Experiencing China, Discovering Xi'an...

Sorry for the late entry and keeping you all waiting on updated news! The past 3 days have been a blur of excitement! Between going shopping for boots, sightseeing, dad warding off souvenir hawkers, visiting Cory’s orphanage, adjusting to having another little one, tasting new foods, meeting amazing Chinese people, and traveling from Xi’an in Shaanxi Province to Guangzhou in Guangdong Province, the adventure continues! Every time we turn a corner, I am amazed to discover that what little we have seen of China is just a glimpse into their daily bustling lives! I have yet to be bored, although Hannah and I are greatly missing our friends and lifestyle back home.

Both the little ones are being the best troopers! They never complain and do whatever they have to in order to make this trip more pleasant. Cory and Merriella are still joined at the hip and one can’t go anywhere without the other. I almost feel as if Merriella has stepped into the age group of Hannah and me because whenever we are with her, I feel like we are the best of friends. She is letting this little boy enter our family so easily and with such minimal jealousy, that one would wonder if she was feeling quite alright. Mommy and Daddy are being shared as equally as is possible between the 5 children, with the 2 youngest being at the forefront of their attention, of course. We realize this is very necessary in order for Cory to adjust properly. Cory on the other hand is very possessive of his mother (very different from our experience with Merriella) and doesn’t appreciate sharing Mom as generously. Colin is still Cory’s little buddy and is eagerly sought after at all times. Our overall experience so far has been entirely positive and we only have positive updates!

Ancient Historic Monuments Anyone?

December 11^th turned out to be a nasty day as we expected. The weather didn’t hold out for us, but the Terracotta Warriors did. At 9 am, we hired a bus and a guide to take us up there for the day. The greater part of the morning was spent at the Terracotta Warriors, then, later in the day, we went over to the city wall that surrounds the province of Xi’an. It is said that 15 grown men can stand on the width of the wall. I would say this is a very believable statement that I would readily believe just from standing on the wall. It was an amazing view from the wall and the insides of some of the guard tower buildings were really remarkable!The brief history of the Terracotta Warriors comes from the idea a powerful emperor had during his reign. Since Emperor Qin Shi Huangdi believed he needed an army with him in his afterlife, he began building his army out of terracotta at the age of 19. It is known that 7,000 of these figures were buried with Qin Shi Huangdi in 3 different pits. When he died, the Terracotta Warriors along with 3,000 concubines were buried alive in his pits. Over the years, invaders came and stumbled upon the pits. When they did, they stole the bronze weapons the figures were holding, smashed a large number of the warriors and lit the pits on fire. To this day, archaeologists are still repairing the damage done so many years ago.

Walking into the dome where the Terracotta Warriors are kept really was just like stepping back into time or walking right into a history textbook. It truly became moving when I was staring at ancient relics of past history. No words can describe the emotions that were being felt at that exact moment. The only thing I can say that even comes somewhat close to what I was thinking is, “Wow! I am standing not more than 6 feet away from one of the most amazing monuments of all Chinese history! I’ve seen the Terracotta Warriors!”

We still attracted stares wherever we went today. Except people were taking digital pictures and sketching our family at various times throughout the day. Pointing, laughing and smiling are not the exception, they're the norm. We have sort of gotten used to it by now and it doesn't bother us. It is very rare to have a big family. The Chinese are especially taken with Cory and Merriella! They constantly try o talk Chinese with Merriella only to have her turn and look at us saying, "I don't know." Cory just pulls away or turns his head when he is addressed by people he doesn't know. He has a healthy bonding attachment, whereas Merriella is still learning the proper way to be loyal to her own family members. Her affection is transferred very quickly. Not so with Cory! He knows what it feels like to be loved and show love!

