Some Good News!

Thought I would share some really good news for a
change. Aiden has finally adapted to US time!
Hip-hip hooray!! He now sleeps from around 7-8:00 PM to
6 - 7:00 AM without waking. He sometimes will whimper
a little but will not actually wake up. AND...he is
sleeping in his crib! God is good!!! Another bit of
good news is that all of Aiden's blood tests came
back with wonderful results! He will begin his
re-immunization in 2 weeks. We are thanking God for
his blessings!!

Not What We Had Hoped For

We took Aiden to the Ophthalmologist today for his
eye appt. I had made the appt. back in July of this year.
It was made with supposedly, the best Pediatric Ophthalmologist
in the country at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center. The Dr's
secretary called us yesterday and asked if we could be there at
9:00 AM today instead of 10:00 AM. We of course said that we'd
be there. We waited in a cramped, non-child friendly waiting
room for 3 hours before we saw the Doc.
Aiden became very fussy and by the time we actually got to see the
Doctor, it was passed lunch time and way past his naptime! He,
of course, was completely non-cooperative with any exam. The
Doctor entered the room, never as much as introduced himself to
us or even asked us our names. He immediately approached Aiden,
shone a light in his eyes and tried to manipulate his eyelid.
Aiden went hysterical and would not cooperate. Basically the
Dr. told us there was nothing he could do until he was at least
4 yrs old because he would not cooperate for the exam. He left
the room without saying goodbye, and told us to see the secretary
on the way out. So, the "Best Dr. in the world" may have great
experience but DOES NOT have people skills. Needless to say,
we will be seeking a second option. We have an appt. at Cabarrus
Eye Center on Oct. 14th. Please say a prayer that Aiden will
cooperate. If not, we truly may have to wait until he is older
to get his eye fixed.

LOTS of "firsts"

When we received Aiden's referral and found out he was already
15 months old, I was admittedly a little disappointed to think
that I was going to miss out on many of his "firsts". Well....I
am here to tell you there are TONS of "firsts" still left to do:)
We visited Dan Nicholas Park this weekend for Rob's Company picnic.
Aiden had a great time and was so tired by the end that he fell
asleep before we even left the park.

Here are some of the "firsts" Aiden experienced this weekend:

* A Push-up ice cream
* A sweetart sucker
* Rode the carousel
* Rode the little train
* Helped his big Sister mine for Gems.
* Ate his first corn on the cob


He is doing much better with his time change adjustments!! Now we
have to work on "tantrums" (smile)

One Little Heartbeat at a Time

I took a breather today and just sat on the couch and
watched Aiden toddle around the living room. There were
so many things racing though my mind as I watched him.
I must admit that I wondered to myself if I was up to the
challenge of raising him. If I could work full time and
still be to him the Mother he so deserves to have. I
thought about his future, his numerous medical tests and
procedures. I wondered how we would pay all the deductibles
and co-pays. I wondered and worried about everything from
present day all the way to college and beyond. And of course,
I thought about his past. I thought about his life in the
orphanage and shuttered to think about what his life must have
been like there. In that moment when I felt so overwhelmed
by emotion I had to shake myself back to reality and say
"Mel, focus on TODAY", this moment, this chapter of his life.
Yesterday is gone, only God knows about tomorrow, but I have
THIS moment right now! It was then that I realized my role.
Though I did not give Aiden his life, I can CHANGE his little
life starting now... one little heartbeat at a time.

