We've been working with the locally-based Association for the Blind and Visually Impaired to find resource for Christopher. One small piece of which included the purchase of a pair of sport glasses to replace the less sturdy pair he had been wearing up to this point (thank you Empire Vision replacement policy!). We picked these up a couple of months ago, but Christopher wanted nothing to do with them: “I want my little glasses!”

We've been blessed with a couple of beautifully sunny weekends recently and I took the opportunity to talk Christopher into giving his “dark glasses” a try. Soon, the transition lenses kicked in and Christopher was sold. He's been wearing his cool, blue glasses ever since. We think he looks like a superhero.

Posted by ksmoker at 9:40 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

It is Friday morning in a local coffee shop. The morning rush has past and patrons and coffee-baristas are settling into a more relaxed pace. Kari, Ben, and Christopher have arrived, a part of a semi-regular morning routine for coffee and cookies.

Kari is sharing the cream and sugar and napkin and stirrer table with a college-aged kid. He is tall, with long blonde hair (“scraggly” is the word Kari used) and is rather scruffily dressed. Christopher is catching up with a table of regulars showing off his car and newly acquired cookies. He turns and sees his mother, cocks his head to get a better focus on the scene, then turns back to the table and announces in his loud and enthusiastic voice: “That girl looks just like my daddy!”

Posted by ksmoker at 6:29 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

This afternoon Christopher declared to his mother, “I want to watch TV, please! I want to watch soccer, for a little bit.”

And he did: the first half-hour of the Newcastle-Machester United match that I had saved to the DVR over the weekend.

(This post could also have been titled “A Moment of Maternal Dismay.”)

Posted by ksmoker at 8:24 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

This was Christopher's first Christmas (in this country at least) and, well, let's just say he's on-board with the concept. Weeks of anticipation (“Christopher's turn for presents!”) culminated in a Christmas morning jubilee as Chris and Ben took turns tearing open presents and then spent the entire day reveling in their new-found toydom. Christopher spent most of the day playing with his new school bus (neither the first nor the last one he received for Christmas---apparently word had gotten out) while Ben watched his new Ratatoullie DVD twice in one afternoon.

They had gotten a little bit of a Christmas preview after our week-long visit to see Kari's parents in NC, where, of course, the boys were rightfully spoiled silly. We survived the long car trip (thankfully the weather was cooperative) and had a lovely time with Christopher meeting his grandparents for the first time. It was also the first time we got to meet our nephew Freddy, who is a cutie-pie-and-a-half. Fun with toys, long breakfasts, more fun with toys, the occasional trip to the store, delicious dinners, more fun with toys, and lots of grandparently love made for a perfect opening to the Christmas season.

As much fun as we had in the South, it was still nice to get home to relax and enjoy the holiday in our own house. After our brief interlude, we were back on the road again for a weekend trip to my parents house. More family introductions for Christopher and more toys and fun with cousins. Despite being the odd-man out in most of the group kid play, Cristopher didn't seem to mind (indeed, he asserted himself most effectively). Meanwhile, Ben played his first games of Go Fish and Boggle, while we learned how to play a fun new Scrabble-y game called Bananagrams.

It was a wild and crazy couple of weeks, but to our relief (and the kids' dismay) we have now gotten back to some semblance of the pre-holiday routine.

Posted by ksmoker at 8:23 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

On Monday, December 17, we took another trip to Family Court and made official in the eyes of New York State our adoption of Christopher. Against all odds, Christopher sat still long enough for Judge O'Connor to sign the paperwork as we passed another milestone in our family expansion project. Thankfully, we were able to get into the judge's schedule before she hung up her robe for good. Special thanks to George for coming along to share in the event and take some pictures (and occasionally wrestle a squirming Christoper to the ground).

Posted by ksmoker at 8:21 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)

Tonight we had a couple of new animals in the house. In the one image, you can see the pig pulling on the tail of the monkey.

And you wonder why I couldn't get a good picture of the two of them together.

Posted by ksmoker at 9:29 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Today, while running errands we bought some batteries for the digital camera, which explains why there haven't been many recent photos of the kids on the site lately. It only partly explains why we didn't get photographic evidence of Christopher's recent eye injury, the main reason being that we were pretty much too freaked out by the whole thing to even consider taking pictures.

