Welcome to the HOG (the Hall BLOG)!

Article 5 Picked up!

2012-02-09T19:31:00.002-06:00

Our Article 5 was picked up yesterday and was sent to CCCWA who will approve our travel (travel approval = TA). The wait for TA is about 8-30 days, averaging 3 weeks. So, we're about 5 weeks from leaving for China. Wow! We're not even talking months anymore.

We got some "updated measurements" for Autumn, but I think they're for the wrong child. If last year's measurements are correct and these new measurements are correct then she would have grown 10 pounds and 5 inches in 10 months. Don't think so. So, we still don't know how big she is. Anywhere from 18 months to 3T, depending on our source. Lame.

Learning Chinese

2012-01-28T14:26:00.000-06:00

Still waiting for Article 5 - should come by Feb. 8, but hopefully before. So, in the meantime I'm learning Chinese.

I bought one year worth of Rosetta Stone. I completed 21% of it and realized it was pointless for me to try to learn the Chinese characters, so I axed that part of the curriculum and am now 37% of the way through.

Here's more or less what I can say in Chinese:
- Hello
- Goodbye
- This boy is running.
- I am American.
- What is this?
- That's true.
- I drink/eat milk/water/rice.

So, when I run into Chinese only-speaking people in the park in Nanjing, here is how our conversation might go - in Chinese:

Them: Hello.
Me: Hello.
Them: Where are you from?
Me: (smile)
Them: Where are you from? (louder)
Me: (smile...) (and nod)
Them: (confused look) Are these your children?
Me: uhh, this boy is running.
Them: What?
Me: uhhh, I am American.
Them: (big smile) Yeah, you are. (turns to friend, laughing and says - she's an American idiot)
Me: That's true. (smile) (I turn to Steve - see, she understood me, I told you I knew some Chinese. Steve beams with pride for his wife, then back at the hotel blogs to the world about how great she is)
Them: You don't speak Chinese.
Me: No. I drink rice. (smile) I am American.
Them: Good-bye.
Me: Good-bye.

NVC Packet taken to Consulate

2012-01-18T13:11:00.002-06:00

Our visa packet was taken to the Consulate last night (Jan. 18th, China day time).

One step closer. I'm sensing my anxiety and excitement increasing. We're trying to get everything done/accomplished/cleaned/ready as quickly as we can.

According to our adoption timeline here's what's left:
- Article 5 to be issued (14 days from Jan. 18 - Chinese New Year may slow this down)
- Article 5 to CCWAA in Beijing via CAWLI (2-3 days)
- Travel Approval (TA) (8-30 days)
- Leave for China (about 2 wks later)

So absolute earliest would be Feb. 24th to leave, but that's like really unlikely. More realistic is early to mid-March or even late March. I hope we make it by her 3rd b-day (March 30th).

We got our I800 approval!

2012-01-09T12:52:00.008-06:00

We received our I800 approval from NBC on Thursday and it was in our hands by Saturday. The next step is the cable.

NBC mails the approval letter to NVC.

NVC will cable my file (approval of my visa petition) to US embassy in Guangzhou and I'll bug them to send me a .pdf of the NVC letter and then...

I'll email that to my agency and they'll send it to their courier in China - I think.

I could use the excuse of my cold and the fact that I feel like a bobblehead doll with my head so full of guck that it's bouncing around in the space above my shoulders, but we all know from previous posts that I just don't understand this whole process and that there are too many steps for me to keep track of. Years ago I put multi-tasking on my resume as one of my strengths - I don't really believe that anymore. Now I'm more like Butt-head from Beavis and Butt-head, looking at this paperwork with my mouth hanging open, saying, "uhhhh" and laughing at myself. So, today, I could accurately call myself a Butt-head Bobblehead Doll.

Care Package Sent to Autumn

2012-01-02T17:54:00.007-06:00

We sent a care package to Autumn last week. Here's a photo of what was included (the picture in the bottom right corner is of us):

The five shirts/sweaters in the center column are a donation to the orphanage. I'm not sure what the significance of "Vintage Denim Jacket" and the Charlie Chaplin-looking guy is on each of the shirts. Often people in China will wear t-shirts with English words scrawled across the front that don't make much sense, like: "Century 21 Doritos" or "Try My Delicious Salt Beef." My favorite one though is "Fart Sexy Style."

I wonder what my shirts with Asian writing say.

Wait! I found a picture....with a golden A.

Clarification on Previous Entry

2011-12-28T07:55:00.007-06:00

By the way, Steve asked me to make it clear that I was joking about people feeling sorry for us and donating stuff to decorate Autumn's room. Well, he didn't actually say to change the entry, it was more the aghast look on his face when I told him what I wrote that made me think I should change it.

