Day 14: U.S. Consulate appointment and Thai Celebration Dinner

This morning we girls got dressed in our traditional Chinese silk dresses and we all went to the U.S. Consulate to give our oath, about the veracity of our U.S. Visa application for Katie. We now wait 24 more hours for the Visa to be placed in her passport, before we can fly into the U.S. with her. The moment we land in California on Thursday, she becomes a U.S. citizen! :)

Just look at Katie-bug in this picture!

My two princesses were GLOWING in their dresses!

I love how her eyes turn into charming moons when she belly laughs!!!

Can you tell she's happy to be a Becker?!?

We went to the pearl market to hand pick a couple freshwater pink pearls that they then made into an earring and pendant keepsake set in front of us...

We relaxed at the hotel in the afternoon, Duggy even watched the girls so I could take a nap, I've been sooo hungry in these past two days since I am feeling better, that all I could dream about was guacamole! Lol... I see a trip to Chipotle in my future!

In the evening, we went out to our first restaurant in days, to a Thai restaurant. With our guide translating and checking and double checking and triple checking with the cook, we enjoyed AMAZING coconut and duck curry (without the usual wheat flour they add). The girls were so cute, pretending to eat dinner before the food came!

Tomorrow is our last day and though I am excited to introduce our baby girl to our families, I just want to hold on to our memories and these first family moments! I'm so glad I did make time to blog, I'll always have those thoughts that I was feeling at the time and pictures to reminisce! I can't help but wonder, will we be back one day?

Day 13: FINALLY all feeling better, Family Fun Day at the Zoo Safari

First of all, we are ALL feeling much, much better! I'm finally able to keep food in my system and I'm maintaining my weight. The gluten reaction is finally done after 3 1/2 days, which came on the heels of a bad virus, but I had energy yesterday to walk 5 miles at the zoo!

Ok, if you are going to Guangzhou with a 3 to 12 year old, do not skip the zoo safari! SO cool! We were SO pleasantly surprised. It is on a huge piece of land and the vegetation itself is breathtaking, I felt like it was Papua New Guinea, but with more bamboo. Cara loved the safari!!! Katie loved the snuggling. :)

I'm holding 62 pounds of sweethearts right there!

Always holding hands

Watching the bears

Hippos! Up close and personal!

The animated, interactive Dinosaur park was REALLY cool, all the dinosaurs moved and were life sized, this one lifted it's head and opened it's frills, and squirted you!

Hi birdies, don't poop on us!

Feeding leaves to the giraffes!

We held these two in an Ergo and stroller and without, in every possible sweaty combination, for 5 hours, lol. Here's Daddy being AWESOME!

Even Katie-bug enjoyed feeding the giraffes!

Posing (and signing "grass" without knowing it, lol)

They love to wrestle!

A highlight for us, a playdate in the playroom with our friends, the Fouche's and their son, Trey, from Katie's orphanage. It was such a blessing to get to talk and listen and be understood! 

Today, in an hour or so, we go to the U.S. Consulate and we take a group oath with the Fouches and many other adopting families that about the veracity of her U.S. Visa application. They will then add her U.S. Visa to her passport in the next 36 hours, so that Thursday we can fly home. Honestly, I'm really loving this part of the trip now that I'm feeling better. I get to just focus on my girls. I will be posting some guidelines and adoption philosophies we'll be trying. "Cocooning" and attachment guidelines...

For now, I can't wait to spend another day with my sweet family!

Day 12: Mother's Day in China and some thoughts on Katie's cute "insomnia"

Our Mother's Day is wrapping up and they have all gone to bed... but I have a lot on my heart...

But last night Cara was up a few times with her double ear infection and finally, this morning, she asked if she could just lay next to her sister and "hold her hand"- and that would make her feel better. Seriously, y'all, my Mother's Day STARTED this sweet! I don't need anything else! Melt my heart...

Then later in the morning, as Katie was waking up, we were excited to finally successfully Skype to my 

whole family in Texas. This is Kate laughing at cousin Hunter playing Peekaboo! 

We lost our connection part way through but it was fun to introduce her to my sisters and family!

I was DETERMINED to make it a nice day, but I was really in pretty bad shape with my gluten issues still.

My girls! (and the super fashionable money belt/ fanny pack, lol) and {YES, Mom, I know I look too thin, I can't wait have Chipotle and a GF California Pizza Kitchen pizza when I'm home and hopefully well! :) }

We took rode in our van with our driver and guide to Shaiman's Island, a gorgeous place and quickly picked out some traditional silk Chinese dresses for the girls and I (best price for theirs was only $6 a piece, much more affordable than Beijing's prices!) I want them to wear the dresses on Tuesday for our group oath at the U.S. Consulate. 

lol, Doug is not the best photographer: he decapitates people! Katie was not so happy about her dress!

