Saturday - June 30th: Jade factory, the Great Wall, and the Summer Palace

AGAIN woke up early and multiple times.  Derek kept waking us up with his working throughout the night. 

Met the group for a long day of touring.  First stop - Jade factory.  Unbelievable artisans.  Enjoyed learning about Jade and the shopping, of course.  Thanks to Derek's phone, we have pictures to upload.  My new broken iPhone was left in the safe. 

Next stop, the Great Wall.  Was VERY impressive.  AMAZING what they built.  Let's just say it was a great workout.  Derek said he regretted running in the morning at the hotel.  Even Brett said his legs were Jello.  In the 95 degrees hot weather (with no shade or breeze), we tackled the hill....but really I'd consider it a mountain.  We thought the wall was graded on nice rolling hills..but really it was a vertical climb with some of the steps 15 inches steep!  Don't mind the million people you had to pass on the way up...those who stopped without warning to catch their breath or to take a photo.  Luckily, the higher you made it, the fewer you had to deal with.  Derek and the kids hoofed it almost to the top.  They were afraid after 45 minutes that they couldn't make it back in time and be late for the bus.  Jen decided to turn back a little earlier as she remembered she's afraid of heights - it's easy to go up, but coming back down, is another thing - keep in mind, the ADA is American...and those stairs would NEVER pass ADA standards.  Everyone made it down safe and sound...and the kids scored some cool Great Wall shirts. 

Playing Where's Waldo...did you find Regan and Brett on the Great Wall Steps in the third photo?  Hint - Brett's wearing his neon yellow shirt and orange Tennessee cap. 

Traffic on Saturday was CRAZY - and we thought NYC traffic was bad!!!!  Evidently the government limits the car traffic during the week but not on the weekend.  It's amazing that there are not more accidents...the mixture of pedestrians, bicycles, motor bikes, and vehicles is a site to see.

We eventually made it to the Summer Palace.  Again, some nice details to tell you later...but was where the Emperor came because summer in Beijing is hot.  We rode on a dragon boat across a man-made lake.  Walked through a nice park. 

Topped off the evening by dining at the Hard Rock Beijing!  Needed a break from Chinese food...and we are only a few days into it.  The hamburger and fries were very satisfying! 

Tomorrow - Derek and I switch from man-to-man defense to zone.  It's GOTCHA Day!  We leave Beijing to fly to Nanchang in the morning.  Will update tomorrow night with pix (courtesy of Derek's phone - still bitter)!

Friday, June 29th - Tiananmen Square, The Forbidden City, & Tea Room

Today we woke up EARLY...and had to go back to sleep til 5:45 am.  All four of us hit the gym.  Breakfast was underwhelming so we are happy we packed lots of bars.

All families toured Tiananmen Square.  It was huge with TONS of people.  Would love to post the pix from this but Jen's new iPhone seems to have issues so we'll post when we can (and Verizon is not very helpful).

Funny story in the Square:  Regan was mobbed like a celebrity.  One person asked to have his picture taken with her.  Before you know it, there a huge line.  We finally had to walk away.  She was a good sport about it.  (we have pix of this too :))

The Forbidden City was also HUGE.  When I have a chance, I'll add interesting tidbits...but essentially, its where the Emperor lived.  Had something like 10,000 servants.  All I can say is that we walked forever!  Got some great shots, but i'll have to show them to you later, IF they can be recovered from my new broken phone...(can you tell i'm bitter?)

We were then taken to a Tea Room.  Sampled multiple teas.  Brett liked this device to tell you if the water is hot enough - "pee pee man" - i'm sure you can imagine what it does. 

Went back to the hotel.  Found a noodle place very close to the hotel.  Our picky eaters where underwhelmed.  The funny thing is when we went to find a seat, 4 workers were sleeping on the benches.  They quickly cleared the room. 

Crashed right after dinner especially for Derek who worked all night before thanks to SCOTUS decision on Healthcare reform. 

wish i could show you the pix!  2 days before we meet Elise

June 27th - June 28th: Take Off from US and Land in China

We were up almost all night before our flight because of all of the last minute packing. My parents got two and a half hours of sleep while I got about 5(by the way, this is written by Regan). We got up at 5 to catch our flight to Chicago via United. Even though we got there with plenty of time, we still encountered problems. When we were trying to check in, they were trying to check in Elise. After we got that resolved, we found out that my dad did not have a seat assignment. Something that should have taken 5 minutes took 30. We went up to security and everything was going great until my dad's bag was randomly checked. He was using Brett's school bag and forgot to take out scissor. Nice. They didn't see them  so we were safe. We got on the plane.

Now by Jen...Arrived O'Hare with no issues.  Enjoyed the 14 hour flight to Beijing.  Luckily this plane had economy plus section...and very few people in it...so the kids were able to sleep in his/her own row.  Made it through customs and all luggage to greet Shirley, our Families Through International Adoption coordinator.  Met the 3 other families we will travel with for the 17 day China trip.  Headed to the hotel.  Derek crashed early while the kids and I scouted for bottled water.  (can't drink the water here...including brushing your teeth with the water from the tap in the hotel)  Not only did we find water, but we hit a McDonald's and got ice cream cones.  They tasted just like the ones at home.  Made it back to the room and crashed early.

June 23, First Post


Hi! After waiting 6 years, we learned on May 21st that we were going to China to finally adopt a baby girl!!!  Her chinese name is Yue Li Song.  Her American first name will be Elise, which we decided 6 years ago.  Her American middle name will be LiSong, a combination of her chinese first and middle name. Yue is her Chinese surname. She was born on November 12th and found the same day in a cardboard box, which included a birth note and a bottle.  She was abounded at the gate of Women and Children Health Care of Yugan County. She was found by Fan Yun Juan, who reported her to security and then she was moved to Yugan County Social Welfare Institute. She weighed 3.5kg (7 lbs  11 oz.) and measured 48cm. Her head circumference was 35.5cm and her chest circumference was 35.5cm. She has a round face and dark hair.

She was admitted into Yugan County Social Welfare Institute.  Li means pretty and Song means pine tree. At first she ate several times a day, 20-50 ml each time. She had strength and finished her bottle quickly. She was a sound sleeper and slept most of the time. After she would wake up, she would want a bottle immediately. In her second month, she was able to stay awake for a longer time. She could also respond to her surroundings. She could turn her head to repond to a sound, she was very sensitive to light, and she was able to watch toys with bright colors.

When she was 4 months old, she could look for a sound source. She was able to respond to her name. A major achievement was holding her head up while lying on her stomach. She could stand on her legs with support. She could hold toys and she enjoyed playing games with her caregiver. She also enjoys when her caregiver talks or sings to her. She is also able to read facial expressions. She is not afraid of strangers and is willing to smile at anyone. She usually gets fussy before she goes to sleep. She needs to be rocked to sleep. She likes music and toys that play music. She likes bath time, and gets excited when she goes out.

Her physical development is normal. She gets up at about 6:30 and goes to sleep at 8:00. She takes naps for 2-3 hours during the day. She has a good appetite that consist of a mixture of formula and rice cereal. She eats 6 times a day at 7:30, 10:30, 2:30,7:00, 1:00, and 4:00. She eats 180ml each time.

We are very excited to get her next week, and she seems like such a fun baby! We can't wait to meet her!

The pictures in the top row are the first pictures that we got of her in May. These were taken in March, when she was about 4 months old. 

The pictures of her in Orange were taken in June, and are the most recent ones that we have. She is about 7 months old. the one at the right shows that she has a little personality! (And we hope there is someone behind her in case she falls!)