One Week at HOME

Well, we've been home one week today. I know you all have wondered why I haven't posted. I've done exactly what I said I wouldn't do, which is to leave all my blog-fans hanging. I underesimated the effect that jet-lag and a newly adopted child would have on my free time... giggle, giggle. My apologies, I will try to do a better job this week. Thanks for hanging in there with me while I get some much needed rest. It's been a week of small milestones, laughter, tears, and lots of visits and phone calls from people who love us. We have felt such an outpouring of love from so many and it is a wonderful feeling. Mia... she loves her brothers. Especially Cole, our oldest son. She allows him to hold her and carry her anywhere. She will also allow our other two boys to do the same, as well as my nephew, Will. Mia is still forming a relationship with her daddy, but I see definite progress. He holds her a little now without much protest, and he is still working hard to earn her favor. She is learning how to play with her toys and when she relaxes she actually enjoys it. She smiles a funny little grin for the camera and she blows kisses to most everyone she meets, which is so sweet. She giggles when we tickle her and she wakes up happy most of the time. Mia LOVES the swimming pool and she kicks those little legs and tries to stick her face in the water. She is still very watchful of where I am in the house and when new people come in, she clings to me for a long time, just to be sure that we don't hand her off, or at least that's what I think. The jet-lag has been hard and I can't say that I am back 100%, but we are feeling more normal again. Mia had a hard time sleeping through the night for the first few days, however, she has slept all night for the past two nights, so I think she is recovering too. We went shopping yesterday with my mom, sister, niece, and nephew. She seemed to like being in busy places. We went to church today and what a thrill that was. She is an answered prayer, one that can be visibly seen and touched and it was wonderful to be back in our church to worship a faithful God. Our church family loved meeting Mia and we all said prayers of thanks for all that God has done for us and for Mia. Garrett leaves for camp in the morning, and I wish he wasn't, but he begged to go, and for a little couch-potato that he is, I felt like I needed to grant his request. Nolan is beginning to show signs of jealousy, so I'm going to spend some individual time with him tomorrow after we get Garrett off. We are going to buy school supplies! He is really excited about going to big school. And I am sad, because it means he is growing up and I just want him to stay little. We had a visit from another China mommy today who will be leaving to go get her baby girl in a couple of months. It seems just like yesterday that I was impatiently waiting to leave for Mia. All in all, I think Mia is doing great. She is learning little by little that we are trustworthy and that we love her. She is getting to know our family, who all love her too and I have to think that must be reassuring, even though she knows nothing of the concept of family. At times throughout the week, I found myself worrying... "I'm too old for this... "Lord, are you sure this was your plan?" and the famous..."I'm a terrible mother...", all of which I believe originates from exhaustion and the lull that comes after such a long-awaited event. But I distinctly feel that each time I thought these things, God prompted me to think about the good... the lovely, the beauty that has come from this situation and then I feel encouraged that He will prosper this family. He will.. One week later, I'm more rested and she seems a little more at ease. We have a long way to go, but I am encouraged. What God has called us to, He will see us through. Well, gotta go... Mia has a stinky diaper... I think I'm too old for this...:)

Much love,
Ashley

At Home... At Last...

Now that the trip is behind me, I think I'd just prefer not to dwell on the "getting home" aspect of the trip, however, there is one thing I MUST share about it. Do you remember my post last week about praying that we'd be able to switch seats to bulk-head so we could get a bassinet for Mia and more leg room to put her down a little? Do you remember the part about the flight was sold out... but that I felt like God would work this out? Well, He did. We got to the check-in counter in Hong Kong and the attendant changed out seats when I asked for a bassinet. Guess what she changed them to? The ones I asked God for. Wow... Wow... Suffice it to say, that even with the great seats the flight was brutal, it was painful, it was exhausting... but the good news is that we made it and we are now home. We were met with a crowd of family and good friends at the airport to meet Mia for the first time. Just as I'd imagined all these months, I was so touched by that moment, seeing all the people I loved waiting for us. Three of my friends dressed up with big propeller bows in their hair. Another long-time friend met me with a diet coke and a cupcake. We made the ride home well, Mia slept until 5 am, and we took a couple of naps today. My aunt Kathy made us a delicious breakfast casserole to have for our first breakfast and I loved seeing all of my babies sitting at that table with me. Tonight, we went to my grandparents' house for a home-cooked meal of fresh vegetables from the family garden. So good... My brain is still fuzzy from jet-lag, but despite all of that, I can appreciate the fact that we've made it. We have a lot of work to do in terms of helping Mia form strong attachments with us and this will take time. But at least we are home and after we've recovered from this jet-lag, we can get back to our lives. But now it is just starting to hit me... I have four kids... Four. I must be nuts. LOL...

