Merry Christmas!

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Originally uploaded by kmseiden.

What a wonderful Christmas we had this year. Click on the photo to see many photos of the kids before Christmas and Christmas day. Josiah is getting so big and Ana loved Christmas.

So handsome, I must say!

Ana loves to swing

Happy Thanksgiving!

"Plant me a kiss right here, Josiah!"

We are so thankful for our kids, Josiah Thomas and Ana Mei.

Fall Festival 06

Fall Festival 003
Originally uploaded by kmseiden.

Ana's first Fall Festival. How fun this night was! Our church has a huge festival that takes a full 3 hours to go through including glow in the dark putt putt and laser tag. JT loved both of these. Ana didn't give a flip about the games but boy did she discover she liked candy!
Click on the photo to see several from the night and others from our Franklin downtown fallfest.

Costume #2

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Originally uploaded by kmseiden.

Actually saving this one to take the street next year but it's already getting lots of play time!

Move over Dad!

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Originally uploaded by kmseiden.

How cute is this!

Ge Ge and Mei Mei!

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Originally uploaded by kmseiden.

That's brother and sister for you american folks! They are doing fabulous! Making each other laugh and loving each other as they learn to live together!
Click on the photo to view this set as a slide show. It is various pics of both of the kids.

Hanging out with Grandpa from CA

Ana and JT 060
Originally uploaded by kmseiden.

Grandma and Grandpa came for a visit. Ana took up with both of them and even started saying "ganpa". That simply thrilled Grandpa to death!
Click on photo to see more photos during their visit.

Ana's Baby dedication at Thompson Station Church

Today we dedicated our Ana Mei to the Lord. We didn't get too many photos but here are a few. Josiah also had his Chinese outfit on. It was a special moment.

Ana and Josiah

Josiah is such a good brother. He loves Ana and sure can make her laugh. Here they are having some fun at the park.

Ana's welcome home shower

Ana's welcome shower 031
Originally uploaded by kmseiden.

I can't believe we have had Ana Mei home for one month! Things are finally getting to a normal pace with having 2 very active kids. Ana's been sick but is much better now. This is a photo from her welcome home party at TSC. Ana was such a social bug and thanks again to everyone who helped out. If you click on the photo you can see tons (more than you might like to look through) of photos of the shower. Just a note, the cake was fabulous - check it out and if you are local and interested - check out one of the photos is Lisa's business card or email me.

We're Home!

Josiah and his new sister (on the naughty mat, where else!) Two southern kids eating grits and eggs!
















We are so glad to be home with our complete family. The trip was somewhat difficult but the aftermath of jet lag has been worse! Ed, Ana, and I have all been quite sick and praying Josiah does not get sick too. Real jetlag is hard do describe or understand unless you have experienced it. We will post more when we recover but wanted to post some. Again, for those of you who have prayed for us, we are grateful!

Waterfall Inside the White Swan Hotel

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Originally uploaded by kmseiden.

Well I cannot believe it is our last night and final post before we fly home. We will be getting up at 4:30 am tomorrow to start the long trip home. We fly back to Tokyo, then one lay over in the states and then home sweet home! It has been incredible. We had our appointment at the US Consulate today to take the oath and now everything is completely final. Ana Mei is a Seidenkranz and in our forever family!

Looking forward to seeing everyone again and please pray for our safe travels and our health. God has been awesome to care for us and we know He has heard and answered all of your prayers. We are overwhelmed. As a final note, for those of you who would rather read details of the trip instead of seeing tons of photos, I apologize. With my hand, it's been hard to type long posts and this has really been my thing to do not Ed's so we just stuck with the photos. Love and blessings to all!

You can click on the photo to see the last two days of pictures. Click view slide show next to the Ana Days 11 & 12.

Eating Broccoli!

The only foods so far Ana doesn't like is ice cream and watermelon. We thought everyone might get a kick out of this photo. We ate at the Cantonese restaurant and it was good again. Everyone cannot believe how much the two babies from Foshan City eat for the other 9 babies pretty much only take bottles.

Most of the photos today are from the park down from where we are staying, but I cannot get flickr to work tonight so I'm just posting a couple here. Ana Mei woke up around 6 am so we got out early to see the happenings in the park. It was fascinating to watch the people dancing, doing Tai Chi, and playing badminton so early in the morning. We sat outside a cool coffee shop which had great lattes and watched life in Guangzhou, China.
I went to an upscale mall today with some friends while Ed stayed with Ana. Imagine that, Ed opting out of shopping! It was upscale but the prices were great compared to USA. I bought 2 cute tops and a skirt (for me) all for $22.50 US dollars! We also ate at the McDonalds. It was tasty but no diet coke.

