USE THIS LINK BELOW

http://www.babyjellybeans.com/web/do/site/home?ID=111491
Laine Elliott
USE THIS LINK TO SEE OUR TRIP AND GOTCHA DAY!

Lainey Here We Come!

Hello: We are leaving in less than 72 hours and I just had to post our additional web site.
We will use the babyjellybeans.com site for most of our trip. My students may check in occasionally on the babyjelly site to get a glimps of the Great Wall, Forbidden City, etc. So most of our postings will be generic. There might even be a few homework questions, lol,lol..... but don't worry, I won't ask if you got them wrong, lol.

The reason we might use the blog while in China, is if "Lainey is really sick or something happens" I wouldn't want my students to be burden with this fact. So if this occures, I will switch to the blog site again. Hopefully, Lainey is okay when we get her and there are minimum bumps on the road during our trip.
Happy Trails.....
http://www.babyjellybeans.com/web/do/site/home?ID=111491
Laine Elliott

Laine's Orphanage

This is a photo of Laine's Orphanage (The Social Welfare Institute of GaoZhou) located in the Guangdong province. There are no less than 48 orphanages in this province; the Guangdong province is roughly the size of Missouri or Wisconsin. Laine's Orphanage is located in the city of Gaozhou, China. Most, but not all the children, living in orphanages are given the sir name of the orphanage, hence Gao, Shao Hui, Laine's given Chinese name. I almost fell over when I saw how enormous the orphanage was! The photo was taken during construction phase. Laine is currently residing here until Nov. 6th..... ahhhh Gotcha Day will be here before we know it!

Waiting for Fedex.... to see Laine's Picture

We have finally found some time to post our photos of referral day. We were patiently waiting (not really) for the Fedex man to arrive with Lainey's pictures and background information. Our Fedex man usually comes to the front door, however this time he left the package on our deck. Needless to say we were running around trying to capture some photos of him delivering the package. I know that he thought we were crazy when I came running around the side of the house with my camera clicking pictures and Tim was jumping over the deck gate with the video camera chasing him down the driveway, lol,lol. I hope this coming week we will finally post our video... with any luck we will!

What we know about Lainey

Laine Shao-Hui Elliott

Chinese Name: Gao, Shao-Hui (Shol Hway)

Birthdate: September 20, 2005

Age: 11 months old

Description: This description is from Holt International, but we agree!!
Beautiful, Very Feminine, Clear Skin, Big Bright Eyes, Fair Complexion,
And “a Fair Amount of Hair” (just like her Mom)

Location: Southern Coast of China

City: Gaozhou ( Lainey is currently in an orphanage in the city of Gaozhou.
She will travel to the city of Guangzhou to meet us when we arrive)

Province: Guangdong

We received all of Laine's information but most of it is still in Chinese. Our agency is still translating all of her information ie, medical updates & development mile stones, what she likes to eat, etc., all of it will be Fedex to us no later than this Wed. 8/30/06.

Our Beautiful Daughter Laine Elliott

august 27,2006. Hi this Tim, my 1st entry into the blog is the most exciting one; "WE RECEIVED A REFERRAL". On 8/24 thursday night at 635pm beth called from Holt international and congratulated us on our new baby girl, Gao Shao Hui, she was born on september 20th 2005 and at 4 months she was 25 inchs in length and 13.0 lbs. We are very excited about her and can not wait to go to china and bring her home! When I received the call I could hardly catch my breath. After I hung up with Beth, I called Annette (she was on her way up to a tupperware party with some of the coffee club girls waiting for a referral too) She was so excited she just started to cry and couldn't speak. On Saturday August 26 at 11:10 am we received the package from Holt with our daughters stats. and most importantly her photo. Logan was very exciting to see his new baby sister and asked "is she coming home today?";needless to say Saturday was a very busy day, telling everyone, emailing the photo to family and friends. Now the real fun starts, visa's, travel dates, and how to get to and from the airport! LOL.

Little Darin

Our friends, Miriam & Lee who adopted Darin last year, spent the day with us at Whale Beach. It was Darin's very first day EVER at the shore. Looks like he enjoyed himself!

