Home Sweet Home

Mei Mei slept right through the excitement

of landing on American soil!

She actually traveled extraordinarily well

considering how ridiculously active and busy

this precious little one is!

Thank you all for praying for us

over this specific concern.

First sight out of the baggage claim gates!

The Gang is FINALLY All Here!!!!

We arrived home late on Friday evening, after a delightful dinner with my brother and all 6 of our kids together at a little Irish pub near the airport. Mei Mei was charming and pleasant through the whole meal, eating off of anyone's plate that would share with her. You know what they say, "Food is love!" And man, the love was abounding in that pub. The rest of the crowd was captivated with the news reports of the capture of the final suspect in the marathon bombing, but we were loopy with joy at being reunited with our kids and exhaustion from traveling for 24 straight hours.

Mei Mei and LadyBug formed an immediate

attachment, within minutes of our arrival and reunion.

Watching this boy of mine fall head over heels in love

with his new sister over the course of their first evening

together is probably one of the most precious memories

I will carry from our arrival.

We finally left the restaurant and drove 2 solid hours, The Boss fighting sleep all the way, through driving blinding rain. I prayed almost non-stop for that whole drive. Unfortunately, Mei Mei slept the whole way home, so The Boss and I took some time to unpack and settle in. Then he headed off to bed and Shaggy, Dr. D and I stayed up with Mei Mei while she wore herself down. I got both suitcases unpacked, a load of laundry started, and a space in the pantry cleared out for diapers and supplies. I was so exhausted but she was going strong and I knew I'd need her to sleep for more than a teensy 2 hour nap, so I pushed through.

Saturday was really low key, napping off and on, cleaning out the fridge, hanging with the kids, and enjoying the time together to re-connect. Mei Mei took some great naps, I think mostly because all the new toys and new games with her siblings were so overwhelming. But the kids are so great with her and it was so much fun to watch them all attach to her in their own unique ways.  Later in the day, my parents stopped by on the way to my brother's house to meet her, but she napped through the whole first visit. So they came back on their way to my sister's house and got a peek at her little impish smile and sweet nature.

We spent all day Sunday "on the go" as it was my brother's last Sunday to preach at the church here in town where he pastors. He was honored and commissioned off to their new church plant in Maryland and we really wanted to be there to honor what God is doing in their lives. I hate that they are moving so far away but so incredibly proud of the call on his life and the way that he and his wife walk that out. After the service and light snacks, we crashed at home for a couple hours and then joined the family again at my sister's for a family dinner. It was a really long, hard day for us and for Mei Mei but whatever wear and tear it took on our bodies, it must have been the "flip switch" that we needed. The three of us slept from 10-6 last night and she's just now waking up from a nice long 3 hour nap. She's regulating to the time change much more graciously than The Boss and I have so far, but it really feels like today was a good turning point.

In fact, I hear her stirring now, so I'm off! I'll post soon about some of the other stuff going on here. To remind myself, I had some interesting observations this morning as the family all slipped into regular weekday routines... hopefully in my jet-lagged state, that reminder will be enough to capture the thoughts that are swirling!

Wrapping It All Up

Wow, we've been trying off and on all day to get our internet connection to last long enough to be able to post here. I can't say that I'm sure the connection will last but I'm gonna try my durndest to make this last post from China a good one. NOT that we did a ton of really monumental stuff but it IS the last post after all.

After a late lingering breakfast at the heavenly buffet, we sat and chatted with friends for a while, enjoying the giggles of the little girls as they played. We felt like we really clicked with this family and we look forward to keeping up with them as we all settle in to the business of regular life outside the adoption trip bubble.

Then we headed back to the room to begin the packing process. Silly me, I can't seem to efficiently or effectively pack unless I empty the suitcase and start "from scratch." So that is exactly what I did. For my clothes. For Mei Mei's clothes, for all our toiletries, for my carry-on. For it all. As I packed, I pulled out excess of things we either didn't use or wouldn't need at home. I gathered them all up and made a bag up for our guide. We asked her to use them for her family's needs or to share them with other coming adoptive families. It's our prayer that the general prescription and over-the-counter meds serve someone well in their times of need. We are terribly grateful that we had no need of any of it, (except the Imodium for The Boss's food poisoning episode!) but also very thankful for doctors who prescribed it as good contingency plans.

While we were bustling about packing, Mei Mei had her own ideas of how to help.  Literally, everything had to be moved to the middle of the king-sized bed - once I discovered that my neatly folded piles of socks and tees were being snatched and thrown into the suitcase across the room. Unfortunately, the middle of a king-sized bed is also pretty much out of reach for me! My body got quite a great "P!lates" style stretching work-out.

Once the clothing was out of reach,

she moved on to the bag of dirty laundry.

No matter that there are at least five noisy

toys scattered around the room.

Putting her little legs in Daddy's t-shirt

armholes is way more fun!

She was temporarily distracted from

the dirty laundry fashion show

by snacks and juice in her stroller.

But only temporarily!

She is totally mocking me.

