Last day here in counrty

Thursday May 14, 2015  Final day in China

Well the boys are finally on a good sleep schedule and now it is time to head home.   This morning we got up and enjoyed a good breakfast at the hotel.   We then decided to head back to Shamain Island to pick up the stone etching of Joshua’s face.  It turned out beautifully.    We watched the people in the park, walked along the river and went to a few shops but really did not buy anything other than a few T-shirts.

It is always sad to leave the island, we have had many good times there and have enjoyed walking around and visiting with other adoptive families and with the shop keepers.

It was so hot and humid today that we did not want to stay out too long.   It felt good to get back in air conditioning.  We came back to the hotel and grabbed the Shanghai Dumplings again (I took pictures this time). 

Banana pancake

Shanghai dumplings

We worked on packing everything and getting everything ready for an early departure tomorrow.  We have too much stuff this trip and need to decide what has to go home with us and what can just stay here.

This afternoon we received our paperwork packet and Joshua’s passport with the visa to travel home.  He will become a US citizen when we land in Dallas tomorrow afternoon.

Tonight we went back to the restaurant that Shiyan took us to earlier in the week, the one with the snakes in tanks.   We ordered from the pictures on the menu with no English words on it.   We had a pork dish, noodles with beef, Chinese broccoli with meat balls and these wonderful rolls with BBQ inside.  Quite a great meal.

We made one last pass through the shops next door to say goodbye to a lady we know from previous trips.

One of the things I forgot to mention yesterday; when we were walking around at the pearl market, Shaun was singing at the top of his lungs “God Our Father”, have to love it. 

I think Shaun is ready to get home and see his sisters and play with his other toys.   Joshua has not been in a very good mood today, he has been a very picky eater, has been whiny and grumpy.  

He prefers mommy over daddy but does not like being corrected by either of us.  We hope he is in a better mood tomorrow for the trip home.  He is a little squirm worm in the car.  We have a 3 hour van ride to Hong Kong in the morning so that should be interesting since he does not like to be constrained.  Then there is the little 15.5 hour flight to Dallas and if we survive that with him then we have a short 2.5 hour flight to Atlanta.  It promises to be a very long day.

We will leave the hotel at 7 am Friday morning so 6 pm Thursday CDT, we then fly out of Hong Kong at 1:30 PM or 12:30 am Friday morning for those at home.  This will have us landing right around 4 pm Dallas time Friday afternoon. 

Shaun has been very good overall.  He has been very loud, as he and Joshua tend to feed off of each other.  Shaun has had a great attitude, has been very cooperative and traveled so well.  We pray that he will travel home well too. 

This will be the last update from here.  We will post an update this weekend after we get home.   Thanks to everyone for following along on this journey with us.   We are truly blessed to be here adopting Joshua.  We are thankful that we have been chosen for this journey and look forward to watching him grow up and mature into a fine young man.  

Consulate day.

Wednesday May 13, 2015 Consulate Day

We started the day talking with the girls and then talked to mammaw (Forrest mom), Josh made some sounds for her over the phone.

Today was our Consulate appointment.  Much has changed since we were here 2 years ago.  The Consulate moved to a new location and it is very secure.  They had to drop us off across the street at the medical place and Jack met us and walked us to the security check point at the Consulate.  They do not let the guides in with the families so once you hit security you are on your own.   You can take nothing with you except your paperwork and passports. 

We followed another adoptive family in and made our way to the second floor and took our number.   The first wave of appointments were just finishing up.  They called us all up to give us the rundown on the brown envelope and how things would work we were 5^th in line for this batch.  We all took the oath that we told the truth on all of our paperwork.  We went up and reviewed our paperwork and were cleared and then had to wait our turn to be interviewed.   We went up and answered a few questions and it was done.    Our guide Jack will pick up the packet tomorrow and will bring it to us.  The paperwork and process is done.

After the Consulate appointment we met back up with Jack and he put us in the van and had the driver take us to the Pearl Market.   We walked around a bit just window shopping.  We then went to Pizza Hut for lunch.   This is the market where Robin got lost last trip so this time after lunch we made the trip to the restroom as a group.  This place has gotten nasty, the restrooms at the market were beyond nasty.   This place used to be much nicer and has really gone down hill.

After lunch I wanted to get a small piece of jade for Joshua as a keepsake.  We found very cheap / poor quality or VERY EXPENSIVE high quality.   After walking around and checking several stores we found the right piece.  Unbelievable how much jade has gone up in price the past few years.   

By now it was approaching nap time so we headed back to the hotel.   Our friend Shiyan stopped by to visit with us for a bit and brought us some goodies and a wonderful keepsake.  She looked at Joshua’s photo albums and showed him the photos of our house and his room and told him that is where he would be living, she pointed out Shaun’s bed and Joshua’s bed, she pointed out the swing set and the yard to play in, he seemed excited.

We started some packing to get ready for the trip home.   We are trying to condense things down and not add any luggage for the trip home.  We purchased a new suit case to replace one of ours that is pretty beaten up and we hope we can leave the old one behind.  We shall see how everything works out.

We met Shiyan for dinner in the executive lounge at the hotel.  It was great to spend time with her and catch up a bit.  One of the highlights of our trip has been getting to spend time with an old friend.

Tomorrow is our last day in China.   We have to go back to the island to pick something up that we ordered for Joshua and hope to walk around a bit and just enjoy the area.  We are sad to be leaving a place that we love but are anxious to get home to see our girls and our friends.

