Visit to Yang Jiang

Today we visited Yang Jiang and it was a long and hot day. It took three hours to drive there from Guangzhou.  It was a very busy highway that had a lot of sections undergoing construction, especially the stretch close to Guangzhou. It

was mostly pretty bumpy and very, very busy!  Yang Jiang was a big city/town with wide roads and lots of construction everywhere.  I guess this is the story of Modern Day China where everything is being rebuilt!  Yang Jiang is famous for

their knives and steelwork so a lot of carving knives and cutlery come from there.

Lilianna's orphanage was in the poorer and older section of town where most roads were more multilane boulevards, her orphanage was off of a single lane alley.  There are four floors to the building with senior care on the first two and the children being cared for on the top two floors.  Lilianna's former room was on the top floor and you could look into her old room through the clear glass doors that separated it from the outside.The building was shaped like a small U and was open to the outside with small rooms coming off the central balcony on the inside of the U shape.  We were shown the baby room on the top floor but not the one on the floor below as the windows for this room were frosted and appeared darkened inside.  We saw the kids on the top floor in their cribs and it appeared to be bath time as some babies were being carried into a side room and their clothes were being taken off.  There were air conditioners in the room but I also noticed the windows were open so it did not appear that they were turned on despite the intense heat.  There was a television on the wall that was turned on and a few of the toddlers were staring at it.

We sat in a side room with the orphanage vice-director who tried to answer our questions.  We learnt that there are about 80 kids in the orphanage.  About 20 of them are special needs and the remaining 60 kids were split into two rooms with three nanies in each room to look after all the kids. Office staff would assist with their care when they could.  It was a difficult visit but a necessary one for our little Lilianna!  We were then taken to Lilianna's

reported finding spot and then had lunch with the vice director.  On the way out of Yang Jiang we stopped at a store to get look at some of the knives, swords

and cuttlery that are made in Yang Jiang.  I saw some amazing swords and cleavers but not very practical baby gifts thats for sure.  Ali found some pocket knives that he liked and then we were back on the road back to Guangzhou.

Jazzy had stayed in Guangzhou to hang out with Nanna Lee and to play with Kiora.  It was too long of a bus ride to get there and back for her to come along.  She had a great day eating potato chips, watching TV and going to the pool for a swim.  

We ended the day going to a Malaysian restaruant across the street and then coming back to the hotel for a good nights sleep after a difficult day.

Day of Rest and Relaxation

Today we had no trips or meetings or paperwork or shopping, we just relaxed, had breakfast, went to the hotel swimming pool for a while and relaxed!

Lilianna had a day of rest and relaxation too.  She woke up and had her morning bottle and then fell asleep while drinking.  She was lying on Ali for three hours, he dared not move and loved it!  Later I took over and she kept sleeping most of the morning even though she had a great sleep last night.  It has been a busy last few days and for this little girl it has been a wirlwind since she has been in the same orphanage room her whole life and the last few days have been full of new things for her.

We had some nice skype time with family today in Vancouver and Arizona so it was great to touch base and chat.

Ali took Jazz down to the swimming pool where she had a great time with Tom and Kiora in the water.  While they were there, Lilianna and I had a bath together in the hotel room, she did not like it at all but we had really nice cuddles together afterwards.

We had a small playdate with the other girls in the hotels play room but it was a small room and was hot with no airconditioning so it did not last too long. After that it was back to the room where everyone kind of nodded of for an hour or so and then we went off for dinner and an early night for sleeping.

Well off to sleep for me now!  Tomorrow is going to be a long day with our trip to visit the orphanage.  It is a three hour ride each way so it is going to take most of the day.  Jazzy is going to stay in the hotel with Nanna Lee and will also get some play time with her friend Kiora!  We will miss listening to the hockey game in the morning but will have our fingers crossed for the Canucks!!

Paperwork Day

Today was on of those days where we had a lot of paperwork to take care of!!

Lilianna had a great night and slept from 9:00pm last night to 7:00 this morning.  She just hates not to be held and if she is put down for even a second, big tears stream down her face and she has the saddest sobs.  Diaper changes today were filled with huge tears and soulful cries!  So when she woke up this morning, her first morning with us, she was pretty lost and confused and cried until we rushed to her side to pick her up.  Once she is being held there are a few moments of smaller sobs and then she cuddles in and quietly watches what is going on around her.

