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Anna and I have made it back to Houston! It is great to be back in my house. My parents are with us this weekend and my mom let me sleep through the night last night. It felt so good. Anna is still waking up around 3 or 4.



Where to begin. Anna and I had a smooth flight to Chicago. She slept for about 4 hours, me less than that. She was in the the baby bassinet under the movie screen on the plane and she would start kicking the screen in her sleep. I would wake up to calm her feet down and then try to go back to sleep. An uneventful flight, yeah!



It was cool going through immigration and getting the paperwork done to make her a US citizen. The officers were really kind to us and anna was a charmer.



Our greeting party was the best part. The boys were so ecstatic about meeting Anna. Lots of hugs, kisses, pictures, touches all on the floor of O'Hare airport. They were full of observations and questions. "she's so bald" "her mouth is so cute" "are these her toes?" "mommy, she just said uh" They fought over whe got to sit next to her at meals. I think Jonathan almost changed his mind as his plate at Boston market narrowly missed a disatrous crash to the floor. She is so fast and will crash anything to the floor that is in her reach.



Daniel' surgery went really well. Hopefully we won't have to do more. The surgeon seemed really pleased with his work, always a good sign. Daniel has been in pretty good spirits since his brothers arrived. We'll show him his ear when it has a bit of time to heal. He's been great about keeping on his bandage and not complaining.

We did lots of stuff in Chicago to keep us moving. We went to the zoo and the aquarium. Chris and Jonathan also made it to the Museum of Science and Industry. Jonathan and Sam went to the Field museum with Grandma and Grandpa while the rest of us went to the doctor. It was a very full day. Chicago will kill you with parking costs. I think there are literally no free places to park in all of downtown Chicago.

We have had a relatively low key day in Houston. We took Anna to meet Meemaw, her 91 year old great grandmother who has been anxiously awating her arrival. Anna was shy but did clap and smile when Meemaw made her baby noises. Babies love Meemaw.

Anna and I are going to take it easy tomorrow. We will go back to church next week when we have a little more sleep in our systems and our boys at home. She didn't much like being surrounded by our friendly neighbors last night. She's getting used to it but even laughter makes her jump. She collapses like a wet rag on my chest and looks around till she thinks it's safe to sit up again. We are so thankful that she has attached to us and sees us as her safety blankets. Speaking of blankets, she hates soft things. Throws stuffed animals away from her with a look of disgusted terror on her face. Something to work through, I guess.

Sorry no pictures but Daddy has both cameras in Michigan. Thanks so much for everyones prayers and encouraging comments. God has been tremendously gracious to us through this entire process. Only 5 more days until we can be at home together!

Visa in Guangzhou & Surgery in Chicago

Chris here. I feel like an invader in Monica's blog but I have the computer now.

Much has transpired since our last post. We got Anna's Chinese passport in Nanchang on Friday and flew to Guangzhou that afternoon. All week Monica had been looking forward to meeting the other families from our agency, America World. Meeting them brought smiles of recognition--even though these were blog-friends for Monica--and much laughter. One family from Nebraska adopted a second child from China (after having three biological children). The director of Levi's orphanage called him very, very naughty (feichang, feichang tiaopi). He likes scaring people by kicking off his prosthetic leg/foot. The other families adopting special needs children were a privilege to meet, such fun and grateful people.
On Saturday we had Anna's medical exam (top picture). The doctor said that everything looked great--her surgery was well done and she might not need another. To our great relief he confirmed that the large bruise-looking things on her bottom and back are Mongolian spots, common birthmarks for Asian children. Our pediatrician will have to document the spots: we have heard of families being reported to Child Protective Service because care-givers thought the spots were bruises from abuse (and that's what they look like). Monica also had the "paper party" on Saturday where she filled out all the forms for Anna's American visa.

Unfortunately, I had to leave Monica and Anna on Saturday afternoon. Leaving them was incredibly hard. This little girl has captivated a piece--a pretty big one, too--of my heart. I can make her shake her head back and forth, clap her hand (pai pai shou), and spit bubbles. Smiles and laughs come easy for this girl. What a difference 5 days together makes!
I left because I had to return to Houston to take Daniel up to Chicago for his ear surgery. We are not sitting at the Ronald McDonald House in Lincoln Park, near Children's Memorial Hospital. Daniel will have a reconstructive ear surgery tomorrow at noon by the top pediatric plastic surgeon (for ears) in the United States. Please pray for him. He is, rightfully, afraid of the surgery. But he was very brave at our pre-operation visit today.

Monica's friend Christina Miller and their adopted Chinese daughter, Rebekah, trained up from Hong Kong to spend three days with Monica in my absence. They are having loads of fun together; Anna has really taken to Rebekah. Anna got her visa yesterday (Monday in China) and there will be a swearing in ceremony today. Monica and Anna will fly to Chicago on Wednesday and my parents will drive up from Houston with Sam and Jonathan. We will then spend a few days in Chicago and a week in West Michigan with my extended family. After Daniel's last post-op doctor appointment, we will return to Houston on July 4. Monica will spend three days with us in Chicago and then return to Houston with Anna on June 27. Yes, this has been an exhilirating and exhausting two weeks for us. We appreciate your prayers.

