Feels like child-birth

I naively thought that bringing home an older baby would be less work and easier than giving birth and caring for an infant.  It's true that certain things are easier like she can sooth herself, sit, and sleep through the night.  However, due to jet lag and a change of environment, she is not able to sleep.  In China, even though there were crying and screaming, for the most part she slept the majority of the night.  In the US, she has been restless in her sleep and unable to sleep from 1 am to 4 am.  Since she is in our room, we can't sleep the entire night either.  We are so sleep deprived that we don't want to do anything but sleep during the day time.  Which is not helpful in getting over jet lag.  This week at home feels like the first week home from the hospital after giving birth to my boys.  All I do is attend to the baby day and night and don't feel like doing anything else but nap.  The boys have to be self sufficient while mommy and daddy are out-of-it. 

I still have the rash I mentioned earlier.  The itching is intense and unbearable.  I had to use anti-itch cream and take antihistamine.  I went to see my primary physician and just with one look, she determined that it was scabies, which is contagious.  I had a phone conversation with the doctor who specializes in adoption, she doesn't think so.  I went to a dermatologist today to get a second opinion, he did a biopsy and said that it was not scabies, but dyshidratic eczema.  I am so glad it is not contagious, but it itching is still there.  There is really nothing to heal it, I was only given steriod to control the inflamation. 

I feel like being sleep deprived and suffering discomfort is the passage to motherhood that I must go through.  With birth, I was sleep deprived and suffered from pain.  With adoption, I am also sleep derived but suffering from itch.  I see that there is no easy way to be a mother.  ;)

Other than the sleep thing, Mui-mui is doing well.  She likes to explore our house by crawling around, getting into everything, and putting everything in her mouth.  Her appetite is back and she loves jook.  When we first got her, she can only crawl via army style on her belly.  Now she is crawling normally and can get from the crawling position to a sitting position.  We also have the priviledge of seeing her first tooth.  When I brushed her gum the other day, I felt something sharp. 

Jet-lag

There is no place like home, it's so great to be back.  The boys are doing great with adjusting to this time zone.  But Karissa is really having and hard time.  So that makes the adjustment for Hebron and I harder.  Babies seem to have a really strong internal clock that is hard to change. She has been waking up at 1 am for the past three nights crying for many hours until her body is tired.  Which is why I am up at wee hours of the night.  Since she is up, I am up.  I am sooo exhausted during the day time, but I am trying not to sleep so that I would be tired at night.  The down side to this plan is that I don't get to sleep at night either.

I think being jet lag and not having enough sleep effected Mui-mui's appetite. She is eating alot less. Please pray that her internal clock would be change to this time zone quickly.

Red Couch Picture

It is a tradition that all the adopted kids dressed in traditional Chinese outfit and take a picture at the red couch in the lobby. I knew about this when watching a Lisa Lin special about china adoption, but completely forgot to get mui-mui her outfit. So she is the only one wearing Carter. It was a challenge to get all 20 plus kids to sit still long enough for a good picture. Of course there were crying and screaming involved. Then we all took a group picture with ALL the families. We will have to post pic after we return.

All the adoptive families from HOLT.

This is the family we were in Kunming with.

We got the visa we needed! So now we can leave. There are twelve families catching the train today, 12/23, to Hong Kong to spent a night so they can catch their flight tomorrow. We are the last one to leave since our flight is 10 pm tomorrow night, 12/24, to HK and then transfer to another flight at 1:30 am to SFO. When we get home everything will be closed for Christmas. Oh, I wish we can leave tonight so we can be home one day earlier, then I can run to the store for supplies and see the doctor.

Please pray for a safe and pleasant flight home. Especially pray that the kids, particularly Karissa will be able to over come jet lag and establish a good routine at home. Her body has a set schedule here. She takes a morning and afternoon nap and is usually ready for bed at 8:30 pm. Since our flight is at 10 pm China time, I am sure she will be sleeping. But we get home at about 10 pm PST, she probably won't want to sleep when we are suppose to.

Merry Christmas everyone! We will share more of God's blessing when we return. Can't wait to see you all.

