Two days to go!

Feng Lin at Liu Hua Park

 

Whew!  We are so ready to head home.  We spent yesterday waiting on Feng Lin's TB test results.  Walked to a beautiful park across the street.  I sent a long time taking scenic pix.  So beautiful!  Feng Lin was in a playful mood so got a lot of her silly face pix like above.  TB neg!  Great news.  Ended the day with dinner with Jack, our guide from when we adopted Quinn three years ago.  We realized at dinner that it had been EXACTLY, TO THE DAY AND TIME, three years since we met him at the airport to begin our process of meeting Quinn and bringing her home.  Never in a million years would Chris and I have thought that we would be having pigeon with him again exactly three ears later at the same restaurant where we had eaten with Quinn.  We had such a great time catching up over our delicious pigeon dinner;)  He is not just our adoption guide.  He is really a friend that we will have for a lifetime! 

 After dinner photo with Jack.  He thinks Feng Lin looks a lot like Quinn did three years earlier.

 

Lollipops make the boring times more fun!



The plane ride to Guangzhou.  Hoping our net travels are as smooth!

There isn't much food Feng Lin likes twice in a row.  This cheesecake elicits he most joy!  Watermelon, yogurt, and cucumbers are the only other regular favorites.

Today we had our consulate appointment!  We were THE ONLY adoption appointment of the day.  Yep.  The only.  Beijing slowed us down so much that we are the only ones left:(  So anxious to get on that plane!
Everything went well at Consulate.  Now we wait to get Feng Lin's Visa tomorrow afternoon.  We had planned to take the train to Hong Kong Saturday morning, but no seats were available.  So, we had to book a room in Hong Kong Friday night and will take the train tomorrow afternoon instead.  It will decrease our total travel time from 27 to 22 hours.  That is a blessing for all of us, but not excited about having to "move" again!
Today, we tried to get Feng Lin some shoes.  Geez this girl is stubborn and determined.  We ended up just grabbing some shoes and leaving quickly because she couldn't make up her mind.  If I had the vocabulary, I would have narrowed it down and been done with it, but the language barrier is too much at times.  She would just vigorously shake her head no at every pair she didn't like.  Han also took us for some souvenir's.  I hate shopping.  Really do! Especially when bargaining comes into play.
Feng Lin is engaging with Chris more and more.  She seeks him out for silly play.  She also seeks out affection more instead of just accepting it.  She gives us big hugs, cuddles, and says she loves us.  She is an absolute joy to be with.   We are so grateful to be her parents and to give her a forever family.

I finally succumbed to the cold that Chris has been hanging onto for over a week.  Would appreciate prayers for health as we travel.  22 hours on a plane with a four yr old is bad enough.  Doing it while sick is a little much!  Prayers for all of our health and safety.  Prayers for all four kids as they will begin their new life together soon.
Love to all.

GUANGZHOU!

 

 

Above is one of the last pix I took from Beijing.  Her favorite place-the pool!

Last night, we arrived in Guangzhou. But before Guangzhou, Feng Lin had a lot of anxiety about leaving Auntie Susan.  She just kept shaking her head NO when Susan told her we would be flying to Guangzhou and she would stay in Beijing.  She said Susan should come, too and even said she could stay in her suitcase.  When it was time to hug Susan and say goodbye, Feng Lin didn't want a hug.  She did not shed a tear, though she looked back several times.  It broke my heart for her.  She has experienced too much loss and she has no clue how to handle it.  We will certainly stay in touch with Susan.  She will have a special place in our hearts.  As an aside, Susan said that she and our driver had been talking about Feng Lin and they agreed that Feng Lin was the smartest child they had met in their 10+ years as adoption guides.  When I laughed, she said she was very serious.  I WILL say, Feng Lin has astounded Chris and me every single day.  She catches on to everything insanely fast!

 
A picture from the lobby in Guangzhou!

Can I just say, we LOVE Guangzhou!  We LOVE it!  It is so nice to be in a temperate climate, no smog, less traffic.  Ahh!  We can breathe a breath of fresh air here.  Literally!  Our guide's name is Han.  He is soft spoken with a sarcastic sense of humor.  We barely know when he is joking and when he's being serious so I think we've missed several of his puns along the way.  He is only taking us to our appointments.  We are on our own for the rest of the time we are here, which is fine with us.  We are familiar with Guangzhou and all the wonderful parks in the city.

We have a great suite here with lots of amenities- even wine in the evenings and a playground/garden on the 4th floor.  It was raining today when I took Feng Lin out to see it.  She was SO excited to get her  "YOU- SAHN."  (Umbrella)  it was the first time she needed it.  See this girl's face(above) when she got back out in the rain.  Totally thrilled!  She posed several times with the umbrella.  Such a diva!

