HOME!

Day Twelve and our last day in the hospital!! After a final chest x-ray, we received news that Ella can come home. Relief, excitement, thankfulness and exhaustion are just a few of many feelings today. We can’t wait to get home and back to our family’s normal way of life. We will all be under one roof again this evening and sleeping in our own beds. Praise God for revealing himself through this whole process – from Ella’s adoption referral, bringing Ella home and now for the healing of her little body. To say we are amazed is an understatement. We could not have done this without strength and an understanding that was beyond our capabilities. To God be the glory.
Ella and Colin were full of smiles as we packed up the hospital room. They laughed and Colin took Ella for several red wagon rides around the floor. Ella couldn’t wait to put on her own clothes and take off the remaining wires. Ella walked from the main lobby entrance all the way to the parking garage and to our car without needing to be held. Wow! About half way to the parking garage I found myself thinking, Ella should need to be held any moment. I was waiting for her to step in front of me and hold up her arms as her little body couldn’t endure any more of the physical activity. That didn’t happen… Not even after a HUGE surgery and being bed-bound for 11 days did she even stop to catch her breath. I didn’t realize how much we all had adjusted to her limitations. Not anymore. My mommy heart rejoices at the fact that she will be able to run, take long walks, and keep up with her brother and sister now. What a gift. Paul and I are already talking about our next trip to a state park and that we will only have to carry one child.
Well, the Hammond family is officially back to normal. Ella just had a three year old fit complete with the throwing of something on the floor, screaming and crying. She is sitting in time out. While it will grow tiresome, it is music to my ears right now. Welcome home, Ella.

Do I dare say we had a good evening last night… well, we did. There was minimal whining and crying. We played with stickers and talked and it was SO nice. She really didn’t even complain too much when I announced it was time for bed. Where is my little girl and what have you done to her!! I loved every moment and I don’t know about her, but I needed that.
Guess what – I am the only person in Ella’s hospital room at the moment. Ella, Colin, Carleigh, Daddy and Grandma Maje are all in the playroom on our floor. About an hour ago they took out all three chest tubes!! She looks great and has been all over the room. Ella needs assistance as she isn’t steady on her feet yet but it is so nice to see her up and about. The change of scenery in the playroom is very welcome. The end is in sight. Maybe home on Tuesday or in my dreams even tomorrow?
For now we are all enjoying being together and having our Ella back and whole. Praises to God.

Get me the heck out of here!!!!!!

Day Nine – we have been moved up to the heart center on the forth floor. This is good news and means Ella continues to do better. However, we miss those ICU nurses  The doctor was just in and stated all looks good for no pacemaker but they want to continue to watch her to make sure. That isn’t a problem since we can’t go anywhere. The chest tubes are still in place and draining. Two of the chest tubes have slowed down considerably but the third is still about the same as it was after the surgery. They placed a PICC line yesterday and removed her IJ. That didn’t go over so well. Chalk it up to one more traumatizing event for the little girl.
Ella is needy. Whining seems to be her main source of communication these days. It is already hard to understand her and the whining adds a whole new dimension to the art of translation/interpretation. Being the mean mom that I am, I made her take her own bites of food this morning. While in the ICU she couldn’t feed herself because they had a line in her left arm with a board to help keep it in place. She let me know in no uncertain terms that she wanted me to feed her today. I assured her she is capable and the nurse in me came out with firm encouragement for her to do this herself. You would have thought I was torturing her (as is the case most of the day) but she did indeed feed herself. In light of this whole experience, yet another miracle 
Paul and I continue to take turns spending the night at the hospital. We are the only constants for her and we feel it is important that she doesn’t feel abandoned. I’ve lost track of time – is it 9 or 10 weeks that she has been home? Sometimes it feels like she has always been here. Other times when we struggle to communicate I am keenly aware that this is all new to her. There is a fine balancing act of love, guidance, instruction, and correction of this feisty three year old. She keeps us on our toes.
I missed Ella’s feisty side yesterday when she was given oral medications. She has been taking medicine since she has been awake. Always with whining, but she has taken it. Yesterday for Paul she took the first medicine into her mouth, paused and it looked as if she might get sick. She then wiggled her way over to the side of the bed and spewed the medicine all over the floor. Paul was concerned at first that she had thrown up until he noticed there wasn’t anything except medicine on the floor. He corrected Ella and tried to hold back the laughter. As I write this Ella has been whining and crying nonstop for the past hour - honestly! She doesn’t even know what she wants or needs except to be out of here. She has asked for and been given stickers, coloring book, TV turned on and none of it makes her happy. I offered to color with her and she barked at me so I’ve retreated to my corner of the room in hopes she may fall asleep. I find it mind boggling that she can keep up the moaning/crying nonstop. She is making me tired!! Paul and the other two kiddos are on their way up to the hospital so I will be able to share her joy with others  Please feel free to come experience it for yourselves.

