Meeting Maya

Halloween

2011-11-05T21:55:00.001-05:00

We had such a super Halloween! The weather was beautiful, Maya had napped that afternoon, so she had a great time trick-or-treating! She wore her costume for about 12 hours that day. The morning began with Nursery School, then daycare in the afternoon and FINALLY trick-or-treating.

Happy 3rd Birthday, Maya!

2011-02-02T21:25:00.023-06:00

Happy Birthday, Maya!

Friday Night with Family

Big Hugs for Aunty Crystal

Sierra, Maya, Crystal and Rhiana

Happy birthday, Maya!!! Maya turned three years old on Friday, January 28, and we celebrated with family - Grandma and Grandpa, Uncle Todd, Aunty Susan and cousin Ashtyn. Uncle Terry, Aunty Deanna, Nick and Sarah couldn't make it because they are on a cruise.

Maya's family and friends birthday party was on Saturday and then Papa and Aunty Wendy joined us for supper later that day. Maya was so funny on the day of her birthday - for many months now, she has been saying, "My birthday is coming up!" Well, the day finally arrived, and she kept on telling everyone that! Her party started, thank goodness, at 11 o'clock, Saturday morning, because as soon as she got up she started asking when her friends were coming. I think she finally realized it was her birthday once she had her party...

The Past Few Months

2010-12-04T14:14:00.023-06:00

I know these pictures go back a few months - to July, but I thought it would be nice to share them with everyone and you can get an idea of some of the things that we have been busy doing. And I mean busy! These are a few of my favourites.

Friend Rhiana's Birthday Party

Friend Madeline's Birthday Party
Fast Asleep on the Floor of the Living Room in Our 'New to Us' Home

Maya and Mandarin (our cat), LOVE the carpetThomas Lake with Aunty Deanna, Uncle Terry, Nick and Sarah

Our New Home

Maya Helping Dad - No, It's Not Running

At the Playground with Macgregor, Genevieve and Anneliese Benning (Mac, Jenny, and Anna)

First Time in the Pool in the Backyard

Back View of Our Old House

Maya's Last Time in Her First Bedroom

At Child's Lake with Cousins Ashtyn and Sarah

Serious Work!

Met Up with Anna and Mac Again Later in the Summer

Friend Sierra's Birthday Party

Beside The Assiniboine River in Winnipeg

Maya's First Time Golfing

The Locks at Lockport

A Visit to Gimli with Grandpa and Grandma

On the Pier in Gimli

Gimli

Playing in the Leaves

At the Zoo

The Beginning of the Thanksgiving Pictures, spent with Family and Friends

Out for a Walk

Maya and Mandarin (I'm surprised that he's letting her do this!)

Maya's New Room

Halloween Party at Daycare

This was one of two times only that Maya put her hand inside the pumpkin.

Our Little Dalmation

It's Been a Long Time!!!

2010-11-28T08:32:00.007-06:00

First Snowfall of the Winter November 11, 2010

Oh my, it's been such a long time since my last post! The time really has flown by! In June, we bought a newer house, just down the street from our old one and spent the end of June and beginning of the summer getting settled. We managed to get in some camping with family and a trip to Winnipeg and area for a week with a friend and her two daughters, over the summer. Then, it seemed it was time to get ready and go back to work. Working full time and caring for a child is wonderful, but can be quite busy and challenging at times, I am finding out (as you all know). I am glad for the snow that we received early this year, (and I mean SNOW!!!), and even the colder temperatures, as it has forced me inside to get some things done in the house, including report cards, uggghhh!

Speaking of snow, Maya LOVES it and she loves being outside! Now that we have figured out which jacket and mittens to wear together so they don't separate and she doesn't get snow on her wrist, it's great! She is so funny and entertaining these days and it's wonderful to see her language developing. On Friday Les and I received time outs - hmmmm, I wonder how daycare is going??? Maya turns three at the end of January and we hear about her birthday coming up almost daily - we hear about everything, actually - she has such good memory and she doesn't miss a thing that goes on! I have included some recent pictures and will try to post some more from over the past few months later on.

I have posted videos on youtube of Maya in the snow if you are interested in taking a peek. I have had to take a course called 'Learning, Language and Lovin' It' through work - about children's language, and have several short clips of Maya in the snow, for course purposes. Search llmatkinson on www.youtube.com

Cheers!
Lori

One Year Since Our Forever Family Day!!!

2010-05-30T22:10:00.003-05:00

One year ago tomorrow we held Maya in our arms for the first time. Wow! A whole year has gone by - unbelievable! Happy Gotcha Day Maya!!! (We also just got an offer on our house and may finally be able to live somewhere big enough to hold all of your toys!)

Love,
Mommy and Daddy
xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo

Maya's New Tricycle

2010-04-15T22:21:00.003-05:00

Maya LOVES her new tricycle!

The Easter Bunny Was Here!

2010-04-10T17:53:00.006-05:00

Maya enjoyed her first Easter in Canada with Mom, Dad, Grandma, Grandpa and Papa.

We were supposed to have been away meeting friends this weekend, but because of a major snowstorm and strong winds, our trip was cut really short! We were only an hour away from home, on what was to have been about a four and a half hour drive, when we found out that we weren't going any further west anytime soon! So, we headed south to the nearest large centre with some shopping and ended up purchasing this wonderful tricycle for Maya. She loves it! And so do we! We get to steer the tricycle and push it at the same time, while standing up! I know these have been around for awhile, but I have never actually used one. Maya is so happy to have her 'own' tricycle that she can reach the pedals on. We have a Rock 'n Roll Trike and a two-wheel bike for Maya, but they are both a bit too big right now. We are all very happy about this purchase!

Maya Painting

2010-03-13T20:59:00.004-06:00

This is such a CUTE video of Maya painting on her easel for the first time. This is such a HORRIBLE shot of me in the video, but as you watch, you can see why I am included. I guess this is what Maya sees most of the time, because we stay in our PJ's for hours some days...then we get dressed...then I might do something with my hair and put on some makeup. Beware...anyone who happens to come over in the morning!

Once again, this is such a CUTE video of Maya!

Thanks to Shelby's mom for helping me learn how to post a YouTube video on my blog! It was so easy once I knew what to do!!!

