Family!

Now that Maisey’s home the real mission begins, having her and her brothers get to know each other and helping Maisey understand that boundaries do exist, even for her age.  We all need to adjust to having a new baby, while still parenting and providing due attention to our boys.  But the most important piece will be helping us all grow as a family unit.

Flanked by brothers. (A good thing for a young girl)

It’s a funny thing, adopting a child.  You wonder ahead of time if raising and parenting an adopted child will be different than parenting our biological children.  How will this affect our boys?  How will we do with one more? All these questions you keep asking yourself, asking, asking, and asking.  Until you see your child, then all the questions are answered in one instant.  Except that there’s one other question you ask.  How will I handle this much joy in my life? 

This process has been difficult at times, stressful all the time, and exciting too.  I look at this little precious one that God himself chose for us, and think I couldn’t love this child more.  I couldn’t discern the difference between how I love our boys and how I love Maisey.  Children are a blessing from God regardless of how they become part of your family.  Whether they are biological, foster, or adopted.  They bless your lives, and you bless theirs.   Family is the seed from where blessings and joy flow.  We’re so in awe of how God has worked in this process to expand our family. 

Family Photo (Dad's behind the camera)

Maisey has already started changing the dynamic of our family and it’s such a blessing to see her big brothers walking her around the house.    She smiles and laughs and teases her brothers and brings such smiles to both of their faces.  They keep asking who can sit next to their sister at the table, in the car, on the floor, who’s going to say goodnight first, etc.  We keep telling them that Maisey will be their sister for the rest of their lives and we don’t need to do it all in one day.   But they’re too excited to think of anything else. 

Maisey and Granny

People have already started asking if we’d do this again. When you think about the joy that it brings you, and the life it brings them, there aren’t many things I can think of that are more worthwhile.  We, for now, are content to focus on Maisey and our boys, but will keep the matter in prayer.

  

If you have been reading this blog, and wondering about adoption in your family please contact us.  We’d be happy to share some of the details of the process and our experience.  I couldn’t recommend it more strongly. 

Taking a walk with Jake and Seth

Splash Down

This was not contrived, I really meant it!

Home!  What can I say but WE ARE HOME!  I've always appreciated our home, but after being away for so long, I have an even stronger fondness for our home and country.

We arrived in Newark Liberty Airport at 1:45 after a 15-½ hour flight.  Maisey did so well, we’re so thankful for all the prayers for this.  We took off and she played with Mommy for a while and did laps around the plane with Daddy.  Overall she only slept for 3 hours, and not in a row.  But she played so well and only really cried when we were descending and her ears popped a little. 

Maisey sees her new family for the first time.

Meeting her big brothers! Too bad this is from the back
they had BIG smiles.

Giving "Five" to Seth

Meeting her Grandmothers

Considering whether this "five" will be returned.

We got through immigration with only one small delay.  Requirements for citizenship are that all immigrants take an oath, which the agent thought Maisey needed to take (we had already done this in Guangzhou.) So we were sent to the back room where we waited for 10 minutes.  We were finally called, and that agent said “She’s too young to do the oath” and let us go.  So that one snag aside, we said though Immigration and Customs, and to our car.  We got in the car where I started a commute through the NY Metro area, to CT.  Traffic was brutal and we didn’t get home for 3-½ hours.  I said to Lisa “You know what the best part of coming home late is?  You’re HOME!”

So we pulled up and the boys and both grandmothers came outside to greet us.  We took Maisey out of the car and she met the family.  I told them to hold their hands out to let her reach out to them if she wanted.  She didn’t touch anyone but her two brothers and her cousin Ian.  She slapped “five” to her brother and laughed.  They’re officially her brothers now.   Eventually she gave hugs to her grandmothers too.  But we are so glad to be home, and look forward to venturing out soon.

More to come stay tuned.

Sleepless in Hong Kong

First of all I would like to thank you all for your prayers that Maisey would adjust to Connecticut time.  You must be praying fervently, as she seems to already be on Eastern Time.  We put her down at 9:30 and she awoke at 1:00, seems she's ready to be awake during this time.  Now if only Daddy was too!

We are so excited about our trip home, but this sleepless night should make it interesting.  My hope is she sleeps right after take off.  Me too for that matter.

Sincerely,

Sleepless in Hong Kong

Homeward Bound!

Just think at 10:30PM EDT Thursday, we will have left the ground in Hong Kong and on our way HOME!!!  Pray for a good flight.