Today, we had Feng Lin's medical appointment.  Even the Chinese doctor said she was tiny.  She is!  Four years old and 28 lbs!  Hope that once her back is straight, she gains some height and weight.  Speaking of which, Feng Lin is such a picky eater.  It's not that she will only eat certain things all the time, it's that she has will devour something at one meal and refuse it at another.  Chris and I have no clue what she might like at any given moment.  One day for lunch she ate nothing but cucumbers and tomato soup.  The next day she was in love with duck in a pancake.  The next day she wouldn't touch those things.  I've never been so grateful for my three kiddos who eat us out of house and home!

Back to the medical appointment...had to have a blood test for TB.  No veins accessible:(  They took her in a room and closed the door on us.  My palms were sweating because I was feeling so protective.  She never cried a tear on the other side of that door, but she came back with a few puncture marks:(  And got a lollipop from BABA!

Afterward, we waited for paperwork in the lobby.  While we waited, we saw a very familiar face.  JACK!  Our guide from our last adoption three years ago.  I had emailed him that we were arriving yesterday so he came to the clinic to find us!  I could have cried.  It was as if we took a step into the past with very happy memories.  We hugged and caught up briefly.  Our guide, Han, is good friends with him.  Han said "Jack is the best looking Chinese man I know and Chris is the best looking American I know."  Ha!  Jack is going to pick us up tomorrow night for dinner.  Can't wait!

We know it is common for kids' personalities to change when they travel to a new place with their parents.  Feng Lin has been no exception.  She is testing us more and more-mostly when we are out.  She will purposefully do something she knows is not cool and look at us with a giggle while she does it.  I am usually not a fan of "no" for kids misbehaviors, but since I don't have a great Mandarin vocabulary, it is usually the first thing that comes out of my mouth.  "Boo-Shir."  When she hears that, the game is on!  Feng Lin is very strong-willed.  We have found that the best way to handle her giggling indiscretions is by ignoring them instead.  She is used to yelling out for what she wants- drink, pencil, snack (in Mandarin, of course.  I've learned the words.  Pretty sure she had better manners when she could use full sentences to explain herself.)  I have started using the "mom-look" that I have perfected over my last decade of parenting.  When she sees it, she says very precisely "Puh-leeeese."  Hey, it gets her what she wants!

The only time Feng Lin is even slightly upset is at nap or bedtime.  She just shakes her head vigorously and lets out the occasional "Boo-shir" to let us know she's not having it.  Today, she didn't want to nap and instead sat up in her bed for over an hour.  Geesh! 

I have learned so much Mandarin, it is amazing!  (Chris mostly sticks to his English:) Some of the most used phrases (by pronunciation of course) are...

1. Chir Fahn- Let's eat!
2. Zo-Ba!- Let's go!
3. A-yo!- Whoa!
4. Boo-san!- No more! (Usually when baba is tickling her.)
5. Ga-mana?- What are you doing?

Some that I've picked up as well and have to use often...

1. Neow-Neow- Pee pee
2. Shyeow sheen- Be careful
3. Waw eye nee- I love you:)
4. May gwan shee- It's ok
5. Jen Ba!- Good job!
6.  MAY la- All done.

But there are so many more words and phrases I have learned.  I love it!  Makes me want to enroll in Mandarin school when I get home.  We did get Feng Lin some great books with a special pen that pronounces words, phrases, songs, and books in Mandarin and English.  It helps Feng Lin and I am sure it will help Chris, the kids, and me, too!

Gonna try to post video soon.  For now, love to all!

Leaving Beijing!

Didn't post last night because we were out having a blast with Collin.  He took us to a fun part of town where we ate a BURGER and drank a MARGARITA!  Yum!  We love the delicious food here, but once in a while it is nice to have some tastes from home.

We leave in an hour to head to the airport for our flight to Guangzhou (as long as Feng Lin's passport is actually ready.  Oh prayers that it isnt delayed for any reason!)  Guangzhou is where all adoptions are processed for China.  We will spend the week there getting Feng Lin's medical check ups and getting her visa to come to the US.  We will finally be heading back home on Dec 6th!

Chris and I are looking forward to going back to Guangzhou.  Quinn is from Guangzhou so we spent two weeks there in 2011.  The weather is similar to Miami so everything is green there all year round.  It was acutally in the 80s there this week, but we are bringing the cold weather with us.  It will be rainy and 60 all week which is a bummer, but at least the smog wont be as bad.  We are staying at the China Hotel with a bunch of other adoptive families.  We are looking forward to seeing other Americans and having some other children for Feng Lin to play with.  I have been on FB with some of these families, so it will be so cool to finally meet them.

As we have been packing this morning, Feng Lin has seemed very nervous. Thanks to my Mandarin bible, I was able to explain tht we are leaving and going on a plane, but still very confusing for her.  I am anxious to see what kind of traveler she is and how she adjusts to our new "home" in Guangzhou.

