Bringing Kennedy Home

Goodbye and Thank you!

2007-04-06T21:53:00.000-03:00

This is the final post on "Bringing Kennedy Home". Two hundred and seventy posts later, it's time to put the story of our journey to Kennedy to rest. We've done it. We've travelled around the globe to bring our beautiful daughter home. It's time now for her life to become private. Thank you all so much for your support over the past 2 years. It has truly been the journey of a lifetime...............

All our love,
Marvin, Carolyn and Kennedy Joy Caijiao

Bum scoot....broken tooth

2007-04-03T20:28:00.001-03:00

Shall we just say that Miss K has finally figured out how to get around on our hardwood floors...and it happened overnight. All of the sudden she's zooming around the room. It's not walking and it's not even a crawl. I call it a bum scoot. One leg bent in front, one leg bent in back, bum on the floor and two hands grabbing the floor ahead of her, pulling her along. She's much happier and content being able to move about. She can get what she wants now by herself...sometimes not a good thing, depending what it is she wants!!

It will be two months on Thursday, since we met Kennedy for the very first time. Wow, how she has changed. She's grown. She's gone from not sitting up by herself, to now scooting all over the place. She is an excellent eater and is growing like a weed. She LOVES people. Like I've said before, the bigger the crowd,`the more she likes it. Loves to be entertained. She brings so much happiness to our lives...

On Sunday I broke my front tooth while eating a hotdog. I realized later that the tooth probably cracked on Saturday when we were at my parent's house. Kennedy's head hit my chin and my teeth slammed together very hard. At the time I didn't realize it, but I'm assuming that's when the damage was done as a hotdog wouldn't have done it. So off I went to the dentist today...she fixed me up as good as new. Dental work is definitely not my favorite thing but my dentist does a wonderful job and I didn't feel a thing!

If you have the time and would like to read an amazing story, check
this out. It's about a little girl living in the US (adopted from China) who suddenly became sick and needed a heart transplant. Her family is going through so much with finances and being away from their other children. A truly amazing story...

GO HABS GO!!!!!

2007-04-03T20:18:00.000-03:00

And what does Yazzy think of all this partying????????

2007-04-02T21:42:00.000-03:00

HE'S NOT IMPRESSED...

Birthday Party with the Clows!

2007-04-02T21:36:00.000-03:00

I love when you sing to me...

2007-04-02T21:19:00.000-03:00

Photo Sharing - Upload Video - Video Sharing - Share Photos

Birthday Party with the Milligans!

2007-04-02T20:58:00.000-03:00

I'm One Today!!!

2007-04-01T07:43:00.000-03:00

Our baby is 1 year old today! Wow! She woke up in a great mood this morning, just like she knows it's going to be a great day. Yesterday, we had a party with her family on the Milligan side. Today, we will have a party with her family on the Clow side. I will post pictures as soon as I get a chance.

At the age of 1 year, here are some of Kennedy's milestones:

-Talking, saying the following words: mama, quack, bye-bye,
-Signing: more, puppy, milk, book, ball
-Trying to do some sort of bum scoot to get places. No crawling or walking yet!
-Loves to sway when she hears ANY music (including my singing!)
-Doesn't sleep through the night like she used to :( Guess I bragged too much about that!

And today we remember Kennedy's birthparents in China. I only wish they could know how happy and well taken care of she is...

It's all about the food these days...

2007-03-28T11:14:00.000-03:00

Photo Sharing - Upload Video - Video Sharing - Share Photos

Keeping up with my China sisters!!

2007-03-27T08:55:00.000-03:00

This morning, Kennedy insisted on ponytails. After seeing both Claire and Ava with their ponies in, we knew we had to try to keep up, so here it is...it's a little hard to see them with the background. She actually looks like she has two horns...funny 'cause she's been a bit cranky the last couple of days (teeth again, I think) so the "horns" kind of fit!

This is Claire. She is my China sister. She lives in Edmonton. I miss her. xox

This is Ava. She is my China sister. She also lives in Edmonton. I miss her. xox

I think I want to take a trip to Edmonton!

Happy 95th Birthday Grammie!!!!!!!!!!!!

2007-03-25T17:35:00.000-03:00

This is my grandmother, Veronica. On Wednesday, March 21, she turned 95 years old. We had a party for her yesterday. Many of her friends and family gathered to celebrate and all of her 9 children we there with her. I think it is so amazing for my dad at age 68, to have his mother living right next door (still cooking her meals on a wood stove, I might add!). Like my Uncle Fenton said in his speech, we're looking forward to celebrating her 100th too!

Getting together with friends....

2007-03-25T16:59:00.000-03:00

Got together with my friends Crystal, Trudy and Jennifer and ALL the kiddos today (minus Jen's big girl, Savannah). We had 9 kids there! Fun. And how well behaved were these kids? Incredible. They had a great time playing...

"Green couch" picture. I couldn't resist.

Jen and Kennedy

Charlotte playing with Megan

Kennedy and Brandan

Cameron holding Megan

My New Book!

2007-03-24T10:50:00.000-03:00

Photo Sharing - Upload Video - Video Sharing - Share Photos

Celebrating Matt and Chloe's birthdays!

2007-03-19T22:13:00.000-03:00

Kennedy couldn't wait to play with her cousins Chloe and Breanna!

Uncle Mark with Chloe and Kennedy.

Aunt Pam and cousin Matt...opening his birthday envelopes!

Uncle Doug and Aunt Lisa playing with the girls...Kiana and Kennedy.

Now, this one may need some explanation...Marvin's mom has a wall with all twelve of her children's pictures hanging from oldest to youngest. This is Aunt Arlene, taking Kennedy through the list for her first time! Kennedy was very interested and followed Aunt Arlene carefully as she recited each name!

Pictures...

2007-03-19T21:53:00.000-03:00

Sleeping with my kitty...my cousins Melanie and CJ gave it to me!

Playing with Mommy...all smiles!

Playtime with Daddy!

Reading the new book my friends at Greenfield gave me. I'm having a drooly day... Notice Yazzy is sleeping behind me :)

Looking back...

2007-03-17T21:00:00.000-03:00

Marvin and I were looking back over some pictures and video from China and came upon this video clip. I don't think I shared it before. I know it's dark, but it captures the moment. This is within the first hour of meeting Kennedy. We walked back from the government office and went directly to our hotel room. You can see that I'm taking her THREE layers of clothes off. Knowing her the way we know her now, we realize how completely terrified she was in that moment. She was scared and didn't have a clue what was happening. It's actually sad for me to look back at the videos from Gotcha because like I said, I know how scared she was. No, she wasn't crying like the other babies, but I think that's the worst part. She was so sad, yet wouldn't let herself cry. The first cry she let out was after I undressed her and Marvin left the room to go and finish the paperwork. She cried so hard that I went looking for him...all she wanted was her daddy. When we found him she calmed down. The first couple of days she was completely glued to daddy.

Looking back over the pictures and video clips makes the trip seem like yesterday...in hindsight, it passed too quickly. Every now and again I like to go back over it in my mind. Marvin and I often talk about different parts of the trip, the people, the experiences. We just want to keep the memories alive...

Photo Sharing - Upload Video - Video Sharing - Share Photos

Playing with my cousins

2007-03-17T19:59:00.000-03:00

These are my sister's kids, Cody, Paige and Brett. They waited so long to meet their new cousin and boy, were they glad when she finally arrived! We went out to have supper with them (and their Golden Retreiver, Bailey) a couple of weeks ago. Kennedy had a ball! She loves her cousins and they LOVE her. They give her ALL the attention when she's around. Looking forward to many more get togethers.....

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

2007-03-17T19:53:00.000-03:00

So we got the snow that usually goes with St. Pat's day. Not too much, but enough to cover the ground. St. Patrick's Day was never a big celebration around our house, unless ofcourse you count when I was in University :) We always used St. Pat's day as an excuse to *socialize*....I do want to say a big "Happy St. Patrick's Day" to my friend Jennifer. It's one of her favorite days...hope you're having a good one Jen!

Tugging at my heart...

2007-03-16T21:57:00.000-03:00

If you ever had an inkling that international adoption was what you wanted to do, this will certainly pull at your heart strings. Brought me to tears. There are just so many children who need homes and ofcourse so many of us who need children...

The little girl in this video is Shaohannah "Shaoey" Chapman, daughter of musician Steven Curtis Chapman. Shaoey and her two sisters were adopted from China...get your kleenex ready.

Home for one month

2007-03-16T20:24:00.000-03:00

Yes, we've been home from China for one month. It seems like much longer than that in so many ways. It feels like so long ago that we were in China and even longer ago that Kennedy was passed into my arms. It's hard to believe that she was with someone else for 10 months. I think of how much she's changed in just one month...and how much she must have changed in those 10 months with her foster family. I wish they, and her birth family, could now how well she's doing now...

Since coming home, Kennedy has learned so many things. Uncle Mark taught her to feed herself. Aunt Kimmy D. taught her how to patty-cake. She sways when she hears music. She waves bye-bye and says bye-bye. She sits independently. She insists on feeding herself and refuses most things that are delivered by spoon :) She sleeps through the night, almost always :) She loves being with people. Her daddy puts her to sleep every night. We cannot imagine life without her ofcourse. We often just look at each other and say how much we love her...it's like so many people told us...they made a perfect match when they made us Kennedy's forever family...