Lets me put a cute hair clip in.

But JUST when I think, "Oh, YAY! She's gonna leave it alone,"

she smirks and slowly, gently pulls it out.

Even when I keep my expression blank and neutral.

OY.

After a hard-core hour and a half of packing and cleaning up, we met Vicki and her sister Kelly, along with 2 of Vicki's daughters for lunch. She and I have been reading each other's blogs for years now, having found each other by way of  No Hands But Ours and Ni Hao Ya'll and our common interest of parenting adoptive children with hearing loss. They are here adopting Claire, a delightful and spunky little girl with a quick smile and a blooming, blossoming heart. Her daughter Ava came along for support and is so sweet and loving - I got a hug before I was even properly introduced the other day!

It's 7:20 p.m. here in Guangzhou. We are staying in, finishing up the random left-over foodstuffs and finalizing travel plans. Please pray with us that we get bulkhead seating for the extra space and the baby bed it offers. Once she falls asleep, she sleeps through pretty much anything. (For example, the crazy loud radio alarm we didn't know that she set for 6 a.m. today when she was playing with the clock last night. Sigh. On our ONE morning to sleep in a bit!) It would be awesome to have that break for our arms.

Daddy lovingly bit off the skin of this apple

(I inadvertently threw out the plastic knives I found when re-packing!)

for his little bit. She LOVED chowing down on it!

Hopefully, all the random left-overs sit well on her tummy

and fill her up at least till we get in the van tomorrow morning!

So, that's it. Our last day in China. Nothing terribly exciting except that it was all spent getting ready to come HOME! Oh, how I love that word. HOME. Hugs and kisses from my gang. Familiar germs. Land of Diet Wild Cherry Pepsi, uncontaminated chicken and eggs, and drink-able water from the tap. OH! And coffee with sugar-free hazelnut creamer in a great big Tigger mug.

I'm not a complicated momma and these simple things of my life will be even more treasured than previously. Especially when enjoyed in the comfort of my own home, surrounded by my gang. I can't wait!!!!!

A Few Friendly Reminders

Just wanted to remind you all that the Wild Olive Tees fundraiser for our adoption journey will end tonight. The family code (WHITNEY407) will be disabled at midnight. Or there-abouts.

Cuz I don't nearly expect those sweet gals over at Wild Olive Tees to sit around till midnight waiting to "flip the switch" - they are busy gals with hordes of kids and they need their rest. Heh :)

But anyway, that's the wrap.

Thank you all, again, for sharing, for purchasing, and for praying.... 

Details of our pending trip should be coming in sometime today.

And I'm proud to say that the To Do list took a major hit this weekend. I'm exhausted but I plowed through a lot of the administrative stuff of preparing to travel!

Finally, I'm taking entries to the give-away for Your Big Story till midnight tonight. It's a great story and you really ought to be sharing it with friends. It would make a super Easter Basket stuffer gift. Really, so perfect! Come, read, share! It only takes a minute!

I Did The Ugly Cry Today...

... and it's only Wednesday. Shaggy doesn't leave till Sunday. And we don't have to say good-bye to him till Monday night in Colorado.

This is a bit of a cross post from F@cebook, 

so forgive me if you've already been exposed to my pathetic-ness. :)

It has struck me more than once over the last 48 hours that researching and studying up on the special need of a child we may be bringing home to join our family at the same time that I'm preparing to pack up and take my oldest child far, far away from home is a strange and difficult place to be.

(Yes, we received a file from Monday night's release to review.

Yes, it is a good solid file. And an adorable child.

SERIOUSLY.

We just need to determine if she's meant to be our child.)

Today, he spent a good portion of the day prepping for the "sermon" he will share at tonight's youth group meeting. And just now, he was drumming in the basement, practicing for the worship service. His last worship service with his youth group. Gulp.

I've gotten used to these daily private concerts. Over the years, I've enjoyed hearing his technique improve and his style develop. This afternoon, it struck me that there aren't likely many more of these private concerts happening in my basement for the next 6 months.

And I lost it. I sat here at my computer, doing the big ugly Momma cry. (Why, oh, why can't I be one of those cute dainty cry-ers?) How on earth am I supposed to say good-bye to this kid on Monday night? I'm just not sure I can do this gracefully.

I mean, I know it is going to happen. I know it has to happen. But I just don't have any clue as to HOW it is going to happen? I'm really not looking forward to leaving him at his dorm Monday night and walking away. 

Flying out of Denver on Tuesday morning without him might just require some sort of intervention. Or very strong meds, at the least. And tissues. LOTS and lots of tissues.

Sunday Snapshot

September is a big month for The Boss and I. Lots of reminiscing and remembering all the things that God has done in our lives through our adoption story. Two years ago today, we were wrapping up the biggest adventure we'd ever been on.  But we also knew that in reality that we were heading home to face another whole kind of adventure. Embarking on the transition from a family of 6 to a family of 7. Doesn't sound like much. But we thought that was big enough. That we had a handle on what was changing.

