Calgary trip - day two

On Tuesday, Claire and I met Teri and Cameron at the Chinook Shopping Centre for lunch and some shopping. We then joined them at home along with Michael who had just finished school for the day. Paul and Greg came home in time for an amazing supper Teri prepared and we then had a great evening catching up and hanging out with the kids. Thanks Greg, Teri, Cameron and Michael for a great time!



Our godson Michael and Claire hanging out.













Claire and Teri (Claire's first ever Birks bag - a momentous occasion!)


















Greg, Teri, Cameron, Claire and Paul

Calgary trip - day one

On Monday, Claire and I spent the day with my friend Lesley at her and her boyfriend's new house. Her son Mathew also spent the day with us, and then our friend Alisha came over after work. We also got to see Lesley's mom Jeannie for a bit, which was great because I've known her as long as I've known Lesley.

We had a great time; no matter how much time passes between visits, it's like we've never spent time apart. I was so happy for them to meet Claire so soon. They thought she was really beautiful and also very good. Yeah, what can I say - that's my girl! (Not that I can take any credit - she's been a joy since we met her.)

Thanks Lesley, Mathew, Alisha, Jordan and Jeannie for an awesome visit!

Lesley, Mathew and Lelick with Claire

Alisha and Claire

Mathew was really sweet and gentle with Claire. Here's the group hug he initiated.

"I've never dropped a ball ..."

We asked my brother Stu to watch Claire for a few minutes last night and apparently, it was the moment Claire had been waiting for after having sized him up from afar for a month.

She started off in this sitting position ...

and soon got cuddly with Stu.

Since she was squirming around, I (of course) was paranoid that she'd roll right off the couch. Stu's quick reply was that he'd never dropped a ball so why would he drop the baby?

We're heading to Calgary today for a few days for Paul's work. I'm taking the opportunity to visit some friends: Greg (Paul's friend from Kindergarten) and his wife Teri and kids Michael and Cameron; and my friend Lesley (who I've also known since Kindergarten) and her son Mathew and boyfriend Jordan.

Yum yum dim sum and O'Claire

My sister and her daughter weren't able to visit this weekend as planned but we'll see them soon at Easter time. Of our family, Claire has only met her grandparents and Uncle Stu so far, which means that she still has many aunts, uncles and cousins to meet. We'll get to see many of them in Saskatoon at Easter.

We met our friends, Allen and Esther, and their daughter Adaline for dim sum today so that they could finally meet Claire (we're slowing doing our rounds). Thanks for an awesome lunch, Allen and Esther! Here's a photo of Allen and Claire hanging out.


















Being St. Patrick's Day today, I had to play dress up with Claire a bit. Here she is in her special bib and in her dress that she'll wear again at Easter.

Flo rules!

Last week, our pediatrician ordered a bunch of blood tests for Claire. Claire was still happy after her doctor's appointment, so we headed straight to the hospital lab. I was a little nervous about how Claire would react but whoa, I had no idea!

It was absolutely horrible. Despite the friendly nurses being as gentle as possible, Claire started to howl as soon as they started feeling her arms trying to find the best vein. It only got worse from there. They thought they found a good vein so away they went. Five minutes later, all they had was a drop or two - not even enough for one test. I guess her veins are so tiny that they had a really hard time. They switched arms to continue what was obviously torture in Claire's eyes. Again, no luck. In the end, they said that I'd have to come back with Claire another day. Great. As I stood up with Claire in my arms, I suddenly felt woozy. Uh oh. I meekly said, "I think I feel sick", and the nurses made me sick down and drink grape juice. And they thought Claire was a baby!

Yesterday, we tried another lab after I made some calls. Although the Stollery Children's Hospital was highly recommended, they don't take appointments (it's just drop in) so I went to Meadowlark instead after speaking with one of their nurses. You wouldn't believe how great they all were! All of the women were fabulous but it was Flo who had the magic touch! (Could she be any more aptly named?!) Although Claire again felt she was being tortured, I was relieved that they were able to draw all the blood needed for the many tests. And only one bite into her Baby Mum-Mum later, Claire seemed to have forgotten it all.

