Home

We've been home for a few days and it has been great. We've already been able to get Zach on a more regular schedule. He got a nap in today, but it was a little late in the day. Unfortunately, Sandi has been very sick since we've been home. Hopefully, she'll feel better soon.

I've learned a few new things about Zach since we've been home. He plays basketball by himself without a ball. He shoots, runs down the court, gets the rebound and then dribbles up the court to shoot again. His form is really good. He does this other thing where he jumps and swings his arm around. He swings at various speeds, so he knows whether he wants to hit it hard or soft. We think he's playing table tennis or badminton in his head. We'll figure it out in time. He also knows how the Chinese hackey-sack game is played. I'm going to make sure I teach him so he can play when we go back. I'm happy to say that after 15 years, I still have some of the hackey-sack skills I acquired in college. I knew that time wasn't wasted.

He's really funny. He was looking at pictures of himself and we kept telling him "that's you", so now he tells us "that's you". We are working on telling him to say "that's me". We're making progress on that.

I have to go to bed. I've been up too long today.

Until next time.

Everything is New to Zachary

Zachary is from Shenzhen. It's HOT there! No air conditioning in his orphanage. Up until today, we have not been able to get socks on the boy! Tom wanted to take him outside to ride his bike, so he had to get him dressed in a warm outfit....it's kind of chilly here today.

This is all new to Zach! He's probably never worn pants, socks, gym shoes, or a sweatshirt.....but he's cute as can be in the whole get-up!

Zachary and the Kitty

Tom and I were a little nervous about Zachary and the Kitty being in the same house. It has actually been fine. Zachary is curious, but he listens to us when we tell him not to run at her, yell at her and grab her. Kitty seems to know that this little one is different and isn't leaving. She likes to be in the same room as him, slept in his bedroom and even let Zach pet her. Here they are!

Wrestling Him Into A Car Seat

Getting our little boy into a car seat the first time was unpleasant! He did not like being restrained. This would make sense since seatbelts are not a big thing in China. Zach cried all the way to Grandma and Grandpa's house from the airport. Once again, he adjusted quickly. No problem getting him in one anymore.

Sleeping....

The mattresses in China were hard as rocks. Might as well sleep on the floor. The cribs were no better. They didn't even have a mattress. Just wood with a blanket. Zachary has really enjoyed the comfort of his new crib. He's zonked out!

I'm Full!!!

I'm not sure where he picked it up, but Zachary has started to say, "I'm full!!!" It's hilarious!

We Are Home...And In Heaven...

Zachary was definitely meant to be our son! We are so in love with him! He has thankfully adjusted amazingly well since we have been home. We got him to bed the first night at about 3:30 am, the 2nd night at Midnight and then 11:30 pm last night. We are getting adjusted to the time difference!

He has met Grandma and Grandpa Oerter, Uncle Mike, Alexa, Aunt Liz, Uncle Brian, Claire, Nick, Aunt Kate, Uncle Bob and Uncle Dan. Zachary had big fun with all of them! I can't believe how resilient this little boy has been! He amazes me every moment! Our hearts are so full!!!!

Thank you to everyone for your love and support! It means the world to know that Zachary is going to be showered with love!

My parents would LOVE him! I know they are looking down on us and smiling! They were the most amazing parents! My dream is to be as great a parent to my son as my mom and dad were to my brother and me!

Zachary and Trevor

Zachary became quite fond of a little one in our group named Trevor. Here they are exploring the airport in Hong Kong.

Flying From Guangzhou to Hong Kong

Zachary's first plane ride! He didn't like having to wear his seatbelt at all! Thank goodness this flight was only 50 minutes!

Talking to Aunt Kate

Zachary loves to chat on the phone! Here he is talking to his Aunt Kate!

Fire Food!

We went to a Sichuan restaurant for dinner for our last group dinner. It was delicious! Alexa, which dish would you choose?

All Packed and Ready to Come Home!

Well, I think we are all set.  Zach is sleeping...we are almost completely packed....and we are ready to come home!  Hopefully, the plane ride won't be too hard for the little guy to handle.  I guess we will find out!  See you soon!!!!

Last Day

It is our last full day in China. I'm happy to be going home, but sad at the same time.

The little guy is finally napping this morning, which is good for us. We haven't been on a steady nap schedule.