Prayers please as we take the next step of our journey-for safe travels, Feng Lin's adjustment to new surroundings, and smooth processes of adoption-related appointments.  Prayers for the kiddos at home, too.  We miss you so much Colin, Owen, and Quinn!  Sending you major hugs and kisses and hope your first day back at school is wonderful.
Love to all.

Free day!

Today was our first full day with no agenda, no guide, no driver.  Yikes!  We were really looking forward to having no plans and going at our own pace all day.  We were able for the first time to spend as much time as we wanted Skyping and catching up with family which was so wonderful.  We miss the kids SO much!

Today was a ridiculously smoggy day so all plans for outdoor adventures were off.  Instead, we went for another swim (at Feng Lin's request:)  We walked around a fancy mall across the street and got Feng Lin an ice cream cone.  She LOVED it!  That's my girl!  She has a serious sweet tooth.

She is such a trooper.  She has had no one at all today who could speak Mandarin and she handled it remarkably well.  We are so in love with this little girl.  Our daughter!  Oh my gosh, she's our daughter!

Love to all!

 

GREAT WALL!

Today, we went to the Fu Yang section of the Great Wall.  It was cold and windy, but Feng Lin was not deterred.  She wanted to walk up all the stairs!  Very steep stairs I might add.  We finally convinced her to walk down with Susan (she calls her "EYE-E" which means Auntie) so we could do more hiking.  Evidently, on the way down, Feng Lin counted 99 stairs she walked down.  After 99, she told Susan "There aren't any more numbers."  This kid just turned four years old!  Are you kidding me?!  She also talked to her about her friends at the orphanage and her surgery.  She was under three years old, but she remembered crying a lot and getting shots.  She said she doesn't cry anymore when she gets shots.  This little girl has been through so very much in her four short years.  I feel so protective of her already that I want to take it all away, but at least I know she will have family to love and comfort her during subsequent surgeries.  She doesn't have to be so tough anymore.

I took Feng Lin to the indoor pool in our hotel today while Chris was in the gym (as I'm writing this, I realize we are incredibly spoiled!)  I have no clue if she has ever been exposed to a pool.  All I know is that she loved the bathing suit, but vigorously shook her head NO when we arrived at the pool.  With great training from my dear friend, Katie, I can happily report that she LOVED the water by the end of our pool time.  She was kicking and blowing bubbles.  Fun stuff!

We are realizing that as loved and cared for Feng Lin was, she has missed so many important factors of having parents.  Being kissed is new to her.  She thinks it is funny because she makes the sound every time we kiss her.  She hasn't had sensory experiences like being upside down, tossed on a bed, tickled, or being bounced up high.  She gets very uneasy and shakes her head NO when we do those things, but she seems to be warming up gradually to those experiences.  She is also quickly growing to love books.  She loves Goodnight Moon and Brown Bear, Brown Bear as all our kids have. 

Chris and I are in constant awe of this beautiful child's resilience.  It is an answer to our prayers.  Seriously, every single child should know what it is like to be a part of a family and to have parents that love him/her.  Consider adopting or supporting someone else's adoption.  You will NOT regret it!  Off my soap box and off to bed:)  Love to all.

 

 





Happy Thanksgiving...form Beijing!

 We have so much to be thankful for today.  We have a beautiful, new daughter, a fabulous family caring for our other kiddos at home, and the amazing opportunity to spend this special holiday making some crazy, fun memories! 

We finished our paperwork yesterday! Woo hoo!  Now we wait...and wait...until Monday to get Feng Lin's passport.  Then we can head off to Guangzhou.  Last night we had our first tears at bedtime.  Feng Lin seemed to realize that this is her new reality.  I ended up lying down in the room with her until she fell asleep.  (I also fell asleep:)  This morning, she was great!  It is so amazing to feel the connection between the three of us growing.  We understand one another without knowing every single word we are saying to each other.  I am mixing more Mandarin with my English (Chris is trying:) and Feng Lin is mixing more English with her Mandarin.  Her favorite think to say is "Oh My Gosh"  !We laugh and play so well together. She is not used to having men around her so Chris' playfulness is not always welcome, but she is certainly becoming more enthusiastic about being tickled and teased than she was day one! She learns everything incredibly quickly.  We are constantly amazed by her intelligence, determination, and wit.  She is such an amazing kid!

Chris decided that we needed to splurge for our Thanksgiving lunch after our trip to the Summer Palace today.  Instead of eating out, we ordered room service.  PIZZA!  YUM!  Nice change of pace, for sure!  Feng Lin had a much needed nap.  Oh, this girl is so adorable!

 

Then we were off to Acrobatic Show.  Feng Lin LOVED it!  She clapped so much and ate a ton of popcorn. 

