Yen Yen wanted to thank both of her Grandmas for the beautiful baby sweaters they gave her! The yellow and white one was lovingly knit by her talented Grandma Maureen and the blue one was lovingly bought by my Mom with the best shopping eye around! We call it her “blue bell” outfit. Funny how the colors I used to put on my baby boys (yellow and blue) are now adorning my little girl. I swore she’d never wear anything blue either, but what can I say? It is one of her best colors (just like pink and red).

The snow has kept us bundled up mostly inside these first few days but we did venture out to downtown Snohomish 2 days ago and will be returning there this afternoon. Chase runs track at the high school there, so while he gets his workouts Chaeli and I window shop in all of the antique stores and baby boutiques. She is so much fun to have around! She just started to clap her hands and really move around on the floor. She was crawling before, but now she is easily crawling from one room to another and is even standing up on her legs while holding on to something (wow! I forgot how exciting a baby’s first steps can be!) I wish everyone could have a baby at 40 so they could experience the fun and the joy that I am having. It is simply the best gift one could receive!

Today marked the first week home with beautiful Yen Yen. We woke up to a gorgeous sunrise on a Wintery day. The view from our window was absolutely breathtaking!

I took a few pictures of the boys outside today sledding with the neighbors (they were pretty excited about a no school day in the middle of the week!) I also managed to snap a photo of the tree outfront that looked magical with all of the snow laying on its branches. Winter can really be beautiful.

I kept Chaeli inside all day due to the cold and what did we do??? We played dress up together! This girl is just like a baby doll, so much fun to hold and squeeze. Why is it that Yen Yen looks so good in everything I put on her?! She just takes my breath away ~ especially when I am with her like this.

Chase and I ventured out today around 4pm in the snow and I stopped off and bought Chaeli her first little snow suit. It fit perfectly (6-9 mos). I don’t ever want her to grow up. We took her out to our back yard for a brief minute or two to let her experience the snow. She didn’t say much but her eyes were taking it all in. Brrr! I couldn’t take but a few minutes of it myself!

It is going to be so much fun watching Chaeli experience her life here in the NorthWest. She never had snow in her 10 months in Guangdong.

I hope you are all enjoying this baby as much as we are! She is so precious, in every way.

Our thanks goes out to Uncle Buddy who bought Chaeli her first music box! It attaches to her crib and plays bach and beethoven music while lights and fish move around in an aquarium. Chaeli loved it at first sight! The moment we put it in her crib she began dancing and crawling towards it. She loves to spin the crab and the seashell toys that are attached. My Mom asked me to post some pictures of her enjoying the music box in her crib so here you go Mom! Tell Uncle Buddy he’s the best!

Chaeli also got a new bath chair so that she can take bath swith her brothers without the worry of slipping too far into the tub. I snuck in and grabbed a couple of pictures of her with brother Cael who was teaching her how to play in the bath.

Cael also fed Chaeli her very first bottle today. This was a really big deal to Cael and he was careful to hold her “just right.” From the picture you can see how relaxed Chaeli was.

Cael came into the room last night to kiss Chaeli goodnight and I heard him tell her, “I would die for you Chaeli.” Those were strong words coming from a 7 year old boy. I asked him why he said that and he replied, “Because I would Mom.” Cael is learning to love and to attach with his sister in a way that is all his own.

Last night my dear, sweet friend Ali came over and brought Chaeli and I matching sandals from Hawaii’s best, most spectacular store “Cinnamon Girl.” It is a store that specializes in matching Mother & Daughter everything! Ali was so kind to think of Chaeli and me and to bring us these gorgeous shoes! How beautiful are they?! Thank you Ali for a one of a kind gift.

Well Chaeli is fast asleep, Dan is sacked out, and all the boys are tucked snug as a bug under their covers. I am enjoying my last few minutes of quiet time before heading down the hall to my slumber oasis. I can’t tell you how glorious and (much appreciated) my sleep is these days. It is something only mothers of infant children can comprehend.

Love to you all and I hope everyone is staying warm in the winter storm.

Love Sheila.

“I will ever praise you for what you have done.”
Psalms 52:9

Hello to everyone!

Yes, we are finally home (aah, feesl so good!) and safely nestled into the life we love. Our trip home went really well. I can’t believe it but it was actually easier coming home with Chaeli in my arms then it was going to China without her. She did really well on both flights, and so did I (usually I am a terrible traveler).