He's a real ham for the ladies. He had three women hovering around him at breakfast today. He waved and blew kisses. It was pretty funny. Then he sneezed with a mouthful of cracker and I ended up getting a cracker shower.

We went to the Disney store today, but didn't find anything. It was not like American Disney stores.

While Sandi was getting her massage last night, I am pretty sure I was suffering from dehydration sickness. I didn't feel well at all. I'm still not 100% today, but I am much better.

I'll be interested to see what the scale reads when I get home. I'm hoping to have lost a few pounds.

See you tomorrow.
Tom

2 Hour Massage....68 Yuan

I can't even believe how fabulous that massage was!  That woman hurt me!  She found knots that I didn't even know about!  I'm drinking some water and then going to bed.  $10.  Unbelievable!

Big Day Today

We didn't have anything on the agenda today, which was nice. We had breakfast and then Zach and I played at the park with another family while Sandi waited from a call from our guide to confirm that everything with Zach's visa was okay.

Zach ran around that park for two hours without letting up. He also got his first taste of Starbucks (there is one down the street from the park). I need to open a Dunkin Donuts over here. It was a vanilla swirl beverage and he seemed to enjoy it.

Then we wanted him to nap, but he was playing with a puzzle so we let him be. Big mistake. We decided to go walk around the hotel and then he fell asleep within about 5 minutes. I rushed him back upstairs and tried to put him down. He woke up and was very upset. It has to be so tough on his little body. We've been on the go constantly and you can tell he just doesn't want to miss anything.

We went to an Italian restaurant on the island tonight for dinner. It is funny to see the American families flock to this place. I had pizza and it was really good.

After dinner, Zach had a bath. I'm trying to keep that in the schedule. After the bath, he put on his jammers and went right to bed. He pointed at the crib and let me know that he'd finally had enough.

Sandi is out getting a massage. I'm jealous. I already had the 2.5 hour massage, but that seems like it was months ago. My back and arms are so sore. I'm really regretting not going to the gym before making this trip.

See you soon!
Tom

I'm Finally Getting My Massage!!!

I'm going to get my massage in about 5 minutes and I'm very excited about it!  I have never had a massage before and my back is killing me!  We have been lugging around a 2-1/2 year old and a backpack everywhere we go.    Tom is giving Zachary his bath, which they both LOVE!  We are trying to get him into a routine and bath time before bed is part of the routine!  It's just so funny to listen to them from the other room.  They are just chatting away and giggling!  I'm in heaven.   Just got back from dinner with some of our travel group.  I'm really going to miss the people we have met here.  Only 2 more days!  We go to the Consulate to take our oath tomorrow!

We're getting close

The end of our trip is near. I have mixed emotions as Sandi and I are getting ready to come home. Today was a fun day. As you've seen from Sandi's post, we did the "Red Couch" photo and somebody wasn't very cooperative. Then we swam, bought a bunch of stuff and had a group dinner. All in all, a great day.

I don't remember what I've posted recently, so I apologize if there's any repeat. Zachary was blessed by a Buddhist monk yesterday. That was really cool. I'm not sure if we have any pictures, but I'm hoping somebody in the group got one with us in the background at least.

I've learned a lot during this trip. Here are some key things:

1. Zachary is a neat, resilient little boy. He learns so quickly and we learn more about him every day. He's got a great personality.

2. This is no surprise as I knew going in that Sandi is a wonderful mother. Her heart is so full of love for this little guy.

3. The bond you feel with your travel group is incredible. There aren't many times in life where you will be with a group of people who 100% understand what you're going through. We've been together about 2 weeks, but the thought of leaving them on Friday really makes me sad.

4. The food here is great.

5. The Chinese people are wonderful. People stop to talk to us and people love waving to Zach. He's gotten very good at waving back. Some have asked us how often we plan on bringing him back to visit. We've told them as often as we are able.

6. I can't wait to come back.

7. When I do come back, I'm going to have practiced ping-pong and hackey sack so I do well.

8. I can't wait to get home so you can all meet this charming little guy (he's snoring as I write this). He can saw some logs.

I've got to go now. I don't want to wake him up. He had a big day with a late nap. He wakes up like his dad, crabby and incoherent.

Have a great day! See you soon.
Tom

Travel Group

This is the group of people with whom we have gone on this life-changing journey!  We are going to miss them when we leave China!

Another Touching Family Photo

Tom and I both look like we're a little bit nutty!  Welcome to the family Zach!

