Maya's Adoption Story

Is she yours or adopted?

2007-04-15T14:00:00.000-06:00

The yellow chair photos

"You look funny mommy!"

It is funny how 8 months seems an eternity and yet somehow like yesterday. I honestly cannot remember a day when Maya wasn't our daughter and I'm a bit sad that time is passing so quickly as she changes on a daily basis. I can remember long before Maya had a face that there was a little glimmer of questioning whether or not I would love Maya with the intensity of a birth child. Would it matter that this child didn't look like us? I knew I would love this child there was no doubt but I thought it would take longer to grow to love her. I just had no idea how much capacity for love I had. I think for both of us it was pretty much love at first sight. Our families have expressed the same sentiments and they couldn't love her any more then they already do.

"What do you have in here Papa?"

"How many zero's are in a million?"

"I'd like to make a wire transfer to China please."

"I'll share my millions with you Nanny!"

It never really dawns on me that she doesn't look like me or that she is adopted. It is only when the outside world mentions it do I have to sit back and take note of how she became a part of our family. I was at the park last week and a woman asked "is she yours or adopted?" The only answer I could say was "both". I found the question a little funny. Of course I know most people are just curious and have no ill intentions when they ask. But it did make me realize that our life will be filled with strange little comments that will undoubtedly be more annoying as Maya grows and becomes aware of what people are asking. Even the other day I was chasing Maya through the butterfly pavillion and this woman looked down and said "oh dear, where is your mommy?" Now being that I was only 6 inches away from her with the frantic look on my face you would have thought it would be obvious who her mommy is! I must admit it did irritiate me slightly but the reality is that my daughter has a Chinese face and I don't. The outside world doesn't see how much alike we are. Like the way Maya licks her fingers before turning the pages of her books, or makes a funny face when she smiles (John swears she got this from me) or that she has some incredibly bad dance moves which she thinks are fabulous (yeah ok she did get that from me). They don't see that her hairline, and ears are exactly like her daddy or that she shares in his incredibly warped sense of humor. By the way, they are eachothers best audience. And she is stubborn to a fault which is something that is part of both John and I. My point is that Maya could not be more ours then had she been cloned from our DNA. YES SHE IS OURS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

"I'm a lover not a fighter."

And nothing makes you more of a parent then when you have a sick child. Maya battled rotovirus a few weeks ago and it was not pretty. For those of you who don't know what rotovirus is if you have a weak stomach you might want to skip this paragraph. Maya started with 5 days of puking along with explosive diarrhea. I'm talking gallons of green liquid. Diaper changes were continual. We would just get one mess cleaned and another explosion. Lets just say the diaper levy was breached almost every time. Here is the conversation as it went at the doctor.

Dr: "Your daughter has rotovirus."
Me: "How do you get it?"
Dr: "It is transmitted oral-fecally." At this point my mind is processing what he is saying.
Me: "Your saying my child eats poo?" I'm thinking back to a few weeks ago when I caught Maya running down the hall with the plunger that I thought was secretly tucked away." Did she perhaps enjoy a plunger lollipop before I found her? Of course I'm crushed and feel like such a failure. We wash after diaper changes etc....how could I allow this to happen?

Sensing my defeat and feeling like I failed Maya the doctor told me that kids her age often explore their bodies and that daycare kids also have a higher incident too. The incubation period is a couple of days which would have made it a daycare day so I just quit beating myself up about it. Anyway rotovirus can last up to 10 days and hers did. Lets just get something straight. No diaper on the market can contain the poop explosion of rotovirus! Trust me we tried them all. What I want to know is how it is possible for a twenty pound toddler who has not eaten in days to completely dowse her self in poo from head to toe? Where is it all coming from? This is one of the mysteries of life. John has become quite the expert in poop detail and has perfected the art of baby clean up. I am proud to say that I have officially learned the art of becoming a vomit shield. You see it is much easier to shower me then to be scrubbing floors and chairs in the middle of the night. Yes this is true love people!

Paging Dr. Maya

"I don't feel like I have a temperature!"

Checking mommy's heart beat

Enjoying the last of winter......we hope!

Maya amazes us on a daily basis. She has become very verbal and has added a lot of new words to her vocabulary (hat, book, bye, no, yeah, whoa, cheese, baby, boom, keys, hot, shoe, sock, stuck, duck, peepee, milk, snack, side which can mean outside or slide). It can be most frustrating when she is asking for something and we aren't quite sure what it is. Luckily she won't hesitate to lead us around and point to what she means. Then the word she is saying becomes so obvious. We are also working on manners. Please is "peez "and thank you is "dee do" Her tone is right on when she says it so it is sweet to hear her say it. By the way when Maya has an explosion she looks at the diaper and says "I'm sick" Unfortunately instead of the (s)she uses a (d). You figure it out. She also shrugs her shoulders when you ask her where something is. Very cute!

"I dunno know!"

Her favorite toys are her leggos, and blocks. So far her record for block stacking is 10. Number 8 while she was gracefully standing on her tip toes and number 9 and 10 required daddy to hold her up. She loves books although she still lacks patience to wait until we are finsished reading before tunring the pages. She loves music and to get her groove on. She has started twirling and asks to put a hat and dress or tutu(compliments of Aunt Linda)on in order to get the full dramatic affect. She has dress up and pretend day at daycare so I think that must be where that has come from. She has a great imagination and can pour an imaginary drink like a pro with the sound effects and everything.

"If only I were taller!"

"Thanks daddy!"

Maya is into everything!!!!! If it can be climbed, she is scaling it. If her body will fit in it, she crawls in. We have nicknamed her hurricane Maya because she can destroy a room in a matter of minutes. Luckily she has gotten pretty good at picking up too. She loves being outside so we are savoring the nicer weather and the lack of mess in the house. The snow has finally all melted and we have had serveral great park outings and walks. Exhausting as much energy as possible is an important part of the day.

Sitting in the kitchen drawer

Say Cheeeeeeez......literally!

"This could be fun!"

"YES, it is fun!"

Hiding under the bathroom sink

Helping mommy.....sort of.

Everything has taken on a whole new dimension now that Maya is mobile. For instance grocery shopping which used to be pretty uneventful is now a major pain with a toddler. I feel like I'm trapped in some bad grocery game show of the 70's as I'm frantically trying to get my items into my cart and avoid Maya destroying it before we reach the check out stand. The straps on the cart are too big and Maya can climb out of them so I decided on one trip to try the obnoxious kid cart. At this particular store I was steering about 8 feet of car and cart. I could barely maneuver the isles it was soooooooo long. I can remember laughing at moms who would put their kids in such things and here I was barely taking out the end cap displays with the thing. It worked great except the design of this particular car did not allow me to see that Maya could still reach all the items in the basket. When I got to the check out stand she had opened and unloaded 3 boxes of Kleenex. I just smiled at the clerk at had him bag up my confetti of tissue. The next store visit after that I went to put Maya in a normal cart and she looked at me with the big brown eyes and pointed to the fun cart. It was a different store and the cart was a lot smaller so I gave it a try. The car part of it sits close to the ground away from the basket so it was a much better experience. Maya had a blast and had everyone laughing because she was steering and yelling "whoa!!!! whoa!!!!! the whole way. Apparently she thinks mom is a crazy driver.

Driving 101

"YEEHAW!"

Checking out the pinecones she collected

Getting reacquainted with chopsticks

She is also absolutely obsessed with her potty chair. I've had it stored in her closet and decided that I should move it to the bathroom since she was constantly sitting on it beneath her hanging clothes. She hasn't quite grasped the concept of it all but now tells us when she has peed and leads us by the finger to sit on her potty. Of course the pee is already in her diaper but we go through the motions anyway. She pretends to wipe and then says goodbye as we close the lid. It has been nice knowing when her diaper needs to be changed. Unfortunately she doesn't understand that the pee bowl is not a hat as we often catch her wearing it on her head. Hopefully she will curb this habit once she actually starts peeing in the bowl. She also thinks the bowl is great to put her feet into to get onto her potty. We still have many things to obviously work on before we are in full potty training mode but we are happy that she is showing interest on her own. The following pictures are a bit blurry but totally unscripted and without coaxing by us. Taking clear pictures is a bit of a challenge these days with and active girl.

"Who needs a potty when I can read right here!"

We enjoyed Easter with our China travel group. These families have literally become our extended families. I believe we had eleven of the 15 families there. It was great fun to see all the babies happy and full of life. Much different then the timid, shy and sad girls we saw in China. Tillie and her family came all the way from California which was a great treat for Maya. They stayed with us for a couple of days and Maya just loved having another baby here when she woke up in the morning. Maya has become extremely affectionate and loves to hug and kiss so she was smooching Tillie lots. When I picked her up at daycare the other day I was told that she is constantly kissing all the other kids. So I'm sure they all have rotovirus this week too! OOOOPS! We'll just call her the kissing bandit.

Patiently waiting

The kissing bandit strikes again!

Tubby mohawks with Tillie

Easter

Maya and Uncle Morgan

Attempting to take a group photo

Overall Maya is a very happy girl in the day. She still struggles with sleeping and it is hard to know for sure the cause. She has gotten 8 new teeth in the past few weeks and I think she is having some nightmares as well. The funny thing is the lengths a parent will go to in order to get their child some sleep. Driving Maya around for a couple of hours usually does the trick at nap time. Of course I have to avoid the red lights so she doesn't wake so a country drive is usually in order. One night after she had finally fallen asleep I was getting her clothes ready for daycare. She started to stir and I panicked. If she were to see me she would be up for another hour or so. I looked at the door which seemed way too far to chance it so I instinctively dove underneath the crib. Now at 41 I'm just not as agilie or as skinny as I used to be. I forgot that I had some things stored underneath her crib so I could barely get my hips underneath and my legs were sticking out from under the crib. I suddenly had a horrible thought. "What if she stands up and looks over the edge and sees legs sticking out from below?" That would for sure ruin her. So I did my best pretzel bend and remained there for over 30 minutes while she babbled and rolled around in bed. I think next time I'll chance it and go for the door.

Twirling

"Here I am!"

She continues to grow and her legs have finally gained an inch with her over all height gain of about 4 inches since we have been home. She is wearing 9-12 month clothes with 9 month clothes fitting perfect and 12 month clothes still a bit on the big side. She is 19lbs 5 oz per her doctor visit this last week. I think she lost a few pounds from being sick. She is still short for 18 months but overall has lots of baby pudge so she now looks nice and healthy. This is such a fun age and we look forward to more and more adventures in the months to come.

Sharing her favorite sitting spot with daddy

The Haugs

Happy New Year

2007-02-04T13:34:00.000-07:00

Our sweet maya

Happy 2007. Maya just turned 15 months and has been with us now for 5 months. As of today she is now 18lbs and 10oz and she is wearing 6-9 month clothes size. Wow how fast time has gone. In many ways it seems like Maya has been with us since her birth, and of course we can't really remember life before Maya. It seems like we have always been her parents. Funny how that happens. Our conversations now revolve around the consistency of Maya's bowel movements, what she ate, what made her giggle etc... "Ah who says the romance is gone when you have kids?" Actually, we wouldn't change anything. She has brought a whole new dimension to our lives which is so exciting and fun......oh yeah exhausting too!

Maya is walking really well. We often get stared at when we are out and about and often stopped by people asking how old she is because it does look a little strange seeing someone her size cruising along. To me she looks so big now but then I see her around other kids her age and realize she is still tiny. Tiny in size but BIG in personality. She is very quick when she wants something. Her favorite thing lately is to be in the refrigerator. If she even sees us open it she pushes her way in and sits on the bottom edge of the fridge. She has even tried to scale some of the shelves. It is a constant battle of who can be faster. I have to know exactly what I'm going in for otherwise if I linger then I'm wrestling her out of it.

"This looks like a good place to sit!"

"If only I could get to the top shelf"

She loves to help out mommy like unloading the dishwasher.....when I'm loading it. She also enjoys helping put clothes from the washer into the dryer. I praise her for helping because I know some day she'll not want to be so helpful. However, sometimes I find interesting objects in the dryer such as dog bones or toys that have slipped passed the mommy inspection. Another favorite pastime is putting all of her blocks or little plastic balls down our shirts or even in her pajamas. I came home from work one night and she looked like she had popeye muscle legs from all the things she had hidden in her clothes. She was walking around like nothing ususual.It didn't look particularly comfortable. Maybe she was just trying to get us to take her clothes off. The girl loves to be naked! The minute we even remove a shoe she starts getting crazy wild with laughter and jumping up and down. Once she is naked it is a mad dash to try and get clothes on her again.

Ignoring that sticker on the container which showed a baby with a slash through it.

She has also started saying a lot of new words. So far her vocabulary includes "dog, meow, (she says that whenever our cat walks by), uh oh, mom, dada, apple, ice, up, and out (she sounds a bit Canadian when she says that one). And oh yes she also says "TAHDAH!" when she does somersaults courtesy of Aunt Linda. Her little voice sounds so sweet. It has been amazing to watch her blossom over the past 5 months. We had many rough days and nights in the beginning and it is so great to see her getting more and more comfortable in her surroundings. She still has the occassional night terror but they are less frequent now.

Hanging out

As many of you know we have been bombarded with snow since before Christmas. One blizzard right before the holiday and another a week later followed by smaller storms continually throughout the new year. We have all gone a little stir crazy not being able to go outside much. Maya seems a bit fascinated by the snow and like everything she is very observant and just takes things in stride.