My wonderful staff hosts a baby shower for us!

2007-03-16T19:56:00.000-03:00

On Wednesday, my staff hosted a baby shower for us! Wow! I've been to many, many of these and was overjoyed to finally sit in that rocking chair with my baby in my arms! Kennedy received so many beautiful gifts. Thank you to everyone at Greenfield! We love you all. You are the BEST!!! xoxo

Admiring the beautiful afghan our secretary, Judy, made for us.

Playing with the tissue paper...

Our dear friend, Crystal, handing us our gifts!

Miss Tina holding Trudy's baby girl, Megan.

Angie, Sherri and Bryn...looking forward to March Break, I think!

Meeting more friends!

2007-03-15T16:24:00.000-03:00

Lisa and her little girl, Olivia, came to visit us all the way from Woodstock!

Visiting with Aunt Rosie!

PEI-China get together

2007-03-11T21:26:00.000-03:00

Today we went to the China Star restaurant for a get together with other PEI families who have children from China. It's so much fun to see all the kids together. We've been going to these get-togethers for 2 years without a baby so it sure was nice to have Kennedy with us today. What's most fun is watching the older girls (4-5 year olds) chat and play with each other and the younger ones (2 year olds) run along behind them. The babies (Kennedy and Roshandra) are only interested in the food at this point!! Here are a couple of pictures...

Luca (Roshandra's big bro) with Lana (in front), Jane, Brielle, Julia and Emily

Kennedy was sooo excited to see her best friend Roshandra again. Both girls are battling sickness (cold/congestion), so when we're all feeling better a playdate is in order.

Clothing Police...

2007-03-10T13:49:00.000-04:00

Good thing the clothing police didn't catch us this day!! See Kennedy's BARE leg peaking out? The Chinese people do not think much of us Westerners not keep our babies all bundled up! Kennedy has her hat from Auntie Bev, Uncle Randolph and cousin Asia on!! Thanks guys. It kept her very warm on those cold days in Beijing.
(Thanks to Shea for sending us this picture!)

Love at first sight...

2007-03-10T13:42:00.000-04:00

Ofcourse, we loved her long before this moment, but you can imagine our excitement when we walked into the building where we would be getting our babies and there were FOUR of them sitting in the lobby. This picture was sent to me by a group member. I had my video camera running so I captured it on that, but didn't have any still pictures. From left to right is Ava, Claire, Maeve and Kennedy in the right hand corner. Marvin and I both agree that was the heart-stopping moment for us. It was panic because they were telling us to go upstairs but we were trying to figure out if these were our babies. Marvin and I knew right away that it was Kennedy...I was freaking out. Then we had to go upstairs WAIT for them to officially be brought to us. Ohhhhhhh what a day. Easily, the best day of my life.

On the mend...

2007-03-09T17:16:00.000-04:00

After a couple of days of feeling pretty miserable, our girl woke up on Friday feeling much better. The doc told us that she should feel better in a couple of days and that's exactly what it took. Marvin was working night shifts, so Kennedy and I slept together for a couple of nights. I felt like I had to have her beside me because when she coughed in her sleep, she had a hard time catching her breath. I had to physically sit her up to get her to start breathing okay (scary!) Anyhow, I wondered after a couple of nights sleeping with mama, if she'd go back to her crib okay. Thank goodness she did. Last two nights she's slept through in her crib. Marvin and I have managed to avoid this sickness, thank goodness. Although I do think a lot of it has to do with her teeth...she had two new ones come through in the last couple of days, so that's 6 teeth now: 3 on top and 3 on the bottom!

The Clow family hosted a baby shower for us last Sunday. We received many beautiful gifts. Here are some pics:

Sitting on Aunt Patricia's knee!

The awesome cake Auntie Pam made for me!

Mommy and Me...opening our gifts!

Sick Baby

2007-03-07T09:20:00.000-04:00

So we've had our first trip(of many, I'm sure)to outpatients. Yesterday at supper time Kennedy's fever really spiked, so off we went to the hospital. I figure we did pretty well. We got there at 4:45 and left at 8:00. They took us in quite quickly and did a urine test just to be sure...it took Kennedy a couple of hours to get her pee "out"!! People spend anywhere from 6-8 hours waiting to see a doctor there most days and the clinics were both closed last night so the place was packed. Kennedy sees our GP next week so we can get everything re-checked again. It all boiled down to the cold/flu that's going around plus a tiny bit of redness in her ear. So we got some meds and hopefully we're on our way to better health...

It's bloody freezing here...-30ish...

Visiting with the Clarks

2007-03-01T14:27:00.000-04:00

Today, my friend Leah and her three kids came for a visit. Leah and I go way back to high school and lived together during university. She brought us a huge load of clothes for Kennedy (Max won't be needing them!!). Thanks guys. We'll visit you next!

Lauren, Kennedy, Anna and Max

A close up of another new baby...Max!

And we thought the exersaucer was a blast...

2007-02-27T21:24:00.000-04:00

Photo Sharing - Upload Video - Video Sharing - Share Photos

I think I'll try Grammie's sink this time...

2007-02-27T21:21:00.000-04:00

Photo Sharing - Upload Video - Video Sharing - Share Photos

So many new friends!

2007-02-27T19:11:00.000-04:00

Teaching Brett how to use chopsticks:)

Rocking with Auntie Amy!

Sharing the chair with Auntie Amy and big cousin Cole!

Meeting my Great Grammie Milligan for the first time :)

Hanging out with the Porter family...Jill, Kevin, Kayl, Hayden and Karch!

Baby Mum-Mum

2007-02-24T13:11:00.000-04:00

This post is especially for Catherine and Cari. These are Baby Mum-Mums. You can buy them in grocery stores and drugstores, in the baby section. They come in individual packages with two pieces in each package. I don't leave home without them...

A Week At Home...

2007-02-24T08:56:00.000-04:00

We've now been home for a week. It's amazing how much things have changed over just 7 days...here are just a few things...
--Kennedy now puts food to her mouth. She didn't put anything to her mouth when we first got her. This was good in a lot of ways but we knew that developmentally this is one of the first things kids do...put things to their mouth in an effort to explore their environment. So thanks to Uncle Mark for teaching her that last Sunday :)

--Sitting up. Again when we first got her, she could not sit up on her own. After a week together in China, she was strong enough to sit on her own. She is now taking it one step further...she can pull herself up when she falls backward (she always has pillows behind her because she loves to "throw" herself back!!) She is just so much stronger now.

--Routine. Amen for routine. She is now, in just 7 days, a very predictable baby. Wakes up around 7-7:30. Breakfast. Playtime. Does her "business". A one hour nap somewhere around 10-10:30. Lunch. Playtime. 2 hours nap around 2:00. Supper. Playtime/Bathtime and bed @ 8pm. The beauty of it all is that she LOVES to get out and about and can fall asleep anywhere. Noise does not bother her. So we'll be on the go lots!

--Mum Mums are her ABSOLUTE favorite snack. If you need a minute to do something, just give her a mum mum. Cheerios come a close second.

--Constant runny nose. This hasn't let up since the second week of our trip. And she absolutely HATES when you try to wipe it :) It doesn't seem to be bothering her much. She's in a great mood, no fever, etc.

--She says mama and baba on occasion and has waved bye-bye a couple of times. Her hair is growing...we may have to go see Stacey for a trim soon!

A few pics:

Listening to some music on the plane from Beijing to Toronto!!

Playing with my cousin Taylor! He's a lot of fun!

Meeting my cousin Cole! He likes to hug me!

Danielle's Housewarming

2007-02-23T21:55:00.000-04:00

Tonight, Kennedy and I headed over to Danielle's for her housewarming party! It was so nice to see everyone from work and Kennedy loved playing with everyone, especially Mya, Sophie, Chloe, Savannah and Kennah! Yep, that's right, Kennah was there and I told Jen that I'm gonna post her picture!!!! So for everyone out there that's been waiting to see baby Kennah, here she is...

Okay, so it's not such a good picture of Kennah...I'll leave the close ups to Jen. I just wanted to prove to you all that I did meet her and hold her. She's sweet!

This is Mya and Kennedy playing "Rubbermaid dishes" together. Aren't they just the best toys?

Kennedy playing with Monette...we can't wait for Kennedy to meet Monette's girls, Julie and Isabelle

Kennedy with Jen. We switched babies for a bit!

Splish Splash!

2007-02-23T21:38:00.000-04:00

Photo Sharing - Upload Video - Video Sharing - Share Photos

Playing in my exersaucer

2007-02-23T16:11:00.000-04:00

...with Oprah in the background and mommy blogging....

Photo Sharing - Upload Video - Video Sharing - Share Photos

Bath Time

2007-02-23T14:44:00.000-04:00

Today Kennedy had her best bath time yet. Ofcourse, the big bathtub is just too big, the little baby bathtub, still a little big...but the sink is just right. Her favorite part is pouring the water over her hair to rinse out the shampoo!! Go figure. I remember screaming my head off when mom did that to me! Kennedy thinks it's fun. I think she's gonna like the pool this summer...

