Welcome Home Lukas

Just wanted to share some pictures from Lukas' homecoming........ If you click on the picture it will take you to shutterfly to see all the pictures. You don't have to register just click "view pictures"......

Catching Up

It has been a few days since I have been able to post. The weather here is unbearably hot and humid. I ended up with a 2 day migraine. YUK!! Anyway, here are some cute photos of Lukas and his friend Megan. We are having a great time here, but really anxious to get home to see Mari and settle into a routine.

We are going to the US Consulate today for the official swearing in ceremony. Then back to Shamain Island to pick up all our things we ordered. We will be leaving this hotel in the morning and taking the train to Hong Kong. We will stay there for the night and then we will be homeward bound.

Are these two just too cute?

We love you and miss you Mari!

Vicki, Don & Lukas

We're in Guangzhou!

WOW! What a difference a new hotel makes! This ol' internet junkie was having withdrawals with the poor internet service at the hotel in Xi'an. Here...we just plugged in and are set to go! So look for more frequent updates and photos of our little man! He is just the cutest doll baby! And the greatest giggler in the world! He is headstrong when he doesn't get his way, but is easily redirected. Travels well. He usually sleeps in the van. We were wondering how he would handle his first plane ride. This was only a 2.5 hour flight and quite confining. He got a little agitated at the beginning but settled in quickly and slept for the rest of the ride. Hope the flight home goes as well. I did go out this afternoon and purchase a traditional chinese baby carrier. They are a kind of front carrier that will help me keep my hands on him when he is sleeping on my lap. I was kinda dozing myself on the flight and felt my arms dropping from him a little. Hopefully this will solve that problem.

We are going out to eat at the Guangzhou Chinese Restaurant. It's kinda a local hangout...like the "WestEnd" of China. I hope the food is good cause we are hungry! Missed lunch today due to traveling.

Here are a few pics of Lukas as we were traveling to our new hotel. Isn't he just the cutest??

We love you Mariella!!!!!

Don, Vicki & Lukas

Visiting the CWI

We were blessed with the opportunity to visit the place where Lukas spent his first months of life. We were not allowed to do this with Mari so we were happy to know we would be able to record some of this for Lukas to see when he is older.

I knew I would need to guard my heart when I saw all those little faces, but I didn't expect the intesity of those feelings.

When we got there the children were playing outside. We were spotted immediately as was the bag of lollipops we had brought. I was rushed by tiny little hands reaching out for a treat. I tried handing out a little more than candy and started giving them all hugs. Do you think China would mind if I just brought a few more kiddos home with me?

Because of the recent earthquakes, the children are not staying in the main building (the pink castle). We were directed to a smaller out building where they had set up temporary shop while repairs were being made.

We were able to meet Lukas' best friend Aaron. Aren't they just the cutest duo?

We met most of the nannies and got to hold lots of little ones. They did let us go up into the mail building to see the room Lukas was in. There was a makeshift infirmary there with a few sick babies. Sick or not, they need to be cuddled. And I just couldn't help myself.

I am trying to get all 250+ photos uploaded to Snapfish so I can share with the other waiting parents, but apparently it is blocked here at this hotel. I will get it up when we get to Guangzhou. We are leaving in the morning and hope to be settled in by the afternoon.

More news then!

Mariella, mommy and daddy miss you so much and can't wait to see you! Big hugs and kisses to you!

Mom

Introducing Lukas!!! (finally)

Well, first I have to apologize to all of you that have been dying to see and her about how we are doing since we received Lukas.

Internet service here in this hotel stinks! Apparently the fact that I have Vista is causing great concern among the computer specialists here in the hotel. I also have wireless capabilities on my laptop. Apparently not a good combo that is met with alot of "ohh and hummmm" from the hotel staff.

Anyway, after lots of work and creating a new gmail account, I was able to get on here. That was last night. I made this glorious post and then all of a sudden it vanished. It was long and quite profound. After a full day of touring I just can't muster the strength to do it again. I am afraid to get to involved in my postings and then lose them so I will cut to the chase.

