Video from Gotcha Day--Jadon and Andrew with Matchbox

Since we didn't take the camera places on Tuesday (since if it is there Jadon is all over it all the time) we are posting a brief video from Gotcha Day when he and Andrew were playing with the car. This was literally about 3-4 minutes after we met him.

Day 5--It's Official - Getting to Know Jadon

Today started with another trip back to the Civil Affairs office to complete our appointment/interview with the notary (like a judge here)and a civil affairs officer. Jadon charmed the pants off both of them. The interview questions were simple and over in no time. We signed papers and he became officially our son in the eyes of both the Chinese and the United States governments. Yeah!!!!!!

After our brief appointment we had the rest of the day free. We spent some time in the hotel room doing laundry while Jadon and Andrew played Trouble. Jadon has beaten every single one of us in every game he has played. How can one child pop so many sixes?

When Jadon started going stir crazy we went to McDonald's for lunch and then took a walk to a nearby park. Jadon (as well as the rest of us) thoroughly enjoyed that until Jadon developed a blister on his ankle due to putting his shoes on with no socks. This brought a very dramatic display of anguish from our little guy. After riding on Daddy's shoulders everything was fine again. He has expressed several times that he is "happy."

After some rest upon our return to the hotel we all went down to the pool for a swim. Jadon has demonstrated a love of water as he has asked for a bath both days. The pool was a slightly different story at first. He wasn't sure what to think. As time went by his trust level seemed to grow and grow. He even managed to put his face in the water several times, eventually blowing bubbles. He's even warmed up to Pop Tarts and Goldfish crackers which he vehemently denied at first.

We've been told that it may take up to a week to start to see a child's real personality. I think Jadon wears his on his sleeve generally. He is very friendly, greeting just about everyone we meet. He also seems to love to share. We purchased some chewing gum (jasmine flower flavored, I think) which he has shared with us and others from our travel group...over and over again. He has a very independent streak and knows what he likes. His appetite is good but he hasn't gorged himself at all.

He is still coughing quite a bit so please keep praying for him. Our guide called the orphanage director this morning at our request to find out what was up with him. We were told that he was fine until they brought him to Guangzhou. He was up coughing a bit in the middle of the night last night and coughs even as I am writing this (although I think he's asleep). I am hoping he sleeps better tonight (a lack of sleep is not a good thing when dealing with a child as active as Jadon--although Andrew has been a tremendous help). He was pretty tired and seems a lot more relaxed this evening.

Tomorrow should be another relatively relaxed day. We will apply for Jadon's passport in the afternoon followed by a trip to Pizza Hut, but that's really the only thing on the agenda. Please pray we all sleep well tonight.

Day 4--GOTCHA DAY!!!

How on earth do we begin to describe this day???

Up before 5:30 (couldn't sleep). In the bus by 6 AM. On the plane at 7:30 AM. Arrive in Guangzhou at 11 AM. At the hotel by noon. Leave at 2 to meet the children. We were all pretty nervous, scared, excited, anxious, etc. at this point. All of that seems like a blur. What happened next was amazing.

When we arrived at the Civil Affairs office Amy had us look at our paperwork first to be sure that everything was in order. While Andrew and Alan looked over these items carefully in a room where several other families were waiting, a woman walked in with a young boy. Ruth caught his eye and he saw her with a slight hint of recognition. When the woman and the boy returned, we were called up to meet our son and brother. After about 15 seconds of suspense, the woman with Jadon pointed to Ruth and Jadon said with a grin, "Mama." Things were off and running. He especially enjoyed the matchbox car we brought and spent quite a bit of time sending it back and forth with Andrew. The next exciting toy was Kirsten's camera. He took several pictures (as you can see).

We had a chance to speak with his caregivers and learned several things. 1) He is a very active boy. They laughed and said that he was sometimes naughty. 2) He likes to eat--especially meat and fruit (apples). 3) He has known about the adoption for about 3 months and obviously has seen the picture. He knows who Kirsten is when he sees the picture that we posted in January. He speaks a little bit of English and obviously understands more.

A couple of prayer requests: 1) Jadon has a cough and is obviously not feeling his best. Pray that he will get well quickly and that the rest of us don't pick this up from him (especially Andrew who will share a bed with him while we are here.) 2) We want to learn to communicate with him well. Pray that we would pick up on his expressions and efforts to communicate with us and that we would do a good job communicating with him as well. 3) Pray for Kirsten (man do we miss her) since she can't be here in person.

Andrew has done a great job. What a fantastic big brother!!

Thanks to so many for the prayer that has been lifted on our behalf. God is good and his hand in this is obvious to all of us.

Day 3--Day Before Jadon!!