First hockey game (many more to come!)

2007-02-22T21:14:00.000-04:00

Tonight we took Kennedy to the rink to see her cousin, Brett, play hockey. She loved it! Brett even scored a goal for her! Kennedy got to meet lots of new people including many that have been following our blog. It's so nice when people come up to us and tell us they've been following along. Here are a few pics from our day...

Another great sleep!

2007-02-22T10:48:00.000-04:00

Yep! We got another great sleep last night. Miss K went to sleep at 8:30 and slept until 7:00! Cheers to that! She's really settling in now...more comforable with her surroundings and not as fussy as the first few days. She's met LOTS of people and that is when she's at her best. Like Aunt Marlene said, it's a good thing because in our family, there's always a crowd around.

I went to get our pictures developed yesterday...it took me over an hour. We have more than 400 pictures...that cost us a bundle, but it was well worth it.

The top photo is a picture of our entire group....absolutely fantastic people.

The bottom two pictures show Kennedy and I with our friends Raelene and Bryn; Shea and Caia. Raelene, Shea and I were in very close contact in the months leading up to our trip. They are both in Saskatchewan, so it was very hard to say goodbye, not knowing when we would meet again and when the girls would be together again...hopefully someday. We miss you guys!!!

Grandma visits!

2007-02-21T08:39:00.000-04:00

This morning Grammie Milligan is here to entertain Miss K. Did I mention that she LOVES to be entertained? The bigger the crowd, the better. She finds Marvin and I to be rather boring and would much prefer to be out and about visiting people. Social butterfly on our hands.

Last night Kennedy went to bed @ 8pm and slept through till 3:30. Then she came in with us and eventually fell asleep by about 5:00. We were then all awake by 6:30. So a little disrupted but still much better than it was. We'll take it.

Sleep..........

2007-02-20T13:56:00.000-04:00

It's amazing how much difference a good night of sleep makes. Since we got home, Kennedy had been sleeping in spurts through the night and having her big sleep during the day. So we decided to do our best to keep her up all day, with just a short nap, and put her to bed around 8ish. We did this on Sunday, with help from Aunt Kim, Uncle Mark and cousins Breanna and Chloe. Still, Sunday night she was waking up several times through the night, but I felt like we were heading in the right direction. Yesterday she had a couple of 1 hour naps and was ready for bed by 8pm last night. I went to bed at the same time, prepared to be woken up within a few hours. We I finally woke up, it was 4:30 a.m. I was so happy I could hardly get back to sleep. Now for the best part...Kennedy didn't wake until 8 a.m.!!! Then we got up and headed off to Greenfield School to see some friends, then to Aunt Kim's work...this afternoon our friend Ruth dropped by with some homemade soup and biscuits (Thanks Ruth) and we're heading to Grammie and Grampie Milligan's for supper! Will she make it through another night? We'll see...

We went to Charlottetown yesterday to welcome home Roshandra, Catherine and Kevin. It was Roshandra's birthday!! Nice to have everyone home safe and sound and start our new lives together...

Happy Chinese New Year!

2007-02-18T21:18:00.000-04:00

It's the year of the Pig! Happy New Year everyone!

Well, it's been a tough few days for all of us. Our clocks are confused, to say the least. Kennedy has her days and nights totally reversed so we are working hard at getting that turned around. Today we went to Grammie Clow's house where Kennedy played with her aunts, uncles and cousins ALL day. She loved it! She had a 45 minute cat nap around 3 o'clock and we managed to keep her up until 8pm so hopefully she'll sleep through until at least 5 or 6 a.m. The last two mornings she woke up at 3 o'clock and 1:30 so we're thinking it can only get better, right?

We are also all battling colds/sore throats. I was actually in such discomfort this a.m that I went to emergency only to find a FULL waiting room at 8 a.m. I knew I couldn't sit there all day so I came back home. Hopefully I'll feel better tomorrow.

Tomorrow we are heading to Charlottetown to welcome home the Stetson family. It is Roshandra's birthday tomorrow and we can't wait to see them again. We know their older children must be so anxious to finally meet their baby sister.

Thank you to everyone who has called, stopped by and sent messages. We still need a bit of time to get adjusted but we'll be up and on the go soon.

Home Sweet, Sweet Home!

2007-02-16T07:46:00.000-04:00

It is soooooooo good to be home. I have now been up for 36+ hours without a wink of sleep. We arrived home at 2 ish, greeted friends and family at the airport and off we went to Summerside...straight to McDonald's. I hadn't eaten for so long...about 36 hours I guess. The flights were delayed everywhere, we missed a connection, waited and waited and waited. Let's just say I don't want to go near an airport anytime soon. Carrying a baby through airports and on airplanes for what seemed like forever was exhausting, but worth it for sure!!

I'd like to thank the makers of the evenflo exersaucer for their wonderful invention. Kennedy loves it and I love it too!! It's now 8 a.m. Marv is getting some sleep and Kennedy is good to go. Marv is getting sick, so he needs rest more than I at this point.

Thank you to those who came to the airport to welcome us home. It was heartwarming to see so many people there. I know there were several others that had planned to come, but with our late arrival it was impossible to get there. We totally understand this. Thank you for your thoughts and well wishes.

Mom, thank you for cleaning our house and having it all ready for our return :)

And yes, today is my 35th birthday. Who knew I'd be bringing my girl home on my birthday. What an awesome gift.

Thanks for posting the pictures Sue!

A HUGE congratulations to Jeff, Jen and Savannah on the birth of Kennah! Can't wait to see you guys.

Special hello to our friends who travelled home with us from Beijing...Kathleen, Pat, Lucilla, Marcus and the beautiful Maeve! We miss you guys already. Thank you for your friendship throughout the trip and special thanks to Lucilla and Marcus for all your help each day! You are truly wonderful people!

I must make mention of our friends Bryan and Angela, who travelled from Moncton (took the day of work today!) to welcome us home. That means a lot to us! We cannot wait to share the details of our journey with you as you prepare to bring Ella home. xoxo

More to come...

MORE PICTURES!!!

2007-02-16T03:15:00.000-04:00

Here are some more pictures....what a cutie!!!

WELCOME HOME KENNEDY!!!

2007-02-16T03:08:00.000-04:00

Hi Everyone,
This is Sue, it is 3AM and I am just back from the airport to welcome Miss Kennedy Joy Clow to PEI!! She is absolutely beautiful....and what a little personality on her! The plane landed at 2AM and there was a good crowd there to welcome them home!! I just wanted to post a 'few' pictures of the Clow arrival and Carolyn will post as soon as she is up and running!! Congratulations........and WELCOME HOME KENNEDY!!!
Hugs and Kisses,
Sue

Last Night in China: Wednesday, February 14th

2007-02-14T11:16:00.000-04:00

Yes, it's hard to believe this is our last night in China. It is with a heavy heart that we take Kennedy from her homeland, all the while knowing that she will have a fresh start in our awesome country Canada with two parents who love her more than anything...

We are worn down and ready to return Summerside. The support we've received from our community has been tremendous, with people sharing our story with their friends and so on...Thank you from the bottom of our hearts!

And finally, our dear girl Kennedy, we bring you home to the wonderful people of Prince Edward Island. Finally...we are a family.

Thanks for following along everyone. You can continue to follow our journey when we return home. Stay tuned...

Tuesday, February 13 9:50 pm.

2007-02-12T11:01:00.000-04:00

Hi Everyone! We continue to take in the China sites...today we went to the silk store and chose to skip the pearl market and lunch as we were feeling pretty tired. Our AWESOME guide, Faye, hailed us a cab to take us back to the hotel. for about a 45 minute drive it cost us 7.50 canadian!! That means we could go from Summerside to Charlottetown for that price! Hilarious!!

We've been able to talk to Kim, Amy and Mom over the last day or so, so that's been nice. Kennedy has quite a runny nose. It's been an extremely hectic schedule this week so we're all a bit tired. Marv went out tonight and bought us another suitcase to take our treasures home in. We had planned on doing this as our other luggage was stuffed pretty full coming here and we knew we wouldn't have much room to take stuff home. Kennedy is allowed a suitcase, so that will work out just fine. Tomorrow we head to Tiananamen Square and the Forbidden City, then shopping again. Tomorrow evening Yulin is having the traditional going home party for the girls. It's hard to believe we'll be heading home in just a couple of days. We leave the hotel at 10:30 a.m. on thursday and fly out at 2:40pm. Ofcourse with the time change, we arrive home at 11pm, but really it will be about 24 hours in transit for us. We are praying that we can get home okay as the forecast doesn't look good :(

It will be hard to say goodbye to China, but harder to say goodbye to our travel group...The Stetson's and us are the only ones in the maritimes. Everyone else is Ontario west so it will be difficult to see each other. But with the amazing world of internet, we will be able to keep in touch.

Thank you all so much for your continued support! It's so exciting to read all the messages and know how many people watching our journey. We cannot wait to see you all when we return to Summerside.

Lots of Love from Beijing,
Carolyn, Marv and Kennedy

Pictures...I hope this works!!

