Ready to Be Home

China has been outstanding, unbelievable, enjoyable, eye-opening, glorious, fantastic--adjectives, adjectives... there are just not words enough to describe this experience. To leave the USA as husband and wife and now to be a family of three and have this adorable, wonderful, precious little girl to call our own. Well, I'm glad we took pictures and video because my head is just too full right now to comprehend it all.

But people, we are so ready to be home. I think it really hit today that although this has been the experience of a lifetime, we have at this point absolutely no desire to stay in this hotel room one more minute. If it was just me and Keri I think we could get our second wind and dive into the local culture here in Guangzhou. But since last Monday little Eden has been our focus and it's just taken the wind out of our world-adventurer sails.

I want to be in a place where all my possessions are not in a backpack or suitcase. I want to not worry about my toothbrush getting squished against my razor and having little face hairs in it that I have to clean off before I brush my teeth. I want to actually use the faucet water in the bathroom instead of doing everything out of a bottle because the tap water smells so bad. I want my bed--the soft one with 3 pillows just for me. I want to eat by going to my own refrigerator versus deciding which Chinese restaurant we want to venture out to.

Most of all, I think Keri and I both want some quiet. Eden needs it too--just some simple routine in the day to keep all the distractions out. This whole city is just eye-candy all the time. I think after our Consulate appointment tomorrow we're gonna just walk from there straight to the airport. We just keep thinking, "If we can just get to the plane." If Eden throws a tantrum for 15 straight hours on the flight home it doesn't matter, we'll just keep saying "only 15 hours left, only 14 hours left!..." Can you tell we're ready to be HOME!?

Eden needs a schedule. Seriously. Today she was just a maniac. I was beginning to wonder if she was bi-polar. She just went and went and went all day. There was no stopping her. She had a morning nap, but our schedule this afternoon meant she skipped her afternoon rest time. Then we had a dinner cruise to go to this evening that our facilitators arranged and that ended at a little before 9:00 p.m. Late, late, late by Eden time. She got so far beyond tired that she just stayed wired until we got back to the hotel room. She just jumped up and down and wiggled and giggled and went INSANE for about 5 straight hours. She needs some quiet and some routine.

This is likely our last post until we arrive at home, so here's the answers to the questions folks have asked us by email. What we need at home are clothes for 12-18 months--Eden is much smaller than we were told and so most of the clothes we have are too large. The medical paperwork they gave us was incorrect and so we have to adjust. Diapers for a 21 pounder are also much appreciated. And any kind of food is great too. Honestly we're so frazzled from the travel and baby at this point I hope we can remember where our house is when we get there.

Keri and I and Eden will be arriving in Birmingham on Wednesday, August 1, at 10:26 AM on United Flight 7820 from Chicago. Keri and I plan to put Eden into seclusion for a while after we get back on the recommendation of our adoption agency and behavioral specialists so she can get settled in to a more normal life and get to know us a little better. So she will not be out in public for a while. If you wanna say "Hi" to Eden we hope you'll meet us at the airport, as that's likely the only time Eden will be "out" for at least a few weeks.

If our travel plans change drastically I will attempt to update them from the airport in LA or Chicago, but basically we're in the air for 21 hours plus a few layovers. In fact, let me apologize in advance for our appearance at the airport as Tuesday will be a 37-hour day for us. I may be a little sticky and stinky. Keri will look great, though--she always does. I just have this issue with ear hair--but I digress...

Thanks so much to everyone for all the emails while we've been away. They've been a great blessing and it's been a pleasure and honor to share this experience with you. One more night in the hotel... we can make it!

A Wonderful Day in China

Today we had a shopping excursion to the local mall. It was quite large. Eden did really good today and was cracking herself up all morning. She likes to move all the time. Either she was in the stroller movin' along or she wanted out to walk. Mommy or daddy holding her only held passing interest now, like if it got her closer to something she wanted to investigate. We bought some gifts for friends and had lunch at Pizza Hut. It's just like Pizza Hut in the USA, right down to the Supreme Pan Pizza we had. Of course, if you want pizza with corn and salmon they have that too.

