We're Home!

"Remember today, for it is the beginning of always. Today marks the start of a brave new future filled with all your dreams can hold"

Welome Home Owen!

After about 25 hours of traveling, we arrived home at about 8:45 to a very warm welcome from our friends and family, AKA the paparazzi! Cameras in hand, they all waited at the end of the driveway anxious to see the little boy they all heard so much about. Ella immediately jumped out of my mom's arms and into mine..something we were both longing for :) I then took her around to the other side of the car, followed by B and J, to finally meet "little brother". As soon as I opened the door Wen, like he knew just who Ella was, reached out his hand and took hers. Needless to say that brought a couple of us to tears! It was dark out, but the driveway was quite lite by all the camera flashes. I can't even imagine what was going through his little head! He was very happy to see B, and J as well and greeted each of them with a huge smile. Once again, we were blessed with magical moments. Four siblings who just met, yet seemed to have know each other for so long. How could that be? My heart is so grateful.

The kids were anxious to get Wen inside and show him his new house. He willingly went around the house holding one of their hands and went room to room. He amazingly seemed very comfortable with each of them, as well as with my mom and my sister. We all had a very late night that night finally settling in at about 12:30. Like clockwork, Wen was up at 6am!

Overall things are going very well. Wen absolutely LOVES Ella (and Ella loves him!), and is very happy when he sees B and J. We're still all getting used to the time change and I've been walking around a foggy and a bit overwhelmed by lack of sleep, the mess developing around my house, and the suitcases full of laundry that still need to be done. Also, my Ella who was so brave without her mom for two weeks, has come a bit undone! It's like every suppressed emotion is now coming out. She will not let me leave her side for more than a second and has been so overly emotional. That's mainly the reason this blog post has taken me so long. Ella basically won't let go of me, which makes it a little hard to type! And of course her needs have to take priority. So I now sit at my table with my laptop while the two little ones are eating lunch, trying to get it done!

Here's few pictures from Wen's big welcome home! In the next couple of days I'll hopefully get a chance to post some pictures of our "new family".

My mom had this beautiful banner made to welcome Wen home. (She also made sure the house was clean, the fridge was filled with food, and all the laundry at home was all done--how wonderful is that!!)

Michelle, Joanne, and Lisa came earlier in the day and decorate the house with balloons
Wen's new friends
Ella, Meg, and Mia are anxiously waiting!
We finally make it home to the large crowd gathered in front of our house
I'm greeted by our other children

Wen's first glance at the paparazzi awaitin his arrival!

Brianna, happy to finally meet Wen

The smiles on their faces...priceless

Ella, so happy to have "little brother" home at last!

No words for this one :)

A new family

Goodbye Guangzhou, Goodbye China

It's our last full day in China. We head out early tomorrow morning for our long day of travel.

Yesterday afternoon we had our traditional "red couch" photos. It's a tradition to have pictures taken on the red couch in the lobby of the White Swan hotel. Wen wasn't in the best mood considering we had to wake him up from his nap. He definitely wasn't his usual smiley self, but still the pictures came out pretty nice.

Last night we attempted to eat some authentic Chinese. We stopped at two local restaurants, but after reviewing their menu decided that we really didn't need to eat Chinese. If I had been in the mood for some fried frog, sliced swan meat, or maybe a little ostrich kidney it would have been fine to eat there. I was way too hungry after not eating lunch and there was just no way I'd be able to get enough steamed pigeon in me to make me full! We then decided we'd try the German restaurant, but they were having a party there and were not seating for dinner. Much to my luck.......La Dolce Vita is right next door to the German restaurant and that's were we ended up. AAHHHH.......happiness. Again we had a very delicious meal. Actually I think it was probably better than any local restaurant we have home! A little Pizza Caprese (mmmmm), and two more wonderful pasta dishes (and of course a nice bottle of red wine) were on last night's menu. Of course we went through a couple of baskets of bread as well. Marianna, you would be very happy there. If you knew how good the food was I think you would even muster up enough courage to get yourself on a plane to China! We again worked on getting Wen to convert over to the Chinese-Italian he now is. A little olive oil and balsamic vinegar....he actually asked me to put in on his plate! Then the bread dipping began. Yes, we will be able to go out to eat when we get home!

We spent part of the morning packing and then headed over to the park. Wen had a great time! Again the local women were "mothering" him. I told Brian that if any of the Chinese women on the plane ride home offer to feed/entertain/take care of him DO NOT SAY NO!!! I'm sure they'll give him back once we land! Yes, I am dreading the long flight home. This is the part of the trip I was always worried about the most. So I am once again asking for your prayers-lots of them- for a safe, easy, and otherwise uneventful journey home. Please:)

Again, I want to thank all of you who have been so interested in following our journey. Your comments, emails, and facebook messages mean more to me than you know. Wen has so many wonderful people to meet when we get home :) You have all been so supportive over this past year while we worked so hard to get Wen home.

I also want to thank my mom and my sister who took such good care of our other three kids while we were here in China. We couldn't have done this without you :) Thank you.

Meaghan Grace and Mia Hope your provided the inspiration for us to follow our hearts and bring your new friend home. We can't wait to see the "three dimples" all together! I can't wait to see if Paige will be the fourth "dimple"!

My husband, who trusted me enough to make this happen...thank you, I love you.

*B, J, and El---just one more day! I miss you guys so much it hurts. We love you and can't wait for you to meet your new brother :) You guys are going to be the best big brother and big sisters he could ever have. He is one lucky boy that you will be his family and one day he will know just how much you all wanted him to be your brother.
XOXOXOXOXO
Mom and Dad

P.S- Mom-I think maybe you should take the Panda rocker out of Owen's room! We can't have him be afraid of walking into his new room!

Red Couch picture
Wen wants Tai's hat

Wen gets Tai's hat and is very happy!

Tai runs away! His mom and dad better be careful, I just may be sneaking him into my suitcase and taking him home!

Travel group (the two other GW families left Tuesday)

Wen was determined to ride on the little car with this big stuffed animal. He tried, and tried, and tried to sit on it with him. Then Tai's dad put him on Wen's shoulders---he was very happy to have a solution!

MMMMM.......some great bread dipped in a little olive oil and balsamic....who wouldn't like that???

Doesn't he look so cute in his new hat???

LOVE the personalized jersey - thanks Laura!

A local little boy and his grandmother

Yep, another women feeling the need to take care of Wen. She thought his hat was too big and decided to adjust it

Every adoptive mom just has to take this picture

La Dolce Vita

Well the second half of our day yesterday went much better than the first. We opted to walk back to Shamian Island (with our guides) from the pearl market instead of taking the bus. We first walked through a very busy business section with lots of stores. There were SOOOOOO many people! Wen and his little friend Tai were mesmerized just watching everything that was going on. We just love watching them and wondering what was going through their little heads. We next walked throught the pet market. I didn't take any pictures here as it's not something I really care to remember and for the sake of my animal loving friends and family I'm not even going to bother describing it. I'm sure me saying that says enough :( After getting through the animal market we walked through the herbal medicine market. As we walked our guide stopped along the way and explained what things were and what they were used for. It was quite interesting and the Chinese definitely know something we don't know. They are all very thin (we have not seen even one overweight person here--seriously!), and they have such beautiful skin.

