GOTCHA, CALLIE BETH!

DRUM ROLL, PLEASE!!!  Introducing CALLIE BETH PIERCE!

 

 

GOTCHA DAY!!!!!-----WE GOT HER!!!!

Roger and I are officially the daddy and mama of the second most BEAUTIFUL girl in the world!!!!  Callie Beth arrived about 30 minutes after we arrived at the government office this  morning.  When she was handed to me, she did some serious grunting, but she didn't shed many REAL tears.  At first, she was a little stiff in my arms, but she gradually relaxed.  Three and a half hours later, she is now a SNUGGLE BUNNY!!!!  She is a Mama's girl right now, but she will eventually be a daddy's girl, too.  It's just going to take a little time.

Molly Kate has been PHENOMENAL with the whole experience!!!  She has allowed me to hold Callie Beth, and has been so sweet and sharing with her.  Sometimes when Callie Beth does her serious grunting noise, Molly Kate mocks her, and then she smiles really big.  She has been great sharing her toys, and she points to Callie and either says, "Sissy," or "Callie."  NO-----I'm not expecting it to be this easy all the time, but we have certainly been blessed with a wonderful start.  I credit that to the many prayers that I KNOW have been lifted for us.  PLEASE keep those prayers coming!!!!

It was three years ago today that someone left our very precious Callie Beth in the women's restroom in the pediatric section of a hospital.  She was a very sick baby, and needed surgery.  Luckily, she was found and five days later, received the surgery she needed.  We are just blessed beyond words to celebrate the anniversary of her being found with her being placed in our arms to be her FOREVER FAMILY!!!!!  God is SO good!!!!

I'm attaching a few pictures of our GOTCHA moment, as well as SISTER times!!!!

Vicki :)

IT'S GOTCHA DAY!!!!

TODAY'S THE DAY!!!

Today is the special day we have be longing for the last 11 months.  In about 3 1/2 hours, we will have our precious Callie Beth in our arms!!!!  We are excited beyond words!!!!


We arrived in Zhengzhou, the capital city of Henan, early yesterday afternoon.  The area where our hotel is located is much nicer than it was where we stayed in Beijing.  We are  a short walking distance from Walmart (we've already made a trip there!!!!), Pizza Hut, and Kentucky Fried Chicken.  Our hotel is actually in a courtyard with three other hotels.  We ate an early lunch/late supper in the hotel next door----CHINESE FOOD???---sort of.  We actually had pulled noodles, and they were GOOD!!!  It is also hotter than blue blazes here!!!  Rita, our guide, said the temperature was 106 last week.  It is very humid like it is at home, but it is much hotter, too.  I would much rather it be HOT than COLD, though!!!!!


We received updated information on Callie Beth yesterday.  I didn't get any info on her size (I'm hoping the TWENTY EIGHT outfits I brought for her will fit, and that at least one of the pairs of shoes will!!! :))  We did find out about some of her habits, likes, and personality.  She is described as introverted and quiet.  She is afraid of strangers, and likes playing alone, but if she cries really hard, snacks will make her better right away!!! (sounds like ME!!!)  She can walk and run.  She has no allergies.  She goes to bed around 9:00 and usually wakes up around 5:00----we're going to have to work on that one!!!!  She sleeps in a a crib by herself, and usually sleeps on her stomach, with the light off.  She needs to be held to fall asleep sometimes!!!!!  (another snuggler!!!!!!)  She likes taking a bath and is used to one every morning.  She likes vegetables, meat, and fruit.  She still drinks from a bottle????  I have questions about that one.  She is NOT potty trained---I think we can handle that.  She has had no chance to get close to animals because of the living environment.  My baby girl loves dolls, just like her Mama did and does!!! They call her Yan Yan (pronounced Yen Yen.)  She definitely sounds like a keeper to me!!!!!!! 


PLEASE pray for her transition to us today.  Also, pray for Molly Kate, too, because the world she has known for the past 15 months is about to change.  It really is changing for the better, though, and I think she will see that, in time. 


I don't know how soon I will be able to post pictures from our GOTCHA moment.  We have other business to take care of today after we all get our sweet babies, and I know we are planning to take them to a local park here to play.  I will post again as soon as possible!!!


Vicki :)

DAY TWO

Beijing - Day 2

We have had another FULL DAY of activities.  I decided our guide must be giving us extra practice in being exhausted, considering all of us in the group may find many exhausting days in the future, once we get our little sweeties!!!!

