Reesey Come To My House

2009-12-18T15:25:00.001-08:00

Our First Week Home!

So many people have asked us to post more pictures - so here they are! This has been a great week - lots of fun moments and less trauma than I anticipated. Jaden has hit the ground running - it helped that this week was Christmas extravaganza at school. They made gift bags for rarely recognized school employees, had a sing-along, dressed in pajamas and watched the Polar Express, had Christmas centers and party and a book gift exchange. All that in her 3 days before vacation!

Rylee is doing great also - she is a great big sister... most of the time:) She likes to help Reese and bring the diaper when we change her. They play sweet together, then are crying and screaming... true siblings! We had a list of things we wanted to get at Toys R Us - so we decided to test the double stroller and go. The two girls pretty much screamed all the way through the store. Reese would pinch Rylee - Rylee was in hysterics - Rylee crying made Reese start screaming - Rylee saw Pacifiers for sale and started crying that she wanted a "passe" - it was almost comical and I realized I have come a long way because instead of wanting to leave I was more interested in finding out how long they could keep it up.

We took Reese to her first doctor's appointment which didn't give us any new information but started the process of all the things we need to do. We had blood work done - all standard tests for everything under the sun. After that was over ( I took her) Reese has grown a new affinity for Jeff. She now likes to snuggle with him and initiates wanting his attention... He's going to need to take her to the immunization appointment or I won't stand a chance! Next week we have an appointment with the pediatric cardiologist - we don't anticipate any further issues but it will be good to hear that from a doctor here. Even today I told a doctor she had a VSD repair and he said "is that all?" He said it was very common and very easy to fix - and agreed that she should not have any more problems - so we'll find out for sure next week!

It has been a week of firsts - first dress up, first nativity set... she likes throwing the angel like a missile... first trampoline... and tonight... the first cupcake. She is taking everything in stride and continues to eat and eat and eat. We have had wonderful meals brought to us by friends from church... it is almost enough to make you want to do it again just for the food!

We got an email newsletter from our adoption agency today and in one story a man was asked why they decided to adopt two sisters from Ethiopia. His answer was,“You only get one shot at life. Why wouldn’t we do something that will bless our family in ways we can’t even imagine?”

And with that I say... Amen!

We're Home!!!

2009-12-14T07:42:00.000-08:00

This is our first post we are actually doing ourselves! In China, blog sites are blocked by the government so we e-mailed our pictures and posts to Jeff's sister in Kansas... THANKS JILL!!!

Taking the train to Hong Kong was much easier than we anticipated and Jeff sat next to an Italian woman who lives in China on a Christmas quest. Her daughter wanted a baby doll with eyes that shut for Christmas - so she was taking the 2 hour train ride to Hong Kong and then a taxi to Toys R Us! It has been a little ironic that there were not really any baby dolls to be found on our trip. I couldn't find many Asian dolls in the stores here so I thought I would find some in China. Instead, what little we found were mostly Caucasian... with the addition of a few African dolls and Dora. I think American Girl holds the market and my mom was able to order another one on line - a very cute baby doll that she gave Reese last night.

In Hong Kong we had planned to meet up with one of the groomsmen in our wedding who now works and lives there. Unfortunately, he was sick so we were on our own. We took a very scenic cable car ride up a mountain to see the Tian Tan Buddha statue - a landmark in Hong Kong. While we were there we were stopped by a group of school kids who were on a scavenger hunt for foreigners. They took a picture with us and wrote down where we were from and we took a picture of them with Flat Jeremy - a school project for our nephew in Kansas.

The 14 hour flight to Chicago went as expected - Reese in my lap except for the 10 total minutes she screamed with Jeff while I had my alone time in the bathroom:) We arrived with little sleep - realizing almost as soon as we landed we would miss our connecting flight 30 minutes later. Reese became a US Citizen when she went through customs - and then United told us that the next flight we could get on would leave SEVEN hours later. I first started to cry - and then got very grumpy... or more accurately, word that rhymes with kissey! Then Jeff won out in a marital moment where I wanted to go immediately and check into the airport Hilton so we could spend 6 hours in containment. Jeff promised that he would do the chasing all day and I very skeptically dragged my feet. We found a play area and camped there for the next 5 or so hours.

I do have to say, if you must get stuck with kids Chicago is the airport to be! I was expecting a dirty open area with a couple of toys - instead there was a large CONTAINED area sponsored by the Chicago Children's Museum. There were all kinds of things to climb on and crawl through. You could weigh luggage, pretend to fly the plane and learn all about how the airport works... and there were other kids with less grumpy parents... perfect!

After being one of those people who lay on benches and pretend to sleep - I changed clothes and was willing to sacrifice my dream of a warm shower. The girls were happy - and the best part was they slept the whole way home when we eventually did get on the plane!

When we got to the airport at 11pm we were greeted by some wonderful friends from church... some of them were at the airport at 4:00... the first arrival time. It was a great reception for the end of a journey - and the beginning of another! When we arrived home Rylee woke up and came out to see her new sister. She gave her a hug and then had her sit in her lap - then we ended staying up with everyone until about 1:30 as the new family checked each other out. This morning we are a family of 5 - the girls are coloring at the table and we are about to pull out the Christmas tree ornaments. We are exhausted, but so thankful to be home and all together! THANK YOU EVERYONE!!! We even had friends mow our grass and patch a hole in the lawn... what a gift!!!

