All is Well

Good Morning from Sugarcreek! I do love saying that. Ali has adjusted very well. You would think that she has always lived with us. She has such a sweet way about her. We have been very busy since we came home. It is an adjustment for us also. Ali had a rough time sleeping at first and we were all three up in the middle of the night watching T.V. but we have found a solutation for it. She sleeps with us and is doing very well with that.(of course) I said a long time ago that I would not have her sleep with us but, I guess I will eat my words. I am sure those are not the only words I will eat. Our big kids had a coming home party for Ali and she didn't mind being the guest of honor. It was an exhausting trip to China but an unbelieveable adventure. It is something that we will never forget. Ali is a lucky littl girl to have the opportunities that she will have here in the U.S., and we are the lucky parents able to give her them.

Chinese or American they still like boxes and clothes baskets ! 

Big Mei Mei Holding Little Mei Mei 

Leaving on A Jet plane !

Well the time has come, the bags are packed and all the paperwork is behind us. Ali Raine Anderson if officially ours. We held up our right hand up today at the U.S. consulate and said that everything that we have signed was true. We did this with about 100 other couples.There was little China dolls everywhere. This was so amazing to see that many American couples in China at the same time changing a orphans life forever. Of course ours was the only one trying to see how loud her squeky shoes could be !!!! Our journey is over but, the memories will last our lifetime. Me and Robin feel that we have really been blessed with Ali. I have always read that people that adopt think that there was a higher being matching them with the right child and I have to agree. It will be sad when the plane takes off from China tomorrow. We will be leaving our little girls homeland behind, but what lies in her future will be so much better.Thanks again for everyone supporting us. We couldn't have done this without all of you. This will be my last post from China, the computer will be going back in it's bag and won't come back out until Sugarcreek, Ohio
Good-Night for the last time from China (leaving At 5 in the morning)

Love, Robin,Vickie,& Ali

Ali Ready For The Consulate Appointment  

Meet All Four Kids fron Xinjiang 

The Anderson Family 

Our group from CCAI 

Cousulate appointment tomorrow !

It's almost over. Wednesday night we will be home. Can you tell we are ready to go. It really hasn't been bad. We have made pretty good friends with the Ankroms from New Jersey and we all hang out together. Ali seems to be happier everyday. She loves to go and eat. She eats everything we put in her mouth. They had a group dinner tonight but, we decided not to go. We just did room service in our room, besides Ali loves that. We went today on another tour of a Pearl factory and the cab ride makes you weak in the knees. I guess in China there are no such things as sidewalks because if a car wants to get around another car they just drive on the sidewalks. The whole time you are walking you need to have eyes in the back your head.Our visa paperwork is all done and we will pick up Ali's visa tomorrow. That is our ticket home !!!! Thanks for all the e-mails we really enjoy reading them.
Good night from Guangzhou

Ali watching Elmo on the computer. 

One of several statues in the park. 

Scaffolding made out of bambo! What do you think Andrew? 

Ali giving lessons on how to eat oatmeal 

This is where we got our laundry done 

Our Big Kids It's Almost Over

I don't know who is in worse shape, us homesick for home or our big kids homesick for us. That's O.K. we wouldn't have it any other way. The whole experince has been something. Guangzhou is really pretty nice. The weather is beautiful. Our rep. from CCAI is taking all our paperwork to the U.S. consulate in the morning and if everything is O.K. we will get Ali's Visa. Tuesday is our consulate appointment, and that is where we take an oath to love Ali and not abandon her. (like we would).She has been such a toy.Then we leave very early Wed. Morning for the airport. Yea!!!!!!!!!!!!!. We are just so anxious for everyone to see her. We could not have asked for a better baby. She is learning to sing Twinkle, Twinkle, little star. She loves to sing, and rather loud at times. She will fit into the family with her singing skills. (right Jess) Well our big kids, we will be home in a few days give the grandkids a kiss for us and know that we love you all.
Good night from Guangzhou it's Ali's bedtime but she just don't know it.

Ali with her new pair of squeky shoes 

playing on the bed 

Ali having her first piggy back ride 

Checking In

Good morning, I only have to say that a couple more times. Yea !!!!!! We are headed out for the day. I am taking some laundry out. I have been doing it in the room and hanging it up in the bathroom, but we found a cheap place to have it done so I am taking it there. Ali really loves her stroller. She climed up in it this morning and fell back to sleep. As soon as I put her sweaky shoes on this morning she took off running. Don't worry Sharon I am all over the luggage problem. You can buy luggage very cheap over so we are getting another piece today. Ali is allowed a check in bag, so were in!

Love to All,
Robin, Vickie, & Ali

ASLEEP WITH HER SWEAKY SHOES ON 

One more day over !

