Well, it's been a week since we have been home and our world sure has changed. We have gone to a family of four with the youngest at 15 to a family of 5 with the youngest at 4! There's no more sleeping in or a quick trip to the store. No more jam sessions for Damon in the basement at 10PM or Sammy having a group of kids over till midnight watching movies. But we would have it no other way!
A lot has happened in a week! Liberty is in her new home, in her new bed, with her new family! She loves being the center of everyone's world! She has had many visitors who have been been anxiously awaiting her arrival. Her grandparents, aunts, cousins friends, neighbors. We joke that she is going to start thinking every time the door bell rings, she is going to get a gift! :) One of our very elderly neighbors was outside yesterday while we were doing Po-Po's (bubbles) and our neighbor said, "WOW! she's gotten big since the fall!" and as she got closer she said, "She's Chinese!" I explained to her that we adopted her from China. I think she was thinking of a different neighbor but it was so cute when she realized Liberty was Chinese.
We have taken a visit to our favorite pizza place, Monical's, and she loved it! I guess she is a true Myers if she loves Monical's Pizza! :) She also loves ice cream and bath time! She has discovered the bunnies that live in our yard (and tear up our yard, grrr!) We sit at the window and watch for bunnies. She gets so excited when she spots one. It's a whole new world for this little girl! She is getting used to it and figuring everything out.
We visited the park for the first time and she loved the see-saw. She was even a little dare-devil and tried letting go. I think my hair is going to get even more gray!! :)
She loves playing with her brothers and all of their friends who have come to see her. No one can stay away. I think it's great that so many people love her so much and want to meet her.
She has been adjusting very well as have we. The boys understand that after 8pm it needs to be fairly quite in the house. They also understand why I am in bed at 9pm. haha We think the hardest thing so far is just being tired. We have a routine and try to give each other breaks. When Brandon goes back to work.... and the kids go back to school, I'm on my own. I'm a little nervous about that but I think by then, she'll understand a bit more english and we will understand one another better. We are so luck that Brandon got to take 6 weeks off and I get to take 12. (Shout out to the co-workers :D)
When we got back to the US, the local paper called and wanted to do a story about Little Miss Liberty. We agreed because we thought it would be neat for Liberty to have later in life. We also thought it would be an opportunity to share our story and maybe give someone the little push they might need to choose adoption. Needless to say, we were shocked when she ended up on the front page of the paper, "above the fold" my husband pointed out. It was such an amazing article! (besides calling Damon, Mason.) Our hope is the article has inspired another family to give adoption a chance to change a child's life forever!!
One last little bit of "twinkle" for you! We have been singing "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star" to her since we were in Guangzhou. A few days ago, we were driving somewhere and she hates the car seat. So I asked her to sing for me. I couldn't believe it when she started singing "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star!" Of course, it was not perfect but I was so amazing at how quickly she learned that song!
We always knew she was brilliant! :)
Saturday, March 30, 2013
Wednesday, March 20, 2013
We've only just begun...
We have been in China for 16 days. Tomorrow we are headed home. Although, we are SO ready to be back home with our boys and our family, it is bittersweet. This is the land where Liberty was born. This is where her roots began. We pray for her biological family every day... for hearts that will heal and be comforted by the Lord. I cannot imagine giving my baby up for any reason, under any circumstance. But imagine the pain these families go through never knowing what has happened to their babies... never knowing if they are OK, if they were adopted, what they will grow into. The pain has to be unbearable. So we pray that her family somehow knows, she is ok. She is loved, cherished, protected and taken care of. She will always have the best medical care, the best education, the best upbringing we can give her. She will know the Lord as her Savior and the love He has for her. She will know He is always there by her side... along with her family.
We thank God every day that he brought us together with Liberty to be a family along with Damon and Sam and all of our family and friends. The love we have felt from home has been out of this world. It has helped us get through the pain of missing home, the middle of the night tears our little one cried and we didn't know why and increased the excitement for Liberty when she sees how many people have been in the US praying for her, following her story and cheering her on.
We may not know what the first four years of her life contained but we are excited to see what the rest of her life will hold! We are almost home to start the next part of this journey!!
We love you Liberty Jane-Yirun Myers...forever and always.
And Debbie Brumitt....I'm ready for coffee! :)
We thank God every day that he brought us together with Liberty to be a family along with Damon and Sam and all of our family and friends. The love we have felt from home has been out of this world. It has helped us get through the pain of missing home, the middle of the night tears our little one cried and we didn't know why and increased the excitement for Liberty when she sees how many people have been in the US praying for her, following her story and cheering her on.
We may not know what the first four years of her life contained but we are excited to see what the rest of her life will hold! We are almost home to start the next part of this journey!!
We love you Liberty Jane-Yirun Myers...forever and always.
And Debbie Brumitt....I'm ready for coffee! :)
Tuesday, March 19, 2013
A little piece of home...
Today we traveled to the Chen Clan Historic Home. All of the details and pics are on FB. It was very interesting to hear all about the home. We also traveled to Shamian Island for some shopping. I love how the shop owners let you bargain for what you want. We arent very good at it but it was fun to watch them try to get us buy more and more..."I will give you a good deal!" is what we heard. We bought a few things that we were looking for but we did not find what we really wanted to get. "Adoption Barbie" :( We have heard all about it and where to look but we didnt have any luck. Oh well. Guess it wasnt meant to be.
After shopping, we walked around by the river. It was so calm and peaceful. We were telling our guide how during the day, our parks are usually empty because everyone is working ect. He said that everyone goes to the parks because no one has a yard. Everyone lives in an apartment. Its true. All of the parks that we have been to have been filled with older people playing cards or hacky sack or grandparents with their grandkids. We saw a choir singing and people learning dance. There was one lady doing Tai Chi with a fan. Just so neat to see stuff that we dont see in the USA.
We then went to Lucy's for lunch. It is about as American you can get in China. I had a cheeseburger and fries... and it was heaven! We gave Liberty peanut butter and jelly. She loved it. :)
After lunch, we headed back to the hotel and went over all of our paperwork with our guide for our US Consulate appointment tomorrow. Our guide told us that all of Liberty's medical came back good. So no problems there.
We walked around a bit and bought a fruit smoothies for a treat. The rest of the evening was pretty uneventful besides Little Miss Liberty's first real fit. She was trying to shove way too many M&M's in her mouth so we told her that she couldn't do that. We tried again and she tried to shove them all in her mouth so we took them away and said no more.She cried and cried and wouldn't let us comfort her. She would cry for "Mama" and I would come by her but she'd push me away. We figured she was calling for her other "mama." :( Poor thing. We felt so bad for her. But soon she was over it and happy as could be.
We hope she learns quickly that we will always be here for her and we love her with all our hearts!
After shopping, we walked around by the river. It was so calm and peaceful. We were telling our guide how during the day, our parks are usually empty because everyone is working ect. He said that everyone goes to the parks because no one has a yard. Everyone lives in an apartment. Its true. All of the parks that we have been to have been filled with older people playing cards or hacky sack or grandparents with their grandkids. We saw a choir singing and people learning dance. There was one lady doing Tai Chi with a fan. Just so neat to see stuff that we dont see in the USA.
We then went to Lucy's for lunch. It is about as American you can get in China. I had a cheeseburger and fries... and it was heaven! We gave Liberty peanut butter and jelly. She loved it. :)
After lunch, we headed back to the hotel and went over all of our paperwork with our guide for our US Consulate appointment tomorrow. Our guide told us that all of Liberty's medical came back good. So no problems there.