Then we went to a local Christian church on the Island that had been there since the 1800's, founded by French missionaries, but hadn't been free to worship freely for some time last century... It was beautiful to see the growing Chinese church, with a growing freedom of religion. We went to the English/ Chinese service and it was a special Mother's Day one...

It was definitely challenging keeping both girls quiet and happy during the service, thank goodness we have children's Sunday school teachers in the U.S. (thank you to Connie, Robin, and June who are subbing for me while I'm gone, and Robin as I type this! :) )

We got a set of shirts that say "Mama", "Baba", "MeiMei" (little sister for Cara), and "JieJie" (big sister for Katie), though I wish there was a term for just "sister", to avoid confusion, since we usually call K the little sister. Oh well...

The rest of the day was just relaxing and enjoying each other... 

Can you see how determined she gets to build the tallest tower possible?!?

The girls brought me a flower and a precious journal to keep and add to each Mother's Day, with pictures they drew and a super sweet letter from Daddy, 

...and I just can't believe how FULL my arms and heart are tonight as they sleep peacefully next to me! 

I am so ridiculously blessed. This one woman always tells me, "You don't know how lucky you are." No matter what I say, she replies, "No really, you really don't know." Honestly, it frustrates me when she says it repeatedly. Actually, I know JUST how blessed I am, because I spent YEARS aching for these two... dreaming, wishing, hoping, praying, working hard towards, and THESE are the two best moments of my mommy-hood:

 

11-22-10: I became a mommy to Caraline and 5-5-14: I became a mommy to Katie

(But for both I was very much their mama before I even met them, while I was praying for them and aching to finally meet them).

Some thoughts I had tonight:

Katie has a bit of "insomnia" in a sense, lately, it takes her 45 minutes to fall asleep instead of 15. 

I really thought about it tonight and I think she is just not used to so much brain stimuli and definitely not so much nurturing and love. We had got her calmed down for bedtime, then Cara decided it was time to wrestle and tickle and giggle. Cara fell asleep shortly afterwards, because she KNOWS that we'll be there tomorrow to play with her and feed her and love her. But Katie simply cannot stop tossing and turning and smiling and belly laughing. Just when I think she's almost asleep in the dark next to me, she'll reach out and tickle me and squeal with joy that I'm still there. She'll hold my hand and bring it to her nose to smell me and keep my hand on her face, to know I'm REAL and I'm never going to leave her. We have some indications that life has been very hard for Katie Grace. I think the realization that there are people who adore her and who are there to protect her and nourish her and who AREN'T going anywhere is a truth that she FEELS to her core. 

Tonight, Daddy put his nose up to hers at bedtime and said, "Katie, Daddy loves you and I will be your Daddy forever and ever." She had no idea what he was saying, but she felt his love and sincerity and she grabbed his face and did her million- watt dimpled smile.

THAT makes it all worth it.

Katie, I told you, we aren't leaving you, silly girl. We're your family forever, whether you like it or not, but something tells me, you really do love us. 

Day 11: A Normal Day, for Once!

Good morning!
Not to give TMI, but I have needed to stay very close to a bathroom (I've lost around 4 pounds in 4 days), so Doug had to take Kate to her medical checkup Saturday morning. I got some special one-on-one time with Care-bear and enjoyed our peaceful breakfast and the hotel's garden grounds.

At the appointment, Doug learned that Katie's not the 30 pounds that we had been updated recently, but rather a tiny peanut at 4 1/2 years old: TWENTY-SIX lbs. lol... She was such a SWEETHEART at the appointment, Doug said because right after her, her friend, Trey Fouche from her orphanage got his blood drawn and he was screaming crying, and she went up to him and comforted him by rubbing his back. What a honey! She was thrilled to see Mama and Sister. Cara said, "I miss Katie, Mommy, I love her so much!"

After K got back from her doctor's appointment

Then we spent a very "normal" day, or me trying to make it very normal for the girls (despite me being sick). Doug worked on his sermon for next Sunday while Cara and I introduced K to PlayDough for an hour, she LOVED cutting it up with a plastic knife and belly laughed as I showed her how to roll it into a snake. 

Like our PlayDough "hat" we made for the Daddy doll?

Katie carries the Daddy doll from Cara's dollhouse around with her everywhere.

Cara was making "pizza" and Katie was making "cookies" according to C.

We had "book time" too!

