Forever Family

As we mentioned, we have been thinking of Zoe as our daughter since the day her picture came to us through email from our adoption agency.  We said "four", when asked by strangers in the US how many children we had.  "Four….but only three are with us right now!"  She has had, for quite some time, three brothers and sisters, and a very unique and loving family, filled with aunts, uncles, cousins, grandmothers, and grandfathers….all excited to meet this little girl who lived on the exact opposite side of the world.

'Gotcha Day', is, as you know, a term used for the day that we got Zoe.  I believe that it is also a term that she will use to describe the day she got our whole family!  Our adoption agency, and probably many others, uses the the term 'Forever Family'.  Zoe has been part of a couple of different families before yesterday.  She has endured a great deal of pain, disappointment, fear, confusion, and emotional stress that no individual, let alone one under the age of three should.  However, God has a plan for her…and we are so happy that her plan includes us!  Zoe truly has a Forever Family in us, and the large crew waiting back in the US.  Her Aunt Cathy has a saying on a picture in her house that says something like: "Home is Where Your Story Begins".  I believe that as Zoe understands that she has a home now, a protective and loving family, she will begin to write her own great story….just as her sister, Sofi, has done.  It's really not HOW you arrive at your Forever Family.  It's just important that you are there.

Day one with Zoe brought another round of paperwork.  We got up early….Chrissy and I at around 4am, while Zoe slept from 9pm to when we woke her at almost 7!  A great breakfast was followed by a nice already 95 degree temperature walk across several busy streets to a government office.  They have crosswalks here, but I think they are actually signs on the street to tell the drivers to speed up, lay on the horn, and aim for people in the road!  A family picture for the adoption certificate, a photo for Zoe's paperwork, and we are onto a bus toward the local notary office.

At the notary office we are sworn in that we will love, protect, and provide health and education for little Zoe.  It seems a little surreal.  "Of course, why would we be at this point in the process if we weren't sure about this??", is what I was thinking!  "Yes, we will", is what I said.  Then we boarded the bus again, and drove to the Chinese Immigrations office where we had Zoe's picture taken for her passport.

On the way home, the bus dropped us off at this amazing store, which had two floors, and everything you could ask for: washers and dryers, baby items, toys, power tools, dried fish and other great foods.  Yes, this must be Walmart.  After some local shopping, we enjoyed a local meal at KFC, and a long walk back to the hotel.  Along the way we saw dozens of street vendors selling everything from iPhone cases to puppies. Yes, you read that right….real puppies.

The rest of the day was bonding.  Zoe giggled and laughed a lot as she played with the boys and Sofi, did playdoh with mom, and repeated everything we said.  She was able to see a picture of mom, point to it, then point to mom and say "ma ma".  The couple next door to us adopted a sweet 12 year old boy named Kai.  They took him, Noah and Jackson out to play basketball for a long time in the afternoon.  It's been nice to have some things for the kids to do in the down time.

The highlight of the day had to be bath time.  Sofi was extremely patient in the tub, as Zoe looked like she was at a water park!  She loved it!

Gotcha Day!

Nearly a years worth of wait, more than a few trees of paperwork, countless prayers, and the unselfish help and support of friends and family…..we are here!  The Great Wall seems a distant memory already, as we board the Hainan Airlines flight in Beijing for our two hour flight south to Nanchang.  

We are met by our new guide, William, at the airport in Nanchang.  As we step out of the airport into the outdoors, we are met by a blast of air very similar to the one you receive when you open the oven door on Thanksgiving to see how the turkey is doing!  We learned that the province we are in is home to over 2000 rivers, and the largest lake in China…..thus, extreme humidity, to go along with three digit temps.

Nanchang is beautiful, with many trees that we see when in Florida, but with large mountains, and a sort of 'country' feel.  That is, until we arrive in the city.  Our guide tells us that Nanchang is a 'smaller' city.  Upon clarification, there are only about 5 million people here!  

Our hotel is very nice, the staff is over accommodating, and although we are a little cramped, the room will do just fine.  We get settled, William orders a Papa Johns pizza for us, tells us we have ten minutes to eat, and then walks us to the Bank of China.  The large sum of money that I have been carrying around for the past couple of days gets multiplied by 6 as we change it into RMB currency.  It was a nervous walk back to the hotel!

We wait.  We wait in our room for a phone call to inform us that Zoe is on her way up the elevator to meet us.  We wait some more.  It was only an hour or so, but you can imagine!  

Words can't describe all the emotions that we going on as Zoe entered our room.  We were excited, relieved, and anxious to bond with her.  She was nervous, confused, and downright afraid when her caregivers left the room.  Imagine the feeling of being removed from your life as you know it, from the people that are familiar to you, from the home you live in…..and placed in the hands of strangers, who don't look like you or talk like you.  Then imagine this at the age of three.  She doesn't yet understand what the word 'future' means, and that her's just took a major turn for the better, as did ours!  That's the neat thing about any adoption.  If you have done so, then you understand that what you receive as adoptive parents is far greater than what you can give.  

