Hi Everyone,

 

Well, this is most likely my last post from China. Lauren is taking her nap now and then we will be going to the US Consulate to swear in at court and get her visa for travel. She is officially ours!

 We have seen so much and felt so many emotions on this trip that I have just recently been able to sit and soak it in and reflect on these past 17 days.

We continue to bond more and more as a family each day. She likes to pretend to cook, kick the ball in the hall, is slowly getting used to baths, and has such a sweet heart. Yesterday I was rocking her to sleep and she looked up at me and just studied my face for the longest time and then smiled, yawned, and fell asleep. Danny and I are so in love. We both find it hard to believe after all this time, that we finally have a daughter, someone we can love for the rest of our lives.

Yesterday the group got together for pictures and the girls were all dressed up in their Chinese dresses. I've attached a few below. The picture of Lauren next to another little girl is Emma. she lives really close to us, so it will be nice for Lauren to have a friend she has already made live so close!

We leave at 6:45 a.m. tomorrow morning to catch our flight. We will arrive in Phoenix at 5:30 p.m. and look forward to seeing everyone! We love you and thank you for following our journey in China. We look forward to our next journey of being a family at home. We miss our Bailey and can't wait to be home.

 

See you soon!

Mardi, Dan, Sherry, and Lauren!

Hi Everyone!

 

We are excited to be days away from coming home. We have 2 full days left until we leave for the U.S.! The parks here are beautiful, however, the heat and humidity is stifling. When you walk out of the hotel you feel as though you just walked out of the shower. We come home from our walks completly soaked. Despite this we are trying to take in the beautiful scenery and enjoy the difference in the culture here. We've become pretty comfortable with using the taxi system and we took a trip to Shamian Island tonight for dinner and shopping. Those of you who are going to China soon, make sure you check out Andy's Shop and Jordan's Store on Shamian Island.  

We have been attempting to get Lauren on somewhat of a schedule the past couple of days. It's hard when keeping with the schedule of paperwork, etc. and living out of a hotel, but Lauren does much better if we can get her a nap in the afternoon. Last night she was up several times in the night with night terrors and while she was sleeping she kept moaning and whining. We just kept stroking her back and telling her it was okay. She had a great day today however. We continue to work on setting boundaries. She's quite the fiesty one. :) Gosh is she wonderful though. Wait until you see her little wave "hello", she gives high fives now too! :)

Well, I should get some sleep. Again, I can't tell you how much it has meant to have contact with all of you while here. Also, I have lot's of video, but can't get it to download here. I will post them when home.

Love you all,

 

Mardi

 

To my bloggy friends:

Some things I'm glad I had with me here and some that I wish I had:

1)Dramamine--This is something I didn't think to bring, but Danny and others in the group got motion sickness because the buildings sway here. Fortunetly someone else in the group had this.

2) Wipes & Diapers--enough to get you to Guangzhou. Do not depend on stores in the province. If your province is anything like ours, you will not want to depend on finding a store.

3) Clothes for you and baby. People in the past have said don't bring very much. I will say if you are here in the summer it is too humid for clothing to dry in your hotel room. We have sent out for laundry to be done after waiting days for things to dry.

4) Beach balls are lots of fun and pack easily.

5) Clothes for baby of different sizes. Lauren must have been weighed with clothes on for updates from the orphanage. She is much smaller than they had told us. I'm glad that I brought different sizes. Diaper pins are also a big help. I've pinned Lauren's pants each day to keep them up. Also, sundresses work great since they can be a little big and still be okay.  

Okay, I'll post more as I think of them. Mary, I know you must be getting really excited! I can tell you it's an insanely wonderful trip! The rest of you, have referrals come out? I can't get to rumor queen or blogs from here. I can't wait until all our girls are home! :) Love you all!!

 

 

Hi everyone,

 

It's good to be in Gaungzhou. The flight here wasn't too bad once we got off the ground. We sat on the tarmack for over an hour due to a drunk, hostile passenger. We were all surprised how long it took them to get him off the plane. Here we all sat watching this man fight with the airline staff,then the police were brought on and he fought with them for a long time even to the point of pushing the officers, towards the end all the passengers were yelling and screaming and there we sat not knowing what was being said, but praying we would all get out of this province alive. Anyone who knows my husband, knows he was on full alert with seatbelt off and on the edge of his seat ready to go (in a good protective way). Thankfully, the passenger was escorted off the plane with police and we then took off. Lauren went throught about 4 lollipop's, but was content otherwise.  

The hotel here is really nice and we have enjoyed getting out a bit and Lauren is loving exploring the area. Shamian Island is a short drive away and what a beautiful area. Parks, lush green grounds, water...really nice.

