tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37338006201584579102024-03-13T05:35:08.026-05:00Duggan OhanaDarlenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09351102502820727385noreply@blogger.comBlogger121125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3733800620158457910.post-22530574355543428812015-06-12T21:15:00.004-05:002015-06-12T21:21:12.856-05:00Summer Vacation! (Day 1)We have 73 days of summer vacation, and we plan to make each day of it a fabulous adventure! Day 1 took us to Maggie Daley Park and Millennium Park. What a cool park....we will definitely be making more trips here. A highlight of today's adventure was taking public transportation--part of the girls' training to become global citizens and know how to maneuver in various travel situations. Not that downtown Chicago is all that exotic...but, navigating on public transportation is a must, so why not start in our own city!?<br />
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<br />Darlene Dugganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01247315739228026617noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3733800620158457910.post-76647934914670602702015-03-18T15:16:00.002-05:002015-03-18T15:16:51.466-05:00Happy Birthday Madeleine!Maddie turned 5 years old in January, and we celebrated with our family on Chinese New Year. Looking at these pictures, she looks so mature to me. She is such a vibrant girl that loves life and is learning new things everyday. I am still in awe at our luck with finding each other.<br />
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<i><span style="color: #cc0000;">Happiest of Birthdays to our sweet daughter. Watching you turn five years old has been a miracle!</span></i></div>
Darlene Dugganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01247315739228026617noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3733800620158457910.post-12570933654365204762014-09-01T22:00:00.000-05:002014-09-02T00:00:11.631-05:00One Year Later<em>And here we are, one year later</em>. A million things are floating through my mind about our experience for the past year; all noteworthy, and yet all so mundane. All the milestones I can think to report are just regular kid-growing-up-kind of things. Maddie learned to walk, she speaks in sentences now, she is potty trained, she finally put on some weight/height, she rides a bike, she started school, she jumps, she sings, she sleeps through the night, she watches TV, she "reads" books, she still takes 2-3 hours naps on most days...the list goes on. And therein lies the significance I was overlooking: she has blazed through all these milestones in one short year. She went from being (at best) at the level of a 1 year old, to a regular 4 year old in the span of just one year. To say she is doing well is an understatement. I can't find the word to describe how incredible she is doing. <br />
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Madeleine does not live subtly. Whatever she is doing she does with gusto (hence, earning her the title "Chairman Maddie"). When she is in a room, everyone knows it; when she is strolling down the block with her sisters, neighbors can hear her coming; when she arrives at Nana and Papa's each morning, they can hear her announcing her arrival from the back of the house. Maddie is friendly and a joyful child. Those in the adoption world are familiar with the term "Indiscriminate Social Behavior", and yes, Maddie definitely falls into that category. And while Ryan and I carefully watch her social interactions with the world around her, I love the fact that she is so open and welcoming to the world. I thank God that through all her ordeals, He so perfectly preserved her spirit. That spirit is going to serve her well as she makes her own path. <br />
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I know it is cliché to say, but it does really feel like she has always been a part of the family. We talk about our trip to China just about on a daily basis, but in the past week, it has been on our mind even more. Each day I would recount for the girls, "Today was Mommy's last day of work before our trip" or "Today we got on the plane to fly to China", etc. When I told them that "Today was the day we climbed the Great Wall of China, but Maddie wasn't there, so we will definitely have to do that again when we go back...", Keegan and Regina immediately retorted with "Yes, Maddie was there". And, as much as I tried to remind them she wasn't there yet, they wouldn't believe me. They actually supplanted her in their memories of the Great Wall. It wasn't until I showed them our picture roll (without Maddie) that they started to believe me. <br />
On that note, I sometimes walk into situations a little too cavalier (which could be considered a talent or a flaw, not quite sure what side that lands on) and while I prepped, researched, and studied everything I could about China and adoption, I never really prepared myself/our family for the possibility she would reject us or have a rocky start. I just didn't think it was in the cards, and certainly if it was going to happen, Ryan and I are easy-going enough that we could quickly work through it. Well, I had a moment of panic when we were in China that we were really in for it. We toured Beijing for a few days before flying to Maddie's hometown of Zhengzhou, and that time in Beijing felt like a vacation. I kept having to remind myself that we would be meeting our daughter in a few days. At any rate, on the bus ride from the airport (the afternoon before getting Maddie), our guide wasted no time in prepping us for the events of the following day. Suddenly, everything was sinking in, and I got butterflies in my stomach--the vacation was over, and our official business was underway! We were sitting at the back of the bus, and when Yisha said "Zhou AiBei" I popped out of my seat to grab Maddie's final info sheet, and that's when I felt awful. The information on that sheet contained the most up to date details we had about her and came directly from her foster family. And two things there made me want to turn around and run in the other direction. It said she was shy around strangers and did not like animals. Well, we (Ryan, the girls, and myself) are strangers, so I immediately translated that into she wasn't going to like us, and we have dogs and are an "animal family", so what were we supposed to do with her once we got home? My heart literally sank, and I started to feel sick. So imagine my utter confusion when she was placed in my arms, and Maddie was smiling, laughing, kissing, rubbing my cheek, and calling me "Ma-ma, ma-ma". I remember thinking, "But, the sheet said she does not like strangers..." and then having no explanation as to why she was so happy to see me. I started to cry, and held her as tightly as I could and my first words were, "Maddie, I am so sorry it took me so long to get here. Let's go home". After a while, I remembered that I had to give her to Ryan too, so I finally handed her over, and the same reaction: she was just as overjoyed to see him too! The rest of the day's events are a blur, I remember going swimming in the hotel pool, eating at the Italian restaurant for dinner, watching her take a nap, and not being able to wait to Skype with our family and introduce her to everyone. On the bus ride from the Chinese adoption office back to our hotel, she nestled into the crook of my arms, and started to suck her thumb. That's when I knew God had matched us perfectly, and the rest of our days would be as so. <br />
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I sometimes hesitate to talk about how well she is doing, because I know that some children that are adopted have a rougher transition into their family. I've followed blogs and have spoken with other adoptive parents that have struggled with a few issues. We have not had that experience with Madeleine's adoption. From the moment she was placed in my arms, she has accepted and trusted us with all her might. In fact, many times when people ask how she did on Gotcha Day or with her early transition to our family, my usual funny line is, "She hit the American lunch buffet at our hotel and never looked back"! And for the most part that is the truth. I honestly cannot think of one thing that we can account to her rough start in life or her transition to a whole new world (literally). There have not been any odd behaviors, sleepless nights, issues with eating, etc. everything has been perfect. Any issues we deal with stem more from the fact that we have three children under 6 years old in our care than anything else!<br />
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To mark our one year anniversary, we started a new tradition. We volunteered this morning at our local Ronald McDonald House and baked blueberry muffins (my grandmother's recipe). Each year on our Family Day celebration we will volunteer together in our community. I'm hoping Maddie will soon be able to tell us where she wants to volunteer and participate in planning the event. While I was hoping we could volunteer for orphans (could not find an opportunity besides sending money or supplies), I think we got pretty close with RMH. Many children that come home from other countries have special needs that land them in a hospital for a period of time, and have stayed at RMH. We were lucky that Madeleine's heart surgery performed in Beijing was a complete success and we have had to do minimal with her heart condition thus far. But, things could have easily been different, and we could have been one of the families staying at RMH. It was a fun morning and I definitely see us returning for more baking events (BTW, any other families out there looking for good volunteer opportunities that you can do with the little ones, this is perfect). <br />
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Darlene Dugganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01247315739228026617noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3733800620158457910.post-15329182787408071822014-08-30T09:02:00.002-05:002014-08-30T09:02:49.094-05:00Back to School!<div>
This was back to school week in our house. Keegan started 1st grade, Regina is now a Kindergartener, and Maddie is in preschool. There was excitement in the air on our first morning, they couldn't wait to put on their uniforms, new shoes, and wear their new backpacks. </div>
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After school, we celebrated with a back-to-school feast. The girls got to indulge in their favorite treats: hot dogs, taco salad, and Mexican Coke! We had cupcakes for dessert, but the coke was definitely their favorite surprise! We also put a theme to our school year: <b>Learning With Joy</b>. We are going to celebrate and give thanks for learning eagerly and with joy and bliss in our hearts all year long.<br />
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Darlene Dugganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01247315739228026617noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3733800620158457910.post-75138103493196271682014-08-18T19:24:00.002-05:002014-08-18T19:24:27.933-05:00Rest in Peace, Mr. Memo<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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You will be missed....Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07384241547190280663noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3733800620158457910.post-7711633634434988352014-06-11T19:43:00.000-05:002014-08-18T19:45:30.417-05:00Graduations!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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This week was the end of school for us, and the that means graduations!<br />
