Sunday, December 28, 2008

Christmas Day at the airport in Tokyo

Christmas Eve with the Chinese Santa.

Life is starting to resemble something close to normal here, except that we still have our nights and days mixed up! Recovering from jetlag is even more fun with a 2 year old, but I'm sure eventually we'll figure it out.
Friday was supposed to be about rest and laundry, but we had the added fun of a visit from the plumber. After the 4th load of laundry, my son reported a dripping sound from the basement. We quickly shut off the water and put in a call to the plumber - it wasn't the washing machine, but one of our upstairs toilets. Just glad we were home and didn't return to a basement full of water. (note to self - next time we leave for 3 weeks, turn off the water!)
Yesterday Bill's mom flew back to Cape Cod. We all miss you Grammy! So glad you were able to be a part of our trip.
Today was Michelle's first normal breakfast. In China the hotels have huge buffet breakfasts, and we told her when she came home with us we did not eat like that every day. However, our sweet neighbors left a breakfast casserole and blueberry muffins, so the feast has continued. Today it was Cheerios and yogurt - welcome to the real world sweet girl.
We are planning to try church this morning - we want so many of our friends who prayed for her to finally have the chance to meet her. My parents are coming up for a few days tomorrow to meet their new granddaughter.
We will continue to post on this blog for a while, at least through Michelle's surgery and recovery. I know we won't be able to keep up every day, but I will try to keep everyone up to date at least weekly. Thanks again to so many people who supported us in prayer during our trip - believe me, we felt your love and prayers! God is so good - all the time!

Thursday, December 25, 2008

I'll be home for Christmas!

We had a fun Christmas Eve at the White Swan. We went to one of the restaurants in the hotel for our last Chinese meal, and then we went with hundreds of people out towards the pool to meet Santa Claus. Michelle wanted nothing to do with him, so mom had to hold her for the picture.

We had a five AM wake up call in Guangzhou, and after a skip through Tokyo and a long flight to Dulles we got home to Northern Virginia around three this afternoon. With the thirteen hour time difference factored in, it has been a very long Christmas, but we are not complaining. Michelle was an angel on the flight. She only cried for about five minutes. She slept for a few hours, but spent most of the time quietly playing with Midge and her siblings.

Our neighbors were so nice setting up the Christmas presents and depositing a complete Boston Market Christmas feast in our refrigerator and adding in some home baked treats!

Too tired to post pic's tonight - we'll try to put some up tomorrow. We are all headed to bed early, but will have happy dreams of our time in China. It was a wonderful trip, and Michelle is the best Christmas present of all.

Wednesday, December 24, 2008

zai jian China!

Well, we've checked all the blocks - we've been cleared by the U.S. Consulate, and we leave for home early tomorrow morning. As most of you in the U.S. are sitting down for your Christmas Eve dinner, we will probably be beginning our long journey home. We leave the hotel at 6:50 a.m., fly through Tokyo, and then land in Dulles around 2:30 p.m. We get an additional 12 hours to our Christmas - not sure if that will be a good thing or not?

We couldn't have asked for a better trip! Michelle is, of course, wonderful! She has done great with all of us, and she is more than we could have ever hoped for or imagined. The fact that we get go bring her home on Christmas is just icing on the cake. I couldn't have asked for a better Christmas present.

But, even beyond Michelle, we've had such a great time. Having my older children share in this experience has been so great. It was so good for us to become a family from the very beginning. I think they have all had a great time. And having my mom-in-law along was an additional treat - I think she's had fun too, and she's been a huge help to all of us. China is a beautiful country with lovely people. The things we've experienced here will live in my heart always.

We have also had a super group of people to travel with - we have made friends that I hope will last for years to come. It has been a privilege to see them all become families, and we will continue to pray for them as they return home.

But as wonderful as our trip has been, we are ready to come home! A huge thanks to all my "Christmas angles" who will make Christmas possible for my family. Wendy, Laura, and Julie - you are all true friends.

