New developments

The past month has passed by in a cloud of craziness...

Our most important memories are Jed's baptism on November 16th (also lost his 4th tooth). We are so proud of him and he was so excited to be standing up on stage declaring his love for the Lord. We can't wait to see what God does in his life!

Right after Thanksgiving, we went up to the woods in search of our Christmas tree. Nathan and I had found one during hunting season and hoped that the snow wouldn't make it impossible to reach in by late November. Well, we lucked out this year and were able to go back up and find it! The kids had a lot of fun playing in the very small amount of snowfall on the ground. It was Solomon's first snow we believe. We are supposed to see more in a couple days at home as the temperature keeps dropping.

On the 4th, we celebrated Charlotte's 2nd birthday. She knew just what to do with all of the wrapping paper and birthday candles. She is definitely not a baby anymore! On one last note, we were able to get in to Shriner's Hospital for Children early on someone's cancellation and met with the surgeon who will be doing Solomon's surgery for us. He is very nice and kind and very knowledgeable. We are hoping for a surgery date in February or March. Solomon was not in good spirits at the hospital but in the last couple of days, he is starting to look at some of the benefits of having the amputation. His language is amazing and he understands the basic idea of the whole thing, so we've been talking about how he's going to be so much taller and be able to ride a bicycle. We are just praying that they are able to fit him in to their schedule soon.

We wish everyone a wonderful Christmas!!

Finally, some pictures!

Jed blowing out 7 candles.

The kids all dressed up and ready for "trunk or treat" at church.

Alice at the preschool trip to the pumpkin patch.

Charlotte riding the rope swing at Grandma and Grandpa's farm.

Solomon enjoying Jed's football game and offering a big smile.

Long Overdue

I'm not even sure how many people will still be following this since we've now been home for about a month! Wow; it's been a really long month...

Tomorrow is Jed's 7th birthday and so tonight we had an early celebration at Chuck E Cheese and then Red Robin. He wanted the games at one place and the food at the other. Since Nathan and I would much rather eat at Red Robin, we were happy to oblige!

Our adjustment this last month has had many ups and downs, but I'd say it has a trend of heading up now. We're just taking it day by day which all we can really do. Solomon has actually done a really good job of handling many adjustments. He is sleeping all night long and using the bathroom completely on his own now. He is definitely understanding a lot of English and is actively trying to speak as well. I would say I think Solomon LOVES american food and always is asking for "more please". He and Charlotte are little buddies when they're not at war! I think they make a good match because they are the same height and both speak limited English. We have him signed up to start preschool with Alice next week which will be a blessing for everyone I think.

We took Sol up to Doernbacher's Children's Hospital two weeks ago to meet with a new Orthopedic surgeon. Unfortunately, not much came of that appointment as the surgeon doesn't have lots of experience with Sol's type of problem. But Shriner's has us set up for an appointment in December and there's the possibility of catching someone's cancellation even sooner. So I'm praying for a skilled surgeon there that has dealt with cases like Solomon's before and who we would feel comfortable with doing the surgery. The one definitive thing that was decided at Doernbacher's is that Solomon will need amputation which Nathan had already guessed would be the decision.

All of the kids have adjusted pretty well to the changes in our family. Jed is beginning to soften up to Sol some since they've had some wrestling matches. Alice is just our mellow girl and Charlotte enjoys trying to see how much she can push Sol around. We've been keeping very busy with school and Jed's football season which just added three more weeks of games! I can't tell you how nice it will be to have football come to an end (it's been going since August). We had our first ultrasound this morning and the baby is looking healthy and very wiggly. Just a cute little peanut with arms and legs flying everywhere!

When I have extra time in my life (ha!ha!) I'll get some pics posted...

Small Steps

So this is our first post after returning home from China. We had a pretty good flight(s) all things considered. 17 hours is just a really long time to be on an airplane, especially for a 4 year old!! When we arrived to pick up the kids, Solomon got very emotional. We think he wasn't so sure about his new siblings and maybe liked the idea of having us to himself for the first two weeks. We, of course, were elated to see the kids. They had all kinds of treasure waiting to give us from going to garage sales with Grandpa and Grandma.

