Wo ai ni

Pronounced wah I knee... wo ai ni means "I love you". We have said wah I knee since we got AJ and also in English I love you. I'm not sure if AJ knows what he is saying but I like to think so. At least I think he knows the meaning of "I love you". Recently he has started saying I love you back to us. It is sooooo wonderful. Actually, he is saying "ai ni Mama" or "ai ni Baba"...which is "love you Mama" or "love you Baba". He smiles and kisses us and the world just seems right. He also tells the kids he loves them also. It makes me feel so good that he wants us. That was one of my worries when we chose to adopt. What if the child doesn't love us? What if he won't bond? Oh, I know there will be times when he doesn't like or even love us, but for now we are soaking it all in. It also makes me think about our Heavenly Father who has adopted us. How often do I say, "I love you" to Him. He has blessed our family so much, in countless ways and do I say "thank you"? I need to do that more and put a smile on His face!

Things AJ loves,

1) KETCHUP on fries, meat, veggies, apples, you name it! yuck!

2)CANDY

3)SNOW

4)PLAY DOUGH

5)NOISY TOYS the noisier the better

6)HIS BOOTS

7)OUR DOG CHLOE

8)OUR FRIEND JESSE

9)THE CHRISTMAS TREE

10)MUSIC AND DANCING

Scary Santa

Isn't it amazing how little ones aren't fearful (usually) of other children? We went to both of AJ's grandparents for Thanksgiving and AJ was fast friends with all of his cousins. He watched them so closely. They were wrestling and sitting on the dogs and running down the stairs. He was enthralled.... but with his aunts and uncles... not so much. And Santa, oh my tears of terror. Yesterday I took all the kids to get pictures at a nearby orchard. The setting is very cool. They have a sleigh and reindeer and pine trees and of course Santa. Well, my 15 and 12 year old boys were not that ecstatic about Santa either, but for other reasons I'm sure you can guess. They are waaaaay to old for Good Old Saint Nick. I put Jared (15) behind the sleigh, Jake (12) and Danielle (9) in the sleigh and AJ (2) on Jake's lap. Since AJ was already crying at this point, Santa thought he would be clever and stand behind the sleigh with big Jared. ONe look at that red suit, white beard and black boots and AJ was fit to be tied. He obviously has never seen Santa or heard of him so he's genuinely scared. AJ doesn't know that Jolly Santa is nice and spreads Christmas cheer. AJ was definitely not cheered. So, Santa, being the wise man he is stepped outside and we got AJ to quit crying for about 30 seconds and the photographer snapped the picture. I must say that the older children were warned by their father before we left not to make faces or cross eyes. They were to be ready with a plastered on smile at any moment for the click of the camera. Aron knew how much I wanted these pictures to turn out. They are going to all of our friends and family announcing our new little one. The big kids did rise to the occasion, donning their matching outfits, and obeying the photographer and even smiling. Yippee. They will definitely be on Santa's good list this year. But, walking out the door my 12 year says " do we have to do this next year?" I, of course, use the age old parent answer, "we'll see!?" He knows deep down that probably means "yes". I don't know, maybe I am asking too much making next year's 16 and 13 year olds sit with Santa. Then again, I still believe!!

Playdough on the dashboard

Things I haven't done in a long, long time...
1) Make homemade playdough and have to put it on the dashboard to cool because we have to go go go.
2) buy industrial size wet wipes.

3) change a poopy diaper in the van in the Meijer parking lot

4) sleep with a 2 year old in my bed

5) put a 2 year old on my shoulders

6) trim tiny toenails

7)buy chicken nugget happy meals with orange pop

8) carry a 35 pounder on my hip

9) crawl on my hands and knees

10)slide down the pvc pipe slide at the park...ow hurts your butt!

11)wipe snotty noses like 100 times a day

12) cherish every smile, tear, tantrum and hug... time goes sooooo fast!

AJ went to see the plastic surgeon

There's an older movie called Doc Hollywood starring Michael J Fox. He wants to be a plastic surgeon in California and on his way across country finds himself stranded in a podunk town in the middle of nowhere. Well, once he gets to California, the office he goes to work in is very posh and almost futuristic. Well, the Clampits, I mean Palmers went to the plastic surgeon this week and it reminded me of that movie. It's located in the Amway Grand Plaza with valet parking no less. Let me tell you, we parked in the ramp across the road. I just couldn't bring myself to use the valet parking in my 2002, dust covered grocery getter. We entered the building by the concierge desk for the hotel. There is a huge chandelier above a spiral staircase and of course, Danielle yells "look at that chandelier!" 10 decibals above normal. Then, it's a sprint to the elevators between Jake and Danielle. After a couple of wrong turns we finally find Dr. M's office. I must say the receptionists were very nice and very cosmetic if you get my drift. Everyone looked like they walked out of a Vogue magazine. I did feel a little frumpy until we met Dr. M. He is so kind and so generous and so GQ. He looked AJ over and his assistant took oodles of pictures of AJ's arm. He was so positive and so gentle. He was surprised that we've only had AJ for a month now. AJ seems to be adjusting quickly and bonding too. Dr. M wants to show the pics to his colleagues and call us back. He thinks that he can get AJ's arm looking pretty good other than some of the scarring from his first surgery. Dr. M wants to wait 6 months... no hurry because he wants AJ to bond and understand English a little better. Dr. M also said that he would work with us and our insurance to get these procedures done at a price we can afford. Isn't that wonderful? He is so kind. It seems that he is using his talents to help others and that he is blessed for it. I've been told that he offers his services routinely and that he's helped many many children. We are so thankful. God really provided a wonderful doctor for AJ. ...We left Jake and Danielle in the waiting room... (Jared was at basketball practice) When we came out, Danielle had helped herself to the bottled water and candy on the counter. She had a soar throat of course. I'm sure those citified folk had a good chuckle after we left. Oh well, what can I say? I like being countryfied with my wrinkles and brown spots and thin hair and thunder thighs and saggy....oops. You know what I mean!! Hee hee

