Thank You!

Thank you all for your warm wishes while we were in China. It was an awesome journey..and perhaps someday, I will be able to write more about the trip..for now, though...we are going to switch back to our "regular" blog...here's the address:

www.journeytomaya.blogspot.com

Check in on us from time to time...we'll try to post frequently!

Michelle and Maya

HOME!

Yay! We are home. I will admit that there were times in the airplane(s) today that I highly doubted we would make it. This was, by far, the HARDEST day ever! But...Maya has taken it like a champ. She already seems comfortable in her new house...we took a brief tour and then she went down for bed around 8pm - just like in the hotel rooms that we have stayed in. We did have dinner...how could we not feast on Imo's pizza after 16 days away? I wanted to make Maya's first meal in the US a distinct one!

I'll keep this short...I'm so stinkin' tired right now that I'm seeing doubles!

The plan is to ease into a routine...after a few days!

More later!

November 3, 2006 - Guangzhou

The adoption is complete! We had our swearing in ceremony this afternoon at the U.S. Consulate. Two little stamps in Maya's passport once we get to Newark, NJ and she will be a US Citizen.

Nothing else to report today...we took it easy most of the day and then had dinner one last time in China. We have to be in the hotel lobby at 5:50am tomorrow morning, so I'm signing off, one last time, from China.

See you guys soon!

Michelle&Maya&Grandpa!

November 2, 2006 - Guangzhou

Our day in photos....

A little pre-breakfast paper reading...

Yum...I really like bananas!

All done! I help mama out by wiping my own mouth and hands!

We took a walk around the island after breakfast and did some shopping...she still does not like to shop...oh well...mama doesn't really like shopping either!

Back in the room before picture time...Grandpa introduced me
to Snickers! YUM - I guess we can be friends afterall!

One of my favorite things to do is throw everything from the table onto the floor...then mama picks it all up for me so that I can do it again!

Mom bought me this pretty lavendar dress - it's a traditional Chinese dress -
I didn't mind it so much!

But then...she wanted me to cooperate for some group photos...doesn't she know that I don't like big groups of strangers?? (I'm the cute one in the upper left corner - looking like I'm waving!)

Now I'm all sacked out...ready to bring on more cuteness
tonight for dinner with some friends!

And this is me NOT going to sleep eventhough mama put me
down 30 minutes ago!

November 1, 2006 - Guangzhou

There really is nothing sweeter than a sleeping baby! These pictures are imprinted in my mind..and I recall them as often as Maya's meltdowns...it's one of my coping mechanisms!! Notice that she has BOTH of her legs out of the crib slats...too cute!!



This was our first full day in Guangzhou. The best way to describe it is from another adoptive parent - it's the West Palm Beach of China. It's very accomodating to westerners....it's very touristy...and it's very "lit up" at night. One of the cool things about our rooms is the light show that goes on over the Pearl River every night at 8pm. It's very impressive!

Today..we got up pretty early and went downstairs to have our first "American" breakfast since last Wednesday. It was SO good! We then made our way to the "Swan Room" which is a great play room that Matel has built for all of the adoptive parents that come through Guangzhou with their babies. Maya has so much fun being with other kids...even if she's not yet able to fully interact...she enjoys people watching! She did play with some toys...my personal favorite was the Elmo/Cookie Monster shape sorter that talked to you in Spanish! All I could make out was "Hola" in this really creepy CookieMonster-ish voice.....the rest was pretty garbled! Here's a shot of the room...

Then...the unimaginable happened...a ton of paperwork had to be completed and I had to leave Maya for almost two hours...for the FIRST time! Man that was HARD! But...we are all still here to tell you that Grandpa FINALLY got to hold his newest granddaughter! She was sleeping....but that still counts! By Grandpa's account...everything went pretty well....they played just a bit...she cried just a bit...she slept a bit...and then she sat on his lap and waited for me to come back. They still have some work to do...but this was a BIG start! Yay for Maya and Grandpa - and Mama only cried a little bit, so Yay for Mama, too! (I cannot believe that I forgot to get a picture of this....I'm SO sorry!!)

