The Oz Family

Long overdue!

2007-06-03T20:08:00.000-07:00

Wow, has it really been over a month since our last post?! Here are some recent photos.

As you can see, all of the kids are healthy and happy!

Liam's Big Day!

2007-04-30T20:10:00.000-07:00

Liam enjoying his Scooby Doo cake. Happy 3rd birthday big guy!

The whole gang with Grandma and Grandpa A new bike helmet for teh birthday boy!Chelsea getting ready to dance on her present (thankfully it was not breakable!)
Enjoying a little dress up time.More presents!
Big brother Braeden enjoying the fun!

Happy Easter!

2007-04-08T17:19:00.000-07:00

Easter morning - Trying to get three kids to pose for
a picture at once is impossible!

Liam, Rebekah,Makayla, Braeden, Jonah and

Andrew (front) in Canmore Chelsea showing off her dirty food face!
An April snowstorm (sorry for the sideways picture)

Chelsea enjoying a sit with cousin Sydney.

It is hard to beleive that it has been almost a whole month since our last post! Now that we have three kids to keep us busy the time just seems to be flying by. Chelsea has been home with us for two months now and continues to amaze us. It seems like she is learning something new every day. However, she is still having difficulty with her speech (despite her efforts, she can still only say mama, lala and nana), but she has started to use some signs, which is helping her to communicate with us a little better. Her favorite is her own made up sign for night night, which is to raise and wave her fingers in the air (the actions for twinkle twinkle, little star).

Last week we went away on our first trip as a family of five and the kids had a great time skiing, swimming and playing with their friends Makayla, Andrew, Rebekah and Jonah. Going out for dinner with 6 adults and seven children (all five and under I might add) was quite an experience, it is a good thing that it was only Boston Pizza!

Happy Easter everyone!!

A few new pictures

2007-03-11T18:24:00.000-07:00

Sorry that is has been such a long time between posts. The days just seem to whiz by now that we have three busy kids in the house. Chelsea continues to settle in well and is still having a great time exploring her new environment and chasing her big brothers around the house. She has quickly gone from a non-walker to a little girl who can run jump and climb! She has gotten used to the car seat and no longer wails when we go out in the car. She actually gets quite excited now when we go to put her coat on, knowing that she is going to get to go somewhere new. She still hates her bath and the cat and cries if she sees either of them (that is why I just had to include a picture of her wearing her kitty cat tee shirt). She is still eating well, but is starting to get more picky with her tastes, throwing unwanted items on the floor! We have now established a pretty good night time routine of story reading and songs and she is going to bed quite easily. She sleeps around twelve hours at night with a one and a half to two hour nap during the day, so we have no complaints!

The Big Bash!

2007-02-27T18:59:00.000-08:00

Well, here he is, the birthday boy! Braeden turned five years old on February 18th, and we celebrated by having a party at our local community hall. There were 16 kids at the party and it was busy! Braeden and Liam had a great time playing games, eating cake and just running around with their friends. Chelsea also had lots of fun and spent the afternoon toddling around checking everyone out. She absolutely loves watching other kids and it is very cute watching her trying to keep up with the big kids (if you can call 2-5 year olds big kids!)

Here is a picture of Chelsea in her party dress. You will notice that she has already kicked off her party shoes by this point in the day!
I had to add this picture of Chelsea and her bay mum-mum. This was taken on one of her first days home. Trust me, she does not look at crackers that suspiciously anymore! For a girl who literally did not know how to bite and chew food when Grant got her, she sure knows how to feed herself now! I think that we have already gone through 2 boxes of mum-mums in the past two weeks.

Chelsea in her new home

2007-02-14T19:49:00.000-08:00

Three tuckered out kids!

Chelsea with Nana!

Chelsea with her happy new mama!

I am heading to bed very soon (Chelsea is still running on China time and will probably be up in a few hours), but thought that I would post a few new pictures. The PJ's arrived from Grandma in the mail today! Amy

Home Sweet Home

2007-02-09T18:49:00.000-08:00

It was a long day's journey through the night. We left for the airport at 1:30 pm, Chelsea christened the taxi with a potent donation to her diaper. Our plane was airborn by 6:00. After much coaxing, begging and looking helpless, we were seated beside an empty seat, which made the journey a lot more bearable. Chelsea slept for a couple hours, but spent the majority of the flight wrestling with Daddy. Regardless, after about 10.5 hours in the air, we touched down in Vancouver at 12:30 pm PT. We had about an hour and a half to get to our connecting flight, no small task when we had to clear customs and immigration.