Today, we went to our first International Adoption Families Association playgroup. I knew a couple of the other moms from previous IAFA events, but this was the first time we all had our daughters. It was great seeing the moms again and meeting their girls at last! It was wonderful to meet the other families as well.

Oh - I almost forgot to report what may be insignificant for anyone but us, but Claire slept all night in her crib last night! This is the first time since China that she's spent all night in her crib. She fell asleep in Daddy's arms last night around 9:30 and he tucked her into her crib shortly after. We didn't hear a peep from her until after 8 this morning. Yay Claire!

Here's another pigtail photo from last weekend. I think Claire looks like a bunny in this one.

Health updates and stuff

Last week we had a visit with our pediatrician, and although we haven't done all the tests yet that the doctor ordered, things look good. The doctor was concerned about Claire's size but given that her head circumference is on the charts, she thought Claire should be okay. Her head circumference at birth was quite small (not on the charts) but there has been good growth since so the doctor thought Claire might have been a slightly early birth.

We had been feeding Claire her formula, rice cereal and various other things such as sweet potatoes, peas, prunes, pears, etc. The doctor said to not introduce those other foods yet (with the exception of prunes) and instead just focus on the formula and rice cereal as both are fortified with all the good stuff she needs. I had read that a baby Claire's age should have about 16 ounces of formula a day but our doctor said to go with 24. That, combined with a bit of cereal each day, are pretty much all little Claire can eat in a day! I must say though, that she is a good eater so I'm hopeful that she'll continue to gain weight. In China she weighed 12 pounds and she's gained several ounces since. At the doctor's office, they weighed her twice and got a different reading each time so I don't know exactly how much she weighs. It's either 12 lbs 7 oz. or 12 lbs 10 oz. Go figure!

We also visited an occupational therapist who assessed Claire's fine motor skills as average and her gross motor skills as below average due to her lack of locomotion. We got some great tips about how to entice Claire to crawl and scoot, so I'm confident we'll get her going in no time.

She's sleeping well and is a happy little peanut, with regular giggle fits when we interact with her in a silly way. She's very animated and engaged in what is going on around her, which I'm sure is aiding her development. She's quite the little mimic too, copying things we do.

Some of the funny / cute things she does include:
- blowing bubbles while making a croaking sound like a toad;
- engaging us in conversation with high pitched squeals;
- talking like a mobster (according to Paul) with a deep, scratchy voice;
- clapping and playing patty-cake with great enthusiasm;
- anticipating the "pop" in "Pop Goes the Weasel" by nodding her head vigorously;
- doing that same nod as if to say "yes, yes!" when we ask her a question such as "Do you want another Baby Mum-Mum cracker?"
- blowing kisses with her cheeks sucked in like a fish;
- rocking side to side to music; and
- sucking the front of her thumb or her palm (not putting her thumb actually in her mouth).

There are more but Claire needs me so I better stop here. I'll write more later!

On our own again (sort of)

Mom returned to Saskatoon yesterday after having spent 10 great days with us. We had a wonderful visit together and it was perfect timing for us. Before Mom arrived, Claire had been sick and had become especially clingy to me. Although this was good in terms of attachment, it also meant that she did not want to play independently; she wanted to be in my arms at all times. If anyone else tried to hold her (Paul or his mom when they were here), she would only settle in with them if I left the room so that she'd sort of forget about me. If I returned to the room, she'd cry and reach out for me. Now, Claire is comfortable playing independently or with someone else and is fine when I leave and re-enter the room; she just always keep her eyes out for where I am.

Our next out-of-town visitors are my sister Stephanie and my niece Sonia. They'll be arriving on Thursday. I'm so excited to see them and for them to meet Claire. In the meantime, we still have the pleasure of Stu's company (until April 1st when he moves into his own place here in Edmonton).

After Mom left yesterday, we went to visit our friends Michelle and Doug and their kids Amanda, Braden and Dan. They were really excited to see Claire, and Claire had a great time playing with Mandy and Braden; they were really great with her. Thanks Mandy and Braden for entertaining Claire!