She also sucks her thumb and has a large sore on the knuckle of her thumb as she is very serious about the whole thing.  On Together Day, that thumb did not leave her mouth at all.  I have a couple of teething rings with me so I gave them to her and it worked but not in the way that I had expected.  She took one ring in one hand and the other ring in the other hand and held them there, quite rigidly and just kept looking at them.  They appeared to be the most fascinating things she had ever seen!  She would not let go of them and if you tried she had a very determined look on her face and she held on to them very tightly. But she did not put her thumb in her mouth while she held them.  Ali told me that when she woke up this morning, she was sucking her thumb again and he found her teething rings in the bottom of her crib as she had let them go during the night.  So he picked one of them up and held it up for her.  She looked at it with wide eyes and took it with the non-sucking hand.  Then he offered her the other one.  Apparently she paused, stared at it briefly and then took her thumb out of her mouth and took the ring into her thumb sucking hand.  She then proceeded to hold on to them all day again today!  Hilarious.  If you look closely  at the photos, you can see them in her hands.

We rushed upstairs for breakfast and then downstairs to the lobby for 8:30 to do the paperwork at the Adoption Centre.  We signed all the forms to finalize Lilianna's adoption and then we went back onto the bus to go to the Notary to do more paperwork.  Back onto the bus and returned to the hotel briefly for lunch and then back on the bus to start the paperwork for Lilianna's Chinese passport.  Jazzy and Kiora had such an huge day today that we took them to the McDonalds across the street from the hotel.  They had a great time.  The passport should be ready by Wednesday, which triggers our trip to Beijing on Thursday so we can start her immigration visa back to Canada.  Phew.

After the Passport office we went to a store, well not sure if it was more of a labarynth or a store with carts to get your grocieries, but the store has two floors and no elevator or escalator.  You arrive at the bottom of a long set of concrete stairs and there was a group of  ladies that decend upon you and lift your cart up the stairs for you.   We bought more bottles, and I got her a soother to try to let her thumb heal, chips and various snacks.  Quite the shopping adventure.

Jazzy had the chance to stay here with Nanna Lee and hangout with her instead of sitting inside yet another boring conference room while we did paperwork. She was great with her sister today, so helpful and caring of her.  She helped me wash all of Lily's bottles and paraphanalia this afternoon and then played with her for a long time and was very gentle and caring with her.  It was so great to see.  Curious about how long it will last!!

Well that was pretty well the end of our day.  We have a down day tomorrow (Saturday) so may spend most of it just relaxing and letting Jazzy hang out at the pool and maybe wander over to the Friendship store close by. 

Sunday we go to visit the Orphanage and Monday we get a guided tour around the city. We will see how much of the touring or sightseeing that we do.  It is so unbelieveably hot here and the smog is very thick.

take care,

sue

In Our Hearts and Now in Our Arms and Our Family

We are so happy to announce that Lilianna Jian Shahkar was placed in our arms today!  She has four teeth (two up and two down) and she has very healthy lungs!!

Jasmine was so happy to meet her little sister and has been spending the whole day teaching her things and being a great big sister!  Jazzy was showing her a painting on the wall in the lobby told Lilianna that it was a picture of a boat

and that it was in the water and that it was made out of wood.  On the floor there was a plant so she showed her the plant and pointed out the leaves.  Jazz also showed her how to put on pajamas and brush her teeth too.  Lilianna watched

her very carefully and gave an encouraging "DA" every now and then!

It has been a long day and I will write more soon but right now, I need to get some sleep.  It has been a very long day and tomorrow we take care of the paperwork so it is going to be a really long day again!  Here are some pictures for you to enjoy and I will have more when we get together with the group and share all our pictures.

Unfortunatley we are not able to access the blog ourselves while we are in China but some dear friends are posting these messages and photos for us!  Thank you Eamon and Sue!!  Best email to touch base with us is  geowitch@rocketmail.com!

We live streamed the Canucks game on the computer this morning though and I heard the goal at 19:41 in the third period.  Wow, must have been great to have seen it happen!!  Go Canucks Go!!

Arrived in Guangzhou!! Tomorrow is our Together Day with Lilianna

After three awesome but stinky hot days in Hong Kong Disneyland, we arrived in Guangzhou this evening.  Jazzy is toasted and roasted but had a wonderful time at Disneyland with her friend Kiora.  The favourite ride for both of them was Buzz Lightyear Astro Blaster ride!!  Went on that one six times I think.  Anyone thinking of going, I highly recommend getting the guided tour for three hours.  We were led around the park like Royalty for three hours with front seats for the shows and no waiting access to any ride that the kids wanted.  We got to talk to Snitch and the girls LOVED it!!  Getting this little treat made the afternoon very special.  Kiora and Jazzy were quite disappointed that we could not walk past all the lines today!!