Needless to say, we both high-tailed it off the plane, and made it to the immigration booth before anyone else from our plane. Dad worked up a healthy sheen of sweat, but it paid off, as we were able to get through all four steps in the immigration office before our luggage even hit the claim rack. We quickly loaded a push cart, and moved towards customs. No hitches here, and we re-checked the bags, and headed for the security inspection. No problems here, and we headed for our connection to Calgary with twenty minutes to spare, which is good, because the next plane was cancelled so we would have been waiting for a long time if we missed this flight.

Cheslea was pretty tuckered by this point, and after a short cry, she fell asleep for the final leg of the trip. Good thing, cause the plane was packed. I was pretty overwhelmed when we finally saw Amy, Lorraine and the kids. I really missed those guys, and was overjoyed to see everyone. Chelsea finally got to meet her Mom, and her brothers. Both of whom were pretty darned happy to have a little sister to play with.

Liam and Chelsea immediately struck it off, playing peek a boo and making silly noises the whole drive home. She slept well, and seems to be adjusting to her new home, she has even smiled at Amy a few times, and beams whenever her brothers come near her. She has already started to walk across the living room, pretty amazing considering a week ago she wouldn't even stand on her own.

We are extremely fortunate, and blessed to have the opportunity to Add Chelsea to our family, and look forward to the years to come. I would like to thank Yulin and Bob from FOI (our adoption agency), without their help we never would have made it thus far.

Thanks for all of your support, I read all the comments and appreciate the emails and positive encouragement. Take care for now!

Love,
Grant

So Long from Beijing

2007-02-07T05:16:00.000-08:00

Tomorrow is departure day, and although it is likely to be a very long day, it is a day I have been looking forward to with great anticipation. We've enjoyed our visit to Beijing, seen some amazing sights, and eaten some excellent food (Peking duck tonight). However, home is where my heart is, and I yearn to share it with Chelsea.

Today started off with a leisurely stroll through the square and Forbidden City. In all, it took about 2 hours to walk through both. The size of these facilities is astounding. The square itself can hold about half of a million people, and apparently, during civic holidays, it is packed shoulder to shoulder. I was surprised that it was as crowded as it was today. People still stand in line each day to view Mao's remains (stored in a crystal coffin in 1976). In the courtyard, vendors sell everything from kites to postcards... although the police will confiscate the goods of anyone caught selling things in the square itself. I purchased a particularly striking wrist watch depicting Chairman Mao himself, complete with a saluting right hand.

The Forbidden City is breath taking... huge beyond my imagination. There are 9999 separate palaces here. It is said that if a young boy is born within the city, he could spend a night in a different palace and reach the age of 28 before he had to stay in the same palace twice. Much of the city is under renovation, and ongoing task. Amazing attention to detail, intricate carvings, colourful frescoes and roofs.

This afternoon we visited yet another Market. This one was more to my liking. The vendors were willing to bargain. I found a stall selling ski coats, and mentioned a desire to purchase. The young lady led me to the back of the market, out the exit, down three flights of stairs, through a dark doorway and into a closet storage room. Here the walls were packed with ski coats. It was like a scene from a Mobster movie. Nevertheless, I managed to find several "Brand" name coats, that she assured me were Super A quality. I was proud to stick to my lowball bid, and walked away with four coats for 1000 Yuen (about 150 dollars). Later, I had to purchase a new suitcase, and was able to buy a "Samsonite" bag for the spare change I had in my pocket (about 14 dollars). The young lady was happy to stuff all my coats into the bag for me.

Chelsea is quite a character, smiling and giggling with some of the older girls on the bus. She wore her first dress today, (the first Ozechowsky child to do so... to my best knowledge). Don't worry, the bus wasn't moving when I took this picture. Unfortunately, our going away party was postponed until tomorrow, so we will miss it. However, we managed to go for a lovely dinner with Yulin and Bob, and a bunch of our tour group. Peking Duck, and a variety of side dishes was a suitable send off for Chelsea and I.

