"We heard you have a baby in there..."

"...now let us in!"

This seems to be the general consensus from our neighbors these days. They keep stopping by to hold the baby and offer me help in raising him. Our downstairs neighbor came by with her 2 year-old grandson, who was super pumped to see Sam. He also had never seen a Christmas tree and so he really wanted to pull it down. His grandmother kept telling him not to hit it over and over.

Another neighbor, a mother of twin girls, came by the next night. She said she heard from one of her 7 year-olds that we had a new little girl. She brought her daughter over too, but before Bill could open the door, the little girl ran back home with a look of shock on her face. Those girls never have gotten used to us Whiteys. The mother recalled a funny story from two years ago when we had just moved in and my mother was still here. One of the twins was screaming and crying in the hallway outside their front door and I went out to investigate. They were too scared and shy to talk to me, but finally the less-shy one said that they didn't have a key to their house and didn't know what to do (no one was home). So, I brought my cell phone out to them and we called their mother. The mother is still grateful for our help.

This is a great time of year to share about the reason for Christmas. We hope that, despite not being able to go out due to the cold weather, that we will be able to share with our neighbors who come here. Merry Christmas!

Christmas Time is Here

Merry Christmas!!!

From Teesa, Sam and Bill

Shots!

Sam got his two-month old shots yesterday. It was quite a scary event, since he turned blue around his mouth just after the first shot (he got two shots). The doctor took his vitals with some machine he hooked up to Sam's big toe and said everything was okay. He called it a "vegal" (sp) response, meaning a response to pain. The doctor said some babies pass out, some have seizures and some just turn blue. Since then Sam has been running a fever off and on - but nothing Tylenol won't take care of.

We got a surprise visit from our downstairs neighbor and her grandson (2 years-old) today. She said she ran into Bill on his way out and asked if she could come see us. She was thrilled to be able to hold Sammy. Sam behaved great for the first ten minutes, but then he just wanted to go to sleep, so as soon as I held him he was out. I put him down in his crib and she was stunned! She couldn't believe I don't hold him for his naps (or all the time for that matter). She was even more stunned that she hadn't heard him cry in the 6 weeks that we've been back. She didn't even know we were back. She raises her grandson and he has had colic ever since he was born (we know, we live above his room). It was really great being able to spend time with our neighbor. She's coming back again tomorrow to play with Sam while he's awake.

Bill's Aunt Beth gave us some books for Sam. After a long day yesterday, I thought we'd have some story time. I read a Thomas the Tank Engine story to Sam, who listened intently at all the noises I had to make. I had no idea Thomas was so cheeky.

The really big news is that Sam is now laughing! Bill pretended to laugh this morning and Sam repeated it exactly as he heard it and then laughed for real. He's also clucking his tongue a lot in response to me clucking mine. What a smarty!

Bill thought this would be a funny picture. He thinks it makes Sam look like a British Judge. One of my Chinese friends, Xiao Tan, made this scarf for me last year. I think it looks great on Sam.

Sam and friends

Sam seems to have so many friends. Even before he was born he had lots. One of his biggest fans is Doreen. She came to visit me with her girls while I was in the hospital here in KM. I was so grateful for the food she brought and the get-well card her daughter made for me, not to mention the companionship and compassion. Doreen is one of the folks who PRed for us to have children and when I told her I was pregnant, she screamed louder than anyone else! So, watching her hold Sam is a real joy, because he really is a tangible blessing from Father.

Here is Sam with his Uncle Rob. He is becoming familiar with Rob, since Rob is able to come to KM about every two weeks or so. We can only hope that Rob will rub off on Sam...What a blessing to us to have so many folks visit who love Sam.

Hong Kong and Santa's Town

Here is a picture of Hong Kong's tallest Christmas tree. It stands over 35 meters high.
We went to Hong Kong last week, part of the incredibly long process of getting my work visa here. While we were there, we got to spend time with friends and go to Santa's Town. Santa's Town was on Hong Kong Island and, although we didn't get to see Santa, we did get to see his living room and a post office and hear an incredible violinist play The Flight of the Bumblebee. Not sure what that had to do with Christmas, but that guy was seriously talented.

It was a sweet time that we got to spend with our friends the Webels and their two daughters. Sam was quite aware of them and they were certainly aware of him. I didn't think to take any pictures though...sorry. We got to eat at Bubba Gump Shrimp and visit the Peak and just hang out with them. Things were a bit frantic with three children - but we managed.

Sam was finally able to fit into a sweater his Aunt Kendall made for him, but unfortunately his head is now too big now. He only wore it for a week and a half. I can't believe how quickly he's growing.

Sam is now enjoying tummy-time much much more. He can hold his head at a 45 degree angle. When we hold him upright against our bodies, he can lift his head up and turn it from side to side indefinitely. We're so proud! Bill took this picture yesterday (9 weeks and 6 days old).

You can tell that Bill takes most of the photos, since there aren't many of him. But, rest assured, Bill does do his part in raising this boy. He loves Sam a great deal and it is obvious in the gentle way Bill deals with Sam.

