Medical Exam Day 8/22/09

After a horrible day and night, today ended up being our best day with Tyson yet!

We drug ourselves out of bed and headed down to breakfast. What a treat! A beautiful river view, lots of space, and a fantastic breakfast. Tyson hated the high chairs in Nanjing because he wanted to be held, and the high chairs there had no strap or place for legs, it was literally a “high” chair. He could easily arch his back and slide off. Here at the White Swan, all the tables have a standard high chair waiting at each table, with a place for legs and a strap! So we strapped him in, and he didn’t like it at all at first, but he got used to it. There are many other families here, and everyone is very nice and friendly. Tyson ate scrambled eggs! He loved them! He eats almost anything, but he does find things he dislikes from time to time. He still has his cold, but not as severe.

Then we met our guide, Cordelia (she’s wonderful!) and put Ty in the stroller and strapped him in. This time, he cried a little, but he stopped and it was OK! K loves pushing the stroller. The sidewalks are less crowded here…it’s just a nicer atmosphere overall compared to Nanjing. We went to have Ty’s visa photo taken. He screamed and cried! The picture is so pathetic, but it’s there.

Then…the dreaded medical visit. Tyson needed 4 vaccinations in order to enter the US. One little girl had 6! We also had the TB test and will get results on Monday. Dan is amazing. He took Ty in for his shots and TB test while I sat outside the room and cried. I knew it had to hurt both of them! I was pleased with his head circumference and height measurements, but his weight is so low. Everything looked good, but the doctor told Dan to make sure he gets lots of fluids today and rests. We can’t over-do it these next few days until the TB test is read on Monday morning.

So we walked back to the hotel and made a side stop…where else? STARBUCKS! AHHHHHHHHH…. Felt like home! The prices here are pretty cheap for food, but the drinks at Starbucks are about a dollar more than we’d pay at home. But I would have paid $10 for that drink!

I have to say, we are feeling much better today. It’s almost 4:30 here, and Tyson is having a fantastic day. We have learned so much about him and continue to “figure him out”. One thing is that he cannot be over-stimulated. If we put too many toys out, he starts throwing them. He especially likes this little truck, but I had to take the tailgate off because he could actually use those plastic little tools to take it apart! Oh, and he’s sooooo smart, he watched Dan open his crib, now guess who can do it too? Yes! So we have chairs against it, and it’s safe.

While Ty slept, I found a place to do laundry near the hotel, then Dan and Kacie took a swim in the beautiful pool. We snapped a few pics before being told no pictures—oops, missed that sign. I took Ty for a walk through the hotel and found the White Swan play room, but I decided not to go there today. We went out to the river, and he was very fascinated by all the boats and was pointing at them all.

Food will be an issue for a long time and this is very common in adoptive kids. He doesn’t know when to stop, and when the food is gone, he throws a fit. We had to explain to Kacie not to eat snacks in front of him and not to give him treats. She forgot once, and it proved our theory. I will do more research on this when we get home.

WARNING: Get tissues, this will bring tears to your eyes.
I introduced little goldfish crackers to him today. He was putting one at a time in his mouth. When he got to the last fish, he stopped and looked at it, then only ate half of it, then the other half. Then he ate Cheerios, and at first he was picking up 2-3 at at time. When the Cheerios were almost gone, he picked up one at a time, ate half of it. Then he ate half of the half! Three bites for ONE Cheerio. He was making his food last as long possible. I cry every time I think about it. At two years old, you shouldn’t be worrying about making your food last. Doesn’t that break your heart? He’ll learn soon…food isn’t an issue in the Powell house!

He is a happy little guy today. Thank you to all who have been praying. He still won’t walk (won’t, not can’t because we know he can!), but we have him playing on the floor, and if he throws his toys, he goes to get them. Huge improvements! Also, he played with Kacie’s hair and is letting her into his little world more and more. He understands “No”. I have to tell him no when he bites on his bottle or puts toys in his mouth. He just smiles and takes it down…what a little player. We also caught him in a tantrum…totally faking! Kacie tickled his neck and he started laughing. It was so nice to sit in the hotel and relax and not have a schedule.

We had dinner at an Italian restaurant, and it was good. We figured out Ty for meals now, and we gave ourselves a little credit: Most people eat out with a two year old one or two times a month, if at all. We’re doing it two to three times a day! He’s now going in his stroller with no problem.

Tonight was our best night yet! He has a little book with Elmo, and I can say “Where’s Elmo?” and he points to Elmo. He can also point to “Jie Jie” (big sister), Ba Ba (Dad) and Ma Ma. We also taught him “High Five”.

Ty is now in his crib, the room is dark, and he’s supposed to be going to sleep. Not happening, but he’s content. If I pick him up, he’ll be up til midnight. Dan just took Kacie for another swim, and I guess the pool is great at night, all lit up.

So one more tear jerker, then I’ll go. He drinks water from a sippy cup with the stopper out, and I give him formula from a cleft bottle two or three times a day. The cleft bottle is special because you can squeeze it so the fluids get into the child’s mouth easily. Today I put water in the cleft bottle to get him to drink more, and he played with the bottle more than anything, but he did hold it and I squeezed it for him. Tonight we were playing on the bed, and I had about two inches of water in my water bottle. He kept pointing to it, and I didn’t want to try having him drink from the bottle, but finally I picked up the bottle. He put it my mouth, and as I tipped it up, he squeezed it, helping me get a drink just like I help him with his bottle! Yes, I cried!

What a sweet boy. We know more rough days are ahead, but so are the good ones. He’s in his crib singing again, and I think he's actually getting louder! Lalalala, yayayaya! Praise the Lord!

A little about the pictures. Tyson is playing with his truck, bottle, and tools and just having a great time. And then, you knew it was going to happen...Kacie put Ty in her fuzzy pink socks. Actually, the air conditioning in the room is cold, so she wanted him to be warm, but they looked like bright pink Uggs on his little legs! Also, Tyson loves to have his teeth brushed! There is a picture of our hotel (we're on the 19th floor, city view) and then a picture of the river we are on, where Tyson was watching the boats.

Thank you everyone for your prayers. We were in despair last night, but once again, just when I think I can't go anymore, God shows me the way.

We made it to Guangzhou

We are here. It was a rough night, so sorry no post, but the computer didn't even come out of the bag. Tyson is having a really hard time. Please be praying for him, specifically that he will begin to understand that we are his parents and we won't let him go. Also, he is very strong willed and has attached to Dan totally--will not let Dan put him down. Last night he refused to come to me.

Our plane was late and the hotel is 40 min away. Ty had no late nap, and it was already 7:30. He did OK on the plane, and he did sit with Kacie and I part of teh time. Oh, he is letting Kacie tickle him more and more, so that is getting better. After check in, we switched rooms for a better bed set up, but I had to wait for a crib to put him to sleep. Dan and Kacie went to get dinner (subway!) and I stayed with Ty. He screamed and cried and groaned. It was so sad, and I was tired and had choice words with the housekeeping staff, who said 5 more minutes, sorry! An hour later, we got our crib. Dan walked in, Ty went to him, and he was totally calm. Dan is exhausted and running out of steam, so please pray for strength for Dan and a renewal in his spirit. Exhaustion has set in on all of us, but especially Dan.

So we were about to go to bed, adn I tried to call for a wake up call--the phone was dead! Sandwich in hand (I was starving--not caring at this point how it looked to walk through a beautiful hotel eating) and we got the phone fixed quickly.

