On our way via HK and SF. USA

We are leaving on a jet plane. And we don't know when we'll be back
again. Correction. We will be arriving at the Orlando International
Airport at 9pm. We would love to see you all there. Thank you so much
for all your support over th past 17 days!!!!

All American Boy!

Here is our All American Boy!  WE ARE DONE WITH PAPERWORK!!!  We completed the last bit today at the US Consulate and completed the swearing in ceremony.  Tomorrow, we have to go back to the consulate to pick up Cruzen's Visa and then back to the hotel to pack.  We will leave on Friday morning for Hong Kong....and we are ready! 

 

Thanks to all of you who have followed our journey and commented on our postings....it has really been a blessing to see all of the support we have from our friends and family.  We will see you all very soon.

 

 

Quarantine and the Red Sofa

We started out te day after breakfast being quarantined to our room while the consulate paperwork was being processed. they don;t let you leave your room in the case they need to contact you for any questions they may have.   After we were able to leave the room we went out for a bit of walking around and then we we got to have our Red Couch pictures done.  CC had an awesome Chinese outfit that made him look like a little prince.  I have to say that it was a total circus trying to get 9 little kids to pose for a picture at the same time.   After the pictures we all went out for a "family style" dinner and then ended the day as usual with playtime at the White Swan.

 

Tomorrow is the swearing in day.  We will get CC all dressed up in his USA colors and take him to the consulate where we will get sworn in as his Mommy and Daddy.  After that it is just a matter of getting his Visa and then off to Hong Kong for the ride home. 

 

 

Another Day Closer

It was another good day today.  The group went to a Buddhist temple and then off to what will be the last day of "official" shopping....And there was MUCH rejoicing!  We had a nice dinner and then finished the night off with another play date with all of the kids in one room.  Cruzen is really holding his own with the other kids.  He loves to run and throw the ball around.  He is a big helper to everyone....he loves to hand people things and loves to help clean up his toys.

 

We ar very much looking forward to coming home the day after the day after tomorrow.  We can't wait to wake up on Saturday morning and have breakfast with OUR BOYS!!

 

P.S.  Claire...Those Luscious Lips are for you!  haha

 

 

 

A Day at the Zoo (Part 2)

We are back at the hotel for a short while before we meet a few other families for dinner. Cruzen didn't care for most of it but had fun with Mommy of the carousel before he enjoyed a nice long nap.  Although it rained early this morning it has not rained since we left the hotel today so it was overcast and a very comfortable temperature.  Tomorrow we are going to the government shops to look at Jade and pearls before we come back to the hotel for a little more R&R.  Shopping takes it out of you around here...VERY HECTIC.  

 

We are anxiously waiting for Tues, Wed and Thur when we get to finalize the US side of the paperwork and get closer to going to Hong Kong for that loooong flight home. 
 

A Day at the Zoo (Part 1)

It has been another great day.  We went to the zoo and safari.  TT loved the Panda Bears and they loved the bamboo.  We spent a lot of time walking around but then we got to ride on a train through the safari side to see a lot of different animals including our favorite...the White Tigers...they were beautiful.  Here is TT's favorite Panda of the day and Mama and CC having a little fun!

 

 

 

 

 

Negative! Yeah!!!!!

We have confirmation that Cruzen is negative for TB!  That means that we have completed all of the hurdles that would prevent us all from leaving on Friday!  Praise God!  We spent most of the day shopping and just hanging around.  Tomorrow we have plans with the rest of the families to visit the zoo.  There is a 50% chance of rain tomorrow so I hope we hit the other 50% of NO RAIN.  We know that Cruzen would absolutely love to go see the animals. 

 

He was wonderful today.....as opposed to being wonderful every other day....  He is such a Joy and he is learning so fast it boggles the mind.  He is picking up sign language and English so fast we are able to communicate more easily every day.  We had an awesome Italian dinner tonight with the rest of the families and then TT went off to get another massage and PP and CC went back to the room for a bath, milk and off to bed.  He actually picked out his PJ's tonight.  I love to see that his opinions are starting to come through.  He wanted to do everything daddy did tonight.  From putting his shoes in the same place, to getting the bed ready.  He is so awesome I can hardly stand it! 

 

The pictures above show Cruzen all set to go shopping, but not before a quick stop at Starbucks before the grueling day began....lol

 

 

 

 

 

Much Needed Downtime

We decided to just relax and take it easy today so that's what we did.  We finally made it to breakfast at 10am and then came back to the room. (Very Tiring Elevator Ride...lol)  So tiring that we all took naps.  We all pretty much slept till about 3:30pm and then took showers and did a little shopping and then we had some dinner with 3 other families.  We all had a play date after dinner at the White Swan room and then finished the night off with a little more shopping.  TT bought Kaleb and Cruzen matching Chinese outfits and some gifts.  It was a great day! 