Cory did fantastic all day today and we had no problems with him at all! He was a hoot at breakfast and cracked us up even more throughout the day! He and Merriella really are the Terrible Two together. They don’t go anywhere without the other and are like two peas in a pod. They took a bath together tonight, which was a show in and of itself. They like to wash each other’s hair, but Merriella is very particular about how she wants it done! In fact, tonight, Merriella insisted that Cory was washing her hair wrong and quickly scolded him saying,”Cory, no. This is how you wash Ella’s hair!” He just stared at her with that adorable “melt your heart look.” The rest of the bath was truly likening to a comedy show. After he drank his bottle, he quickly hit the sack. It had been a long day and he hadn’t had his daily nap (except for the brief times he slept during the day.) It’s a hard life for a baby.

A Bundle of Love!

December the 1oth definitely brought to full circle the realization that we have another boy in the house now! I have a feeling that the girls aren't going to be so lucky in picking on Colin anymore. He is now blessed with having a buff baby on his side. Already, Cory and Colin share some unspoken manly bond between them. He is very affectionate with his older brother and the affection is mutual between them.

Cory is adjusting quite well and is quickly becoming acclimated to our family! The Bickfords did an amazing job preparing him for the entrance into our family. We wouldn't have had such a smooth transition without their complete devotion to Cory! Since he was familiar with our family to a certain extent, he is very comfortable going, "hey..." then finishing out his commands (which we delight in attending to!)
He still drinks from a bottle and has an appetite likening him to a bear, although, when he doesn't want to eat the food that is in front of him, his stomach quickly becomes like that of a mouse! When an undesirable food is in front of him, he places his hands across his chest and tells us, "no," while grinning from ear to ear. It is very difficult to deny him of what he most wants, especially when he looks at you with his little brown eyes and angelic features. Through and through, Cory has already become a valuable addition to the family and adds frosting to the top of the cake!

Today, Mom, Dad, and Cory went and took care of some official paperwork that had to be done, while the rest of us just chilled at the hotel. According to them, a baby couldn't have behaved any better while sitting through hours of dull waiting. He really is a bundle of joy sent from heaven!

Merriella has gathered him under her wings and really embraced him as her younger brother. She plays the role of firstborn quite well for never experiencing that position. Cory on the other hand thinks he is older and insists that she is his younger sister by calling her Me-Me (Chinese name for little sister!) He hates letting her out of his sight and squeals excitedly whenever she comes into the room! They really are amazing siblings and they bring a smile to my face just at the mere entrance they make into a room. I couldn't be prouder of them! The Vazquez 7 family has big plans for tomorrow! We are going to see the Terracotta Warriors and walk the city wall that encloses Xi'an! The weather isn't looking to promising, but rain or shine, we are going to complete the mission!

Gotcha Day 2007!

December 9, 2007
The day we have all been awaiting with eager anticipation has finally arrived. Gotcha Day! All of us share mixed emotions of happiness and sorrow on this special day. The addition of Cory into our family will be a joyous one, but we all sympathize with the loss of his foster parents. For the past 18 months of Cory’s life, he has been nurtured and grown up by Dave and Susie Bickford – a family that truly loves him.

We spent the morning with the Bickfords, Cory and many friends before the formal and official adoption in the evening. There were praise songs, hymns and a great message. Many of Cory’s friends told us that they have longed prayed for a family of believers to adopt him. Cory was very receptive to all members of the Vazquez family. He called mom ”ma-ma” and dad “da-da”! Colin is “gir-gir” (chinese for “older brother”); Hannah and I are “jie-jie” (“older sister”); but he calls Merriella by the term for younger sister: “mei-mei” (he’s bigger than she). All morning, he was open to us holding him and feeding him. When he retired to take a nap, we departed till we would receive him later that evening.

At 5 o’clock Xi’an time, we quickly dashed over to the location where we were to pick up little Cory. He was already there when we arrived and immediately recognized us as we entered the main doors. All of us were greeted by warm and tender hugs from this sweet little smiling boy. The handover was smooth and relaxed. A few joyous tears were shed and many hugs were exchanged. Cory didn’t cry at all. The truth of the matter is, we wouldn’t have had such a smooth transition with Cory had it not been for the time and dedication that his foster parents put into preparing Cory for joining our family. Our family has truly seen the Hand of God working in this little boy’s life. An adoptive family is often called an orphan’s “forever family”. But Cory’s forever family includes the Bickfords and all his friends that have prayed so fervently for him since he was abandoned shortly after his birth. He will see this extended “forever family” once again in the presence of God.

