Maelyn Helen Barber

Merry Christmas

2006-12-24T17:34:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas to all. We could not have asked for a better gift for Christmas. The house is starting to feel normal again. Maelyn has developed a good sleeping/eating schedule with the help of Kelli. She is making progress every day and her smiles are coming more and more frequently. Mason is also adjusting in his big brother role and doing a great job. Thanks again to everyone for all the support. We wish everyone a very merry Christmas, and a happy new year.

We're home!

2006-12-12T13:56:00.000-08:00

Well we are finally home! Maelyn seems to be adjusting to her new surroundings and to all of the kisses she gets from her big brother Mason! Now if we can just get her days and nights on schedule. She is happiest and most active between 1:00am to 5:00am! Although not the case for mom and dad! We are all coping and walking around like zombies, but to see her smile and hear her giggles makes it all worth it! We really appreciate everyones kind words and support! Hopefully we will all be back to normal and not locked up asleep in the house during the day! Enjoy the pictures of Maelyn on the flight home from China, entering the US, meeting Mason and bonding with him while he reads to her!

Say Goodbye to China

2006-12-07T23:12:00.000-08:00

Last day in Guangzhou. We went to the Guangzhou Zoo, where Maelyn met such animals as turtles, fish, sharks, flamingos, tigers, elephants, etc. Unfortunately the Giant Panda Bears were eating and kept themselves fairly hidden. We are excited to get on the plane in less than 6 hours. It will be a 12-13 hour flight to LAX, and then another 2 hours to Denver. We will be arriving at around 11:00 pm on December 8th, after leaving at 9:00 pm from China on December 8th? Thanks again for all the support and comments. Take Care.

We have the Visa

2006-12-07T06:12:00.000-08:00

Today was a relatively uneventful day, with the exception of the Visa for Maelyn being finalized. We as a group went to the US Consolate today, and finalized her Visa process, and swore in to take care and love our little girls. What a great feeling. All of our seats are confirmed on the plane tomorrow, and we are ready to go home. We spent the rest of the day doing some work, playing in the room, going for a couple of walks, and some misc. shopping. I took a great jog along the Pearl River this morning. In China, the mornings are filled with activities, as people exercise by swimming, Taichi, calestenics, dancing, jogging, and a form of hacky sack. It is really interesting to see such a large amount of people so engaged in taking care of their bodies. After the Visa ceremony, we lined all of the little girls up on a couch and took some pictures. It was an amazing sight. This may be the last post unless we find some time late tomorrow afternoon prior to leaving for the airport.

Guangzhou City Tour and Shopping

2006-12-06T05:31:00.000-08:00

We are now 2 days away from leaving to go home, which we are very excited about. Our paper work was accepted by the consulate today, so Maelyn's Visa should be ready Friday morning, just in time for a Friday night flight out of Guangzhou. Today was a great day. Every day Maelyn gives us a little more eye contact, and she still is smiling all the time. She is also still eating well and it looks as though she is gaining some weight. We started today off with a trip to a historic school founded for all of the "Chen's" in Guangzhou. It has been turned into the Guangdong Folks Art Museum, and it held some incredible artwork, including bronze sculptures, embroidery paintings, and ivory sculptures that were awe inspiring. We then went to the Six Banyan Pagoda, where the babies took part in a Buddhist ceremony which is to give them luck. We also climbed the Pagoda, and witnessed an actual Buddhist ceremony as this is still an active buddist temple. We then went to lunch near the Guangzhou Mosaiculture Exhibition which was basically a large botanical gardens with incredible plant/flower sculptures, mostly in the shapes of animals. Then it was off to the markets. We started at a jade shop, and then ended up in the large shopping mall (5 stories) in the jewelry area shopping for pearls. The shopping complex was incredible as it went on for 5 miles, and was filled with people even on a Wednesday afternoon. We saw people eating "squid on a stick". After that, we returned to our hotel room for great Tai dinner, and a relaxing evening.

Gangzhou'in it

2006-12-05T05:09:00.000-08:00

Today was a beautiful day in Guangzhou. It started out with some group photos in the lobby of a local hotel. It is odd to see Christmas trees in a land that does not believe in Jesus Christ. Just shows that we have commercialized Christmas to the point everyone celebrates it, even if for the wrong reasons. After the photo shoot, it was off to the Medical Exams. Maelyn's exam went well. The Doctor also agreed that it was hard to believe that she is 9 months old, but he said that this happens sometimes, and sometimes the dates are just wrong? After the medical exam, it was a day of walking around, shopping, and just enjoying the day. We went out for a group dinner at a local popular restaurant. You can see from the picture that we had some interesting options on the menu (sand worms, snakes, eels, water bugs, and turtles). Luckily, our host ordered more Americanized food which was great. We will check back in tomorrow after a day of touring Guangzhou and shopping.

