Liam's journey to his sister

Early Birthday gift

2008-08-02T17:09:00.001-07:00

I could not wait to give Ella her birthday gift. Ella is such a girl. Her vanity is much nicer then mine.

Forever Family Day Anniversary

2008-07-31T20:25:00.000-07:00

It was two years ago today that we met Ella. In China we bought a number of things for Ella to give her on every anniversary of our Forever Family Day or Gotcha Day. This year we gave her the remaining Olympic Mascots. Ella already had Yingying (her Chinese name). Then we met Emilya and her parents for dinner at , what else, but a Chinese Restaurant.

Getting two kids to smile at the same time is not easy.

Gung Hay Fat Choy

2008-02-05T17:32:00.001-08:00

Long overdue

2008-01-27T18:32:00.000-08:00

Here are a couple photos taken recently of the kids. We are still on cloud 9.

Blue Jays

2007-09-02T17:31:00.000-07:00

Ella enjoyed her first Blue Jays game, and got to run the bases after the game.

Ella turns 2 years old

2007-08-09T18:21:00.000-07:00

I cannot believe that one year ago we were in the hall of our hotel with 13 other families and staff from our guides' office celebrating Ella's first birthday. I will always remember Ella's first birthday as a great celebration with lifetime friends (and corn on vegatarian pizza).

Here are pictures from her 2nd birthday. A much smaller celebration. The second picture is Ella hosting a tea party with her gifts (Liam so not so excited but is playing along).

One Year Ago Today

2007-07-31T18:14:00.000-07:00

One year ago we were blessed with Ella, our "gotcha day" or "forever family day". Ella has been such a joy to us and fits our family perfectly. Here is a picture taken today of Ella and her still very proud big brother. My mother overheard a conversation Liam has a couple weeks ago in the playground. A girl told Liam he was lucky to have a little sister. Liam said, "I am very lucky, I waited a long time for her". He is a great big brother.

The picture of the 4 of us was taken July 16.

Lunar New Years

2007-02-19T17:26:00.001-08:00

What a busy couple weeks. We have been to a number of CNY parties and dinners.
Margo heads back to work next week (boo hoo) and Bill began his time home last week and will remain at home until mid May.
We went to Winterlude in Ottawa and were able to see our Yangdong friends while we were there. We have never skated on the canal, it was great and we hope to do it again next year. Thanks to Sophie, Stephanie and their parents for putting up with us all weekend.
Liam turned 6 on Feb 9. He is getting so big.

6 months

2007-02-01T06:39:00.000-08:00

Our new family was formed 6 months ago. Ella has come such a long way since then. Of coure we think she is the most beautiful and smart child ever (equal to Liam of course). Our shy little girl in China really has a voice now, she can outscream Liam and mom. She has about 10 words and is walking. She is still very shy outside of the house and won't go to other people. Ella's favorite thing to do is play hockey in the basement with Liam and daddy.
Liam is in Senior kindergarden and playing hockey. Both were in swimming lessons in the fall and Ella begins Kindermusick next week.
We have had lots of company since we have been back, even nana has been here 4 times from Nova Scotia-she is keeping the airlines and highway maintenance in business.

Our little Canuck

2006-12-21T18:31:00.000-08:00

Ella became a Canadian Citizen on December 6, just 3 short months after we applied for her citizenship. What would a celebration be without cake?

Baptism

2006-11-15T08:45:00.000-08:00

Ella was baptised Nov 5. Cousins Shari and Michael are the Godparents. Michael could not make the ceremony so Uncle Clifford stood in.

3 months

2006-10-30T08:31:00.000-08:00

We cannot believe it has been 3 months since Ella joined our family. She is doing well. She eats almost anything and is feeding herself finger foods. She crawls everywhere and will walk if she is holding our fingers. Her attempts to walk independently have been about three steps of a slow motion face plant. She says about 7 words and has a couple more words forming ("ca" for our cat). She gets her point across with things she likes by a very loud high pitched squeal. She is still very clingy when we are outside of the home but she is getting more comfortable in the house and will play on her own for periods of time. Sleeping is another issue (you cannot have everything). We have been very fortunate to see some of our travel group on a regular basis and will see more at a mini reunion the end of November. Liam is in SK, taking swimming lessons, and playing hockey. He is frustrated that Ella is taking so long to grow up, he wants someone to play soccer and hockey with. I have posted some pictures that have been taken within the last couple days.

