tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-47147749884287163792024-03-13T00:15:49.345-05:00Our Adoption JourneyBrian and Suehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08301255949903753123noreply@blogger.comBlogger34125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4714774988428716379.post-75753749119414066082008-07-30T22:04:00.012-05:002008-07-31T00:21:31.082-05:00Remembering One Year Ago<span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">It is July 30th, and one year ago today our lives changed forever. On this day, we met our son and became his Mommy and Daddy. It is a date that will always be in our memories as the day we brought Michael into our family and into our hearts.</span><br /><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">We have not posted in so long to the blog (for which I am so sorry, especially to our family and friends who live so far away from us). Time just seems to pass by so quickly, and that is so evident today as we celebrate the one year anniversary of "Gotcha Day".</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">So let me give you a quick recap of our last 7 months since we last posted. Our winter was long and cold, but that is normal for Chicago. Michael enjoyed getting out in the snow, although it took him a few visits outside to start liking it. Unfortunately, a good part of our winter was spent dealing with colds and ear infections. It seemed as though Michael had a cold every other week, but I guess that is what comes along with being in daycare three days a week. Colds, sniffles and the flu. We figure that by the time Michael goes to kindergarten, his immune system will be good and strong! Needless to say, we are very well known at the doctor's office. Luckily, Michael loves his doctor. She is wonderful. He is not so in love with the nurses, though, as they are the ones that always do the shots! Ouch!!</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Along with his colds, we had a scare in early March, and then again in early June, as Michael suffered two febrile seizures. This type of seizure is caused by a very high fever. In Michael's case, the March occurrance happened as a result of fever caused by the flu (he went up to 104), and in June, it was an ear infection (which pushed him up to 103). Many tests have been done on him since then, and we have ruled out any other causes. So we now know what to do, and watch him closely at the first sign of fever. Other blood tests and lab work that we had done all came back negative, so he is otherwise in very good health. Now if we can just keep those cold and flu germs away......</span><br /><br /><div align="left"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">And on March 31, Michael turned 2 years old. We had a very big party for him, and I am not sure he understood what all of the commotion was about. But he really enjoyed it, got lots of wonderful presents, and really enjoyed his cake! I'm not sure if any got into his mouth!</span></div><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">We sailed into Spring, and in late April Michael was baptized. That was a very special day for all of us. The priest who did the baptism knows our family well, and we were honored that he did this for us. Michael looked so grown up, and actually enjoyed getting the holy water poured on his head. The priest even gave him a little extra! Extra blessings can't hurt!</span><br /><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">In May we celebrated our tenth wedding anniversary, and went to an indoor water park for a couple of days with friends. Michael was a fish in the water, loving every minute of it.</span><br /><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">We have enjoyed alot of "first holidays" with Michael, including Easter and Fourth of July. And the most special for us being Mother's Day and Father's Day. It had been a long time for us waiting to be able to celebrate those days in our home. Michael made us wonderful hand-made gifts at daycare, which I am sure we will hold on to until he is old enough to drive!</span><br /><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">The summer is upon us and Michael loves being outside whenever he can, loves playing in the water, and loves his new sandbox in the backyard. We look forward to our first family vacation in a couple of weeks when we head to the beach. We think Michael is going to love the sand and ocean just as much as we do.</span><br /><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">And so today we reflect and look back over the past year and are amazed at how much Michael has grown and how well he has adjusted to his life. He loves going to daycare, has lots of friends there, and his vocabularly is getting bigger and bigger everyday. We have been through so much already with him and it honestly seems like we have had him his whole life. There have been great challenges thrown our way, and we have learned very quickly how hard being a parent really is. But greater than those challenges has been the joy and love that Michael has brought to our lives and to the lives of our entire family. We are so blessed and cannot imagine life without him.</span><br /><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Thank you all for patiently waiting for an update, and we hope we have given you a good recap. Oh, but one more thing....pictures! Here are pics that capture Michael over these past months.</span><br /><div align="center"><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6Auioj6tbD7I3BXqO5O70rSDn0TdhIDJ4L2bHlfyEobWqcFXrDKx2w6YG9hvFLp6vLpc5_Zkm7wcREeIBWVK2uJHHGOTBpcnKhzjZnPbYsK3UQ6lVJ1mdxXwifBYhaeOo2a_Ubwej_ek/s1600-h/IMG_1386.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5229030112302685458" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6Auioj6tbD7I3BXqO5O70rSDn0TdhIDJ4L2bHlfyEobWqcFXrDKx2w6YG9hvFLp6vLpc5_Zkm7wcREeIBWVK2uJHHGOTBpcnKhzjZnPbYsK3UQ6lVJ1mdxXwifBYhaeOo2a_Ubwej_ek/s320/IMG_1386.JPG" border="0" /></a></div><div align="center"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Happy Chinese New Year<br /></span></div><div align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJmz9uY63n92nYgwCm4hBmXS96C2GZqQA3zbDPgOnszJQU2RzqOK9bwD3cZHWeHIy8Jojv23vEcLgBozcOdrK9UOiGWm6E5qhBx27emoB_RxrxFHKlnWUGtcCH0OtqLOQbFPcHbqe5NyE/s1600-h/IMG_1485.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5229030909952954338" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJmz9uY63n92nYgwCm4hBmXS96C2GZqQA3zbDPgOnszJQU2RzqOK9bwD3cZHWeHIy8Jojv23vEcLgBozcOdrK9UOiGWm6E5qhBx27emoB_RxrxFHKlnWUGtcCH0OtqLOQbFPcHbqe5NyE/s320/IMG_1485.JPG" border="0" /></a></div><div align="center"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Awesome! I'm 2!<br /></span><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3zkTN6UlTYPG3698Gqxa0NNYkXfpTtUgx6l09bkNk-5fKS7YpSu8eLNiJIS-2dCKsjXs7SrfA_KFvuulDZ_W9gAoeG3Yb56oRFF5UVkkG6jjQUG3rNwZUrWvvzlOzaQ1DebSJ-x5SJBQ/s1600-h/IMG_1437.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5229030097578359458" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3zkTN6UlTYPG3698Gqxa0NNYkXfpTtUgx6l09bkNk-5fKS7YpSu8eLNiJIS-2dCKsjXs7SrfA_KFvuulDZ_W9gAoeG3Yb56oRFF5UVkkG6jjQUG3rNwZUrWvvzlOzaQ1DebSJ-x5SJBQ/s320/IMG_1437.JPG" border="0" /></a></div></span><span style="font-family:georgia;"><div align="center"></span></div><div align="center"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">YUMMY!</span> </div><p align="center"><span style="font-family:georgia;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgetW8prxgjwW50fHWrLls9HY1K7pwehUOzetjxOXvsRajallcugG2bSPAySh1VEUS2cpQwiCfM7yZ6Jou3XWRUCfPFhOYkXrFKN-mtkVUhKcr4-hF8WOsFz4bvVVNo70mBsX7jbJYWgnQ/s1600-h/IMG_1520.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5229030104358746914" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgetW8prxgjwW50fHWrLls9HY1K7pwehUOzetjxOXvsRajallcugG2bSPAySh1VEUS2cpQwiCfM7yZ6Jou3XWRUCfPFhOYkXrFKN-mtkVUhKcr4-hF8WOsFz4bvVVNo70mBsX7jbJYWgnQ/s320/IMG_1520.JPG" border="0" /></a></span></p><p align="center"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">My first official haircut</span></p><p align="center"><span style="font-family:georgia;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguQiooByUvn_iDOmxe4s387NNKy80_IjZgug_HWbfQ1fHgIDylMOBGD7euMQfD3sPl9VFLyExCRrjCW5rxdBwx8_xIAPM0V48dcvtXRsO9bul6DOXfB02thCzdew5F7cH7xxjtrZKEFn8/s1600-h/IMG_1542.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5229030913184466546" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguQiooByUvn_iDOmxe4s387NNKy80_IjZgug_HWbfQ1fHgIDylMOBGD7euMQfD3sPl9VFLyExCRrjCW5rxdBwx8_xIAPM0V48dcvtXRsO9bul6DOXfB02thCzdew5F7cH7xxjtrZKEFn8/s320/IMG_1542.JPG" border="0" /></a></span></p><p align="center"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Baptism Day</span></p><p align="center"><span style="font-family:georgia;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAwVH5ogtcDsWOVZa7ZkN_Aw7rjMTNwFUP3iAhkg1nzRCcqbe8A6f0BoJpQ5QbxjMkua36FBTRY0OzwKo06bGXchFY2HszhomxcdBzD8uanLeoH19cwzsJdAYSRSs9jvJrc_K40KabM6E/s1600-h/IMG_1572.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5229030916831831634" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAwVH5ogtcDsWOVZa7ZkN_Aw7rjMTNwFUP3iAhkg1nzRCcqbe8A6f0BoJpQ5QbxjMkua36FBTRY0OzwKo06bGXchFY2HszhomxcdBzD8uanLeoH19cwzsJdAYSRSs9jvJrc_K40KabM6E/s320/IMG_1572.JPG" border="0" /></a></p></span><span style="font-family:georgia;"><div align="center"></span></div><p align="center"><span style="font-family:georgia;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCynBuopF7xic8D3JwJlEqiuyUPMTCTonVprSw5PsCC5NRsxDd8r_gbOjQanY7eC3gRvgylSP_ajKhRZugGN6WEIuRQpjYy9IBl91LunQPXK-Cb8SE4VoElkvRa2K1GKmODgtjBmRgMF0/s1600-h/IMG_1513.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5229030911811032146" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCynBuopF7xic8D3JwJlEqiuyUPMTCTonVprSw5PsCC5NRsxDd8r_gbOjQanY7eC3gRvgylSP_ajKhRZugGN6WEIuRQpjYy9IBl91LunQPXK-Cb8SE4VoElkvRa2K1GKmODgtjBmRgMF0/s320/IMG_1513.JPG" border="0" /></a></p></span><br /></span><p align="center"><span style="font-family:georgia;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPZW49IWmMI9tDnhbchODI5Ll8XfzHFcaYN3sz7LnlVlEnJz7cHwmTXUVv1cELnlT7cIs1HoxpfIHORxRVGXYOAOCWIfD0b2GX7pMSAf5GitY52_TYkMnn0vx9xnTrNItchfs8mqW4z9s/s1600-h/IMG_1641.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5229030919384044770" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPZW49IWmMI9tDnhbchODI5Ll8XfzHFcaYN3sz7LnlVlEnJz7cHwmTXUVv1cELnlT7cIs1HoxpfIHORxRVGXYOAOCWIfD0b2GX7pMSAf5GitY52_TYkMnn0vx9xnTrNItchfs8mqW4z9s/s320/IMG_1641.JPG" border="0" /></a></p></span><span style="font-family:georgia;"><div align="center"></span></div><div align="center"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">I love my Daddy!</span> </div><p align="center"><span style="font-family:georgia;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPetFJair5iZayDrOadxPpMpjJOkabOCy72yUc-0ZvWjy0RuQlTEhHj1hnDi2FomcjotYM3V5XhmubtGNS-Y9NzUliK2Kmdgo6HAr34sxJ7iG29hTTm9o02Vi8xPaxLn3rWj2k8hKWrOc/s1600-h/IMG_1652.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5229031229889772386" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPetFJair5iZayDrOadxPpMpjJOkabOCy72yUc-0ZvWjy0RuQlTEhHj1hnDi2FomcjotYM3V5XhmubtGNS-Y9NzUliK2Kmdgo6HAr34sxJ7iG29hTTm9o02Vi8xPaxLn3rWj2k8hKWrOc/s320/IMG_1652.JPG" border="0" /></a></p></span><br /></span><p align="center"><span style="font-family:georgia;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiINZCgwn04-x2cMFf58rfK7tdGjb174vRi78idQ2lQyvGs619y8dq21sF_BAd3mmwUVM7tSlYFYtTIjOwpp0CLrRvAtzUZ0hPA1ePVXtvT4IQuwdFwq0iH_xXO5-h6aKaegVO6Fv_BjxI/s1600-h/IMG_1674.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5229030108047198194" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiINZCgwn04-x2cMFf58rfK7tdGjb174vRi78idQ2lQyvGs619y8dq21sF_BAd3mmwUVM7tSlYFYtTIjOwpp0CLrRvAtzUZ0hPA1ePVXtvT4IQuwdFwq0iH_xXO5-h6aKaegVO6Fv_BjxI/s320/IMG_1674.JPG" border="0" /></a></p></span><span style="font-family:georgia;"><div align="center"></span></div><p align="center"><span style="font-family:georgia;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBC2v2QyHxQabcghxFDVLZNPKnvH5ThJ0kkutc9JibfRTJgsXf4WLgOeOkITL0SOMqzJ_Cvb_73ug2A8eb0nSt8NSBU60Ac037YzkD0rnmfY8gAwebSIxtTHLPZuPhYvNLWY859abJiyw/s1600-h/Zapien_-_34.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5229031231946780754" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBC2v2QyHxQabcghxFDVLZNPKnvH5ThJ0kkutc9JibfRTJgsXf4WLgOeOkITL0SOMqzJ_Cvb_73ug2A8eb0nSt8NSBU60Ac037YzkD0rnmfY8gAwebSIxtTHLPZuPhYvNLWY859abJiyw/s320/Zapien_-_34.jpg" border="0" /></a></span></p>Brian and Suehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08301255949903753123noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4714774988428716379.post-19205420900487711332007-12-23T13:57:00.000-06:002007-12-23T15:05:45.218-06:00Merry Christmas and Good-Bye to 2007!