July 29, 2005

Hello everyone! We are home & recovering from Jet lag! Things are going pretty well - Walt & Libby were very excited to see us at the airport & we were very happy to see them! Walt has been very sweet with Annalee & Libby is trying! They had a stand off over Libby's rocking chair so I guess Annalee will be getting one as a belated b'day gift! Otherwise, Libby has sat down to play with Annalee & looks at her sweetly now & then! We haven't slept well at night but get good naps in the day so that helps. Annalee has her own room so that's a little hard on her. We try to stay in there until she falls asleep at night & will taper that off little by little. She was used to us being in the hotel room with her when we put her down at night so she has yet another change ahead. Hopefully it won't take too long to get used to her new surroundings. She's very happy during the day - walks around freely if we are in quick finding sight, plays with the toys, still points to go to the bathroom (only a few accidents!) and eats like a horse!! She's off formula & on soy milk now. Will slowly try out some dairy products with her to see how she does (many Asians are lactose intolerant - we've been told this by other adoptive parents & read about it). We will celebrate Libby's b'day on Sunday as a family since we had her party & Walt's before leaving. Lots of Love! Brent, Katie & 3 children (!)

July 26th

Hello! This will be our last posted message from China! We're ready to get Annalee home & settled into her life with us! And we can't wait to get hugs & kisses from Walt & Libby! We went to a folk art museum this morning - lots of beautiful displays of hand painted china, wood & ivory carvings. Annalee found a jasmine flower & enjoyed checking it out. She also does a lot of pointing. We've heard her babbling a bit more but nothing we can decipher. We have taught her the sign for "more" as she eats a good bit! She can feed herself easily with fork & spoon. When she wants more, she'll hold up her plate or gesture at the wanted food item with her spoon! She's a full of tricks! We had our American Consulate appt at Noon with about 35 other families - very quick. We swore that all information given by us over the last year & a half is true. When we touch down on American soil, Annalee will be an American citizen! We leave our hotel at 6AM tomorrow morning (Wed) - China time. We have just over an hour flight to Hong Kong & then off to Chicago at 12:45PM. I think you have the rest of the info. We'll land in Baltimore at 7PM Wed Eastern time. Love to all & many thanks for messages, prayers & good wishes. All is well!

July 25th

Hello! Everything went smoothly today at the medical appt. Annalee had a very kind Dr. examine her for the first part (listening to her heart) & he called another Dr. in to listen because he couldn't hear anything wrong - hooray! The Dr. who did the second part (hearing & vision) was female & she wasn't friendly at all but luckily didn't have to really touch Annalee at all. Lots of families coming thru there... All the apptments including the Consulate appt tomorrow are in the same area where we had fun shopping & enjoying shady streets with pretty buildings - much like walking thru New Orleans or Savannah, GA. Here is Brent's description of a Taxi cab driver here in China: They drive like they are being shot at, like fighter pilots over hostile territory. Never hold a straight line for more than a few seconds, stay unpredictable. Everyone here has enjoyed this description to gales of laughter! Love to all and especially Walt & Libby!

In Guangzhou Now

Yea, we finally got Annalee's smile on camera! The above right are just a few of the babies in our group - one started crying & they all joined in! The group photo to the left is all of us at the hotel in Changsha just before flying here to Guangzhou.Kind of hard to see everyone but we tried!
Tomorrow (Monday here) we go to the medical appt for an unbiased Chinese dr's opinion on the health of all the babies. He'll say they're all fit to come to the USA!! Then we're free to do some more exploring of the area. We had fun shopping today & found some very cute traditional clothing for Walt, Libby & Annalee! Love to all & hope you had fun today Walt & Libby!

July 23 - New province!

Hello! We made it into the next province of Guangzhou around 10AM. Annalee did well on the flight although not crazy about the seatbelt on the plane! We've been on buses & in taxis with no option for a seatbelt so she's a little spoiled on that front.... This is another huge city but nicer than Beijing (lots more greenery) & more modern I think so far. The 4 star hotel our agency usually puts groups in is full (the families in group A who went to a different province than we did for their babies) is in that one (China Hotel) but we ended up in the Garden Hotel - a 5 Star!! It's so fancy in the lobby I don't even know what to compare it to! The rooms are nice but still smallish but with fresh flowers, another nicer baby crib & they even brought baby toiletry products in! The internet connection is much better, too. The babies who were sick are fine now & the skinny ones are looking better skin tone wise, too. This afternoon we'll go get a few supplies (water & apple juice and hopefully pull-ups for Annalee since she's mostly potty trained). Tomorrow we go to what the guides call "shopper's paradise" on a nearby island - lots of fun stuff with serious bargaining involved! Supposed to be lush & shaded. It was raining when we got here but the highs last week were above 100F - sounds like what little news we've heard about weather at home! By the way, where's that tropical storm in the Atlantic possibly heading? You can e-mail me at aol account. We'll talk to you again soon, Walt & Libby! We love you!

