Journey of Promise

We are home!!!

2012-03-04T22:22:00.005-08:00

We are home!

Wow does it feel good to be back in your own home!!!

It was a very eventful trip home.
We took off from Hong Kong at 11:30 am on March 2nd. There were 2 other families from our group on our flight and one family that we saw at the China Hotel that was with another agency.
Robbie fell asleep at take off and slept for about an hour. He did really good on the plane. We had a row with an extra seat in the middle and this made all the difference in the world. We had many poopy diapers on the plane but we managed ok. The plane had an issue with it's sound system and only half the plane could get the audio for the movie. This affected our seats and we could only get one music station on our headsets and it was an 80's station. I think we were slap happy at that point and did lots of laughing at what was being played. Since the audio is controlled on your arm rest, this is also where the reading lights are controlled as well. So we had no lights. This in turn made them keep the bright cabinet lighting on for the whole flight!! I had a window seat so the bright lights were blaring down on me, and Robbie, so needless to say we got very little sleep. I think Robbie only slept for about 4 hours of the whole 14 hour flight!!!
United did give us a card to go online and redeem a "goodwill" choice for the inconvenience but I have yet to go on and find out what they are offering to us. I am sure it's not much.

We finally arrived in Chicago at 11:20 am on March 2nd. We made it through immigration and customs pretty fast. We found out that the flight we were scheduled to take at 5:30 pm had been canceled so they booked us on the flight to leave at 2:30 pm. At this point we were so happy to just be getting on an earlier flight home it was awesome.
Till we got to the gate... We got a quick snack and got Robbie to take a bit of a nap. Soon they were saying that the plane was going to be delayed coming in so that was going to delay our take off. They pushed us back to a 4:30 take off. Ok not so bad, until they changed us to another gate and told us there was lightening in the area and they shut down the airport a couple of times for about 15 minutes each. This delayed our flight even more. Finally the plane arrived and they said it would be really quick to get everyone off and get us loaded on after they did the safety check. The flight crew was ready and waiting so we were getting ready to board...and they found an issue and had to call in maintenance.
Wonderful!
Pretty soon they said they needed to go and get a part so we would have to wait. Finally at just before 6 pm they canceled our flight!! We were not happy about that!! At this point we had been traveling for over 24 hours! Andy my family was already at the airport waiting for us to come in. They told us we would have to go to United customer service to be re-ticketed. They had canceled a lot of flights at this point and the line was very long. While we were waiting in line Derek was calling rental car places to see if that was an option for us. After waiting in line for an hour we finally go to the desk. There was noting direct to CWA. Their options for us were to fly to Minneapolis and then wait on standby for a flight to CWA or we could fly to Appleton later in the day on Saturday...NOT! Well we didn't have our luggage and we only had limited supplies for Robbie so Derek told the guy that wasn't going to work for us and so we went to the Avis rent a car where Derek had a car on hold for us. It's only a 5 hour drive from Chicago to home.
On our way to the rental car we were talking to a woman who was supposed to be on our flight and found our that she could only get a flight to Appleton the next day and was going to miss a funeral that she was flying to her sisters to attend. Turns out her sister only lives 15 miles from us so she hopped in the car and rode along.
Robbie was not to happy about his first car ride in a car seat, and it was an infant bucket type to boot. Since he was so tired he gave in and slept once we got going on the road. It was snowing but the highways were pretty clear. Derek is a good driver so I was not worried about it and he had our extra passenger to keep him awake, although he was so upset at this point there was no way he was going to sleep.
We stopped at a Taco Bell as we had been craving this our entire trip. We left the airport at 8:15 pm and pulled into our driveway just before 1 am. It felt so good to be home!!!

Our wonderful friends had a huge sign hanging in our yard that said "Welcome Home Dombeck's" Mom and Makenna were staying at our house and Mom got up when we pulled in the yard and met us at the door.
Turns out our wonderful friends had done more than hang a sign in our yard. We were welcomed home to new countertops and sink in our kitchen!!!!! So unexpected.
I literally stood in the kitchen with my mouth hanging open. I couldn't believe it!! It looks so awesome!! A Huge Thank You to Jerry and Carrie for that one!!!

Makenna was asleep in the living room as she wanted to wait for us to get home. She woke up and we were finally a family of 4!! We stayed up till about 3 am then headed to bed. Derek was still wound up so he didn't sleep too much. Makenna woke up at 8am and couldn't wait for her brother to wake up so we finally got up at 9:30 after a few visits to the bedroom from her.
Derek then went to bed at 10am and slept till 6 pm.

I think we are starting to get back on track with things. Robbie is having some sleep issues and is up every couple hours or so. He has been up 3 times tonight in the past 6 hours since he went to sleep. Hopefully he will get on track and start to sleep all night.

We want to extend a huge THANK YOU!!! to all our amazing family and friends for all your prayers, love and support you have given us on this journey to bring our son home!!

Now for Chapter 2 as we start our lives as a family of 4.

(Sorry I don't have any pictures, I will try to get some up in the next few days)

Train to Hong Kong

2012-02-29T23:02:00.002-08:00

We are all packed and ready to get on the train.
In a half hour they will come and get our bags and then in an hour we will go down and check out. We will get on the bus about 4:30 to go to the train station.
Another cool, cloudy, rainy day today so no outside time for us.
We had a very low key day today. We went went down to breakfast about 9 and chatted with some of the other families and then came back to the room, played for a bit and Robbie and I took a nap.
Once nap time was over I started to pack everything up. Not an easy task but I think we have it all in and the stuff that we need tonight on the top of one of the suitcases so that we don't have to unpack too much when we get to Hong Kong.
Robbie has had about 4 messy diapers today. His pour little butt is red. I was glad I brought the Butt Paste. I hope he is done with this before we get on the train and then the plane. I think we have given him more fruit this week than he has ever had. He is not sick, no temp, and he is not acting sick in any way.

Next stop Hong Kong!

FYI

2012-02-29T07:40:00.002-08:00

Just an FYI for those of you who will be around us when we get home.

One of Robbie's favorite things to say is "da"
We have learned that in Chinese this means "hit"
We do not want to encourage this word so if he says this to you please do not repeat it to him. As we made the mistake of doing this early in the week. And be aware that is word may come with a swinging arm, especially if he is upset or not liking what is going on. If that is the case please just grab his hand and firmly tell him "No!"
We have been working on this all week and it is getting better. But we wanted to give everyone a fair warning and try not to encourage this from him.
We have found that a lot of these children have some aggression to work out.
Thank you very much for your cooperation in this matter.