Lukas is just a doll baby! A BIG doll baby. Although he is nearly 17 mo old, he acts more like a 10-11 month old. He did take his first step on March 31 and he is doing good, but still has that new walk bob and weave action going on. And he babbles non-stop when we are NOT in the van. For some unknown reason, just as soon as we enter the van, he assumes this position of plastering himself to my chest and sticks his thumb in his mouth. He will not move until we get out of the van. And usually drifts off to sleep.

Yes. He is a thumb sucker. It is so cute. But he definitely prefers momma over daddy right now. He will allow Don to hold him for a tiny bit then it is back to momma. He does tolerate the stroller to some degree, but prefers to be held. Great for my back during a day long tour at the Terra Cotta Warriors Museum!

Anyway, enough rambling. Here are some pics of our boy!! Enjoy. I will post again when I am able.

These two are from today as we were touring. The sunglasses and hat lasted long enough for the picture.

We love you Mari and miss you so much. Big hugs and kisses for you!!! XXXOOO

Mommy, Daddy & Lukas

(also, please refer to Ken & Leslies webpage for more in depth descriptions of our day www.webpages.charter.net/laked95 Ken does a great job on it!)

The GREAT WALL and Sacred Garden

I will once again send you to the Ken & Leslie's site as they are able to post more freely and have more pics of our adventures today.

http://webpages.charter.net/laked95/

We received a very special gift today. You all are aware of the earthquake situation here in China. We have been very concerned about the safety of our children and was able to receive some contact from a volunteer in Luke's orphanage. This morning I opened my eamil to three pictures and a very short little movie of him. He is so adorable. This pic was taken just about 8 hours ago.

What a day today! We have had such a great time in Beijing but wow, is it ever exhausting! I am only able to post this at about 3 am since when we came back to the hotel at about 8 pm, I crashed! Don did the same thing the night before and I was the night owl so I guess it was my turn.

I am still having technical difficulties with blogger even though I have someone in the states to help me, I even have a tough time getting the email to go through and send pics. I will do my best here (this is my third attempt) My first two posts ended up in cyberspace!

We climbed the Great Wall today! Man oh man alive, what an experience! I can hardly wrap my head around the fact that we are going to be view and standing on one of the great wonders of the world!!! Who would have though that us small town folks would be doing that!!! It is truly breathtaking. It was very hazy today, but still so very unreal!

We also visited the Sacred Gardens and Ming''s Tomb. Mari, can you guess where this picture is from? Yes...mommy and daddy are standing next to the same camel that is one of the clues on the map in Big Bird in China!

We are leaving today for Xi'an. This morning we will be going to the Summer Palace. Then a small tour on a rickshaw (FUN FUN!!) and visit a local Chinese home.

Our wonderful tour guide Maggie, will get us to the airport and make sure we are pointed in the right direction. Next time I post, we will be in Xi'an where Lukas is and be ready to meet him on Sunday at 3:30 pm. (2:30 am Saturday for those of you back home) So when you wake up on Sunday morning, hopefully you will see pics of Lukas in our arms!

Mari, we miss you so very much! Love to all of you!!!

Vicki & Don (aka mommy and daddy)

WOOHOO!!!

I have figured out how to post to my blog. I won't be able to see it or review it so please bear with me and my exhaustion.

What a day we had! Got up and enjoyed a great breakfast at the hotel and then met out guide Maggie (who by the way is adorable) to start out the day at the Forbidden City. What a huge place! And the architecture is breathtaking. Maggie was spewing more historical information that I could digest. This girl really knows her stuff.

Next we moved on to Tiananmen Square. More history lessons. Everything in China is old. Not in bad repair old, but historical old. They have trees standing that are 500+ years old. Wish I had their green thumb!

We are having a great time sharing this whole experience with our dear friends Ken & Leslie. They are also adopting a little girl, Megan. We feel very blessed to be sharing this special bond with them again. Our older girls (both 4 yrs old) were adopted together 3 years ago and are from the same orphanage. Megan and Lukas are not from the same orphanage, but are from the same city. We will meet them both on Sunday.

I am having trouble getting the pictures to post, so I will end here.

You may be able to see more by visiting Megan's family journey at http://webpages.charter.net/laked95/

I'm sure Ken was able to get more pics and info up on their site.