After lunch we tried out Benedryl on Eden for her nap. We have a 15 hour plane ride in 2 days, and wanted to see if a small dose would help her sleep. It did and she had a great nap and two relieved parents. It seems we might indeed have some help if she has trouble sleeping on the plane.

The pics today are indicative of typical Eden happiness. She's just turning into a genuinely fun little girl and we just love her more and more and more every day. A week ago we could not yet imagine life with her, and of course today we cannot imagine life without her. What a blessing!

The highlight of the day, however, was meeting with some friends from the USA who are here in Guangzhou. It was good to see some familiar faces and talk a little about the adoption, the culture and what it's really like to live in China. Of course, we've only seen a small portion of the country, and frankly the nicer portion at that. It's really just about impossible to explain what it's like here in a blog--most things you expect to see are familiar but the way people live and interact is so different than we know. Our friends were able to put some words to what we've been sensing since we arrived. They also gave us the best meal we've eaten since we've arrived in China!

Folks, I'm here to tell you that China doesn't have some of the comforts we know and there are of course many issues here that a country of 1.3 billion has to deal with, but they are ahead of us in a variety of ways. The entire city seems to be "under construction" with cranes dotting the skyline in all directions. In fact we've seen that in every city in China. The entire country seems to be in the process of being rebuilt before our eyes. It's wonderful to know that as we grow to understand China over time our family is now connected to China in a way that will last our entire lives and that we will be a part of the future of this country.

Oh, and one more small miracle. Bath time tonight was great. A few tears to start out, but then the fun began as she started playing with her bath toys. And of course she was completely adorable. Thank you, Lord, for the big and small things.

We Miss You!

Hey everyone,

I haven't posted since we picked Eden up almost a week ago. It seems like I've known her for so much longer! I just wanted to take this rare, precious few minutes this morning while Eden is still sleeping to tell everyone back home how much we (Keri, Nana and Gene) miss you and love you and can't wait to get home to you. I'm so thankful that Gene is such a good "blogger" because if it wasn't for him, you wouldn't have heard a peep out of us since Eden arrived. Literally every moment of my day revolves around her (I know you other moms get that). It's like the newborn stage of "figuring out" my child with the 19-month-old attitude, energy and budding independence thrown in together.

Plus, the language barrier which causes my sweet angel to SCREAM what she wants like I didn't hear her use Chinese the first 3 times she said it. It's a wonderfully beautiful and rewarding challenge parenting her. She is indeed a "happy nut" as her referral paperwork described her. My favorite thing about her right now is that she cracks herself up (I do the same thing and my friend Alisa thinks it's so funny when I do it). Eden will do something that isn't even funny and then start dying laughing at herself, which then causes us to laugh at her which perpetuates the cycle. I think she just loves to make people laugh.

I can't even imagine what it's going to be like in a few months once she moves through the grief process and we see more of her true personality. She is so precious, yall. Pictures don't even begin to show you how beautiful she is, inside and out. She communicates a lot through her eyes, which photos can't capture. She wrinkles her little eyebrows which her Nana LOVES. Well, she just woke up so I better wrap up. I am SO ready to get home. Can you imagine having a toddler with no schedule and eating out EVERY meal??? Yikes! I love you all and can't wait to let you all meet Eden. You have prayed her into our lives and I am eternally grateful for each of you. See you soon!
Love,
Keri

Oh the Drama!

Another fabulous day in China getting to know our new daughter, Eden! On tap today was a medical exam required by the government as we near the time of our Consulate appointment. Eden has gotten pretty happy-go-lucky in the last two days, but just like any child who goes to the doctor's office, she was none too happy when the actual poking and prodding arrived. The whole thing took like 30 minutes.

Thanks to Nana (grandma), Eden was also sporting a fashionable and inexpensive stroller today. Our specialists recommend holding Eden as much as possible to begin the process of getting good eye contact. Well, we've had that from Day One, and since Eden is having no problems connecting with us, we opted to give her a nice place to sit with wheels and give mommy and daddy's arms a much-needed break.

