Red Couch Photos

The White Swan Hotel in Ghangzhou, China is a place that almost all adopting American families stay while waiting for their consulate appointment. There is a red couch in the downstairs lobby that has become a traditional place to get your child's photo taken. They are called "Red couch photos". Here are the five children from our travel group. I have to say that I really love all of these children!!! They inspire me to be courageous and to be a better person.


Here is our red couch photo!!! We are a lot of big people so you can't see much red couch.

Back at home in our own living room we took another red couch photo. These kids inspire me too!!! I'm learning a lot these days.

Some video from China

This was the night that we arrived in Nanjing and the night before we received Elsa. We were so tired and anxious!

This video is from night one with Elsa. We put her in her crib and she put herself to sleep without any fuss. This is textbook self soothing behaviors. I am so happy to report that after just two weeks we seldom see this anymore! She needs momma to go to sleep now! I don't care if I don't get any sleep for a year, I want this girl to know that when she cries her momma is there and that mommas are the best for rocking to sleep. You can depend on Momma now, Elsa! Fuss away and be as demanding as you can be!!! Babies need attention.

Elsa in the hotel room.

Dad took a lot of video tape! I just took a few lame video clips with my camera. Dad is going to send me the video and I hope to compile it into something watchable!

We made it home

Here are Al, Katherine, and my dad, Craig, outside of the U.S. Consulate after our swearing in ceremony last Wednesday. That day 55 families were formed in one room in one moment. It was amazing; a remarkable and an unremarkable moment at once. No photos were allowed so you will have to take my word that there was joy, and celebration, and relief, and fussy children, and weary travelers. Families are formed every day. This was Elsa's day. I love this photo. I love the people in this photo. (Even the stray bicyclist). Thank you, Al, Dad, and Katherine for sharing all of this with me.

Here is Dad on the lobby floor of the White Swan Hotel. We were waiting on our shuttle at 6:30am. on Thursday. He was curious why there was such a georgous, expansive lobby and no place to sit.

Here is Dad sitting on the floor at the Shanghai airport later that same day...the man just needs a chair, people!!!

Dad finally found a chair to sit with Elsa. He likes her!

Elsa was pretty good on the flight home. She slept some... She made friends with the flight attendants... She did throw up an entire bottle of apple juice all over me but it made me feel and smell like a new mom! Bring it on girl. I can take it!!!

Elsa's first experience with a car seat! She liked it!!!

When we got home my friends had made a sign for Elsa. She knew that she was home!

Elsa finally at home in her own bed. Bless you, child. Sleep well.

We'll be home late Thursday

Here's me and my dad underneath the frangipani tree. Only a select few family members will understand why this is funny!

We leave in just a few hours to begin our trip home. I am so excited to see Jay, Maya, and Tadd and for them to meet Elsa! I am ready for our "normal" life to resume. We get home Thursday night and we are going to want visitors right away! Please don't be shy. Stop by and meet this beautiful girl that I am honored to call daughter.

A few more pics and some good news!

This is one of the things that Elsa does. As she sucks her thumb she notices her little finger waving out in front of her face so she reaches up and touches her little finger with her other hand. We think it's cute!

The girls in the hotel room.

Our travel group of five families. It has been amazing to share this time with these new friends!

Our paperwork has cleared the US Consulate!!!! Tomorrow we have a ceremony then we fly home on Thursday. We are all really ready to be home. I can't wait to share this amazing little girl with everyone. I think you are really going to like her!

Medical Exam

Once we arrived in Guangzhou one of the things we needed to do was for Elsa to have a physical exam by the Chinese doctors. The medical record is needed for the packet of papers that is submitted to the US counsulate for Elsa's citizenship and Visa application. The exam room was crazy! There were dozens of Chinese babies with American (and some Austrailian) parents all being processed through "stations".It was not fun for anyone!!

Greetings from Guangzhou

We are in Guangzhou in southern China. I am able to post to blogspot directly. Thank you, Claudia, for posting for me while we were in Nanjing. I know that you want to see more of Elsa so I will start with that.

Our last day in Nanjing we went to the Sun Yat Sen Memorial. We climbed 327 steps to the top. It was an amazing experience. There are places on this earth you never expect to be and this was one!

The problem here being that what goes up must come down!