Friends Now in China

Check out my "China Adoptive" Friends websites
Tina & Paul Petinga: http://www.babyjellybeans.com/web/do/site/home?ID=93392
Carol & Dave Zydiak: http://www.babyjellybeans.com/web/do/site/home?ID=92970

WE ARE NEXT

Our Adoption Dossier (DTC) was sent to China on 6/24/05 and was logged in (LID) on 7/14/05.

The following is the official announcement from the China Center of Adoption Affairs in Beijing, China.
_________________________________
The CCAA has finished the review of the adoption application documents registered with our office before October 31, 2005.

The CCAA has finished the placement of children for the families whose adoption application documents were registered with our office before July 13, 2005. ____________________________________________________________________
With any luck we will be matched by the end of August!
In the China adoption world, Ladybugs have a significant place. Ladybugs are a sign of Good Luck!

Rachel's Big Day

Our Friends Michael & Mary.
Beautiful Rachel with those gorgeous eyes!



Rachel's Christening.... With Mom (Mary), Dad (Michael).

Sporting the manly tie is Big brother Justin and our little man Logan.

Summer Break Begins

Our first beach day of 2006. As you can see Logan was in his element! Trucks, sand, water, what else is there! I "missed sunblock on a huge section of his back. So this is also his first day of "sunburn", Ouch!





















A swim at Granny's house with his cousins. Oh, my handsome Son!

China Map

We are on a posting roll this week. Check out the Map of China.... We will fly into Beijing, spend a few days touring the Great Wall etc then fly to a province (TBA) and spend 5-7 days there. We will then fly into Guangzhou with our baby, where she will officially become our daughter. We will also attend a ceremony at the U. S. Consulate where our daughter will become a American Citizen. It's getting closer and closer.......

A Mastermind of Technology

Whoa, this took me so long..............................

This is my first attempt to download pictures off of the internet. It only took me 1 hour to figure it out, yeks!



Here is my second attempt, eureka....
I think I got it, LOL.


My students can do this stuff blind folded........I think they need to give me a huge lesson. I just don't want them to grade me, I just might fail!

10 year wedding anniversary

Just want to tell everyone that this past week we celebrated our 10 year wedding anniversary. We watched our wedding video and oh, boy did it bring back memories! It was so much fun to watch, with the exception of seeing that everyone, including myself, had put on weight..... Oh, there was one person who didn't put on weight.... ML Fran..... She looked good 10 years ago but now she looks great! It's so unfair!

Nursery

I love our new Nursery!!!! It is what I had envisioned and so much more..... Although the nursery is still not finished, it is well on it's way. We are closing in on our 1 year anniversary for sending our documents to China. I think we are at 11 months 2 weeks and 6 days since we sent our documents, but who is counting!

The room is so sweet. Even my "Thomas the Train" fanatic son is "wild" about the room.

I love the detail around the window.

The details are even cute!

Mother's Day

Happy Mother's Day to everyone. I just have to share my Mother's Day morning with you. At 5:30 a.m. I hear Logan sing ............ Mommy, I had an accident. Yeks, what a mess! So as I was cleaning his dirty underwear, he runs over, gives me the biggest hug and says, "oops, I forgot to tell you "HAPPY MOTHERS DAY". So here I am, blurried eyed, bending over the toilet with "you know what, everywhere". I just had to laugh and think how truly grateful I am to be a mom. With all the unexpected "ugghs" that children bring, I feel so blessed to have him in our lives. LOL, LOL, I think I'm actually looking forward to changing diapers again...... Happy Mother's Day to everyone.

Slide Logan, Slide!
Logan at Connor and Brad's 5th Birthday Party. The first picture (right to left) Logan, Connor and Brad (cousins). Logan and Connor look like the twins. Connor is the spitting image of his dad and Logan looks like a combo of Tim and I think Aunt Pam. It's great having twin cousins almost the same age as Logan. They had a blast!

Easter Egg Hunt at the Beach

A day at the beach for an Easter Egg Hunt. Although the Egg Hunt was dangerous, 2000 plus people on the beach, we still had a great day. Tim and Logan enjoying the sun, surf and wind. Ahhhhhh my men!

