Beijing to Zhengzhou

We traveled for 28 hours to make it to Beijing last night (or this morning really). Our flight was as good as it could have been, with no complications. We hardly slept at all on the plane... Mae slept 2 of the 14 hours to Tokyo and then another 2 of the 4 hours to Beijing. I can not even tell you how amazing my little sleep deprived child has been! We were SO VERY HAPPY to land in China and even happier this morning at 1:30 when we put on our pajamas and washed our face and brushed our teeth (:

 Our hotel had 2 twin sized beds so we decided to push our two chairs together and make Mae a little bed out of them. She thought it was a fort and was more than a little happy to have a place of her own.

We weren't even in Beijing long enough though to see it in the daytime. We met our guides in the lobby at 6:30 this morning to take a bus back to the airport to depart to Zhengzhou. 

We said our goodbyes to our sweet guides and took a 2 hour flight to Zhengzhou.

Mae is so excited to be here and tells everyone she sees we are adopting Ian and Jovie. She knows this is where she was born and is very interested in her own story.  I'm very curious how seeing her brother and sister come into our family will bring up new questions for her.

When we got on the bus to our hotel in Zhengzhou our guides gave us an update on the babies. Both still take a bottle and have a good appetite. Sounds like both sleep well but are on a little bit different schedules. It said that Ian does not like baths but Jovie does. It said Jovie is stubborn and has a strong personality and is afraid of strangers (So we will be finding out for our selves tomorrow but it sounds like we got a fiery girl!). It said Ian is lively and active and he likes animals.

We are at the same hotel we were in when we adopted Mae and I feel like this has to be the exact room... as if seeing TWO CRIBS in your room isn't enough to make me sob! My mom said, "I think this is the very room you were in with Mae, Mae took her first bath in that bathtub." unreal --- my mind has so much swimming inside of it.

Cody is at the bank with our guide right now exchanging money we will need for tomorrow and when he gets back we are walking down to the three story Walmart to buy diapers and baby formula.

Tomorrow morning we will be leaving the hotel at 9:30 to head to the registration office to get Ian and Jovie. We have no idea when their orphanage directors will get there with them. I don't know who we will get to meet first. ahhhhh this is like a dream to be back here... I don't think it's even sunk in that this is our very last day we will ever spend without them.

At the airport!!!

We are flying out in just a few hours to China!! The day has finally arrived! I don't know how to put words to how I feel... the emotion is too great.  I can hardly even believe we made it here... We are just about to be on the same time zone as our babies. 

We are flying from Atlanta to Tokyo to Beijing today - loooooong flight!  This time we decided to make our trip shorter and aren't doing any of the tours in Beijing. Our travel time will be brutal. We are flying 14 hours to Tokyo, then 4 1/2 to Beijing. We land in Beijing at 10:30pm Saturday, sleep and wake up to catch a 9am flight to Zhengzhou. This is my biggest worry - please pray for our flights, and rest before we get the babes.  MONDAY we will have Ian and Jovie - that's Sunday night in the US (we are 13 hours ahead). 

I love that my mom and dad are going with us. This sweet picture just shows how beneficial they are to us and loving on Mae while Cody and I are giving our attention to Ian and Jovie. 

I will keep blogging our trip every day. We cherish all of our friends and family so much. I can not thank you enough for all the texts, comments and calls - although the last couple days have been crazy and I haven't been able to respond like I wanted. 

We will be so excited every day to check our comments here to see who is following our biggest adventure (: 

We're leaving next week!!!

Today we got word back from CCAI that we got our Consulate appt on the 28th!!! Which means we will have our GOTCHA DAY ON THE 20th!!!! I'm soaring with joy and counting the minutes until we have our family together!! We will need to leave for China next week! We are booking our tickets today! Yahooooo!!! It's still unbelievable!! This is happening!!!!! 

Jovie Ming's birthday

Today our little girl is a big two year old... and I feel like that phrase should have a few of these (!!!!!!) but my heart does not feel like that. I am sad today to miss knowing the precious last two years and not being the one that got to go get her up this morning, kiss her sweet cheeks, and make her a special breakfast. I can not explain what it feels like to long for these children.  My mom said it very well in calling it a fast... because when you fast you are hungry, and that hunger reminds you to remain in prayer. There is just not another time in my life than adopting (Mae and this time) that I have prayed more fervently... because God is my only link to them. I am so grateful to know throughout this process that God loves these children first. 

