Shopping

We have had a blast shopping in Guangzhou. There are so many little shops, and they all have pretty much the same exact thing, but it is a lot of fun. We found the perfect blanket for Libby since she was very attached to the one in our last hotel, and they wouldn't let us buy it for her. She has become attached to the new one and we are glad because it definitely helps her sleep. Today we had her doctor appointment. She did very well, was very cooperative and got a clean bill of health. We also went to the local jade and pearl shops which were very overwhelming. I am grateful for our guide because some of the sellers were obviously trying to take advantage of us as foreigners since we have no idea how much things should cost. He helped us a lot. Tomorrow, our adoption rep and local guide go to the American Consulate appointment for us at 11:00am local time. We have to stay in our room in case there is any question with our paper work, but that should go smoothly. We are taking a picture of all of the babies in our group on the famous "red couch" in the White Swan hotel. Then, tomorrow night is a celebration dinner (another one) with our group. We still have some more shopping to do, so it should be a busy day.

Guangzhou

We are in Guangzhou, our final destination in China. We are staying at the White Swan Hotel, where most adopting families stay, so there are tons of American families with babies. It is nice. Not as big, new or fancy as the Intercontinental in ChongQing, but nice. The flight here was good and Libby fell asleep during the landing!!! She did well, and only fussed for a few minutes just before she fell asleep. Oh, and she vomitted all over her mom!!! Dad was holding her, and managed not to get a drop on him. She is not sick, so either the roll we gave her didn't agree with her or she had some motion sickness from the flight. but she has eaten again and is playing. Yesterday, we took a taxi to the Wal Mart. That was very interesting. It is a 2 story store inside a plaza. The grocery part took the whole bottom floor, and clothes, toys, sporting goods, etc.. on the top. A lot like the US in some ways and very different in others. Check out some of the pictures - the frogs were in the meat department!! We are about to check out the town and look for something to eat. There isn't a Pizza Hut, KFC or Starbucks right outside our hotel, but we will find something. Tommorow is Visa picture for Libby and shopping. We'll keep you posted. We will also be celebrating Easter as a family, without our Church but still very grateful to our Lord Jesus Christ who died on a cross for our sins. That alone is an overwhelming, amazing blessing.

Ci Qi Kou Ancient Town

It is Friday morning in China and things continue to go well. Libby slept great last night and had fewer "nightmares" than before. She will wake up crying during the night, but put herself back to sleep within a few seconds. Last night was her best night yet, so hopefully she is adjusting to her new sleeping environment. She is still very happy and enjoys her baths and bottles. She plays so well and is very active. Yesterday, we went to Ci Qi Kou Ancient Town. It was full of street vendors and was really neat. We got to do some shopping and see some very interesting foods. Today we do some adoption paperwork, and may talk to our guide about taking a trip to the local Wal Mart. It is about 15 minutes from here and it would be neat to see what it is like in China. We'll take pictures and keep you posted. Thank you for the prayers. We are overwhelmed by the abundance of blessings.

Zoo Day.

Today we went to the Chongqing zoo. We saw several pandas, the giant ones and red ones. They were really cute. Libby enjoyed the outing, as a change of scenery is great for everyone. She is doing very well. The only crying she did yesterday, was when it was time to go to bed. She gets very tired, and we haven't learned exactly how she wants to be put to sleep. She has been happy today, and has done a lot of laughing. She is very attached to Mom, and loves to play with Dad, but doesn't want him to hold her or for me to leave the room. Tomorrow is another busy day of sightseeing in the morning, and then celebrating all of the baby birthday's in our group. We'll post some birthday photos tomorrow. Thanks for the prayers.

Gotcha Day!!!

Most babies enter the world screaming, and that is just how Libby decided to enter into our family!!! When we got to the orphanage, there was 1 baby screaming, and we had a 1 out 4 chance she was ours. She screamed non stop for 1 solid hour before we got on the bus and she passed out. She slept for 1 hour, and then spent the next hour crying and sleeping. As soon as we got into our hotel room, she stopped crying and looked around. I tried to explain to her the importance of first impressions, but I don't think it sunk in!!! She took a bath, which she loved. She tried to dive head first into the water, so it took the 2 of us to bathe her. She quickly got to the point where she would sit on the bed and play with toys and babble. It is a great sound, and she loves to play with her toys. She took a 1 hour nap in the afternoon, and regressed a little when she woke up and wasn't sure where she was. We took a walk to the mall nearby which is a beautiful 7 story building with very elite stores. She loved this and didn't make a sound the entire time we were out. The interesting thing is that the local people do not stare at us, but they all seem to stare at her. We are now back in our hotel room and she is back to babbling and playing. We are hoping for a good night sleep and a great day tomorrow. We'll keep you posted.