Here are a couple of pics of our visit.

Happy Birthday, Ava!

Today, Claire's friend Ava turned one year old and we were thrilled to be invited to her birthday party. (We travelled with Ava's parents, Beth and James, as well as their daughter Helena, to China to meet Ava and Claire.) Here's a photo of Ava and Claire celebrating Ava's happy day.


Claire's pigtail hairdo was my little hairstyling experiment for the day. Paul and my brother Stu weren't very impressed with my efforts this morning. However, Paul changed his tune after he and I went to the hair salon today (he had his hair cut while I showed Claire off to my stylist and all her friends). All the girls loved Claire's pigtails (and kindly didn't mention the bumps and slightly off-kilter tails) so Paul started to think they were okay after all. I think Stu still

disapproves.

Anne: this hairdo is for you!

Grandma and Claire

Bottom's up!

Here's a picture of Daddy and Claire cuddling last night, both enjoying their bottles.

I've also enclosed a picture of my mom, Mary, with Claire this morning. They are showing off the Christmas stocking my mom cross-stitched for Claire. Yes, it's a little early for Christmas, but if you know my mom, her tendency to complete projects ahead of time isn't a surprise. Isn't it beautiful?

One month anniversary

Today, it has been one month since we received Claire. On one hand, it's hard to believe it's been a month already, and on the other hand, it seems like we've been with Claire for a much longer period of time.

It was Paul's first day back at work today, so Claire and I kept busy with my mom. We played a lot, practiced walking and went out to Toys R' Us to buy a Jolly Jumper, which Dad assembled tonight. Here are a couple of pics from today's events.

Grandma's here!

Last night, my mom arrived from Saskatoon with a few tricks up her sleeve. Her first was unveiled today as she taught Claire to finally move her legs allowing her to take her first assisted steps. We had been trying for so long, knowing that her legs were strong, but she just didn't seem to get the movement (she'd lock her knees like Frankenstein). Mom's trick was to lean her slightly forward so that Claire felt she needed to step forward to maintain her balance. All of a sudden she was taking one step after another, knees high in the air.

Mom hasn't disclosed her other tricks but we know they are there. Here are a few pictures of our visit so far. (ps. Claire is wearing the same dress as when she met the other Grandma - gotta treat the Grandma's the same)

Finally!

Claire had a great sleep last night and needless to say, the rest of the household did too. This was her best yet!

She fell asleep around 8:30, which is pretty early for her. We fully anticipated that she'd be up for a couple of hours partying in the middle of the night. Surprise, surprise, she slept right through until 9 this morning (with the 5-minute exception of crying enough that we'd bring her to our bed). If she keeps this up, we'll all be happy campers!

Happy bathing

Claire has not enjoyed her baths ... until today. We started off using a baby tub but that freaked her out, so then I had to have a bath with her (holding her the whole time). Earlier this weekend, we reverted to using the baby tub again but Claire really hated it. Then I read Carolyn's blog (we travelled with Carolyn and Marvin) and saw that she had a lot of success giving Kennedy a bath in the kitchen sink. Eureka! The kitchen sink had totally slipped my mind as a possibility. Today, we tried it out and Claire had a pretty decent time, I think.

Here are some pictures from Claire's bath and lounging around afterwards.

I love Grandma and Grandpa!

On Friday, Paul's parents came to visit from Saskatoon. They just left a few minutes ago (around noon on Sunday) and they were so sad to say goodbye (zai jian!) to Claire.

Claire cried a bit at first when Grandma held her but Grandma was so much fun that Claire soon settled in for a good play. I know a lot of the adoption books say not to let others hold the baby at all for quite some time but Claire is so attached to me that I wasn't worried. I even let Grandma feed her but then I started to have second thoughts - or maybe I just missed her (I'm not used to having empty arms now).

We'll see Grandma and Grandpa again at Easter in Saskatoon, if they don't visit again before then. Next visitor: Grandma Kehrig from Saskatoon later this week. Can't wait!

Joanne, Wally, Claire and Paul

Proud grandparents

Grandma and Claire having a great old time.

