Sightseeing Day at Yun tai Garden

We had a great day today! It was a NO paperwork day....a beautiful day at the Yun tai Garden. The weather was gorgeous.....about 80 degrees and the gardens were fabulous. We did not go to the garden on our previous trip, 4 years ago so this was an extra special treat. Both Megan and Madelyn were great today.

Following the garden, we went to a famous noodle restaurant for a group lunch. It was yummy! We got to watch them make the noodles....it was fascinating. This restaurant has been featured on food network and we recognized it right away. All the kids were delighted to see the noodles made right before their eyes.

After returning to the hotel, we took naps and headed out for some walking and shopping. It was a beautiful night in Guangzhou. It is still hard to believe we have only been here 4 days....and only had Madelyn for 3. Her little personality is really blossoming and she is as cute as she can be. We adore her and cannot wait for you to meet her. It is amazing how quickly family bonding takes place. She knows us, our voices, our smiles and she is happy and content. She even said "da da". (I know it always comes first but I am working on the "ma ma"!!!)

We are all staying healthy, some runny nose etc but all in all we are doing great! We are missing home but are enjoying spending this special time together as a family.

Love to you all,
~L

(Editors note: I had nothing to do with the "Da da" part other than reinforcing it every chance I get :) See all the pics from today at picasaweb.google.com/matt.searfoss - Matt)

Two important trips in Guangzhou...

We are winding down another day. We had two items on the agenda today. The first was shopping for "baby essentials" (at a store called - what else - "Baby Essentials") and the second (the more "official" of the two) was getting Madelyn's passport.

Most of the girls have pretty bad colds with runny noses and lots of congestion. We stopped at the medical clinic in the hotel last night after dinner with 2 other families to get the girls checked and get some medications. The Chinese doctor was wonderful and obviously sees a lot of babies. Fortunately, Madelyn was the least sick (no ear or sinus infections!) The doctor prescribed some medications, some traditional Chinese and some "modern day" antibiotics. I can't tell you the last time I watched a pharmacist mix medicines with a mortar and pestle. Madelyn likes it and has taken it well, though we think it makes her a bit a sleepy. It seems to be working though so we can't complain.

We started the day today with Breakfast at the buffet where we always run into other families from our group as well as getting to know families from other travel groups. The restaurant is beautiful and over looks the Pearl River and has a view of the waterfall in the Atrium. Megan likes waffles and LOVES her hard boiled eggs!

We then boarded the bus for our first shopping trip. We went to a busy part of the city with shops everywhere. We started at a multilevel store that carries everything you can imagine; similar to a WalMart store. We bought diapers, formula, toys, etc. The best part was the conveyor from the upper to the lower floor. They can't use escalators since you have to get your shopping cart down as well. They use a "moving sidewalk" type of system that is pretty steep so the carts have special wheels that lock onto the conveyor to keep them from rolling down hill. Megan thought that was way cool! I thought it was "way cool" that there was a Starbuck's right outside the grocery store :)













Then we went to a department store specializing in baby "stuff." It was way too cramped and crowded for my tastes but we survived. The best thing we bought was a pen for Megan that has 8 different colors of ink. (You can tell I was less than thrilled with this stop). We did run to McDonald's for a snack, though (can't remember the last time I had McDonald's, either). I had a small hamburger and tasted just like the ones we get at home. Still the best french fries anywhere in the world; literally!

We returned to the hotel for a couple of hours before getting back on the bus to get Madelyn's passport. We spent over and hour of waiting for less than 5 minutes per family to get the paper work done. We were told we could not take pictures in the government building so there are no pictures to show. Needless to say, there were a lot of people waiting...

We went to dinner with our new friends tonight at Lucy's, a restaurant we will visit often while we're here. They have outdoor seating where the older girls can play and they cater to western tastes. We then walked to some of the shops while Madelyn slept in her new stroller. Lynne ordered a handmade silk blanket for Madelyn and bought the girls matching silk dresses for Chinese New Year. We also dropped off the disposable cameras at the photo shop to get prints made of Madelyn's last couple of months at the orphanage. We can't wait to see the pictures and will share a few with them either on this blog or on the Picasa photos site.