2007-02-12T02:38:00.000-04:00

Arrival in Charlottetown on Thursday at 11pm

2007-02-12T00:31:00.000-04:00

Hi again everyone! I just checked the PEI weather for Thursday, and what do ya know? Snow and blowing snow. As we all know, things can change in a hurry so we'll keep watching.

Our flight number is Air Canada 7676 from Montreal due into Charlottetown at 11:05. You never know with flight delays etc., so you can keep posted on the internet by checking if we're on time. In the case of a major storm, mom and dad STAY PUT!! We already made plans for Sue and Marty to come and get us. We will stay at their house for the night. The last thing I would want is to be driving through a storm at midnight!! So, we will give a call home once we get to Canada and make plans from there.

Monday, February 12, 2007

2007-02-12T00:19:00.000-04:00

Hi Everyone. This is a rare moment when the internet is actually working for me. I considered pitching the computer out the window a few times, but luckily I didn't...

Everything continues to go very well. Kennedy is behaving very typically for her age...squirming, babbling, laughing, flirting...We had our medical exam this morning. She LOVED the doctor and he quite liked her too! She was a very good girl. No needles Stephanie...so that was good!! Yesterday we visited the Great Wall, a truly awesome sight and the Jade Factory. Absolutely beautiful jewellery, but quite expensive.

This afternoon we are having Kennedy's photos done by a photographer. Another family in our group had them done and we just couldn't resist. So many things here are once in a lifetime opportunities so we want to do everything! Tonight we are going to an acrobat show. Tomorrow will be lots of shopping. We are going to the pearl market. (Marvin is speaking mandarin to kennedy right now...he learned how to say DADDY loves you...she smiles!)

McDonald's was good...tastes just like home.

I will not even attempt to load pictures. When I get home, I will post lots of photos from the trip...

Can't wait to get home to see everyone.
Lots of Love from China
The Clow Family

internet gone bad.....................

2007-02-11T06:35:00.000-04:00

hi all....we're all doing well...I have a girl on my knee so I'm doing this FAST. Marv just went on a mcdonald's run. Yay! We're CRAZY busy here in Beijing. lots of sight seeing, less paperwork. the internet is bad here so i don't know how much i can post. i just got back into my sympatico account so keep sending messages. kennedy is now a squirmy monkey!! more later i hope

xox

Beijing

2007-02-09T19:53:00.000-04:00

Well, it's now 8 a.m on Saturday morning in Beijing. We didn't get to our rooms until about 11:00 last night. Needless to say we were ALL tired. Let's just say the plane ride was interesting. Kennedy slept for the first half hour and cried for the last half hour...she wanted no part of a bottle, so perhaps her ears were bothering her...she was also tired because she had interrupted naps all day. We have another busy day scheduled today, so we'll see how it all goes. Internet service is not quite as good here as in Nanchang. It's slower for sure. Hopefully it all works out okay. It also costs to use the internet in our rooms here. In Nanchang it was FREE. But that's okay...I'm willing to pay it to keep in touch with home...

Again, thanks for the e-mails and comments on the blog. We are getting anxious to get home now. 5 more sleeps

Last few hours in Nanchang

2007-02-09T00:38:00.000-04:00

We are just back from getting Kennedy's Chinese passport. We have packed our things and are ready to head out to Beijing. It's with mixed emotions that we leave Jiangxi, Kennedy's birth province. Hopefully, one day, we'll be back again. Goodbye Nanchang and thank you for our beautiful daughter...

Happy baby:

Photo Sharing - Upload Video - Video Sharing - Share Photos

IT'S A BOY!

2007-02-08T21:52:00.000-04:00

Our friends, Leah and Todd, have a baby boy! I don't know any more details at this point, but I will let you all know when I do. This is a little brother for Anna and Lauren. Congratulations to the Clark Family!!!!!

Another site to follow!

2007-02-08T08:39:00.000-04:00

I have another site for you all to follow. The Hendricksen family is travelling with us. There are two big sisters on this trip with us: Kate, daughter of Aggie and Rob and Helena (Hendricksen), daughter of Beth and James. You can check out Beth, James, Helena and baby Ava's site
here!

Raelene, Girard and Bryn

2007-02-08T08:19:00.000-04:00

This post is for everyone, but especially for Raelene and Girard's family and friends. Hope you all enjoy these pictures. Bryn in an absolute doll!

Another great day in Nanchang

2007-02-08T05:36:00.000-04:00

Today we went to the Tengwang Temple. It was a sight to see. I was exhausted afterward as I carried kennedy for about one hour as we toured around. We took our stroller but there were so many steps that we left it at the bottom. We made a few purchases and then it was off to dinner at a local restaurant. I'm very tired tonight...better get to bed early. We fly to Beijing tomorrow afternoon. It will be interesting to see how Kennedy enjoys the flight. Hopefully internet will not be a problem in Beijing...this will be my last post until we get things up and running there. Here are some pictures for you all!

Our friend's sites...go visit them too!

2007-02-07T11:26:00.001-04:00

Hi everyone, why not add a couple more blogs to your reading list. These are some people that are here with us:

Patrick and Kathleen with Maeve:
Enjoy!
Shea and her mom Darlene with Caia
http://thegiftofyou.blogspot.com

kevin and Catherine with Roshandra
www.thestoryofyou.com/roshandra.html

Monica and Paul with Claire
http://monicapaulclairew.blogspot.com

These folks are also in China now too, but not with our group. I haven't met them yet but have been following their blogs and we'll be on the plane home with them if we don't meet before hand:

Debbie and Kirk with Olivia
http://bringinghomeolivia.blogspot.com

The Carmody family
http://carmodyadopt.blogspot.com

I LOVE noodles!!!!

2007-02-07T11:14:00.000-04:00

This is Kennedy enjoying her noodles. When we eat at restaurants, the babies eat noodles, steamed eggs or congee(rice paste). So here she is sucking them in. she ate the whole bowl!

Photo Sharing - Upload Video - Video Sharing - Share Photos

Wednesday, February 7th 10:30 in China

2007-02-07T10:32:00.000-04:00

I decided to title this with the date because, truthfully, I cannot keep track of the day here, the day in PEI, the time difference etc. Also, I get up so early in the morning that I can't remember if I posted today or yesterday or what. So here it is...another day in the life of Kennedy...

today, we went to an amusement park. We stayed for about 1.5 hours. It was very nice to get out and about. The weather was warm. Marv and I wore short sleeves. That drew some attention. The locals are dressed like you all back on PEI in -30 degree weather. That's so interesting to me. The local babies in the park we bundled like you wouldn't believe. All the babies wear "split pants". That is the pants have a huge split in the crotch. So big that you can see their bums when they walk. When they need to "go", they just go. No need for diapers! We were told that all our babies are potty trained. Just put them on the potty, whistle and they go. This has happened for several families in the group, but not our girl. We tried it, but she didn't go. so diapers it is for us!

For lunch we went to a local chinese restaurant...there's a big round "lazy susan" type thing in the middle of the table. Our guide ordered us a bunch of different dishes and they take them out and put them on the table. We all scoop from it into our own plates. It wasn't bad, but I'm not really into the authentic chinese food. I just don't have a taste for it. But I'm not starving either. A little here and there is enough to get by.

Back to gotcha day, the experience of being in that building witnessing all those babies coming in with their caretakers is something I will never forget. Ofcourse, all I can think of is the other babies that don't have homes yet. It's an overwhelming feeling to think of all the babies left behind.

Kennedy continues to be a complete angel. Days would be long with a screaming child, but this girl is pleasant always. She's a joy to take out and about. Loves to socialize. She had 2 friends over to play tonight: Bryn and Caia.

Here are some pics. Hope you enjoy them.
Loving hearing from you all.
xox from China.
All bundled up at the park

Local man and his baby talking to Kennedy

Kennedy and I at the Chinese restaurant

Local ladies talking to Kennedy

Falling asleep on Daddy's shoulder

Asleep in my stroller...when I'm asleep, nothing wakes me up!

Mommy and Kennedy

Trying on my ladybug hat from Bryan and Angela. I love it!

Asleep...again. Mom takes lots of pics of me sleeping.

Kevin and Catherine talking with the locals.

Strike a pose...

Happy baby!

Message for Staff and Students of Greenfield

2007-02-06T09:43:00.000-04:00

Hi to everyone at Greenfield School! I miss everyone there very much and I cannot wait to take Kennedy in to see everyone. Thank you so much for your support, it means more than you know. To my kids in grade two, you are going to love Kennedy. I'm sure she will be more than willing to sit on your knee, just like you hoped. I love you all. See you soon...
Mrs. Clow
xox

tidbits from Jiangxi, China

2007-02-06T09:22:00.000-04:00

Hi all...a hodge-podge of things floating around in my head. Thought I'd share:

-Kennedy is in her crib tonight. Rule of thumb: don't try to lay her down AFTER she's fallen asleep. Serious crying ensues...if you put her down happy, she may only need reassurance once or twice to settle. She fights sleep desperately. It takes her awhile, but once she's out, she's out cold!

-Marvin and I cannot get over the day she had today. Nothing but laughing and smiles. If this is her overall personality coming out, all I can say is WOW!

-She's starting sticking her fingers in her ears today. We'll keep an eye on that...she wasn't fussy at all so we'll keep our fingers crossed that it's nothing.

