Medical Appointment and First Meltdown, March 31, 2017

Today we had our mandatory medical examination. This appointment is required for all immigrants. Also, any child over the age of two is required to get a TB test. The appointment consists of four different stations that could be done in any order. We did the following: 1) Vitals including height, weight, blood pressure, color blindness test and eye exam, 2) ENT 3) General screening/physical and 4) Blood draw (which is how they do the TB test too). When we walked in, our guide escorted us to the section of the medical office label for Adoptive families only. The area looked chaotic but actually ran pretty smoothly. It was a small area with waiting room chairs and many, many families all there with their newly adopted children of various ages. When we got her vitals, she was 129 cm tall, and 27 kg in weight. Thats about 4' 2" and almost 60 pounds. She passed the color blindness test and the eye exam but they did determine that she favors her left eye quite a bit and cannot see as well out of her right eye. Also, for the color blindness test, they wanted her to trace the "hidden" shape with her finger. She could see the shape (showing that she's not color blind), but she had trouble tracing the shape with her finger. The ENT screening was so fast, I'm not even sure what they did. I know she had her open her mouth to see her throat, but that's the only thing I remember happening in that station. The general screening was what the typical pediatrician asks (can she walk alone, dress herself, etc). Then she stripped her down to her underwear and examined her legs, back and took her pulse and respirations. Then it was time for the blood draw. I was dreading this part the most because I expected this to be the first time we saw her distressed so far...but then they told us we aren't allowed in that room. The child goes in alone, they do their thing and then the door opens and they bring your child out to you. The little girl before us came out crying unconsolably. Fortunately, Cheyenne wasn't phased in the slightest! The nurses told us she was the best kid they had all day. :)
When we get home, we will have an appointment at Cincinnati Childrens International Adoption Clinic. That will be a 4 hour appointment but they will redo all of the above and have her examined by a PT, OT and Speech Therapist. They will then recommend the best course of treatment needed (if any) for her.

When we got back from the appointment, we ate a quick lunch and took a walk down the street to the department store. We plan to go swimming tomorrow and wanted to try to find a swimming ring for her to use. We are assuming she has never been in a swimming pool before. By the end of the walk, Cheyenne was so tired, she made Daddy carry her the majority of the way back to the hotel. Since she was so tired, we decided to try to give her a short nap. When we got her, the orphanage staff told us that she normally takes a nap from 12-2 everyday. We haven't been following that same schedule but she was visibly tired, so we figured it would help.

Once we were back in the room, I had her go potty and when she came out, I had closed the door to our bedroom and drew the cutains mostly closed. I told ehr we were going to lay down for a short nap. She was not happy with this and started running to the door and calling for Baba. I grabbed her and carried her into the bed and told her she needed a nap and Mama would lay with her. She complied but then started crying. At first she was trying to fight the tears, but then i stroked her face and said "It's ok honey, please don't cry.", she just lost it. The tears starting falling and she did the heavy studdered breathing thing and my heart broke into a million pieces! I tried to snuggle and comfort her, but she didn't want to. I knew she wanted daddy and I was torn between complying to comfort her and not giving in to a temper tantrum. I didn't know if the tears were from being tired, overstimulated, the grieving process, or a combination of all. I decided five days into our relationship was not the time to get into a power struggle with her so I got Kevin and asked him to lay with us too. Of course he obliged and when she saw him coming in, she started ctying more...and my heart broke more, and that's when the dam finally broke for me too. All of the emotions that I had been fighting for the past few days came pouring out and I was now also crying a river of tears (poor Kevin). Kevin got a small towel from the bathroom her to wipre her face. She wiped her face and then wiped mine. We then all laid down together. She cried a soft cry for a few more minutes but then fell asleep. I just laid there and watched her sleep for the next hour. I felt so bad for being the one to trigger her first meltdown. Kevin did his best to convince me that it wasn't me and that she was just overstimulated. I was panicked thinking she may withdraw from me moving forward. Fortunately, after her nap, she was back to her normal self and we were clearly still buddies.

Later we went to dinner with the agency's China rep, Richard. Then we took a walk to get some ice cream and came back to the hotel. I gave Cheyenne another bubble bath. Bath time seems to a time when she and I bond the most.

