Home Again October 2, 2010

A restless nights sleep on the plane as I anxiously await seeing the rest of the family again! I know they will be so excited! They have waited for their little sister for so long and I know can't wait to lay eyes on her! I cannot wait to see them again!
It feels sooo great to land on American soil again! I did not realize just how much I missed the United States! It feels so good to be back home!
A couple of others who adopted children with us in Guangzhou are at the airport with us waiting to clear customs. It is taking forever! We all stand/sit in line together. I see a family who just adopted a 13 year old from China and she cannot speak any English. Her adoptive parents say she is not very exicted about being here - having to leave all of her friends behind. I wonder what that must be like. My heart goes out to her. I know this family will take her in as their own but it will take time for them all. This family is from AL as well. The other family is from Ashville, NC and they have adopted a little girl who looks about five. We three families are about to leave our Chinese adventure behind and begin this new life together with our Chinese children as a "family". Very exciting and yet a little scary too. We all know that America and our homes will be very different from anything our children have experienced before during their life in China.
We wait for two....three hours before we are finally able to clear customs to enter back into the United States. All three of us have missed our returning flights to our homes, so we all eagerly work to find connecting flights back home. Nate and I are able to find the quickest flight into Birmingham (instead of our original, which would have been Montgomery), but the other two families were not as fortunate and were not able to find a connecting flight until this evening:( We said our good-byes and then quickly ran to our connecting flight to Birmingham. It felt soooo good to be homeward bound!
Upon entering the Birmingham airport we were greeted with airport passengers who were excited when they saw we had just returned from China with our little girl! One man asked if he could take a picture of us getting off the airplane into the terminal, so that was neat:) Anya Mei did so great! What a real trooper she has been through all of this! I cannot even imagine!
After we gather our luggage, we begin looking for Mom Healy (who drove from Montgomery to pick us up). We spot her and she runs to greet us! We embrace and she gets her first look at her new, Chinese granddaughter! She gives her a hug and plants a sweet kiss on Anya Mei's little face. Anya avoids eye contact - for fear of being taken away from us - but I know in time she will warm up. We find our car and begin our hour long ride home. Anya is very unsure of her carseat (she has never used one before - in China, she just sat in our laps, they didn't have car seats) and begins crying. I sit in the back with her though and we play with her little toys until she (tightly gripped to my hand) falls asleep. This has been a very long journey for her and she has no idea what awaits her when she gets home (four very excited siblings!). We pull into the driveway and my heart begins to pound! I cannot wait to show her to her brother and sisters! The kids did not know we were on our way home, so this was to be a surprise for them too - they thought we would be home sometime tonight! As we walk into the house, I round the corner to see our four, beautiful children lined up on the couch with Grandma Eriksmoen watching a movie. They are all in initial shock! They stare at us for a couple of seconds, mouths literally dropped open before Anniston yells, "IT'S OUR CHINA BABY!" and they all come running at us at once. Anya and I are covered with little hands all over us as everyone is reaching to touch her. Finally they sit back long enough to look at her and for the very first time, all of their eyes meet! Anya's eyes are wide as saucers as she tries to take in all that is happening. The kids are overjoyed! They all want to hold her, but Anya will have none of that ..... not just yet:) The next several hours, Anya remains glued to my stomach trying to remain as still as possible (I think she was hoping to go unnoticed) taking it all in. The kids had so much to tell us about their past few weeks with Grandmas. We showed them the gifts that we got for them in China and they were so excited! It was like Christmas all over again:) The girls loved their braclets and real pearl neclaces and Nathan was so excited about her sword and Chinese bear. It feels SO good to be home again!
Once we get the four kids down to bed, we stay up and show grandmas video, pictures, and other chinese things we purchased while away. We present them with their pearl neclaces, jade neclaces, and tea pots. They have done so much for us - so much more than we could ever repay - to help us to bring our little daughter HOME! That is where she is now though.....HOME!!!!! After two years of waiting, our dear, little Anya Mei is finally here with our family home! Now we are a family of seven and how incredibly blessed we are! Thank you, Lord, for this amazing journey! For our safety as we traveled and were away, and for allowing us to bring this precious child home to our family as our daughter and our sister! Lord, You are so good and to You be all of the honor, all of the glory, and all of the praise!!!!!! Thank You!

