Sarah really enjoys her little stroller! (although turning still needs some work)

The Long Flight and No Place Like Home

March 15, 2009 we got up early, got ready for the day and finished the last minute packing. We went down for our final breakfast at the Hollywood Hotel, sorry Sarah, probably no more Mickey shaped waffles, potstickers, noodles, rice and scrambled eggs all at the same time. Then it was off to the airport for our flight home. I had packed a carry on with lots of toys that would keep Sarah busy, not to mention snacks, it was time to board the plane.
Just before taking off the captain came on and said that the entertainment system for the plane had been dismantled and so there would be no inflight movies or music or anything for the duration of the flight. (Groans and moans) The captain said I hope you brought books and things to entertain yourselves because its going to be a long flight. We began our journey home and little Sarah was simply amazing. I knew I would be learning many lessons from this child and the first was about to begin, she knew about entertaining herself, she simply took the little bag out of the seat compartment and opened it up and took the couple of little toys she had and would put them in the bag and dump them out then in the bag and dump them out. This simple thing kept her busy for a very long time. I thought to myself how that in our society we have become accustomed to the need for entertainment, movies, video games and the latest toys and gadgets. We live in such a fast paced society always go go go and we so often forget about the simple things. We have so many distractions that take us away from the basics and remembering that by small and simple things are great things brought to pass. Her life has been very simple, no frills and of course it only made sense that she would find joy in the little things. She slept for a while and ate a few snacks and enjoyed a few walks, only fussing a couple of times for probably less then 5 minutes each time. Before long we were in Canada, we were all tired but we still had a 4 hour layover before we could board another plane home. We also had to go through immigration in Canada, we had alot of paperwork for Sarah, we had thought we would be doing that in Salt Lake City but were told we needed to do it there in Canada, they actually have immigration there that has a sign saying welcome to the USA and so we were sent over to that area where we handed over our carefully guarded papers and waited. We were actually glad we could do it in Canada since that would take up some of our time we were waiting for our flight and that also meant we didn't have to worry about it later and could just go home. We should receive a certificate of citizenship for Sarah in about 45 days.
Sarah fell asleep just before we boarded our flight for home, we had to go outside to board the plane and it was really cold and snowing, I carried her oh so carefully hoping I wouldn't trip up the stairs to the plane. We were treated like VIPS and taken to the plane before anyone else was allowed to board. She remained sleeping the entire flight home. She is so very good!
We got off the plane, made a restroom stop and headed to meet Sam and Megan and our friends Brenda and Madeline. I could look down and see them standing and waiting for us, I heard them call out,"Here they come." I felt the tears start to well up in my eyes and that lump that has become very familiar back in my throat again. The elevator doors opened and the tears started to fall, what a joyous homecoming, we were back and our family was waiting with joy, anxiousness and excitement to greet us. I hugged everyone and then all eyes were on the newest Sirrine family member, Sarah was quiet and reserved, not quite sure of what was really going on, she remained cautious. Luggage was gathered and off to the cars we went. Sarah gave Sam a few smiles in the car and she rode for the first time in a carseat and was once again just so good. We arrived home to find pink and white balloons and a banner across the top of the garage that in big letters said, "Welcome Home Sarah" more ballons and streamers inside the house. Chad and Heather had been busy decorating and they brought Sarah welcome home gifts, lots of cute hairbows, a cute hat and there was even a couple boxes of my favorite girl scout cookies sitting on the table. Yes, it was so good to be back home, once again surrounded by family, my greatest treasure and joy. And finally Sarah was home, prayers were answered and I stood with so much gratitude in my heart for the blessings I had received. Sarah surprised me as she got down from my arms and walked over to Sam and held her arms out to her. Sam picked her up and held her tight, this time the tears were streaming from not only my eyes but Sam's also, she has waited so long to hold her sister and suddenly it was happening. Sarah also quickly went to Heather and before the night was over had gone to Megan as well. It might take her a little while to warm up to the men in the family but you can bet it won't be long before she has stolen their hearts and has them wrapped around her finger.
She was very frightened of Jack, our dog, but by the next morning she was bossing him around.
Jack has been so good, he was so sad while we were gone, Sam and Meg said he just sat by the garage door waiting for us to come home and kind of moped around, he was so happy to see us, I was a little worried that he would not like Sarah very much as she was invading his territory, but he has been very kind and gentle with her.
We have now been home for 5 days, still feeling a little jet lagged but Sarah is doing wonderful. We are still trying to bond and work on attachment to make sure she knows she is loved, has a family who will always be there for her and never leave her and help build a solid foundation for her. So much for her to take in, so many firsts for her. I so enjoy being with her everyday, so much fun for our family to see her laugh and smile and reach out to us. So great to see her learn new things. And now what you've all been waiting for, more pictures.