We love you and miss you Mari!

We are in Beijing!!!

We have arrived SAFELY!!We are in Beijing and all is well. No earthquakes or anything felt here, although there have been quite a few reported aftershocks in Sichaun. All the kids in Xi'an CWI (where Lukas is) were evacuated. Babbies were wheeled out 12 to a crib. It happened right after morning nap so kids were alert and ready. They enjoyed their snacks outdoors until the "all-clear" was given by local authorities. It is reported that everyone is safe and unharmed.Beijing is amazing! Very big and pretty! Our guide told us that there are 18 million people in Beijing and 1.2 million are coming in and going out of the city daily. That's alot of people. But they are very well organized!We went to bed around 10 pm Beijing time. Don't even know how many hours we were up, but I woke up at 2 am and couldn't go back to bed. I should be really tired at the end of the day after touring.Today we are going to Tian'anmen Square, the Forbidden City and the Temple of Heaven. In the evening we will be attending the Chinese Acrobat Show.The main thing is that we are safe and having a great time so far. Stay tuned for more adventures!

Earthquake News

As most of you have heard in the news, there was an earthquake in China. It measured 7.8 and has been very devastating. The actualy epicenter was about 300-400 miles SW of Xi'an. It sseems from what little contact we have had, that Lukas and the other children are fine. Another concern we have is the 80 ton toxin spill at a chemical that is near Xi'an.

We are still on schedule to leave tomorrow morning for Beijing. Not sure what our trip will be like, but we are prepared for it. I'm sure there will be aftershocks for most of our stay there.

We are anxious to get Lukas in our arms and hold him close. Please pray for us as we travel to the unknown.

We will do our best to post updates and photos as long as we have access.

Vicki

Our ITINERARY for our trip!!

It really is official! We are going to China!


May 13, 2008: Fly St. Louis to Chicago, Chicago to Beijing.

May 14, 2008: Arrive in Beijing at 3pm, picked up at airport by travel guide

May 15, 2008: Visit Tian'amen Square, the Forbidden City, Temple of Heaven, Chinese Acrobats Show

May 16, 2008: Visit the Great Wall, Ming's Tomb, The Sacred Road

May 17, 2008: Visit Summer Palace and then leave for Xi'an, Sha'anxi at 5:40pm

May 18, 2008: GOTCHA DAY!!! We will meet Lukas and hold him for the first time!!!

May 19, 2008: Finalize the adoption and make it legal!!

May 20-23, 2008: Tour the orphanage and the city where Lukas is from.

May 24, 2008: Fly from Xi'an to Guangzhou.

May 25, 2008: Shop and tour!

May 26, 2008: AGAIN! Shop and tour!

May 27, 2008: Visa appointment with U.S. Consulate.

May 29, 2008: Travel by train from Guangzhou to Hong Kong, spend the night

May 30, 2008: Fly from Hong Kong to Chicago (flight# 0896, arriving 2;20pm)
and Chicago to St. Louis (flight #5387, arriving 6:11pm)

We are traveling with United Airlines.

It has been a real challenge to get all these plans made, but we did it and now I must move on to the packing. I have one suitcase opened with everything packed inside, but then at some point, I just started tossing other things on top of the packed things and now Mari is quite worried that it won't all fit. This morning she told me that I just MAY need 2 more suitcases!! How right she may be!

I am now at the point where I start widdling down and removing things that I THOUGHT were a necessity! Those suitcases are heavy!! And since Don will officially be the "pack mule" I am trying to make it a bit easier on him. I am not lots of help with my shoulder and am resting it up as much as I can so I will be able to carry Lukas around.

We got an update on him as of May 4. He is 25.5 pounds and LOVES to be held!!! They also say he has 14 teeth, but I can't imagine a 16 month old having that many teeth!! Guess I will have to watch my fingers at feeding time!! Anyway, no bottle--just a sippy, but he does drink formula. I am kinda hoping that he will take a bottle again since it is such a great way to bond. I think I will pack a bottle or two just in case.


