Grace has been home for 1 year!

I cannot believe that it has been one whole year since we arrived home with Grace! Time really does fly...and that is what we did one year ago today...FLY!

That was a long day. It started the night before when we were in Guangzhou at the White Swan Hotel. We made our way down to the deli that was located just outside the hotel to get some traveling food. We had purchased food from here earlier during the trip and liked it a lot. It was really inexpensive and tasted almost like home. We got German cold-cut sandwiches and baked cheese bread...yum!

After coming back into the hotel we said our goodbye's to a few families leaving a bit earlier then us. It was bitter sweet. Although we had only spent a few weeks with everyone, they all seemed like family now. We will be forever connected to them even though we may not see them often.

Then it was time for us to pack because we were leaving pretty early as well. Grace did not sleep very well that night. I can't say we did either. We were all pretty tired the next morning but focused on what we needed to do and where we needed to go.

Everyone was organized and the trip from the hotel to the airport was fine.

The trip to Hong Kong did not last too long...only an hour. Once at the Hong Kong airport we made our way to the check-in counter and secure our seats for the long flight to LA. It took quite some time at the check-in counter but after what seemed to be forever, we had our tickets. This was also a sad moment as we had to say farewell to some of our traveling companions.

We made our way to our gate and had to wait about an hour before boarding. I had to pay for hot water for Grace's bottle at a coffee shop. Then it was finally time to board.

We stood in line with everyone else, then when the airlines saw we had a baby, we went to the front of the line. It's great what a baby will get you :)

The flight was really long. We had bulk head seats and a bassinet for Grace. She did well, all things considered, but did not sleep very much. Phuong and I took turns walking the isles with her on many occasions. Towards the end of the flight, Grace was sleeping so well and we did not want to wake her up, but we hit some turbulence and had to wake her up.

We landed fine in LA and made our way to baggage claim. It was nice to be back in the US, but we would miss China and needed to say farewell to more of our traveling companions again.

The line through immigration was long but not really unpleasant. The attendants at the airport kept looking at us and the babies. I think that it was a real treat for them too.

Once we claimed our baggage we changed Grace's diaper right there on the floor. We were so accustomed to doing this in China and thought nothing of it, but some people at the airport looked funny at us.

Now it was time to meet our friends who would drive us back home. The photo below is one they took as we made our way out of the airport.

Forever Family Day!

"Forever family day," is now here!

I cannot believe that it has now been a year since our amazing Grace was placed into our arms. We had dreamed of that moment even before we started the process of adoption.
Then we were there, standing in that room with all the other families.

I had watched many videos of this moment where other families were given their babies for the first time. Parents would be crying, babies would be crying, sweet words were said, lovely music was played and more joyful crying. I watched these videos not only because I enjoyed these moments but also in an attempt to desensitized myself so that I would not bubble over into a sobbing mess when it was us standing there :)

Now it was our turn. We were in that room standing there. We were going to be handed our baby. This was our moment, our video in the making, our life being changed and blessed forever by receiving the gift of a child!

As we waited, I looked around the room at the other families and saw the same scene. Cameras were set and positions taken. Mother's hands were clenched. Quiet conversations were being had, but all watery eyes were on the door that the babies would come through. The anticipation, excitement and questions were all about to be answered in one moment when the parents names would be called out followed quickly by the baby's name. Some of us caught a glimpse of the nannies and some of the babies going into a room across the hall. I to remember seeing them although I do not remember which baby I saw, but it did not matter. I knew that our Grace was there.

Then it began. The first baby was called (I wish I remembered the order, although I have the paper stashed away.) We all knew the order in which we would be called but we still watched the door. The excitement was incredible! Then the next family was called and another baby handed over. Then the next, and the next. Families were being made so fast as babies were united with their parents and other siblings. There was no time for tears, no time to ponder the moment or even think.

Then, our names were called. In a flash, there she was, our little girl, our amazing Grace. The little girl that we had dreamed about for so many years. The little face we had only seen in photos less then 4 weeks earlier. There she was in the flesh now being handed over to Phuong...her mother in every sense of the word! Such an awesome moment. I still tear up thinking about it, even as I type this.

(Although I did not tear up right then...thanks Youtube!)

Honestly though, there was no time for tears. Even the babies were not crying.