Friday morning we will take a van to Hong Kong and then fly out at 1:30 Friday afternoon for Dallas (15.5 hours later) and then on to Atlanta later that evening.   This is the first trip where we are not flying back to home, we are going to Atlanta to meet our son and get the girls back from him and then drive home on Saturday.  

So another adoption trip is coming to an end very soon.

a visit to the zoo

Tuesday May 12, 2015

Today was a beautiful day, the sun was shinning the sky clear and the temperatures and humidity reasonable.  We met the Lee’s for one last breakfast together.  We have thoroughly enjoyed our time with them and wish we lived closer to each other.

After breakfast our driver picked us up and we went over to the Garden Hotel where the other family is staying, there they along with Jack joined us and we headed to the zoo.

The zoo is nice and we have only seen it once and it was winter.   Today was absolutely beautiful and Josh LOVED the animals.  He screamed and loved it. At 10:15 Jack said there was a show we needed to take in at 10:30 so we headed that way.  We expected an animal show but instead it started with these kids juggling hats and then a lady balanced on a pipe while flipping cups onto her head, then two of the kids came back out on roller skates and did these acrobatic moves with skates.

After that we walked around a bit and saw more animals including the Panda’s.  They were very active today.  

Then were back to the hotel to complete our final paperwork for tomorrow.   We decided to grab lunch at the hotel today on “Food Street”. When we were there last night I saw Shanghai Dumplings on the menu and had to go back and try them.  We LOVED them, these are the most tasty dumplings I have ever eaten and LOVE them. I have to find a way to make these at home after this trip.

After lunch we decided to go to the 7 Rams Park across the road.  We journeyed through the subway tunnel to get under the busy street.  The park starts at a pond with fish and paddle boats but you climb up the hill to a TV tower.  It was quite the hike but we really enjoyed it.

This afternoon many of the families we have been spending time with were leaving by vans for Hong Kong to fly home tomorrow. We went to say goodbye to them and it was sad to see them go.   Afterward we went to the play area at the hotel and let the boys swing and slide a bit and then headed back just in time to see the vans departing. 

Robin has been wanting to go to a local place that has Pickle Juice Green Beans so we walked there this evening and had a great meal.   Two of the items we wanted were not available so we had to be flexible and found some good choices.  One of them was HOT!!! If you were not careful to avoid the peppers.

On the way back to the hotel we stopped at the shops next door and ran into a lady Lilly that we knew from the island.  She has moved to these shops and we visited with her a bit and picked up a few little items while there.

Tomorrow is the Consulate Appointment for us.  We have to be up early and meet our driver so he can take us there to meet up with Jack.  After this we want to go visit the Pearl Market and just look around and grab lunch.

After the appointment tomorrow all of the paperwork and government approvals are done and we are just waiting on Joshua’s visa to be issued so he can travel home with us.  Friday we too head home.  We have seen so many answered prayers and blessings through this trip. We have met wonderful people and thoroughly enjoyed our time here.  

Personality showing through

Monday May 11^th

We headed back to the island on our own today.  Easy $3 cab ride and we were there, I have done this before. There were not crowds and the shop keepers were willing to deal.  Robin did her part to improve the economy on the island. We managed to get most of the got-ya day gifts for Joshua.

One of the funny things we saw today was a photo shoot for winter coats.  It was 85 degrees and they had racks of winter coats out there with models being photographed.  We also saw a group of young Chinese ladies taking photos around the island, it looked like a class.

below are my favorite models from today.

 

We walked through the park on the island and watched people exercise and do Tie Chi.  The weather looked threatening but it blew over.   The forecast has been 100% for rain every day since we arrived but we have been blessed with good weather.  It did finally rain this afternoon but Robin and the boys were in.  I however was out a few blocks from the hotel and got fairly wet trying to get back.   

This evening since it was raining a bunch of us just went to food-street in the hotel for dinner. It was very good and not too highly priced. A good part of the Bethany group will be leaving for Hong Kong tomorrow afternoon as they had Monday Consulate appointments.  We have really enjoyed getting to know these families.  Since we are with another agency, our appointment is not until Wednesday so we are here until Friday morning and then head to Hong Kong for an afternoon flight. 

We have noticed that Joshua has been much more vocal today.  He has been saying words and of course we cant understand him.   This evening at dinner he noticed fish tanks in the restaurant and went wild babbling about it.  The later this evening David and Agnes stopped by to bring us a gift and visit.  During the visit Josh was talking up a storm while they were here.   His personality is coming and he is starting to show himself much more.  We are very encouraged by hearing him talk and are pleased with how responsive to sound he is.  He does his best to communicate with sounds and pointing and manages to get his message across to us.  His world is about to be really opened up when they put those Baha's on him in a few weeks.

Hopefully the weather will hold out tomorrow and we can take in the zoo.  I have to go back to the island on Thursday to pick up a stone etching that I ordered but shopping is mostly done at this point and we have done our part to stimulate the local economy (not really that much).   

Signing off for now, thanks for your continued prayers for us during this journey.

Happy Mothers Day from China

Sunday May 10, 2015

Last night we went out to dinner with the Bethany group.  Shiyan walked us up the street to a place.  When we walked in there was a guy netting snakes out of a big aquarium and there were snakes in cages.  The food was great and none of it looked like snake.

We actually got a full nights sleep last night and Josh only woke up one time and as soon as he heard our voice’s he went back to sleep.  The wakeup call at 7 got us up.  Shaun asked “is the sun up yet”.

After a nice breakfast we headed to the island for shopping.   It was very busy there, Bethany had families there, Holt had several families plus some individuals like us.  There were many Chinese families there too eating out and shopping.   The shops were not as aggressive with haggling.   We found a few things we wanted, we ran into the Lee’s and Sheryl asked me to come help her negotiate on some items.   The lady started at 600 Yuan and I told her we would give 300 she was insulted so she made us negotiate on every item, we finally ended up at 350 Yuan for a number of items (about $60).  