Recovering

Day Five in the hospital. Ella is no longer intubated and is only on 0.5 liters of oxygen per nasal canula with oxygen saturation in mid 90’s. Her blood pressure is finally increasing and seems to be holding for the past 12 hours. She is on 3mcg/kg/min of dopamine down from 6 this morning. Foley was removed. The continuous lasix drip was discontinued and now scheduled IV every 12 hours. Ella’s heart rhythm is 100% paced and I would expect a permanent pacemaker to be placed in the next couple of days. Her underlying rhythm is complete heart block. Ella has been sick today, bringing up the meals she ate yesterday. No appetite today at all. They just made her NPO – nothing by mouth for the time being.
Ella is mad and will nod her head “yes” when asked so. She is very withdrawn. For the most part she has chosen to be mute. The only real sounds she has made in the past 24 hours are crying and screaming when given oral medication. Colin is lying in bed with her right now playing with bendaroos. Even Colin hasn’t gotten a smile from her sweet little face today.
It is hard to see her this way. I’ve tried coloring, tv, laying in bed with her and rubbing her head, reading books, singing, short crafts, leaving her alone and nothing seems to make her happy. My mommy heart hurts for her. I gave her a bath last night and put lip gloss and blush on her. A girl should always look her best even when she doesn’t feel it.
Paul and I are now taking turns at the hospital. Tonight is Paul’s shift. Visitors are welcome. It helps to pass the time 

Post Op

Ella willingly woke yesterday morning at 5am and got into the car with no questions asked. There was much cuddling and laughter for the two hours we had before she went back for surgery. She knew something was up when asked to take medication to help her relax. Within 10 minutes she was a happy “drunk” little girl and willing went back at 7:30 for the procedure. Paul and I cried and held one another and then spent the day surrounded by our LIFE Group from church – and what a lifeline they all are. There isn’t a better group of individuals out there to have shared this experience with. The support and love was flowing all day until the last person left around 8:30pm. Long day for all of us and they chose to do their part willingly and we are so thankful.
There were hourly updates regarding the surgery and Ella. It took about an hour and a half to place all lines – IJ, Art, two periph lines, ET, Foley. Surgery began at 9:10am. They took their time getting to the heart as she has scar tissue from prior open heart at 10 months of age. Then she was placed on ECMO – heart lung bypass. She was on ECMO for three hours which is a long time. Going into surgery there were three “options” for correction. We did not know until surgery was almost over which option they were able to complete. That was painful for me. Finally after much prodding, the nurse providing the updates gave up a piece of information that let me know option #1 was done!! Relief. That was the best case scenario for Ella’s long term health.
About 4pm the surgeon came out to speak with us. The first thing he said was, “She has one MESSED UP anatomy”. They accomplished what they set out to do and as precaution decided to leave the sternum open and just close the skin for the time being. This is to give the heart room in the event there is swelling. Today she will go back to have the sternum closed and pace maker wires placed. She has third degree heart block that may or may not resolve – won’t know for about a week. Her vital signs look good and she is on minimal medication support – volume, lasix, dopamine, fentanyl and a form of roc until they close her chest. The details are for my medically minded friends. Vent settings PRVC rate 24, O2 down from 85 to 50%, peep of 5. Three chest tubes with moderate serrosang output. Good urine output, clear. Warm skin and for the first time EVER pink fingernails!! The nurses had enough time to put her hair in pigtails and color and cut out letters to spell her name – that is always a good sign 
We were awarded a Ronald McDonald sleeping room in the hospital last night. The support services available in the hospital are great. Around 9pm, after making sure Ella was alright, we headed down for some rest. We awoke at 2am and called for a report on Ella and then slept through to 8am – that was much needed. We have been at her bedside ever since. Colin and Carleigh are on their way up now to see mom and dad.
Please continue to cover Ella in prayer. Your support has meant so much to us. I do not have an exact time but they think she will go back for surgery around noon today. Will continue to post updates.

God is in control!

My mind is restless but filled with praise and prayer to God. My almighty savior has covered the fear I’d been feeling. Friends, family and our life group are surrounding us with prayer, love and their availability which helps so much. So, this is the week. Wednesday brings a trip to the hospital for testing and meeting with the doctors and then Thursday morning at 6am we will arrive for surgery at Riley.
SURRENDER is not only been a theme at church recently but it is ultimately what has brought me peace about all of this. God is in control. His plan is perfect. He will watch over us and Ella and hold us close.
I think the hardest part for me about preparing for the surgery is that my flesh desperately wants to know the outcome - Now. If I only knew how this would go, would I change anything? I could plan better if I knew exactly what to expect. There is a lot of “I” in all those statements. It is not about me. It really isn’t about Ella, though the experience will be uniquely hers. It is about God. It is allowing Him to be in the driver seat. It is about trusting He is big enough to cover all. It is about surrender to God.
It is my pleasure and honor to love and raise Ella Jia. However, I do not hold the deed to her life and existence. I help shelter, protect and guide her precious little life but that is by the grace of God. She was entrusted to us by God. She is a gift from Him for us to watch over while we are together on this earth. But she IS His.
The past couple of weeks I find myself soaking Ella up. She runs with her shoulders high. She speaks new words and sentences at a rate I can’t fathom. I love hearing her voice. She wants to do everything by herself and in most cases would be capable. She is a quick learner and very cleaver. Regardless of how tired, when asked, she will announce repeatedly and with authority “Jia not tired.” When we sit down to pray at a meal she is the first to bow her head and put her hands together. She “practices” her English with me. Daily we have a session where she runs through all the new things she has learned by repeating them to me, seeking my approval. She gets so excited to go and greet Carleigh after her sister wakes. The girl is obsessed with school! That is all she wants to do and I what I hear about all day. “Ella no go to school. Colin go to school. Colin seven. Ella no seven. Ella school when seven.” She loves to sing and immediately chimes in with her own version but always to the tune. She continues to use the Chinese word for airplane. I secretly encourage and hope that an airplane is always a “fei ji” in our household.