I think what I really want is the giant blue genie from Aladdin (the really funny one played by Robin Williams) to come in and make the room pretty and girly. But, he'd probably overdo it and make it too sparkly and Arabian princessy and I'd feel like I wasted one of my wishes. In reality, my critical nature wouldn't be happy or appreciative of anything the genie did b/c I didn't create it myself. So, instead, we're off to the thrift store this week to see what donations the Goodwill Genie left for me to create with. :-)

New Room and Care Package

2011-12-27T08:59:00.010-06:00

I'm doing my absolute favorite thing in the world right now. Procrastinating. Why would I do something that matters when I could be having fun redesigning our blog? Besides, the things that "matter" today include: 1) working out, 2) laundry, and 3) cleaning the toilets.

We spent all day yesterday moving our guest room downstairs to where our "school room" used to be - really it was just a storage room b/c we hadn't done "school" in there for over a year and it was piled high with things we didn't know what to do with. The old guest room is now Autumn's room. It's pretty bare-bones right now - toddler bed, dresser, lamp, little table and chairs. I'm including pictures of her room so everyone will feel sorry for us and give us stuff to decorate. If anyone has any girl's clothes (size 2T-4T) they want to get rid of, we'd be happy to take them off your hands.

We're sending a care package to her today via Red Thread China. The package includes:

-PJs

-Blanket

-camera (for nannies to take pictures of her - hopefully)

-candy for nannies/workers

-letter we write translated into Chinese

- a doll

-a donation of clothing to the orphanage

-a framed photo of her new family (Steve just told me he needs her to see a picture of her bald-headed Baba before he shows up and scares the crap out of her) :-)

Next Step Done

2011-12-20T19:57:00.004-06:00

We completed the next step in the process. Our i800 form was overnighted to USCIS (US Immigration) and received today. This form is to determine if Autumn is adoptable (which she should be). The i800 is not to be confused with the i800a that we completed a while back - that determined our suitability to adopt any child. I don't know if this process could be any more confusing.

Next Steps:

1. USCIS double-checks our paperwork and forwards to NBC (not the broadcasting network like I thought - I can't remember what it stands for). (1 week)

2. NBC approves our i800 application and sends it to NVC (stands for something-Visa-something). (1 week)

3. NVC will cable our file to the US Embassy in Guangzhou, China (1-3 days).
4. NVC will send us a .pdf file to forward to our agency so they can begin processing the article 5. What's an Article 5 you ask? I don't know! I just re-read everything in my notes and it seems to be some kind of letter issued by the US Embassy. (2 weeks)

6. Wait for Travel Approval (TA) (2-4 weeks)

7. Plan the trip (2 weeks)

So, best case scenario: 2 months till travel! Yay! Crap, we have to get her room ready!

Our LOA arrived!

2011-12-15T07:28:00.004-06:00

Our LOA (letter of acceptance) arrived yesterday. I thought we wouldn't hear anything until after Christmas/New Year. We could travel as early as 2-3 months. So I spent four hours working on paperwork yesterday - which I wish I had done a month ago b/c now I'm up to my ears in Christmas. Today, we'll sign the LOA and send it back to our agency and they'll send it to China saying we accept the referral.

I'm also filling out some other immigrant visa paperwork. I have no idea why. I don't understand any of this paperwork. I just do what the agency tells me to do and then I ask them a bunch of question b/c I don't understand the forms. Thank goodness I have somebody holding my hand AND that my friend Christy is a step ahead of me and knows what she's doing.

Gosh, all this paperwork keeps me humble. I can't keep the I-800 straight from the I-800a, the I-797 and the DS-230. Don't get me started on the 171-H. And of course most of this has changed since the last two adoptions. There used to be an I-600 or something in there, but I don't think I had to fill that out this time. Maybe. I think. Friends who are in the early stages of adoption throw out these form numbers and ask me when I got approvals back for each or when I got my fingerprint appointments. I try to pretend like I understand what they're asking, but it's hard to hide a glazed over blank stare.

And then there are all the abbreviations. DTC (date to China), LID (log-in date), PA (pre-approval - pre-approval for what?!), LOA (letter of acceptance - but really the form states "Letter Seeking Confirmation," so why is it not LSC???), and TA (no, it's not dirty - it's travel approval). And since the last adoption they've added: NBC - which is not National Broadcasting Company - I thought we were gonna be on TV. It stands for National Benefits Center - not to be confused with NVC which is National Visa Center and has something to do with a cable - again I thought it had something to do with TV.

Then there are all the cute abbreviations that the yahoo groups/bloggers use, like: dd (dear daughter), dh (dear husband), ds (dear son), sn (special needs). I have to google them all the time to figure out what people are saying. My dh and I are taking our 2 dd's to pick up our sn ds after we get our TA, but before PP.

So if you see me this holiday season speak in English - or maybe even Chinese - I've been Rosetta Stoning. Gotta go, my 7yo ds just woke up and wants to sit on my LAP.

