Weeks 3, 4, & 5

Over the last couple of weeks some unexpected things have needed our attention, so our blog is a few weeks behind. A major highlight was a trip to California to see Gammy and Poppers. There has also been more gymnastics, swimming, and baseball games. With the weather getting nicer we are spending more and more time outside and Steve spent some time today working hard to get our yard family-ready for the summer. Some photos and videos are below!


Lots of big bear hugs around our house these days.










On our way to visit Gammy and Poppers.












At cousin Rob's Little League Game.
















At Gammy and Poppers' we had a chance to visit with very dear friends....










Have a parade...


Have time for silliness...










Learn about big kisses from Poppers...

Have time for more silliness...


And, of course, enjoy some yummy food!

Week 2

Maggie has learned the fun in giving a thumbs, especially when she likes her food.



























We got the jog stroller out of the garage and are now using it for walks around the neighborhood and for going to and from activities. This photo right before our first trip out. She loves putting the sun shade down and having her own little space.



















Sebbie resurected the teepee and they had some great fun in it together.



Maggie attended her first Gymnastics class this week. It is a great way to burn off energy. Although, Mommy was way more tired after class than she was.
















Sebbie swam in the CAT all-comers meet this past week while Maggie cheered her big brother on.

Week One

Our first week at home was a time for settling in and lots of fun (and funny moments) along the way. Maggie hunted for her first Easter basket, did lots of "work" in her kitchen, went to a couple of different parks, and read a lot of books (she is learning to be "gentle" with her books).



































Maggie enjoys, with great interest, following GeGe to his baseball activities and watched his first game on Saturday. On Sunday we went for our first family swim (sorry--forgot the camera but will bring it next time). She wasn't too sure about getting naked, putting on a swimsuit and then walking across the wet concrete, but she loved the water once we got in. I think we may have another swimmer in the family! Sebbie is participating in an all-comers swim meet this Friday, so the whole family will go to that.

A full week of school for Sebbie meant shorter naps for Maggie but also many trips to the school play park. When Mommy goes off to work and Sebbie goes off to school, she keeps a pretty close eye on Daddy--just so he doesn't disappear! Luckily he has been able to work from home and does a great job of juggling things. She absolutely loves when visitors stop by the house and likes to show them what she can do and the things she has. Turns out she LOVES to talk on the phone (see below).



Last week, Maggie had her check up with Dr. Pat (our good friend and pediatrician). She passed her TB test and, so far, there are no really bad results on the various other tests she had (more results to come still, though). We have our first appointment with Shriner's Hospital in Portland on May 15th. This appointment is the starting point for developing a master plan for how to proceed with her cleft palate and lip.

We are aiming to create a new post once a week for a while, so stop back in if you want to see what we are up to. (:

We're Home

The first leg. Guangzhou to Seoul, South Korea.



















Sebbie sleeps on the first leg.










We made it to LAX. Maggie Xudi Law is a US citizen after stepping on US ground for the first time.









Sebbie and Didi's cousins from Portland. Their birth country is China too!











Give her her own bag to carry and she is a happy girl!


Our awesome family cheers our arrival at PDX!

Well, we made it. What a trip home! Total elapsed time from take-off to our home in Corvallis was about 27 hours. The first flight from Guangzhou to Seoul, South Korea was only about 2 1/2 hours. Didi didn't like her seat belt fastened and cried so hard we thought she was going to pass out. I held her in my lap for the landing. Sebbie even napped on this flight.

The long flight from Seoul to Los Angeles was 11 and 1/2 hours. We boarded the plane at 8:00p.m. Didi was so exhausted from playing in the play area with her big brother and missing another nap, she fell asleep in about 3o minutes. Sebbie was so excited about having his very own TV monitor, that he stayed awake until after 3:30 a.m. playing battleship and then watching a full length movie. Mommy was a real champ and stayed awake with him. She got about 30 minutes sleep the whole flight. I did better, sleeping in between being kicked by Didi. I thought it better she kick me instead of the man sitting in the seat on her other side.

We arrived in Los Angeles at about 3:30p.m., tired, a wee bit cranky, totally smelly and wet from Didi's soddy diaper. After a spit bath, a change of clothes and some food, we felt a bit better. The flight from LAX to PDX was a piece of cake, except when the flight attendant spilled red wine all over Sebbie's pants. The good part was she gave Cathy a large bottle of Curve Ball Blonde Ale as a way to say apologize. Sebbie and Didi even sat together and played, laughed and giggled for about an hour of the flight.

Upon arrival at PDX we were so excited and pleased to see some of our family there to greet us. They had balloons, gifts and really cool, hand made signs and posters. Sebbie and Didi's cousins Grace and Matea were even there too. They understood how arduous the return trip is because they did it just a few years ago with their mom and dad, Brian and Kim.