When we got back to Shamian Island we decided to go straight to dinner. We were joined by our new friends Heidi and Jason and there son Tai (who is one cutie patootie). It was a beautiful walk to the restaurant. We opted for Italian and were VERY pleasantly surprised by how good our meal was. We went there thinking "Italian food in China????". Brian and I can be very critical when it comes to Italian food. Upon arriving we were initially comforted by the beautiful building the restaurant is in, the cleanliness of it, and the fact that they have western style toilets! Already I was thinking this would be our place for lunch and dinner the next couple of days! We sat down to baskets of bread and breadsticks complete with a balsamic and pesto dipping oils. The bread was so light and delicious. Now I'm thinking "OK, this could be good". Then came the true test--our meals. Brian and I ordered Penne with onion, bacon, and tomato sauce , and Chicken with a spinach wine sauce. They were DELICIOUS!!!!! Even Wen enjoyed his spaghetti with tomato sauce and some bread dipped in pesto!! Hooray--that I can make! Later we saw the chefs-two big Italian guys and that explained everything! Our meals combined with the wonderful bottle of wine we ordered, and the company of Heidi, Jason, and Tai was like a little taste of heaven. I was soooo happy and content. It was like my battery was recharged and I was thinking OK, OK, I can do this for a couple more days"! Needless to say, I'm really looking forward to going back there :)

We had a very pleasant walk back to the hotel from the restaurant. On the way we stopped for some Starbucks, and did a little more shopping! There were lots of people out walking and still lots of people in the park exercising.

To make the evening even better we had two important firsts last night. I got my first kiss!!!! AAAHHH, yes, my first kiss. I was holding Wen and puckered my lips and he leaned over and kissed me! Dad later got at kiss too. Also, last night was the first time he let me lay with him to go to sleep. I then put him in his little bed that is right next to Brian's (basically attached to it) and he slept there all night. Either he was really wiped out from all his shots, or he's finally starting to realize that when he wakes up in the morning we will still be there.

Tomorrow we go to the Consulate to take our group oath. Then we'll get all packed up and ready to head out on Thursday (of course in between that we'll be going back to La Dolce Vita!!)

*B, J, and El- We are DONE shopping for you!! El-have fun at school today!! Tell Ms. Diane I said hello. Two more days!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Brian bargaining in the pearl market. Look at all those bags of pearls!!
So many stores, I'm not sure how they can all make money. These were ALL pearl stores!

Wen and Tai just taking it all in! I just LOVE this picture.

Herbal medicine market

These dried seahorses are used for making soup

Scorpians, yes scorpians, also used for a medicinal soup

This artist was making carvings out of ox bone

This little girl was reading in the park and was just as sweet as she looks. She spoke English and was delighted to pose for a picture. She is definitely one of the beauties of Shamian Island.

One of the many couples taking their wedding photos in the park yesterday.

Family photo in front of a "lucky" tree. Notice the trunk--it's like many thin branches twisted together. The trees are so beautiful here

La Dolce Vita!!!!

Spaghetti face!

Wen and Tai. Wen is very nuturing and gentle toward Tai. It make you wonder if he helped with the younger children at the orphanage--ya know at the ripe old age of not even three!

Tai's shoe came off---Wen was helping him put it back on! It actually makes me a sad that he is so independent and was forced to grow up so fast :(

Shoe is on, now he helps him get up!

My first Oreo---this is no rice cookie! Slowly they are beginning to corrupt me!

Joy, Fun, and Frustration

This blog post brings out a wide variety of emotion today. First the joy and fun part. We had a wonderful time at dinner last night with our travel group. Four of the five GW families met and went to the Cow and Bridge. My meal was just OK. Maybe I should have opted for the steamed pigeon, or the ostrich kidney! I think tonight we're going to try Italian---that should be interesting! We then went back to the hotel and spent some time in playroom. Initially we were the only family in there. Wen spent a great deal of time arranging all the toys. He's going to be a wonderful "cleaner upper". We were then joined by two of the other GW families. It was so wonderful to finally see Wen playing with other children. He had a GREAT time. For the most part everyone played very nicely. Toward the end of the night it was just us and the Cook family with their new son Levi in the playroom. Wen and Levi had a blast. They were running, rolling around, and having a great time! The pictures of the two of them speak a thousand words. Levi is quite a character. He is four years old and has some command of the Chinese language. He runs around talking, and laughing, and talking in Chinese. I can only imagine the stories he was telling us. He has quite a personality and I could have watched him all night!



Now for the part of the post that is part funny, part frustrating. We had our medical exam this morning which all adopted children must have before returning to the U.S. The best way to describe it is controlled chaos. There were very many people there and you are basically brought to different "stations" for different parts of the exam. First, we had our "hearing test". This is the funny part of the story. The doctor took a squeeky fish and put it next to Wen's ear to see if he would turn to look at it. Well, we hadn't taken his hearing aid out, so of course he heard it. Then I took his HA out and the doctor once again took the fish from in front of him, held it to the side of his head, and squeezed it. Well, he wanted the fish and had watched it in her hand, so of course he turned when she squeeked it--he had watched her put it by his ear. Well, from this "test" she decided that he can now hear and actually told us he didn't need his hearing aid anymore!!!! I was trying really hard to be respectful, but the ridiculousness of the situation got the best of me. I was laughing so hard I had tears rolling down my face!! Brian was having a hard time controlling his laughter as well. The rest of the exam was pretty uneventful until our last stop. Apparently under the new Hague regulations all children who are returning to the U.S are required to have all vaccination required by the CDC----BEFORE they leave. I had no idea that this was the case and was a little unprepared for what they would tell me. The doctor looked at his vaccination record and determined that he needed FOUR shots for EIGHT different diseases!!!!!!! They said he needed MMR, DTaP, HIB, and Varicella!!! I argued, begged, and pleaded, to no avail, against this assault on his little immune system. Unfortunately, the consulate will not issue his Visa without meeting this requirement. I am so furious that I was forced to allow them to give him SO many on the same day. I really wish this could have been done at home, in a much safer manner. Please keep him in your prayers that he will suffer no side effects from the many vaccinations he recieved today. His poor little arms are SO sore :( I am just sick to my stomach thinking about it.