We finally came up with a name

2011-11-30T11:38:00.003-06:00

We've decided to name her Autumn Grace. I came up with this name before we even adopted Sheehan, when we thought we would be adopting a girl. Steve didn't remember the name and thought I pulled it out of left field, but it's been in the back of my mind all this time. Once he exhausted all other possibilities he agreed to this name. The icing on the top is that we were matched with her in Autumn. And by the grace of God we're able to adopt her. :-)

We got more pics...

2011-11-18T19:44:00.006-06:00

This picture was taken July 13, 2010 before her surgery. Look at that precious smile!

And this one was taken April 29, 2011.

This picture was taken by a family that traveled in August to adopt their daughter and they have this pic on their blog. She's a photographer - the photo is beautiful!

Munckin #3!!!

2011-11-10T14:05:00.003-06:00

We found our daughter!!!

We received a referral on Monday for a 2.5 year old girl with a repaired cleft lip/palate on the left side. Her Chinese name is Yang Yuying. She lives in Yangzhou, Jiangzu, about a 3 hour drive northwest of Shanghai (7 hours and 14 hours from where Josiah and Sheehan were born).

We're thinking we'll travel to China in 4-6 months. When I showed the boys her picture and said - I think this is your new little sister, their faces lit up with the biggest smiles. We're very excited!

No word yet...

2011-10-20T12:30:00.002-05:00

We're still waiting on our LID. We were shown a referral of a little girl with partial paralysis of the legs, but weren't able to find a dr. to look at her file/videos in the two-week period we were given. Our pediatrician said that paraperesis (her diagnosis) doesn't really such much about her condition and we should really get a neurologist to look at it. Unfortunately, we had a hard time finding a neurologist to look at the file b/c of liability issues. So, we felt like God was leading us in a different direction and we declined the referral. I think the next group of lists are coming out at the end of October.

Paperwork sent to China!

2011-09-26T11:19:00.002-05:00

Our paperwork was sent to China on Friday! Yay!

Now we wait for a LID (log-in date) from China (the date China actually logs in our paperwork). The date is usually a few days after we send our paperwork, but we won't know the LID for about a month. Now our agency can start trying to match us with a child. I heard that there is a list coming out today. We'll see what happens. :-)

Update, update...finally

2011-08-22T13:57:00.003-05:00

Ok, I've totally dropped the ball on this blog. We're moving forward (ever so slowly) on the adoption. Our most recent step was being fingerprinted by immigration seeking permission to adopt from China. Our homestudy is done, we're just waiting approval. We're sending in all the rest of our paperwork this week to our agency in Massachusetts (CAWLI) to form our dossier. Once our homestudy is approved then we will send it to our agency also. They will have each document in the dossier notarized, certified and authenticated (a few weeks). Then it will be sent to China. We haven't identified a child yet and probably won't try until we have a log-in date (the date our completed dossier is received in China). We're thinking Spring or early summer possibly for going to China - but we really have no clue. So much depends on how long it takes us to identify a child. Could take a day, could take a year.

Other happenings:

- We had a duck nest outside our front door and it layed 13 eggs. Only caught one chick on film...but SO cute!

- Summer was fun, now we've started homeschool (last week) again, Sheehan is 1st grade and Josiah is kindergarten (but Josiah is doing everything Sheehan is doing except math and reading).

- Fuzzy-kitty went MIA the day my sister agreed to take her. We think a coyote got her in the night. Poor thing. The next day we bought new carpet that she had destroyed. Bittersweet.

- The boys and I started volunteering as "Hen House Helpers" where we collect, candle and count eggs from chickens at a local learning farm. During our training, two hawks were swooping down chasing the chickens around. Our trainer said she had never seen that before. It was quite an ordeal. There were about 10 of us trying to scare the hawks away with rocks and screams. Eventually they got bored with us and moved on.

- We bought a Toyota Prius. Wow, can that thing get some good gas mileage! I took a 30 mile trip and got 67 mpg. Crazy awesome!

- We have a skunk living in our backyard (the border of our and our neighbor's yard). Our neighbor chased me down one day and gave me the name of a company to come and kill it. I never even thought of messing with it. Is getting rid of it the neighborly thing to do? He said it might be rabid. I haven't seen it since he mentioned the company. Maybe the skunk heard and ran away? :-)

Update on Adoption

2011-04-08T06:44:00.006-05:00

We had our first home visit yesterday with the FRC (Family Resource Center) social worker. The social worker basically comes to your house for a few hours, asks a bunch of invasive questions and then looks around to make sure your chemicals/medications are up high or locked (which, of course, none of ours were) and that our smoke detectors work (worked perfectly) and that if we had a fire in our house and the doors were blocked that the kids would have some way of getting out (I told her that they should jump out the window - a broken leg is better than being on fire - I don't know if that was the right answer).

