Laughing

We thought we'd include some video footage of our little one. Here is Sam smiling about a month ago. We'll have some new video to post later. This is more like a test. But, you should enjoy this test!

Walks in the Complex

We are so happy that the weather has changed lately. The mornings are a bit cold still, but afternoons are proving to be beautiful. Our friends are still coming over to visit us, which I am really grateful for. I was worried that we wouldn't get out much with Sam, but there was nothing for me to worry about, since they are coming to us! When we do make it out, our neighbors are more than happy to introduce themselves and tell us what a beautiful child we have.

Most of them think Sam is a girl...now let me ask you, is this the face of a girl??

Our foreign friends all say he looks like a boy, but I'm not sure if they're trying not to hurt my feelings or what. Whatever the case, Bill and I know he is ALL boy. His forehead, eyes, cheeks (that favor my father), lips, nose and chin (that favors Bill's mom). What a gorgeous boy at that.

Sam is so aware of everything around him that it is hard to keep him happy all the time. He's started sharing his feelings with us - when he's bored, he cries; when he's unhappy; he cries, when he's lonely, he cries; when he's sleepy, he cries. But, he laughs when he's happy, and keeps a straight face when he content. He seems content most of the time, so our friends are always asking us why he's so serious. We think he's just a critical thinker. He watched Bill carve a chicken tonight and was extremely interested.

Beijing called today. They said we're only lacking one document for the adoption: the criminal clearance. We're going to go pick it up early next week. We are considering not expediting it, which would mean an 18 month wait as opposed to a ten month wait. We're thinking it through.

I suppose we'll post something when we make a decision.

By the way, don't you love Sam's hat? I thought it might be too big, but Bill said it was just right. Thanks to the Raymicks for all their hand-me-downs. All of his clothes are hand-me-downs at this point and they're all so adorable! He's growing so quickly.

New Camera

Uncle Rob bought a new camera this week and we have been fortunate enough to be his test subjects. We are required to submit five photos of our family life for the adoption dossier, and here is one that we will absolutely have to include.

Sam has grown so much over the last few months. Here is a photo of his foot from October 7, 2006 - just five days old.

And here is his foot today (notice the socks barely fit him anymore). This one was taken by Rob.

Sam has taken to reading with me. When I open his favorite book on farm life, he immediately looks to the left side of the book.

Then he helps me turn the page (wierd, I know!).

Then he looks to the right side of the page. We were all talking about it today and it seems that maybe he is mimicking his father when he reads...but who knows how he knows to do this. It could just be a fluke too, I guess. Still, we like to think he's brilliant.

After reading time Sam wanted to ride my head. I don't know why, but he begged and begged me, so I put him up there. Our home has definitely changed - notice all the toys lying around.

Here is another photo of Sam's cute little face. Don't you just want to kiss those lips! Adorable.

We've really taken to watching the American Idol tryouts this week. We have satellite TV, so we're able to watch them about a day later than those of you in the States. They are SO funny. Rob and Bill keep asking the same question over and over, "Why would their family let them try out?!" That's a great question. You guys wouldn't let me try out, would you? I sure hope you'd tell me the truth - that I am NOT going to be the next American Idol.

Dog for rent

We are almost ready to go back to the States now. We are getting our tickets together and looking around at our place trying to figure out what needs to be done. When I say "we" I really mean me - Bill is still extremely busy with work right now.

Sam is still thin, but very long. This means that he doesn't fit into most of his 0-3 month old clothes anymore because he's too long. However, it also means he doesn't fill out his 3-6 month old clothes either. I put him in a new pair of jeans today. He looks like a little hippy-ish! He also seems very serious.

We have had guests every day for the last two weeks. We also have been going out quite a bit. On Monday, we finally got our criminal clearance for the adoption! Well, we don't have it in our hands yet, but they authorized us to get it. We should be picking it up on February 3rd or 4th. That means the adoption is finally moving forward again!

My parents are planning on moving to Thailand in June or July. Part of that trip entails a training period in May. Does anyone live in NC who wants to volunteer to take their indoor small dog from them for 8 weeks? They leave May 7th. If you do, please write my email address and let me know!

