Established 1981...

Picture of ZT at Luoyang orphange

2012-01-08T18:00:00.000-08:00

ZT is the little one in the front right looking up at the bubbles. This picture was taken in March 2006, he went into foster care with New Day in April 2006.

Please read this moving post by Amy Eldridge below:

2011-05-09T09:06:00.000-07:00

When many people think of an orphanage, I think they often envision babies and toddlers. I used to be one of those people myself. On my many trips to China, however, I began meeting and falling in love with the older children who have grown up in institutions, many who never had any true chance of finding a permanent home. Their faces and stories are in my heart forever now, and sadly many of my memories of these great kids involve tears.

Their faces and stories are in my heart forever now, and sadly many of my memories of these great kids involve tears. Tears from Jenny, who broke down on her 14th birthday when she realized that she had aged out of the adoption system without being chosen. The final realization that she would never know what it meant to have a mom or dad of her own caused her to fall into a deep depression. Tears from Lily, a 17-year-old girl whom I had given my jacket after she admired it. When she refused to accept it initially, I put my hand on her shoulder and said, “But of course you have to take it because you are like family to me.” And it was at that one word, “family,” that this normally stoic young lady broke down and sobbed uncontrollably, as it is the one thing that she longed for.

The most emotional moment of my time in China came one night when I was able to meet with a group of older orphaned teens I had watched grow up over a five year period. Every time I would visit their orphanage, I would enjoy getting to know them more. They all seemed so close, such good friends, and they always had smiles for me when I arrived. That night, however, was a night when the kids finally let their guard down. It was a night of real conversation and sharing what it means to grow up as an orphan. Toward the end of the evening we were all in tears. Afterwards, one of the older boys stayed to talk with me privately. I am hesitant to even write of it now as it was such a deeply personal and emotionally raw conversation. I will share, however, that he told me that growing up without a mother or father “hurts more than death.”

Children aren’t supposed to raise themselves. They are not supposed to grow up alone, which I know sounds impossible when you are growing up in a crowded orphanage. The reality, though, is that hundreds of thousands of orphaned children feel utterly and completely ALONE. I held this incredible and wonderful teen in my arms as he sobbed about how much he wanted a mom, and I can’t think of it now without great pain.

Why was I given the opportunity to be born into a family who could take care of me, while millions of children are born into situations so sad and filled with hurt that many people don’t even want to hear their stories? I have struggled with that question for years with no answers. But I do know that all of us who have been blessed to know what a family really is should make every effort possible to help those who are orphaned. If not us, then who?

The theme song for the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games was a song called “You and Me.” It has been sung to me by children in orphanages many times, and it always makes me cry. The words haunt me… especially for the older children who have grown up feeling so alone: “Put your hand in mine. You and me, from one world. We are family.”

How I wish those words were true in every person’s heart. How I wish everyone believed that we need to treat people as family and share our ever shrinking world. What a wonderful place this would be if every adult took the hand of a child in need and didn’t let go. To all of the older orphaned children who have aged out of the possibility of ever finding a family, I send my heartfelt prayers. You are not forgotten. And we will continue doing our very best to help in every way possible.

Amy Eldridge is the Executive Director of Love Without Boundaries.

Starfish foster home

2010-12-19T13:28:00.001-08:00

Love Without Boundaries will be doing a Cleft Medical Exchange

2010-09-08T15:57:00.000-07:00

Love Without Boundaries will be doing a Cleft Medical Exchange in Fuzhou in October. Here is the link to read about this trip and to see a list of children who are still in need of sponsors for their surgeries.

http://www.lovewithoutboundaries.com/cleft_medical_trip_2010.cfm

A $5 or $10 donation will add up and you get to pick the sweetie that your money will help - I hope you'll take the time to look and change a child's life.

AdoptionTalk: Amy Eldridge of LWB Speaks

2010-08-09T18:52:00.000-07:00

Please take the time to read this post - it will answer many of your questions about the changes that have taken place these last few years in adopting from China
AdoptionTalk: Amy Eldridge of LWB Speaks

ordinary time: Sponsored giveaway -- $40 gift certificate to any CSN online store!!

2010-08-09T17:24:00.000-07:00

Go to this great blog to win a gift certificate to CSN
ordinary time: Sponsored giveaway -- $40 gift certificate to any CSN online store!!

Hawaii - almost home!

2010-08-03T16:13:00.001-07:00

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Visiting the Great Wall

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2010-07-30T06:36:00.001-07:00

Guangzhou Day 17

2010-07-30T06:35:00.001-07:00

Guangzhou Day 17 (Friday)

Today was a moving day. We checked into the White Swan – oh the memories from when we stayed here for almost two weeks a few years back. We walked the spice market and "Petsmart alley", bargained for a number of purchases, went swimming, and generally had a relaxing day. We got the brown envelope containing ZT's paperwork so we are good to go tomorrow when we begin the journey home by flying to Beijing. We will be visiting the Great Wall, Forbidden City, and the Summer Palace – all very exciting prospects, but the reality is we are all getting a bit homesick. We look forward to the day when we can again sleep on a mattress that doesn't feel like plywood with a sheet covering it.

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Guangzhou Days 14-16

2010-07-29T09:18:00.001-07:00

Guangzhou Days 14-16 (Tue – Thurs)

Tuesday we had no adoption business to attend to. Relaxation was the focus of the day.

Wednesday morning we had to be in our apartment to field potential phone calls from our guides when they conducted business for us at the U.S. consulate. Afterwards we had arranged for our good friend A to take us on a shopping trip in the city. As in the past, this was an adventure in itself – wholesale pearl market, bl#@k m#rk%t money exchanges and so on. We got back in the afternoon and then met up with some of our group families to take a dinner cruise on the Pearl River. The weather was great, the food excellent, and the views incredible. We had a great time.

Thursday's main event was a trip to the U.S. consulate to sign a document and for the swearing in ceremony. Tomorrow ZT's entry visa for the U.S. should be ready and we will be cleared for take-off. The first time he steps foot on U.S soil (which will be in Honolulu) he will officially become a U.S. citizen.

Tomorrow evening we are really looking forward to meeting up with good friends from our Group 46 FRC trip when they arrive at the White Swan with their new son.

Guangzhou Day 13

2010-07-26T06:06:00.001-07:00

Guangzhou Day 13 (Monday)

We had fun swimming in the morning and then it was off to the medical clinic to check ZT's TB test (it was negative) and help him through three immunization injections. The nurses joked with him a bit, he stuck his left arm out for two injections (watched the needles go right in) and then turned on his daddy's lap so he could get one in his right arm – he didn't like it, but may have endured it better than mama and baba. This concludes his medical tests for the U.S. visa process. The next big paperwork day is Wednesday.

Guangzhou Day 12

2010-07-26T05:58:00.001-07:00

Guangzhou Day 12 (Sunday)

We enjoyed a relaxing day of swimming and then a Thai dinner with our group in the evening.

