He still has both eyes....

Ty and his cousins - Caden and Caleb having a Nerf war

Ty
Trevor

Trace -not a good shot of his left eye, but this is Saturday morning - it is only barely swollen!!! I think the bleeding only stopped because his eye was so swollen so fast.

Trevor finally had a ball game that was not rained out and we travelled about 30 minutes to watch him play catcher. He was GREAT!!


Just as we were leaving Trace got bumped and hit his head on the corner of the bleacher. I wasn't even worried until I saw blood pouring out of his eye!!! We managed to get him to the car, by this time I had pried his eye open and saw the eyeball was there, but he had a nice slit in his eye lid. (I still can't believe he did not damage his eye) I had 12 minutes on my cell phone ( Yes, I felt like I was reality TV) and so I called the local hospital - they told me to go on to Children's hospital since to stitch his eye lid he would have to be sedated. I called Tom and I loving told him not to talk - just listen as I was on a time limit - had him meet me at the hospital because I had all the kids, but TJ, with me. He had to meet TJ at Costco so TJ could go to work, take the Honda and come bring the kids home. So that orchestrated and then to call TJ. Then I had to call Tom because I couldn't remember how to get to the hospital in Des Moines... I managed to have 2 minutes to spare. We saw 2 doctors at the the hospital and then they sent us to an eye surgeon who decided that since it had stopped bleeding and he felt would cause more trauma to the eye in trying to stitch it up that we would wait and see. It was not a fun afternoon as all this time from 1:00 on Trace could have nothing to eat or drink since they were sure he would have to have surgery. By now it is 6:00 and I have a meeting for Girl's Camp - Tom comes to meet me and exchange kids so the boys could go to Scouts. ( You can imagine how beautiful I look at this point and I am sure I smelled even better - did I mention it was a muggy 80 + day?) Tom was the hero and got everyone where they needed to be and he even had Tian and Trace in bed by the time I got home with the rest of the herd.

And, the doctor was right - a little Bacitracin and within 2 days Trace's eye looked pretty good.

Kittens!!!

Tom's favorite
Belle - taking a break

I admit being insane - we borrowed a friend's pregnant cat a couple of weeks ago and I came home yesterday to 4 kittens!!!! They were still wet so she must have just had them. Of course no surprise - 2 are orange and one is black and white (we have a thing about black and orange cats!) ( No we are not keeping them !)Thought you would enjoy the pictures.



Belle, the mom is doing great - she is very patient with us touching her babies and is a good mom. We are excited to watch them grow. Tian and Trace can't get enough. Tian is funny ; she could watch them nursing for hours without saying a word. I don't think I have ever seen her quiet that long.



The latest Tianism: " Mom, sometimes you are not human." I am not sure what to make of that one...

Home 3 months....

Picture time = torture your sister
The forced pose - Tian refusing to smile
Trace - I think he threw something at me...
Don't be fooled by the sweet look here...Ithink Tian was apologizing for nearly catapulting him from the chair

I can' t believe it has only been 3 months. I can't remember life without Trace...sleeping in (Tian will occasionally allow it), clean floors, predictable schedule, less foot stomping and "no" shouting- those things are all DISTANT memories.



Trace has officially bonded - he can throw one heck of a temper tantrum , he insists I give him his bottlewhile holding it myself and rub hisear, he will not go to nursery at church, he knows where all the snacks are (even the ones I have forgotten about) and he gives the best hugs and the WETTEST kisses.

We have been busy with Cub Scouts, baseball and more baseball, finished Track...
Poor Trevor most of the meets were rained out, but he had a great season. He followed in TJ's footsteps and mainly ran the mile. Trevor is also playing baseball for the junior high and is hoping to play Catcher if they ever have a game that isnt't called for the rain.
TJ has been busy working at a horse farm 3-4 days a week and at Costco. He has started classes at DMACC and is working on stuffing a raccoon ( you have to ask him for the gory details.) Daisey ( the puppy) managed to catch a full grown turkey- another story TJ can fill you in on.

Ty has been busy with Cub Scouts. He has now entered the Webelos den and is madly trying to finish it all :o) He LOVES playing catcher for his Little League team. If only he hustle like that at home...
Tian is busy bossing everyone around. She even instructed the neighbor girls today on how to eat their popsicles. She is excited to have a birthday and have "a princess cake and lots and lots of presents just for me."

