FAQs part deux

The new FAQs are here. (I also put a link to them on the right.)

Update from Fliss

Check it out: Shauna meets her family!

Saturday celebrations

Last Saturday, we had a celebration dinner with Crystal and David at The Wok (out the east gate.) They are also leaving soon to adopt their son! We hope to see them in Guangzhou and/or Hawaii. Congratulations to them!!

Our neighbors Shannon and Sarah (white fluffy)

We share a wall, front walk, and sometimes petsitting duties.

They are special friends.

Andy and Shannon (just friends)

Andy is father of our petsitter, Sam.

Beth (Andy's wife) and Amanda
Beth & Andy's family has also grown by adoption.
Amanda also lived near us 10 years ago in Enid, Oklahoma, during our husbands' pilot training.


me & my sweetie
This was a surprise Easter block party across the street.
We have great neighbors.

Article about China adoption

This Associated Press article gives a good description of China adoption right now (e.g., mostly special needs.)

Jeff & Ralph

Fliss

Hey, Fliss is at the White Swan waiting to meet her daughter!

Just so you know, not everyone stays at the White Swan. Where families meet their children varies, depending on the province the child is from. But Fliss & Mike are lucky enough to be staying there - it's a peaceful haven in busy Guangzhou. We will also meet Ariel in Guangzhou, probably in a different hotel.

People with referrals in other provinces will stay a week in that province's capital to meet their child. Then they'll go to Guangzhou for the US Consulate appointment.

Since Guangzhou is the capital of Guangdong Province (where Ariel is from), we'll spend most of our time in Guangzhou (after brief sightseeing in Beijing.) Easy, huh?

A Visa Story

Tuesday, I turned in our visa applications at the Chinese Embassy in Tokyo. What the embassy lacks in color (shades of gray) it makes up for with efficiency and helpfulness. Even though most signage is in Chinese or Japanese. It's a fun place to be around lots of Chinese people.


Speaking of, I had my first meeting with little Amanda. It was great to see Beth again, this time with baby in tow. This was Amanda's first taste of raspberries, and her "who are you exactly?" look. When I showed her the pictures of Ariel, she held the paper and studied it seriously. Then she looked at me and smiled big.

Cherry blossoms are starting near Beth's house.

Soon to be full of magical light pink blooms



Afterward, I explored Shibuya, a busy shopping area. It's also a place for hip fashion: note the young man on left in a long skirt and man-purse.

Aaah, quick dinner at a sushi-go-round in Omotesando.

I picked up the visas today (Friday), and the boys celebrate.

The visas are basically a pretty sticker (with Great Wall art) on one passport page.

They allow us multiple-entries to China for one year.

Maogang orphanage (Maoming City)

Maoming is in lower left of this map.

I had one dream about our girl: that she lived on the coast.

Her orphanage encompasses extreme southern Maoming City, along the coast of the South China Sea. I hear it's a small orphanage with about 20 children.

Her orphanage

She's already used to having a palm tree out her window!

You can see more photos of Maoming by clicking this link: Maoming Photos.

More here: other orphanages

I want to thank Brian Stuy at Research-China.Org for providing this info.

We ordered a video of Maoming City from him, as well as Gang Hao Liang's finding ad.

The B.O.B.

My sweet husband put together the B.O.B jog stroller from Grandma Alice.

It rides nicely for a smooth, light, and shock-absorbing run.

We'll keep it by the front door to motivate us.

Xie Xie, Mom!

Wordless Wednesday

TAs arriving

Rumor is that Travel Approvals (TAs) for our batch of referrals are arriving.
It appears Renee & Joe got theirs. (Congrats!)
I don't think this means anyone knows travel dates for sure, though.

For a review of what has to happen before we get travel dates, see this post.

I had a nice phone chat with Fliss (only a few days away from travel!)

You have questions?

We have answers!

When do you go get her? We leave for Beijing Friday, April 16th. We'll probably meet Ariel in Guangzhou on April 19th! Our agency (America World) arranges appointments for our travel group with the Chinese and US governments.

How old is she now? 7.5 months

Heard anything? Any updates? Any new photos? If so, we will tell you on the blog. We did send a care package to her through Ann at Red Thread. Ann is well-connected and can sometimes get updated photos and measurements, but there is no guarantee. She said she asked twice and the orphanage (Maoming Maogang) said no. Please keep in mind that some of the info regarding Ariel's adoption and circumstances is private. We have waited a long time. Please let us enjoy.

