JourneyToTiannaRose

Home for 15 months

2011-03-17T19:54:00.000-07:00

Wow 15 months, time really does go fast. Life with Tianna has kept us so busy. It seems everything we do is some how wrapped around Tianna. Of course we would not have it any other way. Tianna has become VERY independent. She now wants to dress her self and pick out her own clothes to wear. Her speech has improved so much, this is do in large part to going to pre-k. Which she LOVES.

It is now just short of one year since her surgery and it is now a long distant memory. Tianna is has become friends with a number of her classmates and two of the her "China cousins" Jenny and Ava. She totally loves to visit her grandma and grandpa.

She has her own likes when it comes to tv shows and music. She is growing so fast and has caught up to kids of her own age bracket. Life with Tianna has been a joy and something we would not trade for the world.

October 17th, home from China 10 Months

2010-10-17T20:08:00.000-07:00

It is so hard to believe sometimes that 10 months have passed since we landed in Newark Airport. But these last 10 months have clearly have been the greatest time of our lives. We could never imagine just how much fun and excitement a little girl could bring into our lives. Until we met our daughter. She has touched not just Laura and my heart, but all who have met her. She is so filled with love and little girl excitement about life that you cant help but smile when you meet her.

Tianna has developed her own personality and charm. She knows what she wants and likes and is not afraid to speak up. Her speech is getting so much better every week. She still gets into these verbal rants and we have no idea what she is saying. But most of the time she communicates wonderfully. Even people who don't see her all the time marvel in how well she is growing and maturing.

I credit most of the maturing process to Tianna's wonderful mommy, Laura. Laura has done a fantastic job with this little angel. At times its not easy because Tianna and Laura have become BFF Best friends forever. With that Tianna is always looking for the approval from Laura for things she does well. But that is something that makes Tianna so darn cute.

It was one year ago today that some of our friends from the adoption world and church choir got together and gave Laura her baby shower. We marked that one year anniversary by attending the baptism of our friends daughter Shelby Grace. Tianna watched as Shelby had water poured on her head and she remembered when it was done to her during the summer.

Well tomorrow is Laura's birthday, her first one as a mommy. I am sure it will be special. As will the next couple of months as there are all the holidays coming up. Oh and Tianna picked out costume, she will be Tinkerbell.

Well that is all for now and we will post again during the holidays.

8 months

2010-08-07T05:24:00.000-07:00

It's hard to believe it's been 8th months since we met our precious daughter. Alots happened. We celebrated Matt's first Father's Day.
Tianna was baptized on June 27th at St. Josephs Church in Ronkonkoma. She gave Matt the "What the heck are you doing to me" look when he held her over the water. But, she let Deacon Mike DeBelles do his thing with the water on her head. Then, while he was blessing her and talking, Tianna watched him intently, like she was really listening to everything he was saying. We had a great time at the party afterwards, even if the AC in the restaurant wasn't working and everyone was sweating to death.
We found that Tianna is really part fish. She absolutely loves the pool and is already swimming under water, holding her breath. No holding the nose for this little girl. She's meeting so many new friends between going to school and my high school friends who have children around the same age. Tianna's language and speech is improving every day. Our little girl is also growing every day. She's grown 2 inches in the 8 months we've had her.
She's full of personality. Has her own style of clothes. She picks out her clothes every day.
Tianna loves Dora the Explorer, Go Diego Go, The Wonder Pets, and now we can add, My Little Pony and the Care Bears. Of course, she still loves Mickey Mouse and her Barbie movies. We found that the library helped us with the My Little Pony and the Care Bears. lol.
Tianna still loves her barbie dolls and playing with her learning toys. She can not only sing the alphabet song, can recognize all her letters and knows many of the sounds. She watches the Leap Frog learning DVD's. She's learning so quickly. I am so proud at how well she's doing.
Tomorrow, we'll be driving to NJ (about a three hour drive) to visit with my brother Michael and his lovely wife Joni (whom I always thought of as a sister and a friend). We'll be spending the day in their pool (Tianna will be thrilled) and then spending the night at their house. Something Tianna has never done before (slept away from home other than a hotel in Disney). We're looking forward to it but a little nervous since Tianna started having night terrors while in Disney. But, she'll enjoy our visit with the family and their two huge Bernise Mountain Dogs name Darla and Rocker. Monday, we'll visit my old job there in NJ and I look forward to seeing some old friends.

5 Months and Mothers Day

2010-05-07T20:56:00.000-07:00

WOW, 5 months, its been 5 months since Laura and I 1st met our daughter. It has been a wonderful time. Some lows but so many more highs. Tianna had her cleft pallet surgery back in March. This week she received a clean bill of health from the surgeon. She is now back on normal foods and can feed herself. She is oh so very happy.

Her speech is improving every day, mainly because of the surgery. However she is now is school, pre-k, and its only been two weeks and you can hear a huge improvement. She knows her colors, well at least the main ones. She can recognize shapes and is able to put complete sentences together.

We are putting finishing touches on her Christening, set for the end of June. Also in two weeks grandma and grandpa and the three of us are heading to Walt Disney World. Tianna does not understand but I got a feeling she will understand when we see Mickey and Minnie for the 1st time.

In April grandpa, uncle John and myself took Tianna to her 1st Mets game at Citifield. She had fun, even if she did not totally understand what was going on.

Of course this Sunday will mark the 1st Mothers Day for Laura. We have a nice weekend planed that includes dinner out for the three of us on Saturday and an afternoon lunch with Micheal and Joni. Then Sunday night we will be spending the evening with my parents and brother Jim and his girlfriend.

Its been a wonderful ride, one that I know will always have new surprises each day.

