It's hard to believe it's been a year since Keri and I stood in a rather sparsely furnished room in Wuhan, China on the second floor of the Civil Affairs Office and looked across an aisle of chairs at a little girl for the first time. She was scared to death and so were we. But we were also excited and anxious and ready to smother her with all the love we had been saving up on the 15,000 mile trip from Birmingham, Alabama.
A year later and much has changed in our own lives and in little Eden's life. We never imagined she would be so funny and smart and strange and interesting all at the same time. Those first few days were filled with sadness for her--but the Lord answered our prayers then to join her heart with ours. And God continues to answer our prayers as Eden grows into a sweet, loving, outgoing and beautiful girl.
This past weekend we took a trip to Georgia to visit the "Cabbage Patch Hospital" where the popular children's dolls are "born." We thought it fitting on the anniversary of Eden's adoption that we would celebrate by letting her "adopt" a doll of her very own. She chose a baby boy doll and named him "Moses"--I think she identifies with him when she sees him on the TV floating in a basket down a river in Egypt and being adopted by an Egyptian mother...
Here's a quick video of the experience, along with some recent pictures of Eden and our family. To all who have made the journey with us, personally and through prayer and friendships, thank you and God bless you. Our lives are richer than we could imagine and we give God all the credit for everything good He has done for us. Most of all, we thank Him for allowing us to shepherd the heart of a little girl that He brought to us from half a world away.
Showing posts with label Gotcha Day. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Gotcha Day. Show all posts
Wednesday, July 23, 2008
Tuesday, July 22, 2008
Eden Hope Eve
Today is what I call "Eden Eve." One year ago today we were one night away from meeting our sweet daughter for the first time. I remember feeling so nervous, excited, and emotional. I was about to become a mommy for the first time. And a little girl was about to become a daughter for the first time. And a foster mom was about to have to say goodbye to the child she had loved and cared for for 13 months. It was the boldest step of faith I have ever taken to begin down the road to adoption. To say God has provided and poured out His mercy and grace is an understatement. I will post more tomorrow. But here are some pictures of what we were doing in Wuhan, China this time last year...
We were filling out our paperwork to take Eden into our custody.
This is some of what we wrote.
I set up a little play area with toys we brought from home, and made up her crib.
I packed a diaper bag with diapers, toys and snacks. I had no idea what I would need for her.
Katie Lyn, one of the children traveling with us, put photos of our soon-to-be babies on our hotel room doors as a surprise for us.
We were filling out our paperwork to take Eden into our custody.
This is some of what we wrote.
I set up a little play area with toys we brought from home, and made up her crib.
I packed a diaper bag with diapers, toys and snacks. I had no idea what I would need for her.
Katie Lyn, one of the children traveling with us, put photos of our soon-to-be babies on our hotel room doors as a surprise for us.I can't believe it's been a year!!!
Monday, July 23, 2007
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.
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.
Sunday, July 22, 2007
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.
12 Hours From Now...
Twelve hours from now we will be parents. Sunday started out with a meeting here at the hotel where we filled out some paperwork related to the adoption. We received instructions that we will be headed to the Civil Affairs Office at 8:00 a.m. on Monday and will be receiving little Eden.
During the day, all of the adopting families staying here (there are three of us) took a quick bus tour of the area and got our bearings (i.e. located the supermarket, the McDonald's and other shopping areas). Then we had a Chinese lunch before heading back to the hotel.
This afternoon we rearranged the hotel room to make some play space. The hotel staff is delivering a crib to the room and Keri is laying out clothes and toys for Eden. The suggested plan is to receive Eden in the morning, then spend the day with her here in the room. One reason for this is so that she sees just us for an extended period of time and not any Chinese faces. Going out among the Chinese people the first day or so can really be confusing to her as so many will look like her foster mom. Instead, we'll console her as best we can and begin the bonding process.
As the photo shows, we're calm, cool and collected. Actually we're anxious, excited and can hardly stand it. Not sure either of us will sleep much tonight. Early breakfast tomorrow, then Eden, here we come!
During the day, all of the adopting families staying here (there are three of us) took a quick bus tour of the area and got our bearings (i.e. located the supermarket, the McDonald's and other shopping areas). Then we had a Chinese lunch before heading back to the hotel.
This afternoon we rearranged the hotel room to make some play space. The hotel staff is delivering a crib to the room and Keri is laying out clothes and toys for Eden. The suggested plan is to receive Eden in the morning, then spend the day with her here in the room. One reason for this is so that she sees just us for an extended period of time and not any Chinese faces. Going out among the Chinese people the first day or so can really be confusing to her as so many will look like her foster mom. Instead, we'll console her as best we can and begin the bonding process.
As the photo shows, we're calm, cool and collected. Actually we're anxious, excited and can hardly stand it. Not sure either of us will sleep much tonight. Early breakfast tomorrow, then Eden, here we come!
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