She's coming home!!

Good Monday Morning from Guangzhou!

Haddie is coming home WITH us on the 4th! Her (and everyone in our group) TB test was negative! Praise the Lord! Thank you for your prayers and your emails of encouragement. If you can't tell we were more than excited as was everyone on our bus. God worked everything out. Our next hurdle is with the US consulate and obtaining her VISA & US citizenship - which is fairly simple (not the paper work but the waiting process).

Haddie's legs are getting stronger and she is able to sit up by her self as well as turn over in bed. On the bus tonight she was pulling herself up using her hands and legs. She loves to walk! She's been walking back and forth in our room between Colette and I (approx 6 feet apart). She just giggles as she approaches either of us. Her face lights and you can see joy swelling deep inside of her. We can't wait for Noah and Hannah to meet her and play with her.

About her diet, it is sort of apparent that her previous care givers did not feed her anything beyond the basics. We just need to get her home to her mom's good cooking and get her on a regular schedule...

We ended the day with great shopping! There is something to be said for haggling....in some ways I wish we could do more of it back home.

Until next time,

- Bob

Sunday Update

We attended the bi-lingual service at Christ Church Shamian. Awesome! We (the only non-Asian people there) sang 2 songs in English and the local attenders knew it well. The service lasted for about an hour and a half and the Word of God was definitely preached. The funny thing was people just kept coming in...and coming in and coming in! It was packed. They packed in at least 150 + people in a very small worship area. They had a little A/C and very hard wooden pews.

- Bob

Videos

Saturday

Well, today was the medical exam. It was a long affair with a lot of time standing in lines. Many adoptive families trying to accomplish the same objective today. All went well and they will read the TB test on Monday so please don't stop praying. We spent the entire afternoon shopping and even ate Hamburgers and Fries for Lunch (yes for you adoptive folks it was at Lucy's - but you can not say we are not adventurous after eating alligator the other night!)

Haddie's legs are getting stronger each day and she is enjoying walking more. She still holds onto our finger when walking down the hall or out in public but has gotten much more brave when walking between Bob and I in the room. Tonight she was giggling and cackling as she walked between us when she would lose her balance a little and wobble. Earlier this week, she would have clung to the nearest stationary object and cried. What a difference a few days make! She now gives kisses and does this hilarious fish face. Today she was sitting with Bob at the computer and spent almost 1/2 an hour just cooing. She definitely hears more than we were led to believe she did. She signs "light" when we wait for the elevator because there is a light there that lights up to tell us which one is coming. When we were at the zoo yesterday - I signed and said "lion" to her at the lion cage and she signed the word "light." Very interesting that she could hear the "li" and respond. But then again, when she saw the pandas - she signed Dad . Maybe they look alike to her - all soft and cuddly!

Thank you so much for your prayers for me and my cough. Chinese herbs are a wonder! I feel 100% better.

We would greatly appreciate your prayers for another family who joined our group today. They are adopting a healthy girl, Anna, who is 22 months old. They have waited (I believe I am correct on this) 3 years. During the medical exam they found a heart murmur. Without all the medical details to share, all I can tell you is she is now labeled a Special Needs child. This family did not put in for a special needs child and although they already love her as their own and want to take her home - immigration will not allow it at this point because they do not have the proper paperwork stating they are qualified to adopt her. It is a heartbreaking and scary time for this family because they need a miracle to get the paperwork completed by their flight date late next week. Please pray that God's hand will be evident to all as we see Him work miracles through this. The family are believers and are asking anyone and everyone pray.

Haddie Giggling

Firday update

It was a really HOT day - the high was 100 with a heat index of 106. Our group went to the Guangzhou zoo right in the middle of the 106 heat index. Believe it or not the animals were out and Guangzhou has nice zoo. We received a few looks. Haddie didn't seem to mind to much....we kept her hydrated as with us.

After the zoo, we were taken downtown to the business district shopping complex for lunch. No not all things are cheaper in China. We introduced Hadassah to Italian food...she loves spaghetti and would have eaten a plate full by herself! It wasn't an Italian meal to write home about.

