WHAT A KIDDO!

She may be the tiniest kid on the face of the planet, but that certainly doesn't stop her! Did I mention that her personality has really come out? Well, let me tell you, she is little Miss Independent! All afternoon she has been strutting around with that shopping bag on her arm, filling it up with all her treasures. She walks down the hallway and to the elevators like she owns the place. At dinner tonight, she absolutely would not let me feed her. After a valiant attempt with both a spoon and a fork, little Abbie gave up, grabbed her plate and stuck her face in it. She ate every last noodle! We tried the pool. Big emphasis on tried. Obviously, from the picture, we weren't prepared with a swimsuit, but it didn't stop us! Here's the best news of all...I noticed that her diapers are always dry during the day and she has not had a BM in three days. Starting to get worried, I put her on the potty to see what would happen and guess what? YEP! She is 100% potty trained. #1 AND #2! Woo hoo!!! What a kiddo! After going potty, she immediately lies down with a huge grin on her face so I can put on her diaper. Tonight, she put on her pajama pants without any help from me! Unfortunately, she doesn't nap during the day. She is so curious about everything and doesn't want to miss anything. We met a nice Teochew (pronounced Chow Joe) man. This is Abbie's dialect and it sounds very similar to Vietnamese. She responded to many of his questions and I wrote down a few phrases. I now realize what I thought was babble, are actually real Teochew words. She is also starting to understand simple English commands. I can point to something and she will gladly do it. If I give her something and ask her to through it in the garbage, she does. How sad is that - her first English words are "please put this in the garbage." :) She is obviously very smart. Today was very hot and muggy and we had a nice sweaty outdoor dinner at Lucy's Place with the Thompsons to celebrate my "Chinese Birthday." It's interesting to learn about all the places they have lived and traveled! Their little Liam LOVES the pool and is such a happy boy! Well, I am off to bed...enjoy the pictures! As you can see, she is a totally different girl and loves to rub foreheads and give mommy "eskimo nose kisses." With Luvs and Kisses and Sweet Dreams! Kyle, we miss you!!

Little Miss Personality

Hi Everyone:

Today I turn 40 in China, tomorrow I turn 40 in the U.S. - fabulous doing it twice! The shirt I am sporting in the picture was my $2.00 gift to myself from a teeny little shop on the island. I also splurged $5.00 and bought a really cool glass necklace. Melanie, it's 2:30AM and I know you are awake reading my blog. This one is dedicated to you! :) For anyone who has ever adopted a child, you know the first 72 hours is just the "checking you out" period. Your new child gives you the "stink eye" whenever possible and touching is just not allowed. But after the 72 hours are up, watch out! Like magic, they turn into a real kid! Today was Abbie's coming out. Since breakfast, she has had dry diapers and tinkles on the potty immediately upon setting her down. She is dancing, talking in Teochew (her native dialect) and is really, really active. She has been my helper today and assisted me with washing her bottles and collecting lint, fuzz and crumbs off the floor (mostly from the previous occupants) and throws them in the garbage can. I promptly clap my hands and yell "joy xia", which means thank you in her dialect and she just beams with pride. We went to a beautiful traditional tea house and bought some jasmine tea buds and a beautiful porcelain tea cup. One of the xiaojie's (worker girls) started playing a traditional Chinese string instrument, similar to a zither. Abbie was mesmorized! Abbie also LOVES the paperbag from the tea house and carries it with her everywhere! She loves to put things in it including cracker crumbs and drops of milk. At 2:00PM, we went to the local police station to finish the paperwork for Abbie's passport. We are now done with all the provincial paperwork and we received her official adoption certificate today. In the eyes of China, God and our Family, she is ours forever! Six more CHI families arrive tonight, so we will have a larger group soon. Now the fun starts! Tomorrow, we will get Abbie's medical examination. On Sunday, we will go to the Six Banyan Temple, Pearl and Porcelain markets and a walking mall. Shopping - "yaboo!!" :) Our guide Connie has taken a liking to me because we both love to shop! We are about to go swim with the Thompson's. Abbie and I are going to sit it out because water is still kind of scary to her. She REFUSES to sit in the bathtub. Guess she will be a shower girl! Tonight, we are going out for either Thai or Cantonese food with the Thompsons. Tomorrow, Ericka was invited to go to the local Starbucks for coffee and schoolwork time with Andrew, who is in the same grade as her. They both have a ton of homework and can't quite seem to get started on it with all the excitement. Not sure Ericka is ready for a coffee, but cocoa should be good! Here are some pictures to tide you over...more to come! Our love to you all! Stewart Family, have a safe flight to China tomorrow! We love you and can't wait to see you on the 21st! Give Sylvan a huge hug for us! Melanie, I can't wait to read your blog later and follow your journey to Lili.