Adjusting

Last night was the first night Aiden actually
slept through the night since being home!! Yeah!
We are making progress towards adjusting to US
time!! Speaking of adjusting ..............
I will try to paint you a picture of one of our
many "adjustment" moments in our home. Bear in mind
that our house is apprx. 1350 sq feet.
I had already given Aiden his bath and he was
diapered, lotioned and in his Thomas the Tank PJ's.
Shaelyn was in the tub (with of course the bathroom
door wide open) when I hear Shaelyn screaming for him
to "GET OUT" and a loud thump! I dash into the
bathroom to discover that Aiden has attempted to get
back into the tub with Shaelyn who quickly stopped him
in his tracks. He was wet and soapy and pitching a royal
tantrum because he did not succeed in actually getting
into the tub. I pick up a very upset Aiden (who amazingly
can turn into a "noodle" at any given moment) and proceeded
to leave the bathroom. Well,unbeknownst to me, our dog
Sophie has also entered this tiny room we call the bathroom
and I nearly break my neck trying to keep from stepping on
her. The dog is completely perplexed and just stands
there. I stepped over the dog, put Aiden on the floor in
the hallway so he can complete his tantrum, physically
remove the dog from the bathroom, shut the bathroom door,
put Aiden in his playpen and wonder how many of these
episodes I will be able to handle on a daily basis. (smile)

The Doctor Appt!

Aiden had his doctor's appt. yesterday. He weighed
24 lbs and 30 "something" inches. Daddy took his to the
appt. and I picked up Shaelyn from school and dropped her
off at Mimi's house before heading up to the Doctor. They
had weighed and measured him before I got there and Rob only
remembered the weight. Anyway, he appears to be right on
track growth wise. Please pray for him as he will be getting
lots of immunization and tests in the next few months. We
meet with the surgeon about his eye on the 30th. Here are some
pics from the first of many doctor visits.

First Time at Church

Aiden went to church today for the first time in
his little life! It was nice to feel so welcomed
by our church family. They have been so supportive
of our adoption and have been excited about meeting
Aiden. They called us to the front of the church so
we could make the official introduction and of course
Aiden gave the congregation all big smiles and even
clapped for himself. It was too cute. My Dad had
made a beautiful flower arrangement of roses he grew
himself. He placed the arrangement on the communion
table at the front of the chuch in honor of
Aiden. It was absolutely beautiful and was very
special! Aiden is one loved little boy!

Jet Lagged!

We are home and trying to acclimate to US time again. Aiden
is having a difficult time adjusting and of course has his
days and nights mixed up. He loves his room and toys but is
a bit overwhelmed by it all! Shaelyn is trying to adjust to
a new brother in "her turf" now and we are experiencing some
"normal" behavior that we hope will pass quickly. The dog
is insanely jealous and this makes for some interesting moments.
This morning I heard Rob say "Mel, I have a problem". I came
into the living room and he was sitting in the rocker with
Aiden on one knee, Sophie (the dog) on the other and Shaelyn
sitting in between his legs. It was priceless! Hate I didn't
get a picture. Anyway, thought I would share some of our
welcome home pictures. These were taken at the airport last
night.

We're HOME!!

After a total of almost 40 hours on an aircraft, over 16,000
miles traveled, 5 airports and 7 airplanes, we are finally home!
We arrived home last night around 11:0o PM to a Welcome Home
committee like none other! My parents, my sisters family,
our house sitters, and of course Dear Nana all were there
with signs, presents and lots of tears to welcome us home.
We felt very loved and incredibly blessed!! Then when we
actually arrived at our house (after 1:00 AM), we saw blue
balloons all over the porch and a welcome home sign just
inside the door. The kitchen table was covered with flowers
and gifts. Chris and Kathy our dear Friends who house/pet
set for us, had everything just perfect even down to the
frig stocked with juices, milk and a deli platter. Can
we be anymore blessed?? Thanks just doesn't seem like
enough to say! WOW it is like Christmas at our house.
Aiden did beautifully, not crying at all when he
saw the dog Sophie. Sophie was so excited to see us that
she peed all over the floor. (Which is so unlike her).
Sophie just doesn't know what to think about the newest
addition, and just wants to smell and play "rough" with him.
It will take some time for this adjustment to occur. We are
VERY tired, and so out of wack with the time difference.
It will take a few days before we know which end is up.
We are basking in the realization that we are so BLESSED!
We are so glad to be home with our family and dear friends.
I will post pictures of our homecoming real soon. Love to
you all!