We are working with CAWLI (China Adoption With Love, Inc.) for the placement portion of the adoption. They are located in Massachusetts. We chose them because we heard they were great and they are cheap. My friend Christy did a lot of research and is knowledgeable in all things adoption, and she and her husband are also starting the process to adopt their fourth child. So, I'm just doing what she's doing.

So here's how this works:

- we complete our home study and get fingerprinted (get cleared by the FBI) - takes about 2 months (we're about half way or more through this now). This also includes the 10 hours of training we need to get on things like: what to expect when you adopt and what problems could possibly arise when adopting from China - this is basically red tape to make sure everyone is on the same page. They don't account for experience - that we have adopted two children from China already. We don't have a special training certificate for that, so it doesn't count. It also doesn't count if you're in two adoption support groups, have read 20+ books and watched multiple DVDs on adoption. It counts if you've sat in a classroom and listened to a speaker talk about adoption- or parenting-related issues. Lame.

- FRC must submit our home study to CAWLI, DCFS, us, and some other place for approval - about 4 weeks

- then we submit our home study with our Application for Determination of Suitability to Adopt a Child (I-800A form) - takes 2-3 weeks

- get fingerprinted again

- receive approval to adopt (receive form I-171H) - about 6-8 weeks after being fingerprinted 2nd time.

- CAWLI will process our dossier (all our paperwork/home study) - get it translated, notarized, certified, authenticated - 3-4 weeks

- CAWLI sends the dossier to China

- wait for referral - the time for this depends on the number of children that the CCAA (China Center for Adoption Affairs) puts on the viewing list that match the child with special needs we feel we're equipped to handle (girl, age 0-3, born with cleft lip/palate and/or orthopedic issues like club foot, missing limbs, and others), as well as how fast our reps fingers are at CAWLI. CAWLI waits in the middle of the night for the list to come out on a pre-determined day - given by CCAA - then the different agencies basically compete against each other to "lock-in" a child for the families they're representing (therefore, the need for fast fingers). The lists come out about 1x/month. This method doesn't seem right somehow, but this is the way China is doing it. So, our wait for a referral could be a few days or months depending on how many other families in the world are waiting for a child with the same needs as we are and how many children are available with those needs. Cleft lip/palate is the most common special need seen. Our rep at CAWLI thinks our wait may be on the shorter side because we are open to a child up to age 3, but because we are seeking a girl, that could make it a longer wait.

- after we get our referral we send our acceptance letter of the referral to China and plan our travel - about 8-12 weeks.

- spend 2 weeks in China.

So, to sum it up, we're looking at least 7-12 months before we would travel to China.

Stuff Christians Like

2011-04-08T06:35:00.004-05:00

This post has nothing to do with our adoption, but I had to share this. I got this book at Barnes & Noble the other night called Stuff Christians Like by Jon Acuff. Hilarious! The book is a collection of entries from this guy's blog about the weird and dorky things that Christians do - all are completely sarcastic. I was standing in the store laughing out loud reading through the book. So I bought it (which I rarely do b/c everything is free at the library...except when I forget to return and have to pay that $3.00 fine). I brought it home and Steve and I were reading it together that night and were in tears laughing so hard. The next day I found his website which has almost 1000 entries. Here it is: http://www.jonacuff.com/stuffchristianslike/ If you're a Christian and want to laugh at yourself or you're not a Christian, but like to laugh at Christians, check out this website.

Heading Back to China!

2011-03-16T07:57:00.003-05:00

Well, it looks like we're heading back to China, so I figured I'd resurrect this old blog to share about our journey with those interested.

We did a lot of research, not really intending to go back to China, but ended up narrowing down our options to Ethiopia and China. The week we began to ask questions of agencies we were told that the Ethiopia program would probably be cut by 90% that week! Ninety percent fewer adoptions?! Sad, especially because of the reasons for that cut. So, off to China we'll go.

We've been working on our home study paperwork for the past month and are preparing to submit an application with a placement agency this week (we have to use an IL agency for our home study, then any other agency for our placement - meaning they help place the child in our home). We're hoping to adopt a girl born with cleft lip/palate (CL/P). The boys are absolutely set on having a little sister. I was surprised by this. The way things are working in China, we could possibly travel in about a year, maybe less to pick her up. It all depends on how many girls with CL/P are on the list to adopt.

I recently read that 36% of orphans with a special need in China have CL/P. I also read that birth defects are up by 40%(!) over the past 10 years in China. And it is estimated that 1 in 8 to 10 children born in China have birth defects. Shocking! So many children. The orphanages are being overburdened. "Special needs children get abandoned because of the stigma associated with disabilities and/or because of medical costs. Extended family, espcially the mother-in-law, will insist that a disabled child be abandoned becasue the child is considered unlucky, a curse on the family. Children with visible disabilities will be refused education, and when they grow up will have difficulty finding a job. Medical costs can be too high for a family to bear -- there is no health insurance, no free health care in China." Here is a link to that article: http://www.china-adoption-online.com/lwb.html

I'll try to update our blog as things move along. If you subscribe to the blog then you won't have to keep checking back, you'll just receive an email when I publish a post.

