Each day gets better

Sophie is adjusting beautifully and we are just so blessed to be her mom and dad. She is a burst of energy and loves her family and her home. My parents came again today and Sophie let them hold her - my grandma also got to hold her! She played games with my brother and she let Kim hold her with no problem. Our awesome church has been sending us DELICIOUS dinners - Thanks to Melissa, Julia, Pam and Karen - YUM we are being SPOILED. This has certainly taught us a lot about our values and the people who are there for us and love us. We thank the Lord for bringing those into our lives who consistently invest into our children! We are blessed!

Home Sweet home!

We have been home now for three days. Sophia is adjusting so well to her new home. She is giggling tons and getting into all of the new things that create so much interest to her. She loves her room (not so much her bed at bedtime yet) and loves all of her little toys. She even began her first moments with the kids sword fighting with Brayden. I looked over at Adam and we both had tears in our eyes. This was God's perfect plan to complete our family! My parents and my awesome friends met us at the airport with flowers and gifts and best of all hugs and smiles that Adam and I missed so much. The kids looked huge and we could not stop kissing and hugging them. Sophie was not so sure of everyone, but in the past three days now goes to my parents. They have come everyday to make sure Sophie is comfortable with them and I so appreciate their love for her and commitment to making her adjustment to them as easy on her as possible - plus it is nice to have company to giggle and laugh with. We have had meals everyday until the end of next week! We are BLESSED!!! God is GOOD!!! Sophie is just a miracle. Savannah has taken to her like she is a little mommy and Sophie is like a movie star now - everyone wants to sit by her in the car and at meals, etc! Wonder how long her stardom will last? :) We plan to continue to update as much as we can. Thank you to all who have visited, called and sent wishes and blessings our way. Your words and actions of love have blessed us during some of the most challenging and life altering moments!!! We love you!

july 18 - Last day and oops.....

We got up, had a wonderful breakfast, did a bit of shopping and then realized that we had no idea where Sophia's plane ticket was - we ended up calling Northwest and they told us that we needed to reprint the ticket for $100.00 - we were in a mad rush to get to Northwest before they closed at 5pm and also make it to our consulate appointment at 4pm - where we got all of Sophia's necessary paperwork to give to the immigration personnel and took an oath to love her unconditionally (duh) and that everything we have said and done is true to our knowledge. I got teary eyed knowing that this was it! Our daughter can come home to America! We will be leaving tomorrow morning at 5am!!! Pray for us late starers (8am is our typical). Our last day in China is bitter sweet - we will be leaving the land Sophie was born which is sad, but we are bringing her to a place where she has a loving family and siblings who adore her!

july 17th Lay Low and Goodbyes!

We went to breakfast late and went into town for a quick look around and then back to the room. We called the kids and it was by far the hardest goodbye yet. We just miss them so much. We have talked about this miracle of getting Sophia and we know that we had to go to China in order to get our daughter - but it doesn't make missing the kiddos any easier! My parents took them camping, which is one of their most favorite things - so they are sure to be enjoying themselves quite a lot. Again, we are just so thankful to my parents for taking the kids - two weeks is a very long time! WE said goodbye to Stacy and Paul and little precious Cana - a very hard thing to do! We plan to see them again - just a short plan, or long drive away :)! We met our friends Laura and Robb and their little one Ella for lunch and shopping! We ended up taking a long nap in the afternoon (much needed for all three of us) and met our friends, Julie, Becky and little Maggie for dinner and yummy coconut ice cream. For all of those going to Guangzhou very soon, we have found that the two shops that tended to be the most honest and best deals were Lucy's (great for laundry and got two medium chops for only 80 Yuan!) and also Jordan's, who can write your child's name for free in Chinese and also on a little drum and his prices were VERY reasonable and he is a wonderfully nice man! We had just a day of relaxation and can't wait to take our oath before the consulate and be ready to go home - only one more step to finalize our adoption! YAHOO!!!!