We will post again tomorrow from Virginia, with the newest U.S. citizen! Love to you all, especially Mom & Dad, Benji and family, and Dad & Thayer. Can't wait to talk to you all tomorrow evening. Merry Christmas everyone!

Tuesday, December 23, 2008

A Trip to the Spice Market

This morning I stayed in the hotel room to wait on confirmation that our paperwork was logged in with the Consulate and the rest of the family headed off Shamian island to visit a local spice market.

In addition to spices, there were plenty of traditional remedies and medicines for sale. Does anyone want us to bring them home dried seahorses, dried snakes or a bottle of Snake Wine?

I did get word just before noon that our paperwork was accepted by the Consulate. Tomorrow morning we will go there as a family to take the oath of citizenship for Michelle!

Monday, December 22, 2008

Red Couch and other Photos


These are all 12 of the adopted children in our group. The red couches are famous among adopted families.

We took a lot of photos today in the lobby of our hotel. We will post some of the other families and more of the Cole's tomorrow.


Dr.'s Visit and Night Terrors

Ever since the first night we had Michelle, she has seemed to experience some sort of night terrors. She wakes up several times during the first few hours of sleep, although not really awake, crying and thrashing around. Often her eyes are open, but I can tell she doesn't really see me. My mom's heart wants to pick her up and comfort her, but she seems to do better if I just rub her back and leave her in the bed. Everything I have read about this seems to confirm that's the right course of action, but it's hard feeling like I'm not doing anything to help her.

She was unsettled most of last night, and had a rough naptime today. She has done so well adjusting and attaching to us, I guess it's normal for her to process all this stress and change in some way. I pray once we are finally home she will be able to relax and rest well. She is so sweet - we want so much for her in her little life.

She did o.k. with the Dr.'s physical this morning. She was fine until the ENT started looking into her ears and nose - she really lost it when he looked into her mouth. Not a great sign since she will have many weeks upcoming of Dr.'s poking and prodding in those places. I guess we will just take it one day at a time.

It's such a comfort to know God is always watching over this precious child. Even when we aren't sure as parents what is best for her, I take such comfort knowing she has a loving Father in heaven who loves her even more than I do.

Sunday, December 21, 2008

Photos from Guangzhou

We had a pretty easy day today. The only "official" thing we had to do was get Michelle's visa photo taken. Bill Jr. and Grammy went on a tour to a Buddhist temple and the mansion of one of the oldest families in Guangzhou. Josh and I went with the ladies on a walk through Shamian Island where our hotel is located.

Click on the picture below to see some of the photos we took today.
Guangzhou

Tomorrow we have to get Michelle a medical examination which most kids find traumatic. Please pray that it goes smoothly.

Saturday, December 20, 2008

The White Swan

We left our hotel this morning around 11:00 a.m., made it through Michelle's first airplane ride, and arrived safely here in Guangzhou. She did not like the noise from the engine on the plane, but other than that she did very well during the flight - slept most of the way.

If you have ever adopted from China, you know about Guangzhou - everyone must come here to complete their adoption. Here we will finish the American side of the adoption. The White Swan Hotel caters to American families. It's warm here - I think it reached 80 degrees today, and it's supposed to be warm again tomorrow, with a cold front coming in after that. There are lots of little shops that we hope to look in tomorrow, but here's the best part for me - they have FREE STOLLERS you can use during your visit. I love Michelle and I love holding her, but since I am the only one she will let hold her, I was thrilled to give my tired arms and back a rest! We also enjoyed some cheeseburgers tonight at Lucy's.

Michelle was in a good mood tonight, but not too thrilled about another change. She cried a lot going to sleep. She is normally such a happy little girl - it's a lot for a little person to go through, so much change all at once. I am looking forward to completing this next phase and then getting home to really settle in with her. Every day she seems even more comfortable with us. She really enjoyed playing with her siblings today - she let Bill hold her for a couple of minutes as long as Lizzy held her hand. Baby steps, but we are making progress.

