tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-377126822024-03-14T03:57:33.467-04:00Asher Means HappyAsher, Esther & Emma's Jie Jiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05267932162057665475noreply@blogger.comBlogger55125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37712682.post-77226705224318818012008-10-13T16:09:00.003-04:002008-10-13T16:39:31.914-04:00Oh Love That Will Not Let Me Go..<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_U_YHwDVU9Sk/SPOru67RKbI/AAAAAAAADm8/4aNl1WHsB1c/s1600-h/IMG_0619.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_U_YHwDVU9Sk/SPOru67RKbI/AAAAAAAADm8/4aNl1WHsB1c/s400/IMG_0619.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5256734012651678130" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;">O Love that wilt not let me go,<br />I rest my weary soul in thee;<br />I give thee back the life I owe,<br />That in thine ocean depths its flow<br />May richer, fuller be.<br /><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_U_YHwDVU9Sk/SPOrvaPTgSI/AAAAAAAADnE/lw6bMBlCYJk/s1600-h/IMG_0623.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_U_YHwDVU9Sk/SPOrvaPTgSI/AAAAAAAADnE/lw6bMBlCYJk/s400/IMG_0623.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5256734021057216802" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;">O light that foll’west all my way,<br />I yield my flick’ring torch to thee;<br />My heart restores its borrowed ray,<br />That in thy sunshine’s blaze its day<br />May brighter, fairer be.<br /><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_U_YHwDVU9Sk/SPOrvv50ttI/AAAAAAAADnM/basT3cprqe4/s1600-h/IMG_0625.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_U_YHwDVU9Sk/SPOrvv50ttI/AAAAAAAADnM/basT3cprqe4/s400/IMG_0625.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5256734026872698578" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;">O Joy that seekest me through pain,<br />I cannot close my heart to thee;<br />I trace the rainbow through the rain,<br />And feel the promise is not vain,<br />That morn shall tearless be.<br /><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_U_YHwDVU9Sk/SPOrv5i4K_I/AAAAAAAADnU/bKVR9FmtPnM/s1600-h/IMG_0631.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_U_YHwDVU9Sk/SPOrv5i4K_I/AAAAAAAADnU/bKVR9FmtPnM/s400/IMG_0631.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5256734029460810738" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;">O Cross that liftest up my head,<br />I dare not ask to fly from thee;<br />I lay in dust life’s glory dead,<br />And from the ground there blossoms red<br />Life that shall endless be.<br /><br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0); font-weight: bold;">Tomorrow morning at 7:30 am EST, is Asher's surgery.</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0); font-weight: bold;">Please be in prayer for him and the doctors..that God would guide their hands and allow this surgery to help in his proper development.<br /><br /></span><span style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">We're expecting the surgery to last about 2-3 hours, then recovery and even a possible same-day discharge depending on how well he does. Asher is such a strong little guy.. I know he will do well. In fact, it wouldn't surprise me if he does better than his own mother and older sister. </span><span style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0); font-weight: bold;"><br /></span></span><br /></div>Asher, Esther & Emma's Jie Jiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05267932162057665475noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37712682.post-47009339436269935492008-09-11T10:46:00.003-04:002008-09-11T11:05:22.886-04:00The Surgery<div style="text-align: center;">I should probably warn you that if a close-up photo of a repaired cleft palate will make your stomach queasy, you might want to skip this post..<br /></div><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_U_YHwDVU9Sk/SMkvuqSKYSI/AAAAAAAADms/4K4JaKHv-Fw/s1600-h/IMG_0254.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_U_YHwDVU9Sk/SMkvuqSKYSI/AAAAAAAADms/4K4JaKHv-Fw/s400/IMG_0254.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5244775719720608034" border="0" /></a>Asher had his third appointment with the Cleft Team on August 19th. He has a new nice, wonderful doctor who will be performing the surgery on <span style="font-weight: bold;">October 14th</span>.<br />While we would have much rather prepared having his surgery done during this past summer, such a time as this and it will take place in just over a month and three days.<br />It's going to be a pretty intense surgery, with a myriad of different things going on inside of his mouth.<br /><ul><li>First off, the expander you see in his mouth (on the left) will be removed. He's had the expander in for about 6 months now and every night we use the key to help the device expand his palate. Hopefully it's done its job and his mouth will be the right size!</li><li>Next, they will be re-aligning his palate. I'm pretty sure this means re-opening the palate, re-aligning and then closing it back up again.<br /></li><li>Then will come the tough part- the bone graft. Although you can't see in these pictures clearly, there's a split in his gum line due to his clefts. The doctors will graft a piece of bone from his hip into that cleft to help with the future growth of his mouth. That's intense.</li></ul><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_U_YHwDVU9Sk/SMkvuxt8RFI/AAAAAAAADm0/JUk8xSdkB-I/s1600-h/IMG_0255.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_U_YHwDVU9Sk/SMkvuxt8RFI/AAAAAAAADm0/JUk8xSdkB-I/s400/IMG_0255.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5244775721716171858" border="0" /></a><br /><ul><li>And last but not least, they'll remove those HUGE tonsils he was blessed with! I think we'll all enjoy having those removed since he's the loudest snorer in the family!</li></ul><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;">What does Asher think of all of this? Well, I think he understands what will be happening since he's been through this before and we've been talking about it a lot lately. I'm sure he's a little nervous, scared and anxious-who wouldn't be? He's not very emotional (at all) and still has a bit of a wall built up around him, so he won't let us see that side of him. I don't know what his surgeries were like before, or if he has any memory of them. (They were done at age 1 and 4.) Unlike his other surgeries, we will be there for him through it all and I hope that will make a difference to his nerves. He won't be alone through this one.<br /><br />So for now, we wait and prepare ourselves and Asher for this big event.<br /></div>Asher, Esther & Emma's Jie Jiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05267932162057665475noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37712682.post-35829404893873655592008-07-04T21:56:00.005-04:002008-12-11T13:15:01.969-05:00A Splendid Reunion<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_U_YHwDVU9Sk/SG7YZ5WzGOI/AAAAAAAADJM/pmYprKIQ32A/s1600-h/IMG_7912.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_U_YHwDVU9Sk/SG7YZ5WzGOI/AAAAAAAADJM/pmYprKIQ32A/s400/IMG_7912.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5219346957573757154" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">About two weeks ago we were finally able to come together and celebrate the long awaited reunion of Xiao Dua and WaWa. Or, more commonly known as Asher and Sophie. The two of them were able to enjoy and experience each other's company for the first time in over a year.<br /><br />We packed up part (two stayed home) of our crew and headed out to Cape Canaveral and the condo where Sophie and her family were staying. Excitement and anticipation were overwhelming all of us as we made our way up the steps, through the door.. and finally to Sophie. I'll never forget the way Sophie greeted Asher;<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">"Xiao Du! I'm Sophie, but you already know my name!" </span><br /><br />They eagerly exchanged the gifts they had picked out for each other and happily showed them off to everyone. Asher had been collecting all of his menu's and coloring pages from our Disney cruise that previous week, in order to save for Sophie. He also got the autographs of several famous Disney characters in his autograph book and gave that to her as well. Sophie handed Asher a Spiderman toy (which is currently making a home in his bed), Spiderman pj's (he wore that night) and Frog windchimes from Sophie's Mimi.<br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_U_YHwDVU9Sk/SG7YaIGYQvI/AAAAAAAADJU/YaWQPkov8FE/s1600-h/IMG_7916.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_U_YHwDVU9Sk/SG7YaIGYQvI/AAAAAAAADJU/YaWQPkov8FE/s400/IMG_7916.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5219346961531421426" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_U_YHwDVU9Sk/SG7YaiYkbVI/AAAAAAAADJc/f4NSBADmeaQ/s1600-h/IMG_7973.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_U_YHwDVU9Sk/SG7YaiYkbVI/AAAAAAAADJc/f4NSBADmeaQ/s400/IMG_7973.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5219346968587038034" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">It was so precious to watch the two of them reconnect. The first signs of shyness quickly dissipated as hugs and kisses were soon exchanged.<br /><br />The hungry bellies of six young children quickly sent us to a nearby McDonalds, where we ended up spending the majority of the day. (We had fully prepared for a day at the beach.. but the stormy skies had other ideas!) But it didn't matter where we were.. the kids were all happy, especially those two.<br /><br />I've never seen Asher so happy before and already in the short time he has been home, he has seen so much. Hunting camps, visits to Disney World and a Disney Cruise, jet ski rides and karate promotions. Nope, nothing could compare to the joy on his face when he was with Sophie.<br /><br />The kids all got along great. Between the two families we have five Chinese children with Sophie,<br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_U_YHwDVU9Sk/SG7Ya38MS2I/AAAAAAAADJk/Xk-h845aNtg/s1600-h/IMG_7982.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_U_YHwDVU9Sk/SG7Ya38MS2I/AAAAAAAADJk/Xk-h845aNtg/s400/IMG_7982.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5219346974373596002" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Esther, Emma and Maddie all within a few months of each other. The four girls got along great.. and I think Maddie even had a little thing for Ian. =) He seems to have that affect on all the girls..<br /><br />It was a wonderful day and we are so glad that it was just the beginning of many more reunions to come. Fortunately, Sophie doesn't live too far away and although nothing is for sure yet.. a visit for a certain someone's 6th birthday would sure be super fun!<br /></span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><br /></span><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_U_YHwDVU9Sk/SH5WPUt6OMI/AAAAAAAADJ0/UOKXzHUz8CE/s1600-h/P1000604.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_U_YHwDVU9Sk/SH5WPUt6OMI/AAAAAAAADJ0/UOKXzHUz8CE/s400/P1000604.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5223707439055648962" border="0" /></a></span><span style="font-weight: bold;">Esther, Maddie and Sophie</span><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_U_YHwDVU9Sk/SH5WQBmU9GI/AAAAAAAADJ8/2AItWv0nIZg/s1600-h/IMG_7964.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_U_YHwDVU9Sk/SH5WQBmU9GI/AAAAAAAADJ8/2AItWv0nIZg/s400/IMG_7964.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5223707451103442018" border="0" /></a></span><span style="font-weight: bold;">The kiddo's:<br />Back: Ian, Esther, Sophie and Asher<br />Front: Maddie and Emma<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_U_YHwDVU9Sk/SH5WROdjmGI/AAAAAAAADKE/QDh4fNo5Dng/s1600-h/IMG_7974.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_U_YHwDVU9Sk/SH5WROdjmGI/AAAAAAAADKE/QDh4fNo5Dng/s400/IMG_7974.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5223707471736182882" border="0" /></a></span><span style="font-weight: bold;">Maddie sure loved Ian =)</span><br /></div><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><br />The night we got home was tough for Asher. I did have to go in and comfort him because he had just lost it. I didn't really expect him to get upset because he is not one to show off his emotions, but it didn't surprise me either. Last time he said goodbye he didn't know if he would ever see Sophie again, but at least this time he knows he WILL see her again. </span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">The next day he showed everyone in church the photo's from their special day. </span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Asher still talks about Sophie and their reunion every day. </span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><br /><br /><br />As soon as we came home from our trip, Asher ran outside to the backyard and hung up the windchimes he had received from Sophie's grandmother. Thank you so much Mimi! =)<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_U_YHwDVU9Sk/SH5WRzwjSVI/AAAAAAAADKM/N1TFVtUl5bg/s1600-h/IMG_7988.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_U_YHwDVU9Sk/SH5WRzwjSVI/AAAAAAAADKM/N1TFVtUl5bg/s400/IMG_7988.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5223707481747966290" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_U_YHwDVU9Sk/SH5WS4jOfaI/AAAAAAAADKU/twOLCsKi6o8/s1600-h/IMG_7992.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_U_YHwDVU9Sk/SH5WS4jOfaI/AAAAAAAADKU/twOLCsKi6o8/s400/IMG_7992.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5223707500214123938" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br />****I took a ton of pictures and video and put it all together in a movie.. however my iMovie program is unexpectedly quitting on me each time I try to open it. Once I figure that out, I'll have the video up.. but I wanted to get the pictures up for all of you to see!</span>Asher, Esther & Emma's Jie Jiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05267932162057665475noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37712682.post-8456500740561825532008-06-21T23:46:00.001-04:002008-12-11T13:15:02.351-05:00The Reunion..<div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_U_YHwDVU9Sk/SF3LaQFFHgI/AAAAAAAADAU/X9hvE3dbjYE/s1600-h/IMG_7985_1.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_U_YHwDVU9Sk/SF3LaQFFHgI/AAAAAAAADAU/X9hvE3dbjYE/s400/IMG_7985_1.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5214547595418213890" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;"></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Since they say a picture says a thousand words,<br />I though I would leave you with this..<br /></span></span></div>Asher, Esther & Emma's Jie Jiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05267932162057665475noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37712682.post-19445925290720813962008-06-21T00:09:00.003-04:002008-06-21T00:16:50.805-04:00Asher's SpeechAsher recently reached the 10 month mark since joining our family. In that time he has gone from speaking barely any words in English to completing full sentences. This has been the hardest struggle of anything for him, but he is finally starting to conquer his speech! We have been overjoyed to watch Asher's speech continue to progress and progress. Granted, he still has a long way to go but his upcoming surgery on August 1st will tremendously help.<br /><br />The first part of this video was shot just a few weeks after coming home. You can notice in the video the high nasal sound of his voice, and also how shy he was! The last part was shot today and if you listen carefully you can probably make out all he is saying. He is still a bit nasally, but you can see a big difference and notice how he is much more confident! Both of these video's are about Sophie, btw. =)<br /><br /><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dxt_OAyr7zkOINR6Q1gxYxhHr2B3VgY_HeVXWomgZep0KCbbeGXgIGLzQfjZ6jBBXrK7FpTrzVGffg' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe>Asher, Esther & Emma's Jie Jiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05267932162057665475noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37712682.post-58020594611515698392008-06-20T23:46:00.003-04:002008-12-11T13:15:02.641-05:00Oh The Excitement...<div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_U_YHwDVU9Sk/SFx6AHN3z0I/AAAAAAAAC_c/uabNJX7lmVw/s1600-h/Asher_and_Sophie.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_U_YHwDVU9Sk/SFx6AHN3z0I/AAAAAAAAC_c/uabNJX7lmVw/s400/Asher_and_Sophie.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5214176610944012098" border="0" /></a><br /></div><span style="font-family: lucida grande;">It's been just over thirteen months since Asher last saw his best friend, Sophie, or "Wawa" as he called her. Sophie was adopted in May, just a few short months before we brought Asher home. Ever since the day we met him, not a day has gone by that the name Wawa or Sophie has not been mentioned. He talks all the time about her.. what she likes, that she was his favorite friend, how he wants to grow up and fly an airplane so he can go see her.. and he wants to marry her! ;)<br />Sophie is the only part of his memories of China that he has been able to verbalize. Just recently he has started opening up a lot about his life in China, especially since his speech is getting much better and he feels more comfortable talking. I think he was scared about this new transition in his life so rather than cry or get upset, he threw all of his old life behind him and refused to think about it. Now that he realizes this setting is permanent he is starting to feel more comfortable and is much more apt to talk about it. Though it all, Sophie has been the only constant in his life and thank goodness for Sophie's mom Jennifer and her blog! Just today I was watching a video that we received from friends of ours in Washington who visited his orphanage in December 2005 while adopting their daughter. In the video, there's a short snippet of Asher, delicately embracing Sophie and you can just see the love he has for her in his face. It is so sweet to watch and I am just so glad that this was apart of God's plan for their lives. To live with together all of their lives and then be adopted just a few months apart by families who had already known each other through the cyber adoption community and only live one state away.. that isn't just a coincidence. =)<br />Tomorrow, we are heading out for this long awaited reunion of two special friends..<br />Asher is just beside himself with anticipation. I don't think the word EXCITED even begins to describe the emotions he is feeling. He just can't wait. We returned yesterday morning from our Disney cruise and all he could talk about the entire time was how we were going to see Sophie after we came home. I can't wait to see his face.. I bet he will barely be able to sleep tonight!<br />Stay tuned! =)<br /></span><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;">Sophie, this is for you....<br /></div><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dzd298ez-RmKWee_AJ4D2pc3C_cdg4vxM8FNE5Lmzzkza3payjRdPkrg4W3NM3i5xQvOwBfC9JOYPY' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe>Asher, Esther & Emma's Jie Jiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05267932162057665475noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37712682.post-35023556670450271032008-05-27T15:59:00.002-04:002008-05-27T16:03:25.775-04:00Cleft Update, Part 2<span style="font-family: lucida grande;"><span style="font-size:130%;">Asher was re-evaluated by the Cleft Team on Thursday.. but we know about as much as we did before he even went in. To make a long story short, he has another appointment on Friday (I think) and we might even be switching doctors. The only problem is that there aren't many who specialize in this field and we want Asher to have the best care possible. So.. we're going to wait and see, yet at the same time call around for second opinions.....</span><br /></span>Asher, Esther & Emma's Jie Jiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05267932162057665475noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37712682.post-3838810694420074472008-05-21T16:05:00.002-04:002008-12-11T13:15:03.032-05:00Cleft Update<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_U_YHwDVU9Sk/SDSA_Kw7zTI/AAAAAAAACyg/Qt1CIS7yztA/s1600-h/IMG_4680.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_U_YHwDVU9Sk/SDSA_Kw7zTI/AAAAAAAACyg/Qt1CIS7yztA/s320/IMG_4680.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5202925292229479730" border="0" /></a> As most of you know, Asher was born with a cleft lip and palate. His lip was a unilateral cleft, which means it was open on one side. You may notice in some of his photo's that his nose is a bit caved in on the left side from the cleft. His lip was repaired when he was about two years old, and it looks great. He will probably have a lip revision done in the future to help make the skin and lip appear more even.<br /> Asher was also born with a cleft palate, which is a hole in the roof of the mouth. The hole was repaired in China in 2004, but the surgery was unsuccessful. Although the surgeons closed the hole, they did not repair the <span style="font-style: italic;">defect</span> in his mouth. I don't know the specifics of the palate but from what I've been told, the nerves (?) in the roof of his mouth are misaligned which is contributing to his poor speech. (I don't know if it's the nerves specifically, but something is not lining up correctly.. and that's the problem.)