Now she is playing Play-Doh with the boys again and I'm so relieved she is back to her normal self.

Tomorrow we will have mostly a pool day. We have an appointment with our guide at 4:30 to go through some paperwork needed for our Consulate appointment on Wednesday. Then we are all going on the Pearl River boat cruise.

Orphanage Visit and Arrival in Guangzhou, March 29 and 30, 2017

Yesterday, we woke up early to meet our guide. We were all going to tak e a four hour train ride to Shiyan City - the city where Cheyenne was born, abandoned and lived in the orphanage. On the way to the train station we had our guide tell Cheyenne that we were all going to visit her orphanage but that she would be saying good-bye to her friends and returning with Mama and Baba. She seemed to understand but got visibly nervous after the guide told her where we were going.

To those of you following along everyday, I apologize for not posting anything. The visit to the orphanage was a very long and emotionally draining day. I had to mentally process everything I saw and felt, and wasn't ready to express it in words yet.

The train station arrived in Shiyan City about 11:45am. The orphanage director met us at the train station and took us to lunch. We had lunch with her and three other directors. The lunch was an authentic Chinese meal, complete with  beef curd (yuk!). The directors were very impressed with how well Cheyenne was attaching to all of us. At one point Cheyenne had to go to the bathroom. One of directors jumped up to take her, but she grabbed my hand and refused to let the director take her.

After lunch, we went to the orphanage. We had to walk past a metal gate and guard shack. Then we were greeted outside by all the nannies and teachers. There was a small jungle gym outside in front of the building. The boys and Cheyenne played there for a few minutes. Nathan chased her around while she screeched "like a girl" and came running to hide behind me. Then Casey would "protect" her from him and pull her away...and the chase continued. I managed to get a snipit of it on video.

Now it was time to go inside. While walking into the building, one of the nannies said to Cheyenne "Why don't you stay here with us.". All of the staff laughed and then the guide translated to us. We did not appreciate it but didn't think much of it at that point, knowing she meant it as a joke. Once inside, the first thing I noticed is how clean, but stale everything looked. It had a very hospital like feel to it. There were long coridoors with doors on one side and windows on the other. They had a video prepared that they wanted us to watch. They escorted us to the sitting room. On the way to the sitting room we passed some rooms with labels on them. One was labeled as the clinic. Another was labeled as an "Isolation Room". I didn't ask what the purpose of that room was because I didn't wnat to know the answer. Since it was next to the clinic, I'm hoping it is where they treat very contagious illnesses, but even if that's true, it was a fast reminder of how unlike a family environment that would be. It was at this point when I really started to get emotional but I was trying desperately to hide it. We went into the sitting room to watch the video. It was a slide show of pictures of the children and the various outings they have taken them to. They believe that taking the children out on field trips is good for their mental development.

As the slideshow was playing, we were all talking (through our guide). The director introduced us to all of the staff who were present, including the nanny who has taken care of Cheyenne from day one. I took a couple of pictures of Cheyenne with her nanny and then I couldn't contain my emotions any more. I started to cry a little and Cheyenne grabbed a tissue and came to me and wiped the tears away. :) The nanny said (multiple times) things like, "Why don't you just stay with us?" and "Are you sure you want to go with Mama and Baba". I could tell that this made Cheyenne uncomfortable becuase she instantly pulled away from her and came and sat on my lap for the remainder of the slideshow. When the slide show was over, the director convinced Cheyenne to do a traditional Chinese dance for all of us. I managed to capture it on video too.

We then left the sitting room and went to see a room with the history of the orphanage in it (kind of like a museum). There was artwork done by the kids laying on some tables. They pointed out a piece done by Cheyenne. I couldn't take it, but I was allowed to take a picture of it. On one of the walls, there was the shape of China made up of a collage of children's faces of kids in the orphanage. Two of them were Cheyenne from two different years, several years ago. The director was very impressed at my abilty to recognize her when she asked. I told her it was maternal instinct. :) During the time we spent in this area, the nanny who cared for Cheyenne kept trying to position herself next to Cheyenne. She kept saying the things she had been saying earlier and I was starting to get annoyed. I didn't say anything at this point, because as we looked around, we could tell the Cheyenne was clearly a favorite. She was on the cover of their quaterly newsletter and in many of the pictures along the walls. I could tell the nanny cared for her very much and was sad to lose her. After having   known her for just  two days,,, I couldn't imagine   parting with her either.   So I understand how the nanny must be feeling and while I  was annoyed, I was trying to be patient.

