Family Photo

Well we are finally getting into a routine. We have started homeschooling the kids and are on week 3. They are doing well and enjoy being able to go to our local zoo one day a week for language arts and social studies. Justin, Kaylee and Bo are all playing soccer. It is very hectic. They are all on different teams this year and it just so happens that their games are at the same time. David is coaching Kaylee's team again this year so at the games I am chasing/fighting the 2 little ones. Luckily last week Grammy and Papa came to the game and helped out. It is impossible to wrangle 2 little ones and then split yourself between 3 fields while carrying them with you. In addition to changing fields, Jackson, had a diaper league and had to toted back to the van for a complete overrhaul of what he was wearing. I am thinking of hiring a babysitter this week. I want to be able to watch their games and not feel like I am going to have a nervous breakdown by the time we leave the field.

Madie is doing well. She and Kaylee have appointments at Shands on Thursday, September 24. They are going to check Madies palate and hopefully schedule us for surgery. Kaylee is just having a check-up and an opinion on when she needs her bone graft.

Jackson is going to preschool 2 mornings a week and no longer cries we I drop him off--YEAH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

David completed the swing set in the back yard--and for those of you who know my husband--the swingset good be entered in the Guiness book of world record for being the largest swing set in a persons backyard. The kids are really enjoying it.

I am still working 3 days a week and enjoying my children the other days that I am home. We are so blessed by this beautiful family.

Our Birthday

David and I both celebrated another birthday when we got home. Mady loved helping make the cake. I think the icing was her favorite part. David let her help with the candles and she would clap after she put each one in the cake.


Mady is having a lot of fun. She loves the water. Here are a few pictures of her playing in the water table and taking a bath with Jackson.

We are HOME and Settled in!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Well I have been a bit of a slacker since we have returned home. The ride home was great. Mady and Kaylee slept most of the way. Mady did great with her potty chair on the plane and did not have a single accident. Our flight was delayed in CA which made us miss our flight to Pensacola and we had to fly into Fort Walton Beach. My parents picked us up. Upon getting home we realized we did not have Jackson's Blanket, video, or pillow. It was a crying fest. I joined in. You have got to be kidding me--we travel for 30 hours and arrive home to a child who does not have any of his necessary comfort items he needs to fall asleep. Well we made it through.
Jackson is really enjoying his new sister he is very attentive to her. He still gets a little jealous but is doing well.

After a week of being home we eradicated the children from our bed. I simply could not take it anymore. Jackson on one side of me and Mady wrapped around me like a koala bear. Not the ideal way to get some much needed rest. They are both in our room still just not in our bed. Mady is really settling in. She is a bit stubborn and likes to have her way. She is going to bed now without having a fit and is really enjoying playing with the other kids. She laughs and hollars and is having a great time

Since we have been home Kaylee and Bo have started Blended School at the Gulf Breeze Zoo. They both really seem to like it. They go one day a week. The first day Jackson was very upset that he could not go with them. However, he will be starting his school next week.

Another day in Guangzhou

Well Saturday night we went to Lucy's for dinner. It is an American style resturant. You would think that they would have an American style bathroom. However you would be wrong. Soon after arriving Kaylee had to go to the bathroom. The resturant does not have a bathroom at all. Lucy's sits right next to the park and has their customers use the park bathroom. David took Kaylee and quickly they returned after describing how bad it was. Nope she could not wait, so I grabbed a handful of napkins and we headed back to the bathroom. It was quite the ordeal. It is really stressful taking kids to eat and praying they dont need to use the bathroom because you know how gross it is going to be.

Today we did some shopping and went swimming. Madelynn is quite the shopper. She loves shoes and lights up when we go into the store. Pointing and babbling about what she sees and wants. she likes to run around in the stores and tease the sales people. I think tonight we are going back to Lucy's. David has had an upset stomach since we got here and does not think he can handle eating anymore chinese food. So we have been eating a big breakfast and snacking and then going for a late dinner.

Here are some pictures taken today of the kids.

Cute Picture of the Girls

We are in Guangzhou

Today we got up early to prepare to Hefei. Our guide took us to the hospital where Madelynn was found. They believe she was a newborn because of her umbilical cord still being attached.

We arrived in Guangzhou on Friday evening. Madelynn did well on her first flight and we were happy to settle in at the White Swan.
Today, Saturday, was a busy day for us. We had breakfast and visited with several other families. It is fun to hear their stories and meet their children. After breakfast we were off to the medical exam. The girls did great. The doctors were pretty considerate

Today was a day of many first for our daughter. She smiled and laughed--which is huge. This is the first day she really interacted with us and played with her toys. She really enjoyed playing with Hayley, our friends daughter. Hayley is very patient and enjoys mothering her. It is funny because both girls are very girly. It is a close competition to see who can get the most hair bows, barretts, ribbons etc in their hair. Both girls seem to be under the opinion that more is better. The more they have in their hair the happier they are. They are very cute together. Today we actually ordered Papa Johns pizza and took the kids swimming tonight. They all seemed to enjoy in but the water was a little cold.