<br /> Asher was seen by the cleft palate team in November and they concluded that he would need to have further surgery on his palate, even going as far as re-opening it to align everything back up correctly. He is also sporting the largest tonsils that the surgeons have ever seen and obviously those need to come out too. Together with the large tonsils and misaligned palate, it is affecting his speech even with all of the speech therapy he is getting.<br /> We knew when we adopted Asher that surgery was a possibility, and obviously it will be necessary in his case. As you can see from the picture, he has a palate expander installed in his mouth. We use a key to "turn" the expander each day with the goal that it will expand his small mouth. Asher is such a tough little guy and never complains. Even when we ask him if his mouth hurts (and I know it does) he always says no. He's such a strong little boy and I know he will do well through all of the surgeries he will face in the future.<br /> Tomorrow, he visits the cleft team again to discuss his third surgery which could be happening this summer..<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;">I'll update tomorrow when I know..<br /></div>Asher, Esther & Emma's Jie Jiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05267932162057665475noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37712682.post-21987063890201611432008-05-05T22:23:00.000-04:002008-05-05T22:43:59.087-04:00Happiness<span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153);">I've tried to type up this post on several occasions, yet each time I've never been able to fully gather the words I've needed to express the points I want to make. Simply put, my love for Asher continues to grow each and every day. Each day I am more and more enamored by his courage, his bravery and his zeal for life. I wish all of you could meet this special little boy since he would capture your heart as he has mine. How has God blessed our family with such a sweet child? I don't know how we got so lucky..<br /><br />Soon we will be celebrating nine months since our happy boy has been apart of our family and it's amazing to think of the journey that we have been through, and continue to take. Asher's adoption has taught me many things, one of them being FAITH. Never doubt for a single minute that God isn't caring for you as you go through the roller coaster ride that adoption is. The biggest mistake I made during the beginning was not trusting God that everything would work out with the crazy, wild child we had just imported from China. (kidding....)<br /><br />How do you measure the amount of happiness a child brings to your life? I don't think you can and that's how I feel about my sweet Asher. My heart is overflowing with the love I have for him. It didn't come easy though- just scroll down a few posts and you'll see my first reactions toward him upon coming home. I didn't adequately prepare myself for what was taking place in my life, nor think about the changes in his life. It's easy to say you know that he will have adjustments and it will be rough.. but it's not easy to ride that roller coaster of emotions. It took a good, solid two months before things started to calm down and my love for him started to grow.<br /><br />What was Asher like when he first got home? A sneaky, smiley, kicking, biting, full of rage when angered, non-attached beast, stuck inside the body of a seven year old. Is that enough of an explanation? Yes.. that's exactly how he was. If he was happy, then everyone was happy. If he wasn't, he made sure that ALL of us were unhappy as well. I can't blame him for most of it though- at seven, he had hardly been beyond the walls of his orphanage. Therefore he lacked the common skills most children learn as they grow. Life in the orphanage taught him to be sneaky. Being one of the few non-mentally disabled children there, he learned to get in trouble and then blame it on those who couldn't defend themselves. The orphanage told us a story about Asher when we went to visit. Apparently, he had instructed all of the children to throw their shoes out the window, then blamed it on one of the deaf children. They later found out it was Asher.. but little things like that is how he grew up. Nothing really changed once he got home, only it was a different set of territory so he needed to see how things worked. Yet for him, he acquired a mother just as stubborn as he is so there wouldn't be much that he would get away with. Along with his anger, came grieving which was easy to overlook. Two days after coming home from China, he let it all go. He must have cried for over an hour just weeping and wailing.. it was so sad to watch him go through that. I had to excuse myself from the house in order to escape it. He didn't have enough English to tell us who he missed, but he kept repeating someone's name, over and over again. Since then, he hasn't grieved at all.<br /><br />After arriving home, Asher completely shut off his memory of anything to do with China. If we showed pictures to him of his friends from the orphanage, he would pretend he didn't know them. He didn't want to speak Chinese to others. I am sure this was his way leaving behind his old life and focusing on the new one in front of him. I'm sure many of these memories were painful for him to remember, so he probably figured the only way to be strong was to forget them. The only person he would ever talk about is his Wawa, (S<a href="http://www.cannonfishbowl.blogspot.com/">ophie</a>) his best friend from his orphanage. I believe he was in charge of caring for her because of the way he talks of her. Last year, we received some video from a family who traveled to Dandong in 2005 and in it you can see Asher, lovingly holding onto his young Wawa. To this day, he constantly talks about Wawa and loves to visit her blog and look at pictures.<br /><br />Just in the last few weeks has Asher started opening up about his life in China. It's not very often when he does it, but when he does open up it reminds me of that scene in the movie,<span style="font-style: italic;"> The Notebook</span> when Allie remembers who Duke is. It happened one day when I pulled out a few photos we had developed from the disposable camera sent to the orphanage. We have several images of Asher and his friends and life around the orphanage. All of a sudden he started talking about his friends... pointing them out by name, and saying whether he liked them or not! I thought it was funny when he pointed out one little boy and said they shared a bed and apparently the little boy peed in their bed!<br /><br />One time, we were driving and I had Asher and Ian in the backseat and all of a sudden Asher started opening up. He started telling us that once he went swimming in a river, but he was naked! It's the little things like this, when he gives us a glimpse into his life in China that I love to hear about.<br /><br />Another time, Asher dictated to Ian some of his feelings about Sophie before and after she left to be adopted. Quick thinking Ian thought to write them all down and I'm sharing them here because they just melt my heart. The conversation between Sophie & Asher before she left went something like this: (and I'm copying Ian's exact words)<br />Sophie: (speaking sadly) <span style="font-style: italic;">"I don't want to leave and go on the airplane."</span><br />Asher: <span style="font-style: italic;">"</span><span style="font-style: italic;">I don't want you to leave."</span><br />Sophie: <span style="font-style: italic;">"</span><span style="font-style: italic;">I love you Asher."</span><span style="font-style: italic;"><br /></span><span>Asher: <span style="font-style: italic;">"Please come back, bye Wawa."</span><br /><br />The rest of the letter dictated by Asher, and written by Ian says this:<br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">"Asher was crying on his bed. He told me his heart broke. He was crying in the middle of the night and saying, 'Wawa, please don't go, please.' "</span><br /><br />I share the above because it helps me to understand what Asher was going through. He had left his entire life behind him, and his Wawa, his best friend.</span><span><br /><br />How do you describe Asher? Those who have met him would probably say one word: <span style="font-weight: bold;">happy</span>. He's always happy.. and has been since we first saw his referral pictures! I wish I could take on the world the way Asher can- nothing seems to ever phase him and he's the most easy going child I have ever met. Asher is a pleaser- he wants to be there for you and do whatever he can. He's a charmer- everyone seems to fall in love with him. And he uses that precious smile of his to his advantage. He is sarcastic-so much in fact that we call sarcasm his third language-and has been since the day after we got him! (I remember him walking up to Ian in the bathroom as they prepared to get a shower, and he slapped Ian on the bottom as if to say "Hey Dude.") He loves to joke with everyone and he totally understands humor. He's playful- never wants to sit still and always wants to be doing something. That would explain why he eats almost twice the amount I do, yet he doesn't have the problem of gaining weight, like I do!! =) Asher is a great dancer and singer, although he's very shy about performing in public. However, get him warmed up and comfortable and he's quite the entertainer!<br /><br /></span><span>As of February, Asher is reading! It's those little Bob books, the ones with three words per page, but he is reading them! Asher loves math but I think he would rather do away with everything else. Considering he started at the level of a 2 year old in August, I think he is doing very well! Mom wants to have him starting second grade in the fall, but we will see what happens. He still attends a once-a-week homeschool co-op and loves his school days. The class is very hands on, and just recently I helped Asher put together a whole poster on China. He continues to be tutored twice a week by our friend Nancy, and also receives speech therapy three times a week. His speech is slowly and steadily improving and I understand about 90% of what he says. Having his tonsils removed and his palate re-done will tremendously help improve his speech. We're looking at a surgery possibly sometime this summer, but more on that in my next post!</span></span><div><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153);"><span><br />We're still working on getting rid of his old habits; he still lies and doesn't like to follow the rules. Some of that is due to orphanage behavior, but it's also because he's a typical eight year old boy. We discipline Asher by putting him in time out- he has a chair right at the front of the house that he sits in for eight minutes, until he apologizes for what he has done wrong. (Learned that from SuperNanny!) We still have our good days and our bad days. Asher is always very well behaved when I am around him, but since I'm not home that much, I don't experience as much of his bad moments. It's always hard to come home and see him sitting in his chair, or hearing from Mom what he had done that day. It's still a learning process and these things just take time.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153);"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153);">So many people ask us all the time how Asher is doing, and I always answer "Terrific." He's doing so well considering the amount of time he has been here and all of the obstacles he has faced. He's very intelligent, so he picks up on things very easily. Writing from the standpoint of having him for almost a year, I'd say our older child adoption story has been a great success. (I wasn't so sure back in September!!) It's taken a lot of time, PATIENCE, love, faith, patience, discipline, grace, and did I mention patience? Overall, I'd say this is definitely one of the best decisions we have ever made. It's funny how we think of it as a decision, yet God had already planned this out before any of us were even born! Asher is such a blessing to our family and we are all looking forward to what God has in store for his life in the coming years. Stick around!</span></div>Asher, Esther & Emma's Jie Jiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05267932162057665475noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37712682.post-31182817023077332132008-04-28T17:37:00.012-04:002008-12-11T13:15:11.387-05:00Six Months of Photos<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:180%;">In November..</span><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_U_YHwDVU9Sk/SBZKVaHo7VI/AAAAAAAACtI/vfYxfdLrRh0/s1600-h/100_4545.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_U_YHwDVU9Sk/SBZKVaHo7VI/AAAAAAAACtI/vfYxfdLrRh0/s320/100_4545.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5194420951867518290" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Asher learned how to shoot a gun during a camping trip to Georgia..<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_U_YHwDVU9Sk/SBZKVqHo7WI/AAAAAAAACtQ/zzeGz7zRkEM/s1600-h/100_4721.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_U_YHwDVU9Sk/SBZKVqHo7WI/AAAAAAAACtQ/zzeGz7zRkEM/s320/100_4721.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5194420956162485602" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">He experienced his first Thanksgiving..<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_U_YHwDVU9Sk/SBZKV6Ho7XI/AAAAAAAACtY/FpvG-09y0sA/s1600-h/100_4851.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_U_YHwDVU9Sk/SBZKV6Ho7XI/AAAAAAAACtY/FpvG-09y0sA/s320/100_4851.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5194420960457452914" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">And went to the beach for the first time..<br /><br /><span style="font-size:180%;"><br />In December..</span><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_U_YHwDVU9Sk/SBZLjKHo7YI/AAAAAAAACtg/UKeZm2jKnfY/s1600-h/100_4990.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_U_YHwDVU9Sk/SBZLjKHo7YI/AAAAAAAACtg/UKeZm2jKnfY/s320/100_4990.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5194422287602347394" border="0" /></a>He dressed up in a parka and saw the ICE! exhibit..<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_U_YHwDVU9Sk/SBZLj6Ho7ZI/AAAAAAAACto/q1XlV0T-C1E/s1600-h/100_5127.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_U_YHwDVU9Sk/SBZLj6Ho7ZI/AAAAAAAACto/q1XlV0T-C1E/s320/100_5127.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5194422300487249298" border="0" /></a>He got some Christmas kisses..<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_U_YHwDVU9Sk/SBZLkaHo7aI/AAAAAAAACtw/HdbpJXiuw8s/s1600-h/100_5158.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_U_YHwDVU9Sk/SBZLkaHo7aI/AAAAAAAACtw/HdbpJXiuw8s/s320/100_5158.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5194422309077183906" border="0" /></a>He happily drank his first milkshake..<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_U_YHwDVU9Sk/SBZLkqHo7bI/AAAAAAAACt4/-UOz3YbROkk/s1600-h/100_5182_1.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_U_YHwDVU9Sk/SBZLkqHo7bI/AAAAAAAACt4/-UOz3YbROkk/s320/100_5182_1.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5194422313372151218" border="0" /></a>He baked cupcakes with Dad on Christmas Eve..<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_U_YHwDVU9Sk/SBZLlKHo7cI/AAAAAAAACuA/YenbvPsvTVw/s1600-h/100_5233_1.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_U_YHwDVU9Sk/SBZLlKHo7cI/AAAAAAAACuA/YenbvPsvTVw/s320/100_5233_1.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5194422321962085826" border="0" /></a>He experienced Christmas morning!<br /><br /><br /><span style="font-size:180%;">In January..</span><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_U_YHwDVU9Sk/SBZNhKHo7dI/AAAAAAAACuI/As5t38FQwb4/s1600-h/DSCN3053.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_U_YHwDVU9Sk/SBZNhKHo7dI/AAAAAAAACuI/As5t38FQwb4/s320/DSCN3053.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5194424452265864658" border="0" /></a>He grew more handsome each and every day..<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_U_YHwDVU9Sk/SBZNhqHo7eI/AAAAAAAACuQ/2JbN7REiY8w/s1600-h/DSCN3058.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_U_YHwDVU9Sk/SBZNhqHo7eI/AAAAAAAACuQ/2JbN7REiY8w/s320/DSCN3058.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5194424460855799266" border="0" /></a>And knows how to ham it up for the camera..<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_U_YHwDVU9Sk/SBZNiKHo7fI/AAAAAAAACuY/izlzWAv5vQs/s1600-h/DSCN3112.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_U_YHwDVU9Sk/SBZNiKHo7fI/AAAAAAAACuY/izlzWAv5vQs/s320/DSCN3112.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5194424469445733874" border="0" /></a>He licked icing from the dish..<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_U_YHwDVU9Sk/SBZNiaHo7gI/AAAAAAAACug/3UOTxS-CaWU/s1600-h/DSCN3205.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_U_YHwDVU9Sk/SBZNiaHo7gI/AAAAAAAACug/3UOTxS-CaWU/s320/DSCN3205.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5194424473740701186" border="0" /></a>And dressed up as a girl for his little sisters' birthday..<br /><br /><br /><span style="font-size:180%;">In February..</span><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_U_YHwDVU9Sk/SBZRaqHo7mI/AAAAAAAACvQ/djWk7jOW5ZU/s1600-h/DSCN3374.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_U_YHwDVU9Sk/SBZRaqHo7mI/AAAAAAAACvQ/djWk7jOW5ZU/s320/DSCN3374.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5194428738643226210" border="0" /></a>Asher went to Disney World for the first time..<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_U_YHwDVU9Sk/SBZRaaHo7lI/AAAAAAAACvI/XpO-Aqj9NBI/s1600-h/DSCN3583.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_U_YHwDVU9Sk/SBZRaaHo7lI/AAAAAAAACvI/XpO-Aqj9NBI/s320/DSCN3583.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5194428734348258898" border="0" /></a>He met Mickey Mouse<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_U_YHwDVU9Sk/SBZPkaHo7jI/AAAAAAAACu4/rFnjuQEIRUM/s1600-h/DSCN3610.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_U_YHwDVU9Sk/SBZPkaHo7jI/AAAAAAAACu4/rFnjuQEIRUM/s320/DSCN3610.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5194426707123695154" border="0" /></a>He celebrated his first Chinese New Year here in America..<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_U_YHwDVU9Sk/SBZPkaHo7kI/AAAAAAAACvA/KSrUitDbc1c/s1600-h/100_5761.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_U_YHwDVU9Sk/SBZPkaHo7kI/AAAAAAAACvA/KSrUitDbc1c/s320/100_5761.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5194426707123695170" border="0" /></a>He celebrated my 18th birthday with me..<br /><br /><br /><span style="font-size:180%;">In March..</span><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_U_YHwDVU9Sk/SBZTsKHo7nI/AAAAAAAACvY/GL_TtlGZED0/s1600-h/DSCN3727.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_U_YHwDVU9Sk/SBZTsKHo7nI/AAAAAAAACvY/GL_TtlGZED0/s320/DSCN3727.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5194431238314192498" border="0" /></a>He promoted to a Camo belt in Karate..<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_U_YHwDVU9Sk/SBZTtKHo7pI/AAAAAAAACvo/zIUra-ftdLk/s1600-h/IMG_3920.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_U_YHwDVU9Sk/SBZTtKHo7pI/AAAAAAAACvo/zIUra-ftdLk/s320/IMG_3920.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5194431255494061714" border="0" /></a>His karate teacher jumped over his head..<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_U_YHwDVU9Sk/SBZTtaHo7qI/AAAAAAAACvw/aIWeQpAbx1Q/s1600-h/IMG_4064.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_U_YHwDVU9Sk/SBZTtaHo7qI/AAAAAAAACvw/aIWeQpAbx1Q/s320/IMG_4064.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5194431259789029026" border="0" /></a>He won two trophies at his Karate Competition<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_U_YHwDVU9Sk/SBZTtqHo7rI/AAAAAAAACv4/Fj7A9zLaR6Q/s1600-h/IMG_4198.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_U_YHwDVU9Sk/SBZTtqHo7rI/AAAAAAAACv4/Fj7A9zLaR6Q/s320/IMG_4198.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5194431264083996338" border="0" /></a>He enjoyed playing on a paddle boat in the lake..<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_U_YHwDVU9Sk/SBZV96Ho7sI/AAAAAAAACwA/550arqsjFBQ/s1600-h/IMG_4039.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_U_YHwDVU9Sk/SBZV96Ho7sI/AAAAAAAACwA/550arqsjFBQ/s320/IMG_4039.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5194433742280126146" border="0" /></a>He is playing the violin..<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_U_YHwDVU9Sk/SBZV-aHo7tI/AAAAAAAACwI/KWe4GvGTUrs/s1600-h/100_5792.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_U_YHwDVU9Sk/SBZV-aHo7tI/AAAAAAAACwI/KWe4GvGTUrs/s320/100_5792.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5194433750870060754" border="0" /></a>He accepted Jesus into his heart on Easter Sunday..<br /><br /><br /><span style="font-size:180%;">In April</span><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_U_YHwDVU9Sk/SBZXf6Ho7uI/AAAAAAAACwQ/ThMjnVah1bk/s1600-h/IMG_4397.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_U_YHwDVU9Sk/SBZXf6Ho7uI/AAAAAAAACwQ/ThMjnVah1bk/s320/IMG_4397.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5194435425907306210" border="0" /></a>He tied his little sister's flower bows to his hat..<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_U_YHwDVU9Sk/SBZXgKHo7vI/AAAAAAAACwY/daXE1HI9e7g/s1600-h/IMG_4461.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_U_YHwDVU9Sk/SBZXgKHo7vI/AAAAAAAACwY/daXE1HI9e7g/s320/IMG_4461.