Day 3 ~ VISA, Taipei 101, Children's Recreation Center

Today was a pretty busy day.... we woke up leisurely, ate breakfast and decided to head out to the Children's Recreation Center that is about 10 min walk from our hotel. We didn't head out early enough though, because by the time we got there, it was pretty hot. We had to go back to AIT at 11:30AM to pick up the visa so we quickly went through the recreation center, did a couple of rides and took a cab to AIT. The visa was waiting for us so now we are free to take Anna out of the country! After the AIT visit, we took a cab to Taipei 101 (the tallest building in the world) and took the elevator ride up to the observation deck. The boys really wanted to do this and we figured it would be a long time before we come back and by then, it may not be the tallest building in the world :) The elevator ride was QUICK! It takes you from 5th floor to 89 in 35 seconds! The view from the top was amazing. It was a very clear day so we were able to see quite a bit. We came back to the hotel, exhausted at 5pm and decided to stay in for dinner. Some things about Anna.... We have found out that she does NOT like diaper changes... everytime I lay her flat to do a diaper change, she cries the most pitiful cry. Tonight, she wailed for the first time and that was during a diaper change. She is a great eater! She eats Gerber veggie baby food... I remember our boys were never that great with vegetables even though I still made them eat it...she just eats it up... She is such an easy baby as long as you're not changing her diaper. She goes to bed easily and wakes up pretty happy. Tonight, she was a little bit too exhausted at bedtime so she cried for about 1 minute ... seriously, that is about the worst so far and it is not bad at all. We feel very spoiled and wonder if we'll end up spoiling her so much that she ends up sleeping in our bed :) She did wake up at 2AM, kinda awake this morning... we felt bad for her just playing in her crib, so Aaron suggested we let her sleep with us.... she then went to sleep quickly and woke up at 6:30AM. Another thing that is amazing about her is her HAIR! It's getting long, but it sticks STRAIGHT up in the air... there's nothing I can do to it to tame it :) I was asked by the hotel staff the other day if she was a boy or girl... what's funny is she was wearing a PINK dress and had a bow on her head... We were also asked by one of the hotel staff how much we paid for her.... I really didn't think I would ever get this question, but they actually asked. I do think that in Taiwan, they really aren't trying to be rude... they are seriously wondering how much it costs to adopt. I am off to bed... enjoy the pictures!

By the way, those that have commented about her cheeks... they really are VERY kissable and I can't count the number of times we've kissed her already... she tolerates her crazy parents!

Day 2, AIT appt

This morning, we woke up pretty early.... got to AIT at 8AM sharp and was escorted in after showing our US passport. We then headed to the 3rd floor, where a man asked for some documents and then we were sent to 2nd floor to pay for the visa and waited about 1-1/2 hours total. We were first told by the first gentleman that we would get an IR-4 visa for her because we didn't see her prior to the adoption being final... this generally just means we have to re-adopt her in the states, but we really wanted her to have an IR-3, which makes her a US citizen the moment she lands foot on American soil :) We had been praying that God would just helps us get it, but were OK either way.... The interviewer was a really nice gentleman and he told us that we were going to get an IR-3! He was telling us this because he said he doesn't want us to abandon her because that would be abandoning a US citizen...:) Another one of God's graciousness to us. Tomorrow we get to pick up her visa.

Let me back up a little to lastnight... Anna (whom we call Syuan-Syuan for now (pronounced shen-shen)), went to bed around 8pm lastnight and didn't wake up till almost 5AM.. even at that, she was just playing in her crib quietly and maybe would have kept that up for who knows how long if Aaron didn't get her. She is so far such an easy baby... when she's tired, she rubs her eyes and whines a little and when we put her down awake, she goes to bed! No fussing. She is truly amazing and I think we might end up ruining the great work the caretakers did in teaching her to fall asleep on her own. Lastnight she didn't eat much so I was worried for her, but today, she ate GREAT. She is taking formula along with some baby food (rice porridge and veggies and fruit) She smiled and laughed alot more today. She took a big ole nap and off and on slept as we walked around Taipei. We took the MRT, which is a train, and had dinner tonight at Mos Burger. She is doing great in the ergo carrier and is just as easy-going baby. She is VERY active though and would prefer to be on the floor exploring. The boys totally adore her.

Here are some pictures from today....

A day of miracles..

WE HAVE HER!! WE HAVE A DAUGHTER!!!!! SHE IS SOOOOOOOO PRECIOUS!!!!!

I think my words would not do justice how great today has been....

We went to the orphanage at 2pm (prior to this we had a little problem with the housecleaning being in our room when we had to shower and I was really TENSE because we were running out of time to get ready)....we took the taxi and got to the orphanage right on time. We were quickly escorted by the social worker to the room where they had all the paperwork ready to go and the boys were offered cookies and drinks while we went over some of the paperwork for the visa appt tomorrow. Some of Anna's caretakers came in for questions and then suddenly, another caretaker came into the room with Anna in her arms!!! She is SOOOOO precious and she was wearing one of the outfits we sent her. One of the greatest miracles is that when the social worker was going over the medical reports and vaccination records, she said "We had Li-Syuan's blood tested again to check her Hep B status, and they found that she does NOT have Hepatitis B anymore and we are not really sure how this happened!!"... Ofcourse I knew how!!! It was no doubt God... we've been praying that God would heal her and He did! When she said that, I BURST into tears... even though I knew God could heal her, I really was so surprised to hear that it was actually true. Why do I ever doubt? I am still in AWE of this news... I just am in awe... speechless.