Why does it take so long? Families (I-600 pre-Hague) usually wait 7-9 weeks from referral to travel. We send back an acceptance document, which our agency sends to China. China eventually issues us a Travel Approval (TA.) Our agency can use that to set up our appointments at our child's provincial capital (Guangzhou, in our case), and at the US Consulate in Guangzhou. Compared to the 4.5 years since we started the adoption, a few weeks is nothing.

Why do you have to stay there so long? We'll be in China about 2 weeks, and that's fine with us! First we'll meet our travel group (other families with America World) in Beijing for a weekend of sightseeing. Then we'll travel to Guangzhou in southeast China. There we'll meet her! We'll also meet with the Civil Affairs office in her provincial capital for an interview and some of her adoption documents. Later, we'll have business at the US Consulate in Guangzhou. She'll leave China with her Chinese passport, an Immediate Relative (IR-3) Visa to enter the US, her Chinese birth certificate, adoption decree, etc. It takes a while to do everything necessary to get these documents. Plus, we'll have some time for local sightseeing, shopping, free time, and getting to know our baby.

Do you have to stay there so they can see how you're bonding? No. We stay so long so we can take care of all the legalities. And those are very important (to China, to the US, and to us and Ariel's future as a US citizen.) It's nice that China assumes we will bond.

Do you go to her orphanage to get her? No, she'll probably travel by bus (maybe 6 hours?) with some orphanage workers to Guangzhou, China. They'll probably bring her to our hotel, but we might meet her in another building.

Try to go to her orphanage. We will ask. However, it's about 6 hours away from Guangzhou. I think we'll be the only family in our group with a child from that orphanage. So I doubt our agency guides would be willing to arrange a trip. The orphanage is likely closed to visitors/foreigners, but we will ask. If we went, we'd probably be on our own or with a privately-hired bilingual guide. I am thinking this trip will be stressful enough without trekking to Maoming. Believe me, traveling from point A to point B in China can be very, very stressful and risky (I found some of the driving terrifying last time I was there; trains are better, but even navigating the train stations can be tough - it's not like the US, Europe, or Japan.) However, I understand visiting her orphanage could ease her transition - seeing her caretakers & friends one more time (but I've also heard it can have the opposite effect.) By the way, there are about 6 orphanages in Maoming. Maogang is one of the smallest (about 20 children.)

Are you changing her name? I like to think of it as adding a name. We'll keep her Chinese given name (Hao Liang) as her middle name. We'll give her the first name Ariel. She will always have her full Chinese name, even if it's not on her American documents. So her full name will be Ariel Hao Liang Parks. Yes, the middle name is two separate words (don't worry, lots of people have two middle names with no problem.)

What's her Chinese name? Gang Hao Liang. Gang is the "last name" and other children in her orphanage were given the same last name. It comes from her orphanage name (Maogang district of Maoming city.) Hao Liang means "good pretty" or "very pretty." When we meet her, we'll ask her caretakers if they call her any nicknames.

How do you pronounce it? In English phonetics, it sounds like "Gahng How Lee-ahng" with very soft g's on the end. For my Japanese friends, the romaji is: gan hao rian.
I'll try to assign the Mandarin tones later.

She doesn't look Chinese. Last I checked, Chinese people have a wide variety of looks. Just like people in your country. We've seen lots of referral photos over the years, so we know they come in all varieties of cute.

Is anyone throwing you a baby shower? Dear friend & neighbor Angela B. is spearheading that project. We're thinking sometime in June (after Ariel is safely home.) We are lucky to have such nice friends here who can't wait to meet the little cherub.

What do you need? We have most everything. We've had lots of time to acquire things. Friends & family have been thoughtful with gifts and hand-me-downs. She could use some bath toys and other toys for a young baby (she's 7 months old now.) We listed some childproofing items and special books on her Amazon registry.

Why are you going to Hawaii? Are you going straight there? Yes, we're going straight to Honolulu (for about a week) after Guangzhou. She can enter the US with her IR-3 visa and Chinese passport. In Hawaii, we'll file her N600-K (for naturalization as a US citizen.) We'll get her Certificate of Citizenship (CoC), US passport, and social security number there. For military families, there's a way to do this all from Japan, but I think it's a long and convoluted process. We'd rather go through Hawaii, which is used to dealing with US expats & military in Asia. Our friends just did this in Hawaii for their daughter, and it went very smoothly for them. Plus, a Hawaii "vacation" will be nice!