Our final and most anticipated Thanksgiving event was Peking Duck (closest thing to turkey:) with my dear friend, Grocery Store Amy's son, Collin. He happens to be studying in Beijing now. Feng Lin called him our driver (she's so used to having someone pick us up to take us places.)  While we desperately miss Colin, Owen, and Quinn, and spending Thanksgiving with our families, at least we can tell Feng Lin about our first amazing Thanksgiving together as a new family.  After all, that is what Thanksgiving is all about! 

Free Day

 Oh this girl... she is such a hot mess!  We had a free day today.  Went to the zoo and aquarium.  She had to put on all her bling before we left the room.  She recited Confucius poems all the way to the zoo, to the amazement of our guide and driver.  She has been taught SO MUCH!  She can sing ABCs and Twinkle Twinkle and Happy Birthday in English-and does so often as well.  When we arrived at the zoo, she said she wanted to see the pandas and the "fush." (Her pronunciation of fish.)  After seeing the Pandas, she saw a Panda umbrella she had to have.  She said she liked the red best so Baba got it for her.  She pranced around with it like she was hot stuff.  Then Baba decided she also needed the pink, in case this one broke.  And he got one for his other baba's girl, Quinn:)

 From that point on, she had a one track mind for "fush."  We would say "Kahn.  Look!" " No.  I want to see the fush."  Oh geez.  This girl thinks she runs the show!  Well, we finally went to the aquarium to the dolphin show.  She wanted to hold baba's hand the entire time.  SO sweet!

After the zoo, we went to lunch.  On the way, Feng Lin told Susan she saw the dolphin street lights.  (All in Mandarin) "Yes Feng Lin.  How many do you see?"  "I see two, but there are more ahead."  By the end of our walk... "There are sixteen dolphins auntie."  Susan told us how amazed she was and I responded, "Oh my gosh!" To which Feng Lin replied, (in English) "Oh my gosh! Oh my gosh!"  This girl is going to give us a real run for our money!
Los of appointments tomorrow.  Wish we could speed things up.  The pollution is making us miserable.  Coughing, allergies, difficult to even want to step foot outside.  Sad to pull Feng Lin from all she knows, but so grateful she will grow up with fresh air to breathe and plenty of fush to catch with Owen:)
Love to all.

First two days together

Jet lag has made it so tough to post.  By the time we are sitting still, we are also feeling drugged.  Doing my best now to capture the past two days before I succumb to the jet lag giant.

Can I just say what a blessing this little girl is?  She has captured our hearts.  It is no wonder that everyone at the orphanage was in love with her.  She has such a spirit!  She is a Pendergrast through and through.  We are finding ourselves in constant awe of the fact that God could link us with a child halfway around the globe whose spirit is so enmeshed with ours.  God is so good!