First blizzard 12/06

New friends: Sadie Maya and Maelyn

Our first Christmas with Maya was incredible for us. We feel so lucky to have her here with us and she is the best gift we could ever have. Maya seemed pretty overwhelmed by the holiday and seemed to find solace in the paper and the boxes more than anything else. She would carefullly tear small bits of paper off each package and hand it to us. A long process of unwrapping but as with everything in parenting patience is the key.

Dressed up for Christmas

Who needs presents when you have a box!

I have all the necessities....ready to move in!

Trying out her new backpack from auntie Kristi and uncle Brad

We took our first plane ride since our trip home from China and ventured to Seattle to see John's mom, sister and niece. Now that Maya is walking she was not to keen on sitting still on the plane ride. Funny how a 2.5 hour flight seemed way longer than the long flight from China. Maya also got to experience her first ferry ride over to Vashon island where John's mom lives. She seemed to enjoy the boat ride and was very curious about her new surroundings. Maya loved meeting her Nana Marilyn, Auntie Lynn, and cousin Claire. She immediately took to Claire and followed her everywhere. Claire was great with her and kept her well entertained during our visit. After a few hours she warmed up to nana M. and aunt Lynn too. We also got to visit with John's Uncle Jack, Aunt Norma, and his cousins and their kids. Every one on our trip was so generous and Maya got some wonderful new toys, books and clothes. We are so glad that she finally got to meet all of them.

Waiting for the ferry to arrive

First ferry ride

Making friends with cousin Claire

"Nana Marilyn makes me giggle."

Snuggling with aunt Lynn

Taking a walk on the beach

Cousin Claire, daddy, Maya, aunt Lynn, and nana Marilyn

Thanks uncle Jack. 3-2-1 BLAST OFF!

We were lucky enough to have a friend of nana Marilyn's come take some photographs of Maya. Kathleen Webster is a photographer on Vashon island and she captured some wonderful shots of Maya and Claire. We are so grateful to her for taking them and we will treasure the photos for years to come. These next set of photos are taken by her.

Maya, mommy and daddy

Beautiful face

Maya, cousin Claire, and nana Marilyn

Dimples

So serious

Maya and Claire reading

Maya started getting sick the last day of our stay in Seattle. Our apologies to any family members who may have caught the bug too. The flight seemed like an eternity with Maya unable to sleep and crying continually. Our flight attendants were less then compasionate which made me want to scream at them that we used to be flight attendants and that their lack of empathy was disgusting. Now that passengers can't carry on liquids we were unfortunately at their mercy. They basically refused to get any water for Maya's bottle until they were done with their beverage service. One flight attendant was ok and took the bottle but had to rely on the other to get it. When he tried to hand the bottle to him you would have thought that he was being handed a diaper filled with diarrhea and he refused. I seriously wanted to crawl over the seats and hurt him. There was nothing worse then seeing Maya sick and feeling helpless to do anything or being able to comfort her. By the time we got home to Denver she was doing terrible. She was completely lethargic and could barely even get a cry out. John had to dig our car out of the airport parking while Maya and I waited back at the terminal. About an hour and a half later we finally were on our way home. While waiting for John, Maya finally gave in to her exhaustion and fell asleep. Every once in a while she would open her eyes and just give me a little smile and a deliberate blink. I swear she could sense my worry and was just trying to make me feel better. She had a terrible cough and head cold which turned into a sinus infection. Her whole face was swollen and we could barely see her little eyes. She has gotten better but now seems to be heading into round two with a little bit of chest cold. With everyone trapped inside it seems inevitable that the cycle of colds just continues.

Germ Pit O' Fun!

Not feeling so well

I started back at work in January two days a week. I hated leaving Maya and felt like I was missing so much but my sister Linda was nice enough to watch her which made the transition without mommy a little easier for both of us. My sister adores Maya and the feeling is mutual from Maya and she has learned to turn on the charm for aunt Linda. Maya started daycare this past week which I was dreading. Before officially starting I had been taking Maya for a few hours each day off and she has slowly started to warm up to the other kids and teachers. We made about 9 visits all together and I think this was a good transition for her. I really noticed last week how her comfort level increased and she would finally leave my side and play with the other kids. I think she is finally feeling secure that we won't leave her and that she can venture out without fear. The first day was much harder for me than it was for her. I cried all the way to work and was choking back tears throughout the morning. But Maya got rave reviews on her first week. The teachers said that all the other little kids were following her around handing her toys. The other kids sort of tower over her and think she is their own little baby doll. I was most concerned about nap time since she would have to start sleeping on a floor mat. She still struggles with sleeping at home so I thought that there was no way she would ever just lay down and fall asleep. Once again she proved me wrong and she slept 3 hours both days. I think the peer pressure of seeing the other kids doing it was definitely a motivating factor. They said she only cried once when the kids were getting ready to go outside for play. It was just a little too frantic for her and maybe she thought she was getting left behind. Other then that she seems happy to play with the other kids and is adjusting well. I just feel fortunate that I have a job that doesn't require me to work 5 days a week so that I can spend as much time as possible with her.

Waiting for mommy

First day of school

At school a.k.a daycare with daddy

The Chinese New Year festivities are finally under way. We went to our AAC agency party last week and Maya was enamored with the Chinese dance troupe. Little girls from about 4-10 all beautifully dressed. During practice and the performance Maya and the other kids were up on stage having a blast. Maya loved being in the center of all the commotion and got upset when we tried to pull her off stage. I think I see dancing in her future. Actually she gets a pretty good groove on already and seems partial to reggae. Although Chinese New Year is not until February 18th this year, we have several related functions which has been a fun part of joining our two cultures together. We definitely want Maya to embrace her Chinese heritage as she grows. More than anything we look forward to the many new adventures Maya will have in the year to come.

Maya gets her goove on at the Chinese New Year celebration

Simple pleasures

Life is Good!

2006-12-05T20:37:00.000-07:00

Maya continues to grow leaps and bounds. I can't believe Thanksgiving has come and gone and Christmas is just around the corner. We spent Thanksgiving day with my parents, sister and nieces. Just a quiet day which was nice. Maya had the stomach flu the day before but recovered enough to enjoy her mashed potatoes. I must admit she is a carboholic and getting a little belly and pudgy little arms and legs to show for it. It is nice to see her finally looking healthy.
Enjoying ice cream with papa

Cousins Jenn and Paige with Maya

When Maya first came to our family she had the skinniest arms and legs and could not pull herself up on anything without assistance. Along with the general nourishment that she is now getting we have used certain toys to help strengthen her legs. We have a jumping chair which we have hanging in the entry to John's office which Maya loves to jump in. Another advantage to this contraption is that it helps relieve gas too. Hey, we're parents now and these things are important!

Jumping is hard work

We have also received gifts from many friends and family of walking type toys which Maya loves to push around the house. Each with their own annoying ( I mean really great music) sound which Maya loves to hear over and over. Actually we really appreciate these gifts that have given Maya so much joy. We find ourselves singing those catchy tunes even when she is not playing with them. She maneuvers these little walking machines around the house but gets very frustrated when she reaches a roadblock. Then she will start banging it into the wall or other offending object until one of us helps her turn it around. Occasionally she will also attempt to use our poor blind, deaf dog Skeeter as a speedbump. We of course are trying to discourage that one! We seem to have so many of these different walking toys that it is starting to look like a geriatric ward for the seven dwarfs around here.....but Maya loves them so much that we just sing along and march with her throughout the house. Now she has started standing alone pushing herself up on her strong legs from a squatting position. She is so proud of herself.
Having some fun

Funny face

Maya also has incredible dexterity. She is already stacking blocks like a pro. She can stack 4 pretty regularly and has occasionally done 5 and 6 as well. She is so funny when gets going because she gets so excited and if they fall over she growls with frustration and starts over again. She is also getting pretty good at putting Leggos together and grunts when she is trying to pry them apart. Her face gets all distorted and she shudders like she is a weight lifting pro going for the world record. It has been fun to hear her being so vocal and expressive with her actions.

Another big milestone is that Maya finally loves her stuffed animals. When we first brought her home she was so freaked out by the fur that if a little bit touched her skin she would just come unglued. Now she has to give all of her stuffed animals kisses goodnight and hugs in the morning. She also finds comfort in them when she sleeps. It is so cute to see her snuggling asleep with her furry friends. I woke up one night and she had her frog attached to her back. Can't quite figure out how it got that way but she didn't seem to mind.

Snuggling

How did he get there?

The weather has been down right frigid the past few weeks. Maya gets bored easily so finding ways to entertain her indoors has been a challenge. A few weeks ago Maya and I were invited to go to Bounce with some other moms. This is one of those places with the giant inflatable jumping playlands and inflatable slides. I wasn't sure how Maya would do but she absolutely loved it. Her favorite was this giant slide that we would go on together. Every time we would get to the bottom she would start crawling to the top again. She is a thrill seeker for sure! Climbing up the inflatable stairs with Maya in tow was really good exercise for me too.

Recently we met up with Brad and Kristi and the twins for some pizza and playtime. The girls were hysterical as usual pushing each other around in a shopping cart and then all trying to fit onto the same toy car. The only solution for that was to put one of the girls in the trunk....sounds like torture but they were all satisfied......just don't tell our social workers! :)

Lola pushes while Maya holds on for dear life!

Stella, Maya and Lola riding shotgun. " Can you say carpool lane?"

The best part of having Maya in our lives is that we get to experience new things through her eyes. Taking her out for moonlight strolls in the snow to look at the Christmas lights and hearing her oooh and aaahh in amazement is worth every sleepless night. Teaching her to make snow angels and seeing her eyes light up when she feels the cold snow on her hands is worth every tired whine. Hearing her laughter when she is tickled or finds something funny is worth every screaming cry. And knowing she finally has arms to hold and comfort her when she cries is so fulfilling to all of us. Honestly, there is no better job then being Maya's mom and dad. Of course when she reaches for us and gives us a big kiss....well it just doesn't get any better!

Watching daddy outside

Chillin

Hide and seek

Dental Tug O War with daddy. Not recommend by this dental hygienist!

"I won!"

Making her first snow angel

"Ta dah!"

"This is the face that gets me almost anything!"

As I had promised we finally have some video of Maya. Just click on the video links to view short little clips. If you have dial up this might take a while to load so be patient..... it is worth it. By the way, some of you may not realize that you can click on the pictures within this blog to enlarge them for better viewing.

Click Here to see Maya and the 'tickle monster'.

Click Here to see Maya standing on her own.

And, may I have a drum roll please.......Click Here to see Maya WALKING!!

Look who's one!

2006-11-20T21:57:00.001-07:00

Wow it is hard to believe it has been over a month since our last post. So much for updating the blog weekly! Our little Maya is keeping us soooooooo busy it is amazing how fast time is going. On November 5th we celebrated her first birthday. It is hard to believe we have had her for two and a half months already. It makes me a little sad at how fast she is growing and changing. Now a whopping 15lbs and 11 ounces. The scrawny little girl we met in China is no longer. I wish I could just time capsule her at this age because she is so much fun. She continues to amaze us each day. She is starting to stand up from a squating position and will stand for about 5 seconds before she falls. She'll be walking in no time and then we are going to be really really busy!

"This is so embarassing!"

Cousin Kellyn taking a bite out of Maya's birthday card

Mom and dad with the birthday girl in her new rocker

"mmmmmmmm cake is gooooood!

We have struggled with some clinginess as she attaches more to us which seems pretty normal especially considering her age and all she has been through. Thank goodness she is small enough to still fit in the front baby carrier so that I can still be somewhat productive. We have also dealt with some sleep issues, mainly night terrors which for a two week period were really bad. Sometimes 4 to 5 times a night she would wake up screaming and her whole body would stiffen up and there was nothing we could do to comfort her. It was obvious she was still asleep and sometimes it would take 30 to 40 minutes to get her awake and calmed down enough to go back to sleep. It is heart breaking as a parent to see your child go through this. Luckily those have diminished lately and now we are just dealing with teething. She is starting to get her 7th and 8th teeth. She is definitely way ahead in the tooth department! But she LOVES eating so those teeth come in handy. We swear she was Italian in another life as pasta is her absolute favorite! She also really loved birthday cake. At first she wasn't so sure but once she decided it was good she was licking it off her toes! Actually she slept really good that night. Who knew that stuffing her full of cake was the key to a good nights sleep! :)

With sauce

Or without

Some of her favorite things to do are to throw her Leggos through the baby gate and listen to them bounce one by one down each wood step then proudly proclaims UH OH! She also enjoys unraveling the toilet paper roll at every opportunity she gets and I've had to chase her down the hall trying to reclaim it. Boy can she crawl quickly! She really loves bath time and whenever we are in the bathroom she will pull herself up along the tub and yell to get in. Since she likes water so much I decided to take her to the pool this past week. We have gone twice and she really enjoys it. At first she was a bit perplexed like strangers were actually in her tub. But eventually she really enjoyed it and we got to see some of her Hunan sisters. She has also enjoyed a few hikes with daddy since we have had some really nice weather lately and we can tell she enjoys the outdoors as much as we do. John has learned that timing is everything though and that hiking after naptime is much better then before naptime.

The toilet paper caper

Getaway gone bad

Timing is everything!

Trying out the slide

Emergency bath

Also this past week we finalized her adoption here in the States. Actually just a formality since China adoptions are final once we get to the USA. But this will enable us to get a birth certificate that is in English and her social security card. Judge Gilmore who officiated was great with all the babies. He let Maya and the other babies hold the gavel and gave them newly minted Colorado quarters as a gift. He said this was the fun part of his job. Lets hope Maya doesn't have to see judge Gilmore again under different circumstances! She definitely has a defiant stubborn streak. Hopefully by the time she is 16 that will have lessened.

Judge Maya presiding

Making friends with the judge...smart!

