell when adults are stressed so be sure to do whatever works for you (exercise, warm drink, hot bath) to get yourself in a calm and open emotional space.

Child Preparation

Start by creating a soothing retreat – some place that is quiet and has a safe-seeming environment. Lots of kids like being in a cabinet or a cardboard box from a large appliance, so these may be great places to start. An area in your child’s room may also provide a quiet, safe-feeling space. In this case, there should be a comfortable chair and soothing colors, dim lighting and soothing sounds or white noise. At first it may be hard for your child to settle down. Keep expectations quite low in the beginning and gradually increase the time spent together as you observe your child’s tolerance increase. You can look into each other’s eyes. If your child looks away, just accept that. Over time, you can teach your child progressive muscle relaxation, visualization or diaphragmatic breathing. Eventually just going to this tranquil place will have a calming effect. After this calming time, go on to the touch or food techniques.

Touch

Some children may not be able to tolerate touch. (If this is the case with your child, be sure to have your child evaluated for sensory integration issues by a qualified occupational therapist.) Carrying small children in a sling or backpack places the baby’s body against his parent’s, where his nervous system can pick up the mature rhythm of the parent’s heart. There are baby carriers that can carry children up to 40 pounds. Tummy rubs, back rubs or a warm shower in Dad’s arms focus parent and child on their connection, creating soothing pulses of oxytocin. Enjoying a calm hot tub together also works. Activities that involve cuddling, reading together, shoulder rubs, back scratches, foot massages, stroking the child’s head or brushing hair or just running your fingers through your child’s hair. For older kids certain games or a massage with a parent may be more palatable. Games such as Twister or The Cow-Tipping Game, which is one Susan Kuchinaskas talks about in her book. To get the most oxytocin-producing benefits from a massage, choose a soothing style. The Swedish or Esalen styles use gentler, rhythmic motions that have been shown to elevate oxytocin levels in animals

Food

Eating can also stimulate an oxytocin release believed to closely mimic that of being fed at the breast. Experts believe that foods with a high fat content can stimulate oxytocin and one small study found that just 25 grams of fat in one serving was enough. “Ice cream, that supreme solace of the lonely and sad, works its magic at least in part by triggering an oxytocin release in your brain that may be similar to what you’d experience if you were with someone you loved,” writes Susan. So for kids, it would be most helpful to be with them and lovingly attentive to them while they ate ice cream. Chocolate, cheese and real mayonnaise (tuna, egg, or potato salad) also increase the oxytocin response. Again, it’s important to maintain the loving interaction with your child while she eats. Sharing the same food will also increase the impact.

Activities

Singing! A 2003 study by Grape et al. followed amateur vocalists and found that they all experienced an oxytocin boost after a 30-minute choral lesson. These women also lowered their levels of cortisol. The group resonance effect is important in this technique. They mirror each other’s physical posture, their voices match each other’s tone, pace, and volume, and breathing is in unison. Find a choir for your child or start a children’s choir.

Simple, friendly social signals release trust-building oxytocin (Paul Zak, 2005). In the case of international adoption, parents need to be sure they understand what’s considered friendly in their child’s birth culture.

Helping your child’s body to increase its receptors for oxytocin takes a long time. Remember, an infant develops this system over the course of three years through a nurturing parent relationship. You are helping to remodel your child’s neural network and this takes many repetitions. Think of how often a parent picks up a child under the age of 3 to calm her down. It can be done, but it takes parental commitment to keep going and to note the small progress made over the course of months. For more information on this subject, please read the book The Chemistry of Connection by Susan Kuchinaskas.

Post Adoption

2010-11-21T07:11:00.000-08:00

I've recently been impacted by a tragedy within our adoption community which resulted in the untimely death of a newly-adopted, 4-year-old child. She had been with her new family less than 100 days. It's been a devastating experience for me to witness given that I knew the family. A year later, I'm still left grappling with how in the world this could happen given the many post adoption resources that are available to all adoptive parents.

We all know that the time leading up to adoption is filled with many emotions. It is stressful, exciting, highly-anticipated, and often full of expectations; however, some of these expectations can set us up for failure. Though adoption is a wonderful blessing, it is not immune to its fair share of challenges. Adoptive parents are faced with situations that biological families will never encounter and, most likely, never understand. When you break it down, adoptive parents and their adopted child are strangers coming together. We initially work through the physical differences - appearance, our mannerisms, interests, and language, which are all new and foreign to each another. Then there's the emotional layer that we must begin to foster - namely, trust-building and bonding that has to take place on both sides, sometimes taking longer than expected. We also must address the disruption, trauma, fear, grief and loss that this fragile individual has experienced since the very start of his/her life and the many psychological, emotional, and physical complexities that go along with that, which many of us don't instinctively know how to approach.

So how do we prepare for this monumental change in our lives and in the newly adopted child's life? These are a few of my thoughts on the topic:

1). Be prepared for the worst, but hope for the best. Be prepared and realistic going into adoption. Know from the start that it's going to be challenging, possibly one of the most difficult things you've encountered. But also know that there are many resources out there to help with healing and provide hope as you and this child become a family.

2). Be proactive. Though many of us, read all that we can before adoption, post-adoption education is essential and must be ongoing for adoptive parents. In fact, after the adoption is really when education and hard work begins.

3). Stay connected to your social worker and to an adoption community, whether it's a local adoption support group, social networking groups, blogs, or on-line groups related to adoption parenting.

4). Seek out support and resources continually. Arm yourself with information by finding post adoption resources to add to your adoption parenting "toolbox". Books, on-line groups, websites, podcasts, and conferences all offer invaluable information on various adoption-related topics. Here are just a few of my favorite online resources:

Journey to Me to Me offers an extensive audio library and collection of articles.
Post Institute Bryan Post is an expert in the field of attachment and trauma.
Adoption Voices is a very resourceful adoption social network.
A 4ever Family is a great site for information regarding adoption attachment
Theraplay discusses treatment for trauma in adoption.

One of my favorite book regarding parenting an adoptive child or/and a child that has been through trauma is The Connected Child by Karyn Purvis.

5). Do not be afraid to ask for help. Reach out to your social worker or agency if you are struggling to parent your new child. Contrary to what you may think, seeking help is a sign of strength. You recognize your needs and are seeking a positive solution. No man is an island as the saying goes. We need support.

6). Most importantly, be willing to meet your child where he or she is, not where you want them to be. And remember that love is a choice, not a feeling.

Oct. 25 Levi's 2nd Birthday

2010-10-26T11:11:00.000-07:00

Monday, Levi turned 2-years-old. Birthdays can be bittersweet for adoptees. It's a celebration of their birth of course, but can also be a reminder of their losses. As with China, most children are abandoned on or near the date of their birth, for various reasons, but usually due to special needs or the one-child policy. Most police reports detail the finding spot of the child, the date, and the name of the person who found them, but most adoptees never know this person, let alone ever have a way to contact them to fill in the gap of the day they were found.

I received an email the day before Levi's birthday, from the couple that visits his orphanage annually to do mission work. They said that they had an interesting story to share. They have a recently adopted granddaughter from Levi's orphanage who is a teenager. Two of her teen friends from that orphanage have also been recently adopted by American families. One of her teen friends, Lucy, saw Levi's picture on our blog. She said to her adoptive mother in broken English, "I founded him." Her mother replied, "You mean you are fond of him?" She said, "No, I found him...in the grass." According to Lucy, she took Levi back to the SWI because she was happy to miss English class, which was her first subject and not her favorite.

The police report says that Levi was found by a school child near the gate of the orphanage. That school child was apparently Lucy, who is now living one state away. She remembered finding him! Remarkable, to say the least.

I really can't express how miraculous this is for my son, to have a link to that fated day that changed his life forever. It is amazing to me that God has brought these people into our lives who have a connection to our son's orphanage and to his past. I hope that for each birthday that he celebrates, his losses will be overshadowed by the incredible, fateful day that he was "founded".

Lifebook

2010-10-24T09:49:00.001-07:00

I was unpacking my backpack and came across a disc that I received at some point during our time in China. I can't remember who gave it to me. Anyway, I didn't know what was on the disc until just now. I was so happy to discover that on the disc there are at least 50 pictures of Levi from the time when he was first received by the orphanage through present! Included are pictures of him with caregivers and with other children at the orphanage as well as pictures before his surgery and after surgery for his lip repair. I'm thrilled to have these photos to add to his lifebook. I'm sure he will be thrilled one day too.

Friday, Oct. 22 Homebound!

2010-10-24T04:50:00.000-07:00

We left our hotel at 4:45 a.m. and flew out of Guangzhou to Beijing. We had 2 other families from our group on our flight home. We left Beijing around 4 p.m. for a 12 hour flight to Chicago. The kids travelled great. Levi slept for 10 hours and Elyza slept for 8 hours; however, Jay and I got about 1 hour each. On our flight from Chicago to our city, the kids fell asleep again. So despite 28 hours of travel and little sleep for Jay and me, it was fairly easy with the kids.