I think Liam is starting to like Ella

2006-09-29T17:52:00.000-07:00

Liam is taking a bit of an interest in Ella recently. The top picture is the dress rehersal for Halloween, Liam is Pikachu and Ella is a butterfly princess.

Hello

2006-09-03T08:49:00.000-07:00

Quick update on our little family. Ella is getting more beautiful, more outgoing and more secure every day .Still won't eat anything on a spoon, but is eating a lot more variety of food. Loves cherrios, pasta, yams and ham. Still won't crawl, but loves to stand and walk holding on to someone's fingers. Liam is starting senior kindergarten next week and will soon start hockey. He 's warming up to Ella finally. He will actually give her a hug and kiss without being totally disgusted. Mommy and Daddy are doing great. Now that mommy's on the pogey, daddy's watching the weather channel, waiting for a category 5 hurricane to blow in. I hate to wish bad kharma on anyone, but you live in Florida....tough cookies. Hope you are all doing well. Margo,Bill,Liam and Ella.

settling in

2006-08-22T18:10:00.000-07:00

Hi. It's been a while since our last update. Ella is doing wonderful. Laughing and giggiling, sleeping through the night (at least to 5 am). She is still mommy's girl, but was getting pretty comfortable with Nana and Papa while they were here. She loves Cheerios, Pizza, toast, cheeze and would probably eat more as long as its not on a spoon. For some reason, she won't eat anything off a spoon. But, then again, Liam is 5 1/2 years old and still eats with his hands. She doesn't crawl, but can pull herself forward like a commando sneaking under a barbwire fence, which came in handy for daddy a few times (dont ask). Liam played his last soccer game Monday, and his last T-ball game is Wednesday. Hockey will start soon, as well as swimming so he will be a busy boy still. We brought Ella to the pool the other day, and she loved it, which was a surprise to us since she screams bloody murder when she gets within 2 feet of the bathtub. We are going to start bringing soap to the pool and just bathe her there next time. She also had her first experience with Chucky Cheese at Aiden and Kaden Jumas birthday party the other day. That's why Liam is wearing party hats on his ears...we don't dress him like that normally. We are all doing great, and we hope to see all of you soon.

Update

2006-08-15T17:39:00.000-07:00

Here's some more pics. The Lamborghini dealer in Guangzhou. There is a Rolls Royce dealer beside it. Couple pictures from the zoo, a bamboo stand, and Ella at the airport. Ella is adjusting slowly but surely. Still not sleeping through the night yet, unless she is sleeping on Margo. But she seems to make a lot of progress every day. She is really attached to her mother, but is fine with me until she sees Margo. Must be quite the culture shock for these kids. All they knew for a year was a room full of dark haired babies and a few nannies. Then to come to this. I'm thinking she might sleep better if she was in a room with 10 or 12 other babies, so if you ever contemplate adopting from there, get a half dozen instead of one. Might be easier.

random photos

2006-08-12T07:51:00.000-07:00

I hope to add photos regularly to the blog. Keep checking back to see more and to read about Ella's progress. She seems a bit overwhelmed about her new home, with all the toys, a cat, and a dog bigger than most people she has met. Just have to get her on schedule and she will be fine. It was nice to see Nana and Papa at the airport with their signs welcoming Ella and Liam home. And there was a welcome home sign on the front lawn as well. We also really want to thank Ali Juma for driving us to the airport, and bringing Nana and Papa to the airport to pick us up. It really made things easier for us and we can't thank him enough. Especially with his own bouncing baby boy at home. We hope to introduce Ella to everyone soon. And again,keep checking in here for updates.

