Back to Beijing...

Grace continues to do better each day with her new forever family. She is now comfortable with all of us and readily goes to each of us while hesitating with strangers. She is such a hoot; we all enjoy her antics and expressions. She knows immediately when we're talking to her vs. each other and usually responds with a grin. She continues to talk a blue streak and is mimicking a lot of gestures. Last night was the first night that she slept through. She fusses a bit at bed time but quickly settles. Our time in Beijing is jam-packed, however Grace is very easy-going with her schedule.

Yesterday, we completed our stay in Xi'an with a visit to the city wall where Murray and the boys had a chance to rent bicycles and ride around a portion of the wall (thanks to Paul and Gillian for the idea - we loved it!), while Diane, Grace and our guide for the day (Rebecca) strolled along. The wall was built 600 years ago and is the last remaining, completely intact city wall in China. We also had a brief visit to a 1,000 year old Pagoda.

Before heading for the airport, we picked up one last very important document - Grace's passport! We flew back to Beijing last evening, met some other families at the airport and travelled together back to our hotel. Grace did very well on her first flight and slept some, but we're still a little nervous about the 13 hour flight home!

Today we photographed the children, prepared our paperwork for the Visa and Sponsorship applications and took a trip to the Beijing Zoo. The Pandas were the highlight. It was a beautiful day in Beijing to be outside enjoying the sunshine after 5 days of fog, rain, snow and sleet in Xi'an.

We are enjoying getting to know our little Gracie and are falling more and more in love with her each day.

Some pics from yesterday...

We had technical difficulties last night, so here are a few pics of yesterday's adventures...

Some more pics

Had a little technical difficulty last night so our update did not include pictures... Here's a few pics from yesterday...

The Marathon Continues...

In our haste to post earlier this week we neglected to let you in on a few details surrounding the adoption. We were hoping to meet Grace's foster mom or at least ask the nanny some questions about her life in foster care, however we did not get to meet her foster mom. Our meeting with the Director was extremely short and we did not get to ask any questions except we know she was in foster care right up to the day before we received her. Grace arrived in Xi'an one day before we did and spent the night with a nanny from the orphanage. The only things we received were a sparse photo album, an immunization record and a disposable camera which we are hoping contains photos of her with her foster mom.

We had a very good day today. Murray, Matt and Josh went on an interesting day trip, the details of which we can't disclose on the blog, but can tell you about it later. That left Mom and Ben with Grace for several hours. We had a wonderful time with her. Grace is doing so much better with me (Diane) and we are thankful for all of you who prayed. Apparently, it is quite common for toddlers to attach to one parent first (often Dad). She can now be passed between us with very little fuss. She is quite a little ham, and likes to laugh at her own antics!

Tonight we all went out for "hotpot" dinner. It was a lot of fun for the kids to boil their own food in a pot that's in the centre of the table. Thankfully, one of the restaurant staff caught on to our lack of experience, and helped us ensure our food was properly cooked! Grace was quite an attraction; she enjoyed smiling and giggling for the table of young men next to us. Afterward, we went out for a scoop of Haagen-Daas (sp?), which cost about the same as our entire dinner!

We are all feeling so blessed to have this precious little girl in our family. But wow, we've forgotten how much work a 15-month-old toddler can be - exhausting!

Day two with Grace!

We just wanted to let you know what we know about Grace so far... She is definitely as big and as tall and weighs as much if not more than we were told. She has a fair bit of dark hair on top but for some reason, they shaved the back of her head which only serves to highlight her already prominent ears! She has a face that is as cute as a button and she loves to scrunch up her face into this "aren't I adorable" grin! She has a mouthful of what appear to be perfect pearly white teeth. Her skin is much more olive than her referral pictures showed. We think that this due to her being outdoors with her foster mom much of the time. Once we manage to coax her into a good mood, there is no stopping her. She loves to have a good time and is very interactive and verbal, ofter jibber jabbering away as we play.

Today was a better day with Diane. Grace has started to let Diane at least feed her and play a little, however Grace still insists that Murray be her constant companion. The boys are crazy about their new sister, almost to the point of excess! She has taken to the mini-sticks and gets quite a kick out of the thrill of hitting the ball, and is learning new words by the hour!

Yesterday she hardly ate, but today she began to have an appetite and ate three meals and took 4 bottles! The hotel we are in is an eliptical shaped building, so the floor makes for a perfect walking track... and walk Grace loves to do. We have noticed however that her toddle is not like that of other children her age (very wide gait and somewhat unsteady). We're looking forward to having the team at Sick Kids evaluate her and see what they can do to help.

Today after some additional adoption paperwork, we visited the Terracotta Warriors museum. This was a fascinating glimpse into China's history, especially the Qin dynasty from 2200 years ago. Everyone was fascinated with the size and scope of this ancient archealogical find.

First Days with Grace

Sorry we haven't posted sooner. As you can imagine, the last 32 hours with Grace have been a blur. We met Grace for the first time on Monday at 2:00 pm. She was NOT happy to see us. She is a very big girl for her age, and quite advanced. We wonder if her age is not correct... if it is, she is very different from most of China's orphans.

By last night she had given her first smiles and giggles. Although mostly, she cried.

Today she was unhappy until later in the afternoon, when she again enjoyed playing with the boys and best of all... she walked! She has a wide stance and quite a toddle, but she is fairly good on her feet. It is awesome to see and such an answer to prayer.

Our greatest concern right now is that although she is starting to bond with Murray and the boys, I (Diane) am still not welcome. I'm really trying, and will continue, but I'm already getting concerned about Murray returning to work. We appreciate your prayers for little Grace and all of us. This is a HUGE adjustment for us all.

Here are some photos of our "big girl" Grace :

Day in Beijing

Today was a good day. Some of us couldn't sleep past 5:30 am, but Matt and Josh slept until 7:30. We visited the drum and bell towers as well as the Lama Temple. The temple was very interesting and beautiful, but also unsettling.

The rest of our group arrived today and we all went out for an early dinner this evening.

We get up at 4:00 am tomorrow to leave for the airport by 5:00. Not sure of our schedule after that, but think we should see our Grace for the first time tomorrow afternoon (that's the wee hours of Monday morning for all of you).

We are so thankful to know that loved ones are praying for us, and for our little Grace!