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Our Journey to Hannah Grace |
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May 18 Two Years Ago Today - We Landed In ChinaTwo years ago today after a 7 hour delay at JFK we landed in Bejing, China. The rest of our group was delayed so we spent the 18 th catching up on sleep and the 19 checking out local area. We were so excited and could not wait to see our Hannah Grace.
It was only a few short days before we finally got our first look at our beautiful baby girl. Well our baby girl is no longer a baby. She is a smart and can talk up a storm. She is very independent. She is growing into a great big helper. She is everything we could have ever dreamed of and so much more. The only thing we didn't plan for is all the lack of sleep we have encountered in the last two years. If only we knew. We could have slept so much more and rested up for all of those sleepless nights. Other then Hannah's sleeplessness she is our angel. She makes us laugh, smile and cry.
We are eternally grateful to the Peoples' Republic of China for the gift they given us. We will never forget the gift that both they and Hannah's birth mom has given us. We hope and pray that she finds peace and knows Hannah is well loved and cared for. March 07 Almost 2 Years Since We First Saw Your FaceI have been thinking, it has been almost two years since we first laid eyes on our Hannah Grace. I can't believe how time has flown bye. I am amazed at how big you are, how smart you are and how much you are able to do. We are so blessed to have you in our life even though we are still so tired and get so little sleep. It is all worth it. We wouldn't change it for the world. We can't remember what life was like prior to Hannah, because everything is now all about Hannah.
We love you so much words can not express the joy and love you have brought into our life.
May 22 1 Year Ago Today - Gotcha Day!This very day, one year ago Hannah was placed in our arms by a Chinese official. She was our angel from the moment we saw her and she still is.
When I think back to that very first day, two parents in a strange country, can't speak the language, all alone with no parents near by for help or advice, no nurse in the hospital to help. Alone in a hotel room none the less with an infant, trying to make bottles in the bathroom, changing her on the bed, and just plain lost with what is the right thing to do. Well we figured it out one thing at a time. We loved her, kissed her, fed her, changed her and comforted her all we could. I remember as clear as if it was yesterday, she would reach her little hand out from her crib and hold my hand or touch me. She wouldn't let go and if I moved she would wake.
She has changed our lives and is truly a gift from God. We are blessed beyond belief. We are eternally grateful to the Peoples' Republic of China for entrusting us with the care of this little girl.
Hannah Grace you are loved more today then the day we held you for the first time. We will love you even more tomorrow and even more the next day. My love for you is more then even I could have imagined. Thanks for teaching me to smile over simple things and appreciating things that adults take for granted.
Happy 1 Year Gotcha Day!!!!!!
I just got word from the adoption community of a heart breaking story. Steven Curtis Champman's daughter died last night. She was adopted from China. He as a great artist who song many songs that only people who adopted can relate to. See story and more at this site:
May 17 1 Year Ago Today We Were On Our Way To China!Where does the time go. One year ago today we were on a plane. We were suppose to board at 12:00 noon and we were delayed until after 7:00 p.m. at night. Then at 7 they said a few more minutes. So Sometime around this very time after spending the day at the airport and meeting wonderful friends we were all getting on the plane to go see our daughters. It was an amazing trip and I still can't believe how time flies. One year ago today we couldn't wait to see Hannah, to hold her, to be with her. Now she is very much a part of our lives and has brought us more joy and happiness then we could have imagined.
We pray for the people in China who were affected by the recent earthquake. Our hearts break for them and what they are going through. May 03 The Truth In Numbers!Well the numbers from the state department don't lie. China is still the safest bet. These are the numbers of children adopted from each country for 2007.
 Almost A Year Later-Still Brings Tears To My Eyes!
