We Made it Home!!!

Well we made it home safe and sound. The 3 hour car ride from Chicago (after a 14 hour flight)was grueling but it's over now. You would think from the looks of her first sleep in her new crib all was well..........

Getting used to the new home and the new best friend.

Nice to drive up to our welcome sign.

Emmaxia meets Gruzin for the first time. It was love at first site for both of them.

Well, it's been a tough night and morning so far. We were up for over 30 hours only to finally reach home with all of us having a cold. A baby with a cold means more time up. Hey, just another day in the life. It feels great to be home and thank you Carol, mom and Eric for taking care of the home, Gruzin and the yard for us while we were away. More photos and info to come but first I need some sleep.

TTE and G

Last Full Day In China

7000 miles away and she managed to find one.

I really hope this isn't a coffee drinker in-training. I guess I am an enabler because that is my arm holding the cup for my lovely wife.

We are going to miss this beautiful area.

This is our last full day in Guangzhou and China. Later today we are off to the U.S. Embassy to make the adoption offical in America even though in our hearts its been offical the day we set our eyes on her. Hopefully we are finally done shopping. I am sweaty and exhausted. Again today high heat and high humidity (check further down our blog for the weather). We will be skyping family members tonight (your morning). Looking forward to chatting and seeing you soon.

TTE

One day left

Tara getting a flavor of the area. Today's fresh catch...fresh scorpions!!

A couple of scorps, washed down with some squid and we are good to go.

This is what the trip was all about....one big happy family. Believe me, I am just as happy behind the camera.

Couldn't miss this opportunity. A nice store for dresses, shoes and salt shakers but it was the name that we truly loved.

This may be our last post in China. We have a very early start to the day tomorrow and a long bus ride to Hong Kong for our flight back home. We will continue the blog because so many people are now following it (nearly 1500 visitors a day). Thank you all. It's very special to us to have this connection with you all from around the world.

Tata for now. Perhaps a phone call later.

TTE

The only site-seeing we really need

Here is what a couple of hours of site-seeing will do to a 7 month old. Actually, it has the same effect on a 45 year male as well.

The first experience with bubbles.

The second experience with bubbles.

Happy baby.

This morning was spent site-seeing. Went to a local museum with beautiful landscapes and gifts. We also had the opportunity to sample really good tea which we had to purchase as well. Emmaxia is doing well. We love watching her learn. Today, she maintained a sitting position with both hands in the air for at least 30 seconds before toppling over. She is a fantastic reminder of life's simple joys!

Day 10 - Medical Exam

It's clear from this photo that all is well with our little angel. The medical exam went well and mommy (and daddy) are happy.

She was a true sport for all three exams.

This was her first experience with a hat. No matter how it sat on her head, she always managed to look like a model wearing it (FYI, that's not up for debate).

The day is half done and it's going great so far. Tara is now trying to put her down for a nap because she's had a full day and a full belly but no luck so far. We are excited to walk around a bit because it's beautiful here. I managed to go for a run this morning. The site of older men and women exercising in the park was inspiring.

Later today is more paperwork and then massages tonight. Yea, that's right--the parents need a little TLC as well.

FYI, we both fight over her all the time, but she is already showing signs that she may love us as much as we love her. How cool is that?

Once again, we love getting up in the morning and reading your comments. Please keep them coming.

Tata for now.

PS someone give Gruzin a big sloppy kiss from all three of us. We miss him alot.

TTE

Ah...she's asleep! : )

Day 9 - Guangzhou and Victory Hotel

This was Emmaxia's first experience at a Thai restaurant. Unbelievable food and honestly we think daddy got more food on him than Emmaxia.

Here is the group prior to leaving the hotel in Nanchang.

Here was Emmaxia's first plane ride. Not bad for a first trip but there is plenty of room for improvement. Yea, we are that family with the crying baby in row 14. The later half of the trip she was great.

After about a hour long bus ride we finally reached our destination, the Guangdong Victory Hotel. We have only been here for a couple of hours but so far this place is awesome. The hotel entrance is more than impressive and Zhou made arrangements to get us suites. The hotel rests on an island and is surrounded by a quaint village type setting. A short walk down the block and we found ourselves a Thai restuarant that was more than impressive. We love this place already. More to follow soon right now, however, we need to get Emmaxia to sleep. Her schedule is still a bit off. She is growing each day, just wait until you see how cute she is in person.

TTE

Start of Day 9 - Fly to Guangzhou

Just a quick message before we head to the airport. Last night we got a late start to our sleep because of the dinner and the fountain show but we all slept well. 5:45am start to the day and a full bottle and we are ready to take whatever the world can give us today.

Once again, we love the comments please keep them coming.