We walked around a bit and bought a fruit smoothies for a treat. The rest of the evening was pretty uneventful besides Little Miss Liberty's first real fit. She was trying to shove way too many M&M's in her mouth so we told her that she couldn't do that. We tried again and she tried to shove them all in her mouth so we took them away and said no more.She cried and cried and wouldn't let us comfort her. She would cry for "Mama" and I would come by her but she'd push me away. We figured she was calling for her other "mama." :( Poor thing. We felt so bad for her. But soon she was over it and happy as could be.
We hope she learns quickly that we will always be here for her and we love her with all our hearts!
Monday, March 18, 2013
Little Blessings!
Today was a free day for us. Jack had some adoption documents from the Medical Center to take care of so we were on our own today. We slept til 8:30 which I thought was pretty late considering we have a four year old in the house now. :)
After a leisurely breakfast, we headed the opposite way of our hotel just to explore a little bit. We found lots of little shops and food places. We werent brave enough to try any of the food from these places. I am sure it would have been fine but coming from a person who doesn like to use a straw that wasnt wrapped, I wasnt taking any chances. Oh there was a man squeezing fresh orange juice at his shop. It looked SSOOO good but he was putting it in what looked like used water bottles...so we passed.
We found Friendship Shopping Mall and ventured in. It was so interesting because the whole mall is set up by brand name. Like one floor for men's clothing, was separated by brands...Like Nike, Ralph Laren, Polo ect. It would be easy to shop if you knew what brand you wanted.Kinda different.
So we were on the hunt for a t-shirt for Liberty since it's suppose to be 80 degrees tomorrow We found a mall map and it said the kids clothing was on the 6th floor. We got on the elevator and it only went to 5.
So we got off on 5 and asked someone. They said the kids clothes were on the 6th (showing 6 fingers) floor. We went to a different elevator but never found it. It was strange. Sometimes this language barrier is a pain. :) Especially, when you are trying to tell a four year old to stop doing something and she thinks its a game. Oh boy.... She definately has a stubborn streak in her. :) I figure its because she always had to fight for what she wanted. :( It makes me sad to think about but Im glad she is with us now.
Little Miss Liberty gave us three little blessings today.
First, when we were getting her ready for her bath this morning...(she gets 2 a day because she loves them so!) she went potty on the toilet for us! Its the first time! Trying to teach a child to go potty is one thing but when they have no idea what you are saying, It's a whole other ballgame!
The second blessing was that she sat and watched cartoons for 30 mins today. We arent trying to use tv as a babysitter but she is on the go the ENTIRE time she is awake. It was so nice just to lay with her, Baba on one side, Mama on the other for 30 minutes! But then she was done! I dont think they watched much TV in the orphanage so she has no interest in it.
Our third blessing was after her night-time bath. I had her on my lap and I started singing Twinkle Twinkle Little Star. She must have recognized the tune or something and she started reciting all of the nursery rhymes that she knows. It was so adorable! We have it on video but the internet is really slow here and we cant download it to FB or the blog.
It was an incredible day! Simple but filled with blessings. Thank you again, Lord!! Again and Again!
After a leisurely breakfast, we headed the opposite way of our hotel just to explore a little bit. We found lots of little shops and food places. We werent brave enough to try any of the food from these places. I am sure it would have been fine but coming from a person who doesn like to use a straw that wasnt wrapped, I wasnt taking any chances. Oh there was a man squeezing fresh orange juice at his shop. It looked SSOOO good but he was putting it in what looked like used water bottles...so we passed.
We found Friendship Shopping Mall and ventured in. It was so interesting because the whole mall is set up by brand name. Like one floor for men's clothing, was separated by brands...Like Nike, Ralph Laren, Polo ect. It would be easy to shop if you knew what brand you wanted.Kinda different.
So we were on the hunt for a t-shirt for Liberty since it's suppose to be 80 degrees tomorrow We found a mall map and it said the kids clothing was on the 6th floor. We got on the elevator and it only went to 5.
So we got off on 5 and asked someone. They said the kids clothes were on the 6th (showing 6 fingers) floor. We went to a different elevator but never found it. It was strange. Sometimes this language barrier is a pain. :) Especially, when you are trying to tell a four year old to stop doing something and she thinks its a game. Oh boy.... She definately has a stubborn streak in her. :) I figure its because she always had to fight for what she wanted. :( It makes me sad to think about but Im glad she is with us now.
Little Miss Liberty gave us three little blessings today.
First, when we were getting her ready for her bath this morning...(she gets 2 a day because she loves them so!) she went potty on the toilet for us! Its the first time! Trying to teach a child to go potty is one thing but when they have no idea what you are saying, It's a whole other ballgame!
The second blessing was that she sat and watched cartoons for 30 mins today. We arent trying to use tv as a babysitter but she is on the go the ENTIRE time she is awake. It was so nice just to lay with her, Baba on one side, Mama on the other for 30 minutes! But then she was done! I dont think they watched much TV in the orphanage so she has no interest in it.
Our third blessing was after her night-time bath. I had her on my lap and I started singing Twinkle Twinkle Little Star. She must have recognized the tune or something and she started reciting all of the nursery rhymes that she knows. It was so adorable! We have it on video but the internet is really slow here and we cant download it to FB or the blog.
It was an incredible day! Simple but filled with blessings. Thank you again, Lord!! Again and Again!
Sunday, March 17, 2013
TO THE ZOO!!!
Today we visited the Gangzhou Zoo. It was a beutiful place. The trees were so tall that we werent able to see all of the surrounding buildings. This zoo sits in the middle of the city but it didnt feel like it at all. It felt like we wee in the center of paradise!
Liberty was so cute! She loved the monkeys and was scared of the tigers. Her and Baba rode the train. We werent really sure if she liked it or not. Maybe she was a little scared or was thinking whats the point of going round and round in a circle. Haha.
It was nice to spend some time talking with Jack about the Chinese culture. He like our other guides knows alot about Chinese culture and history. Brandon really enjoyed this history lesson.
After the zoo, our guide dropped us off and we headed to the "mall" to look around. We just picked up some diapers and some of Liberty's favorite cookies. We bought the biggest bag of them we could find. Not sure what we'll do when we run out in the USA. I'm going to have to search for them in Chinatown. :)
We stopped by McDonald's for a chicken sandwich, fries and a COLD pop and headed to the Garden at our hotel to enjoy a picinic. The grounds of this hotel is so gorgeous!! After we enjoyed imagining we were in the US and eating our lunch, we took our leftovers to the feed the fish. It's so cute to watch her get so excited and talk, talk, talk in Chinese. All we can do is smile and say, "Oh really?" :) I wish we knew what she was saying but it's so enjoyable to see her so happy.
We went back to the room for a restful afternoon but found out about a playroom the hotel had. So we ventured the the 6th floor to check it out. We were hoping for more but Liberty had a good time. It was so funny to watch her pretending with legos. We will be glad when we are home and she has more room to play and more toys to play with. Its so hard to bring a bunch of toys with us but there are plenty waiting for her at home.
She had a great bedtime and let Baba rock her to sleep. It only took about 5 minutes. She sleeps like a rock! 12 hours...ahhh. And then she's up and running the seconds she wakes up. She is a lot like our Sammy. He was the same. They are going to wear each other out. :)
Liberty was so cute! She loved the monkeys and was scared of the tigers. Her and Baba rode the train. We werent really sure if she liked it or not. Maybe she was a little scared or was thinking whats the point of going round and round in a circle. Haha.
