Adopting Ethan

We're Back!!!!!

2007-08-03T12:03:00.000-07:00

Sorry it's been a while since we've posted any new info but we've had a couple of major changes in our lives and our computer died on us around the same time. Computers... you can't live with them and you can't live without them!!

Here are several things that Ethan as been up to over the spring and summer:

Picking Strawberries

We discovered Ethan's new favorite fruit in the late spring. STRAWBERRIES!!!!!! As you can see from the pictures below... it's not necessarily the picking that makes him the happiest.

Playing Baseball

Ethan has quickly attached to America's Favorite Pastime. Could it have something to do with the fact that Daddy is a baseball nut?

Swim Time!

Ethan LOVES the family pool. He has spent quite a bit of time playing with mom, dad, cousins and friends. He is quickly becoming our "little fish".

Ethan has grown like a weed over the spring and summer. At his 3 yr check up on July 2, he weight 33.5 lbs and is 38.5 inches tall! Most all of his clothes are now size 4T and is wearing a size 9.5 shoe!!!!

Outside Fun with Ethan!

2007-03-19T16:22:00.002-07:00

Since the weather has gotten nice, Ethan has enjoyed being outside and these photos show him having fun in a mud puddle after a rain shower. He was wet and muddy from head to toe!!!!!

Ethan and his buddy Kylie posing for a picture after eating a chocolate donut for an afternoon snack. As you can see, Ethan loved the donut.

Looking Back

2007-02-19T16:16:00.000-08:00

The Singleton family who adopted Sarah Lu sent these photos from Ethan's orphanage wall. We were preoccupied the day we were there since we had just gotten Ethan a few minutes before and didn't get a photo of the plaque on the wall. It is so hard to imagine just how many obstacles he has been through in just his short little life. We are truly blessed to have him in our family.

Surgery Update

2007-02-01T16:39:00.000-08:00

Ethan had surgery on his lip on January 16 at Arkansas Children's Hospital. He also had tubes put in his ears during the same surgery. He needed to have the muscle correctly joined on his lip and the tubes were to get rid of the fluid behind his ear drum. The stitches were removed a week later and we can already see an improvement in his speech because of a combination of the lip working correctly and being able to hear himself and others speak more clearly.

How do you know that even though Ethan has a big "owie" on lip he still got a good night's sleep? The hair gives it away!!!!

This photo was taken today as snow began to fall in central Arkansas. We don't get much snow so we wanted him to see. He loved it!!!! You can't really see how much better his top lip looks in this photo but it is truly amazing. We will try to put a close up photo of his lip on the site soon.

Ethan and his big sis, Lauren, at a charity event where she performed her dance solo.

China Outfits

2007-01-13T10:51:00.000-08:00

This photo was actually taken at Christmas but I have just found one where all 3 kids were looking at the camera (or close to it) We brought these Chinese dresses for Ethan's two cousins, Molly and Carly Beth.

2007-01-05T07:35:00.000-08:00

Here are some new photos of Ethan. He really enjoyed telling all "Happy New Year". Some of the photos are also of his visit to a friend who has horses. He loved feeding them carrots.

2006-12-26T12:32:00.000-08:00

Ethan has had a big Christmas this year. His celebration began on Friday, December 22 and will end on Wednesday, December 27th. Here are a few photos of Ethan with family and some of his gifts.

Ethan playing at the park.

We're Getting into our Routine

2006-12-19T12:04:00.000-08:00

Today is Tuesday of our second week home. We seem to be getting into a routine that is benefitting Ethan. The last two nights he has only woke up twice in the night and did not cry. Both nights, he saw we were there and fell back to sleep in just a couple of minutes. His naps have been a couple of hours each the last two days. He really seems to be getting accustomed to his new family, his new home and our routine.

Both of these photos were taken by a friend of ours at a Christmas program.