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<b>Regina's 4 Year Old Preschool Graduation</b><br />
On Monday morning Regina's 4 year old preschool class walked over the bridge and towards Kindergarten! She was so excited to get up there and sing the songs with her class and receive her diploma. I was so proud to see her sing and dance and not be shy on the stage. She was beaming from ear to ear the entire time, and so was I watching her from the audience seats. This kid can light up a room no matter where she goes!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Xit6bDTaF9o/U5h1wMX81YI/AAAAAAAAnEY/ZtZXlrYhieI/s1600/Regina2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Xit6bDTaF9o/U5h1wMX81YI/AAAAAAAAnEY/ZtZXlrYhieI/s1600/Regina2.JPG" height="422" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Here's the whole class singing: "Welcome, to our class. Welcome, we're glad you came!"</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-WLQgwKZJ3Aw/U5hvQ3SkhWI/AAAAAAAAnEA/UEPqitA4GkM/s1600/Regina+Bridge.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-WLQgwKZJ3Aw/U5hvQ3SkhWI/AAAAAAAAnEA/UEPqitA4GkM/s1600/Regina+Bridge.JPG" height="420" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">It's official! She's on her way to Kindergarten!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-vD7qk-CIY0c/U5hvSRofT-I/AAAAAAAAnEI/7DZ8P-AT1Bs/s1600/autographs.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-vD7qk-CIY0c/U5hvSRofT-I/AAAAAAAAnEI/7DZ8P-AT1Bs/s1600/autographs.JPG" height="422" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nana and Papa gave her an autograph ball, and Regina had a blast getting her friends to sign it!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-V9vJoNqLlt0/U5hvJLA1neI/AAAAAAAAnDk/QwY4KxYgIqM/s1600/Ellie.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-V9vJoNqLlt0/U5hvJLA1neI/AAAAAAAAnDk/QwY4KxYgIqM/s1600/Ellie.JPG" height="440" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Regina and her BFF Ellie.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-1zzvsohMxDg/U5hvM5GoCPI/AAAAAAAAnDw/2eIzeX04r1c/s1600/Family.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-1zzvsohMxDg/U5hvM5GoCPI/AAAAAAAAnDw/2eIzeX04r1c/s1600/Family.JPG" height="422" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Duggan Family (Keegan had a camping day in her classroom, hence the pj's)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Occ3NZZTqDI/U5hvMgImuEI/AAAAAAAAnDs/5zmMwtwfa2E/s1600/Pranschke.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Occ3NZZTqDI/U5hvMgImuEI/AAAAAAAAnDs/5zmMwtwfa2E/s1600/Pranschke.JPG" height="422" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Regina and Mrs. Pranschke - a very nurturing and patient teacher. We love her!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>Keegan's Kindergarten Graduation</b><br />
The next night, it was Keegan's turn to graduate from Kindergarten. It was a great ceremony, the kids sang songs, performed a few dance routines, and received their diplomas. Keegan is excited to start first grade but not before we have a fun summer! So proud of the progress she made this year!<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-v3OrDLIKmcA/U_KbRL0vb6I/AAAAAAAAb80/Za3kzXK6ffk/s1600/DSC_0787.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-v3OrDLIKmcA/U_KbRL0vb6I/AAAAAAAAb80/Za3kzXK6ffk/s1600/DSC_0787.JPG" height="424" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Keegan receiving her diploma from Mrs. Connolly - an incredible teacher!<br /><br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-irnS-Kc5mm8/U_KbqI9WRxI/AAAAAAAAb9Q/2zFUgTbnxrM/s1600/DSC_0735.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-irnS-Kc5mm8/U_KbqI9WRxI/AAAAAAAAb9Q/2zFUgTbnxrM/s1600/DSC_0735.JPG" height="424" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Keegan and some of her classmates getting ready for the slide show</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zXf9Za1ie50/U_KcWaxmhzI/AAAAAAAAb9w/2Ef9K05QxcA/s1600/DSC_0809.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zXf9Za1ie50/U_KcWaxmhzI/AAAAAAAAb9w/2Ef9K05QxcA/s1600/DSC_0809.JPG" height="424" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Keegan and her BFF, Abigail<br /><br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Xu4h9SZqXVA/U_Kcs7yBklI/AAAAAAAAb-I/wHvqhvedP1o/s1600/DSC_0721.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Xu4h9SZqXVA/U_Kcs7yBklI/AAAAAAAAb-I/wHvqhvedP1o/s1600/DSC_0721.JPG" height="424" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption">Keegan's compassion is limitless...I can't wait to see how she uses it to make the world a better place!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-v-WInLUo_4Y/U_KdTJ40utI/AAAAAAAAb-Q/WQVvBeQnyHU/s1600/DSC_0846%2B(1).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-v-WInLUo_4Y/U_KdTJ40utI/AAAAAAAAb-Q/WQVvBeQnyHU/s1600/DSC_0846%2B(1).JPG" height="424" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A rare family photo!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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Darlene Dugganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01247315739228026617noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3733800620158457910.post-3927946723738865752013-12-01T22:31:00.000-06:002013-12-01T22:31:10.578-06:00Christmas Photo Shoot Outtakes!We gathered tonight for a very informal Christmas card photo shoot, and here are a few outtakes that didn't make the final cut. Enjoy!<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-UzGQbcbaTYY/UpwMDtl5KbI/AAAAAAAAAqU/zJHs9PzElp0/s1600/Kissing.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="472" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-UzGQbcbaTYY/UpwMDtl5KbI/AAAAAAAAAqU/zJHs9PzElp0/s640/Kissing.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sister smoochin'!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-2NKUfGVbfdo/UpwMEPyMNiI/AAAAAAAAAqc/FD6mT0cEIXg/s1600/maddie+ornament.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-2NKUfGVbfdo/UpwMEPyMNiI/AAAAAAAAAqc/FD6mT0cEIXg/s640/maddie+ornament.jpg" width="422" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">In this photo, Maddie is studying an ornament that once hung on my grandmother's tree--so special!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-2xzgEbF2mJ0/UpwMGqXxawI/AAAAAAAAAqo/UNlktFtVuYw/s1600/maddie+tree.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-2xzgEbF2mJ0/UpwMGqXxawI/AAAAAAAAAqo/UNlktFtVuYw/s640/maddie+tree.jpg" width="422" /></a></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-6YIXgn0B5TM/UpwMDsUx_0I/AAAAAAAAAqY/U7mZWLhX41E/s1600/Silly.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="500" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-6YIXgn0B5TM/UpwMDsUx_0I/AAAAAAAAAqY/U7mZWLhX41E/s640/Silly.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We call this one: "Googely Eyes"!!!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />Darlene Dugganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01247315739228026617noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3733800620158457910.post-34441833627657310892013-10-15T22:17:00.000-05:002013-11-17T07:06:25.226-06:00"Welcome to America, hope you enjoy your stay!"<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-2IhChlA_F9Y/Ul3jOjg3-wI/AAAAAAAAAoQ/dzD2jVWkchY/s1600/Maddie.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-2IhChlA_F9Y/Ul3jOjg3-wI/AAAAAAAAAoQ/dzD2jVWkchY/s640/Maddie.JPG" width="422" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Taken on our one month anniversary<br />
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<b>We are home! </b><br />
<div>
After a 15 hour flight from Hong Kong and a 13 hour time difference, on September 14, 2013 we walked off our Cathay Pacific flight and down the O'Hare airport hallway ready to see our family! September 14 is also our wedding anniversary; 11 years ago at approximately the same time of day, Ryan and I were walking down the aisle at Rockefeller Chapel ready to get our life together started. Now, we find ourselves walking down a completely different aisle towing along three amazing girls that we have the pleasure of calling our daughters. Talk about living the dream...<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-kmw3KDGx9dY/Ul3r_JCqUsI/AAAAAAAAAog/FwZ_GVMESsI/s1600/wedding.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-kmw3KDGx9dY/Ul3r_JCqUsI/AAAAAAAAAog/FwZ_GVMESsI/s640/wedding.jpeg" width="440" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">11 years ago</td></tr>
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<b><br /></b></div>
<div>
<b>Our American Citizen</b></div>
<div>
Madeleine became a citizen as soon as our plane touched American soil, and that was a very emotional moment for me. Maybe it was the weary feeling from the trip and the plane ride, but I could not get the <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xf8hfZuzw_A">Lee Greenwood</a> song out of my head, and had to choke back tears as we were flying over our sweet home Chicago. I was doing pretty well, but then lost it when the pilot came on the announcement system immediately after we touched down and said, "Welcome to America, we hope you enjoy your stay". I wonder if he knows the depth of meaning his words held for our family at that moment.</div>
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<b>This is your family, Madeleine</b></div>
<div>
We were greeted by our family at the airport, and what a sweet site they were! Unfortunately we don't have too many pictures but here are some of what we were able to snap:</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: -webkit-auto;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-_i7FS7vbHII/Ul3wnbNFchI/AAAAAAAAApI/vs72JxKQX1c/s1600/Grandma.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><br /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-HhcAamqcYGM/Ul3wcbn7THI/AAAAAAAAAos/7esIY3GYvT8/s1600/Nana.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="420" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-HhcAamqcYGM/Ul3wcbn7THI/AAAAAAAAAos/7esIY3GYvT8/s640/Nana.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Maddie, this is your Nana!<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-_i7FS7vbHII/Ul3wnbNFchI/AAAAAAAAApI/vs72JxKQX1c/s1600/Grandma.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="420" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-_i7FS7vbHII/Ul3wnbNFchI/AAAAAAAAApI/vs72JxKQX1c/s640/Grandma.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Maddie, you have a great grandma too!</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_UvlAUO2Dfo/Ul3wmOb8avI/AAAAAAAAApA/xXBc32tcljk/s1600/Meghan.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="420" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_UvlAUO2Dfo/Ul3wmOb8avI/AAAAAAAAApA/xXBc32tcljk/s640/Meghan.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Meet your Auntie Meggie!</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-cdBmI0Pfkpc/Ul3wlySnLKI/AAAAAAAAAo8/Fq3bZI9MdCA/s1600/Auntie.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="420" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-cdBmI0Pfkpc/Ul3wlySnLKI/AAAAAAAAAo8/Fq3bZI9MdCA/s640/Auntie.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Madeleine, this is your Auntie, she was the first one to hold you!</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-q1m2fSFx-Pw/Ul3yMebfQ4I/AAAAAAAAApQ/baCYf9iEtgU/s1600/DSC_0522.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="420" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-q1m2fSFx-Pw/Ul3yMebfQ4I/AAAAAAAAApQ/baCYf9iEtgU/s640/DSC_0522.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Maddie, your cousin Giana!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
