Feed Me Cake!

Or, in this case, bread pudding. Unlike our other children, Peter needed to be coaxed to eat bananas and still doesn't care for watermelon or peaches. He does like bread pudding and doughnuts, however.

I say, enjoy the freedom while you have it, Peter. When you get home it will be asparagus and brussels sprouts!

Free Day

DH here. Today was a free day for us. That means we didn't have any adoption-related appointments or group events that we needed to attend. We decided to be adventurous and take a taxi out to the Yellow River Scenic Region. It cost 300元 for the trip, but that included the chain-smoking taxi driver who turned into an instant tour guide. I'm glad he decided to be our guide because there was no way we would have gotten back to Zhengzhou on our own. Here are some pictures from our trip.

Adoption Day!

DH here with another update. Today we took a 15 minute bus ride to the China Adoption Registration Center as well as the China Notary. Even though we were done at noon, everyone was rather tired afterwards. Part of this had to do with an overly hot bus and part had to do with the nature of 13 children who were not in the best of moods.

Peter, Bear, and Grandpa were all very patient as Dad checked and double-checked the required paperwork at each government office. It was a good thing too because there were a couple mistakes. Luckily, these were not made by DH. Once these are fixed this afternoon, Peter will officially be ours. It will then be illegal for us to abandon him in China. Given how attached all of us have become over the last 24 hours, there is no chance of that happening.

P.S. Don't tell Nikki that Peter likes McDonald's french fries. I told him to enjoy these while we're in China because when we get home Mom will only be feeding him healthy food. :)

Gotcha Day!

A very happy DH here! Today was Gotcha Day for our little Peter. While he was very serious at the Adoption Office, back in the hotel room Bear had him giggling and laughing in no time.

Peter doesn't want anything to do with the bottle but enjoyed some baby food and seems to be a very content little guy. Tomorrow we go the the Registration Office to finalize his paperwork.

We can't wait to come home and have Peter meet his mother and the rest of his family.

Enjoy the following photos and pray in thanksgiving that this day finally came!

Round Three Gotcha Day

Earlier today I sat thinking that in a few short hours this little boy whom I have never met but love dearly was waking up for the last time without the love of a family. That, God-willing, from now on every morning he would wake to a family who loves him dearly. This thought gave me such joy it brought tears of happiness to my eyes. I watched my other children playing on a playground on a gorgeous early spring afternoon and I knew that having Peter home and playing with them would make our family more complete. Some days I have been so worried about how I was going to get it all done, I lost sight of that thought.

A few minutes ago I was able to watch little Peter playing in the arms of his dad and sister. I watched him curiously explore the new world around him. He waved at me, he even briefly smiled at me. It is so different to be a mom watching these things from half way around the world instead of there with him. I am just not used to sitting on the sidelines. I want to be there as he has so many new experiences; new clothes, new foods, new toys. Instead I continue my countdown till their arrival home and my own Gotcha Day. I imagine this is much how dh feels as I feel the kicks and movements of our youngest child growing within me. I feel a little on the outside looking in and am so anxious for them to be home.

Dh said Peter was very serious and almost didn't make a sound until talking to me on Skype (thank goodness for Skype). He said Peter seems clean, well cared for, his cleft repair looks very good, but he seemed small compared to Joseph and even Gabriel. I think he has just forgotten how small a one-year-old is. He also said Peter's nanny seemed sad to leave him. She took many pictures with them and kept glancing back as they were leaving. I will say prayers tonight for that woman who cared for my son before I could.

I told dh he simply had to get his own Gotcha Day post out very quickly as no one really wants to read a post like this from me, they want to see pictures and hear first hand exoeriences! Hopefully he will do that soon although now he has to go back to diaper duty, and bottle duty, and entertaining a little guy whose world was turned upside down. He does have helpers though and he has had a week's vacation from such duties :) So get that post out!!!

Thank you all for your prayers as we endured this process. Please continue to pray as our travelers finalize paperwork and bring little Peter home.

Matteo Ricci

DH here. Apologies in advance to any of Nikki's Dominican readership. In college I read The Memory Palace of Matteo Ricci by Johnathan Spence. I enjoyed the book very much. Since our first trip to Beijing three years ago, I've wanted to visit Matteo Ricci's grave. This afternoon we had the chance. Below are a few pictures from our visit.

"Blessed Ricci... ora pro nobis!"

One other sign...

"Needless to say, we didn't eat at this restaurant"

Signs

A well-rested DH here. Yesterday, after a full day in the brisk Beijing air, I went to bed at 8 PM. It made getting up at 4 AM this morning bearable. I hope I can make it to 9 PM tonight.