A couple of Fridays ago, Christopher woke up complaining about his eyes--not unusual since he often has light sensitivity when he first wakes up. When Kari noticed him tearing up in the middle of eating his Cheerios, we took a closer look. What we saw was pretty scary. The iris of Christopher's eye was turning red--his cornea was filling with blood.

Of course, we got on the phone immediately and soon were riding the elevator up to the Eye Clinic at Strong Memorial. The doctors were great and responsive but, although we weren't waiting long, we could see that his eye was continuing to get worse during our brief wait. I should mention that this was happening in Christopher's blind eye. Due to his congenital glaucoma, his retina is totally detached in that eye, so we were worried, but not as panicked as we would have been (or as much as he would have been) if this had happened in his good eye.

We learned that this condition, which is called hyphema, can be caused by blunt trauma to the head or the eye itself. If this should happen to you, get your butt to the emergency room. THe increased pressure in the eye may cause further problems and the doctor needs to check for other signs of damage (detached retina, concussion, etc.) that may have resulted from whatever trauma may have occurred.

It turns out the Christopher is susceptible to this because the blood vessels behind his detached retina are especially fragile, and since that eye is already non-functional, we were told that as long as Chris is not in any pain and the blood eventually drains, there is little to worry about--there isn't much more damage that can be done. The doctors asked us to avoid “activity,” which well, Christopher is a 3-yr-old boy with no shortage of energy, so we took that advice with a grain of salt.

Over the weekend his eye improved and the follow-up appointment confirmed that all is well. It was pretty freaky, though. I wish I had taken a picture, but it occurs to me that it would have looked very similar to camera-flash-induced red-eye. So, using the magic of Photoshop red-eye addition, here's a dramatization of what it looked like at the time.

Posted by ksmoker at 9:24 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

On Thursday afternoon, I got a call at the office from Kari. She had just received a call that Christopher's new eyeglasses had arrived (the lenses had to be special ordered) so she rushed over to pick them up, anxious to improve Christopher's vision as soon as possible.

As you can tell from the picture, he's got quite a heavy prescription: -12.00. At least, that's what I think the prescription said. All of my research on the internet suggests that that's an insane amount of correction; however, based on Christopher's reaction when the glasses were first put on his face...well, here's Kari's description of the magic moment:

The moment the optometrist put the glasses on Christopher's face, he burst out laughing, looked at me, and squealed, "Mommy, HELLO! HELLO, MOMMY!! Nice to SEEEEEE you!! Benjamin, Nice to SEEEEE you!!" He then ran around the eyeglass store yelling at people, "Nice to see you!" There wasn't a dry eye in the store. I was choking back tears.

Needless to say, after I got that phone call, I hurried home. I was a little perplexed, though, as that first night at home, Chris seemed as if he couldn't care less about his glasses as he settled back into his regular toy-car-playing, cat-chasing, and Ben-pestering duties. But, starting the next day, Chris has been wearing the glasses every waking moment.

It's clear that he's able to recognize and identify things better at a distance, even when that distance is five or six feet. He's been a bit more alert and quicker to follow what's going on around him. All in all he seems happier now that his world has just gotten a lot bigger.

Posted by ksmoker at 8:54 PM | Permalink | Comments (27)

 

We spent part of the Labor Day weekend visiting my parents. I was a little lax in taking advantage of the great photo ops, but here are a couple of shots of the boys in action: Ben on Grandpa's home-made excavator with Christopher doing more conventional sandbox excavation nearby, also Christopher's attempt at fashion accessorizing.

Posted by ksmoker at 6:46 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

This weekend we made another of our semi-regular pilgrimages to the New York Museum of Transportation and the Rochester & Genesee Valley Railroad Museum. This was Christopher's first visit and probably number four or five for Ben.

As the names suggest, kids (especially boys) love this place. There are buses and fire trucks and horse carriages and railcars and trolleys and trains and even more trains. Included in admission is a two-mile track car ride on a short rail line that links the two museums.