Goodbye China!!

We are officially ready to come home! We went to the
American Embassy along with about 40 other families and
together stood as one big group and took the oath. We
raised our hands for the number of adoptions this made
us and there was one family there who had adopted from
China 11 times!! God bless their souls! It was amazing
to see all of the kids ranging in age from about
10 months all the way to 12 years. We were then all
given our child's visa and granted permission to "GO HOME"!
Those words were like music to my ears!! We leave the hotel
tomorrow morning at 9:30 AM!! Please pray that Aiden
and Shaelyn sleep alot on the trip home. Especially
Aiden! He gets so restless when in confined areas!!
We will not post anymore until we are home! A special
thanks to each of you who have left comments on our
blog. It has helped us through some very difficult times.
We so appreciate your thoughts and prayers! This has been
an unbelieveable journey! We've had some really bad times
as well as some terrific experiences as well. Adoption is
truely a miracle and one we feel so blessed to have
experienced twice. God is good! Goodbye China!
Hello USA!!

Special Photos

We took some more pictures in the White Swan Hotel.
It is such a beautiful hotel and makes a wonderful
backdrop.

The "Red Couch Photos"

It is customary for adoptive familes to set their
children on the red couch at the white swan hotel
and take "The Red Couch Photo". Usually there are
several babies all lined up on the couch for the
photo but this time it is only us. Oh well....we
had to get the picture anyway!!

Swimming at The White Swan Hotel

Here are some pictures of Daddy with the kids
swimming in one of the wonderful pools here at
the White Swan. Adien loves the pool!!

Just a Quick Note!

Just a quick note, no picutures (sorry). We made it
through the medical exam without any problems!! We
have our consulate appt. tomorrow morning but our guide
will be going for us on our behalf. We then will go
on Wednesday to the Consulate to take the Oath and they
will give us Aiden's Visa at that time. Then we are
free to go home! We leave here Thursday morning!!
YEAH!!!!!!

We're In Guangzhou!

We arrived in Guangzhou yesterday afternoon and spent most
of the afternoon trying to find somewhere cheap to eat.
The hotel is about $60 per person. NOT! We finally got
a taxi to take us to McDonald's but that was a mistake!!
There were a "trillion" people at McDonald's and literally
there was no place to sit in a 3 story McDonald's! So,
we decided to take our food back to the Hotel. Catching
a taxi back was another story....There were hundreds of
people all trying to get taxi's in the same location. We
waited on the street corner for what seemed like days
when finally we were lucky enough to get one. It was
crazy and of course Shaelyn was totally overwhelmed with
all the ciaos and was crying hysterically! She said
Chinese people are rude and act like animals and of course
she wanted to go home! Aiden was having a terrific time
with both hands dug deep inside the McDonald's bag eating
french fries. Shaelyn was so irritated at him. She kept
saying "how can you eat at a time like this"! I thought it
was cute. Anyway, we ran into some American adoptive families
later on and they showed us where to go to eat. Right behind
the White Swan Hotel is a little shopping plaza that has a
really nice western restaurant for cheap!! We were thrilled.
We did not stay at the White Swan when we adopted Shaelyn so
were unaware of where everything was. We purchased a stroller
for Aiden, and got him a cute kimono in the shops behind the
hotel. Aiden's medical exam is today at 9:00 AM. We are
hoping everything goes well. Lots of things can go wrong
(paperwork related problems) at these exams. We are saying
a prayer. As far a my dizziness, it continues However, I
think it may be my glasses. We had my lenses changed into
new frames in Chongqing and they did not have frames that
were the exact match as mine, so they are set in the frames
differently. I have prisms in my lenses so think maybe
I am now looking through a prism differently thus causing
the dizziness and nausea. I do have motion sickness tabs
I've been taking and that seems to help for a little while.
I will just suffer through it for a few more days and will
get new glasses once home. I don't think it's my ears
because the plan ride from Chongqing was fine. By the way,
Aiden was horrible on the plan ride! Was extremely fussy,
and would not be consoled! When I had exhausted all of
my tricks before we even left the runway, I knew we were
in trouble!! It was miserable and I am a little panicked
to think of a 14 hour flight home! PLEASE, PLEASE help us
pray!!!!!
The above pictures are taken INSIDE the lobby of the White
Swan Hotel! It is spectacular!