Snowmobiling and Family Fun

2010-03-11T14:10:00.004-06:00

This is a little of what Maya and I do when we are off on one of our adventures to visit family, while Les stays at home to work. We did manage a trip to the city about two weeks ago with Les, for work and will be heading back there again this next week. I am off to California with a friend for five days at the end of the month to help celebrate her dad's 70th birthday and then I'm afraid that will be it for our travels until the summer. I start back to work officially on May 3, for two months, just to break us all in slowly, teaching Grade One at a school here in town. I taught at this school several years ago and am looking forward to 'returning home'. The students have all changed of course, but many of the staff are still there. This will hopefully make the transition to work easier. As for Maya, I will have to begin taking her to the Home Daycare little by little. She's fine with me going out for awhile to my Sorority meetings and staying home with Dad and will hopefully enjoy this new change.

Snowmobiling for the First Time, with Grandpa Dave

Lunch at Uncle Todd and Aunty Susan's Cabin

Skating... Well, Taking a Break at The Park

We enjoy going for sleigh rides, which usually turn into walks, so took advantage of the beautiful day to take some photos.

Bowling with Dad, Who Comes Here Every Monday Night - So, I Get to Hear, "Bowling Alley, Bowling Alley!" At Home Every Monday Night (over and over and over again - Maya's vocabulary and language development is really expanding and progressing these days!!!)

Until next time,

Lori

One Year Referral Anniversary

2010-03-09T13:49:00.003-06:00

Now

Referral Picture

One year ago today we were able to finally see Maya's precious little face. Oh, what a year we have had! It is so hard to believe how fast the time has gone, once we actually received Maya. We have been so busy - trying to finally do the many things that I have craved to do for so many years, with my child. We are also trying to travel as much as we can and take short trips to the city and to see family before I return to teaching on May 3 (my first official paid day back). Maya has changed so much and has come so far in such a short while. It is amazing how children grow!

Maya's 2nd Birthday! (Finally...an entry!)

2010-03-08T14:27:00.008-06:00

Maya's Sister Jayde

Cousins Nick, Sarah and Ashtyn

Breakfast the next morning

Maya's birthday was on January 28th and we had her party on the 30th - yes, of January! (We have been quite busy lately and not home very much, and I mean, NOT AT HOME - away to the southern part of the province for the past two weeks out of four and very busy while at home.) I will start with this entry and then hopefully add more entries in over the next few days.

Maya spent her actual birthday with friends at Better Beginnings in the morning and and quiet rest of the day with Mom and Dad. The big PARTY happened two days later. I think the pictures say it all!

Lori

Happy Birthday, Maya!

2010-01-27T21:16:00.002-06:00

Maya turns two tomorrow. Yayyyy!!! I can't believe she will be two already and yet at other times I can't believe that she is only two by the number of things that she can do and knows. I keep thinking back to nieces and nephews and to children who I used to babysit, wondering if they did these things and knew these things when they were only two years old? We were told by two different Chinese men that she will be smart because of the province that she is from in China - Jiangxi, and from what we have seen, I think they are correct. Maya watches EVERYTHING that I do and I will see her trying to imitate my actions at later times - she was even wiping the counter while we were baking and tried to sweep the crumbs into her hand with the dishcloth. Tooooo cute! We are off to Better Beginnings tomorrow at Taylor School and were busy making cupcakes today to take for snack - I'm sure there will also be a helathy snack provided by the facilitator. The big party day is on Saturday at one of our hotels - the only one with a pool and waterslide (which will hopefully be fixed by the weekend as there are three pool birthday parties the same afternoon as Maya's). We have invited family and friends for the big event. It should be tons of fun! I'll post some pictures later on after everything is over. It feels like Christmas all over again...I can't wait until morning!

Home from "Cool" Cuba

2010-01-23T15:43:00.008-06:00

We arrived home from Cuba last Sunday morning. I say "Cool" Cuba because it was +13 degrees Celcius, misty and windy when we arrived on the Carribean Island. This lasted for three days!!! We sure were glad to have Maya's winter jacket, toque and mitts with us, (it took me a day to realize we had her jacket - she had it on when we went from the Airpark in a van to the airport. We had her in layers of as many long-sleeved shirts and lighter jackets as we could fit on her. Our resort was great - Sirenis la Salina, Varadero. It was a large resort and quite spread out, which we liked because then we were able to walk off the meals, Pina Coladas and Rum Punch (and Cerveza, of course!) Aside from the booze, having it be a large resort meant more choices for eating, snacking, swimming and just hangin' out. Our block of rooms was fairly close to the beach which was handy for the end of the week when we finally made it to the beach. Only one day was spent at the pool because the water in the ocean was warmer than that in the pool. They heated the activity pool a little, but the beautiful 'quiet pool' was unheated and FREEZING! Maya didn't mind wading in a little ways, but Les and I took turns - and took turns to get some circulation back into our legs. I'm serious! And of course, Maya came out to warm up every once in awhile, as well. Because of this, there was no one in this beautiful, gigantic pool. Usually the weather is much, much warmer in Cuba and the heat from the sun would help to warm the pool, but after several days of cool, cloudy days, that just didn't happen.

On one of the cool days at the beginning of the week Les and I took the tour to Havana, with stops along the way for Pina Coladas - which were the best! Mom and Dad kept Maya with them and had a blast back at the resort. Later in the week Les, Maya and I went on a Jeep Safari Adventure which was loads of fun! Maya, our little Chinita, was in her glory for the whole trip to Cuba. Everyone adored her and she loved it! She made friends with every other little person who we saw. She still comes out with, "Hola" every once in a while. She even got to perform with the band in the dining room one evening. By the end of the week, the weather was much, much nicer and we were glad to finally be able to relax on the beach. The beach and water were beautiful and Maya enjoyed having the waves tickle her toes, but only a little bit. She preferred playing in the sand.

We returned home to close to 0 degrees Celcius temperatures which was very odd for the middle of January. We weren't complaining as it made travelling home that much more pleasant.

