Tuesday, August 31, 2010
Our Journey Continues
That "head cold" I mentioned yesterday has actually turned out to be the flu. Daniel seems to have it also. Dave and Nicholas are fine. Lily has her first doctor appointment today. She seems to have a cold also, no fever. We came home on Saturday to a broken hot water heater also. It's all fixed now. My house is an absolute mess, I have mounds of laundry to do and am feeling a bit discouraged about not being able to take care of my family and this little one. Dave has been great though. This too shall pass. There's a peace I've come to know though my heart and flesh may fail. There's an anchor for my soul and I can say it is well...
The good news is that Lily slept through the night last night. She woke up around 1am, but we let her cry a bit (16 minutes exactly) and she was back to sleep until 6:30am. I don't know if I mentioned that Lily's cleft lip and palate actually turned out to be a cleft lip and gum. Her palate is intact. We will be seeing Patricia Fox in October for a consult as she is out of the country for the month of September on a medical mission trip to Mexico to fix cleft lips and palates down there.
Sorry if this seems very jumpy and fragmented, that's all I can muster up for today. Just gonna lay low for the day. Thanks for following along with us. We'll continue to post Lily's progress through her surgeries and such so keep in touch...
Monday, August 30, 2010
Back In The USA!
Daddy and baby sleeping in the van on the way to Hong Kong.
The boys playing their Calabash Flutes.
A park next to our hotel.
This girl is a natural in front of the camera.
Goodbye beautiful Shamian Island.
Friday afternoon we took a van from Guangzhou to Hong Kong, hoping to see some of China's country side. There was none to be found, just city as far as the eye can see. The ride is about 3 hours which is the equivalent of driving from Albany to NYC. Apartment buildings and factories were all that we saw. We knew when were close to Hong Kong because we could smell it. We stayed a night in the Marriott at the Hong Kong airport and it was the best night's sleep we had in 2 weeks. The beds were SO SOFT.
The boys playing their Calabash Flutes.
A park next to our hotel.
This girl is a natural in front of the camera.
Goodbye beautiful Shamian Island.
Friday afternoon we took a van from Guangzhou to Hong Kong, hoping to see some of China's country side. There was none to be found, just city as far as the eye can see. The ride is about 3 hours which is the equivalent of driving from Albany to NYC. Apartment buildings and factories were all that we saw. We knew when were close to Hong Kong because we could smell it. We stayed a night in the Marriott at the Hong Kong airport and it was the best night's sleep we had in 2 weeks. The beds were SO SOFT.
Our flight took off @ 9:30am on Saturday 8/28 and landed back in the SWEET USA @ 1:10pm the same day, so needless to say we have been a bit jet lagged. I have a nasty head cold, but by this morning I think we are all back on schedule... EXCEPT Lily. She was awake all night Saturday and last night too. Dave isn't here right now (5:30am) because he took her out in the car to try to make her fall asleep, he left @ 2am. Our job today is to keep her awake, which is no easy task. This girl is such a good sleeper that she can sleep anywhere, anytime regardless of the noise or light.
We came home to family and friends with a meal cooked and groceries for our refrigerator. Enjoy some pictures and we'll post more later.
Thursday, August 26, 2010
Bittersweet Endings
Jeff, Shari, and Lexi
Dan, Michelle, and Grace
Tammy, Rod, Sophie, brother Bailey, and Grandpa Jim
Amy, Sophie, and Grandma Diane
Tony, Sarah, Ruthie, and sister Clara
Tonight is our last night here in Guangzhou. We'll be leaving tomorrow afternoon for Hong Kong, spend a night there and head for home on Saturday morning. We arrive in JFK that same afternoon, although we'll have flown ~15 hours. Pray for Lily to make a smooth transition into our time difference as it is exactly the opposite of what she is used to.
Dan, Michelle, and Grace
Tammy, Rod, Sophie, brother Bailey, and Grandpa Jim
Amy, Sophie, and Grandma Diane
Tony, Sarah, Ruthie, and sister Clara
Tonight is our last night here in Guangzhou. We'll be leaving tomorrow afternoon for Hong Kong, spend a night there and head for home on Saturday morning. We arrive in JFK that same afternoon, although we'll have flown ~15 hours. Pray for Lily to make a smooth transition into our time difference as it is exactly the opposite of what she is used to.