5 days from now, we will be jetting our way across the ocean! Mari is so excited to meet her brother and "in theory" she thinks it's great!!! It may be an entirely different story once she realizes he is sticking around!!!

We are so excited and frantic all in one! We will be posting as often as possible.

Mariella's pre-K class is going to be following along on our journey and incorporating it into their day!

Also, Laura (oldest daughter and caretaker of Mari while we are gone) will be sharing with her 4th grade students!

Ok, now back to packing! ;)

Vicki

WE ARE GOING TO CHINA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Lukas, baby...we are finally on our way to get you!!!

We just got word yesterday afternoon that we need to be in Xian on May 17th. Actually we were given the option of being there on the 10th or the 17th, which would have us leaving on the 6th or the 13th. I just found out that I need some physical theraphy after the accident so we decided to meet on the 17th so I could get a few sessions in before we travel. Hopefully the therapy will help with the shoulder pain.

Anyway, now starts the mad dash to get all the final details put in order and all the kinks ironed out. My oldest daughter Laura and her husband Joe will be watching Mari while we are in China. Laura has all kinds of fun stuff lined up for them to do. Mari won't have time to miss us! Of course, we will be in contact everyday so it won't seem so bad. It will probably be tougher on me than her since we haven't even been apart for more that a few days (and that was only twice LOL)

Here are the three of them trying to fly a kite this past weekend!

We finally have lift off!! Not enough wind to really do much, but I give them all an A for effort!! it was fun to watch!!

Sister, sister....

My big girl and my little girl having fun being sisters!!!

Vicki

We are BLESSED!!!

This past Thursday afternoon, Don, Mari and I were traveling out to see my daughter, Laura. She and her husband will be taking care of Mari while we are in China to bring Lukas home. Since Laura is a 4th grade teacher, Mari will need to be in daycare during the week while she is at work. So we packed up for the 1-1/2 hour ride so that Mari will be familiar the place. When we started out, the weather was a little drizzly. I absolutely hate to travel (as a passenger) in the rain. There is a particularly dangerous area on the stretch of highway we would be traveling on. Most accidents that happen here end in serious injury and more often are fatal. Although we have traveled this too many times to count, my heart always races madly as we approach this stretch of highway. We always sail through with no problems, but still I have that sick feeling when we drive by and see all the roadmarkers of crosses (and there are many) of all the motorist that have not been so fortunate.

So as we approach this area in the midst of traffic, all seems fine...until our car suddenly hydroplanes out of control and we hit the center concrete wall, spin around hit again, spin some more. All the while, I am waiting for the next big hit from another car and suddenly we stop. Right in the middle of the slow lane and no one has hit us. We are all shaken up alot, windows are broken out of the car, glass everywhere. I check everyone and grabbed Mari from her car seat. We are able to open the door and get out. An 18 wheeler stopped just about 15 feet behind our car "to block" othe other cars from us. He got out of his truck and told us he did not see the accident, but saw our car stopped there and wanted to keep us from being hit from the other cars on the road. How this man managed to not see the accident, but stop before hitting us is nothing short of a miracle. Truly an angel sent to protect us. He was standing there behind us when I got out of the car with Mari. I talked to him just long enough to hear what he did. He walked over to help Don move the car off the road and then he was gone. Just like that.

There had been an accident there in the same area just about 15-20 minutes earlier so the highway patrol was still there. The officer was on the frontage road, but jumped the fence, told us he had another officer on the way, a tow truck on the way and did we need an ambulance. I had a searing pain in the back of my head but I was not bleeding. I did a quick check over everyone and determined that we were ok enough to wait until we got back to Belleville so we could go to the ER there.

After our ER assessments, it was determined that Mari had a small bruise on her cheek, Don had some muscle strain, but no injuries and I had a fist sized lump on the back of my head along with a bruised shoulder. God was surely protecting us! It is a true miracle that we are all safe.

Our car was totaled. It can be replaced. A life cannot.

God has blessed our family! We have lived a miracle. We are forever grateful.