The day we headed for home we heard that 100 new adoptive families were arriving at our hotel in Guangzhou. Almost all of these families will have children with some type of medical issue that is labeled special needs. We were amazed all during our time there the openess of families to adopting children with all kinds of needs - we saw many cleft lip and palate issues, heart issues - like Reese, children with corrected club feet, smaller in size, or missing fingers or limbs. Many had already been corrected or would be upon returning home. Before leaving, a friend posted a link on Facebook to this You Tube video - it is not from our agency - but a good picture of current China adoptions.
http://www.youtube.com/v/xx-6t4vwDDA&hl=en&fs=1&%22%3E%3C/param%3E%3Cparam

At some point after our referral, I was driving to work and realized that I would have been labeled a special needs child in China. I had scoloisis and wore a brace for many years before having a final surgery in the 8th grade. If I would have been born somewhere else, I could have been one of those kids that parents were forced to make hard decisions about - pretty overwhelming!

Before leaving for China we knew that Reese had 4 living transitions and caregivers. While there we discovered more about how the orphanage works and can now count at least 14 in the past 2 years - what we know as the most critical time to form attachment, trust, and the time that shapes how we relate the the world for the rest of our lives. We know that while her body is healed from surgery, there are many more losses that she has expereinced and cannot express. This is our lifetime prayer for our daughter - that God will pour healing salve over her life that will allow her know that this time it's forever - and that she will grow to believe God's purpose and plan for her. This is the beginning of a new journey and story for all of us - and we will continue to trust our lives to an all powerful God who loves us and puts our families together and promises to be with us in all the twists and turns and joys that lie ahead!

2009-12-11T04:56:00.001-08:00

Friday night!!! Yesterday we had our oath ceremony at the US Consolate which was really us promising that all the information we have submitted on behalf of our daughter is true. They ended up handing us Reese's Visa right then - instead of making us return today - and so for a number of hours we were hopeful that we could leaved earlier... then our travel agency called and told us it would cost $2400 to change the tickets and we could not get our hotels refunded for the 2 nights... bummer!!! So we spent one last day in Guangzhou - and will take a train to Hong Kong tomorrow. This will be our last posting because we won't have internet again until we are home!!!

Our time in China has been absolutely amazing and we realize that it will be quite some time before we return again. At dinner tonight - Italian restaurant close to the hotel - we each reflected on our highs and lows for the trip:

Jeff - Highs - Stone Forest, Great Wall

Lows - Getting a cold

Jaden - Highs - Reese and Owen (one of the babies in our Kunming group)

Lows - Missing Rylee

Jenn - Highs - Getting Reese, Stone Forest, and the families we met in our Kunming group

Lows - Missing Rylee, computer problems!

Our last Kunming family left today - as well as the last Holt family from our larger group - so it was a lonely walk to dinner tonight. As we get ready to leave there are 19 new familes arriving tonight from our agency alone. They have just spent their week in the provinces getting their children and are on their way here for their week at the Consolate. As one group leaves, another arrives - and more children are given new lives and families they would not find here.

Today we took a taxi to Carefore - a Walmart type store - and I smiled as I realized that I wasn't even nervous about no seatbelts and the fact that we were weaving in and out of traffic - missing cars on both sides by inches. In just a few days Reese will be introduced to her carseat... another new experience I don't anticipate her liking!

In these few short weeks Reese has gone from not wanting any of her multiple layers of clothing off to protesting to have clothes put on. She has gone from being afraid and crying in elevators to running inside on her own and trying to push the buttons. She now loves the bath and does not want to get out - very different from the first 2 days of screaming to get near the tub. Protesting getting into the stroller - to loving the ride. Making faces at soda, ice cream and chocolate - to throwing a fit if she thinks she is not getting any... She hated her first plane flight - so with this track record we are hoping for a turnaround on the 2nd and 3rd!!!

There is much to process from our trip - but we are so thankful God has given this precious gift of a daughter and we can't wait to bring her home! Thank you everyone for your prayers - keep them coming for these long plane flights! We are in economy and Reese is a lap infant... We'll need them!!!

2009-12-09T06:22:00.001-08:00

And we're back... last night our Yahoo went down. We couldn't access anything on Yahoo including our e-mail. Today after trying to figure it out all day, I called the hotel business center - they went to try it on their computer and told me the government had shut it down. We had no idea how long this would be for - but it's back and running after 24 hours. We take our freedoms for granted don't we! We're just glad to have our communications back!

Today was our Visa appointment - a representative from our agency acutally made the trip to the Consolate for us and it went through with no problem. We were a little anxious because today is the day our fingerprints expire - so we're through! Tomorrow we go back for an oath ceremony where we have to promise to be good parents - then on Friday we pick up Reese's Visa... Saturday we go to Hong Kong and Sunday we fly home!

