So, we've been home a week and we are SO thankful!!! We had a rough time getting here as our flight was delayed from HK which caused us to miss our connecting flight in Newark; but, after a 6 hour layover we landed in Jax at 11:30 to an amazing group of friends and family to welcome our sweet princess home!
We stayed up WAY to late that night and the 2 middle kids got up to go to school Friday morning! It was worth it though, and I can guarantee they'd do it again!
We have had some amazing highs over the week and also a couple of lows. It's definitely an adjustment. The time change alone is enough to kill anyone, let alone bringing home a precious treasure that is still learning to trust and on top of that she's 2, and let me just say that 2 knows no country lines!!! 2 is 2 is 2!!!
JG has thoroughly enjoyed spending time with her siblings. She follows them around like a lost little puppy and calls for them constantly if they're not around. It's how we get her up in the morning and after naps. It's such a sweet thing, but it has it's down side. Bed time is ROUGH!!! She hates to say goodnight to them. We are pretty sure she is afraid they won't be there in the morning, it breaks my heart! But, it is a process. She is learning that they will be there when she wakes up, and that is a good thing.
The 3 siblings are LOVING the time with her. When we got our travel dates I was a little unsure of the fact that we would be coming home the last day of school for their Christmas break. All I can say is I'm so thankful that God works His will according to His plans and not my one! (One day I will learn that that is always best...). He knew that she would need them, and this time is something they will never get back.
It has been CRAZY, but it has been crazy GOOD!
God is so good and we are seriously so thankful to be so blessed.
I'm not sure what to even say about Christmas... it was the same... sure it was JG's first Christmas home and that was AMAZING, but it was also a reminder to me of all the precious ones that are still without. Without families, without food, without water, just without. It was a reminder of how blessed we are and how much we have. Even adding a 4th child we were able to get our children exactly what they asked for. We were able to bless our families with gifts and not even bat an eye. We started a tradition a couple of years ago where our children get 4 gifts under the tree (stockings are usually 3-4 items as well, but always just small things). We know that they have so much more than they need so we figured this was a good way to dial the gifts back. It started out feeling so "small" to me. This year, as they were opening gifts, I often thought of the precious children all over the world that were without gifts at all, that would give anything to just have clean water, or more than 1 meal a day to eat. And here we were with more than we could ever dream of, and wanting more! I don't know, Christmas was so much fun to watch our precious new daughter laugh and play and open gifts and meet new family members and play with cousins; but for me it was a little bittersweet. I thought often of the 23 other families that were with us in China celebrating their first Christmas with their newest family members. I could only be so grateful for the sacrifice these families made to put a smile on these precious little ones faces, to give these little ones one of the greatest gifts of all - a family. I could only pray that these little ones would learn the real reason for Christmas, that it was the celebration of Jesus' birth. The birth of the Savior, King, Lord, the Lamb of God, the sacrifice that would one day be made for all of our sins so that we could have a relationship with His father. Oh what a gift!!!!
Prayers that you all had a wonderful Christmas!
Saturday, December 27, 2014
Tuesday, December 16, 2014
Journey to Jadyn Grace... Last 2 days in China
So, we are sitting in our room counting down the last hour. We leave here to catch a train to HK where we will spend the night to wake up for our flight home!
Yesterday, Tuesday, was our US Consulate appt. Praise Jesus her passport made it just in time, with only hours to spare. He is so good at teaching us faith and trust! After our appt we came back to our hotel and did some shopping and had lunch. After nap time we headed to the lobby for a group picture. That was interesting, to say the least! Imagine 24 families, 26 adopted children, and other family members - I believe like 75 in all! After pictures we headed to a cruise on the Pearl River. Jadyn Grace was not to thrilled with it so mommy and daddy did not have a great time, but, we did it, and I think (hope) daddy got some pictures! We came back to our room just in time for bed time, and we all must have been tired cause it's the best we've slept the whole time. We had to wake her up at 8:10!
Wednesday (today) has been very low key. We had breakfast, finished up some shopping, took a nap, had lunch, and are waiting to get her visa and head to the train station. We have had an amazing time getting to know and love on our baby girl, and getting to explore her culture... but oh, I am SO ready to go!!!!!!
Next time I update we will be HOME!!!!
Prayers for safe travels please! We can't wait to see you all!
Yesterday, Tuesday, was our US Consulate appt. Praise Jesus her passport made it just in time, with only hours to spare. He is so good at teaching us faith and trust! After our appt we came back to our hotel and did some shopping and had lunch. After nap time we headed to the lobby for a group picture. That was interesting, to say the least! Imagine 24 families, 26 adopted children, and other family members - I believe like 75 in all! After pictures we headed to a cruise on the Pearl River. Jadyn Grace was not to thrilled with it so mommy and daddy did not have a great time, but, we did it, and I think (hope) daddy got some pictures! We came back to our room just in time for bed time, and we all must have been tired cause it's the best we've slept the whole time. We had to wake her up at 8:10!
Wednesday (today) has been very low key. We had breakfast, finished up some shopping, took a nap, had lunch, and are waiting to get her visa and head to the train station. We have had an amazing time getting to know and love on our baby girl, and getting to explore her culture... but oh, I am SO ready to go!!!!!!
Next time I update we will be HOME!!!!
Prayers for safe travels please! We can't wait to see you all!
Monday, December 15, 2014
Journey to Jadyn Grace... China days 9 and 10
We decided that we would opt out of the group plans on Sunday and Monday. We are just tired and enjoying down time with just Jadyn and us. Sunday we slept in and decided to take a cab to Shamain Isaland. It's the touristy part of where we are. Sweet little shops, beautiful gardens with statues, just a pretty place. We spent about an hour there and did some shopping then we came back to the hotel and spent the rest of the day here. It was nice to just relax and let Jadyn play. We had a group dinner planned that night at an authentic Chinese place. John and I didn't partake (we are scaredy cats) but Jadyn LOVED it!!!! It was cool to sit and talk with other families going through this journey.