Consulate Appointment

2012-02-29T01:54:00.004-08:00

Group Photo from today: Missing one family

Today we had our Consulate Appointment (CA) to get Robbie's Visa.
We boarded the bus with 9 other families and headed to the USA Consulate. We had to go to the 4th floor of the building and go through security. I forgot I had my blackberry in the backpack and they found it and took it from me. They gave me a number so that I could pick it up when we came back out. I have not turned it on since we left the states and forgot it was tucked away in a pocket. Sorry there are no photo's from today as they do not allow camera's in the consulate.
We waited in a room, they had some toys for the kids, and then when there were 12 families there we all stood, raised our right hand and took and oath for our kids. We then got called one family at a time to the window and handed them the packet with all our child's info and passport. Once we were all done we headed back to the bus and that is it. They will pick up his passport, with his visa, tomorrow afternoon. They will also give us a brown envelope with all his info that we will turn in to immigration when we land in Chicago. Robbie will officially be a US Citizen when we hit US soil!
When we got back to the hotel we had a group photo. For some reason one of the families was not there and one family only the Dad came as the little girl was ill.
We have a wonderful group of families and it was really awesome to go on this journey with them!
It rained all day today. It was a bit warmer but very cloudy and it got foggy as the day went on. I can hardly see the buildings across the street right now. We were hoping to go the park today but that didn't happen. Still better than all the snow I hear you are all getting at home! Derek is happy for that as it's coming up on the full moon and he is ready to do some coyote hunting.
This afternoon was really low key. We took a family nap and then went and found some supper: once again McDonald's. Derek and Robbie are in the tub as I write this and we are going to meet our friends from CA in the lounge for one last night of drinks and snacks.
Tomorrow we have most of the day free. We have to have our luggage packed and outside our door by 4:30 pm tomorrow afternoon and then they will take us to the train station. Our train leaves at 6:15 pm and it's a 2 hour train ride to Hong Kong. We will stay overnight at the airport hotel and then our flight to Chicago leaves at 11am on Friday. We will "time travel" back to the USA as we land in Chicago at 11:16 am on Friday. We have a long layover in Chicago but this is due to the fact that we have to go through customs and immigration. Our flight to CWA leaves at 5:30 pm and we should land at CWA at 6:30 pm on Friday March 2nd! Hopeing the snow stops by then!
It's going to be so nice to be back home!!! As one of the Dad's said today "It's going to be nice to get in my car and drive where I want, when I want and get what I want" I couldn't of said it better!
Please pray for safe travels for us and that Robbie tolerates the long plane ride ok!!
This may be my last post from China and I am not sure what tomorrow night will bring for us.

Free Day

2012-02-28T05:46:00.005-08:00

Cruise on the Pearl River

Papa John's Pizza

First Chicken Nugget from McDonald's.

Today was pretty low key.

We slept in a bit and went down for breakfast.
The sun peaked out for a little bit this morning and it actually hit 60 today. We played in the room and then it was nap time. Robbie took a 2 hour nap. Derek just ran down to McDonald's for lunch. Robbie had his first chicken nuggets and ice cream today! We didn't have a lot of time for lunch as Derek had to attend the exit meeting at 3pm.
Once Derek got back from the meeting it was bath time. Then it was time to get ready to go on the boat tour.
We took a boat on the pearl river. It was a nice night out. They ordered Papa Johns Pizza's and we ate it on the boat. We were on the first deck so out of the wind. We were able to go up on the top deck and see all the lights of the city and the boats. I took some video as well. It was a bit chilly and windy for the babies so we took them back downstairs and Robbie and Karmen played for a bit. It decided to rain while we were about half way through the cruise and it quit before it was time to get back on the bus.
Of course Robbie fell asleep on the way to the boat for a short nap and then he didn't want to go down for us tonight. He finished his bottle and then wanted to play on the bed. He finally let me hold him and he went to sleep. Derek fell asleep too and I will be joining them shortly. I didn't sleep well last night again.
A few families had their consulate appointments today. Ours is tomorrow with the rest of the families. We have to get on the bus at 9am to head to the consulate for the oath taking ceremony. In the afternoon we plan to go and check out the large park that is across the street. It's supposed to be in the upper 60's. We can pick up Robbie's Visa on Thursday at 4:30 pm and then we will take the train to Hong Kong.
We tried to call the airline today to upgrade to the economy plus seats so we would have more room for the trip home with a baby on our laps for 14 hours but no such luck. They said all they had left are middle seats and nothing together but we can ask again at the airport. It may be a very long flight home.

Pictures from today...

2012-02-27T07:21:00.002-08:00

Gotta love the "Chinglish"

Robbie & Karmen!!!

Scroll down to see today's post...

Happy Birthday Robbie!

2012-02-27T06:44:00.006-08:00

Happy Birthday Little Man!

Today Robbie turned 1!!
Robbie fell asleep at 7:30 pm last night and made it till 5:30 before he started to fuss. I put him in bed with us and he slept till almost 7:30 am. I guess we wore him out. Lots of fresh air yesterday.
After breakfast we met many of the families here in the lobby to head out to the Safari Park.
It was cold, about 50, and raining on and off all day. But this was not bad as we had most of the park to ourselves. Robbie fell asleep as we drove into the parking lot of the zoo. We put him in the carrier and he slept for about an hour. We walked through the first part of the park and then took a Safari Ride on a tram through another part of the park. The tram ride was about an hour and we saw a lot of animals up close. When we stopped at the bears, tigers and lions they threw meat at them and they all ran for it. The lions were the most aggressive and they were fighting over the food. One lion was even bleeding after the fact. Not what we are used to seeing at home.

We took a ton of pictures and some video so Makenna you don't have to worry about missing any animals and we picked out a stuffed animal just for you!!!

When we got back to the hotel, Robbie had a bottle while Dad went to pick up the cake. It was had to find a regular Birthday Cake here so we had to order a cheese cake. It was really good. We invited the other families down to celebrate Robbie's First Birthday. It was short and sweet but he liked the cake. We sang Happy Birthday and he tried to blow out the candles. He loved the cake, but he also seems to like whatever we put into his mouth!

His girlfriend Karmen gave him a spiky orange ball and he loves it! They had a good time together and it was so nice that all the families and most of the kids could come and celebrate with us.

Once the party was done we headed to the lounge for some dinner and drinks with our friends from CA. They boys played better tonight.

Tomorrow is a free day for us. Some of the other families have their consulate appointments but ours in not till Wednesday. We have an exit meeting at 3 and then a river boat cruise in the evening. We will see what the weather is going to do before we head out. They say that Wednesday and Thursday are supposed to be around 70. It will be nice to see the sun again as it has been overcast, cool and raining the entire time we have been in Guangzhou. Better than the snow at home but it would be nicer if it were warmer. We will do something with our new friends tomorrow even just if it's just to pass the time.

