The Papers Are Signed

We spent the rest of yesterday hanging out in our room. We decided it might be best to keep things low key since life had changed in a big way for this little girl. We curled up together for a nap, but unfortunately, I had to get up b/c our guide came with paperwork & a banker to exchange money for me. I could not resist a picture of her sleeping...so sweet.

Our hotel gives guests slippers, & when I put mine on, Kemeri thought she needed to give it a go, too. She loves looking at herself in the mirror, & thought it was great that we both had our toes sticking out of these slippers.

She continues to just tease Kade by pointing & then burying her face when he comes near, but this morning, he discovered an in. Kemeri, meet the ipad & ipod. Hmmm, this dude is not half bad.

But then it was back to the pointing & teasing. Stinker.

We had to get around this morning for a trip back to the Civil Affairs office to sign the adoption paperwork.

We got up much too early this morning (Kade & I were up first, & I think she sensed us up, so she decided to join the party), so by the time we arrived, she was sound asleep.

I wasn't sure how she would react since the orphanage staff would be there, too. When she woke up, she was happy to see them, but when they put their arms out to hold her, she shook her head no. And she meant it.

We got everything signed & made it official with my thumbprint & her handprint. And that was that. So we headed off on quite the adventure to Walmart to buy new shoes for Lil Miss & a few snacks. THAT was interesting, & that's all I have to say.

Once back at the hotel, we decided to check out the indoor pool. Since the water was quite warm, we decided swimming sounded like something to try. Have I mentioned that the speaking of English is not real easy to come by at this hotel? After establishing that we would all need to have bathing caps (which I purchased), the gal then tries to tell me only 2 of us are allowed to swim free per room. She wanted to charge me over $10USD for the baby to swim. People, this mama is homesick, not adjusting well to the time change, & really in no mood for such nonsense. I don't get grumpy too often with people, but I think my feelings crossed all language barriers & she decided it really was not necessary to charge the baby. Bless her heart. And after all that, I went into the locker room to change in a very wide-open, non-private space, when here comes this same gal to hold the baby while I change. What the heck...I just showed her my grumpy self, why not my naked self, too? Oy.

We ended up having a good time swimming & then enjoyed another nap. Kemeri's preferred spot continues to be my lap, which is fine by me. They say Hunan girls are "spicey" b/c of their temperament, & I am seeing bits of this along the way. ;) On the flip side, we just got our first real laughing when I was changing her into her pajamas. Just so happens she is ticklish, & she has a great laugh.

Tomorrow is a free day, so our guide is going to come by & go shopping with us. I have thoroughly enjoyed having some relaxed time, but it will be nice to get out for a bit & explore the area.

Meet Kemeri Abigail

We headed to the Civil Affairs office at 10:00 for our 10:30 meeting. When we got there, the waiting room was empty, so Kade & I sat down while our guide went to copy some papers. As we were sitting there, we saw some people in the hall & Kade said, "Mom, I think that's her." Sure enough, when they turned, I knew that it was. Our guide was still not back, but the people from the orphanage brought her in & we got to say hello. Technically, you are not allowed to pick up your child until the proper paperwork is in place & they have checked your passport. So, after I caught my breath, I did what any good mother would do & dug into my bag of tricks. The cheerios were very well received.

It just wouldn't be an important event without some sort of camera issue. Today was no exception. Seems the setting on the camera got switched so some of the pictures are a bit fuzzy.

She has been a bit slow to warm up to Kade. He's been pretty much on the "no" list. Anytime he so much as looks at her, she shakes her head no.

She liked having me feed her, & she even fed me a cheerio. ;) We have since discovered that goldfish & a peanut butter sandwich are fun food from Mommy, too.

And then the hand-off. This was heartbreaking. She was so scared & I was so sad for her confusion. So I did the only thing I could & cried along with her.

Just like that we were in our car headed back to the hotel. It's all about as blurry as some of these pictures. She cried & cried, but I pulled out the cheerios again (actually, I pulled out a dum-dum sucker b/c my friend, Amie, told me to, but it didn't work on this particular occasion...I'm guessing on another day!), & she settled in. As long as I kept my head on hers & kept feeding her cheerios, things seemed a little better.

We've now been in the room for awhile. We got back in time to skype with Daddy before he went to bed, & she was very interested in that. For quite awhile, leaving my lap was not an option, but she is beginning to explore a little & actually sitting in the same vicinity as Kade.

