Auerbachs in China

A Snow Break in Japan

2008-02-17T20:43:00.000-08:00

We took a few days in the mountains of Japan (Echigo Yuzawa) over Chinese New Year holiday. El had never seen real snow and did he ever get his wish. It snowed nonstop the entire trip. Factor in bullet trains, good food and overall cleanliness/efficiency and courtesy, you have a great time.

Snow in Shanghai

2008-02-02T16:54:00.000-08:00

China is seeing the worst snowstorms in 50 years and Shanghai is no exception, but for Shanghai that means just a few inches (our weather is comparable to that in Atlanta). El took full advantage of every inch,though. This snowman looks like a prime Rogaine candidate.

That Look

2008-01-14T16:18:00.000-08:00

Lily, perfecting the "get anything I want" look. She has it pretty much down.

Happy New Year!

2008-01-14T16:04:00.000-08:00

Swiss Family Auerbach decided to celebrate the New Year with a trip to the beach in Krabi, Thailand. The kids enjoyed the sand and sea. It's amazing the mileage you can get out of a plastic bucket and two plastic shovels. Mom and Dad fondly remembered the days lounging on the beach with rum and tonics instead of apple juice and swimming diapers.

Gingerbread House Party

2007-12-20T14:37:00.000-08:00

The kids went to a Gingerbread House party (or Part-ey) the other day. They made a house and got to meet the Big Man himself. Boy was El excited. Lily also came in full Cindy Lou Who mode.

El's Christmas Pageant

2007-12-08T05:00:00.000-08:00

Elliott's Montessori class held their annual Christmas pageant in Shanghai on Friday. The kids worked hard and had a lot of fun with their routine.

Here's a clip of the performance - they are currently doing 6 shows a week, with matinees on Saturday and Sunday. El is 5th from the left...

Back on the Blog

2007-12-08T04:59:00.001-08:00

We're re-kindling this blog space to post updates on our latest escapades in Shanghai

Settled Back In

2007-04-07T18:59:00.000-07:00

On the Way Home

2007-04-07T18:44:00.000-07:00

With the U.S. visa process finally completed in Guangzhou, we were glad to make our way home, with a quick pose in front of the Jade junk in the White Swan Hotel.

By the time we were on the way from the airport to home in Shanghai, the feeling was pretty much unanimous.

The Last Leg in Guangzhou

2007-04-03T02:33:00.000-07:00

Today we completed the last step in our adoption process before taking Lily Jane back to the USA, getting her U.S. visa in Guangzhou. After a day and a half of mad dashing around the city to get the various documents completed, today we received the visa and were sworn in as Lily Jane's parents at the consulate.

Now, when Lily Jane steps on American soil, she will be a citizen of the U.S. It was a very emotional end to a process that began many months ago. We now feel like we can really begin our life as a family together.

Nai Nai

2007-03-30T05:50:00.000-07:00

Nai Nai had a busy day with the grandkids today. First off was a visit to Elliott's Montessori class to make Easter hats for their upcoming Easter parade. They made one mean hat today.

The afternoon was some quality time with Lily Jane, who's learning to sit up by herself and stand.

Back Home

2007-03-29T05:20:00.000-07:00

A smooth trip back to Shanghai yesterday afternoon and we are back home before the second leg to Guangzhou this coming Sunday. Lily Jane is quickly becoming comfortable with her new family and environment, and especially all the the fun new toys. She even slept from 8:30PM to 7:30AM last night! We couldn't believe it. She and Mom took Elliott to his kindergarten class this morning and his classmates, who had heard about Elliott's mei mei for many weeks, were so excited to finally meet her.

El's Travels

2007-03-29T04:31:00.000-07:00

While Mom, Dad and Lily Jane were running around Nanchang finalizing the paperwork, big brother Elliott went with his grandmother to the local Ming pavilion to take in the local sights. A picture per animal was his idea...