Medical Exam and Jades! July 16th

Today we went to the medical clinic in Guangzhou and boy oh boy did Sophie FREAK OUT!!! She has this fear of doctors and we assume that because we started off with such a rough beginning, she is not too sure of the intention of doctors and their procedures. The medical exam was just a riot. Picture like a hundred American couples, with their babies and toddlers, many of them screaming and scarred out of their minds! Them picture three separate rooms to measure, weigh and check hearing for each child. The hearing exam consisted of squeaking a play toy and seeing if the baby looked in the same direction of the squeak. Sophie was by far the worst behaved child. She screamed and freaked out totally. I am so not looking forward to going to her medical exams when we get home. We also let her play in the White Swan play room and she was less than enthusiastic about sharing the toys with the other children. One dad asked me what her "special need" was - I laughed and said "behavior" - he laughed too. She really is a spit fire - and we love it. We believe that she got a lot of attention in foster care because of her constant desire to get her own way - she has a will - that is something that many children are missing from orphanage care. We just laugh and laugh at her. She brings us complete joy and completes our crazy Hopp family. We also went to the museum and listened to our guide tell us interesting facts about the Chinese government and way of life. We thought that the jade factory was really interesting as well. Adam ended up buying me a beautiful jade bangle, which I love, he picked out just a lovely one. The Chinese believe that these jades symbolize good luck and told me to wear it daily and never take it off. We will see! Our faith is much bigger than luck - but the cultural aspect of Chinese things are interesting and we plan to explain these concepts to Sophia once she gets older. We went on a cruise in the evening which was beautiful! For 128 RMB (like 15.00 dollars) we got dinner and a 2 hour cruise!!! It was so much fun! We got back to the hotel and Adam and Paul played in the arcade and Stacy and I did what we do best - hit the shops. We talked to them till 1am and then went to bed! Stacy and Paul leave tomorrow. We are so happy for them that they will be able to hold and kiss their sweet angels - but we will miss them very much!! They have become lifelong friends and we are so thankful to the Lord for bringing them into our lives - it is an amazing experience what we have been through with them!

july 15 - temple and SHOPPING for Pearls!

July 15th Buddhist temple and pearl shopping!
Today we went to the Buddhist temple. It was amazing to see the temple and all of shrines. We watched the Chinese people worships. their gods and it was interesting to see the culture and religion of these wonderful people. Our guide did tell us that many Chinese people are not very religious - and that religion has become a more social event, that Buddhism is more of a philosophy of living than a religious conviction. It was so hot and poor Sophie is not used to this Guangzhou heat - Kunming is about the temperature at home, so we miss it greatly. We spend much more time in our room than we did in Kunming - we hope to maybe swim today!
The pearl factory was amazing! We were able to handpick pearls and watch them be strung on a necklace. We purchased pearls for the girls, for their wedding day. The pearls here are about 100.00 us for really great quality and they are worth over $1000.00 in the US. They are lovely and the market was a cultural experience in itself.

July 14 Good bye Kunming -We love you!

Today we flew from Kunming to Guangzhou. The plane ride was two hours long and we were so unsure about how Sophie would do. Come to find out - we have a world traveler with us. She did so well. She took a bottle and was asleep withing 10 minutes of the flight!!! What a GREAT baby! We checked in at about 2pm at the White Swan and got our much anticipated Adoption Barbie. We shopped a bit - this city totally caters to Americans. There are many Americans with their adopted little girls here at the White Swan and it is fun to see all the sweet babies with new, loving families. People are so happy! We shopped around with our friends, Stacy, Paul and baby Cana. It is really hot and humid here - very difficult to be outside for any length of time - we are continually going into little shops - the ladies are so cute, the follow you around in the shops - fanning you as you browse around. Tomorrow we go to the pearl factory and the Buddhist temple. Sophie is sleeping so well. She sleeps through the night and wakes up around 8am in the morning. She wakes up so sweetly and smiles at us and babbles. We love giving her, her morning bottle. She gazes into our eyes and smiles at us. We are so amazed at how far she has come!!!! She knows who daddy and mommy are and cries when anyone else picks her up or talks to her! She has definitely bonded with us. We are blessed!