Sam & Judah

Here is Sam with his friend Judah, who is 6 months old (Sam is 6 weeks in this photo). He looked so small next to Judah. Sam has gained a little weight since this photo was taken. He was 9lbs at the time - the birth weight of Judah.

These pictures are of Sam this last week (8 weeks old). He loves sleeping in Daddy's arms.

Here is another photo of him in his sweater vest. Thanks again Julie!

A J Crew Kind of Life

We are just now getting into a good routine here at home. Sam sleeps, eats and plays, in that order, every day all day. Bill recently registered us for a company function and had to register Sam too. One of the questions regarding Sam (for daycare purposes) was "what does he like to do all day?" Bill's answer was, "eat, sleep and befoul diapers." That pretty much sums it up.

I love the above picture. The one on my computer was of Sam when he was a day old. His face has changed shape a lot, but he still carries the same expression.



But, he is playing a lot more and with play comes big big smiles. He really has a beautiful smile that his chin accentuates. He's much more fun-loving now and he can even hold up his head for longer periods, though tummy-time is still annoying to him.

We will most likely be traveling back through Hong Kong next week to get visa stuff done. During that time, I plan on buying lots of long sleeve shirts for him, since he only has a couple. When I was pregnant with him, it was warm-weather clothing time in the States, so we have a ton of short-sleeved onsies and t-shirts. Before you ask, they DO sell long-sleeves shirts here, they're just not very good quality and all of them are too big for him right now. It's getting cooler here (inside and out), so we need to plan ahead for Sam. The little outfit above is one my best friend Julie sent for Sam. He barely fits into it right now, but I expect he will grow into it quickly. He gained over a pound between weeks six and seven!

The Christmas season is quickly approaching. We keep him close to the tree at nighttime, since that seems to be the warmest spot in the house.

We just took our family Christmas picture today. I'll be sending it out in a newsletter shortly. Let me say that the sweetest part of the picture is the adorable hand-knit sweater from his Aunt Kendall. I should have put him in it a while ago, but he just now looked big enough for it. Unfortunately, we had to stretch the head-hole pretty big before getting Sam's head in it. He looks so J-Crewish.

We'll keep posting...

Aunts and Uncles

We've had so many visitors over the last few weeks since we've been home. It's been fun to watch our Chinese friends hold Sam, because most of them have never held a baby so little, and many have never held a foreigner's baby. It's been even more fun to watch folks who have lifted us up for years and years (to have a child) hold him. It seems to be a huge reward for their Thoughts and Intercession on our behalf; to be able to hold a gift from Father that they actively lifted up. Wow!

One person who has been instrumental in our lives is Rob. When we finally get our adopted little girl, she will be named for him (not Rob, don't worry). Here he is holding Sam.

When a family lives overseas, their lives are automatically separated from their families back in the States. Because of that, many families over here choose to have their children call fellow Americans Aunt and Uncle. We are still struggling with this norm, because we don't want to minimize the real aunts and uncles and their roles. However, Rob is definitely going to be an uncle to our children here. So, Uncle Rob, you've got a big responsibility ahead of you!


This is a picture of Jenny, a Chinese friend, who came to visit Sam. He really loves the Chinese and their black hair. Apparently, he loves dark colors, so any Chinese person is automatically a friend to him.

He has been smiling more and more lately. This morning our friend Josh came over and as soon as Sam saw him, Sam gave him a huge grin. It was very sweet.

The evening all my girlfriends came over to visit Sam, he stayed up WAY past his bedtime to play with them. He did great, despite not feeling well that day, and smiled and watched his new friends. They just gathered around him and oo-ed and ahh-ed at everything he did. What a blessing to have so many friends!

Photo Album

We have been so hectic with things lately that we haven't had a chance to upload pictures from our camera to the computer! But, rest assured, I've taken plenty of good and bad pictures. Some of them are momentous (like his first bottle or his first smile caught on film) and others are a little boring (like his doll-face or normal close-ups). However, all of them are beautiful to me!

We have been working on getting a work visa here and that has been time-consuming as well. It looks like everything will work out, but we'll have to fly out to Hong Kong again! We just left HK.

Here's a pic of Sam getting his first bottle. Look at the proud daddy finally feeding his child in a normal way (instead of the finger feeding during the first couple week's of Sam's life).



This is me burping Sam this afternoon. Sam's not feeling well and this position seemed to be the only one that relieved his discomfort. Poor little guy has been having diarrhea all day and it turned to a mucus-y diaper tonight. We'll have to see the doctor tomorrow.

I think this picture makes Sam look like a porcelain doll. His lips are absolutely perfect, if I do say so myself. I'd like to think I'm getting better with the camera too...

Here's another close-up of our beautiful little boy.

There isn't anything about him that I am not in love with. It sure is nice to always be able to look at such a pleasant face.

He smiles all the time now. Here is one example of that beautiful smile (sorry for the fuzzy pic).

More pictures later. Write us when you can - we love hearing from everybody!

Gerry Ann

Sammy is growing and growing and he has these beautiful big cheeks now. He watches us constantly and can even follow us with his head now. Yesterday, I watched him as he was following our helper around the house and when she got behind him, he got very frustrated that he couldn't turn his head all the way around.