Paper work done

Today we went to the US consulate and completed the final paper work and applied for a US visa for mui-mui. Now all we have to do is wait until they issue the visa and the necessary documents for entry. So three more days until we come home. All the kids are doing well. The boys are having a good time with children from other families. Karissa have completely warmed up to Hebron and will prefer him over other strangers. Please pray for me (Kitty), I have developed rashes on my hands and feet that itches. I am not sure if it is an allergic reaction to something or a contagious condition. Please pray that the boys and mui-mui don't get it. I see a small rash developing at the corner of mui-mui's mouth, I hope it's nothing serious and won't effect her appetite.

While we are waiting for our visa, our agency have arranged many activities for us. We went to the zoo and on a safari ride. They have many animals that we don't have at the Oakland zoo, like white tigers, koalas, and pandas. Tomorrow we will go on a ferry ride and eat Papa John's pizza. We all miss home.

Safari Ride

Panda Exhibit

Papa John's Pizza on Boat Cruise

Finally in Guangzhou

We have safely arrived in Guangzhou. There are about 20 families here from Holt (our adoption agency). It's great to see all the families with their adopted babies. Karissa is the youngest, most are between 1.5 to 3 yrs. One family adopted a five year old little girl that is sooo sweet and happy. Her parents told us that when she first met them she gave them a kiss and called them baba mama. She was sooo excited to be adopted that she showed everyone at the orphanage the picture of her new family. Another family adopted two boys in their teens. We also met a few families in the same situation where the child only allows one parent to care for her. Misery loves company, so I feel much better and less depress that we are not alone. Karissa has improved in that aspect. After some complaining, she will allow Hebron to feed her milk. And he can hold her when I am not around. So I leave them alone to have some bonding time. Our tour guide arranged a shopping day, so I went with the group and left the kids with Hebron. The boys took a good nap and Karissa had fun with daddy. She will even play with him now, but still prefers me. I am sooooo relieved. Thank you for your prayers. I can really feel God's protection upon us.

First day here, we did alot of paper work already. We went to take another passport photo for visa purpose. Then we took Karissa to a clinic for a brief physical exam. Lastly, we filled out paper and got ready to see the Consulate. Everything seems to be close to the hotel so we walked to all these places.

White Swan hotel is a really nice five star hotel. They offer really good breakfast buffet. There are omelet, pancake, bacon, pizza, nuggets, variety of dim sum, congee, yogurt, bread, fruits, noodle, and much more. I definitely gained weight. We would have never booked such fancy hotel on our own. It seems like all adoption agencies use this hotel. Every business around this hotel caters to adoptive families. It is an industry in itself. Restaurants have baby menu offering baby food such as congee and pureed food. There are baby stores all over. Some stores even offer to do laundry at a low price and even loan out baby stroller. We met a store owner who is a believer, so we brought our laundry to her. She gave the kids toys and let us borrow a brand new stroller for free. Of course I feel bad, so I bought some souvenirs from her.

Orphange tour

Today, we visited the orphanage where Karissa was from. Actually, she hasn't been at that orphanage for the past few months, because in Kunming, their practice is to wait until a child is six months old, and then send them to a foster family to live until they get adopted. Usually, a foster family will have three kids from the orphanage under their care. The three kids' age will usually be spread out. Karissa was the youngest in her foster family.

Back to the orphanage. This one is in charge of 600 kids, but only 100 of them will be at the orphanage, as the remaining 500 of them will be at foster care. The orphanage is still in charge of those 500, as they will send someone out every week to see how the foster kids are doing. We are actually really impressed by the facility and the level of care provided by this particular orphanage in China. The staff to baby ratio is probably 1 to 5, so it is pretty decent. They feed them milk and porridge everyday, and they do try to give them some individualized attention by playing and interacting with the kids. Some of these babies are so cute and adorable. It just makes you want to take them all home! The facilities are pretty new and clean as well, and there is a doctor on-site. We are glad our child came from this environment, as there are some orphanages in China where multiple babies have to share a crib and babies are often left in soiled diapers on a high chair throughout the day. Even though this facility is very good, each of those babies are still desperately waiting for a permanent home with a loving family. We are blessed to be one of those parents who can take one of these little lives home.