We had one other big break through today. We had a POOPIE!!! They told us it usually takes 2 days for the babies to have a bowel movement due to the stress and the change of formula. We were given some herbal tea supplements to use if necessary. We don't need them - hurray! Madelyn had a dirty diaper tonight. That will most likely be the last time I get excited about a poopie diaper! ;0)

Tomorrow is our first site-seeing day and we are heading off for a garden and park visit. We are hoping that we will get back early afternoon and have some time to relax as we have not had a day yet where we weren't running from one thing to the next. It is supposed to warm up into the mid 80s over the next couple of days and I am looking forward to taking Megan to the pool.

We love getting comments and emails and appreciate all of your love and support. We still covet your prayers as we have many days ahead, a long trip home, a baby getting over a bad cold and Megan working through what this all really means and how her world is changing. She has been a real trooper and loves her baby sister (even though she isn't always happy with Mom and Dad).

Until tomorrow... Matt

It's Official!

Today is Official Adoption Day! Madelyn is officially part of the Searfoss family as of 12:00 noon today!

The past 30 hours have been exciting, exhausting and thrilling all at the same time. We went to the Civil Affairs Office yesterday afternoon (a 15 minute bus ride) to get our babies, meet the Orphanage Director and nannies. There were 50 families there at the same time! It was somewhat organized chaos and the building was HOT! Things happened so quickly and we were all passing cameras around trying to capture the moments. It is really a blur because everything happened so fast.



There are 7 families in our group from our orphanage. After receiving our babies and asking a few questions of the Director, we boarded the bus and headed back to the hotel for some initial paperwork. All the babies seemed content. Not one was crying! Amazing! We came to our room and then went to our guide, Kelly's room to pay our fees and sign some forms. We had all had such a full day that everyone decided to order pizza and stay in for the night. Madelyn had her first bottle and sacked out for the night.....well, we hoped but could that really be? All night on the first night? You betcha! That little girl slept for almost 12 hours "without a peep" as Megan would say. By the time the pizza finally arrived, Megan was out too. Matt and I were soon to follow as it had been a very full, emotionally draining day.

Today we woke up about 6am. We got showered and dressed and headed to breakfast. Yum. Megan ate 2 waffles and Madelyn had her first taste of sweet potato snacks. She has been fed no solid food - only formula with rice cereal. She has not gone hungry though! During a diaper change Megan said, "wow! Look at that belly!" Yup!
















After breakfast we headed back to the Civil Affairs office for our Official interview and Acceptance of the child for adoption. It was at this point that we promised to love, care for and never abandon this child. She became officially ours! We were there for about 2 hours.....2 interviews and a photo.....then we headed back to the hotel. At that point, Madelyn was ready for a nap and we were ready for lunch. I got her to sleep and we took a little break for lunch, a game with Megan and to watch Kung Fu Panda! The nap lasted just over an hour....enough time for our little one to change personalities for the first time! She cried for over two hours....she wouldn't take her bottle and nothing gave her comfort. Finally, Megan suggested a bath and so together, they played and Madelyn got her first bath with us. She was happy again......for a time. After bath it was back to crying. We couldn't figure it out. She has no teeth and was drooling a good bit.....that must be it. Hmmmm. Several of the babies have colds and she does have some congestion......hmmm. But, why not take the bottle? Then it hit me. We were giving her room temp formula and the previous bottles had all been HOT! Duh!!! So, Matt (the bottle man) fixed a new hot bottle and miracle of miracles the child ate like crazy. She was SO hungry! We felt terrible! The rest of the afternoon was great!


It turned out that our group all met for dinner at a Thai restaurant and although most everyone had a great day yesterday, we all had our issues today. Madelyn was happy through dinner and has signed off for the night (as has big sister!) We hope for another 12 hours. Could we be so lucky? We shall see........and we'll let you know tomorrow!