Of course we have so much to be thankful for this Thanksgiving. Maya's birth parents continue to be in our thoughts. We know that November 6th, 2005 had to be an extremely difficult day for them as they left her on the steps of the Dao County Civil Affairs building. I can't imagine the pain of looking into those sweet eyes and walking away knowing they would never see her again. We are so thankful that they chose to give her life and placed her somewhere that they knew she would be found. We honored her birth parents on November 6th of this year by allowing Maya to release her birthday balloons into the sky. We think that we will make this a yearly tradition as we don't want to forget the people who gave Maya life.

Well I won't make any promises as to when the next blog update will be, but I will try my best. One of these days I'll get John to put a link up to view some videos. Then you can see for yourself just how wonderful she is. Honestly the best thing we ever did! We are so lucky!!!!!!!!

New adventures for everyone

2006-10-17T15:54:00.000-06:00

" I love Fall!"

This past week has been filled with lots of fun new adventures for Maya and for John and I too. That is the one great thing about being a parent. Suddenly our life is filled with new activities and new adventures that we get to experience through Maya's eyes. There is something so special about discovering the world along side her.

Two weekends ago Maya and I met some friends at the pumpkin patch. We waited patiently on the horse drawn wagon for others to fill it up before we be could be pulled the 100 yards or so to the drop off point. Normally I wouldn't wait 20 minutes to be taken somewhere that could easily be walked in 2 minutes but hey it was part of the experience. Maya liked the horses and seemed curious about the movement of the wagon. Once there we watched the other kids ride the ponies and the other little activities that they had. Watching other kids seems to be Maya's favorite past time. She got to play in the giant sand pile and eat her first marshmellow roasted over an open fire. She loved the taste and the sticky texture was loads of fun. She also was fascinated with the little goats that she got to pet. I forgot to take a picture of her in front of a pumpkin....go figure but with Halloween just around the corner I'm sure we'll have plenty of opportunities for that later.

First wagon ride

Not so sure about marshmellows at first

Fascinated with petting the goats

We also met some of the other families in our group for a spontaneous pizza party. It was so great to see how the girls have blossomed now that we have been home for a month. They were interacting with eachother, laughing and playing with toys. It also seems that being around other babies is very motivating in learning new things. Little baby Emma started crawling for the first time right there in Pizza Hut. Maya was so hyped up when she got home that she decided to climb the stairs for the first time. I thought she was playing quietly with her toys around the corner from me and low and behold within 3 seconds from the last time I looked at her she had made her way up 5 stairs. Her little legs barely get up each step and she appears a bit unstable. Since we have wood stairs and she still wants to go down head first most of the time we aren't encouraging her to climb them too much. She did practice at nana and papa's on their carpeted stairs and did great though. She is pulling herself up on things a lot more and I think walking is probably just around the corner.

Spicy girls reunion

"Seeing our reflection is fun!"

Climbing stairs for the first time

Speaking of Nana and Papa Burcaw, we made our first hour trip to Estes Park this past Sunday to see them. Maya did great in the carseat which has been a struggle since we have been home. I've tried to increase her carseat time a little bit each day. I just timed the drive time around her typical nap time and she slept the whole way. Nana and Papa Burcaw have been great with Maya. My mom has been very patient waiting for Maya to be comfortable enough to be held by her. From the beginning she has been fine around Papa and Uncle Bill and most men actually. But she needed a little more time to warm up to Aunt Linda, Aunt Chris, and Nana. This past week she finally seems at ease with all of them and likes to be held by them and played with. My family just can't get enough of Maya which is great. Honestly I've seen them more in the last month then I have in the last year. Having a baby back in my family seems to be therapeutic for all of us. I can't remember the last time I saw my mom crawling around on the floor laughing. Maya had fun playing with different kinds of toys than we had at home. Lots of them saved throughout the years, played with by my nieces and nephews too. There was a new little Chinese dolly with all the accessories which Maya was fascinated by. Right away she picked up the little play bottle and started trying to feed her baby. Ahhhhhhhh!!!!!! Then she tried to drink it herself but became a little frustrated when she realized the milk didn't come out. There was also a little walker/car contraption. Nana was giving driving instructions.....Oh boy are we in trouble!

Checking out the "goods" at nana and papas

We can't wait for John's family to meet Maya too. We regularly show her pictures of John's family so she is familiar with their faces. We only wish that they lived closer too so that they could see all the little Maya milestones that occur each day. We will start getting back on planes at the end of the year so that Maya can meet the rest of her family who loves her so much. Nana Marilyn wrote the sweetest poem for Maya which we cherish and I'm sure she will one day as well. We have appreciated all the love and support we have received from both of our families. And one day Maya will realize how excited the whole family has been awaiting her arrival.

Also this last weekend we went to our agency's annual Halloween party. Maya dressed up in her little tiger costume and looked pretty darn cute. She even let me paint some whiskers on her face. We got to see the great staff at AAC and Uncle Morgan who has been the miracle worker in this whole adoption process. Maya loved petting a little rabbit and lovingly left her drool all him. I petted him really good afterwards to erase the evidence! We also got to see some cute little ladybugs....a.k.a the twins Stella and Lola. Later that night we went to their 1st birthday party which was lots of fun. I can tell Maya likes being around the familiar faces of the twins....and so do we.

"HMMMMMMM I'm not so sure about this!"

" What! I get candy if I wear this?"

Uncle Morgan the miracle worker

Celebrating with the twins

"There has to be a present in here for me!"

A few days ago we got our first snow of the season. Maya was fascinated by the cold, wet snowflakes landing on her head and hands. We were only out long enough to take a picture but I forsee her and daddy sledding in the near future.

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"Wow this feels wierd!"

Snowballs are too cold

kissing cousins and other adventures

2006-10-06T23:07:00.000-06:00

This past weekend my cousin's wife Jenn and their little baby Kellyn came to visit. Kellyn is 4 months old and approximately the same size as our little peanut. It has been interesting to see Maya become more social with other babies. She watched Kellyn's every move and you could almost hear her wondering aloud, "why can't she crawl or feed herself?" Even though Kellyn couldn't down mashed potatoes or throw her water bottle with complete accuracy, Maya still loved her enough to lean over and give her a big old kiss on the head.

Kissing Cousins

Can you guess who is older?

"If only I could crawl!"

She now puckers her lips and makes the mmmmmmmmmmaaaaaaaaa! sound when she is kissing. The first time this happened it was completely unprovoked which was so sweet. Of course we had to ask her to do it again for the camera. Being on the receiving end of one of these little kisses is very wet but the best experience ever. Maya also likes to kiss all of her stuff animals too. She is still blowing kisses and finds this to be completely handy when she is getting ready to do something naughty. The scenario goes something like this. Maya heads towards the cords of the lamp or computer. One of us says "Maaaayyyyyyaaaaaa" and she stops in her tracks with a very serious look and starts blowing us kisses. Amazing someone this young can try and sweeten us up before committing a spicy act. :)

This past week we also got a visit from Maya's friends Lola and Stella, the twins who were a part of our China group with parents Kirisi and Brad. It was good to see the girls and to see how all three are progressing at home. The girls enjoyed playing together on a blanket out back which was a welcome change to the hotel rooms we were used to having playdates in. Stella arm wrestled a biscuit out of Maya's hand much to Maya's amazment. Maya then proceded to offer her replacement biscuit only to take it back just as Stella was moving in for a mouth full. PSYCH!......two can play at this game! Needless to say it was very entertaing to watch. I'm thinking baby wrestling on the Disney Channel could draw quite the crowd.

Stella and Maya before the wrestiling match

Little Lola

"auntie" Kristi and Maya

We also got a visit from my boss Juan and his family. His son Vincent who is almost 5 has been a huge fan of the Maya blog. Vincent offered some free baby training so of course we couldn't resist. Maya was mesmerized by Vincent. But ever since the baby training Maya has been doing loud ear piercing, window shattering squeals. Hmmmmmm makes me wonder what kind of things Vincent taught her. I better check the baby training manual for the next lesson just to be safe.

Balancing 101 at the Vincent School of Baby Training

The weather is starting to turn cool and we've been enjoying many evening walks in the stroller. Maya seems to enjoy the scenery although she has a hard time staying awake once we get strollin. It seems to be a good pre bedtime routine since she is usually really wired and hyper right before crashing.

"I can't be seen in this!"

"Ok it is kinda cozy."

Her favorite thing is rolling around on the bed climbing Mt. mommy and daddy. She giggles with delight when she makes it over the hump of my hip or daddy's legs and can't wait to do it again. It has been so much fun to see how much she has opened up over the past few weeks. We have started to deal with a few sleep issues.....basically she doesn't want to go to sleep. Maybe we'll take this as a sign that she is enjoying life and doesn't want to miss a thing. A small price to pay for such a wonderful joy in our lives.

Mommy and Maya

A month of milestones

2006-09-28T23:14:00.000-06:00

Today marks the one month anniversary of the best day of our lives. It is hard to believe that Maya has been with us for 4 weeks already and we have almost been home for 2. Time seemed to stand still during our 20 month wait and now it is just flying by. It is amazing to see the changes that have occurred over the last month. Each day we have little milestones which might seem insignificant to the average person but are a pretty big deal to us.

When we first got home Maya would barely like to be put down and would be freaked out if we walked more then a couple of steps from her. Now she is exploring each room of the house and not scared to venture into other spaces without us. Today she sat happily playing with her toys in the dining room while I cleaned up from breakfast. This is a huge step which shows she is getting more secure in her surroundings. She also woke up yesterday happily playing in her crib. We have only had this happen one other time when we were in China. This morning she was back to crying herself awake but hopefully we will get more happy awakenings as time goes by.

"Here I am!"

She is also becoming very vocal. She is still quite shy around other people but when it is just the three of us we regularly hear her babble to herself and to us. She is definitely discovering that her voice has volume. She thinks it's fun to yell really loud for no apparent reason other then to hear her own voice. Then she gives a giggle followed by a raspberry sound ppppppppllllllllllllll! Yesterday we went to the park where she sat quietly observing the other children. She sat on the curb with one hand on John's leg which was very sweet. She definitely was taking it all in. She didn't like the feel of the sand on her feet but would curiously touch some in a bucket with one finger. When we left the park she started talking away as if to tell us all her commentary on what she thought of the other people. Today when we returned to the park she would let me bury her toes and then proceded to like the sand enough that she wanted to eat it. The weird thing is she seemed to enjoy the taste even though I kept trying to reinforce that it was yucky to eat.

Maya and her bodyguard

Maya is also starting to meet other children beyond those in our adoption group. Fritzna who is my good friend Dawn's little girl just loves Maya and likes to play mama. Fritzna is only two and I think she looks at Maya as her personal baby doll. Fritzna will sweetly stroke Maya's head or hold her bottle for her. These two will be great friends I predict. She has met several other children and seems to respond really well around them. They have all been so gentle and patient with her. So far she likes to share but we'll see if that lasts long.

Fritzna feeding her baby doll Maya

This week also marked our first visit to her pediatrician. She wasn't too happy about the three shots she got but stopped screaming long enought to blow the doctor a kiss on the way out. That is her newest and greatest thing lately. She loves blowing kisses and will even make the smooching sound when she does it. Unfortunately she did not respond that well to the injections and became really irritable with a fever for the following two days. She just wasn't herself which made me feel really bad for her. But she rebounded and is back to the sweet silly little girl we love. She has gained almost one pound since we have been home and is now 13.7. The doctor said that despite her small size she is in excellent health which was music to my ears.

I'm completely amazed at how one tiny person can completely take over a house. The house gets cleaned up after she goes to bed but then promplty looks like a tornado hit shortly after she wakes. But she is such a good helper. Laundry consists of me folding and Maya unfolding just to make sure I do it right the second time....or even the third for that matter. And she definitely is going to give Emeril a run for his money in the kitchen. She has discovered how many fun things can be found in the lazy susan. I'm just waiting for her to crawl in and take a ride. Luckily for now she likes to pull out all the seasoning packets and spices making suggestions for mealtime.

Riding in Style

"I found the perfect ingredient"

The biggest problem we have is that she loves to play in Skeeter's water dish. Splashing is so much fun and she does it until she is soaked. We've tried distracting her with other things and saying no but she just flashes a grin and giggles. We've decided she likes being caught in a naughty, spicy act so we are trying to ignore it in hopes that she will just lose interest.

"Shhhhhhhh, I hear someone coming!"

"Skeeter made me do it!"

Speaking of Skeeter..........yesterday Skeeter had a tumor removed from his bladder. We are not sure whether it is malignant or not but the vet suspects it is. Poor Skeeter is 12.5 years old, blind and almost deaf. He is still very happy though so we opted to have the tumor removed in hopes that it would buy him another year or so. He had a catheder in last night which was really rough for all of us but mostly our poor boy. He was in a lot of pain and whimpered all night. We had to get up several times and carry him outside with bag attached to collect his urine. Each time we would finally get him back to sleep Maya would then wake up. I felt like we had two kids on opposite schedules. Luckily he seems to be feeling much better today since getting the catheder removed. Maya thinks he looks pretty strange with a lampshade on his head. Skeeter is just plain embarrassed.

Recovering at home

"This is soooooo humiliating!"

We hope to see many of you that we haven't gotten to see yet. Maya is changing both physically and emotionally every day. Before we know it our little girl will be all grown up so don't wait too long!

New Horizons

2006-09-21T10:55:00.000-06:00

We've been home in Colorado now only 5 days and Maya is showing signs that she's going to fit right in her new home. Its incredible to absorb where our little girl was just a short 3 weeks ago, before we held her in our arms for the first time in Changsha.

