Finally! We're home!

We are definitely blessed with lots of wonderful loving friends.  After our long journey home from China, lasting more than 28 hours, we were greeted by two of the most kind, selfless and generous friends at the airport.  Our return trip began on March 21 at 5:30 AM in China (5:30 PM, March 20 in Charlotte), and led us through Tokyo, then across the globe to Chicago, arriving in Charlotte at 9:15 PM on Thursday, March 21 Charlotte time.  We jumped through many hoops and over several hurdles to get through the trip, but we made it!  Our kids slept on the long flight, but my mom and I were not as successful.  By the time we had reached Charlotte, we were mentally and physically exhausted.  Elizabeth Bowman and Kelli Lash came to our rescue with fresh faces, big hugs, lots of smiles, extra hands for baggage claim and Kelli’s car to help get all of the kids AND luggage home.  God is good!

Wow!  When we arrived home at 10 PM, Miss Jenny was here to welcome us and help with the kids.  She had the boys in the bathtub and shower so fast, the travel germs barely had time to land on the floor, or so we thought.  Our yard was flocked with pink flamingos by Cat Long and Catherine O’Neal to welcome Evie J home!  Our refrigerator, freezers and pantry were stocked with lots of healthy yummy food by Cat, Catherine,  Kasey Proffitt and Jenny Riddle.  Oh lots of beautiful artwork hung on our front doors made by my boys’ sweet little friends put smiles on everyones faces!  Finally, the beautiful flowers arranged on the countertops of our kitchen, by Kasey and Anne Garrett were the finishing touches of the scenario describing just how wonderful our friends truly are.  We were home!  

The generosity of friends did not stop there.  We have received an outpouring of support from friends, MORE food, special messages, phone calls, emails, Facebook messages, gifts and words of encouragement.  God has blessed us!

My mother is still with us on this journey.  I have a feeling she will be going back to West Virginia soon, and we are all dreading that day.  I absolutely could not have made it through these last couple of weeks without her.  The trip proved to be more challenging than what we predicted particularly because someone always had some sort of virus.  My mom's dedication to our family has never wavered.  She has stuck with us through the tough times and the good.  She is what I want to be as a mother.  I pray I can be that good!

I wish I could report that the transition home has been smooth, but then I would be lying.   Brycen and Bennett have been sick with fevers and stomach bugs.  Evie has not adjusted to her new home (especially at night) and all of us are dealing with jet lag.  I am really hoping today is a new day with much better health and more happiness! 

Evie and I picked Bryan up from the airport yesterday, which was a very happy moment for all!  I was SO excited to see my husband and the boys were ecstatic to see their daddy!  Evie...well, it took Evie a little while to get reacquainted with him, but as I sit and type this at 5:40 AM (yes, still dealing with jet lag), she is leading Bryan around by his finger.  I think they are sitting on the front porch in the freezing cold watching it rain.  Whatever it takes, my friends!  

I hope all of you are well!  Isn’t it perfect that Easter is coming?!  There is so much to celebrate right now, and I am constantly reminded by friends that our life with little Evie J will only get better.  She continues to be a sweet little girl, but her new surroundings how thrown her for another loop.  In time, she will know that this is her forever home and she will be forever loved.  I can’t wait for her to say just as we did, “Finally!  I’m home!” 

New picture: Evie with her brothers

In Summerson's last post she mentioned there was a picture of Evie resting her head on a pillow next to Brycen and Finn as they were sleeping.  Here it is.  I love that she is finding comfort in her brothers!

- Shannon

Evie ready for the Swearing In Ceremony

Look at this sweet, sweet girl!  She is soooooo cute!!!! - Shannon

Only three more days, but who’s counting?!

March 17, 2013

Happy St. Patrick’s Day from China!  I hope you all are wearing your green today.  My boys had on their green and Evie had some green polka dots on her pants.   We’ll make sure she has more green next year!

