Summer Has Started!

Sad News...

Today we learned the very sad news about Steven Curtis Chapman's 5 year old daughter, Maria, who was adopted from China and is the Chapman's youngest daughter. (For those of you who are unfamiliar, Steven Curtis Chapman is a Christian recording artist and the founder of Shaohannah's Hope, a foundation that provides grants for families who wish to adopt but do not have the financial resources to do so). Maria was killed yesterday in a tragic accident in the family's driveway, when she was accidentally hit by the SUV that her older brother was driving. Click here for the story.

My heart is saddened at the loss of a child, at the pain that her older brother will carry, and for this family as they grieve for their youngest daughter. I am also eternally grateful to this amazing couple who have done so much for international adoption. Back in November 2004, Jason and I attended a seminar sponsored by America World, our adoption agency. We watched a video that Steven and Mary Beth Chapman put together about adoption being God's Plan A, not Plan B. This video was instrumental in helping us make our decision to pursue adoption, and we are thankful to have seen it at just the right time and place.

We would ask you to join with us in praying for the Chapman family. Life is so precious---we have certainly been reminded of that after the events of the past several weeks all over the world. Thankfully, we have a God that cares about the details of our lives, and loves us because we are His. We are thankful. We are blessed.

Love,
Alissa

A is for...Adorable
B is for...Brilliant
C is for...Crazy (and such a proud) Mommy



Who needs W, X, Y, and Z anyway? We're constantly amazed at how fast Leila is picking up English and how fast she learns. She is a little sponge these days, just soaking up all she can --- good and bad. The funny part about this new talent is that I had NO idea she even knew the ABC's. We were driving to church for an Awana event last week, when all of a sudden I hear this little voice start singing from the carseat behind me. I looked at Jason and said, "They HAD to have taught her that at the orphanage." Jason said he doubted it, and that he had sung it to her a few times. I explained that she would have to have heard it way more than a few times to have picked up the entire song when Madison, from the back seat said, "Mom. I sing it to her every night when we go to bed." Oh. So that's what they are doing up there! Having an almost-10 year old is fantastic for so many reasons!

I think I've mentioned Leila's newfound love for baby dolls. My Grandmother Ross, as well as my friend Teri, bought her a few dolls prior to the adoption, and I've just been waiting for her to figure out what to do with them. She is now very excited about pushing them in the stroller or the grocery cart, and does a fine job of putting them to bed with a hug, a kiss, and a firm "close your eyes.' Like I said, she's soaking up every single word we say.

Leila has had a great week, even going to Sunday School (Saturday night, actually) with NO tears, I couldn't believe it. Going to the 3-5 year old class with Rudy helped, but still, it was only the third time we've tried childcare so we were very proud of her. After class, she was excited to show us her picture that she drew and she went on and on about how she went outside to the playground ("Outside...Rudy...Wheee!"). It's amazing to watch Leila learn to trust in the fact that we will, in fact, come back to get her. We tell her this every time: "Mommy will come back" and "Mommy and Daddy always come back," even if one of us is just running to the store or when either of us goes to work. She'll often repeat us saying "Mama come back" or "Baba come home,' and you can almost physically watch her as she learns that she can trust us, and that we will never leave her.

We are looking forward to summer---our neighborhood pool opens THIS Saturday. We can't wait to see what Leila thinks of it! We're also headed to a kids' festival here in KC this weekend, which should be a lot of fun. When Jason and I were at TCU, our friend Natalie introduced us to a great band called "Trout Fishing in America." They are a folk band and have recorded many albums for kids, as well as adults. We've been playing their music for our kids for years, but they have never seen the duo in person. We can't wait to see them at the Jiggle Jam this weekend...hope to post pictures next week.

Thanks for checking in---we love hearing from you. Have a great week!

Love,
Alissa

the not-so-weekly update...

Hello Everyone,

Thanks for checking in. It's been a crazy couple of weeks at our house, and unfortunately, the blog fell by the wayside. However, I'm back in the saddle and ready to update you on the Potocnik family. Before I get in to my funny stories, ridiculous adventures, and updated photos, I want to please ask each of you to pray for the thousands of people in China who have lost family members and friends to the massive earthquake that occured on Sunday afternoon. The earthquake did, in fact, hit the Sichuan province, approximately 60 miles from Leila's orphanage in Chengdu. From what I have read (and believe me, I have read a lot), Leila's orphanage is okay as are the hundreds of children who reside there. Yes, we have our daughter home safe and for that I am thankful. However, there are still thousands of displaced families, as well as adoptive families who do not know if their children are alright. If you, like me, sit wishing there was something you could do to help, I'd ask you to check out the Half the Sky website. Half the Sky is the organization that supports/runs Leila's orphanage (Chengdu Children's Welfare Institute) as well as many other orphanages all over China. They provide the orphanages with resources and training to help the children stay on track developmentally, and we have certainly seen the positive effects of this organization with our daughter. Not only is she developmentally right on target, she's very healthy and well adjusted. We credit the orphanage director/nannies---trained by the Half the Sky folks---for how well Leila is doing. There are many ways you can contribute to relief efforts through Half the Sky, and I'd encourage you to contribute if you are able.


Fun with Wildlife
Two weeks ago, we had "fun" trying to get rid of a wild racoon and her babies who had decided to make their home in our attic. Jason and I spent 2-3 sleepless nights listening to the racoon decorate her new apartment and run on her treadmill. We finally had to sleep at our friends' house just to get a good night's sleep (thanks Mattis family!) Jason and friends (including Johanna the Wildlife Expert), spent many days patching the roof (inadvertently trapping her IN the attic), unpatching the roof (letting her out again), and trying to trap the coon inside OR outside of the attic. However, seems that Jo the racoon only likes two year old Valentine's Day candy that is unknowingly stored deep in a stack of boxes in the attic rather than the delicious melon/cat food combo that we offered in the trap. She did eventually leave and there is peace again in the attic.

Alissa's First Day Back to Work:
On May 1st I went back to work at the hospital. I only work two days a week but I have somewhat dreaded this day not knowing how Leila would do. While Jason was at home battling the racoon, the kids stayed with my friend Traci, and Leila did just great. She cried for a minute when I left, but had a great day overall and I was so proud of her. Friday, Jason stayed home with her and she had fun with Baba. Last week (May 8/9) went just as well---this is a blessing and I am enjoying being back at work for a couple of days a week. I am blessed to have a job that I love, otherwise it would be unbearable to be away from my kids those two days.


Roller Skating Night:
On Thursday, May 1st we took a family trip to the roller rink for the kids' All School Skate. Uncle Gregg and Almost Uncle Wade (to be married to Aunt Megan on June 21) joined us and we had a great time. I can't say that Leila loved skating (see photo), but she did try it. Caeden also wasn't impressed stating that he liked ice skating last winter at Crown Center much better. When we got home, there was a tornado warning, so we all had our first duck-n-cover in the basement/garage. Leila had NO idea what we were doing, but loved being in her jammies in the garage, reading books while the adults all pretended that nothing special was going on. All in all, an exhausting night with no shortage of new experiences!

