OUR JOURNEY TO "BREE MEI"

FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL

2010-08-26T10:03:00.003+08:00

Monumental day in the Hoffman household....all three girls at the same school...YEAH!
Brynn began sixth grade, Brooke began third grade and Bree started PreK. Since it takes us 30 minutes to travel to their school, the same drop off and same pick up is glorious! Bree was so excited this morning, despite having to get up at 6:30a. She kept repeating "its my first day of school, I am so excited". She told everyone that her new school is "Gesu, like my sisters". Doug and I are taking a leap of faith taking Bree out of the special needs preschool since she will not recieve OT and PT. She has made such excellent strides physically with her feet and legs. She amazes us every day. Fortunately, since Gesu is private, her class is very small thus far, with only six children. Since Bree has been "a regular" around Gesu for the past two years, she is very well known. She recieved a ton of attention today from teachers, parents and students which helped reassure us that we made a wise decision. We met with her PreK teacher after school today to explain that we have never treated Bree as if she has a disability, but in reality she does. She is beginning to notice that she cannot run like other children and has been asking lots of questions about "why she doesn't wear AFO's like me." We ask for God's blessing for guiding us in raising Bree with a good self esteem (something she seems to be mastering thus far!) The PreK teacher related to us that during circle time she told the students to "criss cross applesauce" with their legs. Bree looked at her and said "I can't do that." Her sweet teacher said "thats right you can't so you can keep your legs out straight". When Bree did that, the four other girls decided that they should sit like Bree! God love four year olds. Of course now we will be making more frequent trips to our private OT and PT to ensure that Bree is staying on track with her progress especially her right knee.

OUR BEAUTIFUL PRE-TEEN

2010-08-26T09:21:00.001+08:00

Last weekend our beautiful Brynn turned 11. What a sweet, compassionate child of God she has become. She celebrated with a movie themed sleepover party with her closest friends. I think the best part of this age is even though they managed to stay up until Brynn was born (12:38 a.m.)they slept in until 9:30 a.m. Of course I suppose the two hours they spent swimming in the pond might have exhausted them a bit! And boy can sixth grade girls eat....dinner, snacks, breakfast and lunch kept me busy in the kitchen. We praise you and thank you Lord for giving us this gift of a child.

GOTCHA DAY #2

2010-08-19T11:02:00.003+08:00

All I can say is WOW! Two years ago today Bree Mei joined our forever family. We celebrated with a day at the park, shopping and then out for a nice Chinese dinner. When the waitress was taking drink orders, the older girls ordered a sprite. I told Bree no sprite for her, she could have lemonade or water. She looked at the waitress and said "I'll have coffee"! What a hoot. The waitress said she would bring something special for Bree and that she did...a Shirley Temple in this huge white ceramic glass shaped like a cat (?) with a large pinwheel attached. Bree was in heaven. Now as I watch her sleep I marvel at how far Bree has come and the obstacles she has overcome. She will begin preK in exactly one week. It is amazing to watch her develop independence and master some of the physical limitations. Thank you God for entrusting us with this precious gift. I pray that Bree's biological mother and father know in their hearts that she is happy and healthy and so incredibly entwined into our beings. God Bless

RUH ROH-FRONT BRAKE DISASTER!!!!

2010-05-30T09:09:00.004+08:00

Santa had brought the girls new bikes for Christmas. With the weather in northwest Ohio, bike riding just doesn't occur much before May. We figured what a perfect opportunity to get the girls riding on their new bikes this weekend while camping. Well, I am definitely not a bike master- my bike as described by Doug hails from Alice on the Brady Bunch! So, now we have decided, daddy should have explained the front braking mechanism better to Brynn. Add this to the scenario of lots of other biking kids, golf carts and slow moving vehicles and you have a recipe for disaster. I looked up just in time to see Brynn catapulting over the handlebars, landing facedown and seeing her bike travel over her entire body. Mommy mode is immediately replaced with doctor mode. Fast forward to this morning and I am pretty sure her left wrist is broken. Actually figured it might be last night, but her pain control was fine. So we ran back to Toledo and I got a quick xray which confirmed the fracture. Not a bad one, but not exactly a just splint and go about our day one either. So, down to the ER we went where two very nice orthopedic PA's came and proceeded to explain that her bone would have to be "pushed" back into place. Brynn's first IV with conscious sedation (gotta love those meds-only wish I could have had some so I didn't remember the entire procedure!!). So we are now splinted until casting next week. Four hours later we returned to our campsite and tried to salvage the day. Can you say waterproof cast!! Oh, and just for all those wondering.....Yes she had a helmet on!! unlike the majority of kids in this park.

A GET AWAY WEEKEND

2010-05-30T08:15:00.002+08:00

A couple of months ago we fulfilled another dream of ours to get a camper. This weekend is our "maiden voyage". Not far from home, just up into Michigan by 30 minutes to a nice place called Harbortown. Lots of fun stuff for the kids to do-miniature golf, go karts, bike paths, heated outdoor pool etc. Fortunately, the weather is supposed to stay beautiful all weekend. The girls are so excited to stay in their bunkhouse complete with a TV and DVD player (as my one nurse said-you aren't camping, you are going in a hotel on wheels!) I grew up camping, first by tent then by truck camper and finally by a travel trailer. I am not ashamed to say that I feel no need to rough it at my age! And by the looks of some of the campers at this campground, they aren't roughing it either!

FIRST HOLY COMMUNION

2010-05-02T22:31:00.003+08:00

" Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God." Ephesians 5: 1

Yesterday was a special day for our Brooke as we celebrated her First Holy Communion.

DORYA THE EXPLORER-as Bree says

2010-04-20T10:03:00.004+08:00

With Bree's actual birthday falling on Easter Sunday this year, we waited a week to celebrate her party with family and friends. When asked what kind of party she wanted it was hands down Dora. We figured she would be a natural for Ni Hao Kai Lan but although she enjoys that show it is the Spanish senorita who wins her heart over! Dora is no stranger in our home. Brooke had two Dora birthday parties in a row (plain Dora for her 4yr and princess Dora for her 5 yr). So, Bree has had plenty of exposure with lots of Dora DVD's and toys. The other day the older girls and I overheard her counting aloud...one, two, three, four, cinco, seis, siete, ocho, nueve, ten! It was so cute!

EASTER FUN

2010-04-04T10:39:00.005+08:00

Coloring eggs. Tried a new "Martha Stewart" way this year- don't quite think ours turned out good enough to be in her magazine. But, we had fun doing it anyhow.

Our Easter Beauties. Finally, a sunny and warm Easter Sunday in northwest Ohio.

Definitely a busy day. Egg and basket hunt at our house first then again at mema's house with all the cousins.

"I AM THE RESURRECTION AND THE LIFE"

2010-04-04T10:01:00.002+08:00

Happy Easter to all our family and friends. As we embark on this joyful season, we strive to teach our girls that the real reason we celebrate isn't about easter bunnies and chocolate rabbits, but rather it is about one simple statement.....HE IS RISEN! Praise to our Lord Jesus Christ for the amazing gift that He gave us.
This Easter has a second special meaning to us as Bree's birthday fell on Easter Sunday. What a wonderous day to celebrate another gift that He gave to us.

EIGHT IS GREAT!!

2010-04-04T09:47:00.002+08:00

Eight years ago on March 26th, 7:19 p.m., Brooke entered our lives. She was actually due on March 28th (my mom's birthday), but because Brynn was such a big baby (8# 11oz), I elected to be induced a couple of days early so I could walk a bit easier after this delivery! Out she came, much easier I must say, but when they put her on the scale....8# 10 oz. And my mom quite clearly stated at that point "you mean we induced before my birthday to save one ounce"! Oops- oh well- who knew I could have such large babies. Must have been all the ice cream I ate during my third trimester.

We celebrated this year with a big party on the 27th. The theme we worked on for months....a Detective/Suspect party complete with a magnifying glass cake and a 15 riddle scavenger hunt. Having daddy as a real detective helped with many of the props! We love you Brookie!!

CHINESE NEW YEAR

2010-02-24T11:00:00.002+08:00

Bree and her friend Lily---true China dolls!

Our local FCC (Family of Children from China) chapter hosts a New Year Party every year. Last year Bree was still in casts at this time-this year she ran the restaurant! I grew up with Chinese food being my favorite-now, finally, I have someone to enjoy it with me. Brynn and Brooke just haven't acquired the taste yet. I am, however, by no means an adventurous chinese eater....no scorpions on a stick, no fried frog legs, no whole shrimp with beady eyes staring at me....just good ole cooked shrimp, fish, dumplings etc. At the end of our dinner, the girls all got ice cream, I was still eating my meal, I looked away for a second and returned to my plate to find Bree's ice cream cone on it and my egg roll in her mouth. Not going to argue that!

DIVA NIGHT

2010-02-07T11:28:00.003+08:00

Tonight was the annual Father/Daughter dance at the girls' school. The theme for this year was "Oscar Night" and they were to dress as divas! After a busy afternoon at the zoo for their cousins birthday party, we shot home to get them ready. Bree decided that she should be able to go with them and just couldn't understand why she couldn't. She began to cry as they readied to leave...and I mean cry. She hasn't cried for me like this since the first 45 minutes she was in my arms in China. I finally, after 20 minutes, had to bribe her with chocolate chips to get her to calm

her down. When all else fails with this child---chocolate is the answer! Just like her momma!

PAJAMA DAY

2010-02-07T11:24:00.002+08:00

Just a cute picture of Bree and some of her classmates on a recent pajama day at preschool. Her best playmate is Elaina standing next to her.

OUR LITTLE BAKER GIRL

2010-01-06T22:33:00.003+08:00

Brooke loves to be in the kitchen. With some of her bday money from last year she bought an apron/cook set (which doubled as her Halloween costume!) With some of her Christmas money she bought a cookie baking set. So the other night we set out to use her new stuff. I mixed up a half batch of sugar cookie dough (I mean really, a whole batch made over three dozen cookies and we all know that after decorating half who the rest of the decorating would fall on....). Brooke really went to town and did so much of the process on her own, including cleaning up!

BACK TO REALITY AND CELEBRATING JESUS' BIRTH

2010-01-06T22:18:00.003+08:00

With our vacation behind us it was really grind time for the holiday. We did our usual family get together at Doug's parents Christmas Eve after attending the childrens Mass at church. Absolutely love to get our holiday photo of all the "girl cousins". Bree was much more into presents this year. She understood the Santa thing, but we really tried to instill in her the real reason for the season! Santa brought her a mini trampoline and Brynn and Brooke new bikes.

We finally cracked and bought them a Wii (it might be more for Doug though!!!)

The last pic of Bree is not of disgust, but of determination trying to get the ribbon off her present!

We hope everyone had a Joyous Christmas Season and revel in the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Honduras

2010-01-06T22:09:00.004+08:00

We had a beautiful day in Honduras, going to Tabyana Beach for the day. Ocean was beautiful and the sand luxurious. Bree could have sat and played in the sand non -stop.