I held Grace for only a moment but it was an awesome moment. I gave her back to Phuong because I could feel that she could cry any second, but she was comfortable in Phuong's arms. We were both over joyed.

For that moment, we were the only ones in the room...the only ones in the world. I am sure all the families felt the same way. It was one of the most amazing days in my life that I will treasure always!

Happy Forever Family Day!

Weekends are fun time with Daddy!

Grace shows more of her personality everyday. She is so adorable and so much fun. Weekends are "Daddy fun time!" I play with her and spend as much time as possible. I think she has as much fun as I do...maybe more!

She loves to smile and will do it on command if we say "show us your teeth." The photos below are the result :)

Adoption...Final!

Today we finalized the adoption of our amazing Grace!

She has always been ours in God's eyes but now it is official in the eyes of the United States government.
We went to the Family court in Monterey Park for a 10:15 am court appearance and had to wait until almost 11. There some other families ahead of us and the judge did not start on time. This was OK because Grace had time to run and play in the large waiting area with many other families and parents. She even got to color a butterfly and play with feathers that were there as activities for the children. They really try to make it pleasant for the kids as we all wait.

Unfortunately, not all the families were there for happy reasons like completing adoptions. There were some dealing with divorce issues regarding their children and visitation. Sad to see that on such a happy occasion for our family. It just helps us recognize how blessed we are as a family...and how blessed I am to have such a fantastic wife and wonderful daughter!

We went into the court room which we were told would be informal. The judge and everyone were very nice. Grace was a bit scard and clung to either Phuong or I. She really did not understand what was going on and who all these strange people were. You can see it in her face in the photo below :)
The judge seemed to be very interested in Phuong's ethnicity and tried speaking Chinese. The only thing is that Phuong does not speak Chinese :)


We were able to film the proceedings and take some photos. Overall it was a great experience and nice to complete a process that has taken over 4 years and almost a year to the day that Grace was put into our arms for the first time!

Grace with best friend Evan!

Recently, Phuong met a very nice family that live close by. They have a little boy, Evan, that is a month older then Grace. All of them get together often so Grace has a play buddy. Everyone gets along so well and have a great time.

Evan is a very sweet little boy, has a lot of fun and listens so well. Grace has a lot of fun too. She too is very sweet, like to share and...well, I will let the pictures speak for themselves :)




Here is Evan and Grace at Costco...That's our girl! :)









OK...apparently Grace insisted on "walking" the dog.



Grace and Evan having fun!

Some new photos :)

Grace was watching The Lion King right before it was time to take her nap...guess she could not make it to the end :)



...and of course we had to take many pictures...



...plus a close-up.



Here's Grace and her blanket that she cannot go to sleep without.

"Stork Day' anniversary

Today is the anniversary of "Stork Day," as Phuong calls it.
Well, actually, it is tomorrow March 4Th but I am updating the blog now as I do not know if I will get to it tomorrow.

Sitting here typing this I can reflect on the night before we got the call from the adoption agency. We knew at this time last year that the call would be coming the next morning around 9 am. It was very difficult to sleep or concentrate on anything else! We did not know anything about our beautiful daughter Grace. We did know that God had chosen her for us to be her family.

I remember thinking of all the videos I watched online of other families getting "the call" and the emotions. All this added to our emotions and excitement for the next day.

The call came almost promptly at 9am. I had prepare the web cam to tape the whole call, our reactions and any information that came during the call in case our emotions got the better of us and we missed something :)

We were so over joyed to hear about Grace for the first time. It was such a surreal moment. After waiting for 3 years for our daughter, that day finally arrived.

We were told only the following facts about Grace:
- Chinese Name: Guo, Jiang Yu
- Born 6/17/07
- Beiliu, Guangxi
- Height: 24" tall (as taken in Oct)
- Nov. 18 medical exam
- Travel group: 1332...we are expected to travel in 4 to 6 weeks

She's a moderate sleeper.
Eats milk with rice cereal
Quiet and ready to smile :)
Likes music



Today, Grace is:
- Grace Yu Wolkiewicz
- Living in southern CA - USA
- takes regular naps (one a day)and sleeps through the night :)
- eats just about anything, but likes chicken nuggets, milk, noodles and fish crackers!
- smiles and laughs often
- still loves music and dances to almost anything



Grace is a real blessing to our family.
It still feels surreal today when I look at her and realize that we really do in fact have a daughter.

WE LOVE YOU GRACE!