Finally - our last paperwork!

We had a great day today (Sunday) site seeing at the Chen Family Academy. It is over 100 years old and is now a folk art museum. It was very crowded, being a weekend. We toured this same site when we were here with Megan so it was a "redo" for us. We did get a chance to order a hand painted scroll for Madelyn that should arrive at the hotel on Tuesday. Megan has one hanging in her room that we bought 4 years ago.

I told Megan about the hand carved bone and she really wanted to see it. The pictures don't do it justice. The work is so intricate that you can only see some of it by magnifying glass. The workmanship is truly amazing. That was about the extent of our attention span so we spent the rest of the time hanging around our group and the girls played and ran around the small palm trees.

We returned to the hotel for a diaper change and brief rest before heading out for lunch. We walked to one end of the island where a new Italian restaurant is located. The lunch was excellent and Megan ate an entire plate of spaghetti with meat sauce (I didn't even get a bite...). Madelyn fell asleep for her afternoon nap just as the meals came so that worked out well. We strolled through the streets after lunch amazed at the number of bridal photo shoots going on. We asked several of the locals who told us that the island is one of the most popular places for wedding photos. There were literally hundreds of brides with photographers all over the place. There was even a movie or commercial being filmed as well. We made it through the maze of Brides in dresses (and tennis shoes) and grooms in tuxes to the most important stop of the afternoon; Starbucks!

We had our final paper work session late in the afternoon. We got all our US paperwork in order to finalize our consulate visit in a couple of days. It was tedious and got started late due to the group before us being late. It took 2 hours instead of one. Lynne was with the girls by herself the entire time so she was glad to see me! Erin, Bob, Mollianne and Meisey came over for pizza (that we ordered from the same Italian restaurant from lunch). The girls played games and we really enjoyed our time together. Madelyn crashed early in the evening and we were all entertained by Meisey's antics as she fought to stay awake. Meisey was at Madelyn's first birthday party at the orphanage and the two get along as well as 12 month olds can.

We are excited to have a couple of days with no plans other than a trip to the grocery store tomorrow. Madelyn did great today with the formula mixture and ate and slept well. We are looking forward to another night of sleep :) The closer Friday gets, the more anxious we are to get home. The flight home is a bit daunting knowing that it is a long day and we will have two girls to worry about and limited space on the plane. We also had another realization today that Madelyn has never been in a car seat and is not real crazy about being belted in so that will be an experience as well.

Thanks again for the emails and comments on the blog. We love hearing from you and can't wait to get home.

Matt

A really brief update...

Yeah!!! Madelyn had a much better night so we all slept :) I had to get up and give a small bottle just before midnight and she slept the rest of the night.

She still did not eat well yesterday so i expect her to wake any moment with quite an appetite. We are still tweaking the formula mixture and hope today is a better day, at least from an eating standpoint. More to come later after some site seeing and family game time this afternoon. (No POOL!!! That water is cold!)

Later,
Matt

Fun day at the Zoo

Tonight will be a short post. We had a rough night last night. Madelyn is teething and did not eat well. She was awake most of the night, which means so were we. She has quit taking her bottle until she is famished and then eats too fast and gets a belly ache. Lynne didn't want to take her out again today so Megan and I went with the group to the Zoo. We had a great time. Daniel, a 6 year old boy went with us so his parents could stay home with his baby sister as well. He and Megan play well together and he is a good sport being the only boy with 3 other little girls. The zoo was well kept and the animals were a lot of fun. The Elephants put on a little show as did the bears. The kids got to go down into the "Monkey Mountain" area and feed the monkeys. It was a good time for all.

Back at the hotel, we had some down time watching a movie. Thank goodness the macintosh connects to the TV so easily we could all watch the movie on the TV - Yes that was jab at the PC :-). We then went to drop some photos off to have some artwork made. We wound up at Lucy's again for a late lunch. Madelyn sat with Megan for a while and Lynne got a great picture. I broke my watch in Hong Kong so I bought a Rolex today on the street for about $15. I hope it lasts me the week until I can get home.

We are all exhausted so we are heading to bed early. We expect Madelyn to wake in the middle of the night hungry since she refused her bottle tonight. Tomorrow we head off to the Chen Family temple for a couple of hours of site seeing. We'll let you know how it goes.

Until then...
Matt

Temple Visit and Medical Examination

We started our day with a visit to the Six Banyan Temple. There is a beautiful Pagoda there and incense all around. We saw Buddhas and monks among the many local people worshiping there. After the Temple, we headed to the Jade Market. This is something I have been waiting for. When we came for Megan I did not purchase a Jade bracelet. Well, I have a beautiful one on my wrist tonight! It was worth the wait and I wasn't going to regret passing it up again. We actually bought two because Chinese tradition is that the bangle bracelet is passed on to the daughter on her wedding day. What a beautiful thought that I will wear both of the bracelets before giving them to my daughters on the occasion of their marriage. It brings tears to my eyes just to look at them. We love the picture of our guide, Kelly, with Megan at the fish pond in the Jade Market. Megan was enthralled with the painter using only his fingers and palms to create beautiful landscapes. She spent much time watching him while Mommy was shopping.

After the Jade Market we returned to the Hotel. We were all hungry. We decided, along with the Martin family that we would like to get some noodles on the Island. Our guide sent us to a "locals place" slightly off the beaten path. When Erin (as you will see in the photo) lifted the chicken foot onto her spoon....we were done! We ended up back at Lucy's next to the hotel for grilled cheese sandwiches!

In the afternoon, the babies had to have their final physical exam. I took Madelyn to the medical clinic while Matt and Megan did some school work and went to the pool. The water was 70 degrees.....brrrrrrrrr! Didn't stop Miss Megan! Madelyn weighed in at 16.5 pounds (smallest in our group) and 27.1 inches long. She is little but adorable. I bought some squeaky shoes at a local store tonight and Madelyn was delighted. She loves the noise they make and just laughs a big belly laugh! They are cute and fun.....can't wait to share them with all of you :o)

It was a good day but after going so strong we decided to stay in the room for the evening. We have not had many breaks and are really tired. We look forward to a few slower days to come. Much of our paperwork is now complete so the process continues until we come home 1 week from today. That will be a glorious day!

We love you and can't wait to see you all.

~L

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