Sight Seeing Day 1 - The Great Wall

We started our first day in Beijing bright and early.  Our guide Peter and his driver picked us up and drove us to the Great Wall, which took about 2 hours from our hotel.  It was a perfect day to be at the Great Wall.  It was not busy and there was a slight breeze.  In order to get to the Great Wall, you must take a cable car up to the top of the mountain.  We walked the entire section that was open (about a mile).  The last stretch was brutal.  There were 426 steep steps at the very last section.  However, Dave and I both made it to the very top.  The Great Wall is so impressive, but the scenery around the wall is also breathtaking.  

the beginning - clearly not a sweaty mess yet

Some stones are missing, so climbing to the top of the towers was a bit of a challenge.

the last steep section

We made it!

On a side note - Dave wore his Purdue shirt was approached by two different tourists at the Great Wall who either attended Purdue or knew someone who did.  It never fails.  Our tour guide asked if Dave knew them before and we said no, but this happens everywhere we go when Dave wears a Purdue shirt.

After the Great Wall, we went to a nice little restaurant.  Dave enjoyed a Chinese beer.

On the way home from lunch we stopped to see Olympic Park.

We finished the day with dinner by the hotel and we walked around in the shopping area.  There is a 'high-end' mall very close to our hotel, which a tourist hot-spot.  They have an Apple store, a Gap, Cartier, Rolex, and Forever 21.  We were in bed by 7:45 though.  We're still not quite adjusted to the time yet.

Flying to Beijing

So sorry for the delay with our updates.  Internet security is very strict in China and we had to buy a VPN (virtual private network) to be able to access our blog and Facebook.  Dave's sister Laura and her husband Jason (who adopted Lucy last May from China) helped us out and now we are good to go.  Thanks guys!

Flight to Beijing
Our flight was delayed 4 hours due to mechanical problems, but we were able to spend the day with Anna and Verona, so it was all good.  Rick was able to take us to the airport on time.  We received a flight voucher and food vouchers for our inconvenience.  Spending the day with our darling niece is hardly an inconvenience, but we were glad they were so accommodating. 
We were thrilled when we got on our plane and discovered that our seats were in the front row of the section.  We had plenty of leg room and individual TVs that flipped up.  It was obviously a long flight, but uneventful.  We watched a lot of movies and it seemed like they were bringing us food constantly.   When we arrived in Beijing, Peter our guide met us and took us to the hotel.  We went straight to bed!  We were exhausted.

Our hotel room

In order to use the electricity in the room, you must insert your room key.

Our view from our room

the lobby

Let the Journey Begin

Tomorrow, we set off on an adventure like no other.  After dropping Liam off with Grandma and Grandpa Herman at 7am, we will drive up to Livonia.  My brother, Rick, will drive us to the Detroit Airport.  Then, we take off on a 13 hour flight straight to Beijing.  Here are some thoughts on the eve of our trip -
*  The truth is, I am not fond of flying, and the thought of being on a plane all day is daunting to me, but I will have Dave with me, and he makes everything better.  (I'm also equipped with Melatonin!)
*  I will miss Liam like crazy from the moment I drop him off.  He takes a place in my heart that's only made for him.  I know he will be fine, but I tear up just thinking of being away from him.
*  I am excited to meet Lilly!  I have dreamed of her, prayed for her, and yearned to be her mother, and am ready to hold her.  I know we will have a process ahead of us, but we are so ready for it.  Bring it on!
*  I am trusting God with all the details of this trip.  He has shown us time and again that His plan and timing are perfect.  How blessed we are that He has chosen this to be part of His plan for us!  Jeremiah 29:11 - "For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to give you hope and a future."
The next blog post will be from China!

Attachment Period

Those who are familiar with international adoption, either by doing it yourselves, or knowing someone who has adopted, are aware of the Attachment Period.  It is highly recommended that we observe an attachment period when we return home from China.  This means that we will not have visitors over to our house and we will limit the amount of time spent out of the home.  For Lilly's sake, we need to establish our role as her parents and form the family bond.  This will help Lilly become an adjusted child in the future.  She will need to grieve her losses.  Although, her life up until now has been institutionalized, it is the only life she has known.  She has formed relationships with her care-givers.  It is important for us to respect the time and process it takes for her to transfer her affection and dependance to us.  I know it is a lot to ask, but we ask that our friends and family respect this process, however long it takes.  Lilly is the only one who can determine how long this process will last.  I know you will want to share with us in our joy and journey, so I promise to keep the blog as up-to-date as possible.  To our church friends - Dave and I will be taking turns on Sundays, so Liam can still attend regularly.  Feel free to invite us to sit in the pew with you.  We will most likely be exhausted and need the help.  One of the bet ways you can help us is through prayer!  I'm sure we will feel your support that way, even when we will feel isolated and in "lock down" (as my mother affectionately calls it).

