Ride 'Em Emma!

Our good friends Lorana and Earl dropped by this week and presented Emma with her very own rocking horse. It rocks. Lorana and Earl rock! Earl has made too many horses to count. They are all collectors items. Emma climbed on and took off. She is a natural. She even ran into her room and got her blanket, and then proceeded to put the blanket on top of the seat to soften her ride. I told Earl the next horse should include "tuck and roll."

Since our last entry, Emma has graduated from her crib. Her commencement was punctuated by Emma performing an "Acapulco-style" cliff dive over the rail to the floor (I gave her an 8 out of 10). We are still working out the details of keeping a toddler in her own room at night with out the benefit of some solid, well placed bars. Cribs is wonderful.

Denny and Emma have both had a cold this past week. They are on the mend, but it made for some long nights. Emma reminded me of that actress who called Barney "doll" on Andy of Mayberry. Strange sounds from a two-year old.

I am in DC this week, at a business forum, and wish my girls we with me. They both travel so well. I have included a photo of the changing of the guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. Great respect and precision!

OK then

The Quilt, Etc.

Debbie Solberg's glorious 100 Good Wishes quilt hanging above the fireplace. It is a thing of beauty and a joy forever. It is pleasant to lie on the couch and ponder it.

Emma enjoyed romping on the quilt before we hung it up.

More romping

We took Emma sledding at Sugar House park on Saturday. She liked it pretty well. She didn't squeal with delight, but patiently endured speeding down the hill on her saucer and didn't complain when we sent her on a couple more trips. I think she looks cool and tough in this photo.

Cool and tough, up close.

Things are going well chez Haynie. Emma is a scream and makes us laugh on a daily basis. She is beginning to say many words (dog, doll, bib, Annie, eye), raises her hand and says "me!" when we ask "Who's a cutie pie?", and will attempt to recreate pretty much any sound when it's repeated a few times. When we ask her what her name is she says "Em!" She still loves sign language, too, and has taken to signing "more" with tiny little movements as she fervently looks up at us with sad puppy dog eyes ("Oh pleeeaaaase give me more: crackers, cheese, gummy worms, carbonated beverage"). She likes to look at her books, slide down the stairs on her tummy, swing at the park if the weather's decent, ride in the big kid fake car shopping carts at the store, play in the bathtub, and dump out food on her highchair tray in order to examine it more closely. She's still a great sleeper, but I think it won't be long before she's out of the crib; she hoists herself up and perches precariously on the rail sometimes before realizing it's a long way down and backing off.

Emma increases in cuteness on an hourly basis and we're enjoying every day with her.

Where in the Heck Have We Been?

Man, we haven't posted since January 17Th. We've been very bad. Actually we've been very busy. Having a toddler around has the tendency to take what energy you have, and spread it over too many hours. I'm not complaining, however. Emma is a joy to have around. She is very healthy and happy. This past week, she seems to be teething. She had sixteen of her twenty teeth last November, and we think the "Final Four" is happening in February this year. Much drooling and discomfort has been had.

We took Emma to the temple and had her sealed to us last week. What a special experience that was! After the ceremony, everybody came back to the house for some mingling and Mexican food (Chinese food around here doesn't translate well for catering). As always, Emma was the hit of the party. It took a while to wind her down after everybody left. We hung up the large 100 Wishes quilt on the wall above the fireplace, and it seems to fit right in. We may leave it up there until we find something that we think fits better (which will be tough to beat).

This was the culmination of our two year odyssey, that took us from American Fork to Beijing, and many points in between. We made many new friends from different places, who hopefully we can keep in contact with. Many are still in the waiting stages, hoping to get their referrals sooner than later, and others have already been to China and picked up their baby. It will be great to see how Emma's travelmates progress through the years.

Thank you all for sharing our experiences with us. We had hoped to keep the blog updated more often, but our priorities are currently being dictated by our little whirlwind. So hang in there, and we will keep you posted whenever we get the chance.

45 Things....

We pause from our regularly scheduled Emma programming to jump on the "100 Things You Didn't Know You Wanted to Know About Me" bandwagon. I have enjoyed reading Andi's, Amy and Dave's, and Angie's lists, so I'm chiming in with my list of 45.

1. I was born on my mom’s 30th birthday.

2. Once in first grade the teacher asked what the capital of the United States was, and since we had recently visited Grandmother in Salt Lake and I had seen the capitol building, I eagerly raised my hand and said “Salt Lake City!” She snickered and said no.

3. I won an award in high school for being the year’s fastest typist. Got a certificate at the awards assembly for typing “102 gross words per minute,” presented by Betty McGlasson, the office practices teacher.

