New photos

Here are some wonderful pictures my friend Kayla took of our family.

3 Happy Kids

It is so hard to believe the amazing progress Aimee has had over the last 10 days since we came home. She has settled in so very well - and Abbey and Alex are doing great as well. The kids have had a few struggles which are completely normal - but we thought things would be much tougher at this point. Abbey has asked one time if 'she can go back now'. Most older kids ask this question about any new sibling brought home. I had to not laugh when she said it. Aimee is a good little helper too. Now her and Abbey "compete" to get their bed made and room clean. Then they go pick up Alex's room. He is probably okay with the idea that his sisters are taking care of him.

Aimee has also warmed up to me. She comes to me for hugs all day and wants me to see each toy she plays with and each picture she colors. Really, this progress is just a miracle to us. Aimee is learning to love dressing up in princess dresses, jumping on the trampoline, playing on the swingset and coloring pictures with her sister. Aimee has also done great going into her Sunday School class at our church. She is in class with Abbey and they went in together the first weekend we came back from China. No tears at all. She is feeling a lot of security from Abbey and Alex and I am keeping the three of them together almost all the time.

Last night, I gave Aimee a Language Little Doll - the doll Ling that speaks English and Mandarin. I have been saving this doll for her for almost a year. A friend from our Dillon July 2004 DTC reunion group gave us one to give to her. She was SO excited about this doll!! She does know some Mandarin and was repeating the phrases back to me and Abbey. It was almost like she found a way to communicate with us. Abbey already had one of these dolls that my mom had given to her - and so both girls have the doll. It is now both their favorite doll!!

I would post some pictures now, but I can't find my flash drive for my photo card. I will get a new one later today and post some pictures.

We feel so blessed and so full of love to have Aimee in our family.

Home at last!

We made it home last night. Our trip was pretty easy - Aimee slept about 7 hours on the flight. Our seats were comfortable and we didn't have any problems making our way. Abbey, Aimee and Alex are getting along so great. They ran around and around at the airport when they first met - laughing and playing. But later, both girls were crying at bedtime last night, Alex was fine. We had to do some re-configuring of the sleeping arrangements. We set up the "pack and play" and a small mattress in our bedroom, after the girls decided they didn't want to stay alone in their room. Then Abbey cried because I put her in the "pack and play"(yes, she still fits in it and usually loves it) and Aimee was on the mattress - and so --- the drama begins..... Today, the girls have been playing really well for the most part. They have had a few disagreements this morning, but nothing major. Tony and I are really tired and we plan to take a nap very soon.

We are grateful to all our friends and family who came out to the airport to see us last night. Thank you also, for all the food and gifts that you brought to us. I don't think we will need to cook for about 5 days because of all the meals we have been blessed with. When I was in China - I bought a little heart with a red tassle on it to hang from my car mirror. It says in Chinese and English -- "My cup overflows". This could not be more true for us now - we are very grateful. We will post some pictures later today. God Bless!!

Almost an American

This afternoon we went to the U.S. consulate for a brief ceremony where we and a dozen or so other American families raised our right hands and swore that we were completely truthful on all the various forms. It lasts about 15 seconds and normally is preceded by a brief talk that is light on pomp and circumstance.

Today's event, however, was a special occasion. U.S. consulate officials from thoughout Asia were attending a seminar at the Guangzhou consulate, and the meeting also brought in some top dogs from Washington, D.C., including David Donahue, the Deputy Assistant U.S. Secretary of State for Visa Services. He led the ceremony, and the room was filled with roughly 25 other consulate and Secretary of State officials, all with wide grins as they watched these new families form. As much of a joy as it was for us to be part of it, I sensed that these people genuinely enjoyed it, too. Several of them looked approvingly at our new daughter, and Donahue called out "The Thorntons" and has us stand to acknowledge us as the family in our group who has adopted the most children from China.

One of the U.S. folks runs the consulate in Shenyang and, coincidentally, knows a couple, Heather and Dennis Larrabee, that we were supposed to travel with in early 2005 for our adoption of Abbey. They recently moved to Shenyang to do medical and mission work. Gayle still keeps in touch with them. This may be the definition of the term "small world."

