We are Home!

At the airport in Beijing waiting for our flight to Newark. Ryan, me and Jake, Michelle (sitting) with Lucy, Melinda (standing) and Mia.

We are home with Jake! Praise God. We actually got in a little early - just after 11:00 pm. There was a big welcoming group at baggage claim with balloons, signs, cameras, and hugs and kisses. We were all so glad to see everyone - THANK YOU!!!

We are a bit jet lagged and disoriented. Jake and I slept most of the day and Glenn and Ryan stole naps mostly on the couches! We are all enjoying TAP water, our separate bathrooms (if you've traveled for 2+ weeks and had to share one bathroom and hotel room, I'm sure you can identify with this), the laundry room (the washer and dryer have been going almost all day) and just being around the people we love (in person in on the phone). Oh, and Ryan has enjoyed his Wii and DS which is now working, albeit without many of the games he lost on our way to Newark on July 8th.

Our house was decorated with Welcome Home signs, balloons, groceries (thanks, Kristen!), gifts (we haven't had a chance to open them yet), flowers (thanks, Eternal!) and a pile of bills which I've moved from one room to another - unopened :). Koda was so excited to see us and Molly the cat has shown herself a few times to those of us lucky enough to catch a glimpse.

The house was vacuumed and the grass mowed and a pack-n-play was set-up for Jake in our bedroom. We are so blessed to have such great neighbors and friends, especially since our family is so far away. Jake slept with us in our bed last night but I put him to bed in his crib at 9 pm tonight. I rocked him to sleep first so he will be surprised when he wakes up. We have spent a lot of time in his room (we didn't get to bed until about 5:30/6:00 this morning), so it should be a bit familiar to him. He had a great day and seems happy.

The next time I post will be under the "Life at Home" tab. Also, I want to thank Tina for updating the blog while we were in China. Some of you may not have known, but we were unable to access blogspot for the entire two weeks. Tina, who designed this blog and whom I highly recommend, updated it everyday! Thanks!!

Last Post from China

It is Thursday night and we are packed and ready to leave in the morning. Our bags are being picked up at 5:40am and we are leaving the hotel at 6:40am for a 9am flight to Beijing. We have a 4:30am wake-up call.

We took the oath this afternoon at the US Consulate and picked up Jake's visa and immigration documents. He will become a US citizen as soon as we land in Newark.

We are all ready to return to the USA and to our home, family and friends. Both Ryan and Jake are asleep and I am going down stairs to check us out. We had a final and wonderful dinner with our travel group at the best restaurant on the island - an Italian restaurant.

I am attaching a couple pictures from the past couple of days. Enjoy!

Tuesday in Guangzhou

Today is Red Couch picture day and ANOTHER free day. I will post pictures later. We had a good day yesterday. Glenn had a massage and we had dinner at Subway (this was a big deal for us!!). We ordered noodles for Jake in the deli and everyone enjoyed their dinner.

Earlier we took a taxi to Carrefour to buy more rice cereal and snacks. It was an interesting experience and, at one point, we were separated as Jake and I search for plastic containers and Glenn and Ryan anxiously waited for us to return from the unknown - they had packages and were not allowed to shop with us.

Glenn and Ryan are anxious travelers.....I had no intention of getting lost and knew exactly where I left them.

Enjoy the pictures! I was unable to upload video (this laptop is too slow and I am too impatient to wait). I'll post video when we return this weekend.

It is Monday in Guangzhou

Yesterday we went on a tour of the city and saw a Buddhist temple, The Chen Family Cultural Center, and shopped at a government store and local grocery store. It was rainy, breezy and much cooler than it has been.

We played in the White Swan playroom for a while and Jake is working hard at standing up and learning to walk. He continues to be happy and appears to be bonding well with all of us. He is teething and is drooling like crazy.

We located the Starbucks and Subway and will likely be visiting both today. Breakfast at the hotel is very good and we have eaten at Lucy's and a Thai restaurant. Unfortunately, Ryan lost his appetite while READING the menu at the Thai restaurant. He did drink his mango milk shake and ate a couple bites of rice, but that was it.

