Welcome Home!

My parents were at my house to welcome Sonia and I home.

When we pulled in the driveway, we saw a big banner with helium balloons welcoming Sonia home, an "It's a Girl" sign, and more balloons on the porch! It was amazing!! My neighbors (especially the kids) across the street also yelled "Welcome Home Sonia"... it was a pretty special homecoming. Inside, my parents also had roses, a card, and a "New Mom - Need Coffee" mug. They had also cut my lawn and done the trimming / weeding to allow me to not have to take time for this chore on return. Thanks so much Mom & Dad!!

The next couple days we spend playing with Sonia and trying to help her adjust to all the changes. The mug proved to be very true. I haven't had more than a few hours sleep any night since getting home as Sonia struggles with jet lag and is awake and out of sorts every night. I hope we're getting to the home stretch of this soon. I do like my sleep :o)

It was great to have the time for Sonia to get to know Nana and Grandpa in such a relaxed way. She clearly adores them already!

Heading Home!

It was a long journey home - train to Hong Kong, 14 hour flight from Hong Kong to Detroit, 5 hour layover, 1 hour flight to Milwaukee. My only advice is to expect it to be difficult and seemingly endless but know that, in the scheme of things, it's pretty short (at least in hindsight).

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On Aug 18, I received the final documents for Sonia which allowed her to become an American Citizen when her "feet touch the ground" in the US. Once we had her passport and documents, we said Goodbye to our guide Grace and boarded a train from Guangzhou to Hong Kong.

We had to wait in the train station for more than 2 hours and then take the couple hour train ride and then a taxi to our hotel and then endure an hour long hotel check in process (not sure what the problem was with check in but it took WAY too long!). We stayed overnight in the Hong Kong airport hotel and then flew home from Hong Kong on Friday.

I've traveled many times to Asia and am lucky to generally not have much of an issue with jet lag. However, I've never taken the flight having to constrain a 1 year old and gotten no sleep on the 14 hour flight. Sonia and I took a nap on her blanket on the floor for about an hour in the Delta Lounge in Detroit - Thank Goodness! and made it home safe and sound.

Sonia also decided to surprise us with a new trick and pulled herself up to a standing position on the coffee table in the room to get to my cell phone! She was confident in pulling up so I don't think it was the first time she did this - but, it was the first time we were able to witness it!

It was a great trip that I will always treasure, but I'm glad to be home to start my new life with Sonia!!

I will also always be thankful to my friends Lacretia and Lori for joining me on the journey and providing all the help that allowed me to spend time bonding with Sonia during the trip rather than worrying about all the details and helping me make the transition to being a Mom! They also did a great job with taking the pictures and video that will make my memories come to life in the future. Thank you so very much!!!

Wed - Consulate Appointment

We had our US Consulate Appointment on Wednesday. It was a bit different than I'd imagined - oath from behind windows, quick check of forms, and done. But, it's great to have the paperwork side of things done. Sonia will be a US Citizen as soon as her feet touch the ground at the airport in Detroit.

In the afternoon we finished up our shopping, picked up our last laundry - we're taking mostly clean clothes for the adults home, and said Goodbye to our travel group of new friends. We exchanged emails and will try to keep up on the growth and progress of all the little babies.

In the evening, we finally tried "the restaurant on the 5th floor above Jordans". It is not marked and felt a little strange walking in. But, the food was WONDERFUL!! Everything was so tasty and was freshly prepared when we arrived and only cost about 17USD total for the 3 of us to have a table full of food! The best meal we had in Guangzhou. We so wish we had found it earlier in the trip!

Thursday, we receive the final documents back from the US Embassy, pack up our stuff (after being in this hotel for 11 days), and take the train to Hong Kong. We will fly home on Friday morning!

Tuesday - A free day...

Today we didn't have any appointments. We slept a little later (Sonia slept until 6:45am), had breakfast, "skyped" with Mom & Dad and Lori's family, played in the room and then went shopping and out for lunch.