After Wen's nap we went on our scheduled tour to the pearl market. Once again, we made some purchases! I really liked the pearl market :) Funny because if it wasn't for the fact that I had to pick up something for Meaghan Grace I probably would have skipped going there. Wen was napping and after his ordeal this morning I really didn't want to wake him up. But, I had an order to fill and my girl's at home were liking that we'd be going to the pearl market today. I'm really glad we went, but once again the purchases are a surprise....sorry girls!

We ended up having a really nice afternoon and evening....more on that tomorrow! It's late, I'm tired and I'm not even gonna proof read this tonight...so just pretend there aren't any spelling/grammatical errors.....it's 9am in the U.S and I KNOW some of you have already been stalking my blog for a couple of hours!!

*B, J, and El--you all got some really cool stuff today!!! Three more days until "little brother" comes home!!!!!!!

The boys in the travel group (no girls in the group!)
Our group dinner

New friends

The local people excersising in the park

Beautiful Shamian Island

The medical exam place

Notice the tambourine...notice me TRYING to keep a straight face!

Crazy crowded!

Things are starting to not go so well....and we're not even up to the shots!

Can you stand the cuteness?????

Shopping, shopping, shopping!

Shopping, that about sums up today! We went on our scheduled tour to the Chen Clan Temple. We thought we were going to see another buddist temple, but actually it's now a folk art museum---with, of course, stores where you can buy things! I did make some purchases, again. We got a chop (kinda like a stamp) with Owen's name written in Chinese, and a scroll with our family name on it. The other things we bought there are a secret....they're gifts :) Then it was off the the jade and provincial porcelain place (this is what our guide called it). Ummm.....we shopped a little more :) We got some chopsticks--we're gonna need those, a jade pendant for Wen, and some other goodies for our other kids which I'm not going to mention, because they're surprises too! Sorry for the suspense B, J, and El! I also splurged and got myself and Ice Jade braclet--very pretty.

We got back to our beautiful hotel, had some lunch, and brought Wen back to the room for a nap, AKA "my blog time". I must really love you blog crazy people (you know who you are!) to be spending every nap blogging. Especially now that we are in Guangzhou and I could be shopping! It really is nice to be here. There are so many little shops and the hotel is actually located on an island-Shamian Island. Our room looks out the the Pearl River which is the 3rd largest river in China.

Tonight we will be meeting the other GW families for dinner at the Cow and Bridge, a Thai restaurant here on Shamiam Island. It's nice to have a greater variety of food now. Also, the breakfast buffet here is wonderful! Luckily, they did have noodles for Wen. So far we have tried french fries, tater tots, chicken nuggets, french toast, pancakes, and toast. The only thing he has even tried was a french fry. He took one bit, chewed it, and spit it out! I told him that sometimes we need to run through the drive through for some fast food when we are out, and they don't sell noodles! Hopefully, once he see's Ella eating he'll decide to try some new foods.

Enjoy today's pictures :)

*B, J, and El--lots of shopping means some good stuff for you guys! I think you'll like our purchases! B and J- enjoy your last day off (and go to bed early tonight!) El-you're lucky, I think Meme is making meatballs today, YUM, I'm jealous! We love you guys. We're almost home!

The view from our window


Now that's a jade ship!

It's a whole new world out there!

This is how Owen has been falling asleep! When he's tired he grabs Brian's hand, brings him over to the bed, tells him to lay down, and climbs on!

Outside the Chen Clan Temple

This artist is fingerpainting. His work is unbelievable!

Magnolia --- for you mom :)

Wen and his new friend Tai. Isn't he so cute???

I don't care how hot they are, I'm hungry!

Noodle lover!

Hello Guangzhou!

Views of Guangzhou

First plane ride
Explaination to follow!
A world of new discoveries

We have arrived at the White Swan Hotel and are on our last leg of our journey! We left our hotel about 8:00 this morning for the airport. Departing Nanjing was a little bittersweet. We are happy to be heading home soon, but I couldn't help but feel a little sad as we left Wen's province and the only home he's ever known. We are grateful for the time we spent there and very grateful for our wonderful guide, Jin. She was wonderful!

Today's blog post may be a little boring since it was really just a travel day. So you'll have to settle for a little blurb about some of our experiences with the people here in China. We have been somewhat of a spectacle while here. Me having curly blonde hair (something not often seen in China!), and us being an American couple carrying around a Chinese boy. We have been stared at, pointed at, and I have been asked to take pictures with people---we'll I guess I wasn't actually asked just kind of coralled into the picture. Yesterday while waiting for our guide to purchase tickets to Dr. Sun's office we were really stared at and I even caught one guy taking pictures of us. Today at the airport was no different. We had our biggest audience ever. We were walking around the terminal killing time. When we arrived back at our gate we were welcomed by a mass of people just sitting and staring at us. Seriously--they were ALL staring. Brian joked that he wanted to get some paper and start giving out autographs! Some people smiled, some just stared, and some were very interested when they noticed Wen's hearingaid. One women was gaving us the thumbs up! Besides always being surrounded by the papparazzi, we have also been surrounded by women wanting to make sure we are taking good care of Wen. They check to make sure he has enough layers of cloths on (he never seems to have enough for them), and they always want to make sure he has something to eat. Feeding him seems to be every woman in China's concern. Everyday we needed to give our guide a report on what he ate for dinner the night before and what he had for breakfast that morning. Apparently every little complaint he had was because he was hungry, and she would (with every good intention) tell us to feed him! Today at the airport I came out of the bathroom and Brian told me to look at what he was eating. I looked down and he was eating a pickle!!! Confused, I looked at Brian and he told me that a women had come over and offered him pickles and peanuts. Despite every smiling attempt by my husband to tell her "no thank you", she still bent down opened the bag and let him take a pickle! Then, when were boarding the plane I was getting into our seats and turned around to find Wen holding two packets of some kind of Chinese snack! Again, confused, I looked at Brian and he told me that the lady sitting in the row next to us gave them to him. I am surprised that on adoption day when we promised and signed that we would take good care of him they didn't make us prepare a meal plan/schedule and hand it in! We don't seem to have any parental authority here. One women in the store today decided that he didn't want to be in the stroller any more and just took him out!! (What a blessing the stroller has been--he weighs 40lbs and totes around his backpack EVERYWHERE making him at least 45-47lbs!! He was getting a little heavy to carry around everywhere and his little legs tire quickly)

It was very interesting seeing the airport through Wen's eyes this morning. He was just absorbing everything. He watched the airplanes out the window, as well as the trucks that bring the luggage to the plane. He stared at the fish in the fish tank. He was especially interested in the mannequines in the shops. I can't imagine what he was thinking looking at those headless plastic people! His first airplane ride went pretty well. He did not like being seatbelted into the chair at all. I know this is new and lots of parents have the same struggle. He became quite cranky by the end of the two hour flight. I assured him that our trip home would only be an additional 11 hours! It should be fun!