We did some shopping--actually a little too much time-wise. Right after lunch Eden had a complete meltdown. We're talking a raging, heart-pounding, screeching, wailing, gnashing of teeth, hold-nothing-back tantrum and grief session right in the middle of the street in downtown Guangzhou.

These times are really a tough balance for mom and dad, because the idea is to let her grieve even though some of this is not grief but just a 19-month old being a 19-month old. Also, we want Eden to find her comfort in Keri first to help establish the mother-daughter bond as quickly as possible. Eden's reaction during the tantrum was interesting--she held out her arms for me or Nana, but not for Keri. So, the fact that we would not let anyone but Keri comfort her made the tantrum last a lot longer. It breaks our hearts, but it's building hers.

The afternoon was bountiful with paperwork. Nobody will be able to say of our child that she is not well documented. If at age 25 she wants to apply to be a construction crane operator for Moru-speaking people in Sudan on nights and weekends, we've probably already filled out a form for that. This evening the whole lot of us (7 families in all) had dinner at a Thai restaurant nearby.

Probably the most fun of the evening was after dinner when we headed back to the hotel and took Eden to the playroom downstairs. She had fun playing with balls, getting tickled and running around in her squeaky-shoes. (The squeaky-shoes are like a staple in China--everybody has them and all the little kids go squeak-squeak-squeak when they walk. It's quite entertaining for them and for us.)

Finally, bath time--another meltdown, but not quite as bad as a few nights ago. I think Eden is getting her sea-legs under her and learning, slowly, to trust us. Honestly, we're pooped and she's pooped, and it's just about bedtime. Both Keri and I agree that overall today was not a great day for Eden, but they'll be good ones and better ones, and that's just fine by us.

Tomorrow is a shopping day. One of the other dads figured out today why we have to stay for 2 1/2 weeks in China--apparently we have to spend a minimum amount on souvenirs before they let us come home. If only we had known! Seriously, every establishment in every city in China ends with a gift shop at the exit. Walking out of the medical exam this morning I half expected to see a display of silks, jade jewelry and porcelain tea serving sets.

This morning we saw the White Swan Hotel in all it's glory. When you see the scale of foreign adoptions as we did today, the abandonment of children in this country really comes into focus as a critical problem. I'm praying opportunities will continue to open up for the Chinese as well as other nations to help stem the growing surge of orphan children. This is a worldwide issue, not just here in Asia.

It appeared today that this entire 28-story skyscraper was built with the singular focus of processing adoptive parents and their adorable Chinese children. They are EVERYWHERE. I kept asking people with children where they were from. Indiana. Idaho. Ohio. California. New York. Georgia. Alabama. Tennessee. Texas. Kansas. Washington. Nevada. Breakfast this morning looked like the Romper Room convention. The tables in the restaurant were already set up with high chairs. Party of three and baby? Right this way... There was a whole baby food section at the buffet.

Guangzhou, Keri said, is like the Las Vegas of China. There are lots of neon lights. There's even laser beams coming from the bridge over the river at night. It's definitely the nicest of the places we've been so far. The neighborhood around the hotel is very walkable and has lots of interesting shops and restaurants. The people are very friendly and open. And most of them will be happy to give you a "special discount" on jade jewelry. Tomorrow we also get to see some friends from the U.S. who are now living in China and we're really excited about that.

Four days to go until we're home!

Moments and Miracles

Eden really came out of her shell today. Man, we have a full-on toddler on our hands. Today was a real turning point for her personality-wise and she opened up big time. We had lots of smiles, giggles, grins, tickles and frolicking around. I think it was by far our happiest day and filled with many fun and memorable moments. But let me tell you about one absolutely miraculous one...

This morning we were preparing to leave Wuhan for Guangzhou. We left the room and headed to the elevator and as we got on the elevator there was a Chinese woman getting off on our floor. Keri did a double-take as the doors closed and we went down to the lobby for breakfast. Could that possibly be?...

By the time we hit the lobby we knew something was probably up. Keri, Eden and her mom went on to the restaurant while I went back up to grab Eden's pictures from our room (all the families put their kids' pictures on the door of the room since we were all staying on the same floor). By the time I got back to the lobby, I spotted the Chinese lady we passed just outside the lobby talking on her cell phone. She walked around the side of the building and spotted me out of the corner of her eye, then walked quickly away from me.