We went to Lucy’s for lunch and then back to the hotel.  Of course we  to get our traditional photo taken near the adoption statue. This was our fifth time for this.

We had get back to meet our laundry guy to get our cloths back.   He brought everything clean and neatly folded, they do such a good job on this.

After the boys were down for a nap, I went down the street to check out some vendors.  The shops near the hotel were dead, I was the only non-local there.  These vendors were dealing.

We lucked out today, they were saying 100% chance of rain and so far it has been overcast but no rain. 

After naps we walked next door to the shops for a bit and then joined the Bethany group for dinner.  Another great place with wonderful food.  We enjoyed getting to know more of the families from their group.  

Walking back we stopped at a place where some of the older siblings played a bit.  For the first time the Lee’s little girl reached out to Joshua. 

As we continued back we saw a couple with the cutest little triplets, this is very unusual to see here.  

Today I want to wish Robin a very happy Mothers Day.  She truly ROCKS!  She keeps up with everything for our large family and rarely complains.   She is so committed to all of our kids and to me and I don’t say thank you often enough.

I also want to wish my mom a very happy Mothers Day from around the globe.   I miss getting to see her very often and wish we could be there to celebrate this day with her.  I am thankful for all she did to help me become who I am.  She has been very supportive through our adoptions and have loved each and every one of our kids from day one.  Happy Mothers Day Mom!

a day of weather delays

Friday May 8^th.

Shaun was up early again, around 4:30 waiting for the sun to rise.   Robin managed to keep him busy and let me sleep a little while.  After breakfast we managed to chat with a couple of friends, two of our sons and our girls.  Then it was out for a walk through the neighborhood.   We went up some streets we had not been on before and then down to the river and walked in a section we had not seen before. 

We looked for a good take out place for lunch but none had take out so we stopped at a “family market” and picked up some sweet bread and some steamed buns for a snack before we had to head out.  

We ate back at the room and Shaun found Frozen playing on the TV movie channel so he started watching that as we finished packing and preparing.   At about 12:45 we met Ming Ming in the lobby to check out and head out.   We had to stop at the notary to pick up our documents.  We then started toward the airport and traffic was terrible. It took about an hour to get there.  We learned that Shanghai has 2 airports, the international airport where we arrived last week and the local airport for in country flights which is right near the orphanage where Joshua lived. 

We made it to the airport around 2:15 for our 3:55 flight.  Ming Ming told us that we would be delayed due to weather in Guangzhou.  So we said our good byes with her and went through security.   We were able to scope out a section of the large airport on the way to our gate.   The flight kept getting delayed and delayed.   People were angry.  We went to McDonalds to pick up some food since we just snacked for lunch.   Then after more delays we walked to Subway to get drinks and chips to hold us over and kill time.   We picked up some neat Cheetos that were Fried Chicken flavor, these were really good, I hope they get these back home.

The boys did pretty good with the delays and played and watched DVDs for a while.  I finally had a gate agent help me call Jack our guide to tell him where we were.  He was monitoring our flight and assured me that he would meet us at the airport when we get there.  Every time you would ask for an update the guy at the gate would just “No Time”, the gate agents here tend to be rude in my opinion.  I managed to connect with a well to do lady from Uganda who had here Nannie with her and a Chinese friend that spoke good English.  She was good to give me updates.  I also met another man who spoke excellent English and he was good to give me updates,m he ended up sitting next to me on the flight.  He did not understand why we would want to adopt so many Chinese children, I tried to explain but he did not get it.  Flying in China can be one of the most frustrating things ever as they do not give updates or any information.   They did give out something that looked like food but we opted for McDonald's instead.  We just tried to go with the flow.  I have to say I have probably flown near a million miles and the 3 worst delays I have experienced have been here.

We finally got the boys to sleep around 9 pm, Shaun on a bench and Josh in the stroller.  Well after many delays with the monitor only saying “DELAYED” we finally got an update at 10 pm, when they said boarding and everyone ran to get in line.  Robin was at the restroom so I woke Shaun up and got everything ready to roll.  We got in line and boarded the big plane.

It was 10:30 before we took off and I fell asleep immediately.  I was sleeping fine and they woke me up to see if I wanted a drink and dinner.   Great dinner at 11 pm.  I of course said NO! went back to sleep and slept until the wheels hit the ground in Gugnazhou. 

When we got on the plane one of the stewards put our stroller in a front closet and guess what they parked us short of the gate and were going to bus us in and we exited via the rear door.  The stewards had to go through the crowd and get the stroller while we waited at the top of the stairs.  We were on the very last bus to the terminal and baggage claim.  The good news is that most of our bags were going around when we got there.

We gathered up all of our bags and made our way out to the terminal.   We did not see anyone with a sign, finally this guy in shorts and flip flops walked up and said “Hi I am Jack are you Forrest?”  So we found our guide.   He explained that many were delayed worse than us and that we were lucky to get a flight in.  One family that is adopting a boy from Shaun’s orphanage had a flight cancelled and are having to take a train today, we have done that before, not fun.  We look forward to meeting them tomorrow as we will share Jack as our guide.