Life at home Nov.13,2008

AJ is adjusting to our family. Our social worker (actually our friend) said that our oldest would fall in love with him first. He was the most hesitant about the adoption. He's 15 and into a lot of activities. What teenager wants to have his life disrupted by a 2 year old? Especially one with a funky arm as we call it. Well, let me say that AJ and Jared are forming a special bond. In fact, last night AJ was mad at Aron and me because we made him stay at the table to eat instead of wandering around and playing. AJ was crying "Gu Gu", which is "big brother" in Mandarin. He wanted Jared to rescue him. What a little smarty pants. I told Jared in no uncertain terms that he was not to give in to AJ. He needs to learn how to mind. Today in the cell phone store he threw a fit in my arms because he wanted to play with something breakable and I scooped him up to hold him. Well, he threw his head back and started to cry, very loudly, I might add. So I laid him down and let him cry and guess what? He was done in about 3 mins. He got up and took off his coat and started flirting with the sales lady. He's trying to figure out life, isn't he? His little mind must be whirling right now. Totally new family, house, rules, weather, food, bed, pets... You name it, it's different than he's ever known. I must say, we are very, very optimistic about the transition. AJ is very bright and he loves us. We can tell. I went to a baby shower a couple of nights ago and my husband said AJ stood at the door crying,"ma ma, ma ma" for what seemed the entire night. My husband did what any desperate dad would do, he fed him a popsicle. Aron said that AJ ate it like a piece of corn on the cob. He made a complete mess of himself. It worked though! He stopped crying. We are looking forward to the holidays this year. We are so thankful for our family and our relationships and all God's blessings. Take the time to tell those you love that they are important to you. Let them know how much you care. We are so grateful for all of you. Thank you for supporting us and loving us. We love you!

The flight home on Nov.1

We boarded the bus to the airport at 5:50 am on Nov. 1. AJ did a really good job. In fact, all of the kids did really well. As I mentioned before, we had 9 families in our group. We met some really wonderful people. They are all regular folks like us...teachers, construction workers, nurses. Nobody rich or famous, just hardworking, warm hearted people. Did you know that there are about 143,000,000 orphans in the world? Wow!! It seems overwhelming. It's sometimes hard for me to think about the extravagant ways people spend their monety. I mean, why do we build $5,000,000 homes? Wouldn't a $1,000,000 home be more than adequate? Why do we drive $40,000 vehicles? Wouldn't a $20,000 vehicle be enough? Why do we think more is better? Don't get me wrong. I'm all for capitalism. If you have talents and resources and gumption, you can make a lot of money. It just seems sometimes our priorities are out of order. I mean, do I really need that Diet Coke every day? Think about it...that's about $400 a year I could do something else with... maybe help someone in need. I don't know, having a Diet Coke is not a luxury is it? I don't really need it. Anyway, something to think about. The family who stole my heart was a gal named Jody. She brought her mom with her to China to pick up her daughter. Her daughter is Lena, a beautiful 13 year old who was kind and warm and funny and soooo thankful. Their first day together they went to the mall and let Lena pick out her own outfit. She slept with the clothes on her pillow that night. Just a simple pair of jeans... see what I mean about priorities. We take so many things for granted here. Jody and her family will have a pretty big adjustment I think... language and culture and Lena will be their oldest at home. So they adopted out of birth order. Amazing. She's my hero!! Would you pray for them? Thank God for people like Jody and Dave.

One of our checked bags made the alarm go off. So, this Chinese guy asks Aron, "Is this your bag?" uhhh... yeah. Well, the swords we bought for the boys set off the alarm. Imagine that. The gentleman opens the bags and takes out the swords and says"It's okay...they not sharp". Aron wanted to crack up. Not sharp? They're swords for crying out loud. But, we were thankful because the boys have wanted swords for a long time. They were almost confiscated in Tokyo too, but Aron sweet talked the little Japanese lady so off we went. You wouldn't believe it unless you saw it for yourself, but AJ slept 8 of the 10 hour flight from Tokyo to Minneapolis. He actually likes it when you just put him down. He's not a big snuggler. Darn! So, we ended up putting him on the floor in front of our seats. I think he was able to stretch out and the hum of the plane lulled him to sleep. He only woke up for meals and a little playing. I'm sure many of you were praying for us. Thank you!!! We are so grateful that we didn't land in Grand Rapids exausted and pulling our hair out. AJ did great!!