Now it was time to see the areas where Cheyenne spent her time. We saw the classroom, an activitiy room and her bedroom which ws rows of bunk beds separated by rows of cribs.

Now it was time to meet some of the other children. They were all so happy to see some new faces. We had a bag of suckers for Cheyenne to hand out to them. They were clearly happy to see Cheyenne, but it appeared to me that CHeyenne was indifferent about seeing them again. One of the other little girls is being adopted by a family in Illinois. I know the mother from a FB group and promised I would get some pictures for her. They didn't want me taking pictures of all the other children, so they brought the other little girl outside with us. Cheyenne let me take a couple of pictures but was then clearly melting down. She started to withdraw and get very quiet. She seemed distant. Then we noticed the nanny was close to her and was still saying some things to her. Although we didn't know what she was saying, we could tell it was making Cheyenne uncomfortable. Fortunately, it was time for us to leave and right at this time, the car showed up to take us back to the train station.

On the way to the train station, we made a quick stop at the hospital where Cheyenne was abandoned. This is an important part of her history and I wanted to get a picture of her there. Fortunately, as soon as we were all together and out of the car, she seemed to perk back up.

We boarded the train back to Wuhan for one last night in our hotel. On the train, Cheyenne fell asleep on my lap for a while. When she woke up, we let her play on her tablet and I read a book...well I at least attempted to read the book but my mind kept thinking back over the day and at one point I started to cry a little. Cheyenne looked up at me and took her hand and wiped away the tears. Then, she took the book out of my hands and closed it (thinking the book was making me cry). :) She is such a sweet and caring child.

When we got back to the hotel room, I gave her a bubble bath and got her ready for bed. She seemed like she was back to her normal self and I thanked God that the trip to the orphanage did not cause her to withdraw from us.

Today we received her Passport and the official adoption certificate. Then we boarded another train to Guangzhou. This is the city where the US Embassy is located and where we will spend the remainder of our trip. Tomorrow we have to take Cheyenne to the medical center to have a medical exam done and get a TB test. Please pray that she does well with that appointment.

My technology is still not working to include pictures or videos but I will add them later.

147 Million Orphans, Minus One!, March 27, 2017 and March 28, 2017

Gotch Day - Monday, March 27, 2017

Today is the day we met our precious new daughter! After all of the paperwork, all of the stress, all of the prayers and sleepless nights, the day was FINALLY here. The closer we got to the adoption center, the more excited and nervous we got. But the meeting was truly orcastrated by God and could not have gone any better! Cheyenne, two of the nannies and the orphanage director were there waiting for us when we arrived. Cheyenne was sitting peacefully on the couch. When the four of us walked in, she got up and walked over to us. Nathan reached out to shake her hand and she did, then Casey and then then daddy. When she went to shake my hand I asked her for a hug. She immediately gave me a hug without any hesitation and then kissed me on the cheek. Then she gave Kevin a hug and kiss on the cheek. Then she started unpacking a small backpack she had and showing us everything in it. It was mainly the things we sent her in the care package including the photo book of all of us. She started turning the pages of the book and pointing each of us out like "Mama" and point to the real person. All we had to do at this time was meet her and sign a 24 hour guardianship form. They have you take the child for a 24 hour "blending" period to ensure you are sure   you want to go through with the adoption. Then you bring   the   child   back the next day to sign all official adoption documents.   She played beautifully with Nathan and Casey while we took care of signing the paper and getting official paperwork which we were to complete and return the next day. We then took several pictures. When we were finished, she grabbed Kevin and I by the hand and started to leave without  even saying good-bye  to the nannies or the director. Even after we asked her if she wanted to (through our guide), she simply stopped, waved, and then took our hands again. 

