Boxing Day:

Another lovely day, starting with a visit from Claire, Jason and Courtney. Mae had a lovely time showing Courtney what a good cook she is. She wore her new 'pudding' top (present from Nanny B!) to show off her potential cooking skills!! After a very long nap, we all trundled off to visit again with Mae's lovely Aunty Jude, Uncle Chris, Aunty Tash, Uncle Tim and she had lots of fun with Saffie and Bea who had beautiful painted faces for this special occasion!

Our first Family Christmas!

Christmas Day:

It's been a while since I posted but life is wonderfully hectic and Mae's been keeping us VERY busy - she's a little whirlwind! However, our first Christmas together as a family has been so sweet, I had to post a few pics and comments.

Mae found the whole thing rather bewildering at first, hardly even noticing the tree (aparty from the occassional swipe at a bauble) and then on Christmas morning, very quickly, got the hang of present opening and absolutely loved her little toy kitchen. I wasn't sure whether she'd like it but now wish we'd bought something much more substantial as she's hardly left it since. (ps. Note to any new parents reading this - always assemble toys the night before - Will spent a hour putting this blooming thing together on Christmas morning, with Mae hanging off his arms impatiently the whole time!).

Christening of Beatrice Lola

Sunday 1st November 2009

Today we became Godparents to our lovely little niece, Bea. We travelled two and a half hours to Southend and both Mae and Saskia were lovely company on the journey. This was very surprising as Mae usually hates travelling in the car but Saskia kept her entertained and all we could hear were giggles and gurgles from the back seat.

Both girls looked gorgeous in their outfits. Saskia looked very pretty and smart. Mae looked gorgeous in her little pink 'special occasion' dress. Mae behaved so well in church (largely thanks to the box of raising and date bar that I kept in my pocket for emergencies).

Here are a few pics to comemorate a fabulous and very special day.

Mae Jiao's Naming Day

Sunday 20th September 2009

It seems such a long time ago now (have only managed to get around to posting this on 12th October!) but the memory of such a wonderful day is still very strong.
Many special people in our lives and the life of our gorgeous daughter joined us to celebrate her arrival and welcome her into our families. It was an incredibly emotional but beautiful day and one which we will never forget. Our special thanks to Judy (Will's sister who accompanied us on our journey to China), Natasha & Tim (Mae Jiao's official guardians), Mum (whose daily support has been invaluable) Saskia (our lovely foster daughter who sang such a moving song for Mae) and lastly, Nan (our daughter's namesake and an inspiration to all of us).
Here are a few pics to give you a flavour of the day.

Ralph comes to visit..

Our lovely Ralph and his foster family came to visit us today. We had a lovely afternoon and it was very special introducing Mae to her foster brother. Here is a picture of Ralph and Saskia (our very pretty foster daughter) with Mae.

Needless to say, Mae loves them both!

Mae's first BBQ!!

Saturday 5th September 2009

Our lovely friends Malcolm & Claire invited us all along to their BBQ. What a wonderful afternoon, lounging around in their gorgeous garden and thoroughly enjoying their fabulous food and great company. Mae loved having lots of rides in the wheel barrow (courtesy of Riley & Harry) and even ended up taking her afternoon nap in there!! Thanks guys!! xx

23rd August - Hottest Day this year!

Wow!! Searing heat and poor little Mae can't cool down. We decide to try her in the paddling pool and, like everything else, she takes to it like a duck to water! We did have loads of giggles, chuckes and belly laughs but couldn't manage to catch any of that on camer - hence a few rather serious faces. Believe me though, she absolutely loved it!!

August 17th - So many people to meet...

Well, we've been home just over two weeks now. Little Mae Jiao is the perfect baby, taking naps morning and afternoon as well as sleeping right through the night. She eats everything and smiles all day long............ we're obviously completely in love with her!

Here are a few pictures of family gatherings - she's the star of the show!!

Sunday 2nd August

Home at last!!!

We arrived home safely but utterly exhausted on Thursday lunchtime having been travelling for about 18 hours. Mae had slept 2 of those!!

She was a darling on the flight, only crying when we took off and at landing... the cabin pressure obviously affecting her little ears. Otherwise, she played happily the whole time. I must admit though, I did feel very sorry for the poor cleaners who would have to deal with the debris she managed to create and we left behind.

Once home, Mum was here to greet us, followed swiftly by Chris, Tash, Tim and the girls (Saffron & Bea). They couldn't wait to meet their new cousin and it seemed the feeling was mutual, as Mae beamed from ear to ear when she saw them.

The house was full of balloons and gifts which was so lovely - again, we just can't believe the kindness of all our fabulous friends and family. I guess they've also been waiting 5 years for this little one to join our family too.

Mae's settling in to her new nursery - although we're struggling a little with the adjustment to UK time but we're getting there.

Will post more pics as soon as we have a chance to download more of the China trip. In the meantime, here are a few taken since we arrived home.

xxx

Thursday 29th July

Lizzie wants more pics...........