Madelynn likes to play with her snacks. She picks them apart and puts them in bowls and stirs with whatever she can find. It is so good to watch her play.

Visit to the Orphanage

Today has been a very long day for us. Madelynn is a hard nut to crack. She is still very scared and will not let me out of her sight. She becomes frantic. At night, she literally sleeps on top of me. Poor girl she is so sad and mourning something terrible. We have manage to get a few smiles but that is all. We hope as the days come and go she will begin to feel more comfortable.

Today I visited the orphanage and was able to meet her foster family. Talk about emotional. Dave and I decided it would be best not to take Madelynn back because she is having such a hard time. I could tell from the time we walked in the foster mother was disappointed I did not bring her. However, I knew she understood. It was very emotional. I cried and she cried. Words can not express the feeling you have meeting the woman who has raised your child for the past year and a half. How do you say thank you.It is obvious the love she has for her. She showed me her bed and gave me her bowl and spoon. I also received a very nice picture album of her growing up.

After we visited with her family we went with our friends to meet their daughters foster family. Yet again I cried. It really pulls at your heartstrzings to know these kids are leaving everything they know and love to be adopted. In your heart, you know it is what is best for them, but it is still difficult.

Tomorrow we leave for Gaungzhou. THe challenge of trying to fit everything in the suitcase begins tonight.

Oh yes, Kaylee got a McDonalds happy meal today.

We could use some prayers

Well last night our travel friends daughter was running fever and crying. She looked so miserable. Bless her heart. I just saw them this morning and she seems to be feeling better. She still looks a little flush but better than last night for sure. Her daddy has a sore throat this morning.

Now on the Gehrke side of things Kaylee woke up at 4am with a stomach ache and diareaha. Poor girl she was beside herself in misery. I felt so bad for her. She kept throwing up and it felt like she might have a fever. It seems like food poisoning except for the fever. We gave her a phenegran. She is sleeping now and will hopefully feel better soon.

On a more positive note, the girls had a good night last night. They played with their tea cups and stacking blocks. Kaylee would tickle Madelynn and she would smile. Kaylee kept saying how much she loves her and that she cant wait to bring her home to meet HER boys. I thought that was really cute.

This morning Madelynn and I went to breakfast and left David with Kaylee. I discovered Madelynn has a love of sugar and butter packets. In fact she is holding the butter packet in her hand now with a death grip. She is still clinging to Mama. David is being so patient trying to earn her trust. She is just scared to death. She is still wanting to wear her shoes all of the time in case she has the opportunity to make a run for it. She is very tiny and dainty. She has not said much except what sounds to "that" and "shoes in chinese" She has said Mama but only while pointing to the door and wanting to make a run for in or when Daddy tries to hold her. She is a very serious and cautious child at this point. She cries easily.
Well that is all for now. Hopefully I will be writing that Kaylee is feeling better soon

It is Official!!!! Another Gehrke added to the clan!!!!

Well we signed the papers and it is official. Poor Madelynn had to put her footprint on it as a sign of her signature. We had the guide take us to a shoe store because Madelynn's crocs were way to big. Aunt Carol--We need some smaller crocs!!!!!!!!!!!!!
After all the paperwork was done, we went our for a Chinese meal. The restaraunt did not have an English menu so we pretty much had to eat what they brought us. We had cooked cabbage, a pork noodle dish, congee and some sort of chicken dish which included two chicken feet and a head. The literally must take a meat cleaver and just chop the heck out of the meat. I am not sure what happens to the large pieces of meat----like the breast but we have not seen any thing like that since we got here.

We went back to the hotel and took a nap and then went and paid 20.00 dollars for 2 tiny cups of ice cream. We won't be doing that again :) After our nap we went swimming. Fortunately we did not have the camera on hand. All the girls were required to wear swim caps. Oh yes!!! It was quite the sight. Kaylee could not understand why we had to wear them. Madelynn was completely put out by it and I could not stop laughing. Kaylee enjoyed the swim but I cant say the same for Madelynn.

She likes to keep her shoes on in anticipation of going back to her foster home. Everywhere we go she very seriously scans the crowd for a familiar face. I feel so bad for her. We have decided on Thursday not to take her back for the orphanage tour. I will be going with Kaylee and Mady will stay with David. It will be a rough day. She will go to David but she is still afraid of him. We know it will get better with time. Dave is such a trooper and I am so proud of how he interacts with her. He is such a great Daddy. I will post the pictures after dinner.