We started off our day by all meeting in the Hotel lobby and heading off to get the babies visa pictures. We then went to the medical exams. As you can see by the pictures Ali was enjoying hers. We went to three different stations and they checked for different things. She did well in all of them because she was on daddys lap but when the nurse took her the tears flowed. Everything was good with her and she weighed 24 lbs. Robin kept her in the room this afternoon and us mothers went and did some more paperwork. I now think we are done with paperwork. We have a free day tomorrow so I think a little shopping is in order. Ali did get her first pair of sweaky shoes today. These are little shoes that sweak when you walk. She was so funny in them. She would run and watch her feet and just laugh. She has been such a joy, and has bonded to us really, really well. I do think she will keep us. We dined in the room this evening and Ali now loves French fries and ketchup as you can see. Daddy just went into give her a bath and I heard him laughing and laughing and guess what, Ali pooped in the tub! I went in to see what he was laughing at, and he said I think she has to go to the bathroom. The look on her face was priceless, but when I picked her up,it was to late. Needless to say we had to start the bath all over again. Well got to go Ali has climed up in my lap and is ready for bed.
Good night from Guangzhou where the weather is beautiful.

Dining in the room. 

She climbs in her stroller and wants to go bye-bye. 

Ali enjoying her medical exam. 

Tennis anyone? 

Three of the four babies ready to leave Urumqi where they were born. 

We Made It !!!!!!

Good Morning for the Victory Hotel, We arrived in our room at 10 last night. What a long day. Ali did pretty good on the 5 hr. flight. Thank God for Benadryl. I don't know if she was sleepy or it worked for a while. She sleep a couple of hours. Did I say how busy she is? We are meeting on the lobby this morning with a different rep. from CCAI. We are going to Ali's Medical Exam. and Visa Photo. I will post some pictures later. They sure are keeping us busy.

Leaving this morning

Good Morning, Well, Ali didn't let us down again. She was a wild women at breakfast. It seems there is a shortage of highchairs in China, or people just don't take there children out. Ali NEEDS a highchair. She is such a good eater. She has not refused anything that I have given her, but when she is done we better be done. She knows what going bye bye means. She gets her shoes (and says shoes) and heads to the door trying to drag her stroller. She is a keeper, but I don't think cotton balls will do for her. Ha! I probably won't post this evening because buy the time we get to Guangzhou and get checked into our room it will be late. I will give you guys a break. All is well here and we are now on the last leg of our journey of a lifetime.
Love you all!!!!!!!!!!!

Marian our guide and Gab the only boy adopted on our group 

Cab ride from hell !!!!!!

Words can't describe the cab ride to the restaurant. My knuckles were white. I kept telling Robin "just don't look". We all went to a Muslim restaurant where there specialty is Lamb. Mmmmmmmm . The Muslim cook very spicy, and I mean spicy. They gave us dessert saucers to eat off of and chop sticks to eat with. Yes, that is what I said no silverware. I had Ali on my lap grabbing everything she could so no chop sticks for me. Just fingers. I didn't need to use very many fingers bacause I didn't eat much. They keep bringing dish after dish of food for us to eat. Each one keep getting better. The last dish was lamb soup. It was soup that they cooked the lamb bones in. I hate to say it but, Ali liked it. I must say these Chinese people are so friendly. Even though the food was differnt there was tons of it and it only cost us less then $10 a couple. After the meal we had to climb back in the cab and pray we made it to the Hotel. Today we took Ali across the street to what I would call a court yard. There were hundreds of pigons walking around and people feeding them like we feed ducks. The pigons would fly and land on people's arms and eat out of there hand. Ali had a big time with that. While we were there I looked around at all of the people and told Robin just think Ali'e parents could be one of these people. It really got to me as we walked back to the hotel. I thank God that her parents loved her enough to leave her somewhere where she would be found. Like Robin said tonight, we flew to the other side of China for a reason, and that was to get the little sweetheart that was meant for us.I will try and post in the morning but it is going to be kind of hetic. We fly out at 2:40 but we are leaving at noon and we have our paperwork to get together and getted packed. We have Ali's passport so they are letting us take her out of China.
Good night from our last night In Ali's province.

Wondering what we ate !!!!!!!!! 

Supper!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 

Going out to supper 

Good Morning

We must have worn Ali out yesterday because she went to bed last night at 7 and woke up at 7 this morning. She loves going to breakfast but, when she is done eating we all should be done. She is keeping me and daddy on our toes. We have been putting cheerios, Teddy Grahmans, and goldfish in her little bowl but, Daddy put M&M's in it this morning and what a show she put on for us trying to pick out the M&M"S. Everytime we said give me a bite she would pick out a goldfish or cherrio. She wasn't sharing her M&M's. Robin is still not feeling good so we are spending the afternoon in our room, but that's O.k. It's nice to slow down a little bit. Hey it sounds like everyone is planning a party without me. Tell me what I need to bring and I am there. Sharon once to meet Ali you will want one. Me and you need to have a talk. You don't have to take her outside to go to the bathroom, and she doesn't get fleas. We read all the e-mails after breakfast in the morning. I get a littl teary-eyed but, that is O.k. Right now Robin is watching and Angels and Whitesoxs ballgame but, it is in Chinese. Gotta go for now, Ali is running wild in the room and it looks like a tornado when through it.

Going to the potty