GT Strikes Again

The last couple of weeks have been super tough at the Roberts House! Janie came down with a yucky tummy virus that last about 4 days starting on the Wednesday the 23rd. I was called home from work to get her after being there for literally 1 minute. The following day I received a call from the Health Nurse to say that Quinn had a bloody nose but was mild. My worst nightmare had came true - for him to be at school with a nose bleed! Thankfully, it was indeed mild and I was able to pack his nose. I feared what the following day would actually bring ... the calm before the storm or we were going to be extremely lucky! By night it had stopped and I took the packing out. The following day there was no school so I sent Quinn to Citi Family Center across the street from work and the girls went their own separate ways. With Janie being sick she stayed with Daddy so that I could get caught up on work. It seemed like there was a large mound of Audits with no end in sight to have completed and of course by a deadline! My phone rang about 11:30 with a voice saying "Mrs. Roberts, Quinn has a bloody nose ... pause pause pause ... It is bleeding really bad!" Yikes .. I grabbed my purse and took out running across the street ... When I got there it was amazing, overwhelming and very sad what I saw. The blood was so fast and furious out of his little nose that it was rolling out of his mouth, nose and eye in a steady stream with large clots falling behind! I had never seen it that bad. I quickly got the supplies that I need and packing his nose ..... 10 minutes later he had quit bleeding. The bleed was so far back that it was still oozing some inside. We went to Childrens and they elected to infuse with Platelets. We stayed packed until Sunday and all was well as much as could be. On Monday morning he woke me at 3am to say that he felt blood in his throat. Sure enough 5 minutes later it started on the other side of his little nose! Once again, it was bad but not as much as Friday! At 9am he started bleeding past the packing. We went in for Factor (aka NovoSeven). It proved to be relatively successful with mild oozing. He lightly packed Quinn's nose. His Hemaglobin had dropped down to around 8.0. The is low but is for him is not too severe. The following day he asked to stay at home simply becuase he was not feeling well at all and was weak. He continued to oooz until Friday. Quinn seems to be feeling much better and is recovering from the last weeks events. It has been almost 1 year to the day that he was hospitalzied (10/3/08) and infused with both platelets and RBC. What a trooper this little fellow is!

Normally, we use Platelets for the nose and NovoSen for the mouth/gums. After debate and much talking we have elected to use the NovoSeven going forward. With many fights over the use of NovoSeven, the insurance company has finally elected to see it my way and the doctors way that it is "medically necessary" for him to have it! A shipment arrived at my door just a few weeks ago! Yeah! This will eliminate expense and trips to the hospital for an infusion. Next week, we go to the Hematologist and will meet with the nurse to learn how to actually use this! I am very excited about this. It will take some time to build faith that this will be a good choice for Quinn. What I have saw so far is that it wont completely stop the bleeding. But is certainly better than what was.

~ One Year Ago Tomorrow ~

I hadnt realized so much time has passed! Time sure flies when you are having fun I guess :) My mind has been wandering back to what happened one year ago tomorrow. I was united with my son in China! Hard to believe it has been such a short time. I clearly remember the day that he came to me. He was scared and puckered up at me for the first few hours really trying to hold back tears. Then he realized the all was good and he just jabbered away non stop. Honestly, I have no idea what he was telling me but believe he was telling me stories about himself. The first few moments he would not let me touch him and kept bouncing from chair to chair at the Civil Affairs Office. In the van on the way home he kept looking at me with big puppy dog puddled eyes his little hands in his lap. Now, that trip to Wal Mart when he got to pick out new sandles and a toy did it for him. He was good at that point!

Since coming home, we have made incredible strides both medically and emotionally. Medically, Quinn seems to be doing very well and has adjusted to American medicine and likes his Hematologist. He has a very rare platelet disorder called Glanzmanns's Thrombasthenia so he bleeds tsunami's. He has infusions of platelets and Factor VII (NovoSeven) depending on the type of bleed he is having, etc. He does well with all and just takes it in stride. He wants me to do everything for him other than stick him with a needle. Which, I will be doing soon. He said he is ok with that too and he trusts me!

Emotionally, we have made some great leaps but still have some work to do! It is hard for him when he misses China so much. However, having Ming and Juan in the US has been a blessing for him. Now that he is back in school he has less time to think and has improved his moral a bit also. All in all I am very proud of my little prince!

