The Girls in Their Finest!

Easter Egg Hunt at the Farm . . . .


We went to Rosemary's farm for the annual chicken co-op potluck and Easter egg hunt.

This is AK looking for eggs in the blossoming apple orchard.

This picture is deceiving - it was cold. Really, really cold. And windy.

Of course, AK wasn't cold as she never is cold. I couldn't even get her to wear a jacket :)

Here are the kids with Sarah counting their eggs and sorting through their prizes.

Inara had so much fun at the farm and was rather upset when we had to leave.

Unlike AK, our little Pumpkin Pie gets cold easily and her little lips where blue.

Ahhh, Easter in the Rockies . . . .

4/1/2011 - Journal Entry
When we first got Akasha, Chinese people would tell us she was an old soul. I never doubted that. She was always wise beyond her years. But, she also reminded me of war veterans who have seen too much in their life time.

Orphanage life can be so cruel. I have often found myself thinking that Akasha’s time in the orphanage nearly destroyed her. Her personality is not one which can withstand isolation or lack of human touch. She is an old soul, but she is also a soft soul.

I remember vividly when we got Akasha how she didn’t know how to play with a toy, how she didn’t know to cry to communicate a need since crying never led to a need being met before, how more than anything she wanted skin-on-skin contact with us, how she needed to have water within reach at all times, and how she ate every meal with obsessive vigor.

Akasha’s orphanage days were apparent not just in the weeks after we got her, but in the years to follow. Eventually most of the evidence of her orphanage days faded. She still is an overly serious child who frets and must be reassured perhaps more than most. But, generally, she is your typical six year-old.

This adoption journey has been so different and it has made what I have always known about Akasha’s experience more poignant.

Inara laughs unabatedly. She expects to be fed because she always has been. She expects to be played with because she always has been played with. She expects to be loved because she has always been loved. Everything becomes a game to her and every item becomes a toy. She cries when she is mad, when she wants to be fed, when her diaper is wet, when she is thirsty, and she expects all the needs to be met because they always have been met. She emanates the pure joy all children should have who still do not know the possible cruelties of the world.

It is impossible to know what part of Akasha’s seriousness and inwardness is just her personality and what part is from her experiences. But, I have always felt so much and respect and admiration for her as you might for a veteran of war.

We're Home!

We missed our connection in LA last night so we stayed the night and flew into Denver this afternoon. We cannot wait to see everyone soon and thanks for all the support and comments to our blog. We loved sharing our journey with you all. Off to get two very tired little girls to bed! Julie

Eric and AK had fun taking pictures with all the statutes throughout Shamian Island.

Food from our favorite restaurant! We will miss this place. It is a hole in the wall place that the locals go to - you have to climb stairs five stories to get to it and it is very much a family run/family frequented place. The food was the best we have had yet.

Akasha and Inara in their sister shirts - Inara's says "Mei Mei" which means little sister and AK's says "Jie Jie" which means big sister.

Here is us with our guide, Ike, eating at our favorite place.

Women practicing Tai Chi with swords near our hotel.

Inara breezed through her medical exam, yesterday. She weight in at a whopping 25 pounds - her nickname of "dumpling" is well earned. She charmed the medical staff just like she charms everyone she meets. Her smile is infectious.

We are going to miss China but it is time to be home. And, we cannot wait to get there.

Coming Home Early!!! . . . .

We are very excited to be coming home on Saturday. Inara's visa was processed today and we were able to move up our flight (thanks to Eric!!!) We are ready to be home. Sorry for not posting more pictures but our camera cable is malfunctioning and we have been unable to off-load photos the last few day but we will post more when we get it resolved or after we are home. Ahhh, home . . .that word sounds so nice right now. See everyone SOOOOOONNNNN!!!!

Monday, April 4 - Beijing

I have heard it said that the Forbidden City is one of the most spectacular sites to be seen in this life. And, when people would tell me that the Great Wall was nice and all, but that the Forbidden City should not be missed, I was skeptical. Now, I completely understand.

We walked all the way to the Forbidden City (AK walking and Inara in a stroller). As we approached Tiananmen Square, tears welled up in my eyes. It was the events in that square that pulled me into the practice of law. I would have never guessed 20 years ago that I would be standing there with my two Chinese daughters and my best friend. And, there at the end of the square, the Forbidden City, larger than my camera could possible capture.

