the one with the consulate

ok, I either have the worst agency reps ever or else I have no clue about how this works...

so, we met our guide at 8:45 to head to the consulate.  we got out at the medical building so she could pick up sarah's medical report that needed to be in the visa packet.  then we walked across the street to the consulate.  our guide told us no electronics, camera, phones, backpacks or purses were allowed in.  so we left it all in the van (back at the medical center) and walked to the consulate with just our passports and our visa application.) so we were the first ones to check in for the 10am appointment.  we waited til 10 and many more families came.  we all said our oath stating the information on the visa application is true to the best of our knowledge and that we signed it ourselves. then we each get called up to say that we filled it all out, we present our passport and our child, and they tell you you can go...we will get the visa for sarah to enter the US tomorrow. YAY! the last step before we can go home! (side note, it is very frustrating that we have had to wait around here all this time for this big event...and the passport last week...when it all becomes null and void the moment her feet touch the ground in seattle! uggg!).

but all families have this picture infront of this sign at the consulate...and we never saw the sign...and we didn't have any cameras with us if we had seen it!  uggg!  every adoptive family I have seen has this picture...and we don't :( so, again...is my agency rep dropping the ball?  should I have asked about it?  I kind of kept thinking it was coming...but then she left us, she was not allowed in the consulate...sigh

well, then we went to the pearl market.  tons of pearls...I think I may have gotten too good of a deal because my pearls were super cheap...they are probably low quality even though they insisted they were best quality. I had a heck of a time finding jade and the few I found either didn't have the size I wanted or the guide said it looked low quality. I feel frustrated with the experience and am just wondering again if it is my fault for not asking the right questions...it was quite overwhelming there and super hot!  we spent about 2 hours there and then back to the hotel.

brendan took the kids swimming as I was against it because of needing things to dry so we can pack tomorrow.  but he insisted so I napped :)

as far as sarah and I, today has been very normal.  she goes to sit in a seat and if I sit next to her she moves. I touch her in passing and she hits me away.  if I go to move her because a car is going to run her over she yells and hits and then proceeds to wipe off her arm where I touched her...sigh...

I'm tired and ready to go home..here my kids will hug me and kiss me and let me snuggle them.  I miss that so much!

tomorrow we wait for her visa and pack our things then take a train to hong kong.  we spend one night there and leave friday morning for seattle, then to denver. I can't wait!

the one with the free day

today we slept in and then went to breakfast.  it's crowded later in the morning.

we decided to skype the kids before they went to bed and it was great to see them!  I miss them so much!!

then we set out on an adventure to find the trustmart.  but a friend mentioned the Aeon was closer so we went there.  I had only brought a few outfits that I was sure would not fit sarah, whether too big or too small. I figured we'd buy her some things here.  well, most of what I have is too big.  the pair of leggings I brought in size 7-8 is perfect. but in changsha the only place the guide would take us was carefour and they had next to no kids clothes and they were for winter.  we bought her tennis shoes because she came to us in sandles that are a little to small dispite looking brand new, and I figured with all the walking we are doing she would need something more comfortable.  well, she won't wear the shoes unless daddy makes her.  and still no clothes that fit.  I pin everything. well, this morning I put a dress on her that is a spaghetti strap dress and I don't normally have the girls wear something like that but it's super hot here and I had intended to bring a white tee to go under it.  well, forgot the tee and when she got it on, it was too loose fitting in the top so I made her take it off.  Well, that didn't go over well and we are already on shaky ground.

since sarah is having a hard time attatching to me, it is my job to dress her and take her around the buffet and order her food and baths. well, anyway, she was super mad but she could not wear this dress.  so at Aeon I was looking for a white tee to go under it so she could wear it another day.  no luck but I found a cute shrug that I hope will work.

anyway, we got back and as soon as we got to the hotel what are the first words out of her mouth?  YOYONG !!(swimming!) so, since she had been mad at me all morning about the dress, (oh and she was even more mad after we went to starbucks and she tried to insist we get her coffee, we offered her tea, iced tea, cookies...but no coffee) we decided maybe I should be the one to take her swimming.