On Monday we had NO plans, just to stay and relax. We toured the hotel and found an outdoor playground with slides and a swing. Jadyn was so excited. She played for about an hour and we walked around. We really did nothing, and it was nice!
What we're learning about Jadyn Grace (and she's learning about us)...
- She's what they call "spicy". She is SO strong willed! She knows what she wants and she wants it now!!! She's learning that she is not in charge though. She is learning "no" pretty quickly!
- She's not used to sharing! She does not like it when she has to share, whether food, toys, daddy, anything.
- She is so incredibly sweet. She'll walk up and just lean against you for some love. She loves her daddy.
- She is SMART!!!!!!! She has been with us a week and we are already having to spell things because she understands. She repeats everything. She still says lots of things in Mandarin but English is coming easily.
- WE ARE IN LOVE!!!! She is so smart and cuddly and sweet and happy and giggly!
Thank you all so much for your prayers. We have been so blessed during this entire journey and you have all been a part of it. Our God is a mighty God and He has done amazing things!
On Monday we had NO plans, just to stay and relax. We toured the hotel and found an outdoor playground with slides and a swing. Jadyn was so excited. She played for about an hour and we walked around. We really did nothing, and it was nice!
What we're learning about Jadyn Grace (and she's learning about us)...
- She's what they call "spicy". She is SO strong willed! She knows what she wants and she wants it now!!! She's learning that she is not in charge though. She is learning "no" pretty quickly!
- She's not used to sharing! She does not like it when she has to share, whether food, toys, daddy, anything.
- She is so incredibly sweet. She'll walk up and just lean against you for some love. She loves her daddy.
- She is SMART!!!!!!! She has been with us a week and we are already having to spell things because she understands. She repeats everything. She still says lots of things in Mandarin but English is coming easily.
- WE ARE IN LOVE!!!! She is so smart and cuddly and sweet and happy and giggly!
Thank you all so much for your prayers. We have been so blessed during this entire journey and you have all been a part of it. Our God is a mighty God and He has done amazing things!
Saturday, December 13, 2014
Journey to Jadyn Grace... China day 7 and 8
So, Friday morning we woke up knowing it might possibly be a long day. Our flight was scheduled to leave Wuhan at 7:20. We were to have our luggage out at 2:00, then we would head to the Civil Affairs office to pick up passports for the kids and their final paperwork then head to the airport.
Around 12:00 there was a knock on the door and there was our guide, Echo (whom, by the way, was AMAZING!!!! Another God story that I'll add at the end). She came in and said she had not good news, :/! Apparently, for the first time in 10 years, the officer that had to sign off on our kids passports was not available. She asked why was there not a back up, someone else available in case, she was told no, this person has to sign, he's the only one, and he's not in. ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!?!?!?! Echo told us that one parent from each family was going to go with her into the Civil Affairs office to make sure they understand how extremely urgent this is.
Now let me explain to you how extremely urgent this is, without a passport Jadyn can not get a visa, without a passport or a visa Jadyn can not come home. Our visa appointment at the consulate is at 7:40 Tuesday morning, so her passport HAS to be here before that! Echo, after many conversations and phone calls, got arrangements made to have our documents signed Monday morning and sent via 12 hour shipping to our hotel in Guangzhou. As of right now her passport is supposed to be here by 9:00 Monday night. Talk about cutting it close! We are still PRAYING that this all goes as planned, thankfully there's no weather or anything like that that could cause delay, but we are very anxious!
Anyway, we flew out of Wuhan on time Friday evening and I was TERRIFIED about the plane ride. How was she gonna handle the confinement? Were her ears gonna bother her? Were we gonna have a repeat metldown like Tuesday? Ugh, just so many things in my mind! I was worried for nothing, she did AMAZING!!! She sat in her seat for about the first half then climbed in daddy's lap and was happy the rest of the time. We landed about 9 and caught a bus to our hotel. It was a pretty long night from there. We didn't get check in til about midnight and not to sleep until 12:30. Jadyn had a scream fest for about 20 min but finally gave in and slept until 7:30 this morning.
This morning we had to be in the lobby at 9:30 to catch our bus to the visa medical check. It consisted of 24 families and 26 children getting visa photo's taken, ENT check, general screening, height/weight/temp, and a TB test. It was interesting!!!!! We made it through about the first hour great, then the attitude started emerging, it's amazing how "2 year old" knows no country lines. It translates into any culture. She is just 2, there's no way around it. She screamed the rest of the time, it was ok though cause imagine 24 other families going through the same thing, most of them toddlers... she fit right in! After the dr we made it back to the hotel in time for lunch. A Mcdonald's right across the parking lot, I THINK YES!!!! (And Jadyn loves chicken nuggets!) We made it back to our room just in time for the melt down. After no nap yesterday and not enough sleep last night, we knew it was coming. We did learn that we can tell her to lay on the couch and she will lay there, not happily but hey, we'll take what we can get! It took about 45 min but she finally gave in.
We have enjoyed being back with Dan and Michelle. Their precious girl is so sweet. It has also been cool to see all of these precious little ones interact with each other and their families. Such sweet ones, they are now forever with families that love them!
Quick story about Echo. When we were in Beijing with the Walshes they were talking about their guide the last time they were here. They spoke so highly of her and were so hoping to possibly have her again. Well, we recieved what's called our red book on Saturday evening in Beijing. In that book was an update if there was any, our general itinerary for the rest of the 2 weeks, and our guide information. Our guide, for the 5 days we would be without our friends, would be none other than the very guide they were so fond of, Echo! They were a little jealous, but I know God gave her to us as our comfort while we were away from them.
