Coming Home!!!!

Yes, we waiting to board our flight.  We are at the Hong Kong Airport and will be boarding within the hour.  We are ready.  This trip has been very trying in many ways.  It has drained us physically and emotionally at times.  I don't there is anyway to plan for it.  You just have to go through it.  We did, we won the race and now we are coming home with Lily-an.  She is doing great.  We can tell she is stressed and anxious but she is holding in there.  It has been trying the last few days for her but we work through it and keep going.  We know we are in for challenges when we arrive home.  It will be very unsettling for her.  It will require time for her to adapt to her new surroundings.  The good thing about that is we will be familiar with it and we will be relaxed and we hope she will pick up on that.  We are looking forward to seeing our friends and "family" in Mayville.  We probably will be spending the first few days sleeping and adjusting and hopefully Lily-an will adjust to the different hours.  There has been so much that has happened on this trip.  Don't even know where to start.  The blogging was only part of what the trip was like.  We hope it gave everyone reading it a peak into our trip.  Jennifer and I experienced a lot.  We felt like fish out of water.  The food got old and we didn't have an appetite the last few days.  Here at the airport, we each got a sandwich and it was good.  The coffee wasn't even all that good but it worked.  Starbucks would get to expensive if we went everyday.  All in all, it was experience that we enjoyed.  Would we want to do it again, at this time - no.  We may change our minds in the future but right now, no.  Well, this is the last blog of the trip and of the adoption.  We don't know if we will continue the blog or not.  May start a new one.  We will keep everyone informed as to what our plans are.  From the bottom of our hearts, we thank everyone for everything they have done for us during the last 4 years.  Yes, 4 years.  Hard to believe.  The support has been fantastic from so many people.  First we thank our Lord for guiding and sustaining us during the good and bad times.  We owe everything to him first.  Second is our family and friends.  We have so many friends that we don't know where to start.  Our families have been great.  Even if they do live 500 miles away, they have done a lot for us.  God is good.

Last Day in Guangzhou

One last update before we leave for Hong Kong tomorrow afternoon.  Today we had our consulate appointment.  Very quick and simple.  They verified who we were and then after that everyone took an oath and that was that.  We are done, literally.  One more night here then one is Hong Kong then back home.  We are doing ok.  We are ready to come home.  Lily-an is doing great.  Again, improvements everyday.  We will take whatever she will give.  She is our little trooper.  That is it for now.  Will try to post while in Hong Kong when have a few more minutes.  We are getting all packed and ready tonight that way tomorrow we don't have to worry about it.  Take care everyone, until next time.

Only A Few More Days

Hello everyone.  Everything is moving along.  We are enjoying what time we have left- well, the best we can.  We are bored and ready to come home.  Not even the food is good anymore.  Doesn't matter if it is Italian, a burger or whatever, we just want to be home.  To have our own kitchen or our bed.  Lily-an is doing good.  She is doing better and better.  We are having fun with her.  She is a happy baby, unless you don't feed her.  We are at a Starbucks right now.  At least the coffee is good.  Today our reps took all of our paperwork to the US Consulate and everyone is good to go.  Tomorrow we go to the consulate and take an oath.  I don't know what it means but that is tomorrows only thing.  Then on Thursday we get Lily-an's visa and then after that we fly out to Hong Kong at 4pm.  We will spend the night there and then fly out late Friday morning.  Now it is just wait to leave.  We are finding things to do.  You really can't do a lot in the hotel room and it isn't set up to live in.  At least there are some tv shows we can watch.  Not everything is in Chinese.  Today we did the tradition of taking pictures on the Red Couch at the hotel.  That was fun.  All the babies, families and then the group.  Most children did great.  It was fun.  That is what the pictures are of.  Lily-an is bonding well and we are seeing improvement everyday.  She is smiling more and more.  Our little bundle of joy.  She is a blessing.  It is so peaceful to watch her interact, watch her sleep.  What an experience.  We are both blessed to experience this.  She is bringing us so much joy.  I don't think there is any words that can express any of it.  It has been a treat.  We are just enjoying visiting with other families here.  It is fun to see all the little babies and children here.  We don't feel like the white elephant in the living room like we did in Beijing or Zhengzhou.  Very friendly here.  We bought a stroller the other day because our backs were getting sore from carrying Lilly-an in the carrier.  She calms down and really enjoys it.  We figured if it lasts for the duration of the trip, that is fine.  She is happy in it.  She even fell asleep yesterday in it.  Yesterday we went to the Pearl Market.  It took us about 1/2 hour and realized it was time to go.  To much pressure to buy things and how do we know what is real or fake when it comes to gems or stones.  Everything look real but is it.  You walk in to a store and there are 3-4 people offering and trying to sell you.  You tell them no and even more people come to you.  We had enough.  So we walked out and headed down the street to a department store.  We were able to buy pj's for Lily-an.  She did good.  After a few hours out, we took a taxi back to the hotel and enjoyed the day.  We are doing well and look forward to coming home.  Until next time.  Take care and enjoy the photo's

Another Nice Day!

Good morning everyone.  We had yet another nice relaxing day here.  The temperature was cool with a nice breeze.  Feels real good.  Must be the cold from coming in.  Now we will be about 80 during the day here for the remainder of our time.  We just relaxed today. Did some shopping.  Sat by the riverfront at the hotel.  No complaints here.  Lily-an is doing great.  She was calm all day.  Took an afternoon nap and she was good to go.  She is tired and is getting ready for bed.  Has only been getting up for a brief time during the night now.  She is feeling more and more secure.  She knows she will be fed and it will be enough to fill her up.  She loves ice cream.  Yeah, they have ice cream here and she will insist that she gets it if we get a cone or an apple pie with ice cream.  And don't try to short her.  She knows when the plate is empty.  There isn't any fooling her.  She is getting stronger and stronger everyday.  She was able to hold her head up today and is doing great.  We are doing some simple exersises with her and some strength training.  She likes it and smiles and laughs at it.  We try to make it fun.  She has been our ball of joy. She likes getting a bath before bed.  Tonight she was getting one and all of sudden there was this rumble like thunder and the bubbles started to appear.  It was quite funny and smelly.  It seems to soothe and relax her to give her a bath before bed.  Tomorrow we are going to go to the Pearl Market.  They sell real pearls, gems, silver and other precious stones.  They are very inexpensive.  We thought we would go.  Get a chance to get out for a few hours and sight see.  Guengzhou is about 12.5 million people.  It doesn't seem like it where we are at.  Kind of secluded and quiet.  It is a nice way to end a long trip.  We will be finishing up the last 2 appointments we have  over the next few days with the US Consulate.  So our schedule is really light and it gives us time to enjoy here.  The hotel is nice and quiet on our floor.  There are many adoptive families here so it is kind of neat seeing all of them.  We will get to take our picture on the infamous red couch.  That will be all the babies in our group.  Should be interesting.  It is kind of a traditional thing they do.  I had best close.  My battery is about dead on the laptop so take care everyone and talk to you soon.