A few new Pics...... Life is still really busy around here, but I know how much I enjoy sitting down and catching up (ie - blog stalking) on other's sites, so I wanted to take a moment to add afew we have taken over the holiday weekend. We hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving. Looking forward to posting at length again real soon.
I first must apologize to all you blog stalkers out there.....for a good stretch we had a new post everyday and now it has been several days. SO SORRY.....life has been busy as we have learned to live as a family of 4, on jet lag and with the holidays vastly approaching. The weekend went well. Aside from the fatigue of jet lag, which seems to haunt us each night....we are really adjusting well. Naomi fits into our family as if she has ALWAYS been here. Her sweet personality and demeanor has been so great to get to know. WE LOVE HER!!! Nate has done really well adjusting to being a big brother. He would like to say "we are just hanging out while Naomi takes a nap, and I am doing OK with being big brother". We are still waiting to hear from the cardiologist regarding Naomi's heart procedure. We are thinking it will likely be in a week or two. Please be in prayer for her. The ONLY thing we need right now is SLEEP, and I know so many of you have been there and done that....adding a new baby to your family and adjusting to a whole new routine. We will get there and, for now, are trying to savor those late nights and early mornings as time to bond with Naomi and let her know how much we LOVE her!! Happy Thanksgiving Week. Much love from the Fenwick Four
The past two days have been wonderful, and exhausting as we are trying to adapt to a new time zone (13 hour difference), a new baby, a 4 year old who wants to stay up ALL night and watch movies and eat, wonderful visitors who have come to visit Naomi and bring yummy food, laundry, dishes, etc.... Today Noami saw a pediatric cardiologist and after a new ECO we have learned that she does indeed have stenosis of both the aortic and pulmonic valves. The pulmonic valve will need a balloon cath procedure (inpatient) sometime following Thanksgiving and the aortic valve will need to be replaced, hopefully several years from now, but we'll know more after the first procedure. As for the exact date of the surgery, we will know more next week. Please be in prayer for lil Naomi as we start this road of healing for her heart. She is such a blessing to us!! We love her so much and thank God for her. Pictures to come soon, after the sleep deprivation wares off and our 2 kids decide to sleep at night instead of during the day.
It is about 4Am here in Guangzhou and I have been up for a while now. I have bathed this travel day in prayer and feel such a peace about our day (s) ahead. Thank you, family and friends, for your prayers. They are sustaining us! The consulate appointment went well yesterday! We are thankful for a flawless time there. We have Naomi's VISA and we are good to go!!! No pictures from the appointment as we had to check our camera in before we entered. See you in Louisville!!!!!!!!!!
Today is our last day here in Guangzhou...we can't believe we are boarding our plane in the morning!!! WOW - this time has flown by and now we prepare to come home. We have our Consulate appointment this afternoon then plan to enjoy walking around the island this evening and, or course, pack up to leave the hotel early in the morning. We will be heading to Beijing for a long layover, then boarding the long flight to Chicago. We would be delighted to have you come to the airport to meet Naomi. We land in Louisville around 8:20pm on the 19th!! We'll write more this evening about the appointment, letting you know how it went.
We are beginning to think about our travels home!! Tomorrow is our last full day here in Guangzhou...we cannot believe 2 1/2 years in the waiting is now coming to an end and a whole new chapter is just beginning, with our sweet china doll. Today was a great day for our family. We all got a great night's rest (which always helps) and Naomi seemed very relaxed and happier today. Not only have we discovered that she prefers the toilet, but also that she prefers I feed her with chopsticks!!! Our guide took us to a local chinese restaurant today for lunch and she chowed down, better than she has eaten since we got her. We could not believe it....I can barely use chopsticks myself...so it took a lot of tries to get it into her mouth, but she loved it!!! Boy, do I need some practice. Tomorrow is a big day for Naomi. We head to the US Consulate for a "Swearing In Ceremony" and to get her VISA. We ask for prayer that these 2 appointments go smoothly, as we have to make it through this (and fully expect to) in order to travel home. Naomi will officially become a US citizen once we land in Chicago!!!! Have a blessed day. We'll write more soon.