Three years ago when Nikki and I traveled to China to adopt JuJu, we made a game out of finding funny signs and adding our own captions to them. In our walks yesterday we came across a few signs.

"A Philosophy For Life"

"Yes, but what about old flames?"

Meanwhile Back at Home...

Things have been uneventful here unless you count syrup on the couch, a rash of biting, a diaper blow out to end all others (necessitating extra baths and two loads of laundry), and a few moments of chaos when everyone seems to need something from Mom as eventful. Other than that it's laundry, and finishing compositions for school, a never ending battle to keep the kitchen clean, and trying to get the house back in order after the the craziness of the last few weeks.

Oh, and I answer the question when will Daddy be home at least 14 times an hour. They wake up asking, they go to bed asking, after the Skype calls they ask again. Yesterday Gabe was overtired and insistent Dad come home now. Every meal, every time the heat kicks on and they think it might be the garage door, every time the phone rings, they ask if it is him and when will he be here. Even the dog, used to dh feeding her when he walks in the door each evening, starts her watch around 4:30-5:00 and barks at every sound hoping it's him walking in the door.

I have also been trying to remember to take care of all those things dh usually does. Take the garbage to the curb, bring in the mail (I forgot this the first day), feed the dog, take the dog out 20 minutes after that, and his newest kefir experiment is looming over me. I just know I'm going to mess that one up. Trying to remember these little things with my ridiculous case of pregnancy brain has not been easy, add to that the lack of sleep because Dad is gone and it gets even worse. Who knew this old house creaked and groaned so much?

Then there are the incidentals. I'm pretty sure one of the boys turned down the water heater when I was pulling something out of the basement freezer. This happened so frequently in the past that we put a lock on the door of the closet housing the water heater. Problem is, I don't know what the heater is usually set at so I guessed. I'll know how well I estimated after this morning's shower. If there's one thing you don't want to mess with, it is my hot shower.  

Uneventful... as if single parenting with five kids, especially since four of them are five and under, could be uneventful. I just found my sock super-glued to the floor, with my foot in it. When I wondered what was so sticky, I made the stupid mistake of putting my fingers in it. So I am missing a layer of skin on one finger and the other is stiff as a rock with the layer of super glue that won't come off. I rather easily unstuck my foot from the floor. Getting the sock off my foot was another matter.

Ah, just another day on the home front.

It's 3 AM...

A very tired DH here. After going to bed at 10 PM, I find myself up at 3 AM unable to sleep. I've prayed Morning Prayer over at iBreviary, chatted with Nikki over Skype twice, and have tried to go back to sleep, but it's just not happening. I've finally decided to get in the shower. It's 6 AM and Grandpa and Bear are still snoring peacefully. I'm going to be toast today...

14.5 Hours; 6,500 Miles

DH as guest blogger again. After 14.5 hours of flying, we arrived in Beijing and made it to our hotel. The room is small even for China standards, but dinner was good. Grandpa remarked that the food was better than he expected. Bear had been dragging a bit, but perked up when we passed a McDonald's and decided to have fry-pies for dessert. Don't tell her mother she didn't eat her broccoli at dinner!

Here are a few pictures Bear snapped when we went out for dinner. Given the latest news on the HHS mandate, I think the second one is quite apropos.

On Our Way To Peter!

DH here as guest blogger. We're leaving for Chicago soon bound for Beijing! When the alarm rang at 5 AM, my first stop was to wake up Bear. As it turns out, she had already been up and dressed since 4 AM. Think she is excited?

An Update

On Tuesday we received a message that we had indeed been able to get the earlier Consulate Appointment. This means dh leaves in just a few days and will meet our little Peter in less than two weeks.

We are in the midst of packing, preparing, cleaning, finishing up paper work, etc.

I was reminded last night of some advice given to us as we were preparing for marriage. The priest encouraged us to cling to the underlying peace we felt about our upcoming marriage when our wedding preparations seemed chaotic. While that time of our life was in some ways chaotic, we had no idea what was in store for us.

Right now the house seems constantly abuzz. Six children make quite a bit of noise. Six children excited about the arrival of a new brother, feeding off the intensity of parents stressing about getting everything together, and loving the unseasonably warm weather, make even more commotion. There seem to be a million things to pull together. Adding to this I am still tired, not just regular tired but pregnant tired. However, underneath the surrounding chaos, there is a peace knowing we are doing the will of God and bringing home another one of his children. In a few relatively quiet moments I strive to cling to that peace.