Open Heart Surgery

Things at the Hammond household remain full throttle busy and at times hectic. Ella is amazing and is adjusting better than we could have hoped. She is using sentences now and new English words daily. “Colin at school” “Baby is tired” “Ella go outside” and the list goes on. Today we told her Colin’s and Carleigh’s middle names. This evening out of the blue she walked up to me and said “Colin Andrew”. It is so exciting to see all the changes she is going through. In a matter of weeks she went from never being on a swing, to the baby swing, to a big girl swing needing to be pushed and just today she is pumping her feet and propelling herself on the swing. Brought a smile to my face to see her on the swing, but also made me feel like she is growing up too fast. She is learning to count to five, knows most body parts and repeatedly announces where every family member is (home, school, flying). Ella tries to sing the ABC’s which goes something like ABABAB but to the tune of the song. The patty cake song is a favorite. She dresses herself with minimal help. She enjoys brushing her teeth and even started taking naps this week (that was a big feat for all of us). She has met extended family and friends and they have all welcomed her with open arms. She has felt their love and has warmed up to them quickly. We are so grateful to everyone for taking such an interest in her. Ella smiles come freely and sad moments are very minimal and usually only when she is extremely tired. Ella is a big fan of Colin and copies everything he does. If he sits a certain way, she folds her legs like his. If Colin burps, she burps and on and on. She desperately wants to play soccer and go to school like her big brother. Colin has warmed up to being a big brother and seems to have “re-found” his place in the family. Ella also enjoys watching out for baby sister Carleigh which is welcome as Carleigh thinks anything and everything should go in her mouth. We loving refer to her as the billy goat. Ella has helped rescue her sister from a tortilla chip, rock and various pieces of paper!! Ella gives us kisses but it is always on her terms. However, she is smothered daily with kisses from the rest of us. Ella knows the “I love you” sign and uses it regularly -especially at bedtime. I can’t wait until the day we hear the words - that will be yet another moment for happy tears. Ella is a joy and life at the Hammond’s is better with her in it.

She had been referring to herself as Ella but in the last two weeks consistently refers to herself as Jia. The rest of the family now calls her Jia on occasion as well. Her Chinese name is JiJia. Paul and I talked and plan to change her name to Ella Jia once all the paperwork is final. It was a big discussion on what to make her middle name initially and Jia was one of the options. Now we know it is the right one. We have never used Renee and that doesn’t suit her.

Alright, I will address the dreaded surgery. I keep hoping if I don’t talk about it, it will go away. Open heart surgery is scheduled in a little over two weeks on October 21 at Riley Hospital for Children here in Indianapolis. It is a major surgery. As many of you have stated, she doesn’t look sick. No, she doesn’t. Her limitations are not glaring. However, when you around her long enough you will notice she becomes short of breath with minimal exertion – such as walking up a flight of stairs or from the car into a store . Colin stated it the best last week when he observed “Ella copies everything I do. Except I’ve noticed that when we are outside she doesn’t run around like I do.”

It is hard to explain in writing what they will do as you have to understand her anatomy which is NOT normal in any way. A picture of her heart is in the prior posting. For those who need details, they will be doing the rostelli and mustard-senning procedures and then baffling the blood flow. The short of it is that they will connect the aorta to the left ventricle, close both the VSD and ASD, put in a conduit from the right ventricle to the pulmonary arteries, tie off her existing shunt, and baffle the blood flow (move from right to right and left to left chambers). She will be on heart/lung bypass for the surgery. While we are obviously concerned for her well being we are also pleased that it appears at this time we can correct her heart. Once surgery is completed, her heart will flow/work like it was intended to. That is good news. No more being short of breath, blue fingers/ toes and the clubbing of her digits may even go away. The doctors are encouraged both by her age and current health. If we do not do the surgery she will in her 20-30's begin to have major problems as the right ventricle is not designed to be the body’s main pump. Without "fixing" her heart she will have a shortened life span and her quality of life will decline. They can do things to help along the way but they will never correct the core problem like the scheduled surgery is intended to do.

After the surgery, they will need to replace the conduit once, maybe twice. The reason being they cannot put one in that is big enough right now (her heart/body is too small to accept a full size conduit). Once the correct conduit is placed, she theoretically won't require any additional open heart surgeries. They should be able to maintain the valve in the conduit through a cath procedure.

Of course there are many risks with the surgery/her heart anatomy in general. Death being the most frightening of them all. She may also require lifelong medication to help her heart rhythm, she may require a pacemaker at any time for the same reason. Both of these remain a risk regardless of the surgery. They may also get into the surgery and for various reasons find they cannot do what they intended. At that time they/us will discuss options (quickly). There are some back up fixes in mind should they be needed.

It is a bit overwhelming at times. We have talked with 3 different doctors to make sure we have all the information we need. We feel as confident as we can about the surgery. Ella is learning her external body parts to which we have added HEART :) It doesn't matter, this WILL NOT go well for her even if I did have language on my side. She is three and a fighter. The fighter part we love about her and is a plus in my book for the surgery. Colin knows Ella will have a surgery and there is a possibility they won't be able to fix her heart. He asked last week if she could die – we had opted to not offer up that information but didn’t lie when asked. Kids are so darn smart!