Some other pictures of fun on the ship

Belize

2010-01-06T21:52:00.002+08:00

The day we hit Belize the weather turned sour. It was very overcast and windy. Because the water is so shallow near the coast, we had to dock 5 miles out in the Carribean Sea and have tender boats take us to shore. We had planned a shore excursion of a city tour and a tour of a Mayan ruin. So off we went on this tender boat with three Central American men guiding us. Interestingly, Belize is the only Central American country that has English as their primary language. In the middle of our trip, flying across the ocean, jammed packed onto this boat, we see black smoke billowing up from the side of the boat and then inside the boat! It was at this point that I realized, there are no lifevests to be seen. The boat comes to a complete stop and Doug is formulating a plan of survival if we have to abandon ship! Thankfully, the engine fire that had occurred put itself out and they were able to restart the boat and coast us slowly to shore. From there we loaded onto a large bus and took a tour around the city of Belize. What squallor! Very sad conditions. Good experience for our older girls to witness. From there, the bus took us on an hour ride up to the Mayan ruin. It was sprinkling the entire trip, but of course once we arrived at the ruin site, it began to downpour- and I mean downpour. Since you had to do a small hike to get to the ruin our hopes were dashed and we ended up staying on the bus. Traveling back to the ship for an hour with five soaking wet people did not appeal to us!

I was never so happy to get back onto our ship. Since being home, Doug has checked the state department website for Belize and after reading what we did, we would have never gotten off the ship had we known. Very corrupt and dangerous country. They even mention the unregulated tender boat industry! We are thanking God for protecting us on that excursion. Shocked that cruise companies even use this as a port of call....and their were four other cruise lines anchored out with us on the day we were in Belize--unbelievable. Below are some pictures.

Ok, Ok, I know I am desperately behind!!!!

2010-01-06T21:35:00.004+08:00

Wow, even I was shocked to get onto the blog and see my last entry! We blazed right through November, ending with a nice Thanksgiving. It was my holiday on call for this year so we stayed local celebrating with Doug's family. Once the holiday passed I was crazy trying to ready for Christmas. Since we had such an enjoyable Spring vacation on a cruise ship, we decided to try it again and had one booked for December 12-19th. We chose Carnival again as they had just launched a brand new ship called the Dream. Our travel agent was able to get us all in one room this time (with two bathrooms!) and an actual window. We left Orlando and spent the first full day at sea and then hit Cozumel, Honduras, Belize and Costa Maya and then another full day at

sea. Below are some pictures of the ship and Bree with our favorite dining attendant (Alexandrov from Bosnia)

GOIN' TO THE CHAPEL AND WE'RE GONNA GET MARRIED!

2009-11-07T02:48:00.005+08:00

Many of you know that I lost my father over 8 years ago. It was and has been the lost of a lifetime for my mother and brother and I. But, our God is an awesome God and He has blessed my mother with another partner in life. On October 31st, my mother was married to John Smith. My sister in law and I were matron of honors, my brother gave her away and all of her grandchildren were bridesmaids and groomsmen. Bree was the flowergirl or should I say "leaf" girl. She walked down the aisle tossing silk leaves with complete preciseness. When she reached the front of the church she stopped, looked into her basket and saw a few more leaves and proceeded to dump the basket upside down to completely empty it- it was so adorable. What a beautiful Fall day it was for this event. We followed with a luncheon reception and then most of the out of town family congregated at my mother and John's new home. Bill and I took our children to his house however so we could ready them for trick or treating!

Mom and John and their wedding cake

Our Family & Bill's Family

My girls and Our family "Vampire" picture

FALL COLORS

2009-11-07T00:59:00.003+08:00

Wow-I have been way behind on this blog so I am going to attempt to catch up! October was a busy month, culminating with Halloween and my mother's wedding! Brynn and Brooke finished up a very successful first grading period at school. Brynn finished out her first season of volleyball. Bree has been thriving in preschool. Her vocabulary is immense, we just are working on articulation. She is getting weekly PT and OT at school. Her newest accomplishment is being able to climb the stairs holding on with only one hand! Here are some fall pictures .....

Brooke's class party and Bree's class party.

OFF TO SCHOOL SHE GOES!!!

2009-09-01T20:17:00.003+08:00

walking to class with her "packback"

The one thing about Bree is that she never wants to miss a good time! Any occassion she has to play with other children, she just jumps right in-something that Doug and I are grateful for with her disabilities. We enrolled Bree in the special needs preschool through our district. It is four half days a week and she absolutely could not wait to start (especially since her sisters began before her). There sure wasn't any case of jitters or seperation anxiety on that first day - "bye mom, bye dad, see ya yater". When we arrived two and half hours later to pick her up she didn't want to leave. "No want to go home, not fair". We didn't realize we had been so boring for her!!

REFLECTIONS

2009-08-21T09:19:00.002+08:00

The following poem was sent to us by a dear friend.

LEGACY OF AN ADOPTED CHILD

Once there were two women
Who never new each other.
One you do not remember
The other you call Mother.

Two different lives
Shaped to make you one.
One became your guiding star
The other became your sun.

The first one gave you life
And the second taught you to live it.
The first gave you a need for love
The second was there to give it.

One gave you nationality
The other gave you a name.
One gave you talent
The other gave you aim.

One gave you emotions
The other calmed your fears.
One heard your first sweet cry
The other dried your tears.

One sought for you a home
That she could not provide.
The other prayed for a child
And her hope was not denied.

And now you ask me through your tears
The age old question unanswered through the years.
Heridity or environment
Which are you a product of?
Neither my darling, neither
Just two different kinds of Love.

GOTCHA DAY !!!!!!!

2009-08-18T20:14:00.002+08:00

One year ago today, thousands of miles away in China, a little girl was placed into our forever arms and made our family complete. We thank our Lord for His blessing and we say a prayer for Mei Qiu Qi's birth parents, that they have peace in their decision and know in their hearts that she is so incredibly loved and healthy.
A special hello to the Dancy family who were are companions on that long two week stay in China, developing a friendship that will last forever.

DRAGON BOAT FESTIVAL

2009-08-14T20:08:00.003+08:00

A couple of weekends ago we joined some friends of ours at the annual Dragon Boat Festival downtown. Pictured is Bree's friend Lily who is also 3. Lily was adopted from China at 9 months and we came to know her family when she came to my office as a patient. Her parents, Patrick and Donna, were instrumental in keeping us connected to home while we were in China as they had lent us their Panda phone to use. It is such a blessing for Bree to have this little friend her age to play with and grow up with-we hope it is a lifelong friendship!

GONE FISHIN'

2009-08-11T20:08:00.004+08:00

We stocked our pond about 5 years ago and it is amazing how big our fish are now. So big, that the girls lines end up snapping while reeling a fish in. It is a guarantee though that you will catch a fish on our pond, especially when you entice the fish with some fish food! The girls went out the other night and Bree got to fish for the first time. Poor daddy spent his time baiting hooks and fixing broke lines. Of course we return any fish caught......so they can get even bigger and keep mommy out of the pond for swimming (eeek).

TRIBUTE TO OUR LOVING "GG"

2009-07-15T08:57:00.004+08:00

Our 4 generation picture

Last Sunday as we were returning from Chicago we learned that my dear and loving grandmother had gone home to be with our Lord. Grandma was 88 years old and lived a fulfilled life. She was the girls last surviving great grandparent and I pray that at least Brynn and Brooke will have wonderful memories of her. This past winter she stayed with my mother in Xenia. We were so blessed to be able to spend so much time with GG this past year because of this. We drove to upstate New York this past Wednesday through Friday for her services. Some of my most cherished childhood memories involved my Grandma. At her funeral the pastor asked many times if anyone would like to say something-I didn't and I should have ...so now I am going to say in this blog what I should have stood and said at the funeral but just couldn't begin to say in words at the time.

These are the sweetest memories of my Grandma:

Her unbelievable tenderhearted nature
Her ability to never say anything mean
Her devotion to daily Bible reading
Her soft and silky white hair (that I loved to style for any event growing up)
Her incredibly soft, satin hands (that she always said was from doing dishes for 80 years!)
Her cute little giggle when she laughed
Her favorite color being pink (even had the farm house painted pink for a time!)
Her sometimes hard of hearing when watching TV, but then the ability to hear what you
didn't want her to from three rooms away.
Her fierce independence that she developed after my Grandfather died 18 years ago.
The stink she would put up if we wanted her to travel and stay with family for extended periods
of time as she would miss too many of her club meetings and parties with friends!
Her always waiting to order her dinner when eating out after everyone else and then getting
something someone else had ordered instead of what she really wanted (my dad caught
onto that eventually and then made her order first!)
All of the summers as a child that I would spend at the farm for a month at a time
Her saving of every plastic container that any food item came in (definitely from living through
the depression)
Her being the mother of four very successful children who then raised her eight grandchildren
who in turn are raising her twelve great- grandchildren.

My mom awoke the night before GG had died to see her with her arm and hand stretched out before her. When she asked her what she was doing she replied "I'm trying to reach that angels hand"-what an incredible ending!

"Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth......but store up for yourselves treasures in heaven....For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also" Matthew 6:19-21

THE WINDY CITY

2009-07-05T10:51:00.006+08:00

Last year we had gorgeous weather, this year it was supposed to be gorgeous but as we are definitely used to in Toledo, the weather in the great midwest can change on a dime. The sun was shining but with the wind off Lake Michigan it was a bit nippy at times. We started off our day with The American Girl store, 9 a.m. sharp! Since the older girls had gotten their first dolls last year while here and Bree had gotten a Bitty Baby from her Aunt Riki and Uncle Bill, this trip was for clothes shopping and doll "pampering". Bree was more interested in pushing the sample dolls around in strollers then actually picking out outfits, but when she spotted the potty seat ensemble (with Brynn's help)-she was all over that! Since she has been potty trained, she loves Brooke's and her doll getting a new hairdo.

to do this to her dolls at home.

After American girl had tired us out, it was time for some shopping on Michigan Avenue and then a trip down to the Navy Pier. We had lots of fun at the Children's Museum and riding all the
The girls jammin it up on stage and then building a sailboat
.

Of course the Navy Pier wouldn't be complete without a Build A Bear store. Now, I am far from a fan of stuffed animals, but have seemed to have lost that battle in my house. Brynn and Brooke have been saying that Bree needs her own-so no time like the present. When we walked in she looked at all the choices and the one she decided to go with was the Panda Bear! We had a stuffed panda bear sent to her at the orphanage when we sent her a care package over a year ago. So it was interesting that she chose this as her animal (the panda we sent to her came with her on our gotcha day and has been packed away with other memorabilia from her orphanage).
Bree definitely got a kick out of creating this special bear for herself.

We had dinner at this awesome Italian restaurant called Maggiano's-they served family style so two entrees were more than enough to feed all of us. It sure is a good thing you do a lot of walking in Chicago................

CHICAAAAGGGOOOO

2009-07-03T10:41:00.004+08:00

Last July 4th weekend we traveled to Chicago for our first time as a family. We had so much fun that we decided to repeat our trip this year. I worked a half day and we headed out arriving around 5 pm. Last year we stayed at the Doubletree-very nice, but this year I had a difficult time finding a hotel that would cater to a family of 5 without having to get two rooms. Everyone said "just tell them 4", but I couldn't do that in good conscious and didn't want to be cramped in a hotel room. So with prayer I just kept calling around and checking and finally stumbled upon the Hilton Suites which would accomodate 5 in a decent size room that actually slept six. The rate when I first checked was a bit steep so I sat on it for a while and sure enough it dropped $30! So FYI for anyone with more than 4 in their family-you can get this room called an Alcove suite without having to "sneak" one of your children in!