In the fall we were privileged to have an article about our Journey with Maya featured in our Adoption Agency newsletter. I was just interviewed this afternoon over the phone for an article on being a Multicultural Family for a free local magazine titled "Westman Parent". Wow, what an honour! You can view earlier editions on-line at http://www.westmanparent.com/. This edition goes to print on Monday, should be out in the Westman area by mid-week and will hopefully be on-line for viewing by Friday. Thank you so much Jolene and Shawn! I cannot wait to read it!

Cheers!

Lori

Cuba Here We Come!

2010-01-07T21:14:00.002-06:00

We head out to go to my parents' place tomorrow, for the night, then it's off to Winnipeg to catch the plane to Cuba on Saturday. I hope the weather cooperates and we get some nice beach and pool weather. Two days to go!

So This Is Christmas!

2010-01-02T20:06:00.007-06:00

The BIG Day!

My New Kitchen

Keyboard from Grandma and Grandpa

Isn't This For Me? (Maya also thought she would try out the stroller and the high chair after this - didn't happen!)

Ladybug Pillow from Aunty Wendy

Papa and Maya

Grandpa Dave and Grandma Shirley with Maya

p.s. Seven days until Cuba!!!

I Love Skating!

2009-12-21T09:08:00.004-06:00

On Saturday we took Maya skating for the first time and she loved it! Near the end, she didn't even want anyone to hold on to her. (Of course we still did.) We were supposed to see Santa at the outdoor rink, but unfortunately he had already left by the time we arrived, which was disappointing. But, we managed another skate on Sunday and got to see Santa for the fourth time! Maya loves her bob-skates and did very well on the ice. We still need to get her helmet adjusted before we take to the ice again. Can't wait! Our backs, on the other hand...

Pictures with Santa

2009-12-16T22:28:00.004-06:00

Maya has been fortunate to have had her picture taken with Santa three different times. By the third time, and only because the other kids did it, she finally got brave enough to sit on his knee by herself. She was actually quite content and would have sat there for quite a while if I hadn't coaxed her away.

Maya AND Mom on Santa's Knee at the Mall
Maya with Dad BESIDE Santa

Maya Taking a Good Look at Santa

Maya Checking Santa Out at Church

FINALLY, Brave Maya ON Santa's Knee

Taking Another GOOD Look at Santa

Decorating the Christmas Tree and My New Bed!

2009-12-10T09:48:00.005-06:00

On December 1, the day after we got home from Grandma and Grandpa's we pulled out all of the Christmas decorations and the tree and got busy! Maya loved it and was a wonderful helper!

Maya and Dad

Maya in her new bed December 7, 2009

Nigh-Night...

November Days

2009-12-04T17:17:00.026-06:00

Maya with Grandma Pat on her Birthday
This pool was just perfect for Maya
(Click on the photos to make them larger)

November has turned out to be a very busy month. It started with our first snowfall of the year on November 1. It didn't last long and soon melted away. We has some beautiful, mild days that followed where we were able to get out for some last stroller rides.

We celebrated Grandma Pat's birthday with Aunty Wendy and Sonja. Dad and Papa were out of town on a Guy's weekend with the rest of the men in the family.

Les and Maya spent the weekend together while I snuck away with a couple of girl friends for a shopping spree and found some adorable boots for Maya, (one of many purchases I have to admit - it is soooo much fun shopping for little girls!!!)

Maya and I travelled to Grandma and Grandpa's for the last part of November where we stayed for a week and a half. Dad had to stay home and work so he missed out on all the fun times that we had with family there. We watched two of cousin Nick's hockey games, cousin Sarah's volleyball game, went bowling with other adoptive families from the area, saw 'Little Bear' in concert, stayed in a hotel with cousin Ashtyn, went shopping, watched a Santa Clause parade, played and visited with family and friends and entertained Grandma and Grandpa. We had soooo much fun!

Here are a few pictures of our fun times throughout the month.

Maya's first snow

Ready for Grandma Pat's birthday

New boots

Dancing to Grandpa's music

Grandpa Dave and Maya

Cousin Sarah

Cousin Nick

Aunty Deanna

Grandma Shirley and Maya

Mom and Maya

Two Bums

Nick

Sarah, Maya and Uncle Terry

Maya's First Hockey Game

Mom and Maya at Little Bear. Maya slept through the first half of the show which turned out well because then she was content and interested for the second half. She loved the singing and dancing.

Maya, eating cheese puffs and happy to be back in a crib (for the moment), in the hotel. Maya decided that she would not sleep in the playpen at Grandma and Grandpa's. So, guess where she slept? That's right! With Mom. Guess where she still naps at home? That's right! With Mom. I cannot get her to sleep in her crib, but Dad can when he's home at night. She's got us figured out! (And yes, I do try and try and try...)

Mom and her little girl

Family in the big pool

Last Saturday Maya turned 22 months old and as of Monday, November 30, has been part of our Forever Family for six months. I am so glad that I am at home with her these days because I would be missing out on so much. I look forward to these next five months before heading back to work in May. Thank goodness for unemployment and parental leave!

On December 1, we had another snowfall and it looks like this one is here to stay. We have decorated for Christmas and Maya had a blast helping to decorate the tree. Now on to the baking and Christmas cards!

Maya's First Halloween in Canada

2009-10-31T20:13:00.005-05:00

This witch dress was given to us from a friend who's daughter had worn it and the boots we had just received as a gift today. We thought we would try this on her for dress-up. Les took these pictures . She looks like a little model. You can click on the pictures to make them larger. (And yes, she has a bit of a fat lip - she had a fall yesterday. If I could turn back time...)

This is what Maya actually wore Trick-or-Treating. She decided today that whe would not nap - first time since we've had her. She just wouldn't fall asleep in her crib and didn't seem tired. Soooo, the Smarties came out a few times in the van while Tick-or-Treating just to keep her awake so we could get to the houses we needed to visit. Once we were home, she was wide awake, until...her body met her crib, then it was lights out!

Our Little Ladybug!

This is what we handed out.

This is what we brought home. We spent more time driving around town than Trick-or-Treating...We have tons left from our loot, too!

Out of everything, Maya loves Smarties the best!

Maya Playing Outside

2009-10-28T21:39:00.004-05:00

Well, Photobucket did not work for me, so I went with Blogger...