Crying quickly turned to laughing as Chrissy took little Zoe for a walk.  We walked the lobby, outside the hotel, and into a restaurant.  It's hard not to use the imagery or metaphor of Zoe having her own "Great Wall" around her emotionally.  She has had a difficult journey to this point….but we started seeing this wall crumble as she laughed with the kids, joked with mom, and sat on dad's lap and ate french fries.  

The Wall, and other Great Things

Saturday morning brought even more adventure than Friday.  After another fantastic breakfast, our group boarded the van to the Great Wall.  The pictures do not do it justice, as the Wall was impressive in every sense.  Although extremely hot and humid, we traversed what seemed at times straight up the stone steps, amidst the line of people toward the top.  Along the way we stopped for pictures, drinks, and to affix our 'Locks of Love' permanently to the chain.  It must be the hair….but for some reason, Jackson keeps getting asked to pose in pictures with several of the Chinese people!

On the way back to the hotel, we stopped to see the buildings, village, and sites from the 2008 Beijing Olympic games.  What was once farmland was transformed into an entire small city within the big city, all built for hosting the two week long event.  It is now home to the locals, and various events.

Dinner was interesting!  Even the English menu made it hard to determine what we would be eating….so we guessed the best we could, and made the most of it.  Our Ritz crackers, pretzels, and Pringles were delicious when we got back to the room that night.  Before that, however, we were able to see a Kung Fu play/show.  It was very similar to something you might see at a play theater in the US,  but with a Kung Fu theme.  Unfortunately, we do not have pictures to share, as we were not allowed to take any.

After two very full days, we are anxiously looking forward to tomorrow, and finally holding our daughter!

More than a few miles of travel…….and then a little sightseeing.

Five hours in a car to JFK, sixteen hours on a plane to Hong Kong, three hours of delay in a massive airport, and a short three hour jaunt to Beijing had us anxiously awaiting our hotel beds.  We arrived at the Jian Guo Garden Hotel shortly after 10 pm Thursday night, and hit the pillow.

Friday we started early, with a wonderful American-Chinese breakfast buffet, and piled into the van with two other couples (also adopting children), our driver, and our guide, Jennifer.  The driving here is similar to that of New York or Boston…one hand on the wheel and one on the horn, with the occasional yell out the window.  There are very few cross walks, and very many bicycles, rickshaws, and people all vying for the same road space.

Our first stop was Tian' an Men Square and the Forbidden City.  Aside from being massive, what struck us was simply how old and rich the history is for the Chinese people here.  Most of our man made history in the US is barely 200 years old, compared to some of the buildings and structures that are over 600 years old, and still well preserved.

We then split up the group and boarded those rickshaws I spoke of.  After several close calls and maneuvers that would make Jeff Gordon proud, our drivers brought us to one of the oldest housing sections in Beijing.  It was a small little village, almost self-contained, that was home to over 100 thousand people.  One of these homes opened up for us to cook our group an authentic meal.  It was delicious!  Also, it was air conditioned…..which is a luxury in most homes and apartments.  Since the temperature was pushing 100 degrees, we were grateful.

Our next stop was at a tea house, for an authentic traditional tea service.  We learned about several different types of tea, of how important and symbolic tea is to the Chinese people, and that in our country, we are just way to impatient to see the value in the simple things….like making a cup of tea!  Choosing, brewing, serving, and even drinking the tea has a right way, and a wrong way.  It was a very neat experience.

We ended our tourist adventures on Friday with a Chinese acrobat show.  It was amazing.  The kids thought that it was something that you might see on America's Got Talent, only better.  Dinner after the show was at a small local place that served very spicy chicken sandwiches, and burgers.  Yes, you guessed it…McDonald's.  Ordering the food was almost a bigger adventure than eating it!

Dreams Do Come True

After almost a year of waiting and praying, our family is preparing for the trip to bring our precious Zoe home! We can all hardly believe the day is almost here.  Our beautiful girl will be in our arms on July 20th!! 

It's so amazing, this wonderful journey that God has planned for us; and I'm so glad that He has chosen to lay China on our hearts.  His ways are always best and His timing is always perfect.  

There are so many things that had to line up to bring us to this point; and we trust that He will work everything out for good. (Rm 8:28)

We truly appreciate all of the support we have received from both our friends and family….You are such a blessing!  Thank you so much for your prayers, gifts, and the love you have shown to "one of the least of these."  (Matt 25:40)

Zoe Ji Kelley