Samantha's First Day of Church

Today was Samantha's first day of church.  She sat very nicely, except a few outburst of laughter.  We were so glad to be back and see our friends and share Samantha's home coming.



Samantha's first day of church

Home from China!

Finally an update!  We arrived home in Fort Myers, FL on Aug.29 late.  I think it took us about a week to get back on schedule as far as our time goes.  We have not made hardly any trips outside of the home due to mommy's foot injury.  I am not able to drive or walk without crutches.  I will be so glad when I can walk!  I am so grateful to my Mom who has come down to help us while I am laid up.  I honestly do not know what I would do without her!  It is also so good for Samantha to get to know her.  Samantha has clearly identified Mamaw and will call her by name.  We are having a good time being at home and bonding!

Samantha and Mamaw

First Ice Cream at Home!

Samantha is really doing great!  Everyday I watch her bloom.  Her little lips that at first seemed to turn down are now smiling day.  She is becoming very affectionate with giving kisses and hugs, something she was not accustom to, but with Mom, Mamaw and two sisters kissing on you, you get use to it!  Samantha catches on very quickly, and appears to be very smart.  She just turned 3 on June 22 and she is not delayed at all.  Anything she sees you do she will try and usually succeeds.  She is a great eater and likes almost anything placed in front of her.  She is thrilled by the cats, Molly and Lucy.  She loves watching for butterflies in the butterfly garden, when she sees one she will say "butterfly".  Today was her first time in the swimming pool and boy was she happy!  She would have been more happy if mommy and Mamaw would have let go of her and I think she may have taken off swimming, we will see next time.  Her English is really progressing.  She will say words now without being prompted and is already putting two and three words together.  Samantha is very sweet and happy.  There is the occasional struggle over who got the toy fist with sister Anna, but we are working on teaching Samantha to share and Anna and Sarah are helping her.

Showing Sarah a Butterfly!

 You can see some characteristics of orphanage behavior.  Some I wish she would keep like being very careful with her food and not letting anything go to waste.  There are times when in may appear she did not get enough to eat in the orphanage and is very concerned when food is left over.   She is also very helpful in bringing you things she thinks you need.  When I think about the last three years of her little life my heart just swells with joy that she is home.  We take so much for granted and have so much, and there are so many children to share those blessings with. 

I was a little concerned at first about Samantha being 3. I can say I have loved every age of our girls and now I remember 3, it is a great age.  If someone is thinking about adopting a child that is 3 you will find joy in watching them grow and learn so quickly.

Samantha is a blessings and I believe she is very glad to have a family.  It is hard to describe if you have not experienced adoption, but there is a little change everyday.  You start to see their personality bloom and you see how they become secure and attach to you.  What a wonderful thing to see this little life shine!

I will try and update again soon.  Thanks for sharing in our journey!

Oops!

Tuesday, July 26, 2011

Good day from China.  Well the girls are great, Matt is good and me, well Mommy- I probably have a broken foot.  We were going to breakfast yesterday and I completely missed the large marble step.  The theory is the marble floors have slick and tight places, I think I missed the step and could not recover because my other foot got stuck on the marble.  I must not have been the first person that has fallen at this spot because they have two people standing there warning you to “watch your step”, Matt heard them but I did not.  I was holding Samantha’s hand and somehow managed not to take her down with me.  It was one of those moments where I was in shock and thought, oh my goodness; I am hurt and can’t get up.  I sat on the floor for what seemed like a long time until they could get me to the couch area.  I knew I was hurt, but thankfully no bones protruding or cuts.  Our translator took me to the Chinese bone hospital, now that was an experience. I want to thank our wonderful travel companions, Kathy and Keith and their families, instead of going to the zoo they went with me to the bone hospital, I so appreciated their companionship and support.   Not all was lost because the bone hospital was a zoo itself-what an experience you probably want to avoid.  I had decided I did not want an x-ray because, what could they do anyways?  The doctor said he did not think I broke any large bones-wow what about the small ones, it is my foot.  The doctor put some herbal spray on it and wrapped it and then gave me a plastic boot.  I do think I broke something as it is extremely swollen and I cannot place any weight at all on it.  I am hoping it is just a really bad sprang.  It hurts, but I am taking Arnica and Ibuprofen and I can make it until we get home.  I am in a wheel chair; Samantha thinks it is the new stroller!  I am thankful I did not hurt my back or my leg.  Meghann if you are reading this I am going to email you to see if you can take me straight to the ER when we get back on Friday night.  Please keep us in your prayers.  Can you believe I got hurt, so aggrevated! 