Which One Is Zachary?

Can you guess which one is our son?  Look really hard.....concentrate.....you might be able to pick him out!

Our Family On The Red Couch

So Handsome!

It is tradition when you adopt from China to take the "Red Couch" photos.  You get your little one all dressed up in a traditional Chinese outfit and take their picture on the famous "Red Couch".  Today was the day.  We got Zachary all dressed up!  He was so handsome!

Playing In Our Room

He's so cute when he plays....very animated!

Baba and Zachary

Mama and Zachary

Look At That Face!

I'm not sure what this face was about.....

Da Bears!

So Cool!

This is the roof of one of the temples.  How cool is that!?!?!?

Trip Without Mama

This morning I wasn't feeling well, so Tom was on his own with Zachary.  They went to the Six Banyan Tree Temple and the Chen Family Temple...I was sad that I missed it.  Zachary got blessed by a Buddist monk, which is pretty awesome!  Tom got some good pictures, so that made me happy!

Warm today...Warm yesterday...Probably be warm again today

That was the Family Guy reference I've been using every day. Today we had breakfast as usual, but Zachary wasn't cooperative, so we didn't really have anything...unless you count one bite of toast.

After that, we went to a Buddhist temple and then to another temple. All the kids in the group were blessed by a Buddhist monk, which was pretty cool. It was really hot today and a few of us in the group were trying to find something to drink during our second temple visit. I had already zipped through the temple and Zach was napping, so I found it was a great opportunity to down a jumbo Coke and Minute Maid Orange beverage. We had to leave the temple to find the beverages and then we couldn't get back in. While we were waiting in the shade, a woman came up to us to sell us the Chinese version of a hackey sack. It is similar to a badminton birdie. She started kicking it around and soon we had a circle of one Chinese woman and three American guys. I think we did pretty well. Zach didn't get to see his dad play because he was still napping.

We went to this Italian place for dinner with another couple from the group. We were both craving a taste of America. I must admit that I really have liked everything we've eaten here, but a little pizza pie really hit the spot.

After dinner, I gave Zach his bath and we played quietly until he put himself to sleep. He's a funny and charming little guy. He watches us and learns more and more each day. He's awesome. Sandi taught him to say "i love you". He normally whispers it and it is pretty cute.

Have a good day!
Tom

End of a Busy Day!

Zachary fell asleep on the way back from dinner last night.  He was out cold while were were trying to get his jammies on him!

ZZZRRRRBBBRRRRTTTTT!!!!!!

Floating in the Pool

Before we went to dinner, Hannah (a 6 year old from our group) stopped by to see if we wanted to go swimming.  Of course, we got Zachary in his swim trunks and headed down to the pool.  I bought a new inner tube for 65 Yuan and our little man actually got in it!  So here he is floating around in a duck!    He also decided to go all the way in the pool this time and walk around a bit.  He even tried to imitate Hannah swimming!  So cute!  Steve, Stephanie, Hannah and Trevor are all from Ohio.  Trevor is their newest addition (he's the one floating around in the shark!)  Zachary really likes Hannah and Trevor!  He smiles and points whenever he sees them!   After swimming, we went out for Italian food.  It was delicious!

Looking Out The Window

Zachary likes to see what's going on in the streets!  He doesn't want to miss anything!

Shopping Day

Ni Hao!  We had a busy day yesterday.  Our guide, Kelly, took us to the Porcelein and Jade Market...and then we headed to the Pearl Market.  WOW!  I could go broke here!  Luckily, we are limited by what we are able to pack in our luggage.  Zachary was a good boy all day long!  He rode in the stroller through the Porcelein and Jade Store, which was great!  He's a very curious boy and that was NOT the place for him to be curious!   Here is a picture from the Pearl Market.  It was HOT there!!!  It's HOT everywhere!  When we got back to the hotel, we thought for sure that Zachary was going to nap.  We were wrong!  He laid quiet for a while, but during the day, he constantly checks to make sure that we are still there with him.  I'm sure that will get better with time.  Every day we are learning more about our son.  He's an absolute blessing to us!  I can't even begin to believe how lucky we are to have him in our world!

Last night

I went for a massage last night with another dad in the group. It was about 2 hours long and really hurt at times, but it was awesome. I was so relaxed afterward that I don't remember taking Zach to the bathroom in the middle of the night.

The little guy is doing great. He learned that he can sit in the bath tub instead of stand. I think he's enjoying sitting a whole lot more.