<span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">And what a wonderful 2007 it has been!</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">First, we want to apologize for not keeping up our blog with updates and pictures over these last few months. We know how much everyone has enjoyed following our journey to China and back, and especially to our family and friends who live so far away and don't get the chance to see Michael. During this past few months, we have spent our time living our dream with Michael in our lives. It has been an amazing time, and although there have been some challenging days, overall, we could not be happier than we are today.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">I won't bore you with all the details of the last four months. But Michael has grown taller and has gained almost 5 pounds since coming home. He is very healthy, except for a few colds, which we can thank daycare for. Oh yes, he started daycare in October and loves being there. He only goes three days per week, and he already has a girlfriend! (Brian says "that's my boy!"). He has been to the doctor only a few times, mainly to update his shots (which were just as painful for Mommy to watch as it was for Michael to get!). We traveled out to Pennsylvania in early October to see family and friends which was a wonderful trip, thanks to the heartfelt reception we got when we arrived. He was a great looking Dracula for Halloween, enjoyed his first Thanksgiving, got his first haircut, and has now met Santa and has seen snow for the first time.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">He is adding daily to his vocabulary, and can now say "hot", "wow", "how are you", "thank you", and the best of all...."I love you".</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">And with Christmas only a couple days away, we realize that we have THE best gift in the entire world. Nothing that could be wrapped in a box or delivered by Santa could be better than the gift we were given. Not a day has gone by since Michael joined our family on July 30th that we have not said "wow, are we so lucky to have him". And, we cannot believe how perfect he is for our family. A perfect match! Just his sense of humor alone and wonderful, funny facial expressions has kept us laughing each and every day.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">And as we approach the end of 2007, we cannot believe how much our lives have changed. Not only for us, but for our entire family. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">So to all of you from our family, Merry Christmas and Happy, Happy New Year! We hope all of YOUR wishes come true! And thanks for being patient......here are some new photos. </span><br /><br /><br /><p align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbvHbTm3mAmkfMyGvQl4Om3gfsEX6w9pSlInBcSg9_pU8Wo4VuUuCe3omVUxrAsGKdW4cwSACAbOYmpZSeUiH9dVlNbH6Htuk2s4BiASdauIykn5-jJX_awCDPwokdkeT4CsVdTeS_y-s/s1600-h/IMG_1045a.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5147270626393930290" style="CURSOR: hand" height="307" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbvHbTm3mAmkfMyGvQl4Om3gfsEX6w9pSlInBcSg9_pU8Wo4VuUuCe3omVUxrAsGKdW4cwSACAbOYmpZSeUiH9dVlNbH6Htuk2s4BiASdauIykn5-jJX_awCDPwokdkeT4CsVdTeS_y-s/s320/IMG_1045a.JPG" width="216" border="0" /></a></p><div align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTdFBez5pqZhJG0yHT_gE4y417jLsyBe0ctLGBiqbtTjoDXe5fbJVQfKGO3fbWkGaNYvdBCuzW7nA07C36ge51dubnTvOvgtTueoirYt3Jmmj-_uC-pNW3k3MZJEQWtjexfv8ein4lZic/s1600-h/IMG_1061a.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5147276656528014082" style="CURSOR: hand" height="198" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTdFBez5pqZhJG0yHT_gE4y417jLsyBe0ctLGBiqbtTjoDXe5fbJVQfKGO3fbWkGaNYvdBCuzW7nA07C36ge51dubnTvOvgtTueoirYt3Jmmj-_uC-pNW3k3MZJEQWtjexfv8ein4lZic/s320/IMG_1061a.JPG" width="268" border="0" /></a></div><div align="center">Mommy, can I have them all? </div><div align="center"><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgydwS_6HVsbm9wWWQokFVmL8WBhPeq8gYMEWGIx3FxjyF2tBAyZw9McNiNCE-EsUTw4G70LEoWE78QGOruyDawYusyxMEPCOObLc8AVDgBdG-g9DvdGArrgcDeWqb2WH9dirkcuw5EOkY/s1600-h/IMG_1097a.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5147270630688897618" style="CURSOR: hand" height="229" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgydwS_6HVsbm9wWWQokFVmL8WBhPeq8gYMEWGIx3FxjyF2tBAyZw9McNiNCE-EsUTw4G70LEoWE78QGOruyDawYusyxMEPCOObLc8AVDgBdG-g9DvdGArrgcDeWqb2WH9dirkcuw5EOkY/s320/IMG_1097a.JPG" width="294" border="0" /></a><br />Me and my Mommy.....</div><br /><div align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_Hxv6D4zD44CHTTdd8GHTSfXwpaJltPbpQGCLPJ-9MPXXn_uAI0_t6p_FS8svCElSRonlFsrhGZo_FzImDPjU8eizgUGu0yGOFL6diF8_kf4xhBqyUggepi0pKaOkFs37vPWLD6ntf8M/s1600-h/IMG_1120a.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5147270630688897634" style="CURSOR: hand" height="224" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_Hxv6D4zD44CHTTdd8GHTSfXwpaJltPbpQGCLPJ-9MPXXn_uAI0_t6p_FS8svCElSRonlFsrhGZo_FzImDPjU8eizgUGu0yGOFL6diF8_kf4xhBqyUggepi0pKaOkFs37vPWLD6ntf8M/s320/IMG_1120a.JPG" width="289" border="0" /></a></div><div align="center">And, me and Daddy</div><div align="center"> </div><div align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwSGoD-gcrGcbtQYV8_9qV1YjDIeDDJrUQBXDKYJQycftMoyXlCM3okoL1LEPXoiS1flxJp0y_63YS7NJmv1wmGidQDZbXqI1_W06OKltKwU0MDoEeQWORGcwfaL1TzqxmKAVbrxJ6z1A/s1600-h/IMG_1144a.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5147271691545819778" style="CURSOR: hand" height="218" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwSGoD-gcrGcbtQYV8_9qV1YjDIeDDJrUQBXDKYJQycftMoyXlCM3okoL1LEPXoiS1flxJp0y_63YS7NJmv1wmGidQDZbXqI1_W06OKltKwU0MDoEeQWORGcwfaL1TzqxmKAVbrxJ6z1A/s320/IMG_1144a.JPG" width="269" border="0" /></a></div><div align="center">BOO!</div><br /><br /><div align="center"><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgazr3fsfhmzeq6IvCO0m9W-KJDdUjSxMCUAWiAmvxfL4te_-y_vEfqHTNPRy9Njcgrtu4Owm8NOGlYIwX2mVoJbflWB-eor1Q3STK-4brSMq4jSph-cgSFuVk36P3qpwfKoFGGSEd09Rc/s1600-h/IMG_1159a.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5147271691545819794" style="CURSOR: hand" height="227" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgazr3fsfhmzeq6IvCO0m9W-KJDdUjSxMCUAWiAmvxfL4te_-y_vEfqHTNPRy9Njcgrtu4Owm8NOGlYIwX2mVoJbflWB-eor1Q3STK-4brSMq4jSph-cgSFuVk36P3qpwfKoFGGSEd09Rc/s320/IMG_1159a.JPG" width="295" border="0" /></a><br />I'm so glad I don't know how to rake leaves yet!</div><div align="center"><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyw6AlqnqMIxp2hQ2xA4xaz0Z2ROX_1GDEq6AhCH7mxbGxSgAXSOZilbXXMiibX2pSGvp4yhy9Hc550JdLpjDTltehytZXOivrUpW7owuqxMOi43CVo7Ibvvyq4cAdKikgzdRINnO9CWU/s1600-h/IMG_1134a.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5147270634983864946" style="CURSOR: hand" height="208" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyw6AlqnqMIxp2hQ2xA4xaz0Z2ROX_1GDEq6AhCH7mxbGxSgAXSOZilbXXMiibX2pSGvp4yhy9Hc550JdLpjDTltehytZXOivrUpW7owuqxMOi43CVo7Ibvvyq4cAdKikgzdRINnO9CWU/s320/IMG_1134a.JPG" width="279" border="0" /></a><br />E-A-G-L-E-S, EAGLES!</div><div align="center"><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiysgLv65zE514SYzyePl86nDab2TkUobOW3w6Y3kzJM7j0wXkXfRkvFVjIR9vKZpv0boBAEvzK8GX0-ThJUlrUWi7kvTfNG6AVn-E6ncU7TTsvZZpY6KBJcIql2-HwvMc7CuNqQaPNY4Q/s1600-h/IMG_1207a.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5147271691545819810" style="CURSOR: hand" height="232" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiysgLv65zE514SYzyePl86nDab2TkUobOW3w6Y3kzJM7j0wXkXfRkvFVjIR9vKZpv0boBAEvzK8GX0-ThJUlrUWi7kvTfNG6AVn-E6ncU7TTsvZZpY6KBJcIql2-HwvMc7CuNqQaPNY4Q/s320/IMG_1207a.JPG" width="292" border="0" /></a></div><div align="center">I have been a good boy!<br /><br /><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6mIb912UpqxDKFZ-zNiX1iRqTg_BHlJnpbesRxzyVxtMOJKHCFLs5cpKjh4BZhoemg6EF3mBg5Ksz-dApgk0wlT-aopZprOsSLbeK2XpD2qf23sJ88TeLAQDDOPxzT3D4g36oeWctb5U/s1600-h/IMG_1210a.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5147271695840787122" style="CURSOR: hand" height="223" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6mIb912UpqxDKFZ-zNiX1iRqTg_BHlJnpbesRxzyVxtMOJKHCFLs5cpKjh4BZhoemg6EF3mBg5Ksz-dApgk0wlT-aopZprOsSLbeK2XpD2qf23sJ88TeLAQDDOPxzT3D4g36oeWctb5U/s320/IMG_1210a.JPG" width="287" border="0" /></a></span></div><div align="center">My first haircut<br /></div><br /><div align="center"><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgORoFUPDzpHRaoxqk9YPkSoYVYa08qGtPVhHf-1dnVwpFY-9SV96ANJHJ4GTFvEMDm3bWB6RHPwJarvbPemCRjk_ABeqL_BULqy4ga9Soj4b5M4bK8L6OAY612Epk518YjZaiH7Idmh4o/s1600-h/IMG_12554a.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5147275148994493170" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgORoFUPDzpHRaoxqk9YPkSoYVYa08qGtPVhHf-1dnVwpFY-9SV96ANJHJ4GTFvEMDm3bWB6RHPwJarvbPemCRjk_ABeqL_BULqy4ga9Soj4b5M4bK8L6OAY612Epk518YjZaiH7Idmh4o/s320/IMG_12554a.JPG" border="0" /></a></span></div><br /><div align="center"><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwrKX_3JgYXCvois_m6uPYkAs0pqGtZgpbeHYV6ceTf_x1E831HeLZR168Wbjuii_-MlpkMDqOQq47_KZn-acPpTxlXQeAgenn79E8Awluyb8CJKokRCks-QwIuPJuzLpBT8UQZ6LO7dc/s1600-h/IMG_1249a.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5147272142517385938" style="WIDTH: 257px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 177px" height="197" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwrKX_3JgYXCvois_m6uPYkAs0pqGtZgpbeHYV6ceTf_x1E831HeLZR168Wbjuii_-MlpkMDqOQq47_KZn-acPpTxlXQeAgenn79E8Awluyb8CJKokRCks-QwIuPJuzLpBT8UQZ6LO7dc/s320/IMG_1249a.JPG" width="271" border="0" /></a></span></div><br /><div align="center"><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiciu4k64DGINzjYxj4wjp6cWOk0M1xlGAeHR0w49GLbv8__gTpEuE2ulG0S23DM3bHLjgCcgiYuQYvKCdTz06-L_lFOGw0cQQigX8qXk6CuRiIFHAhhh9EF8QV7U3DM29MZEV2Q37eeoU/s1600-h/IMG_1241a.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5147271695840787138" style="CURSOR: hand" height="228" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiciu4k64DGINzjYxj4wjp6cWOk0M1xlGAeHR0w49GLbv8__gTpEuE2ulG0S23DM3bHLjgCcgiYuQYvKCdTz06-L_lFOGw0cQQigX8qXk6CuRiIFHAhhh9EF8QV7U3DM29MZEV2Q37eeoU/s320/IMG_1241a.JPG" width="285" border="0" /></a></span></div><div align="center"><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;">Santa's coming!</span></div>Brian and Suehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08301255949903753123noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4714774988428716379.post-86911547899560642942007-09-07T11:22:00.000-05:002007-09-07T12:10:24.294-05:00A Month at Home<div><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">So hard to believe that we have already been home with Michael for one month as of this weekend. In fact, we have had Michael in our lives now for over a month since Gotcha Day on July 30th! The time has gone by so quickly.</span></div><div> </div><div><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Michael is doing so well. We had our first post-placement visit this week with our social worker, who came here to our house to visit and see Michael. We received a great compliment from her, as she commented that it seems like Michael has been with us so much longer than just a month, as he seems so well adjusted and happy. He really is a happy child (except for those waking hours at 2:00am. He's not very happy then, but we have new molars breaking through to thank for that!!). Michael's personality is so wonderful, and he loves attention. He is so very social too, not being afraid to meet anyone.</span></div><div> </div><div><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">In the past few days, he has been "talking" alot. We sure wish we knew what he was saying! We continue to talk with him and have a feeling that one day he will all of a sudden start saying more words. He does know Ma Ma, Da Da, and bye-bye. He also has learned how to blow kisses. It is so cute. And just last week, we were in the car listening to music and I was snapping my fingers to the music. The other day when I was changing Michael's diaper, he started to try and snap his fingers. It was so funny. He loves to imitate!</span></div><div> </div><div><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">And last week, he turned 17-months old!!!</span></div><div> </div><div><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">We had a busy Labor Day weekend, visiting with family and friends. And we are making plans to take our first trip out to Philadelphia to see our family and friends there and introduce Michael to all of them.