Well no more shopping or sightseeing now, very disappointed, but we are all here together and Samantha is amazing so all is still good.

We had to get up this morning super early to go to the US Consulate for our oath ceremony.  I will say you get special attention when you are in a wheelchair with two little girls on your lap and one holding your hand.  I would rather forgo the attention and be able to run with my girls.  I was so looking forward to walking in Guangzhou and taking pictures.  I am still trying to find how I can get the pictures! 

We are now officially finished with our adoption here in China.  When we land in the USA Samantha will be a US citizen!

All for now.  Love to All, Matt, Shari, Sarah Anna and Samantha

Pictures from Sunday

Finally a new post!

Sunday, July 24

We are busy enjoying the girls and Guangzhou!  I have not taken time to post I the last couple of days because we have been busy.   We are in Guangzhou, of which our hotel is on the Shalimaan Island.  I am not much on the history, but the Island was developed with British influence.  The lsland is beautiful.  The paved streets are lined with cobblestone and beautiful banyan and other shade trees.  I am so excited about being out of the hotel and being able to walk! 

There are many little shops that line the streets and some other hotels and restaurants.  Our dining choices in Guangzhou are better, they even have a subway, which I think we will try today.  The breakfast buffet is amazing! 

I am beginning to finally find foods that Samantha really likes.  Yesterday we were at breakfast and I had a whole selection of Chinese foods for her.  After finishing her watermelon, which is loves, she did not want anything else.  I was disappointed hoping she would eat better.  We started to get up to leave and she pulled my shirt and started pointing at the food!  So she understands that after we leave breakfast that food is not available any longer for the day.  She ate almost all the food I had brought for her!  Her favorites are Congee, steamed bread with filling and wontons.  Leslie, can you teach me how to cook Chinese?  I hope so!

I have not posted everything we have faced since getting Samantha.  But I want to say a heartfelt thank you to Dr. Madera and Sonia.  Around 10:30pm Florida time I called Sonia in distress, I needed to talk to someone I trusted, Dr. Madera.  I have not told the whole story of getting Samantha, but on Gotcha day she had a few large red spots.  I thought they were bug bites, but then later in the day and the next morning they went away and then more appeared.  You could tell she did not feel well and would hardly eat, although she was very happy and responsive to us.  Long story short, she had a cold a couple of days before we were to get her and the orphanage decided to give her IV antibiotic therapy on July 16 and 17.  She had an allergic reaction to the antibiotic and they had to then give her IV glucose, sodium and hydrocortisone.  Finally I found this all out, after being very direct with our translator to contact the orphanage.  She was still having an allergic reaction to the antibiotic when we got her and continues to.  In Nanjing there were no American doctors and I did not want to take her to the children’s hospital that is the only place you can get meds.  So Dr. Madrea suggested to give her Allegra, which I had brought with us and get an RX for oral steroid.  It is still a long story, but we finally were able to get the rx-not easy in China.  If other families are traveling, make certain you bring meds with you.  I brought so many meds for emergency, but did not have the oral steroid only the antihistamine.  So now she is doing great and you can tell she feels better. She was so sweet through everything.  Every time a new hive would appear she would come show me, and look at me like please mama make them go away, for they were very itchy.  It was a good bonding experience, but I do wish she would not have had the experience.   Her recent experience also did not help when we had her medical appointment, she was very scared, but she held on to mommy and did fine.  We go back today to have her TB results read, but she is fine, no reaction.

Matt said it right when he said, she is a “good fit”.  You think your family is complete and then God has other plans, which are always the greatest of plans!  Samantha is really a blessing and Sarah and Anna have really bonded with her as well.

We got to enjoy the Swan room which is the playroom at the hotel.  The girls had great space to run and play, Sarah even got to do her cartwheels. 

