AH, Summertime!

Our little boy is just growing up so FAST!!! Here we are getting ready to go swimming at the YMCA. And for my fellow friends with children with albinism, I am finally brave enough (with the right hat, glasses and buckets of sunscreen) to tackle outdoor pools.

His vocabulary is expanding everyday. It started with "Uh Oh, go, dink for drink, ju for juice, uh for up" but now he is just getting to be Mister jabber jaws. He says, "woof for dog, wa for water, rah for light, soup, rie for rice, cheese, peas for please" and on and on. Yesterday, was particularly victorious because he learned how to say and sign for "eat" and has been really investigating the power of getting what he wants when he uses his words. He also learned how to say "hep for help" and that has been quite the peacemaker between us.

Naps are still a real struggle. He just can't settle it down around me. For Grandmama and daddy though, he will pretty much just grab his blanket and go to sleep. Perhaps it is b/c I am his main playmate as well as the disciplinarian...and also because I do not let him cuddle with me on his way into sleep (we cuddle beforehand and afterward, and I stay in the room with him, but I am trying to teach him to fall asleep by himself in his good bed. We usually compromise by holding hands.)

Today, is ZooVenture day with the Bell Center. I am asked to bring him to the zoo where the therapist staff and many volunteers from area law firms will take our children around the zoo from 9 to 12 while the mommies get some much needed time alone and some pampering. We will be treated to a fabulous brunch. I am trying not to get too excited as most of me knows that Noodle is probably not going to buy it. The whole concept would terrify me except that I have tremendous confidence in his therapists and I KNOW they will watch Beck and advocate for him at all times. Yesterday, we went to the Children's Library watch a presentation on bees. I sat him down next to one of his classmates (the prettiest one, of course, Beck) and his OT nestled right on in and started engaging him while the mommies slipped out for our meeting. She said he cried softly for about 5 minutes and then pulled it together with lots of singing....until....until the speaker said the word "mommy" and our little guy came unglued. His therapist had to take him out of the auditorium. So you see, I expect to get my little man handed back to me about 20 minutes after I leave (that being the length of time I imagine his team will give him to pull it together). We keep trying though and it IS getting better.

Rub-a-dub-dub, There's Noodles in my tub!

Punk rocker or Folk Singer? By the time Beck is old enough...they will be practically the same thing. Philip and I really suspect it will go more the punk rocker route. Beck has the gift of aggravation. Why just this morning, he toddled himself over to the his chalkboard, looked at Philip and I and just started clawing those sweet baby fingernails right down it. Hilarity!!! He's such a quick study, that it took mere seconds of experimentation before he found the magic sound.

Spring Medley

I dedicate this picture to my cousin, Susie, who was fascinated by Beck's busy and able feet. She coined him "pedextrous!" I had the sudden urge to paint my nails bright pink the other day (I'm sure it has NOTHING to do with the fact that my clothes feel and look like sausage casing and that my forehead is losing the battle of the hormones). Ever curious, Beck was enthralled by the whole thing but he kept trying to lick the nailpolish off as though it were yummy candy....so I painted one teeny tiny toenail which he waved around all day long.

Grandmama took a folk art weaving class (on an honest to goodness loom even). I think everyone who knows her is just thrilled beyond words that she finally feels good enough to do this. Anyway,, in one short weekend, she weaved that gorgeous scarf there. Of course, Philip had to jump in to give us this little piece of Rasta Noodle.

Noodle sure does love his bedtime stories!!! This is one of the first pictures that deomonstrate his low vision. He doesn't let it get him down! He just gets right on in to the middle of the action.

Noodle...Adventurer...Wild Man...Lovebug

Spring is here and it's time to conquer THE SLIDE!!! (Just don't ask me to get on one of those scary swings...just stop trying, MOM PLEASE!!!

Beck's not truly happy in the confines of his tiny home anymore. He has better and more important business to attend to OUTSIDE.

Toddler stairs....a snap!

Oh yeah...I'm the man!!!



























Oh, you want ME to push myself over?? "Scoot, Scoot, Scoot!!, you say?" Let me think about it a minute or five.












I'm still thinking.










Now, I'm ready...WHEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!

Thank You Easter Bunny...

Beck's very first PEEP, ever!!!