Surgery complete

2010-03-24T18:26:00.000-07:00

Tianna and mommy came home this afternoon after spending parts of three days at Stony Brook University Medical Center. It was a tough three days for all involved. But with the support of family and friends we all made it. The surgery was Monday morning and Tianna had no idea what was about to hit her. She was given a "loopy" medicine around 7:30 and in about 15 mins she was medically drunk. Laura brought Tianna into the OR and that's when Tianna began to fight. She pulled the mask off of her face and gave a swift kick in the ribs to one of the PA's.

Waiting for the surgery to finish was not as bad as I thought it was going to be. The surgery started around 8 am and was finished at 11:30. Then the fun began. Tianna was not happy with the arm restraints that keep he from putting her hands in her mouth. And of course the pain and discomfort was driving her crazy. Outside of a painful attempt to put an IV into her on Monday afternoon the rest of the time at the hospital was about what we figured it would be. There was a lot of pain, discomfort and Tianna just did not want anyone around her at times.

When I look back on the three days I feel there are a few people to thank. 1st one is Tianna, the little girl was a real champ dispite all that was thrown at her. It was painful, uncomfortable and confusing but she really held up strong. Next is Laura, her skills as a mom really came through this week and she showed just how much love she has for Tianna. I may not say it enough but I am really proud of Laura.

Our sister-in-law Andria, who is a nurse at SBUMC came by about 7 times during the 1st two days in the hospital to make sure everything was going well. And to make sure Tianna was get the best of care. My parents came by all three days. On Wednesday they stayed there until the end as I had to go back to work and they drove Laura and Tianna home. Laura's sister Maureen and her Aunt Dingy and our friend Missy all stopped by as well. And to all our friends on FB who gave Tianna prayers and well wishes.

Tianna appears to be adjusting to her arm guards. She may hate them but she is making the best of it. It is only a short 4 weeks or so. By May we will be in Disney and Tianna will forget all of this.

Looking back on Three months home

2010-03-19T20:06:00.000-07:00

Well St. Pattys day marked three months home for Laura, Tianna and my self. This has been three months like we have never seen before. Laura and I have both settled in nicely as parents. Laura has been staying home and taking care of Tianna. And despite that fact that at times it may seem like no one notices what type of a job she is doing, take it from me "she is doing a wonderful job". Tianna feels so comfortable with us. She wakes up every morning singing a tune, in Chinese we assume. Most mornings she has a smile when either of us go in to get her out of bed. She has learned that there are things in her life that are HERS, and no one is going to make her share it with no one.

She love to eat just about everything we feed her, not all but most. She loves Corey, I am not to sure if Corey loves her. However Corey will run into her room to wake her up. She loves Mickey Mouse and we have booked our May Disney world trip. Tianna does not understand that we are going, I guess we can keep her in the dark until we get there.

The next big step in Tianna's growth will come this Monday the 22nd. She goes for her Pallet repair surgery. We have a top of the line surgeon working on her, but Laura and I are still nervous and since Tianna does not have a full understanding of English it is hard to explain to her whats going to happen. But we know this is for the best and one day she will look back on it and know we did this for her.

Well that's all for now, please pray for Tianna for a successful surgery and recovery.

Looking back on the 1st month

2010-01-20T20:07:00.000-08:00

Today was Tianna's 4th Birthday and of course her 1st USA Birthday. We have now been home for just over 1 month and it has been an interesting one. Jet lag really did a number on the 3 of us. But that only took a week to over come. Laura lost her uncle and then we went right into the holidays.

The month has been filled with doctor appointments, 1st time meetings with family and friends, my birthday and my parents 50th wedding anniversary party. Then today Tianna's birthday. Through it all Tianna has fallen into a routine that has made life easy at home. The crying when its nap or bed time is all but gone. She is learning English and now can count to 10. She understands so much more then I ever thought she would this quickly.

We are now preparing for her cleft pallet repair surgery in February. We are all looking forward to the Chinese New Year Celebration that our agency is hosting next month. At that time we will be able to reunite with some of our travel group. And the best news is that we are looking into to heading to Disney World in May.

Laura, Tianna and I are getting into a groove as a family. Life is good right now.

Jet Lag, Blizzard, a Passing and the Holidays

2010-01-09T19:52:00.000-08:00

The adjustment to home life as a family for the 1st week was not that smooth. We got home on the 17th and two days later we were hit with 25 inches of snow. The jet lag really did us all in as sleep patterns were all off for a few days. Then less then a week after coming home Laura's uncle Tom passed away. Uncle was like a father figure to her for many years and his passing, although not a total shock, still hit us hard.

Uncle Tom had been sick for a couple of months (although, he'd been ill for quite some time) and we both thought he may not make it until we got home. But as it turned out his last good deed was waiting till we got home so Aunt Carol would not be alone. He never did get a chance to meet his new Great Niece Tianna, but he was very excited for us when he found out we made it home.

The holidays were a lot of fun. Tianna really did not understand why she was getting gifts at every house she went to, but she liked it very much. After about a week, Tianna was settling in to her new house and her mom and dad.

It seems that now every couple of days there is something new to experience with Tianna. The 1st dinner out, meeting her new extended family, visit to the firehouse. Its all new to her and Laura and I are getting a lot of enjoyment out being parents.

Going Home Part 2 December 17th

2010-01-09T19:09:00.000-08:00

We were nearing time to board the plane for the loooooong flight home. While waiting for the boarding announcement we met up again with the lady, her mom and her new daughter. She was visibly upset. I asked her where she was sitting and they told her that she was got 3 single seats. They had nothing together. I could not imagine having all three of us sitting in different seats for a 14 hour flight.

