One month and counting...

It has been just over a month now since we first gazed into those amazing eyes of our dear little Marin. After all we have been though since that first encounter in Guangzhou, it feels more like a year. With the false start of our hospital stay, we are only now really getting into a regular routine. It feels good and it is a nice time of year to just take it easy and see to the new needs of both our girls.
All the little baby developmental things are coming along nicely. Marin has taken her first steps and is gaining more and more confidence with her legs. She is now eating solid food and her she finds new favorites on her tray every day. She is learning to use a sippy cup, which gives her great pride. Her words are still somewhat limited to "Mah mah", and the occasional "Dah dah", with lots of grunts and giggles thrown in.

So what's it like, living with Marin? Mostly its a lot of fun. She cracks us up constantly. She is a very good-natured, easy to please, little soul and we thought we would fill you in on some of her funny little quirks. She is very affectionate and likes to cuddle. She is also very expressive and claps her little hands when she is particularly pleased. She also likes to groove to the music. Whether you are singing I've Been Working on the Railroad or Paparazzi, she likes to sway her little body to the music.
She does not like to go to sleep alone, and we are often held captive, crib-side, until she nods off. If we are stretched at nap time and choose to drop her and run, this is the result 7 times out of 10: First of all she will take a very deep breath (and you wonder if she will start breathing again), then she will cry and cry. Her wales are so pitiful, you would have thought you just stole her brand new puppy. Often times the drama is too much and she wins out and we get her up. At that point, two things happen. First, she immediately stops crying and you soon realize it was all one big charade. And then, to rub it in your face, as you carry her down the hall toward the kitchen, she gives an audible little grunt and shrug, as if to say, "huh, I won." Her best naps happen in the car, parked in the garage. Often after taking big sister to school, she will conk out in her car seat and stay asleep for an hour or more.
Generally Marin enjoys car rides, unless the sun is in her eyes (then you hear all about it). When the ride is over, and I go to unbuckle her, she looks up at me and opens her mouth as wide as she possible can. I return the greeting and we laugh about it.
Lena, Marin and Daddy got out into the canyon for some snow-time this week. Marin got her first sleigh ride with her big sister and seemed to tolerate for a while. This quickly changed, when Lena decided to get out and walk and Marin was left to role around in the sled like a piece of cargo. Then, snow-time was over.

It's Nice to be home... Again.

First of all, let us wish you all a Happy New Year and welcome in the year of the rabbit. We know to most of you the lunar new year is not much more than a 5 o'clock news mention, but after witnessing all the prep, excitement, and good cheer it generates in Asia, it has become an important new tradition for us to embrace.

If you wondered if we were done blogging, lost internet access, or were just lazy, the answer is... none of the above. We intended to stay in touch more frequently; however, little Marin was hit with an unexpected complication of immigration... new infectious bugs, namely RSV. She was a little trooper getting over her initial Guangzhou cold but relapsed with a vengeance on Super Bowl Sunday and wound up with a new and different virus (the newsworthy kind). After an unexpected ambulance ride and a few mildly harrowing days and some long nights at Primary Children's Medical Center (with great care by the way), we are now all home and everyone is sleeping in their respective beds. Amazingly, Marin can now sleep through the night (almost) now that her oxygenation is normal. Who would have thought?

Her big sis, Lena, is getting used to her new role as team captain. It is an effort, getting used to this new family member, and she has been a real go-getter. It has been fun to watch her tackle her new role (not the baby) as helper, and she is slowly starting to figure out what her capabilities are and what she can and can't do to help. For example, she can pick up Marin, but she sure as hell can't go anywhere with her.

We have a bit of good news. We met with Marin's surgeon today and were very relieved to find that he is happy (and dare we say impressed) with the cleft lip/palate repair she underwent in Guangzhou last July. This means far fewer surgeries for her in the long run and she is off the hook for major surgery for the next few years. What a relief for us since we were preparing for yearly surgery for the next several years. She will probably have outpatient procedures for tympanostomy tubes and a little tissue resection on her upper lip this year but it shouldn't be anything that requires an extended hospital stay. And as she bounces back from her illness, she is proving herself to be a good eater, open to new and different solid foods. This is great for us, given our limited experience with bottle feeding (what a royal pain).

We were so fortunate to have great visit with Val's folks. YeYe and Grandma Pat had some quality time with their newest grandchild. Marin warmed right up to her new grandparents and Helena was also very happy to have them here. She shows such love and affection for her extended family. It is very heart warming to witness.

For now, we plan on settling into a regular routine. This should be a nice change for a while.

WE MADE IT!

Just a quick note to let you all know we are safe and sound at home. And a big thank you for all of your encouraging words over the last two weeks.