Back to the Hotel

Well we signed the 24 hour custody agreement and headed to Wal-Mart to buy some supplies. We spent 120.00 dollars on toys and snacks for our 2 girls. Kaylee has been very helpful, but does not understand why Madelynn doesnt know her name yet. After Wal-Mart, we went to back to the hotel for some bonding time. Initially she did not want me to put her down. Poor girl, she kept whimpering and pointing to her privates. I managed to put her on a little potty we bought at Wal-Mart-and wa-la she went pee pee. I was amazed. Poor baby, she had to go and did not know how to tell us.

She drank some of her milk and we ordered takeout. She did eat some rice but her favorite was an oreo cookie bar that her daddy offered. Nothing like OREO to help bring a girl around to her daddy. As I am typing they are laying on the bed. He is holding her bottle and she is looking around. She is really doing great. I will write more as I can.

We love and miss you all

GOTCHA DAY IS HERE

We went to the civil affairs office this morning to meet our daughter. We were both very nervous and it still did not seem real. We were there early. So we had to wait about 15 minutes for the girls to get there. (I say girls because we are traveling with another family who is adopting a 5 year old girl) The moment finally came and they both arrived. Madelynn clung to one of the nannies and cried(which is what we had expected) She was not interested in any of the toys, candy, noise makers that we brought. The nanny finally handed her over and she was very upset. I walked the halls with her and she cried off and on. She kept pointing so I walked where she pointed. In the van, she was like a little koala bear clinging to me. At this point, she was not interested in letting anyone touch/hold her except for me.

On the other hand our friends new daughter, Hayley, was ready to be adopted. She came in and went right to him. She had the biggest smile on her face. She is hearing impaired and does not speak. However words were not necessary. The expression on her face said it all. "It is finally my turn and I am ready." She was all dressed up and had her new pair of sunglasses on and her bracelets to match. She is a little princess. You can tell she is very bright. She watches everyone and takes cues from them. I would not be surprised if she reads lips.

We are in Hefei

We arrived in Hefei yesterday after a 2 hour flight that did not feel like the air conditioner was on for the first of the half of the flight. When we were getting on the plane we had our pictures taken by several Chinese people. Thinking back, I remember this from the last time we were here.

The hotel is very nice and our room is very spacious. It has a crib for Madelynn and they even gave us a stroller to use. Thank goodness, Madelynn is going to be smaller than Jackson, because he would not fit int the crib.

Kaylee was falling asleep at dinner in the noodle shop that is in the hotel and almost had a melt down over being tired. She worked through it and we were able to go walking around and check out the town after dinner. Everybody stares at you and they are not the least bit discreet about talking about you. It is kind of funny because you almost feel like a celebrity. Heads turn everywhere you go.

It is about 6am here and we are getting ready to go eat breakfast at the revoloving restaraunt at the top of our hotel. After that we are going to come back and get our paperwork ready to go meet our daughter. I will post again later today. We are excited and nervous. I don"t know why but it has really sunk in yet. Which is strange. You would think if you traveled half way around the world to meet your child that in itself would be enough of a reality. Oh well--it will all be real very soon. Like 3.5 hours soon.

We are in China!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Well we finally made to China after a very long day of traveling. We arrived at the Guanghzou Airport at 11:00 pm. We were all exhausted. The worst part of the trip was the last 5 hour flight from Toyko. The three of us could not keep our eyes open.

This morning we were all up by 7am. We headed to breakfast at the White Swan. This hotel is great. They have a breakfast buffet in the morning and it is the gathering place for all adoptive families. It is really fun to meet other families and their children. It is unusual for families to come to this hotel before they get the child they are adopting. So everyone keeps thinking Kaylee is new to our family and trying to speak Chinese to her. She just looks at them like they are crazy. She has been very shy towards people since we have been here. Kaylee and I took a picture in front of the waterfall at the hotel. It is very similar to the one we took 4 years ago when we were bringing her home.

After breakfast, we headed out to look around. Many of our favorite shops have moved. One store owner told us that a large company bought their building and they had to relocate because their lease was not renewed. While we were out shopping, we ran into 2 groups of school children age 5-7 who were on a field trip looking for Americans to practice their English with. We were happy to help out and had so much fun with them. Kaylee was shy and would not talk, but some of their students were the same way. Above is a picture of us with the school children.

After shopping, I took Kaylee to the pool and David set off to the electronic store. Okay, he was gone for a little over 2hours. I started to panic. What would I do if something happened to him. We will not be going our separate ways anymore on this trip.