First Road Trip:
This past weekend we loaded up the kids and headed up to Lincoln, Nebraska where my parents live. About two hours into the road trip, Leila decided she was "all done" and told us so for about 60 miles. With music, movies, and a large bag of peanut M&M's, we did eventually make it and it was definitely worth the drive. We had a wonderful weekend, and Leila loved meeting her Uncle Chuck, her Great Grandmother and Grandfather Ross (aka Grandma and Peaches), her Great Grandma Ady, her Great Aunt Joyce, Great Uncle Gary and Great Aunt Jan, second cousins Brianne and Lindsay, and her two first cousins Ady (Karen's daughter) and Linus (Chuck's new puppy). My sister was excited to see Leila again, though it was tough to tell how well Leila remembered her from China. My guess is that she doesn't remember much of our time in China, as it was a somewhat confusing time for her. Regardless, she warmed up to everyone quickly, and was happy to show off at all the appropriate times.

One of Leila's highlights was helping Papa Ken fill his bird feeders. She loved every chance she got to go outside, go on walks, and hang out with her Papa. She is definitely happiest outside, so we can't wait for summer to get here!


Another highlight was Mother's Day. All the relatives that I mentioned above came to Lincoln and it was great to reconnect and introduce them to Leila Grace. It was an absolutely beautiful day outside, and thankfully Leila was willing to pose with both Papa and Zany (my dad and mom) for a picture.

We are so blessed to have
awesome grandparents and
great-grandparents who
have been loving and sup-
porting through this entire
adoption process. I am
very thankful for a family
that embraces my children,
whether biological or adopted, and supports us in
each decision we make as a
family.

Before my Grandma Ady left on Sunday, she gave Leila a beautiful music box that my grandma had received as a retirement gift. It played "Edelweiss" and Leila was just mesmerized by it. She loved to have us wind it up while she flipped the switch to turn it on and off. We appreciate this gift so much---it is definitely a treasure!

My Grandma is an amazing woman of God, and we are so thankful to have her in our lives. I have great memories of growing up only an hour away from Grandma Ady, and she has taught me so much about life, love, and the Lord. We love you, Grandma Ady!


Mother's Day was fantastic -- I enjoyed just being with my family and hanging out with my four kids. And this year, they gave me the BEST Mother's Day gift---a rare picture of all four of them smiling---priceless!



Have a great week!

Love,
Alissa

A First Time for Everything...

It's been a week of "firsts" at the Potocnik house, in more ways than one. Thought I'd share a few of them with you today!

First Baby...er...Toddler Shower:


My work threw us a great shower last Tuesday complete with delicious Chinese food and a gift certificate to Nebraska Furniture Mart. Leila didn't eat a bite of lunch as she was much too busy showing off for all of my friends and co-workers. She loved the balloons best, and was pretty excited to be able to take those balloons home. I am so thankful for my fellow Speech Pathologists who gave me this awesome shower, it was a lot of fun for all of us!

First Phrases:

That's right---we've got some great English phrases popping out these days and every time I hear them, I can't believe my ears! In addition to "How 'bout that?" and "No, No, No" (so old news), Leila is now saying "Mama (or Baba) will help you," (meaning that we will help her with something), "Down and Drop" (Jason's attempt at teaching her to wipe her bottom correctly), and my favorite, "Slow Down!" (which I say to her at least 412 times per day). It's amazing to see how fast she is picking up English. Last night Jason was wearing a ridiculous wig (more on that later). He walked in the kitchen where Leila was waiting for dinner and swears that she said "Take that hat off!" Who knows, but if so, it was great advice!

First Haircut:


Leila got her very first haircut from Uncle Gregg this week. We were going to have her watch the other kids get their haircuts first, but she was pretty insistent that this was HER chair, and therefore SHE would go first. She did great and Gregg did a wonderful job as usual!

First Trip to the Doctor:

Yesterday Leila went to the pediatrician for her first check-up. I supplied our doctor with most everything I know about Leila, and she checked out all the 'routine' issues. The 32 lb figure that we heard in China was wrong, which I had suspected, Leila actually weighs 29.5 lbs and is exactly 3 feet tall. Our doctor said that Leila looks great and was impressed with all the things she is doing is just one month. Leila, however, was not really all that impressed with the doctor's office, especially once the lab tech came in and drew blood to check titers for immunization purposes. She was brave though, and was pretty happy with the stuffed toy and sticker she received for being so big!

First Night at American Girl Book Club:




Last night, we attended our monthly American Girl Book Club that Madison, her friends, and their moms have been running for about one year. We were reading the book "Happy New Year Julie," which focused on Chinese New Year and Julie's best friend Ivy, who is Chinese. Anyway, we had brought a few souveniers back for this particular book club hosted by our friends Traci and Julia. Leila, being the best 'souvenier' of all time, was invited to book club this time and had the BEST time being "one of the girls." We made God's Eyes, ate chocolate fondue with chopsticks, shared fortune cookies, and discussed the book. Leila wasn't much for discussion, but she loved the rest of book club and was the hit of the party once she got going. We are so thankful for this group of kids and moms who love to read, and love the American Girl stories.


And in other news...

Yesterday was "Crazy Hat Day" at the kids' school. Caeden decided that a wig qualifies as a hat, and actually wore this wig on the bus, all afternoon at school, and on the bus ride home. He told me that all the kids thought he was so funny, and that his teacher wanted to introduce him to the principal as "Caeden's cousin." He wouldn't let her do that as he told me, "I was too nervous." Leila was NOT thrilled with Caeden in the wig, nor did she like Baba wearing it later that night. Too bad I don't have pictures of that!

Thank you so much for checking in each week----we love hearing from you all. If you haven't signed your names in one of the comments sections, please do. We'd love to know who is out there!

Here's to all the "firsts" to come!

Alissa

Hello everyone!

Well...looks like I'm going to be able to post about once a week at the rate I'm going, but that's better than nothing, I suppose! I wanted to post on our one month Gotcha "Anniversary"---just didn't happen. It was amazing last Thursday (4/17) to think that Leila had already been with us for one month! She is doing great and I thought today I'd answer the most "Frequently Asked Questions" or as I like to call them, TING FAQ's:

Q: How is she adjusting?
A: Very well, based on what I can tell. Leila is very attached to all of us, which is great. She hugs and kisses us constantly, and loves to be held. She completely has run of the house, and thinks she owns the place. Everyone that sees us as a family says that she just seems to 'fit right in' and I'd agree---she is a very happy girl! She still has night/nap terrors at times, and is having tantrums as well. However, it's hard to know if the tantrums are grieving vs. language barrier vs. typical two year old behavior. We feel that considering what she has been through, she is doing extremely well in her adjustment to life at the Potocnik house.