Ahhh, my own crib!

Maya's horizons and experiences have suddenly changed and expanded in countless ways. After shuttling between hotel rooms in Changsha, Guangzhou and Los Angeles with our adoption group she must have thought we some sort of weird world traveling baby show. The bus rides and plane rides were beginning to become old hat to her, so having a home and consistent things she can count on will be a refreshing change.

First time on US soil (LAX)

We all suffered from the time change from China. Crossing the International Date Line going eastbound really screws up the circadian (sp?) rythms, and I'm sure Maya is suffering the most. The first few days/nights were challenging as we only got a couple hours sleep, but we're slowly adjusting to mountain time.

Now home new experiences are everywhere. For one, the climate is extremely different here than in Hunan. It is very rare for humidity to go above 30% along the Front Range, where Hunan is sub-tropical. We'll try not to allow Maya to dry up like a prune here - it might even help with a head cold she's carried across the ocean.

The other obvious difference is the lack of Chinese faces. It might take a little time for Maya to overcome seeing mostly white 'big nose' faces everywhere. We'll have to arrange some play dates with Maya's Hunan sisters and other adoptive families.

First time in her new house, with all the different rooms gives Maya lots of area for exploration. She seems to go right for the few things that we will be trying to steer her away from (ie: dog dish, closets, remote control, etc.).

First time meeting our dog, Skeeter, was interesting. Maya was terrified at first of this big white furry monster. Once she saw Skeet lumbering around harmlessly bumping into furniture and peoples' legs (for the uninitiated, our dog is blind and somewhat deaf), I'm sure she felt a bit more at ease. Now she crawls after him yelling something that sounds like "dah" (dog?) and is totally fearless of him.

I suppose we can work this out

A sad side note on Skeeter. We only just discovered that he has a tumor in his bladder that will most likely have to be removed. We don't know yet if it's benign or malignant so we're hoping for the best. Thankfully, his caregivers while we were in China, Jenna and Jamie, adeptly noticed that there was some blood in his urine and were able to shuttle him to the vet for some tests.

First time on the lawn (I assume judging from the orphanage visit) was an interesting time. Maya didn't quite know what to think of this new surface. Is grass something to eat? Is it OK to crawl on? It kind of feels scratchy...hmmm, not sure yet.

Do I eat it or crawl on it mommy?

First time in the stroller was good. Maya seemed to enjoy rolling along checking out the neighborhood sights. The first two times in the stroller resulted in her falling completely to sleep so we will probably be using that to our advantage in our evolving daily routine.

First time to the neighborhood park and swings was a total blast! Maya loved the swings and the slide and will get plenty of chances to hone those skills.

I can get used to this!

We are both elated that Maya seems to bravely accept any new experiences with a strong sense of curiousity and abandon. I hope that is in some way the result of her feeling a stronger sense of bond with both of us. I've noticed that every day she seems to trust us a little bit more. The first few days she would scream bloody murder if both of us left sight of her for just an instant. Now if she's in one room playing and we leave for an instant she at least gives us a whimper warning before getting the all-out 'you've abandoned me again' wail.

Meeting new family or friends has been somewhat of a crap shoot. Sometimes she lets others hold her, and sometimes she screams and cries. I don't think there is any consistent reason for this, but every day she seems to show some signs that Lori and I are not just nannies on the day shift and we are not abandoning her.

Our friends Shawn and Jennifer and others have generously recycled several of the items from their childrens lives now that they are older (crib, changing table top, clothing, toys) and Maya already uses many of them! One of the more interesting items she has taken a particular interest in is this little walk along contraption that is either designed to improve toddlers' balance and walking skills or to terrorize small animals. Maya was almost running with this crazy thing last night and we were all laughing at how fearless she is. Skeeter almost got run over a few times as she barreled down the hall. She hasn't taken the inevitable first header yet though, so we're trying to 'throttle her back' a bit to give her time to strengthen those little leg muscles.

How do I steer this thing?

Ahh crap!

Last full day in China

2006-09-14T09:01:00.000-06:00

Well today marked our last full day in Maya's birth country. Bittersweet to leave the land where she was born but exciting to move on to a new adventure with our sweet girl. Today we traveled to the American Consulate to have our swearing in ceremony to make Maya an American citizen. Unfortunately, we were unable to take pictures inside but the entire thing was pretty short and sweet. She will officially become a citizen when her passport is stamped for arrival at customs in L.A.

Tonight daddy and Maya celebrated with an ice cream cone. Not her first because apparently her and daddy had a secret date with some ice cream before when mommy wasn't looking. She seems to really like it once she gets over the shock of the cold on her tongue.

"What do you mean ya got no more ice cream!"

Tomorrow we will fly to LAX and spend the night there since there are no more flights tomorrow night. We will be arriving home on Saturday afternoon. We look forward to Maya meeting all her new friends and family. And we will cherish the new ones we have made here on this journey. See you all soon.

Dining with new friend Tillie

"This could get ugly"

Rainy Day

2006-09-13T09:27:00.000-06:00

Today it was pouring in Guangzhou. We still tried to get out and about a little because we've started to feel claustrophobic in our tiny hotel room. Today John taught Maya to give him 5 and she has also learned to clap when you say "yeah". We were planning a dinner cruise along the pearl river but it ended up getting canceled. We went out to dinner with another couple at an American style restaurant here on the island. The waiter was so attentive that he would come up and wipe the babies mouths periodically. John is currently out having a foot massage which he has allowed me to do several times. Maya was extremely playful tonight and finally started exploring the room on her own. Usually she won't leave our side but tonight she crawled all over and then crawled to the bathtub and kept babbling. So at her request I gave her a tubby. She had a blast and kept singing to all the little creatures on the bottom of her tub. I put her down on our bed for her bottle and she threw up everywhere. I mean gallons. This is the first time she has vomited on this entire trip. She didn't make a peep during or afterward and then she continued to babble and talk. She even went to sleep easily. Housekeeping just left from changing all the bedding. I'm hoping that something just didn't agree with her and that she isn't getting an additional illness. Due to the rain we didn't do much today so Maya and I did our own little fashion shoot.

"Oohhh I like my pearls"

" I know how to work it"

"YEAH!!!!!!! I finished my first fashion shoot!"

Hanging Low

2006-09-12T06:17:00.000-06:00

Today we stayed close to home.....aka our hotel room since I have not been feeling well. We all slept in until 8:00am which was a luxury since most of our group outings require us to be ready to go by 8:00a. Maya seems to be adjusting more to our new hotel surroundings and enjoys our afternoon strolls. Today we walked around and looked at all the incredible sculptures. There is one particular sculpture that we couldn't resist taking Maya's picture. A school teacher playing the violin with her students in tow. Maya decided she wanted to join in. Look closely or you might miss her.

" I want to join in too!"

Tonight we had a pizza party with some of the other families in the group. We have obviously hung out a lot with Brad and Kristi and the twins Stella and Lola. They are amazing parents of two beautiful, very very active girls. About 5 families with babies and other biological kids joined in on the fun which doubled as a birthday party for Adele (another baby) who turned 1 today. Maya really enjoyed the birthday cake. It is funny how quickly we have bonded with the other members of our group. It is nothing to sit around and discuss bowel movements and boogers....including our own. It is so funny when a smell filled the room and all the parents started individually smelling their children's butts to see if it was their baby responsible for the offending odor.

"Birthday cake is good!"

Maya is learning at lightening speed. Today Maya learned to shake her head yes....although we aren't sure if she knows exactly when to do it. She also seems much more relaxed around us. When we first got her she was constantly grinding her teeth. It was a horrible squeaky sound. I imagine it was stress induced because we have not heard her do this for several days now. She was so passive when we first got her and would not really put up a fight about anything. Now she tests her limits constantly. She is showing her spicy side more and more.

"I'm not spicy! I'm an angel"

I think we are getting pretty comfortable with parenthood. We would get up every 15 minutes to check on her the first few days. One little whimper and we would be at her crib. Now we are starting to learn which cries are sleepy cries and which ones mean business. It will be interesting to see her in our home environment which will seem like a mansion to her. She has been so used to the small little space we all share. The dresser doubles as the diaper changing station and the bathroom doubles as the formula making station. Yesterday I was changing Maya's diaper and before I could get her new one on she was pooping off the side of the dresser. Apparently my frantic attemp to catch it all was pretty funny to her as she giggled out loud watching me.

Hanging with Daddy

There are some things you should know about Maya before we get home. She may seem pretty serious. She is just now giving smiles to the other parents in the group who she has known for almost three weeks. None of them ever believed that she smiled. So if you don't get a smile out of her the first time you meet her don't be surpised. She seems to hold back and observe new people. If you hold her be prepared for her to throw her head back. She will do this when she is mad or even happy and just wanting to see the world from a different perspective. But it can definitely catch you off guard if your not prepared for it. Finally you should know that Maya has mongolian spots. These spots can look different on each baby but are common among asian babies. On Maya they look almost like blue bruising and run from her butt up her back. We did confirm with the doctor in the group that these are in fact Mongolian spots. Usually the children will outgrow them with age.

It seems Maya is growing so quickly. She feels heavier and has a little belly now. In fact when she is full her outy belly button sticks out like one of those turkeys with the ready button that pops out when it's done. We are excited to get her home so that everyone can enjoy her little acclomplishments. We only wish that all of our family and friends lived closer. We show her everyone's pictures so that she becomes familiar with those she might not see as often. Only 4 more days until we are home!!!!

Hello Guangzhou

2006-09-10T22:46:00.000-06:00

Sorry we haven't posted sooner. I've been down for the count with this cold and now I have viral pink eye in both eyes. You'll see more pictures with me in my glasses since I'm unable to where my contacts right now. Every spare moment which is few and far between I've been trying to get some rest.

"Are you sure it's ok to sit on this tray table?"

Lets see where my closest exit is

Well we arrived safely in Guangzhou on Saturday. It took seven hours for a one hour flight. Not such a big surprise since we have 15 families and 16 babies and lots and lots of luggage to manuever. Maya did fair on her first flight so we are curious to see how she does on the long flight back home. Mostly she just hates being confined. But, we are here now and it's completely different from Changsha. We are staying at the Victory Hotel on Shamian Island which sits along the Pearl River. The island has a rich history with a colonial feel since this area was once occupied by England and France. Beautiful colonial buildings surrounded by big trees, parks and statues everywhere. It is subtropical with lot of beautiful foliage. We have enjoyed strolling in a more peaceful area then the hussle and bussle of Changsha but miss a little of the authentic China feel. They also cater to adoptive families and almost everyone here speaks English. There are lots of shopping and eating places within walking distance. Yesterday we went to the jade factory and pearl market where we purchased things for Maya's graduation and wedding day.

Napping on the bus between shopping

We also visited the Chen Family temple which is beautiful with the typical Chinese architecture. I've tried to imagine what it was like when people were living there. We then visited the Six Banyan Buddhist Temple where all three of us were blessed by monks which was very special. Daddy and Maya climbed to the top of the temple which is 9 stories on the outside but 17 inside. Apparently the insense smelled really good but my stuffy nose didn't detect any of it.

Pagoda at the Six Banyan Temple

Monk that blessed us

Our buddah baby

Today we had Maya's medical exam which is necessary to get her visa to leave the country. The room was buzzing with screaming parents trying to comfort screaming babies. Maya was no exception. She was crazy mad when they tried to take her temperature under her armpit. Seeing how that went we'll try to avoid rectal thermometers in the future. The whole exam took about 20 minutes with three stations. One station where they do weight, length, and temperature. Another where they exam her ears, nose and throat. The throat was pretty easy since she was screaming so loud and showing off her uvula (that dangling thing at the back of your throat). The hearing test basically consist of shaking a toy on each side to see if she looks. Pretty low tech. The final station they measure her head and check her body. Not quite sure what they were looking for.

Not so happy about the medical exam

According to their scale Maya is 12.8 lbs. Yep, she is shrinking. Actually in all the hotel rooms she hovers right around 13lbs....either way she is a little peanut. But strong as an ox when she doesn't like something. Maya was very happy to get out of that place. Unfortunately we will have to go back to the doctor when we get home so that she can be immunized with American immunizations. I'm not looking forward to that.

We also took a group photo at the White Swan hotel on the famous red couch. Thousands of adoptive babies have posed for pictures on this couch throughout the years. It is extremely difficult to get 16 babies to cooperate for one photo as you can see. Maya is on the couch farthest on the right.

Tomorrow we have decided not to go on the group outing but instead enjoy some quiet family time and hopefully catch up on some rest. Only 5 more days and we'll be home!

Goodbye Changsha

2006-09-08T08:54:00.000-06:00

We are leaving Changsha to go to Guangzhou for the final leg of our journey. Once in Guangzhou we will have several appointments which will allow Maya to leave the country. We are sad to leave Changsha but excited to get one step closer to home. Tonight we enjoyed a dinner with traditional folk dancing which Maya loved. The people of Changsha have been wonderful to us and we hope to bring Maya back here one day. We won't be posting again until Sunday. In the meantime enjoy a few more pics of our girl.

Uncle Jackie our guide in Changsha

Something fun to do in the hotel room

Showing off Buddah

"Im packed!"

One week later.....

2006-09-07T07:32:00.000-06:00

Standing with help from mommy

Eating is so much fun!

And so is tubby time!

Daddy wanna cracker?

Where's my biscuit?

Thank you!

Well it has been one week since we got the best gift ever.....our precious Maya Xiao Jiao. It seems like we have always been a family. I'll admit for the first few days I felt like we were babysitting and at any moment she would be taken away from us. But now we are getting into the groove of parenting and really feel like a family.

