Paw-Paw

Paw-Paw wins the prize as being the first person that Eva actually reached out for, other than us, to hold her! Guess we know who she'll be running to when she doesn't get her way!

Home Sweet HOME!!

The saying is true..."There is NO place like home!!" After something like 28 hours of travel we finally made it home at 8:00pm last night. Everyone did really well on the trip....the boys were totally engrossed in movies & video games. Once again, Eva loved the headphones, watching Baby Einstein and of course some snacks!!We were so happy to see our family and friends waiting to greet us at the airport! After being away for so long and traveling so far to get back, it warmed my heart to have you all there...even though I know you only came to see Eva (haha)!! Thank you Maddie, Abbie, Callie, Wendy and Keith for the wonderful Welcome Home Banner! It was such a great surprise when we drove up and saw it! And to Mrs. Sue for the decorations inside...the boys are never going to take the ones down in their rooms!!It felt SO great to sleep in our own beds! And Yes, Eva slept in her own bed too!! I know that probably surprises most of you, but she moves around ALOT and at the hotel managed to scoot herself to the foot of the bed and fall off head first with me sleeping next to her. I figured with our bed being higher off the ground, and with hardwood floors, it was safer for her to sleep in her room.She did great! Had to wake her this morning after 12 hours of sleep!! We spent the day today quietly at home. Tomorrow for the unpacking and laundry...ughh!!

Hello from Hong Kong

Just a quick post (sorry no pictures) to let you know that we safely arrived in Hong Kong this evening about 8:00pm. I was sorry that we weren't able to get here earlier to see some of this beautiful city. The drive in was gorgeous. There are more mountains and water than I expected. It appears more modern and has a sophisticated feeling to it.
.
We are all pretty tired from traveling and have to leave the hotel at 6:00am to be at the airport on time. So it's just dinner and bed for us here in Hong Kong.
.
I won't post again until we are home, unless we miss a connection or something tomorrow.

Last Post from Guangzhou

This morning after breakfast we took a walk through the park next to our hotel. We hadn't been out there early in the morning and were surprised to see so many people gathered doing various forms of exercise. They were so beautiful and graceful.We originally planned to go to the Pearl Market with two other families today. We all left the hotel at the same time. They got in one taxi and we got in another but we were each apparently dropped off at two different locations because we never saw one another after that.

.

It's quite hard to describe shopping here in China. The malls are multi-storied, they go on forever, and weave through back areas like alleyways. The stores are more like stalls and there is just one after another. They are crowded, loud and over stimulating but we had a good time walking around for a few hours. The picture below is just of the pearl market, attached to this were two more identical buildings. One was the jade market and the other was a general shopping mall with electronics.No trip to the mall would be complete without a visit to the arcade, andand a snack! Can anyone say "Scorpion on a Stick"??!!
Notice only the boys tried this one!!

.

Back at the hotel, our travel group got together and took the traditional red couch photos. I'm honestly not sure how this started, but it is customary to dress the kids in traditional Asian attire and take their photo on the red couch. I always assumed that there was just one red couch and was surprised to find out that there are actually several of them.That's our little Asian Princess behind the sofa...David is actually hiding and holding her up. She would have nothing to do with sitting by the rest of the kids. She was very happy when it was over and literally ran out of the room!Tomorrow I will spend the morning packing. I'm hoping that since I have planned to leave the boys clothes behind that there will be plenty of room in our suitcase for all of the treasures I have bought. Otherwise, I'll have to be like Dawn and buy another one. Fortunately they are pretty cheap around here.

.

In order to save the hassle at the border crossing when traveling to Hong Kong by train, we have hired a car service to drive us. They will be picking us up here at the hotel at 1:50pm. We will then go by the Consulate office to pickup Eva's visa and then travel on to Hong Kong. Our flight leaves Saturday morning (Friday evening Lake Charles time) at 9:15am. Please keep us in your prayers as we begin this long return home and for the storm in the Gulf not to delay our return!

.

If we don't miss any of our connections we should arrive back in Lake Charles at 7:58pm on Saturday night (July 24th). Several of you have asked if it would be okay to come to the airport and the answer is a definite "Yes"! I would just say to check the blog before you leave for the airport. I will post if we missed a connection and will not arrive on time.

.

It is with mixed emotions that I say Good-Bye to China. This is, after all, our daughter's birthplace. We have had an incredible time in this beautiful country and I wouldn't trade the experience. At the same time though there is no place like home. I miss all of you, our family and friends, so much. Nicholas misses Cassie and we all want to sleep in our own beds!!

