Bringing Home Charlotte Whatley

Kickin' Up Our Heels With Our Good Friends!

2006-01-24T12:32:00.000-05:00

Carson

Peyton &

Charlotte

with her Strawberry Shortcake Panties - ooops!

Mimi The Silly Billy

Sweet, "Do-No-Wrong" Carson

With Big Sister

Precious, "Tell-No-Lie" Peyton

The Apple Of Daddy's Eye!

2006-01-24T12:20:00.000-05:00

An Apple A Day Keeps The Doctor Away

& makes my teeth sooooooo pretty too!

Life is Good!

I've Got My Daddy, My Apple &

My Camera.

I LOVE My Daddy :-)

Wei Wei

GIRLS WEEKEND AT WEI WEI'S HOUSE!

2006-01-24T10:32:00.000-05:00

Sister Love...Madeline Clementine, Emily Annabeth & Charlotte Whatley!
Princess Wei Wei Loves Snow White!

Nay Nay Loves

Wei Wei! Grammie Linda aka Nay Nay @ Girls Weekend

Sisters Sisters Everywhere

Making Faces, We Don't Care!

Pizza Party With Our Friends

Pictured Rear Right To Left

Peyton & Carson Hall, Alycia Newell, Emily, Charlotte (Wei Wei) and Maddie Bininger, Ayana & Daniel Newell

Aunt Lizzie LOVES

To Have Her Hair Brushed

Nite Nite Termite!

Charlotte's First Pizza Party

2006-01-23T05:22:00.000-05:00

Peyton Hall

Wei Wei - Charlotte lovin' life!

Daniel Newell

Hangin' in Emily's Room with the big kids is pretty cool!(Peyton Hall; Ayana, Alyicia & Daniel Newell; big sisters Emily, Madeline & ME, see the back of my head!)

Pizza is yummy food - especially with friends!

American Girls Dolls Hair Salon - May We Help You?!

The Playroom. The Dilemma. So Many Choices. Never Enough Time. What's A Girl To Do?

Bubblicious Indeed!

2006-01-15T20:25:00.000-05:00

Kiss Kiss, Sis Sis, Bliss Bliss
Bubblicious -Licious Licious :-)
Bubble Girls, Lots of Swirls.....
3 Sisters In A Tub
Add Bubbles
Hubba Hub ("GOOD" in Chinese!)

Sisters - For Life & Lots of Laughs!

2006-01-13T17:30:00.000-05:00

Tootie Fruitey
Oh I'm A Cutey
Home Day One
Wow This Is F-U-N, Fun!

The Giggle Girls
Pictured Left To Right
Madeline 4
Charlotte 2
Emily 7

I'm Leavin' On A Jet Plane, Don't Know When I'll Be Back Again..

2006-01-10T08:57:00.000-05:00

Well China, I am going to my 2nd home in Tallahassee, Florida USA. I will leave the White Swan Hotel on Wednesday 1/10 China time at 6am and arrive in Newark, New Jersey on January 11th to spend the night and freshen up so we can fly home on Momma's birthday, which is January 12th. She will be 45 years old. Oh my.

Our flight should be in at 5:20pm-ish. Check out our travel itinerary to be sure cuz Momma is a spazzoid right now.

Gotta go to bed. We may blog in New Jersey.

Peace Out!

Where Is Our Red, White & Blue?

2006-01-10T08:16:00.000-05:00

It's official. Today we had our US Consulate appointment and swearing in. Yippee! This is the last step in the process except for the Florida recognition of the foreign adoption, that is required since Baba (daddy) did not travel with us. Where is our red white and blue? How tacky!
This handsome man is Jason, the CCAI rep in Guangzhou. He is so nice and helpful. He is originally from the Hunan province and left the family farm to go to college to work. Such a kind man! His momma must be proud!
"The Wheels On The Bus Go Round & Round....All Around Guangzhou!"

Girls Just Wanna Have Fun!

2006-01-09T18:48:00.000-05:00

Fashion Is In The Eyes Of The Beholder....
Yesterday, we enjoyed a bride and bridal party that were dressed in punk style clothing and hairdoo's that looked like Wei Wei's and Na Nay's! I think Flat Stanley is liberating Mrs. Dowdell, don't you 2nd graders? Liberating is a good thing because it allows you to have more fun and laugh at yourself. Don't you think Mrs. is soooooooooooo silly?

Maybe Charlotte will be a punker since she is not a bowhead.......

FYI - the bride wore a short white dress with Doc Martin boots. Unique, huh!