-She sucks the pointer finger on each hand...one at a time, which ever is closer. It is very cute. Only does this when she's tired. I sucked my thumb until grade 6...hope she doesn't keep it up that long.

-She is now ASLEEP in her crib and Daddy is asleep on the bed. Double knock-out.

-Yes, my friends, there is Pepsi in Nanchang...both can and plastic bottle...as usual, the can is better.

-Our hotel is 5 star and very nice here in Nanchang (which is in the province of Jiangxi). On Friday, we head back to Beijing...

-I just can't explain how much all these messages have meant to us. Besides looking at my daughter, it is the best part of my day when I read those messages. We feel so much love heading our way, it makes being so far away much easier. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts. We are TOTALLY feeling the love.

this is the lobby of our hotel...beautiful!

more pics

2007-02-06T09:07:00.000-04:00

This picture was taken when we got back from getting Kennedy on Monday. As you can see, they dress the babies in layers...many layers. It's 26-27 degrees here and people are dressed in two layers, at least, and buttoned to the neck. Marvin wanted to wear shorts to the park tomorrow...Ummm I don't think so. You know what they say, "When in Rome..."

This is a picture of the gentleman who brought Kennedy to us on Gotcha day. When we walked into the building, three men were sitting there holding babies. We knew right away that one was Kennedy. The man was smiling at us like perhaps he had seen our picture and knew we were her parents. We also saw him that evening when we went to do paperwork. He waved and smiled at her. No wonder she loves men so much.

Happy Baby!

2007-02-06T01:25:00.000-04:00

Well today has been an AMAZING day so far. It's 1:30p.m. Kennedy awoke this morning just after I finished writing the last post...about 4 a.m. She just laid there looking at Marvin for the longest time. We layed all three of us in the bed and she seemed very content. Then, at 5 a.m. we decided we'd awake and get ready to start our day (we had a busy schedule of meetings). Well, as soon as we propped her up, she was laughing and smiling and has done nothing but for the day so far. She had an entire bottle of formula (Chinese style!! I made it and she liked it...yay!)She ate some rice cereal and some cheerios and mum mums. So no more troubles on the food front. We figure she was beyond exhausted last night and that, along with her new parents, made for a tricky evening...

As with all new parents, we are head over heals in love. More than one person here in China and on the blog have commented that she looks like me...I like to think so!!

Today, we officially adopted Kennedy. When they asked us if we "liked her" ofcourse we replied yes. Funny.

We went to Walmart...interesting. Very busy. No one speaks English :)

Here are a couple of videos from this a.m. Couldn't resist...

Photo Sharing - Upload Video - Video Sharing - Share Photos

Photo Sharing - Upload Video - Video Sharing - Share Photos

It's almost 4 a.m...

2007-02-05T15:53:00.000-04:00

Hi everyone. It's almost 4 a.m. Kennedy went to sleep at 10:00 and has been snug as a bug in a rug ever since. Marv and I both woke at 3, but he's back to sleep. I decided to get up and do some blogging...

So last night was pretty stressful for our girl. Obviously, she was exhausted. She wouldn't have anything to do with food so we just focused on comforting her and helping her get to sleep. It was that kind of cry where every now and again she just was overwhelmed with sadness, I think. All in good time. We totally are prepared for this grieving process. The Kennedy that you see in the pictures at the government offices is the "I'm not gonna cry in front of all these people" girl. Seems she has reserved that for here in the room. We're dedicating our time here all to her so he knows we'll be here for her...

We're going to breakfast @ 7 and then leaving at 8:30 to do more paperwork, etc. At some point today, I have to mix some kind of concoction that she will eat... they gave us formula and rice powder but she wanted no part of what i mixed yesterday. It's hard to get the right consistency, the right temperature (these babies are known to like their formula HOT!) Oh well, we'll get it right eventually.

BTW, when we got Kennedy, they gave us a gift...a glass ornament type thing, but no camera. But when Marvin went down last night to do the paperwork, voila, there it was! And Cindy, our guide is getting them developed for us. Can't wait to see those!

Once again, the messages we are receiving are awesome! Our site is obviously being passed around which warms my heart. We'll talk more soon. I think our girly is waking up!!
xox
Carolyn, Marvin and Kennedy

Video

2007-02-05T08:59:00.000-04:00

So here's the video...let's just say it was CRAZY in there with people videotaping etc, and the officials were passing things to Marvin, so it's a little all over the place, but hey, that's kinda how this whole process works. Enjoy.

Photo Sharing - Upload Video - Video Sharing - Share Photos

PICTURES

2007-02-05T07:56:00.000-04:00

We have her!!!!

2007-02-05T06:26:00.000-04:00

Can't type for long with one hand...kennedy is sleeping in my arms. Marv is downstairs okay, I just had to stop and go downstairs to where Marvin is doing paperwork...Kennedy is without a doubt a DADDY'S GIRL!!! She only wants him!!! She came in this morning with a man, so that probably explains a lot! Which warms my heart because I will be home with her for so long and Marv will be working...I just knew she'd be a daddy's girl.

I'm gonna try to upload pics and video now. I'll post them within the hour if possible. Ofcourse, I have tons more to tell you. And I will, as soon as Kennedy goes for a snooze!

Lots of Love,
Carolyn, Marvin and Kennedy

THE COUNTDOWN...3 HOURS

2007-02-05T00:56:00.000-04:00

HI EVERYONE!!! I'M WRITING IN CAPITAL LETTERS BECAUSE WE'RE SOOOOOOOOOO EXCITED RIGHT NOW!!! MARVIN IS BESIDE HIMSELF, PACING AROUND, WONDERING IF WE HAVE WHAT WE NEED. THE OFFICE WHERE WE GO TO GET KENNEDY IN 3 HOURS IS JUST ACROSS THE STREET, SO WE WILL LEAVE HERE AT 3:30. I HAVE SO MUCH TO TELL YOU, BUT NOT THE TIME FOR EVERYTHING RIGHT NOW. I'M TAKING NOTES SO I'LL BRIEF YOU ON EVERYTHING WHEN I HAVE THE TIME...THE GOOD NEWS IS WE HAVE INTERNET TILL FRIDAY IN OUR ROOM AND FREE!!!!!!!!!!!!!! YOU KNOW THAT MAKES MOMMY HAPPY!!!!

I DO HAVE TO SAY THANKS FOR ALL THE E-MAILS. WE ARE READING EVERY SINGLE ONE AND WE ARE OVERWHELMED WITH ALL THE SUPPORT. JUST SO YOU KNOW, MY SYMPATICO ADDRESS IS WORKING LIKE A CHARM SO FAR, SO IF YOU WANT TO E-MAIL ME SOMETHING PERSONAL, GO AHEAD.

TO SUMMARIZE THE LAST FEW DAYS...
-WAY TOO MUCH FLYING...
-INTERESTING CUISINE, TO SAY THE LEAST
-LITTLE SLEEP, BUT FEELING GOOD
-NO SICKNESS TO SPEAK OF, THANK YOU GOD

STAY TUNED...PICTURES OF KENNEDY TO COME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
P.S. FOR ALL THOSE WHO KNOW THE STETSONS, THEY ARE DOING WELL ALSO! BIG HI TO KAIO AND LUCA AT HOME!!

Can you believe Blogger?

2007-02-03T11:52:00.000-04:00

OMG....so blogger wouldn't let me sign in today without going to the new blogger (as far as I could understand) so I hope it works from here on in....
It's 8:00 a.m. and we're meeting the shuttle to the airport @9:00.
Next post from Beijing.
xo
Carolyn

VANCOUVER!!

2007-02-03T05:17:00.000-04:00

Hi Everyone!
It's Saturday morning at 1 a.m in Vancouver. For us it's actually 5 a.m. as our clocks are still on PEI time. Everything has gone smoothly so far. A little wing de-icing in Charlottetown and again in Montreal. We actually waited for about an hour in Montreal sitting in the plane. You gotta get in line there to get your wings de-iced!!! Not in good ole Charlottetown :)
When we arrived in Vancouver, we had a heart-stopping moment as we waited for our luggage. We were waiting for FOUR large suitcases and they all came out one after another...except one...the one with all our baby supplies!!! I prayed to god and St. Anthony and it wasn't but 10 seconds and there it was! Phew! I think it was the very last suitcase to come down.
The shuttle came to pick us up from the airport and take us to the hotel. The gentleman that picked us up is originally from Hong Kong. When we told him we were going to adopt a little girl he said, "If you ask me, that's a very good thing. She will have a good life here." That made me feel good. I always felt a sadness in my heart for taking Kennedy from her homeland, but when the Chinese people express their approval, it makes my heart feel much better.
When we arrived at the hotel, Raelene, one of our travelmates who I have been talking with for several months over e-mail, was waiting for us in the lobby. I knew she would be. It was like meeting an old friend. I can't wait to talk to her more tomorrow. Everyone else was, understandably, all tucked in for the night...
So into my nightdress and onto the computer. Took me a minute to get the whole thing up and running, but you knew I'd prevail, didn't you? I'm long winded now, don't know what I'll be like when my 10 month old daughter is crawling all over me!!
Marv is stretched out on the bed flicking channels...he says hi to everyone back home.
THANK YOU, THANK YOU , THANK YOU, to everyone who is sending us messages. Please, please keep them coming. It's the first thing I did when I got this internet up and going. Don't have any pictures yet, but I'll send some when we get to China.
There are a lot of people who've done and said a lot of special things over the last several days. Too numerous to mention, I'd be afraid to miss someone. Every single phone call, e-mail message, send off at the airport, spending time with us over the last week. Thank you. Every little gesture has been felt in our hearts.
Talk to you when we arrive in China.
All our love,
Marvin and Carolyn

And away they goooooo........