Yesterday, Saturday, we braved the travel healthcare facility of Guangzhou along with all other families from the U.S. who are adopting this week in China.  Also joining us were some China families who are applying for visas.  Needless to say there were 120+ children in this public healthcare-like system and believe it or not, we were in and out in less than 1.5 hours!  Bryan made a point to say that if we were in the U.S., the process would have gone all day, but some how they were organized AND gentle.  Our first stop was the room to get Evie J’s visa photo.  Then they printed off her photo and gave us paperwork with her information.  We took this packet of information to each station with us.  The stations were “general exam” which meant listening to her heart, lungs and abdomen.  He also did a thorough check for scabies because she has been scratching.  Thank goodness for no scabies!  Just very dry skin, which has improved so much over the last six days because I have been coating her with Cereve daily.  The next station was weight, height and temperature.  Evie is a petite little three-year old weighing just 11kg or about 24lbs.  She’s 34.5 inches tall.  The third station was a TB test taken by a blood draw.  They wisped her in this room and shut the door quickly.  Parents were not allowed in this room because they said it made the procedure more difficult to do with the parents.  Evie was in and out in 2 minutes or less, and all tears were gone within in a minute.  Evie J is a tough little girl.  Last station, the ENT room where they checked her ears, nose and throat.  She did great but they said she has a mild common cold, which we already knew, and to treat her with water.  Overall, we were pleased with the experience and especially to be finished!

Yesterday in the late afternoon, we took a walk in a local park.  It was so nice to see green!  Green trees, flowers and water!  Through this park we walked, took lots of pictures and of course lots of people took pictures of us.   I can only imagine how many Chinese Facebook pages my sons’ pictures have been on in the past ten days!  Through the park, Brycen made Evie J smile and even giggle by teasing her.  He would try to grab her hand to hold it and she would hide it from him.  I can tell she really is bonding with her brothers.  One final stop before we left the park was to watch men fish in a manmade little pool-like pond.  The fish were huge and the water looked really dirty.  We did not tell Brycen that he could rent a rod and fish with these men.  He would have done it in a skinny minute and I did not want him touching the water, let alone the fish!  Oh, I must mention that just as my mom, Evie J and I were standing back and watching the boys and Bryan with the “fishermen”, a rat ran next to us!  If you know my mother, you know that the presence of rodents is her biggest fear.  We quickly got away, and the rat did too! J  Just after the walk in the park, we went to dinner at one of our favorite restaurants yet.  Or so we thought.  It’s an Australian café across from our hotel with western sorts of foods.  After a nice casual dinner, just next to us behind the bar, one the female employees screamed.  She then started to unload the cabinets and with her male co-workers looking on, and we knew she had either seen a rat or mouse!  Our boys rushed to watch the excitement hanging over the bar.  Oh, the entertainment!  I’m not sure I can get my mom to go back there this week for dinner.

Today was a full day.  Went to the Shamian Island of Guangzhou to do some souvenir shopping.  Unfortunately, we left our stroller in the cab that took us over.  Argh!  It was not one that I invested much in, but it was invaluable with all of the walking and sightseeing that we are doing.  I will try to find another one on Tuesday, but tomorrow is another busy day with no shopping in the plan.  This afternoon, Mom, Brycen, Evie J and I went shopping for jade and pearl.  It was enjoyable to get some nice pieces, but we I admit, we are losing steam.  Evie J is fighting a cold so she slept all afternoon.  I hope she sleeps well tonight.

Tomorrow is a milestone.  Bryan leaves us in the early morning to go back to the U.S.  Ugh!  This makes me sad to think about, but my focus is on the fact that we leave just three days later (Thursday).  I believe we may join our group for a safari to see pandas and other animals.  This will help the day pass, but it’s going to be a long one.  We’ll be gone from 8:30am to 5:30pm, and do I need to remind you that we will have NO stroller.  I was told we could rent one at the safari park, but I have a feeling I’m not going to approve of the cleanliness of the stroller.  I’ll take a look, but I’m planning on carrying kids all day.  Only three more days!  Who’s counting??