We were welcomed home by family and friends and a big sign that my crazy father in law made that said,"Welcome home Aron and Heather and a boy named Su... we love you". Of course, I blubbered like a baby. It was so sweet and we felt so loved. It only took about half an hour for AJ to warm up to the kids. He was running around and laughing. It was a beautiful meeting day. We flew out of Guangzhou at 8:30 am on Nov.1 and arrived in GR at 7:30 pm on Nov.1 but China and GR are 12 hours apart. To our bodies it was 7:30 am Nov.2. We actually traveled back in time. Go figure. It was wonderful to be back with our family and the kids fell in love with AJ almost immediately. Let me say that AJ has already blessed our family and will continue to teach us how to love. He's provided us with way more than we have for him. He's incredible. We really feel like we're the blessed ones. If you have the opportunity to love an orphan, I challenge you to go for it. You'll never be the same. Blessings to you all. I'll try to get some pics posted soon.

We live in the boonies! Nov.12, 2008

You know that you live in the sticks when the computer guy comes out and checks out your house and tells you that you can't get wireless internet because we can't reach their towers. Well, he says maybe if we put a 15 foot pole with a satellite on the roof we can reach the tower. You know you're a redneck if you have a 15 foot tower on your house. No way!! I haven't posted because I wanted to upload pictures and this darn dial up we have won't do it. Aron came home and insisted that I at least update our blog a little. Evidentally, I have a small following at his work place. Isn't that funny? Aron is almost always right in our house, which drives me nuts!! He is very knowledgeable about a lot of topics and I am basically a technical nincomepoop. I think he's a little bitter about my fan club. Hee hee. I'm soaking it all in. Just kidding.

Anyway, I wanted you all to see the pics of the resort we were in our last few days in China. I'll figure out how to upload them soon. Last time I went to McDonalds and used their wireless. It cost me 2 bucks. Not bad.

Our final stop was Guangzhou China. It was basically a resort type area. The US consulate is there and we received AJ's visa to come home on Thursday Oct.30. We had Friday free so we tried out the pool and did some shopping. It was so relaxing. The best part of the day was actually in the evening. We agreed to go on a dinner cruise the day before but started to have some second thoughts. We still needed to pack and get AJ to bed early. We had to leave the hotel at 5:50 am the next day to come home. Well, we went on the cruise. One last hurrah... and it was fabulous. We ate on this really cool boat with only about 50 other people. We went up the Pearl River and back down. Talk about light bill!! Oh my goodness!! Every building was lit up, some with moving billboards on them. The bridge was three different colors. It was so nice. Only 4 couples went and we had so much fun talking and looking at the lights. We even went up to the observation deck. I was a tad bit nervous with AJ up there. I repeatedly told Aron that he was not to let AJ walk. He had to be held the whole time. I think Aron was a bit ticked that I kept reminding him. He's not a total imbicile. My mother bear instincts were in overdrive. He knew that and just said," I know Honey." We had a wonderful time. The food wasn't great but I survived eating once again rice and noodles. But the cruise was so worth the $15 per adult we spent. We still made it back to the hotel by 8:00 pm, packed our previously 2 checked bags... now it's 4 checked bags, and had them in the hall for the bellboys at 9:00 pm. What a trip!! The trip of a lifetime really. So many different people occupy our world. I would love to go back to school and study people groups. It is so interesting what makes people tick, isn't it? All I know is that we have a lot more in common than we have differences. Everyone craves God, family, belonging, friendship... love, it makes the world go round.

Suzhou (earlier in the week)

After we visited the orphanage a few days ago, we went into the old city. Suzhou is pronounced Sue Joe. It is where the orphanage is and where AJ was found. It is evidentally an affluent area. It is located on a river and in the past they used boats to transport people and cargo. They still use boats for tourism.

They have a well known candy shop in Suzhou and we went there with the boys. AJ of course was yelling something we couldn't understand and our guide said that he was yelling candy, candy. Candy is kind of pronounced like "tung". We bought the kind that our guide recommended at it was very interesting. It wasn't super sweet like at home. My favorite was the pine nuts covered in sugar. Yum. Neither Aron nor AJ liked it so I got the whole bag to myself. AJ loved the plain old lollipop best.

The candy shop

We also went to a beautiful garden in Suzou. It was built 600 years ago by a rich family who wanted a beautiful place to walk and rest. It was really neat. It was this green, lavish garden stuck right in the middle of the city. We didn't feel like we were in the city. It was a zig zag shape and must be on a hill because we climbed steps. The garden is actually pretty small but the layout makes it feel larger. AJ had a good time running around there.

Suzou garden

musicians in the garden

The musicians in the garden were very good and the man was singing in the Wu dialect, which is what AJ would speak if he grew up here. Aron really enjoyed the instruments. He wanted to ask if he could try them out but refrained. Bummer, I kind of wanted to see him in that nice little dress.

We were happy to see Suzou for AJ's sake. We can kind of tell him about the city and he can see the pictures of where he's from. I wonder at all the little children in the orphanages and what they could be. I wonder if there is the next astronaut there or the doctor who finds the cure for cancer or the next Billy Graham or a missionary to a remote tribe. It's hard for me to think of all the possibilities the children are missing. Most of all, knowing the Lord and living for Him. After a trip like this, it makes you realize just how small the world is and how very blessed we are to live in the USA . I know that we have our problems, but we have our freedom. Freedom to go and be anything we want to be. Opportunities to share our faith and meet together. Things we take for granted every day of our lives. Don't knock America. Pray for it. We have a unique nation. One we need to preserve and support. Thank God for all you have and his provision for you. Be content, because let me tell you, we have all we need. We are not begging on the street. We can get the surgeries we need. We have a vehicle we can get to work in. If we don't have work we can look for more. We have opportunities. Take them and go for it. There are those who need help and I hope that I will be more proactive in helping those in need. Every country has needy souls and I know that in my own life I want to make it count. Make it count. Be a light to a world that is so desperate. Blessings to you all. We'll see you soon!!!

