The cutest baby ever!

Hi everyone! I can't believe it has been this long since I posted. These pictures aren't the best - I am so technologically challenged I am lucky I figured out how to post these. Mason is doing so well, he walks better every day and is even running now - though he definitely falls down his share. In nursery at church today they played ring around the rosy and he was so excited that everybody had to fall down, he couldn't stand it! Now we have to play it at home and fall down for him. He is very good at falling down with us! He sleeps way good - 11-12 hours a night - YES!! The kids play with him non-stop when they are home, it is so nice - they aren't tired of him yet! He had a very cranky period when 12 teeth were coming in at once - 12!! It is so nice to have him happy again. He loves Elmo beyond words and will sit motionless and entranced for an entire episode of Sesame Street. I try not to take advantage of that too much! He still loves noodle soup more than anything - he slurps the broth through a straw and then eats the noodles. We are getting ready for our 6-month post-adoption visit from a social worker - more paperwork - and getting him a MN birth certificate and Social Security number. Just getting out all the files and looking at the paperwork from the whole adoption made me slightly nauseous - what a mountain of stuff we slogged through. All worth it in the end!!! WE are getting so excited for Christmas and having everyone together again and having our first Christmas with our WHOLE complete family. Mason has an appointment at Gillette Children's in January - they will assess his progress and recommend any further interventions he might need. The doctor told us before that whatever surgeries or braces he needs, he will be fully functional! He hates his physical therapist, but she is good at dodging his angry fingers trying to pinch her while she bends his knee. We are working on the pinching and he also has a wicked throw, which can really hurt if it a block or pointy toy. At least he kisses us better. Enough rambling!!!!

We have a walker!!

This week Mason started walking - really walking, not just taking a few steps. It is kind of a gimpy little walk, he drags his left let a little, but it gets better every day! We are faithfully doing the exercises that the physical therapist gave us and his leg gets more flexible every day. Our poor cat has more trouble getting away from him all the time, he is becoming a hermit cat, only coming out when Mason isn't around. He says new words all the time, but his favorite words are thank you and Bo (our dogs name). He loves to yell at the dog regularly. He loves to sit on DJ's lap while DJ eats, sharing his food with his big brother. I think he missis being around lots of other little kids because whenever we get around any other kids he goes nuts laughing and yelling. We are so grateful and blessed to have this little boy in our house, some days I can't believe he is really here!!

great news!!!!!

Hello all! Today was the much-anticipated visit to Gillette Children's Hospital to see a pediatric orthopedic specialist. The news couldn't be better. His knee and leg will eventually be fully functional with some orthotics and physical therapy!! At this point he will not need surgery, though as he grows and develops his foot might need some extra work. He was diagnosed with amniotic band syndrome; while he was in utero bands of tissue came loose from the uterus and wrapped around his body in different places, casuing the displacement of his feet and leg and the fusing of two fingers and toes. The casting in China successfully straigtened out his legs and feet, now we just have to get the muscles and ligaments to loosen up and to also kind of re-mold the bottom of his left foot, it is a little bowed, like the bottom of a rocking chair. He starts physical therapy next week, I can't wait to get him going, this kid wants to walk on his own so badly, he gets so frustrated that he can't get everywhere he wants to. When we first accepted his referral, based on the pictures, the doctor that looked at his file said there was only a 10 percent chance that he would walk. Thank heavens doctors don't know everything!!! He will walk and run and do anything he wants! He is also missing his left kneecap, I forgot to mention that. Jim and I are so happy and grateful, what a wonderful day!!!!!!

