Home One Week

We have been home one week now and it has been a hard one! Both children had doctor appointments, blood draws and shots. Lots of tears! Jet had to go to the ER as he had a bad case of croup. On top of jet leg and just trying to find our new norm. I am glad to have this first week behind us. There were some beautiful things about this first week though. Jet leaned in and gave both me and daddy our first kiss!! Ruiby learned to sign more and now says "all done". Her smile lights up a room! And we get lots of kisses form her daily! They love to swing! (thanks aunt Jene for letting us have one of yours) I feel tired, but so blessed! Looking forward to seeing what this week holds for us and what knew things these little treasures learn this week. Love to All!!

HOME!!!!

There is nothing like coming home!! I could not stop the tears as we landed in Seattle!! It felt so good!! The kids did great. We had to leave our hotel at 5:00 am, so we were up very early. Our first flight left at 8:40 am to Be*jing. After some crying getting on the plane by both children they settled in and took a good sleep. After landing, we then had to get our luggage and recheck it and go through multiple security checks where both children did a lot of screaming and crying. Isabelle and I were so glad to be done with that part of our trip. We sat at Starbucks for the next few hours waiting for our 4:25 pm flight to Seattle. Since we had already gone through security we thought we could fill the babies bottles, WRONG! we had to go through another security at the gate where they made me dump the contents of their bottles. That went over real well! I was so glad when the ladies came by with beverages on the plane and we could refill their bottles!! Both of the kids did really well on the flight home. Ruiby fell asleep around 7:30 and Jet around 8:00. They both almost slept the rest of the flight. Ruiby woke with about an hour and a half left and fussed and cried a little about her shunt hurting. Jet woke with about a half hour left in the flight and did great until we started making our decent and he started crying. Then Izzy and I were stuck in customs, immigrations and baggage claim for a very long time. As there were 6 other international flights that landed around the same time. We finally saw Sam and Dakota's beautiful faces about three hours after we landed. There are no words that can describe the feeling I had as I spied their faces in the big crowd of people looking down from the top of the escalator. Pure JOY!!! I don't remember much of the trip home other then the kids not liking their car seats. I was so tired and just could not keep my eyes open any longer. We were so happy to see the rest of our family as we arrived home that evening. Three weeks is a long time to be away from the ones you love!!

James 1:17 says " Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above." These two beautiful babies are a very perfect gift from above and we can not be more thankful that we were chosen to be their forever  family!!

Thank you for your prayers and love!!

 First taste of whip cream!! From Izzy's birthday!

 First four wheeler ride with daddy!

First Wagon ride!

Coming Home!!!

Last post from Ch*na!!!

We are packing up one last time! My emotions are all over the place. I am so blessed and grateful for this place that has blessed us four times with beautiful gifts and treasures in our 3 daughters and one son, I have enjoyed the sights and experience once again, but my heart is longing for HOME!! My heart is heavy for the little faces that are etched in my memory, the ones left behind. My life will never be the same again! As long as I have a voice I will always speak for those children!! Our life before we left home will not be the same when we come home, instead it will be richer and fuller, it will have its ups and downs, it will be full of laughter and tears. I am so glad we said YES to God!! Has it been easy? NO, it has been very hard. But, God never promised easy,  He promised He would never leave us or forsake us and I know that to be a fact! So as Izzy and I get ready for our last leg of this amazing journey I know that God will be walking with us. Thank you for your prayers! We have felt them over and over again! Thank you to those who have loving cared for my family at home!! It means to much to me and thank you God for these two amazing little children whom I love so much! They have come a long way in just a short amount of time and I can not wait to see them burst into full bloom!

 

Next post from HOME!!

 

Hugs!

 

 

 

3 More Days!

Hi all, we are down to three days here!!! Yay!!

Yesterday we visited the zoo. It was fun to get some exercise and see the animals.

 

Also yesterday Ruiby went to see a doctor about the abscess she has on her ear and he thought it could wait until we got home. He is a little concerned about the fluid on her brain and the long flight home. We could really use all our prayer warrior praying that our flight home will go well for her.

 

Today we went to the Five Ram Statue which is the Guangzhou city symbol. It was fun seeing all the people out exercising. We also went to my old stomping grounds Shamian Island where I have stayed the other times we have adopted. So nice to be back on the island and visit all the shops.

 

Tomorrow is oath and US visa day!!

 

Enjoy the pictures from the last two days!

 

                                                                            Our group

                                                                               Jet copying Izzy

 

Sightseeing and Missing Daddy

I started the day off by throwing up for several hours in the night.  I really haven’t felt very good all day.  But we went out to sight see anyway. It was good to get out of our room for a little bit. We went to the market and the Chen Clan Academy. That is where the pictures were taken for today. Pray for Ruiby girl as tomorrow she has to go back to the hospital to have an abscess by her ear drained. Pray that I am feeling better soon and pray for Izzy as her tummy was hurting this evening. Both of the babies are doing good. Ruiby has been a little out of sorts since Jon left. In fact today when I showed her his picture she got mad and wouldn’t look at him, but later in the day I found her looking at his picture and kissing it.  So sweet. She has also been adding to her English words Jet is making slow but steady improvements in making eye contact with me. Izzy said that when I left to do paperwork yesterday he said mama. His very first word!! Enjoy the pictures!

 Love to All

 

 

Update!

So it has been two days now since I last wrote. Let me take the time right now to say thank you to my beautiful niece Dakota for posting these posts for me! You are one special girl and I love you so much!