I figured this would not go over well, but we gave it a shot. brendan stayed in the room while I took the kids to the pool. the big kids had asked for a bit of time to swim alone with out her grabbing them, so they stayed in the deep end...sarah was stuck with me. I could see in her face she was not thrilled, but her love of swimming must have been stronger then her hate of me....and we went in together.  she held on to me and we played together.  she kept pointing to jordan and megan but we just waved and I kept ahold of her.she did ok but a few times she would get excited and laugh and then look at me and stop.  I swung her around and she wanted to copy jordan and megan (jordan was picking megan up and throwing her) so I tried to do it without drowning her.  she seemed to have fun and we played for about an hour. then she was cold and we got out.  as we sat drying off she as talking to herself and the words I could make out were dad and swimming. the tone told me she was saying something like why couldn't daddy have taken me swimming.  oh well.  so we went back to the room and I bathed her, and then took out the lego set I brought for her.  I thought surely she would have no patience for this task.  the longest she has focused on anything this last week is when she is taking selfies! but no, she loved it.  she followed all the directions, had to turn a few things around but all in all completed it on her own.  I was impressed. I sat with her the whole tima nd encouraged her and laughed and she smiled back.baby steps :)

Jordan and megan came back from the pool and we dressed and went to dinner at Tekila.

Tekila is "authentic" mexican food in the middle of china.  well, I am sure I haven't quite had any "authentic" mexican food, even in aurora...but this left something to be desired.  I wanted refried beans!! theirs were dry and whole beans and...hmmm...just not up to par.

this evening sarah has been a bit more responsive. she has showed me some of her selfies (as long as I don't touch the phone) and then at bed time she asked me to come sit by her bed.  she held my hand and pointed to megan to hold her hand and I prayed for us. (I have been trying to do this every night though she will not always hold my hand.) I kissed megan and said I love you and I kissed her and said I love you. she kind of cringed but let me kiss her.

I know this may not mean anything.  tomorrow we will probably be back to the evil eye and walking on the opposite side of the side walk from me...but, in the long run I hope it is the first in a series of steps that brings us closer.  at least for now I see a tiny speck of light at the end of a super long dark tunnel. thank you all for praying for us!!  It means the world to me!

ps. still can't upload pictures...so sorry!!

the one with the shopping

so, yesterday when we were done at the safari park we got back to the hotel and our guide said see ya Wednesday for the consulate appointment.  I asked if she would take us shopping at shaimen island on monday.  she said that was not on the schedule and she had to take the two other families that are here with our agency to their consulate appointments on monday and tuesday so we could not have her until wednesday.  well, I had had kind of an emotional day (did I mention I am the wicked witch?) and I was tired from the heat and walking... and I kinda lost it.  I can not believe that they would just have nothing for two days.  she tried to tell me that we could take a cab (two because there are 5 of us) or the subway...yikes!...but I was really upset and about in tears and I just can't understand why this is so hard.  the agency keeps telling me not to expect my experience to be like anyone else's, but I see so many families having the same experiences here that I came to expect the same outings and the same attention from the guides.  maybe I don't know the right things to ask.  maybe others really are navigating a foreign city, where they don't speak the language, by themselves...but I feel like I should be able to expect to be taken shopping and guided around not just left on our own for 2 days.  especially when the consulate appointments are at 8am each day and only last an hour!

anyway, late last night our guide called and said she could take us to the island after the consulate appointment for the other family.  she arrived at out hotel just after 10am.

there was not as many shops as I expected, and I kind of thought everything was about the same in each shop.  but all in all I got some good things (a few things I now wish I had purchased) and I got a pair of squeeky shoes that was the only ones I could find, but I thought there would be more selection...where do you all find them? and we walked around, saw the river and the statues... it is very pretty and the architecture is great.  I will post some pictures when I can...they take so long to upload here. we ate lunch at lucy's which has lots of american food.  it was pretty good.

tomorrow we will have a free day as I didn't know what else to ask for.  well I asked for directions on getting to the pearl market, because I didn't want to push my luck and ask for her to take us again, but she said if we would take the day off tomorrow then she would take us to the pearl market on Wednesday after our consulate appointment.  so we agreed.

kids went swimming while I waited for the call about sarah's tb test. then we went to dinner at pizza hut. when we got back sarah got right into her pj's and brushed teeth.  then when we were getting beds made on the floor, she got upset because we moved the beds and she just cried.  it was a low soft cry, we didn't even know she was crying at first.  but I went to try to comfort her and she was pushing me away.  I tried just rubbing her back and singing but she was hitting me. I didn't want to leave her because i didn't want her to think she could just push me away.  but I was afraid to push too hard.

