Waiting for Helen Once we arrived at our hotel (the Galactic Peace International Hotel), Karin and Laura pass the time waiting for Helen to arrive. Date: 07/15/2007
Jumping Up and Down Inside! Rachel patiently waits for the knock on the door that signals Helen is here!! Date: 07/15/2007
Big Sister and Helen Laura holds Helen for the first time and tells her how much she loves her. Date: 07/15/2007
Checking out Big Sister Helen checks out Laura. Date: 07/15/2007
Olson Girls The two Olson girls, together for the first time. Date: 07/15/2007
New Sisters - Quiet Moment Laura and Helen spend a quiet moment together. Date: 07/15/2007
Dad & Helen Helen and her new daddy, right after we met. Date: 07/15/2007
Orphanage Workers These are two caregivers from the orphanage, plus the vice-director of the orphanage (in the center). Date: 07/15/2007
Grandma Snuggle! Laura and Helen both snuggle with Grandma Olson Date: 07/15/2007
New Sister Helen gets checked out by her new sister Laura. Date: 07/15/2007
New Experience So much attention from these strange people! Date: 07/15/2007
Gentle Introductions Mom tells Laura and Helen that they are sisters now! Date: 07/15/2007
Helen and Mommy Rachel and Helen on "gotcha day", July 15, 2007. Date: 07/15/2007
Little Peanut Lots of hugs for the new little Olson family member. Date: 07/15/2007
Helen and Mama Proud mom Rachel and her new daughter. Date: 07/15/2007
Our New Daughter We are so glad we finally got to meet you! Date: 07/15/2007
Big Smile From Helen Rachel got Helen to smile by making some funny faces. Date: 07/15/2007
Laughing Helen Helen laughs as mom tickles her. Date: 07/15/2007
Helen Welcome to our family, Helen! Date: 07/15/2007
More Helen We love you! Date: 07/15/2007
And More Helen We want to show you how much we love you! Date: 07/15/2007
Still More Helen We can't get enough of you! Date: 07/15/2007
All Snuggly Rachel carries Helen in her new sling. Date: 07/15/2007
First Dinner with Helen Our first meal with Helen was at the buffet restaurant at the hotel. Date: 07/15/2007
Helen Up Close Helen on Monday, our second day together. Date: 07/16/2007
Little Peanut Helen Helen is very small for her age. Date: 07/16/2007
Little "An An" Helen's nickname in the orphanage was "An An". Date: 07/16/2007
Big Sister and Helen Laura with her new little sister. Date: 07/16/2007
New friends Someone to play with! Date: 07/16/2007
Lots Of Fun It will be fun to watch Laura and Helen grow up as sisters. Date: 07/16/2007
Waiting with Mom Helen and Rachel wait while some adoption paperwork is taken care of. Date: 07/16/2007
Jiangxi Adoption Service Here we are at the Jiangxi Province Center of Adoption Service. For more about our day in adoption processing, see our blog. Date: 07/16/2007
Laughing With Mama Rachel got Helen to laugh when we were at the adoption center. Date: 07/16/2007
Center of Attention Helen is getting a lot of attention these days! Date: 07/16/2007
Helen and Caregivers Helen with mom and two of the caregivers from her orphanage. They brought her to us in Nanchang, a half-day trip from Shangrao. Date: 07/16/2007
Helen and Caregivers, with Dad We're very grateful for the care that these caregivers gave to Helen. It's obvious they really loved little An An. Date: 07/16/2007
Waiting For Paperwork We waited (but not too long) for some of the adoption paperwork to be done. Date: 07/16/2007
Helen and Mommy Helen and Rachel wait out the adoption proceedings. Date: 07/16/2007
Jeff & Helen Dad and Helen spending a little quality time together. Date: 07/16/2007
A Kiss for Helen Just a little peck on the head. Date: 07/16/2007
Helen Snuggle Dad and Helen have a little snuggle time. Date: 07/16/2007
Mom's Lap Helen gets a chance to spend some time on mom's lap as they sit by the pool. Date: 07/16/2007
Not Sure About All This... Helen looks a little bit unsure about things. Date: 07/16/2007
Helen Helen sits contently. Date: 07/16/2007
Grandma Olson & Helen Grandma Olson gives Helen a little kiss. Date: 07/16/2007
Proud Grandma This is grandchild number six for Grandma Olson! Date: 07/16/2007
Grandpa Olson & Helen Grandpa Olson takes a look at his third granddaughter. Date: 07/16/2007
Helen Grabs the Glasses Helen found Grandpa's glasses lots of fun to play with. Date: 07/16/2007
Proud Grandpa Helen, we're proud to have you as part of the Olson clan! Date: 07/16/2007