Maya has made amazing strides in the last week. She is very talkative and loves to imitate. We can't tell if it is baby babble or if she is saying something in Chinese. We made huge progress in the tubby department. The first couple of days that we tried to bath her she would scream bloody murder. No the water wasn't too hot.....we just think she had never really had a bath. I noticed at the orphanage a small square like shower thing in the corner with a big sprayer. So I think she was used to getting hosed down. When we stayed overnight at her orphanage city the hotel had given us a rubber ducky with 3 baby rubber ducks inside. We had forgotten to pack hers so we were thrilled to get some bath toys. I ended up getting in the tub with Maya and she cried for a few seconds and then realized splashing with the ducks was very fun. Today she required two baths following her fun eating session. I put her in the little tub and she had a blast. Oddly enough she likes to put her head face down in the water and blow bubbles and feel the water with her mouth. She would then sit up and be covered in suds giggling. One time she sat back up and had the perfect beard as you can see from the pictures.

Another great thing is that Maya has started to wave when people say hello or Nihao (chinese hello). It is so cute. Today we took a walk and she was just waving at everyone. People are always astounded because she is so small and she can do all that. She appears much younger so people think we have this brillant baby. Well of course we think so.
She will also shake her head no when she doesn't want something. And she now thinks it is really fun to feed us food. Nothing like a good soggy spit soaked biscuit in the morning! This tells me she is starting to trust us more.

Sleep time is still a bit of a struggle. Now when we put her down to sleep she will pop her head up to see if we are still there. Once reassured she will put her head back down. She hasn't been sleeping through the night lately. Last night she woke up about 4am and after a bottle we put her in bed with us. This morning I felt a little tug at my hair and when I opened my eyes she just looked at me with her big brown eyes. I said "good morning" and she gave me a huge grin. All our troubles are washed away with one smile.

We all have been fighting bad head colds. We decided to stay home from the big tour today. Instead we just hung out in our jammies and played. It was a fun day despite feeling icky.

We have heard from home that our little Skeeter is sick. Our pet sitter has been taking good care of him and taking him back and forth to the vets. Thanks Jenna! It is hard to be miles away worried about our first baby. Keep him in your thoughts.

Just one more full day in Changsha then we will be headed to Guangzhou on Saturday. Looking forward to a change in pace and one step closer to home.

Adventures in dining and other fun things.

2006-09-06T00:50:00.000-06:00

Our little peanut

Well one thing that is interesting about this adoption journey is that we are living out of a hotel for 3 weeks and eating every meal in a restaurant. Talk about breaking us in! The restaurants here are really neat because they consist of separate rooms. So our group usually is in one room with 3 large round tables. The tables all have these large glass lazy susans on them where the food is placed and then eaten family style. The funniest thing is that the minute all the families sit down in our group all the glasses and plates get pushed as far away from the kids as possible. Maya has an incredible throw and thinks that it is really funny to toss everything onto the floor. This always leads to big grins and belly laughs. The majority of the restaurants don't have high chairs so we have her eating on our lap. Here is how and average meal goes:

MMMMM little steamed egg for Maya.....three pieces for mamma's lap. Rub some fried rice in our hair then squish a little onto mamma's shirt. Grab a few greasy noodles and give baba (daddy) a nice pat on the back. Eating is so much fun!!!!!! Multiply that by four babies at the same table. Seriously we look like we have been in a food fight after every meal. I'm learning to dress in layers at meal time so that I can remove my food soaked outside layer. We have also learned that if we feed her things stay a lot neater. She doesn't like the spoon so mamma has gotten lots of practice with chopsticks.

We have been extremely lucky because Maya loves to eat anything. She is not particular about the temperature of her bottles or the kind of nipples like many of the babies. She usually has a death grip on any food that is in her hand. Her favorite is watermelon. She will take a huge slice and turn into the human juicer. She even likes the rind. Today she fell asleep with her watermelon rind in hand.........don't even think of taking that away! She also loves teething biscuits which are fun to eat and then scratch her head with or clean out an ear. Hey at least she can multitask. She also has a system of how she eats things. Take her teething biscuits for example. After each bite she will turn it over and spin it clockwise to find the edge that hasn't been eaten. She will continue to do this until all the clean edges are eaten before diving in to eat the whole biscuit. We bought some of the Chinese teething biscuits at Walmart yesterday and they are more like breadsticks. She hasn't quite figured out how to find a good edge with those. She loves them but they are ten times messier then the American biscuits I brought.

Speaking of Walmart....wow what an adventure that was. The Walmart greeters are incredible. The basically do the Vanna White impression and go "dahdah" every time they point something out. Well they don't really say that but they motion their hands like they are doing that. The meat/poultry/fish section was wild. They have aquariums basically with live fish swimming around. The aquariums are lined up in a row. John said he saw a couple of the fish jumping from one aquarium to another. You have to net your own fish which we saw one woman do. Apparently she wasn't happy with the one she caught so she threw it back. Nothing is packaged. If you want chicken you just pick through all the parts or get a whole one. They like to serve things mostly whole as we have found out when dining out. It is nothing to have the beak of the duck resting on the bowl or find a claw like chicken foot too. Luckily there are lots of vegetarian dishes too. Corn on the cob is a favorite for breakfast. We found some interesting snacks at Walmart. The Chinese like potato chips flavored like ketchup, pork, or cucumber.

Gone fishin', Walmart style

Anemic chicken anyone?

Some western style food with a twist - Cucumber flavored chips and a Coke with old-style can

Today we also visited the Hunan embroidery museum. The silk embroidery here is incredible. They look like paintings and you have to get extremely close to see that they are threads of fine silk. They manage to do all the shading perfectly. They are extremely labor intensive and a person might spend their whole life working on just one piece. Many pieces are finished by multiple artists. The women working on these pieces spend ten to twelve hours a day doing so. The threads are very thin and yet I didn't see any of the women wearing glasses. It is amazing what little they get for doing such beautiful work. John and I purchased a couple for our home.

Silk Embroidery Museum of Hunan

This piece dates to 2000 BC

A woman working on a new piece

As I write this my little peanut and baba are taking an afternoon nap snoring together in a harmonious symphony. Maya slept through from 8pm until 6am this morning. Yeah! She seems to sleep better at night if she gets a two hour nap in the afternoon. Is she doesn't get it she is almost so exhausted that she just fights sleeping all night. She is still struggling with a cold and cough which John and I have gotten as well. Of course! Each day she just continues to amaze us and we still can't believe we get to take her home with us. She doesn't seem overly scared of other people like some of the kids do so many of you will probably get a chance to hold her. Just promise you'll give her back :)

Afternoon walk to Martyr's Park

Many street vendors come out in the late afternoon

Emotional Journey

2006-09-04T09:00:00.000-06:00

Lori and Maya in front of Maya's orphanage

Maya's crib

Long day

Mother and daughter trying to catch some ZZZZ's on the bus

Traditional Hunan dining with the group

Happy girl

You can see more pics of the trip by clicking on the link under "More Photos and Video" in the right hand navigation bar. We'll try to add some more pics and maybe a video or two every day or so.

Yesterday we headed to the city where Maya has spent her last 3 months. She spent the previous 7 months in an orphanage in Dao County after being found abandoned in front of a civil affairs building. Unfortunately we were told that we would not be able to visit Dao County because the bus could not manage the treacherous mountain roads to get there. We are sad that we can't see the place where she spent so much of her life or meet the people who cared for her but we were anxious to see the orphanage where Maya has recently been.

There were eleven families on this particular route which included 3 separate orphanages. The drive out to the more rural parts of China was a welcome relief to the hectic city life we have been exposed to here in Changsha. The countryside is beautiful with rice patties growing everywhere. Hunan province provides a major source of the rice in China which was evident by the amount of rice farms we saw along the way. Once again we were rock stars and people came out in droves to see the foreigners. It makes you feel a bit like an alien the way the people all come out and stare at you. I got repremanded for putting Maya in a carrier against my chest. The little old ladies kept telling me she was too hot.....like the 100 degrees was not causing her to sweat. Overall though the people are extremely happy to see us and very welcoming.

The first orphanage we stopped at was tucked back off the road and required you to go across a little bridge covered pond to get to the building itself. This explained the bug bites on a lot of the kids. We were politely shown some of the rooms however the building itself was several stories high so we speculated that we got shown the good parts.......The building was very old and dirty and the cribs were all lined with bamboo mats. The cribs did seem like they were in good condition though. There were some toys but they all seemed out of reach of the children themselves. It is absolutely heart breaking to see all the kids waiting for homes. And even more heartbreaking to see the conditions that they have to live in. I just wanted to scoop as many children as I could in my arms and just start running away from there. We know that the nannies do their best with what they are given. And it was obvious that they cared for the children.

There was some confusion at first because we thought this was where Maya had been living and of course it was very upsetting to think about her being there. Then we found out that she actually was at another orphanage. I felt a bit relieved although sad for the children left behind. When we arrived at Maya's orphanage it occurred to me that she had been living someplace worse. Immediately I was stuck by the desolate look of the place. There were apartment buildings all around but it felt like you were walking through a bombed out area in order to get to the orphanage itself which is set up like a motel where all the rooms are accessed from outside. When we walked in the nannies immediately started circling another baby in our group. They scooped her up and carried her everywhere showing all the other nannies. This baby had been left on their doorstep and had been at this orphanage ever since. It was obvious that she was very loved.

I braced myself as I waited for the rush of women to start surrounding Maya too but it never happened. None of the women seemed to care that little Xiao Jiao was there with her new mommy and daddy. This gave me a very uneasy feeling. I asked where she slept and was shown her crib. Although it didn't look old it had railings that were only about 6 inches high and a little red strap in the corner where it was obvious that they had strapped her wrist or leg down at bed time. We know they do it for the childrens safety but the reality of it is very hard to see. John and I stood there looking down at that little crib thinking about our little Maya laying there. It was a lot to take in and I was unable to control my tears although I tried to put on a happy face and act as if they were happy tears. As we stood there the nannies were showing the other baby's parents her crib which was full sized. She was directly across from Maya but neither of them seem to show any recognition in each other. Maya's room had 8 cribs in it and was about 10x15, cement floors, and no toys. The nanny said that the babies spent most of the day here. We took pictures with the nanny and orphanage director then headed to the play room.

The playroom was about the same size and consisted of 6 to 8 baby walkers. The floor was dirty cement and there was not one toy in the room. The only cheerful thing was a cutout of a Christmas stalking on the wall and a little stuffed animal pinned up on the wall. There were several children in the walkers just sitting listless. The heat was intense in all the rooms which I'm sure contributed to their lack of enthusiasm. There were no fans or anything to create any kind of air movement. Most of the children were not long enough or strong enough to push themselves around. Even if they could they would just bump into eachother because the room was so small. I tried to interact with a child and the baby just cried from my strange looking face. It was completely overwhelming seeing this first hand. Our group had brought toys to the orphanage although we did not get to distribute them. I know there was a group ahead of us that probably also brought toys so it made me wonder why I didn't see any there. Perhaps they feel it is insulting to accept such gifts or maybe they don't realize the importance of stimulation for the babies. Oddly enough the playroom was equipped with a really nice large TV that was blaring a Chinese soap opera. It seemed so out of place in this old run down building.

When we boarded our bus I just sobbed uncontrollably for about an hour. I kept kissing Maya thankful that she was in my arms and not there. It dawned on me why her blistering diaper rash was so bad, why she can feed herself and how she will continually shovel food in if you let her. The other baby that was so adored and cannot feed herself most likely because she always had a nanny to do it for her. I came to realize that our tiny, sweet little Maya is a survivor. I am so thankful that she is strong willed and still so willing to give us a smile. Perhaps she was loved by a nanny that wasn't there that day or adored by her caretakers at her first orphanage. Whatever the circumstance she seems overall healthy and happy. When we got to our room Maya was as happy as could be smiling at us with her cute little dimples. Hard to stay sad for long when she gives us those big grins and belly laughs.

We enjoyed a group dinner and were served the specialty of her city which is snake. I didn't venture there but John said it wasn't that great. We also get the beaks and feet in all of our chicken dishes which always makes for interesting table conversation.

Today we continued our orphanage visit at the final orphanage in Shuang Pai which was in the beautiful mountain region. The orphanage here was a complete contrast to the other two. Nice tiled floors, very clean, toys everywhere including on each little walker cart. Each nanny was assigned 2-4 children and she had her own bed in the same room as her assigned babies. The babies were very much loved here and it was obvious by the way the Nannies were crying when they saw the babies from there. It was like the Hilton compared to the previous visits.

The day was extremely long. We were on a bus for about 10 hours. Considering this Maya did pretty good as long as we supplied her with food. When she is upset she likes to be walked which was impossible on a bus traveling on rugged China roads. She had lots of screaming fits and she wiggles like crazy which makes her hard to hold on to. You would never guess she is only 13lbs when she is crying like that. She is extremely strong in her fits of rage. But who can blame her when she has been confined for so many months. She has tasted freedom and she doesn't like being confined anymore. When we got back to the room I laid her on the bed and she starting rolling around and giggling. She suddenly transformed back to our happy little girl which continually amazes us.

As difficult as it was we are glad that we went to see where Maya had been cared for. We decided that we would privately share the majority of photos of Maya's orphanage with our friends and family once we are back home. We feel that this is a part of Maya's life that should remain somewhat private. Before the visit we felt slightly guilty for taking Maya away from her homeland. But now we have a new perspective and we are glad that we can provide her a life of limitless opportunity and love. We hope that someday she feels the same.

We're officially a family!