The only bummer was that neither of us slept for most of the 18 hours. Toward the end (of our second journey) Chaeli & Dan did finally get some shut eye but I was awake the whole time, listening to my ipod and crying over the glorious news that my baby was coming home! There’s a picture of Chaeli together with me on the plane and you can see her finally sacked out.

There are also a couple pictures of Chaeli when we landed in Tokyo and had some time to kill between flights at the NW Airlines executive lounge.

The moment we touched ground in Seattle Chaeli became a US citizen, so of course her Daddy wanted to catch that special moment in time!

Chaeli’s homecoming was so sweet. My sister and best friend Michelle met us at the airport to greet us (or should I say to greet Chaeli?) It was so cute because they were at the top of the escalator, practically hanging over the edge, to catch the first glimpses of Yen Yen!

It was really special having them there to meet us. And then at home both of the Grandmas and all 3 boys were jumping with excitement to see the little girl they had waited so long for! It was positively the best homecoming we could have ever had!

Chaeli is getting used to her new house, routine and especially her 3 big brothers. She LOVES her brothers! They have already taken over and feed her bottles, put her to sleep and have even taught her to stand up in her crib (I am not sure if that is something I should be glad about???)

Anyhow, this little Yen Yen is filling us all with so much happiness and joy. She adds so much to our house. Everyone is always dying to pick her up or love her. What I like is that she is adjusting to her new time zone change very successfully. She wakes up around midnight, but has learned to comfort herself back to sleep rather quickly. She now sleeps the whole night in her crib and we are all getting the much needed rest that we need.

I will post again as life evolves with Chaeli. We are already looking forward to February when we get to celebrate her first year of life! Thank you all for your continued prayers for our little girl. She is happy and healthy and is learning family very well.

Hugs,
Sheila.

Sheila and Chaeli are tucked fast asleep and I thought I would take this time to briefly reflect upon the experience here in Guangzhou one last time.

Today we had our consulate visit. This is pretty much a formality for people adopting and returning to the US. For the event Sheila and I dressed ourselves up in traditional Chinese formal attire with Chaeli to commemorate the event. Sheila was a little self conscious with the high slit up the side of her dress but none of the men seem to mind, including myself. Our guide was saying that she was hearing the local Chinese women say what a beautiful woman Sheila was as we past them by. I would have to agree with that as well.

When we crammed ourselves into a van to go to the consulate, I was expecting something totally different than an office on the 4th floor of a downtown high-rise. Somehow images of a walled compound with Marines stationed at every entrance was my thought. Not a Marine to be seen as even the security guards were locals. Perhaps the cold war is over now?

They escorted us in and sat us down in what looked like a dept of motorized vehicles waiting room and a nice woman came out and made us recite a simple oath. She explained to us that our children could be considered dual citizens (somewhat) but recommended they always travel with a US passport in the event of any trouble, so the US gov could intervene and help out. She also informed us that once we touch down on US soil, our daughter will immediately become an US citizen. I guess as American’s we don’t really consider the privileges of citizenship since we take it for granted everyday but somehow with her saying this it hit our emotional button as Sheila and I began to swell tears around our eyes. God Bless America!

Sheila and I have enjoyed our stay here very much as we have experienced the very best that China has to offer. The accommodations have been superb, the food excellent and the service has been the best I have ever experienced. And can they do laundry here or what? I don’t think Guangzhou is the real example of what China is, as one of my friends emailed me and said that I would need to travel with him so I could discover the true China. However, for me it has been enough to take in a culture that is evolving faster than our own and see the beauty of its people.

I thought I would share with you one of the consequences of China’s rapid development … pollution. What you are seeing in this picture is not fog but smog. It lingers everywhere. Growing up in LA wasn’t nearly as bad.

One of the things I will miss the most about China is the inexpensive services. Sheila and I had massages done for a total of 70 minutes each and only ended up spending around $20.00 US. And this might be higher than the average. They kneed you like a loaf of bread and hit every spot, but once they are done you feel so good. First they soak your feet in hot water with some type of Chinese herb, give you green tea to drink and then bring in hot towels and wrap your legs in them. And then some hot 19 year old beauty comes in and rubs your body down with scented oil…snicker snicker…actually Sheila didn’t leave the room once through the whole process.

We have managed to stuff our luggage full of Chinese trinkets, silks and nick-knacks and maybe spent pennies compared in the US but what we take home with us is even greater than the Good Buys we haggled with the local merchants for. My black eye pearls will always be a reminder to me of all the asian pearls still left behind.

Love Dan.