One Week Later

It is one week later, one week home, one week back to school, one week with mommy to myself, one busy week later....it is funny, we started our week off on Saturday afternoon by going to the grocery store. There, the checkout clerk said "oh, what a cute addition to your family" as we all smiled and said thank you....today, I went in with Mason-Kate to buy a few things and we happened to have the same checkout clerk....this time she stated "so, you still have her!" Well, of course we do! She is a keeper for sure. Mason-Kate has done remarkably well with adjusting to life in Georgia. We started her off with church on Sunday. We went a little late hoping to not cause a scene....well, that backfired. When word got out that we were there, the majority of the congregation came out into the narthex to say hello (sorry about that John - didn't mean to interrupt the service). It was so wonderful to have everyone there to welcome us home and to see our little girl. They embraced all of us and made us feel so special and loved. Mason-Kate gave them a few smiles and then we all went to lunch with my parents who were in town to meet MK. Monday we started off the day late....well, except for Ryan who had to rush back into work after being gone for almost 3 weeks. The boys chose to sleep until 10....I woke them up, took Colin to school - everyone was so glad to see him and he took it all in stride....they dubbed him the "world traveler" and he proceeded to be the social studies teacher for the afternoon....topic of discussion was China of course. Pryce and I took MK to the pediatrician for her first official check up....she is a Drafts child no doubt, she has a big head (85th percentile), a medium tummy (weight 35th percentile) and short little legs (20th percentile for height)! She was ok with it all until the ear exam....ugh, the gunk was thick and they had to get it out to see her eardrum - that was not fun....alas, she has a double ear infection....she fell asleep while I calmed her down after the ear trauma only to be rudely awakened by the two shots and finger prick that followed....she was not happy at all! It was at that appointment that I realized beyond a shadow of a doubt that I love this child and I hurt to know the pain she will feel in the upcoming months during the surgery that is inevitable to fix her palate. One funny part about her visit was when the doctor asked me about her speech and what she was saying....well, really she doesn't say a whole lot....everything is the usual 14 month old "uhhhh" or "mamamama"....then he asked me if she said any chinese words - well, exactly how would I know?! Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday were pretty predictable....we took the boys to school, ran an errand or two and then came home for a nap. She naps twice a day which makes it nice for now. She is so easy - we have learned that she is a "blankie" girl....Colin had the beloved "monk-monk" monkey that he was attached to, Pryce was a pacifier child and it looks like MK will be our blanket lover. We now have two - one for the car and one for the crib. During the week we have tried numerous foods - among various other healthy foods, she loves Brusters! Bless her heart, she had me worried as she would not think of eating pizza or bread....when I saw her eat ice cream and motion for more, it just made me melt. Some other quick takes, we went to the park - she loves to swing, the higher the better for her....we had our first hairbow tragedy during a walk around the neighborhood - MK has gotten quite fond of taking them out unfortunately....we had our first bath without screaming....mommy learned that taking the dog, the baby and the 5 year old for a walk around a very hilly neighborhood is best left undone especially if the 5 year old is bike riding....MK is sleeping 12-14 hours a night, her parents are hoping that continues....it really has been a pretty easy transition....I think the hardest part was going to the grocery store and trying to figure out how three children could all sit in one cart! Today we went to visit the doctor who is the Cleft Palate Team surgeon....he is Chinese by birth also. He told us pretty much what we already knew - that she will have to be examined by the ENT for hearing purposes and to determine whether or not tubes will be needed (I am pretty sure that they almost always are with cleft palate babies), he told us that her cleft was wide, that it is the most common cleft seen being that it is unilateral and on the left side, and that she will get all fixed up and be ready to go....our goal now is to get her into surgery as soon as possible for her palate closure - we hope to get her in during the month of May. So, with that being said, we are just praying for strength and knowledge during the upcoming weeks. We will continue to update often so please check in once in awhile....take care.