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5194435430202273522" border="0" /></a>He went down the slide for the first time..<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_U_YHwDVU9Sk/SBZXgaHo7wI/AAAAAAAACwg/fxsOZOb_LCk/s1600-h/IMG_4611.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_U_YHwDVU9Sk/SBZXgaHo7wI/AAAAAAAACwg/fxsOZOb_LCk/s320/IMG_4611.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5194435434497240834" border="0" /></a>He became Spiderman..<br /><br /><span style="font-size:180%;">Just a few photo highlights of the last six months..</span><br /></span></div>Asher, Esther & Emma's Jie Jiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05267932162057665475noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37712682.post-58389298521772862262008-04-26T16:40:00.003-04:002008-12-11T13:15:11.774-05:00New Changes and Updates..<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_U_YHwDVU9Sk/SBOUUKHo6fI/AAAAAAAACmY/xvDddkrT9Vs/s1600-h/IMG_4401.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_U_YHwDVU9Sk/SBOUUKHo6fI/AAAAAAAACmY/xvDddkrT9Vs/s400/IMG_4401.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5193657869323004402" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;">As you can see by the change in our blog look.. Asher's blog is coming back!<br />In the next few weeks I'll start updating more, starting with an update<br />from where I left off in November.<br />I'm going to start blogging more about the continuation of Asher's life, his transition into our family, school, language and specifically his journey battling the cleft issues he faces.<br />Stick around!! =)<br /><br /><br /></div>Asher, Esther & Emma's Jie Jiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05267932162057665475noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37712682.post-76807667124789740102007-12-19T18:13:00.001-05:002008-12-11T13:15:11.931-05:00Asher and Santa Clause<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_U_YHwDVU9Sk/R2mluw58TQI/AAAAAAAAB8s/Gk0TOMiG3Sk/s1600-h/SC137765_2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_U_YHwDVU9Sk/R2mluw58TQI/AAAAAAAAB8s/Gk0TOMiG3Sk/s320/SC137765_2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5145826272067996930" border="0" /></a>Asher, Esther & Emma's Jie Jiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05267932162057665475noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37712682.post-78472131670389626632007-11-03T14:07:00.000-04:002008-12-11T13:15:12.378-05:00Asher's Firsts<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_U_YHwDVU9Sk/Ryy5VF6ZTGI/AAAAAAAABn4/kumeGls6byE/s1600-h/DSCN1618.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_U_YHwDVU9Sk/Ryy5VF6ZTGI/AAAAAAAABn4/kumeGls6byE/s320/DSCN1618.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5128677847683648610" border="0" /></a><span style="color: rgb(0, 102, 0);"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Adopting an older child presents the situation of missing their first moments- first smile, tooth, steps, word.. etc. It's often sad to think about the fact that we were never able to witness several of the major "firsts" for each of our adopted children. It's even sadder to think that we know nothing about Asher except for the fact that he was abandoned at a printing press right next to the orphanage when he was 2 weeks old. We have the dates for his cleft lip, palate and abdominal surgery.. but other than that we have nothing else to go on. We don't know if he had chicken pox, when he got his first tooth or what he's seen in his short life.<br />But with all that sadness.. we are able to witness several of Asher's firsts, which are just as special as seeing his first smile. =)<br />Asher has had a great month of firsts.. he participated in his first holiday celebration.. well, if you count Halloween a holiday! (Our kids sure do!) Asher attended two fall festivals, picked out pumpkins at the pumpkin patch, helped us carve pumpkins and dressed up as a Bionicle! (Ian picked out his costume!)<br /> He's also starting to pick up a lot more English lately. Why is it that the first words our kids have learned always seems to be something we DON'T want them to say? Just last week there was a battle ensuing between two unnamed members of our family. As I stood there trying to referee the fight, I heard from across the hallway (clear as a bell) "<span style="font-style: italic;">SHUT UP</span>.. (unnamed person)" I didn't know what to do.. laugh or scold? I ended up laughing because it was funny to hear him say something that he has (sadly) overheard. Guess we can add that to another of his firsts!<br /> The last month has continued to be full of ups and downs, as is continued to be expected. Asher has his really good days, and then he has his bad days.<br />We're looking forward to celebrating another month with Asher during November. Especially since we have a few exciting things planned.. including Thanksgiving and a hunting trip to Georgia!!<br /><br />For more pictures and updates, please visit us on our family blog: <a href="http://www.twotwinterrors.blogspot.com">Two Twin Terrors</a>. I'll continue to post monthly updates on this blog, but for now it's just much easier to post all of our updates on the other blog.<br /></span></span>Asher, Esther & Emma's Jie Jiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05267932162057665475noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37712682.post-35249590498451912382007-10-12T16:49:00.001-04:002008-12-11T13:15:13.717-05:00Another Asher Update =)<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_U_YHwDVU9Sk/Rw_ofadEqvI/AAAAAAAABgQ/mjTINeMO3ww/s1600-h/100_3994.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_U_YHwDVU9Sk/Rw_ofadEqvI/AAAAAAAABgQ/mjTINeMO3ww/s320/100_3994.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5120566927718394610" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_U_YHwDVU9Sk/Rw_ogadEqwI/AAAAAAAABgY/ruQLK2Gh1EQ/s1600-h/100_3995.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_U_YHwDVU9Sk/Rw_ogadEqwI/AAAAAAAABgY/ruQLK2Gh1EQ/s320/100_3995.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5120566944898263810" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_U_YHwDVU9Sk/Rw_ohadEqxI/AAAAAAAABgg/kMZlKPcHuLc/s1600-h/100_3997.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_U_YHwDVU9Sk/Rw_ohadEqxI/AAAAAAAABgg/kMZlKPcHuLc/s320/100_3997.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5120566962078133010" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_U_YHwDVU9Sk/Rw_ojKdEqyI/AAAAAAAABgo/gRrruTrWZnQ/s1600-h/100_3870.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_U_YHwDVU9Sk/Rw_ojKdEqyI/AAAAAAAABgo/gRrruTrWZnQ/s320/100_3870.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5120566992142904098" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_U_YHwDVU9Sk/Rw_oj6dEqzI/AAAAAAAABgw/3NRRpn0Fyss/s1600-h/100_4025.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_U_YHwDVU9Sk/Rw_oj6dEqzI/AAAAAAAABgw/3NRRpn0Fyss/s320/100_4025.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5120567005027806002" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153);"><span style="font-family:arial;"><span style="font-family:georgia;">It's amazing what just a few weeks do to you..</span></span></span><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153);"><span style="font-family:arial;"><span style="font-family:georgia;"></span></span></span></div><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153);"><span style="font-family:arial;"><span style="font-family:georgia;">This time last month I was completely swamped with negative emotions toward Asher as you've already read in my previous post. Likewise, he was also filled with a mixture of anger, sadness and obstinance as he tried to find his place in the world and more specifically, in this family.<br /></span></span></span><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153);"><span style="font-family:arial;"><span style="font-family:georgia;"> But this month, things are different...<br /></span></span></span><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153);">I find myself full of a positive and encouraging attitude towards Asher, and I think he feels the same way. The past three weeks have still been full of ups and downs, but unlike before, the ups have finally outweighed the downs!<br /><br />Adopting an older child can be compared to riding a roller coaster. It's full of ups and downs, twists and turns and moments when you ask yourself why you even went on this ride! However, just like every ride comes to an end, so do the hard times. The first month was BAD! That's the only way I can describe it. We were all doing our best to make sure we didn't offend him in any way, because that would save us from the screaming we would endure! Temper tantrums, crying and screaming became a daily part of our lives and it was always hard to have someone over during this time. If they didn't understand what we were going through, they would have thought we were trying to kill him!<br />But, slowly things started taking a turn uphill as situations in which he would have normally had a fit over, he didn't. Slowly, but surely he's started to understand what it's like to live in a family environment, what is expected of him and what is acceptable and what is not. It took a good full month (and even still today) of "training" him.. but it's working.<br /><br />As month two is progressing, we're seeing lots of improvements in his behavior. And I expect that the next few months will only get better. Asher has such a servants heart and really loves to help in any way he can. Whenever he sees me getting dinner prepared, he races off and grabs dishes, silverware and cups to set the table with. He then counts to make sure he has enough for all nine people. Then he pours drinks, knowing who drinks what. He knows to pour milk for himself, Ian, Kayla, Esther and Emma. Then he goes and pours ice water for Elena and I. And then he goes and grabs Mom & Dad a beer from the fridge and even pops the tops off for them! He must have seen that done before because he knew exactly what tool to use to remove the tops.<br /><br />He's excelling in schoolwork and doing so much better than I would have guessed. Although he prefers to count in Mandarin, he happily obliges to count in English and knows his numbers up to 12. He's learning phonics and starting to sound out words. And, he even knows how to add numbers in math! We had no idea he was capable of this since he was obviously holding out on us.<br /><br />He enjoys attending karate and cub scouts with Ian. We belong to an active home school group, so there's always some kind of field trip or activity going on and we try to keep him involved in everything. Even if he doesn't understand, he tries to figure things out himself.<br /><br />Last week, we bought him his early birthday gift.. his own bike! It still has the training wheels, but he'll be out of those in no time. He adores his bike and wants to ride it any chance he can get.<br /><br />At home, he's doing great and is definitely starting to feel apart of our family more and more. With the girls, we felt like they had always been here and it's been different with Asher. But as the months progress I'm sure we'll feel the same way.<br /><br />We have had our share of negative comments though. A few weeks ago, some kids in Elena's homeschool class started teasing Asher and calling him an "animal." Then one kid even said that he thought it was a mistake for us to bring Asher here and that "blending" the cultures just doesn't work. Those comments had me fuming mad.. but sometimes we have to remember that people just don't know what they are talking about and are naive. It makes me sad people look at him like that because if they just got to know him they would realize he really is a sweet boy and is only trying to find his place in this world. In a way you feel bad for him because he's the only Chinese speaking child who's constantly surrounded by people who don't think or look like he does. Plus, he's spent his whole life living in an orphanage so he doesn't know how to act and he forgets when he's not at home. It's not trying to make excuses for him, but that is what he is suffering from.<br />In public, Asher can appear to act like an "animal" because once he's out of his comfort zone (our house) he goes back to his original survival skills from the orphanage. We have to keep a careful watch on him whenever we take him places because he'll turn back to his old way and try to see just how far he can go. He gets overstimulated pretty easily, and that's something that will take time to cure. Esther was the same way and she got over it with time.<br />Tuesday night was the first time I took Asher somewhere by myself. (Other than rides in the car to karate) We went to the grocery store and he happily held my hand while carrying the basket and listened to everything I said. He was completely shocked by the variety (and amount) of food he saw, so of course he pointed out several things that he wanted. I told him no to almost everything and he happily obliged. For being a good boy, I let him pick out a special treat and he was so proud of himself. =)<br /><br />He's really doing well and I'm so glad that most of those bad days are behind us. We still have some bad moments (like when he decides to pour an entire bottle of shampoo down the drain!) and he still spends quite a bit of time in the timeout chair, but all in all it's going so much better!<br /><br />I know a lot of people have been reading my blog and wondering about adopting an older child, or are already in the process. A piece of advice I can give you:<br />HAVE LOTS OF PATIENCE!!<br />(and I hope you like roller coaster rides!)<br />*Remain encouraging<br />*Remember that it will get better<br />*Hang on to those handle bars!!<br />*Love your child no matter how hard they push you away.<br />It DOES get better.. =)<br /></span></div><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153);"><span style="font-family:arial;"><span style="font-family:georgia;"></span></span></span></div>Asher, Esther & Emma's Jie Jiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05267932162057665475noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37712682.post-16536962549971407482007-09-23T20:51:00.001-04:002008-12-11T13:15:16.847-05:00One Month Home<div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_U_YHwDVU9Sk/Rvcze6dEpyI/AAAAAAAABW4/dk8PdH5uum4/s1600-h/100_3462.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_U_YHwDVU9Sk/Rvcze6dEpyI/AAAAAAAABW4/dk8PdH5uum4/s320/100_3462.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5113612508082775842" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Esther, Asher and Emma on the girls' first day of school<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_U_YHwDVU9Sk/RvczfKdEpzI/AAAAAAAABXA/n8EQKHmEh_U/s1600-h/100_3467.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_U_YHwDVU9Sk/RvczfKdEpzI/AAAAAAAABXA/n8EQKHmEh_U/s320/100_3467.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5113612512377743154" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">He loves his mei mei's<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_U_YHwDVU9Sk/RvczfqdEp0I/AAAAAAAABXI/N1c6uRjInVM/s1600-h/100_3527.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_U_YHwDVU9Sk/RvczfqdEp0I/AAAAAAAABXI/N1c6uRjInVM/s320/100_3527.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5113612520967677762" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Jumping on the trampoline<br />(Notice Esther in the background.. I see soccer in her future!!)<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_U_YHwDVU9Sk/Rvczf6dEp1I/AAAAAAAABXQ/y-4rnvjBg-A/s1600-h/100_3537.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_U_YHwDVU9Sk/Rvczf6dEp1I/AAAAAAAABXQ/y-4rnvjBg-A/s320/100_3537.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5113612525262645074" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Drawing pictures<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_U_YHwDVU9Sk/RvczgKdEp2I/AAAAAAAABXY/5cDOt2s43ag/s1600-h/100_3540.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_U_YHwDVU9Sk/RvczgKdEp2I/AAAAAAAABXY/5cDOt2s43ag/s320/100_3540.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5113612529557612386" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Hanging out with Ian and Kayla<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_U_YHwDVU9Sk/Rvc0QqdEp3I/AAAAAAAABXg/hI4oC7OYOW8/s1600-h/DSCN1407.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_U_YHwDVU9Sk/Rvc0QqdEp3I/AAAAAAAABXg/hI4oC7OYOW8/s320/DSCN1407.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5113613362781267826" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Enjoying a swim in the pool.. with some cool shades!<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_U_YHwDVU9Sk/Rvc0Q6dEp4I/AAAAAAAABXo/oZRLuqEHX9w/s1600-h/100_3626.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_U_YHwDVU9Sk/Rvc0Q6dEp4I/AAAAAAAABXo/oZRLuqEHX9w/s320/100_3626.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5113613367076235138" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Helping me cook dinner<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_U_YHwDVU9Sk/Rvc0RKdEp5I/AAAAAAAABXw/rEb5DcBnr1o/s1600-h/100_3628.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_U_YHwDVU9Sk/Rvc0RKdEp5I/AAAAAAAABXw/rEb5DcBnr1o/s320/100_3628.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5113613371371202450" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Asher and me<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_U_YHwDVU9Sk/Rvc0RqdEp6I/AAAAAAAABX4/ybLxGsLRW60/s1600-h/DSCN1442.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_U_YHwDVU9Sk/Rvc0RqdEp6I/AAAAAAAABX4/ybLxGsLRW60/s320/DSCN1442.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5113613379961137058" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Enjoying some yummy food during Elena's 16th birthday party..<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_U_YHwDVU9Sk/Rvc0R6dEp7I/AAAAAAAABYA/KV8HiOADsjg/s1600-h/100_3648.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_U_YHwDVU9Sk/Rvc0R6dEp7I/AAAAAAAABYA/KV8HiOADsjg/s320/100_3648.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5113613384256104370" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Asher enjoying the lake<br /></span></div><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 102, 0);"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"> It's hard to believe we've been home for a month.. feels like it's been much longer!! We pretty much came home from China and hit the ground running. School, work and everyday life began right after we came back and at times it was very tiring and emotionally tough. The last few weeks I just haven't had the time or the energy to blog. Looking back, it's probably a good idea because you wouldn't have wanted to hear what I thought just three weeks ago!!<br /> Let's just say the last two weeks, I have seen a HUGE improvement in Asher- his attitude, behavior and personality. Those first few weeks were VERY tough.. it was like going through Esther's adjustment all over again. In a way, I felt like Esther's adjustment went a lot smoother than Asher's has. But now as I look back on it, their adjustments were sort of similar and but also, different. Esther would cry at the drop of a hat, yet she was small and "portable" and wouldn't hurt you. Asher is more go-with-the-flow, but he is capable of hurting someone, including me. During the first two or so weeks, the easiest thing for me to do was remove myself from the situation and just have nothing to do with him. I know it sounds awful, but it was the only way I could physically and mentally do what I needed to do.<br /> I was convinced that Asher hated me. Every time he looked at me he would give me this dirty look, almost as if he was trying to play a game with me. He was always happy to say goodbye to me as I left, but then gave me the same dirty look as I came home. (Yet, whenever Elena, my dad or Kayla come home he was quick to greet them with hugs.) He also did not respect me at all and considered me just another child. I could ask him to come inside and he would know what I meant, yet he would purposely ignore me because he felt I wasn't worth respecting. So, I backed away. I made sure that I was never alone with him.. I took on more responsibilities like driving and grocery shopping if only I didn't have to be with him.<br />Yet it was hard, because I felt so much anger towards this kid. Our lives weren't perfect, but they sure were easier before he had come along. Now, it was a constant battle between him and everyone else, especially Ian.. yelling, screaming and Asher always attacking Ian. For me, it was easier to stay out of it so I wouldn't have to deal with it.<br /> Fortunately, my mom has done a great job of handling Asher. I wasn't sure how she would be able to keep up with him and his behavior, but I underestimated her. I guess it really makes a difference with him being your child, versus your brother! For the first two weeks or so, she stayed home with Asher since he couldn't be left home with one of us. (Because he doesn't respect anyone except for my parents.) I could tell that the stress was getting to her.. but she has hung in there and done a great job. I honestly don't know if I would have been able to hang in there like she has. However, it just goes to show you that perseverance pays off!