Home Sweet Home

2006-08-11T17:51:00.000-07:00

Well, we made it. After a quick 13 hour flight, then 2 hours in traffic, we have made it home. Some things we have learned on our journey.
China is beautiful. Sort of expected to see everyone driving bicycles dressed in the same blue uniform, but its not like that. People dressed like us, saw lots of Mercedes, BMW, Audi etc. There was a Rolls Royce and a Lamborghini dealerships across from our hotel. Lots of gardens and green space. And friendly people. The food was amazing, if you don't mind your dinner staring at you as you eat it. The chinese food you pay $42 dollars for here cost about $4 dollars there. But no chicken balls or fortune cookies. Chinese beer is better then American beer and as good as most Canadian beer. And about 50 cents a can to boot. If you visit the Great Wall, bring oxygen bottles. Service is great everywhere, and you dont have to tip. If you go to McDonalds in Guangzhou around 9 pm, you can get a happy meal AND a happy ending. You have to wear a bathing cap in the hotel pool, but its ok to spit in it. Tiananmen Square is a rectangle. You can get hallucinations and the shakes from Tim Horton withdrawals. The mattresses in the hotels are made from a combination of concrete and plywood. Pedestrians DON'T have the right of way, and traffic signs and signals are a suggestion, not a law.
But, we loved it and would go back in a heartbeat. Liam cried when when we had to leave.

More pics

2006-08-10T08:52:00.000-07:00

Another photo of Liam at the great wall, and some pics of our last dinner here. Liam looks mad is a lot of pics because he thought he should be getting paid for taking so many pictures. Also a pic of our guides and us.

Last day in Beijing

2006-08-10T08:46:00.000-07:00

Well, this is our last night in Beijing. Tomorrow we will be leaving to come home to our soft beds. Not looking forward to the long flight, but it will be nice to be home again. Tonight we went to a restaurant, that has been in business since the mid 1800's. We had the traditional peking duck dinner which was very, very good. Liam had the traditional french fry dinner. Its been a wonderful adventure, and we recommend anyone who has a chance to visit here. We will keep posting photos and updates on the blog so keep checking in.

Hope to see you all soon.

Old Beijing and Ella's party

2006-08-09T08:08:00.000-07:00

Some pics of out trip through old Beijing, the Bell Tower, and Ella's party in the hotel hallway

Summer Palace Photos

2006-08-09T07:49:00.000-07:00

Some pictures from our trip to the summer palace

Hello From Beijing

2006-08-09T07:35:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone. Today was Ella's first birthday. We beagn by taking a tour of old Beijing, by rickshaw. We started at the Bell Tower, which is a 700 year old building, with a 63 ton brass bell on top. We were taken by rickshaw through a typical Beijing neighborhood, and visited a family in their home. They have these huge grasshoppers they raise just to listen to the sounds they make. They also raise crickets and train them for fighting. It's a pretty big deal, as the crickets are weighed and put in weight classes, and people will bet thousands of dollars on a cricket match. We also went to a tea ceremony, tried different kinds of teas and learned how to make and drink tea properly. They take their tea seriously over here. Back at the hotel, we had a birthday party for Ella. All the families came, we had pizza (Pizza Hut) and cake and the party took up our suite and most of the hallway. Lots of fun. Tomorrow is a relaxing, shopping day, and will be our last night in Beijing. Liam cried when we told him we had to go home soon. He wants to stay, especially after our guide told him his chinese name is Liamwoo. He likes that. Going to try and post pictures again. Some of the summer palace, some of old Beijing, and some of Ella's party. I also wrote a blog the other night about our trip to the Great Wall and forgot to post it, so if you want you can read it, it is under the heading Great Wall.