While we were talking to them, they gave us a photo albumn that includes photos of her going back all the way to her original baby picture. They also gave me the thumb drive I sent to them with the care package and told us it is filled with more photos of her. They told us when she got our care package, she was very excited to have a family. They say she went around showing all the other kids our photos and telling them we were her Mama and Baba and showed her house and brothers. She would often kiss the pictures of me and Kevin. :) 

We left the adoption center and went to lunch. She and Casey bonded over making funny faces at each other. We then went to the mall and bought her some new shoes becuase the ones she had on were way too tight. Afterwards, we went to the hotel and we all played, watched a movie and just got to be a family. We went to dinner. After dinner we came back to the hotel and I gave her a bath, blow dried her her and braided it. By that time, it was pretty much time to go to sleep.

She didn't show any signs of grief or sadness all day, so we truly feel our prayers were answered!

Offically a Back child!, Tuesday, March 28, 2017

We would like to officially introduce you to the newest Back...introducing Cheyenne Jingxian Back! Today, we finalized the adoption on the China side. We went back to the adoption center with our completed forms in hand. They asked us a series of questions like "Is everything you provided to the China Center for Childrens Welfare and Adoption still accurate?" and "Why do you want to adopt this child?", etc. Then Kevin and I had to stamp our finger prints on the documents. Once our fingerprints were on everything, Cheyenne had to place her entire handprint on two of the documents...one for them and one for us. This made us an official family!

We are so very blessed to have this little girl in our family. She is so spunky. She plays so well with both of the boys and takes turns loving on both me and Kevin (although, she insists on sitting on Kevin's lap in the car and holding only his hand when we go out). She is already showing us her personality and has already started learning and using many English words. She is very bright and it is obvious how well she will fit in with all of us.

While we were at the adoption center, my  eyes filled up with tears as I was thinking about all of the signs we've had along the way that this has been fully orcastrated by God. Here is the list I came up with in just the few minutes I was thinking about it:

• Both Kevin and Cheyenne have the same birth day (3/17)
• Cheyenne was born on 3/17/2009. In late 2008, early 2009, Kevin and I were going through a rough patch in our marriage. We decided to go to counseling to make it work. Our last counseling session was on 3/16/2009.
• Cheyenne was listed on the adoption agency's website under the name of "Stephanie". We got matched with her the same week my sister-in-law Stephanie was rediagnosed with the newest cancer that took her life. To me, this is a sign that life does go on.
• We were fortunate enough to get over half of the adoption costs in an inheritance Kevin received from his Grandma Back. We will be finalizing the adoption on the American side on Grandma's birthday.
• Cheyenne's orphanage is located in a city named Shiyan. The Chinese pronounce it like "She-yen" but if you apply the American phenetics to it, it would be pronounced Shy-ann (like Cheyenne

Cheyenne is still not showing  any signs of  grief or sadness. We were worried about how she would react to seeing the nannies and director again. Fortunately, while she seemed happy to see them, she was still very attached to the four of us and didn't blink an eye when they left.

Tomorrow we are getting up early and taking a bullet train to Shiyan to visit her orphanage. We're a little worried about how she will react to going back there and how she will act when it is time to leave, but I have faith that she will be ok and I pray it will give her closure. I want to have the pictures and memories to be able to tell her about it and show her when she gets older and starts to ask. To me, having the piece of her history is worth the risk.

I have a ton of pictures but unfortunately, my technology is not cooperating here in China, so I will have to add them when we get home. 

Prayers for Cheyenne

As I sit in the calm that is the last 2 hours before we meet our new daughter, my thoughts and prayers have now turned to her. We call her an orphan. She has never known a family. She has lived her entire 8 years in an institution we refer to as an orphanage. And while we understand how unfortunate that is, to her, it is home. But in roughly two hours, her whole world is about to change. While this may be one of the happiest days of our lives, to her, it will likely be the worst.

In about two hours she will meet four strangers who will claim to be her new "family". Kevin and I will tell her we are Mama and Baba (Chinese for Daddy). But we don't look like her and (for the most part), we don't speak her language. Then, in about two weeks, we will take her from her homeland and bring her to a place surrounded by people who will be speaking in a foreign language and don't look like her. Sure, she will adjust in time. But I fully expect the next few days or even weeks to be brutal. She will grieve the life she had. Today, it is unknown how that will manifest itself. Will she cry? Will she scream? Will she withdraw from us? Whatever comes, we will handle it. Kevin and I are prepared to help her in any way necessary. So for now, I just pray that God will be with all of us.