Much love,
Ashley

Goodbye to China

Wow... I thought about what I would write today for my last post from China. I am so thankful that we've made it to this point. We have a beautiful little daughter and she is soon to be a US citizen. She will no longer be destined for the hard life that would have been hers had she stayed here with "parents unknown" listed on her birth certificate. Orphans are considered to be "bad luck" here. When you meet Mia, and I so hope you do, you will see this little girl is anything but "bad luck". I know that we are about to take her from the only home she has ever known, but I know the one I'm taking her to is better. She now can be raised in a family who trust God... not Buddha. She can go to school, go on vacation, have friends, attend college, and choose her own life. But most importantly, when the chips are down, when the day has been rough, when it is Christmas time, or a birthday... she has a home... a home with a mama, a daddy, brothers , grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins to go to to be loved. She will never be alone. She has us... for better, for worse. For someone who has ALWAYS had the gift of a loving, supportive family, the thought of being an orphan is mind-boggling. God does not intend for us to be orphaned. He intends for us all to be in a loving family. He proved this with the gift of His own Son... who came to rescue us all. Griff and I feel so humbled that God called us to such a wonderful thing as adopting one of these precious children into our family. She will be our daily reminder of the love of Christ, of the importance of home. I encourage ALL of you to search your hearts, to pray diligently on what God may want you and your family to do for "the least of these". There are orphans everywhere... not just in China. There are orphans in our own hometown. Adoption is one way, the best way to help these children. Other ways are through orphanage sponsorship... like "Love Without Boundaries", "Half the Sky", and others. The latest statistic I saw on Orphan Sunday last November, was that if only 6% of the Christian population adopted one orphan, there would be no orphans left in the world. The main thing is do something. Ask God to give you clear direction. We have seen firsthand that God smiles on obedience and He blesses those who bless. We have a feeling that our blessing is just beginning.
To our boys: We have missed you more that you will ever know. This has been hard to leave you for such a long time, but we know that bringing Mia home is very important and that you understand. It won't be long now and we will all be home together. Can't wait to see you in Birmingham.
For those of you who are local, we are set to arrive in Birmingham on Sunday, July 18 at 8:18 pm. If you feel led to come, please do. Again, for all of you... thanks for the prayers and for your kind words of encouragement and support. We thank God for you all. Almost home...