Guitars, basketball and Sam (again)

We have had a great time over the last week visiting with friends and renewing friendships. The Parris family, some great friends of ours, have returned to Kunming from a six-month visit to the States. I've taken some pics with my camera phone, which aren't great quality, but will work just the same. Sam is still trying to get used to the new folks in his life, but I think he's handling it well. A few breakdowns here and there are no problem. Here he is with Aaron holding him.

Sam got to watch his daddy and Uncle Josh play basketball this afternoon. It was really neat to see Sam follow Bill around the court. It was also nice to have a beautiful day where we could sit outside again and enjoy the weather. I threw a blanket over Sam in the Baby Bjorn so that passing grandmothers wouldn't get upset about him not wearing enough. It seems to do the trick. Here is a picture of Bill doing his chicken dance and one with him playing basketball. I took them with my cell phone, so they're not that great, but I think you get the general idea.

He also got to watch a foozeball game with Uncle Josh earlier this week. Josh was kind enough to watch Sam while Bill and I played a game of Settlers of Cattan with my girlfriends, Mei Yin and Xiao Tan. I was thrilled to be able to play games again! I wish I didn't have to keep leaving the game to feed...c'est la vie. Bill won, I hear. Nobody said goodbye either, I think they might have been upset that Bill won again.

Xiao Bai, our helper, was playing with Sam earlier this week. She rigged up this little area for Sam on my rocking chair so he would sit upright to play with her. He wasn't quite sure what to make of it, but didn't complain.

I will leave you with the final photo, also taken with my cell phone, of Sam this afternoon. He was watching Bill and Josh play basketball, but seemed more intent on licking his furry coat than really paying attention to the court-action. This shot is of him before the licking really began.

Out and About

Things have been happening quickly since Sam was born (how many times have I said that??). I weighed him yesterday and he is about 12lbs, which is around the 23rd percentile for boys his age. BUT, he is 25 inches long - which is in the 85th percentile for boys his age. Talk about a tall kid. We have some friends whose baby, Judah, was born 3 days before Sam. Here they are together. Check out Judah's adorable dimples!

Sam, Bill and I went out to play today since the weather finally turned nice. It was about 40 degrees in our living room last night (not exaggerating, I had a thermometer) and we were really excited to see the sun shining today. Lots and lots of grandmothers came over to tell us we didn't put enough clothes on Sam (he was in four layers) and to tell us his skin is too white. Many others were surprised that he could hold his own head up and stand up with our help. Apparently they hold their babies for long amounts of time, which inhibits their muscle development.

Before Gerry Ann (Bill's mother) left, she gave Sam a little stuffed bear that she had taped her voice onto (a small recorder in his paw plays it back). Sam just discovered said bear last week and smiles every time he sees it, but especially when he hears his Nana's voice coming from it. He really likes to suck the bear's ears. Notice how Sam's hair has grown - I thought it was supposed to fall out!

We are starting to prepare our home for when we leave in late March. I have a lot of stuff to do to get ready, but I'm trying to be a bit organized about it. I only hope I can get everything done in time. We leave for Thailand (doctor's visits and vacation with good friends) on February 13th (Happy Birthday Mom!). Plus, our helper leaves on January 25th to get married again to the same guy she got married to on September 3rd (long story, write me and I'll tell you about it). So, I've got to get some stuff done before she leaves. We get back on March 3rd and will only have about three weeks to get everything together before we leave for the States. In the meantime, I'm desperately trying to continue helping my girlfriends here with some family issues.

Here are Sam and me earlier this afternoon. He was wearing so many layers he could barely move!

It seems that our email is up and running again. I will have a mass email out this week, for those of you who wish to hear more details of the things going on around here.

Blessings,

Teesa

Internet Down

Due to an earthquake in Taiwan last week, our internet lines have been down. The estimated guess on how long it will take to repair is two more weeks. So, our email is still down and we can only seldom get to certain sites. Lucky for you, this is one of them...but I will admit that it is taking a lot longer to load pages than normal. Apparently, this site is owned by Google and Google has a branch over here in China, so it can be accessed internally (within Asia).