Ty woke up a few times, and I couldn't console him, only Dan. Again, Dan is just beyond weary. It's now time to get going, yet I'm the only one up.

Today: We meet our guide at 8:40. It's Ty's medical check and TB test. It's going to be a hard day, so please keep us in your thoughts and prayers. Ty cannot go swimming or have a bath or do anything stressful for the next two days, so at least we know we'll be relaxing when this is all done.

The plan is to go to dinner tonight with an adoptive family I met through an adoption forum. I am so excited! Hopefully Ty will get through it.

Jolene

The pictures are from Nanjing...

Thurs. PM - Nanjing Thunderstorm!

Well, we know where the humidity was coming from. Tyson slept for almost three hours, then after just hanging out in the hotel (then Kacie was napping) we decided to go out to go shopping and see a branch of the Yangtzee River just behind our hotel. As we were out, we could tell a thunderstorm was on the way. We just about made it back when suddenly, there was rain like I have never seen in my life. I grew up in a temperate rainforest and have seen some major storms, but nothing like this. We were totally soaked walking the 50 yards back to the hotel. Dan put his Cougars hat on Ty, so Ty stayed dry—glad that hat was finally good for something! (Sorry Coug fans…had to say it!) So as Kacie says, this was an experience! I actually had a really good laugh about the whole thing and was glad to experience it too.

We knew there was a restaurant somewhere in the hotel, and there was no way we were leaving, so we’d just have to suck it up and pay what we thought would be a high price. As we walked back to the restaurant, I could have fainted. There was an indoor connection to Burger King from our hotel! All week long I’ve went outside and around the front, and I could have just stayed inside. I guess there is something to be said for exploring your surroundings!

So we were the only table in the restaurant, and we had 4 servers totally doting over us. Ty threw his usual fit as we tried to put him in a high chair, and then one of the ladies came and held him and said something to him in Chinese, and he sat down and was very very good. Clearly, we have a huge language barrier. And dinner was amazing AND the same price if not cheaper than other dinners we had all week. We kept it basic with sweet and sour pork, rice and vegetables, noodles for K, and meat congee for Ty. Not sure where Ty put all that food, but he loved it.

Ty is skinny. His legs and face look good, but his belly…there isn’t one. He’s long enough for 2T, but 18 month shorts barely stay on. I think his cold is getting better, but he’s still got it.

We are sitting in the dark watching this magnificent lightning show from our 10th floor room. Right now he is lying in his crib and making noises we’ve never heard before. He’s babbling! We haven’t heard this from him yet! He is certainly trained that when he goes down in his crib, it’s bedtime and he doesn’t cry at night. He’s saying “La la la da la la la” So cute! We haven’t heard this! We are just trying to be quiet and listen. It’s adorable. “Oh ah!” he sings…and it’s music to my ears. I just told Dan that he doesn’t babble or vocalize, and I was worried. Not anymore! This is great! He’s singing! He’s really singing! I’m almost positive he’s speaking Chinese! Wow! He can make many sounds, consonants and vowels.

So the scoop on Ty is this: He is capable of more than he lets on. He is very smart, but also delayed due to obvious orphanage issues. I do believe he was well taken care of, I really do. He is so frustrated with the language issue, and so are we. But we know for sure, God has given us Ty for a reason. We are his parents, no matter what! Times have been tough this week, that’s for sure, but we hope better times are to come.

When we get home, we need people to understand he is in transition and not to come at him when we get home. We need to take this slow. He still screams when we change his diaper, but I did put his PJs on with no crying for the first time tonight! He shows more of his personality everyday, good and bad.

Tomorrow, we are outta here! Praise the Lord! We are headed to Guangzhou, home of the US Consulate that takes care of adoptions. We have a late check out, and we fly out around 4 and get to Nanjing around 6. I can’t wait to see all the adoptive families from the US. I am about out of battery, so I’ll post picts tomorrow. We have to turn on lights to use the power outlets, and since Ty is calm and in bed, I’m going to just keep it to words. Thanks for the prayers. They mean so much, and listening to Ty tonight was a huge answer to prayer for us. I’m glad I got to share it with you all as it was happening—and he kept talking and singing, and Kacie got out the flip camera, so we have some of it recorded! Yay Kacie! She has been amazing by the way. When you see her, tell you heard she was awesome in China, because it's true.

Thurs. AM, Nanjing

Thurs AM: I did wake up at my usual 3:00am, but I did manage to go back to sleep for a bit. I am typing this at noon as Ty is napping and D and K are swimming in the pool. We wake up at 5:30 in the morning. One exciting thing this morning was that our hotel safe broke. Thank goodness it was open! So we were late for our tour because we weren’t leaving until our passports were safely locked. I asked for a new safe—ask and ye shall receive!

We toured the Nanjing Wall today. Amazing! We went in these caves in the wall where 3,000 soldiers could fit as they hid while waiting to go to battle. Kacie enjoyed yelling and listening to the echo effect. The emperor was pretty smart: families had to give quality bricks to the project, and they had to put their family name on the brick. If it wasn’t a quality brick, he went and found them—I think he killed them. If it wasn’t 100 degrees with like 90% humidity, we’d have stayed longer, but we were all pretty miserable.

Bathrooms are crazy. Yesterday when we went into a bathroom in the mall, Kacie found the one stall with a regular toilet and said, “Western style toilet! YES!” Hilarious! She did have to use a “squatty potty” at the museum yesterday (I’m sure she’ll love that I’m saying this publicly!) and she said it was fine, but I think that’s why she had a little celebration cheer at the mall! Public bathrooms generally do not have TP. You bring your own. Sometimes there is a roll outside and you take in what you need.

Tyson still refuses to walk. We know he can, he walked the first two days, and we’ve seen him go from a laying position to a standing position, so we know he can do it. However, he refuses. I’m sure there are multiple reasons: security, safety, control, wants mom and dad to do it, likes to be held, etc… But it is killing our backs and arms. So after the Nanjing Wall, we went to this crazy store and found a cheap stoller. Well, he despises it. He screamed and cried, on and on, and judge me if you want, but we are tired and can’t carry him everywhere. The Chinese people just came and stared and pointed, very disapproving. But he will adjust.

To describe the store: Picture Ross, the store. Then picture the ceilings only 8 feet high, and there are long hallways of clothes, the kind that would drive an ADHD person to the brink of insanity. It was individual little stores only about 8 feet long and five feet deep, then a partition and another store of the same type. I compare it to Ross because it was not a store where the clothes are easily seen like the big mall near our hotel—that is more like a Western mall, except the 9 circular indoor/outdoor floors. I wanted to find Ty some clothes, but if I can be honest? The clothes were hideous. Now that is my taste and not meant to offend anyone, but really, the little creatures on the clothes creep me out. I did find him a vest and a jacket for the plane. The vest is cute, but the jacket? I’d never buy it in the states, but it zipped and had a hood…it will work.

To my mom: The ride home from Sea Tac could be a nightmare with him strapped in the car seat. Sorry in advance! I really don’t know how this plane ride will go…only 4 plane rides, one of them 12 hours. Hmmmmm….. not going there right now.