</span></div><div> </div><div><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">We have caught some great new pictures of Michael....enjoy!!!</span></div><div> </div><div><br /></div><p align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbBuHAxkRsNM1TbGUsGGsMpuEFe17d__D7C5GF0NEoNGZajU0ZDO_vUpCccsnnq18u13EzCJNpQ5hH3ON-vqkR0qX7ZfqQMmZLQTrpNuTng_Jqco-zbKy-mB5Q5pLVC4b7YFuN0ue_cG4/s1600-h/IMG_0924.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5107507556840132114" style="WIDTH: 300px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 227px" height="227" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbBuHAxkRsNM1TbGUsGGsMpuEFe17d__D7C5GF0NEoNGZajU0ZDO_vUpCccsnnq18u13EzCJNpQ5hH3ON-vqkR0qX7ZfqQMmZLQTrpNuTng_Jqco-zbKy-mB5Q5pLVC4b7YFuN0ue_cG4/s320/IMG_0924.JPG" width="278" border="0" /></a></p><div align="center">Checking out this week's news.......</div><p align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUSJVIii4WDKtoKAL8Unru1z_vXcs-1S6CmrVQ1VmY-qgtbtBMMLUKdlpqVJP9lKmZMQCya1N0yz949gSXO1qID5KW-7po7r7uPGoqCNPLmhCxHOZqkxJLZhzCkEIRYxrWi9K55QIGQEU/s1600-h/IMG_0925.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5107507569725034018" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUSJVIii4WDKtoKAL8Unru1z_vXcs-1S6CmrVQ1VmY-qgtbtBMMLUKdlpqVJP9lKmZMQCya1N0yz949gSXO1qID5KW-7po7r7uPGoqCNPLmhCxHOZqkxJLZhzCkEIRYxrWi9K55QIGQEU/s320/IMG_0925.JPG" border="0" /></a></p><div align="center">Say cheese!<br /></div><p></p><p align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiR2VBwJ5h-zLNObnk-0a8shpJavnnY3zBwkya9lEGCsS99OexP0-rDsb9ypEgN4dIySKe51niJPBa8dOWIywCt63LCNi5TiQk-fyuuCsrRvmPp_Ry06c1i7aigN26Zzi69DRP3OhGUEBc/s1600-h/IMG_0926.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5107507578314968626" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiR2VBwJ5h-zLNObnk-0a8shpJavnnY3zBwkya9lEGCsS99OexP0-rDsb9ypEgN4dIySKe51niJPBa8dOWIywCt63LCNi5TiQk-fyuuCsrRvmPp_Ry06c1i7aigN26Zzi69DRP3OhGUEBc/s320/IMG_0926.JPG" border="0" /></a></p><div align="center">And sneaking in a cup of coffee with my Sunday paper.....</div><div align="center"><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtXuDguPZVwZA9o9Gi6t90SKxHtQyEYD2iSRAbkutJC-LFFQ1ZOapdtUR_0QH44WDhwp-V6XZQRg2_N8293J3AK6nZ5cNb5E6JydKUJU1XFhcDbbDl6MgRMJmELKtNK5y-eIBY4rKiVSc/s1600-h/IMG_0952.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5107508020696600162" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtXuDguPZVwZA9o9Gi6t90SKxHtQyEYD2iSRAbkutJC-LFFQ1ZOapdtUR_0QH44WDhwp-V6XZQRg2_N8293J3AK6nZ5cNb5E6JydKUJU1XFhcDbbDl6MgRMJmELKtNK5y-eIBY4rKiVSc/s320/IMG_0952.JPG" border="0" /></a></div><div align="center">This is fun!</div><div align="center"><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbTft85hvT-9RN4B8DlzcZY1x0nWJ9gg2Cn5KUCj3_MkDPanf5MPz1VcsqT-M-77muLaY36TMykH01evVX0Q2c-SAm2awCK1b-LClaIw46DV5yWnDKZaL11498l9D1LRF75fi-XcZlw_4/s1600-h/IMG_0956.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5107508020696600178" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbTft85hvT-9RN4B8DlzcZY1x0nWJ9gg2Cn5KUCj3_MkDPanf5MPz1VcsqT-M-77muLaY36TMykH01evVX0Q2c-SAm2awCK1b-LClaIw46DV5yWnDKZaL11498l9D1LRF75fi-XcZlw_4/s320/IMG_0956.JPG" border="0" /></a></div><div align="center"> </div><div align="center">Check it out!<em> </em>I have my own chair!</div><div align="center"> </div><div align="center"> </div><div align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCRjejry1koAqRE_1dYG4Y-Yl5-gP5RlTO3DwA8w_TK5Qtdu3IlEY_RSftPAIehXdaHAdG-XpuBQlBicJvvuNgvIuKPLJN8xI698ba7K-SE-uaEmD1e9pZyak4Fzw_axDQws8XO-_aass/s1600-h/IMG_0945.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5107507582609935954" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCRjejry1koAqRE_1dYG4Y-Yl5-gP5RlTO3DwA8w_TK5Qtdu3IlEY_RSftPAIehXdaHAdG-XpuBQlBicJvvuNgvIuKPLJN8xI698ba7K-SE-uaEmD1e9pZyak4Fzw_axDQws8XO-_aass/s320/IMG_0945.JPG" border="0" /></a><br />Like my hat?!?</div><p align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqbdMqdQW6L9cGijn1H6xbZIBvCqibX5Z8Ry3xbg5j0vFmZeb4YyaoBTM4XtnaHiwt6tFy7_QpapNbfH71WL2NZaj5o5UYLZV9ODTZpwiOdzagYnAT_cbdLp_ZbE-qMN_pP5dDoRWFgpg/s1600-h/IMG_0938.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5107507582609935938" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqbdMqdQW6L9cGijn1H6xbZIBvCqibX5Z8Ry3xbg5j0vFmZeb4YyaoBTM4XtnaHiwt6tFy7_QpapNbfH71WL2NZaj5o5UYLZV9ODTZpwiOdzagYnAT_cbdLp_ZbE-qMN_pP5dDoRWFgpg/s320/IMG_0938.JPG" border="0" /></a></p><p align="center">Me and my Daddy!</p>Brian and Suehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08301255949903753123noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4714774988428716379.post-68199038479887894942007-08-23T11:47:00.000-05:002007-08-23T12:24:59.770-05:00Two Weeks Have Flown By!<div><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">It is truly hard to believe that we have already been home from China with Michael for 2 weeks! It is 2 weeks today that we traveled home to begin our new life as a family.</span></div><div><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"></span> </div><div><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">First, I am sorry to have taken so long to get back on here and post a message. Since we have arrived home, we have been so busy with just trying to get Michael settled and SLEEPING! Needless to say, our first week home was quite a challenge. Michael had quite a difficult time with adjusting to the time difference. Our day was his night, and his night was our day. So for the first week, Michael would not sleep much at night, only sleeping 2 hours or so at a time. He would then consistently wake up around 2:00am, ready to play! This happened almost the entire first week home. We were all so very tired. Then finally, this past weekend, after 9 long nights, we finally reached a routine! YEAHHHH!!! Over this past weekend, Michael began to sleep through most of the night, only waking every once in a while. He will cry for only a bit, but then will put himself back to sleep. We are all in much better moods! It was such a challenge for us all, and we certainly had no idea how hard that part of the transition was going to be. But even with thunderstorms coming through last night, Michael has slept the whole time. </span></div><div><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;"></span> </div><div><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">We are all adjusting well. Michael is a very happy child, aside from a few meltdowns (which I am sure are just a part of being a 16-month old). Brian has started back at work, and Michael and I are spending our days together. He has been to the park, and swimming with our friends next door. We even had the chance to visit my work and introduce him to everyone there. The house is also almost back to normal too, with most things put away from our trip, and suitcases finally back in storage.</span></div><div><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;"></span> </div><div><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;">Michael also had his first doctor's visit last week, and we are happy to say that he is healthy from head to toe. He needs to gain a little weight, as he is only 20.6 pounds, and the doctor would like him to be at around 24 pounds. But the way he eats, it will be no time at all that he will catch up. He LOVES to eat, and just about anything!</span></div><div><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;"></span> </div><div><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">We are enjoying this time with Michael, as we learn and grow together as a family. This week, Michael has learned to say "bye-bye" while waving goodbye. And he has had wonderful visits from his Grandma and Grandpa, and his "aunt" Theresa.</span></div><div><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;"></span> </div><div><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">By the way, today is Brian's birthday. Michael gave him a wonderful picture frame that says "Daddy & Me" with a great picture of the two of them. It made Daddy's day!</span></div><div><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;"></span> </div><div><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Here are some recent pictures of Michael. And I will try to keep posting when I can with updates. Thanks for all of your patience as we try to get back to a more normal routine! I will tell you, SLEEP definitely has helped! Bye for now!</span></div><div><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;"></span> </div><div align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtT9mP1Yk0Pz8bbdmvKihjQDE6PCP_6M2I9ci4ki6B9DqOdiyifa8CnSrv1dugHXre96XEdixSsH-yHWpqE5dLf_5qAMSJMEdRuLkFZds_clI-JKazV885x7tINSjcX9rodCHaWfg0lYM/s1600-h/IMG_0877.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5101945342263578002" style="CURSOR: hand" height="218" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtT9mP1Yk0Pz8bbdmvKihjQDE6PCP_6M2I9ci4ki6B9DqOdiyifa8CnSrv1dugHXre96XEdixSsH-yHWpqE5dLf_5qAMSJMEdRuLkFZds_clI-JKazV885x7tINSjcX9rodCHaWfg0lYM/s320/IMG_0877.JPG" width="293" border="0" /></a></div><div align="center">Chillin' after a swim in the hotel pool.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiqdZE5I0jKXsnYrkr3hB6kYZKCJrwWnC4DYyjNlvo1z2haMAMWPy0MSZrSYyu9ih2bxkhlS_f7ieUOOKMCmYdaVdeffbvsjeg8sKBD21ex_E-3JKWuYkAyOnULbJXQwhCDlfpCXj1398/s1600-h/IMG_0879.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5101945350853512610" style="CURSOR: hand" height="219" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiqdZE5I0jKXsnYrkr3hB6kYZKCJrwWnC4DYyjNlvo1z2haMAMWPy0MSZrSYyu9ih2bxkhlS_f7ieUOOKMCmYdaVdeffbvsjeg8sKBD21ex_E-3JKWuYkAyOnULbJXQwhCDlfpCXj1398/s320/IMG_0879.JPG" width="299" border="0" /></a></div><p align="center">Daddy & Me!</p><p align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRKky_OBqLpvV63FjJtcpb4cVTckYYmgJxJrB1gq2HZiKPA_JczCfP5tXwVUkn7i0f7bHWEYrhMB3iYufQ81H8ExoYy7-805fTBL7R2QVzBr_qRiUKSMFadkBX2Md0SXLQ-efr8iqe0BE/s1600-h/IMG_0899.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5101945355148479922" style="CURSOR: hand" height="228" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRKky_OBqLpvV63FjJtcpb4cVTckYYmgJxJrB1gq2HZiKPA_JczCfP5tXwVUkn7i0f7bHWEYrhMB3iYufQ81H8ExoYy7-805fTBL7R2QVzBr_qRiUKSMFadkBX2Md0SXLQ-efr8iqe0BE/s320/IMG_0899.JPG" width="294" border="0" /></a></p><p align="center">Saying Bye Bye to China.</p><p align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJ1XimMSVe_FWitX2_IBX3ctz0vSMZKQRNRR1hQN__xQqzqOFBtqpoSHzKUVAqHo5163Qa7qYCqRq39YWWyQfJEKaOaeXFqnGaYuXdo4k_6lhuw9NheSs06pNBpXbJXt-gfKwSSkb8QrQ/s1600-h/IMG_0914.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5101945355148479938" style="CURSOR: hand" height="305" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJ1XimMSVe_FWitX2_IBX3ctz0vSMZKQRNRR1hQN__xQqzqOFBtqpoSHzKUVAqHo5163Qa7qYCqRq39YWWyQfJEKaOaeXFqnGaYuXdo4k_6lhuw9NheSs06pNBpXbJXt-gfKwSSkb8QrQ/s320/IMG_0914.JPG" width="212" border="0" /></a></p><p align="center">Ready for a swim!</p><p align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1i3LVJREJ0tSbLTnGuOVHv6OMMbvUdTlHOWP9jR_tArS4X6PJUPpAyXA24KAdCPvDFq52M4-rKkwW6qDNTBLfriRToIPDSxc8KtMqR9pp-r6f4HBfbY8VE1caDqoJ-SgqMIZ7JVrpyYQ/s1600-h/IMG_0920.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5101945797530111474" style="CURSOR: hand" height="308" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1i3LVJREJ0tSbLTnGuOVHv6OMMbvUdTlHOWP9jR_tArS4X6PJUPpAyXA24KAdCPvDFq52M4-rKkwW6qDNTBLfriRToIPDSxc8KtMqR9pp-r6f4HBfbY8VE1caDqoJ-SgqMIZ7JVrpyYQ/s320/IMG_0920.JPG" width="220" border="0" /></a></p><p align="center">Peek- A -Boo!</p><p align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi32UF_8LhS3K8DAk7Tc7CSEtUtCH8g29pM43RtlfdEZAcmQH7KJXA0r4Zk3baDC2DcsFR-IPdPw9QLXsOj3bnKTVM7sbgcMXltEaxf_VNa5UkrpKhdz0sLX2DRubTDxb9sixp_mIjgnFQ/s1600-h/IMG_0916.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5101945359443447250" style="WIDTH: 270px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 209px" height="219" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi32UF_8LhS3K8DAk7Tc7CSEtUtCH8g29pM43RtlfdEZAcmQH7KJXA0r4Zk3baDC2DcsFR-IPdPw9QLXsOj3bnKTVM7sbgcMXltEaxf_VNa5UkrpKhdz0sLX2DRubTDxb9sixp_mIjgnFQ/s320/IMG_0916.JPG" width="288" border="0" /></a></p><p align="center">I love Aunt Theresa's chocolate chip cookies!</p>Brian and Suehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08301255949903753123noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4714774988428716379.post-15767609207374186122007-08-10T11:41:00.000-05:002007-08-10T11:50:53.967-05:00It's Good to be Home!