Curses to Facebook!

I have been a bad blogger due to my time with Facebook. I know that is no excuse but there it is. I will try to fill in the gaps over the next few days.

We have EmmaLi's birthday party, and various other issues to catch up on so bear with me I may just leave a hole there for us.

Monday February 9, 2004

This was the day we signed the papers and EmmaLi officially became my daughter. Below is what I wrote home.

This morning we went to the civil affairs office. We signed all the paperwork and everything is final. My daughter is officially EmmaLi Janae Taghan.Once again I am in the business Center and my child has screamed enough that one of the two ladies working in here have taken to walking with her to keep her quiet. So far it is working but she does not take her eyes off me. It has been less than 24 hours but she knows who her mama is already. She knew in 20 minutes.

Starting with yesterday. We went into the office and one parent from every family had to sit down to sign paper work. I of course had to do it for my family. We were having a hard time focusing. We needed to get paper work done before the babies arrived and in the middle of it the nannies walked in with the babies and into a side room. It was pure craziness at that point. I couldn't get up to look for Emmie. Cecils wife came in and said she saw Emmie. I don't know how I thought of it but I said here take my digital camera and take a picture of her so I can see her. She did take the picture but she was in a crib and the picture was the top of her head. Finally we got the paper work completed and it was time. They called the families one by one and each family recieved their child. I of course, was the LAST family called. The nanny said it was because they saved the best for last. Personally I agree with them. I was surprised because the nanny practically shoved her in my arms. Not roughly but quickly and without hesitation. Emmie just looked at me. I was in tears at the airport on the way to Kunming, on the plane as we were landing, in the hotel as I was preparing the gifts, and on the bus traveling to the Civil Affairs office. I did not want to cry in front of her because I didn't want to frighten her. She and I looked about ther same. It was so funny according to one of the other adoptive mothers. She said we both looked like we were about to loose it. I sit here and have the same thing happening as I type this for the first time. Emmie did cry but it lasted only about a minute each time. The first time I feed her Cheerios and it apeased her. The second time I put her down and let her walk holding my fingers. She does not walk on her own yet. She does crawl some on the bed to get toys she has thrown out of reach. The last time was when I was in line to pay the notary for the days services. Collette, the cousin of an adoptive mother traveling with them, offered to hold her for me while I paid, gave gifts, and handed over my paper work. She went to her just fine but within30 seconds she was crying and leaning toward me like she already knew I was her mama. Once that was completed it was a very hectic day. We went back to the hotel and I changed her diaper, she was soaked. When I put a new one on her, I realized the diapers I brought are too big. A group was going to the department store next door so we went with them and bought the right size diapers and bottled water. I had her in the snuggly and she fell asleep. Then we went to KFC and got a quick bite to eat. We did not have time for much else, we had to do more paper work with our guide at 8:30 and it was 10 minutes to 8:00pm. So we went back to the room and had fries and chicken.We made it to the paper work meeting on time. Finished that at 9:30. By the time I went to the lobby to find the business center and got there, I had only a short amount of time to write. That was our first day together. Our first night seemed to go okay at the beginning. I put her in her crib and she tossed and turned a while but then fell asleep around 11:00pm. At 12:00am I was woken by a very frustrated and unconsolable little girl. I rocked her and she would calm down a little by sucking her thumb and first finger on her right hand. Then I tried laying her back in the crib and she screamed again. I made her a bottle and she wouldn't take it. After about 45 minutes I sat her on the bed and tried feeding her Cheerios. She shook her head no and threw herself face first on the bed and was asleep in about 5 seconds. I left her there and had to sleep across the bed instead of the right way. Fortunately, it was a king size bed. She sleep restlessly all night but did sleep all night. I woke up at3:30am and could not go back to sleep. I started unpacking some of the bags which I had not had time to do up until that point. I took my shower and blew dry my hair and she slept through it all. Finally at 6:30am I woke her up, got her dressed (in size 6 to 9 month clothes which fit perfectly), and we went to breakfast. We were the first to the breakfast buffet but it's okay because I had time to feed us both where as the others that arrived 30 minutes later, did not. I was a bit concerned because I had made bottles for her four times and all she would do is chew on the nipple and would not drink anything. I tried a sippy cup and she wanted nothing to do with it. Today, at lunch, I was able to get some water in her by feeding it to her on a spoon! She would try drinking from a glass but it would just run down the front of her. She is eating fine. She had rice, pork, and beef for lunch at the Thai restaurant in the hotel today.

