Pictures of our Visit with Papa and Grandma Coryell!

A Spectacular Fall Day in Utah!

Hi Everyone: today was so beautiful, we decided to take the trio to Tracy Aviary and Liberty Park. The girls got to feed the ducks and pigeons, watch a bird show, ride old-fashioned rides and go nuts at the playground. Abbie couldn't get enough. Everything was so new and exciting to her. The best part is that she is not afraid and just enjoys every tiny thing. She is so curious and a huge grin was pasted on her face the entire day. She loved the rides (didn't want to get off) and went down the largest twisty slide I have ever seen - all by herself! Freaked mommy out, but Abbie squealed with pure delight! The girls have morphed into sisters. I'm not sure when and how it happened, but we are now a family and I cannot imagine not having three little ones and two big ones to keep us "young." The girls are so close and stick together like glue. Abbie has blended right in and it is so beautiful. The hardest part of the day was selecting which "Family Day" pictures to put on the Blog. Enjoy!

NO LONGER A WAITING CHILD

If I have ever second guessed or questioned in my heart why I was meant to be the mother of a child who is almost three years old, this poem (published on the Love Without Boundaries Blog) says it all. I fell in love with Abbie from the moment I saw her picture on the Internet and knew she would be my daughter from the moment I had the opportunity to meet and hold her in March 2007. She didn't know I would be her mom, but in her heart, I am sure she knew. Infant, three year old, or 16 year old - it did not matter. She is a child, I am a mom.

I am now her mom - forever and always.

The Waiting Child

- by Debbie Bodie

I saw you meet your child today. You kissed your baby joyfully and as you walked away with him, I played pretend you'd chosen me.

I'm happy for the baby, yet inside I'm aching miserably. I want to plead as you go by,"Does no-one want a child of three?"

I saw you meet your child today. In love with her before you met and as I watched you take her out, I knew it wasn't my turn yet.

I recognize you from last year! I knew I'd seen your face before! But you came for a second babe. Does no one want a child of four?

I saw you meet your child today, but this time there was something new. A nurse came in and took MY hand and then she gave my hand to you. Can this be true? I'm almost six!

And there are infants here, you see? But then you kissed me and I knew,

the child you picked this time was me.

(Copyright 1997 Debbie Bodie) Debbie-Bodie@Prodigy.net

UPDATES ON ABBIE!

Hi Everyone:

Abbie is continuing to do GREAT! I believe she has definitely gained some weight because she feels heavier, her face is filling out, and she has a porky, little belly! Her skin is just glowing with good health. She is a very good eater (eats a LOT!) and a good sleeper. We started her in daycare on Tuesday and she just loves being there. She gets so excited when we drop her off in the morning and waves goodbye with a big smile. I was worried that she would think we were abandoning her, but it seems she knows we are her family and are coming back for her. I also think it helps that she and Lucy are in the same room together. When we pick her up, she is happy to see us and gives big, squeezy hugs. Her palatal prosthesis surgery has been moved due to meetings required of Dr. Morales. Instead of 10/29, her surgery will now be be just three days later on 11/1. This is good because she will be able to enjoy watching the kids on Halloween, instead of feeling poopy from surgery. I learned that her prosthesis will be "permanent" and installed with two screws. I am relieved I won't have to try to use denture cream and wrestle a three year old to put it in! I am now working on getting an appointment with the ear, nose and throat folks to have ear tubes installed on 11/1 too. Tomorrow, she has a follow up appointment with her pediatrician and I can't wait to see how much she weighs! We had a wonderful visit with Grandma and Papa Coryell (my folks) and I will be posting some great pictures soon! Love to all. Tracie

Pictures From a Sunny Utah Day

Hi Everyone: Don't let the sweet smile and seemingly mild disposition fool you. I was warned well before we adopted Abbie that children labeled "clever and smart" by their orphanages are usually "stubborn and hornery." Abbie picked today to start terrorizing her sisters. She takes their toys then runs off screaming in delight, while they just stand in total disbelief looking at me. What do they want me to do about it? I'm not going to stop Abbie - she scares me! Ha ha! Just kidding! Despite her activeness, it is wonderful to see that she is feeling comfortable in her new family. Earlier today, all three of them were sitting on the piano bench making pretty music together. It was a really cute Advil moment. :)