One of my favorite things is to see all the children who now have loving homes.  They each have their story and each is very special.  We have met several wonderful families from IN, MO, NC and other states.  Most of the families are on different timelines so they can and go but will stay part of our memories.  We are doing good and are looking forward to returning home.  Love to All, Matt , Shari, Sarah, Anna and Samantha

Made it to Guangzhou

Too much to post now.  Will post new tomorrow.  Getting ready for bed.

Chinese Wal-Mart

We can really see more and more of Ying’s personality.  She is not feeling well; she has a cold and a little fever. She kept waking up last night and would cry a little because she did not feel well, we finally gave her a little Motrin and I put her in bed with me – that worked and she slept great!  Sarah appeared last night with an itchy bumpy rash on her chest area-great- right, in China and child with a rash!  She didn’t have a fever so I did not get too concerned.  I gave her a little Benadryl and it helped, but still not completely gone.   Sounds like we are a sick bunch, but not really, just little stuff – I hope. 

Breakfast- so far we have found that breakfast is your best bet for a good meal.  I can get eggs and toast and Matt finds sweets.  The girls eat cereal and fruit and Ying-well I am still trying to find out what she will eat.  So far she will drink milk and eat cereal.  I keep offering her different Chinese food, but she will not eat.  I talked to the guide about different foods I could offer her so I will try some new selections in the morning.

Lunch- we had Pizza from Pizza Hut!  It was good and we were glad to get pizza.

We took a trip to Wal-Mart today.  The Wal-Mart is two stories and crowded is an understatement.  We only purchased a few needed items, and Samantha did get a pair of Chinese squeaky shoes.  The girls all got a balloon, which brought many smiles.  The prices on most items were very inexpensive compared to American prices. 

 Jane said if you found a lower price in another store you would receive 5 times back in refunds!

 The van rides are always interesting.  I have to just keep praying we won’t get hit.  The streets are a mix of car’s mopeds and bikes and people.  It seems there is no order to the traffic, it is basically who can get through the maze first, it really is scary!

Please continue to lift our family in prayer for our health.  I am hoping everyone can get better in the next couple of days.

New things we have learned today about Samantha:

1.        She is left handed!

2.       She has a really sweet personality; she is reserved at times, but at play very active and talkative.

3.       So far she agrees to bedtime and wakes up happy.

4.       She is very smart and figures things out amazingly fast.

5.       She started calling Matt “BaBa” which means Daddy!

We hope that all is well with all our family and friend.  Love to All,

Matt, Shari, Sarah, Anna and Samantha

It is official!

After an early breakfast and probably Samantha’s first time in a restaurant, we returned to the Civil affairs office and signed the papers, Su Zi Ying is now Samantha Noel Ying Conley! 

 When we returned to the Civil Affairs Office it was explained to Ying Ying that she would see the caretaker from her orphanage and say goodbye.  Jane, our translator was a little concerned that Ying Ying may become upset.  When we walked in I was carrying her and she did not even ask to get down and go and see the women.  She was very content with us and playing with the girls. She did not get upset at all when they left and was sticking very close to us making sure she was with us.   I think they were surprised that we now had three girls, as this of course would never happen in China.  Some people kept asking us if now we had three girls and looked very surprised.  After the official paper signing we returned to the hotel and played and played and Samantha took a big nap! 

Things we have learned about Samantha:

1.        She knows how to blow bubbles!  And said Pop!

2.       She thinks my camera is an I Phone and keeps trying to move the screen with her finger!

3.       She is good at sharing.

4.       She laughs a lot.

5.       She is still two at heart as the game of pick-up is still amusing to her.

6.       She can really kick a ball!

7.       She knows how to place her finger at her lips and say shhh.

8.       She talks a lot, although we do not know what she is saying.  Today I ask the caregiver what she was saying and they could not figure it out either so I didn’t feel so bad!

9.       She knows what she wants and politely shakes her head “no”

10.   She likes yogurt!

Sarah and Anna are doing great!  Sarah has really shown her motherly side as is very caring towards Samantha.  On the other hand sweet little Anna is a little jealous, and she will even tell you so, but she is very loving towards Samantha as well. 

Samantha will call out “Mama” and responds to me very well to meet her needs and play. She has also shown affection to a small degree.  They have told us that the Chinese people are very private and she probably is not use to being hugged and kissed, I said well she will have to get use to that, and she loves the attention.  She is very interested in Matt and always tries to get his attention, she responds to him very nicely. 