Olson Family - New & Improved Our first family photo with all four of us. Date: 07/16/2007
Mom & Dad & Laura & Helen All four of us smile for the camera. Date: 07/16/2007
One Big Happy Family We're glad that God brought both daughters into our family. Date: 07/16/2007
The Olson Zoo The Olsons at the Zoo...how appropriate. Date: 07/17/2007
Helen and Elephant Helen is oblivious to the world as she drinks her lunch. Date: 07/17/2007
Helen and the Monkeys Helen gets to ride as we look at the monkeys. Date: 07/17/2007
Watermelon Sisters Both Laura and Helen, it turns out, love watermelon! Date: 07/17/2007
Tengwang Pavilion The Tengwang Pavilion is an important landmark in Nanchang...it's situated on the banks of the Gan River. Date: 07/17/2007
Helen at Tengwang Pavilion Mom and Helen at the Tengwang Pavilion Date: 07/17/2007
Feeding Time Rachel gives Helen a yummy meal from a bottle. Date: 07/17/2007
Sleepy Helen Helen gets sleepy on the bed in our hotel room in Nanchang. Date: 07/17/2007
Rocking Game Dad and the girls play a fun game rocking back and forth. Date: 07/17/2007
Giggles Aplenty Lots of smiles from Laura and Helen. Date: 07/17/2007
Tickle Time Helen likes being tickled. Date: 07/17/2007
Star of Nanchang This is a picture of the Star of Nanchang, the tallest ferris wheel in the world, as we approached it. Date: 07/18/2007
Star of Nanchang Up Close For more on our visit to the Star of Nanchang, see our blog. Date: 07/18/2007
525 Feet High The Star of Nanchang ferris wheel is 525 feet high! Date: 07/18/2007
Helen Rides the Wheel Mom holds Helen as we ascend up on the ferris wheel. Date: 07/18/2007
Gettin' Silly With Mom Rachel and Helen get silly while Laura swims in the pool. Date: 07/18/2007
So Big! Helen shows how big she is. Date: 07/18/2007
Helen Thinks Wondering who these weird Americans are... Date: 07/18/2007
Having Fun With Mom Helen laughs with her new mommy. Date: 07/18/2007
Happy Times These are days we will always remember...when Helen joined our family. Date: 07/18/2007
Loving Gaze Helen gazes into mom's eyes. Date: 07/18/2007
Ok, Enough Pictures! Dad, stop flashing the camera at me! Date: 07/18/2007
Taking a Break Helen pauses for a quick break. Date: 07/18/2007
Sitting Up Helen can sit up but can't balance very well yet. Date: 07/18/2007
Mom and the Girls Rachel with her *two* daughters. Date: 07/18/2007
Two Sisters and Mom Rachel, Laura, and Helen together. Date: 07/18/2007
Sitting With Mom Helen sits on mom's lap. Date: 07/18/2007
Bathtime! Helen's first bath by herself (she took one earlier with mom, but sorry, no photos from that! :-) Date: 07/18/2007
Getting Clean! Helen gets scrubbed up. She doesn't like baths much yet. Date: 07/18/2007
All Clean! Helen gets toweled off after her bath. Date: 07/18/2007
Squeaky Clean! Helen all snuggled up in her towel. Date: 07/18/2007
Sleeping Arrangements In our hotel in Nanchang, we had two full-sized beds that we pushed together. Here you can see that Jeff got very little room! Date: 07/19/2007
Tight Grip If Helen gets a toy that she wants to play with, she keeps a death grip on it. Date: 07/19/2007
Helen Olson Portrait 1 of 5; July 19, 2007 Date: 07/19/2007
Helen Olson Portrait 2 of 5; July 19, 2007 Date: 07/19/2007
Helen Olson Portrait 3 of 5; July 19, 2007 Date: 07/19/2007
Helen Olson Portrait 4 of 5; July 19, 2007 Date: 07/19/2007
Helen Olson Portrait 5 of 5; July 19, 2007 Date: 07/19/2007
Helen's First French Fry? Helen tries what is perhaps her first french fry at a McDonalds in Nanchang. Date: 07/19/2007
Nanchang Street Here's us strolling down a street in a shopping district of Nanchang after dinner. Date: 07/19/2007
First Trip Out Of Jiangxi On Friday, July 20th, we left Nanchang to fly to Guangzhou. This was probably Helen's first time to leave her home province of Jiangxi. Date: 07/20/2007
Dad & Helen Almost time to get on the plane. Date: 07/20/2007
Helen & Dad Let's get going! Date: 07/20/2007
Helen's First Plane Ride Are we there yet? Date: 07/20/2007
New Sisters Laura and Helen in the little "kid bed" that Laura got to use at the White Swan Hotel in Guangzhou. Date: 07/20/2007
Big Sister Laura Laura has been doing a great job being a big sister to Helen. Date: 07/20/2007
Matching Jammies Laura and Helen try on some matching pajamas. Date: 07/20/2007
