New Friends...

Monday morning arrived and we met with our driver and made our way to Dongguang to visit True Children's Home, a private run American facility that provides care for children with special needs. This facility is also where Storie spent 9 months of her young life after she was diagnosed with a congenital heart defect. We had a chance to meet with the director and staff of the facility while Storie played with the children still living in the home.

After receiving a tour of the grounds we walked next door to a hotel where we met the foster mother and father who had taken care of Storie from the time she left True Children's until she was adopted by us (approx. 8 months). Although the language barrier was obvious, we felt a connection to these new friends as their dedication to Storie could be sensed in the sounds of their words. It was very evident that they loved and adored Storie, who was their first foster child they had ever cared for.

We exchanged several nods and smiles with one other while seated at that hotel and by the time we left it was understood that the foster parents were saddened to see Storie leave their home, yet happy that we were dedicated to providing her with a bright life. We had the privilege of having our photograph taken with them as a lasting reminder of our new friends.

As far as the other pics go...

Julie insisted that I snap a photo of Storie with her finger up her nose. Why? Because she's a sicko, plain and simple.

Storie also satisfied the "potty buddha" by peeing in the toilet for the first time this evening. We, of course, proceeded to make the whizzing a huge deal (what parent wouldn't?) and clapped, hollered, and jumped up and down like a bunch of idiots. Storie must have found this highly entertaining for she peed 3 more times on the potty within a 15 minute period. I'm afraid of her expectations of us when she takes her first poo-poo in the pot!

See you all soon...................

Storie's progression

It is 4 p.m. on the 12th and all of the girls are napping. We visited a Buddhist temple this morning and Storie was blessed by a monk. Yep, a monk. We don't practice Buddhism, of course, but it was a ceremony that has been performed for centuries and it was kinda fun to have Storie experience what Sydney had experienced 3 years ago. The humming of the monk and the drumming he did was sort of soothing and the little one sat on Mommy's lap so quietly and still. Shelby snapped a bunch of photos from the area and we were then hurried back into the van for a trip to the zoo!

It was odd to visit the zoo located smack dab in the center of the city. From all directions stood tall office and apartment buidlings, visible through the treeline above the animals. The zoo certainly wasn't large but it had some very interesting animals. We all have come to expect the zoo staples; bears, lions, giraffes, zebras, rhinos and such, but the most interesting and unexpected caged animal of them all..........a raccoon. Yes indeed, a large raccoon who paced back and forth along the cageline and bared its sharp teeth. I guess I had never thought of raccoons as being the culprits who terrorized China's city streets at night. And then our guide Helen announced,"The raccoon comes from the United States." My eyes met those of the masked creature and we instantly bonded. I swear that I heard the furry critter chanting, "USA, USA, USA!" Sweet.

We stopped at a small petting area and saw the greatest petting animal of all time...a dalmation dog. Geez, I miss our Nikita (our 13 year old dalmation for those who don't know). Julie and I even petted a python, but Shelby said, "Uh, no thanks!" Our last stop was the monkey stadium (I don't know if they call it that but it sounded cool-I must be thinking about the NFL-GO STEELERS!) There was a tiny baby monkey that cruised all over the joint and cracked us up. Storie was grinning away and pointing just like she had at the swinging chimpanzee a little earlier. She was so good and seems to be becoming more content with each passing day.

Storie still sleeps the whole night through and has been sleeping in the king bed. Believe me, she utilizes every inch of space as she sleeps. Diagonal, sideways, upside down, on her head-I mean this girl is all over the place. And she snores.

We have finally gotten her to wear another pair of shoes in place of the ones she came with (sounds like I'm referring to a car accessory!) She has alot of confidence and it seems to build more every day. Another strong-willed girl in the house. I'm in serious trouble!

Storie loves to hug. I've gotten one or two but she gives plenty to Julie and Shelby. She squeezes our necks and also squeezes her little legs around our waists at the same time. It's funny. She loves to share. No matter what she has on her plate she will eventually hand out the goodies to those around her. Of course, she is very smart, and wants what we have then she hollers for it too. Crazy kids.

Shelby has been trying to snuff out her homework that she brought along so that she'll be in the "free and clear" upon our return home. She needed some help with algebra the other night and I am not ashamed to admit that Julie and I had no stinking idea what we were staring at. A few nods here and there from us and she talked herself through it. Those 20 years since high school felt like 40 that night. She gets a little more homesick by the day but insists that she is having a good time. She has been reading quite a bit as well to help keep herself busy. In fact, she just awoke from her power nap and immediately reached for a book.