 

We can't believe the child we see today is the same child we held in our arms for the first time one week ago. Her personality has really shone through the past few days and she is just so amazing. She fakes she is sleeping and then pops up to surprise us, roughhouses with daddy, loves to be held, and laughs all day long. Her medical exam went pretty smoothly despite the chaotic environment. Mayo group, you'll enjoy the uniforms and medical equipment in the pictures. :) Lauren weighed 16.6 lb and is 29.5 inches tall. Her exam was normal throughout. I had two different doctors check out her lymph nodes and they both said they have seen this before with other orphans and that is should resolve on it's own. We have an appt. with our pediatrician when we get back and will do a full work up then, but for now, I was glad to know they have seen this before in other children.

Well I've had my tea, Danny is out running with another guy from our group and my little love is stirring, so I'll close here.

 

Love you all. Enjoy the pic's

Mardi

 

Hi everyone,

I know you all are sleeping now, but I wanted to write a quick hello from Guangzhou and let you know we arrived safely. The schedule has been a little crazy and we have more stories to tell of our adventure, but right now noodle girl just woke from her nap and we are hitting the town in pursuit of more noodles!

 

love you all, I'll post more later with pictures.

 

Life is good!!

 

Mardi and the gang

Today we will leave for Guangzhou and leave behind Guizhou, the birthplace of our daughter. Guizhou countryside is absolutely breathtaking. The people we have encountered while here enjoy Tai Chi in the parks in the morning, play badmitton in the streets and parks, and find a smile amongst hard living conditions. As I saw a women at the alter of a Buddist temple praying, crying, and bowing, I wondered what she was pleading for, what was breaking her heart today. While sitting at breakfast we had a Chinese business man look over to us and with a big smile give us two thumbs up. We have had children smile and say "hello" and then giggle, knowing they were surprising us with their English words. Young women have looked into my eyes and then into Lauren's with blank expressions and I wondered if they were looking for "their" baby. There are so many orphans here that we are bound to have crossed paths with women who they themselves have had to leave behind their babies in an alley or on a bridge. I will never forget the people of Guizhou. Lauren comes from an area of rich culture, steeped in tradition, and hard work to us is an easy day to them. I will never stop praying for the children of Guizhou and am forever grateful to Lauren's birthmom that she left her in a safe place outside a local hospital.

 

I will write again from Guangzhou.

Love you all...

Lauren,the true Lauren has shown herself to us today. Oh my gosh is it wonderful...

This morning she woke without being afraid for the first time and as we played with toys on the bed...she smiled! A big, face scrunched smile! Wow, the past 5 years were all worth it for that one moment. Then,on the way to a Walmart shopping spree with the group, I went to tickle her for the first time and was expecting her to look up with inquiring eyes as she has been doing the last couple of day, but instead she broke into a full,loud, joyous laugh! Dan and I are just amazed at how much she has grown to trust us and is now playing, sharing food, laughing, riding "horsey daddy", and squeeling with laughter in just a few short days. We went for a little walk today and Danny and I were saying how thankful we are that we continued to follow God during many of the moments when we wondered if it was the right decision, etc. I cannot imagine missing out on our Lauren. As we walk the streets we see such poverty, children begging, children who look souless and are doing acts on the street that we will never forget, and I am thankful to God that He stirred in our hearts so many years ago to go to China and get our daughter. We are very aware that any of these children on the street could have been Lauren in a few years. I just wish no child had to go through life as some do.

Since seeing a litte more of the real Lauren we have also had to say "bu" or "no" a few times today and she has responded really well. She stopped right away and looked very serious. It's hard not to laugh at her little face when this happens. :) 

Michael, our local guide told us today that Lauren is the first child to be adopted from her orphanage. I knew the orphanage was new at preparing children for adoption, but I was not aware that our daughter was the first one. He has been to the town that she is from and we were able to find out a little more about the area that she lived in for her first 23 months. It's extremely remote, rugged, and poor, but it is famous for it's  gold mine. Just a few more tidbits I can pass onto Lauren when she is older. Danny and I have bought a few gifts for her here that we plan to give her as future birthday gifts. We are pretty sure she is from the Maio minority group after talking with Michael, so we bought her two little Maio dolls, one in traditional dress and one in formal dress. We also got us matching earrings and a little bracelet for Lauren that is made from this beautiful stone that is only found in this area. 

Our group leaves tomorrow for our last stretch before home! We are all looking forward to a bed with a mattress.  

Well...watch out world because here comes Lauren and her smile will melt your heart! :)

 

Love you all,

Mardi, Dan, Sherry, and Lauren!

