Thanks for the comments

Thanks everyone for the wonderful comments, I wasn't able to receive them in China so I didn't read them until we got home....they were very sweet....it will be nice to read all the PBB blogs without using anonymouse-

We are home

We are home and happy to be here finally!! So far so good. The kids have been sharing and Aleaya seems genuinely happy to have a little brother. Skeeter is really tired and so are we...it was a very long flight but he was pretty much a trooper. I can't believe he didn't cry more often, he was really great.

Medical exam pictures

Today

Today is the day we wait in our room for hours hoping that everything is okay for our Consulate appt. The sun is finally shining here and this would be a good day to get out of the hotel. Yesterday it was freezing, coat weather for sure.

Skeet is finally getting used to me and blew me an air kiss this morning. I was shocked. I had been blowing him kisses all week hoping he would catch on and give me one. He is so cute and full of smiles but BOY does this kid have a temper. I don't think the word "No" is in his vocabulary. Humm, well this word does exist at our house so I think it will be a hard couple of weeks.

We had his medical exam yesterday and he weighs 25 lbs....he feels a lot lighter than that. He is just a tiny little thing. He did not like his visit to the clinic AT ALL.....he cried and cried....I'm sure he remembers a guy in a white coat putting casts on him and wasn't to excited to see another guy like this. poor baby, but I do think more casting is in the future for him. At least new braces for sure since the ones he has fall off after about an hour into his sleep. Wonder how long this has been going on and wonder if this might be the reason he will need more casting. which is a little frustrating...if the shoe fits wear it, if it doesn't time to get a new one...I know maybe they couldn't afford it but now he will have to endure more pain because the brace has been falling off.....I guess I should be thankful his feet have been fixed......so I will get off my soap box :)

We are going to Sebastian's Birthday party this afternoon...I will take lots of pictures....this should be a good time for all..........It is great to be here with all the other PBB's.....

Ben and Paula

Paula finally received Ben yesterday. I was so excited to finally meet him but was suprised of the effect it had on me.....you see, Ben is from the same orphanage as Scotty and they would have been very close to the same age and probably play mates.........for the first few minutes of seeing him I was overwelmed with sadness and cried some tears for our little Scotty......I tried to stay strong but my tears had a mind of their own....I hope that Paula can forgive me and she knows how truly excited I am that Ben is with her.....he is a little cutie pie!!!

more pictures

Isn't he a cutie pie?

skeet with a do-rag

the boys from our group

the girls from our group

Safari zoo

feeling ill again.......

My dad and I are both sick again. He was throwing up last night and my tummy has been really upset...I went to sleep at 3 pm yesterday and didn't wake up until this morning....every joint in my body hurt, is it possible to feel pain in between your toes??? because I swear it even hurt there. I feel a little better today...not sure if it was food poisoning or the flu,,,but it sure seems we are passing it along...so far Skeet and Sami haven't had anything going on...for this I am thankful.......

We are meeting tonight for dinner with the group, this should be a good time and Paula finally gets Ben today, can't wait to see that little guy...he is from the same orphanage as Scotty and was probably a friend of his since they were close in age........

I haven't downloaded the pictures yet from the safari zoo but will do that sometime later....I will also take pictures tonight at dinner.........all the kids are just so cute!!!

Guangzhou

We made it to Guangzhou........finally the last leg of our trip. I am ready to go home and see my baby girl, I miss her. We arrived this afternoon with some of the other PBB's......it is so nice to see everyone and also Stefani...........I still haven't met Dawn,Sharon or Tonya IRL yet......I'm sure I will meet them in the morning when we go to the Safari zoo..........

Skeet is starting to get used to me...still a little hair pulling going on but he seems to feel more secure with me. He is so cute and a ball of laughs, he was hysterical tonight at Lucy's dancing to the music at the dinner table in his high chair.

no pictures for today but I am able to see comments now if anyone would like to leave one....more tomorrow and hopefully some pictures from the zoo.

Nap time

Skeeter fell asleep today in his stroller. I took him for a walk and after about 40 laps down the hall he finally fell asleep. notice how he likes to wear his bib backwards like superman already, its so funny.I'm so excited about the boy factor,trucks,etc.....not so much the hair pulling though :) We were going to go out and go to some local stores to go shopping today but our guide Richard is stuck waiting for Tyler's passport and Matt is in bed with a bout of tummy trouble, we think it is something he ate, he is really sick, I don't think I have seem my husband barf in seven years of marriage until today, poor baby.......very thankful again for Lisa C's medicine cabinet...................Thank you, Lisa!!!

Dad and Sami are also napping, I think they are getting bored. We leave tomorrow for Guangzhou, we hope Matt feels better by then. We leave at 10:30 am amd will be staying at the Victory hotel.

I just want to say we really appreciate our Guide Richard, he is a really nice guy and very thoughful. If anyone is traveling to Guiyang soon I would ask to use him...He is wonderful.