We know God must have big plans for her and we thank Him for the opportunity to be a part of her life!

We Got Her!

July 18, 2011

I have to admit both I and Matt were very nervous about today.  As it turns out we were the only family in Jiangsu meeting their child today in the civil affairs office, so some of the other stories you see and hear will be quite different than ours.  We had arrived at the Civil Affairs office and were waiting on her, it was a little past time and then I looked outside and I saw this little black head wearing an old orange shirt being led by two women.  Ying Ying (Samantha) was sporting a little red bear pack back.  I was overwhelmed when she stepped in the room and I am sure Matt was as well but I couldn’t take my eyes off of Ying Ying. 

Sarah was completely in love with her the first moments and did not want to leave her side.  Ying Ying was very responsive and came with me to find her toys we had brought.  The little play phone was a big hit!  I just can’t tell you how thankful we all for all who have lifted Samantha and us up in prayer.  God answered!  Samantha was amazing.  The women could not get over the fact that she was so at ease with us and did not cry.  After staying for a while and talking with the caregivers that brought her we finished up some paperwork and then headed out.  The women said good bye and Samantha willingly went with us.  I had many questions for them about her and they answered all of them.  So far I know she is not allergic to any foods they know of, she pouts quietly to herself when she is mad (I am sure that won’t last long) she is a good eater, not very picky, sleeps well and is still working on the potty training.  They commented that she was a very good girl.  When I asked about the foster care they comments she had been in foster care for a month when she was first found, but then returned to the orphanage.  I still wonder, many signs point both ways.

 I asked them if she understood about the adoption and they said yes, to a good extent, commenting that they had talked to her several times and she was very smart. Now remember she just turned 3 on June 22.  I will say this; you can already tell she is very smart.  She speaks a dialect of Suzhou City but also understands Mandarin.  It is so cute to hear her talk, but of course I have no idea what she is saying.  We have still been able to communicate very well and you can tell she comprehends very well.  We returned to the hotel and just played in the room. 
The girls were great with her and they played great together.  She did not want to eat, but very curious.  After a while I gave Anna and Sarah a bath first and then gave Samantha one.  She was a little reluctant, but trusting.  She did great!  Oh now how she smells so clean!  I think she also felt so good after her bath.  She decided to try some goldfish after her bath and she almost ate the whole bag! 






 We got playing and you would not believe the laughter!  She laughed for so long and hard!  After the playing I placed her in bed and said the Chinese word for sleep, she wanted to play some more and when I would return to her side to say sleep-sleep she would look at me and say “MaMa” that is also the Chinese word for mommy.  I couldn’t believe it!  At first I thought she was calling for the caregiver, but then it became evident she was calling me.  God is amazing!

 Well I looked through the pictures and all of them are Samantha and the girls as Matt and I were snapping pictures and taking video.  We will post the video to YouTube when we return.  The day was amazing and if she smiles and laughs as much tomorrow it will make our day.  Her pictures don’t really show the real Samantha.  She is only a couple of inches shorter than Anna and does weigh more.  She is not chubby, but not thin as well-just right.  Her hair-well it needs to grow so we will see what I can do with it, at this point not much.  She has the cutest dimples when she smiles; they are real low on her face.  We thought her eyes may be crossed, but I don’t think so now, they are just really slanted.  She is fair skin and she is really adorable!  She is already such a blessing.  We have to return to the Civil Affairs Office in the morning early so I will now sign off.  Thank you all for your continued prayers.  Also keep Anna in your prayers as her bronchitis is very bad here and I decided to even start her antibiotics today. 

Love to all

Matt, Shari, Sarah, Anna and Samantha

Mom’s –We are so sorry we have not been able to get the sims card for the cell phone and that is why we have not called.  We will hopefully get one soon.  We Love You!

Sunday, July 17, 2011

We have safely landed!

  We left Fort Myers at 9:15am for the airport and took off at 11:30am.  We flew from Ft. Myers to Detroit had a couple hours layover and then took off on our 14 hour flight to Shanghai, China.  I was able to ask in Detroit for a Bulk head seat and it was available so we were able to have extra  leg room on our long flight. 