I laid down next to her and talked gently to her and told her I was not leaving her. she calmed down and I got up but she started again a few minutes later.  I laid with her again and just cried and told her I love her and asked her to let me in.  I prayed over her and she just sobbed.  I know she doesn't understand. but I hope in a small way her heart hears me.

since tomorrow is free I will try to come back and upload pictures.

the one with the safari park

today was a really fun day!  we went to the safari park here in guangzhou.  it has a train that takes you through this area where a lot of the animals roam free and some more dangerous ones are in enclosures but you drive really close.  they were feeding many of them and it was very cool.

so each picture is taking a half hour to upload so I won't put any more on right now.

we saw a cool tiger show where they hung meat over the cage on lines and the tigers follow it.  they could hang it over the water and the tigers would jump into the water.  it was neat because the water was right infront of the glass. so the tigers jump right at you :)

of course we saw giant pandas!  that was sarah's favorite so we had a hard time pulling her away.  normally I don't like the idea of bribing kids to get them to do something.  it's manipulative and so we teach them to obey.  but sarah dis likes me so much (I actually had a rough day with her.  she would let me nowhere near her. in that picture above she had first tried to climb back to brendan's seat, but we made her sit with me and  then when she realized I was in the picture with her she got mad ) but I thought maybe if I bought her a panda she would at least tolerate me.  it worked for like 10 minutes!  she loves this bear!  and she helped my hand and we went on a carousel ride together...then it was back to brendan and megan.

i am hurting.  my heart is so broken.  I feel so confused and sad and I am not sure what we are doing. I know this takes time...but it still hurts so much along the way.

I will try to post more pictures later.

the one with the random update

We left Changsha by train.  I didn't really take pictures there. train boarding is super fast and not a lot of time.  oh and there is NO english in the train station!  the only thing recognizable is the numbers!  our guide could not come with us past security (which is super lax...a metal detector) so she told us what gate and we waited til they put our number up and then went in.  but we ended up at the wrong end of the train. we got first class seats for the extra room, it is less then an economy plane ticket!  but we ended up having to run to the opposite end of the train. finally made it on and still no one speaks english.  well, unless you count the Indian men in the row up from us.  they seemed to speak several languages.

so drink and food service we just passed by, not really knowing what it was or if it was free.I had wanted to take the train because, first of all...I HATE flying! and because I thought it would be a good chance to see some countryside and not just the big cities.  well, I had not anticipated leaving so late.  our train left at 5:42pm and so within an hour it was too dark to see.  we did see some pretty countryside and some large mountains.  and I think it might have been a bit less smoggy, but it was raining and foggy...so hard to tell :)

but Sarah loved the train.  she stared out the window the whole time.  it could have just been she was trying to ignore me.  she kept trying to get brendan to switch places with me so he would be by her.  and everytime I touched her she was angry and mumbled what I can only assume were profanities under her breathe.

this is hard. this is so, so hard.  I am trying not to take it personally...but I am human, and when you are rejected and yelled at and hit...it wears on you.  I want to love her...it is hard right now. just when I see a glimmer of hope...she holds my hand on the way to the bathroom...she shoves me away as soon as we are done and grabs brendan.

jordan and megan have been great!  they are so patient with her.  and they try to hug on me and tell me they love me, partly to make me feel better I think, and partly to show her I am not the wicked witch she thinks I am.

so we got in to Guangzhou late last night and pretty much went straight to bed.

this morning first thing we went to do her medical check.  to get a US visa she has to do a medical check to see she isn't bringing any comunicable disease into the US.  the big one is the TB test.  she was fine, came out all smiles.I will say she held my hand a few times at the clinic by herself. progress?  I hate to hope. I actually a little bit hoped she would cry for the TB test so I could comfort her...I thought it might help our bonding.  But no tears and we were in and out quickly.  my advice...go early!!  we were first in and first out.

We came back to the hotel, found a 7-11 for some water, and a pizza hut for lunch and now will be going swimming I think!

after swimming we went to Paddy's Field, an irish pub, for dinner.  we were looking for a hot pot restaurant our guide had said was there, but for the second time it was nowhere to be found. food was great!  but very expensive.

so, about ready to skype home...good night! tomorrow is the safari park!

here are a few random pictures from changsha....I got no pictures of the medical clinic!  I can't believe it!

at the Dolton hotel in Changsha this bell hop was very enthusiastic and excited, all the time!  so brendan wanted to take his picture.  after I took this he pulled jordan in and handed me his phone to take a picture.  the woman at the front desk said he was the star of their hotel :)

so this bird statue was in our hall way on the way to out room.  on the first night we arrived, jordan and megan said "hola paco" and so it became a thing we did when walking to or from our room every day. so after one day of having sarah, she says hola paco!so funny!  her first non chinese words...and it's spanish! LOL

at one point we were getting ready to leave and had some time to kill so these two fell asleep :)

the one with the wasting time

so, as with most of the adoption process, there is a lot of waiting.  right now we are waiting.  it seems so frustrating to us that we are not doing anything meaningful today, just waiting on the next step.  tomorrow Sarah's passport will be ready and we can leave for Guangzhou.  but, since it's usually not ready until afternoon, we can't leave until about 5pm.