We had lunch at a thai restaurant. It was very good. We walked a little ways from the hotel, so we were the only Americans in the place.

Well I just wanted to drop a quick post before we take a nap. Tomorrow we are off to Hefei and on Monday we get our little princess.

Justin, Bo, and Jackson---We miss you and love you!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

We Are So Excited

Well we are counting down the days until we leave for China. We leave on July 31st and I have such a mix of emotions. I am so excited to meet our daughter and so anxious at the thought of leaving our other children with their grandparents. I know they will be fine but I still worry.

I am most concerned about the little one because he will not understand where we are going. He is so funny, because I ask him, "Who's going to get Madelynn" and he will say "Mama, Daddy and Kaylee". Then I will ask< "Who are you going to stay with?" and he will say "Papa".

I know in my heart all will be fine. We are doing what God meant for us to do--Love his children. I pray that Madelynn can feel how much we love her and that she will allow us to comfort her. It is so much for a little one to leave everything and everyone they know and go with strangers. I also have said many prayers for the foster family that has raised her for the past 2 years. I cant imagine what they go through when a child they have fostered is adopted.

Well I am off to do more packing.

We Have Our Consulate Appointment

Well it is official. We are leaving for China on July 31. We will meet our new daughter on August 4 and on August 13th we will be heading home. YEAH

A friend of mine, who is in China now, adopting Madelynn's foster sister sent us this picture of her. She said she is very tiny. Probably a size 2 or smaller. Jackson is going to look like King Kong next to her.

Our TA

Well strangely enough we received word from the agency that is arranging our in country travel in China that our Travel Approval has been sent and should be here very soon. We are feeling a huge burden lifted off of our chest. This is the last piece of paperwork we need to go and bring home our baby girl. Excitment is building as we prepare to get all of the last minute things done. We are not sure when we will be leaving but it will be soon.
Tracey

We Are Going to China

Well we booked the tickets. We plan on leaving for China on July 31st and getting our girl on 8/4/08. It is a leap of faith based on my not so professional calculations of when our travel approval will come. We are keeping our fingers crossed that this will be fine and if we need to change our plans we will.
Tracey

WE GOT IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I have been on my husband for several weeks to put the suitcases from our Disney trip up in the attic. I new as soon as the suitcases were up the LOA would come. Well you guessed it--He put the suitcases in the attic last night and I got the call today. LOA---Letter of Acceptance. This is the final approval of all of our paperwork. We will get it via FED EX and sign it and return it FED EX. NOw that everything is official-- China will be notifying us when we are able to travel. That should be in several weeks from now.

Time for an Update

Well we received a letter from our adoption agency that we needed to update our letter of commitment. China is becoming more specific about what they want. We were also told that we should be getting our LOA (Letter of Acceptance) very soon. This is a letter that lets us know that we are official and they are working on our time to travel. Once we receive the letter we will receive our travel approval in 2-3 weeks and then off we go to bring home our baby. Please pray for us that all will go well. We are very excited and hope to have great news for you all soon.

Madelynn's new pictures

Well another mom has traveled to China to bring home her daughter and was gracious enough to take some pictures of our little princess. She also told us that Madelynn and her little nursery mate have been moved to foster care.

We are DTC

It is official our dossier went to china on 3/6/08. I have give a big thanks to our agency for working so hard and getting it out the same day they received it. THANK YOU
We are now officially waiting. We hope to hear something within the next 3 months.

IT IS IN THE MAIL

Well we have completed our paperwork. After several weeks of mishaps, it is in the mail to our adoption agency. Now the waiting begins. We hope it will be sent to China early next week and then we wait to hear that they have accepted our packet and then we will receive our travel appointment. We hope to hear something in 3 ot 4 months. Some families have heard sooner but this is not the norm.

We Have Been Fingerprinted

Well today is January 7, 2007. We received our appnt to be fingerprinted on 1/5/07 We convinced Grammy and Papa to watch the kids so we could take off to Jacksonville. All and all the kids were great. Jackson slept better than we thought he would. Papa took the kids on a field trip to the planetarium.

It was a quick trip. I have to say in some ways it was nice to get a full night sleep without having a little one head butting and kicking you all night. We even got to go out for dinner without having to hurry in fear that someone might have a melt down at any moment. Anyway we made it home and even managed to stop in Tallahassee to get everything authenticated. This was more for peace of mind than anything else. I did not want to find out that something was notarized wrong at the last minute. So now we wait for the 171 to come in the mail. This is the last document before we can send everything to China and really begin the waiting.

We are also starting to have second thoughts about leaving Jackson for 2 weeks. We dont want the little guy to think we abandoned him. David said he would stay home but he really wants to go. Food for thought