The highlight of the day was taking the traditional "Red Couch" photographs of the babies and our travel group. Many of the babies were dressed in traditional Chinese silk dresses for the occasion. Sonia was a bit overwhelmed by all the commotion (and also since we had to wake her up from her nap to get ready). But, the pictures turned out rather cute in any case...

Monday - One Week since Sonia Day!

It's hard to believe that it's only been a week since Sonia Day! I feel like she's been a part of my life so much longer... yet at the same time, I can't believe we only have a few more days in China. I'm so ready to be home yet enjoying the chance to have this dedicated time to spend with her (and also the wonderful support of Lacretia and Lori during the trip!!)

Today we went to the "Six Banyan Temple". It is an incredible place. It was a great place to give thanks for the gift of being Sonia's Mom! I'm so incredibly blessed and want nothing more than to be the best Mom I can be to her! There was also a "baby blessing" given by a Monk at the temple which was quite special to be able to experience.

From there, we went to a Pearl Market. I bought a strand of pearls to give to Sonia for one of her special birthdays or Graduation.

We went back to our hotel for a quick lunch and some playing with bubbles and toys before taking a quick walk to a nearby Starbucks for an iced coffee. It was a chance to have ice for the first time in China! Then we had a "playdate" in the play room in our hotel with another family traveling with us. It was fun and relaxing.

Sonia went to sleep shortly after (fighting sleep all the way - yikes!) but is now resting peacefully...

(Note: Today, I also added a post for yesterday and some pictures to the post the day before ...)

Sunday - Chen Family Temple and Shopping

On Sunday (8/14), we took the bus to the "Chen Family Temple" and then stopped at a store that specializes in porcelain, silk, and other local art items. I bought several items to give Sonia over the years (including a couple silk traditional dresses for Chinese New Year's Celebrations, a tiny tea set, a jade "mother/daughter" necklace, and a silk baby blanket).

In the afternoon, we did a bit of shopping in the little shops on Shamian Island where our hotel is and I found a few outfits and squeaky shoes very reasonably priced.

Sonia really turned a corner in opening up later in the day. We had a group dinner with lots of wonderful dishes family style. Sonia has typically been very reserved during these types of events. But, this evening, she was in rare form amusing the table and trying to grab the dishes. On the way home, I playfully tipped her back (which I've done before to only scared looks) and she giggled and laughed and smiled all the way back to the hotel where she played for quite a while before falling asleep.

It was clear that while she hadn't really participated in the little songs and games we'd been doing the last week, she'd been watching. She proceeded to do all the little tricks of ball rolling, flying the little penguin puppet we brought, "reading" books, playing with cups, smiling and laughing. It was incredibly special and warmed my heart to see her relax and enjoy playing with us!

Friday and Saturday...

A quick post for the last two days...

Friday, we got the baby passport and then took a bus tour to downtown (modern) Guangzhou. In the afternoon, we took a brief swim with Sonia in her new floating duck (which has been great for keeping her contained while I take a quick shower, great for keeping her safe in the tub for a bath, and also fun in the pool.

Today (Saturday), we skyped with Nana & Papa, had the baby medical appointments (according to the quick check, Sonia is 28.5" long and 18.5 lb) and spent 2.5 hours with the guide filling out forms for our US Consulate appointment (which is next Wed). Sonia was a trooper but it was a long day. We tried to go out to dinner but I ended up walking home with her to relax in the room. Lacretia and Lori brought me some leftovers back which were yummy.

We got a few more smiles and even a couple giggles from Sonia. She's also getting pretty talented with the stacking cups - pretty fun!

Tomorrow is a temple tour and also some shopping!

A relaxing day ...

We didn't have any official appointments today. Sonia was up before 6am so we started early and had some play time before breakfast. We then came back to the room and I gave her a bath in her new "ducky". We decided that the ducky would be fun in the room, in the pool, and would make bath time easier... so far, it's working great.

At 9:30, we got on the bus with our group and visited a beautiful garden park in Guangzhou. It was a really fun and relaxing walk and we got some fun (and silly) pictures around the various character statues around the park. Our guide, Grace, is trying to fit in some extra little tours since we're in Guangzhou so many days. It's also great to hear her stories about her family, friends, and growing up here in China... it gives us a nice peek into the everyday life and culture and changes over the last years and between generations.

