Finally, a day to ourselves!

French fries aren't bad either

Anna loves Coke!

We were so glad to have a day with nowhere to be and nothing we had to do.  We had a relaxing breakfast at the buffet without having to rush, the kids worked on homework, we went to Walmart, walked to a beautiful park, and to top it off- went to McDonalds!

When it was naptime, K.C. and the kids went to a nearby restaurant and I stayed back with Anna to get her to sleep.  Once they left she just cried and cried.  She really wants us all to be together and also seems to be afraid of going to sleep.  I decided it wasn't worth the struggle so I let her play on the floor for awhile and we just skipped nap time.  She was really excited when they came back, especially when she found out we were going out for a walk.  It took some convincing to get her in the stroller instead of the carrier, but Walmart and the Park are really long walks and I'm just not strong enough to carry her that far.  She decided that if mommy pushes the stroller that's good enough.

 The Park was just beautiful and we had fun just walking and enjoying time with another family whose daughter also has club feet. She's three and has a much stronger personality than Anna so she's quite a handful for them!


We just love Anna's personality.  Even though she is a little shy around strangers she’s always up for an adventure.  She is so curious and loves to explore everything!  Things wrapped in plastic are extremely interesting and going outside is always fun for her.  She is so observant and reminds us a lot of Luke and the way he examines everything.  She likes to have things organized.  She cleans up after herself, arranges her toys just how she wants them and always makes sure everything is in order.  She always wants the whole family together as much as possible and asks to have the doors to our two rooms open so she can see her brothers and sisters.  

Anna loves baths and likes to pull herself up in the bathtub of all places!  I try to hold on to her so she doesn’t fall.  Her leg strength isn’t good because she just hasn’t used them much. We have found that with her leg brace, some shoes and a little assistance she can walk holding on to something.  

 

She is a genuinely happy little girl, talkative, and a little ornery.  I was using the computer and told her not to touch the keys so she decided to touch them quickly and giggle.  She has obviously played with an Ipad or smartphone before because she loves to touch the screen and see what happens.  She reminds us in so many ways of  our other children.We truly feel that God hand picked her for our family.

Even though Anna is 26 months old, she looks and acts much younger. All of the adopted children here still drink formula and rice cereal out of a bottle and just seem a lot younger than two year olds in the US.  Also, she is just so tiny.  The 18 months clothes aren't any too big and her feet are probably a size 4.  I bought size 6 shoes and they are about an inch too long.  The thing we notice most that reminds us of her age is her intellect.  She repeats everything! Even English words.  I don’t think it will be difficult at all for her to pick up English.  

Tomorrow we go to Swallow's Nest for a visit.  Please pray that everything will go smoothly and that she will have fun seeing her nannies and playmates.  The directors of the foster home have both told us that because of her personality and the fact that she has attached so well to us that they think bringing her back home will not be a problem for her.  I brought a Hallmark recordable storybook with me and had a Chinese friend translate it so that her nanny can read it and record it for her.  I want her to have some memories of the people that have loved and cared for her, and what better way than hearing their voices.  Looking forward to tomorrow, although I know it will definitely be an emotional day.  

Day two-Paperwork!

Today is probably the hardest day for all the families because it is filled with meetings and paperwork and we are all just getting adjusted with our new little ones.  We all had to go back to the registration office to get our official paperwork.  They give all the families 24 hours before they finalize the adoption just in case there is a reason why your family is unable to adopt the child you were matched with.  One family in our group had an emotionally rough day because their daughter had some issues that were not listed on her documentation.  They spent the whole day at the hospital getting her re-diagnosed and making sure they could parent her needs.  I believe they were able to complete their documents later this afternoon and have peace that she is indeed theirs.  All of these children have significant needs and it is really amazing to be with all of these families and see their love for their children despite what difficulties will be ahead. 

We also had to go take Anna for passport photos and to get her passport filed.  It was a long and difficult afternoon and she was such a trooper.  For those of you who have been praying for good attachment I believe God is definitely answering your prayers.  I’d like to be able to go to the bathroom or shower on my own soon though!  Ever since yesterday afternoon Anna has not left my side.  Thank goodness I brought some baby carriers with me!  She loves daddy and brothers but will only let mommy and maybe big sister hold her for now.  And the toys still come along everywhere.  I bought some Velcro straps for sippy cups and such but we ended up using them to attach her toys to the baby carrier so we don’t lose them.  She really is a happy girl and laughs and plays with her siblings.  The hotel we are at has tons of mirror and every time we go by one she smiles and laughs.  She seems so comfortable with our family, and we know that her foster home is to thank for that.  They did an amazing job of preparing her to become part of our family.

Tonight we took everyone swimming.  The boys definitely needed to get some energy out and Anna loves baths so we thought she would enjoy it.  We all had to wear swimming caps which was pretty funny.  We all looked like Olympic athletes, ha, ha!  Sorry, don’t have a picture to share.  It was nice to relax for awhile in the water. 

Tomorrow is the first day since we arrived in China a week and a half ago that we don’t have anything on our schedule.  We really are looking forward to getting out and relaxing with the kids.  Anna saw a child with a toy car at the pool and really wanted one so we told her we would go buy her one tomorrow.  She was all smiles.  She really enjoys toys! I brought a little bottle for her doll that looks like the milk disappears when she feeds it to the baby.  She just loves to feed the baby and her stuffed toy with it. Sometimes she pretends to drink it herself and thinks that's funny.

Thanks so much for all of your prayers and encouraging comments.  It was a long day, but Anna just was happy to be with her mama and family.  She loves it when we tell her we are going somewhere and she always asks to make sure the whole family is coming.  She may not want daddy to hold her but she definitely wants him around.  We feel very blessed by her sweet spirit.  She just lights up the room with her smile.  Our family is just so happy to finally be all together now.