Quinn has became quite the little fisherman and his Daddy says he shows great potential as a Professional Fisherman one day! He loves this sport and will be sad to see the cold weather set in on him. Unfortuately, he doenst handle the cold weather well so he will be limited on his time in the boat.

This summer Quinn and his sisters took Swimming Lessons. The girls did rather well... Quinn on the other hand seemed to be like a "rock". So, I think that he will need some more guidance in this area. Hopefully, this winter we will be able to take some more classes and occupy ourselves during those cool months. He is such a good sport about it and really enjoys the water. When he came to me this is what he asked me for "could I teach him how to swim"! Very simple request out of a little fellow!

Two weeks ago we went to court to finalize Quinn's adoption in the US. He arrived home on an IR-4 Visa because Daddy and Janie couldnt travel with us due to the passing of Uncle Brian. It seemed to be such a long but simple process. I had all of the information and filed the case my self. However, the court appointed Guardian did not like the fact that I didnt have an attorney, so we had to hire our friend to go to court with us! Just glad that is all finalized. Now, I have to complete the remainder of the paperwork and apply for his SSN, Birth Certificate, Passport and Certificate of Citizenship. Whew!

Lou Juan is Home!

Finally after many conversations about Lou Juan .. She has landed in the US with her new family! We are very excited to have her among us :)

July 10th, we left to see her and Ming in SLC for a long weekend. It was wonderful seeing the three united together. In China, they were like the three amigos. Quinn being the youngest! Sadly, Quinn could not communicate very much with Juan due to his loss of the language but said that he could understand some of what was being said still. We are hoping to have another weekend trip in the fall!

Congrats Juan on Family Day!

** Finally Ming & Qi are Together **

Finally, Ming and Qi are together at last!! We met them at the airport to find lots of smiles and a few hugs. What an emotional meeting for me at least. Life is so different for both now and is all positive :)

Ming was able to stay with us both nights that they were here. I am not sure that the kids got much sleep at all. In the end it really didnt matter. They enjoyed playing Nintendo DS, a movie, lots of swimming and great conversation and fun at Chuck E Cheese!

We were able to spend time with Ming's parents and her brother and sister as well. It was absolutely fabulous to finally meet them after many long conversations and emails. They felt like family!

Both kids parted with a sad heart! Quinn was in a slump for about 4 days and didnt want to really do much of anything. They talked on the phone every night after school for several days. They both said that they didnt want to be apart. I promised Quinn that we would make plans for another trip soon! Hopefully it will work out where we can see them before the end of the school year.

*** Merry Christmas ***

Wow, I am really behind here - as usual it seems these days! Sorry for the late post.

This has been an exciting month for the Roberts household with the holidays coming and the excitement in the kids eyes!! Quinn is especially excited about the holiday and is so fascinated with the lights. He and Owen have bought so many lights that it feels like Chevy Chase lives here or something :) The Christmas Tree was a hit of course as well as the presents but not as much as the lights. It was almost disappointing because Quinn wasn't jumping up and down. He just doesn't get too excited about many things like I would have thought. The presents were all piled out in the middle of the floor because each child decided that they wanted their own piles and nothing under the base of the tree. It was a tremendous amount of fun shopping for the kids this year.

We were able to make a visit to see Santa Clause with all of the cousins this year. It was different saying that there were "8 children" this time around rather than our beautiful 7 chicks. Everyone smiled nicely for the camera. What a sight it was to see Quinn perched up on Santa's knee surrounded by 7 gorgeous girls! He was all smiles and seems pretty proud of his harem! Uncle Chad and his girls made a trip to the City and the triplets all came for a sleepover. What fun.

We were able to do some holiday baking as well. That was a big hit for the kids. They also were able to enjoy baking gingerbread cookies with their cousins. Santa loved the Yummies!

Quin had his visit at the Hemophilia Treatment Center earlier in the month. His levels are holding very nicely with improvement in all areas including the Anemia and his Nutritional Levels. No Bleed this month and are looking forward to more months that are good in the medical area.

Quinn's "China Sister" Ming will be visiting in the month of January. She is almost 4 years older than him and lived with him in China. The kids talk on the phone all the time and have a great relationship. It will be wonderful to see them together at last on American Soil with their families! Life is so different for them now but all for the better.

