Life with 4 children is....busy!

I am not so good about updating this blog...I am sure the 2 or 3 people out there that actually follow this blog were really concerned about no updates right?!?! Life with 4 kids is busy, but life with 3 kids was also busy...so it has really been a pretty easy transition for us. Our laundry seems to have multiplied dramatically...I seriously can't ever seem to catch up. Cora is doing amazing, and we can tell she is really feeling much more comfortable in her environment now. We are all sleeping at night now....which is amazing. It only took about a week to get her sleeping though the night. Now that we are on this side of it...she really did transistion pretty quickly, but holy cow that first week was rough!

Look at that sweet face....we are so lucky to be her parents!

Cora arrived home about 2 weeks before softball and t-ball started. We were thankful she had that little cushion of time before we were at the ball fields 4 times a week. She is learning to be a lover of all things softball and baseball....haha! She is getting tons of attention from the other parents...so she is having a great time at the games. Owen can keep busy during the games by climing up and down the bleachers, and there are a couple other little brothers of players that he plays with so he's a happy guy at the games also. Grace and Ethan are both having a great time playing...so everyone is happy!

Cora has had 2 trips to the pediatrician's offiice so far. (I wouldn't let them do the shots and blood draw the first time....she hadn't been home a week yet, and I thought that was to soon to put her through that yet, so we had to come back.) She is barely on the american growth charts, but she seems to be a very healthy weight for her height! The 2nd visit....baby girl got 6 immunizations, she was diagnosed with bilateral ear infection, and she got a blood draw and finger poke. She was NOT ammused.

She had her first appointment with the cleft team in IA City last Monday. Talk about a whirlwind day. They didn't really give us a whole lot of information that we didn't already know. The plan is to wait 4-6 months to give her a good adjustment period before we do the surgery. TJ and I both feel like this is great, and we were both very agreeable with this plan. Plus it will be nice for her not to have "ouchies" during the summer.They want to see her maybe 2 more times before they do the surgery. We will probably end up with tubes in her ears prior to the palate surgery, but we most likely will do that closer to home not in IA City.

We have been having lots of fun with Cora. The kids think that it is so fun to take her new places, and do "firsts" with her. Here are a few pictures from the park the other day.

Baby girl LOVES to swing!

Owen cheesing it up for the camera...silly boy!

Ethan was nearly impossible to get a picture of...he didn't want to slow down long enough to get a picture taken....I guess that probably makes him a very typical 6 year old boy!

Grace...my first little love. Love this girl!

The kids still think Cora hung the moon....and by kids I mean Grace and Ethan. I think Owen could take her or leave her somedays. He's getting used to having to share mom during the day. He has done really well actually. It is Cora that seems to be the jealous one. She can be playing happily, and if Owen climbs in my lap....she is over by us in no time and quietly nudging him off of my lap....little turkey! She hasn't figured out yet that Mommy has plenty of room on her lap to love on her babies at the same time!
We have been having so much fun with her home. We feel so incredibly blessed that God chose us to be parents to all these munchkins!

Here is a picture of the kids at the park the other day. We made them take a break from the playground for a picture. (All 4 looking at camera = success!)

Happy Tuesday friends!

-katie

update

I didn't get the blog updated before we left China. We left on Thursday morning Apirl 19. We met our guide in the hotel lobby at 5:45...a little early in the day for my liking...but yeah we're coming home! Our flights were fairly uneventful. Cora did amazing on all the flights. I think she did better than her Mama. Other than a couple emergency poop explosions (by Cora...not TJ or I) everything went great. We didn't bring enough clothes to account for the pooping issues on the plane....so by the time we landed in Chicago...Cora and I both had poop on our clothes....(those tiny airplane bathrooms are not the most ideal place to deal with a extremely messy diaper)

We have been home for 5 days now. We are jet lagged and really struggling to get Cora to sleep well. She slept well for us in China but, now she has developed an aversion to being laid down to sleep. She slept all night last night and it was magical! It's amazing what a little sleep will do to improve your outlook on life! TJ and I neither one are very good at sleeping in a recliner...so we are hopeful the full night of sleep is a trend that will continue. I wouldn't even care if it was my bed she was sleeping in....just so I didn't have to hold her in an upright position all night. She has still been on "China time" and was waking up between 2:00 and 3:00am everyday since we got home, and she would not go back to sleep after that. I don't think we were either one prepared for how exhuasted we would feel.

On a much more positive note....we finally have all our babies under one roof! Cora is doing well adjusting to being home. She is such an easy going girl. (except at night) Her sister and brothers have been so excited to have her home, and Cora really seems to enjoy playtime with them. I let the kids stay home from school last Friday so they could spend time with us and their new sister...they loved that! Owen has been proudly telling everyone that he is a "big brother" now. So cute! We were so ready to be home...we were REALLY missing the kids at home. I will leave you with a picture of all my babies TOGETHER!

Happy Tuesday everyone!

