Tuesday, December 27, 2011
Was it really Christmas?
Christmas seemed to go by in a fog. Maybe that is because we were still trying to deal with jet lag. We come home to 2 sick children. Elliot seemed to be coming out of his sickness, while Iris was in the thick of hers. Owen was also still sick. He had been sick the entire time we have known him. He is really doing very well with all adjustments. Ansley made it through her last preformance in the Nutcracker and came in the door and ran straight to the bathroom where she proceeded to get sick. So now it is offical our house is sick! Some how they all managed to rally before Christmas.
Our last day in China
Monday, December 19, 2011
Consulate Appointment: Check
Today was another good day for Owen. He continues to open up his little personality and trust his mom and dad. He is turning into an eating machine which is great. He does let you know when he is hungry and we are letting him eat as much as he wants. The little man needs some calories.
Tonight we went to dinner at Lucy's again and he would not stop eating. He loves mashed potatoes and french bread. Along with fish, noodles, and ice cream. FYI - he officially weighed 19 pounds at his doctor visit this week.
This morning we had the consulate appointment and Melissa and I took the offical oath along with about a dozen other families. Tomorrow we will pick up visas and head to Hong Kong. Excited to be heading home soon.
This afternoon we enjyed the great weather and just walked around with another family. We ventured off the typcial tourist pathes and went down some great little streets and enjoyed the culture.
Yesterday we went to the safari/zoo and that was awesome. Owen enjoyed the monkeys and panada bears. We spent most of the day there and loved hanging out with everyone in the group. I had the most fun as I fed the giraffes and a white tiger.
As I mentioned in the last post, we have met some amazing families on this trip. Spoke to the kids today (Elliot and Iris) and they are both sick. We hope they feel better soon and mom and dad are homesick for them. We missed getting to talk to Ansley today as she had yet another performance in the Nutcracker. We are so proud of Ansley.
Enjoy the photos..... Not sure if we will be able to post before we leave.
Tonight we went to dinner at Lucy's again and he would not stop eating. He loves mashed potatoes and french bread. Along with fish, noodles, and ice cream. FYI - he officially weighed 19 pounds at his doctor visit this week.
This morning we had the consulate appointment and Melissa and I took the offical oath along with about a dozen other families. Tomorrow we will pick up visas and head to Hong Kong. Excited to be heading home soon.
This afternoon we enjyed the great weather and just walked around with another family. We ventured off the typcial tourist pathes and went down some great little streets and enjoyed the culture.
Yesterday we went to the safari/zoo and that was awesome. Owen enjoyed the monkeys and panada bears. We spent most of the day there and loved hanging out with everyone in the group. I had the most fun as I fed the giraffes and a white tiger.
As I mentioned in the last post, we have met some amazing families on this trip. Spoke to the kids today (Elliot and Iris) and they are both sick. We hope they feel better soon and mom and dad are homesick for them. We missed getting to talk to Ansley today as she had yet another performance in the Nutcracker. We are so proud of Ansley.
Enjoy the photos..... Not sure if we will be able to post before we leave.
Saturday, December 17, 2011
Getting Closer To Coming Home
Friday wss a very busy day. We started off going to Owen's orphanage which was good and bad. The good part is that we did see where he spent part of his life and toured the facilities. We were allowed to see some of the children and spend a few minutes playing with them. One room had about 20 babies all laying in their beds/cribs. It was very quite and most of the babies were just lying their looking at the sealing. Once we starting talking to them they all came to life, they were starving for some attention. This was very difficult to see and leaving them was even harder. We also spent some time in a room with about 6-8 kids who were all about 4 years old. They also lit up when we entered and were sad when we left.
The facilty seemed to be very clean (but very cold - no heater). All the kids were bundled. The bad part was that this orphanage is very secretive and provides very litte information. We inquired about some scars on Owen and all they would tell us was this was from surgery to fix his esophagus (hard to beleive he has three major scars from this, especially when one of the scars is on his back!). They would not provde his offical file with his medical information nor did they bother to go look at the file when we asked about the scars (some how they just remembered his medical history?). They handle about 600 kids in this orphange.
We also asked for any photos of Owen and they said no. They did tells us that Owen was in foster care and had one foster brother and one foster sister. Again no photos of his brother or sister and no information on the foster family. It is sad that Owen will never get any of this information. We do not understand why this orphanage is so closed with providing any information?
We entered one room with about 30-40 beds and they told us this is the room Owen would have stayed in. There was another family with us on the tour and they asked about their child's bed. The worker pointed to one of the beds and said, "this one". The worker then looked at us and randomly selected another bed and said that was Owen's bed. We are confident they tell you things like that to make you feel better.
Overall we are glad we visited and were allowed to take a few photos as long as there were no kids in the room.