This song could always reduce me to tears when I was waiting for Hannah. Well she has been with us for almost a year now and this song still can reduce me to tears. It is a beautiful, heart touching song which holds so much meaning. Mama and Baba love you Hannah Grace. When Love Takes You In I know you’ve heard the stories Where love takes you in and everything changes And somewhere while you’re sleeping
When love takes you in everything changes
When love takes you in everything changes When love takes you in April 08 One Year Ago - April 9, 2007April 9th, 2007, started out like any other day. Then around 10 a.m. we got the first call from our agency. The one that said get hubby and call us back and by then we will have information for you. So one year ago April 9th at 10:00 a.m. we had word that we were officially parents. That is the day we saw a picture of a beautiful baby girl in a far away place known as China. How can we ever thank the PRC for the gift they have given us. We can't! We are eternally grateful to China for the mircle they have given us. Hannah has blessed us in so many ways. One wonderful year of growing, changing, learning, laughing, and more. April 9th will forever be known as the day a mircle was granted, a dream came true, a prayer was answered and all of our waiting, wishing, hoping and dreaming was for a very good reason.
Happy 1 year from referral day Hannah! April 03 Food for Thought!I found this on a friends website and had to borrow it. It is so true! It is amazing how when you adopt fellow adopters feel the exact same way. Enjoy!
You Know You're An Adoptive Parent When . . .
-Author unknown February 22 9 Months Ago Today!Nine months ago today we got to hold Hannah for the first time. Where does time go? I can't believe she has already been with us nine months. She has grown and changed so much. Every time I bring her to the doctor she has gained more weight. And lately that is often. Including another emergency appointment today. What a way to mark her ninth month home. Two more prescriptions for my not so little peanut. We are blessed to have Hannah in our life and she keeps us on our toes. She amazes us more and more everyday. It is scary how she copies everything that mama does. It is to cute!
Happy 9 months home Hannah Grace! Mommy and daddy love you soooo much! February 03 Gung Hay Fat Choy!Gung Hay Fat Choy! - Happy Chinese New Year!
The new year falls on February 7th! We are thrilled to be celebrating it with Hannah this year.
Gung Hay Fat Choy to all of our friends who brought their babies home and those who are still waiting. Hang in there it will happen.
One tradition is to give red money envelopes to children or single people. Hannah has her money envelopes all ready to give to her friends this week.
Also oranges are given for the new year and they symbolize prosperity.
We are still reading and learning and starting our own traditions to help Hannah understand and honor her culture. January 21 8 Months!Tomorrow the 22nd will be eight months Hannah has been with us. I can't believe how fast time has gone by. Time really flies! She is the joy of our lives and is learning new words everyday.
Happy 18 Month Birthday Hannah! January 10 Just When You Think The Ride Is Over - It's Not!O.K. so lets say the ride is not over yet. We received another surpise! It amazes us how this journey to Hannah Grace has unfolded. I will give you some history and then tell you the good news. Months ago I became a little obsessed about another baby from the same SWI as Hannah. I was convinced that they were with the same foster mom or somehow together at some point because they were wearing the same outfit in their referral pictures. So I wrote the other mother and we chatted and basically didn't find out anything and we chaulked it up to a lot of babies from that area have had the same shirt on, no big deal. I wanted to pursue it but was afraid the other mother would think I was crazy. About that time, I was packing to pick up my angel and once she was in my arms I was too busy and forgot all about my obsession. I scare hubby because when I think something, it becomes true, or so he says.
Well I was on the SWI site yesterday and saw a post from the same mom and she was asking who the little one was besides her daughter. I got goose bumps and called hubby in the room. I opened the first picture she had and saw Hannah's foster mom. I knew right away who was going to be in that picture, and sure enough it was Hannah. Hannah has a foster sister! I am so happy. I did receive mix messages that she had or may have had a foster sister. Well we know now that she did and she was in good company the whole time.
We are very happy for this latest discovery. We hope to continue communication with the other family and maybe even meet someday.
This has been an exciting and wonderful journey. Not only did we get a beautiful, smart little girl, but we have made friends around the world we never dreamed of having.