After Gotcha yesterday, we went to Feng Lin's finding place because it was so close to the orphanage.  Heat-breaking, but so grateful to have photos for Feng Lin of the place where her birth mother once stepped.  Then we had an amazing lunch at a very small, local restaurant.  We discovered that Feng Lin loves food, but is also quite discriminate.  She would spout off a long monologue about which food she wanted and which she didn't.  Thank God for Susan there translating!
Next, we had to get our picture taken for the Adoption Certificate.  The only place that could take the photo was booked so we had to have a Mentos moment and have our guide, Susan, take the picture in front of a red train (had to be red background.)
We spent the rest of the day in our room getting to know Feng Lin.  Let me tell you, this girl is smart, sweet, sassy, and absolutely spirited!  We were told at the orphanage that she was a chatterbox and that is no joke!  She and Quinn are gonna have to fight for talking time!  She could have cared less that we had no clue what she was saying most of the time.  She would just say it louder and louder and louder as if that would help our comprehension.  She also knew a lot of English words-apple, banana, mommy, daddy, some colors, numbers, etc.  She wanted to know where we both were at all times.  If baba went to the bathroom, she'd walk around saying "baba, baba!"  She was not shy at all about telling us when she needed to use the bathroom.  At one point she was trying to get on the seat herself and almost fell in!  I caught her and she started cracking up laughing!  No fear.  Whenever she almost falls or spills or some other catastrophe is averted, she cracks up laughing.  And her laugh is a hilarious belly laugh like her sister's.   
Feng Lin is absolutely in love with several things.  1. Arts and crafts.  She has already gone through all the stickers and notebooks I brought so we went shopping for more today.  2. Electronics.  We brought a Nabi for her and she LOVES it, especially the puzzle apps.  This girl had got some serious visual spatial skills. 3. Bling. Bling. And More Bling!  We brought pop beads.  She has made a million necklaces and bracelets with them.  Yesterday we all had to have them.  When Chris would sneakily take his off, she would bring it to him again.  She also saw the hair clips I had packed and put them all in at once:)  Six hairbows all over her head!  She is a hot mess! 4. TALKING.  Susan has been in awe of ho much and how well Feng Lin talks.  She will be having a conversation with her and laugh and Chris and I are just watching them thinking "What are they talking about?!"  Then Susan will say, "She is so smart.  She is so funny!"
Today we had our adoption registration completed.  Feng Lin is officially our daughter!  Woo hoo!  The assistant director of the orphanage was there and was telling us that other than a twelve year old (the one in yesterday's photo) Feng Lin was the boss.  I can totally see that.  She knows what she wants and doesn't want and is not afraid to say it. 
Afterward, we went shopping for some shoes and crafts and groceries.  Have I mentioned that this girl is a feisty miss priss and that the shoe we bought were two sizes too large?  She immediately went to the shoes she wanted.  No ifs ands or buts.  Ater we purchased said pink boots with pom-poms hanging from them, we went to the arts department.  Stamps, notebooks, stickers.  She was SO excited!  When they tried to hand the bag to Chris, she took it and proudly marched around the rest of the store with it (with the pink boots on-they couldn't go in the box!)  What struck me the most was that everywhere we went she waould say "There are a lot of ___ here," to Susan.  A lot of shoes, a lot of watches, a lot of coats.  She had probably never been to a shopping mall.  I had the same thought at the grocery store.  She was amazed by all the food.  Despite this beautiful child's confident nature, she has had so few life experiences.  We are so so blessed to be able to give her those experiences.
Two questions that may be on our families' minds...hows her back?  Does she like baths?
Back is not so good, though it doesn't slow her down.  Without her brace on, she has a significant curvature to the right.  She will need surgery vey soon after we get home.  She has a scar the length of her back and stretch marks on the right side where her skin stretched after her first surgery when she was finally upright.  The brace is cumbersome for her, but she manages to bend, lift and go crazy with it on.
Second question...she loves water!  Thought not on her face.  She played in the bath tonight and washed herself as she had obviously been taught.  Can I just say again how amazing her care was?  Amazing!
I could write all night now that I've gotten started, but just one last thing I want to say before I crash.  Feng Lin has probably taught me more Mandarin than I have taught her English.  My Chinese for Adoptive Parents book has been my bible.  When I tell her something from the book, she corrects my pronunciation, then immediately complies with whatever my request is...brush teeth, naptime, time to eat, time to go, time to put on pajamas.  She is such a sweetie!  We are smitten.  Totally smitten!  Cannot wait to see our four kiddos together!  It is going to be a blast!
Love to all.

FOREVER FAMILY DAY!

FYI..started this post yesterday, but jet lag has made it tough to think coherently so just posting now:)

We have a new daughter!  While I would love to post a million pictures, our connection is so slow that I will just write for now and post more pictures soon.
We arrived very early because there wasn't much traffic, so we waited for almost an hour for the orphanage director to arrive.  We quickly learned during our wait that whatever the orphanage lacked in beauty, it made up for in spirit.  Every person we came in contact with was so warm and so in love with our daughter.  Even the accountant came in with tears to tell us that Feng Lin is such a good girl and so smart and to please be patient with her because she has never known what it is like to be in a family.  Our little girl has made a huge impact on a lot of lives.
When the director finally arrived, we followed her to her office on the second floor.  Just as we were entering her office, Feng Lin was being escorted down the long, hallway, hand-in-hand with one of her nannies.  Her nannie carried a grocery bag full of bananas, oranges, and sweets that she had purchased for Feng Lin.  She started to weep when saying goodbye to Feng Lin.  Then my tears started to flow.  I promised her that we would love and cherish her forever.  She left abruptly in tears.  Feng Lin just watched the entire scene, but without emotion. 
We quickly opened a bag of M&Ms and offered her one.  She took them from us easily. She was instructed to give me a hug and give baba a hand shake, which she did without emotion.  She had been telling her friends that she was "going home."  It was obvious that she had been prepared to come home with us.
We soon had a room full of people as we spent our first few minutes with Feng Lin.  The orphanage director, assistant director, Jennifer and the assistant teacher Rita, our guide, an older child from the orphanage (who is also being adopted soon by an American family), and the three of us.  Everyone was so kind and so complimentary of Feng Lin.
We received a tour of her classroom.  It was wonderful!  Bright and colorful and full of supplies for the children.  Jennifer gave us four huge folders of all of Feng Lin's classwork.  She has learned so much!  We are so grateful for the love and care that she has received.
After the tour and a group photo...

we headed outside to the van.  That moment will forever be etched in my memory.  We were all crying (except Feng Lin.)  At one point, Chris placed Feng Lin in the van and the director came up to her and said "One more hug," but Feng Lin shook her head no.  She was ready to go.  I placed Feng Lin on my lap and watched them all crying as we drove away.  It was absolutely heart-wrenching.  I promised them all repeatedly that we would forever love and care for Feng Lin and that we would send updates often.

