Track Season

This is the thing about track -- We have a "love/hate" relationship. :o) The season is very hectic with practices every day (and of course they can't practice right after school -- which just causes more shuttling of kids to/from!) BUT the season is also very short. It is here and over with before you know it. We love watching Nick compete but, for those of you familiar with track, the meets can go on for hours and hours, so you best not have anything else planned for that day. In all seriousness, Nick has had a great season so far -- "his races" are the 400, 800, and 4x200 relay. The 800 is something new for him this year -- he was never brave enough to try it last year. :o) Thought you might enjoy a few action shots - these were taken at a big multi-school meet last weekend.

The 800:

The 4x200 relay. Nick's team placed FIRST overall!

Recovering after the 400:

A Walk Down Memory Lane . . . The Final Chapter

Journey to Carly - Day 16 April 14, 2005

This is it!!! The day we GO HOME!!!!

I'm writing this after the fact, so I can say how worried I was about that long, long, long flight back to the U.S. The concept of being in a plane for 14+ hours with a baby I hardly know was more than a little daunting. Well, I can tell you that my fears were unfounded. Carly did great on the trip home! Sure, she had a couple of fussy periods, but for the most part, she was quite the traveler!!! She slept for probably a total of 5 hours, but not all at once. She had fun playing in the galley with Kailee and Anna, walking up and down the aisles and getting her diaper changed numerous times in the teeny, tiny, little lavatories. We had a little diarrhea problem, so that kept things interesting. :o)

We arrived in Chicago a little ahead of schedule, zoomed through Customs and Immigration, had time to grab a Starbucks, and boarded our flight from Chicago to Bloomington. At approximately 5:30pm, we landed in Bloomington and the tears started flowing the minute our wheels touched the ground. As we pulled up to the terminal, I could see Alex, Nick, and Mike through the windows and that big lump in my throat got even bigger. I told Carly -- "We're home, sweetheart ... let's go meet your new family!" The homecoming was ultra emotional for me. I was crying, smiling, and laughing, all at once. Carly didn't know what to think ... she was a little overwhelmed by all of the people and the excitement of it all. I wouldn't change a thing about our arrival home ... her Daddy was the first one to get his hands on her ... she cried, of course, but that was to be expected. Her big brothers hugged her tight and her grandparents were next in line to size her up and give her hugs and kisses. And we can't forget the aunts, uncles, and cousins. It was all so sweet. Amy and Matt Edwards and Heidi were there -- thank you all for coming!!! It was so great to see your smiling faces! I so appreciate you being there when we walked off that plane. I can't wait until it is your turn!

What an awesome end to an awesome journey. And what an incredible gift we have been given. Carly Jade Miller, WELCOME HOME!!!!!

Thanks again for all of your encouraging notes, thoughts, and prayers during the last 16 days. I can't tell you how much they were appreciated. It has been wonderful to have such great friends accompany us on this incredible journey. THANK YOU ALL!!!!

In the Hong Kong airport waiting to get on our plane:

On the plane -- FINALLY!

At O'Hare. All dressed up and ready to meet her new family!

Daddy and the boys at the Bloomington airport waiting for Mom and Carly to get off the plane!

The first meeting:

Home at last. A VERY happy family!

A Walk Down Memory Lane . . .

Journey to Carly - Day 15 April 13, 2005

Today was our big appointment at the U.S. Consulate in Guangzhou. We met at 11:00 and walked to the Consulate as a group with our new daughters in our arms. We entered the waiting area, along with numerous other families from other adoption agencies and other parts of the world, and a few minutes later, a lady came out and asked us all to raise our right hands and swear that the information we had provided was true and correct. Of course we all said, "I Do!" And then she congratulated us and the festivities were over. Bam! Just like that, it was all done. The babies high fived each other, and back to the White Swan we went.

My Dad spent part of the afternoon yesterday and all morning today packing for the trip home. While he was furiously trying to fit it all in, Carly and I headed out with Robin and Kailee to find those last minute bargains that we knew we couldn't live without. We were successful!!! I came back to the room and asked my Dad if he could fit in 5 more pairs of squeaky shoes, and a few miscellaneous souveniers for Mike and the boys. He told me we were out of room, but he moved some stuff around and eventually was able to get everything inside our 4 suitcases and 4 carry ons! ha.