We had some lunch at a local restaurant called Lucy's and then went out to do a tad bit of shopping. This girl loves to eat! She's a very good eater...will try almost anything that I present to her...and particularly enjoys feeding herself. Grandpa will give her some little bites on a plate..and this morning...she just kept sliding her plate over to Grandpa for a refill once it was empty. It was quite funny!

As for shopping...I'm not completely sure - it could have been because she was tired - but I'm beginning to think that my daughter does not like to shop! She wouldn't stand for it for very long before meltdown central came knocking at my door. So...we didn't do too much. Besides, we had MUCH better plans for the afternoon - photo and medical exam time! Oh MAN was she pissed! She did not enjoy the photo op, because other people were touching her and she REALLY didn't like the medical exam. That involved way too much time in the hands of strangers for her. The good news is that she checked out just fine and we should have all of the immigration stuff done by tomorrow afternoon so that I can take an oath on Friday and that will be that!! Maya officially becomes a citizen of the USA once her little feet touch US soil on Saturday evening. Yay for Maya!

Ok...I know...I stink at picture taking...I should have had a TON more photos from today...particularly since we didn't have much going on...I'll try harder tomorrow! Until then...have a GREAT whatever day today is!

October 31, 2006 - From Luoyang to Guangzhou

Happy Halloween!

Today is a day of transit. I am hoping that the change in environment won't be too hard on Maya...but I am SO excited about getting to Guangzhou! I can't wait to meet back up with some of the other CCAI families and meet their little ones.

Since there won't be much excitement today (I hope!)....I'll just share some thoughts about life with Maya.

- She has the greatest smile and giggle...and mama has found her tickle spots. We play a game in the mornings, just after waking up, where she hides her face from me and I ask "Where's Maya?" and she just giggles and smiles the biggest smile! Then, she has to hide my face and I ask "Where's Mama?" and she just giggles and smiles when I reveal myself. So much fun!

- She also exhibits some of the most spectacular meltdowns I've seen. Thrashing, screaming, flailing....oh..it's a site to see! But...she calms down relatlively quickly (once I cave in to her demands, that is!) Yup...we'll be working on that, too, once she's feeling a bit more secure.

- She has a great time imitating. She loves to feed me and yesterday, she even wiped my nose after I got done wiping hers. It was SO cute!

- Maya is really coming out of her shell. I know this because of the meltdowns...and her responding to the name Maya...and the ready smile upon waking...and the laughter and giggles when playing...and most of all...the way she holds on to me when she is unsure of something.

- She is getting better each day with the walking. She's not quite ready to let go of my hands, but she has quickly moved from walking with both hands holding onto mine..to just one hand...and her legs seem to be getting closer together as she walks (she was very bow-legged just 6 short days ago). She has taken a brief step on her own as she moves from one object to hold onto to another.

- She is HILARIOUS! She makes me laugh so hard and so loud with her craziness and her laughter. Tonight, she realized that she could stand up by herself in the crib..with the help of the bars. She was SO pleased with herself....


She has also figured out that the camera coming out means to smile and look my way!

Finally...we ended our day with a spaghetti mess on the floor of Grandpa's hotel room. We have made it to Guangzhou...and Maya was such a trooper on the long bus ride and the 2 hour flight...she didn't have any problems at all! Yay!

Just four more days in China! But I have to say....this is going to be the coolest leg of the trip...lots of shopping and general merriment headed our way! See you all soon!

October 30, 2006 - Luoyang, Henan

This is our last day in Luoyang. We did some more sightseeing...the Shaolin Temples was on tap for today! The bus ride was long, but Maya did manage to get a nice nap on the way there and mostly on the way back. Part of the tour today included this totally cool KongFu show. These guys were AMAZING! The discipline that these boys must posess is awe-inspiring. Very fun to watch!

I have mixed emotions about leaving Luoyang. Foremost, I'm ready for the next and final leg of this trip. It is difficult to live in a hotel with an (almost) 18 month old. Not much for us to do here and it's hard to get out because we don't really have places to go. However...I am about to take Maya away from the only home she has known...and the place of her birth. I cannot describe to you my feelings for Maya's birth-mother. How much sorrow she must feel for having to give up her daughter...and how heart-breaking that action must have been. It is an odd sensation to be walking the streets of Maya's city and wondering where her birth-mom is living. How is she doing? Does she think about Maya and pray for her to have found a family? Her greatest sorrow is indeed my greatest joy, and I will forever remember her and her sacrifice and be thankful for the gift that she has given me.

