Field Trip and Easter

Sam was off of school on Friday so we went to the Discovery World. It is this great hands on museum on the lake front (for those of you out of town). Sam loved it. Jenna loved running around and E was just taking it all in. On the lower level there are several aquariums. That is what the kids are sitting in front of.

Today we had Easter at my parent's house. Grammy Fran had gotten the Easter Baskets and everything before we left, no knowing when we were leaving for CHina. It was funny to do it five weeks later. The kids had fun looking for the eggs and we enjoyed the yummy meal.

Auntie Bridget keeps giving us clothes that are too small for Jenna and today she gave us Jenna's Christmas jammies. They match Sam's. We put them on E and Sam put his on! How sweet, my little matching kids!

We are doing well getting into the routine of life here in Milwaukee with two kids. It is harder to get things done, it takes longer to get out the door and we are still really tired. We are loving the family of four thing. We quiver with joy when we say things like, "the kids", or "our daughter" or "your sister". It is incredible to think how far we have come in the last five years. We are so in love with E and so amazed at Sam in his new role as big brother. He tries so hard to take care of her. He will even wipe her nose when we are in the car! He will share (most of the time) his food with her. We are having trouble with his behavior, but that is another topic.

Elizabeth makes 15

David's Grandma Stolpe now has 15 great grandchildren. Up until March 31, she only had one girl though. The joke in the familiy is that only Jon knows how to make a girl. We have been countering that joke, with we know how to get a girl in the family, we are going to China! So now Grandma has two girls in her family, Hannah and Elizabeth.

Today we drove to the Chicago area to see Grandma so she could meet Elizabeth. A year ago February Grandpa Stolpe died, we are so sad that he did not get to meet Elizabeth. Grandma has been saying for a while now that she is just hanging on until she meets E, then she is ready to die and go to heaven. She wants to see what Jesus has in store for her. Her memory is failing and her coherentness is also failing. The one thing she has kept clear is the facts about E. She had been telling everyone in the nursing home all about her. When we came, she was so happy and so proud. Grandma wanted to show E to everyone and make sure they all met her. Everyone there already knew about her and told us that Grandma talks about her all the time. Luckly E is really small, so Grandma could hold her.

The Stolpes are swedish and love Cardamom (sp?) bread. I think it is not so good and would be better if it was just cinnamon bread. E loved it. We all joked she is a real Stolpe now since she passed the cardamon bread test. I have not passed any of the tests, luckly they let me stay anyway! E could not get enough of the bread! She quickly learned the Aunt Elaine (who only has grandsons) would give her as much bread as she wanted. Elaine, could not get enough of E! She also made us a beautiful needlepoint for E's room. Elaine alwasys makes a needlpoint wall hanging for all the grandkids. I had found a special chinese adoption one and ordered the pattern for Elaine. It is absolutly beautiful. I'll try to get a picture posted of it.

Grandpa Norm told me today that Grandma had mentioned that she wanted to make sure there were pictures of her and E so that when E grows up she can see who she was. It is sad to think of her not being around much longer, but it is also sad to think of her living this way too much longer.

Mommy, Elizabeth, Grandma Candy and Great Grandma Stolpe

Mommy, Elizabeth, Grandma Candy, Grandma Stolpe and Aunt Elaine

Ouch times five!

Ouch, Ouch, Ouch, Ouch, Ouch! That is how many times they poked my baby today! I know it is for her own good, but I have never seen her cry and wail and scream like that. The bright spot was that she settled down as soon as I picked her up and held her.

Today was her first trip to our family doctor, Dr. Sanchez. We have all been seeing him since Sam was born. The whole office was so excited to meet Elizabeth. He said she was doing great and was not concerned about her size and said some time at home with good food, love and stimulation she will be just fine. He was just in love with her and she was charming him. Then she got her first three immunizations. Then we had to go to the lab for blood work. It took two pokes, one in each elbow pit (that is what Sam calls that part of the arm) for them to get enough blood. We came home had tylenol, a big bottle and a nap. When I picked Sam up from school he was just awful. He was sassy, nasty and yucky. I said to my mother in law, I think he has an ear infection. He has had allergies or a cold all week. So I called the clinic and got him in. I was right, double ear infection starting! So now he is on antibiotics. So I was at the clinc twice, ouch!

Other than the ouches, we have had a great week! It has been nice to have Grandma Candy here to help with dishes, cooking, laundry and especially baby snuggling! That is her favorite part. We took E to the Y to meet everyone there, she was great and charmed everyone. She went to Daddy's school today and charmed everyone again!