Reese is continuing to sparkle - she learned how to climb into a chair today and was proud to do it again and again. She must not have had much to climb on in her foster village because she doesn't really know how to get herself up onto chairs, the bed etc... She had her first ice cream cone today and as soon as we got back into the hotel she dropped it and the stroller ran over the cone smashing ice cream onto the carpet of our 5 star hotel. Luckily there are loads of adoptive families here which equals many many messes! Jeff was watching the restaurant staff clean up tables today and decided that there aren't many people who can clean up a table after children with quite as much skill and speed.

Tonight we had dinner with our Kunming group for the last time... sniff, sniff. It is with mixed sadness and excitement that we are saying goodbye. Tomorrow the first family will leave for home - we were there when each of them met their children for the first time - and have watched them all evolve over the last 2 weeks. I think that means we will be expecting Christmas cards for quite some time! While our journey together is ending - we all are eager to get home and settled in! After dinner the dads competed in some stroller racing - and the kids laughed and laughed. I don't think that was happening in the foster villages! It is amazing to see how each of these precious children have gone from crying, scared, and very expressionless - to kids full of life and smiles! What a gift this whole experience has been!

2009-12-07T04:25:00.001-08:00

Monday - December 7

This morning were the medical checks and shots - there were 20 families in the adoption part of the clinic and we rotated through stations. The great news for us was that when the doctor listened to Reese's heart she told us that there was not a murmur anymore. So it looks like the surgery was successful! Reese ended up having to get 6 shots - she was not a happy camper but it's over now!

This afternoon was the "red couch photo", a tradition for all chinese adoptions at the White Swan Hotel. Families dress their children in traditional outfits, set them all on the red couch and then take photos like crazy as the kids all cry and try to crawl off. If you google red couch photo you'll see a bunch of them from groups through the years! So we have the shots, we have the red couch photo - our checklist is getting shorter

2009-12-06T04:32:00.001-08:00

It's Sunday - we've lost count of how many days we have been here... but we know we come home in a week! This morning we went to a Christian church down the street from our hotel - the service was in Chinese and in English. They sang two praise songs in English and then the sermon was translated. To be honest, it felt just like our visiting church routine back home... we all start out sitting in a pew... the kids start getting really wiggly, making noise, start to get glances from people around... Jeff sits through rest of service while I chase noisy kids around the courtyard outside waiting for it to end. Am I ever thankful that we have a church with a fabulous children's ministry!

After church we walked around the streets surrounding our hotel. Most of the afternoon was spent lamenting the things we didn't buy in Beijing and Kunming - we held off on a few things thinking we would find them later. None of them are here in Guangzou - and this is much more of a tourist cheap souvenier spot. The good thing about that is we have a Papa Johns, Starbucks, and Subway - we are slowly making our re-entry!

This afternoon Reese took a pen and began drawing all over her legs - then she came over to Jaden lying on the floor and began bouncing on her tummy. I had to laugh - I cannot count the times Rylee has drawn all over herself with pens left out. Some things must be universal to the 2 year old.

Tomorrow is our medical check and because of Hague Convention rules Reese will have to have 3-7 shots in order to come into the US. Another parent told us today it is absolute chaos with 30ish families all trying to get that many exams and shots. They also said the needles are much wider than at home and that they didn't do them very quickly. We are not looking forward to this - but it will get us one step closer to home!

As we talk to more families here we continue to feel very blessed for our experience and that we have used Holt as our agency. Things have been very smooth - our agency even has an office in our hotel here. Thanks everyone for your continued prayers - and please keep praying for our final week here in China and all the Visa/Consulate/Medical appointments we have left so we can bring our Reesey home!

2009-12-05T04:33:00.001-08:00

It is now Saturday morning and we have safely made it to Guangzhou. Yesterday morning we were able to go to Reese's finding spot. Our guide could not find a taxi that was willing to travel the 1 1/2 hours there - so she called her cousin's fiance' who lives in Kunming and he was kind enough to drive us himself. Reese was found in a new construction site. It is business area that is still being built - so 2 years ago it would have just been starting. She told us that there would have been lots of workers around to find her - and ironically, it is right across the way from the government office in charge of inforcing the one child policy.

So without any fanfare - we found the corner and took some pictures as workers walked around us. Reese slept through the whole thing - but we are glad that we went - one more missing piece of a puzzle.

Last night we flew to Guangzhou - after the kids basically rolled around the floors of the airport and I tried not to think about how many germs they swept off the ground - we made the 1 1/2 hour flight here. Reese had her first major meltdown as we were descending. She apparantly does not like it when she doesn't get her way - and I insisted that she sit down for the landing. She will fit right in at our house! I can't wait to see how she takes to a carseat! In China there are no carseats - and you can see babies held on motorcycles weaving through traffic.

This morning we met up with a large group of Holt families and walked down the street to get Visa photos. There is a street of shops eager for shoppers - so we found some shoes for Reese - the ones she came to us wearing are too small. So for $10 we found two pair of shoes - one set are squeeky shoes - that she loves walking in!

This afternoon we have a big paperwork meeting to make sure everything is in order for our Visa appointments. All adoptive families in China have to exit the country through Guangzhou so our hotel is full of other families like us. It was a beautiful picture to look around the giant breakfast room this morning and see how many children of all ages were with their new forever families. A tapestry of all kinds of families - some first time parents, some adding their 4th or 5th children, all with hearts open to embrace these boys and girls who do not yet understand how their lives will be changed.