<span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Hello everyone....I am happy to say that we are home, safe and sound, from China. We left the White Swan Hotel very early yesterday morning (5:45am China time, on Thursday) and took our first flight to Hong Kong, from Guangzhou. The flight was a quick one, and we landed in Hong Kong in not so pleasant weather. Remnants of a typhoon had just passed through Hong Kong that morning.</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">After a three hour layover in Hong Kong, we left to come home. The flight went well, and Michael was a very good boy, considering the flight was a solid 14 hours. He ended up sleeping for the last 6 1/2 hours of the trip. Most of the flight was smooth, so we were all able to get a little sleep.</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">We arrived at O'Hare, and after waiting for what seemed like forever to get our luggage, we went through customs and processed Michael's paperwork. He is officially a US citizen!</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">We were greeted by family and friends at the airport, and arrived home where Grandma and Grandpa were anxiously waiting. It was a long day, but we were so happy to have arrived home.</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Our first night home was a rough one, because jet lag for Michael is difficult. It probably didn't help that he slept so long during the flight. Last night at 12:00 midnight, he thought it was time to get up, because on his clock it was the middle of the day. We did get him to sleep a little more, but only after being up for about 2 hours. We will try today to get him back to a regular schedule, and a full nights rest tonight!</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Once we get settled, I'll get some more pictures posted and give you a final recap on our last days in China. Again, thank you all for your tremendous support and messages throughout our journey in China. It really kept us going, and we really appreciate it!</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Now off to rest.....talk to you later!</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"></span>Brian and Suehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08301255949903753123noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4714774988428716379.post-66157598905016916802007-08-06T23:34:00.000-05:002007-08-07T00:18:42.886-05:00Red couches and potato chips<span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Two funny stories to share from our last 24 hours. Yesterday was the infamous red couch photos here at the White Swan. It is the day when we try to get all the new babies together for a picture on one of the red couches on the 2nd floor. What a task that was! I am proud to say that out of all the babies there, Michael was the only one that did not cry! He sat there and looked around smiling, as if to say to all of the others, "why are you crying? this isn't so bad!" It was so cute. Then all of the families got together for a photo, mommies and daddies included.<br /></span><div></div><br /><div><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Here are the photos:</span></div><br /><p align="center"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5095818383160271426" style="WIDTH: 228px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 309px" height="290" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgL8gPyI8qvwqu3u-LX6NxvmOperj2ZDfDNBr_WV2zsQ2_KOPBnuImF8s7bUQ4YXPTB83t2PdSKGM4m6GfMc7dkzUFF3fiwIT-NmgUz6KleP1bVDyv6AC5bSuEGr9Pa4C9nRT7oAX4K970/s320/Michael+023.jpg" width="182" border="0" /></p><div align="center">Look at my new outfit!</div><p align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNxzCs2VnyAmAgXQkV2CrTBVreBS5rY3REQCrZ-lP5xaH4qwhANEPWLb-glwlcqIb5LT4W6fvKDSfAr9_IO117kGihEQupKIiVd9vJJ-bqeMipgMVcgOqQ2rWDWYicj9zPBu2Bo6XWX4g/s1600-h/Michael+024.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5095818383160271442" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNxzCs2VnyAmAgXQkV2CrTBVreBS5rY3REQCrZ-lP5xaH4qwhANEPWLb-glwlcqIb5LT4W6fvKDSfAr9_IO117kGihEQupKIiVd9vJJ-bqeMipgMVcgOqQ2rWDWYicj9zPBu2Bo6XWX4g/s320/Michael+024.jpg" border="0" /></a></p><br /><p align="center"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5095818387455238770" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0mucwlyE1A8iSii3Zm6AuQO_FZsAMDrzaM0r7OA24YKnb1uOnbC9ddvTbu-q3Viv3SnrtisoIoB2JGL6z_5f1-KYOYP_gdaAgFgQPk9gXZJphiLPaLue4Hn6Yh7lJBOKlGME_S4hTZVQ/s320/Michael+026.jpg" border="0" /></p><div align="center">The Red Couch Photo.</div><p align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiu_7nr3NHq4-Z6kzjz9QTp9IfJWAzBoHaf_ko-0Zz-KtY15QZV5ZPPYZBlXKGZ2nR_tpTFaXPNiQkbniACevsywnzNWYRywXN-KRhbAWLAz8JJmwlI6ArXe_BE4gSZQjIQViLRVuXY_sc/s1600-h/Michael+027.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5095818533484126850" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiu_7nr3NHq4-Z6kzjz9QTp9IfJWAzBoHaf_ko-0Zz-KtY15QZV5ZPPYZBlXKGZ2nR_tpTFaXPNiQkbniACevsywnzNWYRywXN-KRhbAWLAz8JJmwlI6ArXe_BE4gSZQjIQViLRVuXY_sc/s320/Michael+027.jpg" border="0" /></a></p><div align="center">Our travel group.</div><br /><div></div><p align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOV0HX_U-S8BSiFA5Vyr6eUAprMMRDCUxfhC5sQOQ8dYZmw6DomO6KVea-PB9spue-HO8rbQXFdEd9ma7ASPem6-GwEt2JzUyU8PQx40w76RY3GoAbfdIWZro72qIRhfddSOv4z2ZbjdA/s1600-h/Michael+025.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5095818387455238754" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOV0HX_U-S8BSiFA5Vyr6eUAprMMRDCUxfhC5sQOQ8dYZmw6DomO6KVea-PB9spue-HO8rbQXFdEd9ma7ASPem6-GwEt2JzUyU8PQx40w76RY3GoAbfdIWZro72qIRhfddSOv4z2ZbjdA/s320/Michael+025.jpg" border="0" /></a></p><div align="center">Michael with his girlfriend, Kaylee.</div><br /><div>Now to potato chips. A couple of nights ago, Michael did not sleep well, getting up at 2:15am, wanting to play. Overall I think we only got about 5 hours of sleep. So last night, we all really needed to sleep. We got Michael calmed around 8:30pm, and to sleep shortly after. Brian and I were hungry after having an early dinner. We had bought Lays potato chips while in Nanjing, and still hadn't opened them. Yum, real potato chips! Now the dilemma. How to open a very loud bag, and cans of soda, without waking a sleeping little boy. We didn't want to leave the room and sit in the hall in case he woke up. So, there we were in the bathroom, sitting on the side of the bathtub, eating chips and drinking soda. Wow, I guess we really are parents now!</div><div>We had a good laugh over it. </div><br /><div>Thanks for all the messages of support. We really appreciate it! We are looking forward to coming home in a couple of days and introducing Michael to his new family!</div><br /><p align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3n2qrtmzzVsKP_IV9peu0nOFPP4pcYqV7ZsynCNWKM0Tzjjgtm252LNXZlZSLjiVEJUYp_wKLI5FpHXFmZs8CGHc7dGrcm1gZtp7Lf_1afnVfRVrtzTt_krZ7jiIvgJcWu9zsCxa0O1s/s1600-h/Michael+022.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5095818378865304114" style="CURSOR: hand" height="223" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3n2qrtmzzVsKP_IV9peu0nOFPP4pcYqV7ZsynCNWKM0Tzjjgtm252LNXZlZSLjiVEJUYp_wKLI5FpHXFmZs8CGHc7dGrcm1gZtp7Lf_1afnVfRVrtzTt_krZ7jiIvgJcWu9zsCxa0O1s/s320/Michael+022.jpg" width="296" border="0" /></a></p><br /><div align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjO78zOogBrEST5ALxniEjrEzSFgg1CSbjQe7e-HVHQ3U_sk3T2FDtqLF5AK2IXBl2ZAgG-Qf_Sm6tEvXsVWtc4Ytu5WUQUh_5zbBfgjx8slMljD4YvLxcdifmTxysE7af3WlIp0rh79iA/s1600-h/Michael+028.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5095820500579148450" style="WIDTH: 328px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 227px" height="182" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjO78zOogBrEST5ALxniEjrEzSFgg1CSbjQe7e-HVHQ3U_sk3T2FDtqLF5AK2IXBl2ZAgG-Qf_Sm6tEvXsVWtc4Ytu5WUQUh_5zbBfgjx8slMljD4YvLxcdifmTxysE7af3WlIp0rh79iA/s320/Michael+028.jpg" width="274" border="0" /></a></div><br /><div align="center">Bye bye for now!</div>Brian and Suehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08301255949903753123noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4714774988428716379.post-74848951750816154502007-08-04T23:57:00.000-05:002007-08-05T00:19:03.864-05:00Wonderful times in China<div><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">It is Sunday afternoon, and we are in the final week of our trip here in China. Today it is very hot, so a quick stroll in the park this morning after breakfast was our trip outdoors for the day. Later we will find the playroom here at the hotel. </span></div><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"></span></div><div><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Wanted to share some more pictures! Enjoy!!!</span></div><div><br /></div><p align="center"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5095079494166536738" style="CURSOR: hand" height="188" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjLlORJ19SHEAn9qytm3Ixp3XRrp3oDbdKJvI0DWTPaA16ee8opQIWw3JRXkSQMoIK1tz9ISwQ7sfr4ixB6SXfk-Yv1jUxGfOM957qJXdjZ80OfquQ3Ec68umAj2PaeYQyCeXF7rU5wTk/s320/Michael+021.jpg" width="261" border="0" /></p><div align="center">This hotel is fun!</div><div align="center"> </div><div align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhd71aYP67pehXxCmZaKbljgyDIKJvgdkWqdAhiJttHIcpBA0snXbPvwBeLh1N9J3iPSLTs4yvgOAmSGdm7H4XSuCp8_Q-BKMBMk1pbCwH_nlZdUeg_22fBqoPmVaV_NVlrE6kDNeEeICc/s1600-h/Michael+016.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5095079356727583186" style="CURSOR: hand" height="230" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhd71aYP67pehXxCmZaKbljgyDIKJvgdkWqdAhiJttHIcpBA0snXbPvwBeLh1N9J3iPSLTs4yvgOAmSGdm7H4XSuCp8_Q-BKMBMk1pbCwH_nlZdUeg_22fBqoPmVaV_NVlrE6kDNeEeICc/s320/Michael+016.jpg" width="294" border="0" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div></div><div align="center">I LOVE to take baths!</div><div align="center"><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEQ3wqZjueDgPEDOqnOoxwLOSOjTpJRjjBYVoCNXxVrmRsHs3OSm_WWVHsrDP-NpC_bWoQDIOi64sbE4lS_4XwuuxgoEsYmSCSIg3XOxK_L6Yb3ac8lDB8NRrpCXOnrdVd49G4dyknhNk/s1600-h/Michael+017.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5095079361022550498" style="CURSOR: hand" height="221" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEQ3wqZjueDgPEDOqnOoxwLOSOjTpJRjjBYVoCNXxVrmRsHs3OSm_WWVHsrDP-NpC_bWoQDIOi64sbE4lS_4XwuuxgoEsYmSCSIg3XOxK_L6Yb3ac8lDB8NRrpCXOnrdVd49G4dyknhNk/s320/Michael+017.jpg" width="290" border="0" /></a></div><div align="center"> </div><div align="center">Enjoying music in the park with Daddy.</div><div align="center"> </div><p align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5Nvjr4Fg2F9tzNq2Z7mONyYS7Ec5ek_1OBIsGvZRbd83_c7sUEl5-kOXmitTz70StiqG95twvanBdwBUBEvp_VuLePqDIpUH0LHV0NXl0sPxop8vOacDu5sJ0tDTIt6kLFnUc7qWik7k/s1600-h/Michael+018.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5095079361022550514" style="CURSOR: hand" height="221" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5Nvjr4Fg2F9tzNq2Z7mONyYS7Ec5ek_1OBIsGvZRbd83_c7sUEl5-kOXmitTz70StiqG95twvanBdwBUBEvp_VuLePqDIpUH0LHV0NXl0sPxop8vOacDu5sJ0tDTIt6kLFnUc7qWik7k/s320/Michael+018.jpg" width="284" border="0" /></a></p><div align="center">Waterfall at the hotel.<br /></div><p align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNOftVBbFb7vV3ZzbBuq_UmVWKJ4L40g0Gw1dk5QCvth8bWbXycKdLeeoymGcmIiXJi1c_RVNZLZ_ma-401PzMYeQApC_H-6-SbfkWylAt5K2MYx-l6qEsalyrSrjZ3aaATisKl3EApnc/s1600-h/Michael+019.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5095079361022550530" style="CURSOR: hand" height="221" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNOftVBbFb7vV3ZzbBuq_UmVWKJ4L40g0Gw1dk5QCvth8bWbXycKdLeeoymGcmIiXJi1c_RVNZLZ_ma-401PzMYeQApC_H-6-SbfkWylAt5K2MYx-l6qEsalyrSrjZ3aaATisKl3EApnc/s320/Michael+019.jpg" width="288" border="0" /></a></p><p align="center">Look at those cool fishies!</p><p align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdvDzf1UVC_cEzbz2PC8MeUMwV00dogAtGlShpsAOkdPEWx-6oCnjs0K7OaEfbSk2TzZ9YfUkgErA2irJ5_S2vytrnJKrRv5BI2nJipvHCGz9beUJ84wEmb1O5-WppfX-VxQ1tiDYcivU/s1600-h/Michael+020.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5095079365317517842" style="CURSOR: hand" height="225" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdvDzf1UVC_cEzbz2PC8MeUMwV00dogAtGlShpsAOkdPEWx-6oCnjs0K7OaEfbSk2TzZ9YfUkgErA2irJ5_S2vytrnJKrRv5BI2nJipvHCGz9beUJ84wEmb1O5-WppfX-VxQ1tiDYcivU/s320/Michael+020.jpg" width="288" border="0" /></a></p><p align="center">Michael LOVES music and LOVES to dance!