-katie

Tuesday, April 17

Today was the consulate appointment day. It was really very low key...not necessarily what I had been picturing in my mind. Now we are just waiting on the visa for Miss Cora. Next step is....HOME! Our little girl will officially become a US citizen on Thursday, April 19 when we land in Chicago!

After our Consulate appointment, we did more shopping....bought a few more pair of shoes...HA! We bought the kids some souvenirs, and we bought Cora some special items that we hope she will always treasure as reminders of where she was born and spent the first year of her life. Hopefully when we get home I won't wish that I had bought more.

We went on a dinner river cruise Tuesday night on the Pearl River. It was only a "dinner" cruise because we had all ordered pizza and brought it with us on board. We ordered Papa Johns pizza, and it tasted just like back home. We rode on the Dragon boat. It was fun to see Guangzhou all lit up at night...very pretty.

Cora is all ready to go on the river cruise.

Cora and her Daddy.

Enjoying the sights on the river cruise.

We will be home soon!

-katie

Monday, April 16

Today was really a fun day. We went to the safari park...which is a big zoo here in Guangzhou. It was really the best zoo I have ever been to. It really would have been lots of fun to have the other 3 kiddos with us today, but we took lots of pictures to show them. I would definitely recommend the safari park to anyone going to Guangzhou. Cora slept through the first half of the zoo, and she was really not that impressed with the rest of it. TJ and I thought it was great though! My favorite part...we got to see lots of Pandas!

Cora was really impressed with the Panda's!

After we got back to the hotel, we headed over to Shamian Island again. We ate at a little Italian restaurant. It was really pretty good. I really enjoy the atmosphere on the island. There is much less people and it is much more relaxed over there. This Iowa girl was definitely not prepared for how crowded it is here in China!

Cora has been a little off today. She is not feeling the greatest again...poor girl is a bit constipated. (Anyone that is preparing to come pick up their little ones....remember something for constipation.) We didn't bring any meds to help with constipation problems....but gotta love these adoptive families...someone helped us out by giving us some meds to help her. Thanks again Tamra and Chris! (I am sure when she gets older...she will love that I shared that with everyone!)

Our Consulate appointment is Tuesday morning. We will get her visa sometime on Wednesday, and then we will leave for home on Thursday morning. So our flights are Guangzhou to Tokyo, Tokyo to Chicago, and Chicago to DesMoines. I am praying for no delays and easy travel back home. We thought it was a little rough coming here...now we get to do it with a 17 month old...(I am not complaining...this is an answered prayer)  We are praying that she sleeps much of the 12-13 hour flight from Tokyo to Chicago.

I am getting so anxious to get home to my the other kiddos. I am really missing them. I am so excited to introduce them to their new sister! Cora is not going to know what to do when we get home and have more of a schedule...we have been dragging her all over the place here and keeping her very busy. It will be so nice to get home and establish a routine. I am really looking forward to a home cooked meal!

I will leave you with a cute Cora picture. She is SO FLEXIBLE! She can sit with her legs out straight and lay her head on the floor between her feet! She is such a joy!

-katie

Sunday, April 15

We had a great day today. We got to go to a church service that was held at a nice little church on the island. It was an amazing experience to see a room full of Asian believers. It was a Chinese/English service so we did understand most of it, although I don't think it translated quite the same. I am so happy that we were able to do this. I can only assume it was Cora's first church service she has ever attended.

After the church service we did more shopping. We went to Sherry's place...she had tons of squeaky shoes! Miss Cora got LOTS of new shoes! I bought I think 15 pairs....and yes TJ she NEEDED them all ;-) I bought 2 or 3 pairs in each size up to a 9 (I think.) The shoes are very nice quality and were all in the $5-$10 range! I bought her a pair of Zebra print boots that I seriously can't wait till she can wear them....ADORABLE! Any ways...enough about shoes....

We got back to the hotel and took a cab over to the jade and pearl markets. (We missed the tour bus our group took....me late???...never) We got there fine by taxi, and we eventually found our group. The pearl market was 6 floors of shops that all sold basically the same thing. At the jade market was tons of beautiful things....we han't found our tour guide yet, and it was difficult to shop without of Chinese speaking guide. TJ and I didn't buy anything, but it was fun to go see and experience more of China.

We were able to take the tour bus back to the hotel with our group....we were very happy that we were able to find our group in such a busy, crowded place. There definitely is comfort in numbers. (and a guide that speaks Chinese)  ;-)

We went to dinner with our group that night. I thought the food was pretty good. I didn't ask what it was, but most of it looked pretty safe. We were told that if you like the food, just enjoy...and don't ask what is in it! Ha! Ha!. Everyone in our group is so so nice, and it was so great to get to know some of the other families a little better.  It really is wonderful to connect with all these adoptive families.

After dinner we walked next door to another restaurant. They had tanks of fish, turtles, crab and many other unrecognizable things right in the front of the restaurant. These tanks of animals/sea food were not for decorations...but it was actually the things they would be cooking for your dinner....yuck!