A busy day tomorrow, but we're coming home ASAP. I have my immigration papers ready, and the passports stowed safely. I started packing this morning, and should have no problem jamming my purchases into the three bags.

See you soon,

Love, G

hello please buy...

2007-02-06T04:10:00.000-08:00

Today was spent squeezing through aisle after aisle in the Pearl market (the top two floors are stacked from floor to ceiling with pearls...black pearls, white pearls, beige pearls, salt water pearls, fresh water pearls, fake pearls etc...). The remaining three floors of the building are crammed with leather goods, garments, shoes and other bric-a-brac. Chelsea and I made a visit to the pearls... and then swung through the shoe and garment sections. We were accosted immediately by dozens of vendors, who all jumped from behind their stalls to guide us towards their wares. On particularly insistent pair of ladies worked me hard for shoes. The bidding process is amazing... at one point the lady got on her hands and knees and took my left shoe off... an act that prompted me to purchase at least something to reward her bravery. Her initial proposal was 2300 Yuen... which is ridiculous... however, after some sarcastic remarks on my behalf, and a few attempts to leave, she settled for less than one quarter of this quote. Anyway, the whole bartering process may seem fun for a while, but the game gets a little annoying when you can't really tell if the goods you are bidding on are even made of genuine leather... or of saskatchewan sealskin.

We also visited the toy market... crazy place. Braeden and Liam would have been in apoplexy. Stacks on stacks of remote controlled do dads, die cast cars, transformers, and plastic dolls lined the walls. Chelsea and I managed to find a couple of items that I think the boys will be happy to receive. I did enjoy this section, because I was a little more aware of the cost these toys would have back home. Plus, some of the stuff was pretty cool.

We also went to the Silk market. I tried to buy some dresses for Chelsea, but the lady wouldn't barter, and her prices were too high. I was amazed by the silk making process. One silk worm pod produces 1300 metres of silk thread. Pretty amazing. I did pick up a couple of items despite my efforts to walk away empty handed.

Tomorrow we are supposed to head to Tienemen, and the Forbidden City. However, it is supposed to rain or snow. If so, I can't go... the tour is about 2 hours, all of it outside. So if the weather is forbidding, then the city is out. Nevertheless, I have one more trip to the clothing market tomorrow afternoon. I'm on a mission for ski coats. If I find them, I guess I'll also be on a mission for luggage.

Chelsea had a solid day. I can't believe that I can tote her from stall to stall for hours on end without her crying or fussing. She even fell asleep for a while when I was bartering in the shoe department... I don't know how with all those crazy ladies tugging and yelling at us.

Two more sleeps, and we're homeward bound.

Love to all,
G

ps, no stellar pictures, but here's a few shots of Chelsea practicing her walking in my neat and tidy hotel room.

First visit to the doctor's office

2007-02-04T21:34:00.000-08:00

A morning at the medical clinic. We left bright and early (7:45) to have medical check ups for the babies. These medical reports need to be included with the other paperwork for the Canadian Immigration procedure. This was the final step in the process to adopt here in China. The next paperwork I need to fill in will be in Vancouver. Hopefully I will have smooth sailing through this step, as I only have an hour and a half in Vancouver airport before my plane is scheduled to leave for Calgary.

Taking 5 babies to see the doctor is no small procedure. It took all morning, and Chelsea and I were the last to leave. As such, we spent much of the time bouncing around in the baby carrier, eating cheerios and looking at the goldfish tank. That’s okay, because Dad got to drink a Starbuck’s coffee (not my favorite brand, but coffee is hard to come by in Beijing).

The doctor spent a little time giving Chelsea the once over. She was impressed with her development, and pleased with her general health. The doctor did order a blood test, to check out Chelsea’s cough. I thought this would take forever, as at home it would entail going to another lab facility and waiting again. However, here, the lab is in the back, and the test itself was over in about 10 minutes. They took a pin prick of her finger, collected a few drops, fed it to a machine, and spewed out some data moments later. The doctor says that she has a cold virus, and gave me some decongestant syrup. Hopefully this will help Chelsea kick the nasty cough she has before we leave for Canada.

I have Chelsea’s medical form here, so I’ll give you the highlights.she is 81 cm long (75%ile), 9.9 kg in weight (30th %ile) and her head circumference is 47 cms (about 60th %ile). Cute, very (100th %ile).