</p>Brian and Suehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08301255949903753123noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4714774988428716379.post-3527119277774053692007-08-03T10:13:00.000-05:002007-08-03T10:48:43.744-05:00Our last leg of our "amazing race"<div><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">We are in the homestretch of our journey, arriving in Guangzhou, China earlier this evening. It is Friday night, and we arrived at the White Swan Hotel shortly after 6:00pm. After a short 2 hour plane ride, we arrived here to complete our final leg of our visit to China. </span></div><div> </div><div><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Michael did very well on his first airplane ride. We did have to play with the tray table ALOT and the window shade ALOT, but it was enough to keep him busy, in between a short nap. I am a little nervous about the14 hour plane ride home, but this was a good test today.</span></div><br /><div><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">We already really like being here. Guangzhou has a different feel to it than Nanjing did, and we definitely like this hotel much better than our last one. Our room is on the 26th floor, overlooking the Pearl River and the city of Guangzhou. The river, and the surrounding hotels/shops/bridges are all lit up at night. And the boats too on the river are all lit up. Our room has a big window so the view is perfect.</span></div><br /><div><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">The lobby of our hotel is very nice, too. Lots of greenery, waterfalls, and ponds full of fish. And because this is an often used hotel for adoptive parent groups, we have already seen alot of Americans walking the hotel with Chinese babies. Tomorrow we meet back up with some of the couples we met in Beijing. We are glad to be here for the final and longest leg of our "amazing race". We will be here until the 9th, when we finally get to come home. Most of the next several days will be spent getting U.S. paperwork done and visas filed. We will venture out of the hotel to area parks, and of course, shopping! Michael will enjoy getting out of the hotel.</span></div><div><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;"></span> </div><div> </div><div><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">After a busy travel day, Michael sleeps soundly. He seems to be doing well, and adjusting, although we have had some moments where he has had meltdowns. We are learning what he needs, and he is learning about us too. It is still so unbelievable to us that we are his mommy and daddy now. I don't think it has quite sunk in for us. And we really cannot wait to bring him home and have him meet his new family and friends. </span></div><div> </div><div><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">So goodnight from Guangzhou. And here are some new pictures of our last couple of days!</span></div><br /><p align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHn3K1lJjEM7UVPazuYQog5R31GbHRkPg90pGePWeKJ-k4CoilCcRjLK4d5H5olrkZ1OU917PE57gJ5RnAfU_uEOjBs1KwN-kPpod_J3UV8wokdoZ0jJzDG-ogKJjg7X0DllrsE5xjtDc/s1600-h/Michael+010.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5094498329256812914" style="CURSOR: hand" height="203" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHn3K1lJjEM7UVPazuYQog5R31GbHRkPg90pGePWeKJ-k4CoilCcRjLK4d5H5olrkZ1OU917PE57gJ5RnAfU_uEOjBs1KwN-kPpod_J3UV8wokdoZ0jJzDG-ogKJjg7X0DllrsE5xjtDc/s320/Michael+010.jpg" width="264" border="0" /></a></p><p align="center">A tired little boy.</p><p align="center"><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaLy2Td6YFz8WrLESADFWGmhbGrMhCS46EK4DklbyiZvLoQtVInVpADwssfptpIdZiS8n2yAYN6lOcJ71z4uge91SpRfQxp8tD7Pfdip-vjcTQ5frxyAWQm_94jWpu9DjvBC7rr9Epm8c/s1600-h/Michael+011.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5094498342141714818" style="CURSOR: hand" height="287" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaLy2Td6YFz8WrLESADFWGmhbGrMhCS46EK4DklbyiZvLoQtVInVpADwssfptpIdZiS8n2yAYN6lOcJ71z4uge91SpRfQxp8tD7Pfdip-vjcTQ5frxyAWQm_94jWpu9DjvBC7rr9Epm8c/s320/Michael+011.jpg" width="197" border="0" /></a></p><p align="center">Hi Everyone!</p><p align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXdNv4eaC7BnBVse1JzkIHOn7niezh5zLXKJDOcVW43WAxE68ANC__Vbkomx0lKeWzn0Hp-aqfp9DQjgoL2htdCYU5gBhkXbQ3WLdChdLrMnpR_Rn2h81DBu1_hni10aFk0KHSGXE4Dh0/s1600-h/Michael+012.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5094498350731649426" style="WIDTH: 218px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 293px" height="282" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXdNv4eaC7BnBVse1JzkIHOn7niezh5zLXKJDOcVW43WAxE68ANC__Vbkomx0lKeWzn0Hp-aqfp9DQjgoL2htdCYU5gBhkXbQ3WLdChdLrMnpR_Rn2h81DBu1_hni10aFk0KHSGXE4Dh0/s320/Michael+012.jpg" width="191" border="0" /></a></p><p align="center">Who needs toys....I have an empty water bottle that makes me happy!</p><p align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIFLK58TvpBp-FHwyBjPjVuVDYgaUbGNvu8Ol-ZdwpFlPLbHaKXsrpaEzb6tmsKgxTDgNdEaXEk3sKBr-_neDjtI7-2i12cQhXfx0b2nb-Z47kryoYqLxFUyf_dHuh-1nuKfwftV9f9Zs/s1600-h/Michael+013.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5094498355026616738" style="CURSOR: hand" height="214" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIFLK58TvpBp-FHwyBjPjVuVDYgaUbGNvu8Ol-ZdwpFlPLbHaKXsrpaEzb6tmsKgxTDgNdEaXEk3sKBr-_neDjtI7-2i12cQhXfx0b2nb-Z47kryoYqLxFUyf_dHuh-1nuKfwftV9f9Zs/s320/Michael+013.jpg" width="283" border="0" /></a><br />I am too cute!</p><div><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;"></span></div><p align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiW2KiJhsxvumuszLiosfKK4WGt6Cs6nSCyN8AqJgQykS1QXznL76SHxdtmW53uqT29Psr2z-VFyBDEkDl_TZiHK7VBxV-6Ehluii36kFV_chjYTlti2UCTffek5fPgdrHicWOPC7Sn4v0/s1600-h/Michael+014.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5094498363616551346" style="CURSOR: hand" height="213" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiW2KiJhsxvumuszLiosfKK4WGt6Cs6nSCyN8AqJgQykS1QXznL76SHxdtmW53uqT29Psr2z-VFyBDEkDl_TZiHK7VBxV-6Ehluii36kFV_chjYTlti2UCTffek5fPgdrHicWOPC7Sn4v0/s320/Michael+014.jpg" width="280" border="0" /></a></p><div align="center">Helping Mommy at the airport.</div><div align="center"><br /><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCuX03fz-wZDQZXbNxf_Ht_-v8OJdvTlN5IVXVK6upMy5-p87vVUXzBJv6cLOCFaqE_fhCv__dF13EErK7fvMSIbJjq1TMB-U_iLhUJcsbSLMV0fsnCuBNntAYf-WBRTMHxbJ_ltXrnHY/s1600-h/Michael+015.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5094499402998636994" style="CURSOR: hand" height="210" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCuX03fz-wZDQZXbNxf_Ht_-v8OJdvTlN5IVXVK6upMy5-p87vVUXzBJv6cLOCFaqE_fhCv__dF13EErK7fvMSIbJjq1TMB-U_iLhUJcsbSLMV0fsnCuBNntAYf-WBRTMHxbJ_ltXrnHY/s320/Michael+015.jpg" width="281" border="0" /></a></span></div><div align="center"><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;">Our View in Guangzhou.</span></div>Brian and Suehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08301255949903753123noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4714774988428716379.post-20066518755488748672007-07-31T23:14:00.000-05:002007-07-31T23:51:18.144-05:00Michael is officially ours!<span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">On Tuesday morning, we returned to the Civil Affairs office to complete the adoption registration and paperwork for Michael. It was a little scary for the kids to go back to this place, as this was where they were given to us so I think it brought back some scary memories for them. But overall, they all did well. We had to sign a bunch of paperwork, which was all in Chinese. We just followed what our guide said and signed away. For all we know, we just acquired a piece of land in China!<br /></span><br /><div></div><div><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Seriously, though, the paperwork we signed made it official with the Chinese government that our adoption of Michael is final. We received a beautiful certificate, with our first family portrait attached. Now, we just have to get through the U.S. paperwork, and we can come home!!</span></div><div><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Here are a few more pictures of our past couple of days:</span></div><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"></span></div><p align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSW-kqNylMSzJVDVe_A6Jz2XyS3cFHV9WB0nikuHCrwwYLu0fchSdJseXYVtkCaPbfcW4-f85acFh0LxTj4As0_jdS999jAt8pjARBwYglDF_NncF9OOijHOZNe_ZoUTdOlneTqnqejtM/s1600-h/Michael+005.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5093588869931884898" style="CURSOR: hand" height="202" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSW-kqNylMSzJVDVe_A6Jz2XyS3cFHV9WB0nikuHCrwwYLu0fchSdJseXYVtkCaPbfcW4-f85acFh0LxTj4As0_jdS999jAt8pjARBwYglDF_NncF9OOijHOZNe_ZoUTdOlneTqnqejtM/s320/Michael+005.jpg" width="286" border="0" /></a></p><div align="center"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Michael loves his Daddy!</span></div><div><br /></div><p align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuVVs-QuV9TONxSSeOX4CumZCSmEJUPFpHrwFciH4N0vhDwRQ8z3Dw-ZeqzbjkgY0PiZ2pdTdymHqSYaGzb3-Id6j_jU_o849m_w9kS7OfW__oEKj2DC1C5f3zkQvcj0rLneIUHnlWltY/s1600-h/Michael+006.jpg"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5093582264272183586" style="WIDTH: 271px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 228px" height="171" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuVVs-QuV9TONxSSeOX4CumZCSmEJUPFpHrwFciH4N0vhDwRQ8z3Dw-ZeqzbjkgY0PiZ2pdTdymHqSYaGzb3-Id6j_jU_o849m_w9kS7OfW__oEKj2DC1C5f3zkQvcj0rLneIUHnlWltY/s320/Michael+006.jpg" width="242" border="0" /></span></a></p><div align="center"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">It's official!</span></div><div align="center"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"></span></div><div> </div><p align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuU31FtEnp5o4OHUyJV-7hzmYFdwXu4SW3qY4pu9rbog2QHZSNp22wTfuMiH9HDhkiQKYXp_yEOkfD6BrSDtV1K0VaXEnLsf0DLiP91NVsNtviWGsSD_1TNNqy2kAUMs8aVXnKqnGIaoA/s1600-h/Michael+007.jpg"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5093582272862118194" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuU31FtEnp5o4OHUyJV-7hzmYFdwXu4SW3qY4pu9rbog2QHZSNp22wTfuMiH9HDhkiQKYXp_yEOkfD6BrSDtV1K0VaXEnLsf0DLiP91NVsNtviWGsSD_1TNNqy2kAUMs8aVXnKqnGIaoA/s320/Michael+007.jpg" border="0" /></span></a></p><div align="center"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Michael's new girlfriend, Kaylee.</span><br /></div><div align="center"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"></span></div><div><br /></div><p align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLlT-NTQYLOSrB7A37EPOwUNIAGqQjnZpzK45mhlhmc__KXP4boazBY4kbLw3XE0GH-QJyqf_EDtJjXZokC-Ctnk1lDAkgqv15GBfxMOJmtMor_xFmnkHm6YKdvlhV-_q5H2LlQc3M6fM/s1600-h/Michael+008.jpg"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5093582277157085506" style="CURSOR: hand" height="203" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLlT-NTQYLOSrB7A37EPOwUNIAGqQjnZpzK45mhlhmc__KXP4boazBY4kbLw3XE0GH-QJyqf_EDtJjXZokC-Ctnk1lDAkgqv15GBfxMOJmtMor_xFmnkHm6YKdvlhV-_q5H2LlQc3M6fM/s320/Michael+008.jpg" width="296" border="0" /></span></a></p><div align="center"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">The director from Michael's orphanage.</span></div><div><br /></div><p align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtLZ9mOl0VmpKCHHtIzafiFh7mkc1XTqznxjq1LpyF57vG_JZW4rXpnjfubJiP3aklODGJAwWhad1fxuVfWwLAEhOGDYi2VRGT8g1vDeM9xHN_-q0Rk2IvmdDvA1mKXEFRDlnrK87RFlQ/s1600-h/Michael+009.jpg"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5093582285747020114" style="CURSOR: hand" height="216" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtLZ9mOl0VmpKCHHtIzafiFh7mkc1XTqznxjq1LpyF57vG_JZW4rXpnjfubJiP3aklODGJAwWhad1fxuVfWwLAEhOGDYi2VRGT8g1vDeM9xHN_-q0Rk2IvmdDvA1mKXEFRDlnrK87RFlQ/s320/Michael+009.jpg" width="287" border="0" /></span></a></p><div align="center"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Our happy little boy!</span></div><div><br /></div><p align="left"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Today, we went to a local supermarket and did a little shopping. Wow, was that nice to be able to get some things that reminded us of home. We never thought a bag of M & M's would taste soooo good!</span></p><div><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">We are here in Nanjing just a couple more days, then it is off to Guangzhou to take care of the US side of the paperwork. In about one week we prepare to come home. Michael is looking forward to meeting all of his new family and friends!</span></div>Brian and Suehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08301255949903753123noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4714774988428716379.post-55765830765439005632007-07-30T08:23:00.000-05:002007-07-30T08:44:09.934-05:00GOTCHA!!