When we got to our car, I was dreading putting Levi in a carseat. I anticipated that he would flip out. Glad I was wrong! He smiled and giggled. My friend had left some yummy cookies in the car for us, so the kids happily ate their cookies on the short ride home. It was surreal seeing Levi in the backseat of the car for the first time. Though we had been together in China for a week, it was like he was out of "context" in the backseat of my car. So strange, surreal, and wonderful of course, to finally be home with him!

We arrived home around 9:30 p.m. He was all smiles when he walked in his new home for the first time. He and Elyza played with their toys for a little while, then they had baths and went right to sleep after a very long day.

Elyza was up bright and early in her usual fashion at 3 a.m. the next morning but Levi slept until 8:30 a.m. (thata boy!)We spent our first day at home enjoying the beautiful fall weather at the park. We all took a long afternoon nap and then went back outside to play.

It is so great being home!

All American Boy with his Red Sox hat

First breakfast at home!

Red Couch Picture Day

2010-10-21T04:45:00.000-07:00

Red Couch Day

2010-10-21T04:43:00.001-07:00

Just a few more days

2010-10-20T06:03:00.001-07:00

Well, we are inland (about 2 hours northwest of Hong Kong) and are
feeling the gusty winds already from the typhoon. Please pray that we
will be able to fly out safely from Guangzhou on Friday (Thursday
night US time). I expect it will be a turbulent flight which I am not
looking forward to, but as long as we get home safely on Friday, then
that's the main concern. We are concerned that fights will be delayed
in Beijing if flights out of Hong Kong are cancelled or delayed.
Please keep all travelling adoptive families in your prayers. We are
all eager to get home soon!!

--
Good Wishes,

Courtney
www.onehundredgoodwishes.com ~ where community supports adoptive families
Join us on Facebook!

The Boy Who Stole My Heart

2010-10-20T05:54:00.001-07:00

Levi is such an amazing little boy! I feel grateful to be his mama! He is so loving (especially to his mama), playful, smart and funny. We are blessed to have him as our son! He's a perfect fit!

Oath Ceremony

2010-10-19T06:30:00.001-07:00

Another leisurely day in Guangzhou. The weather has been perfect. We went to the US Consulate with about 60 other families today to do the oath ceremony. The next two days are optional tours, but I think we may just stick around here to preserve our energy for travel home on Friday. We are flying out of Beijing, but most families are flying out of Hong Kong which is expecting a typhoon. We're all hoping that travel is not delayed due to weather. Many families have children at home so they are eager to get back. Please pray that travel will not be interrupted for any of us. Our hearts all yearn for home!

Tomorrow is the red couch picture day. Will post photos afterwards. Always fun to see all the babies together.

Elyza and Levi / Jie Jie and Di Di

2010-10-18T05:04:00.001-07:00

Great Day Today in Guangzhou

2010-10-18T04:22:00.001-07:00

We've had a great day today! Levi has been so happy all day, with no
meltdowns. He is an absolute sweetheart when he is happy! He played
with Jay and Elyza a lot. It's great seeing his transition from a shy
and timid boy when we met to delightful and happy child just days
later. He is so perfect for our family.

Tomorrow is our swearing in oath. Can't believe we'll be heading home
in a few days!

Thanks again everyone for your prayers. We certainly feel them!

--
Good Wishes,

Courtney
www.onehundredgoodwishes.com ~ where community supports adoptive families
Join us on Facebook!

The Rest of the Day (Sunday)

2010-10-17T06:55:00.001-07:00

Today ended really well despite a rough start. E's head bump is okay
and Levi's fever went down. jay and Sandy stopped in at Susan's Store
and ended up having tea with the owner for an hour. They had a really
good time connecting with the locals. We had a late lunch and then
went for a stroll around. The kids had fun on the high bar (in China,
parks will have workout equipment for the adults). We came back to the
room and had a fun playtime before bed with lots of laughs. I made
Levi a palate on the floor, and no tears! He obviously detests the
crib. I have a lot of great video of the kids playing, but can't post
to Youtube from here. They have a lot of fun together! Thankful for a
good ending to this day.

--
Good Wishes,

Courtney
www.onehundredgoodwishes.com ~ where community supports adoptive families
Join us on Facebook!

Medical Appointment

2010-10-17T06:37:00.001-07:00

Fun Times at the Park

2010-10-17T06:34:00.001-07:00

More on Levi

2010-10-17T00:16:00.001-07:00

We're getting to know Levi more each day. As I said, he is very
different from Elyza. He is much more cautious and shy. He can be a
snuggly sweetheart, but he can also throw some major tantrums when
things aren't his way. He hates sleeping in a crib and wakes many
times in the night upset that he can't get comfortable. He slept in a
toddler bed in the orphanage, so I think this is why he hates the
feeling of being enclosed in a crib. He prefers being outside and is
fine with either walking or riding in a stroller. He is very
orderly...you would almost think that he had been to a Montessori
school :). He will undress himself for bath time and washes his ears
and head while bathing. He also wipes his mouth when he is eating and
will bring me a diaper when he needs a change. he takes off his shoes
and puts them away. He likes to do these things himself. in a lot of
ways, he seems more mature than 24 months old. Emotionally though, he
seems younger.

He has really blossomed in the past week. He will venture out further
from us instead of being fearful and clingy which tells me that his
trust of us is growing. I look forward to getting on a schedule that
is consistent. I'm sure that will help with some of the meltdowns that
he has. Poor kid. This transition has got to be tough. I can't imagine
what he must think.

As a side note...I have loved the name Levi for a long time and wanted
to name a son this if I ever had one. When we got his referral
picture, he looked like a Levi to me. The meaning of "Levi" is "to
bring together" so it seems the perfect name for him. While Skyping
with Jay's dad this week, he told us that he had learned that Levi is
actually a family name on his side. :)

--
Good Wishes,

Courtney
www.onehundredgoodwishes.com ~ where community supports adoptive families
Join us on Facebook!

Another stressful morning....

2010-10-16T23:22:00.001-07:00

I don't know if my last post included pictures and the last paragraph
...I can't see blogger posts from China so I'm not sure. But anyway,
on Saturday Levi had to get 4 vaccinations and will get 3 more. I'm
not at all happy with this, but there is nothing I can do. Today he
has a high fever of 103 and so I know it's his immunities response to
all the shots. Please pray that he will feel better soon. It has come
down in the last 2 hours, so that's good news. He has to get 3 more
shots tomorrow, so I'm just praying he has no fever by then.

This morning, Sandy, Levi and I went shopping, while jay and E went
swimming. We returned to find out that E tried to climb a vine at the
swimming pool and fell hitting her head. By the way, I do not advise
bringing a hyperactive child to China. She now has a bump and luckily
has shown no signs of a concussion, but because she has had one before
we have to be extra cautious. Please pray for her as well. When your
child needs medical attention in a foreign country it is stressful!
When I took Levi to the doc here for fever, they said they wanted to
give him a shot. I said, "no way" so they gave him a cooling pack for
his head and told me to give him hot water to sweat off the fever.
Very different practices here.

Hoping for a less eventful rest of the day...

--
Good Wishes,

Courtney
www.onehundredgoodwishes.com ~ where community supports adoptive families
Join us on Facebook!

Goodbye Shenyang, Hello Guangzhou (and the last leg of our trip)

2010-10-16T05:57:00.001-07:00

Our last day in Shenyang (main city of Levi's province) was a long one. We spent the morning at the park and later went for ice cream. In the park, we've been getting lots of inquires but we had a group of seniors approach us and gather around to ask about our children. When we tell them they are adopted, we get Thumbs up and "Lucky Baby" responses...but this day an older couple had tears with their thumbs up.

It has been a long week...and we were glad to be leaving Shenyang. No one spoke much English and we felt very isolated not having a travel group with other adoptive parents with which to commiserate...Because I won't lie...This is very difficult, traveling with toddlers, building trust with our son, no routine, being in another country where things are just harder because of language and customs of the country, being the minority, all while getting little sleep, all of us having meltdowns at times, and being stressed out most of the time because we are out of our comfort zone. STRESSFUL to say the least! Just to give you an example that did, however, though stressful, provide some comic relief...I turn my head for one minute in the Shenyang airport, turn back around to see E with both her pants and her underwear around her ankles! As if we needed to do anything else to draw attention to ourselves! I mean, really! Gotta laugh to keep from crying :)

Our flight out of Shenyang was turbulant, but went okay, and Levi was happy for most of the four-hour flight and E slept the whole way so that was definitely an answered prayer. We didn't get to the White Swan in Guangzhou until midnight. The kids were tired, but not cranky, thankfully. I was so looking forward to getting here because Shamian Island, where we stay, really caters to adoptive families. We adoptive parents all have to come through here before going back to the states. So we arrived exhausted, and just as I was crawling into bed...ARG! The bed is as hard as a rock...the floor is softer! So now I have a week of sleeping in a hard bed! Counting down the days till I'm in my bed. Needless to say, I'm ready to be home!