This is gross and might be too much info: Food does come through his nose. Not a lot, but it does happen. He sneezed, and chunks came out! Ewwww! Better get used to that I guess. It’s actually not a big deal, but if you plan to still continue to be our friends, please accept that this is going to happen. We’ve actually been impressed with how clean he really is! He doesn’t drool like I’ve heard some cleft kids do. I expected to go through many bibs, but so far, so good! His cold is getting better, praise the Lord. I’m so glad I brought all those medicines. We’ve used a lot of it!

Laundry is another huge issue. We are almost out of clothes, and laundry at the hotel is super expensive. I was out of clothes, so I had to send a few out. We hope to do laundry at Guangzhou. Well, we have to! We have nothing left! There is a place nearby, but yesterday the language barrier was way too much to deal with. It’s not a laundry mat like the US. You leave your laundry and they do it. If yesterday hadn’t been so hard, I might have been able to figure it out, but I was out of patience.

Well, I guess I wrote enough for this to be a post. I’ll write again tonight when Ty goes to bed. Nothing major planned for today, just staying cool.

Wednesday in Nanjing

Tyson had a more difficult day today, and so did we. I could actually see the shift last night, but today was even more so. It’s almost as if he thought he was just with us for a visit and would go back, but he is realizing he’s with us for the long haul, and he’s missing his nannies. We’ve nicknamed our children the Princess and the Emperor. I’m sure that needs no explanation.

He woke up crying and fussy. He does not like his diaper changed or his clothes changed. He’s been walking holding our hands, but today he refused to walk and wanted carried everywhere. Our backs and arms are aching—he’s tiny yes, but carrying a small toddler all day will still do a number on your back. However, we put him down in the lobby, and when he saw the breakfast eating area, he smiled and walked right to it. But for the rest of the day, he was carried. I had him in my carrier, but today was the hottest day so far, so I was dying. Dan is so sore, as he carried Ty most of the day. Tomorrow, we are buying a stroller.

Food. It’s an issue. We have had a difficult time staying with his orphanage schedule, and I think that attributes to his crying also. We have realized the following. 1. He wants his own plate or bowl. 2. He feels the need to finish everything, full or not. 3. He will flip out if there is still food on the plate and eating is done. 4. We must put a small amount on his plate at a time and refill it so he knows he can have more and feels finished when it’s gone. I was doing paperwork when Dan learned his orphanage schedule. Evidently before and after his naps (2 a day) he ate. So he didn’t have a “lunch”. So we’ve tried to fill the gaps with little snacks. So far we’ve only been able to give him one nap, just because of how our schedule has been. We try for early bed times, but that’s even difficult.

Food is also an issue for us…we are so tired of eating out. The prices are fine, it’s finding quality food that doesn’t have eyeballs that is the problem! Or mystery meat. Menus that have pictures are very helpful. But I’m so tired of Chinese food and fast food. I can’t wait to get to Guangzhou. Kacie is a picky eater at home…imagine her here. I swear, I will learn to cook when we get home. Especially vegetables. I miss bland vegetables!

We visited the Ming Dynasty Tomb Museum. Pretty cool if you like Ancient Chinese History. Nanjing is very proud of being the home of the first emperor of the Ming dynasty. Again, wishing I was teaching sixth grade again because I’d have some cool info to go along with some of the reading curriculum stories on Ancient China.

Tyson went for his first dip in a pool today. He just clung to me and never let go, but he did enjoy it! We were in for about ½ hour. We were in with another American adoptive family, and we hope to get the kiddos together tomorrow for a playdate. They have a DVD with Chinese cartoons, so we hope Ty will like that.

We’ve been calling him “Ty Ty” or “Di Di” (dee dee) which means little brother. He’s responding more and more, but even the orphanage director told us that he makes up his own mind how things are going to go and likes to make his own decisions. We clearly are seeing that.

I think you can tell by my tone, I’m tired. This was the hardest day so far. I’m tired of being stared at and I want to get to Guangzhou and meet up with more American families. Beijing was wonderful, but in province is difficult. I now see why. Two more days and we’re outta here, and I can’t wait!

Adoption Day

So many things I could talk about for today: Adoption is official, Tyson is showing more of himself—good and bad, Kacie continues to be a trooper, and Dan and I are exhausted. 3:00 am wake ups are my thing now…
Tyson slept all night. It’s sort of sad really. The last two nights I have held him til he’s almost asleep. I put him in his crib (which would never be used by anyone in the US—very sub-standard), and he cries and wails for about 10 seconds. Then it’s done, and he lays there. I lay beside him in my double bed, hard as a rock and 18 inches off the ground, and we lock eyes for about 5 seconds, then he looks around, then we lock eyes. I hold his hand through the crib, and he grabs my arm. I wonder what is going through his mind… I wanted to so badly to reach back into the crib and pick him up, but I know we all need our sleep, and this is best for now. He does take naps on the bed, but I am there to monitor it.
When I looked in Ty’s crib this morning, there he was, opposite of the way I laid him down, head up, looking around. That was about 5am. So we all got up, and my goodness, I forgot how long it takes to get ready with a two year old! All the things to remember! YIKES! We had our breakfast then quickly cleaned the room. Living out of suitcases is getting old—I can never find anything because every zip lock bag is looking the same.
Then it was off to the CAB office for the adoption. It was very easy. Our interview consisted of a few simple questions, we signed papers, gave gifts, and it was done. There were four families there. I was hoping to meet some of the nannies, but they did not come. One came yesterday, and we did get a picture with her and Ty. The director and an administrator were there, and I got to ask some questions. They were both very nice and kind and seemed to appreciate our gifts, and we explained what happened with our gift, and the director was very understanding. The director asked WHEN we would be brining Tyson back to visit. Not IF, WHEN. That caught me off guard, but we do have every intention of bringing him back, and the director said we are always welcome. In the picture, the administrator is on the left and the director is on the right.
Then we told the guide we had to go to Wal Mart. Kacie continues to be famous and have fans wherever she goes. As we were walking on the street, a little boy about age 4 came up to Kacie and slapped her in the stomach. The dad was so embarrassed and apologized over and over. We were just in shock, and of course it didn’t hurt K, but it was funny at the same time. So now I can say I’ve been to a Chinese Wal Mart, and it is nothing like ours at all. Very disconnected, and finding socks turned into a huge chore. Oh, and forget about finding a measuring cup or spoon of any kinds. Evidently, I brought over a can of formula that does not have a scoop! Doesn’t formula come with scoops? It did when K was a baby…ugh!
The rest of the day was nothing special, mostly in our room. After Ty’s nap, that’s when we really started seeing his personality. He smiles a lot, and it is beautiful. He is also quite the little Emperor! He has a temper, and he likes to throw toys—at people—so we’ll work on that. I am floating this fine line between promoting bonding and that I’m a safe person and the fact that he can’t throw toys and hurt people, so I have to take things away or say no. The last time he threw his toys, I took them away. He flung himself back and hit his head on the crib. He cried, but not too much because he knew he shouldn’t have done it—I could tell he knew. He does fling himself down when he’s mad. He will still play by Kacie, but he doesn’t like her yet. She is taking it well, thank goodness. She is still a wonderful help. He will let her put his bib on and take it off, and she can give him treats. But he won’t hold her hand or let her touch him at all. That will change, we told her to give him time. Oh, and he loves to have his teeth brushed! That was our first big smile this morning. That was a shock. Another shock was his weight. I was given VERY wrong measurements the last two times. Put it this way, in April I was told he was about 23 lbs, yet he's only 22lbs now. Hmmmmmm..... Even though he is certainly behind developmentally, Dan and I see all the potential in the world in this little guy. He is smart, there is no doubt, and he eats so much. As soon as his palate is fixed, the sky is the limit for this little guy. Right now, one step at a time.
We started Tyson on antibiotics, per doctor’s orders, so hopefully that will help him feel better. Tomorrow we are touring Nanjing in the morning, and our goal is to get Tyson back into a schedule. I’m tired, for sure! Thanks for following along, and thanks for the emails! I can’t wait for you all to meet Tyson. He’s going to melt your hearts. We love him so much already, it’s unbelievable.
Jolene

End of the Gotcha Day

You are all probably waking up to these two blog posts. I sent Lori a post with pictures as soon as Ty went down for his nap. We are now at the end of our day and getting ready for bed. We have to back to the adoption office at 8:30am for the official paperwork, and I think we are interviewed.