When we saw them on the plane they were in the back with us. They were able to get two together but grandma had to sit in the row behind them. Laura and I both felt the stress of doing an adoption and being on the road had taken a toll on her.

Tianna was wonderful on the flight considering how long it was. She had only two crying spells and one was before we took off. I on the other hand was not as good. I have been afraid of flying lately, not really sure why considering just how much flying I had done in my life. Perhaps since I have a wife and child I feel I have more to live for. Well what ever reason it is, turbulence and I don't mix.

As we got closer to Newark I began to reflect on how our lives have changed in the last 4 months. It seemed that an adoption would never happen, and now it was almost over. Everything was almost over. No more paper work, medical exams, home study updates and most of the quest to become parents was over. Laura and I were now mom and dad. Or as Tianna would say, "Mamma" and "Pappa".

The movement through customs, immigration services and luggage claim was pretty smooth. While waiting for the luggage my dad called wondering where we were. I could tell mom reached a point of not being able to wait any longer. And her wait would end shortly. The 1st family member we saw was my brother Jim, then mom and dad.

The ride home was fun as mom, dad and Jim got to hear about our trip and to FINALLY meet Tianna. Tianna dozed off for a short time on the way home. When we got to the house it was decorated by some of our friends from the FCC LI group. Tianna loved her new room and the play room was a big hit.

We were finally home, as one journey ended a new one was about to begin.

Going Home part 1 December 17th

2010-01-08T10:15:00.000-08:00

The 2 hour flight from Guangzhou to Shanghai was uneventful, which is what you want when you are 35,000 feet in the air. Tianna handled her 2nd flight like a seasoned veteran. It was the flight home that I had my concerns. 14 hours for a 4 year old worried me. But I was looking at the big picture and that was HOME. We were heading home.

We arrived in Shanghai a little ahead of schedule and getting our bags together was pretty easy. We checked to see where the next flight check in was and found it. We also found that we had to wait another 2 hours to check our bags in. While we did this we met up with a lady who just adopted a little girl. She was traveling with her mom. They were going to be on the same flight with us back to Newark. We will get to her in my next post.

While waiting, we had plenty of time to get lunch at Burger King, the food was good. But once again we got "The Stares". This Chinese couple a few tables down were staring at us. So I just got up and moved our cart of luggage so it would block them. Once again I keep telling myself, "We are going home".

As we began our walk to the check in counter we see a Chinese man walking a dog heading in our direction. He of course is looking right at us. As he passed us his head does a 180 and just keeps looking at us. It was here that I lost it. I turned around and began to walk in his direction and gave him a few choice words. Laura turned and said "Matt lets go, don't get your self in trouble". After 14 days of dealing with the looks I let loose.

It did not stop here as Laura would encounter another RUDE Chinese person. I had to use the bathroom and so Laura and Tianna waited out side for me to finish. While in there a Chinese woman comes out of the bathroom and sees Tianna sleeping with her head down in the stroller. She bends down to wake her up, Laura yells at her and turns Tianna away from her. I figured this wont stop until we are on the plane home. Considering the mood I was in it was a good thing I was in the bathroom and not Laura. They may have locked me up.

Finally it was time to go the gate, USA here we come.

Wednesday, December 16th

2010-01-07T19:29:00.000-08:00

Today marked the last day that we were all together. The other four families were all headed to Honk Kong via train. We stayed behind 1 extra day as we were leaving out of Shanghi. We went shopping during the early afternoon hours. We wanted to stay near the hotel so we could say our goodbyes to the group.

When three o'clock rolled around Tianna, Laura and I made our way down to the lobby to bid farewell to everyone. This was kinda of sad as we struck up some friendships and now it was times to say goodbye. The only good thing is that Sandra and Dawn live near us so we knew we would see them again.

As the group departed and all left the lobby. The three of us stood there and for once I felt like we were alone. Even though we were staying in a packed hotel. But now the focus was on packing and getting out in time to head to the airport. We faced about 16 hours of flight time on Thursday and we had know idea how Tianna would take to that.

Anyways the night time included another helping of McDonald's and a walk back to the hotel. Laura and I did most of the packing after Tianna fell asleep. It was kinda funny when Tianna woke up in the morning. She looked around and every thing was packed. She had that look on her face like "What happened".

Well it was now time to "HEAD HOME"

Tuesday, Decembe 15th

2010-01-07T18:49:00.001-08:00

Well this was going to be the last day the group would be together. On Wednesday the other 4 families were all scheduled to head to Hong Kong via train to begin there journey home. There were two main events for today. The finalization of the adoption at the American Consulate and the Pearl River cruise.

For the finalization, we boarded the group bus and took about a 45 min ride to the consulate. We are all excited because this will OFFICIALLY bring to an end the Paper Work Process. After nearly 4 years there will be NO MORE PAPER work to do for this adoption. Tianna will be ours for ever.

It was a rainy afternoon but that did not dampen our spirits. We all had to go through the security check and we were not allowed to bring in any video or camera equipment, including cell phones.

As we sat in the big open seating area there were about 50 families total going through the same process. The waiting reminded me of being at the DMV, we would be called up per family to a window and sign a paper and present ID. Finally after about 40 minutes of families being called up a lady got up and spoke about the consulate and what there duties were. Then we were all asked to stand up and repeat an oath. Afterwards the lady said "Congratulations you can all go home now" At this time chills came over me. The words "Go Home"

We headed to the Pearl River Cruise. Since we were ahead of schedule we had a little time to kill so we stopped off at a hotel that has the biggest lobby in all of China. It was not all that exciting but it did make for some good picture spots. One we used for our Christmas cards that of course we sent out late.