We will plan to blog during our up to two week stay at Riley. Please keep our family, Ella, the doctors and staff in your prayers. I won’t lie and say we aren’t scared or that there isn’t any stress in our house right now – there is. But what I do know is that God brought this family together and He is in control. I will trust in Him and lean on Him for comfort and peace. Open heart surgery on my precious 3 year old daughter, HE is big enough to cover that.

Ella's heart cath

So much to share but it is late and I’m tired so this will focus on today only. We will write more about Ella’s adjustment and family life next time – both are going well.
So today was the exploratory cath procedure. We arrived at 8am. The doctor’s came to our room and explained the procedures and of course the risks. I was surprised how much this impacted me. Of course I knew what the risks encompassed but it is different hearing it in relation to your daughter. They gave Ella Versed in hopes to relax her before using gas to put her asleep initially. She was laughing and doing flips in daddy’s lap so not sure how effective the Versed was… Time to head to the procedure room and she knew something was up. There was NO way she was going to lie down on the cart so they allowed us to carry her back. She cried and wouldn’t lay down once in the procedure room either (in typical Ella fashion). I held her and she reached out for Paul. Oh, it was heart breaking! The watermelon scented mask went over her face and within a minute she was out. I left in tears and Paul held me and said a prayer. We made our way to the 4th floor to wait for the 2-3 hour procedure to be over and to receive the news. I was a nervous ball of energy. I called a good friend for support and more prayer and that did the trick. Of course the brownie, candy bar and meal from McDonalds also helped. At hour two I paced the floors and played games on my phone. There was a nice distraction when the “Parent Comfort Cart” rolled by and they came in to ask if we needed anything – really? It was the best. Everything from snacks to personal care items and even neck roll pillows, all free of charge. Paul told them I needed deodorant. As the man pulled out the tray I shot him my dagger eyes!
Finally 2.67 hours later the doctor rolled in to the waiting room. Tell me, tell me, tell me. He smiled and said the procedure went well, actually, as good as it could have gone and Ella was being recovered – whew! Then we talked anatomy and possible options. So the main thing everyone wants to know is what they will be doing to help her and the short answer is – MAJOR OPEN HEART SURGERY. While this is a scary proposition and we don’t yet have all the details it is also good news. The fact that we can even consider/do the surgery is a big plus. Okay, now for you medically minded people who need to know the details – her heart anatomy is a conglomeration of problems. Per the doctor, she does not have complete transposition of great vessels as neither ventricle actually pumps to the lungs. Say what! Yep, the shunt is the way she receives her oxygen. Her O2 saturation today was 90 – big sigh of relief. Of course she has already demonstrated with crying or exertion she easily drops in to the mid 70’s. She has a “massive” hole between the ventricles. Not the biggest he has seen but a “big one”. There is a hole between the atria. Here is the most amazing part – her right atria is over the left ventricle and the left atria over the right ventricle. Slow down and read it again. I pondered this for awhile and then finally asked how exactly this happens and was correct is assuming the heart “twists” during formation. Per the doctor this took place between weeks 3-5 of development. Note it took an hour of pressure to stop the bleeding (yes, we will be testing for a clotting disorder, no meds on board). We have attached the drawing of Ella’s heart anatomy for your viewing pleasure. The picture of Ella’s heart is correctly tilted in the opposite direction of the normal heart. It also sits right of midline slightly.
Alright many of you want to know details about the fix – for now all I have to say is that it is COMPLICATED but doable. There are a couple of options but the main goals will be to make the left ventricle the pump (as it should be) for distribution of oxygenated blood to the body, the VSD repaired, and a new shunt placed. Yes, they have exceptional surgeons.
So a nurse comes almost running into the waiting room asking us to come back as Ella is becoming agitated – never a good sign. We arrive just in time to see Ella crying then screaming and writhing in bed. No, she wasn’t in pain. She is a three year old who doesn’t like to be told what to do, plus she is scared to death. As a side note on at least two occasions I laughed out loud when I was told that the plan for keeping her calm and flat for 4 hours after the procedure involved no additional sedation and only Tylenol. Oh, alright, if you say so. Anyway, after 20 minutes of screaming, the ear piercing type, crying and trashing about in bed the nurses ask what calms her down what types of things does she like? I laid it out there and told them she wants out of bed and that is the only thing that will make her happy. One nurse assures me she is just trying to find a comfortable position and we should let go of her and then all will be well. Two seconds later guess who is on her way out of the bed all the while giving off ample attitude with exorcist rivaling “NO’s” to the staff. They finally get the hint and some scramble out the door to call the doctor. Now they think it might be a good idea for some sedation – what took you so long! Another nurse in the room asks me if Ells would calm down if she could sit in my lap. I say yes but not if it is in the bed. We had WAY surpassed that opportunity. They figure she is no longer hooked up to any of the monitors from all the trashing so what can this hurt. On the way out of bed I notice fresh blood. I was relieved to know she only pulled out her IV and that she is not re-bleeding. So for four hours Ella lay curled up in my lap on a chair. It took her an hour to finally calm down and fall asleep. Yes, they did return with sedation medication but anytime the staff came within 5 feet of her, Ella made it clear that they were not welcome. For all you nurses – no vitals were taken during the entire recovery period and the site looked at once by me with a nurse standing nearby. The moral of the story is – don’t mess with Ella!! The staff was kind and did know their stuff but they got the message and are already planning differently for our next visit.
Paul and I are awaiting a detailed phone conversation with Ella’s cardiologist - we hope tomorrow. We have been led to believe that the surgery will happen sooner rather than later. There is medical reasoning for this but I’m too tired to explain. Is soon a couple weeks or a couple months – don’t know yet. She will most likely be in the hospital for 2 weeks. Anyone have a coupon for open heart surgery that we could have - maybe 50% off?
There is a lot going on at the Hammond household. I will not let her medical condition overshadow the amazing little girl she is or how she has blessed our lives and fits into our family with precision. God is in control. He has been since the beginning of this journey. There is no fear for fear is not of God. Is there concern for her well being, safety and protection of her heart – yes. God will cover those as well. Thank you for your prayers.
Happy 7th Birthday Colin Andrew!!