I've got some packing to do, so here are some photos from today with quick captions!

I love this photo....she did not realize I was taking it, and she looks so content to just be sitting on my lap on the bus!



and then...she DID realize I was taking her picture...but this one is just as cute!

yes...I know...the pictures of Dad behind Maya's stroller are getting a little redundant. All I can say is that Maya is getting closer and closer to letting Grandpa in...I'm praying it happens before the L-O-N-G flight home!!!

just for the record...I tried to get a picture of Dad on a camel....this was apparently a side show at the Shaolin temples...but he just wouldn't go for it!

Incredible! I wish I had brought a video-camera for this..but one of our travel-mates has a bunch of stuff on video that he is willing to share!!!

Ok..I know that's not alot of photos...and I actually had more, but then I realized that I should ask people if they mind me putting their pictures on the blog before I do so....common courtesy and all!

October 29, 2006 - Luoyang, Henan

Let's see....we decided not to take the tour to the orphanage today. I didn't want to terrify Maya by leaving her with anyone while I went in to visit, take photos, and such...so...we skipped it. I was able to get lots of photos and information from other families who went, and another parent will be sharing the video of the Director of the Luoyang SWI talking to all of the parents. I do not regret my decision...I feel it was the right thing to do.

So, instead, we took a walk to a local park. It was a little scary, venturing off on our own for the first time, but it wasn't that far and it became less and less scary as I realized that although it feels a bit like being on parade, the local people here are very friendly...but also very curious!

The funniest thing is when a chinese man came up to us and started asking questions in Mandarin. I know all of two things in Mandarin....and neither were applicable in this case. So...we showed him our name tags that indicate why we are here in hopes that this would answer his questions...but it didn't. We finally had to shrug our shoulders and just walk away. Frustrating, for sure!

Maya loves her rice crackers....and she also enjoys feeding them to me!

This was the coolest thing....they put you into this uninflated plastic ball...blow it up with air...and zip you up in it. Then...they push you out onto the lake and you play inside the plastic bubble....this little girl was falling all over the place and laughing VERY hard....we should try to get this at Forest Park...what a blast it appears to be!

I have finally gotten over my shyness of taking pictures of the people in China. They have NO problem coming right up to us and touching Maya and talking to her.....turnabout is fair play, I say!

Here's Grandpa pretending like he and Maya are just having the best of times...you can see that Maya is still ignoring Grandpa for the most part. We're trying...we're really trying! He did get the slightest upturn of her mouth today....almost a full-fledged smile directed his way! Babysteps...babysteps!

On our way back from the park, we saw a wedding. We heard the band, first and then realized that there was a bride and groom standing on the steps to a restaurant having their pictures taken...very cool!

The park was gorgeous! And very fun! It was a very leisurely Sunday afternoon and there were many families out playing. We saw a ton of girls, amazingly! They were very insterested in us..and many came up to look at Maya a little closer. Who knows what they were saying...but Maya didn't fuss, so it was all good! There are two things that this American mommy are doing wrong in the eyes of the Chinese mommies. One - I do not dress her warm enough (I only have one layer of clothing instead of enough to make her look like the Michelan man), and two - I let her suck on her fingers. Both have been brought to my attention, a few times! Oh well...different cultures, I guess!

We came back to the hotel to have a noodle picnic! Maya was having fun trying to use the plastic fork that came with the ramen style noodles. She didn't get many in her mouth, but had fun in her attempts!

Nap time was up next...she is really an easy baby to put down...a few minutes of fussing in my arms and then I can just lay her down in her crib and off she goes! She also enjoys sleeping right now. Close to 12 hours per night plus a 2 hour nap during the day. I have little faith that these sleeping habits will stay with us back home, but a girl can hope!

Later this afternoon we had a bit of a hall-party. No kegs, just gobs of kids running around and playing, chasing, screaming, giggling! Maya was SUPER content to sit and watch this going on. It seems as if she prefers to be in the thick of things...surrounded by people and kids. Just as long as the "big people" don't attempt to touch her or pick her up, she's happy as a clam!

