Isabella Part II

Isabella continues to bond with us each day. She has such a sweet personality and her smiles and laughter come so easily now. We have completed all of the requirements from the Chinese Government for our adoption and now await our appointment Wednesday at the US Consulate for the final step in our adoption process. We have received approval from our agency to visit Isabella's orphanage located about 4 hours away from Guangzhou in a town called Zhilong Town near the South China Sea in Yangxi County, Guangdong Province. We are scheduled to leave early Tuesday morning for the orphanage tour and are so excited to see where Isabella spent the first 10 months of her life and her finding spot as well. As you can see from the new pictures, Isabella is an absolute joy. Our time in Guangzhou has gone by fast and we have been fortunate enough to get to spend time with 2 other families who have been a lot of fun to hang out with during our week here. They both have other children with them on the trip and we have enjoyed our time exploring Guangzhou with them. We would like to thank those who have sent emails and words of encouragement throughout our journey and look forward to seeing everyone when we return.

Isabella!!!!

At 3:30 yesterday afternoon, we finally held Isabella in our arms for the first time! Along with two other couples adopting through our agency, we went to the local Civil Affairs Office and in an exciting, inspirational, chaotic and unforgettable scene, we entered a 3rd story room full of adoptive parents from other agencies waiting for their children. We were blessed with the opportunity to observe several other families receiving their children as part of their forever family and then heard the name "Hill" being called out. One of the prettiest, tiniest girls we have ever seen came into our room with the orphanage director and Mom had the fortune of holding her first. Isabella instantly melted all of our hearts as we took turns holding her. Her transition to us was very smooth and soon after she was comfortably in Ellen & Sophia's arms taking a nap. Isabella slept through the entire night for us and her personality is really coming out today with plenty of smiles and laughter. Sophia has been fantastic throughout the trip and is great with Isabella. It's as if they were always part of God's plan to be together. As you can see from her pictures, she is absolutely BEAUTIFUL!!.


Mom getting ready to hold Isabella for the first time!

A very happy Mom & Dad moments after seeing Isabella in person for the first time

Daddy's little girl!

Seeing her big sissy for the first time

Happy and snug with Mommy & Sophia

Beijing

After a wonderful 13 hour train trip on an overnight sleeper train from Changsha to Beijing, we arrived at the Beijing Railway Station at 7:10 a.m. Thursday morning. The train trip allowed us to see the beauty of China's countryside and experience travel the way most Chinese do throughout the country. We were fortunate enough to share our 4 bed compartment with a female University student from Changsha who we enjoyed speaking to during our trip (In China each train compartment has 2 bunk beds that sleep four people per room. You are not allowed to purchase extra tickets and thus a group of 3 will usually end up sharing their compartment with a stranger). It was truly an adventure we will never forget.

Sophia & Mom in Tiananmen Square

Sophia and Mom in Forbidden City

Sophia and Dad inside the Forbidden City

Sophia and Dad in front of marble carving in Forbidden City

Mom and Sophia in Forbidden City

Karate Kid Part IV

Sophia & Dad on top of the Summer Palace

Sophia and Mom in front of the famous 17 arch bridge at the Summer Palace

The Chaoyang Acrobat Troupe

Beijing has changed so much in the 9 years since we were last here. The tens of thousands of bicycles we saw in 2003 have been replaced by thousands of vehicles as the standard of living has drastically improved under the "Great Opening Up" of the economy in China. The dour gray buildings we saw in 2003 have been replaced by some spectacular high rises that light up with striking colors at night. What hasn’t changed is the smog that permeates the city during most of the day. During our 3 days in Beijing for our orientation, we were able to see the Forbidden City, Summer Palace, Olympic Park, Chaoyang Acrobatic Troupe and the wonderful Great Wall section of Mutianyu that was definitely our favorite of the sightseeing we have been on so far. While the weather has been gray and rainy for some of our trip, the day we went to the Great Wall was a beautiful day with blue sky and the sun we have been missing for the past several days. As you can see from our pictures, it was absolutely beautiful. With Beijing and our orientation now complete, we are headed to Guangzhou and Isabella!!!!!





Near the top of the Mutianyu Section of the Great Wall



Sophia and Mom outside of a guard tower on the Wall

Changsha

We’re Back! We’ve been on an internet blackout since Sunday. Our visit to Changsha is now complete and we are in Beijing for orientation with our agency for adoption of Isabella. We wrote up our Changsha highlights in Word format in our Changsha hotel and can now post our memorable visit to our blog!