Abbey will become an American citizen when we go through Customs at O'Hare in Chicago. We have no photo of today's ceremony because cameras aren't allowed in the consulate.

Another step forward

Aimee's trust in her mama is a work in progress, marked by one or two steps forward and one backward.

Last night after Aimee fell asleep, Gayle put her in bed between us. She snuggled up to Gayle until awakening while Daddy was shaving. Aimee looked at Gayle, noticed that I wasn't there and then hustled out of bed as quickly as possible.

Later this morning, however, we found two tricks that may speed up the bonding process immensely. She loves for Daddy to lift her in the air with his feet and then pretend to fly like an airplane. (Our other kids love this, too.) After several minutes of this, I had Gayle try it, and Aimee not only let her, she laughed and giggled the whole time. Next, Gayle had Aimee brush her hair, and Aimee showed precision with the comb and ponytail holders. She obviously was taught this skill in the orphanage, and she loves doing it.

It is an hour later now. Our daughter is as happy as a clam, and all sign of fear is gone, at least for now. It is a good day.

New rules mean new shots

We took Aimee this morning for the customary medical exam here on Shamian Island. Normally it takes about 15 minutes -- at least it does for children whose paperwork was processed before last April, when new rules took effect for countries that are part of the Hague Convention on Adoptions.

Among the many new rules is one that requires certain vaccines before a newly adopted child can go home. Aimee had a complete log of vaccinations from her orphanage but had to have five new shots: Hepatitis B, Influenza B, Variella, MMR (Mumps, Measles and Rubella) and DPT.

She was such a trooper! She knew exactly what was coming and bravely stuck her arms out and helped the nurses roll up her sleeves. When all five were done, she got two pieces of candy: one form the nurses and one from daddy.

Breakthrough Day

Aimee began being sweet to her mommy today. We hope that Feb. 16 will henceforth be known as Breakthrough Day.

Gayle remained in bed all day with food poisoning, and Aimee's attitude toward her warmed each time we came back to the room. This afternoon, without prompting, she walked over to Gayle, handed over the banana we'd bought her at the store and said, "Your banana." It may not sound like much, but a couple days ago she wouldn't go near Gayle without putting up a fight. Aimee carries with her a deep trauma involving "mama" that we may never fully grasp. We can only guess, and pray that God will heal it in His perfect timing.

Aimee and I went to the Guangzhou Zoo this morning. Not a great zoo, but it helped kill a couple hours. This afternoon we went for a long walk around the island, and then tonight she and I went with three other families to a great Italian restaurant about a 10-minute walk from our hotel.

Tomorrow morning is our medical appointment, and then Wednesday we go to the U.S. Consulate to get Aimee's visa. And then Friday morning, we leave China for home. That sounds more appealing with each passing day. I can't wait to get back to a place where you can walk without having the stench of raw sewage surprise you every few hundred yards.

Both parents now sick

Just as I began feeling a bit better, Gayle became ill last night with the same symptoms. Hers seem to be mitigated somewhat, perhaps because she was already on an antibiotic, for which we are thankful.

We're not sure what it was that she ate. Could it be the mango frappuccino from Starbucks? Surely they use purified water for the ice at Starbucks! More likely it was something from either the daily breakfast buffet or the Valentine's Day dinner buffet here at the hotel. Gayle has eaten a lot of fresh fruit and some fresh-squeezed juice, but then, so have a lot of people.

We have appreciated everyone's prayers so much on this trip. I am thankful that Gayle packed a virtual pharmacy. She had such foresight to get prescriptions for potential food poisoning: Cipro, Fenergan, anti-diarrheal medicine, Pedialyte strips. I tend to rib her about it: We may not make the airline weight limit because of all the drugs Gayle packs. From now on, I'll know better than to tease. Those drugs were a godsend two days ago, and even now, as some of the symptoms linger.

Despite the resulting food poisoning ...

... I am thankful to have visited the orphanage, if only for one particular piece of information the visit yielded.