Day 1 Down

Didn't think I' write again, but trying desperately to stay a wake until 8:30!  Jet lag..ugh! It is painful. Today consisted of a trip to the bank to exchange money, a meeting with Susan to review our paperwork for tomorrow, a huge, I mean GI normous (spelled that way intentionally) lunch, and a trip to Chinese Costco for some groceries.  After Susan left, we decided to do a lot of walking to keep ourselves awake.  Found ourselves in the midst of Chinatown-cockroaches on skewers and all!  Next stop was Forbidden City, just for a quick picture.  It is only a few blocks away and today was a fairly low smog, high sunshine day. Had to take advantage despite the jet lag that left Chris and me speechless for most of our journey.

Needless to say, we are NOT going to the House Party tonight:(  I am thoroughly bummed, but considering I can barely keep my eyes open at 8pm and we are meeting our daughter in 14 hours, it is a wise decision.

So, Chris and I have individually had our panic attacks today about our lives being forever changed tomorrow.  For me, it is like labor.  I am so desperate to finally see my child's face, to hold her in my arms.  Yet the moments leading up to that moment are full of worry, pain, doubt.  I have had the amazing blessing to have childbirth and adoption, yet having experienced it in the past does not lessen the anxiety, pain, fear, and excitement in the least!  Chris and I are full of intense emotions now, but of one thing we are completely certain.  God has had a plan for this child since before we ever saw her face, before she was ever born.  We have been blessed beyond belief to be a part of HIS plan for her.  We look forward to watching His plan unfold, beginning with our meeting tomorrow.
Good night!

We're Here!

Whew...we made it!  Not without a few adventures along the way...

Started off at 10 am.  Thanks for the ride to the airport, Katie Tucker.  Easy flight to Chicago.  Bam!  Four hour delay for our flight to Beijing.  Tried to make the best of our delay.  Chair massages, yoga (thanks Chicago for the yoga room:), and a bottle of wine and dinner.  Start chatting with the couple next to us at dinner.  Ends up she is the internationally renowned DJ Tracy Young with her manager, Michael.  Had no clue who she was, but after a google search realized this was a big deal:)  They lovingly nicknamed us Georger (Clooney) and Meg (Ryan) and invited us to be their VIP guests at the club in Beijing where she is DJing on Saturday night.  A few small problems with this offer-Problem 1.-The show starts at midnight!  Problem 2.- Didn't exactly bring club attire for this trip.  Problem 4.- I don't own any club attire in the first place.  Problem 5.- We are scheduled to meet our daughter the next morning at 10am.  Would prefer to be at the top of my game for this one.  Still undecided, but SO leaning toward at least checking it out!  Chance of a lifetime!

Got to Skype with the kiddos before we got on next flight.  Thank you dear friend, grocery store Amy, for having my kids.  They all seemed completely great.

Finally arrived in Bejing at around midnight China time, 11am our time.  The most bubbly, sweet woman, Susan, greeted us with a giant bear hug.  She will be our guide for the next ten days and there are no other families traveling with us so we have her all to ourselves.  She is incredibly warm and has already started correcting my horrible Mandarin pronunciations.  For starters, our daughter is not Feng Lin.  She is "Fung Lee-en."

Arrived at Imperial Mansion at 1am.  They have no record of our reservation.  Chris, who made the reservation, confidently pulls up the email confirmation.  It's the wrong hotel!!!!  I love my husband very dearly, but I must admit I did not like him too much at that moment.  After some negotiating, we get a room at Imperial Mansion, but have to pay for the first night at other hotel that would have been about an hour away from center city.  Worth it in the long run.

So we get to our one bedroom apartment, and it is an apartment!  For real!  "Fung Lee-en is going to think this is our home!"  2:30am-Ambien-induced sleep.  A mere 27 hours since our travels first began.  Four hours later...Ambien-induced coma is over.  This is going to be a long day!

24 hours til we meet our baby girl!

TWO DAYS UNTIL TRAVEL

Well, I have reached maximum sleeplessness now.  I wake with thoughts racing every night.  One minute I am imagining embracing our little girl, the next minute I am panicking that I haven't learned enough phrases to communicate with her.  The next minute I am worried about how this new season is going to impact my three kiddos at home, and so on...  The only things that have kept me sane are God and my husband.  Both of them seem to balance my craziness quite well.  God has answered my prayers by continuously letting me experience little miracles that give me peace.  Some examples just this week...
1. My heart was aching for Feng Lin wanting to bring her friends with her.  Prayed about those two children. Miraculously met a woman on Facebook.  Her family is adopting one of the girls!  Here is the US!  Aaaahhhhh!

2. My dear friend, Katie, gave us a Christmas cactus after we brought home Quinn three years ago.  She said it should bloom around Christmas to help us remember Quinn's Forever Family Day (it never has. Ha!)  But I just looked at it a couple days ago and it had bloomed!  Overnight!  Just in time for Feng Lin's Forever Family Day!