The weather here has been pretty rotten over the last few weeks. We've had fog so thick we could barely see to the other apartment buildings, rain, cold fronts, and sometimes even sun (that's not bad, but it is so seldom!).

Sam has been battling a cold, which he promptly shared with us and our helper, who is pregnant, by the way. I hate that she got sick, but I guess it comes with the territory. We've been trying to nurse ourselves and Sam back to health. He finally had a bath today after a record SIX days without one. Poor kid got a diaper rash that beats the band.

He's really progressing lately. He's learned to put his whole hand in his mouth and he is extremely aware of his surroundings. He can push himself up when he's having tummy-time and he can hold his head up by himself almost 99% of the time now. I love that part - I really love him being more self-sufficient. He also smiles a ton and gives us at least one good laugh a day.

Gotta love that tooshy.

"We heard you have a baby in there..."

"...now let us in!"

This seems to be the general consensus from our neighbors these days. They keep stopping by to hold the baby and offer me help in raising him. Our downstairs neighbor came by with her 2 year-old grandson, who was super pumped to see Sam. He also had never seen a Christmas tree and so he really wanted to pull it down. His grandmother kept telling him not to hit it over and over.

Another neighbor, a mother of twin girls, came by the next night. She said she heard from one of her 7 year-olds that we had a new little girl. She brought her daughter over too, but before Bill could open the door, the little girl ran back home with a look of shock on her face. Those girls never have gotten used to us Whiteys. The mother recalled a funny story from two years ago when we had just moved in and my mother was still here. One of the twins was screaming and crying in the hallway outside their front door and I went out to investigate. They were too scared and shy to talk to me, but finally the less-shy one said that they didn't have a key to their house and didn't know what to do (no one was home). So, I brought my cell phone out to them and we called their mother. The mother is still grateful for our help.

This is a great time of year to share about the reason for Christmas. We hope that, despite not being able to go out due to the cold weather, that we will be able to share with our neighbors who come here. Merry Christmas!

Christmas Time is Here

Merry Christmas!!!

From Teesa, Sam and Bill

Shots!

Sam got his two-month old shots yesterday. It was quite a scary event, since he turned blue around his mouth just after the first shot (he got two shots). The doctor took his vitals with some machine he hooked up to Sam's big toe and said everything was okay. He called it a "vegal" (sp) response, meaning a response to pain. The doctor said some babies pass out, some have seizures and some just turn blue. Since then Sam has been running a fever off and on - but nothing Tylenol won't take care of.

We got a surprise visit from our downstairs neighbor and her grandson (2 years-old) today. She said she ran into Bill on his way out and asked if she could come see us. She was thrilled to be able to hold Sammy. Sam behaved great for the first ten minutes, but then he just wanted to go to sleep, so as soon as I held him he was out. I put him down in his crib and she was stunned! She couldn't believe I don't hold him for his naps (or all the time for that matter). She was even more stunned that she hadn't heard him cry in the 6 weeks that we've been back. She didn't even know we were back. She raises her grandson and he has had colic ever since he was born (we know, we live above his room). It was really great being able to spend time with our neighbor. She's coming back again tomorrow to play with Sam while he's awake.

Bill's Aunt Beth gave us some books for Sam. After a long day yesterday, I thought we'd have some story time. I read a Thomas the Tank Engine story to Sam, who listened intently at all the noises I had to make. I had no idea Thomas was so cheeky.

The really big news is that Sam is now laughing! Bill pretended to laugh this morning and Sam repeated it exactly as he heard it and then laughed for real. He's also clucking his tongue a lot in response to me clucking mine. What a smarty!

Bill thought this would be a funny picture. He thinks it makes Sam look like a British Judge. One of my Chinese friends, Xiao Tan, made this scarf for me last year. I think it looks great on Sam.