We left the hotel this morning at 8:30 and headed toward the Great Wall of China.  We made a stop at the Jade Factory on the way.  OH, MY......what beautiful things there were there!!!!  We left with two jade bangles, which we will give them for their 16th birthdays. 
OOPS.....I may have to go back and delete that last sentence, because I have a feeling both girls will have seen this blog before they turn 16!!

It was an enjoyable drive to the Great Wall, but once arriving, even though we had an Ergo carrier to put Molly Kate in, we both realized that there was no way either of us would be physically able to carry her up the steps any distance.  So, Roger graciously agreed to wait at the bottom while I made the effort to make my trek up the wall.  For those of you who know nothing about the wall, there is no such thing as climbing to the top because it goes on forever from where we were.  Also, the steps on it are not uniform.  In fact, many of them were knee high on me, and they are so steep, that there were places that I could literally lean forward and tough my nose to the step in front of me.  I was SO proud of myself to make it to the first landing, after considerable huffing and puffing.  After resting a few minutes, though, I decided I wanted to go up just one more level.  I could have climbed farther, but I was proud of how far I had made it----478 steps!!!!  I might add that I climbed the more challenging side!!!   Coming down was no piece of cake.  By the time I was two-thirds of the way down, my legs felt like rubber bands!!!  It was an overall great experience, though, and I'm so glad we were able to visit one of the seven wonders of the world, and actually climb it.

After leaving the Great Wall, we went to eat lunch----you guessed it----at a CHINESE restaurant! :)  We then headed to the section of Beijing where the 2008 Olympics were held.  It was amazing to see the complexes constructed for the competitions, as well as apartments, hotels, etc., also built to accommodate the athletes and visitors.  Our guide said it was all paid for the following year, just from the tickets sold for the events.  WOW!!!

Our final stop for the night was to see a Chinese Acrobat Show.  Even though I think all of us in the group dozed off at least once during the performance, it was a PHENOMENAL show!!!!! 

I have to brag on Molly Kate.  We all got up this morning around 6:30 to start the day.  She was good as gold all day, with not one minute of fussing or crying, and that was without a nap.  She fell asleep around 5:30 during the acrobat show.  She did wake up long enough once we got back to the room for us to romp and play on the bed for a few minutes, but she rolled over and fell back asleep.   She is lying like a little frog on one bed right now, and Roger is sawing logs on the other!!!! 

I know that all of the things I've been sharing each day are not really what this blog is supposed to be about.  The BIG event is coming SOON, though!!!!!  We will be leaving Beijing in the morning(Sunday here) and flying to Zhengzhou, the capital city of the Henan province where Callie Beth is.  We will go to a government building on Monday morning, and the director of the Jiaozuo Orphanage where she is now will be bringing her to us around 10:00 AM.  This process is different from when we adopted Molly Kate.  She was brought to us at the hotel.  PLEASE pray for Callie Beth.  It breaks my heart to think about her being taken away from the only "home" she has ever known, driven over an hour and a half to a foreign place, and then handed over to two people who look nothing like her.  I am hoping and praying that her nannies and nurses at the orphanage have prepared her for the transition, and that Molly Kate's presence may make it easier for her.  Also, please pray for the nannies and nurses who have cared for her in the orphanage.  I know they are happy that she is being adopted, but it has to be sad for them, too, to see a child leave whom they have loved and nurtured since she was just a tiny baby.  Adoption is one of the most WONDERFUL things in the world----there's no way to understand what it does to your heart, unless you've experienced it firsthand.  But there are also aspects involved in it that are very bittersweet...

Until tomorrow.....

Vicki :)

DAY 1

Beijing - Day 1

We had a VERY BUSY day of site seeing around the city today.  I think our guide planned it this way in order to keep all of us awake!!!  Of course, for some reason Roger, Molly Kate, and I were ALL awake by 3:30 this morning, so in addition to it being a very busy day, it has also been a VERY LONG day!!!!