We are truly blessed! December 20 Envelope from ChinaWe were very excited and grateful to receive an envelope from China. It was from the social welfare institute Hannah Grace was from. The director wrote a beautiful letter that was in both Chinese and English. Thank heaven for that or it would have drove me nuts until we could get it translated. It was a beautiful card and envelope. Like nothing you see here. Imagine the nicest, most expensive card you have ever seen. It was better! It was even more special because it was from Hannah's birth country and we want to keep the lines of communication open. It has been put in a plastic protector so nothing spills on it.
from our family to yours, may you have the Merriest Christmas of all!!!! December 08 The Albums Made It!I just received word from my friend that she was able to visit and deliver the albums to Hannah's orphange. She stated that the orphanage gave the foster mom's theirs while she was there. Happy! Happy Happy Dance! She was delivering pictures for a few of us who all have daughters from the same area. So hopefully Hannah's foster mom received hers today. We know that the director of the orphanage did receive hers. We are very excited to have pictures hand delivered so we know that they received them.
We want to keep any lines of communication open for Hannah's sake. Hannah may want to go back and visit one day and we want her to be able to do that should she choose. Keep your fingers crossed that we get some sort of sign letting us know that her foster mom did receive them. We did include our names, address and contact information should she be able or interested in keep in touch.
Happy Holidays To All! December 05 Great News!Great news! I just received word from a friend who just arrived in China for her 6th adoption. She was kind enough to take two photo albums back to Hannah's orphanage for us. We made one for the director and one for her foster mom. We so hope to hear that they received the albums and maybe it will open communication with Hannah's foster mom. We would love for her to know Hannah Grace is doing well and loved.
We have been very busy getting ready for our first Christmas holiday with Hannah Grace. We are overjoyed she will be with us this holiday.
May you have a safe and happy holiday season. To all those still waiting to hear word about getting your daughter, keep the faith it will happen.
October 28 Broken Heart!Well reality is setting in that I have to go back to work this week. It is breaking my heart and making me physically sick. I don't know how I am going to do it. I never dreamed it would be so hard. I love Hannah more then I ever dreamed possible and then some. Tonight or should I say this morning I can't sleep thinking and worrying about leaving my baby. I got myself so worked up I threw up. I can't believe how someone so small can touch your life in such a big way. Hannah is my life now. I live for her, to take care of her, to see her smile, to make her giggle. She is the light of my life.
I guess part of the reason I am so worried is because the daycare I thought was a good fit and one of the most recommended is not living up to my expectations. We have been bringing Hannah for short periods the last couple of weeks so she could slowly get acclimated. Well there have been way too many issues for two days a weeks for the last two weeks. I want to assure anyone reading this that she is safe there, it is just not what I want for my baby. They said one provider in her room. Yes it is one in the a.m., one in the mid-morning and another in the afternoon. Too many people and no one person to take responsiblity if something is not right. Messages don't get passed along from one to another. Hannah has been with me for 5 months and never had a diaper rash. A couple of hours two days a week and she has a rash. They tell me it is normal and my baby needs ointment. Well I have had her for the last 5 days and changed her as needed and no rash? Makes you wonder??? Also her drink got put in a different frig and when I went to go pick her up they said we thought she didn't have a drink therefore we didn't give her one and she went without. I almost totally lost it. I was like I put it where they told me. Well the 1st person didn't tell the second person and no one had enough brains to say lets get this little one some water or call and ask the mother. Pure stupidity! I would at least have given her water. They also have some stupid schedule and won't let her take the naps she needs. The director told me if she was that tired she could lay down and sleep on the floor. She is my baby, my world, I waited 3 years for her and they tell me if she is that tired she can sleep on the floor. She isn't a cat. Well those are just the highlights. There has been a coupe of other unnecessary aggravations and I don't want to even get myself anymore worked up thinking about it. So I won't go there, but there days are numbered and I am praying that God looks over her until we get her in a better situation. I tell myself she has seen much worse and survived, and she will survive this. The question is will her mama?