Hello, just a quick Mason update, and I think I will try to actually post some pitures. Am I a technologically savvy person or what!! Mason is doing so well. He sleeps all night (thank HEAVEN!!) and he eats like a champ..he loves drinkable yogurt and hot dogs. He also loves Dad's famous scrambled eggs. He will eat almost anything if I pull out his little blue Tupperware chopsticks that I bought in China and use those to feed him. We took him to the International Adoption Unit at the U of M to have him checked out. They were very pleased with where he is at physically and developmentally. They said he is right on track for any 17 month old. He has his appt at Gillette Children's hospital with a pediatric orthopedic specialist next week. Our Relief Society gave him a baby shower on Saturday and it was so cool, it was Chinese themed. He got lots of clothes which were definitely needed. It was also great seeing everyone, I don't get out much these days. Mason hates his car seat, I don't think he's ever ridden in one till now, being confined and unable to move around just generally irritiates him! We are so grateful every day for this new blessing in our lives, Karly said the other day that she loves him dearly even though he can be very annoying! There you have it!

We are now blogging from our very own computer in our very own house in Minnesota! It is so good to be home. The trip home was long, but we made it in one piece. Just as the bellboy was loading our luggage at the hotel before we went to the consulate and then the airport we had our first baby injury. Mason fell and hit the corner of the nightstand. He was bleeding pretty good,it was a gash right beside his eye, it scared me to death. I ran him to the hotel clinic where the kind grandmotherly doctor promptly started singing to him in Chinese - he calmed right down and didn't move while she took care of his head. No stitches, thank goodness. The doctor then shooed me out and wouldn't accept payment. She could probably tell I was horrified. I was afraid the people at the consulate would question why my baby had a big gash in his head, but of course they didn't. Taking the oath administered by the consulate was the last tear-jerker moment of many on this trip. Your heart would have to be made of stone to not be moved by the sight of all these parents and babies gaining the privilege of taking their babies home to be US citizens. It was almost as emotional as when we were asked to make a solemn promise to the province official that we would take care of this baby and never abandon him. I was a puddle. Then he thanked us on behalf of China for giving one of their orphans a home. More puddle. We are so glad to be home now, though it was sad to say good-bye to the many friends we had made in China. We spent a lot of time with other families and their babies, especially those in our group. I hope to stay in touch with them and watch their kids grow up. We are slowly adjusting back to this time zone, Mason still thinks he's in China, I guess babies don't understand the finer points of time change. We are both zombies from being up with him all night and trying to keep him awake during the day. He is slowly adjusting and we are hoping for a full night's sleep somtime in the near future. He slept like a champion in China, all through the night and never waking up - oh well! He is also getting four new teeth, so he is a slightly cranky version of himself. The kids are already in love, and can't get enough of him. They wait patiently for him to wake up from naps so they can play with him. He was terrified of the dogs at first, but now he pulls their tails and lays on them. The dogs are tolerant but could definitely live without this new menace in their lives. Life will certainly be different than it was before, but everyone is already so happy to have this new family member!

July 3rd-

Hi Kasey!! I just can't stop typing stuff! Here it is officially July 4th, and we are so grateful to live in the wonderful nation we do!! This morning after breakfast we decided to go exploring again. Our guide told us where the Muslim quarter is and we actually found it, it was within walking distance. SO cool!! There is actually a sizable portion of Chinese Muslims in this province. It was like we were in a movie. We walked up and down one street and took a lot of pictures. We bought a bag of roasted walnuts, they were everywhere. They put all the walnuts in this big turny thing that roasts them and then they take them out and hit them one by one with a mallet. You buy them like that and you just crack them open and eat them. They are really good!! We were quite the oddity, a couple of Westerners with a Chinese baby in a stroller taking pictures. At lunch today a guy at a nearby table asked us if our baby was Chinese. We said yes and hetold us the baby was very lucky. That made our day because we get so many hostile stares. I must say that I am quite the proficient at chopstick usage. I am really impressing myself. Dad however, is not. He has to have a fork. Mason eats really good off my chopsticks, I guess that's how he's always eaten!! Well, it is check out time! Take care honey!!! mom

