Heading Home!!!

The time is here!!! We are getting up and heading to the airport @ 6:00am tomorrow. We have met some wonderful people and Emme has a friend from her orphanage. We hope to travel to NY to see Sally and Findley soon. We will definitely keep in touch.



What an adventure this has been. We are so excited to come home and be with our family and friends. See you all soon!



Hugs to all!!

Tita!!

Wonderful Tita and her husband Taylor, friends of Kelli, called me the other day and took me out to a wonderful lunch. It was the BEST food I have tasted here in Guangzhou. Thank you sooooo much, Tita and Taylor!! I had a great time. She brought Emme a great lady bug toy, which has been her favorite toy to play with. It was Emme's nap time, so Tita didn't get to see the best side of her. She did get to hold her and Emme gave her a smile for the toy.

Sorry aunties, Tita got to hold Emme first!

The food was fabulous. We had salad, pork wanton things, eggplant, steak, soup, dumplings, and steamed buns. Wow....sooo much wonderful food.

We had a little adventure after lunch. This man was selling fresh oranges. Tita said they looked great and I should bring some back for my parents. I didn't know what he was saying, but all of a sudden, he became very angry and threw the oranges back into his cart....shooing us away. Tita said he was trying to give us less oranges for the amount of money he wanted, trying to take advantage of the American. She grabbed me and walked away. He continued to yell at us and his face turned very red. I teased Tita and said she got into a fight with the orange man. She said this was a first for her.

Thanks again, Tita and Taylor, for the wonderful lunch. You are such a great couple and I hope to see you again. Come to Portland! You are always welcome in my home.

More Pic's

Below are some pictures from our trip to a botanical garden and Bai Yun Mountain. Emme loved the gondola ride on the way down. Also, some pic's of grandma, grandpa and me with the little Em.

What? 12:30 am!!

Hello friends and family. I do have pictures to post since we have had the chance to get out and do some more exploring. I will get to it later today. Just thought I would show you what a little one looks like at 12:30 am. I put her down around 8:30 and thought she was out for the night. She woke me up, chattering away and reaching for me in the bed. I guess she thought it was time to get up and play. The bottom picture is the look I'm getting a lot of with my camera. She will be smiling and laughing and we just can't seem to get it on the picture. Our cameras have a light flash before the picture actually takes and I think it startles her. So, we get this look from her which does not show her vibrant personality. I can't wait for all of you to meet her.

Orphanage Visit

On Tuesday, we went to Dongguan to visit the orphanage where Emme has spent the last 13 months. I was surprised to see how nice the orphanage was. It looked like a small resort compared to the area around it. My guide told me that it was one of the nicer orphanages managed by the government in China. He said they are very proud of this place and what it offers abandoned children.

When we entered the building, there was a large marble lobby. To the left was a library with lots of childrens books for the families currently fostering some of the children from the orphanage. From the lobby, we went up a flight of stairs to the area where Emme stayed. We saw about 30 babies in cribs. To my surprise, only one baby was crying. The director immediately went to pick her up. The nannies were running around doing the noon feedings and were thrilled to see Emme. They were all touching her with warm smiles, trying to have her come to them. She would reach out with one hand, look and me and pull her hand back. She didn't want to go to them. I could tell that her nannies loved her a lot. I got their email address and promised to send updates with pictures. It was an emotional day, thinking that a week earlier, Emme was one of these babies. Anyway, I could tell she was happy to leave with me. As we got in the car, she gave me a huge smile and sang (well, we think it was singing). She is such a happy little girl.

We filmed the orphanage with the video camera and only got 4 actual pictures. The first photo is of her crib where she slept. The second is with her main nanny. I didn't get her name, but she is a lovely woman and actually had tears in her eyes when she saw Emme. The third picture is the place where she was found at 10 days old (in a box behind the shrubs). It is about 20 feet from the front of the local government building (picture 4). Our guide said that it looks like an ideal place to put a child if you want it to be discovered quickly.

Anyway, I'll post more soon. Sorry for the delay of updating the blog. Emme is active and the only time I have to post is after she goes to bed and I usually fall asleep then too.

It's official

Emme is officially a DeLong girl!! We have done all of the paperwork and waiting for her visa and passport. Dec. 1st will be our last appointment and will pick up her visa on the 2nd. She is such a sweetie. She laughs, giggles and is a very happy and ACTIVE child. I think I will have my hands full-)
We have done a lot of walking around. She loves to be outside! Last night we went on the Pearl River cruise and saw all of the lights of Guangzhou. It was an hour and a half ride and she did great.
Not much to say, keeping very busy hanging with her. She has bonded beautifully with me. She is even starting to look for me and cries when I leave the room. She is a very deep sleeper. She is sleeping about 12 hours a night and even takes a nap from 12-2. I'm learning her "signs" of hunger, wet diaper and sleepy. She can sure throw a fit if I don't figure it out in time. My parents said, "she has a set of lungs on her!". She throws her head back and arches her back....and away she goes. Anyway, enjoy the pictures and I'll post more soon. Hugs to all of our family and friends.

Here she is!!!!

Hi from Beijing

We are having a fabulous time in Beijing. Great city! We fly out in about 7 hours to Guangzhou. Guangzhou is approx. a 3 hour flight. We are supposed to get Emme today, but I don't know what time. I will try posting pictures late tonight or tomorrow. In the mean time, here are some pictures of some of the things we have seen so far.

More New Pictures!! 10/25/08

A wonderful couple, Craig and Gretchen, went to Dongguan and picked up their little cutie, Isaac.  They went to visit the orphanage and took pictures of my little sweetie pie with her nanny.   What a blessing to have these for little Emme as she gets older.  Her nanny looks very sweet and gentle.   It looks like Emme is sweet and gentle, too....AND trying to walk!!  Oh no!  I was hoping to be apart of her "first" steps!   

Still no smiles yet.    She must be waiting for her mommy.    Saving that first big smile for me.   A "first" that I will cherish.   

New Pictures!! 9/23/08

New pictures came to me today from Dongguan CWI.  She is growing and weighs a little under 18 lbs.  

Don't worry, little Qian Hui!! Your new family will put lots of smiles on that sweet little face-)

Referral!!! 9/17/08

Here she is!!!  Little Qian Hui from Dongguan, China.  Her birthday is 9/20/07.  These pictures were taken when she was 7 months old.   I am just THRILLED!!!!!    More posts to come as I embark on the most important journey of my life.