Monday, December 19, 2005

More Christening Pictures




Our Shopping Day At The Mall

Every year, my sister Lisa, my sister-in-law Ruthann and my mother go on our annual Christmas shopping trip. This year we had Elizabeth with us. We had a great time. We took Elizabeth to see Santa -- this did no go so well. The Santa at the mall was really great! He took her around the display to try to get her to feel more comfortable with him -- although it didn't work, Ruthnn took some great pictures. Enjoy!

Sunday, December 11, 2005

Christmas is Coming!

Christmas is coming so fast! Now that the Christening is done, we can finally concentrate on Christmas. We bought most of our gifts in China, but there are still some gifts to buy! On Friday, my sister Lisa and my sister-in-law Ruthann and Elizabeth and I went shopping at Cherry Hill Mall. It was really fun to have Elizabeth with us. We went to see Santa Claus -- not real happy about that and had a nice lunch. Here are some pictures for you to enjoy!

Elizabeth's Christening Day!


Today was Elizabeth's Christening day! The Christening was held at our church, St. Mary's in Williamstown, NJ. We there were six babies baptized today. Elizabeth was the oldest and I might say, the prettiest. The service took about an hour and she was so good. Our family and friends were all there to help us celebrate. After the church service, we all went to the Landmark Americana Restaurant for a nice luncheon. My sister Lisa and I made pizzelles and our sister-in-law, Ruthann made an assortment of wonderful desserts and our truly beautiful cake was given to us by Guy's brother Lance and his wife Fran.

This is Elizabeth's Christening portrait. After we get the rest of the pictures of the christening, I will post them!

Tuesday, November 29, 2005

Some Pictures from Thanksgiving!



One Month Ago Yesterday....

.... our treasure was given to us in China. On November 8, 2005, Elizabeth was placed in our arms and our lives changed forever. She is a totally different baby from when we got her. Her face has filled out, she plays peek-a-boo, she has an infectious laugh and a very loud cry. For the most part, she is pleasant and happy..but remember..she is a baby and can throw a tantrum as good as any baby I have seen!!

We had our first Thanksgiving with Elizabeth at my sister Lisa's house. It was a great holiday because our whole family was there. Elizabeth loves turkey and mash potatoes and I think she really enjoys being around people!

Today, we took a ride to Target and bought a few things, yes, more clothes for Elizabeth. We came home and had lunch and then Elizabeth had her bottle and is now up taking her nap! She should be up there until 4:00 or so. She plays hard, eats hard and sleeps hard!

Thanks to the pediatrician, her eczema is just about gone and she has stopped scratching!

Well, that's all for now. Enjoy the pictures!

Friday, October 28, 2005

This Time Next Week...


We will be having dinner in Beijing! It is hard to believe that we are this close to leaving for China. Our journey to Elizabeth started way back in July, 2004 when we first decided to adopt. It seems like a long time ago, but it actually went pretty fast! In just 11 days on November 8, we will become a family! We feel truly blessed and thank God everyday for helping us get here!

Monday, October 24, 2005

Ancestral Temple of the Chen Family

The Ancestral Temple of the Chen Family, built between 1890 and 1894 during the reign of Emperor Guangxu of the Qing Dynasty, is the largest, best preserved, and best decorated ancient architecture existing in Guangdong province.



It was built with donations of members of the Chen family who lived in the 72 counties of the Guangdong province. After its completion, the temple was used to provide lodgings for Chen family candidates who came from all over Guangdong to in order to prepare for the imperial examinations to be held in Guangzhou. Hence it was also called the Chen Clan Academy.
Occupying an area of 15,000 square meters, the temple, has a rectangular main building and comprises six courtyards, nine main halls, and nineteen buildings. With an architectural design of traditional Guangdong style, the temple is especially renowned for its beautiful decorations. In the temple, historical figures, legends, and scenes are represented in many art forms, including wood carving, brick carving, pottery carving, stone carving, lime carving, clay sculpture, ash sculpture, brass and cast iron, grotto, new year painting, and so on. These artistic and historical attributes make the temple an important attraction in Guangzhou.