I am watching a beautiful love story before my eyes... as I am waiting, longing and loving these children God is reminding me that it is with a greater love and longing that HE pursues us all. And today I know that we received a very awesome view of that LOVE : This afternoon we received our TRAVEL APPROVAL from China. 

Thank you God for the perfect birthday gift. 

Maybe I should repeat this for those of you that skim... WE GOT TRAVEL APPROVAL!!!!

So last night I was in tears, and tonight I am making packing lists. We very likely will be leaving for China January 15-17 and getting our babies on January 20!!!!!!!!!!! We should know for sure after we get our Consulate appointment, which should come on Monday. WOW! 

I wanted to make something special for Jovie for her birthday and I so I made her this little doll. I saw baby be blessed dolls and got the idea to add a verse to Jovie's doll. It was so neat to be able to find her a verse.

 

 Mae and I mixed and baked cupcakes to celebrate and shared them with our friends today (Lyn and Sheila and their kiddos). I love each of these sweeties!!!

Tonight we had our own celebration again... for the life of our girl and that we will all be together very soon.

We ask more than ever for you to join with us and pray for this upcoming time. It will be joyous but seem very traumatic to Ian and Jovie... and possibly Mae. These children will undergo HUGE change and great loss. In order to gain a family, they will have to lose everything they know.

Thank you friends.

Well Overdue Update

So I know it's been months... and I'm sorry!  Life has been so nuts.

So to quickly fill you in, at the end of September we put our house up for sale. It was not something we had planned on doing... in fact, our plan all along has been to move in spring after we got everyone home and settled after Jovie's surgery. Several friends told us within days of each other that moving in spring after the kids came home would not be a good idea.  So we prayed about it and put our house for sale knowing it would have to sale super-quick if we were going to make it work. We had 4 people interested in the house and had a bidding war with offers and it sold for what we wanted. The people that we sold our house to bought with cash and closed so fast I only had ONE week to pack up our house (that we've lived in for 10 years, mind you, we have collected a lot of stuff!) Okay, even now it's amazing to me! Praise goes to God!

We found another house that is everything we've ever wanted - beautiful house in a perfect location, it has a yard for the kids, and a driveway that they will be able to ride their bikes on. We moved in on October 18 and every day here I wake up in amazement that it all took place. I wonder when it will finally sink in?

We did not realize that moving would mean that another homestudy had to take place, though, and an amendment to our I-800 ): we thought that since we were past China's acceptance we would be good... It put us back a little more- boo! But everything has been done and resubmitted and right now we are on the LAST item. Our Article 5 should come on Monday, and it's then sent to Beijing for (drum roll!!!!!!)

TRAVEL APPROVAL! 

When we get our travel approval, we will book our tickets. Our agency has estimated that we will be there January 15. Chinese New Year is at the end of January and if our travel approval does not come quickly enough, we will be have to wait until after the Chinese New Year.

I know to everyone else this is just a few weeks... but to us it's so important.  PLEASE I ask you for your prayers that we would be there before Chinese New Year and have these sweet children home in February.

 

Two nights ago I got this gorgeous girl's photographs and a short update. When I saw this picture of her, it quite literally took my breath away. 

She loves to run and play with her friends! She is also an expert at watching those around her and copying their actions and repeating their words! One of her favorite people to copy has been her nurse Ednalyn! Ming Yu follows her around during daily rounds and tries to do all the things her nurse does! Ming Yu also recently started preschool. Although she was a bit shy at first, she has warmed up to the idea and now enjoys going.

We also just learned that Jovie has been at Maria's Big House of Hope. This is such a great place, and is specifically build for orphans with special needs. There are doctors on staff there and I know that she has received the absolute best care. It is such a blessing to know she has been in a place like this.

Very soon I will be kissing those cheeks!!!  I can't hardly stand it any longer!!! I want us to be together, as it should be.