Just wanted to share that we think we have a 12 month old potty trained baby girl!!! Her diaper has been dry for several days now, really mostly since we got her, and the wet diapers were because I had not figured out her system. AMAZING is all I can say! She loves to go too. We sit her on the potty and whistle and she goes!!
Some have asked about Naomi's heart condition, which classifies her as a "Special Needs" baby. Naomi has been diagnosed with Stenosis of the Aortic and Pulmonic Valves. Her heart valves are slow to open and close. It was discovered by her heart murmur, evident when listening to her heart with a stethoscope. Further testing revealed more details of the severity, but those were done several months ago. We are not sure what the future holds for her in regards to intervention. Potentially we are facing surgery upon return to the states, and there is also a possibility she will never need surgery. We will know more at our appointment with the cardiologist when we get home. I must say it is very difficult to believe she is "sick"....she seems so healthy and is thriving!!! Please be in prayer that the Lord will 100% heal her heart!!!!!
...and He is moving in the hearts of people in Guangzhou. We had the privelage of attending church this morning on the island. The service was held in both chinese and english. The worship was great and it was SO incredible to hear those around us praising the Lord in their language. You could feel the Spirit.....on a side note, Naomi was a bit restless as we were singing, and when they started singing in chinese, she would stop and listen....sounds like she has already been exposed to the love of Jesus and we are thankful to continue that journey for her. AMEN!!
Lastnight Naomi had a bit of a rough night. She woke up twice in the night screaming and crying, practically inconsolable. We tried a bottle, rocking, etc...she just was very uncomfortable. She did begin tugging on her ear a bit and has had some congestion (slight) for a day or two, so we started her on some medicine we brought with us. Pray for healing before we travel home. Joel is also under the weather, with a cold, achiness and sore throat. Please pray for him as well.
We have been out and about much more in this province. They have little shops everywhere!!! We are encouraged to barter with them as much as we can. I have had fun doing that!!! I feel as though I am saving us so much money!!! At least, I'd like to think so.
My heart has been heavy today for some of the families we have met and seen in the hotel and on the island. Some of these children are very sick, some face serious upcoming surgeries and some are older and have a a lot of baggage to heal from and a language barrier that will take time to learn. Not sure where this is leading to (with the thoughts I have had) but I sense that a ministry is needed for the americans who come to the island for the 5-6 days while their paperwork is being processed in order to travel home. There are so many issues and concerns with each child - bonding, eating, health concerns, sleeping problems, etc. Our guides are helpful. and we are thankful for them. I just sense another level of help is needed. Again, no idea whre this might lead to in the future, just thinking out loud.
Please keep the prayers and encouragement coming our way. We are so very thankful to each of you!!!!! May God bless your Sunday!!!
I must tell you that the first "hard" part of our trip was, well, rather difficult. Yesterday as we were packing the room up, both children started itching like crazy. Naomi has a rash on her torso and Nate just started scratching a lot. We had some Benadryl with us which seemed to help, or just knock em out...but either way, they felt better. We were able to stop by the jade factory and purchase a jade bracelet for Naomi, one to give her when she gets older. It is SO beautiful! Our flight to Guangzhou was, well, interesting. Within 10 minutes both kids had taken all the paper in the back of the seats and it was everywhere. And Naomi screamed for about half the flight...off and on. A bit concerned about the long leg home next week...but we are taking this one day and a time. We all slept very well lastnight. In fact we got up at 6am, the latest we have slept all week. Naomi has been in a great mood, loved breakfast (consisting of crackers, boiled egg, rice krispies, and a muffin) and Nate did as well (waffles, eggs ,and juice). There are american families everywhere at this hotel. All with cute little chinese babies. We LOVE it.....talking and connecting with them has lifted our spirits. We are all the more thankful for this journey. We are off to the doctor's office this morning for Naomi's routine check up before receiving her VISA on Monday morning at the US Consulate office. Then we get to walk around this beautiful island!!!!! We'll write more later today. Keep the prayers and notes coming!! We need them very much.