In addition to the multitude of climbing and exploring opportunities these museums provide for kids, there is plenty of railroad and transportation geekery to interest the older “kids,” supplied by the dedicated volunteer railroad geeks who staff the museum. These guys, mostly retirees, spend their free weekends lovingly crafting detailed model railways, maintaining the machinery, painstakingly restoring donated engines and railcars, as well as ushering museum visitors and answering countless questions. It's on about the opposite side of the spectrum from the Strong Museum, but the kids seem to have just as much fun.

Posted by ksmoker at 7:10 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Christopher's been settling in to a good routine. We've been making the rounds as best we can, introducing him to friends and family (there are still many more that we want to get to).

Last weekend, we went to the McGinn's for some fun and food. Christopher OD'd on the fun we think, because this was the result at about 7:30PM as the still slightly jet-lagged Christopher ran out of gas. He had been playing pretty hard with big brother Ben and little “brother” Shaun and halfway through dessert, he tilted his head back (mouth still full of cake) and started snoring.

And how do the Smokers treat fellow family members who suffer such a fate?

Why, we laugh at him, eat his cake, and post his picture on the internet.

Posted by ksmoker at 7:50 PM | Permalink | Comments (7)

It seems that Christopher is beginning to process the recent change in his life. He is beginning to attach to us more and more, to the point where he is anxious when either Kari and I aren't around. When he gets nervous or upset or tired, he repeats a mantra in Chinese, “Ma-ma loves Chen-Chen,” over and over. We've been reassuring him of course, but it seems that he is seeking constant affirmation that we will be with him to stay. We've done a little traveling in the past few of days, but we hope to settle into a more regular home routine, which we hope will help give Christopher a better sense of stability.

Meanwhile, Ben is beginning to do some processing of his own. He is anxious that he isn't being replaced and is even more cuddly and demanding of our attention than he was before. Even though this is obviously difficult for him, he's been very understanding. On balance, I think he's still happier to have a playmate than he is sad about having to share our attentions. It will get better as Chris’ English comes along.

On the plus side, we seem to have conquered the jet lag and have settled into a regular sleeping schedule (even though there is nothing regular about the rest of our schedule).

Posted by ksmoker at 9:34 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Sweet Memory
Youth keeps the flying times
in your sweet and young flowers
with strong fragrance.

- a poem (?) from the cover of a photo album purchased by Kari in China.

Posted by ksmoker at 8:23 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Ben's been really good with Christopher, although the language barrier makes it difficult. As expected, Ben remembers almost no Chinese; in fact, he's adopted the American habit of yelling English words loudly in order to be understood. Christopher, of course has no response for this behavior except to occasionally mimic what is being said:

Ben (loudly): “I said, stop playing with my train!!”

Chris (enthusiastically): “Play wif my tray!”

Still, despite the occasional toy-grabbing and ego-bruising, there are moments like those pictured below that make it obvious that these two brothers enjoy being together.

It's 8:30PM and as I type this, the boys are both sleeping soundly. Our greatest wish in life right now is that they make it through the night. I stood watch with the two insomniacs on Wednesday night. To give you a flavor of night two, here's Kari's take:

Kari's Journal - August 9, 2007

[8:00PM - Plan A]
Both boys are asleep at opposite ends of the couch with their legs jumbled together. They are so exhausted we'll just let them sleep there until the United Airways van arrives with Kari's delayed luggage (which should be any minute now), then we'll take them upstairs. Ken and I will get to watch a movie!

[8:30 PM - Plan B]
Van arrives. Dogs bark. Ben wakes up. He wants to see the presents that are packed away in the bag. It's okay. Chris is so wiped out from the trip that he'll sleep on and it will be nice to spend some alone time with Ben. Afterwards, we'll get him to bed and still be able to spend some quiet time together.

[9:20 PM - Plan C]
Ken announces that he can no longer keep his eyes open so he and Ben go upstairs to bed. Maybe a shot of brandy will help, because my body still thinks it's 9:30 AM and despite the long day, I'm still not tired.

OK. In the kitchen now, brandy in hand. Ahhh, that was good. Wait. Am I hallucinating?! There's a Chinese voice speaking English: “Hello Ma-ma! How are you? Thank You! You're welcome! Oh, Oh! Beeeee Careful!”

Oh no! It's a nightmare! It's Christopher and he's way too happy and wide wake. Ok...think fast!