We ate dinner tonight at the Cheesecake Factory--yummy! Dougs favorite dessert is strawberry cheesecake, so that was a nice finish. Me-I prefer anything chocolate so the girls and I ordered this Giardelli brownie/ice cream dessert. The waiter came back to our table after placing our order to tell us that someone had left all the ice cream out this morning and therefore they had no ice cream desserts available-bummer....I will make up for it tomorrow that is for sure!

FUN IN THE SUN

2009-07-03T10:25:00.004+08:00

Last weekend we had the cousins spend the night-total of 6 girls ranging from ages 6-11 years. I never got to grow up seeing my first cousins on a regular basis, so getting our girls together with theirs has always been a priority. They all get along so well -it is such a joy to watch and listen to them interact. It is also so wonderful to see how they have adapted to Bree and just love to play with her as if she had been with us since birth. On Saturday we awoke to beautiful weather-not too hot, nice cooler breeze so we decided to play in the water. The pond was a bit cloudy due to the recent rain so we did the pools and waterslide instead. As you can see by the pictures they all had a blast!

GREAT WOLF LODGE

2009-05-31T04:47:00.002+08:00

This was not Bree's first trip to a waterpark-but it was her first trip without casts! The last visit was for a conference I was attending so Mema came along to occupy Bree while her sisters had all the fun. This weekend, Bree got to enjoy the water activities and oh boy did she have fun! AGAIN and MORE were all we heard for three hours straight. Brynn even had her going under water without fear. When we took a break for dinner and were headed back to our room, Bree looked at me and said "thank you mommy for waterpark"-wow-what a precious statement.

SHE COULD LIVE ON GOGURTS AND CRUSH CUPS!

2009-05-27T20:08:00.005+08:00

It was quite clear to us in China that Bree's favorite food was yogurt. In China the yogurt they have is very runny and they use straws to sip it. Transitioning to all the ways that yogurt comes in the U.S. was not a problem for Bree though. She literally will eat up to 5 gogurts a day if we would let her (thank goodness for Costco bulk!). Now with these new crush cups neither a spoon or straw is needed-even better for Bree! Never much of a milk drinker, although getting better, she gets most of her calcium from yogurt and cheese. Vegetables have not been her thing as well, so I have tried to supplement those in the form of V8 Fusion. Last week I tried a new flavor -blueberry pomengrant. Bree reached into the fridge, pulled out her sippy cup, took a swig and then with the sourest look on her face replied "ewwww mommy, that nasty"-so I guess we'll go back to the peach/mango flavor! This child certainly is giving her pediatrician mommy more of run of it with her nutrition-but I am slowly gaining the upper hand.

THE FAMILY

2009-05-08T20:23:00.000+08:00

VACATION----FINALLY

2009-04-28T20:25:00.003+08:00

Since I had taken five weeks off last summer for Bree's arrival, my vacation time was exhausted to say the least. We were so overdue for a break that we decided to go all out and do a Carribean cruise. What a wonderful vacation and what beautiful weather. We did a four night trip with the first stop being Key West, then on to Cozumel and then a glorious day at sea. Bree got to experience many firsts on this trip and she adjusted very well. Her primary mode of transportation is walking now and she is doing fantastic.

Every day she makes improvements in her gait. It is a whole new world for her. The other morning Doug her the chinking of the candy dish glass in the living room. It is set up rather high on a couch table. He peeked around the corner to see her pulling the dish towards her, taking off the lid and grabbing a handful of jelly beans. When she saw him-she had the biggest grin knowing that she could now reach it. Anyway, back to the cruise-lots of sun and swimming (ship even had waterslides), miniature golf and unlimited food. We give thanks to our Lord for providing us this blessing of a vacation.

THE LORD HAS RISEN!!!!

2009-04-28T20:18:00.003+08:00

Easter baskets from Mema

Easter weekend was busy for us. We had Bree's family birthday party on Good Friday. Saturday we went to church for a 20,000 egg drop from a helicopter! Very cool and fun for the kids. Easter Sunday we went to the later Mass and then over to the Hoffman's for Easter dinner and a big egg hunt. I think Bree is very happy that her birthday falls so close to Easter-every day has been "presents"! Easter night we headed up to Detroit to stay overnight at the Westin Hotel for our early flight out to Miami Monday am for our CRUISE!!!!!!!!!!!

MORE BIRTHDAY PICTURES

2009-04-28T20:11:00.002+08:00

Bree had no problem blowing out her candles!

Lots of pretty clothes and of course what every three year old needs: a bubble mower!

HAPPY 3RD BIRTHDAY BREE!!

2009-04-06T20:11:00.005+08:00

With all the practice of singing Happy Birthday for her sister, cousin and Grandmother, Bree had the song down pat for her own birthday celebration. Although her party isn't until this Friday, we had a mini celebration on her actual birthday day. What a joy to watch the excitement on her face as she unwrapped her presents and exclaimed "mine" after every one. The hit was the Dora big wheel which she stayed on for hours traveling around the house. But the crawling baby doll and Mickey Mouse car from her sisters were kept in the basket on the big wheel so she could play with them all at any given moment!

If I was really good on this computer I would load a video of how well Bree is walking. She takes dozens of steps at one time unsupported. Her progress and determination is aspiring to us all. We cannot even express in words how much love and joy Bree has brought to our family.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY GRANDMA

2009-03-30T20:29:00.003+08:00

Two days after we celebrate Brooke's birthday, we get to celebrate my moms birthday. We'll leave her age out of this post (but if you look at the candles closely, they may reveal it). Bree has a bond with my mom even though she only gets to see her once a month. Those first two weeks in China, my mom was there every day with us, providing stability, peace and a much needed third pair of hands. We love you Mom

CREDIT WHERE CREDIT IS DUE!

2009-03-30T20:22:00.003+08:00

This journey to Bree walking has involved many people. I cannot sing enough the praises of our orthopedic surgeons Dr. Aaron Buerk and Dr. Richard Munk and nurse Kitty (who spoils Bree with Polly Pockets at every visit!)

Now we add to our praises her physical therapist Jen, her occupational therapist Sherry and her speech therapist Jen. Bree loves to see each one of them and is such a good girl for them.

THE "MIDDLEST" TURNS 7!

2009-03-30T20:13:00.003+08:00

Our beautiful Brooke went from being the youngest to the middle in the past six months, something she has taken in stride. She has always referred to herself as the "littlest" in the family. Recently, one morning, she came bounding into our bedroom throwing her blanket onto our bed and in the process of jumping in herself exclaimed "make room for the middlest". Doug and I erupted into laughter. Brooke has always been our comic. Thursday the 26th, our "middlest" turned seven.

We Love you Brooke!!!!

CATCHING UP.........

2009-03-30T19:54:00.004+08:00

Alot has happened since my last post. Almost two weeks ago, Bree got her AFO's. Her excitement was barely containable. She was so excited that they were all hers. She kept telling the orthotist "thank you, thank you".

Fortunately she loves to wear them as she isn't allowed to stand without them on. We also recieved that day her knee brace that is supposed to facilitate flexion of her right knee. She has made so much progress with this on her own, but it still isn't first nature to bend that knee. The thought was if she is made to flex while she slept the knee would flex even more. When they produced this contraption (pictured below) I thought I was going to cry. I was literally nauseous. How in the world did they expect her to sleep in this thing! I must admit, my attitude was poor! So we left the orthotist and went to buy Bree her first pair of shoes-somewhat stressful experience. AFO's just don't fit into any shoe. Both our PT and the orthotist told us to go to Payless as they carried the most wide shoe selection. Now for those of you who know Doug can imagine that the mention of Payless just about stroked him out! But he went with the flow and Payless it was....until the next day when he took her to Stride Rite! Ultimately a good decision on his part as they work with AFO's all the time. So now we have a pair of Payless shoes collecting dust! Fast forward 10 days and Bree is making huge strides with her walking. Her PT thinks she is so close that she has upped her visits to twice weekly and said she won't even need a K-walker! Oh-and about that knee brace and sleeping. The first night Doug and I prayed over Bree with the brace on and she slept the entire night through and has continued to do so ever since. If she does wake up it's just to make sure we are still there. We are so filled with love for our Lord for answering all our prayers with Bree and remain faithful to serving Him!

CUT EM OFF AND FROW UM AWAY!

2009-02-27T21:05:00.010+08:00

Miss Kitty removing Bree's casts

That was the mantra that Bree has been saying all week in preparation for her cast removal that finally occurred yesterday (thursday the 26th). What a great moment in our lives!! Of course that was after the cast saw was turned off! Dr. Buerk felt that her feet looked awesome. So now onto the next phase. They took her casts and conformed them into two pieces each and she now will wear them at night with an ace bandage around them to keep them in place. During the day she will wear AFO's (ankle foot orthotics) which are strong plastic support pieces that will line the bottom of her foot and ankle going up to her midcalf area. These will be put into her shoes and will likely wear these for many years. All of this is done to prevent her feet from returning to the prior state. Her AFO's won't be ready for about two weeks so Bree will wear her two piece casts during the day until then. As parents, we felt bad that she still had to wear these casts, although removable. But Bree on the other hand is more than happy to put them back on-her feet are so sensitive she won't even let us touch them without fussing.

Are these not the cutest little feet you have ever seen?!? Of course we needed to get rid of the old dry skin so into the bath we went....aahhh heaven in Bree's eyes-first bath since November 19th!

It truly is a miracle what modern medicine can accomplish, especially in the hands of a talented surgeons like our Dr's Buerk and Munk. We are forever indebited to their incredible care of Bree. So, next week Bree has her first PT evaluation. Considering she is already walking behind toys with her casts on, we are hoping and praying for steady progress without casts. Of course we also realize Bree's feet feel vulnerable being in casts for 4 months.

ANOTHER STEPPING STONE!

2009-02-14T11:01:00.004+08:00

This past Thursday we had our official court date to formally "readopt" Bree in the United States. While this isn't mandatory, it is highly suggested as it creates American papers stating her adoption and allows her to have an Ohio birth certificate. All helpful to us and her if something were to ever happen to her original Chinese documents. Our judge (Honorable Judge Puffenberger) was so great and made the process so memorable-we took the girls out of school for this and they really enjoyed being a part of this experience.

On another happy note...Myah and Rina flew home today to Florida! Bree, Myah and Emily have now all successfully endured surgeries and procedures and we are ready to forge ahead full steam as we prepare for their first birthdays celebrated in the United States as our daughters! Myah will turn 3 on March 7th, Emily will turn 8 on March 16th and Bree turns 3 on April 4th. Amazing to us that these three "sisters" not only left the same orphanage within three weeks of one another, but that they celebrate birthdays so close together. And as Vicki (Emily's mom) so lovingly wrote......"though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken" Ecc. 4:12 What an amazing and powerful verse that encompasses our three daughters lives together in the orphanage and will continue to hold true as they hang onto their red thread.