We have our TA!!!

Finally, we are nearing the end of our paperchase alphabet soup. We just received notice that we have received our Travel Approval, meaning we are welcome to travel anytime to pick up our dear little Peter. We have one more step before booking our tickets, we have to make a Consulate Appointment which will finalize Peter's American citizenship.

Right now we are being given two travel options and really hoping for the first. The first option means dh will leave in about 10 days. It will put them home around one month from now. In one short month that precious boy could be home with his family. The second option means waiting a few more weeks and puts them home right around Easter, with a strong possibility of being a day or so after Easter. For so many reasons we are praying for that first option.

We should have definite travel dates in a few days. Please continue to pray for Peter and our family. For those IRL friends and family, please understand if I seem a little overwhelmed, frazzled, and such the next few weeks. The long wait finally ends with absolute chaos as we prepare for this trip and the arrival of the newest family member. Why, oh why did I leave so much to the last minute? Suitcases to pack, locate clothes for the new boy, find a dresser, move bedrooms, prepare travelers, prepare for weeks without dh... the list goes on and on.

In the end, God willing, this little boy will be home with a family that loves him dearly-- and that is worth much more than the waiting, the endless paperwork, and the ensuing chaos.

Article 5

After some delays for New Year celebrations, today we received notice that our Article 5 is ready. This leaves just two more steps before we move forward with travel plans. We wait now for our Travel Approval, then our agency can make a Consulate Appointment, and then we book plane tickets. If all goes well, dh and Bear will leave sometime in early March.

Now reality sets in for me. In the next few weeks I begin the monumental task of packing for this trip. Airlines within China only allow one suitcase per traveler (they will have two in-China flights) that can only weigh 40 pounds each. In those two suitcases I have to pack everything needed for almost three weeks, along with all the clothing and essentials for a one year old little boy I've never met. I will have to guess at his size and send a few things a little bigger and a little smaller. I will also pack a small pharmacy trying to anticipate any maladies my travelers might encounter, not to mention medications for the little one. We also have to pack 7-8 gifts to be given to officials. I, thankfully, found some great boxes of chocolates on sale after Christmas.

Packing is further complicated by the fact that in their three week stay they will travel to three different climates. They will need winter clothing for their first stop, spring/fall clothing for their second city, and summer clothes for the final stop. Then there is also dh's lack of packing organization. I pack and put everything in a certain spot. I fold things tightly, organize them by type, put things you need first on top, etc. He sort of throws it all together. Trying to explain my packing methods to him is like a Frenchman giving instructions to a Russian. He nods and agrees, but I know he isn't getting it. There is no better proof of this than the Gotcha Day photos of Banana during Joseph's adoption trip. When I asked what was going on with her hair he responded they hadn't been able to find the hair brush for two or three days.

Despite the multitude of tasks, and more paperwork, and the craziness of trying to get Bear ahead in school so that her three week absence won't throw off our summer, I am thankful things finally seem to be coming together. We are another step closer to our dear Peter.

Happy First Birthday Peter!

Today is Peter's first birthday. I have been asked at least half a dozen times (I do have half a dozen kids) if we could have birthday cake even though he can't.  It is a bittersweet day for us. On one hand we are so thankful for this precious child. We anxiously await the joy we know he will bring our family and are so thankful he has been given the gift of life. We are also grateful we have been given the gift of sharing his life. It is difficult because we aren't there yet. This milestone reminds us how many hardships he has endured. In a culture that lavishes children on their birthday, we are poignantly reminded that today there will not be presents, there'll be no cake, nor candles, nor singing. He will spend another day and night in an orphanage waiting for the love of a family.

 He is too young to understand all the preparations we are making, can't see the mounds of paperwork we are slowly but surely making our way through. He can't hear his many brothers and sisters who pray every day for him. He can't comprehend how his life is about to change. Soon enough, God willing, we will have him home.. and then we will have a true celebration!

**The pictures were sent to right after Christmas to show how well Peter has done after having his cleft lip repaired. He will have his palate repaired after we bring him home.

LOA

Yesterday, at a particularly busy moment of the day, I received an email from our adoption agency that our LOA had arrived. This is two weeks earlier than we had predicted. This particular step in the process is very time sensitive. The letter is overnighted to us, and we must overnight it back the same day. We write one simple line, "We accept Pu Min Sheng," and sign our names. Such simplicity, and yet I want to write a thousand adverbs in front of accept, gratefully, joyfully, unhesitatingly, yet even the addition of a slew of those adverbs couldn't capture what we feel right now. We just want to bring this little boy home.