We Are Home!

We have been home a little less than 48 hours now. Coming back to the states was soooooo nice. You really never realize how much you miss home until you are away. I think both Paul and I feel we are blessed to live in the USA – for so many reasons. The plane rides home were long. Ella doesn’t like to wear her seat belt and screamed at the top of her lungs to announce this to everybody on the plane both at departure and landing – JOY! She also spoke Chinese in an angry voice and we are sure she was letting the world know that we are awful parents J She threw up 3 hours in to the 14 hour plane trip. Probably from being so upset. We survived and are home and that is all that matters. Paul and I were instantly emotional upon landing in Indy. We couldn’t help ourselves. I will never forget turning the corner and seeing Colin! The tears flowed as we hugged and kissed. Carleigh was void of emotion at first. I handed her back to my Aunt and she cried because she wanted me to hold her – happy mommy moment. Ella was quite at first and then broke into tears of her own. Paul and I rushed to hold her and within a few minutes she was on the ground standing next to her brother and holding his hand – our hearts be still. Colin and Ella bonded instantly. Ella had smiles and opened the gift Colin brought her – Kai Lan play set and silly bands. The silly bands were a hit!! Colin and Ella never stopped standing next to each other the rest of the night. Our family and close friends were at the airport to meet us and a dear friend and took pictures to capture the moment. It was so nice to see everyone and be surrounded by love. We were up to 2am visiting with the kids and telling stories about our journey. We are still catching up on sleep and I have a nasty stomach bug to make things all the more interesting.
Ella is doing remarkably well. She follows her big brother’s lead and for the time being, Colin is agreeable to this arrangement. Colin takes his time to show Ella how to do things and repeats words for her. He is being a stellar big brother and is a great help. Ella seemed to know from the moment she walked in the door that she was home. She walked in like she owned the place and checked everything out. The toy room was the big draw. She is eager to learn the Hammond family ways and tonight put away all of the neighbors shoes when they came to bring us dinner J There are moments of sadness and she seeks us out and we hold her. She is a daddy’s girl. The screaming and fit throwing continue – mostly over sharing. Even that is only once or twice a day so maybe it is just normal 3 year old behavior. Ella repeats may words each day and uses them correctly. I asked her today to please put away her shoes after coming in from outside and she did just that!! It amazes me how much communication really is taking place with such a small use of vocabulary spoken on both ends.
Ella saw the pediatrician today and all seems to be well. She needs to have shots which we are putting off for a week and some blood work done. We head to the cardiologist tomorrow for several tests and to talk with the doctor. This will be a telling visit. We obviously know there are heart issues but I’m hoping to get a better picture tomorrow of the extent and options for treatment.
We are grateful for the opportunity to expand our family. There are and will be bumps as we figure it all out and come up with a new routine. However, Ella is a perfect fit in the Hammond family. God’s hand is all over this and it feels good. From the way the referral happened, to the people we met and shared the adoption process with and then the home coming. It is right, it is good and we are blessed.
We will continue to post updates but less often. Thank you all for your support. Love, Paul, Amy, Colin, Ella and Carleigh

Heading Home!

It's our last night in Guangzhou, China. Tomorrow we fly to Shanghai then to Newark and onto INDY!!! We are sooooo excited. It is going to be a long trip but it is just nice knowing we are headed home. After purchasing a third suitcase, we are all packed and ready for our trip. Ella is a little sad tonight and we think she knows something is going on. We had the guide talk to her yesterday and then today one of the store owners reinforced that she is taking 3 airplane rides tomorrow. I don't know how to make things easier on her except to be patient and to love on her. She is about to experience the change of her life. As is the whole Hammond family :) All we want when we get home is a soft bed, American food, and of course to hug on Colin and Carleigh!! Soon....