Everyone is getting along pretty well at this point. It's been a very long week; one that feels a lot more like 4 weeks than just one. It's been emotionally exhausting as well as physically but we're taking it one step at a time and I'm trying not to look too far ahead at this point. We know that God gave us a heart for adoption for a reason and that it will be to His glory. We have already got the ball rolling regarding Solomon's medical care and will be driving up to Doernbecker's Children's Hospital in Portland the week after next to meet with a orthopedic surgeon. Our pediatrician in town has also started the paperwork to get his application expedited to Shriner's.

I do have to say it's so good to be back in America. After traveling in China for two weeks and seeing much of the urban and rural area in the places we stayed, we feel so fortunate to have been born into such a wonderful country where we have freedoms and rights that many people will never experience. Thank you for your continued prayer for our family; the next few months will be very challenging for us as we work to get Solomon settled and prepare for the baby in May.

Tomorrow's the Day!

Friday, September 26, 2008 9:50 pm... Our bags are all packed and we are ready to come home!! I cannot wait to get on the plane tomorrow morning. Nathan and I both agree: adoption vacations are not the most relaxing nor the most enjoyable of vacations! However, we are coming home with something, or rather, someone special. I have been craving Taco Bell like crazy for the past 24 hours; I'm not sure whether this is because I always crave Taco Bell when I'm pregnant or simply because there is nothing even close to this type of food over here. Anyhow, it doesn't matter because I'll be eating a burrito in less than 2 days! Thank you to all of you who have followed along on our unforgettable journey and have thought about us during your daily prayers. We have appreciated the well wishes some of you posted and can't wait to introduce Solomon to all of you. America here we come!!

Last Days

Thursday, September 25, 2008 12:10pm... Our consulate appointment was this morning and the facilitator just called to say everything went well. Now all we have to do is attend the swearing-in ceremony tomorrow afternoon and then home!!! I cannot wait to get on that plane. Guangzhou (also known as Canton) is very humid and hot; not quite as hot as it could be because of the typhoon. However, if you're exerting any amount of energy, like pushing a stroller outside, you're just soaking in sweat. Not pretty!

This is a picture of the water buffalo Nathan hopes to bring home with us and the red couch pictures taken at the White Swan hotel, one of the children from our agency group (minus one who was camera shy) and one of the entire families. This is a bit of a tradition here for adopted children in China. We said goodbye to some friends from South Carolina today who will flying out in the morning with three of their children. Wish we were going home tomorrow too! In case you can't tell, I'm ready to go home!!

One Step Closer to Home

Wednesday September 24, 2008 12:53 pm... Yesterday we flew into Guangzhou and are now settled on a small island with many other adoptive families awaiting the last steps of our adoption. As if we didn't have enough drama in our lives right now, a typhoon hit the coast overnight and flooded our island. I woke up to a phone call this morning from one of the other families asking if we had looked out our windows yet. Solomon's medical exam was supposed to be first thing this morning so with the flooding we had to wait a little later into the morning. I was very thankful the medical clinic was just two blocks away because other families had to wade through knee deep water just to get there. Solomon was a little hesitant of the exam but everything looks good enough to travel. And believe me, I am ready to travel. I cannot wait to get home to the kids!!

Made in China (well, at least Discovered in China!!)

So yesterday we posted a picture that we are having a little bit of trouble deciphering since all of the directions were in Chinese! We've heard of this new concept called "birth control" but we're still a little fuzzy on the details and wondered if some of you could explain it a little more clearly!?

Yes, it appears that we have been given a big surprise of the life-changing variety... of course, we're happy and we have a little bit of time to get prepared.

This afternoon we're packing up and getting ready for our flight tomorrow morning. We have one very large water buffalo skull complete with antlers to cram in one suitcase. It's still a little questionnable whether it will actually make it through customs (very similar to the picture posted yesterday of the live one). Our guide has been extremely sweet to take our son back to her room while we pack so I'd better start doing just that!

