What if...

What if Jen and I hadn't become friends over 20 years ago?  God knew back then that one day she would adopt and would become my example and mentor through the process.

What if I hadn't had Jamey for a student over 15 years ago?  God used him to teach me that children with limb differences are amazing and unstoppable.  Because of him, I wasn't intimidated by Julia's limb difference when I reviewed her file.

What if Jacob hadn't had Mrs. Bratcher for his second grade teacher?  God used her to reignite my love for teaching which led to the job that helped to fund this adoption.

What if we let the fact that we didn't have the finances to start this adoption keep us from doing just that?  God provided!  He used personal sacrifice and hard work on our parts as well as the generosity of friends and a grant through Show Hope to take care of every penny needed.

What if we felt led to adopt but didn't want to do anything that would rock the boat of our kids' contented lives?  God has used this process to open our kids' eyes to the needy of the world and to change their hearts to think beyond themselves.

What if we thought that adoption was a really great thing...for someone else's family?  Then we would have missed out on this-

and this,

and this,

and this,

and this,

and this,

and this,

and this,

and this.

Long before we realized it, God was working behind the scenes to put each piece of the puzzle in place so that we could be a family.  What if we had missed it?

Home!

We left our hotel to start our trip home on Thursday morning at 6:15, and after a 2 1/2 hour van ride to Hong Kong, a 15 hour flight from Hong Kong to Chicago, a 2 hour flight from Chicago to Charlotte, and a 2 hour drive home from Charlotte (with a stop at Chick-fil-a on the way), we pulled into our driveway with a little girl in the backseat of our car.  It was one thing to have her with us in China, but it was a very surreal feeling to actually bring her home with us!

It was so fun to introduce the kids to each other!  It didn't take them long to get out the toys and start playing together (even though it was about 11:00 p.m.).

So here we are, after a year of waiting, hoping, and praying.  We've added a tiny girl with a huge personality to our family, and we couldn't be more thankful for God's grace and His provision!

A Little More Catching Up...

On Friday we flew from Shanghai to Guangzhou to process the American portion of the adoption.  It was a two hour flight, and Julia did really well! 

After the frenetic pace of Shanghai, Guangzhou seemed like a tropical paradise.  Our guide explained to us that mopeds and horn honking were not allowed within the city limits.  No wonder it was so quiet!

After settling in to the beautiful hotel that our adoption agency uses for families, we headed out to check out our surroundings and to get some dinner.  The area was so family-friendly, and we found an excellent Mexican restaurant which quickly became our favorite.  Julia experienced what was probably her first stroller ride in the pouring rain when we left the restaurant to walk (run) back to the hotel.  She was soaked, but she laughed the entire time.

On Saturday, Julia had to have her medical exam and her picture taken for her visa.  She wasn't a big fan of either, but she rallied when it was time for her tb test and didn't shed a tear during the needle stick. 

After the appointment, it was back to the hotel for some lunch and some down-time.  I know it sounds like we spent a lot of time just hanging around, but that was really our goal.  Julia's world, prior to coming to us, was very small and simple.  She had never experienced the parent/child dynamic, so our agency recommended that we keep things low-key and spend lots of time just playing and interacting.  This was excellent advice, and we had a wonderful time spending time together and bonding.  We did some sightseeing, but that wasn't really the priority on this trip.  We wanted Julia to feel safe and comfortable with us and to know in the depths of her heart that she was our daughter.

Sunday was Father's Day.  It was strange for Barry not to be with Amie and Jacob, but what a treat to share some firsts with Julia!

Her first carousel ride:

Her first water fight:

And her first time riding up and down the escalator just for the fun of it:

I think they're going to be pretty good friends!

On Monday we went to Shamian Island which was a beautiful, tropical shopping area.  The American Embassy was on the island for a long time, but it has moved and one of the main hotels is closed for renovations, so many stores have had to shut their doors.  We enjoyed walking around and did a little shopping.  In its prime, people would bargain with the store owners, but we didn't have the heart to negotiate at all because of how empty every store seemed.  We tried to spread our purchasing around so that we could buy from several vendors even though most of them carried the same items.  It was a really fun day, and the highlight came when we met some shop owners who were Christians.  Barry asked them to tell Julia that Jesus loves her.  It was very sweet to see them make eye contact and to watch Julia nod her little head as the lady explained God's love to her in a very simple way.  We're thankful to the Lord for seeds planted in Julia's heart in her native language.

