Home.

Call it the luck of Sammy. Or Mira. She is famous for this kind of thing.

We got to the airport before dawn on Wednesday, but needn't have rushed. Guangzhou's new air traffic control system and Northwest's computers failed at the same time. Our flight departed two and a half hours late, leaving no chance of making our connection in Tokyo. But by the time we landed at Narita, the airline had put together a new itinerary for us. Net-net: we made one less stop and got home two hours earlier than planned. Lemons, meet lemonade. Sweet.

We flew from Tokyo to Detroit, and cleared immigration there. On all our flights, Sammy was a dream. He loved the whoosh of the engines and was completely occupied with the contents of the seat pockets in front of him.

We were the last to board the plane to La Guardia. As we did, Sammy gave high fives to his fellow passengers all the way down the aisle. This flight takes less than two hours. After so much time in the air, we felt like we were landing right after takeoff. We touched down at 5:10 PM, twenty-five hours after we had left our hotel.

Jaclyn had scheduled her day tightly; our revised itinerary meant she had to scramble to get to the airport in time for our arrival. But she and Jolie made it, as did our friend Matt Perlman, with his daughter, Maggie, who is Mira's buddy. Matt and Maggie were also kind enough to videotape Sammy's homecoming. Many of the pictures you see here are from their tape. We adore Matt, his wife Kate, and their daughters Maggie and Olivia. We were touched that Matt and Maggie shared this moment with us.

From the top of the escalator, Sam in my arms, I saw Jaclyn in baggage claim. One of my great pleasures is to watch my wife with our children. It's like standing next to a fire, all light, all warmth. You can imagine how good it felt to take in the moment when she got to hold Sam for the first time. I loved it.

I also loved getting to hug my other daughter again. I missed Jolie so much on this trip that it hurt. She has been excited about having a brother. Now that she has Sam, I don't think she has left his side for a moment in the time we have been home.

In baggage claim, we let the kids play for quite a while. Maggie had brought paper and markers, so Sam got to show off his artistic skills, and to be doted on by the ladies. Finally we made the long drive home. All the way, I marveled at how completely natural it felt to have Sam here and for us all to be together. The only thing that felt odd was that nothing about it felt odd.

All that remained was for Sam to meet the pups.

Mira and I went into the house first to give everybody hugs and let them work off some of their excitement. Then we brought in Sam. You may recall my concern that he would be afraid. Well, he was. Big time. The puppies were on their best behavior, but it was all too much for the little guy. Now, however, two days later, he is 90 percent okay with them, just a bit wary of the big dudes. By the end of the weekend I'm sure he will be completely good to go.

Slammin' Sam has a lot of people to meet in the coming days and weeks. His mom and I have a lot of people to thank for their kindness and generosity. This is an incredible time. We are simply overjoyed to have this wonderful boy in our lives.

Home.

I am very glad to be home, and greatly look forward to the next chapter. But I am also going to miss this wonderful adventure. And I will miss the pleasure of trying to recount bits of it here to the extent that I could. Thank you for reading. Thanks to those of you who have written. Thanks for being part of Sam's story.

Here, we joined a large number of other families in a waiting area. I queued up to have an officer behind a window confirm my identity. I swore that everything Jaclyn and I had said and written was true. Then, I received a sealed package. It contains virtually every critical document. Sometime on Wednesday, I will present it unopened to an immigration officer. Then we will step over a line that puts us officially in the U.S. We will still have some flying to do, but we will be home.

Jaclyn has kept me up to date on all the extremely kind things our friends in New York and Connecticut have done while Mira and I have been away. Thank you all so very much. Also, Mira and I were touched by how many best wishes we have received by email. I hope we replied to each one. If we missed any, I apologize.

I have a son. Sammy is a beautiful little guy. I am thrilled beyond words. I also have had the rare honor of spending every minute of two weeks with Mira, a memory I will treasure forever. This despite the outcome of our foosball championship, which Mira won, three games to two, taking the final game by a score of 10-9. I demand a rematch.