We think the bucket on the right was chicken hearts. (maybe...we really have no idea)

Some sort of snake that yes...will be eaten (not by me!)

This is alligator tail...sounds yummy doesn't it?!?!

Turtle anyone??? Another thing I have never dreamed of eating.

It was a great day here in China. Cora is feeling better today, and we continue to see more and more of her personality. She really is AMAZING!

-katie

Saturday, April 14

Saturday was our medical check day. We left the hotel at 9am. Our guide told us to expect a crowd, as there would be about 60+ families that all needed their children seen, and the clinic was only open in the morning.

They were right....it was very crowded in the clinic. It was very hot and stuffy inside and all the warm bodies in there didn't really help with that, but whatever we have to do to get her home....we will do. The amazing thing about the clinic being that crowded is....it was crowded with adoptive families! Which means there are that many more kids that now have families...God is good!

Saturday evening we went over to Shamian Island and went sight seeing with another couple that has been to China before for an adoption a couple years ago. They helped us find our way on the subway. It was definitely an interesting experience...very crowded. I am not sure we would have been brave enough to try the subway to get over to the island without them.

I wanted to show you how crowded the subway was. People just push their way in and you end up packed in there like sardines. I have noticed while out and about that the buses are like that also.

We ate at Lucy's while we were on the island. Lucy's has always been a popular restaurant for adoptive families. It was kind-of like an American diner type of restaurant. TJ and I both had cheeseburgers and fries. It was different than home...but actually was pretty good.

We also did a little shopping while we were over at the island. We finally found some cute things to take home for the kids. There are lots of cute little stores on the island that cater to adoptive families. I really enjoyed Shamian Island. It is not very crowded, and it really is very beautiful. (Thanks Chris and Tamra for showing us around!)

Cora is still refusing to eat anything. She actually cried for about 5 minutes because I put a cheerio in her mouth. The orphanage said she was eating "soft" food. I have tried so many things, and she just pinches her little mouth shut. She spits things out if I actually get a bite in her mouth. I have just decided we'll keep trying but she may just live on formula and rice cereal (I am mixing in the bottle) while we are in China, and we'll fight the food issue later when we get home. She is doing fine on the bottle...so that will work for now.

On a happier note....she is really starting to warm up to us. We are seeing her cheerful little personality lots more today. Also she slept all night for us! That was her first night that she really slept well....yeah for more sleep!

-katie

Day 1 and 2 with Cora

Cora is definitely warming up to us. The first day with her we would see glimpses of her personality, but mostly she was very quiet.I feel like the first 24 hours especially...she was simply just tolerating us....poor girl. I am looking forward to getting to know her personality more with each passing day. She definitely prefers me over TJ, but she does go to him willingly.

On Thursday, which was our first full day together we had a pretty low key day. Cora has a cold and wasn't feeling the greatest plus....she wasn't sure she really liked us yet...so we hung out in the hotel room quite a bit.

We did venture out to the mall and a market that was close to our hotel.The mall had lots of floors. I think there was 6 floors, and the market was under the mall in the "basement." We bought Cora a couple toys to play with, but we didn't really buy anything else at the mall. Pretty much everything there was things I could also buy at home...and it was for a similar price.

The market we went to was a little more interesting. It was kind of like a Wal-Mart, it had a little bit of everything. It was interesting to say the least. The meat department was probably the most foreign to us. The meat was all in refrigerated cases, but it was all open. So imagine the meat department at your local grocery store...except it is all open and you can just scoop out whatever amount you want all by yourself. (Just imagine if someone sneezed....yuck) We saw pigs feet and chickens with feathers all plucked but their heads were still there...yuck! There was also a big tank with live fish for you to buy, and lots of foreign looking fish and seafood.

 By evening on Thursday (1st full day with her)...she was definitely not feeling well. Poor girl has what I assume is a cold, runny nose and cough. We gave her a bath...that she did NOT enjoy. We also gave her some Motrin (which she also did not appreciate us giving her), and that made a huge difference. She was much happier and smelled much better after that.

We have not been able to get her to eat any food. She does take a bottle well, so she is living on formula and some rice cereal that I have been mixing in her bottle. She absolutely refuses to take a bite of anything...oh well. We will push the issue with food at a later date. Hopefully she will just decide on her own to start eating. She was obviously fed well at her orphanage...Miss Thing has got some pretty chubby little "thunder thighs" going on!

On Friday we traveled to Guangzhou...we were delayed and spent lots of hours on a plane sitting on the tarmac waiting for take off. I will not whine about it.....but imagine a hot plane, lots of Asian people staring at you, and a sweaty, kind of fussy baby that you have known for 2 days that is not so happy to be stuck on a plane. I'll let you imagine that and come to your own conclusions...

The good news is....we are now in Guangzhou on the last leg of our trip. Just need to get baby girl's visa, and then we can go home. Guangzhou climate feels a little like Florida (hot and very humid) so any future pictures with me in it....will most likely not be my best hair days...just thought I would warn you ;-)

-katie