We introduced a pacifier to him at the beginning of the week. It makes Bill sad when he sees Sam with the pacifier, because he looks like a big boy now. He's growing out of his socks and some clothes too.
Gerry Ann is leaving today. She's been a great big help and seems to have enjoyed her time here. Bill took her to the Chinese Wal Mart yesterday. She got a little overwhelmed from it being crowded and frantic, as Wal Mart usually is. Bill took her to the Bird and Flower Market the day before and they had over-the-bridge noodles. Gerry Ann came back with a shirt full of oil, which she had splashed on herself when she dumped the goodies into the soup. But, she had a great big smile on her face. She's been a real trooper.

What a chin!

We're home!

We finally made it back (about five days ago). It was a turbulent time for us, since Sammy could sense our anxiety. He started eating every hour all day and night. Fortunately, we've moved him to a two-hourly schedule now and sometimes he goes as long as 3 and a half! We're still trying to figure him out and it's taking up all our time. He did really well on the plane ride. I had to attach another seatbelt to mine and buckle it around him. Bill and I thought that if we really did go down, he would be broken in half by the way he was tethered to me.

Bill's back to work now, and he's busy all day long now. We're really fortunate that he is working out of the house, so he can hold Sam and take care of him when I need a break. We also have a helper who will hold Sammy and entertain him while I nap or take a shower. Bill's mom is still here too, so she's obviously invaluable. She's watching Sam right now while I type this (and Bill washes dishes).

We're still trying to get a routine down. Nightimes are obviously the hardest. But, we're making it through. Thank goodness for the hour long naps I get all night long. Also, he's not a crier, so that helps tremendously.

He's finally got all his own toys and things here too. Here's a picture of him reaching out and grabbing Tigger in his bouncey seat.

On to other things now (like unpacking and organizing all the goodies we brought home).

Almost home

We are leaving for China on Monday morning!!! We finally have our tickets and all of us are healthy again, so we're ready.

Sam is still feeding hourly during the day and sleeping for up to two hours consecutively at night. I love those two hour stints, but I have to admit that sometimes I wake up in my bed and wonder how I got there and if I left Sammy on the couch! I guess my memory isn't very good during the wee hours of the morning - Sammy is always in his bassinet, safe and sound.

I forgot to add this photo in my last blog. My parents are both back in the States now, so it's just Gerry Ann and us. She's done a great job taking care of us, sans the Gilberts. She's still cooking tons for us and serving us well. She had a big hole to fill with my parents being gone, but she's loving us well.

Shannon Mann got to come visit us last week. Here is a photo of her holding Sammy. Doesn't she look fantastic?

We'll keep posting after we return home.

Back to China

We're heading back to China after a long and turbulent time in Hong Kong. It was actually a pretty good experience, being in HK. We had a great doctor, who finally figured out what was causing my high fever and abdominal pain. I feel better today than I have in months. She even said that this particular infection, which is more common in folks who live in the Mainland, may have been the cause of the continued contractions throughout my pregnancy.

I feel better, but Sammy seems to be fighting off a cold. He also has an eye infection. We'll be heading back to the doctor for him tomorrow. In the meantime, we're trying to cuddle him and feed him as much as possible.

My parents headed back to the States yesterday and today. My father is currently stuck in Tokyo, as his flight was cancelled. Poor guy. My mom should be back by Thursday night, EST.

Gerry Ann will be coming to China with us on Monday, when we all leave. We're thrilled to be going home! I can't wait to introduce Sammy to all our Chinese friends.

Wrapping up Hong Kong

Well, our time in Hong Kong is almost at an end. We are renewing our tourist visas tomorrow, because we have officially been here three months, which is the limit. My fever has subsided and I am finally starting to feel a little bit better, though not 100% yet. I will be seeing the doctor again on Thursday and we are going to be submitting Sammy's passport for a visa to China tomorrow (it will take one week to come in). We just got his passport today - he's really cute it in!

Here are some new family photos:

Infections and beautiful babies DO mix

Even more pics of the little one. He's really changing shapes quickly. He looks more and more like a little boy now - his face is getting more long and skinny and his cheeks are nice and chubby. We can also dress him in onsies now that his umbilical cord has fallen off. We have so many clothes that people gave us, we're trying to at least dress him in everything once.

I still have some sort of infection, which is causing me to have a fever of 101-102F and have abdominal pains. I have had to start another antibiotic to see if this helps. If I don't improve by Monday or Tuesday, I'll have to have a laparoscopy to see if something more serious is wrong.

In the meantime, we're falling more and more in love with Sammy every day. If I felt 100% again, I might enjoy him even more. I can't wait for that day...


Sammy makes some pretty funny faces. This is us on a good day. He falls asleep while he's feeding and then we can pose him in all sorts of different positions.

Here's another position that Bill put him in. Those pants make him look like he's an old man. A cute old man though.

Here is Wendy, our lactation consultant, weighing Sam (he's inside the blanket) with a fish scale. He's finally back to his birth weight!

Daddy and Sammy.

This is my daddy and Sammy. My father seems to have some sort of calming effect on Sam. Whenever he holds him, Sam quickly falls asleep or just stares into my father's eyes.