The girls did great!  After a while I was encouraging them to sleep and Sarah kept looking out saying, “but it is not night time.  It never was night time for us on the flight.  The girls were able to sleep awhile so that was great!  Mom and Dad not so much as Anna was laying in our lap and she is a wiggle worm!  I was walking around and looked out the window and saw beautiful snow capped mountains; I asked where we were as we were almost over Siberia!  Wow that sounds familiar as about 6.5 years ago to bring Sarah home.  We probably went over Kazakhstan too.  When we landed in Shanghai the customs was very seamless and then we had a four hours layover.  It was very interesting being in deep China.  Sue had told me the people would be very interested in seeing and touching Sarah and Anna, she was right.  We felt like celebrities.  Several ladies reached out to hold the girls hands.  We felt very welcomed and the people were very inviting. 

While we were waiting in Shanghai the girls found two sisters and a little boy (who was very funny) to play with.  It is very surprising how many people speak some English.  Even the little 11 year old girl had very good English.  They are very proud of this.

Our hotel is nice on the inside, much like a Marriott.  We were glad to see the breakfast buffet this morning.  Matt and Sarah tried the noodle in broth, it was a big hit!! Anna and Mommy stuck to American cuisine.  They must have thought we were starved because we put away quite a bit of food.  It was rainy today so we took advantage of our day of rest.  The pollution is very bad and we have been told that Nanjing is one city in China where you can sometime see blue skies now and then-not today.  I can’t imagine not seeing blue skies.  There is a very tall tower, looks like the space needle, right outside the window of our hotel.  The pollution is so bad we have only been able to see it all a few times today.   Everyone here must have vit. D defiency, good I brought our Vit. D supplement.

Everyone took a nap today, a much needed nap I must say.  Matt has the DVD player hooked up to the TV so the girls have been enjoying watching new videos.  I also brought a blow-up beach ball and we had fun playing ball.  I filled each of the girl’s backpacks with new toys and all has been a hit.  Especially Sarah’s Polly Pockets.  Thank you to the Perez family for Anna’s Dora little backpack!!!  It has travel to China with us and she is very attached to it!  You all really showered her for her birthday along with Sonia and our families, thank you everyone for making her day special. 

Tomorrow is GOTCHA DAY!   We are a little nervous.  Samantha will have a long and busy morning as they have said she will have to leave on the train from her city around 6:00am.  They said she may not have eaten so I should bring food.  I have a list of questions that they will answer for us.  When I asked Sarah what else I should ask she said, “ask if she bites and kicks” I hope the answer is no!  We should arrive at the civil affairs office after breakfast and a few morning errands and then they will bring her to us.  Should be interesting to say the least!  Please continue to keep us in your prayers.  We should meet her at 10:00am Monday morning which will be 10:00pm Sunday night in the US.

Love to All, Matt, Shari, Sarah and Anna

At First Sight!

We will be meeting Samantha on Monday, July 18th at 10:00am 
In the US this will be Sunday night at 10:00pm.

June 29, 2011 International Airline Flights

We have our flights!

Getting There

Depart July 15 from Fort Myers on Delta 2084 at 11:20am
Arrive Detroit, MI  at 2:15pm
Depart Detroit, MI  on Delta 0181 at 4:05pm
Arrive Shanghi, China on Saturday, July 16
Depart Shanghi, China on China Eastern 2892 at 9:55pm
Arrive Nanjing, China at 10:50pm


Getting Back

Depart July 29 from Hong Kong on Delta 0186 at 9:20am
Arrive Detroit, MI 12:25pm
Depart Detroit, MI on Delta 1135 at 3:45pm
Arrive Atlanta, GA at 5:52pm
Depart Atlanta, GA on Delta 7:40pm
ARRIVE FORT MYERS, FL 9:28pm!!!

Our Journey

We received our travel approval on June 22, which happens to be Samantha's 3rd birthday.  Our departure date from Fort Myers is July 15.  Our Consulate appointment in Guanzhou China is July 26. 

When your heart is open

We invite you to follow us on our journey to Suzhou China, Jiangsu Providence to bring Samantha Noel Zi Ying to her forever home.

"Children are a Gift from God"
What is a day without a child's smile, could I go even a day without hearing their laughter, and knowing they are loved.