[9:30PM - Plan D]
Maybe he's hungry. Stuff him with food. We have some leftover noodles. Upstairs now, using the potty. Alright, I'll lay him down to sleep next to Ben, so he won't be scared. The only sounds I hear are Ken snoring, Ben snoring, and--squeak! giggle! bang!--Christopher jumping on the bed. Now Ben is moaning...think fast!

[11:00PM -Plan E]
Downstairs to play with Chris. Maybe 3 hours will be enough. In bed by 2AM, this will leave him enough time to sleep and still be up at a decent hour in the morning.

The four animals are waiting in the living room watching in horror as Christopher demands that I pick him up. “Fueiji!” (airplane), he yells. This can't be happening.

Now I hear Ben's voice from the stairwell, “Mooo-mmy, why did you leave me alone upstairs?? Please come to bed.” I reply, “Ben, does Chris look tired to you?” He answers in exasperation,“No!”

[11:30PM - Plan F]
Put Ben on the couch. Stuff cotton into his ears and put a dishtowel over his eyes. Christopher makes a spiral-shaped parade of matchbox cars around the oval coffee table. The animals groan. Ken snores loudly upstairs.

Before long, Chris is in the kitchen jumping up and down, looking for food. More food?! He just ate his weight in noodles. He grabs some dry cat food. I say, “Yuck!” He tries it anyway, “Ymmmm!” I offer him peanut butter on a spoon. “Yuck,” he says. He squints at me like I'm crazy to have offered him this culinary atrocity. I offer him a pistachio. He hesitates. He puts it in his mouth. He yells, “Yuck!!” and spits it out and hands it back to me. We finally agree on watermelon. “Hmmmmm! Sheh-sheh! Thank you, Ma-ma!”

[1:00AM]
Now he's playing with Sam, kissing him and stroking the top of his head. Sam looks at me with his eyes pleading, “Please, please take me to bed!” Buddy's smart. An hour ago when he was sitting next to Chris he yawned, opening his mouth wide in Christopher's face. Having gotten a good look at Buddy's fangs, Chris started yelling. Buddy just got up and sauntered away, mission accomplished. That Chinese kid shouldn't be bothering me for a while, thought Buddy to himself.

[1:20AM]
Chris runs upstairs to use the bathroom. He does his business. Ken snores.

[1:30AM]
He's not tired.

[1:45AM]
He's not tired.

[1:50AM]
He's not tired. Yet another trip to the bathroom, chattering loudly the whole time. After flushing and returning to the hallway, he hears Ken snore. Loudly, he says, “Shhhh! Shhhh!” He's telling me to be quiet...

[2:00AM - Plan G]
Okay, so 2:00AM won't work. Back downstairs and over the next hour, Christopher learns about 1/3 of his ABC's by pushing the LeapFrog refrigerator magnet about 3000 times in a row and singing along. He also has his bicycle helmet on and his sandals on the wrong feet trying to convince me to take him for a car ride. Ben, having slept fitfully on the couch through all of this has finally had enough and joins us in the kitchen. I suggest that he go up and join Daddy (still snoring) in bed. Ben's response is to wrap himself around my left leg. Seeing this, Christopher hugs my right leg. It's 3:00AM. It's time. We go to bed.

Posted by ksmoker at 8:29 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)

Ben and I arrived at the airport shortly before Kari and Christoper's plane landed in the same glass-enclosed waiting area where Kari first met Ben. George was kind enough to meet us there to provide his inimitable photo-journalist¹ and bellhop services. And I was glad he was there, because once Christopher showed up, I had eyes only for him.

As you can tell from the pictures, he's mostly a blur, constantly in motion from the moment his feet hit the ground. He is also a chatterbox. Last night, he kept up a running stream of commentary from 11:30 to 3:30, with very few pauses. if he doesn't have anything in particular to say, he fills the void with car noises: “deeet, deeet! baaamp, baaamp!” I let Kari sleep after her long trip and stayed up with Chris² as he explored the house and played and played and played with cars (“deeet, deeet!”). Ben tried to keep up, but he ended up falling asleep on the couch around 1:30 AM.