I cannot believe this little girl is now really mine. When we got back to the hotel, I asked our guide "So does this me she mine now?" She laughed and said "For better or for worse, she is now and forever your daugher." This afternoon is free time and we have nothing scheduled. She is asleep in the arms of the Business Center workers as we speak. After her nap, I may try to find some Chinese bottles and see if that will help get her to drink her formula. If not, I guess she'll be drinking from a spoon.Tomorrow we are going to Wal-Mart to shop for shoes! She came with a really cute pair of leather shoes. They are black and white with a kitty face stitched on them but they don't go with any of her outfits, so I will get some new ones.She is a big flirt too. She loves the men. She had them all smiling as we were doing paper work last night and she is still flirting with them today.She has stolen the hearts of everyone in the group! All of the babies are very different today than they were yesterday. They all heard Emmie bellylaugh and giggle today at the Civil Affairs office. She was laying on her belly on a big conference table. I had her hands and pushed her to the otherside then pulled her towards me. She started giggling and belly laughing and the whole place was laughing with her. I definately have a comedian on my hands. More later, I need to get this child to the room for a proper nap.

Love to all,Kim and Emmie Taghan

As I read that today, it seems that I got a few things out of order. When I asked our guide if EmmaLi was now my daughter, it was when we finished our paper work and had just boarded the bus to go back to the hotel on Monday. It was an amazingly hectic and exciting day for us.

The babies are here!!!!

The first picture of EmmaLi!

Peeking over the top of the playpen!

EmmaLi and Abby on Adoption Day.

Adoption Day night her first Pizza Hut!

Happy Family Day Anniversary!!!

Here is the email I sent home and the well wishes I received while in China.

Let me tell you I only have a few minutes as the business center is closing in 11 minutes.I have my baby girl and am head over heals in love with her. I'll detail the whole thing tomorrow after I sign the papers. I got her at 6:00pm, I had my first smile at 7:30pm and by 7:45 she was giggling and now cannot be stopped. She is busy at the moment entertaining the business center lady.They are both laughing hysterically. She is the happiest baby I have seen. There were three times she cried after I got her but they only lasted about 1 minute each. I would give her a cheerio and she would quiet down. It's way past her bedtime so, I need to get her to bed. I just wanted to let everyone know I now have her and she is the BOMB!!!!!!! Love to all, Kim

From Lisa L:
Oh Kim! That is such great news! I thought about you and Carol first thing when I woke up this morning. I just knew that Emmie was going to be one of those bubbly babies! I AM SO HAPPY FOR YOU! I can't wait to meet her. Give her a hug and a kiss from Allie and me-oh, and Allie's are open mouthed btw...LOL LOVE YOU MOMMY!

Lisa L

From Carolyn: I went to bed thinking about you and woke up thinking about you now as a mommy. I have checked this site so many times to see what is going on. I've talked to Lisa H and all we can talk about is Kim and EmmaLi. Now that I know you have her I am so over whelmed with joy for you. That feeling is just the best thing in the world. Better than everything I can think of. Mac and I will talk about you today and look at EmmaLi's picture. Welcome to the Club Girlfriend. ISN'T IT AMAZING. Can't wait to hear about her size and your second by second remembrance of her in your arms for the first time ever.We love you!Carolyn

From Lisa H: Kimmie, Callie and I are sooooo happy for you. We are sending XXOOXXOO your and Emmie'sway! I cannot wait to hear the details:)Lisa

From Christina:
I told Gordy to get off the computer so I could check my mail. Oh girl I am so happy for you. She sounds like a little ham!!! Will be patiently waiting for more updates!!
Christina

From Pat G: Kim,I am so Happy for you that you have your girl in your arms at last! I have been thinking of you and waiting to hear the words I am a Mommy!! EmmaLi sounds like a dream and enjoy every minute!!Love, Pat and Brenna

From Mary Ellen:
Kim,
Chuck, Christie and I are so happy for you and Emmie !!! We know that Emmie is one of the luckiest little girls in the world..... (as are you) :) Can't wait for you to get home.
Love you, miss you and hope to see you soon,
M.E.