Little Surprises

Sunday September 21, 2008 10:40 pm... Today we went to Stone Forest east of Kunming. It is a rock formation that used to be under sea level and it was interesting. After Nathan's bout with a bad stomach, we have given up on the local exotic cuisine and tonight had PIZZA at a local Western restaurant. It tasted SO good!! Tomorrow we will be packing up and preparing for our flight Tuesday morning to Guangzhou for the American side of our paperwork. We are definitely ready to start heading toward home; it's been a long week!

Solomon's Finding Place

Saturday, Sep 20, 2008 5:25pm... Today we drove north of Kunming about an hour into the country to the county(town) of SongMing, which is the closest town to where Solomon was left at one month old. On the car ride over, he indicated to the guide that he would like to be called by his American name now so it is official: Solomon. Our driver is the most helpful guy and he was able to talk to a police officer who explained how to locate the crossroad out of town. A few miles later, we were there at the exact spot where he was left over 4 years ago. The area is absolutely beautiful; much more so than yesterday. It is mountainous and heavily forested. Most of the local people are farmers and grow a variety of vegetables and fruit. We headed back into town and located the Elderly Care Center where Solomon spent his first year of life. The picture of the gates above is in this location but we could not go in. I wish we had because I am sure that someone would have remembered him; people here normally work one job until they retire. We drove home via the countryside and it was well worth the extra time; absolutely breathtaking. This was by far the best day of sightseeing for myself and Nathan. We stopped in one very old village with mainly mud block homes and went with our guide to venture through the streets (if you could call them that). We found one family home and they invited us in for a visit. They had two darling children pictured above and we bought mushrooms from them. They grow many things including tobacco. It was quite the off-the-beaten-path experience! The village people are so welcoming and hospitable. Solomon had a bit of a naughty day; I think sitting in a car was not as much fun for him as for us. Our guide and driver took him to dinner with them. They have been so helpful. Tomorrow we will drive to the Stone Forest, a national park here in Yunnan Province.

Two Days Worth

Saturday, Sep 20, 2008 1:10am... I never had a chance to post yesterday so this one may be long. Xiao Ming really, really likes computers so we try to get on once he is asleep or occupied. On Thursday, we went to Minority Village which is a tourist destination that has examples of the many minority cultures of China. This is especially interesting here where the minority groups are heavily populating the area. Nathan asked the guide if it was like Chinese Disneyland and she said "sort of" without all the rides. The facility is beautifully landscaped and really nice for walking around in. Xiao Ming seemed to really enjoy himself and especially the whole roasted chicken we had for lunch. He chose a foot and drumstick! Minority Village is near the base of the West Hills and is bordered by Dianchi Lake so we drove by the lake as well. It is a huge lake and looks like the ocean except it is so polluted that it literally looks like split pea soup. Kunming, until recently, dumped all waste from the city into the lake and so hardly anything can live in it. It's just a huge tub of green goop now. Xiao Ming saw his first elephant at Minority Village, pet his first cat (saying translated "Little cat, don't bite me!") and took his first ride on anyone's shoulders (Nathan's).

Yesterday we went to the zoo in the morning. Xiao Ming really enjoyed himself, getting to see many animals for the first time. He's very partial to elephants. Then we headed out to the country. We had been hoping to find out where Xiao Ming had been living for the past few years and had been unsuccessful in getting this information. Our driver (did I mention he's a Jackie Chan lookalike?) had listened to Xiao Ming talking for the past few days and felt certain he knew which area based on the local dialect that he speaks in. So after about an hour's drive into the country, Xiao Ming told our guide "this is it". It was market day in the village and he told our guide that he had been there. The village is pretty good sized and we didn't find his actual home, which is OK because he was a little uneasy indicating to XiXi that he wanted to stay with BaBa and MaMa. I'm just amazed that we actually were able to locate the village with nothing but the dialogue of our son!

Last night we ventured out with some new friends who are also adopting to a "fake McDonalds" restaurant and had a good time using charades to order dinner. They had a play area which was really nice for all the kids. Poor Nathan is experiencing some difficulties with the local cuisine, if you know what I mean! Today we will be heading to Xiao Ming's finding place which our guide was able to locate for us. More to come...