I'm not sure what's going through his head, whether he's figured out that this is his new home or he just thinks it's another hotel stop. He's friendly and even affectionate, but not at all in a cuddly way. His goal when he comes to my outstretched arms is to be launched in the air, not hugged.

So far, Ben is handling this well, although he's asking some pointed questions which are geared toward discovering any new pecking order or determining what Chris is allowed to get away with that he isn't, but he's already showed that he can be patient and understanding with Christopher's exuberance.

I don't know how often I'll be ale to post. I'm already getting a glimpse of what life will be like as a foursome and I'm dying to spend some time with Kari now that we're in the same hemishpere again. I'll try to keep the pictures coming, at least.

Oh yeah, quick P.S.: When we arrived home and I let the dogs out, Christopher immediately started squealing and squirming in Kari's arms and I steeled myself for a long adjustment period. No worries, though. They were squeals of delight. And he was squirming to get out of Kari's arms and down on the dogs’ level, where he was welcomed to the family with a big kiss from Sam.

Posted by ksmoker at 8:10 AM | Permalink | Comments (5)

Right about now, Kari and Christopher should be hiking across the Hong Kong International Airport, three hours in and 10% of their total travel time completed.

Yesterday was the swearing-in ceremony, as emotionally charged for Kari as it was for me, except that hers were somewhat different emotions. Christopher objected to being taken away from his toys and being made to stand still to listen to the immigration instructions and oath-taking. He expressed his objections loudly. Kari had to retreat to a corner of the room and kind of half-heard and then half-mumbled the oath that she needed to take.

Christopher's tantrum didn't diminish the impact of the ceremony, though. Both he and Kari were emotionally exhausted when they returned to their hotel and maybe Christopher is beginning to comprehend what's about to happen. Earlier in the day a Chinese man that Kari and Christopher met in the hotel took the time to kneel down to Christopher's level and tell him that he is a “lucky boy”. Christopher seemed unsure about what that meant, so the man clarified, “Every morning will be happy for you from now on.”

Posted by ksmoker at 7:48 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)

Probably something like two hours ago, Kari and Christopher are woke up to their last full day in China. Sometime tonight while Ben and I sleep, Christopher will complete the immigration process at the swearing-in ceremony and then the only thing separating him from the rest of his new family is a looong series of flights.

Here are two more Christopher pictures. One is from the hotel playroom/nursery and in the other you can see Christopher in his favorite backseat-driver position (car seats are likely going to be a whole new experience for him).

Thanks to the Herpins for sending along the pictures and for all of the support they are offering to Kari. You should check out their blog where they've been recording a heart-warming adoption story of their own.

Posted by ksmoker at 9:30 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

At long last, we get a glimpse of the joy that Kari has experienced for the past week. The family that Kari is traveling with has internet access and was kind enough to email me some pictures.

Here we have Kari and Christopher in front of the waterfall at the famous White Swan Hotel and Christopher having fun with water bottles in their hotel in Nanning. He had that line of water bottles stretching from one end of their room to the other.

I don't have a lot of additional commentary since these picture pretty much speak for themselves. As thrilled as Ben and I are to finally get a look at Christopher, we're now all the more anxious and impatient to meet him in person.

Posted by ksmoker at 10:31 AM | Permalink | Comments (3)

Kari and Christopher are now in Guangzhou. Nanning was hot, but as Kari recognized as soon as they stepped off the plane, Guangzhou is hotter.

Something that Kari is having to deal with on this trip is separation anxiety. Unlike Ben, who spent most of his days in the orphanage, Christopher was placed with a foster family. Yesterday, Christopher got one last chance to say goodbye (although he may not have fully realized the implications) when his foster mother came to the hotel as Kari and Christopher were leaving for the airport. It was a touching farewell as Kari, while Christopher was tugging on her in his excitement to get in the car, gave his foster mother a hug of thanks, one Ma-ma to another.

Having made it successfully to Guangzhou, Christopher seemed to begin processing the situation when they arrived at their hotel room. He began to quietly cry and demanded that the bellhop tell him where his mother was. After explaining to Christopher that Kari was his mother, the bellhop slowly and anxiously backed his way out of the room. After a half-hour or so, Kari was finally able to console Christopher, but it's clear that we will need to be careful helping Christopher through the transition to his new family.