2007-02-02T19:07:00.000-04:00

Hi guys, It's Sue!! We just saw Marvin and Carolyn off at the airport!! They are both really anxious to just get there and meet their daughter......I am attaching a picture of them just minutes before they boarded!!!
So all we have to do now, is sit back and wait to get some news from them. Hope everyone has a great weekend!!!
Cheers,
Sue

We're off!!

2007-02-02T12:00:00.000-04:00

Just a quick note to let you all know we're ready to hit the road!! We're going to have some lunch with mom, dad, kim and amy, then we'll head to Charlottetown. I will check back in with you all in Vancouver, hopefully.

Thank you to everyone for all the messages and phone calls (Jacqueline gave us our wake-up call this morning!!...soon 7:30 will be mid-morning to us too!)It means so much to us. Trust that we are reading each message, although we may not be able to respond.

We will post as often as we can from China!
All our love,
Carolyn and Marvin

Happy February!!!

2007-02-01T12:06:00.000-04:00

February is finally here. It has always been my favorite month, interesting that it ends up being the month we travel to China to bring home Kennedy. It's the month of LOVE and it's my birthday on the 16th. My mother-in-law also celebrates this month. It's her 80th birthday tomorrow!! So lots of celebrating this month.

Interesting note: Strange as this may seems, I mentioned to Marvin a few weeks back that one of my main concerns while travelling is being cold. Those who know me know that I'm basically cold for 10 months of the year. We had been checking the weather in Beijing and Nanchang since December 11 (when we found out where we would be travelling). The temperature in both places was very similar to what we were experiencing here...about 5 to 10 degrees on either side of zero. WELL, over the past week, Nanchang has "heated up" shall we say? The forecast for Monday and Tuesday (we will be there Monday to Friday) is 23 and 25 degrees!!!!! Awesome, now I don't have to worry about being cold. However, I do need to re-pack because I packed mostly turtle necks!! So we are now packing for two very different climates...guess we better figure it out soon. China here we come!

Makin' a list, checkin' it twice...

2007-01-30T22:39:00.000-04:00

I've been roaming around Shopper's Drugmart every evening for about a week. I'm sure they're starting to wonder about me, although the people at the pharmacy already know me :) They've filled my prescriptions and been most helpful in every way.

I've made more lists than you can imagine. Each night I revise the list(s) and set out the next day with a new one. As of right now, there is only a very small list left...nothing that I have to go out for, just things that I need to do here at home before we leave.

Today I went to work to see my co-workers and my kids. Wow, absence makes the heart grow fonder! My kids gave me a BIG group hug. I think they were wondering how come I didn't have Kennedy with me. One little guy said "how is your baby?" I promised them I will take her to see them as soon as I can when we get home. It was awesome to see my co-workers too. They've all been so supportive and are as excited as we are!

Wednesday evening I'm having supper with my mom and two sisters. I'm really looking forward to that.

We are closely watching the weather for Friday. We fly out of Charlottetown (approx.1 hour drive away) @ 6:30. Right now the forecast is for some kind of snow/rain mix. Pray that it passes us by so we can get to the airport and on that plane. I love snow, but not Friday, please!!

Mom is coming over again tomorrow for one last day of organizing. She's the best. I'm so lucky to have a mother like her! I love you mom!

That's all for now.

Childhood Idol

2007-01-29T21:19:00.000-04:00

Marvin and I just finished watching the retirement of Ken Dryden's jersey. Marvin, who is also a goalie, LOVED Ken Dryden growing up and ofcourse loved the Habs too. It was like a walk down memory lane for Marvin. As they showed the clips from the 70's, Marvin had the biggest grin on his face ever...he remembered all those moments.

Now back to packing....

Temperature

2007-01-29T07:51:00.000-04:00

Well, well, well. We've been watching the temperature in both Beijing and Nanchang for the past couple of months...things have been warming up in both cities. As of this week, the daytime temperature in Nanchang has been as high as 17 celcius!! The daytime temperature in Beijing is as high as 8 celcius. That's great news, as I'm ALWAYS cold. It does make packing a little challenging however. Not so much for us, but for what to bring for Kennedy...

The links for the weather in Beijing and Nanchang are:
Beijing--http://www.wunderground.com/global/stations/54511.html
Nanchang--http://www.wunderground.com/global/stations/58606.html

Have a great week everyone!!

Leaving for China in FIVE days!!

2007-01-28T19:08:00.000-04:00

Oh yeah, we're leaving in FIVE days! When you wait almost two years, it's hard to comprehend five days...

Finally today we started packing. Wow! That little girl requires a LOT of stuff! We'll have 4 large suitcases and two carry-ons when all is said and done. Then, on the way home, Kennedy is allowed a suitcase. So if we accumulate much stuff along the way, we can purchase another suitcase there.

My mom is coming over tomorrow to help me get organized. She's also gonna come back on Wednesday. Hopefully by then, we'll be almost ready and we can just enjoy each other's company for a bit.

Exciting week coming up. I'll keep ya posted!

TESTING 1...2...3!!!

2007-01-26T19:46:00.000-04:00

Hi Everyone,
For those who don't know me....I am Carolyn's roommate of 9 ish years!! I will be in charge of posting entries if Carolyn has any problems while in China.....wow.....only 7 more sleeps Carolyn and Marvin!!!! Can you believe it!!! We are all so excited to meet Kennedy.....she is so loved already......she has a whole Island of family and friends just waiting to see her!
Anyway, I am going to post a couple of pics of my 2 girls....Keno 5 and Darcie 3, to make sure I know what I am doing!! I look forward to talking to you all and to Marvin and Carolyn......best of luck on your journey, we love you both very much and can't wait to meet your new 'addition'........
Love Sue

Tennis

2007-01-26T14:31:00.000-04:00

Guess all you tennis fans out there(probably few and far between I'm guessing) figured out that no, I did not watch the women's final of the Australian Open last night at 10:30. I waited and was all ready to stay up late, since I don't have to work and...no tennis. It's TONIGHT that it's on. So I will stay up late tonight with some munchies and enjoy the tennis. Marvin has to work right up until Thursday morning so he's got a busy stretch ahead. Then he'll be off for about a month (with the exception of about 3 days), so we're looking forward to that.

It's very cold here today...about -30 with the wind chill. BRRRR....makes me want to stay inside and....pack perhaps? I'm procrastinating a bit. Time to do a trial run.

First Day Off / The Countdown: 8 days to Travel, 11 days to Kennedy!

2007-01-25T20:08:00.000-04:00

Today was my first offical day off work. We slept in until 9:00! Getting all the sleep we can, while we can. Then off to the bank to finish up some business. I met Jen for lunch. We felt like two school girls skipping class! It's hard to believe we've taught side-by-side for 4.5 years and now we're off at the same time. It's the best really. We cannot wait to have our babies home and do some playdates together. Marvin and I also went shopping and bought new sneakers for our trip. We were both in desperate need of footwear that would get us through the trip. We are only bringing one pair of footwear each so hopefully they will be comfortable with all the touring we will be doing.

Last night we went to Charlottetown to have supper with Marty and Sue. It was so nice to get together with them. We don't do it often enough, that's for sure. Thanks for the great evening guys!

So it's about time to start packing the bags. I'll keep you posted on the progress. The challenging part is that the restricitions on weight are different from Canada to Beijing and then Beijing to Nanchang so we have to leave basically half of our luggage behind in Beijing. Also, we just found out that for our first night in Beijing, we may only have our carry-ons available to us since we are flying out the very next morning. Are you confused? I am. I'm terrified to put something that I will NEED in a bag I won't have access to for awhile. Anyhow, lots of people have done it before us, so I'm sure we'll figure it all out...

Gotta do some tidying and get ready for the women's final of the Australian Open at 10:30...my days of watching 3 hour tennis matches may be coming to a halt. Hope Kennedy is a sports fan like us.

For those hoping for snow tomorrow (you know who you are), my fingers are crossed!

Pictures!

2007-01-21T01:26:00.000-04:00

Marvin and Paul putting up the stair railing...

The gathering of Kennedy's "stuff"

An assorment of luggage to choose from...

Kiana anxiously waits to meet her cousin Kennedy

Itinerary: China February 2007!

2007-01-20T23:18:00.000-04:00

On Friday we received our final package of information from our agency in Ottawa. Overwhelming amount of information, as usual. It comes in waves like this so we have to read a bit, do a few things, then go back and read a bit again. Our Travel Approval, also known as "Notice of Coming" also arrived at our government office on Thursday. This document is the single most important item to bring with us as we need to present it in order to receive our daughter.