We started the day with a ride on a rickshaw to a courtyard that originated in the 1600's.   From there we visited the silk factory, where we had a lesson on how silk is made.  We had a tasty lunch---CHINESE food, of course.  We then proceeded on to Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden City where we did A LOT of walking!!!!  After our return to the hotel, and a short rest, we hit the streets again with one of the other couples in our group, and walked down to a place called Snack Street, which is actually a street where food vendors are lined up with booths selling ALL KINDS of unusual foods.  I'm glad we didn't eat BEFORE we went, because with some of the smells, I think I might have lost it!!!  We did walk awhile longer, ate supper----you guessed right----Chinese food---- and then headed back to the hotel.  

Reflections of today?????

1.  I am SO glad Molly Kate and Callie Beth are going to have the opportunity to grow up in the CLEAN town of Benton!!!!

2.  This courtyard is valued at over $4 MILLION DOLLARS????  I appreciate history, but I'm not sure I appreciate it THAT much!!!!

3.  If General Mao hadn't enforced the one child policy in China over 30 years ago, we probably wouldn't be blessed to have Molly Kate and Callie Beth as our daughters.

4.  That emperor who lived in the Forbidden City---the one who was not only married to the empress, but also had MANY concubines and possibly over 300 children-----I would have thought that anyone with THAT many children would have at least made the courtyard and palace a little more stroller friendly!!!!

5.  Snack Street----somehow water bugs, starfish, fungus, snakes, silkworms, and sheep penises, to mention a few of the food choices offered, just weren't my craving tonight!!!! :)

6.  I'm glad I live in BENTON, not BEIJING!!!!

It really was a fun day today, and as I said in yesterday's post, we LOVE all the families in our travel group.  HOWEVER, our eyes are set on Callie Beth, and we are SOOOOOO ready to get her!!!!!

Tomorrow is our visit to the Great Wall of China, SO I'd better sign off for the night and try to get some rest!!!!

Vicki

WE'RE HERE!!!!

WE ARE IN BEIJING!!!

We are HERE----the home country of our daughter to be!!!!!  As I'm sitting here typing, I feel like I'm still on the plane!!!  We left home around 3:00 AM on Wednesday morning.  Phyllis (my sister-in-law), along with my mother drove us to Nashville for our flight.  Needless to say, it was a stay up all night kind of night for us.  I had SO much I needed to get done before we left, and as it always is, I left most of it undone.  I put Molly Kate to bed around 11:00, but of course, it would be a night that she started crying and wanted, "Mama, SIT" on the bed beside her.  I think it was probably 11:30 before she finally went to sleep.  I got her up at 2:30 and put her in the car to leave, and she woke up in a GREAT mood.  I figured she would go back to sleep on our way to Nashville, but she didn't.  THEN, I figured she would go to sleep on our flight from Nashville to Chicago, but she didn't AGAIN.  When we got to Chicago, I was bound and determined to keep her awake during our four hour layover so that she would go to sleep on our flight to Beijing, and then maybe I could get some sleep, too, since I had been up all night.  Well, I didn't have to try to keep her awake, and when we got on the plane, she was still wide awake.  By that time, though, it was obvious she was so tired she was wiggling all over the place to stay awake.  I put her in my lap, and she was out like a light!!  She took quite a lengthy nap then, and the another one later.  I also managed to squeeze in some shuteye, too.  Roger was out almost as soon as the plane took off!!!!  :)
 
We really had a wonderful flight!!!  Molly Kate is a world class traveler, and couldn't have been better.  Our guide, whose name is Cindy, met us at the airport.  She is a sweetie.  The five families we met tonight in our travel group are all so very nice.  We are the OLDEST couple adopting, but no one is any more excited about it than we are.  We are only four days away from getting our precious Callie Beth!!!!

Tomorrow we will be touring Beijing, so hopefully I will have some pictures to share tomorrow night.  Right now, I'm so sleepy that I need to sign off and go to bed!!!!

Vicki :)

We're On Our Way!

It's Time To Bring Callie Beth to her "forever" home!  

Here is our itinerary for you to follow our journey!

 
6/20     Leave U.S. for Beijing.  Please check your tickets for specific information.

6/21     Arrive in Beijing 

When you arrive, get your baggage, go through Customs and Immigration and exit this part of the airport.  Your CCAI Beijing guide will meet you outside Customs & Immigration.  Thank you.

Welcomed by your Beijing guide Cindy (13581695849 cell) or her assistant.

(If calling from the US, add 011 86 then the number).

            Go to the Crowne Plaza Wangfujing Hotel. Free time. Enjoy!

6/22     Tour Beijing.  Entrance fees paid upon arrival.  Ask Cindy for details. Pay as you go. 