Overwhelming Feelings

2009-10-26T23:07:00.002-05:00

I quite often think about Maya's life now and just how fortunate we all are. Maya is sooooo affectionate and loving that I really can't believe it. Maybe many other children are and have been at this age and I have just never seen it. She will voluntarily give me a kiss at any time, just on the cheek, or will smack her lips for kisses. She even comes up to me and blows raspberries on my neck when I'm down low near her. Of course we are very affectionate with her, but it still amazes me that she instigates these actions on her own, frequently. Her latest thing is "Up, up, up," and I usually do pick her up when I can, and she wants a hug or a cuddle. I think that we have grown closer because of this and because I take the time to show the affection that is needed. And no, I don't think that I am spoiling her. I am rewarded by her actions just as much as she is mine. If she wants hugs, cuddles and my attention, I am going to give it to her when and while I can. We do a great deal of baking and meal preparation together - even the dishes. Les tries to have his turn with Maya and keep her occupied when I'm busy, as much as he can, but after a while, she's right back by my side. I imagine that this is natural since I am with Maya all day, every day.

I haven't gotten to posting that video yet. Tomorrow is Better Beginnings at one of the schools AND we get to dress up for Halloween for the first time, which should be fun! My mom and I spent most of today booking our trip to Cuba for January. Wahoo!!! Right before Maya turns two, so she goes for free! The three of us and my parents will be going. The rest of the week looks pretty busy with appointments and Halloween preparations.

Maya turns 21 months on Wednesday and on Saturday we will have been a family for exactly five months. Wow! The time sure has flown by. We had our Home Study visit from our Social Worker this past weekend because she's going on holidays for two weeks and has to have the report ready to be translated and sent for sometime in November. Hope she relaxes on her trip before she has to tackle that job!

Happy Halloween everyone - enjoy it! I can't wait!!!

Lori

2009-10-25T13:50:00.002-05:00

We had our 6 month home study with our social worker yesterday. We had so much that we wanted to share with her and seemed to jump from one thing to another. I hope it wasn't too confusing for her! I expect a phone call in the future clarifying information and making additions to fill in the gaps. We sure wish the visit could have been longer...

I tried to upload a video but it must have been too large of a file - I'll try out photobucket and see if it works.

Pictures from Grandma's 85th Birthday Party

2009-10-19T13:13:00.006-05:00

Grandma Shirley and Maya - getting ready for the Tea, at the tea and then playing in a box during the birthday supper. The kids played with this box all evening.

Photo Shoot

2009-10-17T08:53:00.003-05:00

Here are some pictures from Maya's photo shoot on September 23, 2009. We had her in three different outfits, two of which she is in below. The third outfit was a pink and gold Asian dress and was very pretty. I'll post pictures of her in this dress later on, from my grandma's 85th birthday tea. Maya looked very cute in her sundress below, but looked adorable in the Asian outfits. I am definitely going to purchase more Asian outfits online for the future. We don't have all of our pictures back yet, but do have the collage below to show.
With the days being colder, we've begun the winter dressing ritual to go outside. Maya is not crazy about this and it's only going to get worse. We haven't even attempted ski pants yet! She looks so cute all bundled up - I'll post pictures of this later on, taken with my new Nikon D3000. Wahoo!

Summer Fun...Still (Finally we have the heat for it!)

2009-09-16T21:27:00.011-05:00

September started out to be quite busy with a trip to Carberry with Maya, for about a week. We visited with family and friends, went swimming in the fun pool and Maya even went down the slide with our niece, Sarah, (Maya had her lifejacket on), went to the zoo in Winnipeg and then stayed overnight with friends in their brand new, gorgeous house about an hour outside of the city. This past weekend we attended a wedding reception where Maya had loads of fun and yesterday was our first day of Better Beginnings, which is an early learning program for 0 to 5 year olds. It is usually 3 or 4 times a month, held in various schools around the school division. There are two schools in town that I think we will try to make it to each month. Something else that is exciting that Maya will be able to participate in is Music for Young Children where there is singing and other fun activities that Maya enjoys doing, centred around Music, of course. This is also the beginning stage of what will result in learning to read music and play the piano. Hopefully there will be a session beginning in January that we can be part of, before I return to work next spring.

Maya has had several appointments during this past week - optometrist - everything is fine and dentist (we were concerned about possible cavities in her bottom back teeth, but there's nothing to worry about at this point.) Then today Maya received two immunizations - one for Meningococcal Conjugate C and the other for Diptheria, Pertussis, Tetanus, Polio and Haemophilus influenza type b. She had had previous immunizations for these while in China and required one more dose of each. Maya did very well and only cried after the second needle. She is fine and did not have any sort of reaction to the immunizations. We are going to leave the rest of any sort of immunizations for awhile. They are all optional and there are so many different ones nowadays. We thought that we would finish what had been started in China. Maya is growing, growing, growing...She is just under 25 lbs and three months ago was just under 20 lbs. Most of her clothes still fit for summer clothing, which is good since we are finally getting summer weather!

Here are some pictures of the latest things we have done. You can click on the pictures to make them larger.

Maya's outfit from Uncle Colin and Aunty Donna.

Maya with her cousin - Private Lukas Atkinson, who is headed to Afghanistan on September 20.

Having fun with friends Rhiana and Sierra and cousin Hannah.

Sprucewoods Provincial Park with Grandma.

In the tractor at Grandpa's work - this didn't last long. Maya is NOT a farm girl and hates loud machines.

Grandpa's birthday

First corn on the cob, at Grandma and Grandpa's.

At the Winnipeg Zoo - very hot day!

Wedding Dress

Maya and Mom

Maya and Dad

Better Beginnings - there is also lots of play time, some singing and stories.

First time with markers.

Maya's new play structure - it can come in the house for the winter.

Maya loves slides, like most children do...now, we just need to find a swing for her...

19 Months Old Today

2009-08-28T20:27:00.003-05:00

Maya and Dad at her new table and chairs.

19 Month Old Maya

Maya turned 19 months old today. She is growing and changing so quickly.

