Souvenirs from China and the countryside.

Ughhhhh.....still not sure what this souvenir is that I brought home from China!!! Waiting for test results  as they can't treat it until they know exactly what it is but in the mean time stomach pains, lower back pains, burning stomach, etc. At least the nausea and cramping has gone away thanks to the meds (which by the way make me more tired than I already am) and with that I can eat once a day! Ughhhh......but ya know, the best souvenir is this little angel:

I know I should be sleeping but I wanted to share a little about the countryside trip we made. The escort took us there as she felt that our little guy and the other couple we were traveling with came from that area. She thinks our Gabriel is part of the Zhuang nationality based on his looks. He was also abandoned at a transportation hub that has easy access both in and out to leave a child there (ughhh). They do at least leave the children in public places where they can be found (gotta find the light in there somewhere). So we visited the countryside where the women take care of the farms while the men work in the city and only come home for the big holidays (Chinese New Year & also the Moon festival which begins either today or the 19th). They really live with very little.

Street market - fruits and vegetables looked great!

Still could not get use to have meat out in the open either in a store or on the street (she held a stick with a red plastic bag to swat away the flies)

See how she measures the weight of the items being purchased. 

Universal language - the smile!

It was tough to see kids that were "permitted" to stay with their family instead of being abandoned. Every time I saw a pregnant woman I said to myself - boy I hope your baby is as perfect as you want because I don't know how many times I can come and save the ones you throw away!

That face tells a story or two or three...

 Working through lunch.

Washing clothes.

Drinking water in front, washing water behind it. 

The houses are designed to hold animals on the main level and humans up stairs. 

The pigs are to the right. 

Upstairs living quarters (new building). Three generations of families live in each of the three rooms to the left (at least 3 people lived in each single room)

They have a nice sound system!

 Tall blonde man in China - must take pictures!

Kitchen storage (behind the glass is the kitchen)

My new friend!

I even got a kiss blown to me when I left this cutie!

Kitchen. 

View from roof where rice is dried out. 

My friend just peed on the top of the stairs on the roof. 

The government gave this group of Zhuang people an area of land to build new homes on so they can grow their group of people (they have a different language, dress, etc). 

I wish I had a picture of a few of these that I saw sliced like bread hanging over the back of a bike!

Washing on the right, drinking on the left. 

Downstairs entrance way to home. 

Adjusting well....all of us!

Hi everyone! We are moving along here. We had a great weekend as a family and we even ventured out on Sunday for church and then to get some food for this eater (and jammies as he is too little for everything we had)! Both boys (ok, all three) were were so good in church. The only outbursts were a few giggles here and there from Gabriel! He loved the music and singing! We went to Walmart to pick up some of his favorite foods and of course when we put some in the basket we had to open one because once he spotted it he had to have it (kinda reminded me of the animal crackers we got while shopping as a kid). He was easy going on the errands. I had him in the carrier or sack as I like to call it as I think it's his comfort zone while out and about (at least here it's not 95 degrees without him in it so I am thankfully quite dry). We opted out of much after that as we really want to keep his world small right now.
Anthony is dong well with his new little brother. He brings him all sorts of toys when he cries. We have been explaining in the simplest of ways why Gabriel is crying so he doesn't get upset. He has been sharing everything with Gabriel. There is of course jealousy of attention there but nothing ugly. And he of course has a ton of energy with all of this excitement. He stayed home from pre-K on Friday but we got him right back into the routine this morning. It was nice for all of us to walk him to the bus stop this morning.

We don't have Gabriel's schedule down yet. We are still trying to understand what he needs. I am still sleeping with him as he wakes many times in the night looking for me. He has been taking a bottle in the middle of the night as well which we have now successfully substituted for a pedia shake. He is eating well - real well for a kid with no appetite! Although a big part of me is not looking forward to the doctors appointment tomorrow because of his potential screaming, I am looking forward to learning more about his health.

And yes, he LOVES the dogs and cat! Right now he is laughing while petting Jake (and Jake - although may not enjoy it - is being so good with him).

Here are some pictures:

 Brothers playing on the iPad together.

 Hmmmm, he found out real quick that this is a DUMP truck!

 Wrestling with Dadda has already begun.

 New brothers (sitting on Dadda)

My boys as we head out to church!

We are home, we are good......soooo good!!!