The last 2 days have been a busy blur- TJ is having a small party to celebrate graduation so I decided it was high time we actually hung the pictures on the walls. Of course, since I am busy nap times have been non-existant. Tian has managed to get into Trace's crib to giggle through nap time. For a girl who needs her beauty sleep this is not a good thing. Today she was finally relagated to my bed which was accompanied by much foot stomping and that lovely ear piercing scream all little girls possess. Trace started to scream - decided it was too much trouble and instead resorted to calling "ma-ma" every 3 seconds. She fell asleep in about 2 minutes, he stuck with the mama mantra for about a half an hour before he won :o)

The latest Tian-ism: Today was ...one of those days it is 5:00 no one has napped, there are pictures EVERYWHERE, no dinner in the oven, I tried to hang up just one more and slipped of the stool and nearly killed myself as my two assistants, Trevor and Ty, tried to decide weather to laugh or help. I get up, head for the kitchen to make dinner, get aphone call that TJ neglected to arrange a speaker for Boy Scouts Wednesday - leave him a nasty messagesince he is at Costco while I fume that I have reminded him at least 75 times to get a speaker( aren't you glad you didn't get that message? Trevor laughed when I ended it by saying,I"I am not happy, but I love you." Then, just as I am feeling good and guilty of leaving him a mean message on his cell phone while he at work, Tian starts whining, so I did what any other tired, cranky mother would do - I looked at her and whined right back saying, " I have nearly died trying to make the house look nice, I am trying to figure out what to make for dinner, my leg hurts and the floor is sticky again, what else do you want from me?"
Without missing a beat she saw her moment looks at me with those big black eyes and replies, "A piece of gum."
Needless to say, who couldn't laugh after that. Dinner made it to the table, DAise is licking the floor and the pictures will still be there tomorrow....
The pictures are from today - after hanging up pictures I realized I need some cute ones to hang of these 2. It turned into a Punch and Judy festival. I am thinking hiring a photogragher...

Tian's partner in crime: "Scooby"

His favorite actviity is riding a bike - even if it is pink :o) Trace has just told Tian she is Chinese too ( make sure you read the last of the Tianisms to fully appreciate this)

Pushing the Empress in her chariot of choice- otherwise known as "Driving Miss Demanding"

We asked her this morning what her bother's name was, without missing a beat she replied, " Scooby." I don't even think she has seen the cartoon...

Trace will be 2 in June and has managed to quietly take over the household. His vocabulary ( in English) is currently limited to : Spiderman ( his most important word), no (which must be accompanied by a foot stomp( just like his daddy)), now, mine, mama, Trevor, Ty, hold you, and snack..

He can sign: eat, more, gummy bears ( often as a sentence). He can also sign play, please and thank you (if we are really lucky). He has no problem expressing his needs or eating!

His latest accomplishments: he can blow bubbles in the tub ( with his mouth :o), blow bubbles outside ( both a big deal since his palate is still open), he can work the water dispenser on the fridge ( I just love it), has become a cereal conosuier, he can also irritate Tian rather expertly and has manged to hold several of the cats at various times.

He loves to give the dogs treats and the cats milk ( no treats for the cats - he eats those :o"). He will share with Tian even when she is a stinker, but can find her favorite mirror at any time and make sure she sees him as he runs. He is always singing and loves to smile at people while sticking his tongue out through the cleft in the gum line ( it is ever so attractive !)

He has also gone to nursery at church and corrected the dumb teachers who thought a panda bear was simply a bear - he stood up - shook his hand back and forth and told them repeatedly, " Xiong Miao." They all thought that is the noise pandas make ( it is Chinese for Panda.)

He can also understand our feeble attempts at Chinese.

He loves to wrestle with his brothers. He would be outside 24/7 if we let him. Unfortunately - it has been raining almost everyday!!!

He loves to be read to ( I have lucked out!!! I am 5 for 5 - all of them love to read :o)

He LOVES animals of any kind. We will have to get the aquarium repaired - he could stand in front of it for hours.

All and all is a VERY happy little boy. He is not bashful, but is much more diplomatic about getting his way than the Empress. She has adjusted to him very well and seems to be enjoying having a partner in crime, especially one who is so willing to carry out her evil plans:o)

Medical update: We have visited with a Otolaryntologist ( a cranio-facial doctor) here in Des Moines who seems very confident in his ability to correct Trace's palate and in the fall improve his nose and lip repair. We will visit Iowa City's cleft team on Monday and then make a decision of where to have the surgery(ies). Both groups want to take care of the surgery ASAP as the longer his palate i sopen the more difficult it will be for him to relearn how to swallow and to speak. I am accepting all soft food suggestions as he will be on a liquid diet for 3 weeks!!!! Keep in mind Trace's favorite thing in the world right now is eating!! Hopefully, we can spend a lot of time outside!

So, here is the plan: in May his palate will be repaired, he will have physical therapy to teach him how to swallow etc and then be evaluated to see if he needs speech therapy. In the fall, we will have a nose/ lip revision. Then, we will sit back and wait for his adult canine teeth to form. So around the age of 9 ( unless he is like poor Ty who will probably be 20 before he gets his ) he will have a surgery to correct his gumridge - they will take a small piece of bone from his hip and place it where the missing bone is in his upper jaw. Then, hopefully he will be done!! We are hopeful that he won't have missing teeth as this past week he finally got one of thh canines on the bottom, and both the lateral incisor and the canine in the cleft - it will look weird, but this is good news, as the more teeth, the more bone that will form and the more hope we have of not having to have a bridge for missing permanant teeth!! Yeah - it also expalins his extreme drooling and cranky days ! He may have to have another lip/nose revsion around 18, but hopefully not.