It's so crazy how He works like that! I just love it!
Around 12:00 there was a knock on the door and there was our guide, Echo (whom, by the way, was AMAZING!!!! Another God story that I'll add at the end). She came in and said she had not good news, :/! Apparently, for the first time in 10 years, the officer that had to sign off on our kids passports was not available. She asked why was there not a back up, someone else available in case, she was told no, this person has to sign, he's the only one, and he's not in. ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!?!?!?! Echo told us that one parent from each family was going to go with her into the Civil Affairs office to make sure they understand how extremely urgent this is.
Now let me explain to you how extremely urgent this is, without a passport Jadyn can not get a visa, without a passport or a visa Jadyn can not come home. Our visa appointment at the consulate is at 7:40 Tuesday morning, so her passport HAS to be here before that! Echo, after many conversations and phone calls, got arrangements made to have our documents signed Monday morning and sent via 12 hour shipping to our hotel in Guangzhou. As of right now her passport is supposed to be here by 9:00 Monday night. Talk about cutting it close! We are still PRAYING that this all goes as planned, thankfully there's no weather or anything like that that could cause delay, but we are very anxious!
Anyway, we flew out of Wuhan on time Friday evening and I was TERRIFIED about the plane ride. How was she gonna handle the confinement? Were her ears gonna bother her? Were we gonna have a repeat metldown like Tuesday? Ugh, just so many things in my mind! I was worried for nothing, she did AMAZING!!! She sat in her seat for about the first half then climbed in daddy's lap and was happy the rest of the time. We landed about 9 and caught a bus to our hotel. It was a pretty long night from there. We didn't get check in til about midnight and not to sleep until 12:30. Jadyn had a scream fest for about 20 min but finally gave in and slept until 7:30 this morning.
This morning we had to be in the lobby at 9:30 to catch our bus to the visa medical check. It consisted of 24 families and 26 children getting visa photo's taken, ENT check, general screening, height/weight/temp, and a TB test. It was interesting!!!!! We made it through about the first hour great, then the attitude started emerging, it's amazing how "2 year old" knows no country lines. It translates into any culture. She is just 2, there's no way around it. She screamed the rest of the time, it was ok though cause imagine 24 other families going through the same thing, most of them toddlers... she fit right in! After the dr we made it back to the hotel in time for lunch. A Mcdonald's right across the parking lot, I THINK YES!!!! (And Jadyn loves chicken nuggets!) We made it back to our room just in time for the melt down. After no nap yesterday and not enough sleep last night, we knew it was coming. We did learn that we can tell her to lay on the couch and she will lay there, not happily but hey, we'll take what we can get! It took about 45 min but she finally gave in.
We have enjoyed being back with Dan and Michelle. Their precious girl is so sweet. It has also been cool to see all of these precious little ones interact with each other and their families. Such sweet ones, they are now forever with families that love them!
Quick story about Echo. When we were in Beijing with the Walshes they were talking about their guide the last time they were here. They spoke so highly of her and were so hoping to possibly have her again. Well, we recieved what's called our red book on Saturday evening in Beijing. In that book was an update if there was any, our general itinerary for the rest of the 2 weeks, and our guide information. Our guide, for the 5 days we would be without our friends, would be none other than the very guide they were so fond of, Echo! They were a little jealous, but I know God gave her to us as our comfort while we were away from them.
It's so crazy how He works like that! I just love it!
Thursday, December 11, 2014
And then there were 3...
I always knew what "mom"/"mama"/"mommy" meant; but these words have taken on a whole new meaning now. "Mama" is the one that loved, nurtured, took care of. "Mommy" is the new one. The one that she's not sure about, the one that kisses her and holds her and rocks her, but she doesn't know yet. I never thought it would hurt so much to be called mommy. I am not mama. I am a stranger, and to her that is mommy.
On the other hand I am SO thankful! Her first mother (whom doesn't have a name) left her at the doorstep of the orphanage with A LOT of information. Her real name, birth information, medical information, everything she would need for a new mother to take perfect care of her. To that precious woman I will forever be grateful! Her "mama" I will forever owe everything to! She is the woman that loved my precious girl. She taught her what it meant to give and receive love, to trust, to be taken care of, everything I could have only dreamed of for her to experience in the beginning of her life!
And then there's me, mommy. Right now to her that means nothing. I cannot wait to show her new meaning to that word. The day she gets hurt or scared and comes crying to me calling "mommy" instead of coming to me crying and looking for "mama"... I just can't imagine the joy I will feel then.
For now, I'm just grateful that she likes me ok. She laughs with me and kisses me and is learning to trust me. I'm grateful for the first 2 that loved her and cared for her until I could get to her!
Thank you mother and mama, you will always be a part of who she is, and because of that we will always love you!
On the other hand I am SO thankful! Her first mother (whom doesn't have a name) left her at the doorstep of the orphanage with A LOT of information. Her real name, birth information, medical information, everything she would need for a new mother to take perfect care of her. To that precious woman I will forever be grateful! Her "mama" I will forever owe everything to! She is the woman that loved my precious girl. She taught her what it meant to give and receive love, to trust, to be taken care of, everything I could have only dreamed of for her to experience in the beginning of her life!
And then there's me, mommy. Right now to her that means nothing. I cannot wait to show her new meaning to that word. The day she gets hurt or scared and comes crying to me calling "mommy" instead of coming to me crying and looking for "mama"... I just can't imagine the joy I will feel then.
For now, I'm just grateful that she likes me ok. She laughs with me and kisses me and is learning to trust me. I'm grateful for the first 2 that loved her and cared for her until I could get to her!
