Sara & Zanna

Here is what Sara wrote about Zanna today:

Zanna is perfect. She seems to be more mature in a
way than the other girls. She does a winking thing a
lot and I saw a small smile today. She likes to lay
on her Dad and sleep, especially in the bjorn. She
likes simple toys like cups and flashlights. She
tried to get to know piglet today, but that didn't
last too long before she was back to the cup. And,
she loves watermelon!

Chris said that Sara is so helpful, and he can't imagine being in China without her. I hope she is enjoying the trip. We are so grateful for her help. We need to settle on a name for Sara. The nickname I gave her when she was a baby is "Bean". Her nieces, Bella and Lola, call her "Beanie", so we can't use that one. What do you think about "Aunt Bean"?

Gotcha' Day

At 10:30 last night, after waiting 1 year, 11 months, and 11 days I was able to see Zanna for the first time. Chris called me, and I was able to see her live via Sara's computer. I wasn't expecting to be able to see her, so it was an excellent surprise! Sara sat the computer in front of the mirror so Zanna could see herself as I talked to Chris. I woke Calla up, and then we did two-way video so the sisters could see each other for the first time.


There was no ceremony involved in the hand-over of Zanna. The babies came into the room, and Sara spotted Zanna. When the orphanage worker started to hand Zanna to Chris, she tried to go to Sara. While I was watching her on video, she kept Sara in sight the whole time and cried when she left the room. They have agreed that Chris will take care of Zanna for the first few days, so she can bond to him. When Zanna got her passport photo taken, she cried until the woman handed her back to Chris, so it sounds like she is starting to see Chris as her daddy.

Chris says that Zanna hasn't smiled yet, and she seems very serious. Zanna is pretty traumatized by the whole thing. She also has a little congestion and looks like she doesn't feel well. She ate very little yesterday. She can sit without support, but she can't stand. She also pees every time he takes her diaper off. Darn those split pants! He did hear her babble a little bit, and she almost cracked a smile. Chris wants to have some time to just play with her. His goal is to get her to smile tomorrow.

I think she has the sweetest little serious face, and I can't wait to kiss it!

Gotcha' Delay

Chris called to say that their plane to Nanchang was delayed by about 5 hours. The travel group voted to postpone meeting their babies until tomorrow because it would have made their gotcha' time so late in the evening. They spent the day in the airport and got to the hotel at about 7:30pm (there).

Apparently, the hotel, and Nanchang in general, is a little grimy. I was able to talk to both Sara and Chris via Skype, which was cool. It was like having a 4-way conference call between Sara, Chris, Calla and me. Sara and Chris's pizza arrived while we were talking, so we signed off.

They will get Zanna at about 10:00am there and will call me when they get back to the hotel at about 12:30am (here). I will get to say "Mama loves you" to little Kun Kun in just a few more hours. Of course, she will quickly learn to respond to "Pudlet", "P-Dad", "Jo Jo", and all the other names we have already started calling her.

The Wall

Sara and Chris went to the Great Wall today. Look at the cool photo Sara took with the moon in it. They also drove by the new Olympic Stadium. You can see why they call it the "bird's nest".

Happy Birthday, Zanna!

Today is Zanna's first birthday. I wish we could all be together, but Chris and Sara will have her in a few more hours.

I talked to Chris this morning, and he said they took a "forced march" tour to the Great Wall and the Summer Palace. He was glad he had been to both places before on more informative and leisurely tours. Two days to see the sites in Beijing means you don't get to linger much.

When we wake up in the morning, Zanna will be with Chris and Sara.
Happy Birthday, Baby Girl! We love you!

Jet Lag

Chris reports serious jet lag this evening. He sounded exhausted on the phone. He and Sara went to Tiananmen Square, the Forbidden city, and ended the day with the acrobat show. He said there is a lot of construction going on everywhere and things looks different in Beijing than they did four years ago.

He received some updated information about Zanna. Her nickname at the orphanage is "Kun Kun", she eats 6 times per day, and she takes two, 2-hour naps each day.

Tomorrow, they will go to the Great Wall and the Summer Palace. I hope it is warmer there tomorrow morning than it was here this morning!

Click on the photos to see them better.

Chris and Sara Have Landed

I talked to Chris a few minutes ago, and he and Sara have landed safely in Beijing. They will catch a few winks and be off to the Forbidden City and the acrobat show tomorrow. I will miss seeing the Forbidden City. I really loved it there.

Chris said the trip was long, but they endured. Sara should be traveling easier after she off-loaded the 11 pounds she was overweight on her luggage before they left the Indy airport! Sorry, Sara, I had to laugh about that!

I am feeling better now that I know they are in-country and getting closer to our baby. It's a good day!