Summer Palace

2006-08-08T08:37:00.000-07:00

Today,we visited the summer palace.There is so much history here, many old temples and palaces, remants of the wall that used to encircle the city. We are having a lot of fun. Ella is smiling and laughing a lot more, and is eating better. I think we are all ready to come home though. Couple more days. Tomorrow we are visiting the old part of Beijing, in rickshaws, so that should be fun. We are all doing well, buying lots of stuff, eating a lot of wonderful food and having a great time. Going to post some more photos tonight.
Margo, Bill, Liam and Ella

Monday

2006-08-07T07:09:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone. Today we visited Tiananmen Square, which was very cool to see. Tons of people there, and a bit hot. You can see by Liam's expressions in the pictures that he wasnt' very impressed. Everyone wants to take his picture and touch him and he is getting tired of being a rock star. We went to Pizza Hut tonight and a girl about 18 years old kept kissing him and hugging him. I saw the neatest invention here. All little kids wear split pants, which are pants or shorts, split at the crotch so when they have to go, they just squat and go, wherever they are. No washrooms, no diapers..I'm trying to find a couple pair in my size so if I do...don't walk behind me anywhere. Ella was a little out of sorts the last couple days, but she was much better today. Hopefully getting used to us "big noses", as we are called here. I've recovered from climbing the Great Wall yesterday. I can't believe the thing has been there for 2500 years and they still haven't put in an elevator. I think I've figured out the photo thing, so I will post more tomorrow.

Bill,Margo,Liam,Ella

Monday afternoon in Beijing

2006-08-07T01:27:00.000-07:00

We are enjoying a relaxing afternoon in the hotel. For those of you who know me well I am going out of my mind sitting still. I want to be out but Bill and Ella are napping and Liam is playing his gameboy so I am spending $$ at the business ctr. Bill has tried a number of times to post pictures but has been unsuccessful so I apoligize for the lack of pictures. He is going to try again tonight.
The group is at the acrobatic show now but we passed. We were at Tineaman Square today (sorry, I did a bad job of spelling it) and then the pearl market for a 1 hour shopping trip. For those of you who have been there you know 1 hour is not near enough. I cannot remember if it was Trish or Carrie who wanted a red book but I bought an extra one for either of you. The Square was too much for Liam, the heat and people and mobs of people wanting to take his picture. Oh well, he has only had a few melt downs so far, I was expecting a lot more. I cannot believe we have been here over a week, time flies.
I hope Bill will be able to post pictures tonight. And I must add, I was the only female in our group carrying the baby who made it to the top of the right hand side of the great wall. You can ask for a autograph later.

Great Wall

2006-08-06T07:25:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone. Its Sunday evening here. Another hot humid day. This morning, we visited a jade factory. Kind of neat to see them carving jade right there, and there were tons of things made from jade, but a bit expensive. Then we went to visit the Great Wall. That was pretty incredible to see. The wall climbs right up the side of a mountain, and is very, very steep. There were only 7 or 8 from our group who managed to make it to the top. Liam thought we were going too slow so he took off ahead with another person from our group and beat everyone one to the top. Margo wants everyone to know that she made it to the top, while carrying Ella in a snuggly. I thought it best to lag behind, just in case anyone fell or dropped anything. Thats me, always thinking of other people. It really is an awesome sight. I bought a T-shirt that reads "I Climbed The Great Wall". They were out of the shirts that read "I had a heart attact on the Great Wall". We are having a wonderful time here. I would love to come back someday. Everywhere you go, the service is incredible. If you are eating breakfast, and get up to get another banana from the buffet, they clean off your table before you get back. I keep thinking I've lost my table. Oh, and by the way, you haven't lived till you've pooped in a squatty. Instead of a toilet, they just put a hole in the floor. Really good exercise for the old leg muscles. And your aim. I will try and post photos in the morning. This computer is all in chinese and either the connection is too slow, or some guy named Boris in Russia is opening his e-mail and wondering "who the hell are these people"

Hope everyone is doing well and we will see you all soon.