July 4th-

"Things here are good. I love Guangzhou! The province we were in before (Shaanxi) was dirty and unbelievably crowded. Here it is quiet and clean. There are tons of trees lining the streets and it looks like there was a British influence in the architecture, big tall colonial style buildings, lots of pretty colors - it is beautiful. There are big public squares in each block where elderly people do tai chi each morning. The hotel is right on a huge river, you can see out the windows each morning at all the ships, etc when you eat breakfast downstairs. The hotel reminds me a little of the Embassy Suites in PR, remember the big waterfall? The hotel is the nicest one I've ever been in, especially compared to where we just were. All of the adoptive families stay here because the consulate iswithin walking distance so they cater to us. We gather here from all the provinces where we get our babies. There is a great big playroom filled with toys, etc for the babies to play in - Mason went completely nuts. It was so clean and had thick nice carpet. I keep saying things are so clean here, but Beijing and Shaanxi were so dirty. This morning was the medical examination. It was kind of an amazing sight seeing dozens of gringo families with their little Chinese babies walking the few blocks to the medical clinic. It is the coolest seeing all these families loving the heck out of these babies. Alot of them have special needs like Mason; some cleft palate and orthopedic issues mostly. The medical clinic was like a well-oiled machine, I thought I would cry when we walked in and it was beautiful and modern and air-conditioned. There were tons of medical personnel and they got all of us through quickly. The doctors spent a lot of time lookingat Mason's leg and fingers. They all spoke Chinese, but they were so nice and helpful. I think Mason is used to getting his leg messed with. He got a clean bill of health and he is current on all his shots. He will probably need a surgery or two on his leg - it is amazing how he tries so hard to walk on it now. There is a little Chinese laundry shop right by the hotel, we were so glad to take all of our dirty clothes there, the hotel laundry is so expensive - no more washing and wringing in the hotel room!! After the medical checkup we found a cute little restaurant (can I mention that it was clean and air-conditioned) and we had Western food!! Dad has been so happy today and is hardly even sweaty. The temperatures have been close to 100 degrees, you can imagine how that affects Dad - the only thing that has kept him sane is gallons of water and Diet Coke. We have stayed in the air conditioning today mostly and feel that we have died and gone to heaven. Oh, sooo funny - the babies had to have an official picture for their visa. I had given Mason some Benadryl for a rash and that put him to sleep. He was so out of it I couldn't wake him up for the picture, I propped him in the little chair and his eyes were closed while he was sitting up, (I wassupporting him with my hand). They finally got him to open his eyes for a second and they quickly took a picture. Everyone was dying, it was so cute."

July 6th-
The days are starting to run together here! Sorry I didn't write yesterday - keep posting for blogs, I want to have a record of picking up baby brother. We have been all through with official adoption business since the medical checkup, it is just waiting for his visa, and then going to the consulate and doing the interview and oath on Thursday. Mason's little Chinese passport picture is so dang cute I can't stand it, they took us to a little photography studio and they put a little jean jacket on him for his picture, dad says he looks like a Chinese gangster - he actually does, a very angelic gangster though. I took him to the pool today while dad got a foot massage (1 hour for 10 bucks!!) and Mason loved the pool. At first he was scared, his first time in a pool, but soon he was splashing and going nuts. He kept dipping his face in the water and then laughing hysterically. He kept kicking his swimming suit off, we finally just freestyledit, they don't do swim diapers in China. This morning we went to the jade and pearl market - our guide was so helpful, she told us which stalls to go to and how to figure out if the prices were fair. Dad was done after about 2 minutes, but he stuck it out with Mason till our bus came; I just shopped!!! Oh this is so cool, Mattel makes a special Barbie just for Chinese adoptive babies, and they give one to each family. It is distributed solely by Mattel at this hotel since most of the families stay here. They left ours in our room, but it is a Barbie with a China baby girl! Maybe I can sell it on ebay!! Oh, Kasey we met another family today in the play room and their little adoptive girl (5 years old) has a port wine stain on her leg with a lot of vascular issues just like yours. She was considered special needs and abandoned as an infant. I'm glad we kept you!! I gave them your doctors name and answered their questions. They talked about howrare the condition is and how little they've found out about it! I almost forgot, we were at the Buddhist monastery the other day and dad heard some people speaking Spanish. He went to say hello and it was a family from Spain. They had adopted two girls several years ago, and were back visiting and showing the girls their homeland. Dad was so excited to speak Spanish in the middles of China - it was really cool. They were so excited for us, and their two girls were just cuties. It is very apparent how the attitude between baby boys and girls is different here. It is rare for an adoptive family to have a boy instead of a girl(I didn't realize how rare), and almost all the Chinese people that stop to talk to Mason comment on how lucky we were to get a boy. It is kind of sad aspect of Chinese culture. Our guide talked about how boys are more valued that girls. I was surprised that she addressed that issue. Anyway, I am so glad that so many of these babies are getting homes where they are just adored! It is so fun meeting all these families!


