Here you'll find updated pictures and news as we prepare for our adoption journey. Visit us regularly as we experience the joy of adding to our family.
We have created this site to have a place for family and friends to follow along as we welcome home our fifth child. He is not home yet but dad is set to travel July 11!
I took the road less traveled by, and that has made all the difference.
--- Robert Frost
Home at last!
Finally the wait is over and I have husband and son home safe and sound. They arrived Saturday at 12:30. I was so excited that I was beside myself. Of course, when Jia met me he pulled away and cried....should have known:) Well, that only lasted the hour car ride home from the airport. He was snuggled against me and asleep by the time we got home. Things progressed quickly from there and now I am Ma Ma :) He is a charmer and is very sincere about his desire for a family. He has been well informed and is as resilient as a child can be. I adore him. He is also so full of energy, curiosity and mischeviousness. He sings and dances the cutest songs and poses like Buddah :) He hates dogs and nature (alaska will take some getting used to) He loves attention and affection. He is so confused by how light it is here now and so bed time was a challenge last night. How do you explain the Midnight sun with a language barrier? He is very social and loves to go and do. He is a clothing horse and is very picky about what he wears. He loves photos of himself and did I mention he calls me ma ma. Well, the adventure continues and I will keep posting as we progress as a family. The camera broke during the trip so I am missing great photo ops but I will catch up.
Almost done!
I finally broke down and called Mike at the hotel since I did not get my nightly call last night. Turns out he was saving his last calling card. I would have none of that and needed to get my daily fix of Jia info. Jia's TB test came out negative so we will not have to wait on a chest X-ray. That is yet another blessing in a long list of blessings. The only thing left is the Consulate visit and oath then they are on a plane heading home. I am so so excited and Mike is so ready. They met up with another family who has been in China adopting their fifth child. They are doing a special program focused on adopting a group of 10 to 14 year old girls who are aging out of the system and needed homes quick. I was tickled to find out Mike and Jia teamed up with a group and had some company. Their new daughter is 11 years old and a real sweetheart. I can only imagine what she and Jia must have chatted about. Today they are going to the zoo for sight seeing. Yesterday they toured an outdoor food market which I got some good pictures from. Mike saw some pretty exotic food. They have done a lot of walk about and seen a good deal of the area. Mike made friends with an ex-pat that hangs out at a restaurant they are frequenting and they have had some really good talks. Mike is just like that...makes friends and is at ease everywhere. I have uploaded some photos of Jias physical and the fun he is having. I dont think I have a photo of him without a coke or a lolli pop. I know this about my husband. He has a hard time denying treats. I am sure my boy will miss these days of sugar overload once he is in my arms. All I know is from the phone calls and pictures my boy seems happy. Mike is officially now and forever earned the title of Super Dad. Tomorrow is the consulate interview and I look forward to that being over. I will post with the details but for now they have a free day to sight see and enjoy eachother some more. The next four days should go fast as I prepare for my boys to come home.
Hello from the White Swan Hotel
Mike's email to me:
Hey Sweetheart, got into "White Swan" today. Jia did great on the flight over, although the
man sitting in front of him changed seats because Jia kept putting his hand
in his hair (by accident) and playing with his tray table. got his passport and
his result from the TB test today. it was negative. he will have another one
tomorrow during his exam. the cost of the exam is 1,500.00 RMB (about $250).
there is a christian church by the hotel. ask pastor john if he knows of it.
i will give you the name when i call you later. Jia had his first meltdown last
night. we got in from eating at McDonald's for dinner and he wanted to go up
to the hotel restaurant. i said no and he pouted until we got to the room and
then he pitched a fit. i let him scream for a little while and then when i
didn't react, he started crying. i let him cry for a few minutes and then i
picked him up and rocked him until he stopped. after a while he was fine and
started listening to me again. i attached some more pictures. shirley took us
to a garden with a collection of different rocks. it was a private residence
until the new government took over and the "state" took it over. it was
beautiful but also sad. i really miss you and the kids. i was riding in my 500th
cab ride and thinking, i am ready to get the heck out of here and go home.
its torture having to jump through all the hoops. we stopped at the hospital to
pick up the results of the TB test and a small dog (only the 2nd I have seen since
i've been in china) and scared the pee out of Jia. we are going to have to introduce
him to the dogs slowly. I have a list of things he likes and doesn't like so far:
LIKES chicken nuggets ice cream coke without ice chinese dumplings french toast
yogurt to show off, ie big ham chips DISLIKES dogs drinks with ice hot bath water
the word NO me at times i love you very much and tell the kids i love them,
Mike
Gotcha!
