Wednesday, October 31, 2007
Poopie Dance!!
Too tired to blog tonight..so just to let everyone know..she finally did the deed..with the help of Chinese herbal tea for children..it did the trick...
We went to a Palace..I wasn't listening again..so I can't remember the name..but all the locals loved us..they took pictures of us constantly..the school kids were practicing their English with us..it was so fun..
Then to Wal-mart again..and to a new local children's store..
then rest a while and then the whole group had a pizza party/Halloween party..it was alot of fun..the pizza tasted great...then back to the room..Natalie played and played today..we even got a full out loud laugh...that was so great to hear her laugh out loud..
We got the camera's back from the orphanage..our guide took them to get developed..wow that is so cool to see her ..and to see her life the way it was..boy does she have a great life now..she is a beautiful...and funny girl..we are so very proud to be her parents..
She is grabbing my finger as I type..so I better take care of her..and get her to bed...don't want to miss a minute..we will or Jubal will post more tomorrow..
We went to a Palace..I wasn't listening again..so I can't remember the name..but all the locals loved us..they took pictures of us constantly..the school kids were practicing their English with us..it was so fun..
Then to Wal-mart again..and to a new local children's store..
then rest a while and then the whole group had a pizza party/Halloween party..it was alot of fun..the pizza tasted great...then back to the room..Natalie played and played today..we even got a full out loud laugh...that was so great to hear her laugh out loud..
We got the camera's back from the orphanage..our guide took them to get developed..wow that is so cool to see her ..and to see her life the way it was..boy does she have a great life now..she is a beautiful...and funny girl..we are so very proud to be her parents..
She is grabbing my finger as I type..so I better take care of her..and get her to bed...don't want to miss a minute..we will or Jubal will post more tomorrow..
Tuesday, October 30, 2007
REVENGE OF THE CHINESE!
I keep asking myself, "what did I do?" After carefully pondering the subject I have realized that my sins have caught up with me and I almost hear the still small voice of God saying, "How's that working out for you"? Either that, or the chinese have a master plan and here's how they are going to take over the world. Natalie might not be the leader of the New World Order, but I think she's going to be in the connection. But, my final thought is also the answer to the biggest question that Steph and I had when we got our precious Natalie, which was, "How could such a beautiful girl last for almost 2 years in the orphanage?" and now we know. SHE IS A TOOT. Of course, Steph won't be hurt in the taking over of the world because she will be the Queen Mother. I feel like a sperm donor.
Today was a most relaxing day which we needed. Abuse takes a lot out of you, but, still, seeing Nat and Steph love each other, it makes everything wonderful. I hate to sound like a wimp, but I find myself misty eyed watching them and seeing the trust my little one gives to Steph (did I say I think Steph is in on the take over) says so much about her life before us. I know that the care givers at the orphanage have been very good to Natalie and we can't express how much we love them (really)and admire what they have done and with the exception or spoiling her rotten, she is absolutely wonderful!
We ordered "hand made" traditional dresses for Natalie today. I went a little nuts and we got three. I have a picture in my mind that when Nat is 16, she will stand at the front door and I will just throw money at her. She, when it's just Steph, Nat and me, play together and she actually hands me stuff to throw that she will fetch. I started thinking, "Hey, I don't have a retriever, this is going to workout great during bird season!" Now Charlie and I don't have to invest in the dog! So anyway, we did the dress deal and our guide took us on a local tour of another budda temple. Yesterday, our guide gave us a note to show the "locals" when they inquire, which happens a lot, about our little one. The note, written in chinese, tells the inquiring minds something along the lines of, "We have adopted Natalie and are taking her back to the USA to raise and give her a great life"! I am pretty sure that there's something in there about the take over and to wait for the sign, but since I can't read chinese, I can't tell for sure. The temple was within walking distance from the hotel and Nat slept thru most of it, which again gave me an opportunity to spend some time with her. We were almost thru with the tour before Natalie woke up and looked up from the stroller, saw me and was calling down the wrath, but thankfully Steph wasn't far away, so she cancelled my annihilation. While walking to and from the temple, the street we were on was filled with little shops and street vendors. It amazes me how hard these people work, for so little. We had several people come up and look at Natalie and we showed them our little note, which they read and then gave the "thumbs up" and some said, "Thank you"! I am pretty sure that these are the cabinet members of the new regime! We took a few pictures of the locals. They were quite cute! I asked them in sign. I held up the camera and pointed at them and they all shook their heads yes (I am guessing since none of them chased me down). We bought some baked bread from one of the vendors and 2 pieces was 1 RMB or about .14 cents I think. We stopped by a local store, got lots of stares and bought some pop and finally, we stopped and Tiffany's. Steph had read about Tiffany's from some other parents who have been here before. Tiffany is getting us the copy of the paper that had Natalie's Found Notice for free. She also gave us a gift for Natalie and we got some small gifts and memorabilia for Natalie. If you come here, find her place. She is very appreciative of what we are doing.
We ended the day with a nice dinner at a local restaurant. When we got back to the hotel, we gave Natalie a bath and played with her till she wore us out and then we put her to bed. Natalie gets better with us everyday and everyday we love her more.