After leaving the orphanage we returned to the hotel (after buying another suit case to put all of our stuff) we checked out and headed for the airport. During this time Melissa informs me she thinks she is getting sick with Owen's cold. The flight was only about two hours long but it seemed longer as Owen struggled the entire flight. He was pulling on one of his ears so we are pretty sure the pressure (along with the cold) was bothering him. For some reason Chinese people think Americans can not parent and always try to help (it is good that they want to help but sometimes it only makes it worse). We finally made it and once we landed he was fine.
This photo is us at the airport along with our guide, Jerry. Jerry did a great job and was very friendly and informative.
We finally arrived at Guangdong Victory Hotel and the rooms are very small. When we arrived we were all exhausted and ready to go to bed. We immediately put the boy in bed and then realised not all of the lights work in our room. So after much communication with the front desk they finally moved us to another room. This added to the long day but we finally got a good noghts sleep. At this point Melissa has declared she has a soar throat and feels terrible. Nothing worse than being sick when you are not at home. She has been a trooper all day and I feel sorry for her.
Saturday morning we had to take Owen for his medical exam. This is a mad-house with all of the adoptive families in this small clinic tryng to figure out the process. The photo below shows how skinny Owen's little legs are. As I mentioned before, he seems very thin and malnurished. We are feeding him as much as he wants to eat (which is alot). We have discovered he must eat small bites and take it slow. Not positive, but we think there is an issue in this thoat (possibly scar tissue?) which gives him trouble eating. This would make since as to why he is so thin. Owen can not drink from a bottle or sippy cup or cup. It is as if he does not know how ti suck so we have been forcing him to drink from a syringe. People look strangly at us but we have to get some fluids in him.
This picture is just a good picture of him.
Tonight we went to dinner with Kevin and Sarah who is one of the families we have been with from the start. They are amazing and are adopting their 4th child. Melissa had been communicating with them online for the past several weeks.
Tomorrow we are heading to the safari/zoo at 10:00am. We have heard it is great and at this point we are ust waiting on paper work so we can head home.
Few more pictures.
We are so fortunate and blessed to have the opportunity to adopt Owen and Iris. The love and joy they bring to Melissa and I can not be measured. The entire process brings story after story of people who love these children and give everything they have (and don't have) to bring these inocent children into their families. We have been with two families for most of this trip and each of them are an inspiration to us. Keven and Sarah are in their early 30's and are adopting their 4th child and already taking about the next one. The other family is adopting their first but have 5 biological children at home with the youngest at 10 years old, they are starting over as parents when the world says they should be excited about the coming empty nest. But they felt God leading them down this road.
We have met several families today who would totally defy what our society thinks is normal. One unassuming man at dinner was sitting with two young Chinese boys (middle school aged). We stopped and introduced ourselves (this is what adoptive families do in China) and he began to explain how this was his 8th adoption! The other boy was adopted earlier this year and still spoke chinese so he brought him with him to help the other boy adjust, and to be his translator - his second adoption this year. His wife was at home with the other children.
Walking through the lobby this morning we met a man with four kids climbing on him who all had special needs. We started talking to him and he told us his wife was at the medical clinic with their two newest children (number 5 and 6)!
Wow! Amazing families who are following God's call for them.
The facilty seemed to be very clean (but very cold - no heater). All the kids were bundled. The bad part was that this orphanage is very secretive and provides very litte information. We inquired about some scars on Owen and all they would tell us was this was from surgery to fix his esophagus (hard to beleive he has three major scars from this, especially when one of the scars is on his back!). They would not provde his offical file with his medical information nor did they bother to go look at the file when we asked about the scars (some how they just remembered his medical history?). They handle about 600 kids in this orphange.
We also asked for any photos of Owen and they said no. They did tells us that Owen was in foster care and had one foster brother and one foster sister. Again no photos of his brother or sister and no information on the foster family. It is sad that Owen will never get any of this information. We do not understand why this orphanage is so closed with providing any information?
We entered one room with about 30-40 beds and they told us this is the room Owen would have stayed in. There was another family with us on the tour and they asked about their child's bed. The worker pointed to one of the beds and said, "this one". The worker then looked at us and randomly selected another bed and said that was Owen's bed. We are confident they tell you things like that to make you feel better.
Overall we are glad we visited and were allowed to take a few photos as long as there were no kids in the room.
After leaving the orphanage we returned to the hotel (after buying another suit case to put all of our stuff) we checked out and headed for the airport. During this time Melissa informs me she thinks she is getting sick with Owen's cold. The flight was only about two hours long but it seemed longer as Owen struggled the entire flight. He was pulling on one of his ears so we are pretty sure the pressure (along with the cold) was bothering him. For some reason Chinese people think Americans can not parent and always try to help (it is good that they want to help but sometimes it only makes it worse). We finally made it and once we landed he was fine.
This photo is us at the airport along with our guide, Jerry. Jerry did a great job and was very friendly and informative.
