The Gloves Come Off - 9 Dec 2009

Hello all.

Our third day as a family saw Elyssa throw her first big demper tantrum, or BF as Chris and Sheila refer to it. We had just finished breakfast and went to Wal Mart to purchase some baby clothes since all the stuff we brought was actually too big for her. As Nancy and I went through the store in search of some items for Elyssa, little did we know that terror lurked in the not too distant future. As we were in the checkout line, Elyssa became a little despondent as she was getting a little hungry and didn't see Mommy or Daddy getting any grub ready. Her displeasure started as a small whimper but quickly built to a crescendo as Brian quickly got her out of the shopping cart, collected the stroller, and made a beeline towards the exit. Once Brian reached the exit, there was no end to the back arching, screaming, and crying. Everyday Chinese folk were either displeased or very entertained as told by the crowd gathered around. Nancy eventually made it outside where the new sippy cup was unceremoniously unwrapped and put to good use. Lesson learned, never leave the scene of the crime without a sippy cup and some crackers! The remainder of the third day was fairly uneventful as we all walked to a local ex-pat restaurant that had excellent pesto and burritos. Unfortunately, no high chairs to be found. The owner, a North American, stated that he had never thought about getting one, and should. Not many young'uns in this place it seems.

After another GREAT night of sleep, we went to the local Zoo here in Kunming. We should have paid attention to the reviews on-line. What a sad state the animals were in! Some of the monkeys were in dirty cages the size of pet carriers! There were chained up elephants and big cats and bears with nothing to see in their lives but a 20 foot concrete and glass enclosure. It seems that the Safari Park north of town is the place we should have visited. We may go there tomorrow.

Upon returning to the hotel, Elyssa took a nap and Mommy and Daddy had some lunch from room service. We then hit the playground, a late dinner, and got the little on off to bed. Elyssa still does not like here baths. Nancy made a bubble bath tonight and it seems that Elyssa hated the bubbles on her hands. Too funny... this girl always wants clean hands.

We are off to visit the orphanage tomorrow morning. This may not be a good idea for the kids, but our guide seems to think that it's been long enough for Elyssa to not be hurt by the return. We'd hate for her to think we were trading her in!

As always, stay tuned for more updates.

The Forns

A Great Day

Nei Hao Everyone!

So, we were all pretty tired from an exciting day yesterday. Nancy and I both kind of felt like we were baby sitting this little girl. However, after dealing with a fit during dinner and bath time, we know she's ours now!

We had to get off to an early start this morning in order to get Elyssa her Chinese Passport. So, we woke up at 6 AM to great the day ahead. Well, actually, daddy and baby woke up with the alarm whilst mommy had trouble sleeping due to a cold. Our little girl slept so well last night. Just before the alarm went off, she raised her head just to see what was up. Daddy grabbed her and threw her into bed with him for another 20 minutes or so. Then it was time to get dressed for breakfast. Let me tell you something, Nancy and Elyssa both LOVE their clothes. You could say that they are cut from the same cloth... The little one loves to get dressed to hit the town, or the buffet in this case.

At breakfast, Elyssa continued to feed herself, with a little assistance. She had some congee (which is a sort of rice porridge), eggs, bacon, and croissant. We had to cut breakfast a little short in order to get on the bus for the paperwork meetings.

We went back to the same place we met Elyssa to fill out yet another few forms. These were for her Chinese passport this time. The Chinese notaries were there to stamp everything. Elyssa even had to sign... with her foot! She didn't mind all that much. But she does NOT like her clothes removed. However, when she saw the red ink pad that she was going to be stepping in, she didn't mind all that much.

Upon completing our paperwork, we were off to the local police station to apply for her passport. There was a nice little park area outside the station where we all hung out until it was Elyssa's time to get her photo taken. Let me tell you, getting these kids to pose, just so, for an official photo is an adventure. Some Danish folks with their babies had to play like they were Jim Henson muppeteering Kermit the Frog to get these kids to show both eyes, one ear, and no other person in the shot. Hand up the back of the sweater seemed to be the method of choice. Elyssa however was not cooperating at all. The photographer was patient with us, although I could tell he was all, "great, another kid... they don't pay me enough yuon for this." Amazingly, the dude snapped an acceptable portrait in mid whimper and we were on the way upstairs to complete the application. This involved yet another, yet not as formal, photo. Daddy had to sit Elyssa on his lap for this one.