A View From McDonald's in Guangzhou

As you can see, I have saved some pictures of our trip to intersperse amongst pictures from the here and now. This lovely picture was taken from the window of McDonald's in Guangzhou at the walking mall, shortly before I was adamantly told "NO PICTURES!" Oops! At least this trip I wasn't threatened to have my camera taken away. (Yes, this actually happened in 2005 at the Guangzhou Airport Customs and Border Control.) Double oops!

LAUNDRY

As a family of seven, especially three wee one's, the amount of laundry we do is astronomical! In order to save energy and considerable amounts of water, I have decided to start washing our laundry like the Chinese do. Now, where did that Pearl River go? I guess Utah's Jordan River will have to do! Ha ha!

Cami Mei the Lady Bug

I visited the McInnis Family blog and found this absolutely adorable picture of Cami Mei. It's SO wonderful to see a smile of pure joy on her face! What a sweet Halloween lady bug! You know her bucket will be filled to the brim with goodies!

Cute Little Guy!

My Cyber-Friend Paula, and her family, are anxiously awaiting their time to travel to adopt their sweet little boy, Ben. Ben was one of Abbie's friends (Abbie is on the right with her hands up) and three pictures of him were on the cd the Shantou SWI gave me of Abbie's life. I couldn't resist posting a picture of this beautiful boy on our site! Ben is in the blue shirt and the expression on his face looks like he is ready to give his family a big hug! Congratulations Paula and family!

Goodbye Sweet Summer :(

Ugh. I am sitting in Utah, literally freezing to death. We returned home from warm and humid Guangzhou on 9/26 and to welcome us home, it snowed on 9/29 and again today. Yuck. Is it obvious that I don't like Winter? Melanie, how's the weather in Idaho? I truly live in the wrong state. I just read this information about Abbie's hometown of Shantou, and I am seriously wishing I could be there for the next several months (years?) instead! Big sigh - I love the alternation of Spring and Summer! "Long coastal lines and a pleasant subtropical marine climate provide the city with many charming tourist attractions. Beautiful mountains, natural beaches, and exquisite islands, together with the marine scenery that surrounds the harbor, form a breathtaking environment that is especially attractive to those who want to escape the busy life. The locals use their rich seaside resources to set up many resort villages that provide sound facilities and services for the tourists. In addition, the Tropic of Cancer traverses the city, making it a wonderful place to feel the instant alternation of spring and summer in China."

First Day at The Utah Chinese School!

Howdy Everyone: Each day is getting better. Abbie is on the right time schedule and is sleeping through the night. She still follows me around like a tail, but is starting to laugh and follow her sisters around a little bit more. Each day, her comfort level and understanding of what she can do is improving. It's amazing how well she can eat with her open cleft palate. The other day, she had her first Irish meal of Shepard's Pie (her last name is Laughlin, you know.) Our little Chinese, Irish and American Lassie LOVED it! As a matter of fact, she ate half my dish full! Today, my little Teochew speaker went to her first Mandarin class. She may not understand English or even Mandarin for that matter, but she had fun at class and enjoyed singing and dancing with Mommy, Lucy and the other kids. She was very well behaved in class. We are learning our numbers, body parts and all about our friends. Since she has to learn a new language anyway, she might as well learn two! I am very glad Mandarin language classes are something offered right near our house in Utah! Abbie will also start daycare on Tuesday. I think she really misses being around a lot of kids. She is rather quiet at home, but really opens up in noisy, social settings. Here are some pictures of our day. Love, Tracie

GIRLS EVERYWHERE!

It just hit me. We have four daughters and a female pet rabbit named Nibbles. There are girls all over our house! Yikes! Not looking forward to paying for all those weddings some day (Nibbles is the exception, of course.) He he! :)

ABBIE UNLEASHED!