            Tiananmen Square, Forbidden City, Hutong Tour, and optional acrobatics show

6/23     Tour Beijing.  Entrance fees paid upon arrival.  Ask Cindy for details. Pay as you go

            Great Wall

6/24     Depart Beijing for Zhengzhou on China Southern flight CZ 3116 (10:20-11:50).

            Welcomed by CCAI Representative Rita (13253303180 cell).

            (If you are calling from the US, add 011 86 then the phone number).

Go to the Crownee Plaza Hotel. It is appropriate to tip the luggage handler about $1.50 per bag upon arrival.

Walk to the bank and get money exchanged into RMB.

This daily schedule should be used as a reference.  Your rep will give you a detailed schedule for each day’s events.

6/25     Today you will receive your child!  Congratulations! Please make sure to take plenty of pictures as these photos are a requirement for the one month post-adoption report!

Kaifeng - The Orphanage Officer Ms. Wang Fang will deliver your child to you

Jiaozuo - The Orphanage Officer Ms. Wan Juan Ying will deliver your child to you

Xuchang - The Orphanage Officer Ms. Zhang Xi Mei will deliver your child to you

Zhumadian - The Orphanage Officer Ms. Zhu & Ms. Yu will deliver your child to you

Zhengzhou - The Orphanage Officer Mr. Yan Bo will deliver your child to you

This afternoon, all families will sign the Guardianship Agreement.

Take Registration Certificate photos at local photo shop.

Return to the hotel. Meet with Rita to prepare registration paperwork.   

Note: Use your child’s Chinese name to fill out all paperwork.  Also, if you have changed your address and have an updated home study, it is imperative that you maintain consistency of address with all paperwork and in all interviews with BOTH governments while you’re in China.

6/26     All families: Take a bus to the registration office to complete the Adoption Registration in the morning.  Directly after registration all families except Jiaozuo will complete the notary interview.

Please note that your adoption is finalized at the time of registration.  After this point, the Chinese government prohibits you from relinquishing your child in China.

Parents: Please review paperwork carefully.

You must make sure all addresses, spelling, etc. are correct. Alert Rita IMMEDIATELY if anything is incorrect. Failure to have 100% correct documents can mean the U.S. Consulate will not be able to process your child’s U.S. visa application. Note: Use your child’s Chinese name to fill out all paperwork.

Also, if you have changed your address and have an updated home study, it is imperative that you maintain consistency of address with all paperwork and in all interviews with BOTH governments while you’re in China.

*Go to the local city where your child is from to apply for his/her passport with the local Public Security Office.  Please see the cost page for the distance from Zhengzhou to the orphanage city you will travel to.  You will go there by taxi/train/bus, accompanied by an English-speaking guide.  Traveling to the local city can be an inconvenience and challenging due to the traffic congestion, over- crowdedness, long ride, and caring for your newly adopted child.  So be prepared for a possibly very exhausting day of travel and paperwork.  You will return to Zhengzhou on the same day as no local overnight stay is necessary.  The great news is that you will be able to see a little of the city where your child originates from. Pay as you go for your family and guide’s service fee.

Kaifeng (Thatcher), Jiaozuo (Pierce) – Rest, free time in Zhengzhou. 

6/27     Jiaozuo (Pierce) – In the morning you will travel to city where your child is from to apply for your child’s passport in person at the public security bureau.  You will also complete the notary paperwork in Jiaozuo.*

*Go to the local city where your child is from to apply for his/her passport with the local Public Security Office.  Please see the cost page for the distance from Zhengzhou to the orphanage city you will travel to.  You will go there by taxi/train/bus, accompanied by an English-speaking guide.  Traveling to the local city can be an inconvenience and challenging due to the traffic congestion, over- crowdedness, long ride, and caring for your newly adopted child.  So be prepared for a possibly very exhausting day of travel and paperwork.  You will return to Zhengzhou on the same day as no local overnight stay is necessary.  The great news is that you will be able to see a little of the city where your child originates from. Pay as you go for your family and guide’s service fee.

6/28     Free time or rest.  Optional tours may be available please ask Rita for details. Pay as you go

Receive your notary documents in the afternoon.

Parents: PLEASE check printing, spelling, and photos very carefully!

Alert Rita IMMEDIATELY if anything is incorrect. Failure to have correct documents can mean that the U.S. Consulate may refuse to process your child’s entry visa into the U.S.