OK!!! That was artificially yummy, what else ya got?

It's the Saturday before Easter and we are at Grandmama's at her church's Easter Egg hunt! This is my Bruce Lee ensemble that was given to me from Caleb (pictured below). Almost all of my snazzy threads come from either Caleb, Jack, Sam, or Jonathon.





This slide business is a relatively new thing. If he can restrain himself from taking off his shoes for a few seconds...he can actually have some fun.

Nope...see....the temptation just gets the best of me.

This is Caleb and his grandmommy. They have been VERY kind to us!







What I PREFER is to have Grandmama on one side doting on me...and mommy on the other side doting on me....something is missing here. Actually, what Beck is thinking at this moment is, "Can I take these particular shoes off while standing?"

Mmmm...buffet table with fruit and cupcakes!!!

It's Easter Morning and the Easter Bunny came! In fact, the silly rabbit brought Beck TWO baskets!!! (One is from Grandmama and one is from Brandy G. who gave us this beautiful embroidered basket when we first learned that Beck was our son about a year ago. How did she know that the perfect basket would take some sting out of not being with him that Easter?






My goofy child was obsessed with Parson's (one of his grandparents doggies) bed. The Easter Bunny had hid an egg on it and Beck thought that was just exactly right...

So ALL eggs belong there!

The eggs were a big hit. I will have to add in pictures of the coconut Bunny cake that Grandmama made for Beck...as soon as Grandpapa sends me the pictures...

Some of the more difficult issues...

Today, Beck is being evaluated by a team of therapists (speech, occupational therapy, physical therapy, and so on) at the Bell Center. We are VERY excited about this! The Bell Center is a fantastic place that really does amazing things for children who have special needs. It is a non-profit Early Intervention Facility. You can learn more about them here http://thebellcenter.org/

So the hard part comes in when you ask the question, "Why does Beck need these services?" The reason is because he is quite developmentally delayed. He was diagnosed as "severely delayed" when we brought him home from China. It is the CAUSE and the degree of the delay that is a mystery. I would like to take this opportunity to point out that since he has been home, Beck has made tremendous progress in all areas. It may seem like I am focusing on the negative here, but the truth is that I am in utter awe at this amazing little boy. He has overcome so much in his short life...his resiliency is remarkable. We are terribly proud of our Noodle!

It is our responsibilty and our delight to try to get the most help for him that we can...heck, we owe him that much. I think that my best theory as to "why?" comes in the form of a recipe...a pinch of this and a dash of that. I don't think that we will ever get the answer to the riddle so that is the way I deal with the unknowns. The International Adoption Clinic stated bluntly that they have never seen such severe delays in a child who has been in foster care. They were shocked to learn that we KNOW Beck came from a loving foster home and that we communicate with them regularly. The thing is that his foster family is from another culture...maybe their perception of thin is different than ours....maybe they don't have any expectations of special needs children's futures and don't push them...maybe they don't stimulate and play with the kids as much because they have so many or because they will have to let them go. The point is, I don't know...and I cannot blame his foster family even if that would be the easy way out. Beck's life is full of challenges and he has already built a wonderful bridge between here and China (not bad for not even being 2). So he came to us with big obstacles to overcome...so what...he can do it...I'm certain of it. Behind the scribbles "developmentally delayed" and "albinism" on his medical record is an incredibly intelligent, loving, creative, quirky, and pleasant little boy. There is not a thing in the world wrong with this child!

I was going to write a little about the other "hard" issue...sleep. I have rambled enough, and will tackle it in a separate post...it deserves a post all to itself anyway. In the meantime, here is Noodle mastering the whole standing thing...piece of cake!

Can I get a drumroll, please?

See, nothing to it!

The bridge from here to China

I have struggled some over this post and what I want to say about it. We have been so fortunate to have been building a relationship with Beck's foster family in China (his foster father mainly handles all correspondence). To see his picture, go into the archives under January at the post, "It had to be you."

Even the day we received Beck into our hungry arms, it was accompanied by a stack of handwritten letters (in Chinese, of course) for us and Beck. I don't know if they do this with all of the families that adopt their foster children, or if I started the process by sending a care package to their home before we ever adopted Beck (complete with toys, sunglasses, sunscreen, and clothes for Beck, treats for the foster parents, a bracelet for Beck's foster sister, cameras, and a letter in Mandarin).

