Clik here to view.
Day 2 - She's here!
Sometimes known as "Gotcha Day", today we finally met Amy face to face. It didn't go exactly as planned. Alice and I went to the lobby 10 minutes early just in case Amy arrived early. She was already...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Day 3 - Adoption
We had an early start this morning with an 8:30 appointment at the civil affairs office to complete the adoption paperwork. I was a bit concerned when Amy said she was full after eating just 2 small...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Day 4 Free Day
We had a free day today. Actually, the rest of the week is free because we've completed all the "business" for the adoption. At this point we are just waiting for the notarized documents and Amy's...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Day 5 Orphanage & School visit
Yesterday we visited Amy's orphanage in Tonggu and her school in Shanggao. It was a L-O-N-G day. We left at 8am and didn't get back to the hotel until 6pm. The day started and ended with terrible...
View ArticleClik here to view.
School subject?
During our visit to Amy's school, the Shanggao Special School, a school for students who are blind or deaf (or possibly other special needs, I did see at least 2 students who had Down Syndrome), Amy's...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Day 6 - Free Day at the Park
We are having an lazy day today. We took a short taxi ride with Elsie to a "People's Park" and enjoyed some light exercise. Many parents and grandparents with small children. Several adults came up to...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Day 6 - Fountain Show
The largest fountain showin Asia is here in Nanchang along the riverfront. Unfortunately for us it was shut down for the winter. :(BUT there was a second smaller show in the plaza near our hotel. I...
View ArticleDay 7 - Travel
Yesterday was our travel day from Nanchang to Guangzhou. It was a rather dull day except for 2 events. Getting through security at the airport was not fun. I was not impressed with how the security...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Day 8 - Medical & Shamian Island
We got off to a rough start this morning. Amy seemed fine when she got up, but when we went down to breakfast she said her head hurt and she felt a bit dizzy. (She told our guide later in the day that...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Day 9 - Guangzhou Zoo
So now we start the s-l-o-w part of the trip --- waiting for the visa so we can leave. So boring. Amy went to bed early last night and was awake early this morning, but felt very good. That is a...
View ArticleThank you for your comments
I want to thank everyone who has left comments during our travels. I am reading them and appreciate your words very much. I am using my time to focus on keeping the blog updated each day and spending...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Emotions
Alice pointed out that it's the weekend and at home she gets to call Beijing twice a month - - - SO, could she make a call? Of course. Can you tell what emotion she was feeling???? Someone is getting...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Day 10 - Baiyun Mountain Scenic Area
OR Another Day in the ParkWe spent the late morning visiting another park. It was interesting seeing all of the "Dutch" decorations.I like these more traditional images from the park.Love these...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Day 11 - Consulate Appointment and Shopping
Early start to our day for the anticlimactic all important Consulate Appointment - that key time that determined our travel dates. Here it is in pictures: That's it. That's all there is. We went...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Day 12 - Exercise Park, Shopping & Visa
The morning started with a call home to wish Lucy a happy birthday. It was fun and later I saw the pictures they took of her opening her gifts. Love it!The girls really enjoyed the exercise stuff they...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Day 13 - Part 3 - Beijing
Today was another travel day. Amy handled it pretty well until I tried to give her a dramamine pill at the Guangzhou airport. We had just left the ticket counter and finished checking our bags when I...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Day 14 cont. - Olympic buildings
Amy requested going to see the Olympic buildings so we did that next. Unfortunately she got into a bit of a snit because she doesn't want to ride in the car for 2 hours tomorrow to go to the Great...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Day 14 cont. - School
Alice was able to get permission from her old school in Beijing to come in for a visit and see her former classmates. (She told our guide afterwards that the kids treated her better today than when she...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Day 14 - Hutongs
(Having trouble getting this to post, so I've broken it into 3 parts to see if that works. Hopefully it will end up in the correct order!)After a yummy breakfast (and a bit of a slow start) we headed...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Day 15 - Great Wall, Science Museum, Bethel Birthday
It's been a long day and the pictures aren't loading so I'm going to give you a quick overview of our day and go to bed! We have another early start tomorrow. I'll upload pictures another day.Today we...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Day 16 - Meet & Greet
Today we had a special opportunity that only occurred because of Alice's incredible memory. We were able to spend over 3 hours with the foster family that cared for her from the age of 2 until she was...
View ArticleDay 17 - Next stop: Home!
We are spending today with Joy and Michael. Late breakfast. Time to play piano and talk. It has been good. Very good. Amy called the orphanage while I was working on yesterday's blog post. Things got...
View ArticleMore Pictures
We are in fact home and things are getting settled. I'll post more about this week another day. I did get more pictures uploaded for past posts. If you're interested, there are new pictures from our...
View ArticleBlind in America
Amy has been getting some new experiences since arriving. I gave her a cane from the National Federation of the Blind a day after we arrived home. She really wasn't terribly happy about it. We went for...
View ArticleSpring Fever
I've realized this week that I don't suffer from spring fever this time of year - - - I am afflicted with adoption fever. This is the season for the past three years when I felt my heart pulled hard...
View Article