We arrived in Guangzhou about an hour ago....safe and sound. The flight was interesting with 2 tired, hungry children and if any indication of what's to come on our journey home, well, we need A LOT of prayer!!!!! The luggage took a bit to come in and then we waited at the hotel lobby for our room to be ready. They appear very busy right now. The hotel is AWESOME....nothing like we have ever stayed in before. We cannot wait to venture out tomorrow.....and see the island!!! Right now, we are attempting to put the kiddos to bed, Naomi in our bed and Nate on a pallet on the floor. We are all very tired from our day of travel, and thankful to have a cool room, a warm bed, a beautiful view, and 2 beautiful children!!! AMEN? Tomorrow we are heading to the doctor to have Naomi examined. Sounds pretty brief and they probably will not go into a whole lot of detail. We also have an appointment with the cardiologist the Friday we return to the states.
(Joel Typing) Today we spent the morning inside until about 1:00. We visited the Yellow Crane Tower. After which, we had a traditional Chinese tea ceremony just below the tower. Our stay in Wuhan is just about over. Tomorrow we get Naomi's passport and head to Guanghzou, China and the White Swan hotel. Guanghzou is home to the US consulate to China and the final stop on this amazing experience in China.
We are very tired and hoping to get plenty of rest tonight (please pray Naomi sleeps longer tonight). Naomi is bonding well with Lee-Anne and loves kissing Nate. Nate is not about being kissed on, so we make him be still while Naomi unloads some very slobbery kisses. The picture up top is of Naomi soothing herself. She pokes the tip of her tongue out and licks her palm. It's also a quick indication she's tired.
People, the comments have dropped off a little bit, we might have to start with-holding pictures of Naomi. Seriously, the notes have been very encouraging and we cherish them.
I have been wanting to blog since yesterday morning, but it seemed everytime I had a moment, there was something else to do that needed more attention than the computer.....so here are some random thoughts, observations, etc that I tried to remember (in my sleep deprived state) and some answers to some of your questions - YES, the bears are very real in the video - strange, we agree....almost too weird to watch. We are on the 17th floor of a high rise hotel. We have a beautiful view outside our window, that we enjoy early in the morning or late at night only - when we can open the curtains. Our room, which has no AC,, is about 75-80 degrees. It is warm - even warmer when we open the curtains. It is about 10 by 20 foot in dimensions. We have a bed, twin bed and crib....oh, and lots of luggage and baby gear. YES, we feel the walls closing in on us. However, we would be hopefully bonding and resting this much if we were at home, so we have no complaints. This is forcing us to be together and spend undivided attention before our "real lives" kick back in next week. As much as I long for home, I know this time will pass quickly and I want to be in the moment. Yesterday was one of my hardest days yet. I think Naomi was mourning her foster mom and, thankfully, was bonding with me at the same time. About 2pm or so, she decided she only wanted me to hold her...all the time, even when she slept. I relished the moment....I did not realize how much we had not bonded until yesterday. I am thankful for the day, but I will say at the end of it, I was ready to sleep for days. We got a restful night, up at 4:45AM, all 4 of us. We are not quite adjusted to this 13 hour time change. It has been pretty typical for us to be ready for bed about 8 or 9pm and up by 5:30 at the very latest. At home, I never see those hours, but here we feel good and rested. The hotel provides a very nice continental buffet style breakfast starting at 6:30, and we are there by 7 each morning, ready to chow down. I am always hungry, I guess because my body is not adjusted. We have 2-4 waiters just for our table. They enjoy watching Nate and try to talk to him each morning. Tpday we let him take a toy to breakfast and he walked around sharing it with all the waiters. Nate has eaten well. He eats best at breakfast, I guess we all do. Lunch is not so great (I usually bring along some peanut butter crackers) and dinner is hit or miss. Lastnight was fun. Joel took Nate out to find some american junk food and bread so we could just eat in the room. He found some pringles, snickers and deli bread so I made Peanut butter sandwiches and we ate those. It was nice to stay in.... Today we are staying here at the hotel until 2:30 or so, when our guide will pick us up to go the the Yellow Crane Tower. It is a tourist site and we are looking forward to going. Tomorrow we asked for a late checkout and at noon we are hoping to head to a Jade Factory and then to the airport to fly to Guangzhou. We are very much looking forward to the next leg of our trip. Nate has learned how to say several words in chinese......he mostly says hello and thank you. He can say mommy, daddy and big brother as well. How fun is this?? When will we ever get this opportunity again. May we eat this UP!! We really cannot express on a computer screen the emotion and gratefulness we feel to you for praying for us, encouraging us, and loving us through this journey. Your words and prayers and sustaining us. There are A LOT of great moments we are having, and also some down moments when I open the computer to find a note that lifts my spirits. Keep em coming!!!