Busy, Busy, Summer Days

2009-08-24T21:48:00.006-05:00

Visiting with Dee and Doug

The summer has definitely been busy! Even though the weather hasn't been very hot and sunny, we have managed to get in some time at the beach, a weekend of camping and visits with friends and family. We returned a few days ago from Alberta, where we spent a week visiting, shopping, golfing (Les), and pumping Maya full of meds. A couple of days before we left on our trip, Maya started to show signs of becoming sick, especially during the night. The days seemed to be better, so we started on our vacation. However, before reaching our destination, we ended up in a small town travelling back and forth between the hospital and the doctor's office. Maya had bronchitis. A chest x-ray, a dose of ventilin through a mask and four medications later, we were on our way. I have read on other people's blogs about the contraption that infants and small children are placed in to have x-rays taken, and yes, Maya was in this as well, and it was not a pretty sight with her arms locked in straight up over her head and her body strapped in so that there is no movement. Not only was she in this once, but twice, because she wasn't centred properly the first time. The ventilin dosage was not fun to administer either and I'm sure everyone in the whole hopspital could hear Maya's crying and screaming as the nurse and I wrestled with her to try to keep her still. Les was off getting the medications at the time and caught the tail end of it.

Below are pictures of some of the things we have done and some of the people we have seen over the past few weeks. Maya and I are off again next week to do some more visiting before we settle in at home for a long while (this packing and un-packing is starting to become tiresome!). As you will see, we are just about ready for winter, which I hope will not arrive for several months yet. All we need are some boots!

Ready for a swim at the hotel on the way home

Mom did some shopping - I'm ready for winter and had fun trying my suit on

Maya with her cousin Ryan

Maya and Dad

Maya and Mom

Maya - one of the few nice beach days that we had

Naptime

Celebrating Grandma Shirley's birthday

Cousin Ashtyn and Maya

First boat ride

Maya with Aunty Carrie and cousins Bailey and Hannah

Making Grandma's birthday cupcakes

Maya's gift from Uncle Colin and Aunty Donna

Maya is growing and changing all the time. While she was ill, "Mama, Mum-Mum, and Mommy" came out for the first time. She tries many new words and can say "Hi" and "Bye" very clearly. She also loves to help me cook, bake and do the dishes. She was out helping Dad do some building before supper today. She is very fun to watch and she doesn't miss a thing that we do or say. She also enjoys having her picture taken - usually smiles and poses as you can see by the football picture. We sure are enjoying her and love every minute of it! We grow closer and closer to her each day and she responds with so much love and affection. Her hugs are getting bigger and stronger and the kisses keep on coming! Les counted 17 in a row to him the other day. I can't wait to see what comes next!

Maya's Shower in Swan

2009-07-23T07:24:00.007-05:00

My niece Sarah and nephew Nick happened to be visiting. Perfect timing!

On July 9, wonderful friends held a shower for us here at home. Once again, Maya received beautiful keepsakes and clothes (lots), and many wonderful toys. As a group gift from some of the families in my sorority, she even received a Princess chair - the one you see her sitting on, AND, she received her first two-wheel bike from Les' morning coffee crew. Thank you so much, EVERYONE! A huge thank-you to Ann, Crystal, Janine and Leanne for planning and organizing the shower and to Leanne for hosting! Such wonderful friends you all are! p.s. Maya's dress is a little snug here, and I think that's the last time she'll be wearing it. She now weighs 23 lbs and was just under 20 lbs when we adopted her.

Secret Note in Maya's Shoe

2009-07-08T21:41:00.006-05:00

Last night an awesome thing happened and if this has happened to any other families, please let us know! My niece was wondering if Maya has shoes when we received her, so I showed them to her. Sarah was examining the shoes and noticed a red paper under the insole of one shoe. I told her to pull it out and maybe it was a secret message. Well, we found a letter written in Chinese on a separate paper inside the torn red paper, (red for good luck). We were anxious to get it translated, so today took it to a Chinese man who is originally from Hong Kong and could read the Cantonese writing. We later showed it to a young woman who works at one of the Chinese restaurants in town and she added to the information. The letter is to us, Maya's Canadian family! Unbelievable! It is from Maya's Nanny Mom from the orphanage and they had actually given Maya the name Xiao Xue (Little Snow). In the greeting, she writes, "How are you Mr. and Mrs. Xiao Xue's Canadian Mom and Dad," and then she writes about how happy they are that Maya is with us and tells how much they cared about her and will miss her. She was always happy and healthy while living with them. She would also like to have contact with us to see how Maya's new life is with us in Canada. She even gave her address and cell phone number and asked that we not send anything to her at the orphanage because she will not receive it. Of course it would be unacceptable by the orphanage or the Chinese Government for there to be contact between the nannies and the adoptive families. She then signed her name. It must be extremely difficult for the caregivers in the Social Welfare Institutes and foster homes to have to say good-bye to the children. We may get together with someone who speaks Cantonese here sometime and give her a call first, before sending her anything. I think that this is amazing that she took the time to write the letter specifically to us and take the chance on us finding it hidden in the shoe. Thank goodness that my niece is a great detective! If she hadn't had a good look at the shoes, or even asked about them, we may never have found this note. I wonder if she does this with all of the children? Stella's mom, and all other adoptive parents out there, check your child's shoes!

Cantonese note from Maya's Nanny Mom to us.

Notice the red peeking out of one shoe?

Ladybug Snack Pac we received as a gift from our friend's Doug and Dee. Thank you! We love it!

Citizenship

2009-07-08T09:07:00.002-05:00

Yesterday Maya received her Canadian Citizenship certificate in the mail. It took about three weeks to arrive and we're glad it's finally here! Now, Maya can be added to my Manitoba Health Insurance, apply for a Social Insurance Number and then we can set up an RESP for her. I think our paperwork is finally slowing down. We also are sending all of the documents that our agency requires from us, to them today. I have family here helping to have fun with Maya and will post some pictures later. There is another baby shower for us tomorrow evening, hosted by friends here where we live. Should be fun!

Settling In

2009-07-01T23:40:00.015-05:00

We are finally home again after spending a week at my parents' home. I had an appointment and then a Meeting Maya come-and-go shower was held for us in my home town. It was wonderful! Maya met many people and received so many beautiful gifts. Thank you to Deanna and Kim for arranging and hosting this event and to everyone else who made the evening so memorable.