My Future Supermodel? :)

Ericka strikes some lovely poses!

PICTURES FROM ADOPTION DAY!

A LITTLE BIT OF NOSTALGIA!

Hi Everyone! Day two with Abbie has been fabulous! Her personality is really coming out and she loves to smile and patiently play with her plethora of toys. I bought her some stacking cups and she has been patiently amusing herself for over an hour. She can put her sandals on by herself and feed herself with a spoon. She is talking and making sounds more. She even said "Ma" when I left the room, as if asking for me. At breakfast she ate a whole bowl of congee, scrambled eggs and FIVE slices of banana bread. What she doesn't like, she immediately spits out then wipes her face with a napkin. It's really cute! Unfortunately, it's the fruit she spits out. Guess she doesn't have the same genes as Lucy! Today we finalized the adoption and Abbie is all ours, and we are all hers! It's a GREAT feeling! I have met many other families with cleft children and I am feeling much more comfortable with feeding and caring for her. I am also getting used to her noises. By the way, she loves cell phones. 100% girl! :) The Thompson's received Liam today and he is a sweetheart. His cleft has been repaired and he is very lovey and active. He likes his big brother and can kick a little soccer ball. Today we did more shopping and tomorrow we do some paperwork at the police station. Then, we have a rest day. The Thompson's, Ericka and I are considering a train ride to Shenzen. The orphanage gave us a CD with many, many pictures of Abbie, her friends and caretakers. Here are a few of my favorites! Later I will post some pictures from today. Enjoy! Luvs and kisses always, Tracie XOXOXO

SLEEPING BEAUTY!

Oh yeah! This is an awesome kiddo! Little Miss Social slept through the ENTIRE night. Not a peep and she is a QUIET sleeper. Woo hoo! Too bad mommy is wide awake! Ha ha! I bet Little Miss Social is just charging her batteries for a big day today! Enjoy the sleepy head pictures and a view of the Pearl River.

GOTCHA DAY!!!

Good Morning America!

At 2:ooPM we met the Thompson Family (who saved our bacon when our camera ran out of card space), then headed out to get our sweeties! We arrived early and had to wait for the babies to arrive. Unfortunately, there was a communication error and the Thompson's son was not on the van. Fortunately, he will arrive tomorrow morning at 9:30AM. My heart goes out to Wade and Mari who have to wait another day...but all good things come to those who wait! Abbie was dressed in a sweet orange short and t-shirt set and brand new pink shoes with lots of sparkly diamonds. She is so proud of those shoes! At first, she wasn't too thrilled to meet me and waved her hand "no" at me. After a 45 minute crying jag and half a bottle of bubbles blown by Ericka and Andrew Thompson (also 13), Abbie settled down in my arms. We even saw the hint of a smile. The nanny gave us special gifts from the orphanage and Ms. Guo sent Abbie a sent gift of a silver rattle bracelet and necklace to show her love. We gave the nanny our gifts and spent some time getting to know more about Abbie's likes and daily habits. I had a little pink back pack filled with things for her to do. She is so teeny that when I put it on her back, she almost toppled over backwards! By the time the nanny left, Abbie was settled into my arms and was very, very curious about EVERYTHING when we went outside. On the van, I held her against my chest, kissed her softly and she fell asleep. From that moment on, she was my girl!