Plane Ride Across the Ocean Saturday, October 1, 2010

Bright and eary this morning began our journey! Poor Nate awoke this morning feeling very ill (of all days). I felt so bad for him watching him haul all of our luggage across the hotel and airport to our terminal. Once we boarded and found our seats, he rested his head on my shoulder and tried to sleep. The whole day consisted of Nate feeling queasy and sitting with Anya in my lap. She did so great though! She was a real trooper! Even the Flight Attendants commented on how good she was being! What a relief! I was very nervous when we began our trip because the gal sitting next to me did not seem very happy about being seated next to us. Anya would reach over to touch her and she would pull away abruptly. I thought, "Oh, Goodness! This trip is going to be long and miserable!" I felt even worse when a flight attendant came to her and said, "Mam, we have an open window seat two rows back if you would like" to which she snapped, "I don't like window seats!" Yikes:) Anya did great though and didn't bother the lady next to me too much. I think she did end up with cracker and cookie crumbs all about her though by the time she left though - oops! We tried very hard:) When she left to use the potty, I was constantly trying to clean up all of our "snacks" from her seat and floor area. Thankfully she didn't say anything though and one time when I was "resting" I caught her watching Anya for quite awhile:)
Anya and I watched movies and snacked most of the day. Anya did sleep a good deal too which was wonderful! It made it hard for Mommy to sleep though - a husband on one shoulder and a baby sprawled across my lap:) My legs kept falling asleep, but I was too afraid of awakening Anya that I left them still. How good it felt when Nate awoke and relieved me for a potty break! I took a long stretch!:) Sigh! Great day of traveling though. Anya fussed for about 10 min. this evening (in which Nate just walked her around a bit) but that was it! There are two other couples (who were both with us at the White Swan) who had to drug their kids, so we were amazed that Anya didn't need anything (which was great in that we didn't have any Benydryl to give her anyways!). Nate is feeling better now too, so all is good:) Tomorrow lands us in the United States of America - the greatest country on earth! So ready to be home!

Hong Kong Friday, September 30, 2010

We were up at 7:30 completing our packing. We Skyped the kids one last time before leaving the White Swan to return to them:) I realy miss my kiddos:) Everytime I see their little faces, I can't wait to see them again! Very soon now!
Once Winnie (same gal that brought us to the White Swan when we first arrived) picked us up, my heart was completely set on our trip home. I'm very eager to get there! We arrived at the Guangzhou train station around 11 and our train departed a little after noon. It was fun to travel to Hong Kong by train, but our seats were facing backwards (opposite to the way the train was going) so both Nate and I battled car/train sickness off and on. Anya travelled great! She was ready to be done though when we arrived in Hong Kong. Lotus (our travel agency) sent a guy to meet us and transport us to teh Regal Airport Hotel. We'll stay overnight here before catching a plane back to the States tomorrow:) It's hard being displaced - not at our home and not at the White Swan. I really wish we could just keep going, hop on a plane and go:) I'm so eager to see our kids and introduce Anya to her home and the rest of her family!
Since our hotel is joined to the airport, we took a stroll to get a bite to eat adn find where we need to be tomorrow morning for our flight. Anya has been very fussy since we got here and she is very bothered by the room. I think she is afraid by yet another change and she is wanting the security of our White Swan room:( Poor Thing! She doesn't realize that she has a home and family waiting for her in Alabama. Nate just got her to sleep - Whew! Today was a busy and stressful day (travel and all) for all of us, so we're both ready to kick back and relax for a bit before heading to bed. Good Night!

On Our Own in a Taxi/Good-Bye to Group September 29, 2010

It's hard to believe that our time in China is about over and that very soon it will be time to fly with our baby girl back home! The time has passed so quickly and I am sad to leave China and Shaiman Island, but am ready to get home to the kids too. I have really missed them:( Each morning when we Skype them, they express how much they miss us too. It will be nice to be together as a family again, and this time with our newest Healy addition:) Anya has changed so much!
Today Anya has really been moving around. She is in the beginning stages of crawling (it appears anyways - who knows what she was doing at the orphanage) and she goes all over while on the bed. She loves our White Swan room! Whenever we go out now, she fusses and cries, but as soon as we enter the hotel and begin our walk back to the room (Rm. 1138) she gets so excited and begins smiling and laughing. I think she thinks the White Swan is her home and that is where she feels most secure. We're beginning to wonder how the next few days traveling home will be in the absence of this room.
This morning after breakfast Nate, Anya, and I took a taxi cab to the Jade and Pearl Market to buy gifts for our moms. We got them each a jade grandmother necklace and a pearl necklace too. Earlier, we bought our moms a vase and a small tea set too - can't wait to give everything to them:) They'll love it! They've done so much in watching and caring for the kids in our absence.
Once we returned to the Island, we took care of a little more shopping (last minute), grabbed a quite bite to eat at the Deli, and then ran down to the hotels lobby area to see Anne, her two Chinese children, her friend Rita, and the Norris's off. They are on their way to Hong Kong today and then on to their homes (Montana and Iowa) tomorrow. It was really sad to see them go but in a way it makes it a little easier to say "Good Bye" to China and begin our journey home too. It feels time:)
Nate, Anya, and I headed to the pool one last time, but this time didn't go in. We just sat in the recliner beach chairs and relaxed:) So Peaceful! We stayed down at the pool for an hour before heading up to our room to begin working on our packing.
At 5:15 we went to Holt's office (Rm. 427) for Anya's visa. Then it was off to say "Good Bye" to our Shaiman Island friends (from the shops we frequently visited), get a couple more gifts, and supper at Tao Ran Xuan. It was fun to go there one last time before we leave. Have I mentioned that it was our favorite:) The staff there all know us by now too. They comne and play with Anya and love to feed her:) Tonight a family at a table behind us sent some of their food from their table over because they were concerned that Anya didn't have enough to eat:) The restaurant staff fed her soooo much! They just kept shoveling food in her mouth - Nate and I thought for sure she would be sick. She felt extra heavy as we left the restaurant:)
It's now almost 11p.m. and we're pretty much all packed! Tomorrow we begin our journey back home:)