The first picture is MK trying grits for the first time...she loved them!; MK in the yard

MK's first smile in the bathtub; Studying up on boy stuff; The Band

34 Hours Later....

34 hours later, we are HOME! YIPPEE! The children were angels, we had decent flights (of course I say that a bottle of wine later :)), our luggage arrived, customs was long but not hard, the blue and red bag that got searched all over China while we traveled arrived without being searched once, Mason-Kate rode in her carseat without any problems (after we convinced her with raisins that it was all good), we had a great little reunion at the airport with family, our little Finley (the dog) didn't forget us while we were gone and there was even COKE in the fridge (a whole 12 pack - I am drinking the first one in 3 weeks as I type - it was missed).....we arrived home at 1:00am (ish) to find our yard and house decorated....the boys were so excited, their friends had even decorated their room and there were Easter eggs hidden throughout the house....more friends had left a note on the front doorstep welcoming us home....the Easter bunny did come while we were away and even left us a note welcoming us home....the boys were thrilled with their new drumset they received from the Easter bunny - Pryce could not understand why we just didn't put it together right then! Amazing! Mason-Kate seemed a bit overwhelmed but by 2:30 am (ish) everyone, including her in her new, soft crib, was all tucked in nicely for a few hours sleep....she never cried (well, she did cry in the bath but that doesn't count), even when Finley licked her in the face, but you could tell she was wondering what in the world was going on....anyway, I would like to say thank you so much to everyone for following our journey to Mason-Kate....thank you all for your prayers, your emails, your thoughts, and your actions - they have meant the world to us! The trip was AMAZING! The adoption process and the trip to China was definitely a lifetime experience for us and we are looking forward to giving MK an experience of a lifetime with her forever family....can't wait for everyone to meet her! Stay tuned....

ps....Kirstin, HAPPY BIRTHDAY! I hope your "longest birthday ever" was great! We were flying somewhere between China and Detroit when I looked over at Ryan and remembered it was your special day....so sorry we forgot to mention it before we left, we were focused on how much we were going to miss you guys....we did wave when the map showed us flying over Minneapolis! Hope "it's all good"! Take care.

The "Welcome Committee" at the Atlanta airport; All 3 in the car together

The "4 Mason Reunion" (All 4 in this pic are named Mason). This one's for you, Nannie!

Our welcome home cake; the boy's decorated room

Headed home on a jet plane.....

Yippee! As excited as we were to be coming to China two and a half weeks ago, we are just as excited to be returning home....today we said over and over the list of the "lasts". The "lasts" being today was the last day that we have a huge breakfast buffet cooked for us every morning with no clean up after, the last day that we have to shower/bathe with our mouths glued shut, the last time that we have our rooms cleaned/beds made for us, the last day that we might encounter a "squatty potty", the last day that we aren't allowed to drink the tap water, etc., etc., etc....you get the picture. China is amazing....we feel very fortunate to have had the opportunity to see three different areas of China. Beijing, Chongqing and Guangzhou are all so different....the people, the experiences, it is just hard to describe. Last night we encountered our final cultural experience....we chose to do a riverboat cruise on the Pearl River. The funny part about this is that we had no idea what river we were even on until we passed the only English written sign on the tour....it said Pearl River Hotel....duh, I guess it would make sense that we were on the Pearl River. No telling what else we saw....the cruise was all in Chinese, we were the only family in our group to go and our guide did not accompany us.....the boys had a blast. Anyway, we had our red couch photos taken today....then we all went for our US Consulate appointments this afternoon....all is well, we all did our oath as a group and then went to Lucy's for one last hurrah....now we are counting the hours.....we leave at 5:45am for the airport (that is 5:45pm on thursday for you guys).....please continue the prayers for safe travels home for us....we can't wait to see everyone!