We hope the pictures make it to the post and we hope the you enjoy them.
Have a great day! God Bless!
Today was a most relaxing day which we needed. Abuse takes a lot out of you, but, still, seeing Nat and Steph love each other, it makes everything wonderful. I hate to sound like a wimp, but I find myself misty eyed watching them and seeing the trust my little one gives to Steph (did I say I think Steph is in on the take over) says so much about her life before us. I know that the care givers at the orphanage have been very good to Natalie and we can't express how much we love them (really)and admire what they have done and with the exception or spoiling her rotten, she is absolutely wonderful!
We ordered "hand made" traditional dresses for Natalie today. I went a little nuts and we got three. I have a picture in my mind that when Nat is 16, she will stand at the front door and I will just throw money at her. She, when it's just Steph, Nat and me, play together and she actually hands me stuff to throw that she will fetch. I started thinking, "Hey, I don't have a retriever, this is going to workout great during bird season!" Now Charlie and I don't have to invest in the dog! So anyway, we did the dress deal and our guide took us on a local tour of another budda temple. Yesterday, our guide gave us a note to show the "locals" when they inquire, which happens a lot, about our little one. The note, written in chinese, tells the inquiring minds something along the lines of, "We have adopted Natalie and are taking her back to the USA to raise and give her a great life"! I am pretty sure that there's something in there about the take over and to wait for the sign, but since I can't read chinese, I can't tell for sure. The temple was within walking distance from the hotel and Nat slept thru most of it, which again gave me an opportunity to spend some time with her. We were almost thru with the tour before Natalie woke up and looked up from the stroller, saw me and was calling down the wrath, but thankfully Steph wasn't far away, so she cancelled my annihilation. While walking to and from the temple, the street we were on was filled with little shops and street vendors. It amazes me how hard these people work, for so little. We had several people come up and look at Natalie and we showed them our little note, which they read and then gave the "thumbs up" and some said, "Thank you"! I am pretty sure that these are the cabinet members of the new regime! We took a few pictures of the locals. They were quite cute! I asked them in sign. I held up the camera and pointed at them and they all shook their heads yes (I am guessing since none of them chased me down). We bought some baked bread from one of the vendors and 2 pieces was 1 RMB or about .14 cents I think. We stopped by a local store, got lots of stares and bought some pop and finally, we stopped and Tiffany's. Steph had read about Tiffany's from some other parents who have been here before. Tiffany is getting us the copy of the paper that had Natalie's Found Notice for free. She also gave us a gift for Natalie and we got some small gifts and memorabilia for Natalie. If you come here, find her place. She is very appreciative of what we are doing.
We ended the day with a nice dinner at a local restaurant. When we got back to the hotel, we gave Natalie a bath and played with her till she wore us out and then we put her to bed. Natalie gets better with us everyday and everyday we love her more.
We hope the pictures make it to the post and we hope the you enjoy them.
Have a great day! God Bless!
Monday, October 29, 2007
TOP OF THE HILL
Today was a wonderful day! Almost all of the paper work and the financials are over!! We spent most of the morning going from office to office signing papers. We are so excited that although it took some time to complete, it flew by and apparently we passed!
We got to dress Natalie up today! We thought she looked so cute. Hopefully we will be able to post some pictures to go with this.
Natalie started eating today. Steph and I ate lunch at the restaurant here at the hotel and asked the waitress to bring something for Natalie and she brought steamed egg and Nat took to it. Steph and I had eel and fried rice noodle and Natalie like both. Natalie liked using the spoon, but really likes using chop sticks. She isn't very good with either, but manages to hit her mouth most of the time, which is more than I can say. She is 100% more comfortable than yesterday. She still cries when I touch her, but she doesn't scream and kick like a horse like she did yesterday, so there's still hope. Our guide, Ray, took some of us to dinner this evening at a real deal (that isn't the name) Chinese restaurant, no English, no menu. Everything was spicy hot, some more than others, except for the rice cakes. We had rice cakes, bamboo, rice noodles, soup, pork, beef, some kind of eggplant conglomeration, a couple of different salads and a couple of things I have no idea what they were, but we enjoyed almost everyone. There were 10 of us and it cost $40.00. Are you kidding me?! They brought steamed egg again for Natalie. Apparently they know what the little ones like. Anyway Natalie ate well. She actually handled the spicy dinner items better than Steph and we're looking forward to the diaper on this one. The only good thing about Natalie not liking me yet is STEPH GETS ALL THE DIAPER DUTY right now, gotta find that silver lining. Natalie, like at lunch, was giving Stephanie help with the chop sticks.
Another highlight in our day was a trip to WalMart. The big ticket item was the squeaky shoes we got for Natalie. Squeaky shoes squeak when one walks for those of you who care and don't know. I think it's great for my child, although, if it was someone else's child, I could see how it could be annoying, but we think it's great and we're going to buy a dozen pair. Natalie absolutely loves them! The biggest highlight of my day was when Natalie fell asleep and I got to hold her for the first time without her going nuts. I also got to hold her at WalMart while Steph took a trip to the restroom. She was not asleep and I guarantee you that anyone within a mile of WalMart heard her screaming. People rose from the dead! Still, she is better with me than yesterday. I am amazed at the bond that she and Steph have. It is so wonderful to see a child feel so secure and loved in such a short time. I am not sure which one is the luckiest, probably both. We are so proud and at the same time, have a sense of humble urgency, if that makes any sense.