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Guangzhou Day 11

2010-07-24T07:13:00.001-07:00

Guangzhou Day 11 (Saturday)

Today we were up early and headed to the White Swan where we met our group. The grandeur of the interior waterfall, pond and fish at the White Swan was very captivating for the boys. Our group walked over to the other side of Shamian Island for photos of the children and then down the street to the medical exam facility. I would characterize the scene inside this facility as fairly well organized bedlam. The space is not all that large and was full to overflowing with dozens of families trying to successfully navigate the process. ZT had five stations to visit: ENT; Ht., Wt., temp, and BP; medical/surgery; vision screening; and a TB test. We'll have to wait until Monday to find out what immunizations he will have to receive. We made one rather astounding discovery when his vision was tested from 20 feet. He could read right down the chart with his right eye, but with his left he appeared to struggle seeing anything but the largest size. We put on ZG's glasses and he could then read right down the chart with his left eye. Are they twins or what? At the ht/wt station they asked him his name and he said ZT (of course all the paperwork says Dang Yu Kai). The nurse smiled and asked if his name was Dang Yu Kai, ZT paused a second and then emphatically shook his head yes – smart boy this one is.

Afterwards it was lunch, and then while Maureen stayed behind at the White Swan for paperwork, Craig and the rest headed back to the apartment for a nice swim in the pool.

2010-07-24T03:10:00.000-07:00

Zhengzhou to Guangzhou

2010-07-24T03:07:00.000-07:00

Zhengzhou to Guangzhou Day 10 (Friday)

Today was a travel day. After some morning shopping we returned to the hotel and received ZT's passport – he is now free to travel. Unfortunately the weather turned bad and once boarded on the plane we sat and sat and sat at the gate. Everything was in Chinese so we never really understood the exact reason for the delay, but when the captain left the plane and the crew broke out the carts and started serving us our hot meals and drinks (we're still sitting at the gate mind you), we knew it was going to be awhile. Eventually we did get off the ground, saw an amazing lightning display all around us as at 35,000 feet as the pilot zigzagged through the thunderheads (yes, it was a sort of scary thrill), and landed in Guangzhou about 10:00pm. Oakwood Residence picked us up and we are now getting settled in a most amazing 3 – bedroom, 3 – bath, full kitchen, elegantly furnished etc. apartment for the week. More on this will follow.

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Zhengzhou Day 9

2010-07-22T07:23:00.001-07:00

Zhengzhou Day 9 (Thursday)

Today we had no adoption business to complete – just waiting for the passport. Tomorrow it's off to Guangzhou – about a four-hour flight. We began with a visit from Pam and her daughter (6 ½) (check out her amazing story at http://my.opera.com/paminhenan/blog/show.dml/114936) to swim with us at the hotel. We had a wonderful time. Aura Lee went on a tour of the Provincial Museum with some of the other families – saw lots of amazing things. After Pam left we had a good time at a nearby park – complete with amusement rides and a lake with paddleboats – very beautiful. In the afternoon we taxied to one of Pam's "baby" houses – essentially a very small apartment filled to capacity with 10 special needs babies and two nannies. The babies were just finishing being fed when we arrived with a birthday cake to celebrate the birthday of 3 of them. Pam gave us the background on most of the babies – all of which have challenges ahead. One of the more fortunate babies is waiting to be picked up by a family in Michigan. The whole house was obviously set up to provide loving, nurturing care. Pam and Clay are an amazing couple, as demonstrated by the effort they are making to save the life of these and many more unwanted babies, as well as to try and find loving homes for each.

Pam's daughter really enjoyed our visit and wanted to go out for dinner at the local McDonald's. The kids had a great time. Here we offer ZG's analysis of the food "the chicken nuggets were just like the ones at Steak and Shake."

2010-07-22T05:21:00.001-07:00

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Zhengzhou Day 8

2010-07-22T05:13:00.000-07:00

Zhengzhou Day 8 (Wednesday)

Today was a long day for me and daddy. Mom entertained the boys while we traveled back to Luoyang to visit ZT and ZG's orphanage. The bus was incredibly slow and when we finally arrived we discovered the babies were having their nap so we would have to wait until after lunch to see them. They shuttled us into a meeting room, complete w/ big oval table flowers and water bottles where we met with the assistant director of the orphanage to ask our questions. We asked but after a great deal of talking we decided they really didn't answer any of them. When we asked about ZT we asked for any info or pics under either name ( Dang ZT or Dang Yu Kai) They insisted that they had never had a child named ZT - this was not unexpected. They didn't give us any pictures but did say that they would look through their records and email us any they could find ( they collected all our emails) so we'll see if they do. Then they took us to lunch at an exceptionally fancy and traditional restaurant - evidently very famous for conducting 'the water ceremony. It was a very extravagant meal with much ceremony. The restaurant was beautiful and the waitresses wore beautiful traditional dresses so that was cool and the food was very good. Then we went back to the orphanage and went up to the older children's floor and saw all of them - one of the girls adopted lived up there and she came with her dad to visit them and they were all very happy and excited to see her, she was like a celebrity to them. After visiting up there for awhile most of us went down to the next floor to see the younger children and they took us to ZT's old room (which had also been ZG's room at one point) and all the little children were sitting on their buckets and we had brought some lollie-pops from another family to pass out and so the nannies passed those out and when the kids saw them they all started scooching toward the nannies to get a lollie-pop. We stayed in there for a little while and got a picture with the nanny who remembered both ZG and ZT (as ZT not as Yu Kai). Then we walked down the halls looking in the other rooms at all the Babies/Toddlers in the playrooms with their nannies. Then we went to another room with some children of different ages all sitting at a table and they liked it when we took pictures of them and then let them see the pics on the camera. Daddy took Lots and lots of pictures and I got as much video as I could before my camcorder's memory got full, and I didn't know how to switch to internal memory so I just took pictures after that but we were almost done when then happened so that was good. Then we got ready to go, though it was hard to say good bye to all those children and leave, it was especially hard for the girl who was adopted to leave her friends and for her friends to say good bye, they watched out of the window and were crying as was she. The bus driver took Mikes route back to the hotel so it didn't take quite as long to get back, only about 2 1/2 hours as apposed to the 3+ on the way there. We got back fine, though very tired and Mom, ZT and ZG got back from the pool a little after us. Then Mommy's friend Pam came to visit and we called ZT's Foster Mother and he talked to her and after that he was pretty sad and cried and Mommy held him and rocked him, afterwards he felt better he played Lego's with ZG and then we had dinner (at a small local restaurant) and now we are all going to bed.

2010-07-20T16:49:00.000-07:00

2010-07-20T16:47:00.001-07:00

Completing the Adoption Registration

2010-07-20T16:35:00.000-07:00

Zhengzhou Day 7 (Tuesday)

Today we completed our adoption of ZT through what the Chinese call the registration process – essentially consisting of monetary transfers, a great deal of paperwork written in Chinese characters that we couldn't read but had to sign, and the giving of "gifts" to the officials. It began with a return to the same office building we went to yesterday where an official presented us with a key document and offered congratulations. We presented the customary "gift" and then took the bus to another provincial office building. Here all 14 families were crowded into a small conference room where we signed many more important documents, had our picture taken with ZT and presented more "gifts." This completed the process and we now just wait for ZT's Chinese passport to be issued so he can leave the country.