I should note here that I am suitably impressed with myself, not for being able to care for an infant, but because I haven’t lost any of the important paperwork I have been toting around with me. I think I have checked my dossier about three times a day, and have kept it all locked in the room safe. So far, so good.

Tomorrow… silk and pears… I mean silk and pearls.

Love to everyone,

G

ps no new pictures yet, I'll take some later.

The long and winding wall

2007-02-04T04:44:00.000-08:00

So The Wall…
We drove about an hour and a half north of the city, and visited one of the older, well preserved sections of the wall. In this section, the terrain is quite mountainous, and the wall snakes through the hills as far as you can see. Although the walkway on the wall is quite smooth, there are an awful lot of steps, and each step is a little different from the one previous. Some steps are quite short, while others require a lengthy stride. Not a problem if you’re not carrying a baby, a backpack and a camera bag. But, after about an hour of hiking up and down the hills, my body was talking to me in a somewhat profane manner. Regardless, the visit was worth the drive and the sweat. Even if the entire length I hiked was packed full of vendors pawning “I climbed the Wall” tee shirts, postcards and goofy Mongolian style hats. It is quite a spectacular experience though, when you think of how much blood sweat and tears went into the construction of this immense project.

We also stopped at a Jade factory… lots of jewelry, some expensive, some more reasonable. The big seller seems to be the jade bracelet (worn always on the left wrist… it’s closer to the heart that way).

We also made a pit stop at a cloissone (I think that’s how you spell it) factory. Lots of knick knack kind of stuff made out of enameled copper. I browsed a little, but Chelsea was starting to make my back ache a little.

Lunch was Chinese style, around large round tables with a “lazy susan” sort of platform in the centre. Platters of food were placed in the middle, and we all rotated the platform to select what we desired. Quite a selection indeed, sweet and sour chicken, stir fried vegetables, noodle soup, rice, French fries etc…

In all, it was a long day. Lots of hours on a bus, and a fair amount of time wandering through the aforementioned factories. The wall was a true experience, and both Chelsea and I can claim to have successfully climbed it.

At the hotel we both sort of took it easy. Chelsea had a good meal, and then she practiced her walking. She can stand on her own now, and is willing to take one or two steps towards me. I think she is getting close to walking on her own. She is also becoming a bit of a character. She smiles a lot more often, and seems to enjoy her time with her dad. She was great on the bus ride too, rarely fussing, mostly just squirming around to see what everyone else was doing.

Tomorrow we go to the doctors office (ya hoo)… all morning at the clinic while each baby has a once over. After that, the papers go to the Canadian Embassy. We are scheduled to leave her at 7:45am, and won’t be back until 12:00. The group is headed to the Beijing zoo in the afternoon, I think I’ll give it a miss though. I would rather spend some quality time with the girl, maybe do some wandering around here… I’m about bussed out.

Only four more sleeps till travel day!

To the Wall

2007-02-03T04:57:00.000-08:00

Well, tomorrow we are headed to the Great Wall, so I will be away all day. As such, I wanted to post a couple shots from this afternoon. We took in the Summer Palace, which is about 40 minutes from our hotel. It is a sprawling park filled with decorative walkways, carvings, palaces and memorials. It also sports a huge man made lake and a giant boat made of solid marble. Mostly, it was a nice walk for Daddy and daughter in the gorgeous sunshine.

I also snapped a couple pictures of Chelsea's favorite pastime, looking at herself in the mirror... shades of things to come? Mark Tuesday and Wednesday on your calendar Amy, those are the days we go shopping!

PS, Jeff tells me that the Leafs are on a tear since I left the country, just one of the selfless sacrifices I make for my team!

Saturday Morning

2007-02-02T21:11:00.000-08:00

Well we’re in Beijing. Chelsea and I survived the first airplane trip, and have one big one left before we get home. She handled the airplane great, no real whining or complaining. She was mostly content playing on my lap. The airline attendants loved her, and constantly fawned over her.

The Hotel is awesome, the rooms are large, and close to a shopping centre. Don’t get your hopes up yet Amy, I didn’t see anything that looked interesting. I did buy some “chops” today for all three kids. These are intricate carvings that detail the birthdate and names of each child. Also, I found a really cool wall hanging called “100 children” that I figure we can have framed at some point.