With the extreme crying about the seat belt on the first flight, we were worried about the child seat for Didi on the drive home. However, when she saw her really cool big brother strap himself into his car seat (we didn't tell her it was just a booster!), she wanted in her car seat and was happy to have it buckled up. The final leg, driving from PDX to Corvallis was maybe the most difficult, but fun too. Cathy kept going in and out of semi-consciousness to see if I was ok driving. I would say she was delirious, asking me "hey, you got any tartar sauce?" or "do I smell kitty litter?" Her silly, but well timed questions kept me laughing and awake. Pulling up to our house about midnight, I had to keep pinching myself to make sure I wasn't dreaming. The last 2 1/2 weeks went by so fast, and it seemed almost like a dream. Blue and Goofy were there to greet us and there was a really fun sign hanging in our kitchen entry way. There were flowers on the table, cards to welcome us home and even a couple of welcome home Maggie gifts were waiting for her. What a trip! What an incredible journey this has been. Thank you for following along with us on our blog. We have appreciated your love an support along the way!

Heading Home

Today is our last full day in China. We are leaving for the airport tomorrow morning. After sleeping in and enjoying the brunch buffet, we spent the remainder of the day poking around the local area, buying some souvenirs, swimming, and enjoying a nice Cantonese meal.We are looking forward to heading home, but will miss China and feel a little conflicted about removing Maggie from her birthplace. As a family we are more committed than ever about returning to China as often as we can.





Big Happy Smiles!












Cantonese dinner. Maybe one of our best!







Thank you deeply for sharing our journey with us. Many of you have been there every step of the way over the last decade as we have struggled and triumphed to create our family and we are so happy that you, and all the others we have met along the way, can share our joy with us now. It has been such a blessing to have all of you in our lives and be able to look back at all the struggles as just water under the bridge. Please visit our blog later after we get home, to see little Maggie Xudi as she settles in to her new, forever home.

And last, but not least, we want to somehow express and send our deepest thank you to little Dang Xudi's birth mother and father. We believe that they loved her very much. So much, that just one day after she was born, they bundled her up and left her on the doorstep of the Datong Social Welfare Orphanage. Not because they didn't love her, but because they knew they were not able to afford and provide the extra care that this special, precious little girl would need. We imagine that they think of her every day and miss her deeply. Maybe if we all give thanks to them, they will somehow know that their wonderful little girl will always be loved and cared for in the way that they had hoped...in the very way that every parent wants to love and care for their own children.








Maggie Xudi Law

Oath at the American Consulate

Today we went to the American Consulate, with about 70 other families, to take our oath. This enabled Maggie to get her visa to travel to the U.S. and was the very LAST step in the adoption process. She will now become an American citizen as soon as we go though immigration in the Los Angeles Airport.

I think we were caught a bit off guard about what a moving experience this would be. More than once we could feel the tears welling up. Riding on one of three buses that were a caravan over to the Consulate, you could look around and see all of the other families who had endured so much for so long to adopt their precious child. It was an amazing sight. As we took the oath (choking up as we held back the tears), it signified the end of a ten-year long journey to create our family. We hugged and kissed each other as we reflected upon the moment. Through her body language and expression it became obvious that Maggie seemed to have some idea that this was a significant moment too. Maybe she sensed it from us, but it was almost like she relaxed into a wet noodle and let go. I think she is emotionally spent and is fast asleep.




After we arrived back to the hotel











At the park on the way to dinner
















Celebration dinner at a really nice Italian restaurant















We have been receiving more and more unsolicited hugs and kisses from Maggie. She seems so happy to recognize us as her family and is interacting with us pretty much like you would expect a two-year-old with a very strong personality to. It has been so wonderful to see her become more and more secure and comfortable with us as the days pass by.

Day 5 in Guangzhou

We started our day with a morning snuggle. Maggie continues to get more and more affectionate and is asking for our attention--in all sorts of ways! (:

After breakfast we had our appointment with the U.S. Consulate. Our guide Lee actually went to the appointment for us while we waited in our hotel room in case they had to call with any questions. After two hours of trying to keep busy in a small space we were a bit stir crazy, but all the paperwork went through smoothly. Yeah! This means that tomorrow we can take our "oath".



In the afternoon, we took a trek across the river to the local shopping district. Here you can find a huge variety of very interesting things.















In the medicine section we found dried snakes.















...and live scorpions!



In the pet section we saw all kinds of critters, such as rabbits, rodents, puppies, fish, and KITTENS!














On the way back we went by this bike shop...














...and then this really cool tea shop, where a very nice young couple educated us about Chinese teas and poured us several cups before we decided what to buy.














We got a little Thai take-out for dinner by our hotel and then finished up our day with some rambunctious play time in the play room downstairs. Maggie finished up her day just like she started--a long snuggle with Mommy before she got into bed. She looked at me fondly saying "Mama, Mama, Mama..." as I rocked her--it was very special!