hmm.....Where have we been?

....Very, very busy with our darling Crystal Ji Rose. So busy in fact that this blog has gone long neglected. It's not that nothing has been happening, it's only that so much has been happening and so fast, that there has been little time to capture any of it here. Crystal is doing well adjusting to being home, learning that she has a world all her own here. Mama and Baba have all they can do to keep up. Crystal has been given the "all clear" medically, which is huge relief for us. She has met and is starting to take to her Nai Nai, YeYe and just met her Jie Jie. This month, of course, has been a 'banner' one for her, though she has taken little note of much except getting stuff. She is starting to slowly pick up on a few words, such as "heart", "car", "circle", and her favorite "butterfly" (which she says in an abbreviated fashion), and a few others. She recognizes and says the letter "A" and "N" and, when so inclined, can indicate "1"and "2" and "5" with her fingers. She loves anything with buttons to press, including Mama's cell phone, with which she has inadvertently called a few people. "Winnie the Pooh" remains a favorite character as does the movie, which we probably have seen at least 50 times now (no exaggeration). She also loves her "Mei-Mei" sing along dvd. It's near impossible to capture the moments in words and/or pictures as they happen - we tend to keep too busy enjoying the moments. Below are a few pictures of our precious daughter.

Home...finally...and some pics

After nearly 21 hours of being on the go, we made it home, sick, exhausted, but very, very happy. Crystal is doing well. She was very excited to see her room full of toys. It's hard to explain what we are feeling right now. We are very disoriented, jet lagged, and miss being in China very much - we were only just starting to get used to being there. Despite the challenges that come from the language barrier and working through an interpreter, we loved being there very much. China has become very much a part of our home. No longer will it be some country in a far away place on this planet - rather, it is now inside of us, in our hearts and in our souls. It is an unexplainable feeling, the growth that happens from actually being there and feeling our world view grow and expand so much. Nothing will ever be the same and we can no longer look at things in the same way as we may have before we went. Below are some pictures of our beautiful baby girl. A blessing to us from very far away....some place we hope to return some day.

A very long week......

Since receiving our precious girl a week ago, we have been nothing short of run ragged. After our stay in Changsha in Hunan, we are are now in Guangzhou in Guongdong province. We've ben busy, not only with activities, but just the process of us all getting used to one another. Crystal is beautifully perfect! Kelly and I both have gotten quite sick but are coping. Needless to say our hands have been full and sleep has been on chronically short order, but it has all been worth it. She is wonderful and playful (when getting her own way.. lol!), actually, she is wonderful all the time with a smile that melts your heart. We've had no time to get to the computer for regular updates, havent had much chance for any shopping (but still hoping) and havent found any time for post cards as we have been either busy with "official" business, sight seeing, or tending to Crystal. A true joy to be around. I dont seem able to post any pictures from my access here. This will likely be the last post on our trip, as we leave on Wednesday. We wished we had had more time to post more of our affairs, but we've been too busy taking in as much of China as possible. We love it here and wish we could stay longer, and if it were at all possible we would have really liked to stay here for a year. For now, all we can say is that we will come back some day. Pics will be posted as soon as we are back!

Beijing and Beyond

Our trip so far has been EXTREMELY busy with too many tales to tell. Forbidden City, The Great Wall (which was a very grueling hike), a traditional tea house and sitting, and so much more. We are exhausted but having the time time of ours lives. This is an amazing place; beyond measure. This post is from Changsha, where we just go back from a museum and factory where we actually got to see how the beautiful hand embroideries are made. In just a few short hours we will be united with Crystal Ji Rose. Needlesss to say we cant wait!!. If time permits, we'll try to post again at some point during our stay with a few pictures. Off to prepare ourselves for the moment of ourl ives!!

So where is Hunan?

     It will be 4 days after we first get to China that we finally fly into Changsha in the Hunan province to meet our daughter. Clicking on the detailed map on the right above will show a large map of the Hunan Province indicating where Changsha is and where Crystal's Orphanage is. More info on Hunan can be found here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hunan

"Officical Announcement"

(For very personal reasons, we held off for a long time on sending out notifcation that we had received Crystal's referral. We have told a few, but here is the "official" annoucement.)

Kevin & Kelly McFarland

Proudly Announce

The Referral of Our Precious Daughter

Crystal Ji Rose McFarland

Chinese Name: ZHAO JI ZHI
Date of Birth: March 10, 2006 (18 Months Old)
Province: Hunan Province
Orphanage: Yuanling Social Welfare Institute
Approx Weight: 20 lbs
Approx Height: 30"

     Crystal Ji Rose is currently living in Foster Care. We will beleaving for China October 23, 2007, and we will be united with our longawaited Baby Girl on October 28, 2007!! We are "Over the Moon" withexcitement (and a little overwhelmed!)!

     We will travel from Portland to Chicago to Beijing. We will be inBeijing 3 days, four nights. There we will see the Great Wall and manyother historical places. From Beijing we travel to Crystal's Province,Hunan. We fly into the Capital of Hunan which is Changsha. We will beunited with Crystal and begin the paperwork to bring her home. The adoption will be finalized on October 29th. The rest of the week we willcomplete more paperwork and apply for her Visa and passport and dosightseeing with her to bring back many memories from her homeland. Thenwe fly to Guangzhou where we have our Consulate Appointment and our GroupSwear In of her adoption. When this is accomplished (a few days), we willthen fly to Hong Kong to begin our journey back home. Upon entering USsoil, she becomes an automatic US citizen.

More Pics!!

     We've been very fortunate to have received another set of pictures of our little Crystal. We have decided to incorporate the "Ji" from her given Chinese name into her American name; so now she is "Crystal Ji Rose McFarland".