When Hui Ying was found outside the Huidong Civil Affairs Office, her body was yellow. Due to a birth defect involving her digestive tract, toxins built up inside her, and by the time she was found, she was near death, the orphanage director said. This leads me to believe that her birth parents abandoned her as a last resort to save her life. The fact that she was 4 months old -- and not a newborn -- when she was left would seem to confirm that belief.

Fortunately, her condition was stabilized at the orphanage, although for some unknown reason her corrective surgery wasn't performed for 14 more months. The orphanage director said the surgeon told him it was the most successful surgery of this type he had ever performed.

And now, our daughter eats like a horse and is the model of health.

A day in the room

Tony has started his recovery, but has been asleep most of the day. He still has a bit of a fever and doesn't feel like eating or drinking, but I have been making him drink some gatorade and water, plus his meds. I switched him from Bactrim to Cipro on the advice of a nurse practioner that we have made friends with here. She is also adopting a 4 year old and we have spent some time with them eating meals and playing in the White Swan play room. Aimee and I are doing fine, but were a little bored today. Hopefully, Tony will be even better tomorrow.

Thanks for your prayers!! -- Gayle

Tony is Sick

Say some prayers for Tony - he has food poisoning - most likely from his 'interesting' meal he had when he went to visit the orphanage yesterday. He had chicken feet soup, some type of weird large cooked oysters, and some whole fish that was brought to the table were among the dishes. In China, it is considered rude to not at least try the food offered at the table. He was worried about it yesterday, and has kind of felt 'full' and funny all day today - and now it has hit him full force - vomitting, fever etc... we brought good meds with us, but they may take a day or so to help.

Night time from our hotel window

Here is a view from our White Swan hotel window of the Pearl River. It looks like Las Vegas.

Walking through Guangzhou

We walked a long way through Guangzhou today and saw so many interesting sights. Our destination was a long pedestrian shopping area called Xianjiu Lu. During our 2 hour walk, I only saw one other westerner. We saw everything from Chinese pharmacies selling dried mushrooms and rams horns to cute little bakeries. The Chinese in general love retail! Every street is lined with dozens of tiny little shops selling only one category of merchandise -- like a sock shop, pj shop, clothes steamer shops, etc... In the big pedestrian shopping areas, you find more of the department store type retailers mixed in with the single item shops. Aimee did so great walking with us. We bought her some flashing light tennis shoes for about $10 US, and some socks (.50 US). Abbey is getting some cute new boots and Alex will get some fancy tennis shoes as well. We ate lunch at a KFC and Aimee loves fried chicken. KFC chicken in China is a little spicy - but Aimee didn't mind. She ate 4 mini chicken legs, which is the most meat I have seen her eat. We wore Aimee out, and now she is sound asleep taking a nap. Tony just went down to go swimming in the White Swan pool. It has been unusually warm in Guangzhou for this time of year - in the 80s every day. However, they do say a cold front/storm is coming in for the weekend. We are free to shop and discover Guangzhou until Tuesday when we have Aimee's medical appointment. Wednesday is our consulate appt, Thursday we get her passport and visa and Friday we come home. So far, this has been our easiest trip to China, except for leaving our kids at home. Abbey and Alex are doing great with Grandparents, but they are missing us and we are missing them a lot. We skype every day, so that makes it a little easier. We will post again later..

Visiting the orphanage

Gayle and Aimee went shopping today while I visited the orphanage where Aimee spent all but the first four months of her life. It is a Social Welfare Institute, meaning it serves as both an orphanage and a nursing home. The orphanage side is a three-story building, with the top two floors housing 30-40 children.

I met a dozen or so kids as they returned home from their lunch break at the elementary school nearby. Later, on the way back to Guangzhou, our guide told me the rest are severely challenged, and that is why I didn't see them.

We decided not to take Aimee because she is doing great, and we didn't want to cause an emotional setback. I think going back would have been very confusing for her. Our guide told me the orphanage director and his two assistants were disappointed but understood.