4. I also won $150 bucks in a typing contest sponsored by some temp agency in Portland. They were having the contest in the lobby of the building I worked in. I went down on my lunch hour, typed for 3 minutes, and won the pot.

5. I played electric bass in stage band for one semester my senior year in high school. The regular bass player quit and they needed someone fast, so I taught myself over Christmas vacation and played for the rest of the school year. Was not very good.

6. I played flute in band from 7th grade to 12th grade. Sometimes I played piccolo, too, and especially liked the piccolo part at the end of “Stars and Stripes Forever."

7. I attended 7th grade in Provo (Farrer Junior High) while dad was going to BYU for a year.

8. I like going to stake temple night at the Salt Lake temple because they have dinner beforehand in the cafeteria and serve one of my favorite dishes – chickeny gravy over rice. I love beige, squishy food.

9. I love the sound of someone typing on a computer keyboard.

10. I got all four of my wisdom teeth taken out at once before my mission. The dentist accidentally squirted Novocaine down my throat and I remember driving myself home on the freeway not being able to swallow.

11. I threw up my first day in the mission field – combination of jet lag, nerves, and car sickness from a wild ride from the airport. Got to the mission home and barfed discretely in a tiny little bathroom that just had a toilet and a sink.

12. I was Girls’ League President my senior year in high school and was in charge of periodic goofy assemblies. For one of them we did a take-off on the Dinah Shore talk show, but we called it the Shine-a Door show and started off with someone polishing a door.

13. I’ve never seen the movie “Grease” from beginning to end.

14. I was a bottle dancer in Dad’s production of “Fiddler on the Roof” when I was about 15. The bottle was glued to the hat and I wore a fake beard.

15. I like tomatoes only if they’re fresh from the garden, and never like them on sandwiches.

16. Once when I was on a date with someone at BYU we were playing arcade games in a movie theater lobby. I stuck my left ring finger all the way into a hole that was on the steering wheel of a race car game and then couldn’t get it out. The nice ladies behind the concession stand tried putting popcorn “butter” on it, but it wouldn’t budge. They finally called the paramedics, who had to saw off part of the steering wheel to get my finger loose. This drew quite a crowd. I told the paramedics I played the piano and to watch the finger. Fun date, huh?

17. I generally prefer the night before a holiday to the holiday itself.

18. During my last two years at BYU I worked in a funny little research center called the “Values Institute” (Institute for Studies in Values and Human Behavior). It was in a little house on the south edge of campus. My typewriter was in the former breakfast nook.

19. I went to Disneyland for the first time at the age of 36.

20. Watching good tap dancers brings tears to my eyes. That’s entertainment!

21. I took tap dancing for one semester at BYU and can still remember about four measures of the dance we learned to “Singin’ in the Rain.” I sometimes have the urge to tap dance in grocery store aisles, which are so wide and shiny and tappable.

22. I also took International Folk Dancing during one summer at BYU. I lost interest part way through and stopped going. I got an “E” (the nice way of saying “F”; it was only half a credit and I figured my GPA could take the hit.)

23. I was afraid of cyclopses when I was little.

24. On my flight home from my mission, leaving Copenhagen airport with mom and dad, the airplane lost an engine during our ascent. It was at that moment during liftoff when you think, “Gee, I hope the plane makes it all the way up.” Right at that moment there was a big “BOOM” and a shudder and the plane kinda…struggled for altitude. A girl across the aisle shouted, “There’s flames coming out of the engine!” Holy cats. We had to turn around and go back and get a different plane, after circling around the ocean a few times to dump fuel. I had large drops of sweat on my palms. Mom and dad seemed surprisingly calm.

25. Charlie Sheen bugs me bad.

26. On my first date with Joe (August 12, 1995) we did the following things: 1) Had dinner at a place called Bubba’s on 45th South and 9th East (it’s not there anymore); 2) drove up to Park City for the hot air balloon festival (it started to rain and we got soaked as we listened to the Oak Ridge Boys); 3) came back to Salt Lake and had pie at the J.B.’s across from the temple; 4) drove out to the airport and walked around the backroads in the dark; 5) went back to my apartment and chatted for a while.

27. Joe proposed to me during a walk at the airport (but not the same walk as in #4 above).

28. I am not a morning person.

29. Neither am I night person.

30. Joe and I had our first discussion about possibly adopting a child over dinner at Su Casa.

31. One of the funnest things I have ever done is march in three “Starlight Parades” when I was living in Portland with my friend Dinah. It was a nighttime parade held in connection with the Rose Festival. We were part of the local public radio station’s “radio marching band." We carried portable radios, all tuned to the same station, and did silly routines as we marched – in front of thousands of cheering people lining the streets. It was so dang goofy and fun.

