We arrived in Lanzhou, yesterday at 2:00, then we had an hour drive to our hotel where we were told that the babies were waiting for us. We love the other families that are with us, Teri and Dan, 2 veterinarians from Oregon with 5 bio kids, this is their 1st adoption, they are picking up their son Samuel. Shari, a sweet fun Christian lady from California, is traveling alone to pick up their daughter Hannah, she leaves behind her pastor husband and 3 bio kids. All of our babies are 19 months old, all cleft babies.
When we arrived at the hotel our very knowledgeable guide, Steed, told us we would have a while to check into our rooms and relax. When we arrived to our rooms he told us to meet him in the room with our babies in 5 minutes! So much for catching our breath! We put our bags in our rooms and all prayed together as a group, which was a special time of affirmation. We are so fortunate to be sharing this experience with such wonderful believers.

 My 1st look at my little girl.

 Adalynn, and her nanny before I took her.

 Shari's daughter loves to play but, I think she might be a little ornery.

 Little Samuel, meeting his parents.

 This is pretty much what it looks like if I hold her.

 On our way for family photos..which did not go well since I ws in them.

 That is a bisquit in her mouth, but, I thought it was a cute pic regardless.

Samuel and Hannah snuggled right up to their new parents. That was not the case for our Adalynn. She screamed, and screamed, and screamed some more. So far she is really not liking me. But, that is ok, even normal. Her day was so traumatic, she was picked up just that morning from her foster family, the place she has been since she was 3 months old. The strange trip for her was several hours away. Everything, everyone that she has ever know is gone. Her cries are cries of grief, and fear.

 Adalynn loves daddy. Right she has just woke up and she still will not let me anywhere near her.

Here are some of my initial observations.
She is prettier than I ever could have imagined.
She is smart.
The concerns we had about her head, are gone. She is healthy.
She is teeny tiny..the size of a 12 month old, but, her developmental skills are on target for her age.
Her lip repair looks great.
She will need more cosmetic surgery in her nose.

Since she screamed so long, I did get a good look at her palate, it is split all the way back and even her uvula ..is split. I am not sure however if the palate cuts through her gum line. It would be nice if it didn't but we will fix it no matter what.
She loves spicy chicken.

I still haven't found a cup or bottle that she is able to use, so we are going to have to check into that this morning.

She loves to play.
She is a great sleeper, all night.
We absolutely adore her and she will be such a blessing to our family!

We toured Beijing today, The Forbidden City, Tiananmen Square, and the Great Wall. We had an authentic Chinese lunch, and Peking Duck dinner, complete with the duck's head. It is amazing how quickly you learn to use chopsticks when it is your only choice. I am also really surprised that English is not spoken I had my 1st experience with a "Squatty potty" I would love to say it will be my last but, I am expecting this to be pretty routine. Yuk!

Here are a few pictures, I will post more later, as we are having computer technicalities now. We fly out in a few hours to go pick up Adalynn.

 Today is "Gotcha Day!"

Ready or Not Here We Come

The day that we have been preparing for for so many months is finally here. And while it is a month later than I expected it to be, it's still hard to believe that tomorrow is the day.

I was feeling pretty good about everything, despite the "what if's," that we all experience when we jump out of our comfort zone. I mean really, it's kind of crazy if you think about it. We are leaving our kids our home, and our comfortable little family, to go pick up a tiny child, a stranger, that we know very little about. A child that may not be particularly happy that we whisk her away from her life. I think back to the morning in Ethiopia before we adopted Eli, we were sitting around the table eating our breakfast in a silence. I will never forget one of the adoptive mom's breaking the quiet, as she said "Does anyone else feel like they are getting ready for an arranged marriage?" Kind of sums it up.

 We remember what God says about adoption, how many verses there are on adoption and great people in the Bible who were adopted. We are reminded of 2 verses:
Religion that God our Father accepts as pur and faultless is this: To look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world." james 1:27

A Father to the Fatherless..God sets the lonely in families Psalm 68-5-6

On to some Prayer requests:

So I WAS doing ok..with my "what if's. I tell you I have enough "what if's" to make your head spin. I would list them, but, then you would really think I am crazy:) But, last night Matt came home and said he didn't feel well, and he rarely gets sick. He thought it might be his appendix!!! PANIC! That is one "what if" that had not occurred to me! What if I have to travel by myself? If I would have I prepared for that, I might be able to handle it. But, I am not prepared to go on my own, I'm just not, and I can't get mentally and otherwise prepared for that option by tomorrow morning. I had friends and prayer warriors praying overnight, and Matt seems to feel better so let's hope that it stays that way.
So please pray for our health and Adalynn's health on the trip. I was sick in Ethiopia when we got Eli, and it was miserable.