So you guessed it, I have been calling and interviewing daycares, and in-home providers. Boy there are a lot of fruit cakes out there. I said to a friend the other day that I wouldn't leave my cat with most of these people. Grrrr!!!!!!!!!! Anyways, I am stuck in my current "not so good" daycare for the next 5 weeks. I did give another deposit to a new place and am hoping this one will be better for all parties. I have to send Hannah to the current one two days a week until we can start at the new place. They have certain laws in our state and she doesn't have an opening until Dec 3rd. So Baba going to work from home a couple of days a week. I will work 4 days a week for the next 5 weeks and will have to have her go two days a week to the current place. There is no way that I will have her go there anymore absolutely necessary.
Please pray that the new daycare will work out. Hannah is having a hard time adjusting as it is and I hate the fact that she has to go through more adjusting. Also pray that mama adjusts, because I am ready to quit work and stay at home with my baby. October 23 5 Months Gone By!Well it is hard to believe that yesterday was "5"months since Hannah was placed in our arms. She has changed so much. She is the light of our world and we love her to pieces. She is everything we dreamed of and so much more. Yesterday was also her 15 month birthday! Time just keeps marching on.
Hannah has her 15 month check up and we are not looking forward to that. More shots, which Hannah does not like.
Mama is working very hard and fast to get two albums ready for China. I have a contact who is leaving very soon and willing to take pictures back to Hannah's orphanage so they can see how she is progressings. This is a rare opportunity and we wanted to let them know how much she is loved and cared for. So off to work on the albums mama goes.
September 24 4 Months Already? Wow!!!"4" Months since we first held our Hannah! Saturday marked the four month mark since she was placed in our arms. She has been home for 3 1/2 months. Time just keeps marching on. No we didn't forget we have been very busy with our little princess. Hannah attending a cultural group she joined last weekend. We had a great time and then went out to dinner with good friends we made while waiting for Hannah.
Tomorrow is Hannah's holiday. It is "Autumn Moon" or "Harvest Moon", it is compared to our Thanksgiving. She already tried "Moon Cakes" at the cultural group Saturday. Moon cakes are a symbol of the celebration. Autumn Moon is a celebration of the harvest and bounty throughout the year. Time is spent with family and lots of food is included. Tomorrow evening is suppose to be the brightest and biggest moon. Families get together, eat moon cakes, drink tea and enjoy seeing the bright moon. Tomorrow we will look up at the moon and thank Hannah's birth mom for the gift she has given us. We are truly thankful.
Next weekend we have another big get together with lots of other families to celebrate "Autumn Moon". Hannah will get to wear her Qi Pao and see all her Chinese friends. We are grateful to this group for all their support along our way.
Hannah has been changing so much. She is truly one smart little lady. She is starting to walk 4 or 5 steps by herself and occasionally does more. She tries so hard.
We finally had her very in depth special hearing test and it looks like she did really well. We will have to repeat it in 6 months just to be sure. Hannah didn't like anyone touching her ears and wouldn't let them complete one part. They figure in 6 more months she might be more cooperative and able to understand the procedure better. The three ladies who conducted the test were wonderful and very patient with her. They thought she was so cute and couldn't take their eyes off her. She tried so hard to walk into the examining room. She was struting in her squeaky shoes and had everyone's attention.
She is always, too cute!
Happy Autumn Moon to Hannah and
all of our friends who celebrate! September 08 One US Citizen - One Passport!!! Well we received our final piece of paper in the post-adoption process. It only took 3 months and 8 days. A record! Some people work on it until a year after there little one is home, but I wanted to make sure my little angel is mine, all mine, with all the rights of any US Citizen. She received her passport! We are overjoyed. I won't go into the aggravation we went through, and the back and forth with additional paperwork, leaving my hands and being mailed to the passport office. It was unsettling. To have every piece of documentation which states a child is yours mailed off. Then they complained and wanted more after we verified what we sent was enough. I was heart sick to mail her original "only" Chinese adoption certificate, her only and original Certificate of Citizenship, her forgein birth certificate, and on and on. I was so happy to finally get a call from the passport office to say they had all our documents, verified them and were mailing them back to Hannah via Federal Express overnight, to make sure they wouldn't get lost in the mail. Well a day late, but they arrived safely with her passport enclosed. So I no longer have to run to any more offices, filling out paperwork and verifiying documents.