As much as we will miss the beauty of Nanjing, we are happy to arrive in Guangzhou. We look forward to meeting up with our Beijing travel buddies and are happy we will have the company of a few other families from GW as well. The change of scenery is also nice. As I had mentioned in previous posts, with the exception of the two times we had dumplings out with our guide, we were basically eating all of our meals in the hotel restaurant. I was getting pretty bored and seriously counting down the number of times we still had to eat there! The food there was very spicy, much to Brian's liking, but I was having a hard time finding something I liked to eat. I finally found a steak sandwich that was really good and ate that three nights in a row!!

Until tomorrow!

*B, J, and El--there is much shopping to do in Guangzhou, we will be bringing you home lots of goodies!

Here Comes the Sun!

Finally, a sunny day in Nanjing!! We had a great day touring today!

Last night with Wen went pretty much the same as the night before. He's pretty easy going and is basically happy as long as he naps and eats! I had mentioned that when we first met him we initially thought that he may have a problem with his eyes because he was holding things very close to his face when he looked at them. He really hasn't done that since. I think we'll have it checked out anyway, but we not really too concerned about that any more. We were also concerned about his gross motor skills when we first met him. He seemed to be a little unsteady on his feet. We have now figured out that it was probably because he couldn't bend his knees with all the layers on pants he had on! His walking seems to be fine too. Again, last night he didn't want anything to do with the crib. For those of you who know us, all of our children have always ended up in our bed, so it's really not something we mind! We layed him down on the bed in between us and he stayed there for a couple of minutes......then he climbed right on top of Brian, put his head on his chest and fell asleep! Just too cute! He did come over to me again last night, look at me, and say "mama" so at least I'm getting a little attention! He also asked me to carry him at one point today instead of Brian (poor Brian was lugging him around all day! We finally went and bought a stroller because we knew that he would need to nap while we were out today--he's still sleeping in it as I write!) The only problem we may face when we get home is feeding him. He LOVES his Chinese food! He has rejected every American food we have offered him without even taking a bite! And...we're gonna have to get some chopsticks! Today at lunch he refused to use a spoon to eat his dumplings (all 6 of them!) and instead used chopsticks! He did quite well with them. I finally slept better last night, only waking up twice! I was also able to stay up last night until about 10:30--wooohoooo! Needless to say I felt better today than I have the entire trip.

Today we had an absolutely wonderful day of touring. The sun was out and it was a little bit warmer because of it. We visited Ming Tomb Park, Dr. Sun Yet-sen's Mausoleum, Dr.Sun Yet-sen's office, and the Old City Town area. Ming Tomb Park is where the first emperor of the Ming dynasty is burried. It just happens to be the Plum Festival here so there was a lot of celebration going on at the park. It was extrodinarly beautiful there. I don't know if I've ever seen so much beauty in one place. The pictures will speak for themselves.

From there we went to Dr. Sun's tomb. It was atop 392 steps which represent the 392 million people in China in the 1920's. The mausoleum was built from 1926-1929. It is constructed with 8 platforms. There are three doors at the entrance. The middle door is only for very important people, and has only been opened three times. Looking from the bottom you cannot see the platforms. Once you get to the top, and look down you only see the platforms and not the steps. The view from the top is breathtaking! When you are walking back out of the mosuleum you cannot see the first platform from inside the building and all you see in haze. It looks like you are going to walk right out into the sky!

Next we went to the Old City Town. In the middle of the town is a Confusious temple. All around it are streets of stores and alleys with small storefronts. It was very crowded and busy. We did make one purchase there-some rain flower stones. Our guide told us that we probably couldn't get them anywhere else.

Tomorrow we leave for Guangzhou! The last leg of this trip. We have really enjoyed our time here in Nanjing, but look forward to having the company of a travel group in Guanghzou! We also look forward to being able to get some St*rbucks! There isn't one anywhere around our hotel here in Nanjing.

Thank you to everyone who is leaving comments, and emailing us. We love you read your comments. Please keep them coming! I've been spending most of Wen's daily nap blogging and like to know you're all reading and enjoying!!

*B, J, and El-we must have walked 10 miles today! Poor dad had to carry Owen about 7 of those 10! B and J-Make sure you get rested over the weekend for back to school on Monday! J- I hope you feel better today :) El- We took a picture of a sign for Disney Princess on Ice in Chinese! Only 6 more days until "little brother" comes home!!!

A Rainy Day Touring

Things here continue to go well. We are enjoying our time in Wen's province, but I have to say that I am starting to get a little homesick. I miss my other kids, my bed, my Keurig coffee maker! I also miss going to bed after 9pm and not waking up five times a night. Last night I really thought I was going to have my first good nights sleep--didn't happen! I'm feeling a little worn out, maybe more than a little, but know that I really need to concentrate on absorbing all I can in our time here.

Each day after naptime Wen really has a lot of energy! Yesterday he was especially energetic, a little too energetic. We really got the sense that he was just trying really hard to deal with his grief and this was how he was doing it. Almost as if he thought if he just kept laughing he wouldn't cry. He of course calmed down for dinner, because eating is his favorite activity. After his meal we got him an ice cream cone. I don't know if this was a first for him, but he didn't seem too sure what to do with it at first. That didn't last for long! He did do something really funny with it. The other day Brian was teaching him to do "cheers" with their cups. Last night he picked up his cone to do "cheers" with their cones! We were just cracking up! Then a little ice cream dripped on the table and he immediately licked it up right off the table! After returning to the room we played for a little while and then got ready for bed While we were getting ready I had a magical moment. I was sitting on the floor getting our PJ's out of the suitcase when Owen came over, looked at me, and said "mama". Needless to say, that brought a few tears to my eyes! I shook my head yes and he repeated it again. Well, if he's only going to have one word, I'm sure glad it's "mama"!!

Last night was the first night that we had a little bit of trouble with him, if you can really call it that. The first night we had him I held him as he fell asleep. The next night I tried to hold him, then he asked for Brian and he tried to hold him. He still was not happy so we put him in the crib and he immediately fell asleep. So last night we decided to go right to the crib. He was not happy. Not wanting to ignore his cries we took him out and layed him on the bed and he quickly fell asleep. We later transfered him to his crib. Through the night he semi woke a few times and was crying with his eyes still closed. Each time one of us would go over to the crib, lay a hand on him, and he would immediately stop. Poor little guy, I can't imagine all the things going on in his head. Although it makes me sad to see him sad sometimes, I know that this is a normal and healthy thing.

We were able to make arrangements with our agency to add some touring activities to our schedule. Today we visited the Yangtze River Bridge, the Zoo, and the Nanjing Massacre Museum. The Yangtze River Bridge was the first bridge to be built soley by the Chinese people. Before that China used the help of Russian engineers to build there bridges. The bridge was built from 1960-1968 and is a tremendous source of pride for the people here.

