Home Sweet Home

Thank you to Derek, Mason, Grandpa and Papa Klecker, Grandma and Papa Lanoue, Uncle Shawn, Aunt Krystal, and cousin Gavin for meeting us at the airport on Thursday night.  What a wonderful sight you were!  We had been looking forward to that moment for two weeks.

 

 

We've been home for three days now and Ashlynn's transition continues to go well.  She loves her big brothers!  She is much more content when they are around and gives them lots of smiles when the talk and play with her.  Derek instantly became a helpful big brother.  He likes to help feed Ashlynn, has learned to carry her, and enjoys playing with her.  Mason is also a proud big brother but really doesn't like to hear Ashlynn fuss or cry.  He quickly let us know when she's unhappy and wants us to fix it.

We took advantage of the little sunshine we got on Friday and took Ashlynn out to our swing set.  She was a bit startled by the motion of the swing at first.  We suspect she has never been in a swing before now.  Soon she really enjoyed it and would let us know when her swing slowed down too much.

Thank to our parents for filling our refrigerator and freezer with food and doing all the boys' laundry, we've really been able to spend most of the last three days just enjoying being home together.  Adjusting to the time change is a challenge for us and Ashlynn.  Thankfully the boys have been sleeping well.  We tried reducing Ashlynn's naps today to hopefully help her get her days and nights sorted out.

We ventured out to church and lunch with Grandma and Papa Klecker today.  Ashlynn did very well and it was fun to see some of our friends and family after mass.  Tomorrow, if the weather cooperates, we hope to take in Owatonna's Memorial Day parade.

The next few weeks will be filled with lots of time at home bonding with Ashlynn.  On June 5, we have several appointments scheduled at the University of Minnesota.  Ashlynn will get a full exam at the International Adoption Clinic.  We'll meet with a cardiologist to evaluate Ashlynn's heart condition and with the team at Cleft and Craniofacial Clinic to plan for Ashynn's upcoming surgeries to repair her lip and palate.  It'll be a full day! 

We plan to continue to update our blog with Ashlynn's progress and our journey as a family.  Thanks for all the welcome home messages and for keeping Ashlynn in your prayers.  We are feeling very blessed!

 

We're Home!

 

We are so thankful to be home with our three beautiful children.  We'll share more after we hug the boys a few more times and catch up on our sleep.

Back in the U.S.A.

We made it to San Francisco!  Ashlynn did about how you’d expect any one-year-old to do on a 12 ½ hour flight.  She played a little, slept a little, and cried a little.  She had a few moments where she (or us) just didn’t know what she wanted.  It’s a long time in a small space with a lot of people so who can blame her.  She wasn’t the only screaming child on the airplane so we were in good company.  We arrived here about 8:20 a.m. San Francisco time, 10:20 a.m. Minnesota time, or 11:20 pm China time.  We’re not exactly sure which clock we’re on!

We made it through immigration, customs, and another airport security checkpoint.  A lot of hurry up and wait but it should be the last for this journey.  Congratulation to Ashynn, she is now a full-fledged U.S. citizen!

We are waiting for our flight to Minneapolis.  In just seven hours we’ll be back in Minnesota and reunited with Derek and Mason.  We can’t wait!  We are especially thinking of Mason this afternoon as it’s his preschool graduation which we are so sorry to miss.  We are grateful that his grandparents (all  four of them!) are there to take lots of pictures for us.  We are so proud of you, Mason!

 

Our journey home

We have started our journey home today (Wednesday).  We spent the morning repacking our suitcases which took a little creativity since our bags are a little fuller than when we arrived!  In the afternoon, we walked to a grocery store in a shopping mall just on the other side of the river.  We wanted to buy Ashlynn more of the same formula she had while in the orphanage as she still doesn't care for what we brought from home.  It took some time to navigate the store but we found what we hope is close enough.  Of course, it was raining again so we were a bit wet but we made it back to the island for a late lunch.