July 6th-

"Hello wonderful children!! Funny story. In China there are stautes of Buddha everywhere, he is the founder of Buddhism. Anyway, he is a very large rotund fellow, always smiling in the statues. So yesterday Dad goes out to buy a t-shirt since he sweats through like 5 shirts a day in this 100 degree weather. The shop guys looks at him and goes - I have one just for you - it is Buddha-size!! We laughed. A lot. Mason is getting ready to go to the pool with dad, we will try to keep his suit on him today! Have fun in Island Park!! We love you!! Moo and Poo and May-May"

July 8th-
"We are very ready to come home. We fly to Shanghai tomorrow after we visit the consulate and get Mason's American passport! We stay in Shanghai for the night then it is off to the US!! Yeah! Mason continues to slay the ladies (moms actually), with his cuteness. He is also a little tyrant. Most of the little orphanage babies are aggressive and independent - we love wathcing them play. We took the group pictures of all the babies and Preston couldn't resist pulling the tempting pigtails on the little girl beside him. She was very tough and there was a little baby fight, we were all hysterical and taking pictures. He took a few steps today by himself, then he got scared and collapsed. At lunch in the restaurant dad laid him on the floor to change him - the diaper came off and he promptly peed gallons all over the floor. I will say nomore. I went on a walking tour yesterday of the herbal market of Guangzhou. Very amazing. Dried scorpions (and live ones), dried seahorses and lizards and snakes etc. I will post some of the pictures that I took. The guide was pointing out all of the stuff and what they are used for. I learned how to have beautiful skin, cure a headache, cough, and cold, and last but not least, increase the bust size. I'm sure a lot of these cures actually work, but I was very grateful for modern pharmaceuticals. Mason has had a worsening rash so we went to the little clinic right here in the hotel. The very kind Chinese doctor looked him over and said it was eczema. She prescribed him some cream and then gave us little paper packets of vitamin C powder that they made up just for Mason. It was very cool. Here's the amazing part - the visit and the meds totaled 60 yuan, or roughly ten dollars. The cream has nearly cleared up his skin, he wasitching himselftill he bled - poor baby. OK, this will be the last blog post, we are so excited to see everyone! Taek care honey!! Mom"

noodles <3

always moving. haha.


he is so dang cute. i can't stand it.





he loves his cabbage soup. haha.




this is what he does on every bus ride. :)





dad with his quarter pounder. :)

so...apparently they don't believe in diapers...just open-butt pants. hahah. so gross... read on and you will hear about it...


Hey everyone :) So sorry i have been slacking on updating. here are a couple of e-mails from the past couple of days.

