A Special Christmas

Merry Christmas from our family to yours!! What a special Christmas we are having this year! Everyone seems to be doing well aside from a few colds, and I am especially enjoying each of the children on their vacation from school! Sarah is fitting in so well that it seems miraculous. She has bonded with our family, and seems to charm everyone she meets. She's such a sweet lovable baby with an adorable, funny personality. She gets a lot of attention everywhere we go. I think at first people are staring at her because of her cleft. Then she shoots them a huge grin and they can't help but smile back. What a gift from God she is!

The boys and Kimberly are doing fantastic too. Jack is still struggling with some separation anxiety, which he has had off and on since I was sick. He also complains of tummy trouble often, and we're thinking that's related. He is still my snuggle bug, even at eight, and I love it! Nathan loves Sarah and smothers her with hugs and kisses. He is adjusting to having to share Mom and Dad a bit. But he's excited to move up to big boy status at the same time. Daniel has really grown up a lot this year, and we are proud of his growth in character especially. He has even been babysitting for me some, and doing a great job. Kimberly is a gem to have around - so fun and helpful for me. It's so cute to see how crazy she and Sarah are about each other, although I think Sarah is finally starting to realize that I am her mother, not Kimberly. Kimberly is growing up too. In fact, we've started looking for a used car, since it will be so helpful for her to drive this April. She's thrilled.

We have had a few doctor visits for Sarah. Her routine blood tests have all come back normal. She will have her first surgery on January 12th to repair her lip. Then she will have another surgery to repair her palate at the end of June. She will probably be getting tubes in her ears during one of those. She also will likely have a nose touch up surgery sometime next fall. I'll keep you posted as her first surgery approaches. Please pray for her as these surgeries are painful, and somewhat complicated. She'll be going to the new All Children's Hospital in St. Pete. We hear it is really nice. Martin or I will stay with her constantly.

They're Home!

Martin, Kimberly and Sarah arrived at midnight on Saturday night at the Tampa airport! I went with Daniel and Jack, all of us eagerly awaiting to spot them walking down the hallway. Picking them up was a big party, because Martin's parents and his brother, Gary, and Stephen and Hannah went too. So far, we are all adjusting extremely well to Sarah and she to us. She fits into our family perfectly, like she's always been a part of it. It's so amazing to see her apprehensive of strangers and yet she's never acted that way towards us. God has answered my every prayer about that. What a dream come true she is - so adorable and sweet and fun-loving. She definitely prefers Martin and Kimberly still, but she goes to all of us. The boys can make her crack up, and her grin just melts your heart! Our biggest challenge right now with her is that she seems jet lagged and wants to be up for a few hours at night. Pray that she will adjust to American time soon. Thanks for all of your prayers and love for us throughout this journey. It has been such an incredible experience for us, and we are overjoyed and praising God for all of the many ways He has worked to bring this very special little girl into our family.

t's Thursday today, and Denise reminded me that I hadn't posted anything since Sunday.  I guess the reason for that is that each day looks like the one before.  Not that I'm unappreciative of being in China.  It's been a great experience, both for me and Kimberly.  Yesterday we had the famous Red Couch photos.  Every family that comes through Guangzhou usually stays at the White Swan hotel.  There are several red couches in one sitting area, and everyone gets their photos taken on the red couch.  Here's one of all the families that were part of our group.  We've made some good friends, particularly one christian family from Fort Collins, Colorado, the Atteberrys (they're at the bottom of the group photo with the boy in his mom's lap).  They adopted a sweet little 5-year old boy, Timmy, whom we knicknamed "T-bone".  That's because he has several surgery scars on his little chest that make him look like a street fighter.  He kept going around saying "Ya-ma-ha" to everyone. 

 

This afternoon we went to the consulate to finish Sarah's visa paperwork.  This was the final step of her adoption here in China, so we get to go home on Saturday!!!!  Most of the families in our group leave tomorrow, but we have one more day to get packed.  We can't wait to get home.with a set of chopsticks.  Totally not  

 

Earlier today, I explored the area around the hotel with a couple of the other dads.  We some some strange wares, including centipedes on a stick, live snakes, eels and toads, and various other things we can only guess at.  There was one young lady sitting at a bowl of live scorpions, counting them out one by one.

 

We very much appreciate all your prayers.  The whole process could not have gone more smoothly than it did.  Sarah has really taken to Kimberly and I, and so we pray that she will do so with Denise as well.  She had a cold, but is getting over that.  She does not have an ear infection, which was a big concern for her flight home.  Please pray that our travel time home goes well.  We fly from Guangzhou to Beijing, then to Newark, NJ, then back to Tampa.  It will be a very long day, almost 30 hours. 