Here's what our itinerary looks like:
Friday, Feb. 2-6:30pm-depart Charlottetown for Vancouver
Friday, Feb. 2-10:30pm(pacific) arrive Vancouver
Saturday, Feb. 3-12:30pm-depart Vancouver for Beijing
Sunday, Feb. 4-Arrive at Beijing Airport Hotel in the p.m.
Monday, Feb. 5-11:30-depart for Nanchang
2:00-arrive in Nanchang
4:00-RECEIVE CHILD IN THE GOVERNMENT OFFICE!!!!!!
Tuesday, Feb. 6-Registration, Notarization at the Provincial Government Office
Wednesday, Feb. 7-Visit the Tengwang Temple
Thursday, Feb. 8-Receive the children's adoption documents
Friday, Feb. 9-10:30-Receive children's passports
6:15-Leave for Beijing
8:35-Arrive in Beijing
Saturday, Feb. 10-Children's Photos
Group Picture
Beijing Zoo
Summer Palace
Sunday, Feb. 11-The Great Wall
Monday, Feb. 12-Medical Exam for the children
Shopping
Tuesday, Feb.13-Silk Store
Indoor Market
Wednesday, Feb. 14-Tiananmen Square
Forbidden City
Thursday, Feb. 15-10:30-Leave for airport
2:40-Depart for Toronto
pm-arrive in Toronto
11:30(atlantic time) ARRIVE IN CHARLOTTETOWN!!!!

Friday, February 16-MY 35TH BIRTHDAY!!!!!

So there it is. I have very big hopes about being able to blog while in China. I've heard various feedback about internet connections there so we'll do the very best we can. My friend Sue is going to be running this show if I cannot do it from China. Also we have our website www.marvinandcarolyn.ca that will have the same posts on it.

3 days of work/ 13 days to departure/ 16 days to Kennedy Joy!

2007-01-20T12:28:00.000-04:00

I know I haven't been diligent with posting lately...it feels like I don't know what to say anymore...I'm obsessing on my countdowns ofcourse:) I've had two baby showers which were very exciting. My friends at school are as excited as we are. Our families are counting down with us...my mother is on standby, waiting for me to finish work so we can start the major task of packing...I have two best friends (Leah and Jen) who are getting ready to have babies...I'm guessing they'll both be born while we're away. We'll be anxiously awaiting e-mail updates on them. We met with our friends the Gillis Family for pizza and China tips last week. Their daughter Jane crawled right up onto Marvin's knee and proceded to show him all the pictures from their trips to China. Today, Marvin and brother-in-law Paul are putting a railing on the stairs...That's right. For 7.5 years we haven't had a railing on our stairs, we just zip up and down them, pile things on them etc. Well, parenthood has turned us around. Now there will be a railing with baby gates at the top and bottom. That will put everyone's mind to rest (I've had some gentle reminders from my "mommy" friends to get a railing on those stairs, not to mention my dad will have an easier time of it now too!) I just told Paul and Marvin that they will have to pose for a picture...they just looked at me and kept on working :) Don't think they want their picture taken.

So we've been to the pharmacy to load up on the medicines we need, both prescription and over-the-counter. That was interesting. Once again, we became lost in the baby isles. We sincerely hope we'll figure this all out when finally have her. Can you do trial and error with a live baby? We're taking some formula with us and are told we can get it there also, along with diapers. It's very hard for me to go with only half of what we need...I'm the type that likes to know I have everything, just incase...

That's all for now. The next 13 days will be interesting. I'll try to post more frequently.

Thank you, Thank you, Thank you!!!

2007-01-14T22:41:00.000-04:00

...to everyone that attended the baby shower at my mom and dad's house today! Wow! I couldn't get over how many people were there and all the gifts! A big thanks to my mom and sisters who put it all together. We now have lots of very useful things to take with us to China and to have waiting for us when we get home. We also got gift cards and money that will come in very handy as there are still several things we need to get before we leave. Special thanks to Donna and Brenda for coming so far for just a couple of hours. It means a lot! xo

Kennedy's Baby Picture!

2007-01-13T14:27:00.000-04:00

We received this picture of Kennedy at just a few days old. It states:
Yu Cai Jiao
A girl
She was born on April 1, 2006
She was taken into care on April 4, 2006
She has a pleasing face and light skin

I love that we have this picture of her as an infant. It was like getting her referral photos all over again when we opened the package and saw this photo! I just want to kiss her nose and squeeze her cheeks!

LOST! The Countdown: Day 20

2007-01-13T13:09:00.000-04:00

I woke up in a sweat this morning. I had a dream that I was lost in an airport. Marvin had left me to go and do something so I was pushing a cart FULL of luggage and trying to find my gate. Every time I stopped to ask someone where to go, they told me just to follow the signs. But for some reason, I couldn't see any signs. All of the sudden my Aunt Natalie(Milligan) appeared! She was working at the airport. She said come with me and we started running (I was running with a cart full of luggage!). That's when I woke up. Good grief! One thing is for sure: We can find our way out of Charlottetown airport and we'll be following our group for the rest of the ride, so no worries, unless ofcourse none of us know what we're doing!

20 days until we leave. It's just crazy that it's that close. I will be finishing work on January 24, so 8 days left with my kids(like my sisters have said, I'm now obsessed with countdowns!). They are so excited to meet Kennedy. I can't wait to take her to school. Some of the grade 6 girls that I taught 4 years ago stopped me in the hall the other day and were asking me about the trip and when we leave, etc. They all saw Kennedy's picture and they can't wait to meet her too! So many people are waiting to see our baby. Stepping back onto PEI soil with her is going to be fantastic!

appreciation

2007-01-08T19:58:00.000-04:00

A big thankyou to all of you who took the time to send me a 40th birthday reply. you are all definitely right, this year will be the best, can't wait to receive my beautiful daughter( 27 days ). Thanks carolyn for the nice present of soliciting these 40ish birthday wishes. NICE TOUCH. LOVE MARV XO

40 Wishes for Marvin see update below

2007-01-06T22:13:00.000-04:00

SShhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!

Marvin's 40th birthday is on Monday, January 8. I would love to gather 40 birthday wishes for him right here on Kennedy's blog. So PLEASE take a minute and leave a comment here or sign the guestbook. I'll show it to him on Monday. Then maybe, just maybe, he'll make a guest appearance on the blog to thank you all!!

**Update**Okay everyone, it's Monday morning...the big day. We're halfway to 40 wishes. I know many of you won't see this until work today, so p-l-e-a-s-e take a minute and jot down a happy b-day to Marvin. I'm heading off to work (after two weeks off...) so I'll check back in when I return home tonight, then I'll show him the results.

SURPRISE!! It's your baby shower!

2007-01-06T15:47:00.000-04:00

Yep! That's right...my friends held a surprise baby shower for me last night! I had no clue it was going to happen. We were going out for our annual Christmas get-together. It was postponed from before Christmas to last night.

We went to the Pilot House in Charlottetown for supper. I went to the washroom and when I came back there was a huge pile of gifts in my place. Funniest thing is I hadn't even noticed them carrying it all in. We had exchanged names for Christmas, so I just thought the bags were for those gifts. I was shocked to say the least.

Kennedy got some great clothes, books and toys! Thanks Jill, Jackie, Susie, Leah and Tracy! We love it all!

I've been tagged!

2007-01-06T11:35:00.000-04:00

My good friend Sandra has tagged me so here goes!

A - Available or Taken: Taken
B - Best Friend: have to mention my roommate of 9 years, Sue...many great friends
C - Cake or Pie: Cake
D - Drink of Choice: PEPSI
E - Essential Item You Use Everyday: Computer
F - Favorite Color: Chocolate brown
G - Gummy Bears or Worms: Gummy Bears
H - Hometown: Summerside
I - Indulgence: Chips 'n Dip
J - January or February: February...my b-day, valentines day, going to CHINA!!!
K - Kids and Names:Kennedy Joy
L - Life Incomplete Without: my siblings
M - Marriage Date: July 15, 2000
N - Number of Siblings: 2 sisters, 1 brother
O - Oranges or Apples: Apples
P - Phobias or Fears: presently...packing for China
Q - Favorite Quote: "The Western School Board will be closed for the day"...hee-hee
R - Reason to Smile: My life is very good!
S - Season: Winter...with snow preferably
T - Tag 3 People: Jennifer, Angela, Natalie
U - Unknown Fact About Me: I took stepdancing classes for 10 years
V - Veggie You Don't Like: cabbage
W - Worst Habit: spending WAY too much time on my computer...I'm sure that'll change soon...
X - X-rays: several when I was young

Y - Your Favorite Food: Mom's chicken dinner
Z - Zodiac: Aquarius

Family News!!

2007-01-05T14:59:00.000-04:00

It's been an exciting time over the holidays! Just before Christmas, my sister Amy and her husband, Trent,announced that they are having a GIRL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Yay! Cole is going to have a sister. No one is more thrilled about the whole thing than Paige! We're going from having 3 boys and 1 girl in our family to evening it up at 3 and 3 with the addition of Kennedy and baby Robinson. It's going to be great for Amy and I to be off work together this summer and enjoy our babies together. I always hoped it would happen that way...