October 30, 2008

We are in Guangzhou now! Yippee! We flew in yesterday. Guangzhou is our final destination. The American consulate is here. This is where we received AJ's visa to come into the United States. We went to the consulate today and we were sworn in. You raise your right hand and promise to take care of your child. It was rather emotional for Aron and I. It was our last step in the adoption and now we can come home. We are so excited to see our family. The room at the consulate was full of adoptive parents and kids. It was so wonderful. There were 35 families representing 22 states. We met one couple. I would say they are about 55 years old. They are here getting an 8 year old daughter with dwarfism. She is soooo cute. She is about AJ's size. She is their 7th child from China. They have 6 boys at home, all adopted from China. They are incredible. Our 9 families from Bethany are all here together again and we all received our children's visas today... 9 more children have their forever families. Sorry no pictures allowed at the consulate.

We are staying at the most beautiful hotel. It is about 80 degrees here and there is grass and palm trees and sunshine. It is gorgeous here. Our hotel is right on the river. As we drove to the consulate today our guide said that Guangzhou has a lot of millionares here. Also, a lot of migrant workers from other provinces. She said that the gap between rich and poor is growing here in China. She works for Bethany and is a lawyer. Her husband is also an attorney. She has 2 children and they go to university in the states. She is really good and handled all of our paperwork here in Guangzhou. All we had to do is go and swear today... I mean swear in. hee hee. Tomorrow is a free day and then Saturday we fly out for home. China has been quite the experience, one we won't forget. Some things you see in China:

Go Go Boots everywhere

Old men carrying birds

Bicycles built for three

Corn on the cob

moms and
daughters eating lunch

October 27, 2008 We visit the orphanage

We went to the orphanage today. It was about a 3 hour car ride. We went with the other family who adopted a boy from the same orphanage. The boys did very well riding that far. We arrived at the SWI (social welfare institute) at around 11:30 am. THe orphanage is a SWI because it houses orphans and the elderly who have no family. It is about 3 or 4 buildings in size. We started off in the office building. Aron and I knew right away that the staff were not very familiar with our boy. They talked with him only minimally and he did not like them at all. We met the director and she seemed very professional and kind. We liked her very much. After a short visit with her, she took us to the toddler room. We were not allowed to take photos inside. I will try to describe to you the room. As we ascended the stairs AJ was crying, which he doesn't do very often. He was saying mama and some other words and our guide said that he was saying mama tay, mama tay. SHe said that he was saying mama here, mama here. He was very upset. We entered the room and he would not be consoled. THere were around 40 little toddler sized beds in rows of 8 or so. They were filled except for 2 I believe. One child was crying and a nanny was trying to comfort him/her. I could not tell how many of the children were girls and how many were boys. They all had very short hair. Our friend's little boy started to take off his shoes to go get in his bed. He knew right where his bed was. The nannies pointed out his best friend to him and they hugged. The best friend is being adopted and his parents are coming in Dec. Many of the children looked not so much sick as just gaunt and lifeless. The stared at us and I felt the hopelessness there. I started to cry. There little faces are so precious and they need a family so badly. Tom, our friend, the other adoptive father was gently waving his hand back and forth. I think that he was praying over the children. Aron had to take AJ out of the room. He's too young to understand what was going on. As the rest of us left the room, there was a child holding out his arm to us. THat image is permanently etched on my brain. I will not forget what I saw. I do feel that the care givers were genuinely kind, but there are just too many children to care for properly. We saw just the tip of the iceberg. The director said that they have 300 children ages infant to 16 years old living there. And to think there are hundreds of orphanages around the world with the same numbers. Lord, help them.

After the tour the staff served us lunch. It was delicious. The director provided answers to our questions and we took some pictures.

Back to AJ. The director told us that since AJ's surgery he has been living in foster care. THat he only came back to the orphanage 2 months ago to prepare for adoption. His foster mom also checked in here every few months to make sure she was doing a good job. Our guide said that they will absolutely not tell us the foster parents name, and we cannot meet them. It seems that his foster mama did a very good job. He was loved. I am so thankful for her. If only I could tell her. The nannies at the orphanage wear pink scrubs and the administrators wear blue pants and jackets. The picture I have of AJ by the polkadot dinosaur there is a woman next to him in a dress. I can only assume that she is his foster mama or other friend because she is not an orphanage worker. I hope that we are right and AJ has a picture of the woman who loved him so well. I do not know why they return the children to the orphanage prior to the adoption. Probably, to keep the foster family anonymous. I asked our guide a lot of questions about the secretiveness of adoption and she answered many of them. She is very comfortable answering my questions and I am thankful. There are many social and cultural issues here involving unwed mothers. That's a story for another time.

We are glad that we got to see the orphanage and the tremendous need here in China. It is an experience we will never forget. Will you join us in praying for these orphans?

