Photo help needed

I've got pictures, lots of pictures, that I want to link to this blog.

I also have a Photobucket album, but it's for our last adoption.

Any suggestions how I can link pics here?
I just know that someone has a solution for me.

You're welcome to post a comment below or send an email to me.
thanks!

Things I Don't See at Home

Shopkeeper washing steps with bowl of water
and handmade broom.

A car so close to my vehicle that I could reach out and touch the driver.

Elegantly dressed ladies sitting straight and tall as they ride their bike.

Large crowds of people quietly reading in
the book department at their local WalMart.

Babies strapped in the rear metal carrier,
on a fast moving bike, behind MaMa or BaBa.

Spittoons and their users

Chinese lady tourists climbing the
Great Wall in heels
(their balance and agility is impressive)

And at the top of the list during this trip:

Seeing so many bare bellies! Guys fold up their shirts as they sit or walk around town.

Insert: The Process to Foster Ting

Do you know why I blog? So that my adoptive children will have a journal of how they came to join our family. If I didn't publicly commit to this, it'd never happen. So thanks for helping me :-)

May 2005 A local chinese friend checked our agency's translation of Dang Xiyuan's Social & Development papers. The name Dang Ting was written as the person Xiyuan is closest to. Our current agency had "failed" to translate this info. We decided to find out if DT's file is at CCAA and if we can adopt both girls at same time.

June 2005 Talked with Amy at our agency, LV. She sounded as if they were not interested to help. With all of the other issues we were suffering thru by using them, we concluded to not talk about this again with them.

Decided to post request for info to all listed China agencies.

July 2005 Received reply from three agencies. Two had DT's file in past without placement. One, ****, did not have her file but offered to inquire of CCAA in Beijing. Also said they could tell us how to bring a child to US for medical fostering. Began the process of learning what to do. Meanwhile **** agency contacted her orphanage and the director agreed to allow her to come to US for med treatment!

August 2005 Prepared Letter of Request to CCAA to adopt both girls at same time. Never heard a response, so began considering med fostering.

Began contacting local opthalmologists to find fee-waived help for an international orphan. Made "good" contact at Dean McGee Eye Institute of OKC.

August 2005-March 2006 This is where things were very weird although I didn't find out until much later. Two different dmei employees, one after the other on our timeline, said they were working on getting assistance of a DMEI physician. When a third dmei replacement took over, we found out that the other two women had talked with no one! Weird; they'd take my calls, ask for info and docs, tell me things were "coming together" yet had never never talked with a doctor or the clinic...

March 30, 2006 Dr. H called me on our cell-He has reviewed video and pics of DT and feels certain what must be done for her. He wants to help her and has done this for Russian orphans in the past. He'll arrange everything at DMEI clinic so there will be no fees to China or US. It will happen!!

March 31, 2006 We and DMEI wrote to US Embassy Beijing on behalf of DT, asking for B1/B2 Visa.

June-July 2006 Visa denied twice; we requested specific issues to address

August 15, 2006 Rec'd reply from US Embassy Beijing explaining orphanage dir could reapply for visa interview. Also gave 6 points which need further information and documentation. All are doable and someone will coach director for interview. Now if the swi director will agree to return for another visa appointment...

Feb 2007 Mr. R. M of visa division of US Embassy Beijing called our home to talk with me. Questions were all covered in letters and documentation that we had provided to them, so easy to answer. Guess he just wanted to hear my voice :-)

Feb 2007 Rec'd word from Mr. R.M of bjs embassy that he will issue her visa and we can travel within a month.

God's timing is curious. My surgery (breast cancer) is scheduled in early March. We delay my travel to pick up DT until late April, giving me time to recover.

April 20, 2007 Janise and I travel to Beijing. Yang Quan staff bring DT to our hotel on the 22nd. We fly home on the 23rd.

It finally happened and took only two years. But God had a plan and worked it all out.

Adoption Completed!

It's official! We have a new daughter now named Casi Ruth Ting B. Gerald and I chose the middle names and gave her the choice of two names for first place. She pondered this for a week and decided on Casi.

The morning began with the delicious breakfast buffet at our hotel. At 9:15 we promptly left for our 9:30 appointment at the Shanxi Provincial Social Welfare building. At 9:20 Madame Notary (almost = to US Judge) called my guide to order, "Call the swi Director and let him know I cannot be there until 10:30." My guide said she replied the only way she could, "Yes, Madame notary!" I suggested her hair appointment was running late. So we sat in the lobby of the SPSW. If you've been there before you know how stark it is in this basketball court sized room---one couch, two chairs and the bored two guys handling the sign-in table next to the industrial, long, plastic strips covering the door opening.