It was nice to spend some time talking with Jack about the Chinese culture. He like our other guides knows alot about Chinese culture and history. Brandon really enjoyed this history lesson.
After the zoo, our guide dropped us off and we headed to the "mall" to look around. We just picked up some diapers and some of Liberty's favorite cookies. We bought the biggest bag of them we could find. Not sure what we'll do when we run out in the USA. I'm going to have to search for them in Chinatown. :)
We stopped by McDonald's for a chicken sandwich, fries and a COLD pop and headed to the Garden at our hotel to enjoy a picinic. The grounds of this hotel is so gorgeous!! After we enjoyed imagining we were in the US and eating our lunch, we took our leftovers to the feed the fish. It's so cute to watch her get so excited and talk, talk, talk in Chinese. All we can do is smile and say, "Oh really?" :) I wish we knew what she was saying but it's so enjoyable to see her so happy.
We went back to the room for a restful afternoon but found out about a playroom the hotel had. So we ventured the the 6th floor to check it out. We were hoping for more but Liberty had a good time. It was so funny to watch her pretending with legos. We will be glad when we are home and she has more room to play and more toys to play with. Its so hard to bring a bunch of toys with us but there are plenty waiting for her at home.
She had a great bedtime and let Baba rock her to sleep. It only took about 5 minutes. She sleeps like a rock! 12 hours...ahhh. And then she's up and running the seconds she wakes up. She is a lot like our Sammy. He was the same. They are going to wear each other out. :)
Saturday, March 16, 2013
Medical Center World Record!
Today we had to go to the Medical Center for Liberty's last physical and blood test in China. Now I know this is crazy and probably so outdated but I had heard somewhere along this adoption journey that one shouldnt ask for all kinds of blood work to be done due to dirty needles being used in lower income areas. So I have always worried about this. Silly, I know but once you hear something like this, it sticks with you. So as I fell asleep last night I was thinking about this and praying, as far-fetched as it seemed, that this would NOT happen to our little girl. When I woke up this morning, I had had a dream that I saw the medical staff use the same needle on two kids and Liberty was headed into the room next. That's all I remembered. When Brandon woke up, he told me that I leaned over to him in my sleep and whispered that the medical staff was using dirty needles and that Liberty was next. I said we had to make sure they used a clean needle. He said my eyes were wide open and I was very demanding. haha I guess that means I was pretty stressed about it somewhere in my mind.
When we got down to the hotel lobby, it was filled with adoptive families that were all going to the same place we were. We were in for a long day of waiting and crying babies. Then we were even more discouraged because a bus-load of these families left before our guide picked us up.
When we got to the clinic, IT WAS PACKED! There sure was alot of love in that room today! Jack, our guide, went right up to the counter and got us in right away. I dont know what he said or what he did but we were in and out of the medical clinic in less than an hour. It was great! We saw families that were at the clinic getting back to the hotel 2 hours after we did.
Liberty did great during the physical. We were told by the ENT that she was such a polite little girl. We don't ever know what she is saying so that was good to hear. :) We didnt get to go in with her when she had her blood drawn but by the time she came out, she was done crying. But the tears started again when she realized that we werent going to give her the "treat" the lab girls gave her. A hard piece of candy??She's four. We dug around and found a fruit snack to satisfy her while the hard candy when in the garbage.We did notice that she had a huge scrape on the front and back of her arm where they strapped her arm down. Being in the medical field myself, I can't imagine what would have happened if a child left with a mark in the US. I understand they didnt intentionally do it but still, we felt bad for her. Now we wait for her TB test and US visa and that's it! :)
After the appointment, we went walking around and found Liberty an authentic Chinese dress. We thought she needed at least one. :) It is so cute. (its on fb) She is so adorable. I know everyone is probably sick of hearing us say that. :) We also tried the garden park behind the hotel. It was gorgeous and what was even better...NO STARES! I guess adoption is just seen more here since eveery family has to come to the US Consulate.
Tonight Liberty fell asleep at 5pm. :/ Too early for bed and too late for a nap so we woke her up at 7:30, fed her and gave her a bath. We are just playing now and trying to wear her out so maybe we can get to bed by 10.
Tomorrow is the zoo because it looks like rain the rest of the week. :(
Thanks for following! We love that so many love this little one and she's not even in the US yet! We plan on printing out all of the FB messages and the blog to keep in her baby book along with the TV interview, and the bangles and gold penant the orphanage saved from when she was found. I think she'll treasure it all! :)
When we got down to the hotel lobby, it was filled with adoptive families that were all going to the same place we were. We were in for a long day of waiting and crying babies. Then we were even more discouraged because a bus-load of these families left before our guide picked us up.
When we got to the clinic, IT WAS PACKED! There sure was alot of love in that room today! Jack, our guide, went right up to the counter and got us in right away. I dont know what he said or what he did but we were in and out of the medical clinic in less than an hour. It was great! We saw families that were at the clinic getting back to the hotel 2 hours after we did.
Liberty did great during the physical. We were told by the ENT that she was such a polite little girl. We don't ever know what she is saying so that was good to hear. :) We didnt get to go in with her when she had her blood drawn but by the time she came out, she was done crying. But the tears started again when she realized that we werent going to give her the "treat" the lab girls gave her. A hard piece of candy??She's four. We dug around and found a fruit snack to satisfy her while the hard candy when in the garbage.We did notice that she had a huge scrape on the front and back of her arm where they strapped her arm down. Being in the medical field myself, I can't imagine what would have happened if a child left with a mark in the US. I understand they didnt intentionally do it but still, we felt bad for her. Now we wait for her TB test and US visa and that's it! :)
After the appointment, we went walking around and found Liberty an authentic Chinese dress. We thought she needed at least one. :) It is so cute. (its on fb) She is so adorable. I know everyone is probably sick of hearing us say that. :) We also tried the garden park behind the hotel. It was gorgeous and what was even better...NO STARES! I guess adoption is just seen more here since eveery family has to come to the US Consulate.
Tonight Liberty fell asleep at 5pm. :/ Too early for bed and too late for a nap so we woke her up at 7:30, fed her and gave her a bath. We are just playing now and trying to wear her out so maybe we can get to bed by 10.
Tomorrow is the zoo because it looks like rain the rest of the week. :(
Thanks for following! We love that so many love this little one and she's not even in the US yet! We plan on printing out all of the FB messages and the blog to keep in her baby book along with the TV interview, and the bangles and gold penant the orphanage saved from when she was found. I think she'll treasure it all! :)
Friday, March 15, 2013
There's a first time for everything
Today was a day filled with "first times"as we left Shanghai for Guangzhou. We were talking a bout all the "first times" Liberty has and will have in the next few months of her life. It started with the first time she had a mommy and daddy since she was 9 months old. :)
Today was her first airplane ride and her first time out of Shanghai. We were a little anxious about this because we weren't sure how she was going to react or behave. She didn't seem to mind the take-off (besides the seatbelt) and she was adored by the staff. I am sure they get lots of adopted children on this particular flight route so they pay extra attention to them. One flight attendant stopped to talk to Liberty and then scooped her up and took her to the back of the plane to talk with the other staff members. At first, we were thinking, "Hey, that's our baby!" but then realized that she really couldnt take off with her...we were in the plane. haha Liberty came back with extra snacks and a yogurt. (They drink their yogurt with a straw, by the way).
