Home! Quick Update

We are home safe and sound. Hannah Dong En seems to like almost all the new amenities and experiences of living in a house. I 'm sure it's very new to her. In Beijing and Guangzhou I saw nothing like the Western free-standing house with yard, etc. (Apparently, such things do exist in the new far outer-ring suburbs of the cities.)

She especially enjoys all the baby doll toys and cooking toys that we and others got for her (thanks Lish!) And the the Play-Doh ... oh the Play-Doh. Which reminds me of one current challenge: the house is trashed. The impact of jet-lag on all of us, plus the attention the kids need from both of us — due to all the immense adjustments — don't allow much residual time or energy for organization yet.

What Dong En most definitely doesn't like are the cats. When she first saw them she was alarmed and clung to us. Now she is OK for a while if they are asleep across the room, but if one starts approach us she shouts, "Ah! Ah! Maau maau!! [kitty] Ah!" clings to us, and begins to whimper." If we don't close them in another room, she is reluctant to come down out of our arms. Nevertheless, if they are far away, she is interested in them and will mimic their motions (like licking a paw) with a smile. Our hope and belief is that she'll get used to them gradually.

She has had a couple of crying and flailing episodes, mostly at night. Today she had one of her most severe. And it started out of nowhere. Earlier, though, I'd played some Cantonese children's songs for her. At first, she moved to the music and repeated some of the words. Soon, however, she became dead serious and looked almost sad. Not too long after that she was playing normally and then just broke down. Perhaps too many memories came back and she missed "home." Maybe she was just tired. In any event, her grief and frustration prompted quite the heartbreaking fit of sadness and anger. After 45 minutes (??) she cried herself to sleep and woke up inconsolable twice. Nevertheless, she has been content or happy and playful most of time.

Grandma and grandpa visited yesterday and she was a little shy (as expected) but quite a charmer as she played with us and Benjamin. Grandma & Grandpa bore gifts and food which were loved by all.

This evening Lish and Josh (Benjamin's 5 year old best buddy) came over. (To add to Lish's heap of kind acts, she brought us a delicious home-baked caramel apple pie.) Again, Dong En was in high spirits. Josh could have powered a small city with his excitement over seeing Benjamin again!

Overall, things are going very well, we think!

Gwongzau, Joi Gin - Goodbye Guangzhou

We can hardly believe yesterday was our last day in China. When we left home, two and a half weeks seemed like an eternity, and now it is over. We will leave China with such mixed emotions. We've had an absolutely fantastic and eye-opening trip. We also look forward to getting home. Thanks to all who have been following our transformation to a family of four.

More landmark experiences lie ahead, starting this coming morning with Hannah Dong En's first ride on an airplane … actually her first three rides. (Yikes!) We hope they go as smoothly as possible.

Hannah Dong En has had so much to adjust to, we haven't talked to her about going to the U.S., living in a new home (besides this hotel), etc. (only that we will always be her mama, baba and gohgo and always take care of her). Who knows how anxious or prematurely excited so could become? One step at a time, the first one being that flight home.

So yesterday evening, at supper, Jay said in English that he had announcement to make. Then in Cantonese he told Dong En simply that tomorrow we would ride on an airplane. We didn't know what to expect. Blank stare? Anxiety? Would she not understand "tomorrow" and try to climb down off the chair, thinking we were going right then? Well, she opened her eyes and mouth wide in surprise, looked at Baba, looked at Mama, looked at Benjamin. She could hardly believe it. We nodded and said it was so. She beamed. A little later she moved her folded napkin through the air in a straight line saying "fei gei" — airplane. We can only hope she feels a small fraction of that joy after 12 hours in coach on a 747.

Once we are back and more rested, we hope to write some of the stories we didn't have time to tell, and post some of the good pictures we didn't have time to share. We also hope to tell about Hannah Dong En's reaction and adjustment to her new country, her new home, and her new extended family and friends.

We can't wait for our family and friends to meet Hannah Dong En. She has already brought a lot of joy into our lives and I'm sure she will do the same for you.

Jay, Rebecca, Benjamin, and Hannah Dong En.

Photos

Ready for swimming


In the hotel playroom with Baba

In the hotel playroom - Dong En likes to set up beds for stuffed animals

Dong En loves to imitate things she sees, including statues.
This was her idea; soon she had us all doing it.
(Outside a restaurant)

Update II

It is our understanding that the consulate finalized Sandi and her daughter's paper work yesterday (at the same time they finalized that of the rest of the group), and that she will return today as scheduled. Thanks again to all who helped.

Update

Sandi Sheldon and our agency representative met with someone at the consulate this morning and are now being told with 95% certainty that she will be allowed to come home tomorrow as scheduled. Our agency representative is fantastic and dedicated. She is also fluent in Chinese and English. She has been helping Sandi from the beginning. She told me that all the phone calls to Sandi's representatives did make a difference, so thanks to those who called.

URGENT HELP NEEDED

The woman from our travel group whose husband passed away unexpectedly two days ago needs urgent help. Her adoption is already final in the eyes of the Chinese government. Now the U.S. consulate here is denying her a visa for her daughter to come back to the U.S. because of the "change in her marital status." This woman needs help fast before the consulate closes for Thanksgiving and she is stranded here indefinitely. If anyone out there is in a position to help, please get the word out. Her name is Sandra Sheldon. Her late husband was Dennis Sheldon. She is from Lansing, Michigan. Her congressman is Mike Rogers. His phone numbers are (202) 225-4872, (517) 702-8000, (877) 333-MIKE. Her senator is Debbie Stabenow (202) 224-4822 (517) 203-1760. We are in Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, China.
Please forward this to anyone you know who might be able to help.
Please respond ASAP.
Any help deeply appreciated.
Rebecca and Jay

Note

If you happened to have read the last two posts before they had photos, you might want to scroll down. We added a few photos. Hopefully, we'll have time to put up more tomorrow (this evening, Wisconsin time.)