Upon returning to the hotel we had lunch and a great swim in the pool. Maureen and Aura Lee then ventured to the local Chinese WalMart for a few supplies and brought dinner back for everyone back. Craig and the boys played Lego's and watched an Ultra-man video on the computer. When his mama left for the store ZT was very sad and cried for the first time – about 15 minutes or so – attachment is beginning to take hold! ZT seems to have a bit of a fever as we go to bed – hopefully that will improve tomorrow.

2010-07-19T04:50:00.001-07:00

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Day 5 - Gotcha!

2010-07-19T04:29:00.000-07:00

Luoyang Day 5 (Monday) – Gotcha!

In short - an amazing day that couldn't have gotten much better. It did start a bit slow with Monsoon rains drenching Zhengzhou last night. Our window leaked badly so we ended up moving rooms this morning. Ultimately this turned out positively, in that our room view changed from the dirty side of a building 15' away to a beautiful courtyard garden, complete with a meandering lily pad pond, walkway and small bamboo forest.

We met the group at 9:30am (all 14 families) and boarded buses bound for a provincial government building about 20 minutes away. We arrived before any of the orphanage vehicles, which were late due to extensive flooding in and around the city. All of the families were in one modestly sized room (a bit small for so many families) when the children arrived. ZT arrived in a small van overflowing with children and adults. He willingly came right up to us and practically gave us a High-5 (well almost). He appeared as happy and well as could be expected after having to stay at the orphanage for two nights. In the bag they brought with him we received 4 cameras, but not New Day CD we had hoped for. I would venture to say that our meeting (reunion might be more accurate) was all we had prayed it would be. You should have seen the room - 14 families – hysterical screaming children, crying babies, a few calm ones and then there was ZG and ZT acting like best buds. Maureen had their matching backpacks ready to go filled with all sorts of things to do and they just went at it. ZT was very interactive and expressive = laughing hysterically at times. It was amazing. He really likes to be held and just seemed ready to be involved in whatever we wanted to do. After a couple of hours we boarded the bus back to the hotel and worked on lunch. Noodles, yogurt and bread were readily eaten by all. While Maureen took a trip to the bank and met with our guides to complete registration paperwork, Craig and Aura Lee took the boys to a wonderfully large indoor swim pool/recreation center in the hotel. We prepped the boys with floaties and went for a swim. The shallow end was 4 1/2 ' feet deep, so there was no children feet touching. As expected, it seemed pretty clear that ZT had never been swimming before. ZG just jumped in and played like a fish. ZT just began laughing hysterically as he watched ZG. Craig got right in with him and he was just all smiles. He never appeared fearful as learned the finer points of keeping water out of your mouth and nose. Eventually we had him paddling and kicking his way around the pool. Amazingly, at one point he climbed out, stood up, walked a few steps to where he had a clear path and just leapt in – came up with a sputter, smiling and laughing. He appeared cautious at times but ultimately showed no fear. Lake Michigan is going to be a blast for him when we return. Back in the hotel room the boys spent a good hour plus playing Lego's. Just like ZG he really likes to put things together and taking them apart. They are like two peas in a pod – we can't imagine we'll ever get any closer to knowing what it's like to have twins than this.

Off we went to dinner at a very small place down the street, and wouldn't you know it – absolutely fantastic food - a new local favorite is discovered.

Tomorrow we are on the bus at 9:00am – traveling to complete the registration process.

2010-07-18T18:08:00.001-07:00

Fwd: Day 5 Luoyang - Saying goodbye to ZiGui's foster family

2010-07-18T18:07:00.000-07:00

Day 5 Luoyang - Saying goodbye to ZG's foster family

2010-07-18T18:06:00.000-07:00

Luoyang Day 4 (Sunday)

Today we leave Luoyang and have to say goodbye to ZG's foster family. We went for a nice site seeing walk around town before being picked up by Mike. Surprisingly, as we walked through a huge neighborhood redevelopment project (huge tracts of land had been leveled for new construction), we came upon one of the largest billboard posters we have ever seen depicting the city of Chicago's skyline. It was kind of a home-sweet-home experience.

The visit to the foster family was emotional as expected and a wonderful experience for us all. The family brought out a few of ZG's favorite toys, which turned out to be a lot of fun for him and all of us. It was very hard to say goodbye.

The drive to Zhengzhou on the expressway was an adventure all its own – suffice it to say we survived as evidenced by this blog entry. Our hotel is next door to the one we stayed at almost three years ago and thus we feel like we are on familiar turf. Alas, much to our disappointment, our favorite local "hole-in-the-wall" restaurant is gone – converted into a hair salon. We shall have to find a new favorite. We are very excited about receiving ZT tomorrow – tempered by the sad knowledge that he has to spend a second night at the orphanage. We pray they treat him well.

Louyang Day 3

2010-07-17T07:32:00.001-07:00

Luoyang Day 3 (Saturday)

Today began with a Chinese breakfast (the beef floss in the rice congee was especially good) – followed by some shopping nearby. We then left for the big event of the day and had an amazing lunch at a local spot with Zigui and his foster family. Lot's of great food to eat, and with Mike to translate, communication went well. We traded many stories and had long held questions answered. ZG had a rather difficult time dealing with all of his emotions but eventually gave his foster mother a big hug (see picture) and warmed up to the whole event. We left lunch with a plan to stop by for one last goodbye to ZG's foster family tomorrow. We finished the day with more shopping and dinner at our new favorite "Dumpling" spot. Tomorrow we are off to Zhengzhou to meet up with all of the other families in our group and prepare for our "gotcha" day on Monday.

2010-07-16T07:44:00.001-07:00

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Luoyang Day 2 (Friday)

2010-07-16T07:40:00.001-07:00

First we accompanied Mike to one of the foster families homes and visited with the foster kids so Mike could take the monthly pictures for New Day. Besides "Terry" (ZT) we have sponsored "Heidi" for almost 2 1/2 years and she was in the dress we had sent her last summer and it was still large. She is a little 4 year old and has a wonderful smile - it was so nice to see her and the other New Day children and the love that their foster parents have for them. The other foster children are younger and wanted to stay close to their foster mothers. It was truly a wonderful gift to be able to join Mike on his visit. Mike passed out the pictures and letters that we had received from families that had adopted New Day Luoyang children. The mothers really enjoyed looking at them and were obviously thrilled to have the pictures and the update from these children that they loved so much. ZG gave a sucker to each of the children and then we passed out the toys and socks that we had for them. We gave Heidi some extra things, including color pencils, hair bands and princess markers, as she and Terry are older then the rest, for Terry we had a soccer ball, as our last update told of his love for soccer. We had been told that ZG's foster mother wanted us to come to her home to visit so we walked to her home a block away. It was so wonderful to meet ZG's second mother, the woman that taught him to be the loving boy that he is. We gave each other a hug and then she picked ZG up and gave him many kisses - he did very well but was a little shy. As she sat holding ZG her tears came and so did mine, I could only hold her hand. The love she had for ZG was evident as was the pain that she felt when she had to say good bye to him almost 3 years ago. She told us how a few months ago she had had a dream that she had come home to find ZG playing in their living room and here he was in her home, God is good. She is a woman of great faith and when I told her that she was a gifted mother, that she had taught ZG to be so loving, she gave all credit to God. We had a wonderful visit today and tomorrow we will have lunch together.