I am so ready to GO HOME!!! We leave this afternoon by train back to Hong Kong. Leaving China will be bittersweet -- oh, how I miss America - I can't wait to be back on U.S. soil. But this is Carly's homeland, the place where she comes from, so that makes leaving very much a bittersweet thing. I take comfort in knowing that we will return here some day to show Carly where she is from and to help her understand her Chinese heritage and culture. This has been one of the most intense, emotional experiences of my entire life. And I know my Dad will say the same. As so many people who have taken this journey have said ... I will leave a piece of my heart in China when that plane takes off tomorrow morning. This has been such an incredible trip. Truly the trip of a lifetime. I will go home a changed person ... forever.

It will be too late to post once we get to Hong Kong tonight, so you won't hear from me again until we are back in Illinois. Thanks again for following our journey.

(We weren't allowed to take cameras into the U.S. Consulate, so that's why there are no photos of the big festivities.)

A few more pictures from inside the White Swan hotel:

Oh how we wanted to bring one of these beautiful, hand-carved wooden chests home . . .

And a few more shots of the wonderful shopping area just outside our hotel. There was alot of construction taking place while we were there, so that's why you see barricades, etc. That sure didn't stop us from frequenting all of the wonderful little shops! :o)

On the train headed to Hong Kong -- on our way home at last!

Here Comes Peter Cottontail . . .

Hope this finds everyone having a blessed and happy Easter! We have a fairly nice day -- warm enough for an egg hunt outside, anyway! We went to mass this morning and then out for brunch at one of our favorite local joints. We then rushed back home to see if the Easter Bunny had visited while we were gone and . . . indeed he had!! He left us with plenty of candy and even a few gifts, so the kids are thrilled.

Here are a few pictures from the last couple of days:

Time to decorate eggs!



A few of the 'fruits of our labors':

Easter Sunday - The kids (Alex, 15; Nick, 12; Carly 5)

And the whole clan:

A little egg hunt fun:

Happy Easter everyone!

A Walk Down Memory Lane . . .

Journey to Carly - Day 12 April 10, 2005

Greetings from Guangzhou! We had a great day today!!! First off, we immensely enjoyed the HUGE breakfast buffet here at the White Swan. Carly ate two times her body weight, I'm sure! I don't think there is anything the kid won't eat ... or at least try. We skipped the group sightseeing tour today so that we could leisurely explore the area around the White Swan. After breakfast, we loaded Carly into the Snugli and set out to do some shopping. Guangzhou is awesome! The stores all have really cool souveniers for great prices. I'm not sure how my Dad will fit everything into the suitcases, but he assures me he can do it. Everyone barters, which makes the experience even more fun. Each time we go out, I think of just one more thing I want to buy. Money goes a long way here, though, which is good!

We got Carly's Visa photo taken today - one more step toward home. Other than that, we had no appointments. Carly spent some quality play time with Kailee Martin in the Swan Room (baby playroom) here at the White Swan. Following that little outing, she promptly fell asleep for a very late afternoon nap.

The weather is kind of ugly today - misting and very heavy fog or smog, not sure which. Hoping to see some sun tomorrow.

With each passing day, we are closer and closer to home. I am so ready to get on that plane headed for the United States. I can't wait to introduce Carly to her new family and friends! And I can't wait to eat some good authentic American food!!! Speaking of which, we (Carly, me and Dad) ventured by taxi to the local Pizza Hut, which is located in a huge shopping mall in Guangzhou. We were the only caucasions around. Talk about feeling conspicuous!!! I was very proud of us for venturing out on our own a bit. The pizza was good but didn't taste like it does in the U.S. Carly tried spaghetti and loved it.

Tomorrow we'll be up and at 'em bright and early ... we have medical appointments for the Visa at 7:45am. We're hoping we will get to stay here at the White Swan vs. having to pack up and move for Tuesday night. Don't know yet what will happen, though.

Playing in our room at the White Swan:

Shopping in Guangzhou:

Playing before bed:
Some views of Guangzhou:

And this is a view of the renowned shopping area on Shamian Island, which is actually where the White Swan hotel is located.