I also can't say enough about Angela in Beijing, she is the bomb. I would use her again if we ever go to Beijing again.

A busy day!!

We had a busy day-I met flower and her father while everyone else went to the monkey park. Then we all met later for lunch. She is very sweet and we had a good time. I am so tired and need to get some sleep so this will be a short post. Tyler finally seems to be warming up to me,only received a few battle wounds today. He is so cute.....A funny story that happened today, we actually were in a taxi and they were pulled over and received a ticket!!! WOW, we were shocked, for all you BTDT people you will understand why this seems strange and humerous too-usually while in China the best thing to do while riding in a taxi is to get in, hold on and CLOSE your eyes!!!! Oh and pray you arrive at your destination safely!!!

I miss Aleaya so much...My mom is taking good care of her. She doesn't really want to talk about Skeeter though so it might be a little hard when we get home...she seems jealous even over the phone!! We have Skype so we call home everyday for merely pennies, it is amazing...for everyone traveling soon SKYPE is the way to go!!!

comments

I am not able to read any comments so everyone who comment to us-thank you, I will read them when I get home-the firewalls in China are keeping me out!!!!

plans have changed!!

Trudy called this morning and we are meeting for coffee. I also have the chance this afternoon to go to the Guiyang SWI with Trudy and her husband. If you don't remember who Trudy is she is the lady who was in charge of Hua's surgery and asked Amy from LWB if they could help. Hua is arriving this afternoon and I will get the chance to meet her tomorrow sometime. I am very excited to meet Hua and her family. Again, I'm sure (at least on my part) there will be more tears....I will try not be a blubbering fool after finally meeting Hua.


The rest of my family did end up going to the Minority Village this morning with Richard. I guess I will get to see the pictures...I didn't want to pass up the chance to go the orphanage and meet with Trudy so that we can finally chat in person. She is a great lady. I'm sure skeeter won't mind being away from his Mommma for a few hours-I got scratched, my hair pulled, smacked and a truck thrown right square at my nose this morning, OUCH.........the boy loves me so....lol!!! It doesn't matter be can beat me to a pulp, I will continue to love on my little guy until he FINALLY loves me back.........better buy some stock in band aids and neosporine while waiting to be loved........for a little guy he has some umpph behind his smacks!!!

cutie pie

"I'm ready, Where is my dinner?

A smile for Mommy

pictures

part of the city

our guide Richard telling us about the ancient city

walking into the city

We went to an Ancient Town yesterday. The town is over 600 yrs old. It is a minority town with lots of beautiful hand made things. We had hot pot for lunch and it was very good, wasn't really too excited to get a chicken head or chicken foot when I was looking for some more chicken. I guess when in Rome, okay maybe not ;). Today we were going to go to a Minorioty Village to see them dance and sing but we won't be able to. We heard last night because of the bad weather part of their village has been washed away. Please say a pray for these poor villagers, I hope that they can rebuild the damage caused.

About Skeeter-(Tyler) he seems to be doing better, although he seems to enjoy Matt more than me. He only wants me when he needs something LOL, nothing new there. He is the cutest thing but boy does he have a temper. He likes to kick and scream when he doesn't get what he wants, the good news is it only lasts a few minutes. He usually calms down quick if you pick him up. he loves noodles, vegetables and fruit...what a good boy. he has slept thru the night every night. I feel so blessed to have another child who sleeps all night long. I didn't think I would be so lucky but it is true...YIPEE, thank you, Jesus.

I think today instead of the Village we will go to the monkey park and do some shopping at the Friendship store...will write more later

more pictures

Adoption Day!!

fun with Dad and even a smile

almost a smile

Skeeter eating breakfast

Today was Adoption day so Skeeter is finally legally our son. His official name is Tyler Sheng-Le Callahan........but I can't seem to stop calling him Skeeter. He woke up this morning without crying, seemed a little happier. He is DEFINATLY used to getting WHATEVER he wants ...it is actually kind of cute-he has this little grunt when he wants something-like our guide said "he has his own language" I just think everything he does is cute at this point. Maybe in a few days the grunting might take its toll and we will have to resort to other things-at this point he is just testing the water and it cracks me up..............so I guess you could say he is continuing to get WHATEVER he wants from us.............

He is taking a nap now........worn out from running around the lobby, he is so full of energy....

Tomorrow we go the an Ancient Village and maybe the park with the monkeys. This should be fun. My Dad is getting bored with all this adoption paperwork so it will be nice for us to finally do some sightseeing again. At the moment Matt and Sami are getting a foot massage.

A "little" happier!!!