After the plane landed, we were all standing, crammed in the aisle of the plane waiting for the doors to open, while Liberty entertained everyone around. She is so social and friendly. Brandon and I have no idea what she was saying but they were all laughing. She was probably saying, "These people are crazy! They do anything I say and give me anything I want!" haha We are not that bad. :)
Once we were picked up by our guide,Jack, we headed to the hotel while Jack asked us questions about our adopting journey. Of course, I love telling this story so he heard the whole thing and I ended up in tears. Happy tears though. When I say out loud the things that have happened, I get overwhelmed with emotion. We have been thanking everyone who has helped us along this China journey,. They all have played a part in giving Liberty a family. It's just so incredible! Jack told us he has helped over 1,000 families in his career. I love hearing things like this!
For dinner, we headed over to PIZZA HUT where we got a good old USA pizza and pop WITH ICE!! Everything is just warm here so ice soounded so good in my pop.:) It was Liberty's first time in a restaurant and the first time she had pizza. This was the final test. Was she destined to be a Myers??(hahahah) She loved it! :)
So we are headed to the physical tomorrow and then we will have a few days of site-seeing. Liberty will have even more "firsts". We are going to the zoo where she will see all kinds of animals for the first time. :) Can you imagine what is running through this little sweet potato's head?? She must just not really understand it all. Later we will go to a market to do some shopping. (Not too much though, Our bags are getting close to the weight limit!!)
The busy-ness of our trip is winding down and we are ready to head home! Just a few more hoops to jump through and then we can not only end this trip but start a new one as a family!
Today was her first airplane ride and her first time out of Shanghai. We were a little anxious about this because we weren't sure how she was going to react or behave. She didn't seem to mind the take-off (besides the seatbelt) and she was adored by the staff. I am sure they get lots of adopted children on this particular flight route so they pay extra attention to them. One flight attendant stopped to talk to Liberty and then scooped her up and took her to the back of the plane to talk with the other staff members. At first, we were thinking, "Hey, that's our baby!" but then realized that she really couldnt take off with her...we were in the plane. haha Liberty came back with extra snacks and a yogurt. (They drink their yogurt with a straw, by the way).
After the plane landed, we were all standing, crammed in the aisle of the plane waiting for the doors to open, while Liberty entertained everyone around. She is so social and friendly. Brandon and I have no idea what she was saying but they were all laughing. She was probably saying, "These people are crazy! They do anything I say and give me anything I want!" haha We are not that bad. :)
Once we were picked up by our guide,Jack, we headed to the hotel while Jack asked us questions about our adopting journey. Of course, I love telling this story so he heard the whole thing and I ended up in tears. Happy tears though. When I say out loud the things that have happened, I get overwhelmed with emotion. We have been thanking everyone who has helped us along this China journey,. They all have played a part in giving Liberty a family. It's just so incredible! Jack told us he has helped over 1,000 families in his career. I love hearing things like this!
For dinner, we headed over to PIZZA HUT where we got a good old USA pizza and pop WITH ICE!! Everything is just warm here so ice soounded so good in my pop.:) It was Liberty's first time in a restaurant and the first time she had pizza. This was the final test. Was she destined to be a Myers??(hahahah) She loved it! :)
So we are headed to the physical tomorrow and then we will have a few days of site-seeing. Liberty will have even more "firsts". We are going to the zoo where she will see all kinds of animals for the first time. :) Can you imagine what is running through this little sweet potato's head?? She must just not really understand it all. Later we will go to a market to do some shopping. (Not too much though, Our bags are getting close to the weight limit!!)
The busy-ness of our trip is winding down and we are ready to head home! Just a few more hoops to jump through and then we can not only end this trip but start a new one as a family!
Thursday, March 14, 2013
Thanks SWI and ICShanghai
Today we had the privilege of visiting the Shanghai Childrens Welfare Center where Liberty spent the last four years. It was a beautful center that was really clean and had everything that any US school or pre-school would have. Everyone was so nice. We got to tour her room and the classroom she went to for pre-school. We were really nervous about taking her back there because we didn't want her to think that we were leaving her there. We had MingMing explain to her that we were just going to visit and meet her friends but she would be coming home with us. She ws fine with it earlier in the day but when it got closer she told MingMing she didnt want to go...she didnt miss her friends. I was pretty nervous. But she did great. She let Brandon put her down but just so she could show us where her bed was. Then he had to pick her back up right away. She was fine with saying goodbye but she did get a little teary-eyed. When I asked MingMing what she said when she was upset and she said she didnt want to stay there. So even though we explained things to her, she still was scared.
When we went to visit her pre-school classroom, we met her teacher while she played with her toys...one last time. Her teacher told us a funny story about her. She said that when she would ask Liberty a question that she didn't know the answer to, she would say she needed to go to the bathroom. haha Such a funny little girl. :)
As we left, I started crying. I just couldn't hold it in. I thought of all of the people who have helped Liberty and us get to this point. From her birth mother, to our adoption agency, to her caregivers and most of all God, I just was overwhelmed and so so thankful to all that my family has been given.
We headed back to the hotel to get ready for our newspaper interview. We were a little nervous. We didnt want to say anything that would offend anyone. There was a knock at the door and the journalist was there....with his camera-man!!! Oh My Gosh!!! It turned into a television interview! HAHA We were so nervous then!! Not only were we going to be on TV but we had to be careful what we said and then had to worry about Liberty behaving. It was nerve-wracking but it turned out to be a cool experience. (Thanks to the ice cream! ) We will see how it turns out at 9pm Shangahi time. 8AM home time. www.ICShanghai.com
Tonight has been a little rougher with her. I think she has just had a hard day. A little whiney and crabby but arent we all?? We feel locked in our hotel because we get bombarded with questions about why we have a Chinese child when we are American and how we dont have her dressed warm enough ect. I know they mean no harm but we feel more comfortable in the safe haven of our hotel. The staff all are used to us walking the halls with our China doll.
Tomorrow Liberty Jane-Yirun Myers leaves Shanghai. It is bittersweet but we would have it no other way! She's ours from now until forever!
When we went to visit her pre-school classroom, we met her teacher while she played with her toys...one last time. Her teacher told us a funny story about her. She said that when she would ask Liberty a question that she didn't know the answer to, she would say she needed to go to the bathroom. haha Such a funny little girl. :)
As we left, I started crying. I just couldn't hold it in. I thought of all of the people who have helped Liberty and us get to this point. From her birth mother, to our adoption agency, to her caregivers and most of all God, I just was overwhelmed and so so thankful to all that my family has been given.
We headed back to the hotel to get ready for our newspaper interview. We were a little nervous. We didnt want to say anything that would offend anyone. There was a knock at the door and the journalist was there....with his camera-man!!! Oh My Gosh!!! It turned into a television interview! HAHA We were so nervous then!! Not only were we going to be on TV but we had to be careful what we said and then had to worry about Liberty behaving. It was nerve-wracking but it turned out to be a cool experience. (Thanks to the ice cream! ) We will see how it turns out at 9pm Shangahi time. 8AM home time. www.ICShanghai.com
Tonight has been a little rougher with her. I think she has just had a hard day. A little whiney and crabby but arent we all?? We feel locked in our hotel because we get bombarded with questions about why we have a Chinese child when we are American and how we dont have her dressed warm enough ect. I know they mean no harm but we feel more comfortable in the safe haven of our hotel. The staff all are used to us walking the halls with our China doll.
Tomorrow Liberty Jane-Yirun Myers leaves Shanghai. It is bittersweet but we would have it no other way! She's ours from now until forever!