Garden & playing in room

Orphanage Visit - July 21st

Hello! Finally able to get onto this site - just wouldn't work yesterday evening! I can only put so much info on each posting so sorry if this is choppy! It took us (myself & Jason - Dad of Mia) 3 hrs to get there yesterday. Our guide & nurse who joined our group went with us along with a driver. ChangeDe is a county & then city. It has 6 million people & is mostly country side although the city is quite large. It is mostly poor & in the southern part of the province. It is known for rice, oil & fish - located on large river. The orphanage was originally along the river but kept flooding. The building Annalee was in as a baby was 4 stories tall & everytime the river flooded, the babies were all moved to the top floor. She was found along the roadside next to the gate of the entrance to the orphanage. (Different from what was translated for us). So, good - her Mommy knew to take her close to help. Then last year, the new orphanage was built. Also houses elderly & disabled adults - 3 different buildings in all. The director was very nice & thanked us again for taking the girls. There are 22 special needs children on one floor (what we were told). We got there just before lunch time. They said we had missed playtime but there are 4 large bins of toys donated by Terri Coley (Mom who went on mission trip last summer & took photo of Annalee with her Nanny for us). They bring the bins out after breakfast & a teacher comes to teach the children how to play with toys. This is all what the Special Need's director told us. When we got their , the kids were in the play room watching TV (toys had been put away) - hhmmm... Chinese MTV... so we blew bubbles for the kids that I had brought - they went wild! And Jason handed out stickers. They showed us the rooms the girls had been in & their cribs. The children & floors & walls & their clothes were all dirty. Some had shoes on & some didn't. Most of the girls had the hair fixed but others didn't. Only about 5 babies & 5 toddlers & the rest preschoolers & older. Terri: the autistic boy was walking around freely & I played & talked to him as much as I could - Jason has him on video. The little boy waiting on his family was serious but we got photos & he smiled for the bubbles! His family should bring them when they meet him! Their lunch was rice, potatoes & beef - maybe for our benefit but they had a good meal yesterday! One little baby was so tiny & looked sick - sleeping while we were there. 2 baby boys were HUGE - one bigger than Annalee at 10 mos old. Diapers were rags covered by sheet of plastic & diaper cover type pants. No one was tied down as in another orphanage rumored nearby Changsha. The kids did seem happy while we were there & kept holding & pulling us down to their level. The staff all thanked us & smiled & hugged us for takingthe girls. Glad we went but can't imagine Annalee & Mia being there even after having them such a short time. Meanwhile, Brent & Annalee had a good day & she did new tricks for Daddy! : grabbed the fork/spoon at mealtimes & fed herself! Pointed & grabbed his hand to go potty, pointed to toilet paper when she was done & put her shoes on herself! Better go! PS - Annalee's Nanny told us she doesn't mind strange faces but won't go to just anyone, is serious & VERY smart - well we know that now! Walt & Libby - Mommy & Daddy love you & Annalee looks at your photos over & over again!

One more thing!

Hi! Forgot to say that we were among the priveledged few to see the orphanage thanks to the kind people who have come on missions trips before us. Not even the Chinese public who donate to the orphanages are ever allowed in. Please don't ever mention to anyone media related (just in case!) that I said the children were dirty - this would be bad for relations! And I also meant to say that although hard to take in that this is the way the kids live, it's really no worse than what I saw on home visits while teaching inner city special need's kids in our own country. Katie