Red Couch Pictures/Boat Cruise September 28

Our Holt group met for group pictures this morning at 10:00. All adoptive families take pictures on the red couch (2nd floor near the golden bird cage) so it was a neat experience to partake of the "tradition". Our group then took a 40 min. bus ride to the U.S. Consulate at 2:15 this afternoon for the Oath taking Ceremony. When we were all pronounced legal parents to our children, we all let out a big cheer and hugged our kids:) Quite neat!
We had a couple of hours before our boat cruise, so we did a little shopping around the island while we waited. We found both of our moms a Chinese tea set and bought a clay test set for ourselves.
The cruise was at 6:00 and it was wonderful! We all had our Papa John's pizzas and enjoyed the lovely ride! It was just beautiful! It was very special to be on a boat cruising down the river with soft music and lights all around the island, holding each other and our beautiful, new daughter, Anya Mei! Great Day!

Safari Day! September 27, 2010

This morning our Holt group met our guide, Joyce, at 9:30 to drive to the Guangzhou zoo and safari. It was such a fun trip! The safari was wonderful as we rode on a safari train for 45 min. looking at all of the animals roaming about! The rest of our time was spent just wandering around the zoo looking at the caged animals. There was a wonderful Panda bear exhibit and we got to feed a baby, white tiger. We also fed giraffes leafy branches and rode on an elephant! It was great! We completed our outing with lunch in the park. We bought the kids back home a Panda puppet to go with the new puppet stage Grandma and Papa made for them. Nathan had told us before we left for China that he really wanted a panda, so I think this will mean a lot to him.
It was around 3:30 when we returned to our room. We relaxed on the bed playing blocks and stacking cups with Anya. She just keeps changing more and more each day! It is so wonderful and exciting to see!
The three Holt families met for supper at 6 and went to the Tao Ran Xuan (yes, again). This was Nate's and my fourth time there:) We ate on the sixth floor by the huge window overlooking the river - beautiful! We all ordered different dishes and then shared. Another wonderful evening with great fellowship!

Jade and Pearl Market Monday, September 26, 2010

Today was Jade and Pearl Market day. After eating breakfast, we joined the Norris's, Ann and her company, and our Holt escorts (Anson and Joyce) in the lobby for our tour. It was a lot of fun! We visited the jade market first and there were jade vendors "everywhere". We walked around and looked at many of them before making our purchase. Nate got me a beautiful green, jade braclet and we got him a jade pendent.
From the jade market, we walked across the street to the pearl market. Same thing with pearl vendors in every shop (it was like a mall with every shop selling pearls!). Nate bought me three different neclaces (they were so cheap) and then we bought each of our daughters a pearl neclace (ended up being $4 U.S. dollars a piece!). They are going to love them:)
For lunch, we grabbed a bite to eat at the deli and then headed for the pool. It was such a beautiful day to be at the pool! There were a lot of adoptive families down there (one couple was in their late 50's!), so it was fun to visit with many of them. It's just so neat to see all of these families brought together in one location, touched by the same thing - the adoption of a child. Having so many children from all over China and so many families adopting from all different agencies, is just neat. We can all learn from, strengthen, and gain support from one another.
Tim, Kerri, and their two kids joined us for supper and we again went to the Tao Ran Xuan. We were seated at a table next to the young lady who played beautiful music on her instrument, so we got to enjoy that the whole meal through. It was just such a fun meal being with our new and forever friends, the Norris's. We are so happy to have them back with us (after being together in Beijing and then having them fly to their child's province to get her). Our kids all had a fun time too. Anya loves the tea and each day, her appetite improves. She has started feeding herself now too and she is filled with laughter and smiles:) She has begun saying, "Ma Ma" and making baby sounds. She's really trying to mimic what she sees Nate and I doing too. She claps her hands, moves her tongue back and forth, rubs her head, gives Hi-5, etc. It's very cute! I know Nathan, Annalise, Ainsley, and Anniston are going to eat her up:) They will be such great brother and sisters!
We borrowed some little, Duplo type blocks from teh Holt office here, so Anya is on teh bed playing with blocks:) This little girl has just blossomed over this past week! It's hard to believe she is the same child we met on Sept. 19. I think that she knows that we are her parents and that she is with her forever family!