Memorials and Memories

This past Monday was Memorial Day. It's a day when our country remembers the sacrifice of those who have served and given their lives in service to our country. In my family growing up, the Memorial Day holiday was also a day to remember and honor our family who had passed on to live with Jesus. We would go to the cemetery in Northern Kentucky and plant flowers on the graves. We walked among the tombstones and noted the dates, looking for the oldest ones. We shook our heads in grief over the graves of the infants or very young. We saluted the veterans' graves. There is one grave with an inscription that describes how a young sailer's brave action saved the lives of those on board his vessel while taking his life. That one is sobering and it cuts to the quick of the meaning of Memorial Day. This year Gabe and I went with my parents, sister, and nephew to Northern Kentucky to do it all again. This year, though, we had another family grave to honor. My gramma died this year on New Year's. It's been six months now, and yet the emotion is still close to the surface. My gramma has been on my mind so much since we came back home from China.

Before I left for China in late April, I was crossing things off my mental to-do list while driving home from errands, and I thought, "And before I leave it would be good if I could get to see Gramma again." It hits me over and over like that, out of the clear blue sky with no warning. 

My gramma was so looking forward to meeting Gabe. She had a special twinkle in her eyes when she asked about him and whether we had had any updates. At the funeral service I think every one of her friends told me that my gramma had lived a full life, and that her only regret would have been that she didn't get to see Gabe come home. Her death was so sudden. We are glad that she didn't know pain or suffering, but it just hurt that our precious boy wouldn't get to feel her special hug or share her laughter. As this year passes, every first we have with Gabriel is also a first without my gramma... First Mother's Day with Gabe and first Mother's Day without Gramma. 

I watch Gabe run and jump and play, and I listen to that special laugh, and I know that my gramma is watching him and hearing him too. Her goodness, joy, and sweetness will live through him because of the qualities that she taught all of us that we will model for Gabe. She was a role model for me, and Gabe is now surrounded by a great cloud of family who will be his role models, and shape his life the way Gramma shaped mine- Grammy (lau lau) & Mac, Magraul (nie nie) & Papaw, Great-Granny, aunts, uncles, cousins, and many more! 

One Week Home

Today (so it's now yesterday) marks one week home for our little prince! There have been so many firsts this week and overall Gabe has been a happy boy- he's rarely fussy. He's a joy to have in our lives. We are so blessed by this little boy. Tim and I get to the end of each day and we are ready to drop with fatigue, but we wouldn't change a thing. We love our baby. I find myself just sitting and watching what he's going to think of next (and for the sake of honesty whatever he's thinking of next means I'm not "sitting" for very long). It's amazing to watch him figure things out and see the wheels in his head turn as he learns something new. 

Every morning he wakes us up about 7 am and is ready for Mickey Mouse on tv! After his diaper change he says over and over "Mi-chee!" Breakfast in his high chair is usually the biggest meal of the day- fruit (mostly watermelon, but sometimes apple), hot dog, yogurt, dry cereal or baby granola bar. He also loves toast with pb and honey or jam. 

We follow breakfast with play time and getting dressed for the day. He loves to play outside in his little car or his wagon. He will ride in either one and also loves to push/pull either of them around the yard. Gabe is a great help in the garden, and was a pro at helping Baba spread mulch and dig a hole to put in new flowers. He knows not to step on the flowers in the beds for the most part, but he does love to pick them (so do I)! Another favorite is the magna-doodle! He has a big one that is way more fun than the small travel one we took to China. 

We have lunch and then it's time for a nap. Nap time has been an adjustment. He is not always easy to lay down, but he plays so hard that he sleeps deeply once he gives in. We have more playtime after the nap, and then dinner. Most nights we go through a walk in the neighborhood with the dogs before bath and then bed! 

Thursday night we decided to try spaghetti and it was a huge hit! He will try most anything we are eating but we try to stick mainly with foods he is familiar with. One night we went to the local Chinese restaurant and Gabe's eyes were so big listening to the workers talk in the kitchen. The owner came over to speak to Gabe and brought him a special dish- a large sweet bread with meat and veggies inside. It was really good! His favorite is still pork dumplings as far as we can tell. 

Gabe has a great time when we go to the store. He sits in the buggy so well and will put anything you give him straight into the back of the cart. He also likes his car seat for the most part. 

On Wednesday we went to his first doctor appointment. He saw a radiographer for a kidney ultrasound. We will get the results next Wednesday when we see the pediatrician. He was wiggly on the table and didn't like the jelly on his tummy but luckily we had Jungle Book on the iPad to help take his mind off the procedure. He also visited his Mama & his Baba's workplaces and showed off his beautiful smile to everyone around. 