On "Gotcha Day" (I just don't like that name), the orphange director warned us to not keep correspondence with the foster family because sometimes foster families will ask the adoptive parents for money. We were a little conflicted at the time, but once the next letter came, I chucked the orphanage director's advice out the window. If the foster parents ask us for money, I may personally feel disappointed, but I can say "No" if I choose. Conversely, the fulfillment that a relationship with them could add to Beck's life is worth us taking a chance on a little bit of potential dissappointment.

To this day, we have proabably gotten about 5-7 handwritten letters (including what we received in China) from them, and I have sent them a care package, 2 translated letters with pictures, and pictures on e-mail of each month that Beck has been with us.

I thought about posting the translation of the most recent letter to demonstrate how positive and loving they are. I decided against it because that is a precious part of Beck's past and it is HIS to share or not as he chooses when he is older. Beck was loved then and is loved even more now. I hope that we can find Ren's favorite Omma (nanny) so that she may enjoy the same proof that she was loved...always...then and now...and forever.

I also sent Beck's foster family the link to this blog. They cannot read English of course, but I hope they will enjoy the pictures. Even though you can't read this, we love and cherish you!!!!!

It had to be you TWO???!!!!

So here we are...home just a couple of weeks with our amazing little guy and I'm here to tell ya, WE'RE TIRED!!! Throw some serious jetlag in with a jetlagged, freaked-out insecure baby and what you get is a recipe for exhaustion. Ok, I'm a little hard on Beck here, but we are also first-time parents and have NO idea what we are doing and we don't fully know this little guy or his many quirks just yet.

At one point, weeks after being home, Philip took Beck and for just a second...I could hop on the internet. Now it's been almost a month and I didn't realize how habitual internet surfing is (seriously watch yourself sometime). So, I clicked on a particular website that is a collaboration of many, Many adoption agencies. For now, I'm not going to post the site. Anyway, I used to go there daily and I guess in the back of my mind, I was hoping there would be a really great article on sleep issues (there is, but I didn't find it that day). At the top left of the page, the website always puts a random picture of a waiting child. This particular day, I looked at the picture and thought, "Wow, I KNOW that look...that is a little Chinese baby with albinism!" Well since my main studies now involve the super-saturated cuteness of Chinese babies with albinism, I just HAD to look.






Here's the problem with looking...it's the same as knowing. I called Phiilip in to see this adorable little baby girl and he non-chalantly said, "Well, we need to go get her!" WHAT?!! I didn't think it was POSSIBLE to adopt again so soon from China, but we checked into it and the agency (Madison Adoption Associates) who was handling her file said we were ok.


Here we go AGAIN!!! So I just had to get more pictures of our future daughter.


Introducing: Bo Rao Shan at 5 months of age. (Bo is the surname given by her orphanage). We will name her, Ren Shan.

Doesn't she look like an adorable little heffalump all swaddled up like that?








And we got updated pictures of her at 8 months of age!
























Welllllll....noodles and angelcake go well together, right?

THE China Trip (Finally)

Here it is FINALLY!!!! June 28th, 2007 and we are finally getting on a plane to meet our son! We have worked and waited and longed for this day for YEARS! There is no way that bird can fly fast enough. Since I am writing this in hindsight, I seem to have developed a mental block as to how many layovers, where the layovers were, and how long the flight there took. I do remember that we flew in to Tokyo and then on to Guangzhou.



This is a long post with over 50 pictures. We (meaning Philip) took over 700 during the trip so I assure you that this is just a smattering of the story.

Here is a picture Philip snapped out of the plane window. Most of the pictures posted here are compliments of Philip (unless of course he is in it).

We arrive in Guangzhou at 10:30 PM on June 30th! We are greeted by our guide, Ellen and driven to Shamian Island to the White Swan Hotel (which is also our final destination here in China). It was good to spend a night here to get somewhat accustomed to the lights and keys and how it all works so we aren't as inept with a baby in tow.

Here is the view out of our hotel room. China DEFINATELY knows about big buildings and concrete jungles! We learned that Birmingham, AL is not actually a city....by China's standards, it is a village.