3. Our guardian angel, Jennifer, just sent new pictures to us that were taken over Halloween (yes, Feng Lin learned about Halloween and went trick-or-treating.) 

Here are 10 questions that I cannot wait to answer about our daughter...
1. What does her laugh sound like and what makes her laugh?
2. What does her cry sound like and what makes her cry?
3. Is she stubborn or easy-going?
4. What is her favorite food, color, toy, activity?
5. Is she ticklish?
6. Does she have any freckles or birthmarks?
7. Is she chatty or quiet?
8. Is she a miss priss or tomboy or somewhere in between?
9. Does she like to sing or dance?
10. Is she more on the silly side or serious side? (The picture above may give a clue about that one:)
Next post...from Beijing!

EIGHT (loooong) DAYS UNTIL TRAVEL

Since my last post, Marin had her 4th birthday!  October 6, 2014.  Weeks later, we received pictures from the party they had for her.  We sent a cake, learning puppy (getting in some English:), and new pictures.  Her teacher, Jennifer, sent us a video of her class singing happy birthday to her and a video of her reading our letter to Marin in Mandarin. Marin was so still and thoughtful while the letter was being read to her.  She seemed to be soaking it all in.  At the end of the letter she said "I love you" in ENGLISH at the prompting of her teachers.  I have played that clip a million times!  Her voice is so precious!  We are forever grateful to our guardian angel, Jennifer, for sharing pictures and video and for her loving care of Marin.  Seeing her thrive has eased the wait immensely!

On October 30, we received our travel approval!  While we were ready to get on a plane immediately, we received the heartbreaking news that we would be delayed in our travels due to slow adoption processing in Beijing, where Marin lives.  So, while we have read about many families heading to China, we are still here in the US waiting to get on that plane!  We will be leaving in 8 days, Thursday, Novemeber 21.  We are scheduled to meet Marin for the first time on Sunday, November 23.  Oh how my heart is yearning for that day!!!!!  Jennifer has emailed us to say that they are telling Marin every day that we are coming soon and that she is excited.  She also asked her Jennifer if she could bring two of her friends with her when she comes to America.  That one sent my heart into my throat.  Oh how I wish we could, Marin.  I wish we could!

Getting closer!

Since my last post, we have jumped some major hurdles in the International Adoption world!  We received our LOA (China saying, "Yep, we give you permission to adopt Feng Lin"), our I-800 (the US saying, "Yep, we give you permission to go get your girl since China says it's ok"), and just last night I completed the FINAL document, the DS-260 (Feng Lin's Visa application to come to the US.)  Typically, that document would have been hand delivered to the US Consulate in Gunagzhou today, but the biggest Chinese holiday of the year just happened to start TODAY!  Puts us three days behind plus another day behind for Columbus Day off in a couple weeks.  All these holidays are keeping us from our girl!  At this point, all hopes of meeting Marin in October are gone.  Now, our hope is that we could be home by Thanksgiving.  With all the holidays holding up our paperwork in China, though, it may be a long shot:(

On the bright side, we are finished with paperwork...all paperwork...every single paper that I have filled out since January!  The paperwork pregnancy is over!  Now we are ready for the delivery!  So. So. Ready!  Nesting is in full swing.  Organizing, straightening, and organizing some more.  Re-reading all of my adoption books and making myself (and Chris) a nervous wreck.  We added Marin's bed and Quinn has been sleeping in it every night, though she assures us she will be moving back to her "tall" bed when Marin comes home because she knows that Marin is scared of heights:)
New room set up...

We have had a lot of contact recently with Marin's teacher.  She has been our guardian angel.  In a recent email she said that Marin is sometimes very stubborn, "cry for a long time over little thing."  She also told us that Marin loves to eat.  Considering the fact that Chris and I have already discussed taking out a loan to feed the three ravenous beasts we already have, I think we can handle that one!  She also continues to share how incredibly clever Marin is "learning new things."  Yet to be determined if that is a god or bad thing:)

The area of concern that we would love prayer over is that her teacher said she is still wearing her back brace all the time because without it she leans to the right.  Our doctor said this should not be the case.  Our concern is that she may need surgery very soon to replace the rods that she had inserted last August.  We won't know for sure until we get home and have her evaluated.  Prayers for Dr. wisdom and her comfort and health please.

Here are a couple recent pictures her teacher sent to us...

As you can see, Marin is thriving.  She is being stimulated.  She is being loved.  What more can we ask for.  Sure eases the angst as we wait.  Next post...Travel Approva!

