Munson Blog is Moving --- Please Read ....

I've created a web site called “Munsons Adoption Journey 2011” to share pictures and news about my baby with friends and family. Come check it out at http://munsonsadoptionjourney2011.shutterfly.com/.

Many of you are aware of our blogspot at munsontexas.blogspot.com.  Unfortunately we have been block access to blogging and using facebook in China.  We learned from another adoptive family that they were able to use shutter fly.

Please pass this link on to those you know, who are interested in following our journey. 

We miss all of you and can't wait to see you next weekend with miss Sofie Grace Munson.

Jim, Lesli, Chloe and Sofie Grace

We have arrived at our final stop in Guangzhou

Hello from  Guangzhou - June 5th 2011 7 am

Friday was a travel day and Sofie Grace's first flight.  Totally off Sofie's schedule we made it.  We learned that Sofie is really tough.  When we arrived, and were greeted by our guide Grace from our agency A Helping Hand.  She is very fluent in English and very nice.

On Saturday we got up early to go to the Shamian Medical Center for Sofie's Medical check & Visa photo.  The doctor's said she is healthy with a bit of a learning delay We which is normal from being from an orphanage.  It won't be long for here to flourish and get her back on track when we get back to Texas. We are already seeing huge progress since we have been together.

Two really cool things that happened on Saturday.  We ran into the Jones family (Stephanie Minor's friends) from Trophy Club at the Shamian Medical Center as they had their beautiful daughter examined.  Then we had dinner and community with Bobbie (the Pertzborn's family)who is on a Visa and resides in Guangzhou.  Bobbie loved the care package that we brought with us from the Pertzborn's. Please pray for Bobbie to find more community in Guangzhou and that she is able to obtain a new Visa later this year.  Bobbie is an amazing woman and has an awesome purpose and mission here in China. What a small world we live in, especially in a city of 23 million people.

Today we travel back to Shamian Island for lunch, site seeing and to relax a bit. Shamian Island is a sandbank island in the Liwan District of Guangzhou city, Guangdong province, China. The island's name literally means "sandy surface" in Chinese.  We learned the territory was divided into two concessions given to France and the United Kingdom by the Qing Dynasty government in the 19th century. The island is a gazetted historical area that serves as a tranquil reminder of the colonial European period, with quiet pedestrian avenues flanked by trees and lined by historical buildings in various states of upkeep.  It is really cool.  We can't wait to see what today brings for our family.

With all the activity also brings on health issues.  Please pray for Sofie that she is able to get on a regular schedule and overcome an ear infection that is developing.  Also please pray for Chloe as she has a bit of cough.  Being healthy when we leave Guangzhou for our very long flight back home on Saturday would be a huge blessing.

More to come.

Jim, Lesli, Chloe and Sofie

Good bye Nanning - Hello Guangzhou

Friday June 3rd.

Greetings from Nanning,

It's hard to believe we have already completed 1/2 of our adoption journey.  Today we will be saying our good bye to Nanning and Hello to our final destination of Guangzhou.

Yesterday we visited the Nanning Ethnic museum to soak up as much as we can about Sofie Graces's heritage.  What an incredible museum of memories that we can teach Sofie.  Sofie comes from one of 12 ethnic groups in China representing 39 percent of the population.  It is called "Zhuang".  The "Hun" is the majority group in China.

After the museum we returned back to the hotel for more bonding time in the later part of the afternoon after Sofie's nap time.  We took Sofie to the pool and she absolutely loved being in the water! Jim and Chloe have been swimming for about an hour daily.  The pool here has been such an awesome break in our day.

We are sad to leave the Marriott Nanning as we have become close to the staff here.  The Executive chef and head of the restaurant check in with us each visit to the restaurant. The head bell boy also greets us personally with a "welcome home" each time we return to the hotel. Yesterday at lunch the executive chef hand delivered two Teddy Bears to Chloe and Sofie with shirts saying Marriott Nanning.  What an incredible keep sake for both of the girls.  This hotel should receive 6 stars instead of 5 in our book!

Today we depart for the last leg of our journey to Guangzhou for more adoption details and completing Sofie's Visa to come back home.  Although we are ready to come home, we are also looking forward of the next chapter of our Journey.