More Pictures :)

Hong Kong Disney and Hong Kong

Sorry to take so long to post, things have been very busy! We spent 1 1/2 days at Hong Kong Disney, March 12, and 13th and it was really fun! It was so nice to be in such a fun and relaxing atmosphere. Sarah enjoyed the rides we went on and it was so much fun to see her joy and excitement. She didn't like the Disney characters, they were a little scary and overwhelming to her so we learned pretty quickly to keep our distance from them. The first ride she went on was similar to the Dumbo ride, little cars that went up and down and around in a circle, she would cover her eyes and then look and squeal and giggle as we went up and then dropped suddenly and the wind blew her face in a soft breeze. She slept through the parades and musical events, shopped the stores for souvenirs and made us laugh and smile.

On Saturday March 14 we took the subway into Hong Kong, took a taxi to the top of Victorias Peak and saw a beautiful view of Hong Kong. We ate lunch at Bubba Gump Shrimp Co., and I must say that was a fabulous meal, we all ordered something different and shared with each other and it was probably one of the best meals we had on the trip. Sarah was given her first balloon, she didn't know quite what to think about it. It was on a long straw type stick that eventually became more trouble then it was worth and she lost interest in a short while. After lunch we took a taxi to the pier where we then boarded a ferry and took a tour around the harbor, then another taxi and on to see the Hong Kong temple. We met a nice couple coming out of the temple that were from Sandy and had been living in Hong Kong since August, we chatted with them as they walked us to the subway station. Kind of fun to run into someone who was from our neck of the woods when we were so far away.

It was then back to the hotel for dinner and packing our belongings for the long flight ahead.

An Emotional Day

Yesterday, March 11 we walked the streets of Shamian Island for the final time, shop owners called out in their cheerful voices, "You come shop inside, I give best price"
Each owner trying their best to convince us to buy their wares. Then it was back to the room where we packed up all our stuff, we also received a "Going Home Barbie" from the White Swan Hotel, it is a collector Barbie Doll holding an Asian child, pretty cute. In the afternoon we boarded a bus with several other familes and took a 45 minute bus ride to the American Embassy where we would take an oath to finalize the adoption. The oath part took about 5 minutes but I couldn't help but feel a bit emotional as they said, your children are now finally all yours. What a journey this has been. I can't help but think of the words to the song, Some People Wait A Life Time For A Moment Like This, like I have said before, the blessings that Heavenly Father has for us are so much better then we ever imagine for ourselves. Thank you to all who have loved us and supported us and a special thank you to our children who continued to encourage and help us hold on to our dreams. You have an amazing little Mei Mei and she will change your lives and hearts forever. Just can't wait for you to meet her.
After we returned to the hotel from taking our oath, it was time to say goodbye to the 3 other families that we have spent everyday with for the last two weeks. We have watched each others children blossom each day and shared joy and laughter, amazing how close you can become to someone in such a short time. It will be very different to not see these families each day, I hope we will be able to keep in touch through e-mails and we already are planning a reunion.
We then gathered our belongings and took a shuttle to the train station and boarded a train for Hong Kong. We are here at the Disney Hollywood Hotel and are looking forward to a few days of fun and relaxation. We will be home soon.