Today is another free day and we plan to go to the pool, if it doesn't rain, stroll around the island and shop. and go to the playroom. Glenn is also going to get a massage at the Health Center a few blocks away.

Our next appointment is at the US Consulate on Thursday. We do not have to go on Tuesday - just need to stay in our hotel room from 9:30 - 11:30 in case there are any questions. This entire process is incredibly inefficient - I understand that it takes time to process medical reports and visas, etc., but surely there is a better way to do it. In the meantime, we will continue to get to know Jake.

Enjoy the pictures!!

Jake's Physical

Jake passed his physical - at least I think he did. Everything was signed and stamped and there were no real surprises (he has wax in his ears). Jake's special need is cleft lip and palate (both of which have been repaired) and delayed development (pretty typical given the circumstances). Anyway, the questionnaire asked what the known special needs are and I listed cl/cp and delayed development (as in a few months behind).

The medical professional asked me if there was something wrong with his BRAINS!! That REALLY caught me off guard and I immediately had him down on the floor attempting to walk (he will take steps if you hold his hands). Then I handed him a bib (lucky for them I did not have anything but a bib) to prove he could grasp objects and he demonstrated on his own his ability to throw the bib - at the medical person. Then, as if that was not enough, I sat him on the desk to prove he could sit up. She then asked if he could crawl. Well, the answer is no but Ryan never crawled either so I answered that he could get on his knees and ATTEMPTED to crawl. Glenn stopped me before I went on, believing I had made my point - there is NOTHING wrong with his brains!!!

He was weighed (20+ lbs) and measured(29 inches) and screamed so loud that it upset Ryan in the next room. Both Glenn and I explained that he was only weighed and measured but Ryan could not understand why his little brother (aka the Jake monster) was so upset - he was convinced they made him stand up to get weighed and that he was tortured during the measuring process. I assure you, there was NO torture (with the exception that he was taken from his momma and baba for 90 seconds)- both Glenn and I stood there the entire time.

The three stations - ENT, Weight and Measurements, and Development/Brain Checker - were pretty harmless.

The next step is 1-1/2 hours of paperwork. Glenn and Ryan just returned from the pool - which they said was awesome - and Jake is still napping. I also need to exchange some more money for Jake's visa. We are free on Sunday and the group is going to a Thai restaurant. Thai food is one of my favorites and I am looking forward to that.

The Shamain Island, which is where we are staying, is BEAUTIFUL and the hotel is fabulous. We had a great breakfast overlooking the Pearl River. We are so happy to be here!!

More later.

Friday morning in Zhengzhou!

It is Friday in Zhengzhou and we are excited because it means we leave today for our final city in China. Our plane departs for Guangzhou at 5 pm and we leave the hotel for the airport at 2 pm.

There is not much to do and it is very hot and humid. Yesterday we went to the cultural museum which, at any other time, would have been interesting. The BEST part was that it was air conditioned (and VERY cold) and they sold ice cream bars that Ryan and Glenn enjoyed. We really enjoyed the bus ride and Glenn took lots of video.

Chun Jiang is teething and is still a bit congested. I gave me a little infant Motrin last night and it took him about 1-1/2 hours before he settled down. He fell asleep touching Glenn's face and woke up crying as soon as I moved him to the crib. He finally fell asleep snuggled up with me and touching my face. He is a deep sleeper but moves all over the crib. Right now his feet are where his head was when I put him down.

His personality is shining through. He smiles a lot and laughs out loud. He only has to LOOK at Ryan and he starts laughing. Too cute. Ryan is a great big brother. He has really surprised me. He calls Chun Jiang "Jake monster."

Glenn is ready to come home and we are all ready for a BIGGER hotel room and places to walk to.

We get Chun Jiang's passport at 11:30am and have all the important documents we need for the US Consulate.

I have some pictures from the past couple of days and will try to post a video later when Glenn wakes up. We have already filled one memory card and are working on the 2nd.

Jake's adoption is final!

Jake's adoption was final yesterday (7/14/09). It was a two step process - first we went to the Registration Center (which is the same place we got our babies) and then to the Notary. The entire process (if I was in charge) should have taken 15 minutes. Instead it took about 3 hours and two bus trips.