<p align="left"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">We are thrilled to announce that we are OFFICIALLY parents, to a beautiful little boy!!! We received Michael at around 10:15am this morning (Monday morning China time) at the Civil Affairs office in Nanjing. </span></p><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">It was quite a site to see as all of the families in our group received their babies. We knew who Michael was the first minute we saw him. This round-faced little boy came in to the room, and in to our hearts! Here are some first pictures....check out the look in the first one that Michael is giving Brian!</span><br /><p align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyYSJFVFVr8x81SeZqb39eT2POOIcRdf2oQCvbGMesbh1zlzJ86zdkzEN5KUtfoe6Lm6X0jEWoCrAiOC8KJTVaRFEArDpqW8rFiwqb5f6KyXuLiSeADCa342kKvQV2EI5IShwMdvQ4hhg/s1600-h/Michael+002.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5092982639593021666" style="CURSOR: hand" height="188" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyYSJFVFVr8x81SeZqb39eT2POOIcRdf2oQCvbGMesbh1zlzJ86zdkzEN5KUtfoe6Lm6X0jEWoCrAiOC8KJTVaRFEArDpqW8rFiwqb5f6KyXuLiSeADCa342kKvQV2EI5IShwMdvQ4hhg/s320/Michael+002.jpg" width="273" border="0" /></a></p><p align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1-YN-SG5L7XFm8PQk-s-3PlAZfwkHiUtAu9gzf8SRt-cPuPsQyJiWxebWa5GP0c83yf8NHUEdDNBL393DbmGLS27iXVwGUni2ubDvAvkB1YHuw9nCI-NnN9laRmEXZbkIasWw6j4CAXE/s1600-h/Michael+003.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5092982652477923570" style="CURSOR: hand" height="206" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1-YN-SG5L7XFm8PQk-s-3PlAZfwkHiUtAu9gzf8SRt-cPuPsQyJiWxebWa5GP0c83yf8NHUEdDNBL393DbmGLS27iXVwGUni2ubDvAvkB1YHuw9nCI-NnN9laRmEXZbkIasWw6j4CAXE/s320/Michael+003.jpg" width="263" border="0" /></a></p><p align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3l13iz5TZ6pZBM2rO6gzOm7yOMGXCUbq7sEbS8X-qGlxGfz7QK5_hpJsNQ1mQWzXPu_VmLPwDVMUIF0-e2ZrJnoWU3NKNpA85yfOiMEv-8H3UlqL6QxAwQ46XUOwB7KjcOe6maLEHMW0/s1600-h/Michael+004.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5092982661067858178" style="CURSOR: hand" height="198" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3l13iz5TZ6pZBM2rO6gzOm7yOMGXCUbq7sEbS8X-qGlxGfz7QK5_hpJsNQ1mQWzXPu_VmLPwDVMUIF0-e2ZrJnoWU3NKNpA85yfOiMEv-8H3UlqL6QxAwQ46XUOwB7KjcOe6maLEHMW0/s320/Michael+004.jpg" width="277" border="0" /></a></p><p align="left"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Michael does not look very happy in these pictures, as it was a scary morning for him. But by the end of the day today, he was laughing, showing his wonderful personality, and imitating everything Brian was doing. He is quite a character, and was very popular down in the hotel lobby. We have been matched with the perfect child to join our lives. He is just like his Daddy!</span></p><p align="left"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">It has been an exhausting but very rewarding day. We are tired, and so is Michael, as he is now sleeping soundly. We hope he is dreaming sweet dreams of his new life. </span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Our dream has already come true!</span></p>Brian and Suehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08301255949903753123noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4714774988428716379.post-45361318792185239782007-07-29T09:51:00.000-05:002007-07-29T09:56:08.645-05:00We are going to be parents!<span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">In just 12 hours, we will finally be parents!</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">We have arrived in Nanjing, the capital city in Michael's home province. Tomorrow morning (Monday) we will be going with the other families in our group to the Civil Affairs office, where we will all meet our children. We are scheduled to leave our hotel at 9:30am, to be at the office by 10:00am. We should be meeting Michael for the first time somewhere around 10:30am.</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">I can't begin to describe how we are feeling. It is unbelievable that this day has finally come!!!</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">I will post again as soon as I get a chance. Thank you to everyone for your great support and for helping us get to this day that we have been dreaming of for so long.</span>Brian and Suehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08301255949903753123noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4714774988428716379.post-80265567661802359822007-07-28T05:36:00.000-05:002007-07-28T05:48:21.184-05:00Updates on Michael!!<div align="left"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">We had another wonderful day in Beijing today. It is time to pack up, as we leave tomorrow for Michael's home province of Jiangsu, and to the city of Nanjing.</span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><br /></span></div><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">We had an orientation this morning with our adoption agency, and at the end of the long meeting they presented each family with a book filled with updated information on our children, and updated photos! Here is a new pic of Michael!!!</span><br /><p align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyiyROZWk3AW0qoVrHolzs632KfScScLtoANHHUbDH_6CIKJke-bxuMi4Di-IIB0NiVvxxbOfIbkOgUpVJw1Oh5p8pzrEOw-KIFjf4RqBp7uXjnfVU5f51yZrzIrd_S2eMKnJI94HJtmI/s1600-h/Michael.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5092195311958122706" style="CURSOR: hand" height="252" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyiyROZWk3AW0qoVrHolzs632KfScScLtoANHHUbDH_6CIKJke-bxuMi4Di-IIB0NiVvxxbOfIbkOgUpVJw1Oh5p8pzrEOw-KIFjf4RqBp7uXjnfVU5f51yZrzIrd_S2eMKnJI94HJtmI/s320/Michael.jpg" width="185" border="0" /></a></p>His hair has been shaved as is the common practice in China for the young children in the summer. It helps keep them cooler in the hot and humid weather of the summer months. Kind of looks like his Daddy! And he sure still has those chubby cheeks that we fell in love with!!<br /><br />Some other updates on him: he now has 14 teeth, and has gained about 2-3 pounds since our referral. It doesn't appear that he has grown in height, still being around 31 inches. He is also spoon fed most foods, and from what we can tell, he may already be potty trained, or at least on his way! <br /><br />He has been cared for by 9 caregivers, with one being his favorite. They even told us who his good friends are in the orphanage! We feel sad that he will have to leave his friends, but he seems to be very likable so we are sure he will make new friends in no time!!<br /><br />So our journey in Beijing is coming to a close. It has been a fantastic visit here, and we are grateful to have had this time to enjoy and tour this great city. But now it is time to go and do what we came here for, and that is to get our son!Brian and Suehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08301255949903753123noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4714774988428716379.post-42071494983815938922007-07-27T09:36:00.000-05:002007-07-27T10:09:15.206-05:00An amazing day in Beijing<span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Today, we had a full day of sightseeing, and it was our most amazing day yet since arriving in China. </span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">We left the hotel early this morning with our travel group and boarded a tour bus for The Great Wall. A really nice bus ride for about 1 1/2 hours outside of Beijing took us to areas we had not yet seen since arriving. Hard working farmers in the fields, and factories out in the middle of nowhere. We arrived at the Great Wall, and boarded a cable car which allowed us to get to the top of the Wall, without having to walk. You should have seen how high up it was. We were so grateful to have that cable car to bring us to the top! </span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Once at the top, the view was simply awesome. I can't describe just how amazing it was. It truly is a wonder to see. We spent about 1 1/2 hours on the wall, walking from "gate" to "gate". We had an overcast, smoggy day today, so we could not see long lengths of the wall. But what we could see made it all worth it. </span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Here are a couple of pics that we took. </span><br /><p align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqxtYKdFB1Tna77_qp6dXE5FxbIow3H6Fgg3z0kMvDpSPVSVooqomTwjZ9SCoCQ3wwovzxphGI2icy-j57fx6noQ1-P3wja0RTXA7O7w-hDPv5DaEv3e0pcoCxIvjEYz9DCJhJKfikRa0/s1600-h/Great+Wall+001.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5091887916853780642" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqxtYKdFB1Tna77_qp6dXE5FxbIow3H6Fgg3z0kMvDpSPVSVooqomTwjZ9SCoCQ3wwovzxphGI2icy-j57fx6noQ1-P3wja0RTXA7O7w-hDPv5DaEv3e0pcoCxIvjEYz9DCJhJKfikRa0/s320/Great+Wall+001.jpg" border="0" /></a></p><p align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhM7unN40WHK4xlZf_xhRjYg8FJlYMscqU08Twm-uZFyceNa9ezsNwmdBKsSN7GYZbyFckTBplOLwVALlFtgIhxuWeZOKxsl0H-gAu6Xeglsbn0ouTMA4xSBd-GBw00hDY0xCeviWvP5fo/s1600-h/Great+Wall+002.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5091887921148747954" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhM7unN40WHK4xlZf_xhRjYg8FJlYMscqU08Twm-uZFyceNa9ezsNwmdBKsSN7GYZbyFckTBplOLwVALlFtgIhxuWeZOKxsl0H-gAu6Xeglsbn0ouTMA4xSBd-GBw00hDY0xCeviWvP5fo/s320/Great+Wall+002.jpg" border="0" /></a></p><p align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgelvmwj49P9A-2TgdVaUYK8O4i3vemRWe_rCLm0G8ZjLDwMqgKhI-Bus57MIoyJYE1Oxd1uuRV6UOSiDqfNGsCgBV0QB7oQCLnVsQbhJTIgGe7JqV1DVL19nb6RghCZp_iFkSYMusnfx0/s1600-h/Great+Wall+003.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5091887929738682562" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgelvmwj49P9A-2TgdVaUYK8O4i3vemRWe_rCLm0G8ZjLDwMqgKhI-Bus57MIoyJYE1Oxd1uuRV6UOSiDqfNGsCgBV0QB7oQCLnVsQbhJTIgGe7JqV1DVL19nb6RghCZp_iFkSYMusnfx0/s320/Great+Wall+003.jpg" border="0" /></a></p><p align="left"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">We boarded our bus after the Great Wall, and had lunch at a traditional Chinese restaraunt. NOT like the Chinese food we get at home, that is for sure! It was all very interesting. Then we got to go through a cloisonne factory to see how it is made, all by hand! </span></p><p align="left"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">We returned to the city, and they took us to a local neighborhood, where we got to ride on rickshaws. For those of you who have seen "The Amazing Race", that is exactly what we felt like as we were pedaled through the alleys (hutongs) and streets of the Beijing neighborhood. We then visited with a gentleman who opened up his home to our tour group, so we could see how they live here. A courtyard home, complete with birds and crickets in cages!</span></p><p align="left"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">The sights and sounds we experienced today were none we had ever seen or heard before. And so many that there just is not enough room here to share it all. It was truly awesome and we have so many memories from this day to bring home with us!</span></p><p align="left"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">And our trip is only going to get better! Tomorrow, we meet as a group for an orientation with our adoption agency, and tomorrow we receive updates on Michael, and new photos of him! We can't wait to see what he looks like now, almost two months since we got his referral. </span></p><p align="left"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">After orientation, we will tour Tianamen Square and the Temple of Heaven. We leave Beijing on Sunday for Nanjing, the capital city in Michael's province. We will then be getting Michael on Monday!</span></p><p align="left"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Like I said, our trip is only going to get better! Bye for now, from Beijing!</span></p><p align="left"> </p><p align="left"> </p><p align="center"> </p><p align="center"> </p>Brian and Suehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08301255949903753123noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4714774988428716379.post-65166504228188629082007-07-25T17:33:00.000-05:002007-07-25T17:42:11.137-05:00We are in Beijing China!