Our departure is bittersweet. We've met a few new friends that we will truly miss. It has been a privilege to get to know you all, or y'all as some would affectionately say. The Lord has brought you into our lives at this moment in time and we are grateful for the time that we've spent together. We will continue to pray for you all on this continuous journey and hope to keep in touch though this fantastic "blogging" technology. We look forward to watching all of our families change and grow. We wish you all safe travels and many blessings.
We had a free day on the island today. Took a shopping trip to a place about 10 minutes away. Let's just say I have a new appreciation of our population or lack there of in my little corner of the world. I find it a bit stressful to shop here. The sales people follow you around and the prices are all negotiable. It was nice to go to Pizza Hut and know that what you see is what you get. It was quite an experience trying to get a taxi back to our hotel. It took a "good 'ole boy from Mississippi" to hail a cab for us suburbian New Yorkers. These chinamen are ruthless when it comes to getting a cab, and making a sale.
The next time you hear from us might be from home as internet access in Hong Kong is not free. Then again, we might get the opportunity. Until next time...
~The Scicchitano's
Wednesday, August 25, 2010
Chinese Medicine Market
Feeding our "baby bird" at Lucy's Restaurant.
Dried Deer Legs
Dried Snake Skins
Some sort of beetles a man just poured out onto the sidewalk when we walked up. They were crawling all around.
Went to the Chinese Medicine Market today. Quite the experience. It is an endless maze of alley ways with displays of strange items like dried seahorses, deer limbs, bugs, roots, snake skins, and lots of stuff that we didn't even recognize. To think that some of the people in there never come out of those winding, dirty, smelly, hot alley ways. What a life. How blessed we are to live where we do with all we have.
Dried Deer Legs
Dried Snake Skins
Some sort of beetles a man just poured out onto the sidewalk when we walked up. They were crawling all around.
Went to the Chinese Medicine Market today. Quite the experience. It is an endless maze of alley ways with displays of strange items like dried seahorses, deer limbs, bugs, roots, snake skins, and lots of stuff that we didn't even recognize. To think that some of the people in there never come out of those winding, dirty, smelly, hot alley ways. What a life. How blessed we are to live where we do with all we have.
We made a trip to the American Consulate for our swearing in, a day early. This is a ceremony that all immigrants take part in. We stood with 40+ families raising our right hands and promised that all information given about our family and Lily is correct. I have much admiration for adoptive families of all kinds. There were parents with us there for their 2nd, 3rd, even 4th time to adopt children. One girl being adopted was nearly 14, which is a critical age here. After these children turn 14 they are no longer eligible for adoption and then put out on their own at 16 years of age. Another family was adopting a blind child and yet another family here on their 3rd trip to China adopted a boy and a girl, both deaf. I am humbled by their sacrifices and tremendous ability to love.
Lily is very nearly an American Citizen. As soon as we step off the plane at JFK and set foot on American soil she becomes a citizen!!
Then it was off to lunch at Lucy's, an american restaurant here on the island. We call Lily our little baby bird because of the way she puts her head back and opens her mouth for food. Took advantage of that beautiful pool and off to sleep we went... Enjoy the pictures. Can't wait to see you all.
Love,
The Scicchitano's
Chinese Medicine Market
Tuesday, August 24, 2010
Group Picture of all CCAI Families in the White Swan Hotel Lobby.
Lily's The Only One Who Didn't Break Down Crying... as long as mom had a Cheerio.
Lily and Some Friends
Our Big Moment on "The Red Couch"
Just want to get some pictures up for you all to see. Had a great day. Red couch pictures, walking, playing in the "swan room" (toddler play room) at the hotel. Then we had dinner at a french restaurant. It rained pretty good here so we opted out of the dinner cruise. We're waiting on our visa paperwork to be done, which will happen tomorrow. Then we need to take an adoption oath at the American Consulate here on Thursday. We'll receive her visa Friday and be on the plane for home this Saturday. It'll be great to settle in at home. Until then, we will continue to enjoy this very unique and beautiful part of God's creation.
Blessings to all
~The Scicchitano's
Lily's The Only One Who Didn't Break Down Crying... as long as mom had a Cheerio.
Lily and Some Friends
Our Big Moment on "The Red Couch"
Just want to get some pictures up for you all to see. Had a great day. Red couch pictures, walking, playing in the "swan room" (toddler play room) at the hotel. Then we had dinner at a french restaurant. It rained pretty good here so we opted out of the dinner cruise. We're waiting on our visa paperwork to be done, which will happen tomorrow. Then we need to take an adoption oath at the American Consulate here on Thursday. We'll receive her visa Friday and be on the plane for home this Saturday. It'll be great to settle in at home. Until then, we will continue to enjoy this very unique and beautiful part of God's creation.