Wednesday we went to the zoo. I wanted to show E how nice our zoo was. Her cousin Jenna came (and her mom) and my friend Karin brought her daughter Lauryn. After the zoo we went to a restaurant that only serves grilled cheese! My brother found it. The girls loved it. E had a ton of grilled cheese and some french fries. To complete her "american" day, we also went to Target!

Thursday we had coffee and donuts at Cranky Al's. It is a great independent coffee shop right by Sam's school. Carmen and I dropped the kids off and walked over for treats with E and Jesse. She loved the donut! I got a regular glazed donut and she liked it, but Carmen gave her some of her chocolate, cream filled long john and she REALLY loved that one. Jesse had fun watching her and playing a little with her. Cranky Al's wife was so excited when I told her that we just got back from China with E. I am embarrased to say this, but they did ask me why I had not been in for a while. My chi latte consumption got pretty bad just before the trip to China.

Jesse only eats the top part with the sprinkles!

Her mouth is full of donut and she is showing me the ones in her hand! She loved the donuts! No coffee for her though, not yet!

We are home

We are home and now I have to start doing my own posts. It was so nice to have Grandpa Norm post for me, it was so easy.

The trip home was great. E slept most of the way, Sam watched movies and slept. The flight attendants were so happy for us and gave us a bottle of champane. They also gave us a bassinet for E to sleep in.

It is great to be home. I was almost dizzy walking around in my house on Saturday when I got home. My mother in law is here and had chocolate chip cookies waiting for us! The Hartman Keisers came to visit on Saturday night. E was facinated with Lydia's braces.

We took her to church on Sunday and she did so well. They had a big meal, the theme was "sweety pie" in honor of E! It was great to see everyone, we had missed them all so much.

The kids are pretty messed up on their times still. We are doing ok, but since they keep getting up about 2AM, we are not getting as much sleep as we would like.

Today is my birthday. I got such a nice present from China two weeks ago. We went out to the Chancery for dinner. It was so nice to have a local meal. I have included a picture of Sam sharing his bomb pop with her. She had grilled cheese and loved it! She also had mac n cheese which she loved too. My parents, Nigel, Bridget, Jenna and Candy came too. We had a great time. Tomorrow we are going to the zoo! I can't wait to show E how nice zoos can be.

The bassinet at American Airlines. It was so nice to have this! We had the bulk head seats! So much leg room.

Sam was not tired, his eyes were just tired. Yeah, right! He was exausted! He was up at 3AM, then went to school all day and then crashed during dinner! It was just like most meals in Beijing, Sam sleeping at the table.

Our good friends the Maldanados came to church on Sunday. Their daughter Mira is seven months and weighs a few pounds more than E, but E is just a bit taller. Mira was pretty sad, but E tried to comfort her by patting her back!

Sam was so happy to be back at church. After the dinner the kids all went out the front lawn to play soccer. He was full of dirt and mud, but so happy and sweaty! He is in the red and blue jacket with his back to us.

Grandpa Kent had both Jenna and Elizabeth at the Chancery. Jenna was not too sure about sharing, but seemed to be ok.

Sam shared his Bomb Pop with Elizabeth at the Chancery. She really likes ice cream and sweets in general. She gets that from her Mommy!

It is so good to be home! Big thanks to our church, we won't have to grocery shop or cook for a very long time! Big thanks to the Pattersons for flying Grandma Candy up! She has been a huge help with laundry, dishes, watching the kids, cooking and baking. Since E's schedule is so messed up, she seems to be sleeping when I need to pick Sam up from school. It is nice to have her here to watch E.

The weather here is great, we have to get E used to the sunshine and being outside!

A New US Citizen

David phoned about 6:00 PM today, Saturday, April 12 to tell me that they had landed in Chicago, cleared customs and immigration and were on their way home to Milwaukee. Everything went smoothly, and Elizabeth is now a US citizen and a full legal Stolpe! Grandma Candy has been in Milwaukee since Thursday preparing to welcome the family home and hug Elizabeth. Praise God!

Grandpa Norm

Saying Good Bye to GZ and our New Friends

Little Bird

Our Two Kids

Trio's Last Time Together

Today was our last day in GZ, but not China. We fly tomorrow to Shanghi and then Saturday to Chicago. We should be home Saturday evening. This will be the last post before we land in the States.

Today was a big day! We went to the consulate and said our oath that all our paperwork was correct. We got the “Brown Envelope” which has all her important paperwork in it. They said about a million times, “DO NOT OPEN THIS”. They will open it at customs in Chicago. So Elizabeth is about 98% an American citizen. When they break that seal in Chicago, she will be officially an American citizen! Today we also got her passport back with her American Visa in it. So when we get back to Milwaukee, we can apply for her American Passport. We can also file for her Milwaukee County birth certificate.