First Kiss

2012-02-26T02:18:00.010-08:00

Love all the strange signs we see all over
Trying on a new hat
Adoptive Family Statue

Not sure why it is but all the statues on Shamian Island are rather fat.
Kiss Kiss Lots of people having their photo's taken because the island is so beautiful

Robbie had his first kiss today! Little Miss Karmen walked right over and planted one on him!
Today was a good day. It was rather cool with some wind and rain but it was nice to be outside.
After breakfast we were able to Skype with my Mom and Makenna then Dad and Robbie had bath time and then it was time for a nap. We had to wake him just before 1 as we were meeting 3 other families in the lobby to go over to Shamian Island to pick up our laundry and do some shopping. We bought a chop for Robbie and some traditional Chinese outfits for Robbie and Makenna. I also found a "Made in China" shirt for Robbie. It will be a bit before he can wear it as they didn't have any real small sizes.
It was nice to explore the Island. As we were walking around a man came up to us and started to ask about the babies. Turns out it was Jordan from Jordan's shop. I had heard about this shop from many people who have been here. He told us some history of the island, that the French had one half and the English had the other and they had an electric fence down the middle. You can see this in the architecture of both sides. He asked the kids names and made a page with there name in English and then in Chinese with the meaning of their names. It was really nice. He also had the coveted "Going Home Barbie" that you used to get at the White Swan when you stayed there for your adoption trip. It's a regular blonde barbie with an Asian baby. So miss Makenna will have that when we get home.
We ate at Lucy's and it was nice to have some "regular" food. Robbie once again finished a whole bowl of chicken congee and had many of our french fries and half a bowl of mashed potatoes. He ate the whole time we sat at the table!!! Derek has many nick names for him: cake, stay puff, big baby (from toy story 3). This kid is going to have a complex by the time we get home!
We are now back at the hotel and are planning a trip to the lounge for some drinks with the family from CA.
Tomorrow it's off to the Safari Park! Makenna has told me I need to take a photo of every animal so she doesn't miss anything!

Shamian Island

2012-02-25T20:14:00.002-08:00

Here are some more photo's of Shamian Island. It is nice to see green!!
The basket was in our room when we arrived.

First Day in Guanzhou

2012-02-25T06:00:00.005-08:00

Palm
Tree's!!!

Robbie didn't sleep good last night.
Since we got in late he slept till about 2:30 then started to fuss so I put him in bed with us. We had the alarm set for 7 and so we got up and made our way to breakfast. Here we saw more families that were with us in Beijing. We all boarded the bus shortly after 9 and headed to Shamian Island. We got in line to have the kids photo's taken for their visa's. Derek was so happy to find Mt. Dew at the 7-11!!! After that we stopped at Micheal's to have our laundry done. Then we walked to the medical clinic. Robbie did very good and didn't cry at any of the checks. He did however pee all 0ver when he was at the main medical check.
Once we were done at the clinic we made our way back to the photo shop. On the way we saw a little boy doing his business in the street. This is one of the many things that we see daily that is s0 not how we do things in the USA. There seems to be NO manners here in China!!
We took a walk tonight to see what was around our hotel and made a stop at the 7-11 to stock up on Mt Dew!!!
Derek attended the paperwork meeting this afternoon and they offered tours to us. The only one we signed up for was the Safari Park on Monday.
Tomorrow is a free day for us . So we will go to Shamian Island and pick up our laundry and do some shopping.
We had a nice night in the lounge with a couple from CA and their son. We are ready to head home but have a few more days here.

From Harbin to Guangzhou

2012-02-24T06:41:00.006-08:00

We have arrived at the China Marriott Hotel in Guangzhou and it is like traveling to another world. It was so nice to get back and see some the families that we were with in Beijing and meet all their beautiful children!!
Derek upgraded our room after the not so nice accommodations we had in Harbin. We are spoiled here! We are on the 17th floor and it was dark when our plane landed and it's raining so I haven't seen any of the city yet. It sure feels nice to be in warmer weather!
Echo arrived at our hotel to help us check out this morning and she brought along Robbie's passport. She also had a wonderful photo album from the Civil Affairs office. They took pictures on Gotcha Day and the day after when we completed the adoption. They also gave us Robbie's "finding ad" This is an ad they place in the local paper after a baby is found stating that they found a child and where, asking for the parents to come forward. It has a photo of him but the quality is very bad. All wonderful keepsakes!!
We drove to the airport and Robbie napped for about a half hour or so. They we got checked in and Echo waited with us till we boarded the plane. Her flight left a couple hours after ours.
We were prepared for the worst on the plane but Robbie did wonderfully! He so loves to be around people that he never even cried. He ate for the entire 4 hour flight as everyone was bringing him food. He was a trooper and for that I am very very thankful!!
We found our ride from the airport and had one other family with us that was with us in Beijing. Robbie fell asleep on the ride over to the hotel.
This hotel is really nice and we met a few of the other families in our group in the lobby. There seems to be many adoptive families staying here, not just from our agency. We got checked in and I got Robbie a bottle and got him to sleep and unpacked our stuff. It sure was nice to pack the winter cloths back in the suitcase till later! We have a pile of laundry to take with us tomorrow to Shamian Island.
We have to meet our group in the lobby at 9:30 am to get on the bus to go to Shamian Island. First all the kids will have their photo's taken for their visa's and then we will go to the medical clinic for their examinations.
It is now almost 11pm and Derek went to hunt down some food for us and then it's off to bed as we have to get up and get ready early tomorrow.
Sunday - Tuesday are free days for us here as Robbie is under 2 so he will not get a TB test. Our consulate appointment is not until Wednesday. We are going to make plans to have a Birthday Party for Robbie on Monday with the families in our group!
Sorry no photo's from today but there was nothing worth taking a photo of and most of our day was spent on an airplane!

PS Derek brought me ice cream!!!

Snow and Ice Sculptures

2012-02-23T04:10:00.000-08:00

We were able to see some the snow and ice sculptures today. These were in the park along the river where the main festival was held.

Since there were so many photo's from today that I wanted to share...today's post is actually in 3 parts so be sure to see them all!

Last full day in Harbin

2012-02-23T03:36:00.000-08:00

This photo was over the tank with the Sturgeons.