Anyways, back to the rest of the time at the orphanage.... She came to us pretty easily... didn't cry... and she was just taking it all in. The caretakers there REALLY love her and they were all soooo excited to see her with us. I could tell they really love their children. They gave us a quick tour of the place, we watched a DVD movie they made of Li-Syuan and her 7 months of life there.

The one sad thing is that we were not able to meet the birthmom. She couldn't make it to the orphanage and she requested that they take pictures and send to her. We were ready to meet her and ask her so many questions, but hopefully, we'll get to ask her by email through our agency.

We took the cab home and she was so precious!!! She fell asleep in my arms and when we got to our room, she woke up and started playing with the boys and with some toys. She really hasn't cried a lot yet and seems to just sort of go with the flow. She started to fuss a little bit and didn't want food, so I put her down in her crib and she fell asleep right away. So far, she seems like a tough little girl that really loves to explore... she has 2 bottom teeth and she is crawling... even though it's not super fast yet. She really likes the boys and they had her laughing and smiling.

Tomorrow, we have our AIT appt at 8AM... Aaron & the boys are out and about getting food and drinks!

THANK YOU FOR ALL YOUR PRAYERS AND COMMENTS!! TODAY COULDN'T HAVE GONE ANY BETTER. WE KNOW IT IS BECAUSE WE HAVE SO MANY PRAYING FOR US!

More later!

2-1/2 hours away!!!

What do you do the morning of the day you get your daughter you've been waiting for for the past FOREVER?? You go to McDonald's and Starbucks, ofcourse :) We spent the morning going to those places and found a nearby park for the kids to play at.

As I type this, I am starting to feel a little queasy in my tummy :) I am BEYOND excited, but at the same time, realizing that Anna will be in our arms in less than 2 1/2 hours!!! The boys are at the fitness center and I am ready to go there too, but working out is the last thing I want to be doing right now. Anyways, please pray for us! The taxi ride is a bit scary here with how fast they drive.... Thank you to all who have commented! I love reading the comments and I love knowing that we are being prayed for. Please pray for continued health and a great adjustment between Anna & all of us and that the time with the birthmother goes well!!! Next post will be with ANNA :)

First Day in Taipei

We woke up fairly early this morning and leisurely got ready to take a walk and see what there is around Taipei. Our hotel is not in the downtown area, so there are alot more local shops around. Thankfully, we found a McDonald's and Starbucks within walking distance. Since I've been eating ALOT of Japanese food, I am actually getting tired of Asian food. I never thought I would be excited about McDonald's but an egg mcmuffin was a welcome breakfast for me. I guess I am more American than I thought. I never thought I would say I am tired of rice, but at this point, pizza is sounding really good :) The hotel has a great rooftop area where you can see a nice view of the city and also and fitness center with weight equipment, treadmills and a mini-jogging track. We had to run outside while we were in Okinawa for exercise, so having a fitness center is such a bonus. The hotel room is so nice with a living area, 2 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms. We have plenty of room for all of us.

Tonight, we get to meet a family that is also adopting from the same orphanage and they get to pick up their son tomorrow morning. They are a swedish family and we are so excited to meet someone else on this same journey.

I will post more later.....

Last day in Okinawa

On Saturday, my sister Deborah, her son Shingo and his wife Chika came to pick us up at the hotel to take us to various places in Naha. We went to a Chinese Garden, given to Okinawa by the Chinese. We fed some koi fish and turtles and walked around. It is located right next to where my sister used to live so I was able to see her old apartment, where I spent 2 months one summer before I graduated from highschool. She then took us for lunch, to a donut shop and then to see Michael(my brother) at his shop. My brother builds motorcyles and does alot of welding and building. He took our boys individually on a ride (which, I was really nervous about at first, but just prayed God would protect them). They had a blast (what boy wouldn't?). We then met my oldest sister Marie and headed to the airport. It was so fun to hang out with my sister Deborah. We both have always got along and she has a crazy sense of humor like me so we were having such a great time together. When it was time to leave, I was so sad... my life in the states is so good and I wouldn't trade it for the world, but spending time with my sisters made me realize how much I have been missing. It was like a piece of me was being torn apart again. Goodbyes are so hard... I know I lived 20 years without them, but somehow when I spent time with them, it was like time never passed. Calvin is such a tender-hearted boy and when I started crying, he started crying and he surpassed my tears and kept crying almost all the way to Taipei! (1-1/2 hr flight!) He kept saying how much he is going to miss my sisters and his cousins.
I do hope to see them again much sooner than 20+ years from now.

We're in Taipei!!

We are here in Taipei... I'll post pictures of our last day in Okinawa later, but wanted to let you know that we arrived safely. We are staying at the Riviera Hotel and it is SOOOOO spacious! The hotel in Okinawa was REALLY tiny... we could barely get all our suicases in the room... but this hotel has 2 bedrooms, a living area with a desk, refrigerator, microwave and 2 bathrooms! Tomorrow we get a crib! The lady at the front desk asked us why we needed a crib after seeing our boys :)

We haven't explored Taipei yet since we came in late lastnight, but we are going to head out soon to find some coffee and maybe some breakfast.

More later with pictures :) Tomorrow is ANNA day!!!! I can hardly believe it!!