Life is a gift and we are truly blessed. One more tidbit.....this morning Megan made a profound declaration. She said, "This isn't as bad as I thought". I replied, "what do you mean?" Megan then told us that she was afraid that when Madelyn came Madelyn would get all the attention and there wouldn't be any for her. But, she could see that wasn't how it was going to be so that was good. She adores her sister and I think their love for one another will be something very special that we will all be witness to.

Thank you for reading....I promise we won't be so long-winded every day!!!
Love to you,
~L

Pictures are worth thousands of words...

Today was a banner day! We have waited 33 months for this special occasion. I am not typing much (too tired!) so we will let the pictures speak for themselves. Megan was great with Madelyn and she is already the "big sister" we knew she would be! More tomorrow and enjoy the photos.











Momma's first hug












It's a family affair (a family of four...)












The orphanage director and one of the nannies















Waiting to finish at the Civil Affairs Office












Our first Bottle (aka Bah...)












Will she be a "daddy's girl?"















My first smile (Thanks to big sis)












I love my new sister!















Night night, sleep tight...

And now it's night night for me, too. We don't know how long this peaceful quiet will last...

Matt

Today is the Day!

Good morning! We just had a wonderful buffet breakfast and are off to rediscover the Shamian Island in Guangzhou.

Yesterday we left Hong Kong on the train. The photo is of the Train Station. Also, Megan enjoyed her very first McDonald's experience in Hong Kong of all places! She had a Happy Meal and it was GOOD! (She even shared french fries with mommy - I think McDonald's fries are tops....must go back to my high school working days :o)

We arrived in Guangzhou mid afternoon yesterday and got settled into our beautiful suite at the White Swan. It is nice! Plenty of room to spread out but something is missing (we get her today!) We met up with our travel group, took a brief tour of the island and then all had dinner at Lucy's. There are 3 other 5/6 year olds in our group and they hit it off immediately. We couldn't get over how quickly they bonded. It was great fun and we finally got to meet our new friends face to face. We have been emailing for months and here we are!

We meet at 2:30 this afternoon to board the bus for the Civil Affairs office. We will meet the babies there. We are so excited and apprehensive, we can hardly stand it. I don't know whether to laugh or cry. A flood of emotions are running wild and I know it will get even more intense as the day goes on. It was so fun to see all the families and babies at breakfast this morning. They are all so precious and tomorrow morning we will be one of those families!

Our next post will have the pictures you have all been waiting for! (Us too!!!) Hopefully there will be smiles among the tears but it usually takes a couple days for everybody to "be one big happy family". We know that it will happen.

We continue to covet your prayers.....especially for good health. We cannot wait to send you all the good news. Again, thank you for sharing this with us. It is hard for me to see clearly through the tears that well up when I think of how many special family members and friends are along this journey with us. It is truly overwhelming and we are SO BLESSED!

We love you......have a great day and we will be in touch again soon!
~L

Hong Kong Disneyland!

Good EARLY morning!

We had a great day at Disney yesterday. We are still so tired that Meg and I crashed just after 5pm so here I am typing at 3am! We will get adjusted!!!













Yesterday we had breakfast in our room followed by an excursion around the hotel. It is beautiful. There is a Mickey Maze cut into the shrubs outside. We had fun following and chasing each other. The hotel looks out at the South China Sea with hills all around. It truly is gorgeous.


After some adventuring, we boarded the Disney bus for Disneyland. It is strange to have people looking at us as the foreigners! The entry is the same as Magic Kingdom in FL and CA. It is pretty cool. We ventured down Main Street and took in all of Tomorrowland. We rode rides, drove cars, played with Buzz Lightyear and had a blast!













We had lunch at a little cafe - some of the best french fries we have ever tasted! All the comforts of home. Then history was made.....we all shared real, spun cotton candy. Oh my goodness....it didn't last long. I have a feeling there is more of that in our future!!! After our sweet treat, we went to Adventureland for the Lion King show. It was fabulous! The costumes, dancing and singing were great! Megan knew every song and loved every minute of it. By mid-afternoon, we were ready to head back to the cool of the hotel. It was HOT and HUMID!