2006-01-09T07:14:00.000-05:00

Hi Second Graders
This is the Pearl River. We are on the Shamain Island in Guangzhou. This beautiful river, the third largest in China, flows into the China Sea.
Unfortunately the river is polluted, but the Chinese are trying to clean it. All day and all night, long barges go up and down the river dredging the bottom to remove the silt.
We have had some wonderful food in China. The Chinese eat some unusual things--how about arm of pigeon,(the Chinese restaurants hang puny little pigeons in the restaurant windows), ink of squid, marinated goose web, or oxtail soup to name just a few. Boy would I like fries and a shake.
In your reading book is a story about Chinatown. I have seen all the things in that story. I am so glad I had read that story so I knew a little about China before I came.
One of my favorite experiences happened on the way to the Great Wall. My friend bought a toy robot that sang the letters of the alphabet and played melodies of American songs. One of the songs was Old McDonald had a Farm so I started to sing. Soon the driver of the van began to sing it in Chinese. Before long everyone was singing in their own language. It was very funny to hear a duck sound in Chinese. Everywhere we go we say nee how (Chinese for hello) and then people say hello to us. We have made many new friends and learned a few Chinese words.
We leave for Hong Kong on Wednesday and will get home on Thursday. It is a very long trip but once again I will meet new friends.
Your friend,
Flat Stanley

Wei Wei Loves....

2006-01-09T06:41:00.000-05:00

Dancing with her hot pink umbrella
where she can create her own dance moves..
and inner spirit and sensibilities...

merge. Wei Wei IS a happy soul and a gift to our family.

Yogurt in China is good. I have a 4 a day habit. It is not like ANY yogurt in the USA. I hope Momma and Baba can find something similar for me as I love it more than chocolate, more than shopping and more than eating chocolate while we are shopping....

But guess what? I LOVE wearing lots of jewelry - all at once. I am cheesy like my MOMMA!

Peace Out Everybody!

Wei Wei

Chinese Dance Is Lovely Anywhere, Anytime!

2006-01-08T22:47:00.000-05:00

Belinda & Charlotte enjoy Chinese senior citizens practicing traditional Chinese dance in the park early Monday morning, January 9th. The dances were complete with lovely Chinese music, props and choreographed routines.
Speaking of lovely, this dance instructor almosts seems to mimmick the bronze statue of the music instructor playing the violin & leading the children in dance. Being in China and enjoying all it's rich culture is an overwhelming experience that improves each time I return. (Belinda)

Peek-A-Boo is a game we can play - even with our language issues!

"Mom can't wait for me to get a hairdo from Miss Kelly, since I will NOT wear hairbows, bobby pins or scrunchies. But honestly, I think she is lucky I have any hair at all, cuz ya know that our heads are sometimes shaved. Momma says she would love me anyway I look, but I am just glad she could get that darn hairbow thing out of her system with my big sisters Emily & Madeline"

The Great Wall In Guangzhou

2006-01-07T05:51:00.000-05:00

Great Wall Wine In China

Orbra & I discovered Great Wall wine when we adopted Maddie Boo in 2002. Just 3 1/2 short years later, this fine wine is still available in only the most discriminating locations. Luckily we found another 7-11 convenience store near the White Swan Hotel. Seriously, for all of you soon to be travelers who enjoy wine, you will find this local wine to be delightful!

Guangzhou - We Are Here

2006-01-07T03:25:00.000-05:00

The White Swan Hotel Throne
This photo was taken in the hotel
bathroom on the potty!

Don't worry Liz & Popeye. This is for a photo, and not for actual use!

The White Swan Hotel
This is a view outside of our room
taken through the window.
Nice view, huh!
Princess Charlotte's New Stroller
"I love my new stroller and so does momma and Na Nay cuz it's a new babysitter. I love to just sit in it or ride in it when we shop or dine. It's really cool in the airport so I can't run away."

Beijing - Cliff Notes Version

2006-01-05T03:15:00.000-05:00

Charlotte shares her excitement for a full day of sightseeing & shopping. "Oh goody, this will be soooo much fun!"

Forbidden City

Linda & Grace

Tiantian - Temple of Heaven

Charlotte & Grace

Lunch & Entertainment

The food was good, served in a polynesian gone safari atmosphere. Kind-of sketchy but fun! Live entertainment in lovely costumes of who know what or why?
Summer Palace

(riverside)

Belinda, Charlotte & Linda

just prior to sunbathing.

Talk About A Great Wall

2006-01-04T05:13:00.000-05:00

The wall is great. The wall is big. The wall is old & tourists sure dig.

But it was cold, the wind did blow, so after this photo the cloisonne factory is where we would go!

Happy Birthday to you Liz Dowdell, no need to worry Grammy's hat is yours and never to sell.

"Splish Splash I Was Takin' A Bath"

2006-01-04T04:48:00.000-05:00

Charlotte seems to be defrosting nicely in Beijing! It is a warm 36 degrees here.

"After a long flight from Harbin to Beijing, coupled with the tour of the countryside farm - I am plain ole' pooped. I cannot wait to go home and soak in the jacuzzi tub with my sisters. I sure hope all 3 of us can fit in the tub. I can't wait!"