Elyza and Levi

2010-10-13T06:03:00.001-07:00

How is E doing as a big sister? E is a wonderful Jie Jie! She has been
so sweet and also trying to engage him in play. She's an independent
kid so she hasn't been showing much jealousy. We are thankful that her
Nana is here to give her lots of attention.

Levi is getting more and more comfortable with his Nana, Jay and
Elyza. He only wanted me to hold him for the first 2 days, but now he
will let his Nana hold him. he will give us all kisses on the cheek.
He is a little jealous of E, but is getting better each day. He and E
are like night and day. Where Elyza is a challenge, he is easy and
where he is a challenge, she is easy. They are like yin and yang.

Levi seems to be a really smart kid and is already mimicking English
words. He's a quick learner for sure. He is ready to potty train and
motions when he has gone potty in his diaper. he is eager to learn new
things and used a toothbrush after I showed him how. He flips through
the photo album that we sent to him and points to himself and says,
"Aohang" and he points to his nana and me and says, "Nie Nie and
Mama". I think he is saying other words in Chinese when he looks at
the album. So his nannies must have read and looked at the album with
him. His fine motor skills are excellent. He is stubborn and moody at
times, but I think that also has to do with terrible two's.

We are all getting to know each other better and things are improving
each day. I'm very thankful to God for his hand in the transition.
Thanks also for your prayers!

--
Good Wishes,

Courtney
www.onehundredgoodwishes.com ~ where community supports adoptive families
Join us on Facebook!

Wednesday in Shengyang

2010-10-12T22:50:00.000-07:00

Today we had the day off as we wait for Levi's Passport to be complete. We got out this morning and explored the local park. You would be amazed at the number of "seniors" in the park - singing, dancing, doing Tai Chi and stretching, walking, and playing instruments. It was just what we needed to lift our spirits after a difficult, tiring day yesterday. The kids got to run around and we all got some fresh air.

our Hotel

2010-10-12T22:37:00.001-07:00

The Kids love looking out the window...there is a large city park and a school below. The park is lit at night and many of the buildings are too.

Pictures of FuShun City

2010-10-12T22:32:00.001-07:00

day in FuShun and lots of paperwork

2010-10-12T22:30:00.001-07:00

Yesterday we drove to FuShun City to apply for Levi's passport. What was supposed to be a 1 hour drive each way was actually 2 1/2 hours each way. It was a long, exhausting day, and we were so tired when we got back, emotionally spent and drained.

We did have the opportunity to spend the day with one of the directors, Mr. Dai (standing by me in the picture). though we didn't get the chance to visit the orphanage, I did have the opportunity to ask the director more questions about Levi's finding spot and the routine in the orphanage. We also had lunch at a local restaurant in Levi's home city with lots of dumplings, fried corn dish with sugar, green beans, and duck.

The director told us that our son was one of the most handsome at FuShun City Orphanage. He also told us that he can be very stubborn (and yes, he can be) but he will go along with the others (meaning be compliant). He told us that he was found by children, who were going to school, at the nursery next door to the orphanage, with no note, wrapped in a rug. His name Hang means navigator and was named by the orphanage. Mr. dai gave us his email so that we could send updates of AoHang.

First Day

2010-10-11T15:09:00.001-07:00

Back at the hotel after getting Levi

2010-10-11T15:08:00.001-07:00

First Encounter

2010-10-11T15:07:00.001-07:00

Meeting Levi

2010-10-11T00:34:00.001-07:00

It has been an amazing Levi day thus far, so thank you all for your prayers! When we arrived at the Civil Affairs office it was at the same time as the orphanage director and Levi! We saw this tiny little boy with a baseball hat getting out of the van and we all started yelling, "There he is!" We literally followed him up the elevator snapping pictures and speaking our few Chinese words and waving to him. He wanted the orphanage director to hold him and cried if he put him down.

Next was picture time with us and this was the first time we held him. He cried and was very upset, which was to be expected. I carried him back up the stairs and he began to calm down a little. I gave him some Cheerios, we walked over to the window, and we started to bond at that point. He also played with a toy car that we gave him and pointed at the cars on the street below.

I had the opportunity to ask the director some questions about his likes, routine, etc. The director is a young man and was very affectionate with Levi rubbing his cheek and talking to him. As the director was leaving, I was holding our son and he turned to watch the director walk down the hall. Levi waved to him so I called for the director who then walked back over to Levi waved to him and put his cheek up which Levi then kissed. It was the sweetest moment ever. There were no tears from our son but rather a smile as if he were saying to him, "I'm going to be okay with these folks." It was a tearful moment for me when I saw this interaction. GOD IS AMAZING!

We returned to the hotel and the kids played a bit. Levi has attached to me so he likes for me to hold him and go with him. He did great with eating...ate lots of meat, noodles, rice and watermelon. He gulped down a glass of apple juice. No problems with the cleft palate and eating. He's laughed and warmed up to us better than I ever expected. He is already saying "mama". After lunch he didn't want to go in the crib, but rather fell right to sleep in my arms. I have fallen madly in love with Levi :)

Shenyang- the Big Day (Mon)

2010-10-10T15:52:00.001-07:00

Awoke to what must have been Buddist music at 5:45 this morning. Can't
help thinking that Levi is awake and the Nannies have begun getting
him ready to meet us today. He'll have a one hour trip before reaching
Shenyang. Hopefully they have prepared him by showing him the photos
we sent and talking to him about his Baba, Mama, and JieJie.

Well, the next time I write we will be together!

--
Good Wishes,

Courtney
www.onehundredgoodwishes.com ~ where community supports adoptive families
Join us on Facebook!

Shenyang, Liaoning Province and the Eve of Levi Day

2010-10-10T05:35:00.001-07:00

We are settled into our hotel, Furama, in Shenyang where we will be
for the next few days. It has been a long day and again I'm exhausted!
we began the morning with a walk around the center of Beijing. At 10
am, we went to the airport and flew to Shenyang. Shenyang is a busy
city with 8 million people. It's like the New York of the Northeast.
Once we arrived, we checked in and walked with our guide a few blocks
to the local Walmart to get a few items and a stroller. We had dinner
at Pizza Hut and came back to the hotel to organize our things for
tomorrow - the BIG day. We leave here at 8:40 am to go the Civil
Affairs office where we will meet Levi!
I'm feeling quite nervous, but also excited that we'll be a family of
4 starting tomorrow! Pray that all will go well!

Now off to bed to get some rest before Levi Day!

--
Good Wishes,

Courtney
www.onehundredgoodwishes.com ~ where community supports adoptive families
Join us on Facebook!

Sunday

2010-10-10T05:17:00.001-07:00

We are flying to our son's province today. It's about an hour flight.
We had a better night's sleep. E slept from 8pm until almost 5 am
straight, a vast improvement from the night before. Thanks for your
prayers regarding that!
We meet our son tomorrow morning. Many families will be meeting their
children In province today. Please keep these families and their
children in your prayers as well. Many are children over the age of
2-years- old. It will be a hard transition for many the first few
days.

--
Good Wishes,

Courtney
www.onehundredgoodwishes.com ~ where community supports adoptive families
Join us on Facebook!

2010-10-09T15:39:00.000-07:00

Beijing, our hotel, and a nearby supermarket...

Looks

2010-10-09T15:26:00.001-07:00

While touring some Beijing sites yesterday, we did receive a lot of looks and stares by curious people. Many of the people visiting the tourist attractions are from all over China so it makes since that we would get lot of looks. I'm guessing that a lot of the Chinese tourists have not seen many Westerners where they live. In fact, several from our group were asked to have their picture taken, especIally the blonde kids.

I asked our guide how Chinese people viewed us Western adoptive parents of Chinese children. she said that in the South, the people are more open to the idea. In the North, many do not quite understand why we would adopt Chinese children specifically. Part of me, though, wonders if they look to see if the child resembles someone that the know, who relinquished a child...maybe even a family member or they themselves. I know that's what I would wonder.

Beijing (Sat)

2010-10-09T04:23:00.001-07:00

We had a great orientation this morning with our Holt group. We are
one of 26 families traveling with Holt. We are the only ones adopting
from our child's province, but will meet up with everyone in Guangzhou
next week. We did find two other families from the group who live in
TN, one of which lives in Franklin.
In the orientation, we got an update on Levi. His update said that he
likes playing with other kids and wih toy cars:) We also read "to
satisfy all his requirements will make him happy. When he is not
happy, give him snacks"....sounds just like E :) We'll meet him on
Monday, less than two days from now.
After the orientation we had a group lunch and then went to Tiananmen
Square and the Forbidden City. Elyza slept through the entire tour
because she'd been awake since 3:30 am. The Square was decorated
beautifully for the National Holiday, with colorful flowers planted in
the gardens. It's nice to be here during such pleasant weather.
I feel a lot more comfortable this time around having been here before
and with some knowledge of what to expect. We're having a great time,
just exhausted by 4 pm. I hope we can get adjusted to the time change
soon, especially E sleeping through the night.