More to come,

Jim, Lesli, Chloe and Sofie

Our first day as a family - Green Mountain Park

Good evening from Nanning China,

Our first day together as a family was incredible!  We started off the day visiting Nanning's Green Mountain Park.  Today is a Holiday called Children's Day. How appropriate for a day to celebrate our new family. All the kids were off from school spending time with their parents.  It was fun to spend the morning at the park.  It was very tropical with lots of sculptures, monuments etc.  We stopped off to see some sculptures of the twelve animals that are associated with various years Chinese are born.  Sofie was born in the year of the Tiger.  Chloe and Lesli the year of the snake.  Nate the year of the horse and Jim the year of the pig...lol.  Then off to visit the Pagoda which is a towering historic tomb honoring the monks in Nanning.  Then we stopped off to feed some very fat and hungry fish.

After leaving the park we went off to a shop that sells ocean pearls that come from Sofie's home town of Beihai. The ladies in the shop were from Beihai too and of course they immediately feel in love with little Miss Sofie Grace.

Tomorrow we visit a Provincial Museum to learn about Sofie's province of Guangxhi.  By Friday we should have Sofie's passport ready so we can leave for Guangzhou for the last week of our journey.

The family bonding time today was the most special part of the trip so far.

Stay tuned for more to come....

Jim, Lesli, Chloe and Sofie

Chinese adoption finalized!!

We finalized the Chinese adoption today!!  Sofie Grace Munson is finally ours!!  5 ½  long years of hopeful anticipation was suddenly worth every moment as we hold  and love this little girl!  She is perfectly perfect for our family – like she has been a part of it all along! (Which from God’s view point she has)

She is a cuddle bug!  She loves to snuggle right into whoever’s lap or arms she happens to be in.  She loves to blow bubbles, get kisses on those adorable cheeks, make sounds “ma ma ma, pa pa pa” (we are feverishly working on co co, but we are not there yet!), kick her flexible little legs high into the air while laying on the bed or sit completely in the splits (I’m not kidding!), to be lifted high into the air and then slowly come down, look upside down/backwards at everything, and giggle infectiously at her big sister!

Did I mention that she does not cry at all, and that she sleeps soundly through the entire night???  Thank you, Jesus!!

She is tiny, tiny, tiny!  Although she is 13 months old, she is the size of a six month old at best!  She is like her sister, Chloe, who does not each much!  We will get her fattened right up once we’re home!

Sofie arrives!!! "Gotcha Day"

Good morning all!

We have great news to share with each of you.  After waiting over five years we finally can say Gotcha Sofie Grace! Our Gotcha Day was incredible today!  Thanks to each of you who prayed for us today!  The bonding with our sweet daughter went without any issues.  It was as if she knew us, before we even met for the first time.

She is now sleeping peacefully in our hotel room in a crib with us.  It is incredible to have her home!  Tomorrow is adoption day as we complete our adoption paperwork with the Chinese Center for Adoption Affairs.  We leave at 8:40 am on 5/31.  Then we will start spending some incredible bonding time with sweet Sofie in her homeland.

We are sorry that we are unable to post this message to munsontexas.blogspot.com as we are blocked in China from accessing Facebook or our blogspot.  Thanks to some incredible friends, who are posting our blogs for us to keep each of you in the loop!

Please continue to follow our journey on the munsontexas.blogspot.com as we will be sending our daily blogs to be posted for all who are interested in our journey to see.

We are blessed to have each one of you in our lives and can't wait to bring our sweet daughter home so you can meet her.  BTW, this jet lag is a killer!

Jim, Lesli, Chloe and Sofie

Arrival in Nanning

Hello All,

Today is Monday May 30th at 6:44 am.  We left Beijing at 7:50 am arrived in Nanning at 11:10 am and meet our shuttle and travel guide Cindy at the airport.  Cindy is very nice.  She is a native of Sofie's province.  Cindy went to the orphanage in Beihai which is 3 hours from where we are staying in Nanning.  She said Sofie will be arriving at 3:30 pm today!  She also brought additional care details from her Nanny's, which will help us prepare for her arrival.  When we checking in a crib was brought to our room and everything is becoming very real as we anticipate meeting Sofie for the first time.

Yesterday was a day of rest as we explored around our hotel in Nanning.  It is a more modern city than expected.  Even a KFC, Pizza Hut and underground Wal-mart Supercenter which was Chaos ... lol.

Last night we were all very tired and ready for a good night sleep.  It's like going to bed at 10 am in the morning for an 8 hour power nap after pulling an all nighter....lol.

We inch closer and closer to our Gotcha time today.  As we make our last minute preparations we are all so very excited and blessed to be here and can not wait to meet sweet Sofie Grace.  The camera and video are ready to roll.

Stay tuned.....more to come

Jim, Lesli and Chloe