October 26,2008

Hey all, we are doing well here in Nanjing. We finish up the adoption in Guanzhou which is southeast if here a couple of hours by plane. There is a trade show in Guanzhou right now. The hotel rooms are around $300 a night so they kept us here a few extra days to avoid the expensive hotel stay. We are enjoying the area but are anxious to finish up. We miss our kiddos at home! We go to the orphanage tomorrow. It is about 3 hours by car. Aron is a little concerned about the visit. AJ is doing so well and Aron doesn't want him to be confused. I think it's important to see where our little man lived and talk with his nannies. We have some questions for them and things that AJ might want to know when he is older. Pray that all will go well and AJ will not cry when we leave. I think it might be good for him to say goodbye and for us to take him away.

Aron has a little cough and runny nose so he decided to walk to the pharmacy today. Well, he made it and the sweet little Chinese girls couldn't understand him so he coughed for them and they nodded their heads and led him to some medicine. He brought it back to the hotel and every last word on the package is in chinese. I told him if he takes it he may never wake up. Ancient Chinese secrets might be in that box. We will show it to our guide tomorrow and ask her what's in it. Maybe it will cause him to start speaking mandarin, who knows!

We ran out of calling cards and so we asked the front desk where to go to get more. She wrote down the address so that we could give it to the cab driver. Well, we hailed a cab and showed him the paper. We could tell that he wasn't sure about taking us and another man came up and looked at the address and they started to shout at each other. So Aron said"get out of the cab". I grabbed our 34 pound baby and the backpack and in one smooth motion jumped out of the cab. Aron was outside trying to figure out what was going on. When he figured out that we should not drive with him and I jumped out, the cab driver drove away. So, we went back into the hotel and went to the business office. One of the clerks there spoke English pretty well and called a cab for us. The bellboy came and got us from the office and told the driver where we needed to go and to wait there and bring us back. It was a good distance away (about 20 mins.), but finally we made it. After 3 different clerks helped us and 2 separate offices, we successfully communicated that we needed phone cards. We took our old one to show them, but they thought something was wrong with it and that we needed help getting it to work. Aron was able to tell them that it was all used up and we needed more cards. Well, they sold us 3 new cards for 120 yuan (about $20). The cards have 100 yuan printed on each card. They gave us a deal I guess. Anyway, we will get about 120 minutes for that $20 plus $10 cab fare. Not bad. It was definitely another China adventure. I'm not sure I want to ride in a cab again. By the way, seatbelts are optional and no carseats here. I held onto AJ for dear life.

We went to the zoo today. It was just a small one but AJ and the other family here with us enjoyed it. They usually have pandas at the zoo but not today. Our guide was unsure why they were not there.Bummer, I wanted AJ to see the pandas. We had fun seeing the monkeys and the tiger show. Man, I'm not sure they pay that young guy who "trains" the tigers enough money. He's probably 100 lbs. soaking wet and in the caged area with about 10 tigers. Scary!! They also had trained monkeys and bears. They rode bicycles. It was pretty cute.

Tonight we went to this amazing mall. It's right around the corner from our hotel. It has Nike and Adidas and many cool stores. It's 5 stories high with fountains and waterfalls. Just beautiful. We ate at Papa Johns for supper. Yummy! Well, we have to call home with those crazy cards we worked so hard for.

October 25, 2008

We went to the park!!

Our guide Linda said that although there is probably a little play area at the orphanage, AJ is too small to have played there. She thinks it is likely the first time he's gone down a slide. He is a typical 2 year old. He went down once and then we couldn't get him off. He went back up and down over and over. He laughed and laughed.

There was a Chinese lady there who wanted to know where the boys' Chinese mama was. She kept asking our friend Tom and following him around. Finally, our guide went over and spoke with the lady and told her that the boys were orphans. That we were their parents. She was very curious and asked Linda many questions. We are pretty sure that a lot of the people here do not know of the existing orphan situation.

We also met two young mothers from America there. They both had a small child and are here at language school. The one gal seemed especially homesick. They were fun to talk to and made us miss home even more.

We went to the lake and they have birds there. I mean big birds...like emus and peacocks and cranes. Aron was pretty brave. He fed them little fish out of his hand. Not me! The one emu started to follow me around and so Aron threw it some food to distract it so I could run away. AJ thought it was so funny. He is not speaking Mandarin according to our guide. He is talking his own language she said. It is very funny though. He laughed and jabbered at the birds and chased them. Aron had to rescue him several times. He is fearless! THe guide told us that he looks so happy. She said that usually the babies at the orphanage are small. Since he is so big he looks like an American baby! It's funny the misconceptions people have about each other. She said that when she was small, she was told to stay away from the Americans because they eat little kids. She is only 30 years old. She said that it's only been in the last 20 years that the Chinese have really started to accept foreigners. She is very bright and has a lot of potential. It is very difficult to change jobs once you are in a profession or skill. Most of the time you do that job for your entire life. When the next generation has a child the grandparents take care of the grandchild so that both parents can work. They often live all together. Very different culture. Here are some pic's of our bird adventure.

Chinese baby talk

AJ is starting to talk. It is so funny. We are almost certain that he is saying some things in Mandarin. He repeats some phrases and it's so funny to hear him. He says what sounds like Da Doo all the time. We are going to ask our guide tomorrow if it means anything. Maybe just Chinese baby talk. It really does sound Chinese.