This morning Chelsea and I were the only ones in the breakfast buffet from our tour group. I was hoping to meet some of the other parents who were adopting from a different city. However, their plane was really late (2:00 am), so none of them were too spry. When Michelle arrived with Shuai, one of the waitresses asked me if the kids were twins. It got me thinking… if people assume that Michelle and I are married when Duane isn’t in the immediate vicinity, what do they think about me and Duane when we have the kids, and Michelle is elsewhere? I mean, I am a modern guy, but not that modern… not that there’s anything wrong with it!

This afternoon we have a tour of the Summer Palace, a real significant landmark of Beijing. I am looking forward to checking it out. I hear it is fascinating… and there might be some shopping to be had Amy!

Some quick shots of the kid playing with the remote… I think she’s trying to turn it to the sports channel… Daddy’s little girl!

Back to Beijing

2007-02-01T20:20:00.000-08:00

Well it's Friday morning, not much in the way of excitement today. We took care of the remaining paperwork, receiving the official adoption papers and Chelsea's Chinese passport. It is pretty impressive that they could have the passport application submitted Tuesday, and have the actual passport by Friday. The Chinese definitely have an air of efficiency about them. So now instead of a wad of american dollars (Chelsea and I "donated" the US funds to the orphanage this morning, I have a stack of paperwork. So I'll include a picture of my most important package... next to the baby girl of course.

I am proud to say that Chelsea christened the meeting with the Chinese officials by filling her diaper (fragrantly). Dad got to show off his ability to change a dirty bum in front of an audience. Anyway, Chelsea's all clean now, and I have a good story to tell at her wedding.

She has been really working on her walking, still holding on to walls and tables, but gaining confidence. I don't think she had much of an opportunity to exercise in the orphanage, it seems that she is just becoming acquainted with her feet. I suppose walking would be made more complicated by the thick layers of clothing she wore in the orpanage.

Regardless, she tired herself out so much that she fell asleep on her feet. I'll include a snap shot of this auspicious moment too.

Grant

PS anyone worried about the eating situation in China, don't be. Last night we had enormous noodle bowls (spicy spicy), eating our fill and beyond. The bill came to about 2 dollars. Plus, they sell bugle corn chips in a variety of savoury flavours!

Thursday Morning

2007-01-31T19:52:00.000-08:00

This morning Chelsea slept like a champ...7:30am... do you hear that Braeden and Liam! We had a quick breakfast and headed to a park. Hefei is an industrial city, so there are not a lot of historical sites. However, we did visit this park, dedicated to a famous political advisor named Bao. The site contains a temple, a wax museum and a courtyard with some elaborate wood cut outs. In addition, the grounds are well groomed and meticulously constructed. I had the guide take a couple quick shots of the two of us, sort of the same pose in a different location.

I also wanted to stick a picture of Duane, Michelle and Shuai. I have been really fortunate to have the three of them with me here. We have gone for several walks and meals together. It has been great having them here to help keep me organized.

Some interesting use of English on this sign. If you can't read it, it says "fruit leather case". I don't know what is intended here, but I used the recepticle as a trash can.

I included a super close of of Chelsea. It is a little awkward trying to snap pictures with a rug rat pulling at the camera strap! I also shoved in a picture taken about a minute ago, Chelsea falling asleep on Daddy's shoulder. No, I am not really as bald as I appear, it's just a trick of the light. I actually have thick, lucious locks...

I have been astounded by the people of Hefei. Specifically, the doormen, wait staff and maids in the hotel. They go out of their way to help out. Yesterday one of the maids spent about 15 minutes trying to help me put Chelsea down for her nap (unsuccessfully, but the thought's what counts). At dinner, two different waitresses wiped Chelsea's nose for her when I had one hand on dinner, and the other on the child. Later, another waitress carried my plate for me as I loaded it liberally with sushi and fried clams (for me, not Chelsea, she ate mashed potatoes, chicken and yams).

You know, I've come a long way, visited thousand year old monuments, been immersed in a language I can't come close to comprehending and been exposed to marvelous new experiences. However, one thing remains the same... when a baby poops in Asia, it still smells the same. Speaking of which, I have one diaper in particular that needs attending to.