Today we were given all the things we ever mailed him for care packages. I don't think he ever saw any of it except the photo album. The positive of that is that I was worried I didn't have enough toys, now he has a truck with tools and some toy cars, two stuffed pandas, and his traditional Chinese outfit, so I don't have to buy another one! That worked out pretty well.

Our guide is strictly business, which makes this part really hard. She said she'd take us to Wal Mart today, and instead we ended up at some super market, and my brain was mush from getting Tyson. I'm so mad because I forgot to buy diapers. I only have enough for another day. Tyson came to us in these very bizarre socks, and of course, his socks are at home. How I forgot to pack them, I don't know. So I'm in this Chinese supermarket with a very scared and confused little boy, and I was so frustrated!

Tyson was very clingy for the first part of the day. He would only be held. If we put him down, he cried. Of course, we held him as much as he wanted. He didn't want toys, he wanted nothing to do with Kacie, only me or Dan. I laid him down slowly, and he went down for his nap. His eyes were moving non-stop. He really takes everything in, almost like he's studying it or trying to figure it out. He hates being laid down, especially for a diaper change. While he was laying down, I saw his cleft palate. I think it's pretty wide. But it doesn't stop him from eating anything and everything. I'm a little worried he's not drinking enough. I'm going to try a formula bottle tonight.

After his nap, the clinginess was even worse, and he has a pretty nasty cold and cough. He doesn't cough much, maybe only 4 or 5 times all day, but you can hear it, it's deep. We tried to hand him toys, nope, didn't want them. So we just continued to love on him and give him snacks and treats. Finally I gradually set him on the floor with Kacie and I, and Kacie and I played with the cars. Soon, he grabbed a car and started studying it. Then he had a car in each hand. Then we went for a walk, and Dan put him down, and he walked holding Dan's hand! We went to dinner, and he got soooooo excited when he saw the noodles we ordered. He had a car in his hand and he threw it down and his eyes got really big! He is a clean eater, just slow.

After dinner we walked around the shopping area--it's huge. Back in the room, Kacie and Tyson put on their Sponge Bob PJs, and they are now playing on the bed, parallel play of course (side by side), but at least he's sitting by her. One of the toys is a truck with tools, and I'm not kidding you, he is figuring out how to use the tools on the truck! I can tell just by watching him, he's a problem solver. The city is lit up at night, and Dan took him to the window and he pointed and said, "Oooh Ooooh!"

Basically, the day has gone better than I ever imagined. He is still nervous, no doubt, and it could be a rough night, but right now, I'm just basking in the happiness, watching Kacie and Tyson playing on the bed as he looks back at me to see what I'm doing. He's a very sweet little boy. As Dan says, "He's so awesome!" God sent us halfway around the world to love this little boy, and that's what we're doing. OK, I need to go play with my son!

We have Tyson!!!

We Have Tyson!

And he’s wonderful. He’s a scared little boy, but he is doing well overall, however, he seems to have a cold and I think it’s in his chest. Please be praying for that. I’m contacting doctors in the US to see what meds should be the course of action. I was given traditional Chinese Medicine from the orphanage, not sure how far to go with that.

We went to the adoption office this morning, and we were a little early. When they pulled up, we saw him coming from the window. When they came in, the nanny handed him right over to Dan first. Then I held him. Wow! Amazing is all I can say. We told him Mama and Baba, and the nanny got him to say Ma once! Here’s what we know so far: He likes Dan better. It’s normal for children to attach to one parent over the other. Fortunately, he does like me too. But after we came back to the hotel, I had to go exchange a zillion dollars (it felt like it!) into Yuan, which probably is a zillion dollars, and that took about 1/2 hour. We went to the store and Dan tried to put him down to walk, and Tyson put his arms out and stepped to Dan and let out a little cry. If Dan give him to me, he cries, but he stops pretty quickly. He has the cutest cry! I won’t be saying that at 2am I’m sure, but he is just very cute. He makes good eye contact, lets us feed him, and feeds himself with his fingers. He is napping now, but he cried when we tried to lay him down. However, it was way past nap time, so I just cuddled him and he relaxed, and now he's asleep. Dan and Kacie went shopping.

Kacie has been amazing. She took many pictures and is filling the roll of big sister well. She loves to carry the bag (remember the silk purse I bought? It’s now a diaper bag!) and helps me stock it up.

He’s down for a nap, so I need to be too. Here are some pictures! Thank you for all of your prayers. Please continue to pray that the TB test will be negative. We are so blessed, so in love, and so amazed by the goodness of God. Your prayers have meant so much. Our Gotcha Day was/is wonderful. He haven't seen his personality yet, but I'm sure we will soon. God bless everyone back home, and thank you so much for the emails. It helps so much!

Beijing to Nanjing

From Beijing to Nanjing

Today was not what I’d call great, but it ended well. I woke up at 3 am, and then woke everyone else up. We left our hotel at 11:30, and I got very teary eyed. I really love Beijing, and I know for a fact, we will come back someday. We really connected with our guide, especially Kacie.

We arrived at the airport, and we checked our luggage. I then had to go back to open one of my suitcases. Our gift to the orphanage director was a very nice zippo lighter with a Seattle Mariner’s emblem. I had seen that other parents had used this idea, and when I found one with a Mariner’s logo, I thought it was perfect. You know where this is going….lighters are not allowed on domestic flights in China. I had to leave the lighter with our guide. I then had no main gift for the director, only candy and post cards that went with the lighter as just side gifts. I was mortified. But, we were supposed to leave at 2:10 and land in Nanjing at 3:50—plenty of time to get something somewhere. We had lunch at the airport. I’m already tired of Chinese food. Would you believe that’s about all they have here? Seriously….I don’t mind Chinese food, but for every meal everyday? Not my thing.

We walked to the gate and saw that our flight was delayed. It was to leave at 2:50. No big deal, we sort of expected it. We boarded at 3:00. We sat and sat, then it was announced we had to wait another 40 minutes. An HOUR later, we were still sitting on the plane. Then another announcement, this time no English translation, but from the reaction of the people on board, we knew it was bad. A flight attendant explained there would still be a delay and no departure time. A man in a pink shirt was very angry and tried to get off the plane. Lots of drama. Long story short, we left Beijing at 5:40pm. We sat on the plan for 2 hrs 40 min, and the flight was only 1 hr 30 min.

