We are home!

Finally!  We made it home late yesterday.  We left Hong Kong just before noon (HK time) and flew 14.5 hours to Chicago Ohare.  Typhoon Nesat made the takeoff very interesting to say the least but after waking up ad seeing that our flight was delayed we were thrilled that it ended upleaving on time.  The flight to Chicago was long but uneventful.  Jackson slept maybe half the flight, although the rest of us didn't.  As far as Ohare, let's just say I would be happy if I never stepped foot in that airport again.  How can it be that every time I go through there something happens.  Every time.  No problems in Beijing, Guangzhou, or Hong Kong - but at Ohare of course.  Hopefully our bags will be delivered this morning. At least that's what we've been assured. 

Jackson continues to be great through all these major life changes for him. God has most assuredly prepared his heart for us.  He loved all the plane rides, waited patiently for our bags to not come and jumped in the car and we were driving home.  I would love to know what was going through his head.  He surely has not seen anything like this before.  He came from an area in southern China that collectively had to have over 100 million people and he is looking at corn fields and trees.  

We got home and gave him a tour of him his room and the rest of the house.  I'm pretty sure he doesn't understand that he has a whole room to himself.  When everybody else wakes up (jet lag for me so I'm not sleeping - hey I swear it should be like 5pm) we will show him around outside.  Then sometime today we'll go pick up Henry.  That should be fun to watch, a dog who loves kids and a kid who may have never seen a dog that big.  

Thanks for everyone's prayers.  We know God was with us the wole trip.  See everyone soon.  It is good to be home.

Packing Up & Typhoon Nesat

We are packing up, mainly to keep busy until 4:30 this afternoon.  That is when our guide will come back to the hotel and bring Jackson's passport with brand new travel visa.  As soon as we get that, we're off to Hong Kong where we will spend the night and catch a plane tomorrow to Chicago.

That's where things might get interesting.  I'm sure all of you are following the weather news around the China Sea but in case you aren't, typhoon Nesat slammed the Phillippines yesterday and killed at least 7 people.  The first estimates projected it to hit the mainland very near Hong Kong but last night it was projected to travel farther to the south.  Nesat now appears to be heading directly toward Haikou Island, then southwestern China and northern Vietnam but is expected to still impact Hong Kong with rain and high winds, you guessed it - tomorrow.  We are praying that the loss of lives from the storm will be no more than has already happened.  Selfishly we are praying that the impact of the storm around Hong Kong will be small so we can get out of here tomorrow.  Hey, if you don't ask you can't expect it to be answered right?  Fill you in later from Hong Kong.

Monday & Tuesday

Jackson passed his TB test!  Woo-hoo!  He had a red spot where they gave him the shot, but it measured within the 'okay' limits.  The nurse looked at it very carefully and slowly.  (A little nerve racking for us mom's)  Great news and all is well.  We finished the day off with another afternoon at the pool.  I think we have a true swimmer here!  He loves the water and will not admit that he is freezing, even though he shivers visibly.  Typical kid.

On Tuesday, we headed to the US Consulate to take our final oath for adopting this little guy.  Lots of families there and we all stood and took the oath together.  Pretty uneventful.  More waiting than actual paperwork.  The final document is being processed today.  He has his own passport and needs a Visa stamp on it.  We will get that tomorrow, and then we will travel to Hong Kong for the night.  We will fly out of Hong Kong on Thursday morning and head back to the good 'ol USA!!!!  Yay!!  Ready to be home and ready to be back for the fall weather.  I can't wait to get him a halloween costume...he would be a great clown!  Or a little karate kid.  Our hotel has sounded like a kung fu movie ever since we got him.  Lots of 'haiiiii-yah's!!   This child has made us laugh countless times.  He is truly a great kid.  You all are going to love him, too!

--Lisa

Sunday & Monday

We spent Sunday at the Guangzhou Safari Park.  A zoo with a drive through area imitating an African savanna with free roaming animals.  Lots of zebras, giraffes, etc.  They also had more rhinoceroses and tigers than I have ever seen.  Really neat.  They also had a large panda exhibit.  Also cool.

We came back to our hotel and decided to walk around the area for a while to kill time.  Every once in a while we run into other families that are adopting.  Yesterday we met a Mennonite family from Arkansas.  They had previously adopted a baby from China about a year and a half ago.  There were 10 in there group.  They had brought all their children, their oldest son was married and had a child and they were there too.  Our families ran into each other in front of a 7/11.  I couldn't believe it but yes they have those in China.  They are struggling with the same issues that we are only magnified - having trouble adapting to the food.  The mom told me about their family getting separated on a subway twice.  I can totally understand that after having tried it myself.  There is no room for courtesy over here it is move fast, push, whatever you have to do to get on or off.  You snooze, you lose.  Also an area that we are struggling with.  They have adopted another young girl and don't appear to be ready to stop.  They are really living Matthew 18:5.  Nice family and great opportunity to talk with someone from home.