The picture is dark, but this is me (with my handy dandy passport holder) in ONE of the atriums of the White Swan (WS). Notice the pagoda and waterfall behind me.

We have an outstanding breakfast. Breakfast is buffet style with both American/European parts and Chinese parts. VERY NICE! Then we hop on a domestic flight to the capital city of Sichuan province, Chengdu. All adoptions at this time are done in the capital city of the province where the child is.

The flight was neat. We waited in a very humble loading area for our flight to be called. We don't understand a WORD and are totally dependant on Ellen. Once boarding is announced, we scuttle outside and cram onto a bus/trolley transport which drives us out to the plane. We board the plane like cattle from the spitting rain outside. The flight was pleasant with local food service. Knowing that it is not vegetarian, I hand mine over to Philip and munch on one of the hunderds of protein bars we brought.

We arrive in Chengdu a couple hours later the same day (July1st)

ANXIOUSLY WAITING AND LOOKING AROUND CHENGDU

Philip and I are wide-eyed trying to soak up as much of the experiences as we can. We know that once we meet Beck (TOMORROW), we will be distracted. Here is just a random shot of the streets of Chengdu.

Here is Ellen! Here Chinese name is Tong Pae (although I don't know how to spell it).

Here is the outside of some swanky hotel in Chengdu. We didn't get a picture of our own swanky hotel...but it was ALMOST this nice.

Jet lag was not too bad because we were so hyped up about becoming parents and also there is some theory that jet lag is worse flying the other direction. We have found that to be true. Philip spotted a neat coffee house and we had to investigate. Philip LOVES his coffee!!!!!!

Here is the view out of our hotel room in Chengdu!

Chengdu is quite a swanky city. This building is dedicated to Peking Duck. The ENTIRE building is a restaurant specializing in Peking duck! And if you are REALLY serious about your Peking duck, you can dine on the top 2 floors.







What is a trip to China without some snapshots of Mao statues?

We are at a NICE park just 2 blocks from our hotel. They were working on installing a subway under the park. I believe (but am not certain) that the subway will also travel into Tibet (sigh!). Our last day just the two of us...

How sweet is that?! This is in the same park.

Philip is goofing around in the future subway area. Our guide Ellen wasn't sure who would be more "grown up" Beck or us! The euphamism she used was "playful." (DANG STRAIGHT!!!)

Also on this day, we went to a tea house and had some incredible Jasmin tea (and bought some as well). Ellen took us to a local place to enjoy the areas food specialty, hot pot. It was incredible! The pot in the middle of the table can have different kinds of broths and in each broth, you can put different ingredients. We went all out for spicy-town and we got it! The curious part was that the "spice" was more of a clove hot and would make your whole mouth numb. It was very oily and heavy for my tummy. I was much more bothered by the oil than the spice.

TODAY WE MEET OUR SON (JULY 2ND)

We don't have many pictures from this day. It was such an ordeal! We have a video of our meeting and if I ever learn how to download video and edit it, I may come back and post it.

We went to a building (which I think was the local orphanage). We met with the director of Beck's orphanage (although he was in foster care). He showed us a STACK of pictures that were taken with the cameras we had sent. (Curiously, in the shuffle, we only got 2 or 3 pictures. We can only assume that Beck was loved so much there that they really wanted to keep his pictures.) Ellen read/translated many letters to us from Beck's foster parents. There were always several people talking at once and we are dependent on Ellen's translation of ANY of it and there was so much paperwork flying around. I was in complete overstimulus shutdown. Then they said, Beck is here and I about broke my neck to turn around.

This is hard to write about: My first reaction to seeing Beck was not at all what I expected. Of course I adore him!!! I was unprepared for the hollow look of shock and trauma on his face. He was so frightened and I simultaneously wanted to snatch him up and comfort him (although the logic part of my brain knew that it was scare him more) and I wanted to run and cry when I saw the effect of this process on his sweet face. I tried to nuzzle up to the woman holding him and "play" with Beck with some toys but he was uninterested. I wanted to show him that I was not going to hurt him before I grabbed him. The orphanage directors did not understand my tactics. They thought I was displeased with my perfect child and had to ask me if I would hold him. I did and IMMEDIATELY everyone started shouting instructions at me. I was suppose to put a diaper on him that second (he had never had one on before), give him a bottle of formula (which I did not have b/c the report said he was eating solid food), and sign some of the MOUNTAIN of paperwork that Philip was drowning in. It was too much confusion for me...Beck, you are a resiliant child!