After afternoon naps, Haddie woke up with a 101 feever. She wasn't fussing or anything like that...she was just hot. She has had a runny nose and a slight cough for the last couple of days. Good thing tomorrow is the doctors checkup....there is some tongue and cheek humor in that last statement. You see those are the symptoms of H1N1... We gave her some Motrin and her fever dropped. Don't stop praying for us yet...we have a long way to go. Also, tomorrow they will test her for TB. Our visit to the doctor should be between 10:30 - noon. If all goes well at the doctor's visit - we're going shopping afterwards.

It will be so good to get back home....in one week!

- Bob

Birthday Update

Our group went to the Chen's Ancestral Lineage Hall today (that's a group shot). It was really hot and humid. However, tomorrow is supposed to be hotter - the high for tomorrow and Saturday is 100. We have never been in a place where the temperature and the heat index are 13 degrees apart. Bob does such a great job bargaining for good prices that our group coordinator calls him over if anyone wants to buy anything. His sense of humor does wonders! It was amazing to see all the different carvings of wood, ivory and wood. Such detail!

After the sightseeing we went pearl and jade shopping. Nobody has clued me into the fact that when Chinese sell Jade bracelts, they are meant to pretty much stay on for life. Not my cup of tea! It took a lot of time to find a bracelet we could afford and that I could actually get off of my arm again! They used a plastic bag to slip it on and soap to slip it off. At one point they had one on each arm having me look at it and Bob was quite concerned he just bought two of them - fearing that they would never come off again. They just couldn't understand the crazy Americans who want big bracelets. Our CHI guide has one on that she bought 5 years ago. Her hand was bruised fior 4 days after they put it on her. She tried taking it off a few days later and realized it is there forever.

After we had finished jade shopping, Haddie had a complete blowout. Rebecca (CHI Coordinator) found a corner of a shop that would allow us to change her. It took the two of us - 8 wipes and a complete change of clothes for her. When we were finishing up, the shop keepers lit a couple of incense sticks and placed them over where we were. We didn't blame them a bit!

This evening we went with part of our group to a seafood restaurant. It gets no fresher than this! The guys went downstairs (we had a private room upstairs) to choose our cuisine for the evening. They accomplished this by pointing to pictures they had lined up. At times the waiter would say, "That is not good for Americans! American stomachs don't like that." We ended up with a couple of beef dishes, a pork dish, and an octopus dish. When they pointed to the picture and asked what that was, the waiter replied, " You know - the seafood that has 8 legs!" They also "splurged" and ordered us alligator. That was quite interesting! Bob says it tastes like chicken! Just don't eat the skin- has a strong taste. We didn't order any other seafood but if we had - you pick out the fish you want from the very fresh variety in front of the store. We sent a couple of those picures earlier. It was a fun evening - but I (Colette) did come back to the room and ate some oatmeal!

Tomorrow is the zoo and a trip to Haddie's finding spot. Chat with you then!

Happy Birthday!

Happy Birthday to Hadassah! She is two today! Still a little pip but lots of personality. She now initiates waves with anyone who will give her eye contact. Everyone who looks at her and smiles is her instant friend. She smiles so much and laughs a lot. She will look up from playing at one of us and just smile! She waves at us a lot as well. Our Adoption Agency coordinator says she is a sunshine baby because she is so happy. When we tell Chinese people we have a little girl from Chongqing and one from Guangzhou, they tell us we have a Sweet and a Spicy family - Hannah being the spicy one. Although, if they would have heard Haddie screaming last night because lying in bed was not her idea of fun - they may have changed their minds!

Yesterday we went for a walk in the hotel neighborhood in the morning and saw some interesting items for sale for lunch. We forwent that option! The afternoon found us at the police station - applying for Haddie's passport. Then - finally - SHOPPING! I am not the barterer - Bob does it with such finesse and humor. We bought matching outfits for Hannah and Hadassah - Haddie is wearing hers. We also bought shirts that say Big Brother, Big Sister and Little Sister. It is funny that now they sell shirts that say Made in China. We received those as gifts way back in Kodiak that the kids wore that said Made in China and Made in Italy. Nothing new under the sun!

I (Colette) would truly appreciate prayer for my cough. The cold seems much better but I can't shake the cough - keeping me up at night, etc. Thank you! Haddie woke up at 5:00 and is now a little cranky although holding her will heal all that ails her at this point in her life. She has turned into such a cuddle bug.