China 2010 Days 1-2

2010-07-15T06:22:00.001-07:00

Traveling to China (Tuesday - Wednesday)

What a very long day it's been. It began with leaving for O'Hare at about 8:30am (Tue) and boarding for a long 13 hour+ flight to Seoul, Korea - continued with a couple of hour layover - and then finally ending with another flight from Seoul to Beijing. We connected with our ride from the airport with no problem and finally made it to our hotel room by about 8:30am (Wed. Chicago time) - for a total of 24 hours traveling time. Of course it was 9:30pm here in Beijing. Alas, we get to continue our trek tomorrow morning and head for Luoyang.

LuoYang Day 1 (Thursday)

Today we made it to Luoyang. We began with an enlightening walk through the streets of Beijing and then flew to Luoyang. Here we were met by Mike (New Day) and taken to our hotel - very nice. While at the hotel Mike arranged a meeting for us tomorrow morning with ZT and with both ZG's and ZT's foster families) We're so excited. Unfortunately we found out today that ZT's orphanage is requiring that he be brought back to the orphanage on Saturday and remain there until he is brought to Zhengzhou where he will be handed over to us on Monday morning. This will likely limit some of the "early" time we had planned on spending with him. Though the thought of this saddens us, it appears that here this is standard protocol. ZG had a nice reunion with Mike and then we went out for dinner at a local joint known for their unique dumpling creations. A feast by most standards - excellent service, a private dining room, and all we could eat with plenty of left-overs - all for a grand total of less than $8 U.S. This was somewhat special for ZG, who still remembers making dumplings with his foster mother.

We are so tired right now - it's off to dreamland for us..............

we leave in the morning

2010-07-12T18:21:00.000-07:00

We leave in the morning.

Here we are on lake Michigan it was a beautiful day.

We have our tickets!

2010-07-06T18:53:00.000-07:00

We leave July 13th! We'll first visit ZG's foster family and ZT will officially be with us on the 19th. We'll be staying in Luoyang for 3 nights, Zhengzhou for 5 nights and Guangzhou 8 nights. Then off to Beijing for 2 nights, where we're taking AL (17) and the boys to hike the great wall. We'll be home August 4th. Our oldest S(28) will be staying with H(14), A(9) and MY(5).

Going we'll fly Chicago, Seoul to Beijing but the return is where the excitement is we fly from Beijing to Seoul, spend the night, Seoul to Honolulu, spend the night and then home to Chicago. Crazy and insane? yes (and yes we could have flown direct for $1000 more per ticket). I love my travel agent.

the bitter sweet of international adoption

2010-07-01T08:19:00.001-07:00

I have been emailing New Day about our upcoming visit with our son ZG’s foster family and although this part fill's me with happy tears, to be able to thank the people that taught our son to love and give them the gift of being able to spend time together again. This trip will also mark the last days that our soon to be son ZT, will be with the parents that he loves and the home that he has know for 4 years. I will be shedding many tears, for the fact that we will be taking apart this family. I understand that it has to be this way, ZT could be taken from them at anytime and returned to the orphanage and his parents are too old to adopt him (I asked), so for him to have a forever family this adoption has to happen but today it is tearing my heart apart.

Happy 8th Birthday ZT!

2010-03-22T08:34:00.000-07:00

March 10 was ZT's 8th Birthday, ZT has been with his foster family for 4 years, this is the last brithday that he will spend with them and it looks like they gave him quite a party. These are such sad and happy times for both our families.

Give Away at New Day

2010-03-09T13:12:00.000-08:00

New Day is giving away Z's favorite ride on toy from his time with his foster family in Luoyang.

ZT's October update from New Day

2009-11-09T09:58:00.000-08:00

Dear Friends,

We hope this note finds you doing well, and that you enjoy reading this month's update.

Terry (ZT) is 7 Years 1 Month Old.

Terry's foster mom wrote this update.

Our whole family was together for Mid-Autumn Festival. We ate moon cakes and Terry loved the ones filled with red bean paste the best. At noon on the holiday, we ate dumplings, as is our tradition. Terry loves to eat them and even likes to help make them. First he washes his hands, then he watched us so closely so that he could learn how to wrap the dumplings. Terry’s dumplings didn’t come out the roundest, but he worked very hard on each one. His dumplings were terrific! He was sure to make a small mark on each one to remember that it was his... that way, as they were finished cooking, he could eat them one by one. After working on wrapping the dumplings, Terry had flour all over his face. He looked like a little cat. I let him look at himself in the mirror, and he thought it was so funny, that he immediately ran to his older sister and put some flour on her face also. He said, “You’re whiter and prettier now!” Everyone laughed at that. It was a happy Mid-Autumn festival.

If you ever have any questions, please let us know. Thank you for your continued support.

Blessings,

New Day Staff

sponsor@newdaycreations.com
http://www.newdaycharities.org

Mid-Autumn Moon Festival

2009-10-04T08:03:00.000-07:00

We’ll be walking around the neighborhood tonight with candle lit lanterns – (last night was cloudy in Chicago). We do this every year and I invite friends to join us. I try to have Moon Cakes and Ding Dongs but this year we’re having moon pies, (I never made it to the bakery to get moon cakes). It’s the walking around with the lanterns that the kids look forward to each year. M.Y., is so excited because this year as she gets a candle (I have some battery lanterns for the under 4). I keep it simple that way I can manage it each year. The pictures are from last year.

Zt and his 1st forever family box

2009-09-24T12:06:00.000-07:00

We sent ZT a box in August and we received this video from Mike at New Day - The happy boy has a family and the little girl has a family looking for her file.

ZT's Lastest update

2009-07-31T08:54:00.000-07:00

Dear Friends,

We hope this note finds you doing well, and that you enjoy reading this month's update.

Terry is 6 Years 10 Months Old.

Terry’s foster mom wrote this update:

Terry is now able to read many words and characters. His older foster sister bought him a poster with animals and words. She bought it in order to help him learn more about animals and, at the same time, teach him some new words. However, as she began to point at each animal and word, she was shocked to find out that he already knew every animal and word! She said, “Wow Terry! You know all the words already!” He said, “You are so silly! I didn’t really know all the words but just guessed that the words were the names of the pictures you pointed to! We all laughed! Then his sister covered up the pictures and pointed to only the words, but then it was obvious he didn’t know them. His sister then began to teach him how to read each word. He is a quick learner and soon could read them all. After learning all the words himself, Terry brought his friends over and taught each of them the words. We may have a future teacher on our hands!