Tonight we have plans with our fellow traveling family to have them over to our place and order in. No, not Chinese, but rather PAPA JOHNS! And they deliver!! Wooooooooooooo hoooooooooooooooooooo!!!! I've got to meet the bicycle delivery guy at the elevator doors at 6. Might need back-up.

Enjoy the pictures and we will write again soon. We trust that everything is going swimmingly with you all in the USA! Godspeed!!

Shelby's Perspective

Through the course of our journey, I have come to notice many things. One being that for some reason I feel more at home here in Guangzhou than in Beijing. Beijing seemed to be a crowded place where the people didn't really communicate with the others around them.It is a different story where we are staying in Guangzhou. Except for the occasional sound of a car horn warning pedestrians of their coming, the island that we are staying on is a very quiet place. It seems as though everyone knows each other. There are absolutely no strangers to be found.

As we walk the streets to pass time during the long days, we will see that most of the people carry cell phones and i-pods, which took me by surprise. I expected to see an abundance of people that were lucky to have a meal on the table each night, rather than an abundance of people that carried the new technologies of the world in their pockets. The thing that awed me the most about the people was that enjoyed many things that we take for granted. Instead of watching their favorite television show or talking on the phone when they get off of work like we do, these people spend their evenings taking walks or playing in the park with their families.They spend their time wisely and never take life for granted. These people may not have the finest things in life, but they are fully satisfied with everything they have. This lesson is a lesson that I will not only carry with me for the rest of my life but, will make a strong effort to teach others around me. I can only hope that these lessons help people see what I have seen in my short time spent here in China.

Pictures!!!!

Oh, dear Storie...

I know, I know. We haven't been posting on time like we promised. Please forgive us (we know you will but it sounded good).


We have spent enough time with Storie to get a clue of who she is. She is fiesty. She is tempermental. She is cranky when she doesn't get what she wants. She likes to throw tantrums. In other words, she is SPOILED!


Along with the screaming at the top of her lungs (good gracious she has a set of pipes!), the foot stomping because we won't allow her to write all over the walls with crayons, and the screaming at the top of her lungs (oh, did I already say that?!), she has wonderful attributes about her as well (and those are what you really want to know, right?).


Storie sleeps all through the night, is a happy baby in the morning, is as cute as a button, mimics everything and everybody, kisses on command (Julie & Shelby mostly-she doesn't like my gotee and mustache) and eats like a horse.


It is very evident that Storie is extremely intelligent in that she can mimic body language, gestures, and sounds immediately. Julie & Shelby taught her how to wave her hands "goodbye" and how to blow kisses. She is the hit of the island (Our hotel is situated on Shiaman Island in Guangzhou) and is a ham for the camera. Julie sang some noises/notes to her today and Storie sang them back almost with the identical pitches in a matter of seconds. Scary. Julie told me that she is Daddy's girl because she favors me. I'm not so sure about that for she likes Mommy too. She has a way of splitting time between us and has forged a sweet bond with Shelby as well. She just enjoys us (understandable!).


I always thought I ate a lot. I have no doubt that Storie could shut down a buffet restaurant after devouring their entire stock of grub. She is always hungry and more than happy to hammer it down, making us look like lightweights. She also enjoys feeding herself and does a rather nice job of manipulating forks and spoons. Heck, I'm so tired in the mornings that I have her feeding me my breakfast!


She has this kick in her legs when she walks and swings her left arm back and forth. Everytime I see it I imagine her as George Jefferson and break out in tune with, "Moving on up, to the deluxe apartment in the sky......" (and I unwittingly began referring to Julie as "Weezie"). You'll have to see it for yourself to understand.


Storie's hair is buzzed short just like Sydney's was. I referred to Sydney as "Little Buzzard" because of her hair & I just labeled Storie as "Spike" (from the Gremlins movie). I call her by her nickname and laugh at myself (because no one else does). It's all out of love, of course!


Well, I'm going to bolt for now. Julie and Storie are in bed and Shelbster is sleeping soundly on the couch (with a huge feather comforter as her makeshift mattress). I had better get some rest myself. We will holler your way soon!


-Kurt

Drumroll Please!!!

Sorry to keep you all waiting for the unveiling of the latest addition to the Humbert household! Here she is!

We still were suffering from sleep deprivation when we hopped on the bus and were driven (raced) to the Civil Affairs Bureau. The wait wasn't long and the nervousness that all three of us claimed we were immune too started to set in. Only a few minutes to go before the official delivery of the youngster...what a time to fill out even more paperwork!

