Lost in Translation...

I think that today's title says it all.  Fortunately, we're proving to be fairly competent (though that may be too strong a word) at charades.  Better yet, Jian Hong is MUCH better at learning English than we are at learning Mandarin.  And while we are on the subject of translations, those of you who were with us at the referral stage may recall recoiling at the news that indicated that our daughter "loves eat snake."  As it turns out, we have learned that the translation should have read:  "Jian Hong loves eat SNACK."  So funny--and boy is it true!  She and David will be well matched in that respect (and many others)!

Here are some pictures taken with Jian Hong's new camera--yet another wonderful suggestion from the O'Cain family.  And one more mistranslation--my apologies to a very special member (one of many special members) of the O'Cain family who I have been referring to as "Li Hong."  Jian Hong has just informed me in no uncertain terms--and in English and Chinese letters--that her friend's name was Bi Hong, not Li Hong.  Oops again.

Most of these were taken by Jian Hong herself and, though I will post just a handful, be sure that there are MANY, MANY pictures of her new shiny purple sneakers--she is so proud of them!  Here they are:

Happy, tired Baba on the night of Gotcha Day.

Showered and in her new PJ's on our first night together.  She slept in her new jacket.

Lovely Eva (our guide) on adoption day.  Where would we be without her??????

Baba signing some of our adoption paperwork.

PetSmart, Guangjhou style.  These and other not-so-cute critters line our sidewalks.

Our precious, precious daughter.

Guangjhou Restaurant, where no one else spoke English and we have little idea what we ate.  Perhaps it's best that way.

Self-portrait with her new camera.

Coolest shoes ever.

Tired, hungry mama with no clue what is on her plate and very limited aptitude for chopsticks.

Wo ai ni, Jian Hong

Rollercoaster Ride

While we are certainly experiencing ups and downs, we cannot help but be heartened by Jian Hong's spirit and her resilience....not to mention her energy level.  In just two days, she has gone from being fearful of looking at us to wanting to hold our hands at all times and wrap around us like a koala.  She is precious and sweet--she has learned to hug and give kisses, and when we walk or drive in the car, she likes to hold our hands up against her cheek, rub our faces, and say, "Mama, Baba--Wo ai ni" (I love you.)  She is also very active and quite headstrong.  She can be something of a handful--albeit an adorable handful.  When in public, she touches and reaches for EVERYTHING--it seems to me that this may settle down as she becomes used to being out and about.  Perhaps stores and restaurants are new to her?  Most important, Jian Hong is adjusting well and she is happy.  Needless to say, we love her with all our hearts...I find myself lying awake by the hour at night just watching her sleep--it's still hard to believe that our dream has come true and that she is really ours.

Here are some pictures that we took on nearby Shamian Island yesterday and one from today at Jian Hong's medical exam:

Gotcha.

To the Moon and Back...

After more than 29 hours of travel, we are here in Guangzhou anxiously awaiting our first meeting with our little girl.  We will leave our hotel for the provincial office at 2:15 p.m.--1:15 a.m. at home.  The office opens at 2:30, but with traffic and the long drive, we're not sure precisely what time Jia will arrive.

I feel such a jumble of emotions--what will her reaction be?  Will she be happy?  Afraid?  Nervous?  Will she, like everyone else here in China, just stare in amazement at the fact that I am so darn tall?!!!!!  (Steve got a kick out of all of the pointing and staring yesterday, among the otherwise very friendly and welcoming populace.)  So much of this journey has reminded me of our trip to meet and adopt Misha back in 1996.  There are so many parallels and the feelings of deja vu are, perhaps, not to be unexpected--yet who knew the height thing would be one of them?  Remember how members of the Russian press kept taking my picture at the tiny airport in Ekaterinburg--there was simply no convincing them that I was not a member of the US Olympic Women's Basketball Team, visiting Siberia for an exhibition game!  (Still makes me giggle.)

