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, August 24, 2010

1st Day of School

School started yesterday.
Have you ever wanted to choke a kid?
Oh, yeah - if you have one, then of course, you've wanted to at some point!

After the boys left, I was cleaning and found some papers.
Oopps, there was Austin's summer assignment for Civics class.
Was it done, and he'd simply forgotten to take it? NO!
Had I reminded him various times over the summer that it need to be done? YES!
Had he even started it? NO!
Has he had it since June? YES!
Was I ready to choke him at that point? YES!

I texted him.
Here's how it went:
Oh my gosh - here's ur summer civics assignment! U didn't do it and it's 150 pts!
It's ok - I don't have civic till next semester.
(Keep in mind that would be okay - IF he had known that all along. He didn't. He just found out his schedule 2 weeks ago.)
Why do u have ur phone out in class?
Why r u texting me during school?
Don't change the subject!

I WILL survive! - Won't I???

Austin's 1st Day as a Senior


Darrell's 1st Day as an 8th Grader


Leila - Just Because

1 comment:

Susan said...

I hope you'll survive! Otherwise, I have no hope for the future with my older two :)

August 25, 2010 at 5:02 AM

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