Pray for safe travels, even though we know that this is what God wants us to do,  He has paved the way and knows the outcome, that does not mean that we will be safe, healthy and happy. I love the verse:
"For I know the plans I have for you, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future." Jer 29:11  But, I know that verse has an eternal meaning, and for HIS will to be done. He does not promise that this life or this trip will be without trouble, he does not promise that we will be happy, safe and healthy. But, we ask these things anyway.

Pray for the kids back home:
Alydia is struggling the most. She is the one most excited to have a sister. But, she is a worrier. I am praying once we are gone that she will be fine. But, right now it is hard. Her stomach hurts, her head hurts she even complains that her feet hurt. Pray that she will feel safe, secure and happy while we are gone.

Landon acts like this is no big deal but, I know he is worried.

Eli- If you have asked Eli if he is excited to have a sister, I am sure that you got the response, "No, I don't want a sister, we have enough people in our house." I think he is speaking his truth, and I am not expecting him to be happy about his new sister. So pray that the transition for him will be as smooth as possible.

Pray that even with all of these concerns that we can enjoy China. That we can learn about their culture, we can appreciate the sights that we see, that we can enjoy the food, that we will make great connections with the Chinese people, that we make amazing memories. That this can be a trip of a lifetime, and that we are not just viewing everyday as one less day until we are back home. That we may savor our time in China.

Finally, a great big thank you to the Army of loved ones that it is taking to care for our children back home! Whether it is a ride to school, a play date, an overnight, or caring for the kids in our home..We are so grateful to each and everyone of you!

Can't wait to share the next part of the journey with you!
Elizabeth

Itinerary

Next week at this time we will be touring Beijing! Which brings me to our itinerary for the week. What exactly will we be doing all of those days in China?
Thursday
We fly out of Fort Wayne at 9:00 am and then depart from Chicago to Beijing around noon. It is a 13 hour 45 min flight, which seems much more doable after flying to Africa..but, I am sure it will feel long.
China is 13 hours ahead of us, so with our flight we will arrive on Friday around 3:40pm.

Saturday
We will be touring the Great Wall, Tienanmen Square, The Forbidden City, and anything else that we can possible squeeze in!

Sunday is "Gotcha Day" We fly out of Beijing in the morning for our approximately 4 hour flight to Lanzhou in the Gansu Province. From the airport we will be taken directly to a Civil Affairs Office where we will meet and be handed our daughter. She will have made a 6 hour trip to this city as well, so we will all be tired. We don't know how she will react or how we will "feel" but, we do know that feelings aside this little girl was meant for our family. I wonder if she will cry and try to get away from me like Eli did. I wonder if she will bite me like he did..many times. I wonder if it feels the same being bit by a cleft palate child. I wonder what to expect since she has been in foster care, I wonder what the attachment process will look like, I wonder how her grief will show itself. I wonder is she will have any hair. We don't expect to see her real personality come out for at least a couple of days. We have been told to keep her in the outfit she comes in for at least a few hours possibly overnight. As this is the last thing she will have from "her world". So we go into this with a lot of wonderings, but, very few expectations.

Monday - Friday
Will be filled with Civil Affairs appointments and passport, Visa appointments. Have I mentioned how much more paperwork is involved in China adoption verses, Ethiopia? A lot! Our days will also be filled with sightseeing. Unlike Ethiopia  it is considered safe and acceptable to be out and about with our daughter. So we are looking forward to seeing all that we can of the province Adalynn was born in. Oh yea, and it will be cold..really,really cold.

Friday morning we will fly out to Guangzhou where we will be until Tuesday
This is in southern China and a big city, we are told there is Starbucks, and Pizza Hut, we are staying at a Marriott..so no we won't be roughing it too much. We will be very grateful for the 70-80 degree temperatures. In Guangzhou we will have an appointment at the Chinese Consulate, we will have a US visa appointment and a medical exam for Adalynn. We will have a US appointment and we will pick up her Visa. And, yes, hopefuly lots of sightseeing and shopping.

Tuesday
We will pick up Adalynn's Visa and depart for Hong Kong

Wed morning we leave Hong Kong at 11:10 am on Dec 12th...and we arrive back to Chicago at 11:05 am on Wed Dec 12th!!! Which I am grateful for since it means I am not loosing another day before we get to unite our family!
We arrive back in Fort Wayne at 3:40, and we will be so ready to see Landon, Alydia and Eli, and our family waiting to meet our new little Adalynn Yuanke!

Not sure if these will work or not. But, here are 2 videos that we had received a couple of months ago, I have been kind of hiding them for just us to watch..but, think it is time to share them. We will see I am new to this whole posting a video thing:)

Countdown!

We are on the countdown now! We leave for China on Thursday November 29th. It's all getting very real, very fast. Though we had expected to travel over a month ago, it's still hard to believe how close we really are to holding our little Adalynn. We wonder what that day will be like. We are going in with no expectations. While we would love it if it were love at 1st sight for us and for her, we realize that very well may not be the case. Love we have found through adoption, is a CHOICE and that it takes time.