MYAH GIRL

2009-02-03T22:43:00.003+08:00

An update on Myah and Rina. After 9 hours of surgery Monday and some unexpected complications, Myah is recovering. It has been a stressful 10 days for them in Cincinnatti. Please pray for strength and courage for the two of them as they plug on for the next 10 days-though we know the Lord is cradling them in His hands. Rina, as usual, has kept her blog on the humerous side and I would encourage all of you to check it out again: http://www.shpiruk.blogspot.com.
We are in the final stretch for Bree and her casts (we hope and pray!). She is pulling to a stand and beginning to cruise around in these casts. She will even walk behind a push toy with assist. We have her OT appt. next week and will begin splinting her right wrist as she tends to hold it in a flexed position. Brynn and Brooke continue to be Bree's biggest cheerleaders. Their love for Bree is so awesome and enduring.
Since my workplace has blocked all social networking sites, my blogging opportunities have been cut back! I will try and get pics loaded soon.

NEW CASTS!!!!

2009-01-16T20:41:00.006+08:00

All the Hoffman cousins

Brooke's piggy pancake creations

click to enlarge picture

Last night we got to say goodbye to our full leg casts and graduated to casts that stop just below the knee. Yeah!! We had been telling Bree all week that this was going to happen and she definitely , was on board. However, once they fired up that cast saw we think she might have changed her mind! What a beautiful sight to see when those casts came off. Of course I forgot my camera so the only pictures we have to share are on Dougs cell phone (years from now when we figure out how to transfer those to the computer, we will!!). They also pulled the 4 pins, which she actually tolerated very well. Her feet look absolutely beautiful and straight! Now we remain in short leg casts for six weeks.

Weather here has been frigid to say the least. All schools were finally cancelled today due to the wind chill factor. Unfortunately for Brynn and Brooke, they already had a four day weekend so now calamity days for them.

Many of you are aware and have also followed the blogs of Bree's friends Myah and Emily. Just a quick update.... Emily has started school and is doing well with that and her English- you can continue to follow her at http://www.waiting4emily.blogspot.com/. Myah will soon be flying to Cincinnatti for three weeks for a series of surgeries. We ask for prayers for her and Rina during this time. http://www.shpiruk.blogspot.com/.

A special "Hi" to Josh and Olivia, our biggest blog fans!!!!!

MERRY CHRISTMAS

2008-12-18T00:18:00.005+08:00

Finally, some recent pictures! The last few weeks have flown by in the Hoffman household. Bree has adapted very well to her long leg casts. We have no issues of pain except if her thigh gets pinched between the casts and a hard surface. Initially, the potty training was at a dead stop but now she is back to that as well. My mother and grandmother came for 8 days and helped us out immensely. We were able to get a "new" generation photo to include Bree which was awesome.

Bree's personality continues to grow. She really is a funny child. Loves to tease her daddy. Her newest word is "go" and she uses it frequently if Doug sits next to her-at the same time pointing in the direction he should head! But, if mommy is not around then Daddy hangs the moon. Currently we have Bree in speech weekly, but the therapist keeps stating this will be short term. We are mainly working on articulation as word volume is not a problem. Early intervention comes to the house monthly and evaluates her progress. We work mainly on her hand strength. Once she is cast free we will start a combination of OT and PT weekly.

Bree got her first taste of Santa last weekend at our annual Breakfast with Santa at our parish. She watched intently as child after child sat on his lap and kept telling me "no" when I asked if she wanted to do the same. But, then she saw the candy cane and I told her the only way to get it was to sit on his lap and that was all it took. She wouldn't, however, look at the camera for me as she was trying so hard to open the candy cane!
We are in the process of readopting Bree in the United States. What that essentially does is gives her an Ohio birth certificate, making it much easier for her and us in the future if she needs to produce a b.c. for any reason (ie. passport). Her chinese b.c. is only two lines.

CASTING UPDATE

2008-12-02T02:16:00.002+08:00

We trust all of our friends and family had a wonderful Thanksgiving. We certainly had much to be thankful with our many blessings! Bree was pretty much back to normal by the holiday weekend. This morning we went back to the hospital at 6 a.m. for her cast change under anesthesia. In reality, what they did was take off her splints and put fiberglass casts on - in hot pink! She tolerated the procedure very well and we were back home again by 9:45 a.m. I am now at work while, hopefully, she and daddy are napping. Her doctor was very pleased with how her feet looked and felt she was healing extremely well. These long leg casts will stay on for 6 weeks and then we go to short leg casts for another month. I will post pictures eventually!!
Blessings!

POST-OP DAY 3

2008-11-24T06:19:00.002+08:00

Boy is it nice to be home! We arrived here around 5:30 last p.m. Bree and I chilled on the couch, napping and watching TV. We officially retired for the evening at 10:30p.m. I set the alarm for every four hours to keep the meds on schedule. I actually had to wake Bree up to give them to her. I think we both slept so well being back in our own beds! I awoke at 9a.m and looked over and Bree was lying there awake and sucking her thumb. Doug and the girls had gone to church, so we lounged around. I cannot believe how well her pain control has been today. This evening my mom and my grandma (G.G.) arrived for the week. Bree has been a bit challenging with everyone around-we think she enjoyed all the one on one with mommy for the last few days.
"I am the Lord your God; I strengthen you and tell you, "Do not be afraid; I will help you.'"
Isaiah 41:13

POST-OP DAY 2

2008-11-22T22:07:00.004+08:00

Yesterday afternoon went well. Brynn and Brooke came up after school with balloons which Bree loved. We took her for a wagon ride to the play room and library for quite a while. She slept better and we haven't used as much pain meds, but her right foot is still causing her much pain.
When the doctor rounded this morning he decided to take down her splint and make sure she wasn't having any complications. They gave Bree a little "forgetting" med and checked out her foot-she did awesome. Her foot looked so great in its new position! She has two pins in each foot that won't come out until about 6 weeks. She was very interested in looking at her own foot once the splint was taken off. They then resplinted the foot a bit less tight. The rest of the afternoon we spent in the wagon and then napping. Brynn and Brooke came back up to visit before going to a bday party. If all goes well and she doesn't require any morphine, we will go home this evening. On December 1st, we bring her back to the hospital and under anesthesia they will place her actual casts. The plan is a minimum of six weeks in long leg casts and then 2-4 weeks in short leg casts. We are so grateful for the wonderful care she has received and the many prayers and blessings cast upon her.

POST-OP DAY ONE

2008-11-22T00:07:00.002+08:00

Well, we made it through the first night and as I told the surgeon, it could have been worse. We slept ofor 60-90 minutes at a time. The surgery was very successful. They felt that they were able to get her feet in the right position without compromising her vessels or muscles to much. She had a fever in the middle of the night-not unexpected per the surgeons. She is very well pain medicated most of the time. She can get IV morphine for breakthrough pain every one hour and we have managed to space that out to two hours. She gets valium and oxycodone orally every four hours. Clearly her right foot hurts more since it was the more severe of the two. They could not cast her post-op due to swelling, so she is in splints that cover two-thirds of her feet and legs. They came in this am and loosened the right one as she kept pointing to that leg and saying "ouchie". We have had periods of her being conversive with us and as the day goes by she is more comfortable. Hopefully, she will perk up once the girls come to visit after school today. We continue to lift Bree up in prayer and plead the blood over her "and this is the confidence which we have in Him: that if we ask anything according to His will, He listens to and hears us. And if we know that He listens to us in whatever we ask, we also know that we have the requests made of Him" 1 John 5:14-15.

SURGERY DAY

2008-11-20T22:39:00.002+08:00

As I sit and write this update, Bree is in surgery. She was such a good girl this am. Never fussed once in pre-op. I was allowed to go back to the operating room with her and hold her until they put her to sleep with a mask. She barely fussed when we did that. I must say it was gut wrenching to walk out of that room and leave her behind. How blessed we are that I know everyone that is going to be with her for the next 4-5 hours. They came and spoke with us already to tell us that she passed her BAER (hearing test) that we did since she was under anesthesia. Thank you to all who have and are praying for Bree today. I will update later after she is out of surgery. God Bless.

UPDATE

2008-11-16T01:46:00.002+08:00

We are five days and counting until surgery day. Bree of course caught a germ and has had a 102 plus fever for the past three days. Her poor sleeping is preparing me for post-op! Through it all though she has been a trooper. A week ago she decided she would like to potty train. I have said all along that she is ready as she is dry for hours and then soaked. So, last week after one of those long dry spells, I put her on the toilet and the rest is history. With the upcoming surgery I wasn't sure if I should encourage it, but now she scoots toward a bathroom saying "mama pee pee potty" so a way we have went. We'll see what occurs after next week.
Bree had her first speech eval appt. last Wednesday. We saw a therapist that I use with my own patients. She did awesome and the S.T felt that her visits with Bree would be minimal. Her vocabulary is pushing 75 words, we are just working on putting words together and her articulation.
The other first for last week was her first hair cut. I guess I didn't realize how much her hair was growing until I look at old pictures. Once her bangs were over her eyes, I decided it needed to be done and a minor trim ensued. Now we just have to get the sides to grow over her ears so her hair stops winging out! She is not big on hair clips, but she will humor for short periods of time with them in.
We marvel daily at what a blessing Bree is to our family. She is just an awesome child and we are so ready and eager to get this surgery over and watch her world expand with the ability to walk! We will keep you posted. God Bless

FIRST HALLOWEEN

2008-11-05T21:34:00.004+08:00

We're not really sure just what exactly Bree thought of this whole idea of Halloween. She was more than eager to don on her bumblebee costume since she watched sissies putting on their costumes. The actual carving of the pumpkin intrigued her and she made it quite well known that she had no interest in touching the pumpkin insides! She most definitely is into candy and had that bag of hers open wide when trick or treating. We had to hide the "loot" after the first few days however, as she only wanted to point to the candy bowl and say "eat" when she was put into her highchair for any meal. So now, pumpkin, candy and eat are very regular words in her vocabulary.
We go tomorrow to have her casts changed again. This will be the last set prior to surgery. She definitely has not let these casts slow her down. She has learned to crawl up the stairs and goes down on her tummy. They are, however, lethal weapons if she is "acting two" and having a temper tantrum.