Lots of Celebrations ~

Happy 8th Birthday to Alex on the 12th! She was so excited that she finally got her Nintendo DS that she had been begging for. Wow, I can hardly believe that she is this age! The expression on her face was absolutely priceless.... Alex was speechless and that never happens!

Happy Gotcha Day my little Janie today! What memories from 5 years ago as we waiting not so patiently waiting for those elevator doors to open. What a scared little baby you were that day - it didnt take you long to come around :)

Tuesday, Alexandra will celebrate her 7th Gotcha Day with us! You showed no fear when you were placed in our arms but sure did fool us ..... you were all quiet and then the 3rd day you popped out of your shell and have been running non stop every since! I think 5 years has gone by quickly.

Quinn came down with a nasty cold and fever Wednesday night. Is doing better now but still a little on the low grade fever side with a cough. I had to miss my first day back to work Thursday. I guess tomorrow will be my lucky day pending no more troubles.

Uncle Brian was sure missed this week! Without fail he was always here to celebrate the "your little peanut's" birthdays! Christmas time is harder yet ~

Another Dr. Appt

Friday we had a monthly follow up with the Hematologist and a shot update. First we started with the shots. He did really well but cried. I say well because the first trip he became furious with me for allowing them to give him shots. So, progress with that!

Next stop was Hematology. He bled quite a bit this time from the shots and had to bandage his arm up with guaze and tape it up tight. I looked again once we got the office and it had bled through so we had to wrap it again. This time, they used tape that is used for bone marrow patients and seemed to work well. This morning I looked again and there was still a small amount of fresh blood so put Amicar on it and tape it up tightly. Tonight, it was fine. The doctor was impressed with the changes in him both physical and emotionally. His weight was 35.6 lbs today which is a step in the right direction. She seemed to feel like his small size is due to the bleeding disorder and anemia. They ran labs on his hemoglobin and found it to have dropped 1 gram to 9.8. Which is still good. In China he was running around 7.9. We will do another follow up appointment again next month. The doc's will continue to monitor him due to the type of disorder he has.

School is going well and he seems to like going. He is an amazing little boy and is learning all kinds of things. He is using the "sticker system" for doing a good job and am seeing them everyday.

Quinn is so excited about all of the Christmas lights and pretty's! I usually wait until Thanksgiving time to put our tree up but think we will do it next weekend while Daddy is deer hunting. I have tried to tell him a little about Santa Clause but think that a little movie would be more explanatory for him. When I told him that Santa would bring gifts for the good little boys and girls his eyes lit up and he was speechless! Too cute ~ Today, Daddy and Quinn went to Home Depot to buy some lights and a reindeer for the yard. He loved that! I am really looking forward to the holidays this year ~ he will be so fun to watch! My boy's first Christmas ...

Fishing ~

My boy loves to fish with his PaPa and Daddy!!! He has asked several times for PaPa to come back :) Hint Hint PaPa!!! I will try to post pictures soon for you. He has some awesomepictures. He is now calling our boat "Quinn and Daddy's boat!!"

One Month Home ~

Wow!!! I can hardly believe that it has been another month of being home. Alot has happened since my last journal entry.

Quinn had a bleed and was in the hospital for three days one month ago today. He had a nose bleed that would not stop and brought us to the ER one day and to the hospital the next day to be admitted. The first visit he quit bleeding while we were there so they released us. The following day he was still bleeding and was getting weak. Honestly, the doctors did not take me seriously the 5 times that I called in 20 hours. Finally, they told me that if I was uncomfortable to bring him in - WHAT!! So, after being in ER/Trauma for one hour with continued bleeding they drew blood and started an IV. The bleeding became more persistant and Afrin was only working for a short time at that point. He started becoming lethargic and had to have a sternum rub to wake up. Finally, the administered RBC and was talking about giving platelets if the RBC werent enough. After many conversations of describing what his diagnosis and treatment had been in China they finally decided that packing the nose was the way to go. Hello!! Immediately after packing his nose the bleeding had slowed down and finally stopped after a short time. The pressure of putting the packing in the nose stopped the vessels from bleeding. We stayed another 24 hours so that observations could be made on his bleeding and to run a few more blood tests. I think we had every Hematologists in the hospital there to check up on us. We received good care once we were in the hands of the right doctors. With Quinn being anemic, his blood was already thinner then the IV thinned the blood out more which caused more bleeding. Anyway, you get the picture. At the end of our visit they assured me that the next time I called I would be taken more seriously when I told them he was bleeding! I guess it was difficult for them without having an "American Diagnosis".