In 1986, it was designated as an important cultural relic by the State Council. The temple now is the site of the Museum of Guangdong Folk Arts and Crafts.

Tengwang Pavilion (Tengwang ge)


The Tengwang Pavilion (Tengwang ge) is situated near the mouth of the Fu River (Fu he), as it joins with the larger Ganjiang River (Ganjiang he). It is a huge structure isolated by a square of flat, grey paving and a monumental stone base and is recognised as one of the four famous Chinese superstructures, along with the Yellow Crane Tower, the Penglai Pavilion in Shandong, and the Yueyang Tower in Hunan. The pavilion was built in 653 AD by a younger brother of the Tang Dynasty (618-907 AD) Emperor Taizong.The building has been ruined and rebuilt as many as 29 times. The latest reconstruction was completed on October 8th, 1989, and the new version is a granite structure of monstrous proportions, basically Song Dynasty (960-1279 AD) in style. The pavilion has nine storeys and is 57.5 meters high. The charm of the building lies in its green tiles and the double eaves that "fly" upwards, although most of this can be appreciated from a distance.There are exhibitions, teahouses and gift shops inside and the views from the top floor are worth going to see. A small theatre at the top has performances of traditional Chinese dance and music every hour (RMB20) and the occasional Chinese opera. The walls of much of the building are covered with calligraphy and paintings, with the occasional jade sculpture.

We Got Our Itinerary!

On Friday, Great Wall sent our group it's itinerary

11/3: Leave for Beijing
11/4: Arrive Beijing
11/5: Recover from Flight
11/6: Tour of Beijing Zoo, Summer Palace
11/7: Tour of Forbidden City, Great Wall and Tian A Men Square
11/8: Gotcha Day!!! Fly to Nanchange and get Elizabeth at 3:00 p.m.
11/9: Go to Civil Affairs Office to do Adoption Registration and Notary
11/10: Shopping for Babies!!
11/11: Visit the orphanage
11/12: Sightseeing to countryside
11/13: Sightseeing to Tengwangee (more on this later)
11/14: Go to Civil Affairs to get baby's passport
11/15: Fly to Guangzhou; Get baby's visa picture taken and medical exam for baby
11/16: Our guide will go to American Consulate to hand in our documents
11/17: Sightseeing tour to Chen Family Temple in afternoon (more on this later); go to American Consulate for interview and baby's visa
11/18: HOME!!!!

Monday, October 17, 2005

Baby's Finding Ad

When a baby is found abandoned in China, they must place a finding ad in the local newspaper before the baby is released for adoption just in case someone wants to come forward to claim the baby. No one ever does. We were fortunate enough to have someone find Elizabeth's finding ad. I am also posting a picture of the page where her ad was located. The ad says:


Cen Xiao Bei: A girl; Birthdate: 9/20/04;
Finding Date: 9/30/04:
Found abandoned at the gate of the
Civil Affairs Bureau
She has a little hair and she was tiny.

Hotel Update


Last week GW emailed us and said that the White Swan was completely booked for the times we needed to stay there. They have chosen a hotel called The Garden Hotel. It is absolutely beautiful!! Here are some pictures!



Monday, October 10, 2005

Update From Our Agency

Today we got an update from Great Wall. We should be receiving our travel itinerary sometime this week or early next week -- and of course pay our money - haha!

Slowly but surely, our packing will begin. I have been putting travel items in our spare bedroom. I think I will start to practice pack this weekend. There are so many things to take, I don't know how it is all going to fit in two suitcases!

A Little Bit About Nanchang: The Baby's Capital City



Nanchang, the capital of Jiangxi Province and the center of the provincial economy, politics, science and technology, and culture and education, is an old city Jiangnan (jiangnan means south of the Changjinang River.) with a long history, known as a heroic city because of the August 1 Nanchang Uprising. Governing five districts (East Lake, West Lake, Qingyunpu, Wanli and Jiaoqu) and four counties (Nanchang, Xinjian, Jinxian, and Anyi) with a total area of 7,400 square kilometers.