I immediately wondered what it would have been like two centuries ago to approach such a formidable complex built in the middle of the vast expanse of the plain. AK suggested that we build a time machine and travel back in time but in a way that would allow us to not be seen and able to walk through walls so that we could actually enter the Forbidden City. She is such a smart cookie.

Yesterday, we went on a small tour to see the Great Wall and the Ming Tombs. We had the most gracious tour guide who was so helpful with the girls. Climbing the wall from where we started was no easy feat. The steps were up to 2 foot high each. Eric stopped with Inara part way up and AK and I carried on for as long as AK's legs would carry her.

When we reached one of the higher towers, I looked at AK and unexpectedly burst into tears as I looked at my beautiful daughter with the wall rising up behind her. She put her arm on my shoulder, shook her head and said, "I knew this happen. Just take a drink of water, Mama." I had been so worried that our jaunt to Beijing would be a stressful excursion with the girls but it has turned out to have been an amazing side trip. We knew AK was a phenomenal traveler, but it has been a delight to discover that Inara is equally a great travel. Seeing this part of China has been amazing for us as a family.

My favorite part of our trip to the Ming Tombs was driving through the country side and seeing people working the earth, earth they have worked for generations, next to the Great Wall and these elaborate tombs. AK was intrigued seeing all the children working out in the fields (it is planting season). Driving in China is an art. A crazy, chaotic, frightening art. They are amazing drivers but every person and car passed is passed within millimeters and at full speed. Driving (or riding a bike in traffic) is not for the faint of heart.

Here is us changing Inara's diaper in the Forbidden City - I wonder how many times this wall has been used for such a purpose?

...spoiled, or at least I'm trying!

I have to say that I was a little tentative when we adopted AK (even though it took years...can't say I'm great with change), and it took no time at all for me to become completely enamored with her and so of course I am probably more excited about Inara because of AK!

Recently, something interesting has happened over the last few days and it's really wonderful! I've spent more time with AK and she's really growing up fast. I sometimes get jealous that Julie gets to spend all this intimate time with AK -and now, with Inara- so I'm so happy to have AK gravitate to me in the last few days as our family is adjusting and really enjoy her extrodinary intelligence and see how such an interesting girl is blossoming. Much of my adoration is drawn to the little things: noticing that there is no 4th floor on the elevator, strong determination to read everything, big smiles, her sayings that are perhaps beyond her maturity, but they are so situationally appropriate, and on, and on...

I love all pictures of AK, so it was hard to pair down, so here are some recent ones that I like, and yes, I know they are in a blog for Inara, so I hope you all appreciate also. We had a couple approach us the other night -grandparents of an adopted Chinese girl- who were just taken with not only thier daughter but both AK and Inara. This trip is about Inara, and she gets many smiles wherever we go, and we just get so many smiles also for AK that I wanted to add to Julie's incredible blog (I'm always intimidated to add to Julie's blogs because she is more eloquent than I am).

Cheers,

E

um, exec suite, plz?!

We ended up in Bejing after a fairly easy flight from Nanjing -we were a bit worried about how Inara would take it, but she giggled through take-off and landing and even napped a bit! At our new hotel in Bejing, the simple math was obvious, although I felt somehow I was being dupped when the Marriott offered a current, "deal" for an exec suite. So, price 1 with no breakfast or exec suite, free breakfast for less than 2.5 (charged for AK). Anyway, turns out that not only do we get free breakfast and hors d'oeurves, but free drinks...like, real, get-me-happy-at-sea-level drinks. Oh, and free internet in the exec suite to save on that $18/day charge, although regulated a bit by the Great Firewall of China so stil have to workaround for this blog, gmail, netflix, etc.. AK had her own king last night and although I was a bit sceptical that it was worth it, she somehow optimized her body sprawl and took up an unexpected amount of space for her size. Today, we saw the forbidden city. We walked there (about an hour) and after figuring out the stroller we grabbed a taxi on the way back and swam in an opympic length pool for a couple hours and tomorrow we see the Great Wall. Inara has been a trooper. She laughs all the time and is becoming more aware of AK, Julie and I and loves walking and hugging. She elicits many smiles and is very determined and quite resilient. Akasha is still adjusting to the family shift and very good at verbalising the feelings she has, although we are trying hard to spoil her a bit during this transition, she is doing amazingly well. Ok, so back to the exec suite...

