Busy Boy

Everyone who meets Gabe says the same thing, "he's so busy!" Followed by "he's so sweet!" Today we had a free day so we decided to keep our busy boy as active as possible. 

The hotel has an amazing breakfast bar- great blend of western and eastern foods. Gabe loves watermelon and apples particularly. About mid- morning we headed out to the park with several other families. There was an area near the back with small children's rides, kind of like a mini-carnival. We had a great time there and Gabe got a balloon that he's played with all day. He got to run and interact with all the other kids. 

Gabe is consistently taking a long nap in the afternoon, so today I got out and took a short walk, and when I came back, mom walked out to Wal-Mart to make sure we were good on diapers and snacks. This afternoon after nap time most of the families sat together in the hallway, playing with balloons and having snacks. The kids loved being together and it was nice to have so many extra hands. 

Tonight after dinner we went out front to sit by the fountain and enjoy the cool breezes. It was so hot this afternoon, so I'm glad we were able to miss the heat of the day and still be active. Tomorrow is a tour to the Shaolin Temple! 

Ticket to Ride

There's not much new to report today! Today was the long 9 hour round trip van ride to Nanyang to pick up Gabe's passport. I was dreading the van ride but it was actually very relaxing (thank you prayer warriors!!)   We enjoyed the lovely countryside and learned about Gabe's home province and home town from our excellent guide, Rosalie. Shout out also to our driver who was so skillful and brave. The lines on the road here are just a suggestion, and people randomly walk or drive a scooter straight out in front of cars. There were a couple times I said my prayers on the trip in the cities because of the other cars. While Gabe napped I tried to figure out what the rules were for when you honk. I think it's every time you, as a van, pass on the left (think: "more cowbell!!"). 

Henan is a province known as the foundation of (Chinese) civilization because of the Yellow River that flows through; all civilization started from the Yellow River. This means that the earliest rulers built their palaces here (palace may not be the right word- big royal homestead things). These palaces are largely in pieces underground, though, because as one dynasty surrendered to another, the previous dynasty's buildings were all torn down. They are mainly agrarian province and grow wheat and rice. We saw the fields on either side as we drove. There are so many trees, too! Henan also has the best highway road system in China I was told. The capital, Zhengzhou (Gin-Jo) is where we are staying. Nanyang is a city in the southern part of the province with 7 million people, and Gabe's hometown. We were impressed by the number of flowers we saw all through the city. The license plate tags for Nanyang (possibly all Henan, but I think just Nanyang) incorporate Chinese characters related to big elephants. Apparently this city was known for the number of elephants that were here. 

We toured around and took pictures then got down to the business of completing Gabe's passport. All done! He rode really well in the van and had a good time playing while I held on to him in the seat or cuddled for short naps. We had dinner at the pizza place in the hotel. Gabe wasn't much interested so he had watermelon slices back in the room. Yum yum! Tomorrow and Friday are free days and then we fly to Guangzhou. If possible, we would like to see the Shaolin Temple here before we leave. 

Congratulations, You're Parents!

Another day in the books! Another day closer to coming home to Baba! We went back to the registration office today to finalize the adoption. This wasn't easy because you could tell Gabe recognized it as the source of hardship yesterday. Yesterday I signed paperwork that made me his legal guardian, but today I was granted paperwork making Tim and I his parents. The adoption is complete. 

The next stop for the day was the notary office. He had been fussy and wanted out of the toddler carrier (against my belly) in the bus but then he fell asleep and I couldn't get him back in. So up 6 flights of stairs we trouped with him asleep in my arms. 

The rest of the day passed pretty easily with lunch, snacks, nap, and lots and lots of playtime. Tomorrow is going to be a bugger. We have to travel 3.5 hours by van to his birth city to pick up his passport. It figures to be an 8 hour day of nothing but travel and appointments. Here's a few pics from our day!

Gotcha

I don't know the right words for this new language I discovered today. No one who tried to tell me what it was like to be a mother captured this feeling and the only reason they didn't is because they couldn't. There aren't words to capture it. 

If you are trying to build a family and it's not working- infertility, long adoption process, whatever it is- there's hope.  Do not let anyone or anything steal your dream for a child. It can happen for you. The heartbreak and the wrenching empty will be filled. God is a father to the fatherless and he is also the hope for those who are childless but wish for a child. You need to know that. 

The families in our travel group started our day nervous. We had a short prayer service before we left the hotel to give thanks and pray for smooth transitions for these babies and their caregivers. We boarded a bus with extra blankies, backpacks, goldfish crackers, and starry eyes all for our children. 