Wednesday, March 13, 2013
NO TEARS TONIGHT!! :)
I am starting this post with tonight's activities. At bed time, Liberty crawled right into bed, no crying, no tears. Just laid down and went to sleep. Every night she cries and says the same thing over and over. We found out she was saying that she was wet and wanted to be changed. awww, I felt so bad!
But tonight...NO TEARS!! YAY!! It made us feel so good, like she trusts that we will be here when she wakes up. :) It was also good because B and I are not feeling that well today. Both of us have upset stomachs. :/ It'll be better tomorrow.
Today we went site-seeing to the Pearl TV Tower. Relate it to Sears/Willis Tower. Sort of the same thing. We walked on the clear flooring. Liberty had no fear about that. Mom, on the other hand, stayed close to the cement flooring.
After, we went to the market that was previously a Buddist Temple. It was some of the coolest architecture I have ever seen! While we were shopping, I had bought something special for the boys and was waiting for it to be made so B took Liberty around to look at stuff. People started gathering around asking questions. So he headed back to where we were. It is not the "Melting Pot" atmosphere we are used to in the USA where its nothing to see Caucasian Parents with an Africa-American child or Caucasian Parents with an Asian child. Its rare here so they are curious. We decided that we are carrying our adoption papers with us for the rest of the trip. Just to be safe.
After getting some lunch and dropping off our laundry, we headed back to the hotel because it was raining and windy and cold today. We ate lunch and went for a walk around the hotel to try to expend some of this little one's energy. When we got back, Ming Ming our guide, was calling us. She said that a Shanghai Newspaper wanted to interview us for an article about adoption. HOW COOL IS THAT?? It is cool on two parts. In one way, we want it for Liberty later in life. We think it will be great for her to see. Also, it could be a comfort if her bio parents saw it.
Secondly, We feel God's hands are still at work with us. If this interview could spark even one adoption, it would be so worth it! We are nervous but our guide said she will be there and help us.
We feel like it took so long for this adoption to actually happen. The entire time, even thought it was so hard, we held to the fact that we started this journey because we were trying to be faithful to what we felt God was telling us. Now the blessings are overflowing! From how sweet Liberty is and how well she is bonding with us, how good her health is considering her CHD, how many people have been supporting us and cheering us on through email, our blog and FB, and now this interview!! It is so emtionally overwhelming to feel all of this love and experience all of God's blessings. We dont feel worthy of it. But if this is what it feel like to be faithful to God even through the rough times.... Well it sure is worth it! Thanks to God who we give all of the glory!
But tonight...NO TEARS!! YAY!! It made us feel so good, like she trusts that we will be here when she wakes up. :) It was also good because B and I are not feeling that well today. Both of us have upset stomachs. :/ It'll be better tomorrow.
Today we went site-seeing to the Pearl TV Tower. Relate it to Sears/Willis Tower. Sort of the same thing. We walked on the clear flooring. Liberty had no fear about that. Mom, on the other hand, stayed close to the cement flooring.
After, we went to the market that was previously a Buddist Temple. It was some of the coolest architecture I have ever seen! While we were shopping, I had bought something special for the boys and was waiting for it to be made so B took Liberty around to look at stuff. People started gathering around asking questions. So he headed back to where we were. It is not the "Melting Pot" atmosphere we are used to in the USA where its nothing to see Caucasian Parents with an Africa-American child or Caucasian Parents with an Asian child. Its rare here so they are curious. We decided that we are carrying our adoption papers with us for the rest of the trip. Just to be safe.
After getting some lunch and dropping off our laundry, we headed back to the hotel because it was raining and windy and cold today. We ate lunch and went for a walk around the hotel to try to expend some of this little one's energy. When we got back, Ming Ming our guide, was calling us. She said that a Shanghai Newspaper wanted to interview us for an article about adoption. HOW COOL IS THAT?? It is cool on two parts. In one way, we want it for Liberty later in life. We think it will be great for her to see. Also, it could be a comfort if her bio parents saw it.
Secondly, We feel God's hands are still at work with us. If this interview could spark even one adoption, it would be so worth it! We are nervous but our guide said she will be there and help us.
We feel like it took so long for this adoption to actually happen. The entire time, even thought it was so hard, we held to the fact that we started this journey because we were trying to be faithful to what we felt God was telling us. Now the blessings are overflowing! From how sweet Liberty is and how well she is bonding with us, how good her health is considering her CHD, how many people have been supporting us and cheering us on through email, our blog and FB, and now this interview!! It is so emtionally overwhelming to feel all of this love and experience all of God's blessings. We dont feel worthy of it. But if this is what it feel like to be faithful to God even through the rough times.... Well it sure is worth it! Thanks to God who we give all of the glory!
Tuesday, March 12, 2013
She's a Spit-fire and she's officially OUR Spit-fire!! :)
We have definately found out this little one has a personality! She is such a fun little girl and so happy!! It took us awhile to get her to sleep last night, but she slept like a rock! We got a crib today to see if that helps with the bed time thing.
Today was a gorgeous day!! Sunny and about 65! We traveled to the Civil Affairs office to file the adoption paperwork. They interviewed us and asked us why we wanted to adopt this little girl. Also about what are plans were for her health care and education. It was a little nerve wracking but it helped that our person was very young. We had our official picture taken (posted on FB) and then headed to the Notary Office. On our way there Run Run had a messy diaper so I asked where I could change her since there was no place in the restroom. MingMng said, "Oh Chinese women change the babies right here!" On the bench, in the public! haha I am sure the people next to us were not happy having to smell that! But even though the Chinese culture is different from ours, they dont really find anything offensive. After I changed her, she said, according to the guide, that she had to go to the bathroom. I took her and she did go on the toilet so I think potty training will be easy when we get back. For now, she is wearing diapers since we are not close to a bathroom at all times.
At the notary office, everything was made official. China calls her ours! :)After getting back to the hotel and having lunch, we decided to head to the park behind our hotel. It's not a kids park like US parks, More like walking "Perry farm" type park. Anyway, as we were walking around, EVERYONE was staring at us. Run Run was so social! She'd go up to all of the people at the park and say, "Ni Hao!" Oh it was adorable! But then it got a little scary. We had one woman following us around. Then she and another woman came up to us and started speaking in Chinese. Thank God my husband knows how to say,"We dont speak Chinese." They kept asking questions at us. Finally, one pointed and Brandon and said, "BABA?...then pointed to me,"MAMA?" then pointed to Run Run and said " Chinese!" and shook her head no. So I walked up and said with gestures that I wasnt pregnant (Big belly) but she was adopted.(writing on paper). Then it clicked. BUT we were a little freaked out and left quickly. We decided that we will carry our adoption papers with us if we go out alone again. We did pick up ice cream on the way home and after she got used to the coldness of it, she loved it. She kept saying "Tong Lau"(sp?) which means hot. I guess because it was so cold.
We've just been playing with her in the hotel room. Getting ready for dinner and her favorite time of the day BATH TIME!! :)
Tomorrow we are headed to the Pearl Tower and a shopping market. It should be fun and we will feel safe because our guide will be able to explain any questioning, staring, people.
My favorite time today was when she was singing all of the little nursery rhymes she has learned at pre-school. One was to the tune of "Oh my darling! Oh My darling! Oh my darling Clementine!" Then we said "Bonglau!" which means good job!!
We are BEAT but loving every minute of it!