32. When I moved to Portland when I was 23 I didn’t have a job or a place to live. Just packed up my car and moved. When I got to town I drove around until I saw a “For Rent” sign in a little apartment building – Rena Villa on Vista Avenue. Talked to the landlady, paid her a deposit, and moved in the same day.

33. I took three years of French in college, but most of it was pushed out of my head by Danish a few years later.

34. My Danish is now terrible.

35. I remember reading the word “prostitute” in the newspaper when I was little and asking dad what it meant. It sounded like it would be something bland and political. Imagine my surprise when he cleared his throat and actually gave me the definition.

36. I had a big crush on Freddie Prinze (Sr., of “Chico and the Man” fame) when I was a teenager and was quite upset when he died.

37. As much as I love music, I hardly ever listen to it. Like Barbie, I have plenty of “little tunes” playing in my head all by themselves.

38. I like chips and salsa.

39. I am not a good cook, but make pretty tasty lasagna. I have never cooked a turkey or a roast. Why bother when I’m married to Joe?

40. One of my favorite church callings has been teenage Sunday School teacher for 8 months in the Liberty Ward. Dallin Oaks dropped in on our ward once and came to our class. He even joined in reading a verse of scripture. I’m glad I was prepared that day.

41. The most frequently quoted movies at our house are “Ghostbusters,” “Young Frankenstein,” “So I Married an Axe Murderer,” “The Blues Brothers,” “Blazing Saddles,” “The Godfather,” and “Raising Arizona.” We can carry on most of our conversations just using lines from these movies.

42. I ate my first Big Mac on a stage band trip to Reno in 1975. I had never tasted anything so delicious (remember I grew up in La Grande).

43. I love the song “Long Way Home” by Supertramp.

44. I’ve had only one migraine headache in my life – a doozy in 1982.

45. I was the relief piano player for a show called "Angry Housewives" in Portland in 1986-87. It played at the old Storefront Theatre and at the time was the longest running play in Portland's history.

Emma's Blessing Day

Emma in her blessing attire

She knows she's cute

Emma and her handlers

Some of the family members in attendance (and how many askew wardrobe items do you count?)

Emma’s blessing day was last Sunday. It was a happy day and Emma looked so pretty in her white dress, new white shoes, and white headband (which didn’t stay on her head the whole time, but that’s okay). Emma squirmed around a good deal during the blessing (batting hands away from her, pulling on Baba’s tie, etc.), but made no untoward screeches and overall did a great job (as did her dad). We had a lot of family members there and it was really a wonderful day for us.

Emma is thriving and healthy and keeps us on our toes. We got a cute gift from a friend – a stuffed koala bear backpack (for Emma) that has a looong tail (some might call it a “leash”…but we’ll just keep telling Emma it’s a tail). She loves wearing her backpack around the house, handing me the tail and allowing me to follow her around. She hasn’t quite figured out why she suddenly stops short from time to time.

Emma has been catching up on her immunizations. She got four shots last Friday and did great (sure, some appropriate, indignant howling occurred, but she recovered quickly and was soon as cheery as could be – in contrast to a month ago when she got her first four shots and tantrumed on the doc’s floor for 15 minutes afterward).

We’re still having fun learning sign language and Emma knows signs for at least 20 words, I’d say. She often uses the signs for “dog,” “eat,” “sleepy,” “cracker,” “cold,” “baby,” “cheese,” “milk,” “bird,” “duck.” She babbles a lot, especially when she’s riding in the car, and I can hear her trying out many different sounds. I love hearing her little voice. I don’t think it’ll be long before the words start coming.

She’s still a great sleeper and usually doesn’t cry when she goes down for naps or to bed, although there is often a lengthy roaming around the crib period before sleep finally hits. And sometimes a limber little leg stretches over the top railing and I can see her starting to pull herself over. She’s not quite there yet, but oh man, she’s going to figure out how to climb out very soon.

The newlyweds, Andy and Kathryn, stayed with us for a couple of weeks post-wedding but were able to move into their married student housing apartment at the U yesterday. Sniff. It was so fun to have them here…we’ll miss ‘em. They claim they’ll be back to visit.

And I keep thinking I’m going to be a better blogger but I keep getting worse at posting….so again, apologies for the long delay between posts. It’s not like we don’t have good material!

Happy 2007 to everybody.

Emma's First Christmas

Andy and Kathryn after the ceremony
Emma lounging on the stairs on Christmas Eve

Grandma and Emma

Christmas morning

This has been a big week for us. Thursday was Kathryn and Andy's wedding, and many relatives were in town and saw Emma for the first time. The wedding went great, and Emma looked divine in her black and white gown. We didn't get any pictures of her at the reception, because I was standing in the line, and Denny was chasing her around the building for a couple of hours. She lasted until 8 o'clock, and I didn't get home until 10:00 PM.

