Memorial Day

Today Olivia was able to meet the Pitz side of the family. We all gathered at Pine Lawn Memorial Cemetary to remember and honor Steve's father who died last September. We are sad that he is not here to meet Olivia. But the rest of the Pitz clan got to see her and she acted very shy at first but eventually warmed up to everyone. We are all still very exhausted, trying to adjust to the time change so when we got home we all napped until my sister Lynn and her family came to visit. We had a great visit and they eventually all got to hold Olivia, at least for a couple minutes.

Each day she improves on opening up, eating, sleeping and socializing. It is amazing how much she has changed since the first time she was placed in our arms just two weeks ago.

HOME SWEET HOME!!

We all made it back home safe and sound on Saturday night after a brutal 13 1/2 hour flight from Hong Kong to Chicago. Every seat was filled on the plane. Olivia did pretty well considering the situation. We didn't sleep though but were so glad to finally touch down in the US. China was great to see but we were all homesick after two weeks of non-stop hustle and bustle. Thank you to Steve's brother Bob and his wife Cindie. There were waiting at the airport to pick us up after we finally got through baggage claim (one suitcase didn't make out flight), customs and finally immigration to officially make Olivia a US citizen.

We were able to unpack everything, give Olivia a bath, show her around her new home and then try to get her to sleep by 2:30 am. It was a rough night and Steve and I are really feeling the jet-lag and lack of sleep now.

Sunday Olivia was waking up at 5:30 am. We all enjoyed breakfast together in our own home for the first time and also made a grocery run. Olivia is doing great. She met my sister Nancy and her family to day and also Grandma and Grandpa Manning. Tomorrow for Memorial Day she will meet the Pitz family and my sister Lynn and her family.

We are very exhausted so I will post more later.....enjoy the pictures!

Dawn

More pictures

Be sure to scroll down, I posted twice with pictures today (Thursday).

Some Quick Pictures

These were taken at the Chongqing hotel.

Thanks to Allen and Marilyn I can send some pictures quick. Might be the last ones before flying home but will try again tomorrow. Otherwise wait until you can see the real Olivia. We are doing well but all of us agree, China is nice but we cannot wait to get home!!

Enjoy the pictures and keep checking in case I have another chance to post.

Thanks for the comments!! It is so much fun to read them and have that connection with home!!

Take care and see you soon,

The Pitz Family

Monday Meltdown

Monday was great. We relaxed and got everything packed to head off to Guangzhou. Olivia did great. She took the bus ride to the airport and sat on the airplane just fine. It was just a 1 1/2 hour flight but we landed in Guangzhou at 9:00 pm. It was hot, humid and everyone was tired. They packed us on to a bus and thats when she lost it. It was almost a one hour ride to the hotel and she was miserable. Can't blame her, It was way to late to be travelling with babies. We finally got to the hotel at 10:00 pm, exhausted. The hotel is soooo fancy. More like honeymoon suites, not family oriented. We couldn't get a bed for Kyle so Jenny put a chair and footstool together and actually is more comfortable than the rock hard beds that we are sleeping on. Olivia was up whining and crying on and off all night. We hardly had any sleep. We didn't even take time to unpack. The morning we were all ornery, except Olivia. She was all smiles and laughs. WE went to a crowded breakfast and at 9:30 met in the lobby to go to the medical appts. This experience was just like I had read. Pretty much choas. There were three stations to stop at. They declared her healthy except for the chest cold and cough and we were able to get more anitbiotics and medicine which made it all worthwhile. The whole experience was rush-rush and just crazy.
Then we were able to walk around Shaiman Island (where the White Swan hotel is). This was beautiful and we all were able to unwind and relax. We shopped a little before heading back to the hotel. By now we were all in better moods. We went to McDonalds for lunch which is right by our hotel. Steve, Olivia and I laid down for a nap while Kyle and Jenny went to the huge swimming pool. At 4:30 I went over all the paperwork and got all of that behind us. All the fees are paid now and we wait for the babies visas. At night (this is Tuesday) we went with another family to a seafood restaurant. It was really good and Olivia chowed down on rice, chicken and watermelon and was in a great mood. The funniest part was crossing the street. Just like we were warned you have to say a prayer before running across the traffic. We all made it though. It was quite an experience.
Today (Wednesday) is a free day. We slept late and went back to Shaiman Island for shopping. But, it was so hot and muggy and Olivia was not happy so Steve and Kyle took her back to the hotel and Jenny and I shopped with Marilyn and another mother-without babies. We bought a few things, Jenny found a really nice silk dress. The kids are swimming inthe pool now and we are going to order delivery pizza tonight and relax.
We are really excited about almost heading home and look forward to it. Tomorrow the visas should be approved and on Friday we have the American Consulate ceremony to make everything official. Friday night we pack and Saturday we head for home!!!