Pics from last night's river boat ride

The Red Couch photo; MK & Chloe

The Great Wall group; The new Drafts family

MK showing off her "Barbie" pose (as a local called her); B & MK at the US Consulate

MK at the park; The Last Supper at Lucy's

One Step Closer

This morning our paperwork was taken to the American Consulate's office here in Guangzhou for review. Everything looked great! Now the last thing we have to do is appear at the Consulate's office tomorrow for our appointment and then we are DONE! Yippee! It is a good thing too....the boys are completely done now with pictures....in the beginning, they wanted to take pictures of everything they saw, ate and touched....now they hold their hands up over their faces (kind of reminds me of Britney Spears trying to avoid the media) and when asked if I can take a picture of them, they firmly say "no"....well then that leaves MK....she is not the easiest girl to get a picture of....she likes the camera but she is more interested in what is going on around her while we are trying to snap the picture....so, I tell you this, the pictures are very few today....sorry. Tonight we are going on a riverboat cruise....not sure how much we will see as it is very foggy here....hope you are all doing well....

This is a shot of the inside of our hotel; MK and Pryce this morning; MK with Ryan on the bed

Here are some random shots from around China....

Yuntai Park

It is a rainy day here in Guangzhou....but, we were sports and chose to participate in the last official tour in China. I do not even know the significance of Yuntai Park but it was filled with a lot of beautiful flowers that were grouped together to make designs....it was raining so we did not stay long....I was of course most entertained by the people....then we went to visit a Buddhist temple, Six Banyan Temple. The babies were all blessed by a Buddist monk....Mason-Kate was sleeping for this part of the show so we did not participate....plus, I wasn't so sure about it anyway. The boys of course wanted to be right in the middle of it and we let them....about halfway thru it, Colin came back and started asking questions.....we then came back to the hotel and ordered yet another Papa Johns pizza....that is our staple here, that and Lucy's. We continue to meet amazing families and here their stories....I would say the majority of the families here now are special needs....it is so much fun talking to the other families and hearing their stories....no two are the same. We have met people from Georgia, SC -Charleston to be exact-, Oregon, Rhode Island, New Jersey, California....just neat. And the shopping on the streets is cool...you can always bargain. My favorite place thus far has been this shop called "Jordons"....Jordon is a great guy....his personality reminds me of the two wedding planners in Father of the Bride....he is a lot of fun and we have visited his shop many times, everytime he remembers us. He loves Mason-Kate's name. We purchased our first pair of "squeaky shoes"....those little squeakers may have to come out soon! MK loves them though.....she will just laugh when she has them on. So that is it for today.....enjoy some pictures.....we are trying to get the perfect "tiger rag" shot....easier said than done....and I rebeled today, the rest of the family has on their Clemson best....I, on the other hand, have on my black with South Carolina hat....have a good night....

ps....we can't read the comments here but I know that we will enjoy reading them when we return....we can check our email though....

Yesterday chilling at the hotel pool; And then warming up!

The boys' new friend Ella from Colorado



MK starting today; the boys in their breakfast spot

The Tiger Rag photo session; and "Are we done yet" poses

Yuntai Park in the rain

A Buddist shrine; The boys getting blessed

Medical Exam Day

Well this morning we started off the day with Mason-Kate's medical exam and visa photo....she did great! We are the proud parents of a 22lb healthy baby girl....well, at least that is what today's visit said. She can hear (this was tested by them simply jingling a toy on either side of her head to see if she would respond - she did), she doesn't have any kind of infections....not sure how they know this but we said ok, she is crawling, she can roll over, she can pull up, she can cruise, she waves bye bye, she blows kisses, and her lungs are strong - this we know by the way she screams at bathtime....we have met so many different people while in Guangzhou, all of which are adopting....you see American couples everywhere with babies, girls and boys, and older children who are all being adopted....a lot of couples here have more than one Chinese child....one family in our group is on their third Chinese adoption. So, anyway, that is our day really.....the boys have reached their breaking point I think....they have been so good and enjoyed every moment of the trip thus far....but, every good thing must have an end, right?....today we are trying to give them some free time (it's a beautiful day), time to play at a local playground, they are going to the pool to swim and then we are going to eat American food....tomorrow we are to visit Yuntai Park....

Entrance to the doctor's office; MK asleep before her exam

MK at the central gardens; Pic of the gardens

Pryce exercising with the locals; Schoolkids at play

Cool tree; The White Swan Hotel

Views from our hotel room