"I Am The Chinese Green & Blue Eyed Monster With Eye Boogers"

2006-01-04T04:30:00.000-05:00

Have you ever met an animal that was so ugly it was almost cute? Well, this little rascal lived in the Han cun He village farm house where we were invited to tour. This long haired cat is probably a beautiful cat - but you could never convince Charlotte of this. I can only imagine the terror little Miss Wei Wei will experience when she meets our cat Sydney in Tallahassee. Talk about mangey...

Personally, I am always pleased to see any little critter (cats and dogs) roaming the streets (if you know what I mean!).

Biker Babe

2006-01-04T04:05:00.000-05:00

Beijing, called the Bicycle Capital, is a city of 30,000,000 people of whom 10,000,000 own bicycles that often are ridden diagonally through intersections.
Our little biker babe is at Hancunha village helping the farmers trim tomatoes hanging from the ceiling.
On tree farms the lower halves of the trees are painted white to encourage safe driving. We think this campaign needs work. Boo is on it.

The evolution of Ha Jin Wei

2006-01-03T06:52:00.000-05:00

We have decided that now that we have reached Beijing that is time for Wei Wei to transition to Charlotte.
Charlotte is a very self-assured, independent, typical 2 year old. Her Aunt Becky would call her a booger. She gets more adorable everyday, but can be mischievious with an unbelievable twinkle in her eye. I wish you could have seen her swagger through the airport as if she owned the place. She did very well with her first plane ride, although she wasn't too thrilled about wearing a seatbelt or putting up the traytable prior to take-off.

Farm makeover China style

2006-01-03T06:25:00.000-05:00

Today we visited Hancunhe southwest of Beijing. It is a tourism and agricultural demonstration area refurbished under supervision of the Chinese government and donations from private architectural firms. Look carefully at this picture. The top is after reformation; the bott0m before. A village of 2700 farmers became a model for agriculural renewal. A family went from a shack to a five bedroom home as a result of their own labor. We had a private tour of this facility complete with hydroponic farming. We visited one of these immaculate homes complete with a mangy cat. More on this later.

Hi 2nd Graders From Flat Stanley in China!

2006-01-02T03:24:00.000-05:00

Hi 2nd graders, I have been busy touring China. I flew over the North Pole to get to Harbin. I have been playing in the snow but it is so cold I can only be outside for 15 minutes at a time. Children play at a huge indoor playground inside a mall. This picture is of me at the Harbin Ice Festival. Maybe you went to Ice at the Gaylord Palms in Orlando. This is the original ice festival. Some of the sculptures are 2 stories tall. I could climb inside of them. There were pagodas, boats, bridges, slides, castles and towers.
I played in a tunnel made of sticks and snow. There are ice sculptures all over Harbin. They will start to melt at the end of Feb.Tomorrow we fly to Beijing to see the Great Wall. Sorry this picture is sideways but we haven't figured out this new laptop completely. Love, Flat Stanley

CCAI'S SWEET SOPHIE

2006-01-01T15:30:00.000-05:00

CCAI, Chinese Children Adoption International, our agency that we have used for all 3 daughters, provides a special Chinese representative to assist you with all the required paperwork and such. Sweet Sophie is exceptional. She is a soft-spoken, kind and very accomodating expert in her field of work. She has also become a good friend. We will miss her when we have to say goodbye when we leave for Beijing on January 3rd. We will all travel together from Harbin to Beijing, where Sophie will leave to begin a long vacation with her family. Her 7 year old daughter is very excited to travel from Xi'an to Hong Kong to see Mickey Mouse and all the Princesses at Disney! Her husband is probably elated as well because his wife travels 75% of the year. This is quite a family sacrifice to help all of the CCAI families accomplish their dreams of building families through Chinese adoptions. Charlotte loves Ms. Sophie, especially since she has somebody to talk to. Charlotte is a chatty Cathy.

These photos were taken inside and outside Sophia Church in Harbin. Sophie was the only person Charlotte wanted to cling to as she explained that she was afraid of something like the a-yee's (which sounds like what the kids call "aunties"/caregivers from the orphanage). Sophie of course, obliged and carried "little miss Wei Wei" to and from the car, and inside the Sophia Church. Further, Charlotte's dinner tonite consisted of 3 yogurts, compliments of Sophie who walked to the store to bring us a package of the Chinese yogurt that Charlotte adores. Sophie did this without being asked. It's this kind of exceptional attention to detail that makes us feel so proud of our agency of choice. These people love their jobs and adore our kids. We love you too Sophie. Have fun at Disney!

This is downtown Harbin, outside the Sophia Church where most of the architecture is of Russian influence, which is exquisite.

Charlotte, we're gonna strip you down girl and swim in the pool this summer. Brrrr, it's sure hard for even us to imagine that today!

Nite Nite Termite..