We finally arrived at Guangdong Victory Hotel and the rooms are very small. When we arrived we were all exhausted and ready to go to bed. We immediately put the boy in bed and then realised not all of the lights work in our room. So after much communication with the front desk they finally moved us to another room. This added to the long day but we finally got a good noghts sleep. At this point Melissa has declared she has a soar throat and feels terrible. Nothing worse than being sick when you are not at home. She has been a trooper all day and I feel sorry for her.
Saturday morning we had to take Owen for his medical exam. This is a mad-house with all of the adoptive families in this small clinic tryng to figure out the process. The photo below shows how skinny Owen's little legs are. As I mentioned before, he seems very thin and malnurished. We are feeding him as much as he wants to eat (which is alot). We have discovered he must eat small bites and take it slow. Not positive, but we think there is an issue in this thoat (possibly scar tissue?) which gives him trouble eating. This would make since as to why he is so thin. Owen can not drink from a bottle or sippy cup or cup. It is as if he does not know how ti suck so we have been forcing him to drink from a syringe. People look strangly at us but we have to get some fluids in him.
This picture is just a good picture of him.
Tonight we went to dinner with Kevin and Sarah who is one of the families we have been with from the start. They are amazing and are adopting their 4th child. Melissa had been communicating with them online for the past several weeks.
Tomorrow we are heading to the safari/zoo at 10:00am. We have heard it is great and at this point we are ust waiting on paper work so we can head home.
Few more pictures.
We are so fortunate and blessed to have the opportunity to adopt Owen and Iris. The love and joy they bring to Melissa and I can not be measured. The entire process brings story after story of people who love these children and give everything they have (and don't have) to bring these inocent children into their families. We have been with two families for most of this trip and each of them are an inspiration to us. Keven and Sarah are in their early 30's and are adopting their 4th child and already taking about the next one. The other family is adopting their first but have 5 biological children at home with the youngest at 10 years old, they are starting over as parents when the world says they should be excited about the coming empty nest. But they felt God leading them down this road.
We have met several families today who would totally defy what our society thinks is normal. One unassuming man at dinner was sitting with two young Chinese boys (middle school aged). We stopped and introduced ourselves (this is what adoptive families do in China) and he began to explain how this was his 8th adoption! The other boy was adopted earlier this year and still spoke chinese so he brought him with him to help the other boy adjust, and to be his translator - his second adoption this year. His wife was at home with the other children.
Walking through the lobby this morning we met a man with four kids climbing on him who all had special needs. We started talking to him and he told us his wife was at the medical clinic with their two newest children (number 5 and 6)!
Wow! Amazing families who are following God's call for them.
Thursday, December 15, 2011
The Journey Continues
Sorry we did not post yesterday but we both fell asleep last night earlier than expected. Yesterday we spent the day walking around in various shopping areas and Green Lake. The lake is a nice park area with tons of birds which the locals feed so they keep coming back. You have to be careful when walking around because if you get to close to the water you may get a little surprise on your head.
Today we visited Minority Village which is a large tourist area that recognises the 26 different minorities in China. Each minority has a village set up which allows visitors to learn and see how they live and learn about their traditions. It was very interesting. We also saw a show they put on which showcases their native dress and dances. Owen did a great job and seems to be just taking it all in. We guess this is all new to him (sites,sounds, and tastes).
Owen is starting to really open up and each day he is trusting us (already trusts his mom) a little more. His personality is starting to show up. He seems to be very curious and serious but he also likes to laugh.
We are trying hard to give him lots of love and food. As we mentioned before, he is very weak ad needs to get much stronger.
Owen is sleeping very well. Tonight we laid him in his crib and he just talked and talked until he went to sleep. He is definately getting more verbal.
Tomorrow morning we are going to visit Owen's orphanage. One family visited the orphanage earlier today and they received photos. We hope they have pictures for us as well. We then leave for our next stop Guanzhou in the afternoon for an evening flight. Tomorrow will be a busy schedule so we probably will not post until the next day.
Last night we Skyped the kids and they had so much fun with Owen. They got him to laugh and they thought that was awesome. We can not wait to see Ansley, Elliot and Iris.. We love you kids.
Today we visited Minority Village which is a large tourist area that recognises the 26 different minorities in China. Each minority has a village set up which allows visitors to learn and see how they live and learn about their traditions. It was very interesting. We also saw a show they put on which showcases their native dress and dances. Owen did a great job and seems to be just taking it all in. We guess this is all new to him (sites,sounds, and tastes).
Owen is starting to really open up and each day he is trusting us (already trusts his mom) a little more. His personality is starting to show up. He seems to be very curious and serious but he also likes to laugh.
We are trying hard to give him lots of love and food. As we mentioned before, he is very weak ad needs to get much stronger.