10:40 Signing of the papers began. Customary, serious questions were asked: Why are you adopting this child? How did you learn of this child? Would you say that the info on the social welfare forms was accurate and complete? (No, but say Yes!) What will do for her medical need? How will you raise her? Take more pictures. Sign more papers. Put red thumb print here, here, and here. Think, Why do you guys still not have any wet wipes or towels to offer? Take more pictures. Casi is asked to sign and stamp with red-inked thumb. Whisper, Don't you wipe that on your shirt. Sit while everyone excepts you enjoys laughing at the latest gossip or jokes about having no wet wipes. Cringe when your newest child says loudly Can we go now? Relax when you remember that only you and guide can understand her. Hand camera over to newest child and let her fill the card with lopsided photos.

12:00 Walk out of the building with a new daughter :-)

Today is Casi's day, so she chose Pizza Hut for lunch. Not bad, in fact wonderful pizza, well after I chunked off the pineapple. Then off for Casi to buy treasures at WalMart.

Sadly, I must say that the Taiyuan WalMart is not the same as it was two years ago. In fact, they are almost Americanized. I wanted a shirt in a different size than we found for Casi, so we looked around for an Associate. We found three, deep in conversation, so they didn't notice us motioning for help. When my guide asked where other sizes were, one associate retorted "If it's not hanging over there we must not have anymore!" And the lines were long and not all registers were in use.

Yet, it still has uniqueness probably not seen in US. There were crowds of people, young and old, reading quietly in the book department. Some even napped while balancing an open book on their lap. Durian fruit is there and you'll find huge bins of dry small, young peas (think dried LaSeur Peas.)

All in all, it was a good day. I know because I asked Casi and she said it was!

Harmonious Story in the Middle

The CCAA requires a 24hour period for bonding before adoptions can be completed. So, we begin our session with signatures and red thumb prints over our signatures. Notice that I didn't call this our Gotcha Day.

Our Gotcha Day was April 23, 2007 when I traveled to recieve Dang Ting (aka TB) in Beijing from her orphanage staff. She came to live in our home, as a foster child, while receiving medical treatments. Later, her file arrived at our agency and we began the usual adoption process. CCAA does not allow preidentified adoptions and they could argue that that's what we had. For our adoption's safety, we did not talk about the fostering online. Now, do you understand why we find this mandatory Harmonious Period of Bonding funny?

The HP went well; we played War and two chinese card games that Ting taught to me. We celebrated our harmony with lunch at a local Dumpling Restaurant. Oh, was the food good. They have a 6' x 12' display area of prepared dishes to examine before ordering. We chose the steamed shrimp dumplings, sweet potato balls, and stuffed pork balls. Actually, we let Ting do the choosing. The restaurant has no forks or spoons, so I was able to impress our guide with my ability to guide the food to my mouth with chopsticks. It took a while, but I managed!

Harmony prevails.

Off we Go, not!

I love to travel. Tell me that I can go and I'm packing quickly. I just love to visit new/old places and meet people. Places and people are fascinating to me. Sometimes travel stinks.

After arranging and rearranging our bags, I (without having slept) was delivered to the OKC airport by Gerald and the girls at 4am for a 5:40am flight to Detroit. You already know that it didn't happen until after 7am.

Taiyuan, again

Taiyuan, my fav city of only one million curious, friendly people. It is pronounced "tye yoo an", while only briefly pronouncing the middle syllable.

The airport is still the same. Same fading and peeling painted walls, same open doored restrooms and smells, and same spitoons near every corner. I think spitting is a national sport here.

We arrived very late; around 9:30pm since our 6pm flight didn't leave on time. No one knew why the delay. Fell into a nice firm bed at midnight. Oh, I haven't mentioned the China beds. Funny; on this trip I didn't notice that the China beds are still firmer than granite until tonight. Does this mean that I've acheived a special China travel level? Will I receive a certificate? If you've never slept on a China mattress, it's hard to convince you of it's firmness. Gerald, my dh, didn't really believe me until his experience in 2006. While I packed for this trip, Gerald offered that I should take an air mattress. That is proof that he remembers how rock hard are the China beds. I took a close look at my top mattress. It looks like a second box spring of coils with a 1" pad on top.

Well, must get sleep now that I've exhausted the China mattress issue.
Tomorrow begins the "Harmonious Period" of our adoption.