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9/23/2006 What a wonderful world!Today is our 6th day with our amazing beautiful daughter and we couldn't be happier. She is the best baby and I am not just saying that as her mother, we hear that from everyone, Chinese and American. What a difference from other babies I have known and been around. She is happy almost all the time except when she wants a bottle and we don't bring it fast enough, when her diaper is being changed, or when I am changing her clothes. She is just a tiny thing (to us) and is wearing 6-9 mos. clothes. I thought she'd be a lot bigger so I only brought bigger clothes so it gave me an excuse to go shopping for more clothes while we've been here. Randy just lets me go as usual and doesn't say anything.
Ella has enriched our lives tremendously over these last few days and we cannot wait to see what the future holds for our family with her a part of it. We have been blessed beyond any belief. I cannot imagine having a better baby than our Ella Bella. Anyway, enough bragging, we are now in Guangzhou and this is our 2nd day here. We are staying at the China Hotel/Marriott and we have an apartment/suite which has a kitchen, two bedrooms, two bathrooms, and a living room. We also have a washer/dryer which has saved us on laundry costs. Of course, it takes about 3 hours to dry a 1/6 of a load at home but at least we don't have to pay for it. Not that we have spent that much on laundry anyway but it's been nice to be able to wash Ella's things without sending them out.
Guangzhou is really nice compared to Beijing and Nanchang where we got Ella. Nanchang was boring and not much to see. It was nice seeing her finding place, where she was abandoned on October 30th, 2005. The paperwork we got even told us the name of the person that found her and took her to the orphanage (SWI). It was a very emotional experience but after we left I had a peace about it all knowing that her birth mother made a huge sacrifice that day so I could become a mother. I prayed and thought about her birth mother alot that afternoon hoping that she knows that her baby will be loved and taken care of. I cannot imagine laying that precious angel at the foot of a sculpture and walking away but she did that and now I have a beautiful daughter that we cherish more than anything.
Ella has been such a delight to us. She LOVES looking in the mirror and seeing herself, she smiles real big and even giggles a little. I think she just loves showing off her 8 teeth (4 top, 4 bottom) but nonetheless, we get a real kick out of it. She loves anything that makes noise and LOVES to eat. She takes a bottle when she is sleepy or when she first wakes up in the morning but she is eating everything we do practically. Yesterday, at her physical exam, she weighed 18.4 lbs. but I think she's more like 15-16. She has gotten a little Buddha belly since being with us, probably from all the food she's taking in. I'm sure she only got formula and rice congee (porridge made with rice) before we came along but now she is eating whatever I put in her mouth or on the spoon. She loves bananas and oatmeal so she is definitely a mama's girl.
I'll post more later but I must get a shower before we go sightseeing in a few hours. The time seems to go by soooooooooo slow here but we are managing.
Teresa (Mama) 9/19/2006 So far so good....So far so good over here in Nanchang! Nanchang is the capital city of Ella's home province, Jiangxi. The air quality isn't as bad as Beijing, although there still is a bit of haziness in the air. Our hotel is nice on the outside and in the lobby. But our room isn't as nice as the one in Beijing. I got to watch some REAL football!! Our room gets ESPN so I get to see what's going on sportswise in the States. The food here isn't that bad. The buffet dinners that the hotel provides have a huge variety. From frog legs, osterich, fried goose, and fish heads to baked pork spare ribs, french fries, and pizza. Yesterday we went to Kentucky Fried Chicken......and man that was good!! We bought a bucket and wolfed it down like it was the last meal we had on earth. We really miss American food! We also did some shopping yesterday at Wal-Mart. It was kinda' crazy in there but what Wal-Mart isn't? Lots of exotic foods at Wal-Mart.....I saw pig snout, chicken feet, whole duck (neck and head), and lots of seafood.
Ella is a really good baby.....she eats well, sleeps well, and she hardly ever cries. I guess you can't ask for more when you're first time parents. She took to us very well from the start. We were told that she only poops once a day......since we got her, it has changed.....more like 3 times a day! She loves to look at herself in the mirror and play with the toys that we've given her. Oh and that smile of hers.....what a cutie!! Today we go to see her orphanage, her finding place where she was abandoned, and her hometown. It'll be very emotional for us and we'll take lots of pictures. We'll see how it goes.
Until next time!
-Randy and Teresa My daughterElla Grace Aiping Cuares.........every time I hear or see her name I just can't get over the fact that I'm her father. She has made my life complete, even more so since Teresa and I were married. I've always wanted to start a family of my own and now......I have it!! It's a wonderful feeling knowing that a lifelong goal has been accomplished. I know I haven't been a religous person but I do believe that she is a gift from God himself. He's blessed Teresa and I with this wonderful, precious, beautiful, baby girl! Ella will always be my little girl....and I will always be her ever caring father.
With all my love to you Ella,
-Daddy (aka Baba) 9/17/2006 Today I become a Mom!Where do I begin? I've been waiting for this moment all my life and here it is, the day that I become a mom for the first time. I know that some people may not understand adoption and may not support it but this is my way of being a mom after struggling with infertility for sooooooooooooooo long (the last 12 years or so). Not many people know that beyond Randy so it's very personal. So many times, I've heard that isn't true but I guess they are just insensitive or ignorant to the problems and emotional issues attached to infertility issues such as mine. It's been very difficult at times not knowing if I could give my husband a child but now, that is all about to change. We chose to adopt Ella because we just wanted to be parents. I could care less where she came from, I just wanted a baby and I wanted to be a mother. For years, I told people I didn't want children because it was easier to tell people close to me rather than telling them how many times I'd been told I couldn't get pregnant. But, today, Monday September 18, 2006, I become a long awaited mother to a beautiful, gorgeous, sweet baby girl named Feng Ai Ping or as we call her, Ella Grace AiPing! No one can or will ever take this away from me, not today, not ever!
Today, I become Ella's mama and I will be the best mother I can be, with all my heart and soul! My biggest concern is that I always treat her with the utmost respect and dignity no matter what she looks like, what she does, or what kind of person she becomes. I certainly hope that I learn as I go to be the best mother to Ella that she could ask for. I want to be supportive of everything she does and be proud of her no matter what my own expectations are.
Ella Bella, you are about to change my life forever and your Baba and I cannot wait. We are so anxious to meet you, hold you, touch your face, and hug you today, in less than 12 hours! Today is our Gotcha Day! See you very soon, my angel.
Love,
Mama
Ready For Ella!!!One night away from getting our baby daughter Ella!! We've packed our bags and are resting for THE big day tomorrow. Our flight leaves from Beijing to Nanchang in the morning and by early afternoon Ella will be in our hands ^__^! So far we've visited The Forbidden City, The Summer Palace, Tian'anman Square, The Great Wall, and pearl, jade, and silk factories. The food in Beijing is good.....I liked most of the dishes that were served as they were mostly Chinese meals. Teresa on the other hand had a different opinion. I think she's had her fill of Chinese food for the entire year. Breakfast at the hotel is a different story....in fact, yesterday and this morning were the best meals we've had so far! Eggs, omelettes, bacon, ham, sausage, oatmeal, cereal....everything we see in the states and more! At least we get to visit the breakfast buffet one more time before we leave Beijing. That's all for now.....tomorrow is a big day for us....our last chance to get some decent sleep for a long, long time. We're ready for parenthood!!!
-Randy (Baba) 9/15/2006 We're Finally Here!!!!Hello from Beijing!! After a long 13 hour flight and a half hour bus ride in heavy traffic, we're finally here! We landed just before 2pm China time (that's 2am EST for those back in the States). The flight went pretty smooth considering two young babies got sick just a row away from us. The food was excellent and everybody was in a good mood. We got to see The DeVinci Code a few hundred times, not to mention looped programs of CSI, CSI Miami, and CSI New York. Teresa got to hold a seven week old infant Chinese girl while I broke out the laptop and watched Leave It to Beaver DVDs. Customs was a breeze and we claimed all our luggage with no hassles. The air quality isn't as good over here since what we thought was fog turned out to be pollution (from cars, factories, etc). On our way back to our hotel, we saw a man urinating on the side of the road for everyone to see. On the street you see lots of taxis, buses, bicyles, and people. Tomorrow we have a long day ahead of us as we tour Tian'anman Square, The Forbidden City, a pearl factory, and some shopping. The money exchange rate works out well for us. I exchanged $200 US dollars for Y1,573.62 yuan. I guess that's all for now....we're tired and hungry.
Until next time,
-Randy and Teresa
PS TWO DAYS TO OUR BABY GIRL!! 9/12/2006 Two Days left!!!!!!!!!!Here it is, two days before we leave for China! I cannot believe that all that waiting and here we are down to just two days. Actually, not even two days since we leave the morning of the 14th. We are packed ( I think) and I cannot believe how much stuff we have stuffed into 3 suitcases. It is amazing how much stuff you need for a baby that you've never met before. I cannot wait to meet our daughter and hold her and smell her and play with her toes and fingers. It has been a very long wait and I am so nervous. We had to say goodbye to our dogs, Jake and Maggie, tonight since my parents came and got them this evening. It was not a pretty scene with both of us crying our eyes out from missing them already and they hadn't even pulled out of the driveway yet. They have been our only babies (children) for the last 3 years and it's hard leaving them even though we know they are in great care with my parents who will spoil them rotten.
Randy is busy playing with his new toy, a laptop, and trying to put as many bells and whistles programs on it as he can before we leave. We are taking movies with us for us and some for Ella Bella to watch in case we are bored. Like that will happen! Anway, follow along as we'll be updating as much as we can on a daily basis with new pics and lots of interesting facts about China and Ella Bella.
Talk to you all from China!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Teresa |
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