Sophia being greeted at the new SWI 2 by her Chinese name

Sophia inside of her orphanage room at the old SWI 2

2nd floor hallway outside Sophia's orphanage room

Mural still on the walls of the old orphanage building at old SWI 2

Sophia pointing to her orphanage room-2nd floor left

Sophia's nanny picking her up upon seeing her for the first time since 2003

Sophia outside of the 1500 year old Taoist Temple in Langli Town

Posing for picture with the 3rd grade class and their teacher and principal

Sophia and parents taking a picture with the 3rd grade class in Langli Town

Changsha Day 1

We arrived in Changsha, China on Sunday evening at around 5:00 p.m. to begin Sophia’s heritage tour. Changsha has always had a special place in our hearts as this is the city where we first held Sophia in our arms at the Huatian Hotel on November 2, 2003 (“Gotcha Day”). On Monday morning, we were met at our hotel by our guide, Chris and a woman who had one of the biggest smiles on her face that we had seen in a long time. Her name was Ping Huang, the supervisor at the new Changsha Social Welfare Institute (SWI) 2 who was one of the workers at Sophia’s orphanage in the Langli Town where Sophia spent the first 10 months of her life. The joy on her face in seeing Sophia (who she still refers to by her Chinese name of Gui (pronounced “Gway”) Dong Ling) was so genuine that it touched us all. As we drove to the location of the new SWI 2 located outside of Changsha, Supervisor Huang held Sophia’s hand throughout the drive and spoke non-stop through our interpreter about Sophia’s life in the orphanage. She brought copies of Sophia’s file and a precious photograph of Sophia in the arms of her nanny at the old orphanage in Langli Town that we had never seen before. We learned a lot about Sophia’s first months of life that we had not learned before and were so grateful that we had this opportunity to fill the pages of Sophia’s life book. When we arrived at the new SWI 2, Sophia was treated like a movie star. A big welcome sign greeted her in the front lobby and the director greeted the three of us with a large bouquet of flowers. In the conference room, two of the ladies who handed Sophia over to us in 2003 came in to visit with Sophia along with the director and Supervisor Huang. We were so glad that we brought pictures of Gotcha Day in 2003 with us, as the ladies really enjoyed seeing pictures of themselves from this special day 9 years ago. We were then allowed to photograph Sophia’s orphanage file and were given a tour of the new SWI 2 which now serves special needs kids and the elderly in nice new buildings funded by China’s new lottery (a far cry from the old dilapidated building that the orphanage was located in 2003). Throughout the day, workers who worked at the old SWI 2 came by for a visit and expressed their joy that “Gui Dong Ling” had come back for a visit. Visits by adoptees who were cared for in the old SWI 2 are rare and the staff are overjoyed any time someone comes back for a visit. We were then given a tour of the grounds and Sophia met two girls who were with her on the second floor of the orphanage at old SWI 2 who were not adopted due to their disabilities—very, very heartbreaking but touching to see them hold Sophia’s hand and interact with her. A day of highlights ended when one of Sophia’s two main nannies heard that we were on the grounds and came running towards us to give Sophia a hug. On the way back to our hotel, we stopped by the Huatian Hotel and ate dinner and went down memory lane from the special time we spent there with Sophia, Calvin and the rest of the Hunan 10 (group of parents in our adoption group in 2003 who travelled together-many of us who have formed life long bonds), And to Stephen Gaulke-the Tsingtao Beer at the convenience store next to the Huatian is still ice cold and goes for under 50 cents a 600 ml bottle!

Changsha Day 2

We met our guide and Supervisor Huang at 8:00 and headed for Langli Town for a visit to the grounds of Sophia’s orphanage at old SWI 2.The Chinese government did not authorize visits to Changsha SWI 2 when we were here in 2003 and we were really looking forward to our visit to the site of SWI 2 and Sophia’s finding spot. When we arrived, we immediately recognized the front gate from our earlier pictures of what we were told was Sophia’s finding spot (but were not told it was the front gate of her orphanage) and were led to the second floor of the building which used to house the orphanage where Sophia spent the first 10 months of her life. While the building now houses the elderly, old murals of Mickey Mouse and other cartoon characters still grace the walls of the four floors of the old orphanage building containing 6 small rooms per floor. We were allowed to take several photographs of the grounds where Sophia and her friend Rachel Gaulke lived. Sophia enjoyed hearing stories from the supervisor about her life at the orphanage and you could see the sparkle in the supervisor’s eyes as she went down memory lane and told us about the play room, walks on the grounds, how the rooms were set up etc. The visit to the grounds was a special opportunity we will never forget! We then were shown Sophia’s exact finding spot just inside the front gate of the orphanage. After our visit to old SWI 2, we went to an area primary school where Sophia was once again treated like a movie star by the children and staff at the school. We spent part of the day in a 3rd grade classroom and the kids put on a special program for us and asked us questions about life in the United States. The kids in the school were so sweet and our time at the school, while totaling 2 ½ hours, ended much sooner than any of us wanted. We could have definitely spent a whole day there and the smiles would have never left our faces. After lunch with staff, we then visited a 1,500 year old Taoist temple located next to the old SWI 2 and capped the day off by visiting the Langli Police Station where all children are required to be processed when found. The Chief of Police and his assistants were very nice and welcomed us to their office, gave us fruit and tea and took plenty of pictures of us, since our guide explained that the police feel good about their role in helping babies to the orphanage and are overjoyed on the rare occasions that adoptees return for a visit and they see how well they are doing in the US. Day 2 was such a wonderful, joyful and rewarding day! Definitely a day we will never forget!!! 