It is miraculous how this wonderful, friendly, loving, smart, and comical little girl has fit so seamlessly into her family. It has been said many times already, but worth mentioning over and over again, it is as if she was made specifically for us, and us for her. When we first met and she was placed into my arms by her orphanage caretaker, she rubbed my cheeks, kissed me over and over, and said, "Mama, mama, mama". She was not scared or confused, but rather more along the lines of "It's about time you got here to pick me up Mama"! I had so much time to prepare myself for that moment, and it went nothing like I thought it would--it was more perfect and blessed than anything I rehearsed or imagined. I felt God's hands holding the both of us at that moment...that's the only reason I was still standing. </div>
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<b>Xie-xie</b></div>
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Although Madeleine's adoption is complete, our journey is still in progress and I'd like to take this opportunity to recognize some important players on our ride:</div>
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<i>CCAI</i></div>
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This is one incredible <a href="http://www.ccaifamily.org/">adoption organization</a>. I don't have a comparison agency as this is our first and only agency used for adoption, but I really don't need one to know how special they are. I'd be happy to discuss details with anyone at the stage of researching agencies. </div>
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<div>
<i>My Mom and Dad</i></div>
<div>
Thank you for making this all possible. You tirelessly help us raise our children and run our home. Where would I be without you?</div>
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<i>To Ryan's Mom and Dad</i></div>
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Thank you for your constant and unconditional love and support. Thank you for extending that unconditional love to a little girl on the other side of the world whom you never even met. You have proved that it is possible to fall in love with a picture!</div>
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<i>To my sister and niece</i></div>
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Thank you for putting your own lives on hold to run mine while we were in China. I slept without an ounce of worry that my beloved dogs were being loved and well taken care of. Thank you for being as excited about Maddie as me! She's just as much my dream come true as yours!<br />
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<i>To all our friends and family</i><br />
Thank you for your love and support from the beginning. It was a highlight for us and the girls to wake up each morning and see who looked at our blog, left a comment, or sent us an email. We felt your love all the way in China! </div>
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<i>To China</i></div>
<div>
Thank you for my daughter, I am eternally grateful. But, I'm sickened by your immoral policies and antediluvian culture that force families to abandon their children. These are human rights violations of the primary order, and although I appreciate that you open your borders to international adoption, please realize that you have just created an entire cohort of educated and strong women whose moral compass will teach them not to tolerate your injustices, and will fight back with every ounce of their being. I will see to it that my daughter leads the charge. </div>
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<div>
<i>To God</i></div>
<div>
I now understand why I had to wait so long to hold her in my arms. It had to be Maddie, and the timing had to be perfect. Thank you for bringing us together in such a blessed way.</div>
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<div>
<i>To Keegan</i></div>
<div>
You astound me each and every day with your innate compassion and kindness. Thank you for welcoming your sister into our lives and for always putting her needs before yourself. </div>
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<i>To Regina</i></div>
<div>
I love you thirty, fifty, one hundred, and even if we had one million kids, we would still be best buddies! God has a special plan for you and I can't wait to see what happens next! </div>
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<br /></div>
<div>
<i>To Ryan</i></div>
<div>
Although cliche, our love for each other grows each day, and because of that love there is now one less orphan in the world. Thank you for enjoying this ride with me.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div>
And finally, <i>To Madeleine</i></div>
<div>
You are my dream come true. You are my fairy tale. You are my everything.</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-FFnef9L8K7E/Ul4CUMzLL3I/AAAAAAAAApo/gK9FbYVeuKQ/s1600/DSC_0704.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="422" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-FFnef9L8K7E/Ul4CUMzLL3I/AAAAAAAAApo/gK9FbYVeuKQ/s640/DSC_0704.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Duggan Family</td></tr>
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Darlene Dugganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01247315739228026617noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3733800620158457910.post-36876807998073036222013-09-13T05:15:00.000-05:002013-09-13T05:15:06.745-05:00Almost home. I tentatively titled this post, "Day 16... more chinese food" but I figured I'd focus on the brighter side of things and talk about our preparation to come home. Maddie was successfully granted a U.S. Visa to enter the U.S. with us, so we will be bringing her home : ) We were waiting to get her passport back with the visa from the U.S. Consulate in Guangzhou Thursday afternoon, and as soon as we secured that, we headed out back to Hong Kong. Leaving Guangzhou was somewhat bittersweet. We were all VERY ready to leave, but this also meant parting ways with our travel companions and in-China support network. I was a bit skeptical at first that such strong bonds could be created when traveling with a group of people, but the shared experiences, triumphs, and tribulations will surely tie us together for life. We were blessed to have so many great families on this trip. However, life goes on, and so does our trip. We took some group photos, said our goodbyes, and hopped in a van to Hong Kong. When we found out we'd be traveling back through Hong Kong, Darlene had the idea to take a quick day trip to Hong Kong Disneyland as a reward to the girls (and to herself) for a successful trip with limited meltdowns. This served as a time for us to celebrate, as a family, the best way we know how - spending some time with the Mouse. Hong Kong feels like the closest thing to home this whole trip. It truly is a modern-day city that feels like any other metropolitan area in the U.S. We navigated the public transportation system with no problem, went to a local grocery store and found all our familiar snacks, and have pretty fast wifi in our hotel room. We'll have one last night in Hong Kong, and be on our flight to Chicago tomorrow morning. We leave Hong Kong around 11AM on Saturday the 14th, and get to Chicago at 2PM on Saturday the 14th - talk about super fast flying... We can't wait to see our family!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-HsSkU6abbj4/UjLiwdP0q_I/AAAAAAAAKdE/wPdjDHKq_4s/s1600/Disney01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-HsSkU6abbj4/UjLiwdP0q_I/AAAAAAAAKdE/wPdjDHKq_4s/s640/Disney01.jpg" width="424" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Maddie wore her USA gear to the U.S. Consulate for our Visa appointment</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-jnuZyOcmJuc/UjLiwdj1uPI/AAAAAAAAKdA/L2i2sFOaoCg/s1600/Disney02.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="424" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-jnuZyOcmJuc/UjLiwdj1uPI/AAAAAAAAKdA/L2i2sFOaoCg/s640/Disney02.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We spent a LOT of time at the pool both to stay cool and alleviate boredom.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Darlene feeding the local feral cat colony</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-IRlwEmL5AjQ/UjLiyNnRbRI/AAAAAAAAKdc/X4-84TiHF3A/s1600/Disney05.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="424" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-IRlwEmL5AjQ/UjLiyNnRbRI/AAAAAAAAKdc/X4-84TiHF3A/s640/Disney05.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The girls got some Chinese dresses, which they wore our last day in Guangzhou for our group photos.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-J725k-wusTY/UjLiyGE1-MI/AAAAAAAAKdg/BmKpHsgJvfc/s1600/Disney06.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="424" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-J725k-wusTY/UjLiyGE1-MI/AAAAAAAAKdg/BmKpHsgJvfc/s640/Disney06.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Here's the motley crew!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8XWlBBQbh5U/UjLiyTXYd-I/AAAAAAAAKds/knzh145wKfQ/s1600/Disney07.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="424" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8XWlBBQbh5U/UjLiyTXYd-I/AAAAAAAAKds/knzh145wKfQ/s640/Disney07.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">And here are all the "babies" that were adopted.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ZEbSv94e5e0/UjLizNY1iEI/AAAAAAAAKdw/7cKGjBRakX0/s1600/Disney08.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="424" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ZEbSv94e5e0/UjLizNY1iEI/AAAAAAAAKdw/7cKGjBRakX0/s640/Disney08.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Disney!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-GQQ6Hwcg5nA/UjLiza1_uAI/AAAAAAAAKeI/ilXWwA2mISo/s1600/Disney09.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="424" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-GQQ6Hwcg5nA/UjLiza1_uAI/AAAAAAAAKeI/ilXWwA2mISo/s640/Disney09.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Maddie's first ride was the winnie the pooh ride, and her second was the carousel. She enjoyed all the rides (whew).</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-mcw08aT9NkM/UjLiz0mqyII/AAAAAAAAKd4/-U5jz-VjW0g/s1600/Disney10.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="424" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-mcw08aT9NkM/UjLiz0mqyII/AAAAAAAAKd4/-U5jz-VjW0g/s640/Disney10.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Entrance to "It's a small world" </td></tr>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-qfEaV22ezUY/UjLi0A3L7KI/AAAAAAAAKeA/-60OpmaqOkY/s1600/Disney11.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="424" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-qfEaV22ezUY/UjLi0A3L7KI/AAAAAAAAKeA/-60OpmaqOkY/s640/Disney11.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-9SRTnpy4fLg/UjLi069Nc-I/AAAAAAAAKeQ/JB8ZbRRfuno/s1600/Disney12.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-9SRTnpy4fLg/UjLi069Nc-I/AAAAAAAAKeQ/JB8ZbRRfuno/s640/Disney12.jpg" width="424" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The castle at Disneyland is MUCH smaller than Disney World.</td></tr>