Sam and friends

Sam seems to have so many friends. Even before he was born he had lots. One of his biggest fans is Doreen. She came to visit me with her girls while I was in the hospital here in KM. I was so grateful for the food she brought and the get-well card her daughter made for me, not to mention the companionship and compassion. Doreen is one of the folks who PRed for us to have children and when I told her I was pregnant, she screamed louder than anyone else! So, watching her hold Sam is a real joy, because he really is a tangible blessing from Father.

Here is Sam with his Uncle Rob. He is becoming familiar with Rob, since Rob is able to come to KM about every two weeks or so. We can only hope that Rob will rub off on Sam...What a blessing to us to have so many folks visit who love Sam.

Hong Kong and Santa's Town

Here is a picture of Hong Kong's tallest Christmas tree. It stands over 35 meters high.
We went to Hong Kong last week, part of the incredibly long process of getting my work visa here. While we were there, we got to spend time with friends and go to Santa's Town. Santa's Town was on Hong Kong Island and, although we didn't get to see Santa, we did get to see his living room and a post office and hear an incredible violinist play The Flight of the Bumblebee. Not sure what that had to do with Christmas, but that guy was seriously talented.

It was a sweet time that we got to spend with our friends the Webels and their two daughters. Sam was quite aware of them and they were certainly aware of him. I didn't think to take any pictures though...sorry. We got to eat at Bubba Gump Shrimp and visit the Peak and just hang out with them. Things were a bit frantic with three children - but we managed.

Sam was finally able to fit into a sweater his Aunt Kendall made for him, but unfortunately his head is now too big now. He only wore it for a week and a half. I can't believe how quickly he's growing.

Sam is now enjoying tummy-time much much more. He can hold his head at a 45 degree angle. When we hold him upright against our bodies, he can lift his head up and turn it from side to side indefinitely. We're so proud! Bill took this picture yesterday (9 weeks and 6 days old).

You can tell that Bill takes most of the photos, since there aren't many of him. But, rest assured, Bill does do his part in raising this boy. He loves Sam a great deal and it is obvious in the gentle way Bill deals with Sam.

Sam & Judah

Here is Sam with his friend Judah, who is 6 months old (Sam is 6 weeks in this photo). He looked so small next to Judah. Sam has gained a little weight since this photo was taken. He was 9lbs at the time - the birth weight of Judah.

These pictures are of Sam this last week (8 weeks old). He loves sleeping in Daddy's arms.

Here is another photo of him in his sweater vest. Thanks again Julie!

A J Crew Kind of Life

We are just now getting into a good routine here at home. Sam sleeps, eats and plays, in that order, every day all day. Bill recently registered us for a company function and had to register Sam too. One of the questions regarding Sam (for daycare purposes) was "what does he like to do all day?" Bill's answer was, "eat, sleep and befoul diapers." That pretty much sums it up.

I love the above picture. The one on my computer was of Sam when he was a day old. His face has changed shape a lot, but he still carries the same expression.



But, he is playing a lot more and with play comes big big smiles. He really has a beautiful smile that his chin accentuates. He's much more fun-loving now and he can even hold up his head for longer periods, though tummy-time is still annoying to him.

We will most likely be traveling back through Hong Kong next week to get visa stuff done. During that time, I plan on buying lots of long sleeve shirts for him, since he only has a couple. When I was pregnant with him, it was warm-weather clothing time in the States, so we have a ton of short-sleeved onsies and t-shirts. Before you ask, they DO sell long-sleeves shirts here, they're just not very good quality and all of them are too big for him right now. It's getting cooler here (inside and out), so we need to plan ahead for Sam. The little outfit above is one my best friend Julie sent for Sam. He barely fits into it right now, but I expect he will grow into it quickly. He gained over a pound between weeks six and seven!

The Christmas season is quickly approaching. We keep him close to the tree at nighttime, since that seems to be the warmest spot in the house.

We just took our family Christmas picture today. I'll be sending it out in a newsletter shortly. Let me say that the sweetest part of the picture is the adorable hand-knit sweater from his Aunt Kendall. I should have put him in it a while ago, but he just now looked big enough for it. Unfortunately, we had to stretch the head-hole pretty big before getting Sam's head in it. He looks so J-Crewish.

We'll keep posting...