So, we have now traveled East from Washington Dulles to Siberian Russia to adopt our first child, and West from Norfolk, Virginia to Southern China to adopt our third (with a trip to Arizona in between for our beautiful David).  We have now all but about circled the globe in an effort to build and complete our family.  It's no wonder that for years our boys thought that babies came from airplanes!  I hope that our children always know how very wanted they are and how very, very much we love each of them.  As one of our favorite children's books says, we love them "to the Moon and back"--or in this case, "to China and back."   As it turns out, the distance does not seem so very different...!

Much love to everyone at home.  More than, of course.

Our final update before travel

We received a message from Jian Hong's orphanage today.  They provided us with her measurements so that we can buy clothes and shoes for her to wear, and they told us that she has not stopped smiling since she heard the news that her parents will be coming to bring her home in a couple of weeks.  We have received "orders" to arrive in her province on Christmas Day and to depart after 7 p.m. on January 4th.  She will be ours so very soon!  It seems that Christmas will take on a whole new meaning for us this year. 

Here are the most recent pictures of our precious daughter:

It's official:  
WE'RE GOING TO CHINA!!!!!!!
(Details to follow)

A Long Awaited Update...And A Letter From Our Daughter!

We woke up this morning to an e-mail from our Chinese translator with an update on Jian Hong that includes pictures, a letter, and a short note from one of her caretakers at the orphanage.  We will be smiling for weeks!

First, the letter from our daughter (translated):

Dear Dad, Mom and Brothers,
I am Jian Hong, how are you? I miss all of you very much, the same as you missed me. Thanks all for choosing such nice gifts, I like them all. Every time, once I thought I am going to live with you I am happier. I want to ask mom, whether you can sleep with me when I go to the US?  I am not used to sleep alone. I hope you can shower me at the beginning; I will be really happy if you can help. I also hope Dad can take me out to play and kiss my cheek.  I hope my brothers can play with me, teach me English and introduce to more new friends.

And the note from one of her very loving caretakers:

Jian Hong is very happy to receive her dad and mum's letter. She smiles every time when I see her. She is so cute and I will really miss her after she leaves. I am sending some pictures on her military training and a letter she wrote to them too.  She hopes her family can consider adopting her friend - Zhu, Ao Yi, because they are very good friends.

And finally, here are some new photographs of our ever-cheerful and smiling, peace sign-loving daughter!  Here she is (note that she is smiling even during her summertime military boot camp training):

Military Boot Camp, Summer 2011--just look for the smile (second from the right)!

Jian Hong's handwritten letter. 

Another Letter to Jian Hong

Today is our 19th wedding anniversary and, as happy an occasion as that is, I find myself thinking about Jian Hong and wishing every day for some sort of news or update from her orphanage.  We received three beautiful pictures of Jian Hong after her birthday in June, but we haven't received any information or updates about her since March.  Boy, that seems like a long time!  In any event, we are making great strides on the adoption front:  we received our U.S. Immigration approval in July and our adoption dossier is complete and will be sent to China today.  Progress!

In an effort to reach out to her, I sent the following letter to her today:

I so hope that she is well and happy!

Jian Hong's 10th Birthday

On June 23rd, Jian Hong celebrated her 10th Birthday in Zhuhai, China.  By all accounts, this will be the last birthday that she will spend without being surrounded by her family.  It was terribly hard feeling so far away from our daughter on her special day--unable to reach out to her personally and let her know how very much we care.

So what do you do for your child in this situation?  Good question!  We did our best!  We ordered a birthday cake that was delivered to her classroom that day, and we sent a special book that we made with the hope of introducing Jian Hong to her family, her pets, her home, and the new life that awaits her.

Here are a handful of pages from the book that we made for Jian Hong's birthday (her version was translated into Mandarin Chinese):

And here are some photographs of our daughter celebrating her birthday with her teacher, social worker, and classmates:

She has grown up so much in the months that we have been waiting...wonderful changes, yet also a tad bittersweet.