Thank you mother and mama, you will always be a part of who she is, and because of that we will always love you!
Wednesday, December 10, 2014
Journey to Jadyn Grace... China Day 6
Whew, we are officially half way through this trip. Sure, it's not even close to half way on this grand adventure, but we are counting the days to get to go home!
We have loved every minute of being here, learning about our baby girl's culture, watching her learn to trust us, experiencing lots of "new", but to start our new life together at home is weighing on our minds.
Today has been a good day. We went to a park this morning and walked around. Jadyn did good. No melt down while we were out today, which was huge! Today, so far, her only sad time was again before nap time. We were able to hold her off until after lunch, but she was not very happy about it. She's getting better about snuggling when she's tired, so that makes it easier to settle her.
Please pray as we prepare to leave here tomorrow evening (Friday morning at home) that our plane ride to Guangzhou would not be to traumatic. Our flight is during her normal night time sad time, so it should be interesting. Pray for a calm, peaceful, hour and a half flight please.
Thank you all so much for your prayers and encouragement so far. They have been felt and appreciated! God is SO good!
Love you all!
We have loved every minute of being here, learning about our baby girl's culture, watching her learn to trust us, experiencing lots of "new", but to start our new life together at home is weighing on our minds.
Today has been a good day. We went to a park this morning and walked around. Jadyn did good. No melt down while we were out today, which was huge! Today, so far, her only sad time was again before nap time. We were able to hold her off until after lunch, but she was not very happy about it. She's getting better about snuggling when she's tired, so that makes it easier to settle her.
Please pray as we prepare to leave here tomorrow evening (Friday morning at home) that our plane ride to Guangzhou would not be to traumatic. Our flight is during her normal night time sad time, so it should be interesting. Pray for a calm, peaceful, hour and a half flight please.
Thank you all so much for your prayers and encouragement so far. They have been felt and appreciated! God is SO good!
Love you all!
Tuesday, December 9, 2014
How about some PICTURES!!!!!
she was so sweet holding my hand the first night
in the entry way into the Civil Affairs office
inside the Civil Affairs meeting area
first night in hotel
when we first met
she LOVES the ipad
all smiles
second night
Wednesday morning breakfast
bus ride "home"
after a ROUGH morning Tuesday
the only way she will fall asleep
outside of the Hubei museum
Journey to Jadyn Grace... China Day 4
Well, today was interesting to say the least!
Jadyn's normal sleeping routine is nap from 12:30-3:00, bed from 9:30-7:30. Well, nap time yesterday was obviously completely skipped and bed time clearly didn't happen on time.
After falling asleep at 11:00 last night we woke up at 6:30. Holy early after such a late night! She woke up in a decent mood but immediately got out of the bed and again just stood on the side. She was quiet and again just kind of watched as we slowly started getting up. The kids at home were DYING to meet her so we decided to facetime with them. As soon as she saw them she started calling them. She knew exactly who they were, it was so sweet and they were so excited. It was an early morning after not much sleep so there was not a lot of showing off for them. We said our goodbyes and started getting ready for the days event, we had to go back to the Civil Affairs office to finalize the adoption. We got dressed and headed downstairs for breakfast knowing she was ready to eat! And eat she did! Peaches, pears, rice, orange juice, milk, eggs, WOW!, it was impressive. After she ate she became that sweet, giddy, happy baby girl we met yesterday. We hopped on a bus to our paperwork appointment and she nearly fell asleep, obviously exhausted.
We went upstairs and she played for a little while. About 1/2 way through our time there this morning she lost it. I mean complete emotional breakdown! Screaming, crying, hitting, flailing, upset to the point of throwing up. She was soaking wet from sweat as well. After about an hour of that she finally calmed down as we were leaving. She reached out for John and called "baba". As soon as she was in his arms she laid her sweet head on his shoulder and passed out. That was at 11:30 and right now, at 3:15 she is still out! I think between the events of the last 2 days, and sheer exhaustion we could expect nothing else. We are sitting here debating whether or not to wake her up! I want her to go to sleep at a decent time tonight, but I know she needs the sleep. I guess when I finish this post tonight I'll let you know! Until then...
So, she woke up a little sad but had some lunch and from then on we got better and better. She was pretty quiet the whole evening and night but that's ok, she's still judging us and we are fine with that. She will learn that we are going nowhere! We are hers and she is ours forever!
Thank you all again for your prayers. I have a feeling there will be good and bad days mixed together over the next weeks. We love you all and are so thankful!
Jadyn's normal sleeping routine is nap from 12:30-3:00, bed from 9:30-7:30. Well, nap time yesterday was obviously completely skipped and bed time clearly didn't happen on time.
After falling asleep at 11:00 last night we woke up at 6:30. Holy early after such a late night! She woke up in a decent mood but immediately got out of the bed and again just stood on the side. She was quiet and again just kind of watched as we slowly started getting up. The kids at home were DYING to meet her so we decided to facetime with them. As soon as she saw them she started calling them. She knew exactly who they were, it was so sweet and they were so excited. It was an early morning after not much sleep so there was not a lot of showing off for them. We said our goodbyes and started getting ready for the days event, we had to go back to the Civil Affairs office to finalize the adoption. We got dressed and headed downstairs for breakfast knowing she was ready to eat! And eat she did! Peaches, pears, rice, orange juice, milk, eggs, WOW!, it was impressive. After she ate she became that sweet, giddy, happy baby girl we met yesterday. We hopped on a bus to our paperwork appointment and she nearly fell asleep, obviously exhausted.