The day began at an English-speaking church service for internationals. You need to show your ID prior to entering. Lots of good songs with people of all colors from around the world, a message and communion. After this we boarded a bus, went to a Jade factory, and then had lunch. The place we had lunch was the cloisonne factory that we visited four years ago. The lunch menu was packed with lots of food, including Beijing Duck. After lunch, a little bit of shopping and off to the Great Wall. We were fortunate because by the time we arrived at the wall, most of the Chinese tourists had left to go home after the holidays. Andrew climbed up to the third full tower with some others in the group. Then it was dinner and back to the hotel.

The real focus of the group through all of this is tomorrow. On the bus by 6 AM, to the airport for a 2 hour 40 minute flight to Guangzhou, an hour drive to the hotel, some freshening up, and off to the Civil Affairs office to meet Jadon. After all this time it is finally here. It seems surreal. Can't wait!!!

Please be praying for Jadon and for all of us as we meet for the first time. Pray that we would have wisdom to interact in the ways that would be most meaningful and helpful to him, to be sensitive to his needs and swirling emotions. Pray that we might all be effective in our communication. Pray for Andrew since he has shared that he is pretty nervous about this. Thanks everyone for sharing in this process!!

Day 2--Busy, Busy, Busy

Our second day we met up with three more families and did crazy tours of Tian'amen Square, Forbidden City, Summer Palace, Silk Museum as well as an evening performance of the Beijing Acrobats. Every place we went was wall to wall people as this weekend there are probably 10 million visitors to Beijing for a holiday weekend...all wanting to see the same spots we were touring.

We started with a group picture in Tian'amen Square and after some more photo op time, we proceeded to the Gate of Heavenly Peace which serves as entrance to the Forbidden City, the home of the emperor. We managed to get inside only through succumbing to the pushing of a mass of humanity. Because of the extra time it took to get inside we made our tour an abbreviated one. We moved on from there to lunch and a visit to the government run pearl factory.

From there we proceeded to a side entrance of the Summer Palace. We were pleased about this shift since this gave us an opportunity to see a side of the Summer Palace we had not seen before. We crossed the Marco Polo Bridge ,took many photos and Andrew became an instant celebrity as many people asked for him to pose with them in pictures (Oh the joys of being a towhead in Beijing!).

From there it was just a short trip to the silk museum and store. We were able to observe how silk quilts are made. Quite impressive. "Quilt" is a bit of a misnomer since the silk threads won't bunch and therefore the usual quilt stitching is not used. It is the Chinese equivalent of a down comforter without the allergens or baffles. Alan decided this might be a good thing to have.

As the afternoon wore down we returned to the hotel for a very short respite before setting out for dinner and the Beijing Acrobats. They were every bit as good as I remembered them.

We returned home very exhausted and ready for a good night's sleep!

Day 1--Hutong

Friday, May 1

Since we are here a day prior to most of the other families, at our guide Sherry's suggestion we joined the Wilcox family for a morning tour of Hutong--otherwise known as Old Beijing and is located near Tiannamen Square and Forbidden City. Hutong is the Mongolian word for water well. The word has come to be the name for narrow streets. The streets in this part of the city are populated mostly by rickshaws. Our families took several rickshaws around the area which was nice because it was raining lightly.

As part of the tour we were taken into the home of one of the residents. All homes in this part of the city are one story since only royalty/emperor had homes taller. The home we saw has been in this family for four generations which is a bit unusual. Most of the homes are government owned and occupied by poor workers. A few of the homes have been purchased by the very wealthy and may have as many as 20 rooms that open onto a large courtyard. The home we saw was smaller, had a small courtyard and about half as many rooms.

We ate lunch at a local restaurant that specialized in Shezhuan food. We had much more than we could eat: lotus root, kung pao chicken, sweet and sour pork, fried pumpkin, crunchy sesame rice, fish flavored eggplant, other things that are not coming to mind now, and fruit (watermelon and orange slice) for dessert.

This afternoon will be spent mostly relaxing. We may meet up with the Wilcox's (who are from Idaho) for some exploring and swimming later.

Safe Arrival in Beijing

We made it!!

We had two very good flights. We left Minneapolis on Wednesday morning, flew to Chicago, and had a direct flight from Chicago O'Hare to Beijing (13 hours and 13 minute flight). Andrew did amazingly well the entire way. The movie highlight of the trip was watching "Forever Strong." We all really enjoyed it.

As is usually the case, didn't get enough sleep on the plane and felt like we ate constantly. It is warm--low 80's. We thought that one piece of luggage had been lost, but Andrew found it. Now it is off to buy some bottled water, probably eat some more and then to bed--looking forward to that.

Thanks for the prayer support everyone. Ruth is feeling better than she has for weeks. Keep praying for her, especially that she would deal with the air quality here well.

We're all missing Kirsten already!!