AJ is still eating like a horse. He also enjoys the outdoors. We just walk and walk. This morning he pulled me by hand towards the revolving door. I thought he wanted to go around in it, so I kept pushing and he tried to step outside. When we got back around to the inside he started to cry. So, I pulled on his shirt and told him that we had to go get his jacket first. He came willingly. We were told that the Chinese always want their babies warm. So even if it's 80 degrees outside he needs a jacket. We don't want a little Chinese lady chewing us out. After we got our jackets on we went outside to the markets again. Today, a woman stopped me and spoke to me in Mandarin. I have no idea what she said. We started to draw a crowd. Aron had gone into a shop and I was waiting outside. I told the lady that we call him Neo Neo and that broke the ice. All of the people started to laugh.

We had a lot of fun getting to know AJ today. It's amazing that he doesn't speak our language or look like us but that he is starting to trust us. Love has no language. When he looks at me, I always smile and kiss him. I think he is starting to know that he is with us to stay. He even called Aron Baba today. He is slowly warming up to Aron. I am really enjoying being the favorite because soon I know that Aron will win him over with treats and tickles.

We took AJ to a noodle restaurant tonight and he ate like crazy again. I just can't make myself eat the food here. So, I ordered plain rice. It was good. Around the corner from our hotel is a Haagendas Ice Cream store. We treated ourselves after dinner and AJ had chocolate ice cream. It is so funny watching him experience new things. We are back in our room and AJ is in his pj's. We are getting ready to call the kids at home. We miss them so much! We are now getting a little antsy to be home. Tomorrow the guide will take us to a lake and a park.

October 24

We are in our hotel room playing and watching the World Series in Japanese. Not very many English speaking channels here. We were out earlier for a walk and here are some pictures of us in Nanjing, the capital of AJ's province.

We bought AJ a drum, kind of like a rattle.

He likes his lollipop

Dad tickling AJ's neck

October 23, 2008 It's Official AJ is a Palmer!

Hey all, today we went back to the registration office to sign the paperwork. They let you have 24 hours to "decide" if you want the child. Like duh, we haven't waited almost a year to say no now. I guess if the special needs are more than you thought or think you can handle they give you a kind of grace period. We went to the office and signed and put our thumbprints over top of our signatures. The registrar gave us our official adoption papers, now we just wait for his passport. The nannies were there and when they came up to him to say goodbye he grabbed onto me. He wanted me not them!! It was so wonderful.

If we thought we were celebrities before that was nothing compared to now. We walked around the shops today and we were stared at so much that I did get a little nervous. I even picked him up and carried him. He is heavy!! We also went to Wal Mart today. It was very nice and 3 floors high. We even took the cart down this moving belt, kind of like a downhill treadmill. The carts lock, of course. AJ pointed at the fish crackers so we bought him a little box. He ate them like he hasn't eaten in weeks. He shoveled them in. He is very much like a baby. He eats and sleeps. We were told that even though they are fattened up for adoption, they have no stamina. They are not used to running and playing. It does seem that he gets tired easily. I always hold him for a while and then I put him in his crib. He took a 2 hour nap today. He also had his first bath. He liked it except for the hair washing. I shampooed it and the he took the washcloth and put it on his head and cried. I don't think he likes the rinsing, so I just sponged it off. Now he smells like a baby!

Right now he is sitting on Baba's lap coloring. He goes back and forth from right hand to left hand. He also likes to copy. Aron taught him the thumbs up and he does it. He also gives 5. We are really doing well. Tomorrow is a free day so I think we'll just hang out and go for walks and take naps. Thank you for all your prayers. We are so blessed!

October 22, 2008 We have AJ!!!!!

Oh, you guys, You know how you envision something happening and you have expectations? Well, let me say we had the most beautiful meeting day possible. AJ is soooo beautiful! We walked into this little rather rundown building and the other family with us saw their little boy right away. We didn't see AJ. We were looking around and looking around and then he came down the stairs with his nanny. He is sooo chunky. We both crouched down and smiled and said hi and I laughed and cried. He is so healthy and fat! And he definitely uses his arm. Aron took him from his care giver and AJ immediately tried to hit him. We laughed. He seemed very attached to his nanny. And she to him. That part does make me sad. She kept saying,"this is your baba and your mama". He checked us out quite a bit and then we hauled out the toys. We started to play catch with him and he actually laughed! He is still scared of Aron and will give him a wide birth or (girth) hee hee. He came to me right away and I was tickled. He even put his arms up to me already. He came to me last night with his bear that we sent him a few months ago and said"mama". I of course melted. Someone has definitely been telling him about us. We got in the van to come back to the hotel and he fell asleep on my shoulder. We had prepared ourselves for quite a lot of crying and I'm sure there will be more, but so far not too much. We keep him distracted with toys and walks and happy meals. He loves chicken. Man will he and Jake bond fast! He is not potty trained and he still drinks a bottle, although he will not drink one for me yet. The social worker said that they may not eat for a day or so because they are mad. But, when he's hungry he'll drink his bottle. I'm not worried. He's 2 1/2 and eating people food. I'm sure he doesn't really need the bottle, but we'll play it by ear. Last night I rocked him. He does love his pacifier. I layed him in his crib at 9:30 and he's still asleep now. It's 7:05 am. He slept all night! I was prepared for those bouts of tears but the kid sleeps like a log. He's pretty funny too! Aron rubbed his own head and then rubbed AJ's head and did it over and over. AJ started to laugh! He is a happy baby. They called him Neo Neo (sp?) It means "strong like bull" ! Isn't that funny? Well, we have to take "bull" down to breakfast. Here are some pictures of our little man!