I don't have spell check, so excuse any misspelled words. Typing on an
iPad isn't easy either. Hope to upload pics soon.

Tomorrow we fly to Liaoning Province and settle into our hotel there
for several days.

Praying for sleep tonight!

--
Good Wishes,

Courtney
www.onehundredgoodwishes.com ~ where community supports adoptive families
Join us on Facebook!

Beijing

2010-10-08T15:34:00.001-07:00

Beijing (Sat.)
Well, last night's sleep was rough... Mostly for E who didn't
understand that it wasn't time to play at midnight and 3:30 a.m. For
the most part though, we all got some sleep and are feeling fairly
rested today. This time change is a beast though...when you guys are
waking, we are headed to sleep (13 hours ahead in China).

Our hotel is great and is located in the heart of Beijing in a very
nice shopping area (think Rodao Dr. (sp)). We have orientation this
morning and then we head to do some touring this afternoon. It's very
smoggy here so visibility is low. I'll try to post some pics after
our tour to Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden City.

Headed to breakfast...

--
Good Wishes,

Courtney
www.onehundredgoodwishes.com ~ where community supports adoptive families
Join us on Facebook!

Beijing

2010-10-08T10:12:00.000-07:00

Well,we made it to Beijing today and are settled into our hotel. We
are exhausted! Planning to go to sleep now. Thanks again for your
prayers! Hope to post more tomorrow!

Facing Fears

2010-10-06T06:07:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, I was feeling a bit anxious and nervous about the upcoming travel. I don't enjoy flying, and I don't like the idea of my children not being in carseats while driving in another country where the laws of the road are very different from ours. For the past few days, I have had a song stuck in my head that I haven't heard in ages...

When you pass through the waters, I will be with you
And the waves, will not overcome you
Do not fear, for I have redeemed you
I have called you by name, you are Mine

For I am the Lord your God
I am the Lord your God
(I am) the Holy One of Israel, your Savior

I am the Lord
Do not fear

I wanted to find this verse, so when I opened the Bible, out jumped Isaiah 43:5... "Do not be afraid, for I am with you; I will bring your children from the east and gather you from the west."

Well, as if that wasn't awesome enough, I continued to flip around looking for the song above. Unsuccessful, I went back to Isaiah 43 to read the entire chapter and low and behold it was the song!

Enough said.

5 Days and Counting

2010-10-02T19:15:00.000-07:00

We're down to 5 days, practically 4! This weekend is a busy one as we tie up loose ends and get our bags packed and ready to go. Elyza keeps telling, (well, actually yelling it) all the kids at the park that she's going to China to get Levi. It's really heart-warming for me to hear her excitement about her brother...even though the kids at the park don't have a clue what she is jabbering about.

Our wonderful friends have showered us with gifts for our son. We've been so touched by the outpouring of excitement, support and love that we've received from friends and family. What a lucky boy to be loved by so many people ;) I can't believe that in 9 short days we'll meet our son!

Smile Pinki: a documentary about cleft lip and palate repair

2010-09-27T08:12:00.000-07:00

Getting Prepared

2010-09-22T17:28:00.001-07:00

My sister will be helping me post to blogger while we are in China so this is a test post.

T minus 14 days until we travel! Lots to do, lots to do!

We received our itinerary this week and so we are all set to go once we pack. I’m excited about the hotel that we are staying at in Shenyang. It has an indoor pool and is near a park, which will be great for E, my high-energy 3-year-old and her brother-to-be, whom I understand from his paperwork is active too!

Please continue to keep us in your prayers as we prepare for this journey – emotionally, physically, and mentally. Reminding myself that the prize at the end, will be so worth it!

Celebrating Moon Festival

2010-09-19T05:41:00.000-07:00

Check out these FABULOUS links for celebrating Moon Festival!
And Babies Make Four Excellent Moon Festival "lesson plan" for preschoolers
Our Little Tongginator Bubble Tea, anyone?
China Adopt Talk Moon Festival resources
And for more links, go to No Hands But Ours !

Counting Down!

2010-09-15T19:03:00.000-07:00

I really can't believe we have only a few more weeks until we travel! These weeks will certainly fly by, now that Miss E keeps me busy by day and the to-do list keeps me busy by night. I've been following the blogs of two fellow adoptive families who are currently traveling and it really helps add to the excitement and anticipation of meeting Levi.
We received our itinerary today:

Day 1 arrive in Beijing
Day 2 orientation and sightseeing at Tienanmen Square and Forbidden City
Day 3 fly to Shenyang (city in Liaoning Province)
Day 4 morning MEET LEVI
Day 5 paperwork and drive to Fushun City to apply for Levi's passport (and hopefully visit the orphanage)
Day 6 sightseeing
Day 7 sightseeing
Day 8 fly to Guangzhou
Day 9 medical exam
Day 10 free day
Day 11
Day 12 Visa appointment
Day 13 oath-taking ceremony
Day 14 pick up visa
Day 15 fly from Guangzhou to Beijing, then Beijing to HOME!

Once home...
Day 1 Jet Lag recovery
Day 2 Jet Lag recovery again
Day 3 Levi's 2nd birthday!

No Hands But Ours: the blog: A Way With Da Ladies

2010-09-12T13:30:00.000-07:00

This is a great (humorous), yet poignant post written by an adoptive father about his bonding experience with his daughter from China.

No Hands But Ours: the blog: A Way With Da Ladies: " Today's guest post is by our first contributor who isn't a mama... he is a baba. Adrian is father to four children, his youngest daughter a..."

No Hands But Ours: the blog: report on "experiment" in China re: one-child poli...

2010-09-12T13:27:00.000-07:00

No Hands But Ours: the blog: report on "experiment" in China re: one-child poli...

Travel Approval Arrived!

2010-08-29T15:38:00.000-07:00

Our Travel Approval (TA) arrived last week! This week we should find out our travel dates. Our agency is working to get our appointments set up for October. Because of the Trade Fair, it is a bit more complicated to set up travel during the month of October so as to schedule around government holidays, higher hotel rates, etc. But regardless, we're fairly certain we'll be travelling in less than 6 weeks! And most likely, we'll be meeting our son before he turns 2-years-old!

We are excited and anxious! Right now we are most concerned with how to keep our very energetic 3-year-old occupied for a 16-hour flight to China! If you've got any suggestions, we're all ears. We've got about 8 hours (of battery life) figured out, so at least half the trip is covered. Maybe she'll sleep some of the flight? Her? Nah. Not likely.

Adoption Documentaries this Month

2010-08-03T07:23:00.001-07:00

PBS to air a series of adoption documentaries. Go to No Hands But Ours for more information.

100 Days of 100 Good Wishes

2010-08-01T06:29:00.000-07:00

We now have approximately 100 days before we travel to China to bring home our son, Levi... Yahoo! Over the next 100 days, please consider helping us reach our 100 Good Wishes goal! We invite you to give a good wish here! Your good wishes will become a keepsake for our son, part of his lifestory, as well as benefit the orphanage caring for him. In fact, Bai Jia Bei, or "100 Good Wishes" quilt, is a tradition which engages others in the celebration of a new life, customary in our son’s northern region of China.

For as little as $5 (that’s equivalent to a grande mocha frapp with soy milk and light whip cream...you get the point, right?), your gift will directly support the Fushun City Orphanage in the northern province of Liaoning, China and will certainly make a difference in the lives of orphans living there. In recent months, we’ve had the great fortune to be in contact with a missionary couple who can attest to the wonderful care that children receive at this facility. Approximately 60 children are cared for at Fushun City SWI, some babies, some older children, and children with special needs, including our son.

Again, we thank you for your ongoing prayers and support throughout our adoption journey. We are grateful to you all and the encouragement that you have brought us daily.

Other ways you can contribute if you like:
Via music: here
Via Coffee: here
Via children’s books: here

Moving Right Along...

2010-07-18T05:28:00.000-07:00

After a slight slow down in our paperwork (we had to send in an addendum to include "boy") which took an additional 4 weeks, we are back on track. I just received the I-800 Provisional Approval (which took 3 weeks) and am now just waiting on the confirmation letter from NVC. Once I receive this letter, we can expect about a 11-14 week wait until we are in China!!! That would put us there around October. Still holding out to be there by his 2nd birthday on Oct. 25. We are applying for Visas this week. We're getting closer!!
This is the most recent picture of Levi sent to us via our adoption agency back in May. The orphanage also included a picture of the inside of his mouth at our request! I emailed the picture of his cleft palate to the surgeon who will repairing his cleft. She was very reassuring that his cleft is not too severe and will be a very routine procedure. The amount of support that we've received through this thus far has been amazing. It's a gentle reminder that God has every detail in His hands.