2006-01-01T15:17:00.000-05:00

I cannot tell you how many times I kiss this precious child. She pushes me away and I just keep on smackin' it to her. I could eat her up. It is so funny because she behaves both like a toddler and a big girl. She looks much younger than she acts. So, I am allowing her to enjoy her youth! Don't tell anybody, but I even pick her up when she is sleeping to kiss her! Hee Hee...I love it!

Yes Orbra that is my hand in the left shadow of the photo. Oops!

Happy New Year From Warm Sunny Harbin!

2006-01-01T00:49:00.000-05:00

Charlotte with our interpreter, near the river and over the ice to Sophia Church we go! The church was built in 1907 by Russian tea merchants. It is the largest Protestant church in the Far East. The inside is made of wood and the outside is covered with brick. It now houses a museum of Harbin art and photography.

Check out the table of food from our traditional Chinese lunch at a very popular handmade fried and steamed dumpling restaurant. Our menu was served family style and included eggplant with HOT sauce, bok choy' pork and noodles, smoked fish of who knows what (Charlotte ate at least five, man can this girl eat)' rice noodles and green tea. Just delicious!

Pictured from left to right is the CCAA interpreter and driver, Belinda holding Charlotte, Grammy Linda and Madame Monk, the CCAA provincial director of Harbin, who treated us to lunch. Boo was presented with a beautiful album of Gotcha Day by CCAA's Harbin provincial staff.

Happy New Year! 2006 is the "Year of the Dog". We have been dog tired but feel great today. Each morning we have a buffet in the hotel. Typically it consists of soups, fried rice, noodles, fruit, rice and pork, bean curd, spareribs, some kind of chicken dish (chicken, I don't think so), pickled eggs, spiced eggs, turkey bacon, sausage, pastries, and fungus(Boo said I couln't eat the fungus). More a dinner than breakfast. The very pretty, very young Chinese servers dote on Charlotte.

Harbin is a city of 5 million people. There is one industrial plant that employs 100,000 people. Traffic is ten times worse than New York. Whoever gets their wheel in first is right. They do not know the meaning of staying in your own lane. Four lanes of traffic is squeezed into three. Honking is expected, even in the middle of the night. During a minor fender bender everyone honks, jumps out the their cars and yells at the top of their lungs. There are no crosswalks. People mingle in the middle of the streets. Imagine lots of mini vans, buses, cabs, ancient bicycles, three wheeled motorscooters, handcarts, beggars, vendors and pedestrians in the roadway. U-turns are done anywhere anytime. All this without the benefit of carseats or seatbelts.

We now know the meaning of biting cold. With the wind chill it is -50 degrees. Ice sculptures line the parks, roads and the medians. It is so cold even the plastic flowers, which are everywhere, freeze. However, we on the 24th floor of the Victories Hotel, have our windows open to enjoy some relief from the intense heat of the hotel. A park is nearby with wooden sleds propelled by ski poles, ice skating, and concerts. We watch and listen from the warmth of our room. Invisible ice lines the sidewalks and roads. We hang on to each other.

At dark(4:30) we are going to see the Harbin ice sculptures. They are massive, taking up a city block. I plan on wearing my entire suitcase. I have had to convince Boo, the hot one, to wear longjohns. Just now a huge wind has started to roar. Charlotte will be up from her nap soon and we will be off on our cold adventure just long enough to say we have done it. On our flight over we went north over the North Pole and then south to Harbin. We thought we saw Santa washing his sled. Surely the pole isn't any colder. Now we can hear the wind howl.

We go to McDonald's to play on the little playground. Sorry to say to my old friends-no senior diet cokes, but we did find a vending machine in the mall next door. We didn't care that they cost 5,000,000 dollars either.

Thank you for all your respones. We love 'em. Keep them comin.

Much love. Brrrrrrrrrrr
Charlotte, Boo and Grammy

"Brush Brush Brush Your Teeth, Brush Your Teeth Together!"

2005-12-31T14:40:00.000-05:00

My teeth are so pretty. I love to brush them for a long long time! Mommy helped the first time, but as a 2-almost 3 year old, I prefer to do everything all by myself.

Notes from Nay Na at Mickey D's in Harbin

2005-12-31T05:29:00.000-05:00

Wei Wei & Na Nay enjoy french fries and a play date at McDonalds in Harbin.

Boo is a hard act to follow, but here I go. Gotcha Day was an incredible experience. There was so much paper to shuffle, fingerprints to take and signatures to make that it seemed endless.
Then, almost as if the air were being drawn from the room, there was a swoosh down the hallway and precious Charlotte appeared. She looked so healthy and so beautiful. We were so thankful. I could barely hold the camera still. Boo has done so much to bond with little Wei Wei.
Charlotte seldom lets Boo out of her sight. She is very good at entertaining herself and us.
She has so much personality. I am in awe of her language skills. She is already putting two words together and correcting our Chinese. I miss you all, but I am so honored to have shared in this experience.