(What I wish people would ask) What will you need as soon as you arrive home? Happy cats and a tidy house. Our trusty cat-sitter, Sam, will take care of this (he'll be bunkin' with the cats while we're gone.) Also, someone to meet us at the airport with Ariel's car seat, and some water & snacks. I've already suckered some friends into this favor. We also need friends to understand that Jeff & I will be the primary holders & feeders of Ariel for a while. This is important for bonding, but we'll see how she does.

How much does she weigh? We don't know how much she weighs now (at 7.5 months - she was born August 15, 2009.) If her medical report is accurate (kind of hard to interpret), at 5.5 months, she weighed 4.8 kg (about 11 pounds.) At about 7 days, she was 2.8 kg (6.2 pounds.) Her smallness is typical for southern Chinese girls. We guess she'll be in 6-9 month clothes (possibly some 0-6 month) and Japanese size 70-80.

Do you think you'll adopt again? This is pretty personal. Just let us enjoy the here and now. If your name is "Aunt Sandie" then you can ask a question like this.

What if you get there and they offer you another (additional) child? This just doesn't happen in China adoption.

Have you lined up childcare? No. At some point, we'll find a trustworthy babysitter. But for now, just remember: we have waited 4.5 years.

Are you going to tell her she was adopted? (I can't believe somebody really asked me this.) It will be part of our talk from the very beginning. We have lots of tools and guidance on how to help her understand and explore it as she grows.

How do you feel about a million questions? To be frank, sometimes they get on my nerves. I know people just want to show kind interest, but other times they just want to satisfy their curiosity or make a point without regard for our feelings. Remember, we've probably been asked the same questions 500 times. A barrage of questions is not the way to my heart. A few questions asked tactfully and in private are fine. Once we have our child, I will appreciate even more tact and restraint when asking questions (in her presence, even if you think she can't understand.) If you are seriously looking into adopting yourself, then I'd be happy to talk with you about it in private. Some nice questions are: How did you choose her name? What drew you to China? What are her interests? How does she interact with the cats? Do you think you'll visit China with her someday?

Will you host this event / coordinate this function / work the spring bazaar / serve on the OSC board next year / volunteer at this event? Ask me 8-12 months from now. Don't waste your energy even asking now.

Are you taking her back to the US right away to show family? We'd like to spend time at our home (in Japan) relaxing, getting to know her, and establishing a routine. So we don't know when we'd take her back to the US (it's a long flight from Tokyo), but not right away. I don't even want to make any plans now - just have some solid time to establish her new home.

Kimono day

Last Friday, the Japanese ladies in our culture group hosted us in Tokyo.

First, we walked around tranquil Rikugien Park in Komagome neighborhood.

Hisako, Angela, and little Sarah having tea in the park.
Angela is our friend and neighbor. She also works with Jeff.

watching ducks

preschool field trip

They were so orderly!

At Toshie's apartment, we ate temaki sushi lunch and tried on kimonos.

Our hostesses did a lot of work wrapping us and tying the obi just right.

Thanks for letting us wear your special komonos!

Yaoyao pronounces Hao Liang

I wanted to post this again, because the last video isn't working for some reason. I hope this one works.

See how lovely Yaoyao pronounces "Hao Liang" (meaning "very pretty.")

We don't know our travel dates yet, and probably won't know for a while. Trust me, we want to know more than anyone "when," so we'll share that info when we find out (hint, hint - it seems like I've been asked a thousand times already.)

Everyone wants to know "what's the delay?" Well, it's not really a delay, just standard administrative tasks. We take it for granted we know what happens next, but I guess everyone expects it to be instantaneous or something.

1. We mailed our acceptance letter to our agency, who mailed it to the CCAA (in China.)
2. The CCAA will (at some point) issue a Travel Approval (TA) for us via our agency.
3. Then our agency can make an appointment for our travel group at the US Consulate in Guangzhou, China. We all need to appear at this appointment, so our travel dates hinge on that. They will issue our child's IR-3 Visa, so she can enter the US (in our case, Hawaii, where we'll take care of her naturalization.)
4. AND there's a lot that will happen in China - that's why we have to stay there at least 10 days. All those details are for another post, if you're interested.
5. I understand a lot of this paperwork leading up to travel happens by snail mail - that's why it takes 7-9 weeks from referral to travel.

Linda & Aubrey day

Thursday I had lunch at Chili's with Linda and Aubrey. We were stationed together at our last assignment, too. Big brother Ayden and Dad Jun were at preschool and work during our girls' lunch.

Linda & Aubrey playing at their house.

They are great friends and sources for baby info!

Linda & Jun got married just after we turned in our China dossier (spring 2006) so their wedding time is easy to remember.