2006-09-02T00:27:00.000-06:00

Here's a link to some more photos: http://www.dropshots.com/john_haug

September first marked our official adoption of Maya. We headed back to the same building where we received Maya and became a forever family. The interview process was very brief......they asked us "are you happy with this child?" A resounding "yes" there! and why we want to adopt a child from China. About 5 minutes for the whole process which included a thumbprint from John and I and Maya's foot print to seal the deal. We just can't believe little Xiao Jiao (we mostly call her "Jiao Jiao" so far as that is the name we've been told she was called most of her life by her caregivers) is ours!

Maya continues to amaze us. We can't stop looking at her and feel so happy that she was chosen for us. She loves her toothbrush and likes to carry it with her. Yeah! Good oral hygiene. We're practicing brushing those six teeth of hers and luckily she is pretty cooperative. She also loves stacking cups. She is brilliant of course (what parent doesn't think that right?) and anything you give her she studies very carefully by turning it over several times.

We have experienced some obvious grieving from Maya. She will be giggling one minute then she will just start crying for no apparent reason, throw her head back, arch her back and scratch us (sound familiar Dawn?) and just say "ahh ma" over and over again. Morgan our group leader says that she is calling for her nanny at the orphanage and that this is pretty common. It really breaks our heart and has brought me to tears a few times. I know this must be all to much for her to understand and my heart hurts for her. We just hold her close and whisper " I love you" in Chinese hoping that she will feel some sort of comfort. Overall we have been pretty lucky as many of the families in our group have dealt with nonstop crying from their children. We feel blessed to have gotten lots of giggles from her. And she has been babbling a lot today.

We had the doctor in our group check her out today. Her diaper rash is healing well with the Arbonne ointment I brought. It was disgusting when we got her. Poor thing just clumps of skin peeling off and raw skin underneath. She is still congested but it doesn't appear to be in her lungs which is good. She has scabies which is common in orphanage settings especially in warm humid environments. We brought a presription with us and have been treating her accordingly. Overall she is pretty healthy even though she is small. Her weight as of today is 13.2 lbs. She dropped a bit from the beginning of August probably due to her sick bout.

Maya slept through the first night completely from 9-7am. Last night she woke up at 2am and then went back to sleep after I gave her a bottle. She slept between John and I last night after having a rough afternoon we didn't want to move her after she finally fell asleep. She rolls and rolls and rolls. John said he got kicked in the head several times. Good thing he brought a mouth guard! She rotates around just like Paige (my niece) did when she was little. The other strange thing is she sleeps head face down on the bed. We have tried to turn her head to one side or the other but she always goes back to face down. I don't know how she breaths but it seems comforting to her so we don't mess with her too much. She also does this little thing where she rocks her hips in a circle when she is falling asleep. I'm sure it is the way she soothed her self to sleep in the orphanage.

Little milestones are what we live for. If I say baba (chinese for dad) she will look for John. Mama is a bit more confusing because of the orphanage nanny thing but she did actually reach for me today. John and I both agree that every smile just melts our hearts. She has several dimples which are so cute and her belly laugh is so funny.

We wish that we were out enjoying China a little more. It has just been horribly hothere. Today it was 102 and the humidity is 100% plus lots of pollution. Going a little stir crazy in the hotel but thank goodness for our friends in the group. There is a playroom in the hotel so we did a little playdate today. It has been so fun hanging out with Brad and Kristi and their cute little twins. We get to share all the new things that the girls do each day. Tonight we will be going out with all the other 14 families for a group dinner. Sixteen babies in a restaurant should be interesting.

Tomorrow we will head to the orphanage where Maya has been since June. It is 3.5 hours away so we will be spending the night. Unable to post again until Monday. We are a little concerned about how Maya will react back in her orphanage environment so keep us in your thoughts and prayers. We won't be able to see where Maya was abandoned or visit her first orphanage of seven months because it is too far away. Someday we hope we can return with her and make that journey.

Hope you enjoy the pictures. Love to you all. Thank you so much for sharing this with us.

Lori, John and Maya (Maya Papaya.....John's new nickname for her).

Here's our girl!

2006-08-31T07:40:00.000-06:00

Lots of paperwork to adopt a baby in China

Just before we met Maya

Maya meets her forever mommy

I see some teeth!

Mommy gets some quality time

Daddy's little girl

There are very few words in the English language that would describe the level of emotion we experienced today. From the time I awoke at 6:00 AM until an orphanage nanny placed Maya into Lori's arms at 3:08 PM there was so much adrenalin running through my body it felt like electricity.

15 couples, some with children, all piled into a bus in 100 degree heat to drive to the Changsha Social Welfare Institue to meet their new children for the first time. There were 16 babies ages from 9 months to 3.5 years being adopted. Everyone was in their own zone but the level of anticipation on that bus was off the charts.

After a short drive we arrived at a very plain looking old three story brick building, drove through some iron gates and we were there. We knew that our babies were already somewhere inside waiting for us. They herded us into a small hot room where we all pulled out cameras and waited.

I can only describe the next scene as somewhat chaotic. They began calling out names one by one. "Strong" came first. Our friends Brad and Kristy came forward, showed their passports to the orphanage director and were handed their beautiful twin daughters. I don't think there was a dry eye in the house after that.

Then came the rest, one by one. Finally I heard someone say "Xiao Jiao", and we saw our little girl for the first time. I will never forget this moment for the rest of my life. Maya looked just like her photo - except shrunk down three sizes. I knew she was small, but she is TINY!! Immediately, the orphanage director lifted up her split pants and showed us that Xiao Jiao has a pretty terrible case of diaper rash (for the uninitiated, split pants have a slot in the back side to allow the baby to poop and pee - diapers are expensive and very labor intensive to use so orphanages in China use split pants and try to potty train the kids very early). So while Lori held Maya for the first time, the orphanage director pulled me aside with a translator to tell us all about her symptoms and what medicines she was receiving. This was initially somewhat concerning to me with the way they were presenting it. It turns out that besides the diaper rash, she also has a head cold - she is sniffling and sneezing - and some sort of skin condition - maybe a small rash. They seemed very apologetic about her condition even though it seems like nothing to worry about. After inspecting her, we weren't too concerned about it and we told them so. We are fortunate to have a doctor and his wife in our group adopting their third daughter from China, so he will try to take a look at Maya tomorrow.

Maya is an amazing little girl! We got her back to the hotel, and just plopped her on the bed to take a quick inventory. Other than being very tiny (she barely fits into 3-6 month olds clothes although she is almost 10 months) she is a very bright, curious, and happy baby. Even though she went through this tramatic event (for the third time in her brief life) and she had all these ailments, we already received some hearty smiles and at least one healthy belly laugh after playing with her for a few hours. Reportedly all the girls from Hunan are "hot and spicy" and we saw a little of that side too! We're in for quite a ride!!

We'll post some more pics in the next few days and maybe even a video or two. The pics take a long time to upload here in the biz center and I haven't had time to troubleshoot why Lori's Mac won't recognize the hotel's network (I just know I'm going to take all kinds of flack from my co-workers on that one! :-). We picked a few of the best pictures to give you something to hold you over another day, enjoy!

Tomorrow is very special, it's Maya's adoption day. We will officially become parents to our Maya at approximately 9:30 AM (7:30 PM - Thursday - Colorado time). We love and miss you all and can't wait to bring Maya home!

Good night for now.

31 Hours

2006-08-30T08:58:00.000-06:00

Nihao from Changsha!

Sorry for the late post, we’ve had some problems using the internet access from the room. The hotel we’re staying at has a business center which is where I am now.

From our front door in Colorado to the front door of our hotel in Changsha, China was a 31 hour trip. Thankfully everything went very smoothly. Our 3 flights were all on time and we didn’t lose any luggage, woo hoo!. This is our first full day in China and our bodies are just starting to acclimate to the local time. I awoke at 3:00 this morning, but we are attempting to stay up late tonight so we can get a full night’s sleep.

We are traveling with Brad and Kristi, a couple we befriended through the adoption process. Brad and Kristi are adopting twin girls from Chenzhou. Their names are Stella and Lola. We’re very lucky to have Brad and Kristi as travel mates. This is their first time to China and they are first time parents too so we have a lot in common.

On our 4 hour layover in LAX we took a little side trip to Manhattan Beach and ate dinner at a great little seafood restaurant called Rock n’ Fish. A nice escape from the airport terminals and their predictable fare. We even got an after dinner stroll along the pier and took in some salty Pacific air.

Manhattan Beach Pier

Our flight from LA to Guangzhou followed the “great circle route” basically following the coast all the way from LA to Alaska, down over the coast of Siberia and Korea and then into China. We flew over Beijing and the Great Wall and into Guangzhou but unfortunately it was dark until almost touchdown so we didn’t see much along the way.

Next Stop, China!

Once we cleared customs in Guangzhou we went searching for caffeine to get us through our last flight. With no Starbucks in sight, we came across an inviting coffee bar with couches and easy chairs that was totally empty. We ordered a couple small carafes of coffee and relaxed until it was time to hop on our next flight. When it came time to leave the waitress brought the tab and pointed to the number on it. It said “71”. I replied “71 yuan?” She said “no, US Dollars”. That’s right, 71 dollars for four cups of really good coffee (now we know why it was empty). This was lesson number one of the trip: everything is outrageously expensive in airports no matter where you are, China included. In our jet lagged delirium we forgot to check the price on the menu and do the math.

$71 dollar coffee -- did I mention that it was really good?

Our last flight was on a small regional jet and was completely packed. This is one of those planes you have to duck all the way until you sit down. Luckily it was only an hour flight.

It is verrrry hot here!! Changsha is sub-tropical, I would compare it to Acapulco, Mexico. It must have been close to 100 degrees yesterday with close to 100% humidity. Our shuttle driver from the airport said we were lucky because it was much hotter before we arrived.

On our shuttle to the hotel one of the first things we noticed is that there are multiple modes of transportation that all share the same space. Cars, buses, bikes, foodcarts, mopeds, trucks all navigate the streets with very little or no regards to logic or traffic control. It’s insane but somehow they make it work. It seems that cars don’t have to stop for pedestrians here, just honk your horn and go. There seems to be a natural pecking order based on the size of the vehicle you’re in. Trucks have right-of-way over buses, buses over cars, cars over motorcycles, etc. with pedestrians at the bottom of the food chain. We must have witnessed at least 3 near misses where there would definitely have been fatalities.

Changsha traffic

All the people we have come in contact with so far have been very nice and patient with us. In Changsha there are not too many people who speak English, and those who do are typically not fluent so we have been relying on our Chinese/English translation guide and the kindness of hotel staff.

Today we took a tour to the birthplace and original residence of Mao Tse Tung (sp?). This was about an hour and a half drive west of Changsha. It was fascinating to get out into the surrounding country and see some rural Chinese farms and villages. Besides gazing at the countryside, we spent the driving time getting lessons on Chinese culture and traditions from our local guide Nadine. Very memorable.

Tomorrow is “gothcha day”, when we finally receive our baby!! She will be in our arms by 3:30 PM local time (1:30 AM Colorado time). It’s unbelievable that this is the last night that we will spend by ourselves without this little girl as an integral part of our lives. I can only imagine that this is very similar to the feeling of an expectant father the night before delivery.

Maya's crib

Stay tuned for current pics of Maya!

Now it gets interesting!

2006-08-25T19:02:00.000-06:00

Up until today we have had all the little distractions that day-to-day life brings to keep us busy. Now that we are less than 48 hours from lift-off on our trip to China the reality is really hitting home. I can't help wonder what it will feel like to hold Maya for the first time, to hear her cry, to see her smile, to hear her laugh. These are all the little sensations we've been pondering since the referral and by Thursday we'll hopefully know.

My dog and cat know something's up. Skeet (our dog) has been following me around all day. He usually does this for a few hours when I'm home, but he normally gives up and finds a nice corner (usually Lori's closet) to curl up in. Today he won't leave my side. The cat (Jet) has found a small box that one of Maya's gifts came in and he seems to have claimed that as his new digs. They never go for the $30 pillow we buy that says cute things like "kitty's bed time", they always go for the trash.

I've heard kids are like this too. I guess we'll find out soon enough. Grandparents, don't be too disappointed when Maya shuns your beautiful hand-woven receiving blanket or organic stuffed lion and instead opts for the plastic garbage bucket!

The call that forever changed us.

2006-08-10T20:32:00.000-06:00

One week ago today our lives were forever changed. In an instant we saw a face that literally took our breath away. We are still walking on cloud nine and having a lot of trouble concentrating on anything but our sweet Maya. Our house is surrounded with her picture and neither one us of can go for more than a minute without looking at her face.

John got the call at home and called me on my way to work. When I left the house he was on his way upstairs to give medicine to our cat Jet. When John called he asked me to pull over. He sounded really weird. My immediate thought was the cat was dead. I asked him if Jet was ok and he replied he was fine. He again asked me if I was pulled over. I then thought it must be our dog Skeeter. He is 12.5 years old.. My heart sank. "is it Skeet?" He again replied no and begged me to stop where I was. I told him he was scaring me. Were my parents ok? In a matter of 10 seconds I had about a million horrible scenarios swirling around in my head. I finally just told him that if he had bad news I needed to know that so I could prepare myself. He then said the words I couldn't believe. "IT'S REALLY GOOD!" My heart sank as I pulled over and asked if the agency called. He then told me "YES, WE HAVE A BABY!"

