Language Lesson

At Marie's first birthday party, Frau Labonte and Madame Kelly give her some lessons. Meanwhile, most of Marie's cousins, along with these ladies two little girls, were outside sledding.

Happy Girl Video

Just in case you needed a laugh... (still working on the video thing)

Unflattering Photos

Marie decided one night to rip off her socks and chew on them. Who were we to argue? Perhaps they tasted good???
She also decided to smear her prunes around a little bit. A facial mask???
Lastly, Marie says she doesn't share noodles.

Baptism

Marie Kathleen Yi was baptized on Saturday, December 9th at St. Francis Church here in town. Her godparents are Uncle Scott and Aunt Julie. She loved the water and enjoyed waving at the entire family in the pews. Daddy tells her that there should be no more crying, now that she is filled with the Holy Spirit.

Thanksgiving Weekend

Here are some shots of Marie over the past weekend. Her Aunt Abigail got a lot of time with her, which is great as she is babysitting Saturday during Uncle Rob's wedding. Marie received tons of attention at Uncle Tom's. As the picture shows, there was rarely a moment when she didn't have at least 3 or 4 people entertaining her! Even though she missed a few naps, she enjoyed her first holiday weekend!
The other pictures are of her enjoying some of her favorite things...her swing and puffs. For those of you who are not familiar with the recent improvements in baby stuffs, there is now baby snackfood. Gerber started it by making a star shaped cheerio-like food that dissolves quickly and comes in different fruit flavors. Now, there are storebrands; I believe Marie is enjoying Meijer brand sweet potato puffs here. And her swing - she loves her swing. If I try to take her out before she is ready, her little hands grip the ropes and she screeches while tightening her legs so I can't lift her out easily. I believe that is politely called being "spirited."
Her newest skill is waving. We worked with her on that for a few weeks. At first she would only wave at her reflection and then she saw an illustration in a baby book of 4 babies waving. She waved back at them and has not stopped. When she cries at night and Jim goes in to check on her, he finds her waving!

November Update

Here is Marie busy at home this week! You can see she is crawling, trying to feed herself and all around a happy little girl.

She is very excited about the crawling. So much so that, unfortunately, she loves to crawl in her crib. I just checked in on her napping to find she has rotated herself so she is lying the short way of the crib, complete with one leg sticking out between the bars. That will be a fun way to awake. She feels the need to demonstrate her new sitting up and crawling skills anytime I place her in there. I leave and after a few minutes I hear the cry of, "I can't lie down by myself!" and I go back in, put her on her back and cover her with a blanket. She goes to sleep mad at my lack of appreciation for her new mobility.

She also is excited about feeding herself. I think only 10-15% of the food makes it into the mouth. So I sit with another hidden bowl of food and feed her in between her attempts. She gets so excited that she doesn't even notice that there is no food on the spoon as she quickly transfers it from bowl to mouth.

Marie turns 1 on December 3rd! We can't believe it! We will be celebrating her Uncle Rob's wedding to Aunt Sandra on the 2nd so we will be down in Brighton. The following weekend up here Marie gets baptized by Deacon Tom Bousamra and then her belated birthday party to follow that day's nap.

On the advice of my English teacher...

...I will update the blog. Marie got some mail; you can see she is jubilant! She does love getting the mail every day. She always gets to hold some junk mail and waving it around is just so much fun! The other pix is of her playing with her favorite toy - Jim's ID tag. And, of course, the picture of her with Daddy!

She is doing well; she wants to be with me a lot but that is good. Yesterday she played the piano but was really more interested in throwing the music on the floor. She loves loves loves her swing. Favorite foods remain rice,poultry and sweet potatoes, although bread crust and cheerios are right behind. She loves seeing what happens to food when she drops it, unfortunately. I do not know how much weight she has gained but you can see the chubby cheeks are now there and weren't before.

It is interesting to follow people's stories now who are just now getting pictures of their daughters. They have waited a long long time and we are so excited to see their journeys. On this side of the wait, that perspective is nice. One thing I realize, if we didn't have that delay waiting for Marie, I might not be home right now having this time with Grama. As Jim says,it is nice to see the hand of God in things.