After a near flight miss in HK, a sleepless night in SF and an hour delay into SLC, our transit clock stopped at 31 hours (give or take an hour). The eleven hour HK to SF flight was by far the most painful. Catering to the whims of little Marin, we basically sat in a virtual sensory isolation chamber for 11 hours, with a bad meal thrown at us couple times. We joked that we would take 11 hours of labor in a delivery room, over this ordeal any day (even if Justin was birthing the baby).
As you can see from the pics, the rewards for enduring were very sweet. It was such a welcome site to see our family and friends, waiting to meet us with open arms. Marin certainly felt the love and she took all the attention in stride, with big smiles for everyone. And holding our Helena felt especially precious . We are now recovering from some brutal jet-lag, which we hope to pass in the coming days. We will be back to give a full report on our progress, but for tonight, we will let the pics tell our happy homecoming story. A special thanks to the Cannons and Scherers for coming out to greet us.
Its good to be home.

Homeward Bound

Marin's long, full journey from Huazhou to Holladay is nearing its end -- our eyes are peeled for the peaks of the Wasatch Mountains. Unfortunately we have several ranges to cross first, and this final leg is laden with its share of obstacles. Our yearning for full sunny days has been somewhat satisfied, with the weather fairly pleasant the last couple of days. But we still ache for home and we are resolute on maintaining our focus until we land safely in SLC. We have done the math, so to speak, and unfortunately we anticipate a new level of sleep deprivation since the best case transit scenario is a well-rested kid with red-eyed parents.

We posted a little deja vu picture from our lunch yesterday and a very similar lunch three years ago. In some ways this trip has been similar to our last, but in two ways very different. Our Marin has helped open our eyes to the amazing generosity of people living and working quietly in some of the most unexpected places of this world. Secondly, this trip has reinforced to us how difficult it is to be separated from our daughter --if only for a short time. We have both felt the pain of her absence. We can't wait to give her real, warm hugs instead of our clumsy virtual ones. Lena's little sister is going to be so excited to have her. Marin has such enthusiasm when interacting with other kiddos, even the bronze sculpture variety!

We will miss our travel companions but we are aware of everyone's longing for their respective homes, husbands, children, and lives. We are now counting down to our Pizza party in Room 1036 tonight before we all board a plane at 10PM to head for Hong Kong. Then, it is farewell, as we all go our separate ways and the three Archies board our overnight flight to San Fransisco, then Salt Lake City Saturday morning... Ahhh, that will be wonderful.

Passport'd-Up and Visa Ready

In our loving care, we now have a Chinese National, with a United States entry visa. Today we had our last official office visit and it was at the US consulate of Guangzhou. This office processes one third of all international adoptions (worldwide). On behalf of our little Cantonese cutie we took an oath. We swore to the accuracy of all documents and information provided to the United States government with the primary intent of securing entry and automatic naturalization upon clearing United States immigration. For us, and millions of people around the world, this remains a privilege that we do not take for granted.

For this auspicious occasion, the sunshine peeked out of its winter hiding for a couple hours. We had a nice sunny bus drive through several sections of Guangzhou. Fresh off hosting the Asian Games in December, the city looks pretty good. There are a couple of very impressive new high rises that would rival the flashy sister to the north, Shanghai. With Spring Holiday rapidly approaching, there is also beautiful potted orange trees dotting the streets and plazas. Val keeps threatening to pick a couple off the vine. Despite the size, the city does have some real charm and the tree lined streets are well cultivated and cared for.

Our day out ended with a dinner-out with our travel group to Cow and Bridge, a very good Thai restaurant on Shamian Island. With the exception of our darling child, all the kids were well behaved and we had a great time. The stress of the chase is now over and now we are all just gearing up for the final push for home. The restaurant was full of families we had seen earlier in the day at the consulate. As I looked around the room I was overwhelmed by the stories unfolding at each table. Kids of all ages and sizes, bound for new lives, dining with their new parents, brothers and sisters, grandmas and grandpas. Over the last few weeks we have witnessed levels of selflessness that are not common in our daily grind. Some may say that we have done a wonderful thing by taking Lena and Marin into our family (to the benefit of Val and I as much as Lena and MiMi). But this pales in comparison to dozens of people we have met over our stay here. We met Robin and Coleman who have adopted four kids and also do charitable work training fellow physicians in North China; or Sally who we met today, with four adopted children and her husband at home, here on her own in China (second trip in seven months) bringing home her new six-year-old darling daughter with Down syndrome. Special needs kids as the second or third addition has been the norm. Just as heart warming, we have also met several new parents, with their five year dream finally coming true. Daily we have met individuals who are going through this arduous process yet again, the third, fourth or fifth time to provide a child with a loving home and family. Today at the consulate we learned that 67% of children adopted from China in 2010 were special needs --compared to 40% when we adopted Helena in 2008. This trend is continuing in 2011. To employ an over-used word, this trip has been inspirational (as well as thought-provoking).

On the lighter side of things, we have really enjoyed our little travel group. Really nice people with enough laughter to keep us all sane. Laura and Diane (pictured at the front of the table) have kept their senses of humor and a few of their quips come to mind.
When I complimented Laura on her fantastic collection of unique jewelry, she said, "Its what separates us from the animals". Also, when they found out that a 40oz bottle of beer was only $0.79, she said we would be losing money if we didn't buy it. We will treasure all of our travel buddies.

Red couch picture tomorrow... we're in the home stretch!