Friday, December 19, 2008

Leaving for Guangzhou in the Morning

Tonight is our last in Zhengzhou. The adoption paperwork is complete and tomorrow we will fly to Guangzhou (formerly Canton) to fill out the immigration/visa and citizenship paperwork at the U.S. Consulate.

The flight from Beijing was interesting with twelve American families on the plane. We attracted a lot of attention. Tomorrow we will have those same families now with 12 adopted children. I bet we will get even more stares.

Here is a picture of our group (minus one family) on the stairs in our hotel lobby. I am biased, but I think we all have pretty awesome kids!




A Picture for Catherine


Here is a picture of Midge and Michelle with Renee and Joshua on the steps of our hotel.

Thursday, December 18, 2008

Trip to Luohe

The trip to Luohe yesterday was stressful at times, but we are very glad that we went. We left the hotel at eight in a rented van with one other family and Evelyn, one of our agency guides. The other family had adopted a little boy from Luohe who is a few months younger than Michelle. We arrived at the orphanage on the outskirts of town a little before eleven and met the Orphanage director. His staff served us tea and he told us (through Evelyn) about his Social Welfare Institute (SWI) which includes both the orphanage and a Senior Care home. He also presented both families with a framed embroidery (like a cross-stitch) that was made by some of the older children in the orphanage.

Some of the SWI staff then took us on a tour of the orphanage. We saw the room where Michelle spent much of her time when she was an infant. There were several kids there along with a couple of nannies. The nannies were very happy to see Michelle. One of the boys seemed to recognize her because he ran over and gave her a kiss on the cheek. Michelle didn’t seem scared, but she did hold on to Midge the whole time we were there. We passed out candy canes and took a picture of the crib which the nannies said Michelle had slept in as a baby. We were disappointed when they asked us not to take any pictures of the children.

We then went upstairs and visited a room sponsored by our adoption agency for children with severe special needs. The room was brightly painted and the equipment and furnishings were more modern. On the way back downstairs we met a Chinese man and his wife who greeted us in English with “Merry Christmas” and introduced themselves. They told us that they were Christians and that they had two older biological children and had also adopted two special needs children from the orphanage. They were very nice and seemed unusually open about their faith for Chinese. We were not able to talk for long because we were headed into the town to meet Michelle’s foster family, but they made quite an impression on us.

The drive through downtown Luohe was an experience in itself. Traffic laws in China are seen as loose guidelines by most drivers. There are also large numbers of mopeds and even bicycles sharing the road with the cars which adds to the excitement. Unlike Beijing or even Zhengzhou, in Luohe the mopeds and bikes outnumbered the cars. I also saw a donkey cart in the mix. Right of way here is determined by the relative size of the vehicles, so it helped that we were in a large van. There were countless close calls as we wove through the traffic but we made it to the proper address without hitting anyone.

Luohe doesn’t get too many foreign visitors so we attracted a lot of attention when we got off the van. The first place we went was to Michelle’s foster grandmother’s home. A sweet old lady came outside who Michelle reached out to and obviously recognized. The woman then started calling out to her friends in the neighborhood and a crowd quickly gathered. Everyone was friendly, but it was a little disconcerting being the center of so much attention. It was clear though that everyone in the neighborhood knew Michelle and was fond of her.

A few minutes later Michelle’s foster mother came and gave her a piece of candy. She held Michelle for a minute and spoke with her in Chinese. Michelle obviously was attached to her. Then the foster mom handed her off to one of the neighbors in the crowd and offered to show us her home. By this time a crowd of about 50 people had gathered. We decided that my daughter Lizzy and I would go along with our guide, Evelyn. Midge, my mom, Bill Jr. and Josh stayed with the crowd as they passed around Michelle.

