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.
Fall brings a new kind of busy.
Freshman Homecoming
Leila and Gage
Silly Volleyball Girls
In our effort to 'do more', we took a day trip around WV, because although David and I have been to all these places - we realized, Leila has not.
We hit Kanawha Falls, Cathedral Falls, the iconic
Mystery Hole, Hawks Nest and the New River Gorge Bridge all in one day.
David also got away for a few days in September on a fishing trip with his brothers - which was good for all 3 of them.
Halloween meant carving pumpkins and Trunk or Treat. 
We've all been busy, so both Leila and Darrell's birthdays were pretty low key this year.
In November, we traveled to Atlanta for our niece's wedding.
While there, I went to the World of Coke with Austin and Casey.
I really enjoyed both the day and the place.
They had already started decorating for Christmas - which I LOVED.
Wedding that evening was a little cool and drizzly given that the wedding was mostly outside, but not unbearable.
Loved that we got to see family as much as we did this year!
We got Leila a car the end of November.
We weren't really looking for one yet, but we happened upon this one and it seemed like too good of a deal to pass up.
It's not new, but it has low mileage and is all wheel drive - which makes me feel better.
She will be driving before I know it. (And I'm not completely sure either of us are ready for that.)
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