Now, understand that in the city we were in, we knew going in we were not going to meet Eden's foster mom. But Keri had been praying that by some miracle we might meet her. By the time we got to China Keri had stopped praying about this, but she had asked others to pray for this as well.

We met up again in the restaurant, which has a long glass wall on one side. I brought out the picture of Eden we had, which has a woman's arm in the photo wearing a white blouse with flowers on it. The very same while blouse that this Chinese woman standing outside the hotel was wearing. It hit all of us in an instant--this was Eden's foster mom and she had come to see us.

Keri ran outside and approached her with Eden's picture. She was a little scared, I think, that we would not want to see her. We did not know each others' language but pictures and smiles were exchanged and she eased a bit understanding that we were honored she cared enough to find us and come by to see if Eden was okay. She had come not wanting us to discover her and just peer in from a distance. I pointed at the dress in the photo and her dress--she smiled, "Ah!"... so that's how they recognized me. At this point, Keri and the foster mom (we never actually got her name) were in tears. Keri hugged her and said, "Waa-Eye-Nee, Shee Shee" which means "I love you. Thank you."

Without really thinking, she asked me to run in and get Eden, who was just settling down to breakfast with Keri's mom. We embraced, let her hold Eden for a minute and took a picture with her. She pulled out her cell phone and excitedly called her husband to tell her she had met us. She held the phone up to Eden's ear to talk, but Eden was a little dumbstruck by the experience. Then she pointed to us and told Eden in Chinese, "This is mommy, and this is daddy."

Next she pulled out a picture of her family for us to keep. It was really a "God moment." We could not believe it. Something we had prayed for happening right before our eyes. She walked off and Eden got a little upset. She turned to come back and comfort Eden, but this time mommy instinct told Keri not to let Eden go. Instead she took Eden up to the room for a little bit to cry it out (actually it did not last very long at all, she was back down in 10 minutes). I gave her my email address, she smiled again, nodded thank you, and was gone.

For a little while after that we were just beside ourselves. We second-guessed a little bit as well. Should we have let her see Eden and Eden see her? No, it was the right thing to do, and it gave Eden some closure (I know that doesn't make sense for an 18 month old, but really, Eden at that age can comprehend the difference between someone disappearing/dying and someone letting go, even if she can't express it in words yet). Yes, we decided, even if we had to start over with Eden today, it was worth it. And what a blessing to know this woman cared enough to seek us out. You could tell she just had a wonderful love for Eden and really missed her. Words can't express our gratitude to this wonderful foster mom and to know years from now we can tell Eden we had the opportunity to meet her and thank her... God is just too good!

I'm not going to post that particular picture on the blog to protect her identity, but that's a treasured shot we will keep away until the day when Eden starts asking questions and we can pull it out and honor her foster mom's legacy by telling Eden about her.

As for the rest of the day... Well, like I said, Eden just blossomed today. We really believe that seeing her foster mom had something to do with it--seriously, it was like a light switch was flipped after that. Now, she's still grieving, and later in the morning we had a good tantrum and grief spirt, but she was markedly healthier today emotionally than any other day since we met her. I kept looking at Keri saying, "Is this the same sad little girl we adopted a few days ago?" She had us cracking up wearing sunglasses, talking on her Winnie-the-Poo cell phone, and toting her backpack of toys around the hotel halls.

Before lunch we received her passport and our adoption certificate. It's official--she's ours! Then after lunch it was off to the airport. Oh, we did stop by this little banzai tree museum first because we had some extra time. Same story there... sweltering, oppressive heat, ancient Chinese history. We got some fun pictures though, and the 30-minute tour ended, appropriately, in front of an air-conditioner cooling off until the bus arrived.

By the way, about the airports.... Every city in China either has a giant, ultra-modern, beautiful airport or is building one. Guangzhou has one, Beijing has one, Wuhan is building one. I've never seen such nice airports. They are all HUGE and made of glass and just go on and on and on. The nicest airports I've ever been in have all been in China. Folks, we got to do something about our airports in the USA--I mean these folks are just so far ahead of us in the concourse/gate area/moving sidewalk department. It's sad, really, for us. Oh, did I mention they were crowded?