Luckily, Kari is now traveling with another family who are able to provide some additional emotional (and luggage handling) support. Although the guides have been wonderful, it's nice for Kari to have some native English speakers she can turn to.

Posted by ksmoker at 10:16 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Yesterday Kari and Christopher took a drive to the countryside to see the famous mountains of Guangxi. Christopher kept up a steady dialogue with the driver, asking him about each kind of car on the road and shouting out driving instructions. Twice, he had the driver laughing so hard that Kari was afraid for their safety.

After arriving at their destination, Kari started taking pictures of the scenery and two local boys (somewhere in the 8- to 10-yr-old range) starting playfully teasing her and Christopher, mugging for the camera and running into the frame whenever she tried to snap a shot. Having had enough, Christopher went up to the boys and scolded them in no uncertain terms, “You boys are not nice! Stop being mean to me and my Ma-ma!”

Kari and Christopher have a busy day ahead, which will include last-minute scrambling to finalize Christopher's passport/visa and then boarding a brief flight to Guangzhou where they will be completing the US Immigration paperwork prior to the swearing-in ceremony and the long flight home. Because of the travel, I probably won't have the next update until Saturday morning EDT at the earliest.

Posted by ksmoker at 9:28 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)

With daytime temperatures about 70 degrees warmer (Fahrenheit) than what Ben and I had to contend with, Kari and Christopher are taking advantage of the weather as much as possible. This was an off day as far as official business goes, so they went to an amusement park. Christopher is learning the meaning of the English word “No!” as Kari spent much of her time chasing after him and (attempting) to keep him out of trouble. Meanwhile, he continues to crack everyone up around him with his comments and observations. On the way to the amusement park, Christopher carefully watched the crazy Chinese traffic and proclaimed to the driver, “That person better not crash into us or I will punish him and he will have to pay the price of one Yuan!”¹

So Christopher clearly has a lot in common with Ben: he's fearless, outspoken, and headstrong. But Kari's just starting to get to know him (and he's just starting to get to know Kari). Whereas Ben and I bonded pretty much immediately (helped along no doubt by my five-year-old sense of humor), Christopher is a bit more reserved with his affections. It seems like Kari is having to work a little harder to draw him out.

She's doing a great job, though. Christopher's whole world is changing and Kari is letting him work through the change at his own pace. As difficult as it is, she's savoring every moment along the way.

Posted by ksmoker at 9:29 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Kari is hanging in there. Last night, she went to bed early with Christopher, so my phone call woke her up and I only got a brief report on the day.

Yesterday's business included completing the Chinese adoption papers so that now, in China's eyes at least, Kari is officially Christopher's mother. Christopher seems to be coming to the same realization, although he's taking his time about it. After Kari finished signing the documents, Christopher began cheerfully yelling at her in Chinese, “Come on, Ma-ma, let's go!” After a few unsuccessful attempts, he said something that set the other ladies in the room tittering and covering their mouths. When Kari asked, someone finally translated Christopher's indignation: “I don't know why I'm talking to Ma-ma. She doesn't understand anything I say!”

After returning to the hotel, likely triggered by further communication frustration, Christopher had a meltdown and started crying for his “Auntie” (Kari's travel guide) and his Chinese mother. Kari held him and tried to soothe him and he eventually caved in. Shortly thereafter, Kari's jet lag kicked in (and probably some emotional exhaustion as well) and she decided to take him to a nearby park to tire him out.¹ Her plan seemed to work and they soon returned to the hotel room for a quick dinner and then bedtime.

Kari's efforts were ultimately rewarded when Christopher, nearly asleep, climbed into Kari's arms, snuggled against her neck and gave her a kiss on the cheek--a moment that I'm sure Kari will cherish forever.

Posted by ksmoker at 9:44 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)

Tonight I got to hear my son's voice. It wasn't much more than several repetitions of “Ni hao, Ba-ba! Hello!” followed by several repetitions of “Tsai chien! bye-bye!” and lots of giggling, but it sounded like music. Ben (aka, Guh-guh) got a chance to converse with his new little brother and, after a few minutes of mutual incomprehensibility, handed the phone back to me with a bemused look. Ben is going to have his hands full.