He's still sleeping right now. I think he's been sleeping about 10 hours now. We had problems napping yesterday. We went out at 11, and he fell asleep while I was carrying him. I took him back to the hotel before we really got anywhere and tried to put him down. He was wide awake at that point. Then we went out at 2 and the same thing happened. He probably got about 40 minutes of nap time yesterday.

Today we're going shopping at a market. I don't know what's in store after that. Maybe another massage.

Hey Kessler Family!!!

Mary, Craig, Kyle and Kaitlyn,   Hi there!  Tom and I were thinking about all of you yesterday as Zachary was screaming session!  Not because of the screaming, but because of what calmed him down.  We had tried everything...hugging, carrying, rocking, walking, toys, books, water.....NOTHING.  So we decided to turn on the TV for the first time in a week (this is true, we have not watched TV for a week).   Cartoons didn't work, music didn't work, but when SOCCER came on....WHEW!  Zachary went nuts!  He was just staring at the TV at first, then he was yelling and cheering and jumping up and down!  We have a beach ball in our hotel room for him to play with...and he was kicking it and clapping!  Do we have another soccer player in the family?  We will see.   Have a great day!   Love,   Sandi, Tom and Zachary

One Boy Sleeping...One Getting A Massage...

Little Zach Attack put himself to bed tonight...early.  He just got up and walked over to the crib and pointed at it.  Baba picked him up and put him in....and he went right to sleep.  One of the other fathers from our travel group stopped by after  Zach was sleeping to pick up some extra Cheerios we had.  They decided that since our boys were sleeping, they would run out and get a massage at a place near our hotel.  It will be mom's turn tomorrow night!    Tomorrow should be fun!  We have 8 families that will be together through the end of our trip.  The little ones that were adopted are the following ages:  2 are 10 months, 22 months old, 2 years old, 2-1/2 years (Zachary), 5 years old, 6 years old and 7 years old.  We have quite a range!  We have been very lucky to travel with such great people....it has really helped!   Well, I'm going to sign off now.  Can't wait to hear how Tom's massage was!  Have a great day!

Sitting on the Edge of the Pool!

Zach had a blast splashing around while he was sitting on the edge of the pool today!  Maybe next time, we can get him to use his hippo inner tube!

Getting Ready To Go Swimming!

Zachary is putting on his sunblock for his first trip to the pool!

Our Eating Machine!

Zachary ate all of his dinner and quite a bit of mine too!

Zach is in the Bathtub!

I'm just sitting here listening to Zachary giggling in the bathtub!  It's the sweetest sound.  We are working really hard to try to set a routine...and bathtime is his favorite Daddy time!  We got the results of Zach's TB test yesterday and he is fine, which is a HUGE relief!   Today we didn't have anything planned with our guide since the 3 families we were with in Beijing just arrive late last night.  They had the medical exams for their children today, so Tom and I had a "free" day.    We took Zachary to the pool, walked around the island and did some shopping, went to lunch, played in the room (Zach is NOT interested in the playroom here at the hotel, which is a shame...it's really nice!).  Then Zachary took about a hour long nap.  He kept waking up and looking at me and then Tom and then laying back down.  It was as if he was just checking to make sure we were there.   The pool was fun, though he liked to just sit on the edge more than anything.  He likes to splash...he thinks that's pretty funny!  We played with the beach ball in our room, we colored and played cars.  All in all, it was another great day with our boy!  I'm excited that the other families are here now.  We saw 2 of them in the lobby before we went to dinner.  Their children are beautiful!   Tomorrow we are going shopping at the Jade, Pearl and Porcelain Market.  I'm very excited!  Since Zach is such a trooper, it should be fine!  By the way, Zachary has finally decided that it's easier to sit in the bathtub than stand!  Have a great day everyone!  We miss home, but we DO love it here!

He's All Smiles!

Bye! Bye! Bye!