Gourmet Eating and Beyond

Thursday Sep 18, 2008 9:35am... Yesterday was our first day waking up with Xiao Ming and spending the day touring. We started at the orphanage who saw over Xiao Ming's care, Kunming City Children's Welfare Institute. We are not sure exactly how much time, if any, Xiao Ming spent there except for the week before we received him. Even so, it was interesting to see how the orphanage system is set up here and this is an especially large one. The orphanage has 600 children in their care and if sounds like all are special needs children. And on that note, I don't think I mentioned in my last post that Xiao Ming is extremely mobile; which was a bit of a shock to Nathan and myself. He walks, runs and even can climb and jump on play structures amazingly well; he told our driver yesterday that there is no pain.

At the orphanage, we met the director and were able to give our donation of clothing for the children and many treats as well. Xiao Ming was not happy to be there and even shrugging our affection. As soon as we left, he was back to his old self again. I think it's going to be really good to get him home and focus on the future. The orphanage was very clean and the nannies seemed very nice as well. Our guide said it is one of the nicer facilities she has seen; of course, Xiao Ming wasn't living there.

After the orphanage, we went to the Golden Temple. This temple goes back to the Ming Dynasty and when overthrown by the Qing Dynasty, the ruler used this temple as his personal office. It is beautiful and made from 250 ton of metal. There was a museum as well on the grounds that houses bronze artifacts that date over 2000 years. There are no guards in the museum and the driver said these are plentiful artifacts all over the area so there is no need to take security precautions. Lots of really wonderful things!

We stopped for dinner at a restaurant that serves hot pot, a Mongolian type of dish. It is basically a chicken broth that is boiled in courses with different vegetables and during this season until November, many types of fresh mushrooms. There are over 30 different kinds of mushrooms in this province and our hot pot had 6 types. They were very good but Nathan had a bit of a problem with the chicken parts that went into the soup. Our driver enjoyed the feet and our dear son, he had a bit of the head (as shown in the picture above). All in all, a good day!

Xiao Ming

Wednesday, September 17, 2008 10:15am... Yesterday morning we received Xiao Ming at around 8:30 so he's now been with us for over 24 hours. It was not love at first sight for Xiao Ming but things have improved far beyond what we were prepared for. We went to Civil Affairs, which is in an old apartment in a shabby complex. It seemed really weird because it wasn't a government type building. There were 10 families and so things were a little crazy. Most were adopting babies, so lots of crying. Xiao Ming was not happy when he came in and then when he saw us, he started crying. He finally warmed up a little (I should say tolerated) BaBa (Nathan) after he pulled out his PDA games and then the camera. He absolutely LOVES electronic things like cameras, computers, etc... He wanted nothing to do with me for the entire time that we were at the office. In fact, he tried to walk out several times and all I had to do was stand in the doorway and then he never attempted to leave again because he would have had to walk past me!! Once we headed to the police station to receive the adoption certificate, he told the driver he hadn't been fed breakfast and so we stopped for noodles from a street vendor. I fed them to him and slowly things started to improve for MaMa!

At the police station, everything was finalized for China and he officially became our fourth child. We went to Walmart and purchased gifts for the orphanage that we will be visiting today and bought a stroller for Xiao Ming, which he loves to ride in. This morning, after a night of solid sleep with no waking up at all, we thought we could just walk down to breakfast in the hotel, but he wanted to ride in that stroller.

Xiao Ming is absolutely beautiful! Our guide said his pictures did not do him justice. He is very energetic and has a real sense of humor. He was raised in the country with two girls and one boy besides himself. We are beginning to understand that he was not taught any manners at all. He doesn't know how to use chopsticks or utensils; we think he probably only ate with his hands. It was very fun yesterday to see many firsts for him: first french fry, first orange juice, first big store (Walmart), first American words (BaBa, MaMa, bus, car), first Western toilet and first real tub bath!! He takes it all in stride and isn't afraid of new experiences. One more thing about Xiao Ming, he eats everything! He likes food hot and spicy and at dinner, a sweet girl helped us determine what he was saying he wanted. He wanted mostly vegetables of all types and spicy meats. He woke up this morning and when I laid down with him, he looked at me and kind of shook his head like he was having a bad dream for a moment and then I think remembered where he was and it's been great since then.