Q: How is she doing with Jason?
A: MUCH better! She'll let "Baba" do almost anything now, and is so excited when he gets home from work. I've left her with J several times, and although she sometimes has to search the house to see if I'm really gone, she does just fine. If we're both her, I'm still the 'preferred' parent, but she's doing great. Last weekend, she even let her grandpa and her uncles hold her---big steps for this little girl!

Q: How is she doing with the kids and how are they adjusting to her?
A: She LOVES her siblings, and is especially attached to Madison. The girls share a room and Leila just can't stand it at night when Maddie leaves for even a glass of water. She'll yell 'Sissy! Sissy!' until Madison returns. The first couple of days of school, Leila cried when Maddie got on the bus, but she now understands that she'll be back and does fine. Madison was Star of the Week at school last week, and brought Leila to school (picture below). The third graders loved Leila Grace...many of them have been hearing about her for almost 3 years now! The boys love Leila as well and do their best to teach her to be as naughty as they are. Rudy does seem to miss his place as the baby, but we've been teaching him a lot of 'big boy' things, and he also enjoys the new 'big brother' status. Both boys have asked in the last week if we can go get another baby from China. At first I worried that they didn't like the one we got, but they assured me that they think we just need another baby as well. I am quite satisfied with my family of 6 right now, but I do think that their request is a good indication of their love for their sister.


Q: What is her personality like?
A: Nothing like they said on her reports. Shy? NO. Timid? NO. Introverted? NO. She is a very typical 2 year old, into everything, mischevious, incredibly sweet to make up for the mischevious, then mischevious again. She'll do anything for a laugh, and is just as energetic as her siblings. Her grandparents describe her as "busy" and "deathly cute." She's got some facial expressions that say it all...including these little "Leila eyes" we see when she's most ornery.

Q: How is her English coming along?
A: Again, we prefer to call it Tinglish. Actually, she is doing so well. Her comprehension is fantastic, she can really follow almost any direction I give her and seems to understand so much of what we say. She is copying everything we say, today it was "Er Ting NO NO NO" and "Mama NO NO NO." Hmmm...I wonder who has been saying "NO NO NO" to her? I told you, she's a typical 2 year old! She knows many English words including "potty," "baby," "pretty," "more," "Night Night," and "NO NO NO." Oh yeah, I already said that. But it bears repeating. The first few nights I tried to read to her, she really didn't understand what was going on. She would try to close the books and just didn't attend to my reading even the basic board book. However, she is now very into the books, and has some favorites that she picks every day (currently "8 Little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed," "Touchy, Feely, Smelly Colors"--not as bad as it sounds, I promise--and one of my favorites, "Goodnight Moon."). I think that her love for books mirrors her gradual understanding of English, and her need for repetition of these books is just one more building block for her language development. I am having to do some serious digging into my undergraduate speech pathology courses to remember how to work with kids, but it's slowly coming back to me!

Q: How are YOU doing? (Meaning me...Mom)
A: I am doing well. Some days are very hard as Leila and I still don't have the means to communicate everything, and that is frustrating for both of us. I still have times where I have no idea what she wants, and she tries to clearly say it in Chinese several times, as if I may possibly get it once repeated in a loud voice. We also still have times where Leila gets very upset if I leave a room, or even get up too suddenly. However, this is getting better and yesterday I checked email for almost 30 minutes without her even checking on me. (See next question for why.) In the meantime, I am adjusting to being a mom of 4, and of being home full time (I normally work 2 days/week.) This is the first time since my maternity leave with Rudy that I've been home full time, and it is quite an adjustment. Other than that, I am so happy to have Leila home, and our family does finally feel complete. I'm such a lucky Mommy.

Q: How is the Little People Phobia going? (See last post if you are confused)
A: Well, we're still not really into Little People. However, Leila is now very into her baby dolls. We visited one of Jason's aunts the other day, and she had a baby doll and a stroller. At first Leila wanted nothing to do with this, but then was curious enough to give it a try. She soon found that the baby was, in fact, not real, and gave it a push around the yard. She was very excited when we got home and Mom had a baby stroller and several dolls for her to play with---I think she and Maddie played for a couple hours with the babies---it was awesome!

Q: When do you go back to work? Who is watching the kids?
A: Too soon. I start back May 1st. Jason and one of our close friends will watch the kids in May, and then I have a great sitter for the summer (she's gotta be great if she can watch 4 kids!).

Those are probably the questions I get asked the most as well as an update on the kids. Thanks for checking in and for your sweet comments---we really love hearing from you.

Have a fantastic week!

Love,
Alissa

Overcoming "Little People-Phobia"!

Hello everyone,

Thanks so much for coming back to visit our blog. Life in the Potocnik family is never dull, and boy does time fly quickly (especially when you take the month off work!). It's hard to believe we have been home two weeks, but it's amazing how fast we've fallen back into a good routine. This is comforting to me in some ways---I prefer a little bit of a schedule and some sort of order to my days. Leila seems to thrive on routine as well and if things are outside the normal routine...watch out. At night, we've started a bedtime routine of reading a couple books on her bed and then tucking her in with hugs and kisses. Sounds easy enough, except that according to my two year old, this must be done in the exact order that I did it the very first night. For example, we must go pick out the book together off the shelf, then sit on the bed with her on my lap and the pink blanket over both of us. Then I am to read the books to her, then lay her down on her pillow. She then says "How 'bout that?" and I cover her with the purple blanket. Again, "how 'bout that?" and I cover her with the pink one. Finally, I am to sit next to her bed, hold her hand for a couple minutes, then ask for hugs and kisses. I am then allowed to leave the room only after closing the door part way, assuring her that "Maddie is comin'" and standing outside her door reminding her that "Mama's right here." Wow. Even typing that makes me tired! Really, I'm not complaining. It is very obvious that Leila is trying to make sense of her world and organize the different routines in a way she can understand. She loves predictability and I can appreciate that. In fact, I find it quite encouraging that she thrives on order and organization...I can't WAIT to buy her her first labelmaker!

Regarding the title of today's blog...as soon as we got home, we quickly learned that Leila is afraid of any toy that has a face. This may explain why the baby doll or ladybug blanket we showed her at the orphanage did not calm her immediately. She currently is not a fan of baby dolls, stuffed animals, barbies, or, (sigh), Fisher Price Little People. My other three haven't played with the Little People barn, fire station, house, etc. for a couple of years, but I have been saving them for Leila, just knowing she would love them as much as I do. In fact in China, I was convinced that they would be just the toy to appeal to her love of holding small objects in her hands, but I was wrong. Next time you're out shopping, I would challenge you to look in the toy aisle and try to find a toy without a face. It's no easy task. Anyway, we did finally have a breakthrough yesterday when Leila figure out that she could put the Little People into the ferris wheel and it would play music. I was pretty excited to get to play with one of my favorite toys, if even for just a few minutes. Madison has tried to convince Leila to play Barbies and Polly Pockets with her and while Leila was pleased to organize all the accessories to these toys, she really didn't want to have the actual dolls in hand. Oh well---in time I'm sure she'll be getting into every toy that Maddie wishes she was still afraid of!