The wedding breakfast turned out great, with just over 100 people in attendance. Emma stayed at home with her Aunt Barbie, to whom we owe a debt of gratitude. It was the first time we have left Emma with anybody, and from what I can tell, they both had a blast. Thanks again to Barbie.

Last night (Christmas Eve) we went to my folks house for the family party. Emma donned her Christmas dress and was an instant hit. It is probably the only time she will be able to wear that particular dress, but she made the most of it. It is totally different attending a party with a toddler. Emma was doing great for about 1 1/2 hours, and then the wheels came off. We made a hasty exit and got her home quickly. She had a rougher than usual time going to sleep last night, probably due to over-stimulation being around so many new people, and playing six rounds of bingo.

Christmas Day has been wonderful. We ate breakfast and opened presents with Denny's folks, and Kathryn and Andy who are living with us until their apartment is available next month. Emma took the prize for having the most gifts, because we wrapped up many of the gifts she received at her showers, and put them under the tree. What a wild time!

I'm sure that Emma doesn't grasp any of the Christmas concept. Hopefully she is not now expecting parties and gifts all the time. I don't think so. She is such a happy, busy little person, that she takes each day as it comes, and makes the most of each one. She and Denny are bonding more each day. Thanks to Denny's efforts, Emma is learning and showing great progress. I think they were MFEO. OK then.

"They're Gettin' Married in the Mornin'"

The countdown for Andy and Kathryn ends tomorrow at 9:00 a.m. after a 310-day engagement. Can't imagine a more fetching couple. I think they look alike (and that's a good thing). After the ceremony and photo snapping, we'll lunch at the Joseph Smith Building (I believe menu is green salad, chicken parmesan, and brownie a la mode), and the couple will receive well-wishers in North Salt Lake from 6 to 9. Apparently the cultural hall is adorned with 30 Christmas trees, which Andy has been helping decorate today.

Aunt Barbie is being kind enough to watch Emma at our house during the daytime activities, but Emma will sport her reception dress (see our "Need Sleep, Can't Focus" post for a photo) in the evening.

We're looking forward to tomorrow's big events. Let's hear it for Andy and Kathryn!

Ribs is Tasty!

Pretty good photos, eh? We were up at Uncle Matt's and Aunt Erin's place to partake of some baby back ribs from the Caja China, with three of Emma's cousins. We weren't sure what she would be able to eat, so Denny started spooning some of the potatoes into her mouth. Poor cousin Josh was sitting to Emma's right, and lost a rib off of his plate to some good old fashioned sleight of hand, and the next thing we knew, Emma was cleaning every scrap of meat off of that bone. That's my girl! The picture of Denny is of said bone after Emma went on to her next rib. Thanks to Matt for some great ribs.

I figured out why Emma is such a good sleeper. It takes a lot of rest to wear out two adults. As I am writing this, I can hear Emma singing to her mother, who has been lying down trying to get Emma to sleep for the last 25 minutes, from the dark confines of her crib. I was in there momentarily, but it seems that I am something of a comical diversion to her, and she keeps laughing, so I left.

Every night we give her some milk (which she has little interest in), brush her teeth (a two-adult chore while singing "This is the Way We Brush Our Teeth"), say prayers together, and then try putting her down around 9:00 PM. Somewhere between 8:30 and 8:45 she puts on the full-court press, trying everything she can to delay the inevitable. She drags out books, her favorite ball, blocks, the big bear, and even her special empty box for a ride across the room. Denny puts on a CD of children's tunes playing softly (I prefer the soft rock ballads) and Emma goes down for the evening. It's good to get her into a routine. After four weeks back, things is settling in to a nice monotony.

The doctor's office called back after some samples were left, and it seems our little girl picked up some kind of bug that requires medicine to be administered three times a day. Our process for squirting the pink goo into her mouth includes a full nelson with head-lock, while we are both singing the first chorus of "Bad Medicine" by Bon Jovi. It seems to work, because she keeps most of it in her mouth, and she is feeling better. I suppose we could sing "A Spoon Full of Sugar," but I have my limits, besides I don't know all of the words. OK then.

Alright Already....

Emma went out in the recent snow to play for...um...three minutes or so until she decided it was cold and wet and did not meet expectations.

This is Emma pre-snow experience when she had high expectations. Took longer to get bundled up than she spent in the snow.

Part of the group at the fun shower Joe's work threw for us.

And their message on the whiteboard....Thanks, Distribution Center!

High time we posted. Sorry it's been so ding dang long (in case you've been checking in...) Bad blogger form.