I really thought I was having a coronary at this point. Instantly I was sobbing beyond control. John told me that the agency was e-mailing a photo. We didn't have any information other then that we had a girl. John stopped them from telling us more until we were together, a decision that we had decided a long time ago when playing out "the call" scenario in our minds. I had to go to work and clear my patient schedule so that I could get back home to see the photo and then we had to go to the agency to sign our acceptance papers. Unfortunately, I was unable to clear my first two patient's from my schedule so I had to clean teeth for 2 hours before heading home. I was sobbing through the appointments. Thank God I wear a mask as I know that I had snot running down my nose. I'm sure neither of these patients will forget these particular appointments.

I raced home and John and I just hugged and cried for about a minute before sitting down to the computer. He video taped us opening our e-mail. I can't explain how overwhelmed with emotion we were when her face appeared on our screen. We couldn't believe how beautiful she was. We had been warned that we might not fall in love with the referral picture from others who had gone through this process before us. We tried to prepare for this possibility. I know that some people have a hard time understanding how you can't fall in love with a picture that you have waited so long to see. But if you think about it, for those who can get pregnant you have nine months of a physical connection with your child. For those in this process your just praying to have a connection when you see that picture. For us this wasn't a problem. It was love at first sight. So now we have memorized every detail of her face. It has to get us through the next few weeks until we can kiss her and then forever change her life.

Yesterday we received an update on our Maya. She now weighs 14.3 lbs, she is 26.4 inches long and she has 6 teeth. Wow that floored me. Being a dental hygienist I know it is possible, but because she is small for her age I wasn't expecting her to be advanced in the tooth department. I better take my hygiene supplies so I can keep those pearly whites clean. I can't wait to see what she looks like smiling. We hope to travel in September. WE'RE COMING MAYA AND WE LOVE YOU!

We're a family!

2006-08-03T13:28:00.000-06:00

Chinese Name: Yong Xiao Jiao
-- Xiao means "morning rainbow"
-- Jiao means "beautiful girl" (as told by agency)
or "a Chinese constellation" (according to wikipedia)

American Name: Maya Xiao Jiao Haug
DOB: 11/05/2005
Birthplace: Yongzhou City
Location: Yongzhou, Dao County SWI, Hunan Province, PRC

Other assorted tidbits about our little girl:
- deep sleeper (yea!)
- number of teeth = 3
- rolls from supine to prone position by herself
- holds her head up while lying on stomach (we can see that!)
- stands with her hands holding onto support (see that too!)
- crawls on hands and knees
- laughs aloud
- knows name, turns when called
- imitates sounds
- favorite toy = ball (the next Michelle Wie?)

TODAY'S THE DAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2006-08-03T11:35:00.000-06:00

I received a call this morning that I am a father! We have a daughter!!!!! Pictures and details are on the way!

I'm a basketcase right now and its very hard to do anything that requires the minimal amount of motor skills or dexterity such as typing, thinking, and communicating -- so I'll keep it brief.

John

Snuggle Bugs

2006-06-17T22:06:00.000-06:00

Last night John and I babysat our friends little girl Fritzna. She and her older brother Hadrood are adopted from Haiti and have been home now just a little over 3 months. Her parents Bill and Dawn finally had their first date night out without the kids which includes biological son Daniel too.

John had the first shift because I don't get home from work until about 7:30p. When I came in John and Fritzna were sitting down for a fine gourmet meal consisting of spaghetti with beans and rice on the side. Fritzna was happily shoveling it in. She was quite ladylike and liked to use her utensils. Pretty impressive for a 22 month old. She did have a problem though with John stealing her spaghetti. He would hold a piece in his mouth and she would quickly grab it out and eat it herself. Sometimes he would suck it back in before she could get it which became quite a fun game.

After dinner we went to the park and played in the sand and on the swings. Fritzna was belly laughing hard on the swings and really liked to go high much to our surprise. After we got home John taught her all the important stuff about toys........ like throwing blocks on the floor is really very entertaining! Fritzna seemed really puzzled and appalled that John would bypass the container meant for the blocks and just throw them on the floor! But then after John threw about 7 blocks she got into the spirit of the games and was soon a solid competitor.

Because every athlete must get their rest it was now time for snuggling. I have now discovered what I think will be the best part of parenting. Fritzna just laid on top of me and snuggled up close. She kept stroking my hair and shoulder while sucking her two fingers with vigor. She sounded like Maggie on the Simpsons and it was so cute. I could tell she was so content and it just melted my heart. I just hope our little one likes to snuggle too.

What to do while waiting

2006-04-24T23:11:00.000-06:00

Well it seems things are slowing to a snails pace in regards to our adoption. We started this process 15 months ago and it doesn't appear that we will have our little Maya home anytime soon. At the current pace it could be late winter or early next year. The news becomes more frustrating each month as the light at the end of the tunnel seems to get farther and farther away. It seems a bit like one of those bad carnival fun houses where your trying to take two steps forward only to end up 5 steps back. Everything is completely out of our control which is not much fun for a control freak like myself. All we can do is wait and hope that there is a sudden turn around in China and things speed up again.

This leads me to a list of things to do while waiting.

1. Take Mandarin Chinese classes. The idea of this was much more fun then reality. I've discovered I'm tone deaf. At least that is my excuse. I learn one sentence and then quickly forget it after learning the next. Ok that is just being a forgetful 40 year old. For some reason my only retention comes with the saying "I am a Chinese warrior". It was requested I learn this by my friend's five year old son. Unfortunately, this is about the only thing that I have retained. Hmmmmm I wonder if this will come in handy clearing Chinese customs?

2. Explore mold patch underneath bathroom tiles and flooring. Ok I know this sounds totally gross. Apparently we have been running a penicillin factory right here in our home. Who knew we could have supplied our own antibiotics!. Have any of you seen the movie The Money Pit? If not I highly recommend it. Anyway, it turns out that our shower was inproperly sealed and water was getting under the tiles and flooring as well as through the drywall etc.....Basically we have had to gut our entire bathroom and start from scratch. Not exactly good timing considering the cost of our adoption. But hey....knowing our baby won't be playing in a pile of mold is a relief and well worth the cost.

3. Start a home based business or two. My anxiety of returning to work full time after Maya comes home has fueled a lot of creative juices. I've started a business with one of my friends selling adoption announcements and other adoption related items. We have several designs in the works and hope to be up and running in the next couple of months. Our web address will be www.growninmyheart.com We have several creative people including my wonderful and talented mother-in-law Marilyn Kastien lend their artistic talents to our products. I can't wait to show off the final products. And hopefully we will help fill a much needed void in the marketplace. I'm also excited that 10% of sales will go to orphan related charities! I've also become a consultant for Arbonne skin care products. These Swiss products are botanical based with no harsh chemicals and more importantly are not tested on animals. The Swiss know how to do it right! I've been using Arbonne for about a year and half and love the products. If your interested in learning more let me know.

4. Stay up too late surfing other adoptive family blogs. This one really keeps me sane. Seeing the end results for other families gives me a sense of hope. It somehow validates the wait knowing that it will be all worth it in the end.....or should I say the beginning! Basically I do a lot of crying and smiling while on these sites. It's not pretty but it does allow me to purge my emotions.

5. Play practical jokes on my unsuspecting mom. Well I certainly know where I get my gullable nature. MY MOM! On April fools day I called and told her that due to our delay our social worker said that the babies will probably be older. Due to this it would be necessary for all of our immediate family to take a 5 week Chinese language class. I called my dad and my siblings first so that they would go along with this if my mom were to bring it up. She fell for it hook line and sinker! She was very calm and accepting of doing this when she was talking to me. But apparently she was in full panic mode when talking to my dad and sister. I appreciated that she was very supportive towards the idea and wasn't letting on that she was freaked out. My mom reminds me very much of Lucy from I LOVE LUCY. So just imagine Lucy taking Chinese classes and you can get a better visual. Anyway, I let her off the hook 24 hours later. She was very relieved to say the least!

I'm sure I'll be adding to this list as the wait drags on. If you have any ideas? Pass em along!

We're A-Okay with China

2006-03-08T20:30:00.000-07:00

Well last week we officially were approved by the Chinese government to adopt a baby from China. Really just a formality to many, but one more milestone passed. I've actually come across a few families on the many forums I belong to that have been denied during this step. I can't imagine the heartbreak of waiting 13+ months only to be told that China doesn't feel you would be an acceptable parent to adopt. So needless to say I'm feeling very relieved. Now our paperwork will be sent to the matching room where we will be matched with our child or children. Unfortunately there is a huge backlog in the matching room so it is now looking like we will not be in China until mid or late summer. We are at 14 months currently since we started this process so summer seems so very far away. Sigh!!!!!!!

There is a special saying common among China adoptive families which is thought to be an ancient Chinese belief. It states that "An invisible red thread connects those destined to be together regardless of time or circumstance. It may tangle or stretch but will never break." It is this belief that keeps me going. I do think we are destined to be with a certain little someone and when the time is ready our red thread will shorten and we will be together. I just hope it is soon!

When I've mentioned to a couple of people that we won't be traveling to China until summer I've received the response "great summer is just around the corner." Ugghhh I know they mean well but for us this wait is an eternity. People forget the few years leading up to this point that we spent undergoing fertility treatment. To them it may seem just around the corner but for us it seems like it will never happen. I've gone through several entire pregnancies with friends during this process. It is difficult to lack physical change to gauge progress like couples have during pregnancy. We have our paper milestones but somehow it is hard to see the light at the end of the tunnel when your "paper pregnant." There are so many uncertainties at this point.

Last week I had a Chinese patient who brought her 4 month old baby in. She was so beautiful. I wondered if Maya would have the same shaped eyes or wispy hair. I have to admit that it made me a bit sad. I wondered if Maya is the same age right now. I grieved a little for all the days that we will miss in her life. Her own little milestones accomplished without us. And the tears that we are unable to wipe away. It is very unfair.

This wait has really turned me into an anxiety ridden hypochondriac too. I keep worrying that something will happen before I ever get the chance to hold our little Maya. There is this little nagging question in the back of my head with each delay that says "maybe I'm not meant to be a mom!" Is the universe trying to tell me something? Of course the logical side of me says "What are you crazy? You've waited 40 years to be a mom!" It is strange how the brain plays tricks on you when your stressed. I recently had a dream that John and I went to China to get our child. When we got there we were given 3 teenage boys and a golden retriever. None of them were Chinese! We would have to dig deep into my psyche to figure that one out!

For now I just try and pass the time. I start Mandarin Chinese classes next week. Although our child may be from a Cantonese province which would not help with communicating but it gives me something to do right now. I currently work 46 hours and commute 3.5 hours each week (all which will change when Maya gets here). And yet I find I must still fill the open hours with things to make the days and weeks go faster. I wish I could hibernate and wake up when the time is ready. How lucky bears are.

Happy New Year

2006-01-31T22:44:00.000-07:00

Well I can't believe I haven't posted since November. I was politely reminded by a friend that many of you are wondering what is happening and possibly worrying because the posts seem to come to an abrupt halt. Sorry!!!!!!

Basically our adoption process has slowed down drastically on China's end. When we started this process a year ago things were actually going at record speed which gave us a false expectation that we would be traveling to China in early 2006. However we were warned that China is a bit unpredictable so I guess we should have prepared ourselves for a longer wait. Now it appears that we might not be traveling until summer to get our little one. Needless to say I have an ache in my heart that is indescribable. John and I just keep telling ourselves that we are meant to have a certain little someone and when the time is ready she will be ours.

We have tried to keep as busy as possible so that time goes a little faster. During the Christmas break we decided to paint Maya's room. It was a good distraction and has certainly made things more of a reality. We painted the walls a pretty spring green with white wainscoting and a blue sky with clouds. I think our little Maya will love her room.

We celebrated Chinese New Year with our friends Kristi and Brad. They are in our adoption group which has been a wonderful aspect of adoption that we didn't anticipate. We have met so many great people through this experience. We are especially lucky to have Kristi and Brad as our friends and we are finding that we have so much in common. And having each other for support has been an incredible gift. We all participated in cooking a Chinese meal and agreed that we needed to make this a yearly tradition. The shrimp and pork dumplings were particularly good.

One very lucky couple in our group did get their referral (info and picture about their baby). There paper work was expedited due to Chinese ancesestory. "Geez,where is a Chinese relative when you need one!" Anyway, the baby is absolutely gorgeous. Check out the link for yourself.

http://www.paxbud.com/Hope%20Referral.htm

This past weekend we had an adventure in babysitting. John and I babysat Lennon (4 1/2) and Lily(2 1/2) while their parents Shawn and Jennifer got a much needed break. We thought it might be fun to take them to Fit for Fun.....an indoor playground. Unfortunately it was closed until noon so we had to find something else to do. It was a bit cold and windy so we decided to go to the indoor playground at the mall. John and I quickly learned how difficult it can be watching more then one child at a time. Conveniently Lennon and Lily darted in two different directions. It soon became apparent that we had to split the duties.

Before long kids were everywhere. Weaving in an out of control. Basically an accident waiting to happen. Of course we didn't want to bring either child home injured so we decided it was time to leave. We headed to the pet store to look at the puppies and kittens. On the way Lily ran into the stair railing...... EYE FIRST!. Yep that's right......we only have them in our possession for one hour and we have already maimed their little girl. What kind of parents are we going to make? HOPEFULLY CHINA WON'T CATCH WIND OF THE INCIDENT! :) She was such a big girl she didn't even cry.

We wrapped up the day with lunch at their favorite restaurant...Tres Margaritas. When asking Lennon what he would like to drink he replied "blubbly water." We tried to figure out exactly what this was by naming other drinks. "Sprite?", "lemonade"? No just "blubbly water." We thought maybe he was talking about mineral water which they didn't have. So we opted for the closest thing.....club soda. After one sip Lennon with a funny look on his face said, "I don't like this blubbly water." Needless to say we used the emergency number to call grandma and ask her what the heck blubbly water was. As it turns out.....SPRITE!!!!!!!