More Pictures :)

Pictures, Pictures!

Medical Exam and Red Couch Photos

Yesterday was Sarah's medical exam, we walked the short distance to the clinic. First stop was to get pictures of Sarah and then on to see the Drs. Once we got to the clinic there were three different stations, first she was weighed and measured, next they looked in her ears and took a toy and made sounds with it on each side of her head to check her hearing, they tried to look down her throat but there was no way she was going to open her mouth. Next station the Dr. checked her over, she didn't like it when he took off her socks and shoes and she started to cry, but the exam was over very quickly and she was all smiles.
On the way to the exam we passed a group of little children that were going on a field trip for school, they were so cute, they were all hanging on to a rope so they would stay together and when they saw us they called out, "hello good morning" in English and they were just the cutest little group of kids!

The White Swan is located on Shamian Island and it is very pretty, big trees that look very old line the walkways and the harbor is so beautiful especially at night when things are all lit up. It is really fun to stroll along and look through all the shops. There are lots of statues around the area her and they are really pretty.
You still have to be careful of cars, motorcycles and bicycles as they don't stop for pedestrians, but it is much better then in the large city.

In the afternoon was the famous red couch photo where the babies in the group are all placed on a red couch together for group and individual photos, many of the children are dressed in traditional clothing for the photos and it is pretty interesting trying to get pictures of the children together. We dressed Sarah in a pretty blue dress and she is also wearing her new pearl braclet. She loved to put on her new dress.

First Plane Ride and White Swan Hotel

Yesterday March 7, Sarah took her first plane ride to Guangzhou. She did so great! A cute little Asian girl came over to her as we were waiting to board our plane and she gave her a small stuffed elephant, her mom was trying to take her picture with Sarah so she gave her the animal and stood next to her and then ran back to her mom. Her mom wanted to take more pictures and told the girl to come back over and stand by us, the little girl was kind of shy and she would start to come over and then run back to her mom. She finally came back over for another picture, she was so cute. We then took a sucker over to her and they thought that was pretty cool.
Sarah played with the little elephant for a long time on the plane, she ate cheerios, played games with Todd and I and laughed and thought it was great. One flight down, yeah!

We arrived at the beautiful city of Guangzhou and the famous White Swan Hotel. WOW!
It is really, really, really nice. Very fun to see all the different families with their children. Today we pretty much spent the day shopping, we had Ann from Ann of Red Thread China take us shopping and it was really fun, then we came back and had lunch at Lucy's, a restaurant that is pretty Americanized and then we shopped at Jordans Place where we bought Sarah her first soft little doll, it is suppose to be a little Asian doll, it is dressed in a little red outfit and has a braid on each side of its head, they were done up in pony tails but that didn't last long, one side is now down in just a braid, it is just yarn and she has been dragging it around by that one braid, she was all smiles when she got the doll. I imagine it will be minus both braids before we get it home.
We went for a group dinner tonight, it was Thai food, not so much a fan.
Tomorrow we take Sarah for her medical exam, doesn't that sound like lots of fun?
And then more shopping, she is learning to be a great shopper.
She also has learned a few more things, some good and some not so good. She is just a little spoiled and when she doesn't get her way she starts to fake cry and throws herself on the ground. Oh boy! Need to change that behavior quick. :)
She loves to hang out with me, Todd and Chelsea get to hold her sometimes but mostly me, I carried her all through the markets today for about 2 1/2 hours and then we bought a stroller. She has kind of learned to give kisses, she will lean over and just put her head real close with her mouth touching your face. So cute. She likes to play a game where we surprise each other. She was in her crib last night and I was taking things out of the suitcase and I kept acting surpised she was there and she would just laugh so hard she would fall over in her crib.She is so good! She does struggle at night, she seems to have night terrors and will still be asleep but will cry and thrash around and sometimes I just pat her on the back and other times I have to take her out of her crib and hold her and pat her back but she never wakes up. Poor little thing.She is just amazing and I am not sure how we got such a wonderful little girl but boy am I glad she is ours.

