Here Comes the Sun

by Amy Nuan

Our visit in Shanghai was complete after a morning in the park relaxing with local Chinese people. The sun brought people out and about and the city was alive with activity. We navigated the Shanghai train station with the help of our expert translator Quinn YunQing =) and arrived in Hefei at 6 p.m. Zhang Ming, a kind man who works with Love Without Boundaries met us at the train station. He knows our daughter and hearing about her bubbly personality makes it hard to wait now that we are so close.The people in Hefei are much warmer than we found in Shanghai. We walked the promenade on a bustling Friday night. We were quite the attraction and had fun people watching. We will make this a day to celebrate our Amy Nuan and Zhang Ming will take us to Huainan to visit and tour. Today is our Kerry Wa's birthday- Happy Birthday sweet girl. We will meet her Monday. Thanks for all of you that are sharing our journey and have posted back.

a beautiful morning

China park by Amy Nuan

mom and dad by Amy Nuan

c

the photographer by Amy Nuan

walk in the park

More Shanghai Adventures

We started the day in a local meat and produce market where we had to avoid looking while they were ringing chickens' necks =(. Next stop
Tian Zi Fang where we saw old Chinese houses restored into a quaint shopping area. We then walked through the French Concession and had lunch with the locals. The night was spent walking along the river on the Bund. Today we woke up to sun and we are off to a bird and flower market and a local park. The train to Hefei leaves at 3.

my ticket girls

bikes by Amy Nuan

Tian Zi Fang

woman making pork rolls by Amy Nuan

meat market by Amy nuan



mom and girls Tian Zi Fang

woman washing dishes by Amy Nuan

 French Concession phonogragh Amy Nuan

The Bund at Night by Amy Nuan

two women arguing by Amy Nuan

Tian Zi Fang by Amy Nuan

Finding our way around Shanghai

We had a great day. We took the metro to the fake market where we had fun school shopping for Amy and Quinn. We saved so much by shopping here. Robert found a tailor that was recommended and is making him  pants, shirts and a jacket for a fraction of what we pay in the US. The girls got UGGs for $22 and nice Hollister sweatshirts for a third of what we pay in CA. We got Kerry a cute Hello Kitty backpack and stuffed it with fun things to do. Ting and Kerry got cute sandals. The girls are so funny about the bargaining- they actually walk away feeling bad for the people and tell me I should have given them more =)  After filling up at our local noodle and dumpling spot, we headed to another area to a bookstore where Quinn loaded up on much needed books for $2 each. We were able to get some great workbooks for Kerry that QQ can help her with. The metro has been a breeze to use and we get around so easily. The girls love buying the tickets and the adventure. Cab rides cost $2. Off to bed at midnight hoping to sleep a bit later in the a.m. before heading off for more sight seeing with better weather expected. Having fun, but thinking about you know who!

Shanghai by Amy Nuan

Leaving on a jet plane

The girls were great travelers. After 13.5 hrs in the air, a metro and a taxi ride with all our luggage, we arrived at the New Harbour Apartments in Shanghai at 11 pm. We walked the streets to find many people out and about enjoying the warm night. What a great spot. Today we spent time at the Neon Kid's Plaza doing some shopping and got some great deals which included Hello Kitty umbrellas for the afternoon showers. We had yummy noodles and dumplings and with Quinn as our interpreter, we are very comfortable. She is learning the art of bargaining and tells me the shop owners get mad at me! Many people have asked her about our family and she willingly told one woman how her parents threw her away and she lived at the orphanage until she was adopted by us. She said they seemed surprised. She is really enjoying using her language and helping us. We entertain everyone where we go and even got an extra bowl of soup from the chef who proceeded to come out from the back to take a look at our unusual family. We have learned not to mind the staring and take liberty to do the same as we walk around old neighborhoods taking in the culture  After some time in the pool, we had 3 very tired girls!  5 days till we meet our girl.

View from our apt by Amy Nuan

Having fun in Shanghai by Amy Nuan

Last minute surprise

We woke up Sunday to a gorgeous, sunny California day and a new picture or our daughter (center in red) dancing on Children's Day-June 1st in China. This was also my son Kai's 22nd birthday. Children, even in  orphanages perform and are given gifts and treats. Quinn remembers this fondly from her years growing up in the orphanage in Guangzhou. The day was full with last minute packing, surfing and a beautiful bike ride on the beach followed by brunch with Summer and a friend visiting from Indiana University before heading to LAX for our 13 1/2 hr flight to Shanghai.

We love you Kerry

After we adopted Amy, the family of her roommate, the Steeds, decided to start Raising Hope International http://www.raisinghopeintl.org/  to provide play equipment for children left behind. The playground that Kerry is standing on was funded by families through their organization after we adopted Amy in 2003. When we got this updated picture, we were so happy to see her smiling. We were a part of this effort; little did we know our sweet girl would be playing on it years later.They continue to work all over the world helping children play like they are supposed to. Check out the website- you will be inspired to help.

Countdown...20 days till take-off

The tickets have been purchased. We will leave June 24th and spend a few days in Shanghai. The train will then take us to Anhui province where we will spend a day with Amy in her birth town.
Gotcha day is July 2nd and we will visit the orphanage on the 3rd. Another family will join us who are adopting their first little girl. We will meet up with 5 other families in Guangzhou where Quinn is from to finalize the adoption at the US Embassy. Quinn will have the opportunity to see some of her friends and nannies at the orphanage. She is excited to show them her long hair and how well she speaks English. We will return home July 15th. Summer and Kai will man the fort (celebrate) while we are away =)

Love Without Boundaries

MONDAY, JULY 16, 2007    http://www.lovewithoutboundaries.com/

Critical Care

Most of you know that the way LWB raises money for the children we heal surgically is by putting them up on our website, finding sponsors for their surgery, and then notifying the orphanage that the child can be moved for their operation. 

However...there are times that we cannot wait to move a child. There are many times that we are notified by orphanages that they have received newly abandoned babies who are critical. It is during those times that we are so grateful for our general medical fund, as we can immediately use those dollars to do emergency surgery. We have even told our facilitators that whenever they are called by an orphanage about a child who is critical, they don't even need to talk to us first....the life of the child is first and foremost and they can contact us after they have made the medical arrangements to save the child's life.

Last week we learned of a tiny baby girl, just a few weeks old, who had arrived at an orphanage in Anhui with severe megacolon in critical condition. Thankfully she was able to have emergency surgery that very day because of our general medical fund. We thought you would love to see baby Wa recovering from her surgery in the hospital. What a beautiful little girl who now has a chance to grow up and be adopted. Thank you to everyone who made it possible!

POSTED BY LOVE WITHOUT BOUNDARIES AT 11:08 PM  

LABELS: ANHUI, CLEFT SURGERY, MEDICAL, ORPHANS

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I am sharing a copy of this internet post made in 2007 by Love Without Boundaries. I found it while searching the internet one day. We don't have access to this information from LWB for privacy reasons till after the adoption is finalized, so as you can imagine, I was overwhelmed by seeing our daughter as a tiny baby and how people cared for her long before I could.  Because of special people that contributed to the general medical fund through Love Without Boundaries, our daughter's life was saved. We were supporting other programs and sponsoring a child with LWB during this time period.  Kerry did grow up and and she will be adopted on July 2nd! She is very loved and her Chinese name Rui Wa- means lucky baby doll. Thank you to all that are a part of the LWB family and please consider joining if you are not- you will be blessed.  Click on the link to learn how you can help; visit them on facebook too.   http://www.lovewithoutboundaries.com/