Hi everyone,

First of all, I cannot tell you how much all your comments have helped us. What  amazing friends and family we have! Love you all and please know we are feeling your thoughts and prayers for us. We talked with a man from Ireland today that is here to teach English and he said this city is the most dangerous and poor city in China. This confirmed what we have, as a group, all felt while here. However, God continues to help us. I have drawn our curtains and have been playing our Kai Lan movie on the computer to block out the sounds from outside and It has really helped improve our environment and give us a little break from the insanity. I can also now do the dragon dance and sing almost any Kai Lan song by heart! :)

 

Well, Dan and I are officially parents, we have gone through at least two "meals" without actually eating ourselves and I have pictures I'm actually going to post that I have no make up on and my hair is frizz mess! ;)

Lauren's orphanage is new to referring children for adoption and we were told we had to go to a state building to re-do some paperwork yesterday. To do this, we had to hop in a taxi with Lauren on our lap and whirred down the road on the most crazy drive we have ever been on while the taxi driver beeped his horn constantly and exhaust from buses blew into our windows, holding on tight to eachother, I looked over to Dan and Laughed saying, "and we have a car seat at home we had inspected by the fire dept. to make sure it was safe enough for Lauren!"

Yesterday our group went to what is known as the Monkey Park. This was a nice getaway from the city. The monkey's were pretty fun to watch and we were able to visit a Buddist temple. I'll post pictures below.

Lauren continues to improve. She is eating like crazy. One thing we noticed was that she would grab as much food as she could with both hands and stuff her food in her mouth as fast as possible. So, we have been allowing her to eat each time until she no longer takes food from us, but we give her the food slowly and we will hopefully teach her that we will always have enough food. Another good sign today was she fell alseep for her nap today without screaming for her nanny and crying her stiffening cry. She ate with me, drank some water and then I sang to her until she rested her head on my chest and fell asleep. Also, we were all playing in the hall and Lauren was frightened by something and backed into Danny's lap, yay! I know we have a long, long road ahead, but each of these steps just fills us with joy and we are so thankful for our amazing daughter.

Love you all,

 

Mardi, Dan, and Sherry

 

p.s. Note to Greg~ The Panda phone is not working today, so Danny may not call until we get to our next stop on Saturday. Also, please let your mom know that the pictures of Lauren in her pink dress today is the dress she bought. It is the first outfit to fit her! ;) Hi to everyone!

Yesterday we made great strides with Lauren. We are just waking here and I wanted to let you we feel your prayers. Yesterday Lauren spent about 2-3 hours grieving really hard. As we would hold her she would just scream and reach her arms out saying "nana" for her nanny. It just broke our hearts yet we are encouraged that she has bonded with her nanny. This means she has the ability to attach and will someday attach to us. "Spa time" as I call it continues to be a good bonding time for Lauren and I. Bath time is also a good calming activity we do. She really likes her baths.

We took Lauren to our CHI coordinator yesterday and talked about the bumps on her neck and head and her other symptoms. We all agreed we didn't feel comfortable having her see a Dr. here. So, she called a Dr. in our next stop and he said that he has seen this with other children and it usually disappears on its own. We felt comforted by this, however, we will take her to see him when we get to our next stop if she continues to be not feeling well.

After the grieving period of 2-3 hours and a bath we went to dinner here in the hotel. As I held her she started touching me and playing with my necklace for the first time. This was a big step. Then at dinner Danny held her and fed her Watermelon and Dragonmelon, then she took some noodles, then chicken, than green vegetables..it was great. She finally ate a good solid meal. She also drank about  10oz. of water. Then Daddy rocked her to sleep and she is just waking now..I'll write more later. God is good! love you all!

Sorry to leave you all hanging! Our Sunday-Gotcha Day, was like nothing I could have dreamt or imagined. It started by flying to Guizhou. Guizhou from the air was absolutely beautiful, lush mountains, water. Just beautiful. Then we arrived in our scheduled city. I won't say a lot here and will save it for when home. Let's just say, we are not anywhere anyone would want to spend anytime.  

 

On to Lauren.... I knew her as soon as she walked in the room. Dan and I got down on our knees to her level as she slowing took us in. I will always be grateful for her nanny who was just amazing through the whole exchange. She pointed to Danny and talked to Lauren in Chinese and then Lauren looked at Danny and said, Baba. She then pointed to me and spoke again to Lauren and Lauren looked at me and said, Mama. We were able to thank her nanny and give her hugs. It was a really nice transition. Better than I could have imagined. Lauren let Danny give her some water from a sippy cup and she took a lollipop from me that she didn't let go of until she fell asleep that night. :)

The scene of getting Lauren was like something out of the movies, walking through dark alley's with our local guide who works for CHI, then through a coded gate that was guarded, then through a dark hallway to an elevator, up the elevator, through another dark hallway that opened to  starkly opposite clean, white room with black couches. When we left with Lauren Danny took her in his arms, I held onto his arm, mom onto mine and we forged our way through traffic (they don't stop for pedestrians here and street signals have no meaning) covered by an umbrella in the pouring rain at night.

