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, April 27, 2010

NYC

I went to New York last week. Not we - me.
Some of the people at church were planning a trip, and I decided to go.
It was just a short weekend trip, but it was so good to get away.
We left on Thur evening, drove all night. We got there on Fri morning, had the whole day to do as we wished. Spent the night at a hotel right in Times Square. Had all day on Sat. Got back on the bus on Sat night, and got home on Sun morning.
Very tiring, but worth it.
It wouldn't have been nearly so hard if I could just sleep on the bus. I didn't sleep at all on the way up. I did sleep some on the way back though, but not much.
I have a hard time sleeping in a vehicle. Not at all like David. He's out as soon as he hits the passenger seat (and unfortunately once in a while in the driver's seat too!).
We had 6 in our little 'group'. Me, my mom, my sister-in-law, my aunt, my cousin, and my sister-in-law's sister-in-law.
We went to the Statue of Liberty, up in the Empire State Building, to the Today show, walked out on the Brooklyn Bridge, down into a basement in Chinatown, went to a Broadway show, shopped in Times Square, went to Ground Zero and rode around on a tour bus and looked at countless other things.
It was a very, very busy 2 days.

Times Square


Mom and me at the Statue of Liberty


View from the Empire State Building


Our 'group' at the Today show


Brooklyn Bridge


While I was gone, David and the boys went to a Casting Crowns concert.
Steven Curtis Chapman's sons also performed.
They had great seats.
I was actually supposed to go, but then the trip to NY came up - so I gave my ticket to someone else and went there instead.

Darrell with SCC's sons

1 comment:

E said...

Wow! What a fun times it sounds like you had. Way to go on the spur of the moment :)

May 3, 2010 at 10:51 AM

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