In Guangzhou

We are here…..Shamien Island…..I LOVE this place!!  We have been having so much fun.  It is so beautiful to just walk around.  They are putting the finishing touches on the Island for the Asian Games which will be held here in November.  This is a VERY big deal!!  We went to Starbuck’s today and Subway….we are such pathetic Americans!!  Micah and Zoe and the rest of our gang went swimming at the beautiful White Swan pool.  It faces the Pearl River and is an oasis!!  Our breakfast buffet each day is AMAZING……..anything and everything……we make it our brunch.  We are doing some shopping, getting the girls some matching dresses and shoes.  Zoe is bringing out her inner Imelda Marcos!  Micah is loving all the little trinkets she is given at the shops and she is quite the shopper, whew!

It has been one week since we met this precious little girl…….what a difference 7 days make!!!  She is one of us now.  So bonded to me and everyone else.  She laughs, plays, sings, and just makes all of our hearts melt!  She is very good and the obstinence we saw early on was a lot of protection and grieving behavior.  She is still quite independent and head strong, but it is channeled in all the right ways.  The one habit we will have to break when we get home is that she wants to co-sleep with me.  She had done better about her crib early on but now that we are so tightly bonded, she will not sleep in the cribs.  (You all know how I feel about co-sleeping so I have only given in to spare the rest of the White Swan guests as well as poor Zoe!!)  Otherwise, she is so flexible with everything else.  I guess I should be flattered…..she would literally crawl inside me if I let her; that is how tight she snuggles.

Micah and Zoe are doing great…….Micah thinks Zoe is just the tops; there is already sibling rivalry on both ends and we get a huge kick out of it!  Right now, they are playing in their band:  Micah on squeeky toy and Zoe on a toy accordian.  Rick is thrilled of course!

I will post more pics tomorrow!

Emotional / Spiritual Day

A more serious post……. Today we had to go to the clinic for medicals and immunizations.  Micah had to get 7 shots.  Not a fun time; but she did very well.  It was a very busy place filled with adoptive parents and their pensive children:  all ages of children, both boys and girls, healthy and unhealthy.  I just became over whelmed at the sight of it all.  I totally felt the Father’s heart for these kids and orphans in general.  I left Rick and Micah and went outside to weep and pray.  I so want my heart to break like His; to feel His love in such purity.  The Spirit of Adoption is such an awesome aspect to what God has doen for us.  He takes us in, regardless of our station in life, and just loves us.  I encourage you to just love somene today; take someone “in” who just may be lonely and weary……you’ll please the Father and be blessed immeasureably!

Touring, Bonding and Plain Old Fun

We have visited some very nice sites here in Nanchang.  It’s been good to get out of the hotel!!  I can’t wait to get home and stop living out of a suitcase!!  We ae enjoying ourselves and Miss Micah has really been attaching….she is now officially a mommy’s girl!!  (And to think that 3 short days ago I was public enemy #1 !)  Zoe is having fun; there is another little girl age 5 with our group and they play together.  Enjoy our pics!

Photos!!

Random pictures!  Getting better everyday!!  Lots more smiles and laughs…she also sings.  She is really bonding with everyone.  She reminds me of Zoe at this stage in the process; she makes sure we are all together when on the group outings.  It is as if she is counting to make sure there are 5 people around her.  Still very cuddly; getting less obstinate.  Rick and I are having to keep an upperhand; she is responding very well to this.  She cracks us up with Monie and Papa; she is already working them and seems to know they are grandma and grandpa.  Very sweet!

My Sissy

I will have to get pictures uploaded from the camera later but had to share these moments.  We didn’t have the camera out when these situations happened but they are so sweet.  Micah gave Zoe a big hug today!!  It was after breakfast and Micah was holding on to my hands and standing.  Zoe came over and Micah got so excited.  She got in the floor by Micah and then dicah sat down and wiggled over to her and climber into her lap and threw her arms around her!  It was priceless!  Zoe was sooooo excited!!  In the afternoon, we were having playtime on the bed with Micah.  She wanted Zoe to play with her and would NOT take no for an answer!!  Zoe was pelted with stacking cups and Micah just laughed and laughed……needless to say, Zoe played with her!  Micah wants Zoe to watch everything she does and wants Zoe’s approval on how “great” her tricks are.  It is hiliarious to watch!!

Discovering the Mysteries of Micah

This child has been a mystery for so long.  The Lord usually keeps His treasures hidden so that we might have the joy of dicovering them!  Here are some things about this wonderful baby girl:

• She is tiny…..wearing 6-9 months; tiny hiny and delicate features
• She is SMART…..too smart,we’re afraid!  She loves to imitate whatever you do and she can figure things out in a snap.  Lord, use the power for good!
• She is quite independent and strong-willed (not a word anyone…haha!!)
• She came to us very spoiled……was definitely loved and doted on and apparently, never told no (she’s already learning she doesn’t like that word!)
• She LOVES to eat!!!  I think she’d eat steak if we’d let her
• She is teething…..has 5 teeth and more on the way.  We brought teething tablets..amen
• She is bonding with all of us; loves her grandparents and is already working it
• Loves to play with Zoe; was “wrestling” with her today
• Did I say she was strong-willed and independent????
• Likes to laugh and make us laugh; she can laugh at herself
• Did not have diapers in foster care (they use split pants) but she is getting used to the idea
• She is a good sleeper, even with the teething
• She is allowing me to comfort her and loves to nestle in my neck and fall asleep in my arms; at the Civil Affairs Office, she reached for me when they had to take a picture by herself!
• She is adorable!  She likes to see herself in the mirror; she likes her clothes; kept a headband on all through breakfast…working on those
• She has very little hair
• Loves the stacking blocks!
• Loves her daddy…she is nestled asleep on him right now; he is asleep, too
• Have I said she is strong-willed and independent???