Have a great night and I will go scrape Cheerios, Play-doh and cat treats off of the kitchen floor ( no, the dogs can't keep up with it all :o)

Tian-isms

Tian rolling down the hill,


now,thinking she will "help - ah" me with the camera.














Just missed her throwing the rocks at Trace
Reflecting, after time out














Okay - so life is CRAZY with 2 toddlers running the place, but I had to write down of few quotes from Tian - our ever passionate, always bubbly, often screaming, frequently whining, and almost always giggling 2 1/2 year old. Can you believe she will be 3 in August.? She is an amazing girl
and that is why we are already saving for a large dowry and writing a contract to ensure her future husband understands the "absolutely no-returns" policy :o)

Okay here are the favorite quotes:

1. She is lying bed, (her most reflective time), and states, " I hate TJ." I reply,
"No, you are angry with him, you don't hate TJ"
The Tiansism, " No, I happy with him, I just hate him."

2. Looking at Trace in the morning, " I don't like that boy today."

3. Looking at Trace sleeping, " I love- ahh him a lot. He is mine."

4. "Daddy, you picked the goodest treats!" (while doing the happy dance, when Tom pulled out a box of ice cream cones)

5. After several consecutive time outs, " I don't like that chair." ( note - it did not stop her from spending several more rounds in it that day)

6. Ty, asks, quoting "Mama Do You Love Me," " Tian, do you love- ahh me?" She responds,
" No dear one, I am dead." ( A little young to be feeling emotionally drained...)

7. To Tom who is holding Trace and letting him drink his own bottle, "Honey, you have to 'nuggle him."

8. Imagine this, she gets into my bed, snuggles up next to me and puts her sweet little face to my neck and breathes deeply, she leans back and sighs. Of course, I think we are having a Hallmark moment, then she says, " Mom, you smell like bugs." I shower, really I do.

9. To librarian, who commented on what a nice little brother she had now, she tilts her head to the side, " I know, I picked him."

10. " I want my hair like that girl on the mad-ga-zine." Yes, I managed to duplicate the 2 braid style - she was impressed :o)

11. AFter a long day of two toddlers with colds I finally laid down the law and poor Tom comes in from work. She looks at him so seriously with her big, black eyes and in her most serios tone warns him, " Mommy said, no thumb sucking, no whining and no throwing food. " Hopefully, he will continue to follow the rules since she and the other half of the dynamic duo aren't :o)

12. and finally...drum roll..
In response to Trace's crying in China..." I don't like Chinese babies!"
I can't wait until she has her first child! On seconfd thought, yes, I can. as crazy as it is around here I wish it could last forever.

I will add more as I think of them and will try to add a page for Trace - we like him a little too :o)

Touring in Guangzhou

The picture above is a poorer section of Guangzhou. As per typical, the city streets have shops all around on ground level with residential apartment like units above. Haphazardly between these quasi residential/commercial areas is either fancy skyscraper buildings or large new construction as seen in the background behind the bamboo screenwall. The city's are really quite clean for the massive amounts of people. There is an odd thing about this picture - this picture is not as densely populated with people as most areas. The area in Guangzhou where we spent most of our time was more a tourist trap. The "real" Chinese people other than shop Owners were busy in other sections of town, leaving this area for foreign guests. Tara and I almost compare parts of Guangzhou to Cancun - it is really beautiful, but touristy, and the people are pandering to you, all to make the sale. "For you... special price - big discount", they really know how to work a sale. Tj and I were walking around and a young girl working in a shop can out and asked if we were brothers.... She went on to say I couldn't be TJ's father because I couldn't be more than 27. Needless to say that is where I bought all my souvenirs....

This was a scene inside the Thai restaurant, the same place where TJ ate a pigeon dish. The people in the background all gathered together while we ate our early dinner, to practice their English. It was really funny listening to them working on this as a group... It somehow made me feel better knowing how hard we have struggled with our Chinese....

Yes it's true - McDonald's is in China. Along with Starbucks, Wal-Mart, Pizza Hut, KFC, and Even AmWay!!! Somethings are just plain wrong. China should keep their bad toys and we should keep our .......... stuff. Amazingly enough these places are always busy here and really are much better facilities here than in the U.S.. In reality as much as I believe it is a travesty to have these entities in China - honestly after a period of time a familiar sign and identifiable food substance is quite refreshing and comforting!

Any guesses on the tallest building in Guangzhou? It is the Amway head quarter's building.... I had fun with our guide on this one. You'll have to ask me about the details.

This was a view of a huge shopping area in the center of town. Lots of exterior vendors, specialty shops and a major multi-story mall that would make any mall in the U.S. pale in comparison. These people know how to shop! This shot of the central walkway through the mall area was much more representative of the vast amounts of people and traffic we experienced. The hustle and bustle reminded me of New York and East coast. People everywhere doing there own thing. We all held hands and stayed very close together so that we did not become separated.