Tuesday was a big day because it was our Consulate Appointment.  A friend of mine in the adoption community compared it to visiting the DMV, and that was a very accurate assessment.  It is the appointment around which your whole adoption trip is scheduled, and with all the hype surrounding it, you want to envision a courtroom-like setting or something formal enough to dress up for.  The reality of it was a group of families in a building that didn't appear to have air-conditioning, waiting to be called one at a time to a window where we slid our paperwork under the glass and signed a few lines.  As a group, we had to raise our right hands and take an oath stating that the information which we provided was accurate, and I guess that was the "formal" part of the process.  The entire appointment took less than an hour, most of which was spent waiting in a hallway.  We did have a cute little soon-to-be American with us, and that was the fun part.

We went back to the island on Tuesday to take some pictures of Julia with the statues.

After pictures, we headed to Starbucks to cool off a bit before doing some more shopping,

and then back to the hotel for a dip in the pool.

On Wednesday, we spent the day enjoying the gardens of the hotel and packing for our trip home.  Julia especially liked watching the fish in the ponds.

One more night, and we were heading HOME!

We couldn't wait for Julia to meet the brother

and sister she had spent so much time skyping with! 

Catching up...

Let me start by apologizing for completely abandoning this blog! We had some technical and logistical problem in China, so I thought I would backtrack to the beginning of our time with Julia and share some pictures.

This is our first glimpse of Julia.  Her caregivers brought her

into the room where we were filling out papers, and she was quick to show us her silly side.  She warmed right up to both of us and was happy to hold Barry's hand as we were leaving.  She said good-bye to the orphanage staff members who brought her to us and never looked back.

Our guide took us back to our hotel where we hung out in the lobby (the only place with wifi) long enough to skype with the kids at home and introduce them to their new sister, and then we went up to our room to spend some time playing and bonding.

On Tuesday our guide picked us up and took us to finalize the adoption.  When she saw Julia that morning, she asked her if she was happy with her new family.  Julia replied, "Very happy!"

After finalizing the adoption, we again spend the majority of our day in our hotel room hanging out and getting acquainted with one another.  Here are a few things that we learned about Julia during those first few days:

She LOVES to look at herself in the mirror!

She learns things very quickly.  Barry taught her to give high-fives and to do the hand sign for "I love you."  When she says,"I love you," it sounds a lot like "I love veh."  It's very cute!

And she was amazed by her stroller! 

On Wednesday, we spent the day at the Shanghai Zoo with our wonderful guide, Ming Ming.  She helped us so much by teaching us some key phrases in Shanghainese so that we could communicate better with Julia.

Thursday was probably one of the most emotional days of our time in China.  We were able to visit the orphanage where Julia spent the first four years of her life.  When we got there, the children from Julia's room were in preschool, so we were able to peek in and take pictures without disturbing the class. 

Then we walked over to Julia's room where she got to visit with her nannies for a few minutes before the children came back into the room for lunch.

She had four caregivers, and each one seemed genuinely pleased to see her.  It was fun to watch her interact with the adults and children who had

been such an important part of her life. 

One of our priorities was to take pictures and video clips of as many little faces as we could.  Several of the children are matched with families, and we know firsthand how valuable each picture is to a waiting family.  Many of the children are not matched, and we tried to hold some hands and pat some heads while we prayed silently that families would come for them.

By special request, we were able to meet a little girl who our family has been praying for since last year.  Her parents are in the final stages of the adoption process, and it was our pleasure to meet sweet Analina and to pray for her while holding her little hand. 

One of the hardest things we've ever done was to walk out of the orphanage with just one little girl. There were so many children, both girls and boys, who clamoured for our attention, grabbing at our legs and arms. I heard lots of very pitiful cries of "Mama," and many of those children will never know the love a mama. Very sad. I believe each one of them is precious in God's sight, so if my human heart was broken by the sound, I have to wonder how the One who made them feels when He hears their cries...