We also received Hannah's US birth certificate. We have learned through the adoption community that we should keep an extra copy at hand, because some hospital, decided to refuse treatment of a child until they could verify that the parents, where the parents. By law, they are not suppose to do that and the hosptial apologized, but what good does it do if it puts your childs health in jeapordy in the mean time. So we contacted the local probate court, round two to send us the paperwork so we can keep a copy of Hannah's long form birth certificate which lists us as parents. Unfortunately, when you adopt, you are always treated differently and always have to proof something to someone. So we decided to play it safe. As my motto goes, it I have it I won't need it, if I don't something will happen and I will be kicking myself all the way.
Hannah is doing so well and learning so much. She now says bye, bye! It is so cute. She took her first multiple steps this morning all the way into her baba's arms. She was so proud and so wasn't baba. She has stolen her baba's heart. He even gets up early just for her. What a change! It warms my heart. August 31 Mommy ... I ate my Lunch!Hannah is doing a great job self feeding. Most of the food actually makes it in her mouth. When it lands on her chair she is happy to reach down and pick it up. I just had to take a picture of her today - she was covered in her lunch. Believe it or not, she was actually cleaned up a little before the picture was taken.
Enjoy the latest picture of "Mommy - I ate my lunch"
I love her to pieces, even when she is messy.
August 22 Three Months!I can't believe today is our three month anniversary since we received our angel, Hannah Grace. Where does the time go? It has been an emotional roll coaster. We have had our ups and our downs, but I wouldn't change it for the world. She has been a gift from God and makes every day bright. She has the cutest giggle and when she gets tired she gets really giggly. She doing better and we see more and more of her personality every day. She is so smart. She just learned how to say I love you in sign language. She still brings tears to my eyes and lights up my heart. I don't know if I will be able to leave her and go back to work. No matter how tired I am I always look forward to seeing her first thing in the morning. She is now attached to her Vermont teddy bear. Every morning when I go get her from her crib she first hands her bear to me so she can take him with her. Too cute!!! She has been such a blessing in our life that we are seriously considering getting Hannah a sister.
Enjoy the pictures!
Sandra - can you send me your email address. It does not show up the way you send me messages. Thanks
August 18 Five to Ten - Oh My!Hannah is feeling better! Yeah! Still cranky at times with all the new teeth coming in. She now has 6 uppers in various stages, two which are molars. Ouch! But she is doing wonderfully. She went from being behind in everything when we first brought her home to surpassing most children her age. She is so smart. She is doing great with sign language. She also has been doing 5 to 10 second stand without holding on to anything. She is walking everywhere with assistance, and of course she is just as cute as ever.
Her Grandma had an emergency and was in the hospital and Hannah was a hit. Everyone loved her and there was a doctor who just didn't want to leave. He thought she was the cutest! We also made another contact there with a family waiting to adopt from China. I love to help others as we were helped by so many people during our wait.
Hannah was walking around in her squeaky shoes and everyone was getting up to look at her struting by. She was hamming it up with her smile and grin. Doctors and nurses were stopping what they were doing to look at her or talk to her. As they would leave she was giving them her two hand wave. Hannah is a natural ambassitor. She just draws you in.
So the short list of changes:
When we received Hannah she couldn't sit up, now she can do it without thinking.
She couldn't hold a bottle, now she rips it out of mama's hand if it is not getting to her fast enough.
She couldn't pick up food, now she self feeds.
Hannah has started to use a sippy cup at feeding times, but still loves her bottle.