If you ever have any questions, please let us know. Thank you for your continued support.

Blessings,

New Day Staff

sponsor@newdaycreations.com
http://www.newdaycharities.org

ZT's July update

2009-07-02T09:33:00.000-07:00

Terry's foster mom wrote this update:

Now that summer is here, there are a lot of good fruit in plentiful supply. Terry loves to eat watermelon. But every time he eats watermelon, he ends up with a full shirt of watermelon juice and then his mother has to wash his clothes. Every time he sees his mother washing his clothes and how hard she works he says, “I wont eat watermelon anymore.” His mother said, "You can still eat watermelon, just try not to get it all over yourself." Then Terry thought for a long time and finally said, "Next time I eat watermelon, I’m going to lean over forward so the juice goes on the ground and not on me!" Then he said, "Mom you won't have to work so hard, I know how to eat watermelon now!" He is such a delightful and thoughtful boy!

Blessings,

New Day Staff

sponsor@newdaycreations.com
http://www.newdaycharities.org

2 A's and 2 Z's

2009-06-15T08:05:00.000-07:00

Each night I sing to the kids the ABC song, and then the names of everyone in our family A for A----w, A for A--- L--, D for Daddy, G for Grandma, H for H----h, M for Mama, M for M-- Y---, S for S----h, Z for Z-G-- and Z for Z-T--
It's one of our nightly rituals and it was the first song that ZG learned. The picture was taken after Christmas dinner '07, ZG had been home for 3 months and H received the karaoke machine for Christmas.

we have an update

2009-06-05T19:03:00.000-07:00

This Picture was taken in March.
Here are the most recent measurements we have on ZT.

Date 5/5/2009
Height 105 cm (he's the same size as MY)
Sitting Height 64 cm
Chest 52 cm
Head 50 cm
Foot 18 cm
Weight 33 kg (I'm thinking this must be pounds)

The New Day Luoyang website has ZT's birthday, March 10, 2002, but his adoption paper has his birthday as September 4, 2002 - anyway you look at it he is a very little 7 or 6 1/2 year old. ZT has been celebrating his birthday with his foster family on March 10 and we'll officially change his birthday back to March 10 when we readopt him. We have yet to readopt MY and ZG so it'll be a family affair (as a homeschooling family, having Chinese birth certificates for MY and ZG hasn't been a problem) maybe we'll get the readopt 2, readopt 1 free, special .

ZT's June update from his foster mother

2009-06-01T13:21:00.000-07:00

Terry’s foster mom wrote this update:

Terry is growing taller, he said to his dad as he was wearing his old clothes, these clothes get put away for the winter with no exercise and they get smaller by themselves. I need to exercise everyday so I can get big and tall. Terry is also tall enough to reach the doorknob on the doors now. He can also open the doors. Every time someone comes to the door he races to open the door. His mother often tells him, “You can’t just open the door for anyone. You have to be careful of strangers and bad people.” “Well, then what should I do?” Terry said. “First look through the peep hole and look who is there, then open the door. Also, ask who it is, if you don’t know the voice then don’t open the door.” He also said, “I will ask them what is my mom and dad’s name?” Terry’s mother heard all this and was relieved. Terry is so smart!

This is ZT

2009-05-31T12:14:00.000-07:00

I love this picture it was taken in November 2008. We have had the joy of sponsoring ZT with New Day. This is what his foster mother wrote in his last update - (he is listed as Terry on the New Day site)

We bought two new books for Terry for his birthday. I didn’t imagine he would finish reading the two books so fast. Terry loves to look at and read books. He often says, lets go to the bookstore so and I can read the books there. I said, “What kind of book do you want, then your older sister can buy it on her way home?” Terry said, “I want to go so I can see all the books and choose which one I want! Also, if I go to the bookstore I can read most of the books there and we don’t have to spend as much money.” Terry is so smart, I am also so happy that he can think like this for the benefit of our family. He is such a good child!

Z's buddy and our soon to be son Z

2009-05-31T12:08:00.000-07:00

Z will now be known as ZG and our soon to be son Z will be called ZT -
Z is very happy about having his buddy be his brother - this is a picture of them together in July 2007

Z loves Ultraman

2009-05-31T12:00:00.000-07:00

2008-08-27T20:18:00.000-07:00

She has no fear!

2008-08-27T20:11:00.000-07:00

Zigui 2 weeks after surgery

2008-07-21T20:34:00.000-07:00

The good and the bad

2008-06-07T21:22:00.000-07:00

We are home from Chicago Children's, Z looks great and has done wonderful. The hardest part was the wait but with so many Dr's working on him we did get reports as each Dr finished. I was able to carry him to the O.R. and inside they let me stay until he was asleep, it was hard kissing him good bye. Dental was done first and everything went well, they had to pull one tooth (he had an extra) and put caps on 2 back molars and a few fillings. The ENT called to tell us that she put in larger tubes that should last 2 years! One of his tubes had come out and the other was 3/4 the way out. We talked to the Urologist in recovery, and everything went well and when the bandage comes off Z will look like every other circumcised boy. We talked to Dr Corcoran (plastic surgeon) before we went to the recovery room. She was not able to do all that she wanted, she explained that Z must of had a large asymmetrical bilateral cleft. She thinks that they did try to close the palate in China and because of the size it had opened. Good news his soft palate repair in China was great. She didn’t attach all of the lip muscles because she had opened up so much in order to close the palate and repair his nose. He does look great. The bad news comes today; we have a fistula from behind his front teeth into his nose. I’ll be calling the Dr in the morning. I’ve heard of fistulas closing and please pray that this one will.

2008-06-04T20:03:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow morning at 5:20 am, we drive to Chicago Children's for surgery. They'll redo Z's lip as the muscles aren't attached, fix his nose and close his hard palate. The dentist will come and do his teeth and the urologist will repair his buried penis - also the ENT will clean his ears and check his tubes. Surgery 5 1/2 hours and that's with urology and the dentist working at the same time.

We have been told that we will be coming home Friday morning. The cleft Dr will be sending us home with Motrin and the urologist with Tylenol with codeine.
Z will be on a soft food diet for 2 weeks, that's soft food as in anything he can drink out of a cup, no straws and no spoons.

Urologist says Z can be active when he feels like it, but no bike riding, no climbing, no horse play and anything else an almost 5 year old boy does for 2 weeks.

Other adoptive families have survived and we will to, although Dad has his doubts.

Smile Train Trip To Haiti 2008

2008-04-10T10:08:00.000-07:00

African Lullaby

2008-04-08T19:35:00.001-07:00

Orphans of God

2008-04-08T19:07:00.001-07:00

Day 15

2007-09-22T18:38:00.001-07:00

We're home at last. Our route took us from Guangzhou to Beijing and then over the arctic to Chicago - all in just 22 1/2 hours. Y and Z did well considering the length of time spent on the planes. Once back we were all greeted very enthusiastically by their siblings - all of which were wearing decorated "Welcome Home Z" t-shirts."
We are providing a lot of comfort for Z, who is going through periods of visible grief on a more frequent basis now. It is clear that he loves to play with all of the toys and with everyone in the family. He really is a lovable, adorable character.