The final once-over of the documentation led Julie to ask me if I wanted to change Storie's middle name. I said, "No, it's fine the way it is" and she replied, "Look, it's now or never. Don't you EVER say that I didn't ask down the road." Hmmm, I pondered the possibility of having a final say-so. My decision was made in about 1.2 milliseconds. Now listen, Alana was a great name because Julie wanted her to be named after me (middle name is Alan), but I pulled the trigger and we went with Storie Alexus Hai Hu Humbert. Don't be haters.

Storie seemed to take to us...for about 15 minutes. We believe the realization that she wasn't just with us for a short visit sent her over the edge. And over the edge she went-for the rest of the day. Thankfully, she screamed herself to sleep at close to 11 p.m. and slept until 7 a.m. without waking too much. Storie slept in bed with Julie and I and Shelby was banished to the couch. The couch that doesn't pull out. The couch that is only half as long as Shelby. We have now started a new savings account to pay for her chiopractic bills down the road. (Seriously, she offered to sleep on the couch, although it kept Julie and I awake most of the night worrying about her).

Shelby goes with the flow and is hanging in there although she misses home and friends which is understandable, of course. This trip is-let's not mince words-LONG, but she doesn't complain much. She has been a huge help with Storie and we are blessed for her to have been a part of this. I am certain that this trip will affect her in positive ways in her future.

Later today we will post more. The torch may be passed to Shelby to update you as she is quite a writer. Until then, sleep long and soundly (Yes, we're jealous). Enjoy the pics!!!

-Kurt

I thought I needed to add a little more to Kurt’s post. Yesterday was positively one of the hardest days of my life. As Kurt mentioned, Storie initially was fine when we received her. She was curious and appeared to be content. After she realized Jenny Smith left (she is the American who runs True Children’s Home and the one who brought Storie to us) she started becoming concerned. When the other Chinese officials left too, she stood up and started looking out of the window. She started crying and yelling “mama, mama”. She would not allow us to comfort her and would push us away. She tried to run to the elevators and was looking around calling “mama, mama” over and over.

As a mother, it was excruciating to watch her go through this. Nothing I did made a difference and it was very obvious she was grieving for her foster parents whom she has been with for the past eight months. We did our best to console her and make the transition easy but we could not take away her pain. After she finally cried herself to sleep lying next to me I just laid there and watched her. I didn’t sleep much at all last night because I couldn’t get her crying and yelling for her foster mom out of my head.

I knew before traveling to China to adopt Storie that she would have a difficult time because she had been in foster care. I knew she would grieve and have a difficult time accepting us. I thought I was prepared for this but I wasn’t. It is such a helpless feeling not to be able to make her hurt go away. I know in time her grief will heal but in the mean time I feel as if my heart is breaking along with hers.

I know her grieving is a healthy response because it means she has learned how to bond and attach to someone. I know she was so lucky to have been placed with foster parents who loved her and cared for her. She will benefit the rest of her life because of the opportunity she received to learn how to love and have her needs met. My brain knows all of these things. It is my heart that is having a hard time….

Julie

Quick and easy...

This will be fast so pay close attention:

Climbed Great Wall. Very arduous. Feet tired. Scratch that...every single part of my anatomy tired. Might as well tell you all now that Julie and Shelby smoked me going up the Wall (I figured you'd find out sooner or later). I'm a wimp.

Visited jade store. Very cool but I could buy a Lexus with the $ they wanted for the stuff (although it was impressive).

We soon went to lunch and had...well, I'm not exactly sure what everything was. Stomache churned. Washed it all down with a Sprite. Looking forward to popping my antibiotic when I get back to the hotel.

Made our way to the Summer Palace...to walk even more. Yippee. Beautiful sights made up for the searing pain in our legs and the sheer exhaustion we felt, however. Took plenty of pics. Will post later.

Back onto the bus (for the 50th time today) for the NASCAR race back to the hotel. I swear that our driver would win the Indy 500 on his first try. Antibiotic taken. Shelby is extremely pooped out and is sleeping peacefully as I write. Julie just dozed off too. In my bed. She will be wakened momentarily and booted into bed with Shelby. Hey, I need the room, so back off. Wimps require more sleep than the typical human. Seriously. Look it up.

Look forward to posting pics ASAP. Shelby will be posting soon on the blog. Perhaps in the next few days. Regardless of the blogger, we will holler at you all soon. Stomache churning again. Must go now. Until we blog again......