So Ready to Come Home!

We are so ready to come home! We are getting cabin
fever in this hotel room. Aiden is fussy and very
confused and Shaelyn is in a foul mood. I am about
to go crazy not to mention I have not been feeling
well. Don't know what is causing it but I have been
very dizzy! It starts after I eat breakfast, so don't
know if it's something I'm eating or what. It lasts
all day long and is heightened by the heat outside.
I felt so dizzy yesterday to a point of passing out.
Please pray that this will pass!! Thankfully Aiden
prefers Daddy right now so Rob is doing most of
the baby care and I'm dealing with "Ms. Priss".
Shaelyn is NOT an international traveler that's for
sure! We received Aiden's passport yesterday! YEAH
We leave tomorrow around 1:15 PM for Guangzhou.
Here is where we will receive Aiden's medical exam
and his visa to come home. We are very anxious to get
home. Hopefully things will return to some type of
normal once we get there. Please keep us in your
prayers. The 14 hours flight home with Aiden seems
almost unrealistic!! Please, please make this a
matter of prayer!

The Panda Zoo

We had a much better day today. Aiden seems to be
feeling some better and wasn't as fussy. We have
found a little trick though. He loves his stroller
so when he gets fussy, we just put him in it and set
him in front of the TV in our room. He is so content
with this arrangement and usually will end up falling
asleep. We visited a panda zoo today and it was so
interesting. We also visited a silk factory and
found it very interesting. We do get a bit weary
of the shop workers trying to get us to purchase
things. They are very pushy and practically shove
things in your face. It is a bit overwhelming for
Shaelyn (And mommy too). We are counting down the
days til we leave to come home!! Missing the good
'ole USA VERY much!

Babies of Mine

Today was a bit more challenging. I think Aiden finally
realized the slumber party was over and this "arrangement"
was permanent. He has been fussy today and very clingy!
His tummy has been torn up and we think it is from either
the antibiotic or from the change in diet. His cold
is starting to "come out" is torrents. He hates his nose
wiped and diaper changed so this makes for some fuzzy
moments. Oh, and Nana, we have a "biter". Can you
believe it! We were in the playroom yesterday and for
no reason Aiden came to Shaelyn, grabbed her arm and
bit her really hard, then just laughed! She was horrified
and of course cried and cried. I explained to her that
she use to do that to and that Nana bit her back and she
stopped doing it. I told her babies had to learn. It
took her a little while but she finally warmed back up
to him and decided that he could stay in the family after
all. (smile)

The Roberts Family

Aiden was trying to get down and walk. He loves to move!

Big Sister in Love

Shaelyn and the newest "love of her life". She is so
proud of him and recently told me "Mom, I wouldn't
care if he didn't even have an eye, I would still
love him". She hates to hear him cry at bathtime and
gets very upset herself. I know "someone" who won't
be going with Mommy and Aiden to the Doctor for
Aiden's vaccinations! She just loves him so much. I
know in my heart that we have given her a wonderful
gift, a brother, and at the same time have gained a
special gift ourselves. She has witnessed first hand
the miracle of adoption and just how much work we went
through to even get her. She has said on several
occasions "Did ya'll do that with me"? She has seen
things through a different window and has found it
humbling yet truly miraculous.

Special Friends

This first photo is a picture of Aiden and his little
friend from the same orphanage. His friend was adopted
by parents from France. We will try to stay in contact.
It is apparant that these two little guys know each other
well. They just smile and jabber when they see each
other. The second photo is of Aiden and the orphanage
director that has overseen his care for a long time.
The last photo is of our Guide "Sophie". She is so
sweet and has been a lifesaver for us!