Dear Lord,
Please calm our nerves and remind us that this has been Your plan all along. Please calm her fears and help her to see that while we are now strangers, we will soon become the best family any little girl can have. Help her to know that we will never forsake or abandon her. We will do everything within our power to make her see that she is Chosen and Loved. Help us to understand her grief and guide us to ways to calm her when needed. To provide the love and foundation that only a family can provide. We ask these things in your Holy name. Amen

Ning Jing Xian will walk into the adoption center as an orphan, but Cheyenne Jingxian Back will walk out as a beloved daughter and sister!

Great Wall,Bullet Train and Unexpected News, Sunday March 26

On Sunday we got up, had breakfast and checked out of our Beijing Hotel. Our guide was taking us to the Great Wall before dropping us off at the train station. I woke up feeling more refreshed than previous days, but Kevin is starting to feel anxious about meeting Cheyenne the next day.  Fortunately, the Wall was a wonderful distraction.

We took a one and a half hour van ride to the Wall parking lot entrance. We bought our tickets and then took a shuttle bus to the chair lift. The chair lift took us up to the top of one section of the wall. From there our guide told us we had two options: we could go left and take "the easy path" that was flatter or go right and take a path that was "very steep but more beautiful". Of course the photographer in me wanted the more beautiful option, so we went to the right. I'm pretty sure we climbed about 8 MILLION steps to get to the highest lookout point. And when I say steps, I mean rocks of various shapes, sizes and heights layed by soldiers over 2000 years ago. But man, when we finally made it to the top, it was worth every step. The view was something that was right out of the history books and was absolutely breath taking. While the wall is not a "natural" wonder like the Grand Canyon, it is still an unbelievable site to see.

After hiking to the highest lookout point and then back to where we started, we got to take a tabogon ride slide down to the bottom of the wall. That was really fun and in true Casey fashion, as soon as we hit the bottom he says, "I want to do that again, mommy!"

On our way out, we stopped for lunch at Burger King of all places. Since leaving Detroit, we had not seen an American meal and Casey and I have not been keen on the Chinese cuisine. I've never been so happy to eat a cheeseburger in my life!

It was now time to head to the train station. At my request, the driver was kind enough to take the route that would allow us to pass the 2008 Olympic Stadium known as the "The Bird's Nest". It was pretty cool to see.

Once we got settled on the train, it was time to say good-bye to Candy. She was an awesome guide and Casey was sad that she couldn't be with us the whole time.

It was now time to travel to Wuhan. Wuhan is the capital city of the Hubei Province - Cheyenne's province. All adoptions take place in the provincial capital. We took the bullet train from Beijing to Wuhan. It got up to 305 km/hr which is just under 200 miles per hour! The train ride was about 5 hours and gave us a great view of the China country side. Once we arrived in Wuhan (around 9:30pm) our new guide, Helen, met us at the exit. She and the driver escorted us to the hotel where we will be spending the next four nights. On the way to the hotel, she told us that she would meet us at 9:30am in the hotel lobby to take us to the adoption center. I said, "I thought we weren't scheduled until 3:00?" Then she told us the adoption center moved us up to 10:00am! THAT is when the nerves kicked in for me. I instantly felt like I wanted to throw up!

Once we made it to the hotel room, the boys passed out. It was a long day and a big day for them and we will all have an even bigger day tomorrow. Kevin and I had to prepare the gifts for the orphanage staff and a few other things we thought we would have time to do on Monday before meeting Cheyenne. Once that was complete, it was finally time to attempt to get some sleep.

Tiananmen Square and Forbidden City, Saturday 3/25/17

Last night we crashed out really early because we were so exhausted. So of course I woke up thinking it was time to get ready and when I looked at the clock, realized it was only midnight here in Beijing! Fortunately I was able to go back to sleep. We started our day at 6am. We got showers and ate at the breakfast buffet. It was very good. They have a nice variation of Chinese and American food to choose from. After breakfast we had time in our rooms. One condition we gave the boys when we told them they could come with us is that they both have to keep a daily journal of everything we do, how they feel about it and what role God is playing in it. After breakfast, we had enough time for all of us to do our journaling before meeting the tour guide at 9:00.

