March 2004 – We are currently in a holding pattern. With referrals coming in recently, we are hoping to be matched in May and traveling in June to China. Her room is done (quite an adventure moving the two younger boys in together!) and we have our child carrier and car seat! Now we just need Julan!
MAY 18, 2004 – Julan's referral FINALLY came in!!! Rumors started flying April 29th that all the September referrals had been mailed from China, before they took a week off for their labor holiday. Friday was a rough day, hoping the phone call would come before the weekend. By the end of the day it was clear from web chatter that we would have to wait until Monday to hear any official news. Talk about a LONG weekend.
We knew our agency started making phone calls at around 11:30am our time, so we hung out by the phone all morning... noon... afternoon... Of course the phone call finally came to the cell phone in the midst of picking up kids from school! Luckily we quickly found a parking spot, took down all the info we could think of asking for and then remembered to breathe.
Waiting for the overnight package on Tuesday turned into another ordeal. 10:30, no package... 11:30, no package... 12:30... 1:30... 2:00... We finally went on the carriers website to track the package – it said "delivered at 2:00" A thorough search of every possible location around our home showed no package. A thought occurred to Jolene that a home with the same number as ours on a street with a similar name around the corner sometimes gets our mail by mistake. A quick drive around the block revealed a little white box on their doorstep with our name on it!
The toughest part so far was the wait from Monday to Mother's day (May 9). We decided to keep news of Julan a secret until the big reveal at church on Mother's Day. Even our boys had to keep it quiet! But there wasn't a dry eye in the place when the video played!
To see how things have been going since we've been home CLICK HERE.
May 29, 2004 - We just received estimated travel plans. We'll be leaving June 18th and returning July 1st with our little girl!!!. Julan is from the WuChuan Social Welfare Institute, so we'll be staying in Guangzhou, near Hong Kong, the whole trip, about 2 weeks.
It's been a whirlwind of activity since our return with Julan. While Jolene and I are experienced parents, with 3 boys prior to adopting Julan, we are in uncharted territory now. Our boys absolutely love Julan, and she returns the sentiment. We've had virtually none of the "how much did she cost?" or "does she know she's not your real daughter?" type of comments from friends or family. It just seems like she's always been a part.
When Julan first arrived home in July of 2004, the worst that can be said of the experience was her skin condition. Her poor face and skin! We went to our doctor for her initial baby checkup, and he said, "Hmmm, better have that checked out by a specialist. That'll be $150 please." The specialist said, "Hmmm, not sure what that rash is. Here's a prescription. That'll be $100 please." The pharmacist said, "Here's the medication, that'll be $180 please." So after nearly $500 we learned that Julan has a rash. Hmmm. It eventually cleared up on it's own, either sun poisoning, or as some have later told us, it's just the Chinese form of eczema.
Although we have heard of some of the other girls from our travel group having trouble eating, this is certainly not one of Julan's problems. She was in love with French fries within our first day in China, and fries continue to be the bribe of choice from uncles trying to get on her good side. She's still so small, but she is gaining weight and growing.
When we first got her, she seemed so infant-like - the way her head bobbed around, with very little muscle tone. But she was crawling around before we left China. Now, just about six months later, she is walking, running, climbing the stairs... Makes you wonder if all these motor skills are a blessing or a curse.
She is now becoming vocal, saying "Momma, daddy, Talon (one of her brothers - actually she calls all the brothers "Tahwan", which he finds funny and the other two absolutely hate!) up, hot, please, Ooowwww (when she bonks her head) and always greets us from naptime with a big "Helllwhoa!" Developmentally I don't know where she is as opposed to where she's "supposed to be," but I figure I can't understand my teenage son most of the time, so she's doing fine.
So for now, Julan is just what any nearly two year old toddler is - adorable, frustrating, full of wonder, an incredible mimic, into everything (remote controls are her favorite) she whines, she laughs, she fights taking naps then wakes up with bed head. It's bizarre to have a child with no history - everytime we look at her we try to imagine just what the future has in store for her. But I guess that just makes her... our daughter.
As of this writing, it's about a week before her third birthday. So much change over the last year and half! Check out the Latest New and Improved Photos to see what I mean! Our little baby is now a little girl. Last time I wrote, she was speaking small phrases - now we can't seem to keep her quiet. Complete sentences (not just one, but one after another after another!) And she sings about EVERYTHING!
Of course, her mama and I think she's the most brilliant girl in the world. She knows her ABCs, she counts almost to 20. She dresses herself. She does quadratic equations. Well, not really, but I bet she will be before I get around to updating the website again.
Like most little girls, she is absolutely adorable. But she also has some not quite so adorable traits. One she has expressed lately is a tendency to bat eyelashes when she's been up to no good. If we find her playing in the sink or eating something that she didn't ask for (in other words, when she gets busted) she'll coyly tilt her head to the side and say, "I love you, daddy." In about twenty years there's gonna be some guy totally not prepared for this girl!
Obviously we've updated the website again! Hopefully you like the new look – but the main thing is that we've redesigned from the ground up and things should be much easier to update from now on. We'll see.
It has been an amazing year with Julan. Doesn't seem like she's grown a whole lot in terms of size, but I know that's not really true. You can feel it when you lift her up or find her getting into things that she couldn't reach before.
Sorry 'bout that. Right now we're just enjoying our time together. Jolene was cleaning out Julan's closet the other day and called out from the other room, "I'm gonna pass these clothes along unless you think we might do this again someday!" It was uncomfortably silent for a moment as I let that sink in. Who knows, maybe someday, before I get too old.
Anyway, not a whole lot to write at the moment. Been playing with the new website for so long I just want to get it online. hopefully I've set it up in a way that it's almost like a blog and we can update funny or important moments as they happen. So check back often. I should be uploading some new pictures soon.