My China beauties! All is going well at home and Gigi loves being a big sister to Delilah-most of the time!

I knew it would eventually happen......my girls are being taken over by their stuffed animals! Pretty soon I won't be able to find them in the bed.

We arrived home and the girls are doing great together. Many thanks to all those who helped make this trip possible!

She has multiple poses when the camera comes out-this is one of the more "normal" ones!

She is quite the comedian! Let's see how well Daddy can navigate the streets of Guangzhou blind-folded!

We are walking several miles a day, and wearing her out.

I though we would get a shake and split it, but this was the only drink I got! She loved it!

Little people hand washing! She has to stand on the tub to reach the sink.

Terra Cotta Horse

A new generation for world peace?

All the kids pose making the "peace" sign!

Sticker Fun

Her first experience with stickers!

We are in China!

We have made it to China, and now have our daughter! She is Delilah Changyu Parsons. She is a very sweet-natured child who can be very silly. She took our hands at the Civil Affairs Office, walked out with us and never looked back. She is very tiny with a very big belly. Apparently she got a new haircut for this special event, because it is even shorter than her referral pictures. We are all getting along well. Kirk and I are having a hard time adjusting to the time change, and usually awaken between 2-4:00am for the day. This morning we went to the Bell Tower and then Drum Tower. This afternoon we go to see the Wild Goose Pagoda. Tomorrow we see the Terra-cotta Warriors. When we where in Beijing we went to Tianimin Square, Forbidden City and the Great Wall of China.

WE ARE GOING TO CHINA (Finally!)

We just received word from our agency that we are leaving for China on March 19th, 2009 to get our daughter! Our "Gotcha Day" is March 23rd! After years and years of waiting, it is surreal that in 2 weeks we will have another daughter. She turns 6 on April 19th, and we will be home to celebrate her birthday. We return from China on April 3rd. Today I am slogging through reams of paperwork and travel plans, making lists and getting a little nervous. I wonder what this little girl is thinking!

We have received no updates on her status, and most of her initial info is about a year old, so I am going with the old saying-"no news is good news". We are hoping to blog and post photos as we travel, so if she is dressed in clothes too big/small, it's because I have to guess at her size and take clothes with us. She will only have the clothes she is wearing when we get her, but when she gets home-she has several years/styles to choose from, I have saved all of Gigi's stuff and it is an explosion of pink!

Regarding Gigi, she is not going with us, and is pretty devastated by this. She keeps telling me she bought her own ticket (airplane) to China and here's the best part-it only cost $8.00! I need to find out who her travel agent is! Grandma Shirley will be her with her, along with her Aunt Carrie and Uncle Brad (thank you). The good news is we when we return, Gigi will be on Spring Break, so we will all have a good 10 days to get to know each other!

Thanks to all of those who have used the donation button on this blog. We have applied for multiple grants, but not been approved for any :( I am sure in this economy they are suffering.

Thanks again for everyone's support, emails, phone calls and good wishes!

Julie, Kirk and Gigi

Julie7007aol.com

Hello everyone, thanks for all of the emails we have received. I wish I had something new to report, but I called my agency today and as of yet, we do not have any travel arrangements. They are telling us we will probably be going at the end of March. It is about a 2 1/2 week trip. Gigi will be staying here with Grandma Shirley (Kirk's mom)so she doesn't miss too much school. I have spent a large portion of the day trying to get a hold of someone in Homeland security to approve our fingerprints so we can be ready when they call. You would think they would realize Kirk and I are not criminals, as I have been fingerprinted 5 times and Kirk has been 3 times! They expire once a year and they have to be valid when you go to China. Ours will expire March 28th, 2009-so we have had them done yet again! Thanks for your donations, any amount helps! I personally believe that adoption should be covered by our insurance policies, just like having a baby would be, but believe it or not, the insurance companies won't go for it! Thanks again for all of your support.
Julie

We received the "official" OK from China last week, and we should be leaving for China in March to FINALLY go and pick up our new daughter! She will be six in April and is listed as being very bright and active. Gigi is very excited about her new little sister, but boy is she in for a reality shock when she really gets here!

Here is the letter we received from her orphanage (translated) about her, it still chokes me up to read it, especially the last paragraph.


An Changyu, female, was found abandoned at the gate of the house of a villager in Group 4, Huangfu village, Wangqu, Chang’an district, Xi’an city on May 19 2003. A lot of search by Wangqu police station failed to find her birth parents. On the same day the child was sent to Children’s Welfare Institute of Xi’an City to be raised. Doctors in this institute decided the child’s DOB as Apr.19 2003 according to her physical growth. After admission Changyu was examined to be a child suffering dysplasia of chest bone and cleft palate in the cavity.
On admission Changyu’s physical state was poor. Under excellent care of the caretakers her body improved gradually. In terms of sociality Changyu is active. She is outgoing, likes outdoor activity a lot, is not afraid of strangers, can play happily with anyone. She likes lively games especially with actions.
In terms of language she looks good. Usually she can memorize the words taught by caretakers and learns them seriously. In terms of actions she looks prominently, is an active child in the class, can climb to high places and crawl in low places, no problems at all in terms of playing the slide, trampoline and swing. She also likes to mold dough, occasionally swings her hip following music. She is always active.
In terms of self-care, she can have meals, drink water, have fruit and acidophilous milk, put on and take off clothes and hat etc. on her own.
This is lovely Changyu. We wish her sincerely that there would be a family who loved her and adopted her. We believe that she would surely bring a lot of happiness to you.



Below are the only pictures we have of her so far, and honestly I don't expect to get anymore. She is a tiny thing, but I have clothes left from Gigi in all sizes, styles and shapes. Boy Ican't wait to get her out of that brown sweater!

Blogging is new to me, so my brother, Steve, has basically set up this site. I will try and maintain it, so if anything looks weird, it's all my fault. I hope to be able to use this to keep everyone updated on our progress. I know a lot of people have given us a lot of support over the years. It has been 3 years of paperwork, waiting, more paperwork and more waiting. The wait is almost over!

Our New Daughter!!!!

An Chang Yu

Born April 19, 2003

Xi'an Visit Video

Here is a video of another parent's visit to the Children's Welfare Institution in Xi'an China - August 9, 2007. No, she isn't in the video!