Then we went to the laundry to pick up our still damp clothes (some of which ended up with another family) and then we went for a 1 1/2 hour lunch (each entree came out one at a time starting with Ryan's banana split) with a tired baby. But, no problem. EVERYTHING is perfect!!! We have Chun Jiang and all is well in the world!

We made a trip to Walmart and picked up a couple of things including water, Oreo cookies, M&M's, baby formula and rice cereal. I was able to feed Chun Jiang his cereal and formula last night and he was SO happy!! He ate three tea cups full of cereal and a big sippy cup of formula!

He slept for 10 hours last night and has no problem going to sleep. When he is tired he rubs his head (kind of like Russ K.) and rubs his eyes. He rolls all over the crib and finally settles down by covering his face with a blanket before falling asleep). Too cute!!

Ryan and Glenn shot pool last night and had a great time. We just finished breakfast and are heading out for a walk to the park. We have two completely free days and hope to go to a museum tomorrow.

Thanks for all the well wishes and prayers.

And then there were FOUR!!!

Jake is doing great!! He cried VERY hard for about 20 minutes (he is VERY strong - throws his head back, and pushes hard with his legs and arms!!!) but stopped as soon as we entered the hotel lobby. He ate a little lunch (squash dumplings, pineapple and shrimp) and has been napping for about 1 hour+.

Ryan got the first smile within 5 minutes of being in the room and Jake has smiled a couple more times since.

They brought the babies in 1 by 1 starting at 9:30 am. There was a traffic jam due to the wet weather and Jake was the last to arrive - after 11:30 !!!! Anyway, all is well now and I am heading out to do some paperwork while Jake finishes his nap.

God is great !!!!




It is 2am in China now and I am downloading pictures with a flashlight! We had an amazing day yesterday and I pray that today will be the same. Chun Jiang had a bath last night and he splashed and smiled the entire time! He has five teeth - three on top and two on the bottom. He sings and smiles and seems to be generally happy. He lets ALL of us hold him and went to sleep in the crib without a sound last night (ok, I let him fall asleep on me first - I COULDN'T put him down).

The adoption becomes final this morning after our trip to the Registration Office. We are going to Walmart this afternoon.

Ryan is doing great. I am SO proud of him. He loves Jake, too.

All the other babies/toddlers are doing well. Everyone looked so cute all cleaned up and dressed last night when we walked to have pictures made for something official.

Jake has a severe soy allergy so I am reading labels and staying alert. Gerber Puffs list soy on the label so they are out but Cherrios are in.

Well, I need to get back to sleep. God is great! He knew and made it so.

Tomorrow is Gotcha Day!

We are in Zhenghouz and will leave the hotel at 9:15 am to get our babies at 9:30 am just down the street at the Registration Office. There are a total of six families, including us, adopting three girls and three boys ages 13 months - 32 months.

Yesterday was an extremely busy day. We climbed the Great Wall, toured a jade factory, attended a tea ceremony, toured the Olympic Village and went to an acrobatic show. We were TOTALLY wiped out at the end of the day. We flew to Zhenghouz this morning arriving around 12 pm. We have already been to the bank, the laundry, a convenient store and the pool and are now ready for bed. Ryan is already asleep.

I just packed Chun Jiang's diaper bag and the crib is next to our bed. The camera batteries are all charging and the paper work is packed and ready to go. Now, the morning just needs to get here!!!

Day 2 in China

All is well in Beijing today. It was very hot as we toured the Forbidden City and Tianamen Square. We had a nice traditional Chinese lunch with our tour group and spent an amazing afternoon with Helen.

Tomorrow we go to the Great Wall, a jade factory and an acrobatic show.

Monday is "GotchA Day" and it is the only thing ALL of us have on our mind.

"If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast."

Psalm 139: 9, 10

We are in China!

We made it! The flight was not too bad - we landed at 1:15 pm. We slept about 2-3 hours and are VERY tired right now. We just came back from dinner on our own. Ryan is happy with his first China Coke can and Glenn and I are pretty happy after tasting the local brew.

In the morning we are going to the Forbidden City. The driver from Amazing Hands is picking us up for our visit to the foster home at 1:45 pm. We cannot wait!!