After several more lab tests it has been determined that he has a very rare bleeding disorder and is the 193rd person in the US to have it. Thrombasthenia is our culpret! The physicians are checking internationally to see if there is further treatment or testing available for it. After persistance, they gave me meds to help him in the event of another bleed!!! Yeah for Mommy!!

Quinn lost a tooth about 2 weeks ago and now has another loose. It was 12 long hours of bleeding and took 3 doses of meds and multiple packings to get it to stop. What a strong and brave boy we have!!

This is our second week of school and he is doing well with it. It is amazing how well he is doing and the handwriting on this little guy is awesome! He writes like he has been doing this all his life. Math and telling time are also strong points too. We are working on a reward system both at school and at home with stickers and a calendar so that he can visibly see good behavior. This seems to be doing well for him the past couple of days. We have had a few bumps and bruises along the way with differences in customs, house rules and the grieving process.

Funny story ~ tonight he wasnted to call his friend in Texas so we did. While I was on the phone talking with her Daddy aroudn the corner Quinn came running "Mommy come here now please!" He sounded a little shaken so I hurried up. He opened the door to the microwave to a blaze of fire!!!! What ~ I couldnt believe this ... it was our medicine that I had picked up today!!! It was printed in blue and white like a popcorn back so am thinking that is what he thought it was and popped it in. It took several cups of what to put the fire out!!! I have let him use the microwave with my direction supervision only. I guess he was feeling independent and thought he could do it himself to! We will have a little conversation about that also. Owen said, well I guess my medicine with taste a little dry tonight!

~ Fully Recovered ~

We are settled in pretty much and have finally recovered from the Jet Lag. Whewwww! Quinn handled it beautifully and never had much problem ... Alex had trouble for about a week and is back in school full force.

Last week we had our appointment with Hematology. The doctor is excellent and is highly rated. What a comfort she was and explained everything wonderfully. The have ruled out several of the more severe bleeding disorders as well as Leukemia. At this point, it looks like his platelets are not functioning properly. Next Friday we go again and will have another blood test done to see how they are functioning and hopefully determine the reason. If we are unable to find a reason, a bone marrow test will be on the agenda shortly thereafter. This poor little fellow has been stuck so many times in his life, I really hope that we dont have to resort to that.

Quinn seems to be getting along wonderfully in his new family and seems to like us all pretty well. Recently, he met is PaPa for the first time! What a hit that was :) They instantly were buddies. Owen and PaPa took him out fishing and that was all that he wanted to do after that! He loved the boat and the lake too. If this were me in his shoes, I would be too scared to move out of the corner.

He is an amazing little boy and am saddened that we werenot united before now. He is full of smiles and laughs and very good @ reading body language. Every day, he seems to learn something new. Yesterday he informed me the difference of left and right and he completely knows the way to get our of our "detoured" neighborhood. I believe he knew the difference in Chinese words but not English. I have called the school and started the ball rolling on his enrollment. At this point, I am waiting for them to get back to me with the information. They will have to line up Mandarin translators, etc. First we have to do all of his shots starting from square one. Looks like he may have had Hep B but that is all. I feel sorry for his skinny little body.

Quinn had started talking to his Chinese sister (not really but they were together in the orphanage) on the phone over the past few weeks and is loving that. She came home about a month before he did. He loves telling me stories about her and him in China!

Last week, my little prince was able to speak with someone in Mandarin. He was so sweet ... he said he used to be an orphan but isnt an orphan anymore because he has a family now! He loves his Mommy but is getting bored at home with her and misses his friends! Well, my little social butterfly really needs to go to school or be introduced to new friends or I need to come up with more challenging lessons for him!

Life is Good at the Roberts House!

~ Settling In ~

We are officially settling in and recoverying from Jet Lag ... or should I say that Mommy is recoverying from Jet Lag. Yes, that is more appropriate. This morning I feel better than yesterday. Oddly, the third day I hit the wall! Quinn did wonderful with the time adjustment and couldnt have asked for anything better. He went to bed the first night when I tucked him in and slept until he saw me walk by the next morning. It has been smooth sailing ever since. Alexandra on the other hand had a few rough nights but slept good again last night. She is a night owl anyway so is a little tougher on her.