Both Nate and Naomi are taking naps and Lee-Anne just got in from a Chinese foot massage.
answers to questions: •We have a room with a king size bed, roll-out bed for Nate, and a crib for Naomi. •The food is very good, nothing like in the States. Nate is having a hard time with the local food, he's been eating a lot of peanut butter and crackers. Naomi likes white rice, hot bottles, fruit, and breads. •The people of China are very friendly and genuine. •Americans are given very special treatment. Example at dinner and breakfast, we have 2 waiters, while some barely have 1. •It's in the 60's during the day and 40's at night.
We had a few firsts today! Joel went out at lunch time to find some food and bottled water (we cannot drink the tap water here). SO, I had both kids for an hour and a half, It was nice binding time, we played and laughed and talked - we repeat our names to her often (Me - MAMA, Joel - BABA, Nate - GUGAI (big brother).
Also, while Naomi napped this afternoon, I went out on my own to try and find a baby carrier or stroller for her as we are sight seeing tomorrow and Thursday. It was quite the adventure I must say!! I only went about 1 mile from the hotel. I was aiming for a department store, but stopped at a few along the way. SO many people walking around ALL the time, everyday. I DID see a lot of food vendors, men and women of all ages, dogs, 1 pregnant woman. I DID NOT see a single overweight person, anyone arguing, any car wrecks - amazingly enough, or any litter at all. VERY different from home in many ways. The department store was much like ours at home, complete with the latest fashions, sales, make-up, and shoes. I was not able to find a carrier that would fit her (SO wish we would have brought one suitable for a bigger baby), so I bought a little stroller. Yesterday she was not a fan of one, but we are sight seeing for hours tomorrow and we simply cannot carry her for that long.
This morning, after the adoption was complete, we had a seamstress come to our room and measure Naomi and I for traditional chinese dresses. I opted for a jacket, cause the ladies dresses had very high slits on the sides....we are way excited to see Naomi in hers!!!! Pics to come when the dress is compete. We also hope to visit a jade factory here in Wuhan. It is traditional for a mother to give her daughter a jade bracelet either in her teenage years or for her wedding, or for both. We hope to find some gifts for her for monumental moments in her life.
A few of you have asked about Naomi's specifics. Some things we have noticed: •She can crawl, but prefers to stay close to us. •She will go after a toy or ball if we go first. •She can pull up a little bit, onto the bed. •She is (as of today) responding to "Na-Na" - our nick name for her. If we say her name, she will turn and respond to us. •She is VERY smart - we have played a few games with her that we play with Nate and she got them right!! Amazing..... •She has a good appetite. She ate very well yesterday, but today has eaten less (we think she is tired). •She takes a scalding hot bottle twice a day - morning and night. It has rice and milk powder in it. Today at the adoption, I asked the orphanage director if she would see why Naomi would not take her bottle this morning. She took one look and said not enough powder.....I had brought an extra bottle from home that she used to remake the bottle. She cut the nipple with scissors and added boiling water (from the tea maker) to the bottle. Naomi sucked it down.....I could barely hold the bottle it was so hot!!!
She adores Nate and Joel!! So sweet to watch her look for them. This morning she sucked on Joel's nose, it was cute....and this afternoon she leaned over and gave Nate a slobbery kiss on his mouth. I'd love to say Nate embraced her and laughed and LOVED it, but he got all grossed out and started yelling for her to stop. He also declared a spot in our small hotel room as a "no girls zone".....and the sibling rivalry has already started!!!
It's been a great day! Thankful for our outing tomorrow to the zoo. Nate has deserved something he wants to do.....love his heart, he has stepped aside in a major way to allow Naomi into our family....we are happy he gets a fun outing.