The weather was simply amazing. While in Guangzhou we suffer through the 60-80 degree weather, while only 10-30 degrees at home with snow and ice to boot....

Guangzhou

The playroom at the White Swan is the size of 2 conference rooms and it is filled with toys and a TV with a dvd player...I am surprised the kids would leave , but with so many things to spend the last of their money on... The hotel we stayed at definitely caters to all of the Americans that have to pass through Ghangzhou in order to file visa and citizenship documents for their newly adopted children. Mattel fills their room with toys and sends every adoptive family ( who stays at the hotel) home with a "Going Home" Barbie ( Barbie complete with her back haired baby.)
A covered walkway. The boys went out exploring to the "forbidden zone" We called the area across the bridge this as our guide last year instructed us to never cross the road - Tom couldn't stand it htis time and ventured out wiht ht eboys. They found a spice market selling scorpions, horns of various animals and the thing they have all been talking about - lions feet. I woul dahve loved a picture - I was home trying to get toddlers to sleep...okay I was sleeping too :o).
The hotel offers toddler beds ( Ty talked Tian into letting him sleep in it) - Trace thought it was part of the jungle gym. Needless to say, he is all boy and LOVES to wrestle

Trace loves everything we put in front of him - here we are eating a Thai restaurant -plesae ask TJ about his dad's face when they brought out the roasted pigeon. ( It was the ENTIRE bird- missing only the feathers) I ahve to admit it was actually very good. Sorry no picture - we forgot in all the excitemnt of Tom's reaction.

Last look at Guiyang

Last view of the landscape through the airport window

It was sad to leave Guiyang - the capital city of Trace's province. We are leaving without ever having a chance to se the place where he was left by his birth mother...Hopefully someday we will go back and find it. It was 5+ hours from our hotel and there was not time to go. I am disappointed for him. The day we visited the place where Tian was left was a hard for her at 13 months as it was outside the orphange ..memories for babies are stronger than we realize, so perhaps it is best - it may have stirred up a lot for him especially after having such a loving foster mother...



On we headed to Guangzhou - a city in mainland China just across from Hong Kong. We, along with MANY other adoptive families, stayed atthe beautiful White Swan hotel. The picture is in front of a Koi pond/waterfall that adjoins the dining area. Trace was determined to throw rocks into the water everyday and Tian figured if he could do it - she wasn't about to miss out on the fun. It makes the breakfast so much fun :o)



In Guangzhou we were able to visit the Chen family gardens and school - a fitting place to see as Trace's last name assigned to him was Chen. It was built by this family as a school for all Chen children where the family supported it by donation and the children were educated free. In the '50's, during the Cultural Revolution,the land was taken by the government and the area is now a museum... the details in the architecture are characteristically detailed and the gardens breathtaking. The pictures show the entrance decorated for New Year

Home at last

The chopstick king

Tian and Trace playing kitchen at home


Trace feeding the dog ( AGAIN!!) -

Can you guess who Kela's favorite is?


We are home!!!! Trace is doing great - still adjusting to the time change, but everything else seems to be falling into place. Tian has decided she likes him - he is a very willing tea party companion (aka victim) . He loves sipping little drinks of water and eating goldfish. I am surprised ,as I thought sharing all of "her" things here at home would be the most difficult, but so far she has loved it. I think being home with him is more of what she imagined than having to adjust on the road.

TJ, Trevor and Ty are glad to home and have enjoyed having pizza and more pizza. Auralee, our dear friend who watched our house while we were gone, had pizza waiting for us when we walked in the door. It was WONDERFUL!!

We have been doing loads and loads of laundry and I think everything is out of the suitcases and the last few souvenirs are finding there places.

Trace had been to our pediatrician, who so far has given him a clean bill of health - minus a nasty sinus infection and pending lab results, but overall he healthy ( YEAH!!.) She is very familiar with Chinese adoption as her brother and his wife have 2 little girls .( What a coincidence - in our little town to have a pediatrician who is well versed in health issues of Chinese babies! You would think "someone" had a hand in all of us finding each other...) She is pleased with the repair done on his lip and is setting up appointments with an ENT, cranio- facial specialist etc so we can start the ball rolling to repair his palate. Even with a sinus infection and a major cleft ( meaning his cleft extends through the gum line, all the way back and actually divides his uvula ( the hangy thing at the back of your throat ( Ty said I should tell people what that is :o)), his ears are healthy, so we are counting our blessings. He is already using some English words ( more, eat, mama, mine, and his first word and favorite: "no") He is using sign language as well ( please, more, drink and eat )

Our first morning home he discovered that he LOVES waffles ( not maple syrup though). Kela ( our old crabby dog) decided she likes the new addition, who thought it was fun to throw pieces of food at her.

Tom's dad and Tessa came Saturday for a quick visit - it was wonderful to see them. They have just returned from a visit to England -so we especially appreciate them making the drive with jet lag. Tian would not leave poor Tessa alone - I think she was making sure Trace knew she was her grandmother first!!