FuShun City SWI

2010-04-30T19:03:00.000-07:00

Once matched, one of the first thoughts on our minds was concerning the care that our son is receiving at his orphanage. Thanks to a little divine intervention and the Internet, I was able to track down two other families, one living in Norway, who has adopted from FuShun City SWI (apparently very few adoptions take place from this orphanage). She wrote:

"He [her son] is just a fantastic boy - happy and it is like he has been with us forever. And I think that the orphanage has done a great job raising him. He was extremely healthy and the paper on him was as expected. They had also prepared him very well for his parents (us), and he said mommy to me at once when he saw me. The orphanage has a lot of love, and it seems that they are kissing and hugging the children a lot. Our son is so full of love..."

While that was simply enough to send me sailing over the moon with joy and relief, I then found out about Bob and Pat, two retirees who travel to my child's orphanage at least once a year to volunteer (what are the odds!). Not only were Bob and Pat a wealth of information, they have kept a wonderful blog with video and photos of my child's orphanage, the nannies, the directors, etc.!

For an adoptive parent, this is like hitting the jackpot! It's like peering into a window of what life is like for my child during his most critical developmental stages of life. It is a huge relief to know that my child's needs are most likely being met not only physically, but also emotionally. To see smiles on the faces of the orphans and the orphanage staff...to see pictures of brightly-colored rooms and baby items...to know that our son is loved and cared for by the staff and by volunteers, is priceless!

Good Wishes and Giveaways Galore!

2010-04-30T17:30:00.000-07:00

With only about 6 months to go, we are hoping to reach our goal of $5000 (currently we've raised just shy of $2000 thanks to you awesome peops!) to support FuShun City SWI. We invite you to contribute!

Between NOW and Saturday, May 8 (we'll even give you until midnight), we are doing a

Donation Drive, "Five for FuShun SWI".

You can give as little as $5 to support this cause because no gift is too small.

Go HERE to give a Good Wish!

********BUT WAIT THERE'S MORE!!!!*******

It just so happens that on Sunday, May 9, we will be doing a random Giveaway on our blog http://www.digging-to-china.blogspot.com/ ! Yippee!

The giveaway is a Chinese jewelry box perfect for a special lady or girl in your life.

And it just so happens, that Good Wish givers are eligible to be included in a random drawing for our first giveaway!

A Child Chosen for Us

2010-04-27T18:44:00.000-07:00

The CCAA released more children to the shared list on Wednesday, April 21. I had butterflies in my stomach for the first part of the week, because I had a feeling that we'd be getting a call this month with a match. Just my intuition. And, low and behold, on Wednesday, around 4 p.m. we got a call from our social worker. She was calling to say we had a possible match, but she needed to discuss the special need with me. The special need wasn't something that we had necessarily put on our list, but it was related. After discussing with her, I decided, we'd take a look. I was frantic as the file sat in my inbox while waiting for my husband to get home from work...

"Live your life with arms wide open.."

Then we opened the file. And there he was, Zheng Aohang, a sweet-faced 18-month-old from the Fushun City SWI, in Liaoning Province, in North China bordering North Korea. His special need - a cleft palate; his cleft lip has been repaired. When we read his report from the orphanage, we were surprised at how similar (on paper) he and and our daughter are. His paperwork was almost a carbon copy of hers - deep sleeper...active and restless...early riser....

Lord, give us the wisdom to know your will and the courage to do it.

We had less than 24 hours to make a preliminary decision and get our Letter of Intent (LOI) to our agency. So for all of Wednesday night and Thursday morning I was frantically calling surgeons, insurance, fellow adoptive parents of children with cleft palates, nurses, and doctors to help explain to us what cleft palate repair would mean for this little boy and for us. I learned quite a lot in such a short amount of time thanks to the folks that took my by the hand and walked me through our questions and concerns. With all of the positive responses, resources and support, we decided that we would send in our LOI, in good faith of pursuing Zheng.

"Look into your heart and find love...

It's our God-intended right to be loved...

So I won't hesitate no more

it cannot wait, I'm sure

No need to complicate, our time is short,

this is our fate, I'm yours."

Buy Music, Support an Orphanage

2010-04-20T05:39:00.000-07:00

As most of you know, we are in process of adopting again from China, though this time through the minor special needs program. With the support of friends and family, our goal is to raise $5000 which will go directly to the orphanage that is caring for our waiting child.

So in an effort to reach our goal, I've convinced my husband ;) to make available his unreleased albums for download. Please visit www.jayjohnsonweb.com to hear clips and download albums. 100% of your purchase will go directly to the orphanage caring for our waiting child.

Others ways that you can help:

We are accepting Good Wishes where 100% of your donation goes directly to our endeavor.
You can purchase fair-trade coffee through Just Love Coffee where a portion of your purchase, goes toward our efforts.
You can also purchase amazing multi-cultural children's books at our Barefoot Books store where 20% of your purchase supports our child's orphanage.

We know that orphanage care is critical to the welfare and survival of orphans, particularly those with special needs as their lives can be so fragile during the first year of their lives. We've experienced first hand the difference orphanage donations can make, like providing warm water for baths rather than cold, providing warmer clothing for children living in drafty facilities, and other basic essential needs that we often take for granted. We cannot thank you enough for your love and support of our family. Additionally, we thank you on behalf of the children waiting in orphanages for their forever families. Thank you and God bless!

Good Reads

2010-03-11T12:52:00.000-08:00

Good Reads:

My Everyday Miracles Not so perfect after all...

A Bushel and A Peck Sensory Processing

Adoption Talk Twenty things adoptive kids wish their adoptive parents knew

Dillion Blog If something is hard does that mean we should not pursue it?

www.onehundredgoodwishes.com, A Fundraising Web Resource for Adoptive Families

2010-03-03T10:16:00.000-08:00

We've officially launched One Hundred Good Wishes! http://www.onehundredgoodwishes.com/ is now available to adoptive families who are in process of adopting and are home-study approved!

One Hundred Good Wishes is a free fundraising web-based tool for adoptive families wishing to raise partial or full support for their adoptions. We understand the significant financial challenges of adoption and seek to provide an easy resource for adoptive parents to reach out to others and inspire generosity, providing others the opportunity to give, through monetary donations, to your adoption endeavor.

One Hundred Good Wishes website was inspired by the Northern Chinese tradition called Bai Jia Bei, or "100 Good Wishes" quilt - a tradition which engages others in the celebration of a new life. Like the tradition, we have created this social networking web resource for which adoptive families can use to not only share their adoption journey and gather good wishes from loved ones, but also as a tool to raise financial support, helping to bring our sweet children home!

Even if you are not currently adopting, you can help us spread the word about this FREE web resource for adoptive families:
Become a fan on Facebook and invite others in the adoptive community to join.
Send the website link to fellow adoptive parents who might be interested or know someone who is interested in raising support for their adoption.
Post the website link on your FCC and other adoption-related message board, on your blog, Facebook page, Twitter, etc.

If you are in process of adopting and would like to set up a One Hundred Good Wishes page to raise support for your adoption endeavor, please email courtney@onehundredgoodwishes.com
You can visit our website at http://www.onehundredgoodwishes.com/ for more information. Also, join us at Facebook.

Inspiration that I needed Today

2010-02-24T08:57:00.000-08:00

The words:

WHAT I WOULD TELL HER:
(If I knew what to say.)
You are a miracle.
And I have to love you this fiercely: So that you can feel it even after you leave for school, or even while you are asleep, or even after your childhood becomes a memory.
You’ll forget all this when you grow up. But it’s okay.
Being a mother means having your heart broken.
And it means loving and losing and falling apart and coming back together.
And it’s the best there is. And also, sometimes, the worst.
Sometimes you won’t have anyone to talk to.
Sometimes you’ll wonder if you’ve forgotten who you are.
But you must remember this: What you’re doing matters.
And you have to be brave with your life so that others can be brave with theirs.
The truth is, being a woman is a gift. Tenderness is a gift. Intimacy is a gift. And nurturing the good in this world is a nothing short of a privilege.
That’s why I have to love you this way. So I can give what I have to you. So that you can carry it in your body and pass it on.
I have watched you sleep. I’ve kissed you a million times. And I know something that you don’t, yet:
You are writing the story of your only life every single minute of every day.
And my greatest hope for you, sweet child, is that I can teach you how to write a good one.

(credits listed on video)

Just Love Coffee and Adoption

2010-02-15T15:02:00.000-08:00

We've just partnered with Just Love Coffee, a fair-trade coffee roaster whose mission is to support caring for orphans worldwide! When you purchase coffee through our storefront, a portion of your proceeds support the orphanage in China caring for our waiting child! Visit our link here.