I have about a week to go before we come home. We will enjoy our time, but look forward to our homecoming.

Take care,
Grant

Wednesday morning

2007-01-30T19:44:00.000-08:00

Well well well, I guess once we signed the official papers, Chelsea was more eager to show her tempestuous side. She was a tad cranky this morning, putting Dad through his paces. I think she has a touch of cold, so the mornings are a little grumpy. She is also a bit of a perpetual motion machine, constantly crawling, climbing kicking, grabbing and grappling with everything in sight (which is most often various parts of her Daddy). Once we got her into the carrier though, she was back to her contented self. We took a stroll down the main drag again with Michelle, Duane and Suai. I asked Duane to snap a couple of pictures of Daddy and daughter (it has been hard to take group shots when the group consists of one adult and one 16 month old... Chelsea's photography skills are nothing to brag about).

We posed in front of a couple of Buddhist temples, they sell incense at the shop next door, and you can smell it burning as you walk past. Check out the dude on the bike below!

Yesterday we saw a guy with a triple decker stack of live chickens on the back of his bicycle. A feat made much more remarkable when you see the crazy traffic in this city. Cars weave in and out of both lanes, there are few traffic lights, and very little attention to the concept of merging. It's like an ongoing game of "frogger" everytime you cross the street.

Chelsea fell asleep on the way back to the hotel, but the maid was making up our room when we arrived, and in the hubub she woke up again. We had a robust lunch of pablum and prunes (oh yeah), oranges, bananas and a sort of mini-go yogourt. Then the little lady practiced her tap dance on my head for about an hour before I finally managed to rock her to sleep. My back feels like someone danced a wa-toosy (is that a word) on it, and my hips ache too. Oh well, the rewards have been many, as Chelsea seems to be growing fond of me, giggling, grinning and playing games with me.

I miss you all, especially my family, and can't wait to hug and kiss Braeden and Liam (I guess I have a hug or two left for Amy too.. don't get your hopes up Masse!).

See you soon!

P.S. thanks for all the words of encouragement, they are appreciated!

Grant

Tuesday Night

2007-01-30T05:22:00.000-08:00

Well, as far as the Chinese government is concerned, we're good to go! Chelsea and I passed the inspection of the government notaries, and we were issued her birth certficate. The notary gave us quite a touching speech, regarding their appreciation for our adopting "their daughters", and how they were proud of us for making these babies part of our own families. This sentiment was later reinforced by our guide, who was heartfelt in thanking us. We all (myself, Duane and Michelle (the other Albertan couple I am travelling with)) feel that the honour and privilege is ours. We will have a lifetime of joy from these children, a reward I am already experiencing here in Hefei.

Chelsea and I had a walk through downtown together. I should say, I walked, she snuggled in the carrier. I still can't get over the expressions people have as I walk past. I'm not sure which is more striking for them, the baby girl, or the goofy guy toting her around. Anyway, it is a different experience.

At dinner we ate at the noodle house (unbelievable food... we ate our fill and payed about 2 dollars a head), and met up with an American couple who had just adopted a 2.5 year old girl. What a cutie! She could use chopsticks better than me (I guess that's not saying too much, but it's still cool). This couple had four boys at home, and they couldn't be happier with their new addition. This was a pleasant contrast to the lady I mentioned earlier (turns out she did refuse the adoption).

Chelsea and I played in the room until bedtime, she is already gaining confidence walking. I think the seven layers of cotton clothing she wore 24 hours a day might have hindered her ability to move around in the past. She is eating hefty meals, and gurgling back the formula. Now she is snoozing, and I'm going to do some laundry in the sink (oh, how bourgeois!).

Take care, we'll all see you soon.