We are now getting ready for Trace's Sunday debut, do you think I can find any of the boy's old Sunday clothes that will fit him?!!! I did find the sailor suits...por kid he is a US Citizen for 4 days and we drafted him.I will let you know how he does, we woke up both babies up at 8 hoping they would take a good nap before we leave for church at 12...we'll see if the gamble pays off.

What a Circus Act....

YOu will never believed what happened today. We were quietly (okay,well not so much) walking around the tourist traps, - chasing Tian, who had not slept enough, carrying Trace who was alternately eating Goldfish crackers and dropping them down my shirt ,as well as singing becasue he knew Tian wanted me to carry her, and Ty was trying to convince Tom and I he should have EVERY sword, knife or battle ax he saw, when a reporter stopped Tom to ask a few questions. He had spotted us before ( I think we were being stalked) and wanted to interview us for a news story. I thought we were being so discreet... We answered some questions about the adoption process,then he asked if his photographer could take a few pictures after he finished his tea. Tom asked where he would like to meet us and he said he would have no trouble finding us!!!! Should I be insulted ?!? I stepped in a shop to look at baby clothes, the boys waited outside for us and the next thing I knew he was interviewing the boys - heaven knows what they told him - TJ probably recounted the monkey/finger tale....anyway, they took several photos and offered to email them to us. Nothing too exciting and we went on our way, and I know they were following when Tian had a meltdown because she did not want some of the goldfish she wanted ALL of them, now! Needless so say, she had a screaming time out ( where she sits in place and just screams( it works for her. After a few minutes she is back to herself)) I am sure those pictures, me sitting a few feet away and Tian sitting screaming., made it inot he article....Hopefully, we didn't end the CHinese adoption program in one fell swoop.

We had a fun afternoon and enjoyed some Thai food ( sorry Leah we thought of you at least) - nothing to exciting Tj will post pics later...as he order pigeon (whole, head included pigeon)
for dinner
I still didn't think we were that much of a spectacle - are we?

Guangzhou

We are on the homestretch!!! We headed out to the airport Friday afternoon - we must have looked like a circus act. Tian with a harness on , Trace in the carrier on my chest. We arrived with our 7 suitcases and while finagling with all the luggage Trace decided if Tian was walking he was going to walk ( how should I put this...he is a bit determined) I traded Tian the harness for a piece of gum ( I know ...I have set a bad precedent, but there was no screaming) put her on a hand holding leash thing , put Trace int he harness and let them walk, we had to get through security where they checked our passports - the poor Chinese girl was VERY flustered - she put Ty through on Trevor's passport , then I went with the babies - the leashes ( for lack of a better word) worked beautifully - Tian ran though the machine, then Trace chased after her - believe me EVERYONE stopped to watch the show. I am probably on the evening news....
The plane ride was a breeze - I don't know if Trace had some sense that this means we are keeping him or what , but he was down right giggly. He played on the plane, ate my plane food ( note this - it was a 1 hour flight and they served a full meal!!!) and TJ's food, then we hit the next milestone he used a western style toilet, then we made it to the hotel with him singing and laughing for the entire 45 minute commute and he took a bottle from me!! Up to this point he really hadn't taken a bottle, just kind of sipped at it. This is how Tian was at first - the bottle thing is pretty intimate to her. Even now if she is mad at me she won't let me give her her sippy-cup...We are thrilled that Trace seems to have decided we are okay. I am sure we will still have many weepy moments where he misses Nai- nai ( his foster mother), but I can see the light at the end of the tunnel.

I am also glad we brought all the kids. I was VERY hesitant to spend so much especially since we had such an expensive "vacation" in Wisconsin, and we haven't sold any land, and Trace will need surgery, and Tj is going to college - the list goes on and on, but I am so glad the boys could see China, but I truly believe having them with us has helped Trace adjust. Like Tian - he acts as though being one of 5 kids is as natural as can be. I am beginning to forget what it was like without him- you know how you feel when are out and it seems like someone is missing even though you are all there? I don't feel that way anymore...

Back to Guangzhou, it is Very touristy here , like Cancun. The boys have all said they like Guiyang better - keep in mind it was not a very clean place - they preferred the realness of it. Here the shopkeepers are pedaling goods, dragging you in the stores, it is fun, but not the same.

Trace had his visa medical exam today - not very intensive though. They snap their fingers on each side of his head to see if he turns, the only good thing was we know his ears are healthy ( yeah - I wasn't terribly worried as he speaks very well and know when I ask if he wants a snack, but it is good to hear as babies with cleft palates generally have ear problems) Traces cleft in his palate does run the entire roof of his mouth. We were hoping it did not include his soft palate... it makes things a little more complicated, but he is tough and I am sure he will adapt very quickly. ( He will have to learn haw to speak all over again as right now he cannot manipulate his soft palate as we do and he has never learned to suck) The doctor was impressed he could eat and drink as well as he does ( believe me, there is no problem with his ability to eat or drink- which truly is a miracle)We met a young American Chinese couple adopting 2 very beautiful twin girls from the same province Tian is from and there were A LOT boys. We have seen at least 7 other families with boys. Trace weighed in at just over 25 lbs - he is big too....so much for getting petite children . It would be nice to have had a calm, quiet, compliant one though.