What does she like to play with? Anything that involves small motor skills, such as Tinkertoys, Legos, blocks, stacking cups, beads, and cars. Provided none of the above have a face. Last week I decided to let her work with beads while I baked a cake (not sure if my business will hold up with my two year old assistant, but we'll see). She was so intent---stringing every single bead I own on pipe cleaners. I bet she sat there for 2 hours---she didn't want to stop! So---I'm on a mission to figure out other toys that she'll love that involve fine motor/detail skills...let me know if you have any suggestions!




When she's not beading, Leila is thrilled to be outside playing, swinging, blowing bubbles...anything that involves being outside. She also had her first "movie night" with the kids and Madison's friend Roni. The movie was Alvin and the Chipmunks but who cares when you have 5 big bowls of popcorn and 4 big kids to entertain!



Have a great week---I know we will!

Love,
Alissa

Orphanage Photos







As many of you know, I sent a small care package to Leila's orphanage a few weeks before we travelled to China to pick her up. On Gotcha Day, the orphanage director gave me back one of the disposable cameras that I sent and today I got the pictures back. There were only about 8 really good ones, but they are fantastic. I had mixed feelings while looking at the pictures. I loved seeing her happy and with her friends, but then I felt a little sad wondering if she misses her first family. I showed her the pictures and her reaction was that of any 2 year old---'That's Er Ting!' She was just excited to look at photos of herself! Hope you enjoy them as much as we did...my favorite is the one where she's pulling 3 boys along with her and they are all smiling, as if this isn't the first time she's done this.

I know many of you are waiting for an update and RECENT photos---I promise them tomorrow (the uploading is taking me forever, sorry!)

Much love from the Potocnik 6

Home, Sweet, Home!

Hello everyone, and thank you so much for checking back in. I've had a few people tell me I better hurry up and post or someone will think we never made it home! So sorry for the delay---we had a lot of jet lag to overcome and now I have a little 'helper' that would love to work on the computer with me!

So--the 32 hours of travel were just what I expected---YUCK. Our flights were fine, all on time and no lost luggage. However, my 2 year old was so not into flying, and spent many hours crying and/or not sleeping. By the time we were in the middle of our 13 hour flight from Tokyo to Chicago, I was also crying, causing the flight attendants to start to worry. Neither of us (Leila or I) felt much like eating and we were so exhausted...it was pretty miserable. We did make it through and once in Chicago, I began getting so excited to finally board the plane to Kansas City. Once we boarded that easy, one hour flight, I think Leila thought we were doing the 13 hour thing again and she was not happy. However, we kept her occupied and finally made it to Kansas City. As we were landing I told Jason I had NEVER been so excited to see Kansas City in all my life.

When we got off the plane, we had quite the entourage waiting for us. Jason's parents and the kids were there, as well as three of my close friends, Traci, Autumn, and Kelli. Autumn had given the kids "big brother" and "big sister" shirts and they all looked so cute! Cameras were clicking---but not mine---so I'll get those pictures posted ASAP. We probably looked so tired by then...I hardly even remember it. Leila was great with the kids right away. She was doing all kinds of silly things just to get them to laugh and of course, they were a very captive audience. Madison had made brownies at home, and brought one for Leila---amazing the effect chocolate can have. We had worried so much about the car seat and her reaction to it but she never even noticed as she was way too focused on that brownie! When we got home, we played for a little while but it was already 11:30pm and we were all ready to crash. I did get Leila to sleep in her bed, and she entertained Madison by singing herself to sleep.

We've now been home 6 days and I wouldn't say we're completely over jet-lag/sleep deprivation, but we're getting there (I think we counted that in 32 hours of travel, Leila slept about 4 and I slept a little less than that). The first couple nights Leila was up from 2-6am, so it truly felt like having a newborn again. When she does sleep, she tends to have pretty bad nightmares right now, so we're working though that. However---I'm posting this morning at 5:15am and she's still sleeping soundly after a good night of rest---almost nightmare free! (I know---this time I couldn't sleep!).

The kids absolutely adore her, and she is pretty happy to have such a captive audience all the time. She is especially attached to Madison and cried like crazy when Maddie got on the bus on Monday morning. She is bossing the kids around, pulling their hands and telling them where to go. She's also very attached to me, and still gets very sad if I leave the room or get up too suddenly, as if I may leave her. She'll let Jason take care of her in terms of bath or dinner, but still resists him holding her. This is hard for both of us, but we know in time it will change. Yesterday I had to clean a little bit to maintain my sanity, and I found that if I gave Leila jobs, she was very content. She put away my tupperware, the kids' silverware, and mopped the kitchen floor. OK, so maybe not---but that will come in time, too, right?

I forgot to mention that Sunday we were able to go to church after a decent's night sleep...boy did we underanticipate the homecoming! We are so blessed by our family and friends all over the US (and a few NOT in the US!). On Sunday, we were incredibly touched by the outpouring of support and love from all of those in our church family. We missed them very much and were so happy to be back "home" at LSCC---it is truly an amazing community which we will never take for granted.

ATTENTION FAITHFUL BLOG WATCHERS!
I have had so many people telling me that they watched the blog faithfully the entire time we were gone---I had NO idea! I wish I had written more for those of you who told me that you were continously "refreshing"---hate to think I was disappointing anyone!! Anyway---I had turned off my comments earlier this year due to someone getting into my blog and changing pictures into very obscene photos. However, I am going to turn back ON the comments today so that those of you who followed the blog can let me know. I think it would be cool for Leila to see (someday) all the people who were keeping track of her journey home. I do plan to print the blog at some point for her to read in the future. So please take a couple minutes, and let us know you were watching...we appreciate it! (Name/location would be great!)

Many have asked what I plan to do with the blog now that we're home. Hmmm...good question. I think I will continue to blog about Leila's transitions to life at the Potocnik home, and something tells me I'll have many stories to share about her, as well as my other 3 munchkins. I have always loved to journal and still have volumes of them from high school and college, so I guess this is just the updated version of my old "Dear Diary" years (and yes, I promise to spare you any entries re: zits or all the unfair chores my parents make me do).

Thank you again for your love and support, we are so honored that you've chosen to keep an eye on our story!

Love,
Jason, Alissa, Madison, Caeden, Rudy, and Leila Grace

Tuesday, March 25, 2008
Last day in China

Today was our last day in China, and we had one more important hoop to jump through to finish this process...but more on that later!

