Friday/ Eling park/pizza party

Ni Hao!

Things are getting better and we're adjusting very well!!! Jade is doing great! She started smiling yesterday alot and i even got a giggle when I tickled her neck! It was so adorable it brought tears. We walked to a beautiful park yesterday filled with spring flowers. There were school children there all practicing their English language on us. We tried to give stickers but there was such a frenzy for them the teacher said No! We went with 3 other couples and their families and were again surrounded. All of them were nice and gave thumbs up when they read our info card. They dont have the 'personal space' that we have and get too close for comfort. They pull Jade's thumb from her mouth as they dont like the babies to suck their thumbs and they tell me to cover her up more. It was 80 degrees yesterday and muggy but they think babies should be layered anyway.

Last night our guide Rui (Ray) organized a pizza party for us in the meeting room. It was great to see our 7 families with their babies that have all adjusted over the last few days. The pizza was from Pizza Hut and tasted just like home!

Thankyou for all the great messages, its nice to know we are missed. A special hi to my Mom and thanks for your help with the pics. To Rod, Kathryn and Joan, you are in our prayers! Keep us updated!!!!!!!!! I'm so sorry I am unable to post pics from here but in a few days when we go to our next stop, I have been assured the connection will be better.

The boys are doing great and we are all happy and rested. Jade sleeps 10 hrs at night so I hope that continues! We feel very blessed to be able to have this little girl in our family. We thank God for her. She is amazing....and she's ours....

Love,
MMRLW&J

These are the 2 pics Michele has been able to send so far!

Hi everyone

I hope you are all doing well! Thankfully I was just able to access my email but still am having trouble posting pics...Mom is going to try to from her computer. Our hotel is 5 star but internet connection is very horrible. Thanks so much for everyone's SWWEEEEETTTT comments...loved them...Renee please send me your email address to my yahoo acct..Willi wants to send a note to Drew...

I feel like I have so much to write about...the places we have seen have been incredible...The great wall of course being fabulous. I will have to work backwards and post pics later I suppose.

AND now for news on our girl! She is so sweet! She cried only a little the day we got her. That whole process was unreal. I picked her out right away and they checked passports and then she was handed to me. She stuck out her lip a bit and in went the thumb! TOO CUTE...she has alot of hair and the other babies have hardly any. Would you believe that I only brought headbands in case she had no hair. Her bows got left on her dresser :>(

Yesterday we went shopping for formuler (as our guide says)and had a traditional chinese meal. Ryan had rice and chicken, Willi tried a bit of everything and Luke had a roll. :>) Jade screamed thru the whole process so Mommy stayed in the lobby
but nothing would soothe her so it was very stressful. Will be good for my diet tho as she does this thru most meals.

Today is a better day for her, we woke up and had breakfast and she had a bottle. At 10 mo old she cannot sit up, get on her knees or roll over. Its so sad! She also spits all solid food out like she's never had any in her mouth. She has two bottom teeth trying to peek thru. I have gotten a few smiles and she pushed our guides hand away yesterday when she tried to hold her so I think she is starting to like me a little. Last night she slept in my bed and she woke up twice and would just touch my face and run her hand over my hair. It was the sweetest thing and I'll never forget that moment.

The boys went to a park today while we stayed here to regroup. Being in China is very strange. I dont like being the center of attention and everywhere we go we are. Some of them dont know why we are carrying around Chinese babies. We have a card we wear around our necks in Chinese that reads that we are Americans and are here to adopt the abandoned daughters of their beautiful country. We promise to care for them with all our hearts. The older generation give us smiles and thumbs up. Seems the younger generation arent as thrilled. Our guide says they are ashamed that women abandon their babies.

I'm going to try to get some pics out but if they wont attach I'll get Mom to try..thanks for all your sweet posts..I miss and love you all.

Michele & Men & Princess Jade

Tuesday Morning (couldnt post pics this morning :>(

Hi! Sorry we didnt post yesterday we had a full day and I didnt feel like fighting Ryan for the computer! We went to Tianneman square yesterday, the Forbidden City (huge) and THE GREAT WALL! It was all amazing and I hope to go into greater detail but am in a hurry now as we have to get our act together and catch a flight at 8am for Chongqing!!! In NINE hours we will have a daughter and you all will have a grandaughter, great grandaughter, neice, cousin or a new little friend from China! I was too anxious last night to sleep so i'm running on adrenaline. Here are some pics from yesterday. I'll post more pics later today. While you are sleeping at 2am we'll be getting our girl!

Keep those messages coming!