I got to go have lunch at work today. Interesting to see how much I miss the interaction but how much I enjoyed leaving to go home for nap time. She is so much fun!

Adjusting

Marie dressed up in her U of M attire for her impromptu visit from Uncle Scott. He is really visiting Grama Thelma but staying with us. We'll take that though. She played with him today and Jim is a little jealous!

For the recent visitors, you should note that Marie now has a hat and it fits!!!

We met up with Aunt Becky, Uncle Guido, Henry and George this past weekend at a pumpkin patch. Henry had lots of Star Wars questions saved up for Uncle Jim who did not let him down but knew all the answers!

Marie has been hugely popular. She has had visitors and gifts daily for over a week now. We cannot keep up with the Thank You cards and announcements. If you have received either recently, you are lucky. But we are so very grateful for all the love expressed for this child. As my Uncle Larry said to me, "She is blessed! You two are blessed!" So, even though the formal note may be long in arrival, please know that we do appreciate the time and attention from everyone! For example, today she had a visitor with a gift and a package in the mail. She received a gift in the mail the previous two days. Again, we are blessed!

She is asleep now and will awake for a bottle at some point. She awakes at about 7am. Morning time is precious with both Daddy and Mommy. First Marie gets her bottle. Then Momma gets her coffee. The both can take on the day!

Who's afraid of Daddy?

As you can see, Marie and Jim have come a long way. Today, Saturday, Jim played with her, got her down for her morning nap and took her for a walk all by himself! Then he went to a buddy's house to watch the UM-msu game.
Marie continues to adjust well. Her sleeping has improved dramatically so our sleeping has as well. Bedtime routine begins around 6:30 with a bath, stories and songs, bottle and prayers. Her favorite "lovely" unfortunately is the Charmin Bear - as in the toilet paper, yes. The radio ads made Jim and I laugh so much a few years ago that I got one as a joke for him. She loves it. She loves all stuffed animals but it is Charmin Bear who has stolen her heart. Her Pooh from Hong Kong airport is a close second though.
Today I left the house without her! It was the first time since we becme a family that I wasn't with Marie. It was quite exciting. My big excursion was to the grocery store and then the Farmer's Market where I met Kerry and her 3 year-old daughter Hailey. I was gone for 1.5 hours! And, oddly enough, the world didnt end and she survived without me.

out and about

Marie had a good night last night in that she didn't screech for hours. Last night, as usual, she awoke after exactly 3 hours sleep and would not go back to sleep. Previous nights, we tried the back-patting every 10 minutes, the cry it out, the bring her to our bed, the rocking...these do not work with this child. We figure that 1) her stomach is still on China time and 2) she has had a lot of recent experiences with waking up someplace new with strangers. She slept okay in China but her crib mattress was right at my eye level as I lay in bed. She would wake up, see me, fuss a little or play a little and then settle back down. In her crib she was waking up alone someplace new...not good. So, last night Momma slept in the chair next to her bed. It was not a perfect solution by any means but, as I said, she didn't screech and go into hysterics. She was consolable although still was up a lot. We'll see...pray that tonight is better.

We took a nice walk along the Vasa today. That is a famous cross country ski trail in Traverse City but today was just home to people and dogs. Marie liked it but Momma thought that the 3k was a far enough walk when you have 15 pounds of toddler strapped to you. Wonder if we will ski the trail this year?

Then we stopped by to introduce Marie to Great-Grama. Grama fed her cheerios and was delighted to see her. She remembered who we were and knew right away who Marie was. Had to be reminded of a few things but on the whole enjoyed the visit. As we said goodbye, Grama pointed to Marie and clearly said, "I want to see that one as often as possible."

Tomorrow Jim goes back to work and it is just the girls. One of us is a little nervous but it will be okay.

White Swan Pictures

Here are some pictures taken as we left the White Swan Hotel for the swearing in ceremony at the US consulate. A new family poses at the top and the bottom is the famous "red couch" picture. It is tradition that all the children pose together for a group photo before going to the consulate appointment. Herding cats is a little easier, I believe. Marie is the little one in white on the lower right. She tried to climb off her cushion repeatedly and hit the girl next to her a few times but for the most part, she was a good model.