 Today we did visit a local university which got it's start as an ancient confucious academy.  It is called Yuelu Academy.  There is a lot of history in Hunan.  A village near Changsha is where chairman Mao was born and he spent time in this academy in his early 20's. but, the buildings were under construction and there was not much to see, so we only spent about an hour there.

on the plus side, we woke up to a bit of mist in the air and much cooler temps.  it was still a bit humid but it doesn't feel as bad when it is cooler.

we tried a restaurant in the movie theatre next to our hotel.  our guide had to translate some things on the menu before we went, but it was pretty good, and cheaper then the hotel.  Also, many restaurants here say they are chinese-western and we thought that would mean maybe some one speaks english, maybe there is a bit of american food?? nope...I think it means the decore is modern or something.  I mean, they did have french fries, but our guide had to point it out because the whole thing is in chinese!  but it was a fun experience.  oh and our guide wrote less spicy (in chinese) on the least spicy thing on the menu and she said we still would not be able to handle it...she was right!  Hunan is known for it's spicy food and wow, if this was mild...yikes!  Jordan and brendan and Sarah gobbled it up.  megan and I had rice and broccoli.

the one with the orphanage

so, first off...I can't get photos to load, I can barely get online long enough to type a few words.  then the wifi or vpn cut out. so, I am sorry, we will have to try that later.

I can say that Sarah was very nervous going to the orphanage today. when we got there she would not let go of Megan's hand. at all. for any reason.  we got to ask some questions, nothing too surprising. one thing we did notice was that no one hugs or touches much. we thought there would be more emotion from the nannies or her...but no, it was very business like.  though everyone knew her and talked to her and she seemed well cared for. when we were leaving a group of younger kids came out to say goodbye. the nanny was taking a picture and Sarah would still not let go of megan's hand, but the nanny said "the kids here may not have a mom or dad but they have a different kind of love." and we did feel like she was well liked and taken care of the best they could.

we also found out this orphanage recently got a partnership with an adoption agency in Italy because a family from Italy came and adopted a child and advocated for it!  so heartwarming to know more of these kids will find homes.  we pray for that!

we went to the school. she was top in her class and the teacher there was the only one who cried.  she gave sarah a fan and some pictures off the bulletin board. the school was simple, like everything else.  I am sure there is not much funding. not all the kids at the school are orphans.  sarah was the only one from her orphanage who attended that school.  most of the other kids go to regular public school. this is a special needs school and I was frustrated that the needs we saw were so much worse then sarah seems.  she definitely has behavioral issues but she seems very quick at learning and so smart already.  I hope the problem is that she was never given the chance to excel and now we can giver her that chance.  but still, I won't know until we can break down the language barrier.

so, a good day.  we went swimming again, she loves it.  then megan and I got foot massages and it was the weirdest thing that has ever happened to me in my whole life.  but that story will only be told in person...I do not want a record of it!

late dinner with room service and straight to bed.

the one with the family

today we went to the civil affairs office again and signed the papers that officially grafted Sarah Xiangting into the Peterson family!

since she is 10, Sarah had to sign and say she wanted to be adopted by us.  some of you know I was worried about this, but she was very glad to do it and told them she liked us and wants to go with us.  as a matter of fact, when they told her we were going to visit the orphanage she said no she did not want to go.  she just wanted to stay with us.  we had it explained that we would just go say goodbye to her friends but she kept saying no.  I think she was worried we would leave her there!  I almost cried.  I wondered if we should still go...but while at the civil affairs office, the director of the orphanage was there to sign some papers and he talked with her and convinced her this was final and we could not leave her and we would just visit.  she seemed ok and consented but she has been thinking about it all day.  she has drawn the characters for the welfare institute into Brendan's translator app several times.  I know she must be scared.  I wish she would let me comfort her.

she still has not cried.  no grieving we can see. but she is letting us touch her more. rough housing is the best way.  she likes to wrestle. in the elevator she asked Jordan for a hug. she likes him a lot. I did kiss her goodnight though, she wiped it off and laughed. but she won't hold hands with me...sometimes with megan and brendan she will.

we went swimming this afternoon and though she told brendan she didn't swim, and she seemed a bit cautious at first, she had lots of fun and was pretty wild.  she had a death grip on Jordan or Brendan at all times for the first 20 mins.  but finally loosened up and let megan take her around.  not me much, but then again I was kind of afraid of all the flailing, so I kind of stayed back.

dinner was slow, the service I mean, and the restaurants here have little western food (even in a "western restaurant") and I am just having trouble stomaching the chinese food at this point.  too many menu items including snake soup and donkey dumplings and catapillar fungus...

but Sarah was tired, you could see it in her eyes...so we came back to the room and put her right to bed.