Quinn seems to be doing wonderfully with the exception of 1 melt down. Other than that he is a perfect child! :) He seems so excited about his new family which we are extremely excited about. He now says thank you to the littlest things and is really loving his new clothes and toys too. Amazing the things that we take for granite in our daily lives. For example ... drinking from a straw, opening an automatic window on the car, a microwave, which pair of shoes to wear, etc. As we go through these little things we watch him as he is totally amazed. He cant seem to get enough hugs and kisses and calls "Mommy" all through the house if he doesnt see me for about 3 seconds .... hugs me and goes back to what he was doing. He is just too cute!

We had our first doctors appointment on Friday. It seemed to go well and felt positive vibes from it. The most positive thing out of the visit was that the doctor felt that the bleeding disorder was not severe since he is not bleeding all the time!!! Of course, we have to undergo the blood work and Hematology appointments to get accurate information. This week we should be hearing from the childrens hospital about a date to come in and when to go have his labs done. We are anxious to have a few answers and feel like we can move forward.

We Are HOME!!!

Yes, we have finally made it home after being in the air way too long to count and almost missed every flight that was scheduled except the first one. Once we hit Tokyo we had less than 20 minutes to make the flight to Detroit after we cleared security. Once to Detroit, we stood in line at Customs for about 1 hour 20 minutes and then had to re-check the luggage, and juggle the lines to make the flight. Of course, it was one of those check points where you had to take your shoes off to get through. I have never ran this fast without shoes on in my life. My children learned the meaning of "We have to hurry or we wont get to see Daddy and Janie!" I heard "Final Boarding Call" more than I wanted too! Someone special from above was certainly with us or we never would have made them all!

Quinn was sick on the international flight towards the very end but quickly recovered!

Once we got to Kansas City, he was sleeping and I tried to wake him... no response. Finally, I said we are almost in Kansas City and your Ba Ba and Mei Mei are here waiting for you. He immediately sat up in the seat and started putting his sandals on and was ready to go before the plane touched the ground! :) Walking out the gateway, he saw his Ba Ba and immediately there was a connection. It seemed like they had always known each other to. What a sweet sight to see! :) Of course, he was ever so excited to see Janie.

Since being home, he amazes me every minute of the day. He is an incredible child and I feel so blessed to have him in my life! He understands about 99% of what I tell him and get a response from him. He repeats English language well and is remembering things that I tell him and using words them properly. He eats like a horse which is excellent!

I had to take him clothes shopping because absolutely everything in the closet except socks were too big on him! He was so cute in the store and understood that he was getting new threads. He would look at something, hold it up and make a decision whether he liked it or not and was even thinking about the size that would be good. Tomorrow I will take him again for more. We managed to find 3 pair of jeans for his small size 4, 33 lb body that actually fit. It is hard to remember that he is actually 7-1/2 years old at times!

Finally, another day that I have been waiting for - his first Doctors appointment! Tomorrow first thing in the morning, and hoping for a good response and a quick referral to the Hematologist!

Will try to post photos soon of our arrival!

Home Bound!!!!

I thought that this time would never come!!! Tomorrow morning we awake @ 4am to get ready for the airport and off to Tokyo we go ... From there we have a 12 hour flight to Detroit. We are extremely hopeful that we make our flight for home from there. Before we can get on the plane we have to clear Immigration with Quinn and Customs then re-check our luggage. We only have 1 hour and 50 minutes to make it all happen! Hopefully, the tailwind will be on our side and help us to arrive a few minutes earlier. If not, then Daddy is coming to Detroit to get us if there isnt another flight leaving!! I am so ready to come home I cant describe it. I feel like I am going to bust out crying!

The US Consulate appointment went well today and we received our brown envelope! Yeah!!

Chen Temple

Not sure if the video will play for you or not ~ Good Luck!

New Photos

I have posted a few new photos on the sidebar. The video is not uploading at the moment.

US Consulate

Today our papers went to the US Consulate to finalize the adoption. Tomorrow we go to take our Oath and do our packing to come home!!!!! I am absolutely ready to get home to my family! GZ is so hot and humid and miserable feeling at times. Still raining off and on.