Gotcha Day Hooray!

We have had a wonderful first day with Anna.  Thanks for your prayers.  We couldn’t be happier.  We headed to the Registration Bureau at 9:30 this morning with the other families here with us to pick her up.  We watched as most of the other children arrived before Anna – then the big moment came.  We recognized her immediately.  It was a moment that is difficult to describe.

Anna was clearly scared, but she calmed down quickly with some toys, some treats, and a lot of love.  The foster home had done a great job helping her to adjust.  She carried with her a picture of us.  They also gave us a book with some pictures of her over the last few months, as well as a camera with pictures they have taken for us of her life here.  We also were able to bring duplicates of the toys we sent her a few months ago.  She recognized them as hers immediately, and has clung to them ever since. We can’t go anywhere without them.

When we came back to the hotel, K.C. went to fill out paperwork while Anna was able to get a nap and a bath with me. She loves the bath!  She played and laughed and had a blast. It was the one time today she really let her self forget all the change happening in her life.  Once the paperwork was done, we ventured out to a small ‘real’ Chinese restaurant down the street.  She loved it and ate the rice and baozi right up. She was determined to use the spoon herself making quite a mess of herself and me.  It is such a blessing to speak the language a little.  She speaks to us and we can easily understand what she wants or can ask her if she likes or doesn’t like certain things.  

It’s been a long, beautiful day.  There is too much to say and even then words can’t describe it.  Anna has been asleep in my mom’s arms until just now.  She already calls us mama and baba (mommy and daddy,) calls Esther ‘Jie Jie’ (big sister) and calls Micah and Luke ‘ge ge’ (big brother).  She is scared at times of course, and has a long adjustment ahead, but we are so blessed by her already.

I’ve posted pictures to facebook so have a look.  Thanks again for everyone’s prayers and support for us. We are so blessed.

http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.510501082295535.122266.100000069425111&type=3

Ready to meet Anna!

We haven't had good internet access the past few days so I'll have to catch you up on our time in Beijing a little later.  Right now we're definitely focused on the purpose of our time here- Getting Anna! Tomorrow evening around 10pm Kansas City time we will finally meet our little girl and welcome her into our family.  So much emotion and excitement can't be put into words.  We have been told that she is shy around strangers and it is going to be pretty crazy when we get her.  At least 10 families will be welcoming children all in the same room, maybe more.  We are praying that we can somehow find a quiet spot,get her to enjoy some snacks and juice and pray that she isn't too scared.  Please pray forher adjustment and our adjustment and that we would be sensitive to her needs and be able to communicate with her.  She has photos of us and gifts we sent her so hopefully she will recognize us and feel comfortable with our family.

We look forward to posting photos soon and sharing with you how things are going.  Thanks for your prayers!  Getting ready to go to bed here a mother of 3 and tomorrow become a mother of four!

Pomegranate Garden

We spent a fun day with our dear friend Joshua at the Pomegranate Garden in Zaozhuang.  It's really the only tourist destination in Zaozhuang and it is actually very beautiful.  The orchard is the largest Pomegranate Orchard in the World (or so they say:) Like all Chinese tourist attractions it requires alot of walking up hills and seeing various shrines.  Esther enjoyed meeting a new friend, Joshua's niece from Beijing who had wonderful English.  They really had a great time together.  I think it was nice for Esther to have a female companion to talk to after having to be with her brothers so much.  We hope they can continue their friendship over e-mail and that someday Joshua's niece will come to the US to study.  She is actually home schooled with the ABeka curriculum through a Christian School in Beijing. My, how things have changed!

As usual things weren't exactly how we had planned them in Zaozhuang but we felt that we gained what we were looking for in reconnecting with dear friends and showing the kids where we lived for two years.

Here's a little video of our tour of the Pomegranate Garden.  The Pomegranates' were delicious!

The youtube link is http://youtu.be/3pNX4n5ZWdA if you can't view it here

Life in Zaozhuang

Our time in Zaozhuang been the type of experience that really is impossible to put into words.  Honestly, I don't know if we will ever be able to fully explain the complexity of this city and our feelings for the people here.  It has been so wonderful to connect with friends we haven't seen in over six years, but dealing with the difference in culture is always interesting.  The kids have just been troopers.  Poor Luke finally ate dinner last night after falling asleep before dinner every night we have been here.   Thankfully that also led to a much better night of sleep for him.  We are really glad that we will be over our jet lag by the time we get Anna.  I think we will definitely have an advantage over the other families in that way.  They will be dealing with jet lag and culture shock at the same time as meeting their child.  You can definitely keep them in your prayers.  I believe there are 4 other families who will be with us in Zhengzhou.  We have met them a little through e-mails but are excited to meet them all in a few days.

Here are some photos of some of our experiences in Zaozhuang and some of our friends. I plan to post some video of the city and such a little later.  It's alot to try to capture in one video. 

Enjoying the new park

Jessica and her daughter.  She was Michelle's Chinese Language teacher.

Micah and K.C. enjoing a cuddle at the park

Jessica's mom makes the best food in Zaozhuang!

These three little cousins are little terrors! Three daughters born from three daughters.  Jessica's sister's children.  All were born within a year of each other.

The bakery owner wanted to celebrate the kid's birthdays.

Our dear friend Joshua took us to a restaurant for pizza.

In front of our apartment complex we lived in called Apple Garden

Luke hitching a ride on Joshua's back

Crazy day of sightseeing in Shanghai on the busiest tourist day of the year- The National Holiday.

Here's a link to the youtube video if you need it http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hQ9MWAUWbSk

 Enjoy the show!