"I will not leave you as orphans... I will come to you." John 14:18

Much love,
Ashley

Thursday in Guangzhou

Well, we are getting ready to call it a day. We went to the Botanical Gardens this morning. When we first left the hotel, it was a bit cloudy, so our guide was optimistic that it wouldn't be AS hot as previous days. WRONG... that sun came out and WHAM! I was sweating so badly that it was dripping into my eyes. Mia gets this prickly heat rash when we are outdoors for very long we have discovered, so it didn't take long before she was broken out all over. There was an indoor area with lots of beautiful orchids, ferns, palms, and succulents. At the top of the gardens, was a large rose garden. The roses were pretty, but as much as I hate to say it, we just couldn't get into the Botanical Gardens because of the brutal heat. I think that I probably would have enjoyed it... in February... LOL... We went back to the hotel and tried to get in a quick rest and then met again in a couple of hours to head over to the U.S. Consulate Building to take our oath. This oath ceremony is done as a group, and the consulate officer comes out and you repeat after her that basically you've been honest with all information regarding your child's adoption and pending citizenship. The officer congratulated us, because basically we had run the race and won... our child had been successfully adopted and their U.S. citizenship would go into affect once our plane touched ground in the U.S. Several of the mamas in our group cried... I almost did. For some reason, I think I'm able to hold back my emotions now, but when I finally get off that plane in Birmingham, Alabama... I may totally lose myself for a few minutes. It seems like this adoption has been going on forever, but in actuality, ours has been in record speed. Most of the families in our group have been waiting for this day for well over four years. After the oath ceremony, we had dinner with our good friends we've made from Georgia. Their daughter, Ruthie, is a few months older than Mia. I really hope that our girls can remain friends. Us mommies, too, of course. We ate at our favorite Italian restaurant that has kept us alive over the last couple of weeks. We will begin packing up tomorrow to prepare for our trip home. There are no words to describe how glad I'll be to finally be home with Mia, to see my boys again, to see my family, to sleep in my own bed, etc. etc. Only two more days... You all cannot know how much I look forward to reading your comments on my blog each day. It has helped me very much to know that so many care about us. Until tomorrow...

Much love,
Ashley

And She Smiles...

Last night, our group went on a Dinner Cruise on the Pearl River. It was a buffet, and let's just say it was catered to locals... not Americans. Pig knuckles, chicken feet, fungus, and other Chinese delicacies were on the buffet. Nothing that even remotely sounded good. I ate a little bit of noodles, but was saving myself for the ice cream cart that was promised on the way to the cruise by our guide, R. Then, about midway through the dinner, an announcement was made..."Attention all Lifeline Families... unfortunately there will be no ice cream this evening... but we will provide plenty of watermelon." Fantastic... So, after dinner we went up on the top deck of the boat to make pictures of the skyline. Mia had so much fun. They were playing salsa music, which I found a bit odd, but it made for a great dance, so she laughed out loud. We were so excited to see her having fun, that it negated the fact that we'd had no dinner. This was the first time we had seen Mia being silly, laughing, and smiling for more than a nano-second. Once we returned to the hotel, I went straight to the snack shop within the hotel and grabbed a Haagen-Daas bar... for $10 US... What? They made a big profit on that ice cream bar, but man, was it good.

Much love,
Ashley

You must read this...

This article gives a wonderful "State of the Orphans in China" review... A must read. We are so fortunate that God allowed our family to save one little one from this kind of fate. God is faithful...

http://chinaadoptiontalk.blogspot.com/2010/07/amy-eldridge-of-lwb-speaks.html

Copy and paste the above link into your address bar and it should take you to it.


Much love,
Ashley

The United States said YES!

I am proud to announce that we had our appointment today with the U.S. Consulate office here in Guangzhou to petition for Mia's visa to come to the U.S. At this appointment we had to show the U.S. that we had completed the necessary paperwork, had received approvals on all the paperwork, had secured Mia's passport, and had completed all necessary immunizations required by U.S. law. We met all this criteria, so the U.S. said YES! They will issue her a visa... which for those of you who have not traveled internationally (like us), a visa is a page inside the passport that states that you have permission to enter a particular country. It is my understanding that not all countries require visas, but China does, and so does the U.S. So you see, a passport isn't enough, you must inform the country WHY it is that you are traveling to that country. We are now finished... the actual visa page in her passport will be ready for pick up Friday afternoon at the Consulate's office. At that time, we are free to leave. Unfortunately, we must wait until Sunday morning to catch our flight. We will be heading back to Hong Kong Saturday in preparation for leaving. So many prayers have been answered and we are very, very thankful. I am now thinking ahead to our journey home, the trip over here was a struggle... long and exhausting. The trip home will be harder with an infant in tow. God gave us a little "happy" at the Birmingham airport, by allowing our flights to be changed, thus giving us EXCELLENT seats for the long, 16-hour flight. I am already praying that God grant us another "happy" for the trip home. Nothing is impossible for God, especially something so simple as an airplane ride... :)