It was a very bitter sweet day. We are all so longing for home, but we are also going to miss each other so much. We have all bonded and are so close. We have shared such an emotional, life changing event with people that were strangers just two weeks ago, but are now our children’s aunts and uncles. I am getting teary just thinking about leaving them all. Beyond the adult connections, we are all in love with each other’s children too. To see the changes they have made in the last two weeks is incredible and we all look forward to watching them grow up. All of us are so thankful that we were part of a group and hope all other families come in a group too.

Once last emotional gush from Rachel. I also have to say that my family has been incredible through this. They were all much better than I was. I was an emotional mess for the vast majority of the trip. There were a few moments when I had enough chocolate and Pepsi in me to make me bearable.

GPK and GMF were wonderful to have here. They took Sam when we had to go off for paperwork or when E was not coping well. They also watched both kids so we could get out and get some food or shop. They welcomed all the other children and new parents and were great surrogate parents and grandparents for the whole group.

David is the most wonderful man for putting up with me. There is no way I could have made it through this with out him. He tells me to settle down or hugs me when I need it; he takes Sam out for an adventure when I need quite time; he can pack so well that we can get all our stuff home, he can make Elizabeth belly laugh.

Sam was so good through this trip. He walked where we walked with out complaining. He ate different food, he stayed up late; he hung out in hotel rooms; he welcomed his baby sister with open arms and no jealousy. He calls her Cutie! He says, “Where is Cutie? I need to give her a kiss!” I could not have asked for him to be better. Three weeks away is a long time, but he has loved it. This week helped with a pool! He is ready to get home though, I think.

Next time I post I will back in Milwaukee! For those of you in the city you are welcome to come to church on Sunday night and there is a dinner! You can get info for our church at: http://www.milwaukeemennonitechurch.org/ See you all soon!

Red Couch Day

Today we were under house arrest. OK, it was not really that bad, but we had our consulate appointment. The way it works is that Cordelia and Grace go to the consulate for us and we have to stay in our rooms from 10:30-12:30 in case there is a problem and they can call. We did not have something signed and notarized in the States (neither did Stu and Maureen) so David and Maureen went to the consulate with Grace and Cordelia to have that paper notarized. They also went to IKEA. It was good for Maureen to get away; Mae is very attached and won’t go to Daddy. Today she spent most of the day with Daddy and they did great! It was a break through for both of them! E spent most of the day sleeping and I spent the day in the room with her. Everything was fine with our paperwork. Tomorrow we go to the consulate to take our oath. I’ll fill you in on that tomorrow.

This afternoon at 2:00 we dressed all our kids in Chinese outfits and tried to get them all to sit on the traditional red couch. Now, for those of you who have heard of the “red couch”, I am sorry to burst your bubble, but all the couches in this place are red! You just pick one and then start herding kittens. We tried to get all the kids to sit on the couch, not climb off, not cry, not mess with each other. It was a mess. I have included some pictures. Not all the kids are in it, most are crying, but not to brag, but you will notice the sweet little one in yellow, not crying. Then they took family pictures and then a large group shot with everyone. Then we all ran from there.

I have included a picture of Hannah, Ian and Sam in their Chinese outfits, one of the better red couch pictures and a group shot in the atrium area of the White Swan.

Tomorrow is our last day here! Then Friday we start traveling! We head for Shanghi on Friday and then home on Saturday. Mom and Dad had planned a special night for us all in Shanghi on Friday night. Dad had been telling me that he booked the night there at “runway 9” right by the airport and it was not very nice, but cheap and we won’t be there very long. We were fine with that. Then it turns out he and mom had really planned for us all to stay downtown and have our last day in China be a fun night in Shanghi. But, thanks to David Tam, that is not happening. He screwed up the reservations and then told dad the hotel/airport transfer would be about $300 round trip. He told Dad at home it was all included. Plus this put us in a tiny room again. So, now we are just staying at a Ramada or something right by the airport. I guess it is one of the suburbs and I am sure it is still going to be a fun night. It is one step closer to home, it can’t be that bad. Plus it will be cooler there.

Our family on the Red Couch

Hannah, Ian and Sam

The Red Couch

The Whole Group

It is a little finger, but both Mommy and Daddy are wrapped around it!