I will try to use Marilyn's computer to post pictures but they have been sick with colds and I don't like to distub them too much.

Can't wait to see everyone. Hope you are all doing well. Take care and we will be home soon!!

The Pitz Family!!

Thursday-Sunday

I am trying to update this from the business center so there won't be any picture. Try to download some later. On Thursday we had a free day and spent some time shopping up and down the street near the hotel. Very interesting. We feel very safe around the Chinese people and they are very friendly. Just have to make sure we don't loose sight of the hotel. We bought some cute outfits for Olivia and a hat. Hopefully the picture will be out soon.

Friday we went out for a fabulous Peking Duck meal. The restaurant was really nice and the food was out of this world. Can't describe what it tasted like but was very very good.

Saturday we were out the door by 9:30 am and toured for about 5 or 6 hours. Very interesting. We went to the 3 Gorges Dam Museum, stopped at a silk factory and then had lunch at none other than KFC. Then toured a temple and came back to the hotel. Olivia is really good and puts up with a lot. She had a hard time sleeping but all in all does very well for the circumstances. She bonds more everyday and is a very very happy baby. And they don't come any cuter.

It is now Sunday morning. One week and we will be home!! The countdown is on now. Today we will be touring most of the day again. It is tiring but make the time go faster.

On Monday we have a free day to pack because we leave for Guangzhou in the afternoon. Leavign here at 3:30 pm for a 5:00 pm flight. My next post will probably be from there unless I can get back on Marilyn's comptuer and post the pictures.

Until then, know that we are doing well and look forward to seeing everyone soon!!

Take care,
The Pitz's

More Pictures

PICTURES

Make sure you read all the updates from Thursday......

UPDATE FOR TUESDAY-THURSDAY

Sorry again for not updating everyday but it is hard to find time to get on our friends computer, plus sometimes I'm just too tired.

Monday night went fine, Tuesday we had the day to ourselves and Olivia opens up a little more everyday. Here are a few more details on Olivia. She has a couple little teeth showing through on the bottom and signs of more coming in the top. She takes a nap from around 11:00 am until 1:30 pm and sleeps pretty well through the night from 7:30 to 6:30 which is really nice. We are feeding her formula with cereal and cereal with bananas in, or we also tried the prunes, which is an explanation for part of my story later. She will also try some rice, watermelon, congee (sp?) and steamed eggs, which she likes but unfortunately came flying out last night. We give her a bath in the morning before breakfast and then we sit on the floor and play. Jenny and I can really get her laughing and smiling now. It is hilarious.

Tuesday night Jenny was up most of the night sick, throwing up mostly. Not sure if it was water, food or just a bug going around. Mid-way through the night Olivia also woke up screaming at about 2:00 pm. Finally she had a diaper full of the equivalent to stones. Ouch!! But she went back to bed, seemed to feel better but was pretty restless the rest of the night. Steve was running back and forth to the bathroom with Jenny while I tried to comfort Olivia. Kyle just complained about it being too noisy for him to sleep. Needless to say Steve and I are pretty exhausted. In the morning we were supposed to be ready to go to the Zoo at 9:30. Jenny was completely wiped out so Steve sent me, Kyle and Olivia out on our own for the Zoo and a Flying Tiger Museum tour. I was a little nervous about this but we did great. Major-major mommy and baby bonding time. The zoo was really nice and we saw a bunch of Panda Bears, hippos, Tibeten bear, Bengel Tiger, baby monkey, 6 month old panda bear. We took a lot of video so Steve and Jenny could watch it when we got back. We then went to a Flying Tiger museum by way of the oldest street in Chongqing. Very interesting ride down a small, winding road with open markets everywhere. Lots of poverty and places I can't imagine anyone living in. The Flying Tiger museum was very boring for me, it turned out to be more of them trying to sell us items more then anything. I did manage to change a diaper for the first time in a small, smelly bathroom stall with Olivia on my lap so we didn't touch anything we didn't have to. I was pretty proud of myself. Olivia was sooo good the whole time and is getting pretty attached to me. She gives me big smiles, it takes a little work but the smiles are coming more often all the time.

When we finally got back to the hotel room in the early afternoon, Jenny was still zonked out and just slept all day long. Olivia also produced a smelly diaper so she was all smiles after that!! I think there is still some soreness in her stomach but she should be over the worst now.