I am still kind of in a daze about the whole thing.  I look at her and see so much more then we thought the file indicated... she is smart and learns quickly...but her behavior is loud and erratic. I know it has not been long since we have known her, but she doesn't listen and throws things (including phones) and she hits, (just in fun or because she doesn't want something) but still, hard to manage. yet she has the biggest smile and brightest eyes.  she is watching and taking in everything.  she is so curious.   life just got more interesting ;)

the one with the personality

so, it has been a long, emotion filled day.  when we were at the civil affairs office this morning, the first thing Xiangting wanted to show us was her school work.  she had won several awards for good reading, drawing and math.  she had LOTS of art to show us.  I know she was nervous because she kept giggling.

in the car she took jordan's iphone and she knew EXACTLY how it worked!  and he typed in his pass code while she was watching and that was it...she had it memorized.  he had to change it when e got back to the hotel because she would barely let it go.  and she kept trying to erase photos of herself.  and since our camera died his phone had our only pictures and videos.

we went back to our room and signed some papers.  we go back tomorrow to make it official.

we decided to have lunch in our room, mac n cheese.  it was microwaveable but we had experimented at home and can do it with boiling water.  the tea pot in our room probably doesn't have it all the was to boiling. and we probably didn't leave it long enough, because it was a little tough.  Xiangting did not like it much.  she also turned her nose up at m&m's and bunny crackers and a larabar...so by dinner she was hungry!

we played around the hotel room all afternoon.  she is very active as her fill says. If I didn't believe in ADHD before...I do now!! she moves from one activity to the next very quickly.  focusing is not her strong suit. she loves the computer and just clicks every available menu.  same with the phones.  she tries every game but only for about 2.5 seconds each.  she asked to watch tv but then got fed up when the remote didn't work the first time she pushed the button.  not sure she could sit still long enough to watch something anyway...the 12 hour plane ride should prove to be a challenge.  I figured with an older child it would be a breeze...guess we'll see...


we went down to the hotel restaurant for dinner.  she gobbled up her rice and some bread and then proceeded to take food from all our plates.  food tends to be served family style in most places, but not this one...but we didn't stop her at this point.  when we get home we can work on that.

but we got the biggest kick out of how she would take a napkin and clean her fork. then she would scrape all her food onto brendan's plate. (he was the trash collector she decided) then she would take the napkin and wipe the plate off.  they must have had to clean their dishes at the orphanage. it was funny.

all in all brendan has been able to speak with her a lot.  and most of the time we can get basic ideas back and forth. she has been frustrated a few times with our lack of understanding.we are grateful for the bit of chinese brendan has learned.

we spent quite a lot of time on drawing today.  she is very good and we had this stamp pad but she thought it was finger paint and colored in all the things she drew.  she was a mess!  but nana will be happy to have another artist in the family!

well, having trouble uploading some of the pictures...will try again tomorrow. good night

the one with a new daughter

we went to the civil affairs office and there were already other families and children there.  we waited and watched as other families came and went.  I was emotional watching others meet their children for the first time.  it was nice talking to another mother about God leading us to this place and trusting him...it gave me new resolve that this is scary but right...we are His hands and feet.

then she came...and went...they had to take her to the bathroom so we saw her pass by the door and go...but she soon came back.  and finally there she was!!  and the camera died!!  

luckily Jordan's iphone saved the day :)

so without further adieu...

the first thing that struck us is she is very tall!  skinny but tall :)  she is independent and doesn't want help with anything.  she ill not really let us touch her yet.  we can playfully but she hits us away.  I did kiss her head at one point...very quickly.

I will post more later but we are off to lunch!

the one with the nerves

last night we arrived in Changsha. it was a short flight but very bumpy so I was a wreck! (I mentioned my fear of flying?) so, I am glad to be on the ground...oh wait...we are at the Dolton Hotel and on the 26th floor!!  it is insane!  you can feel the building move...not my favorite! swimming pool is on the 9th floor!

anyway, we are going down to breakfast and then we will drive to the civil affairs office to meet our girl.  only about 3 more hours of being a family of 7...soon we will be 8!