Settling in

Last night we went to see our friends, Rod and Marianne, and Claire really charmed them. I think she misses being around other people, so we've got to keep up our visits. Today, Paul's parents are coming up from Saskatoon to see their first grandchild for the first time and I know they can't wait! We can't either.

Despite jet lag, adjusting to the time zone and our head colds, we managed to get Claire's health card and social insurance number issued this week, all in her Canadian name. Paul was the one out taking care of this and it sounds like it wasn't too much of a hassle. We also went shopping! Claire was far too big for all the 6 - 12 mos clothing we had in China for her, so equipped with my handy gift cards from friends at work, we got her several gorgeous new outfits that fit her perfectly. I've also rememied the lack of appropriately-sized footwear: she now has four pairs of shoes and I'm sure there will be more.

Marianne, me, Claire and Rod

Getting her daily exercise

Showing off one of her new outfits

And even more photos

I'm having difficulty posting more than three or four photos at a time, so that's why I'm doing multiple postings.


Paul with Claire at the People's Park in Nanchang

At the Tengwang Temple in Nanchang

Babies with moms (and one dad!) in our travel group at our Goodbye to China party. Thanks to Yulin for a wonderful party!

More photos from our trip

Home for a week!

Well, in true new-parent fashion, we've let a lot of things slide ... including updating our blog. I had intended to do a full re-cap of our incredible trip but with the demands on my time right now from little Claire, I think that would be far too ambitious. Suffice it to say (for now) that the trip was amazing, Claire is the best little girl ever, our travel group was wonderful and Paul and I are absolutely thrilled. Here are a few pics from our trip. I'll try to post more photos soon.

Above to the right: our first family photo, minutes after we first met Claire (the white blanket is the special receiving blanket from my Grandma Pauline)



Paul and Claire the first night together

At the People's Park in Nanchang














Family photo on the Great Wall (thanks to Beth for taking a great shot!)

5 sleeps to go!

Well, we leave for China tomorrow (February 1st) and will receive Claire in just a handful of days now. I think we're pretty much ready to go: we're all packed, the house has been baby-proofed, and my brother Stu is all set to housesit / catsit for us. Thanks Stu!

Thank you all for your support during our adoption journey. Your phone calls, emails and visits mean so much to us.

To all our travel-mates: we can't wait to meet you in Beijing. Have a safe trip and see you very soon!

Claire's room is ready!

I've organized all of Claire's wonderful gifts and have re-decorated her room slightly to accommodate all her great stuff. Check it out!

9 sleeps to go!

Today we received an update from our coordinator about Claire's measurements. She's the littlest button in the group!

She truly is petite at 25.2 inches tall and 14.3 lbs. For all our friends and family who gave us 6-12 month outfits and worried they'd be too small, worry no more. In fact, we're especially grateful because she'd probably swim in anything bigger than that right now.

I've officially begun packing now and I feel like I have everything under control. I'm sure I'll change my tune on Wednesday, though, when we're less than 24 hours from leaving!

Our itinerary

Last Friday, we received our itinerary from our coordinator. We're going to China a couple of days ahead of most families in our group, so I've made a note in the summary below to indicate when we meet up with everyone.

• Thursday, Feb. 1: depart Canada
• Friday, Feb. 2: arrive in Beijing and settle in to the State Guest Hotel (a.ka. Presidential Plaza)
• Saturday, Feb. 3: do whatever we please! (Will probably tour the Forbidden City)
• Sunday, Feb. 4: do whatever we please until our guide picks us up to meet the rest of our group at the Sino-Swiss hotel near the aiport. We'll spend the night there.
• Monday, Feb.5: depart for Nanchang, the capital of the Jiangxi Province of China. Receive Claire at 4 p.m.! We'll be staying at the Gloria Plaza Hotel in Nanchang.
• Tuesday, Feb.6: do a bunch of paperwork at the Provincial Government Office (adoption registration, apply for Claire's Chinese passport)
• Wednesday, Feb.7: visit the Tengwang Temple
• Thursday, Feb.8: receive Claire's adoption documents
• Friday, Feb.9: receive Claire's passport and depart for Beijing
• Saturday, Feb.10: children's photos for their Visas; tour the Beijing Zoo and the Summer Palace
• Sunday, Feb.11: tour the Great Wall of China
• Monday, Feb.12: medical exam for Claire; shopping in the afternoon
• Tuesday, Feb.13: shop at the Silk Store and indoor market
• Wednesday, Feb.14: kiss our little Valentine! And also tour Tiananmen Squre and the Forbidden City
• Thursday, Feb.15: depart for Canada. We arrive in Canada that same day, due to the time change.

