Some cute pics of Abbey and Alex

Here are some cute pics of the kids from the last several months.

44 days and counting

We found out our LID (log in date) was on September 3rd - so we are at day 44 of waiting for our (LOA) Letter of Acceptance from China - which will hopefully be quickly followed by travel approval. We have heard of a range of LOA's coming from 70 days to 100 days. We are praying for travel before the end of the year. We are also waiting for updated information from China about how she is doing. I'll post some additional photos of her and everyone later today.

DTC finally!!

All of our documents were sent to China (DTC - Documents To China) on Thursday last week. We are so happy. Some of our documents were ready early and were sent to China two weeks ago to our agency translator. We are hopeful they will all be finished next week and we will get a quick Log in Date (LID) then we will get a Letter of Approval (LOA) than finally a Travel Approval (TA).

We have also received some more sad photos of Aimee, which makes our wait even more difficult. We can't wait to get her and hold her and start the process of loving her into our family. Has any one heard if anything is moving any faster?

Take care!! -Gayle

1800a Approved!!

So much news today! I got a call late this afternoon that we had our 1800a application approved!! Whoo Hoo!! This is such a big hurdle for us. So now we get a document called a 797 (which I believe is the 'new' 171h). (I know all of these words are another language for all of our friends and family who haven't personally been through an international adoption -- but it is a big deal!) It took us over 3 months to get through this step, but hopefully now it won't be too much longer for our papers to go to China. Then the prayers begin for fast travel....

New pic of Aimee

Late last night we received a new (and sad)picture of our daughter Aimee (on the right in the white and green). She is shown with a mom who is in China right now adopting Aimee's best friend Maggie. This picture was taken after the two girls had just cried and cried about their separation. This sweet family lives in Idaho and they received their daughter last week. Sunday, they visited the girls orphanage in order to say final goodbyes. The wonderful news is that this family reports that the orphanage nannies are very loving and the girls were both fond of them. They also said orphanage was new and very clean. Those are always good things to hear as waiting parents! The family has taken many more pictures of Aimee and also some video which they will send after they return to the states. Early this morning we were sending emails back and forth discussing future plans for our girls to stay in touch. We are going to try to send a letter this week to Aimee to let her know she will see her friend again.

We will post again soon as we have more information..

More waiting

We are still waiting on our paperwork to be approved to adopt Aimee. We first mailed in our forms and documents to the Dept. of Homeland Security 91 days ago. Since April 1st this year, all international adoptive parents have to go through a more detailed process to gain approval to bring a child into the US. Specifically, these new rules are for all Hague Convention countries around the world. While we can see the need to make sure adoptive parents are safe and worthy, sometimes you start to believe it is a little over done. The new 1800a process nearly needs an attorney to translate and navigate the wording is so complicated and specific. So, we wait... This morning we were reading some adoption training material and came across a paragraph that describes adoption waiting as almost a 'grief' process. You know your child is waiting on you and someone else is raising her/him at this very moment. You don't know when you will travel since most of the process is out of your control. So we sit and wait, and check on the process, and we pray. Hopefully this coming week we will be able to report on some new progress.

Fingerprinted and waiting...

Here is a picture of Abbey and Alex at the zoo recently with their sweet friend Sarah. They are all growing up so fast!

We are still working our way through paperwork. We had hoped to already have our paperwork in China by now, but little details here and there have slowed us down. We had our fingerprints done yesterday for our 171h approval to adopt. Additionally, we are still waiting on one letter to come for our final homestudy update before we can receive our 171h. After that, our papers finally go to China. We had heard varying reports of time to travel after our paperwork is logged in. Some have received travel approval as fast as 72 days, while others have waited over 100 days.

We received an update about Aimee's size a couple of weeks ago. She is the same height as Abbey, and weighs 27 lbs, so she is a little smaller than Abbey (31 lbs). So far, Abbey is very excited to be getting a sister. Alex doesn't seem to care either way right now -- but we know he will love her (another sister to tease and adore). Abbey asks nearly every day if it is Fall yet - as we have said we will go bring sister home in the Fall. It is very sweet.

More posts to come soon....

And.....Baby number 3.

In a blink of an eye - and in a blink of an email, the Thornton Family will grow by one more family member this year.

We are blessed beyond measure to have the opportunity to adopt our new daughter Aimee. She will be 4 in June and we hope to travel to receive her by September.

Home at Last!

We arrived at Will Rogers World Airport (minus one piece of luggage) about 10:15 p.m. Wednesday. As good as it felt to be home upon returning with Abbey, it feels even better this time because of all the, uh, obstacles we faced this go-round. And it was wonderful to see our family and friends waiting for us at the airport. That has become an amazing part of the adoptive family network.