After that we went to the zoo....in the rain! It has rained every day since we got here, but that doesn't seem to stop anyone around here. So, to the zoo we went with our umbrellas in hand. The first stop was the pandas. Brian and I were very excited to see them. Wen, not so much. At first he seemed very interested and even got mad when Brian, who was once again carrying him, turned around and he could no longer see the panda. It was amazing watching the panda sitting in the tree eating and climbing it's seemingly too small limbs. We couldn't believe that the tree limbs could hold his weight. Then we went over to see the other two pandas who were indoors. All was fine until one of them starting walking around. That is when Owen started to freak out. He was terrified! Those of you who know us, know that this isn't really going to work in our animal loving family! All I kept thinking was "thank God I didn't go with the safari theme I was thinking of in his room"!! We left the pandas and went to see the giraffe so I could get some pictures of them for my giraffe loving Ella. Yep, hysterics again! We were supposed to go see the animal show. We decided that the lions and tigers would at the very least cause just as many tears and just as much screaming, so we skipped it.

We then headed over to the Nanjing Massacre Museum. The museum is located in the downtown area of Nanjing. The drive there was, aside from the rain, a beautiful drive. This part of the city is quite pretty. The streets are tree lined. The road to the museum is lined with Sycamore trees that are so big they meet over the street and form a canopy. There are also small plum blossom trees planted in between them. Plum blossoms used to be the national flower until 1949 when the peony, my personal favorite, became the national flower. I couldn't really get a good picture of this because the windows of the van were very foggy and covered in rain drops (which was a good thing as it made me less able to see all the "near misses" going on around us!). The museum itself is quite large and beautifully designed. It was built to memorialize the Nanjing Massacre. In December 1937, the Japanese invaded Nanjing the then capital of China. In a six week period of time, 300,000 people were slaughtered. The Japanese troops were ordered to kill all Chinese people-men, women, and children. We also learned of the Americans who helped save many lives, like Minnie Vautrin an American missionary who is credited with saving 10,000 Chinese women and children. It was a solemn visit to the museum as there is so much suffering an death depicted there and many human remains were actually discovered under the ground where the museum is built.

We had our first meal at a local restaurant here in Nanjing. Our guide took us to a dumpling restaurant. She ordered us a variety of dumplings and they were all delicious. Wen especially enjoyed them-he ate FIVE!!!! The total cost for our meal was the equivelant of 5 US dollars. That was for me, Brian, Wen, and our guide!!! Much cheaper than the meals we've been eating in the hotel, and I actually enjoyed it more!

One more surprising thing happened today. Wen actually came over to me this morning and was tapping his hearing aid. Somehow both Brian and I both knew he was trying to tell us his battery died (Somehow we know just about everything he's trying to tell us!). Sure enough his battery was dead! It amazes me enough that he is so good about wearing it, but to be three years old and be able to communicate that it wasn't working properly is just astonishing! I think of all the patients who came into the office over the years for follow up visits and presented with hearing aids that weren't even working because the battery was dead---and they didn't even realize it! Not only does this little guy willingly wear his hearing aid all day, but he can also tell me that the battery is dead! Each day he does something that just leaves me speechless!

*B, J, and El-the zoo was so big and so beautiful. B-you never would make it around here on crutches! There is so much walking! J-I think Owen eats more than you! Ella-the giraffes were so cute, but they wouldn't come out to far because of the rain-I hope you can see them in the picture. Only 7 more days till you meet "little brother"!

Cheers!
I think he likes it!

The Yangtze River Bridge

Handsome little man and his happy mama

The backpack comes everywhere! We're wondering if he'll be less attached to it since the panda incident!

Family picture on the bridge tower

A master artist painting inside glass in a shop at the bridge tower. Yes...we did buy another souvenir!

Panda fears!

The panda climbing the tree--so amazing to watch!

Just for Ella-see the giraffes in the back. They didn't want to come out in the rain.

Our lunch stop. Our guide tells us that this restaurant is the Chinese version of fast food!

Lunch!

No trouble eating his dumplings! He doesn't have trouble eating anything really.

The sign at the entrance of the museum. We were not allowed to take any photos inside.

The footprints in the stones are those of some of the surviors of the massacre

Living in a Dream

I am seriously starting to wonder if the last couple of days are a dream. I can't believe how unbelievably well things are going with Wen. I asked Brian today "Do you think this is just too good to be true? Do you think we'll wake up tomorrow and he will have changed?" I can honestly say that there is not one thing I'd change about how things are going. It boggles my mind that this little boy has know us for just 48 hours and yet is so comfortable with us. He is really loving his Dad. He copies everything he does! They brush their teeth together and do their hair together. When we got off the elevator this morning Brian went back up to get something we forgot. Wen was desperately looking around for him! At breakfast this morning Brian got a cup of juice and Wen insisted on having one too. He then proceeded to hold the cup just like Brian and in the same hand, take a sip when he did, and put it down on the table when he did. When Brian got up to go get some more food, Wen called him (a simple loud vocalization), and then waved him back to the table and patted the seat! He is just too darn cute. He does like me too and he will hold my hand, let me feed him, take him to the bathroom, change him, and play, but he's favoring his dad just a little I think! He amazes us all day with how smart he is. Without a saying a single word he effectively communicates his every want and need. It's funny because had he not been hearing impaired and was talking we'd be having a harder time communicating. But because he's always had to rely on other means of communication, and has become so proficient at it, we have no problem at all! His cold seems a little better today. I did start him on the Zithromax we brought last night. The mucous coming from his nose has been very green and he sounds like he has some congestion in his chest. I was worried about flying with him Saturday to Guangzhou so I started the antibiotics. For those of you who know me, I am not quick to jump into meds, but really felt it was a good idea this time. He's been sleeping GREAT! He does seem to be grieving a little bit at bedtime and gets a little sad. He takes a two hour nap in the afternoon and sleeps through the night from 8-6. He is completely potty trained and has stayed dry through the night. Really, could this kid be for real???? We are so incredibly blessed. We just keep looking at each other completely amazed! I can't wait to get him home, get a good set of hearing aids in his ears, and get some speech therapy started. I'm sure he's just going to take off once he's getting the help he needs. He hasn't been responding to sound all that much and I was starting to think that maybe his hearing is worse that I was originally thinking. His vocalizations sound very much like those of a severely hearing impaired person. Then last night I put in a Ses. Street DVD which is one of those sing-a-long types. As soon as the music came on he began to dance. So he's obviously hearing something. I shared with a couple of you a dream I once had. Every once in a while God sends me these dreams. When I awake from them there is no doubt in my mind that they have meaning. In this dream, Wen was with Brian. Almost like he had gone to China to get him without me. I approached Wen from behind and could immediately tell that he was not completely deaf because he responded to my voice. When he turned around, he had no mouth. I took my finger and touched his face where his mouth would be and his mouth appeared and opened. The next day when I remembered this dream I was flooded with emotion and immediately knew that this was "one of those dreams". I told Brian about my dream and told him that I think that God was trying to tell me that Wen was not completely deaf, but he could not speak, and that my finger opening his mouth symbolized that I would be giving him the ability to speak. I guess it was "one of those dreams".