Hadassah loves to snack and we don't discourage her! She does take tiny bites - I realize she has a tiny mouth but in case you ever wondered howmany bites someone can take from a goldfish bunny - the record right now is 7. Yes - you read that right 7. We watched and counted! She also makes the last piece last even longer. She takes it out, puts it back, takes it out, nibbles on it, holds it forever, waits until it is quite soggy then nibbles some more. She is NOT a gobbler.

We hear more sounds from her. She has never repeated the "Om" referring to mom - yet! This morning at breakfast she actually told the waitress "Hi." These words have come only once but they are true words at the appropriate time so we know she has them in her.

Today's agenda is sightseeing and more SHOPPING! Can't really tell what excites me, can you? We do take requests! Have a blessed day!

She's eating well!

Hadassah is eating well! She doesn't like eggs and apple juice does wonders for cleaning out her system (ha, ha) just ask the hotel's house keeping!

We're off to go do some shopping...

-Bob

Video clips

She's ours!

In the lunch time picture of Haddie sitting in Colette's lap... little Haddie is peeling and eating the insides from her McDonald's French Fries. I guess you can do that when you have such teeny tiny fingers (smile). She wasn't crazy about the chicken nuggets.

According to Chinese legal system she is ours! We went back to the same Chinese Adoption Center today where money was exchanged, questioned answered, documents signed and pictures taken. Whew! Next stop - the police station (sorry no pictures there) for her Chinese passport....that comes tomorrow morning. After the police station - shopping over on Shamian Island. There are certain places you can't take pictures....police stations, banks, etc.... How do I know...on Monday when we went as a group to exchange our currency - I took a picture through the glass of the bank teller counting all the money. It was fascinating! However, a police officer un-kindly told me to delete the picture. Oh those goofy Americans...

Colette is feeling a little better - still congested...and a dry cough.

So Small

Haddie was up at 4:40 this morning with a #2 waiting to be changed. We have been told that the 1st BM is theirs (food from the orphanage) and the 2nd is ours. It is a momentous occasion when that second one happens because one way their bodies show stress is through constipation. We are adding a picture just to show you how small her hands are. She is so tiny... She does have a pretty loud cry which she shared with us last night telling us she didn't think going to bed was such a great idea! She does walk but only holding someone's hand and she is not real steady. She adores being held and loves to sit on Dad's lap. She hasn't played anyfavorites yet and even initiates smiles. For breakfast she drank a whole glass of milk with Instant Carnation Breakfast mixed in, about 6 bites of scrambled eggs, 3/4 of a banana and 2 bowls of congee (a soupy rice something or other.) She did feed herself with a spoon with the congee. She doesn't make many noises and basically stays where you put her. We did get looks from other Chinese people in the restaurant last night and it was obvious they were talking about her ears. Our choice of strategy is to look them in the eye and smile. Off to get caffeine to get through the morning. Thank you again for sharing our joy!.

Short video

She's here!!

The day has arrived and Haddie is in our arms! She obviously hears more than we were lead to believe since she has already said, "om" when Bob asked who I was after walking back in the room. She is one smart little cookie - she has already signed "more" at dinner and watches and mimics all that others do. She waves hello at people and while waiting for the elevators tonight after dinner Bob shrugged his shoulders and she did hers too. They had quite a game going. But I am ahead of myself - as she sits on our bed - freshly bathed in the the bathroom sink (tub way too big for such a little girl) and pours over the book we made at Walgreens tha contains pictures of all the Uptons - I'll try to jump back to 2:30 this afternoon. When we arrived at the CCAA - all the kids were there already - in a separate room behind a curtain and were brought out one by one. Haddie was a little late. She came walking through the door holding onto the hands of two women. They walked her over to us and she just looked and looked - looking a little worried at times but not a cry and not a peep. We brought her over to the couches and sat down with Bob holding her so I could get a good look at her. We brought out the doll I bought for her and she is such a little thing it is almost the same size as her. The 12 month clothes I brought are a little big on her - they will work fine but she is indeed tiny. It was hot in the office area so I gave her a drinking cup with a straw and she immediately sucked down half the water and then became very interested in the Honey Nut Cheerios which she LOVED eating out of the snack cup (thank you so much Jennifer!) We received a lot of great pictures of her orphanage and found out she was involved in the Half the Sky Foundation where they provide extra nurturing for little ones and she was also placed in a Foster home in July of this year. She ate a great dinner - wouldn't pick up the food and eat on her own but ate very readily when fed with chopsticks. she returns our smiles almost every time. She hasn't made a lot of noise yet and has been quite cooperative in everything we have done. Tomorrow we sign the paperwork that makes her officially ours. We can't wait for you all to meet her! She is indeed a precious present from the Lord.

