Day Three and rolling...

So many new things and people. The last couple of days have been clearly stressful for this beautiful little babe. Yet, progress seems to occur hourly. At first, she was mostly limp and you could tell she was grieving. Then constipation and lots of crying. Last night was a real break through. She seemed to really enjoy and interact with us and things around her. She is now eating well and participating in things. Every bit of progress she makes fills our hearts with happiness. She must think we are a little crazy as every little thing she does matters to us. But, ya know, I think she is starting to like it. When she looks at us she is so beautiful it makes you want to melt. I wonder if we will end up spoiling her? hmmmmmm.

Marlee Gotcha video part one

Here it is! Part One of the long awaited Marlee Gotcha Video. Thank you so much for sharing our story. We loved making it.

Gotcha!

Marlee is sleeping in the crib right next to us. We are so happy! What a fantastic day. Here are some pictures to get you all started. We have video coming shortly...

Happy Birthday to Me

Today was my birthday and I woke up in China. That's never happened before! After waking up totally confused about what time it was, we met our travel-mates for breakfast here at the White Swan Hotel. The White Swan is lovely, and the "famous" breakfast buffet is all we'd come to expect, as it is spectacular. The folks at the White Swan had this beautiful birthday cake delivered to me in our hotel room. We then proceded to explore Shamian Island here in Guangzhou, where our hotel is located. This island was built up by Europeans during the early 1800's, and therefore looks very European in it's archetecture. The entire island is now built around commerce geared toward adopting western families, and they go to great lengths to entice you to "come into my shop to buy something for baby". What's truly "impressive" though is the weather. Lou and I have lived in Georgia, and other southern areas of the US, so we thought we new what hot, humid summers feel like. We had no idea! The air here is, sadly, very polluted, which seems to create a giant sauna where heat and humidity build to unbelievable levels. It lends a surreal quality to the experience because the entire city (of 12 million people!) is clouded in a haze. We used the remainder of our time today getting ready for the BIG day tomorrow! I think we're as organized as we're going to be at this point, and getting pretty anxious but very, very excited! Here are some photos of our day!

Lost in translation? Lou had to control himself in this park. We didn't want him to be "amerced within a range...:.

A view from our hotel room window.

The heat and humidity left us feeling like this man we saw by the street.

This statue is dedicated to the evolution of the Chinese woman.

This statue is called "American woman". Oh, my.

Greetings From Guangzhou!

We made it! What an amazing trip. We are blogging from the White Swan Hotel. It is actually Lorna's birthday today! What a great present (and much more to come). It is actually just after midnight here and we are tired but incredibly excited! Please stay tuned...

Much thanks and love

One of the interesting things about adoption is that you can't "go it alone". From our adoption coordinator; our social worker; all the folks who provided our background checks, medical exams, and all the other hoops we had to jump through; to our employers, friends, neighbors and relatives who have graciously offered their assistance along the way, we are so thankful for all of you.

I'd like to offer a special thanks to our great friends and neighbors who will be house-sitting, pet-sitting, and yard-sitting while we're in China. We'll rest easier knowing you're on the job!

Speaking of pets, here are our other "children", Grace and Harmony. I'll miss them terribly while we're in China, but I know they're in good hands.

Getting Ready!

Well folks, we are getting ready for the trip. It seems unbelievable to us. I bought a digital video camera to capture all of the magic moments on our trip. We leave for China on Friday morning. I want to create videos that are fun to watch so I have been practicing my film and editing techniques. Here is my first attempt as I practice on a reluctant Lorna. I have included a clip of one of my original songs "Going Nowhere" in the film. The subject of the film doesn't go anywhere but our material is about to get more exciting here in a couple of days. So for now, enjoy! We will be updating our site as often as we can while we are in China so come back frequently for what we hope are entertaining updates! Please let me know what you think of the movie.

We're getting close...

Our flights have been booked, our hotel reserved, and all our appointments are scheduled! It's really happening! Marlee is scheduled to be placed in our arms during the afternoon of Monday, July 28. Interestingly, we received our initial approval to adopt from FTIA on July 28, 2005, so we'll be receiving her EXACTLY 3 years from the time we began this journey. That's a long time to wait, but we're finally there. Woo-Hoo!!!!!!

I'm attaching a map of China. You'll notice that there is a very small peninsula hanging off the southern-most part of the country which is labeled "Zhanjiang". That's where Marlee is residing. We'll be staying in the city of Guangzhou, which you'll see slightly north-east of Zhanjiang.

A good time was had by all

Our good friends Kate and Doug headed out today. We enjoyed their visit and getting to know their children Evan (3 1/2 years) and Nathan (13 months). The boys tested all of Marlee's new toys and gave them their seal of approval. Nathan was also kind enough to point out a few areas of our home that still need childproofing, as he got to be "Auntie Lorna's practice baby" for a few days! We look forward to spending time with them again in Guangzhou.