Adjustment is tough

Just like child birth, I tried to be prepared for the adoption journey by reading a lot of books. But no book prepared me emotionally for how hard things are. On the first day, I shared that she is calm, does not cry much, and a good sleeper. Well, all that changed. Everything seemed to have gone down hill slowly on a daily basis. On the first day, I only have to be in the room with her. On the second day, I have to sit next to her or else she will cry. On the third day, sitting next to her is not enough, I have to hold her. Now the fourth day, holding her is no longer enough, I have to walking around while holding her. Otherwise, she will scream and get frustrated. Sleeping is bad too. On the first night she fell asleep by herself. On the second night, she cried alittle. On the third night, she screamed at the top of her lungs for 30 mins so I would pick her up. And I did. Tonight she again cried and needed help going to sleep. She also sleeps a lot less. The most tiresome part is that she requires only me to care for her. She wouldn' t let Hebron come near her. I can't do anything but holding her and be by her side. I have things to do that I can't do because she needs my 24 hrs attention. I want to care for the boys too, but I can't. As soon as I step a few inches away from her, she cries. Honestly, I am a little emotionally drained. She cries constantly now. The weird thing is that the foster family and orphanage worker said that she is really good, she is calm and plays by herself. She definitely changed and I don't know how to help her. Please, please, please pray that she will form a healthy bond with me and not need me to be by her side all the time. Also pray for patience and endurance on my part. Pray that she will allow Hebron to care for her since I will be back to work in mid January. Also, please pray that she will be fair temper and be able to go to sleep on her own.

Cross Bridge Rice Noodle Soup

We ordered the wrong noodle soup the disastrous noodle house visit last time. We were suppose to order cross bridge noodle soup. We told our tour guide of our experience and she suggested another noodle house. Hebron loves those noodle sooooo much that he insisted that we try it. So we went to another noodle house at 5 pm to beat the dinner crowd. This place actually have English menu. So we ordered the cross bridge noodle. Thankfully they brought our food to us.

The legend behind cross bridge noodle soup in Kunming is that a long time ago there was a scholar in Kunming studying for the imperial exam to enter the palace to be the King's advisor. He found a good place to study in a pagoda in the middle of the lake. His wife would cross the bridge to bring him food everyday. He complained all the time about her food. Until one day she made him chicken soup. She separated the chicken stock from the meat, vegetables and rice noodle so things won't get soggy. The husband loved it so much that he request to eat that everyday. After a long time of studying, he made his way to Beijing to take the imperial exam which he passed and became the King's advisor and got rich. People here like to eat this noodle before major exam for good luck. That is why there is a cross bridge noodle house in every corner. As you can see, the meat, vegetables, and noodle is separate from the chicken stock. We are suppose to combine it ourselves. It is really good.

Stone Forrest

Our first excursion as a family is our trip to Stone Forrest. Along, with another adoptive family we chartered a bus that took us on a two hour ride (one way) to see the natural lime stone forrest. This place is one of a few natural wonder in China. It was the bottom of the ocean some 2 plus million years ago. It is now a tourist attraction and the govt built a lake and paved road. I will post better pictures when we return. All the kids had a great time. If it wasn't for the bus and our tour guide, I would not tour China with three kids. Everyone stared at us everywhere we went. I think it because of our three kids. Everyone has only one child here, they must think we are insane. Some said in a nice way that it's alot of work.

Karissa is doing well with us. She is more vocal and smiles more now compared to day one. She is so attached to me (Kitty) that she won't let me put her down. I can't even go the bathroom without her crying. So of course showering is out of the question. I have to wait until she is asleep. Please pray that she will allow Hebron to care for her. It seems like he can hold her only in the morning. After 9 am, I am the only one. For some reason she is sleeping less. Please pray that she will sleep more and be over her cold.

Gotcha Day

Gotcha Day is the term the adoption community uses to refer to the day we receive our babies. The day went really smoothly. At 8 am, the escort took us to the Dept of Civil Affairs. At 9 am, we received our little angel, Karissa Faith Mak. We spent a few hours there to complete paperwork and signed our life away. The boys were quietly playing with our iPhone. It's good to know that we are not the only crazy one. We met another family that also brought to youth boys. Then, we went to take passport picture for Karissa and went to another govt office to apply for her passport. Then we all, with other adoptive family, went to lunch. After all the activities, we brave souls, took all he kids to Walmart to get baby supplies.