Blessings to all
~The Scicchitano's
Monday, August 23, 2010
What Day Is It? ~ Day 7 With Lily
Lily LOVES the tub.
It's not all smiles and giggles all the time with this girl...
Making a pearl necklace for Lily at the Pearl Market.
Our Hotel Lobby
Today was a wonderful day and at the same time it was tiring, irritating, hot, and stressful. As beautiful as it is here, there's no place like home. Lily has been sleeping great. She usually sleeps until anywhere from 5am-7:30am and likes to take a little nap shortly after in bed with either Dave or myself. We went down to the breakfast buffet near the waterfall, I tell ya this hotel is just beautiful, but Lily was not into the beauty this morning. She had a very difficult morning. Normally she has a good appetite and opens up her mouth like a baby bird for us to drop food in, but this morning she shook her sweet little head "NO" to everything but a little watermelon. Watermelon, by the way, is her favorite food. Followed by screaming and crying. She knows what she wants and doesn't want and is already testing the water and we are starting to set some limits. Daddy took her out of the dining area and over to the bridge to see the fish and socialize. She brightened right up and was happy again, not too many limits yet as it's hard to do when not in the privacy of our own home and other people would like to appreciate the beauty =D. I have to say that her Baba (Daddy in Chinese) is doing pretty good at resisting the urge to spoil her silly... most of the time anyway.
We visited the pearl market today, got a little lesson on how to recognize quality pearls and did a little shopping. We picked up a string of pearls to keep for Lily until she is older. Had lunch at KFC. Lily had a bite of "creamed potatoes" as some friends from Mississippi call'em, and her first french fry, all the while fussing. Although she pooed last night, we had a sneaking suspicion that there was more to come... and we were right.
So the afternoon came and we took a short walk over to the clinic to have Lily's physical done and picture for her visa taken. On the way she fell asleep. This actually worked to our benefit because she slept through her exam, although we had to wake her for her photo. She did great and this all took just 20 minutes. So Lily only had a short nap. While we were out, the boys went with some friends to the pool. This is no ordinary pool, it's a tropical paradise with a waterfall and is overlooking the Pearl River. This gave us the chance to do some shopping on the island to pick up some souvenirs and gifts.
We were supposed to go out for a group dinner to a Cantonese restaurant, but opted to stay in. It's no fun to be out in public with a constipated baby. The tension of being constantly on the go and living in such close quarters for a week and a half now is weighing on all of us today. Add the stress of a tired, screaming baby and it just magnifies the tension. It was nice to be able to stay in tonight. We ordered a Papa John's pizza and picked up some chicken congee (rice porridge) to go for Lily... and she ate the WHOLE bowl. I think that Lily is definitely bonding with us and is feeling the need to just be "home." She went from her foster family, to our hotel in Nanning for a week to another hotel now for half a week... and we have still another transition to make when we leave for home. She is so sweet and fun to watch as she explores our hotel room. We took care of some potty business, had a bath which she loves and now everyone is passed out.
Tomorrow we will take a picture of all the babies in our group lined up on "The Red Couch" here in the hotel. It's become a tradition here at the White Swan, which is also known as the "baby hotel," for adoptive families to do. We also plan on going with our group for a dinner cruise on the Pearl River.
That's all for now. We'll check back in tomorrow. Visit my Facebook page for more pictures.
~Sue
It's not all smiles and giggles all the time with this girl...
Making a pearl necklace for Lily at the Pearl Market.
Our Hotel Lobby
Today was a wonderful day and at the same time it was tiring, irritating, hot, and stressful. As beautiful as it is here, there's no place like home. Lily has been sleeping great. She usually sleeps until anywhere from 5am-7:30am and likes to take a little nap shortly after in bed with either Dave or myself. We went down to the breakfast buffet near the waterfall, I tell ya this hotel is just beautiful, but Lily was not into the beauty this morning. She had a very difficult morning. Normally she has a good appetite and opens up her mouth like a baby bird for us to drop food in, but this morning she shook her sweet little head "NO" to everything but a little watermelon. Watermelon, by the way, is her favorite food. Followed by screaming and crying. She knows what she wants and doesn't want and is already testing the water and we are starting to set some limits. Daddy took her out of the dining area and over to the bridge to see the fish and socialize. She brightened right up and was happy again, not too many limits yet as it's hard to do when not in the privacy of our own home and other people would like to appreciate the beauty =D. I have to say that her Baba (Daddy in Chinese) is doing pretty good at resisting the urge to spoil her silly... most of the time anyway.