We will be home Wednesday night. I will add a final entry at the end of the week. Thank you for visiting. I hope you have enjoyed our stories and pictures.

Today I felt suspiciously like weatherman Phil Connors, sent on assignment to Punxsutawney, caught in an infinite loop where every day is Groundhog Day and starts when the alarm radio goes off at six o'clock and "I Got You Babe" blares. Even Mira, when a taxi pulled over to take us back to the hotel, asked if this wasn't the same driver we had yesterday...

Mira drew a crowd today with her shuttlecock-kicking skills. And Sam is turning out to be quite the ladies man. I don't know if you can tell from the pictures, but his eyelashes ought to be registered. They are dangerous. All the girls in shops absolutely swoon.

Today I found peanut M&Ms, so you can imagine the heights of my euphoria. I also found children's food that is scientifically formulated to deliver high volumes of potent nutrients. I insisted that the kids eat lots of it. Fortunately, the food is cleverly made to look like marshmallows. That's my story, darling, and I'm sticking to it.

Mira writes:

I have been here before. The last time was four years ago. Guangzhou has changed a lot since then. You hear about China becoming more modern and you can sure see it here. You can tell that people have a lot more. They wear nicer clothes and there are a lot of nice stores. But it is a lot more crowded too. And the air is dirtier.

Most people in China live in the countryside. They are still very poor and live the way they did a long time ago. So one thing I have learned is that when you think of China you can't think of it in as one thing. It is a big country with over a billion people. It is complicated.

Today was a gorgeous day in Guangzhou, and we had a fantastic time. Sammy kicked things off with a physical examination that is required by the U.S. government for his visa. Most kids scream their bottoms off for this, but not our Sammy. He blew kisses to the staff when we went into the clinic. He sang along to the tune the ENT doc played on a toy keyboard during the hearing test. He gave another doctor a big hug when it was time to take his temperature. That may have been out of relief that the thermometer went under his arm, if you catch my drift. Finally, an attractive female doctor checked his heart and lungs, and gently made sure his genitalia were in good working order. Sam purred like a kitten. I signed up for an exam myself.

We then spent a bit of time working with our facilitator to make sure everything is in order with our papers for the U.S. Consulate. Then we were off.

In a lovely park by the Pearl River, Mira and I saw small groups of people playing a game that looked fun. I have no idea what it is called, but in it, a circle of usually four or five people kick to each other what looks like a badminton shuttlecock. Instead of a plastic cone, this shuttlecock has feathers. Instead of a ball, it has a stack of disks that create a spring effect. Intrigued, we went to a small sporting goods shop and loaded up on shuttlecocks.

This looked like an easy game. That should have been a warning to me. Mira mastered it immediately and ground me into the dust. She played for hours. Couples young and old approached to ask if they could play. They were all quite good, and very, very nice. It was great fun. Everyone was kind enough to occasionally toss the shuttlecock to Sammy. It was my job to chase him down before he could throw it into the river. I'm pleased to report that, while one of our shuttlecocks is on its way to the South China Sea, Sammy is safe, sound, and dry.

We are having a lot of fun. Sammy and I like to play ball. He is pretty good at it too. Today we went back to a playground we found near the White Swan hotel. It is a funny place. They have slides and seesaws and stuff, but also exercise equipment for grown-ups. They use it, too. But while they exercise, they smoke! It's the funniest thing.

We have been here over a week now. I think my Dad is ready to go home. He doesn't like Chinese food, and, well, that's about all there is here. So, he is hungry a lot of the time. He treated me to a meal at McDonalds, but he doesn't eat meat, so it really didn't help him. He did eat a lot of french fries though.

I took a lot of pictures tonight, mostly of Sammy while he was having his bottle. But you couldn't see his face through the bottle, so I'm not putting them on the blog. I also took the one here of my dad with Sam. They like each other a lot.

This morning while I was finishing in the shower, Sam stood outside the bathroom door calling out "Baba, baba." That is the Chinese word for Papa.