-Kurt

Let's get this party started

Did you all enjoy the pic of me nodding off on the plane? Yep, I was ambushed by two girls who undoubtedly bid their time, concocted "Operation Embarrass", stalked me like a lion does to a gazelle, and pounced on me, causing deep wounds with the shutter of a camera. But, I'm not bitter or anything!

We woke this morning to a chilly, rainy, and dreary day. We all could have used more sleep but hunger beckoned us to the breakfast buffet. Afterward, we decided to take in the sights, sounds, and uniqueness of a bustling Beijing. So we walked next door to the Starbucks and loaded up on Caramel Machiato's and Cafe Mochas. Yummy.

We eventually headed to Tienanmen Square and the Forbidden City where we spent about 4 hours or so. Although I had seen these landmarks before, I still found myself in awe at the architecture and colors of the City. Julie, Shelby, and I took several photographs of the area and we hope you enjoy them. Julie and I are enjoying the trip again, but it has been an absolute blast to have Shelby with us. She seems to be enjoying herself and she has been soaking in the history of the country. We are very happy that she is here.

Soon, it was lunch time and we headed out in search of the perfect Chinese cuisine to fill our bellies. We set out on foot and launched an all-out search of the neighborhood for our meal. 40 minutes passed and we ended up right back at the hotel empty handed. We didn't let it get us down, however. We scoured our brains for a new direction on how to stop the hunger pangs until we were victorious. Our guide called the bus driver and he drove us down the street to McDonald's. Two-for-two so far today!

We stopped in to see an acrobat show which was very entertaining. I wanted to get some photos to share but I was scolded by an attendant after he saw my camera in my hand. Aw, c'mon man, everybody else has one! Oh well, it was a good time had by all (except for the guy sleeping, of course).

We ended up back at the hotel where Shelby took a power nap while I flicked through the TV channels looking for English speaking shows. Julie, on the other hand, hit the health club where she enjoyed a full body massage. Hmmm, I wonder who will get the best night of sleep tonight?!

Well, it's time for me to sign off for the night. Enjoy the pics and we will put more on tomorrow after our journey to the Great Wall and the Summer Palace. Peace out.

-Kurt

Looks Like We Made It!!

We are alive and well in China! We landed in China at 9:30pm Saturday night. ( Your 9:30 am) The flights were long but uneventful. We left Columbus at 11:53 am on Friday so we have had a full 24 hours of traveling. We should be exhausted but we seem to have some energy stores that we didn't know about.

We flew from Columbus to Detroit where we met up with the other three families from our adoption agency that we will be traveling with. We have been blessed with another great group of travel mates. Our group is small so it didn't take long for us to get to know one another. I think we should have a lot of fun with this group and come home with new friends!

We flew from Detroit to Tokyo, which was the long leg of the trip. The flight went pretty well. (With the addition of some medication to help us sleep) It is never easy getting comfortable in such a small seat that hardly reclines. I sat between Shelby and Kurt and felt pretty much squashed the whole time. At one point I woke up with Shelby's legs propped up in mine. She was happily sleeping with her head resting against the side of the window and her legs on me. Obviously, Shelby is a born traveler as she was able to make it work for her.

Kurt was much better on this trip then when we adopted Sydney. He seemed much more calm and relaxed. We even saw several smiles out of him during the last 24 hours. He was a good boy and got up and moved around, something he didn't do at all on his last trip to China. He tried to claim that he didn't sleep on the plane but we took pictures of him sawing logs so he can't deny it.

We did have one scare tonight when we got to our hotel finally. They said to come to our rooms and they would bring our luggage to us. We had our money stash in Kurt's carry on so nit wouldn't get all wrinkled on the long flight over.(Those of you who haven't adopted before would not know that to exchange money they need to be crisp, unmarked, like new bills.) The knock on our door came and all of our bags were delivered but the one with all of the money. We knew it had to be somewhere because we put it on our bus with us. Kurt checked with the others to see if perhaps it was taken to their room instead, but no luck. He was trying to call our guide and he couldn't get the phone to work right. He was becoming increasingly alarmed so I told him I would go to the front desk and take care of it. (It sounded good at the time anyway!) When I get off the elevator in he lobby here came the Bell Hop and what did he have but our very precious suitcase. Whew! I was even starting to get a little concerned.

I know what most of you are waiting for is to read Kurt's posts. He has promised that tomorrow he will post. For now I think we need to get some sleep.

Julie