Today was a gorgeous day!! Sunny and about 65! We traveled to the Civil Affairs office to file the adoption paperwork. They interviewed us and asked us why we wanted to adopt this little girl. Also about what are plans were for her health care and education. It was a little nerve wracking but it helped that our person was very young. We had our official picture taken (posted on FB) and then headed to the Notary Office. On our way there Run Run had a messy diaper so I asked where I could change her since there was no place in the restroom. MingMng said, "Oh Chinese women change the babies right here!" On the bench, in the public! haha I am sure the people next to us were not happy having to smell that! But even though the Chinese culture is different from ours, they dont really find anything offensive. After I changed her, she said, according to the guide, that she had to go to the bathroom. I took her and she did go on the toilet so I think potty training will be easy when we get back. For now, she is wearing diapers since we are not close to a bathroom at all times.
At the notary office, everything was made official. China calls her ours! :)After getting back to the hotel and having lunch, we decided to head to the park behind our hotel. It's not a kids park like US parks, More like walking "Perry farm" type park. Anyway, as we were walking around, EVERYONE was staring at us. Run Run was so social! She'd go up to all of the people at the park and say, "Ni Hao!" Oh it was adorable! But then it got a little scary. We had one woman following us around. Then she and another woman came up to us and started speaking in Chinese. Thank God my husband knows how to say,"We dont speak Chinese." They kept asking questions at us. Finally, one pointed and Brandon and said, "BABA?...then pointed to me,"MAMA?" then pointed to Run Run and said " Chinese!" and shook her head no. So I walked up and said with gestures that I wasnt pregnant (Big belly) but she was adopted.(writing on paper). Then it clicked. BUT we were a little freaked out and left quickly. We decided that we will carry our adoption papers with us if we go out alone again. We did pick up ice cream on the way home and after she got used to the coldness of it, she loved it. She kept saying "Tong Lau"(sp?) which means hot. I guess because it was so cold.
We've just been playing with her in the hotel room. Getting ready for dinner and her favorite time of the day BATH TIME!! :)
Tomorrow we are headed to the Pearl Tower and a shopping market. It should be fun and we will feel safe because our guide will be able to explain any questioning, staring, people.
My favorite time today was when she was singing all of the little nursery rhymes she has learned at pre-school. One was to the tune of "Oh my darling! Oh My darling! Oh my darling Clementine!" Then we said "Bonglau!" which means good job!!
We are BEAT but loving every minute of it!
Monday, March 11, 2013
She's in our arms!!
Wow! What a day! Brandon and I have forgotten the energy it takes to have a four year old!!
Our appointment with the Civil Affairs office wasnt until 12:30 so we met our guide at 12, exchanged all of the money we needed and then headed over to the office. When we got there, we filled out all of our paper work that was needed.
Then we waited... There were two other families adopting from Shanghai Childrens Welfare Institute so we were all nervously chit-chatting away. The other families had already paid but we hadn't so Brandon left the room with our Guide, MingMing to do so. That was when the other two families children came in so I was able to video for them. Then when brandon came back, MingMing said Run Run was coming and Brandon said he heard her talking in the hall when they were headed back.
She came running into the room towards me saying, Mama,Mama! and then went right past me to see everything that was going on in the room. All three families had gift bags and she wanted to know what was in them! :) So we got out the toys we had brought her and she came over to us...to get the toys. haha. But the her caregiver took the toys until she said Ni Hao and gave us a minute of her time. She was so inquizitive and talkative. It was so adorable!!
Her caregiver and the orphanage gave us a bag of gifts which included a seal/stamp of her chinese name, a flash drive with all of the pics they have of her, a photo book, and the gold bangles and pennant that she was found with, I was hoping she would get these and she did!! What a great symbol of the love her parents have for her.
When her caregiver was leaving, she started crying...It broke our hearts because she was calling out "mama". But MingMing told us the children call all of the workers mama. When Brandon got her a snack and MingMing told her how much we loved her, she stopped crying and was fine.
We left the Civil Affairs office and headed to the grocery store. She wasnt too happy about the seatbelt..I wonder how she'll like the car seat at home. haha We let her pick out what she liked to eat. Fruits, noodles and some cookies. Then when Brandon got 2 packs of Coke, our guide told us she said, "Thats so much soda!" when we got back to the hotel, she told MingMing that she was tired, (she missed her nap) BUT when we got up to the room, there was so much excitment she was NOT going to sleep.
We played with all of her toys, tried on all of her shoes and her coat. She ate and ate and ate and drank and drank and drank. They say that this is normal because at the orphanage they never get more, just enough. Then the three of us went to the lobby to try to get some help ordering pizza. RunRun and I went exploring while Brandon was getting help. When we came around the corner and Run Run saw Brandon, she yelled "BaBa!!" (which is what she calls him) and went running to him. My heart melted!!
Its funny though to see Chinese people look at us like we kidnapped her or something. Its hilarious!
After the pizza ordeal, we went back to the room and tried to get her into the bathtub. She wasnt having it. But she did agree to a sink bath so we did a sink bath with her feet only in the sink. Then we coaxed her into sitting in the sink. Then when we couldn't get all the soap out of her hair, we finally got her into the bathtub and she loved it!! About 45 minutes in the tub! Brandon and she played while I took a shower. When she came in and saw me in the shower, she insisted in getting in too. Bath # 2. Then when we were done, she wanted to get into the bath tub again. bath #3!! At this point, we were saying, "Whatever makes her happy!!"
We finally got to SKYPE the boys and they got to see RunRun. She was a bit confused about her brothers IN the computer but they were so happy and she was laughing and talking to them in Chinese. She is quite the talker! It's like she has four years worth of stuff to fill us in on! She doesnt care that we dont know what she is saying. She is so funny!
We thought bed time would be a breeze but....we were wrong! We were trying everything! But she is so funny! She wears diapers but everytime she is wet, she will try to take her diaper off so we have to change her. This happened 4 times in about 30 minutes. She most likely hasnt slept in a bed before so she kept getting up and jumping around, falling on us and laughing her cute little face off!! She really is a happy little girl! She hasnt cried once. But she does have a temper. If we say something she doesn't like... you can see it on her face. I think we are going to have our hands full.
Finally, we shut off all the lights and Brandon held her and sang to her until she fell asleep. This took about 45 minutes.
Our journey has started! It is going to be challenging but so worth it!
Thank you, God for your faithfulness and blessings to our family!
Our appointment with the Civil Affairs office wasnt until 12:30 so we met our guide at 12, exchanged all of the money we needed and then headed over to the office. When we got there, we filled out all of our paper work that was needed.
Then we waited... There were two other families adopting from Shanghai Childrens Welfare Institute so we were all nervously chit-chatting away. The other families had already paid but we hadn't so Brandon left the room with our Guide, MingMing to do so. That was when the other two families children came in so I was able to video for them. Then when brandon came back, MingMing said Run Run was coming and Brandon said he heard her talking in the hall when they were headed back.
She came running into the room towards me saying, Mama,Mama! and then went right past me to see everything that was going on in the room. All three families had gift bags and she wanted to know what was in them! :) So we got out the toys we had brought her and she came over to us...to get the toys. haha. But the her caregiver took the toys until she said Ni Hao and gave us a minute of her time. She was so inquizitive and talkative. It was so adorable!!
Her caregiver and the orphanage gave us a bag of gifts which included a seal/stamp of her chinese name, a flash drive with all of the pics they have of her, a photo book, and the gold bangles and pennant that she was found with, I was hoping she would get these and she did!! What a great symbol of the love her parents have for her.
When her caregiver was leaving, she started crying...It broke our hearts because she was calling out "mama". But MingMing told us the children call all of the workers mama. When Brandon got her a snack and MingMing told her how much we loved her, she stopped crying and was fine.