2006-12-11T16:37:00.000-08:00

Today is our 4th day at home and it seems that Ethan's little body clock is a little mixed up. He goes to bed well at 8:30 or so but then is awake several times in the night for a total of about 2-3 hours. I let him sleep in the mornings until 8:00 at the latest. We are struggling to keep him awake in the daytime. He naps usually at 10:30 and I let him sleep for 2 hours max. Most of the time he doesn't want to get up. Then we spend the late afternoon - early evening keeping him awake until bedtime. He has not been his usually cheerful self. The mixed up schedule tends to keep him a little grumpy. But, we understand what he is going through and just know that if we try to get him on a schedule, he should feel more like himself in a few more days.

We love having him home and feel like he was meant to be in our family.

There's No Place Like Home

2006-12-08T11:54:00.000-08:00

Today is Friday, December 8th. We are now at home and so glad not to be on a flight to anywhere right now. Ethan is adapting and adjusting to his new home and family very well. Last night, our first night home, he was keyed up from seeing his new house and especially his new toys so I was worried when it got to be bedtime that he might have a little trouble drifting off to sleep. But, he didn't. He only woke up twice in the night, I think mostly due to jet lag, but drifted back off to sleep in just a few minutes with a little help from mom.

I wanted to post a few new photos since we are home. I am still upset that we didn't get many photos since our camera quit on us. Thank goodness we bought the extra insurance for travel related problems! So, unfortunately we will not be able to post many new photos until we get it fixed.

Last Day in Guangzhou!!!!!

2006-12-05T18:14:00.000-08:00

Today is Wednesday, December 6th. Our last full day in Guangzhou. We are free this morning and then have to leave with our group at 2:45 pm to travel to the American Consulate to take our oath and pick up Ethan's American Visa. When we first step foot on American soil (when we land in Detroit), Ethan is officially a US citizen!!!!!! So, as you can see, this is a very important day for us.

Tommy and I have said over and over that it is so amazing how the process to match a child with a family occurs. It is evident that God is the ultimate matcher because of how perfectly Ethan seems to fit with us. We couldn't have imagined how well he just seems to have been meant for us and we for him.

We went yesterday to buy our first diapers in China and bought the largest size they come in, XL. We had finally used up all the diapers that I had brought from home and had to purchase some. They were too small for him!! Luckily we went to the Holt office where they have a closet of supplies that families leave behind because they need the extra room in their luggage and there was a pack of XL diapers from the US and they fit perfectly.

All of the clothes and shoes that I brought have been the right sizes. He is in a 3T and will most likely stay in that size all through the winter. We will just have to wait and see what size the summer brings.

Ethan is fascinated with toys that have buttons to push and ones that make noises. That is just wonderful for us!!! Ha... ha... Mattel Corporation has furnished a whole playroom at the White Swan hotel where we are staying. The kids can go and play with all the toys at any time. Mattel is very smart. This hotel is a temporary home for thousands of adoptive families who all have to come to Guangzhou for their US Consulate appointments. What better way to sell Mattel toys. We already have a couple in mind to tell Santa Claus that Ethan would really like to have for Christmas.

We leave for home at 8:30 tomorrow (Thursday) morning. And, barring any late flights, will arrive back in Little Rock around 4:30 or 4:45. We are so ready to get home. Tommy and I already know that we have to make a trip to Outback in the very near future!!! We are both dying for a real steak!!!

Now in Guangzhou

2006-12-02T17:48:00.000-08:00

Today is Sunday and we are sunny Guangzhou. We are glad to be in a warmer climate. The highs are around 65. Ehan did very well on the flight. He ate the lunch the airline provided and then took at nap. Not too bad for a three-hour flight.

I have put some of the photos in now. But of course will have many more to share when we get home.

Last Day in Beijing

2006-11-30T17:29:00.000-08:00

Today is Friday, December 1... our last day in Beijing. Tomorrow we hop a plane to Guangzhou. We plan to go to a new area for shopping today to pick up a few supplies for Ethan. The area contains a TGI Fridays and other American restaurants. To be perfectly honest, Tommy and I are ready for a little Western food. It doesn't seem to matter to Ethan.

Yesterday we went to Mr. Lee's Noodle restaurant. Sue, our guide from the Holt Office says that most Chinese think that Mr. Lee's is more American than authentic Chinese. Tommy and I disagree. We had a tough time there ordering something. I pointed to what looked like a chicken dish and thank goodness it was. There was a helping of bean sprouts that came with the meal and Ethan ate all of them. He said "yummy" after taking the first bite. I don't know many two year olds who would eat bean sprouts!!!!! But then again, I haven't found anything he won't eat.