Whewwwww, home sweet home has a new meaning!!! After waiting what seemed like forever on the customs line and getting our luggage, we got "picked" to not go through the exit doors but to head to line A - ugghhhh. For whoever has not gone through the whole security checkpoint this is where you get to have ALL of you luggage gone through - first the X-ray machine thingy then by hand by security! Are you kidding me is what I kept saying as we stood there watching the group in front of us that took at least 20 minutes and then more time with the gov't workers dilly-dallying to call us up next. When they called us up the women said "who is the immigrant?" I said this is our son who we just adopted and whose Dadda and brother are waiting on the other side of those doors to meet him (tears were ready to flow). She congratulated me and then asked if we had any food. I told her only the Cherrios and a few treats we brought to China for him. She asked if we had any fruit, vegetables, meat, etc and I said no to all - she said go on through and enjoy!! We were so excited to not have to wait any longer.
We went through those doors and walked through many people waiting for families and friends. We saw Jerry first with his arms up and then I saw Eric holding Anthony. I called Anthony's name and he saw me and screamed and jumped up in Eric's arms and then jumped down running to me (are you crying yet, because I am). I went to pick him up and boy is he heavy and solid - I've been holding Gabriel who is a peanut in comparison. I could swear Anthony grew an inch and gained 10 pounds! We will be putting both boys on the scale and height charts later! After all, it's almost one year since Anthony has been home and a US citizen (ahhh, and yes, even though he screamed and screamed I kissed Gabriel over and over as I cried when the wheels of the plane hit the ground - just like Anthony but he was at least sleeping). I introduced Gabriel to Eric as Dadda and he smiled!!!!! It was so incredible to see Eric and Anthony (and Jen and Jerry) at the airport.
We got in the car and Gabriel fussed a little bit as I put him in the car seat but he saw Anthony in his and I sat in between both of them. Gabriel smiled the rest of the way. Anthony, Gabriel and I sang Five little monkeys jumping on the bed - over and over they both loved it and Eric was taking it all in.
When we got home I headed in to greet the dogs so they weren't too nuts and the three boys waited in the car. Gabriel screamed of course. As soon as I opened the door and picked him up he stopped crying and the dogs were a non issue!!!! Didn't even phase him!!!!! Compared to Anthony screaming bloody murder last year - this was truly amazing!
We were up for a little bit and it was tough for Eric because Gabriel wouldn't let him near him. We were able to keep Anthony from being upset by explaining to him what Gabriel was going through. Soon I turned in with Gabriel. I will be sleeping with him and inching my way out little by little. He woke up a few times but found me quickly. He woke up somewhere around 3:30 ish and he was wide awake! We tired the iPad for a little while but he grew bored so we got up. Eric joined us on the couch (because who could sleep with the screaming). Eric sat on one side of Gabriel and I on the other, all on the couch with the iPad in between. Gabriel fussed every time Eric got close to him. I showed Eric the games we played on the iPad and held his hand to show Gabriel. He got a little better but was still very shaky. Anthony got up and we watched Scooby Doo together. Gabriel got fussy even when Anthony got close but we didn't pay any attention to it. Time to eat pancakes. We all sat down and Eric was again on one side of Gabriel and I on the other. I fed Gabriel one and he didn't take it from Eric until I held Eric's hand and guided him to Gabriel's mouth. Before we knew it Gabriel took the food from Eric with no problem. He ate a little more than one pancake! And by the way, he has been eating Cheerios and puffs since I started typing this. He even got the high chair table to show me he wanted to sit there and eat!!!!
Next, China gift time. We all gathered around the dining room table and plopped Gabriel right on top. Anthony was so excited to get all of his gifts (Eric too) and Gabriel just played with anything on the table around him. When we were done (felt like Christmas - yes I had to buy another piece of luggage but in my defense I (like Anthony) bought items as future gifts for Gabriel) I put Gabriel on the floor and started putting things away. He was shaky at first holding on but - get ready for this - before you knew it he was running around the house like a typical two year old along with his big brother!!!!! I mean running around - and laughing - and running around - and did I mention laughing - and dancing (yes, came home with one of those annoying "ya ya" players from China - had to).
Then - are you ready??? - before we knew it he was playing with Eric and Anthony. Eric was able to touch him and even hold him on his lap while sitting on the floor. There was dancing and laughing and babbling!!!! I have to say that I just took it all in! I couldn't believe that he transitioned that quickly. I knew he would but this quick was amazing. He did know Eric was Dadda due to all the Skyping and he knew Anthony was Ge ge. Eric and Anthony's faces were familiar to him. I wanted to record all of this but just took it in. I don't know at what point Eric said this but he said "boy, when he cries it's an all out scream with full flood of tears! Yup!! As we played, he handed Dadda the magnets and handed them to Momma and Anthony as instructed. It was just amazing. I mean this kid was running around like he lived here all along (my mom could testify to this as she heard it all while on the phone). I can't yet walk out of the room - although he could.
I know we have a long way to go but we couldn't be any happier right now! We couldn't be any more blessed. We prayed over breakfast for a smoother transition and our prayers have already been answered.