Things are going well in Emmaville. She's a happy little girl, except when she wants something she can't have. Then she's irked 'n' peeved. But mostly happy, chortling, cackling, running around, babbling. She's learning sign language from the "Signing Time" DVD's ("It's signing time with Alex and Leah....it's signing time with Alex and Leah....it's signing time with Alex and Leah..." Try getting that tune out of your head. You can't. ) Emma can sign "more," "dog," "eat," "cold," "hungry," "apple," "cheese," and a few others. And I think she knows what most of them mean, too, as she has started using them appropriately, rather than just mimicking them, in the last few days. Bright little girl. It's fascinating to see her pick up things. She says "baba" when Joe's around. She imitated me saying "uh-oh" the other day. She shakes her head "no" when she doesn't want something and sometimes says "Ni ni ni ni" (she'll get the right vowel sound one of these days...)

We've gone to a couple of fun showers in the last two weeks, one at Joe's work and one in our old ward. People are so nice. Emma has received many beautiful toys and clothes. She is going to be outstandingly well dressed between the ages of 2 and 2-1/2. Her closet is a sight to behold.

Annie the dog continues to be watchful, as Emma likes to pull fur, pat hard, and leap unexpectedly onto the dog's tummy as she reclines. Annie's been very patient and will go directly to dog heaven someday (hopefully not as a result of anything Emma does to her). I must confess that we mix up the names "Annie" and "Emma" sometimes.

Speaking of the dog....Joe cooked a chicken in the dutch oven on Sunday. We ate half of it for dinner and then made the mistake of leaving the other half on our kitchen island when we went out visiting later that evening. The island is high and our dog is short, but apparently Annie, when properly motivated, can leap high enough to grab half a chicken off a cutting board on the three-foot-high island and devour the whole thing...except for the breastbone, which was licked clean and then buried under our pillows in our bedroom. When I turned down the bed that night I got quite a fright--couldn't tell what that was in our bed. A dead bird? (well, sort of). Blech blechety blech yuck yuck. Then we figured out what had happened. Annie seemed fine until the next day when the whole sorry incident caught up with her in the form of all manner of gastrointestinal anomalies. Pooches. Can't trust 'em when you don't put your leftovers away.

Life is good and we love our little Emma. We are blessed. She is the most adorable little girl and every day is a new, fun adventure. We'll try to take more pix and post more often.

Random Observations

Liberty Park Swinger

- The degree to which we have had to adjust our environment to keep 19-month-old fingers out of drawers, cupboards, light sockets, toilet bowls, TP dispensers, dog food bowl, fireplace, computer keyboards, furnace vents, the pooch's nether regions, and potted plants is startling. Our child---does not stop. She's "exploring her world."
-I've never been so aware of those twangy doorstops on the bottoms of our doors. Previously happily oblivious to them, I now find myself in amusing daily power struggles with my youngster over how frequently and vigorously to twang them. And they do indeed twaaannnnggg. Two of them have been completely removed by our mighty daughter.
- Trying to get wiggling feet into footy pajamas, snap the 2nd and 3rd snaps on onesies (as Emma wriggles and giggles), get a fresh diaper on as Emma does revolutions on the bed, get the
head hole of a shirt over the head and one arm in before the shirt comes right back off the head again, or untangle the arm loops on carseat or stroller and get them somehow latched into their correct compartments before Emma decides to just get out and walk back in the house --all kind of remind me of dreams where you're trying to run through quicksand...or piano playing dreams where I'm trying to find the right page number of a hymn as the congregation waits...but the book's upside down, and then you knock it off the piano, and then you flip through the pages and still can't find it....
- But it's all so amazingly fun I can't stand it.
- Emma has a high-wattage, movie-star-worthy smile.
- She is also amazingly limber. She can do the splits, no problem.
- I owe a huge debt of gratitude to Emma's foster mom, who I believe had Emma on a firm schedule. Nap and bedtimes appear to be a familiar inevitability for her. Although Emma usually screeches with indignation when I put her down (and stands right back up again), after I place her in reclining mode the second time she realizes that resistance is futile and stands up no more. There may be a few minutes of resigned whimpering, but then....she's out.
- Emma yearns to have a hands-on experience with food. Being spoon-fed is for babies. She wants to hold the spoon herself (and then fling it away--it no longer amuses her). Better yet, she wants to hold the jar of applesauce and place her fist inside, then lick the applesauce off the fist. The most successful (shriek-free) method of feeding Emma is to place bite-size portions of food on her highchair tray and let her mix and match as she wishes.
- Emma says mama, baba, da da da, booya, gives a great Bronx cheer, rolls her tongue around loudly inside her mouth, cackles, growls, and occasionally grinds her teeth.
- Her favorite song is "Bandstand Boogie" (the incomparable Barry Manilow arrangement!). We played this for her on Napster every night when we were in China. She stands between Joe's knees, holding his hands, and runs back and forth in time to the music, chortling with glee. We believe she's got the music in 'er!
- We realized that Emma will completely skip a generation in learning about pop music from about the 1980s on...She'll grow up listening to classic country, Joni Mitchell, Neil Young, Mozart sonatas, show tunes, and the Carpenters' Christmas album.
- We're all having a great time -- wouldn't change a thing.