Wednesday July 1st

dad-
"Hey Kasey! Today we went to the site of the Terracotta Warriors. They were built during the Qin Dynasty around 220 B.C. The site was accidentally discovered in the 1970s when a well was being dug. The Emperor then built the army to accompany him after death. It is commonly called the 8th wonder of the world, and we would have to agree. There are 3 excavation pits, one with thousands of foot soldiers, one with a huge array of chariot teams, the cavalry, and one known as the command center. We watched one area with excavators working. It was all very amazing and a honor to see. Baby Mason did very well on the trip. He loves to watch people and see new things. After returning to the hotel, we all took a long nap (road trips are tiring, 100 degrees with no wind, bus ride, etc...) then went to dinner in a nice restaurant. Mason ate a ton of steamed eggs and cabbage soup, which I hope we don't have to begin cooking when we get home! Tomorrow we are off to see the Big Goose Pagoda. Should be another great day!"


mom-
"Mason is a little eater, noodles are the cutest, he slurps so well. He doesn't like rice!! It was meant to be, a kid of mine who won't eat rice!!! From China!! What are the odds? His province eats a lot more noodles. He has a rash that we are working on, that is why they shaved his head before we got him, the rash was all over, on his scalp as well. He is always itching but I am keeping ointments and stuff on him constantly. He is also teething, but I brought Tylenol for that too. He loves his stacky cups, he will sit there forever and line them up and stack them upside and right-side up. He loves to look at books too - we have a smarty on our hands."

Thursday July 2nd

Mom-
"Last night our guide took us to another very cool restaurant - she is a very sweet person, she is from another province but works as a guide all over China. She has taken very good care of all of us and loves the kids. She told us what some of the people are saying that are giving us unkind looks and obviously talking about us. (mostly everyone is very smiley and nice) She said most chinese people in the provinces away from Beijing don't understand why foreigners are here adopting children, they don't understand the problem of abandoned children, it is not widely known. I've gotta say, we do
stand out in a crowd, I've never been stared at more in my life, again though, mostly people smile and even come and talk to Mason.
Today we went to a Buddhist monastery that has a very famous pagoda (temple) that was built in 223 AD. It was very cool, and there were some beautiful Buddha statues, some of marble. There was one main statue that had huge incense pots going and people were offering prayers. Mason fell asleep in his stroller so I sat and waited while everyone finished the tour. Several Buddhist monks strolled by and stopped to smile and touch Mason, it was very neat. Jim got a picture or two. Our guide said most people in China are not religious but they still like to offer prayers to Buddha occasionally, it is more cultural that religious. The whole monastery and buildings and Buddhas were beautiful.
We should get Mason's passport tomorrow, then it is off to the American consulate in Guangzhou, a two hour flight from here. Let's hope Mr. Very loud wiggle-worm will do well on the flight.

Hi everyone! One of the families is able to access the blog from her computer! I will bug Kasey to post more pictures, we have sent her a ton! Everything here is great, Mason threw his first tantrum today, he wanted dad while he was in the shower. I finally stripped him down and stuck him in the tub, he loves his daddy!! He likes me all right. Not much new, Mason is just too much fun and quite the crowd-pleaser!! Take care all and hopefully more pictures are coming!!!!

he's already popular...

UPDATE!! :)