Two vans met us and three other families at the hotel to drive us about three hours to Hong Kong.  The drivers and the vans came from Hong Kong which meant the driver was on the right side of the car.  Since Hong Kong was formerly a British colony, cars drive on the left side of the road and the driver is on the right side of the car.  That was just the first unique part of this ride.  Our driver drove like it was an emergency.  We drove fast, weaving in between traffic and driving on the shoulder when traffic wasn't moving fast enough.  And to make us feel even safer, he was often on one of his two cell phones or pushing button on his GPS.  What a ride!  We had to stop to go through customs at the border of China and Hong Kong.  We were all glad to get some fresh air as everyone was feeling a little car sick.  Once we were into Hong Kong, the driving seem to improve or everyone was finally moving fast enough for our driver.  We were very relieved when we pull in front of our airport hotel in Hong Kong.  Ashlynn did quite well on the ride.  She slept on our laps for the first half of the trip which was probably good because we were holding on to her so tightly.  She then entertained us with her newest trick--she likes to clap her hands and make a noise that sounds something like "yeah".

It was about 8:30 pm when we got into our hotel room, enough time to feed Ashlynn a late supper and get ready for bed.  And now that we are outside of China, we have access to our blog again.  A big thank you to our dear friend Dawn for posting for us each day! 

Tomorrow we board our plane for home.  While we are so ready to be home and with our boys again, we realize what a transition this will be for Ashlynn.  Just nine days ago they put her into the arms of strangers.  And now we are taking her away from all the sights, sounds, and smells she has known her short life.  We hope she has gained enough trust in us in the last week that she'll let us help her adjust to her new home and her new family. 

Over lunch yesterday, we were discussing what a trip this has been.  We feel fortunate that for the most part everything has gone smoothly.  While it was hard to leave the boys, we are so glad we both made the trip to experience China and our first days with Ashlynn together.  The world seems just a bit smaller now.  Despite the culture differences that can seem hard to understand at times, it is clear that people are all more similar than different.  Most want the same things from life--a family to love and a safe place to call home.  Thankfully, we have both!

Appointment at the U.S. Consulate

Today was our appointment at the U.S. Consulate to get Ashlynn's visa.
Our entire trip's itinerary was planned around our 8:30 appointment on
Tuesday, May 21. We took the hotel van to the U.S. Consulate with Molly
and two other families.  The consulate was on the fourth floor of a modern
looking building.  We understand this is a temporary location as it will
be moved to a newly constructed, dedicated building before the end of the
year.  There were lines of Chinese citizens waiting to apply for visas.
The consulate only schedules 24 adoptive families appointments each day so
our wait was short.  After leaving behind our bags and cameras with Molly
and going through the security screening, we waited until our names were
called.  We step to the window, handed over our documents, signed our
names a few times, and we were done.  With all the paper work in place,
Ashlynn's visa will be ready for pick up tomorrow and once we are back on
U.S. soil, Ashlynn will be an U.S. citizen.

After returning to the hotel and a good nap, we set out for some more
shopping on the island.  Yes, Derek and Mason, we even bought a few
surprises for you!

Tonight we took a boat cruise on the river to see the lights of Guangzhou.
It was raining so we enjoyed most of it from inside the ship.  Guangzhou
has many lighted buildings, towers, and bridges so there was a lot to see.
The cruise offered a clown show for the kids.  Ashlynn didn't think much
of the clown but liked the music and the balloon animals.

It's hard to believe it's our last night in China.  While we've been here
almost two weeks, it's gone by so quickly especially our time in Guangzhou
as we've been so busying with appointments and sight-seeing.  We look
forward to telling Ashlynn all about her birthplace as she grows up.
Tomorrow (Wednesday) we start our journey home with an afternoon van ride
to Hong Kong.

Technology has been such a gift on this trip.  Skype and email has been
our frequent connection to home.  We have spoken with the boys every day
over Skype.  It's such a treat to see them each day.  They are doing so
well being away from home and away from us for so many days.  We will
forever be grateful for everyone who has taken such good care of them
while we are away.  We are blessed with such wonderful family and friends.