We love her sooooo much and we are now officially a family of four.  We are eating our meals together in the restaurants and it feels very complete to be together.  Zoe is turning in to the best big sister.  She helps me so much and looks after both me and the baby.  She is handling this great and calls Micah “Sissy”.  We are off to the real Wal-Mart today (unlike the Wu-Mart that Rick went into at Beijing!).  Should be interesting!  More later!!  Love to all!

Our baby!

Miss Micah’s Gotcha Day….the rollercoaster ride!!

Well, we have the Micah!!!  We are IN LOVE…..it is becoming mutual slowly but surely.  We got the phone call at 3:30 (was supposed to be after 4:00!) to come down to the lobby.  (Zoe got the call as I was down in mom’s room taking care of my back!)  We immediately went down and as soon as I looked into the lobby, I saw her.  I would’ve recognized her in a crowd of a million!  She saw me, too, as I approached.  She locked knowing eyes and did not take them away…..I do believe she saw our photos and this was her worst nightmare come true….that white haired, 4 eyed alien does exist and she’s coming to take me away!!!  Micah had an entourage with her:  the director, the oldest daughter from the foster family (where she spent most of her life and had deeply attached,) plus several other folks.  They gave us many pictures and gifts.  They seemed to want to ensure we were going to be good to her and I could tell she was greatly loved!  She was fine until she was handed to me…..then the wails started.  I took her upstairs; thankfully the wails lasted just about 45 minutes.  The whole family was around her and she began to warm up.  By the first hour, we had achieved smiles and belly laughs!  She loves bubbles, stacking cups, rattles and having and audience!  Things went well until the adoption ncoordinator came in to the room about 6:00; that got the wailing started again.  But we made it through and she is taking to me despite her strong-will to want to hate me!  She is very smart (really!) and is quite spoiled.  I am being tested by her and so far am passing.  We had a good night of sleep (well, everyone did but me!); she only woke up once and took a bottle and went to sleep on me (she is a cuddler and I have gotten in MANY kisses!!) and then back into the crib.  For those in the know, she is like her big sister and has now taken a mine unto herself!! (a thin blankie that has been prepared by a combination of her smells and ours.)  We have to go to the Civil Affairs Office today to complete her paperwork.  It is very hot in the offices we are told.  Yuck!!! I will write more later.  Keep praying for peace over Micah and all of us.  We love her to pieces!!!!

Let’s Tour China in the Rain!

What a day…….a full day of touring the sites in Beijing and it has POURED rain all day!!  Don’t know which would be worse:  the high heat and humidity or cool with downpours!  I will try to post pictures tomorrow but just imagine the enitre population of China touring the Forbidden City and they all had umbrellas!!  Yes, busy and umbrellas everywhere!!!!  We had to protect our eyes from the constant threat of guaging!!!  We did make it through and I enjoyed it very much.  I had to laugh at Zoe…here we are in the midst of centuries of Chinese history and culture and she is most impressed with the fact that America’s Next Top Model held a fashion show there and she remembered the exact location where one of the models knocked a man on stilts over!  Waaayyyy to much TV!!!!  She had her camera and was taking tons of pictures of everything…she did enjoy it and was quite the trouper.

Our next stop was to the Jade Factory.  Enjoyed watching them make some pieces and learning about the different types of jade.  Did not enjoy the prices in the shop!! We did get a little souvenir: a small jade ball that actually was 3 balls, all carved out of the same piece of jade.  They said it represented the generations; of course there were 3 generations present and so we HAD to get it!  ($17.00 we can afford!!)

Next stop….yes, it continued…..was to the Friendship Store to eat and of course, shop.  The food was good and plentiful and we did restrain ourselves in the shop.  Dad is quite tempted by a jade pinky ring; I look for him to have one before the trip is over!

Then it was on to the Great Wall; still raining mind you.  Rick and I went up to the “start” of the wall as my back and legs could not take it.  Zoe went with one of our companion families and went past the first tower.  Very impressive!!  She was proud of herself as she should be (and yes, she has the t-shirt to prove it!).  We were quite taken with the mountains today.  Very green and majestic and with the clouds hovering by, it was breathtaking!

We finished the day by driving through Olympic village.  Cool architecture!  Once back at the hotel, we dried off and went to eat at a local Chinese buffet.  I had to revisit my assumption that the buffets in America are “americanized”.  This buffet had all the same items plus freshly popped caramel popcorn!!!  We loved the pizza, french fries and fried biscuits….forget the salad bar when you can eat all that fried stuff!!!!!

We leave tomorrow morning at the ungodly hour of 5:45 am to get to the airport to catch our flight to take us to Nanchang.  We get Miss Micah tomorrow afternoon.  Zoe celebrated tonight as our “last night as a family of 3”.  She is very excited to meet Micah and be a big sister!  Well, I hear 2 people snoring so that is my cue to say goodnight!

We Are In China…..

Yep, we are in China…..no comment on the plane ride over on United.  We are all exhausted but can’t wait until Sunday!!!!!  Zoe seems very proud to be visiting her birth country.  People have been very nice!!!!  After a good nights sleep (declaring this over us all!), we will tour Beijing sites tomorrow.  Good night……….

Countdown has begun…..!!

We leave in less than 3 days!!  I think we are ready….too late if we aren’t!!  We are VERY excited!  Just want to get there and hold that baby…….