We went up to the foster mother’s apartment and she showed us where Michelle had played and slept for the past several months. She told us (through Evelyn) that Michelle had been very withdrawn when she was first placed in her care and that she had loved seeing her become more outgoing. The foster mother had been cheerful in the crowd of townspeople, but she got a little emotional in the apartment. She loved Michelle and was sad to see her go. We were all teary-eyed. Evelyn suggested to the foster mother that she might want to stay there, but she insisted that she wanted to see Michelle one more time. Being a foster parent is an important job because it has such a positive impact on the children’s development, but it must be a very tough thing to give the children back, even if you know that they are going to a great home.

After a few minutes we left the apartment and went back to the crowd of people on the corner. While we had been gone Michelle had passed through the arms of several of the women in the crowd. The foster mother took her from a neighbor, kissed her, and then handed her back to Midge. We got back on the van and everyone in the neighborhood waved goodbye to us as we headed back to the SWI for lunch. Michelle seemed happy sitting on Midge’s lap, but I think Midge was a little shaken by the whole experience. We had expected some strong emotions when meeting the foster mother but had not been prepared to be ‘mobbed’ by half the neighborhood.

The lunch at the SWI was the best that we have had so far in China. They grow many of their own vegetables right there on the SWI campus and raise a few pigs as well. They told us that the cook had once worked at a fine hotel. We all ate our fill and then spent a few minutes watching some of the senior residents play mahjong before boarding the van. Michelle had fun playing peek-a-boo with Midge for most of the trip back. She also sat next to me for the whole ride and decided that I am not such a bad guy after all.

Wednesday, December 17, 2008

More Pictures

O.K. - this kid can eat. I mean, really eat! She is also all about Mommy right now. So, when you put those two things together, it was interesting to watch her little mind process how she would eat the Chinese version of cheetos today at the park. She took a couple out of Bill Jr.'s bag, put them in my hand to hold, then she would eat them. I guess that's the beginning of trust.

Grammy has been wonderful! I can't imagine the trip without her! Michelle really wants Mommy to hold her, but if Mom can't, Grammy is the only other one who she will let hold her.

She LOVES the bathtub! She also has this cute little wave that appears out of nowhere. She is such a charmer!

Two sisters now to match the two brothers!

The Cole's in front of the Christmas tree in the lobby of our hotel, the Crown Plaza in Zhengzhou.

Josh is having a few adjustment issues- it's hard to go from being the baby and usually the center of attention. However, he's a great brother, and Michelle just loves him. He is by far her favorite entertainment.

We spend a lot of time just walking up and down the hallway of our hotel. Not sure why, but it seems to be one of her favorite activities. These are her new p.j.'s - we went shopping today and got a pair of the "Michelin-man" pajamas because she was waking up cold. Hope these will not only feel more familiar to her, but keep her a little warmer at night.
Funny side note- we also bought her a bib at the mall tonight that we loved. It says, "Is my math loving" and has a little mouse doing addition problems. So many things here that are translated into English are very funny to us - just not exactly the way we would say it. We have no idea what this means, but we liked it!
We also had fun at the mall getting the full experience of the kids split pants. The young children here wear these huge pants with a large split down the backside. You see lots of little behinds as you walk around. Whenever the kids need to go, and wherever they need to go (and I really mean just wherever) the kids just squat and go. We stepped over a big puddle in the middle of the department store - I kid you not!!!
On a different note, the families we are traveling with are really nice! We have such a great group - 12 families total. It's a big group, and it's been so fun to see all the kids as they are becoming a little more comfortable each day. Some of the kids won't eat, some of them have unusual attachments. For example, one little girl will not take off her shoes. Today at the store I noticed she had on a new pair of shoes - that's progress. It's so precious to see all these children welcomed into these loving families. Almost all the children in this province have some sort of special need. Several of them are cleft kids like Michelle, one little boy only has one hand, one little girl is 10 years old and deaf, another girl is 12 and was about to age out of adoption, several have heart conditions. It's amazing to see how sweet they all are, and how much their families love them! These kids are so sweet and just need to be in a loving home. I'm honored to be a part of such wonderful people.
Tomorrow we will travel to Louhe, to visit Michelle's orphanage. It's a long trip, almost 3 hours each way, but we felt it was too important for us not to go. Please pray for us - I have mixed emotions, not sure what to expect or how Michelle will react to going back. My biggest concern is I don't want her to think we are taking her back. However, I know other families who have returned with their kids and they say it is a good kind of closure for the children.