Giggling Sisters Laura and Helen have a little fun together before going to sleep our first night in Guangzhou. Date: 07/20/2007
Tickle Attack! Helen gets attacked by the tickle monster while Laura pretends not to care. Date: 07/20/2007
So Big! As you can see, Laura is quite a bit bigger than her new little sister Helen. Date: 07/20/2007
Uncomfortable Sleep Position Contest Winner Helen has a tendency to move around quite a bit when she sleeps, as this picture demonstrates! Date: 07/21/2007
Medical Exam Helen had a medical exam done at this office in Guangzhou, just a short walk from the White Swan Hotel where we stayed. Date: 07/21/2007
Helen at the Market Helen looks for good deals at the market. Date: 07/21/2007
Another Meal Helen and Rachel prepare for another meal. Date: 07/21/2007
Dinner at Lucy's We had dinner at a restaurant called "Lucy's" near the hotel...it served decent American food. Date: 07/21/2007
Olson Family in Guangzhou The four of us stand by the Pearl River in Guangzhou. Date: 07/21/2007
White Swan Hotel Breakfast This is the restaurant in the White Swan Hotel where we had breakfast each morning. Date: 07/22/2007
The Olsons The six of us (plus Harry) in the White Swan lobby. Date: 07/22/2007
Yummy Lunch Rachel and Helen enjoy the lunch, too. Date: 07/22/2007
Helen Chomps Watermelon Helen gets a big mouthful of some yummy watermelon. Date: 07/22/2007
Olsons and Hus All of us and the Hu family (plus Tao's mother and TJ's mother & father). Date: 07/22/2007
Bath Time...Again? Helen takes another bath and gets toweled off by mom. Date: 07/23/2007
Helen Air Dries Helen gets dried off after her bath. Date: 07/23/2007
Where Are My Clothes? Helen wonders why she is still unclothed. Date: 07/23/2007
Smily Girl Helen grins as she gets dried off. Date: 07/23/2007
Helen Helen and her amazing spiked hairdo. Date: 07/23/2007
Helen again "I wonder when that guy will stop taking pictures of me..." Date: 07/23/2007
Famous Red Couch The red couches at the White Swan Hotel are mildly famous among families adopting from China, as it's tradition to take group pictures there. Date: 07/23/2007
The Kids Laura and Helen and the two other little girls who were being adopted by families through Children's Home (CHSFS) at the same time as us. Date: 07/23/2007
The Girls Another picture of the four girls on the couch. Date: 07/23/2007
Big Sister and Helen Laura and Helen Date: 07/23/2007
Three Chinese Girls The three Chinese girls being adopted. Date: 07/23/2007
Helen in Chinese Dress Helen all dressed up in her traditional Chinese dress, as Laura looks on. Date: 07/23/2007
Helen in Red Helen in her red Chinese dress. Date: 07/23/2007
Helen and Friend Helen and another girl who was adopted at the same time as her. Date: 07/23/2007
Another Picture of the Girls Three of the girls on the red couch. Date: 07/23/2007
New Sisters Laura and Helen on the red couch. Date: 07/23/2007
Helen Tips Over Helen begins to tip over as the photo session ends. Date: 07/23/2007
New Family The four of us pose for a family photo in the beautiful White Swan Hotel lobby. Date: 07/23/2007
Olsons and Molly We pose with our guide, Molly. Date: 07/23/2007
The New Olson Family Mom & Dad and our two girls. Date: 07/23/2007
CHSFS Group Our Children's Home adoption group poses at the White Swan. Date: 07/23/2007
CHSFS Group & Guide Our CHSFS group with our guide Molly. Date: 07/23/2007
Helen's Shop Helen apparently has her own shop in Guangzhou! Date: 07/23/2007
Grandma & Helen Karin holds Helen at our last breakfast in Guangzhou. Date: 07/24/2007
Helen in the Playroom Rachel and Helen in the playroom at the White Swan. Date: 07/24/2007
Marketing R' Us This play room is sponsored by Mattel...gee, I never would have guessed. Date: 07/24/2007
Silly Sculptures Rachel and Helen take a look at more silly sculptures. Date: 07/24/2007
Last Dinner in China This was our last dinner in China...it was a tasty Cantonese meal. Date: 07/24/2007
Last View of China A view of China as we fly back to Minnesota. Date: 07/25/2007
The Long Flight Home This was Helen's first long flight...she did very well, actually, and stayed very happy throughout both long flights (almost 16 hours total!) Date: 07/25/2007
Ready to Get Home Minnesota, here we come! Date: 07/25/2007
Sunset On Our Trip We saw a pretty sunset as we flew out of Tokyo towards home. Date: 07/25/2007
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