We had a slight problem though…what do you do when you need a bottle and a potty chair but have neither? As soon as we left the building, dad, our adoption guide and I started our crazy night walking to find our necessities. The local WalMart didn’t have what we needed, so we kept looking… Along the way, we realized we needed dinner, so we began searching for the nearest McDonalds. After some frequent stops to question passers-by and get our bearings, we arrived at the Golden Arches within 20 minutes (dad did everyone concerned a favor by NOT attempting to speak Chinese! He let our guide to place he take-out order).

Already, Cory has especially taken to Colin and takes pleasure in running around requesting Gir-Gir (Colin) to attend to his every need. Of course, Colin eagerly rushes to his side and dedicates his full attention to Cory. He is quite the big brother and I already see the older more mature side of him dominating the “used to be youngest son.” Merriella is doing quite well and plays the part of the big sister fantastically. Cory calls her little sister and insists that he is older than her. They both require a large amount of attention and I feel as if we have twins now. Cory is a whopping 35 lbs. and feels like lead weights, but he has been a most joyous addition to our family! We couldn’t have hoped for a smoother transition – it has been amazing!

Which Way to Beijing?

December 6th started bright and early with much humor when we loaded up in Denanne Heil’s Durango for the trip to St. Louis airport: as dad climbed in, he sat on his yogurt cup, causing it to burst and making a mess of the seat of his pants. Considering the fact that we were already behind schedule, he didn't have time to change. We all got a kick out of that! Before we had even crossed the Mississippi, Merriella had already begun her long and perpetual question that would be asked over the next twenty four hours seemingly every five minutes; "Mommy, are we to China?!?

Pop Quiz: Does anyone know how long it takes to get a family of 6 and a grandma through airport security? Hint: A LONG time!

Even though we boarded the plane on time, our flight was delayed by over an hour. Safe arrival in Chicago. We made it through and boarded the flight to Beijing. Now, for the really tricky question... "When leaving Chicago, which way do you fly to reach destination Beijing?" WRONG! You fly north-north west. Then, take a plunge south west. The earth is a ball that rotates!

6pm, St. Louis time: Just above Queen Elizabeth Islands, just 8 hours and 8 minutes to go. Ground speed of 514 mph, 3,987 miles to destination! When the fourth movie was over, (yes, the 4th one!) we were flying over Siberia and still had 5 hours to go! I'll spare you all the details, but as we landed in Beijing, we could see the famous Great Wall of China. Through aisle walking, we learned that there were 28 other adoptive families on our same flight. In the airport in Xi'an, we aquired many stares and fingers, due to our large luggage train and enough people to start an army. Not many people in China have a family with 4 children, 3 of which are girls. We all arrived at the hotel cold, aching, and lacking sleep.

Just the Facts!

Captain Morgan here from the bridge again.
Travel dates set: Depart from Saint Louis 9:35 am. December 6th. Arrive in Beijing. Take flight to Xi'an. Sleep. Rest. Recover. Eat exotic food. Attempt to sleep again. Welcome Cory to the family, Saturday, December 9th. Adoption documents completed the 10th.
Presently: Packing suitcases. Making lists. Checking them twice. Scrambling to finish last minute details before the trip. Trying to find meds, munchies, and milk chocolate (chocolate has energy. We need energy). Oliver is beginning male bonding time with his pet, Matt. Preparing warmer clothes for abnormal temperatures. During the trip, we will visit Xi'an, Beijing, and Guangzhou-temperatures may vary as drastically as 30 degrees between locations. Above is my little brother, who already has decided to follow after his sister and work on improving his blogging skills! Finally, we are anxiously awaiting Departure Day: D-Day! Looking forward to keeping y'all posted. We will read all posted comments, I can't guarantee individual responses.