We went upstairs and she played for a little while. About 1/2 way through our time there this morning she lost it. I mean complete emotional breakdown! Screaming, crying, hitting, flailing, upset to the point of throwing up. She was soaking wet from sweat as well. After about an hour of that she finally calmed down as we were leaving. She reached out for John and called "baba". As soon as she was in his arms she laid her sweet head on his shoulder and passed out. That was at 11:30 and right now, at 3:15 she is still out! I think between the events of the last 2 days, and sheer exhaustion we could expect nothing else. We are sitting here debating whether or not to wake her up! I want her to go to sleep at a decent time tonight, but I know she needs the sleep. I guess when I finish this post tonight I'll let you know! Until then...
So, she woke up a little sad but had some lunch and from then on we got better and better. She was pretty quiet the whole evening and night but that's ok, she's still judging us and we are fine with that. She will learn that we are going nowhere! We are hers and she is ours forever!
Thank you all again for your prayers. I have a feeling there will be good and bad days mixed together over the next weeks. We love you all and are so thankful!
Monday, December 8, 2014
Journey to Jadyn Grace... Gotcha day, Mon Dec 8th... China Day 3
Obviously a HUGE day in this journey, gotcha day came with many surprises and lots of excitement!
Our appointment time was not until 2:30 so we kind of sat around and twiddled our thumbs all day. John, as any of you that know him can imagine, was very fidgety. He couldn't stop messing with stuff, needed to just be there and get it done. I was overcome with an emotion that never occurred to me. I could not stop thinking about what we were about to do to this precious little girl. Sure, we sent her a photo album to be being prepared, but at 2 years old how much can you really understand that you're leaving the only family you've ever known and moving half way around the world with these new people, I mean really! I was consumed with grief and guilt! Now, believe me, I knew without a shadow of a doubt that God placed this little girl in our family, that she was my daughter; but in this moment that was about to occur I was the bad guy, I was the "stranger", I was the one taking her away from all she'd ever known, I was the one turning her world upside down. I could not overcome it. My sadness for her about this was nothing I ever imagined I would feel, I was not prepared for it. Needless to say, I couldn't eat or barely think.
We left for our meeting at 1:30. We arrived 30 minutes earlier than expected so we had to just and wait outside the room in a tiny entrance.
Now, understand, there are 4 families total in this province bringing home their beautiful children. We all are in this small almost entry way/foyer type space right when you get off the elevator. We were told on the way there (3 of us traveled together there as we use the same agency) that our 3 children were all from different parts of the province. One of them about 4 hours away, one of them a couple hours away and our precious one was actually in this city. When we arrived at the civil affairs office we found out that the child from farthest away would be early and that our baby would be probably late.
So picture this... we are sitting in this foyer just off the elevator outside of the office. We know there will be children coming up the elevator but we don't know what order. Every time the elevator lights would come on we'd all hold our breath, then nothing. Suddenly the light stopped at us. The doors opened and out comes this precious 13 yr old boy that immediately knew who his parents were. He ran to them and hugged them and quickly started trying to talk and communicate with them. It was one of the most precious things I'd ever seen in my life, even if it was happening at basically the top of the elevator! At the same time there is a shy, precious little 2 year old boy that is trying to meet his new parents at the same time (the 4th couple from another agency). He was so overwhelmed. I felt so bad for them and those kids right then. We stood there for about 5 more minutes until the office doors opened, without any more babies coming. When we got into the office it was like a big meeting area with offices off the sides and a little play area for the kids. There were couches and tables and chairs and such for us to sit around. The 2 families that had met their children were happily learning about their kids, talking with the representatives from their orphanages, and playing with their boys. Still, the other family and us... we waited, and waited, and waited! Finally the sound of the elevator ding... in walks an adorable little almost 4 year old to meet her forever family. Okay, seriously, it's been over 30 minutes now and our baby girl lives here, where in the world are they?!?!?!?! For 15 more minutes we stood there, watching these precious families meeting and loving on their new babies. Finally, the elevator dinged again and in walked the most precious little girl you have ever seen! She was a little hesitant at first, but we walked over to her and knelt down in front of her and she ran over to us saying "baba, mama" knowing exactly who we were! It was absolutely amazing! We couldn't believe what was happening, it literally was like a dream. She laughed, played, talked, we went through her photo album and she told us about her brothers and sister waiting for us at home, it was seriously amazing!
We spent about an hour there and then it was time to load up the bus and get these precious kiddos to the hotel. The others were doing well, but pretty quiet. Not our baby girl. She was having so much fun that our guide, who works for our agency, commented that this did not seem like the first day for her to meet us.
We got back to the hotel and the fun continued. We played with blocks, we played on the ipad, we played with the baby doll, all kinds of things. We were having so much fun that we skipped dinner having cheerios and water instead.
It became time to get ready for bed so I decided to bathe her. I was a little bit concerned not knowing if she'd had a full bath before or not. I filled the tub up just a few inches and let her play. She seemed to enjoy so we started washing. She did ok, until I got to much water over her face. She got a little upset but I wiped her off and she was better. I wrapped her up and dried her off and put her pajamas on... then everything changed!