Off to eat some dinner - likely in the hotel tonight. Sometimes we venture out, but tonight I think we will stay in. We are ready to come home!!!! 9 days and counting.
We had a very peaceful, restful night last night. Naomi took her scalding hot (the way she likes it) bottle and went right to sleep. AMAZING!! I laid her in her crib, she fussed for about 30 seconds, then fell fast asleep. During the night she woke up, sat up in her crib and I could not resist but to pick her up and bring he into our bed.....Such a sweet moment. She laid there, very quietly and played with her feet and my hands, the fell back to sleep til around 5AM. She woke up between Joel and me and laid there quietly and played. She says Baba (daddy) and mama (mommy) all the time!!! Off to the adoption agency to ADOPT NAOMI!!! Much love and we'll write more soon.
Praise God for a wonderful, perfect day!!! We are in awe of HIS answered prayers. Our morning started out very calm and stress free. We enjoyed some family time, had a nice breakfast (where Nate was, once again, doted over and had his own waitress to get him juice and whatever else he needed). We then went to the adoption office and learned that she had not yet arrived. So our guide, being very efficient, had us start the paperwork that will finalize the adoption tomorrow. I was filling out the paperwork then a small group of people walked in the room where we were and I heard "Huang Chun Yuan".....I immediately got up to see if I heard right and THERE SHE WAS....looking all around checking things out. After a few minutes the director came over and took her form the lady's arms and gave her to me......and the rest was history.....I MELTED!! She was all smiles and laughs....NO sadness was evident at all, from anyone. A few times the lady who brought her in took her back to love on her. I then found out that she was her foster mother...whom we were told we would not meet, that it was against the rules. I was exstatic!!! I prayed to meet her in person to thank her and allow her to see my joy and emotion over Naomi, to relieve any stress or sadness she may have felt otherwise. God answered that prayer!!!! The rest of the morning and afternoon has been quite the same...full of joy and laughter. Naomi seems very laid back. She loves to eat. We celebrated at McDonalds for lunch and she had bread, cheese and french fries. She then fell asleep in Joel's arms as we walked around trying to find a store with diapers. She only cried once when we tried to put her in a rented stroller...she wanted no part of it!!! We gladly picked her up and held her. In fact, we have not had her out of our arms. Do you blame us? Naomi is MUCH taller than we had expected. She weighs at least 25 pounds, if not more. The clothes we brought for her, for the most part, are too small. Funny, I packed about 5 different times for her and I should have trusted my instinct.....and stuck with the first batch of bigger clothes. Oh well, 10 days and we are home!! The countdown begins!! Tomorrow we finalize the adoption...our paperwork is complete, we just have to go back to the office and pay the orphanage fees, etc and then it is DONE! We then apply for her VISA, etc. We love you and are so thankful for the ANSWERED prayers!! God is good, may this day be a testimony to you of HIS love and power.....ALL glory be to God.
Wuhan this morning out our window on the 17th floor
Too excited to sleep!!!
Its 6:30Am here, we have been up since 5:30Am...all 3 of us....just too excited this morning. Thankful for the sleep that we did get. Nate slept 8 hours straight, the best since we have arrived.We are hoping to be post as soon as we get back to the hotel...but are not sure what time that will be. Know that we know that you are eagerly waiting for a picture (or two). As well, we are really wanting to share.......SO, as soon as we can will be posting!!!!Much love from 3 very excited Fenwicks.
We enjoyed a day at Tieneman Square and a traditional chinese meal with our guide and driver. It was a nice, more relaxing day today. We spent the remainder of the afternoon and evening traveling to Wuhan, Hubai....where Naomi is!!!! WOW - it got all the more emotional and real as we drove the hour through the town...we are hours away!!!! Praise Jesus for this journey and for the days to come. Our guide has been doing this for 8 years and seems very experienced and comfortable with helping us as much as possible. We are meeting him at 9:30Am (8:30PM Louisville time) to go and meet Naomi at the adoption office (not the institute). The hotel is 15 minutes away from the office...good thing, cause I could not handle much more!! Once we have her in our arms, we will have time to bond, etc then travel to the local store for formula, etc. (and likely a heavy coat for her, it is 20 degrees colder than the weather predicted when we packed last week). All is well. We are very tired, this is later than we have stayed up since we got here. We are settling in, getting our paperwork together and heading to bed....our last night as a family of 3!!!!!!!!!!