Thursday, March 31 - Nanjing Free Day

We were very relieved to have a day in which to do nothing but spend time with girls. AK has begun feeling slighted by the attention given to Inara which we knew would happen. So, Eric and I took turns having one-on-one time with AK, today. I took AK on a boat ride through Nanjing and a rickshaw tour of the city. Here are some photos from our day! We are off to Beijing on Friday so we will not post until Saturday.

Wednesday, March 30 - LianYunGang Orphanage

Today, we traveled to Lian Yun Gang to see Inara's orphanage. I wasn't sure what to expect and was concerned for my girls. I knew the visit would add to Inara's confusion and that the effect on AK would be significant. Both of those concerns played out but the visit was also profoundly amazing. Inara was loved. I mean, really loved. The orphanage staff came out in groups to greet Inara and it was clear that she had a special place in their hearts. She was all smiles seeing everyone who had cared for her and the staff beamed as they passed her from person to person. We were treated to a lunch with the director. It was the most spectacular Chinese food we have eaten yet. The staff was kind and we could see how well the orphanage was run, how well cared for the children were, but, most importantly, how connected they were to the children.

Inara's orphanage is largely funded by Half the Sky and we learned that it was Half the Sky that funded her surgery in Beijing.

Here is Inara giving us a tour of the play room.

What was fun to watch was how Inara would grab AK's hand and take her to the toys or her crib.

Inara with her best friend who has also been matched with a family in the US. We hope to be able to locate them so we can keep the girls in touch.

It was a very emotional day being at the orphanage. Most of the children at the Lian Yun Gang orphanage are special needs children and some severely handicapped. But everywhere you looked there was art and crafts of the children hanging from the walls and ceilings, pictures of them with their nannies, and toys. The place was a flurry of activity and laughter.

Yes, she was most certainly loved. We feel so luck that she had so many people who cared deeply for her and took such good care of her. She is such a well-adjusted, developmentally normal kid and we now know why.

Hipster 6yr old

My hipster daughter kept us all laughing on the trip to and from the orphanage. It was worth the 8 hours in the car, and both girls did amazing!

March 29 - Nanjing

It's all about AK.

Eric and I are background noise in Inara's world, for now. She is obsessed with Akasha. As long as Akasha is holding her hand, she is content going any where. Akasha is who can sooth her, make her laugh, and transition her into new environments.

Today was rather relaxed. We met with the Chinese officials this morning who made our adoption official :) We wait in Nanjing until they issue Inara a passport and then we are off to Beijing.

Inara saw her Nanny again this morning which sent her into a little bit of a state. But, I am also realizing that we are not feeding her enough which may have also been the issue of her sullen state.

Inara is an eater. That is for sure. She ate a whole small pot of steamed egg custard with oyster sauce and a whole bowl of duck liver/duck blood soup. I think she might have eaten more than Eric at dinner tonight and afterwards, she could not have been a cheerier child. Yes, she needs food and apparently, lots of it. :)

Speaking of food, I don't think there is any part of the duck I haven't eaten, now. I had duck hearts with steamed beans the other night. This morning, for breakfast, I had braised duck feet. And, then duck liver/duck blood soup for dinner. Don't knock it until you try it - the duck feet were amazing.

Tomorrow morning we are off to Inara's orphanage -4 hours away. We will be gone all day so this will not post until Thursday.

Note: getting around, "the great Firewall of China" is pretty interesting, although relatively few workarounds and having tech support in-tow is pretty handy.

Gotcha Day, March 28 - Nanjing

It is 5 AM and I am here in bed watching my two babies sleep. They are beautiful. I love listening to them breath. I wonder what they are dreaming about; Akasha my serious child and Inara who in one day has already revealed that she is a comedian and an incessant giggler.

Inara mourned the separation from her nanny for about 4 hours. It was so sad to hear her wimper and look around hoping her nanny would appear. She cried for “mama” and it wasn’t me she was crying for.

And then, as we got ready for bed and snuggled with the girls, Inara began to smile. First, her smiles were for Akasha. But, soon, she infected herself with her own smiles and she could not contain the Huanxin, elated joy, that is her.