Today was not the greatest day. We had our doctor appointment and visa pictures this AM. Elizabeth is very much like a 6-9 month old baby. She is about that size, does not eat much table food and needs to be fed, likes her bottles a lot and needs to nap about every two hours. So the outing this AM was not working with her schedule. She was up at 7, so by 9 wanted her nap, but that is when we were off for the trip. We walked over and had their pictures taken, then walked over the doctors office. There is a special room for adopted children. There were three steps and not in order and not at the same time. So all eight families are in a room waiting for the three steps. It is CHAOS! First we get in line for step one: They weigh, measure and take the kids temperatures. Elizabeth was 16.5 pounds and 29 inches long. In March when we got her update they said she was almost 18 pounds. They must have weighed her with a lot of heavy clothes and a small brick! Step two was a doctor check, she was fine and step three was the ENT doctor. Her ear infection and bronchitis from last Monday was gone! We were so happy.

Then we all had to keep waiting in that hot crowed noisy room for a while longer then we could go back to the hotel. It was about eleven-ish when we got back and E was so overtired by now. We finally got her to sleep, then she was back up and crabby and then she cried for about an hour and finally went back to sleep, but not for long enough. She really does have us wrapped around her little finger. Tonight on the way dinner she was in the stroller and started fussing and looking at me. I told David she needed to come out and he picked her up. She gave me the biggest, cheesiest, “I got my way” smile! She is just opening up so much all the time. She feels comfortable crying with tears; she feels comfortable fussing for us to take care of her; she laughs and giggles and smiles now. It is incredible what a difference a week makes. On the elevator we ran into a couple that just got their baby yesterday. We told them to hang in there for a week and it is a whole new world.

Here are some pictures of the doctor’s visit. While we were there, GMF and GPK took Sam to visit a Hahn tomb from 700 BC. They were all very impressed with it. I think David was jealous he could not go. You will have to ask GPK for those pictures. While Sam was swimming (his favorite activity) GPK was walking around with Elizabeth showing her the pool, the leaves of the trees, the lifeguard stand (by the way, the lifeguards are fully clothed) and then he put her on the grass. She was very confused, but seemed ok with it. Oh, and she completely has GMF and GPK wrapped around her finger too!

I am not happy.

First time on grass

Physical Exam

Elizabeth has her mommy's sweet tooth!

Sam took a tubby today and so did Elizabeth! She was not too sure, but Daddy was with her too. She was fascinated or confused by the bubbles on her hands. You can see that in the pictures. Tonight after dinner (which was American cuisine) we had ice cream. She loved it. I know I already sent a post for today and pictures, but I knew these were too cute to wait on! I hope you don't mind.

Sam looks on as his ice cream is eaten.

I like ice cream.

I want more ice cream.

This is one of Elizabeth's favorate expressions.

Three in a tub

Here are some pictures from GZ

Elizabeth on Daddy's Lap on Arriving in GZ

Stu and David Eat Pigeon

Grandpa Kent and Grammy Ruth Eat Pigeon

The one with E on Daddy's lap is so sweet. She is so small and then on Daddy's lap she is even smaller. Rebecca, I am so glad I brought the orange pants. They don't match anything, but tie, so they fit her. At the restaurant the guys ordered pigeon! It came cut up, but they also served the head. Maureen, GMF and I were disgusted, but the guys thought it was fun and Grammy Ruth even got into the fun. Stu and David thought it was fun to eat the drumsticks that were so small. I love seeing Elizabeth on David's lap, she looks even smaller.