In this process, when you first meet the child, he or she is just that: a child. It doesn't immediately feel like this is your child, not completely anyway. That takes a few days. At the very least, the initial shock that this has actually happened, that your long wait is really over, takes some time to wear off. But then a moment comes when it hits you. It is true in your head and true in your heart: this is your child. It is a moment of bliss.

Then you learn the details of how your child came to be in the care of the State.

That point came for me at about ten o'clock this morning. I wasn't ready, and despite having been down this road before, I was staggered. The details are immaterial. They belong to Sam; I haven't the right to disclose them. What I can tell you is that we spent a beautiful, joyful afternoon at an amusement park in the heart of the city. And every time I looked at my son, laughing on a ride with my daughter, or enjoying an ice cream treat, I could not contain my love for him. But it also took every bit of my strength to keep from collapsing in tears.

I've been asked a couple of times why an adoption trip in China takes two weeks. To be quite honest, even after three times, I haven't got a clue. It's not like you are constantly occupied with official proceedings. If anything, the business of all this takes only a small fraction of your time. For the rest of it, you wait for one document or another to be finalized, get to know your kid, and find entertaining things to do.

We did that today by heading back to Shamian Island, the most beautiful part of Guangzhou. I think I walked Mira's and Sam's legs off. It was a lovely day, and in the afternoon we found a playground in a residential area. In no time Mira had taught Sam the art of the slide.

Yesterday we visited two temples, and I learned a lot about Buddhism. It is one of the major religions in China. A lot of Buddhism is about how to be happy by not getting too attached to things, because everything changes, and by thinking the right thoughts and doing the right work. I think it basically means you will be happy if you are good and do good. A lot of people were praying at the first temple we went to, and there were a lot of monks, too. It was very interesting.

I want to say hi to all my friends and to thank everyone who has sent me emails. My mom and sister Jolie saw Isabel Berch at the movies. They saw Enchanted. I can't wait to see it myself. It isn't playing here yet. So, when I come back, tell me how it is!

Today we had no official business to conduct, so Mira and I took the new guy touring. Being almost a local, we thought Sam would have an idea or two about interesting things to see. No such luck.

So we covered familiar ground and ran over to the Six Banyan Temple, which is a very cool spot, an active place of Buddhist worship with buildings about a thousand years old.

Then we went full metal tourista and hit the Chen family temple, not nearly as old but oh-so ornate, and a good place just to hang out for a while. We looked around, loaded up on tchotchkes, and called it a day.

One of the interesting surprises about this trip is that, in a way, it brings some things very close to full circle.

Eight years ago, Jaclyn and I traveled to China for the first time. We came for Mira, who was then eleven months old. I instantly fell in love with her, and also with this warm, fascinating country, the only place on earth other than home I am sad to leave. Now we are here again, she no longer an infant, but a kind and capable young woman who I admire more every day as I watch her care for her new brother.

Last Thursday, before we left to meet Sam, Mira watched while I sat at the desk and organized my papers, including a stack of crisp hundred-dollar bills. I explained to her that we were making a donation to the orphanage where Sammy had lived. She asked why, and I told her that we want to do everything we can to help them take care of other children like Sam.

Mira walked over to her nightstand, took out her wallet, and brought me some of the money she had saved for this trip. "I want to be part of the donation," she said. "Please let me help too."

There are times when I look at my children and cry. Mira saw this one coming. She gave me a kiss on the cheek and said: "It's okay, Papa."

Today I learned a little about where Sam is from. He was born in the city of Dong Guan. About 3 million people live there. But about 6 million people work there. They have a lot of factories. In fact, every time you see "Made in China" on something, it was probably made in Dong Guan.

We won't be going to Dong Guan on this trip, but someday we will visit so Sammy can see the city he was born in.

I miss all my friends and my teacher Mrs. Oliver. I can't wait to see everyone soon.