<br /> Like the famous <span style="font-style: italic;">Annie</span> song, <span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(51, 204, 0);">"</span></span></span><span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(51, 204, 0);">The sun will come out, tomorrow, Bet your bottom dollar that tomorrow, there'll be sun..Just thinkin about, tomorrow clears away the cobwebs and the sorrow, til theres none, When Im stuck with the day thats gray and lonely, I just stick out my chin and grin and say, ohhh, The sun will come out, tomorrow, So you gotta hang on til tomorrow...Come what may...</span><span style="color: rgb(0, 102, 0);"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(51, 204, 0);">.."</span><span style="color: rgb(51, 204, 0);"> </span>it did get better. Slowly, but surely I have seen Asher morph into a different person.. someone who is kinder, gentler and much more helpful. And my love for him has started to abound more and more each day. Now, I don't get the dirty looks anymore and he's the first to greet me when I come home!<br />I still am not ready to take Asher out anywhere by myself yet. Like Esther, he tends to get overstimulated if we take him somewhere, so we have to be careful. I can just imagine.. Asher and the grocery store.. oh that would be bad!! I can take him in the car and he does fine.. but we'll have to wait on special trips.<br />Last week, Asher went on two field trips with Mom and his school class, and he really enjoyed being out. One day they went to The Holy Land, a theme park built to look exactly like Jerusalem. Another day, they went and painted pottery since they are studying the Greek era in school.<br />As far as English, he's continuing to pick it up but isn't talking much yet. We continue to communicate using lots of hand gestures, but Asher understands almost everything we say. He understands simple things like "Go get the milk from the fridge" or "Clean up your toys" but it's the more complex things like "Asher, go find Kayla's wallet that you stole" that throw us for a loop. That's one thing we have had trouble with- stealing. So far he's stolen Elena's iPod, Mom's keys, Kayla's wallet and a few other items. It's normal for institutionalized children to do that, or any child for that matter. But it's difficult to explain to him that he can't take something that is not his.<br /> Back to the speech issues.. Asher's difficulty in picking up English is because of his cleft palate. He goes tomorrow for his speech evaluation and will start speech therapy after that. I'm excited for him to pick up more English because it will make everything a lot easier on all of us! Then, he and Esther have an appointment with the cleft team on November 13th to discuss their clefts and possible surgeries. Asher has come to the age where he will soon need another surgery for his jaw, and maybe a revision on the lip. Hopefully, Esther won't need surgery for a few more years, but Asher probably will.<br /> School. Asher's continuing to do well in school! He still attends a once a week program, and then is tutored twice a week. He knows his numbers 1-12 and is even starting to sound out words! It won't be long before he learns his ABC's and then starts reading.<br /> Funny story- There are soda machines at the church where Asher goes to school, and he has figured out that if you put two quarters into the machine, a soda will magically pop out. The first week, he was unsuccessful in using his charm to get him a soda, so he figured he had to take matters into his own hands. I don't know where he got the money (probably from Ian's stash- hidden somewhere in their room) but he was gulping down his second soda by the time his teacher found him. So, needless to say, we have had to "frisk" him before he goes to class and his teachers are extra careful in watching him now.<br /> Activities. Asher has joined his older sisters and brother in karate three times a week and is really enjoying it. It assists in the burning off of his energy and gives him something fun to do. It also teaches him discipline, and the karate school has been very understanding of Asher and his situation. He just received his equipment the other day and was thrilled to finally be one of the "big kids." Asher has also joined Ian in Cub scouts. We won't get him fully involved until next year, but he enjoys accompanying his brother to the meetings and taking part in the activities. I'd love to get him into soccer or baseball.. but that will have to wait until the spring when he has mastered enough English and the driving schedules aren't as hectic! He's a born athlete, so I can't wait to see it unleashed on the field!<br /> Relationships. Asher completely adores Elena.. seems to get along just fine with Kayla.. and he and Ian are so so. Sometimes they are the best of friends, other times they are at each other's throats. Esther and Emma pretty much ignore Asher although I think that will change as they start to bond. Asher and I? Well.. it's a work in progress.. that's for sure. I know it will continue to get better as time goes on and it's already getting better with each passing day.<br /> Friends. On Thursdays, our friend Mrs Campbell takes Asher to the park which helps him burn off some energy and gets him out of the house. He really enjoys going places and loves going with the Campbells. Mrs Campbell is a mom of two boys, so she knows how to be patient with him. There's also a special connection between them since Asher's middle name is in honor of her son Kyle, who passed away in July.<br /> The meltdowns are few and far between. If he gets upset, he cries for a few minutes and moves on. I think he's realized that we don't kick or bite each other when we are angry, so he's letting that side of him go.<br /> Things will continue to get better as time goes on. It's already been a month and things have gotten a TON better, so I expect them to continue to. Right now, I can't say that I would want to do this again.. because I'm definitely not in the position to say that! Adopting an older child definitely presents it's challenges, but there is also a lot of joy. Watching Asher eagerly help me set the table in preparation for dinner, or jubilantly help me carry the groceries inside makes my memories of the rough days disappear.<br /> It's hard to find time to keep updating the blog, but hopefully I will continue to be able to update a few times a week. I know people reading our blog may be considering adopting an older child, or are preparing to bring one home. These are just my thoughts on our experience of adopting an older child..and hopefully it doesn't scare you! Our blog is meant to just be a story of our families journey through this process. Every child and every family is different, so some will have easier adjustments than others. We've had the good days and the bad.. so we know what it's like to be on either side of the fence. But the good news is that things do (eventually!) get better and we're here to support each other through this difficult and rewarding process.<br /><br /></span></span>Asher, Esther & Emma's Jie Jiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05267932162057665475noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37712682.post-39231496886568387822007-09-23T20:30:00.001-04:002008-12-11T13:15:24.584-05:00Photo's from Guangzhou and Coming Home<div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_U_YHwDVU9Sk/RvcGRadEpeI/AAAAAAAABUY/NnJkYwTrfu0/s1600-h/DSCN1359.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_U_YHwDVU9Sk/RvcGRadEpeI/AAAAAAAABUY/NnJkYwTrfu0/s320/DSCN1359.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5113562798131291618" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Our granite etching.. in progress!</span><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_U_YHwDVU9Sk/RvcGSKdEpfI/AAAAAAAABUg/GGetvNBUFOY/s1600-h/DSCN1373.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_U_YHwDVU9Sk/RvcGSKdEpfI/AAAAAAAABUg/GGetvNBUFOY/s320/DSCN1373.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5113562811016193522" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Mom & Ian in Shamian Park<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_U_YHwDVU9Sk/RvcGSadEpgI/AAAAAAAABUo/OCpGzhLCzy8/s1600-h/DSCN1376.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_U_YHwDVU9Sk/RvcGSadEpgI/AAAAAAAABUo/OCpGzhLCzy8/s320/DSCN1376.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5113562815311160834" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Asher </span><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_U_YHwDVU9Sk/RvcGSqdEphI/AAAAAAAABUw/PyCAgYy9hpg/s1600-h/DSCN1391.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_U_YHwDVU9Sk/RvcGSqdEphI/AAAAAAAABUw/PyCAgYy9hpg/s320/DSCN1391.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5113562819606128146" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Family picture in front of the White Swan waterfall<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_U_YHwDVU9Sk/RvcGTKdEpiI/AAAAAAAABU4/eVEvPvrsk3M/s1600-h/DSCN1396.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_U_YHwDVU9Sk/RvcGTKdEpiI/AAAAAAAABU4/eVEvPvrsk3M/s320/DSCN1396.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5113562828196062754" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Mom and her boys..<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_U_YHwDVU9Sk/RvcG_adEpjI/AAAAAAAABVA/XY4aLlHsU2A/s1600-h/DSCN1400.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_U_YHwDVU9Sk/RvcG_adEpjI/AAAAAAAABVA/XY4aLlHsU2A/s320/DSCN1400.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5113563588405274162" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Family picture on the Red Couch<br />(The White Swan is famous for it's red couches in the lobby. In China the adoptive families have a tradition of taking pictures on the red couch.)<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_U_YHwDVU9Sk/RvcG_6dEpkI/AAAAAAAABVI/IABnzl9pkOE/s1600-h/DSCN1403.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_U_YHwDVU9Sk/RvcG_6dEpkI/AAAAAAAABVI/IABnzl9pkOE/s320/DSCN1403.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5113563596995208770" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Asher with our Guangzhou guide Lily<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_U_YHwDVU9Sk/RvcHAKdEplI/AAAAAAAABVQ/43exrlc1XF0/s1600-h/DSCN1404.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_U_YHwDVU9Sk/RvcHAKdEplI/AAAAAAAABVQ/43exrlc1XF0/s320/DSCN1404.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5113563601290176082" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Mom and I with Coco.. if you're in Guangzhou, make sure you stop and visit Coco at her store A Home of Love, located right next to the White Swan.<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_U_YHwDVU9Sk/RvcHAadEpmI/AAAAAAAABVY/2JZ5gaYtZyY/s1600-h/100_3388.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_U_YHwDVU9Sk/RvcHAadEpmI/AAAAAAAABVY/2JZ5gaYtZyY/s320/100_3388.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5113563605585143394" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">The boys in their traditional Chinese outfits<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_U_YHwDVU9Sk/RvcHA6dEpnI/AAAAAAAABVg/lXWOhVLsR0M/s1600-h/100_3393.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_U_YHwDVU9Sk/RvcHA6dEpnI/AAAAAAAABVg/lXWOhVLsR0M/s320/100_3393.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5113563614175078002" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Brotherly love<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_U_YHwDVU9Sk/RvcHjadEpoI/AAAAAAAABVo/C8DzeTgIwRQ/s1600-h/100_3404.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_U_YHwDVU9Sk/RvcHjadEpoI/AAAAAAAABVo/C8DzeTgIwRQ/s320/100_3404.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5113564206880564866" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">The little man<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_U_YHwDVU9Sk/RvcHjqdEppI/AAAAAAAABVw/YdNJ-qD1S_8/s1600-h/100_3418.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_U_YHwDVU9Sk/RvcHjqdEppI/AAAAAAAABVw/YdNJ-qD1S_8/s320/100_3418.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5113564211175532178" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Asher on the red couch<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_U_YHwDVU9Sk/RvcHj6dEpqI/AAAAAAAABV4/GLXw5IYKYfQ/s1600-h/100_3423.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_U_YHwDVU9Sk/RvcHj6dEpqI/AAAAAAAABV4/GLXw5IYKYfQ/s320/100_3423.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5113564215470499490" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Ian and Asher<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_U_YHwDVU9Sk/RvcHkqdEprI/AAAAAAAABWA/3Bhar1ov2x0/s1600-h/100_3427.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_U_YHwDVU9Sk/RvcHkqdEprI/AAAAAAAABWA/3Bhar1ov2x0/s320/100_3427.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5113564228355401394" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">August 24, 2007, on our flight from Guangzhou-Hong Kong.. the first of many and over 30+ hours of travel<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_U_YHwDVU9Sk/RvcHlKdEpsI/AAAAAAAABWI/oJQ3o8pBK-k/s1600-h/100_3426.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_U_YHwDVU9Sk/RvcHlKdEpsI/AAAAAAAABWI/oJQ3o8pBK-k/s320/100_3426.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5113564236945336002" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Welcome to Hong Kong!<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_U_YHwDVU9Sk/RvcIAadEptI/AAAAAAAABWQ/zNJnVsernwE/s1600-h/100_3434.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_U_YHwDVU9Sk/RvcIAadEptI/AAAAAAAABWQ/zNJnVsernwE/s320/100_3434.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5113564705096771282" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Back on the airplane for our 14+ hour flight back to America..<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_U_YHwDVU9Sk/RvcIAqdEpuI/AAAAAAAABWY/VqW5sk56_eM/s1600-h/100_3439.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_U_YHwDVU9Sk/RvcIAqdEpuI/AAAAAAAABWY/VqW5sk56_eM/s320/100_3439.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5113564709391738594" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Well.. some people got some sleep!<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_U_YHwDVU9Sk/RvcIA6dEpvI/AAAAAAAABWg/0R435XJlTsM/s1600-h/100_3443.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_U_YHwDVU9Sk/RvcIA6dEpvI/AAAAAAAABWg/0R435XJlTsM/s320/100_3443.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5113564713686705906" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Oh, about six hours into the flight... Asher enjoying a little midnight snack.<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_U_YHwDVU9Sk/RvcIA6dEpwI/AAAAAAAABWo/F58tzQWjBgw/s1600-h/100_3446.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_U_YHwDVU9Sk/RvcIA6dEpwI/AAAAAAAABWo/F58tzQWjBgw/s320/100_3446.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5113564713686705922" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">The sunrise over the Pacific Ocean<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_U_YHwDVU9Sk/RvcIBKdEpxI/AAAAAAAABWw/jiuQmxCq6NQ/s1600-h/100_3451.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_U_YHwDVU9Sk/RvcIBKdEpxI/AAAAAAAABWw/jiuQmxCq6NQ/s320/100_3451.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5113564717981673234" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Home- Asher with Esther</span><br /></div>Asher, Esther & Emma's Jie Jiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05267932162057665475noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37712682.post-16663062415480746222007-08-29T15:47:00.000-04:002007-08-29T23:57:38.575-04:00Home Sweet Home<span style="font-family:arial;"><span style="font-family:georgia;">I apologize for the lack of an update.. we came home and started back to school, work and everything else right away so there hasn't been much time. Suffering from jet lag has also contributed to my delay in updating the blog. But.. it's good to be back, and so GOOD to be home! We've been home from China for five days now, but already it feels much longer. I guess I'll start where I left off which was back in Guangzhou, right?<br /><br />We left Guangzhou in the early morning hours on Friday the 24th and didn't make it home until midnight the next day. I lost count of how long we were up for.. it was just a long journey home! The flight from Hong Kong to Chicago wasn't bad. We ended up with bulkhead seating which was almost as good as having those personal t.v. screens...which, to my dismay, we didn't have again. Fortunately, we were sitting in the front row so the t.v. was right in front of us! Asher did very well on the flights..it was definitely easier than traveling home with Esther last year. About three hours into the 14 hour flight, he was ready to get off the plane and didn't quite understand the fact that we couldn't exactly just get off since we were about 30,000 feet in the air. He sat in between my dad and I and it did get a bit frustrating at times! I don't think Asher has ever been in a situation where he has had to sit for a long period of time. After visiting the orphanage, it appeared that the kids were allowed to run around all day and do whatever they wanted, so sitting still is a new concept for him. Even though he was tired, he wasn't willing to give in to sleeping in his seat. I ended up putting his pillow on the floor and asked him if he wanted to sleep there and he did. I don't know how long he ended up sleeping because I fell asleep and didn't wake up until we were about to land.<br />We arrived in Chicago around 2:30 pm Central time and as Asher stepped off the plane he became an American citizen! We cleared customs and immigration without a hitch and also took care of some immigration paperwork for Asher before transferring over to the domestic terminal of the airport. I don't remember much from our time in Chicago because I was feeling really sick. We had a four hour layover before our flight to Orlando, so I went over to our gate and just slept on the floor. By the time I woke up, I was starting to feel better. There had been a lot of bad weather earlier so we weren't sure if our flight would make it out, but it did.<br />We finally arrived back home in not-so-sunny Florida just before midnight. (It was raining) Our good friends, Jared and Catie Pent picked us up from the airport and brought us home. The girls were all awake when we arrived and they welcomed us with a huge Welcome Home sign and food..America food! I don't remember much from that night except for scooping Emma and Esther up into my arms and not putting them down for quite awhile! Esther seemed to have grown up so much since I had last seen her. She's talking so much more and just seems a lot older!<br />It was just wonderful to be home after feeling so sick and being away for three weeks. Asher seemed to still just take everything in stride. I think it was a little overwhelming for him because our house must have seemed huge after living in hotel rooms the past two weeks. We also have four dogs, which Asher isn't used to.<br />I think we finally headed to bed around 3 am. Asher was awake just two hours later, so poor Elena and Kayla had to get up with him. I didn't wake up until 12:30 pm. Since China is very smoggy, the sun's rays are blocked and you don't need your sunglasses. I was almost blinded by the sunlight shining in through my bedroom window as I woke up that morning..or afternoon, actually!<br /><br />That night the girls had planned a welcome home party for us so we had lots of close friends over. They brought us food and dessert and even some presents for Asher. For most newly adopted children, it wouldn't be a good idea to introduce them to so many new people after just coming home. But Asher is so easy going we knew he would do fine.. and he did. He loved meeting everyone and I think everyone enjoyed meeting him too.<br /><br />Sunday morning we headed to church and Asher did great sitting quietly. He got a little bored towards the end so he started his usual seven year old antics, but other than that, he did great. We were singing a hymn with a chorus of "Alleluia" and as we were singing I could hear Asher's tiny voice singing right along with us! Sunday was a good day considering it was the first day we were all together. Asher did have his first meltdown, all because I wanted to change his shirt. He got pretty upset when I took a toy from him because he wasn't listening and that spun into a temper tantrum where he attacked me..hitting, pinching, kicking.. the works. Looking back, I realized I could have handled it better than I did, but I wasn't used to seeing him lash out like he did.<br /><br />Monday was definitely a hard day for all of us. We started back to school last week and since we weren't here, there was a lot of school work to catch up on. Esther and Emma started back to preschool that morning, and Asher wanted to come too so I took him with me. One of my best friends' moms runs the preschool and I work there during the mornings, so they were excited to meet Asher. I think he enjoyed getting into all of the toys, but it only lasted about two hours before he was ready to go home! Once home, Mom was busy working with the kids on their schoolwork and Asher was getting bored. He's used to being outside and we've gone somewhere every day for the past two weeks, so he was not very excited about staying inside. He was not happy about the fact that we had to take a toy away from him because he was being too noisy and that turned into another meltdown. It only got worse because I had to leave and pick the girls up from school and he decided he was going to go with me.