Now the paperwork picks up and we begin counting down until David will be able to travel to pick up our son. We still have 10+ weeks, but it is coming together. It was hard not to hang a stocking for him, hard to think of him so far away these holidays, hard to know he will spend Christmas and his first birthday in an orphanage. Still, we pray. We give him the only gift we can right now, prayers. We are given an opportunity to poignantly experience this season of joyful anticipation.

Thankful

Last year at this time as we celebrated Thanksgiving and began Advent and Christmas preparations, we thought we were safe. Safe because we were over our quota, we had too many children. Even if we wanted to bring home another little child, we wouldn't be able to do so. That made things easy for us. Growing our family from three children to six in such a short time had taken its toll on me. I was struggling to figure it all out and there was a comfort to knowing we couldn't adopt again even if we wanted to. We put the idea of another adoption out of our minds. Somehow that lent a selfishness to our family.

Closer to Christmas I began reading a book that talked of orphanage conditions in that far off country. It was a book I only read because I was certain we couldn't adopt again. I read the book, and I wept. I wept for the children in that orphanage. I wept for my beautiful son and daughter who had most likely experienced some of what was detailed in that book. Little Juju weighed barely four pounds when she was found on the side of the road the day she was born. Poor Joseph's cleft lip and palate prevented him from getting adequate nutrition. My heart went out for them and those like them who were cold and hungry.

I thought then of my own stress. I was worried about pulling off a Currier and Ives, picture perfect holiday. Beautiful decorations, new presents, Christmas dresses, new jammies for perfect Christmas morning pictures, a cleaner home, dozens of cookies that would make Martha Stewart proud. I lost sight of what stress really was. Each night I was laying my head on a fancy silk fiber pillow, in a temperature controlled house, snuggled into a down comforter with an amazing warmth rating. While I struggled with preparing and cleaning meals, there was never a worry there wouldn't be a meal. Not just any meal either, we eat like kings; turkeys, stuffing, pies, much more than we need. We have fancy appliances to prepare meals, countless pretty dishes and gadgets. We have closets of clothes, and more in bins in the basement waiting for a child to reach the right size, and toys everywhere I turn.

These aren't even the important things. I have an amazing husband, I have six beautiful children who daily reflect the blessings of God. I'm never, sometimes overwhelmingly never, alone. I am so incredibly blessed and loved. We have an absolutely amazing extended family. Parents who make the most amazing grandparents, brothers and sisters, cousins, aunts, uncles, so many people who love us. We have wonderful friends, a beautiful parish community, a fantastic homeschool group. So many people who enrich our lives in so many ways.

Stress? Really? These children might not survive the cold winter. No fancy down comforters, no thermostats, little food, little clothing, and most importantly little love.  How could I be so blessed and yet think I was stressed?

Then right before Christmas last year we received an email that changed everything. It was an irrelevant message that started us asking questions, and then eventually it turned our world upside down. We could indeed adopt again....

This year I am so incredibly thankful for that privilege, again. Thankful for the reminder of the gifts we are given. Thankful for the many blessings little Peter will bring to our family. Thankful for the perspective he gives me as we head into another holiday season. No gift means as much to us as bringing him home.

Please pray for him. We long to have him here with us this Christmas, but know we still have months to wait. We want so much to lavish him with food, warmth and the love he so much needs. He still has a few cold months in a place with no family, no warm holiday mornings. All we can offer him right now is our prayers.

More Alphabet Soup

Yesterday we received notice of our PA (Pre-Approval). This means that our dossier has been moved from its place in one very long line and put into a much shorter and faster line for special needs children.

More importantly, it means we can post pictures of our newest little guy.

Blog World, meet Pu Min Sheng...

Known to us as Peter Matthew.

Or maybe Matthew Peter? (the jury is still out)

This little guy will turn one in January, making him a year younger than our Gabe. He has a bilateral cleft lip and palate that is a little less severe than Joseph had when we were matched with him. Joseph had his lip repaired in China a few months before we traveled. We are unsure if this little one will have that surgery or not. Either way, our hearts long to be with him, to care for him, to show him the love of a family. Please keep him in your prayers in the coming months as we continue to jump through the necessary hoops.

He sure is a cutie, isn't he?

Matchmaker, Matchmaker

Made us a match!!

We can't share too many details until we have Pre-Approval.

I can say we are over the BLUE moon here!

Please pray for our little guy, he is only eight months old and it might be another six months before we get a chance to meet this little fellow.