Tuesday, December 16, 2008

Officially Adopted!


We took some cute pictures today, but we are all pretty tired tonight so I'll put more up tomorrow. Today was busy - lots of paperwork! We had to walk several blocks a couple of times today, and Michelle has decided that only Mom can hold her, so my arms and back are tired! But it's a great kind of tired, knowing I spent the day with my new daughter.

This morning we went back over to the municipal building where we got the children yesterday, and we received our adoption certificates. We had a very small ceremony, and then it was official. As of today Michelle is a Cole!

She slept well last night, and tonight went down with very little trouble. She seemed much more tired today, and more subdued, but for her that is still pretty outgoing. She loves to walk up and down the hallways. She doesn't seem that interested in the other adopted children, but she really likes Joshua. She laughs at him and plays little games with him. Of course, she also tried to push him off my lap when I tried to hold them both.

She had a great time this afternoon in the pool. So far, she likes to swim, likes chocolate ice cream (the look on her face at the first bite was priceless), and likes to take off her shoes. I think she was made to be a part of this family! Isn't God good?!

Monday, December 15, 2008

Gotcha Day

Today was a wonderful day for the Cole family. Praise God!

We got Michelle a little after 9:00 AM. She was a little scared at first and cried when she saw the nanny from the orphanage leave, but she took to Midge right away.

We got lots of smiles and giggles after a couple of hours, and she really enjoyed playing with the blocks we brought. She ate well and drank a lot, and even enjoyed her bath. She had some trouble going to sleep tonight, but that's understandable after the stressful day. She is very sweet, and we couldn't be happier.


Sunday, December 14, 2008

Zhengzhou

Today we flew from Beijing to Zhengzhou, the capital of Henan province. It was a nice flight - it's fun to get a bird's eye view of China. We passed over lots of gorgeous mountains. We arrived at the hotel, converted some money for all the notary and adoption fees, and then had some time to unpack.

Tonight we had a bit of an adventure! We were on our own for dinner, so we asked our hotel concierge for advice on some good, authentic Chinese food. He recommended we take a taxi to a noodle place down the road. Before I knew it, we were piled into 2 taxi's and we were off. The taxi ride alone was exciting - traffic here is a lot like playing the old video game Frogger, and so far we had only experienced it from a bus. On taxi level, well, let's just say we felt a part of the action.

When the taxi's let us off, we had no idea which restaurant was the one recommended. We had to show the card the concierge gave us to a local man and he pointed us in the right direction. When we got to the place, we were the only non-Chinese people there. The manager helped us to a table, then pointed us towards the front of the store. She showed us a display case full of small dishes and we could tell she was asking us what we wanted. There was a lot of of pointing and gesturing, and we finally choose about 6 small dishes. Two of them were meat, so we assumed they would take all this to the back and cook it for us. However, as we sat down, they brought all the cold dishes to our table. Thankfully I had a book of words and phrases, so we were able to at least ask what kind of meat we were eating. We had everyone in the restaurant watching us, so we began eating some very unusual and mostly not so good dishes. Josh wouldn't even try anything, and to be honest, if I was a kid I wouldn't have tried anything either. Our teens were good sports about the whole thing, but I think Bill's mom was a nervous wreck. After about 10 minutes, they brought out 6 HUGE bowls of noodle soup. This was actually pretty good. The manager showed us how to eat it - cut the noodles, use chopsticks and even dip the meat in a sauce, and then use spoons for the broth. The manager was very kind, but I'm sure they all had a good laugh when we left. We've decided next time we'll just ask for P.F. Chang! At least we have a fun story to remember about the night before we got Michelle.