We can't wait for everyone to meet Xiao Ming. We are calling him by his Chinese name for now because this is what he is comfortable with. We think he is going to just have a blast with the other three kids once we're home!

3 more hours

Tuesday, Sep 16, 2008 5:30 am...I was laying in bed and couldn't sleep so thought I'd write a little more instead. After we settled in to our hotel yesterday, we went to dinner with our guide. XiXi took us over to Green Lake which is a collection of ponds that are connected with a walkway and park through the middle. Many people gather here and perform music (not begging just for something to do) because the living areas are small and the people who are retired miss being around others. Green Lake is covered in water lilies in the summer months and it was beautiful. We had noodles at a local place and got so many stares. XiXi said it is not at all typical for Americans to go to these places to eat, they all go to KFC or McDonalds. They bring this monstrous bowl of broth and then plates of noodles and once plate with vegetables and one with chicken parts. They throw it all together with a raw egg and there's dinner. XiXi had a plate full of chicken heads and some fried pork (kind of like bacon) ; a delicacy here. We actually all had dinner and beverage for $3 US.

After dinner and Green Lake, we went to the Flower Market. This is where the minority people sell their wares and we had so much fun! They had many small pets of all different kinds for sale (turtles, squirrels, fish) and birds of all kinds. Also many things done by hand and jewelry. We ran in to no other Americans. In preparing to come to China, it sounded like many Chinese speak English to some degree even if only a little. Here in Kunming, we have not run into many who can speak English any more than saying "Hi" outside of the hotels. Many of the people have come and stood by us out of curiosity to hear our guide speak to us because she says they cannot believe that she can communicate with us.

The driving is really crazy here although I have felt safer in the taxi than trying to cross streets by foot. There are many mopeds and they are silent as they approach. You have to be really careful or you can get hit by the mopeds and cars; noone stops for pedestrians and there are no signals for pedestrians either. There are very little rules on the roadways and in fact, yesterday on the way in, we saw two young children riding a small toy moped down the middle of the highway offramp and crash with cars right behind them. The children run and play everywhere, sometimes with parents watching and most of the time not watching very carefully. In fact, many parents will take their children (even preschool age and younger if siblings are with them) to go shop and leave them to play in the square and come back for them later. It was really freaking Nathan and I out! All of the little children who are toddlers where the split pants so we have seen many cute little naked bottoms running around in split pants! And we've seen squatty potties of course; this is what everyone who lives here has in their own homes.

When we receive Sol in a few hours, we will spend more than half of our day at offices doing paperwork for the Chinese government. I am all packed to try to keep a preschooler happy for the duration of the process today. We will keep you posted on how it all turns out.

We're Here!!!

After 26 hours of travel and one very bumpy landing in Kunming, we have arrived and are settled in to the hotel. The trip was really exhausting and I'm super thankful that we won't get on another plane for a week. We stayed last night (got in middle of the night) in Guangzhou at a beautiful hotel near the airport and I was so happy for a comfy bed. The flight today was only two hours long but it was the first flight where English was not the language catered to on the plane. We met up with our guide XiXi before the flight and she's going to be a huge help. She already has helped; reminding us to save our forks that came with the airplane meal for other dining in Kunming when forks will not be available! Nathan and I thought that was so funny.

The plane was very crowded on the way to Kunming, partly it sounds like because yesterday was Moon Festival here in China. It is the second largest holiday celebrated in China, after New Year. The families spend the afternoon having a meal together as a family and then once it is dark, they go outside to view the full moon, either to parks or other scenic locations. The tradition goes back to the celebration of the rice harvest and this is the first year that it is over the course of three days, so today (Monday) is a holiday in China as well. Also, I wanted to mention that even though the posting will say that I wrote this on Sunday, we are one day ahead of everyone in the States, so it's actually Monday midafternoon here.