True Children's Home

Save for the day when we took Marin into our arms, this may have been the most treasured day of the trip. We had the pleasure, honor really, of visiting the True Children's Home in Dongguan, about an hour and a half drive from Guangzhou. Dongguan is a VERY industrial, factory town that is oppressed with smog. In fact it is the heart of industry in the Pearl River Delta. The Pearl River Delta being the place of origin of almost every manufactured thing all of us own. As you look out over the vast expanse of gloom, to factory after smoking factory, the thought of light, sunshine, a bright spot of any kind is the furthest thing from your mind. You simply can't believe that hope can exist here. But, in fact, it does. The True Children's Home is located in a rather nice gated complex within the city limits. The home is actually two, three-bedroom apartments across a common hall from one another, housing ten to twelve kids each. One apartment is for young babies, usually prior to surgery, and the other for older babies and toddlers that have either recovered from surgery or are in need of ongoing care. Mikel, the home's director met us at the front door. We were invited into the main living room of the "toddler house" and were greeted by ten happy kiddos all in the hands of their smiling nannies. Marin was in Val's arms and as we entered the room hands went up in all directions to greet her. We sat her down and she immediately started playing and smiling with her buddies and the nannies, who ooh'd and aah'd over her. She was so content, and we left her in good hands as we took a tour of the facilities. Each home has three bedrooms with three to four bright white cribs each. Every room was clean and welcoming with colorful paint and cheerful decor. A small, clean kitchen was located off the main living area. Mikel also pointed out a wall in the apartment where the kids' treatment records, feeding schedules, and medications, were posted. She also explained a colorful family tree of sorts, that is utilized to track the status of all the children under TCH's care. In addition to the home residents, this charity also places kids in foster settings before they can be formally adopted. After the tour we joined Marin on the carpet with her peeps. The nannies were friendly and warm to us, although we could sense their bittersweet feelings about Marin leaving with her forever family. Marin came back to use willingly, but not necessarily eager to leave. It was exactly the response we wanted, Marin's willingness to go with us, but doing it with fondness for those who had fostered her. We were touched by one special little boy with spina bifeda, who asked the director if he could come home with us too. She gently told him to be patient; his family is on their way, and they truly are, having already adopted two special needs kids from the True Children's Home. We would love to show you the pics we took for Marin of her happy aunties, brothers and sisters, but for privacy reasons (requested by TCH), that will have to wait until you come meet Mi Mi in person. :)

The most intriguing member of the staff was Mikel. She is the twenty-something, maybe early thirties, West Virginian who was teaching English in China when she found herself the director of this small, but very demanding enterprise. She is uniquely suited for the job and seems to have the passion, drive, and energy for this program. She is so selfless as a young, single woman, in a job that never sleeps. These people have chosen to make a difference in these little lives, one baby at a time, and they do it so well. We feel so fortunate to be directly touched as beneficiaries of this care. They have four programs: Foster care for the babies whenever reasonable and possible, home care within their twenty-bed facility, surgical care, and community outreach. The outreach program is so important, to help moms who love their babies but don't have the resources and support to keep them in their own homes; the all important outcome being a reduction in the rate of child abandonment.

We traveled back to Guangzhou very touched by the inspiring people we met today. The experience reminds us of what Mother Teresa once said, "In this life we cannot do great things. We can only do small things with great love."

Cruising the Mighty Pearl

With less than a (business) week till we depart, our time is now spent trying to find things to do while we wait for our consulate appointment on Wednesday. We had a few errands to run today, mostly restocking our formula and beer supply (both staples of good parenting). Then we killed some time in our room and the playroom while our daughter decided NOT to take a nap. She was happy-go-lucky until it was time to board our river cruise tonight, then she had a minor melt down. This didn't last long and she predictably passed out in mid-screech about five minutes into her tirade. After we set sail, she woke up ready to party on the boat, so we all headed up to the Lido Deck. We had a nice ninety-minute float that included a decent dinner and time to chat with our fellow travel families. The highlight was Guangzhou all lit up with holiday lights. It was particularly fun to see the White Swan from the river's perspective. The ole girl is distinguished landmark. The views from the upper deck were impressive, but Marin's favorite part of the voyage was the juggling clown in the dining room.

We were also excited to finally see Jason, our CCAI guide from three years ago. He and his current group were with us on our cruise. We shared lots of pictures of Helena as a big grown-up four-year-old, and also introduced him to Marin. He is now married and still happily working for CCAI. We mentioned to him that we thought we remembered he was dating a girl, when we were here last time. And with a twinkle in his eye, his reply was "yes, I think a few girls, but I picked the right one to marry."

Please excuse the runny nose pictures but we thought they were too cute not to include. We also included a picture of one of the orange trees, which are all over town, and are a sign of the upcoming Chinese New Year, or Spring Festival to the locals. People were out in droves today, doing their holiday shopping. The stores are packed with all of them playing the same Happy New Year sound track. By the time we leave, we should know the words by heart.

We are very excited about our day tomorrow. The three of us, and our representative Grace, will travel an hour and a half southwest of Guangzhou to visit Marin's previous digs, the True Childrens Home. We have a list of questions and and we hope to have lots of good info to share in our next post.