<br />As part of Asher's adjustment, we have to be careful of what we allow him to get away with and what he can't get away with. Because he wasn't listening and being defiant, we couldn't let him go with me because he would be winning the battle.. for lack of a better way to put it! Asher knows how to use his charming smile and temper to get what he wants, and he needs to learn that he's not going to get his way all the time. As I left, the temper tantrum began again and it soon turned into 45 minutes of rage and then grieving. I know it sounds awful.. and it was awful! He was crying, I was crying as I was leaving.. it was just awful.<br />We realize that he was grieving for someone because he kept repeating a name over and over. My guess is that he was crying for a favorite caretaker from the orphanage. I think he was tired of us and ready to go back to his normal life at the orphanage.<br />Even though it's hard, it is actually a good thing for him to be grieving. Asher has been "go with the flow" the last two weeks and has not shown any grief for the home and friends he left behind. As happy as we were that his adjustment has gone so well, we were a little worried because he wasn't missing anyone. As hard as it was to watch him go through that, to see him grieving was a good sign because it's only normal for him to do that.<br /><br />Although he will be eight in November, Asher has had no schooling whatsoever. So not only does he need to learn an entirely new language, but he also has to learn simple things like writing his name, numbers, letters, etc. Since we are homeschooled, it gives us the flexibility to change the pace however we need to. If he went to public school, he would be in a class with 30 other children and completely lost. Not only would it overwhelm him, but he probably wouldn't get the one on one time he desperatly needs.<br />Instead, we are putting him in a once a week homeschool program that we all attend. He has two teachers who are a mother-daughter team and we've known them for 12 years. There are three other children in his class and it's a very hands on program. He won't be responsible for finishing all of his schoolwork, but merely to sit in class and soak in all he can. My dad came to this country when he was 14 years old from Chile, and he learned English by total emersion, so he believes that Asher will do well. In addition to that, one of our friends, who is a homeschool mom and a teacher, will be coming twice a week to work with him.<br /><br />So, on Tuesday Asher had his first class and we weren't sure how he would do especially since he had had the meltdown. Mom dropped him off at school and waited by the phone, just incase. He did GREAT!! He loves his teachers Mrs Gwen and Mrs Haley, and they really enjoy him. Coincidentally, they are studying China right now! So.. hopefully Asher will continue to do well in the class. It also helps that Elena's class is also on Tuesdays so she will be just down the hall from him incase he needs anything.<br />Today Asher worked with Mrs Langford and he did great again! He's very smart and I think he's going to pick everything up fast. When I got home from school, he brought me over a yellow lego, pointed at it and said "yellow."<br /><br />Asher started swimming lessons with Mr Phil on Monday and he's doing well. The first day, he loved it for about ten minutes and then decided he was done. Asher has a pretty short attention span, so when he's done with something.. he's DONE and doesn't expect anyone to tell him otherwise. However, his swimming teacher is just as stubborn as he is.. so Asher kept swimming. He wasn't very happy about it. The next day, he was excited to get his swimsuit on but the second he saw Mr Phil, he ran upstairs to his room and put his shorts back on. I ended up having to carry him down the steps..kicking and screaming. He went swimming with his shorts on, but stopped crying after the first ten minutes. Fortunately, Ian also goes in the pool with him, and helps Mr Phil by showing Asher what to do.<br />I know not everyone will agree with our decision to put him in swim classes the week after we got home, but it's necessary. We live on a lake and have a swimming pool in our backyard and Asher has no fear of water. No matter how much we try to always watch him, there's no stopping him from going outside and jumping in. It would be different if he was younger, but since he is older he needs to learn. Esther started swim lessons the week after she came home too. She screamed during every lesson, but with a few weeks she had learned the skills to be able to save herself incase she ever fell in. We have a great swim teacher who's very good with the kids. Our goal is to teach Asher the skills to be able to save himself incase he falls in. We'll work on strokes and other stuff later.<br />Today, Asher didn't cry at all and happily did everything he was asked to do. He even gave Mr Phil a hug!! He does love the pool, so I'm glad he's learning to swim so he can participate in swimming and tubing with us.<br /><br />It's a huge adjustment for all of us, especially Asher. He's struggling to learn a new language and what it's like to live in a family environment, while also suffering from jet lag and eating new foods that are like nothing he's used to eating. But.. it will get better! We've been through this before with Esther's adoption last year. She still has her moments of feeling insecure, but overall she is doing great.<br /><br />The kids all seem to be getting along well. Asher just adores Elena and Kayla, and his new little sisters. He's happy to assist us in any way he can whether it's emptying the dishwasher or helping take the trash out. He loves to help his little sisters play dress up, or sit and watch a movie with them. The day after we got home, the girls were showing Asher the playroom and Emma was quick to point out what he could and could not play with! The first thing she told him was "Asher, these are my dress up clothes. You CANNOT touch them because you will mess them up. Okay?"<br /><br />I think he and Esther are going to fight the most since their personalities are so similar. But, I think they are also going to be great friends when they are older because they have both been through the same thing. During Asher's meltdown on Monday, Esther was the only one who was able to get him to stop crying. A lot of people have asked us if she remembers any Chinese, and the answer is no. I think she may be able to understand what he is saying, but she can't speak to him in Chinese.<br /><br />Everything in our house is new and exciting to him. I don't think he's ever seen a refrigerator the size of the one we have.. and with nine people in this house, you need a big one! Asher doesn't understand the dangers of a stove or oven because he's probably never seen them before. Tonight, as I was cooking, I turned the gas stove on and he immediatley wanted to touch the flames! So as gently and firmly as I could, I told him NO! Don't do that because you will get hurt! Fortunately, he didn't touch it.. but he didn't believe me about the oven because he went and touched it anyways and realized that it was hot! He does know what the word hot means because as he touched the burning oven he yelled "HOT!"<br /><br />The next few months will be full of ups and downs and we are all aware of that. But it's going to be exciting to watch him blossom. I can't wait to hear him start talking in English, and to watch him on the jet ski for the first time. He's so smart and quick to learn things that I'm sure he'll catch up with his peers in time.<br /><br />Well.. I think I wrote enough to hold you all over until I can find another chance to write again. I've got pictures.. but those will have to wait until I can get them uploaded, hopefully tomorrow.<br /><br />Also.. we've had several people contact us who are interested in adopting Jie, Asher's friend. At this point, we are still trying to locate his paperwork. It could be anywhere at this point, so we just need prayer that his paperwork is located and sent out to an agency here in the USA... preferably, our agency! We are so thankful for your prayers, but please continue to pray for Jie. He has several families who want to make him their son.. we just need to find his paperwork so they are able to do that.<br /><br />(P.S. If you are trying to contact me and have left comments on my blog.. please e-mail me! I can't respond to most of the comments because there is no e-mail address to respond to! You can e-mail me at svmanubens@mac.com.)<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"></span></span></span>Asher, Esther & Emma's Jie Jiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05267932162057665475noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37712682.post-45398866637808020612007-08-23T06:55:00.000-04:002007-08-23T08:49:57.005-04:00Time to Sign Off from ChinaAnd so here it is.. our last day in China on our last adoption trip. It's always a bittersweet feeling on the last day, and there's no exception to it today. We are all very excited to be going home.. our family and friends are awaiting us back in Florida and so are our comfy beds and clean tap water. But at the same time, you can't help but feel a little sad as you leave the place you've called home for the past two weeks. This is my third trip in three years and to realize that I won't be back here for quite a long time is a little sad. We've made memories here in China that will last for a lifetime, and we've also met many new friends.<br /><br />Today we drove to the American Consulate in downtown Guangzhou and took an oath that we promised to care and love Asher for the rest of our lives. With that, we were given a packet of paperwork (that we were told not to open until we get to Chicago!) and in it contains his visa..his one way ticket to the Unites States of America! As soon as Asher's feet touch the ground in Chicago, he will become an American citizen. To celebrate today, we dressed him and Ian up in their matching red, white & blue polo shirts. If they don't scream "I'm an American kid", I don't know what does!<br /><br />The highlight of my day was running into an old friend while at the Consulate. We had just walked through the doors and were about to sit down when I spotted a familiar face. I took a second glance and realized who it was.. Rebecca, our guide from our adoption trip last year! I wasn't sure if she would remember me, but she instantly knew who I was and gave me a hug. I guess we were a little hard to forget.. especially Esther. She took such good care of us last year, despite the fact that we (and the Cope's) were always late to everything and even had problems with our paperwork! But Rebecca is amazing and she took care of everything. It was great getting to talk to her again and catching up. Coincidentally, she had just been in Florida the month before. I'm just glad to see she is still facilitating adoptions.. I'm glad we didn't scar her for life! We exchanged e-mails, so hopefully we can keep in touch better. I just wish we had had Esther with us so she could see what a difference a year and a half makes. I don't believe it was a coincidence that we ran into her in a city of 12 million people.. it was an act by God that we were able to meet up again. (To read more about our trip to China last year, you can go to Esther's blog at: <a href="http://www.tochina4esther.blogspot.com">http://www.tochina4esther.blogspot.com</a> )<br /><br />We also ran into another family who adopted with Lifeline two years ago- the Hurley's! They are here adopting their second daughter. Asher has fallen in love with their older daughter, Emmie who's about three years old. The two of them sat together on the bus ride back to the hotel and had a blast playing together. I'm sure glad he loves Emmie.. because he's going to have an Emma and Esther to play with when he gets home!<br /><br />We ended up buying two more suitcases, both for about $30, to bring home all of our new treasures. Hopefully we've packed everything well enough that nothing will break.<br /><br />If you're ever in Guangzhou, make sure you visit the "A Home of Love" store located just outside the 1st floor of the White Swan on the right. Most of what we bought came from this store because they have such a great selection and the shop keepers are so nice! Yesterday we met Coco, who works at the store and she us great deals on everything we bought. So make sure you stop in and visit Coco.<br /><br />Tomorrow morning we have a 5 am wake up call. We will fly from Guangzhou to Hong Kong, then on to Chicago and then to Orlando. Please pray that Asher is able to sit still for the 14+ hour flight.. we honestly have no idea how he will do!!<br /><br />I'll add photos once we get home, but the camera's packed away and we're getting the boys to bed and finishing the packing! Jared Pent.. I hope you bring the van and be prepared.. we've got six suitcases and seven carry ons!!!!!!<br /><br />Well, it's time to sign off from China. You'll hear more from us once we get home. It's been an awesome trip and we are so glad you could journey with us to China. Now we're off to finish the last part of our journey.. going home!<br /><br />Zai jian!Asher, Esther & Emma's Jie Jiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05267932162057665475noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37712682.post-14136200850278022722007-08-23T05:54:00.000-04:002008-12-11T13:15:30.485-05:00Another Day in China<div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_U_YHwDVU9Sk/Rs1atlIv-vI/AAAAAAAABQo/MjEWw2VZNkw/s1600-h/DSCN1288.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_U_YHwDVU9Sk/Rs1atlIv-vI/AAAAAAAABQo/MjEWw2VZNkw/s320/DSCN1288.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5101833691990063858" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">Mom & Dad enjoying lunch at Lucy's<br />(with Asher in the background)<br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_U_YHwDVU9Sk/Rs1auVIv-wI/AAAAAAAABQw/orm1q_lKze0/s1600-h/DSCN1289.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_U_YHwDVU9Sk/Rs1auVIv-wI/AAAAAAAABQw/orm1q_lKze0/s320/DSCN1289.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5101833704874965762" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">Me and the boys<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_U_YHwDVU9Sk/Rs1aulIv-xI/AAAAAAAABQ4/Iw5k3zXTGt8/s1600-h/DSCN1295.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_U_YHwDVU9Sk/Rs1aulIv-xI/AAAAAAAABQ4/Iw5k3zXTGt8/s320/DSCN1295.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5101833709169933074" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">Playing at the park<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_U_YHwDVU9Sk/Rs1avFIv-yI/AAAAAAAABRA/tjySp9U9lP8/s1600-h/DSCN1296.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_U_YHwDVU9Sk/Rs1avFIv-yI/AAAAAAAABRA/tjySp9U9lP8/s320/DSCN1296.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5101833717759867682" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">Soldiers were doing training exercises in the park<br /></span></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_U_YHwDVU9Sk/Rs1avlIv-zI/AAAAAAAABRI/ZUXww_1DOtw/s1600-h/DSCN1297.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_U_YHwDVU9Sk/Rs1avlIv-zI/AAAAAAAABRI/ZUXww_1DOtw/s320/DSCN1297.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5101833726349802290" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_U_YHwDVU9Sk/Rs1cMVIv-0I/AAAAAAAABRQ/epeBPnGHLw4/s1600-h/DSCN1299.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_U_YHwDVU9Sk/Rs1cMVIv-0I/AAAAAAAABRQ/epeBPnGHLw4/s320/DSCN1299.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5101835319782669122" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">Cute baby in the park<br /></span></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_U_YHwDVU9Sk/Rs1cMlIv-1I/AAAAAAAABRY/3aZ-job2r1Y/s1600-h/DSCN1300.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_U_YHwDVU9Sk/Rs1cMlIv-1I/AAAAAAAABRY/3aZ-job2r1Y/s320/DSCN1300.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5101835324077636434" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_U_YHwDVU9Sk/Rs1cNFIv-2I/AAAAAAAABRg/bkOk_UikXZA/s1600-h/DSCN1307.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_U_YHwDVU9Sk/Rs1cNFIv-2I/AAAAAAAABRg/bkOk_UikXZA/s320/DSCN1307.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5101835332667571042" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">Dad trying out the exercise equipment<br /></span></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_U_YHwDVU9Sk/Rs1cNlIv-3I/AAAAAAAABRo/vdK_bnjBa4o/s1600-h/DSCN1308.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_U_YHwDVU9Sk/Rs1cNlIv-3I/AAAAAAAABRo/vdK_bnjBa4o/s320/DSCN1308.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5101835341257505650" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_U_YHwDVU9Sk/Rs1cOVIv-4I/AAAAAAAABRw/kuQUMApu1_4/s1600-h/DSCN1311.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_U_YHwDVU9Sk/Rs1cOVIv-4I/AAAAAAAABRw/kuQUMApu1_4/s320/DSCN1311.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5101835354142407554" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_U_YHwDVU9Sk/Rs1doFIv-5I/AAAAAAAABR4/Tn1PW00UVI0/s1600-h/DSCN1315.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_U_YHwDVU9Sk/Rs1doFIv-5I/AAAAAAAABR4/Tn1PW00UVI0/s320/DSCN1315.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5101836896035666834" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">Asher and his new little friend<br /></span></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_U_YHwDVU9Sk/Rs1do1Iv-6I/AAAAAAAABSA/CLGgLNmjwNo/s1600-h/DSCN1317.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_U_YHwDVU9Sk/Rs1do1Iv-6I/AAAAAAAABSA/CLGgLNmjwNo/s320/DSCN1317.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5101836908920568738" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_U_YHwDVU9Sk/Rs1dpFIv-7I/AAAAAAAABSI/8ufzWBQZA_4/s1600-h/DSCN1322.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_U_YHwDVU9Sk/Rs1dpFIv-7I/AAAAAAAABSI/8ufzWBQZA_4/s320/DSCN1322.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5101836913215536050" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">Now that's what I call a fully loaded bicycle!<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_U_YHwDVU9Sk/Rs1dplIv-8I/AAAAAAAABSQ/33lnu_goezg/s1600-h/DSCN1325.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_U_YHwDVU9Sk/Rs1dplIv-8I/AAAAAAAABSQ/33lnu_goezg/s320/DSCN1325.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5101836921805470658" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">Here's a perfect picture to describe what Asher is like..<br />One second he was hanging off that wheel and smiling, and in the time it took me to click the button, he was already on his way...<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_U_YHwDVU9Sk/Rs1dp1Iv-9I/AAAAAAAABSY/dP7tbgrqld0/s1600-h/DSCN1330.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_U_YHwDVU9Sk/Rs1dp1Iv-9I/AAAAAAAABSY/dP7tbgrqld0/s320/DSCN1330.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5101836926100437970" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">You can't go far without finding a Starbucks..<br /></span></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_U_YHwDVU9Sk/Rs1eqFIv--I/AAAAAAAABSg/l-RFYB7oExU/s1600-h/DSCN1331.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_U_YHwDVU9Sk/Rs1eqFIv--I/AAAAAAAABSg/l-RFYB7oExU/s320/DSCN1331.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5101838029907033058" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_U_YHwDVU9Sk/Rs1eqVIv-_I/AAAAAAAABSo/MUHF6jeWdw4/s1600-h/DSCN1333.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_U_YHwDVU9Sk/Rs1eqVIv-_I/AAAAAAAABSo/MUHF6jeWdw4/s320/DSCN1333.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5101838034202000370" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">Asher being silly in one of the shops<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_U_YHwDVU9Sk/Rs1erFIv_AI/AAAAAAAABSw/YtFjifWKzIM/s1600-h/DSCN1334.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_U_YHwDVU9Sk/Rs1erFIv_AI/AAAAAAAABSw/YtFjifWKzIM/s320/DSCN1334.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5101838047086902274" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">Artist working on our granite etching<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_U_YHwDVU9Sk/Rs1erlIv_BI/AAAAAAAABS4/FGSCJX-GdYw/s1600-h/DSCN1338.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_U_YHwDVU9Sk/Rs1erlIv_BI/AAAAAAAABS4/FGSCJX-GdYw/s320/DSCN1338.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5101838055676836882" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">We went shopping.. =)<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_U_YHwDVU9Sk/Rs1esFIv_CI/AAAAAAAABTA/PaDQTC872NY/s1600-h/DSCN1349.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_U_YHwDVU9Sk/Rs1esFIv_CI/AAAAAAAABTA/PaDQTC872NY/s320/DSCN1349.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5101838064266771490" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">The boys enjoying some yummy maccaroni n cheese from Danny's Bagels<br /></span></div><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Our third day here in Guangzhou consisted of shopping, shopping and oh yes, shopping! Like I said before, the streets here on Shamian Island are lined with shops that sell about every type of Chinese item you could think of. You can find any type of silk dress, outfit or shirt in any color for any size! And if they don't have what you want, they'll just make it for you. Most of the Chinese silk dresses sell for as little as $7, but if you buy a lot of them you can barter them down to about $4-$5. There's also lots of squeaky shoes which sell for about $2-$5. Almost all of the stores sell the same thing so they are always trying to compete with each other to give you the best price.