Johnny hits the pool!

There is a terrific pool at Vero Beach resort. They had a flotation for babies - appropriately named, "The Baby Float"!

Here's Johnny Wei!

Thank goodness for sunscreen and water. We're having a great time! Tomorrow we're off to the Animal Kingdom Lodge in Orlando. It's about a 2-hour drive.

Hello, Everyone!

We've been away - so to speak - for some time now. It's been all good, though. The kids are out of school and we're workin' on vacation #3 since Johnny's arrival home. The first trip was a quick "trial" to COSI in Columbus, Ohio. The 2nd trip was to Jellystone Campground in Fremont, Indiana. We spent time there with Mom and Dad, Barb's family and Tim's family.

And, we are currently on vacation #3. We spent a day in Tennessee with Uncle Jim and Aunt Dorothy and all 4 of my cousins/families. What a joy! We swam at Cousin Sandra's and Chris' pool and got to know our family a little better. We've only been out to see them 3 times, and each time we have the opportunity to see - for the first time - more cousins' children. (Please excuse the incorrect apostrophes... :-) ) Time was too short there! Tennessee is my kind of state! (Go, RED!)

So, the second leg of our vacation is here in Vero Beach, Florida. It's GORGEOUS! We're in the Disney Resort located on the beach. Between the pool, play areas and beachfront, the kids are having a well-exercised ball! Last night we decided to wake up early this am to watch God give us the gift of the morning sun. Sunrise was at 6:40. There were a few others that were along the shore with us (one woman who managed to dive into the ocean in the middle of 'our scene' at sunrise - how dare she!)

The last part of our trip will be spent at the new Animal Kingdom Lodge in Orlando, Florida. Pray for continued health. Life is so good when everyone feels great!

Johnny Wei has come so far. Here is a little footage of our little guy that Dan took back at the ranch. He's 'commando crawling', getting a toy (even though it's a dog's toy) and saying "Hi" and "Bye". God love him! Can you tell we're proud? How can you blame us? Tee heeee heeee!!! Enjoy!

Official citizen of the Unites States of America

Hi everyone! I did it! I'm an official citizen of the United States of America!!! I knew if I was a good boy that it would happen. And, boy-o-boy, have I been a GOOD BOY! I have my forever family and I love my life - even with Champ and Harley, those crazy Golden Retrievers. (I never saw anything quite like them in China!)

Celebrate with me and wave the stars and stripes. (Mom, can I still have a Chinese flag in my room? Absolutely, Johnny!)

Things are going so well. We took our first getaway as a family of 6 to Columbus. Johnny was totally at ease with all the people at the COSI museum.

He's been conditioned very well! Madison, Abby and Adam did a load of swimming and the trip was a nice time for all of us.

Just a few pictures!

We've been doing so well! Other than an intestinal bug, Johnny's labs are really good. He's adjusting incredibly well. It seems that he loves it here. I'm sorry I've been so negligent on photos! Hopefully, these will be worth the wait

The kids made a wall of homecoming pictures for our arrival, which hung between the kitchen and family room. Here we are!!!

The girls have been enjoying being the big sister to their littlest brother. Check it out!

By the way - Don't underestimate Abby's mothering instinct by the fact Johnny is sporting only one sock. Keeping his feeties covered is a full-time job these days. He is really enjoying pulling those socks off. We've tried the shoes on game and there are times he'll even get the shoe AND sock off - just to show US who's boss! HA! You cannot see the writing on his shirt in the photo with Abby, but it says, "Made In China".

What a cute little face!

I think "Grand-ma-ma" is super enjoying her new little grandson!Harley is dearling loving being an example of how much fun a dog can be. He's really come a long way. At first he'd paw and compete. Now, he's actually laying down beside Johnny and being a good, calm boy. "That's my Golden!" Notice Champ in the background. He's just a gem. He's taught Harley everything he knows on how to be worth his weight in GOLD. Here is a pic of Adam, too. He's getting used to no longer being the 'youngest boy'. He'll soon be sure once again that Momma and Daddy love him just as much as EVER!

Johnny has realized that when I hold the camera to my eyes that there is going to be a big flash. Accordingly, he's been closing his eyes before the flash even goes off! What a riot! Get a load of those Converse tennies. They are a hand-me-down from his big brother, Adam!

And, one more for the road. This ought to help with those camera flashes! We were told it's hard to fit Asians with glasses due to the bridge of their nose being so flat between their eyes. Well, there you have it. It works!