We slept in a little bit this morning, and then headed upstairs for another delicious breakfast. Leila LOVES breakfast, especially scrambled eggs. She also still likes congee every morning, which is basically like cream of wheat, but with rice. I've been trying to learn how to make it and while it's not difficult, it takes 90 minutes to cook. Oh well, maybe she'll like oatmeal instead! She also loves yogurt which is more of a liquid here than a solid, and the kids drink it with a straw (Jason has since named it 'milgurt'). She's had one almost every day that we've had her. The only things we have found that she doesn't like are juice or anything carbonated.

After breakfast we headed back to the room to chat with the kids, who are now at home in Lees Summit with Papa and Grammy. Leila likes to see them on Skype, and we've been practicing their names. She also likes to flip through the photo album that we brought, and imitate us saying those names, too. Around 11am, we took Leila to her first playdate with our friends the Johnsons and their new daughter Noelle. The girls didn't quite know what to do at first, but soon they were playing with a beach ball and running around the room together. Leila's favorite toy by far was Noelle's stacking cups. She loved putting them together (nesting), and figured it out quickly. I love watching her little wheels turn as she learns by experience---it's amazing to think about how much she has to learn in the months and years ahead! She didn't really like having to give the stacking cups back to Noelle, but all in all, the playdate was a success. Jennifer and Eric live in Richmond, MO, so we hope to arrange more playdates in the near future.

After lunch, we gave Leila a bath and got ready for our group photos. We finally achieved some pretty cute pigtails today, and she left them in until bedtime. She was ready for her photo shoot! All 9 families met in the lobby to get photos of all the families together, as well as moms and babies, and then babies alone. They did really well, and we got some great shots. Leila even let me walk away from her without crying, as long as I was in sight...progress!

After the photos, we boarded the bus for our last big step in this adoption process---the US Consulate for our 'Swearing In Ceremony.' The Consulate was just a short distance from our hotel, and when we entered, we saw probably 60-75 families with Chinese kids ranging from infants up to 9-10 years old. It was really amazing to just watch all the families, knowing that all of them had waited a long, long time to be in this place at this moment. Although it has been a reality for a week now, it was overwhelming to think that we were almost done. Once we verified our identities and the fact that we indeed had the right baby, we were sent back to our chairs to wait on the Consulate representative (who happened to be from Kansas City!). He addressed us by thanking us for adopting our children from China, and reviewed the rules for re-entry into the United States. He then asked us to raise our right hands and swear that we had been honest and forthright in the information we had provided. He congratulated us and we all cheered---the adoption is complete! He also gave us instructions in carrying our documentation for Leila into the United States tomorrow---she's not a US citizen until she touches US soil in Chicago. After we received this documentation and her passport/visa, we were off!

On the bus ride home, our guides Maggie and Rosa addressed us. They congratulated us and expressed their appreciation to us for adopting from China. They told us that they consider us family, and that their children are now our children. We were touched by their gifts to us, a personalized t-shirt for Leila, and a beautiful wall hanging for Jason and I. Moreso, we were so thankful for Maggie and Rosa's dedication to their jobs, and their earnestness in teaching us all they could about the country where Leila was born. These are intelligent, beautiful young women who are committed to the families that they serve. However, in that process they remain loyal to the country that they love, and do everything they can to help the families experience China to the fullest. We are so grateful for both Maggie and Rosa.

One interesting thing that Maggie told us is that right now, there are 10,000-12,000 Chinese adoptions per year. Half of these are from the United States, and almost all of the special needs children are adopted from the United States. She said because of this, the U.S. is greatly respected. She also told us that there will be fewer adoptions in the years to come as abandonment is down in China. While I'm not sure of the validity of this statement, we can only hope and pray that both abortion and abandonment are on the decline, and in the meantime, that families are found for all the children left in the hundreds of orphanages in China.

We are confident---as we have been all along---that Leila was exactly the child God had chosen for our family. We hope that others will see the need to help the orphans, not just in China but all over the world. It's not an easy process, but the reward is so great. Many people have told us how lucky Leila is. While we understand the sentiment, we really do consider ourselves the lucky ones. We're just an average family, blessed by an amazing God who always knows what is best for us. His timing is not ours, but His is always best. Thank you so much for following along with our journey to Leila Grace. It has been an amazing adventure!

With love,
Alissa, Jason, Madison, Caeden, Rudy, and Leila Grace Potocnik

Monday, March 24th

This morning was pretty uneventful. After a good breakfast, we were told to wait in our rooms from 10am-12pm as this was our consulate appointment time. If they had any questions regarding our paperwork, they would call between those times. We never received a call, so apparently all was satisfactory. We went to lunch at Pizza Hut as it was right next door to the hotel but Leila was so tired, we had to head home for a nap. Maybe if her crazy parents hadn't kept her out so late she wouldn't have been so grouchy! Oh well---we know that any schedule we put her own now will only be ruined after the 20-24 hours of travel we have ahead of us!

In the afternoon, the group went to the Guandong Folk Art Museum, a famous museum here in Guangzhou owned by the Chen Family. I knew we would be going out for our final dinner at night, so in the interest of everyone's sanity, I stayed with Leila so she could take a nap. Jason went though and said that there were all kinds of beautiful folk art--ivory, jade, glass etchings, fans, paintings--the group enjoyed it a lot. After the museum, the group had one final hour of shopping at which time Jason indulged in one more North Face jacket and a Starbucks coffee. He also picked up the stamp we had made for Leila---it says "Leila Grace" and "Er Ting" with Chinese characters. It's beautiful and I'm glad we had it done. J took a lot of pictures of Shamian Island so hopefully I can get those posted at some point.

Tonight, we had our final group dinner at an amazing Thai restaurant. Our guides ordered all the food and it was delicious! Ting Ting was especially fond of the meat kabobs, she ate two by herself. She amazed everyone with her chopstick skills, and was a happy girl all through dinner, so the nap paid off! There was also some entertainment with singing and dancing---hard to describe but let's just say there was a whole lot of Diana Ross and the YMCA---felt just like home. Several of the kids (siblings, not babies) joined the singers/dancers which was hilarious---all the Chinese people in the restaurant were taking pictures of the crazy foreigners. At one point, the dancers grabbed all the husbands (Jason included), which was definitely the highlight of the evening. I mean Jason has moves, but he just didn't have a lot of time to practice.

After dinner we came back to talk with family and friends on Skype, and then headed to bed. One more day in Guangzhou---hard to believe we're almost at the end of our journey. It's been awesome, but we're ready to come home. We miss the kids and all of our family and friends. We can't wait to see you!

Love,
Alissa and Jason

Sunday 3/23 HAPPY EASTER!