In a store this morning, we met a couple from Clearwater who are adopting a little 1 year old boy. They have a daughter in her 20s and one grandchild. Last year their church did a presentation on orphans and they felt God telling them to start the parenting process all over again. How exciting to be with people putting faith into action - ordinary people with ordinary jobs and lives - taking on some extraordinary things.

2009-12-03T04:40:00.001-08:00

Yesterday our group took a bus to the Stone Forests, a landmark outside of Kunming. It was a chance to test out the baby carriers! It was a beautiful day and nice to be outside - Jaden even had some people ask to have their picture taken with her - the second time this has happened. During orientation, she was told she would be like Hannah Montana - a celebrity of sorts because of her light skin and hair. She has been very gracious and such a trooper on these long days that require a lot of patience.

We also had our first encounters with the "squatty pottys." I'm not sure how we missed hearing about these before the trip... especially from those friends who travel here often... y They are just what they sound like - a toilet level to the floor with tread on either side and you, well... use your imagination... and bring your own toilet paper. We were also warned during orientation that there is little modesty when it comes to doing business - which I witnessed first hand in one of these bathrooms. An attendant came in - opened the door on a woman doing her thing - pulled out the stall trash can, emptied it, and then opened the door went in, leaned around same woman, and put it back. Needless to say, we are making sure to leave the hotel empty!

A local tour guide came with us to the Stone Forest and on the way there she listened to Reese and told us that she was speaking words in Mandarin and Kunmaneese (the local dialect). She is repeating english words she hears as well, so right now she speaks toddler in 3 languages! Our guide also told us that she is speaking in 4-5 word sentences - this amazed us!

Today we visited the orphanage - there are over 600 children in their care. In the actual orphanage there are a little over 100 - the rest are with foster families. We got to walk through the baby rooms - where Reese was cared for as an infant. The staff there knew who she was and told us that she was a very bright baby. Oh we are proud parents!:)

The rooms were clean and filled with children. In one room that looked like a therapy room, there was a 10 year old girl with Cerebral Palsey. Our Holt guide leaned over and talked to her and she asked if she would find her a mom and dad.

We also went to a room with about 10 children all eating lunch. We were told that these children would be adopted in the next week. It was really special to know we were getting to see these faces as their new parents are busy packing at home for their trips!

This week we have had a local tour guide with us on several outings. She is someone our agency is working with to become a new guide for adoption groups. She was born and raised in Kunming, but this was her first time with adoptive families. She speaks very good english and has been very welcoming and friendly to Jaden. Yesterday she asked Jeff and I why we would want to adopt a Chinese child when we could have our own biological children. Today was her first time to the orphanage, and on the bus ride back to the hotel she got very emotional and said that when she heard that girl ask to have a mom and dad it really broke her heart. She said, "thank-you so much for taking care of our children," and she gave each of the kids a red piggy bank for good luck and good fortune.

This afternoon we are going to do some more shopping - I am hoping to stock up on some small gifts to give Reese on each birthday as she grows up. We just found out that her finding spot is about 1 1/2 hours from here - her notice names the street and building where she was left. We are hoping to take a taxi in the morning to go and see - one more piece of her story we can gather for her while we are here.

2009-12-01T05:06:00.001-08:00

Christmas In China! When we arrived in Kunming our hotel was slowly being decorated for Christmas - much to our surprise and delight! Every day we have watched lights, santas, and the huge Christmas tree in the lobby take shape. This morning we went down for breakfast and the newest additions were stockings hung across the counter and multiple gingerbread houses in the restaurant. All day we have listend to Joy to the World, The First Noel and other Christmas songs overhead and are glad to have a little bit of Advent in China!

Today we had planned to go to the Stone Forrest - the landmark for this area but one of the other babies was sick. Instead, we went to the Bird and Flower Market - something we had read about in a guidebook and it was fantastic! We saw all kinds of animals - cats, rabbits, squirrels, mice, birds, beetles, and more for sale. I asked if the cats were for pets or eating and was relieved to find out the first. I didn't think I would be so lucky with the turtles and beetles.

There were all kinds of booths selling local art and crafts. Another mom and I have been on a hunt for these baby carriers we have seen local women carrying thier children with. We had tried to find then yesterday and when our guide asked some women they laughed - it seems that most people here would prefer to buy more western things and many people make them themselves. But today - we found two! The only problem is that the straps were not attached, so our guide sewed them on and gave them back tonight.

Reese continues to smile more and more, she enjoyed the stroller ride through the market today and is not crying when Jeff holds her anymore. He just kissed her cheek and she did not like that - his gotee was too prickly!

We are enjoying our time here and miss home all at the same time. Dec. 13 seems like a long time from now - but we are trying to do everything we can to find out as much about Reese's story and hometown as we can. We received her finding notice yesterday - when babies are found their picture is put in the paper - with information about where they were found. Our guide is going to write out the translation and we hope to visit the area or address later this week.

Thank you for your continued prayers!