October 21, 2008 Last day in Beijing

We leave at 6:00 am tomorrow for Nanjing!! Nanjing is the capital city of Jiangsu province. We will receive our little man at 2:30 in the afternoon in Nanjing!! Yippee! Tomorrow we get our baby. Today we asked our guide how to say particular names in Chinese. Like mother sounds like MaMa. I think that one is universal. Dad sounds like BaBa. Older brother sounds like gu gu. And, older sister sounds like jia jia. It was fun to say them even though I know we don't say them correctly. We had a lot of fun today. We went to the Summer Palace. It is kind of like a resort place for the emperor in ancient times. It is on the edge of a lake and quite peaceful. The grounds are extensive with gardens and buildings. They just recently opened up the Buddhist temple there. It was just renovated for the Olympics. It was very interesting and the Buddha in the pictures below is the original. Again, we couldn't believe that we were just allowed to roam around and take pictures. It was so interesting . This is the place where one of the emperors was under a kind of house arrest. He was young and his grandmother ran the country behind the "screens" as our guide put it. She had him stay at the Summer Palace and he could not leave. Also, his wife and favorite concubine lived there, but he was not permitted to see them.

Here are some pictures of the Summer Palace.

By the way, you can click on the pictures to make them bigger. After the Summer Palace tour we went to Silk Road. I bet you can imagine what they have there. You got it, silk! and pearls, and name brand clothing and scarves and bags and you name it. It was fun, but I was a little overwhelmed. The shops are in little cubicles and the sales people stand in the aisles and and ask do you want scarf or do you want tie or do you want jacket. The only thing is many of the shops have the same items and all of them are yelling at the same time. If you show any interest they will even walk behind you down the aisle and repeatedly say "hello". I don't know if foreigners use the tactic of walking away to get the price reduced but they evidently think so. Even if we were genuinely uninterested or wanted to shop around they would follow. I learned not to ask "how much" unless I intended to buy. We bought a few things and then decided to head back and pack. We took a taxi with another adopting couple. You stand along a driveway and the taxis pull up alongside. Well, we got in the taxi nearest to us and the driver kept pointing to the taxi in front of us. Evidentally you're supposed to get into the cars in order of who pulled into the drive first. So, we all got out and got into the taxi in front us and off we went. Gives new meaning to the game Chinese fire drill!

When we got back to the hotel I went down to the spa to see if they had any openings. Of course, they did. I was told to get a foot massage from a man named "Michael". Our social worker had one done and recommended him. He was a very funny guy who I believe is blind. His English is excellent and we talked the entire time. He is from an island between Taiwan and Vietnam. It's called Hainan (sp?). He learned how to do Chinese massage at the hospital here. He said that they use Chinese massage to treat many diseases. Since I work in the medical field, of course I was very interested. He said that certain areas of the feet can be linked to other areas in the body. As he was pushing on my feet there were areas that were tender if not painful and every time he would ask "does that hurt". You know what? They did hurt... he was right every time. They don't diagnose illnesses with the feet "thing" but it is a good indicator of diseases. Hmm. I was impressed. He said that in China the physicians use 4 methods to diagnose. 1) Look at the patient 2) Smell the patient 3) Touch the patient and 4) Listen to the patient. Wow! that's a novel ideal.... just listen to their complaint and you learn a lot about them. Anyway very interesting. Aron walked me down and Micheal asked him if he wanted his feet done too and Aron said Nahh. Michael then said, "Well, women love themselves very much!" That was so funny. We do spend a lot of time primping don't we? Well, bye for now. We have to meet our guide at 6:00 am. We'll post as soon as we can. It depends on if AJ takes one look at us and screams his head off or if we can bribe him with cookies. Hey, cookies work for me! We'll see!

October 20, 2008 Beijing

OK, so now I know why the Chinese are so thin. They WALK everywhere!! My calves are killing me. How much room do you think an emperor needs? Well, evidently he needs a whole city. We went to the Forbidden City today. It's named that due to the public not being allowed to enter in. The last emperor lived in the Forbidden City until 1927, but was done with his reign in 1911. The city has been open to the public since then. It is crazy big and Aron and I were shocked that the government let's people roam free inside. We entered at the South Gate, very near Tienamen Square. The city is basically concentric squares protected by a moat. Every lion statue, phenix statue, brick and door have a meaning in China. They are very superstitious. It was fascinating to see it. One of the emperors started his reign at 4 years old. The previous emperor chose this little boy and the night the emperor died the little boy had to spend the night with the dead body. It "completed" the dead emperor's life. YIkes! Poor kid. Our guide is a fabulous historian and has so much info for us. These are the pictures of Tienamen Square the Forbidden City.

After the Forbidden City Tour we went to "old" China. We went to the housing area where the people lived before the high rises. It was very interesting. We even got to enter one of the homes and visit with a woman who has lived there for 40 years. She is just getting electric heat this fall. She has heated her house with charcoal for 40 years. She also uses the communal potty across the road. No indoor bathroom. This type of house is called a hutong. We took a hutong tour by rickshaw today and we saw our lives pass before our eyes. Evidentally they drive rickshaws like they drive cars. WILDLY! I thought for sure we were on 2 wheels half the time. We seriously passed between an oncoming truck on the left and a parked car on the right with inches to spare. Our little Chinese driver was pedaling for all he was worth and my hair was actually flying back. We were really moving. We had a young Chinese man as our hutong guide and he called himself Oscar. He was so funny. The hutong tour was very interesting and we tipped our rickshaw driver well. He really earned it! These are pictures of the rickshaw and the hutongs.