I guess she thought we were leaving at that point. She grabbed her shoes and brought them to me and pointed and grabbed my hand toward the door. She was done, ready to "go home". When I picked her up and put her shoes back on the ground and walked away from the door the tears started. She cried and cried and cried. I was thankful for her to finally have a "normal" reaction to what had happened in the morning but it was so sad. One good thing was that she clung to me. She wasn't trying to get down, she wasn't mad, she was just sad, and she just cried. For about 45 min. She finally calmed down and I put her in bed with us. It was about 9:00 and her papers said her bedtime was 9:30 so we were hoping sleep would come soon. I handed her the ipad and she played for a little bit. She stuck her precious fingers in her mouth and covered her eyes with her other hand. She was almost asleep and suddenly sat straight up. No crying, no whimpering, nothing. She quickly climbed over me and onto the floor. Over the next 2 hours she would pace that floor more times than you can imagine. It will be one of the most precious memories for me of this whole trip I can promise. She held her 2 little fingers in her mouth and walked back and forth from John to me. She refused to get in the bed and it wasn't worth the fight. She needed to watch us, to see what we would do, to know that we were there and it was ok. She would walk around to John and just stand there and look at him. Every once in a while she'd reach up and hold his hand, or climb on his foot, watching all the time. Then she'd walk over to my side and just look. She'd lay her head on the edge of the bed, then walk back and forth again. About half way through this time every time John got up she'd follow him, everywhere he went! She'd just walk right behind him to wherever he was going then back to the bed, never touching him or letting him touch her, just following and watching. It was incredible to watch, and oh such a sweet time. Finally, at 11:00, she was walking at the end of the bed and she put her hand up over her eyes. She literally almost fell asleep standing. I reached over and picked her up, she laid her sweet head on my shoulder and was out! I rocked her for a few minutes to make sure she was good and asleep and I climbed in bed and laid her between us. That precious angel slept right there all night long.
It was an amazing day, a long day, a tiring day, but a day full of joy and hope!
Our appointment time was not until 2:30 so we kind of sat around and twiddled our thumbs all day. John, as any of you that know him can imagine, was very fidgety. He couldn't stop messing with stuff, needed to just be there and get it done. I was overcome with an emotion that never occurred to me. I could not stop thinking about what we were about to do to this precious little girl. Sure, we sent her a photo album to be being prepared, but at 2 years old how much can you really understand that you're leaving the only family you've ever known and moving half way around the world with these new people, I mean really! I was consumed with grief and guilt! Now, believe me, I knew without a shadow of a doubt that God placed this little girl in our family, that she was my daughter; but in this moment that was about to occur I was the bad guy, I was the "stranger", I was the one taking her away from all she'd ever known, I was the one turning her world upside down. I could not overcome it. My sadness for her about this was nothing I ever imagined I would feel, I was not prepared for it. Needless to say, I couldn't eat or barely think.
We left for our meeting at 1:30. We arrived 30 minutes earlier than expected so we had to just and wait outside the room in a tiny entrance.
Now, understand, there are 4 families total in this province bringing home their beautiful children. We all are in this small almost entry way/foyer type space right when you get off the elevator. We were told on the way there (3 of us traveled together there as we use the same agency) that our 3 children were all from different parts of the province. One of them about 4 hours away, one of them a couple hours away and our precious one was actually in this city. When we arrived at the civil affairs office we found out that the child from farthest away would be early and that our baby would be probably late.
So picture this... we are sitting in this foyer just off the elevator outside of the office. We know there will be children coming up the elevator but we don't know what order. Every time the elevator lights would come on we'd all hold our breath, then nothing. Suddenly the light stopped at us. The doors opened and out comes this precious 13 yr old boy that immediately knew who his parents were. He ran to them and hugged them and quickly started trying to talk and communicate with them. It was one of the most precious things I'd ever seen in my life, even if it was happening at basically the top of the elevator! At the same time there is a shy, precious little 2 year old boy that is trying to meet his new parents at the same time (the 4th couple from another agency). He was so overwhelmed. I felt so bad for them and those kids right then. We stood there for about 5 more minutes until the office doors opened, without any more babies coming. When we got into the office it was like a big meeting area with offices off the sides and a little play area for the kids. There were couches and tables and chairs and such for us to sit around. The 2 families that had met their children were happily learning about their kids, talking with the representatives from their orphanages, and playing with their boys. Still, the other family and us... we waited, and waited, and waited! Finally the sound of the elevator ding... in walks an adorable little almost 4 year old to meet her forever family. Okay, seriously, it's been over 30 minutes now and our baby girl lives here, where in the world are they?!?!?!?! For 15 more minutes we stood there, watching these precious families meeting and loving on their new babies. Finally, the elevator dinged again and in walked the most precious little girl you have ever seen! She was a little hesitant at first, but we walked over to her and knelt down in front of her and she ran over to us saying "baba, mama" knowing exactly who we were! It was absolutely amazing! We couldn't believe what was happening, it literally was like a dream. She laughed, played, talked, we went through her photo album and she told us about her brothers and sister waiting for us at home, it was seriously amazing!
We spent about an hour there and then it was time to load up the bus and get these precious kiddos to the hotel. The others were doing well, but pretty quiet. Not our baby girl. She was having so much fun that our guide, who works for our agency, commented that this did not seem like the first day for her to meet us.
We got back to the hotel and the fun continued. We played with blocks, we played on the ipad, we played with the baby doll, all kinds of things. We were having so much fun that we skipped dinner having cheerios and water instead.
It became time to get ready for bed so I decided to bathe her. I was a little bit concerned not knowing if she'd had a full bath before or not. I filled the tub up just a few inches and let her play. She seemed to enjoy so we started washing. She did ok, until I got to much water over her face. She got a little upset but I wiped her off and she was better. I wrapped her up and dried her off and put her pajamas on... then everything changed!