What will Gotcha Day look like..all we really know is that it will be sometime on Sunday Dec 2nd. We know that we fly out of Beijing on Sunday morning...(keep in mind China is 13 hours ahead of us.) We fly into Lanzhou China, in Gansu province. At that point we will most likely go directly to the Civil Affairs office were we will be handed our daughter. It will be a stressful day for all of us, but, especially Adalynn, as she has to make a long..6 hour trip to this city. Everything that she has known will be gone. We are strangers to her, we look different, we smell, different and most imporantly we sound different. As she has probably never heard English before, adn we speak ZERO Chinese...and anything we do learn in the 2 days we are in China before we get her..won't be worth repeating..as Matt seems to pick up on "bad words" in every country we travel to:) LOL!

While we are so excited to pick up our daughter, this situation is a little different. Though her care is through an orphanage, she is actually in a foster home. Adalynn, has not been in an orphanage,per say, which is much better for her, and us in the long run with attachment. However, I can't help but, think of her foster family, as we are counting down the days until we get our precious little girl, they are very well savoring the days they have left. She has been cared for as an only child, by, her foster mom, dad and their adult daughter. In China they could not adopt her because of many factors but, including the fact that they already have one child. We do appreciate that China is providing this type of care, and that they are really looking to the best interest of the children. But, we realize that with our GREAT JOY, we leave behind and take with us sadness and grief. As Adalynn will also grieve the loss of the only life she has ever known.

Here is a picture that I consider a true gift of Adalynn with her foster mother. I don't know if we will have the opportunity to meet her or not. But, I am forever grateful, for this family.

I am so anxious to get my hands on this little sweetie!!! Less than 2 weeks!

Just a few fall pictures of these 3 sweeties! Landon is in the 3rd grade. He is ornery and strong willed, he keeps me on my toes, by I love being his mommy. And yes, at 9 he still calls me "Mommy." Thank Goodness. Landon loves, sports, running, and shooting bow and arrow.

Alydia is just the sweetest little girl. She is so excited to have a new sister. But, she has worries about us leaving. She prays every night that Adalynn, will be able to eat, (she is concerned about her cleft palate), she prays that Adalynn likes our family, and that she comes to love all of the cousins the same as we do. And there are a lot of cousins!

Little Eli is still more concerned with having fun than anything else. He adds a whole new dimension to our family. Just this morning he decided that he would get him self up, get dressed, come downstairs, put on his coat and shoes..all with his eyes closed. Eli loves to sing and dance, he is enjoying preschool. What a blessing he is.

It will be so interesting to see how Adalynn's personality fits into our family. We remember the orphanage telling us that Eli was the loudest most demanding baby in the orphanage. That proved to be very true..which actually fit in just fine, as our house is far from calm. So far we have heard that Adalynn's personality is "optimistic" and quiet...we'll see:)

Panic and Mickey Mouse- Confirmation

I was so excited to her yet another updated photo of our Adalynn. But, with it came some concern. First, I realized why her hair had not grown. They have been shaving it! Secondly I was worried about her head shape. It appears that she has a ridge on the top of her head. I had myself convinced that it was something serious. I panicked! Immediately I sent her pictures to the best Pediatric Infectious Disease doctor that I know, Dr Robyn Schmucher.Robyn got back with me right away. To my great surprise, relief, and joy Robyn was not concerned and thought this was normal, just more obvious because of the shaved head.

Here is the crazy story of just how creative our Creator is...Find the hidden Mickey:) ....

Back way up...Spring Break 2009. What a year. Landon was just learning to walk again after spending most of the past 9 months in a wheelchair. He had surgery in December to attempt to remove his tumor and prevent it from coming back. We had 3 failed referrals for our Ethiopian son. I needed a break from it all. So we took the kids on our first ever trip to Disney World. No Internet all week.

Before we left we were feeling discouraged, and apprehensive about our adoption. I had prayed Lord, please send me ONE picture of Eli where I know he is my "son." I had always heard adoptive parents talking about seeing there child's face and how they just "knew"...We had lots of photos of Eli to this point, but, none of them gave me that confirmation.

When we got home a week later I checked my email, there is it was. I was almost too nervous to open it. Sent on the day we were at the Magic Kingdom was an unopened email from our adoption caseworker, with an updated photos of Eli. There he was..adorable..looking like MY Eli, for the 1st and only photo where he was not wearing something pink..He was wearing Mickey Mouse bibs!! It's just like he was there at Disney with us that day! Too this very day Eli LOVES, and I mean LOVES Mickey Mouse.

Eli was the first too notice the Mickey pillow in the photo of Adalynn that day where I was so concerned. Yes, God is creative with the way he shows me confirmation and he also has a sense of humor!