We finally made it to Nanjing at 7:10pm, 3.5 hours late. Our guide was here waiting, as well as a driver. It was a 30 min ride to our hotel, The Mandarin Garden. Nanjing is very lively. Oh, and it’s HOTTER and MORE HUMID than Beijing! So at night everyone is out. There are lots of lights and lots of stores near our hotel. We were hungry and tired. And then the heavens parted….There is a Burger King right by our hotel! Praise the Lord! Kacie and I high-fived—American Food! And there’s KFC and Haggen Daas right next door. YES!

We walked into our hotel room, and guess what was set up? A crib! I have no pictures really to post from today, and I’m too tired to go through them anyway. It’s almost 9:30, and it’s been a long day. We don’t need our gifts until Tuesday, and the new guide said she will work it out. Praise God, again!

So here’s what you want to know: We get Tyson tomorrow (Monday) at 10:30 am! That will be 7:30pm Sunday night for you. After we get him, we will go to a store to get supplies for Tyson, like diapers, bottled water, etc… It will be a busy day. Please be praying for us. We are nervous, excited, exhausted, you name it.

Pictures tomorrow, promise!!!
Jolene

Random Thoughts

So I slept til 3am, better than 1am! I know my posts have been pretty much on what we've done. Since I'm up, I thought I'd share a few China stories.

First, you never pay full price here. You need to bargain. I am going to invest in a small calculator in Nanjing, as it will help with negotiating when you can't speak the language. We know we'll do more of that in Guangzhou.

Language: Well, sometimes it's an issue, sometimes it's not. I'm sure I've been a "dumb foreigner" more than once. I went to my locker to go swimming, and when I opened it, there was a pair of sandals. I took them to the desk, thinking someone left them. I got out to the pool and realized I was supposed to be wearing them! My ELL background is helping, as working with students who don't speak English, we try whatever we can to communicate: body language, pointing at objects, acting out, drawing, etc... Most people here speak some English, but many don't. We had a waiter one night, and we asked if Sprite came in a can (you don't drink fountain drinks) . He knew what sprite was, but couldn't understand our question, so he went and got a new waiter, and he understood our question. The Chinese have been more than willing to help us. The money is called Yuan (yu-on is the pronunciation). One night I kept saying "yu-yon" and they looked at me funny, and I was getting so frustrated, then one said, "Yu=on" and then I realized I had mispronounced it! I laughed, and so did they.

On our way to the acrobat show, our driver, who could win NASCAR, was frustrated with a back up, but knew a parking lot short cut. We flew through there and came out on the other corner of the block, by passing 2 stoplights. She's so awesome! We were laughing, and Kacie asked what was so funny. We told her that the driver saved us 20 minutes by cutting through teh bank parking lot. Quickly and without missing a beat Kacie says from the back of the van, "xie xie" (sheh shyeh) which is "thank you!" The driver thought that was pretty cute. The driver does not speak English.

We get a lot of stares here with Kacie. She was a rockstar again on the Great Wall with people asking for pictures. Some people try to stare usually nonchalantly, while others walk by and turn their heads and look. We hear it will be worse in Nanjing.

We have yet to meet any Americans. At breakfast, no Americans, but they play American music! Slow songs of course, but it's the Dixie Chicks, Mariah Carey, etc... that cracks me up for some reason. Then before the Acrobat Show, more American music!

People use umbrellas here to keep their skin light. Even through the smog, you can get a sun burn. When we went to Tiananmen Square, there were these ridiculous long lines and umbrella after umbrella. As it turns out, they were lined up to see Mao's body in a crystalized coffin. I was totally OK skipping that part.

Kacie was getting very tired and antsy last night, and she was asleep by 7:30. She has been a little trooper! We still have to remind her, "Don't run in the hotel," but she's doing well. However, we are worried for next week with Tyson. It will be exciting, yet hard on all of us. Plus, it's raining all week in Nanjing==lots of indoor time.

Here are a few more pics, one of Kacie and I on the plane on the way over while, another in our hotel room. Our hotel is the Wangfujing Grand. The traffic picture is from a freeway overpass near the Olympic Games Park.

And I couldn't resist adding a picture of the Yao Ming statue.

OK, my family is now awake, Dan tormenting Kacie as usual. She's a daddy's girl, no doubt! Thanks for reading and emailing. It's so nice!

Jolene

Beijing Day 2

Beijing Day 2

I thought I had beat the jet lag and was transitioned to China time, but waking at 1am last night proved otherwise. I had been sleeping for 4 hours, and after that, not much more. But all is good. I think after today, I’m ready to sleep for a LONG TIME! Just an FYI, China is 15 hours ahead of the West Coast of the US. Right now it’s 7:20pm on Saturday night, but it’s 4:20 am Saturday morning in the US.

Our day started with another great breakfast. We met our guide at 8:30 am and headed off to the Great Wall with a side stop at a Jade Factory. We learned how Jade is carved and its importance in China. We bought a few small things, just because. There is a picture of Kacie standing between to replicas of Terricota Soldiers made of Jade. Then we were off to the Wall. But on the way, we got to experience a Chinese traffic jam. You know, the kind where there are 4 lanes drawn on the highway, yet somehow there are 6-7 lanes of cars? It was pretty bad. I think I could live here and still not get over this traffic and how people drive. Even Dan says he would never drive here. I also can’t get over how many people ride bikes and no one wears a helmet, even the little kids who are literally sometimes hanging off the back of the bikes! Overall, the people have been so good to us here. We haven’t met any Americans here in Beijing, but I did meet an adoptive couple from Canada and one from Europe.

We finally arrived at the Great Wall. I have to say, I wasn’t prepared for how steep it was. I knew the steps were uneven, but wow! There is something to say for even steps. You had to really watch your footing. The pollution here is so awful, so the view of the wall was covered in smog, but we could still see it, and we were there! It was a magnificent visit, but it was very hot and humid too. I am so glad we had that opportunity. Our guide did not go up with us, but she was so nice to let Kacie borrow her hat. Kacie and Charlotte have really hit it off! Kacie just loves her.

Then we went out to lunch at a tourist area that takes lots of buses and tour groups. It was a great lunch, and then there was some more shopping of all things Chinese, but we skipped that part.

We were able to come back to the room for about 40 min, enough time for all of us to shower, and then it was off to an acrobatic show. It was a great way to end the day. Very relaxing and entertaining.

Wow, Beijing in 2 days. We are exhausted tonight. It’s 7:10 here, and Kacie is getting ready for bed. I’m not far behind. I am not sure if I’ll get a chance to post tomorrow, but here’s the plan:

On Sunday (tomorrow morning), we will meet our guide between around 11:30, drive to the airport, and our plane leaves Beijing at 2:10. We will fly to Nanjing, and that’s when the purpose of this trip completely takes a 180 degree turn. It has been so nice to have a chance to experience Chinese history and culture for a few days, but now, it’s time to do what we came here for. We will be very busy tomorrow night getting ready for Tyson, so I don’t know if I’ll post or not. We need to do laundry, that I know, whether we find a washing machine or just use a bathtub (I brought detergent!). I am already regretting not bringing more toys for him. We learned he is Kacie’s “di di” or little brother. Kacie is his “Jie Jie (jyeh jyeh)” or big sister. I am mama, Dan is baba. I can’t wait to see what he thinks of us!

We are so thankful for everyone’s prayers. God has been so good to us since we arrived in China. In one of the pictures Kacie is holding a sign that says "Ni Hao Harbor City Church" which means "Hello HCC." We really appreciate the support of the church. It was fun to hold up the sign and have all the people walk by and read aloud the sign. The Chinese people loved it, as they read it and smiled.