Grant

Sweet Dreams

2007-01-29T20:22:00.000-08:00

Tuesday Morning

2007-01-29T19:53:00.000-08:00

Well we made it through the first night. Chelsea slept until around 6:15. I am amazed at how quick she seems to have adapted to her father's presence. As soon as she woke up, I took her into my bed and she just snuggled right in beside me for about 30 minutes. It was very peaceful. She loves to go for a walk in the baby carrier, and we strolled around Hefei's busy streets for an hour or so. What a city it is. As far as the eye can see are high rise after high rise. The streets are bustling with cars, bicycles and scooters. All this combined with the lack of street lights make the roadways chaotic at best. Everywhere I walk the old ladies approach me, wanting to touch Chelsea's hands and smiling at me. One lady offered me two dollars for Chelsea! So far, things are going better than I expected. Chelsea seems to be content, and Dad isn't as overwhelmed (yet) as he thought he would be. I go to sign the official acceptance forms this afternoon. The last 24 hours is basically a "test-drive". Potential parents have the right to return the child if they don't like it. A point that was emphasized yesterday when a lady in the noodle house brought her new daughter to my table. The girl was as cute as could be, but she wasn't speaking. The new mom was considering terminating the adoption because her new girl wasn't talking enough. I am still a little shocked that someone would come all this way only to turn their backs on such a beautiful child. I wonder what would happen to the baby if it was returned to the orphanage... I imagine she would not be matched with another parent. Anyway, I will be keeping Chelsea! I can't wait to show her off back home, and miss everyone.

Love, Grant

got her

2007-01-29T03:49:00.000-08:00

Well Chelsea and I finally hooked up this afternoon. She was really quiet at first, but started to smile and giggle after about an hour or so. Mostly just filling out forms and playing with my little girl this evening. I am working out what to feed her. Although the nannies told me what she ate at the orphanage, I must not have the same magic touch. So far just cheerio pieces, mum mum crackers and orange chunks. She has managed to drink a bit, and she had her first sponge bath. So far so good. We're having a busy, but fun evening. I'll slap on some pictures too.

P.S. the lady in the picture is one of the Nannies from the orphanage. I don't have a lot of pictures of Daddy with Daughter yet, but will try to get someone to take some soon. Thanks for the encouraging words, to all my students... get back to work (especially you Peen Dog!).

In Beijing

2007-01-28T03:36:00.000-08:00

Well, it seemed like Air Canada was conspiring against me, but somehow I managed to arrive safe and sound In Beijing. As I sit in my room tonight, I am wondering how our lives will change tomorrow. Will Chelsea scream and cry when she sees me (I imagine so, I have this affect on all women). Will I manage to bumble my way through the assorted paperwork, fees and red tape? I know that tomorrow will bring a new excitement to our lives, and open a path to new adventure for our family. I am humbled by the opportunity that is presented to me (us), and only hope that I can make everyone proud. When I post next, I'll tell you about Daddy's little girl.

Two very excited big brothers

2007-01-27T13:29:00.000-08:00

Well, we took Grant to the airport this morning and he should be in the air enroute to Beijing as I write this! Braeden and Liam are sad that dad had to go, but are very excited about meeting their little sister when they get back. In the meantime, the boys are looking forward to following the blog to see what kind of pictures dad is going to post. We have decdied to post these pictures so that Chelsea can see what her mom and two big brothers look like!

Three more sleeps!

2007-01-24T09:39:00.000-08:00

I still cannot believe that Grant is actually leaving for China in just three days. He is going to be holding Chelsea in his arms in less than one week! We have been very busy trying to organize and pack for the trip. We received a partial itinerary for the trip and it looks like Grant and Chelsea are going to be very busy! Aside from the required visits to government offices for all of the adoption related papaerwork, they will also have some time to do some shopping and sight-seeing while in Beijing. Trips are planned to the Great Wall, the Summer Palace, The Beijing Zoo and the Forbidden city. hopefully Chelsea will travel well!!

TA - Day 101!!!!

2007-01-20T09:56:00.000-08:00

After a long wait of 101 days, our Notice of Coming has finally arrived! We got the call from Edmonton on Thursday and I am sitting around the house this morning (Saturday) waiting for the official paperwork to arrive. Grant will be leaving for China on January 27th (yes, next Saturday!) with a group of 10-12 other families from our agency. He will be spending one night in Beijing and then he will fly to Heifi, Anhui, on Monday, January 29th. If all goes well, he should be meeting Chelsea for the first time on that very day!! Grant has promised to keep the blog updated with news and photos while in China, so please check back often! I will include an updated photo of Chelsea taken in early January.

Day 98!!