The kids finally fell asleep sometime after 1 a.m. As of 11:15 a.m. Thursday, they and their mom are still catching up on some much-needed sleep.

Thanks again to everyone whose posts and prayers bouyed our spirits during our two-week roller-coaster ride, first trying to get our of the States, then trying to get out of China.

-- Tony

Better today

Tony and I are both feeling better today thankfully. And thankfully the kids haven't gotten sick. They are both rather ornery today though, so we are just trying to keep them occupied for our last 24 hours here. Our consulate oath appointment is this afternoon, our last step before we come home.

While I'm typing this Alex just bit Tony. He has bitten Tony several times in the last few days. He bit Abbey the other day too. This is a bad habit we hope to break him of soon. It will take some time to communitcate that this isn't acceptable behavior. Tony put him in his crib for a time out.

We can't thank you all enough for your posts and emails. They mean so much to us.

We should arrive home at around 10:20 pm on Wednesday night. We just can't wait to be home.

Talk to you all soon!

Food poisoning, etc.

Well, the Murphy's Law trip continues.

Gayle and both other mothers in our traveling group got food poisoning Sunday night, although one is experiencing just nausea. All ate hamburgers or sandwiches from, get this, a place called Lucy's, which is the only "American" restaurant on Shamian Island. We've determined that either the meat was bad, or else they got bacteria from lettuce and tomatoes that had been washed in Chinese tap water. I won't go into details; let's just say that the prescription meds Gayle brought for nausea and diarhea aren't doing their job. Fortunately, all three moms have husbands or a friend here to take care of the kids untl they feel better. However, please consider this an APB (All Prayer Bulletin). I'm not usually one to ask God for specific things, but we could sure use your prayers in a speedy recovery for Gayle and the other two moms.

Speaking of which, both of us are feeling like absolutely incompetent parents right now, and we could use your prayers in that area, too. Two kids require double the time and double the work, and we are struggling to get used to our new life. So are the kids. Alex has quite the temper when you lay him down to sleep or when you don't feed him fast enough or decide his meal is over. He throws tantrums. This afternoon he wouldn't take a nap and just kept screaming. A few minutes later, Gayle said, "You know, he's probably grieving." Ouch. I feel like a horrible parent right now, especially when I think of the American couple who are here adopting their eighth Chinese child (in addition to four biological children). Again, we seek your prayers.

Our first trip to China left us with such fond memories, which is largely why we returned. This one has tested our spiritual, emotional and physical limits.

We leave Wednesday morning and fly to Beijing for a three-hour layover before catching another flight to Chicago and another to OKC. We are scheduled to arrive at Will Rogers World Airport at 10:20 p.m. Wednesday. It's going to be a brutal day. We're thinking this time we'll break out the Benadryl so the kids can sleep. We can't wait to be home. We'll post more photos later.

-- Tony

Around Guangzhou

Today was our free day. We ate a big breakfast at the wonderful White Swan buffet. Alex likes so many things - he likes the Asian fruit called "Dragon Fruit", congee, watermelon, hard boiled eggs etc.. He ate for nearly an hour. We have almost the exact opposite problem with Abbey. She barely eats anything. Then we did a little shopping then back to the hotel for a nap. It is actually very cool here in Guangzhou today - maybe only about 60 degrees. After the naps we went for a walk with a nice Asian couple we met on the plane to Beijing. They are US citizens and are adopting here in China. Their baby girl is from Chongqing, which is where Abbey is from. We all went to Blenz a cool coffee shop nearby, then we took Abbey to the local playground. All of that went well until it was time to go. Abbey had a screaming meltdown when we tried to put her into the stroller. I'm just not comfortable yet with dozens of local Chinese people staring at us because our daughter is having a fit. It is so embarrassing. We took her back to the hotel and her punishment was not allowing her to go to the playroom in the White Swan this evening. (Mattel sponsors a playroom in the hotel with lots of toys ). We know she is stressed by all the changes, but we also are trying our best to set her limits. Alex is doing great. I'm trying to start teaching him some language sounds - he doesn't make many sounds yet, but we can tell he is trying now. His 'babbles' sound better and better each day. We are shopping again tomorrow. Our guide is taking us to a museum and the Pearl Market.

Pictures

Well, our babies are asleep, so I wanted to post a few pictures from the last couple days.