Monday morning

From Starbucks - this is Bob Today is Gotcha Day along with going to the local bank and exchanging $6,100 USD for 41,670. RMB (Chinese Yuan) to cover all the fees and expenses. We'll be calling the family today once we have Haddie in our arms and will be posting pics as soon as we can.

We met the other 4 families last evening...as a matter of fact we knew the other couple from STL. We had met them at our adoption agency's Chinese New Year celebration last January! Small world! As time allows we hope to get to know them and hear their stories.

You can keep Colette in your thoughts and prayers - she seems to have come down with a sore throat / cold. No, no H1N1 for now and no one with mask on have come knocking on our door. Whew! Oh no I just sneezed... not me too!

I have a new appreciation for our free speech given all the social networking websites are blocked. This is China...

8-23-09

8-23-09 As we sit in Starbucks - the only place for free wireless - sipping our house coffee and a Green Tea Latte (I am not kidding - it tastes a little green but is actually quite good!) we will fill you in our days events yesterday. It was a nice,quiet day with checking out the neighborhood and eating lunch at a fastfood Chinese restaraunt where, of course, no one spoke English. We thought we were in trouble right off in having to order not knowing what in the world the menu said - but out behind the counter came a menu in English - whew! We both ate for $4.00 and could not finish it all. Rice, BBQ pork, egg drop soup which consisted of broth on top of a whole egg and a slice of watermelon. We couldn't find a table and sat with a Chinese couple. I'm sure we both spent the meal talking about each other and smiling often. Our bodies are still adjusting to the time change so after a long nap, we headed off on an adventure - pretty atypical for us Uptons. We were pretty proud of ourselves! We went on a Pearl River cruise to see all the lights of the city. Let not the name confuse you -brown, disgusting water is what made up the river! We paid for the dinner buffet which bumped us up to VIPs. We got to sit in the VIP lounge to wait the cruise time which was air conditioned and we even got cups of lukewarm water! We forewent the free chocolates - me for obvious reasons if you know anything about me and Bob because he wasn't convinced that is what they were! First I must backtrack to when we arrived at the dock. As the taxi stopped and we were paying the driver - a 6 or 7 year old girl opens the door for us and tries to sell us some kind of paper flower wrapped in cellophane. Bob told her no and tried walking away. She tried sticking it in his pocket. He took it out and told her no again and as we walked away - she hung on to the ties on the back of my dress. Then, she wrapped herself around my leg and sat down. I could not move. I had to physically pull her off my let in order to move on. I think the policeman walking in our direction helped convinced her to let go. After a couple of tries figuring out exactly where we were suppoced to be, we were seated in the VIP lounge. When we boarded the boat, we went upstairs where there were tables set up with an all you can eat buffet. As wer got underway, two "sailing attendants" - as opposed to flight attendants came forward to show us how to put on the lifevests if that measure became necessary. Absolutely nothing was in English so if we went under - we were in trouble because we didn't even know where they kept those things! Not that we would have been able to put them on before we went down because there were no American buckles - you had to pull the straps through two small holes which even they had trouble with- cross it in front, cross it in back, tie it front, cross it in back, pull it up through two more holes and tie it in front again. RIGHT! We completely understood when they said it was time to eat because it was almost an Olympic event to see who could get to the table first. We just sat and watched! You would think theses people hadn't eaten for quite a while the way they mobbed the table! Stacks of food on each plate. When we felt safe in approaching the decreased level of bedlam, our conversation went something like this: "What's this?" "I don't know." "Are you going to try some?" "I guess so!" "Here are some pan fried complete baby fish - they seem to be a favorite!" "OK - I"ll take one." "What's this?" "I don't know" "Here's some Calamari - are you going to get some?" "I kind of have to - my plate is empty." "Heh - I know this one - chicken!" "Uh - no - that's not chicken - must be pigeon." "Is this seriously snake?" "It sure looks like it." "Are you going to get some?" "Not on your life." "Rice! I know I'm right on this one!" "Watermelon - yipee!" Let's just say we only made one trip through the all you can eat but not necessarily identify buffet. The lights on the buildings were amazing. They truly believe in putting on a show. We saw one building which was at least 30 stories high that was a complete TV screen - even extending around the sides of it. Just when we thought the excitement was over - up comes a Magician. I (Colette) don't particularly care for magicians because it frustrates me when I can't figure out how they do things. I would find it much more entertaining to be seen HOW they do it than the actual act. Of course, when they need a "volunteer" from the audience, who do they usually choose - the person who stands out - who was that? The only Ameircans on board - of course. And does he pick Handsome Bob to come up to be his lovely assistant - OH - NO! He chooses Colette. Other than the fact that he made an egg appear on top of my head and I'm pretty sure made it look like I laid an egg and the fact that the boat turned around while I was up there "assisting" in this act and nearly fell over into the crowd - I guess you could say all in all it went well. I got a silk yellow rose out of the deal and got recorded on many Chinese phones so if you see me on You Tube - Don't tell me!

