The De Lucchi Family having a fantastic 2 weeks in Turkey:
Julia, Hudson , Colin , Amy-Li , Daniel and Taylor.

This is a photograph of Liu Chunxia - the Director of Wuchuan SWI ( Social Welfare Institute) .
Her 2 Assistants are Cai Wenjing and Liang Jiangping

Map of China, showing Guangdong Province Guangdong Province
Wuchuan SWI - presently taking care of our little Wu Chun Tian. - THANKYOU !
The beautiful new building which was built I believe in about 2003

Gonna Getcha Day - Mon Sept 17th at 16h00

YOU ARE MY CHILD

Sometimes I sit and wonder,
How it's going to be
When I can call your name
and You look up to me.
I don't try to understand
Why you've been left alone
But I pray and count the hours 'till I come and bring you home.

I wasn't there when you were born,
I didn't see you start to crawl.
I couldn't watch your first few steps
or pick you up from first fall.
I may not be the one who saw your first sweet smile,
I wasn't there at the beginning
but from now on .... You are my Child.

Everynight I touch your picture
before I can go to bed,
So that images of you will be dancing in my head.
and although we've never met you
and we've never held you close
We're so Blessed to be your Parents
and we thank God we're who He chose.

I reach for your tiny hands,
but you're a million miles away
and I know I love you more with each slowly passing day.
From the moment you entered our lives,
You became a vital part.
You may not have my eyes, but you will always have my heart.


Acknowlegments to : Shawna & Jeffrey Fox (Koopers Song) , Fields of the Fatherless

Invitation to Travel - we can officially fetch her!! Hooray!

The long slow adoption process has outdone itself with speed!
The DfEs and CCAA have managed to turn all the paperwork around in 10 days!
Theoretically we could go and fetch Li-Na now ...but we have already booked our plane tickets on Sept 13th to Guangzhou. Mom will be joining us from New Zealand with Dianne to be with us for the main part of our stay with all the excitement starting on Monday 17th September 2007 when Li-Na finally is placed in my arms and we become a Family.
Exciting times !!!

We love you Li-Na and we spend most of our time looking at your 4 pictures all blown up as large as we can get them and all over the house, on our phone, and in our "Brag-Mag" ....and looking forward to the day when those beautiful eyes look right as us and we can feel your beautiful skin. We just love your hands, feet, little toenails and beautiful face.
We are so happy to see you looking well and healthy and obviously tenderly held by your carer. We hope that we can find out her name and keep in touch with her over the years and the Wuchuan SWI.
I am now listening to the beautiful song " You are my Child" all about looking at your photograph that we have waited so long for.
I will play it for you oneday so you can experience the emotions and exactly how your Dad and I feel ....

My next blog entry will be the words .......

Updated Information 15/08/2007 about Wu Chun Tian aged 7 months and 12 days.

The SWI sent us information followed by the BLAS (Bridge of Love Adoption Service )with slight variation. I liked the SWI translation the best.
We now know she is only wearing 3-6 month size clothes! ... still my baby :)

Height 65cm , Weight 6.5kg , Head circumference 41cm , Chest circumference 43.5cm , Foot size 10cm , Teeth 2.

She can crawl deftly, sit steadily when holding onto something and beat two blocks together. She knows to be cooperative when being dressed.

She can distinguish acquaintances from strangers and would smile to the person she knows voluntarily. She can understand the simple directions,such as "coming over" and "giving it to me". She would turn her head when her name being called.

She has five meals a day at 06h00, 10h00, 1400, 1800 and 2200. Her staple food includes rice milk. we also add meat soup, cakes meat porridge and minced vegetables for her. We cultivate her good habits for not picky about food or having some preference food.

She gets up at 0600, takes a nap between 1200 and 1400 and goes to bed at 2100.
She is an outgoing (open-minded)and naughty girl and loves to take the toys from others.
Her favourite activity is sitting in her go-cart (practicing the walk-learning chair) and her favorite toy is a colourful toy.

VISA's

Today Eric and I were queueing outside the Chinese Consulate in London from 06h30 and were 3rd in the queue!! 5 hours later - we walked out with our Visa's - We are so happy, and it was great to actually have completed one of the tasks we have been waiting to do for the last 2 years since we knew about the process. Now we need to book flights, pack and Go!!!

Li-Na Wu Chun Tian Chapman taken on 08/08/07 at Wuhuan SWI aged 7months and 1 week old

Information updated on 29/08/2007: Wu Chun Tian has 3 main carers. She is being held by Lao Fei. The other 2 women are looking after her are Chen Jianping and Liang Ajin.

Guangzhou Map- click on picture

Guangzhou City - click on picture to enlarge

Wuhuan SWI in Guangdong Province, SOUTH CHINA

Thanks............

Thankyou so much to Julia and Shawn ... 2 great friends who have spoilt me rotten and helped post on my blog as I have been exhausted with all the emotions and sudden flurry of decisions and activities that suddenly need done urgently.

I really had a suprise when I walked in and saw so many people who all have a part in my life.
Wow!!! I was overwhelmed by everyones generosity and enthusiasm. Thankyou you all so much for wonderful evening.
Eric and I cannot wait to meet Li-Na ... we know she will be unsure at first, but we pray she settles quickly and we all get home safely.... to meet you all!

Love Laura x x x x x x x x x x x x to everyone............................

Its a shower!!

09 August 07
Laura and Eric introduce baby Li-Na to their friends, Colin and Julia with Amy-Li and Shawn, who is next to get her baby. Isnt she beautiful, how exciting!! Its celebrations all around. Laura is so attached to her baby's photos that they follow her everywhere and even join her during her meals. How cute is that?

SURPRISE!!! Laura has a surprise baby shower. After a hard day at work, thinking she was coming home to put her feet up.... she walked in the front door to a see all her friends waiting to love and spoil her.

Its a nappy cake, created by Julia and Shawn. Everybody brought a gift with either a rhyme or a baby photo and Laura had to guess either who it was from or what was inside the present. If she got it wrong, there was a forfeit waiting to provide fantastic entertainment for all.

Laura has to find a smartie...

Some amazing presents for Li-Na, its all finally becoming a reality...her baby is on her way home.

Trying hard to guess from a tounge twisting rhyme.....

Ooooh noo, another forfeit, fish out the chocolate poopie from the potty.... (no one was harmed in this stunt, apple juice was used instead of wee :-))

Yay, Li-Na gets some toys.

The last forfeit, a rather realistic looking (peanut butter ) nappy. Laura has to show us her nappy changing skills.... blindfolded!!!

Hysterics followed by all. A baby shower is a great initiation into motherhood, a gathering of friends and family, building memories and feeling loved and cherished.

(Laura is feeling shattered after her baby shower, so asked Julia to post about it and add some great photos)

PLEASE LEAVE LAURA AND ERIC A COMMENT, thanks

HERE SHE IS!!!

09 August 07:
Introducing... Li-Na Wu Chun Tian, date of birth 03 Jan 07, only 7 months old, from Guangdong Privince. Isnt she adorable? We think this photo was taken at around 4 months

She is just so so cute!!

AGONY!!

Mr Postman ..... look and see....
Is there a letter, a letter for me?????
Oh! Mr Postman.......Deliver the letter, the sooner the better!
I'm sick and tired of all the waiting Mr Postman.......
Sooooo Patiently!
For just a card or Just a letter
Saying you are coming home to me...


He arrived, He left , handing us our Driving Licence renewal forms................... :( ...........what can I say...so hard to be left out when 5 other couples/families were announcing their goodnews about their daughters.

Well I didn't say much, actually I just clammed up inside ...but I did have a cry!!
Thankyou so much all my friends for being there today to support me on this rollercoaster of events. A lovely day had by all on Mundsley Beach did me wonders.
Roll on Monday evening !!

Proud Parents - Just wish we knew who she was!!

Well since our last posting we have moved on June 21st 2007 into our lovely new home and have been settling in. This is meant to be a Family Home...and we can now say we are a family - we will fetch our little girl in a few weeks. Typically, just as life goes - we have waited 3 long years since starting this process in August 2004 ...only to find we are not feeling ready now!!!! Panic is setting in!!

On Monday 30th August 2007- I was with my first patient of the day when Shawn called to say it was likely we were in this next batch- Rumour Queen rating - R2.
On the basis of this rather tentative news (which I chose to upgrade to a definate R5 status) ... I promptly burst into tears and proceeded to cry my way through the morning list of patients, gulping sugary tea and emptying my tissue box usually reserved for patients ...all the time reassuring my patients that I was actually very happy!!

Since then I have announced loudly and to anyone who happens to be around that "I'm a Mum!! " .... The news has gradually settled in...but today the worst was that as soon as I knew from CCAA that we were definately in this batch- I had to rush off to a "normal days work" as if nothing significant had happened to me. It was really quite bizarre.
We then spent the evening with family and friends and talked about a variety of topics - briefly mentioning the adoption ....when all I have wanted to do all day is run around screaming with my arms outstretched.... well it is now 23h28...and I can finally sit and dwell on the magnitude of what today really means for Eric and I.

We are parents to a child who at this moment in time is in China , possibly in a SWI ( orphanage) or in a Foster home, with no idea that she is about to have her whole little world whisked away in a moment.
We know that she is going to be so happy growing up with us...but she of course will not understand. Eric and I know that all will be well ultimately when we actually meet and get to know each other , but I am checking myself to see things from her little perspective.

At this moment in time we don't know who she is , or where she is.
There is a possibilty her details were posted in the evening post today...??? to us ??? to the Social Worker.
Will we know tomorrow ? Will we know on Monday? Aaaaghh!!
Monday is a busy day from 07h15 to 18h00 minimum..... How will I be able to wait??

All I know is that I am not prepared to have a quick glance at her details and photo. I would rather delay seeing her to my Day Off on Wednesday , so I can savour the moment that I have waited so long for.

Li Na ....when you read this oneday ..... just know how exciting it is for us now :)
We love you to bits already. I am already planning things to do, visualising you playing in the lounge and garden, and I have been wandering around your little armchairs and toybox all set out for you.
Upstairs your new room is a bit chaotic until your wardrobe arrives in the next few weeks....you have more clothes than you need at present.... and you have a cot/little bed all of your own that noone else has ever slept in. Most of all you have a Mom and a Dad waiting to Love you, protect you and have fun with you as the future unfolds.

We cannot wait to meet you our little darling.
We have waited so long, and we are so happy we chose the adoption path to fetch you home. You are our daughter ..... and don't you forget it.
Your big Sister Natalie has already planned to take you shopping and (threatened) take you toyour first Rock Concert, with a few other ideas which I won't print!!!

Roll on tomorrow or next week. I am actually enjoying this rollercoast trip of emotions, just wish I had more hours to do what I feel I need to. I so wish my Mum & Dad were here to join in the celebrations.

Yahooooooooooooooooooooo!!!!! G'night and Thankyou Lord for bringing us together.

3rd August 2007 - Yahoooo!!! I'm a Mother!!! :) :) :)