Mike finally had a moment to email photos and call with all the details of his first encounters with our new son. Mike arrived in Wuhan on the 12th and almost immediately his guide escorted him to the Adoption Affairs Office and he was able to start paperwork. Our little boy was not there yet so the paper shuffling was out of the way by the time he arrived. The guide reminded dad to take pictures but Mike asked if she could do it because his hands were shaking so much. He is such an emotional papa. It was an amazing experience because Mike very quickly found out two things. Contrary to our information Jia was not in a foster home his entire life. He has been in the orphanage. This changes our entire picture of what his experiences have been. The miracle is that from when Jia was an infant he had a couple of nannies who were called to dote on him and they told him regularly as he grew that one day he would leave them and his real family would come for him. He came off the elevator smiling like he knew Mike and had been waiting for him. Mike was floored at how informed this little guy was and how proud and excited he seemed. He has been wonderful about connecting with Mike and letting Mike care for him. Next Mike was informed that Jia is not completely deaf as we had thought but can hear and talk. He has an ear deformity but can still hear sound. What a blessing that Mike can communicate with our son! It has been so hard knowing our entire lives are changing and not being there to see it. Mike has done a fantastic job with our boy. He was concerned when Jia was so curious he would get ahead of Mike in the streets so he picked him up and put him on his shoulders. Jia giggled and held on happily. Now that is jia's preferred way to travel. Jia does not like McDonald's hamburgers but does like chicken nuggets. He also enjoys yogurt. He had his first snit yesterday when Mike would not get more dessert. Jia sat on the floor of the restaurant and pouted for about 10 minutes. Mike just sat near him and showed no reaction. Eventually our boy got up and took Mike's hand and off they went. I am on cloud nine knowing things are going well and that my son and husband will be home soon.
Finally in China!
I got a call at 8:32 a.m. Alaska time this morning from dear hubby. He made it to China and got to his hotel in Beijing about 12:00 a.m. He sounded so tired. The quarantine commando boarded his plane and took temps. No one was stopped at that point so hopefully all is well! He leaves for Wuhan at 10:50 a.m his time which will be tonight here... so confusing. I am sending prayers and happy thoughts his way all night tonight as he is meeting our new little boy. He is so worried about Jia's reaction to everything and being able to comfort his fears. It touches my heart how concerned he is. Mike had a three hour lay over in Japan and got to see the Tokyo airport and watch sumo wrestling on T.V. :) So far everyone he has encountered has been helpful. He told me Beijing reminds him of Baton Rouge. Not a ringing endorsement as I see it since Baton Rouge is not the prettiest town I've ever seen. He of course could not figure out how to turn the lights on at the hotel even though I warned him he would have to insert a card. The beds are hard (as predicted) and bottled water was waiting for him. So far all we expected. He sounded excited and promised to send updates and pictures regularly to get me through. It is so so hard being here and knowing he is there getting our child. Yesterday was very hard. I was tired from the early trip to the air port and I had so much school work waiting for me. The kids were out of sorts and it was just surreal. Today has been better. We took a day to be at home and take care of housekeeping and grocery shopping while we are alone. We stayed home from church due to our oldest son feeling very anxious about everything and a bit emotional. He wanted a pajama day so that is what we will do. They are still tired and a bit cranky. So now we wait. The process has started and we can only go with the flow. I am so excited but emotional at the same time. Just going to focus on getting the house and his room ready and setting up doc appointments and insurance. Really wish I was in China.
4 Days and Counting!
Well, we are now at four days until dad flies away to China to bring home our little boy. Now that it is almost time it seems like things are moving at lightening speeds. We confirmed our in country itinerary today so we now know where they will be the entire time and the cost. More budgeting on the horizon. I spent the morning shampooing our carpets in the entire house and other nesting type activities. We had a bit of bad luck yesterday. Our truck broke down and needs a new fuel pump. That will be at least 500 dollars we did not plan on spending. I am sounding aweful about money (I know) but it is like bringing home any child and stressing the dollars is part of it :) Of course, any price will be worth it and it is awesome knowing we are now only a few weeks from having him home. I am praying that all continues to move smoothly. The Fourth of July weekend was great and yesterday we were able to celebrate our oldest sons 9 year old birthday. His daddy took him to play nine holes of golf then we all met at McDonalds for quarter pounders (his favorite... not mine) then home for cake and prsents. It was a great celebration. Next month is our youngest daughter (turning 10) and our newest little guy will be here for that one. We spent a lot of time with friends over the weekend doing cook outs and day trips. Just felt the need to connect as we prepared to bring our son home and turn our focus in toward the family.