Day 14

2007-09-19T10:18:00.001-07:00

Day 14: Today was quite eventful. We hired a driver and van to take Ann (our guide) and ourselves to Qingyuan City about 75 miles away. The drive to and from Qingyuan was a beautiful one that took us through the countryside on a bright, sunny day. This is where Y's orphanage, The Welfare Institute of Qingcheng, is located. It turns out that Qingcheng has a new director. The assistant director and the caregivers are the same as when we adopted Y last year. We missed the old Director since Y had a special relationship with him. We brought with us the childrens' clothing we had purchased earlier and the gifts from our travel group (#46 – you know who you are), and presented them as a donation to the orphanage. Additionally, once we reached Qingyuan City, we stopped at a roadside vendor and purchased fresh fruit (cases of grapes, apples and some melons) to add to the donated clothing. After a rather long journey with bridge detours, getting lost and having to stop and ask directions at least four different times, we finally arrived (address: No. 5 First Alley, Huancheng Second Road, Qingcheng District, Qingyuan City).Their website is: http://www.qcqfly.gov.cn/index-english.htm We were pleased to see that there were very few children present, approximately 15, including the two older girls. They were very welcoming to all of us. They were so pleased to be able to see Y again. We were able to play with the children a bit and pass out candy (Y's job). All recent adoptions have been domestic (though to date none have occurred this year) and at this time 90% are classified as special need (at least 3 cleft and 3 club feet).

Z's progress report: meltdowns are on the rise, however in between he is as adorable as ever!

After returning to Guangzhou, we went on one last shopping walk into town. We had a great time exploring the alleyway shops, visiting our old friends at the Pearl shop, and spending down our Chinese currency. Eventually we returned to the hotel, got the kids to bed, and then began packing. We're off to the airport at 8:30am. Guangzhou to Beijing to Chicago all in about 18 hours!

Day 13

2007-09-18T07:27:00.001-07:00

Day 13: We are getting quite excited about returning home in a couple of days. However, first things first. Today began by meeting with our fellow WACAP families at the White Swan for the traditional "Red Couch" picture. Though one child was so upset by the idea that he didn't participate, the rest did fine. Afterwards we went shopping at a place known as the leather market and had lunch as well. Back we came to meet with the other families and take a bus to the U.S. consulate in Guangzhou. Here there was a brief swearing-in ceremony and we received Z's immigration visa documents. These will allow him to enter the U.S. and to gain citizenship status upon being admitted into the country. The documents were given to us in a sealed envelope, with instructions not to open them under any circumstance, but to hand carry them to the U.S. and present them to a U.S. customs officer. After a long ride back to the hotel, we had dinner and called it an evening.

Day 12

2007-09-17T07:22:00.001-07:00

Day 12: This morning we had to remain available in our hotel room for a couple of hours while our guide took paperwork over to the U.S. Consulate. Everything went smoothly which means we are set for tomorrows family trip to the consulate for the swearing in ceremony. Z will get his immigration visa at that time, and will be set to legally enter the country as a U.S. citizen when we arrive back home. It's a big day.

Following our morning lockdown, we went on a long walk through the streets of Guangzhou, passing through spice and pet alley marketplaces. Distressingly, we passed a great number of vendors selling parts of various endangered species (tiger paws and such). We found a nice mall area we had been to last year and were able to do some shopping. Home for a quick swim and dinner brought this day to a close.

Day 11

2007-09-16T07:53:00.001-07:00

Day 11: Today was a free day. After breakfast, we joined our guide and two other families on a tour of two historic sites in Guangzhou: The Six Banyan Tree Temple, and the Temple of Chen Family Academy. We had visited both of these sites last year, but found plenty new to see and were awed by the architecture as before. Amazing sites.

In the afternoon, our hired local guide, Ann, took us to the wholesale marketplace. Here we found incredible deals on many things we had wanted to purchase. It was a bit difficult with two small ones and sweltering heat and humidity, but we survived. We bought so much for so little, it was a bit mind boggling. Ann was absolutely wonderful throughout. Anyone traveling here should consider using her service. We will be happy to email contact information. After getting back to the hotel, it was a nice meal at a Thai place and then off to bed.

Day 10

2007-09-15T07:20:00.001-07:00

Day 10: Today began with a very nice buffet breakfast and then we met with our guide and three other WACAP families. The other families are adopting a 2 yr old boy, a 6 yr old boy and a 9 year old boy, all seem to be doing well with the 9 year old having the greatest problems with adjustment. All 3 come from the same orphanage and the oldest was in foster care, I'm not sure about the other 2; it's nice to see that 4 special needs boys are with their forever families. We walked with our guide Wendy, to a very small photo place to take passport pictures of the children. After a short wait outside, we continued on down the street to the Guangdong Health Care Center. It was here that Z had to pass a very cursory medical exam. We did have confirmation by the ENT physician that Z has two fistula's in the roof of his mouth. He weighed in at 16kg and was 96cm tall.

It turns out that it is very hot here, over 90 °F and extremely humid. Sweating only seems to make you wet and sticky – not much cooling effect. After lunch at Lucy's ( a restaurant that caters to the western palate), we took a cab to the Guangzhou Zoo. We really wanted to see their one Panda bear. This we did, but it looked so hot and tired in that iron bar cage that it made us rather sad. Both Z and M had a wonderful time finding and watching all of the animals.

Back at the hotel, we arranged to for Wendy to get us set up with dinner. We ate at a locals "Cantonese" place. Seemed like a good idea to eat Cantonese while in the ancient city of Canton. We had an excellent meal, returned to the hotel, wrote this blog entry, and then collapsed in bed. Z continues his wonderful days and difficult evenings. Once again he cried for quite awhile once he realized it was time for bed and the lights were put out. His obvious grief just breaks our hearts.

Day 9

2007-09-15T06:08:00.001-07:00

Day 9: Today was a travel day. Our guide delivered us to the Luoyang Airport, which turned out to be very small (we were five of maybe two dozen passengers waiting for a flight). We took a 2-hour flight on a small commuter jet to Guangzhou, which is quite far in the south. We traveled here because adoptions must exit to the U.S. through Guangzhou. Z was so excited to go on his first flight. Afterwards, on the way to our new hotel, Z was animatedly telling about how much he liked the plane ride. We checked into the Victory Hotel on Shamian Island. Very nice. Dinner, a walk, and a swim in the roof top pool finished the day. Z seems to love swimming as much as M, and that's saying a lot. He is so enthusiastic about everything. Tomorrow is Z's medical appointment and passport photo.