And for those who who read my agonizing post about the screaming day(s)...it got better after that painful Sunday and part of Monday. We did have lots of smiles and tickles and all around good stuff. It was a difficult trip with me being on 24/7 without Eric there. It was certainly hard - thank you for listening and for sharing that even birth parents have those days of uncertainty. You have no idea how comforting your thoughts and prayers were. We do think that there might be some digestive issues with the new food but we think it's more of a sensitivity crying. He has many signs of it. We do have a doctors appointment on Tuesday for the medical part and we will take it from there. Ahhhh, breathing right now....it sure feels good!!!!

(more pictures to come)!!!

Quick pixs...

The good and the bad...

So as I get the screamer to sleep, I take a few advil and hit the computer for some updates. I decide to check out what's happening in the world so I open up FB first (ok, what's happening in some digital fabrication of the world) and I come across two posts right away, one after the other, that give me much needed strength:

The One who stood in the furnace with Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego stood trial in your place to save you from a fire stronger than Nebuchadnezzar’s. And He stands with you today in whatever fire burns around you.
Isaiah 43:2
When you pass through the waters,
I will be with you;
and when you pass through the rivers,
they will not sweep over you.
When you walk through the fire,
you will not be burned;
the flames will not set you ablaze.

"Do not be afraid, for I have ransomed you. I have called you by name; you are mine. When you go through deep waters, I will be with you. When you go through rivers of difficulty, you will not drown. When you walk through the fire of oppression, you will not be burned up; the flames will not consume you. For I am the Lord, your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior." Isaiah 43:1-3

Thank you Sandra and Ashley for that perfect timing!

Adoption is not easy. Considering I have posted all of the good, I suppose it would only be fair to share the ugly too.....we had a really, really, REALLY bad day on Sunday. I posted the great pictures of that mornings breakfast but it pretty much went down hill from there....and down and down.....this little guy is surely a SCREAMER (I seem to instinctively capitalize that every time). He (hence, we) had a bad day. All the tricks I thought I had up my sleeve from the crying prior to that just didn't seem to work. He cried for hours on end (and yes, we though of the new food, etc but let's remember that he was very attached to his foster mother) I know that he needs to get his grieving out and it all makes sense.....I mean how many of us adults could just change everything we know in our world that quickly and not grieve? It's part of the process...a process well worth it...but boy does that devil work really extra hard during those times! I found out the hard way in the middle of the night that I should not say, "Momma is here" as it makes him made and kicks, hits and screams more. I guess I just don't want everyone to think that adoption is easy - 'cause it's just not. Even as good as Anthony has been so far, it's still just not easy. I really feel that the two days delay of not getting Gabriel makes a big difference. You just don't have "the hours in" that you need before you go doing all this other stuff to make him yours. Today when I had to take him away from the toys at the consulate he SCREAMED and SCREAMED. We had to walk through over 100 people to get out and everyone of them look at the American with the SCREAMING Asian baby....I wanted to yell, "Well if you didn't just throw these children away then maybe they wouldn't be screaming!" Instead I said, "What you never saw a baby crying before!"
Ugghhhh.....So enough of the ugly...we have really, really been making progress!!! Here, take a peek:

 (above picture is laughing not his SCREAMING)

I might get brave enough to post the plumbers crack picture because all of his clothes are way too big! So we have lots of laughs and giggles at this point. He was able to sign me "more" at dinner last night! He now knows YES movement and not just the shaking of the head NO. He says YUM!!!!!! And even YUM, YUM. When he plays he babbles and babbles. He smiles. He does love to dance!!!! (they told us this but we only just saw it recently). He likes to be tickled (gotta time that right as I found out tonight). He plays great with other kids and loves to just jump right into play. He is a pretty smart little guy that just needs to be worked with. When I asked him to share with a girl at the consulate today - he did and did again and again. He sat at a table eating with these kids too, it was too sweet. He is really going to be ok (hence, me too).

We are really moving forward. Sure, there are moments where I wonder how I got this bright idea but I'm pretty sure that most parents have those moments. This little guy is just too precious and I can not wait to introduce him to his Dadda and big brother!!! Thursday couldn't come soon enough!

Thanks for checking in! Keep the prayers coming especially for all of those out there who have considered becoming a forever family, prayers for strength and guidance.

Too precious...

For those of you on FB - occasionally I will post the same pictures as FB but not always so keep checking in & scroll down for more :)

Here are our breakfast pictures:

 He just loved scrambled eggs! And because it was Sunday, the buffet was longer so we took our time and tried all sorts of goodies! He love the steamed pork dumplings but hate the rice. He - of course - love the jellies and he even liked the oatmeal (with brown sugar). And he still loved his watermelon and cantaloup. It blows my mind when they give you a kid that they claim does not have an appetite so they give him formula. OK, ahhh, this kid may not eats tons at a time and may be slow to eat but he does enjoy eating. Ok, so we had to try a little bit of this:

All of you who have been to Guangzhou before know exactly where we are! Just a little :)

So we had a rough night as he woke up in the middle of the night and it took about 2 1/2 hours to get him back to sleep. Then a rough morning, then a rough trip to Shamin Island for some shopping:

Here I am trying to keep him from crying while getting the money out! The foster family let him watch a lot of TV from the looks of things. He doesn't like shopping - great, that's not going to work (I think Dadda bribed him). He has napped in the "sack" before so we thought it was ok but soon found out it was a losing battle and we returned for a little bit of playing and lots of napping (I didn't take mine though, uhhh ohhh).