AND...my cousin Andrea and her boyfriend Stacy got engaged on December 30th! They are getting married this summer! We are all very excited for them. Andrea is like the fourth sister in our family. Congratulations Andrea and Stacy!

The game is getting exciting...2-0 Canada! Go Canada Go!

The Countdown: 28 Days

2007-01-05T12:52:00.000-04:00

I cannot believe we are down to 28 days. This time has passed very quickly for us. I wasn't sure if it would seem long, after seeing Kennedy's face for the first time, but with the holidays and all, we're now feeling the pressure to get our butts in gear and start packing.

We think we have enough clothes for Kennedy for the trip. We're still basically guessing at her size, based on the information we received. The report suggests she was 15lbs. at 5 months, however, it is very common to find that the babies are smaller than indicated on their records. On the other hand, I have read the odd story of people getting babies much bigger than they expected. Kennedy does look strong and healthy in her pictures, so we're going with the 6-12 month range of clothes for now. We're trying to stick to just buying what we need for now, until we get to her and see how big or small she really is. Then we'll go shopping when we get home.

We had our last appointment with the travel clinic today and got several prescriptions to take with us just in case of sickness on our part or for Kennedy. I still have another meeting with public health for a couple of other shots. It's all a bit more than I expected, but better to be safe than sorry I suppose.

Thank you to our friends Angela and Bryan for the lovely "referral" gifts they sent our way. We cannot wait until it is their turn to do all this...sometime this fall, hopefully.

Thank you to Monette for the baby gates...time to child-proof the house, I know. A few of my friends have been on my case about this!LOL Soon enough the rail will be on the stairs and the gates will be in place...soon.

Off to watch Team Canada vs. Russia...then on to Charlottetown tonight for a get-together with my girlfriends.

Have a great weekend everyone!

16 month anniversary

2006-12-31T11:58:00.000-04:00

It's New Year's Eve.
It's been 16 months since our file was logged in at the China Centre of Adoption Affairs. Wow! That's approximately 480 days. Crazy. It's been much longer than that however since we started waiting for our girl. Depends how you look at it I suppose. I've been waiting to be a mother since I was a young girl playing with my dolls. It's finally within reach. I can't wait for the clock to strike midnight and we enter into 2007...the year our girl comes home!!

We've decided our baby's full name will be "Kennedy Joy Clow". After discussing many possibilities, this is what we thought worked best. We have to submit her full Canadian name to our agency 3 weeks before we leave (for paperwork purposes) so the pressure was on. LOL.

Time to go tidy up and get some snacks ready for tonight. The Clow's will be joining us for some New Year's celebrations. Always lots of fun.

Happy New Year everyone! May 2007 bring you peace, happiness and joy and may ALL your dreams come true.

The Countdown: 5 MORE WEEKS!

2006-12-29T23:54:00.000-04:00

Only 5 more weeks, that's 35 days until we leave PEI, destined for Vancouver, then China! Time is passing relatively quickly for us. We find this part of the wait less painful. Although we know Kennedy is waiting for us, we have her picture to look at and finally we know when we are going. Let's hope the next month flies by.

It's Christmas Eve

2006-12-24T22:50:00.001-04:00

Here we are. Finally it's Christmas Eve. Always such a joyous time for us, getting together with friends and family.

It's 11:00 pm. Marvin is gone to work the night shift. He'll arrive home at 7 am, get a few hours of sleep, then we'll open our gifts. Most every year, Marvin works some part of Christmas day. He says next year he'll be sure to take it off...so he can enjoy it with Kennedy. She'll be 21 months old then. Now that will be fun!

It's Christmas day in China right now. Kennedy is spending her first Christmas with a family that loves her as their own, I'm sure. I'm guessing that they know she will be leaving them soon. It will be hard for them and for Kennedy. I am going to do my best to find out about her foster family. That will be her best chance at connecting to her early life in China. I know other families have done it and I'm not above paying the money to get someone to research it for us. If we don't do it now, the opportunity will pass and there will be no going back. We owe it to our daughter to do this for her. By the time she is old enough to think about doing it, things will have changed and it would be impossible. This is one of my goals for 2007.

40 days until we leave the Charlottetown airport bound for Vancouver and then China. Every now and again it just hits me. Our baby is waiting for us! It's the best feeling ever.

Merry Christmas everyone! Special holiday wishes going out to our family who we wish were here with us...Bev, Randolph and Asia; Wendy, Ellis, Chelsea and Anthony; Marlene, Chuck, Chip and Daniel. We are always thinking of you guys, but especially at this time of year. xoxo

It's official!

2006-12-21T22:02:00.000-04:00

It's official! Today I signed my leave form at work. After Christmas, I only go back to work for 13 days...I will officially leave my job on January 24. Now that is hard to believe. At Greenfield, we are like a big family. It's going to be hard to leave for 9 months. However, I'm only 3 minutes away and I plan on visiting often. Also, my grade 2 partner Jennifer is starting her maternity leave tomorrow, so we'll be off together! That means lots of lunch dates and playdates with our babies this spring and summer. Jen is due in early February, so I'm guessing she will have her baby on the day we get Kennedy (Feb. 5). It certainly wouldn't surprise me...we tend to do things as a team (teach grade 2 together, both adopting from China, having our babies at the same time...). It's amazing how this has all worked out for both of us. We figured out a long time ago that we have a special bond...Love ya Jen!

So, the countdown is now at 43 days to travel, 46 days till Kennedy is in our arms. Wow! Thank you to every single person that has shared in our excitement these last two weeks. We've had phonecalls, e-mails, it's really been amazing. Finally our time has come. It's a magical feeling and what better time to celebrate than Christmas?

P.S. And on that note, we didn't send out a single Christmas card this year. Can we use the excuse that our minds were elsewhere? It's the honest truth. Our sincerest wishes for a wonderful holiday season with the ones you love :)

Kennedy's Quilt is Complete! Horray!

2006-12-20T22:33:00.000-04:00

All the glory goes to my dear friend Leah on this one. Leah dedicated herself to coming to my house once a week to work this beautiful quilt for Kennedy. It turned out exactly the way I requested. Leah, thank you so much! You did a wonderful job and I am so lucky to have you for a friend. I cannot wait for Kennedy, Lauren, Anna and the new baby to play together!

Here it is! By the way, Yaz couldn't wait to sit on it. He thinks it's his. Little does he know......

Kennedy's care package

2006-12-16T15:15:00.000-04:00

We put this picture inside the box so that they would immediately know who it belonged to. She is in foster care so we hope it will get to her safe and sound.

Photo album that my friend Trudy picked up for us. We filled it with pics so that Kennedy can look at us while she waits.

These are the items we sent in her care package: camera, candy for her foster family, cuddle blanket and photo album. Her name is attached to everything to be sure it gets to her.

A photo of Yu caijiao with her name under it in magnetic letters and mommy and daddy beside it.

A photo of many of the children from China who have come home to PEI, along with some of their siblings. A photo of Yazzy, her dog.

A photo of Grammie and Grampie Milligan on the left and Grammie Clow on the right.

Bringing Kennedy Home

Goodbye and Thank you!

Bum scoot....broken tooth

GO HABS GO!!!!!

And what does Yazzy think of all this partying????????

Birthday Party with the Clows!

I love when you sing to me...

Birthday Party with the Milligans!

I'm One Today!!!

It's all about the food these days...

Keeping up with my China sisters!!

Happy 95th Birthday Grammie!!!!!!!!!!!!

Getting together with friends....

My New Book!

Celebrating Matt and Chloe's birthdays!

Pictures...

Looking back...

Playing with my cousins

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Tugging at my heart...

Home for one month

My wonderful staff hosts a baby shower for us!

Meeting more friends!

PEI-China get together

Clothing Police...

Love at first sight...

On the mend...

Sick Baby

Visiting with the Clarks

And we thought the exersaucer was a blast...

I think I'll try Grammie's sink this time...

So many new friends!

Baby Mum-Mum

A Week At Home...

Danielle's Housewarming

Splish Splash!

Playing in my exersaucer

Bath Time

First hockey game (many more to come!)

Another great sleep!

Grandma visits!

Sleep..........

Happy Chinese New Year!

Home Sweet, Sweet Home!

MORE PICTURES!!!

WELCOME HOME KENNEDY!!!

Last Night in China: Wednesday, February 14th

Tuesday, February 13 9:50 pm.

Pictures...I hope this works!!

Arrival in Charlottetown on Thursday at 11pm

Monday, February 12, 2007

internet gone bad.....................

Beijing

Last few hours in Nanchang

IT'S A BOY!

Another site to follow!

Raelene, Girard and Bryn

Another great day in Nanchang

Our friend's sites...go visit them too!

I LOVE noodles!!!!

Wednesday, February 7th 10:30 in China

Message for Staff and Students of Greenfield

tidbits from Jiangxi, China

more pics

Happy Baby!

It's almost 4 a.m...

More videos

Video

PICTURES

We have her!!!!

THE COUNTDOWN...3 HOURS

Can you believe Blogger?

VANCOUVER!!

And away they goooooo........

We're off!!

Happy February!!!

Makin' a list, checkin' it twice...

Childhood Idol

Temperature

Leaving for China in FIVE days!!

40 Wishes for Marvin see update below