Mommy, There's China

Just had to share this story...
On our way home from the beach we drove by the hospital where my son Logan was born. Every chance I get, I tell him about the day he was born and make a point of pointing out the hospital when we drive by. So on this day, as we are driving by the hospital Logan shouts, "There's China", "There's China". I of course have no idea what he is referring too, so I ask where? Mommy right there, as he points to the hospital. "Mommy, may we please go in and get Lainey...... Pleaseeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee"!!!! All this time Logan thought China was also the hospital. It almost broke my heart when I had to say NO. I didn't realize how hard this wait has been on him. Here is to the next batch of referrals and making our referral that much closer.

First Official Baby Gift

Well, it is official. We received our first baby gift on Thursday, Feb 16th. I was late leaving my 7th grade class and running to my next classroom when Tina (who is also adopting from China) said "come here, I have something for you". She quickly handed me two big bag, one was PINK! She told me she had bought me some thing for my daughter! The sound still gives me chills! I didn't dare open up the presents at school since I have not yet shared my adoption new with my students. Some of my 8th graders were in the hallway, very curious at to what were in the gift bags. I could hardly wait until I got home. Tina gave us the most magnificent Chinese Barbie Doll in traditional dress. She is gorgeous. She also gave us a Lady Bug bookend set. Lady Bugs are a symbol, used in the world of China Adoption, to mean good luck. Lastly, Tina gave us a small soft/plush photo block to take with us to China. We will be able to put pictures of us, Logan and all the Grandparents on each side of the block and our daughter will be able to look at her new family while we are in China. This will surely be a Hit.

I cannot wait to see Tina and thank her for the beautiful gifts. She has been a real inspiration throughout the entire adoption wait. Tina's enthusiasm has never wavered and it is contagious! Thank God for Tina.

Happy Birthday

Happy Birthday to me, Happy Birthday to me............ Well it is official, I've passed through to another year. The day was good. Tim and Logan greeted me in bed with presents wrapped in gift bags and brightly colored tissue paper. Logan was opening up my gifts even before I could get the covers pulled back. My favorite present is "China's lost Daughers", which I can hardly wait to read. The rest of the day was a blurr. Logan's best friend Justin came for a visit and the house was filled with laughter, fighting, and crying all wrapped up with love. These two little boys are still working out the "taking turns" scenario and 3 adults were trying to let them "figure it out" for themselves. Before I knew it the day was gone and we were getting ready to go to dinner. We ate at Cuba Libria's at Tropicana Casino. The atmosphere and food were wonderful. We were so full from dinner we skipped desert and shopping and went to see the new Harry Potter movie. On the way home I reflected on the day and the events of our adoption journey. The journey to our daughter seems so long and I'm so tired of waiting, but at the same time I'm now wondering if I've lost my mind adopting at the age of 45. My life has played out in slow motion and this adoption journey is no different. From the age of 21 to 30 is a total blurr! I went back to college at 31, got my college degree at 35, Married at 36, built our first home at 40, Baby at 41, New career at 43, Adoption at 45! I wonder what the heck I was doing for the first 35 years of my life! LOL, LOL...... Well, I must be having the Birthday Blues! When I think back at my 40th birthday, how depressed I was that we didn't have any children. Thinking that we would never be blessed with any children.... then fast forward to now, WOW, how life has changed. Tim has truly made my life wonderful. His commitment to making us a family of 4 has never wavered. He is the catalyst of the adoption.