The view from our room:

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Journey to Carly - Day 13 April 11, 2005

We were up at the crack of dawn this morning in order to get ready for the day and grab breakfast before heading to the doctor at 7:45. Carly passed her medical exam (for the U.S. Visa) with flying colors. She weighed in at 18.3 pounds and stands 28.1 inches tall. She's a little peanut - very compact and petite, but she definitely isn't all skin and bones! This little girl can eat!!! Her thighs have the cutest little fat rolls ... one way or another, she definitely had enough to eat in the orphanage.

When we returned from the medical appointment, we gathered in the lobby for our official group photo. What a fiasco!!! I think all of the babies were crying at one point or another. After the group photo, we did the famous "red couch" photo shoot -- again, the babies were not happy with what was happening. Carly joined right in and screamed her little head off, as you will see in the photos. The girls are all so darn cute!!! Many of the girls had on their new authentic Chinese outfits ... and when I sat Carly on the floor next to a couple of her orphanage "sisters", they looked each other over from head to toe as if to say, "What in the world do you have on? And what are those things on your feet??? I've never seen such a thing before!!!" Obviously, they have never been dressed to the hilt like this before and I don't think any of them had ever worn shoes before a few days ago. Now they all have squeaky shoes and they all love them. Even the non-walkers are now motivated to stand up and stomp their feet a little in order to hear the big reward (that annoying squeak!) from their shoes! :o)

In the afternoon, the group outing was to the Jade and Pearl Markets - and what an experience that was!! It was hotter than you-know-where in there ... I thought I was going to die. Carly was strapped on the front of me in the Snugli and the sweat was just pouring off of me. The little shopper that she is, Carly never complained. She just enjoyed all the activity and the free ride. The walk to the market was also quite an experience ... I posted a few photos of the things we saw along the way. Can you say YUK??? I am amazed at the things these people will eat. Snakes, seahorses, beetles, scorpions, starfish, to name just a few. Once we got to the market, we had a blast bartering for our treasures. I came away with 3 jade crosses (Mike and the boys, I'm not sure they are exactly what you were hoping for, but they were the best I could do), 4 strands of pearls, and 6 pearl rings. Grand total = $130 U.S. Amazing!!!

We spent a little time playing in the Swan Room here at the hotel and then headed to Lucy's for dinner. Unfortunately, my dinner didn't agree with me, so I'm a little under the weather currently with the stomach crud - traveler's tummy. (I'm writing this on Tuesday morning...). Hopefully it will pass soon and I'll be back out on the streets shopping! ha.

Carly is continuing to get sweeter and sweeter each day. She was a little grumpy on Monday but I think it is because of teething. You should see the teeth this kid has at 14 months! She has teeth coming in on the top and bottom, all the way to the back of her mouth. Ouch - That has to hurt!

We found out that we don't have to check out of the White Swan on Tuesday, as we had originally been told. Echo worked her magic and they found rooms for us for one more night - which means we'll be here until we check out on Wednesday to head back to Hong Kong. That was music to our ears - none of us were looking forward to packing, unpacking, and repacking.

Waiting for the medical exam:

Time to see the doc:

Not liking this AT ALL!

All dressed up and ready for the 'photo shoot':


Our travel group:
A tradition within the China adoption community is to take a picture on one of the many red couches in the White Swan lobby. This was our best attempt. None of the girls were too fond of the idea! LOL. Carly is 3rd from the right in the back row. As I recall, she was the first one to cry and the rest quickly followed suit.

On the way to the pearl and jade markets:

Scorpions for sale. Yes, they eat them! Ewwwwww!
More 'food' items for sale. The long skinny things in the bag are dried snakes. Double EWWWW!
Near the entrance to the pearl and jade markets:
Finally! Selecting our pearls!