We visited the pearl market today, got a little lesson on how to recognize quality pearls and did a little shopping. We picked up a string of pearls to keep for Lily until she is older. Had lunch at KFC. Lily had a bite of "creamed potatoes" as some friends from Mississippi call'em, and her first french fry, all the while fussing. Although she pooed last night, we had a sneaking suspicion that there was more to come... and we were right.
So the afternoon came and we took a short walk over to the clinic to have Lily's physical done and picture for her visa taken. On the way she fell asleep. This actually worked to our benefit because she slept through her exam, although we had to wake her for her photo. She did great and this all took just 20 minutes. So Lily only had a short nap. While we were out, the boys went with some friends to the pool. This is no ordinary pool, it's a tropical paradise with a waterfall and is overlooking the Pearl River. This gave us the chance to do some shopping on the island to pick up some souvenirs and gifts.
We were supposed to go out for a group dinner to a Cantonese restaurant, but opted to stay in. It's no fun to be out in public with a constipated baby. The tension of being constantly on the go and living in such close quarters for a week and a half now is weighing on all of us today. Add the stress of a tired, screaming baby and it just magnifies the tension. It was nice to be able to stay in tonight. We ordered a Papa John's pizza and picked up some chicken congee (rice porridge) to go for Lily... and she ate the WHOLE bowl. I think that Lily is definitely bonding with us and is feeling the need to just be "home." She went from her foster family, to our hotel in Nanning for a week to another hotel now for half a week... and we have still another transition to make when we leave for home. She is so sweet and fun to watch as she explores our hotel room. We took care of some potty business, had a bath which she loves and now everyone is passed out.
Tomorrow we will take a picture of all the babies in our group lined up on "The Red Couch" here in the hotel. It's become a tradition here at the White Swan, which is also known as the "baby hotel," for adoptive families to do. We also plan on going with our group for a dinner cruise on the Pearl River.
That's all for now. We'll check back in tomorrow. Visit my Facebook page for more pictures.
~Sue
Sunday, August 22, 2010
We're Back!!! ~ Day 6 With Lily
Wow, we lost touch there for a while. So much has happened since our last posting, I'll try to fill you all in on all that's happened. We traveled to Nanning, Guangxi China on the 15th and had no access to our blog or Facebook due to censorship here. We are still in mainland China now (Guangzhou, Guangdong China), although another adoptive family showed us how to gain access by paying a $20 fee.
Nanning, in Guangxi provence, is a medium sized city for China with a population of about 2.4 million. 6 million if you include the surrounding areas. Nanning is a pleasant city. The people are very friendly and seemed to be happy to see us as an adoptive family. There is much pollution in the air due to all of the cars and motorbikes. The traffic is frightening and it seems to be organized chaos. To cross the street on foot is taking your life in your hands. We stayed at the Majestic Hotel which was very beautiful. The lobby was marble, there was marble everywhere. It was lovely. Although as soon as we walked out the door there was a drastic change of scene. Apartment buildings everywhere, none of which are complete due to the constant building up, up, up to accommodate the masses. Dirty, smelly, loud, busy streets. The climate is tropical so it goes without saying that everyday is at least 100 degrees and many of the foliage and ground cover I recognized as house plants sold in the grocery store (some I have in my home!) and are very beautiful.
Lily is from Bobai County in Guangxi provence which has a population of only a few thousand people. We were pleasantly surprised to find out that Lily was in a foster home shortly after she was found. The government has a program for children with special needs called The Alliance for Children Foundation. We received a booklet with pictures of her foster mother and reports of her development throughout the past year. There is a period of 24 hours that we had with her before we were allowed to finalize the adoption with the Chinese government to make sure that we were "pleased with her." When they brought her to us they gave us a camera from the foster family to take some photos and bring back the next day when we were to complete the paperwork. When we got back to the hotel we were able to download at least 50 pictures of Lily with her foster family and they had written a note to us. She was born July 16, 2009 and was found the next day at a Bus Station in Bobai County. This is where she gets her surname of Bo. We kept her Chinese name of SiLing as her middle name. She is just what we thought she'd be, she had a little spark in her eye in her referral picture and she certainly has lived up to that. She is very pleasant and agreeable and LOVES to play with her brothers and her Daddy. She is sure to charm you right away when you meet her. In the words of Nicholas... "We have the most awesomest baby ever!"