When we got to the Marriott it was around 2 am.  I showed them my Marriott credentials and asked for an upgrade.  The lady was insistent that we needed double beds so Shaun had a bed.  Jack helped me convince her that he would sleep on the couch in the suite.  So finally a room. But we had to wait for bedding and a crib so about 2:30 boys were bathed and beds made.  Now time for mommy and daddy to clean up.  Finally at 3 am we turned off the lights and went to sleep.  When we checked in we were told that 12 guests had still not checked in for that evening.  We met many of these today at breakfast some did not get in until 5 am and had to be up early for physicals.  At breakfast we struck up a conversation with a couple at the next table and quickly learned that they are from our state (about 3 hours away), small world.  Their little boy is a heart baby and it was nice to visit with them.

Wake up call for Saturday at 8 am so we could go do our medical physical.  Jack wanted to delay it until Monday but I insisted that we do it Saturday so we had buffer in case of any issues.  Without Consulate approval we can not return home with Joshua. He has to be seen by doctors and tested for communicable diseases like TB etc. and we need time for these results to come back.  Pray that everything comes back clearly.

Saturday morning we grabbed breakfast and headed to the physical with Jack, still in his flip flops and now with a hat,  He is a great guy but looks like he is ready to go surfing.  The physical place was packed with families that were doing the same thing as us.  Jack handled everything wonderfully and got our paperwork in place and got us in line for the first station.  As we would complete a station he would get in line for another one.   The first for us was ENT.  The lady pulled out her otoscope and quickly realized that there was nothing to look at since Josh has no ear canals.  Interestingly enough he responded to the hearing test and showed us again just how well he is hearing through his skull.   He seemed worried as he saw other kids crying but he kept a good attitude.  Every other child came out of the blood draw room screaming and Josh came out with a smile on his little face.  We ran into one other little issue when they tried to take his temperature with an in ear thermometer but that won’t work so they had to go get the under arm unit and take it that way. 

It is the rainy season here by the time we finished the physical it was pouring.  The driver met us right at the door and took us back to the hotel.  We had to make a 711 run to get water and soft drinks for the room and figure out what was for lunch.  The boys ended up having noodle dishes that we had purchased the other day (just add water) and once again Robin and I had McDonald's.  I never eat at McDonald's at home but have had it several times while here just because they are everywhere, reasonably priced and the food is OK.  With the rain pouring it was the only place close enough that I did not get soaked to the bone.  However I got wet enough that the MCD bag tore apart but no worries the food was saved from falling.

Jack arranged to have our laundry picked up to be done.  The hotels are very expensive for this service but there are local shops that are cheap.  The guy picked up at our room and said it would be back same time tomorrow.   Not bad!  We have done no outside laundry since leaving home over a week ago so really needed to get a few things done.

I guess that is it for now.   Tomorrow is a down day and a visit to Shamain Island and lunch at Lucy’s (adoptive families you will appreciate this).  Signing off for now, R and the boys are sound asleep getting a well deserved nap while I write and work a bit.

Here is the link for the full photo show.   http://s168.photobucket.com/user/factech1/slideshow/2015%20China

Recap and orphanage visit

Recap from Wednesday night.  Our good friend Shiyan that our daughter is named after lives here and she came to the hotel to visit with us.  It was great seeing her and catching up.   She took us and the Lee’s to a nice place for dinner, it was so good we are going back tonight.

Another thing I missed yesterday; when we were at The Bund this older couple keep looking at us and getting closer, I stopped paying attention them and eventually the man tapped me on the shoulder and smiled and pointed at our boys and gave us two thumbs up, I looked over and his wife was by Robin doing the same thing.   It has been a bit different having a child with noticeable physical deformity, we get stared at a lot when we are out in public.   Some just look and other give signs of approval as they understand that in the US he will get excellent medical care that he would not get here.

Today we stopped in a KFC for a quick lunch and this one worker kept standing near the boys and finally stroked Joshua’s ears and smiled, the manager came over and smiled at the boys too.   They all just kept looking at us and smiled.

 Since I am in recap mode, I will touch on other ways we have seen God at work on this trip.   It is extremely rare for a guide to be shared by multiple agencies on a trip but for some reason this week they were short a guide and Ming Ming needed to take care of us and also the Lee’s who are with an agency we have worked with before.    She ended up taking both families and met us at the airport.   The most interesting part of this is that we adopted a little boy with a hearing condition and guess what Dr. Lee is an ENT (ear nose and throat) specialist.   So by chance (Not) we ended up with a doctor that fully understands Joshua’s condition and was able to give us good information. 

Additionally we both have really enjoyed spending time with he and his wife and it has been great having their daughter and Josh together as they were in the same room at the orphanage.

Josh is sleeping very well, he made it all night with no issues, he does seem sleep with his eyes a bit open, I guess he still does not fully trust us.  However Shaun is waking up around 4:30 to 5 am every morning ready to go.  Robin let me sleep until 6 this morning and she had the boys dressed and ready to go when I got up.  I would be on a perfectly normal sleep schedule were it not for Shaun and I believe this could be said for Robin too. It does not matter how late you keep him up he wakes up as soon as the sun is up and that happens to be very early here.  Josh is a mommy’s boy, again this morning when she brought him to me he cried.  If he is up and playing and I hold my hands out he will come right to me but he does not like Robin to hand him to anyone.

Now back to today, as usual we met our friends for breakfast and then they had to head off to the airport for their flight.  We decided to go visit Peoples Park.  This turned out to be a beautiful park right in the middle of the city and it appears to be over a rather large subway station.  We walked around and watched people doing Tie Chi and other exercises.   There was a pond with beautiful walkways around it.   We spend a couple of hours in there walking around and just admiring everything.  I had been promising Shaun some ice cream so we found a street vendor and purchased ice cream for all of us.  This was likely the first time Josh has eaten ice cream and he really liked it.   Afterward we walked around the streets a bit.  We needed to pick up an item from Starbucks, for someone.a coffee mug so we managed to find a Starbucks to get this.  We then tried to make our way across this very busy street to get to the Hershey store and KFC.  There was a police officer there to keep you from walking out and getting run over as we waited it packed up with people, scooters etc. and when the walk sign came on it was crazy.  To complicate things a wreck had just occurred on the opposite side and people were stuck in the intersection trying to get around this so we just followed the crowd and snaked our way through to the other side.