Some have asked how Evie J is doing with Bryan and others have sent me encouraging emails telling their experiences with bonding, or lake thereof.  Everything Evie J is doing is textbook adoption attachment.  She is still mourning the loss of her foster family, but she is showing great progress.  Each day is something new!  Today, although she does not like Bryan or my mother to hold her (she screams continuously), she will let Bryan be near her and sleep next to her.  She will also take food from his hands and let him kiss her on the cheeks.  BIG progress compared to early last week. 

Evie J loves the boys!  I have a super sweet story.  I’m not sure if Shannon (my loving and helpful cousin who is updating my blog) posted the picture of this, but yesterday morning I had left for the hotel fitness center before anyone woke up.  Apparently, Evie awoke while I was gone and quietly crawled out of bed, walked through our adjoining hotel rooms and found where Finn and Bennett were sleeping.  She laid her head down on a pillow next to them and stood there silently until I got back from the gym.  Bryan and my mom watched her do this and Bryan snapped a picture.  She loves them and finds security in her brothers! Precious.

Since Bryan is leaving tomorrow, I will not have a computer to send lengthy updates.  I will send short updates from my iPad.  Thank you so much for your continued support, thoughts and prayers!  Seriously!  Knowing that we have so many friends and family loving us makes this challenging process so much easier.  We miss you all tons!!!  XOXOXO

Note from Shannon:  I don't have any pictures of what Summerson mentions above.  But, once I get them, I promise to post!

Baby Steps

March 15, 2013

When we got Evie’s referral last August, we learned of her age and bits about her living history.  At that time, our main concerns were how a three year old would be able to detach from her foster mother of nearly three years and attach to our family.  After consulting with very knowledgeable Holt staff and our social worker, we learned that even though it will be difficult in the beginning, because she knows what a true bond is with her foster parents, she will be able to bond with us.  The first four days have been tough, I will admit.  It’s hard to see her grieve.  It’s frustrating to not see smiles.  BUT, it’s so so great to see progress!  Yes, they are baby steps, nonetheless we see a light in her little face that will only get brighter.

Progress in our world as of today means Evie J being in the same room with Bryan without crying.  She even sat across of the table from him twice today and ate her food!  Progress also means showing a natural smile by watching the boys play.  She now looks around often, points and talks quietly.  Oh she’s so cute!  She is a fast walker, swings her arms and even has a little strut.  I love watching her pigtails flop up and down.  More progress is allowing Brycen to feed her AND push her in the stroller!  One more sign…she is able to stay in one room of our hotel suite and wait for me to return without crying.  Yes, baby steps, but so big for such a little girl.

This morning we boarded our plane in Taiyuan and flew to Guangzhou.  This is our last in-country flight.   Yay!!!  The next flight we board will be to go home!  I do my best to not count the days, but sometimes I just can’t help it.  I’m hoping all of the paperwork in this city goes very smoothly and the time flies.  Yes, of course, I want to enjoy every moment and we still have lots to do.  So, I will do my best to be patient and keep focus on the baby steps that our newest family member is making daily. 

Tomorrow will be a tough day on Evie J.  All adopted children applying for U.S. visas must have a medical check before they are granted a visa.  Evie J’s medical check is tomorrow and although it is a basic evaluation, we have been told to be prepared for lots of crying and fear.  I’m afraid Evie may have a setback, but hopefully she will see that Bryan and I will be there to calm and comfort her when she is scared.  It’s so hard to know what is going through her mind.  The language barrier is much more difficult than I imagined. 