It's hard to believe we only have 2 more full days here. It's been a great experience but we will be so glad to be home with our whole family! Have I said that before? Love to you all!

Fun on the dinner cruise!

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Originally uploaded by kmseiden.

Today we went to the toy market and that was very interesting. We thought we might not live through the taxi ride, but we made it. Crossing the street scared me even more. Ana Mei was a trooper along with her friends Mei Li and Kaia. This shot is on the dinner cruise. We were having a great time. It was nice and breezy on the top deck. We had a fun day. 4 more sleeps till we fly home!

Not to sound vain, but I'll go ahead and let anyone know that if you're following us and in Franklin or Nashville, you're welcome to come see us at the airport. We fly in Sat. Sept 2 at 5:36 pm. Just thought we would let you know. We will be so tired but so happy to be home and see familiar faces!

(I'm sure those of you following know this by now, sorry to be redundant . . click on the 2nd photo to see all of today's photos. Click view slide show to see all)

White Cloud Mountain Trip

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Originally uploaded by kmseiden.

Today we went to the White Cloud Mountains. It was a four hour tour. It was beautiful and interesting but it is so hot here. Our clothes were soaking wet and hair too. (except Ed's ; -) Ana was a trooper but she tuckered out on the bus ride back. It was hazy today so the scenic photos are not very clear. Once we got back to the hotel we had a huge thunderstorm. It didn't phase Ana one bit. She fought sleep for about 3 hours and is finally taking a late nap.

Everyone in our group (11 families) decided to go for pizza tonight so we have all ordered Pizza Hut. What a treat. Ed and I never do this at home! Last night we ate at a wonderful Chinese restaurant here in the hotel with our friends, the Chesbros. The girls did great. No broken plates! Yes, Mei Li has broken a plate at breakfast and Ana Mei broke a plate and glass at the Tai restuarant the other night! These two are live wires!

Tomorrow is a free day until the evening cruise. I'd like to do some more shopping of course, but for those of you who know Ed very well, not sure if I'll be dragging him along again. The days go by pretty fast but I still cannot wait to be home. I miss my Josiah like crazy! It's so hard being away from him. Miss you mom and dad too!

Just click on the photo for Day 8 photos

A glimpse of Guangzhou

Ana Day 7 020
Originally uploaded by kmseiden.

Yesterday while Ana and I napped, Ed took some photos of our hotel, around our hotel, and then ventured across the river. The photos on this stream (click photo and slide show for Ana Day 7) show life in Guangzhou. He said he certainly stuck out like a sore thumb!

The Squat Pot

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Originally uploaded by kmseiden.

This is for those of you who have not been to China and experienced the squat pot. Yes, it is in the floor and not a pleasant experience even for those of us who are used to squatting in public restrooms anyway!

Pool Time!

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Originally uploaded by kmseiden.

Today Ana went swimming and she loved it. She even put her face in the water all by herself. You can click on the photo to see more of today. Ana Day 6 photos (click view slide show). Not too many photos today. The days go pretty fast. The one photo of Ana and the other little one at the pool together - her name is Mei Li. Her and Ana were roommates at the orphanage and now they will both live 10 minutes apart in Franklin, TN. This is so awesome and so God! Their beds were right next to each other and they would play in their beds together every morning when they woke up.

Day 6 Videos

Here's a couple of videos from day 6.
Check out our little polywog in her first swim and then lovin' on her mom.

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Days 4 & 5

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Originally uploaded by kmseiden.

Day 4 was a restful day. Not too many photos. Today we had to get her medical exam in order for her to be able to enter the USA. She has an ear infection which we suspected and already have her on american antibiotics. They gave her ear drops too. She weighed in at 22 lbs with diaper and clothes. What a doll. She's got a couple more teeth coming in too.

Reminder: click on the photo and you can go to days 4&5 photos and all of the photos. Click View slide show it you'd like to see them all.

PS: I haven't said much about my hand for there's been a little something to keep me occupied! Please continue to pray. I'm straining it somewhat with keeping up with and holding her. I've been icing it every day. It is swollen most of the time. I'm trying to work it but it is still very stiff. Thanks for the prayers and keeping up with us!

Ana Mei Videos

Here's the Videos we promised.
They're less than 2 minutes each. The newest post comes up at the top. Scroll down and and start at Ana's gotcha day if you want to go in order.

Just a reminder... click on right hand side: Previous Posts for earlier posts/photos

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Photo Sharing - Upload Video - Video Sharing

HELLO JOSIAH!!