She was drinking only formula and eating congee, now she eats everything including raw onions, salad, all veggies, all fruits, breads, meats put before her. She is also drinking special milk since the regular stuff upsets her. She constantly tells mama in sign language "more".
She couldn't get into a sitting position, she has master that.
She couldn't stand, now she can do it on her own for 5 to 10 seconds.
She can pull herself up and sit down with no problem.
Only 3 weeks ago (July 29), she learned to crawl. Now she speed crawls after mama everywhere.
She is trying to walk and is dying to do it on her own. August 15 was her first step without holding on. Then she realized what she was doing and started to cry.
She is starting to do better with the no crying all the time, but still gets scared and frequently cries in her sleep. Still breaks my heart.
She is learning sign language and is doing great.
She is starting to talk. First official word since she has been with us, "bear". Now says baby and Hi! She has always said mama, but we were told she used to call her foster mom, mama. So it is not the official word in our house.
She is learning to give love. Way to precious to put into words. It brings tears to my eyes just thinking about it. We have been trying to teach her to give hugs and kisses. Well little miss thing this week took us by storm. If she is crawling and you ask her where is her bear she will crawl to it, pick it up and give it hugs. She is also giving kisses with her little lips puckered. So precious, need to video tape that.
I know there is more, but my mind went blank because someone is starting to wake.
August 11 Here We Go Again!!!!!!!!!!!So we've been here before and here we go again. Emergency appointment #15 for Hannah Grace today. The words we didn't want to hear, another infection! Grrrr!!!!!! Guess she was the 5% the surgery does not work on. She has been crying for days and I was sure at first it was teething, because we were told that the ear problems should be behind us. Well they were wrong. Very few people have any problems once they have the surgery and we were lucky enough to get the one who will continue to have problems. So glad I was at my breaking point and called the doctor early in the morning to say I can't take all this teething and crying. I mentioned it is odd she is pulling on her ears again. Doctor said bring her right in, she probably has an infection. I said but the ear surgery? He said yes it helped and yes it keeps her ears drained, but it doesn't stop infections in some. I'm like you have to be kinding. How come I don't remember anyone telling me that? Anyways she is very sick again, and now has another appointment on Monday to watch the infection closely and she may even have to go back to the specialist because he wanted to know right away if she had any more problems. Bet he will be thrilled to hear from us. I was wondering because Hannah was acting like she wasn't hearing me. But I was thinking, maybe selective hearing? Not!
So Hannah has her own mini pharmacy. She has two new prescriptions, two over the counter meds and is taking oral gel for her teething. Remind me to buy stock in baby medicine.
Please keep Hannah in your thoughts and prayers. This poor child does not get a break from the doctors or the poking they do to her. August 03 Hannah's on the move!Well Hannah had her surgery and is now doing well. Thanks to everyone for your kind emails, prayers and concern. Sorry I didn't post sooner, but my first priority was getting her better.
Since her surgery Hannah has been doing new things by leaps and bounds. She has been amazing us! She can get herself in the sitting position, pull her self up and she finally figured out how to crawl. So she is on the move. She loves to follow her mama around the house. Yesterday, when she pulled herself up, she clapped because she was so proud of herself.
Hannah has also celebrated her first birthday! She loved her ice cream cake and we even let her put her hands into it and lick them. She loved it!
Each and everyday she amazes us, makes us smile, and keeps us on our toes.
We thank God for the gift he has given us.
July 13 Poor Hannah!We had medical forms that needed to be filled out asap by Hannah's pediatrician, so off we went to get them done. Just forms nothing else. Well, forms turned into shots and Hannah wasn't happy. She needed to get her shots up to date for her surgery. So on top of not feeling well, running a fever and not eating, now they poked her.
She is so miserable. She isn't sleeping and is crying, crying, crying. They have now increased her medicine to try to keep her comfortable. I feel so bad. I wish there was more I could do to make her feel better. I so hope this surgery will relieve the problem. Right now I am doing what ever seems to help and if that means holding her all day and giving her pedialite, well so be it. |
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