From Vickie:
Praise the Lord...you're together at last!! :-)
And by this time next week, it'll seem as though you've had her forever! We've been anxiously awaiting this email, can't tell you how excited we are for you. This will be a time that will be permanently etched in your mind. Enjoy it, Mommy...it's a glorious ride!!!

Congratulations to you too, Grandma and Grandpa Taghan! I know you're arms are aching for your turn to snuggle your newest little girl!

Hugs to you all,
Vickie, Scott, Natalie and Lindsey

Saturday Feb 7, 2004 Beijing Tour

Here is the post I sent home from China on Saturday Feb 7th. I couldn't send pictures home when I was in China but I can add them here.

Okay, we started out day bright and early at 6:30am. Well, sort of. Our wake up call was supposed to be at 6:30, I set my alarm for 6:00am. The wake up call did not come until 7:00am. So, when it came I was ready to go down for breakfast.

We left the hotel at 8:00 and went to the Great Wall first. It turned out to be a beautiful day. I don't know what the temperature actually was but the only thing I needed my gloves for at the Great Wall was for grabbing the handrail coming down. Yes, I climbed the Great Wall of China and am now a hero. The views were breathtaking, skies were blue, and very clear according to our guide Cindy who I must say is wonderful.

After the Great Wall, we went to eat at the Friendship store and did a little shopping. It was there that I had my first run in with the infamous"squat Potty". It wasn't so bad as you didn't have to touch anything. Monica, a travel partner used the stall next to mine and she had a western toilet in her stall, so I guess she just had better luck than I did. I didn't pee on my pants either...YEAH!!

Later that afternoon we went to Tienamin Square, where we were hounded but people wanting to sell us stuff. It was a beautiful day, so much nicer than expected that none of us wore our gloves and Cindy our guide confessed she was too hot because of the layers she dressed in. There were a lot of people flying kites in the square which was pretty cool because the skies were so blue. After the Square and getting the famous group photo taken we headed over to the Forbidden City and went through it. I was both shocked and amazed at the vastness of that complex. We spent a couple of hours rushing and still only saw 1/3 of it.

Our guide was able to find out exactly what formula the babies get at the orphanage. She then went across the street to the department store and confirmed they carried it there. After we returned to the hotel, she escorted us over there and showed us the brand that they are used to getting and the rice cereal. All of the babies but one (22 months) are still on the formula. So we all bought a starter stash. It is a lactose variety so she may not like what I have at home. There is no indication that they are lactose intolerant, they give it to all of the babies regardless. Tonight we ended up eating at the Swiss Chalet just because everyone is so tired. One couple and his mother have been especially helpful but they are not going to Kunming so I had dinner with them since I won't see them again until Guangzhou. Our guide Cindy did tell us today that she is going to be with us through the entire journey which I am thankful for as she is so very pleasant. She is arranging for us to visit the Stone Forest which is one of the sites I had requested we visit. Additionally, she is arranging a visit to the orphanage for us on Thursday or Friday.

I need to go pack my bags. We have to have them sitting outside the door at 8:00am sharp. We depart for the airport at 10:00am for our 3 hour and 15minute flight to Kunming. She said we will go to the hotel , check in, drop off our bags, put our gifts and diaper bags in order and then go get our babies! I cannot believe this is actually happening. It still seems surreal,like I am watching yet another person get their child and it isn't happening to me. Several people in my group have said the same thing. The next message you get from me will be as a mommy.

Thanks for the thoughts and notes everyone.

Mom, I forgot, I tried to set aunt Bert up in the group but Dave has her blocked out of it! She can't join a Yahoo group. Please forward them on to her. I still haven't figured out how to send pictures, but neither has anyone else.

Kim

Comments from Family and friends:

from my cousin Vicki: Mommy Kim...I just wanted to say thank you again for letting me share this journey with you. The comment you shared below made me sob as I read it, as I remember soooo many days of feeling that way. No one can ever completely understand the magnitude of those words, unless they've actually lived it! And after Sunday, my friend, you will never have to have those feelings again! But, you will in a way...every time you hear of another woman waiting to be a mommy. And you will also relive your joy over and over again, just as I am with you! God bless you & your daughter! Vickie

"I cannot believe this is actually happening. It still seems surreal, like I am watching yet another person get there child and it isn't happening to me."

