November
30th 2003
We
had a wonderful visit today in Wapakonetta (Wapak). Lili received some
very nice things. One is an Elmo that does the "Hokey-Pokey"
dance. Click here to view it if you
have
a high speed internet access. It will take awhile to download as
it is 5MB in size. Lili also received an asian looking cabbage patch
doll.
She cuddles it and rocks it back and forth like we do her!
Another
weekend with Lili is past and they just keep getting better. -Scott
November
29th 2003
We
made it to both family Turkey dinners and the roads were clear.
We
woke up this morning to a nice white snowy blanket on the ground.
It was less than an inch, but it still whitened everything up. I was
pleased
at how the Volvo Cross Country handled the slippery roads. I have
studded
snow tires coming Thursday just to be extra safe.
I took
Lili to the front picture windows and was amazed at the look on her
face!
She was born in a part of China that is below the Tropic
of Cancer so she is not used to seeing the seasonal changes
we're
accustomed to. They have never seen snow in her village,
EVER!
After we got her bundled up, I let her touch the snow. She did
not
try and put it into her mouth, unlike most new things. Lili and her
brothers
are really getting along well. I am amazed that we have only had
her a month now. It seems like we have had her our whole lives.
Gracie's
time with us seems to have prepared us for all the work having a
toddler
in the house entails. Tomorrow we are driving about an hour north
to visit a friend who has been reading this daily. We are
headed
your way MaryLu!
Last
night we were in a Parade with the Cub Scouts. We pulled a wagon
with straw bales with the Polaris Ranger. Tracy held Lili on her
lap and she never fussed once. We had her wrapped up like a
little
astronaut! I am trying to figure out how to mount her car seat .
. . . . -Scott
November
23rd 2003
We
met with a very nice young reporter from the local paper
yesterday.
We should see our article this week. It was fun to tell our
story. I found an interesting web
site about China. I believe it is from the Government of
China.
We will be visiting both families this year for Thanksgiving so we can
show off Lili instead of going to the cabin. We will be
doing
the same thing for Christmas, so the cabin will be available for the
week
of Christmas to New Years for the first time since we have owned
it!
Contact us if you are interested! Just for fun I
typed
"Lilian Grace" into the Google
search engine and guess what popped up on the screen? I imagine
her
unique spelling (Lilian vs. Lillian) helps her stand out. I can
not
believe that on the 26th we will have had her a month already. -Scott
November
21st 2003
Tomorrow
morning a reporter from THE
BELLEFONTAINE EXAMINER (our local paper) comes to the house
to
interview us about our trip. I guess the reason I am anxious to
share
our story is to thank all the wonderful people of our community that
gave
me the strength to do it when I was still mourning Gracie's loss so
deeply
that I could not look to the future. We had thousands of folks
praying
for us in our local community and around the web. Gracie is always on
my
mind as a very pleasant memory and I know she is smiling at our
happiness.
Lili on the other hand has all sorts of cute ways to make sure I don't
forget her . . . even for an instant! We plan to watch the
big game together tomorrow. She even has an outfit just for
the occasion. -Scott
November
19th 2003
I
found an interesting web
site about learning the chinese language online. Lili
is
doing wonderfully well, as are the boys and mom and dad! She is
really
something and I am soooo very happy Tracy "talked me into" adopting
from
China and using FTIA as our
adoption
agency. -Scott
November
13th 2003
We
took Lili to Children's Hospital in Cincinnati Wednesday.
Nothing
was wrong, just following guidelines for children who were in a Chinese
orphanage. She is very small for her age, but otherwise everything
seems
fine. We have been instructed to really increase her
formula.
With mom and dad and three older brothers, that should be no
problem!
Thus far, she is doing extremely well. They drew blood so they can
determine
if her baby immunizations have taken effect. We are working on her
sleep
schedule and I think we will have her sleeping all night again in a few
days. I have been waking up at 4:00am every morning, so I can
relate
to how she feels. The thirteen hour time difference kicks your butt.
I can't
say strong enough how happy we are with the Chinese, our adoption
agency and the other American families we traveled with. There is
simply
not a single thing about this whole process we would have changed. -Scott
November
11th 2003
We
thank all the veterans who made our country possible.
I
am still working on the China pictures page.
It takes time. I love doing it. I plan to put up hundreds
of
pictures, so keep checking back with us. I am also editing the
video
I shot down to a half hour CD/DVD so we can share some of that
too.