Formalities complete, the gang headed back to the hotel for a much deserved lunch and a nap. Elssya and Daddy took a two hour nap while Mommy watched a movie. We were then off on a walk around the beautiful Green Lake Park right next to our Hotel, the Grand Park Kunming. There were people, ducks, and plenty of sights for our little explorer. I tell you, if we had a dollar for the second looks we get walking around with Elyssa... I guess we do stand out a bit. The folks here just don't hide their curiosity at all. Funny.

Following the walk, we had dinner, where Elyssa threw a little fit just as the food arrived. Daddy took outside to let her cool off. Funniest thing happened, and I am forever in debt to the restaurant hostess. Elyssa let the hostess pick her up where she immediately stopped crying, chewed the food that was squirreled away in her cheeks, and let Daddy take her back to the table. She was content for the rest of the meal. She even learned the sign for more. Once Nancy taught her that sign, she used it to get more crackers until Mommy cut her off.

Again, getting this kid out of her clothes is tragic. She howled with terror as each item of clothing was removed for bathtime. It didn't matter whether it was a jacket, a sweater, or a sock. She was very displeased. Following the bath, she returned to her calm self as she watched her videos we bought for her in Beijing. Nancy and I now know a few Chinese children's songs. We even know our ABCs!

All is now peaceful and we have three free days to look forward to. We may hit the zoo tomorrow. We hear that they have four Pandas that you can actually see, unlike the stealth pandas at the San Diego Zoo.

Love,

The Forns

Meet Elyssa Li - 6 Dec 2009

Hello Family and Friends!

The day at long last arrived and what a wonderful day it was! Nancy and I finally brought home our precious little girl from the beautiful city of Kunming. The day started with us in Beijing for the second time in as many years. We flew out this morning at 1100 and arrived in Kunming after a three hour flight. An hour after checking in our hotel, we drove to the orphanage to get Elyssa. When we walked into the building where they had the children, we immediately saw Elyssa playing in a crib. She gave us a glance and then kept quietly playing with a piece of paper. I am sure it was some bureaucratic form that she found on a counter somewhere. I hope she knew it was one of the awful forms that made this process take so blessed long! Anywho, we had to go to the other side of the room in order to give the staff a chance to do what it is they do.

After bring her over to us, the very first thing Elyssa did was, you guessed it, cry. Well, she really wasn't sure about these strange looking people who just wanted nothing more than give her hugs and kisses. Brian actually saved the day by showing her some photos on his camera. She was happy to look at all the old shots of dogs, family, and a recent trip to Vancouver, BC. After about twenty or thirty minutes of looking at the camera and playing with a toy phone we brought for her, she promptly passed out on Nancy. Brian had to complete some paperwork that Nancy promised she would complete. Nancy had a pretty darn cute excuse though since Elyssa had her pinned in that chair!

After about an hour or so at the orphanage, the Forns and the other family traveling with us, the Meyers from Silverton, Oregon, hopped back on the short bus for the ride back to the hotel. Daddy happily obliged as Elyssa's "wooby." She looked like she was sleeping to everyone but Brian who could see that she looked out at the passing people and cars the entire drive back. Upon reaching the hotel, we realized it was the baby's dinner time. Brian was really worried about Nancy since she was getting really cranky from hunger. We walked across the street with Elyssa in tow and had a fun meal. We have discovered that Elyssa can feed herself, is very adept at using a spoon and fork, and loves pretty much all food. She even cracked a smile for the first time after having a few bites of food!

After dinner, the clan took a journey to the local Wal Mart. Yes, an actual Wal Mart right here in South Central! Of course all the products are Chinese. "Is that baby formula or gunpowder honey?" Gail, you've been to Korea, I know you know what we're talking about. Elyssa was a champ! She was all eyes walking through town to the store. She even got to try some samples in the store. We ended up getting some formula, some sort of fruit jello mold, a bowl, and a spoon (which we think Brian left in the store),

Upon reaching the hotel, we got Elyssa ready for bed. She cried in the tub, but it was more a "just making noise to let you know I'm not happy with current developments" type of cry than a "I will keep this up all night if you don't get me dry" cry. Elyssa then got her little PJs on and sat with daddy for a few moments watching a Chinese video. She didn't fuss when she was placed in the crib next to the bed and is at this minute snoozing away. I think this kid could sleep through a hockey game. Growing up around all the other kids can have its advantages!

Truth be told, we couldn't have scripted a better day. Our daughter is an amazing little girl who seems to be warming to us very rapidly. I can't wait for everyone to meet her!

Hope all is well. We'll post more tomorrow.

Brian, Nancy & Elyssa Li Forn

Gotcha Day! - 6 Dec 2009

Hello all!

Today is the day that Nancy and I have been waiting for for the last year! We are meeting our daughter today!