- Mira

So today we thought it would be fun just to explore the very crowded pedestrian malls that surround our hotel, which of course it wasn't. We also had to face the fact that Mira's homework assignments aren't going to get done by the housekeeping staff, so we took advantage of a rainy day and put our noses to the grindstone.

Mira and I did engage in our now-obligatory daily grudge match foosball game, which is played on a beat-up but playable table on the roof next to the pool. Today's contest ended in a three-games-all tie. Sam is the ball boy. During long rallies he entertains himself by making a break for the pool with dad and sister screaming in hot pursuit. With any luck you won't be reading newspaper accounts of this peculiar diversion ending sadly.

Today's Sam Moment: At dinner I gave him a plate of cut-up spaghetti and handed him a fork, which he promptly put down. He took two toothpicks out of my sandwich, and used them as chopsticks. Sam is two, and just a bit on the resourceful side, don't you think?

We are staying at a Holiday Inn located in a part of Guangzhou that isn't as tourist oriented – or, plainly speaking, adoptive family oriented – as other parts of the city. But it is quite nice and very friendly. Still, we longed for the storied White Swan hotel and its happy memories from previous trips, so today we took a taxi over for a visit. For those with similar memories of the White Swan, you will be pleased to know that almost nothing has changed. We strolled through the same shops with mostly the same stuff. We sat in the same lounge as eight years ago – and then again four years ago – and whiled away time in the same plush red chairs. We took pictures with the lobby waterfall as a background, just like everyone who has ever stayed at the White Swan.

We continued our trip down memory lane by spending most of the afternoon on the patio at Lucy's, a restaurant loosely modeled on a 1950s-era American diner. Again, veterans of the White Swan will likely remember Lucy's fondly. Little has changed, including the menu, which is a good thing. Not so good is that the adjoining mini-amusement park, which dated back to the 1930s, is gone. No one around Lucy's knew why it had closed. Most didn't know it had been there at all. My guess is that rust simply got the better of it.

Here is the Sam special moment of the day. At Lucy's, I spoon-fed him a bowl of conji. A few minutes later, he took a few french fries from Mira's plate, dipped one in ketchup, and held it out for me to eat. He fed me five or six fries this way, nodding approvingly after I ate each one.

- Ted

Last night, after a traditional Cantonese dinner, not to be mistaken for an edible one, we gave Sammy a bath, and he got a great night's sleep. This morning he woke up ready to play.

Today was the official adoption. Mira, Sam and I, guided by our facilitator, made our way to Civil Affairs for the proceedings. Afterwards, we hit a couple of stores and loaded up on supplies. Then we went out for a nice lunch, after which we headed back to the hotel for nap time. Mira and I decided we didn't need a nap, so we played Sam's second-favorite game, which is playing catch with a small football. We make the game challenging by bouncing the ball off Sammy's head. Most of the time he laughs.

What is his favorite game, you ask? Sammy really likes to run full speed toward a desk in the room and drop into a slide one heartbeat before smashing into the edge. He times it just right. Usually. We keep an ice bucket fully stocked just for compresses.

Tonight we're having a traditional Mandarin dinner.

Mira and I want to thank everyone who has written. We will be replying to everyone as soon as we can. We've got a nice kid here, and we are having a ton of fun.

- Mira, Sam & Ted

Hi everybody -

Sammy really likes to play, and we play catch a lot. But today, when we were at the office on the 10th floor where we officially adopted Sam, he decided it would be fun to play with my wallet. Then he decided it would be even more fun to throw my wallet out the window. And yes, it had a little money in it.

Sammy is really cute. I really like his buzz cut. I'm not sure if I like that he likes to walk around naked. But he is a lot of fun. Sometimes he runs into things, though, and not always by accident. But sometimes I forget that he is still a baby, because he really acts grown up.

This is a nice trip, but I miss all my friends. "Hi" to everyone. I miss my Mom a lot, too, and I really missed Thanksgiving. Also, I wish I could have been there for my sister Jolie's birthday. Happy birthday, Jolie! You are really going to love Sammy!

I will write more in a couple of days.

Bye,
Mira