CASTING UPDATE

2008-10-31T20:47:00.002+08:00

The time had come to return to the orthopedic doctor last night to restart Bree's casting process. This has to be done in order to stretch her skin in preparation for her surgery. I must say I have been dreading this day for a while as Bree has been making such wonderful progress in all other aspects of life. But, all in all, it went very well. She of course cried (more like screamed when he manipulated the casts) but when it was over she went back to her normal fun self. These casts do not go above the knees so that is a blessing. This enabled her to be much more comfortable with sleeping and actually slept through the night -Amen! We will return in a week to put on another set.
Bree's english is coming right along. She is about the level of an 18+ month old with 25+ words unsolicited and a couple two to three word sentences-her favorite: mama, sit down! (something I probably do not do enough of to begin with!) The girls read to her and now when she sits with a book she opens it and turns the pages and jabbers in jargon as she turns the pages-it is so awesome and adorable to watch. She u nderstands everything we say to her which still amazes us. She also mastered crawling up the stairs (with her big sisters help) and they are teaching her to come down the stairs on her tummy at lightening speed just as they did at that age.
One last note-as you can see my blog has a "new look" thanks again to my dear friend Rina who ought to go into blog designing business in her free time! Thank you my dear-I love it!!
Blessings

MONTHLY UPDATE

2008-10-10T20:20:00.004+08:00

Well, it has been back to the grind for the Hoffman household for the last three weeks now. Bree has really gone with the flow. Some days she wakes up to me, some days to Doug and every once in awhile to her Mema. We made the transition into her own bedroom, which has gone well. Originally, she was going to share with Brooke, but since we have the space and it was crowding Brooke, we decided to change the original plans. We gave both Brynn and Brooke the option of moving to the spare bedroom (which has its own full bath as opposed to the jack and jill bath they share) but both opted to stay in their current rooms. We have a feeling Brynn may regret this decision when she becomes a teenager! Since doing this Bree now sleeps 12-14 hours! which we are enjoying as we know this will come to a crashing halt post-surgery.

We marvel every day at Bree's awesome personality. She really is a smart little girl and is picking up on her English very well. She repeats just about everything you say and has about 25-30 words unsolicited. We are setting up OT for her hands, which she uses very well, but still holds them in a flexed position. PT won't begin until after surgery and casting.

I think what we love the most though is that it already seems like Bree has been a part of our family since her birth...and its a feeling we pray she has as well.

WEEK UPDATE

2008-09-18T20:26:00.004+08:00

Last weekend was busy with two parties to celebrate Bree's arrival and her baptism. She surprised us all at her baptism. I had figured she would not be too happy with water being poured onto her head, however, since I had been washing her hair that way since she has been casted, she thought this was hysterical. She then proceeded to dip her own hands into the baptismal font and baptize her father and sisters! Father and all in attendance were cracking up laughing.

Last night we took Bree's second casts off and had her ortho appointment. Despite us thinking her feet looked so much better, in actuality, her rigidity was not that much improved. After consulting with his partner, her doctor decided that we should proceed to surgery sooner than later. While we are disappointed, we know this will only get her walking sooner. Originally, we had hoped she would only have to have the soft tissue surgery as opposed to the boney surgery (talectomy). Both doctors agreed that the talectomy would be the more beneficial surgery and with the soft tissue surgery, there are many recurrences that end up requiring the talectomy at some point in the future. We requested that both feet be done at the same time to get it over with. This will be possible, but the first time they can do this is November 20th! So, no casting for the next 5 weeks and then we will resume casts for three weeks prior to the surgery in order to stretch her tissues back out again. They assured us that the cast we had done already were not a waste as her right knee responded extremely well. Bree of course was loving life last night with no casts on-she was so excited. She actually slept all night without a peep in her crib! It is just going to pain us to have to resume them in 5 weeks! But, maybe by then she will understand and speak English better and we can communicate better with her.

Bree has also had a few playdates since being home. She truly enjoys being around other children. She is so good at sharing. It is so much fun to watch her play with "new" toys and discover what they do. She wasn't so sure about play doh, but eventually got comfortable with the feel of it.

THE POWER OF PRAYER

2008-09-12T03:23:00.004+08:00

Today we all woke up at the crack of dawn-girls got ready for school and Bree and I worked on cast removal. Boy did she enjoy soaking her legs in warm water after they were removed. On to school we went and then to see our favorite orthopod-Dr. Buerk. Amazingly, no PTSD from entering his office! Of course, this time we had valium and motrin on board ahead of time. Bree did so good-she only cried when he went to mold the new casts. Dr. Buerk was very happy with her left foot correction and right knee but said her right foot was going to be harder to manipulate with the casts. Bottom line: may end up doing the soft tissue surgery sooner as opposed to later if the casting isn't going to remold that foot. Regardless, she has to have at least 3-4 sets of casts to stretch her soft tissues, skin etc. He also said there would not be any need to do surgery on her knee. Bree's spirts following this casting have been incredibly better-she has played, napped and pretty much acted normal. We have casted out and refused any pain and accept only healing in the name of our Lord. Psalm 107:20
We have a busy weekend ahead of us. Saturday all of my awesome partners and staff (friends!!) at work are having a party to welcome Bree. Sunday is her baptism with another party being hosted by our Gesu friends (family!!). Doug and I cannot express the gratitude, blessings, love, care and concern we have for all of you out there who have supported us and prayed for and with us. God Bless
Tracy p.s. pictures when I can wifi with my laptop again!

THE OLD BREE IS BACK

2008-09-09T21:14:00.003+08:00

Maybe it's the meds, maybe she is getting used to the casts or likely the Lord is just answering our prayers....but we are seeing Bree's wonderful personality once again. My pleas to Him even became selfish...Lord I just turned 40 and I need sleep and I don't need anymore grey hair! Her sleep is improving and she has woken up happy two days in a row. Yesterday, Bree and I made our first shopping outing. Couldn't get her into the cart the traditional way, but she sat sideways up in the front and did wonderful. She is learning so much from her sisters...we have no doubt she will know all the words to High School Musical soon enough-even using a flashlight as a microphone! Thank you to all for your encouraging words and Love. This thursday we get a new set of casts.....

BRIGHTER SKIES ARE WITH US

2008-09-06T22:19:00.002+08:00

We are day three with casts and we are all learning to deal with them. After hours of crying on Friday I called the ortho office where the nurse exclaimed "I told him he should have given you Valium for her"! So off to the pharmacy we went and things are somewhat more bearable with Valium on board. Sleep came a bit more easier to us last night, but we were still up every 1.5-2 hours. Currently, we are at Panera so I can wifi and the girls are enjoying their muffin tops. Lying low for the rest of the day. Tomorrow is church and then we are going to watch our local Christian Band "Sanctus Real" play a benefit concert for Extreme Makeover Home Edition, which is in town this wknd for a local family. We are praying that every day Bree's pain improves and her vibrant personality returns.

FIRST STEP TOWARDS WALKING

2008-09-05T23:08:00.003+08:00

The last 24 hrs have been challenging. We saw Dr. Buerk yesterday and received all in all good news regarding Bree's feet and right knee. Her xrays were great of her spine and hips and he really was encouraging about getting her to walk soon. We began a casting program (called the Ponsetti method) to help strengthen her tissues, muscles, etc. and which will slowly correct her positional deformity. Unfortunately for Bree her legs and feet are now in soft casts in a position they have never been in before and she is very uncomfortable. She slept very poorly and her spirit has been zapped. It is very heartwrenching. She cries all the time and its hard to know if it is due to pain or she is just mad and exhausted. We have her on pain meds-but don't really know if they are doing much. We will go for weekly cast changes for at least 4-6 wks. Then the decision will be made as to what kind of surgery she will need. Please pray for us during this difficult time. We know we have to do this to get her to walk-but it is very draining.

LIFE WITH BREE

2008-09-04T19:30:00.003+08:00

OK- I know I am getting a bad rap for no pictures-but all you spoiled people out there with wifi have no idea how long it takes on dial-up to load them! Soon, soon-I promise. Things have been going great. Bree is sleeping 12 hrs straight. She is picking up on so much daily. Had her medical with the pediatrician-all labs look great thus far. She returns in two weeks for her first round of immunizations. Her appt. with the ped. ortho doc is today. We will find out what is in store for her and us with her feet. She has become much more tolerable of Daddy-I think she has watched him play with Brynn and Brooke and has come to realize "hey, this guy is kind of fun". She is doing very well with Mema which is a blessing since she will be watching her. Saige still spooks her, but she has stopped immediately screaming when she sees her now and instead says "mama, dada....puppy!" as if to warn us that Saige is nearing her. Pray for a positive outcome at our appt. today.

GOD BLESS AMERICA

2008-09-01T03:13:00.002+08:00

Today is Sunday and I think we are slowly assimilating back to a normal life. Our flights were uneventful, Bree managed to sleepa bit on the longer flight. We arrived in Detroit right on time and what a blessing it was to hear the immigration official state "I have just stamped your daughters passport and she is now an American citizen"!!!! Praise God in the Highest. We flew through customs and through automatic doors to see Brynn and Brooke (with A. Paulette and U. Scott) waiting patiently for us. It was very emotional for me and I tear up just thinking of the moment. Bree immediately went to her sisters and let them hold her. She was full of smiles and actually was screeching in Chinese most of the way home in the van! Since being home she and I definitely have our days and nights mixed up-praying this turns around soon. She is very attached to her sisters, especially Brynn. She calls her "mama" and now me "ma maaaaaaaaaaaa"! Both girls have been so incredibly helpful. We actually have to tell them not to pick her up so much. I am sure some of this will wear off. I fear Bree will be lost without them once they return to school and she is stuck with Doug and I again. She is a bit fearful of Saige, especially if Saige tries to touch her. She was an angel in church today. At the end of Mass while Father was readying to give announcements, she became a bit loud. Father stated that "Bree was excited to be here today" and welcomed us back from China with her. Well, all for now. I will post pictures soon. Thank you for all your wonderful comments

OUR LAST DAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2008-08-28T20:55:00.004+08:00

Finally-our last night in China. We went to the U.S. Consulate in Guangzhou to take our oath this afternoon. Cameras were not allowed. Pretty simple and anticlimatic experience actually considering all the other things we had to do on and before this trip.
We are packed and ready to go. Bags have to be out at 5a.m. and us at 5:20a.m. First flight to Tokyo (4hrs 55m) then rush to board the plane to Detroit (pray that we make the connection).
Had dinner with our friends the Dancy's and another wonderful family we just met.
The next time I post it will be from the U.S.A. Pray for a safe and uneventful flight for us. Can't wait to see you Brynn and Brooke at the airport. Hugs and kisses until then. We love you. Mommy and Daddy

DAY 10

2008-08-27T21:07:00.004+08:00

ONE MORE DAY, ONE MORE DAY, ONE MORE DAY......That is our chant today! Our guides spent the morning at the U.S. Consulate obtaining all the official VISA and passport finalization papers. We had to stay in our rooms from 10a.m. until they called us in case of any questions. Thankfully, we got a call around 11a.m. saying all was a "go". Tomorrow we go and take our oath and we are signed, sealed and almost delivered (to the U.S.A.) I did a few more house calls at our hotel and the other one and then it was time for the infamous Red Couch Pictures. This is where everyone in your group gathers together for group pictures and mainly it's mayhem! Technically, our group had 13 families, but since 11 of them were gone for the first week, the Dancy's and us sort of considered our group to be just us. Bree was acting like a typical two year old from the minute she awoke from her nap, so we knew this would be challenging for us. We were lucky to get her into her dress without much trouble.

The pics above are of Bree and McKenna, The Dancy's and us, some of the babies and all 13 families. We also got a great picture of us and our phenomenal guide, Jocelyn

Jocelyn has taken such good care of us. On our gotcha day, the orphanage director told us we owed the orphanage $327 yuan for xrays we had requested. We had been told by our agency that they wouldn't do the xrays we had asked for, but since he had a copy of the xray report, we paid him. He told us our agency had a copy. Long story short, CCAI did not have the report, so Jocelyn took care of securing a copy of the xrays done (hip, spine, chest) and getting it to us, which we sent via fax to CCAI and they translated in English (all in <12hrs).>

Many thanks to all of you who have helped out on the homefront during our absence-words cannot express how thankful and peaceful it has been to know our girls have had such care and concern and prayers over the past two weeks. Mema-we love you for all you have and are doing to keep the girls lives as normal as possible and filling in for us.