A Day at the Market

Monday was filled with lots of walking and shopping.  In the morning,
Molly walked us and two other families over the pedestrian bridge from the
island to what she called the medicine market.  The market was several
city blocks of vendors selling a variety of traditional Chinese medicines.
We saw everything from roots, bark, dried flower buds, seeds, and leaves
to more unique items like dried star fish, sea horses, snake skins, and
even tubs filled with live scorpions of every size.  A section of the
market was also selling pets like kittens, puppies, birds, fish, turtles,
squirrels, and gerbils.  It made for an interesting walk!

After the medicine market, we walked into a more modern area with many
clothing and jewelry shops.  There were several buildings with multiple
floors of shops that somewhat resembled American shopping malls; however,
each individual store is considerably smaller than in a U.S. shopping
mall.  Molly took us to a pearl wholesaler to do some shopping.  We also
found a few shops to buy Ashlynn some sandals (everything we brought from
home falls off her narrow feet) and a few dresses.

Ashlynn fell asleep on our long walk back to the island and our hotel.
While she slept, Brandi ventured out for some more shopping.  The shop
owners on the island are very friendly.  They ask where the baby is, how
old she is, and how long we are staying.  They then accompany us around
their small shop telling about everything they have for sale and the good
deal they'll give if we buy a lot.

Ashlynn continues to do as well as can be expected.  She has decided she
doesn't like the bath.  We are sure the entire hotel can hear her when she
is getting her hair washed.  Two more of her teeth have started to come in
since she came to us just one week ago.  She is also eating more and
drinks many more ounces of formula than she first did.  She is happiest
when she first wakes up and when she has other little kids to watch.

Tomorrow (Tuesday) is the day of our U.S. Consulate appointment.  Our last
official step before we'll have all the needed paper work to bring Ashlynn
home.  Last week, we had a bit of a scare with our appointment.  The
consulate was unexpectedly shut down for two days due to a suspicious
white powder found in an envelope.  When we first got the news from our
agency, they were not sure when the consulate would reopen and how it
might impact our appointment.  But we got good news when we arrived here
on Friday.  The consulate had reopened on Thursday and they were adding
Saturday appointments to get caught up.  Everything is on schedule for us
but we feel for those adoptive families who's stay had to be extended last
week.

Thanks again to everyone back home who continues to send us messages and
for keeping us in your thoughts and prayers.  Only a few more days and
we'll be home!
 

 

A Hot Day

Sunday was hot and humid!  In the morning, Molly took all five families to
the Yuntai Garden, which is a large park filled many flowers, some exotic
and some more common including a beautiful rose garden.  It had many art
and scenic displays like Roman columns and stone carvings.  It's colorful
seasonal display had a Dutch theme with windmills, wooden shoes, etc.  We
enjoyed walking around and took a lot of pictures but after about an hour,
we were very hot.  The humidity is extreme.  Ashlynn is not use to the
humidity either and she had enough.  We finally cooled her down by dipping
her feet in the water fountain.  We were all happy to return to the
air-conditioned bus.

After Ashlynn's nap in our much cooler hotel room and waiting out a
thunderstorm, we ventured out for some shopping.  Brandi enjoyed it more
than Ashlynn (and Troy).  Ashlynn likes to be in the carrier but must be
facing forward and she must be moving.  She charmed a shop owner into
giving her and her dad a treat (a marshmallow like candy with a sweet
cream filled center).

We ate dinner at what is known as the Italian restaurant on the island.
Our food was quite good but perhaps more of a Chinese version of Italian,
not the American version.  We even had a little cheese pizza just for you,
Derek and Mason.  We miss you!!

During dinner, it began to rain again very hard so we had a wet walk back
to the hotel.  Our umbrellas kept our heads dry but not much else.  All
the activity and heat must have worn Ashlynn out because she was quick to
fall asleep.  She still sleeps pretty well but she will wake a few brief
times during the night.  She seems to need to be reminded we're still here
with her.  She still isn't much for snuggling but she has come to like it
when we rub her face, hands, or feet.  She loves to have lotion rubbed on
after her baths.

It's hard to believe we have only three more days here before we begin our
journey home.  Today (Monday) we go on a walking tour and shopping at the
"medicine mall".  We are so enjoying our time and experiences here.  We look
forward to telling Ashlynn all about it some day.