On to Guangzhou

We arrived in Guangzhou last night after a rather difficult flight. Abbey was on her worst behavior, probably due to the lack of a nap and some trepidation about her new role in the family as big sister and no longer as The Princess. Poor Alex's ears hurt so much as we were landing in Guangzhou, we were afraid his eardrums were rupturing. It was pretty traumatic. He cried harder and fought harder than I thought any 20-month-old could. He is one strong and strong-willed little boy. When he's particularly angry or uset, he throws his head back as hard as possible, not really caring whether he hurts himself or the person behind him.

I've decided we misnamed him. Instead of Alex, perhaps we should have named him Allen, which is the patriarchal surname of Gayle's family. He is much like the men in Gayle's family: large head, built like a linebacker, strong as an ox, and doesn't say much but grunts a lot.

It's like heaven here compared to Lanzhou. Those who have adopted from China will know what I mean. Guangzhou is wonderful, especially this time of year. It's probably 80 degrees and humid this afternoon. This morning we shopped at a government-owned market and then went to the Guangzhou zoo. The kids are napping now. Shortly we will make the 10-minute walk to get Alex's required medical exam and visa photo. We have a free day tomorrow to go shopping and maybe even take the kids swimming in the White Swan Hotel's outdoor pool.

Last night I wrote a lengthy and rather critical post about Lanzhou's polluted air and the obvious lack of joy in its people. It disappeared from the blog after a few minutes, making us wonder whether the Internet police had intercepted it. This morning we determined that Gayle had inadvertently removed it. Anyway, it taught us a lesson about being a bit more discreet, so I'll e-mail it once we get home to anyone interested. Darned shame. I was pretty proud of my writing on that post.

-- Tony

Reflections on Lanzhou

We arrived tonight in the virtual oasis of Guangzhou, passports in hand. Now that we are safely out of Gansu Province, let me provide a mental and visual image of the city we just left.

A search on the government-approved Google site found a 2002 article ranking Lanzhou as the most polluted city in China. Couple that with a previous (unfiltered) Google search showing China with 14 of the 20 most polluted cities in the world, and it’s not too far a leap to conclude that Lanzhou is the most polluted city on the planet, or at least in the top three. The reasons are coal and cold. Coal is the main energy source used for heating. Because it is so cold here during the winter and so much coal is burned, local law forbids people from turning on their heaters until November. Looking outside our 17th-floor window yesterday, we counted a dozen factory smokestacks within 1.5 miles of our hotel. (We could see that far only because a late-morning mixture of light rain and snow had cleared the skies temporarily.) Lanzhou is a valley surrounded on all sides by mountains, so there's no place for all that smoke to escape.

What's bizarre is that you'd think people would be concerned about their lungs. Nope, they're far more worried about the cold. You see about one out of every six or seven people on the streets wearing protective masks. Assuming it's because of the smog, I wore one during the 10-minute walk to the grocery store. I received many, many stares, and then I noticed that no other men were wearing them. Our guide told me later that people (women) wear them to protect their faces from the cold and wind, not to save their lungs. That is so messed up.

I'm reminded of a line from The Blues Brothers Movie. The scene takes place in Elwood's skid row flop house next to the "L" Train. As the train roars past, shaking everything in the room, Jake, newly released from prison, asks his brother, "How often does that thing run by?" Elwood responds, "So often you won't even notice." So it is with public hacking and spitting in Lanzhou. They even aim for certain targets as they ride past you on their bicycles. After a few days, you've heard it so often it hardly fazes you.

Christmas is huge here. You see Christmas trees and various displays all over downtown, which (not coincidentally) is the main shopping district. I even heard "Oh Come, All Ye Faithful" blaring from the intercom outside one of the city's nicest hotels. When I asked our guide if people understand the meaning of Christmas, he said the stores use it as a way to boost sales, while residents see it as a reason to host and attend parties. Hmm ... Not too different from America.

Readers of this blog who are of the praying sort should consider praying for this city of 3 million. The lack of joy, or anything resembling it, is apparent. They have little to live for. They are mostly poor and always will be until the pollution kills them 10 years early. There is nothing in their lives that can envision a heaven where they can find health and fullness of life. They are desparate for something -- for God. They just don't know it. Forgive me if that sounds boastful or haughty. That is not my intention. And without question there are good people here. We were fortunate to have one such person as our guide. Steed is an intelligent, caring man who rescued us from our passport predicament, spending countless hours as detective, driver, intermediary and interpreter. He has a fascinating and insightful perspective on where China has been and where it is headed. I wish I'd had a few more car trips to pick his brain a little further.

-- Tony

Passports Found at Airport!

Just after we received news that the local barneys were going to give us approval to fly to Guangzhou--- our guide received a call from the Lanzhou airport saying they found our passports. They must have been stolen or dropped as we were getting our luggage. They were found in the cafe at the airport - which we were never near. What an ordeal! I must say that seeing the inside of a Chinese police station is something I never want to do again. Our guide says it took the police about an hour to decide that they would let us go from here - he said they were fighting about it amongst each other.

