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10/8/06-  We are really hot stuff now...we have discovered push toys.  Our favorite was a gift from the Zhang family, and when you push the horn Dora the Explorer and the Fiesta Trio play Mariachi music.  Lizzie like to push the horn, yell, laugh, go a few steps (or dance) and then we have to stop and push the horn again.  Mommy and Daddy have probably heard the Fiesta Trio about a thousand times now, but it is so much fun to watch, we don't mind.

Yesterday we learned to sommersault!  It was a big surprise to everyone.  But considering standing with our head on the ground to look at the world upside down is one of our favorite pastimes, the sommersault was an inevitability.

We have been looking for a good day to go to the pumpkin patch but there has been a lot of rain here so our plans keep getting delayed.  So stay tuned... we have an action packed October and there should be some more regular updates!

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7/24/06- Well even though her birthday is not officially here until Thursday, we celebrated the big "1" on Sunday.  Lizzie's party was a smash!  All of her cousins made it as well as Makenzie Skelton and Riley and Paige Fullerton.  Even Grandma and Grandpa O'Connor were able to fly down for the big event!  Between all of the fun on the swingset, the sandbox, the water table, the badmiton net, the giant tic-tac-toe and the "fishing" pond, there was activity everywhere (not to mention all of our toys inside!).  And even though Lizzie couldn't participate in some (OK, most) of the games, she had a ball watching all of her friends and cousins- 22 guests in all.

Last week Lizzie learned how to crawl and just this past weekend she learned how to put food in her mouth by herself- perfect timing since both skills came in handy at her party.  She was "hanging tough" with the big kids and made mince-meat of her birthday cupcake!  After mommy had spent all morning puting little icing lady bugs on each of the cupcakes it was heart breaking to see them disappear so fast- but everyone seemed to enjoy themselves.

Grandma and Grandpa were so much help, in fact, we are thinking of flying them in to assist with all of our parties from here on in!  But even with all of the help, Mommy and Daddy were exhausted at the end of the day.  We hooked up the video camera, watched all the footage from the party, and fell fast asleep with big smiles on our faces.

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7/4/06 - Happy 4th of July, Lizzie's first!  We have been going at breakneck speed lately.  We spent the weekend up in Deep Creek with Poppy Bill, the Uncles and their friends.  We spent all day Saturday out on a rented boat.  Lizzie loved having the wind whip through her wisps of hair and even hopped in the lake for a quick dip with her Uncky B.

Today we started the day with the neighborhood 4th of July parade.  Lizzie's stroller was decked to the 9's and Lizzie and Mommy marched in the 'under three' catagory along with our neighborhood friends Lauren, Emily, and Will.  Later we modeled bathing suits that we want to take to the beach this weekend and played on the deck with our water table before the thunder rolled in.  Our exciting new news is that we learned to wave today- both "Hi" and "Bye".  Mom, of course, made her do it over and over and over again to make sure it wasn't just a fluke.  This coupled with the fact that we almost respond to our name being called has Mom and Dad running to sign Lizzie up for Gifted and Talented Camp!  All in all a terrific summer day!

Mommy went back to work last week to be the administrator for summer school, so that means lots of quality time with Dad.  However, between the heat and the summer storms, outside time has been limited.  But it is obvious that Daddy has been paying attention and boning up on his skills because things are going great!!!

On a sad note, our beloved doggie George has been very sick and in and out of the animal emergency room.  But we hope that we finally have George stable and that we can keep him healthy through some new, aggressive medications.  Right now, the doctors are still very cautious and concerned.  Please keep him in your prayers since we love him beyond measure.

Happy birthday Auntie Lauren and Nana- we love you!

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6/18/06- Since our last update a lot has been acomplished.  We took our first road trip with Mommy to North Carolina to Nana and Poppa John's house.  Lizzie was the perfect passenger though we did listen to 'Old MacDonald' about 500 times to keep said passenger happy for all 6 hours of the ride.  Once on vacation we had our first swim and LOVED it!  We are truely a summer girl!  Mommy also sold over 50 baby bows while we were in NC in an effort to raise money for our future baby sister- yeah mommy!

Now that we are home we have gotten another tooth- this makes four for those of you that are counting!  Lizzie has also decided that sitting is very passe' and that wheh awake, one should be standing , jumping, or dancing at all times.  Nana got to stay home with the teething baby while mommy went back for the week.  Word on the street is that a teething Lizzie and an exhausted Nana had loads of fun. 