2009-11-30T17:55:00.001-08:00

Here are basically Jaden's thoughts... and some more pics!

Last night I fell asleep twice while Jeff was writing an e-mail... yesterday was a great day - we filled out tons of paperwork and Reese was much more relaxed. We attempted the bath again last night - she cried when her clothes came off and kept crying and resisting all the way to the bath. I put her in the water and she stopped - looked down at her feet in the warm water, then gradually sat down and LOVED it! She laughed and smiled more then she had all day - when I took her out she threw her body back over the side of the tub to get back in for more!

Below are Jaden's thoughts of the trip so far... China through the eyes of a 7 year old! So here is her story as dictated to me...

Day One:

Hi I am Jaden. I am going a adventure. I am going to china. The first thing we have to do is we call a friend. We call a friend named Liz. We call Liz so she can pick us up to go to the airport. When we went to the airport it was closed. Then we waited and it opened. We got our tickets and we checked out. And after that we rocked in rocking chairs. Then we went to the security guard and we took off our shoes and our jackets but not our earrings.

Then we find a place to stay until the airplane came. We saw the airplane come and we went in. Then after a very long airplane ride we went on another airplane. But we had to wait 5 hours. And then we went under a tunnel with glowing lights I said it was beautiful. I loved it. Then there were more stores. There was a big dinosaur. Thye made it look like they were real bones but they weren’t real bones. Right next to it was the times and our place said 4 more hours. I wasn’t excited. My mom said it is going to be along long long long long long longl long long long long airplane ride. She was right. It was a long long long long long long long long long long airplane ride.

We were on the airplane for one day and another day. Then finally we were there. I was excited and tired. The reason why I was tired is the night on the airplane I stayed up just watching TV on the seat. I watched Hannah Montana and Up and Suite Life on Deck and the Jonas brothers and Wizards of Waverly Place.

I was super excited and I was super super super super super super super super super super super tired. We went on a bus. I was freezing freezing freezing cold. And I still had my jacket on and I was still freezing freezing freezing cold.

Finally we were there at a beautiful place that we stayed until Sunday. Because on Sunday we went to Kunming and we saw baby Reesey.

I had a special day today. But a super tiring day too. I hope you can see my next story. Bye.

Day Two:

Hi again, I’m Jaden. Today I had a special day. I went to the Great Big Wall of China. It was beautiful and fancy. We went there after the meeting because that was Saturday. And we only did one thing. And that was climbing stairs. It was really boring. My legs were so crunched up I couldn’t take it anymore!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I didn’t like it but the fun part was once you finished stairs there was a rest place so you got to rest your legs. And there was a little castle you get to go in and go way way on the top. You got to climb more stairs. I went on top and got my picture taken. My cousin and his class he brought flat Stanley but it is supposed to be called flat Jeremy. And he sat on the Great Wall of China . My teacher I wish she could be with me right now too. I can’t wait to see her again.

Day Three:

Are you here with me right now. Good because I have another story – it is so exciting. Do you remember day one? Remember when I said we will get my baby sister named Reese on Sunday? Well today is Sunday. First we need to eat breakfast. It is the most important thing it is to eat and drink. That is what I think. Today we are going on another airplane to go to Kunming . That is where she lives. It is a very long plane ride.

Finally we were there and I was excited. I kept on asking my mom when we were coming down, how many more minutes until we get Reesey? Finally we got Reesey and every baby was crying. I helped her to not cry anymore. But when the people who brought her and the other babies they were crying. Then finally one of the people came over here and wrote her name in Chinese language. And then she kept on coloring, and when they left she was still crying and we took a picture with her screaming with our whole family. But now she is with us and she does not cry anymore. Only when daddy picks her up. She only likes my mom. I never get to hold her or hold her hand. But if I do that she will start screaming again. She only likes mommy that is why – every time I need some time with my mom she gives Reese to daddy and she starts screaming. Then he sings a song and when she is in his arms for a very long time she will stop screaming and she will like him. I never get to do things with her, only play.

Day Four

Today we went to an office and she really didn’t want the people who took care of her. She just stayed with my mommy because that is all she likes. Then we went to get a passport for Reesey. Then we played outside. And we saw birds in cages.

Then we went to baby stores and we got a stroller for Reesey. And I got a doll and I named it Dandilion. But her hair is not white it is brown. I just named her that because I like it. My dad bought it for me because there was not really any toys for me to play with. We left together.

The gross thing that I saw was that I saw a chicken with its head and its real alive eye ball. And outside they were selling a real pig with the tail and the head and the nose and the mouth and the real alive eyeball. It was super super super super gross.

Breakfast food is good. And my sister that we just got – the first thing the first day we ate dinner and there was a grown up that tasted these spicy noodles with pepper and salt and sugar and she said her mouth was on fire. She did not like it it was so spicy. And my sister we gave her the spicy noodles and she gobbled it all up. So that’s all about the food.

Things are different about China . When we eat pig we don’t have the tail and the eyes and the mouth and the nose and the real live eyeball. Or the chicken head and the real alive mouth and eyeball. We don’t eat that. That is different about China .

There is stuff that is the same about China . They both have Barbies and they both have Legos and they both have toy ship legos that you get to build.

That’s all for now.