Our last days here

Two more nights and one more day and then we get to start the trek home - yippy!! Most of the families left this morning and the remaining few all leave tomorrow morning, including our guide. We will be on our own for a day and then we leave bright and early Saturday morning. I don't know if it is appropriate for prayer - however, another upgrade to first class for the trip home would be nice :) Things are going well. Actually, they are great. She is a joy. Right now Daddy and Ella are laying in bed, laughing, singing and having so much fun. The kisses, hugs and smiles come often. Yesterday when Paul would walk away, Ella would become concerned and look for him. Of course the melt downs still happen daily, as they should for a three year old, but they seem to be shorter in duration today. We tried the swimming pool today and that was NOT a hit. She isn't a big fan of baths and never even took her shoes off at the pool. I bet brother Colin will be a good influence at our neighborhood pool. Ella talks to us in Chinese all the time now. We need to record her and have someone translate. Fun side note, one of the families who adopted a 4 year old girl found out that she was saying to them in a joking manner "I will beat you to death". They of course were repeating it back to her without knowing until a guide clued them in!! All the guides we have had comment that Ella is a very smart little girl. A couple people have even asked if she is older than 3 1/2 and if her DOB could have been estimated incorrectly(no she isn't and no it wasn't). That's our girl!! Paul thinks she may be a genius, I think he may be biased :) It is amazing to think how things were just over a week ago and now I'm watching her wrestle and interact with Paul like she has known him forever. We couldn't have imagined a better transition up to this point. Now we are excited to get home and hold Colin and Carleigh and for them to interact with their new sister. It will be fun to see how the family dynamics work out. Not sure who will talk more - Colin or Ella!!

Official!

Ella and Mommy

Ella and Daddy by the pool

menu item at our Chinese restaurant

Near our hotel in Guangzhou

Today we swore in Ella at the US Consulate here in Guangzhou. She is 99% official. The US government recognizes her as a future citizen. All we do now is receive her US visa in her Chinese passport and then go home. When we pass through US customs in Newark on Saturday she will be an official citizen!!! It was an emotional moment when we raised our right hand and swore her in. It was 4 years work/wait that came down to one moment. I will never forget it.

We are so anxious to come home. We have two more full days left and they are going to be very hard because we have nothing to do and we just want to go home. We will have to find a new way to kill two days. We have shopped and shopped and shopped. We will have to buy a new suitcase for all our bounty. There is no room in our current/future bags nor is there money left for more shopping. Unfortunately,shopping is about all there is to do here. It's almost like they planned it that way.

Our close friends who we spent 4 days with in Wuhan and who are our neighbors here at the White Swan Hotel left this evening. Two days before us. That's a tough pill to swallow. We are very happy for them. They are amazing people. Most leave tomorrow. A few leave on Friday. We are the last to leave on Saturday. Even our guide will leave on Friday. That's the last time I let a travel agency plan our trips (they were HIGHLY recommended by our adoption agency).

Enough complaining. Ella is just amazing. Right now she is a daddy's girl and I am going to enjoy every minute. She is the typical curious 3 year old who likes to test us. She wants to be in control. She wants to decide if her hand is held. She demands to be held or put down. When we take control of the situation she will let us know of her displeasure by pouting, turning her back, or throwing a fit. She loves to rough house. She likes to be thrown up in the air. She loves to be spun around. She has this silly game of hiding items behind her back (we can plainly see them) and the says something in Chinese that means "where did it go?" She will play this game for hours if we let her.

Tonight Amy and I were laughing and playing on the bed with Ella for a good 30 minutes. We were having a great time. We were probably annoying our neighbors with the noise and laughter. Ella then told Amy that she had to use the bathroom. Amy went with her to help her get up on the toilet. When Ella came back she had a complete change of mood. She was very sad. She walked over to me and just stood by me and looked at the floor. Her face showed her pain. I carried her to the bed and we sat next to Amy. Ella had the saddest face. She nearly cried as she sat motionless on the bed. We talked to her, rubbed her and we tried to re-assure her. I think something triggered a memory of her foster parents and her old home. She was a different person from just 5 minutes ago. Amy and I held Ella as I said a prayer and asked for help. A few moments went by and Ella came out of her depression. She started by touching my nose very softly. She would then flip sides and touch Amy's nose. Every minute she became more active and animated until she finally smiled again and even laughed. Ella went from a little girl who was shut down with sadness to a laughing happy girl who gave me multiple kisses (I got my first kiss from her tonight. Not just 1 but 8....not that I'm counting). God answered a prayer within minutes. Thank You God!

Please pray for our next two days. The trip has been great but it is time to come home. Pray for patience and positive distractions. We are looking forward to seeing every one soon.

Pictures!

Typical shop near our hotel

Who brought the toilet paper?

Mushrooms, seahorses, snakes, and dog paws...yummy at the Qing Ping market

Not quite Avon...Qing Ping market

Nice hair

Leaving behind Eric, our guide in Wuhan

Ella at Guangzhou folk art museum

Ella on bus

Pearl river as seen from our hotel room in Guangzhou

Ella gets OK at health check

Updates on Our Family - in China and in the USA

Each day holds something new and exciting. So many things we take for granted are first time experiences for Ella Jijia. There is an outdoor swimming pool at the hotel and she just stared and took it all in. We joked that this is the biggest bath tub ever and even has its own waterfall :)

She is repeating so many new English words and seems to understand more and more of what we say to her daily. Right now Daddy is drawing shapes and Ella is saying "circle". She has started whispering and talking to me in Chinese when she wants to hide from Daddy. I don't have a clue what she is saying but it is cute and I eat every moment up. We have daily three year old melt downs which are frustrating for all of us. She is such a good little girl and I can't imagine seeing and hearing new things almost constantly. I think I would shut down and/or cry constantly - she is a trooper.

Ella loves other children. When we gather in our group she is moving about, touching and talking to all of them. We continue to work on being gentle and that pinching others including the children is not alright.