The Pearl Cruise was fun as it was the last time we would all be together as a group. The food was not that good but there was an entertainer that Tianna really loved. It was fun watching Giu Lan dance with Tianna and Katie. Katie (age 10) had just gotten a younger sister (age 8).

Monday December 14th

2009-12-25T20:25:00.000-08:00

Well this was a day that we had only two things scheduled. Our guides were headed to the American consulate for our visa application appointment. It would be here that if there were anything wrong it would show up. Since this part was vital to us going home Gui Lan ordered all of us to stay in our rooms from 10 am to noon. That way if they needed us for anything she could be sure to get us. We felt as if we were under house arrest. Well noon came and no phone call from Gui Lan, all is good.

Later that night, we shared a group dinner at the restaurant in the Holiday Inn. The food was not the best but it was nice sharing the 2nd to last night with the group. By this time we were all in "going home mode".

Sunday December 13th

2009-12-25T20:16:00.000-08:00

Today was another day that there was not much going on. We had a scheduled tour to the "Six Bayon Temple". It is tradition that adoptive families receive a blessing during a ceremony here. We decided why not and had Tianna blessed. Two other families did as well. Tianna was funny because Laura was holding her while on her knees during the blessing. She pointed down. She went down on her knees too just like us. I think she really enjoyed the bell that the Buddist was ringing. The tour was some what quick because there was not much to see, but it did make for some good picture spots.

Later this night three families met for dinner at the Pizza Hut near the holiday inn. It would mark the 2nd of three times eating there. The food was very good. In total we had 13 people have dinner. It was kinda funny seeing all these Americans with Chinese babies take over a Pizza Hut. During dinner I snapped some more pictures and caught one of the funniest ones. It shows Tianna and Laura drinking from mugs and the expression on Tiannas face looks likes she is saying "Bar keeper give me another "

Saturday December 12th

2009-12-25T19:59:00.000-08:00

This was the BIG day, it seemed like there were many big days. This was the day we were to get the results back from Tiannas TB test. 4 of the families headed to the Medical exam office. Toms family did not have to go as there daughter is under 2 and had it on Thursday. It was at this time we met back with Sandra and Dan and there new daughter. Also there older son Dan Jr flew in late on Sunday by himself as we met him for the 1st time.

Mary, the 5th family also was in on this exam trip. She was with us in Beijing as well with Sandra and Dan. Also Gui Lan Zong, our tour guide flew in the night before. When we got to the exam office is looked like a mad house. Kids, parents and guides all over the place. We waited for a little while and then us and Veronika got called in to go over our daughters results. We were up 1st and my fears came true, Tianna test positive on the skin test. Admittedly I was flipping mad inside.

Now I wanted some answers, our local guide Wensi said " we need to give Tianna a chest x-ray". I wanted to know what will happen to my daughter if this shows up positive. No one could give me any type of an answer. Fearing the worse I called for Gui Lan to come over to figure out what was going on. Laura could see that the "Big guy" was gonna explode.

Well after I paid the 200 yen fee for the x-ray, which BTW Tianna thought was fun, it all came out negative. Tianna was fine and we would be okay to leave on the 17th. Another thank you to God goes here.

Funny though, Laura reminded me later on that Tianna had received a TB shot in the orphanage, so of course she would show positive on the skin test. Anyways all is good.

Friday December 11th

2009-12-25T19:48:00.000-08:00

Today was for the most part an uneventful day. There was nothing scheduled for us so we hooked up with Tom and Dawns family and headed back to the White Swan for some shopping and another meal at Lucys.

Across from the White Swan are plenty of stores with out side tables set up to sell there merchandise. I got a lot of fun out of these stores as it was a game to see just how low they would go down from there original asking price for there stuff. This one store gave me a price of 620 Yen ( which is about 90 USD ) with in a couple of minutes I had him down to 225.

The three of us had a quite night as far as dinner goes. We were a bit excited knowing that the rest of our group was flying in tonight and we would all be together for the 1st time.

December 10th

2009-12-25T19:26:00.000-08:00

December 10th was another big day for us as it would mark the day for Tianna's medical exam. ALL children must go through a medical exam before leaving China. Also for children over 2 years of age all must have a TB test. The TB test part made me very nervous. There have been cases where a child turns up positive for TB and must go back to the orphanage until they are cleared up. I could not begin to imagine how that would be if this happened for Tianna.

The morning we met Veronika and her new daughter in the lobby. Veronika was with is in Beijing and we left there the same day. We also met up with a 5th family that began there trip in Hong Kong. Dawn and Thomas and there three kids and new daughter. The three families were headed for about a 15 min walk to the medical building for the test.

Getting through the maze of street vendors was interesting. As we walk through there I really thought just how lucky we were to live in the USA. There are people trying to make a living selling dog food on the side of a street.

Tianna was not to happy with the exam, she cried and cried. It only got worse when we did the TB test. They had to stick her with a needle. It was at this time when Laura and I both felt we had become parents as we FELT Tianna's pain. She hurt we hurt.

The rest of the day was to ourselves and we ate lunch at a western style outdoor restaurant "Lucys" right near the White Swan. It was here that we are Bacon Cheeseburgers and fries. It was also here where I almost lost it with the China locals. Tianna woke up early from a nap to have lunch, she was not happy and cried and cried. Its bad enough that I now have a screaming child with me in public but now I have to have a table of three Chinese people just staring at us. It is customary to admire the adopted child when they are seen with there new parents in public. But this almost put me over the edge. Laura was surprise that I kept my cool. But I kept telling myself "we are leaving soon".