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07384241547190280663noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3733800620158457910.post-46681293201512298512013-09-10T03:06:00.000-05:002013-09-10T03:06:53.869-05:00Racoons in a ZooTook a trip to the Guangzhou zoo. Two things of interest here: 1. The animals seem much closer to the people than in any zoo I've ever been. The gorge that typically separates you from the lions seemed a bit too shallow and not wide enough. 2. Racoons are foreign enough to the Chinese that they are a specimen in the zoo. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Racoons!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-1J8-ohGvtFA/Ui7RfBIIrZI/AAAAAAAAKbg/Frg18_6DBj8/s1600/Zoo05.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="424" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-1J8-ohGvtFA/Ui7RfBIIrZI/AAAAAAAAKbg/Frg18_6DBj8/s640/Zoo05.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Begging bear</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-7wlLz6neaJg/Ui7Rf8jYZcI/AAAAAAAAKbo/W0FenSy2-Ic/s1600/Zoo06.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="424" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-7wlLz6neaJg/Ui7Rf8jYZcI/AAAAAAAAKbo/W0FenSy2-Ic/s640/Zoo06.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">White tigers</td></tr>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Skwlm9lZYy4/Ui7RhBT9RFI/AAAAAAAAKbw/h1DRnnIRpf8/s1600/Zoo07.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="424" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Skwlm9lZYy4/Ui7RhBT9RFI/AAAAAAAAKbw/h1DRnnIRpf8/s640/Zoo07.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07384241547190280663noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3733800620158457910.post-31616904756826961982013-09-09T18:57:00.000-05:002013-09-09T18:57:46.580-05:00Tears and Cheers!Yesterday was Maddie's official checkup in order to receive her immigrant visa. We arrived at the Guangzhou clinic in the morning, and luckily they had a small section of the clinic quartered off just for adopted children. Most of the checkup went pretty well, and everyone seemed to cooperate. Since she's over 2 years old, Maddie required an additional blood draw to test for TB. Unfortunately we couldn't be with her in that room, and as nurses scurried in and out of the room, we tried to grab glimpses of the happenings inside, but they quickly closed the door behind them. There seemed to be a bit of tension in the room for which we attributed an inability to find a vein suitable for tapping. As she emerged from the room, tears filled her eyes, and we immediately presented her with her reward - a strawberry sucker. She recovered quickly, and then we could inspect her arms to find multiple venapuncture wounds on both arms.<br />
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After naps, we went for a dinner cruise on the Pearl River. The girls thought it was awesome. The food was adequate, the views spectacular, and the entertainment, well, entertaining. They really light-up the buildings and bridges along the river. Of course the girls were, once again, treated to a photo shoot.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">ENT Check</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-DdbeIkO2bNw/Ui5bLN87-pI/AAAAAAAAKZI/wBWjmA9-DXA/s1600/Boat03.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="424" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-DdbeIkO2bNw/Ui5bLN87-pI/AAAAAAAAKZI/wBWjmA9-DXA/s640/Boat03.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Big sister Regina demonstrating "Ahhhhh"</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Keegan and Regina's new best friends</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-BSfvscQoO04/Ui5bTdZXduI/AAAAAAAAKZk/MzL9aT1iVmA/s1600/Boat05.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="424" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-BSfvscQoO04/Ui5bTdZXduI/AAAAAAAAKZk/MzL9aT1iVmA/s640/Boat05.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Just reward for a job well done.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The lobby of the clinic has a wine vending machine.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Getting ready to board the boat.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Colorful spire along the Pearl River</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Regina getting a ball spinning demonstration.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Chinese paparazzi </td></tr>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07384241547190280663noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3733800620158457910.post-47406770645404060852013-09-08T01:57:00.001-05:002013-09-08T01:57:20.827-05:00Goodbye Zhengzhou, Hello GuangzhouYesterday was a travel day for us. We said goodbye to Maddie's hometown of Zhengzhou and traveled by airplane to Guangzhou. It was Maddie's first trip on an airplane, but like everything else on this trip, she took it all in stride and had fun. Arriving in Guangzhou was quite a shock. It's very humid and hot, and our local guide told us we're lucky to be here in September. It's sort of like going to central Florida in the middle of July, but I wouldn't know anything about that ; )<br />
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Today (Sunday) we opted out of the official city tour in hopes of making it to Mass at the nearby cathedral. We were on our own in terms of getting there and back and so we were a bit anxious about the trip. We asked the hotel concierge to translate the address of the cathedral into Chinese, and to give us a Chinese business card of the hotel so we could hand it to a taxi driver on our way home. The <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sacred_Heart_Cathedral_(Guangzhou)">Cathedral of the Sacred Heart of Jesus in Guangzhou</a> is the seat of the Archbishop of Guangzhou and is situated on the north bank of the Pearl River. We arrived just in time for the 10:30AM high mass and were quickly ushered to our seats. This mass would be in Mandarin with earlier masses in Cantonese, and the 3:30PM mass in English. It was a very gothic-styled church with magnificent stained glass windows and intricate carvings all over. Sure, we couldn't understand a word being said, but you can still follow along and know where you are in the mass at any given point. Two interesting notes: 1. The Homily was MUCH longer than we've ever experienced. I think perhaps it went on for about 30 minutes. I'd like to think the Bishop was preaching a fantastic homily. 2. The exchange of peace was very interesting. The norm in China is to bow to each other, not shake hands. You could have probably guessed that, but it was still interesting to see.<br />
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After mass we decided to explore a bit. We made our way down a narrow side street with tons of vendors hawking their wares. It was quite an adventure. We saw some crazy health code violations along the way, live animals, and a lot of food items that were completely foreign to us. We stopped at a little toy store so the girls could pick out something. They decided to go with masks. I think they were a bit uncomfortable and wanted to hide themselves. After spending ~30 minutes trying to hail a cab, we finally made it back to our hotel room in time for a quick nap before our evening festivities.<br />
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The whole reason we're in Guangzhou is so Maddie can get her immigrant visa to the U.S. The U.S. consulate in Guangzhou is the only consulate in China that permits U.S. immigrant visas. So, here, we'll do a bit more paperwork, get a medical exam for Maddie, and prepare for our trip home. It's sort of apropos that we'll be in the US Consulate in Guangzhou on September 11th where we will take an oath, on Madeleine's behalf paving the way to her U.S. citizenship. I doubt we'll be able to take pictures there, so we'll just have to describe the scene at a later time.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-F4xaMtGLpNo/Uiwcgw-2Q-I/AAAAAAAAKYA/fwi906wsb80/s1600/Church01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="424" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-F4xaMtGLpNo/Uiwcgw-2Q-I/AAAAAAAAKYA/fwi906wsb80/s640/Church01.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Getting ready to leave Zhengzhou</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Inside the Cathedral</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cathedral Altar with the Sacred Heart of Jesus.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Side altar for Mary.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Exterior of the Cathedral of the Sacred Heart of Jesus</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Posing in front of the Cathedral</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">On our way to explore</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Darlene thought maybe we should pick up a few steaks and grill tonight!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-5XKsSdYnMuY/Uiwcq8QLSHI/AAAAAAAAKYg/DNlg09W7-Iw/s1600/Church09.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="424" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-5XKsSdYnMuY/Uiwcq8QLSHI/AAAAAAAAKYg/DNlg09W7-Iw/s640/Church09.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Or maybe we could have Chicken or Pigeon for Dinner</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-VwAVMe2vfvQ/UiwcvGExeuI/AAAAAAAAKY4/DUa-HWHQFpY/s1600/Church10.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="424" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-VwAVMe2vfvQ/UiwcvGExeuI/AAAAAAAAKY4/DUa-HWHQFpY/s640/Church10.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Keegan and Regina with their "Dollar-store" find</td></tr>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07384241547190280663noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3733800620158457910.post-5058424429870637602013-09-06T04:13:00.000-05:002013-09-06T07:40:32.929-05:00Welfare Institute of ZhengzhouToday we toured the <strike>orphanage</strike> welfare institute where Maddie spent some time before she was placed in foster care. (When we called it an orphanage, we were quickly corrected by our guide that it's not an orphanage, it's a welfare institute.) We also brought with us a suitcase and a half of donations given to us by our family and friends. About 2/3rds of the donations will stay at this orphanage, and the other third will go to the other orphanage in Zhengzhou (on the other side of town). There were mixed feelings going on throughout our trip. On the one hand, the conditions are poor. It's situated on the furthest outskirts of town, near the garbage dumps and some industry. The roads leading to the orphanage were in horrible condition. From afar, the building itself looks pretty good, and (as with much of China) they were doing a lot of construction on the building itself. However, once you go up to the building and in the buildings, you feel like you're in a third world country. On the other hand, I'm sure the people who are working there are doing their best with the resources they've been given. With roughly 700 orphans to take care of, any institution that depends on charity and government subsidy would have a difficult time keeping up. Everyone we met there was very nice and greeted us with a Hello. We went to a specific wing of the orphanage that is occupied solely by <a href="http://www.ccaifamily.org/">CCAI</a> staff and children who will be made available for adoption through CCAI. There we held some babies, and talked with the caretakers a bit. In all, it was good to see and have the experience. I'm sure, with plenty of notice given to the director and a limited tour, we were treated to only the best parts of the orphanage, but regardless it's a decent place that I'm glad Maddie didn't have to spend much time in. Oh, and in case you're wondering, it's a balmy 80 degrees in the rooms and all the babies are in full onesie pajamas with a blanket over them all. Auntie Kelley would be going nuts!<br />