Everyday we would go down to the breakfast buffet in the hotel. Lily and the boys would finish eating first, then they would take her out of her highchair and chase her around as she laughed and would crawl up and down the stairs. We received so many comments about how great they are with her. They have been praying since 2008 for her and just love their little sister. They are such a blessing.
As I see the difficulties that other families are facing with their little ones I am so grateful to God for his provision and Grace upon our family. Thank you everyone for covering us in prayer. He is listening and is blessing us like crazy. We are all well and our only obstacle is a little constipation for Lily which is apparently a common problem among newly adopted children that I was not aware of. We celebrated tonight as "Little Miss Ling" pooed, in the tub no less. This seems to be a running theme in my life at work and at home... ;)
I will fill you all in more about this little sweetheart that is now ours later. It may be the afternoon for you guys, but it's after midnight here and I gotta get some sleep...
~Sue, for the family
Nanning, in Guangxi provence, is a medium sized city for China with a population of about 2.4 million. 6 million if you include the surrounding areas. Nanning is a pleasant city. The people are very friendly and seemed to be happy to see us as an adoptive family. There is much pollution in the air due to all of the cars and motorbikes. The traffic is frightening and it seems to be organized chaos. To cross the street on foot is taking your life in your hands. We stayed at the Majestic Hotel which was very beautiful. The lobby was marble, there was marble everywhere. It was lovely. Although as soon as we walked out the door there was a drastic change of scene. Apartment buildings everywhere, none of which are complete due to the constant building up, up, up to accommodate the masses. Dirty, smelly, loud, busy streets. The climate is tropical so it goes without saying that everyday is at least 100 degrees and many of the foliage and ground cover I recognized as house plants sold in the grocery store (some I have in my home!) and are very beautiful.
Lily is from Bobai County in Guangxi provence which has a population of only a few thousand people. We were pleasantly surprised to find out that Lily was in a foster home shortly after she was found. The government has a program for children with special needs called The Alliance for Children Foundation. We received a booklet with pictures of her foster mother and reports of her development throughout the past year. There is a period of 24 hours that we had with her before we were allowed to finalize the adoption with the Chinese government to make sure that we were "pleased with her." When they brought her to us they gave us a camera from the foster family to take some photos and bring back the next day when we were to complete the paperwork. When we got back to the hotel we were able to download at least 50 pictures of Lily with her foster family and they had written a note to us. She was born July 16, 2009 and was found the next day at a Bus Station in Bobai County. This is where she gets her surname of Bo. We kept her Chinese name of SiLing as her middle name. She is just what we thought she'd be, she had a little spark in her eye in her referral picture and she certainly has lived up to that. She is very pleasant and agreeable and LOVES to play with her brothers and her Daddy. She is sure to charm you right away when you meet her. In the words of Nicholas... "We have the most awesomest baby ever!"
Everyday we would go down to the breakfast buffet in the hotel. Lily and the boys would finish eating first, then they would take her out of her highchair and chase her around as she laughed and would crawl up and down the stairs. We received so many comments about how great they are with her. They have been praying since 2008 for her and just love their little sister. They are such a blessing.
As I see the difficulties that other families are facing with their little ones I am so grateful to God for his provision and Grace upon our family. Thank you everyone for covering us in prayer. He is listening and is blessing us like crazy. We are all well and our only obstacle is a little constipation for Lily which is apparently a common problem among newly adopted children that I was not aware of. We celebrated tonight as "Little Miss Ling" pooed, in the tub no less. This seems to be a running theme in my life at work and at home... ;)
I will fill you all in more about this little sweetheart that is now ours later. It may be the afternoon for you guys, but it's after midnight here and I gotta get some sleep...
~Sue, for the family
Friday, August 13, 2010
Safe Arrival
So we've made it. We arrived in Hong Kong on the 13th @ 7pm. The plane ride was not too bad. It took us only 15 hours to fly up over the North Pole and down into China. Watched 4 movies and the boys were occupied with their DS's, thanks to Uncle Pete. What great little gadgets they are. We are staying at the Regal Riverside Hotel in Hong Kong. The outside of the hotel is lit up like a rainbow. Breakfast at the hotel this morning was an awesome assortment of Chinese and American foods. The city is very much like an American City. 100 degrees today. The people here carry umbrellas to protect themselves from the sun. We took a tour today with 4 other families from CCAI (our adoption agency), shopping... waiting to go to mainland China to buy souvenirs. We fly out to Nanning tomorrow afternoon, 3pm. Can't wait to meet Lily on Monday...
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