Well---it was certainly not a traditional Easter Sunday for us, but it was a good day nonetheless. We had the opportunity to go to church this morning, but the service was only in Chinese so we opted to have our own service in the afternoon (more on that later!) We all boarded the bus to Shamian Island at 9:00 and did our shopping---more souveniers---and then headed back to our hotel for a nap. Leila--like any 2 year old--isn't big on the shopping and she was in dire need of some rest. At around 3pm, one of the dads in our group who happens to be a pastor, and another dad who happens to be a worship leader, rented a conference room in the hotel and held an impromptu Easter service. Unfortunately, Leila was sleeping so hard that I couldn't wake her up, so we were unable to attend. Jason said it was great to be able to spend some time with other believers singing and in prayer, as well as listening to a message that Eric had prepared.

Sunday evening, Jason and I decided that we were on a mission to finish all our shopping. We headed back to the island, had dinner at Lucy's again, and by 9:15pm had finished our mission. The shopping is so much more exhausting because of all the haggling you have to do if you really want a good price. We came back to the hotel and chatted with family for awhile, then it was off to bed for all of us.

Tomorrow is a pretty relaxed day, so we plan on sleeping in!

Love,
Alissa

Saturday, 3/22/08

Saturday morning we woke up and had an amazing breakfast! I was so happy to see scrambled eggs and bacon, you would think I'd not had it in years. We were able to eat breakfast with a couple of the families that we had been away from for 5 days as they were in their own provinces picking up their babies. It was wonderful to reunite and see everyone's beautiful children---I haven't seen so many proud moms and dads in one place in all my life! Leila was a little overwhelmed with all the new faces, especially the babies. In our province, she was the oldest and also the most mobile. She had everyone's attention and she knew it. So I don't know if she just sensed new competition or what, but she got very quiet and wouldn't even look at anyone for awhile. Over the course of the morning, we learned that the other groups hadn't experienced nearly what we had in our province. While we had spent every day sightseeing, trying new restaurants, and really experiencing the city where Leila was found (and assumably born), many of the other families were basically 'stuck' in their hotel rooms for 5 days. For some, this was for safety, but we were SO thankful for our experience in Chengdu after hearing these stories. When we left, I felt like we had really gotten a feel for Leila's birthplace, and for that we are so grateful.

At 9 am, we headed to Shammian Island for visa pictures and Leila's medical examination. The photo was quick and easy, but the medical exam was quite an experience. The exam is a requirement for all adoptive families, and you would not believe how crazy it was. Basically there were 3 stations: height and weight (Ting Ting's a whopping 32 lbs), medical/surgical exam, and ENT exam. There's no order---you just stand in line until you get through all 3 stations. At the med/surgical exam, they basically looked at her skin, checked her heart/lungs, and gave her a quick little check-up. She was just fine (but hated it)---what a surprise. She has a small Mongolian spot on her right leg, which are very common in the Asian population (90% I believe). At the ENT, the doctor was female and very sweet. Leila didn't cry at all. The hearing test was quite funny. They played a note on a keyboard and then squeaked a toy in the other direction. She looked both ways so apparently she passed! They checked her ears and throat, she did fine with both. So----we were done and on our way in about 2 hours time. There were probably 50 families there with their babies, so it was fun to talk with them and compare stories, though it was a little hard to hear over all the screaming children. The other half of our AWAA group was there as well, so we were able to say hello and see their babies briefly as well.

Although we had planned to stay on Shammian Island, it was pouring rain so we headed back to the hotel. At this point, the rain was making me feel a little down, I was tired of riding the bus, I was missing my kids, and ready to just be done. Jason felt that the cure for my less than desirable attitude was some good ole-fashioned western food---courtesy of the Colonel. So---Jason, Karen and I shared a bucket of Kentucky Fried Chicken and it may have been the best chicken I've ever had. That and a quick nap gave me the boost I needed, and after laying Leila down for a nap, I headed to the poorly named "Paperwork Party" in a different part of the hotel. Most of us moms spent about 1 hour filling out all necessary paperwork to complete our adoption. Our guides led us through each step, as you have to be very meticulous about how it is filled out. After we were done, I headed back to the room and found my sweet girl, hanging out with her daddy and her aunt, and NOT crying! It was a huge step forward as I hadn't been able to leave her at all until this point.

The weather had mostly cleared, so we celebrated the paperwork being done with a cab ride over to Shammian Island for some souvenier shopping and dinner. It was Karen's last night, so we really had a great time shopping and then ate at Lucy's Diner, which caters to adoptive families with both western and Chinese food, including a menu specifically for adopted babies (this was just unbelieveable to me). The restaurant reminded me so much of home---it was exactly what I needed. There were even license plates from Nebraska on the wall---I mean what could be better? The four of us just laughed like crazy the entire meal---it was awesome. Ting Ting must have sensed that this was a celebration, and she was in (not so) rare form. They played a lot of American music, and she entertained us with her dancing. Because Karen is gone now and the video is on her camera, I'll have to post it later, but I promise, it will be worth the wait. Although this may not sound significant, Jason would like me to interject here that during dinner, he and Leila had their first date...to the bathroom. She told us she had to go and for the first time, she agreed to go with Jason without a fuss. She was so cute and I never thought I would see Jason so excited after coming back from the potty! It gave us hope that she will eventually go to either of us, and learn to trust others as much as she does me.

After dinner, we cabbed back to our hotel and tried on Leila's new jammies---traditional red silk and oh my goodness---she was cute. She was so wound up but we decided to just enjoy it and let her stay up way too late. She talked to her grandma and grandpa on Skype, and then headed to bed. Jason, Karen and I stayed up and played cards after putting Leila to bed. We talked about all the amazing things we had seen and done together over the past 10 days, and how this was a once in a lifetime opportunity to share this trip together. I am so grateful for my sweet sister, and cannot imagine having done this without her. Karen helped us remember to enjoy every moment, and never tired of telling me how fantastic my daughter was. She encouraged me as a mother, and she's only been a mother for 6 months! She sacrificed time with her own family to share this experience with us, and that's what I love about her. She NEVER misses an opportunity for learning, experiencing a new culture, and having an adventure!

We will be SO sad for you to leave tomorrow, Karen---WE LOVE YOU!

Alissa, Jason and Ting Ting

Friday 3/21

Hello everyone! So sorry for the delay in entries---my little toddler would really rather run around the hotel and go on walks outside than sit and watch me type (hmm? I guess she IS 2!)Friday morning we got up and took a quick little side trip to Chunxi Liu, a nice little shopping district in Chengdu. There were no cars/bikes allowed, so it was a nice break from the nonstop-fear-for-your-life-traffic we had been battling all week. We didn't buy anything, but enjoyed the walk.

We came back to the hotel and boarded a bus for the airport---ready to fly to Guangzhou. I have to say that once we boarded the plane, I felt a little sad for my girl. I don't know what it was, but it felt somewhat sad to be leaving her city without her even understanding what was going on. I had to just focus on her opportunities ahead, and keep my mind on her new life outside an orphanage, knowing that we won't let her forget where she was born and raised for her first 2 and 1/2 years. Because she is older, Leila was able to sit in her own seat on the plane. However, she took one look at that seatbelt and decided that this was NOT going to be fun. Luckily, they let her sit on my lap with an attachable seatbelt, and she did great. In fact, she fell asleep 10 minutes after we took off and slept the entire 2 hour flight. Now if we can just have that kind of luck on Wednesday (20+ hours of flights)--that will be GREAT!