We get lots of stares when Tommy and I are out with Ethan in public. Partly because we are Westerners with a Chinese child and partly because of his lip. He doesn't seem to notice and it doesn't bother us either. They are just curious.

The weather here has been sunny the last few days but still very cold. There has even been some snow. Yesterday morning we went to see the Great Wall. The mountains around the wall are very large and you can see beatiful views from the wall. It was colder up there of course so we didn't stay too long.

Beijing Zoo

2006-11-28T21:45:00.000-08:00

Today is Wednesday and is a day free for us. We actually slept in until 5:00 this morning!!!!! We have been waking at 4:00 am I guess to the effects of jet lag. We have been going to bed by 8:00 so we do get our 8 hours.

We met our guide in the hotel lobby at 10:00 am and left for the Beijing Zoo. I can believe the the whole outing, tickets to the zoo for 3 adults and 1 child, cab fare to the zoo and cab fare back to the hotel, only cost us $15 US. Some things here are incredibly cheap and others seem very expensive. For example a tour to the Great Wall costs $200 US.

Ethan had his first crying fit today. He fell asleep in his stroller at the last of the zoo and continued to sleep for the 15 minute cab ride back to the hotel. When we got back to the room, I began to undress him to change his diaper and put him down for the remainder of his nap and he wasn't happy about it at all. It was a small meltdown due to him being so tired. He cried for a few moments and then fell right back to sleep.

Back to Langfang

2006-11-27T15:23:00.000-08:00

It is early Tuesday morning in Beijing. We are staying in the third hotel room in three nights!!! the good news is that we will now be here until we leave for Guangzhou on Saturday morning. We go back to Langfang this morning to apply for Ethan's Chinese Passport. This will only be about an hour drive and we will be back to the hotel by noon. The next few days will be "free days" for us as we wait for the passport to be processed. It will be ready just as we leave on Saturday.

This afternoon we are planning to go shopping for a few supplies. It has been very cold here and we have been scolded publically on the streets for not having Ethan in long underwear. The older Chinese women do not approve of the way westerners dress children. Someone told us that if a child was not in enough layers to sweat, they were too cold!!!!

If the weather holds out we are also planning on going to the Beijing Zoo with Ethan maybe tomorrow. They are supposed to have an awesome panda exhibit.

2006-11-26T15:59:00.000-08:00

It is now early morning Monday. We are now in the capital city of the Hebei Province,Shijiazhaung. This was about a 4 hour bus ride from Langfang Orphange to here yesterday.We are here to finalize the adoption with the Chinese Goverment and apply for thisChinese passport. So, after today, in the eyes of China Ethan will be legally ourson.Yesterday was of course very exciting and also very scary. We worried how he woulddo and if he would be scared. The "handoff" was definately not as we expected. You kinda have the moment built up in your head like you will see theheavens open and the angels sing when your son is fianlly handed to you. But whatactually happened was much less glamorous but not any less special. Our bus pulled up to the gates of the neighborhood where Ethan lived with is fosterfamily and he was brought by a Chinese man who took him out of his stoller and justhanded him in to us when to bus doors opened. He said goodbye and we were back on our way to the Langfang Ophanage to pick up the Orphanage director who would be travelling with us to the capital city.When the Chinese man handed Ethan to me, a couple of tears ran down his face andhis body immediately stiffened up and would not make any eye contact with eitherme or Tommy. This lasted all the way to the orphanage. Once we got there he wasn'tmuch better. They took some pictures and we got to see some of the children. Hewas sitting on my lap and noticed a particular toy beside us. This toy caught hisattention and he began to play. In just a few moments he was looking at me and smiling. But, he was still cautious with us. The orphanage allowed us to "borrow"the toy for our trip and it was definately a hit. On the ride there be began toopen up. He even let his guard down enough to fall off to sleep.Last night was very easy. He really began to warm up and the biggest hit was thefrench fries we ordered from room service. He also ate shrimp, pizza and noodles.He is a very good eater. He fell off to sleep after his bath at 8:00 and slept until 5:30 this morning. He at rice crispies, fruit and pancackes for breakfast.Once again, he will eat anything so far!!!Well I have to go for now. We will be on the road back to Beijing today so I haveto get our bags packed again. I'll write again soon.