From Mommy and Daddy:

We love you so much!!!

We miss you like crazy cakes!

It's Official!

Ana Day3 008
Originally uploaded by kmseiden.

Today the little girl that has always been in our hearts is now officially in our forever family.

Click on this photo to see more pics from day 3. You can click on "view slide show" to the right of Ana Day 3.

Fun in the bath!

Eating French Fries

Ana loves to eat! Tonight we ate at Lucy's and she had chicken congee and mashed potatos. She also discovered she liked Kia's french fries! We took her for ice cream and she didn't want anything to do with that! It was too cold.

Here's my Girl!

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Originally uploaded by kmseiden.

Today has been incredible! Did I say that yesterday? Ana has bonded to both of us. She is laughing, blowing kisses, running to mama with her arms out and calling for ba ba when he walks to the bathroom! What a day. We went for adoption registration day and applied to notarize some documents. We had an interview that was so easy. The girl was young and asked Ed if he would teach her piano if she came to the USA. Ana was so good. She slept on the bus and then ran around the room all afternoon and played. We went out with the group tonight and had the most fabulous chinese food I've ever tasted! Ana is eating great too. Whatever we give her!

Click on the photo and it will take you to more photos. Click on the view slide show to the right of the And Day 2 set to see photos from today. Ed is sacked out right now and so is Ana. I'm headed that way too! Love to all.

Ana's first reaction to Us!

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Originally uploaded by kmseiden.

Here's our sweet girl. Screaming and sweating! But look at those pig tails! Click on the photo and it will take you to all of our photos. On the right hand side, in Ana Day1 (set), Click on the "view slide show" to the right and all photos of the day will appear.

August 21, 2006: GOTCHA DAY!

What an incredible day this has been! Ana Mei (Bing Bing) has finally joined us and doing fabulous! She cried more than any other child at first, we think for 2 reasons. She has been so well cared for so she didn't want to leave her caretakers, and she's a bit sick with bronchitis. She fell asleep on the bus and slept for over 3 hours I think. Since then, she has been incredible! She's had a bath already and right now her and "ba ba" (da da) are having a ball. She is a happy baby and taking up with both of us already. We are about to crash with jet lag still so we'll post more pics and video later. Love you all and thanks so much for the prayers that you've covered us in.

Our Detail Travel Plans are Confirmed!!!

Thanks to all you prayer warriors out there! God is working everything out as He planned!

August 17: 4:30 PM, Ed, Kris, and Josiah fly to LA, arrive 8:36 pm (PST)

August 18: Ed's Parent's 50th Wedding Celebration!

August 19: Ed and Kris say goodbye to Josiah in CA and fly out of LAX 1:25 pm

Josiah will stay with Grandpa and Grandma until Monday and Grandpa will fly home with him and stay for a few days. Nana and Papa then begin holding down the fort in TN while we're gone.

August 20: Fly through Tokyo (will ourselves to stay awake!) and arrive in Guangzhou, China, 10:35 pm - CRASH!!

August 21: Receive Ana Mei in the afternoon!!!!!!

August 22, 2006 Adoption registration and notarization.

August 23, 2006 Free day.

August 24, 2006 Receive adoption registration certificates. Apply for passports.

August 25, 2006 Visa pictures and medical exam.

August 26, 2006 Pearl River evening cruise.

August 27, 2006 Free day. Visit orphanage on one of these free days.

August 28, 2006 Visit the White Cloud Mountains.

August 29, 2006 Free day.

August 30, 2006 Receive childrenÂ’s passports.

August 31, 2006 Visa appointment.

September 1, 2006 3:00 p.m. Go to the consulate to take the oath and pick up visa.

September 2, 2006 Begin journey home, 8:20 a.m. Arrive in Nashville 5:36 pm!!

We are now praying through all that is going on with the state of our country and the alerts at the airports. Our flights are somewhat tight, so our biggest concern is that we make every flight in order to arrive in Guangzhou by noon, Aug. 21 - the required time. On a lighter note, I (Kris) can live without gel in the carry-on, but we're both dreading the yuck mouth w/out toothpaste!

HAND UPDATE
I got my pins out August 8. They do not give you anything for pain or to numb it. The Dr. took pliers and yanked them out one at a time. I had 3. I about came unglued! I made it through it though and felt okay once it was over. I am still typing all of this w/ my left hand. (Do I hear a "Bless your heart!"??)
No more cast or splint. I have to wear one of those tight gloves for swelling. Today has been a much better day. I can spread my fingers pretty good, petted the dogs and gave Josiah a hug that felt good to the touch! Of course, I've been doing all of this w/ my left hand. 3 more physical therapy sessions before we travel.