Thought about December 8th and 9th

2009-12-23T20:47:00.000-08:00

December 8th was a huge day for us, it called for a return trip to the civil affairs building to do ALL the paper work and make the "donation". To say it was crazy is an under statement, we were in luck because Jackie knows all the people in the office and he made it somewhat easy to navigate through the see of parents, children and guides.

The 1st order of business was the registration, this was a moving time because after we all sign some papers and put our finger prints down on paper they lady said, "Congratulations you are now a family".

When it was time to leave we had shed most of the extra "luggage", that was my name for the $7,ooo in US cash I have been holding on to since we left for the airport.

Wednesday the 9th was the day we would leave Changsha and the Hunan area for good. I kinda felt sorry for Tianna because we were taking her from her home city for good and she has know understanding what is happening to her. I could only image if some one had down this to me. I wonder how I would feel. But Laura and I both know it is for her own good.

Tianna took her 1st plane ride tonight, it went real well and it was short, 1 hour flight to Guangho. Tianna was funny in the airport, she wanted to wear her "hello kitty" back pack, its about the same size she is. We were so looking forward to getting to the new hotel, as we knew we were catching up with one of the families we had left in Beijing and would meet a new family that started the trip from Hong Kong.

Also we knew this was the last stop before we would be allowed to GO HOME.

Thoughts about Dec 6th and 7th

2009-12-23T20:11:00.000-08:00

Laura and I got into the Dolton hotel in Changsha later then we expected. We were met by our guide Jackie. Jackie is a real nice local guide who seemed very happy to be helping us during the most important time of our lives.
We got very excited when he told us that he has been in contact with Tiannas orphange and they said that Tianna is excited about having a momma and poppa. I thought it might have been tough to sleep tonight but as it was I got a good night sleep in.

Monday morning seemed to fly by, before you know it we were in the lobby waiting for Jackie to pick us up. The civil affairs building was only a couple of minutes away and shortly we would see Tianna for the 1st time. Tianna cam walking in the waiting room with a couple of nannies and her friend, who was being adopted at the same time.

It was kind of a strange moment in a good way, we had seen pictures of Tianna and she seen us and now we were face to face, I almost did not know what to do. The whole meeting last about 30 mins, we took a few pictures and it was off to returning to the hotel.

We went back to the room with Jackie and filled out some paper work, sykped with Tiannas grandparents and headed down for some lunch. Jackie stayed with us to order food for Tianna and make sure we were set up at the restaurant. The rest of the night was a get to know you session.

Some more pictures from Beijing

2009-12-09T08:43:00.000-08:00

The first picture is of the moms and our guide, Gui Lan Zong in front of the Forbidden City.

The second picture is from the Summer Palace, in front of the marble boat.

OK - I'm a little behind...

2009-12-09T08:31:00.001-08:00

I just found an email from Laura and Matt from December 5th, so here it is:

Hi everyone,

Matt and I are having the time of our lives here in Beijing, China. The first picture is from the hotel lobby. We're staying at the Novotel Beijing Peace Hotel. The second is from the the Great Wall. We didn't climb up Great Wall, but did climb all the way down. It was pretty rough, but it was a great experience. Gui Lan Zong is justs as amazing as everyone at New Beginnings says. She's been wonderful. Our travel mates are also quite amazing people.

Tomorrow is Sunday, and we leave for Changsha to await the first meeting with our daughter Tianna Rose. Not sure how much sleep we'll get tomorrow night, as our thoughts will be on how things will go the next few days.

That's all for now folks. We'll talk to you more once we become parents.

Laura and Matt have Tianna Rose!

2009-12-08T13:01:00.001-08:00

Gotcha Day has come and gone, and Tianna Rose has been joined with her Mommy and Daddy. I have not heard from Laura and Matt personally since the last update, but they did have someone post some photos to their Facebook pages. Out of respect to them, I can't put them up here without their permission. So if you are one of their Facebook Friends, pop over to their pages to see their beautiful new daughter Tianna Rose.

Congratulations to the Balkam Family!!

Laura and Matt are in Beijing

2009-12-04T13:28:00.001-08:00

Hi Everyone. I'm Teresa, a friend of Laura and Matt's. They unfortunately can't access their blog due to the "Great FireWall of China" (the Chinese government blocks many news, social networking and blogging sites). So I will be posting reports and photos from them periodically.

I got a brief email from Laura last night at about 7:50pm Eastern:

We are in Beijing. So far everything is going great. We are sitting in the lobby of our hotel watching the rush hour traffic. Seems strange knowing it's evening there. lol

They're sightseeing over the first few days and will be meeting their lovely daughter Tianna Rose soon.

I'll post again when I hear from Laura and Matt. Take care!

Itinerary...12/2 to 12/17

2009-11-24T18:33:00.000-08:00

Dec. 2 Flying out of Newark
Dec. 3 Arriving in Beijing. Hotel Novotel Peace Hotel
Dec. 4 BA Da Ling Greatwall, Jade Factory
Dec. 5 Forbidden City, Tiananmen Square
Dec. 6 Beijing flight to Changsha. Dolton Hotel
Dec. 7 GOTCHA DAY: Meet Tianna Rose at the Civil Affairs. Sign agreement.
Dec. 8 Adoption registration, notary and apply for passport.
Dec. 9 Half day tour of Yue Lu Villa, Fly from Changsha to Guangzhou. Shi Fu Holiday Inn.
Dec.10 Skin test in Guangzhou
Dec.11 Get result of test
Dec.12 Medical with other families
Dec.13 Half day tour to Six Banyan Temple
Dec.14 Visa appointment at 10:00
Dec.15 Pearl River Cruise. Oath at Consulate
Dec.16 Get Visa in the afternoon.
Dec.17 Fly to Shanghai, and then back to Newark Airport, NJ. USA

Thoughts about the future

2009-11-21T21:09:00.000-08:00

Well here Laura and I sit, listening to "Toddler Tunes" and thinking about just how fortunate we are that in 10 days we will be heading to China to begin the Journey of a life time. I think now things are setting in. I look at Tianna's pictures and think that in such a short time we will get to hold her and begin a new life. The excitement in the family is really building.