Vicki

Still no I-171-H

For those of you who are unfamiliar with the adoption process, this is one of the forms necessary to complete your paperwork for China. We got one at the beginning of our process, but it expired on February 27, 2008. We had to go back in and have our fingerprints taken again after we received the appropriate letter and had that done on March 11th. The renewal letter usually arrives in the mail within 2 weeks. But for some reason, ours is taking a bit longer. The problem is not with our prints or anything, it is because new people have been hired in the USCIS office and it is taking them a little longer to get their ducks in a row. In the meantime, I have aged about 5 years waiting for the dang form!!!

Long story short...we cannot leave the country without that updated form. China will NOT let us have Lukas without it. So we sit and wait. We were assured through email on April 11th that the form was to be in the mail. I'm wondering now if they sent it by pony-express!!

I have no doublt that you will hear me scream from the mountain top when it arrives!!!
Stay tuned!!

Vicki

EARTHQUAKE!!!!!!!

What a way to wake up at 4:37 in the morning!!!!! The bed was shaking so much I didn't know what was happening. I jumped up, ran to Mari's bedroom (she didn't budge), ran back out and nearly collided with Don in the hallway. It was absolutely crazy. The first thought I had was that this is an earthquake. It's not like we have them here on a regular basis, but still it was weird!! It felt like someone was picking up the end of the bed and shaking it! It ended up lasting for about a minute and a half. The news reported that it was a 5.4 and originalted about 120 miles east of us and lasted about 1-2 minutes. No known damage here to report, but there was some in St. Louis (we are just about 8 miles across the river from there).

We are all safe and sound, but it does provide this little town with something to talk about for awhile!!!!

Vicki

TRAVELING SOON!!!

Got some new today they are finalizing plans for our travel. Looks like we may be leaving in about 12 days!!! Give or take a few. I will be sure to post the exact dates just as soon as we get them.

Seems as though my dream just may come true!!!

Soon, Lukas, very soon............

Vicki

A Mother's Dream

It is my dream that we are in China this time next month, snuggling up with our new son! I am so excited to see his little face and feel him in my arms.

Let's hope that the Chinese government feels the same way and our travel arrangements come through this week!

If you believe in the power of prayer, please pray that we get an answer quickly!!

Vicki

Facts about Albinism

We have had several people inquire about Lukas' conditions. He has albinism.

Simply put, albinism means that a person lacks skin color.

~~It is genetically inherited.
~~Children with albinism can have very white skin, light colored hair and their eyes can appear red, pink, dull grey, light blue or light brown.
~~Hair color can be snowy white to reddish brown.
~~Children with albinism generally suffer few physical effects of the condition outside of vision problems and skin that is prone to sunburn. Remember, every case is unique. There can be exceptional side effects.
~~They experience normal physical and intellectual development.

Challenges:

~~Because of the low levels of pigment in the eyes, children with albinism can be sensitive to light. Wearing sunglasses, even indoors, can help alleviate this discomfort.
~~It is common for children with albinism to have extreme farsightedness, nearsightedness or astigmatism. Corrective lenses can help improve these vision problems but often, the defect is so severe that problems persist even with glasses or contact lenses.
~~An experienced optometrist can usually improve the overall vision of a child with albinism, but the vision problems cannot be completely eradicated.

Treatment

There is no “cure” for Albinism.
Children born with this condition go on to live happy, healthy lives


And please remember this: Every child is a gift...no matter how they come to us.

Vicki

LOA!!! Really!

WOOHOO!!! We really did get our LOA on Saturday morning, got together with our friends that are also adopting and traveling with us, signed our letters and fed-ex'd them right back for delivery today. AND...we got the call that they both arrived safely at the main office and are headed back to China. What a relief!

NOW our last hurdle is to get that new I-171H in the mail. Ours expired on Feb 27, 2008. We have already had our fingerprints redone and been waiting for nearly a month for a new form. We cannot travel to China without this form. SO we need it here. Pray for good news in the mail sometime this week.

We also got an email back from the courier that was handling our visa. They are on their way back to us and should be here in the morning. Everything is starting to fall into place and we will be on that plane before you know it!

We also got another surprise from a family that was able to take some photos of Lukas on the trip. This is from April 1, 2008.

He just gets cuter and cuter every time I see him! Oh and he is not fond of strangers which is why he doesn't smile much when they are trying to take his picture. We ought to have a great time the first few days!