Speaking of which, tomorrow is the big day! There are 12 families in our group, and 7 of us get our children in the morning, 5 in the afternoon. We walk to the notary office at 9:00 a.m. and Michelle should be there around that same time. I can't wait! It's hard to believe after more than 2 years we will finally have our daughter!

Saturday, December 13, 2008

The Great Wall


Today was our second day touring Beijing. It was clear and sunny today, but really cold. We started the day with a tour of a Jade factory, then we were off to the Great Wall. It was really impressive - pictures don't do it justice. I was so proud of all 3 of my kids - they made it, along with Dad, all the way to the top. (I'm sure it was over 500 steps.) Some of the steps were very steep. They were the only kids who went all the way to the top. Mom didn't even try to make it. I said I was being polite and staying with Grammy, but the truth is there's no way I could have gone to the top!

After the Great Wall we had a very unusual lunch - traditional Chinese, fish heads and all! We toured a cloisonne factory, did a little more shopping, and then we went by the Olympic Village and took a few pictures. We finished the day at an acrobatic show. It was a very busy day.

We are really tired, but each day is getting a little better. The teens and Grammy seem to be sleeping o.k., but Bill, Josh and I are still waking up about 3:30 a.m. each morning. As anxious as I am to get Michelle, I'm glad we've had a few days to try to reset our internal clocks.

A few impressions so far about China and Beijing - first, I expected to really miss out on the Christmas Season, but we see Santa and Christmas trees everywhere we go. We also hear Christmas carols (real ones) in the lobby of our hotel. Beijing is a huge city - it has over 15 million people, but it doesn't feel crowded like it is in New York City. I think that is partly because it is also huge area wise as well. The driving situation is interesting - lots of pedestrians and bikes, and somehow they all manage to share the road, although there were a few times today I thought we were going to hit someone. The people are very warm and friendly. They laugh at my few Chinese phrases, but it's good natured. The male population seems very taken with my lovely blond haired/blue eyed daughter. Several of them either took pictures of her or made comments. Lastly, the shopping experience is quite different from what I am used to in the U. S. When we are out on the streets, we get swarmed by vendors selling all kinds of tourist stuff, and they don't seem to value "personal space" the way we do in the U.S. When we go to the factories and shops, the sales people can be quite pushy as well. They follow you around the store, constantly talking to you, and they expect you to bargain. When I told a lady at the Jade factory something was too expensive, she took is as my beginning to bargain with her, but I really meant I didn't want it and knew she would never come down to my price range.

Tomorrow we are flying to Zhengzhou. There are 8 families going there, and about 8 other families going to different provinces. It's fun to hear the different stories and hear about the children soon to be adopted. One family here has 6 grown children, the youngest is 23, and they are coming over to adopt a 20 month old. Another young family with a 3 year old is here to adopt a girl who is 11 years old, almost 12 years old. I can't wait to meet all these children and see them become families.

Friday, December 12, 2008

Oh Yes, we are DEFINETELY tourists!


We got off the bus this morning, and we were a very large group. "George", one of our guides, put up a flag for us to follow, and for a minute I actually thought, "Oh no, don't do that. Then everyone will know we are tourists." It took me about 10 more seconds to realize I had absolutely no chance of fooling anyone here.

We toured Tienanmen Square today and the Imperial Palace, also known as the Forbidden City. It was huge - it just kept going on and on. After that tour we had lunch in a very nice restaurant with great traditional Chinese food. Our guide assured us we were only eating good quality food, nothing objectionable to Americans. (you get the picture) After that we went to a Silk factory and saw how silk fabric was made, and had the chance to do a little shopping. Last, we took a tour of a Hutong Village - a traditional type of Beijing Village. We toured in a rickshaw, which was a neat experience, but it made me a little uncomfortable. I didn't really enjoy having a human being pull me around. The hutong was neat though - we actually went through a lady's house and saw how an average person lives. We especially liked the pet crickets caged on her bed.