I call it "book time" instead of "reading time" because I don't think Katie has EVER been "read to". Cara and I have had reading time since I was pregnant with her, everyday. Katie has no idea what to do with books yet, but loves to close items into the first page, either lids or other books, but ESPECIALLY her Daddy doll, to cover him up for night-night. LOL, I love my silly girl!

I took the girls on a cookie date in the hotel lobby in the late afternoon. 

We took the girls on a walk in Guangzhou in the evening, and then a fun highlight for the kids: the hotel's children's playroom with toys!

This was FUN to watch. Katie figured out these Mega Blocks and DID NOT STOP... she was soooo thrilled with making a taller and taller tower and re-arranging the blocks to make it more stable. She was FAST too. We called her Miss Tetris, lol.

Okay, we are hoping for a great Mother's Day today (I already have THE best Mother's Day gift ever in these two), we are going to the island, to a Christian church for their service, and then shopping a bit (at a special pearl market), if I can make it that long! Please continue to pray for healing for all of us! 

:)

Day 10: MADE it to Guangzhou for a week of appointments & fun

DAY 10: Trip to Guangzhou
Despite my bad abdominal pains and Doug and Cara's colds and sore throats, we all made it to Guangzhou in one piece! The ride to the airport was interesting, the girls rarely have even a seatbelt, but with all the luggage in the tiny car, they rode UNDER my legs, on the floorboard, both of them. They were such good sports, and pretended it was a fort, lol.
Boy, do we make a scene. Most people just stare and point and look very puzzled at the sight of two girls, one blond, and one Chinese in matching dresses, strapped to the front of their parents, but it was so nice, because on the plane, the people in the seats around us got to SEE us loving on the girls and watch and realize they are BOTH our sweet babies. One woman fell in love with Katie and told me in broken English, "She can't hear you but she can feel your love!" YES! She can!

Just in time for Mother's Day, guess who said "Mama" yesterday?!??! This girl! (with her sweaty, spiky hair, lol). She looked right in my eyes on the way to the airport, and in a gutteral voice, said, "MA MA". Um, couldn't get any sweeter!

her Don King look! Mama, leave my hair alone!

About to leave for the airport. I ADORE my babies!

Had two rows to ourselves to stretch out... Cara sleeping and Katie playing contently

Checking in!

Crazy cute!

Cuddling after she ran into a glass wall and got a big bump on her head. :(

yay! We have a separate living room! 

Enjoying her first burger at the Irish pub, right after her blowout poop that required a wardrobe change, and right before my gluten disaster (see below)

I know it's blurry, but I had to share, she LOVES to wrap her feet around our necks and draw us close to her at night, or hold our noses while she sleeps. How I adore this gal!

We are SO relieved to be in Guangzhou... most adoptive couples will tell you, Beijing is so fun, Gotcha and transitioning in your child's province is good but HARD, and the highlight of the trip is Guangzhou... for many reasons! Almost all adopting couples stay at the breathtaking 5 star Garden Hotel (hotels are WAYYYY more affordable in China than in the U.S.) We heard it was amazing but we were both still surprised. We have more room to move around, and it feels more like a home here. (In Katie's province, our room was tiny and had no A/C, even on a 87 degree day, and the room had a stench, the people had never seen Westerners, and we just weren't very comfortable there. It was a very emotional time, and we both said, "We just can't wait for Guangzhou!!!" YAY! We are here with scores of other adopting families, and even flew on the same flight with the Fouche's, who adopted their son from Katie's orphanage. It was the FIRST time I could chat with another mom and feel understood on this trip. What a blessing!

I did, unfortunately, on top of my virus and cold, get gluten poisoning last night! :( We ate at an Irish pub, and I really hadn't eaten all day, since I was so sick, and was starving. I ordered a bun-less burger and even switched the fries for buttered mashed potatoes. The translator described my allergy to wheat extensively, but when I took my first bite of burger, I realized it tasted more like a meatball (with breadcrumbs added). I asked the cook, and he confirmed. Ug! horrible feeling, knowing I was going to be very ill. I spent the rest of the meal in the restroom. Since I probably only consumed a 1/2 tsp. of breadcrumbs, my reaction wasn't as bad, I'm so thankful I caught it before I had more!

Why do we have to stay another week? This morning, Kate has a doctor's appointment to test for TB and general health, and then Monday, her TB tests results come back (standard procedure before she's allowed to leave the country). Tuesday is our group oath at the U.S. Consulate (the U.S. side of the adoption), Wednesday we pack up and prepare for the longggg trek home. Thursday we will have a 30 hour itinerary home.

We are looking forward to enjoying this time together as a family and hope we all start feeling better soon... I love my family!