Is it really almost November?

Wow!

Craziness! Can not believe how fast this year is going.

I know I have a few things that keep me pretty busy, but I did get a little freaked out when I realized that I was buying an actual Christmas gift for one of the kids yesterday!

My head has been occupied with laundry, soccer, football, gymnastics, laundry, birthdays, laundry, homecoming dances, more room redos and finishing up Kira and Hudson's dossier....yes! We have another son!! Long story short..China has started a new program called Focus child, and we qualified...so we are bringing home a sweet 8 year old boy and Kira at the same time!!!

Logan is SO excited to have a brother, and we are SO excited to have another son! I love my girls more then life, but I also really enjoy having boys. So blessed that God has given some of each.

The girl's are doing great. Livy is playing JV soccer and loving it! She has survived her first few months of high school and is really enjoying the more mature aspects of it...eating lunch where you want and with who you want, lockers, teachers that are not threatened by kids who ask questions.... and the biggie... a dress code that realizes you are not a baby and can walk safely in flip flops and sandals. That may sound strange to some of you, but it is such a right of passage here.

Mia is in pre-kindergarten for a few hours a day and amazes us with her reading and writing skills. She worked hard at getting comfy with being away from home, but is really liking her class and all of the kids. Her teacher has been wonderful in working with her to reduce her anxiety and enjoy school. She still loving her gymnastics classes too. She just turned 5 at the end of Sept. and is really working hard at over coming her anxieties and enjoying the wild world going on around her. We went to a small fall fair this past week end, and she did not sit out any ride that she was tall enough to do! It was soooooo great to watch her let go and go a little wild.

Sophia is doing fantastic. She is doing great with her thalassemia, and is sooooo easy going and funny. She is so easy going that she moves much slower then the rest of the pack. The word hurry is not in this child's vocabulary. But, the chick is stinkin smart! She talks in sentences now! And seems to have a sarcastic side to her! Her English has come sooo far this past month and it is just obvious to all that she was meant to be with us. Even friends and neighbors comment on how it feels like she has been home forever.

The guys are doing great too. Logan has hit his stride with reading, and is really enjoying being able to read chapter books and not have to ask for help as much with his home work. He is also playing flag football again and loving it. Seems soccer is next on his list of things to try, he was not very cheesed with baseball. Not enough action for the little man. He is very, very ready to have another boy in the house to help even out the odds around here. It can get pretty overwhelmingly pink and princess like @ here most days.

But thankfully we still have Mike for a few years until college. That is a topic that I enjoy ignoring, but with the reality of PSAT's and college info showing up in the mail....I don't think I will be able to be in ignorance for long.

Thankfully he is looking at a few great state schools, so hopefully he won't be gone to far.

Mike is also still loving playing in the youth band at church, and has moved up to subbing for the main worship band. I am amazed that that young guy on stage, playing the electric guitar, is my little guy who used to cry if he felt that people were staring at him (:

Crazy stuff! Can not wait to get Kira and Hudson home and have the privilege of watching them grow, explore their new limitless futures and see what God has planned for them.

Love,
Claire

Sorry!

I am so sorry that it has been 3 months since I have last posted. It seems like a blink of an eye to me.

These past 3 months have flown by! We came home in early July with Sophia, and have been on the go since then. A family reunion/wedding, beach week, start of school and all of the activities that go with that, plus Mia's 5th birthday! Sweet baby has not missed a beat, she has seamlessly woven herself into this crazy bunch.

I can honestly say that it was a matter of minutes before everyone who did not travel lost their hearts to her. She is amazing. So loving, trusting, and really funny.

Although her transition was really great, we did have a few months of dealing with some serious sibling rivalry. Seems Sophia was not excited about having to share mama with her big sister, Mia.

There were times when I had to literally pull them off of each other , and call for back up. But just when I thought it would last forever, the girls decided to join their super powers and become a formidable little force.

They are quite the dynamic duo, and get too much joy out of tag teaming everyone.

And, according to Sophia's hematologist, she did not get the memo about how a typical thalassemia child should act.... she is FULL of energy, and has a great appetite. She looked so good that he sent her blood work off to the mayo clinic to have genetic testing done to confirm the previous diagnosis.