White Swan Pictures

At Home

Here are some pictures from our second full day at home. Our night last night was fitful; poor little peanut is 12 hours ahead. She also has a front tooth coming in. And a cold. Needless to say, it was a difficult night. Probably didn't help that her mommy is a little hovering and doesn't allow her to just fall asleep by herself. But she is learning to let Marie be. You can see Jim is working hard at bonding with Marie; have you ever seen such intensity?
The flight was surprisingly easy. She slept a great portion of the time. The man across the aisle from us took her picture as he got off the plane in Chicago. Marie became a US citizen as we cleared customs. Aunt Heidi and cousins Sydney, Shelby and Luke helped the 6 hour wait go quickly with a airport visit. Sydney was proud to hold her new baby cousin and she did very well. Shelby was adamant that she is not Marie's little cousin but a "big cousin" because she is 5. Luke mooched leftover cheerios. It was so nice to see family after such a long time away. Then we took the last short flight to Traverse City. We arrived home to family and friends egerly waiting at the airport with pink balloons and gifts. Hailey and Hannah, Marie's 3 year-old friends, stayed up late to greet Marie. They said Ni Hao and had left flowers and groceries at the house. Jim's family greeted us at the airport as well and taped the entire event. Marie didn't take to the carseat or crib at first but now she thinks they are allright.
We are all doing great - tired but loving every minute of it. Marie is a joy, as you can see from the pictures. Now let's see if tonight she sleeps through the night!

Mao's Revenge?

We have delayed our flight to Monday. Here in Hong Kong I got food poisoning and our room looks like a dysentary ward at a hospital. As Marie has been sick and tired too we decided to wait a day. Jim is a hero...it has not been pretty. Fortunately we bought our tickets with adoption fares - not sale fares - so changes do not have a fee applied. We are at the Regal Airport Hotel in Hong Kong till Sun night your time.
We will have the same itinerary as before just one day later. We have been trying to call family and no one is home. You might get a phone call if we can reach anyone. I can lie around now without anything coming out either end so Jim has run to the McDonalds in the airport to give himself a much needed break. Marie is taking an early nap as her schedule is all messed up too.

Guangzhou

We all have colds. Marie gave them to us as her welcome gift. So today we spent a lot of time getting her better. I stayed in the room with her sleeping on my chest so she could breathe, Jim ran around trying to get the things we needed. She actually went to the hotel clinic and they told us she has a cold- give her cold medicine. So we did! Tonight she and I sat in the bathroom and steamed, we vaporubbed and aspirated. I gave her a good dose of cold meds and I think most of it actually got swallowed.

Our pictures show how we have had quite the day today, even with the illness. One thing you can't tell from the pictures is that Marie went through 3 outfits by 10am. She was a busy girl this morning. At dinner I said that I feel like I have formula over everthing I own. We also got a phone call this morning from home - thanks Charles! I was in shock at a familiar voice and could barely talk! Nice to realize that home is getting closer!

The first picture was a gift to us from the hotel. Every family that adopts and stays here receives a Welcome Home Barbie. This is quite the baby-filled place. Everytime you get in the elevator you get to exchange stories and admire the new baby of another couple. It is so much fun to be here as everyone is happy and excited to go home.
The next one, with our cutoff heads, is from two nights ago. Marie wanted to make sure everyone in Nanchang was aware of the Michigan victory over Notre Dame.
After that are some pictures of the medical exam. That was interesting. Basically there wer 3 stations. They just looked at every nook and cranny on her and measured everything. She was no thrilled as this meant a lot of strangers holding her. More on that later.
Last is the night view out our window. Actually we can't get a picture of the entire view as it is quite the picture window. But you can see how nice it is.
Tonight we had a traditional Chinese dinner with the majority of the families. The food was awesome. Jim ate everything andMarie had rice, steamed bun and cheerios. Later he and a few other new Dads are meeting. They realized that in China one can have a cuban cigar and I believe they are going to partake in a celebratory new dad cigar.
So, the holding. She won't go to anyone but me without crying. Not just a few tears either. She was with her foster family till Sept 1st and then was back in the orphanage till last Sunday. Sunday she had a 3 hour bus ride and then was left with these strangers - us. So we decided to not push it and basically I end up holding her a lot. We put her in the carrier and I get so excited to have my arms back! She's gonna hate the carseat. So just be forewarned. She only started touching Jim today and will smile at others but she makes you work for it.