 

Much love from Guangzhou,

 

Martin

Today is Sunday.  While many of you will be heading off to church, we visited a buddhist temple.  It is tucked in the middle of a lower income community, with apartment buildings all around.  The temple dates back to the 5th century, with beautiful architecture everywhere.  We were invited to attend a "blessing" for our new children.  It involved a buddhist monk chanting and beating a little drum, followed by a sprinkling of water, ending by bowing three times to the buddha statues.  Needless to say we did not participate.  Kim & I and several of the other christian families were acutely aware of the spiritual darkness in this place.  As I viewed the three large golden buddha statues, I could not help but think of King Nebuchadnezzar in the book of Daniel and the idol he built.  Here were people coming to worship statues, offering food, money, and incense.  These people need Jesus!  Perhaps some of our little ones will be called back to China to share the gospel with them.     

 

Sarah continues to do well.  She still does not like to go to bed, and throws a big fit when it's time to go to sleep.  But during the day, we have folks around us ask if she ever cries.  It's really not fair to the other families that we got the best kid, although I know that when we get back to Florida, we'll have our hands full!  

 

Martin  

Greetings from Guangzhou

Sarah enjoys her first taste of Starbucks.

We're over the hump!  One week left and then Sarah will get to meet her momma.  Someone in our group recently commented, "this trip is just like the movie Groundhog Day."  It's true, as each day seems very similar to the one before.   We arrived in Guangzhou late last night (around 9pm), after a 2 hour plane ride from Zhengzhou.  The hotel is beautiful (http://whiteswanhotel.guangdonghotels.cn/), but the beds are still rock hard.  I did sleep a little better last night, but I'll be glad to be back in my own comfy bed.  The air quality is no better than Beijing or Zhengzhou, but the weather is great.  It's about 73 F outside, as opposed to the 40 F or so when we left Zhengzhou last night.  At breakfast this morning, we noticed that about half the guests at the hotel are families adopting little ones.  It's been interesting to talk to some of them.  At the clinic where the kids have to get a physical, I met a lady from Orlando.  While we still get the curious stares from some of the Chinese people, it's not the same as the other cities we've been to.  Maybe they're staring at me, wondering if I'm married to the pretty blond girl that's carrying Sarah around... ;)

 

So this week we'll be hanging around the hotel, shopping in the little shops around Shamian Island.  We found a reasonable place to have our laundry done (at the Crowne Plaza in Zhengzhou, it cost us about $60 for one load of laundry!)  Ofcourse we packed for cold weather, so we may need to buy a shirt or two to wear this week.  Oh, Kimberly's a bit happier, as we located a Starbuck's a block from the hotel.  Seems that Sarah likes it too.  We may have the beginning of another Starbucks junkie on our hands. 

 

Martin

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Doing Great!

Martin has had a hard time sending emails lately, so I'll give you a quick update in my (Denise's) words.  They are doing fabulous!  We are so grateful for all of the prayers, because it's unbelievable how well Sarah has adjusted and how smooth the trip has gone so far.  I have spent a lot of time talking to them and admiring Sarah on video through Skype.  We all love her so much already.  She seems to have the sweetest personality.  She is such a happy and content baby!!  Even now as she has a cold, she's still been so sweet and playful.  She has slept great for them, waking up only once in the past few nights.  She definitely likes to be held and snuggled - that's no problem for us.  Both Daddy and Kimberly are happy to oblige her.   She's so smart.  Kimberly has already taught her to sign "please"  when she wants something.  Can you believe it?  And you can tell by the way she's curious about everything that she's trying to figure it all out.  She babbles a lot, claps and giggles and reaches out her hands for hugs and to be picked up.   She waves bye bye to me on the video.  She even reaches out her hands to me!  

Yesterday, they got together with some other families from the group for a play time and also took Sarah for a swim in the indoor pool.  Kimberly said she took lots of pictures of her in her little bathing suit.  Martin said she loves the water.  He's hoping to teach her to swim before they get home (kidding).  Today, they are touring a museum in the area.  They will probably also visit the hotel nurse to check Sarah for an ear infection or sinus infection.  She's having a lot of cold symptoms and they want to make sure to treat her if she needs an antibiotic.  They'll be flying to Guanzhou on Friday, so hopefully Sarah's ears will be all clear before that.  

On my end, we are doing well.  My friend, Suzanne, came over with her kids for a fun visit to help pass the time and celebrate my birthday.  This was such a special birthday for me.  I felt very loved by my family and friends and by the Lord.  I have so much to be thankful for.  Sarah's adoption was finalized on my birthday.  What a sweet birthday present from God!  He has given me the desires of my heart in little Sarah.  And after years of praying and dreaming about her, the Lord brought it about on my birthday.  He is so good!

Please pray for one of the other families in the group.  Their baby has a severe heart problem.  She was blue in her face and all over.  They had to put her in the hospital for a while.  They called the doctors in the U.S. and were told that in her current condition she only had a 50% chance of surviving the plane ride home.  They made the decision to take her back to the orphanage today.  They might be able to come back and get her later.  In China she is not eligible for surgery until she is older.  Please pray for this little girl and for this heart broken family.  

I'll try to post more pictures if they come through from Martin.  Happy Thanksgiving!