The owners of Just Love Coffee are adoptive parents of two children from Ethiopia. Roasting Fair Trade Specialty coffees, Just Love Coffee uses proceeds to help an Ethiopian orphanage and families adopting not just from Ethiopia, but from anywhere in the world. I LOVE what they are doing for orphans around the globe.

SIP MORE COFFEE AND SAVE MORE ORPHANS! Visit our storefront and share the coffee love.

Year of the Tiger

2010-02-10T05:28:00.000-08:00

Celebrate the Year of the Tiger this year with a few special gifts:
Build-a-Bear Year of the Tiger here and here.
Year of the Tiger silver pendant here.
Commemorative stamps here.
Books on Chinese culture: Motherbridge of Love, The Great Race, Lin Yi's Lantern, and Stories from the Silk Road Purchase through Barefoot Books here and 20% of your purchase goes to support the orphanage caring for our waiting child.
Hand-painted glass ornament here and Chinese songs here.

Happy Year of the Tiger!

Harbin, China: Ice and Snow Sculpture Festival

2010-01-29T12:42:00.000-08:00

As Lemon would say, "I want to go to there ." To see more pictures click on the link.

China Faces 24M Bride Shortage by 2020

2010-01-12T06:28:00.000-08:00

Considering Adoption? Consider Special Needs

2010-01-11T10:31:00.000-08:00

Adoptive Families' Quest to Find Chinese Roots

2009-12-29T07:42:00.000-08:00

A very interesting article pertaining to Adoptive families' quest for finding their child's biological family.

Christmastime to Me A-Z by Maggie Day Conran

2009-12-11T18:35:00.000-08:00

My friend Maggie has been working furiously on a Christmas book and has completed it. Congrats, Maggie! I'm so proud of you! Check it out, go here.

Fun Topic Friday: Elf Magic

2009-12-11T12:02:00.000-08:00

Oh, how I love this Christmas tradition idea!

Fun Topic Friday: Charms

2009-12-11T10:43:00.000-08:00

Check out these beautiful paper lantern charms by artist Lisa Leonard. What adoptive mama of Chinese children wouldn't love these!!

Find My Family

2009-11-28T17:00:00.000-08:00

ABC airs Find My Family, a sensationalized adoption series. Read more here.

Two Gifts in One

2009-11-18T05:16:00.000-08:00

My toddler loves music and storybooks. She sings half the day away and has her favorite books memorized. So needless to say, stories and song are a big part of our family.

I found Barefoot Books nearly 2 years ago, while searching for children's books that represent multiple cultures through illustration and story. I was immediately enamored by the whimsical, artistic, colorful illustrations of Barefoot Books and the variety of cultural themes and stories available. The first Barefoot Book that I read was Motherbridge of Love. I can say that, as an adoptive mother, I was truly impacted by the beautifully-illustrated book's message about adoption.

I invite you to my Barefoot Books Marketplace to peruse the wonderful selection of books, music and more, just in time for the holidays. To top it off, 20% of your purchase goes to support the orphanage in China caring for our future daughter! It's like two gifts in one ;)

For those of you adoptive parents of Chinese children, I highly recommend the following books related to Chinese culture:
Motherbridge of Love
Stories from the Silk Road
The Great Race
We're Riding on a Caravan

You'll also find a variety of books highlighting the many cultures throughout the world with illustrations representing children from countries such as Mexico, Africa, Japan, and many other regions of the earth. Whether your child is African, Hispanic, Chinese, Korean, or American, it is important that his/her library of literature and music, represents a global perspective, one that includes multiple ethnicities, and celebrates the many wonderful differences and cultures that makes us who we are, and shapes who we become.

Thanks for visiting my marketplace and feel free to share with your friends!

Special Needs

2009-10-29T10:52:00.000-07:00

We've decided to pursue the China Child Of Promise minor special needs program through Holt for our second adoption. Though the term "special needs" can sound daunting, I bet you know a handful of your own friends who were born with or have a child born with a with a minor "special need"...like a port wine birthmark? Clubfoot? Heart murmur? Hernia?

Love Without Boundaries just created a site to better explain specific special needs, the facts, symptoms, and treatment. Click here to visit their site.

Fun Topic Fridays: Brain Foods For Kids

2009-10-21T18:27:00.001-07:00

Here is a very informative article written by Dr. Sears. Click here.

Abandonment (a post by Amy with LWB)

2009-10-21T14:13:00.000-07:00

I absolutely adore Love Without Boundaries, an organization that provides so much to orphans and children with special needs living in China. For more information about this organization and how you can give to their worthy cause, go here. I follow LWB's blog, and recently Amy, the founder, posted a personal story about abandonment in China. Here is the post below:

"I think it is a fair statement to say that most of us who have adopted internationally think that our child's birthparents made the decision to abandon their child. I have read many essays and poems where adoptive parents imagine the birthmother hiding in the bushes or watching until the tiny bundle is found. Perhaps that is how you imagine it to be as well. I know I certainly did, until I helped run a cleft mission where many of our patients were rural children with families. On that trip, parents told me one story after another that quite simply turned everything I thought I knew about abandonment on its head.

I want to share one of those stories today, as I have been thinking so much about my son's birthparents lately.

On this particular cleft mission, we had far more babies needing surgery than space available, so very sadly we were having to turn families away. We had set a weight requirement for the kids' safety, and we soon learned that parents were sewing rocks into their babies' clothing in the hopes that their kids would meet our 10 pound requirement. We also had begun turning away babies who were obviously younger than 5-6 months because we wanted to make sure the kids would do well under anesthesia.

I was sitting in the intake room one morning when an anxious young woman came running in holding a tiny bundle. I could immediately tell that the baby was a newborn, and I asked our Chinese director to break the bad news to the woman that the baby was far too young for surgery. As she was given the news, the young lady burst into tears and began pleading and begging to have her child be seen. My friend came over to me and told me that I needed to go and speak with the woman in private, and so I did. She pulled back the blanket to reveal a tiny baby girl with severe cleft lip. The mother told me that her daughter was 28 days old, and that their period of confinement was over in just 2 more days. As she was crying and talking, the mom kept kissing her baby's forehead, and she kept telling me again and again, "I love her....I love her so much."

But then she went on to tell me that her extended family would not accept her daughter since she had been born with a cleft lip. They felt this tiny baby would bring shame to them all. With tears streaming down her face, she told me that her mother-in-law was coming to take the baby away from her in two days' time. The mom was begging me to heal her daughter, to make her daughter beautiful, so that she could keep the baby that she had carried inside of her for 9 months….the daughter she loved completely. When I explained that the baby could not safely be put under anesthesia at four weeks of age, she fell on her knees and was sobbing at my feet, pleading and crying and begging me to help her. Right now...even typing this story....it brings a pain to my chest that I cannot describe.

Over and over on that trip, I heard stories from birthparents who adored their children with cleft, but who were told the children could not stay in the extended family. I met a woman whose daughter with cleft had been taken from her by her in-laws while she slept. She never saw her daughter again. She had come to our mission after reading about it in the paper, to thank us for giving parents a chance to keep their children.....a chance she herself did not have.

That trip changed everything for me about how I view birthparents in China. Many people give pat explanations about infant abandonment that cover the issue in blanket terms: “Babies are abandoned because rural families want sons.” “Babies are abandoned because the medical needs were too great.” Simple, one line sentences, to explain a personal life event that is often very complex.

When it comes to human life, and heartbreaking decisions…..abandonment and loss.....I have learned that there are rarely simple explanations. Every single one of our children faced a great loss in their lives, but the reality is…..we have no idea about the deep, personal stories of the people involved. We have no idea who made the decision that a child couldn’t stay in the family. We have no idea of the anguish, or sacrifice, or resignation experienced. It is easy to think it was a birthparent who lovingly placed the child by the orphanage front gate, but it could have just as easily been an in-law or an uncle who was given instructions by the head of the family to remove the baby from the home. Every child has their own unique story. It certainly hurts more, however, to think that any of our kids have birthparents like the woman I met on that very somber day.

There is still such a stigma surrounding children born with special needs, especially in the rural areas of China. For those of us parenting these amazing kids, the unknowns of their beginnings are very sad to think about, aren't they? Have you thought much about this issue? Do you normally think of a birthparent making the decision to leave a child? Or were you already aware that especially for children with special needs, many become orphaned to not bring shame to the family at large?" - Amy, LWB

Cultural Identity

2009-10-15T19:54:00.001-07:00

Adopting a Child with Special Needs from China

2009-10-15T19:41:00.000-07:00

Brain Child Magazine Article: Adoption and "Culture Keeping"

2009-10-13T12:38:00.000-07:00

"Like many international-adoptive parents, we work hard to incorporate our son’s birth culture into our lives. For years, we’ve followed the formula for what’s sometimes called “culture keeping”: celebrating the main holidays from Nick’s birth culture; buying ethnic artwork, clothing, or food; spending time with other international adoptive families, perhaps going to a “culture camp” for a few days each summer." To read the article, click here. I highly recommend.