One child was there when we arrived. Several more soon followed. On the whole it was a calm group of little ones that came in. Every child that entered, the families searched the faces looking to see a face that was familiar. Most families receive a sum total of less than 10 pictures (reality is often less than 5) of their child, so the son or daughter may not look exactly the same if they've grown or have a new haircut. 

When I saw Gabe in the arms of his nanny, though, I knew. Mom was able to capture some video and the other families who were able to helped us out with pictures for Tim. Gabe loves his nanny and did not want to be out of her arms. He is very strong and was actively trying to jump out of my arms. Bless his caretaker and all his nannies who gave him such tender love! 

When his nanny left, he and I walked outside and sat on the steps and then walked to sit on a bench by the pond/water fountain. He didn't want any part and continued to cry. The guides taught us 2 simple phrases in mandarin for "don't cry" and "it's ok". This is what I sang to him over and over and over. I felt a change in him at one point and knew we would be ok when he stopped trying to get away from me when he cried but instead clung to me while he cried. Eventually I was called back inside to sign paperwork. 

Once the papers were complete Gabe and I sat in the floor behind a small indoor play area with a few toys. We were out of the way of the large crowd of people still gathered for the gotcha day. He continues to cry but eventually calmed to a whimper, then a sniffle, then still. We sat and rocked for a bit. Just chillin. He fell asleep in my arms with his head on my shoulder. The other families applauded. 

When it was time to take his adoption picture, the guide did not want to wake him up (bless her) so she saved him for last. Eventually he did open his eyes briefly- more of a sleepy flutter- and the cameraman got the pic he needed. We moved over to a couch with several other families holding their precious new family members. 

By the time we boarded the bus, Gabriel was done with nap time and ready for action. On the bus he chattered and played. He best loved a small singing remote control toy given to us by our friend Tracey. He has played with it all day. When he drops it, it's only to pick up the other toy from Tracey, a ball that rattles loudly. He played peek a boo on the bus with Grammy in the seat behind us and pointed out the window while he chattered. In the hotel waiting for the elevator, he said very clearly, "mama". Later today he has alternately said "daddy" and "baba". I don't know if there's another word in mandarin that just sounds like "daddy" but I would swear that's what we heard more than once. 

We had a full day of playing, cuddling, and bonding today. 3 times I have held this sleepy bundle in my arms while he succumbed to his dreams. I could have stayed there all day. All day. There were a couple additional melt downs after the first, but not for long, and he has laughed more than he's cried. He rode well in his toddler carrier against my chest. He had his hand print taken (melt down), he ate snacks and dinner and fruit. We took a walk in the park, and he had a bath tonight because tomorrow will be a busy morning. 

That's it for tonight friends. I know so many of you have prayed for us, or remembered us throughout these last several days. I don't always respond to your IMs and messages, but I read and treasure them all. I know that you are lifting us up, and praying for our family. Thank you so much for giving us that gift. Gabriel is a joy. He's a revelation. He's our son.

The Night Before

Isn't the night before such an exciting time? The night before Christmas, the night before your wedding, the night before Disney, or any other big, highly anticipated event. The night before you meet your son for the first time. How is anyone supposed to sleep?! 

This morning we departed our Beijing hotel at 6:30 am. The flight to Zhengzhou was full of turbulence, but the kids on the plane lightened the tension by giggling and laughing everytime the plane jumped up and lurched down. It must have felt like Space Mountain to them. If they were having such a good time, I could loosen my white-knuckle death grip on the arm rests. 

Since arriving, our group has a heightened focus. We aren't touring and dreaming about days to come anymore, we are feathering our (hotel) nests for tomorrow. Our fabulous guides Yisha and Vivienne took us to Wal-Mart today to pick up additional items like formula, rice cereal, juice, snacks, and diapers. Wal-Mart is walkable from the hotel, just watch out for the scooter drivers! They own the sidewalks! 

Our room had a crib in it when we checked in. It's also now adorned with soft, fuzzy blankets, toys, snacks, and other things for Gabriel that we unpacked. We will not leave here until Saturday, so we are settled in. My backpack and his backpack are side by side ready for tomorrow. The gifts for those who will help us in this transition are packed and ready. Snacks, suckers, and fun toys to help distract our little prince from his grief at leaving his nannies are all ready. One excited mama- with God's help, I've never been more ready. Hebrews 13:20-21

There's No Elevator at the Great Wall

I did it! Climbed the Great Wall of China! I can officially mark one wonder of the world off my bucket list. Now, I should probably tell you that the Wall is 5,500 miles long, and then knowing me as you do you will realize that I didn't make it that far. Nevertheless I'm more than proud of myself. 