I am nervous.  what will she think of us?  will she like that she is being adopted?  can I handle one more?  we are such human failures, I can't handle this in my own strength, this I know...but I still worry and wish I could see the future and know it will all work out ok.  please pray as I am feeling emotional and I don't want to be a blubbering mess all day...that will definitely scare her ;)  I am sure her heart is hurting and will continue to hurt.  I hate that it is our fault.  but I pray she will heal quickly and we can comfort her well. and I pray that very soon she will understand there is One who comforts even better.

thanks friends...next post will have pictures!!

the one with the lost sheep

ever since I left, I have been so sad about missing my babies.  I was very distraught about leaving them for so long and being so far away.  over this last few days I have been reminded of the parable Jesus told of the lost sheep.  The shepherd left the 99 safe, loved, comfortable sheep to find the one lost, alone, forgotten sheep.  it is a sacrifice to be gone.  and, yes, it is probably harder on me then the kids...but, in the end, we will bring into the fold of the flock, a sheep that was lost and now is found.  she will soon know the love of her Savior...her Shepherd...and the 99 will still be there, waiting.

the one with the forbidden city

today we went to the forbidden city.  it as actually a short walk from our hotel.  a couple of blocks.  have you ever tried walking across a street in china?  well, let me tell you...it is taking your life into your hands and hurling it across the street in hopes nothing hits you before you make it to the other side!!  not kidding! stop lights in china are merely a suggestion...and the only thing that stops them is more then 8 people in a crowd...if you are on the edge, even a step behind, they have no patience for you and will most definitely run you down!.

and so, we finally make it alive a few blocks down and enter what is Tienanmen square.  there are lots of fences and security because I guess in the spring they had some one drive a burning car into the square.  but it is wide and open and there is the picture of chairman Mao of course.

you go down these long tunnelways and there are series of courtyards with a large palace at the end leading to the next.  we found out that over a 500 year period during the chen and ming dynasties 24 emperors lived here.  each had his own palace built inside the walls.  there are 999 rooms. 9 is a symbol of royalty and only emperors can have anything with 9.

.

so we learned a lot about emperors and the ancient customs here in beijing. after wards we went to a local tea house and watched the tea ceremony and got to sample many teas. we bought a few gifts and then went back to the hotel.  we tried to find a hot pot restaurant but it was closed. so we settled for a dumpling place.  they had stir fry and we sampled several dishes.  we napped a bit and then megan and brendan went out looking for the book store.  repacking bags tonight in preparation of flying to Changsha, Hunan tomorrow

the one with the great wall

today we got up early, had a good breakfast and started out for the great wall.  it took about an hour, maybe a bit more to get there.  traffic was pretty bad.  and it is amazing to me how the drivers can just read each other's minds.  they weave in and out of each other so smoothly. I tried videoing a bit but by the time I got my camera out it was over.  I am sure there will be more opportunity.

it was amazing, standing there on this immense wall.  it is built on the very ridge of the mountains...what a feat that was to build!  I am in awe at hat it must have been like.

our guide amber is great and so knowledgeable.  and we get to spend our time in beijing with another family from our agency (we don't usually travel in groups) the Garmons!  yay!

I hiked up about two small flights of stairs, then Jordan, Brendan and Megan hiked to the top of the mountain. it was really steep and the stairs are not even, some are short and some are very tall!

this marble pillar is called the heros stone. I guess chairman Mao had it placed at the top and it says something about him being the only one who can climb that high or if you reach it you are as good as him...something to that affect.  anyway, at some point they moved it toward the bottom...but since our three mad it we thought they deserved a picture with it :)

next we went to a fun family style restaurant and had a traditional chinese lunch.  it as very good.  we had rice and noodles and there were different dishes like duck, sweet orange chicken, fried eggplant, tofu, beef and tomato soup, fish, and little bean curd eggrolls (that was the dessert, they are sweet).

after lunch we drove an hour or so back to our hotel and had a short nap (jet lag is catching up) and then out to a Kung Fu show.  It was very cool and more of a play then just doing kung fu.  but brendan says he was tricked because it was a ballet :)  I had no idea! they wouldn't let us take pictures, so I have none :(

anyway, as much fun as we are having, we were well aware today that this is not why we are here.  we almost feel like we are wasting time.  we want our girl and we want to take her home. but we didn't have to come to beijing, we chose to...I want to experience Xiangting's culture, see the things that created who she is.  and though she has never seen the things we are seeing here, these place and events from the past have built the country that is her home...and besides, you can't go halfway around the world and skip these amazing sites.