She's a Dunker!

It is now official. Emma is a member in good standing of the "Dunker's Club." Although considered a novice, she took to dunking like a politician to a fundraiser. With just one example, she pushed us aside and started dunking with both hands. She even had the "let one soak while I eat the other" system perfected. The doctor said to get whole vitamin D milk in her any way possible, and we have found this to be a fool-proof method.

Emma is sleeping very nicely, thank you very much. We put her down at 8 or 9 PM, and she doesn't wake up until 7:45 AM or so. At that time, she stands up and puts her arms out, ready for the lift-out. Not a cry or anything. She sure is a sweetheart.

She went to church Sunday, and made quite a splash. Everybody there was so nice and anxious to finally meet her. Denny and I traded trips to the foyer with her. Church sitting is not one of her strong suits (nor is it one of mine). She made it about 1 1/2 hours, which isn't bad. We will work on building that time up, and maybe even give her a shot at the nursery. Watch out nursery!

Another first. Emma was introduced to Hires Big H. What an eventful week we have had. She enjoyed "double dipping" her fries in the special sauce, and occasionally taking a bite of her grilled cheese sandwich. I guess the only other major "first" we are lacking is a trip to the Home Depot, which may happen some time this weekend. Kinda makes me cry to think of it.

In conclusion, just a couple of observations. First, you can never have enough spoons. I don't know how many we have, but it is not enough. Second, you cannot brush baklava out of a child's hair. It's too sticky. OK then.

Need sleep.......can't focus...

On an earlier post, we included a photo of the dress Emma is going to be wearing at Andy and Kathryn's wedding reception in December. We are proud to give an updated photo with Emma dancing in that very dress, It's a great fit, and Denise can't wait to accessorize with pumps, purse, tights, haircut, scarf, and a late-model vehicle.

We have been back for four days now, and need to give an update on Emma's progress for transitioning into her new world. I am sure she is wondering where all of the people, tall buildings, breakfast buffets, humidity, 90 degree temperatures, and the nice attendants outside the hotel room went. We have slipped into the alternate universe known as "The East Millcreek Zone."

Sleep is still up for grabs. Denny and I catch it when we can, which hasn't been real consistent. I was hoping to get a solid three hours straight Sunday, but I missed church. Emma seems to enjoy any kind of wheeled conveyence, stroller or car, because she has yet to arrive at any destination with her eyes open. The trouble comes on "the transfer." After a walk yesterday, we rolled the stroller into her room, propped up the front wheel, and let her sleep while she was still strapped in. That lasted about thirty minutes. She finally went down for a real nap yesterday about 2 PM, and when we tried to wake her up two hours later, she had trouble waking. We think she was in her nine-hour sleep phase, which would have her waking up about.....now. We still got her up, fed her, and walked her around four a couple of hours until she dropped off again. Denny just woke up again, so we are both in the can't-sleep-but-still-groggy waiting stage.
We have had trips to the pediatrician, and to the lab at the hospital, where much screaming was had. Once for a TB test, and the other to draw blood for a battery of other tests regularly given to adoptive children from other countries. The doc says she looks great, with no visible problems. After we get the blood work back, we will get started on her immunizations. All of those shots into those tiny arms and backside make me cringe.

Denise has promised to give a real update as soon as things settle down a little and she can type without wondering if Emma is chasing the dog, or the dog is chasing Emma (Annie is pleased to see that food is now being eaten at her level on a consistent basis). OK then.

The Emma Has Landed!

Emma looking for a diversion to get past me into the aisle
Denny trying to Explain to Emma about the "no more than 28 Cherios-at-a-time in your mouth" rule

We made it back. After a 12 1/2 hour flight from Guangzhou, a one-night layover in Los Angeles, and a 1 1/2 hour flight this morning, we arrive on time in Salt Lake at 12:35 PM. Our flight didn't leave Guangzhou until 9 PM on Friday night, so we had to hang out at the airport from 5 PM until we boarded the flight at 8:30 PM. Emma fell asleep in her stroller just before boarding, and we thought perhaps the flying gods were smiling down upon us. Just a fleeting thought. Although she woke up with the bright lights in the cabin, at least she wasn't upset about it. We almost had her asleep a hour into the flight, when the flight attendant shook a boney finger at us and said that babies sleeping on the floor were not allowed (we spoke with other parents after the flight, and they told us of the glorious feeling of having their kids sleep for hours on the floor). Give the Governor a harrumpf! Between Denny and I, we held Emma while she was sleeping for about seven hours.