Love,
The Waters Family

Sunday night 3/26

Ni Hao!

We hope everyone is doing well! Thanks for the emails and posts, we love reading them and helps us not feel so homesick! KEEP THEM COMING!!! We had a good sightseeing day today..we saw the Summer Palace where the Emperors vacationed. We all agreed that was our favorite part of the day. Its how I pictured China to be from the movies :>) We had Chinese food for lunch and it was ok but seemed to be more Americanized and we had hoped for authentic. Will was adventurous and tried the different things, Ryan had meat and veggies, Luke had a roll :>) We then went to the Temple of Heaven where the Emperors went to pray. It was beautiful and peaceful as you'd expect such a place to be. I'll include some pics of both places. Tomorrow is Great Wall and the next day we fly to Chongqing to get our Jadey Jade as Will calls her. Luv and miss you all! The Waters....

Saturday morning 8am (I think)

Good morning! We are all feeling better today after a good nights sleep, yahooo! Yesterday we went into town via a 45 min shuttle ride with some friends. We shopped at the silk market which was too overwhelming for all of us. The salespeople are all up in your face without hesitation. Mike got conned into buying 2 Hard Rock Bejing t-shirts for about $15 each. "special price just for you" :>) We walked around for 3 hrs after that and ate at the Hard Rock Hotel where the t-shirts were, you guessed it $15 each. Well at least he didnt overpay..ha...We are a bit intimidated about eating anywhere just now..it will be easier when our guide steps in as of tonight and we eat more traditional chinese fare. Luke fell asleep yet again at the dinner table.

We have met some neat people from all over the world and this is great fun, but I'm ready to GET OUR BABY!!!

WIll write more soon....

M&Men

Friday morning/Pic of NY City

Hi,
We miss our family and friends! Its hard to believe we're on the other side of the world from all of you. We have two hotel rooms in Bejing and somehow I got Luke and Will together out of the deal :>) Luke fell asleep eating his pizza last night so he was easy to put to bed. The beds here are so hard!!! I should've practiced by sleeping on the garage floor to get used to it before getting here. Yes its that bad...Being thrown off with the timezones, Luke, Will and Mommy were up at 3am China time watching the Simpsons in Chinese...its funny even in another language we cant understand.

We are waiting for a few hours to catch a shuttle to downtown and will explore the markets a bit looking for bargains. We are here with about 10 other families that we have gotten to know over the last year so we're all having fun seeing each other in person.

Its about 60 degrees today and beautiful. Mike took the boys to the park here so I could catch up on our blog.

So far so good..we'll write more soon! Hope your all well...

Countdown to Jade 4 days!!!!

Love,
Michele & Men

WE made it!

Here we are in Bejing across the world from our families and friends after the longest flight ever in history I am sure of it....Everyone is tucked in after eating our first meal in China of PIZZA!

I'm headed to bed too...or maybe I'll look in the paper for homes to buy so we dont have to make that flight back over :>) I think it would be easier just to move...

Luv to you all,
M&Men

Our travel plans!

We are excited to announce that we have travel approvals to go to China! Here is our itinerary!

3/22 TPA-Newark-Bejing (dep TPA 8:15am/arv Bejing 3:00 pm 3/23!
3/23 REST
3/24 SHOP
3/25 SHOP, acrobat show with our group
3/26 Tour Temple of Heaven, Smmer Palace and the Bejing Zoo
3/27 Tour the Great Wall of China!
3/28 Fly to Chongqing (Chongching)
3/28 is also known as GOTCHA DAY as we get Jade TODAY!
3/29 -4/3 Tour, shop and paperwork but most importantly get to know our daughter
4/4 Fly to Guangzhou (Gwanjoe)
4/5 American Consulate Appt
4/6 Rest up for the flight!
4/7 Depart China 9;40am
4/7 Arrive Tampa 9:41pm (if we get thru customs in time) if not we may be on the later flight or need to stay in NY for the night.

Countdown to Jade: 11 days!

Our baby shower

Our wonderfully thoughtful friends gave us a 'couples' shower at Kafe Kokapelli's on Friday night. It was the perfect evening and I was already tearful after Gary's blessing of our dinner. Thankyou to Kim, Renee and Kathryn for putting it together! Machele for the awesome lavender cake (my favorite color) and to Charlene, Shawn, Charla and Karen and husbands for making it a great, memorable night! You guys are the best!

Waiting for travel approvals

At this time we are expecting to leave for China mid March! We are waiting for our approvals from our agency before we book our final plans. Its hard to believe that after 15 months of this, we will get to see Jade this month and bring her to her new home :>)))