We may make them available as well. The local paper printed the
picture
of Tracy and I at the Great Wall of China in yesterday's
edition!
The wall and Tracy looked fantastic. The paper almost hid my
belly.
Lili is sleeping very well during the DAY. She wants to play all
night. We are gradually getting this little problem
corrected.
Tracy has been unbelievably understanding. We are still glowing
over
Lili's arrival. -Scott
November
8th 2003
We
are home safely with Lilian Grace ShuLan Davis!
I
am working on a page with lots of pictures
after
some very much needed rest. She is beautiful. Thank You for all
your
prayers, we had a wonderful trip. -Scott
October
21, 2003 15:00hrs
WISH
US LUCK and keep us in your prayers. I
will not be able to update this page until November 7th.
(Tracy
won, did you have any doubt?) We are all packed and just waiting
on the boys to come home from school. Ate lunch at the local
Chinese
restaurant of all places. You would think we would eat at McDonalds or
something hugh? Thank You Bruce Gates, you are the
best
friend a family could ever have. -Scott
October
20, 2003 15:00hrs
I
was able to receive higher resolution images from FTIA.
These people are wonderful! Something so petty and small as
"Could
you please send me higher resolution pictures," was met with a "sure we
can" attitude that is lost so often today. If you read this page
daily, go back down and have another
look
at the new photos of Lili. They
will be much clearer for you. If you wish to print them out
(family
will) let me know and I will email you the largest image. I
worked
today for the last day in the store. Tonight is our last night in
our own bed as we are staying with Tracy's parents Tuesday night.
George
might even take us out for a steak! -Scott
October
20, 2003 01:15hrs
OK,
I wish I had better news. 
Tracy and I have agreed not to lug the Sony Notebook on
our
trip. What this means is I will not be able to update this web
page
from China. I can email you daily (hopefully) updates, but I will
need your email address. The video camera only holds 50
addresses,
so first come first serve! Now having said all that,
everything
is going just super. Tracy has us all packed for the trip.
I have the few things I am responsible for taken care of (I just paid
all
the bills for the business that are due before November 15th.) We
have been planning to do this for over a year, and all that planning is
finally paying a dividend. I am actually looking forward to the
travel
now. At first I just looked at it only as a necessary mechanism
to
bring Lili home, but now I see myself actually enjoying the relaxation
of the travel. Some of you are thinking, boy is he in for a shock
with all that Jet lag, strange foods, busy people etc. I
have
been working 100 hour weeks to get everything in place for the trip the
past few months. I am looking forward to the time alone with
Tracy.
Even though I dearly love our boys, we have never really had a time to
reflect on much since losing Gracie Jo. I do know that she is
smiling
down on us though, as the adoption of Lili has just gone too smoothly
for
there not to have been a higher power involved. I go to bed at
night
knowing we have our own special little angel as our advocate. -Scott
October
18, 2003 22:30hrs
We
spent our last Saturday before going to China to get Lili with our
friends
and family. Mom and Dad had their annual "POW-WOW" and all seemed
to have a good time. Hard to believe only four more nights at
home.
Not much news except we are finally totally packed. Now were are
looking at things and saying, "do we really need to carry that half way
around the world?" Video camera yes, notebook computer . .
. . . (Tracy no, Scott yes) We need a tie breaker . . . -Scott
October
17, 2003 18:30hrs
Old
Chinese Proverb say . . . A picture is worth a thousand words
So,
here is three thousand words worth!
.
October
16, 2003 10:00hrs
TRAVEL
DUET, INC. Tracy
wrote letters to the school so they would know the boys are being
watched
by our parents. We are also going to have them meet us at the
airport
to see their little sister arrive in Cincinnati. I imagine the look on
their faces will be priceless. Speaking of price, their have been
no surprises thus far. FTIA
has
this process down to a science. We are finishing our packing this
weekend.
It seems Tracy is of the school of thought that we need to pack for two
weeks as though we are going to mom's house for an evening. I on
the other hand desire to be prepared. She reminds me that
the Army is no longer hauling my stuff around! I know in my
heart
she is right, especially as we walk from one end of the airport to the
other. Seems we do have a stopover in Tokyo on the way
home.
I can now say this. . . next week we will be in China. We get
Lili
on Monday October 27th according to plans. -Scott
October
15, 2003 09:00hrs
Our
travel packet that we received yesterday arrived and what a wealth of
information
it contained. I cannot say enough times how wonderfully organized
FTIA
has been throughout this process. And what a process it is!