Friday afternoon we visited with our friend Betsy on her farm so Gabe could see the animals. Betsy said she rarely saw a child so brave! He wasn't scared at all by the pigs, mini-donkeys, ponys, goats, dogs, or chickens. Of course Baba was always close by to give him confidence. Betsy helped us get a family photo. 

We have had such a good week!! Happy Saturday! 

Final thought: tonight at church we sang one of my favorite hymns, so I will include it here as a heartwarming reminder.

“Great is Thy faithfulness,” O God my Father,

There is no shadow of turning with Thee;

Thou changest not, Thy compassions, they fail not

As Thou hast been Thou forever wilt be.

“Great is Thy faithfulness!” “Great is Thy faithfulness!“

Morning by morning new mercies I see;

All I have needed Thy hand hath provided

“Great is Thy faithfulness,” Lord unto Thee

There's No Place Like Home

Good Saturday morning!! It's 7 am and the Graul house has been up and moving for a while this 

morning. We were able to keep Gabe up for quite a while last night hoping he would sleep to a decent hour this morning. We got pretty close to a decent hour for a newspaper delivery person. 

When we left Chicago yesterday, Gabe was asleep. It was a hard won sleep. For most of the 13 hour flight from Beijing he played and fussed, but didn't sleep... So neither did we. Headed off the plane in Lexington Gabe woke up in the toddler carrier and cried and cried. He was so tired! 

Tim had gotten permission to come through the gate, so he was waiting for us. What a sweet moment! We sat down in a quiet part of the gate and took Gabe out of his carrier. Tim met his son and got to hold him and love on him before Gabe fell back to sleep. 

When we walked down the stairs into the baggage claim area there was a large group of friends and family to meet us! We came down the escalator as a family into the arms of so many people who love and support us! 

At home, Gabe finally opened his eyes to take in his new surroundings. He was sleepy and clingy for a while, but eventually woke up and took a tour of the house with Baba, including his room and the bonus room with all the toys. Gabe loved taking all the books off the bookcase shelves. He saw the Goldens through the back door where they were on the deck. He thought they were great from that distance.

Gabe slept pretty well through the night, but did wake up crying in his crib in our room a couple times. With soft words and gentle back rubs he was soon back in dreamland. 

We have enjoyed playing and discovering this morning. He allowed Harley to lick his hands through the baby gate and he petted Toby, who is so patient. 

That's the update from here! Thank you all again for following our story and for your prayers during this amazing time!

Thrill of Home

This morning we will board the plane at 10:10 am Beijing time and cross over to the US! I am mentally playing all kinds of theme music- Eye of the Tiger, Chariots of Fire theme song... You get the gist. I feel like we have run a race and fought a good fight and now we get to return home to open arms and family and friends who love us. 

We arrived at the Guangzhou airport a touch late last night due to a mix up in schedule. No worries. We were able to jump over to a shorter security lane and rush through. Or so we thought. In the haste to get to the gate we forgot about things like removing the quart bag with liquids or the electronic devices. Never fear, the security agents reminded us pretty quickly. Then we had a nice brisk jog to the gate (why when your late is your gate always the furthest one!!) where they should have been completing boarding and they were in fact all sitting nicely in a row waiting and waiting. Die to storms the plane had diverted to another city. There was no ETA for departure. Now I've been here a few weeks, but the only way I knew any of that was to have the gate agent speak to our guide via cell (thank you international calling plan!!). 

The agent kindly showed us to the lounge where Gabe had dinner and we changed him. It was maybe a half hour wait until they told us they found another flight we could board. We then got to the highlight- riding in the demented golf cart and blowing the horn! I say demented because those golf cart drivers are always trying to run people over! And it's been a lifelong dream to get to ride in one. Check that off the list!

The flight was a bit delayed, also because of weather, but we had cartoons on a monitor and didn't mind a bit. Gabe did great- he had his own seat so could fidget as much as he wanted. I'm about to wake him and begin our next leg from the hotel via shuttle to the airport. It looks sunny out the window so we are hoping all goes well! Thanks in advance for your prayer! 

I Solemnly Swear

This morning we were up and on the road bright and early. We visited the US Consulate to complete Gabe's US visa application. I started it online a while back and today we had the interview (officer looked at our papers, no actual interview as such) and then the parents solemnly swore that we would do lots of things that I can't remember. To my credit my child wiggled and cried through it all because he wanted to be back in the play area instead of in my arms. He seems to have a knack for wiggling and crying through all of our momentous occasions- adoption registration, official passport trip etc. I don't blame him one bit. 

Interesting that we weren't allowed to take anything other than baby supplies in a plastic bag, our official documents in a clear plastic folder, and our passports into the consulate. No electronics or backpacks/bags of any kind (figured that), but also no watches, or liquids. The building is just a year old, so even the families who had adopted before had not seen it. They said the play area was much better. The entire process took a bit less than 2 hours. 