From Christina: Kim,
Glad your in Bejing. So tomorrow is the big day? Wish I was there to see them hand EmmaLi in your arms.
Love,
Christina

From Lisa H: Kimmie,I must say that I woke up this Sunday morning with a grin on my face, tears inmy eyes, and a song in my heart because I knew that Emmie was in your arms atthat moment. I woke up guessing that you were eating supper with some of theother families or your had just finished eating supper. This feeling for you inmy heart is so overwhelming. I am reliving getting Callie while I am enjoyingyou getting Emmie. That moment I got her was breath taking. I was happy,scared, confused, and sad. The feelings were so powerful. Now, I feel onefeeling - LOVE! I am so happy for you and Emmie! You are both blesses to haveeach other:)Love Ya!Lisa

Arrival In Beijing Fri Feb 6, 2004

Below is the message I sent home Friday Feb 6th 2004 from Beijing. It was a pretty uneventful day for me but my friend Carol was having an entirely different trip.

Here is my post from Beujing:

Hey everyone! I'm here freezing my behind off in Beijing. The flight from LAX to Guangzhou was very uneventful. I sort of dozed off at LAX waiting for the boarding to begin. Fortunately, I had met a couple from LA adopting from Sichuan province and they made sure I was woken up to board the plane!

Once we left I was able to stay awake until they served the dinner meal. Unfortunately, I couldn't stay awake much longer than that. I woke up after about 6 hours and found based on the monitors that tell you the time in the destination city, that it was 11:00pm in Guangzhou. Not good. I stayed up for an hour or so reading a book I had brought along and chatting with another couple on the flight adopting from Kunming. It is their second adoption and went straight to Kunming instead of continuing onto Beijing. So, I took 1 Tylenol PM and was out like a light again and woke up at 5:00am Guangzhou time. I felt fresh as a daisy but by no means looked it. All I wanted was to get to Beijing, shower and change clothes. Connecting in Guangzhou was no big deal as I had the leftover Chinese money sent to me by a couple of friends (Thanks Jennifer and Lisa H). On that flight I met a Chinese woman who was moving with her son to Germany. Her little boy was SOOOOO cute! He was four and spoke only Cantonese and Manderine and she was concerned they did not have any Chinese schools in Germany. She was very nice. When we hit a little turbulence, he asked his mom if she thought I was afraid. Too cute! By the way, I had the Chines meal they served on the plane and the woman (I wish I had gotten her name) said it is a Guangzhou specialty called Fun. It had a wider noodle type ingredient that sort of resembled Linguini but was rather transparent. It was FABULOUS! I will try to get some more of that when I return at the end of the trip. Cindy met me at the gate leaving the airport in Beijing and escorted me back to the hotel. Of course, the first thing I did was jump in the shower and then hit the streets. There are too many restaurants to figure out which one was the one the December gang ate at that everyone recommended. Unfortunately, no one had the name of it so when everyone gets here I think I am going to suggest the Hot Pot restaurant. It's close and easy to get to. Lisa H: It looks like I will be buying dinner. I asked Cindy our guide if she was able to arrange for us to get the babies on Sunday and she said yes. We will need to sign a "temporary custody agreement" type thing and go back on Monday to seal the deal and sign the papers. I haven't seen anyone else here yet so, I think I'll go try to see if anyone has checked in.Unfortuantely, we do not check in under our names so I need to track down Cindy and ask her. If anyone is interested, my room number at the Sino Swiss is 748. I'll try to get online again tomorrow after we tour but I am not sure how long the Business center is open. Later Gators!



Kim T (and soon to be Emmie) By the way, I picked up a quilted snow suit type outfit in a childrens clothing shop down the street for 18 Yuan (about $2.80 as there are 8 yuan in a dollar).


Then followed the emails of support!