Now, about today-Wednesday. We all got pretty good sleep and woke up in good spirits. The bath goes faster everyday and breakefast went well. Then we met in the lobby at 9:30 and it was off to the Fuling orphanage. A two hour ride, Olivia slept most of the way and we arrived at the gate of the Fuling orphanage. It is hard to describe the feelings that went through me today. Almost more dramatic than Gotcha Day. We were greeted by the caretakers right away and they were so happy to see the babies. I was glad Olivia grabbed on to me tightly. But as she recognized them they got her to warm up and smile as they played with the babies. We were able to see everything! The walkers, the bear in the referral picture, the playroom, the actual cribs all the babies were in and Olivia's main caretaker actually showed me the exact bed that she was in. Then she made me put Olivia in it!!! Very weird and Olivia started crying so I took her out right away. Jenny has everything on video so we will be able to show the whole thing. It was a very emotional day. The very strange thing that happened though was a young girl hanging around us the whole time. I thought she worked at the orphanage but found out she was just a visitor. She was vey interested in Kyle and especially Jenny. She took pictures with Jenny and asked a lot of questions. The video shows this girl watching us and she looks very sad. She also disappeared for a while and reappeared with a gift for Jenny. Then she and another woman left the area. Maybe Olivia's biological mother? Not sure. We will be studying the video later. Olivia is all ours though and she is already bonding so much more everyday. I can't wait to show everyone the great pictures and video we have. We got pictures and video of the spot they found Olivia in front of the orphanage gates. Like I said, very emotional day.

We finally left there and stopped for lunch. The food is so interesting here and very good. There are so many different dishes put in the middle of the table and you spin them around to take what you want. Although we did order room service Wednesday night.....a big hamburger with french fries. It tasted soo good. The Chinese food is good but we are really starting to miss the US. Olivia slept most of the way back. The countryside is so beautiful here it cannot be described.

I am trying to remember as much as I can as I type. I will keep posting updates and more pictures as much as possible but please be patient. Tomorrow is a free day for us. We may go out on our own touring around the hotel and some shopping. Very interesting things to tell about the grocery stores. I am also trying to get used to the many stares we get as we walk around. The Chinese people are all very friendly though and very nice to us. We feel very safe here but it is a little overwhelming. We are all looking forward to getting back home.

Saturday we are getting an extra tour around Chongqing. Can't remember what they said but I will take pictures and give updates. Sunday we go on another tour and Monday is a free day until we pack and leave Chongqing on Monday afternoon, around 5:00. We are then on our way to the last leg of this unbelievable journey. We fly to Guangzhou and meet up with the rest of the adopting families for medical appts, consulate appts, etc.

Thank you for the comments that were posted. The internet hookup works much better here than in Beijing so I am actually able to read the comments so please, send some more. It is nice to have that connection with home.

We all send our love to everyone back home and look forward to introducing you to Olivia.

Until the next post.........

Dawn, Steve, Kyle, Jenny and Olivia!!!

and more pictures

MORE PICTURES

Olivia is sitting on my lap right now so I am putting pictures out until Steve gets to the room.

More in a minute.....

We've Got Her!!

It is official, Olivia is ours. Monday was unbelievable. It is hard to describe it but I will try my best. I could best describe it as semi-controlled chaos. We started out the day getting up early to catch our flight out of Beijing. Our guide to take us to the airport was 10 minutes late picking us up from the hotel. (it was us and Allen and Marilyn travelling together) So, we had to race two vehicles loaded down with people and way too much luggage as fast as possible to the airport, run us and all the luggage into the airport to rush to the gate just in time to check in and get on a bus that drove about 10 minutes before it stopped by a plane and we were finally on our way on a two hour trip to Chongqing. We arrived in a rainy, overcast Chongqing at 11:00 am. They hauled us on a bus to the beautiful hotel. They told us we would be meeting in the lobby at 2:30 to travel again to a government office and getting our babies at 3:00 pm. Chaos is putting it mildly. They seem to make plan changes very often and give different info to each couple. Anyway, when we met in the lobby we had to go through some paperwork and rush-rush-rush. When everyone was done with the paperwork, back on the bus (I'll tell more about the driving some other time) and finally got to the room where another bunch of couples had just gotten their babies. Altogether, in our group, there are only four families. Us, Allen and Marilyn and two couples from Oregon. The Oregon people were getting a 2 1/2 year old and a 20 month old. We waited in a glass office for just a few minutes and then they started calling off our names. The 2 1/2 year old walked up to her parents, then they called off Fu BaoXing. She was carried by a male director to us and hopefully the pictures will show up on this blog. It is kind of a blur right now but Jenny was video taping and Kyle was snapping the pictures so I think we caught "the moment". She did not cry, whined a little but was kind of listless and out of sorts. We went and sat together on a couch and they brought her a bottle of formula. She started eating right away and kept at it until she finally fell asleep, just exhausted. We were all a little overwhelmed and just wanted to get back to the hotel. But, first they had to take the "family photo" and get all of our fingerprints. Before we left the guide brought us medication for her. They said she had a fever and Bronchitis. She also has a raspy noise in her chest and a bad cough and cold. At least they gave us an antibiotic and some other medicine for the other symptoms. Finally, back on a bus and back to the hotel. She has hardly cried at all and given the circumstances, is being great. She slept through the night (better than we did) with just some coughing every so often. She woke up pretty happy today, she eats/drinks formula and water and takes her medicine. Oh yeah, last night before turning in we went to the hotel restaurant. She ate some rice and watermelon. Boy, you should see the stares we get. During our touring in Beijing Jenny and I were stopped and asked if we would have our picture taken with the Chinese people as if we were some kind of freak show.