Bryan is leaving China on Monday because he has a meeting in Chicago.  It is going to be very sad to see him leave, but I’m so fortunate to have my mother here to help.  After he leaves, we will only have three more days in China, but who’s counting?!  Thank you so much for all of the super sweet and encouraging emails and Facebook messages.  I cannot respond to any Facebook messages because China does not allow Facebook.  I can read your FB messages on my email.  I also cannot read any blog posts because our blog is blocked in China.  I have gotten a few messages saying you tried to post a message on my blog and it didn’t show up.   Thank you so much for caring to follow us and sending us encouragement.  It truly means more than you can imagine!  I LOVE opening my email and seeing lots of messages to read!  I miss you guys SO much!  We can’t wait to get back to Charlotte and show Evie J our “real” day-to-day life.  Okay, I better stop before I get too homesick.  It’s 9:50 and I’m going to go crawl in bed with Evie J on one side of me, Bennett on the other and Bryan hanging on the edge for dear life. J  XXOO

The Roller Coaster Ride of a Lifetime

March 13, 2013

It’s a roller coaster here.  We have our highs and lows, but overall, we are doing well.  Yesterday, Tuesday, we had a meeting at the Civil Affairs office to complete Evie J’s adoption paperwork and apply for her passport.  Evie J was required to attend the meeting with Bryan and I.  This proved to be a challenge resulting in a setback in what progress we had made in her adjustment and our attachment.   Our meeting was in the exact room that we met her on Monday and the orphanage director who brought her to us was present.  She recognized the room and it was very obvious that she missed the comfort of the orphanage director.  Evie J cried almost continuously during our time there, however the orphanage director came to hold her and calm her twice.  Evie J was completely content and quiet in her lap and had no interest in returning to me.  When it came time to leave, we had to take Evie J from the orphanage director and the crying and moaning began once again.  It literally broke our hearts. 

Yesterday started really well.  Evie J slept well the first night with us and then ate a great breakfast.  We found that she loves millet congee, fruit and hot soy milk.   She seemed content and enjoyed her food.  She also liked watching Brycen, Finn and Bennett swim in the hotel pool.  She loves walking while holding my finger.  Wherever I go, she goes.  She rarely lets me out of her sight and no more than two feet away.  We are doing our best to get her to nap at her typical 2pm time, however we are only successful if I hold her.  As soon as I move, she wakes.  Our meeting was at 3pm, and the rest of the day was rough.  Evie J’s sadness is hard to watch, so we just comfort her to our best ability.

Last night, Evie J fell asleep in my lap in the room where our boys and my mom are sleeping.  I moved her from the chair to the bed where Bennett was lying.  We stayed there until 4:30pm, when she woke up to go to the bathroom and then refused to return to bed.  We stayed on the couch and Bryan came in to keep us company.  He is feeling so much better since his virus.  Evie J has yet to get comfortable with Bryan.  Yesterday she would cry when he came in the same room.  Early this morning at 4:30, she was not happy that he was with us, but I believe she was too sleepy to fight it. 

Today, Wednesday, was much better.  During the morning, Evie J, my mom and I joined some of our group to a trip to Walmart (yes, a Chinese Walmart) and a local market.  We picked up a few snacks at Walmart to hold us over until we leave for Guangzhou (on Friday), along with a stroller.  Finally, a stroller and she loves it!  This stroller is to get us through the trip and then I have a feeling it will be donated.  After our morning of “shopping,” Bryan and I took our kids for a walk.  It is still so funny to see how sales people will come out of their stores and people passing us on the sidewalks will stop to look at our boys and take photographs with them.  They all strike up conversations with us, but of course they quickly realize that we do not know Chinese.  This does not stop them from chatting!  Now with Evie J, some are confused as to why we have a Chinese daughter and others, we believe, understand that she is adopted.  All are very kind and friendly.

On our walk back to our hotel, we ran into one of the other families here adopting an adorable little girl.  They have four boys, and brought their oldest, Matteo, with them to China.  My boys have fallen in love with Matteo!  So, the boys played for while in the hallway, which led to an impromptu playdate with several other children of the families that we are travling with.  Evie J watched them play and giggle, and then IT happened!  SHE SMILED!!!