From Carolyn: YIPPEEE!! I'm so glad you arrived safely. Enjoy the beds, they are the softest you will find on the whole trip. That down comforter was nice too. Again the nicest on the trip. You will have great meals no matter where you go in Bejing. If you can, try to go the Bahi(sp?) Park. It is beautiful. The Pearl market in town is where I got my pearls. If you can have a driver take you there. Come to think of it though, you are probably only going to have time to go to the Great Wall. We did get the group picture and the book, It is worth it. Enjoy Enjoy Enjoy. We can't wait to hear all about EmmaLi. Love you! Carolyn and Anna Mackenzie I thought it was dang cold in December. As much as I'd like to be with you right now, I'd do anything to stay out of the cold



From, Sarah: Kim, glad you are safely in Beijing! I suggested Hot Pot! You will love it. One of the best meals we had while in China. The Kesters went with us and we all enjoyed it! Carolyn mentioned Beihai Park. It was really interesting and Pearl Market is the place to get pearls. The cab drivers can take you to both. You can also go to an acrobat show if you are interested at night...again the concierge will arrange a cab for you. Enjoy!Sarah



From Jana: Hi Kim, Glad to hear from you in Beijing! Which children's shop did you go to? Sounds like a nice deal! Have fun doing the tours tomorrow and dress WARM :)Jana



Then I found out about Carol's nightmare. Oh Lord..Here is a snippet of it:



Kimbo!!!!!!If you happen to check in, I just wanted to let you know I AM alive......just stranded in MN right now. I set out early Thursday morning at o'dark thirty for the airport and have spent two days in the KC airport (held hostage) by bad weather and maintenance malfunctions of airplanes (I WILL NEVER FLY NW AIRLINES AGAIN!!!).I was able to get out on a flight this afternoon only to miss the Beijing flight by less than 5 minutes! Even though they knew we had landed at the gate next to the 747 we were to get on, they would not wait 5 minutes!! I couldn't believe it.....there were about 5 of us trying to catch that connection. I have so many stories to tell you in this so far "short" trip that I don't even know where to begin. To say the least it has not been uneventful, and I can't wait to fill you in! ......Anyway, if I make the flight out tomorrow, I'll get to Beijing and spend about 10 hours in the airport before catching the new flight I have to Shaanxi. There, I will have to find a taxi and ask them to take me to the office of Civil Affairs.....sure wish I knew how to say that in Chinese! Should be pretty exciting!! So, then after days without real sleep and more aggravation that I can possible describe, I will appear in the Civil Affairs office with my luggage, all haggard looking and half dead.....where I will meet my daughter......and the guide.....and all the other "fresh" families who've been touring and had a nice night's sleep with their new kids! Does this sound like a nightmare to anyone else? Somebody, PLEASE wake me up!!!Wow! This is one HELL of a trip and I don't think it's actually even started yet. I've been praying a lot these last few days. I told God that I think he must have for me one really special ANGEL at the end of this rainbow! Everyone keep your fingers crossed for good weather tomorrow......and NO MORE BROKEN AIRPLANES!!!!Carol"

Carol had many supportive posts from everyone as well. She is did finally get to her province and her guide met her at the airport. Rest assured once she arrived the rest of her journey was smooth sailing.

What was I doing 5 years ago today?

I'll tell you what I was doing. At this exact time I was on an airplane on my way to California to catch a red eye flight to Guangzhou China in order to catch another connecting flight to Beijing. In honor of the 5 year anniversary of having the priveledge of being EmmaLi's mom I am going to post the the emails and comments of our journey. At 3:40 am I made the first post of the day. Below is what I wrote:

Okay, I am out of here. I flight departs for LA in 3 hours and 14minutes.My bags are packed, the house is clean, I have all the shopping listsand phone numbers ready for my parents sitting on the counter top.I will post later today when I get to California. I am giving my aunt a little training class on internet usage and signing her up for the group. I will also post from the business center in the Sino Swiss on Friday. For those unaware of the time difference, it should be in the middle of the night for you all here. I am remarkably calm this morning. My worst fear about the trip is that Greg my ride to the airport will forget to pick me up. He has to be at work at 5:00am so I know where to find him in plenty of time to catch the plane.I still need to check the weather in Beijing and Kunming but am headed back home to fix a little breakfast I think. The perishable food supply is thin right now. There are two eggs left in the fridge,and no milk so I suppose it will be eggs, fried potatos (there are a few of those too) and the breakfast drink of champions (I could almost use a cup Joe the strength Jana is known for making) since there is no juice, milk or tea made. It should be the start of an exhausting journey so we must start the day with a hearty meal!