only 2 more days and we will have a new daughter!  Lord guide our steps!

the one with the longest day ever

HI! I am coming to you from Beijing!  we got up early wednesday morning and finished closing up the bags. then my dad took us to the airport.  I kind of had a little breakdown when I got into the car...I'm leaving my babies for such a long time.  I quickly recovered in the hustle and bustle of checking in, security screening, food and boarding.  I hate flying so I was all nerves.

 our plane left denver about 11:30. we went to seattle and had a four hour layover.  when we got off the plane, the monitors showed the plane to leave for beijing would be 2 hours late!  that would mean 6 hours and we debated on leaving the airport, as none of us have been to seattle before.  but, after deciding to eat lunch there at the airport, we looked at the departure board and it was on time!  crazy!  glad we stayed!

so, we stared the long leg of our journey...an 11 hour flight leaving seattle at 5:08 pm sept 10th.

we had dinner service early in the flight.  decent but not great...and yes, a small cup of wine to just take the edge off!

we flew delta and opted to upgrade to comfort plus.  it gives 4" of extra leg room but definitely worth it! And we had to sit separate, 2 and 2...so we got an exit row which has even more leg room. the main problem was it was super cold by that door!  we switched around a lot and did not walk as much as we should have.  but it was "night" where we were coming from so they turned off lights and we tried to sleep.  they had tvs in the backs of the seats so we could watch tons of movies...many new releases.  it was great.  they even have some games and music.

so one of the channels was the flight route. we went up over alaska, russia and down into china...not over open ocean as I expected. it was neat to follow along.  As you can see our total milage would be a little over 5400 miles and I looked once to see the plan going 538 mph! oh and the coldest temp I saw was -66! no wonder it was cold by the door!

but we made it!  and we are in CHINA! and it is thursday sept 11 at 11pm when we got to the hotel...the longest day ever! but in 4 days we meet our daughter :)

so, I am up way too late and now need to sleep...tomorrow is the great wall!

the one with the chaos before we travel

ok, so I have totally been meaning to post several times over the last couple of weeks, more things about preparations and I had some pictures of our puzzle fundraiser...but I have been busy and when I wasn't I was kind of overwhelmed and I didn't get around to it. so here it all is, on the night before we leave :)

first, thank you to EVERYONE who has helped us bring this little girl home...from donations for the garage sale, to prayers, to cash donations, to those helping care for our kids and our house/yard/turtle while we are gone....we are so grateful for you all!

we "sold" 65 puzzle pieces. and I had pictures of all the names on the backs of the pieces...but the computer  can actually get the pictures off the phone with, is conveniently packed away for is leisurely trip to Ch*na.

as I have been packing, I have kind of been in this fog...like it's not really happening. today I kind of lost it and zoned out...I feel like I have forgotten so much and yet can't think of a single 'nother thing we need (except a kitchen sink, so if you can direct me to an inflatable one I could stick in my carryon...that'd be great!) but when we weighed them today everything was a good 5+ lbs under china's limit of 44lbs! now I definitely feel like I'm forgetting something!  I just assumed it would be a struggle and I would have to make decisions on what stays and what goes...but NO! amazing!

 I know some of you want to follow along....

so, of course I hope to be blogging things as we go so you will see pictures and first hand accounts of what we are doing each day.

please pray for us to travel safely, for our kids at home to be healthy and happy til our return, and for our new daughter, that she will fit right in!

and we're off.....

the one with the reflection

now all the arrangements are made, and we have picked out all the amazing sights we will see ...great wall, forbidden city, kung fu show, safari park, temples...and we even found out we get to see the orphanage and her boarding school!   so it should be a fun filled time.

I am also keenly aware right now, of the emotional trip this will be.  we have been through a range of emotions this last year. but Xiangting, she has only known of us less then a month.  by the time we show up it will be just over a month. she has a lot of adjustments to make.  I wonder what she thinks of all this.  I wonder if she is excited, scared, angry, confused....maybe all of the above. (I know I'm feeling all of those too)

we see adoption as this great thing, but to a child who's whole world is getting torn away...they don't always see it that way.  and I don't blame them...this is hard.  I can't imagine suddenly being in the midst of people who I don't understand and who don't understand me.(I'll find out soon!)  I don't know what they expect, I can't ask questions...what happened!?! (at least we get a translator some of the time) she is older, it's probably been explained to her...but how can you really be prepared for this change.  she has suffered so much loss in her young life...loss of her mother and father...loss of multiple friends and "nannies" as I am sure some have come and gone over the years...now the loss of all that is familiar.  it is breaking my heart.  I feel a bit guilty.  how can I cause her so much pain?