Here is an interesting fact, since we have been in Nanchang we have had over 6000 visitors to our site. Scroll down to the bottom portion of the blog and you can see the counter and where the visitors are coming from. Its alot of fun to follow where people all visiting from.

Day 8 - Dinner and a show

Look Mom, Hands!!!!

Nanchang fountain light show. A bit disruptive to the schedule but the night was well worth the hassles. We love the food. Had a great dinner with a variety of different foods that were native to the area. Anyone that says you lose weight on this trip is missing out. Off to Guangzhou tomorrow for the final paper work and probably some additional shopping.

We love waking up to your comments and are very happy that you are enjoying ours. Please keep the comments coming. It's a special treat for us.

By the way....Emmaxia is doing just fantastic. She sleeps 14 total hours a day and eats the rest of the time. It doesn't seem like she is doing much but it certainly is keeping us busy.

More later.

Todd, Tara and Emmaxia

A Brief Clip of a Happy Emmaxia

Day 8 - Site Seeing and Shopping for Porcelain

People stop us for photos and tell us "beautiful skin-beautiful baby". We know. : )

Uncle Zhou with our neighbors' daughter Mia. Just before this shot, Emmaxia and Mia were holding hands--adorable!

Another opportunity for praise!

This is taken at the entrance to a beautiful garden. We welcomed this time outside and relished the fresh air and flowers/trees.

Day 7 - Visiting the Orphanage

Emmaxia's hair looks a lot like her daddy's after a nap!

What a special opportunity! Today, after a long bus ride, we saw Emmaxia's SWI (orphanage). We were not only allowed a visit with Emmaxia's caregiver (pictured above), but we were also treated to a tour, many questions/answers, and a wonderful lunch by the directors. Before leaving this area, we were shown Emmaxia's finding place. This was an emotional, challenging day but so significant to Emmaxia's story. We are so grateful to our agency's consultant and the SWI administrators for arranging and allowing this important visit. We are forever indebted to Emmaxia's "nanny" for caring for our daughter during this step of her life's journey, and we are speechless when we try to acknowledge Emmaxia's birthparents who made a choice to give this amazing little girl a better life. We can only promise that she has all of our love--all that we've been saving for her and all we have yet to offer.

This is a picture of our meeting with the notary--the final step to make the adoption official in China! Just a couple of steps left for the US government...not that it matters...she is our daughter completely already. : )

Day 6 in China

Spending the day doing some official paperwork and the rest of the time we are on our own. Started the day with a shower, some breakfast and naps, this is awesome.

She is starting to get very comfortable with us now and has begun to laugh and shake while laughing....It's a gift.

What a difference a day makes

The day began with nervous stomachs. Typically, Todd and I would have relished the unique dining experience of the hotel's buffet breakfast--so many interesting foods to try! Today, however, we simply picked at a sampling of "safe" foods (the ones we recognized). We didn't need to wait too long, though, before walking across the street to meet our daughter (still sounds crazy when I say and hear that). Our group, including our agency's on site consultant, two couples, our neighbors and their boys and us (11 people total), braved the insanity of morning traffic at 10 a.m. (more about the traffic later). We walked into the official building not knowing if our daughters would be there yet. When I heard our consultant say, "Do you want to stop for a picture or do you want to see your baby now?", my heart started racing. Our consultant was two feet in front of us, and he could see our daughter around the corner! We found our feet and made our way around the corner and there she was. We knew her instantly (couldn't take our eyes off her) but weren't sure what we were supposed to do. We waited until we were called forward and were motioned to her with a nod. That's all the permission we needed. In a moment she was in our arms and in our hearts. I cannot truly describe what this moment was like, except to say that I am in love--in love with this little person who mesmerizes me and in love with Todd, who is even more than the amazing dad I knew he would be. The following pictures are from our first day with Emmaxia. Thank you for sharing our joy from across the miles!

Can't Get Enough

We are all ready for a good night's sleep.....How precious is this....

more photos from Gotcha Day

It's a Great Day

Nanchang

Here are a couple of photos from our travels to Nanchang.

The day started out with breakfest again, which was once again very good. We were then off to the airport for a 2 hour flight. Some minor complications at the airport but Zhou took care of them. Its very nice having Zhou with us during our travels.

The travel from the Nanchang airport to the hotel brought some mixed feelings for sure. The area is very impoverished which makes you feel good that you are taking at least one person away from it but sad at the same time. The hotel is very nice and the room very comfortable. The "Tour" of the local Walmart was one that I hope to forget soon. The Walmart was crazy busy and unbelievably loud but Tara and I managed to find some food that was true to the culture and an experiement for our taste buds.

Well, today is the day. In about 3 hours we walk across the street to pick up our little girl. Ok, now my heart is starting to pound.

More photos from June 5