When we finally arrived back at our hotel, Lauren was cold and wet, so we took her upstairs and gave her her first bath right away (opposite of what I had planned on doing), but she did fairly well. It was obvious it was her first bath, but after a few minutes she decided she liked the bubbles and bath toys. After getting her into her pajamas we gave her some water and tried to give her something to eat, but she refused any food. We then got into bed and held her while she cried herself to sleep. I knew at this point I had done all we could and we just had to let her cry and let her know we loved her. She slept sound all night. I on the other hand did sleep, but woke up every couple of hours and just watched her. She is so beautiful. Danny and I had a really nice time together laying next to her while she slept and talking about her, the past 5 years, and our future.

This morning I had a great experience with Lauren. As she woke, She has eczema all over her body, so I started to put lotion on her and she completly relaxed in my arms, so I just kept massaging her legs, her feet, her head... and she just loved it. At breakfast she tried watermelon and dragon melon and loved it too!

She is going to both Danny and I with no problem. She loves her Daddy. :) It's been so amazing to see him with her. He is just so awesome. I told him over and over yesterday how glad I am that he is my husband and Lauren's Baba.

The one thing you see when you see Lauren with others in the group is that she is tiny. Smaller than even kids who are half her age. All my diapers and clothing are swimming on her. I also felt  some swollen lymph nodes on her neck that I am concerned with. She also has a chest cold, if not bronchitis. So...she's tiny and not feeling well. She's also the only one who didn't come from a foster home. So, it breaks my heart for her and just puts that more determination behind Danny and I to do everything we can for her. She is also smart and so sweet. She constantly gives her toys to others to play with and is inquisitive. We haven't seen a smile from her yet, but I know in time we will see it.

Well, I've written a lot here. I'll post some pictures now and try to post the video. Connections here are pretty slow, so we'll see.

Thanks for all your encouragement and kind words everyone. Most of all thank you for your prayers. Please continue to pray for us and especially our safety while here in this part of our trip.

Love,

 

Mardi (Dan & Mom)

Here we are...our last night without Lauren. Our minds have been on her all day. Though we were at the Great Wall and other amazing and famous places, our minds were not there, they were already on tomorrow. Anytime we stop for a moment someone will start to talk about our daughters and what tomorrow holds. There are two families with us who are here adopting their second daughter and have their daughter's with them. Hearing their laughter at meals and while traveling and their sweet little voices talking brings comfort to us and a glimpse into our near future. All day, I have had a lump in my throat and tears just start to spring up at the thought of Lauren. All the women in the group have shared they feel the same. Its is all so emotional. As I write this I am shivering as if I'm cold, but it's not due to temperature, but nerves. Good, wonderful, anxious nerves.

 

On the way back from the Great wall, Elsie our new guide who will be with us the remainder of the trip, gave us an orientation to tomorrow. We will leave here at 6 a.m., fly out at 8:45a.m. from Beijing to Guizhou and then check into our hotel. At 1 p.m. one orphanage is coming with one of the girls (not Lauren). Then, they expect the rest of the orphanages to arrive at approx. 7 p.m. That is going to be the longest wait ever...sitting in the hotel waiting for them to call our room and tell us Lauren has arrived. wow. One advantage to this plan is that we will not all recieve our daughters in one big room at one time. It may help the transition not be as scary for since it will be that only 1-2 children arrive at a time. I am hoping to sit and talk with Lauren's nanny and get as much information as I can. I'm going to put my questions down on paper on our flight to Guizhou since I know I won't be able to think about anything but her when she is in my arms.

I'm actually shaking so much now that it's hard to type. I love you all. Please pray for our transition tomorrow. We continue to pray that God prepare Lauren's heart. I have bubbles, a water sippy cup, snacks, and lollipop's packed to bring when we meet her.

My next entry will be our gotcha day video.

Today was filled with sights and experiences that are really hard to put into words. We started the day by buying dumplings from a street vendor and then joined our group and headed to the Temple of Heaven.The Temple of Heaven is one of my favorite sights as far as architecture goes, so far. The colors and designs of the buildings are just beautiful. The grounds surrounding the Temples are lush green and minority groups dressed in their traditional dress were dancing and playing music today.

After the Temple of Heaven, we went to the Hutong Tour. Here we saw an amazing Bell Tower that has incredible history, Dan was hanging on every word of our guide, loving the history behind this area. The Hutong are buildings that once belonged to the Emporer's officials, but now are filled with "common people" as they are referred to here. The areas poverty is unfathomable. While walking the streets of the Hutong...well, I really can't put it into words.