12 more sleeps until we're with Claire!

16 sleeps to go!

Today, we received parcels from Kelley and Paul, as well as Kelley's parents Elaine and Dennis who live in my hometown in Saskatchewan.

Kelley has already sent numerous gifts for Claire so I was very surprised to see yet another parcel from her! She and I are both scrapbookers, so she sent this notebook for me to jot down observations while we're in China so that I'm equipped with ideas when we return home. Check out that cute little photo of Claire on the cover!

We also buy each other rubber boot-themed gifts on a regular basis (it's a long story) so it was fitting that she sent these cute little boots for Claire.

When Kelley and I were young, I always admired the home-made care bears her mom, Elaine, crafted. When I mentioned this to Elaine a couple of years ago, she obviously made a mental note of this because about a month later, I received my very own bear! Much to my surprise, we received a parcel from Elaine and Dennis today that contained a bear for Claire, as well as a matching blanket. (Elaine must have been worried that I was too attached to my bear to share it with Claire!) Claire's bear is named Lacie Daisy and I know Claire will love her!

Thank you so much, Kelley, Paul, Elaine and Dennis!




Left: me with my own bear in October of 2005

Right: Lacie Daisy with matching blanket

A baby shower!

On my last day of work (January 17), my work friends / colleagues held a baby shower for me. It was amazing - they really thought of everything. The room was decorated with helium balloons and super-cute pink decorations on every available surface. They also had a panda bear cake!

The most amazing thing, though, was the obvious kindness and big-heartedness from everyone there. I work with incredible people. With a touching introduction from one of my first colleagues and friends at the office (a guy - how progressive is that at a baby shower?!) to all the people who came to wish us well, to my colleagues taking pictures for my scrapbooks, to another colleague taking detailed notes of presents for thank you notes, I was just overwhelmed. And that was before I even saw all the gifts! Everyone was insanely generous, as you can see from the picture I've posted. In addition to these gifts, we also received two very generous gift cards which I will immensely enjoy using.

To anyone at the office reading this post, thank you so much; I can't express how much I appreciate your thoughtfulness and friendship.

Claire's finding ad

Orphanages in China are required to run a provincial newspaper advertisement for children that are found and brought to their orphanage. They are called "Finding Ads." These ads contain information about where and when the children were found and which orphanage is caring for them. Originally these were text-only ads, but most provinces now include photographs in their ads.

I ordered Claire's finding ad through a company in the States and just received it today. This is very likely the first photo ever taken of her. The ad tells us that she was born on April 11, 2006 and found that same day. It also says "she has thick black hair, and wore a flowered shirt with Monk's collar". The ad ran in the Jiangxi Economic Daily on June 19, 2006.

21 sleeps to go (and I love baby shoes!)

The countdown is really on now. I have only two days left of work, there are only 17 sleeps until we leave for China and only 21 sleeps until Claire is in our arms!

I recently purchased three pairs of PediPeds and am fighting the temptation to buy more shoes of all brands, styles and colours. There's something about baby shoes that is is so cute!

27 sleeps to go!

Alberta Children's Services called today and said our Notice of Coming to China (issued by the Chinese government) is in, so I'll be picking that up tomorrow. We're another step closer to Claire!

I can't believe we'll be with her in less than a month. And I can't believe I have only six days of work left. I'm excited and nervous all at the same time.

33 sleeps to go!

Wow, time is flying fast. It's already been more than a month since we received our referral and it is now less than a month (February 1) until we leave for China. Plus, I only have 10 working days left!