John's trip to the Cleveland Clinic

Last Wednesday, March 18th, we had John evaluated by the Adoptive program at the Cleveland Clinic. It was a rather long day that included his history, physical, surgical site evaluation and bloodwork. Everything looks great.

When we first got our littlest guy, he barely wanted to roll over. What a difference a few weeks make! Now, he's able to balance in a sitting position with very little intervention! Yeahhhh!!!

Madison, Abby and Adam are really enjoying their new brother. I am incredibly proud of them for taking him in as a part of their family so unselfishly. Johnny presented them with a gift thanking them for their part in making his adoption possible - a Nintendo DS! ("You're welcome, Johnny!!!") Adam may need to join NDSA (Nintendo DS Anonymous).

Johnny and I are home! Actually, we arrived home ~8pm Friday, March 13th (and, I'm only now blogging to tell about it). It was an extremely long 24 hours from Guangzhou, China, to Cleveland, Ohio. BUT, that being said, nobody was sick and we got to FLY - as opposed to the slow boat the poor people had to use in the 'olden' days. I'm grateful.

Mr. Johnny only got about 1 or 2 hours of sleep during the 24 hour stint. You can imagine how out of sorts the poor little guy was. He held it together until the Chicago to Cleveland stint. There were a few delays and when we finally boarded, it was boarding onto a little tuna can with a non-operational bathroom. The pilot said for us to make sure we used the restrooms in the terminal before boarding. Hmmm... Now how do we figure in dirty diapers? HA!

And, boy-o-boy, were there a boatload of dirty diapers!!!

Since being home, we've found Mr. Johnny has joined the "Soy-boy" ranks of formula-fed children. (He and his cousin must get that from their mothers' side of the family!) Prior to the magic of Enfamil ProSobee, our little guy delivered 7-10 soiled diapers PER DAY! If I could do a commercial, Johnny would be the spokesbaby. HA!

"Being on soy has changed my life..."

Mr. Johnny went to the Cleveland Clinic Adoptive Center for a thorough evaluation today. Things went very, very well. We saw a pediatric specialist who evaluated his growth and development and a surgeon who is very familiar with John's birth defect (known as a gastroschesis or 'abdominal cleft') and surgery. Additionally, he and received 5 vaccination injections and had a slew of bloodwork drawn. Our sweet little guy learned he cannot trust everybody in a white coat. The docs and phlebotomists were as sweet as can be, but in the end, needles hurt. I kept reminding myself that the diseases hurt more. (That is Surviving of Motherhood 102.)

The doc said other than some abdominal weakness - which can be expected from laying around in a bed and perhaps from his surgery as an infant - Johnny is doing very well. He has two lower teeth, which we noticed are different sizes even though they should be exact symmetrical teeth. She said they are probably a 'fused tooth' and isn't much to be worried about. She described several exercises for increasing his strength and is excited to see him in a month after being home with us.

The surgeon said, in a nutshell, it's too bad for his family to have abandoned him and it's lucky for us to have adopted such a healthy, happy little boy! Although Johnny is 10% more likely to have an intestinal atresia (blockage or stricture), he is tested and proven. He says that the 1st month is the make-or-break when it comes to a gastroschisis repair. And, the fact that he survived in an orphanage speaks volumes. And, by the way, the surgeon said there is absolutely nothing we can do to change his odds of atresia. He said it could happen when he's 20 or 80 years old, tomorrow or not at all. It's just an artifact of the scar tissue and adhesions that happen with surgeries such as his.

He said, "Don't worry. ENJOY him!"

And, that we will. We're thrilled to have adopted such a special little boy...our special little child who was "Made In China".

Hi All!

Our China leg of this journey has almost come to an end. I miss being with my whole family desperately! And, I'm looking so forward to establishing our 'new normal'!

Today we went to the American embassy to 'swear-in' that our adoption contained all true information, etc. etc.. It was really neat. Johnny is now officially ours. There were about 60 families, many of which had adopted 2, 3 and 4 children from China! After the oath we were issued the kids' visas. (We needed visas to enter China, and Johnny will need this visa to enter the USA.) He will receive his documentation of citizenship in about a month.

The families are running last minute errands and picking up souvenirs. Mr. Johnny is snoozing, so I'm just blogging. HA! Keep our safety for travel home in your prayers. It's an extremely long 24 hours for us...if all goes as planned. We are flying Guangzhou, China, to Tokyo, Japan, to Chicago, IL, to Cleveland, OH.

Just writing Cleveland, I sigh. :-)

I MISS HOME SWEET HOME!

Love you all! And, as Mickey Mouse would say,

"See you real soon!"