Ha! I love the title of this post, because it is so true! A sweet little girl from an SWI in China has turned into the happiest little kid. She is starting to get a belly and fuller face due to good nutrition, is warming up to Daddy, Grandparents and friends. She babbles, runs, climbs, plays, splashes and generally just enjoys life. Everything I could have ever hoped for, but did not expect. The other day, we layed down to go to bed. In the dark, I could see her little head pop up and look over at me to see if I was awake. To let her know I was there, I reached out and held her hand. Next thing I knew, She leaned over to me, gave me a big kiss and fell asleep in the crook of my neck. Sweet, sweet baby girl. I had the biggest alligator tears of love and joy. Some of you may recall I had MAJOR camera issues during the entire trip. On Gotcha Day, my memory card was full and I am so thankful the Thompson's were there to capture it all for me. I had to purchase two instant cameras, then found a shop where I could buy another XD camera card (only $10.00 US dollars.) On the flight to China, I used my carry on suitcase as a foot rest. Unfortunately, I used my camera too and cracked the LCD view finder. I could still take pictures, I just couldn't tell what we were taking pictures of! Ericka and I got really good at just aiming at what we thought was our target and shooting the picture. Then, when we returned home, I took a few pictures of Abbie wiped out at the LAX airport, the first time she met her sisters and her first ride in a car seat (which she actually likes!) Unfortunately, when I got home and unpacked my suitcases, the camera was no where to be found! I searched everywhere!! Lo and behold, it reappeared in my car yesterday, so here are some of the last pictures from our homecoming. She had her consultation with Dr. Morales and will have a dental imprint made of her palate on 10/24 so they can create a prosthetic hard palate, which will be installed on 10/29. She will not have another surgery for a year, at which time they will finalize the hard palate and close the soft palate. The next surgery is at 6 1/2 or 7, for a bone graft from her hip to create a gumline and some nose/lip refinements. At 12, she will meet with the orthodontist. In regards to speech, it is a wait and see game. She has to learn some English words before we can determine whether she will need speech therapy. Barring no set-backs, this is our game plan. Well, time to run! Have a fabulous Fall day! Love, Tracie (P.S. I am over jet lag, poor Ericka is still a mess!)

Blankets and Stuffed Animals???

I never in a million years, thought I would have a child who dislikes blankets and stuffed animals! The other four still sleep with theirs!! (Daddy too. Ha ha!) Any suggestions??

DAY SEVEN

Hi Everyone:

Abbie and I had to wait at home this morning for the Comcast guy to come and set up our internet access. I realized very quickly that I could never be a stay at home mom. (Actually, I realized this a long time ago :) Hats off to all the stay at home moms out there. You have a REALLY HARD job!! As quickly as I cleaned things, Abbie trashed them. She surprised me today by building a puzzle by herself and riding her little John Deere tractor outside. She continues to be very attached to me and afraid of people she doesn't know. Unfortunately, she is having a tough time bonding with daddy, but it will come! On Thursday and Friday, I am going to take her to the daycare center to introduce her and stay with her for a few hours so she can play and familiarize herself with the setting, structure, teachers and kids. I really think being around other children will be so good for "Little Miss Curious." By the way, I started calling her "Qi Qi" (chee chee) while we were in China and she responds to it. I asked our guide what it means to make sure I wasn't saying something bad. She told me it means "Most curious." How appropriate! With five kids, I really have some learning to do. First of all, I will never have a clean and organized house again. This is a tough pill for me to swallow. Second, I have enough love to go around and each child brings something special and joyful (and tiring :) to my life. In comparison, Lucy is two times the size of Abbie. When I got home, I couldn't believe my eyes and jokingly told Lucy she is so "Porky." She promptly responded, "No Mommy, I'm not porky, I'm a Chicken Nugget." Yes, she is. He he! :) Have a great day! Love, Tracie

THE BIG ADJUSTMENT!

Hi Everyone!