Disruption in Adoption

2009-10-05T19:05:00.000-07:00

Interesting article about an adoptive parent who terminates her adoption because she is not bonding with the child.

Good Reads

2009-10-04T11:43:00.000-07:00

A few good reads this week:

From Elizabeth Esther some thoughts on motherhood here and here.

This survival guide from Conversion Diary.

This article on adoptees seeking their Chinese roots.

Publish Post

And just for fun...this blog I found for those who like to get crafty!

Happy reading!

I Heart Chinese Drumming

2009-09-26T05:37:00.000-07:00

Buddha Pears

2009-09-25T18:14:00.000-07:00

Check out what one farmer is doing with pears in Hebei Province, China.

Fun Topic Friday: Teach Your Tot

2009-09-25T14:46:00.000-07:00

This is a fun site with great teaching ideas for your tot. Enjoy!

Repost on Attachment and Bonding

2009-09-24T17:43:00.000-07:00

One thing that is on the minds of us waiting parents is the issue of bonding and attachment. It's been on my mind since day one.

It's easy for people who've not adopted to offer reassurance that bonding will be instant. We tend to think that now that the child has love and attention and is no longer "neglected" that bonding will naturally occur. I agree to a certain extent, but there is a lot more involved that just simply love. We mustn't forget that these children have experienced great loss and grief. To cope, some children learn to disassociate entirely. And as sad as it is, attachment disorders do exist, and may take time and therapy to overcome.

China Adopt Talk recently had a post, The Not-So-Rosey Part. I highly recommend that you read it if you are adopting. China Moms Online is another great source as well as A4EverFamily. Click here for a great article on A4EverFamily. Read this, a sad but true description of what it must be like to walk in our children's shoes.

Some of the bonding tools that many of us have learned that will be helpful include bottle feeding, encouraging eye contact, rocking, touching soles of feet and hands, using skin on skin contact, using a baby carrier, having pool or bath time, implementing comforting rituals and bedtime rituals. I recently purchased our first bonding tool, a baby carrier and am looking forward to using it with our baby. There are lots of techniques that can be used during those first days to help foster attachment.

So, needless to say, I'm re-reading some of the books that I read when we first began the adoption process. I've just begun re-reading Attaching in Adoption which offers a better understanding of healthy attachment and attachment problems. Hopefully, I can post more once I finish reading.

I encourage all waiting parents to delve into the issues of attachment so that we might have appropriate expectations when meeting our children. Of course, we hope for the best, we pray that our children will bond instantly, but, for the sake of our children, we should learn all that we can now so that we can offer the best for them once we are finally united.
Originally posted on August 2007.

We Invite You to Give a Good Wish!

2009-09-19T18:40:00.000-07:00

We are very excited to announce the launch of our new website, One Hundred Good Wishes, a site where community supports adopting families.

The purpose of the site is to advocate for adoption; allow adoptive families the opportunity to gather good wishes from loved ones which will be used as a keepsake for their adopted son or daughter; engage others in the adoption journey; and raise support from family and friends, making adoption financially possible.

We are currently in the process of adopting a second time from China, though this time we are pursuing a minor special needs adoption. This process will take about 18 months. Our aim is to raise $5000, a donation that will go directly to the orphanage that is caring for our future daughter. We invite you to be a part of our daughter's adoption story, by giving a good wish!

We can do no great things, only small things with great love. ~Mother Teresa

Addressing the Birthmother Question

2009-09-17T08:44:00.000-07:00

This is one of the most beautifully-written posts I've ever read on the topic of addressing the birthmother question with a young child. It's written by Jean MacLeod.

I wrote the beginning of this article several years ago, and have used it a few times in other places to describe the moment I realized I was parenting in deep water...

~ By Jean MacLeod

"Mommy, why didn't I grow in your tummy?"

I looked my three-year-old daughter square in the face and gave her the speech that I had rehearsed in my head for as long as she had been mine. The speech was short, gentle and sweet. I told her about her birthmother in China, how much she had been loved and how much we loved her now.

"But, Mommy, why didn't she keep me?"

I took a deep breath and explained that I didn't know for sure, but that it might have had something to do with the China rule about having only one child. I described a few other possibilities and ended with my proclamation of faith – that we were meant to be a family, that I was sure that her birthmother wanted her to have a family for always, and wasn't it wonderful that we had all found each other to love.

Coming down from my poetic rhetoric, I smiled winningly at the tiny figure in overalls and waited for my hug and kiss. What I got: a look of icy outrage, arms folded in haughty disbelief, and an attitude that screamed "what a load of c***!"

I was unnerved. This was supposed to be a mother-daughter bonding moment where we celebrated becoming a family. A moment of sadness was allowed, but then things were supposed to be joyful and loving. Why was I feeling like I had tried to tell a sixteen year-old there really was a Santa Claus? And how could a three year-old see through all of my carefully worded, positive explanations? I believed what I was telling her about her birthmother... why didn't she?

She didn't because she had lived her story and somewhere, deep inside, she knew the whole truth. My "old soul" little girl understood that a happy adoption is built on a heartbreaking loss long before I did, and she was cutting me no slack.

Clearly, my daughter's birthmother wasn't going to be explained away. I slowly realized that I would be living with a powerful ghost of another mother, and that this ghost needed to be acknowledged, embraced, and disarmed. My daughter needed some sort of a relationship with her birthmother, and she needed me to have an understanding with her birthmother, too.

So, I invited my daughter's unknown, invisible, Chinese birthmother to tea.

Properly, of course, with a formal invitation dictated to me by my three year-old. In the backyard, we set up a child-sized table with three place-settings: tea-cups, cookie plates, and party napkins. Another tea-cup was quickly added for a favorite stuffed mouse who was a late RSVP. Lemonade tea was rapidly dispensed (formalities like small-talk pale with the preschool set when real teapot pouring is allowed), and we got right down to business.

"So, birthmother," I said to the empty chair to my right. "How are you doing" I'm thinking you might be missing your little girl. I know she misses you.?

My daughter nodded, and I asked her if she had any questions for her birthmom.

"Why did you leave me?" she asked directly to the space occupying the third chair.

"Why did you leave her?" I echoed. "Was it because you couldn't care for a baby? Did you have "big person" problems? It was a very sad thing for your baby girl. I think it might have been a very sad thing for you, too."

My daughter nodded vigorously.

We continued to chat about our day, the vast amount of Oreos eaten by Mousie, and the birthmother's magical trip from China? But my daughter was unusually quiet.

"Is there anything else you would like to ask your birthmother?" I inquired, watching her carefully as I pretended to sip my tea. My daughter went completely still, and I guessed at what she needed to ask and what she needed to hear.

"Birthmother," I said. "We want you to know that you are always welcome in our home and in our hearts. You are part of our family. But your little girl is *my* little girl to raise, and she will live with me until she is big and is ready to leave. You cannot ever take her back to China. This is her home now, and I am her mom, and I love her very much."

Then I left my child-sized chair to put my arms around the little girl with the enormous feelings; it is overwhelming to deal with big grief and big relief at the same time. In voicing my daughter's secret hopes and fears I had validated her connection to two mothers, and had begun my own long process of learning to deal openly with the painful side of adoption parenting.

The ghost? She still lives with us, mostly peaceably, nearly ten years later. We've felt her genetic legacy, as my daughter leaped into puberty. We've seen visions of her in the mirror, as my daughter grows into a beautiful young woman. Our joint acceptance of the ghost gave my daughter some power over her past, and allowed me to view the birthmother as an ally, instead of an enemy, during times that adoption compounded the emotional turbulence of adolescence. The three of us exist together, but only I remember that the three of us once attended a symbiotical summit meeting in the garden, and that we officially sealed our forever relationships with a splash of tea, and cookies.

Copyright 2008, MacLeod, All Rights Reserved
Jean MacLeod is author of At Home in This World: a China Adoption Story, and co-editor of Adoption Parenting: Creating a Toolbox, Building Connections and mother of three daughters, two of whom were adopted from China through Children's Hope. From one adoptive parent to another, Jean shares her wisdom here in the monthly e-news and in the annual Children's Hope Newsletter.

Newsweek Article: Even Babies Discriminate

2009-09-14T17:12:00.000-07:00

Newsweek published an interesting article regarding race. Click here to read. Below are some excerpts from the article.

"...this period of our children's lives, when we imagine it's most important to not talk about race, is the very developmental period when children's minds are forming their first conclusions about race."

"I can't help but wonder—would the track record of desegregation be so mixed if parents reinforced it, rather than remaining silent? It is tempting to believe that because their generation is so diverse, today's children grow up knowing how to get along with people of every race. But numerous studies suggest that this is more of a fantasy than a fact."

"To be effective, researchers have found, conversations about race have to be explicit, in unmistakable terms that children understand."

