Much to Learn

As with all areas of life, you don't know how much there is to know until you start learning. For instance, many people think of farming as a simple occupation. However, upon closer observation, there is nothing simple about picking the right seed variety for the soil and weather conditions (but who really knows what June/July/August will be in April and May??), selling your corn/soybeans/other crop in an ever-changing (and recently declining) market, and knowing how to tear apart a tractor to fix the one part and then put it all back together again...and it runs!

We have also found this to be true of parenting and to a greater degree, Ivan. Sure, we had our ideas. As a counselor, I have learned much from my work with families. And I have been amazed at Ryan's intuition as a parent. Absolutely blown away. But we have had much to discover, and still do, about our boy and how to parent him. 

But here is what we have discovered:

He is a world-class cuddler (All hearts rejoice!!!)
He loves to share Mommy and Daddy's cinnamon swirl bagels
He's open to eating most things but shows particular affinity for noodles, bagels, rice cereal and seems to enjoy mixed fruit packets the least
He loves music
He is curious and observant
His stress-response is to freeze (we saw this slightly during our first meeting and much more so during the adoption ceremony yesterday/Tuesday morning)
He has his daddy's affinity for building things - he can build a world-class mega blocks tower and then fit in the back of his dump truck!
His left hand is where he holds his extras; usually extra cheerios or bagel pieces!
He's got dimples which could melt the hardest of hearts
He doesn't love water...swimming or bath time (see below)
He has a sweet and joyful spirit...
EXCEPT for diaper changing, which he loathes most of all
He seems to be grieving more since the adoption ceremony yesterday morning; but we paradoxically find this hopeful as it means he had love and care at his orphanage worth missing
He is a great sleeper...he slept a solid 11 hours the first night and 12 hours last night with only one wake-up.
He readily receives cuddles for comfort...something we are immensely grateful for

And there is so much yet to learn...

Here are some of the highlights from yesterday (Tuesday - adoption ceremony day) and this morning (Wednesday morning):

Morning cuddles yesterday (Tuesday morning) - what a delight!

At the adoption ceremony yesterday - each of us, including Ivan, gave a right thumb print in red ink! 

He seemed to struggle quite a bit seeing the orphanage workers (they were administrators - we mistakenly originally believed they were his nannies). Sweet boy melted to the ground a couple times. 

And then there was swimming. The first strike against the experience was the pool's requirement of swim caps. As you can clearly see, Ryan's didn't fit. The second strike against the experience was the MASSIVE blowout which occurred upon our arrival at the pool during our charades-correspondence with the pool attendant. The prunes had done their job. We dropped our stuff, signed that we would we would return, returned to our room for a diaper change which Ivan thought was the end of the world, then regrouped, returned to the pool, dawned (sp?) our swim caps, and jumped in. Ivan was not so much of a fan.

This morning Ivan was less smiley initially, but was still generous with cuddles. Today we plan to head to an indoor play area nearby and have lunch at McDonalds! 

We would appreciate your continued prayers. If we sound like a broken record in this regard, it is because we know God answers prayers...we have seen God's faithfulness and we are so encouraged by  His heart for Ivan and for us. 

We love you!

Gotcha Day!

It's THE day!  The day every parent anticipates.  The day that you know is coming, but it doesn't really feel real or possible.  The day that doesn't officially have a specific title or name.  It's the day you become a parent.  How in the world does that happen?!  You go from doing your own thing, caring about when you're hungry or tired and being fairly self centered about it, to being fully responsible for the life of another person who is completely dependent on you for their needs.  It is crazy how that transition can unfold.

To get everybody up to speed...Lin and I had the final sleep in day that we expect for who knows how many years...it was nice.  We watched the same weightlifting competition 3 times in a couple hours where a chinese guy lifted over 370# for the gold medal...apparently China is excited about their weightlifters.  Yahtzee!!!  

Got ready to go to the bank to exchange some bucks.  When we arrived there, a shady fellow wanted to exchange our money for us...in the bank.  Apparently it was legit, but still seemed odd to Lin and me, so we gladly waited the 30 min for our turn at the window.  All went well.

I took my wife out to a gourmet lunch, just for the two of us at the golden arches.  After last nights peculiar beef and potatoes that was hot enough to peel paint off a car, a double quarter pounder with cheese sounded pretty amazing.  And it was!

A short while later our driver met us at the hotel lobby.  It was time.  We were a little early, but nothing major.  We arrived at the Civil Affairs office around 3:10, but it didn't open until 3:30.  I looked around and saw the closed door, with no chairs outside, then I heard a gasp from Lin.  I turned and looked down the hall and saw a little boy with two nannies next to him.  We recognized him immediately.  Then we didn't know what to do, our interpreter wasn't there yet and there weren't any officials there...is it ok to see him?  Is it like seeing the bride before the wedding?  We didn't ask twice, kneeling next to him and the nannies, you would have thought he was on a photo shoot as the new centerfold.  

He didn't seem scared of us, but his caretakers were also very close still.  We played in the hallway for a few minutes before everyone arrived, then we entered the office and started signing papers.

Ivan seemed content to sit on Lindsey's or my laps, but he was sure to look around for the nannies while doing it.  After about 30 minutes of more signing and information confirming we set out for the supermarket.  Picked up a few things and headed to the hotel.  While back at the ranch there was a little ball through and truck dumping...my personal favorite, then it was supper time!  A deliciously bland cup of rice cereal was on the menu and he ate it like a champ!  We mixed in a little fruit packet at times which also seemed acceptable, though not as desirable.  