Arrived!!

Ni Hao! We have arrived! We are now closer than ever to our precious Haddie. The 5 hour layover in Hong Kong was a bit long – although a couple of hour naps helped pass the time nicely. The flight from Hong Kong to Guangzhou was only about 1/3rd full which in our minds lessens the chances of Swine Flu considerably. 30 hours after we got out of bed in St. Louis, we crawled in bed in Guangzhou. We had a great breakfast this morning and are busy unpacking. (Shannon, the over the door shoe organizer is absolutely wonderful!) The room is very nice. There is a glass window between the bathroom and the bedroom but an electric shade provides the privacy necessary. The tub is very deep – it will be interesting trying to bathe Haddie in there. We will be traveling to the China Center for Adoption Affairs Monday at 2:30 to finally have Haddie where she truly belongs – in our arms. We plan on unpacking – ironing – and resting today. There are 2 parks within walking distance and we may check those out. Tomorrow morning we have plans to head over to a Protestant/Bilingual church. That’s all for now – thank you so much for your many prayers. We have seen some of them answered already! God bless you all!

Resting in Hong Kong

We just completed the marathon 15 hour flight from Chicago to Hong Kong! Local time is a little after 5 pm on Friday. Colette is sleeping and you see what I’m doing. Our flight was very cramped in the cattle-car section…for sure no leg room. On the way back we purchased Haddie a seat so we’ll have a “little” more room.

Bill, thank you so much for dropping us off and especially for the send off prayer. In God’s loving kindness he gave us a very smooth flight. Again about the flight, not one to complain - but we could have used a few more meals. They did give us lots of water.

Colette lost her cross-stitching scissors here in Hong Kong…after we de-planed we had to go back through their version of TSA. She graciously agreed leave them behind.

Our flight into Guangzhou is not until 9:50pm tonight (4 more hours). Until then! - Bob

The night before the day and half of flying

The last minute shopping is all complete. The suitcases are FINALLY packed and now we’re headed to bed for a blissful night of sleep before the day-and-half flying.

We hugged and kissed Noah and Hannah good night and left them with the Jones'. We're going to miss them! However, we also know they are in great and wonderful care back here. This will allow us to focus more on Haddie. You know you'd think round two would be easier and less stressful. Not.

Keep us in your thoughts and prayers as we head to the airport around 5:30 am tomorrow.

B & C

We have our travel dates

We have our travel dates - they are August 20th thru Septemer 4th!
So much to prepare for and so much to seek your prayers for...
Such as...

Noah and Hannah will be staying with our friends the Jones' and Simpson's. They need your prayers for allowing us to disrupt their lives for 2 weeks.

For health and well being for Colette and I as we travel and our protection against the Swine flu.

For Haddie that her TB test to come back negative!

That's it -these are our prayer request until we return on the 4th. We will be keeping you posted on our travels ....stay tuned for more adventures from the Uptons...

God's blessings, Bob