3 Ss: Siblings, Sleeping and SPOILED!

I would like to start this post by talking about Zoe and Connor. The first thing I thought when I saw them waiting outside security last week was "Geez! How did they grow so much in two weeks?!?!?!" Over the last week and half, I've come to realize that it isn't so much that they had grown, but that spending two weeks with only a three year old made them seem that much older! It also made me realize how fast they really do change! Connor is getting so tall and thin! And Zoe is getting a major attitude! They are fighting constantly, which started before we left for China and is driving us CRAZY! But they both adore Ginny and are kind and sweet to her, so I guess we'll have to work on the fighting and attitude...

We already knew that Ginny was a roller while sleeping. Brian and I each got kicked and punched multiple times while sleeping with her between us in China. Yesterday Brian ran into our room asking "Is Ginny in here with you?" I said "no" and he went back and found her all balled up in the top corner of her bed. This morning, Brian did the same thing, except this time there was a hint of panick in his voice. Ginny was NOT in her bed. She was not on the floor. She was not with me or Connor or anywhere else! Her pillow and some of her toys were on the floor next to her bed. I came in and asked Brian if she had rolled under the bed. Sure enough, there she was! She had rolled off and under the bed in her sleep and never woke up! It's a REALLY low bed, too! She smacked her head coming out, but thought the whole thing was pretty amusing! I think we're putting Zoe's old bed rails on Ginny's bed so she doesn't scare us like that anymore!

Lastly, Ginny is starting to grow a little spoiled. She still cries when Brian leaves and/or the kids leave for school. Here are a few other things that she has cried about over the past week:
1. I gave Connor his dinner before I gave it to her.
2. I said no when she reached for a cookie at church on Sunday.
3. I said no to chocolate the other morning.
She apparantly doesn't like the word no, as she gives me a dirty look everytime I use it with her!!! Well, she'll get used to it!

Overall, her transition has gone very well! She is a very easy-going kid, only shy around strangers. She is running around Tae Kwon Do like she owns the place! She's happy and enjoys exploring all the toys in our house. Potty training isn't going so well, but we have five or six months before that becomes dire! She is trying to imitate words. She is doing well with her signs. I hope all the other families are having as good a time as we are with their new little ones!

Can't sleep!

So, we landed around midnight (Beijing time, 1pm Buffalo time) and got to our hotel at 2am. The flight was pretty uneventful except the fact that the televisions didn't work properly on our whole side of the plane! We could only watch the same two movies and half a dozen tv shows over and over and over. The rest of the plane had a huge variety, but we brought our laptops and got one out and started watching Castle. Unfortunately, the space is so small that I had to put the computer against the wall of the plane and then sit sideways to be able to see. It was a bit uncomfortable , but better than nothing!

I was amazed by the ride to the hotel! It was the middle of the night and everyone was driving so slowly and really obeying the traffic laws! Also, there are counters on all the stop lights telling you how long you had to get through the green light or wait. It was pretty cool.

So, being that it's like 4:30 in the afternoon back home, we can't sleep!!! It's 5:30 am here and we can go down to breakfast in half an hour. We have orientation at 9:30am, then a half day tour of Tianenman Square and the Forbidden City. Should be an exciting day... Hopefully we can stay awake! We may have to find a Starbucks! (Didn't I hear there's one in the Forbidden City, anyways? Or was that just McDonald's?)

Last but not least, YAY my VPN works and I can blog AND get on Facebook over here! Here's hoping it lasts!

The Night Before...

It has been a long journey up to this point. We started the journey of May 2010 when we submitted our application for adoption. We already had two kids at home, a 6 and a 3 and a half year old (Zoe & Connor, respectively). It took us over a year to complete all of the home studies and paperwork, and then we were matched with this beautiful little girl you see in the picture on the right of your screen.

We got her picture and information in June of 2011 and since then it has been hurry up and wait, hurry up and wait, hurry up and wait. Have these papers signed, notarized, certified, and authenicated and then send them back and wait for a few months. Now fill out these forms and get them to us ASAP and then wait for a few months.

Well, finally, we are about to be on our way! Our plane lifts off tomorrow late afternoon and we are on our way to China! Come back to check out our adventures and follow along on our journey!