Papa just asked Ella if she wants to brush her teeth which was a fight up until two nights ago. Now she just ran to the bathroom excitedly saying "brush you teethy" AHH it is the best.

Besides missing home and dearly wanting to see and hold Colin and Carleigh everything is going great. Please keep Colin in your prayers as being way from us for two weeks is taking its toll on him and therefore on us. Please also pray that little miss Carleigh waits to walk until we come home. She is standing up on her own... selfish me doesn't want to miss more than we already have. Sending our love to everyone.

A New City

Things are going very well (as I write this she is crying because she doesn't' want to lay down and take a nap but is beyond tired :). Typical 3 year old. We arrived in Guangzhou two nights ago. This is our last stop before heading to the states. Now all the paperwork is on the US side so we aren't expecting any bumps - except for the fact that Paul has misplaced the one paperwork item that we were told is VERY important and not to lose. Our guide has indicated it won't be a problem. I hope she is right. I expect Ella to test positive tomorrow for TB. We will do an x-ray on the spot. She doesn't show any other signs so I'm not too worried about it.

The hotel here is beautiful even by US standards. There is a coy pond that weaves through the second floor. There are jade sculptures, furniture and other items for sale throughout the building. They even have a play room for the children which is sponsored by Mattel. We are on an island and most of the buildings have a European feel and many streets have large courtyards. There is a lot of construction going on. From what we can tell, there is some organization to the traffic here :) It feels more like a vacation now. Paul is reading the local news paper and one headline reads "Policemen must take care to beat the right people for the public good" makes me feel safer! The culture is amusing. Women wear fancy high heels with any and all outfits and to any location - such as the Great Wall which has thousands of stairs. Personal space doesn't exist. If you think there isn't room for one more person on the elevator they will show you wrong by squeezing their whole family on. It isn't uncommon to see people bathing at public restrooms or taking a nap on the street under a tree (they aren't homeless). Many people work far from where they live and traffic is slow and crazy so they do what they need to.

With that said, young children who are being potty trained (around 18 months and sometimes younger) wear split pants. They are what you think - pants with a large split at the seam. When the child needs to potty they simply squat and do their business right there. Yes, number one and number two. The side walk is a common place to relieve yourself. We had an experience with Ella just yesterday. While in a local store (nice store) without warning she looks at me and states something in Chinese and then pulls her skirt and panties to her knees and begins to assume the position. Paul and I yell "NO" at the same time and quickly dressed her and took her to the nearest restroom.

Life Together

It's been a busy couple of days. Who knew it would be a challenge caring for a three and a half year old who knows no English and has just experienced a major change. I've also experienced a major change. I never knew I could love a person so much after spending such little time with her. I've known Ella (Jijia) for less than 72hrs and I love her as much as my other two children. I would do anything for her. I will always love her. Her willingness to spend time with us and interact with us during her grief amazes me. She is one tough girl. I see how sad she is because the loss of her foster family and it breaks my heart. I play ball and hide and seek with her and see her glow and smile and laugh and it warms my heart. It's a strange thing. My emotions tend to follower hers. Happy when we are busy playing, a little sad when things slow down and there is time to think about her incredible loss. She warms up a little more every day and is slowly accepting her new life. For example, today she reached out to both Amy and I so we would pick her up. She reached for Amy's hand to go for a walk. When asked if she wants a drink she shakes her head no instead of turning her back to us. She has been crying at bed time, but not tonight...not even a whimper. (She still refuses to lay down. She falls asleep sitting up in bed and ends up hunched over her legs...I'm not sure what that is about. I think she is stubborn like her mom.) Over all she was much happier today....Praise God!

As far as our activities, yesterday we went to the Hubei Provincial Museum here in Wuhan.
It was a very nice museum and one of the most famous in China. Our guide focused on one exhibit. The exhibit was about the recently discovered (1980's) grave of a person who was three tiers down from the throne. Our guide said that there were around 10,000 such people during this dynasty (around 400 b.c.). Buried with him were many sacrificed slaves (20-30?), incredible wine vases and cooking ware, weapons, and gold to name just a few. The most important find were the bells. An enormous set of huge bells were placed within the tomb. No other like it exist. I can't even begin to explain how impressive this find is. I've included a picture of the bells. After the exhibit we bought Ella some things in the gift shop that are unique to the Hubei province. They can be found no where else. They are a small link to her homeland.

Today we visited three very special places. We first visited the orphanage that Ella and our friend's daughter (Emily) were raised in prior to their foster home. We were not allowed in the buildings for security reasons. We did get to go in the gates, snap some pictures and we even met with two of their care takers who gave us a little more information about the girls. We then went to the sight where Emily was abandoned. It was in a nice park. After a long drive, we went to the exact doorstep where Ella was found when she was two days old. It was heartbreaking and emotional. Amy nearly cried. I wasn't even close (I'm lying). After a long ride back, we ate at a very nice high end Chinese restaurant. It was very good. We did not eat the Peking Duck in Beijing, so we tried the local Wuhan Duck. I liked it, Amy wasn't so fond of it.

We have been spending a lot of time with our new friends who are with us here in Wuhan. Their daughter, Emily, is having trouble adjusting. She cries when not being held by her new mom. It is exhausting for both mom and dad. Dad wants to help, but Emily will not let him touch her. Please keep that family in your prayers. Ella can use some prayers as well. Please pray for her adjustment and her happiness. Please pray for patience for us.