Margo,Bill,Liam,Ella

back in Beijing

2006-08-05T02:49:00.000-07:00

We had a busy 5 days in Guangzhou and are disappointed we did not see much of Ella's home province. We did go to the Six Banyan Tree Temple (we posted a picture a couple posts ago) but that was the only sight seeing.
The trip to the orphanage was emotional and dangerous as many of you read on other blogs. We just missed the Typhoon and almost did not get out. We had to cut the trip short and I was not able to see Ella's finding spot.
The hotel in Guangzhou was great, an outdoor pool and huge hotel room. Liam went swimming daily. We also went to a couple local restaurants and the food was great.
Liam has only had 2 meltdowns, both on China South flights to and from Guangzhou. Other then that he is doing great. He is sleeping great every night and loves McDonalds (so does Bill with the nightly outings).
Ella aka glue girl screams whenever we try and peel her off my shoulder. She was sleeping great for 3 nights but the last two days and nights she is not sleeping or eating. She refuses to play on the floor and we have no idea what she can do developmentally. However, she is saying mama so anything else really doesn't matter. Her favorite rattle broke yest and she is having a hard time getting over it. If I find another one I am going to buy 10.
We had the medical today, she is 15 lbs and 71.5cm long. The 12-18month bottoms from Old Navy are huge on her.
Congratulations to our friends the Jumas on the birth of their third son Kiran who is 22lbs at birth ( I sure hope that was a typo).
Bill is going to try and post some more pictures. Tomorrow the Great Wall and Jade Factory (yes mom, I will get you Jade).
Margo and the rest of them.

Thursday

2006-08-03T03:30:00.000-07:00

Today, Margo and Ella took a bus ride to see the orphanage where Ella spent her first year. Liam and I had a "Liam and Daddy day"....satrted with a nice breakfast (chocolate cereal and donuts), then we went to the zoo. Saw lots of monkeys, some weird looking bears and a giant panda. Back at the hotel, we spent a couple hours at the arcade, then we went for a very long walk, about two hours, to see if we could find our way back to the hotel. Thankfully we found a Starbucks and a McDonalds in our travels, and after a couple hours, found our way home. Liam has decided to live here forever, we just have to get someone to pack up his toys back home and ship them here. He has gone swimming every day, he loves the breakfast buffet, there is McDonalds across the street, and he really likes the chinese cartoons. It's been quite nasty weatherwise today, and we hear there is a typhoon close by. I should have brought some tools and I could have worked for a couple weeks while I'm here. We'll need the money if Liam plans on living in this hotel. Also,Liam found a slimy slug at the zoo that he wanted to adopt and bring home. I've promised him he could have a slug when we get home, so if anyone finds one, keep it for me please. We are all doing great, Ella is smiling now, and is starting to trust us and get used to us. Liam has had his picture taken by the local people at least twenty times. Something about the blonde hair. They all want to touch him. He could have opened his own exhibit at the zoo.
We hope the pictures we posted yesterday went through, and we will try to post a few more later today.

Bill,Margo ,Liam,Ella

Hopefully we have pictures.

2006-08-02T04:44:00.000-07:00

The picture on the left is her today. The picture on right is the first time we saw her with the orphanage staff. Picture below is the hotel.

Just a quick note as I am at Lee and Les' again and their baby is tired. We are not having luck at the business ctr. Ella is just starting to warm up to us and has given us a couple smiles today. Mostly she still is glued to us. She screams when we put her on the floor so we are not sure what she can do developmentally. However, she loves her rattle and will not let is out of her hands. She said mamamama lastnight. I got to finally read the posts, I am glad people are reading the blog. Liam is doing really great on this trip however, he really has no interest in Ella at all. Liam and Ella are sleeping great, now Bill and I need to.
Tomorrow is the trip to the orphanage. They are really discouraging us from bringing the babies but a couple of us are.
I hope you can finally see Ella as the pictures should work (cross my fingers).
I will try and post again tomorrow.