DAY 9 (LATE ENTRY)

2008-08-27T08:38:00.006+08:00

Today (Tues) we ventured off the island without our guide with our friends the Dancy's. We went to what is called the Toy Market, a five story large building full of toys and such. Any flea market we have ever been too couldn't compare with this place. Got a few cute little things. It is amazing how far the U.S. dollar will go in China. While we have been here, the exchange rate has been $1=6.8yuan. We all four ate at a KFC for lunch today for $7.00 U.S. Sometimes I feel guilty trying to bargain with the vendors as anything you buy is so much less expensive then in the U.S. (except Evian water-only the best for Doug you know!) The last couple of days have been the hottest and muggiest weather we have had, basically since the typhoon.

Bree has had a lot of firsts this week. She had a strawberry sundae today that she just loved. I gave her the first bite and her eyes got real big and she began giving me kisses by the dozens. It was so cute. She is imitating everything we do. I am thinking she will do well on the plane as she absolutely loves to sit by herself in the taxi's and buses.

Tonight we went on a Pearl River Boat Cruise. They served a buffet dinner which was pretty good. We passed on a few things like the smelt and other unidentifiable items. I heard that there was steamed shrimp and got excited until I saw their beady little eyes looking up at me-just couldn't do it after that. We sure are spoiled Americans when it comes to our food preparations. The cruise really was beautiful though. Tonight was the first night I just didn't feel well-had a headache so I am eager to get to bed.

DAY 8

2008-08-25T19:33:00.004+08:00

Bree sucking on a lemon!

Hard to believe that just one week ago today we held Bree in our arms for the first time. We often wonder what, if anything, she remembers from the orphanage. When she awakens from her naps and nights, if she expects to see us or her nanny?
Today one parent had to spend 2 hours doing VISA paperwork with our guide. Doug and Grandma and Bree went to the playroom for that time. In the afternoon we went to have her VISA picture taken and then to the dreaded medical exam. It was during this that we finally found someone that annoys her more than Doug (see above pic)-the doctors! Good thing we don't wear white coats at P. Peds. Of course since she was only one of two out of 13 babies that were special needs, our appointment took longer. I was just as spent as she was following her exam. Doug said that my body language was "unprofessional" during the exam-but really! when they asked me to have her walk on a metal grated bench I just about became unglued. I had our guide tell them "no her ankles are calloused enough" and they let it go.
We ate dinner at Doug's favorite restaurant La Dolce Vita (Italian) with our friends the Dancys (who have been the only other couple that has stayed with us in GZ the entire time). Doug has gotten the same 12 inch pizza 4 times now (see pic). I must say it is some of the best pizza we have tasted. The Dancy's are from NC and are a hoot, we have had so much fun with them. They don't like any kind of exotic food, even Chinese, so eating out with them has been a riot. Their daughter McKenna is 14 months old and has a VSD heart lesion-cute as a button. She has given her daddy a run for his money as well. The funny things is, both girls go to the other father without any problem! We moms just laugh and fortunately both dads have been good sports about this temporary rejection. Bree has been saying more phrases the last couple of days. We have heard her repeat "I want that", "I love you" and "your welcome". Other times she can be heard rambling in Cantonese and how we would love to know what she is saying. Well, it's lights out for Bree and time for me to sign off. "Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is is Heaven" Mathew 5:16

DAY 7

2008-08-24T20:09:00.006+08:00

Whew-we survived the weekend! No planned activities kind of scared us for these past two days-but we managed to whittel the days away. Attended the local Christian church again this a.m. amidst a downpour. The skies then opened up to sunshine. This Shamian Island really is beautiful. Many bride and grooms come to have their wedding photography done. On any given day we will see 5-10 couples having their photo shoots. We had another group dinner this evening at a Tai restaurant. We welcomed back all the couples from our agency who have been in other provinces for the past week. It has been nice to reunite with them and meet their new little ones-most of which are non-special needs and very young (many 8-10 month olds). I must say it has made me appreciate having a toddler who can feed herself and tell me what is wrong when she is upset. Didn't do any shopping today. There are probably 30+ stores on the island-most of which we have hit once if not twice. We did get our disposable camera film that we had sent to Bree's orphanage developed. They took 27 pictures of Bree-judging by her outfit being the same-all in the same day! But it still is nice to see more of what her surroundings have been for the past two years. As I write this, Doug is doing bath duty again-we have such a routine going for her that she is becomming a creature of habit. Four more days girls and we will be flying the friendly skies! Love you

DAY 6

2008-08-23T19:57:00.005+08:00

Today was the first day of rain we have had. We pretty much stayed inside for the morning. In the afternoon we had the wonderful opportunity to meet with a Chinese couple and their 4 year old daughter who are from Meizhou but live here in GZ now. They have been to Bree's orphanage many times and were last there three months ago. They clearly remembered Bree and Bree clearly remembered the mother. She went easily to her and let her hold her. We learned much about the orphanage and about how well they took care of Bree and the other children. They taught us many phrases in Bree's dialect and it is amazing how she responds to us now that we can ask her certain things in her language! After this we "snuck" into the White Swan hotel playroom for a bit then out to dinner at Lucy's (western fare). But since Doug saw a dog, quite larger than any others that we have seen, prior to going into the restaurant, he decided his hamburger didn't sit as well with him tonight-he he!
Word has gotten out that I am a pediatrician and people have been asking for "consults" which I am honored to do. Tonight while I was making a "house call", Bree stayed with Daddy for quite a while. When I returned, she actually allowed him to bathe her! Major strides are occurring - Doug keeps telling her that she loves him, she just doesn't know it yet :) Blessings to all.

DAY 5

2008-08-23T09:42:00.006+08:00

Once again I am late in my entry. I am so tired in the evenings I fall asleep before I can blog. The transformation with Bree is just wonderful to watch and experience. She has quite the personality-sensitive, stubborn, comical and so very sweet. She loves to give kisses (see pics above). Daddy and Grandma are growing on her as long as I am nearby. She is totally fine to play with them if I am busy doing other things. She has the most wonderful laugh. She is becomming more active-all over the hotel room with her toys, recognizes her new name as Bree and is very vocal! If mommy tells her "no" she pouts until I give her a kiss. If daddy tells her "no" she ignores him. Brynn and Brooke-you are going to have so much fun playing with her! We went to the Pearl Market and the Jade Market on Friday. Amazing places. The sheer number of stores and shops selling the same things is mind boggling. We saw a Kentucky Fried Chicken that had a local favorite - chicken feet. Not legs, but feet. Fried chicken feet. None of us seemed to be hungry at the time. Or guide, Jocelyn, assured us that they were very good. The weather was overcast with a cooler breeze today. Nice break from the intense heat. Our friends Rina, Hank and Myah should be hitting home today. We hope they had safe and uneventable flights.

DAY 4

2008-08-21T14:58:00.005+08:00

Today we took a tour of The Banyan Temple, The Chinese Folk Art Museum and The Provincial Arts and Crafts store. Saw many elaborate carvings of wood, ivory and jade as well as beautiful pottery and silk stitchings. The monks were having a ceremony at the temple. They had 10 containers full of eel-like creatures they were blessing and then releasing into the river (I'll be checking the toilet well before sitting down after today!)Bree was such an angel. We cannot get over how much she enjoys being in a stroller. Now she complains though if I am not the one pushing it. She speaks a Cantonese dialect called Hakka. Between her and Myah we have learned that "meh" means "no". She uses "meh" frequently with Doug-like whenever he kisses her or tries to get close to her. However, Daddy is good for taking her garbage or picking up things she has dropped! He keeps telling her that someday she is going to enjoy spending time with him as he is the fun one. Whenever we leave somewhere, Bree waves and says "thank you, bye bye" (in English)and blows them kisses. It is amazing how much she has learned in just four days. Here are the top 10 other things we have learned about Bree:

1. She is very sharing with her food
2. She enjoys her baths
3. Daddy annoys her when he kisses her
4. She LOVES bananas
5. She is very ticklish
6. Daddy annoys her when he holds her
7. She sucks her left thumb
8. She is a great sleeper (praise God)
9. Daddy annoys her when he pushes her stroller
10.She can sit forever playing with toys

Today has been a week since we have left home. While it has gone fast, it has not gone fast enough. We miss everyone dearly and so enjoy any correspondence we have had with you all. God Bless

HAPPY 9TH BIRTHDAY BRYNN

2008-08-21T06:14:00.004+08:00

Today, August 21st is our beautiful daughter Brynn's 9th Birthday. We are so sad to be missing this event, but know that Mema and Brooke will make her feel special. Daddy and I could not ask for a more wonderful daughter. We are so proud of the special, compassionate young girl you have become. Remember you still have one more gift from us to open! "Many daughters have done virtuously, but thou excellest them all" Proverbs 31:29. WE LOVE YOU BRYNN

DAY 3

2008-08-21T05:39:00.006+08:00

I am writing this Thurs. a.m because I fell asleep Wed pm before i could blog!
Today (Wed) we had the morning off so we relaxed a bit in the hotel. Bree loves to eat-she tries everything and likes most of it. We went to the hotel play room for a while then out shopping. Went to a wonderful store called A Gift From China (recommended by my friend Donna-thank you!) All the proceeds go to orphanage charities. Girls, we got some nice stuff for you there! In the afternoon we took a van to downtown GZ to have Bree's passport picture taken. Then we hit a mall-very similar to ours except each brand of something had its own store. Then we went to a grocery store to stock up on diapers etc. Bree is so content to sit in her stroller and loves to wear her hat and sunglasses. All the locals comment she "is cool". We definitely get some stares-they look directly at her legs/feet. While at the grocery store a woman told our guide that these girls "just stepped into Heaven" because they were being adopted and going to the United States. Although we have only had her for three days, we cannot imagine life without her.
We also want to thank Donna and Patrick for letting us borrow their Panda phone. We have called the girls two times a day since being in China and really helps our aching for them. They started school today and we are so eager to talk to them and hear how things went. We love you Brynn and Brooke and we show Bree pictures of you everyday. Love Mommy and Daddy

DAY 2 WITH BREE

2008-08-19T19:36:00.004+08:00

Today was a busy day. All went well with our appointments. Bree is officially ours according to the Chinese government as of this morning. When the orphanage brought her to us they said she had a runny nose for which they were giving her antibiotics. They gave us the meds which I thanked them for and told Doug we won't be using these as in USA we don't treat colds with antibiotics. After her first bath last night, there was still a distinctive odor from her breath-at least I thought it was from her mouth. Long story short I got out my otoscope and low and behold there was a foreign body in her left nare. So after two unsuccessful attempts by me to remove with a curette, we let it go. After our appt. our guide first took us to the hotel clinic where two female doctors couldn't see it and wouldn't let me use their equipment (citing legal concerns -ha!)So off to the local hospital to see an ENT. What an experience this was. Took longer to secure a cab coming and going then to be in the hospital. There must have been 500 people in the lobby, we thought we would be there all day. The ENT took one look and said "yes-foreign body-and I said "I know" He got it out quickly (some piece of guaze looking thing the size of my thumb nail)and we were on our way-only 10yuan ($1.33) poorer.(see pic above of ENT dr.)
Bree took a three hour nap upon returning. We then went over to the White Swan hotel and let Bree and Myah have a reunion-that was precious. Bree kept feeding Myah cheerios and Myah kept getting toys and bringing them back to Bree. What an awesome experience it was for Rina and Hank and our family. Rina leaves this Friday-her blog is definitely entertaining and should be viewed http://shpiruk.blogspot.com