Pep Talk From The Agency
WOW, just got off the conference call that traveling parents participate in prior to leaving for China. I called in from home and Mike called in from work. The point of the call is to prepare families for what to expect when they meet the child for the first time. All of us on the phone are adopting older children ranging from 5 to 13. I did not expect to hear hearts and flowers but I was not prepared for the emotional impact of the call. It painted a very gloomy and emotional picture of tantrums, emotional shut downs, fear, and confusion. I know the philosophy is prepare for the worst and pray for the best but I guess hearing it from a professional was daunting. The worst part was confirming that they move the children from foster care up to two months before we arrive back to the orphanage to wait for us! Basically that means our little boy who has been with the same foster family since four months old was plucked from his home and dropped in an orphanage.... for a second time! I'm sure we are not going to be very popular. My biggest concern is that he will not have as good a diet or care as he has gotten and that no one will be able to communicate with him due to his deafness. Very emotional. His transition to us is going to be hard enough without facing the orphanage first. I dont even know how much they have shared with him to inform him of why he is in the orphanage. Well, as Mike reminded me it is out of our hands for 11 more days. Mike will have him the 13th then we can start putting him back together.
Gotta A Ticket To Fly!
Today is the day we officially purchase Mike's tickets to and from China. It is funny how long it actually takes to plan an itinerary and purchase tickets for a trip like this. Now that we have travel plans from here to China and back we have to wait to get our in-country itinerary from the adoption agency. We are on pins and needles to get all the logistics taken care of. I am amazed that it is happening and also amazed at the cost of travel right now. You always think you are prepared but when you actually turn over that bank card its still a bit overwhelming. We are now at the point where we sit and wonder what our newest addition is experiencing. Is he still with his foster family or will he have to transfer back to the orphanage to wait? Has anyone told him about us? I know our care package was delivered but did it end up in his hands? All questions we ponder as we make travel plans.
Our Journey to Child Number 5
We are a family of 6 created in a very special way. We had our two girls and made the decision to add another child through adoption. We adopted our third child, a son domestically as a new born and thought we were finished. As with most plans that are made this one was not in our control and we were blessed with a fourth child who rounded our family out with two girls and two boys. Most think that is plenty and for 5 years so did we. After our family moved from Florida to Alaska to teach in a remote native village we rediscovered the joy of a large family and right before leaving the village and moving to a more developed part of Alaska my husband and I were moved to adopt again. This time we were drawn to international adoption after seeing a waiting child program available through WACAP. We were one of the last families to be allowed pre-approval for a waiting child and my husband made the decision that one little 4 year old boy was the one for us. He is now 5 and will be coming home the end of July. He is considered a waiting child due to his age and special need (deafness) We consider him a waiting child because he was waiting for us. We have been waiting only a year and two months which is very short by Chinese adoption standards so we feel very lucky to have found this program and started the process in time to gain pre-approval, so we have known who we are working toward the entire time.
We have gotten our final travel authorization and it looks like my husband will travel July 11 to the 24th to bring our son home. We are in the process of creating his room, preparing our children and ourselves and planning trip itineraries. I will be using this site to keep family and friends updated on our journey.
7/23/2009 5:45:45 PM - 002079989415
Just wanted to say hello. We adopted our daughter (Wu Meng Jin) from Wuhan CWI in Feb 2008. She was 4 yrs, 8 months on the day we received her. She is also deaf. She lived at the CWi. She is doing so very well since being home!! I pray that your son's transition into your family is smooth. Our family website is www.girlmakesthree.blogspot. com
God Bless,
Heather
thelukefam@gmail.com
7/21/2009 10:24:41 PM - 002022494553
Your son is beautiful! We are wanting to adopt a boy with microtia/artrisa in ~4 years. It just lifts my heart to see others who are drawn towards this "special need". Many blessings for your family.
7/16/2009 3:25:41 PM - 002074787793
What a beautiful boy you have... He looks like he will be alot of fun. How wonderful your husband was able to be there for him. What a great bond they will share. Thanks for sharing your journey... Linda (Gramma to Lauren adopted 1/12/09 at 21 months)