Lastnight we got some rest and are thankful for a new day. I woke up this morning and thought "these are my labor pains, and they have begun". Lack of sleep can be difficult to overcome...on our own...but this is another way the Lord is reminding us of our need for HIM. I must say everything has gone SO smoothly and we are very thankful for that. This morning we had another very yummy breakfast and enjoyed a walk around the area, complete with a stop at the local grocery. Nate is truly an attraction everywhere we go. He LOVES it (and has learned how to talk in Chinese - saying hello, thank you, mama, dada, brother, and sister - he calls Chinese "Spanish") We continue to be amazed at how well he is doing. He eats well, sleeps well, and has not noticed even a hint of the cultural and language barrier we are beginning to see. Today we are headed to Tieneman Square and the Forbidden City. We have communicated to our wonderful guide that we are very tired and he has changed our plans to only seeing a few things so we are not so worn out as we board the plane this afternoon. We should arrive at the Beijing Airport at 3pm, 2AM Louisville time. Looking forward to the next part of our journey, a new city, and most importantly, NAOMI!!! We thought we had lost our charger for the video camera and had a moment of sadness (that we would not be able to record the moment) but we found it and are currently charging it. What a journey this has been, and it is only beginning. We cannot express to you how much your words of encouragement mean to us. Being halfway around the world in a life-changing moment, we NEED you and thank the Lord for your role in our journey. As you begin your day today, please pray for our family: for safe travels today, for continued renewed strength (physically, spiritually and physically). We love you all. Looking forward to the morning!! In less than 24 hours, we will have our sweet "Na-Na" in our arms FOREVER. Nate cannot wait. He asks often when we will get her. We'll post again as we arrive in Hubai later this evening (8Am Louisville time).
Today was a very busy day!! We technically woke up at 1AM, 2AM and for good at 5AM....Nate and I were starving at 1Am so we got up and had some snacks then went back to bed......5Am came and we went ahead and got up for the day. Needless to say, we are having a hard time adjusting to this 13 hour time difference....but we are confident that we will. This morning we visited The Great Wall and it was fascinating! How surreal to be climbing this incredible piece of history! Nate was a trooper...in fact, I was more scared (of the steep steps) than he was. We climbed until we could climb no more (the handrails ended). We enjoyed that a lot, and it even snowed at the end! We then went to lunch at a local restaurant and browsed around at a store nearby. Nate was quite a hit everywhere we went. Girls would just come up and start taking pictures and picking him up and hugging him......he loved every minute! We also got to visit Summer Palace today. Our guide knew a lot of history about the emporers and the living quarters....it was very interesting......and HUGE!!! We walked the majority of it. We also got to visit a few Olmypic venues which was so awesome!! We are currently hanging out in our hotel room....we were off to have some dinner and Nate fell on the sidewalk, so we opted to come back in and get him some ice for his bump on his head (which is now fine) and eat in the room. He made it til about 7:15 local time and crashed. Joel and I are so proud of him....he has been quite the trooper this whole trip!! He woke up this morning and first thing wanted to know WHEN we would get Naomi. Tonight has been a bit more challenging....physically and emotionally. Fatigue is starting to set in and we have another very long day tomorrow of sight seeing and a flight to Hubai. Joel called our guide tonight and asked if we could have a later check out and lighten our day tomorrow (after I completely broke down in fear that I would be this exhausted when we went to get Naomi Monday). I am just so tired and don't want to be THIS tired when we get our baby!! I hope he understood and more that he is not offended, but after the level of fatigue we feel right now and the height of emotion I am going through, we felt it best to try and not do as much as today (today was 9 hours straight of sight seeing, with 4 hours of that riding in bumper to bumper traffic) All I got for now. Please pray fo physical and emoional rest tonight as we prepare for a long day tomorrow and BIG day Monday. Much love from Beijing!