I think my aunt and I will be having lunch at one of my favorite places in CA called Vince's Spaghetti. They serve spaghetti and that is about it. Maybe a salad and garlic bread but it is all spaghetti with your choice of meat sauce, no meat sauce and meat balls...and they are packed all the time. I thought it was crazy when I first went there but it is very good.

My friend Lisa H sucked me into another bet last night. She seems to think I will get EmmaLi on Sunday instead of Monday. Apparently, we have dinner riding on this one. We'll see who ends up paying. The last bet we had was whether I would travel between the New Years and she lost! It was one I wish I had lost. My luck on the bets at that time had not been going well. I thought for sure I would loose and was hoping to actually. Oh well, now is the time and it just doesn't seem real. Thanks everyone for the prayers and thoughts and I will chat with you all later...

Kim T.

Here are some of the posts my my friends and family who were there to support me during my wait.

From Lisa H: Kimmie,Callie and I are wishing you an experience of a lifetime! And, wishing Callieand I were packed in your luggage, no such luck though!!Our thoughts and prayers will be with you your whole trip. All will be well andyou will be blessed beyond belief!!I love ya girl!!Lisa

From Chris S: Kim,I just wanted to let you know that I've been thinking of you a lotlately. Like Lisa H. said, I wish I was in your suitcase right now.China was incredible and it was a trip of a lifetime in so many ways.Tip, take pictures of every-day things. Of grocery stores, streetvendors, school children, etc. I wish I had done more of that.Don't be afraid to get out and walk amongst the people. They arewonderful. Smile even if they don't smile back. Say Ni Hao even ifthey look at you like you have 3 heads (Eric was very good at this).Save most of your shopping for Guangzhou (except specific localitems). Shoes, clothes, chops, scrolls -- all that is much lessexpensive there.Enjoy, enjoy, enjoy. I pray for a safe trip for you and can't waitto hear about your little sweet pea.Love,Chris Stephan

From Margie: Kim,

I too hope you have a very wonderful trip! I have some friends here in Lindale that are leaving Friday to get their second daughter. She is Lijiang in the Yunnan province. You might just see them there! They are Jason and Kathy Beard. Their daughter is with them. She is 6 years old. Her name is Kayla. She is in first grade and has the same teacher that Katelyn had last year! They are a super sweet family. Jason is a veterinarian here in Lindale.

Give that little lots of kisses from all her aunties out here!!!! I'm sure that won't be hard to do!

Love ya girl,

From Cynthia: Well, I posted a few minutes ago and for some reason it didn't gothrough! I am just not getting a chance to post on your group, thisis where everybody has been! I don't know hardly anyone on the DECgroup anymore!!! Anyway, Kim I just wanted say I am so happy for youand want to wish the best as you travel on your journey! You are justgoing to have the most wonderful time! Don't have time to write allI wrote before but just know you will be in our thoughts and prayersand that we will be praying for God's protection and blessings overyour entire journey! You will love Emmali the Instant she is put inyour arms and there will be no difference in how you feel about herthan if you had birthed her, I can attest to that! It is such anawesome picture of God's love for us as His adopted children, hetruly does love us as much as his son! Enjoy and Have a wonderfultime, I can't wait to hear of your first sight of Emmali, I wish Icould be there to see the two of you!Much love, Cynthia

Then I landed in CA and posted this:

Well, I made it to CA and didn't have much turbulence along the way.I was able to sleep on both planes as the seat next to me on bothwere empty.The day started out kind of ichy but I won't go into that right now.Let's just say Delta and fixing ticketing problems are four letterwords to me right now.So far we are on track to leave on time tonight. We (my aunt, cousinsand who ever else comes along) are going to dinner at 6:00pm and thenoff to the airport. I will say that I had to finagle some stuffaround in my suitcase as I paid a nice $25.00 fee for being 14 poundsover weight for my check in bag.I'll let you all know when I get to Beijing. CA weather is beautifultoday. No jacket required ... yet.Keep thinking those good thoughts and prayers. I need them all.Mom...Check your email and see if you got an email from Aunt Bert.Kim T.