We have landed in Guangzhou

Monday, April 7, 2008

Sorry I have not posted lately. I am so tired and done with the trip. Plus not too much positive has happened since we got here. We have made the best of it, but every turn the White Swan (WS) sucks more and more. Here is our White Swan saga. Actually I will preface the saga by saying that everyone in the adoption world stays at the White Swan. It is crawling with white families and Chinese babies and kids. Also, everyone raves about it and says it is so incredible and talks about the “White Swan Experience”. Mattel has a play room here and they give each family a Barbie! It is a Blond Barbie holding a Chinese baby girl. So our story begins on Saturday when we fly to Guangzhou (GZ) and land at 5:00 PM, right on time. There are 8 families now going to the WS with A LOT of luggage and extra kids and people. They send one van. There was not even enough room for all the families. So a few of the families stay behind and all the luggage. We get to the WS and check in. Now all the arrangements had been made by David Tam. He is the travel agent for Homeland. Everyone raves about him too. We go up to our room and it is a tiny room with two tiny twin beds and an old rickety archaic crib. There is no where for Sam to sleep and David will not fit on that bed. M and D are next door in an adjoining room. Dad comes over and their beds are so old they visibly sag. Now these rooms are costing us $140 a night. So we go down to the desk again and start the “process” of getting better rooms. This is hampered by them not speaking enough English and not being reasonable and not being accommodating. They tell us they can put us in the palace suite or something for 3000 Yuan a night. That is a few hundred more dollars a night. Then they take David and Dad up to see another room at the same price. It is just as small but they have crammed a king size bed in it. There is still nowhere for Sam to sleep and no where for M and D to sleep. They are up there a while and S, E, M and I are waiting in the lobby. I must pause in the story to say that S and E were excellent. Mom and I were a mess, I am sure you can all picture it. It was not pretty; we had been on a plane for over two hours, a van for 45 mins and still had not eaten. So finally D and GPK come back down with the manager. They somehow got us in to the palace suite for no extra charge. The only charge is a nominal fee for a roll away bed for Sam. This room is great. There is a large room with a king sized bed, enough room for a roll away for Sam and the crib. There is another large room with two twin beds and in between is a living room area. So we are all in the same suite with plenty of room. So, it is now 8:00 PM and we are just getting to our room and we still don’t have luggage. It comes about 8:30 as we are heading to dinner. We ate in the hotel since it was dark and we were all so exhausted. Dinner was 450 Yuan and not very good. The last two weeks we had paid about 120-150 Yuan a meal for way more food and it was all very yummy. Now the crib story, they brought the same crummy one up to the new room, we promptly put it in the hallway and E slept in our bed. David and I were both very nervous and did not sleep much. On Sunday when we were off doing paper work (another saga) GPK spent the time trying to get a crib. First they brought back the old one, then some sort of inflatable thing covered in cloth and then finally a nice one. Then last night they brought in two fruit baskets and apologized for the problem with the crib. Then this morning at breakfast they told us they would charge us 168 plus 15% gratuity for Sam’s breakfast buffet. Ours are included with our room. That is about $30 for Sam to have an omelet and a Danish. GPK and I went through the roof! He called the manager over and hopefully we got that taken care of. That is outrageous. So in the end we are in a really nice room, but I feel guilty for the other families staying in the tiny crap holes they call rooms. I can’t believe we are forced to stay in a place like this. They are not accommodating at all until you start to complain. So for those of you about to travel here, be aware of how the WS sucks and be ready to complain and raise a stink until you get what you need and want. The Nanjing Grand was great and the Hutong for $40 a night was incredible. The service was better, the room there was better than the first room they showed us here. I think they can charge so much here and treat us like garbage because they know we have no choice and are forced to stay here. We can’t just pick up and leave. I am done with the little shops full of tourist junk and the pearl market tour yesterday was just a dirty over crowded mall. We (and the other families) thought we would be on the water and they would be diving for pearls and it would be a fun out side market.

Ok, enough complaining, on to some positive and fun stuff. I think I have mentioned before that we have become really close with two other families. They have been such a blessing to us and I hope we have been to them. The other girls, Mae and JiJiu are in the pictures with Elizabeth. JiJiu has her Daddy and Grandma Ruth here with her. At home she has two older brothers I think they are 9 and 10. They live in Alaska. Mae is here with her Mommy and Daddy who decided to adopt not because of infertility but for conviction. Maureen had worked in an orphanage overseas and promised herself she would build her family through adoption and Stu had always wanted to adopt from China, and when they got married it was a perfect path for them to take. Plus they said they both come from large families and there are enough of them running around. I would love to meet Nicole, JiJiu's mommy sometime and I wish they all lived so much closer. Maybe we can convince Mae’s family to come out in June for our party! Alaska is pretty far though for JiJiu’s family to come. Mae is in MA though. The whole group has nominated my parents as honorary grandparents of the trip, especially GPK as the honorary Grandpa of the group. Mom is more like one of the girlfriends, than a typical “grandma,” and that is how I like it. When we get home to Grandma Candy, we will get the “typical grandma” with cookies and such. GPK is doing his best to help all the kids come out of their shells and to warm up to men. Most of them are having a really hard time with men, which is really hard on the daddies. Luckily E is really young and her personality is more passive (for now). The ones that are a bit older are having more trouble. Mae is really attached to Mommy and cries when Daddy picks her up or Mommy walks away. JiJiu is ok with Daddy, but goes to Grandma Ruth for comfort more. I think Grammy Fran has enjoyed having Grammy Ruth around too. Mike, JiJiu’s dad reminds us a lot of David’s cousin Tom, just an older version of him. Maureen reminds me a lot of my friend Jeanne and she is also a college professor (she teaches international something).