Can I even begin to count the lessons in faith that have been tossed at us these last few weeks? Did I pray for patience or something? I feel like I'm in spiritual boot camp. I'm so grateful that Tony is calm during these times. I'm fine through some of it -- but when it comes to my kids, I'm not that unflinching.

So.. our paperwork for the adoption was brought to us a little while ago and we can leave tomorrow for Guangzhou. We will pick up our passports at the airport before we leave.

Alex and Abbey are doing great - they are both napping right now at the same time - a tradition I would love to carry forward!

Thanks so much for your prayers and love. It is felt and it is effective!

===Gayle

Unexpected tours of Lanzhou

Yesterday (Tuesday) we experienced things we never anticipated. Then again, we never thought we'd have our passports stolen.

Our guide, Steed (that's right, as in horse), walked me to the local police precinct. It was the first required step in getting emergency replacement visas issued so we can leave this city. He explained our predicament to a police officer and filled out a report in a smoke-filled room while I sat on one of the two iron bunk beds in the 12-by-12 office. Turns out the beds are for the night-shift cops. After Steed filled out the report, the officer stamped it to make it official.

In the afternoon, all of us had to go Lanzhou's main station. Again we sat in an office while Steed showed our police report to the Foreign Affairs supervisor and explained the situation to him and three lower-ranking officers. I won't go into great depth, at least not while we're still stuck in Lanzhou, but let's just say the custom among investigators here is to treat crime victims like they are the criminals. Our answers to their questions didn't satisfy them, and they began asking questions about Abbey, hinting that they thought we were trying to steal her. One of the officers even spoke Abbey's Chinese name, Yu Zhou.

Thank God Gayle brought copies of Abbey's Chinese adoption certificate and her American citizenship documents! Unfortunately, they were still at the hotel, so Steed told the police officers we would return with them in 30 minutes. He and I drove back alone with the papers to the police station, but when we arrived, everyone in the foreign affairs office was gone. Steed has to return to the police department with those copies this morning. He seems confident this will be taken care of today, allowing us to leave for Guangzhou on Thursday.

Let our experience be a lesson to all future adopting families, whether traveling to China or somewhere else: Make sure to make copies of the passport information pages and visa pages (perhaps even keep the visa numbers in your wallet). And if you have adopted other children, make sure to bring their papers. I can't imagine what would have happened if Gayle hadn't done that.

We'll update later today when we get (hopefully) a resolution.

Tony

Great Quote, etc...

I think we have the quote of the trip. I don't have much to add to it - but here it is: During one of Alex's first diaper changes, Abbey said, "Look mom, he has a noodle".

Okay -- moving on. .... So, we never found our passports and airline tickets, but everything is working out just fine. Our tickets have been re-issued, thanks to a family friend who used to work at United and calls from our parents. We should be able to get new passports issued in Guangzhou. Thankfully, we brought our birth certificates, copies of Abbey's papers etc...

The lessons have been that this has brought our marriage and our entire family closer together. It was most stressful yesterday afternoon when our hotel room kept getting smokier and smokier - both from outside pollution and people smoking in the hotel. So Tony asked that we be moved to a better room and we were moved last night. It makes a world of difference. Me, Abbey and Alex really aren't going to leave the hotel much at all here in Lanzhou because it is really smoky outside -- more than anything we have ever seen. There is no wind here and it is in a valley - plus everyone burns coal as the primary source of fuel. Anyway - thanks for your prayers and love and support.

Finally-- if you want to read the comments from other people on this blog - you need to right click on the 'comments' button. You can also email us personally on our regular emails.

We love you all and miss home! Can't wait for you to meet Mr. Alex. He is adorable!!!

Love , Gayle, Tony, Alex and Abbey

2 Little Monkeys

We are starting to see a new part of Alex's personality. He is a little naughty. We had been warned..when we had our guide ask the orphanage director about his personality she said "naughty". When pressed for more about his personality.. she just said "naughty". We went to dinner tonight in the restaurant in the hotel and we really felt like we were taking monkeys to dinner! At first, I started thinking I must be a really unqualified mom, but then some reason came as I realized hardly anyone would be good at taking 2 toddlers to eat at a nice restaurant.

We are off to Guangzhou in the morning! I am so ready to eat at Lucy's and do some shopping. (Wendy - I will get some boys' size 8 Chinese pajamas for you:) We will be in Guangzhou for 6 nights and if all stays on track we will be back Wednesday, Dec. 13th around 10:15 pm.

---Gayle

More pics