The part we visited and climbed began with a steep set up steps laying straight up the mountain. Then there was a stone shelter of sorts with small arched windows and delicious breezes. It was crowded, but it had a landing and roof access. Then another section of steps followed, also uphill but less vertical, and another shelter. We counted each shelter house as 1 and I traveled up to 5. From the bottom to 1 was the most daunting. It was straight up and the altitude made me feel like my heart and lungs might not make it up all the way with me. Once I reached that pinnacle of that shelter, though, I realized the next part up to shelter 2 wasn't so steep and terrible. So I rested and continued on. 5 was almost at the crest of the peak. There may have been another one past it before things leveled off and went mildly downhill. We were almost at our allotted time so I began the climb down. 

There were people everywhere- still due to the holiday. There were older people and little kids all climbing, some more quickly than me! I saw ladies in high heels and dresses, but it was at least faster than they were. 

After the wall we ate lunch (again yum) and toured a jade factory. It was very tempting and expensive! We drove past the Birdcage Olympic Stadium- truly massive- and then to the hotel for an hour free time and the. To a local acrobatic show. Mom and I had dinner at the mall at a Pizza Hut. I wasn't brave enough to try the pork knuckle pizza, so I just stuck with pepperoni. Somehow they thought I ordered garden veggie, so just a slight mixup in the kitchen, easily remedied. *smile*. 

A Blonde in China

Fridays post: Good evening from Beijing! We have had an eventful time here so far! It is still hard to believe that I'm in China. We traveled today through parts of the city that were built in the 1400's. I look around at it all in awe and wonder. 

Led by our 2 fearless guides, Cecelia and Alice, we first toured Tiananmen Square, and then the forbidden city. Alice told us that because of the May 1-3 holiday (which she called Labor Day) there were many more people in the city, and these sites we were seeing would be desperately crowded. Also she warned us that people who traveled here from other parts of China may not have seen westerners before, or not in such numbers (about 20 people). These people may ask to take pictures with us, and we didn't have to oblige, but if we didn't mind the people would really appreciate it. I was the first one singled out to have her picture taken with someone from the crowd. The family I posed with thought it was hilarious, and so did the rest of my group, until more of them were tapped for their own moments of fame. All day while we were in the midst of the crowds, people stared, took pictures of our group, or asked for individual pictures with members of the group. Most popular was one of the teenaged daughters of a couple in our group, but I was in my fair share of photos. Someone remarked that it must be my blonde hair. (Insert your favorite blonde joke here). 

The history was amazing and I could listen to Alice tell stories of the Forbidden City all day long. The morning started out chilly, but the longer we walked, the wind died down and it became downright hot. I have a minor sunburn to prove it! We walked and toured for about 2.5 hours, and just when we were all ready to perish from sore feet, we stopped and took a rickshaw tour of the Hutong area in Beijing, originally settled by Mongolians, and then stopped to dine with a local family for lunch. The rickshaws wound through the narrow alleys and pathways, and we had the best view of life in this part of the city. The family that we ate with prepared a wonderful meal. I had rice, pork meatballs, & chicken on the bone (like small drumsticks). Others enjoyed a celery dish, a cauliflower dish, steamed garlic shoots, spicy cabbage, roasted peanuts with chili peppers, pork dumplings ... Maybe more but that's all I can remember. 

About 3 pm we rode the tour bus to the silk factory and watched a demonstration of how silk is harvested, and then manufactured into bed linens and clothes. I won't go into the details other than to say that silk worm cocoons with 1 larvae inside are used for clothing and silk worm cocoons with 2 larvae (twins) inside are used for bed linens. 

Since our return from the factory, we have had free time. Mom and I settled into our room more and then went to eat at the noodle restaurant next to the hotel for dinner with another couple from our group. The portion sizes were huge, for everything including the beer! The couple we were with had ordered a beer, and the waitress brought him what looked like a 40 oz bottle or thereabouts. One noodle bowl could easily have easily fed our entire table, so at least it was proportionate. 

The jet lag that I was concerned would be debilitating hasn't bothered us too badly. It's 8:30 pm and mom is ready for bed but I will stay up for a while yet in hopes I won't wake up before my alarm at 6 am. We slept on the plane coming over for what felt like night on the east coast, and woke up about 7 am ET. We then landed in Beijing and headed to bed for the night at 1 am local time, which felt like 1 pm ET. 

Tomorrow we climb the Great Wall, and Sunday we fly to Henan province!