We arrived in LA just after sunset, three hours before we left. There were five other adoptive parents on the flight, and it took just under two hours to get through immigration and customs. Not too bad. We had a room booked for the night at an airport hotel, so we made the transfer over and luxuriated with a large room, ice, diet Sprite, soft beds, Dominos Pizza, and Conan O'brien. Emma slept from 11 PM until 1:30 AM, and from 5 AM until we had to wake her up at 6 AM to get ready for our next leg. She was a trooper through the whole deal.

Upon our arrival in Salt Lake, there was a welcoming committee of Aunt Barbie and Uncle Dennis, Cousin Tony and his wife Cindy, and kids all over the place with balloons. Quite the welcoming comittee for us! We were also surprised by Denny's friend who had finished Emma's 100 good wishes quilt and presented it to us. It is beauty (there will be more on the quilt in a future post, with pictures)! Andy and Mac were there with a couple of vehicles to help us get ourselves and all of our stuff back home. Amazing how much room you loose with a carseat. What ever happened to rope? Anywho, when we turned the last corner into our block, we saw that our garage door was decorated with a welcome home sign, compliments of Kathryn and Andy. What a treat! I was hoping to lay low for a few days, but I guess that option is out the window.

Grandma and Grandpa came over with Boo, Alex, Jason and Allison, but they had to just look, as Emma fell asleep just before they got here. She woke up about 8 PM, but went back down at 11 PM, and is still sleeping. Denny and I are tag-teaming it, so she is now able to get some sleep. The next few days may be a little strange, but we got her, she's a beaut, and everything went as planned. Murdock of the "A-Team" couldn't have been more pleased.

Thanks to all for your interest in our China experience, and I assume the writings will continue when Denny can find a moment to collect her thoughts. OK then.

Guangzhou Gallery

We're getting geared up to leave tomorrow evening. Have a consulate appointment this afternoon to obtain Miss Em's visa and tomorrow morning will be spent doing some last-minute shopping and packing. This will probably be our last post from China, so wanted to leave you with some more photos (including a couple extra of 2-year-old Nathan, his dad Steve, and Steve's parents. Nathan's mom wasn't able to travel to China, so she's going to check our website to see some photos)

Nathan, Steve, and Grandparents

Steve and Nathan

Ladies doing their morning dance routine on Shamian Island

Joey, Denny, Emma

The amazing Judy Wu sitting on the famous red couch (where all babies staying at the White Swan must have their photos taken) and the five children in our travel group, from left: Alyssa, Nathan, Emma, Lydia and Anna Mae. The three other girls are all about a year old. Nathan just turned two (I think he and Emma have a crush on each other. We've planned for them to attend prom together some day; will have to arrange for travel to or from Minnesota). And yes, Kristen, we did get our complementary White Swan Barbie Doll (a curvey blonde holding a dark-haired little girl; Nathan's doll is holding a little boy).


The entire group: Paul, Staci, and Anna Mae; Joey, Denny, and Emma; Todd, Patty, and Alyssa; Steve and Nathan; John, Sheila and Lydia.

On our way to McDonald's yesterday, we walked through more "real China" and saw this collection of dried seahorses for sale, spread out on the street corner; take your pick.

Alley with laundry drying above.

Emma playing in the "Swan Room"; she's a pretty good speller!

We took Emma to the Guangzhou zoo Thursday morning. As you can see, she wasn't impressed. She decided to take her 1:00 nap at 10:30, just to mix things up a little; fell sound asleep five minutes into the zoo and woke up promptly as we were leaving. I think her cheeks have plumped up some after the last 10 days of abundant eating. In the last two days, though, she has decided she does not like some things as well as she used to. Watermelon, for example. She used to consume it in huge, lip-smacking mouthfuls. Now? Ack phooey!! Forget it.

The lovely Guangzhou zoo. This was one of our favorite outings of the whole trip. It was just beautiful -- so peaceful, with tall palm trees and a variety of exotic foliage. And there were surprisingly few people there (for a city with 12.5 million of 'em....)

The north end of a southbound Guangzhouvian elephant. Are they not the most unusual creatures??

Well, folks -- This will wrap up the China reporting. Thanks for joining us on the most wonderful, amazing, thrilling trip of our lives. We feel so blessed to be able to welcome Emma into our lives as our dear daughter -- and we are grateful for our family and friends who have been so supportive. We love you!!