Well, we have been home almost a week now and I must say, Abbie is doing great. She has completely attached to mommy and is leary of strangers. I am very glad for this, because I was concerned that she would just go to anyone. The first few nights home were rough as we adjusted to a complete time shift, but now she is doing very well sleeping at night. She eats like a horse and will eat everything and anything! Cleft palate or not, this kid can put it away! She had her first medical examination. They withdrew seven vials of blood and she received six immunizations. Poor little pin cushion! She ran a fever for a few hours, but recovered quickly and acts like nothing ever happened. She weighs a whopping 18lbs - 13oz. and is 33.5" tall. She is in the 2nd percentile for height, weight and head. Doesn't stop her though! She is a huge ball of energy, even if she is pee wee sized. She immediately took to Gracie and Lucy and they love sharing bath time together. Dan and I love cleaning up the soggy mess. Ha ha! Regardless of the mess, they are fun to watch. Abbie likes to dance and clap her hands to a Cantonese children's CD I purchased. She is very inquisitive and doesn't want to miss anything. She will do very well in school. She has her palate consulation on Wednesday and we will know more about her schedule to start school. I know she will LOVE it! I thought five kids would be nuts, but we are all doing quite nicely. Well, as good as you can get with five kids! :) Pictures coming soon. Love, Tracie

SLEEPLESS IN L.A.

URGHHHH!!! Hi everyone. Bet you didn't think you would hear from me again so soon, did you? After I sent my last post, I rocked a cranky Abbie to sleep then settled myself down for approximately two hours. That's when Abbie decided nap time was over and was ready for lunch. Thankfully, I brought some ramen and baby food with me from China! The three of us have been up since 1:45AM. At 5:00AM, I gave up and ordered room service oatmeal for Abbie and I. I had no idea what quality children's television shows are on all night. At 3:00AM, we enjoyed The Wiggles, Pokemon, and Pooh and Friends. Good times. Here's a picture of what Little Miss Happy Pants looks like at 2:00AM! Well, I guess it is actually 4:00PM where she is from. Switching her to our schedule is not going to be fun. Have a great day! I am sure I will be in a coma around 4:00PM. Loves and kisses, Tracie, Ericka and "Little Miss Benadryl Doesn't Work on Me!" Ha ha!

AMERICA!!

Hi Everyone!

Greetings from Los Angeles! It seems like I just blinked my eyes and woke up in the United States. The plane ride was very fast and Abbie slept the ENTIRE flight! Woo hoo!! She woke up just in time for breakfast and has been a wild and happy girl ever since. Even though it is 11:42PM in Utah right now, we of course, think it is 1:42PM in China and are WIDE awake. Urgh! We have to get up in six hours to get to the airport to catch our flight home. We may not be pretty. Ha ha! Today (yesterday??) was our U.S. Consulate swearing in ceremony in Guangzhou. Everything went off without a hitch and we were soon on a long van ride to the airport. I say long because today/yesterday is the Chinese Moon Festival and everyone was trying to get home to their families to celebrate. You think traffic in the U.S. is bad? I have NEVER seen traffic like what I saw in Guangzhou. 100’s of people were waiting at one stop for a bus. What should have been a 15 minute ride took 2 hours to get to the airport. Good thing we left early! We also took our traditional red couch photo with the children from all different provinces, but with three things in common: 1) they are all loved very much; 2) they all have special needs that are seen as beautiful by their families; 3) we are all united as one big family forever because of Children’s House International Adoption Agency. On the flight home, I awoke to three boxes of moon cakes, courtesy of China Southern. Very thoughtful. Funny, I just took a bath and my nightgown smells like the musty, musky fragrance unique to China. It brought tears to my eyes, because I love that crazy, crowded country as my own, but am so grateful to have my beautiful Abbie home as one of the newest Americans! I will miss the Heinz Tremella Lotus Seed and Lily Paste baby food and the White Swan Hotel breakfast buffet. But, it will feel so good to be home to my family and see the first reactions when the little sisters meet each other for the first time! Thank you so much for following our incredible journey. Safe travels to our friends, old and new, as they return to America. I will continue to post notes along the way about Abbie, her surgeries, and our family. Our love to you all! Tracie, Ericka and Abbie and the entire Linne-Laughlin Family of seven.