<br /><br />We’ve found the best stores to shop at are Jennifer’s Place, Jordan’s, the Arts & Crafts store and the one right outside the White Swan (I can’t think of the name right now.)<br /><br />After another wonderful breakfast, our guide Lily took Dad and the boys to the toy market in search of the $3 gameboy games sold there. With the boys gone, Mom and I headed out into the streets and started the shopping! I won't go into detail of all the things we bought since it would probably bore you, but we've got probably 10-12 bags worth of stuff and we will probably need another suitcase in order to get all of this stuff home. Since this is our last trip to China (at least for a very long time!) we are stocking up on the things we haven’t gotten yet and mostly buying gifts for our friends and family back at home!<br /><br />If you ever find yourself in Guangzhou, make sure you head to Jordan's shop which is located right across from Lucy's and away from the hustle and bustle of the other stores. Jordan is a Chinese man who we met last year when we adopted Esther. His shop sells pretty much the same thing every one else's does.. but he's never pushy about selling his products like the other shop keepers are. At every other store we were in, we had about five or six ladies following us and any time you make eye contact with a particular item they assume you are going to buy it! Jordan is such a sweet man and he actually recognized me from last year, how funny is that? I'm sure he meets thousands of adoptive families every year, and to think he remembered me. =) So of course, we ended up buying several things from Jordan!<br /><br />There are several parks in and around Shamian Island, so we took the boys to the playground to help them burn off some energy. Asher enjoyed playing with a younger Chinese boy who was there and the two of them had a blast running around. We did some more shopping before we ran out of yuan, so we headed back to the hotel and Dad took the boys swimming. Asher is doing great in the pool! You would never realize that this is only his third time in a swimming pool. He has no fear whatsoever, and just makes his way around the pool by hanging on to the side. Good thing he starts swimming lessons on Monday!<br /><br />We ordered dinner from Danny's Bagels, which is a takeout restaurant here in Guangzhou that serves some of the best Italian food I have ever tasted! If you come to Guangzhou, you can download a menu off of www.dannysbagels.com and they will deliver to your hotel room.<br /><br />We did have one unexpected encounter tonight! Mom ordered a few gifts from one store and we went to pick them up tonight. Dad negotiated the price a little, payed, and that was the end of it.. or so we thought! I found something at the next store that I wanted to buy, so I asked Dad if he would lend me $50 yuan, and handed it to the lady. There's a lot of fake money going around here, so the shop keepers are always checking the bills to see if they are real. Imagine my surprise when the 50 yuan bill we had just gotten back (as change) from the lady next door ended up being fake! I guess since my Dad had bartered her price down from what she really wanted, she was going to have the last laugh. Fortunately, because it had just happened and the lady was right there, Dad went back and caught her on what she had done. She must have felt embrassed! Good thing the other shop keeper caught that, or else we would have been out $50 yuan. That's the first time we've ever had anything like that happen.<br /><br />As most of you know, Mom is quite a social butterfly so we have met lots of adoptive families! We’ve met families from all over.. most from America and even a few from Ireland! Some are here adopting their first child, others their second and some have kids already. I’ve noticed a lot of families here adopting special needs children too. Must be because the wait for a healthy infant has stretched to almost two years. It’s a good thing because the special needs orphans deserve a home just as much as the healthy babies do. Most children labeled “special needs” have medical problems that can easily be repaired like cleft lip and palate and heart defects. Both Esther and Asher have repaired cleft lips and palates and it’s hard to even consider it a special need! The only obstacles we will encounter are the fact that both of them will need another surgery in the future, and Mom & Dad will probably spend a fortune in orthodontic work too. Of course, they’ve already spent a fortune in orthodontic work on their biological kids’ teeth!! Esther and Emma see a speech therapist twice a week, and Asher will also.<br /><br />Asher should be a poster child for special needs/older child adoption.. he has been great! Several people have already commented on the fact that Asher has inspired them to adopt an older child. Everyone we have met here cannot believe that we have only had him for a week. Most have assumed that we adopted him as a baby and are here visiting! As much as I miss adopting a baby, adopting an older child has been a breeze. He doesn’t need diapers, he can feed himself and he sleeps through the night! He has his moments, but all in all he’s doing great. I really can’t believe how easy his transition has been. We give all the credit to God and your prayers!<br /><br />Asher is very good with younger children, especially babies. He is very patient and loves to share his toys with them. He’s especially fond of the younger kids around the age of four. I think that comes from the fact that his best friend Sophie is about four or five years old and they were very close. I can’t wait for him to meet Esther and Emma.. they are going to have a blast together.<br /><br />There are also quite a few families here with their older Chinese daughters who were adopted as babies and are back visiting. That’s something we plan on doing in about five years when the girls are a little bit older. We want to bring the whole family and spend a few weeks in China visiting the kids’ orphanages and birth cities.<br /><br />Tomorrow is our last day in China, so we’re going to enjoy it and bask in the fact that we will be heading home the next day!!!!Asher, Esther & Emma's Jie Jiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05267932162057665475noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37712682.post-76243150286260962152007-08-21T03:42:00.000-04:002008-12-11T13:15:34.046-05:00Guangzhou, At Last<span style="font-family:lucida grande;">Well, we have finally arrived here in Guangzhou, China- our last stop on the adoption journey. And, boy are we glad to be here! The change of scenery has helped take our minds off of missing home so much.<br /><br />Our flight to Guangzhou wasn't until 1:30 pm, so we took our time eating breakfast, packing, talking to the girls over webcam, etc. We're used to being at the airport two hours before the flight leaves, but we learned that's not how the Chinese do it. We arrived right at 11:15 preparing to check in and wait.. but they weren't checking anyone in until 12:15! So, we waited.. checked out the airport and realized there was a KFC on the 2nd floor! We finally heard them call for us to check in and we joined in line with the other hundred Chinese for our flight. After we got checked in, we headed to KFC and enjoyed some tasty American food!<br /><br />Then we headed to our gate and waited. Our tickets said that our flight would depart from Gate 1, but on the screen they said we would leave from Gate 2. Well, us and about 500 Chinese were all confused because they kept switching gates on everyone. One minute our gate was set up for a flight to Chengdu.. and then you'd hear the Gate attendant say something in Chinese and about 100 people running to another gate. A few minutes later, the English translation would come over the loudspeaker and we realized the gates had changed. It happened about 3 or 4 times and was pretty funny to watch!<br /><br /></span><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family:lucida grande;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_U_YHwDVU9Sk/RsqnuFIv-hI/AAAAAAAABO4/rE5ugrX7zN4/s1600-h/100_3365.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_U_YHwDVU9Sk/RsqnuFIv-hI/AAAAAAAABO4/rE5ugrX7zN4/s320/100_3365.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5101073938045205010" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">Asher on his first flight..Shenyang-Zhengzhou</span></span><br /></div><span style="font-family:lucida grande;"><br />Our flight made a quick stop in Zhengzhou, so it took us nearly 6 hours to get to Guangzhou. Asher did very well on the plane flights. He ate (a lot) and watched the movies they had playing. Both his gameboy and leapster had died, so he couldn't play either of them. He did well.. but I'm still not sure of how the 14 hour plane ride will go.<br /><br />We were greeted by some rainy weather which ended up delaying our landing and we didn't arrived until 7:30 pm. We collected our bags and met our new guide, Lily. She's very nice, but her English is not as good as Hannah's so she is a little hard to understand!<br /><br />As we pulled up to the familiar White Swan hotel, I felt like I was coming home. This is my third time staying here and each time I've always looked forward to arriving. Those of you who have stayed here know what I'm talking about. It's like a second home to me.<br /><br />The hotel is located on beautiful Shamian Island in the middle of Guangzhou. It sits right on the Pearl River which seperates it from the rest of the city. The weather is warm and tropical and the people are very kind.. and speak English! Many adoptive families stay here so everywhere you look you see American couples and their new Chinese children. This was a welcomed sign because we haven't seen any American looking people in over a week!<br /><br />The American Embassy is located here in Guangzhou, so every adoptive (American) family has to travel here in order to receive their child's visa. The Embassy used to be located just down the street from the White Swan, so that's why many adoptive families have stayed here. The Embassy has since moved to a new location about 45 minutes away, but the island caters to adoptive families so most end up staying here.<br />The streets are lined with many shops where you can buy many traditional Chinese artifacts. And there are several restaurants here including Lucy's, which serves American food!<br /><br />After checking in (and meeting several American families) we headed to the room. For the first time in the three times we've stayed here, we finally got a room with a view of the river! Our first two trips we had views of the city, which was nice.. but a river view was just the icing on the cake!<br /><br />We were all hungry so we headed over to Lucy's where we gorged ourselves on the best American food I've had in over two weeks! =) I do love Chinese food, but after awhile it gets a little old. With full bellies, we came back to our room and enjoyed our first night back in the White Swan. The beds even felt just a tad bit softer than our concrete mattresses in Shenyang.<br /><br />This morning we awoke to more rain, but we're kind of used to that. We talked to the kids on webcam for about an hour and then headed down for breakfast, which is one of the best parts of the White Swan! It's neat to sit and watch the new parents with their babies. You can just tell who they are by the joy on their faces! Hard to believe we were here exactly three years ago with Emma.. and now here we are, adopting #3!<br /><br />All adopted children are required to have a medical exam in order to obtain their American visa, so we headed over to the medical clinic for Asher's appoinment. Asher's healthy- no surprise there! He weighs 49.5 pounds, which means he has gained almost 4 pounds since being with us! I told you this kid could eat!<br /><br />Guangzhou is known for it's shopping and there are many places to buy beautiful jewelery including pearls and jade, for cheap prices. That's always a favorite of ours and we visited two stores before finding prices we liked. Mom picks out the goods, and Dad does the bargaining!<br /><br />We then headed back to the island and had lunch at Lucy's. Right now my parents are doing paperwork with Lily and the boys are playing with cars. Once they're done, we'll head out to start the shopping! If any of our friends back at home want us to get them something in particular, please let me know by either e-mailing me or leaving a comment.<br /><br />Three more fun filled days to go... =)<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /></span><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family:lucida grande;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_U_YHwDVU9Sk/RsqnvFIv-iI/AAAAAAAABPA/WJcirzk2qBY/s1600-h/DSCN1218.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_U_YHwDVU9Sk/RsqnvFIv-iI/AAAAAAAABPA/WJcirzk2qBY/s320/DSCN1218.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5101073955225074210" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">The boys being silly, as usual</span></span><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family:lucida grande;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_U_YHwDVU9Sk/RsqnvlIv-jI/AAAAAAAABPI/LltYAKEnSOg/s1600-h/DSCN1229.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_U_YHwDVU9Sk/RsqnvlIv-jI/AAAAAAAABPI/LltYAKEnSOg/s320/DSCN1229.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5101073963815008818" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">Playing cars in the hotel room</span></span><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family:lucida grande;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_U_YHwDVU9Sk/RsqnwFIv-kI/AAAAAAAABPQ/oyro8wyPeFw/s1600-h/DSCN1232.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_U_YHwDVU9Sk/RsqnwFIv-kI/AAAAAAAABPQ/oyro8wyPeFw/s320/DSCN1232.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5101073972404943426" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">Mom got her much anticipated "Coming Home" Barbie!<br />It's a special doll made my Mattell of Barbie with an Asian baby, and it's exclusively available to those who adopt and stay at the White Swan. This is our 3rd barbie doll, and we actually got two this time because we are staying in separate rooms. We will probably donate the other one to Love Without Boundaries, for their yearly auction which benefits the orphans in China.<br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family:lucida grande;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_U_YHwDVU9Sk/RsqnwlIv-lI/AAAAAAAABPY/I09LWy1p-mM/s1600-h/DSCN1234.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_U_YHwDVU9Sk/RsqnwlIv-lI/AAAAAAAABPY/I09LWy1p-mM/s320/DSCN1234.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5101073980994878034" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">The White Swan's lobby</span></span><br /></div><span style="font-family:lucida grande;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_U_YHwDVU9Sk/RsqqPVIv-mI/AAAAAAAABPg/h4VPkJm_CMo/s1600-h/DSCN1243.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_U_YHwDVU9Sk/RsqqPVIv-mI/AAAAAAAABPg/h4VPkJm_CMo/s320/DSCN1243.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5101076708299111010" border="0" /></a><br /></span><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family:lucida grande;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_U_YHwDVU9Sk/RsqqRFIv-nI/AAAAAAAABPo/TPBtOE4RUH4/s1600-h/DSCN1246.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_U_YHwDVU9Sk/RsqqRFIv-nI/AAAAAAAABPo/TPBtOE4RUH4/s320/DSCN1246.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5101076738363882098" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">Asher at the medical exam with the same doctor who examined Esther when we were here last year!</span></span><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family:lucida grande;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_U_YHwDVU9Sk/RsqqRlIv-oI/AAAAAAAABPw/iKPgwXXBkak/s1600-h/DSCN1254.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_U_YHwDVU9Sk/RsqqRlIv-oI/AAAAAAAABPw/iKPgwXXBkak/s320/DSCN1254.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5101076746953816706" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">This man is 76 years old and has been studying calligraphy since he was 6 years old.<br />I don't know his name, but he's one of the best in all of China.<br />He can even write calligraphy with his feet!<br />Here's he is working on a poem we had made of Asher's name.<br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family:lucida grande;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_U_YHwDVU9Sk/RsqqUFIv-pI/AAAAAAAABP4/i35KJ580Rz0/s1600-h/DSCN1255.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_U_YHwDVU9Sk/RsqqUFIv-pI/AAAAAAAABP4/i35KJ580Rz0/s320/DSCN1255.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5101076789903489682" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">Dad and Asher enjoying some tea</span></span><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family:lucida grande;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_U_YHwDVU9Sk/RsqqUlIv-qI/AAAAAAAABQA/NAHPCp0FR30/s1600-h/DSCN1261.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_U_YHwDVU9Sk/RsqqUlIv-qI/AAAAAAAABQA/NAHPCp0FR30/s320/DSCN1261.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5101076798493424290" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">Asher "riding" on a horse made of jade.. which he probably wasn't supposed to do!</span></span><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family:lucida grande;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_U_YHwDVU9Sk/RsqrPFIv-rI/AAAAAAAABQI/oRnAWxMvws0/s1600-h/DSCN1265.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_U_YHwDVU9Sk/RsqrPFIv-rI/AAAAAAAABQI/oRnAWxMvws0/s320/DSCN1265.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5101077803515771570" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">Lunch at Lucy's</span></span><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family:lucida grande;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_U_YHwDVU9Sk/RsqrQVIv-sI/AAAAAAAABQQ/dtoX4zEw7I8/s1600-h/DSCN1269.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_U_YHwDVU9Sk/RsqrQVIv-sI/AAAAAAAABQQ/dtoX4zEw7I8/s320/DSCN1269.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5101077824990608066" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">View of the hotel</span></span><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family:lucida grande;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_U_YHwDVU9Sk/RsqrQ1Iv-tI/AAAAAAAABQY/4ufw3ulGFA8/s1600-h/DSCN1272.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_U_YHwDVU9Sk/RsqrQ1Iv-tI/AAAAAAAABQY/4ufw3ulGFA8/s320/DSCN1272.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5101077833580542674" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">Streets of Shamian Island</span></span><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family:lucida grande;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_U_YHwDVU9Sk/RsqrRlIv-uI/AAAAAAAABQg/jJC0EsQ3Vd8/s1600-h/DSCN1273.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_U_YHwDVU9Sk/RsqrRlIv-uI/AAAAAAAABQg/jJC0EsQ3Vd8/s320/DSCN1273.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5101077846465444578" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">View of the Pearl River from out hotel room</span></span><br /></div><span style="font-family:lucida grande;"><br /><br /></span>Asher, Esther & Emma's Jie Jiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05267932162057665475noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37712682.post-26206414750352498482007-08-19T08:28:00.001-04:002008-12-11T13:15:35.668-05:00Guangzhou, Here We Come!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_U_YHwDVU9Sk/Rsg64FIv-cI/AAAAAAAABOQ/uVxuYQJvij4/s1600-h/100_3329.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_U_YHwDVU9Sk/Rsg64FIv-cI/AAAAAAAABOQ/uVxuYQJvij4/s320/100_3329.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5100391313123047874" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_U_YHwDVU9Sk/Rsg641Iv-dI/AAAAAAAABOY/XWGykVKb4No/s1600-h/100_3331.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_U_YHwDVU9Sk/Rsg641Iv-dI/AAAAAAAABOY/XWGykVKb4No/s320/100_3331.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5100391326007949778" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_U_YHwDVU9Sk/Rsg65VIv-eI/AAAAAAAABOg/2Gk3Mz1pYsU/s1600-h/100_3337.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_U_YHwDVU9Sk/Rsg65VIv-eI/AAAAAAAABOg/2Gk3Mz1pYsU/s320/100_3337.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5100391334597884386" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_U_YHwDVU9Sk/Rsg651Iv-fI/AAAAAAAABOo/1U6MeFMVCvI/s1600-h/100_3339.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_U_YHwDVU9Sk/Rsg651Iv-fI/AAAAAAAABOo/1U6MeFMVCvI/s320/100_3339.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5100391343187818994" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_U_YHwDVU9Sk/Rsg66VIv-gI/AAAAAAAABOw/yTkaX4iuYcs/s1600-h/100_3342.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_U_YHwDVU9Sk/Rsg66VIv-gI/AAAAAAAABOw/yTkaX4iuYcs/s320/100_3342.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5100391351777753602" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">Today was our final day here in Shenyang and for the first time in a week, we did nothing but rest! This was the first day that Ian and I weren't up at 5 am like we usually are. I think we slept in until about seven o' clock. I might have slept longer, but Asher woke us up because Hannah was leaving today. Both Steven and Andy start school tomorrow, and so Chelsea and Hannah had to leave today and head back home because they do not live here in Shenyang. We were sad to see them go and will miss having them around. They took such great care of us here in Shenyang and Dandong. Even when we were just feet from the North Korean border, I felt safe having Hannah with us.