6/29     Receive your child’s passport in the afternoon.

Parents: PLEASE check printing, spelling, and photos very carefully!

Alert Rita IMMEDIATELY if anything is incorrect. Failure to have correct documents can mean that the U.S. Consulate may refuse to process your child’s entry visa into the U.S.

If you have medicines you are not using, please consider making a donation by leaving these items with Rita.

6/30     Leave Zhengzhou for Guangzhou on China Southern flight CZ 3393 (12:50-15:05).

Welcomed by CCAI representative Jason (13711520252 cell).

 CCAI Guangzhou Office (020-89091922 office and 13112207469 cell)

(If calling from the US, add 011 86 then the phone number).

Go to the China Hotel.  (It is appropriate to tip the luggage handler about $1.50 per bag upon arrival)

           

7/1       Free day in Guangzhou. Pay as you go

7/2       Take bus to clinic to complete your child’s visa physical and visa photo taken this morning. Bring supplies (water, snack, etc.). Your child will also receive a tuberculosis skin test if they are between the ages of 2 to 14. Be ready to go! If your child is 10 & over, he/she will receive required immunizations from the clinic.

7/3       Meet with CCAI representatives to prepare paperwork for the Consulate appointment: Please bring all of your documents and passports to this meeting. Your CCAI rep will have the required forms for you to fill out

7/4       Happy Fourth of July!

If your child is over two you will meet with your CCAI representative to have the Tuberculosis test checked at the clinic. If necessary have the chest x-ray taken.  You will travel by bus or taxi to clinic to complete this test. Please plan to reimburse your CCAI representative in Guangzhou for this transportation cost.

 7/5       Today is your Consulate appointment. 

Your CCAI representative will deliver your visa packets to the U.S. Consulate Adoption Unit in the morning.  In the afternoon you will go to the U.S. Consulate to take the oath.  Please bring as few items with you to the Consulate as possible. Backpacks, baby bags or purses are not permitted inside the Consulate. Cell phones or cameras are not allowed in the U.S. Consulate or on the U.S. Consulate grounds. 

7/6       A CCAI representative will go to the U.S. Consulate to receive your child’s visa packet

DO NOT OPEN YOUR CHILD’S VISA PACKET!

Prepare to leave for home.

Pierce – Depart Guangzhou for Hong Kong via van (pre-paid).  Please ask your rep for details. When you arrive in Hong Kong, please check into your hotel. Booked by you.

Robichaux – Depart Guangzhou for Hong Kong via your own arrangements. Booked by you.

When you arrive in Hong Kong, please check into your hotel. Booked by you.

Young – Depart Guangzhou for Hong Kong via train. Pay as you go.  Please ask your rep for details.

When you arrive in Hong Kong, please check into your hotel. Booked by you.

7/7       Thatcher - Depart Guangzhou for Tokyo on Japan Airlines Flight JA 5026 @ 09:30.

Patterson - Depart Guangzhou for Hong Kong on Dragon Airlines flight KA 783 @ 09:55.

When you arrive in Hong Kong, please check into your hotel. Booked by you.

            Leave China for the U.S.  Please check in 2 hours prior to departure for the US.

Please check your tickets for specific information. 

WELCOME HOME!

The BIG "A"!!!!!!

I'm a little behind on posts for Callie Beth's blog.  Even though we have been anxious to get her in our arms, the time really has flown by.....AND, we have conquered all the "A's" that have to be reached in the adoption process (I-800A, LOA, and MOST important, TA, which we received last Thursday, June 7.  TA is our TRAVEL ARRANGEMENTS.  In other words, WE ARE LEAVING TO GET OUR SWEET CALLIE BETH SOON!!!!!----on JUNE 20, to be exact!!!!  We will have Callie Beth in our arms on June 25, June 24, Kentucky time!!!!!

I will post details about our travel later, but for tonight I just want to share some updated pictures we have received of Callie Beth since my last post.  The one with Callie Beth, her nanny, and one of the babies in the center was provided by a true angel who just happened to pass my way.  The individual pictures were sent in an update we received a few weeks ago.  We didn't receive any updated information, but the pictures speak for themselves....Callie Beth looks like she is HAPPY and HEALTHY!!!!!  How BLESSED we are to be entrusted with another beautiful child.....God is SO good!!!!    Vicki :)