Our little Zachary loves to have his picture taken!  He gets so excited!  As soon as the camera gets turned on...he comes running at me.  It's nearly impossible to get video of him because he wants to be able to see the screen, which either puts him behind the camera or really, really close to it!  It's very funny!   He loves to wave at pictures and say "Bye!"  He's using it interchangably for "Hi!"  I tried to show him some pictures on the laptop yesterday, but Mr Independent had to push the button in order to see the next picture.  The more excited he got, the harder he pushed!  We have sucessfully taught him these helpful English phrases: Uh Oh!!!  Beep Beep!!!  Bye!!!  Mama and Baba, and I can ocassionally get him to whisper "I love you!"    He's learning so fast, it's fascinating to watch.  The more comfortable he gets with us, the louder he is speaking.  Everything was almost silently whispered at first, but now he'll let you know what he needs with some gusto!  He's still eating quite a bit and he's willing to try anything.  The only food that we have found so far that he doesn't like is broccoli.  Like father, like son with that one!  Zachary is great at eating vegetables though and he is a very neat eater.  Won't use a bib...doesn't need one!   Zachary really likes to share his food now!  That is great news!  Sometimes he'll tease with it and then laugh hysterically or he'll give you whatever falls on the floor.  Tom ate a lot of floor raisins and Cheerios yesterday!  Plus, I went into the 7-11 to look for more deoderant (it is flipping HOT here!) and I found THAT and the rice crackers that he loved when our guide Kelly gave him some!  Those were a hit!  Here are a couple of close-ups of our son.

Here Comes Trouble!!!

Just Swinging the Afternoon Away!

Here is our boy....swinging away!

More Sticking Than Sliding In This Heat!

On Top of the Slide!!!

There they are....the 2 loves of my life!

Just Riding in Circles....

Do you think this makes a new mom nervous?

Merry-Go-Round Contraption

Notice that there are no seat belts!  Seems safe, right?

Walking through the park with Daddy!

Nice Mix of Riding, Walking and Being Carried Today!

Zachary was a champ today!  We went to a park in Guangzhou and he was willing to ride in the stroller for a while.  This was great since it was just as hot today as it was yesterday!  When he wasn't riding, he was willing to walk most of the time.  Such a good boy!

Zach and Daddy Brushing Their Teeth

How cute is this!?!?!

Quite the compliment

While we were at the park today, I asked our guide Kelly if they had a table tennis park. I told her that I played a little bit and wanted to see it. When we got to the tables, she found a woman who was willing to play against me. We had a nice little crowd watching us. She was really good and I think she was taking it easy on me, but I did manage to score a few points.

There were quite a few laughs when I was chasing down the balls she smashed at me. The people watching us told our guide that out of all of the Americans that have stopped to try their hand at ping-pong against the local talent, that I was the best they've seen. It was very nice of them and it is a great memory for me and a good laugh for the wonderful people who let me play for 5 minutes.

I'm going to practice a little before we come back. I know I can do much better!

Very Thirsty Boy!

Zachary is a very thirsty boy!  After Tom let him drink out of his water bottle at the zoo yesterday, Zach no longer wants to drink out of a sippy cup.  He's got good aim and he's getting better at sharing!  I had to hide the water that we bought at the store....he knows where we put everything in our room.  Cheerios, banana, raisins, etc.....

Today....

It is hot outside. Really hot. I think I lost 4 pounds today. We had lunch at a little place down the street from the hotel. We had grilled cheese sandwiches. They were really good. Grandma will be happy to know that Zach likes that too. So far the only thing we've found he doesn't like is broccoli (and I don't blame him).

Sandi and I are trying to get him on a schedule, which is hard because we're always on the go. He's napping right now. He only fought it for about 5 minutes.

I need to go replenish my fluids now. I think Sandi will write about today in much more detail in just a little bit.

Thanks for reading.
Tom

Hey Alexa!!! Lunch!!!

These are a few dishes from lunch yesterday.  The food is endless and very tasty!  Don't worry Alexa....we got some "To Go".  We have it in our hotel fridge to bring home for you.

HOT!!!!!

I'm not sure if my post about the heat the zoo came through, I got a rejection notice in my yahoo account.  Good Lord, it's hot here.  I think that he might be staying on the surface of the sun!  It was about 95 degrees with about 100% humidity!  Of course, this is the day that Zachary doesn't think walking sounds like the best idea in the world.  Tom and I had to take turns carrying him when he got too tired to walk.  I had him so covered in sunblock, he was slippery!   By the end, he was willing to finally get in the stroller!  Whew, it was HOT!  Our guide, Kelly said that is should be more of the same today.  It was all worth it though.  Zachary loves to explore everything!  He's just taking it all in!  Tom and I are very lucky that he has learned to trust both of us so quickly!  We are just in heaven...but with a temperature of someplace else!