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Journey to Carly - Day 14 April 12, 2005

First off, sorry for the delay in getting this update posted. By the time you read this, we will already be back home in the good ole' USA!!! Tuesday, April 12 was a laid back day for us. The group outing was to a baby outlet, and we opted not to go, so that we could do some last minute shopping in the stores near the White Swan. It was a good thing we didn't go, cause I ended up with a stomach bug, which had me down for most of the day. Thank goodness for my Dad!!! He took "Carly duty" for most of the day, and I pretty much just sat around and did nothing. We ventured out for a little while, but afterwards, we came back to the room and both Carly and I crashed for a long, late afternoon nap. All things considered, I am glad I ended up with the stomach flu on this day, instead of a travel day! I talked to some folks in the Swan Room who told me there was a bug that had been going around the White Swan, so that must be what I caught. At first, I thought it might have been that Sweet and Sour Chicken dish from Lucy's, but since I split my dinner last night with Jennifer and she didn't get sick, that couldn't have been it.

Hoping to feel better tomorrow!

A Walk Down Memory Lane . . .

Journey to Carly - Day 11 April 9, 2005

We got up at the crack of dawn this morning, finished packing, grabbed a quick breakfast, and boarded the bus to head to the Nanning airport for our flight to Guangzhou. I think all of the parents were a little nervous about what the babies would do on the flight. We worried for nothing, because they all did just great! Our flight left Nanning right on time, and landed in Guangzhou a little early. We took a bus to the White Swan but had to wait a couple of hours before our room was ready for us to occupy, so guess what we did? We went shopping!!!! Carly was sacked out in the Snugli and we never heard a peep from her. She got her first pair of squeaky shoes and I've scoped out all the stores so I know where to go back to buy more!!

We got into our room around 2:30 this afternoon. This hotel is beautiful and very worthy of its 5 star rating!!! Both my Dad and I said, "Ahhhhhh, at last!!! Luxury!!!" Quite a welcome change from the hotel in Nanning where we spent most of the last week. We have a view of the river and at night, it almost looks like we are looking out to the Vegas strip.

We had a very early start this morning, so I'll be heading to bed as soon as I get Carly to sleep ... pathetic, I know, but at least I'll be ready to go tomorrow!!! More shopping is on the agenda. Oh, and did I mention ... Carly LOVES to shop!!! We went out for a bit after dinner and she was wide awake and loving all the activity in the stores and on the street.

Goodnight from Guangzhou!!!

Part of our group at the Nanning airport:

In the lobby of the White Swan Hotel in Guangzhou - waiting for our rooms to be ready:

Jade sculpture in the lobby. We could tell immediately that this hotel was worth every one of the 5 stars in its rating! Luxury at last! :o)

Waterfall in the lobby:

A Walk Down Memory Lane . . .

Journey to Carly - Day 10 April 8, 2005

Today was our last day in Nanning. We had no scheduled appointments, so we walked to the local park just up the street from our hotel. It was absolutely beautiful! We saw local people exercising, playing cards, and just leisurely enjoying the morning at the park. And there were hundreds of school children as well. When they saw us, they came running up to say "Hello - How are you?" in their perfect, practiced English. I think it threw them for a loop when we responded with Ni Hao. Ha!

In the afternoon, we visited a mountain in Nanning. What a veiw!!! We were able to see a panoramic view of the entire area (both the city and surrounding countryside) from atop a tower on the mountain. It was fabulous and gave us a good appreciation of the area. Guangxi really is a beautiful province.

After returning from the mountain, we had to pack. Ugh. That turned into a 3 hour ordeal. Tomorrow we head to Guangzhou!

Carly is still as sweet as ever. She is responding soooo well to everything and everyone. It is amazing that the more attention you give these little sweeties, the more of it they want and demand. She has the cutest little giggle and the sweetest smile. We're doing okay in the sleeping department - she is still waking up a couple of times during the night with a frightened cry, which tells me she isn't sure where she is or what is going on. Gee - I wonder why that is? Ha. Needless to say, being the big softy that I am, when she cries, I pick her up and she nestles in for some good lovin. She is so precious.

Taking care of more paperwork in the hotel room:

Ready for our walk up the mountain:

Great scenery once we made it to the top!

In the park:

We visited a Buddhist temple:

And no, we weren't praying to Buddha -- rather, we were participating in a Chinese custom, which is to light incense sticks and make 3 wishes before adding your sticks to the 'pit'.

Another shot while on the temple grounds:

Another mommy & daughter shot: