A diva in training

Nana Birdie bought Maya a princess pocketbook from Disney that came with a pair of sunglasses! She looked so cute wearing them.

Nana Birdie and Maya

Nana Birdie loves her little Maya. She spoils her already. Today we went out for pizza and then to downtown Disney to shop.
She bought her a beautiful princess baby dress, some toys, books and a music cd of Disney's famous movies.

Fish lips and raspberries

Maya's new tricks. She can make fish lips and blow raspberries! She is too cute and so funny.

Maya goes out for pizza

Today we went out to lunch with Nana Birdie. We ate at Mia Pizza in Davenport. She did great-tried some crust and pretended to read the menu.

Maya running to Daddy

We have been working with Maya on her walking--it is more like running. I say "Ready, on your mark, get set, go" and the laughter coming from her is great. She "runs" toward Patrick then he turns her around and she "runs" back to me.

Maya playing ball on the patio

We spend time in the afternoon outside on the patio. Maya likes to play ball-or I should say-drop the ball and have one of us get it for her. She loves being outside. Hopefully we can her used to being in the stroller again--right now she is not a fan.

Maya loves Mama's meatballs

We decided to let Maya try real food-and she loved my meatballs! She really was meant to be my baby!

Photos of Maya at home

Maya eating her pasta and peas!


Maya "walking" through the house


The dancing queens!


Daddy feeding Maya lunch

Happy Memorial Day

Maya is finally adjusting to time change from China. She was wide awake at 2 a.m. on Monday morning and did not go back to sleep until 5:30! We woke her up at 8 a.m. and she pretty much followed her schedule the rest of the day without any problems.

She is practicing walking and has learned how to eat Cheerios on her own. She is also like her Nonnie--she loved the peas and pasta we gave her for dinner. For lunch today she eat Nana Birdies potatoes and carrots! No baby food for this one!

Maya met Beatrice (Jim and Jill's dog) for the first time today-it was really funny. Bea did not know quite what to think about having a baby around.

There's no place like home!

Dorothy couldn't have said it better!
Three airplanes later-we arrived home with Maya on Saturday night. We left Guangzhou for Hong Kong and nearly missed our flight to Chicago--but we made it. Maya slept pretty much the entire flight-thank God!
We were welcomed in Chicago by Mike and Kathy (my aunt and uncle). They were the first family members to meet Maya and welcome her to US. She had just become a US Citizen moments before! We then boarded our final flight to Orlando-the 2.5 hour flight seemed to last forever. We were greeted at the airport by Nana Birdie, Jill and Jim, Jim's parents and Kim and Sara. It was awesome. There were lots of happy tears flowing! Everyone followed us home-we knew we would not be sleeping anytime soon! My mom (Nana Birdie) made my favorite dinner and had cupcakes with American flags on them-sweet.
Finally we after everyone left we went to sleep. Maya did well for a few hours in her crib but then had to come into bed with us. We ended up sleeping until 10 a.m.!

Our friends and neighbors came by today to meet Maya. It was great! She is really getting adjusted to her new life and so far it is great!

Thankful to be home and begin our new journey as parents!
A P and MLD

Ni Hao and um-ah-nums!

Maya waving hi to Mama while Daddy feeds her a tasty lunch of rice ceral mixed with apple and carrot paste!

Some more pictures of Maya in China

Maya wearing her new birthday present from Sam at the White Swan.

Last day in Guangzhou! Friday, May 25th

Yeah-this journey to China is about to end and a new one is about to begin--the journey home as a family of three!
It has been an amazing trip. We've seen so many cool things and have met an amazing group of people who are now part of our extended family.

Today, we'll go to the US Consulate for our swearing in ceremony. We were approved for Maya's visa to leave China and enter the United States. She will officially become a US Citizen when we arrive in Chicago on Saturday, May 26th at 2:20 p.m.

Thanks again for sharing this journey with us-we hope to see you all soon.

A P and MLD
The Dunns

Daddy's girl

Daddy seems to think that Maya prefers me over him! Yet she says "Da da da da da da" all the time and loves when he reads to her. She also likes it when he feeds her a bottle!

The Red Couch Photo

The Ladies of Lian Jiang! The red couch photo at the White Swan Hotel. This is a tradition for all adopted babies and their Chinese "cousins" to have a picture taken on the couch wearing Chinese dresses. We celebrated Maya's birthday along with Regan's. Kaitlyn's, Sophia's and Lexi's. We bought a birthday cake that said Happy Birthday in English and Chinese. Maya got a beautiful purple and white cotton Chinese outfit from Sam. She also got a lovely bracelet from Tanya and another one from Christine. Maya certainly is a lucky girl!

Playing with Mama

Playing with Mama! Maya is very playful-especially in the late afternoon. We have been taking her out into the hallway at the hotel and she loves it. She has been laughing a lot and showing us the fun side of her personality.

Tub time

Rubba Dub Dub-Maya Lily sitting in the tub!
Maya loves getting a bath! She even lets me wash her hair--she only screams for a few minutes!!

Maya at the pool

Maya and Mama at the pool!
Maya is just like her Mama--a fish in the water. She loves to splash and float around.

Family of three for one week

It was one week ago today that Maya was placed in our arms-yet it feels like she has been with us forever. We are learning something new about her everyday. We know when she cries after breakfast it is because she is wet and her teeth hurt from chewing. We know that she loves to play in the afternoon and loves a warm milk bottle before bedtime. We read Good Night Moon and A You're Adorable to her every night--she now grabs for the book and wants to turn the pages.
It has been raining here in Guangzhou for the past few days--so we are doing all we can to keep from getting cabin fever. We have limited internet access--so I may not be able to post again until we get home.

Maya Lily Lian Dunn 14 months old today

Maya turned 14 months old today-she is doing great.
She typically sleeps 7 hours a night-YEAH! When she gets up we change her diaper and have a bottle. Patrick and I take turns with her while we each take a shower. Once we all dressed and ready we head down stairs for breakfast. She has been eating oatmeal with mashed bananas and pieces of watermellon.
We then take a stroll around Shamian Island do some shopping. This helps her get ready for a nap-which usually lasts about one hour. We then have some lunch and play. In the afternoon she takes another 1 to 2 hour nap. We have a bottle before dinner and some more playtime. Dinner has been pretty good-since we've learned to feed her first! She then plays with her toys while we eat.
At night we give her a nice warm bath and massage her with lotion. I then wrap her in a towel like a newborn--she loves it. We snuggle for a bit then Daddy reads Good Night Moon and A You're Adorable to her. She then has a nice warm bottle of milk and it is na-night time again.
We are so blessed and she thankful that she is so healthy.
We officially became her parents yesterday and have a beautiful certificate from the Chinese government. We also did her passport and medical exam yesterday--she weighs 19.6 lbs.--she is smaller than some of the 10 months olds!
Today, we bought her a white Chinese dress and matching shoes for her Christening. We also got her some gifts for when she is older. Patrick bought me a beautiful jade necklace that says Mother and Daughter in Chinese. We'll get one for her that is the symbol for happiness.
We bought her some pearls, and a Chop with her name on it. She also got a placemat set with matching napkins and chopsticks, a doll from Guangdong Province and a few other Chinese dresses.
We will be at the White Swan until Sunday the 20th and then we move over to the DongFeng hotel until the 26th.
We love being here with her-but we are ready to bring her home!
Love,
Aleisa and Patrick