From Chrissy: Kim,

I was thinking of you often today. Glad your flight to CA was good. I will be awaiting your e-mail from China.
Love,

From Mary Ellen (who was supposed to go with me) Hey Kim,
Glad you made it safely to CA
I am finally on "the group" !!! So happy to be here. Love to you and Emmie, can't wait to meet her. I have a lil pail and shovel for the beach (already)
Best wishes, my friend :)
M.E.

During the trip to To Beijing Thursday Feb 5th disappeared. I left on Weds and arrived in Beijing on Friday.

Next post....Friday Feb 5th Arrive in Beijing!

Catching up post Christmas

Well, I couldn't post it before Christmas as it was a secret but I can reveal it now. We originally were going to stay home for Christmas. My work allowed our group within our department only two days off in the month of December. The rest of the group were not allowed any days in December. Since we had a 10 plus hour drive and a maximum 5 days off to make the trip, combined with the fact that I didn't want to drive 10 plus hours then unload the car then get some laundry done and EmmaLi in bed before getting up the next morning to go to day care and me to work, the thought of going to SW FL didn't thrill me. At any rate, it was going to be the first year in 45 years that I didn't spend it with my family. I thought I had resolved myself to the fact that it was going to be a quiet Christmas with just EmmaLi and I. Then when I said it out loud, I realized I hadn't resolved myself to that fact. I asked EmmaLi if she wanted to stay here with just us hanging out and playing with her new toys or if she wanted to go to FL. She chose FL.

We decided to go to FL but since it was so close to Christmas, I thought we could surprise everyone. Then I thought of the money my parents and sisters would spend to mail gifts to SC only to have to load them into the car and haul them back down to FL. SO I called my Dad and revealed to him our plans and gave him the task of "mailing the packages". It was a task he didn't feel he was up to but decided to give it the ol' college try. He was successful. I called my sister and revealed the plan to her as well so she hid gifts from her kids and allowed us to surprise them. I then received a call from my sister regarding my other sister. She was making "other plans" for Christmas with extended family. So I called her and revealed to her that we were coming and we would like for her to be there. So she did not leave town.

With the plans layed out I arranged to trade shifts with a coworker. Instead of working until 6:00pm I would only work until 5:00. Then I had three hours of vacation time available so I took those to get off at 2:00. Since I didn't take lunch I was able to get off work at 1:00. I picked EmmaLi up and we traveled as far as Jacksonville FL that first night. It worked out great because we were able to stay with friends who were in our travel group for our adoption. We always love to visit with them and the other families from our group. To us, they are all of our extended Chinese family.

On Christmas Eve, we left Jacksonville at 7:30am. We arrived in Ft Myers around 1:00pm. It was time to spring the surprise. I called my Dad and told him we were about 20 minutes away. I asked him to do something with the dog because the dog will bark and give us away. So he put the dog outside. Then I told him I would call and let the phone ring once and then hang up to let him know when he needs to occupy my mom so that she would not see us. So far everything was going well. EmmaLi and I creeped up to the porch and I opened a large gift bag. EmmaLi climbed inside and as I was tying the bag up and about to rignt the doorbell, a county tractor with a mower pulled up and started mowing the grass! My child was in a hot plastic bag (with a large breathing hole) so I didn't want her to be in there longer than necessary so I rang the bell and ran. My mom and Dad came out and my mom looked at the bag. She looked around but didn't see anything. She checked the tag on the bag which said "To: Pat T... Open Immediately". She untied the bag and looked inside. EmmaLi was supposed to jump out and yell SURPRISE!!! but because of the mower, she couldn't hear the rustling of the bag and didn't know when to jump up. So her grandma pulled the bag down off of her and she climbed out.

In the end we were able to surprise my mom and spend the holidays with our friends thanks to many people. I did record the event on the camcorder but it was set to some weird setting and it was much too bright. Additionally, the sound is drowned out by that mower so you cannot hear anything but the mower.

Unfortunately, I didn't get any pictures of the surprise. I thought I had video and I do but it isn't as good as I thought it would be.