Gotcha Day Video

We filmed the gotcha day on gotcha day but it took a little while to get it edited in a form this blog could read and still have it be small enough to download. Hope you enjoy.

Ending our stay in Hefei

Today is Friday March 6 in this part of the world, tomorrow we will board a plane for a 2 hour ride to Guangzhou where we will complete the final steps so we can bring Sarah home. It will be a very interesting flight and I can't help but think of the long flight home we still have. Sarah just does not sit still, even for a 20 minute bus ride. She thinks she is so funny now that she learned to throw her toys, I asked Todd if he knew what cussing sounded like in Chinese as we may hear a bit of that on our flight, I can just see Sarah hitting some poor gentleman in the back of the head with one of her toys. Hmm better rethink what toys to take on the plane.

I thought I would take a minute to share some more experiences that we have had. First, back at the civil affairs office the day we met our children. Each of us were in our own corners of the room trying to talk to our children, give them toys and feeding them cheerios. Sarah was crying and I looked in the back corner of the room where Lu Jia Sheng was, the little two year old boy who was being adopted by Aaron and Chris, he will be known as Noah. He was looking over at Sarah and he suddenly gave his new parents back the toys they had given him and grabbed his dad by the hand and came over to where we were. I thought oh how sweet he is coming to comfort Sarah, but he only paused by us for a moment then he still holding on to his dad's hand walked to the doorway, let go of his dad's hand and ran out the door. Chris said quick get him he's trying to make a break for it. They went after him, he had gone looking for his nanny and came back a pretty sad liitle boy after not finding her. Amazing to see him now, I watched one time as Chris was talking to someone and Noah bent his head as to be in front of hers and said mama to get her attention, he wrestles with his older brother Dominic and he and his dad are the best of buds. The first morning at breakfast he ate 5 bowls of congee rice and I don't know how many pieces of watermelon. The kid can pack it away like no other. One morning after having just finished breakfast they stopped by our table and you should have seen the look on his face as he watched Chelsea eating rice crispies. You would have thought he was really hungry. He is Mr. Personality, we think he is so funny to watch. He is a very busy little boy.

Then there is Chu Chao Yang,now know as Kallie, she is two months older than Sarah and from the same orphanage. She is so tiny, she wasn't walking or moving much, uttered no sounds. Her mom said she thought she must have been left in a corner of the orphanage. But yesterday we visited a memorial hall and as we were walking around she took her moms hands and walked and today at breakfast Dave said she had started talking and was really coming out of her shell. So great to see her progress.

Then there is Lu Fu Mei who will be known as Chelsee, being adopted by Karyn and Al, Karyn is travelling with her sister Patricia and her daughter Julee and Patrica's son Garrett. They are a close family and all show so much love for Lu Fu Mei. Once Lu Fu Mei's orphanage clothes were changed and her hair taken out of the ponytails they were in she looked like a new girl. She has lots of hair and it comes down to her shoulders. She had such a hard time but to see her now. Yesterday while we were at the memorial hall we stopped at a little giftshop inside. It was very tiny and only a couple of people could fit inside, so while Todd and someone else was inside, the rest of us were waiting just outside and chatting with one another when Lu Fu Mei started saying something in Chinese, Karyn asked Michelle to translate what Lu Fu Mei had said. Michelle came over and listened and started laughing and seemed almost embarrassed to translate and then said Lu Fu Mei had said, "You Fart?" Karyn was mortified and asked why she would say that when Garrett spoke up and said, "I bent down next to her and blew on my arm." We were all laughing so hard and thought it was just hysterical. Karyn was relieved that there was a reason she had said that and wasn't just going around asking people if they had farted. Too too funny. It is so great to see the progress of these children and to watch each day as their personalities just shine through.