The Hershey store was neat, there was another Starbucks in there and the KFC.  As noted above KFC had some stares but the food was good and the service pretty good too.

We knew that catching a cab in this area would be challenging so we worked our way to a side street and managed to hail a cab for the ride back to the hotel.

We had time for short naps for the boys and then off to the orphanage for a visit.  Traffic is so bad in this town that it took over an hour to get to the orphanage which is out by the airport.  When we arrived it is a very nice gated facility.  But let me start by saying no matter how nice an orphanage is, it is still an orphanage and will never take the place of a loving family and is not the best solution for a child.

We pulled up and walked in.  Sophie one of the ladies that brought Josh to us met us to show us around.  We went up to the third floor where Joshua’s room was.  When we walked in there were about 20 kids in the room and they started calling out mamma, baba.  Some started coming over reaching up for us to hold them.  Josh went to one of the nannies and was on the floor in a few seconds enjoying a snack with his friends.  

The facility is clean and well kept.  The nannies seem to do a wonderful job taking care of the kids.   We went into the room where about 20 plus cribs were.  We learned that the Lee’s little girls crib was right next to Joshua’s.  We spent some time playing with the children.  There was a little boy that had a scar from open heart surgery that kept wanting me to hold him, then I looked up and there was a little girl that looked so much like our Shiyan when we first met her.  She wanted me to hold her and the nannie pulled her back so the first chance I had, I picked her up and played with her.  Joshua never shed a tear, he loved the time with his friends but when I reached out for him he came right to me and we walked out.  It breaks my heart to know that some of these kids will not ever be adopted and will never know the love of a family.

We walked around the building and then went out to the playground and before you know it our time there was up.   It was so sad to leave, I realized as I have on previous orphanage visits that this would be the last time he would see these friends and care givers and maybe the last time he would be in this place.   This is the place where my son spent the first 2 years of his life and it would soon be a fading memory.   Shaun asked a lot of questions today and he clearly does not remember anything of his time in the orphanage.  He has asked multiple times this week “was I born in China”  “who came to get me” etc. 

   

Then we started the long ride back toward the hotel.  We had to stop at Carafore to pick up a few items. This is a large store much like Wal Mart, but here they are 5 stories tall with moving sidewalks between floors etc.  The staff were very helpful and we quickly found what we needed and then headed back to the hotel.

We walked down the street to the restaurant for dinner.   I managed to order noodles, these buns you put pork and other stuff in, dumplings, a beef dish that was out of this world and asparagus.  It was a wonderful meal.  None of the staff knew a word of English and it was a challenge to get napkins, forks, knives etc. but we got through it.  So thankful for menu’s with photos and English.

Tonight was packing night as we head to Guangzhou tomorrow afternoon.  We have everything in order and can finish up tomorrow.  Lets hope that these boys let us sleep tonight.

Wednesday, city tour

Today started like the others with breakfast at 7 am with the Lees.  We have really enjoyed spending time with their family and are thankful that we ended up together sharing a guide even though we are with different agencies.  Our children were together at the orphanage so this is a bond they will have and hopefully be able to stay in touch.

After breakfast we called the girls and then got to watch the school children do their morning routine.  It is very military style with loud music playing and the kids marching in place, the rising of the flag and then doing exercises together.   They do another routine about 2:30 each afternoon. We have seen this at other schools here and it seems to be normal.

At 9 we met Ming Ming to head out on a city tour.  We went to The Bund (river walk area). From here you have excellent views of the city and river.   Old Shanghai is on the Bund side and New Shanghai is across the river.  It is all big city with 24 million people.  It is a very busy city with many cars, scooters, bikes, buses and lots of construction vehicles to keep up with the growing city.  Shaun got to see a fire truck pass by on the street walking to the Bund area.   

After walking in the Bund area we drove over to Yu Garden.  This is a Garden and was the home of the first mayor of Shanghai and is not a museum / visitor site.  Before getting to the garden you walk past Many shops and it was very crowded with people.   I have to admit I am a bit more uneasy here than on previous trips, it is so crowded and I have seen a lot of panhandlers.  We have to stay on guard and watch out.  I guess this is good advice for every day of life though.

We toured the garden and took many pictures and fed the fish, which was fun for young and old alike.  We spotted on fish with a giant tumor on his back, I had never seen this before.  Dr. Lee noticed it first.

After the garden we had an hour to shop.  We hit a few shops and found a few of the gifts that we wanted to purchase for Joshua while here.  We try to give our children a gift from their homeland every year on their adoption day.  It can be challenging to find something to give as the child gets older.  I did manage to find a Terra Cota Warrior set that I had hoped to purchase and got a really good deal on it.

After shopping we met back up with our guide and she took us to lunch at a Shanghai  Dumpling House.  We had steamed dumplings with pork, shrimp, vegetables etc.  These were the best I have ever eaten. They are very juicy and flavorful.   At the end they brought these fried pastries (SO HOT, Burned my lip badly) but so good.  We also had these dumplings decorated like pigs.  Josh loved this.  Then we ended up ordering the noodle soup, which is a dumpling filled with soup, you drink the soup through a straw and then eat the noodle.  Our friend Lisa had told us about this and we had to give it a try, so good.  This was the best meal I have had since being here.