We toured the Chen Temple today. It was nice but have been there twice before. Quinn didnt seem too interested at all and had a melt down on me again! Alex felt pretty uneventful about it. Later we visited another temple and was able to see the Chinese visit the Buddist Temples in honor of the Moon Festival that is coming up. Very interesting stuff. We were blessed while we were there. Alex decided that she would rather not participate in their service and save her worship for church back at home. Beautiful art work in the temple too.

I taught Quinn to say "I'm Mommas Boy" today... He kept repeating it and then my little clown all of a sudden says "I'm Ba Ba's Boy" .. He laughed and knew what he was saying! He is a clown that is for sure. He laughs and giggles all the time except when he is having a melt down. What a blessing this little guy is! I am so anxious for his family to meet him. His Pa Pa will be so in love with his new addition too ~ Quinn loves fresh vegetables so you might have a helper in the garden! It is amazing how the red thread has weaved through all this time for us to be united! PERFECT!!!

New Photos

I had added a few new photos of the kiddos. The one with Quinn and the pink thing on his head is actually a napkin. My little clown decided that it looked better on his head than the table~ Wait until his Ba Ba sees him in pink.

We are doing well and waiting for Wednesday morning!

2 Days Left ~ YEAH!!!

Two more days before we head out for home! I will be so glad to be in my own softer bed and see my husband and daughter!

Today we went to the jade and pearl market and did some local shopping on the Island. Tonight, we went to an italian restaurant and it was very yummy. Quinn refused to eat his pizza and told the guide that the food smelled bad! :) Ok, so how funny is that! It was raining again so we asked if they could call a taxi for us. They sent the waitress out in the rain with an umbrella to hail a cab for us ... 20 minutes later she came back! We felt terrible and had no idea that is how they did it .... Well, I guess we arent in NY or anything like that so should have known better.

Tomorrow our papers will be submitted to the American Consulate so that we can finalize the adoption. Tuesday, we take the Oath and leave Wednesday morning at 8am or Tuesday Night American time!

Shopping

Today we were able to take in a little shopping in spite of more rain here on the Island. Quinn did not want to spend the few yuan that he had ... he kept wanting me to buy everything for him. How quickly he learned that! While we were shopping a merchant gave me a fake 50. I had no idea until I went to the next merchant! Not that much American money but still the point. I guess that will be a momento.

Tonight we went to dinner with group after being separated all week. What cute babies! A trip down memory lane with the girls. Quinn is so small that I can hold him on my hip so brings back memories :) All was good except having no sleept caught up with them! Trying to get them to bed for a good sleep!

Cuteness Alert!!!!

I have posted a few new photos out on the sidebar!

We are in Guangzhou!!!

Yeah, we have finally made it to the White Swan! It was an adventure getting here and to be stranded in the midde of problems with no English speaking people. Actually, I think there was an English recording but you couldnt hear it because all the other people were mad and talking over everything. Our flight was due to leave @ 7:55pm. We sat on the plane for probably 40 minutes then we get off because the there was a storm in Guangzhou and planes were not allowed to arrive or depart. Then a loud announcement comes on the speaker in Chinese ... I have no idea what was said but can assume it was some type of security check or something as they came around and checked everyone's tickets while we stood in the walk way in the heat for a while longer! I would assume probably close to an hour .. We then boarded again sit there a while longer. Finally, we fly out and arrived at the hotel around 1am. What a long few hours it was. The kids did pretty well and of course Quinn was over the top with excitement. However, he decided was going to test his boundaries with me lets say! He had a half way good nights sleep and picked out a new toys so he is good now! Alex is doing fine for the most part.

We are glad to be at the White Swan .... it is more western here. However, the thing I am not happy about is that Danny's Bagels has moved to a new location and is 30 minutes by cab and they dont deliver to the hotel anymore!! Papa John's has moved into town I hear and of course Lucy's is still here. Quinn seems to be adjusting well to western food and particularly likes sausage links and potatoes! Most importantly, the hospitals are better here than in Changsha. The better one is about 30-40 minutes away by cab but has Western Doctors if we happen to need one.

We have finished that paperwork and all the necessary items ... so, now we just wait for the Consulate Appointment and prepare to go home later!