We got back to the hotel about 3:00 pm and then went to the Bank of China. You take a number and wait until your number is called. OUr guide went with us thank heaven because we had to exchange our new bills for Chinese money. The teller did examine the bills front and back for any folds or writing on them. She accepted every bill! Praise the Lord. Our guide let us put the money in her back pack but she didn't want to cary all that money. We are a bit nervous about traveling with it but we have no choice. So would you pray for our safe travels?

After the bank my brilliant husband thinks we should walk to the McDonald's for dinner. He's hankerin' for a Big Mac. It gets dark around 5:00 and it's dusk when we leave. I'm a little nervous about this. I thought that there would be more racial diversity here but there really are very few white people. We kind of stand out. Anyway, it can't be that far, so off we go. It was a good 20 minute walk. We almost gave up but then those golden arches came into view and we nearly sprinted the last block. The food tasted almost identical to American McDonald's. Don't worry Mom we didn't drink the fountain pop. I know the ice may not be purified water. But the fries were soooo good. When we leave it is dark. There are still rickshaws, bicycles, motorbikes, mopeds, home made 3 wheel jobies... all over the place. In China, vehicles have the right of way. Pedestrians, look 4 ways before you cross the street. One piece of advice from our guide was "do as the Romans". I know, she's pretty funny. So, we pretty much crossed the streets with the crowd. One time we went and could only make it half way. There were 2 Chinese next to us and they were laughing at me because I was screaming. Aron took my arm and said "don't look just run". Man, this chubby lady hasn't moved that fast in a long time. We made it to the other side!!
My husband could be a world traveler. He wants to enter the Amazing Race. He thinks we could win.
Tomorrow the first set of parents leave to get their little ones. They are soooo excited. We were joined today by a lady who is adopting a 13 year old girl. She has a husband and 10 and 6 year old boys at home. Her mom is with her. She is soooo wonderful to be giving this teenager a home. There really are very few options for orphans here. There are 16,000,000 people in Beijing alone. Aron was told that they need to create 9,000,000 jobs a month here in China to keep their economy growing. Wow!! These orphans are so alone. I wonder at the despair a birthmom would have to feel to relinquish a child. It makes me sad. I hope that I will do for AJ what she couldn't do for herself and child. There really are very few options here. I pray that she will know in her heart that he is loved and cared for. I hope that someday we will meet in heaven and share a smile. I pray that she will find hope.

Tomorrow we go to the Summer Palace and maybe the silk factory. Oh Aron, hang on to your wallet! It will be fun to see but I am getting anxious to meet our boy....1 more day!!

October 18, 2008 Beijing

We are having a great time across the world from you. Today was packed with sightseeing and shopping! First thing this morning we set out for the Great Wall. It was about an hour and a half from our hotel. We went from skyscrapers to mountains in about an hour. The wall is incredible. It is at least 4,000 miles long and was started about 600 b.c. We rode the cable car to the top. Aron just loved that (he's not fond of heights). We walked and walked. The place was wall to wall people...no pun intended. At one point we were in the middle of a group and they just shove to keep the group moving. It was crazy. Again, personal space is non existent here. It was funny...on the bus ride back the wives sat across the aisle from their husbands, instead of next to each other. We all did it subconciously, but laughed that we had had enough closeness for one day.

We spent a couple of hours at the Great Wall and then we were off to the Cloissonne factory. It is beautiful pottery making. They first form a vase or bowl or plate with copper and then make a pattern on the vase with copper wire. The designs are very intricate and tedious. Next, enamel paint is dripped with an eyedropper onto the designs very carefully. It is placed in the kiln and then re-enameled and put in the kiln 5 more times. Then the wire is buffed off to make the vase perfectly smooth. They have created this type of pottery for 1,000 years exactly the same way. We learned that the enamel painting is the highest paid job of the process. They earn 5,000 yuan a month (approx. $700 a month). The girls bending the metal earn about $350 a month. It is really beautiful work. We couldn't believe the amount of work that goes into each piece. BEAUTIFUL!!

After the pottery factory we went to lunch and on the way we drove by the Olympic Village. This is "The Bird's Nest". These buildings are huge. We also saw the "Water Cube". While it was neat to see, I was a little saddened that now thes buildings are empty. Our guide said that it took over 5 years to build them. The village where the athletes stayed...the apartments are for sale. Hopefully the buildings will be put to good use.

My last personal adventure of the day was going to the bathroom in the floor potties. Yikes, I almost had to yell for Aron to come and help me up. Man, I should have done some squats back home to prepare my quads for getting off the toilet, I mean floor!?! I ran back out to get my camera. I know a little gross taking a picture of the toilet. These are my feet by the way. We ladies just giggled and giggled about this. I will never look at my toilet at home the same way again!!

So long for now. Tomorrow we go to the Forbidden City and take a rickshaw tour. Oh that poor little Chinaman. We will have to tip him big (again no pun intended). He'll definitely earn it!! We might have to show mercy on him and let him stop for breaks! ha ha. 3 days until baby day!!