Beck's first time in the Snugli. This thing was a true blessing in China. The locals are just happy to run up to you and snatch a baby right out of your hands to oogle the child and to "give you a break." We didn't relish that idea and fortunately the complexity of the Snugli thwarted all potential do-gooders.

It was a long and emotional day! It was too much for these two!

Of course, I just sat there staring at my beautiful boys swooning in love.

SHOPPING AND DINNER IN CHENGDU

Our first night out with Beck at a local shopping area.

Philip caught this...THANK GOD!!! How funny!

Ellen took us to a very LOUD and BRIGHT place to eat.

It was so bright, Beck needed his shades INDOORS! It didn't stop him from having a nap though.

Back at the hotel that evening, we come to the realization that most of the clothes we brought for him were just a fuzz too big! (These were size 12 months...Beck is 14 months)

TRIP TO LESHAN (THE GIANT BUDDHA) 7/3/07

Philip and I both wanted to take a long day trip to Leshan to see the giant Buddha carved into the mountain side. This was done by monks to protect the people from bad weather, drought, floods, etc.

On our way in the car for a couple hours drive. Beck had no problem sleeping in the car. In fact, he slept A LOT. We did not realize how much trauma he had been through and he needed to recover. Ellen was getting a little worried that the baby is always asleep.





A very sleepy Beck at Happiness Rock.

Here we go! Hiking around Leshan. Thank the stars for my new hip!!!

They had really elaborate statues like this tiger all around for protection.

Here is the Giant Buddha...INCREDIBLE!!!!

Beck and I walking back up from the viewing spot.

2 of the 4 guardians of the 4 directions. This was at the temple part. These were enourmous!

Having a milk break outside the temple. Although the picture doesn't show it, Beck received a TREMENDOUS amount of attention throughout our trip from the locals. They all thought he was a "western baby" and were wanting to take his picture, pull him out of the snugli, etc. At one point, I was separated from Philip and Ellen and was getting mobbed by about 50 people pulling at Beck in the snugli and at his sunglasses. We had to ask Ellen to tell them not to do this.



Lunchtime! Our driver (pictured at right) knew the "best" place for lunch so we would not get screwed. Turns out, he had plans of sticking it to us himself and took us to a place that did the "fish scam." We ordered a fish dish and they charged us $50 US claiming that they had to kill a very big fish. Ellen knew we had been scammed and she was PISSED!!! She yelled at the driver most of the way back in the car and told him that we were taking that money out of his fee. You GO ELLEN!!!

WHEW! WHAT A LOOONG DAY!

We thought we'd go to the indoor pool at the hotel. Beck seemed to like it for a few minutes anyway. Philip and Beck are playing around while I squeeze myself into my suit.




Mmmm.... cookies in bed!!!!

TRIP TO THE MUSEUM 7/4/07

Peek-a bamboo!!!

Looking at historical tablets in the HOT HOT sun!

I just love these moon gates.

Silly boys!

A male lion (or fu dog here in the US). Cool little statue.

I loved this elephant too!

I don't remember what this rock says!

THE POET DU FU'S HOUSE (7/4/07)

So Beautiful!!!

Amy goofing off with the baby AGAIN!!! Honestly, this is quite a lot of site seeing in the sweltering heat for a little albino baby and a mommy with a fairly new hip....we GOTTA play!

Another view

A profile of the statue of this famous poet. We were unable to buy translated version of his work so we still don't really know how amazing he was.

WE'RE POOPED!!!

We are really keeping quite a touring pace going and it is evening and we're tired!




Chengdu at night.

What happens if we put you in HERE??!!! I know you slept with your foster parents, but it's worth a shot!

OH!! THAT's what happens!!!

Philip found these cake/cookie things at the market. They are called Salty Husband cakes and they are to die for!

THE PANDA RESEARCH INSTITUTE AND PRESERVE 7/5/07

Sichuan Province is proud to boast as one of the last remaining places that some Giant Pandas still live in the wild. This mountainous area was probably covered with these gentle beauties at one time.