<span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">After a very long flight (I think it was just under 14 hours), we have made it to Beijing!! And thanks to some wonderful medicine, I was able to sleep throughout most of the flight, except of course when we hit turbulence, which was not fun. We were greeted at the airport by a local tour guide who was very nice and got us to our hotel. Our hotel, by the way, is very nice! We have a view of the city, and were upgraded to one of their "executive" rooms.</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Anyway, we are here, safe and sound. It is early morning now on Thursday. A little overcast and foggy today, but I think it is supposed to be very warm. We met two couples who came over on the same flight with us, and rode with us to the hotel. One couple is here for their first child, and the other is here for their second. The couple here for their first are from Milwaukee, and they seem very nice. We are going to meet with them this morning and go over to the Forbidden City. It is nice they live nearby so we certainly have alot to talk about.</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Brian is still sleeping, so I thought I would send out a post to keep you updated. Hopefully this post goes through. I am still learning the ways around the internet from here, but I think this should come through.</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Anyway, I will try to post daily to keep you all informed. All I can say is that we are very overwhelmed that we are sitting in Beijing China. It is truly hard to believe that we are here. It is very surreal, and feels like a dream. And very soon we will become a family of 3!!!</span>Brian and Suehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08301255949903753123noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4714774988428716379.post-41349996861885655742007-07-24T12:07:00.000-05:002007-07-24T12:21:16.041-05:00Michael, here we come!!<div align="center"><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Well, we are packed and ready to go!! </span></div><br /><p align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqan6hBeCEbkfFe2-PvKfDT1SWYLebLtrRnJRDvDG-drU36Yswa7_ut-irKLtoobMhMKe7AMb0lp-qyA4ECW4Eqeen3RJWBXoHhlDnHpDW69Avu3bfsxjtKWttNjbm8KthkL8lhahbNnw/s1600-h/IMG_0610.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5090812452747894882" style="WIDTH: 265px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 172px" height="116" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqan6hBeCEbkfFe2-PvKfDT1SWYLebLtrRnJRDvDG-drU36Yswa7_ut-irKLtoobMhMKe7AMb0lp-qyA4ECW4Eqeen3RJWBXoHhlDnHpDW69Avu3bfsxjtKWttNjbm8KthkL8lhahbNnw/s320/IMG_0610.JPG" width="213" border="0" /></a></p><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">We were supposed to leave on a 12:40pm flight today, but now are not leaving until (hopefully) 5:30pm today. We are sure glad we have that "free" day on Thursday once we get to Beijing. </span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">We will continue to post to the blog throughout our journey, as long as we can get good internet connections. So keep watching and I will try to journal as much as possible during our trip. </span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">In the meantime, here are a few pictures of Michael's room, that we just finished over the weekend. Check out the great "murals" on the wall that Daddy painted for Michael. Just adorable.</span><br /><p align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPilP9IOPSFym6FsRxSf_BAUb_VR3PbRXxtDUVhnnXMjsFydKYce1ms95hyphenhyphenKCKM4C9kx2XIEn7fOexig2UaguWg873TapT-M1fDSZe4LhsrUej7M8Um4LNmvXRzcn1tU-GOoyOqn58Huc/s1600-h/IMG_0612.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5090813487835013234" style="WIDTH: 270px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 193px" height="214" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPilP9IOPSFym6FsRxSf_BAUb_VR3PbRXxtDUVhnnXMjsFydKYce1ms95hyphenhyphenKCKM4C9kx2XIEn7fOexig2UaguWg873TapT-M1fDSZe4LhsrUej7M8Um4LNmvXRzcn1tU-GOoyOqn58Huc/s320/IMG_0612.JPG" width="292" border="0" /></a></p><p align="left"></p><p align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkrRuhseOmUiDYKOk29T5oOE6D3aeKPFN43z7wO7-Ql_7G25H9zbByTClR2M5FqEiepefBYwrAzmNeIa9sMIsArD-7K5GemziWDLwfHWB-Z-_i4I6-DX3D8xmtDYINt-hhRPMtCgieveQ/s1600-h/IMG_0608.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5090813487835013250" style="WIDTH: 271px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 196px" height="185" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkrRuhseOmUiDYKOk29T5oOE6D3aeKPFN43z7wO7-Ql_7G25H9zbByTClR2M5FqEiepefBYwrAzmNeIa9sMIsArD-7K5GemziWDLwfHWB-Z-_i4I6-DX3D8xmtDYINt-hhRPMtCgieveQ/s320/IMG_0608.JPG" width="259" border="0" /></a></p><p align="left"><br /></p><p align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtSQseSp_QdkRIOWN_oZzTSUscS8dm0KmzFYk8luan5GhE5apCeaYzuchoVbaMvjFz-AxX7siXsR1swHNa8YcK4fC-SP7uZ25JCbih7oy39CdG48pNQbcfc6rs-RwY0ZmwiqbNTZ9urGE/s1600-h/IMG_0607.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5090813492129980562" style="WIDTH: 282px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 172px" height="150" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtSQseSp_QdkRIOWN_oZzTSUscS8dm0KmzFYk8luan5GhE5apCeaYzuchoVbaMvjFz-AxX7siXsR1swHNa8YcK4fC-SP7uZ25JCbih7oy39CdG48pNQbcfc6rs-RwY0ZmwiqbNTZ9urGE/s320/IMG_0607.JPG" width="238" border="0" /></a></p><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Thank you all for your support and well wishes! Zaijian!!! (Good-Bye!!!)</span>Brian and Suehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08301255949903753123noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4714774988428716379.post-63771236614793502902007-07-22T22:51:00.000-05:002007-07-22T23:01:20.678-05:00Leaving on a jet plane<span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">In just 48 hours, we are on our way to China to bring Michael home. We feel every range of emotion right now, including being excited, nervous, anxious, scared, AND happy! The car seat is now in the van, and we are ready! We think!?! </span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Anyway, there was a slight change to our scheduled itinerary, and we found out that we actually will not get to see Michael until Monday, July 30th, at a meeting scheduled for 10:00am that day. One day later than we thought, which is disappointing. We hope the day gets here quickly!</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">In the meantime, we are looking forward to our trip over and to all the great things we will see during our first few days in Beijing, including the Great Wall, Tiananmen Square, and the Temple of Heaven. </span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">We had an opportunity to meet one couple from our travel group, who live just 40 minutes north of us. We met for lunch this past weekend. They too will be getting a boy, who will be only 2 months younger than Michael. They were very nice, and we look forward to traveling with them during our 16 days in China.</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">We have a laptop ready to come with us, and plan to update this blog (with hopefully no problems) throughout our trip. So please check back and follow us on this wonderful, exciting journey to Michael! </span>Brian and Suehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08301255949903753123noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4714774988428716379.post-34773504799935581652007-07-17T10:34:00.000-05:002007-07-17T10:48:10.971-05:00Our Travel is Confirmed!!!!!!<span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">We finally received written confirmation from the US Consulate in China, and so our dates are official!! Here is our schedule:</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Depart Chicago: Tuesday, July 24th (one week from today!!!)</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Arrive into Beijing: Wednesday, July 25th</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Thursday/Friday - we will have time to rest and do a little sightseeing</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Orientation meeting with our travel group: Saturday, July 28th, plus more sightseeing</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;color:#3333ff;"><strong>Travel to Michael's Province and "GOTCHA DAY": Sunday, July 29th</strong></span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">(we will be staying in the city of Nanjing)</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Consulate Date in Guangzhou: Tuesday, August 7th</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Visa Issued: Wednesday, August 8th</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Return HOME: Thursday, August 9th</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">We could not be more excited!! I'll post more later. </span>Brian and Suehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08301255949903753123noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4714774988428716379.post-36633124343543498712007-07-09T19:19:00.000-05:002007-07-09T19:27:40.698-05:00So what day will be "Gotcha Day"??<span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">No news yet, so we are once again "patiently" waiting to find out our confirmed dates for travel. We did go ahead and research flights, and do have some on hold for the next 72 hours. We certainly hope to hear something before then so we can get them ticketed. Right now, we are flying out on July 24th to Beijing, with a return home on August 8th from Hong Kong.</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Hopefully we get news tomorrow so we can be more sure of when we get to see Michael for the first time!!! </span>Brian and Suehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08301255949903753123noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4714774988428716379.post-22716052226891423542007-07-06T13:51:00.000-05:002007-07-06T13:55:53.527-05:00Our TA has arrived!!!!<span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Our Travel Approval has arrived today at our agency!!!! We just received an email from them letting us know that the TA's were in, and they are now waiting to get confirmation on the consulate appointments. We are tentatively scheduled to be in Beijing on <strong>July 27th</strong>!!!!! Holy cow, that is just 3 WEEKS AWAY!!!!!!</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">They are hoping the consulate appointments can be confirmed for the week of August 6th, and we would then return home around August 8th. We should know in the next couple of days the dates for sure.</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">And, we are planning to arrive a few days earlier than they want us to be there, so we have time to do a little more sightseeing, so that means we could be leaving in about 2 1/2 weeks!!!!!! WOW!!!! We have soooooo much to do!</span>Brian and Suehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08301255949903753123noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4714774988428716379.post-44489530481696359222007-07-05T20:04:00.000-05:002007-07-06T07:57:20.258-05:00No travel approval news yet.....<span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">......at least not yet for us. We are still waiting. Others, though, who received their referrals at the same time we did have been getting calls that their TA's are in, and they are traveling within the next few weeks. </span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">It is not unusual for some agencies to receive TA's, and some to come later. It depends on the processing of the acceptance paperwork over in China relating to the specific orphanages. So, we will continue to wait (patiently?) for the news of our travel dates.</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">In the meantime, referrals for July are finally arriving, so it is exciting news for our fellow adoptive families who are getting referrals this week. Dates covered this time were from November 8th through November 14th. Referral time is so wonderful!</span>Brian and Suehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08301255949903753123noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4714774988428716379.post-13329856321802565412007-07-02T23:00:00.000-05:002007-07-02T23:04:44.212-05:00TA's are beginning to arrive!<span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">The latest news from my favorite adoption website ("Rumor Queen") is saying that some agencies have received travel approvals as of today. That is good news for us, as that is the next step we are waiting for... to receive our travel approval. Once we get that, our agency will work on getting our appointment set with the consulate, and then we will get confirmed travel dates! We could get those dates pretty quickly once the TA is received, so we should know soon when we will be leaving for China! So hopefully we will hear something from our agency within the next couple of days!! One step closer to Michael!!!!!!