I guess she thought we were leaving at that point. She grabbed her shoes and brought them to me and pointed and grabbed my hand toward the door. She was done, ready to "go home". When I picked her up and put her shoes back on the ground and walked away from the door the tears started. She cried and cried and cried. I was thankful for her to finally have a "normal" reaction to what had happened in the morning but it was so sad. One good thing was that she clung to me. She wasn't trying to get down, she wasn't mad, she was just sad, and she just cried. For about 45 min. She finally calmed down and I put her in bed with us. It was about 9:00 and her papers said her bedtime was 9:30 so we were hoping sleep would come soon. I handed her the ipad and she played for a little bit. She stuck her precious fingers in her mouth and covered her eyes with her other hand. She was almost asleep and suddenly sat straight up. No crying, no whimpering, nothing. She quickly climbed over me and onto the floor. Over the next 2 hours she would pace that floor more times than you can imagine. It will be one of the most precious memories for me of this whole trip I can promise. She held her 2 little fingers in her mouth and walked back and forth from John to me. She refused to get in the bed and it wasn't worth the fight. She needed to watch us, to see what we would do, to know that we were there and it was ok. She would walk around to John and just stand there and look at him. Every once in a while she'd reach up and hold his hand, or climb on his foot, watching all the time. Then she'd walk over to my side and just look. She'd lay her head on the edge of the bed, then walk back and forth again. About half way through this time every time John got up she'd follow him, everywhere he went! She'd just walk right behind him to wherever he was going then back to the bed, never touching him or letting him touch her, just following and watching. It was incredible to watch, and oh such a sweet time. Finally, at 11:00, she was walking at the end of the bed and she put her hand up over her eyes. She literally almost fell asleep standing. I reached over and picked her up, she laid her sweet head on my shoulder and was out! I rocked her for a few minutes to make sure she was good and asleep and I climbed in bed and laid her between us. That precious angel slept right there all night long.
It was an amazing day, a long day, a tiring day, but a day full of joy and hope!
Sunday, December 7, 2014
Journey to Jadyn Grace, Day 2
It's Sunday evening right now where we are and we have had a busy day!
We got up this morning and headed to the airport. We were a little anxious because this would be the beginning of the part of our trip where we would be without our friends. We got into the van with the other family that was traveling to the same province as us, that we did not know, and began conversing with them about our journeys and such and come to find out they are believers as well. It was so comforting to be traveling with another family with the same hope and rock as we have.
We arrived at the airport for a 2 1/2 hour flight. We landed in Wuhan City at about 1:30 and met our guide for the week. Our friends had been telling us about their guide from their first trip and about how wonderful she was and how they hoped we would get someone like her. Turns out we have that same guide. GOD IS SO GOOD!, and they were right, she is amazing and we've only spent a couple of hours with her. She got us checked into our hotel and then took us on a tour of the area, where we could shop, what was safe to eat, etc. We met another family here that will be finishing the trip with us as well.
We took a trip to the local "walmart" and wow is it not really like walmart! Much more like a sears with a grocery store, sort of. Kind of hard to explain but yeah, crazy!
We headed to the mall to have dinner, MCDONALD'S!!!, and look around a little. This city is definitely much more culture shock then Beijing was.
We found out today that our baby girl was actually born in this city and this is where she has been living. So we could be right down the street from her right now, or she could be 30 min away, but CRAZY!!!!
They brought us a crib to our hotel room, and that is unbelievable - to have a crib in our room?!?!?! It's definitely getting real!
Please pray that tomorrow (tonight your time) would go great! Our appointment at the Civil Affairs office is at 2:30. That's when they'll bring us our princess and she will be ours! It's quite overwhelming, actually, to even think about for me. I can't even fathom what that moment tomorrow is going to be like.
Thank you all so much, again!
We got up this morning and headed to the airport. We were a little anxious because this would be the beginning of the part of our trip where we would be without our friends. We got into the van with the other family that was traveling to the same province as us, that we did not know, and began conversing with them about our journeys and such and come to find out they are believers as well. It was so comforting to be traveling with another family with the same hope and rock as we have.
We arrived at the airport for a 2 1/2 hour flight. We landed in Wuhan City at about 1:30 and met our guide for the week. Our friends had been telling us about their guide from their first trip and about how wonderful she was and how they hoped we would get someone like her. Turns out we have that same guide. GOD IS SO GOOD!, and they were right, she is amazing and we've only spent a couple of hours with her. She got us checked into our hotel and then took us on a tour of the area, where we could shop, what was safe to eat, etc. We met another family here that will be finishing the trip with us as well.
We took a trip to the local "walmart" and wow is it not really like walmart! Much more like a sears with a grocery store, sort of. Kind of hard to explain but yeah, crazy!
We headed to the mall to have dinner, MCDONALD'S!!!, and look around a little. This city is definitely much more culture shock then Beijing was.
We found out today that our baby girl was actually born in this city and this is where she has been living. So we could be right down the street from her right now, or she could be 30 min away, but CRAZY!!!!
They brought us a crib to our hotel room, and that is unbelievable - to have a crib in our room?!?!?! It's definitely getting real!
Please pray that tomorrow (tonight your time) would go great! Our appointment at the Civil Affairs office is at 2:30. That's when they'll bring us our princess and she will be ours! It's quite overwhelming, actually, to even think about for me. I can't even fathom what that moment tomorrow is going to be like.
Thank you all so much, again!
Saturday, December 6, 2014
Journey to Jadyn Grace...
China day 1 (and the first few hours)
This may just be random notes/expressions but I don't want to forget a thing from this journey, so bear with me!
Some funny things...
- Dinner our first night was interesting! Our friends and us went to a restaurant just down the block from our hotel in Beijing. The ordering was quite interesting, but thankfully there were pictures on the menu so we muddled our way through. I never even thought about the fact that there would be no utensils at the table, just chop sticks... which I am not so good at, nor is the wife of the couple we are with. We laughed and laughed as we tried to pick up our dumplings, those slippery little boogers!
- Saturday morning John was in the shower and I heard a bang and him gasp. I ran in to check on him and discovered that he had accidentally found the rain head when he pulled a plug and freezing cold water doused him from the ceiling!
Saturday morning we met our guide at 8:00 to head to the Great Wall. We were told that we were very fortunate with the weather and very low smog. Visibility was amazing. We climbed about 10 million steps (not really but definitely more than I've ever climbed in my life, and we will seriously be feeling it tomorrow!). I almost gave out twice but when we made it to the top I was so thankful I pushed through. It was absolutely amazing!
