Travel Dates

This has been a busy week finalizing our plans for our trip to China. Me, Gene and my mom will depart for China on July 15th and return on August 1st. We are going to spend a few days sightseeing in Beijing before we go to Eden's city to pick her up. We will be in Wuhan (Eden's city) from July 21-27, and then in Guangzhou from July 27-31. We have spent the week in meetings organizing paperwork with our social worker, talking with travel agents, wiring funds to China, etc.

We also received an updated weight for Eden. We have been told that she now weighs 11 kg, which is 24.25 pounds. She turned 18 months old on June 27th. I spent about 30 minutes on the phone with attachment/bonding specialist at UAB's International Adoption Clinic on Friday. She was so realistic and encouraging as she explained what we might can expect in terms of Eden's initial transition from her foster home to life with us. She confirmed that this will be very tough and traumatic for Eden initially - but the odds are very good that since she probably has a healthy attachment to her foster mom, she will likely grieve for several months and slowly transfer that healthy bond to us, her forever parents. We were told that she will likely regress during the first few months and probably not "act like" an 18-month-old for quite some time as she adjusts. What Gene and I need to focus on is not her age and what would be considered "appropriate" behavior, but on comforting and supporting her through her grief and meeting her needs, whatever they may be. Sleep could likely be a big struggle at first, and inconsolable crying is likely to be frequent for the first month or so.

I know this may seem overwhelming, but I have faith that God has been preparing all 3 of us for the weeks and months ahead. I have a new friend at church who adopted a little girl from Russia and she reminded me this week that no matter what comes, we must remember that God perfectly matched Eden with us, and we have exactly what she needs. What an awesome God! Gene and I are so excited! We are counting down the days until we come face-to-face with the little angel who has already stolen our hearts. What a blessing she already is!