Shopping at Walmart

We needed to make a trip to Walmart today because
Mommy forgot to pack some PJ's! Mommy didn't think
Aiden would be drooling so much so didn't pack but
one bib so we needed bibs. The updated information
we received on Aiden prior to travel had foot size
measurements that was very incorrect! His feet are
tiny. We brought size 5 sandals with us and his
pinkie toe sticks out the side. He went barefoot all
day today and of course he wants to walk as much as
we will let him. His feet were black with dirt by
noon. Mommy just couldn't have that so a trip to
Walmart for shoes was necessary! I guess babies do
not wear many shoes here in china because they were
extremely limited in selection. In fact, there was
only one pair of shoes in the entire walmart that
would fit his foot, thankfully they were baby blue
not pink:) We have had a very good day together!
Aiden is so easy going, except for bathtime. He is
nothing but smiles to everyone he meets. Shaelyn is
simply thrilled. I bet she has kissed him 100 times
today. I finally had to tell her enough. She is good
with him but she can not pick him up. He looks small
but is very solid and surprises you when you pick him up.
Thanks to everyone for your thoughts and prayers. We
love you all!

It's Official!

It is official, Aiden Chase FuSheng is now our son
forever!! We are so excited!! We were able to talk
with some of the orphanage workers today and received the
cameras back from them. (The cameras we sent in the care
package). We have also received some earlier photos of
Aiden that are invaluable to us, including a copy of his
finding newspaper ad. We had lunch at McDonalds after
having the adoption ceremony and Aiden got to eat french
fries for the first time. I told Rob today that I sure
would be glad to get home to be around people with some
fat. Everyone is tee-tiny here and I feel like the fat
lady of the circus. Anyway, we are doing much better
and Aiden has already attached himself to Daddy. He
doesn't like for Daddy to get out of his sight. Today
at the ceremony, one of the orphanage workers tried to
pick him up and Aiden cried and tried to get back to Rob.
It was so sweet. Take care!! 9 more days til we leave
for home!!

A Good Morning

Aiden woke up this morning without any problem
and gave us a big grin. He slept through the
night without waking! Yeah! Without doubt
this child is happiest at the table. In the
orphanage food must have been the highlight
of his day. He gives you a huge grin after
every bite. After breakfast we went to play
in the hotel playroom. Shaelyn and Aiden had
a terrific time! We are off to the adoption
center this afternoon for the official
ceremony!! Yeah!

Sleeping Peacefully!

I could hardly believe my good fortune tonight! I sat Aiden
in his crib with a few toys. He never made a peep. He played
with his toys for about 30 minutes and then just laid down and
went to sleep. I thought those kinds of things only happend
in fairy tales! I do hope it continues! I keep peeking
at him to make sure his is okay and he just looks so peaceful!
He does have a little cold but nothing too severe. One of the
few times he has actually cried was at bath time tonight!!
DID NOT like it! He doesn't like his clothes off at all!
That could be a very good thing in the future!) We are feeling
extremely blessed! Ps. To my Mom... Yes,I removed the toy car
from off of him once he was asleep good, and covered him up. :)

First Dinner Together

Aiden LOVES to eat!! He pigged-out at dinner tonight!! I was
afraid he would make himself sick. You can tell he has been
fed well. He is a "chunk". Either that or Mommy is incrediably
out of shape! Daddy has done most of the carrying. Aiden likes
to walk but it is easier to just pick him up and go. Our
arms will be very sore for awhile (which will match the VERY)
sore legs we now have from climbling the bazillion steps of the
Great Wall. :) Somethings are just worth being sore for! Life
is good in spite of our trials! We are learning this lesson
far too well on this trip!

The Shoes

My very observant daughter quickly (but thankfully discreetly)
pointed out that Aiden had on "Girl Shoes" when they brought
him to us. (Gasp!!) She had them OFF in the van on the way back to
the hotel!!

GOTCHA Day Photos