Then it was back to the hotel for naps (for everyone but me).   Tonight we are meeting our friend Shiyan for dinner.  Tomorrow the Lee’s leave for Guangzhou so we are on our own, the morning will be down time.  We will go visit the orphanage tomorrow afternoon.  Please pray for Josh to do well on this visit, it can be very confusing for the kids when they go back there but we really want to get photos and get to meet the ladies that have cared for him.

We received Joshua’s passport today so that is another major step out to the way.  Now we just wait for documents from the notary which will be ready on Friday, then we fly out late Friday afternoon for Guangzhou and start the US part.

Joshua is doing wonderfully.  Thanks for all the prayers.  He smiles a lot and loves to laugh.   He is very curious and taking everything in.  He LOVES his mommy and sometimes cry’s when she gives him to me.  He woke up once last night crying but relaxed when I talked to him and rubbed his face.  He likes playing with daddy but so far he is a mommy’s boy.  He is starting to play more, at first he would just stand and wait for us to tell him what to do, now if you put him down on the floor he will head for toys and start to play on his own or with Shaun. We are so thankful for how well he is doing and are anxious to get his Baha’s on so he can start hearing better.  Pray that the rest of our trip is uneventful and pray for Josh as he goes on his first plane ride ever on Friday.

Joshua is officially our son

So on Tuesday morning we went to complete the adoption registration.  We went to the place where marriages and adoptions are recorded.  

This took a while.  We waited and waited and finally they came to ask about a space in Joshua’s middle name, we got that worked out and finally received our adoption decree.    We then had to go to get the notarization of the documents done.   Then a quick stop at McDonalds to pick up lunch and back to the hotel.   Entering the building where McDonalds was there was a wax museum and the first wax figure was Ya Ming (sp) man he is tall.  It would be nice to go back to that area and look around a little.

Well the main thing today is that, it is complete and now he is our son.

I went and walked around at the Nanjing walking street which turned out to be a very high end shopping area, I did not stay there long, then walked down by the river and observed the beautiful skyline of the city.

We have realized that everything here is spread out and that nothing is close to where we are staying.  It took about 30 minutes to drive to our first meeting this morning and then another 30 minutes to the next meeting and at least that long back to the hotel.  

There are VERY FEW restaurant choices in the area of our hotel, not even many Chinese places to choose from. So tonight after walking around and not finding any good choices we ended up ordering Pizza Hut delivery.  I have to admit the Pizza Hut here is GREAT.  So we hope to find a few other options for the next 2 nights.   I love the scenery in Shanghai but the location of our hotel is not very good for visitors.

Tomorrow is a touring day, we should get to see a bit more of Shanghai.  Our friends leave Thursday for Guangzhou and we head that way on Friday afternoon.   Our time here will be gone before you know it.

Happy Cinci De Mayo

Tuesday morning May 5

Happy Cinco De Mayo from Shanghai.  I don’t think we will be finding a Mexican restaurant today to eat at.  The area around our hotel has no Western places, have seen no fast food in this part of town.  Wal Mart is Miles away but Lotus is a short taxi ride away.   Not much to do in this part of town.  Good thing that we enjoy going out to the local Chinese places.  We have experienced a few of them.

I have been fighting issues with I Message, for some reason I cant get text on my phone but good to be out of touch I guess.

Joshua is doing great.  He went to sleep easily last night and slept all night.   Shaun however was up at 4:30 this morning and going full blast.   Joshua is hearing some and speaking some.  He said Baba (daddy) and Mamma (mother) last night.  When he got up on my lap at the computer he began talking wildly.   Not sure why the computer excited him so much.  He loves being on FaceTime with his sisters and others.  He is eating very well but you can tell he has never used a spoon and has likely had most food via a bottle.  

Shaun has been great to share his favorite toys with Josh.  They play well together so far.

This morning we are back to Civil Affairs to make it official that he is ours.    We also have to pick up his passport and do other paperwork.

We are all doing great and enjoying the beautiful weather here.

Introducing Joshua XiQian (Shee Chi-an)

Monday May 4^th  Gotya Day

Well we grabbed breakfast with the Lee’s and then came back to the room for final preparations.   We met Ming Ming in the lobby and were off to the Civil Affairs office across town, about a 30 minute drive.   As we arrived two other families arrived, one couple from NJ who had a daughter from Laura’s province about her age adopted shortly after Laura, they were adopting another little girl.  The other family was from England adopting a blind boy and then us and the Lee’s.

We sat down to do paperwork and had to read and sign many documents, many in Chinese with English translations.   We are basically foster parents for the first 24 hours, a trial period to make sure that you want to go through with the adoption.   We will go back to tomorrow to finalize things and to make it official but we know this is our child and there is no going back.   After all the paperwork we had to go to another room to pay the fees and orphanage donation.  Let’s just say that our money belts are a lot lighter and thinner now!

Then back to the conference room to wait.  After a few short minutes they said they are here.  We looked and Joshua came in the door holding the hand of a care giver and another lady was holding the Lee’s little girl.  By the way she was in the same room with Joshua at the orphanage so they know each other.  Xi Qian (Joshua) walked right over to me and smiled.  We hugged and I moved out of the way so momma could hold him.   He was very easy going and came right to each of us.  Shaun jumped in to help give him things.

The orphanage staff had brought back everything we had ever sent him, two bags of items. They also presented us with a chop with his name on it and a wonderful photo book of Joshua since he had been with them.  Such a priceless gift to have showing his first 2 years of life.   We could tell that they had prepared him and had been showing him our photos.  He warmed up quickly and did not cry much.   He did get upset when the nannie held him for a photo and then returned him to us for a family photo.  But Cheerio’s did the trick to get past that.