Over 5,000 years ago, ancestors of present-day residents used flint implements to exploit this rich land. The town was first built in 200 BC. In the fifth year of the reign of the Han Emperor, Gaozu (202 BC), Yuzhang Jun (Jun was an ancient administrative division equal to a present-day prefecture) was set up, which governed a county named Nanchang.



Thursday, October 06, 2005

Baby's Room Finally Finished!










We Are All Booked!

Our flight is finally booked. We leave on November 3rd and return on November 18. We are going to be flying on United. Our agency will arrange for all in-China flights and hotels. We will be staying at the White Swan Hotel in Guangzhou. http://www.whiteswanhotel.com/eng/public/index.asp
The White Swan is located on Shaimian Island in Guangzhou. Shaimian Island is very small and very Victorian in appearance. I will post more information on our destinations as I receive it from our agency.

More Pictures From Shower!





What A Surprise!

Yesterday, my friends in work surprised me with a Baby Shower! I was so surprised..I guess I live in a bubble because I really had no idea! We received some truly great gifts. We are blessed to have so many wonderful and supportive friends. I don't know what we would do without them. Here are some pictures from the shower!

Tuesday, October 04, 2005

Our Preliminary Flight Information!

Our travel agent has sent us our preliminary flight information. We are just waiting for Great Wall to approve, then we can book! Here you go:

11/3: Depart Phila. at 8:05 a.m. ; Arrive Chicago at 9:33 a.m.
Depart Chicago at 12:05 p.m. ; Arrive Beijing at 3:40 p.m. 11/4

We are going to be very, very tired!!!

We leave from Hong Kong on 11/18 at 11:35 a.m. and arrive in Chicago at 11:40 a.m. (5 minute flight HAHAHA)

Our flight from Chicago leaves at 4:00 p.m. and we arrive in Philly at 7:33 p.m.

We can celebrate our first holiday with Elizabeth: Thanksgiving!

We Finally Have Our Travel Dates!!!

We will be leaving for China on Thursday, November 3 and returning on Friday, November 18! Great Wall said that we should be getting the baby on November 8!! Time is really going to fly now.

Thursday, September 29, 2005

Extra Tour Day


Guy and I decided that we will be going over to Beijing two days early to take an additional tour. Great Wall will have someone meet us at the airport and we will stay in the group hotel. The tour is called The Beijing Cultural Tour. This tour will take us to The Temple of Heaven, The Beijing Zoo (lots of Pandas) and the Summer Palace. It doesn't cost that much and hey, what is money anyway!!

Once the rest of our group arrives the next day we will take the Beijing Cultural Tour. We will see the Forbidden City and Tian'an Men Square and the Great Wall! Both tours start at 8:30 and go until dinner!!!

More on this later!

We Got Our Travel Approval!

Last night we got the email from our agency that our Travel Approval had arrived. Great Wall is requesting appointments at the U.S. Consulate for November 1st, 2nd, 3rd, or 7th. If we get one of these dates, we can be travelling in three weeks!! OMG! It is finally almost here!!!

Tuesday, September 27, 2005

Visa Application Off To New York

We sent our Visa applications off to New York yesterday! The Chinese Consulate in New York City does not allow you to mail Visa applications to them for processing, so we had to hire a courier to do the legwork for us. We sent the package off Federal Express so they should get it this morning. Hopefully we will get our Visa next week -- although, there is yet another Chinese Holiday next week and the Consulate is probably closed for a few days.

There are also rumors that our TAs will be coming this week...let's keep our fingers crossed!

Friday, September 23, 2005

Waiting on TA and Shopping!