Maya is settling in nicely, but we have been very, very busy during these past two and a half weeks. She is coping very well with all of the changes and goes with the flow no matter where we are. Maya also enjoys all of the attention that she receives everywhere we go! She can put on quite the show and is a great little entertainer. She can say Da-da, bye-bye, Papa and we thought she tried to say puppy today. When playing with words and sounds, she can say Mum-mum, but not when asked to say it. We have had several play dates already and it is surprising to see how Maya interacts with other children. She is quite possessive of me if another child is on my lap, has gobbled up snack crackers so that no one else can have any, (but, at other times, shares), and seems to be quite assertive in her actions. She is learning how to play with toys more, loves to sing and dance and enjoys books. She is also learning that crying can get her things - sometimes... well, most of the time. She's a smart cookie! Maya also loves to give kisses and has been able to blow kisses for a couple of weeks now. She is so cute and even makes the smacking noises. That's about all I have time to write about for now, but will post some pictures of what's been happening lately.

Forever Family Day

2009-06-17T13:33:00.005-05:00

This was Sunday, May 31, 2009 and we officially adopted Maya on June 1, 2009. She became a Canadian Citizen on June 9, 2009 while we were in China. This whole experience is amazing. Maya is such a sweetheart and we are so in love with her!

We have many pictures from our trip in the photo album on our www.youbelong.net/theatkinsons blog - the one that worked while we were in China.

We're Off!

2009-05-28T22:05:00.004-05:00

We are off to China in the morning!!! Our flight to Vancouver and then Beijing leaves Winnipeg at 8:00 a.m. We won't see a bed until Saturday night around midnight when we end our travel time to China, in Nanchang, Jiangxi. I will be so relieved when we finally get there, get through all of the temperature and security checks and get to our hotel. I'll try to post when I can and if there's nothing new added here, then try our alternate blog link mentioned beside this in the top right hand corner. We're coming for you Maya!!!

3 more sleeps until we meet Maya!

Itinerary

2009-05-26T10:46:00.004-05:00

We received this today. Wahooo!!!

Schedule:
May 30 - Arrive in Beijing
Fly Beijing--Nanchang
May 31 - 15:00 go to civil affairs to receive Maya
June 1 - June 4 Adoption process
June 5 - Get Maya's passport
June 6 - Nanchang--Beijing
June 7 - Tour to Great Wall with lunch
June 8 - Appointment with Canadian Embassy/Medical examination
June 9 - Tour to Summer Palace with lunch
June 10 - Tiananmen Square and Forbidden City
June 11 - Free
June 12 - Leave for Canada

Three days until liftoff!

Four Days to Go!

2009-05-25T16:59:00.001-05:00

We have only four days to go!!! The garden is in and I'm heading for a nap - while I can!

Finish Packing

2009-05-24T08:06:00.002-05:00

We have five days to go!!! Four days until we leave for my parents home. They will drive us to the airport and meet us when we get home. They are also 'cat-sitting' our cat, Mandarin for us for the two weeks. Honestly, we've had Mandarin for eight years now, and his name has nothing to do with the Chinese language, (we hadn't thought of International Adoption back then), but instead is linked to Mandarin oranges, because he is orange. Fluffly and orange - he's our little lion and will have some major adjusting to do, as well, once we are home with Maya.

I sure hope we get our itnerary tomorrow and we also need to know who to take gifts for. Money also needs to be wired from our bank to our Facilitator's bank in China to pay for internal flights, our hotels, our guide and any touring that we will be doing. Our days are limited!!! Basically we will only need cash for food and shopping, and tips for our van driver, while we are there. We need this information soon!

I'm also working at creating a different blog using a different program, as eBlogger doesn't work in many places in China. I'll post when I have the blog info and include the link. There is one new blog that I have created, found toward the bottom of by blog list on this page. Feel free to check it out.

It's going to be a beautiful day here today and some deck time is what's in store! I also have to get the garden planted... it's finally warm enough to do this!!!

Countdown

2009-05-23T13:30:00.002-05:00

Six days to go! I am already nervous and my brain isn't functioning properly. It's going to be quite the week!!!

Countdown

2009-05-22T08:50:00.000-05:00

SEVEN days until we leave!!!

Packing

2009-05-21T11:51:00.006-05:00

I am re-packing the suitcases again, eliminating some things and adding others. Maya has the most clothes out of everyone. I want to get as much use out of the smaller clothes while they still fit. By the looks of things, it's going to be HOT in both Nanchang and Beijing. Thank goodness we don't have to worry about packing heavy winter clothes! (I can take more clothes because of this.) We're only taking a couple of pairs of shoes for Maya as we can buy those there. Apparently squeaky shoes are very popular, and cheap.

We don't have our itinerary yet, but the flights are booked. Yayyyy!!! We fly out of Winnipeg next Friday morning at 8:00 a.m. and will arrive in China on Saturday at 4:15 p.m. We return to Winnipeg on June 12 at 6:30 p.m. and will spend the night at my parents'. China's days and nights are the opposite of our's, since they are 13 hours ahead of us. It may take awhile once we return home for all of our bodies to adjust. Maya is going to go through many, many changes in her life over the next few weeks. This can be extremely hard on children and we will try to make these transitions as easy for her as we can. Baby steps. It breaks my heart to read about some of the emotional experiences that families go through during the adjustment period, especially during and soon after 'Gotcha/Forever Family Day'. Hopefully we will all make adjustments quickly. We need to remember that everything we have gone through and will be going through, is definitely WORTH IT!!!

Eight days until we fly to Beijing!!! We can't wait!

China Bound - FINALLY!!!

2009-05-20T09:34:00.003-05:00

Wahooo! We finally received travel dates today!!! We had two options: arrive in Beijing May 30 or June 6. Of course we are choosing May 30th. Have to book our flights still and will update later when we know more. Now I'm freaking out!!! Glad I'm already packed!

2009-05-15T21:10:00.002-05:00

KISSES IN THE WIND
(for our daughter in China)

We hold you in our hearts

and touch you in our dreams.

You are here each day with us,

at least that's how it seems.

We know you wonder where we are...

what's taking us so long.

But remember child,

We love you so and God will keep you strong.

Now go outside and feel the breeze

and let it touch your skin...

Because tonight, just as always,

We blow you kisses in the wind.

May God hold you in His hand

until We can be with you.

We promise you, our darling,

We're doing all that We can do.

Very soon, you'll have a family

for real, not just pretend.