After a bit we were finished there and headed to Lotus (Like Wal Mart) to shop for a few things we needed.  The 2 children were getting tired and hungry.  In the store Joshua was taking everything in, he was responding to loud sounds and looking toward noise.   He seems to be hearing some but his ears are much worse than we had expected but this can be addressed in due time. 

After Lotus it was time to head back to the hotel for naps.  Josh got sleepy but woke up when we arrived at the hotel.  Back at the room he sat on the floor and played with a toy and ate some chips and then took a bottle from momma.   We had some Chinese noodle dishes for lunch (not bad). We put him down for his nap but he would not go to sleep so finally daddy picked him up and rocked him to sleep.   He seems very comfortable with both of us and was very relaxed in my arms.

He is a very sweet boy and has a smile as big as Texas.  He is tiny (smaller than we expected) and I have not heard him say any words yet but the orphanage staff said he is saying basic words like mamma and baba (daddy).  We have heard him whimper a few times but not even a full blown cry yet.

It is amazing to us how God can place love like this in your heart, bring you half way around the world to meet a child that you have only seen in photos and the love you have for them is as strong as for even your biological children.   After months of working through lots of paperwork, paying lots of fees, saying lots of prayers and jumping hurdles that get in the way, we made it to this day the day that Yang Xi Qian would become Joshua XiQian Collier our son! Adoption is the gospel lived out right before your eyes.  This little boy is my son, he is now a Collier with all the rights and privileges that come with that name.  He does not look like us, he is not perfect but he is my son.   In the same way that God adopted me when I was not perfect but yet He took me in and loved me.

We are thankful for the gift of adoption.  For how God has used us to adopt children and for how He adopted us into his family.  I learn something new every time we adopt and it changes me every time in several ways.  I am thankful that God chose us to be here for this day and that He chose us to be this little boys parents.  It has been amazing so far on this trip to see how God has gone before us and prepared the way for us to get here to our son.

That’s it for now, more later.  Today is the day!

Here is the photo link again.  http://s168.photobucket.com/user/factech1/slideshow/2015%20China

Today is the day

Today is the Day is one of my favorite songs and that is our theme today.    In just over an hour we will meet Joshua.


Sunday was fairly uneventful.  A trip to the bank to convert money and our money belts are much lighter today.  Then out to lunch with our new friends and walking on the Bund.


Last night we ventured out and found a nice little local restaurant for dinner.  Everyone slept well and we are ready for the day.   Breakfast was good and now the time to leave is close.


At our next post Joshua will be our son.   We will post more information and pictures later today our time.


Shaun is a bit confused he keeps asking when we will get to China and will we take this or that.   Yesterday when we went to the bank he asked about which of our local bank branches we would go to.  He has not figured out where we are.  He keeps asking where Joshua is too.   Could be an interesting day.


Thanks for your prayers, TODAY IS THE DAY!

We made it to China

Sunday Morning May 3^rd.    We left Atlanta at 6:30 Friday morning may 1^st.   Flew to DFW and departed there at 10:30 am for Shanghai.   The flight was 15.5 hours long.   We had 3 meals on the plane, dinner, snack and breakfast.    Shaun did wonderfully other than asking tons of questions.  He talked and talked.   Overall he did wonderfully, he slept some and played some.

For some reason I can't get photos to upload so will work on that later.

We had these crazy neon green bandanna’s tied to all of our bags.  Thanks Vicki we looked so different!  When we counted our bags in Shanghai we were missing our stroller.  So we had to go file a claim for a lost item.  This took a while.

When we finally got out of baggage claim we met our guide and learned that another agency had a family here that would be going with us.  they are a sweet couple from Wisconsin.

We checked in and the hotel it is very nice.  The population of this city is 24 million people so lots of traffic it took almost an hour from the airport to the hotel.  We joined the other family for dinner at a local pub that was good.  By this time we were dragging and headed back to clean up and rest.   Shaun fell asleep almost immediately.

He was up at 1:30 and then again about 4:30.   By 5:30 we were all up and ready to go.  We journal and talked a bit and waited for breakfast to open.

Tomorrow is the big day when we meet our new son Joshua.  

Here is a link to photos  http://s168.photobucket.com/user/factech1/slideshow/2015%20China

The Cost of Adoption

I believe I have written about this before but maybe not the same perspective.

We are in the final days before we head to meet Joshua. A week from now we will be landing in his country and will be hours from meeting him.   We will gain a son and will have great joy.  For him it will be a day of sadness, a day when everything that has been normal to him is taken away.  He won't understand why he is being taken away from his friends and caregivers.  He won't understand why these people that look different, smell different and talk different are coming into his life.   He will pay a high cost initially for this change to take place.   In the long run he will have  a much better life and he will benefit, but initially the cost to him will be great.

This has been one of those hectic weeks and one where we have seen some of the cost of adoption.    Today alone we wrote over $9000 in checks to cover travel expenses, plane tickets, in country travel etc. We know that we will spend another $8000 in the next 2 weeks as we complete the process.  Throughout the process fees for this and fees for that.  So yes there is a monetary cost but we knew this going in and understand that.

Lets talk about the cost of time and energy and convenience etc.   There are hours and hours of paperwork throughout the process.  There are interviews with social workers, dealing with people that you come to love, dealing with people that make you want to scream!   What seems like thousands of things to get done before travel.   Taking time away from family, from work from other commitments.   Arranging schedules to be gone.   Delaying things you want to do or need to do?  All of these are a cost.