I have kind of pieced together this update in between playing, changing Kemeri out of her 10 layers of clothes, ordering room service from someone that doesn't speak English, & just getting to know my little girl. I am amazed at the change in just a few hours. One of her favorite things is to sit on my lap in front of the mirror, & we make silly faces. She knows that if she turns to look at me, I will kiss her on the head. Another of her favorite things is to eat. And not just cheerios. We have now destroyed a peanut butter sandwich (I brought snack-size PB from home & snagged some bread from the breakfast buffet this morning). When it became apparent she would probably eat more, I ordered room service. So in addition to cheerios, fish crackers, & a PB sandwich, we have shared a BBQ steamed bun & Kade's chicken nuggets. The child is not picky! And just a moment ago, one of the housekeepers brought by a plate of pears b/c she said it would be good for the cough (Kade has a terrible cough, & evidently everybody knows about it). Lil Miss is doing some damage on that on my lap this very moment (in between making faces in the mirror...she's got some good ones when her cheeks are full of pear).

I am thrilled to report that she is walking. Her gait is a little choppy, but I'm not sure if that's related to the SB or to the fact that her shoes are way too small. They are the same ones she's wearing in the pictures I have from 6 months ago. She seems fairly healthy, & her legs are loooong. I am pleasantly surprised by how heavy she is. She's already shown a bit of spunk while playing (read: temper). She does not like it when these darn toys don't do just as she'd like. The fact that she does not have fingers on her left hand seems to be a non-issue. We were playing with the stacking cups & I would give her one, she would turn it over & fit it on top of the next one.

The only thing I wish I had (other than my family) would be a rocking chair. And an iced coffee.

In Changsha

We made it to Changsha last night (Sunday morning your time). It was COLD in Beijing yesterday, AND we woke up to snow! Crazy weather. It was actually very pretty with the light dusting of snow as we toured Tiananmen Square, Forbidden City, & the Temple of Heaven. We also stopped by the Pearl Market & had hot pot for lunch before heading to the airport for our flight. I was most thankful to be on the ground again b/c it was one of the bumpiest, hottest flights I've ever been on. Hopefully I can get pictures posted at some point, but the internet was not working well last night.

It is now Monday morning, & in just a few hours we will be meeting Kemeri. In all honesty, it still feels very surreal. I just keep putting one foot in front of the other moving me closer to this moment that will bring me face-to-face with this little girl that I haven't even seen pictures of in 6 months. I am beginning to feel the butterflies of nervous anticipation. I thought it interesting that while waiting in the airport in Beijing yesterday, I decided to pull out a book I've only just started, & this was where it began:

"...Mommy is forever. Mommy means "I trust you." Mommy means "You will protect me." Mommy is for shouting when you need someone dependable and for laughing with when you are excited; Mommy is for crying on and cuddling with when you are sad or giggling and hiding behind when you are embarrassed. Mommy is the fixer of boo-boos and the mender of broken hearts. Mommy is a comfort place, a safe place. Mommy means you are mine and I am yours and we are family." ~Kisses from Katie

Father God, thank you for the privilege of being a mommy. I pray that Kemeri will know & accept in her heart soon that she is safe, loved, & treasured & that our hearts are knit together in ways that only You can do.

Beijing {Day 1}

Today was our first full day in Beijing. And, wow, what a day! It was like "power touring"...we did a lot! I was really hopeful to get to see as much as possible in our short window of time here, & God totally hooked us up. We are staying in the home of some wonderful people, & the fact that her American name is Joy is not lost on me (if you haven't read our journey to Kemeri, the links are over on the right..."joy" has been a big part of her story). God in the details. Anyway, when I told Joy we were hoping to do & see as much as possible, she was on it!
This is Joy's husband, Michael. He's a professional chef & has cooked some amazing food for us.

This was breakfast! I know, right?

And here we are on the cable cars to the Great Wall. It was sooo foggy today. Joy said there is always the usual smog, but this was really excessive. You can toboggan back down when you're done touring, but it was so foggy by the time we were finished that they had to shut it down. The fog didn't make for great pictures, but we had to admit that it was kinda cool. Added a sort of mystic feel to the whole experience.

Kade thought he'd check out the cannon. This next picture will forever be one of my favorite moments.

Yes, that is my son "Tebowing" on the Great Wall. I wish this picture came with audio b/c as we were taking it, a group of Chinese young adults came along & went crazy clapping & cheering & taking pictures, too. They kept saying, "So cool...so cool!"