Today was a good day for the most part.
Robbie slept good last night and only work up at 2:30, had a bottle and went back to bed. After breakfast we were able to Skype with Katy, Grandma Diane & Dave, Grandma Mary and Makenna!!!
After some play time and only an hour nap it was time to feed Robbie and get ready to meet Echo for some touring today.
First we went to Polar Land. (photo's are above) It was a neat, kind of like a mini Sea World. We saw lots of fish and Polar Bears, Arctic Fox, Arctic Wolves, Beluga Whales, a Sea Lion show and sharks. This building is in a park on the other side of the river from where we are staying. They also had a bunch of snow sculptures left so we did get to see some of them. We were told that Harbin had very little snow this year so man made snow to sculpt with. They were not in the best shape but still were really neat to see. We also got to see the main area of the ice sculptures as were drove out. It is only open at night so the driver just pulled over so that we could take a picture. As I said before all the ice sculptures that they had in the parks in town are smashed and hauled back to the river. They take the ice from the river to make the sculptures with. They are shooting fireworks off across the river in that direction as I write this now.
After Polar Land we went to visit St. Sofia Church. There are photo's below.
We then had dinner with Echo and our driver at a local dumpling restaurant. She ordered 5 kinds of dumplings for us to try. They eat a lot of dumplings and noodles in northern China and more rice in the southern parts. They were each good, some better than others. They had an awesome garlic sauce to put on them however, Derek and I can still taste it how many hours later!
As soon as we got back to our room tonight Robbie started whining. He likes to be in this room as much as we do, NOT! Anyway he worked himself up and neither one of us could comfort him. We got him ready for bed and I made a bottle. He screamed hard for quite a while. When I finally got him to drink his bottle he drank about 2/3 of it and proceeded to throw it up all over me and my bed! This was one of my worst fears about him because Makenna was never a puker and I was worried that he would be. Derek and I don't do puke very well! I guess that may be something we have to get used to.
So after getting him and me cleaned up we had to call Echo so she could call housekeeping and get my bed changed. I then had to do some laundry in the tub! Hope it's all dry by morning so we can pack up! Please pray that he does not puke on the plane tomorrow!!

In the morning we will get things packed up and Echo will come for us by noon and help us get checked out and then we will head to the airport. I guess our driver works at the civil affairs office as well so he is going to pick up Robbie's passport in the morning for us. We have a 4 hour flight to Guangzhou, Robbie does not like for us to sit still and since we won't be able to get up and walk around our whole flight it could be interesting.
It's going to be nice to get back together with all the families we have met and be in warmer weather!

Good night from Harbin!

Photo's from today

2012-02-23T03:24:00.000-08:00

Today we visited Saint Sofia Church

It was built in 1907 as a Catholic Church. It's no longer a church today. It's is now the Harbin Construction Art Museum. It was very beautiful.

Cooped Up

2012-02-22T02:37:00.000-08:00

Today was a long day! We are going stir crazy in this hotel room!
The good news is that Robbie slept all night last night. The one time he did fuss I just rubbed his back and he went back to sleep. He was a new kid today. Usually we would have to hold him and he wouldn't go too far from us. Today he was an explorer and kept walking along the furniture in our room and playing. He was much happier in general and didn't cry when he woke up from his nap. Tonight he had a fussy time and it was a struggle since we had been basically stuck inside all day and Dad's patients were wearing thin.
A smashed ice sculpture they had out on the frozen river.

This morning we went for a walk outside just to get out and it was cold so we didn't stay out too long. We walked by the riverfront and explored the hotel a bit. The pictures of the green building are of our hotel. Robbie loves to play in this small suitcase that we bought. He puts his toys in and then climbs in and throws all the toys out and then climbes out and puts them all back in. This afternoon he had bath time again with dad and he liked it more today and even sat down and played for a while.

Our guide had to go back to the Civil Affairs office this afternoon and since she had to wait so long for our paperwork she didn't get back to take us around so we just went for a walk by ourselves. Robbie is getting better with the elevator, although he still fusses it's not the all out screaming that we used to get. We all love to be out of the room and Robbie has all the girls cooing at him. We now have all our official paperwork and we just have to wait for his passport which we can pick up on Friday. We sent our clothes to the laundry and should have them back tomorrow. Echo has arranged for us to go to visit St Sofia's church tomorrow afternoon and then go to a place called Polar Land. I saw the signs for it in the airport and it looks like they have whales and things like that. It's all indoors so it will be a nice change of pace from staring at these walls. It's going to be so nice to travel to a warmer part of China so we can actually be out and about.

The highlight of our day was being able to Skype with Makenna and my Mom this morning. Makenna and Robbie were able to see each other better and make a few faces at each other.

It's Official!!!

2012-02-21T03:43:00.000-08:00

Robbie woke up 3 times last night and we were finally able to get him to take a bottle at 2am. That was the first time he took one for us. This helped his belly and he was able to sleep till just after 6. He was not a happy camper when he woke up but soon decided that we were ok again and he could play and giggle a bit. They sent these little cakes with him and he wanted one this morning so cake it was for breakfast.
We got ready and went down for breakfast at the hotel buffet. He had all the ladies cooing at him. This boy can eat! He ate quite a bit in the room and then just shoveled it in at breakfast. Rice, noodles, bread and congee.
Then it was time to get our stuff together to meet our guide and head back to the civil affairs office to sign the official paperwork for Robbie's adoption. I also had my first encounter with a "squatty potty" at the civil affairs office. It was interesting to say the least.
Robbie's main nanny was at the office and she cried when she saw him this morning. It brought tears to my eyes to see how much he was loved.
They told us he called her grandma and she kept him happy while we did the paperwork, since once he saw her, he was not happy with us anymore. The orphanage director was there too. We got all the paperwork signed and had to fill out a local application to adopt him. Each time you sign your name to something you have to put a red thumb print over your signature. Robbie had to put his hand print on the paperwork to agree to be adopted. We brought clothes and a blanket for the orphanage to replace the clothing and blanket they sent Robbie to us with. Our guide found out that he was the only child they have!! No wonder he was so loved. We also think that everytime he cried they fed him and yes that is indeed why he weighs 25 pounds. We have a bathroom scale in our room and Derek held him and weighed himself and then weighed himself with out Robbie and it is 25 pounds! No surprise once you see how much this kid eats!! (Laura this is for you: Derek says he is going to nickname him Griffin if he keeps eating like he does! LOL)

So now it's official. He is ours!!!

They want our guide to go back to their office tomorrow afternoon for something. Not sure what that is all about. We can pick up his passport on Friday and then fly to the southern part of China for the visa paperwork.