Leaving Nanchang

We are packing up to leave our hotel soon. We fly to Guangzhou at 5:45 this evening. Tomorrow we will have Anna's medical exam, and I hope that we will meet some of the other America World families tonight. It's been nice to talk to other families here with new babies, but we look forward to meeting the families from our agency that we have gotten to know on-line. We have only eaten in the hotel for breakfast, Anna's favorite of the day. The girl loves congee, especially the kind with the thousand year eggs- weirdly grey color. and we have walked a lot around town to find places to eat. We had to walk out of one restaurant last night when we couldn't read anything (in Chinese) on the menu. We went somewhere else where we found a few things we knew. Yummy.

We have bought some porcelain things for Anna since her province is home to the most famous porcelain in all of China. Hopefully all the luggage police will be nice today!!

A Day of Firsts

A Day of Firsts


Now it is Thursday morning in Nanchang. Daddy is entertaining Anna in front of the mirror while I blog away. She slept from 9 until 6 so we are feeling well They even had my favorite fruit at breakfast- lychees, yum!

Yesterday was a day of firsts of many sorts. Her first ride in a stroller was scary for about 2 seconds but then she loved it. She wouldn't even lay back in the stroller, she pulled herself forward to soak in everything around her. The looks on the street are hard to figure out. We can't figure out if they are looks of admiration, curiosity or disdain. we just smile and move on.

Another first was her first trip to Pizza Hut. I taught her how to put a piece of crust in her mouth- her first finger food! She liked it alot. She picks up bits of food but has never put them in her mouth until the crust. Fun! Sam loved pizza crusts, too, when he was teething.

The most monumental first of the day had to be what happened on our bed yesterday around 4 oclock. If you have a weak stomach or hate reading about bodily functions, please move down to the cute pictures taken this morning. So, Anna was just sitting on our bed playing with a rattle when she looked at me. She made a face and I said "Great, I think she is pooping!" It quickly changed to "Aaaaah!! She's pooping everywhere!!!" We had been told she goes every other day and this had been 3 days (on stool softener no less). Her first poop as a Sneller was one for the record books. She was screaming , we were running around, trying to strip her down and get her into the tub (which she hates even when the world is calm). Once we got her cleaned up, we had to track down all the places in the hotel room which she hit. Then we called housekeeping for backup. They showed up prepared to change her bed and we said, no our bed. Down to the mattress pad. We enjoyed our evening out at Pizza Hut and came back to a clean room Gotta love 5 star hotels. Needless to say, we won't be loosening her up anymore and hopefully we'll be in a hotle next time too if it's nearly this bad. Thankfully we weren't on a airplane or in a taxi. Yikes.


Check out our cutie this morning.

She loves to clap, especially when we tell her to in chinese!

Thanks for your comments. We are off to Guangzhou tomorrow afternoon, but we should post before then.

Tian Wang Pagoda

Today is Wednesday. It finally stopped raining today so we went out with our guide to see the best sight in Nanchang. The Tien Wang Pavilion was first built in the 7th century and has been rebuilt 29 times. Anna took a short nap on Daddy's chest while we looked around and watched a show. It was nice to get out of the hotel and not be wet! Anna was given a piece of wrapped candy by a Chinese man and now it is her favorite toy. She is pretty easy to please!

We followed up the tour with lunch at Mcdonalds. The taxi driver wanted to take us to a KFC "Aren't they the same thing? I can't tell them apart!" We've enjoyed the Chinese food but McD's in China just tastes better than in the States.

Hopefully Anna will take a long nap like she did yesterday. She slept last night from 9 until 5:15 with out waking up. It felt great.Daddy is in love!

Anna's great half smile- love the expressive eyebrows. She is cutting her first 3 teeth- 2 on bottom one on top.
Anna and her new Mommy and Daddy- she's holding her candy!

Daddy's Girl!

This morning we spent doing paperwork and interviews. We promised several times to never abandon Anna and to take good care of her. She did a great job hanging out in offices and in our car, mostly in the Baby Bjorn on Daddy's chest. Anna has decided she likes her Daddy and thinks he is very funny, even when he plays rough with her. A good thing because our house is pretty rough. The best laughs came from making her dance.


She is a sweet, chill baby except when she is mad. So far, today has been great. She has been eating and taking her bottle. Guess I better learn how to make congee, especially the kind with the 1000 year eggs, the nasty grey green eggs.