Love,
Grammy

Saying Goodbye To Wei Wei's China Home

2005-12-30T11:40:00.000-05:00

Pictured left to right- the doctor, Belinda, an autnie, Wei Wei, China Na Nay and Grammy Linda Na Nay

At any age goodbyes are so very hard and permanent. I don't know about you but I prefer to say, "see you later", or "until we meet again"...

Wei Wei at the wise old age of only 28 months old, has lived a very rich life by anyone's standards. Her home since birth may be different than any of our homes. Her non-traditional family may not look like ours either. After all what comes to mind when you think of an orphanage, or a children's welfare center as they call Wei Wei's home. The Harbin Children's Welfare Center - that is what you read on the front of the building. The letters are painted in a rich gold tone. As a sales and marketing professional and a mother of 3 Chinese daughters, I feel deeply connected to the power of words and theater of mind, as we say in the world of radio advertising. This may be called an orphanage or children's welfare center, but I prefer to call it a home. All the day to day duties are overseen by a lovely director with the assistance of an on site physician, and a staff of compassionate mentors and caregivers. Wei Wei and all of her brothers and sisters at her Chinese home call the director and head caregiver/auntie "Mama" or what sounds like Nay Na, which is like grandmother I think. Everyone has a role in this family and they do it well. Again, I am amazed and humbled to be a part of Wei Wei's family. I will forever cherish the memories of sharing just a few hours with her Chinese family who loved and nutured this brilliant and confident child.

Inside this home we found that our homes are very much the same, except Wei Wei's home is much tidier and expansive than ours! The front entrance is secure with a gate and circular driveway. The front porch is covered with Chinese red lanterns in preparation for the Chinese New Year, which will be celebrated as "Year of the Dog". Upon entering we were greeted by a hostess that took us to a conference room that has been occupied by numerous dignitaries as displayed in lovely gold guilded frames documenting these monentous ocassions. We all sat in chairs on the outside area away from the conference table. This was NOT a formal meeting, but an invited gathering that was complete with the southern hospitality I have become accustomed. After sharing our gifts for Wei Wei's friends left at her China home of 2 cd/cassette players and children's music (Baby Einstein in Chinese and a collection of popular Chinese children's songs), Grammy Linda and I were given a tour of Wei Wei's bedroom, bathroom, playroom and snow covered playground. Her bedroom was very large with giant windows surrounding the entire room. The beds were covered in whimsical quilts and the windows covered in pastel pink sheers much like you see in Pottery Barn catalogs. A mural is painted on one wall and it is a happy room. The bathroom boasts 2 western potties, small and medium in size. There is a shower stall and a washing machine. What a great idea! I hope Wei Wei is not disappointed in her Tallahassee Florida house!

Her playroom is the room where all the referral photos were taken. It kind of reminds me of the ballet studio where I took lessons as a child. One wall is covered with a mirror, the floors are hardwood, and there is a piano in the corner. It is immaculate. While walking the halls, it was so quiet you could hear a pin drop? Where were the children? Naptime had just ended and a few stragglers were getting out of their beds and wandering the halls in split pants and puffy multi-layered clothing.

After much thought I assume the children were removed from our tour area as China has received much negative publicity for ill treatment of their children in orphanages. It is probably for their own protection that the kids were playing elsewhere. Wei Wei, however was invited to join her friends while we toured. It was noted that she was to tell them goodbye to prevent confusion. At first she did not want to leave Mamma but she changed her mind to join them when the director personally guided her to the play area - wherever that was.

Time was running out. We lost the battle on taking pictures of all our internet families' children waiting to travel to their homes away from their China home, as the director would not allow any indoor photos much less of the children. However, I left her my packet of gathered e-mail appeals for updated photos of the children we have met online through their anxious waiting families. The director promised to e-mail photos at a later date when she has more time. This is her call and I believe she will do this for us! :-) What a charming and elegant woman she is. It is my understanding that I will be given a gift of a photo album and a video possibly that will be compiled by the staff. Amazing isn't it? They are proud of their family which I am now graciously a part.

We said our goodbyes and thank you's, took a photo outside Wei Wei's home and piled in the van to head back to the hotel via the passport office. Tears flowing down all our faces with Wei Wei begging and screaming for Mamma and Na Nay at her China home all the way to the hotel. She ached for them and wanted to stay. I think she would have allowed us to stay there too which is quite a compliment indeed.

Gotcha Day!

2005-12-29T12:19:00.000-05:00

"Can't you see I am trying to like you? I am wearing an American flag on my sweater. But I am NOT going to smile, even if you give me 100 lollipops."