</span>Brian and Suehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08301255949903753123noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4714774988428716379.post-8369540934355212662007-06-27T22:01:00.000-05:002007-06-27T22:57:01.109-05:00The wait to bring Michael home<span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">It is just over 3 weeks since that wonderful day that we received our referral phone call that told us we were parents of a beautiful son. Since we have received Michael's first pictures, we have thought of nothing else but getting on that plane to bring him home to us.</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">But, processes have to be followed, and so we continue to wait. But only for a little while longer. </span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">We have received this week a list of the names/addresses of the other couples that we will be traveling with in China, those in our "travel group". We actually participated today in a conference call with those couples and our agency, learning more about what we need to do to prepare for the trip. There are two travel groups going from our agency. One group of 6 couples will travel to Michael's province, the Jiangsu Province, and another group of 8 couples will travel to the Jiangxi Province. Initially, both groups will start off in Beijing, where we will stay for the first couple of days. We will attend a group orientation session, and do some sightseeing. We think we will plan to travel a day or two earlier so that we can make sure to schedule in a visit to the Great Wall (and have time to recover from the trip!). </span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"></span><br /><p align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnkba4BUbjLLJTVt9qMjhZW_2qCGB0TnNQtDlcZh8TIsOUM6OaJdLTs5zdwydxTGq6gbvMv7-m0Pky372iajrJ95LQNQoLXgoRt1_SV-pGStRM15a_b3UL2UEhSuqh8wJnst4CXI442e8/s1600-h/Jiangsu_Province_Map.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5080957282010336946" style="WIDTH: 233px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" height="278" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnkba4BUbjLLJTVt9qMjhZW_2qCGB0TnNQtDlcZh8TIsOUM6OaJdLTs5zdwydxTGq6gbvMv7-m0Pky372iajrJ95LQNQoLXgoRt1_SV-pGStRM15a_b3UL2UEhSuqh8wJnst4CXI442e8/s320/Jiangsu_Province_Map.jpg" width="272" border="0" /></a></p><p align="center"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><strong>The Jiangsu Province, China</strong></span></p><p align="left"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Once we leave Beijing, we will travel to the Jiangsu Province where Michael's orphanage is located. We will go to the capital city of Nanjing. We have heard from others who have traveled there before that it is a beautiful city. We will spend a week or so in the Province, and then on to Guangzhou in Southern China where we will finalize the adoption at the US Consulate. We will fly home with Michael out of Hong Kong. A total of 12-13 wonderful, adventurous days in China!</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Getting back to our travel group......we will be traveling with a couple from Iowa, Wisconsin, and Maryland among others. But our biggest surprise is a couple on the list who are also from Illinois. In fact, they live 40 minutes away from us, in my hometown of McHenry!! What a small world. We have emailed each other already, and hope to set up a chance to meet in person before we travel. Even better, we have found out that they also have been referred a little boy, who is 12 months old, and this is their first child too!! Only 2 families from our agency received boys, and it is us and them. Michael will have an immediate friend! It would be amazing if they come from the same orphanage.</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">All indications point to us getting our travel approvals possibly within the next week or so, as TA's usually come out right around referral time. And those behind us are anxiously waiting for their life-changing call, just as we were one month ago. Once we get our TA, we should get travel dates shortly after that. Our best guess is: China here we come, end of July / beginning of August! </span></p><p align="left"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Michael, Mommy and Daddy will see you soon!!! </span></p>Brian and Suehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08301255949903753123noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4714774988428716379.post-38443363081753525782007-06-27T21:32:00.000-05:002007-06-27T22:57:26.998-05:00A Wonderful Evening<span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Last Friday evening was a great night! My family gave me a wonderful baby shower, to celebrate the addition of Michael to our family. It was such a fun night, shared with my immediate family and close personal friends. I walked in to a beautifully decorated Chinese-themed table and a huge cake with a picture of our son on the top, with "Hi Mommy" written down the side. My Mom found adorable "goody bags" that looked like Chinese jackets, and an adorable stork for a centerpiece. And the most appropriate menu for dinner....Chinese food, and lots of it!! Although I tried to use the chopsticks, I had very little luck, so ended up using the fork after all. Guess I better start practicing! It was so nice to visit with everyone, and then to open some absolutely wonderful gifts. You should see the library of books Michael now has. Amazing!!! We are so fortunate to have such a loving family and friends around us to share in our joy. It truly was a wonderful evening!<br /></span><br /></span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Oh, by the way.....for those of you that read my "Father's Day" post and my description of our Babies 'R Us excursion, you will be relieved to know that YES, we did receive as a gift the rubber ducky that measures the bath water!!! That was Brian's favorite gift of all!!!!</span><br /><br /><br /><div align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWURJbCoSG3Fjqm7p-oRStxtj_k8Q7S4scW72yMCN6jQCHK0c6Wnrv7WaPVKedTlBxkp5oYaUphXbXlnSjf7V6vvTiAscuIqFR_vSsSL9G-nJcFKuEbU5GHwouTN5XUy1S6vgTK2gp8To/s1600-h/IMG_0577.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5080940419968732818" style="WIDTH: 226px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 149px" height="180" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWURJbCoSG3Fjqm7p-oRStxtj_k8Q7S4scW72yMCN6jQCHK0c6Wnrv7WaPVKedTlBxkp5oYaUphXbXlnSjf7V6vvTiAscuIqFR_vSsSL9G-nJcFKuEbU5GHwouTN5XUy1S6vgTK2gp8To/s320/IMG_0577.JPG" width="219" border="0" /></a> </div><div align="center"><strong>"THE" Rubber Ducky</strong></div><div align="center"></div><div align="center"></div><br /><div align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBRjzweRACxVzJxOuHAWQkhwmJ1wEeNjqQIkzIp_uy2RkN4HZz9aHHA8ctjltufbZSdjBEjRYD2yoHfpPjwjEDlOsWQFTQBDpbdWylwl-VRT3iTW6FdWaPG2K4UvkwGF1FfqtLO4qh6dI/s1600-h/IMG_0566.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5080941390631341730" style="WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 236px" height="218" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBRjzweRACxVzJxOuHAWQkhwmJ1wEeNjqQIkzIp_uy2RkN4HZz9aHHA8ctjltufbZSdjBEjRYD2yoHfpPjwjEDlOsWQFTQBDpbdWylwl-VRT3iTW6FdWaPG2K4UvkwGF1FfqtLO4qh6dI/s320/IMG_0566.JPG" width="290" border="0" /></a></div><div align="center"><strong>So many wonderful things for our Son!</strong></div>Brian and Suehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08301255949903753123noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4714774988428716379.post-58477115160970766492007-06-19T22:50:00.000-05:002007-06-19T22:55:26.357-05:00Technical Difficulties<span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">If you have tried to view our blog over the last 24 hours, you probably were not able to open it and saw a notice that the blog was being reviewed for usage violations. I promise we did nothing wrong (but for a minute, I thought...."what did we do wrong??") Anyway, blogger pulled our site down to check to make sure it wasn't a "spam blog". I'm not even sure what that is, so I knew that we weren't guilty.</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">So, no, we didn't get in trouble, arrested, or thrown in jail. All is well at the Zapien house, and the blog is back up and running! Thanks for your patience!</span>Brian and Suehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08301255949903753123noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4714774988428716379.post-39566485927413551302007-06-17T10:16:00.000-05:002007-06-17T10:38:49.522-05:00Happy Father's Day!<span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">And it is a Happy Father's Day at our house, as Brian celebrates his first one as a new daddy! He doesn't think he is officially a Dad yet, until he brings Michael home. But he sure is acting like one!</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Let me explain our trip last week to Babies 'R Us, and you'll see why. We went to Babies 'R Us one night last week after work, to register. We arrived at the store around 6:15pm. That was the beginning of a long, really fun night as we wandered the store trying to figure out what we need for Michael. Because the store is very newborn-focused, we had to take time to determine what was needed, and what we did not need as Michael has already passed some of the stages that infants go through. We had such a good time picking things out. I think we spent a good hour just looking at strollers, diaper bags, and car seats!</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Now here is where we get to the part about Brian acting like a new daddy.....</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">As we walked the store, Brian was in charge of the scanning machine, that little gun that you scan the bar codes of the products that you want to register for. We reach the "bath time" aisle. Now me being the practical one, I am choosing items that will be needed for Michael's bath, including the non-slip mat for the bottom of the tub, a mesh bag to hold his bath toys, etc, etc. What is Brian looking at (and scanning) but a yellow rubber ducky with a temperature gauge attached to the bottom of it. You put the rubber ducky in the water, and it tells you if it is too hot or too cool for the baby. I'm laughing, telling Brian that I think we can reach the same conclusion by just putting our hand in the water, and that little ducky is more for a younger infant. Of course, being the protective daddy that he already is, he said that is not good enough,</span> <span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">and we need to get this rubber ducky bath water temperature predictor thingy. Too funny. And there it sits on our registry. We laughed in the car on the way home (after spending a full 3 hours at Babies 'R Us), thinking that all our friends who have had children will be looking at what we registered for and will laugh at the things we chose.</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">My family is giving me a baby shower this coming Friday, and I cannot wait. It has been a long time waiting to be given a baby shower, so I am really looking forward to it!</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Oh, getting back to Daddy..... Brian picked out Michael's first outfit during our marathon visit to Babies 'R Us.</span><br /><div align="center"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTTHnj0e1fanTkbPc1RXdHygGogU4z0Mi9d40PT9DbrrAqPGqwbByEuQYyvroWeWgBZBXH-hRzhsfFq9isAPwbr8sOxEk9og-ju_hO0srHkN5qTJ0kxK84FE5Zc68cVHgy72D4UOidEMg/s1600-h/IMG_0553.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5077055783972966370" style="WIDTH: 158px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 209px" height="207" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTTHnj0e1fanTkbPc1RXdHygGogU4z0Mi9d40PT9DbrrAqPGqwbByEuQYyvroWeWgBZBXH-hRzhsfFq9isAPwbr8sOxEk9og-ju_hO0srHkN5qTJ0kxK84FE5Zc68cVHgy72D4UOidEMg/s320/IMG_0553.JPG" width="138" border="0" /></a></div><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Outfit complete, including the little bucket hat. Yes, Brian is a new daddy, and will make a wonderful one. There is no doubt!</span>Brian and Suehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08301255949903753123noreply@blogger.com1