Karissa is very calm, does not cry much, and a good eater. She did not make a fuss the entire day. She got attach to me (Kitty) almost immediately. Perhaps I looked like one of her caretaker. After we return to our hotel, she kept her eyes on me he whole time. Anytime I was away from her line of sight, she would cry, but she would stop when I return. Hebron tried to give her a bottle when I was in the shower, she wouldn't take it. She cried so hard that her face turned red and she got sweaty. She slept through the night on the her first night with us, from 8:30 pm to 5:30 am. We feel soooo blessed to have her. The boys are great brothers. They gave her toys and entertained her when I have things to do. Joshie even stood next to the bed to make sure she won't fall. Please continue to pray for us. Karissa is sick and on medication. Hebron and the boys also have a bad cough.

Eating like a local

We have one free day in Kunming before all the activities. We thought we would explore the city and find some good eats. Our first meal was in a restaurant that serves American and Chinese food. We spent $20, so it's like Chinatown prices. Hebron thought that we shouldn't have to spend that much a meal if we eat like the locals. So our search for local food begins. Noodle soup shouldn't be hard to find. So we took the boys on a walk, in the rain, to find lunch. We walked many many blocks but no food in sight. The streets are filled with cell phone stores and clothing stores. Finally, we saw some people caring take out boxes, so we walk toward that direction. We found a small noodle shop selling only rice noodle soup with chicken for 6 RMB ($1 is 6.6rmb). The store resembles a street vendor. Order is taken in one window and food is picked up in another. Then you can add any toppings you want. I opted not to add any topping since the items were sitting out for who knows how long and people might have their hands in it. Since the soup is hot, it should be safe to eat. The locals ate there sitting on little stools on the street. Hebron was looking after the boys, so I had to handle four soups while people behind me is speaking in loud voices and pushing me forward as the line is getting long. We decided that it was better to bring back and eat at the hotel. It was such an adventure that I don't think I want to do it again.  Bring it back to the hotel to eat is both comfortable and safe.

When the boys was napping, Hebron went exploring for a noodle house that will serve us, like in Chinatown. He came back saying that he found a noodle house and a large food court area. Great! No more street food. So we went to the food court looking for dinner. Most vendors are selling food that I don't recognize and they lay it all out in the open. I opted not to eat it because it looked unsafe and again it is self served. So we went to the noodle house since we saw waiters and people sitting and being served. The place was full so we have to venture upstairs. The waiter told us that you have to order downstairs and get a receipt. Ok, perhaps then they will bring food to us. So I went to downstairs to order. Of course the menu is in Chinese with no picture. I only have limited ability to read traditional Chinese and they write in simplified Chinese. It seems like everyone was eating noodle in red soup, which means it it spicy. So I have to be careful not to order those. I was finally able to figure out that they have mushroom chicken noodle soup, so I ordered three bowls, a total of 18 RMB. I then took my receipt upstairs and gave it to the waiter. She looked at my receipt and told me that I have to downstairs to pick up my food. Are you kidding me? After all that I have to serve myself again. So I ventured downstairs again and saw that there are three pickup windows. I choose one and they motioned me to another one. Then I moved over, the guy was asking me some questions that I don't understand. After repeating a few times, I finally figured out from context that he is asking me do I want thick or thin noodle. I watched him prepare the food and he put a whole spoon full of white powder in before he poured in the soup. What the heck is that? Perhaps powder MSG? I hope it is not melamine. Because the soups are so huge Hebron had to bring them upstairs. After all the excitement, I was no longer hungry. Not sure why we were not served and others were. Maybe I ordered the wrong thing. Well, no more eating like the locals. I will have to post pix after I get back because I can't go over my data allowance.

Our time in Shanghai

We arrived at 12 am local time in Shanghai on Dec 9. Everyone was a zombie due to the lack of sleep. The 14 hrs plane ride to Hong Kong went amazingly well. The boys watched alot of TV, did some homework, and took two short naps. Hebron and I didn't sleep much, so the 2 hrs connecting flight from HK to Shanghai was really hard because we all should be staying up so we can actually fall asleep after we arrive. So we were all zombies and I can hardly keep my eyes open.