After nearly 6,000+ miles of travel, Miss Charlotte Whatley is finally and OFFICIALLY ours. What an amazing day it has been. I find myself struggling with elation and despair moment to moment. This precious little girl has known nothing else but her life in the Harbin Children's Welfare Institute since the day she was born. Her reported birthdate is February 21, 2003 and the orphange "aunties" feel certain this is true as "Wei Wei's" date of birth as her full umbilical cord was attached when she was delivered to the Harbin CWI. Wei Wei is the nickname they gave her for her Chinese name Ha (surname) after the Ha in Ha' erbin where she is from, and Jin Wei - her given name. I have not called her by Charlotte yet!

The details of "my delivery" include flying into Harbin at 7pm 12/28 China time. We were met by Sophie on our last leg of our flights to Harbin. Sophie is Chinese Children Adoption International's (CCAI's) assigned representative while we are in Harbin. Sophie is originally from Xi'an, the home of the famous terra cotta warriors. This is also Sophie's first trip to Harbin. Immediately after collecting our baggage, we were picked up at the airport by a driver and Madame Monk, the top provincial official in charge of the Chinese Children Adoption Affairs (CCAA). This was the first time I have ever had this type of personal service from any Chinese dignitary. We really needed to behave in our sleepless stupor! From the brief walk from the airport to the parking lot, my nose stopped running. Instead it froze. Did you know that it is cold in Harbin? It was so cold that we were unable to see outside of the van on the drive home. The windows were completely covered in layers of ice from the combined inside heat and outside below freezing temperatures. We were able to enjoy a few of the well lit and very colorful ice sculptures Harbin is known for. Question, how does one breath when the inside of your nose is frozen? Stay tuned for the answer...

After checking into the Russian/Asian style 5-star hotel, we immediately put on our jammies, washed our face, brushed our teeth and hit the bed. We would wake up, eat breakfast and head to the provincial offices where Charlotte would be delivered to us! Normally, you fly into China and acclimate for a couple of days to adjust your body clock. Nope, not us...bring it on! It's like a
"Dumb and Dumber" the sequel! (That is another story in itself..)

At 8:30am, we met the driver and Sophie and drove a few short blocks to the government offices where we completed 2 days of work in one 4 hour block of time. Charlotte was brought into the room about 30 minutes after we arrived. We hugged and acknowledged each other and our new roles expected of us...Belinda is momma, and Wei Wei is baby. Mama and baby. No problem. WRONG. There is one BIG problem because Wei Wei has her own mommas and aunties, and about 4 of them stayed in the room with us the entire 4 hours. There was no competition there. They won her affection hands down. When we were transported to the local police station to have photos taken, it required that we practice our new role which meant that Wei Wei had to leave the only momma's warm and comfortable grasp to sit in this new green eyed woman from the photo album momma. I bet Wei Wei's angry outburst was heard next door in Mongolia. We finally got the job done, had the photos taken and escaped this forced bonding exercise. For once in my life I could not win over a child with candy! There is still shopping if all else fails!

All of the sudden, when finalizing the last bit of paperwork and exchange of money for the orphanage donation and local fees, I saw this calm child sitting by herself in a big girl chair turning the pages of a precious chennille "Hello Kitty" photo album with Nay Nay (Grammy Linda). I heard this soft sweet whisper of a voice from a very well trained teacher/grandmother that seemed to calm Wei Wei's fears of the green-eyed momma whom is NOT the real momma. I heard all the family members being introduced one by one. First from Nay Nay and then repeated in Wei Wei's little chirppy voice - all sounding like this might work out afterall. I looked around the room and the only Harbin CWI person left in the room was the Director as the others must have been excused. We took our last round of photographs and were able to return to the hotel so Charlotte could have lunch and a brief my nap. I felt like I could sleep for a month. The range of emotions and utter exhaustion I felt from tempering my tears and need to cry a long hard cry for this child, put me into near shutdown. Wei Wei walked by herself into the hotel holding Sophie's hand. She pushed the elevator button and 24 floors later she was home with us. Sophie went to her room after ordering Chinese noodles for Wei Wei's late lunch. At almost 3 years old this gal can hold a mean set of chopsticks and slurp down noodles like you have never seen. She loves her Disney princess sippy cup and was seeming to adjust little by little.

She tells you when she needs to potty by saying some word I cannot remember at 1:30am as I am composing this journal entry in the dark! She has not had an accident yet and amazes us wih her ability to care for herself. She is a very wise old soul. Her eyes are fascinating and communicate all she is thinking and feeling. This is good as she speaks only Chinese but seems to understand every word we say.

I forced her to cuddle with me in a baby hold while she fell asleep for her nap. Finally she relinquished her power to me, the green eyed momma from the photo album. This child is mine and I am honored and humbled beyond belief. God sent Wei Wei to us and we will shower her with love and affection and every opportunity that every one of God's children deserves. She is a precious gift that we will cherish and protect.