Some cute things about Owen:
*Everytime we leave the room he stuffs his pockets with toys, gets his coat and backpack, and then takes our hands and brings us to our coats
*He's very good at cleaning up and remembers where things go. Maybe he will teach the other kids how to do this!
*Last night at dinner I put his jacket and backpack on and he then went over to the chair got my coat and handed it to me!
*He knows how to press the elevator button, and when the doors open he quickly enters and stands like a little soldier toward the back. If the doors open before it's our floor to get off and he see's Brian and I aren't moving, he waves the other people waiting into the elevator!
*He's very social and loves to smile and wave at people
*This morning while on a video call with Brianna I was pointing to the computer and telling him "B". He jumped off my lap, ran over to get picture pillow we had sent to the orphanage, jumped back on my lap and pointed to Brianna on the pillow! Smart little guy!

We spent the morning at the Nanjing Museum. Nanjing is so rich in history and culture. We are really lucky to be spending our time in province here. The museum is the third largest museum in China and houses over 420,000 antiques. When I say antiques, I mean antiques! Some of the things we saw today dated back 7000 years!!! I hope you enjoy today pictures :)

***B, J, and El: B and J- you would have loved the museum today. There is so much history here. We did pick up some gifts for you! El-we bought you another surprise today! We love you guys-only 8 more days until you meet "little brother"!

All ready with his jacket and his backpack!
The Nanjing city gate (one of them!)

In front of the museum

Tomb of Early Liangzhu Culture- 3000 B.C

This tomb was unearthed in 1990. It is the largest in Zhaolingshan Tomb site so far. There were approximately 60 burial accessories found in it including jade, stone, earthenware, and ivory. It is thought to be a tomb of a young male who was probably the head of a tribe.

Rain Flower Stones-called such because the people believed that flowers rained from the heavens and turned to stone

Jade bracelets

Laquer- China was the first country to use laquering techniques. About 7000 years ago, wood products coated in laquer and pottery decorated in laquer first appeared. In the Shang and Zhou Dynasties Laquer was a luxury of the noble. By the Ming and Qing dynasties, laquer techniques became a nationwide handicraft industry and various laquering centers were established.

Breathtaking beauty and detail in design

A "Cloud Brocade" emperor's robe. "Cloud Brocade" is specific to Nanjing.
Of all the ancient drapery, brocade represents the highest techniques. Incorporating weaving techniques of all dynasties, Yun Brocade of Nanjing is called "Cloud Brocade" in Chinese. The Chinese name derives from the omniform patterns which are as beautiful as rosy clouds. It is also said that the name originates in the cloud-patterns which often appear in the brocade. As the quintessence of Chinese weaving techniques, Yun Brocade of Nanjing comes first among the three types of celebrated brocade in ancient times (the other two are Song Brocade and Shu Brocade). As a traditional type of figured brocade in Chinese brocade, Yun Brocade of Nanjing is praised as "One of Unique Chinese Techniques", and "Treasure of the World".
Figured Brocade of Nanjing originated in the Kingdom of Wu in the 3rd century. As a government agency on the national level, Brocade Office was established to regulate brocade production and distribution in 417, the 13th year during the Period of Yixi in the late Eastern Jin Dynasty. The office was also called "Douchang Brocade Office" because it was located beside Douchang Temple on the bank of Qinhuai River in the southeast of the capital. Here is one of the major characteristics of Yun Brocade. Specifically, as one of the "hundred schools of handcraft", brocade craftsmen in the Later Qin Dynasty inherited the traditional brocade techniques in the Western and Eastern Han Dynasties, the Kingdom of Wei (ruled by Cao Cao and his descendants), the Western Jin Dynasty, and even the early Period of Sixteen Kingdoms. In the early Period of Sixteen Kingdoms, in particular, ethnic rulers were especially fond of gold-wefted brocade. Therefore, experts generally believed that Yun Brocade of Nanjing was formally born in 417 when Brocade Office was officially established in Jiankang (contemporary Nanjing) in the Eastern Jin Dynasty. Accordingly, Yun Brocade of Nanjing embraces a long history of over 1580 years. When the production of Yun Brocade was at its peak, there were over 30,000 weaving machines, as well as nearly 300,000 people engaged in it or in related industries. It was the largest handicraft industry in synchronous Nanjing. At the museum there is a loom and two women demonstrate how it is made. Unfortunately, we were not allowed to take pictures of the loom. It was incredible, and complex. The finished products are beautiful. We did buy a framed piece to bring home, and also one for Wen's room.

An example of one of the many porcelin pieces on display.

You can not tell from this picture, but the decoration on this pot is actually Chinese charaters symbolizing longevity. It was a gift to the emperor. There are 10,000 characters painted on this pot!

In China, being it's an agricultural country, the pig symbolizes wealth. These earthenware pigs are 7000 years old!!!!!!!!

Earthenware vase

Man playing Xiao on Bent Knees- AD 25-220

Tripod with Ogre-mask design Food Vessel 1600-1100BC. Unearthed in the Dacun Reservoir in Lianyungang, Jiangsu, the city where Wen is from

The groovy van that takes us around town! Check out my new purple bag I bought at the silk factory :)

Sights of the city

Adoption Day

Today was the day that our adoption of Wen became official. We started the day out at the breakfast buffet in the hotel before heading out to the Civil Affairs office to finalize the adoption. At breakfast Wen ate a wide variety of foods and a lot of them! He had a whole fried egg, a whole banana, a bowl of congee, two pork sausages, and a piece of Brian's banana bread. This boy can eat! After breakfast we went back to the room for a phone call home so the kids could see their new brother. They were all excited. Wen happily waved back to them and blew them kisses! Too precious! It was while we were on the phone that Brian made him laugh for the first time. We've had lots of smiles, but no real laughs yet. It was so nice that we all shared his first laugh together. We then headed back down to meet our guide and head out to the civil affairs office. After another crazy van drive over there we arrived and were greeted again by his nannies. We answered some questions asked by the official such as why we wanted to adopt Wen, and were made to promise that we would never abandon or mistreat him. We then had to "seal" the paperwork with our thumbprint. All three of us left our red thumbprint by our names, even Wen. The final goodbyes were said to his former caretakers. He walked back and forth hugging each of them a few times as if he knew this was their final goodbye, and them came to me.

Next we headed over to the local Carrefore, which is like a giant Walm*rt only more! We picked up some snacks for all of us, juice, bananas, and a suitcase to pack all the extra things we've been collecting. We came back to the room, had a little lunch, and Wen quickly went down for a nap.