During the tour, we were given rickshaw rides, that was a lot of fun! Our drivers were racing eachother. :) We also went into a families home in the hutong area and ate with them a meal they would typically eat. It was delicious and the family, through our CHI translator, spent time answering questions we had of the area. It was an incredible experience and I could not think of a better way to spend our day. I thought of Lauren all day and how different her life will be from the life she may have had under different circumstances.

Tonight we went to an acrobat show, it was a lot like Cirque De Soleil, with a twist. Cindy, our guide, said "1 minute on the front stage equals 10 years of work on the backstage" I don't know if this is literal, but after seeing the show, I could believe it!

 

Well, we are all doing well, no illness, etc. Mom is eating. (for those of you who wrote concern over her just eating rice :) )

 

We head to the Great Wall, Forbidden City, and Tienamen Square tomorrow and then we meet for an orientation meeting to prepare for the real reason we are here, getting our daughter! :)

I posted pictures of our day below. Sorry, I can't attach comments on each one. I really need to get to bed. I slept about 2 hours last night. Thoughts of Lauren, our new life, and Gotcha day filled my mind. So, I've taken Benadryl and I'm off to get some sleep. Goodnight! :)

 

When I saw Summer Palace on our itinerary, I thought, "oh, that should be nice". I had no idea how amazing this excursion would be! Beauty like I've never seen before and the fact that it is 800 years old, is just mind boggeling. It was us and another couple from our travel group today and so it was nice to have a small group and just take our time and stroll through the grounds. Our guide Cindy is sweet, smart, and a great historian.

We drove past all the sites we saw on t.v. during the olympics, the bird's nest, water cube, etc. We contemplated stopping off and going swimming at the water cube, but decided on keeping the day simple today. When we returned from the Summer Palace we went with another couple from our group and found a chinese restaurant down the road from our hotel. It was quite the experience. We had to resort to charades in order to order since they didn't speak english and we don't know any Chinese past Ni Hao and Xie Xie. :) The food was authentic and tasted unique and pretty good actually! Mom had plain rice and a coke, I had a spicy pork stir-fry dish and Dan had a very large, boiling pot of who knows what, he said it was really good. We took his word for it. :)

We did get our electronics questions answered and all is well now. ~Note to Mary, the rooms have converters already plugged in that are safe to use.

Well, our afternoon is free. It's feels good to just reflect and relax.

3 Days until Gotcha Day!

Lauren, I love you so much and cannot imagine how good you are going to feel, finally in our arms.

 

Love to you all,

Mardi 

 

 

Who was I kidding. Sleep! When I'm in China! :) I stayed in bed for as long as I could, but when the morning light started to shine through the curtain, I couldn't resist anymore. 

As I opened the curtain, my view was as seen below. From our window, I watched cars go by on the road below, people on bikes transporting huge loads of boxes, etc. Mopeds holding 2-3 people. However, Beijing is quieter than I had expected so far.

 

Our hotel is not any different than staying at a 4-5 star hotel in the U.S....except we can't drink the water. :) It's really nice here and the staff are so friendly. Dan and I have plans of  scouting out the health club today. A good run would feel great right about now.

 

Electricity is an issue we are hoping to figure out today. When my mom plugged in her converter last night, she blew a fuse, and her whole room went dark. We are thankful she wasn't hurt. The hotel brought us a "transporter". It's this huge, arcaic-looking box that we were told we could use. I don't trust plugging my laptop into it yet though. We'll talk to our coordinator today to get this figured out.

 

I'm unable to access my B l o g##, so thankfully I am able to access shutterfly thus far. The internet is very slow though and it takes a long time to download pictures.

 

Well, our wake up call just rang. I will go kiss my husband good morning. We plan to exchange money, have breakfast, and head out to see the Summer Palace!

It's still really hard to wrap my mind around the fact that we will be holding Lauren in 4 days!

Love you all,

Mardi

Good Morning Everyone! We just checked into our hotel and it is just beatiful here! It's 10:45 PM here, so it's dark, but what we've seen is so clean and gorgeous! The flights went off without too much drama. We're off to the Summer Palace at 8:30 a.m. tomorrow. We feel really good despite the fact that our "day" started 28 hours ago! :)

 

I'll post pic's tomorrow!

Attachments:

Our Confirmed travel dates:

Tuesday, July 7th: Leave Phoenix, fly to LAX, then to Tokyo, then to Beijing! (Flying on Al Nippon Airlines)

Wednesday, July 8th: Arrive in Beijing (lose a day with time difference)

Thursday, July 9: Visit the Summer Palace

 Friday, July 10: Visit the Temple of Heaven in the morning; Lunch at Dai Jia Cun Restaurant; Hutong Tour and the Chinese Acrobat Show in the afternoon.

Sat, July 11- sightseeing in BJ - TianAnMen Square, Forbidden City and the Great Wall (Juyongguan), lunch is included; CHI orientation

Sun, July 12-travel to Guizhou province (specifically; Guiyang city)and receive Lauren in the afternoon!