Bai Mei

2007-03-26T16:38:00.000-07:00

Since we are remaining in China with Lily Jane and not immediately returning to the U.S., Lily Jane also has a Chinese name. It is Bai Mei （白梅) or White Plum Blossom. John's Chinese surname is also Bai and in China (not to mention the U.S.) children take on the father's surname.

The plum blossom is signifcant one in China. It represents a flower that is particularly hardy and independent. It is one of the first signs of spring.

Lily-Jane Mei Auerbach

2007-03-26T01:20:00.000-07:00

Meet the newest addition to our family, Lily-Jane Mei Auerbach. We met Lily-Jane at the Jiangxi Adoption Center yesterday. She was full of spirit and smiling despite a long, tiring trip into the city.

Today we finalized our adoption and are spending time getting to know each other. She is a real charmer, quick to laugh and has a big appetite. She loves nothing more than to get out and about, looking at her surroundings. She doesn't miss anything.

More to come on Miss Lily-Jane. Thanks to all for your support and best wishes.

Love,

Stephanie, John, Elliott and Lily-Jane Auerbach

Access to the Blog

2007-03-24T04:01:00.000-07:00

Unfortunately, we've learned that our blog may only accessible at this point to people outside of China. Blogspot has recently been blocked here, and we are hoping that it will be unblocked soon. In the meantime, we will do blind posts for everyone who can still get in.

Travelling To Nanchang

2007-03-24T03:41:00.000-07:00

The whole caravan made it to Nanchang today. With everyone (5 people plus one Woo Woo) packed up for a 4 day stay, we set out for the airport.

Everyone is excited and nervous, including the expectant mother.

The trip, a little over an hour by plane from Shanghai made it by late afternoon. Nanchang, a medium sized industrial city, was overcast and drizzly. This is the view from our hotel -

Tomorrow is the big day. We will be visiting the Jiangxi Civil Affairs office tomorrow at 4PM, when Mei Mei will be delivered to us.

Travel Permission

2007-03-16T17:05:00.000-07:00

Yesterday we received our travel permission from the CCAA. It clears us to go to Nanchang and for the orphanage to release Mei Mei. We can now confirm that March 25th is the date where we will first meet her.

Update on Timing

2007-03-13T15:29:00.000-07:00

We heard back from the Chinese Center for Adoption Affairs that our travel permission letter (i.e. the formal approval for us to go to Nanchang to meet Mei Mei) will be sent to us next week. This means that our trip will probably happen on March 24. We're anxious to go sooner, of course, but in this process we've gotten used to delays from both the Chinese and the U.S. side when it comes to processing paperwork.

Our First Glimpse

2007-03-10T04:37:00.000-08:00

This is the first picture that we've seen of our new daughter. For the last several months as we have waited for our "match" we have been calling her Mei Mei, which is Chinese for "little sister." It's wonderful to finally see the face of the person we have had in our minds and hearts for so long. We will give Mei Mei a new name on the big day, when we all finally come together.

Mei Mei was born in Fengcheng City in Jiangxi Province, which is in the Central - Southeast of China (think Tennessee or Georgia in terms of US geography). She has been living with a foster family in Fengcheng almost since birth on July 7, 2006. A short report on her development and history was included in the referral information, and it says that she loves to go out for walks, and play with noisy, colorful toys. You can see from the picture that she is also bundled up to the nines, Chinese style.

We are now arranging a time with the Fengcheng orphanage to meet Mei Mei in Nanchang, the capital city of Jiangxi Province. We expect permission to travel there by next weekend, and to meet Mei Mei hopefully by next Sunday! Then it will take about 3 days to finalize the adoption in Nanchang. Finally we will travel further south to Guangzhou to finalize the U.S. side of the adoption with the consulate. This is why we call it our adoption "journey," because we will really be covering some ground. The paperwork is also substantial and complicated, but we are working with an agency in Beijing that understands the complexities of Chinese provincial bureacracy and will guide us through as we focus on bonding with Mei Mei.

Steph's mom Jane is coming on the 14th to join us on the trip and to stay with us as Mei Mei first joins our family. This will really be a special time.