Oliva is actually a little bigger than what we thought. We don't know what she weight but fits best into 9-12 month at least maybe a little bigger. We will have to get some clothes when we get to a department store. There is one right next to our hotel room.

Tuesday.....Jenny has been an incredible help. This morning we plopped her down on the floor and Jenny can get her to laugh very easily. She loves playing with Jenny. They laugh and clap and she will coo and sing once in a while. This gave us time to shower, clean up the room and just get organized. We then later this morning needed some groceries and misc. items. That is an entire story in itself. There is a grocery store underneath our hotel. Some of the chicken, fish and whatever we saw was so fresh it was still in a cage waiting to be chosen for someones dinner. The little old Chinese ladies stopped us and smiled at us and gave us the thumbs up. We fortunately have not run into the "clothing police" yet so we must be doing things right so far. We bought some bananas, rolls, juice and yogert and came back up to the room. She has been very happy, drinking water, taking her meds and she was really talking before I laid her down for a nap before heading to Marilyn's room to do this update. Steve and the kids were setting up the DVD player to the TV to watch a movie. Hopefully Olivia is getting her nap in.

So things are going very well. Each day I am sure will get easier for us as we get more organized and used to a routine. Tomorrow, Wednesday, we are going to go to the Chongqing zoo. We will see the regulare Panda Bears and Red Panda Bears and who knows what else? I think we are stopping somewher else to but cannot remember and they are talking about going to dinner also so it will be a very busy day. Thursday we are taking the trip to see the Orphanage (yes, we decided to go along and see the city where she was born). So the next couple of days will be busy but I will try to add to the blog as soon as possible. I am going to try to post some picture from GOTCHA DAY but forgive me if it doesn't work.

We miss everyone at home but want you know that we are well and having a good time. Until the next update.....take care!!

Dawn, Steve, Kyle, Jenny and Olivia!!

We Made It To Beijing!!!

Sorry this took so long to post. I had trouble in the business center but our friends Allen and Marilyn are gracious enough to let me use their laptop. I cannot read the blog myself so I am trying to post this a little blind. We are going to try e-mailing this also, so Mom, send reply back to Marilyn to let us know if you can read the blog, if you get the e-mail....

Anyway, our flight was quite an experience. It was smooth, (except for the landing) but our sections electrical was not working so the lights never turned off and we couldn't use the headphones to hear any movie. Steve never slept and the rest of us doozed on and off. The food was good but a lot of people lost theirs during our very bumpy landing. We arrived at our hotel at 5:00 pm China time and were exhausted. We went right to bed after showers and getting organized, too tired to eat dinner. A couple hours later we woke up wide awake, thinking we were still on US time, took some sleeping pills and got a pretty good nights sleep. We were back up at 5:00 am, eating our first Chinese meal (buffet breakfast) at 6:30 am and on a bus at 8:00 am. This was Sunday 8:00 am HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!! We toured Tian'anmen Square, the Forbidden City and the Great Wall of China. All were amazing and undescribable. It was hard to believe we were actually in CHINA! We had to move pretty quickly all day though. You could spend many more hours touring but we also went to a Jade shop, had lunch, saw a pearl shop and had dinner. Finally got back to the hotel at 7:30pm and squared away with this portion of the $$ and it is now 9:50 pm and I am updating this in Marilyn's room so it won't be real long.

The food so far has been excellent. Very much like what had been described in so many other websites I have read. My Stomach was turning after our last stop today but I think that was all nerves about tomorrow.