We look forward to another great day! We will go back to Disney and we are planning to go swimming. The pool has a cafe and a slide and is really nice. Let's hope we can stay awake long enough to enjoy all of it!

Tomorrow (Sunday), we head for Guangzhou. We will be taking the train. It is just under 2 hours. We will then get settled into the White Swan for our 12 day stay. Madelyn will join us on Monday afternoon. We cannot wait!

Thank you to everyone for your well wishes. It is so fun to get messages from you.
We love you all,
~L

Ni Hao! We have arrived...

After a thirty hour travel day (door to door), we finally arrived at the Disneyland Hong Kong Hotel around midnight, local time. Megan was a real trooper even though she only slept a few hours the whole time. The personal AV systems with lots of kids movies on demand was a lifesaver (especially since the volume on my iPod wasn't loud enough to hear on the plane!).

Lynne bought a great gizmo off the Internet - a folding seat that attaches to a rolling suitcase. Megan rode it for fun at first and it was a lifesaver in the Hong Kong airport last night.

We have a beautiful room at the hotel. The beds felt AWESOME last night and we all got a good night's sleep. The shower felt GREAT this morning, too! We enjoyed a wonderful breakfast in the room and are heading out for a fun day at Disney, starting out with and adventure through the garden maze at the hotel, over looking the China sea.

Megan enjoyed the Disney channel on TV with her Ariel blanket we bought at the Apple Festival a few weekends ago.

The Home Stretch...........

Well, we are in the home stretch! In less than 24 hours we will be boarding the plane in Atlanta headed for CHINA!!! At last! The bags are packed, the frig is cleaned out, our papers are in order and we're ready to go! I don't know that we have ever been ready for a trip with hours to spare! Makes me think we are forgetting something. - let's hope not. We keep reminding ourselves that if we do forget something, we will be in the shopping capital of the world.........Hong Kong! We should be able to find whatever we might need when we get there.

We will arrive in Hong Kong at 10:05 pm (10:05 am here) on Thursday. Friday and Saturday will be spent at Disneyland and Sunday we head to Guangzhou on the train. We should have Madelyn in our arms at about 3:30 pm (3:30 am here) on Monday. Searfoss, family of 4 .....FINALLY!!!!

We love you all and thank you for joining us on this journey. We look forward to sharing our experience with you. Remember, we will be across the world so email us and let us know what is going on around here. We will miss you all.

With love,
~L

An invisible red thread connects those who are destined to meet, regardless of time, place, or circumstance. The thread may stretch or tangle, but will never break.


- Chinese proverb

Birthday Party in Guangzhou!

We feel so fortunate to have found our friend, Ann, in Guangzhou. She sent the birthday care package to the orphanage for Madelyn on our behalf. I had been sent a photo of the contents of the package and was told it would be delivered in time for the celebration yesterday.

Well, this morning we unexpectedly received pictures of the birthday party just yesterday.... cake, playmates, nannies and all! The cake is just beautiful (wish I could have had a piece) and look at that precious one year old birthday girl. She is smiling for us! I must say, she is pretty cute, don't you think? We are so grateful we will have these memories forever. We also look forward to having our own birthday party with some of our new friends when we get to Guangzhou. Only six more days......but who's counting???

Love and hugs,
~L

Happy Birthday, Madelyn!

It's a Celebration Day! Today is Madelyn's first birthday :-) We celebrated literally across the globe.....Grammie had a birthday luncheon where her friends not only celebrated her birthday but also Madelyn's. Matt bought a cake and balloons to commemorate the occasion at work. Madelyn received a special birthday care package in the orphanage including a birthday cake, a Hello Kitty doll and tea for the nannies. It was all wonderful and brought us one day closer to being face to face. I cannot wait to see that little face up close......to touch her, hold her, squeeze her for the very first time. We can't believe we will be in the air this time next week.

Happy birthday, precious girl! We will be there soon.......
I love you,
Mommy