Evie J smiled yesterday with my mom and Brycen, but I had not seen her smile.  She is very quiet and shy, not smiling often.  But after tonight, I am confident that she has many many smiles in her future!  What a relief!  We watched her continue to smile as she held my finger and pulled Brycen around by his finger.  Brycen has been dying for her to like him.  He knows to be patient, but of course he is quick to love and has a hard time waiting for her to love him.  In the midst of her smiles, Brycen reached out for her and she fell into his arms allowing for him to briefly hold her.  LOVE!!!  Now, Finn is on a mission for her to like him. J  I know she will show him soon.

Bryan and Evie J still have some bonding to do.  I can tell he gets frustrated, but we know this is very common.  It will not be long before she realizes she has a wonderful Daddy with more love to give than she could ever imagine. 

The roller coaster continues.  After yesterday’s lows and today’s highs, we ended our night with lots of crying at bedtime.  The language barrier is really a challenge during these tough times because she’s talking while crying.  It’s difficult to know exactly what she wants but her actions speak very loudly.  Last night and tonight, when it’s time for bed, she wants to leave the room.  This is so heartbreaking because we know she misses her foster family.  We can tell that they took very good care of her, and to watch her mourn their loss is agonizing.

I want to end this post on a positive note.  Our love for Evie J grows daily.  We look at her and cannot believe she is ours.  God has truly blessed our family with a special little girl.  All we want for Evie J is for her to feel loved, wanted, protected and secure with our family.  We were physically and mentally prepared for this roller coaster, and with God’s help, we’ll end the ride with big smiles! 

God is Good!

God is good!  There is no doubt in my mind that God is at work in this adoption process.  We have been blessed beyond measure with our little Evie J!

On Monday,  March 11, 2013 Bryan and I met our guide and other adopting families in the lobby of our hotel at 8:30 am.  From there, we boarded a bus and headed to the Civil Affairs office where we would meet our daughter.  It was a short bus ride, about 15 minutes.  This was just enough time to read through special messages that several dear friends in Charlotte had left for me on note cards.  With each card, the emotions swelled.  We also chatted with a nice family who were there to adopt their third child from China.  Their first two children were with them to welcome their baby brother.  They were a wealth of information and advice for the meeting that was about to come.  Soon, our Holt guide, William, announced that we were at the Civil Affairs office, and the excitement was overwhelming.

We were led to a room that had several couches and a desk.  The room was not modern or decorated in any fancy way.  The furniture looked worn and I couldn’t help thinking about all of the families who have gone before us in this room.   Those families are now thriving in their lives outside of this two-week in-country process.  It is very comforting to know we are not alone in this process.  Our agency, Holt, is excellent at making us feel supported and comforted. 

Bryan and I sat on a loveseat in the corner of the room next to a large window.  Every once in a while I would stand and look out the window hoping to get a glance of the children driving in the front parking lot.  No such chance.  After about 20 minutes of waiting and watching all of the government and Holt staff scurry around with our paperwork, the door opens and in walks a lady that looks to be in her 50’s and a little girl with pigtails and a huge puffy outfit.  They said nothing and it felt as if Bryan and I were the only ones to notice them come in the room.  Bryan and I started chatting, “Is that her? Do you think that’s her?  Oh my, is that her?  She’s soooo cute!”  Bryan started rolling the video camera.  The lady led the little girl over to a loveseat next to ours and they sat quietly.  At this point, still with nobody else noticing they had arrived, I got up and walked slowly over to kneel in front of the little girl, who we would quickly officially find she is Jian Miao (our Evie J).   Then one of the officials noticed and announced it was Jian Miao.  Ahhhhh! What a relief!

Evie did not make a peep.  She sat quietly and barely lifted her head to look at us.  The lady with Evie was the Orphanage Director at the orphanage that registered her.  Evie J has been in a foster home for nearly three years, but made monthly visits to this orphanage for health checks.  As we got closer, I picked her up, I felt my nerves calm.  Loving her came so natural.  Holding her and knowing she was ours forever was amazing.  She continued to stay very quiet.  Eventually one tear fell from her left eye.  This made a couple other ladies who were adopting cry. That one tear said a lot.  She was sad.  The orphanage director described Evie J as quiet and introverted.  She said she is very shy around strangers and does not look them in the eye.