By the way, we are not able to read any of the comments left on the blog, something to do with the internet over hear that we have not been able to unravel, so if you have left a comment, thank you, and unless something changes, we will replay when we get home.
Tomorrow we get a Chinese dress made for Natalie and a day of relaxation.
Be well, God Bless!
We got to dress Natalie up today! We thought she looked so cute. Hopefully we will be able to post some pictures to go with this.
Natalie started eating today. Steph and I ate lunch at the restaurant here at the hotel and asked the waitress to bring something for Natalie and she brought steamed egg and Nat took to it. Steph and I had eel and fried rice noodle and Natalie like both. Natalie liked using the spoon, but really likes using chop sticks. She isn't very good with either, but manages to hit her mouth most of the time, which is more than I can say. She is 100% more comfortable than yesterday. She still cries when I touch her, but she doesn't scream and kick like a horse like she did yesterday, so there's still hope. Our guide, Ray, took some of us to dinner this evening at a real deal (that isn't the name) Chinese restaurant, no English, no menu. Everything was spicy hot, some more than others, except for the rice cakes. We had rice cakes, bamboo, rice noodles, soup, pork, beef, some kind of eggplant conglomeration, a couple of different salads and a couple of things I have no idea what they were, but we enjoyed almost everyone. There were 10 of us and it cost $40.00. Are you kidding me?! They brought steamed egg again for Natalie. Apparently they know what the little ones like. Anyway Natalie ate well. She actually handled the spicy dinner items better than Steph and we're looking forward to the diaper on this one. The only good thing about Natalie not liking me yet is STEPH GETS ALL THE DIAPER DUTY right now, gotta find that silver lining. Natalie, like at lunch, was giving Stephanie help with the chop sticks.
Another highlight in our day was a trip to WalMart. The big ticket item was the squeaky shoes we got for Natalie. Squeaky shoes squeak when one walks for those of you who care and don't know. I think it's great for my child, although, if it was someone else's child, I could see how it could be annoying, but we think it's great and we're going to buy a dozen pair. Natalie absolutely loves them! The biggest highlight of my day was when Natalie fell asleep and I got to hold her for the first time without her going nuts. I also got to hold her at WalMart while Steph took a trip to the restroom. She was not asleep and I guarantee you that anyone within a mile of WalMart heard her screaming. People rose from the dead! Still, she is better with me than yesterday. I am amazed at the bond that she and Steph have. It is so wonderful to see a child feel so secure and loved in such a short time. I am not sure which one is the luckiest, probably both. We are so proud and at the same time, have a sense of humble urgency, if that makes any sense.
By the way, we are not able to read any of the comments left on the blog, something to do with the internet over hear that we have not been able to unravel, so if you have left a comment, thank you, and unless something changes, we will replay when we get home.
Tomorrow we get a Chinese dress made for Natalie and a day of relaxation.
Be well, God Bless!
Sunday, October 28, 2007
Gotcha Day!
To cut to the chase...Today we got Our Natalie!! It was a wild day. Plane was late taking off and so we were late getting to the Civil Affairs building, but we got there a little after 3:00 PM and the little ones were there waiting on us. We first went to the room were our children were and we saw Natalie, but we were told that although it was ok to look for our child, we had to wait until they gave her to us before we could do anything else with the child. So we found her standing, looking around, and then we had to go to another room where they brought her in (and all the others) and after a few minutes, we got to hold her for the first time, well we didn't, but Steph did. She cried for a moment (Natalie) and then hung on for dear life. She and steph have made a bond. It's remarkable to see them together! Natalie is a stinker. She wanted to be held. Watches what I am doing, but hasn't taken to me yet. I figure that by the time she's 15, she will realize that I hold the keys to her car and we will become fast friends. She's talking some and has already taken Steph for a walk around the halls of our floor. Natalie is so cute. She would walk by a room where another little one was crying and she would say something in Chinese. I recognized one of the couples voices, so we had Natalie give them a knock to say "Hi". This was Grace and Lee's room and their little one was just settling down and Natalie seemed to know they needed some help. When we told them that she was talking they asked us what she was saying and then had that "Here's your sign" look on there face and I couldn't help it, so I said it anyway, "Don't speak Chinese". She settled down and started playing after a couple of hours. Steph gave her a bath while I was doing paper work in another part of the hotel and when I got back, she was just falling asleep. It was a precious moment. She is very healthy and very petite. Likes to eat cherio's, but cookies are her favorite!
Stay Tuned, we will see what happens in the morning in another episode of "When the Hooker's do Nanchang"....did I say she is beautiful!
We are so very blessed!
Stay Tuned, we will see what happens in the morning in another episode of "When the Hooker's do Nanchang"....did I say she is beautiful!
We are so very blessed!
Saturday, October 27, 2007
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