After the visit, they took me to a traditional Chinese restaurant, where the dishes are served family style and where Westerners might be a bit squeamish, as I was. The dishes included a broth with chicken feet, oysters that looked unlike any oysters I've ever seen, shrimp that looked more like crawfish, a whole fish and -- at my request -- pork fried rice.

The orphanage director and the two assistants seem to really care about the children, and our guide told me it is among the best he has seen as far as the cleanliness and level of care and love. For that, we are extremely grateful.

Aimee is totally out of her shell. She a live wire and, like her older sister, instantly becomes the center of attention of whatever room she's in. She is picking up English quickly but is chattering quite a bit in an ancient dialect that the locals say is neither Cantonese nor Mandarin. Whew! Guess that lets us off the hook for having to learn either language.

Such a Happy Girl

Aimee has had a great day today. The only time she had any sadness was at the police station. She doesn't like it when we go to those official appointments - most likely she is afraid there will another life change at one of them. Tonight she was a total giggle monster. We have to thank everyone for all their prayers for her little heart, because we believe that has made all the difference. This is a picture of her from a few moments ago in her little bed. She doesn't want to go to sleep tonight, she wants to keep playing. Tony and I both have so much gratitude that she has become our daughter.

Tomorrow, Tony will visit her orphanage with our guide. Originally, the plan was for all 3 of us to go, but we decided we don't want to stir up her grief again with another separation from her nanny and friends. Aimee and I are going to do a little shopping and have some girl time. We will post again tomorrow.

Children's Park video clip

What was that?!?!

So we're leaving the breakfast buffet, where all the adopting families congregate each morning, when we run into a family from Alabama. We were saying goodbyes when out of nowhere, Aimee says, in perfect English, "See you tomorrow."

WHAT??? Where did that come from? Neither I nor the Alabama folks used that term.

We've pretty well decided Aimee is ready for kindergarten come August, after all. We were going to hold her back to help her adjust. Now I'm not so sure that's in her best interest.

Yeah Smiles!!

After some solemn times and some tears today, we got some great smiles from Aimee after dinner tonight. We had dinner at Lucy's and afterwards we went for a walk along the Pearl River. We walked under a big tree with big green spotlights pointing up at the leaves -- it was so beautiful and Aimee noticed. She lit up and repeated "beautiful" after I said it. After that she actually smiled for a bunch of pictures for the first time. We are so grateful for this little breakthrough. Going through the process of grief with a child is very emotional -- especially when you know you 'caused it'. Today, when she and I were alone for awhile, I had her sit on my lap while I hugged her. Doing this caused her to cry such a deep soul cry, I cried with her. We know that all of this is just part of the process, but that doesn't make it easier. Tonight at dinner Tony said we just need to 'trust the process' and I said "I do, when I'm not 'in' the process" -- isn't that the way it always is!! Thank you so much for all of your prayers and love. We can definately feel God's love and peace as we walk through this with Aimee.

We are having a little trouble uploading images to the internet - the last several times we have tried they didn't upload. I got a few here and I will put more on shortly.

thanks!!

Her first English

Within a few hours after she became ours, Aimee was saying her first words in English -- ant, baby, orange, banana, strawberry -- as Gayle pointed to them in a picture book. Her delivery was great on each word. She is eager to learn, and you can tell she's had quite a bit of schooling in the orphanage, which will serve her well. She also used a crayon to draw and to write numbers. Without coaching, she made the numbers 1 through 8. We were so impressed!

Later, she went on a short walk with her new daddy (me) to get a Coke for her mama. She wanted to be held most of the time, which I took as an indication that she is more afraid of the outsde world than of me, which is progress. Holding her was wonderful, but I quickly learned that she is not the pint-size thing that her older sister is. Aimee is taller and heavier than Abbey.

A couple times tonight, she put her shoes and socks back on, then grabbed her backpack and spoke to us in Cantonese. I'm pretty sure she was telling us to open the dor so she could go back "home." Also, she rapidly shook her head "no" when Gayle asked if Aimee wanted to sleep in our bed.

She does not feel safe yet. But she will. I'll know it when that frown disappears.