Hanging out with the Kims is alot of fun. Both P Jason and Krista took Friday off to take us around town. We started the day with Krista making us an all American breakfast of pancakes, eggs, and bacon. The boys loved it and it made them feel at home already. Elizabeth is such a big girl now. She talks like Krista but much more dramatic. She actually walks to school by herself. Their gated community is safe with security guards and the school is just right across the street. I am just so at awe that she is so grown up.

We spent the rest of the day touring the Kims' community, visited Carrefour (which is like our super Walmart), went shopping. Pearls are a good deal here. I got my mom a real 8 mm salt water pearl necklace for a little over $100. It's over $1000 at Costco. We also took the subway and tuk tuk (it's an electric rick shaw). On day two, we went to downtown Shanghai and had the best po tat I ever had. It's basically an egg tart but with flaky skin. The egg filling was warm and creamy, the skin was flaky and buttery. Mmmm..... This is coming from someone who does not like egg tart.

On Friday night, the Kims invited a family over for dinner to meet us and that family brought their friends who is also missionaries in China that are visiting Shanghai. The Kims does not know this out-of-town family. During dinner conversation, we learned that this out-of-town family is passing by Shanghai on the way to visit family in the bay area. And get this, they are missionaries in Kunming, the city where Mui mui is. No one knew they live in Kunming before this dinner. They gave us tips, told us where to go, and calmed our fears. Before we started the trip we pray that God would go before us. We claimed the Lord's promises in Isaiah 45: 2-3 which says, "I will go before you and will level the mountains...so that you may know that I am the Lord your God." God answered our prayer and assured us of His guidance by allowing us to meet this family from Kunming. This is not a coincident but a plan within God's will.

test

First post in china

Testing iPhone app

My work gave me an international phone plan, I hope I can blog there using my phone. I don't like the fact that I may not be able to be connected to technology. Just finished packing. I hope I got everything.

Journey to the East

After two and a half weeks of buying things and packing for our trip, I think we are ready to go.  Our packing list is double column, two pages long.  We are bringing anything and everything you can think of for the just-in-case scenerios.  Beside the regular baby stuff like bottles, formula, diapers, infant feeding things, and clothes, we have toys for the boys, homework, and snacks.  And not to mention a whole pharmacy.  Our medicine bag is full of all kinds of medication for kids and adult as I am trying to prepare for everything possible.  We were advised to bring gifts.  So we have a suitcase full of Made in USA stuff to give away.  I feel like a Santa Claus.

Beyond the excitement, there are lots of fears and anxieties (but don't mention it to the boys).  Alot of people have given me tips on how to be safe in China and I appreciate it.  But hearing those stories made me nervous.  Someone told me that in GZ and through out China people would kidnap boys and sell them to the country side as labor or dismember them and make them beg for money.  Oh my, how horrible and I am bringing my precious sons to THAT city?  I don't want to cause them any harm or what if they get terribly sick?  I always keep my eyes on them, but I feel like I have to carry them and hold them tight.  But how can I do that now that we have three?  I've even asked my mom to make two leash type of thing so I can put one end on me and one end on the boys.  Just thinking about it paralzes me.  So I have to refocuses my attention on the loving and powerful Creator.  I have to remind myself that God is good and that He will not give me more than what I can bear.  It was He who called us to this journey and He alone is in control of the entire process.  I am reminded that God has blessed us every step of the way thus far, from the quick and smooth paperwork to the miraculous financial provision.  I've prayed that He would go before us and smooth out our path.  I know He will. 

Just one final exam to go and we will be off.  I hope to have internet access so I can continue to update this blog.  Please pray for the following:

1. Safety flying there and back and that the kids will be able to handle the long flight.
2. Safety within China for the reason mentioned above and that we all would stay healthy.  And also protection from theft.
3. Good bonding with Mui-Mui  so that she would form an attachment with us and that she will know that we are her parents now. 
4. Quick recovery from jet lag there and back.  Good sleep when it's time to sleep so we all will have the energy to do what we have to do.  I've heard that it's really rigorous.
5. Opportunity to share Christ with people we come in contact with.  When I am busy, I tend to only focus on my needs and the task at hand.  Please pray that God will open up my eyes to those who are ready and willing to receive the gospel.

Blogger iPhone App (take one)

Just downloaded an iPhone app for us to use in China to blog about our journey. Let's see whether this thing works or not.

A coworker knitted the hat for our little girl. How cute!