I looked into Tianna's soon to be bedroom and it is filled with trip "stuff". We are getting things together. This has been a challenge, but with the help of friends who have gone to China it has helped to make this some what easier.

Thats all for now, and since it is now Sunday we can say that, "we are going to China next week"...

Later folks
Matt

We're going to China...we're booked.

2009-11-17T07:24:00.000-08:00

Doings of November 15th and 16th.
Laura and I have been waiting for almost a week for our CA to come in. Thats the consulate appointment. When this comes in then we can book our flghts. Well it should have been in by the end of the week and is was not. Needless to say we are getting concerned.
Laura and I watched tv last night and while catching up on 24 there is was, an e-mail from Pauline at NB stating the CA was in, we can now book our flights.
November 16th, today after a few phone calls back and forth with Continetal airlines I finally booked out flghts to China. We will be leaving on December 2nd from Newark, in to Beijing. Then on December 17th we will fly from Shanghai to Newark. We will land at about 6:30 and by the time we get out of customs we should be heading home around 8pm.

It will make for a looooooooong night but well worth it.

News from 11/04/2009

2009-11-04T20:43:00.000-08:00

Well folks, I called the USCIS office today and they told me that our paper work for the extension is done and being mailed out today. So that is it ALL the paper work is done. Now its up to Pauline to make the dates and we can book the flights. It looks like December 2nd as the travel day. After almost 4 years of waiting the trip is upon us.

The Waiting .....

2009-11-02T06:06:00.000-08:00

So here we are at the start of a new month. I believe I can say it this month with nearly 100% certainty that we will be traveling next month ( December ). October brought us the TA ( Travel Approval) now all we are waiting on is the extension of our approval from the US Immigration service. As it looks now we might be traveling either December 2nd or the 9th.
The 9th presents an interesting scenario, if we leave on the 9th our expected return day would be the 24th. However there is a strong chance we would not make our connecting flight from either Hong Kong or Beijing. So we would be forced to stay the night of the 24th in China. The flights back to the USA from China on the 25th are about $1,000 more expensive. So, it looks like we would also spend the 25th in China and fly home on the 26th.
But as one thing we learned in this process, things change week to week and Laura and I have no control over it.
Anyway here's to hearing some good news about travel date....SOOOOOON !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

And as the "Philosopher" T. Petty once said "The Waiting is the Hardest Part"

Toddler Shower

2009-10-22T08:11:00.000-07:00

This past Sunday, some of the families from the FCC (family with children from China) group through a Toddler Shower for me. It was such a beautiful shower. I was shocked and bewildered. I had such tears of joy that day. The table was beautiful. Set up so nicely. It was so nice seeing everyone there and I was so filled with gratitude.
Everyone was so wonderful in planning it out. Matt and a good time tricking me too.
He took me shopping over at the Tanger Outlets. Then, we had plans to have lunch with his friend Dave and his wife Candace. But, that wasn't who was having lunch with us. It was some of FCC, a few friends from Church, Matt's parents and my aunt and uncle. It was wonderful.
It's great having the support of our Adoption friends and our friends in choir. Our Adoption friends know and understand everything we're going through in regards to adopting and waiting for china. Our friends from Church were there through everything from the Fertility Treatments, the miscarriages and now the wonderful journey to China.
My mother-in-law and father-in-law have also been through everything with us. I'm not sure what we'd do without their support. WIthout their help, we would never even have a chance to adopt. They are both as happy as we are about Tianna coming home.
I was so happy on Sunday. I think I was glowing. Oh, right. I'm pregnant...PAPER pregnant. Tianna is coming home soon. Yippeee.
Oh, of course, I need to mention how much I love Matt. Side by side, we go on this wonderful journey, together. We're eachothers best friends. We have total communication and we're totally devoted to each other. What more can I ask for?

Travel Approval

2009-10-22T07:20:00.001-07:00

Matthew Balkam
On Wednesday I received in my hand the copy of our TA ( Travel Aproval ) from China. It seemed some what unreal. The TA for lack of a better word is HUGE..!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! This is China saying "Ok you can come into our country and get your chi...ld" The TA is what every future parent is striving for, and we got it.
Now all we need is the paper work from the USCIS office in Manhattan. That is the US side saying "Ok now go get your child". Its kinda stupid this whole process but it makes sense, I think.
So we are now looking at a travel date of the last week of November to the 1st two weeks of December. There is a strong possibility would could be in China near or during Christmas. As much as I hate the idea of not being home for Christmas, this is the ONLY reason I can think of to be away from home. I mean we are bringing our daughter home to family and friends who are so excited to meet Tianna.

Well thats all for now folks. Hope to have more news soon,

Matt

Lifebook

2009-10-14T06:44:00.000-07:00

I started a lifebook for Tianna last night. It's only going include things up until we meet her in China. So, the referral pictures, medical information from when she was One, the pre-approval e-mail from New Beginnings, the pictures of the packages we sent through Red Thread and the first letter I wrote my daughter. It's a small book with Mickey Mouse on the cover.
We found two pictures on the ZZ website (yahoo group for those adopting from Zhouzou orphanage) that have a little girl in them that look like it could be Tianna. The pictures were taken last summer (2008), so Tianna would be 2 1/2. So, right now, we're trying to confirm one way or the other. If they are Tianna, of course I'll print those up and put them in the book as well.