We arrived tonight in Guangzhou, and will be here through Tuesday. We have a medical exam for Eden, then some paperwork for the American Consulate, then our appointment and "swearing in" on Tuesday morning to finalize Eden's citizenship for the USA. We are staying at the White Swan Hotel, which is kinda famous for China's adopting families and apparently well known in general. It is ultra-nice. There are pictures of Richard Nixon and George Bush (Sr.) staying here in the guest book. The mattresses however are still rocks with sheets on them... oh well.

Eden just dozed off. She's had a very active day--in fact, she just plum wore us out. I'm contemplating some kind of crash-fitness program to get me into shape. Even watching her today was tiring. I kept wanted to open her up and see what kind of nuclear reactor was generating all that energy. Many China adopting families say this last leg of the trip is a turning point, and that was certainly true for us today. We're looking forward to leaving on Tuesday (which, by quirk of time-zones, will be a 37-hour day for us as we circumnavigate the globe for 20 hours) and arriving in Birmingham on Wednesday morning.

Tomorrow we're gonna catch David Platt's message from last Sunday on the iPod. He's in the middle of a teaching series on prayer, and what a great sense of joy to be in the middle of many answered ones today.

She Is Indeed a Toddler!

Another interesting day in Wuhan as we await our paperwork from the Notary Office (that's why we're staying the week here--it takes a few days to process all the adoption papers). Again today Eden was a little sad, but she seemed to find her figity-ness. She is indeed a toddler and contorted herself into all kinds of pretzel shapes in our arms as we carried her about today.

This morning our guide had a tour lined up of the city starting at 9:00 a.m. First of all, Wuhan in the summer is hot. I mean really, really hot, even by Birmingham standards. It's an oven inside a sauna sitting in the desert, wrapped in red peppers and covered with Tabasco. It wasn't quite misery walking around with the baby and the other families, but it was close. I think I lost five pounds due to sweat, which is good cause I need to drop a good 20 anyhow.

First we saw the Provincial Museum, where the contents of a 2,400 year old Chinese Nobleman's tomb were on display. Think of Egyptian tombs where everything is buried with the Pharoah--same thing. This guy had a 5-ton set of musical bells buried with him. They were cast in bronze and the whole assembly stood about 10 feet high. Knowing Jim Watkins' weariness at church handbells, I actually thought these might be cool enough to play in church on Sunday, so I took a few pictures.

There was a handbell concert that we went to and it was pretty cool. The music was cool, that is--the room itself was a blast furnace. Oh, did I mention it was crowded? They ended the show with Beethoven's Ode to Joy, which was fun to hear on an instrument created 400 years before Christ walked the earth.

Then it was on to "Yellow Crane Tower." I can't tell you the story of why it was built, because by this point in the day, I was "Minged-out" (our inside phrase for too much Chinese history at once). Apparently, though, every major monument requires an insanely large number of stairs to climb before you reach it. From the top of the tower we could see the whole city (that is, what we could make out in the haze of smog). There were some nice gardens nearby and Eden let me hold her for a while. I even got a few kisses in on her cheeks while she had her guard down.

We've really enjoyed seeing all the people, culture and getting a sense of the life here in China, but since Monday we've been more and more captured in our attention with little Eden. So we're really looking forward at this point to moving on tomorrow to Guangzhou. Tomorrow we'll get Eden's adoption certificate and a receipt (yes, when you adopt a child in China, they give you a receipt--"Paper or plastic? Would you like fries with your daughter?")

Speaking of Eden, here are some funny things about her. First, she likes to hold several things in both hands at one time. She picks up her bottle, her ball, her doll, and then wanders around frustrated as to why she can't hold a fourth item. She has found out exactly where we hide the cookies (she says, "beh beh" for cookie) and can not only point to where they are in the closet, but will walk over and show us what she wants just in case we don't understand. When something falls on the floor while she's eating, she has to stop and point to it until someone picks it up or "deals with it" in some manner. She LOVES watermelon--it captures her total focus as soon as someone places it on the table. She has learned to say "Maggie" (our dog), "Nana" (grandmom) and "Kay Kay" (Aunt Kelly) from their pictures in her little picture book. I've gotten just a few "Popa's" out of her, but she's just now starting to open up a little.