We are getting all our paperwork in order and at 2:00 pm Guangzhou time, Lilianna will finally be with us!! Goodnight sweet little peanut, this is your last night in the orphanage and may tomorrow bring you all the happiness and love that you deserve!!

Love to you all and we will send pictures tomorrow.   Goodnight......I do not think Ali and I are going to get too much sleep tonight though Jazzy is sound asleep already as she was just exhausted from the excitement of Disneyland and

becoming a big sister tomorrow.

Frenzy of Packing - One more Day and We start our Journey to Lili

Today is the last day we have for getting ready and then tomorrow we are off to the big city to stay with our dear friends S&E and then onto the plane on Saturday.  I cannot wait to sit in that seat and actually relax a little and order my ussual plane drink; vodka and tonic! 

Anything that crosses my overworked brain by then will have to wait until we are in Hong Kong!

This day next week, Lili will be in our arms, ohhh my, hard to imagine after all this time, for us and for her too!

Travel News!!

We have travel dates to work with now.  We are leaving for Hong Kong on the 28th of May and will take Jazzy to Hong Kong Disneyland and then travel to Guangzhou for Forever Family Day on the 2nd of June!!

We are leaving in a week....oh my now we have a lot of work to do!!!

Still Waiting for Tavel News

Although we hope to hear soon, we still have no news of our travel date.  Hopefully this or next week we should have an idea.   Hanging in there!

New Photos!!!

Thanks to Ann at Redthreadchina.com, we have more recent photos of our sweet Lilianna!!!  Without further todo, here they are!!!

Care Package Sent to Lilianna in China

We sent Lilianna a care package through a service in China.  We chose to send her a blanket, a photo book of our family, a musical bunnie and some candy for the older children and caretakers.  She should have it by Monday or Tuesday.  Here are some photos of the package.

Still Don't know Travel Dates but Have Accepted the Referral

Well we signed the papers last night and accepted the referral.  Now we wait for the whole travel group to accept and also for China to give us permission to travel.  We hope to know in early May what our travel date will be.

We are so excited and Jazzy is over the moon about travelling to China and about becoming a Big Sister!

We have finalized Lilianna's name and her Chinese name is Jian which means "Strong", "Healthy" and "Well Being" along with a word used for one of the important weapons in China, the double edged sword.  Jian is also girl's name in Arabic that means "Life or Soul".

We sent her a care package yesterday that included a blanket, a soft teddy and a photo book of our family.  The package also included candies for the older children at the institute and the caretakers.  We hope to recieve updated photos of her soon too.

Intoducing...Lilianna Song Jian

I am so incredibly and deliriously happy to introduce you to our daughter, Lilanna Song Jian.  She is 9 months old, born on June 9, 2010!  She is in Guangdong Province!!

I am so anxious to have her in our arms.....Hopefully by the end of May sometime.

Just Recieved The Following Message from our Agency

Hi S and A Proposals arrived in Victoria today and have been sent out by courier. We expect to receive them tomorrow afternoon some time and will send the pictures and basic information then.  We will send the full formal proposal as soon as the proposals  are translated –which we expect should take several days. Best regards, M Oh my, oh my...we can do it, we can wait one more day!

Referral On Its Way!!!

Our agency assures us that our referral is on its way and we just have to wait a few more days for it to clear the government office in Victoria and then they will forward it on to us.

Was so hoping to hear something today but looks like it may not happen until Tuesday or even Wednesday.  We have waited 1729 days for this referral to arrive, we can last a few more!!!

Take care everyone and I will let you know as soon as we know!!

Referrals Flying Aroung the World!!!

We just got word that referals have been released by China and are starting to arrive in Europe and USA.  The cut-off date is June 15, 2006 so we should be in!! 

Canada is ussually a few days behind that so we expect to hear about ours early next week. 

Could this really be our turn after such a long time?  I really really really hope so!

Rumours of Paperwork Before Matches

OK so rumours have started that they are starting the papework before they start matching.  This could mean that letters could be flying through the air as early as next week.  Cool.....