2007-01-14T16:02:00.000-08:00

Well, here we are on day 98 of our wait for TA! When we originally sent in our LOI on October 9th we never expected that we would have to wait this long for our travel approval. As it turns out, we are one of the FIRST families that have been asked to sign a new SN form, called a seeking commitment form. We received this form from Alberta Children's Services on Friday and have already signed it and sent it back. Now it is anybody's guess as to when our TA might arrive. The 'guestimates' on the American sites range anywhere from two weeks to three months! Obviously we are hoping those saying two weeks are correct!

I am including an email that I sent to a friend below. It outlines just what kind of day we had on Friday, trying to get our new letter to Calgary and then sent off to our agency director in Beijing. She suggested that we keep it for Chelsea's lifebook and I think that is a great idea! I apologize for the way that the email cut and pasted.

What a day we had yesterday!! We were both working and trying to stay in > close> contact with Faith and Grace. We had been told that our letter would have > to> be picked up at their office by 11:00 in order to get to Greyhound and be> processed for the 1:00 bus to Calgary. Well, the letter arrived at the > office> at 11:00. We phoned the courier and begged them to try to get the form > there,> because Greyhound said it had to be dropped of by noon. So......they > picked it> up at 11:51 and got it there by 12:00. However, they told us (after all of> this) that the mail would not be sorted until 5:30! And we had to get the> letter from downtown to the airport (north of the city) by 6:30, in Friday> traffic. So..... we dropped our kids at the neighbours at 5:00 and took > off> downtown. We got the letter at 5:30 and raced through traffic to the > airport.> We made it there by 6:05!!!!!!! This is the first thing that has gone > right> for us all week. Now the letter should be in China by 5:00 on Monday. We > sent> it directly to (our director's) brother's house, so that she can had deliver it on> Tuesday. We hope that (our director) will explain to the CCAA what we went through to get > the> letter back to them and that they will see this as a sign of our > dedication to> this adoption! We still cannot believe what we had to go through for one little piece of paper!>> Now we just have to wait and see what happens next.>

Getting closer!

2007-01-06T18:49:00.000-08:00

Sorry that it has been such a long time between posts, but this is all pretty new to us! I thought I would update our situation. As of today, we are on day 90 of our wait for TA. This means that our letter of intent to adopt Xiao Fang was received at teh CCAA 90 days ago. TA's are currently taking about 95 days to process, so we are hopeful that ours will be arriving very soon. If all goes well, then Grant will be leaving for China on January 27th (so, keep your fingers crossed!).

Introducing Xiao, Fang!

2006-10-18T12:58:00.000-07:00

Well, her she is. This is our beautiful daughter! Here are some statistics about her:

Name: Xiao Fang - Xiao for where she is from and Fang meaning 'fragrant'
Canadian name: Chelsea Xiaofang
Birthdate: October 6, 2005
Birthplace: XiaoXian, Anhui
SWI: XiaoXian SWI *placed in foster care as of October,2006
weight: 16.5lbs - as of 8 months

A few notes about her orphange/province:

XiaoXian is a county in the North East section of Anhui province. This is a mainly rural area that produces a variety of crops. The area is also said to be mountainous. XiaoXian SWI is a very poor orphange and houses about 30 children. In August of 2006 their well ran dry and many of the children got very sick from drinking unclean water. As a result, a wonderful charity, Love Without Boundaries has recently stated to work with the orphanage. They have sent in volunteers who have dug a new well. They have also purchased a refrigerator, some air conditioners and new cribs for the orphanage. Most recently they have decided to help fund many (if not all) of the XiaoXian children for foster care. Luckily, Chelsea has been placed in foster care already.

A recap of our adoption timeline

2006-10-18T12:53:00.000-07:00

August 2005 - Decided to adopt
October 2005 - started paperwork
January 2006- completed HS
February 2006 - submitted paperword to Ottawa
March 17, 2006 - Dossier was sent to the CCAA
April 4th, 2006 - Dossier was logged in at the CCAA
June 12, 2006 - Switched to the WC program
September 22, 2006- received our first referral pictures of Xaio, Fang
October 9, 2006- Letter of Intent arrives at the CCAA

1st blog post!

2006-10-18T12:49:00.000-07:00

Well, Grant will not believe that I am doing this, but I have decided to set up a family blog. I thought that this would be a good way to journal our adoption story so that we can share it with the kids when they get older. Here goes nothing!