Good evening from The China Hotel in Guangzhou, China!
Our little Sarah Jane is sleeping in the big bed with her feet hanging off the side. Momma is sliding in next to her with hopes that Sarah Jane keeps her knees and feet to herself during the night. The little girl is like a helicopter in the bed at night! Did I mention that Sarah Jane worships June? All day and all night. I am totally content with the table scraps of affection that remain.
Sarah Jane is out! And barely hanging on.
So, today was our final appointment at the US consulate's office with our swearing in. That's it, all the paperwork is completed. We can get on the plane tomorrow and start the loooooong process of returning home!
Celebratory trip to Mickey D's for ice cream!
Not so sure about this whole ice cream thing...
What's up with these weird Chinese happy meal toys?
Pink piggies! It has begun....Sarah Jane's first pedi.
Bad translation sign for the day.
Cajun food option in China.
If June and I seem to have the 1,000 yard stare when you speak to us next week, we're ok. Give us a few days to get back to central time. Jet lag wore us out when we got to China, and I hear it's worse on the return.
Btw, Sarah Jane is doing great! She is letting us stroll her everywhere. She eats just about everything and even gave me a hug tonight! We are so happy with how she has been handling the transition from orphanage life to family life. June and I can only imagine what this little child must be feeling at this moment. She has experienced a great amount of turmoil that we can't begin to comprehend. But, she laughs, skips, plays, hugs, and sings all day. God is so good to us to let us experience this three year old's life.
There were some emotional moments for June and I. One was meeting a couple of adoptive families this week that were taking home children with Downs syndrome. These kids will experience a life that is filled with love and will be given an opportunity to thrive. We get so caught up in our own journey that we fail to grasp the challenges of other families. Once again, we saw God moving in China.
Also, we will say goodbye to the remaining three families that have been on this journey with us. They have all been a tremendous encouragement to June and I. We all shared some tough times, boring days, hot hotels, excruciating cries from our kids, weird food, and crazy traffic. But, we also shared many great unforgettable moments that few will understand. One example is that only a handful of folks will truly comprehend the total chaos that is "gotcha day", the day we met Sarah Jane. This was by far the most emotional roller coaster of a day since June's difficult delivery of Sam 10 yrs ago. Can I tell you that June and I were worn out!??!
We can't wait to get on the airplane to see our boys and introduce them to their sister. Please keep our Silas in your prayers as he gets better from being sick. Thanks to Aunt DeeDee for nursing him back to health while mom and dad are 6k miles away.
God bless and safe travels for the H family.
-Bud, June and a "daddy-hugging" Sarah Jane
Our little Sarah Jane is sleeping in the big bed with her feet hanging off the side. Momma is sliding in next to her with hopes that Sarah Jane keeps her knees and feet to herself during the night. The little girl is like a helicopter in the bed at night! Did I mention that Sarah Jane worships June? All day and all night. I am totally content with the table scraps of affection that remain.
So, today was our final appointment at the US consulate's office with our swearing in. That's it, all the paperwork is completed. We can get on the plane tomorrow and start the loooooong process of returning home!
In our red, white, and blue outside the office.
We will head to the airport with all the paperwork in hand tomorrow at 3 PM and arrive in Beijing around 10 PM. Once we get to Beijing, we will go to a hotel and wake up for 3 AM in order to catch our flight to Tokyo. We have a lay-over in Tokyo. We will then transfer to the 13-hour flight to Atlanta. In Atlanta, we'll jump on the connecting flight home! And we're gonna do all this with a three year old that doesn't speak English. No problem for this family. We got this.
If June and I seem to have the 1,000 yard stare when you speak to us next week, we're ok. Give us a few days to get back to central time. Jet lag wore us out when we got to China, and I hear it's worse on the return.
Btw, Sarah Jane is doing great! She is letting us stroll her everywhere. She eats just about everything and even gave me a hug tonight! We are so happy with how she has been handling the transition from orphanage life to family life. June and I can only imagine what this little child must be feeling at this moment. She has experienced a great amount of turmoil that we can't begin to comprehend. But, she laughs, skips, plays, hugs, and sings all day. God is so good to us to let us experience this three year old's life.
There were some emotional moments for June and I. One was meeting a couple of adoptive families this week that were taking home children with Downs syndrome. These kids will experience a life that is filled with love and will be given an opportunity to thrive. We get so caught up in our own journey that we fail to grasp the challenges of other families. Once again, we saw God moving in China.
Also, we will say goodbye to the remaining three families that have been on this journey with us. They have all been a tremendous encouragement to June and I. We all shared some tough times, boring days, hot hotels, excruciating cries from our kids, weird food, and crazy traffic. But, we also shared many great unforgettable moments that few will understand. One example is that only a handful of folks will truly comprehend the total chaos that is "gotcha day", the day we met Sarah Jane. This was by far the most emotional roller coaster of a day since June's difficult delivery of Sam 10 yrs ago. Can I tell you that June and I were worn out!??!
We can't wait to get on the airplane to see our boys and introduce them to their sister. Please keep our Silas in your prayers as he gets better from being sick. Thanks to Aunt DeeDee for nursing him back to health while mom and dad are 6k miles away.
God bless and safe travels for the H family.
-Bud, June and a "daddy-hugging" Sarah Jane
Sarah Jane is so precious! I am thinking of you and wishing you safe travels! With love, Kristi
ReplyDeleteBeen reading this whole blog with tears of joy! Praying with groaning of the Holy Spirit because I know I can't begin to truly understand the emotions and experiences you are having. Cannot wait to meet this beautiful daughter of yours and will rejoice when you are home and at last a family of 5 all together under one roof. Prayers for safe journey/experiences to home. Elena
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