I spent Monday washing her clothes and putting them in her dresser. Yes, I know I have plenty of time, but when time gets closer, I'll have papers due and Final exams to prepare for before we head to China.
Tianna's dresser is completely filled with 3T and 4T clothes. She's set. I can't wait until she gets home. The wait is getting worse. We're praying to get her home before Christmas. We are still waiting for our Travel Approval from China. It's been a month of waiting for the approval and are hoping to receive it soon. Waiting to find out when we'll meet our daughter.

That's it for now.

Red Thread

2009-10-10T08:07:00.001-07:00

We got an message from Ann at Red Thread (since we put an order in last week for a package for Tianna). Ann is a wonderful woman who works (or may even own) Red Thread. She can get us updates on Tianna. We asked about Tiannas hearing and her eating (since she's got the cleft palete). Ann says that Tianna is eating normal foods (rice and vegetables). Tianna doesn't have any hearing problems. That's all we really know so far. We were hoping for more pictures, but we're lucky to at least get more information. We're making a list of questions to ask once we're there. Like, what will sooth her when she's upset?
I'm quiet excited about the room. I hope she likes the Disney Princesses. Everything is Disney Princesses.
Matt picked up a Disney princess Etch a Sketch and toy cell phone. He really loves buying Tianna things, just like his parents do.
Everything is quiet as far as travel dates and things. CCAA will reopen on Monday. Hurray.
Hope everyone has a great weekend.
Laura

Thoughts to ponder for 10/7/09

2009-10-07T19:20:00.000-07:00

Well here Laura and I sit keeping busy with stuff, while are thoughts are in China. I never imagine just how hard this wait would be until it was here. We are listening to "Toddler Tunes" on TV. Perhaps thats not a good idea. But now that our daughter has a face, a smile, and a name its harder to let each day go by with out her. We feel like we are being robbed as each day goes by.

But I guess we just have to wait our turn. We did make a new friend in Colorado who is addopting from the same Orphanage that our daughter is at. She maybe heading there before us.

Any ways folks, thats all

Matt

The Bed

2009-10-05T03:47:00.000-07:00

On Saturday Tianna's bed arrived. It was a gift from Grandma and Grandpa. It is big but I do think our little girl will love it. I really love the pull out desk idea. Grandma and Grandpa got to see it Sunday and approved. So the room is now ready, expect for one little item. Theres a little girl in China who still needs to see it.

Anyways October is here and CCAA is closed. Still have to wait another week for any more updates. Untill then talk with you all later.

Matt

This and That from Sept 30th

2009-09-30T20:09:00.000-07:00

Well I guess I am happy September is just about over, it means October is upon us and we can say that we will get out daughter NEXT MONTH. I purchased a Little Tykes outdoor play house for Tianna today off of Craigslist. It was a great deal and well worth the $15 bucks I paid for it. But the guy who I bought it off of was a PUTZ. And thats about all I want to say about that.

We went to K-mart tonight to look at stuff for Tianna's room, and I found the finishing touches. Two nicely framed pictures from the Disney Princess collections. They fit nicely on either side of the window.

I have my eye on two others but I am not sure if I want to spend the money. But who am I kidding, I will end up buying them on Saturday.

We did our finger printing today with the USCIS in Hicksville, its a division of the Department of Home Land Security. It sounds more important then it really is. But it did mark the last time we will have to do these stupid finger prints. YEAH

Oh and I also figured out how to add more then 1 photo to this blog. That is one battle I won tonight.

Well its 23:16 hours, October is 44 mins away. This wait is gonna kill me.

Later folks
Matt

A drag

2009-09-29T05:46:00.000-07:00

Matt spoke with Pauline at New Beginnings yesterday. Previously, Pauline said we may be traveling November 11th, but now she's saying it look like it's going to be a few more weeks. She's waiting on a few more families to travel with us since we're the ones to pay for the tour guide (her time, her food and her hotel and travel). So, it's better to stretch it among several families than for only two families to pay for her. I'm quite disappointed as this would mean Tianna won't be here for Thanksgiving. But, we may be traveling to China Thanksgiving week.
We'll just have to be patient and wait. It's just another couple weeks that Tianna has to stay in the orphanage instead of being home with her family.

As everyone who knows me well, I'm not the most patient. I hate waiting. lol. But, I have no choice. Tianna will come home in God's time and not ours.

Tiannas room is almost ready. We just need her bed which we ordered last week.
I hope she loves the Disney Princesses. The playroom still needs alot of work since that's where we put some of the winter bins that we still need to empty out.

Yesterday, I went to Hicksville in hope of getting my finger prints done early. Figuring some of the other families have done that. But, when we got there, we found that they aren't open on Mondays. Ugh. I have to take time off tomorrow to do my finger prints. The new place seems nicer than the old one. The last two times we did finger prints, it was in an older building and the area didn't appear very safe. But the newer building seemed nice (from the outside) and safer.

Will add more when we get an update. CCAA is closed this week for holiday, so we won't get any updates until next week.

Tarket registry/Gratitude

2009-09-24T07:11:00.001-07:00

Laura Silvia-Balkam wrote
at 9:03am

I personally had a great time last night at Target. I love those scanners. They really have some great stuff between the clothes, toys and music/DVD's. We even looked at books. It was pretty cool.
I couldn't believe that we actually scanned 85 items.
I day dream constantly about what life will be like once Tianna Rose comes home.
I'm so excited about her. Her new grandparents are even more excited.