 

Okay, Friday we arrived at the airport at 2:30. Are flight was to leave at 5:25. Instead they loaded the plane and we sat for another hour. Talk about crazy with two, two year olds. First they had both of the babies in one row and Izzy and I in another. I told the guy who was to sit between them that he could have my seat. He said no problem. They made us buy a ticket for Jet because he is over two, but he is the size of a one year old and the seat belt wouldn’t stay on him,. He was very agitated. So I sad forget this! Izzy you come and take Ruiby’s seat and Ruiby will sit between us and I will hold Jet. No one said a word to me about it.  As the plane started to take off Ruiby had this scared look on her face and she buried her face in Izzy’s lap and closed her eyes. She slept the whole 2 hours and 40 minutes. Jet, well he ate or cried and screamed the whole way, except the last 10 minutes of the flight. He was very agitated, and every time they would shut out the light he would start to fuss! I fed him every cheerio and cracker that I had. Then I stood in the isle for awhile trying to get him to go to sleep. He was so tired. But has not yet felt safe enough for me to rock him to sleep. He has many self soothing habits and when I was finally made to take my seat to make our decent he was beside himself. He rocked violently back and forth trying to suck both his thumbs and scream at the same time. All the while Izzy and I were being stared at by the many people who were around us. There was nothing I could do, but let him cry. Finally he let me pull him close and he buried his little head in my neck, stuck his thumb in his mouth and closed his eyes, that was ten minutes before we landed. We finally made it to our hotel at around 11: 00 pm. All of us completely beat!!

 

We thought today was going to be a better day. Well it was not! We started the morning off with breakfast and that was good, until suddenly Jet started to cough. I didn’t think much of it as he has had a runny nose for a couple days now. I had to go up to the business center and make some copies of the kids passports before we went to their medical check. I left the babies with Izzy. When I got back I could see the fear in Izzy’s eyes. Jethro was crying and gasping for air. Being that I know what it feels like to not be able to breath and what it sounds like when your airway is closing off, I knew right away that something I had fed him was causing him trouble. I started giving him lots of water and called my guide. She met me in the lobby and took me to the clinic here in the hotel. Slowly he started getting better, but had a barking cough. The doctor was not there so we were headed to the medical check and the doctors there checked him over. He was fine by the time we got there, but they did give me some medicine for him. It was a very scary few minutes for Izzy and I.

At the medical check both children cried at every station!! Our hearts broke to hear them cry in a room with the door closed as they did the blood draw for their TB test. Ruiby is also headed back to the hospital on Monday because she has an abscess on her ear that needs to be drained. All I can say is that as I have encountered all these little obstacles with these two precious children is that I have the same mama bear love for these children that I have for my five other children! I will protect them with my life if I have to. My Love for them just keeps getting bigger and bigger!

 

Tonight Jethro for the first time let me hold him and talk to him in his ear and tell him how much I love him and instead of him rocking himself to sleep tonight he let his mama rock him instead!! A huge step for this little man! 

 

Izzy and I feel like we are on the amazing race, but instead of a prize of a million dollars, our prize, is priceless! A smile, a hug, sweet giggles and belly laughs, Jethro looking into my eyes, Ruiby holding my hand and saying mama. All these things out way the challenges we face everyday. We have shed some tears the last couple days, as our best traveling partner made his way home yesterday and we miss him so very much!   Ruiby wonders around the room asking for Dada baba and I can tell she is sad that he is gone. She looks at his picture many times a day saying his name over and over.   Izzy and I made our way this evening over to a place that felt like home STARBUCKS!! don’t be critical! A girls gotta do what a girls gotta do to survive! Okay, well I think you are all caught up! Thanks for the prayers!! Keep them coming we need them!! Love and hugs to all! We love you! Teresa, Izzy, Ruiby and Jet

 

PS sorry there is no pictures! It was all we could do just to survive the last two days.

 

Sent from Windows Mail

 

News!

It has been awhile since I have written and a lot has happened.

 

We spent Wednesday evening visiting with two ladies who live here and volunteer at Jet’s orphanage. It was wonderful to spend time with them. One of them has an amazing story of how she was adopted in America by a Chinese family. Such a beautiful story and the other Has been living here for almost two years teaching English, but is from Ohio and ironically has a brother who lives in Wenatchee. Thank you Mollie and Christie for taking time out of your day to spend with us!!

 

Ruiby had been fussy all day. She had been pointing at her shunt and fussing that it hurt. I had been worried about it, but then she started throwing up and from all I have learned about hydrocephalus I knew what I had to do. But I had Izzy txt Kristen for the push I needed to take her to a hospital here. It was late at night and our guide took me to a children’s hospital Lets just say it was an experience I am hoping to avoided the rest of the trip. They did a CT scan and an ultrasound to check her shunt function and how much fluid was on her brain. SHe does have fluid, but the doctor felt it was not an emergency and he could tell that her shunt was working. Praise God!! and thank you for your prayers!! We needed them!! She continued to fuss about it yesterday, but I am thinking she might have had a stomach bug also. She was back to her smiley self last night! Another praise God.

 

Because Ruiby was not well yesterday I stayed at the hotel with her and Jon, Izzy and Jet went with our guide to a really neat market. Later in the day when the kids took their nap Jon walked with me back down to the market so I could see it and Izzy stayed with babies.

 

We leave here today and start the last leg of this journey! We are so ready to be done and are starting to feel that tug in out hearts for home. We miss you all and our family that is at home! We miss our country home! One more week and we will be heading home.

 

Love to all!