Once summer officially started our cousins Laura and Julia generously offered Lizzie their kiddie pool for the summer since they are both 'big girls'.  Lizzie has decided that she LOVES the pool and is definately a summer girl and prefers to be in water with as little clothing as possible.  Luckily we have a big, private yard, so this is not a problem.  Nana and mommy like being summer girls too (but with clothes on), so lots of time has been spent out by our new pool.  Dad comes out and checks on us in-between innings (note the overt baseball reference)!

This past weekend was father's day and we had lunch with Poppy, an afternoon swim, and some quality swing-set time... all in all a perfect day.  Daddy loved his peg-board accessories and Home Depot Gift Card that Lizzie picked out, and he really loved being releaved of nap-time and diaper duty for the day.  Mommy had a bad case of poison ivy from gardening but she tried not to complain too much about it until after father's day! 

What a terrific summer kick-off we have had.  We know that things will not be the same once Nana leaves, but we will be heading to the Cabin over the July 4th weekend and then to the beach to catch some waves with our cousins, so our social calendar is looking very busy for the next several weeks!

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5/30/06 - OKay, OKay, OKay!  I had no idea how many people checked in for their daily Lizzie-fix until I got home and stopped updating her website!  But be assured, the vocal complaints have not fallen on deaf ears.  I am going to eek out the time for a weekly update!

We have been home for a month now and as many would have predicted, our lives have changed drastically.  Nana stayed with us the first week, then a week of just Mommy, Daddy and Lizzie, a week of Grandma and Grandpa O'Connor and now just Lizzie and Mommy alone everyday.  With all of that help I should have been able to find time to get on the computer more often, but I feel like I am busier than ever!

Lizzie has really been doing great.  At her first American doctor's appointment on April 28th she weighed 16.8 pounds (the same as the Chinese doctor had told us).  She was in the 75th percentile for height, the 45th % for head circumfrance and the 12th % for weight.  Tall and thin!  This has become even more obvious when we have compared her to some of her American playmates and her cousin that have a more traditional sumo-wrestler baby build!  We go back to the doctor today so I will be anxious to see her new weight and percentiles.

Since we have been home Lizzie has learned to roll over, stand with the assistance of the ottoman, and reach for toys outside her grasp.  The combination of the last two have lead to some recent spills on the floor- but when you are only falling from 2 feet high the injuries quickly subside.  Lizzie has also started to get one of her front teeth and has two more teeth ready to pop through.  The continuous teething has had a very detrimental effect on our nap time but we have recently made some scheduling adjustments that are starting to help- a little (we hope!).

Dad just finished putting together the swingset that Poppy Bill had gotten us for Christmas.  It is very big and deluxe!  Now swinging is our new favorite pasttime and can put a smile on even the crankiest baby.  Sean finished the swingset just in time to have the family over for Lizzie's Christening.  Sean's sister Carolyn is Lizzie's Godmother and Uncky Chris is the Godfather. Even though two other babies were being Christened at the same time, Father Mike spent the entire ceremony ooohing and aaaaahhing over our Lizzie and her angelic smile.  He said over and over again how she was the happiest baby he had ever seen and that her Christening gown (handmade by Nana out of Mommy's wedding dress) was amoungst the most lovely.  Let's just say she stole the show!  Afterwards Lizzie changed into one of her traditional Chinese outfits and relaxed on the deck and in our backyard by the swingset.  God was smiling on us with perfect weather and all of our local family in attendance- even Grandma and Grandpa O'Connor.

I can't believe we have been together for a month-and-a-half.  It is truely difficult to remember life without her.  She has been making the rounds and has been out and about.  She has made it to both Mommy and Daddy's schools, she's been out lunching with the ladies with Nana and her friends, she loves all the attention she gets when we go to the grocery store, she even went to Wine in the Woods the other weekend!  Very cosmopolitan!  Stay tuned for more Adventures of Lizzie, as I promise to keep her site more current!

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4/23/06 - It has been a few days since we have posted.   Sorry, but we've been a little busy.   Since we last posted we have been having lots of fun as a family.   It turns out that Lizzie is the loudest girl in our group, whether she is happy or a little annoyed.   She loooovvves to sing (think Yoko Ono) and has recently learned how to make a fishy-kissy face and blow bubbles in her own saliva (GT all the way!).   Don't worry, we have at least 10 minutes of the saliva bubbles, complete with fartysounds, all on video.  So you can all relive the excitement once we are home.