Chongqing

We are in Libby's city!!! Today, we flew from Beijing to Chongqing. It was about a 2 hour and 45 minute flight. Chongqing is a very big, busy city. Our hotel is the most beautiful I have ever stayed at, and when we got to our room, there was already a crib in it for us. That was a great feeling. We spent almost an hour doing paper work, and then we went to the grocery store. It was a grocery, department store in one. To me, it seemed much bigger than a Wal-Mart, but it may be because it was very overwhelming. Everything was in Chinese. We had fun getting some crackers, and formula for Libby. We also found Pringles and Oreos for us!!! For dinner, we ate at the Pizza Hut across from our hotel. It was delicious. We have had a long, busy day and are ready to go to bed. We meet tomorrow morning at 9:00am (Sat evening 9:00pm EST) to drive to Libby's orphanage. It is about a 2 hour drive. Our next post will be all about Libby. Thank you for your continued prayers.
Love, Libby's family

Beijing

We made it to Beijing. The flight was great, but long. No turbulence, very smooth and the food was good too. The flight plan was very interesting. We flew from DC above Maine, Greenland, the North Pole (that was cool), Russia and into China. We could see land the entire time and it was beautiful, mostly snow. The entire flight was daylight. The inagural celebration continued on the plane, and after we landed in Beijing. We received a certificate, a goodie bag with a stuffed panda, and a stamp collection of US and China stamps. We were also interviewed by the Washington Post. So far everything has been great and I am hoping my body will adjust well with a good night sleep. Tomorrow we are touring Beijing including the Great Wall. Thanks for the thoughts and prayers. We are praising God for allowing us to be here and be a part of this amazing time. We will post again tomorrow.

So exciting!!!!

Well, it's finally here. As I typed those words, tears came to my eyes, which is not surprising to everyone who knows me!!! We are sitting in Washington DC, waiting for our direct flight to Beijing, and we got the neatest surprise. Our flight is the inagural flight of United from DC to Beijing. It is really a big deal. We had no idea until someone on our connecting flight from Atlanta told us. There are tons of reporters, decorations, catered food, and the mayor is coming to give a speech. Maybe the food will be extra special!!! It was really a neat surprise, and we have already taken several pictures for Libby's scrapbook. There are actually a few people getting on the plane, flying to Beijing for the inagural flight, and then coming straight back for the inagural flight back. That sounds crazy to me. There is a lady near me talking to reporters who just flew in from Australia just for this flight, because "inagural flights are so fun". I thought going to get Libby was enough excitement for one trip, and now this!!! Thanks to everyone for keeping up with our journey, and our next post will be from China. We love you.

YIPPPPEEEE!!! Travel Plans!!!!!

We are so excited to post that we have our travel plans. Thank you for your continued prayers for our family. The wait to meet Libby is almost over. We leave on Wednesday, March 28 and return on Thursday, April 12. We go to Libby's orphanage to get her on Sunday, April 1. We are so excited and can't believe our trip is in less than 2 weeks. Please check back here during our trip as we will post blogs and pictures while we are gone. Also, please pray for the boys, my sister, and our entire families. Thank you and check back for pictures!!!
Love,
Libby's Family

We got our TA!!!!

After several LONG weeks of waiting, our Travel Approval (TA) arrived today at our agency. They immediately sent a fax to the American Consulate in China requesting our appointment to finalize the adoption. The date of this appointment will determine the exact dates of travel. The tentative plan is for us to leave the US on Thursday, March 29 - get Libby on Monday, April 2 - and return home on Friday, April 13. We will keep you posted. Please pray for the appointment scheduling to go smoothly and quickly, for our family while we are away, for our health and safe travel, and for Libby and her biological family. Of course, we need prayers and protection for the million things we don't even know to pray for, that our Amazing Heavenly Father has already and will continue to take care of. Thanks to everyone for their incredible love and support. We love you.

We got our referral!!!

We are thrilled to announce the referral of our daughter.

Jiang Ai Wu was born on March 23, 2006. She is waiting for us in ChongQing City. She is adorable and we will post pictures tomorrow. We are in love!!!

We will name her Libby Ai Wu Grace.

Libby's Family

Is Tomorrow the Day?

Today is Wednesday, January 31, 2007. It has been 19+ months since we began our adoption journey and it looks like it is coming to a happy end. We have been told tomorrow may be the day we find out all about Libby. We are grateful, blessed, excited, nervous and anxious all in one. Austin, our oldest son, will be home from school tomorrow due to inclement weather in the area. It would be great to have him around to get the exciting news. Maybe the ice will cause the entire family to stay home and huddle around the phone!!! We'll keep you posted with info and pictures.

Libby's Family

Welcome to Libby's Blog

We are Rod, Lynn, Austin and Bryce. We are so excited about adding a daughter / sister to our family. Our journey began in June 2005. We sent our application to our agency on June 12, and then started the paper chase. Everything went so smoothly for us. Our documents were mailed to China on August 25, 2005. We were given log in date (LID) of October 9, 2005. A little disappointing at first, but nothing compared to the long wait ahead of us. We quickly discovered that we were going to wait longer than expected. We have managed to pass the time with family fun.

Now, the wait is almost over. We can't wait to meet our daughter on paper and then in person. Thank you for following this journey with us.

Libby's Family