Sorry for the long post, but I am sure you are all wondering how Elizabeth is doing. Each day she comes alive a little bit more. Each day she comes out of her shell a little more and shows us a glimpse of her self that she has kept guarded away. We are seeing bits of sass and bits of stubbornness (just like Mommy, I love it). We broke down and got a stroller yesterday. My goodness we will have so much to bring home. We brought the backpack and will try it again, but it is sooooooooo hot here (80’s-90’s and humid) that it is too hot to use the backpack or sling. She loves the stroller though and is so small and flexible she moves all over in it. They have a nice racket here, the stores will loan you a stroller for free, but it is clunky, no sun shade, cloth (who knows how dirty it is ) and it does not fold up too well, or you can buy one for about $20. So I bought one. Anyway, E is just incredible. The antibiotics are really working well. She is barely coughing, no green gunk in her nose, she is sleeping really well, and she has not thrown up since Friday and is eating more and more each day. She does not know how to feed her self really and does not eat a lot of solids. She will take about 4 ounces of a bottle at a time. We have been making four ounces of formula and adding two ounces of yogurt. She loves it and we know she is getting something in her. We are all so in love with her and her two “sisters,” Mae and JiJiu. I will really miss them and their families. Sorry for long post, but it had been a few days. Oh, one more thing about the WS, the internet connection is way more money than at the Nanjing Grand and the connection is really slow. So I can’t upload any pictures. I think it would take all day. I will try soon though.

Love to you all! I can’t wait to be home, I heard it was warming up!

Last Day in Nanjing

my girl friends

looking up with fingers

backpack at the zoo

Elizabeth in hat with Grandpa Kent

Friday, April 04, 2008

Today was our last day in Nanjing. I am really ready to leave but we are not heading home, just to Guangzhou. David started the day by getting a hair cut! There was a place really close and it was a full hour, they washed his hair before and after the cut and trimmed his beard. It was only $4.00! He thought the manager cut his hair, and they all seemed amused a big white guy came in. It looks great, better than he gets at home for $20 plus with no wash and no beard trim. Then we headed to the zoo. It was very disappointing. The animal enclosures are so substandard. I know I am used to the Milwaukee zoo which is one of the best in the country, but these are pitiful. The panda enclosures are bad too, you would think they would have nicer areas for their national treasure, but no. We saw the people throwing marshmallows or something into their enclosure too. It was nice for me to see pandas twice though. E was not coping too well with being out and about, so David and I took her back to the hotel for a nap and some quite time. She was really fussy until we got into the hotel and then really settled when we got to our room. I think she has never been out side and it really is sensory overload. We got her to sleep and after an hour the fun began. She started coughing then threw up. This is not new, she does that a few times a day. She threw up on David’s bed, so we had to call housekeeping to remake the bed. I gave her a bath and wrapped her in a towel. As they were changing David’s bed, I laid her on my bed to get her dressed. She peed while wrapped in the towel, so now they have to change my bed too. The women were so nice and thought E was just the funniest and cutest little girl. She was very happy then! Our friend Stu, Mae’s daddy, calls Elizabeth , Eliza-bitsy, because she is so small. Grammy has started calling her Eliza-itsy-betsy. We joke that Elizabeth is such a big name for such a little girl.

Tonight we had a celebration dinner with all the families. It was in one of the hotel restaurants. We dressed Mae, Ji-Jiu (pronounced Jee-Jew) and Eliza-bitsy in matching dresses. The pictures are from her first ride in the back pack at the zoo, yesterday playing with grandpa, tonight after the diner with her girlfriends. The girls really enjoy playing together. Mae and E were in the same orphanage, JiJui came from the other one. We call her the princess, she is so reserved and just watches. Mae is really full of personality and spunk. She takes toys from the others, has a fake cry and a great cheesy grin. We are so upset though; these two great families live so far away. We really have bonded with them and are so close. Mae and her parents live in MA and JiJiu lives in Alaska!

The hotel robe did not come from the big and tall shop.