Tomorrow we get our visas and leave for Hong Kong early the next day. I will try to do one more post before the big trip home. Thanks for reading and sharing this with us.

World Traveler

Marie has a passport. It was issued to Lin Yi Hong today by the Chinese government. We put it to good use and flew from Nanchang (where the hotel air conditioning was shut off during the day) to Guangzhou. We are staying at the White Swan for the next 3 nights. This is not your average Holiday Inn. Our room overlooks the Pearl River; there is a light show from the surrounding buildings and boats are going by constantly. It is amazing. I am sipping a Pearl River Lager and it taste like a Miller light....not missing much there. We are so happy to be out of the hotel in Nanchang to this paradise. It is amazing.
Marie did well on the plane. She had a bottle as we took off and entertained the people around her. She played a lot with Jim's face and ate a lot of baby snacks. Her schedule is messed up; tomorrow we have to be up and out by 7:45 for the medical exam to get her visa. The next day is the swearing in ceremony. Our trip has been greatly expedited and while we appreciate the money and time saved, it has been very tiring. Every day we have a meeting and its usually confusing and long. Aren't all meetings though? Needless to say, we are so relieved to be at this ultranice hotel for the end of the trip.
Our travel group is great. There are 3 families from Michigan and the others are from Wisconson, Minnesota, Iowa, Pennslyvannia and Georgia. One family brought their young teen daughters and they entertain the babies. The babies all look so different - the shape of their eyes and their cheeks and chins. They are all so cute in their own way. Marie is a charmer with her big eyes. We all just hang out and play with each others babies as we hold our own.
Sorry no pictures today. Our day consisted of the bus ride to and from the passport place, packing, riding to the airport, the flight and the ride to the hotel. Once we got here, Jim had to go to a meeting to do paperwork and I had bath and bed duty. Then I washed the bottles in the hotel sink; can't wait to be in a kitchen again.
See you all soon. Thanks so much for the comments!

Halfway through day 2

You all are sleeping right now while for us it is almost 2pm. Marie is napping. I thought I'd take advantage of the downtime to share some more.

Here are some pictures of our day today. We toured a nearby temple that has been rebuilt and destroyed 23 times. Now it is basically a very nice, somewhat historical tourist trap. The pictures are of that and the area around the hotel.


We are in Nanchang which is the capital of Jiangxi province. It is southeastern China and the population is a million plus. We are here until tomorrow afternoon when we depart for Guangzhou. That is where the
American consulate is located. (The Chinese govt does not want the US to have its consulate office in Beijing.) While Marie is now legally adopted, she does not yet have US citizenship. That is the next step. She will have a medical exam, they take a day to look over our papers and then there is a swearing in ceremony. On the 22rd we go to Hong Kong for the night and then the flight home on the 23rd.
It is very hot here but not nearly as polluted as Beijing. The air was thick and smoggy there. This town is very old and known for its pottery. It is not known for its food. We are both very open to trying new things but we are ready for some home food. Sometimes we eat the western food here but it doesn't taste like you'd expect. Marie, however, is a big fan of cheerios.

We have had so many nice things happen; you can tell the chinese people really do care about these girls and their welfare. Today the orphanage director sent over a small photo album with pictures of the orphanage and also a gift for Marie. Yesterday, when we were in a store, a little girl walked up to her and gave her a flower. Lots of other small things have happened like that. It is very sweet and we are overwhelmed.

Having said all that, we are getting ready to come home!

Day One

Aren't I cute? Here is my dad makingmy formula in the hotel bathroom; he is ready to go home to the dishwasher and safe water. Next is my family when we legally registered the adoption-I am now a Whall. Last is my foot next to the shoe they had on me when I arrived. I do not think it was sized well. Could be worse, the girl nextdoor came with two left shoes.