We did a quick change after the consulate appointment back at the hotel and then visited the wholesale pearl market. It was fun to look around and get an education on real fresh/salt water pearls versus imitation ones. There were stalls upon stalls of beads for jewelry making. It was neat to see it all. 

Possibly this building doesn't allow goats? It doesn't look like a dog...

Instead of shopping, we scored a quick nap...

If you look closely at this picture you can see our lunch destination...

We think these are breadfruit..

We visited the hotel park before Gabe's afternoon siesta. 

Also, let me take this occasion to give a shout out to my Symbiotix peeps. You were soooo right about the attraction of the Leapster. Gabriel knows how to work all the buttons and how to turn on his videos- Olivia, Ni hao Kai Lan, and Paw Patrol. Every night we turn on the Disney Classics album and listen softly while Gabe falls asleep. The drawing board is also a hit. He has a Chinese phrase that he says when he wants his Leapster. I recognize that he wants the Leapster when he says the phrase, but I don't know how it translates. We tried out the headphones to prepare for the plane ride and he will wear them! I can't thank my Symbiotix team enough!

And here's the pic of the day... 

Probably no blog tomorrow depending on our travel schedule. We leave Guangzhou for Beijing late afternoon and then overnight near the Beijing airport. First thing Friday morning we head back to the airport- depart hotel at 6:30 am. Our flight out of Beijing leaves Friday at 10 am and lands in Chicago Friday at 10 am. Have fun with that brain-buster! We arrive back in Lex Friday early evening. Love and hugs to all of you!! 

Let's Go To The Zoo!

The highlight for today was definitely the zoo! I took lots of video on the camcorder but didn't get pictures with my iPhone so apologies for no pictures. The guide, Kathy, would say the name of the animal we were looking at in Chinese and Gabe would repeat it over and over. I think it will come in handy when we go to the zoo at home! It's recorded so we can take it with us to practice his Chinese. Families on the Facebook adoption sites often ask about whether the Guangzhou zoo is worth it. I thought it was. It was a really nice place to walk and relax. We rented a stroller from the front desk instead of using the toddler carrier. The zoo was clean, had big pens, the animals were all out of their cages and easy to see, and the kids loved it! There was actually a lioness that was playing with her dinner bowl. She chased it all around her den and pounced on it, just like a house cat. 

This afternoon before dinner we took our individual family, travel group, and kiddo photos! 

Then it was off to dinner at the Macau Street restaurant, where they serve Portugese Cantonese food. It was so good- especially the noodles!

Tomorrow we start extra early for our trip to the US Consulate to finalize Gabriel's American visa. Our return flights are also confirmed! One family in our group had a consulate appointment earlier this week so they are flying back to TX in the morning. Please pray for their safe travels with their daughter and a joyful and smooth transition back to life at home. We will fly from Guangzhou to Beijing Thursday evening and then Beijing to the States Friday morning. Yippee!! 

Docs and Riverboats

It's Monday night and we are almost done in Guangzhou! We are all ready to be going home. We have loved our time here, but it's time to get home and see the family! It's so fun making this kiddo laugh. He has an infectious laugh and loves to giggle in such a michevious way with a twinkle in his eye. I blow raspberries on his belly, hands, and feet,and he breaks down in gales of laughter. Changing the diaper is easier now, too. He still cries from time to time, but it's not the anguish that it was at first. He loves bath time and isn't afraid when the water splashes in a face. His favorite thing at the play area is the slide. He's eating mostly Chinese food at meals while we have the luxury of easy access to it. He's not so sure about French fries and ketchup. We are getting used to each other and learning each other's habits. 

Today we had Gabe's medical appointment for a physical. He hung in like a champ! He visited a general medical station, ENT station, and height and weight station. No shots and no tears. He is officially 13.3 kg or about 28 lbs. His 24 month clothes fit him, but so do the 2T clothes. The 2T long pants are a little long, but the shorts work great and come a little below the knee. Personally I'm a fan of the rompers, so my plan is to stick them on him all summer long as much as possible. He won't be able to wear them for long. Today we had yellow submarines on the romper and I smiled every time I saw him. Well, who am I kidding, I was already smiling every time I saw him.... Except for when he threw a fit because I wouldn't let him throw himself down a marble staircase....... I digress. 

 

This evening we went with the group to a river boat cruise and pizza party (Papa Johns!). It was such a beautiful way to spend the evening. We saw 2 buildings that we had watched this season on the Amazing Race. One was the 2nd tallest tower in the world and the other was a sports stadium just across the river. Here's other photos as well-