It was explained to Kari that Christopher might have a hard time accepting her, given that he had spent the previous years in a foster home as opposed to an orphanage. So, Kari steeled herself as Christopher entered the room where she was waiting. He was all smiles and giggles though, saying “Ni Hao, Ma-ma,” as he headed straight for the toys and started playing. He got really excited when Kari gave him a toy fire truck and car and he seemed to have no hesitation heading back to the hotel with her. There was a brief meltdown in the hotel just prior to bedtime, but it may have been the frustration of the language barrier more than anything else.

After the first night, Kari feels a little more sure of herself and Christopher sure sounds happy. While I talked to Kari, he kept interupting her with some kind of important news, something that involved truck sounds and beeping noises.

Kari has a long day ahead as she begins doing battle with the Chinese and American bureaucracies. She's up to it, though. She's tired from jet-lag, but happy. And the source of that happiness will be right there with her, for the rest of her life.

Posted by ksmoker at 8:34 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Thirty-four hours. That's how long it took Kari to get from one side of the world too the other. Unlike my mostly uneventful journey, Kari's trek included some, well, events. Getting up at 4AM to catch her connecting flight to Dulles was no big deal, but she knew the fun was beginning when she found herself seated next to a crotchety ex-insurance adjuster for the 13+ hour flight to Beijing. To give you an idea: after hearing all about the sorry state of American politics, culture, economy, etc., Kari was also given to understand that this gentleman's prostate surgery three years ago has had no adverse impact on his relationship with his Chinese girlfriend, if you know what he means.

So after bidding adieu to her traveling companion, Kari left the international terminal at the Beijing airport and entered China proper. There, she had a seven-hour layover in which to get accustomed to the disorienting absence of English, the lack of personal space, and the constant stares. This all pretty much creeped her out, but she got some comedic relief when a couple dozen 8-12 year olds, apparently on some kind of field trip, descended upon her not long before the flight to Nanning was about to leave. Eager to practice their English, they all took turns asking her the same questions over and over again: “How are you?”, “What is your name?”, etc. Of course, Kari was her naturally accommodating self so she kept up the conversation en route, as the kids fought over who would sit next to her on the plane. In the end, she actually autographed a dozen or so notebooks, two t-shirts, and a baseball cap.

Unfortunately, one of the kids sitting directly behind her was not feeling so well and made use of all the air sickness bags in the rows immediately surrounding his seat. Needless to say, Kari did not get any rest on the way to Nanning. Luckily, knowing that her flight would be arriving late, the agency scheduled the adoption for the afternoon. Hopefully she'll be able to rest and build some strength for the frenzied and full days ahead.

So, Kari is currently in Nanning, safe-and-sound, hopefully sleeping, and just a few hours away from meeting Christopher.

By the time Ben wakes up tomorrow, he will be a brother.

Posted by ksmoker at 9:32 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

That's what Kari is going to be. On Saturday she leaves for Nanning, the capital city of Christopher's home province of Guangxi. On the southern edge of China bordering Vietnam, Guangxi has a subtropical climate. Here is the weather forecast for days just prior to her arrival:

Quite a contrast from the mid-January weather that Ben and I experienced in Shenyang.

Posted by ksmoker at 6:44 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)

We got the call. We're official. But because it's Saturday morning in China, we have to wait until Monday to find out when Kari can leave to get Christopher.

It's going to be a looooong weekend!

UPDATE 7/16: No dates yet, but we're hoping that son and mother will be back in the first half of August...

Posted by ksmoker at 7:57 PM | Permalink | Comments (7)

Most of the six or seven readers of this blog already know that Kari and I are attempting to adopt a second child from China. The latest news is that we are almost there! We signed the official “Yes we want to be parents of this child” document recently and mailed it back to China. Now, we are just awaiting The Call.

Since we didn't really want to leave Ben behind, and since I got to have all the fun last time, Kari will be making the trip solo this summer, hopefully sometime within the next month. Our new son will be called Christopher. He just turned three and he currently resides in Guangxi Province--I had to deal with bitter cold when I went to get Ben; Kari will have to deal with sweltering heat.

More news will be forthcoming, I promise.

Posted by ksmoker at 9:47 PM | Permalink | Comments (6)