Orphanage Visit Pictures

Rachel and David with Elizabeth meet the orphanage director

Elizabeth says "Thank You" to her orphanage care takers


Dad and daughter stretched out after a long day

From Grandpa Kent and Grammy Fran

Today (April 2) was the trip to the orphanage in Wuxi. Wuxi is about 80 miles East of Nanjing a trip which took us about three hours in a tour bus built for the smaller Chinese people. I had hoped when we left the city the pollution would subside some but it actually got worse! I was hoping I could see some of the countryside but due to the horrible pollution the visibility on each side of the road was severely limited. Folks I want you to know that the low, low prices we enjoy at our local Wal-Marts are being supplied at the expense of these people’s lungs. The haze you see in our pictures is not fog. It is pollution. OK, enough editorializing and onto the orphanage or the Wuxi Social Welfare Center. The facility was very modern and clean with beautiful grounds. Half is an orphanage and the other half is for “old people.” We toured the parts where the children from our group came from. When we got to Elizabeth’s area her care givers came out and gathered around her. I have included a picture of two of them holding her. They were sad to see her go but happy to know she now had a family. Elizabeth went over to them but went right back to Rachel with no fuss, she seems to know that Rachel and David are her family now. I gave each of the care givers a big hug and thanked them for giving her such good care. These are very special people and the separation must be hard on them. When we arrived back at the hotel little Elizabeth just opened up laughing and playing as if she had broken her bonds with the people at the orphanage and now was fully ready to accept her new life. My only problem with the orphanage was when I looked into a room and saw two rows of maybe 50 little children sleeping. I wanted to scoop them up and put them in my back pack and take them all home with me.

Tonight’s restaurant report. We had another fabulous meal fully with no English on the menu. I have learned how to say: “Hello, My name is Kent” along with a few other Chinese words which have made the waitresses laugh one so hard she almost stopped breathing. But I think they appreciate me trying. Tonight the waitress wanted me to say each item in English after we figured out what we had ordered. She loved it when I said “spinach” so now I wonder what “spinach” means in Chinese?

Tomorrow we tour Nanjing.

Kent and Fran

More Pictures of Elizabeth

Elizabeth asleep with her Quilty B

(scroll down in blog to March 9 to learn about the special quilt)
Elizabeth introduces her friend Mae and her brother Sam

Looking at Mommy

Riding on Daddy's shoulders

Wednesday April 2, 2008 again

What a difference a few days makes. Elizabeth is really coming out of her shell. She is laughing and reaching for us and relaxing. Tonight we went to a restaurant for dinner (of course) and EVERYONE was just gushing over Elizabeth and Sam. The waitresses took her from David and we talking to her and hugging her and just gushing. They had the same reaction to Sam and my dad! Dad was trying to order dinner and practice his limited Chinese. They loved it. We did get a very good meal in the end. While they had Elizabeth , she kept an eye on David and went right back to her. As we were leaving a man at another table wanted to hold her and she arched her back into David and tried to stay as close to him as possible, it was great!

Since we are a day ahead, it should be April 1 today by you, or am I really off on my days? Anyway, HAPPY BIRTHDAY CARMEN! Or is it April 2? It is evening here and my computer says it is 8:09 AM in Wisconsin . I am so mixed up and can’t wait to be home. Have I mentioned that? I know, only 100 times per post and email.

The pictures on the bus were on the way to Wuxi or maybe on the way back, I don’t know. There is a very nice family that is in our group. We are so upset they live in MA, not in WI. We had dinner with them last night and put the girls in their matching Wal-Mart dresses. Mae has some separation anxiety issues. She is also 18 months not 15 like Elizabeth . She loves playing with Sam and Elizabeth. We love hanging out with Maureen and Stu, her parents. I also included a picture of E sleeping under her Quilty B.

Wednesday April 2, 2008

Today we went back to Wuxi to the orphanage where Elizabeth had been. It was very emotional for us. She was fine though. The facility is huge and very nice. They showed us the class rooms that could have been a room in a preschool anywhere in America. Then they showed us the room where they sleep, first the older children and then our younger ones. I am glad it was nap time and we could not really see the kids. I think to see the faces of the babies that are not going home would have been very hard. We looked in the window and saw all the cribs, they said Elizabeth’s was the first one, the empty one, I just started crying. I thought of her 15 months in that crib and now it was empty. All the caregivers came out to see the babies. At first I was really reluctant to hand her to them, it was almost an uncontrollable grasp I had on her. I looked at David and he said it was ok. Somehow I loosed my grasp of her. The caregivers were so happy to hold her again and hug and kiss her. She was happy with them, but kept her eyes on me. Then when it was time to go, I took her back and held her even tighter, and she was fine leaving; she came right to me, and we left. They had a wonderful lunch prepared for us and then we went back to the meeting room. The director thanked us and wished us well with our babies. He told us to come and visit when they are older. We presented him with our gifts. They loved the blankets our church made. They were very touched. Anna, our facilitator, translated to them that our church made them especially for the babies and they were so pleased. Then we started the long ride home. It was over two hours there and back. Too long on a bus made for smaller people. David and Dad are out getting massages now. I’ll post on that tomorrow.

