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.

She has good lungs!

Saturday was a busy day compared to our slow days in Changsha.  We met the
other four families from our adoption agency.  Three from Minnesota (one
as close as Northfield) and one from Texas.  All wonderful families each
with a different story that lead them to adoption.  Ashlynn was again the
youngest of all children, the oldest being 4.

Our morning appointment was for a photo and medical exam needed to get
Ashlynn's visa next week.  She sat up nice and tall for her picture but
didn't care for the doctors and nurses at all.  We hadn't realized until
now how loud she can scream.  Molly kept saying "she has good lungs".  By
the time they were done with her, she had worked up herself up into a
sweaty mess.  A bottle of pedialyte and some puffs quickly calmed her
down.  Ashlynn was 29.5 inches tall and weighted 15.5 pounds.  Derek and
Mason, we'll have to work on helping Ashlynn eat lots of good foods when
we get home!

We then returned to the hotel and spent some time in the hotel's play room
with the other families while Molly walked the dads through all the
paperwork over the Ping-Pong table.  Thankfully it appears we
remembered all of our important documents and they are now in order for
our U.S. Consulate appointment on Tuesday.

Ashlynn loved being around the other children.  She was content to sit in
the middle of the room, hold a few toys, and watch all the action.  Well,
that is until another little girl wanted to share the blocks she had in
front of her.  Apparently we have some work to do on sharing!

We then ate lunch together at a great restaurant called Lucy's (the other
adoptive parents reading this probably know what we are talking about).
The family from Northfield has been here a few days already so they were
able to give us some tips on the restaurants and shops.  After lunch we
walked around with a father from Golden Valley and his new son.  His wife
is expecting in early August and at the last minute was unable to make the
trip due to a complication with her pregnancy.  It sounds like mom and
baby are going to fine but sad to be missing out on this great experience.

Our hotel is located on Shamian Island, a popular tourist attraction in
Guangzhou.  The island is located on the Pearl River and is only .3 square
kilometers (or about 74 acres) in size.  It has a few hotels along with
many shops and restaurants.  Just walking around yesterday, we found that
it's historic buildings and green landscape along the river also makes it
a location for professional photo shoots and wedding pictures.  It is also
very popular for Western adoptive families.  We have seen many!

While the temperatures were only in the 80s, the humidity is high.  We
were glad to return to our air-conditioned hotel room for a late afternoon
nap.
We look forward to exploring the island more in the days ahead.  And
Brandi and Ashlynn can't wait to go shopping!

Arrived in Guangzhou

Yesterday (Friday) was moving day!  We left our hotel in Changsha about
2:30 and took a 30 minute van ride back to the airport.  We had to say
good-bye to Vicky after she helped us buy a lap seat for Ashlynn and
check-in for our flight.  Vicky has been very helpful to us.  She has been
working with adoptive families for more than ten years.  She is also a new
mom with almost six-month-old son.  It was fun to listen to her talk about
her son and her life in China.

At the airport we again met up with the family of eight from Kansas.  We
had plenty of time to visit while waiting for our flight which was about
30 minutes late in taking off.  We talked how well our new daughters are
adjusting to their new families and heard about how adoption has so
wonderfully touched their family.  Ashlynn was entertained by their
children but the wait got long for her.  We made several trips walking
around the terminal to try to keep her happy.  Thankfully she did very
well on our two-hour flight.  She slept during takeoff and played on our
laps after she woke up.  We hope our 12 1/2 hour flight next week goes
just as well.

We arrived in Guangzhou at about 7:30 and were met by Molly, our rep for
this leg of our trip.  She too was very kind and spoke very good English.
She helped us load into the van to go to the hotel.  She stayed at the
airport to wait for another family.  She will be working with four other
families all from our same adoption agency this week.  We are looking
forward to having other families to be tourists with this week and we know
Ashlynn will enjoy having other kids to watch.

Guangzhou is a much larger city than Changsha with a population of 10
million.  It was already dark when we arrived so we haven't yet since much
of the city.  One noticeable difference from Changsha is the humidity.  It
is warm!  Our hotel room is smaller but more modern.  We are hoping to get
out more here and spend less time in our room this week.

We were all very tired when we arrived.  Troy made a quick trip to the
7/11 which is next to the hotel to find us a late night snack.  The pops
tasted great but the Cheetos were steak, rather than cheese flavor which
made for an interesting surprise.