 

Tomorrow we only have to go to the medical center to get confirmation that Cruzen is negative for TB...and it looks like he is!!  Praise God!  We will probably spend the rest of the day shopping and eating.....we may change it up a bit and spend the day eating and shopping....then off to the playground to wear our sweet pea out.

 

 

What a Day! (Part 2)

After Cruzen did a little coloring, TT went out for a nice massage (75 minute massage for $11.00!!) while PP and Cruzen hung out at the hotel and had some dinner.  Cruzen ate 6...count them....6 chicken wings on top of cheerios, fruit, orange juice and topped it off with a bite of cake and chocolate.  When TT got back PP was just finishing up Cruzen's bath. 

 

We Skyped with Bigi, Wiggi, and BIG BROTHER Kaleb.  Kaleb is so excited everytime he sees Cruzen and Cruzen is starting to talk a bit more to Kaleb.  They both spoke to each other tonight and called each other by their Chinese names....Ge Ge (Big Brother) and Di Di (Little Brother).  We cannot wait to get them home together.  They are going top be best friends!  Before the Skype was over Cruzen was OUT!  Here he is after a long hard day of it.  

What a Day! (Part 1)

We finally completed the China side of the adoption!  That means that all of the paperwork and medical requirements are complete except for waiting for the TB test results.  It looks good since there is no bump and it is not turning red at all.  We have a free day tomorrow and we are just going to lounge around and maybe do a little shopping. 

 

After we completed the medical exam this morning we went out for a bit of site seeing and shopping.  Here we are at the Guangzhou Market Square Mall.  The place is HUGE and the mall was 6 stories high.  Once back to the room, Cruzen enjoyed a nice bottle of warm milk.

 

 

Mommy, Daddy, and Me!

Here I am with Daddy at breakfast.....He loves me so much!  Mommy took care of me like only mommy can while we were at the medical center getting all of my doctor stuff taken care of....I love Mommy!

 

 

PINCH ME!

Pinch us because this is unbelievable. Cruzen has adapted so well and we are now Mama and Baba (Dad).  He is starting to respond to his name when we speak to him and he is such a loving little man.  He and Kaleb are going to be like peas and carrots...they are so much alike. 

 

Cruzen is definately not afraid of food.  He had a great dinner last night.  Lots of fruit and chicken.  After that we went back to the room for a bath and then off to bed we went.  His 1st night he slept from 10:30pm to 7am....We cannot believe it!!

 

 

 

 

GOTCHA!

After 3 1/2 years plus 1 day due to the Beijing snow storm we finally have our Cruzen Elijah and could not be happier.  Here we are at the CAB office and in the van (sleeping) on the way to the store to pick up some necessities.  He is a VERY happy little boy.....We are in LOVE!!!

 

 

 

Gotcha Day Delayed :(

Snowed in at Beijing Airport.  Gotcha Day is Delayed.....We hope to be out tomorrow but may be on Tuesday before we can leave.  All is well because God is in charge!
 

 

 

Our Great Day at the Wall

We had another fantastic day.  We started off by going to a Jade factory and then we were off to The Great Wall.  There were so many steps....who would have guessed?  but it was an unbelievable experience that we would not trade for the world.  We then left for an phenomenal lunch and then off to the Olympic Gardens to see the Water Cube and Bird's Nest.  It was so cold we could only handle about 15 minutes outside before we had to had back to the bus.  We are guessing it was somewhere around 0 degrees Fahrenheit.  Because we got done a bit early we were taken to a tea shop to see traditional tea making / etiquette, and then to a theater show to see Chinese acrobats.  Like we said, it was a fantastic day, but it pales in comparison to the joy we know we will experience when we finally meet Cruzen.  We have a 12:00pm flight out to Guangzhou tomorrow and then we meet Cruzen Monday morning.  We can't wait! 

 

 

 

 

Day 2

It is so amazing to be here.  We cannot believe we are at the end of day 2, but with the time change it feels like a week without sleep.  Our hotel is great and so far have had great luck with the food.  Today we went to the Forbidden City, which is amazing that a place that large was built for just 1 person.  We also went to a silk factory, a local market, and finally Tiananman Square.  Here are a few pictures of our travels.  Tomorrow we are off to the Great Wall!!!!