Nancy arrived here on Friday night. I joined her after traveling for four days from Baghdad. My first stop was a hole in the wall camp west of Kuwait City, Camp Ali Al Salem. I flew there from Baghdad and went through all the in-processing for Rest and Recuperation (R&R) Leave. I must say that the Army did a great job at getting me to Beijing at the right time. The big issue was that I only get 15 days off and needed exactly that time for this trip. The great thing is that the 15 days doesn't start until the day after you arrive at your destination and it stops the day before you fly back to where you have to sign back in. In this case, I have to fly back to Dallas to sign in on the 20th of December. This is just enough time to get back to Los Angeles and then fly out the next morning. How grand.

So, I arrived in Beijing an hour late and got my ride to the hotel. Of course Nancy was already comatose from her trip. We talked for an hour or so and then crashed. The next morning, we had an orientation meeting with all the other Holt families here to get their children. At the end of the briefing, we received a packet with new photos of our precious little girl! She and another child are back at the orphanage now and have been for about a week. The caregivers bring the foster care kids back to the orphanage about a week before they meet their new parents. This helps to start the grieving process for the kids.

After the meeting, the other families went on a tour to the Forbidden City. Since Nancy and I were just there (in much warmer weather) a few years ago, we decided to head out on our own. Our Hotel (Novotel Peace Hotel) was only about a mile from Tienanmen Square. We decided to walk to the square and along the way we met two local college girls who spoke with us and took us to their little art gallery near the square. Too bad we were broke because they had some beautiful art!

After walking to the square, we went to a book store and bought a Chinese DVD set for Elyssa. It is a famous kids series that the book store girl recommended. I knew it had to be good because I later showed it to a little boy and his mother and they smiled and from their reaction, I knew it was a favorite in their home.

At the end of the day, Nancy was hungry for some noodles so we found a great mall and, after looking at EVERY menu, we settled on a nice little place that treated us extremely well. I'll tell you, this is our second visit to China and I have never visited a friendlier place. The people here are genuinely happy to meet Americans and the young folk are always approaching you to try out their english skills.

So, we are now in the old terminal at the Beijing airport waiting on our flight. Unfortunately, we can't log onto our blog. The other family traveling with us to Kunming has also had issues with getting onto their blogs. It seems that most social networking sites are all blocked. So, we will probably have to post e-mails when possible.

Our travel partners are a family from Salem, Oregon who are adopting a 15 month old boy. The mom and dad are educators and they brought their young boy and girl with them. This should be a fun trip!

Stay tuned. When we get digital photos later today, we'll do our best to send them out to you all.

Love,

Brian and Nancy

China or Bust!

I know, it's been a while since we've updated this blog. We'll we actually have news to tell. We're on our way to China to pick up Elyssa!

On the 23rd of November, we received word that we had to be in China on the 4th of December! Since Brian is in Baghdad, and in the Army, the first thing we had to find out was if he could take his Rest and Relaxation (R&R) leave to coincide with the adoption trip. After asking his boss after a sleepless night, we were happy to get the green light from the powers that be.

The next few days consisted of Brian getting all the bureaucratic gates needed to get from a war zone to South Central China. In the meantime, Nancy was busy arranging and purchasing the trip to China. She also found time to hit Babies R Us and a few other places in order to get some of the basics we'd need in China. Holt held a phone conference on the 25th where families traveling called in and asked questions. Brian could here Nancy and her pre-school kids playing in the background of the call!

We will post as much as we can while on the trip. Brian will be flying nearly 25,000 miles on this trip as he will go from Baghdad to Kuwait, then to Beijing to meet Nancy. After a few days in Beijing, it'll be off to Kunming in Yunnan Province to meet our daughter! After a few days in Kunming, we;ll fly to Ghuanzhou to get our our immigration paperwork completed at the US Consulate there. Then it's off to LA where Brian will hopefully get to spend a few hours at home before heading back to Iraq for the last nine long months of his tour of duty.

Expect the next post on or about the 4th or 5th of December.

China Says Yes!

We just got word that the Chinese adoption authorities have approved our adoption! Not too bad since they have only had our dossier since late June. The next steps for us will be to file a Form I800 with Homeland Security (immigration). That should take about 2-6 weeks to get the form approved. The next step will be to get a travel date to China. This should be another 2-4 weeks. The only problem now is that Brian is going to Iraq next month for a year! We'll be trying to postpone that or have him take his R&R early so that we can meet in China to bring home our little girl!

New Photos!

These photos just came in from the orphanage. Isn't she cute? We are waiting for permission from the Chinese government to travel to go get Elyssa. We can't wait!