Once we got back to the room he played for a bit and then settled down for a nap. He slept and hour and a half so that was good. After his nap it was bath time. So Dad hopped in the tub and played with Robbie while I washed him up. He was not too sure about sitting in the water but would stand and let me wash him. He doesn't like the water in his eyes but what kid does.
Most of the afternoon was spent eating and playing, he is opening up more and more. Then tonight we bundled up and headed out to Wal-mart. He likes to be out and about and he did well in the carrier. We stopped at KFC for supper but had issues even with a picture menu. So we got a few things and then went to McDonald's and got more things to round out our meal. Robbie had his first taste of french fries but they were from KFC and really not that great. I shared bits of my hamburger with him and he kept coming aback for more.
We have figured out that Robbie hates the elevator. Not sure why this is but he screams every time we go in one from the time the door closes till it opens again.
We didn't get any of the items back that we sent to him either through our agency or the care package we sent to him. They sent a large blanket with him but it was not the one that came in his care package. I had really hoped we would of gotten to keep those items.
Robbie goes to each of us equally. He has his times when he wants Daddy and times when he wants Mommy. Mostly to Mom for comfort and when it's time to sleep.
It was -17 when we got up this morning and there was a nice haze of smoke in the air. We couldn't even see the buildings across the river early this morning. There are always people out on the frozen river. This morning they had some horses out there. People are ice skating and going on these ice sled things, also a few doing kite ice sledding. You can see the paths across the lake where the people walk from one side to the other. The river is quite wide and there is also a gondola that we can see from our room going back and forth across the river.
The next couple days are free days and there is not really much to do here. Echo said she would take us to walk around the area tomorrow afternoon and then Thursday have the driver take us to see a large church in town. We have driven past it a couple of times I believe it's called St. Sofia's and looks very Russian.

Some video from today

2012-02-20T01:45:00.000-08:00

Gotcha Day!!!

2012-02-20T00:23:00.000-08:00

We have Robbie!!!

We met our guide downstairs at 9 am and headed to the Civil Affairs office. The office is on the 21st floor. We had to wait about 45 minutes or so for him to arrive as the city his orphanage is in a city about 4 hours away so it was a long drive for them. We signed the 24 hour agreement and had to place a red thumb print over our signatures. It was a big production as this was only the 2nd adoption from his orphanage. We had the director of the orphanage come, and she will be retiring soon so the new director came as well. We also had the minister of affairs from Teili city came as he was the one that named Robbie: Zhang Lian. Zhang is his family name and he passed this on to our son. His nanny came as well as the man who picked up Robbie after he was found and they got the phone call to come and get him.
They came in the room and then sat on the other side of the big table while people explained to us who everyone was and why they were all there. It was funny as the director of the orphanage said that Robbie looks like me.
Finally they brought him over to us. He came right to me and played with a toy we brought but he is an active little boy and wants to venture out on his own. He is not walking yet but he can if you hold his hand.
They all had camera's and wanted a ton of pictures of us and Robbie and with each one of them! We showed them on the world map where Wisconsin is and explained that we have cold and snow too. They said this was good for Robbie.
We were at this office for about an hour and then they said we could go. I put his new winter hat on and they all liked that, it has a monkey on it. We wrapped him in the blanket and headed down in the elevator. He did good in the car and we even got a few giggles.
He was good till we got back in our room. Then the crying began. He cried for over an hour and cried so hard he made himself throw up. So we got his clothes changed and then he had a full diaper for us. He doesn't like to lay down and be changed. He is happiest if we are holding him. He finally fell asleep for almost and hour and then was not happy to see us when he woke up but shortly he warmed up to us and the toys and we played on the floor for quite a while. We got lots of smiles and giggles.
Derek and Echo made a trip to Walmart for more supplies and he was good for about 10 minutes and then he didn't like that everyone left him again and the crying began. He cried for about 15 minutes and then fell asleep. Derek came back with McDonald's for supper and we were able to eat before he woke up again.
He is not too happy right now and won't take a bottle. We gave him some medicine as he keeps pulling at his ears, we will see if this helps at all. He likes Cheerios so right now that is all he is eating.
It may be a long night for us....

We have arrived in Harbin

2012-02-19T01:41:00.000-08:00

We have made it to Harbin!

Of course we were up at 3am this morning. After we both got showers and started getting things organized it was time for breakfast. After breakfast we got everything packed up and met our guide, Lydia, in the lobby and it was a half hour ride to the airport.
We had 3 other families with us and Lydia got us all checked in and took us to the security check point. Then we had to say our goodbyes.
The flight coming in arrived late so of course we left about an hour late. Our flight was only an hour and a half and we were in Harbin. They served us drinks first and then came with a meal. It was really good. We were shocked as you don't see that on flights anymore in the USA.
It is a city of 5 million people and with the all the out lying area's about 10 million people!! It is very nice, different than Beijing. A bit colder too. There is really no snow here and our hotel overlooks the river and it is frozen. Lots of people out on the ice this afternoon. We even saw a guy on an old snowmobile. People were flying kites and riding bikes on the ice. The ice festival is pretty much over and they are smashing all the sculptures. They load up the smashed ice and have small dump trucks taking it out on the river and dumping it.
Our guide here is Echo. She is very nice and it's also her first time to come to Harbin. She is staying right next door which is really nice as there are very few people who speak English here compared to Beijing. We were talking about Robbie and she said that he is the youngest baby that she has helped a family with. She also doesn't think that there current weight of 25 lbs is correct. Guess we will find out tomorrow. We walked across the street and looked around and then she took us to Walmart.
What a sight that was. It's on 4 different floors and they have escalator ramps so that you can take your cart from floor to floor. We got water, soda, beer and instant noodles. They even have Pabst Blue Ribbon here. There is a photo below for proof. We found the area with diapers and baby supplies so that I can send Derek over tomorrow if there is anything we need. We didn't get too look around the fresh food area very much but Derek saw pig heads on ice as we came down the escalator. We will have to check that out better later. We have a McDonald's on the corner and a KFC close by if needed. Echo said she will write on a card what is good to eat at the dumpling restaurant so that we can go there and eat on our own and just show the card and they will get us the right stuff.
There is a lot of Russian influence here and you can see it in the buildings for sure and we have a few Russian stations on the TV. We only have 2 channels in English here, there were at least 5 in Beijing.

We are going to try to not go to sleep so early tonight so that we are not up at 3 am but we will see if we can keep our eyes open that long,
We are to meet Echo at 9am in the lobby so and go to the civil affairs office as she has been told that Robbie will be arriving there at 9:30!!! So that will be 7:30 pm on Sunday for you folks back in the USA!!!

Here is the view from our hotel in Beijing before we left this morning. You can see the smog already and this was about 7 am. There are lots of these sky cranes all over. You can't really see it in the photo but the Forbidden City is a few blocks down.

At least you know we are safe here. There are masks in the drawer in case of fire it says:

Here is the view from our room now in Harbin during the day and now lit up at night.

Gotta love the PBR!! From WI to Harbin.
And no we did not buy this, we bought Harbin beer. We haven't tried it yet.