Arrival in Beijing

2006-11-24T15:36:00.000-08:00

We arrived in Bejing at 9:30 on Friday night, after being awake for over 24 hours!!!! We were very tired and glad to get to our hotel. The temperature was about 29 degreesand was misting rain.... pretty miserable. We are up this morning to go to our orienation class and then if the weather holds we will be going to the Temple ofHeaven and Tienamen(sp?) Square. The hotel is very modern and very nice. Although it has every mondern convenience,Tommy and I couldn't figure out how to get the lights in the room to stay on.There was a card swiper like what was on the door that was located on the wall andwe finally figured that we had to leave the card in the swiper to keep them on....What a bunch of Arkansans!!!!! Hopefully in the days to come we will be able toput photos on the blog spot, but we just don't have the time today or tomorrow.

What A Thanksgiving!!!!

2006-11-10T14:15:00.000-08:00

We leave for China at 7 am on Thanksgiving Day! We have made our international flight reservations and are packing like crazy. Our flight takes us from Little Rock to Minneapolis; from Minneapolis to Tokyo; from Tokyo to Beijing. Here is a condensed version of our once in China schedule:

Arrive in Beijing November 24th
Attend orientation class on November 25th
Fly to capital of Hebei Province, Shijiazhuang, November 26th (This is the day we will actually meet and get our son... our "Gotcha Day".)
Fly to Guangzhou (location of U.S. Consulate) December 2nd
Have appointment with U.S. Consulate December 5th
Ethan's U.S. Visa issued December 6th
Return home December 7th

Travel Approvals Are Here!!!!!

2006-11-07T13:52:00.000-08:00

We got a call from Holt International in Eugene, Oregon today that they have received our travel approval!!!!!! They are in the process of confirming our US Consulate appointments for December 4th/5th. Upon that confirmation we will book our travel. That puts us leaving the U.S. sometime around Thanksgiving. This year Thanksgiving brings so many new things to be thankful for. We can't wait to go get our son.

News

2006-10-20T10:43:00.000-07:00

We just received a phone call from Holt, Oregon informing us on a development with our adoption. The agency received notification that our dossier has moved from the CCAA to the travel department. This means that we are just days away from receiving our travel approval. Their "estimate" (this is still just an estimate based on availability of US Consulate appointments) of our travel is mid to late November. We are so excited!!!!! We can't wait to meet our Son face to face and bring him to his new home.

Anytime Now!

2006-10-17T16:23:00.000-07:00

Our Dossier to China date is July 28th. That puts us at 3 months on the 28th of October. Today we contacted our agency, Holt International. We asked for some update as to our progress. The agency indicated that they were due for a travel approval group. The typical special needs timeframe for Dossier to China to Travel Approval is 2-4 months. As we thought, this means that we could get our approval any day now! For special needs, the time from travel approval to travel is not less than 2 weeks, the typical timeframe being 2-3 weeks. We are ready to go. We are ready to get Ethan home to meet his extended Forever Family! We think of him everyday and wonder what he is up to.

2006-08-30T17:00:00.000-07:00

Hello! We are the Davenports, Tommy & Carla.

We started this blog to chronicle the process of adopting Ethan. In this blog you will be kept up to date with our progress and get to see new photos as we get them. Here is a little info about us that we sent to the foster family that is caring for Ethan:

Hello! We are so anxious to start our family life with Ethan. We can't wait to meet him and get to know him. Here is a little information about us.I would say that we are a very typical southern family. We live in a small town in Central Arkansas. The town is about 5,000 in population and is like most small towns in America. It is a very family-oriented town and much of the activities here revolve around family, school and church.

Ethan will have an older brother and sister who also live in the same town. They too are very anxious to get to know him and can't wait for his arrival. Josh is 15 and likes to play baseball, golf and hunt. Alot of our family activities share in his interests in these areas. Lauren is 14 and is involved in cheerleading, dance and loves to babysit her cousins. We also spend time attending football games to watch her cheer and dance recitals to watch her perform.As a family, we like to get together and swim in our backyard pool, cookout with family and friends and travel to the lake in the summer. We also like to travel to experience new places and cultures but don't get to do that as often as we would like.