Going To Guangzhou

2006-12-04T06:42:00.000-08:00

Well, our day to the zoo did not work out. It was very cold, and Maelyn had a rough day that she spent sleeping and fussing. So we just hung out in our hotel room, watched some movies, got some work done, and relaxed. Today was much better. Maelyn is starting to take food from the spoon, sit up by herself, and she was very attentive and happy all day today. The day started off by going to pick up Maelyn's passport (see picture). After that, we came back, finished packing, and Maelyn had some lunch (see pictures, apples, yum). Then it was off to Guangzhou. The airport was a little hectic, as we were there for 2+ hours, but it went by quickly. The flight was great. Maelyn travels very good (see picture). We are now in our hotel room. This area of Guangzhou is beautiful. We are on the Shamian Island which is surrounded by the Pearl River. The entire island is a hotel/tourist area, so it is much more comfortable than NanChang. Tomorrow we are suppose to get the medical exam, and do some tourist stuff. We will check back in tomorrow. Looks like (from the Broncos game, which we actually were able to see but for some reason they cut off the sound) that it is cold in Colorado. It is suppose to be in the 70's here tomorrow, which will be great after the cold weather of NanChang. Shee-yuh shee-yuh (thank you) and Tseye jen (Good bye)

Pagodas Galore

2006-12-02T18:43:00.000-08:00

Yesterday was just a day of playing tourist. We are still in NanChang as we wait for Maelyn's Passport to be completed. That should be done tomorrow (Monday) and then we are off to Guangzhou to finalize the process. We went to see a couple of local pagoda's. The first one was 190 meters tall. It has been rebuilt numerous times due to fire damage. The second one was still in its orginal state. It is surrounded by both Confuscious and Buddhist temples. We then went to do some shopping for porcelain (which this province is famous for). Today, we are planning on going to the local zoo and a park. Kelli and I have both experienced the local "foot massage" parlor. Wow, what a great 90 minute massage for $8. Best deal we have found yet.
As you can see, Maelyn likes to look at Mason's picture. We miss him very much, but it sounds as though he is having fun in the snow of Fort Collins. Have a great weekend and Go Broncos.

Tong Gu County with Maelyn

2006-12-01T05:09:00.000-08:00

Another couple of incredible days with Maelyn. On Thursday, we traveled to Tongu County, which is the location of Maelyn's birthplace. It was a 4 hour bus ride full of water buffalos, near collisions and honking, a norm in China. We were given the chance to meet the foster parents (see picture), which was quite an emotional experience with 8 children saying a final goodbye to their foster care givers. Then, we toured the new orphanage, which was also the "abandonment site" (see picture of Kelli and Maelyn at gate), and returned to our hotel. Today, we traveled to a Buddhist Temple in the mountains of Tongu County (see picture). We traveled accross a lake via a traditional Chinese boat (See picture) to get to the path that led to the temple. At the temple, they burn incense, papers, and firecrackers. Another interesting experience. Prior to returning back to NanChang, we stopped at an elementary school, where the kids were full of energy and very interested in our digital cameras (See picture). Maelyn is doing well. She seemed very remote and distant most of today, but toward the end of the day she returned with her smiles and playfulness. I can only imagine how traumatic this is for her. Thanks again to everyone for their support and thoughts.

Second Day with Maelyn

2006-11-29T06:40:00.000-08:00

We had a great second day with Maelyn. She is coming off of a good cold, but her spirits are high, and she learned to pick up objects and play with them. She is eating and sleeping well. Tomorrow morning, we leave for Tong Gu County, which is where Maelyn was born. It is a 4 hour bus ride from NanChang. We will be staying overnight, so we probably will not be posting any new information until our return to NanChang in a couple of days. Thanks for all the support and kind words. Thought for the day: If you ever get angry in traffic, just be glad you dont drive a car in NanChung. This place is crazy. We still cant figure out why they paint the stripes on the roads because no one cares. A mix of buses, cars, motorcycles, mopeds, bikers, and pedestrians going in all directions at all times. It is insane.

2006-11-28T04:35:00.000-08:00

Meeting Maelyn!

2006-11-28T04:17:00.000-08:00

The long wait is finally over. We now have held, kissed, and played with Maelyn and received the adoption certificate making her legally ours! She is the smallest baby in the group, eventhough she is not the youngest. She had been sick with a cold we were told. The right temple area of her head has been shaved due to having an IV. That information was scary and the fact that when we first held her, she wasn't very lively. But once we got her back to the hotel and took off the 4 layers of clothing, she moved around and was fine. She smiles and giggles all the time! She is eating well and seems to be adjusting to us. We are all tired and will write more later. Enjoy the pictures!

Our room in China

2006-11-27T17:03:00.000-08:00

After a long couple of days of travel we arrived at our hotel in Nanchang where we will stay until December 4th. This is a picture of our room. It has a crib set up waiting for Maelyn. It doesn't have a mattress though, only slats of wood. We are getting Maelyn in two hours!

We are here!

2006-11-27T16:57:00.000-08:00

We arrived in China last night after 34 hours of traveling! Here is what the toilets look like!

Travel Approval!!

2006-11-01T12:18:00.000-08:00

Well, it is official. We are leaving for China November 25th and returning December 8th! Thanks for all of your kind words and well wishes!!! We're sooooo excited!

Big Brother Mason!!

2006-10-30T17:10:00.000-08:00

Mason went to Build a Bear workshop and made a bear he named Mica (Meeca) for Made in China, for Maelyn. He recorded his voice and when you press the paw it says "Hi Maelyn, this is your big brother Mason. Love you!" Dean and I are taking the bear to China with us to give to Maelyn so she will know her Big Brother's voice.

Dad, Mom and Big Brother

2006-10-30T15:14:00.000-08:00

This picture was taken the day after we received the picture of Maelyn! We were floating on clouds at the pumpkin patch!!

Introducing our daughter!!!!!

2006-10-30T14:43:00.000-08:00

We got back from Europe Wednesday night, October 11 and got a phone call Friday morning that we had received our referral for our little girl. I was shocked!!! Who said Friday the 13th was unlucky!!!

2006-10-30T14:32:00.000-08:00

October 30, 2006

This is an updated photo of Maelyn. We are still eagerly waiting for our travel approval so we can go and get our little girl and see her smile!