After a LOOOONG flight and journey to our hotel (Friday night rush hour in Beijing), we made it!!!!!!We felt the prayers all the way here. Some of you must have been burning the midnight oil on our behalf. We all did GREAT in the flight. Literally, our ONLY panic moment was when we boarded the plane and could not find the TV's....we really thought we were in for a LONG ride without the TV's.....we had promised Nate he would be able to watch movies and he was so looking forward to that!!! Needless to say, we found them underneath our seats! WHEW!!!!Nate ate well, slept some and was very content to play, watch movies and hang with the crew......Joel and I did great as well. The food was very yummy and we had LOTS of leg room due to the fact that our seats were the front row of that section. The lady to my left in the photo was funny...she spoke not a word of english and did not understand the meaning of personal space.....so I had HER and NATE all up in my seat.....:)Our guide, Scott, met us outside of customs and took us to our hotel for the evening. We are all pretty tired and have an early day tomorrow as we will be driving 1 1/2 hours to see the Great Wall and a few other AWESOME sites close by!! We are excited. We'll post more tomorrow. Much love from Beijing!!
We had a decent night's sleep.....stayed up late talking, packing and trying to remember things I was fearful we would forget (you know us women). We woke at 5am and had a very smooth morning.....Nate woke on his own at 5:30....he told me lastnight that he would know when to wake up.....he was SO excited. Our good friend Jason came to take us to the airport, which was SO nice seeing as it was quite early. Our flight from Louisville to Chicago was smooth. I sat next to Nate (who has not flown in a few years and loved every minute) . It also helped ease my anxiety of flying, focusing my attention on him. He did ask where the TV's were, and we explained that the TV's are on our next flight. We are currently sitting in Chicago O'Hare at a children's playground (LIFESAVER).....so we can rest and wait for our next flight, 12:30pm Chicago time. I am feeling much better today. That stomach bug wiped me out!!! Still no appetite, but hoping that comes back quickly. Joel is doing great. More to come as we land in Beijing TOMORROW night.....that's right, folks, LONG 2 days ahead of us. But all worth it when we get our hands on those sweet cheeks......can't wait, but we have to wait, so while we wait, we'll wait in HIS arms......resting on HIS promises.
November 7 - Arrive in Beijing November 8 - Visit Summer Palace and Great Wall November 9 - Visit Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden City, Visit Local family Fly to Hubai that evening November 10 - 8am - Bus to Civil Affairs Office to meet Naomi!! November 11 - Visit Yellow Crane Tower November 12 - Visit Local Zoo November 13 - Visit Stone Collection Garden November 14 - Fly to Guangzhou November 15 - Get Visa Photo for Naomi/Medical Check-Up November 16 - Visit Local church and zoo November 17 - SHOP!!! November 18 - US Consulate November 19 - FLY HOME!!!!! Arriving United Airlines Flight from Chicago, arriving around 8:20pm
As I type, we are closing in on 3 days from leaving home and boarding a HUGE plane to a whole nother world waiting for us. This weekend has been bitter sweet....many "lasts" as we try and enjoy time with "just Nate" (some of you who have multiple children can hopefully relate). We spent time with family and friends as we joyfully talked of our upcoming week ahead. This morning was an incredible morning for all 3 of us. Our Adult Bible Fellowship Class had a special time of prayer for us and Naomi. It was emotional but VERY much helped us to set the tone and focus of our trip on HIM. HE created Naomi, HE provided Naomi, and HE has destined her to be our forever daughter. To HIM be the glory and ALL praise goes to HIM for this gift. The next few days are not very scheduled for us. On purpose, we have opted to be here as much as possible, packing, resting, etc (trying to prevent getting sick, if that is even possible). We are doing great. I am happy to report we are not stressed or worried or uptight about this journey. We feel very much at peace; again, giving all glory to God for answered prayer. Please continue to join us in praying for the departure day (11/6) and the days that will follow (6-19). Please pray for: Naomi, as her world will completely change on Nov 10 Protection of health and safety as we depart, fly, drive, and walk Quick bonding once we receive Naomi Nate - our 4 year old who is going with us - please pray for his little heart as he embraces Naomi Much love from our family to yours!