We finished our time in Nanchang with a tour of the Teng Wang Pavilion.   This ancient site looks like a pagoda, but since it is used as a government office versus a temple it is called a pavilion.   Its gardens were stunning and both Sean and I really enjoyed the Koy pond.   In the background of the gardens you could see the modern sky scrapers of the city encroaching.   It was a fascinating and beautiful contrast.    We were a walking tourist attraction everywhere we went and were stopped by people who wanted to ask us questions and even take our pictures.

Miss Lizzie had her first plane ride on Friday when we flew from Nanchang to Guangzhou and in the process Mommy and Daddy learned that while all the other babies became drowsy with baby Benadryl, it had the opposite effect on our little bundle of joy.   So we danced, bounced, and sang through the plane ride and what should have been our afternoon nap, and ?crashed? just in time for the landing.   If you are going to have a baby scream bloody murder for an hour and a half it is best to do it around 21 other parents who are just glad it is not them!  

Even with its rocky beginning, Guangzhou is the clear front runner as to our favorite part of the trip.   We are staying at the famous Whit Swan Hotel- a 5 star hotel with beautiful fixtures and impeccable service.   Everyplace around here caters to adoptive parents.   All the stores have strollers to borrow and ramps for you to easily access the shopping with your stroller in hand.   The shopping is terrific, and while I am sure you will not be able to believe it, Lizzie is racking up quite a few cute outfits in the process.   Instead of the calls of "Hey Lady" we heard in Beijing, all the sales girls here are out in front of their stores going "oh, what a beautiful baby, what province is she from?   Oh, that is where the prettiest babies come from" etc. etc. etc.   A much more effective sales pitch.   Everyone makes sure that they tell me how "healthy" Lizzie is, but I think that "healthy" is Chinese code for chubby.   They clearly haven't seen the picture of her in the tub to know that the size of her little body just does not match her head!   Even the menus in the restaurants have a baby section-not a children?s menu- but a special selection just for babies!

Lizzie had her medical exam on Saturday which really wasn?t too much of an exam.   We did find out that she weighs 16.8 pounds- but that was fully clothed and with shoes on.   Shiyan, our wonderful guide and Chinese social worker, is clearly enamored with Lizzie.   She is always singling her out to admire and compliment.   Can you blame her?

Sunday we had our group picture on the red couch- a tradition for all of the adoptive families staying at the White Swan.   The other tradition of the White Swan is that we got our official White Swan adoption Barbie.   This is a traditional blonde Barbie but she is carrying a little Asian baby!   Love it!   While we are really enjoying Guangzhou, just about everyone in our group is anxious to get home.   So I hope that the next time I post it will be from beautiful Ellicott City!

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4/19/05- We are officially parents!  We flew out yesterday from Beijing to Nanchang, the capital of the Jiangxi province. Right before we left, our group was told that we would be getting the babies within an hour of getting to the new hotel.  Well, by the time we landed and got to the hotel, the time line was down to less than 30 minutes- we didn't even have our luggage yet! Lizzie was the first baby to come in.  She didn't cry at all.  She just sort of looked up at us like this whole thing was a little confusing and that she thought we were a little strange looking, a perfectly appropriate response in my opinion.

Once back in our hotel room Sean and I practically were falling over each other to get her attention and make her laugh.  She took a brief nap, a little more playtime, and then we had a break down- Lizzie turned into "little miss cranky pants" and was pretty inconsolable.  After 45 minutes of blood curdling screams we asked our coordinator Shiyan for help.  She determined that Lizzie was just angry (can you blame her?).  A little while later without relief, Sean tried her back in her crib and within about 15 minutes she was out like a light.  By that time I had the mother of all migraines (not assisted by the whole 14 hours of sleep I have enjoyed over the last 5 days), so I was pretty much out as well.

Everyone slept through the night and we were all excited to enjoy today as a family.  There is at least one other adoptive group in our hotel, so just about every table at the hotel's restaurant had at least one baby eating boiled egg, fussing, or  trying to take it all in.  There were also a few stray business men trying to eat.  You can see their expressions slowly change from interested to slightly annoyed by the noise and commotion associated with such a scene,  Lizzie didn't fuss at all, she was curious, checking it all out as well.  Sean and I meanwhile have learned the art of eating quickly and then switching, so the other one can quickly eat while Lizzie gets held, bounced, and entertained- kind of like infant dinner theater! 