Buddhist temple and pearls!

July 15th Buddhist temple and pearl shopping!
Today we went to the Buddhist temple. It was amazing to see the temple and all of shrines. We watched the Chinese people worships. their gods and it was interesting to see the culture and religion of these wonderful people. Our guide did tell us that many Chinese people are not very religious - and that religion has become a more social event, that Buddhism is more of a philosophy of living than a religious conviction. It was so hot and poor Sophie is not used to this Guangzhou heat - Kunming is about the temperature at home, so we miss it greatly. We spend much more time in our room than we did in Kunming - we hope to maybe swim today!
The pearl factory was amazing! We were able to handpick pearls and watch them be strung on a necklace. We purchased pearls for the girls, for their wedding day. The pearls here are about 100.00 us for really great quality and they are worth over $1000.00 in the US. They are lovely and the market was a cultural experience in itself.

Our sweet baby!

Goodbye Kunming

July 14th Goodbye Kunming!
Today we flew from Kunming to Guangzhou. The plane ride was two hours long and we were so unsure about how Sophie would do. Come to find out - we have a world traveler with us. She did so well. She took a bottle and was asleep withing 10 minutes of the flight!!! What a GREAT baby! We checked in at about 2pm at the White Swan and got our much anticipated Adoption Barbie. We shopped a bit - this city totally caters to Americans. There are many Americans with their adopted little girls here at the White Swan and it is fun to see all the sweet babies with new, loving families. People are so happy! We shopped around with our friends, Stacy, Paul and baby Cana. It is really hot and humid here - very difficult to be outside for any length of time - we are continually going into little shops - the ladies are so cute, the follow you around in the shops - fanning you as you browse around. Tomorrow we go to the pearl factory and the Buddhist temple. Sophie is sleeping so well. She sleeps through the night and wakes up around 8am in the morning. She wakes up so sweetly and smiles at us and babbles. We love giving her, her morning bottle. She gazes into our eyes and smiles at us. We are so amazed at how far she has come!!!! She knows who daddy and mommy are and cries when anyone else picks her up or talks to her! She has definitely bonded with us. We are blessed!

A letter to Sophie's Chinese mom

Dear Sophie's Chinese mommy,

Today I found the place where you laid our little girl. I looked around and saw all the people and the police station and my heart felt warmth because I knew that you had specifically chosen a place to lay your newborn baby down, so that she would be found instantly. I think of how you must have hid, watching from a distance to make sure the precious child from your womb was taken and being cared for. Your heart must have ached for her. You must have cried and felt enormous pain. This special child from your womb was never again to be placed in your arms or in your care. As I looked around today I wonder what your circumstances were. Assuming you were not prepared to handle Sophia's medical needs, you must have decided to let her go in order for her to live the most normal and healthy life possible. You gave Sophia away, and part of you was given that same day. Fate and law have created a situation that we will never meet face to face. We will never be able to embrace. You will never see the love that I have for this precious child. I hope that somehow, somewhere you will feel peace. I hope you know that your precious baby girl is greatly loved and cared for and that she is such a gift to us. We can never repay you for what you have given us, but we love you and will always tell Sophia for your deepest love for her. We will allow her Chinese roots to be remembered and be a part of her life. We will talk of China and the beauty of Kunming and the place she was born. We will never let her forget you and the gift you gave us on that cold October day. Thank you.

Sophia's mommy

Hanging out in Kunming!

Above is my friend for life Stacy and her little girl Cana who I have talked a lot about!!!

These women thought it was so funny to see a white woman with a Chinese baby and loved my freckles!
Trying to talk louder in English so the Chinese woman will understand ... doesn't really work! :)
Bartering is soooooooooooo much fun!