But for tonight, just as always,

We blow you kisses in the wind.

May God wrap you in His arms

and hold you very tight.

And let the angels bring the kisses

that We send to you each night.
--- Unknown

2009-05-14T12:26:00.003-05:00

It is very depressing to see how many other families are receiving their TA's and confirmation of appointments, and we are not. Already we have waited one month longer than many of these families - many are from the April referral group. We received our hard copy of our referral on March 9/09. If anyone can explain any of this to me, please do. We are not being given that ray of hope that other families are and I think that this is totally unfair. Here I sit, day after day, waiting and wondering if today might be the day that we get some good news. I've been off work for three weeks now, due to stress and the fact that we thought we would be leaving by now, or at least have travel dates. My sick days are numbered. I cannot return to work because of the fact that we don't know when we are leaving and another teacher has been hired for my two-month term, and that again, would add to my stress. I'm getting to the point where I don't really want to see anyone because of the on-going questions from others -"Do you know when you leave yet?" and "When are you going?" I just don't know what to do anymore... I can only clean the house so many times, all of Maya's clothes are washed, we are basically packed... We would leave tomorrow if we could.

We Have Our Travel Approval

2009-05-13T13:37:00.005-05:00

I just picked up our Travel Approval package from the Post Office. We still aren't going anywhere, but we have permission to travel to China to adopt Maya, when the time comes.

Travel Approval

2009-05-12T11:59:00.003-05:00

Our agency does have our TA and has sent it to us Express Post so we should receive it tomorrow. That doesn't mean we are going anywhere. That just means that we have permission to travel to get Maya. When? Who knows?!?! We have to wait for travel dates from our facilitator in China - refer to last posting.

It Gets Worse

2009-05-12T10:36:00.002-05:00

This is the e-mail that we received from our agency this morning that had been sent to them by our facilitator in China.

With respect to two families' travelling, we contacted Jiangxi provincial civil affairs. They advise the families not to travel to China if their their air tickets were not issued. We'll inform you after the hold is lifted. Please ask the families to wait for our message patiently.
We'll arrange the travel for them. Their "Notice of Travelling" is valid within 5 months, so don't worry about that.

Great, just great!

Many families in the U.S. are being issued their TA and have their appointments confirmed. Why not us???

More Bad News

2009-05-11T11:25:00.002-05:00

Our agency still has not heard from the provicial desk anything regarding our TA. Our agency has also e-mailed our facilitator in China about the Civil Affairs appointment issue. I copied this from a recent post on www.chinaadopttalk.com (Rumour Queen site).

This was posted on our company intranet a short time ago. The company is a large international company so they should have the correct information. I am not sure from where it is though.
“The Chinese visa application centre have advised that due to recent events regarding the swine flu outbreak, the Chinese Embassy have suspended issuing visas to travellers holding passports with entry or exit stamps (dated anytime from the 20th April and onwards) from the following countries: Mexico, Spain, USA and Canada. This is irrespective of nationality.
This change is with immediate effect and applies to both new applicants and any travellers holding existing valid Chinese visas. The Chinese authorities have also advised that there is a strong possibility that travellers arriving in China by flight, on a previously issued visa, may be refused entry by Immigration officials, if their passport shows any evidence of recent travel to any of the above countries.
This information is yet to be updated on the Chinese Embassys website. Further updates will be posted here when they are received.”

Adoption Terms

2009-05-11T08:42:00.001-05:00

Four Adoption Terms Defined
Natural child: any child who is not artificial.
Real parent: any parent who is not imaginary.
Your own child: any child who is not someone else's child.
Adopted child: a natural child, with a real parent, who is all my own.
(Rita Laws)

Mother's Day

2009-05-10T09:14:00.009-05:00

Happy Mother's Day to all the soon-to-be and already mothers, everywhere! Maya and Mandarin (our cat - and honestly we've had him for almost eight years, so he was named before we ever thought of adopting from China), gave me some beautiful red roses and a fancy new iron, (our old iron malfunctioned and the electrical connection on it blew up.) Our 'children' are so sweet and thoughtful. Here are two poems that I found on another family's blog.

Not flesh of my flesh

Nor bone of my bone,

But still miraculously

My own.

Never forget

For a single minute:

You didn't grow under my heart

But in it.

--Fleur Conkling Heyliger

"I didn’t give you the gift of life,

But in my heart I know.

The love I feel is deep and real,

As if it had been so.

For us to have each other

Is like a dream come true.

No, I didn’t give you

The gift of life,

Life gave me the gift of you.”

– Unknown

We are still waiting for our TA, of course, it's the weekend and the agency is closed. Rumour has it that the Civil Affairs office in Jiangxi is not confrming appointments, meaning that adoptions cannot be finalized. This is because of the flu. Many families have their TA's and even their plane tickets, but cannot travel until their appointment is confirmed. Someone wrote on their blog that it's like a court hearing and if it's not confrmed, then it's not a go. I sure do hope that tomorrow brings some positive news about this because it would be a nightmare to have to reschedule trips for the affected families. It would also push everyone back even further.

This part of the adoption process has definitely been the hardest. I know that we have many more challenges ahead of us, but at least we'll have our daughter. Let's hope and pray for a positive, uplifting week!

ITT/TA is in the Province!

2009-05-07T15:20:00.002-05:00

Our Invitation to Travel/Travel Approval is finally at our Provincial Office awaiting approval. Once this is done then it will be sent on to our agency who will then forward it on to us and we can book our flights. All of this, providing that we get the green light and know that we will not be quarantined upon arrival to China, because of this flu. We are getting closer to Maya!!! We can hardly wait any longer!

TA Update

2009-05-05T09:40:00.003-05:00

Many people are reporting that TA's are on the way and some have arrived. I sure hope that the two that are headed to our agency are ours! There are also two Special Needs referral families waiting for travel approval.

I'm so happy for John and Christine who should be receiving their TA after all. They were told late last week that their already made travel plans had to be cancelled because the CCAA was holding back their TA. I know that our TA has to be provincially approved before our agency sees it so it could be a couple of days yet before we hear anything. I am so excited!!! I'd better go and get my jobs done around the house now, because I know I won't want to do them later, WHEN we receive our travel dates.