I wish I could put to words how I feel about Matt's Mom and Dad. They are the most wonderful giving people I've ever met in my life. They've made such an impact on my life. I owe them so much and can't even begin to thank them for the wonderful things that they do. A card would never cover even 1/4 of it and I just can't put it into words. The love I feel for them is amazing. I hope that one day, they will realize the impact they do have on my life.
Now, we wait for China. Maybe Nov 11th is what we were told yesterday.
I'm so excited. I think Matt should just learn sign language.

Tarket registry & Possible Travel time

2009-09-24T07:10:00.000-07:00

Matthew Balkam wrote
at 10:09pm yesterday

So tonight was a fun night, we decide to go to Target and make a "Toddler" registry. Not as easy as I thought because there is a bunch of stuff we dont need. I E all the new born things. But after we were done there was about 85 items on the list.

Spoke with Pauline at New Beginnings and she thinks November 11th is a safe bet for the trip, kinda makes me nervous, "7 weeks and counting".

Anyways back to the Manderian ,

Updates

2009-09-18T06:47:00.000-07:00

6:30 this morning, Matt comes into the bedroom and pulls the covers off of me. Once realizing that it was only 6:30, it hit me that we must have got news on Tianna. I jumped up so freaking fast and ran straight to the computer. There, open on the screen, were five updated pictures of Tianna. They were all taken yesterday. I couldn't believe it. She's beautiful. Oh my goodness. She is 3ft 2in tall and weighs 30.5 pounds. Sounds like she's going to be in a 3T to start with. The pictures show that she's a little spit fire. lol. Looks like she likes to model.

It's hard to put my feelings and excitement to words because there's no way I can explain my feelings. The emotions that are running inside of me. The thoughts and day dreams that go on in my head.

Now, we wait for our Travel Arrangements.

Laura

Pick up and Signing the LOA

2009-09-16T19:36:00.000-07:00

So Tuesday was a fun day. We expected to receive the LOA in the mail from New Beginnings via Express Mail. I called NB to get a tracking number for the package and they tell me the LOA is still on Paulines desk in the office. I am like "Oh great" so you know what that means. Yes I drive into Mineola to the NB office to pick up the original LOA straight from CCAA.

I then drive back to Holtzville to meet Laura at her job and have her sign it. Figure Mom and Dad would like to see the original so I stop off at there house and moms job to show them. Leave Moms office and drive back into Mineola to drop of the signed original to Tim at NB. All this in under 4 hours.

Of course when I get home the package that NB sent was there in the mailbox waiting for me to review and sign off. Also included in this was a little invoice for $ 3,530. Oh well that's the cost of doing the adoption business.

Matt 9/16/09 10:44 pm

Our first package

2009-09-16T10:59:00.001-07:00

Matt just ordered Autumn Moon cakes and had it shipped to Tianna. I wonder if she likes them. It's all so exciting. I wrote a letter to our daughter that this woman Ann from Red Thread will translate for Tianna. It was so hard to write the letter between the tears of joy.
How I've fallen completely in love with a child that I haven't met yet. I guess that's not so amazing, is it. I can't wait to hold her in my arms, smell her hair and tell her how I love her.
I guess I have to be patient though. I've already waited over 3 1/2 years, what's another couple of months. Funny thing is, we started the paperwork for China the same month/year that Tianna was born.
Next, I want to send a package with disposible cameras and a picture pillow.

Notification of LOA

2009-09-14T20:18:00.000-07:00

We get home today after a day of running errands. Our agency rep, Pauline, leaves a message, "Hi its Pauline call me at home". Fear sets in that CCAA is rejecting something. I call Pauline and say "your tone of voice does not sound good". She says, "NO your LOA is in" and then utters the words "She's yours" .

After 3 years and 8 months since signing a contract with New Beginnings we are now going to become parents. Tomorrow, Tuesday, is the next big day, we will get our LOA in express mail and hopefully new pictures.

Its on to parenthood.

Matt 9/14/09 11:25 pm

Weight/Height at 12 months

2009-09-10T11:16:00.000-07:00

When Tianna was just under 12 months of age (as of January 08, 2007), she weighed 19.8 pounds (9kg) and was 27.6 inches (70cm). So, we can safely assume she will be a small little girl.
Tianna will be 4 years old (or almost 4) by the time we see her for the first time. We aren't sure if she will be small sizes like 2T or normal size between 3T and 4T. We found out today that China may not send us updated pictures. I hope they send an updated medical at least. Otherwise, what sizes clothes do we take with us? It'll be winter, and winter clothes is heavy.

We were told we could get our LOA (Letter of Approval) from China in about 2 weeks. Then after that, we'll get our TA (Travel Arrangement). I pray we have her in our arms by Christmas. What a wonderful Christmas gift she is (regardless of when she comes home).

Matt and I plan on sending Tianna a care package before we travel. In this care package will be a photo album of our family so that Tianna will know where she's going or who her new family will be. I'm thinking a nice teddy bear or other stuffed animal would be nice as well. Not sure what we'll send other than the album of course. Our agency recommends it. It will prepare Tianna for her new life.

Our Daughter

2009-09-08T09:54:00.000-07:00

Tianna Rose Balkam
DOB 1/20/06
No current pictures yet, hopefully in a few weeks.

Matt and I are so excited to announce that we are finally going to be parents.
We've been approved by China to adopt Huang Tian Na (now known as Tianna Rose Balkam).
We will keep everyone updated on travel arrangements and everything about our Journey to Tianna Rose.