Tomorrow we leave the hotel at 6:50 am for an 8:30 am flight to Chongqing. We will then check into the hotel and get our babies in the afternoon!! There are only a few couples with our group as far as we know. We should be able to post some pictures but not tonight.

We are thinking of everyone back home and missing home but everyone is doing well other than the lack of sleep. Tomorrow will be so much fun and we are all a little nervous. Not sure when we will get another update. It will depend on how Olivia takes to us. We will also try to put pictures out so please be patient.

Take care and we will send our next China update as soon as we can!!
Sorry if this jumped around a lot but it is hard to concentrate and there is so much to tell. At least you get the highlights.

So Long For Now!!

Dawn, Steve, Kyle, Jenny (and Olivia very soon)

We're On Our Way!!

We are packed and ready to go. But last night while checking the e-mail, our agency had forwarded two messages from the adoption coordinator. Turns out we will be one of the first groups that does not stay at the famous White Swan Hotel!! I had heard rumors that it was going to be under renovation soon and of course they won't take anyone after May 20th. We were scheduled to be there May 22nd. So we will be staying at a different 5 star hotel called the DongFang Hotel. The telephone number is (20) 8666-9900. I have no idea if it is close to the White Swan or not. We just have to remember to "go with the flow". They also happened to update the fees needed so we had to make one more run to the bank.....remember, go with the flow!

We were able to pack everything we wanted to take and keep it under the 44 pounds per check-in. We each have one check-in and one carry on and we still have some space to spare.

We are all glad the time has finally come. The anticipation and excitement has been getting exhausting. We cannot wait to finally have Olivia in our arms on Monday. I've played it through my mind a million times.

Thank you so much to our families and friends. The excitement, well wishes and prayers everyone shares with us is so comforting. It is just as much fun to hear how everyone can't wait to see and hold Olivia as it is to actually be going to China to get her. Hang in there everyone, in two weeks we will be packing to come home!! I can't wait to get to China but I also cannot wait to get back home!!

We are not able to take a laptop computer along but I will do my best to find resources to keep updating the blog as often as I can so keep checking!!

See you when ALL FIVE of us get back!!

One More Week!!

In just one more week we are on a plane on our way to China and a whole new chapter in our lives begins. This will be the trip of a lifetime and our whole world will be changing. Olivia is over in Fuling with no idea that she will be changing so many lives back here and bringing so much fun, excitement and happiness. Hopefully we will do the same for her.

I am as prepared as I can be and have now gone into a frantic cleaning mode, or I guess it is called "nesting". Suddenly everything seems to desperately need cleaning and reorganizing. So the cupboards, closets, shelves, drawers, etc. are all getting cleaned out and reorganized. These last couple of weeks have really been a blur and the next few weeks will continue the same way. But I am savoring every minute of it....

Dawn

The Packing Lists....

Until you have lived through this you have no idea how much time, thought and work goes into an international adoption. Just the packing lists can be a little overwhelming for a two week trip out of the country. Here's an example of what is needed....

Just for your new baby
Diapers, wet ones, disposable changing pads, disposable diaper bags, tissues, nail clippers, teething rings, pacifiers, bottles, nipples, plastic eating utensils (or try to feed her with chopsticks), backpack diaper bag, bibs, thermos for warm water, formula, snacks like raisins, cheerios, biscuits, variety of clothes in a variety of sizes, socks, jacket, sleepers, blanket, toys, cups, plastic keys, small books, bath toys, an entire pharmacy of medications since you have no idea what her current health is, lotion, shampoo, insect repellent, sunscreen, sterile syringes, etc.

For us x 4
Money, money belts, a large binder carrying the stack of necessary paperwork to take along, many Zip-Lok bags, baby carrier, video camera with tape and extra battery, international converter, DVD player with movies, digital camera, disposable cameras for the kids, pillow covers, travel size laundry detergent and dish soap, toiletries, duct tape, snacks, clothing, passports/visa's, 171-H form, I-600 form, travel notice, office supplies, telephone numbers, doctor and insurance information, a pharmacy of meds in case of colds or stomach problems, sanitizer soap, wet wipes, extra toothbrushes in case you run your first one under the water, gifts for the orphanage, gifts for directors, etc. Don't forget the airline tickets!!

I think we are pretty well set with everything we need. The next step is to figure out how to take it all with a minimal amount of luggage. Plus, we have to plan for room in the luggage to bring back souvenirs and still carry an 11 month old baby. Don't forget about getting everything ready at home and set up for our return with a new family member.

Whew!