It was about 8 o’clock that the outright goofy antics began that I did not know a 15 month capable of. She began teasing Akasha and then teasing me and giggling when we played along. And, she did the most surprising thing of all, she snuggled into me and stayed that way until she fell asleep.

When she woke at midnight, I expected her to begin crying when she looked around and realized she was still in the strange environment in which she dozed off to. Instead, she began playing, laughing and snuggling some more. She crawled over to check on Eric – he smacked his leg and when he moved she gave a satisfied giggle. She nudged AK to see if AK would wake and play, to no avail. So, she simply propped her feet upon her sisters belly and leaned against me to play and snuggle. She finally ran out of steam at 1 o’clock and drifted back to sleep. I wonder what other wonderments today will bring . . .

Sleepless in Nanjing . . .

It is 12:30 AM Nanjing time (Monday) and 10:30 AM in the Rocky Mountains. I am wide awake and find myself reading, writing, and mentally rehearsing tomorrow.

It is interesting to observe how each of us has prepared for the arrival of Inara. AK fell asleep in the crib they had put in our room for Inara, after spending the afternoon going between playing in the crib and Inara's blow-up duck bath. It is almost like she is trying to understand how everything is going to be from Inara's perspective. Before bed she pulled out all of her stuff animals and warned them that they were about to be manhandled by a one year-old. The stuffed troops seemed to resign themselves to their fate at the orders of their general.

For me, it was preparing the diaper bag in an almost ceremonial way and trying on the Ergo carrier, knowing it was about to contain 20 pounds of baby. For Eric, it has been getting the electronics ready so that video and pictures are ready to be taken of the moment. Logistically, we are ready.

However, there is no fully preparing one's self for what becomes an alien abduction of a child. We have waited for Inara for so long and are already in love with this little girl whom we have not yet met. To her, we will be white-faced strangers taking her from those she knows. It is a trauma to a child that we will cause knowing that having a life-long family is more important.

So wish us luck. Tomorrow might be the beginning of days of crying as Inara protests against the alien abductors and mourns the loss of her nanny. We are hoping that AK's presence will provide Inara some reassurance, distraction and comfort. If that doesn't work, we brought cookies. :)

Sunday, March 27 - Nanjing

AK playing in Inara's blow up tub.

Eight hours sleep and bellies full of dim sum, we are feeling much better, today.

We started our day at the hotel's breakfast buffet which was divided into western and Chinese food. Most of Chinese patrons were enjoying the novel waffles and pancakes while we stuffed ourselves on fish, dim sum, steamed pork and miso soup. If you have to be a traveling Celiac (like Eric) China is the place to go.

We met with our travel rep at 10 and wondered inot the Confusian Temple shopping area. AK bought sugar glazed strawberries on a scewer and we wondered aimlessly through the small shops.

Nanjing is such a different experience from our previous travels to China. We do not see any other westerns as we walk around and folks have been a wee bit concerned seeing us with AK - when they learned that she is our adopted daughter (instead of a child we are obsconding with) they are very kind and friendly.

We have been lounging in our room this afternoon as we are still recovering from our travels and we are trying to prepare for Inara tomorrow. AK worked hard on Inara's memory journal, drawing pictures of Inara and koi fish she saw in the lobby. It was fun working with AK on packing Inara's diaper bag for tomorrow - I remember fondly packing up hers for the first time.

Enjoy the pictures and we look forward to being able to post the first pictures of Inara tomorrow. We get her shortly after 2:00 PM China time, tomorrow - just after midnight Rocky Mountain time, I believe. We cannot believe "Gotcha Day" is finally upon us!

(Forgive the formatting of this blog post. We are experiencing incredible lag in our connection today and every action, even typing was arduous. Hopefully, it will be better tomorrow!)

We Have Arrived!

After 34 hours of traveling, we have arrived in Nanjing, China! We made all of our connections and even had time to gorge ourselves on sushi and kimchi in Korea. What seemed most miraculous to us was, despite all of our connecting flights (one which involved us doing an OJ Simpson run through the Guangzhou airport and reaching the gate just as it was closing), our luggage made it!

I am constantly amazed at how well AK travels. It is 4 AM Fort Collins time and she is still going strong and seems able to survive on little cat naps here and there.

Eric was able to VPN us into a computer state-side so that we will have access to our blog and Facebook while we travel. Yeah, Eric!!