The Journey of a Lifetime
Ryan and I have decided to pursue our forth adoption and add another beautiful baby to our family. We couldn't be happier and are thrilled! Join us in our journey in adopting baby Schlenner!
Happy Halloween 2010!!!!!!!!!!!! Whew...what a day and night!!! Today I had Gabriella home with high fever and feeling miserable. Ryan brought her to the doctor this morning and she still had a 104.4 temp with Tylenol in her! Needless to say, she slept most the day and woke in the afternoon feeling better. So, as a fun, loving momma that I am, I couldn't tell her NO to Trick-or-Treating. I let her go for about 30 minutes and put her to bed snug as a bug!
Otherwise, we had a fun evening! All three girls kept changing their minds as to what they were going to be for Halloween!!!!!!!! In the picture, you can see what they ended up being. My FOUR sweeties!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Oh, and looks at Magnus' new "SMILE." He squints and leans forward for the camera!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Funny, because he doesn't speak a lick of English, but he seems to know everything I'm saying!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Gabriella put on a happy face and wore a Candy Cane outfit! She looked adorable and sweet enough to eat!
Jocelyn decided on being a glitzed up Witch! She, too, was a beautiful sight!
And my little Ahnya...she said she was going to be "herself" because she really REALLY believes she is an Ethiopian Princess!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I love it!!!!!!!!!!!!!! So we added a Princess Tiana dress, tiara, some lip gloss and eye shadow and called it good!!!! I HOPE this child always believes she's a princess!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
My baby Magnus did NOT go Trick-or-Treating. He faught me and so wanted to go with his daddy and his big sisters out the door...but there was NO way I was going to have him get scared AND sugared up on candy! So momma said NO and we handed out candy at the door instead!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Next year my little man you will be ready to go!
Hope everyone had a fun Halloween. I, for one, am glad this day is done and my babies are all fast asleep in bed!
WE ARE HOME!!!! Sorry this took sooooo long to post...but I've been BUSY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! We arrived last Saturday at the MSP Airport!!! We had a wonderful Homecoming of family and friends!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It was a day the girls and I will never forget!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I will never forget walking off the customs elevator and the doors opening to all our friends and family!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It was amazing, overwhelming, and the BEST welcome home gift EVER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Daddy was so happy to see us and new baby Magnus in person. There's really no words to explain that day.
Magnus handled the crowd very well. I had him snug in my Ergo carrier and he was calm and exhausted!!!!
From the pics above you can see Gabriella and Jocelyn LOVED having their besties Ella and Annie there to welcome them home!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! We love you E and A!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Mr. Magnus had a horrible flight! The whole 16 hours was terrible. He faught sitting in my lap and cried and cried!!!!!!!!! We will NOT be traveling in the near future with this baby!
Momma and Magnus finally HOME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Here's my besties Terese (in the left background with her twin babes) and Kirstie first meeting our lil' man! Thank you for being there you girls. I love you!
Gabriell and Jocelyn with Ella and Annie at the airport!
Ahnya was very scared upon seeing everyone at the airport. She was very happy to be home with family and cousin, Deacon!
Here's a quick pic taken before we left the airport!! We're a family of 6!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Our journey to bring Magnus home is complete. And now we continue our journey as a family!!!!!!!!!!!! Thank you for your prayers and support along the way!!!!!!!!!!! Hope you enjoyed the ride!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I for one am GLAD to be done with this one!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Momma is T-I-R-E-D!!!!!!!!! And so thankful for my precious children. What a gift!!!!! I love you all!
We pick up Magnus' visa today around 4:00 p.m. and then we can leave for Hong Kong!!!!!!!!! We're taking a van taxi to our hotel in Hong Kong this afternoon (4 hour ride). Then we'll arrive tonight in Hong Kong around 9:00 p.m.
Hopefully we'll get some sleep tonight and wake up early to take a shuttle to the HK airport! We leave at 8:30 a.m. and have a layover in Toyko for a couple hours. Then fly to MSP!
We are to arrive on Saturday, October 21st at 12:35 p.m. at the MSP Airport!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! We can't wait!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! We can't wait to see you all!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! This will be the last time I post because I'm not sure what time I will have along journey home! Wish us safe travels and see you in MINNESOTA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Love and Hugs to you all!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
We celebrated Magnus Shu Shu's Gotch'a Day with McDonald's chicken nuggets and a cake to commemorate the occasion! The kids LOVED the nuggets from McDonalds and the cake was fantastic!!
What a special day and one I will never ever forget!!! Daddy you are going to love this lil guy! He is adorable and such a sweetie! We can't wait to see all our loved ones!!!!!!!! Thank you for all the prayers and support because I couldn't have gotten through this with out them!