.

I thank God for blessing our family in such a way that not only did He complete us by adding Eva to our lives, but He allowed us to share the journey all here in China together. I thank all of you for following along with us. Your prayers, support and encouragement have meant more than I have words to express. We love you and can't wait to see you!!

Consulate Appointment

Lobby of our Hotel

.
Today was the day that the rest of this trip has been planned around...our Consulate Appointment. This morning, instead of being able to send our paperwork to the Consulate Office with our guide, David had to go too. One of our forms was not correct and had to be redone there.

.

While David was away taking care of this, Dawn & I took the kids swimming. This was a first for Eva. She enjoys a bath, so I thought she would enjoy the pool and she did! She had to warm up to it at first, but with Noah holding her, she had a great time!!We left the hotel by bus at 2:15 for a 40 minute ride to the Consulate Office. We were there along with 100 other families. It was really amazing to look around the room at all the families that have been formed in the past week. To think that we all came together with the same purpose and to know that these children were being given the chance at a better life was very uplifting and for some of us, nothing short of a miracle! The Consulate Officer spoke for a moment and told us that this office handles all of the American adoptions out of China, about 3,000 a year with 57% being special needs and 43% non-special needs. After giving us a few other details about our paperwork, everyone in the room stood and raised their right hand. We took an oath that the paperwork we completed and submitted to the Consulate Office was correct to the best of our knowledge. Now, when Eva lands on American soil, which will be in Detroit, she will automatically become an American citizen!!Now we wait for her Visa to be completed, which should be on Friday. Tomorrow we have another free day and we are thinking about going to the Pearl Market with a few of the other families. My goal has been to buy 16 things from China and to give Eva one gift each year on her "Forever Family" day until she is 18. I have two things left to get so I am hoping to get that finished at the market.Thank you Mrs. Joyce for another beautiful dress! It was perfect for the occassion!!

Guangzhou Zoo

I have only one word to describe today...HOT!! Of course this was also the day that we planned to go with two of the other families that we met in Beijing to the Guangzhou Zoo. Unfortunately David wasn't feeling well so he stayed behind in the hotel. Lucky him, nice and cool, while the rest of us melted! Two things that no trip to China, and therefore this blog, would be complete without:

PANDA'SAND, Split Pants!!

The zoo was nice but I think the animals were just as miserable as we were!! We only stayed a couple of hours before heading back to the air conditioned comfort of the hotel! Fortunately Daddy was feeling much better by the time we got back!

For dinner we walked down to Subway; it tasted as good as ours at home! Afterwards we walked around the park. Up until now, Eva has not wanted to walk without holding our hands but tonight she was walking all around the park on her own!

One Week!

One week ago today we held our precious Eva for the first time! Oh, how my cup overflows with joy for the family that God has created for us. It truly feels like Eva has always been with us and I already can't remember life without her. She is a true joy and blessing that has made our family complete!

You know from my previous post last Wednesday that we have had a few rough patches, but after taking a breath and slowing things down we seem to be making our way. I guess the one thing I have had to remember is not to take it personal and to allow her the time that she needs to process what is going on. Her meltdowns have almost gone away and when she does have one they are relatively short lived.
.
It is truly amazing the changes in her in just this first week. She seems more relaxed with us now, we see many more smiles, she laughs more and reaches out for us to be held. She loves to ride in the car or stroller; saying "bye-bye" has to include blowing kisses, and she loves to sing (only not on demand with a video camera in her face)! In one week, she has learned to play peek-a-boo and patty cake. She loves shoes (of which we have bought many pairs!) and she doesn't mind wearing the bow in her hair - that's MY girl and I can't wait for you all to meet her!!
.
Today began with us returning to the clinic to have Eva's TB test checked...Thank God it was negative and she is now cleared from a medical standpoint to enter the United States!! We then decided to walk across the freeway into the city and go to the Herb Market. What a true cultural experience that was!! I'll just let the pictures speak for themself... Snake Jerky!

Even in China, the boys managed to find Lego's!

Getting our laundry back from the Chinese laundry...about 40 pieces for $15!! This evening we went back to Lucy's for dinner and Starbuck's for dessert. There of course has been more shopping, but I have to admit that I am now starting to be ready to come home. I guess because it is so Western here it is easy to be reminded of home and making me miss it more. Only 5 more days left!!