We left the Civil Affairs office and headed to the grocery store. She wasnt too happy about the seatbelt..I wonder how she'll like the car seat at home. haha We let her pick out what she liked to eat. Fruits, noodles and some cookies. Then when Brandon got 2 packs of Coke, our guide told us she said, "Thats so much soda!" when we got back to the hotel, she told MingMing that she was tired, (she missed her nap) BUT when we got up to the room, there was so much excitment she was NOT going to sleep.
We played with all of her toys, tried on all of her shoes and her coat. She ate and ate and ate and drank and drank and drank. They say that this is normal because at the orphanage they never get more, just enough. Then the three of us went to the lobby to try to get some help ordering pizza. RunRun and I went exploring while Brandon was getting help. When we came around the corner and Run Run saw Brandon, she yelled "BaBa!!" (which is what she calls him) and went running to him. My heart melted!!
Its funny though to see Chinese people look at us like we kidnapped her or something. Its hilarious!
After the pizza ordeal, we went back to the room and tried to get her into the bathtub. She wasnt having it. But she did agree to a sink bath so we did a sink bath with her feet only in the sink. Then we coaxed her into sitting in the sink. Then when we couldn't get all the soap out of her hair, we finally got her into the bathtub and she loved it!! About 45 minutes in the tub! Brandon and she played while I took a shower. When she came in and saw me in the shower, she insisted in getting in too. Bath # 2. Then when we were done, she wanted to get into the bath tub again. bath #3!! At this point, we were saying, "Whatever makes her happy!!"
We finally got to SKYPE the boys and they got to see RunRun. She was a bit confused about her brothers IN the computer but they were so happy and she was laughing and talking to them in Chinese. She is quite the talker! It's like she has four years worth of stuff to fill us in on! She doesnt care that we dont know what she is saying. She is so funny!
We thought bed time would be a breeze but....we were wrong! We were trying everything! But she is so funny! She wears diapers but everytime she is wet, she will try to take her diaper off so we have to change her. This happened 4 times in about 30 minutes. She most likely hasnt slept in a bed before so she kept getting up and jumping around, falling on us and laughing her cute little face off!! She really is a happy little girl! She hasnt cried once. But she does have a temper. If we say something she doesn't like... you can see it on her face. I think we are going to have our hands full.
Finally, we shut off all the lights and Brandon held her and sang to her until she fell asleep. This took about 45 minutes.
Our journey has started! It is going to be challenging but so worth it!
Thank you, God for your faithfulness and blessings to our family!
Sunday, March 10, 2013
Shanghai Nights and KFC
We made it to Shanghai!! We chose to take the High speed Train instead of the airplane so we could see the countryside. WOW there is alot of poverty on the country side. But it was very interesting to see. One of the most interesting things we saw was farmers using handtools to farm the land. I am not sure if it was because of what they were growing or not but it was neat to see. Of course we would only see it for a brief second because the high speed train travels at 320 miles per hour. It was so fast! Alot of my pics didn't turn out because of the speed. Another thing is there will be no more pics while we are in Shanghai due to the fact that they dont have Wi-Fi at the hotel... only cable hook up. All of our pics are on my IPad. :( So sorry!! But as soon as we get to Hong Kong, I will post all of the pics we take of us meeting Run Run for the first time.
We asked our guide, Jack, about Zheng Yi Run's name. He said it is pronounced Cheng Yi Wren. We thought this was funny because now she can be our little birdie (wren) and her English name is Liberty (li-BIRD-ty) haha.
We had a great meal tonight. We found a KFC. Although it took us a long time to order, those mashed potatoes were the best I have ever had!! We need a Monicals's pizza or some Texas Roadhouse Fed-Ex'ed to us! We were starving today. Once we get Run Run, maybe she can order for us! Brandon actually has been doing great speaking Chinese when needed, like tonight. He said to the KFC girl, in Chinese, "Excuse me, Can I ask, do you speak english?" She smiled and went to get another girl who spoke English. As we were waiting for our food, we were brought back to the days of Hardee's when all the girls would scream their orders back to the cooks. It was so loud and then adding the Chinese language to the situation made it even funnier. It is such a harsh, loud language. And you wanna talk about line-jumping!! These people would for sure get kicked out of Six Flags. Everyone just cuts and pushes you out of their way. And no one goes off!! I told B that I will probably blow at least once before we leave. I was already run over by a wheel chair. Needless to say, we are having a good time and realize it is just cultural differences that we are not used to.
Tomorrow is the big day!! Our appointment got pushed back to 12:30 though. We have all of our gifts and money ready. We have her bag packed with toys, stickerbooks, sippy cup and snacks. We are nervous but excited to start the next part of our lives with her as a part of our family! As of tomorrow, the Myers will be a family of FIVE! Love you all and keep the prayers coming! I can feel them!
We asked our guide, Jack, about Zheng Yi Run's name. He said it is pronounced Cheng Yi Wren. We thought this was funny because now she can be our little birdie (wren) and her English name is Liberty (li-BIRD-ty) haha.
We had a great meal tonight. We found a KFC. Although it took us a long time to order, those mashed potatoes were the best I have ever had!! We need a Monicals's pizza or some Texas Roadhouse Fed-Ex'ed to us! We were starving today. Once we get Run Run, maybe she can order for us! Brandon actually has been doing great speaking Chinese when needed, like tonight. He said to the KFC girl, in Chinese, "Excuse me, Can I ask, do you speak english?" She smiled and went to get another girl who spoke English. As we were waiting for our food, we were brought back to the days of Hardee's when all the girls would scream their orders back to the cooks. It was so loud and then adding the Chinese language to the situation made it even funnier. It is such a harsh, loud language. And you wanna talk about line-jumping!! These people would for sure get kicked out of Six Flags. Everyone just cuts and pushes you out of their way. And no one goes off!! I told B that I will probably blow at least once before we leave. I was already run over by a wheel chair. Needless to say, we are having a good time and realize it is just cultural differences that we are not used to.
Tomorrow is the big day!! Our appointment got pushed back to 12:30 though. We have all of our gifts and money ready. We have her bag packed with toys, stickerbooks, sippy cup and snacks. We are nervous but excited to start the next part of our lives with her as a part of our family! As of tomorrow, the Myers will be a family of FIVE! Love you all and keep the prayers coming! I can feel them!
Saturday, March 9, 2013
We conquered th Great Wall!
Today is day 3 in Beijing. It is very cold and windy here today. We are getting to see so much but we are so tired! :) We both agree that we can catch up on sleep Sunday night so we did all we could today.
Today we visited a Jade factory. Here they take the stone and create all kinds of beautiful items. Necklaces, statues, earrings, and Family heirlooms. We purchased one of the family heirlooms. It is so cool! I truly love all of the history behind everything in China. As our guide says, " In China, There is a reason for everything."
We then traveled to The Great Wall..... AND WE CONQUERED IT! We went as far up as we were allowed. 2872 steps to the top and back down. Umm, yes my legs are sore!! We agreed there should be a medal given to those who make it to the top! (I got a sweatshirt! Haha)
As we were climbing, I would think, "I can't make it to the top" but then I would see someone older walking down so I had to keep going! We were so glad when we reached the top. What beautiful scenery!
We traveled to the Olympic City and saw the Bird's Nest and the Water Cube from the 2008 Olympics. It was really neat to see it for real. But not a lot to do except take pictures.