Day 8

2007-09-13T09:05:00.001-07:00

Day 8: Where to begin. We had two big events. The first was a visit to our hotel by Mike, the director of the Luoyang branch of New Day Creations foster care program. http://www.newdaycreations.com/foster/ We had been in email contact with Mike as we progressed through the process of adopting Z. Mike oversaw Z's foster care situation and was very helpful to us. M presented, and he accepted, a donation of warm fuzzy blankets the Girl Scouts had made, as well as a bag of children's pharmaceuticals that were donated by many wonderful people in the Evanston, IL area.

The second big event was our afternoon visit to the Luoyang Orphanage. We were greeting by the deputy director, and given a very nice tour of the site by another person. We began our tour with a visit to the 5^th floor this is the site of The New Hope Foundation, we had collected over the counter pharmaceuticals form the Evanston homeschool community and our adoption group from Y's adoption. We had over 70 pounds of donation, so much in fact that we left a box in Beijing for Global Grace Outreach, a special needs foster home in Beijing, and we'll try to post the web site. The director of New Hope, Linda accepted the donations and gave us a tour of the facility. The children that are brought to them form the orphanage and not expected to live, but with the loving care given to the children by the nannies and the good food, the children our growing stronger. One nanny takes care of 3 children and they work 12-hour shifts. At this time they have 42 children and can take 3 more when they have the staff. Every thing that New Hope does is done with donation, if you haven't gone to the New Hope web site we urge you to. As we left the New Hope floor, it was like entering another world the world of what a large orphanage it truly like and it's impossible to describe in words what the experience was like. This orphanage has well over 600 children, with 200 in foster care, and adopts out approximately 40 per year. Luoyang is classified as a special needs orphanage and we where told that the number of orphans abandoned each year has been increasing. Although classified as special needs they do have non-special needs children. Z's foster sister Sarah (New Day Luoyang) is non-special needs. The children's ages ranged from infants to teenagers and we were told that 200 of the children attend the local schools. We found one little boy, Dang Fu Ke that has long been sponsored (Half the Sky)http://www.halfthesky.org/work/sites/luoyang.php by a family in Australia and were able to take his picture. Check out some of the photos we posted. The children were wonderful and amazing. We took many pictures and then showed the kids themselves on the camera screen – a real hit. The caregivers seemed genuinely happy that we were there and let us play with the children, pass out candy, and take pictures. We were able to locate one caregiver that had stayed with Z during one of his cleft surgeries (see picture) as well as his crib room and even the specific crib that was his. It was an amazing and very emotional and heart wrenching visit. We were very thankful for the warmth the adults showed us and the warmth they seemed to show the children.

Following this visit we went to the street where Z was found abandoned in Luoyang. Another piece in the puzzle of Z's life was revealed for us.

Day 7

2007-09-12T07:32:00.001-07:00

Day 7: Last night was a bit rougher for Z. He cried a very sad cry in his mama's arms once the lights were out and it was time to go to sleep. A bit more overt grieving it appears. Even after falling asleep, he was rather restless much of the night.

We awoke to a very smoggy day, much like yesterday. Today we had a bit of a breather while awaiting the completion of government paperwork. After a traditional Chinese buffet breakfast, our guide took us to see the famous Longmen Grottoes of Luoyang. The site was amazing. In the cliff sides along the Yi River beginning in the year 496AD during the Northern Wei and Tang Dynasties, thousands of grottoes and caves were dug out and figures, primarily Buddha's, were carved within. The largest Buddha carving, see photo, is approximately 56' tall. It was all very impressive. Y and Z had a great time tagging along and keeping us busy. After getting back to the hotel, Z and his Mama worked on mastering the concept of solving jigsaw puzzles, which he really enjoyed. We are also happy to report that Z started playing in earnest with his new little sister. He really is a kind and friendly little boy.

Note to potential visitors to this hotel: we've discovered an interesting service offered each evening, apparently only to the men in the hotel. Each night our room gets a phone call. If C answers the phone, a body massage is offered by a female voice. If either woman in our party answers, the caller hangs up immediately. Hmmm.

Day 6

2007-09-11T07:53:00.001-07:00

Day 6: Today began with an excellent hotel buffet breakfast in Zhengzhou. We met Celine at 9:00 for the two-hour drive to Luoyang. The first 45 minutes went by quickly as we got out of town and onto the expressway. Then came road construction and we were directed off the highway. It's impossible to describe the harrowing adventure we then began as we traveled for the next three hours on small, sometimes dirt roads, in an attempt to bypass the detour and return to the expressway. We ran into dead ends, stopped to ask directions many times, and braved the perils of driving on roads with all manner of vehicles that essentially follow no observable traffic laws. If we had to list the 10 times in our lives that we have been closest to death on a highway, I'm sure 9, if not 10, of them occurred on this one trip. To sum it up, we had a nice, but crazy driver, no seat belts, two children to hold on to, and roads full of drivers who drove wherever they felt so inclined. A counter to the dangerous side of our journey was the fascinating slice of rural China we were able to observe. Individuals pulling cart loads of bricks were not uncommon sites. It was a wild, dangerous, but also rewarding ride that we all agreed we wouldn't really want to repeat.

After reaching Luoyang much later than anticipated, we checked into the Luoyang Grand Hotel. Numerous complications with room assignments and availabilities brought us to the brink of going to another hotel. Finally we were given two rooms on what had been the closed 17^th floor. A whole floor to ourselves turned out quite nice. The rooms are fine but the bathrooms have even more mold issues than our last hotel.

This afternoon our guide took us to another government office to meet with a notary. The paperwork will be completed and returned to us on Thursday, along with Z's passport, thus making the adoption official. After the notary, we went shopping in a local supermarket. It was here that we discovered that we could buy a top of the line motor scooter, complete with numerous accessories, for about $300. If we wanted to go for a low end model, the price was about $150. Wow, what a deal. I wonder about shipping costs……. Jud??? Back to the hotel we returned for a quick dinner. We bought a small, decorated cake and proceeded to celebrate Z's happy forever family day.

Forever Family

2007-09-10T07:52:00.001-07:00

Day 5: Forever family day! What a sweet little boy Z is. He was brought to us from his orphanage in Luoyang by one caregiver and one office worker. We were told that he was brought to the orphanage by his foster mother about a week ago. He was very cautious as we were each introduced to him, and held onto his caregivers' hand tightly. Y offered him a lollipop and he slowly warmed up from there on out. We had a chance to ask many questions of his caregiver, which proved a great opportunity. She obviously cared a great deal about him, having been there when he first arrived.

After a few formalities, we were taken to a photo shop for an adoption certificate family photo – mom, dad and Z. Z, quite willingly let his mama carry him the whole time. While walking, he became rather chatty. Exactly what was said will forever remain a mystery, given our weak grasp of Mandarin. While waiting for Celine to run the photo up to the office we discovered that Z was thirsty. He drank quite a bit of water and a whole juice box. He struggled using the straw, but was persistent in trying and eventually figured it out with a bit of help (and light squeezing). I'm sure we looked a bit silly as we tried to show him how to suck on a straw in the lobby of this building. We later discovered that Z could not use a straw due to a small fistula (opening) in his palate, which prevented effective sucking action. We then went back to our hotel and played with little cars on a plastic road course, which he seemed to enjoy quite a bit, and he really loved blowing bubbles with his Ba Ba.