Sarah is so much fun. She laughs, smiles and plays and has now let Todd hold her and also Chelsea, she plays games with each of us and just goes and goes and goes. She is very quiet and reserved when she is around other people and doesn't let others see the smiles and laughs that we are getting from her each day.

It is interesting to see the people look at us, Michelle made a card for each of us to wear that says we are here from America to adopt this child, we love the Chinese people, culture and heritage and we promise to love and care for this child. I have shown the card to a couple of curious people and they read it and give me a thumbs up. Other people smile at you as you walk by and then there are some who seem to glare as they see us, not seeming very happy we are here. I have gotten in trouble now 3 times for those little ankles showing. If Sarah wouldn't move around so much maybe they would stay covered. :)
Today we received a great gift, it is a disc of pictures that the people at the orphanage put together that has several pictures of Sarah and some of her friends, what a treasure to have this, I am most grateful.
So, if any of you have any suggestions on how to entertain a really busy 18 month old on a plane I would really appreciate it.

We're Going To The Zoo!

March 4th 2009

This morning Sarah had her first bath, she wasn't quite sure what to think about it, she was most happy when it was finished. We dressed her and then went upstairs for breakfast. Once again we then met in the lobby, this time on our way to the zoo. Sarah was so tired as it had been a rough night, she seemed to have a tummy ache and then someone kept coming and ringing our doorbell nonstop at 1:00am and again at 3:30 am, Todd went and yelled something in Chinese to them and we didn't have any more problems. Seems they had the wrong room as they were looking for a party. Sarah fell asleep on the bus and remained asleep during the two hours we were at the zoo. We made sure to dress her warmly in her Chinese suit as I had gotten in trouble by a Chinese woman in Walmart as her pant leg was up a little showing the skin between her pants and socks, the woman came and pulled her pant leg down and said something in Chinese and looked a little irritated at me. One of the other mothers was also receiving quite the lecture as she didn't have enough layers on her baby, the woman pointed to her new daughter and then to the Chinese womans son who had about 50 layers on and looked somewhat like the boy in Christmas story who fell and couldn't get up because of all the clothes he had on. We all just smiled and nodded our heads.

The zoo was really nice, it was a wild animal park and all the animals were in their natural habitats and it was really great. If it had just been warmer we would have enjoyed it even more. The pollution is really awful and the weather has been quite cold. We will be glad to get to a place where it is a bit warmer.

All the children seem to be doing well, the little 3 1/2 year old girl has struggled the most. They were just able to get her out of her orphanage clothes this morning and she still cries at times for her "mama" meaning her nanny. It is heart breaking. She is so tiny, she weighs as much as Sarah does and Sarah is 18 months old. It is great though to see the strides she is making each day and heartwarming to see her smile. So amazing that after only a few days each of these children are settling in and adjusting to new families. So great to see them smile. I thought it was very interesting when we went back to the civil affairs office yesterday, I was a little worried as I knew that one of the nannies from Sarah's orphanage would be there and I wondered if that would be a setback for Sarah, but she didn't even try to go to her, she only wanted me and it was almost like she was shunning the Chinese people in the room. She seemed a bit concerned that she might have to go back. I know that Sarah was really well taken care of and loved by her nanny, she had taken care of her since the day she was found and Sarah came to us, very healthy and clean and well kept. It really was hard to see the nanny just sobbing as she left the room. I can see why she would, Sarah is absolutely amazing, she is so smart and strong. She practically runs places and she is the sweetest little thing in the world. She is so good! I am completely smitten with her. She falls into my arms and just grins, and we got the first belly laughs from her and it was so much fun. I love this little girl with all my heart and I just can't wait until you all can meet her, I know you will all instantly love her too. She is so beautiful, when she is wearing the little red Chinese outfit she looks like a little empress. We had another fun afternoon of playing and giggling and now she is napping and looks so peaceful. She is coming out of her shell more and more each day and is proving what a busy little girl she can be. One more thing, when the nanny was asked if Sarah had ever seen any animals or pets, the response was plush toys. Oh boy, her and Jack are each in for a surprise!