I am so grateful for the way things are going. We truely could not have asked for things to go any better than they are. He is so smart, so sweet, playful, and funny. He is enjoying all the toys we brought him. It is so funny how everytime we leave he stuffs his pockets with his toys. He is a character. We are truely blessed!

Happy, hungry little boy!

Wen leaves his thumbprint and makes it official

Final Goodbyes

The Nanjing Library

Riding the escalator to the second floor

Look familiar? It's pretty easy to find snacks you are used to here.

Familiar looking chips

You can buy fish there too!

King fruit from Thailand

Our guide decided that we didn't need bags, we could just put our purchases in the suitcase we bought. We just go along with what she says!

These are all the cloths Wen was wearing when we got him.....yes he was wearing EVERYTHING you see!! When we arrived at the Civil Affairs office today the first thing the nanny did was check to see how many layers of cloths he had on! I don't think she was happy with his one pair of pants!

The cloths piled just so you can get an idea of how incredibily thick they all were!

Sleeping baby boy :)

Gotcha!

If you smile at me I will understand, cause that is something everybody everywhere does in the same language. - Crosby, Stills, and Nash; Jefferson Airplane, Wooden Ships

......and smile he does!

With butterflies in my stomach we headed over to the Civil Affairs office at about 1:00 this afternoon. We were the first to arrive. Shortly after we got there a nanny and orphanage director arrived with a little girl who was going to be adopted today also. Brian and I anxiously awaited Wen's arrival and carefully watched out the big window waiting for him to arrive. Then, there they were, two women holding each of his hands turning the corner. They came through the doors and Wen walked right over to me! I offered him a little stuff monkey, but he was a little unsure of it. I think he wasn't sure if it was real! Then I pulled out the trains....he loved them. He continued to inspect EVERYTHING in the room! He even tapped me on the arm and pointed to the baby across the room. He was very curious about everything around. He was accompanied by the head nanny who told us that he is very smart. We quickly came to the same conclusion. He imitates everything you do and you only have to show him once how to do something. He's even learned how to work the remote for the T.V.!! When he arrived he was wearing a hearing aid in his left ear. The nanny said "mama" and he quickly repeated it. So it seems that he does have some hearing and is benefiting from his hearing aid. He also seems to really like wearing it. I'm glad I didn't have to fight that battle. I asked about the hearing in his other ear and they told us that it's about the same. Needless to say as soon as possible he'll be wearing some top of the line digital hearing aids- in both ears! It doesn't seem like he has a lot of expressive language at this point. I also think he may need glasses! He tends to hold things very close to his face while he examines them. So we'll definately be getting his eyes checked too. He also has a bit of a cold.

While we were at the Civil Affairs office we needed to go upstairs to take a family picture. I put out my hand to hold his and he immediately took my hand and started walking with me! He then let me pick him up and carry him up the stairs. We came back down, asked the nanny a few more questions. They presented us with two books filled with pictures and information about him. We will definately need to get that translated right away. They also gave me a braclet made of little crystal balls and told me that Lianyungang city (where he is from) is know for their crystal. Needless to say I was extremely touched by the gesture. Then it was time to leave. The nanny waved to him, blew him a kiss, and he in turn did the same. We left the office with him in my arms :)

Just before getting back to the hotel Wen fell asleep (he probably needed to close his eyes too so he couldn't see crazy driving that goes on here!). He was only asleep a couple of minutes when we got here. Brian carried him out of the van and brought him up, but he didn't stay sleeping. We got back to the room, our guide showed him the potty, and then took Brian down to the grocery store to get some snacks for him. She was very concerned about us feeding him! She told us what to order from room service and that she thought we should give him an early dinner....which we did! Boy can this boy eat. He ate 4 wontons and two bags of cookies! He even shared his cookies, feeding one to each of us. In the room we all played and were constantly amazed at how incredibly smart he is. He also is very proud of himself when he figures things out and turns to you with the biggest smile on his face. He smiles a lot and has the cutest little dimple in his right cheek! Through the night he spontaneously said "mama" and he will repeat it every time you say it to him. He also has wonderful fine motor skills. We were very impressed with his coloring! He colors the smallest little things on the page and pretty much stays in the lines! We also gave him a bath tonight. He was wearing three pairs of pants (two quilted and one regular, three shirts (two quilted and a sweater), and a jacket!!!! Tomorrow I will post a picture of them. I didn't want to lay them on the bed to take a picture and have him want them back on! Another funny thing to note, when he arrived he was holding a Mentos candy in his hand. He held on to that thing all the way home, through his bath, and the whole time we played, until he finally asked Brian to open it! At about 7:30 we could see that he was getting tired and was starting to look a little sad, so we shut the lights. That's when he started to cry. I held him on the bed, rocked him, and rubbed his back. He only cried for about 5 minutes, and at one point looked at me and smiled :) He quickly fell asleep. Here are some pictures from the day! I am wiped out, but thankful for a good day, and thus far easy transition, and hoping for a good night's sleep!

Our first glimpse of Wen turning the corner

We meet at last! Not too sure about the monkey!

He loves those cups!

His first bath. He was much skinnier without all his layers of bulky cloths!

Having fun with Dad

Look at that smile....and that dimple!

Have you ever seen a three year old color this good???

Nanjing

First, make sure you scroll all the way down as I added the pictures from Beijing today!

We started our day bright and early this morning leaving the hotel at 5:45 to catch our flight to Nanjing. The flight was basically all Chinese people, and us! It just so happened that the girl we were sitting next to was from California and came to visit family in Nanjing. So we had a translator on the flight! We arrived at the airport on schedule and met our new guide who immediately seemed to be very experienced. Later, she told us that she has seen over 1000 children be adopted in her 12 years working as a guide! I think we are in very capable hands :) After a very interesting van ride we arrived at our hotel the Nanjing Parkview Dangshan Hotel. It's actually quite nice. We were a little hungry so we went to one of the restaurants in the hotel for lunch. The hotel is a little bit away from the tourist area of the city and our guide recommended that we eat at the hotel, not at the restaurants in the area. We decided she probably knows best and went to the Coffee House for some lunch. We decided to go with some Chinese fare since we are in China! When we first sat the table had been set like you'd see it back home, with a fork, spoon, and knife. Brian and I ordered and within a couple of minutes the waitress came over, and without a word took all of our silverware, and set down some chopsticks! Luckily, we had a lot of practice yesterday. When you're really hungry you have no choice but to figure it out!! Lunch was pretty good, and we soon realized that the waitress would not approach the table unless we asked her too. We wanted to order some coffee, which by the way is VERY expensive here! A cup of coffee is about half the cost of one of our meals! Coffee must be an expensive item here because this was also true in Beijing. We went out for dinner last night and it only cost about $25 in U.S money. Then we went back to the hotel and Brian bought a cup of "mocha chocolate coffee" in the lobby of the hotel and it was about $10!!