See you back in the states really soon!

Re-Entry

Today we’re packing and leaving Guangzhou, and the PRC for Hong Kong.  We will depart tomorrow morning (China Standard Time) for Newark NJ and then home.  It has been quite an adventure here, and while I feel like Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz longing to leave a strange place for the comforts of the familiar and everyday, I have made so many memories with Lisa and our daughter. 

The days ahead will be difficult as we adjust to a 12-Hour time difference, new surroundings and routines for Maisey, and my re-entry into work, and weeks of unanswered emails.  We will have our family disrupted from what was normal to what is new.  We still rely on God and the prayers of friends and family as we make this transition.  I pray especially for our boys who long to see their sister, but who will soon realize that things will be a bit different. 

I look back on this adventure and have to pinch myself.  We stood in the “Forbidden City, the Great Wall, took trips to the remote countryside and saw places, and ate things that many travelers to China may never experience.  We’ve met some of the most wonderful, courageous, and caring families during our visits to 3 provinces.  These families have taken on children with all sorts of special needs and some who have even come back to do it again.  Most of all we were able to add most beautiful little girl in all of China to our family.  We are so blessed to be able to bring our little Maisey home.  After all the stress and paperwork, what seemed like an insurmountable task beforehand, seems afterwards like we simply came to China and claimed a prize. 

I can’t wait for all of you to get to know her like we have.  We’ve only known Maisey for 13 days, and already we can’t imagine our lives without her.  We hope she blesses all of you too.  Thanks for the many prayers and words of encouragement, thanks for the well wishes and blog comments, thanks for the meals I’m told are coming, and thank you Lord Jesus for the continuous blessing in our lives.

What a Bunch of Animals!

Today after our appointment at the US Consulate, we arrived back to our hotel at 9:30am.  We decided to take in some of the sights in Guangzhou.  A family we met in Nanchang, Pat and Sarah, suggested the Guangzhou City Zoo (Pat you get all the credit.) 

We took a cab to and from the zoo, purchased admission, and bought 2 Cokes all for less than $15.  Your dollar goes a long way in China. 

The zoo was very good for a smaller city zoo; we saw tigers, panthers, giraffes, and even an Panda!  It was a lot of fun.  We ended a little early as it was so hot, and started to rain.  We got a cab within a minute an avoided getting soaked.  Not much more I can say that the photos don’t say them selves.

Lisa and Maisey at Front Gate

Lemurs

Chimps

Apparently the Animals can get their faces painted too.

Cat Nap

Get Out!

Swimming Bear

Get a message to my cousin in the San Diego Zoo, tell him I'm in a
Chinese Prison!

What do you want?

Emperor of the Beasts

Looks like our cat Spartacus

Giant Panda

Kung Fu Panda

Po, the Dragon Warrrior

Lisa and Maisey in the bamboo forest.

Posing for the Camera

Stay tuned, nearly there!

We Can See the Finish Line!

Final Steps

Today was the day we’ve been waiting for, our appointment with the US Consulate in Guangzhou.  This is the last step in this very long process of adoption, and one of the most important.  This is where Maisey starts the process of becoming a citizen of the United States. 

Those waiting to get a visa to USA,
the line was 4x as long at 9:00AM when we left.

I’m sure she left the envy of all the people who were waiting in line just to possibly get an appointment with the Consulate to get a coveted Visa to the USA.  Lisa and I, along with the other 12 or so families at our 8:30AM appointment swore an oath on behalf of Maisey that all immigrants are required to make.  She will land on US soil in New Jersey on Friday, and as soon as we go thru customs, Maisey will be a citizen of the USA!  God Bless America.

This appointment will generate 3 documents required for travel back to the US.  First is her Visa to be attached to her Chinese passport, the second is her citizenship packet, which we will hand to US Customs in NJ on Friday.  Last, is a certified UN Hague Convention adoption certificate, which will serve as her proof of citizenship, much like a Birth Certificate is for us.

We will receive these documents tomorrow afternoon at 3:30PM (3:30AM in Connecticut.) Once we have these in hand we immediately leave Mainland China for Hong Kong.  Hong Kong is technically under Mainland China rule but will remain independent until at least 2047.  We will clear Hong Kong Customs get a cab to our hotel near the airport from the train station, then we’ll fly home Friday morning at 10:30! (10:30PM Thursday in CT.) 

We are SO ready to come home and introduce Maisey to everyone.

Even More Photos