This may just be random notes/expressions but I don't want to forget a thing from this journey, so bear with me!
Some funny things...
- Dinner our first night was interesting! Our friends and us went to a restaurant just down the block from our hotel in Beijing. The ordering was quite interesting, but thankfully there were pictures on the menu so we muddled our way through. I never even thought about the fact that there would be no utensils at the table, just chop sticks... which I am not so good at, nor is the wife of the couple we are with. We laughed and laughed as we tried to pick up our dumplings, those slippery little boogers!
- Saturday morning John was in the shower and I heard a bang and him gasp. I ran in to check on him and discovered that he had accidentally found the rain head when he pulled a plug and freezing cold water doused him from the ceiling!
Saturday morning we met our guide at 8:00 to head to the Great Wall. We were told that we were very fortunate with the weather and very low smog. Visibility was amazing. We climbed about 10 million steps (not really but definitely more than I've ever climbed in my life, and we will seriously be feeling it tomorrow!). I almost gave out twice but when we made it to the top I was so thankful I pushed through. It was absolutely amazing!
After the Great Wall we went to a Jade market. We were able to watch men cut and etch some amazing detail into these pieces. I actually learned a little about Jade too, I thought it was all green, nope, there is yellow, white, different shades of green... six different colors actually, it was a cool place. We learned that Jade is considered an heirloom. Passed down from generation to generation in this culture.
When we were done in the market we ate at the restaurant above. We enjoyed a traditional Chinese lunch. It was yummy, though the guys weren't thrilled. We also got more experience with chop sticks, and the experience was equally as entertaining as last night's dinner!
After lunch we returned to the hotel and took a break for a few minutes. We then headed out to the Forbidden City. WOW, all I can really say. The history in that place was amazing! It was absolutely beautiful as well. The detail they put in to the craftsmanship of that place was truly extraordinary.
After we finished there we headed towards Time Square Beijing, and the "walking" street. Literally, walking only, no cars allowed. On our way there we passed "food street". Well, that was interesting! Fried star fish, steamed snake, fried spiders, fried crickets, fried scorpions, boiled centipede, and even fillet of cat or dog! Seriously, the smell was almost enough to make me gag!
Then we made it to Time Square Beijing. It was crazy, a lot different from the rest of what we had experienced so far. It was definitely the modern part of where we were. 2-3 story tall buildings housing department store after department store. It was sensory overload!
We ended our evening at Pizza Hut. It was a welcomed taste of home.
It's been an amazing day of learning and experiencing. Tomorrow morning we head to Wuhan City where we will then meet our girl Monday!
Thanks always for the prayers and encouragement! As always, will post when I can!
Friday, December 5, 2014
We are here!
Oh what a glorious day!
We flew out Thursday morning and landed Friday afternoon, crazy stuff to move forward in time (13 hours)! Our flights were outstanding, and my husband, who DOES NOT fly, did amazing! Even a 13 1/2 hour plane, though it was long, felt like a bus ride.
Today we visit the Great Wall and Hutong Lane. I am so excited to experience some of Jadyn Grace's culture before we meet her.
Please continue to be in prayer; for us, for her, for our families at home. It's going to be a big month!
I will post longer, with pics, about our day, this evening!
We love you all!
We flew out Thursday morning and landed Friday afternoon, crazy stuff to move forward in time (13 hours)! Our flights were outstanding, and my husband, who DOES NOT fly, did amazing! Even a 13 1/2 hour plane, though it was long, felt like a bus ride.
Today we visit the Great Wall and Hutong Lane. I am so excited to experience some of Jadyn Grace's culture before we meet her.
Please continue to be in prayer; for us, for her, for our families at home. It's going to be a big month!
I will post longer, with pics, about our day, this evening!
We love you all!
Monday, December 1, 2014
A letter to Jadyn Grace
So, in one week I will hold you for the first time. I can not even begin to tell you how that makes me feel. I am excited, scared, anxious, sad, overflowing with love, and so much more! I have been told many times to be prepared for you to be upset, to be sad, to be nervous. I am okay with these emotions. You will not know me, will not trust me, will not want me, will not love me. I am okay! I know that in time all these things will come. I know that one day we will share stories about your reactions and feelings and marvel at how far we have come.
What I want you to know, I love you. I will not leave you, I will hold you and cry with you and laugh with you. I will wait for you to know me and trust me. I will wait!
I will pray with you for the parents that made that first hard choice. That knew you and loved you enough to give you life. I will mourn with you for them every time you ask why or how. I will do my best to explain and help you understand.
I will, most importantly, do all I can to show you Christ. He and only He can fill the holes and emptiness that I'm sure you will experience. His love is everything, it is all you need. Without Him we are and have nothing. He will love you, He will mourn with/for you, He will pursue you, He will wait for you; and He'll do these things SO much better than I will!
Jadyn Grace, I can not wait until next week when I will see your precious face and hold your precious hands!
What I want you to know, I love you. I will not leave you, I will hold you and cry with you and laugh with you. I will wait for you to know me and trust me. I will wait!
I will pray with you for the parents that made that first hard choice. That knew you and loved you enough to give you life. I will mourn with you for them every time you ask why or how. I will do my best to explain and help you understand.
I will, most importantly, do all I can to show you Christ. He and only He can fill the holes and emptiness that I'm sure you will experience. His love is everything, it is all you need. Without Him we are and have nothing. He will love you, He will mourn with/for you, He will pursue you, He will wait for you; and He'll do these things SO much better than I will!
Jadyn Grace, I can not wait until next week when I will see your precious face and hold your precious hands!
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