After some paperwork and a family photo, we boarded the bus and returned to our hotel.  Now it was time for Evie J to meet her big brothers!  As we walked in the room all three boys watched quietly.  They were so good and sensitive to her insecurities.  The day went on and she became more comfortable with us.  We can only tell this because she now looks without reservation.  She is extremely quiet and only speaks when she has to go to the bathroom.  Yesterday she did not eat, and took only a few sips of apple juice and Sprite.  This morning she has taken a few sips of juice and ate some dried little toast-like biscuits that we found at a supermarket.  They were like the food that her foster parents had sent with her yesterday when we got her.

Yesterday, I wanted so badly to change her clothes immediately because they looked hot and dirty, but I had to be patient.  After a couple of hours, I changed her clothes.  She was not happy about taking off of her clothes, but as soon as she was dressed she was okay.  Two to three hours later, I gave her a quick bath and covered her dry skin with cream. She quickly was comforted and content when she was wrapped and warm in a big towel in Bryan’s arms.  My heart melted. God is good!

Today, we have another meeting at the Civil Affairs office for more paperwork.  Evie J will go with us.  Before that, we are going to enjoy our morning as a family with breakfast and a swim in the pool.  We were told that Evie J takes a nap at about 2pm, and I can tell she’s ready for it at that time.  She slept fantastic last night in our bed.  I tried to put her in a crib, but she seemed sad and scared in there.  She was fast asleep for the entire night between Bryan and I.

We still have not heard her voice besides the couple of bathroom requests, and we know in time she will become more and more comfortable with us.  Our priority now is to show her every moment of the day that we love her and she is forever going to be a Springer.  Did I mention, God is good?!

First Pic with Momma!

Hoping I receive more pics later tonight, but here's the first and only one I have so far! 

Text from Summerson!!!

OK, it's 9:20pm our time on Sunday night, but it's 9:20am, Monday, in China.  Summerson just sent the following text.  Hopefully I'll get more soon and will be able to post!

"We're at the Civil Affairs office waiting for Evie!!!!  We are so excited and very nervous!!!!!!!"

The Night Before “Gotcha Day”

As I sit here and type (1:15pm), we are on our flight from Beijing to Taiyuan, Shanxi. Evie J. lives in a suburb of Taiyuan, so you can imagine our excitement of being within just a few miles of her. Up to this point, our focus has been on touring Beijing and learning about the Chinese culture, which included the Great Wall, The Forbidden City, a village called Hutong, Tianamen Square, a silk factory and a jade factory. It has been an unbelievable experience thus far, but we know the most exciting and important time is still to come!

During our time in Beijing, we traveled with several other families all adopting through our adoption agency. Each family has a beautiful story to share and we feel very lucky to have been able to enjoy this experience with such a precious group of people. Brycen, Finn and Bennett have been fantastic! Their little legs climbed many large steps of the Great Wall, walked for over three hours on our tours yesterday, have eaten foods that they typically would not touch and have seemingly enjoyed the tours on the bus and in the factories. They have also been great sports when asked to be photographed with Chinese men and women. This began at the Great Wall and continued throughout the two days of touring Beijing. At first, Brycen, Finn and Bennett were confused and unsure how to feel about strangers taking their pictures, however they quickly got use to the idea, and now smile upon request. J If you know my Finn, you will find this amusing.

***We have started our descent into the Taiyuan airport so I must shut down the computer. I will continue and complete tonight.