We've been blessed to meet some other great families and hang out with them here in Wuhan. We'll be meeting up with a few more families in Guangzhou. Tomorrow's plane ride should be interesting. Tonight we still have dinner (noodles we think) and bath time (earplugs, anyone?). She hasn't done any real grieving today but we're expecting some tears later as well--all the day's activities take her mind off of her foster mom during the day. When it's quiet at night she begins to process a little more and the tears usually come.

Thanks again for all your notes and emails. We miss everyone over there halfway around the world. Looking forward to arriving home next Wednesday.

Orphanage and Finding Place

Today we got up a little later and left around 9:30 a.m. to visit Eden's orphanage in Wuhan as well as her "finding place." Both experiences were a little different than we anticipated.

The orphanage was quite large and cares for about 600 children (half at the orphanage, the other half in foster-care), most of whom have some kind of mental or physical birth defect. We were told that now that domestic adoptions are permitted in China, there are fewer orphans in the orphanages, but those that are in orphanages are more likely to have a birth defect. We toured several floors and met with the orphanage director. After the tour (which was somewhat controlled in that we only saw a few areas) all the families pooled our money and asked the director what we could purchase for the orphanage. We ended up buying two color TVs for some of the classrooms.

The orphanage director is a pretty good guy and we think the facility is well run. When we signed the first set of paperwork on Monday they provided us with an album of Eden's photos every month since they put her on the adoption list. They obviously took a great deal of time and effort to document the lives of the children who live there.

We thought the orphanage visit would be very emotional for Eden, but she ended up remembering the place a little, I think, and was relatively calm and even happy at times during the visit. We saw the spots where the photos we had prior to the adoption were taken and it was kinda neat for us to see where Eden had spent her days up to this point. We were told her foster mom lived nearby but we had no contact with her today.

After a quick lunch we visited the hospital where Eden was abandoned. Unfortunately the guide did not have enough information to tell us exactly where in the hospital she was abandoned, so we ended up just taking a few pictures outside of the building. Like everywhere else in China, the hospital was crowded and we wondered exactly how anyone could have left her without being discovered.

It's becoming more and more clear to us that the grieving process for Eden is just that--a process. She's still active but a little distant, and I think I would be accurate in saying she is a little sad most of the time. When we got back to the hotel this afternoon she had a good cry, and we've been encouraging her to express her grief as much as possible. The bath tonight again was a Defcon-One episode. Also tonight daddy had his first comforting session while mommy made the unacceptable decision to leave Eden for 10 minutes to take a shower.

Our behavioral specialists have told us to expect all of this, but I think we thought that Eden would be more physical in her displays than emotional. Like, perhaps she would not let us touch her or pick her up or comfort her. Actually, that's no problem, but she does seem a little detached and sad and that hurts us to experience with her. The specialists have given us some additional advice through email and we continue to help her along even as we know that we probably won't totally register as "mom and dad" for quite a while yet--weeks, even months from now.

Tomorrow we're going sightseeing in Wuhan (there's like, only two things to see in a city of 11 million--go figure). The activity today was welcomed by all the families and tomorrow we'll probably get some good activity and wear the little one out just in time for her nap. On Friday, we leave for Guangzhou and the American Consulate appointment so Eden and Uncle Sam can meet.

Thanks again to everyone for your notes and prayers. It's a great blessing to us to read our emails in the mornings and hear from you. If you're wondering where all the great videos from our trip are on our blog, I could tell you that it's some internet issue, but the fact is, daddy forgot to pack the cable from the camera to the computer and so those may have to wait until we get back.

Oh, please be in prayer for our Wuhan guide, "I", who is not a believer, but has been asking some interesting questions on the bus today...