We were all a bit shocked to see that she has thal major, and will require monthly blood transfusions until a cure is found. But we knew it was a very real possibility and were prepared for it.

I know it sounds so cliche, but we could not imagine life without her. She is such a joy, her smile is amazing and just lights up the day.

She is picking up English so fast, and has no problem getting her point across. She is obsessed with stickers and lip gloss. Has a terrible sweet tooth, and no need for shoes or most items of clothing.

She has become a total beach bum and water bug. Not sure how things will go when it cools down and she can not " go paid-a big water!" Translation....go play in the big water. Any pool, lake or the beach.

Thankfully our cooler weather does not last long down here, so we will be back at the big water soon.

It is going to be such a joy to watch this little girl grow up, I can not wait to see what God has planned for her. It is going to be something great.

Hope all is well.

Claire

Final post from China

This is the famous "Red Couch" from the White Swan hotel in Guangzhou





Swearing in ceremony at the U.S. Consulate.


Tired and ready to go home.


Hey people!

My mom is packing, so I have taken the duty of writing the final post! Um, so it's been about a week since our last post... terribly sorry. Claire/my mom has been sick since Nanning, so she falls asleep with Sophia.

We went to the Consulate yesterday, which means when we touch ground in Detroit (after 15 hours of being on a plane, mind you), Sophia is officially a U.S. citizen! Yay!

This afternoon we are going to take the afternoon train to Hong Kong! Not quite the midnight train going anywhere, or the midnight train to Georgia, or the crazy train, but it's close. Sophia likes to sing the song: "Shwinkle, shwinkle, little sar" It's very cute.

We're anxious to get home, and see her interact with a more "normal" environment. Ex: Not living in a hotel. Well, we're off to lunch! Lucy's, here we come! Again! Sorry for the short post people.

This is the Taylor family, signing off from Guangzhou, China, one last ti... Forget it. Ya'll know this ain't the last time.

Peace out.
--Michael

Good to be back in Guangzhou!

Oh it is sooo good to be in guangzhou. Familiar sites and sounds, and an amazing breakfast buffet at our hotel!

I have not talked much about the food... although Nanning was pretty, the food was not.

So, with full stomachs for the first time in a week...we headed to Sophia's medical check out. She is 32 lbs and 37 inches tall! A few of the medical staff commented on how long her fingers and toes are, seems they think she might be kind of tall. Looks like Mia will be the big sister only in name.

Thankfully, due to her anemia, the doctor waived all but 2 of her required shots. Since the new rules, Hague rules, have gone into effect...the children are required to get 7 immunization shots and a TB screen all at one time.

After the check out, we met the Horner family, wonderful friends, for lunch before they headed back home to the US. It was so surreal to be having lunch with them and our 3 new kiddos in China! And it was a sweet gift to lay eyes on some people we love while being so far from home.



After lunch we did a little shopping, but it was too hot to do any real damage .But, it was Michael's 17th birthday today! So as promised, I bought him some God forsaken Katana, big sword thing. It is very cool looking, but will have to be well hidden out of Logan's sight!



When we got back to the room, our guide had ordered a beautiful birthday cake! Sophia placed the candles on it, and we sang and had a great treat.



Another big step aside from the medical check was taken today. Sophia actually got into the tub and stayed there for a bath! She was hesitant at first, but soon was having a blast. And I was excited to finally give her something more then a sponge bath.



She played with her tooth brush a bit, but that ended when I put tooth paste on it. Do not think that she has much, if any experience with brushing her teeth. But, it is a huge goal of mine.



Why you ask? Well, I can honestly say that this girl is THE queen of back wash. The picture of the water bottle has been in no way altered or enhanced. Let's just say that she gets her own drink no matter the cost.

All in all it was a really good day. Sophia is opening up more and more. She is freely letting us hold her and carry her. She even let me "eat" her toes tonight at bed time. She thought it was hysterical.