SHE IS AN ABSOLUTE ANGEL

2008-08-19T06:00:00.003+08:00

We were a bit nervous about last night. We stayed in and ordered Papa Johns pizza which Bree seemed to like. Hard to know what to feed her but thus far she hasn't refused anything. Adhering to her orphanage schedule of feeds will be impossible due to appointments. At 8:30 we put her in her PJ's and turned off the lights and I held her with a bottle of milk. When she seemed like she was done (only took 2oz) I put her in her crib. She fussed for about 5 minutes and then she was out. She slept all the way until 4a.m. and then we she fussed I picked her up and put her in bed with us, where she still is sleeping peacefully. Hard to know as both a mother and pediatrician if I am doing the right things with Bree. Feel free to comment those of you who have been through this. I just want her to know how much we love her and make her feel secure. Have appt. this a.m. back down at Civil Affairs Office, then we need to do some shopping for Bree. Thank you again to everyone who has commented and read this blog, although it makes us miss home, your love and support mean the world to us.

OUR FIRST DAY WITH BREE

2008-08-18T19:59:00.002+08:00

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WE'VE HELD HER IN OUR HEARTS, NOW WE HOLD HER IN OUR ARMS

2008-08-18T13:15:00.003+08:00

We praise God for this day. At 2:30 this afternoon, He placed our third daughter into our forever arms. We were at the Civil Affairs office with the other couple in our group and at least 15+ couples from Holt Intnl. Agency. It was mass chaos, with babies being brought out one by one. We were the second family to recieve ours. It was to say the least a rocky start. Bree cried for the first 45 minutes, making us all sweat mongruls. We tried to talk to the male vice director of the orphanage (who brought her with a nanny), but her cries outweighed all! Finally, the last paper was signed and we left to return to the hotel. Once in the van Bree was either too exhausted to cry anymore or she was just better getting her away from her orphanage staff. She was actually reaching for the v. director and calling him "ba ba" (which means da da). It was heartwrenching. Once back in the hotel we gave her a nice bath and then have played since. She is so smart! She repeats all kinds of words in English (mama, dada,ball,bye bye, thank you hello,puppy). She loves playing with balls-has an awesome throw, knows exactly what to do with a play phone, and shares anything with you. We fed her cheerios and puffs and then made some rice cereal, which she devoured -actually fed herself with the spoon. Then I offered her a banana and she ate the entire thing! When Doug left to go pick up some laundry, she waved and said bye bye and then leaned toward him and gave him a kiss!! It was so precious and awesome.

As far as her physical state-her hands look great, she can do anything with them. Her left leg is fine except for the foot of course. Her right leg however does not bend at the knee, when she crawls she swings her entire right leg outward. She prefers to scoot on her bottom and will even bear weight and take steps holding onto you. The rest of her exam is absolutely perfect. She comes to all three of us without any problem. We are so blessed to have this beautiful child and cannot wait for everyone to meet her.

SUNDAY IN GUANGZHOU

2008-08-17T18:26:00.005+08:00

Church, Myah, Tea, school kids and American food

We started the morning by having breakfast at the hotel. It was a "western" style breakfast but had authentic food as well. I couldn't put enough cream or suga r in my coffee to weaken it! Starbucks will be seeing a lot of me I think. After breakfast we attended a church service at the Shamian Christian Church. It was lead by a Chinese pastor and translated in English. Awesome service where we heard two local people give their witnesses. Rina and Hank and Myah attended with us and we were able to catch up a bit. We then sauntered around the island, checking out the locals and their stores. Came upon many groups of school aged Chinese children who wanted us to write in their books as they were learning English (see pic above). Had tea with a local store owner named Dong (Susan's Place)-very friendly and informative on the area. Most of the stores all have the same things (squeaky shoes, ornaments, silk clothing, jade jewelry, fans etc.) Dropped off some laundry at one store as that gave us a stoller to rent for free. Ate dinner at a place called Lucy's, another western restaurant. Doug got his hamburger he has been craving since we left home. They even let us pay in U.S. money. Tomorrow we have a meeting with our guide in a.m., then we go to the Civil Affairs Office to get Bree. Please say a prayer that the Lord has warmed her heart to us and the transition won't be very traumatic. Thank you to all that have posted comments, it means so much to us to hear your encouraging and loving words.

WE'RE IN CHINA

2008-08-16T16:16:00.009+08:00

Our suite at the Victory

Had a wonderful flight from Tokyo to Gaungzhou on Japan Airlines. Flight was pretty much empty so we all had our own rows! Got to choose your own movie to watch. Our CCAI rep, Jocelyn, met our group at the airport. Since Detroit, there have been 5 couples (one with another agency) that we have been traveling with. Only one other is staying the entire two wks in GZ with us, the rest fly back out to their child's province's tomorrow for the next week then back to GZ for their last week with us. And talk about small worlds, one couple is from Zainesville and they are both D.O. physicians that went to OU-COM! They are also traveling with her mother and their adorable 3 year old that they adopted from China at 10 months. Our hotel is nice-furniture/carpet a bit old but now that Doug has fumigated the room with Lysol spray and wipes-we are set! No bed bugs coming home with us! We have a group dinner this evening at a Tai restaurant. To say that the weather is hot would be an understatement-I have never felt heat like this before. I am not even chilled in air conditioning!
More later. Psalm 119:117

FINALLY, BREE AND MYAH TOGETHER!!

2008-08-15T21:25:00.006+08:00

Rina developed her disposable camera she had sent to the orphanage and there were tons of pictures of our daughters together. Hopefully, our camera will be the same. She also has pictures of our friend Vicki's daughter Emily with the girls. You will see her in the above collage slide show. She has served as a "big sister" to the girls.

WE'RE STILL NOT THERE!!

2008-08-15T20:44:00.004+08:00

Girls here are pics of our rooms.

Good morning to you, good night to us! With the exception of about 2 hours, we have now been awake over 24 hours. We are currently in Tokyo at a hotel for the night as our flight segment from Tokyo to GZ was cancelled d/t mechanical issues (enough said!) The Lord decided to remind me early on that He was guiding this trip. We got to Detroit right on time thanks to U. Scott, then the obstacles appeared. Obstacle #1: HUGE line for the ticket counter. Seems like Tokyo was the place to be going on Thursday p.m. We traversed it in about an hour just to reach obstacle #2: flight segment cancelled. Thirty minutes later they had us rebooked on an Air Japan flight, but not leaving until Sat. a.m. Onto security and obstacle #3: Doug is a security hazard d/t hardware in ankle requiring him to be "man checked" and my suitcase is tagged for unidentifiable objects (which turned out to be my stethescope and otoscope- "sorry maam, we just don't see those items very often"). Finally we reached our gate where general boarding was already occurring and you guessed it, obstacle #4 we are all three in three different rows of the aircraft. This was easily fixed as fortunatetly all the people sitting next to us were single travelers and willing to move so we could be together. From then on it was smooth sailing. Watched 2 movies, ate three meals and tried to sleep. Once in Tokyo, Northwest took very good care of us. We have been put up for free in a very nice hotel (all single rooms-really cute) and free dinner and breakfast. We now fly out at 9:50am and arrive GZ 1:50ish pm. So hopefully we will straighten out our sleep schedule tonight with a good nights sleep. Brynn and Brooke-so glad we could talk to you today. We love you and miss you more than words could say. Three more days until we get Bree!!

THE INCREDIBLE BLESSINGS ON THIS JOURNEY

2008-08-13T01:05:00.002+08:00

It has been 15 months since we began this journey to our daughter. We have allowed the Lord to guide our steps and feel that everything has occurred according to His time. He has been "driving the bus" and really hasn't taken any detours. We give thanks to Him for all His blessings. We also give thanks to our many friends and relatives who have supported us, prayed with us, laughed with us and held our hands (mainly mine) during this time. In two days we will board a flight that will take us to the end of this specific journey and allow us to begin another as a family of five-the greatest blessing of all.
God Speed

OUR ITINERARY

2008-08-02T08:31:00.002+08:00

Our itinerary arrived today and is as follows:

8/14 Leave for Guangzhou, China

8/15 Arrive Guangzhou, China at 11p.m. (only 19 hours-yikes!)

8/16 and 8/17 Free Days (correct jet lag)

8/18 .....GOTCHA DAY!!!!..... We get Bree at the Provincial Civil Affairs Office

8/19 Adoption Registration and Notarization then shopping trip for Bree

8/20 Receive Bree's adoption registration certificate and apply for her passport

8/21 Bree's medical exam and visa photo (and our beautiful Brynn turns 9 today!)

8/22 -8/24 Free time in Guangzhou (local tours to temples, markets etc.)

8/25 Receive notary certificates

8/26 Receive Bree's passport/ prepare paperwork for U.S. Consulate appointment

8/27 Consulate appointment

8/28 Take oath at U.S. Consulate and receive Bree's Visa packet

8/29 Leave for home- arrive in Detroit 1:40pm

We will be staying at the beautiful hotel The Victory (www.vhotel.com/gdvhen/)
I won't post for awhile as we finish all the final paperwork, pack and prepare for our two week absence from Brynn and Brooke.
God Bless

OUR FLIGHTS ARE BOOKED!!!

2008-07-31T20:24:00.002+08:00

We recieved our consulate appointment (CA) yesterday. So, as it stands we will fly out Thursday, August 14th from Detroit arriving in Guangzhou at 11p on Friday the 15th. We have a two hour layover in Tokyo. No word yet on when we will "get" Bree, but I imagine it will be Sunday the 17th. Our CA isn't until the 27th and our oath is the 28th. We fly back on Friday August 29th arriving Detroit at 1:45p. The girls don't have school that day for the holiday weekend, so they will be able to come to the airport to meet us. The pieces are falling into place. I will post our exact itinerary when it becomes available to me from our agency. Thank you for all your prayers and thoughts!
"And whoever welcomes a little child like this in my name, welcomes me." Matthew 18:15

WE ARE GOING TO CHINA!!!!!!

2008-07-25T08:48:00.003+08:00

The phone call came today from our agencies travel department-we have gotten travel approval. Our agency has applied for our Consulate appointment (CA) and that takes from 1-6 business days. Tentative travel is from 8/15-8/30. We will fly directly into Guangzhou (GZ)where the American consulate is (as opposed to Hong Kong). We will stay there the entire trip since Bree is from a city in the same province as GZ. This will also shorten our trip a bit and save a little money. Unfortuately, we will miss the girls first day of school (which is 8/20) but they seem to be OK with that. Can't book our flights until after our CA is known, but they said Detroit had a flight straight to Toykyo and then onto GZ- its only 20 some hours!! Going will be fine-on return lets hope Bree has her fathers ability to fall asleep once the plane pulls away from the tarmac! We are so blessed that my mom is coming along with us-she hasn't missed any of my girls arrivals! Praise our Lord God in the Highest.