Tomorrow will be an almost full day of touring and then we will pack up and be ready to travel to our next destination, Guangzhou, on Tuesday! Yay! 5 more days until we come home...we're almost there!

A note for my family.....Grandpa is indeed in China with me...I know that he's not in alot of photos, but that's because he ends up behind the camera most of the time! Sorry - we'll try to be better!!

October 28, 2006 - Luoyang, Henan

It's Saturday! We are just one week from coming home..and we cannot wait! Here's a chronicle of our day:

5:45am - I am WIDE awake. Maya has a cough..and I had my first night of waking frequently to listen to the coughing spell and then for the sound of her breath. The worry thing comes naturally for me!

6:45am - Maya wakes up - pretty happy, too! She greeted me with a huge smile upon waking, which I absolutely adored! I gave her one of her new favorite treats (a rice cracker) while I finished up getting ready and then we started her primping! Maya enjoys bathtime..so she had a bath this morning and was raring to go. We actually had to wait for Grandpa this morning..he's turning into a late sleeper here in China!

So..while we waited..we walked the halls. Here's Maya practicing her walking with our new stroller. She's doing very well!

9:00am - after breakfast, we boarded the bus for a 1/2 day of touring. We were supposed to go to two places, but only had time for one. We arrived at the Longmen Grottoes by 10:00am. It was a beautiful day outside..and the grottos were nice. I can't tell you much about them because I am still very consumed with all things Maya, so if you are interested, just click here

Here are a few pictures from the Grottoes...

Maya's doing the "I can't see you" thing for Grandpa! She's a smart one...she quickly figured out that if I was in front of her...then I could not be pushing the stroller...therefore, someone ELSE must be touching the stroller! Picky...picky!!

One of the grotto carvings....HUGE!

Here we are...enjoying the day outside!

12:30pm - We went to an authentic Luoyang chinese lunch. They called it the "water banquet" because the food just kept on flowing! Tons of food...but it sure is hard to get your fill when you're eating with two sticks and feeding the tiny little mouth sitting on your lap! I am very proud of my chopstick skills, though....I even fed Maya a Cheerio with chopsticks. Impressed? Maya decided to flip out on me half way through lunch, though...so no cutesy photos of that experience, sorry!

What was cool about this place where we ate lunch was that everything they served was grown in their own gardens..and raised (I suppose) on their land. I was ok with this until I saw a cute little kitty cat roaming the gardens after lunch...Hmmmmmm.....I wonder! :)

2:30pm - Back on the bus with some cranky kids....and then back to the hotel. Upon our return, we saw that the Cardinals had indeed won the World Series! Way to go Cardinals! So...for you viewing pleasure, I present our newest Cardinal fan...can you SEE the look of excitement on her face?

The rest of the day is a blur...and a bit boring. Being in this hotel, day after day, is getting on everyone's nerves...but we'll survive. We have two more full days here until we move onto Guangzhou...then just 3 days there until we fly back home. Yipppeeeee!

We'll be spending most of the day tomorrow hanging out here at the hotel...so hopefully, I'll get some great candid shots!

Have a great Saturday, everyone!

October 27, 2006 - Luoyang, Henan

Success!!

Today was an almost "free" day. We had a little bit of work to be done in the morning to finish up some paperwork for the registration of the adoption. That's really the last of the paperwork to be done here in Luoyang...now we wait for the passports to be processed.

Grandpa and Maya update: We're making progress..a little bit. This afternoon, Grandpa and Maya "played" on the floor for a few minutes. By "play" I mean...Grandpa tried and Maya screamed. However...this time, I did not scoop her up right away (heartwrenching!) and let her work it out. She did stop crying...and picked up the coins that Grandpa gave her to put in the water bottle /rattle. And that was that! She will still let him feed her...and today, Grandpa taught Maya about ketchup on french fries. See below for my little dipper.


We took a trip to a local store today for supplies. The taxi ride was interesting...and "fun", if you consider a few 100 near death experiences in the span of 5 minutes, fun! All that and more for the low, low price of 7 yuan...that's roughly less than $1.