Then lets talk about the nearly 24 hours in airports and airplanes.   15.5 hours on one flight alone.  You bet ya that this is a cost, there is nothing fun about this long in a airplane seat.  Add to this having a 4 year old at your side that wants to know what time it is every 30 seconds, yep another cost!

Cost of love, commitment and energy!   It is costly to risk bringing a new child into your family, it will be painful as we bond, it will require a lot of commitment and a lot of energy.   Robin's life will be changed as she deals with another little one around the house, another mouth to feed another child to school.  It will take so much of her energy.

Medical cost, when adopting a child with medical needs we must always consider the cost of medical treatments.   For this child we know that certain items  will not be covered by insurance so there will be a cost.

Cost to others, All of the other kids have paid a price during this process.  They have sacrificed time with us, delayed travel we wanted to take.  They will have to share their home, their toys and their parents.  For Shaun it will be a big cost as he will no longer be the baby he will have to share us and his sisters with a new brother.   We will see how he deals with the cost!

So yes there is cost from money to giving of yourself.     Why do I tell you all of this?   Are we complaining about the financial cost?  No.   Do we regret adopting?  No, we would do it all over again!   Are we seeking your sympathy?  No.  

The reason I tell you this is so others that may consider going down this road, can thoroughly consider the cost, so that others can see the good, the bad and the ugly of adoption. 

At the end of the day yes it is costly but we have never had any regrets.   We have been so richly blessed by the addition of each of our children, both biological and adopted (is there really a difference?) and the return on investment has been great.

As an old commercial said what is the price of an adoption?  A lot of  $$$, a lot of energy, a lot time, a lot of inconvenience, a lot of travel, a lot of love and commitment.  A lot of medical cost, personal sacrifice etc.

Seeing a child become a part of a family where he or she will be loved and cared for "PRICELESS"

So yes there is a cost, but IT IS WORTH IT!!!!!!!!

Signing off for now.  We will be posting during the trip.  Gotya day will be May 4th so say a prayer for all of us on that day.  Stay tuned it is about to get interesting.

Final Countdown

We are in the final countdown now.   Less than 2 weeks until we meet Joshua, Robin will get to spend Mothers Day in China this year.

We have most of the packing done and are just tying up loose ends.  We are waiting on our in country travel arrangements to be firmed up this week.  

Shaun is excited about going back and to meeting his new brother.  We hope that they will bond with each other quickly and that Joshua will adjust to us quickly.  We pray that the care givers are preparing him for our arrival and letting him know that we are coming soon.  We pray that they are showing him our photos so we are more familiar to him.

There are so many things to be done, so many details to take care of, but we know it will all come together.   We are all just anxious to get going and get there.   Dreading the long flights but that is part of the price we pay for this blessing. 

We will begin posting regular updates here once we get in country so if you want to see photos and the detailed updates this is the place to watch. 

We are thankful for dear friends that have been by our side through this process.  One radical friend offered to drive 6 hours away to help with an item if needed and we appreciate her and her mother so much for offering to be radical and help in any way they could.

For now we just prepare and wait.   More updates to come soon.

Happy Birthday Shaun

Happy 4th Birthday Shaun. 

Hard to believe that Shaun has been with us 2 years.  This week we celebrated his gotya day and now his birthday.

Did you hear me say TA! TA! TA!

Yes that is what you heard, we received TA today.   Never fails these come in while I am traveling and it happened again this time but we pulled it together, it took me an hour to find Robin to tell her. 

We have been talking to our travel agent and have a tentative schedule but can not lock it in until our Consulate Appointment is confirmed which may be Monday.   But if all goes well we will be leaving in about 3 weeks.

We are glad to have this milestone complete and are ready to book travel and get our our way.   Joshua we are coming soon.  

It has been a great week in many ways. 

Yesterday was the second  anniversary of Shaun's adoption.   We celebrated our adoption day together and had fun.   We are so thankful for each of our children.  Sunday will be Shaun's 4th birthday so a big week for him.

We had some other great news this week that we can't share here just yet but more to come on that later. 

Stay tuned for the travel plan and schedule.    We should be able to post it next week. 

We are thankful, grateful and blessed.

Waiting for TA, New Beginnings and Easter

Well we did some additional packing today.   We have a lot of our basic supplies etc. packed and ready to go.   We are working through the packing list for the 5th time so fairly routine this time around.   We have the final check list from our agency and are working through it.    We are anxious and ready to get going.

We pray that our TA comes in this week.   Our Article 5 was released a week ago so hopefully toward the end of this week we will have the TA in hand and be working on booking flights.   Please pray that we get the TA this week and quickly lock our Consulate Appointment so we can get everything firmed up.  The travel agent knows our preferred dates and departure city.  A lot of tentative arrangements are in place and ready to firm up.  We have a tight window we are trying to hit to line up with our son's schedule so he and his wife can watch the girls while we are gone, we pray it all works out.

This not knowing and being in a state of limbo is one of the hardest parts for us.  For me as the working dad it is particularly hard as I can not schedule business trips from now through June until we know our dates.   I have been planning a lot of stuff tentatively until we have real dates.  We are just ready to know and get on with it.    We are anxious to get Joshua in our arms and to get him the medical treatment he needs.  We will keep you updated here as things shape up.

We have some other new beginnings that we will talk more about soon.   More excitement around our family.

We hope all of you had a wonderful Easter and that you were able to celebrate the sacrifice that was made for you.

Stay tuned for more updates and a big announcement this week!

Here are a few pics from the kids Easter Egg hunt today.