See you soon,

Denny & Joe

PS. Our adoption agency writes a newletter every month, and this month's features Emma. If you would like to take a look, go to:

http://www.wiaa.org/Newsletter/china/chinanewslettercurrent.asp

Outpost Guangzhou

.....Provisions running low...We haven't had any Fritos for about a week. We were then left with only bean dip, licorice, and beef jerky (teriyaki style). Have you ever tried eating bean dip with red licorice? How about bean dip and rice cakes? Not a pretty picture. We would have had some Jiff smooth peanut butter, but apparently according to our good friends at the TSA, it qualifies as a "gel." Right. If any of you are passing through security at the SL airport, check the breath of the screeners. If it smells of peanut butter, you have us to thank.

Denny and Emma are now in the deluxe play room here at the White Swan Hotel. All of the electronic toys have batteries, and work like new. I now have many familiar old tunes going through my head from many years ago, songs I haven't heard or thought of for years: "This Old Man, The Alphabet Song, Rock-a-bye Baby, and I Don't Give a Damn About a Green Back-a Dollar." But Emma seems to enjoy them, as do the other forty kids and parents in the play room.

I guess it is now official. We are the parents of a toddler. We were out to dinner with our adoption group a couple of nights ago, and the first thing everybody talked about was the kids' bathroom schedules. So much for the "Would you please pass the shrimp and sweet and sour pork?" Let's just skip the preliminaries and find out about the digestive tracts of everybody around the table. That's ok though. Emma's worth it. She's a sweetie. She can really work a room with her smile.

There is an appointment at the US embassy today at 11:00 AM, and the swearing in ceremony tomorrow (Thursday) afternoon. We have the amazing Judy Wu in our corner, fighting the red tape in both China and the US. She is doing a great job, a good part of which we never see. We signed some final paperwork last night, and she is now running with the ball, taking on all obstacles and barriers. You go Judy!

Our flight out is on Friday at 9:00 PM. We hope this bodes well for Emma going to sleep right off, and staying asleep for a good portion of the first 13 hour flight to LA. We will then get on a plane Saturday morning in LA to fly home to Salt Lake, and be there around 12:30 PM. We are not looking forward to the long flights, but getting back to home base will be nice. OK then.

Seeing the Sights on Shamian Island

A sign we saw in a park alongside the banks of the Pearl River. Although I had been tempted to spit a few times, after I saw the sign the fear of being "amerced" deterred me.

School kids on an outing. When they saw us they all shouted "Hello!" and then "Bye-Bye!"

An exercise park where young and old can stay physically fit.

Joey, Denny and Emma. Not sure why it has a green frame around it.

Apparently the Chinese and Utah pronunciations of "sale" are the same.

Emma anticipating lunch at Lucy's restaurant, wearing her Winnie the Pooh bib.

Mmmm....chicken congee!

The White Swan Hotel is located on Shamian Island. This is what Wikipedia has to say about Shamian Island: "Shamian Island, formerly known as Shameen Island, from its Cantonese pronunciation (Chinese: 沙面岛, pinyin: Shāmiàn dǎo) is an island in Guangzhou city, Guangdong province, China. It was originally a concession given to European and American traders operating in the Guangzhou area by the Qing Dynasty government in the 19th century. The island's name literally means "sandy face" in Chinese.

The island covers an area of 24,000 sq meters and is a gazetted historical area that serves as a tranquil reminder of the colonial European period, with quiet pedestrian avenues flanked by trees and lined by historical buildings in various states of upkeep. The island is the location of several hotels, a youth hostel, restaurants and tourist shops selling curios and souvenirs.
Various bronze statues are scattered around the island which depict life as it was during earlier periods on the island, as well as from more recent times. For example, one statute entitled "A gentleman, a lady and a darn woman" shows a Western couple watching a Chinese women darning cloth. Another depicts the changing appearances and stature of Chinese women, with a woman from colonial times in traditional clothing, a slightly taller woman from the early or mid 20th century wearing a cheongsam, and a relatively tall and slender young Chinese women wearing shorts and talking on a mobile phone.

Since the early 2000s, Shamian Island has become well known for the many Western couples who reside there while seeking to adopt Chinese babies and young children, most of whom are orphaned and female. The White Swan Hotel is perhaps the best-known hotel in Guangzhou, having been in operation for many years, and is usually the hotel of choice for these couples. One reason for this popularity is that the hotel was once adjacent to the United States consulate, making it convenient to file paperwork and handle bureaucratic matters. The consulate has since moved (about 40 minutes away by car), but the hotel is still the most popular destination for adopting couples."

Happy Election Day in the U.S. We're kind of glad we're missing the whole thing, frankly.

More later....

Denny