Later in the afternoon we returned to the provincial Adoption Center to finalize the adoption, with Y last year this was a two-day process. Z was very talkative on the way there but as we entered the building he became noticeably apprehensive. Of course we forgot our gifts and Ba Ba had to run back to the hotel while Z gave his hand stamp of agreement to the adoption and I gave my thumb prints. Ba Ba added his and the adoption was final. The Civil Affairs officer presented us with Z's adoption certificate. Y and S stayed back at the hotel and watched Winnie the Pooch's X-mass, Y's choice. It was still on when we got back and Z recognized the Pooh and was confused as to why he couldn't understand it so S change the language to mandarin and we had one happy pooh loving boy.

Dinner with our guide and a splash in the pool (which he loved!) completed our day.

update - Everything the orphanage worker told us we found out later was not true - Z came to us from his foster family that morning -

Day 5 preview

2007-09-10T04:48:00.001-07:00

A post, updating you all on this wonderful, eventful day, will follow soon. It's been an absolutely amazing event for all of us. For the moment, we have just posted pictures in the photos section of this blog. We have also posted some video clips on our youtube account. See the link below for youtube.

http://www.youtube.com/zmakes8

Day 4

2007-09-09T18:38:00.001-07:00

Day 4: Today began with a traditional Chinese meal served by our kind hostess. It included dumplings, spicy sesame beans, watermelon, and onion/chive scrambled eggs. We then went for a leisurely walk along a small lake for a bit of cultural exploration. The stress increased a bit as we went shopping for our upcoming train ride in a local supermarket. This was definitely a locals market. Identifying foods from label pictures alone was a bit of an adventure.

We were picked up by two cabs and survived the adventurous ride to the train station. Though we had a total of 12 items to transport, including 4 full suitcases, 3 carry-ons, two duffels full of donation stuff, one 2-year old and more, the three of us managed to get everything through an x-ray scanner, and ultimately onto the train. Trust us, this was an extreme accomplishment. The train turned out to be less than a year old, and one of the new electric bullet trains. We smoked on down the tracks to Zhengzhou at over 210 km/hr (around 130 mph)! The scenic trip was enjoyable and took about 5 hours or so, after which we were met by our guide, Celine, at the station. We were taken to a very luxurious looking hotel, the "Sofitel Zhenghzou." Walking into the entryway was quite impressive and grand. However, upon closer inspection (we were wishing we had brought some Tilex with us), the hotel lacked basic cleanliness. We had great take-out from a restaurant down the street, went swimming, and collapsed for the evening. We are so excited about meeting Zi Gui tomorrow morning.

As I sit typing this post it is actually 9:30am Monday morning. We leave in 15 minutes for a 5-minute walk to the government offices where we will receive Zi Gui. Wow, off we go!

China 2007 - Day 3

2007-09-08T07:42:00.001-07:00

Day 3: Jet lag is still an issue for us. We are so very tired most of the time. We hope to be rested and invigorated by the time Monday rolls around and we get to meet Zi Gui for the first time.

Today we climbed a remote section of the Great Wall. We had arranged for the same guide, Mr. Lei, that showed us around Beijing in 2006, to do so again. He is so wonderful, knowledgeable, and courteous. He took us to a remote, authentic, unrestored section of the Great Wall, known as Badaling. There were very few people there, and it was terrific. To get there, we drove by three of the most popular sections of the wall for tourists. These areas were packed with people, as you can see in one of the pictures we stopped briefly to take. The section we visited required an arduous climb, but was well worth it. Y hitched a ride on her daddy's back for much of the way, but did great on her own as well. The whole experience was amazing, just as before. The Great Wall is truly GREAT!

After the climb we stopped by a local canteen for lunch. We had more outstanding food than six could eat (our guide and driver joined us) and drinks, all for about $10. After returning to our Hutang, we summoned up the energy to check out the popular Wangfujing Dajie (a very lively high end street mall).

Tomorrow the 5 ½ hour train ride to Zhengzhou should offer a bit of adventure as we travel with quite a few bags, including the orphanage donations of blankets and children's pharmaceuticals.

China Trip Days 1 & 2

2007-09-06T23:48:00.001-07:00

Thursday: We finally arrived in Beijing, China. The start of the trip was a bit rocky. Our flight was delayed 2 hours to fix the cabin cooling system. After taking off, it was still a bit hot, but cooling slowly. The captain said his cockpit thermometer was still showing 94 degrees. Hmmm, we couldn't help but wonder how well the 747 was handling with sweaty hands at the helm. Y settled in just fine and we endured, if not completely enjoyed the flight. I mean 13 hours in a plane is still 13 hours in a plane. Anyhow, after 2 lunches, 4 movies, and numerous drinks and snacks, we arrived at 4:30pm, Beijing time. It was bright and sunny the whole way. Somehow we misplaced a night. Jetlag was beginning to sink in by the time we arrived at hotel for the evening. We had a light dinner in the hotel and then called the kids on the laptop. Our video call worked great on Skype. It was really nice to see and talk with everyone, and discover that they were doing just fine. We were exhausted and went right to bed following the call.

Friday: We were up early and again had breakfast at the hotel. We decided to walk to Tianamen Square- about ½ hour away. It turned out just fine, though it was clear we were not in the "tourist" section of town. Plenty of sites to see. Plenty of people checking us out. We walked around the square, bartered for a few items with the locals, and then walked into the Forbidden City. We didn't have a lot of time to spend there before having to return to our hotel (an extremely hair raising cab ride) in order to check out and move to our next location, the Mao'er Hutong B&B on the north side of the Forbidden City. The entrance to this Hutong is down a long narrow drive and is extremely non-descript, however once inside it turned out to be amazing. Check out the photo's, it's hard to describe. China of old, elegant, art pieces and silk everywhere, etc. Far more impressive and interesting than any hotel we've ever stayed at. Everybody's napping as I write this. In a bit we're off to shop at silk alley, find some dinner, and then we have arranged for a driver to pick us up and take us to see a Chinese Acrobats performance this evening. Tomorrow is the Great Wall and the Summer Palace with our guide, Mr. Lei.

Y saying hello to Mr Bumble

2007-08-27T11:34:00.000-07:00

Baby J

2007-08-25T18:40:00.001-07:00

We had the joy of fostering this little sweetie for 2 weeks in July, it helped to pass the time while we waited for our travel approval from China.

We were given the honor of taking him to meet his forever Mom and Dad, and his birth Mom (she is a wonderful woman).

Travel dates

2007-08-23T14:05:00.000-07:00

Chicago to Beijing - September 5

Beijing to Zhengzhou - Sunday September 9

Zhengzhou to LuoYang - Monday September 10

LuoYang to Guangzhou - Friday September 14

Guangzhou to Beijing, Bejing to Chicago - September 20