Fun Topic Friday: Chinese Inspired Bedding

2009-09-11T20:22:00.000-07:00

Looking for Chinese-inspired bedding? I found some fun ones on Rosenberryrooms.com:

Flowers for Hanna
Little Friends
Pink Pagoda
China Doll
Lantern Festival

Learning Chinese

2009-09-11T18:36:00.000-07:00

Yahoo groups have been a treasured resource for me as an adoptive parent. I've learned so much from the experience of other parents who are rearing Chinese daughters. Now that my daughter is two-years-old, I've been researching language learning DVD's that may be helpful for introducing her to Chinese/Mandarin (and for me as well). A very helpful parent, on the Raising China Children Yahoo group, listed the following resources. (Thanks to Mary Ann for providing this list!)

For the net

http://www.chinese4kids.net/

For CDs

Tuttle Chinese for Kids (Love this because it comes with flash cards)Not only flash cards but lots of sentences as well, this is a car favorite.

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_ss_?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=tuttle+chinese+for+kids

Mei Mei and Jade (Audio and DVDs)

http://www.meimeiandme.com/index.html

http://www.followjade.com/videos/index.shtml

More DVDs

The Language Tree Mandarin

http://www.language-tree.com/mandarin.html

Early Start Mandarin with Bao Bei (cheesy production but good vocab)

http://www.myearlystart.com/index.html

Children ages 7-12 in need of families SOON!

2009-09-03T17:56:00.000-07:00

I'm advocating on behalf of these children who are in need of families before it's too late. The list includes both boys and girls between ages 7-12. If you or someone you know is interested in becoming a forever family for an older child, please view the listing here.

Lucky Girl Memoir : The Story of an Adoptee Reunited with Her Birth Parents

2009-08-30T10:22:00.000-07:00

Chinese Adoptee Reunited with His Birth Parents

2009-08-30T09:53:00.000-07:00

Check out this story about a Chinese adoptee. Click here to visit the adoptee's family's blog that details the reunion with his birth parents and includes several news stories related to his search.

Fun Topic Friday: Amusing a Toddler

2009-08-27T18:14:00.000-07:00

In need of some new ways to amuse a toddler? Check out this link !

Here are some ways that we've entertained our tot during the nap-to-dinner stretch:
1. Bubbles
2. build a fort
3. sidewalk chalk
4. run through the sprinklers
5. jump on an inflatable
6. watercolor a piece of paper and then trace and cut out her hand on the paper for a keepsake
7. hide Easter eggs in the house
8. listen to kids music and act out the songs
9. kick a ball in the park
10. water the plants
11. stickers
12. a game of chase
13. watertable play

What are some creative ways that you've entertained your toddler?

An Oversees Adoptee Explains: Parents' Embrace of Home Culture Can Have It's Cost

2009-08-24T04:30:00.000-07:00

Interesting article at Boston.com.

Take the First Step

2009-08-18T06:10:00.000-07:00

Encouragement to take the first step...a step of faith. Read Katie's August 14th post.

Fun Topic Friday: Tutu

2009-07-30T17:11:00.000-07:00

Every girl loves a tutu. Click here or here for a tutu-torial . Enjoy!

Cheers!
Courtney

Painting by Degas

Sharing Inspiration

2009-07-30T05:04:00.000-07:00

I just wanted to share some links that have really inspired me this week:

Conversion Diary posts on Finding Home and Choosing Patience.

Love Without Boundaries' blog A Life of Giving post on They are Important and Do You Wonder?

Manifesto:The Mad Farmer Liberation Front by Wendell Berry

Study in Brown's posts on Parenting

USCCB Video Daily Reflection on the Mustard Seed (July 27)

Happy Reading!

Cheers!
Courtney

Families For Orphans Act

2009-07-28T15:33:00.000-07:00

Below info is from the Joint Council urging support of the Families for Orphans Act:

UNICEF estimates that there are 143 million orphans in the world today. Research such as the Bucharest Early Intervention Study conducted by respected researchers at Harvard University, Maryland University, and other universities has shown that keeping an orphaned child in a permanent and loving family is the best way to ensure that they have love, attention, and care needed to survive, and better yet, to thrive.

Although the U.S. Government has programs related to vulnerable children, very little of the focus and funding is going toward finding permanent families for children in need of parental care.

Developing countries where millions of orphans live lack the resources and expertise necessary to develop sound systems to provide for the care of the rising number of children living outside of permanent parental care.

Sign the Petition
We, the undersigned, request that the U.S. Congress pass the Families for Orphans Act, which would provide a diplomatic authority, with technical and coordinating capacity to keep children in their birth families whenever possible and move orphans and other children without parental care into permanent families (either through kinship care, domestic adoption, or intercountry adoption).

Very little of current U.S. funding and focus is dedicated towards finding permanent families for children in need of parental care. Developing countries lack the resources and expertise necessary to establish sound systems to provide for the care of the rising number of children living outside of a permanent family environment.

We support the Families for Orphans Act which is designed to overcome these barriers by establishing the Office of Orphan Policy, Development and Diplomacy, a specialized office within the U.S. Department of State.

This new office would be responsible for developing and implementing a comprehensive, evidence-based strategy to support the preservation of families and the provision of permanent families for orphans. We urge the members of the U.S. Congress to pass the Families for Orphans Act.

CALL TO ACTION

Tomorrow is the start of the Call to Action for the Families For Orphans Act. Over the next three days join the movement and let Washington hear your voice!

Sign the Families For Orphans petition, make three simple phone calls, and get the word out! Here's how...

1. Call Congress!

On Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday call your three Members of Congress (two in the Senate and one in the House of Representatives).
You can find your Representative at http://www.house.gov/
You can find you Senators' at http://www.senate.gov/
Ask to speak with the Legislative Director or Chief of Staff
For maximum effect, we are asking you to make these calls within this 72-hour window!

What should you say or write to your Members of Congress?

This is an issue that is critical to children in need, so speak from your heart. Tell them why ensuring more children living in families is so important to you!
Ask your Senators and Representatives to become a Co-Sponsor of the Families for Orphans Act.
Please feel free to use the following text as a guideline when speaking with your Members of Congress.
- "As a constituent of we are requesting that you support the Families For Orphans Act by becoming a Co-Sponsor of the legislation. For information on becoming a Co-Sponsor, please contact Senator Mary Landrieu, Senator James Inhofe, Representative Diane Watson or Representative John Boozman. Thank you for representing your constituents by becoming a Co-Sponsor of the Families For Orphans Act (Senate Bill 1458 and House Bill 3070)."

2. Sign our Petition!

If you haven't already done so, sign the Joint Council Families for Orphans Petition
The Petition will be delivered to the U.S. Congress

3. Get the word out!

Send this email to friends and family. Post to your Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, blog or website

More Information

For detailed information on the Families For Orphans Act visit:

The Joint Council website (www.jcics.org)
For minute-by-minute updates, see Joint Council's page on Facebook
The websites of any Families For Orphans Coalition Member (see below)
T he Families For Orphans Legislation

Fun Topic Friday: Playhouses

2009-07-24T06:15:00.000-07:00

Wow weave!

Cool Cardboard house here on Etsy.

DYI from Homespun Threads Pretty fort with windows...Go here for more info

Cupcake house here on Etsy

Good Reads

2009-07-23T13:00:00.000-07:00

For your reading pleasure, Medical Mommas has an interesting topic to contemplate...Nature vs. Nurture as it relates to adoption. This question arises in my head frequently, but when it comes down to it, my daughter is who she is. I hope to post a little more about this later. Also, here are some good links related to the topic to continue the discussion.

Fun Topic Fridays

2009-07-19T06:14:00.000-07:00

I'd like to introduce Fun Topic Fridays! I thought it'd be great to post a fun, totally unrelated (to adoption) topic each Friday. Stay tuned!

Reunions

2009-07-13T05:14:00.000-07:00

My husband, daughter, and I just returned from a weekend in the Smoky Mountains, where we attended the first annual Cirque De Chine Adopted Chinese Children Reunion (ACCA). This was a fabulous one-day event, that included a morning of traditional Chinese games and culminated in a Cirque De Chine afternoon performance, an amazing two-hour acrobatic show.

To top off the weekend, our Travel Group (minus a few) decided to meet up at this event for our first reunion since traveling in China together to bring home our babies. It was a great opportunity to entertain all of the children and spend time together as a "family"(travel groups become an extended family). It was so great to see all of our girls back together again, this time not as frightened babies, but as energetic, happy toddlers. Our girls share a bond that extends as early as the day they were born. They've known one another longer than anyone. It's very special when we bring them together.

The Gatlinburg area offers lots of family-oriented things to do. Next year's Cirque De Chine ACCA Reunion will be Saturday, July 10. I highly recommend it. It's a wonderful opportunity for our Chinese children to celebrate their culture together with other adoptees from all across the southeast. And if you can't make it to the reunion, consider a vacation to the Smokies and add the Cirque De Chine show to your agenda. You won't be disappointed!