We are about to go back to the medical clinic to get the results from Jackson's TB test.  It looks good to me though so God willing it will just be a formality.  Probably more walking around to kill time after that.  Tomorrow our final appointment, the consulate date.  This is where we make our formal statement and oath that we want to adopt and take care of our son.  A few more days for us her in China.

Medial Exam

The medical exam today went just fine.  Typical general medical info - height, weight, vision, hearing, etc.  All appears well.  Maybe a little vision issue but not near as bad as I used to be.  He also had a TB test where there is an injection just under the skin on the forearm.  That was the last thing Jackson had to do.  They explained to him what they were going to do, while holding a jar of candy, and told him that after they were through he could have a piece.  No sooner than the words were out of the nurse's mouth, he stuck out his arm to her.  Apparently the boy really wanted some candy.  He barely flinched for the shot and looked right to the candy jar.  We'll find out the results of the TB test in a couple of days.  Free day the rest of the day but no more swimming until we get the test results back.  Not sure what we are going to do.  Everyone is getting very stir crazy around here.

Friday

As I mentioned in the last blog we had a totally free day Friday and we did almost nothing.  Jackson and Grace played in the hotel room until lunch, we had some noodles (I am really getting tired of the noodles - which I am not supposed to be eating anyway), and the spent the afternoon at the pool.  Jackson is getting braver in the water everyday.  Midway through the afternoon he was in full boy mode.  Getting a running start and jumping into the pool.  Still has his "floaties" on but this was probably one of the first times he has been in water over his head so we'll give him a break there.  He'll get some lessons from Mrs. Frost in Petersburg soon enough.  He did have another first today - ice cream.  It came with his supper and you could tell by the way he looked at it when they set if on the table and after he took his first bite that he had never had it before.  There will be plenty of that when we get home too.  The boy could use some meat on those bones.

Grace had a better day yesterday.  Still some mixed emotions for her but that is to be expected.  Lisa and I are trying to do our best here but we are new to this as well.  A work in progress.

We are taking Jackson for his medical appointment this morning.  He's getting a shot or however they do a TB test over here.  Some prayers for a negative test would be appreciated.  Hope everyone is enjoying the cooler weather back home.

Wednesday & Thursday

We've had two more really good days with one hiccup.  We had an appointment to get Jackson's passport photo taken.  We were part of a group of at least 40 families in the process of getting passports for their adopted children.  It was really neat to see so many children being adding to these families.  After the meeting, we took Jackson swimming for the first time.  Looks like he will fit in with our family there as well, he seems to enjoy being in the water.

We had no appointments today so it was a free day for us.  We talked our guide into taking us for some "local shopping".  Nothing touristy, but where she would shop.  We started at an electronics market.  Sort of like a high tech flea market - department store style.  Lots of open booth type setups selling very similar stuff.  We then went to a grocery store.  Without Grace (guide Grace) we would have been lost all day.  She helped us haggle and told us what we were looking at at the grocery store.  Huge help there.  Lots of stuff at the Chinese grocery that you would not see in America.  Like chicken heads and feet for one.

After the shopping, more swimming.  For the first time we saw Jackson without a smile.  It appeared as though he got really frustrated at the swimming.  Maybe because he was swimming with "floaties" and not able to swim like us.  He has studied all of us closely and mimics what we are doing, how we eat, drink and how we wear our sunglasses, etc.  We had been playing with several beach balls and at one point he began hitting them with force.  Not at us or anything but he looked like he was angry and was taking it out on the balls.  After the beach ball incident, back to the smiling.  Who knows?

The only really hiccup we have had was one we have been waiting for.  We knew it was going to happen but didn't know when.  Grace had her first big sister melt down today.  After being an only child for almost 11 years she is feeling a little left out.  I think she understands why things are happening the way they are but it is still hard on her, it has to be really.  Even though Jackson has been great, Grace's help has been a huge blessing.  He bonded with her so quickly.  Lisa and I are working on trying to use this teaching moment wisely.  We would appreciate it if some prayers were sent Grace's way.  She could use the attention.

Otherwise the largest struggle we have is communicating with people at some of the restaurants.  Some are not the most willing to offer assistance, but what can we expect.  We are 7,000 miles from home.  We'll just have to use the ones that want our business.  This is a pretty small issue in the grand scheme of things.  We prayed so many times for a health and happy child that would be willing to become part of our family.  Right now Grace is doing homework, Lisa is watching volleyball on TV and Jackson is playing cars on his bed and occasionally jumping off and making his mom worried sick.  Sounds like a pretty normal family to me.  Things are great here in Guangzhou.