Eden Hope, Day 2

This morning we returned to the Civil Affairs Office to continue our paperwork for the adoption. Yesterday we essentially "checked out" Eden on a 24 hour evaluation basis. Today there was a brief interview at the Office and they asked us if we really wanted to adopt Eden after we "reviewed" her for 24 hours. Of course we nodded wildly! Yes, yes, yes, a thousand times yes!

Last night Eden slept all the way through the night. She seems to be used to a crib, because she took to it immediately. Today for her nap we laid her in the crib again and she already knows that's the sleeping place. It bears noting that her crib is the most comfortable bed in the hotel--the beds here might as well be quilted concrete they are SO hard.

Okay, now for the tough part. Eden is grieving the loss of her foster mom. This is completely obvious, a little painful to watch, and continued today. Now, today was a little better than yesterday, but she really does understand that someone is missing. Today several times she broke our hearts by walking to the door and pointing and saying, "mama." Sorry, sweety. We wish we could fully explain it to you. All we can do is support you now as you mourn the loss of your foster mom. We love you so much but unfortunately today that's just not enough. Eden has this little look she gives where she furrows her eyebrows and is obviously trying to figure things out. She'll give us great eye contact but I don't think she really thinks of us as mommy and daddy yet. I think the process that the Platt's went through in Kazakhstan where they visited the orphanage every day for two weeks would actually have been better than the "cold turkey" transition we've had--at least better for the baby to ease her into the transition.

The first bath time today was traumatic. We tried the tub last night but she burst into tears when her feet hit the water. Today we got sneaky and took her to the pool first and played a little. She was really scared, so we did not stay long. We can see streaks of bravery in her at play time, but she is so out of her comfort zone right now that anything new she just stands still and processes. Every child loves bubbles, right? Not Eden, at least not yet. We blew some bubbles at the pool and she cried like we were showering her with toxic waste. Oh well, all good things will come in time. I'm really looking forward to giving her some detailed instruction in the finer points of blowing bubbles...

Bath time had to come though and she full-on cried throughout the experience. No, mom, please, not the washcloth! No, no, not the shampoo! Ahhhhhh! What a tragedy! Mommy, you were mean to wash me, how could you!

Eden is crying quite a bit in her grief and we know we haven't seen the full scope of her little personality. We've gotten just a few smiles, and those have been precious and wide-mouthed displays of all 10 of her teeth. Before nap time today she cried in her crib and Keri stayed next to her and prayed over her until she fell asleep. We are seriously falling in love with this little Asian princess. We're just prayefully supporting her through the really big transition right now. It's kind of an odd process because when we grieves we actually don't stop her from crying by saying, "Shhh" or "Don't cry." Instead we let her cry and just rub her and pat her back and say comforting things as she grieves. I'm so grateful for all the preparation we had going into this--it's really helped us to not lose it ourselves in the process.

Oh, almost forgot to mention breakfast and lunch, which were quite the photo-ops. Seems Eden prefers her watermelon by the whole slice. At lunch, she would not give up until we gave her a "big person spoon" and promptly covered her face with mashed potatoes. Thanks to the marvel of digital photography, we'll be able to hold these photos over her head in so many new ways when she grows up. Ah, the joy of being in communications...

And one small note about China. There are NO fortune cookies here. None whatsoever. Seems that is actually an American invention. For the lunch buffet though there was "Duck Neck," "Dried Fish Skin with Chinese Spices" and "Spicy Lamb with Goat Cheese and Noodles." Mmmmm, tasty.

Tomorrow we head to visit Eden's orphanage. We expect this to be a very traumatic time for her. We met with many behavioral specialists before coming to China and all said that this would be a good experience for her--to go back, and then to leave with us. It will help her to process what is happening. Tomorrow we will also visit her "finding place" where she was abandoned in January of 2006. That will be an emotional experience for us too. So we're packing extra Kleenex in Keri's giant personalized diaper bag.

Thanks for your continued prayers and notes--they are so appreciated. We're here in Wuhan until Friday as the Civil Affairs Office processes paperwork and finally presents us with our adoption certificate, and then we head on to Guangzhou to finish up at the American Consulate.