2009-11-29T07:19:00.001-08:00

Gottcha Day!

After a 3 1/2 hour plane flight to Kunming we finally arrived... and we Florida folks were so happy it is a warmer city! We could shed our jackets and walk comfortably outside! We checked in our hotel and had about 45 minutes before our children were brought to us - our 3 families met in our guide's room and we could hear the kids and escorts coming down the hall. Reese was the first one to walk through the door and immediately started crying... and crying... and crying. We pulled out the toys we had packed and finally the crying slowed down to intervals as she and Jaden stacked blocks together.

They were escorted to the hotel by office staff from the orphanage. We were able to find out that Reese actually has been living in her foster home for the past year - much longer than we thought. This was great news to hear - and they said that her foster parents visited her in the hospital during her surgery time - also great because I had feared she was all alone during those 2 months.

After some time in our room - again with lots of crying - our group headed out to Walmart... seriously Walmart only everything is in Chinese.... and the chickens come with their heads which impressed Jaden - and there were live fish in tanks - We bought formula, water, and a few toys - then came back and ate dinner in the hotel. I was relieved to hear that kids ate free because I thought Reese might not eat much. Jaden ate 2 pieces of fruit - and Reese ate everything we handed her. She especially loved noodles cooked in garlic and very spicy pepper - another person in our group tried them and they burned her mouth - Reese just kept sucking them down!

We are exhausted - and headed for bed - tomorrow we start a week of adoption finalizing paperwork - and will be able to check out some of the sights.

Oh, and Jaden wanted to have her post today but she fell asleep on the floor and we just put her in bed - Goodnight everyone - we'll put on more pictures tomorrow!

2009-11-28T05:59:00.001-08:00

Our first day in China!

This morning we met with 6 other Holt families for orientation - almost all were adopting boys - and 2 other families will be traveling with us tomorrow to get children in Kunming.

As we learned more about Chinese culture and adoption there are 2 things that stand out from that time:

The first is that our host confirmed what we thought about Reese's abandonment. In China, people are responsible for their own health carecosts - so often rural or low income families find it very difficult to care for children with medical needs. In China, there is no legal process for giving up children for adoption - so babies are carefully left in places to be found. We know that Reese was found at 10 days old - enough time for her parents to have learned about her heart murmer and decide that they could not care for her needs and possible surgery.

The second interesting thing we found out is that most children being adopted in China right now are children with various medical needs. Most "healthy" babies are being adopted internally and many European countries with more universal healthcare will not allow the adoption of special needs children.

After orientation, we got our first look at Beijing in the daylight. Only having limited comparisons, the busyness reminded me of New York City, driving on the freeway in the midst of a modern city... next to a horse drawn cart carrying bricks reminded me of the first world/third world contrast of South Africa, and the no lanes or rules traffic remided me of Haiti... without the potholes. Jeff was reminded of similarities with what he experienced in Russia - so put them all together and we have first impressions.

Our guide to the Great Wall spoke great english and shared that when she was in University that she had to read a book about a family that lived in California. Her impressions were that Californians are loud:) When we told her that we had lived there she said, "but you aren't loud." So we are doing some PR for Cali!

The Great Wall was amazing! There was still ice on the ground and Jeff said that the climbing made his legs feel worse than the marathon he ran last weekend. To stand and walk around on such an unbelievable structure was unreal. We had a fantastic time!

Tomorrow we leave early for Kunming and Gottcha Day. Our schedule says that they will bring our children to our hotel rooms at 3:00. It is a day that will change all our lives forever! As excited as we are, we also know that this will be a day that begins a time of grieving and loss for Reese. Today I finished reading Donald Miller's book A Million Miles in a Thousand Years - as I think of these 2 weeks and the future I do believe that even though there will be pain in the joy that this is going to be a better story for each of us!

Pray for us tomorrow - especially for this precious girl God has blessed us with - for this next big step in our journey!

and this is from Jaden:

Attention girls and boys, cousins and aunts, grandmas and grandpas, go on our blog and see my writing in my journal it is going to be on the computer today or tomorrow!

2009-11-27T05:39:00.001-08:00

We're Here!

We arrived tonight... or this morning... depending on your time zone and are in our Beijing hotel. Aside from a flooding shower and an interesting conversation trying to order room service - we are in great shape and keep reminding ourselves this is not Epcot, it's for real!

We had a smooth but long flight - someone on the plane commented that Jaden was such a good traveler - but she had her own tv, the disney channel, and no restrictions... it was a dream day for her! In Chicago there were at least 4 other families on our flight coming here to adopt this week - all from different agencies and most of them are adopting boys with minor special needs. We ended up seated next to a couple fromGeorgia who are on the Young Life committee in their town - they have 5 children and this is their first adoption.. # 6! It makes my crazy seem a little more managable!

Tomorrow we have orientation with our agency and then will tour the Great Wall - Then we have an early Sunday morning to fly to Kunming and then meet Reese! Hopefully we can load some pictures soon - we are having trouble getting our computer to access the hotel network.

Thank you for your prayers!!!

Travel Dates!