Thursday, December 11, 2008

Safe in Beijing

We made it here safely after a long flight. Our agency guides did a super job meeting us at the airport and getting us to the hotel. After a light dinner we are all headed to bed. Tomorrow we are going to tour Beijing!

P.S. Happy Birthday Walker!

Wednesday, December 10, 2008

A Familiar Poem

'Twas the night before China, and all through the house,
not a creature was stirring...

WAIT!!! That is NOT how this goes!

Mom as still packing - it's endless is seems!
These suitcases are so full they'll burst a the seams.

Down the hall Josh came running with fright,
a bad dream had kept him from sleeping all night.

Dad and our other son took a fun route,
to the ER to visit and check some things out!

We worried about his leg, but it won't leave a scar,
but he should have it checked out before traveling so far!

It was a busy night, if I can recap.
I look forward to the trip, and hopefully a nap!

Monday, December 8, 2008

The Countdown begins!

When I woke up this morning, my first thought was in one week we'll have our daughter! It's hard to believe after waiting so long she will finally be with us! Please pray for our family as we head off on this great adventure, for our health and safety. But mostly, pray for Michelle. I can't even imagine how strange this will be for her. I am praying after spending most of her life in an orphanage and foster care, that even at her young age her heart will know she is finally home.

I wanted to share our itinerary with you - we'll write again when we are on our way to China!

12/10- Leave for China
12/11- Arrive in Beijing
12/12-13 Tour Beijing
12/14 - Fly to Zhengzhou
12/15 - GOTCHA DAY!!!!!!
12/15-19 - Stay in Zhengzhou, complete paperwork.
12/20 - Fly to Guangzhou
12/22-24 -Complete paperwork with U.S. Consulate
12/25 - Fly home - Merry Christmas!

Saturday, December 6, 2008

100 Wishes Quilt

When a baby is expected in China, the friends and family give swatches of material along with their good wishes so the mom can make a quilt. The quilt is sewn together with red thread, as a symbol of the connection between those destined to be together.


We thought this was a wonderful tradition, so when we received our referral in August we began asking our friends and family to send their scraps of material along with their prayers and wishes for Michelle. I do not sew, but my mom loves to quilt. I asked her to put the pieces together, and I was amazed at the beautiful finished product. On the front it's my mom's creation - a little girl holding flowers, and it says "Friends are the flowers of life". On the back are all the lovely "wishes" from our friends and family.



My mom did such a beautiful job on this - she even added her own symbolism. The quilt batting (inside) is bamboo, so she will always feel a connection with the land of her birth. The red thread ties show she is already connected with all the important people of her life, that though it may twist or bend, it will never break. Thank you to everyone who contributed a piece of fabric, and thank you mom for stitching it together with so much love.

I wanted Michelle to know someday how many people loved her and prayed for her before she ever came to us. I know she will feel so loved wrapped in this beautiful quilt.

Wednesday, December 3, 2008

Lots of News

We learned of our Consulate Appointment yesterday and it looks like we will have Michelle in our arms on Monday, December 15th! We have made flight arrangements and we will fly to China on the 10th and return on Christmas Day. We will have 36 hours of Christmas with breakfast in Guangzhou, first lunch in Tokyo, a second lunch on a Boeing 777 over the Arctic Circle, and dinner at our home in Virginia.

The video below was taken by Catherine Rodgers a couple of weeks ago. We think that is Michelle’s foster mother singing to her. It is great to see Michelle smile, hug the elephant doll we sent (a family tradition), and say “Mama”.

Tuesday, December 2, 2008

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