Mon, July 13-adoption process (paperwork, etc)

Tues-Fri, July 14-17 sightseeing and free days

Fri, July 17-fly to Guangzhou in the evening-(China Hotel in GZ)

Sat: July 18-Medical in GZ

Sun: July 19 – free (hoping to go to a church service this day)

Mon: July 20-free day

Tues, July 21-free day (will receive Lauren's passports from Guizhou)

Wed, July 22- visa appt -

Thurs, July 23-take oath at the ACS & receive Lauren's visas late in day

Friday, July 24,  leave Guangzhou on this day and return to the US (Guangzhou-Tokyo-LAX-Phoenix). Arrive in Phoenix at 5:30ish p.m.!

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View of the Summer Palace from our Dragon Boat ride.

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Danny and I inside the Summer Palace courtyards. Our guide, Cindy, is in the background on the left.

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Chinese man playing the flute in the cooridor of the Summer Palace. As we walked by he began playing "America the Beautiful"

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Boat made entirely our of marble. The Emporer at the time had it built to symbolize China and the fact that it could not be capsized.

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Danny and I with another couple in our travel group, Scott and Julie, from Northern Illinois.

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Kristy, we took this picture for you. ;)

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Looking up at one of the pagoda's in the Summer Palace. The detail that was put into the palace art is just incredible.

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Paintings on wood that are seen throughout the palace.

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Danny, Mom, and I on the grounds of the Summer Palace.

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Danny was really into the paintings and history of the different wars. This is him in front of one of these paintings.

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The Summer Palace

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Danny and I in the cooridor of the Summer Palace. The cooridor ran 1/2 mile and was filled with intricate handpainted artwork all throughout. This was absolutely amazing to see.

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Mom and I in front of the Emperess' house.

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Cindy, our guide, and I outside of the Emporer's house. Cindy is an amazing guide. She also is a great historian, you can ask her anything and she has a story to answer you with.

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There are large, impressive, creations like this throughout the palace.

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Doorway to the Emperor's throne.

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A 7-Star hotel we drove by today. Adam, we took this one especially for you.

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First glimpse of Beijing in the daylight. Picture taken from our hotel room window.

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Morning in Beijing, view from our hotel window.

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View of Beijing in the morning.

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Our bags are packed and we're headed off to get our Lauren!

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In LAX, waiting to board our plane.

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Plenty of time for some shut-eye on this flight!

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Our Plane from LAX to Tokyo.

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Danny watching our Plane being loaded.

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8/1/2009 3:16:11 AM - 002081715805
Hi Mardi (and Dan and Lauren)
I am talking to Shelly right now and enjoying your site. Congratulations.

7/29/2009 7:44:42 PM - 001090875726
Welcome Home!

7/26/2009 5:20:58 PM - 002080327258
Thank you Danny and Mardi for the blog. We can't wait to meet Lauren. She is beautiful and sooooo lucky to have you as parents. Congratulations!!!! Love, Toby

7/23/2009 2:25:59 AM - 001090875726
Mardi,
She's perfect! Wishing you a safe flight home. Looking forward to meeting Lauren. You let me know when you're both ready for the shower!

Suzanne

7/17/2009 11:58:29 PM - 002023618579
Hi Guys! I'm a moron and kept checking the blog and not looking for anything other than an update to the blog. Kristine finally told me that she has been following your journey all along, and showed me where to find the pics!

Lauren is absolutely beautiful and you three make a stunning family. We can't wait to see you all and to meet her when you get home. Hugs to Lauren!
Bella and the gang

7/17/2009 11:28:46 PM - 000026809080
Congratulations Mardi!! I'm so happy your wait has come to an end!! WooHoo!!

7/17/2009 5:09:05 AM - 001008961696
ok ok.. since uncle Larry beat me to the punch. all I have to say is.... WUSSY... All kidding aside. She has very pretty smile and i look foward to seeing it at home.

Love you all
Ryno

7/16/2009 6:13:12 PM - 002077872652
I like all the pictures! Was the zoo fun? Is it the same kind of zoo as in AZ? I really like the picture of Lauren laughing with you & Dan on the bed. Hi, mom! Love you all!
Love,
Kristy

7/16/2009 6:09:46 PM - 002077872652
Seeing this today made me very happy. Lauren is so beautiful & looks right right at home with you. It was good to see her smiling. I am so happy for you. It is good to see Sherry. I love you all & pray all the time.
Love,
Gramma

7/16/2009 3:40:01 PM - 002078976099
This is just so exciting. I remember "meeting" you in the very beginning of this journey!! She's so beautiful and I know how happy you all are. Yeah!!

