We’re David and Lois McBeath. We live in Point Pleasant, WV – a small town along the Ohio River on the western side of the state. We have 2 sons. Austin is 15. He’s a sophomore at Pt. Pleasant High School. Darrell is almost 12. He’s in the 6th grade at Roosevelt Elementary.
We actually began our adoption journey more than 10 years ago. I saw an ad in the newspaper about Chinese babies. We called about it, but it just wasn’t even feasible at that time in our life. All these years, it was always there, stuck somewhere in the back of our minds. I don't know why exactly – it just was. The thought never completely went away.
We also talked off and on about having another child. Our house was only 3 bedrooms, and we know the boys could have been in a room together, but we didn't want to do that if we didn't have to. In the spring of 2006, for some reason (I don't recall exactly what) - it came up again. We started thinking and talking - why not? So we started checking into it more. We did a lot of research online. The more we found out, the more we felt a calling, a desire and even a need to do this.
We started the adoption and added onto the house all at the same time. It took about 6 months to get the paperwork together. Then about another month after we sent it to China for them to translate it and 'log us in' (11/6/06). That's when we started to officially wait.
We finally got "THE CALL" on 7/13/08. It was a Sunday afternoon! After 2 ½ years, we are finally going to get our baby!


Leila Ann McBeath, formally known as Shun Xi Yi, was born on Oct 29, 2007. She had a cleft lip and cleft palate. The lip has been repaired, but not the palate. (We'll have to do that when we get her home.) She's in the Children's Welfare Institute of Shunde District of Foshan City, which is located in the Guangdong Province, in the southern part of China.

Shunde, the hometown of flowers, is one of four cities under the jurisdiction of Foshan City. Covering an area of 806 sq meters and with a population of 1.05 million, Shunde City is situated in the middle of the fertile Pearl River Delta, between Guangzhou and Hong Kong. It was set up as a county in the 3rd year (1452 AD) of the Jintai reign of the Ming Dynasy (1368-1644), and conferred with the administrative status of a city in 1992 by the State Council.

Foshan City is also where the actor Bruce Lee was from.

Tuesday, December 29, 2009

Calendar Girl

Christmas is over, but I just have not had the time to post anything.
Between, well, Christmas (trying to prepare, have and then recuperate from that) trying to restore the things I lost on my computer, doctor's appts, wrestling, the new puppy and life in general - I've been busy.

Leila had her yearly check-up in Columbus on the 22nd with the cleft team.
She has one tooth that has a cavity in it.
Actually it's only part of a tooth - it's the one beside the hole in her gum.
I don't think it has enamel on part of it, which would definitely help explain the cavity.
We're going back to Columbus in Jan to have that tooth fixed.
Yeah, I know it's a children's hospital and all that.
I know they're used to working with kids.
BUT, having her mouth messed with is not something she's particularly fond of.
They said they don't plan to put her to sleep, so we'll see how that goes.
Other than that - she's good to go for another year.

Christmas was good.
We went to my aunt and uncle's for Christmas Eve.
Christmas morning and afternoon was spent here at home, and then we went to Mom and Dad's for Christmas night.

Leila liked it, but I think next year, she'll 'get' it more.
I have a feeling, she'll be really wild then.
She does love the candy though.
Getting her to eat 'real' food is turning out to be a bit of a fight when there's still so much Christmas candy in the house.
Santa also left candy canes on the tree. It sure didn't take long for her to find those either.
It was just too neat being able to pick one off your own personal candy tree anytime.
After a day of that, we had to take them all off and hide those.

We got our annual 2010 calendar from America World.
(Our adoption agency sends out a calendar each year to all AWAA families, and in the fall, you have the opportunity to submit your child's picture for the calendar contest.)
Leila's picture is on Dec! She's not the big picture for the month, but she's one of the little pictures along the bottom of the page.
I love getting the calendar with all the cute kids anyway - and I think it's really nice that our agency does that.
But it was extra nice this year, to have our little 'calendar girl' in it.


Christmas Sunday


Cookies for Santa


Stocking Time


Our Princess


A New Game for Darrell


A New Hat for Austin

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