After a brief nap, the real Wei Wei emerged from her grief. She is funny, talkative, independent and busy. Thank goodness she and Maddie are sharing a bedroom. Emily may need to padlock her room from these two tazmanian whirlwinds. Nay Nay transposed all kinds of hotel stuff into playtoys that kept Wei Wei occupied for hours. We danced to orchestra music (watch out Erica and Alice!) and I can't wait to share "the dance" that she taught me today. What a hoot :-) She knows how to unlock the doorknob lock and the deadbolt lock. Sounds like a couple trips to Home Depot for Daddy (Ba Ba).

As I type she is sleeping in this oversized softsided crib/toddler bed sucking 3 or 4 of her fingers at a time. She grits her teeth (that have not been brushed yet as they do not do that until 7 years of age!?) Is there nothing more wonderful than to watch a child sleep. Wow!

Tommorrow we will travel to the orphanage for an invited tour. We plan to purchase Chinese children's music and a cd player for her orphanage mates to enjoy with their aunties/teachers. This is what the head teacher suggested. I suggested toothbrushes and toothpaste for the nearly 60 kids under the age of 7 who currently reside in the Harbin CWI. Of well, as nature/fate usually proves, Wei Wei will probably have perfect teeth.

Her special need, is so minimal that we think physical therapy will help her develop muscle strength in the areas affected by her condition (congenital muscular torticollis aka wry neck). Her facial atrophy is obvious but she is a lovely child and perfect in every way.

Thank you for your continued thoughts and prayers, good night.

Belinda, Grammy Linda & Charlotte Whatley
Mamma, Nay Nay & Wei Wei

Charlotte....Introducing, Your Sisters!

2005-12-23T09:49:00.000-05:00

Emily Annabeth- 7
Madeline Clementine - 4

Emily was born on June 12, 1998 in Xianning, Hubei province in China. She joined our family when she was 9 months old. She lived in the Xianning Social Welfare Institute since she was 2 weeks old. The "aunties" and Mr. Lu (the director) loved and cared for her for us. We will be forever grateful that her parents gave her an opportunity to join our family as we believe it was always in God's plan. Emily is very sweet and incredibly smart. She loves ballet, piano, violin and reading Junie B. Jones books!

Madeline was born on April 9, 2001 in Yang Jiang, Guongdong province in China. April 9th was also Poppie Bob's birthday. (Belinda's deceased dad) Maddie and Poppie Bob share the same "spirited" personality and gift of gab. Maddie joined our family at 10 1/2 months of age. She lived in the Yang Jiang Social Welfare Institute since the day she was born. She too is a gift and brings us joy and LOTS of LAUGHTER each and every day! Maddie has been told to keep her lips to herself at school as she likes to kiss her friend boys! Oh my....

Just before traveling to China to bring you home, we are celebrating Christmas in our home. We cannot wait to share this joyful time with you for years to come. In these photos, you will notice that your sisters, Emily and Madeline are all dressed up with the lovely dresses, theater capes and lacey gloves because they are on their way to the Nutcracker Ballet. We had such a sweet time as we went with our best friends Peyton and Carson - and we all dressed up alike! (Not us mommies, just the little girls) The stockings are hung on the fireplace, with hopes that Santa will fill them with special treats when he comes to deliver gifts while we are sleeping on Christmas Eve. The Christmas Tree was decorated by your sisters with sparkling white lights, cloisonne ornaments (which are a Chinese artform of 7 steps of hand painted and molded metals), beads and ribbon. Your mommy collects cloisonne as it is most lovely and reminds her of the wonderful country of China were you and your sisters were born. Christmas is a special time where we celebrate Jesus Christ's birthday. We have so much to share with you sweetheart!

Follow Our Travel...

2005-12-20T09:17:00.000-05:00

12/27 - 12/28- Travel (behind a day in China - so it's the 29th in the USA)
12/29 - Gotcha Day - The Harbin CWI will deliver Charlotte to us - finally!
12/29 - 1/3 - Tour Harbin Children's Welfare Institute and her lovely & COLD city. We also will finalize all the provincial paperwork to make the adoption official!
1/3 - 1/6 - Staying At Peace Hotel (4 star - yea!) in Beijing - COLD here too!
1/3 - Countryside Tour of Hancunhecun with lunch, a tower view, and a big tripod caldron of Hancunhecun, a park, and a small museum.
1/4 - Great Wall & Hutong Tour
1/5 - Forbidden City, Tianmen Square, Temple of Heaven and Summer Palace
1/6 - 1/11 - Guangzhou - this is where the US Embassy is so we can get Charlotte Whatley's visa to leave China for the U-S-A! This is also the place where we SHOP SHOP SHOP! (Back to tropical weather. YES!)
1/12 - Home Again Jiggidy Jig

Flight Information

2005-12-20T08:43:00.000-05:00

Belinda's Flight To China

12/27 @ 6am - Delta #703Q from Tallahassee to Atlanta
12/27 @ 8:15am - Delta #1410 to Newark
12/27 @ 12:15am - Continental #89 to Beijing (cross international dateline and one day earlier in China! We are 13 hours ahead (Eastern Time)
12/28 @ 3:00pm - Arrive in Beijing (15 hours in air - p.u.!)
12/28 @5:35pm - Air China To Harbin
12/28 @ 7:15pm - Arrive In Harbin

