Technical Difficulties

In case you were wondering why I am behind on the blog, we seem to be experiencing technical difficulties at the new hotel. I can not get pictures to upload and we keep loosing our VPN connection. I will keep trying, but we may not be able to catch up till we get to Hong Kong. Rest assured we are doing fine though. Lainee is great and with every day more of her personality is surfacing. One would almost think the officials in China had a crystal ball when they selected our child. Her mannerisms and things she does, her likes and dislikes compliment us both so well. I do not think we could have a more perfect match than her.

I'll try to keep you posted as best I can.

Much Love,

Danielle, Ryan, & Lainee, too

Day 8- Medical exam, vaccinations, and a much deserved night out

Today was a busy day, as we had to head out right after breakfast. First we had to go get Lainee's visa photos done. Then it was off to the Medical Clinic for Lainee's exams and vaccination(s). We were not sure how many shots she would need to have till the doctor reviewed her prior vaccination records. Don't I look pretty in pink?!!!

Waiting our turn to see the doctor

First we saw the Ear, Nose & Throat Doctor

Everything with the ENT checked out great

Next Lainee got her height(?), weight(21.3lbs), & temp(normal)

Lainee fell asleep right before we went in to see the general physician.

The GP said everything was good, then we got the bad news; our little angel needed 6 shots.

We were not looking forward to this room.

She got 2 shots each in her right arm & leg, and 1 shot each in her left arm & leg. She was so good and only whimpered a little with each injection. I think it hurt her mommy and daddy more though. We then had to wait 15mins before we could leave to make sure there were no adverse reactions to the shots. We were very concerned because six injections given all in one day, let alone right in a row, is hard on a baby's system. Keep in mind these are immunizations normally given to babies over the course of several months and usually only one at a time. After we were released to go from the clinic we were instructed to monitor her temp for 24hrs. A fever could be a sign of bad reaction. Thankfully there were no reactions of any kind. In fact, she was doing so well we decided to go with all the other families for dinner.

After the day Lainee had we figured she would enjoy a night out with all her friends.

We went to Lucy's an American restaurant within walking distance from our hotel.

We told her she could have anything she wanted off the menu. lol
FYI- she chose mashed potatoes

View looking down the road from our hotel.

Looking up at our hotel- The White Swan

Till tomorrow.

Much Love,

Danielle, Ryan, & Lainee, too

Day 7- Getting ready to go to Guangzhou and Lainee's first flight

Today was pretty much a free day. It was our last day in Nanchang till our evening flight to Guangzhou. After breakfast we went back to our room to hang out. We played, napped, snacked, packed, and then Ryan gave Lainee a lesson on sports. I think we pretty much have them all covered;

she has her Rays shirt, Bucs hoody, and Noles dress(this one she can't wear till game day). Daddy and his rules. lol

Go Rays!!!

"I got it dad, baseball in spring, football in fall,

you don't have to tell me again."

After breakfast nap


Lainee says I'm all packed, let's roll

Lainee wanted to know if her and baby could upgrade to first class

She is definitely an observer, has to always be watching everything going on

At the Nanchang Airport waiting to board our plane

All set to take off

Shortly after take off Lainee fell asleep and remained asleep the entire flight.

Somehow I do not think we will get that lucky on the 13hour flight home.

We arrived at our hotel around 11pm, just in time to check in and turn in.

Much Love,

Danielle, Ryan, & Lainee, too

More pics of our little Lainee bug

Lainee has a pretty set morning schedule already. We incorporated some of the information we were given from her orphanage and made some adjustments based on what will work best once we get home. She wakes around 5:30 to 6AM. And might I add she sits up, looks around, spots one of us, and grins really big. So far no cranky pants here. Then we give her some juice(mostly water) to refresh her a little. Then it's off to the shower with mommy. After we get all cleaned up, we dress and go down for breakfast. She is a great eater. There really is nothing at this point we have found that she will not eat. Definitely did not take after the Mercer side of the family. lol

After breakfast we have some playtime and then she usually rubs her eyes a few times, lays her head down, and drifts off to her morning nap.

God truly has blessed us with such a good, sweet baby. Waking up
Where's Dada?

A little juice to refresh the palate

The following pics are during morning playtime after breakfast, but before our morning nap.

She loves to play with all the toys we packed for her, and her daddy

Lots of smiles

All tuckered out after her morning playtime

Our sweet baby girl; we are so blessed!!!

Day 6- Strolling through XiangHu Park, first bath, and Thanksgiving Chinese style

Day six once again brought about new sights and sounds. We are very much enjoying the chance to experience this unique culture, one could say it may be a once in a lifetime opportunity, I hope not for our second child's sake.(hint, hint) We strolled through a park called XiangHu, which is very popular with the locals. Retirees frequent this park to exercise daily, as do grandparents with their grandchildren. Needless to say with that many elders around we were stopped several times by the "clothes police" checking to make sure we had enough layers of clothing on Lainee and that she was warm enough. Trust me when I say they believe in bundling little children in layers even in warm weather. We of course did not pass their inspection, so after a few reprimands we decided to drape her in a blankie as you will see in the pics below. The one thing that amazes me the most about this concept is that they are very concerned about covering every square inch of flesh on small children, but yet their buhookys can hang out of their split pants exposed to the elements and that is alright. Go figure, only in China. Below are some pics for the park.

Lainee all snuggled in with her baby.

Mommy on stroller patrol, daddy on camera patrol.

Lainee enjoyed watching all the carp being fed.
We may have to get her that goldfish after all.

Lainee hamming it up for the camera.

After we returned from the park it was time to get ready for our Thanksgiving dinner, so we had our first bath in the bathtub. She has been taking showers with mommy and loves them but now we know she loves baths, too.

Here's Lainee all ready for her Thanksgiving feast, but no turkey here, guess we'll have to settle for duck.

The after Thanksgiving dinner full belly ready for nap look.

Happy Thanksgiving to all our family and friends back home in the states. Hope you all have a great time and enjoy, eat some turkey for us. We may not be home, but we sure do have a lot to be thankful for this year. God bless.

Much Love,

Danielle, Ryan, & Lainee, too

Day 5- Visit to Teng Wang Ge

Today we toured what we call a performing arts center. The Emperor of this time was not a fan of war so instead he encouraged his people to be interested in performing arts. The building is amazing in the fact of the outstanding details in the construction and finish work. This building has been standing for thousands of years, which in itself is amazing. Well, I am not a performing arts lover, as Danielle can testify I once fell asleep during a live performance of the Lion King and snored very loudly, but this was very interesting. There was a short performance and when I get to a better Internet connection I will download it for your viewing pleasure. Lainee is doing great and seemed to have a good time. Mommy and Daddy are little tired but it's worth it. Tomorrow we go to a park and we will post more pictures then!

This is our wonderful guide Michael. He is taking a break while we tour the garden.

Lainee trying to perform an escape attempt.

Much Love,

Ryan, Danielle, & Lainee, too.