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Darlene says:<br />
To me, this was more emotional than when we met Madeleine on Monday. 700 orphans, I can't even wrap my mind around that. We saw the "adoptable" babies...the ones that will more than likely have families in the near future. Moms and Dads like Ryan and I that will travel across the world and make a contract with the Chinese government to love these children that have been abandoned. But, we also caught glimpses of older children, kids that have been passed over for adoption. Some seemed completely "normal" while others were obviously low functioning and very special needs. What is going to happen to these children? In a city of 9 million people, and a very elementary social welfare program, it's anyone's guess. Who is going to take care of these children???<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-KFaxTSdUZqA/UimVperRzgI/AAAAAAAAKV8/zP4bWlkBus4/s1600/Orphanage01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="424" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-KFaxTSdUZqA/UimVperRzgI/AAAAAAAAKV8/zP4bWlkBus4/s640/Orphanage01.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Distributing our donations to be divvied up between the two orphanages in Zhengzhou.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The orphanage director (middle, white shirt) doing the paperwork for the donation.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-5DQyfyKROEk/UimVpBmPYFI/AAAAAAAAKV4/tQ1C1JllMnw/s1600/Orphanage03.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="424" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-5DQyfyKROEk/UimVpBmPYFI/AAAAAAAAKV4/tQ1C1JllMnw/s640/Orphanage03.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The playground.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This room is for ~6 month olds.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-NNzu2ofZJVk/UimVrsBCkKI/AAAAAAAAKWc/AStD52saCbI/s1600/Orphanage06.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="424" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-NNzu2ofZJVk/UimVrsBCkKI/AAAAAAAAKWc/AStD52saCbI/s640/Orphanage06.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Maddie with one of the caretakers.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-LvgJGcuM-_w/UimVruHObqI/AAAAAAAAKWY/0cNLKN2PLBQ/s1600/Orphanage07.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="424" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-LvgJGcuM-_w/UimVruHObqI/AAAAAAAAKWY/0cNLKN2PLBQ/s640/Orphanage07.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I guess it's always Christmas in Zhengzhou</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This room was for infants.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A nice sentiment</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-6XHt9HNb03o/UimVv3m_MHI/AAAAAAAAKXQ/ExUzS8Q3Tj0/s1600/Orphanage10.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="424" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-6XHt9HNb03o/UimVv3m_MHI/AAAAAAAAKXQ/ExUzS8Q3Tj0/s640/Orphanage10.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Uh-oh, Darlene's found a little buddy.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sleeping quarters for some of the toddlers.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-l-f-t1Tu9dA/UimVu5NIXBI/AAAAAAAAKXI/Z8MAdzS3hv0/s1600/Orphanage12.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="424" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-l-f-t1Tu9dA/UimVu5NIXBI/AAAAAAAAKXI/Z8MAdzS3hv0/s640/Orphanage12.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Keegan and Regina testing out the playground equipment. They give 1 and a half stars.</td></tr>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07384241547190280663noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3733800620158457910.post-75280647531934491652013-09-06T03:24:00.000-05:002013-09-06T03:24:17.659-05:00Shaolin TempleMost people think of monks and kung fu when they think of Shaolin, but all I can ever think of is one of my favorite movies of all time <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0286112/">Shaolin Soccer</a>, but I digress. What we saw at the Shaolin Temple was quite a bit of the former. We drove by a few Kung Fu schools - boarding schools for boys where half their time is spent studying Kung Fu while the other half is spent learning the schooling basics (Math, reading, science, etc...). Our 2-hour bus ride terminated at the Shaolin Temple grounds where we walked up the various stages of temples built into Mount Song. Our tour guide (Tim) showed us the various historical sites including a tree blanketed in bullet holes, which was turned into finger punching bags (literally holes that they "punch" with their index fingers to turn them into hard, deadly weapons). After we finished in the temple, we walked down the road to the Pagoda forest - essentially the burial grounds for the Shaolin Monks. Apparently, the more stories (levels) of the pagoda over the monk's ashes, the better the life he lived. We walked up into the forest a bit to see the oldest standing pagoda there, which was built in 791AD and belongs to a Master Fawan. I added a few random shots at the end, so make sure to scroll down to the bottom.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Girls are ready to go!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Entrance to the Shaolin temple area.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kung-Fu school. Sort of looks like wrestling practice. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-zI26sQ2dM_8/UimOAQXwK_I/AAAAAAAAKUE/RlD4XFiQoLc/s1600/Shaolin07.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="424" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-zI26sQ2dM_8/UimOAQXwK_I/AAAAAAAAKUE/RlD4XFiQoLc/s640/Shaolin07.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I guess Shaolin Monks are fine with using cell phones and whatnot. I must say, this sort of ruined the ambiance a bit.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-SBeFsHo_Kh0/UimOCA2tvHI/AAAAAAAAKUU/fvVGjF-XgdM/s1600/Shaolin08.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="424" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-SBeFsHo_Kh0/UimOCA2tvHI/AAAAAAAAKUU/fvVGjF-XgdM/s640/Shaolin08.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bullet holes turned finger punching holes.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-tO6a2OevJmU/UimOB-iPR4I/AAAAAAAAKUQ/6yfnYby-vcQ/s1600/Shaolin09.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="424" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-tO6a2OevJmU/UimOB-iPR4I/AAAAAAAAKUQ/6yfnYby-vcQ/s640/Shaolin09.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This Monk (or Buddha, I'm not sure) chopped his arm off to make the snow red. A request of his master before he would train him.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-K2FyoTYaWAM/UimOFOmO-pI/AAAAAAAAKUw/V8hA3R763FQ/s1600/Shaolin10.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="424" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-K2FyoTYaWAM/UimOFOmO-pI/AAAAAAAAKUw/V8hA3R763FQ/s640/Shaolin10.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">White girls rubbing the Buddha belly is an attraction for everyone.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-k4kWCAoU5bc/UimOC_dBWRI/AAAAAAAAKUg/xcFyJW1WyGg/s1600/Shaolin11.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="424" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-k4kWCAoU5bc/UimOC_dBWRI/AAAAAAAAKUg/xcFyJW1WyGg/s640/Shaolin11.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mommy and Maddie.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-g9HjQ_FLpXs/UimODYdZdQI/AAAAAAAAKUo/r9dOqVzCHLw/s1600/Shaolin12.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="424" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-g9HjQ_FLpXs/UimODYdZdQI/AAAAAAAAKUo/r9dOqVzCHLw/s640/Shaolin12.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Darlene making friends with the natives. I spent a lot of time talking her out of taking a puppy home too.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-LUzKJGo67TI/UimOFqOodJI/AAAAAAAAKU4/uvfwNFVz_xU/s1600/Shaolin13.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-LUzKJGo67TI/UimOFqOodJI/AAAAAAAAKU4/uvfwNFVz_xU/s640/Shaolin13.jpg" width="424" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Master Fawan's Pagoda built in 791AD</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-DPpcPyNTvYI/UimOF4bZd0I/AAAAAAAAKU8/F3TyCXIONCM/s1600/Shaolin14.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="424" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-DPpcPyNTvYI/UimOF4bZd0I/AAAAAAAAKU8/F3TyCXIONCM/s640/Shaolin14.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">More pagodas.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-8GfMlDf15KE/UimOHQ0T-UI/AAAAAAAAKVY/Df_wkLgsT3s/s1600/Shaolin15.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-8GfMlDf15KE/UimOHQ0T-UI/AAAAAAAAKVY/Df_wkLgsT3s/s640/Shaolin15.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Best family photo yet. Everyone is at least looking somewhat in the right direction.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Q72JmD-Fpf0/UimOGzRGu4I/AAAAAAAAKVI/2KdvPWPvy9Q/s1600/Shaolin16.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="424" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Q72JmD-Fpf0/UimOGzRGu4I/AAAAAAAAKVI/2KdvPWPvy9Q/s640/Shaolin16.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The girls love the hotel pool, although we're relegated to the 2ft kiddie / warm tub.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-fHdCBEjBl9s/UimOHHeF7qI/AAAAAAAAKVM/k5fWfIgZtSY/s1600/Shaolin17.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="424" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-fHdCBEjBl9s/UimOHHeF7qI/AAAAAAAAKVM/k5fWfIgZtSY/s640/Shaolin17.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Maddie double fists her pizza. Although, to be fair, she pretty much devours everything.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-KXz7uD-pDDQ/UimOKFvwuII/AAAAAAAAKVg/G1gXcAiAaTU/s1600/Shaolin18.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="424" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-KXz7uD-pDDQ/UimOKFvwuII/AAAAAAAAKVg/G1gXcAiAaTU/s640/Shaolin18.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The meat section of Walmart is pretty disgusting. Slabs of meat sitting in the open, not wrapped up or anything. This is why Darlene has been a strict vegetarian this trip. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-xmTxTPGSZhI/UimOLuw4BSI/AAAAAAAAKVo/LKuDBk2NItc/s1600/Shaolin19.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="424" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-xmTxTPGSZhI/UimOLuw4BSI/AAAAAAAAKVo/LKuDBk2NItc/s640/Shaolin19.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">On the right are chicken parts and whole chickens lying out in the open. Whole chickens = whole chickens, heads, feet, the whole bird. </td></tr>