Owen is sleeping very well. Tonight we laid him in his crib and he just talked and talked until he went to sleep. He is definately getting more verbal.
Tomorrow morning we are going to visit Owen's orphanage. One family visited the orphanage earlier today and they received photos. We hope they have pictures for us as well. We then leave for our next stop Guanzhou in the afternoon for an evening flight. Tomorrow will be a busy schedule so we probably will not post until the next day.
Last night we Skyped the kids and they had so much fun with Owen. They got him to laugh and they thought that was awesome. We can not wait to see Ansley, Elliot and Iris.. We love you kids.
Tuesday, December 13, 2011
Day Two At Stone Forrest
Owen is really becoming comfortable with us (mainly Melissa) and his personality is great. Yesterday we traveled to Stone Forrest which was really awesome. The Stone Forrest is one of the "first natural wonders of the world" according to the Chinese. It is a huge area (we only saw a small part) of rocks that create a forrest. The rocks are all shapes and sizes and the Chinese see all sorts of shapes and figures within the rocks. We are really glad we took the time to visit.
The ride was about 1.5 hours and Owen had no problems. We do get a lot of looks from the locals as we did with Iris. We seem to get a lot more surprising looks since we have a boy. Plus he is som hansome that everyone just looks at him and smiles.
Today we are going to just walk around and do some shopping. Owen needs some clothes as all the clothes we brought for him are way too big for him. He wears about 12 month things.
Enjoy the photos and we will post again later.
The ride was about 1.5 hours and Owen had no problems. We do get a lot of looks from the locals as we did with Iris. We seem to get a lot more surprising looks since we have a boy. Plus he is som hansome that everyone just looks at him and smiles.
Today we are going to just walk around and do some shopping. Owen needs some clothes as all the clothes we brought for him are way too big for him. He wears about 12 month things.
Enjoy the photos and we will post again later.
Monday, December 12, 2011
Great First Night
Owen is still sleeping! It is 8:00am and he has slept all night in a crib. About 6:30am he was stirring around so Melissa put him in bed with her and he is still sleeping. He did cough some in the night as he is fighting a cold. They provided us with some medicine he has been taking but we do not even know what it is?
He has a good personality (even with a cold and not feeling well). He is a mama's boy all the way and is not sure about dad yet. He seemed to open up to me later in the evening as he let me put him to bed. He is ok with me holding him but he gets excited while mom is around.
Owen is very little. It seems like he is malnurished and just needs some food and love. His arms and legs are very little and he does not have a lot of strength. We are wondering how much they gave him to eat. It does not matter now we are going to put some pounds on him!
The boy is a thumb sucker! This has created an overbite and you can really noice it when he smiles. We also know he is meant for us because his two front teeth are very large (just like Melissa and I). We are going to let him use the thumb as much as he likes because we are sure this is the only comforter he has ever known. We can deal with it once he has adjusted to our family.
We gave him a bath last night and we see he has a large scar on his back. We do not know what this is from as we were never told about this. It is located just under one of his shoulder blades. Melissa thought it may be that he had pneumonia at one point and they entered there to get to his lungs.
Today we are heading to the Stone Forrest. So far so good and he is doing GREAT!
He has a good personality (even with a cold and not feeling well). He is a mama's boy all the way and is not sure about dad yet. He seemed to open up to me later in the evening as he let me put him to bed. He is ok with me holding him but he gets excited while mom is around.
Owen is very little. It seems like he is malnurished and just needs some food and love. His arms and legs are very little and he does not have a lot of strength. We are wondering how much they gave him to eat. It does not matter now we are going to put some pounds on him!
The boy is a thumb sucker! This has created an overbite and you can really noice it when he smiles. We also know he is meant for us because his two front teeth are very large (just like Melissa and I). We are going to let him use the thumb as much as he likes because we are sure this is the only comforter he has ever known. We can deal with it once he has adjusted to our family.
We gave him a bath last night and we see he has a large scar on his back. We do not know what this is from as we were never told about this. It is located just under one of his shoulder blades. Melissa thought it may be that he had pneumonia at one point and they entered there to get to his lungs.
Today we are heading to the Stone Forrest. So far so good and he is doing GREAT!
Sunday, December 11, 2011
The Wait Is Over
This morning went very well and Owen is so beautiful! He has been perfect so far. He is fighting a cold but he has not cried much and seems to be opening up as the day goes on. He can walk a few steps and is trying to talk (just making some sounds). Melissa claims he has already said, "mama".
Just look at this face.........
As you can see this little guy is adorable and we are showering him with love and attention.
Note to Elliot: I have not been able to upload a video on here "so you can see him move". I will try to get it done for you asap.
Just look at this face.........
As you can see this little guy is adorable and we are showering him with love and attention.
Note to Elliot: I have not been able to upload a video on here "so you can see him move". I will try to get it done for you asap.
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