While at the store, we picked up some snacks, some essentials, and a stroller. At last...a stroller! This kid is heavy...and she only wants ME to hold her...and she's not steady enough on her feet for long enough to put her down for any any real distance. So...a stroller is a godsend! And the good news is that she didn't mind sitting in it. She also really liked walking behind it and "pushing" it with a little help from mom. This will hopefully help her with her walking. I noticed tonight that she was trying to get from sitting to standing with the help of the ottoman..and she wasn't able to. I'm a bit concerned about this...but I won't freak out until we get back home and I have Dr. O'Neil do a thorough exam. Any mom's out there that would like to comment and assure me that my child will eventually walk on her own one day soon...speak up!! It's a bit distressing to see her so far behind the other kids her age.

Between store time and dinner time, we played a little. And I was able to call for Grandpa to come take a picture of this beautiful smile!!!!


Tomorrow is Day 8 in China...Day 5 with Maya..we will be doing some touring in the morning (yay!) and then back at the hotel for the afternoon. We'll do that same on Sunday and then there is an optional orphanage visit on Monday. I would REALLY like to go, but we'll need to see how Maya is doing with Grandpa, because I won't be taking her back to the orphanage with me.

We are SO ready to come home....have I said that already?

She's mine!!!!

I cannot believe that I forgot to post on Wednesday that Maya legally became mine in the eyes of China on Wednesday afternoon, October 25th. It was a very simple day...go get photos (and hear her scream when the man taking the pictures tried to touch her)..and then wait for a bit until that afternoon when we walked a few blocks to a government office where they handed us a certificate that legally makes the adoption complete. It was very simple...no ceremony...none of us even really knew that was happening until we got to the office. (I mean...I would have at least put some makeup on!) Very odd...but very joyous, nonetheless. Here's a photo of Maya and I and then one of our group with the registration officials....

On Thursday morning...we had a much needed break. No meetings, forms to fill out, or places to be. And it's a good thing, because Maya has been running a bit of a fever. Even after 10 hours of sleep, she ended up taking a 2 hour nap in the morning and then sleeping for a bit on the bus-ride to Luoyang, which is where we landed yesterday afternoon. The pace here is much less hectic and we will have alot of down time to just play and explore the city a bit. We got to the hotel around 4:30pm ... had some dinner and then it was bedtime. I finally caught up on some sleep last night and hopefully Maya is feeling much better today. Here is a photo of our "walker" - she's getting there.....

Here is a series of "just missed the full smile photos"

And finally....the tongue and those gorgeous eyes! Everyone comments on her eyes...the hotel workers, particularly!

We are working on her walking....she does not seem able to go from sitting to standing on her own, and still wants to hold onto me with both hands while walking. Last night, though, she started walking "around" the bed while holding on to it. She did this spontaneously, which was a suprise to me....so far, she's been a pretty limp baby...she would just sit wherever I put her, and not really assist me with things like putting on her shirt or pants. Yesterday, she began to help out a bit more and is taking more initiative with moving around. I'll probably be chasing her down the hall in NO time!

Progress!!

Definite progress was made in the early hours of this morning - 4am, to be exact. I had decided at some point last night to bring Maya into my bed. We will be co-sleeping at home, so I thought we might just give it a try here. She fussed sometime around midnight or so...so I plopped her next to me in this enormous (but hard as a ROCK!) bed of mine and off we went to slumberland. Well...around 4am...my darling girl woke up (I guess I was already awake) and gave me the BIGGEST smile ever! She looked straight at me and just smiled! Oh..did my heart melt! We then had about a 20 minute play-fest of "Where's Maya" with her turning away from me and then back to me and threw in some tickling for good measure!

And that was it. We cuddled up together for a few moments..she put herself back to sleep..and I've been awake ever since!

Oh my goodness....nobody could have explained to me how AWESOME this is!

We'll be moving on to the city of Luoyang later today (2ish)....I will try to take more pictures today and will post later tonight after we're settled into our new hotel room.

Thank you all SO much for your comments..and your prayers..and good wishes. It is such a blessing to be able to share this with all of you...and frankly, the blogging has become addicitve and has kept me sane when I'm awake in the middle of the night!

And now, for a different kind of countdown....

We'll be home in just 10 days - China time! YAY!