<br /><br />After breakfast, Dad and I decided to take the boys to the park instead of them being cooped up in the hotel all day. The concierge gave us directions to a nearby park that was only about five minutes away. His directions were wrong, but we ended up finding the park anyways!<br /><br />We came to a large area that was actually more like an amusement park. There were lots of kiddie rides and of course, that sparked Asher's curiosity. The rides were all about 10 yuan a piece, or a little more than a U.S. dollar. And the kids could stay on the ride for as long as they wanted.. or until the ride attendant told them to get off. We did bumper cars, the ferris wheel, a water ride, the merry go round, and a few others. The park reminded me a lot of our Cypress Gardens back home.<br /><br />One thing I cherish about the Chinese culture is how they value the importance of family and community. There were people of all ages enjoying the park.. young parents taking their child on some rides, old couples playing a game of cards or listening to music, and even teenagers on a date! They all seemed to be having fun and you can tell it's something they do often. There are parks like that one all over China and it's fun to be able to live in their world for awhile.<br /><br />We looked quite funny walking through their park since we were the only non-Chinese people! Asher did most of the communicating for us and would let the ride attendants know what rides he wanted to get on and when he wanted to get off.<br /><br />One thing I've noticed, but haven't mentioned is that Asher LOVES cars! Any kind of car.. he loves. We brought a bag full of matchbox cars and he loves to sit and play with them. So, it wasn't a surprise that he ended up on every single ride that had anything to do with cars. He likes to take the Jenga blocks we brought and make ramps for his cars. It's cute to watch.<br /><br />Tonight at dinner, Asher had a little bit of a meltdown because we wouldn't let him have soda. (Soda before bedtime is not a good idea.. sugar + him is not a good match.) He even went behind our backs and told the waiter he wanted soda.. but little did he know I could understand what he was asking for! He wasn't happy at all when we told him no, and he started crying and wouldn't even touch his food. We ended up giving in a little and told him if he ate his dinner, he could have some soda. He got the idea and started eating his food right away. It was funny because he finished drinking his water before he started on the soda. Then he ate an entire plate of noodles. This kid can sure eat! You guys at home think Esther can eat? Wait 'til you meet Asher!<br /><br />Asher continues to charm everyone he meets with his smile. He sure knows how to use it. Our waitress was completely smitten with him tonight at dinner. I think she was smitten with all of us because she kept bringing us out dessert! We had some extra yuan left over so we bought some little cakes. I don't know why, but next thing I know she brings over a whole fruit cake and sets it down in front of me! I didn't want any, but I could tell she wanted me to eat it, so I had a few bites just so I wouldn't offend her. She even brought me a box to put the cake in so I could take it home. It was an okay cake.. but it won't be finding it's way into my stomach anytime soon!<br /><br />The boys are both sleeping now and I think I'll be heading to bed soon, too.<br /><br />We've really enjoyed our stay here in Shenyang, but we are glad to be getting on with our journey. Tomorrow, we head south to the city of Guangzhou where the American Embassy is located. We have to stay in Guangzhou for a few days so we can receive Asher's visa for him to come to the USA. Guangzhou is about two hours from Hong Kong, and we will be staying in a nice area called Shamian Island. We've stayed there before both in 2004 and 2006 and are looking forward to going back! =)<br /><br />Elena, Kayla, Esther & Emma, we miss you a lot and can't wait to talk to you on the webcam tomorrow! Have fun at church and be good for Mr and Mrs Campbell!<br /><br />Goodnight, from Shenyang!<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /></span>Asher, Esther & Emma's Jie Jiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05267932162057665475noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37712682.post-34054179292600368302007-08-19T08:20:00.001-04:002007-08-19T08:28:12.644-04:00Asher's Version of "Mama Hao"<object width="425" height="350"> <param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/hjfKvSvhYZI"> </param> <embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/hjfKvSvhYZI" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="425" height="350"></embed> </object><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; color: rgb(51, 102, 255);">Asher is on the phone with Esther, singing "Mama Hao" to her. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: georgia; color: rgb(51, 102, 255);">"Mama Hao" is a traditional Chinese song that both Asher and Esther learned in their orphanages. You all might remember that this was Esther's favorite song, and she sung it all the time! Here's a <a href="ttp://homepage.mac.com/jiejie4china/iMovieTheater12.html">link</a> to view a video of Esther singing Mama Hao when we were in China last year. (She seems like such a baby in this video!)<br /><br />Here are the words of the song, translated into English:<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;">"Only mommy is the best in the world.</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;">When a child has a mommy, she feels treasured.</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;">When she gets in mommy's arms,</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;">there is endless happiness and joy.</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;">When a child does not have a mommy, she is most worried and anxious.</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;">A child without a mommy is like a weed.</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;">Away from mommy's arms,</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;">where can she find happiness?" </span><br /><br /></span></div>Asher, Esther & Emma's Jie Jiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05267932162057665475noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37712682.post-38627606324652166192007-08-19T01:31:00.000-04:002008-12-11T13:15:38.483-05:00The Great Wall<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_U_YHwDVU9Sk/RsfqyFIv-SI/AAAAAAAABNA/barulqDVcqE/s1600-h/DSCN1074.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_U_YHwDVU9Sk/RsfqyFIv-SI/AAAAAAAABNA/barulqDVcqE/s320/DSCN1074.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5100303249113610530" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_U_YHwDVU9Sk/RsfqylIv-TI/AAAAAAAABNI/-988-L48TSs/s1600-h/DSCN1082.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_U_YHwDVU9Sk/RsfqylIv-TI/AAAAAAAABNI/-988-L48TSs/s320/DSCN1082.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5100303257703545138" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_U_YHwDVU9Sk/Rsfqy1Iv-UI/AAAAAAAABNQ/avgSkFLSH-M/s1600-h/DSCN1089.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_U_YHwDVU9Sk/Rsfqy1Iv-UI/AAAAAAAABNQ/avgSkFLSH-M/s320/DSCN1089.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5100303261998512450" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_U_YHwDVU9Sk/RsfqzFIv-VI/AAAAAAAABNY/zFNicOXctFc/s1600-h/DSCN1135.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_U_YHwDVU9Sk/RsfqzFIv-VI/AAAAAAAABNY/zFNicOXctFc/s320/DSCN1135.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5100303266293479762" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_U_YHwDVU9Sk/RsfqzVIv-WI/AAAAAAAABNg/CrauS97nKew/s1600-h/DSCN1137.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_U_YHwDVU9Sk/RsfqzVIv-WI/AAAAAAAABNg/CrauS97nKew/s320/DSCN1137.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5100303270588447074" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_U_YHwDVU9Sk/RsfryVIv-XI/AAAAAAAABNo/0UymGlrOmeA/s1600-h/DSCN1151.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_U_YHwDVU9Sk/RsfryVIv-XI/AAAAAAAABNo/0UymGlrOmeA/s320/DSCN1151.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5100304352920205682" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_U_YHwDVU9Sk/RsfrylIv-YI/AAAAAAAABNw/HfVQ6xCrvFk/s1600-h/DSCN1156.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_U_YHwDVU9Sk/RsfrylIv-YI/AAAAAAAABNw/HfVQ6xCrvFk/s320/DSCN1156.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5100304357215172994" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_U_YHwDVU9Sk/RsfrzFIv-ZI/AAAAAAAABN4/sYDBE042V2E/s1600-h/DSCN1169.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_U_YHwDVU9Sk/RsfrzFIv-ZI/AAAAAAAABN4/sYDBE042V2E/s320/DSCN1169.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5100304365805107602" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_U_YHwDVU9Sk/RsfrzVIv-aI/AAAAAAAABOA/bX1JCFjq3dc/s1600-h/DSCN1178.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_U_YHwDVU9Sk/RsfrzVIv-aI/AAAAAAAABOA/bX1JCFjq3dc/s320/DSCN1178.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5100304370100074914" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_U_YHwDVU9Sk/Rsfrz1Iv-bI/AAAAAAAABOI/eJHEKvS-uG8/s1600-h/DSCN1204.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_U_YHwDVU9Sk/Rsfrz1Iv-bI/AAAAAAAABOI/eJHEKvS-uG8/s320/DSCN1204.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5100304378690009522" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br />Greetings from Shenyang! We arrived back here last night after a long day of touring Dandong, which included our much anticipated visit to the Great Wall! I took about 100+ pictures yesterday and (I think) they turned out so well that I can't choose which ones to post! So I'm uploading all of them onto my Mac photosite and you can see them by clicking <a href="http://homepage.mac.com/jiejie4china/PhotoAlbum20.html">HERE</a>. (There's three pages of pictures, so make sure you click on the links "Great Wall Parts 2 & 3")<br /><br />As we woke up yesterday, we were greeted by more foggy weather but the rain held off until later in the afternoon. We ate breakfast, packed, checked out of the hotel and headed to the Wall. Joining us on our trip was one of the nannies from Asher's orphanage, along with her daughter and niece. Even though we're not traveling with a group of families, it sure feels like it when our whole group is together.<br /><br />How do you describe the Great Wall? I don't think there's enough words to justify it! It's such an amazing experience being able to climb something that is so old and such a part of China's history. Getting to climb the wall stands high on my list of things I have accomplished. It's something I will always remember doing. I couldn't help but think as I was climbing, of all the people who have walked up those steps and of those who lie buried there. I climbed the Beijing section of it back in 2004, and I'm still in awe of it's beauty. And the amount of work it takes to climb it! Forget dieting.. just climb the first set of steps every day and you'll be fit for the rest of your life.<br /><br />I'd say it took us a good 2-3 hours to get up to the top, and back down. This part of the wall here in Dandong is the Eastern most part of the wall and it extends several thousand miles all the way to western China. It was a lot easier climbing this section because it was a mixture of both steps and walking. Whereas in Beijing, it's several thousand steps straight up! Don't get me wrong.. it was still a very steep climb.. especially when the steps go straight up and are about 2 feet tall.<br /><br />We were all doing pretty well until we got about halfway and Mom decided she was done. And if you know my mother, when she says she's done.. she's done!! There's nothing that could get her to keep going, even if you had told her George Clooney was standing at the top! Hannah stayed back with Mom and the rest of us continued our trek upwards. Of course, the boys had to leave a part of them on the Great Wall, so they took several bathroom breaks.<br /><br />One thing about China- the bathroom is any where you want it to be, especially if you're a little boy. I think both boys have gone more outside than they have in the toilet. But if I had the option, I'd probably go outside too! Most of the toilets that we have encountered here have been the squatty type-where you squat over them. Anyways, I digress!<br /><br />I found the easiest way to get up the wall was to run up the steps, take a break, then run up the next section! And that worked pretty well for us. After what seemed like an eternity, we finally made it to the top section, and the view was absolutely incredible. If China wasn't so polluted and smoggy, we would have been able to see farther out. The city of Dandong is only 15 minutes away, but we couldn't even see the tall skyscrapers from the top. But we could sure see North Korea!!<br /><br />Fortunately, they sell popsicles and drinks at the top of the wall, which was a relief. (I wouldn't want to be the poor person who has to carry that stuff to the top though!) We stayed and enjoyed the view before beginning our descent down the other side. I wasn't looking forward to the trip back, but Chelsea said that there was a boat ride back to the entrance on the other side.<br /><br />Going down is definitely harder! Especially juggling a camera, video camera and wobbly legs! But, I remembered my trick from the last time I was there- walking down sideways!<br /><br />We finally reached the bottom and got to the part where we could get on the boat ride.. except for one problem.. Dad had thrown our tickets away! They didn't make it clear that we would need them and the Chinese keep everything, so they were puzzled when Dad said he had thrown them away. The person who collects tickets started calling her supervisor and it was a little tense for a few moments because there was no way we were about to climb back up the wall, and then back down again! I would have rather swam across the river and gone to North Korea!<br /><br />So while we were waiting, all of a sudden I see Mom and Hannah at the top of the wall making their way down. Like I said before, Mom was done and didn't want to go any farther.. and here she was climbing down. Dad and I were in awe and wanted to take Hannah home with us because she had convinced Mom to go! We cheered them on as they made their way down. I don't know how she did it, but Hannah was able to convince my mother-the epitome of stubbornness-down that wall!<br /><br />Once we had Hannah, we worked out the situation and were able to take the boat ride back to the entrance. Boy, I sure love that woman! We started heading outside of the wall to the small river where the boat would pick us up. I joked around that we shouldn't cross to the other side because it was probably North Korea.. and imagine my surprise when Hannah confirmed my thoughts! Seriously... I could have jumped over the river and landed on North Korea, that's how close we were. We could stand in the river, but the second our feet touched the soil on the other side we would be shot. (Apparently the N. Korean soldiers hide in the bushes!) A little too close for comfort in my opinion, but still cool pretty neat!<br /><br />The boat took us back to the entrance, we hopped on the bus and headed for lunch at the home of a Chinese family. They served us the most wonderful duck I have ever tasted! It was sooooo good, that we finished it all up within ten minutes of them putting it on the table.<br /><br />After lunch, we started the 3 1/2 hour trip back to Shenyang. Asher did pretty well on the bus ride, he slept off and on and had one meltdown because he wanted to play Ian's game. I had a horrible headache and the fact that the trip took longer than usual didn't help much. We stopped in the city of Benxi to drop Chelsea and the boys off at a water cave. (We were going to visit, but were way to tired.) We didn't get back into Shenyang until 6:30 and then checked back into our hotel. It felt so good to be back "home" at our hotel and in our original rooms.<br /><br />It was a great experience spending time in Dandong, but I was sure glad to be back in Shenyang! For dinner, we were going to have something America so we headed to Pizza Hut! It was pretty good, although I'm not sure the Chinese understand the concept of pizza sauce, since there wasn't any on our pizza. Asher sure enjoyed his first pizza and ate three pieces!<br /><br />While we were walking to Pizza Hut, we witnessed several beggars on the street. Ian was especially upset by one young girl who rolled around on a skateboard because she had no legs. As we waited for our table, Ian asked if he could give her some money. As we were walking back from giving her money, he told me "That felt really good helping someone." I was really proud of him for doing that. =)<br /><br />I think this experience has done a lot for Ian. Especially meeting the kids from the orphanage like Jie, who's the same age as Ian and has no family. I hope he will be able to remember a lot from this trip to China. He's been writing in his journal and I told him if he was good and kept up with that, I'd let him make a post on the blog.<br /><br />Asher is continuing to do well. He did awesome on the Great Wall! I wasn't sure if he would be able to keep up with everyone, but he was the first one to reach the bottom and never complained. He told Chelsea that he has been here before, so I guess the orphanage had brought them. Originally, if we went to the Wall on Friday, the kids from the orphanage were going to come too. But because it rained and we couldn't go, the kids weren't able to come with us. That was a disappointment because I was hoping to spend more time with them, especially Jie.<br /><br />Asher is quite the athlete, which is good since none of us are very talented in sports. It's funny that all of our Chinese kids are pretty athletic. Emma's going to be a gymnast some day.. she's very flexible and strong. Esther will tear up the soccer field. I'm thinking soccer, baseball or maybe even football for this little guy!<br /><br />He seems to understand almost everything we say to him, and we're starting to understand him more. He first tries to talk to us and if that doesn't work, then he uses hand motions. Communication hasn't been a big problem. Mostly it's been the fact that he's 100% boy and he's never had freedoms like this before. Even though he's 7 1/2 years old, emotionally he's much more like a 5 year old. It's hard to describe him now, but for those of you at home, you will understand when you meet him.<br /><br />It will get a lot better when we come home and have a stable environment for Asher. Right now, we're staying in different cities, different hotel rooms, new guides, etc. When you've lived in the same environment for so long it's hard to adapt to a whole new way of life. Asher's done very well and doesn't get overstimulated like Esther did. But I know his behavior will be a lot better once we come home. We've got work ahead of us with him, but he'll do fine. Once he realizes there are rules and certain ways he cannot act, he will understand. But to him, we're just a bunch of strangers telling him what to do.<br /><br />Compared to Esther's adoption and transition, this one has been a piece of cake!! Esther's doing great now, but those first few months were very rough. She had constant temper tantrums and cried every night for the first three months. It took awhile for her to adjust and trust us. It was rough, but we got through it. Asher's done great.. sure he has some behavior issues, but after what he's been through, it's understandable. He seems to trust us, which is a good sign! I think Esther and Asher are a lot alike, so it will be interesting to see how those two get along. Mom thinks they will have a hard time at first, but we will see.<br /><br />I think we are all ready to come home!! I always enjoy my trips to China and never want to leave, but right now I would be on the next plane home if I could. It's just been a lot emotionally between Haiti, coming home and then China. I feel like I've been gone for so long- I left for Haiti on August 3, came home for a few hours and left again for China. I haven't even had time to process my Haiti trip.. there was so much that I experienced there and already I feel like it happened so long ago. And now there's a hurricane hitting Haiti, where I was just one week ago!! See what I mean by wanting to come home?<br /><br />We miss the girls a lot. Fortunately, our webcams have been a HUGE help! We talk to them almost every day and night and that's been getting us through. But it breaks my heart when Esther and Emma tell me, "Sera, I miss you!"<br /><br />Just five more days!!!<br /><br />Don't forget about the photos:<br />For the first page, click <a href="http://homepage.mac.com/jiejie4china/PhotoAlbum20.html">here</a><br />For the second, <a href="http://homepage.mac.com/jiejie4china/PhotoAlbum21.html">here<br /></a>and then the third, <a href="http://homepage.mac.com/jiejie4china/PhotoAlbum22.html">here</a>.