We arrived in Guangzhou around 5pm Friday and could immediately tell a difference in the climate and in the overall attitude of the city. It was warm -- Miami like according to many, and it had a much more international feel (people of many races and nationalities). The Chinese people here were so used to "foreigners" with Chinese babies, they were less apt to look down at us, which is what we had experienced in Leila's province. I think in the provinces, people are just not used to seeing families like ours, but in Guangzhou, I think we're a dime a dozen!

Friday night we took a walk around the town and eventually ate dinner at a Thai restaurant. Leila was very hungry which, we have learned, equals very ornery, so it was a rough dinner all around. We all agreed, room service may have been a better option! We came back to our hotel which we are thrilled with. It's a beautiful 45-story building with a sky view restaurant, a much bigger room, and finally, a king-size bed! J and I had been sleeping in twin beds (as is custom in hotels) for almost 10 days, and Leila had been sleeping with me. So---it was time to try her in her own bed. We moved the mattress from the crib onto the floor next to our bed, and although she didn't like it at first, we were able to convince her to go to sleep eventually. After a long day, we all collapsed into bed, ready for new adventures on Saturday!

OOPS, forgot to mention---one thing that cracks us up at PJ time is Leila's insistence on tucking her shirt into her pants and pulling them up as high as possible. She looks so silly, but we can't convince her that this is not the best fashion option. The photo above is the evidence---but she's still so DARN cute!

Goodnight,
Alissa

Night Out on the Town!

Tonight was our last in Chengdu, but we still had one important little trip to take. One of our local guides, Susie, helped us take a taxi to the part of Chengdu where Leila was found in February of 2006. We knew it was in a park, but were unsure how to get there. Once we did get to the right area of town, we realized that it was quite different from anything we had seen in Chengdu to date. We made our way through a very run-down alley, and began asking the local people where the actual park was where Leila was found. We soon learned that over the past two years, the park had been developed into apartments and the actual park was no longer there. Although the area was obviously very low income and run down, it appeared that with the new development, it was transitioning into a more economically stable neighborhood. We were able to at least picture Leila's early beginnings, and take a photograph of the area. It was important for Jason and I to see this, and to have it recorded for her for later in life.

After this side trip, we made our way to a little western food joint we like to call Pizza Hut. We introduced Ting Ting to her first "American Special" (pepperoni pizza), which she loved. She was very particular about eating it---she wanted to hold it just like the rest of us. Karen, Jason and I laughed the whole evening, mostly at Leila Grace who we have really just been referring to as Ting Ting these days---it really fits her personality. After dinner, Karen and Jason treated themselves to Starbucks, and we took a little walk in this very nice part of Chengdu. One thing we've learned is that when Leila gets tired, she gets so silly---and clutzy. She was laughing like crazy, running around, speaking her version of Chinese which we have now dubbed 'Tinglish.' This picture is one of my favorites so far---it absolutely captures her personality and her zest for every new adventure. She's my Spicy Sichuan Sweetheart!!
See you tomorrow---from Guangzhou!

Quick edit (from Alissa's brother): We've also got this little video of Leila!


Love,
Alissa

Thursday, March 20, 2008

Hello friends and family,

This morning we spent the day at the Panda Reserve here in Chengdu. It was amazing to see the Giant Pandas and the Red Pandas eating bamboo and playing together in such a beautiful environment. We also saw baby pandas (ages 1-2) being cared for by the staff at the Panda base, they were even cuter in person than in the pictures you see! Leila was absolutely fascinated by the pandas, she kept saying 'another one! another one!' in Chinese (thank Heavens for our guides). I will try to have my brother upload a little video so you can hear her jabbering---when she says 'murmur' that means 'Panda.'
After the Panda Base, we took a trip to a brocade factory. We learned how silk thread is made, and how it is turned into stitched and woven silk brocade. We also learned (and watched) how silk quilts are made. Leila had a couple trips to the bathroom at this place, so I missed a lot, but Jason and Karen filled me in, in between squatty potty breaks. Can I please just tell you how much I love regular potties? Especially with a toddler? Ok, I digress. Anyway, many people in our group bought silk table runners and other decorative items. I believe Karen bought a few scarves as well. It was great to learn about one of the main industries in this part of China, and we all enjoyed the trip a lot.

For lunch we had "Hot Pot," famous in the Sichuan province. It's a little like fondue, where you sit around a table with two pots, one inside the other. The middle pot has less spicy oil, while the outside is typical Sichuan---fiery hot. The waitresses bring many "normal" items (beef, pork, veges) to cook in the oil, as well as a few not so normal items (quail eggs and lotus root--to name a couple). The lunch was wonderful, but left us with a not so great feeling of peanut oil in our bellies...but you have to try it once, right? Leila was good at the restaurant, but definitely ready for a nap when we returned at 2pm.
Tonight we'll be on our own after picking up our final notary papers from our guide, Rosa. Tomorrow morning we'll check out of this hotel and fly to our final China destination, Guangzhou. We are really looking forward to this leg of our trip (I am especially looking forward to shopping). Karen will be with us until Sunday, when she flies back to Washington D.C. I cannot tell you how amazing it has been for us to share this trip with Karen---she has been incredibly comforting and I can't imagine having gone without her. The three of us are good travelling partners, and she has been fantastic in helping us learn, enjoy, and relax even in the midst of an emotional and exhausting adventure! She has also been our technology queen---helping photograph, videotape, download, upload, blog, email, and Skype from across the world. We love her and we love Taylor for taking care of Ady so that she could join us---now if we can just get them to move a little closer...

I have been able to pick up my email a couple of times in the past 2 days. I appreciate all the emails of love, congratulations, and support from friends and family. Thank you to those that are checking in with my kids, helping my parents and Jason's parents, and praying for us during our last week in China. We love you and appreciate you so much.

More later, I promise!

Love,
Alissa

Wednesday, March 19, 2008

Today has been quite fun. Leila slept well last night (about 9-10 hours), and woke up ready to go. She constantly picks up her backpack and says the Chinese word for 'go.' She's ready for adventure---none of this hanging out in the hotel room stuff. We had a little breakfast and met the rest of our group for our sightseeing.