The first 24+ hours...

Amazing! It's only been a little over 24 hours, and I feel like I've known Maya for a lifetime. Life really does change THAT quickly when a child enters your world. She is such a GOOD baby girl! She's still not warmed up to Grandpa, they had a little spat earlier when he very innocently tried to move her from sitting on the bed to sitting on the floor. She'll wave at him, but that's about it for now. We'll be working on that relationship over the next few days!

Here are some things I've learned:

She really likes to suck on her fingers - not just at nap/sleep time, but just about all the time - particularly when she is feeling insecure.

She likes to have a leg or two outside of the crib when she sleeps.

She CAN walk - she just prefers not to - we will also be working on this over the next few days - she can get quite heavy and I've not yet perfected the sling. Another family gave me a snugli that their daughter is too big for and Maya LOVED it - that is, after Tom (a Dad in the group) had to help me get her in there which involved MUCH screaming and then a follow up with fingers in the mouth.

She is very helpful - when I went to change her diaper, I had moved around the bed to get the wipes, and she already had the tabs undone.

She SMILES! You have to earn it - but when she deems you worthy, it's a very sweet smile and I think I even heard a giggle or two. (Sorry - not captured on film yet!) More smiles later in the day, also not captured because I was alone with her and did not want to lose the moment...we tried again with Grandpa in the room, but she's very uncertain of him right now. Just a matter of time, he hasn't lost his touch!!

She likes to eat - but she sometimes misses her mouth (remind you of anyone?). We left quite a few noodles on her lap and around her high chair at lunch today.

And....she is the most special girl in the world in her mamma's eyes. I was laying in bed this afternoon pretending to take a nap when a warm sensation flooded my heart just looking at her face.....that MUST be a mother's love!

Oh..and one more thing....she can suck down a bottle like NO ONE's business. Could be because the one I made last night did not make the cut and this would be her first one in 24 hours. But don't worry - she's been fed!

Another picture of the finger-sucking, eyelash stroking, eyeball poking princess (and no, I was not asleep!)

The development of the day would be Maya's clingy-ness to me. She is fine if others come close to her and try to engage her, but if they should want to hold her or pick her up - WATCH OUT! Not happy...at all....lots of ear-piercing screamin' going on! One of our guides explained that this happens very frequently...they start to get a little more comfortable with their main caregiver and will not allow for change of any sort. I believe this is a good step in the bonding/attachment process...but it's certainly not the whole journey. We have a long way to go...but we'll get there!

I'm sorry that I don't have any more pictures of the day.....it's hard to get pictures when I'm with her alone and Grandpa was giving us some space today. I promise to do better tomorrow!

Let sleeping babies sleep!

Well..if only one of us was going to sleep...I'm sure glad it was Maya! Here are some pictures from her first night as Maya HongLi Wobbe.

That can't be comfortable....

fingers in mouth...ready to sleep!

this one would be "Mom, please turn off the flash!!!"

She is sleeping with a bunny that I sent in the orphanage care package and the blanket that Aunt Stephanie knit for her. It's very soft...and just the right size!

I haven't slept much...but I did get a solid 4 hours early in the night...so far, I've raided the mini bar for overpriced pringles and kit-kats because last nights dinner was a bit too questionable looking for me, responded to e-mails, sent e-mails, checked websites, and watched Maya sleep! I sure hope we get to take a nap later!!

October 24, 2006 - ZhengZhou, Henan

It's Maya Day!!!!!!!

Before I dare to describe the day, here are some pictures...

This is Maya with her Nanny..she is quite content to look at us and wave.

She did not look like she was going to cry when they handed her to me, but I think she was just going with the crowd. It only lasted a minute or two..then just silence and looking around.

Here we are together...having a quiet moment away from the crowds...

We shared some Cheerios....

We filled out some paperwork and then came back to the room, where we played some, ate some, and then played some more...here she is expertly stacking her stacking cups!

It was a wonderful day! Maya is a very sweet baby. She has a bit of a cold...and is very quiet. No crying...just a little wimpering. I'm sure it's coming....so I'll take the quiet for now!

More to come....for now, I'm going to take some very good advice, which is to rest when Maya rests! Good night from Zhengzhou!