We have decided to skip all of the optional tours as we are not sure how he will do. I don't think he would get much out of the Safari and I am afraid if he starts crying on the Dragon Boat that he will disturb the others or I will jump off :). (have I mentioned he's a screamer - as I hear another child screaming in the hallway - I was going to go out there and tell them they aren't the only ones but they are quite now. And by the way out there - please do not touch my kid ever - ESPECIALLY when he is crying - I can not tell you how many people touched him today when he was crying - really?? I don't ever remember touching someone else's kid - never mind one I didn't know - when they were crying. By the way - if ANYONE touches him (even Donna who he has seen here 24/7) he screams and cries ALOT!!! No I don't need you to touch his feet to see his shoe size - yes, HE is a boy wearing pink shoes 'cause he's proud in pink supporting a cause (or because that's how he came -lol). Can you tell I might need a nap? Still all of those laughs at breakfast and the tickling before his nap make it all worth while!!!
Thanks for checking in - and be sure to pray for those families out there that are at home waiting to travel to meet their little ones!
Check back for more on the countryside visit, the orphanage, the foster family and I don't know, anything else!!!

Lots to celebrate

so sorry that I haven't reported in... I typed up a ton and then deleted it by accident, ughhhh - so here we go:

NiHao from China!!!! As you can imagine, we've been quite busy bonding in China. Instead of being able to get JiaJia (not yet Gabriel - pronounced Zja Zja) on Monday the 2nd, we weren't able to get him until Wednesday the 4th. This was a major upset as I wasn't really interested in being a tourist in China. But let's get back to that another time as I am sure you want to hear about our little man!!!!
Here he is:

He came in on Wednesday SCREAMING!!! And I mean screaming - boy does he have a set of lungs and they warned us the few days before. I couldn't even touch him. They tell him that I am Momma which I am sure is crazy confusing even though he calls his foster mom something else. I tried playing with the toys with him but he wouldn't touch any of them and he didn't eat until Thursday morning! I was getting a little worried there. Because we got him late and we had to fly out Friday we had to do much of the paperwork in the room including a family picture - again, he wouldn't let me touch him (just so you know, now 4 days later, only I can touch him). He is just too precious and a little one - even smaller than the sizes I brought. The first night he woke up twice screaming and it seems to take either sitting in front of the computer or the ipad to calm him down (I think he spent a lot of time in front of the TV unfortunately). The third time that night he woke up but didn't scream and was just looking for me. So he had a bottle that morning and we went to breakfast and he had a little rice noodles and lots of watermelon (just like Anthony with the watermelon). When we got back to the room we were lying down together and I was actually able to give him kisses on his hand while he was sucking his thumb. It soon turned into our first smile and then more with giggles! It was just amazing!!! And they said he didn't have an appetite! Well maybe they should feed him something more than just congee or noodles! I gave him cheerios and he was loving them. He tried those little puffs and spit it out first and then a bit later tried again and he was loving them too! When he ate enough he started playing with them (and took the containers to get more) using two bowls and spoons dumping them back and forth (ok, who is sleeping in that bed tonight?) and we did mixing. He even did pretend play when there was nothing in the bowl or spoon as he fed me and himself. He was babbling a bit too and I think he said "MMMMM" because I was doing that with him. Earlier he did feed me when I asked him too & he even gave me handfuls (got on video but can't download here). It was just too much fun!!! Soon he tried all sorts of things (he may have some sensory issues with the different food but that is expected) and liked most of them. This boy is going to eat!!!!
I have been playing a game with him on the iPad (the iPad has been a saving grace when he cries - again, I think it's the TV thing) called Animals hide and seek. I've been repeating the name of the animals and he can now not only touch the screen but he can pick some of them out from their hiding places. Then we opened up the itsy bitsy spider and what laughter!!!! He loved making the spider jump along with another character going down a rainbow "weeee" - he tried to say "weeee" and I was able to incorporate tickles!!! Tooo awesome!!! Here are some pictures:

I promise to post more....I still have lots to share.....the amazing-ness  - while sitting at the medical check - of seeing all of these beautiful children being adopted....the visit to the country side where they think our little guy is from....the orphanage visit with the foster parents (tears) and his finding place (more tears).....the information about his possible heritage.....so much.....but for now I need to get some sleep for more adventures tomorrow. Thank you for all of the continued prayers - please continue to pray that more children are able to find the love of a forever family!!!