Gotcha Day

Okay, now that we've had some time to hang out with Eden and absorb the events of the day, let me tell you a little bit of what happened. We went to breakfast about 7:15, but had been up for a while before that. At 8:30 we left for the Civil Affairs Office and arrived about 9:00 a.m.

It was very "matter of fact"--we walked in, walked up a flight of stairs, down a hall, and into a room. The babies and their caregivers were already there. We spotted Eden after a few seconds. All the adoptive parents and families sat on one side of the room and the children on the other. There were three families including us, and each set of parents had to fill out a few papers. We were the third family in line, so we sat for about 15 minutes making faces at Eden and smiling and laughing to her across the aisle.

We signed the forms and then the director announced that the parents could claim the children. Some cried immediately, but Eden held off while we were in the room. Her big brown eyes were taking us in, looking at her new mom and dad and tried to decide what to make of us. Right before we left the room I think she realized what was happening and that her caregiver was not around and we were not going back to where she came from.

Then the tears started from both of us. Eden definitely has some healthy lungs. By the time we got down the stairs to the waiting bus she was in full-on grief-stricken sky-is-falling wailing and crying, which lasted the entire 20 minute trip back to the hotel. Once we got to the room, she continued crying for another 30 minutes or so. Finally after about an hour, I think she had enough for now and stopped. The next little while she explored her new toys and we played with her. We gave her some noodles and chicken for lunch along with a bottle of milk. She also has an affection for cookies and Cheereos. Then she took a long nap.

The orphanage provided a schedule of her day, and she normally naps in the afternoon, so we let her fall asleep on mom's tummy and we watching a DVD on the laptop while she slept. She just got up a little bit ago and is collecting all her toys in a big pile around her on the bed. She's especially fond of a Winnie The Poo cell phone (all girls like to talk! I can now say that is universal from culture to culture).

Keri and I would describe her mood as mellow. She's engaged, but not smiling quite yet and we expect some more tears of grief before the night is up. When the room service lady came in at lunch time she started up again briefly--any sign of an Asian woman sets her off right now. We expect that will continue for a few days at least. Tomorrow morning we go back to the Civil Affairs Office for more papers, and so we know that will be another hard time for her.

Eden is smaller than we expected (much of the information we were given was wrong, which is not unusual). She's 21 pounds and really needs 12-18 month clothes versus the 18-24 month clothes we brought with us. She's walking rather well, and independent with her play. She's quite the explorer. She has a determined little face and likes to try out stuff for herself versus us handing it to her. Right now she's slurping down some apple juice for the first time and seems to like it.

She's wearing diapers but really reacted badly when Keri changed her. We've been talking to her throughout so she can begin to get used to the sound of our voices. Keri's mom went shopping for us with the other families and brought back some of her favorite Chinese foods and some clothes to try on.




I could describe her in detail from her amazingly cute little nose to her deep, dark brown eyes to her soft yellow skin and her rugged, chubby feet. I could go on and on about her thoughtful, perplexed and anxious looks on her intriguingly expressive face. I think I am safe in saying she is the cutest child ever (sorry to all other parents reading this--but I know it's true). She's making some fun noises and is good at pointing at what she wants.

Obviously more difficult hours are ahead as she gets to know us, as she's kinda been thrown into this whole thing. She's got great eye contact with us which is a good sign. She's death-gripped mommy a few times this afternoon which is a good sign of bonding and she will have to build up to letting daddy hold her for long periods of time. Seeing as I stand a good 8 inches to a foot taller than every other guy in this city and my head is gray and balding instead of black and full, I may just scare her a bit.

It's been an inspiring day. We're so grateful for God's provision and grace. All the families prayed together on the way to the Office this morning that God would be glorified in all that transpired today. This afternoon Keri and I prayed over Eden as she feel asleep. And she has also been covered in the prayers of our friends (thank you!). God's hand has been so clearly evident throughout and we're enjoying the hours today even as we look forward to coming home to Birmingham.

The Masons +1

We'll post a longer explanation of "Gotcha Day" later, but the Masons are now joyously "plus one". What an absolutely incredible, amazing day, and a life-changing experience.