"Mason is a magnet everywhere we go, he is so cute and funny everyone comes up to talk to him and smile, though we do get some rather unfriendly looks - I'm not sure why. This afternoon we went to the ginormous mall across the street for lunch (I bought you a couple of pretty jade bracelets) and thought we would live on the edge and eat at the food court. We kept trying to order food, it was all pointing and gestures, and they all kept gesturing at us to go somewhere else. It turns out that at the food court
you have to go put a deposit on a food card and then put money on the card and then go buy food with it. We did that and then we hadn't put enough money on the card so they couldn't give us the food - we were quite the freak show. Dad finally got enough money on the card, brought it back and we got our plate of weird noodles and dumplings. Then dad returned the food card and got the deposit back. It was pretty good and Mason loved it. By then we were exhausted so we came back to the hotel and Mason and I crashed while dad went and toured an old bell tower with another couple - he said it was pretty cool.
Tonight our guide took us to a nearby restaurant and we had all kinds of Chinese dumplings - they were delicious. Food here is so cheap, our portion of the bill was only 8 dollars!! After that we walked through a huge outdoor market, it is crazy - cars driving on the sidewalk, people just part and let them through. I got a gorgeous silk tablecloth that we won't be eating on anytime soon. We also got Mason a cool little Chinese drum that he has been banging on. I didn't bring him very many clothes because I didn't know what size to buy, and he keeps blowing out his diapers, so I have to wash out his 3 little outfits each night and hang them up. I keep looking for some clothes for him but I can't find any.
Tomorrow we go see the terra cotta warriors, I am so excited. Mason loves the bus rides, he stands up by Dad and bangs on the window and talks. . . really loud! He still prefers Dad, today he cried when he left for a minute - he loves to yell "Dadoo" over and over. I think Dad is sending some pictures to you later, right now he is doing his portion of the days laundry, which is rinsing and finding a place to hang everything. I hope everything is wonderful with you there - we miss you guys but we are staying so busy, when we are in the hotel room we mostly just play with baby Mason, he is so funny! He really wants to walk and is trying so hard, he can walk with our help, but his left leg is still situated a little funny and his knee only bends a little. We are very excited to get him to an orthopedic surgeon and get him fixed up."

Here's a couple of updates I got today. Looks like they have their hands full with the little kid! He was so meant to be with us. pretty sure we are pro's at handling tazmanian devils.

" We went to Civil Affairs this morning for interviews and paperwork. We were there for 3 hours. The other 3 families have little girls, very quiet and calm, just sitting in a parents' lap and holding their dollies. We have monstro the wiggle worm!! He doesn't sit still for one second! We ended up pushing him in the stroller up and down the halls, he has never been in a stroller before and he loves it. He also will walk around forever while you hold his little hands. He doens't walk on his own yet, his leg is a little kooky. We are excited to get it all fixed and have him running in non-stop circles.
He is very partial to dad, he tolerates me when necessary but will cry for dad if he is there. That is why dad is so pooped, he had to keep him entertained the whole morning. He and Mason are both sacked out!! It is funny all the kids have a parent they like - the loser parents (as we call ourselves) are the errand runners etc, because we can leave the baby. Kase, he is so dang cute and funny, we are head over heels already, just like we were with all you kids. When we went to pick him up he was the very last one to come in the room. I thought I was going to die, I was so anxious and nervous and excited. He cried at first, but then he went straight to dad and never looked back. The orphanage people were so nice and helpful, telling us what they liked and you could tell they loved the kids.
OK, things I have learned about China. 1 - you need to take your own toilet paper to the bathroom - I will comment no further. 2 - make sure there is a Western toilet available, otherwise you are squatting into a little trench. 3 - Don't drink the water, don't even let it run in your mouth in the shower, or rinse your toothbrush by accident. 4 - I will quote our guide here: "do not cross the street on foot or you will be killed." There are underground tunnels at major intersections that we can use. 5- Babies here wear what are called split pants. They are literally bare-butted. When they need to go the parents just let them go on the ground and then they clean it up. We saw a parent in the Forbidden City holding his kid over the garbage can so he could poop. Dad took a picture of a baby in split pants, I will have him send it when he wakes up.
This afternoon we have to go do more paperwork, and then we have the evening to ourselves. I think we will go and try to find real Chinese food. This province does a lot more noodles than rice, which made me happy, maybe we will find some good noodles. "

"Hello big sister! It is Tuesday morning, 6am. Yesterday was a busy day. We spent half the day at the Civil Affairs office being interviewed and signing paperwork. Mason got very tired, but hung in there. He got to say goodbye to his caretakers from the orphanage, and actually blew them a kiss! He is a clever little dude. We returned to the hotel and he got a nice nap, me too. In the afternoon it was back to Civil Affairs to get the official paperwork; Mason is ours!!!! Then it was off to the province police department to apply for his Chinese passport, so we can actually take him with us. We went to a nice restaurant for dinner and fed Mason noodles. He knows to slurp them right up! One of the other kids, a 3-year old actually eats with chop sticks! The rest of the week will be here in Xi'an, waiting for the passport. Today is a shopping day, tomorrow is a tour to see the Terracotta Warriors (too cool!) Thursday is a tour of the Big Goose Pagoda. "

Here's the latest update!!