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07384241547190280663noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3733800620158457910.post-30631340722024166482013-09-04T04:10:00.000-05:002013-09-04T04:10:26.587-05:00A Day at the ParkWhen we told Keegan and Regina we were going to the park, they instantly conjured images of slides and swings, but the Zhengzhou park is more of a ponds and green area "park". However, strolling through the park we did stumble upon what looked like a carnival, although this carnival had only one or two rides going, and the only way you could differentiate who's working the rides from who's riding the rides is by the wad of cash they were holding. So, obviously we had to check it out and take a couple spins on whatever we could. The tune playing along with the rides was pretty catchy too. Maddie's ears perked up right away and she started swaying side to side in her stroller.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-C-bhqo0YscA/Uib3aSN7wWI/AAAAAAAAKSQ/4EnO5OS0QNA/s1600/ZhengzhouPark01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="424" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-C-bhqo0YscA/Uib3aSN7wWI/AAAAAAAAKSQ/4EnO5OS0QNA/s640/ZhengzhouPark01.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our new stroller that the hotel gets wholesale for the newly adopted children.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-PsQmqOTpwR8/Uib3XSbgqOI/AAAAAAAAKR0/S7i-O1SltLk/s1600/ZhengzhouPark02.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="424" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-PsQmqOTpwR8/Uib3XSbgqOI/AAAAAAAAKR0/S7i-O1SltLk/s640/ZhengzhouPark02.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Entrance to the Zhengzhou Park.</td></tr>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-xDpq0Skt57U/Uib3Ye04wuI/AAAAAAAAKR8/Xn90ogle8FM/s1600/ZhengzhouPark03.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="424" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-xDpq0Skt57U/Uib3Ye04wuI/AAAAAAAAKR8/Xn90ogle8FM/s640/ZhengzhouPark03.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-4ZOb7bY8Cds/Uib3YuHc76I/AAAAAAAAKSA/F_QyzRD1xrY/s1600/ZhengzhouPark04.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="424" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-4ZOb7bY8Cds/Uib3YuHc76I/AAAAAAAAKSA/F_QyzRD1xrY/s640/ZhengzhouPark04.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The ponds are filled with lilly pads.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-wbWf3jJ-ayg/Uib3ZznOFJI/AAAAAAAAKSM/XX_poeH67dU/s1600/ZhengzhouPark05.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="424" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-wbWf3jJ-ayg/Uib3ZznOFJI/AAAAAAAAKSM/XX_poeH67dU/s640/ZhengzhouPark05.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We're an even bigger hit with the locals now.</td></tr>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-WXJuixxyiCg/Uib3aii6RsI/AAAAAAAAKSY/DIzno0QQCfw/s1600/ZhengzhouPark06.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="424" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-WXJuixxyiCg/Uib3aii6RsI/AAAAAAAAKSY/DIzno0QQCfw/s640/ZhengzhouPark06.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-MPigQdzdsNY/Uib3cacAm5I/AAAAAAAAKSk/9R0kwn7nFNA/s1600/ZhengzhouPark07.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="424" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-MPigQdzdsNY/Uib3cacAm5I/AAAAAAAAKSk/9R0kwn7nFNA/s640/ZhengzhouPark07.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-gXW68EzkYRo/Uib3cwmzYoI/AAAAAAAAKSs/86SMRyb7LA8/s1600/ZhengzhouPark08.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="424" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-gXW68EzkYRo/Uib3cwmzYoI/AAAAAAAAKSs/86SMRyb7LA8/s640/ZhengzhouPark08.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A random exercise machine in the middle of the park. It's called the "Surfing Board".</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-adifvpZXZBA/Uib3dFpdITI/AAAAAAAAKSw/_7mVsobzPQ4/s1600/ZhengzhouPark09.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="424" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-adifvpZXZBA/Uib3dFpdITI/AAAAAAAAKSw/_7mVsobzPQ4/s640/ZhengzhouPark09.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Maddie and Mommy ride the boat.</td></tr>
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<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-RS9youznXDY/Uib3eJvSrBI/AAAAAAAAKS8/6NeTPMqDIwE/s1600/ZhengzhouPark10.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="424" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-RS9youznXDY/Uib3eJvSrBI/AAAAAAAAKS8/6NeTPMqDIwE/s640/ZhengzhouPark10.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Keegan and Regina ride a fire truck around the track.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6rrxY0Y8O3s/Uib3eKgK_6I/AAAAAAAAKTA/jwKlddj6TaE/s1600/ZhengzhouPark11.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="424" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6rrxY0Y8O3s/Uib3eKgK_6I/AAAAAAAAKTA/jwKlddj6TaE/s640/ZhengzhouPark11.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07384241547190280663noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3733800620158457910.post-51964711763678053552013-09-03T22:02:00.001-05:002013-09-03T22:02:55.888-05:00Hanging out in ZhengzhouAfter lots of official business yesterday, we're happy to have a free day today, so we'll take a walk to a nearby park and probably hit up the hotel pool after naps. I'm sure we'll have some photos from that excursion, but for now Maddie has added another english word to her vocabulary - UP! We also found out that she counts in Chinese, (yi, er, san, si, wu) so for now, we doing 1, 2, 3 in both languages. (sorry, I had to upload in a pretty low quality due to bandwidth issues).<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dwPwvW9AQ94EIb6FmxEg0NRutq28WcokR0k94myVhKDU6tL1764hqW7X_hdWhvsUvaeGEieAgEYppJCd1HJsw' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07384241547190280663noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3733800620158457910.post-57724400838483611312013-09-02T00:37:00.001-05:002013-09-02T00:37:26.107-05:00We've got her!<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-xhZGK9dc67Y/UiQiIrEXOtI/AAAAAAAAKQU/DT2cGHiurNY/s1600/MaddieDay01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="424" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-xhZGK9dc67Y/UiQiIrEXOtI/AAAAAAAAKQU/DT2cGHiurNY/s640/MaddieDay01.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The very instant we got to hold Maddie for the first time.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-M1koJ6VO6ew/UiQiH1ovXsI/AAAAAAAAKQM/8dpLDcyB2yc/s1600/MaddieDay02.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="424" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-M1koJ6VO6ew/UiQiH1ovXsI/AAAAAAAAKQM/8dpLDcyB2yc/s640/MaddieDay02.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">She's very generous with her kisses!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-QGx_IBp9YOM/UiQiJyiSE2I/AAAAAAAAKQk/dz3Qe5PMo2c/s1600/MaddieDay03.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="424" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-QGx_IBp9YOM/UiQiJyiSE2I/AAAAAAAAKQk/dz3Qe5PMo2c/s640/MaddieDay03.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">And likes to pose for the camera.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-SDr_WVeL8Rc/UiQiI46OZOI/AAAAAAAAKQY/icTy9ostLws/s1600/MaddieDay04.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="424" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-SDr_WVeL8Rc/UiQiI46OZOI/AAAAAAAAKQY/icTy9ostLws/s640/MaddieDay04.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Keegan and Regina think she's the greatest little sister they could ever have.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/--CADL13CSYk/UiQiKYqHXWI/AAAAAAAAKQo/54iykSOdR_w/s1600/MaddieDay05.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="424" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/--CADL13CSYk/UiQiKYqHXWI/AAAAAAAAKQo/54iykSOdR_w/s640/MaddieDay05.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Food = love</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-IBPF2HpS8OM/UiQiMokc-0I/AAAAAAAAKRE/57AgI9J8FiU/s1600/MaddieDay06.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="424" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-IBPF2HpS8OM/UiQiMokc-0I/AAAAAAAAKRE/57AgI9J8FiU/s640/MaddieDay06.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Getting to know one another.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-T3ms45zdVmM/UiQiLfjy_qI/AAAAAAAAKQ0/I0xQk04JKF4/s1600/MaddieDay07.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="424" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-T3ms45zdVmM/UiQiLfjy_qI/AAAAAAAAKQ0/I0xQk04JKF4/s640/MaddieDay07.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">She's very tiny (only 8 months younger than Regina). We hope to remedy that with some TLC.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-iPLpmiD3VJA/UiQiL0Jb-iI/AAAAAAAAKQ4/5N1drv2IbT8/s1600/MaddieDay08.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="424" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-iPLpmiD3VJA/UiQiL0Jb-iI/AAAAAAAAKQ4/5N1drv2IbT8/s640/MaddieDay08.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">More kisses for Mama</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-c_UesJBn6vY/UiQiN2I7ciI/AAAAAAAAKRU/DrM3ge0DO-8/s1600/MaddieDay09.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="424" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-c_UesJBn6vY/UiQiN2I7ciI/AAAAAAAAKRU/DrM3ge0DO-8/s640/MaddieDay09.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">High fives for Regina</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qoryvR4Y97s/UiQiMzIBJoI/AAAAAAAAKRI/wtf1qQBsA44/s1600/MaddieDay10.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="424" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qoryvR4Y97s/UiQiMzIBJoI/AAAAAAAAKRI/wtf1qQBsA44/s640/MaddieDay10.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">And, in case you were wondering, yes, she is a thumb sucker!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-uENgYcyWhr8/UiQidyjY6KI/AAAAAAAAKRc/5Ij-zpQrpqA/s1600/MaddieDay11.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="424" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-uENgYcyWhr8/UiQidyjY6KI/AAAAAAAAKRc/5Ij-zpQrpqA/s640/MaddieDay11.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Zonked out for an afternoon snooze after an exciting morning.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07384241547190280663noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3733800620158457910.post-75174081873928622482013-09-01T07:54:00.000-05:002013-09-01T07:54:05.542-05:00Zhengzhou, Day 1<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: Times; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">We arrived in Zhengzhou in the Henan province
today. It was a very hazy morning, but cleared up later in the afternoon.