2009-05-01T13:08:00.002-05:00

Okay, another update. Our agency e-mailed me back this morning and reported that they received an e-mail yesterday from the CCAA saying that two TA's had just been sent to our agency. I'm crossing my fingers AND my toes!!!

2009-04-30T21:04:00.002-05:00

Well, it looks like travel to China for adoptions is suspended. Great, just great!!! We won't know any more until next week. The CCAA has tomorrow off. This is crazy!

2009-04-29T15:42:00.003-05:00

I e-mailed our agency about this latest bit of information and they have not heard anything about holding back referrals and TA's. In fact, they reported that just this morning they received and e-mail from our facilitator with the CCAA telling them that our TA should be here in a couple of days. Let's hope that this is the truth!

Swine Flu

2009-04-29T09:23:00.001-05:00

I am extremely disappointed to learn that the CCAA is holding off sending TA's and referrals for 20 to 30 days because of the swine flu. What about the families who have their travel dates already? God is definitely not on our side right now. What next???

2009-04-23T21:21:00.007-05:00

Today at work, our wonderful staff put on a surprise shower along with providing food for a homemade Chinese Food potluck. The food was fantastic and the gifts were beautiful! Thank you again to everyone for the special day!!!

p.s. We are still waiting for travel dates...

2009-04-16T07:09:00.001-05:00

We are still waiting for Travel Approval and dates. I'm not sure why it's taking so long. We were told 4-5 weeks after referral is when we could expect our invitation to travel. This is week five. Come on CCAA!!!

2009-04-01T09:51:00.003-05:00

I was up late last night and checked my e-mails before going to bed. This wonderful surprise was waiting for me!!! Maya now weighs 8.8 kg, (that's just over 19 lbs.), has four teeth - two up, two bottom, and her foot size is apparently 13.5 cm - that 's size 6. The update was sent to us from Ann at www.redthreadchina.com. Ann has been absolutely wonderful and Maya is so beautiful! I can't wait to get some bows in that hair!

Another nice surprise that we received yesterday was Maya's finding ad that had been posted in the Jiang Xi newspaper last year. The ad was translated for us and we even received a copy of the actual newspaper that the ad was in. One more thing for the scrapbook! Now, if we could only receive Maya...

Care Package to Maya

2009-03-26T19:40:00.002-05:00

I was so excited to receive Ann's e-mail today with a picture of the care package that she is sending to Maya. Ann was unable to receive up-dated photos of Maya at this time, but will hopefully be able to sometime soon. This waiting period is extremely tough. We don't know when we travel yet and we are basically in limbo. I sure hope we find out soon!!! The days are slowly creeping by...

Shopping and Care Package

2009-03-22T18:18:00.002-05:00

I spent most of the weekend shopping for our trip - clothes for Maya, clothes for me, fun things for Maya, clothes for Les, more clothes for Maya... I think I'm finally ready! I guess if there's something that I have forgotten, I'll just have to buy it there. Can't wait - more shopping!!! I finally had some time today to send the care package to Maya through Ann at Redthreadchina.com. It was so easy! I included a letter to the orphanage director, which Ann will translate and also included three pictures of us. Maya can become familiar with Ma-Ma, and Ba-Ba before we meet in person. My Mom and Dad added a book and a musical bear to the pyjama package and dress that we are sending. I am so excited for Maya to receive her package! We are hoping to hear something this week from Thomas in China, through our agency, in regards to an update about Maya and hopefully travel approval and dates. There is one week of school left until Spring Break - then I can work on getting the house ready. I will really enjoy the week off - these past two weeks have been quite full!

2009-03-16T20:14:00.003-05:00

I received this outfit today in the mail.

I also received these letters today. Aren't they perfect?
Here's the link to the website: www.joyfulheart-art.com
You e-mail pictures of your room and ideas for the theme.

2009-03-15T21:50:00.009-05:00

According to Chinese folklore, seeing a ladybug is a sign of good luck. Parents in the Chinese adoption community have "adopted" the ladybug as their symbol and some say if you see a ladybug it might mean your baby was born that day or that you will receive your referral soon!

The Chinese also have an ancient belief that an invisible red thread connects those who are destined to meet regardless of time, place and circumstance. The thread may stretch or tangle, but will never break. When a child is born, these invisible red threads reach out from the child's spirit to all the important people who will enter her life. As she grows, the thread shortens, drawing her closer to the people who love her.

Parents in the Chinese adoption community use the symbolism of the red thread as a special way to talk about how just the right baby is matched to them. There are several children's books that show a ladybug with her red thread bringing babies and parents together.

About three weeks ago, I honestly did see a ladybug...it was in between two celery stalks as I pulled them apart from the rest. A couple of weeks later, we did receive our referral.

Referral Package

2009-03-12T20:29:00.003-05:00

We received our hard copy of our referral package yesterday, March 11, 2009, in the mail. I filled out the forms last evening and am waiting for Les to return home tomorrow from being away for two days for meetings. He needs to sign the Seeking Confirmation Letter and the Certificate of Acceptance forms, and will hopefully be able to mail them tomorrow. We are also in the process of applying for our entry visas to travel to China. It sure feels good to finally be able to sign and send off the forms that we have been reading about for the past few years!!! One step at a time...

2009-03-09T19:39:00.000-05:00

2009-03-09T19:30:00.008-05:00

We received our phone call at 12:00 p.m today. Our referral was e-mailed shortly after, but I could not open it until 4:30 p.m. when I was at home with Les. It was so hard not to look!

Our daughter's Chinese name is Cen Si Hui and her birthdate is January 28, 2008. We are sooo happy and relieved that our turn has finally come. We don't have a second name for her yet. I'll post again later when I have a chance!

2009-03-08T20:49:00.001-05:00

2009-03-08T19:55:00.001-05:00

Maya's Room

2009-03-08T19:45:00.004-05:00

Thinking that I didn't want to have to decorate Maya's room during the school year and that we would have been traveling to bring Maya home much sooner, this room has been ready and waiting for her for almost three years!

2009-03-08T19:18:00.001-05:00

My husband Les and I are waiting for our referral for our daughter from China. Referrals started showing up last Sunday in various countries, so we are hoping that our referral will be here very soon, (like tomorrow!)