"We picked up Mason yesterday (Sunday) evening. At first he would only come to me, and was suspicious of mom for a couple hours! But we finally got back to the hotel, gave him a nice bath, and mom rubbed lotion all over him. That did it. He is SO cute! He is super active, and talkative. His little left leg has some orthopaedic issue that makes it bend funny, so we have a little cast he has to wear a few hours a day (he hates it) and we will have some work to do with specialists when we return. Right now (Monday, 6am) he is still sleeping (he fell asleep at 9:30 - takes after DJ!). Today we get to spend a few hours with Chinese authorities to finalize their end of the adoption and get baby's passport.

Visiting China has been interesting to say the least. You can't drink the water, so you boil it or use bottled water. We have the benefit of having a guide to take us everywhere we go. We haven't been too adventurous with eating. The hotel does a nice western-style buffet for breakfast, and for dinner we have found McDonalds, KFC and Pizza Hut - almost like home, but Pizza Hut offers weird toppings like tuna and squid."

china is anti-blog... :(

Hello hello everyone! This is Kasey, the oldest Hansen hooligan child :) I was asked to update the blog for the parental units while they are in China. I'm...pretty excited about it. And since this is a record for the ages about little Mason and our journey to him, I thought I would speak for the other children in saying that we are SOOO excited about getting this little baby. I remember when I saw the first picture of him. Mom and dad had not officially decided he was our baby. But when his cute little chunky cheeked face popped up on my laptop I knew without a doubt he was ours. I cannot wait to meet him. So anyways. Here is the little update I got in an e-mail from my mom yesterday.


"Hello! It is 4 am on Sunday but dad and I can't sleep because it is actually 3 pm on Saturday!! We actually collapsed at 7:30 last night so that is probably why we are up so early! The Great Wall was killer. It wasn't a leisurely stroll, it was straight up!! It was 90 plus degrees and we were both drenched and dying. So cool though. The Forbidden City was neat, though the beggars were very sad, and they kept touching me. Most of them blind or missing limbs, etc. The group we are with are very nice, all adoptive parents like us. We all get our babies today, we are flying to our provinces this morning. One couple comes with us and gets a little girl from the same orphanage. China is cool, but very dirty and polluted. We are also getting stared at constantly. I guess we do stand out. We ate at McDonald's last night, it was delicious. I thought Dad had died and gone to heaven. We took lots of pictures of the Beijing McDonald's for DJ. We
aren't able to access our blog here, apparently the Chinese government has decided that blogs are a tool of subversion so they are not accessible on the internet. Whatever. We are so blessed.
We also went to a cloisonne factory yesterday. Cloisonne is a kind of enamel/pottery technique that originated in this area. We bought a really cool Christmas ornament and a beautiful little tea set. I am on the hunt for your DVD's, though Dad is having an attack of honesty and tells me I am on my own!! Take care honey!!! Love, Mom"

And here is what I got from Dad today :):)

"All is well here. We flew from Beijing to Xi'an this morning. We are with two couples who are also adopting babies from this province. We get to pick up Mason in just a couple hours! Let me know if you have any trouble. LOVE, POPS

Well there you are people. Hope you enjoy it. THere surely shall be more to come. Until next time!

Lookin good at MSP!

Finally on the way!

The day has finally arrived! What a busy day yesterday was! Details, details. At this point I don't think we left anything undone. We are so grateful for everyone that has helped us make this happen. The kids are staying with friends and the animals are being cared for by friends, amazing. We are in the airport now, waiting to board our flight to Portland. Then its off to Narita (Tokyo), then to Beijing. Only about 18 hours total, ugh! As you know, I am not a small guy, and coach is not my friend! Soon we won't have to tell people we are still waiting for our baby!