We will be staying at the Jinlun
Hotel during our days in Beijing. We should arrive
Thursday
evening and get settled in. The hotel in Beijing has internet
access,
so we should be able to eMail those of you who are in my address
book.
If you want to be added, click on the moose below, and he will see I
get
your email address!
Hurry,
I am getting really tired!
Unfortunately,
I may not be able to update this web page while we are in China.
Tracy and I are still negotiating on my bringing the Sony
Notebook
with us. I am right, but she usually wins these sort of
things.
After all, it is Tracy's wonderful stick-to-it-ness that has
allowed
the adoption to move forward with such ease. You may ask how I
can
email you without the Notebook? Well, the Sony video camera
we are taking has email capability. Both dialup and networking
email
and browsing abilities.. So, if you send us a email to chinalili@earthlink.net
we will receive it. No long messages or pictures please. I setup
that special email address so we would not receive the latest greatest
SPAM offers to improve, well you know . . . . .
.
I have a very limited memory, and so does the camera!.
Finally
let me say to everyone, Thank You. I feel your prayers and well
wishes.
Many of you are aware we lost Gracie
19 months ago. I like to think she may be sitting in Heaven overseeing
this adoption of her little sister. -Scott
October
14, 2003 13:15hrs
We
got all our Banking and currency exchange issues taken care
of.
This afternoon we expect our travel packet via Federal Express to
arrive
at home from FTIA. I am not
exactly
sure what will be in it, but Tracy knows. She has been my rock
through
all of this. I can't tell you how wonderfully organized she has
been.
I, on the other hand have not really been all that helpful. My
time
will come once I can leave the store behind and focus on the the trip
west.
I just realized we are flying West to go East! Only a week till
we
drive down to Cincinnati ;-) Scott
October
13, 2003 12:15hrs
We
went shopping over the weekend and bought some last minute things for
our
trip to China. Tracy keeps reminding me that we are going to
China,
not Mars! If we forget something, we can always buy it
there.
After all, look in your closet and make two piles of clothes. One
"made in China", and one made everywhere else. See which one is
larger
. . . This became very obvious to me as I set out to buy Thank
you
gifts for all those men and women who will make our trip more
enjoyable.
I did not want to buy something, pack it half way around the globe to
give
a wonderful person from China, something that was made in China
;-) We have a great candy store in West Liberty that
makes fabulous chocolates, so it looks like Marie's
Candies to the rescue. I would also like to thank Bruce
Gates for obtaining the brand new Bills in US currency we need for
the trip. Just over a week now! -Scott
October
12, 2003 00:45hrs
Bad
day in Buckeye land. 19-1 is still OK I suppose. Spend the
day shopping in Dayton getting last minute items for trip. Had my
eyes checked and no need for new glasses. Only 11 more days till
trip to China. Going to Cincinnati for niece's baptism. I
think
I will pay attention, we should have one of our own in a few weeks! -Scott
October
10, 2003 10:00hrs
No
real news today. Tracy and I are just finishing home repairs that
I have been dragging my feet on for years! Seems that her parents
going to be living in the house for a few weeks has me motivated.
Still learning how to use the video camera. It is an awesome gadget. -Scott
October
9, 2003 15:00hrs
We
paid for our tickets!! Diane
from TRAVEL
DUET, INC. called and told us the details on our tickets. We
were very pleasantly surprised with the low cost. She was also exceedingly
polite. They will be sent to us next week. They were 1/3
what
I would have paid just pricing them on the internet. Hopefully
everything
else will go as smoothly as the entire process has thus far. God
seems to be smiling on this family. -Scott
October
8, 2003 18:20hrs
I
ordered the Chinese currency last week, and today the bank
called.
They had it ready. Only problem was I ordered $250 US
Dollars
worth of Chinese Yuan and they got me 250 Chinese Yuan, or about
$30.20 US Dollars. No big deal, just one of the little oddities
of
this whole process. They will have the rest by the end of the
week.
For a good site for exchange rates go here.
I am nervous because the travel agent calls me tomorrow and we pay for
our flights. We will be in China two weeks from today!
Today
I started rearranging the office for Lili's arrival and put the third
seat
back in the Expedition. -Scott
October
7, 2003 17:30hrs
We
were eMailed our itinerary this
afternoon! The
travel agent says we are flying out October 22nd and returning November
7th. It was good to hear from them. Only 2 weeks to wait
now.