LOTS of steps. Steep steps. I felt no guilt for how much breakfast I ate.

This is Joy. Did I mention she's awesome?

O - H - I - O

We got to stop & see the Bird's Nest. Again, still very foggy AND getting colder. My hair mixed with fog = wackadoodle bangs after awhile. Just sayin'.

Next we went to do a hutong tour. While in the area, we visited a market. Way too many vegetables & *ahem* other stuff for Kade. ;)

Oh no, she didn't.

Yes, I did. Three times now, as a matter of fact, without peeing all over myself. Why they think squatty potties are a good idea is beyond me, but whatever.

We got to see a drum show in the drum tower which was totally worth the climb of 70 VERY steep steps. And again, justified breakfast.

Yep, we rode in a rickshaw, too. Dude.

And we ended the night with an acrobat show.

Tomorrow we have several more things to experience before heading to the airport for our flight to Changsha. I am actually thankful for this crazy pace b/c it's making the time move right along, which brings us that much closer to Kemeri.

In Beijing

I had thought I might post once more before leaving for China. Umm, nope. This was still all over my bed the night before our departure (the suitcases were already overflowing, but the odds & ends kept reappearing).

I was quite nervous about the weight of our bags, especially when my handy luggage scale gave a reading of 27 lbs. for each bag. I knew something wasn't right, but by then I had no choice but to hope for the best. The limit for international flights is 50 lbs, but I needed them to be no more than 44 lbs. b/c of weight restrictions on in-China flights.

Airport weigh-in: Bag 1--43.5 lbs, Bag 2--41.5 lbs. Alrighty then.

Kade was a champ with the travel & suddenly seems very grown up.

We made it to Beijing & are doing a "home stay" (think bed & breakfast). Joy & Michael are sweet people, & they are cooking us dinner right now. Tomorrow we will go to the Great Wall.

Please continue to pray for us, especially Kade as he's feeling a bit under the weather right now. I'm hoping after a night of sleeping in a bed we'll both feel refreshed & ready to go. I'm trying to enjoy each moment as we keep taking steps toward meeting our little girl (3 days, in case you're wondering!).

People Got Our Backs

3 days, people. We leave in 3 days. As you can imagine, I am running around like a crazed woman putting the finishing touches on packing. *ahem*

Anyway, I cannot stop thinking about something, so I decided I need to share because it is just that awesome! Yesterday, our church family prayed for us since Kade & I are leaving this week (did I mention in 3 days!?). What I didn't know until right before church was that Pastor Nate would be giving me the mic for a quick testimony. I love sharing about what an amazing God we serve...so cool to do that with our extended family! AND THEN...

They prayed. But not just a generic, quickie kinda prayer. But the kind where Pastor Nate invited anyone that wanted to come up & stand with us to pray. I am so thankful that our lead pastor's wife & another friend captured the moment for me to remember forever:

Notice you can't see us? That's because so many of these beautiful people had us SURROUNDED, which is not an easy feat with the number of people in our family. We are in the middle of all that love & prayer. And I know that it extends way beyond the physical circle in this picture. We have been blessed to hear from so many that are praying Kemeri home. We are covered, & I am now ready to go to China to bring home our baby girl.

Almost "Go Time"

I have so many thoughts flying through my head & many, many items on lists that need to be checked off. I am leaving for China in less than a week, & will be meeting our daughter in 10 days. I am having a really hard time wrapping my head around this thought. Is it my mind's way of protecting my whole self from dissolving into a complete puddle of emotional mess? I don't know. I do know that there are things to do & a few arrangements yet to be made, so maybe it is best if the butterflies of anticipation stay at bay for now so that I don't come undone.

And in the midst of preparing to leave for China, Kaelee left this morning for SC where she will spend the next couple months student teaching. Kearsten is coming home on Sunday after being gone for the week. Kameryn turned 18 this past Sunday, which I have neglected to post about. I will tell you this: Kam had all kinds of ideas about how she was going to flex her 18-yr-old muscles, & in the end, her big, adult moment was coming home with a hamster that she purchased by herself. I love her.

Please pray for our family...that in all the comings & goings we are safe & healthy & that things run smoothly for Daddy while I am away. It is hard on this mama's heart to wish so much to be in two places at once. Please also continue praying for Kemeri. I can hardly wait to see her (it's been 6 months since we've seen pictures or gotten an update), but I also know she will probably not be nearly as excited to see me as I am to see her!