Shanghai

Sophia in front of the Pearl Tower and other buildings by the Huangpu River

Sophia and Dad in front of the Maglev. What a ride!

Sophia and Mom on The Bund in front of the Pearl Tower

View of the Bund at Night.

After a 14 1/2 hour plane trip from Chicago, we finally arrived in Shanghai at 1:15 p.m. local time (12:15 a.m. Hiawatha time). After arrival we took the Maglev (magnetic levitation train) from the Shanghai Airport to the city center. It is listed as the fastest commercial train in the world and reaches speeds up to 268 mph. It was quite a ride! We set our clocks to Shanghai time as soon as we left Chicago and tried not to think of what time it is back home to aid with jetlag, but here it is 3:00 a.m. Shanghai time and Ellen and I are wide awake. What a beautiful city! We went to the famous "Bund" area last night (which is where Western countries such as England and the US set up banks and trading houses after the Opium War of 1842). As you can see from the pictures, the views from the Huangpu River are wonderful! Sophia is doing great. She is such a wonderful traveler. We will be in Shanghai just 2 nights as a stopping point before heading to her hometown of Langli Village outside of Changsha on Sunday. While Shanghai is beautiful, we can't wait for her heritage trip to begin and especially can't wait until our Gotcha date of July 2nd when we get to hold Isabella in our arms for the first time!!

Travel Dates Confirmed- June 7, 2012

Today, we officially received word from our agency that we made the June travel cutoff and that we will be leaving for China on June 21! Hard to believe that we'll be on a plane to Shanghai in two weeks and that Isabella will be in our arms shortly thereafter. Sophia will be making the trip with us and we are all so excited not only to hold Isabella for the first time, but for Sophia to see her birth country for the first time since her adoption at the age of 10 months. We are going a few days early so that Sophia can travel to her home province of Hunan along with the village in which her finding spot was located. We will be taking a train from Shanghai to Changsha, followed by an overnight train trip from Changsha to Beijing to meet up with our adoption group after our visit to Hunan Province. I am sure it will be an adventure that we will never forget!

Travel Approvals Have Arrived!!! June 5, 2012

What a great day! Holt just emailed us that our travel approval has been issued and received from China authorizing us to travel to China! Steve Hejna, the travel coordinator from Holt who has assisted us now on all three adoptions called and told me that it is looking good for a June travel date! We should officially find out by the end of the week. It was only last week that we were geting discouraged and starting to prepare for a July travel date and now it looks like we will be traveling in just a few weeks to have Isabella join our forever family! Words cannot adequately explain the multitude of feelings going though our minds right now: Absolute Unbridled Joy, Relief, Anxiety for all of the things on our "to do" list.......Hard to wrap our heads around the realization that our adoption dossier that was submitted to China almost 6 years ago on August 4, 2006, has now come to fruition.

Article 5 issued!! May 18, 2012

We just received word from our agency that our Article 5 letter was issued by the US Consulate in Guangzhou today. In plain English this means that our government has officially notifed the CCCWA in Beijing that we have met all requirements from our government to adopt Isabella and that they have approved the issuance of a US Visa for Isabella's return to the US  when our adoption is finalized in China. The only steps remaining are travel approval from China and confirmation of our Consulate dates at the US Embassy in Guangzhou-and we'll be on a plane to China!. Things have to go smoothly, but we still have outside hope for a June travel date!

I-800 Approval!!! April 19, 2012

Today we received word that our I-800 has officially been approved by the USCIS. Now we have to wait for the USCIS to send the approval to the National Visa Center who then "cables" the approval to the Chinese Consulate in Guangzhou, China. With modern technology (email) you would think that this would take a day or two. However, Holt tells us that it can take up to 2 weeks to receive the National Visa Center confirmation letter and another 2 weeks for the Consulate to receive the same (even though their "cable" is a simple email). We did read in the Rumor Queen blog that you can speed up the process by a week or so by emailing the NVC and requesting an electronic copy of their cable letter to the Consulate, so we immediately did the same. BTW, Rumor Queen is well known in China adoption circles as a woman who has a lot of contacts, time and talent in making projections on when parents will receive their referrals, current trends etc. She was a lifeline to many parents through this extended wait--in fact her blog first posted that parents with a Log In Date (LID) (date your dossier was logged in Beijing) of 8-31-06 would receive their referrals around the end of March which led to a mini celebration in our bedroom-No not that kind of celebration-when we read her blog at 4:00 a.m. on March 27th when I was up early that morning. (her blog is http://chinaadopttalk.com/category/referral-rumors/ for those who are interested) Well, another hurdle overcome. Just a few more to go.........