Ok, a little about Nanjing. Nanjing is the capital of Jiangsu province. The city is approximately 2000 years old. It served as the capital of China for several dynasties and was the capital until 1949. "Bei" means north, "Nan" means south, and "jing" means capital. So Beijing is known as the north capital, and Nanjing is known as the south capital. The city wall around Nanjing is the longest of its kind int he world.

Here's some pictures. I have to go get ready to meet our little man tomorrow!! We will be meeting him at the civil affairs office at about 2:30. I'm getting a little nervous!!

*B, J, and El- I hope you had a Happy Valentine's Day! B and J- Hope you like the movies. B- I tried not to give you a lot of candy! Ella- how where you chocolate lollipops? I know you love them! Just think -tomorrow you'll get to see "little brother" on the computer!!

The beautiful ceiling in the lobby of the main building of the hotel
Lobby of the wing we are staying in

The view outside our window. As seen everywhere in China you see a mixture of old and new. In the background the tower you see is for the television station.

View of the pool outside our window. Of course, it's only in the 40's so it's not open right now. I guess, like Brian, they don't like the way it looks covered!

Beijing Pictures

The veiw from our hotel room

Our VERY hard beds

The old city wall from the Ming Dynasty

Tian an Men Square in front of The Monument to the People's Hero

There are five bridges into the first gate into the Forbidden City. The middle bridge was for the emperor. The emperess was only allowed to use the middle bridge on her wedding day. The other bridges were for used by others according to rank.

Inside the massive Forbidden City

One example of why you need to watch your step!

Tai He Dan- Hall of Supreme Harmony. "Tai He" means harmonious operation of all things on earth. This is the first of three main halls. It was first constructed in 1420 during the Ming Dynasty but rebuilt several times because of fires caused by lightening. The present building was built in 1695. During the Ming and Qing dynasties important ceremonies were held here such as the emperor's birthday, the lunar New Year, and enthronement of the emperor.

The emperor's throne
The more animals that decorate the corners of the building's roof, the more important the building

With our Beijing tour guide Grace

This tree, in the Imperial Garden, is the Tree of Love. The interlocked branches of this cypress symbolize loyal love. An appropriate Valentine's Day picture!

At the silk factory the girls give a try at stretching the silk. We were not very successful!

Our first Chinese meal! Everything was very delicious.

The AWESOME Great Wall of China

Not soon after we began climbing the wall we heard a loud crash. This car somehow lost control and was stuck hanging over this wall! Brian went down to help pull people out of the 10 foot ditch below the car!

Just a glimpse of how steep the stairs are on the Great Wall

Taking a little rest with Rebecca and Heidi from our travel group

Up atop the Great Wall

Brian made it all the way up !

I made it up to that tower after all of those steps and decided that was good enough for me! Brian kept going and made it all the way to the fourth tower-the last one on the right side of the picture.

We drive past the Water Cube and the Bird's Nest for a quick picture

A Day of Touring

We spent the day touring Tian an Men Square, The Forbidden City, and the Great Wall. Unfortunately blogger is not being cooperative tonight and I can't seem to get any pictures uploaded. Hopefully I'll be able to get them up tomorrow. We had a great day and made some new friends in our travel group whom I'm sure we will continue to stay in contact with from here on. All of us are adopting waiting children. There are three boys and one girl who will be meeting their new families in the next couple of days. We leave tomorrow morning at 5:45 for our flight to Nanjing!!! So I'm sorry to keep this so short, but we are exhausted! I promise to post more tomorrow

Hello from Beijing!

We made it to Beijing!! After a very bouncy take off and then a relatively smooth, but loooong flight we made it to Beijing at about 3:00---P.M on Friday here, A.M back home. The flight was good. We had free on demand movies and they fed us three times! The man sitting next to us moved his seat, so we lucked out and had a seat in between us to strech out a little. Neither of us got much sleep. We're going to go out now and stock up on some bottled water and try to stay up a little longer so we're not up at 2 AM. We meet tomorrow morning for some touring and I'll try to post pictures after that.

B, J, and El--We hope you had a good first night. Ella, did Brody sleep with you? We love you!!

Here We Go!!

In just a little over 12 hours we will be boarding a plane to travel to the other side of the world to meet our new son. I can't even begin to express the mix of emotions I am feeling tonight! Thank you to all of you who have called,or sent emails over the last few days. Some of you I didn't have the chance to get back to, but know that your good wishes are greatly appreciated! It's so nice knowing how excited everyone is for us. Please keep us in your prayers for our safe travel, our health, and a smooth transition for Wen. I know that the emotions I am feeling tonight pale in comparison to those Wen will be feeling on Monday. I hope he finds trust and love in our eyes and our smiles, and I pray that God's gives us the intuition to know how to comfort him.

A couple of pictures before I go. A few of you have asked me to post pictures of Owen's room. It's pretty simple right now. I really didn't want to decorate it until I got to know him and what he likes.




Well, see ya in Beijing!

6 More Days!!!

Only 6 more days until we leave! I can't believe we're almost there. Yesterday was exactly one year since we signed the waiting child acceptance letter for Wen from Great Wall. A year ago I never dreamed that it would have taken this long to bring him home. This past year sure has been one heck of a roller coaster ride! I don't know if I'll ever be able to say that I'm completely ready to leave, but hopefully I'll at least not forget to do something really important! Each day I have several moments where I say "oh shoot...I forgot about xyz". I'm hoping all those moments happen before we leave! It's all the little things I worry about forgetting like leaving the kids insurance cards, and putting Ella's dance bag where my mom can find it. Ya know all the things that aren't on the agencies "check list"! On a good note, I'm mostly packed...or at least I thought I was. That was until I checked the forecast today. I packed thinking that it would be 30-40 degrees in Beijing, 40's in Jiangsu, and 60's in Guangzhou. That is what weather dot com said the averages were this time of year. Well, as of my last check this morning Beijing and Jiangsu look like the weather is going to be about 10 degrees warmer than average, and Guangzhou's forecast is....in the 80's next week!!!! I didn't pack thinking summer. So I think I now need to rethink my packing a little bit. Other than that I did get the medicine kit together and Owen's backpack is all filled and ready for him.

As I scurried along through the day I am finding myself needing to intentionally stop and "be still" for a couple of minutes and in those moments reflect on and "feel" what is really going on here. The purpose of all the lists, the purpose of all the rushing around, and the reason for the overflow of emotion I am living with. It still amazes me that there is a little person on the other side of the world, whom I've never met, and yet I feel so strongly connected to. It amazes me that I could love someone whose face I've never seen in person. It's in those quiet moments, that I allow myself to be still, and feel the presence of this little soul in my heart. It's those quiet moments that soothe my frenzied mind and are truly the most enjoyable part of this experience thus far. The moments where I stand in awe of God's handiwork, in awe of the strength of the invisible bonds that connect each one of us, and in awe of the face of a little boy whom I've never met but somehow is already so much my son.