On a deep note, the orphanage brought us the clothes she was wearing when she was found, pictures of the building where she was found, and my journal of questions filled with answers. The most touching we read last night was how thankful they were that we were going to love her and give her a great family and life. They were really worried about her that she might not survive her condition and surgery. We think she is doing well and are hopeful that she won't need anymore surgery, but we will have to wait and see. So far, she's eating well and acting sweet. She is very curious and observant. We are so grateful to be her parents and grateful to the orphanage for giving her the ability to be loved. Nice giggles while dancing with Daddy.

Asleep while at the notary office.
Mommy can get smiles too! Love the tongue!

WE GOT HER!!

Well, here she is!! We spent the morning trying to distract ourselves. Shopping, hair wash and hair cut for Chris, changing money, eating. After we waited around for a while, it was 3:00 and time to go! We crossed the crazy street frogger style and went to meet our girl.

Anna was not so happy to meet us. She was ok and then Chris got too close and she let loose. She calmed down for a while but when we got back, she had had enough of us. She was hungry, tired and had a bit of a stuffy nose. She finally fell asleep on my chest and slept for 30 minutes before waking up angry. After a leisurely bottle (over an hour) she was happy. She even gave Chris a little laugh. She seems shy but feisty. Here are some pics and we are off to bed (Anna is already out- no tears this time).


Anna and Mommy for first time together.
I don't like that butterfly before nap.
Caught a happy smile! These people might be ok after all.

Made it to Nanchang

Us at Yuyuan gardens in Shanghai
Ship in the fog on the Huangpu river


Well, we are in Nanchang. We had fun with some friends in Shanghai. They stuffed us with yummy Chinese food and took us to some touristy places we haven't been to in a while. It was drizzly all day but nothing like the downpour in Beijing.

We sat at the Starbucks in Pudong on the Huangpu River and watched boats go by. We got to ride on the ferry boat (a secret we didn't know about when we lived in China) for only 2 yuan. What a deal.

A note to our boys:

We have been on a boat, 4 airplanes and many taxis. We saw some big twin boys today that were fighting with each other and it made us miss you!! Hope you are having fun with Mimi and Pops (and being sweet too!) We will get baby Anna very soon. We love you!

Hope to post some amazing pics tonight!! Thanks for your comments, keep them coming. Our internet in nanchang is great so far but won't be as great when we switch to Guangzhou on Friday.

We are in China

Well, we made it to China.  It was a smooth flight and our luggage all made it.  So far so good.

We are staying with some good friends in Beijing and we'll head to Shanghai this evening. Last night as we were heading out to dinner, the largest thunderstorm we have ever seen in China, broke lose.  It was just like the craziest flashfloods in Houston.   That didn't keep us from the best Chinese food we've had in a long time.   We drove through intersections where the red lights weren't working.   In the states, everyone would stop and try to take turns, here, it was everyone plow into the intersection at the same time and see if you  can get through.  Chris walked  back with our friend and they waded through knee deep water.  Hopefully, we won't see anymore crazy nasty weather like that on our trip.

48 hours until we get Anna!! 

Packing up

Well, we are busy tying up stuff at home. We received the actual TA letter today from FedEx. We took one last mini vacation- our last as merely a family of 5! The boys went fishing for the first time. Quite an experience. When Chris threw the first fish back in the river, it floated. Yikes. The boys were wailing. Then we got some good time in throwing rocks and splashing in the Guadalupe.

We used our Sea World season passes (thanks Grandma and Grandpa!) to watch a few shows and eat some popcorn. We thankfully were not among the poor down-trodden sunburnt people who toughed out the whole day in the Texas summer sun. We just did the evening. Just right. Now the boys are with Mimi and Pops while we finish packing and other stuff. Being focused just seems easier without swordfights going on. What is Anna going to think about her brothers!!!

Chris and I will have access to comments to our blog while we are in China, hopefully. Please send comments and blogger will forward them to us.

Here is our itinerary:

Thurs June 12- Leave for Beijing and Shanghai to visit friends
Sunday june 15- Fly to Nanchang, Jiangxi Province's capital city
Monday June 16- GOTCHA DAY- Get Anna!!!!!!
Tues-Friday- Paperwork and sightseeing in Nanchang
Fri June 20- Fly to Guangzhou
Sat- Medical Exam
Sun- Paperwork party, Chris leaves to come home
Mon June 23- Consulate Appt
Tues June 24 Pick up Anna's visa, Daniel's surgery in Chicago- PRAY
Wed June 25- Fly from Guangzhou to BJ, BJ to Chicago- PRAY
Friday ish- Anna and mommy back to Houston
July 4ish- Rest of Snellers back to Houston

I think that is correct. Please pray on other days as well, those are just the 2 trickiest days on the schedule, at least from our planning mindset. Pray Daniel's surgery goes flawlessly and that he has a great attitude. Pray for me as I fly with Anna that everything goes smoothly. A praise already is that there are other families from our agency on the same flight so I have friendly back up!! Yeah!

Zai jian!!