7/16/2009 11:48:59 AM - 002077872652
Hey Dan... Nice pink backpack, Another sign of being a little girls Daddy. Looks good on you.
Larry

7/16/2009 11:04:54 AM - 002077872652
YAY!!! What a beautiful smile Lauren has & you & Dan too! :) Mardi, remember my dream about Lauren smiling & laughing? Sometimes dreams do come true & God uses them as gifts for others. Amazing! Thanks for sharing her smile. So happy for you all! I had Larry put your picture of all of you including your mom on our computer as the background. Kristy thinks that is so neat & we love to look at all of you. What a reminder of God's blessings! Love you all!

7/16/2009 6:13:43 AM - 002078572525
What a great site! Thanks for sharing your hearts and pictures so that we can be with you in spirit. Saying CoNgRaTuLaTiOnS doesn't seem to be enough. Thank you God for gifting my dear cousins with a baby girl to have, to hold, to love, to cherish...God I pray for Your protection over all of them and I praise You for orchestrating it all! My heart is so full and it's coming out my eyes. We love you so much Dan, Mardi, Aunt Sherry, and Princess Lauren! XOXOXO from Dan/Kelly/Danny/Nathan & Emily

7/15/2009 5:22:05 PM - 002078929290
Dan and Mardi, you guys are an inspiration for others to do better things with their lives. Thank you again for keeping this site updated. Please be SAFE, can't wait until you're home safe! Superb pictures, THANKS!

7/15/2009 12:34:20 PM - 002077872652
Mardi & Dan, - Your journey is amazing! Dan, every little girl needs a daddy to make her feel safe. So glad God gave you to Lauren. :) Love to all!

7/14/2009 7:20:26 PM - 001038387041
Hi Mardi and Dan - I read your entire blog in the office this morning and was teary-eyed the whole time! I am so happy for both of you and Lauren is blessed to have you as her parents. I am going to have to give you the names of authentic (as authentic as it gets in AZ) Chinese restaurants here in our Chinatown. As for Lauren's size, I wouldn't worry too much. My brother was only 5 years old when we came to the US, was the smallest boy in class and he caught up physically in about 2 years after we got here. Now, you wouldn't even think it was the same kid in the old pictures. As for me ... that's another story -- I have been the same height since I was 12 yrs old and had no hope when I came to the US much older ;) I am happy to hear that your stay is going well. OUr thoughts are with all of three of you -- Jay

7/14/2009 2:08:03 AM - 001018308650
Those are amazing photos! And I cried when I read your entry- I am just so happy for you! Congratulations!! All your waiting paid off. She looks so cute- love the little bow in her hair :) So glad she seems to be taking to you pretty well! Yay for bath time! Can't wait until you are all home safely. Eryn

7/13/2009 8:46:43 PM - 002077621375
Dear Mardi and Dan, This is my second attempt at sending you a message - I don't think the first one went through. We have been looking at the pictures and reading the blog here at work and it all brings a tear to our eyes. Lauren is so beautiful, and you both waited so long for her, and now the wait is over and it is the perfect match. Take care and have fun over there. Have a safe trip back home. - Rose

7/13/2009 6:41:53 PM - 002078929290
Dan and Mardi, Congratulations!!!!!!! We are SOOOO happy and excited for you guys! Love the pictures, thanks so much for taking the time to post all this for everyone. YOU GUYS ARE THE BEST!!!! BE SAFE!!! Robert, and Cheryl.

7/13/2009 3:32:17 PM - 002077872652
Gramma & Kristy say Lauren is beautiful & so do I. She looks just like a China doll! We continue to have tears of joy for you & Dan. Kristy wants to know if Grandma (mom) has held Lauren yet? What a beautiful family you are! Welcome to our family Lauren! We love you so already! We will pray for safety & Lauren's health. Congratulations!!!

7/13/2009 2:50:47 PM - 002078624821
Congratulations! She is so beautiful. We are so happy for you guys. Enjoy every minute and get everyone home safe and sound. We can't wait to meet Lauren and hear all the details.

7/13/2009 1:28:15 PM - 002075334465
Mardi and Dan congulation on your new addition it as been a long time coming I am so happy for you guys she is beautiful

7/13/2009 6:34:51 AM - 000090709655
BTW I love the sling! ;)

7/13/2009 6:29:34 AM - 000090709655
Mardi & Dan... I am sitting here all teared up...Knowing how overwhelmingly awesome and blessed you feel. She is so gorgeous (and tiny)! A perfect sized playmate for Diego! haha Will keep you lifted up for the rest of the trip, for health and for your bonding! Love you Leifer

7/13/2009 4:40:18 AM - 002078420717
Hi Guys, I am following your trip: also praying for you all .Love, Aunt Cheryl.