<br /><br />It's our last day in Shenyang, and I'm headed out to see where Dad and the boys are. I'll blog more later.Asher, Esther & Emma's Jie Jiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05267932162057665475noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37712682.post-68791701294814488702007-08-17T18:47:00.000-04:002008-12-11T13:15:49.569-05:00Rainy Day in Dandong<div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_U_YHwDVU9Sk/RsfUI1Iv-OI/AAAAAAAABMg/ucZPQ9A9ESU/s1600-h/100_3284.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_U_YHwDVU9Sk/RsfUI1Iv-OI/AAAAAAAABMg/ucZPQ9A9ESU/s320/100_3284.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5100278351188195554" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">Ian and I are usually awake around 5 am...<br />so he plays gameboy and I blog until Asher is awake.</span><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_U_YHwDVU9Sk/RsfUJFIv-PI/AAAAAAAABMo/ljjr0QZjVBA/s1600-h/100_3288.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_U_YHwDVU9Sk/RsfUJFIv-PI/AAAAAAAABMo/ljjr0QZjVBA/s320/100_3288.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5100278355483162866" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">The boys throwing darts<br /></span></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;">Sorry for the delay..<br />Last night I was way to tired to even think about blogging!! So, I'll catch you all up on what we did yesterday.<br /></div><br />We were supposed to go climb the Great Wall in the morning, but the rain prevented us from doing that. It started raining around 7 am, and didn't quit until after lunch. After breakfast, Hannah, Chelsea, Andy, Steven, Dad, Ian, Asher and I went over to the sports center in the hotel and played badmitton (spelling?) and ping pong. I'd never played badmitton before and after the first 20 minutes I was about to give up because I was doing so poorly. That's not surprising.. I'm not a very gifted athlete! But Chelsea was very patient with me and after I practiced a bit, we had a pretty good game going! (I'm used to playing tennis.. and badmitton is quite different!) Dad and Hannah played some great games of ping pong.. Hannah really gets into the game! We played for about an hour, but it got very hot in the sports center so we left and headed back to the hotel room.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_U_YHwDVU9Sk/RsfUJVIv-QI/AAAAAAAABMw/DSndP11rhhA/s1600-h/100_3294.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_U_YHwDVU9Sk/RsfUJVIv-QI/AAAAAAAABMw/DSndP11rhhA/s320/100_3294.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5100278359778130178" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">Playing Ping Pong<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_U_YHwDVU9Sk/RsfUJlIv-RI/AAAAAAAABM4/2_O5m9WbJY8/s1600-h/100_3299.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_U_YHwDVU9Sk/RsfUJlIv-RI/AAAAAAAABM4/2_O5m9WbJY8/s320/100_3299.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5100278364073097490" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">Highlight of my day- we found Chinese Red Bull!!<br />However, it was way too sweet<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /><br />Like they are usually doing, the boys played their game boys and Mom & I caught up on e-mail. We headed down for lunch and by the time we were finished, the rain had stopped.<br /><br />The Great Wall was completely out of the question now, so we headed outside and walked on the bridge that you've seen in the pictures from my last post. The "Broken Bridge" is in the front and stretches halfway over the Yalu River, which seperates Mainland China from North Korea. It was bombed by the USA during World War II and never rebuilt. Since then, the Chinese reconstructed part of it and now it's a big tourist attraction.<br /><br />In the background, you will see another bridge.. though I don't know the name of it. Only the Border Patrol is allowed to use it because it connects China to North Korea. There were a lot of people on the Broken Bridge, but we only saw maybe five people on the other one.<br /><br />The weather was foggy, but nice and we really enjoyed our walk along the bridge. Asher enjoyed running around and saying "Hello" to everyone.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_U_YHwDVU9Sk/RsYozVIv9vI/AAAAAAAABIs/1lo1_TM3Moo/s1600-h/DSCN0948.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_U_YHwDVU9Sk/RsYozVIv9vI/AAAAAAAABIs/1lo1_TM3Moo/s320/DSCN0948.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5099808490355947250" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_U_YHwDVU9Sk/RsYoz1Iv9wI/AAAAAAAABI0/jtFj-sKZDog/s1600-h/DSCN0952.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_U_YHwDVU9Sk/RsYoz1Iv9wI/AAAAAAAABI0/jtFj-sKZDog/s320/DSCN0952.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5099808498945881858" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_U_YHwDVU9Sk/RsYo0FIv9xI/AAAAAAAABI8/I7yOMkjrWkY/s1600-h/DSCN0963.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_U_YHwDVU9Sk/RsYo0FIv9xI/AAAAAAAABI8/I7yOMkjrWkY/s320/DSCN0963.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5099808503240849170" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_U_YHwDVU9Sk/RsYo0VIv9yI/AAAAAAAABJE/MUJZciOOr8s/s1600-h/DSCN0968.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_U_YHwDVU9Sk/RsYo0VIv9yI/AAAAAAAABJE/MUJZciOOr8s/s320/DSCN0968.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5099808507535816482" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_U_YHwDVU9Sk/RsYo0lIv9zI/AAAAAAAABJM/lUxvifCtjZo/s1600-h/DSCN0972.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_U_YHwDVU9Sk/RsYo0lIv9zI/AAAAAAAABJM/lUxvifCtjZo/s320/DSCN0972.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5099808511830783794" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">Compare the two cities.. here is Dandong<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_U_YHwDVU9Sk/RsYpnlIv90I/AAAAAAAABJU/5-6uFELjW2U/s1600-h/DSCN0973.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_U_YHwDVU9Sk/RsYpnlIv90I/AAAAAAAABJU/5-6uFELjW2U/s320/DSCN0973.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5099809388004112194" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">And here is North Korea<br />(the pictures are kind of foggy because it had been raining)<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_U_YHwDVU9Sk/RsYpoFIv91I/AAAAAAAABJc/_h5OXAFh0bo/s1600-h/DSCN0974.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_U_YHwDVU9Sk/RsYpoFIv91I/AAAAAAAABJc/_h5OXAFh0bo/s320/DSCN0974.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5099809396594046802" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">Asher being silly<br /></span></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_U_YHwDVU9Sk/RsYpoVIv92I/AAAAAAAABJk/mCkRR78VHfg/s1600-h/DSCN0980.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_U_YHwDVU9Sk/RsYpoVIv92I/AAAAAAAABJk/mCkRR78VHfg/s320/DSCN0980.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5099809400889014114" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_U_YHwDVU9Sk/RsYpolIv93I/AAAAAAAABJs/As9q3c5IARc/s1600-h/DSCN0985.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_U_YHwDVU9Sk/RsYpolIv93I/AAAAAAAABJs/As9q3c5IARc/s320/DSCN0985.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5099809405183981426" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_U_YHwDVU9Sk/RsYpo1Iv94I/AAAAAAAABJ0/0jV0YEfIB3E/s1600-h/DSCN0987.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_U_YHwDVU9Sk/RsYpo1Iv94I/AAAAAAAABJ0/0jV0YEfIB3E/s320/DSCN0987.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5099809409478948738" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">North Korea</span><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_U_YHwDVU9Sk/RsYqaVIv95I/AAAAAAAABJ8/eYvyyMKXjtE/s1600-h/DSCN0991.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_U_YHwDVU9Sk/RsYqaVIv95I/AAAAAAAABJ8/eYvyyMKXjtE/s320/DSCN0991.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5099810259882473362" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_U_YHwDVU9Sk/RsYqalIv96I/AAAAAAAABKE/pht2zSMlLAQ/s1600-h/DSCN0996.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_U_YHwDVU9Sk/RsYqalIv96I/AAAAAAAABKE/pht2zSMlLAQ/s320/DSCN0996.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5099810264177440674" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_U_YHwDVU9Sk/RsYqa1Iv97I/AAAAAAAABKM/LzPE_a44l6k/s1600-h/DSCN0998.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_U_YHwDVU9Sk/RsYqa1Iv97I/AAAAAAAABKM/LzPE_a44l6k/s320/DSCN0998.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5099810268472407986" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">An amusement park ride in North Korea.. but we never saw it move the entire two days we were there.<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_U_YHwDVU9Sk/RsYqbFIv98I/AAAAAAAABKU/WYX2pWV7znk/s1600-h/DSCN1000.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_U_YHwDVU9Sk/RsYqbFIv98I/AAAAAAAABKU/WYX2pWV7znk/s320/DSCN1000.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5099810272767375298" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">The boys<br /></span></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_U_YHwDVU9Sk/RsYqbVIv99I/AAAAAAAABKc/V9pOLDglLf0/s1600-h/DSCN1006.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_U_YHwDVU9Sk/RsYqbVIv99I/AAAAAAAABKc/V9pOLDglLf0/s320/DSCN1006.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5099810277062342610" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_U_YHwDVU9Sk/RsYtnlIv-DI/AAAAAAAABLI/rifurZo0T40/s1600-h/DSCN1005.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_U_YHwDVU9Sk/RsYtnlIv-DI/AAAAAAAABLI/rifurZo0T40/s320/DSCN1005.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5099813786050623538" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">Damage from when the U.S. bombed the bridge is still visible<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_U_YHwDVU9Sk/RsYtoFIv-EI/AAAAAAAABLQ/V1hkkL9exgU/s1600-h/DSCN1004.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_U_YHwDVU9Sk/RsYtoFIv-EI/AAAAAAAABLQ/V1hkkL9exgU/s320/DSCN1004.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5099813794640558146" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">And apparently, this was the bomb that took it out!<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_U_YHwDVU9Sk/RsYto1Iv-FI/AAAAAAAABLY/UTEbNpGxmuQ/s1600-h/DSCN1019.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_U_YHwDVU9Sk/RsYto1Iv-FI/AAAAAAAABLY/UTEbNpGxmuQ/s320/DSCN1019.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5099813807525460050" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">Monument at the beginning of the bridge<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_U_YHwDVU9Sk/RsYtpFIv-GI/AAAAAAAABLg/f9YlIuWcNbU/s1600-h/DSCN1024.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_U_YHwDVU9Sk/RsYtpFIv-GI/AAAAAAAABLg/f9YlIuWcNbU/s320/DSCN1024.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5099813811820427362" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">I love Chinese signs.. "Watch to collide your head."<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_U_YHwDVU9Sk/RsYuiFIv-HI/AAAAAAAABLo/3QvUx33ZubY/s1600-h/DSCN1038.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_U_YHwDVU9Sk/RsYuiFIv-HI/AAAAAAAABLo/3QvUx33ZubY/s320/DSCN1038.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5099814791072970866" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">Asher, with tone of the women from his orphanage<br /><br /></span><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size:100%;">After our walk, we met up with a woman who works at Asher's orphanage. She was there on behalf of the orphanage, to take us on a boat ride on the Yalu River. Originally, we weren't going to go on the boat ride, but when we found out it was already payed for by the orphanage..we went. (It's very rude in China to refuse something from someone) The ride was nice and I'm glad we went! We pulled up close to North Korea and saw some of the life going on over there.<br /><br />There was a huge difference between Dandong and North Korea. As you can see in the pictures, Dandong is a large bustling city with sky scrapers and many buildings. While across the river, there are few buildings and not much sign of life. We saw a few Korean people, but they were all very sad looking and didn't wave back at us. Even though these two countries are literally less than a mile apart, it was like two different worlds.<br /></span></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_U_YHwDVU9Sk/RsYujFIv-II/AAAAAAAABLw/CpdK1shhmdY/s1600-h/DSCN1041.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_U_YHwDVU9Sk/RsYujFIv-II/AAAAAAAABLw/CpdK1shhmdY/s320/DSCN1041.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5099814808252840066" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">On the boat ride...</span><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_U_YHwDVU9Sk/RsYujlIv-JI/AAAAAAAABL4/Jdzczp4y2VM/s1600-h/DSCN1043.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_U_YHwDVU9Sk/RsYujlIv-JI/AAAAAAAABL4/Jdzczp4y2VM/s320/DSCN1043.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5099814816842774674" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">End of the broken bridge<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_U_YHwDVU9Sk/RsYuj1Iv-KI/AAAAAAAABMA/8Ya9J5R4sdg/s1600-h/DSCN1053.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_U_YHwDVU9Sk/RsYuj1Iv-KI/AAAAAAAABMA/8Ya9J5R4sdg/s320/DSCN1053.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5099814821137741986" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">To give you a glimpse of how close we were to North Korea..<br /><br /></span></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_U_YHwDVU9Sk/RsYukVIv-LI/AAAAAAAABMI/Mzw0ZMQFo0E/s1600-h/DSCN1056.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_U_YHwDVU9Sk/RsYukVIv-LI/AAAAAAAABMI/Mzw0ZMQFo0E/s320/DSCN1056.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5099814829727676594" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_U_YHwDVU9Sk/RsYwP1Iv-MI/AAAAAAAABMQ/21T73p8TK7Y/s1600-h/DSCN1059.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_U_YHwDVU9Sk/RsYwP1Iv-MI/AAAAAAAABMQ/21T73p8TK7Y/s320/DSCN1059.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5099816676563613890" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_U_YHwDVU9Sk/RsYwQVIv-NI/AAAAAAAABMY/T-5A81xy7GI/s1600-h/DSCN1065.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_U_YHwDVU9Sk/RsYwQVIv-NI/AAAAAAAABMY/T-5A81xy7GI/s320/DSCN1065.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5099816685153548498" border="0" /></a><br />After the boat ride, we went out for a walk and Mom bought a traditional Korean dress called a Hanbok for the little girls to share. We then headed back to the hotel and at least Mom, Dad and I fell asleep. (The boys played gameboy) Hannah came and got our sleeping butts out of bed around 6:30 for dinner. We ate at a traditional Korean restaurant just down the street from our hotel. It is owned and operated by North Koreans and we had a great time. The food was okay.. let's just put it that way! Most of it I didn't even recognize, but they served us a pretty good beef dish and another good one called seafood pie, which was actually like a quiche. And then they brought out the much anticipated kimchi! Our good friends lived in South Korea last year and told us many stories of the wonderful kimchi they experienced! I had to try it out for myself, and it wasn't too bad. Tasted like garlic.. lots and lots of it!!<br /><br />As part of the dinner experience, the Korean women put on a karaoke type performance where they sung and danced. They called up several people from the audience, including me!!! As much as I didn't want to, I was dragged up there and made to start dancing with the Koreans! Fortunately, Hannah also came with me, so it wasn't too bad. I figured why not make a fool of myself since I'm in a foreign country and I'll never see these people again! Don't worry.. those pictures will never make it to the blog!! =)<br /><br />After dinner, we were all exhausted and came back to the hotel and headed straight to bed! I called home on the panda phone and got to talk to Esther, Emma and Aunt Nanette. The kids are doing well.. we miss them a lot! Asher got to talk on the phone with his sisters and he and Esther even sung "Mama Hao" together. I got video, so I'll be sure to add that later today!<br /><br />It's now Sunday here in China and I'm starting to get caught up on posting. The past two days have been a lot of fun, but very tiring! Today we have a free day so we're going to rest up and maybe go to Walmart again.</div>Asher, Esther & Emma's Jie Jiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05267932162057665475noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37712682.post-81252998852362412612007-08-16T19:52:00.000-04:002008-12-11T13:15:50.238-05:00A Family for Jie<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_U_YHwDVU9Sk/RsTjnFIv9uI/AAAAAAAABIk/rHZMSK9LF-k/s1600-h/100_3262.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_U_YHwDVU9Sk/RsTjnFIv9uI/AAAAAAAABIk/rHZMSK9LF-k/s320/100_3262.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5099450938623522530" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);"><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;"><span style="font-size:100%;">On behalf of our family, Ian and Asher have a special request:<br /><br />Asher's friend, Jie needs a family.<br /><br />Would you help us find him one?<br /></span></span></span></div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_U_YHwDVU9Sk/RsTjmlIv9tI/AAAAAAAABIc/nQVZqS8I5zg/s1600-h/100_3252.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_U_YHwDVU9Sk/RsTjmlIv9tI/AAAAAAAABIc/nQVZqS8I5zg/s320/100_3252.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5099450930033587922" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);"><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">When we first met Jie, he was very sad looking. Our guide Hannah, went right over to him and Jie began asking her if she had found him a family. At nine years old, he has seen several of his friends leave with their families but no one has come for him. </span></span><br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);"><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;"><br />The orphanage staff kept telling us that Jie is a very smart and good boy. He always listens to the nannies and is very helpful.<br />Jie attends a boarding school that is several hours away from the orphanage. He is a very good student and loves to learn, but he does not like the school because he has no family or friends there.<br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);"><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;"></span></span><br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);"><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;"></span></span></div><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);"><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">We told Jie that we would pray for a family for him. Jie asked us what did it mean to pray, so Ian explained that praying was asking God for something for someone. And Jie looked at us and asked "What is God?"<br />This little boy is so hungry and he wants to learn so much.<br />But he hasn't been given the opportunity to.<br /><br />Like Asher, he was born with a cleft lip but he has had the surgery and is completely healthy. I don't believe his palate was involved because he spoke very well for being 9 years old. Asher sounds very nasally because of his palate and is hard to understand. Even though I don't speak Mandarin, I was able to clearly understand everything Jie said.<br /><br />Jie wouldn't smile while we were there. He just looked at us and seemed to be asking if we could take him home too. When we told him that we would do everything we could to find him a family, he finally gave us a smile.<br /><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_U_YHwDVU9Sk/RsTjmFIv9sI/AAAAAAAABIU/Nlpf74DLd4o/s1600-h/100_3244.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_U_YHwDVU9Sk/RsTjmFIv9sI/AAAAAAAABIU/Nlpf74DLd4o/s320/100_3244.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5099450921443653314" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);">I don't usually do this.. but this little boy made such an impression on our hearts, that we have to do something.<br /><br />If you or anyone you know would be interested in adopting a precious little boy who wants a family.. please e-mail me.<br /><br />Our guide said that she would do everything in her power to find his paperwork to bring him home. Because he is older, the cost of his adoption would be significantly less than usual.<br /><br />Even if you are not in the position to adopt him (like we are) would you please print his picture out, stick it on the fridge and pray for him?<br /><br />There's a story about a little boy who was throwing starfish into the ocean. The tide was going out and there were thousands of starfish on the beach who were all going to die if they weren't back in the water. A man walked up to the little boy and said, "Son, don't you realize there are miles and miles of beach and thousands of starfish? You can't possibly make a difference." Picking up a starfish, the young boy threw it into the surf and said, "I made a difference for that one."<br /><br />It's true, that we can't make a difference for all of the children in China. There are literally millions of orphans here who are just like Jie, in need of a family. But just like that little boy did.. we can make a difference for one of them. So please, pray that Jie would find a forever family!!<br /></span></div>Asher, Esther & Emma's Jie Jiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05267932162057665475noreply@blogger.com9