While we are waiting for our Travel Assignment (TA), we are preparing for our trip to China. Last night we went to Robinson Luggage and bought some items: electrical converter, money belt, TSA locks for the luggage, a back pack so we can put the laptop, digital video camera and digital camera all in one spot and various other little travel stuff. Then it was off to Cherry Hill Mall. I needed some Clinque stuff (I know, not trip related, but I needed some stuff anyway) then to the Walking Store. Guy and I each bought a pair of Merrells -- they are light hiking sneakers -- we need comfy feet in China!

We got to put a lot of checks on our To Do List!!

Tuesday, September 20, 2005

Happy Birthday Elizabeth


Today is Elizabeth's first birthday! We are happy and sad at the same time. Happy that it is her birthday, and sad, because she is not yet with us! We will be coming soon!

New Picture of Orphanage


Here is a new picture of Elizabeth's Orphanage!

Saturday, September 17, 2005

Waiting on Travel Assignment (TA)

We are still waiting for our TA. The TA comes from China after they receive your acceptance of the referral. Our acceptance went to China on Friday, September 9. Our agency said that it could take 3-4 weeks to get the TA. Apparently the people who got referrals the month before us are just getting their TAs, so they are a little behind. Great Wall said that we should be traveling the last week of October/first week of November. They also said that all travel will be done by November 12.

Tuesday, September 13, 2005

Our Translated Growth Report

We received our translated growth report today. Here it is:

Growth Report on Cen Xiaobei

Cen Xiaobei (Cen is the surname of child in the institute, Xiaobei means bud.), female, was born on Sept.20th, 2004. She was found abandoned before the gate of Hengfeng Civil Affairs by the staff Wang Yonghong on Sept.30th, 2004 and sent into the institute the same day. When she was found, she was wrapped in the quilt, next to her were a bottle, 2 bags of milk powders and some clothes. We did a full checkup for her, she was in good health. Our doctor estimated her DOB to be Sept.20th, 2004.

She is living in the institute. She is healthy and develops well. When she was 1-month old, she had good sucking ability and normal appetite. When she was 2-month old, she began to laugh. When she was 3-month old, she could make sounds like Ah, Oh. When the caregiver talked to her, she would burble to reply. If the caregiver patted her hands, she would giggle. When she was 4-month old, she could locate sound if she heard someone called her, and then smile to the one. If she woke up without seeing her caregiver, she would cry sadly. But she would stop crying as soon as she heard the caregiver’s voice. When she was 5-month old, she began to understand the adults’ facial expressions, recognize familiar people, and babble to people or objects. When she saw her bottle, she would be very excited. Her thumbs are flexible. She would hold a toy but stare at another one. If the toy dropped down, she would look for it. She liked to listen to the music. She could raise her head when sitting and could stand up with assistance. When she was 6-monthold, she became lovelier. She could walk in the walker. All the staff of the orphanage loves her very much. She likes them to take her to play in the outside.

Now her main food is mixture of milk powders, cereals and honey. She has 5 meals per day and about 200ml per meal. She also eats some noodles, eggs and biscuits. She sleeps through the night with the light on and likes to sleep with her caregiver. She is outgoing and energetic. She likes shopping best. Her relieving is good.

Prepared by Hengfeng SWI
March 25th, 2005

Friday, September 09, 2005

A Week Ago Today...




Our lives changed forever! We received the call from Great Wall that they had our baby! Now we are just waiting for the CCAA to send our our travel assignments. Elizabeth's orphanage is located in Jiangxi Province, near the city of Nanchang.

Jiangxi is known as the "porcelain city" with a history of 1700 years of porcelain-making. It is a subtropical climate (lucky me and my hair)! It is situated on the eastern bank of the Yangtse River.

The orphange HengFeng Social Welfare Institute seems very nice, but old. From what I have been told it is a very poor orphanage, but they take very good care of the children. Here are some pictures:

There is always tons of information on the web about everything! I found a Yahoo Group that is just for HengFeng parents! They have so much information!

That's it for now!

Cathy