Happy Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving is just a few days away and I have so much to be thankful for. Today I was speaking to my students about culture, custom and tradition. We focused on Thanksgiving as an American tradition. My students told of how they celebrated Thanksgiving Day and what their family traditions are for this holiday. The question posed to the students: If you were born in another country..... for example China..... would you celebrate Thanksgiving. Of course the answer was NO, but one smart cookie stated if you were an American Citizen in China, you would celebrate Thanksgiving. True, True..... then our conversation spiraled towards the importance of family traditions, customs and culture. My students expressed it was important not to loose sight of "their culture, heritage" and they told how their parents/families incorporated their ethnic foods into the traditional "Thanksgiving Day Feast". They told of Rice and turkey dishes, enchiladas, tamales an so many other dishes (which I couldn't even pronounce) that sounded delicious! MY students asked me what I was having and some thought my "dinner menu" sounded "unusual" very unlike theirs. My students come from a very diverse background and quite a few were not born in the United States and many of their parents we not born in the U.S. These children have assimilated themselves in the traditions of America but moreso have been able to incorporate their heritage, culture and customs into American traditions, ie Thanksgiving Day. My students have been able to do this because of their parents/families and then it occurred to me, I must do the same for my daughter. I know many adoptive parents of Chinese children have incorporated some of the Chinese tradition but I never realized until today how difficult but rewarding this will be. I now realize that not only do I have to teach our daughter "our families traditions" but I have to educate myself, my husband, Logan on Chinese Tradition. Like my students who have assimilated so well into America, I hope my new daughter will have the same sense of security in learning about "our family traditions" and I wish to build the bridge to her Chinese heritage.
Happy Thanksgiving to All,
Xie, Xie (Thank you)
Annette

The Whisper

To think it's been over 4 months since our paperwork was DTC, just seems impossible. But on the other hand, time seems to have stopped. Having a 6 to 7 month wait did not seem very long but with the news of having to wait 8 months from DTC (documents to China) we sometimes feel that time is counting backwards instead of forwards. It has officially been 1 year since we began the initial adoption application and Logan has turned 4 this past week. When thinking back, Logan was still only 2 (almost 3) when we started the adoption process. My, my, how my baby is growing up. Logan pointed out an airplane in the sky today and proclaimed that the airplane was going to China. He matter of factly stated: "I want to go to China Mommy and get Lainey". I told him not yet and seeing his disappointment really put me in a whirl. I try not to play the "what if" game, but it can be very difficult not too. Our daughter is now most likely born and being cared for by someone at this very moment. Is she in an orphanage with many children or is she being taken home at night by one of the orphanage caregivers and sleeping in their home or is she in foster care with many family members. Is she being loved, comforted, pampered. Is she crying, hungry, cold. Who is taking care of her, feeding her, is she loved and does she love? Does she have all the things I hoped for for Logan, to know he is loved.... the best treasure in life is to know you are loved. Logan is down for a nap and I should be grading my students homework as I type away....... but just before Logan layed down he said. Mommy come here I have to whisper to you in your ear. As I bent my head to his, he said to me in the softest sweetest whisper.... "do you know I love you" and I replyed "yes, and I love you more", Logan's reply, so soft, so whispered, "I love you more my mommy". I hope that our little daughter is being whispered to at this very moment. With that said, life is good and God is great.

The Video "Lost Girls of China"

Tim and I have always considered adoption as a possibility but making the jump from someday to actually following through took a long, long time. Upon our marriage on June 8, 1996 we decided that having children was going to be an important part of our lives and we decided now was the time to have children. We also talked about life's "what ifs", not being able to have children. We both agreed that adoption would be a wonderful possibility to complete our family................... Spin ahead 5 years later, our son Logan was born and immediately we knew that we "had to have" more children. Our love for our child was overwhelming, we had waited so long for this precious child, we had no doubt that God would grant us another child right away.
Spin forward to August 2004. After enduring almost 8 year of infertility treatments we were spinning out of control. During our last treatment which was very painful and frightening, we began watching a National Geographic show called the "Lost Girls of China", which detailed the travels of American families who travel to China to adopt a baby. This documentary was unbelievable. We laugh, cried and felt joy for the children who were being adopted. During the video Tim turned to me and asked: "if we are not pregnant this time, can we please adopt". At that moment I knew that God had already made the decision that we would adopt! So when we found out that we were, again not pregnant, I was at peace and so was my family. The ups and downs which only fertility drugs can do, the uncertainty that comes with every cycle and the mood swings would be gone forever!

We plunged into the unknown world of adoption and never looked back. Ironically, we had previously looked into adoption, specifically from China , but with the outbreak of SCARS we abandoned the adoption and began to "try" again. Well, we are now 1/2 way through our wait......