2009-11-23T18:01:00.001-08:00

We're a little freaking out... we were hoping to hear today if we would travel Dec. 4 or 11... and this afternoon got the call that we leave Thursday... 2 days from now... and Gottcha Day will be Sunday! My mind is whirling again... what are we forgetting, what to pack... get Jaden's homework and release from school... don't forget the camera... we'll be back for Christmas at home!

Here is our itinerary:

Arrive Beijing - Nov. 27
Orientation - Nov. 28
Gottcha Day - Nov. 29
Arrive Guangzhou - Dec. 4
Consulate Visa Appointment - Dec. 9
Leave Hong Kong for home - Dec. 13

Travel Approval!!!

2009-11-20T18:01:00.000-08:00

What a week!

While waiting, we have been able to get lots of information about Kunming - the city that Reese is in. From families who have gone before us, we have learned that we will get very little information about her when we travel. We will not be able to see inside the orphanage or meet her foster parents - or see where she has been living. It is also unlikely they will give us any notes left with her, or additional information about her almost 2 years there.

Monday night I was up late trying to find things to do while transferring some videos. I ended up going to a blog of someone who traveled last summer to Kunming on a first ever tour of that orphanage. This small group of families were given access to the orphanage and were able to spend a day in the foster villages meeting the families who took care of their children. I decided to take a look at these pictures thinking it would be interesting to see -

Looking through the pictures, I kept staring at a little girl who looked similar to Reese and would have been about her age. I was captured by the pictures, but dismissed them and thought if I remembered I might show Jeff in the morning. Well Jeff was not asleep and came out of the room - I showed him the picture (and after first mocking me) he got out the pictures we have and started looking for distinguishing marks. We ended thinking - well maybe, but who really knows for sure.

Then I went to the written entry about that day and discovered that the pictures were of the foster family who had cared for their child. The little girl was the child they currently had in their care - and she was 18 months and had recent heart surgery. I was in shock - this would have been exactly the age and details of Reese at that time. It certainly narrowed the possibility! We are hoping to get more information from this family, but really believe this is her. If it is, this means we would have pictures and video of her foster family, their home, their village and more. Pieces of her story she would never have otherwise. What an absolute gift as we continued to wait!

Thursday night I was on-line again and came across another blog of someone in China who sent in their paperwork after ours. I would like to say that I felt a surge of pastoral thoughts - but instead I was more like a 1st grader complaining about someone cutting in the line on the way to recess. Do they not process things in order received? Was our paperwork lost, misplaced, or eaten by dragons?

Today I got an email from our agency asking about our fingerprinting expiration. Our fingerprints expire Dec. 9th - and we have not received our extension yet. I came home to call about the status - and the renewal appointment notice was in the mailbox. We actually have to go in and be re-fingerprinted... think about that... The date for re-fingerprinting is Dec. 7.

So I called our Hauge officer and found out that our fingerprints will clear before the 9th - so that document won't expire - relief!

Jaden and I went to dinner, and then when we got home there was an e-mail telling us that our Travel Approval had arrived today!!! It said we will be traveling Dec. 4 or Dec. 11 - we should know next week for sure! I don't know if our fingerprinting appointment will end up forcing us to miss the Dec. 4 departure - but if we could leave Dec. 4 we will be home for Christmas day! What a gift! If we leave around the 11th - we will be spending Christmas with Jaden and Reese in China - and Rylee will be at home. But still... what a gift!

I wrote a devotion today for Advent all about waiting. I used a quote from the Doodlebops - "Waiting is not as fun as dancing on a dance pad." I am so HAPPY to finally be dancing - and cannot wait to truly dance with our daughter in December!!!

How it All Started: Jeff

2009-11-13T04:26:00.000-08:00

When I think back to the first time Jenn and I talked about adopting it is amazing to think how my view/thinking/understanding of adoption has changed. That evening nearly 14 years ago, back when we were dating, Jenn mentioned that she had always wanted to adopt. She shared the call that she felt and the desire that she had to make a difference for a child without parents. At the time I remember being surprised that she was so passionate and adamant about adoption. How could she be so sure that this was what God wanted her to do? To be honest adoption was not something I’d given much thought to at that time in my life.

Over time the idea grew and it was after having Jaden that the thought became more real. The thought that there were children without parents pulled at my heart, and I can’t wait for this dream of ours to finally be realized and to adopt Reese.

It seems like such a long time ago now, but I’ll never forget that afternoon when Holt called with the news that we had been matched with a 15 month old little girl. It was Thursday, our day off, and I was heading out the door to volunteer at Jaden’s kindergarten class when the phone rang. Jenn and Rylee were at swim lessons so I ran to the phone thinking it was them. Our agency said that they had found a little girl they felt would be perfect for our family.

WOW! My heart was filled with excitement and I was overwhelmed by the wave of emotions that hit me. Could it be possible that we had been matched so soon? It was only about a month earlier we had participated in a webinar to get more information about the Child of Promise program for children with minor correctable medical conditions. Children with minor needs in China were able to be placed with families sooner than the current 4 year wait. Could we really be getting a call this fast? How soon would it be till we traveled to China? There were many more questions that day than answers but I remember the tremendous rush of excitement that came over me knowing we had a match. I couldn’t wait to tell all of the people who knew we were waiting, and I remember tears filling my eyes and the lump that was in my throat as I shared the exciting news with someone at work. What good news, what good news!! Now we awaited the call to tell us when we would travel.