Our big job of the day was to go to the government office to have our adoption certificate notarized-and so now it is official and legal, Lizzie is ours!

On the way back to the hotel we went to Walmart to stock up on a few supplies.  We got lots of attention (21 caucasian couples with Chinese babies walk into a Chinese Walmart.... well you can imagine).  A grandparent of Sean's little Chinese student- Mr. Zhang- had made us some Chinese index cards that say things like, "This is our new daughter we have adopted, she is almost 9 months old" and "We are from Maryland in the United States, we are honored to be in this country".    We pulled out the index cards and we were a big hit!  Lizzie napped in my hip carrier through most of the outing but she still looked super cute, so she was a big hit too.

Back at the hotel Lizzie had another mini breakdown right as Sean left to try and get our laundry done.  After about an hour I found out that she was hungry.  And, while her little mouth was open wide wailing I found out that she has two teeth coming in as well!  Since she is still not taking her bottle too well I was able to calm her down through the magic of Veggiepuffs.  Once calm, we had a little rice cereal, daddy came back just in time to play and have Lizzie style his hair (see photos), and then our afternoon nap! So finally I have some time to get on-line.  I'm hoping by tomorrow we will be a little more confident- I am starting to get this crying thing down.  So far it means I'm tired, I'm hungry and my gums hurt. We haven't had a poopy diaper yet but I'm willing to bet that there could be a cry associated with that as well.  See, I'm practically an expert at this mommy thing already!

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4/17/06- How do we spell exhausted? B-E-I-J-I-N-G!  We have spent the last two days getting the whirlwind tour and are ready for the peace and quiet of getting our new baby! HaHa!

We started off yesterday by climbing the Great Wall- or I should say, climbing a section of the Great Wall.  In addition to walking on a little piece of history we got a crash course in Chinese culture- primarily that the Chinese people don't have a great understanding  of personal space.  Waiting in line or "for your turn" appearantly is only an American concept.  Here it seems to be the norm to get where you're going by any means neccesary- usually involving a little pushing by small, old women.  On the plus side, this does help propell one up the very steep steps of the Great Wall.  Not thinking ahead to the obvious wind and chill the altitude brought, most of our group purchased "I climbed the Great Wall" sweatshirts and ski hats at the start of our trip. Thus we then felt a little obligated to actually climb instead of enjoying a relaxing ride up to the top in the available cable cars.  It took us about an hour and a half to climb our portion of the wall and about a minute and a half to take the cable car down.

We then toured the government run Cloisonne factory (fascinating but pricey), and ate some "mystery meat" at a local restaurant.  They said it was chicken......hmm, maaaaybeee. We capped off the day with a couples massage back at the hotel- yay!- our calves certainly needed it!  All-in-all a pretty good Easter Sunday.

We woke up Monday morning to find the city covered in dirt.   Last night while we slept the biggest sand storm of the year blew in covering the city and coating everything in it.  We headed off bright and early  to Tiannamen Square and the Forbidden City.  Sean and I were a little underwhelmed, but it could have just been our reaction to the same pushy little ladies that made it almost impossible to get close enough to see anything of real interest. The biggest source of entertainment for me was that a number of Chinese couples walked over and had their pictures taken in front of me instead of in front of the sights.  Our whole group found it very amusing and we can only assume it is the blonde hair that they find so interesting!

My favorite part of Beijing by far was the Hutong tour.  We traveled by rickshaw through one of the oldest residential areas still existing in the city.  We traveled along the river and got to tour a family's home (complete with traditional snacks and the ability to view Mr. Liu's collection of over 30 fighting crickets and assorted bilingual birds!).  It was very cool and very relaxing. 

To cap off our final evening in Beijing we went to an acrobatic show.  It was basically a Chinese Cirque de' Soleil. Very nice if not a little stuffy and stinky in the theatre.

I had been worried that I wouldn't be able to sleep tonight because we are getting Lizzie tomorrow (I still can't believe it).  But Sean and I still haven't gotten a complete night of sleep due to jet lag and are exhausted by our touring.  So we are turning in with dreams that tomorrow will be the best day yet!