Josiah is home

2009-01-29T16:00:00.002-06:00

Josiah's home and pretty much back to normal...at least as far as normal can be being on a liquid diet and having casts on both arms. The major struggle has been his frustration with not being able to eat regular food. He sees Sheehan or Steve or I eating something and wants it. Then when we try to explain he starts crying. Also, because he's on a liquid diet, he pretty much eats continuously throughout the day. That's kind of challenging b/c then I'm not able to get much else done b/c I have to hand-feed him b/c he is not able to reach his mouth with the casts. I'm praying a lot and staying focused on God. That's been a true blessing.

Josiah's doing well

2009-01-26T15:07:00.002-06:00

Josiah is in recovering in the intensive care unit right now. I'm sitting in the room with him. Sheehan is also here with us watching tv. Steve went down to get some coffee and Josiah is sleeping. They repaired his palate. They said that some work had obviously been done in China on his palate which we were unaware of. They said there was a lot of scar tissue in his palate, so it was hard as a rock. The surgeon is not sure how that will impact things, we'll just have to check him again in 3-6 months, but he was still able to repair his palate. Josiah has done pretty well so far. He woke up furious, most likely b/c he can't bend his arms as well as the fact that his iv came out as he was being wheeled into ICU and so he had no meds until they could feed him some by mouth. We've learned he hates to be syringe-fed and prefers to drink through a cup. So, we'll probably feed him by cup for the next month. At least he'll be able to feed himself by cup after his casts are off in 10-14 days.

We hope to be discharged tomorrow afternoon. It all depends on how well he is drinking. Because we live close they are more inclined to release him tomorrow rather than Wednesday.

He also had tubes put in his ears. Thanks for your prayers! Please continue to pray that Josiah will have minimal frustration with his casts and for patience for Steve and I as we have extra duties at home with Josiah's diet and lack of arm usage. Thanks!

Prayer Request

2009-01-24T17:56:00.002-06:00

Josiah will be having surgery to close his palate on Monday at Shriner's Hospital in Chicago. We're not sure if the surgery will be in the morning or afternoon. We're hoping it will be in the morning b/c he won't be able to eat after midnight Sunday night. We go into the hospital Sunday afternoon and stay until Tuesday PM or Wednesday AM. He will also have tubes put in his ears and he will have casts put on both arms. The casts will make it so he doesn't put his hands in his mouth. He will have the casts for 10 - 14 days (we're hoping 10). Please pray for wisdom for the doctors, peace for Steve and me, courage for Sheehan, as this is his first night without mom. Pray that Josiah will not be in too much pain after the pain meds are stopped and that he will have minimal frustration when living with the casts for 2 weeks. Also, pray for endurance for mom and dad. Josiah will have to be hand-fed all food (which must be blended) through a cup (no spoons, straws or sippy cups allowed). We have two weeks of easy dinners already planned and purchased, so at least we were thinking ahead this time. This surgery will probably be a little more difficult than Sheehan's b/c Josiah's palate will all be closed at once while Sheehan's was completed in two stages. Not sure which is worse...more intense pain, or significant pain two times. Hmmm. We'll update on how Josiah's doing as Steve gets an opportunity to update while I'm in the hospital with Josiah. Thanks for your prayers!

By the way, one of the reasons I haven't updated our blog in so long (aside from having less time now that we have two boys) is that I started a Facebook account. So, if anyone is on FB, "friend" me! :-)

Update since we got home...

2008-08-22T22:40:00.009-05:00

Ok, here's what we've been up to in a nutshell:

1. We're totally overwhelmed taking care of two boys. They totally LOVE to play with each other and they totally fight with each other. No surprise...but definitely a surprise to us in how much energy is takes to parent them. We're pretty exhausted everyday.
2. July 4th weekend - visited Grandma and Grandpa Hall (continued to get over jet-lag)
3. July 10th - finally got over jet-lag.
4. July 18-22 - Attended Culture Camp in Roselle, IL
5. July 26-31 - Flew to Washington, DC b/c Steve had work there. Katherine and boys flew along to visit Katherine's dad and family and her Aunt Kim and family. We also toured DC a little which is always nice for me (Katherine) as it brings back memories of skipping school and riding the metro downtown to tour the free museums and have lunch with my mom. While we were near the White House, we saw the President's entourage (at least 30 vehicles) drive into the White House gates. Steve said he saw Dick Cheney. That's like the time I saw a bobcat on our trip to Arizona out our window, while Steve was taking a shower...he still doesn't believe I saw it...neither did the owners of the B&B we were staying in.
6. August 2nd - Josiah's first trip to the zoo. He loved the giraffes most of all.
7a. August 3rd - We were interviewed for the Chicago Tribune about families with children adopted from China celebrating the Olympics. It was posted on this date.
7B. August 3rd - Josiah's first hair cut (with us).
8. August 4th - finally started a regular daily summer routine at home. We've been going to bed between 9-10 and waking up after 8am. Crazy, but kind of nice. We've also been eating ice cream every night after dinner. What's up with that?
9. August 5th - attended National Night Out in BG. All I can say is FREE hot dogs, drinks, chips and Culver's ice cream. Not to mention the free moon bounce and other big rides. Can't wait for next year!
10. August 8-24 - Olympics in Beijing! I almost cried during the opening ceremonies I was so excited. Actually, I did shed a tear when Yao Ming carried that little boy who was in the earthquake and saved his classmates. Ok, we've literally been watching EVERY night. We've been going to bed after they're over at 11pm. It's been SO exciting to see so much about China. I've enjoyed watching some of Good Morning America in China. The Olympics have made China seem not so foreign anymore.
11. August 17th - Our condo went up on the market again. This means we have to clean the house everyday before we leave. Sheehan and Josiah have been doing REALLY well with their chore lists...it has made it so much easier with their help. I've been praying the condo would sell this week. :-) With the way the market has been, it will obviously only be through divine intervention that it will sell. If it's not sold by T-giving, it's going off the market again til spring.
12. August 19th - Our first trip to Lamb's Farm. They LOVED the moon bounce. It was also their first time playing mini-golf. It was included in the package price. We only played 4 holes...that was enough. Clubs were flying and balls were soaring. Josiah was walking onto other holes while people were still playing. Sheehan was very disturbed that on the last hole his ball did not come back. We went over and over again about what happened to his ball. He then explained it to Steve when we got home. It's so cute to hear him say such funny things. Last night he said he wanted "metal" to cover his leftover noodles. I guess he meant aluminum foil.

Coming up: trip to Rockford Children's Museum, speech therapy starts again soon (after summer off), Family Day! (2 years since we adopted Sheehan), Sheehan starts Awana for the first time, my & Sheehan's b-days, Steve's mom visits, our vacation to Virginia, Maryland (Ocean City/Assateague Island) and O'Neal (Katherine's side) Family Reunion, Katherine's mom visits, Sheehan's next surgery (October), etc. It's a jam-packed fall...just like our summer.

Here are slides from our summer so far:

Update on Josiah: He is doing really well. He pretty much understands every (important) thing I say to him. He still speaks Chinese, but is gradually transitioning to English. He's saying some English words, but it is very difficult to understand him (pretty much I'm the only one and only b/c he says the words so many times throughout the day...he talks A LOT!...and sings a lot too, especially the Elmo's World theme song and a song I sing to him about him being my munchkin). He's also using a few signs, but he seems to be resistant to them (more so than Sheehan was), so he only knows about 5 signs that he uses regularly. We have applied to Shriner's Hospital where they will do his evaluations, recommendations and surgeries for free. Sheehan is currently under their care. We are considering going through Early Intervention for speech therapy, but aren't sure if it's worth the time (to get him evaluated/set up/etc.) before he turns 3 in December and will then go through the school district. I've been encouraging him to watch me say some words, like the speech teacher taught Sheehan. Maybe it will help...hopefully, it won't hurt. He hadn't gained any weight on his second doctors visit, but we have another one next week, so hopefully we will see some gain. He still eats everything we put in front of him (when he wants to eat it...we've had a few battles) except sliced or chunks of cheese (weird) and applesauce, both of which are Sheehan's favorites. The other day, he ate a tomato, some cooked onions, and some of my salad. His favorites are still rice and watermelon. Today, I walked in the kitchen and he was sitting at the table eating a whole wheat tortilla while it was still in the bag...I was like - where did you get that?! I guess he reached for it. I didn't know he liked them that much. He still tends to not prefer foods that Sheehan does prefer. It's kind of weird. He will usually eat them (goldfish snacks, pretzels, noodles in not flat shapes, bananas & PB, applesauce, oatmeal) after a time of whining. He's also not shy, doesn't care what other people think and he seems pretty adventurous. He is bonding well with me. I've left him on 3 occasions (for some much needed quiet time) with Steve where I went out for a few hours. Usually, he has been pretty ok while I'm gone (a little nervous) and the next day he is very worried that I will leave again and tends to cling to me. Two weeks ago he started calling me Mama. He says it all the time now and calls "Mama, Mama!" throughout the house when he wants to show me something. This was a blessing for me b/c the first few months after adopting a child you sometimes feel like you're babysitting (at least I've felt this way both times) until you really begin to bond. It just takes time. I fall more in love with Sheehan everyday and am with Josiah too.

We made it home!...finally.

2008-06-30T21:44:00.007-05:00

Wow, what a trip. We made it home at 3:00am this morning (Monday). We left with only an hour delay from the HK airport around 1pm (midnight Sat/Sun here). We made it to LAX in about 12 hours. Only Sheehan cried and shreaked for the last 20 minutes of the trip during landing. He was definitely tired and didn't enjoy being woken up to put on his seatbelt.

Then we deboarded to immigration at the same time as two other international flights. It took us about 1.5 hours to get through immigration (for Josiah). Even though it looked like we were probably going to miss our 1:04pm (LA time) flight, it didn't matter b/c it was cancelled. Steve stood in a line to get on another flight for about 45 minutes. He was able to get us confirmed on the 7:45pm flight, and stand-by on the 4:55. For about an hour, Kate, Sheehan and Josiah all fell asleep on the airport floor following our 80th McDonald's meal. Then we headed over to the gate to see about getting on stand-by. There was only one seat left on the 4:55, so we couldn't get on that plane. We found another corner to sleep in and the boys and I fell asleep on some seats ... quite an upgrade from the floor. We got up and walked down to the other gate where our flight would leave from. The boys were entertained by a family from Vietnam who had been on our flight from HK. One of the women even bought them both Chunky bars and they were giving the boys all their snacks. That kept them happy. We boarded the flight and the boys stayed awake the entire time. I'm sure the people were wondering why they were still awake at that crazy hour. Considering we'd been traveling for 24 hours I was wondering myself. Josiah did not like the seat belt upon landing or the fact that I gathered all his toys together and put them away. He screamed at the top of his lungs (I'm not exaggerating) for the 10 minutes we took to land. I'm sure everyone around us was very pleased.

Steve's Dad and Geri were waiting at the baggage claim to pick us up and to meet their newest grandson. Sheehan went running down the hall toward them when he saw them. He was so excited. He kept asking when we would be home as we were flying in. Josiah enjoyed meeting both Grandpa and Grandma and loved the attention...not to mention the stuffed horse they brought him (Sheehan received a stuffed bull). Josiah fell asleep in the carseat on the way home and didn't wake up until 11:30am. Sheehan stayed up until around 9:30am. Ahhh...Steve and I took turns. I stayed up until 6:30am until I couldn't handle it anymore and was getting really cranky trying to "sleep" on the couch and Sheehan kept pulling the pillow off my head to ask me questions. I went in and woke Steve up and we switched. He went into the living room and stayed up with Sheehan until he fell asleep at 9:30. We all were awake by noon and Steve's Dad and Geri came over from their hotel and we ordered pizza and they played with the kids. Around 6pm everyone "napped" and woke up around 9pm. Josiah is still asleep and so is Sheehan. Steve and I are both awake and feel bored. It's such a weird feeling. I actually feel too tired (exhausted) to read and too awake to sleep. Total jetlag. Maybe we'll get outside tomorrow.

Thanks for following along on our trip. It was definitely enjoyable and for me WAY better than our last trip to China...poor Steve and Sheehan got sick this time (but are definitely on the mend). I highly recommend Hong Kong for anyone who wants to enjoy an exotic vacation. It was beautiful...just don't go during monsoon season like we did. Also, we're still not sure what the bumps are all over Josiah and Sheehan. I plan to contact the doctor tomorrow. They seem to be popping up even though we weren't around any bugs...plus, Steve and I never had any of these. Geri suggested Chicken Pox. I don't know what these things are. They are primarily on their legs and arms.

Ok, I have to go, Josiah just woke up and is hungry. We decided to go to Denny's for dinner...or is it breakfast? We're not sure.

Sleeping at the airport

Playing with Vietnamese friends

Waiting...

Disney Downpour

2008-06-28T17:50:00.004-05:00

Pslam 126:5 - Those who sow in tears will reap with songs of joy.

We made it to Disneyland yesterday and only experienced three major downpours lasting over one hour each, the first one beginning within seconds of purchasing our tickets. We still had a great time. Hong Kong Disneyland is a lot smaller than the other Disney parks, but is also much cheaper. Because of the rain, we were able to ride most rides quickly because the lines were so short even though it was a Saturday. The longest line was for the Autopia (the cars) and it was about 35 minutes. Otherwise, we usually waited less than 10 minutes for each ride and even walked on to some. Sheehan's favorite was Mickey's Philhar Magic (3D cartoon where you where the glasses) and Winnie the Pooh. For the 3D movie, Sheehan jumped out of his seat trying to grab the objects in front of him. He also enjoyed the Dumbo ride. Josiah liked anything that moved especially the teacups and Dumbo ride, but did not care for the fireworks or the 3D cartoon too much. He seemed to be scared. Steve went on Space Mountain and Steve indulged me by willingly riding the raft over to Tarzan's tree to climb. Our shoes and socks were soaking wet from the first downpour. Luckily, the boys were wearing sandals and we had a change of clothes plus bathing suits for them. Also, our 2nd stroller/backpack began to break and we actually just left it next to a bench b/c there was no trash large enough for it. It served us well for this trip. I think Josiah was just too heavy for it because it was really ripping. We made it home around 9pm and dropped into bed.

Today, God willing, we head home! Yeah!!!!!!!!!!!!!! We fly to Los Angeles at noon and then on to Chicago. So, if all goes according to plan, we will be home around 7pm, Sunday.

Mickey Monsoon

Cup o' sickness

On an adventure

2008-06-27T20:10:00.004-05:00

Galatians 6:9 – Let us not become weary in dong good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.

This verse may have to become our dedicated family verse. Yesterday, was pretty adventurous for us and involved a LOT of walking. We axed the idea of going to Disney because it was pouring rain in the morning (not unlike this morning, but it’s our last chance today). We debated on the $20 breakfast buffet and decided that that was way too much money, especially when Sheehan eats so little and the cost was still $20 for him. Thankfully, under our hotel is an entire mall and we were able to find a little Chinese diner where we ate fried eggs, bacon and noodles. Steve had the egg and bacon sandwich … on white bread with the crust taken off. Apparently the Chinese are not big on crust J.

After breakfast, we headed to the Star Ferry and took it over to Hong Kong Island with the intention of going to the top of Victoria Peak even through the rain and fog and clouds covering the peak. When we got to the island we realized that we were running late and that it was already lunch time, so we had to skip the tram ride to get to the Peak tram and go get lunch instead. McDonald’s was the place we knew, so we went there. It was the same one we went to on our first trip to HK island inside the giant, posh International Finance Center mall. To get a good visual of what we looked like … picture a foreigh family dressed like they are ready for a day at Disneyland having a McDonald’s picnic in the middle of the John Hancock building in Chicago. There were business people and dressed up “shoppers” … and the Hall family with drool bibs, milk mustaches and hot sweaty parents.

After lunch, we decided to walk to the Peak Tram instead of taking the tram/bus. We didn’t realize that it was uphill the entire way. The walk was clearly marked, but uphill. As we were walking we saw a bunch of people in orange vests surrounded by police and camera-people. We don’t know if it was picketing or protesting, but it all seemed pretty orderly. With calves burning and backs aching (I was pushing Sheehan in the stroller and Steve was carrying Josiah on his back in the backpack stroller), we made it up to the tram.

The Peak tram is a tram (like a car on a railroad track) that takes you up an incline carried by pulleys. It kind of felt like a roller coaster. Josiah was asleep for the entire ride up. At times we were at greater than a 45 degree angle. We made it to the top and as we were up there the clouds began to part and we were able to get some really good views of HK island and Kowloon (where we’re staying) as well. It was beautiful.

Then we went down the tram (the downhill portion “looked” a lot like a roller coaster ride without the speed … Katherine was a little uncomrtable) and decided to walk to the Zoo, which looked like it was really close. “Looked” is the key word. It was all uphill again and we had to climb stairs and cross dangerous roads. We made it! The zoo consisted of a playground (which the kids thoroughly enjoyed, and looked like a place that the rich people send their kids with the nannies b/c it was all Asian or southeast Asian women with Caucasian babies), lemurs, a few monkeys and many birds.

After that, we were totally dead and it was 6pm and the kids were cranky. We decided to just walk back to the pier for the ferry since it was all downhill this time. We got lost (Katherine’s definition … Steve knew exactly where we were J). We ended up in party central at the end of the work day on a Friday evening. We literally turned a corner and there was a street full of bars, mostly full of westerners, music, partying … it felt like Chicago’s Rush Street … and there we are with our strollers and backpacks. We followed the narrow road down to another bustling street. At that point, we found the words longest escalator and I wanted to ride on it since we may never be in HK again. We rode for a few minutes and then got off and decided to take a cab back to the pier. We got there in like 5 minutes, and we realized that where we were walking was WAY off course of getting to the pier. At dusk, we made it across the harbour on the ferry and decided to eat dinner at the Spaghetti House at 8:15pm (our usual bedtime). After dinner, we walked back to the hotel through Kowloon park and immediately tried to get the boys to bed. Of course, they were all wound up, but eventually fell soundly asleep. Today, we go to Disney HK and it is not currently raining, but the clouds are thick.

Everyone seems to be feeling better health wise, but Sheehan has a few bug bites on him and Josiah seems to be covered in them. They’re actually pretty large red welts. We’re glad to be going home tomorrow.

Josiah going counter-clockwise

Josiah going clock-wise