Wednesday July 20th

Hello everyone! We had another nice day today! It's now just about time for us to go to bed - Annalee's been down for the night for a while. Today we went to a nice university campus here in Changsha. Lots of pretty little courtyards & at the end we were treated to some traditional Chinese instrumental music by students there. Annalee takes all the touring in stride!! Tonight we went to Pizza Hut (the 3 favored western resteraunts here are that, McDonald's & KFC). Changsha is a large city but not as sprawling as Beijing. And not quite as modern although trying hard to catch up quickly. Lots of construction everywhere. The people are friendly for the most part. You should see the heads spin when the locals see groups of Americans walking around with Asian babies! And they try to speak to Annalee in English. We think she must have been taught "bye bye" becuase she won't wave unless you say it in English. There are several sick babies but seem to be getting better as far as we know. (fevers & an eye infection) One little baby is 11 mos & only weighs 12lbs. She was in an orphanage that had a black out (that area) sometime this Spring and all the babies got sick. She apparently had a growth spurt although sick. She's tall but pencil thin. Scary. Annalee is an exception in size. Brent got her laughing tonight so we got a photo of a pretty good grin - will try to send in the morning our time - that seems to be the time when the internet isn't heavily used so easier to upload photos. Had a good conversation with Walt & Libby today - think they're doing well with some extra spoiling from Grandma & Grandpa - fine with us! Love to all, Brent & Katie PS - thanks for the info, Doc! She was a little better on the itchiness today - just more typical dry skin, now.

First giggles....

Official Chinese Adoption Day!

Hello! Brent & Annalee are taking an afternoon nap - it's 3:30PM here on July 19th. Annalee slept 11hrs last night! Thankfully the orphanage had not started waking her up at night yet for potty training - whew! She woke up quietly & was obviously a little confused but happy when we got her out of the crib to play & drink her one bottle of formula for the day. We were a little surprised when the Nanny said she was still drinking formula so we had to buy a bottle first thing! She's drinking a "stage 3" type. She drinks just fine from a cup (with help) or a sippy cup style with straw (thanks for the tip, Joanne!!!). She also likes orange juice, noodles with veggies & meat, corn, rice, roast beef, (thank goodness there's an awesome buffet style resteraunt in our hotel here!) & watermelon. She's only cried once today & that was when Brent rinsed the shampoo out of her hair. We went back to the Civil Affair's Office today to make the adoption final & legal with the Chinese govt - hooray! They also took photos for Annalee's passport which we'll get on Friday. The director of her orphanage did give his ok for us to visit on Thursday (along with the other family adopting a special need's toddler - Mia). We don't know if we'll take Annalee or not - she may stay in the hotel with Brent since she's happy with him, too. She did see the director & Nanny again today but she just looked at them & then waved "byebye". We'll think about that some more. Annalee LOVED looking at a "touch & feel" picture book of animals today & she stacked a few blocks. She also turned the pages of the book - someone really has been working with her! So this afternoon after nap, we'll venture down to the local dept store & look for pull-ups? We'll see! They don't have any special "oatmeal bath" here for her heatrash so I'm hoping it will calm down being in mod. a.c. - poor thing just scratches & scratches. Should we try baby motrin yet, Doc, for help with the inflamation of the heat rash?? Would that slow down the constant itching? Lot's of Love to all & especially Walt & Libby!

July 19th photos

hi! Here are a few more! The internet connections here are hit & miss! Annalee does the funniest thing with her lips just before you get a toothy smile! And there is Annalee with her friend Mia from their orphanage. I won't write anymore on this post since it has photos to upload, too. Have a nice evening (your time!).

More Pictures!

More Pictures!

Gotcha Day!!

Hello everyone! Today was a wonderful day! We got to the Civil Affairs office & all the babies were there. We were the second family to be called up for Annalee but we had already seen her! Sorry this is not a close-up but we are having trouble loading photos from this hotel in Changsha. We'll try again soon. Annalee cried for about 10 minutes & then she was quiet! She let us both hold her easily & we even got a couple of smiles out of her this evening! She hasn't really tried to talk any yet. when we got back to the hotel with her, we took her to the potty & said the Chinese word for it & she went! Maybe she will inspire Libby to go now???!!! At supper she ate a cup of rice & some watermelon & some Cheerios. She also likes orange juice (diluted, of course!). She is much bigger than we thought (that's usually not the case!) - very long. I think she'll wear a 2T easily. Brent did paperwork while I took her to eat. Then we went up to the top floor to have a drink & Annalee happily played with her little "magna doodle" & then fell asleep in Brent's arms! She is now sleeping in a very tiny crib (hope she doesn't grow anymore while we're here!). So, we'd better go to sleep soon , too... just in case she wakes up early! Love to all & lots to Walt & Libby!,
Brent, Katie & Annalee! PS - Walt & Libby, Annalee liked looking at your pictures! And our little friend Emma's, too!