Beijing day two

2012-02-18T04:50:00.000-08:00

It was nice to get a full night of sleep last night! Although, Derek fell asleep very early and then was up at 3am. He spent some time on the computer and then was able to get back to sleep. We got up around 7 and went down for breakfast. When we got back to the room we were able to Skype with Makenna and my Mom. Always nice to get to chat with them for a bit.
At 9:30 we met with all the other families for an orientation meeting. Two more families arrived yesterday and we got to meet them. At the meeting, William from Holt's Beijing office went over what to expect on our trip to meet our children and what we need to do in order to complete our adoptions. There was also a girl, who was an adoptee, that told us about her experience being adopted from China at age 10. She is here working for a year. This was very interesting, especially to some of the families who are adopting older children. We found out today that we are adopting the youngest child in our group.
We were able to get some updated information and photo's of Robbie today. The photo's were taken during the Chinese New Year and he is all dressed up in a red outfit. He still has those awesome chubby cheeks and is really smiling in one of the pictures.We also learned that he has 8 teeth and eats and sleeps well. His pet name is Tian Ci and we asked what that meant and we were told "sent from heaven" This is true in deed!!
They served us lunch at the hotel, again very good food, and then we hopped on our bus to take us on another tour. This time we went to Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden City. It was another bright sunny day but it was also chilly. We did a lot of walking and learned a lot about each place and the emperors of China. Being a Saturday there were a lot of people out and about. Our group become the main attraction for a while, lots of people taking pictures of us, kind of strange but something we are getting used to. I was surprised to see that the Forbidden City was as big as it is. It has over 8,000 rooms and huge courtyards. The gardens were really neat but it's winter so it would have been nice to see them in the summer.
Once we finally got back on the bus they took us to a silk factory to see how silk worms grow and produce silk and all the wonderful things that can be made form it. We got to see how they stretch the silk to make comforters for the bed. They keep you warm in the winter and cool in the summer and are great for people with allergies.
After we got back to the hotel we were tired but still needed to find some supper. Nothing exciting for us tonight, it was a short walk to McDonald's!
Tomorrow our guide will meet us downstairs and take us the the airport at 8:30. Our flight for Harbin leaves at 11:30. One more day to Gotcha Day!!

Photo's from today:

More photo's from today...

2012-02-17T04:43:00.001-08:00

The woman on the left is the owner of the home and the woman in the middle is our guide Lydia, The owners son is on the computer in the back

Can you imagine this for your kitchen!
And she had just made lunch for a group of 20 students from the US!!

Hutong Lane from our Rickshaw

Bundled up for our ride!

Carving our roast duck for supper

The Great Wall

2012-02-17T03:54:00.000-08:00

Today was a wonderful day!

We were up early and had a good breakfast. Then we met our guide and 5 other families that are also here to adopt. We hopped on a bus and headed to the Great Wall. It was about an hour out of town and WOW it was really something to see. The part we were on was very steep and headed up the side of the mountain. So up we went. I was not too sure about it as I am not a fan of heights but Derek was behind me and up we went. We made it to the first tower and that was enough as it was quite windy which made it feel very cold. We got some really good pictures and some video also found a shop to get some soda as we were in desperate need of caffeine!
After touring the Great Wall we all got back on the bus and made our way back into Beijing. We stopped for a tour of a Jade Factory and had lunch there. The lunch was really good and the tour was very interesting. We learned a lot about jade and how it changes color as it ages. We bought a pendent for Robbie with a rabbit on as he was born in the year of the rabbit. It is very light in color now but as it is worn it will become more green.
This boat and bull are all carved out of one piece of jade!
After the Jade Factory we got back on the bus and headed to a very old part of Beijing. We explored a Hutong Lane, which is a very narrow street with housing on each side. Here we rode in a rickshaw and stopped for a lesson on the meaning of everyone's door way to their courtyards. It was very interesting. Our next stop was to visit a local family. We went into their home and were served tea. It was really neat to learn how they live their day to day lives in the middle of Beijing. There house had only 3 rooms. A kitchen, bed room and a main living room which also served as a bedroom for their son. The father works nearby so they do not have a car and he walks to work. Their home doesn't have a bathroom and they have to walk to the nearest public restroom that everyone in the area shares.
When we got back to the hotel we ventured out to a local supermarket to get some snacks and drinks and then we met up with the other families staying at our hotel and went out to find some dinner. We walked a few blocks from our hotel to a Duck restaurant that our guide told us about. We ordered a dinner to share and almost every dish they brought was duck in some form or another, right down to the webbing on their feet! It was interesting and although I didn't taste everything, as Derek did, it was good. The final part of the meal was them bringing out 2 roast ducks and carving them right at out table, head and all! Yes Derek even tried the brain! It is funny how every meal we have had here has had watermelon for dessert.
It was really nice getting to know these other families and getting to see pictures of the kids they will be getting next week. We will all split off on Sunday and go to the places in China our kids are from and complete their adoptions then we will all be together again next Friday when we all head to Guangzhou to complete their USA Visa's. One family has their 7 year old daughter along that they adopted from China 3 years ago, she is a real trooper and has tried so many things that I know Makenna wouldn't even touch!
It was nice to get out in the fresh air today even if it was a bit chilly, the sun was shinning brightly.
We also found out that our guide here in Beijing, Lydia, is from Harbin where we are going to adopt Robbie so it was nice to get some information on the area from someone who has lived there.
Tomorrow morning we have orientation and then they are taking us out on another tour.
Derek is already asleep and I probably should join him. I am surprised that the jet lag has not him me harder as I am tired right now but not nearly as bad as I thought I might be.

We made it!!!

2012-02-16T15:47:00.000-08:00

Well we made it to China! After a very long but uneventful flight we have safely landed and made it to our hotel.
We were very thankful for a free upgrade to economy plus seating!! It was so nice to have a bit of extra space and an on demand video screen.
Once we got out of the airport we were greeted by our guide Lydia and taken to our hotel. Beijing is not a place I would like to drive in! We finally got to stretch out in the bed and sleep at 6pm local time. That lasted till about midnight and then we were up for a couple hours and slept on and off till about 5:30 am and headed down to breakfast before 6:30.
Today we are going to The Great Wall and some more sightseeing of the area.
Will try to blog and post some photo's later today when we get back.
Just wanted to let everyone know that we arrived safely!!

A few days to go...

2012-02-12T10:26:00.001-08:00

"WOW" is all I can say right now.

Our house is a whirlwind of activity! I am working on the packing and Derek is working on some house projects. Things are getting done, one at a time. I guess whatever doesn't get done will be here when we get back, right.
Today at church we got a wonderful blessing and send off from Pastor Amy. Thank You so much! And we received lots of good wishes for our family from other church members as well. Next time we are in that building we will be a family of 4! Hard to wrap my head around.
So much to do, and I'm having trouble sleeping. I can go to sleep ok but then wake up and all my mind is on is China and our trip. I guess it will be easier for me to sleep on the plane then, only time will tell.
Makenna is getting excited as well. She has been playing with all her old toys I got our for Robbie and now she is helping me clean up the highchair. I don't think she fully understands how long we will be gone but I know that she is going to be spoiled staying at Grandma & Grandpa's while we are traveling and she will be well taken care of.
I got an email today from friends of ours that are in China now. Today is Gotcha Day for them! She told me that they have the same guide that we will have when we get to province next week in China. I was so happy to hear that they had all good things to say about her. I was hoping we would of traveled together but God had another plan for us and perhaps a small part of it was to give us each the gift of a wonderful guide for our journey's.