Bath time was next...it went as planned, he was the one who got wet and soapy.  There were a few moments of close tears, but all hearts rejoiced in the end.  A couple books were read and the eyes were getting heavy...but not as effortlessly as we'd hoped.  He never fussed, but I think was just very curious of his new surroundings and people.
Tomorrow morning we'll go back to the civil affairs office and sign the final papers.  He is a beautiful little boy!
It still is beyond words to me how God has orchestrated this whole encounter.  He knew Ivan would be our son.  He knew the prayers we'd pray and how He would delight in answering them.  God is faithful and He is real!

Today's the day!

It is hard to believe that the day we have been anticipating for a year and a half is finally here! As with so many good things we anticipate, we are experiencing some nervousness with our excitement. We cannot wait to kiss Ivan's precious cheeks and hear the sweet music of his laughter. But we know these first few days may be challenging as he adjusts to us, and as we get a crash course in parenting. But we have a strong sense of God's orchestration and planning on this day. 

We will not meet Ivan until 3PM today. This morning our plan is to relax a bit, prepare toys and snacks to take with us to meet Ivan, and I plan to workout this morning to burn off some of my nerves. We meet our guide, Denise, at noon to get lunch, exchange money, then head to the civil affairs office and meet Ivan! 

Yesterday we arrived in Nanjing via the bullet train from Beijing. We had a lovely morning yesterday at the Temple of Heaven park in Beijing. I would compare it to Central Park in New York. It's very large and beautiful. Yesterday morning it was flooded with walkers, runners, and tour groups - all at 6AM!  

Ryan at the Temple of Heaven

This gentleman roped Ryan (literally) into a game. The older man threw the fabric loop over Ryan's head, then cam over and put his head in the loop, too! 

A Tai Chi group at the park

Our train from Beijing to Nanjing

Once we arrived at Nanjing we settled into our hotel and walked around the area. Our hotel is located near the Confucius Temple area in Nanjing - a beautiful outdoor area with lots of shopping and restaurants. 

Area around the Confucius temple

We had quite a time last night deciding where to eat. Like many American tourists - there is a tension when it comes to choosing a dining experience. On one hand, we're in CHINA! So we should take advantage of this and enjoy local cuisine. But on the other, here in Nanjing we are finding most restaurants don't include English on their menu, and we don't particularly want to end up with Duck's head between our chopsticks (I saw duck's head in multiple food vendors as we were walking around).  Around our hotel there is a Pizza Hut, Starbucks, and KFC...a familiar temptation. We decided to go local, and wandered from restaurant to restaurant looking at menus, hoping to find one with English. We finally found one with English descriptions - The 70's Restaurant.  Funny enough, none of the staff spoke English so ordering became a game of charades. It took three rounds to get our order correct, but our smiley waiter persevered. We had beef with mashed potatoes and sweet and sour pork.  However, this was not Grandma's pot roast and mashed potatoes. But it was delicious (and scalding) in its own right. The waiter used the menu to shield me from the bubbling gravy as he stirred it! 

Very hot beef and potatoes!

All in all, we're doing very well! Please continue your prayers on our behalf - today is a big day!  Please pray that despite the challenges, joy and peace supersede, and that God is glorified. 

Beijing

We hit the ground running this morning (Saturday here) with a whirlwind tour of the major sites in and around Beijing. Because we only had a day, we chose to go to Tiananmen Square, The Forbidden City, and the Mu Tian Yu portion of the Great Wall. Here are a few highlights from our day:

Ryan's height earned him something akin to celebrity status. Here he is being photographed by numerous people, alongside a group of guys who wanted their picture with him! And selfy sticks! We have never seen so many before!

Outside at Tiananmen Square

Hiking the Great Wall! It truly is an incredible place! 

Although I don't have a picture of it here, we took a toboggan ride to the bottom of the wall. We were literally sweating our faces off, so it was a great alternative to walking. 

Tomorrow we take a bullet train to Nanjing and get ready to meet our guy! Prayers appreciated! We love you! God is good. 

On the night before...

It feels like we should have "Leaving on a Jet Plane" playing as a soundtrack, "All my bags are packed, I'm ready to go..." Miraculously our bags are pretty much packed and our to-do's are dwindling.

Adoption paperwork packed. Check!
Beijing forecast checked. Check!
Nanjing forecast checked. Check!
Snacks packed. Check! Double Check Check!
Chicken chores allocated. Check!
Toys for Ivan packed. Check!
Toys for Ryan packed. Check!
Bags weighed. Check!

We're ready to go! We leave tomorrow to fly to China to pick up Ivan. It seems so surreal. We'll have a whirlwind tour of Beijing before training to Nanjing to pick up our guy! We'll be there for about a week. Then we'll fly down to Guangzhou, be there for about a week, and fly home via Hong Kong. We'll be flying back home on Saturday, August 20th. We will fly into O'Hare and take the Amtrak to Macomb that night. A few friends and family have asked if they can meet us at O'Hare or at the train station in Macomb to see Ivan - and anyone is certainly welcome to come!

We hope to post pictures and updates as we go...so stay tuned!

Please keep us in your prayers. We know that Jesus is the Chief Orchestrator of this trip and our family. Please pray specifically for peace, joy, confidence, attachment, protection from the enemy, and safety. We are so thankful for our family and friends! You have faithfully walked through this journey with us.  Thank you, also, to the family and friends who will be taking care of our house and chickens! :)