The boys and Tom have ventured off to find lunch. I am here with sleeping toddlers. Did you know you could snore with a hole int he roof of your mouth? Trace can. Both he and Tian are completely exhausted. We have the rest of the day to explore Guangzhou - I guess we will see if it is all touristy or just the envelope around the hotel.

I am here with sleeping kids - did you know you could snore with a hole in the roof of your mouth? Trace can! - they are completely exhausted.

Our Last Day in GuiYang

Pavilion at night -


view from our room

I am sad to leave; TJ wants to stay too. The people here have been very kind to us - from the produce salesman at the corner who can't believe the number of Mandarin oranges the kids eat to the woman who makes WONDERFUL stir fry to the patient cabbies who try to get us to the right place. It has been a wonderful adventure.

Last night we were able to see the pavilion lit up it was breathtaking. We walked along the river and let people stare at us. Some have been brave enough to try to talk with us, but most just tryto figure us out. I wonder what they think about this strange American family taking away their children. Many people stare and talk amongst themselves and sadly, most smile and seem to think Tian and Trace are lucky to be leaving China for America.

This morning we ALL slept in and then after our usual breakfast terrorizing of the dining room we headed out to the flea market. 4 little boys and a little girl followed us around bashfully saying "hello" and then daring each other to say it again. One boy finally go tthe nerve to tlak to Ty, unfortuantelywe could not understand him. I am sad our CHinese is so limited and most of what we do know they can't understand here. The little boys were aptient and finally had a great time trying to say our names. Their clothes all had English logos so we read them and tried our best to translate through actions and a few CHinese words - they thought that was terrific. Ty sword fought with one and then they chased and played. A womna stopped and asked me if Trace was my only son ( I understood - yeah) I told her I had 4 sons and 1 daughter and she ran to tell her friends and they all came over to see the crazy lady. They were very friendly and talked to Trace and made him smile.

t

OUr two little friends- they did not want their picture taken though

with traffic ...a little terrifying we headed back tot he hotel

Bunnies at the market - they were VERY cute

We took a WILD cab ride that was mor elike the Indy 500 with traffic going th eother direction to let the babies take a nap. The boys headed out to bring back stir fry - Trace ate almost as much as TJ - wowing us with his chopstick skills. They are both sleeping right now and we are trying to get the hotel to allow us to stay a couple extra hours before we check out - our flight doesn't leave until 6 pm....

Our lunch being cooked right out onthe corner- I wonder if it meets sanitation codes...it is best not to think abou tit - just eat it while it is hot:o)

Trevor's birthday (Febuary 26)

For my birthday we went to a Buddhist temple and saw monkeys. These were the monkeys that bit off T.J.'s fingers. It was hilarious and scary. The monkeys were smart enough to steal stuff.The baby monkeys were smart to. They also new that us coming was another feeding frenzy. I also got two cakes. How lucky is that? The one cake that baby Trace, my new little bro., picked out for me was better than the one the hotel made. My favorite present (my only present) was from Ty. It is a ping-pong pattle or as the Chinese would say "Ping-pong pattle".

Obviously - there is no parental control

Okay - here is the story, for whatever reason here in China we cannot view th Blog only add to it. I don't know why...could be our lack of computer skills, Tom's firewall on his computer ( maybe it thinks it is an.....inappropriate site...) , but I didn't see all that TJ posted.... no he has not lost any fingers, toes etc. The monkeys were terrific - only naughty. Also, if you have left us comments on the BLOG we can't read them....I will read them when we get home.

I will insist TJ mark all of his postings as his creative work....but if you call any one in China they will testify those Turner kids are difficult to control :o) We have only broken 2 glasses....

Trace is wonderful. Today ( Thursday) he has really loosened up. As Tian did, he seems to relax a little more each day. Today he was running and playing with TIan. He is a hitter and she is not happy about that. Her feelings ( and pride) have been hurt. The two of them are a lot alike (PLEASE pray for us) Every time I am holding him and she sits next to us he tries to jump on top of her swinging his arms and laughing. She will play for a minute, but she was REALLY wanting a little brother she could coddle. In fact, she told me yesterday to go get a different baby....he really isn't he coddling type.
He LOVES tea, pineapple juice, gummy fruit, dried fruit, ( most all food) , animals ( except cats ( this could be a problem) his fostr mother used to tell him to go to sleep or the kitties would come and eat him up...we have been looking at pictures of cats trying to de-program that one...Anyone want a cat or two or 3?) He loves to play with cars and ball and he is very physical ( hitting , jumping etc) He is totally potty trained !!!! ( We as Americans are way behind in that department - our social worker had suggested we try to regress him back to diapers , but here was no way he would go for that ( I am not complaining)) He can use a fork , spoon and chopsticks better than I can! We think he is a genius - he learns VERY fast. I played pat-a- cake with him once and he did all the actions later that evening without being prompted!! He loves to sing. He is always singing ...I so wish I knew all of teh Chinese children's songs. As you can tell, we like him a little bit :o) Even Tian ran in this morning after he woke up to give him a big kiss.