China Visas April 9, 2012

While we're waiting for our I-800 to be approved, it is now time to request our Visas from China. While most people are aware that you need a passport to travel abroad, some aren't aware that you need a Visa before you enter certain countries ( I know we didn't really know about it until we adopted Sophia). Unlike Ethiopia where the Visa is a routine matter approved at the airport when you land, China requires pre-approval of your Visa and only grants them in person at their embassy in LA and DC or their consulates in a few cities across the US. Since the closest consulate is in Chicago, we have to hire a courier through Holt's travel agency to file all of the paperwork on our behalf. Since Sophia has both a US and a Chinese passport, there are a few more requirements for her Visa that includes sending her original Chinese passport (that contains our earliest picture of Sophia) so that the Chinese authorities can mark it cancelled even though it expired in 2008. Go figure. Here's hoping that her Chinese passport with her precious picture is well taken care of and makes it back to Hiawatha for a treasured keepsake. To process the Visa, we have to have additional passport photos from what we have in our passports so we had a fun filled afternoon getting more passport photos at the post office. Audrey was along for the ride and the post office was nice enough to snap a picture of her so she could feel like part of the process. With the Visa's in the mail, one more thing can be crossed off the "to-do" list!

I-800 The Paper Chase April 1, 2012

While I enjoyed the 1970's era movie, The Paper Chase, the adoption paper chase can be a bit daunting for the uninitiated. Even though this is our third time through, there are new wrinkles/requirements every time. The I-800 is one of them. While Sophia and Audrey were under the old I-600, the ever changing USCIS (United States Citizenship and Immigration Services which changed its name from INS and is now under Homeland Security), has revamped the entire process. Even though adoptive parents all receive provisional approval through the I-800A application several months before receiving their referral (the I-800A is a very extensive application that requires a detailed home study containing tax returns for the past 3 years, clean medical exams for both parents, clean criminal history verified through separate Local, State, Federal and International criminal history checks and State and Local fingerprints, a personal visit to the local USCIS office in KC along with their large filing and fingerprinting fee) our government still requires a separate I-800 once you receive your child referral. To make matters worse, while our child is waiting for us in China, we have to mail the I-800 to a Texas lockbox facility only for them to hold it two weeks and mail it to the USCIS office in Lee's Summit, MO where the officer takes another two weeks to review the same application they approved 7 months ago. Then, add another 10 business days for the officer to "cable" the approval letter to our Consulate in Guangzhou, China and you can understand the frustration. But, it is what it is, and if the end result is holding Isabella in our arms and making her a part of our forever family, it's all worth it in the end.....

Packet Received March 30, 2012

The Stork has arrived in the form of the FedEx man. Our eagerly awaited FedEx package containing pictures and information on Isabella arrived today. According to the paperwork, Isabella is "a very dynamic and friendly girl...she likes being hugged...is very active in outdoors activity" We also received some more referral pics which we have posted here. Such a beautiful little girl whose eyes convey the sadness of a child without a family. Our travel approval dates from China cannot arrive soon enough! Holt is telling us that a travel date of mid to early July is the most probable date with a mid to late June date a slight possibility if immigration and China get everything completed in a timely manner.

Referral!!!!! March 29, 2012

On March 28, 2012, after 5 1/2 years of waiting, we finally received the phone call from our adoption agency (Holt International) that we had long been waiting for: We are now the proud parents of a beautiful 6 month old baby girl! After receiving the call from our agency, the entire family eagerly gathered around our computer to await the email from Holt that would contain Isabella's referral pictures. After what seemed like an hour (but was probably only 5 minutes), we finally saw the email in our Inbox and opened the most eagerly anticipated email we have ever opened. Unlike Sophia and Audrey, whose referral pics were sent via FedEx, Holt now sends a color scan of the referral photos via email so parents can have more instantaneous access to the long awaited pictures of what their children look like. As you can see from one of her referral pictures above, she is absolutely beautiful! Song Ying Ya (soon to be Isabella Song Ying Ya Hill) was born on September 2, 2011 in Guangdong Province in Southeast China. We should receive more information on her in the next week and will share more later. The whole family is eagerly awaiting our Journey to China sometime this summer when we will finally be able to hold Isabella in our arms!