Should see Lili a few days after we leave Cincinnati. I am glad
we
are flying out of Cincinnati, because we can stay the night before with
Tracy's parents. They are watching the boys during the week and
my
parents are taking weekends while we are over in China. Thanks
for
your prayers. -Scott
October
6, 2003 18:20hrs
The
website was down for a few days. Many of you thought the swamp at
the cabin had gotten me! We are expecting a call from
travel
agent tomorrow to book our flight either October 22nd or 23rd.
Looks
like I will be home in time to take Lili to Ann Arbor for a liitle
football
game! Actually I want to take Nicholas up.
Thank
you for your prayers. -Scott
October
2, 2003 17:30hrs
We
found out today that the travel agency will be calling us next week to
book our flight on either October 22 or 23rd!!! The appointment with
the
U.S. Consulate is scheduled for Tuesday, November 4th. We will be
returning to the U.S. on November 6th or 7th. So
now all of you know all that I do ;-) Some of you
thought
that just because I was at the cabin, I would not be keeping up
with
this journal? It snowed here this morning. It hailed here
this
morning. It sleeted here this morning. It rained today and
now is a beautiful partly cloudy 40degF. We are doing some minor
repairs to the cabin and getting ready for winter. With Lili's
arrival,
we might not make it back before the new year. -Scott
September
29, 2003: 14:30hrs
We
ordered our Chinese currency from the bank today.
No other news. All is right on schedule and going well.
Tracy
and Angie (Tracy's single gorgeous sister) started the mural on the
wall
behind Lili's bed. It is absolutely wonderful. I will post
a picture here when it is finished. Thank You
Angie!
Scott is looking forward to his trip north to the cabin on Wednesday
Sunday.
I Have to get it ready for winter don't I? I really do,
you
know it snows up there, right? . -Scott
September
28, 2003: 12:00hrs
Tracy
now says it will be October 22nd or 23rd that we will probably
be
traveling
This
is not official yet, but we should know after the Chinese holiday on
the
8th of October. Dad behaved himself yesterday and even
bought
me an excellent steak after we attended the Buckeyes 20-0 win over
Northwestern. -Scott
September
26, 2003: 21:00hrs
We
will probably be traveling October 24th to China. This
is not official yet, but Tracy has been right all along from this
source.
So . .. this means, we could be back in the good ol' USA in time for
the
boys' birthdays. I will update ASAP I hear anything definate. -Scott
September
25, 2003: 21:30hrs
We
have no new Lili news, however rumor has it that parents from
other
agencies are getting travel dates. That means we may get ours
soon!
Our agency is careful to only share information that is confirmed, not
speculation, and that just suits us fine. We appreciate all the good
folks
at FTIA. I ordered a "camera
raincoat"
and a dozen miniDV tapes for the video camera from adorama.com,
they were great to talk with. I am taking Dad to NW vs.OSU
Saturday.
I hope he behaves himself at the game . . . . -Scott
September
24, 2003: 12:30hrs
I
can not believe how many wonderful folks are reading this. Thank
you for your very encouraging emails and continued prayers. I
have
no new Lili news today, but we are ready and awaiting
notification
from FTIA for further travel
details.
I felt I had to post something today or you would all worry. All is
good
and going as expected. Yesterday our new SONY
Camcorder arrived. Mike at PC
Connection took good care of me and Airborne got it here next day -
ground. The reason I bring it up is that this camera can email
and
access the web. I am hurrying to learn how to do it in hopes that
we will not have to bring the SONY Notebook with us. When
dragging
luggage across the world, traveling weight is the enemy . . and
Lili
is 17 or so pounds of preciousness that is not optional!
The
less we bring over, the more we can bring home. (Family:
i.e.
your Christmas gifts?) I am planning to shoot lots of video and
take
hundreds of pictures. My hope is that Lili's webpage(s) will give
others
courage to do the same. FedEx picked up my Notebook yesterday. -Scott
September
22, 2003: 13:30hrs
Received
another packet from FTIA and it had Lili's updated measurements.!
She
weighs
7.7kgs
(16.94 pounds) and is 71
cm (27.95inches) long. She also has four teeth. We also received a
list of folks who will traveling with us. It was titled the October
travel group. I wonder if that (Oct vs. Nov) means
anything?
We are ready to go tomorrow if asked though. I hope we are there
and back before my Buckeyes go North to the bighouse to play the team
up
North. -Scott
September
22, 2003: 10:38hrs
We
expect to receive updated information on Lili either today or
tomorrow.
Probably just medical information and maybe an update on growth.