I am adjusting to the 2 toddler thing ( I don't know how it will be when we get back to real life..) I should have been powerlifting before we came - everytime i hold one the other desperately needs to be held as well. I can only hold both of them for a short time before I wnat to die.

Today's adventure - Tj assured me he filled in all the details about Pizza HUt ( weird - they had an Arabian Nights theme, they didn't have ANY soda and the appetizers were ...different) Today all of our paperwork had been finished and the places our guide suggested we go were out of our price range so we took a day to explore. SHe had taken us to a market that sell EVRYTHING - kind of a flea market and we tried to go back and obviously we don't speak very well so we ended up at a different market...it was fun we had a great time exploring and walking. We then decided to walk a bit before taking a taxi back....we got dreadfully lost , wandered through a high school campus ( it was HUGE) at this point we were simply looking for a taxi, but before we could find one we saw our hotel and it was only a block or two away. We have decided thst we either have an incredible sense of direction , someone is watching out for us or all roads lead to tthe Ramada :o) WE fould a great place for lunch, Tom was holding Trace, so ...I had to do the ordering...I narrowly escaped ordering chicken soup that comes with a whole ( and I mean entire) chicken in a pot - much to Tom's delight we had some incredible mashed potatoes, a mongolian beef dish, some sweet and sour chicken - I think it was the first meal thatt everyone liked. Trace was a bottomless pit - we aren't sure if this is him or if he had finally relaxed enough to really eat and drink. We made it back to the hotel where both babies are sleeping soundly (anohter miracle) We are hoping to make it out to see a pavilion lit up along the river ( a branch of the Yangtze) tonight, but who know where we will end up. We have to take 2 taxis...so far we have always ended up at the same spot...

Tj's view

Tonight 02/27 we went to Pizza Hut for dinner. Yea we went to an american resturaunt how lame is that. We went for Trevors b-day, we're in China and thats what he wanted to eat. While we looked through the menu we contemplated on ordering either a couple large pizzas or a couple bowls of creamy fungi soup.

In China at the Pizza Hut the thing to do when you get the salad bar is to make a tower of vegetables with a carrot base and an outer wall of cucumber and fill the inside hollow space with other vegetables and dressing. check out the pics.

Finger food

This is my hand after the monkeys had they're lunch. I don't think they liked the way they tasted, because they spit them out. They look alot better then they did after they were bitten. There was blood everywhere. I think I'll live though. I'm actually typing with one hand instead of chop sticks today.

I'll keep you posted

Last evening

The first two pictures are pretty self explanatory..... Trace and Tian doing what we all wanted to be doing...... We have been busy and the time change is still kicking our butts.... 14 hour time shift really is traumatic as illustrated below:

Instead of sleeping we all sampled local fruit and foods. Ty is holding a dragon fruit - similar to a kiwi / strawberry in taste and texture. White inside with black seeds..... We tired out the little ones walking the streets by the hotel and also sampled some very spicy mutton kabobs cooked on the street as we watched and waited. I tried to only get 3 to sample, however I ended up with a very large handful of these incredibly good however spicy snack..... The last picture is of the littlest Turner - devouring some very spicy food..... From the picture you might guess the food had gotten the best of him, but he went back for more & more & yet more.... The boy can eat....

T.J.'s monkey story

Today while feeding the monkeys I was eating an orange and watching everyone else feed the monkeys. I guess the monkeys didn't like this too much 'cause when I went to toss the orange peel away,one of the bigger monkey's came up, and the next thing I knew was that I did'nt have 5 fingers on my hand anymore. I sat there cradling the 3 fingers I had left while the guide and some Chinese people sat there laughing at me.

My Dad panicked. While my Mom asked the guide and bus driver about the doctors nearby. I guess none of them sounded good so we just drove back to the hotel, after we finished our tour of another Budda temple and had lunch.

When we got to the hotel the guide suggested that I just wrap my hand up in a towel and that it should feel better in just a few days. We'll see how that goes. Cause right knowI'm typing this with chop sticks in my mouth while i'm cradling my disabled limb.

I'll keep you posted.

He has a name ( Besides Fu Yuan )

Isn't this what it's all about?( Brothers and sisters shooting each other with toys...)


We spent all morning with at the Provincial Government finalizing the adoption process for China. He truely is now ours - like it or not!



We have been dreading this day - not because we have been having second thoughts, but because we knew we needed to put on paper his new name. After months of debates, suggestions via email, phone calls, we finally made a decision.