Gettin' used to the high chair!

I WANT OUT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! This can be fun!

Our last day in Kunming

Today was bitter sweet. We went to Sophie's finding spot - on a sidewalk right outside a village yards from a police station. This place makes it obvious that Sophie's birth mommy desperately wanted her to be found and by the right people. We were thankful that Sophie was found right away and in a safe place that many would see her!
We spent the day with our friends Paul and Stacy, shopping and sight seeing and we ate at the famous Weis in Kunming. All I can say is that chocolate milkshakes are on the menu! I had three Chinese elderly women stop and try to rub my arms (they were memorized by my freckles!) I said "freckles" and they repeated and were quite pleased. It appears that many people in Kunming have little or no understanding about adoption. They seem to not be able to put the two and two together; white family - Chinese daughter. Most of the time we get smiles and gentle hellos - a few snickers here and there - but we understand that not all people know what we are doing or can grasp the depth of our love for our new daughter. She is precious gift!!
Kunming is lovely - scenic and beautiful!! This is a great place. It is green and there are many close by shops to venture off to. Leaving Kunming is difficult because we know that Sophie is one step closer to becoming an American, which is exciting, but this is where her roots are from. We can not wait to reunite with the kids and be a complete family. We miss them terribly.
Sophie is a firecracker - even tried to bite mommy today! She runs a million miles a minute and is VERY busy! She is always smiling (at least when she gets her own way) and is really fun to be with. Today, when we were getting ready to pack to fly out to Guangzhou, Sophie managed to draw all over herself with pen, throw her cup and new toy in the toilet and take all of the toilet paper off the roll!!! All with a smile! She is a Hopp alright! Please pray for us, we fly out tomorrow to Guangzhou at 11:40 - getting a sneak preview of what miss Sophie is like on a plane - outta be an experience!!!! Days away from coming home!!!!

Sophie's pal!

We have been blessed to have become close friends with Stacy and Paul! We clicked from the start - come to find out, their daughter, Cana and Sophie have been friends in the same village for over 6 months!! God is so good! We brought Stacy and me together knowing that our daughters knew one another!

You don't see this everyday!

Look at Sophie's very brave daddy!!!!

A Fabulous Day in China!

Today was a GREAT day! Sophie is feeling 100% better and has perked up so very much! She is just a doll - a little firecracker! She is so very spunky and has a funny sense of humor already. We just spent the day totally enjoying her. Thank you for all of your many prayers and thoughts - it has been such a blessing to see her feeling better! We spent the day in the minority village and it was great! We saw all the many minorities in Kunming and the things they make and sell. It was a beautiful and wonderful place - truly the first sight seeing venture we have been able to be apart of because Sophia has been so sick up till now. Sophie is sleeping in her crib and taking a good nap in the afternoon (we are trying too). She has also totally taken to Adam - another prayer answered! We ate dinner with our traveling group again - they are just so great! We ate at a restaurant that one of the facilitators recommended - let's just say that there was "Yak Penis" as an appetizer - needless to say, we are still hungry! It was like many things "a cultural experience". We are also enjoying bartering with the street vendors - it is fun and challenging! We have gotten some good deals (or so we think!) We ended up hanging out with our new friends, Stacy and Paul and their little daughter Cana (the girls are from the same village and know one another well)- we have just grown so attached to them - it is going to be hard to see them go - although both of us are soooo thrilled to be back with our children at home. It is really hard. We miss Savannah, Tyler and Brayden so so so much! We can't wait to give them the biggest hug and kiss when we see them! Sophie will LOVE her new brothers and sister! Can't wait to be home! Kunming has been so great and we plan to see Sophie's finding place tomorrow - which will be hard to see - we are so in love with this girl! We are so blessed!

MY HAPPY BABY!!

We just woke up and Sophie is doing really well! WEplan to go to the minority village and Sophie's finding spot today! Praise to Lord! Will pst pics soon - thanks for all of your prayers!!!!! No fever and she is LOVING her daddy!!!!