Paperwork Day

2006-08-01T07:03:00.000-07:00

Today was paperwork day. We spent the morning signing documents and making the adoption official. We also got Ella's passport, by now most of the official stuff is done and our time is our time to do what we want. It was very hot (again) but at least Liam and I got to spend a couple hours in the pool. We also went shopping at a department/grocery store. Ella is getting used to us it seems, and is starting to come out of her shell a bit. Liam is still deathly afraid of baby poo though. The hotel is beautiful, the food is great, although it seems everything comes with the head attached. Order fish, it comes with the head. Last night we had chicken, it came with the head. Tonight we had duck, it came with the head. We don't dare order beef ....just in case. Going to try to add a few pictures, so I hope this works.
Anyway, we are all doing wonderful, having a great time, but I do miss my big soft bed.

Billy,Margo,Liam and Ella

Gotcha Day and more

2006-07-31T23:15:00.000-07:00

Sorry I am not posting more (Jennifer, Hector told me you posted on his about me). I haven't had time to get to the business center. Bill is going to down load pictures tonight if all goes well. Where do I start....
Ella is beautiful. We received her yest. which is China's Valentines Day. When we entered the civil affairs office the babies were there and some nannies were teasing us by walking around us with the babies. Ella did not cry when we received her and really hasn't cried since. They did not cut her hair and it is long. She LOVES to be held and suck her thumb. She cries when we try to hold her away from us to look at her. However, she loves her toys and throws them in the air. She slept soundly through the night and so did Liam. Liam has ignored her and told his dad he is afraid we won't play with him much anymore. Most of yest., and today is filled with paperwork. We are leaving again in a few minutes to do the passports. We weighed Ella as best we could and think she is 15 lbs. We met the director of the orphanage and the two head nannies but not her nanny so we still don't know much about her. She hasn't been given food yet. She eats a paste from a bottle made of formula and rice cereal with a large hole in the bottle. She has two bottom teeth.
There was a huge flood in Beijing yest that closed the airport, we got out just in time.
Opps, gotta run and catch the bus. Bill will try and post pictures tonight which will be Tues AM. Canadian time.

in Guangzhou

2006-07-30T17:28:00.000-07:00

After my last post we ran into other families. Liam played with Stephanie (8 yrs) and Andy (10Yrs) until 5Pm then passed out until 1AM. He did not sleep again until 4PM yest when he fell asleep on the plane and slept 14 hours Yahoo. I was getting pretty worried as he hasn't eaten since we left Toronto, but after a good sleep I hope he is hungry.
The first night in Beijimg my dinner was $3.75 Can. Bill was in the room with Liam and had a bottle of water from the hotel room bar for $5. The next morning we went for a walk about 25 minutes away to a market where Liam bought nike sneakers and a batman belt. Then onto another plane.
We have two guides, Freda and David and they are a God sent.
We may not get to the orphanage as there is flooding here. It was good to hear yest that the babies from Yangdong are on Nestle formula, it is a good brand. The baby's crib is also a pack and play playpen so meets all safety requirements.
The heat here is no worse then a hot day at home. Beijing was either foggy or smoggy but Guangzhou is very sunny (although I am in a fog).
Thanks to Lee and Les I am updating the blog in their room. The buiness center's computers are in Chinese so hard to navagate through.
in just 6 1/2 hours we'll have our girl.
Liam woke up this morning and said we had to put her crib in between our two beds so if she cries he can put his hand in the crib and she can play with it.
I will try and post pictures tonight.

In Beijing

2006-07-28T23:06:00.000-07:00

We are here safe and sound. The plane ride was uneventful which is good. We kept Liam up late lastnight hoping that he would sleep on the plane, ha. He slept one hour only. We flew here with 3 other couples--Ian and Alice, Anna and Chak, and Steve and his mother Maria. Liam walked in the hotel and wanted to go swimming right away. Unfortunately, there is some type of construction outside so they would not let us in. It is 2AM Ontario time and Liam is not even starting to fad and he has been up since 5:30AM.
I hope to find out how to post pictures but right now no one is around.
Our guide said she spoke to the orphanages and the girls are all in good health.
We leave for Guangdong at noon tomorrow.

2006-07-25T17:23:00.001-07:00

In just 3 days we leave for Beijing to be united with Liam's sister. Liam's sister is currently in Yangdong SWI in Yangjiang, Guandong.