She loves to walk around, look at things and talk to me like I have any idea of what she is saying. Too stinkin cute. She is also quite taken with flowers, and got us in trouble with the front desk this morning when she picked a few from their flower bed. Really people? There were hundreds of plants in it. So, I decided that I have been here enough times to shoot the desk clerk back the same look she shot us.



Bed time is getting less and less stressful for her. But tonight I think we were out too late for dinner. She was pretty tired and was trying to lay in my arms when she just became really teary eyed and looked afraid. I went outside with her where it was more quiet and we snuggled until
Pa and Michael finished eating. Not sure what it was all about, but once we were back in the room, she relaxed.

She is sound asleep now, and sleeping on her stomach for the first time. Hopefully that is a good sign?

I can not believe that we have only had her for 7 days. She just feels so right. Can not wait to get her home and let her get to know her other brother and sisters.

Tomorrow we will brave the heat, visit a famous Buddhist temple and do some shopping at an outdoor market that is said to be fantastic.

Hope all is well at home. Miss everyone so very much!

Claire

Leaving Nanning today

Hey out there!

Hope that all is well. we have just finished a late lunch, and Sophia is down for a nap.

She has a pretty good cold going, so hopefully some sleep will help. She does find it very funny to blow boogie bubbles out of her nose, so she is still in good spirits.

Today was very low key. We played in the hall with other adoptive families while we waited for Sophia's Chinese passport application to be processed, and packed our bags for Guangzhou! We are on the down hill slide towards home!!!

We fly into Guangzhou tonight. Saturday morning is Sophia's medical check out [for U.S. immigration]. Then we are meeting some dears friends, who are here in china adopting their 6th and 7th kiddos, for lunch before they head out for home.

The rest of the week will be spent doing Sophia's final immigration paper work and end with her swearing in ceremony at the American Consulate. Between paper work and some site seeing, I am sure that we can squeeze in a few minutes of shopping on the Island!

Well, to be honest..things are going very well. Sophia is a hoot! Despite the fact that we can not understand a word she says...she gets her point across just fine. So far we have not seen much drama at all. She is easy going, but does know what she likes and does not like.

She has given Michael the "what for" a few times. It is hysterical, and unfortunately our guide was not around to translate. She gets this very serious look on her face and puts an arm straight out with her wrist bent so the hand is palm out. Then while she is saying something that she really means, she will hit his arm with short, fast hits.

Then she will walk away and stop with her back towards you. I'm sure if we understood it, it would not be as cute. But it is really pretty funny.I have a feeling that Sophia will be able to hold her own when she gets home.

She has also come to love Coke. She had one sip, and it was all over. She is also a huge fan of candy and all things junk. Seems that is a sign of being spoiled by the foster parents. But, when those goodies can't be found,,,she loves to eat all types of fruit. I have never seen a 3 year old peel grapes before. Pretty impressive.

She is also a huge fan of dresses only. When I pull out a pair of shorts she just shakes her head no and stands there. As I look around town, I do not see any girls in shorts/pants. Guess it makes using the squatty potty tough.

She is doing great using the western potty, but can tell it isn't natural.

And, as for our bonding.. If having your own personal rest room attendant is any sign, then I would say that things are going great. She calls for me, will hold hands and let me kiss her. She still does not understand what they are, but has resigned herself to the fact that it won't end anytime soon.

We can tell that she is feeling much more comfortable. She is having a good time exploring our luggage and likes to hand feed us treats.

Night time is also going better. We have gotten a nice little routine going and she likes her space in the bed, but also likes to have a hand or foot on me during the night.

So, that is the scoop from here. Our next post will be from Guangzhou. About 7 more days until we come home!

Love you all,

Claire

Pictures from the Park on Thursday

Sophia and company went to a park in Nanning on Thursday.

--Bart

Nanning Minority Museum

Sophia went with the people that talk funny and keep giving her things (i.e. Claire, Michael, and Mike) to the Minority Museum in Nanning on Wednesday.

Here are the pictures Michael emailed me.

Note that I saved the best for last!

ttfn (ta ta for now)
--Bart





Michael was impressed with the agricultural advances.




The foyer of the museum





View of countryside. Very lush, hilly, with lots of history.




Our oldest holding our youngest.



What a SMILE !!!!