Linda got to see our car seat, which is just like Ayden's (although his is stylish black.)

Nesting

My friend, Casie, and I went to Joyful Honda last night. It's a home goods department store (doesn't sell cars.)

It's a nester's dream!
We don't have too much stuff to keep organized, but I have a feeling we'll be getting more.
I have a strange desire to stock up on soap, so found a good multipack that smells like lemon meringue pie. I also got several gardening kneepads for more comfortable (for us) bath-giving and bathroom-floor diaper changes.

Sorting through baby clothes for the trip.
Setting aside small, warm-weather clothes.
We'll drape a light blanket over her outside to keep the "clothes police" at bay.

When she's more mobile, we'll move stuff away from the window.
But for now, we and the cats like this room arrangement.


Comfy places for baby & family to snooze



"Get these travel papers organized!"
Jeff comes home tonight from his long TDY, so I'll straighten up a bit!

Fliss got an update

Check it out: Fliss got an update on Shauna!

Plum blossoms

The other day, I went to the plum tree park (Yoshino Baigo) in nearby Ome City. Plum is "ume" in Japanese, so right now anything ume-flavored or colored is popular. These ume are more sour than western plums, and are often pickled or made into a sauce and served in savory dishes.

Ume blossoms come in shades of pink and white.

Yoshino Baigo park is a good climb.
We like it in summer, when it's very quiet.

Ume blossoms are peaking now, so many people come to Ome for the hike.

Tama River near the plum park

(great for cooling off in summer!)

Smelling sweet and reaching high!

What's been going on

Jeff's still out of town, so the boys and I are enjoying time together. I've had one fun social event after another, but will soon be turning down invitations to stay home and prepare.

Doraemon's new favorite spot.

The boys have dental cleanings next week, and were troopers at their pre-op visit yesterday.

Shinjuku outing with friends.
We shopped at Tokyu Hands, a multistory novelty & home gadget store.
Also at Kinokuniyua, a bookstore with large English section.



Visiting the Sweeney family (Jen and Didi) just after the referral.
We compared referral paperwork while Didi entertained us.
Dad Chris and brother Joey were at work and school.

They loaded us up with some more outgrown baby items. Xiexie!

One more time

Okay, now I truly believe they take their jobs seriously in the matching room.

(photo of Ralph submitted with 4/6/06 dossier)

Bet you didn't know....

• her favorite toy is a shaking bell (maybe like a rattle)
• she enjoys custard creams four times a day
• she can say "nan" (hope this means she'll like Indian food)
• she likes listening to music in bed
• she's drinking Nestle formula, eating vegetable soup, soup with meat, and cod liver oil

care package update

Ann at Red Thread just emailed us with these photos of the care package:

Candies for the nannies, soft album with 6 photos we sent, translated letter to the staff (love how Ralph & Doraemon signed it, too.)

Hope Gang Hao Liang likes it!

Ann also requested updates and photos from the SWI.

Yaoyao pronounces "Hao Liang"

Yaoyao and her sweet daughter Rebecca came over last week to help translate Ariel's referral info (it's mostly in Chinese.) Becca and the cats are good buddies. Yaoyao, who is from China, has offered great support in the short time I've known her.


Here's her video lesson:
(notice Becca climbing up the slide!)

A new link

Email us at parkshr@yahoo.com

(I don't know how else to do this besides making a blog post. Then I'll create a link to it on the right.)

kekkon-kinenbi

(wedding anniversary)

It's our 13th wedding anniversary!
I love you, Jeff.

her name in Zhongwen (Chinese)

This is written on the back of her photos.

Care package

We ordered a care package for Ariel from Ann at Red Thread.
I believe Ann lives in Guangzhou. She has a great reputation. She is well-connected, and tries to get updates (measurements and photos) of children while their parents wait.

We ordered the "pajama" care package, which includes a camera. We added a "soft album" and emailed Ann 6 photos and a short letter to be translated.

PS: for any of you wondering, Renee & Joe are IN!!! Hoping to see them in Guangzhou.

Ariel Hao Liang Parks

Chinese name: Gang Hao Liang (Gang is the "last name")

We'll call her: Ariel Hao Liang Parks

Size: pretty small

Medical report: healthy

Born: August 15, 2009
Location: Maoming Social Welfare Institute, Mao Gang district, Guangdong Province

Other info in referral package: is quiet, deep sleeper, no teeth, smiles readily, likes listening to music, and is closest to her caretaker

Tentative travel: mid-April, possibly early May

Conclusion: Precious!