I am so glad that we made the decision to bring the girls along. It was the best decision in the end and one that they will always remember, too! What a journey!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Nana and Grandma Peggy are doing good. They have loved being apart of the whole experience! Grandma Peggy is very homesick and looking forward to going home! One more night here in Guangzhou and then we leave tomorrow to stay in Hong Kong for a night and early flight next morning!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Happy Gotch'a Day Magnus!!!!!!!!!! We love you!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Happy Gotcha Day Magnus!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!Today we got up early and headed to the US Embassy for our OFFICAL Adoption Day Ceremony!!!!! Our appointment was at 10:00 a.m. and there were about 10 other families there waiting to raise their right hand and swear under oath. As a veteran adoptive parent who as been through this 3 times prior, I knew exactly what to expect and wasn't nervous. I felt for the other 10 families who looked scared with their unknowing faces.
Molly our CHSFS region coordinator did a fabulous job!
Magnus Shu Shu was in fine form and performed in his chinese suit for us. He actually slept through the whole ceremony in my Ergo carrier as I did the interview at the Embassy! What a good boy!
He is an absolute complete riot! He is a charmer in every sense of the word!
My spicy Chengdu babe is happily celebrating his Gotch'a Day!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
We were craving PIZZA today...so we ordered Papa John's and they delivered pizza for $22 to our hotel! Tasted exactly the same as american Papa John's pizza in the states!!!!!! I think I'm going to write a letter when I get home...because it hit the spot!!!!
Magnus also loved the pizza!!!!!
***Thank you to everyone for posting comments and the wonderful notes you have sent!!!!!!!! The comments keep us connected to family and home!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! We love you all and look forward to going home in 4 days!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I'm catching up on posting pics!!! When Magnus goes down for his afternoon nap, the girls and I hit the pool and hot tub in the afternoon!!!!!!!!!!!!! The outdoor pool in wonderful and the girls LOVE to swim. Plus, it's great exercise for them and they are eager for a good dinner and sleep after swimming all afternoon!!!
Momma is refreshed and we have a relaxing day today!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! We are hanging out playing at the hotel outdoor playground and swimming the whole afternoon in the awesome pool!!!!!!!! The weather is beautiful outside. A hot 87 degrees and perfect for a pool party in the afternoon!
Fun playday!!!!!!! So schedule and no where to go!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Paperwork is done...just wait for officals to sign and complete. Our Consulate Appointment is on Thursday at 10:00 am and then we pick up our visa on Friday and leave for Hong Kong!!!!!
In the meantime, we have 2 days to rest up and relax!!!! Here's Nana with the kids!
Momma and babes!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Having a great time in China!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! We miss everyone and look forward to going HOME!! There really is NO PLACE LIKE HOME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Here's Ms. Ahnya playing and having a ball!!! Hi, Daddy! I miss you!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Gabriella misses her friends at school!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! She wants to tell everyone that she's eating very different things and trying everything. Gabriella is loving the experience and taking everything in!!!!! She's ate octopus, caviar, mussels, peking duck, escargo (spelling?), calamari, steamed buns, sushi, salmon pate, and other foods that I don't even know how to spell or describe!!!
Jocelyn also misses her kindergarten classroom 104!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! HI to all her friends and Ms. Dudgeon, too!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Jocelyn loves shopping in the chinese shops for fans, dresses, candies, and purses, too! Jocelyn is just happy to be with momma and eager to see her daddy when she gets home!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Magnus had his first ride in the swing this morning on the playground! He loved it!!! What a sweetie pie!!!!!!!!!!!!!
After breakfast today the girls and I decided Mr. Magnus need a hair cut at the salon! Just a little trim around the neck and ears!!!!! Look at this little guy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Magnus did great!!! He continues to amaze me with his patience! Just when I think all heck is going to break lose and he won't sit anymore...a calm and peacefulness comes over him and he does beautiful!!! Ahnya and I sang lady Gaga song for him while he got a hair cut!!! The whole salon was laughing at us! What a riot!!!
Baby Magnus sat great for his first hair cut with a trimmer and scissors. He LAUGHED and laughed when the trimmer made a "buzzzzzzzzzz" sound!!!! $8 later....and very handsome!!!
Grandma Peggy has been giving the big girls back massages everynight before bed! They love it!!!
Jocelyn laughs and laughs through her back massages. She is so funn!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Magnus continues to be a character and loves to belly laugh!!!!!!! Everyday he gets a new bump on his head or face. His muscle development and lack of muscle control makes him clumsy and he easily bumps into things and falls down easily!!!! Poor baby!!!!!!!! In result, he has lots of bruises already from falling down and running into things! LOL!
Jocelyn and Magnus!!! The girls fight over who gets to sit by him at meals and who gets to push him in the stroller!!! The sista's love their baby brother!!!!!!!!!!
Big sister Gabriella holding all 20 lbs. of Magnus!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