We are so thankful to be spending the bulk of our time in Kunming. Guangzhou and Tokyo were just miserably hot yesterday and Kunming is called the city of "eternal spring". The weather is basically 70 degrees yearround. Apparently there are many things to see in Kunming, as it is where many Chinese come for vacation. We are in the city which has a population around 4 million people. Virtually everyone lives in apartments here and for someone who has a job with a company, a benefit is being able to buy an apartment for around 3,000 American dollars. They are all around 800 square feet. We passed by a Christian church on our way to the hotel which is run and regulated by the government. Right out our hotel is the green lake which XiXi seemed excited for us to see. We are apparently the fourth family in the past 3-4 years to adopt in this province (Yunnan) with Harrah's.

XiXi said that the orphanage where Solomon is listed is a very big orphanage with hundreds of children there. Also, many of the orphanages are "people's welfare institutes" which will house both orphans and the elderly together. We found out that we will be able to go to Sol's finding place because in Kunming, all children are given their surname by the area where they were abandoned and found by the authorities. So his finding place is in the Song neighborhood and tomorrow, XiXi may be able to find the exact location when we go to Civil Affairs. So every child found in this neighborhood would have his same surname. His name Xiao Ming is given by the caregiver/nanny who took care of him. Apparently Ming is very common here for boys and the name together means "little bright". Depending on how he is handling the adjustment, we will probably refer to him by his nickname, most likely "Ming Ming".

Tomorrow morning we will meet at Civil Affairs office at 8am and will receive him by 8:30am. Then we will have all day to adjust to each other and I am praying that he will feel peaceful about the situation. I asked XiXi how many children are happy instantly with the change and she said that there are almost always tears and really no happy, just varying degrees of unhappiness. So I guess we are hoping for a mild unhappiness.

Jed, Alice and Charlotte... Mommy and Daddy love you and already miss you so much! We will talk soon. Be good for Grandma and Grandpa. XOXOX

Ready, Set, Go!

Well, it's way after midnight now and we are ready to leave in about 4 hours. Our flight is taking off to Seattle at 6:40 am and we will arrive in Guangzhou really late Sunday night. I was just thinking about how we will receive Sol Xiao Ming in three days, but by losing a day in travel, it's actually only two days away now! Yikes! We are so excited but it's also really hard leaving the kids for so long. I wasn't prepared for how hard it's been the past couple of days knowing we will be gone for a full two weeks. They're in super hands though!

To do a quick update, Alice went back to school this week. She looks really happy in this picture I snapped, but she wasn't looking quite so full of joy when we arrived at preschool. I guess there was a slight misunderstanding with where she would be going to school; she thought she would be with Jed at his school.

We finished the boys' bedroom; I'm still getting used to calling Jed and Sol "the boys"! I'm really happy with how it all turned out and can't wait to see two little angels sleeping in those beds!

So all the projects are done and now we are hours away from boarding that plane that will take us across the sea to bring home our new love! Thank you to everyone who has been an encouragement on our journey and please remember to keep us in your prayers. I can't wait to share all of the highlights from our trip and only hope that we will have clear sailing with posting from China. We love you all!!

Granny and Baby Diva

My mom surprised me on Thursday and came walking around the corner while I was out in the yard finishing up a big project! For those of you who don't know, my parents live in California so it's a day's drive to visit. She pulled off a big surprise because I had no clue she was coming! The kids were of course thrilled to see Granny also. We got a lot done this weekend, Granny has headed home and the time has come to start packing the suitcases...

Five days left! We were able to be see Jed play his first football games on Sunday and Alice will start her preschool this week, so I guess we won't be missing the important "firsts". Now I just have to make sure nothing gets left behind in the packing craziness that will transpire over the next few days. Please pray for all of us!

Official Mom of a First Grader!

This is Jed's first day at Trent and starting first grade. Wow, how the time flies! He was sooo excited to ride the bus... can't wait for him to get home so he can tell me all about it.