Ethan's dad, Tommy, likes to train his retriever, Meg (Meg is a Chocolate Lab who loves kids!!!) for duck hunting, go to baseball games and spend time with his friends and family.

Carla, Ethan's mom, likes to cook, decorate the house and relax around the house on the weekends.

Ethan has two cousins, Molly - 3 and Carly -1, who can't wait to meet him and play with him and numerous Aunts and Uncles who will also smother him in love. Ethan's grandparents live very near on a farm that grows rice, soybeans and wheat. His grandpa can't wait to take him for a ride on the tractor.

Thank you so much for wanting to share some of our lives with Ethan. It means a lot to us to know that he is being well taken care of and will know something about us when we arrive in China. I hope that will make the transition for him a little easier. Please tell him that we think and talk about him everyday and that until he is with us there will be a part of our hearts missing.

Thanks again,

Tom and Carla Davenport

Journey to Sarah - From the Singleton Family - The Singleton's are adopting a little girl about Ethan's age from LangFang as well. Their daughter was a playmate of Ethan's before he went to live with his foster family.

New pics!

2006-08-19T07:16:00.000-07:00

The photos definately show that he is growing more everyday. It makes us all the more anxious to go get him. Everyday he changes more and everyday we miss out on more of his life.

Adopting Ethan

2006-07-21T19:49:00.000-07:00

Introducing Ethan Daniel Davenport
Born April 9, 2004
Langfang City, Hebei Province
China
His Chinese name was Dang Ai Xing.

This was the first picture of him that we received. It was a black and white photocopy of a picture taken sometime in early 2006. We knew when we saw it that he would be ours. But, we asked the advice of doctors as to his medical condition. He was born with cleft lip and palate and was brought to the orphanage on or about the day he was born. Once in the orphanage he developed rickets, which is a Vitamin D & Calcium deficiency. The pediatrician saw nothing in his medical charts that discouraged us. When we received his initial medical reports and photo he weight about 28.6 pounds and was 34 inches tall. This is well within the normal ranges for his age.

We have determined that Langfang City is about 30 miles east of Beijing. Most likely he is in a very suburban, modern area of China. The photos also indicate this.

Now we just sit and wait on all the completed paperwork to be processed by China and are hoping to have him home before Christmas. We make the wait bearable by working on his room and by getting things together to take to China when we go get him.

All family and friends excitedly await his arrival.

8/4/06 - Today we learned that Ethan is being fostered by a family in Langfang City. Even though the Langfang Welfare Institution is still retaining guardianship of him, this family is responsible for his daily care. Although the details on the family are sketchy at this time we were able to find out that it is an American couple who have previously adopted a child from China. They are in Langfang City working. The couple has begun to call him Ethan and is working on his English. All of this is good news for Ethan because he is receiving more one-on-one attention than he would have in the orphanage. We also were told that he is still in diapers. So, I now will have to wait for updated weight and height and will be off to buy diapers, and all the things that go along with that, for the trip.

8/8/06 Today we received the photos below from Ethan's foster family. The little girl in one of the photos is the adoptive daughter of the American couple. You can tell from the photos he is being well taken care of. We are grateful to his foster parents for giving him so much one-on-one care!

8/9/06 - Today we received the following info about Ethan and his foster family:
Dang Ai Xing came to this family on October 28, 2004 so he has been with this family for almost two years. The foster family has 4 children, three biological and one adopted Chinese daughter. They are also fostering three other Chinese children, for a total of 7 kids in the home, so Ethan is used to playing with other children. His foster father had this to say, "He is inquisitive and quite well behaved. He loves cars and trucks and is fascinated with wheels and gears. He loves swimming. We are an English speaking family and he seems to have complete understanding of what we are saying. We have not attempted to potty train him. When he came to us, we took him to a good doctor in Beijing and was basically told he had a severe calcium absorption issue. We have intentionally increased his calcium intake and this will need to be continued."