At the entrance

Cool statue! Just EXACTLY how I feel!

What a tragedy if they become extinct.

And the lesser known RED panda!

BIRTH OF A MONIKER

The letter Ellen read to us, said Beck likes noodles. Ok! Well, he's not really very good at eating them or getting any in his mouth. I thought we would save the hotel staff some trouble and just let Beck get after his noodles all he wanted to! Yeah baby!!! You squish those sweet baby fingers on in there!





Noodlefang! Beck, some things just stick around far too long.

Beck wanted to go for a stroll!!!!!!!!

We got Beck's adorable Chinese passport on the 6th and then we are heading back to Guangzhou on the 7th.

ON THE MOVE AGAIN

Just another (thankfully uneventful) domestic flight back to Guangzhou.

TOOLING & SHOPPING AROUND SHAMIAN ISLAND

Shamian Island is a truly beautiful section of Guangzhou. It is the home of the famous White Swan hotel which has been the nesting place for almost ALL international adoptions. The American Consolate was housed nearby in Guangzhou until recently. Most of the economy and livelihood of the locals here is centered around international adoption. Most shop owners speak English and most of the retail is catering to newly adopted families.

Shamian Island

The view outside our hotel room.

There were several MAMMOTH jade sculptures throughout the various lobbies of the White Swan. Mind-boggling detail!

Shamian Island at night

Nothing like some soldiers marching around in the early morning.

A beautiful alley a couple of blocks away from the White Swan

These statues were all over Shaiman Island, but this one in particular caught our curiosity. It is a very interesting mix of China mixed with Western society...as is all of Shamian Island

This is how they do transformers in Guangzhou

We were running out of clothes to fit our Noodle. We broke down and had some laundered but needed something while we were waiting and I do believe that this was the only little boy's (non traditional Chinese costume) outfit we found. I think that if we looked the world over, we would not find an UGLIER ensemble on our handsome guy.

A VISIT TO A BUDDHIST TEMPLE 7/9/07

One the largest Buddhist temples in Guangzhou.

While we were waiting to get a cab from the temple to the hotel, we saw this woman completely engrossed in her game of "kick the bottle" right outside the temple. We were bombarded with beggars outside the temple...makes sense.

TRADITIONAL CHINESE MEDICINE

Ellen took us to the Chinese medicine market in Guangzhou. I think it was the same day 7/10/07 that we got Beck's medical done, but I'm not sure. You could find ANYTHING here. Dried snakes, mushrooms, kittens in cages. Nothing is off limits.

A TRIP TO THE GUANGZHOU ZOO 7/10/07

What could be better than a picture of our little monkey in front of the monkeys? I think I was grumpy in this picture and I can't remember why.

I generally like my zoo tigers a little fat and lazy. These were NOT those tigers! It was scorching hot, the hungry tigers were pacing about uncomfortably, and I was uncomfortable. This was the second exhibit we saw and it didn't give me warm fuzzies.

Kicked Back Baby! Master Beck and his feet!!! He is not truly happy if his feet aren't on top of....whatever!

China is relatively "unencumbered" with litigation concerns, insurance, and risk assessment so that you can get pretty darn close to the animals in the zoo. Cool huh?

A curious and breathtaking tree we saw on our way out of the zoo. Does anyone know what it is? Please tell us!

The last day in Guangzhou was our appointment with the American Consulate to get sworn in. Since they are so accommodating and understanding about cameras, erroneous electronic equiptment, and flashes going off during the ceremony, we have no pictures of this event. All the new families from all provinces that had Consulate appointments that day loaded up on a GIANT coach bus (since this is most business days, does this give you and idea of how many orphans are adopted out of China?) . Some new parents certainly had their hands full with freaked out toddlers who had never been in the city or in a moving vehicle until their adoption. Beck on the other hand was wonderful. I don't think he slept (amazingly) on the hour+ long bus ride but he was a very good natured little guy and didn't cry at all.

We love you too, Punkin!!!! (Yeah, it's still funny LA & Ro)

The view of the river from the hall window of the White Swan the
night before we leave to come home.

It's official, I have my "Going Home Barbie" compliments of the White Swan Hotel in Guangzhou.

HEY!!! Let's go HOME!!!!!!!

How you entertain a baby for the 27 hour trip home