And we have waited and waited and waited…There have been many times in my life that I have had to wait, but waiting to go get Reese has been the most difficult wait I have ever experienced. It’s difficult to put into words. It seems crazy that we have had to wait so long since initially being matched. And now after being matched and having a picture of our daughter we wait for the call. And we wait and wait and wait.

I’d like to say that I have been patient but that is not the case While there have been times that I have been patient, I now find myself consumed with wanting to know when we’ll go. I’m constantly checking e-mail and voice mail to see if there is any news and this practice only makes the wait more difficult. In many ways it’s a lot like holding your breath underwater. At first it is not too bad and your lungs make the adjustment but then your mind is unable to think about anything besides when you’ll get that next breath of air. Eventually every part of your body becomes fidgety and you can’t be at ease until the air fills your lungs. I find myself feeling like I need that next breath and my patience has run out. Needless to say my excitement remains high and I can’t wait to get that call letting us know that the time has finally come to travel. Next stop CHINA!

How it All Started: Jenn

2009-11-04T18:42:00.000-08:00

Adopting a child has always been something I have wanted to do. I remember being in elementary school reading ads for the Christian Children’s Fund in the back of Sunset magazine. Under that big picture of Sally Struthers it said that for a certain amount each month we could sponsor a child, and I thought this meant they would come to live with us! I carefully assessed our house and decided that I could share a room with my new sibling and although my allowance didn’t cover the payments, I would give my parents what I had. When I went for my proposal, my mom explained that you didn’t actually get the child you sent money too… but a seed was planted!

I read in the early stages of our process that adoption is a calling. I have to agree. Throughout my life I have been compelled by the stories and social issues facing children around our world. Having biological children only intensified my desire to adopt. It broke my heart to think there were children in the world who did not have someone looking deeply into their eyes with the fierce love a parent feels.

I cannot begin to name all the little and big ways God has placed the idea of adoption before me. I have felt for a long time the call has been so evident that if I got to the end of my life and had not taken action I would have walked away from God’s clear voice. There are many issues around the world that I hear and read about and am moved. In most cases, I hope someone will do something… and then I go about my day. For all the things we cannot really do anything about, this is one way as individuals we can make a life changing impact. I can reason away getting involved… but in the end, my faith leads me to take action.

So that is the seed… now for the action…

When Jeff and I were dating we discussed adoption. I will have to check with the source, but I don’t think it was something that he ever thought about. When we lived in Orlando we went to an adoption information seminar – just to get information. There was a father who stood and talked about his journey. He said that in every couple who adopts there is usually one who is the force behind it… he was the other spouse. He told their story and introduced us to his daughter… and you can guess the rest… after all, he was speaking at an adoption seminar!

I am not sure when we knew for sure this would be something we would do… I do know that when we were in seminary we knew that this was THE time in our lives to take action. We had to wait for the right timing… jobs... a permanent address… and we decided to start the process as soon as those were in place.

We moved and started our first pastoral calls in January 2008… we sent in our initial application to Holt International Children Services on Easter day 2008. It seemed symbolic that our journey would begin on Easter.

People have asked us “Why China?” I know there are children in the US and all over the world for that matter who need families. ALL these children deserve a loving home, and all I can say is that we have known China was where our daughter would be. Early in our process, a friend called and asked if we would be interested in adopting a little girl available in a nearby town. This girl would be the same age as Rylee, and we decided that we needed siblings to be in different grades. What I also knew, was that even if we adopted a child here, I would still see families with children from China and feel an emptiness. I knew that we had a daughter there.

When we started the process we were expecting it to take 3-4 years. The dossier process was estimated to take 2-4 months. I knew 4 months was for the lazy people. We turned around every paper within 24 hours… and 9 months later our dossier was complete. As that 3-4 year time frame extended we felt the distance in our children’s ages extending as well. We still believed that we were supposed to get in that long line and wait.

In the process of filling out papers we filled out a form with medical conditions we would be willing to accept. Our social worker had advised us to be very selective because we have 2 other children, and we really only had 1-2 things we checked off.

Our dossier was sent to China at the end of January 2009. A couple of months later we needed something to do so we signed up for an on-line seminar about the Child of Promise program – those children our agency places with minor correctable needs. We had already filled out the paperwork, but happened to ask the question… “So, if we are only open to a girl, with a heart murmur, as young as possible, how long do you estimate we might wait for a match?” The answer stopped us in our tracks… “In the next 6 months.”

With heads spinning, we realized that the daughter we had been praying for may have already been born. We started to live with the “maybe next week…. Maybe 4 more years” plan. On Thursday, April 23, Jaden was in school and I was at Rylee’s swim lesson when Jeff called. We had been given a referral for a 15 month old girl with a heart murmur. The journey became real.

After a crazy month or so contacting doctors to find answers to all our medical questions we knew that this little girl was our daughter and we named her Reese, keeping her Chinese name, Yuan Chun as her middle name. We are now waiting to go get our “Reesey” and bring her to our house!