Monday 27th July

Today we decided to visit the local market with Michael. We were rather dubious as to what we might see but actually, it wasn't as bad as expected. Most of the stalls were selling very strange ingredients for Chinese Medical Remedies. Others were selling pets - little puppies, kittens, budgies and fish. We were so worried about seeing dogs and cats in cages but mostly they seemed well nourished and reasonably well kept. (Although, some looked very sad and far too hot!) One of the worst sights was a woman who had three very large plastic bowls (about 1m dia). Inside were hundreds of scorpions which she was mixing rigorously with a stick. We discovered that she was, in fact, drying them - gross!!! We managed about half an hour and then decided it was far too hot and made a hasty retreat back to our hotel. Michael and Judy carried on and discovered the most beautiful Chinese temple.

Later today, we visited the Police Station where we were handed Mae's Passport. Almost the last bureaucratic hurdle! Tomorrow, we apply for the Visa and Wednesday (hopefully) we collect it.

We then took a short trip to the Sun Yat Tsen Memorial Hall. The Hall itself was fantastic but the grounds were something else. The Banyan Trees were amazing - one tree hosts 10 baby trees which grow within the main trunk but send out their own trunks which root themselves outside the mother tree... amazing!

Mae getting a little better every day. She's revelling in every new experience. Today she decided just how much she loves baths. She now lies in the bath, rocking on her tummy, dipping her head in an out of the water. Can't wait to take her swimming. Think she'll be a natural!

Sunday 26th July

Today we visited the Huizhou Social Welfare Institute where Mae, or 'Jaio Jaio' as her carers called her, spent the first 14 months of her little life.

It took us approx 2 1/2 hours by car and it was interesting to watch the scenery change from the industrial chaos of Guangzhou to the still and rolling hills leading into Huizhou. Huizhou sits on the other side of those verdant hills and is about 45 mins from the sea. It's a pretty town with quite a mix of traditional and modern architecture. It has a river runnning through it and wide promenades.

The Huizhou SWI sits in the centre of the town and, I think, was built about 30 years ago. It's entrance and exterior walls have been painted with colourful pictures of children and animals. Inside it's clean and reasonably well equipped (for Chinese standards). It's called a 'Social Welfare Institute' because it's home to 78 occupants, only 12 of which are children between the age of 0-16. Of these children only 5 were likely to be adopted. The other occupants were adults with mental illness.

The Director was very welcoming, pouring us tea and answering all our questions. He explained that his policy is to ensure that the carers are very well trained. His motto is that the children must be treated as if they were the carers own children and the adults as if they were their own parents. He also ensured that Mae's main carer was with him to answer any of our questions. He then took us on a tour of the orphanage and many of the adults and children came out to greet us. They were obviously very curious as to who 'Jiao Jiao's' new parents and Aunty were but seemed very happy for her.

All in all, it was a very emotional journey but one which we are so glad to have undertaken. We've taken lots of photos for Mae's Lifebook, obvioulsy, much of which is very private to her. But I'm posting a few pics of the day which I'm sure you'll all be interested in.

I have to say the Director looks rather like 'Oddjob', don't you think?!!

Saturday 25th July

Here's the photo we've all be waiting for...

Little Mae is still poorly. We've had some very troubled nights but she still does her best to play between meals. We had to cancel sightseeing today as both Jude & myself have come down with nasty colds as well as Mae now. Just hoping we'll all be well enough for the orphanage visit tomorrow.

Thursday 23rd July

Poor Mae.. she really isn't well. We were up every hour on the hour - no sleep for any of us... We decided to keep her at home and asked Michael to rearrange the orphanage visit. Hopefully, we'll be able to go on Sunday.

So, not much to report today - posted some more pics of previous few days.

Hope she'll be much better tomorrow.

xx

Wednesday 22nd July

Difficult night with a 1am start. Mae seems to have developed a cold and together with teething, she's very restless and upset. She ended up in bed with Daddy and went back off to sleep eventually. Just as we dropped off at about 6am - she woke again, refreshed and ready to start the day.... oh dear!!
A couple of coffees later, Will and I were back on track and Mae and I took a bath. A much more successful event then previously, when she wouldn't even sit in the water. This time, she splashed in the bubbles and seemed alot more comfortable. We all went down for breakfast where she ate a HUGE plateful of scrambled egg, a slice of watermelon and half a banana. She'd already had a bottle but she just can't seem to get enough food. She filled up at lunch and dinner too. We reckon it might be the first time she's really had enough to eat. Pretty sure she'll catch up in size, weight and developmentally now that she's eating enough and getting lots of love.
We attempted a walk in the park but she seemed to be very restless and we ended up coming back to the hotel for more Calpol and another bottle.
We met Michael, our guide at 3pm who took us back to the Notary office. We were given our numbered ticket and told to sit in line. Again, everything was very bureaucratic and efficient. Michael soon had us sorted out though with our official adoption certificate - meaning everything is now legalalised and official this end.
Later, Mae seemed to really pick up and we packed her into the sling and wandered down to the park and to 'Lucy's' Restaurant for an early dinner. On the way, Mae decided to serenade us with the most beautiful songs. We sang along which really got her going.... so cute!!
Early start tomorrow as we're off to visit her town of birth, the orphanage and the hospital where she spent her first few days. I'm expecting this to be a very emotional experience but an important one. Jude's bought another bag full of presents for the orphanage children....