Candy, our Beijing tour guide, was wonderful. Casey quickly made her his newest BFF. She took us to Tiananmen Square, the Forbidden City and to an Acrobat show. Everything we saw was beautiful and we couldn't have asked for more perfect weather.

Tiananmen Square is in front of the government buildings. It is large enough to hold 1 million people! Candy gave us all of the history and pointed out the various government buildings that surround the square.

The Forbidden City was really neat to see. We spent most of our time focusing on the three major buildings and walking around the Emperial Gardens.

After leaving the Forbidden City, we took our lives into our hands by riding in a motorcar (as seen on Amazing Race). If you read yesterday's post, you know that traffic laws/rules seem to mean nothing hear. Thankfully, we managed to make it to our lunch destination unscathed. We had lunch and then toured the Hutong Alleys which gave us a sense of what true China culture looks like.

After touring, we went to see an Acrobat show. I survived using the "squatty potty". :) The show was really good. Afterwards we had another authentic Chinese meal. Casey and I weren't to thrilled with it but Kevin and Nathan seemed to enjoy it.

Tomorrow we will check out of our Beijing hotel, go see the infamous Great Wall and then take the bullet train to Wuhan.

                                                   Casey and his newest BFF!

     
                                                               The "squatty potty"

We Made It To China!

The excitement and anticipation of our trip made it nearly impossible to sleep Wednesday night. Somehow, we did manage to get a few hours of sleep before waking up at 2:45 am to get ready and leave for the airport.

My mom was kind enough to get up at 4am to drive us to the airport so we didn't have to pay to park our car over the two plus weeks we would be away. My mom dropped us off at CVG just about 5:00am.

Getting through security was easier than I thought it would be with four suitcases and four backpacks that were stuffed beyond capacity. :) Overall, it went smoothly except that the security didn't like the small Yankee Candles we had packed in one suitcase, that we are planning to give as a gift to the nannies at the orphanage. Fortunately the TSA agent actually had a personality and was kind and even humorous as he was examining the bag.

Once we were passed security, all we had to do was wait. We flew from CVG to Detroit and then from Detroit, 14 hours across the world to Beijing. We spent the long flight attempting (and failing) to sleep, and watching movies.

Waiting at CVG

On our way to Detroit

                  The boys standing in front of a really cool foutain we saw in the Detroit airport.

Ready to board the plane and fly to Beijing

Casey is attempting to sleep. 

Once we arrived in Beijing, we went through customs and found our driver. I'm not sure either one of them spoke any English at all! Thank goodness Kevin has been studying how to speak Chinese and was able to communicate with the driver.

We were all so exhausted, that we pretty much passed out the minute we got in the van. That was probably a blessing in disguise because when my eyes were open, I was scared to death of everyone around us being hit by either our driver or others. The traffice was like New York City on steroids, and they clearly do not have the same definition of yield that we do in the states....especially to pedestrians. We saw rickshaw drivers, pedestrians and countless bicyclists take their lives into their own hands by intermingling with the oncoming traffic. 

Once we got to our hotel, we checked in, ate a quicked dinner and CRASHED! We were in bed by 8:00pm (China time). With the time difference and getting very little to no sleep on the plane, we had been up for more than 24 hours and we were exhausted. 

The Journey Is Just Beginning

I just checked us all in for our flights to China. That was the VERY. LAST. LITTLE. DETAIL. needed before we leave the house at 3 am tomorrow morning. As the boys are downstairs playing, I am sitting here as an emotional basket case! Tonight will be the very last night in our house as this "perfect" little foursome. For the past ten years, we've been this nice even number. We fit nicely into a booth in a restaurant and divide nicely into a ride at Kings Island. :) But after this trip, all of that changes. We will become a party of 5! Sure, lot's of families do it, but this will be new to all of us, especially Cheyenne. 