Thank you so much for the emails. I love getting them--in fact we all do. I think as the time goes on, hearing from people from home will be important. We can't see our blog but we know Lori is doing great at posting. I can't wait to see it!

Jolene

First Day Photos

More Photos







Here are the rest of the first day's photos. I can't quite figure out how to not have them just like a list at the beginning of the post so decided to post them separately! I am getting the hang of it a bit and did better this time.
Enjoy!
Lori

Beijing City Tour

Beijing City Tour

Words can’t describe our wonderful, perfect day. We woke up at 3:30 am, still adjusting to the time difference. We went downstairs to a lovely breakfast at the hotel at 6:30am. We had time before we met our guide, so after breakfast we ventured out on to the streets. Can you say “Shopping District”? My favorite was the huge statue of Yao Ming outside of Reebok. Most stores were closed, but it was just a great way to get comfortable with our surroundings. There is a Catholic church down the street, and two people were getting wedding pictures. Kacie was stared at by everyone, but more on that later.

Let’s talk about Chinese drivers. First, stop lights are merely a suggestion. Second, if you need to, it is perfectly acceptable to drive in the wrong lane if you need to get around the person in front of you, regardless if pedestrians are crossing. Last, two vehicles can compete in for the same lane by basically a game of chicken, seeing who gives up first. We witnessed all of these, and we were in the van for the last one! Our driver won (scariest 5 seconds of my life)! She’s the best driver ever! Oh, and I’ve never heard so many horns in my life. If you are going to change lanes, forget the blinker, just use your horn.

We left our hotel at 9:00 for Tiananmen Square. This is basically like The Mall in DC. A lot of political symbolism. October 1st is the 60th anniversary for National Day here, so the building with Mao’s picture is being renovated, but they left a space so Mao’s picture can be seen. Great experience, as we also added a new word to our Chinese Vocabulary: Hoo-yah, which means “we don’t want any”. This was all the vendors. If you just say No, they keep following. Oh, Kacie was a little pro with this word! Many vendors were told “Hoo-yah” by Kacie! The guide just thought it was great, I found it humorous. It’s not that we were being rude, Charlotte just said if we used typical Chinese terms rather than “No” we wouldn’t be bothered as much. Some vendors were very aggressive. And about our guide Charlotte, wow! She is the best. She and Kacie hit it off well.

Next stop: Forbidden City. I wish I still taught the upper grades to put some of this into my lessons. I learned soooooo much! While our guide went to buy tickets, we became celebrities. It started with two sweet 12 year old girls who wanted a picture with us. Soon it was whole families. Even a teen boy wanted a pic with Dan! The girls said to Kacie, “You are so beautiful!” and Kacie said, “You are very pretty.” It was so sweet. It never got out of hand, but I was nervous for a second or two. The Forbidden City itself is amazing. I could write a lot just about that part, but trust me when I say, it is amazing! In one of the pictures of the forbidden city, Kacie is holding a green perisol, and our guide is walking along side her. Charlotte even bought Kacie ice cream!

Then it was off to lunch at a typical, authentic Chinese restaurant. This was one of the most shocking parts of the day for me. It was sooooo loud! Unbelievably loud, and they smoked inside! Our guide got up for a second to check on something, and while we were eating, a Chinese woman sat between Kacie and I and wanted to get a picture with us—while we were eating!!!

Next stop: Silk Factory. Again, very educational. I bought a silk purse, and Kacie was given two cocoons, single and double. And the best part: it was air conditioned. It is so hot, after being outside 5 minutes, you are sweating, hair is frizzed, and clothes are sticky.

Dan and I are just in awe of the architecture of the buildings here. They are not cookie cutter replicas of each other. Each building has it’s own shape and style. And they go on and on. And there are apartments as far as the eye can see. You can’t even imagine it until you see the rows and rows…

Final Destination: Olympic Games Park. Kacie was exhausted at this point, and so were we. But to go to Beijing and not at least see the Bird’s Nest? Out of the question. So we made the drive and stopped to take some photos. We could have done more, but we were all feeling the effects of the day’s walking and heat. At that point our guide left, and driver drove us back to the Hotel, and that’s when we learned the lane-change rule. I am telling you, these people are the best crazy drivers in the world!

Back at the hotel, we went for a swim and then went on to dinner at a little restaurant across the street. Everything is reasonably priced. We cannot drink the water and must be careful about certain things. $1.00USD = $6.70RMB (Yuan). We went to a little store to buy more bottled water, and even the guy there touched Kacie’s hair! The people here are just in awe of her. Now we are winding down to prepare for tomorrow: The Great Wall tomorrow mid morning, Jade factory in the afternoon, and an Acrobat Show in the evening.

It is now after 8pm, so I need to get rested up. We meet our guide at 8:30am, and it’s a 1.5 hour drive to the Bataling section of the Great Wall.

Thanks for following along, and thank you for all of your prayers. God is showing me a side of this world I never knew existed. I could go on and on about our day. It was incredible.

Contact Info

I forgot to mention that we cannot see comments on our blog because we cannot access our blog (blocked here, along with facebook), which is why Lori is updating it! Thanks again Lori, you are a blessing! I know the adoption community is singing your praises too, as we enjoy "stalking" traveling families blogs! If you'd like to be in touch with us or just send a message, our email is djkpowell@msn.com

Please do not be offended if I do not return your email. It could be that I tried and it would not go through. About 1 out of 5 web pages open, and about 1 out of 3 messages actually send. I'm sure you understand how time consuming it would be to sit and try and try to respond when it won't work!

Thanks again for following along! Pictures tonight after our city tour (assuming I can download them!). Today (Friday) is Tiannamen Square, Forbidden City, and Olympic Games Park. We may just drive by Olympic Games, as our guide says it is VERY hot in that area, and it will be our last stop. We just have to monitor Kacie. We have also been prepped that many Chinese people may come and touch Kacie's hair and want pictures. This is peak travel season, so many people have never seen a child with hair like hers. So far, the Chinese people have been kind and easy going (except the guy that almost hit Dan and the one who yelled at them in the pool).

Jolene

We're Here!!!

China! We're here. LONG flight, not comfortable. I did not sleep. Kacie did a little, Dan did a little. It is hotter than hot. Muggy, sticky hot.

The people here have been so nice. We actually navigated the Bejing airport easier than the Sea Tac airport!

Beautiful hotel, great guide, we are exhausted as you can imagine. We are 15 hours ahead of you. I see on my computer it is 1:17 am for you, but it's 4:17 pm here.

Dan learned that China doesn't stop for pedestrians. The guide told him to come out to cross the street (went to buy water), and a car almost clipped him. People drive insanely. We watched from our van, and it was nuts!

More tomorrow!
Jolene

The Flight

**I typed this on the plane so I wouldn't forget the crazy details of the day.

We woke up at 3:45 because somebody always insists on being beyond. We arrived at the airport at 5:00am for our 7:21 flight. First we were given the run around on what line to get in. Next we were told we had to take our money belts off at security. I actually felt better about this plan anyway. Grabbed breakfast and went to the gate. We were only 20 minutes before boarding, when the dreaded “FLIGHT DELAYED” sign came up. Evidently, San Francisco had too much air traffic, there was fog, and they were down to one runway. So the announcement “Flight XYZ will now leave at 8:00am and arrive at 10:47 in SFO.