Thank you all for your wonderful prayers and blessing!
I know they will definitely help us on our journey to China.

Only a few days now!

Travel Dates!

2012-01-31T17:03:00.000-08:00

We received our confirmation email today with our travel dates!!!!!!

We are with the group arriving in Beijing China on Feb. 17th! Derek and I will fly out on Feb 15th as we loose a day in travel and we want to have a day to tour the Great Wall and also a "buffer" day just in case there are issues with our flights.

Gottcha Day is Feb 20th. One week before our boy turns one. We will get to celebrate his first birthday with him in China.
Our U.S. Consulate visa appointment is on Feb 29th and we will fly home on March 2nd!!

We are so excited to finally have our dates set!

Two more weeks and lots to do!!

TA!!!!!

2012-01-23T16:48:00.001-08:00

We are so happy to announce that our TA arrived at our agency today!!!

We still won't be able to get our CA (Consulate Appointment) scheduled until everything opens up after the Chinese New Year.

But we should be going to China on the 15th of February!

I am so happy to finally have our TA it's an incredible feeling to finally be able to say we are going to China to bring our son home!

This makes it so real and I have so much to do in the next three weeks that I hope it goes by fast!

No Such Luck...

2012-01-22T13:56:00.000-08:00

Sorry I haven't posted in a while.
We have been in a sort of holding pattern around here lately.
We have been waiting for our TA to come, and it should of been here last week but no such luck and we are still waiting.

Our agency says it still could come on Monday so we will see.
It's now the Chinese New Year so most of China will be shut down for part or most of this next week.

So we wait....and wait...and wait........................

I am sick of waiting! I want my son home NOW!!!

We should still be able to travel in February but not as soon as I would like.
As with anything it's out of my control and I have to turn it over to God and learn to follow his plan and not try to make my own.
We will travel when the time is right.

Puzzle update: We have now sold 255 pieces to help with our travel expenses! We are so blessed and a great big Thank You to everyone!!

Our Article 5 Has Been Completed!!!

2011-12-28T12:34:00.000-08:00

We received an email overnight that said our Article 5 has been completed and now our agency representative can deliver it to the CCCWA who will then issue our TA (Travel Approval) to come get our son!

My favorite part of the email is where it states:
"We look forward to meeting you and your new family member when you come to the Consulate for your visa appointment!"

With any luck our TA will arrive mid January and we can make our travel plans!

Once again a huge "THANK YOU!" to all who have contributed to help us bring our son home and for the prayers for our family!

The money will be used toward our trip to China. Currently we have sold 202 pieces of the puzzle and every little bit helps out! I have extended our ChipIn on the side to go till the end of January so there is still time if you so desire to contribute. We really appreciate it all!

New Photo's

2011-12-10T09:15:00.001-08:00

New Photo's of our Son!

NVC Letter

2011-12-09T06:45:00.000-08:00

I received the email yesterday with a copy of our NVC Letter that was Cabled to China the same day!

This letter, along with all our other paperwork, gets taken to the US Embassy in Guangzhou. This will happen early next week and then it takes a standard 2 weeks for them to review everything and issue our Article 5 letter stating everything is in order for the adoption. Once this is complete it is taken to the CCCWA and they will then issue a Travel Approval (TA) for us to come and get our son!!! TA is the last step, we are getting so close!!

What an exciting time for our family!!!

Update....

2011-12-07T14:40:00.000-08:00

We were happy to receive and update on our little boy!!

Since all the height and weight measurements we had were from when he was 4 months old we asked Holt to get an update for us.

We were told that he now weights 24 pounds and is 27" long. There goes my theory to take 12 month sized clothes...guess we will pack 18 month size! It is nice to see that he is a healthy little boy. He can climb, sit and stand up by something. He is starting to use a cup to drink and gets excited when he see's his favorite things. They told us he is lively and likes to smile!

All Good News!!!

There were no updated photo's attached but they said they are working to hopefully get some for us!!

Still waiting for NVC to tell us they have cabled our approval to China...that should come any day now!

The countdown is on!

I-800 Approval!!!

2011-12-02T18:13:00.000-08:00

Yesterday I placed a call to the USCIS and was told that our I-800 had been approved just that day! We have a YES on both the China and USA side of the paperwork. Robbie's application for US citizenship has been approved!

The FedEx man also arrived and delivered our Passports back with our Visa stickers in them so we are able to enter China.

For these things we are VERY Thankful!!

That was our last "unknown step" things are now in order and we are waiting to finish the final steps so we can travel in February to bring Robbie home. Next our I-800 Approval gets sent to the NVC (National Visa Center) and we wait for our USA file to be cabled to the U.S. Consulate in China so they will be ready for when we arrive there. This should happen next week.

PUZZLE UPDATE:

So far 157 pieces have been purchased (including cash donations not shown on the chip in) which is AMAZING!

A huge thank you to those who have bought their pieces so far! We only have 393 left to go!

Yesterday as I took the puzzle out of the box to assemble the pieces that have been purchased so far, I realized how much it is like this adoption and for that matter sometimes how much it is like God's plan for our lives. There are all these pieces. The instructions (Bible) say it is this beautiful piece of art, but just look at this jumbled mess. It looks as if there is no way there could ever be a beautiful picture in there. Some of the pieces are weird looking, it's a complex mess, at 1st glance nothing looks like it fits, and at one point I didn't think it had enough pieces. But God called us to this and if we just stay focused on HIS plan, HIS will for our lives... piece by piece it will come together. And before we know it, we can see HIS masterpiece! HIS plan is perfect!

Each piece is just $10.

Your name will go on it so Robbie will know who helped bring him home.

Progress...

2011-11-21T15:50:00.000-08:00

Were making progress...Slowly but Shirley...

We got notification today that USCIS has received our I-800 (on Nov. 14th) and are working on our approval. We are told this process will take about 3 weeks for them to send our PA to us. Not sure if that will take a bit longer due to the Thanksgiving holiday this week.

Our Visa applications were taken to the Chinese Consulate in Chicago today and they can be picked up by our courier next week Tuesday and we then sent back to us!

We also found out that due to the Chinese New Year in January that Holt will not be sending families to China after January 6th. Since that pushes travel back for many families that could travel in January it could possibly delay our travel a bit. Keep praying that we can at least spend Robbie's first birthday with him on Feb. 27th!! I have to keep reminding myself that it's GOD'S plan for when we will travel not MINE. And it will all work out!