Introducing...Feng Lin

As we wait for the ever-anticipated LOA (China's seal of approval to adopt), it is about time I introduce our newest addition.  We were first introduced to her as Lindsey, then learned her real name, Feng Lin.  She was born October 6, 2010 in Beijing. She has been in orphanage care in Beijing's Fengtai District since she was two months old.  She has a condition called congenital scoliosis, meaning some of her vertebrae did not form correctly in utero.  She had surgery to place stabilizing rods in her spine at age 2 and 1/2.  She will face numerous surgeries to lengthen the rods as she grows. 
It is a blessing to live in the US where we can have multiple children, where medical care is within reach for even the most complex conditions, where relinquishing a child for adoption is not only legal, but supported in some circumstances.  Feng Lin's birth mother did not have any of these luxuries.  She knew at age two months that something was wrong with her daughter's back and made the heart-wrenching decision to leave her daughter in the hospital where I can only assume she had gone for a diagnosis.  I will think about her and her sacrifice my entire life and I hope that she can sense that her child is being loved and cared for.
When we were first introduced to Lindsey, I searched for information about her orphanage.  There was no glorious website like Quinn's orphanage had set up so I turned to social media.  On a Facebook site for China adoptive families, I asked if anyone had heard of Fengtai SWI.  To my shock, I received a private message from a mother in Sweden who had adopted her daughter from there and had a picture and video of Feng Lin to share!  Not only that, she linked me with a preschool teacher at the orphanage who was Feng Lin's teacher!  Since March, we have had the blessing of receiving multiple photos of Feng Lin as well as in depth information about her personality.  Here are a few recent photos...

The fantastic, amazing, selfless, beautiful woman holding Feng Lin in the last photo is our guardian angel and Feng Lin's teacher, Jennifer.  Waiting, with so many unknowns about your child's care and development is utterly terrifiying!  We received only two updates about Quinn during our 11 month wait to bring her home.  This time around, we have been able to see how our daughter is growing and learning!  We have been told that she is "quite bright," outgoing, talkative, curious, and brave.  Sounds just like her sister!

We also know that she is a girly-girl.  She loves princesses, dress-up, and jewelry.  Don't quite know how she will handle the endless games of mass destruction that the boys and Quinn like to play, but I do know that she and Quinn (my tomboy) will never fight over toys or clothes:)

We debated giving Feng Lin and American name because, at age 4, she certainly knows her name and it is her identity.  However, after hearing from adult adoptees who were grateful for American names so they would "fit in", we decided to give Feng Lin the name Marin. 

 It means "wished-for child."

We hope her name helps her remember all of the people in her life who have wished for her.

 

On the journey...AGAIN!

I cannot believe I am sitting here writing about adopting again.  If you had asked me two years ago if we would have a fourth child, I would have said "no way!"  But, here we are, on our way to being a family of six!
I've said before that I don't like to write and I was honestly tempted not to blog this time around.  However, a few weeks ago, the kids and I sat down and took a stroll down memory lane via the blog and I though "How can I NOT write!"  In fact, I wish that I had written more about Colin and Owen's first days as well.  They grow so fast and parenting perspectives change daily.  It is fun to see how we are all learning and growing together. 
So when did "No Way" become "Absolutely?"  I am not sure exactly and I don't think Chris is either.  It was certainly me who initially brought up the idea.  I think when you talk to adoptive parents it typically is the mom who has the urge first.  That urge first hit me after we moved and began attending a new church. Some things in me that had been stagnant began to awaken.  The sense of peace and overwhelming love from our Father started to soften me.  I started to feel a new passion for God's word and his commands-one of the most direct being to care for orphans.  The initial "crazy" idea in me grew and grew until I could no longer ignore it.  I didn't want any more children, but there were children who certianly needed parents.  I wanted to renovate our new home, not spend every dime we had (and some dimes we DIDN'T have) on bringing another child into our home.  Despite all of my logical and selfish reasons why it was a bad idea, I couldn't shake the urge that had been placed in me.  I finally brought up the idea to Chris.  With all the love he could muster up, he laughed and said "You have got to be kidding me!"  However, being the wonderful man he is, Chris agreed to pray about it to see if God would warm his heart to the idea.  After months of prayer, Chris came to me and said "While my heart hasn't warmed, I know that when we married, we became one flesh.  So if you are called to adopt, then so am I."  Does he rock or what?!
Once we decided we would consider this journey again, we began looking at websites for adoption agencies that our adoptive friends' had used in the past.  Some of the faces of waiting children were listed on the sites.  Looking at so many faces of children waiting for forever families is one of the most heart-wrenching things we have ever done.  We wanted to give every single one of them a family!  We had to pray for guidance so that God's heart, not ours, would lead us to our child.
That same evening, Chris saw a face that melted his heart.  He said "Let's get some more information about her."  One phone call led to another.  We met a specialist about her medical condition.  We prayed, we talked, we hoped.  After a few weeks, we submitted our Letter of Intent (LOI) to adopt this little girl.  On February 1, 2014 we received our Provisional Approval (PA.)  We were on the road to being this little angel's forever family!