Thanks again for keeping up with us. We love you all!

PRAISE GOD, HE IS ANSWERING ALL OF OUR PRAYERS!

We have tentative travel dates!

THANK YOU ALL FOR YOUR FAITHFULNESS IN PRAYING FOR US!

We have to be in Guanghou, China noon, August 21!!!!!!!!!!

(We prayed to make it specifically Aug. 20 or later)

We will tentatively leave Nashville on August 17 to travel to California to be with Ed's parents and family on Augest 18 for the big 50th wedding anniversary celebration. Josiah will travel with us to CA.

Ed and I will probably fly out of LAX on August 19 to get to Guanghou, China on August 20 so we can rest one day from jet lag before we receive our Ana Mei on August 21 (or 22nd).

JT will stay in California with his grandparents a couple more days. Our travel agency is still working out flights for us. We have to get ours before we can make Josiah's and his grandpa's who will fly with him to Nashville.

Prayer warrior friends: please continue to pray:

1. Our flights will not be outrageous in price
2. Josiah will be able to get on our flight with us and he and Grandpa's ticket will be reasonable
3. My hand will continue to heal so I can squeeze my Ana Bug!
4. Kris's mom and dad will be blessed for taking care of Josiah, the dogs,. and our home while we are gone.

We love you all. Thanks for sharing with us in our journey!

A Little More News on Travel

We are asking for everyone's prayers. We received a call today from our agency about travel. We have been waiting so long for our little Ana Mei. We could leave as early as August 14, but we will not receive confirmation until sometime next week. We desperately want to also be in CA on August 18 for Ed's parent's 50th wedding anniversary celebration. We've been praying God's favor on us and His perfect timing would be that the CA. trip and CHINA would all fall into place nicely. Now we're not so sure if this is all going to work out. Not to mention the situation with Kris's right hand. (see earlier post)And the cost of International flights w/ less than a week's notice!

And on top of all of this, Josiah will be staying home with Kris's parents and we have just been told that we now have to stay in China 3 weeks instead of 2. We cannot imagine being away from our sweet Josiah for that long.

SO, please pray for us that all will fall into place. THANK YOU SO MUCH. We will keep you posted as soon as we learn more.

Josiah turns FIVE!

Dad even gets in on the action!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY JOSIAH! He had an Army party with his friends and we did a repeat on the Cleveland's big waterslide. So much fun!!

Josiah Starts Kindergarten

Josiah's new teacher, Mrs. Genoble

I cannot believe my baby boy is in school. He started Poplar Grove on July 27th. What a big boy. It's right behind the house so we can walk him to school.

Our Bicycle Accidents

(Kris's hand)

Ed had a bike accident on June 16 and spent some time in the emergency room. He is okay and has healed up fine. His face hit the pavement and glasses jammed into his face just under his eye. They had to use some glue to put him back together. He is now as handsome as ever!

On July 3rd, all three of us were riding our bikes downtown Franklin for a nice breakfast, however, we didn't make it there. Kris took a tumble going from the street to a sidewalk and broke 3 fingers. The ambulance and fire truck came. I (Kris) blacked out and woke up to Josiah screaming, "Mommy's dead, Daddy, I knew it, Mommy is dead." I brought myself to tell him I was not dead but to just pray for Mommy. Well, since then I have had 3 different casts, had surgery on July 13, and have 3 pins sticking out of my right hand. No use of this hand right now. I'm in therapy 3 times a week and the pins come out August 8. (yes, I am typing all of this with my left hand only and that's why I haven't posted in a while. What a pain!)

Ed is the greatest husband in the world. He is doing everything around here. Cooking, cleaning, laundry. . . he's the only one in the house who can cut meat with a knife and tie shoes!

(Josiah is still learning)

HERE SHE IS!

Ana Mei Seidenkranz, our precious little chubby girl!
Keep in mind they bundle up the babies so she has a lot of layers of clothes on.

She is now 18 months old. This is her at 13 months. At 14 months, she had 3 teeth, is a deep sleeper (yes!), weighs just under 20 lbs. (not sure if they are counting the clothes), and has happy expressions. Rarely does anyone receive a referral photo of a child smiling or looking happy. Our Ana Mei is smiling and looks happy! We cannot wait to hold her and see the changes that have already taken place.

It is common for the institutions to place an IV in a baby's head when they are sick. It appears that they have done this prior to the photo as it looks like her hair is shaved in the front.

Accepting our Ana Mei on paper!

We are so happy!