Chengdu's weather is a lot like Seattle's---cloudy almost all the time, intermittent rain, with only 1/3 days of sunshine in the winter months. We did get a little sunshine yesterday, but today we're back to cloud city. Not a big deal though as we headed to the People's Park today in the middle of Chengdu. This place was absolutely beautiful. There were mostly older people, but also moms with children on what looked like playdates, and couples strolling around admiring all the flowers and open air tea houses. We had mid-morning tea at one of these tea houses and were surprised at the immediate offers of massages (for $4, um yes, I'll take one) and (I'm not kidding), ear cleaning. Our friend Kyle was brave enough to take one of the men up on this offer, but no matter how many times the men told us "very comfortable" --- none of the rest of us could muster up enough courage for that one. Later Kyle swore they were touching his eardrum with one their many instruments---seriously? NOT OK. It was entertaining, though---for the rest of us. We all loved this outing with Laura, our sightseeing guide. We were all tired of being in the hotel and walking around the city unsure of where we were or what we were doing. Leila loved the outing most of all---she could walk on her own, hold our hands, run in the grass, listen to music---she was one happy camper.

After the park, we went to a large department store to buy a stroller. Leila is almost 30 lbs and still won't let anyone hold her but me. Needless to say, my back is hurting and I'm worn out, so the stroller was a necessity. Based on our experience thus far with the crib and the high chair, I should have known she would hate the stroller as well. However, this one was non-negotiable for my back's sake, and she eventually calmed down and got used to it. She remains calm as long as a) Mommy puts her in the stroller, and b) Mommy pushes her, and/or c)Mommy holds her hand the entire time we're walking while Daddy pushes the stroller. Whatever. I'm willing to compromise at this point just to be able to set her down for a little while!

Following our little grocery store outing, we headed back to the hotel for lunch and a nap. Jason and Karen had lunch at a hotel down the street from us, while Leila and I had Ramen and fruit back in the room. She needed a nap and I needed a break from Chinese food! Leila slept for 2 hours and when she woke up, I was down the hall in Karen's room blogging! She let Jason carry her down the hall to me with the promise that he was taking her to Mama.

For dinner, we went to a Korean restaurant. I have been much more adventurous in my eating---probably due to my very adventurous husband and sister. Leila takes the cake, though. She'll try anything and likes almost anything. Tonight, I was reaching into her backpack to grab her cute little American plasticware, quite pleased with my mommy skills in remembering to bring a fork and spoon. Imagine my surprise when I looked up and caught my sweet girl eating noodles with her own set of chopsticks! I had no idea 2 year olds could use chopsticks! She looked at me like, "Really mom? 'Cause you know I've lived here all my life. Maybe you should work on your chopstick skills."


After dinner, we returned to the hotel for a bath and a movie night. Leila and Emma (our new friend from Kentucky), watched "Finding Nemo" together in their jammies while eating popcorn and M&M's. Leila didn't pay too much attention to the movie on account of the aforementioned snacks that were distracting her. Bedtime was a little bit late, but she was good and went right to bed. I did forget to take her potty---how long have I been a mom, really---and she helped me remember by promptly wetting the bed. Oh well...I won't forget from now on!
Good night!

Love,
Alissa

Hello everyone!
So sorry it has been 2 days...I have a new little shadow that likes to be on my lap, so I am taking a quick opportunity during nap time to update you!

Gotcha Night we splurged on a fancy meal...at McDonalds. We have had so much Chinese food, we just needed a little break. What better way to celebrate than some french fries? By the way, Leila is quite fond of happy meals, but her belly didn't so much appreciate it. This child will eat absolutely anything, and really isn't sure when to stop. We had a great time together and then headed back to the hotel.


When we returned to the hotel, we put Leila into the jammies that I brought. Now I normally have a weakness for kids in jammies, but this was just ridiculous. She was so cute in the pink fairy jammies, and even better, she knew she was cute. The more tired she got, the sillier she got and by 8pm, we were just rolling as she did anything and everything to make us laugh. Finally we tried laying her down in the portacrib that was provided by the hotel, but she was having NOTHING to do with that. We didn't push the issue and when we laid her down in my bed next to me, she quickly drifted off to sleep with pandas in her hands. Leila was a good sleeper, though she did wake me up a few times talking in her sleep (in Chinese, of course). I just had to smile as I laid in bed, realizing how incredibly lucky I was to be laying next to this sweet little Sichuan girl. I still can't believe she is mine!

Tuesday morning we ate breakfast and then took Leila on a walk around Chengdu. The city is interesting in that there are very glitzy, almost Las Vegas like areas and then other very poor areas such as where Leila's orphanage was. We bought some fruit and real popcorn--yum--then headed back to the hotel for lunch. We ordered our first real Sichuan food and OH MY---there is a reason they say to come here for spicy food. Somehow Leila isn't even phased by it, she can eat spicier noodles than even Jason can tolerate. She'll try anything---and I have no idea when to make her stop eating (or what not to give her). Oh well----she'll be the first Potocnik child that isn't a picky eater!





Tuesday at 1:30 we went to the Civil Affairs office here in Chengdu to complete our paperwork and obtain Leila's Chinese passport. It was a LONG afternoon, but just one of those days that has to happen to finish this process. Leila was fantastic. She is all about carrying her things around in a backpack. Everytime we go anywhere, she loads up the backpack with her pandas, her Elmo phone, her sippee cup, and a snack. She zips and unzips it herself, puts it on her back, and then walks to Baba (Jason) and asks him to tie the straps. She is very regimented and wants all her clothes on, her shoes and socks on at all times, and a bow in her hair. It's too funny---wish you could see a video or something. During our trip, she wanted to sit in her own seat on the bus today. It's hard to explain how she communicates these things---she tells me in Chinese, I look at her--confused--and then she somehow gestures in a way where I'll get it. Once we got to the offices, she charmed all the other parents, government officials, and people on the street with her big smile. She gave the other kids her toys, promptly took them back, and then shoved them back into her backpack. Jason says we are exacerbating her tendency to hoard (very much orphanage behavior) by giving her the backpack. Oh well---if it's not that, it's her pockets (she checks every single shirt or jacket we put on her for pockets---she loves them). At one time yesterday, we found about 42 Cheerios in her jeans pockets. Can't wait to see what she hides behind her bed when we get home.

After the Civil Affairs office, we went to the Notary's office where we had documents signed releasing Leila to us as her parents. We had to agree to never abandon or abuse her in front of a Chinese official, pay the fee, and we were gone. We then recieved her passport, and headed back to the hotel. We had dinner together with our friends at the hotel, and then headed upstairs to get ready for bed. Again, Leila was absolutely hysterical the whole evening---the biggest ham you've ever seen. She'll do anything to make you laugh, no matter how naughty. She totally gets the fact that we think she's the cutest, funniest girl ever, and is...well...working it.
Leila also had her first bath tonight. She was a little scared at first, but then loved it once she realized that it was just another opportunity to be ornery. We snuggled into more jammies (heaven), and almost as soon as I said the words "time to sleep" in Chinese (I had to learn that one)---she was gone. She's a very heavy sleeper. Jason, Karen and I played cards, ate popcorn and laughed our heads off recalling the events of the day, and she barely even stirred. We all knew...she was just recharging her batteries for tomorrow.

Good night!
Alissa