I think about our loving Heavenly Father and how sometimes He has to rip us from all we hold dear, to teach us what we've been missing. it hurts...the loss of comfort and familiarity...but there is so much more waiting, that we never even knew existed.  but I fight Him too...I don't want to let go of my routines, my safety, my picture perfect life to go traipsing of to the other side of the world...

but He's teaching me...about trusting...about letting go...about love...about stretching myself

and so, we ask for more and more prayers over the next few weeks...they are going to be hard weeks....but we know all will be done for the glory of Yehovah! and this precious girl doesn't know Him yet...but I hope He will comfort her heart all the same, til we can teach her about the love, sacrifice and redemption of the One Who Holds All These Things In His Hands!

the one with the travel approval

so things moved rather smooth and quickly...like they are supposed to...over the last month and a half.  We sent our visa applications in and they came back promptly. We sent our immigration paperwork in...it came back a bit faster then expected.  A few steps of emailing and getting letters and official visa stuff for Sarah moved around...right on time. then miracle of miracles...we got travel approval in 2 days!!!!!!!  this is unheard of!  it usually takes 1-3 weeks.  we are so blessed.

this was last thursday.

then, in my mind, we would start making travel plans and go at the end of this week.  well, I won't go into the gory details but NO we can't travel for 3 weeks!  very frustrating!  I don't believe the reasons given me by my agency are totally real.  I am not sure what the real story is but I know of people with appointments on days they say offices will be closed...so...??

but, as I have had to get over that...because, apparently,  no amount of arguing and crying is going to budge them....I have accepted it and made our flight plans today.  We leave Sept 10 and return Sept 26. YAY! not what I would have wanted but I am at least excited to have an official date!!

we will go to beijing first do some sightseeing (great wall) and then to Sarah's province, Hunan.  we will meet her on monday september 15th! we were told we get to tour her orphanage as well as the boarding school she attends.  we will also have a bit of sightseeing and as soon as her passport is ready (by the 19th) we will go to Guangzhou which is where the U.S. consulate is and where she gets her visa.  we will sight see there and then fly home on the 26th ... and because of some wibbly wobbly timey wimey...we arrive home on friday as well.... after 18-20 hours of travel....as a matter of fact, we travel from hong kong to seattle and arrive 2 hours before we left...whoa!

all in all i am just happy to be traveling in september and not october, though my agency is still being frustrating about hotel and other travel arrangements...nothing is easy apparently.

Please continue to pray for us in these final couple weeks.

the one with some good news

last week was a rough one. we found out on tuesday that our payment had cleared our agency's bank, but was  not showing up in the CCC WA account.  basically that meant our dossier was stuck.  in limbo.  and the agency was seeming all casual like "these things work themselves out" and I was freaking out!  how long would it take?  and this is the third time in the last 2 months it has happened to this agency!  I thought someone should do something about it...NOW!

so, after 2days of back and forth...it was the 4th of July holiday weekend...a three day weekend.  now, ch*na doesn't have a holiday of course, but no communication would happen between them and the agency until monday. devastating news of course because they would not be able to figure this mess out until this week.

well, we prayed and we prayed and we prayed through the weekend.  and lo and behold...monday morning we learn that our dossier was moved to the matching department!  yay!  still no record of payment but they are moving us on anyway! we still anticipated it being another week or so before finding out any more information because there was still no payment recorded.

but wednesday morning we learned we are match reviewed which means they matched our file to the file we chose and approved us to adopt XiangTing!!!!! the letter is in the mail!!!! we are approved!!!!!

I am over the moon excited!!  also scared, overwhelmed and a bit stressed!  all good things though :)

Praise God from whom all blessings flow!!! His timing, His way....I am just a vessel.  Thank you Lord for your lessons and patience with me.

so, the rest of this process has a more defined timeline.  8-10 weeks is standard until travel, though it could take up to 12 weeks. but that lands us mid september.  still not by her birthday as I had hoped, but I am so happy to not be waiting any longer.

I have A LOT to do in the next 2 months!!

Also, one last plea...if you have ever thought about donating to our adoption, we are still in need of the required orphanage "donation" of $5800. so we are still selling puzzle pieces for $10 each or you can just donate.  please use paypal to my email address chikkadea@gmail.com or send a check to Deanna Peterson 16755 E Mercer Dr Aurora CO 80013

thank you all for your support and prayers...keep 'em up!! we still have a long way to go...all the way to CH*NA!!