We were back by about noon, collected our laundry, had some sandwiches in the room, and then went for a quick dip in the pool before Sonia's nap time. She got a little over tired but quickly fell asleep in my arms and is now sleeping soundly in her crib.

We have a group dinner tonight at the Thai restaurant which will be a fun little walk and outing. Overall, a rather relaxing day!

Here's a few pictures from yesterday and today...

Wednesday

Today was a relatively quiet day.

Sonia woke up at 4am hungry. Lori made a bottle for her while I changed her diaper. After her bottle, she quickly fell asleep again and slept until 6:30am.

We went to breakfast and then came back and "skyped" with my parents and my brother. It was a great surprise to see Rich too and to introduce them (at least over the computer) to Sonia. I can't wait until they can see her in person!

We then relaxed and played with Sonia. I got out some more toys and crawled around putting them in different parts of the room. After observing for a little bit, Sonia decided that one of the balls (ball within a ball) was interesting enough to crawl over and retrieve! We were thrilled to see her moving! She has also stood on her feet a few times but not moved from there. Mostly, she still wants to be held. The peek-a-boo games seemed to help some... I crawled around and peeked around corners and behind chairs where she could see me yet not. During diaper change and dressing immediately after, she was more content and didn't shriek when I went to throw away the diaper and wash my hands. Lori and Lacretia are also helping me to remember some little songs to sing to her... she seems to really enjoy them!

Sonia took a nap before our afternoon appointments to get her passport picture taken. I also received the official adoption document from the day before. We have a picture together in it that is pretty cute!

Sonia was a bit upset tonight and finally fell asleep in my arms. She hasn't "pooped" yet and I'm guessing it's bugging her a bit. This is the same for the other babies and I'm told common due to the stress and changes. Our guide has offered some "tea" that's supposed to help if she still hasn't by tomorrow. Tonight we tried the prune baby food that we brought which she seemed to really enjoy. I also have a packet from Cindy & Dan to try (which may be the same thing our guide has offered). We'll see if the prunes work or try something else tomorrow.

She fell asleep early tonight so Lori and Lacretia went out to either get some take-out or eat and bring me some leftovers back.

We haven't downloaded pictures today... so words for tonight and more pictures to come tomorrow!

A day of lots of FIRSTS

Today was a day of lots of new things for Sonia.

She woke up around 6am and was in bed tonight by 8pm. She napped for a couple hours total, part in her crib and part in my arms.

Sonia only took about 2 oz of formula this morning. So, I was a little worried about how I'd get her to eat - what brand formula, what temperature, what nipple size, etc etc. At breakfast, she happily ate some congee (Chinese Rice Porridge), bits of watermelon, and bits of mashed banana... mmm.. so she got some liquid.

Sonia has started to show some signs of attachment - she cries big tears when I set her down even to go to the bathroom. I've started bringing her in and setting her on a towel but even that is tough for her at this point. The good news is that she pretty much immediately stops crying as soon as I pick her back up. She is a great cuddler which is really fun!

We had a bit of play time in the room before our days appointment at the Civil Affairs Office. Sonia napped in my arms in the bus on the way. She was awake by the time we arrived and we had our picture taken and the adoption registered and notarized. We stopped at a Carrefour store on the way back to the hotel.

Sonia got hungry enough while at the grocery store to try to chew into the babyfood. So, we stopped and made her a bottle right in the store. Sonia drank it quickly... woo hoo! another milestone. When we got back to the hotel, she ate some apple baby food. She had another bottle with formula / rice cereal after her nap and some congee tonight. She also drank a bit of water and ate a dozen or so Puffs. So, she's on the right track with food.

We also experimented with going in the pool this afternoon. Sonia wasn't sure at first but seemed to relax and enjoy it a bit by the time we got out. I'm sure we'll have even more fun in the pool later this week!

Here's a few pictures from today ...