7/13/2009 1:49:06 AM - 002075334465
Hey Mardi i am waiting to see little Lauren hope all is well with you guys can't wait to see lauren love robin

7/12/2009 9:58:02 PM - 001018308650
Me too! I logged in to see the video!! So excited for you two! Three!! Eryn

7/12/2009 9:43:55 PM - 002077746688
The wait is killing us! :) We are so excited to see Lauren! Big hugs and kisses!!!

7/12/2009 4:06:39 PM - 000090674460
Us too!! Lauren! Lauren!!!!!

7/12/2009 1:54:16 PM - 002074960852
me too

7/12/2009 1:45:25 PM - 001008961696
We're here waiting to see our first glimpse of Lauren. We are on the edge of our seat! We can't wait to see our precious little girl. We love you Lauren!

7/12/2009 5:22:34 AM - 001008961696
Guys... Andie and I are so exited for you.I Know its been a long wait. But your wait will now be worth it. Give her a big kiss from her uncle and aunt. Welcome to the best time of your lives.

Love ya
Ryan

7/11/2009 3:25:20 PM - 002077497106
Mardi, how exciting this all is! It is great you get to see and learn some of the customs of the country your daughter will come from. Try to get some rest too you know. We can not wait to see your next pictures. Thank you for sharing this with us!
Karen L.

7/11/2009 4:59:52 AM - 002057521047
Mardi -
I have thought about you alot the last few days while I was at work. I couldn't wait to read your blog and find out about your adventures. I'm glad all is well and you're having a great time as tourists. It brings tears to my eyes to know you are so close to your daughter at last, a dream come true. I will keep you in my thoughts and am excited to hear about your precious little one :)

7/11/2009 3:23:04 AM - 002077746688
Can it really be true? Only 1 more day!!! Yippie!

7/9/2009 2:16:24 PM - 002075334465
I am glad to see that you guys are safe and that you made it safely i am so happy for you and dan Lauren could not of asked for better parents then you and dan... love robin

7/8/2009 10:25:14 PM - 001018308650
Yay! Glad you're there safe. . . and in your hotel (sounds like no-one was quarrantined).

7/8/2009 12:27:02 AM - 002077746688
Love you guys! Have a wonderful and safe trip! Can't wait to see Lauren. Give her a great big huge hug for us! :)

7/7/2009 3:26:53 AM - 000079971452
Have a safe flight you guys!! You are all in our prayers! We can not wait until Lauren Day! Yippppieeee!
Mike and Kayce

7/7/2009 1:51:50 AM - 002077430501
Listening to you prepare for your daughter has been so emotional for me. I am so thrilled that yearning in your hearts is about to be filled. Love you Mardi! -Ellen

7/6/2009 11:50:55 PM - 002077528038
Hey Mardi and Dan, thanks for letting us be a part of this amazing family experience and addition. We will be praying for you three.

6/23/2009 3:14:37 PM - 002075334465
Hi Mardi,
Congulation on your lauren. You and Dan are going to be awesome parents have a safe trip to china and i will be praying you and the family for a safe trip
Love robin

6/20/2009 5:35:10 PM - 002074787793
Hi and Congrats!!! My daughter came home with her Lauren in Jan 09. She was 21 months and is such a treasure in our lives.
Cannot wait to follow your journey. We also live in Az, Chandler and since the world is a small place may meet some day. Happy and safe travels to your beautiful daughter.. Linda (aka Laurens Gramma)

6/20/2009 4:27:25 PM - 002074786974
Hi! I haven't posted in a while except for the initial Congratulations to you when you received your referral. I'm sorry for that. I am soooo excited for you and your husband and wishing you both all the best. I look forward to this journey with you and I once again thank Michelle for introducing us.
P.S.: Happy belated 10th Anniversary and it looks like we have similar baby furniture!

6/18/2009 2:51:46 AM - 002041816440
Praying for you guys!!! Can't wait to follow your journey to China and home!

6/17/2009 4:37:43 AM - 002071839579
I'm so glad you thought to do this. What would we do without Steph...she's full of great ideas, isn't she?!

I'm not going to sleep a wink when you are in China. I won't get anything done either....I'll be glued to my computer!!! I CAN'T WAIT!!!

6/15/2009 4:49:09 AM - 000090674460
Alright! Now on to the GOOD STUFF! The countdown is finally growing smaller by the day! I can't wait to see the picture of the 3 of you!
I'm with Kayce on this one. Take notes because I am going to need your advice as well!!

Love to you both!
Steph

6/15/2009 2:55:05 AM - 000079971452
Love this site! I too can not wait to follow along on your journey to Lauren. Have fun packing and take notes because I'm gonna call for advice! ;)

6/15/2009 1:18:07 AM - 002045372653
I can't wait to follow you on your journey.... I love this shutterfly site..
Hugs..
Have a fast couple weeks..