Here are some specific things you can pray for -

*  That Lilly will show her emotions and start the grieving process right away.  That she doesn't bottle her emotions for later.

* That Dave and I have patience and compassion.  That we are a strong team.

*  That all our hearts are opened and ready and that the Holy Spirit would guide our actions and words.

*  That Lilly eats well and starts to try solid foods.

*  That Liam feels love for his sister (he already has, but it may be different when we are home and Lilly requires a lot of attention).  That Liam never doubts our love for him.

*  That Liam is healthy and safe while we are gone.

*  That travel for us goes well with no complications.  That Dave and I take time to enjoy the culture and life our daughter is coming from.

*  That we have a great team of doctors and therapists for Lilly and that they view her as the unique child of God she is.

*  And most importantly - Thank God that He has chosen us to be Lilly's parents and has opened every door that needed to be opened in order to bring her home this quickly.  Thank God He allowed us to be parents to two beautiful children, who have been given life for a purpose.  Thank God that their birth-mothers chose life!!!

Love Story

On May 1st, 15 years ago, Dave showed up at my front door with a bouquet of Lilacs (my favorite flower), and took me on our first official date.  

Fast forward (maybe not so fast) 6 years, to May 29th.  Dave became my husband.  When we said for better, for worse, for richer, or poorer, until death do us part, we meant it.  We have lived through the worst, have experienced better, have been poor, look forward to being richer, and Dave will be my best friend until death temporarily parts us.

Dave has been my shoulder to cry on, the only one who understands my sense of humor, my encouragement, and my sanity.  He makes me want to be the best version of myself that I can be.  He dreams with me and helps me accomplish those dreams.  He is an amazing father.  Most importantly, he is a man of faith and character.  I thank God everyday that He chose Dave to be companion in life.  

Happy Anniversary Dave!!!

Baby Shower

I know it's not typical to have a baby shower for the second child, and also not common to have a baby shower for an adopted child.  However, my sweet faculty at Ascension threw one anyway.  It was so nice to celebrate the little lady we have been working tirelessly to bring home.  It has been so wonderful to share this journey with them.  The outpouring of care they have shown is so much appreciated.  Even though I am a part-time teacher there, and am technically employed by LSEM, I definitely feel like part of the Ascension family.  The food was delicious and cute.  Katie put detail into the drinks and games.  The games were fun and just right for a room full of teachers.  We played children's book word scramble and trivia.  Everyone also filled in wishes for Lilly - I hope you love ____, I hope you learn ______, I hope you laugh _______, and so on.  It was so much fun to get cute girly clothes too.  It was a great day!

Pack Your Bags!

Yesterday afternoon I received a phone call from Sarah, our social worker.  First of all, let me just say, Sarah is AMAZING!  When we picked our adoption agency we did so because our friends raved about the workers there and they commented on all the education the agency provides.  They do such a great job of preparing adoptive couples for every possible scenario.  We have loved working with our agency, specifically Sarah.  She is so thorough, organized, and prompt.  I really don't know how we would have gone through this process without her.  It is evident that she loves what she does, and she is so good at it.
Anyway, as I was saying, she called me yesterday afternoon.  We normally communicate through e-mail, so I knew it was important.  She congratulated us for receiving our TA (travel approval) and asked if we would be able to be in China is 2 weeks!!!  Of course, I said yes.  Today, she scheduled our appointment in Guangzhou at the Consulate for June 4th.  We need to be in Guangzhou by May 31st.  Tonight, we will talk to the man in charge of planning the specifics of our trip.  I think we will leave here on May 22nd and sight see in Beijing for a couple days before heading to Nanjing.  We need to be in Nanjing on May 26th to get Lilly.  There is one other couple traveling at the same time we are.  Their child is in a different province, so we will meet up with them in Guangzhou.  I have their e-mail and phone number, so I will be getting in contact with them ahead of time.  Unfortunately, the husband won't be able to travel, but the wife will have her mother-in-law with her. 
We are very excited.  There is a lot to get done in the next 12 days, but we know God will bless the last stretch of the process.