His new name is:

























































































Trace Yuan Larson Turner



Trace means warrior, we chose this because he will need to be a fighter to put up with his big sister! Seriously, becasue he will have to learn to stand up for himself and we hope he will be a warrior for all that is good and right around him. His life started full of battles and we hope that later when it all seems too much he will rememebr the people who have fought alongside him - his birthmother for having the courage to place him safely to be found when she knew she could not care for him, the orphange director for caring for him and ensuring he taken care of as many of these babies are left to die becasue they need so much expensive care, his foster family for loving him and caring for him day in and day out and fight for him to have surgery on his lip, the doctors who cared for him and the foster home director who filed paperwork to have him made elegible for international adoption , our adoption agency who has a division that focusing onthese children....the list goes on and on. Hopefully he will know that life is not fair, but that is what gives the opportunity for greatness and all that is beautiful.





We kept Yuan - the Chinese part of his name he went by - which means lucky - we hope his life will be filled with luck, and all that happens to work against him will be used to increase his fortune ( like being born with a cleft lip and palate has afforded him the opportunity to be part of our family - we would like to think that is lucky) Also, that he will remember his second family (his foster family) becasue this is what they called him







Larson - Tara's Mom's maiden name - that he will adopt our heritage along with his own ( kind of funny that Larson is a Swedish name :o) - could two cultures be more different ?)







Turner - (because Tom wouldn't let me use my maiden name) That he will know he is forever part of our family .









On the way back from the Provincial Office we saw this Chinese Gate. The Chinese people here try to make things look traditional even on newer structures they try to incorporate aspects of their culture and history.




Our boy!!! Today he really warmed up to all of us - it happened all of a sudden in of all places - WAL-MART..... It couldn't have been because 95% of the stuff in the cart was for him - Do you think??????
Oh look yummy stuff inside - gum!

Tales from Guiyang

Prior to meeting our boy, we spent the morning on our own walking around the city all around our hotel. The sights, the smells, the weather, the buildings ( construction), the people, everything here is truely incredible. We only wish we had been better prepared for the differences in the Chinese dialect. As many of you know we have been studying Mandarine Chinese - in this southern Chinese Province they speak with several different dialects. Lots of similar words, however different tones and ennunciations that we seem to totally butcher and definately cannot understand - thus making things rather interesting.
A tunnel under the very busy streets surrounding our hotel. The city is full of these or walking bridge structures over the main city intersections. These are really pretty fancy. I even ventured out late in the evening by myself and felt quite safe walking in these.

Looks like a run down sidewalk in a typical city.... These concrete planks are placed close together but are actually covers to the storm water run-off for the city ( unfortunately probably for the sanitary sewer system as well - didn't smell too fantastic. Want more details, I'm sure Ty or Trevor would be more than willing to share!!!

This little village area sits in between large fancy ornate glass skyscraper building. This country really has a major disparity of the haves and have nots. The boys and I saw a man eating out of the trash..... It was a real eye opener for Tj and a brutal reminder for me of just how easy we have it, especially as Americans. Trevor the first day of walking around in a poorer section said upon arriving back in our lavish hotel lobby - "ahh its good to be back home." It is truely amazing that some can have so much and others so little..... Yet these people persist, I have never seen violence, the city really does not seen to have much crime. We have been treated graciously and with extreme kindness & patience where ever we have gone.

Haircut anyone - Auralee, your services are desperately needed over here & best yet overhead for you own salon is extremely LOW ! No, I was not brave enough to sample the local skill! We'll see if I can make Ty get a local cut???? Anyone want to place any bets????

One last story -

Last evening, our first evening with our boy. Tj, Trev, Ty, Tian and I ventured out to get dinner and bring some food back for Tara and little T. We found a restaurant that we had passed by earlier that day. We ventured in and sat down. Boy did we draw some attention!!!! The waitress tried to ask what we wanted to drink - some how we managed to get hot tea all around and sprite and cokes as well - we must have appeared really thirsty......

She came back after delivering drinks and gave me a menu with nothing but Chinese symbols on it..... Remembering the ordeal from the evening before in the FISH restaurant - needless to say the boys and I were getting extremely nervous. Luckily Tara sent Tj with our Chinese book and a lesson fromour classes on ordering food at a restaurant..... This however turned out to be only moderately helpful.

I wanted to eat chicken and really could care less about much beyond that. After about a 10 minute chinese, sign-language, pictionary session with the waitress for what seamed like an eternity - she understood we wanted chicken, she pointed to 3-4 items on the menu I finally just shook my head yes to virtually anything she said.... The boys looked at me like I was nuts - I probably am...... After about a half an hour the boys and Tian needed to use the restroom. Trev checked out the local facilities and said he would rather die! Tj graciously offered to take them back to the hotel. That left Ty & I in the restaurant.

It turned out to be a "Hot Pot" type place where they cook the food in front of you. The food really was good but extremely spicy. We got chicken, pork, tofu, and vegetables.... Oh but we got chicken, bones, skin, white meat, dark meat, heads, beaks, feet, you name it it was in there!

It was good! Ask for more details - it was truely a one of a kind experience for both the boys and I and I'm sure for the poor Chinese people at the restaurant wondering who the crazy white dummy was!

Boy is it good to be in a place of over 3,000,000 people, I know I'll never run into them again!!!!!