We were also able to ask our agency for an update on Robbie as our last update was in Sept. So we should see an update on him in a couple weeks!

We continue to ask for your prayers that the end of the paper chase goes smoothly and quickly for us so we can hold our son in our arms soon!

Our LOA has arrived!!!

2011-11-12T09:47:00.000-08:00

We have great news to report...After 71 long days of waiting...I got the call on Wednesday evening from Holt that they received our LOA and that she was sending it FedEx overnight to our home!!!
Last Wednesday brought our first snowfall of the season and did we get pounded! We got around 6 inches of really heavy wet snow. And we lost power. Since it was my cousin Katy's Birthday on Thursday my Mom, Makenna and I drove down to Appleton...in the snow, to take her out to Red Lobster and stay in a hotel so we could relax in the pool and hot tub. So I got the call from Holt as I was standing in Toys R Us!!!! I did a happy dance right then and there! So we had 2 things to celebrate that evening at Red Lobster!
Thursday after some morning shopping we headed back home and returned home to no power once again. Makenna had dance and swim lessons and then we spent the night at my parents home. Power was once again restored to our home late on Thursday night. After taking Makenna to preschool on Friday morning I returned home and Derek and I got our LOA signed and our I-800 paperwork ready to go and all was sent out Friday afternoon via Fed Ex!
So the countdown is on!!! We should be on schedule to go to China in February! Now we have to apply for our visa's while we wait for our I-800 Provisional Approval to come from USCIS.
It's so nice to have more of a timeline of when we will be going to China! Let the packing begin!

Makenna Enjoying our First Snowfall

An update on our fundraiser....
We have really been blessed! We have sold 119 pieces of the puzzle!!!
THANK YOU to everyone who has donated to help us bring Robbie home!!!

The Things People Say...

2011-11-05T16:38:00.000-07:00

Miss Makenna had a dentist apt. last week and of course she proceeded to tell her hygienist that she is getting a brother from China. This is her favorite thing to share with EVERYONE! It's so cute! Anyway as we were scheduling her next apt. the hygienist was telling me about her visit and that she had no cavities and such and then said "she told me she is getting a baby brother from China" I told the woman that yes indeed she was getting a brother from China. There were 3 ladies behind the desk and all of them, at the same time, said "Your getting a boy from China? How do you get a boy from China?"
I just had to chuckle a bit and once again explain that yes there are boys in China who need homes and how international adoption has changed over the years especially the China program. I am sure we will get a lot of this over the years to come. November is national adoption month so I am happy to help spread the word that there are many kids in this world who need a forever family!
As for our fundraiser I want to send out a huge THANK YOU to everyone who has generously donated to help us bring our son home. We have sold 93 puzzle pieces and that makes for a total of $930.00!!!! We really appreciate every penny of it as I have started to price airfare! We welcome any and all donations as we work toward our goal of completing the puzzle.
God Bless You All!!!

Thankful

2011-10-20T07:22:00.000-07:00

Just wanted to give you an update on our fundraiser.
Thus far we have raised $280.00 to help bring Robbie home. THANK YOU so much to our wonderful family and friends, we are truely blessed! I know we have a long way to go but we are so thankful for each piece sold as it brings us one step closer. This total does not correspond to our ChipIn link at the right as we have received money directly from supporters.

We also got a bit of an update from Holt yesterday that our PA date was 9/5/11 and our dossier is still in translation. Based on this time frame we could expect to see our LOA around the end of November. We can always pray it will come sooner, as we are in a bit of a holding pattern until we get the LOA.

Again Thank You to everyone who has helped us in any way on this journey to our son.

Updated Photo's

2011-10-13T07:22:00.000-07:00

I was so excited to see an email from Ann at Red Thread China with updated photo's of our son!!!

He is so hansom in his new PJ's !!!
I just love those chubby cheeks and can't wait to squeeze them!

We still need to raise some more money to help bring him home! There are a few more donations that we have received from family and friends that were not done via the ChipIn link so our total collected is a bit more. A huge THANK YOU! to everyone for there generous donations to be part of Robbie's adoption puzzle!!!
God Bless You All!

Care Package

2011-10-13T07:10:00.001-07:00

A few weeks ago I contacted Ann at Red Thread China about sending Robbie a care package from us. Ann did an awesome job shopping and found the cutest sleeper, blanket and Snuffleupagus toy for Robbie. She also included candies for his caregivers and a camera to ask for updated photo's. Ann would also translate a 400 word letter for us however, what do you say to a 7 month old baby so the letter was short and sweet. It can be hard to send things over to China for our children but Ann lives in Guangzhou and buys the things there to send out. She has worked with many families and orphanages over the years and does a great job.
Ann updated us on the status of the care package and told us it was delivered to him on Tuesday.

Be a piece of the puzzle that helps bring Robbie Home!

2011-10-09T12:21:00.000-07:00

While I don't think it takes a village to raise a child it DOES take a village to adopt one. Anyone who was involved in our paperwork journey can attest to that! The journey for our family has been a long one for Derek and I. We have been at the process of creating a family for 9 years and we are so close to having it all come together.

Some of you have asked how you can help us our with Robbie's Adoption.

Here is a great way you can help.

We are taking a "Flying Leap of Faith" and we invite you to join us!
We still need to raise over $10,000 to bring Robbie Home!!! We know that it is God's plan for this child to no longer be an orphan and to be our son and that HE will provide the funds to make it happen, PIECE BY PIECE!!! We are selling pieces to a puzzle (picture shown above), and to the vision God gave us, that will be sealed and framed when completed as a reminder of how faithful our Father is and of those who have supported us on this journey. Each piece is just $10! For each piece you purchase your name will go on the back so some day Robbie can look at it and see the names of the people who love him! You may purchase your pieces by check, cash, or securely via the ChipIn on the right side of the page.

Thank you for all of your support and prayers!!!

Each piece is just $10.

Your name will go on it so Robbie will know who helped bring him home.

Update!!!

2011-09-16T13:14:00.000-07:00

I was happily surprised to open my email this afternoon and see and email from Holt with an update on our little guy! He is 6 1/2 months old now.
We did get an updated photo and I just love those chubby cheeks! They tell us that he has his own caregiver and he can crawl, roll over and sit up. He is at the same level as his peers in development so that is exactly what we wanted to hear! They tell us he is able to recognize his Chinese given name and has not had any health problems or illnesses in the past six months.
We are so thankful for this information. We continue to pray for our Letter of Acceptance (LOA) to come from China soon so we can get the ball rolling on the paperwork we need to complete to get our travel dates and get our baby home!
We ask for continued prayers for Robbie and that our LOA comes soon! I would love to have him home around his Birthday which is the end of February.