I have so many questions (and honestly fears) as we prepare for this long journey across the world. Questions like: How will she react to meeting us and becoming part of our family? Sure, she will be scared and grieving initially but when she's scared, will she let me hold/comfort her the way a mother should? Will she let Kevin comfort her? What if she attaches more to Kevin than to me - how will I feel about that? What if she attaches more to me - how will Kevin handle that? How will our boys adjust to having a little girl around? How well will they understand when we "coddle" her more than we do them? How will I hold back tears and hurt the first (probably of many) time she screams "You're not my mother!" to me? How will I find the right words of comfort to give her when she asks me why her "real" mother didn't want her? Or when she asks Will I help her find her birth parents? 

If you had told me a year ago that we'd be leaving in March of 17 to fly halfway around the world to get a beautiful little girl and make her part of our family forever, I would have told you how crazy you are! Sure, Kevin and I had talked about the possibility for well over a year, but I remember last April, sitting in Jamaica and telling Kevin that we needed to end the discussion because I was perfectly happy and content with our little foursome. I was comfortable...but we didn't drop it, and then we saw HER face. HER face is what started us on this incredible journey 9 months ago...the journey that isn't ending tomorrow, but is just beginning!

This is the very first picture we ever saw of her!

Nesting While We Wait

We are currently in the point of this adoption where China is processing our "Article 5" (A5) paperwork. This process takes 10 business days and there is absolutely nothing we can do on our end to speed up that process. For some, this is the most relaxing part of the process because they know there is nothing they can do but wait. However, for me it is creating a ton of stress. Why? Because any day after the A5 is picked up, China can issue our Travel Approval (TA). Once we get that approval, our agency will schedule our Consulate Appointment (CA) at the US Embassy. Once that appointment is made, their China rep is able to book the other arrangements including our "Gotcha Day" (the day we will meet her), her medical appointment, and hotel and in-country travel arrangements. But here's the catch...our agency typically requires two weeks from TA to travel departure. Also, there is a "Tomb Sweeping" holiday in China that runs from 4/2 - 4/4. This means the Consulate is closed on 4/4 and most provinces are not scheduling any Gotcha Days that week either. So that means, we need to schedule either a 3/27 Gotcha Day or it will most likely get pushed to at least 4/10. In order to get a 3/27 Gotcha Day, we would need our TA by 3/10. Waiting until 4/10 wouldn't be the end of the world, but that creates another hurdle...There is a HUGE International Trade Show that takes place from 4/14 - 5/5 in the same city as the US Embassy. Of course, hotel rates are higher during that time but the crowd level is also much higher. We are trying desperately to avoid traveling during the trade show. So if we don't get a 3/27 Gotcha day, we will have a decision to make: Either go on 4/10 and deal with the trade show (we would be in that city on 4/14 - 4/19), or WAIT until May 1st to get our little girl. The thought of making that decision is stressing me out! So, what better way to pass the time than to "nest".

We started in her room. It is 100% ready to go. The paint is done, the Reading Nook is ready, pictures are hung and all of her clothes are washed and hung or placed in her dresser. We're really happy with the way it turned out.

Now that it is getting close to bringing her home, Casey also helped prepare our home for her. He took the time to label certain things around the house to help teach her what we call them in English.

We also decided to take the boys with us! They are both super excited. I emailed their school Principal and Vice Principal to ask them if they would have any problems with us taking them out of school for 2+ weeks. They both emphatically told us TO TAKE THEM. They both agreed that the boys will get much more education in those two weeks in China than any two weeks at school. Additionally, in order to save the additional weight of their text books, all of their teachers are willing to allow the boys to keep a daily journal with what we do each day, what they see, what they think and how they feel about what's going on. Not only will this count as grades for them, but we will get to keep their journals as a keepsake forever. I can't wait to read the experience through their eyes. Plus, we feel it will make the transition easier for Cheyenne. She will get to see from day 1 what a family should look and feel like. We believe seeing how we interact with our boys will help her to trust us and bond with us much quicker than if we had her alone for two weeks.

Now we will transition to making packing lists and I may even practice packing everything we want to bring...we are attempting to do only carry on luggage.

In many ways it seems like just yesterday we started this process, but in others it feels like eternity. I know either way, she will be with us soon, but it feels like an eternity away. When I feel down about the waiting period, I read this fortune...ironically, it was in a fortune cookie I ate during my adoption shower. It couldn't be more true!