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.

Thursday, December 16, 2010

My Dad

My dad has been having a lot of problems lately.
He's got congestive heart failure.
The fluid is building up really bad. (His legs and feet are swollen so bad that it doesn't even look like he has ankles.)
He spent a day or 2 in the hospital here last week.
Another problem that he's facing is that he HAS to have lasics to get rid of the fluid for his heart, and yet the lasics are destroying his kidneys.
For whatever unknown reason - they sent him home last week without resolving the fluid issue.
Now it's gotten worse.
Yesterday morning early, his defibulator shocked him - 3 times.
Mom took him to the ER.
They then transferred him by ambulance to Cleveland Clinic.
He goes there for 'routine maintence'. He's considered a 'complicated case'.
Here's a little history:
He had an artificial heart valve put in back in 1982. Then later on, he needed another one. That's when they sent him to Cleveland. At that point, they put in another valve and also replaced the 1st one. A few years ago, they sent him back up there to put in a pacemaker/defibulator. (That's gone off more than once since then.)
At this point, they're running tests, but I don't know a whole lot else.
Please keep him/us in your prayers.
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Getting ready for Christmas

I usually get stressed out a little this time of year.
I always think I won't get everything ready in time.
I always do - but there are still times I doubt I'll be able to pull it all off.
It seems even harder this year - with having to go to school!
Last week, I was in a serious tizzy over it all.
Not so much now. I'm going to make it.
At this point, I think I have all my cards done, I'm 3/4 way done wrapping, and all my shopping is done.
I haven't started baking yet, but I'll get there.

Our Advent Calendar


Putting Up The Tree




We even went to see Santa last weekend.
He wasn't nearly as scary as he was last year.
She didn't sit on his lap, but she did talk to him.
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School

Leila started pre-school right after Thanksgiving.
Her pre-school is thru the public school system.
It's all day, 4 days a week.
We're not doing that yet though.
Leila has severe attachment issues and separation anxiety.
It's not that she's NOT attached - rather she's TOO attached.
And it seems as though, she get worse the older she gets.
The only people she will stay with willingly now is the 4 of us and my mom.

The school is wonderful though.
They are really bending over backwards to work with us.
So far, I take her in late (she's not a morning person).
We leave early.
My plan was to gradually stretch her day, and go in a little earlier and leave a little later until she's there all day.
My plan was to also leave her there. So far that hasn't happened.
The school lets me stay there with her. (I'm the only mommy that doesn't drop and leave.)

She likes school.
When I ask her if she wants to go - she always says yes.
She grabs her little backpack and is ready.
However...since school started, she hasn't been sleeping.
Leila has ALWAYS been a good sleeper - 12 hrs at night, and then a 1-2 hr nap.
She now wakes up almost every night and cries for hrs.
We've even cut out naps in at attempt to makes her sleep all night out of sheer exhaustion.
I took her to the doctor too.
We thought that maybe there was a medical reason for this (like an ear infection). Nope.
The doctor thinks it's anxiety related.
She's been home now for over 2 years, she was so young when we got her, and she didn't have any adjustment issues back then - so I didn't think her 'unique situation' (as the doctor calls it), should be causing issues now.
Not so.
The doctor said that studies have shown the 1st year is so very, very important and that it can/will cause issues for years.
Her recommendation is to give it till Christmas and then re-evaluate.
If she's still not sleeping, maybe we need to cut back on school rather than increase the time there.
After all, she is still a very young '3'.
I don't think we should 'drop-out' though. (Wow, a preschool drop-out!)
If nothing else, maybe she should just continue to go one day a week.
That way, she would still get speech, still get some socialization with kids her age, and get her more and more familiar and comfortable for next year.
I'm just not sure right now - this has been very stressful for all of us.

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Thanksgiving

Wow, I am behind on my posts.

I'll start with Thanksgiving.
We surely had a full house here.
Both of David's brothers came into town. (One from MD and one from GA.)
It was a nice day.
I think we had 23 people here for dinner. (Good thing I've got a big kitchen!)

I did go shopping on Black Friday.
Lisa didn't go with me though.
I was really sad about that - I missed her.
She and I ALWAYS go together.
That's 'OUR' day - all ours, all day.
But my sister-in-law went. I've never been shopping with her, and we had a nice time.
She's probably one of the most easy-going people I know.
She never seems to get upset or say anything bad about anyone. (Perhaps I should strive to be more like her!)
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