Probably no pictures at this time. We will post when we receive
more
pics. Almost October now, and November is "Get Lili Month!"
My Notebook lost it's video over the weekend. Panic set in, but
SONY
assures me it will be fixed by next week . . . . -Scott
September
19, 2003: 9:42hrs
Legal-Eaze
DELIVERED!
Actually UPS did. We have passports in hand with neat looking
Chinese
Visa page. -Scott
September
18, 2003: 19:30hrs
We
now have Visas stamped in our passports.
The folks at the Chinese Consulate now know we're coming to
China!
The Legal-Eaze folks just sent
me an email with a tracking number for our passports. eMail
has been a great help for our nerves during the whole adoption
process.
Years ago when we adopted the boys (Michael and Nicholas) we did not
have
all this day-by-day anticipation because until we received the phone
call
that they were born, we were more in the dark as to where we stood in
the
whole process. Gentle
Care was great, but we were not "selected" by the birth parents
until
the boys were born. Lili is thirteen months old , whereas
we
received the boys very soon after birth. One way is not better
than
the other, but the processes are sure different. The waiting we have
experienced
with Lili, has been sort of like the waiting when we were pregnant with
Gracie Jo and Christopher. -Scott
September
17, 2003: 00:05hrs
No
new news. Just praying she is doing OK, and we are waiting
for some more pictures and updated information. Boy the picture and
packet
from last week sure have me anxious. Thanks for all the positive
comments. If you want to email us see the mailbox at the bottom
of
this page. We will gladly answer any questions you may have. -Scott
September
13, 2003: 19:50hrs
The
Buckeyes
won today in three overtimes! They are preparing my heart for the
excitement I will feel when we are allowed to hold Lili. I have
held
quite a few babies since March of 2002. However, I know Lili will feel
extra special in our arms. We don't yet know when we will travel
to China, so I have set November 15th as sort of a rough guess of a
"look
forward to date". It helps pass the time when you have a date in
mind.
Soon we will have a travel to China date and I can start crossing off
the
calendar. Don't tell Tracy, but I am anxious and excited to have
my daughter home with us. Seeing her picture in the packet put a
little face to the dream. She is already part of our family. The
boys took her picture to school and Sunday school with them this week.
Bonding" will not be an issue for our family. - Thank you for all
your prayers. -Scott
September
12, 2003: 15:50hrs
Are
not UPS and FedEx simply wonderful!? Both
packages have arrived (New
York, Evansville, IN) and I have email confirmations. So, now
that
we have done everything we can, we wait. We wait for the
Chinese
Consulate to return our Visa requests and then we await further
instructions
from FTIA. Hopefully we will see this time pass quickly. We
used a courier service called Legal
Ease to help us get the Visa paperwork to the Consulate. They were
very very helpful on the telephone. I made copies and copies of the
picture we have of Lili today. Helps me learn her cute
little
face. -Scott
September
11, 2003: 13:50hrs
We
just returned from getting our pictures taken for the Visa application.
Seems like we will have something to do for the next couple of days in
the completion of the travel documents. We will be using a
courier
to get the packet to New York and the Chinese Consulate. Ate at
the
local Chinese restaurant and showed off our picture. As I look
back
two years I never thought my heart would be in China at this time two
years
ago. Going to Mass this afternoon to pray for the families of
9-11-2001. -Scott
September
10, 2003: 20:00hrs
We
managed to get the paperwork
overnighted
UPS back to (FTIA) the adoption agency.
They have been so good about giving us support and we feel as though
they
care about our feelings in this process. Tracy and I have adopted two
sons
domestically through Adoption by Gentle Care in Columbus Ohio (Gentle
Care Website). We highly recommend them for adopting a
child from the United States. This time around, we are
working
with Families Thru International Adoption, in Evansville Indiana. (FTIA
Website) Our experience with them thus far has been
extraordinarily
positive. We went to their reunion last month and I have never
seen
so many happy little girls from all parts of the world! Reunion
Link Do the people in the top row, third from the left
look familiar? -Scott
September
10, 2003: 12:40hrs
Today
we received the referral packet from the adoption agency FTIA
(see above). We also received a picture of Lilian Grace Shu Lan Davis.
(see top) She was born August 15, 2002 she is a beautiful, healthy baby
girl from Guangxi Province in South-central China. Her birth name
(Surname first) is Sheng Shu Lan. More details
will
follow very soon. We need to fill out some paperwork and get it
FedExed
to the Agency. -Scott
Our
first Picture of Lili
.