Grammy Linda's Flight To China

12/27 @ 7:30am - Continental #193 from Orlando to Newark
12/27 @ 10:00am - Arrive In Newark
12/27 - Meet Belinda to catch Continental #89 flight to Beijing
see above - everything is the same as we will travel together

In China Flight Information (Belinda, Grammy Linda & Charlotte Whatley)

1/3 @ 8:25am - Air China from Harbin to Beijing
1/3 @10:10 am - Arrive in Beijing
1/6 @ 1:45pm - Leave Beijing to Guangzhou
1/6 @ 4:45 - Arrive Guangzhou

Belinda, Grammy Linda & Charlotte Whatley's Flights Home

1/11 @ 8:20am - Air China from Guangzhou to Hong Kong
1/11 @ 12:35pm - Continental from Hong Kong to Newark
1/11 @ 2:55pm - Arrive Newark (spend night, sleep and bathe!)
1/12 @ 12:30 - Leave Newark for Atlanta (Belinda & Charlotte Whatley)
1/12 @ 4:19 - Leave Atlanta for Tallahassee (Belinda & Charlotte Whatley)
1/12 @ 5:20pm - Belinda & Charlotte Whatley are in Tally Town - yippee!
1/12 @ 12:30 - Leave Newark for Orlando (Grammy Linda)
1/12 @ 3:14pm - Grammy Linda is home....Weston, Lawton and Bronson will sure be glad she is home (Liz and Mike too!) Bill will be tired of Batchin' it, and Scott will be glad mom is home too. Thanks for loaning Grammy Linda to us y'all :-)

CCAI - Chinese Children Adoption International

2005-11-07T15:03:00.000-05:00

http://www.chinesechildren.org/WhatNew/WhatNewIndex.htm -

CCAI is the adoption agency that we are using to adopt precious Charlotte, as well as the agency that we used for Emily and Madeline's adoptions. CCAI specializes and only services Chinese adoptions. They are fantastic as you would guess, since we are using them for the 3rd time.
Belinda is very proud of the work that they do and serves on the CCAI Florida Parent Advisory Council.

CCAI is located in Englewood, Colorado. They work in partnership with approved home study agencies and specialists to prepare all the necessary paperwork (also known as a dossier) to prepare this highly professional and emotional journey! Their preparation is so seamless that you could practically walk throught the process with your eyes closed. They are amazing.

The local agency we used is the Children's Home Society of Tallahassee/North Florida, who we also love and adore. Helen Ervin, our social worker is like family now! As a matter of fact, when we began the first adoption of our first child - Emily Annabeth; we discovered through our home study that Helen and her husband Tom went to college with our deceased parents that we miss so very much. Tom was a Phi Delta Theta fraternity brother of dad's (Bob Bininger) and Helen knew mom (Barbara Hartwick back then) through college events. That's what we call God Nods, and The Red Threads That Connect Us To China.....

www.chsfl.org - Children's Home Society of Florida website

We are always anxious and excited to grow our family of adopted sisters and brothers from China, the birth country of our special children. Please do not heistate to contact any of us if you should ever want to consider adding to your family through Chinese adoption.

boobininger@nettally.com

China Weather - Where We Will Travel

2005-11-07T14:02:00.000-05:00

http://weather.msn.com/local.aspx?wealocations=wc:CHXX0046 HARBIN (Charlotte's province)

http://weather.msn.com/local.aspx?wealocations=wc%3ACHXX0008 BEJING

http://weather.msn.com/local.aspx?wealocations=wc%3ACHXX0037&fave=wc%3ACHXX0037
GUANGZHOU

Ha Jin Wei - Referral Photos

2005-11-07T12:54:00.000-05:00

Charlotte Whatley's Travel Journal

2005-11-06T10:02:00.000-05:00

Please enjoy our family's travel adventure to bring home our 3rd precious adopted daughter from China. We will update the site often as everything unfolds.

We are getting very close to traveling to China to bring Charlotte home as we have an official log in date (LID) of September 29, 2005. We hope to hear from the Chinese Children Adoption Affairs (CCAA) office by November 29th as to when we can travel. Once we receive the travel approval (TA), we will make our plans for Orbra (dad) to keep Emily and Maddie (with Mimi's aka Anne Elizabeth Hall's help!); while Grammy Linda Dowdell travels with Belinda (mom) to China. We sure hope we can figure out how to dress appropriately as it is COLD COLD COLD in Northern China when we will be traveling! But then....there is always SHOPPING!

Fondly,
Belinda Bininger & Orbra Harrell
Emily Annabeth & Madeline Clementine
(Charlotte's big sisters on stairs!)