One Day Closer to Home ~

We are one day closer to coming home ~ We have had a slow afternoon and have been trying to keep Quinn quiet. Problem is that Alex is wired up and he naturally wants to play with her. So, he is trying to rough house with her. You should see the two of them together ~ Amazing let me say! They act like they have known each other forever.

He has learned a few English words so far .... the other night he told Alex that I gave him money .... Today he said "Thank You Momma" .... very clearly. He has learned the English words for each part of his face. Very smart boy. I have no idea what he is saying to me but he sure does understand me!

Hoping by the time that we reach Guangzhou we will be good and able to get out more. I havent spent any money yet except for food and a hospital bill! :)

Group Photo

Here is a group photo on Gotcha Day of Alex, Quinn and myself! What a cute bunch I have ... If Janie were in the photo it would be even cuter! :)

Quinn is doing well today - he has ate and slept like nothing before! He should have some good muscles when we get home!
Tomorrow morning his passport will be ready and we will leave tomorrow night for Guangzhou. This part of the journey will finalize the adoption for the USA.

A few bruises ~

We have had a rough start to the day .... Quinn woke me early this morning with a nose bleed. It didnt stop so we went to a Chinese Hospital for assistance. His nose is still packed to slow the bleeding. He is such a wonderful boy and maintains a great sense of humor during this. He is learning how much he loves "Finding Nemo" and drinking Sprite!

Ok, so to lighten our rough morning ... ever been outside of a hotel in your jammies and walk around a hospital for a while in them ... then to a 5 star hotel breakfast buffet? :) It was so hot in there I was drenched so that meant the hotter I got the curlier my hair got! Not a good thing! :) It hasnt been this curly and frizzy in a long time back in Missouri. China humidity and weather is much hotter and humid!

I cant say enough wonderful things about our agency for their assistance and to Love Without Boundaries!!!! These are terrific organization that I would highly recommend making a donation to at some point in the future. They truly love the children of China! Thank You So Much for your Help!!!!!

It is OFFICIAL!!

We are back from the Civil Affairs Building ... It is Official .... We have a son, cousin, brother, grandson, etc in the Roberts family ... Quinn Michael FuQi Roberts has entered the family!!!!! I absolutely can no wait to see him with those 7 little Princess!!

P.S. Sophie, Bella and Ava ... this is Quinn you are seeing in the pictures below ... Soon he will be home to see you! I will post a family photo of us later today hopefully.

A tale of Two Hunan Dollies

Happy Labor Day!!

On this day 16 years ago US time I met my wonderful husband ~ Happy Anniversary Sweetheart! This day will forever be marked as our Anniversary and a Gotcha Day for Qi! :)

Yesterday I took the kiddos to Wal Mart. They did wonderful. I bought Qi a new pair of sandals and both some toys! The fighter jet and transformer were both a hit! Quinn is amazed at his light up shoes!

He is just an adorable little boy in so many way ~ He is perfect for our family! Pa Pa he is Gabby II. He probably has a sore throat from all of his talking :) I have no idea what he is saying most of the time. A few times, I clearly understood. He told Alex last night ... "Momma gave me money" Ok, it was 2 Yuan and you would have thought it was GOLD! He put his wallet in his front pocket.

This morning we go to the Civil Affairs building to formalize our adoption in China @ 9am! What an emotional stop this is. Now, we wait for his passport and then go to Guangzhou Friday night to formalize the adoption for the US.

Janie & Owen .... we miss you!

Gotcha!!!!!

Gotcha Quinn!! What a dollie he is!! This child was truly meant to be with my family. He is such a jokster and will love his Daddy. He told the coordinator today that if she could guess the English words he knew he would pay her $20 USD and laughed at her. He kept making jokes with her too. Quinn said he likes his name and smiled great big when we told him he was named after his Grandpa! He is healthy and happy and small! Not much bigger than Janie :)

Alex is loving being a big sister!

I will post more pictures later!

In Changsha ~

We are finally in Changsha, Hunan!!! It was a bumpy ride but made it.

We originally were supposed to get Quinn in the afternoon now we get him @ 10AM!!!!!!!!!!! Yeah!!!!!!!! So for those not aware of the timezone difference, that will be about the time you go to bed (13 hours difference)!