Weekly Update

2008-07-22T10:15:00.002+08:00

We received new pictures and measurements on Bree today from our agency. Her feet have grown 2 cm since April! Good thing we have held out on buying her shoes! We learned that she can speak three word sentences and even knows how to say "I Love You" in English. That is a phrase she will hear plenty of times once we get her in our arms. They also stated she can take steps with support or by holding onto things. Her favorite food is yogurt!
Our friends from Florida adopting Myah from the same orphanage are leaving August 9th for China-they were able to secure a spot earlier due to a family backing out of their travel plans. We pray for them as they prepare to embark on this wonderful adventure.
God Bless Tracy

Weekly Update

2008-07-14T08:40:00.002+08:00

Almost two weeks since LOA. If it weren't for the Olympics, we would be expecting TA in the next two weeks. But, with the uncertainty of China allowing us to travel during this time, we expect TA end of August. However, our agency hasn't been told that we cannot travel d/t the Olympics, so this could be construed as good news. In any event, we are trying to be prepared if we were to get "the call". I have pretty much packed for Bree, our agency gives us a detailed list which is helpful. I am sending out our VISA paperwork this week and should recieve them next week. Now comes the time to prepare for our absence where Brynn and Brooke are concerned. Fortunately, they will be in the very good hands of their Mema.
We have been trying to pack in fun for them before we leave. We did the American Girl extravaganza in Chicago last weekend. This weekend we did Cedar Point and Great Wolf Waterpark. Brooke was finally tall enough to ride some big rides! And, she learned to ride without training wheels this week. Bree will definitely have her share of hand me down trikes, bikes and scooters. Brynn continues to master swimming and exclaimed she is now "fearless" at waterparks. This week we will do an overnight at Sauder Farmpark and then I need a rest!!
God Bless Tracy

He is directing our journey

2008-07-04T09:37:00.004+08:00

The last 24 hours have been exciting and frantic both. I downloaded another 19 page set of papers last pm which need to be completed in 5-7 days and of course all the pages need to be notarized! I waited most of the day at my office waiting for the FedEx man to appear with my LOA document. By one o'clock I became nervous and called my agency who got online for me and tracked the letter for me. It was still sitting at the FedEx facility three exits down the road from my office, but they wouldn't give me a local number to call (saying it was unpublished!) So, as my headache was turning into a migraine, and my prayers were coming by the dozens,my trustworthy PSC (Kim, who answers my phones for me)got on the horn and called the 1-800 FedEx number and worked her usual wonders to persuade them to radio the courrier (by now my letter was on a truck!)and notify him that this document was time-sensitive and needed to be sent back by 3pm (when we were to leave for Chicago) Whewwww-it arrived a little after 2p.m. During all this time, I secured the arrangement of documents to be emailed to me regarding our Chinese VISA's, faxed all my companion documents to my mother for her to complete, started filling out some of the 19 pages and oh yeah saw 15 patients! Now, I sit in a hotel in South Bend, IN typing this as the girls and Doug swim and as I continue to praise God for all he has done and shown us with this adoption. May God be Blessed Tracy

LOA IS FINALLY HERE!!!

2008-07-03T10:25:00.003+08:00

Wow- The day finally came- we recieved notice from our agency today that we have been granted a Letter of Acceptance (LOA). Our emotions are all over-elation, fright and a little freaking out! Our agency is sending an overnight package that we must sign and FedEx immediately back. They are saying to expect travel in 4-8 weeks, however, because of the Olympics, other agencies are saying 4 weeks to get people in and out. We need to seriously start packing just in case.
And to add icing on the cake...we recieved 5 more pictures of Bree today. She definitely does not seem to appreciate having her picture taken (no smiles this round) but hopefully we will change that! My friend Rina and her family, whose daughter Myah is BFF with Bree, also got LOA today. How awesome it would be to travel at least some leg of the trip together, especially for Myah and Bree. Check out her blog http://www.shpiruk.blogspot.com.
Rina is the techno-wizard behind my blog. Basically, I post and she designs! Luv ya Rina.

Updated Photos

2008-06-25T10:40:00.002+08:00

Immediately after posting yesterday I recieved 5 new pictures of Bree from China-Babies! We cannot believe how much more grown up she looks just in the last three months! We continue to fall deeper in love with her with each new picture-she is going to be so smothered in kisses and hugs!

65 Days and Counting!

2008-06-24T23:55:00.004+08:00

Well, we are past the two month mark. Our agency has been quiet
with any LOA's or TA's for over two weeks now. We are all getting a bit ansy! We have been in contact with China-Babies, a company that will take updated pictures of Bree, but they are waiting to here back from her orphanage for permission. This company has been into her orphanage before for this purpose, so we are praying they will allow them in again. We just joined our local FCC group (Families with Children from China)-they organize many activities throughout the year-quite a few of the members are patients of mine so there is some familiarity. Hopefully, we will have a more exciting post in the near future!

Do not be afraid, for I am with you. I will bring your children from the East and gather you from the West. Isiah 43:5

53 days

2008-06-10T00:24:00.002+08:00

Today is day 53. Average wait has been 90 days to get LOA, so I guess we are over half way there! Today is actually a holiday in China -Dragon Boat Festival. I learned that from couples in China currently. It also has been raining tons in Hong Kong with lots of flooding. It apparently is monsoon season from July-September.
I am sure many of you noticed the changes on this blog- it was tweaked by my friend Rina (who is adopting from the same orphanage) and I am so appreciative!! My computer abilities are limited!! Now I can check the live feed and actually kind of guess who has been on the blog. Thanks for following along. God Bless

Waiting

2008-06-04T10:18:00.002+08:00

This part of our wait has been the most difficult. All we can do is look at Bree's beautiful pictures and pray for the day she will be in our arms. It is such a blessing to have Brynn and Brooke during this waiting period. Their "ideas" for how things will be once Bree is home with us are so precious. Brooke is so excited to have Bree share her room (she has even emptied out a drawer in the bathroom for her) and Brynn is convinced she will be doing all the "teaching" of English etc. to Bree. I have begun to start a packing list and pile.....still likely another month til LOA. Thank you to all who are praying for Bree and checking our progress on this blog. God Bless.

Mei Qiu Qi

2008-05-27T08:09:00.003+08:00

The Chinese custom is to write their name with their last name or surname first. So, Mei is actually Bree's Chinese last name. Mei means "little sister" and she shares this surname with most of the girls in her orphanage. We assume because she was found in Meizhou City. Qiu, which is Bree's first name, means "Autumn" and she shares that name with most of the girls in her orphanage as well. Bree's middle name is Qi and it means "fine jade". We love the fact that Mei means little sister since that is exactly what she will be in our forever family!

The Road to China

2008-05-26T10:23:00.002+08:00

This last week has been busy reading and assimilating all the documents being sent to us from our agency. They are preparing us well for our travel. Still not expecting LOA until end of June at the earliest. TA will follow about one month after that, then its down to the wire.
We are keeping in close contact with our new friends in Florida who are adopting Myah from the same orphanage. Bree and Myah are only four days apart in age, so they entered the orphanage within days of one another and reportedly are friends. It has been such a blessing to have this connection!

Care Package

2008-05-17T09:28:00.003+08:00

Today our first care package to Bree was sent. We enlisted the help of a Chinese woman named Ann who owns Red Thread China. She personally shopped for us and sent Bree a summer dress, a stuffed panda bear, a picture album of 10 pictures I had taken of us and her new room etc. and a letter she translated for us. We also sent the caregivers candy and a disposable camera to take pictures of Bree. Usually, the orphanage will bring the camera and anything else you sent to you on Gotcha Day Ann said our package should arrive in two days, so I am hoping by Monday. Ann was also able to get us current measurements of Bree (which we had already gotten from our agency). Hard to know how much Bree understands about this adoption, but we just pray they show her our pictures so she has some familiarity with her new family.

Recent Headlines

2008-05-14T08:52:00.003+08:00

Alot of people have called or asked about the horrific earthquake that China suffered two days ago. Fortunately, Bree is in the province of Guangdong which is southeast of the Sichuan province where the quake's epicenter occurred. I am sure the orphanage felt it since cities like Beijing, which are the same distance north, felt it. We are praying for the families who are adopting from the Sichuan province. We are assured through Psalm 91 that Bree is protected and that her orphanage is surrounded by a crown of thorns.

Tracy

Bree's actual medical condition

2008-05-08T04:47:00.002+08:00

I thought I would explain more in detail just what exactly Bree's special needs are. We (myself and my local pediatric orthopedic friend) believe she was born with a condition called arthrogryposis. Basically, this is a condition that affects the joints in a baby's body due to insufficient movement during pregnancy. These children are born with contractures- meaning there joints are in a flexed position. There are many degrees of arthrogryposis, but we feel Bree has a "milder" type called distal arthrogryposis (DA), as only her distal extremities are affected ie: hands/wrists and feet/ankles. Of course we won't really know until she has been fully examined in the states and has xrays. The specialist feels we will be able to stretch and possibly splint her affected fingers and she will need casting and surgery on her feet. Surgery will be followed by lots of physical and occupational therapy so we can get her up and walking!! We pray daily for God's healing of Bree....and with his stripes we are healed Isaiah 53:5.

He is all knowing

2008-05-05T00:16:00.003+08:00

Yesterday we were emailed from a family in Florida who are currently adopting from the same orphanage as Bree. They too have been matched with a 2 year old around the same time as we were matched with Bree. We are sure they must be playmates! It is comforting to progress through this journey with someone who is experiencing the same emotions as us.

God is so good!

2008-05-02T07:44:00.002+08:00

This week has been amazing as we have had contact with other families that have adopted from the same orphanage as Bree. We are told only good things about Meizhou City Welfare Institute. As far as the timeline goes, we are now awaiting a LOA (letter of acceptance), which indicates that we may request travel to China to get Bree. Looking at the stats from an online waiting child group from my agency, our LOA could occur anytime in the next 2-3 months. After LOA comes TA (travel approval) with approximate travel to China being 5-8 weeks from LOA. So we are still looking at 4-6 months before "gotcha day". "Patience is a virtue", my father always said to me growing up and ...as servants of God we commend ourselves in every way....in understanding, patience and kindness ....2 Corinthians 3-6

p.s. the times on these posts are actually Hong Kong time which is exactly 12 hrs ahead of us. So while its actually 8p Thurs. here and we're readying for bed, it is 8a Fri. in China and Bree has already been up for 1.5 hours!
Tracy

wonderful news

2008-04-30T08:10:00.002+08:00

I posted today on a yahoo website for families who have adopted from the same orphanage as Bree (there are only 19 members registered). We received an email back from a couple who adopted a son from there four years ago with club feet!! She sounds like she will be a wealth of information for us and a connection to Bree's only home she has known thus far. I cannot wait to hear back from her- now I will be checking my email hourly!