After coaxing and trickery to get the kids to eat it was time for our adventure in babysitting to end. Luckily Lily's eye didn't look too bad. The swelling went down by the time we dropped her off. Thank God! We said our goodbyes and when we got into our car John and I took one look at eachother and admitted that we were completely exhausted. How do parents manage? What are we in for? All questions I'm sure we'll find out when our eyes are glazed over from lack of sleep and we are getting through the day on autopilot. I certainly have a whole new respect for parenting.

Lori

Holiday Blues

2005-11-29T21:18:00.000-07:00

It's hard to believe that it has been over a year since John and I first attended an adoption seminar. We applied in early January knowing the waiting would be difficult. I had no idea how hard it would actually be. Time is flying but it is standing still too. Is that possible?

It is amazing how the waiting can prompt so many different emotions and actions. I'm currently not getting much sleep....feeling like I'm on a caffeine rush but reality tells me it's anxiety. Panic and excitement all rolled into one.

I've had an annoying eye twitch that comes and goes. It lasted for 3 weeks the first time around. Being a dental hygienist this puts me in quite the predicament. All my patients think I'm winking at them because I tend to blink my eye when it starts twitching. Lets just say this is provoking a lot of strange looks.

The holidays seem especially difficult. I really have no desire to decorate for Christmas. I just feel weird celebrating the holiday when our little Maya is somewhere out there without us. It doesn't feel right. And to make things worse things seem to be slowing a bit in the China adoption process. No one really knows why....just that it seems to be gradually taking longer. Imagine being pregnant for 9 months and then your doctor tells you it could be another 5 months. That's how I feel. Very discouraging!

When I tell people this I often get comments like "why don't you just adopt a baby in the states?" For those who aren't going through the adoption process I can only tell you that our hearts picked China. Not our minds. This time last year I was grieving over my inabilites to get pregnant. But then I met a little girl from China and just knew our child was there too. It's still difficult to be around pregnant people. I won't lie! But it's not the need to have a biological child that makes it hard. It's those moments in pregnancy that I wish I could share with Maya that make me a bit sad. Through the waiting I've learned that love is not acquired through biology. Love grows in the heart. But we have to open our hearts to the possibilites first. I'm sure glad we did. But it doesn't make the waiting any easier or the holidays any less blue.

Maya's Room

2005-10-29T01:23:00.000-06:00

As our journey to Maya gets closer I've noticed an increase in what I like to call "room gazing." I've caught myself and John doing it several times a day. This is when we go into Maya's future room and stand there envisioning what it will be like when it is occupied by our daughter. Sometimes the room gazing lasts for several minutes and other times it comes in short but frequent bursts.

Currently the room is overflowing with miscellaneous items....books, clothes, decorations, stuffed animals, and more than enough paint chips of undecided colors. Should it be blue, green, or yellow? Each day I seem to change my mind. I've even ordered two different bedding sets, opposite polars of eachother. I look at them daily unsure of which direction to go. I don't know why I'm struggling to make a choice. It seems so important that it be just right!

Perhaps it is because I know this will be the first place that Maya can truly call her own. A crib all to herself with a matress instead of a bamboo pad. Toys that don't have to be shared among twenty or more children. Quiet, peaceful and serene when she chooses. Simply......Maya's Room! Another six months until she is home. Sigh. By then I expect room gazing to become an olympic sport....at least in our household!

In the meantime I'll wander in and out with the images of bedtime stories and nighttime giggles. I wrote the following poem expressing some room gazing thoughts of me "the expectant mother."

The Expectant Mother

I sit in your room staring at the clutter that soon will be organized for your arrival. I wonder if you will like the color on the wall or the special stuffed animal that I have chosen for you.

Will you find peace in this room when it is time to lay your head down? Or will you cry out in disapproval?

I close my eyes and my mind drifts away where I envision the canvas of your face. You have a twinkle in your eye that will certainly melt my heart. And a smile that fills the room with sunshine on the cloudiest of days.

As I rock back and forth I imagine the feel of your wispy hair as it tickles my chin. Our heartbeats intertwined in a mother child symphony. Just the thought of it makes my heart beat a little faster.

My hand glides over my flat vacant belly. There is no longer a need to fill my empty womb. It is my heart that is full and ready to deliver my love to you.

As I continue rocking, the images bring a smile to my face. But for now I can only patiently wait.

Lori Haug

Parenting 101

2005-10-11T22:08:00.000-06:00

I've never understood why Parenting101 is not a general class required in college. I mean how many of us will actually use calculus equations in real life? Important tips on proper diapering techniques however could prevent a massive poop catastrophe! I ask you....."which is more important information?"

Recently the diaper conversation came up at our house. First the discussion was disposable or cloth? Ok please don't send us hate mail but we're going with disposable. After that exhaustive decision which took about 2 mintutes, John decided he could not handle more discussion about diapers. I however pushed the issue and had to get a disposable diaper sample which I had purchased earlier to show him. I wanted to educate my man on the many features of the disposable diaper. He reluctantly took it out of my hands and quickly sniffed it. THAT IS SUCH A MAN THING!!!!!! All quality control by men is done simply by the sniff test. Lets hope he doesn't forget and do this with a poop filled diaper. On second thought that could provide some good humor. Anyway, based on the sniff test John said, "this brand diaper is fine."

The next day our friend Jennifer came over to drop of some wonderful clothes for Maya. While she was here I thought I should perhaps pick her brain about which disposable diaper is the best. As John would say I "have to beat that dead horse one more time." Doesn't he know by now that no discussion is ever final! Things must be discussed over and over just to make sure every angle has been covered. Anway, Jennifer provided her expert advice (Luvs) and even offered a demonstration. I quickly grabbed Maya's first stuffed animal given by my neice. It is a toddler sized stuffed rabbit. Jennifer provided invaluable information on diapering such as making sure the diaper is high on the back to prevent back explosions as well as making sure the tabs meet in the middle, or as close as you can get them. John's mind started to wander during this all important topic but Jennifer firmly said "John, this is important!" John reengaged and completed topic one of Parenting101......Thank you Jennifer.

I also have to give John kudos for his own self taught studies. On our anniversary he bought a baby carrier. Last week I came home and noticed the carrier laying on our guest bed with bunny inside. I giggled to myself and asked him about it. He said he wanted to try the carrier out. Well aside from the bunny weighing absolutely nothing, the giant ears, and it's lack of movement.......it's exactly like a baby! I wish I could have seen him walking around the house with stuffed bunny strapped to his chest. What a turn on!!!!!!!!! Let face it all women love it when men show their sensitive side. Maybe I could persuade him to pose for a picture. My only suggestion is maybe next time he might want to use our dog Skeeter instead. At least he would provide some weight and squirming which would be a little more realistic to holding a baby. Anyway....hats off to my dear hubby.

Tomorrow perhaps we'll move on to selecting the perfect bottle nipple. Can't wait to see where that one takes us!

Lori

When did organization become difficult?

2005-10-03T22:03:00.000-06:00

There is something I've noticed among many of my friends with children. Lack of organization and chaos. Don't get me wrong. I know freaks of nature do exist. You know the type. The moms who run their children to events in fifty different directions....all at the same time. They do laundry, cook, keep a meticulous house and present you with fresh baked cookies when you stop by unexpectedly! On my road to motherhood I'm quickly discovering that won't be me!!!!!!!!

I used to keep a pretty meticulous house. Of course my husband John would be the first to let my secret out of the bag. I'm a closet slob. If it's lost he'll tell me to look in my closet...... or my car....or my purse. Those are closets too only on a bigger and smaller scale. Anyway, I always took pride in being organized with my home, finances etc....That was until lately.

I'm not quite sure when organized Lori was replaced with unorganized and disheveled Lori. But let me say that the new Lori is taking a little bit of getting used to. It started innocently enough at the beginning of the year. Small piles of mail laying here and there, an occasional unmade bed, or unfolded laundry. My friends would come into my home and through the shock evident by their facial expressions they would ask me "Are you feeling ok?" Yes this was a sight unfamiliar to many of them. Now it has become the norm.

Things got considerably worse throughout summer. The first sign that something was going amiss was the big delay in planting my garden. Now many of you might think this is no big deal. But I'm the person who is normally out in my pajamas every morning checking to see if something sprouted overnight. There is something so rewarding to eat vegetables that have been nurtured from little seeds. I live for planting my garden. I basically did not plant anything until July. Even my friend Dawn said "Wow you weren't kidding, you are behind." And the funny thing is that I don't know how it happened. When did July suddenly sneak up on me? What happened to May and June?

Another curious thing is that I suddenly can't get anywhere on time. It doesn't matter how early I get started but I still end up late. I was always the on-time girl. In fact usually early. Now I find I have to set my alarm clock ahead as if it will trick my brain into forcing me out of bed a little earlier. NOPE.... I just tell myself I've got 5 more minutes.

I've heard that this happens to moms. Could it be that I'm subconsciously preparing for motherhood? Is my brain trying to alleviate the expectant shock to my normally organized world? I've read in my adoption books that many adoptive parents experience similar changes to those families waiting the birth of biological children. Come to think of it I have had cravings and weight gain.......of course my cravings for Fritos and chocolate are more likely the cause of my weight gain:)

Can I use the adoption as my excuse? Today I did! While running an errand on my lunch hour I was pulled over by a Fort Collins patrolman. I anticipated the red flashing lights of the officer behind me long before he actually turned them on. You see.....I'm an outlaw driving with expired registration tags! Yep thats right........I forgot to send in my payment until last week for tags that expired in August. I must have looked at that payment card a thousand times telling myself "Don't forget to pay that." Anyway, thank goodness I had my carbon copy receipt of my check that I had written the week before to the county clerk. Whoooo off the hook for that one!

Then the officer asked for my license and proof of insurance which I promptly handed over. Then he informed me that my proof of insurance card was not a valid date. HMMMMM I know I put the new one in my car somewhere! As I nervously shuffled through papers in my closet disquised as my car and purse, he proceded to call in my license. Of course being the law abiding citizen that I normally am...he realized this was a complete fluke. I did eventually find my new proof of insurance card much to my relief. As we were saying our goodbyes I was suddenly compelled to apologize. And before I knew it I blurted out "I'm sorry I'm so unorganized, I'm adopting!" I wish I could post a picture of his face... I think at that moment he thought he had heard every excuse in the book....until now!

When I got home I told John what had happened. The biggest smirk spread across his face. You see......I constantly give John a hard time about his procrastination, tardiness and lack of organization. He was savoring my little bump in the road. Come to think of it, he is so much more prepared for parenthood then me! He is comfortable in his unorganized skin. For me, this unorganized thing could take some getting used to. I'm sure I'll get plenty of practice.

Lori

Waiting and Wondering

2005-09-28T22:12:00.000-06:00

Tonight I (Lori) had an emotional meltdown which has inspired me to write my first blog posting.

John and I were discussing attachment and bonding issues and how we might handle different situations. We expressed our hope that Maya is fortunate enough to be in foster care rather than an orphanage so that bonding with an individual is something she hopefully has experienced. Then the realization came that she might be laying in an orphanage crib alone without any stimulation. Just waiting to be fed so she can savor being held if only for a few minutes. I just broke down crying and have started again as I write this.

It is so weird to have such a strong love for a little person whose face I haven't even seen. I think some of our friends and family don't understand how emotional this is for John and I. Sometimes I'm amazed by how strong my feelings are. I feel like my emotions can't be validated because I don't have a physical picture of our daughter or have physical changes (like during pregnancy). It is frustrating to say the least. And if I get asked one more time by the Target clerk as I'm stocking up for Maya "Do you need a gift receipt with this purhcase?" I swear I'm going to grab the store PA and declare that "not all expectant mothers have a fat belly!" Of course the rational side of me knows the clerk is simply doing his or her job. I politely say "no thank you" but then have to mumble that my husband and I are adopting a baby in order to justify my purchase without the need for a gift receipt. As if the clerk really gives a hoot.....they just want to check me out and move on to the next person.

I feel what I imagine it is like being pregnant, only emotionally worse and for 15 months. At least in pregnancy I would feel as if our baby was protected by my body...I could feel her move or hiccup. I could listen to her heart beat. I would be comforted that she is safe in my womb.

Our baby IS out there and we just can't get to her. Who is comforting her? Is she tied to her crib? Is she getting enough to eat? Is someone holding her for more than an hour a day? The thoughts break my heart. The next 5 months until I see her face are going to be so hard. For now I can only wait and wonder.

Lori

Where do I begin?

2005-09-23T22:27:00.000-06:00

In the beginning there were two of us....I met my beautiful wife Lori on an airplane over 10 years ago and as they say...the rest is history. After going back to school, changing careers and migrating from the blistering Arizona heat to Colorado we decided it was finally time to settle down.

Our adoption journey unofficially began when we attended an informational meeting for an adoption agency in Denver. We tested the waters with a few different agencies and eventually attended an AAC meeting that focused on Chinese and Korean adoption. After talking to real parents with children from China, hearing their incredible stories and seeing thier beautiful children, all we needed to know was where to sign up!

We officially began our journey in January 2005 as we began the arduous process of assembling all the vestiges of our life history into one (very large) dossier. We'll try to post most of the milestones, trials and tribulations that we have been through and are likely to encounter in the future as we wait for our baby Maya here in our weblog. Family, friends, strangers, parents-to-be, you are all welcome here. We are happy to share our joy with you.

John Haug