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4/15/06- We are here!!!!  We can't believe it....It has taken us a day or so to get adjusted, but hey- after getting up Thursday morning at 4 am, spending an ungodly number or hours in the economy section of a packed plane, crossing the international dateline and the north pole, then another hour in a stiffling bus with a driver who obviously has a death wish- well, you can't blame us for being a little out of it our first day in Beijing. But now we are rested and ready to go!!!

Today was suppose to be our free day, but our guide Joy said that she would direct us to the Pearl Market and Silk Street- two of the best shopping locations in the country.  So we piled into a long line of cabs with about 10 other families and were off....To tell you the truth, I hadn't planned on blowing our whole wad of spending money within my first 24 hours of being here, but sometimes you just can't plan these things! It was crazy, but so much fun.  Sean, who is normally mortified by my wheeling, dealing, and bartering at garage sales just sat back and let me do my thing. Jane, our salesgirl, was very, very sweet and assured me that I was getting the "special price, just for you" on everything so I am confident that we made out well (haha!). Once we had decided on what we were getting five other people in their neat little uniforms swooped in out of nowhere and began stringing and knotting all our pearls right in front of us- the perfect kodak moment for my scrapbook!

We then set off for Silk Street with another couple that we had shared our flight with, Mike and Michelle.  It turns out that silk street is not a street but rather an enormous 5 story department store packed with one vender after another- a tad overwhelming.  It turns out that all the salesgirls there were also willing to make "very special deals just for me".  Who would have guessed?  However, the Silk Street sales people don't wear cute uniforms and speak impeccable English, they prefer to say "Hey Lady" and then grab you by the arm and not let go.  I mean they really won't let go of your arm!  But it was the perfect spot to bargain for some super cute traditional silk outfits for Lizzie and get a few other pick-me-ups as well.  Of-course Sean decided after we left the Bargainland of Silk Street that he needed a sweatshirt for tomorrows climb of the Great Wall.  So we are now the proud owners of the world's most expensive Chairman Mao sweatshirt, curtisy of the hotel giftshop! 

All-in-all a fabulous, fun filled day.  Tomorrow we get a little jolt of culture, albeit the touristy kind, so we looking forward to more good times as we enjoy our last few care-free days. 

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4/12/06 - Well it's almost that time... We leave for China bright and early tomorrow morning!  We have had just under 2 weeks to prepare for traveling and just like all the couples who have gone before us have warned, the time is finally flying by!  We are going to make every effort to update our site with pictures and journal entries while we travel, so we hope that all of our wonderful friends and family can continue to follow along with us on our journey.

Here is our current itinerary for our trip:

4/13/06- Leave Maryland at 7:45 am, layover in Chicago and then    

                off to China!

4/14/06- Arrive in Beijing at aprox. 2:30 pm Beijing time

4/15/06- Free day to rest, though we hope to walk around a bit

             This is our 18 month "anniversary" from when we started

             this process!

4/16/06- Visit the Great Wall and the Cloisonne Factory followed by

             an acrobatic show in the evening

4/17/06- Visit Tiananmen Square, the Forbidden City and Hutong

             Tour (not sure what this is???)

4/18/06- Fly to Nanchang, the capital city of the Jiangxi province

             where Lizzie is from.  We should get Lizzie this

               afternoon!!!!

4/19/06- Official adoption registration and notarization.

4/20/06- Visit the Teng Wang Pavillion to see traditional dances

4/21/06- Fly to Guangzhou to stay at the famous White Swan Hotel

4/22/06- Lizzie will have her Visa pictures taken and get a medical

             exam.

4/23/06- Free day to Shop 'till We Drop!!!

4/24/06- Visa appointment

4/25/06- Consulate appointment to take oath and pick up Lizzie's

             visa.  Travel to Hong Kong.

4/26/06- Fly from Hong Kong to SanFransisco to BWI, arrive home

             at aprox. 9:15 pm!!!!

I have been sick the last couple of days with a sore throat and sinus infection, but I'm hoping that this will just help me sleep on the plane.  We have been so busy leaving sub plans and gathering up last-minute paperwork that we haven't had a chance to get excited or nervous yet.  I'm sure that will kick in around 4 am this morning when we have  to get up to make our flight!!!!! The overwhelming amount of help we have received from so many people to make this whole thing happen is really starting to sink in and we are feeling truly blessed.  Thankyou all, we hope to see you when we return as a family!

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