Back at the hotel, she helped me change her diaper and wet clothes from LOTS of drool. She is pretty loud due to her cleft palate and I will have to get used to her snoring! She LOVES books and musical toys. We bought her a musical push button toy and rented a stroller in Guangzhou and she thinks it's the greatest thing ever! Mommy and Abbie also bought matching shoes. She really loves shoes. During dinner at Lucy's place, Abbie surprised me by finishing off an entire bottle of vanilla Pedialyte and TWO bowls full of chicken congee. She is a good eater and has no problems as long as the food is pureed. The nanny is not aware of any food allergies, so we are going to try yogurt, eggs and pureed watermelon for breakfast. Yum! At dinner, Abbie's personality really came out. She smiled a lot, rubbed noses with me, and constantly kicked her tiny legs and feet with joy. What a delight!! It's only been four hours and she is a happy, happy girl. I can't wait to see what tomorrow brings. She clearly enjoys life and has the happiest eyes I have ever seen when she smiles. We are truly blessed! Back at the hotel, she helped me put her pajamas on and I rocked her in my arms. Once she started to look sleepy, I kissed her good night, set her in her crib and tucked her blankie up to her cheek. She was out within minutes! Woo hoo! She is such a petite little peanut and her arms and legs remind me so much of our sweet Lucy. Abbie has itty bitty feet though. Lucy's have always been good sized! :) As for clothes, she fits in small sized diapers and 18 - 24 month clothes at 2 - 3/4 old! She has some catching up to do in the chunking department, but she is very smart, curious and I can already tell, mischievious! Perfect fit! Enjoy the pictures!! We love you Daddy, Kyle, Gracie, Lucy and all our family. We can't wait for you to meet her.

Love and Kisses from Tracie, Ericka and finally, Miss Abbie Le Qian Laughlin! XOXOXO

OFF TO GET ABBIE!

We now have our money, gifts and ourselves somewhat together and we are ready to go get Abbie! In exactly 1 -1/2 hours we meet the Thompson Family and our guide, Connie, in the Lobby, then off we go! The Thompson's from West Virginia, are adopting son #4 (16, 15, 13, and now 2.) His name is Liam and he is from the same orphanage as Abbie. Their 13 year old son Andrew traveled with them, so hopefully, Ericka will have a chum. We can't wait to meet another CHI family! Here are two last goofy pictures of Ericka and I before we become three, and a family of five! Luvs to you all!!

WE MADE IT TO CHINA!!!!!

Also, I think I finally figured out how to post to the blog without having to bug poor Dan everyday. If this is a duplicate post, sorry! Better twice, than not at all! :) After 29 hours of flights and lay-overs, Ericka, our luggage and I, made it in one piece to Guangzhou. Our plane arrived at 5:35AM, an hour early, much to the surprise of our guide! We made it to the White Swan Hotel, our home for two weeks, and ate lunch (er, breakfast?) at Lucy's Place in the park. Grilled cheese sandwiches tasted pretty darned good! Tomorrow, we meet up with another CHI Agency family who is adopting a little boy from Shantou. At 2:00 PM, we will leave the hotel to go to the Guangzhou Civil Affairs Office to welcome Abbie to our family! WOW!! On a lousy note, I used my carry on suitcase as a footrest while on the plane and broke the viewing window on my digital camera. We can still take pictures, we just don't know what we are taking pictures of! Erg! If I post some really random pictures that look like they were taken by a three year old, sorry! Well, off for a nap. Can't wait to show you pictures of Abbie and tell you all about her tomorrow. Meanwhile, enjoy the pictures from our two days of travel. Also, I wanted to let you know that I can't access your comments on the blog. Feel free to email me at my usual address and I will check it daily!

Kyle, feed the bunny! D, K, G, & L - all my luvs and kisses! We miss you all!! XOXOXOXO

ONLY TWO DAYS!

Last night I hugged my friend Marry, who I will see in China on 9/21, and hugged my friend Julie. Now that I am fortified with hugs from friends, I am ready to do this. Mom of five - who would have ever thought? Here is a really cute picture of Chuck and Julie's daughter Kate, from Hunan. Isn't she a doll?!

September 5th

The days are ticking down so quickly. It's hard to believe! Unfortunately, I went to the Instacare last night and have a nasty upper respiratory infection and am now on antibiotics that make me sick. Yuck. Hopefully, I will feel better by Sunday! Today, Gracie and Lucy had picture day at school. In honor of Abbie's homecoming, I dressed the girls in pink and yellow silk Chinese pant outfits and put ribbons in their hair. Gracie hammed it up, while Lucy held her blue Chinese painted parasol. Of course, Lucy's beloved stuffed panda "Mao Mao," had to be in the pictures too! I can't wait to see them! Well, I'm off to starch and iron my money for the trip. :)

Luvs and kisses, Tracie

ONLY FOUR DAYS TO GO!!!

WOW!! Only four days left, then Ericka and I leave for China! Time has gone by to fast and we are so blessed to learn that we will be in China 9/21 - 9/25 with our dear friends Scott and Marry, who are adopting a little boy from Gansu Province. Scott, Marry, Ericka and I traveled together to adopt in 2005. It is totally fate that we will be together once again! Love you guys!

The nervous and unfortunately, sick, Tracie