Turns out, it was a bigger deal than even we expected. Turns out, a lot more changed than just our numbers. Turns out, what we started with that trip across the world to embrace our Li'l Empress was just an itty bitty part of the trip that God has for our whole family. Turns out, once you get God's heart for "true religion" - it changes everything you thought you knew. Turns out, it changes you.

Our last night in China, two years ago today.

(yes, the date stamp was off, still on US time...)

We spent our last day packing, shopping,

packing, eating, and packing some more.

Here is the Li'l Empress, at 14 months old,

all dolled up for a morning of Shamian Island shopping.

 

Here is the Li'l Empress now, at three years old.

The girl still loves a morning out of the house to shop.

And still loves a good pair of glamourous shades!

And the changes are still coming. The adventure is still unfolding.

Link up to the Sunday Snapshot fun,

but please leave a comment here too!

I'll try to get around and visit if you leave me a comment!

Ease On Down, Ease On Down The Road!

We've just had one of the busiest holiday seasons that I can ever recall. Between lingering and re-emerging coughs and colds, traveling to be with both sides of our family, and all the hustle required to make the celebrations festive and memorable, I am quite content to be returning to our daily routine. We came home from our final family visit on Saturday evening, expressly for the purpose of being able to ease back into "real life," and I'm so glad we did. It's certainly not original here in the blogosphere to say this, especially this week, but I love our "normal" and am grateful that The Boss and I are united on the way we manage our family pace. Even as an extrovert who thrives on Lots! and Lots! of social interactions, I could not keep that pace up forever!

The Boss took the tree down on Sunday while he stayed home with stuffy, runny Li'l Empress. It's the driest tree we've ever had and my little ones were all tired of blue spruce needles poking their piggies. We've never "de-decorated" our home so early before, but it had to be done. I REVELED in spending Sunday afternoon re-decorating, moving some things around, and sprucing up the main living space. The fun that I had doing that certainly helped lessen the pain of the Eagles big loss to Dallas later that night. Man, that was excruciating. It's a good thing we have another shot at them this coming weekend . . .

This week, I'm focusing my energies on de-cluttering and re-organizing a couple small spaces in our home that have been driving me nuts for several months now. Our former home-school cabinet is being streamlined for household management stuff: bill-paying materials, stationery, desk supplies, etc. My bookshelves FULL of cookbooks and binders crammed with recipes are being purged - most of the recipes I love the most and use frequently are accessible elsewhere. I'm hoping to sort that down enough to stash them in the aforementioned cabinet, which is closer to the kitchen and less accessible to little hands. My two little junk drawers are FINALLY getting the hard-core purge and sort. I have no idea what I'll find when I open them, but I'm gonna be ruthless. I'm also tackling a freezer inventory and menu plan, to get us back on a healthy budget and healthier bent toward eating right. I've got more planned for the physical projects of this new year, but I am enjoying easing into them with some small stuff first.

I'm still brewing over the words from my Dad's sermon two weeks ago, seeking the Lord for a few key areas which He desires for me to surrender. Our church is embarking on a 21-day period of fasting and prayer. They are calling it Breakthrough 2010 and I am anxious to experience some breakthroughs of my own in this season. I love this time of year; seeking a new vision or clarification or expansion of an on-going vision is always so exciting to me. Just as I love the streamlining and re-organizing that I get to dig into every January, I also love that right now the whole Church seems to focus its energies on seeking the Lord and committing the new year to His plans and purposes. More than anything, I want to hear His voice for changes that I can commit to making that will have eternal impact. I'm sensing a couple "no-brainers" right off the bat, but I am also sensing that He has some big things for The Gang in 2010 and want to point my heart in His direction for our family.

What about you? What New Year projects are you tackling this year? What is going on in your house that the Lord desires to hold in His hands? How are you starting off 2010?

Packing Has Begun

After weeks of compiling, organizing, and purging packing lists, I am happy to report that packing has actually really started! I finished my shopping list last night. If I don't step foot in my local W*lmart, C V S, Rit% *id, W*lgreens, Doll*r Store, and T*rget for the next month, that's good with me. The last thing I needed was a "back up" supply of formula in a small size. No easy task, as not many places had the Carnation Good Start stage 2 in small cans. Special thanks to my bloggy friend Heidi, over at God's Grace In Practice, though. She sent me coupons and I scored a $12.49 can of it for only $1.49. Thank you, Heidi!

My BFF and I spent last Friday night counting over the counter meds and packaging them down into travel containers. I even got my label machine out to help us keep it all straight. I know, I know, I'm such a geek. Here's a peek at how geeks pack for 16 day trips to faraway lands:

Here's a picture of Packing Central, aka Aidan's room. (By the way, we are still working on a blog name for her, but it's pretty low on the priority list right now!)

Imagine my delight when my SaryFairy niece and I went to the dollar store and found these little gems. As long as I find something closely resembling strong black coffee while I travel, I am now good to go. One will go in the checked luggage, and one is for my carry-on. Just in case, ya know?! It's not sugar- free, but a girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do to make it through the day.