Ashlynn didn't sleep as well last night as she had been.  It took her
quite awhile to settle down and fall asleep.  She was up several times
during the night and seemed to sleep best in our bed.  We are hoping this
is a good sign for our bonding as our first few nights together, she
wanted to be in her crib.

Tomorrow morning we go to the Ashlynn's medical exam.  This is a necessary
step in getting her VISA.  We look forward to seeing this new city in the
daylight.

Our day out in Changsha

Thursday started with a final trip back to the government office for a
brief ceremony.  Three other families also finalized adoptions this week.
Two from Sweden and one from Kansas.  Ashlynn was the youngest of the four
children, the others being 1 1/2 or 2+.  The family from Kansas was the
same family that met their daughter just before we met Ashlynn on Monday.
Their daughter is the sixth child in their family, all adopted.  They are
traveling together and will be China for the whole month.  Next week they
are adopting a little boy.  What a beautiful family!

After the ceremony, we went to an embroidery gallery.  The Hunan Province
is known for it's detailed embroidery.  Many of the pieces looked like
paintings or photographs.  We had to get very close to see it is really
millions of tiny threads.  We bought a small piece for Ashlynn to have
from her birth place.

Despite the light rain, we then went for a walk in the park.  Vicki
described it as the central park on Changsha.  It was very large.  We
walked for about an hour and covered less than half of it.  It is next to
a large man-made lake fed by the river.  Vicki explained that under the
lake is a tunnel for traffic.  There was also several vendors and an
amusement park with several rides.  The park was filled with many people.
This is the first real green space we had seen so the local people enjoy
the park for exercise, picnics, and entertainment.  After our nice walk,
we headed back to the hotel for our naps (yep, not just Ashlynn enjoyed a
nap!)

Overall, things continue to go as well as to be expected.  Our evening
meal in the restaurant went much better.  We were offered a "western menu"
in addition to the usual menu.  (And, yes Derek, it even had pizza but no
pepperoni.) We got a little taste of back home by ordering a cheese burger
and Sprite along with our beef stir-fry and rice.  Ashlynn likes to eat
rice soften with soup broth, small pieces of a steamed bun (a soft white
bun), watermelon, and the Gerber sweet potato puffs we bought from home.
We are amazed at how well she eats with her cleft lip and palate.

It's now Friday morning in China.  We are starting our day with the usual
breakfast buffet (not necessarily typical American breakfast foods but
we've found some good things to eat) in the hotel and then we have to pack
up our temporary home and get ready for our flight to Guangzhou.
Hopefully it all fits back in the suitcases!

 

A Day to Bond

Wednesday was a quiet day for us to spend time together.  We didn't have
any scheduled appointments so we spent the day at our hotel which gave us
a lot of time to play with Ashlynn.  We are seeing a little more of her
personality each day.  She likes to be busy.  She loves to be moving and
always wants a toy (or just any object) in her hand.  She has an opinion
about what she wants and quickly becomes impatient when we are not able to
figure out what it is.  (Troy's happy to have another "determined" woman
in the house!)  Ashlynn loves to be in the walker and to follow us around
the room.  She has also discovered the full-length mirror in our room.
She'll make faces and watch her reflection for the longest time.  We see
some of her best smiles while she is at the mirror.  We spent more time in
the hotel's play room today.  She likes the musical toys the best and Troy
helped her dunk a few baskets in the kid's basketball hoop.

We gave her a bath today for the first time.  Much to our surprise, she
really liked sitting and playing in the water.  Of course, washing her
hair was a different story but we got her through that quickly.  As you'll
likely be able to tell from the pictures, her beautiful dark hair is much
more manageable now that's it's been freshly washed.  Brandi still needs
some practice at doing little girl hair.  Ashlynn is definitely going to
need an appointment with Aunt Holly when we get home.

Today (Thursday) we will attend a small ceremony at the government office.
The event is for all the families that finalized adoptions this week.
Then Vicki is going to take us for some time in the park and a little
shopping.  It'll be good to get out and explore.  And on Friday we fly to
Guangzhou, China for the second week of our journey.  We'll see how well
our first flight with Ashlynn goes.

Hugs to everyone back home!