WHAT!!!!! Our connecting flight to Beijing was at 11:05! And how did a 2hr 15 min flight turn into 2hrs 45 min? This was supposed to be the EASY flight! So after stressing for a few minutes, I went to counter. Yes, the Beijing flight was still on time. I was fit to be tied. This was the flight I was NOT nervous about. If we missed the connection, we’d miss so much and be so tired the next day for our trip. And the last thing I wanted to do was navigate an airport in Tokyo. Oh, this was not happening!

So this is how I started the day with 6 boarding passes and ended with 12. We had our original seats to SFO. The attendant was able to get us in the front of the plane so that we could get off quickly and get to the Beijing flight. If we did miss the connecting flight, plan B was a flight leaving SFO at 1:00, routing through Tokyo, and on to Beijing, landing 6 hours later than planned. I think the Lord saw that I was at my limit. I looked at Dan and attendant in desperation. I asked why there was the extra half hour on the flight to SFO, and she said we might have to sit on the tarmac for awhile because of the air traffic on the ground. Sweet. By this time, I’m a nervous wreck. So I get 6 new boarding passes. 3 for the new seats, 3 for the backup plan. I had boarding passes in the most bizarre places of my back pack, and I could barely find the ones I actually needed!

So Dan walked up to the boarding line before it was our turn, and of course I found someone to talk to. The next thing I knew, Dan and one of the attendants were talking with two Chinese women. One was Ling Ling, and she spoke very little English and was traveling back to China on the same flight as us. Her friend or translator (not sure) was explaining that she needed help once arriving at SFO, so they had asked if she could walk with us at SFO. Of course, we were happy to. I was so proud, I said, “Ni Hao Ling Ling!” And she said, “Ni Hao” back! And that was the extent of my Chinese, and I wished immediately I had learned more Mandarin phrases. Furthermore, I left my book of phrases in my suitcase, thinking I wouldn’t need it! Dan and Kacie boarded the plane, and then Ling Ling and I boarded. We were in row 6, she was in 14. She seemed confused so I showed her the ticket seat # and then the numbers on the rows. Then she understood.

And Praise the Lord, Thank You Jesus! We made it to SFO at 10:00, and we got to our gate 7 minutes before boarding. The flight was uneventful. Kacie and I were separate from Dan due to the seat move, and she sat next to a man from Seattle on his way to Columbia. He was very nice to her and talked to her as she asked him questions. I was relieved because I know Kacie can be pretty wiggly and talkative, but she showed him all her activity books and her first journal entry (oh connect group, you’ll love it! Her first entry is a picture of me at the airport and it says something to the extent of “Mom stop stressin’!).

So upon landing, Kacie and I got off the plane to find directions to our connecting flight, and Dan waiting for Ling Ling. Kacie kept saying, “Mama, where’s Ling Ling?” She wanted to make sure we had her! We made it no problem, but I didn’t have time to find Starbucks. So as we boarded, we said good-bye to Ling Ling. She was so sweet as she shook all of our hands. It didn’t matter that we didn’t speak the language. On the plane Kacie enjoyed walking to the back of the plane to wave at her.

So now we are just over half way to Beijing. Our flight is VERY empty. I’d say half full on a Boeing 777. I had to do a ton of paperwork (well, it felt like it) for the three of us, and I was so thankful to have people next to me who could read Chinese because I needed information from it (where the visa was issued) and it was written in Chinese. So I asked them, and they quickly answered, “Chicago.” I knew that, I really did…but I was so stressed I couldn’t come up with it. Kacie had her princess moment about 3-4 hours into the flight. She was hungry, thirsty, uncomfortable, and wanted to turn the plane around. It was a defining moment because we told her we were over the ocean and there was nothing we could do at this point. She fell asleep, and after that, no complaining at all.

At the airport hotel...

and I already realized two things we forgot, and I'm regretting not bringing more toys for Tyson. Hopefully we can buy some in Beijing or Nanjing!!!

Kacie and Dan went for a swim. We have an 8:00 bedtime tonight. Kacie was so excited to get into her carry-on to start playing with her stuff (I think "carry-on" is her new favorite word.)

If I can be honest, I'm getting really nervous. I can feel my heart beating in my throat. At this time tomorrow, I'll be half way to China! Kacie's other favorite phrase: "Mom, stop stressin'!"

She's right. But last night it was my stomach in knots. Tonight it's my heart beating out of my chest. Mentally I know what to do and think, so evidently suppressing it makes the stress come out physically! Ugh!

I think that's my cue...I'm going to bed! Good night!

Isaiah 43:7 and last night at home

Do not be afraid, for I am with you; I will bring your children from the east and gather you from the west. Isaiah 43:7

I got a little choked up tonight (what else is new...) that this is our last night at home, just us three. It's been us three for 8 years. Now there will be 4, and we know there are rough times ahead, but it will also be the greatest adventure of our lives. I laid in bed with Kacie as she slept, and I prayed for her. I think she heard me, even better!

Do we know what's ahead? No, but our Father in heaven does. He clearly told me today to stop worrying, we will be fine! My head says OK, but would someone please tell my stomach that is tied in knots? It's not cooperating with what my brain is saying.

So I'm going to bed, and hopefully I'll wake up in the morning at peace, knowing that the waiting is over, and the real journey is beginning. Tyson will be ours in a week. Less than a week. His room is ready, we are ready, and he is ready. So let's get this show on the road, shall we! We leave tomorrow to stay over night to catch our early flight at the airport Wed. AM. We arrive in Beijing 1:40am Thurs PST, 2:40pm in Beijing.

I am humbled by the outpouring of support of the last year. Thank you, and may God bless you!

Preparing to leave

We are testing this out. My friend Lori is going to post my emails to my blog.

Well, we are about 80% packed. After our travel meeting Friday, we were ready to leave right then and there. We have talked with everyone staying at our house, and things seem to be good at that end. Overall, we are ready!

Church was amazing today. We were prayed for by our pastors, connect group leaders, and Lori...and if I missed anyone, I truly apologize. I spoke for a few minutes about our journey and specifics to pray for. After the service, we were truly humbled. A man we'd never met gave us a very special cross to carry on our trip. It has an amazing story, and we feel honored that he would give it to us to take on our trip to help cover us through the hard times. Many people came up to us and gave us hugs, and many had adoption stories to share or advice to give. I am so blessed to have such an amazing church family.

Then tonight at connect group, we prayed (and I cried...again...what is with all the crying?), and Kacie was given some gifts for the plane. She was so excited, yet couldn't understand why someone would do that for her. She's a very giving girl, so for someone to give to her, she didn't quite understand. She was very thankful. One of the gifts was a little note book, and we had been discussing that she needed a journal to capture her memories of China. Overall, we are just so thankful for our connect group and their prayers and how supportive they have been. I just met these people in September - February (I think) but I feel like I've known them for a long time.

OK, so that's it! If you're reading this, then Lori has successfully completed her first post! If you can see the picture, Lori did that too. This is actually a picture of Badaling, the area of the Great Wall that we will be experiencing at the end of this week. Oh my gosh, this trip is happening! Praise God! Tyson will be home in no time.