~~FRUSTRATION~~

Well, I have been borderline physco for the past week now! Our Letter of Acceptance (LOA) was supposed to arrive the same time as our travel partners' letter did. They got theirs on March 11. AND we were told that ours was "on the way". We had no reason to believe otherwise since our paperwork has traveled in tantum the entire way in this process. So I waited. And waited. A few days difference was all that I had expected and when I contacted my social worker, she assured me that it should arrive any day and to just 'breath'. LOL!! Easy for her to say!!

So I spend the next 16 days 'breathing' and still nothing arrived in the mail. I was getting worried that it somehow had gotten lost. I contacted our social worker again and she said she would check with CCAA (China). She called me and emailed me the next day with a trail of emails from China stating that it was mailed to the Chicago office on the 24th or 25th and that it should arrive shortly (in Chicago) and then overnighted to us. Knowing this, I started my 'watch' for that delivery man on this past Monday. I was afraid to leave, take a shower or anything that might prevent me from being available when that delivery came.

Monday came and went. So did Tuesday and Wednesday. Then I started the calling again. Today we find out that it was not SENT on the 24th or 25th, but but received in the Hong King office and has officially been sent to Chicago on the 28th of March. Once there, it will be overnighted to us. So I have a free day today. Cleaning and preparing for Lukas is high on my list. Not that I have made much progress, but it is time to step it up and get going.

We should received that long-awaited letter by Monday (that's what they tell us) and then we will sign and do an immediate turnaround so we can get our consulate appointment (CA) which in turn determines our travel plans.

Stay tuned for the updates! We are anxious to get together with our friends and have the celebratory Chinese dinner!!

We are so close to holding Lukas in our arms!

Vicki

A new friend for Lukas!

We just found out this morning that dear friends of ours are leaving on Sunday morning to travel to Seoul Korea to bring their son, Theo home!!!

Three years ago we both adopted daughters from China. They arrived home with Ella just 6 weeks after we came home with Mariella. Now they are traveling to bring Theo home and we will more than likely be coming home with Lukas about 6 weeks after them.

They are only a few miles from us so the boys will have the chance to grow up together.

Congrats Chris, Angie, Ella & Theo!

Happy travels!!!

Vicki

LOA may finally be on its way!!!!!

Our friends that are traveling with us received their LOA two weeks ago and we were told that ours was in the mail right behind them! We were so excited to know that we would be traveling soon and worried at the same time that we were still trying to raise money to get there!!

Anyway, we waited a few days and those days turned into weeks!! Finally yesterday our social worker called to tell us that after much checking and inquiring, our LOA was truly on its way from China and should be in our hands either today or Monday!!! WOOHOO!!

I finally feel like I need to kick it into high gear and start packing! At this point now, they are saying that our trip could be at the end of April or beginning of May. I sure hope we are home for Mother's Day!

We will see what the mail brings!

Vicki

Fundraiser, sort of...

We have been desparately scraping together the money we need to get to China and bring Lukas home. It has been tough but we are making headway!!

If you have a moment, please check out my shop on Etsy.com. I will continue to list items daily. All the proceeds from those sales will help us get a little closer to our final goal.

If you are looking for some really cute boutique items, please take a few minutes to browse. You just might find something you like. Everything (except the clothing) is ready to ship out to you as soon as payment is made.

Vicki

Once again, we have been blessed with updated photos!

This time it is of our sweet boy laughing and smiling. Enjoy! These were taken on February 22, 2008.

Vicki

UPDATED photos of Lukas

We are incredibly grateful to all the families that have or are in the process of adopting children from the Xi'an Children's Welfare Association in Sha'anxi. They have provided us with some awesome updated photos of our son. These were taken on Feb 21. AND I am currently waiting for some more that are said to be of him smiling and laughing!!

How did we ever get so lucky?!?

This is truly a "pay it forward" gift as we will do the same for the other parents waiting for a glimpse of their child who is living half way around the world.

Anyway, I'm sure you aren't interested in my proud ramblings so I will stop now and let you enjoy these photos!!

Vicki