Every minute with Elizabeth is different. Little by little she is coming out of her shell and showing us more and more of who she is. Last night she was not feeling very well and was crying out and wanted us to comfort her. We were so happy that she was actually crying and wanted comfort from us. At first she just had her own comforting; she would suck her fingers and rub her hair. She would not cry. She seemed ambivalent in a way or sort of blank. Now she is showing pleasure and displeasure. Yesterday afternoon she was trying stand up at the chair and fell backward and hit her head. Then she actually cried and I picked her up and comforted her and she kept crying for the comforting. We were all crying because she was showing such emotion. Then she needed us at night and we loved it. It is like a veil is coming down or layers are coming off. She is several months younger than all the other babies and is very different. I am thankful we got such a young baby. She is also the most beautiful, most perfect and most wonderful, but I know all the other parents are saying the same thing. The red thread, God and Nancy and Pam at homeland certainly made the right match with us and all the other babies. It is amazing. This whole time I thought, how do the right babies get to the right families? I knew it was just a leap of faith. Now that I am here and I see Elizabeth with us and the other eight babies with their families and they all fit. Only God could do that.

Here is another weird “Rachelism,” when I look at her she does not seem new. It does not strike me as odd to see her on David’s lap. I think it is because I have been looking at her picture since December and dreaming about her and imagining her with us. It is like she has always been with us. I am not sure if I have mentioned this, but we are so completely in love with her. Sam too, he kisses her all the time, loves to play with her and is fascinated with her. We have been working really hard to include him, give him attention and not let her overshadow him.

Day Two with Elizabeth! Tuesday, April 1, 2008

Today we made it official. Yesterday we signed temporary custody for Elizabeth. Today, we went back to the same office and signed PERMANENT custody of her. So she is officially ours for ever and ever! It sounds like it would have been this huge momentous occasion, but everything you are signing is in Chinese and the room is so chaotic. We stamped our thumbs over our signatures from yesterday and filled out another form to change her name. We had to stamp her thumb on something too; it is about the size of a kernel of corn. They gave us two documents, and we were all set. Maybe it was not as momentous because she has been ours since the first time we saw her face back in December. Or because when they put her in my arms yesterday, she was my daughter. While we went to the office my parents took Sam on a boat ride and to do some more shopping. We are so thankful for my parents being here and taking Sam. When we got back from the office David and two other dads took the babies back the room, and the other mom and grandma and I went shopping. We have really bonded with two other families here. Stu and Maureen are from MA, their daughter May is from Wuxi like Elizabeth. Mike and his mother in law are the other ones. He is from Alaska and is wife is home with their older children. Their daughter is from the other orphanage, and both girls are about two and WAY bigger than ERS. So the dads took the babies up for naps and a playdate and we went shopping. We went to Wal-Mart because it is a sight and then we had lunch at McDonalds. Man, that double cheese burger has never tasted so good! Don’t get me wrong, I love the food here, but it was so good to have McMc.

Elizabeth is so incredible. The doctor came in last night to check all the babies. E has bronchitis and an ear infection. So we are mashing up the Amoxicillin we got for Sam and giving it to her. The doctor said that is better than getting meds here in China. She is already improving. She is so content and inquisitive. She sleeps really well, naps really well, she is so perfect. She is so tiny though. All the measurements they sent must have been done with all her clothes and shoes on. She is about the size of a nine month old. None of the clothes I brought fit. Daddy and Grandpa went to Wal-Mart to get some smaller clothes for her. The doctor said she has just not gotten enough food and that she will be fine once we get her home. He also said she was healthy and looked really good (except for the cold).

Sam is being the best big brother. Yesterday she was napping in her crib and started coughing and waking a little. Sam rushed over and started to rub her head and shush her. He is keeps checking on her and loves to sit and play with her. I think he is just as fascinated with her as we are.

Meet Elizabeth Rose Stolpe

Hello everyone,

It is official. Yesterday we went to the Nanjing center for adoption affairs and we were handed a beautiful Xi Yan Xin, now Elizabeth Rose Stolpe. Today we completed our 24 hour trial period (I know it sounds weird) and we decided we would keep her (Like we would have said no?) and we signed the Chinese adoption papers and now she is officially our daughter. More paper work to come for travel and immigration into the US. She is beautiful and calm and content and giggles and smiles at daddy and Sam. She calls Rachel mama and loves my beard. She has a cough and an ear infection, made worse by the bad air quality, but we put her on an antibiotic and she already seems to be doing better. Getting back to the clean air of Wisconsin will be good for her. She is really tiny, maybe 17 pounds or so. Eliza is easy going and very fun. She loves to eat though.

We have all had a great time in China, but now that we have Elizabeth we just want to come home. But we still have a week and a half before everything is finalized. I will tell you all about it when I am home.

Thank you all,

Dave