We met our Zhengzhou guides today -Yisha and Rita. The bar
was set pretty high by our Beijing guide, George, but so far Yisha and Rita are
doing great. Rita thinks Keegan and Regina look like Barbie dolls.
Most of today was spent preparing for the arrival of Maddie tomorrow
morning. You may not be aware of this fact, but there are actually 10
families in our group adopting a total of 12 kids (2 families are adopting 2
children this trip). So, we spent the day preparing the room and doing
some shopping. The main highlight was our evening trip to Walmart.
The trip to Walmart, or for that matter, anywhere in Zhengzhou can be
quite treacherous. You must share the sidewalk with motorized
scooters...and there are tons of them zipping by. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: black; font-family: Times; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: black; font-family: Times; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">Tomorrow morning, we gather at a nearby meeting place where each family will meet their daughter/son. Since Maddie, and her orphanage director are local, we figure we'll probably be one of the first ones up. So for now, we're hoping to get a good night's sleep because tomorrow we go from a family of 4 to a family of 5. Now, I can finally start giving "<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Party_of_Five">Salinger</a>" as our party's name when checking in at a restaurant.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: black; font-family: Times; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-n8ex7Me4rxw/UiM2trQ1tEI/AAAAAAAAKPc/EiXiCsORjXo/s1600/Zhengzhou_Day11.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="424" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-n8ex7Me4rxw/UiM2trQ1tEI/AAAAAAAAKPc/EiXiCsORjXo/s640/Zhengzhou_Day11.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our (somewhat palatial) room in Zhengzhou.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</span></div>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-tlMgnhiFg0o/UiM2t3mg1GI/AAAAAAAAKPk/sR0haoXYkFI/s1600/Zhengzhou_Day12.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="424" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-tlMgnhiFg0o/UiM2t3mg1GI/AAAAAAAAKPk/sR0haoXYkFI/s640/Zhengzhou_Day12.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The halls are lined with cribs being set up for all the new parents. All ten families are staying in the same wing of the hotel.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ga7J3-5j5Kw/UiM2tpqbATI/AAAAAAAAKPg/dcE9Kq9BpBY/s1600/Zhengzhou_Day13.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="424" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ga7J3-5j5Kw/UiM2tpqbATI/AAAAAAAAKPg/dcE9Kq9BpBY/s640/Zhengzhou_Day13.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sharing the sidewalk with motorized scooters. Reckless abandon!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-e5DJl8FHv5I/UiM2v7r9SsI/AAAAAAAAKP4/y3849Y7EIsQ/s1600/Zhengzhou_Day14.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="424" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-e5DJl8FHv5I/UiM2v7r9SsI/AAAAAAAAKP4/y3849Y7EIsQ/s640/Zhengzhou_Day14.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Zhengzhou Walmart. A 3-level store filled with most everything you'd expect to find at a Walmart.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-qhanZDTs1MM/UiM2vm9-ReI/AAAAAAAAKP0/jfMjCaxnsbI/s1600/Zhengzhou_Day15.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="424" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-qhanZDTs1MM/UiM2vm9-ReI/AAAAAAAAKP0/jfMjCaxnsbI/s640/Zhengzhou_Day15.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We recognized a few favorites from home. Chips Ahoy and Oreos.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07384241547190280663noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3733800620158457910.post-46627193291922527082013-08-31T07:38:00.000-05:002013-08-31T16:37:59.373-05:00Jade Crazed, Great Wall, and Chinese Acrobats<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
Today we started things off at the jade manufacturing plant where we picked up a few items, including a hand-carved jade "Family ball." They carve them on-site along with tons of other jewelry items and knick knacks. <br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-n6mdATG3cg4/UiHe8XsQYGI/AAAAAAAAKOE/FqQw_JdyXug/s1600/Jade_Wall_Acrobats1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="424" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-n6mdATG3cg4/UiHe8XsQYGI/AAAAAAAAKOE/FqQw_JdyXug/s640/Jade_Wall_Acrobats1.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Carving a "Family Ball" (layers of jade spheres nested within one another carved out of a single ball of jade).</td></tr>
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<div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
We then jumped back on the bus to head over to the Great Wall. The section near Beijing is the newest part of the wall (~600 years old) and most intact, making it a good place to do some climbing. We hiked up countless numbers of stairs to post high up in the mountains. We took many breaks along the way to find some shade from the sun and get some water. On our way back down, our legs were so tired they were trembling. We were trying to think of all the people in our lives who would join us on the trek or sit it out. We'll let you know which list you fell on at a later date. And yes, the girls were once again stopped by old Chinese women to take pictures on numerous occasions. </div>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-h19RSOPAw-g/UiHgDsy5IHI/AAAAAAAAKO8/sENdWzTzlP4/s1600/Jade_Wall_Acrobats2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="424" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-h19RSOPAw-g/UiHgDsy5IHI/AAAAAAAAKO8/sENdWzTzlP4/s640/Jade_Wall_Acrobats2.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Quite a long way up to our destination.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-wh_M0BZOWnM/UiHe_fnfl0I/AAAAAAAAKOU/PKiOnIqshjY/s1600/Jade_Wall_Acrobats3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="424" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-wh_M0BZOWnM/UiHe_fnfl0I/AAAAAAAAKOU/PKiOnIqshjY/s640/Jade_Wall_Acrobats3.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Slow and steady wins the race.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-RdVS-DLWnWM/UiHe_XwDhVI/AAAAAAAAKOc/5ZXSqmghco0/s1600/Jade_Wall_Acrobats4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="424" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-RdVS-DLWnWM/UiHe_XwDhVI/AAAAAAAAKOc/5ZXSqmghco0/s640/Jade_Wall_Acrobats4.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The view looking back at our beginning from the top.</td></tr>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-pyyp3wMuDvg/UiHjF-eEjAI/AAAAAAAAKPM/ByUAIS_QQFU/s1600/DSC_0242.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="424" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-pyyp3wMuDvg/UiHjF-eEjAI/AAAAAAAAKPM/ByUAIS_QQFU/s640/DSC_0242.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The requisite picture with the foreigners.<br />
<br />
<br /></td></tr>
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<br />
<br />
<br />
After some lunch we briefly passed by the 2008 Olympic Village where we grabbed a few photos of the Bird's Nest and other Olympic structures. We had a short rest back at the hotel, and were then<br />
treated to a spectacular acrobatics display. Regina was taking copious notes on exactly how each of the flips, contortions, and human pyramids were performed. We'll start practicing tomorrow.<br />
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Og6nF-ors4s/UiHe-Auz39I/AAAAAAAAKOM/KwA0KfHS2x0/s1600/Jade_Wall_Acrobats5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="424" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Og6nF-ors4s/UiHe-Auz39I/AAAAAAAAKOM/KwA0KfHS2x0/s640/Jade_Wall_Acrobats5.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">2008 Olympic Stadium "Bird's Nest"</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-J15z0XMjsJg/UiHe_pTyLWI/AAAAAAAAKOY/N7qJYWjviaE/s1600/Jade_Wall_Acrobats6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="424" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-J15z0XMjsJg/UiHe_pTyLWI/AAAAAAAAKOY/N7qJYWjviaE/s640/Jade_Wall_Acrobats6.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Crazy strong acrobats</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6IYTNZ3fOGI/UiHfBxQE6OI/AAAAAAAAKO0/klnlBLpahYI/s1600/Jade_Wall_Acrobats7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="424" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6IYTNZ3fOGI/UiHfBxQE6OI/AAAAAAAAKO0/klnlBLpahYI/s640/Jade_Wall_Acrobats7.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Can we get one more person on that bike?</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Tu7F7En_3lo/UiHfAphRZEI/AAAAAAAAKOs/1j_9yP6HbvQ/s1600/Jade_Wall_Acrobats8.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="424" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Tu7F7En_3lo/UiHfAphRZEI/AAAAAAAAKOs/1j_9yP6HbvQ/s640/Jade_Wall_Acrobats8.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">At one point, they had 8 motorcycles in this cage.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Tomorrow we leave for Zhengzhou - Madeleine's hometown. We'll get settled there on Sunday in preparation for the big day on Monday!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07384241547190280663noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3733800620158457910.post-5886207095450499362013-08-30T03:59:00.000-05:002013-08-30T04:20:32.375-05:00Touring Beijing Today we spent a full day touring Beijing. We started the day with a ricksha ride to a local resident's home in the protected 2nd ring area around the city center. Mrs Wu invited us in for tea and chinese apples, and talked to us about her life in Beijing and her residence of 50+ years. It was a humble home, to say the least, but she'd say she had everything she needed. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-EbTq2mffzbc/UiBaPT6ndXI/AAAAAAAAKM0/kpubx_oi5c0/s1600/Wu_silk_Tianamen1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="420" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-EbTq2mffzbc/UiBaPT6ndXI/AAAAAAAAKM0/kpubx_oi5c0/s640/Wu_silk_Tianamen1.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ready for our ride!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-oz8sJScZwY0/UiBaTL-o50I/AAAAAAAAKNE/Bx8TsPlwEsg/s1600/Wu_silk_Tianamen2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="420" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-oz8sJScZwY0/UiBaTL-o50I/AAAAAAAAKNE/Bx8TsPlwEsg/s640/Wu_silk_Tianamen2.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Having some tea at Mrs. Wu's home</td></tr>