Funny, because of work I haven't had to pass through regular airport security for 12 years. But for this trip I'm a regular joe. So my new knee sets off the metal detector, and its off to processing! Stand like a scarecrow while a guy passes a wand over every inch of me. Then my bag got searched because I had an aerosol container larger than 2 ounces. So this is how the rest of you live?

Charise has made me promise to be a good photographer, and I'll do my best. We will try to post photos and information regularly - See ya!

On The Way!!

The day has finally arrived! Charise and I are checked in at the airport (MSP) waiting to board and begin the long flight to China. We are so grateful for the many people who have offered to help us with this adventure! The kids are staying with friends, the dogs are with friends and the cat and fish are in the good hands of friends, amazing! So today we get to stop in Portland, then cross the Pacific to Narita (Tokyo), and from there to Beijing - about 18 hours all together. Funny, because of work I haven't had to pass through regular airport security for 12 years. So wouldn't you know today my new knee sets off the metal detector, and off to processing I go! Stand like a scarecrow, "are you sure this is a metal knee?", then search my carry-on, "what's this, We have a suitcase just for baby Mason - how long has it been since we had to take diapers with us? We will try to update the blog daily, unless we can't find internet service out in the middle of China. I promised Charise I would be a good camera boy, to make sure you get a taste of our jouney. So here are my first efforts. See ya!

travel plans!

The travel agency called to day and we have our tickets!!! We leave on June 25th and return on July 10th. There will be a fair amount of intra-China travel; we land in Beijing and tour for a day, then to Shaanxi where Mason is - after that it is Guangzhou where the consulate is, then to Shanghai and home from there!! A total of 2 weeks of traveling, Mason will be a seasoned traveler by the time we get home. I bought diapers and wipes today for the first time in over 8 years. I've never been so happy to buy diapers! Now it is time to make arrangements for everyone while we are gone. Kids, dogs, cat, we'll get it all done!

Solid travel date!!

We got an e-mail last night confirming our official travel date! We are leaving the 26th of June. We will miss the Daw family reunion this year which is a bummer - but getting our little caboose will be well worth it. We are busy getting the rest of our paperwork and visas ready, but there really isn't much left to do but pack right before we go. We will be gone two weeks, till the 10th of July; the kids are all staying at friends houses. We will go to Beijing and then Shaanxi to get Mason; after that we go to the consulate in Guangzhou. Back to Beijing and then home! Lots of traveling - Jim is hoping to try many Chinese dishes while we are there, and of course I will take every opportunity to shop, mostly for Mason though! We will post updates and pictures while we are there, it will probably be the only trip to China we will ever take so we will take as many pictures as we can!

travel update

Good news today!! The travel specialist from Great Wall (our adoption agency) called and said that our province had approved our travel. Each province is handling the flu scare separately and allowing travel at their discretion. Shaanxi is the province where Mason is and they have allowed us in!! Yeah! The exact day isn't set but it will be either June 26th or July 10th. Our appointments are currently being made and all the arrangements are being set up; they will send us on whichever date fits best. Time to go buy a car seat!!!!

swine flu

It currently looks like the swine flu outbreak will postpone our travel. We don't know how long the travel will be curtailed; it is just more of the same old, same old . . . waiting!! We will just continue to be patient and hope that the flu scare will soon recede and the China officials will allow adoption travel!

First Photo

Here is the first picture we ever saw of Mason! Sooooo cute! We knew he belonged with us!

Cast Photos

Here is Mason's first cast. He is probably two or three months old in this picture. You can see his little right foot is curved inward.

Here is Mason at about 8 or 9 months-old. His left leg has a big cast, probably the 3rd or 4th he has had. You can see his right foot has also been corrected. He can sit on his own and looks great!

Meet Mason!

This is the most recent photo we have of baby Mason. He is 11 or 12 months-old here. Too cute!!!