After freezing our tails off taking pics, we went to the largest Tea House in Beijing for a tea tasting. B was a good sport about it since he really doesn't like tea. We tried, Jasmine, Olong (black dragon), Pu'er (pure), and fruit tea. Pu'er is supposed to be the most valuable because it is only found in China and it is rare. We didn't like it. We bought some fruit tea. Yummy! It will be good hot or cold!
After that we went to the Chinese acrobat show. AMAZING! Just when we were amazed by something, it would get even better.
Now we are back in our room for a much needed night in the hotel. We are beat!
We leave for Shanghai tomorrow on the Bullet Train. Excited for the new adventure and to see the countryside of China.
Today we visited a Jade factory. Here they take the stone and create all kinds of beautiful items. Necklaces, statues, earrings, and Family heirlooms. We purchased one of the family heirlooms. It is so cool! I truly love all of the history behind everything in China. As our guide says, " In China, There is a reason for everything."
We then traveled to The Great Wall..... AND WE CONQUERED IT! We went as far up as we were allowed. 2872 steps to the top and back down. Umm, yes my legs are sore!! We agreed there should be a medal given to those who make it to the top! (I got a sweatshirt! Haha)
As we were climbing, I would think, "I can't make it to the top" but then I would see someone older walking down so I had to keep going! We were so glad when we reached the top. What beautiful scenery!
We traveled to the Olympic City and saw the Bird's Nest and the Water Cube from the 2008 Olympics. It was really neat to see it for real. But not a lot to do except take pictures.
After freezing our tails off taking pics, we went to the largest Tea House in Beijing for a tea tasting. B was a good sport about it since he really doesn't like tea. We tried, Jasmine, Olong (black dragon), Pu'er (pure), and fruit tea. Pu'er is supposed to be the most valuable because it is only found in China and it is rare. We didn't like it. We bought some fruit tea. Yummy! It will be good hot or cold!
After that we went to the Chinese acrobat show. AMAZING! Just when we were amazed by something, it would get even better.
Now we are back in our room for a much needed night in the hotel. We are beat!
We leave for Shanghai tomorrow on the Bullet Train. Excited for the new adventure and to see the countryside of China.
Friday, March 8, 2013
We are famous!
It is day 2 here in Beijing,China. We had an incredibly busy day but we are loving every minute of it! Today we had breakfast at the hotel and actually had some good "American"stuff. Then it was off the Tinenaman Square but we were not allowed "on" the square because there are some governmental meetings going on and the government buildings are right next to the square. Then it was into the Forbidden City. So cool! Who knew this place went on and on forever? So much history and tradition to learn about. Our guide, Jack, is filled with tons of information. We are so lucky to have such a great guide!
After the Forbidden City, Brandon agreed to go out on a limb and have lunch with a local Chinese family, in their home, cooked by the mother. Now THAT 'S authentic Chinese living! She taught us how to make Chinese dumplings. Oh how delicious !!
We then took a Rickshaw tour of the Hunan (?) alleys. This is the older neighborhoods of Beijing. Made us really realize how "over the top" us Americans live. There were 3 generations in a 3bedroom home.
We also visited the Temple of Heaven. So interesting to learn about these places.
Then we had the famous Peking Duck dinner which B and I didn't enjoy so much but we tried. The last item on the agenda was the Red Theater and the Kung Fu show. This was really fun to watch. Some incredibly talented people!
Tonight we definitely will sleep well!
PS. I said we were famous because we had two different people come up and want to take their picture with us because we were American. It was funny!
After the Forbidden City, Brandon agreed to go out on a limb and have lunch with a local Chinese family, in their home, cooked by the mother. Now THAT 'S authentic Chinese living! She taught us how to make Chinese dumplings. Oh how delicious !!
We then took a Rickshaw tour of the Hunan (?) alleys. This is the older neighborhoods of Beijing. Made us really realize how "over the top" us Americans live. There were 3 generations in a 3bedroom home.
We also visited the Temple of Heaven. So interesting to learn about these places.
Then we had the famous Peking Duck dinner which B and I didn't enjoy so much but we tried. The last item on the agenda was the Red Theater and the Kung Fu show. This was really fun to watch. Some incredibly talented people!
Tonight we definitely will sleep well!
PS. I said we were famous because we had two different people come up and want to take their picture with us because we were American. It was funny!
Thursday, March 7, 2013
We made it!!
Well we made it! We are in China! The flight was not as bad as I thought it was going to be. We sat next to a man who lives in the US but is originally from China. After talking for a bit, we shared that we were headed to China to adopt a little girl. He was so grateful for this and praised us for our decision. We explained that we are really the ones who are lucky. We get to get to have Run Run as a part of our family.
When we got to Beijing, we met our guide, Jack, he is super nice and full of knowledge about Beijing. He told us that one day for lunch he wants to take us to the home of an authentic Chinese family and they will make us "real" Chinese food. I agreed but Brandon is nervous. :) It will be a once in a lifetime experience! Tonight we were on our own so we walked down the main strip where our hotel is and found a huge indoor mall. Not too exciting because all of the stores are the same ones we have in the US. But we ate at Pizza Hut. Interestingly, Pizza Hut here is a higher end restaurant. I tried a peach hot tea from a recommendation from our guide. It was so good!!
So far the city is really cool and I cannot wait to see what is in store for tomorrow....
PS The only negative is the smog and the matresses are so hard...Wheres my Sleep Comfort?? :)
When we got to Beijing, we met our guide, Jack, he is super nice and full of knowledge about Beijing. He told us that one day for lunch he wants to take us to the home of an authentic Chinese family and they will make us "real" Chinese food. I agreed but Brandon is nervous. :) It will be a once in a lifetime experience! Tonight we were on our own so we walked down the main strip where our hotel is and found a huge indoor mall. Not too exciting because all of the stores are the same ones we have in the US. But we ate at Pizza Hut. Interestingly, Pizza Hut here is a higher end restaurant. I tried a peach hot tea from a recommendation from our guide. It was so good!!
So far the city is really cool and I cannot wait to see what is in store for tomorrow....
PS The only negative is the smog and the matresses are so hard...Wheres my Sleep Comfort?? :)
Wednesday, March 6, 2013
The cherry on top!
As we are preparing to leave this morning, I checked in on our little Zoey. She is the little one we had to pass up adopting this past summer. She is the other little one in China who holds a piece of my heart.
Zoey not having a forever family has always been the one little splinter in the wonderful joyous event of adopting Run Run.
But once again, God is so good...ALL of the time! We found out this morning that Zoey has been matched with her forever family! I didn't want to start my crying fest this early in the journey but the flood gates have opened before I have even left my house.
I praise God today for all of His wondrous plans that I cannot see. I love you,Lord!!
Zoey not having a forever family has always been the one little splinter in the wonderful joyous event of adopting Run Run.
But once again, God is so good...ALL of the time! We found out this morning that Zoey has been matched with her forever family! I didn't want to start my crying fest this early in the journey but the flood gates have opened before I have even left my house.
I praise God today for all of His wondrous plans that I cannot see. I love you,Lord!!
Tuesday, March 5, 2013
We are ready to go!!
Its time to travel and there is a huge snow storm going on. We have everything packed and ready to go. Now we are just hoping that our flight will not be cancelled. There are so many emotions going through our heads. Fear, anxiousness, joy, excitement and every other emotion one could feel!
We have had so many prayers and blessings from so many people! We are so lucky to have so many people that already love our little Run Run! The next time we post, we are hoping we will be in Beijing! :)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)