It is now 10:15pm and all (but myself) are sound asleep. I wonder if I’m even going to be able to sleep tonight! As my mother mentioned earlier, tonight is like the night before Christmas with Santa Claus coming tomorrow. Tomorrow is our “Gotcha Day!” J

We had another very busy day. After arrival and checking in to our hotel, we briefly met with our very informative, kind and patient guide, William, and met all of the families adopting children from the Shanxi province. More wonderful people with more wonderful stories! I have a feeling I am making relationships that will last a lifetime! After dinner, Brycen, Finn and Bennett were exhausted. In fact, they nearly fell asleep while eating, so we took advantage of their exhaustion and quickly put them to bed as soon as we got home. Must I mention that my poor husband is trying his best to fight off some sort of virus. He has not been feeling well and has had a fever for 24 hours. He must be better by tomorrow morning!

So, this leaves me with my final paragraph until I am officially the mother of a beautiful little girl! Words that describe my feelings tonight: excited, nervous, anxious, hopeful, prayerful, scared, grateful, loved and blessed. I cannot wait to update the next time with pictures of our four kids! Until then, I am going to lie down tonight (far away from Bryan so I do not get his bug), and try to sleep as much as I possibly can. I have a feeling that I will have several sleepless nights in the coming week, so this rest is important. Tomorrow we will gain a daughter, a sister, a granddaughter, a niece and a friend, and she will gain a forever family who will love her forever with everything we have!

");

This is Summerson's cousin, Shannon, writing.  Summerson does not have any access to her blog post.  The plan going forward is she will email me her posts and I will post them.  The most recent one I have is from this past Friday.  Hopefully we will hear from her again today.  She should now be in Evie J's province and in about 12 hours (it's 9pm there now) she should have her little girl!  I'm hoping we receive some pictures too of all the boys with their mei-mei!

"Today was great and everyone is exhausted! We went to the Great Wall and climbed as much as we could. The boys were fantastic! We were amazed at the number of people who stopped to take pictures of and with our boys. At first Brycen, Finn and Bennett were unsure as to what they should feel, but they quickly got use to it. They were like Mickey Mouse at Disney World. In fact, Bryan joked about charging a fee for the pictures. :-)). I got some great pictures! Then we went to a jade museum and ate lunch at the museum. It was delicious! The kids even enjoyed it! Then we went to Hutong and took a tour on rickshaws. Tomorrow is another big day. Let's pray for good sleep tonight."

The Countdown is Down to Minutes

It's a miracle!  Packing is complete.  Electronics are updated and charged.  Liquids are in the quart baggies.  Documents are in safe keepings.  Reading and writing materials are in the backpacks.  Oh the checklist!  I love checking off items on a list of "To Do's," especially on an occasion such as this.  Did I mention that it's 1:55 PM Wednesday morning and we are leaving for the airport in less than two hours?  Sleep?  Who needs sleep?  I am planning on catching up on lots of it during the 14 hours and 55 minutes we will be in the air flying halfway around the world to CHINA!  I just hope my boys have the same idea.  :-)

The emotions around here have been all over the board.  Lots of rushing leads to irritability, but the excitement and energy is palpable.  There is no question that each person in our house is feeling a bit nervous, however, I like to believe that all is going to go smoothly. Why worry when God is in control? Ah, now that's a great feeling!  We must focus on the prize, Evie J.!

Our flight will leave at 6:15 AM Wednesday morning taking us to Chicago.  Argh!  Another concern...snow!  We are praying so hard our flight will go off as scheduled, although we know we have some back-up plans on other flights.  I have a feeling Bryan is more concerned that our flight will not get off the ground because of the weight of our luggage, not because of the weather in Chicago.  I am not known as a "light packer" but I have done my best to pack as minimally as possible.  We have a 1:15ish departure out of Chicago and will arrive in Beijing, I think, at approximately 3 PM China time.  This is 3 AM EST.

I better end this before I start making a ton of grammatical errors.  I feel my eyes getting heavy and my brain becoming very foggy.  I just have to mention all of the wonderful emails, Facebook messages, phone calls and visits I have received from many special people.  I truly feel blessed with fantastic friends and family.  The kindness of my friends has been amazing!!!  Along with your support and love, we are off to get our little miracle!

Oh, I forgot to pack the hair bows!