It was a great day. I am so happy that Ella is warming up to us.

Hot!

Details for Wednesday, August 04

Plentiful sunshine. Very hot. Heat index near 125F. High 102F. Winds SW at 10 to 15 mph.Evening: Mainly clear. Warm. Low 84F. Winds SSW at 5 to 10 mph.

Check out the heat index for today!

Life is good!

It has been a great day!! Praise God. We signed the official paperwork to complete the adoption today :)

Ella Jijia woke up this morning and was rightfully concerned but then warmed up quickly. There was much laughing and communicating taking place today. I awoke from a nap to hear Ella talking in Chinese almost non-stop while she and daddy looked at pictures of animals online and made animal nosies together. I received my first kiss from my beautiful daughter. The guide was talking to her and asked who we were to which she replied - mama and papa (my heart leaps just thinking about that moment). Then the guide must have asked her if she wanted to give me a kiss. While I was holding her in my arms she leaned over and kissed me! Daddy is still waiting for his kiss. She turned her head away from him when asked the same question. If we haven't mentioned yet, she is a spirited little girl who does everything when she wants and how she wants. We don't have to guess how she is feeling.

We went shopping and out to eat this evening with Julie and Brandon (couple adopting from Hubei province also). It was a nice change of scenery for all of us as we were bored of our hotel rooms. Ella now has a new pair of shoes that fit her feet and a pretty new dress. We happened upon a popular Chinese local restaurant and had a good meal at a cheap price - great combination. The seating at the restaurant was sofas - we haven't sat on comfy furniture for a week. Emily, Julie and Brandon's daughter, started coming out of her shell at dinner and it was nice to be a witness to all of their excitement and joy. We were the source of amusement for two young Chinese boys at the table behind us. They walked over and practiced their English which was very good. They giggled as we spoke and then followed us out of the restaurant to ask for our telephone number? We politely declined but enjoyed the interaction.

Most people are curious and look at us - especially now that we have our children. Everyone has been kind. The traffic here in Wuhan is just as crazy as it was in Beijing. I'm starting to get used to the masses of people everywhere and even enjoying the bussel.

We miss home and Colin and Carleigh very much. While we are not able to read our blog from China (it is blocked as are most social network outlets), we feel your prayers and we send our love and thanks.

Ella!

Here she is! It's been a day and I should have gone to bed 2hrs ago so this will be short. We got Ella at 3pm in Wuhan City, China. It was very hard for her. She is not able to understand what is happening to her. There were many tears on the way home but we got just as many smiles back at the hotel. She loves to play ball, color, and play with stickers. She thinks it's fun to put stickers on Amy and myself. We shared lots of laughs and got to bond quite a bit. We go back to sign paperwork tomorrow to make the adoption official. Good night!

Sightseeing

We had our complimentary breakfast first thing this morning. It is buffet style. They have cereal (with goats milk), some breads, fresh fruit, meat lasagna (no joke!...did not try), baked beans (no joke!...they were good), white sausage links (they taste like normal links), lettuce and all the salad fixings, cheese and lunch meat. It’s the strangest breakfast I’ve ever seen, but it was good. Amy might disagree. The weather today started out as all the other days have been SMOGGY! The visibility has been less than 1 mile since we arrived in Beijing. We can see the sun overhead but it is just a dim disk which will not hurt the eyes if look directly into. The temps have been in the 90’s. After breakfast, all 19 families piled into a giant tour bus and began our day. The traffic in Beijing is so bad it makes Los Angeles traffic look like a walk in the park. It is stop and go (mostly stop) for miles on every street. There are way too many cars for their roads. Our first stop today was at the cloisonné factory. Here women glue small copper ribbons to vases creating designs with the raised ribbon. They then fill the pocket with enamel and fire it in an oven - repeatedly. The result is a very beautiful vase with any kind of design that they can think of. They also make jewelry, Christmas ornaments, pens, plates…you name it. After the “factory tour” we were lead into their showroom. It was huge and the items were expensive. I hope to find better deals in the last city of our trip, Guangzhou. We re-boarded the bus and headed northwest to the Great Wall of China. It is very cool. As we approached the mountains, the smog lifted and we could actually see what was around us. The wall was visible from a long distance away. As we approached you could seen the thousands of people climbing the wall. It was quite a sight. Amy and I climbed the wall to the first tower. The top of the wall in this area is made of mostly steps. The steps range from 2 inch steps to about 20 inch steps. No two are alike. They are very steep and we gained a lot of altitude in a very short distance. The steep climb, 90 degree temps and the mass of people kept us from going very far. It was a neat experience, but I would rather see a section of the wall that was not a tourist trap. There were just too many people pushing their way up and down. Next was lunch at a Chinese restaurant for the group. The food was very good. The restaurant was connected to a very large jade store. The hand carved jade pieces were amazing. They ranged from small jewelry to a ship that was 9 feet tall and about 15 feet long. They had a tiger that stood about 5 feet tall. He was only $14,000. I had to tell Amy no. On the way back the weather cleared and we could actually see for miles while in the city. It was a very nice change. We drove by the Olympic village and saw the Birds Nest and the aquatic bubble cube where Phelps won all his medals. That area of Beijing is beautiful.We spent the night in the hotel room and ordered Pizza Hut mmm.

Only two more days until we meet Ella!