My poor baby girl!

As I posted earlier - Sophie had a very hard day and here are some pics of my little baby girl - we have cried so many tears today - both of us - Adam was furious with what happened to Sophie today. This is just so hard and so amazing how much we love her and have become her parents in hours time.

More orphanage

This is a picture of the gal who works with families who adopt babies - she also checked on Sophia's Foster family once a week (we were told by her directly today that the information that we were given on gotcha day was incorrect and that Sophie lived with a Foster family with an older teenage sister whom Sophie was very close to, and two other foster children - one older and one younder - we were also told that her foster dad is quite quiet and the mom is crazy and talks a lot and that Sophie Bonded very much with the mom).
This picture was taken as we left our CRAZY day at the orphanage! Poor little girl of ours that has been through way too much! Sophie freaks out everytime she saw a nanny. The moment we entered the orphanage she screamed and held me tighter than ever. I fear she felt we were bringing her back - so sad! Also now, each time a Chinese woman comes up to Sophie - she freaks! Kind of a challenge in China!
This is the place on campus where the orphanage workers live. They all sign a contact to work there for many years and in return get housing. This is one of those places we would never have seen if we did not go get Sophie's IV antibiotics.
At lunch with all of the orphanage workers. Poor Sophie is just bushed!

More Orphanage pictures

Here are more pictures from Sophie's orphanage and our newest pals Stacy and Paul!

Difficult day

We went to Sophia's orphanage and took the tour. Things are kept very clean and the staff is so genuinely sweet and loving towards the children. We were shown all of the rooms. There was a room filled with 15 babies and 8 nannies - the room was clean and the babies were so sweet and very happy. We saw many of smiles. The nannies all had a baby either in their arms or feeding them. We were also shown Sophia's room where she slept when she was a baby - it was filled with 20 or so cribs. it made me cry to think of my baby girl laying there with no mommy or daddy to welcome her difficult night or calm fears. We were taken into a room with special needs kids with communicable diseases - these kids were so sweet - there was one girl especially who I fell in love with. She is 11 with Hep B - she is the sweetest and cutest thing - made it hard to leave the room! We also met Quincey, the little boy that our friends, Jason and Bridget are adopting - he is just as cute and sweet as can be - and he is ready for his mama and daddy to come get him!

We were able to buy a cart filled with formula for the orphanage which they told us they would give to Sophie's village. Sophie's village is made up of about 80 families and out of the three other families that we have bonded with, she was in with two - Cana and Maggie's village - the nanny told us that they played together everyday!

We got a really neat book from the orphanage and the head nanny signed it. Then things got challenging. I am just so thankful that we have God in our lives and that I have such a wonderful husband! The orphanage docs took a look at all the kiddos and told us Sophie's tonsils needed antibiotics NOW. We were caught off guard and they escorted us to the doctors offices, checked Sophie for allergic reactions to penicillin (which they said she was not allergic to) and then started an IV (in her head) - two pokes till they got it right. Anyhow, one hour into this procedure - Sophie was head to toe red (she almost looked like a burn victim) - she had the most HORRIBLE reaction to this IV antibiotic - They rushed 5 docs, gave her benadryl (which made the rash go mostly away in 1/2 hour) and her fever also went from 104.3 to 100.0 - Daddy kept holding her hand because she would freak whenever mommy got near - IT WAS A HORRIBLE EXPERIENCE - to top it off they encouraged us to come back for a different antibiotic tomorrow - UH - I think not! The director, whom no one has ever met, came down, hugged me and talked a lot to us. She also took us to the place where all orphanage workers eat lunch and we had lunch there. She continually apologized to me. She was a very direct, but kind woman and she was honestly concerned for Sophia. to say the least we have been doing VERY LITTLE site seeing - but Sophie is our number one priority.

Will post later - so tired. I kept thinking today "I need my mom!" - thanks mom for being there for the kids! I love you!