We are exhausted and it is 8:45. The day started well but then we left on the bus to register the adoption = necessary paperwork. We thought we were prepared with a bottle of formula and a bottle of juice except after the meeting the guide took us shopping and we learned Marie won't drink anything cold. So we had a hungry, tired child when we returned 3 hours later. Lets just say that Marie was not the only one crying; thankfully we have some new wonderful friends who have 4 children. They talked us through it and came and helped out. Thank you Mark and Amy!
After nap, we had a plan to do better. Jim has been great with getting the formula, paperwork, baths, etc. Marie is still very frightened by him and he is being so understanding. He said it is ironic that the only child afraid of him is his own. We have tried having him feed her and no way. We will work on it more tomorrow. Needless to say, I had to hold her from 8am to 4pm. My body is tired. We put her in the carrier after her nap and will use it tomorrow. She was much much happier this evening and we hope for a good night.
A lovely little store around the corner collects newspapers and gives parents the original finding ad. This is a tiny advertisement the orphanage must put in the paper when they take in a child with her picture and info so she could potentially be claimed. They gave it to us and made copies too. I left crying at the sweet clerk who helped us. If you ever are in Nanchang, go buy something at Tiffanies. (Not that Tiffany's)

The traffic is unreal. There are no stop signs or stop lights. People drive with no predicability and there are always bikes and scooters barreling down the road. Walking around is scary because of that. Also, people stare so much that it gets really difficult. I know we are white and carrying a chinese baby but from what I can see there are a lot of couples walking around like us- I don't understand the stares. It is not flattering but rather unsettling.

It seems like about 1/3 of the people in the hotel are adopting. There are babies all over. It is interesting to hear where in the world the parents are from by listening to them talk. The hotel rooms have a crib, stroller and baby bath tub. The first night we were here there were only 2 towels and the next day there were 3. At the buffet they have congee which looks like white rice that has been cooked too long using too much water. It is what Marie eats and I am going to have to learn how to make it.

I am off to sleep now that it is 9m. She will want a bottle at 4...that feels soon.

Thank you all so much for the comments. It makes us feel like we aren't half a world away from our family, friends and familiar food.

Here I Am!

What an amazing day! We were told that at 10am we would meet to go over paperwork and we wouldn't get the babies till 10:30-11.
At 10 we go down to the lobby and learn that, as our friend Mick said, "The babies are in the house!" We were hurried into the conference room and lined up along one side. Within 2 minutes, the orphanage director and some workers rushed in with babies- 2 each - and lined them up along the floor. Some immediately started wailing. They had matching polyester outfits that were either blue, green or red. I thought I knew which one was Marie but didn't want to guess and be wrong. There was a little girl on the floor who locked eyes with me across the room 20 feet away and I was hoping that was her. She didn't look away but we just stared at each other. Then our guide Shirley told us that she would call us up and ask us our daughter's Chinese name and birthdate as the orphanage director brought the girl up. Being Whalls, we knew we would be 2nd to last- right before Zimmermans. The first couple went up and we took some polaroids of the family as they got their daughter. As the matching continued, the little one that stared at me sat on the floor waiting and watching. Finally there were 3 left. I knew that the one in red was the Zimmerman baby so I was watching to see which of the other two babies went with the couple before us. As they brought their little girl up, I knew who Marie was and of course, it was the little patient one in green who kept staring at me. Our names were called and we went to the end of the room. I said Lin Yi Hong and 12/03. They handed her to me and she looked at me and nestled in. There she would stay for the next 2.5 hours; crying everytime I tried to set her down. She was clutching a little card, like a business card, with her name written on it and her picture clipped to it. We took a polaroid and I held on to it. She looked at her picture she was holding and the picture I was holding and decided that she liked that. Looking at Jim made her cry at first but we can look at him now without crying. Jim would laugh when her eyes welled up so I guess he is okay with that. He now tries not to laugh as we think that might be scary.
We went back to the room, ate two bowls of cherrios and had some formula. Then Jim ran to the store with some experienced Dads whileMarie went down for a nap. She was trading huge smiles with me from her crib as she was going to sleep so we are doing well. Now we sit and wait for her to awake.