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<br />
Next we went to a silk factory where we learned how they take the silkworm's cocoon and carefully pull 1300 meters of silk thread from each. There, the girls picked out a silk fan as a souvenir.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-MTqgDN2TYts/UiBaROlV_jI/AAAAAAAAKNA/CBe5Z_xnVfY/s1600/Wu_silk_Tianamen3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="420" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-MTqgDN2TYts/UiBaROlV_jI/AAAAAAAAKNA/CBe5Z_xnVfY/s640/Wu_silk_Tianamen3.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Spinning silk thread from the cocoon</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Baz6UwT1ugo/UiBbp5lh-BI/AAAAAAAAKNw/TzCrpvyjQiM/s1600/Fans.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="424" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Baz6UwT1ugo/UiBbp5lh-BI/AAAAAAAAKNw/TzCrpvyjQiM/s640/Fans.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The girl's displaying their new fans.</td></tr>
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On our way to lunch, we saw a pet store with some dogs and cats in the window. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-XFpVQl7lmfU/UiBaaydJn6I/AAAAAAAAKNQ/2KT0jFwNfj4/s1600/Wu_silk_Tianamen4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="422" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-XFpVQl7lmfU/UiBaaydJn6I/AAAAAAAAKNQ/2KT0jFwNfj4/s640/Wu_silk_Tianamen4.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Beijing Pet Store</td></tr>
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The rest of the day was spent at Tiananmen Square in the city center. We were focused on the beautiful architecture and the history, but the rest of the crowd (it seemed) was focused on Keegan and Regina. Everyone was staring at that them and coming up and boldly sticking their kids next to ours to snap a quick photo. We warmed up to the idea quickly, and starting taking pictures of our own. We felt like the paparazzi were after us. People were gathering around the girls trying to capture a photo of these strange looking creatures. They kept telling us how beautiful the girls were. The older woman would come right up to them and pat their heads and stroke their cheeks. One woman (in the silk factory's toilet no less) went up to Regina, picked her up and spun her around in the air. She plopped her down and then did the same to Keegan. It was a pretty bizarre scene - one that took us by surprise, for sure. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-L7jvW_9IKYk/UiBaepARNiI/AAAAAAAAKNY/qPdw_8xjOw8/s1600/Wu_silk_Tianamen5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="422" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-L7jvW_9IKYk/UiBaepARNiI/AAAAAAAAKNY/qPdw_8xjOw8/s640/Wu_silk_Tianamen5.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The famed Chairman Mao photo</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-xYDvZmlROx0/UiBZ0auHB7I/AAAAAAAAKME/qJJfCJRrfnc/s1600/Rockstars1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="422" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-xYDvZmlROx0/UiBZ0auHB7I/AAAAAAAAKME/qJJfCJRrfnc/s640/Rockstars1.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A Happy Native gets her picture taken with the girls.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Sure, get comfortable, the girls don't mind"</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-AbmE4Md_miI/UiBZ0xLHfrI/AAAAAAAAKMI/nFro8wo9rUY/s1600/Rockstars3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="422" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-AbmE4Md_miI/UiBZ0xLHfrI/AAAAAAAAKMI/nFro8wo9rUY/s640/Rockstars3.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Now, there's a line forming to get their picture taken with K & R.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-23ko_JJvU0E/UiBZ7-sDXYI/AAAAAAAAKMQ/Vbsm2l2evBA/s1600/Rockstars4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="422" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-23ko_JJvU0E/UiBZ7-sDXYI/AAAAAAAAKMQ/Vbsm2l2evBA/s640/Rockstars4.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This little boy was reluctant at first to take a picture with girls, but he came around.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qa2zMVk_Y8g/UiBaEvuxRoI/AAAAAAAAKMg/ZYG35MxTeDQ/s1600/Rockstars5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="422" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qa2zMVk_Y8g/UiBaEvuxRoI/AAAAAAAAKMg/ZYG35MxTeDQ/s640/Rockstars5.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This girl's mother kept pushing her closer and closer to Regina to get a picture, but she wasn't so sure.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-j5njObONsNc/UiBaF5dehEI/AAAAAAAAKMo/Y6Aowhvg90k/s1600/Rockstars7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="422" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-j5njObONsNc/UiBaF5dehEI/AAAAAAAAKMo/Y6Aowhvg90k/s640/Rockstars7.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">And, it wasn't just Chinese people. This Korean man had his english speaking daughter ask us for a picture. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-cNObKhBpI-M/UiBaJU5l58I/AAAAAAAAKMw/bmtEi1YcmLA/s1600/Rockstars8.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="422" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-cNObKhBpI-M/UiBaJU5l58I/AAAAAAAAKMw/bmtEi1YcmLA/s640/Rockstars8.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">And this girl was all too happy to get a picture with the girls.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-H4fIBpa7PXQ/UiBZ9wgI6sI/AAAAAAAAKMY/pzkQKdy0Rt8/s1600/Rockstars6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="422" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-H4fIBpa7PXQ/UiBZ9wgI6sI/AAAAAAAAKMY/pzkQKdy0Rt8/s640/Rockstars6.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We snapped a picture back at the crowds of people circling the girls to get a photo. They'd all gather around and pull out their point-and-shoot cameras and phones to grab a quick photo.</td></tr>
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07384241547190280663noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3733800620158457910.post-68203216553483873772013-08-28T18:25:00.001-05:002013-08-30T05:45:58.988-05:00Day 1.5 of our China Adventure!Flew 15.5 hours from ORD to Hong Kong, stayed in Hong Kong overnight, are are heading to Beijing this morning. Uploaded here are just a few candids along the way, starting with our enormous pile of suitcases. We survived the 15.5 hour flight just fine with plenty of electronics and multiple meals. We were all a bit restless with about 3 hours left in the flight, but that's to be expected. More updates soon.<br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07384241547190280663noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3733800620158457910.post-92180579579354660212013-08-20T11:57:00.001-05:002013-08-22T15:59:23.039-05:00We're Outta Here!Well, not until August 27, but we are now in full out preparation mode: packing, planning, getting the house ready, wrapping up our work. SO EXCITED!<br />
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<br />Darlene Dugganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01247315739228026617noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3733800620158457910.post-45051765847055106322013-07-31T22:11:00.001-05:002013-07-31T22:11:32.249-05:00The Duggan SistersWe had a small impromptu photo shoot tonight with the girls' posey dolls. We ordered one for Maddie and Keegan and Regina want to give it to her when we first meet. <br />
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Darlene Dugganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01247315739228026617noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3733800620158457910.post-12665482256094954602013-07-24T09:44:00.001-05:002013-07-24T09:56:50.415-05:00A New Picture and TimelinesWe received a new picture of Maddie today! Haven't received firm dates for travel yet, but it's looking like we will be heading out to bring her home in September. Can't wait to get our hands on her and kiss those rosy cheeks! And, we are really looking forward to seeing her China home during the autumn season!!<br />
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<br />Darlene Dugganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01247315739228026617noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3733800620158457910.post-60198619581931384872013-05-17T20:47:00.000-05:002013-05-17T20:47:55.311-05:00Ni Hao, Madeleine!<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #741b47; font-size: large;">We are ecstatic to introduce the world to our daughter </span></b></div>
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<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #741b47; font-size: x-large;">Madeleine Duggan!</span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"> </span></div>
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The love and excitement in our hearts is overflowing. Our prayer now is that she can feel our love and know that we are counting down the minutes until we can hold her. Each night Keegan and Regina pray for the angels to fly their love and snuggles to their sister in China.<br />
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Darlene Dugganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01247315739228026617noreply@blogger.com0