More on the Tyson Update

1. He is still in diapers.
2. Drinks from a cup with handles.
3. No food allergies
4. Kind to others, shares food and toys.
5. Likes toys that are electric or make noise.
6. Says "Mama" "Nai Nai" "Lao Shi" and other double words. Understands very well.
7. In the "Little Sisters Program" as of Aug. 1, which is a Half the Sky Preschool program for little ones.
8. He is gentle and easy going.
9. He hasn't been trained to use eating utensils. The nannies feed the kids, but he can eat with his fingers.

For kids in orphanages, it's not that they can't do things; It's often lack of opportunity. Well, he'll get lots of opportunities when he gets home, that's for sure!

Look at this picture! I think it was taken a month or so ago. He still has hair, and it's the same shirt as the day of his birthday picture. Looks like a healthy child to me!!!

Tyson UPDATE!!!

A new picture and new info! I got some great information through Lady Bugs N Love. But here's the best part: I asked if he knows he has a family coming. The reply: "Yes, he knows. He was so excited that the first night he heard you are coming wouldn't take a nap."

I had a flip out moment today...

OK, maybe more than a few. I have spent months and months preparing for this trip, and now I find that I am not ready! Packing is a nightmare. Too many medicines, gifts are too big, and not enough stuff for Tyson I'm sure. Now I think I need more money, but I can't get anymore new bills. There are so many little things...ugh!

My biggest worries are still the quarantine and the TB testing. We will survive the TB testing, but it will push all of our appointments back another week. But the TB testing is scary. The Scr*ggs family has to leave their daughter in China! The CDC heartless jerks that they are decided that little Harper, age 4, must stay in China. I am sick beyond words about this. If we have to come home without Tyson...well I can't go there.

So I lean on God. God is all that I have. Oh yes, my husband and daughter I can lean on, but really God is the one whose hand is in this and will lead us through it all. He has been preparing us for quite some time. So even though I don't feel prepared, I know that I am because God is preparing a table for me! The 23rd Psalms is not just about death, but about life and how God prepares us. I also know that God has a huge plan for Tyson's life.

Knowing this, I can continue to get ready to leave. I'm sure the tears aren't over, but in less than a week, we'll be Beijing! Please pray for us!

My other babies!

This is Koby, our labrador, and she will be our guard dog while we are gone. She will wake the neighbors if anyone so much as walks by our house. She is partially blind, but her senses are very keen. Someone will be here every morning and night to care for her, and many neighbors will come by to play fetch as well. Koby celebrated her 9th birthday on July 30th. She is one beautiful baby! We had a two year old over here, and Koby was fantastic with her! She played, yet kept a safe distance and never knocked down the toddler. I am so excited for Tyson to meet Koby.

This is my high maintenance dog. We actually refer to him as "The Pug". Those of you with pugs know, they're not really dogs. We don't know what they are. They are disgusting little creatures who will spit in your face because they love you to pieces. Rocky the pug is about to lose his status as the baby of the family. I wish there was a way to prepare him for Tyson. Rocky will be with my Mom while we are gone, but my mom will come to our house and stay many nights so that Rocky still knows where home is.

I am going to miss my dogs soooooo much! They are my kids, and I love then so much. I am so lucky for family and friends who also love them and are willing to care for them while we are gone. We also have an outside cat and a 100 gallon fish tank. No more animals!

Pray for the Scr*ggs Family

The family that I discussed in an earlier post needs all the prayers they can get. They are the Scr*ggs family, and they are still being told they can't bring their daughter home due to a positive TB test, even though she is not contagious. The CDC really needs to change this rule. This is not good for kids and families. We know that God will be with us, but we are still nervous about the TB test. Maybe we need prayer too. We need our faith now more than ever.

Leaving in 9 days, meeting Ty in 2 weeks!

I cannot believe it. We meet Tyson in two weeks. It hit me today, I HAVE A DUE DATE!!! LOL!

All of our stuff will not fit into our suitcases. I am going to have to bite the bullet and pay extra for extra luggage at the airport. Darn it! Not an expense I was counting on.

I have so much to do at school, it's mind boggling, but it's nothing that I can have others do for me. I have to do it. I met with my sub today, and we're working tomorrow. I will wrap things up on Wednesday at school. K-Bear has been going to church day camp, so that's my time to work. She fell asleep at 6:30 tonight. She is so tired.

So Thursday is school clothes day for K-Bear, Friday is travel meeting with out agency, Saturday is packing day for all of us, Sunday is church and church small group, Monday is one last time at school and final arrangements, and we are leaving Tuesday afternoon! We fly out of Sea Tac early Wednesday morning, so we are staying up in Sea Tac.

Unbelievable. It's finally here, and the countdown is in single digits until we leave. We have arranged our house sitters so someone his here all the time. For that we are thankful and blessed for our great family and friends. Dogs are taken care of, and I hope I'm not forgetting anything! If I am, will someone please let me know?

Have a great week!

Family in China now needs our help and prayers!

This family is in China adopting their 4 year old daughter. I do not know them, I only learned of their situation days ago. Their daughter has tested positive for TB, but she is not contagious. Yet, the US will not give her a visa! This is a new law as of July 1.

So let me get this straight...anyone from anywhere else can get a passport and come to the US, and we don't know if they are positive for TB. But an adopted child? This 4 year old, who already is calling her parents Mama and Papa, will have to go back to her orphanage. THIS IS CRUEL!!!

If you know anyone who can help, please make a phone call. And even more importantly, SIGN THIS PETITION! If this happens to us, I don't know what we'd do. This family is already financially strapped. There is not much more they can do because they both must return to the US.
http://www.gopetition.com/petitions/build-families-not-barriers.html

Travel Info!!!

Oh my! I knew life would speed up, but I had no idea that the next 10 days will now be mapped out for every minute of the day! I need to finish my classroom! I learned who my sub will be, and I'm very happy. We will meet next week. We worked out the details of Dan's leave, and God came through in a huge way, but it's complicated to explain. Just suffice it to say God knows our needs and meets them! Today is finishing Ty's room and taking Dan to my classroom to do the "guy" stuff. I need some nails for letter cards, help with things that require a ladder (I'm afraid of heights), etc...

OK, here's what I know about travel:

Aug. 11th: Go to Sea Tac
Aug. 12th: Fly out early AM, one stop in San Francisco
Aug. 13th: Arrive in Beijing, staying at Wangfujing Grand Hotel
Aug. 13-16: Tour Beijing
Aug. 16th: Fly to Nanjing in PM, staying at Mandarin Garden Hotel
Aug. 17th: GOTCHA TYSON!!!!
Aug. 18th: Adoption Day
Aug 19-21: In Nanjing
Aug. 21st: Fly out to Guangzhou in PM, staying at White Swan Hotel
Aug. 22nd: TB test and shots/Medical Exam for Tyson
Aug. 23rd: Open
Aug. 24: Results of TB test
Aug. 25: Consulate Appt.
Aug. 26: Take Oath, get visa
Aug. 27: Fly from Guangzhou to Shanghai to San Fran to Sea Tac!!!

Wow! Unreal that I'm even typing that. It looks like several of us from RQ are going to be in Guangzhou at the same time. If anyone reading this has stayed at Wangfujing or Mandarin Gardens has any advice, let me know. I think someone said to bring ear plugs if staying at the MG. I bought a whole container!

Please be praying for us as we embark on this amazing new part of our journey. We are specifically concerned about H1N1/Quarantine in Beijing, that Gotcha day will go as well as possible, and that the TB test will be negative.

Have a great day! And THANK YOU for your support over the last crazy few months!
Jolene