Wow, that was so hard. Skeeter came into the room with his foster parents and Grandma. As soon as I saw his foster momma's tear stained face I LOST IT!!! They were just so sad and devastated to give up this little boy. Skeeter has lived with this wonderful family since he was 10 days old...........I can not even fathom the grief they must be feeling and the grief our little guy is going thru........they loved him so much!!! They sent him with some clothing and formula and snacks not to mention EVERYTHING I had ever sent him included 2 cameras filled with pictures to develop. They also sent a little photo album with lots of pictures of him and his foster family. Also a wonderful letter they had translated. The whole room was crying before it was all over...even poor Richard, our guide!!! It was so bitter-sweet for us, we are very thankful that Skeeter has been loved and hope to keep in contact with his foster family.........please say a prayer for this wonderful family and our little guy!!!

On a happier note, he cried until we came back to the hotel room and he fell asleep in my arms 5 minutes later...he is SO cute!!! He giggles and when he hears music the guy is ready to boogie!! It is so hilarious to watch!! He hasn't been upset since the initial reaction....we started playing peek-a-boo after his very short nap and he was okay with that. He is a little peanut and I know now it is because he never stops-even when he is standing, he is in motion-did I mention how cute he is?????????

About his feet-THANKFULLY his feet were corrected by the ponseti method of casting. I am so happy about that...it does look like he will have to have some more castings done-he does wear a brace at night. it doesn't seem to bother him, he must be used to it. We received a letter that said he needed to wear his brace until he is 4 yrs old. We will see when we get home what else needs to be done. The boy is not only walking but running!!!

sorry about the quality of pictures but the camera was acting up again!!! We promise more tomorrow...................

pictures of Gotcha day!!!

"let me out a here" poor little guy didn't want anything to do with me or Matt.

A very unhappy little boy-My poor baby!!!

Skeeter with his Foster Family.... happy until he saw us :(

more pictures

Like I said AMAZING!!!! At one point there was at least 12-20 girls on a bike-we didn't get a picture of it but definitely a "WOW" moment!

Waiting for the Chinese Acrobat show-I'm still looking a little pale and sickly!! (feeling it too at this point)the Chinese Acrobat show was awesome we never got the chance to see it last time we went to Beijing. I'm so glad I was able to see it this time.

Matt walking up the Great Wall

The Great wall

more pictures

Sami with some villagers

Grampy and Sami in Beijing

a picture of Sami and Matt's feet on the Ski lift up to the Great wall

grampy at the great wall

2.5 more hours

We meet Skeeter in a few hours...We are ready. Our guide's name is Richard and he is very nice so far. We took a taxi to Walmart to buy some diapers-that was an experience. It is a little different here in Guiyang. There are not to many American's that come here so you get lot's of stares. I don't think anyone is being rude just curious. I just smile-isn't that the universal language???

The weather is a little chilly but not as bad as I had planned for-this is good news!!! There is a little bit of freezing rain going on-seems almost like Washington weather...which is very different from the usual-sub-tropical climate Guiyang is known for.

I will post some pictures of the great wall and other things-more of an update after we get Skeeter-BTW his name is Tyler. Matt informed me of this....funny!!!


***Side note to Keri-those little tiny oranges are to die for!!! Wish I could bring some home for Claire.

Made it to Guiyang

We arrived in Guiyang today without barfing-WHOOO HOO, feeling much better now. We are really tired and it is only 730 pm-we are scheduled to receive Skeeter at 3 pm tomorrow. I will write more later and post pictures-right now I am going to catch some much needed ZZZZ's...very thankful for Lisa's medicine cabinet that she brought along to China, I am feeling almost human again....

We are here!!

We arrived in Beijing last night. I am not feeling to great, I hurled on the plane twice. I'm not sure if it is the flu or food poisining. Everyone went to the Great Wall today and on a rickshaw ride. I decided to stay at the hotel and recoup. We are going to a Chinese Acrobat show tonight so I am hoping to feel better. I will write more later.

leaving tomorrow on a Jet plane

Everything is packed and we are ready to go..FINALLY. I would take a picture of the luggage just for fun but it is already packed in the back of the van ready to go to the airport. Our flight doesn't leave until 1pm but we need to be at the airport 3 hours before our flight so we are leaving the house at 9 am. My mom is picking up Aleaya, she made me promise not to cry and make a scene when we say goodbye (yea, right, fat chance of that not happening) but I will try. I will miss my little girl so much!!! Thanks Mom, for taking care of her while we are gone!!!



I also want to apologize in advance for any spelling errors on my blog-for some reason my spell check isn't working. I am horrible at spelling to begin with-add some Jet lag and a new baby into the mix and FORGET it...so sorry in advance for any spelling errors :)

6 more days!!

Only 6 more days until we get to hold our little boy!! We leave on Wed. Feb. 13th at 1pm and then arrive in Beijing Feb.15th at 915 pm-via Tokyo...We will be sightseeing there for a few days and then off to Guiyang to pick up little Skeeter-the good news is-the weather report is FINALLY saying it isn't going to snow!!!

Then and Now

What a difference a year makes. My little girl is growing up......She will be three on Valentine's Day. We will be in China for her birthday picking up her little brother. Happy Birthday Sugar Plum, Mommy loves you!!!