Sunday, July 17th

Today was our last day of sightseeing in Beijing. The photo on the left was taken in the Forbidden City & the one on the right in Tieneman Square. The crowds were even worse than yesterday! No kidding, we literally saw about 50,000 people. Tomorrow we leave the hotel at 6:30AM & fly to Changsha, Hunan at 7:50. It's about a 2 & 1/2 hr flight. We should get to our hotel there around Noon. We'll have a quick check in & then head to the Civil Affair's Office in time for the "babies to arrive" around 3PM!!!! Everyone's getting very anxious & jittery. Will do our best to post again tomorrow evening our time. Love to everyone & thanks for all the nice messages! HAPPY BIRTHDAY, WALT - have fun eating your birthday dinner at Asahi!! You're a big 5 yr old boy, now - we're so proud of you!

July 16th - 8:35PM (China time)

Good morning (for ya'll!) & Goodnight for us! We're beat but had a great day seeing the Great Wall (we lucked up with overcast skies & a cool breeze because the climbing was really steep!). We also toured the Cloissone (know that's mis-spelled (sorry!) ) factory, the Jade factory and the Summer Palace. We were taken to lunch & dinner at very good Chinese resteraunts. By the time we got to the Summer Palace, it was still hazy but VERY hot. It wiped everyone out. There are 42 couples here all together & we are split into groups according to the province of our soon to be daughters. Our group has 15 couples going to Hunan (we fly out early Monday morning). At least half the group have 1 but mostly 2 children already but this is the first time adopting for everyone in our little group. Tomorrow we go to Church (only foreigners with passports allowed in), Forbidden City & Tieneman Square. The schedules were changed some due to the heat, large groups & summer crowds on vacation. Will get Brent to download & post photos a little later (he went to see a Chinese acrobatic show after dinner but I came back to the hotel with some others - I saw Chinese acrobats several time while we were in Japan but Brent was deployed). Hope you all have a nice day!
Walt & Libby, Mommy & Daddy love you!

Photos from July 16th

Well, we've safely arrived in Beijing. We are staying at the Radisson Hotel, and it is pretty nice. It's now 6:30 in the afternoon, our time, 6:30 in the morning VA time, which means that we've been up now for 24+ hours.
Tomorrow we will visit the Great Wall and the Forbidden City. Hope everyone is doing well!

Annalee's picture

Here's the latest picture we have. This is a test post to practice our picture posting skills. Hope to have some new one's very soon!
Leaving tomorrow, 0545.

China Schedule!

Hi! Here is our schedule for China - thought you might like to see it! This is also the site where you'll need to visit every few days (if you like!) while we're there - will be much quicker for us to update this than sending individual e-mails & photos as they don't always come thru.

In-China Adoption Itinerary

Important Phone Numbers:

AWAA Guides
National Guide:
Ren Jie(Rosa) 1391-092-3903
Jiang Ying(Maggie) 1390-124-3244


Hotel Numbers
Radisson Hotel (Beijing) 86-10-6466-3388
Gold Source Hotel (Changsha) 86-731-555-8888
The Garden Hotel (Guangzhou) 86-20-8333-8989


Emergency Numbers
U.S. Embassy Beijing 10-6532-3431
U.S. Consulate-Guangzhou 20-8188-8911
Emergency 1390-229-3169
AWAA Staff 703-626-7775 (Anna Nicolaisen)


Tour Package Includes:
· All Hotel rooms (1 in Beijing, 1 in Changsha, 1 in Guangzhou)
· All breakfasts in hotel; 4 group meals in Beijing
· Domestic flights: Beijing - Changsha – Guangzhou-Hong Kong and airport taxes
· Local guides, sight seeing, and ground transportation
· Tips for all guides and bus drivers
· No extra beds included


Adoptive Family & Additional Travelers:
Brent & Katie Johnson





Adoption Itinerary


July 15th – July 27th



v July 15 Fri. Arrive Beijing: UA851 at 2:30pm

v July 16 Sat. Beijing tour: Tiananmen Square, Forbidden City, & Summer
Palace (Lunch and dinner included)

v July 17 Sun. Church and Great Wall ( Lunch and Beijing Duck dinner)

v July 18 Mon. Morning flight to Changsha;
Afternoon: Meet your child & Start the paperwork

v July 19-22 More paperwork, sight-seeing & shopping

v July 23 Sat. Morning flight into Guangzhou

v July 24 Sun. Church & Filling out Consulate Forms

v July 25 Mon. Morning: Medical Exam
Consulate Appointment: 11:00am

v July 26 Tues. Morning sight-seeing; Afternoon-Pick up child’s visa

v July 27 Wed. Morning flight to Hong Kong
Depart Hong Kong for US: UA896 at 12:45pm