Home at Last!

      We are HOME!!!!  It feels so good to be here after 18 days in another country, I can't begin to tell you!  We arrived home very late Wednesday night after 30 some hours of traveling.  Christopher's comment as the plane touched down said it all:  "Mommy, welcome to the USA!"  All the kids did amazingly well.  I am so blown away by how great all my kids did this entire trip!  By the time we got everyone to bed it was around 2:30 am Thursday morning.  Needless to say we are all still in recovery mode but slowly getting back to EST.  The kids have jumped right back into swim practice and birthday parties and I know are thrilled to be back.

      The last couple days in China were busy with getting Catherine Fujuan's Visa, taking our oath with the US Consulate, and doing some last minute souveneir shopping.  We traveled as a group to the Consulate and met beforehand to take pictures of all the adopted kids on the famous Red Sofas at the White Swan.  It was so fun to see all the kiddos dressed up in their Chinese finery for the picture. 
Since we've been home we have had our first appointment with our pediatrician.  She was thrilled with Catherine's social skills and bright affect!  After just a couple days home she has picked up so many English words and seems so happy to be here,  playing and exploring.  At breakfast the other day she took my empty plate to the dishwasher and put it in; a trick my other children haven't mastered yet :)
     Our major concern is the very apparent spinal defect and there is concern that she has more spinal cord involvement than we realized.  We have been able to get an appointment within 10 days to see a pediatric orthopedic surgeon at Hopkins.  Please pray for her (and us and the doctors) as we work to figure out her problems and the best ways to treat her.
      We are so amazed at the way God has blessed our family with this precous little one.  We will keep you all updated with her progress and our family happenings.  Thank you again for all your support and encouragement and prayers!  To God be all the Glory...

Go to our PicasaWeb to see more photos!

Sunday…Day 14 in China

Well, last night we had a wonderful dinner at a restaurant named “Lucy’s”. The food is quite American (with Chinese too if you want) and they had AWESOME steamed veggies. My crew really chowed down on the broccoli! This morning we visited the Folk Art Museum which was very interesting. The embroidery especially amazed me. Afterwards, we came back to the Hotel and discovered the famous White Swan Playroom. What a fun place! Lots of ride-on and push toys as well as beach balls and mostly wide open SPACE to run around. I think Patrick and Christopher enjoyed it as much as Fu Juan! After living in hotel rooms for two weeks, they had so much fun throwing balls and running around! Sorry that we have not blogged as consistently this last week. It is much more expensive to get internet in the room here in Goungzhou and we have just been so busy! Stan and I basically fall into bed at night with the kids around 9:30 and we all sleep pretty soundly until almost 7am. A HUGE answer to prayer!

On To Guangzhou

The last couple of days in Beijing have been a nice change from the fast pace we’ve been keeping up. Day before yesterday, we had a much needed day off. We had a leisurely breakfast, lounged around the hotel room and spent some time swimming in the pool. Actually, the younger guys have managed to get a swim in every day as I have a work out in their tiny gym which has been nice. Fu Juan was able to take a long nap and have a bit more of a normal day. Then yesterday, we visited the Summer Palace, where the Emperors and their families spent the summers. This was probably my favorite field trip so far! The air there seemed cleaner and cooler with a breeze blowing off the lake surrounded by beautiful weeping willow trees. Fu Juan actually consented to ride in her stroller the whole time which was a nice break for my arms. (Although, it has been wonderful carrying my sweet girl around!) Dinner these past couple of nights have been interesting. One night we took taxis to a restaurant Stan had found on the internet before we left home that was supposed to have healthier fare. It was very good, especially the broccoli. Last night we walked to a Chinese place right down the street from the hotel. After much miscommunication, our dinner finally came but I could not bring myself to let the kids eat the chicken dish we had ordered that looked VERY undercooked. We wound up walking back to the hotel and eating there AGAIN. LOTS of rice and bread! Whenever we go anywhere, heads continue to turn and I think it is wearing on the boys. Seems every time I turn around one or more of them is having their pictures taken. It’s like being celebrities!!

Today we are off to GZH…hooray!!!!! We all wish we could head home but in just 5 more days that’s what we’ll be doing! We are anxious to catch back up with the rest of our travel group and meet their new little ones. Now that we are seasoned travelers, the 3 hour plane ride seems like nothing! Our little Fu Juan is weathering it well without her usual motion sickness, thank you, Lord!

(Continuation…) We made it to the White Swan Hotel. WOW!!! This place is incredible: An indoor water fall with a huge goldfish pond and lots of flowers and greenery everywhere. This is a very nice change from the grayness of Beijing. Despite the beautiful surroundings, we all are having a hard time. We just want to be home now after two weeks away! Part of the problem is that as nice as it is to be in different surroundings, we had really gotten used to Beijing and knew where things were (sort of!). Last night when we got in kind of late, we had no idea where to eat or where to find water. We managed with granola bars and snacks in the room. I think my guys may never want to eat another granola bar again after this trip. It has been great, however, to reconncect with our travel group. It was so fun seeing everyone at Breakfast this morning with their new little ones. Today we had the medical exam which was fast and easy. Then we worked on paperwork. Tomorrow we go as a group to see a folk art museum and then Monday we have our appointment at the consulate in the afternoon. We are getting there step by step! Thank you for your continued prayers and thoughts; it is truly sustaining food for our spirits!

Life in China Continues

Hi Again!  We made it through the paperwork day, although not without one glitch.  We had to return to Civil Affairs to get our official adoption certificate re-done after realizing our street address was not included on it.  Unfortunately we didn't discover this until we were at the notary office!  The good news is that the very friendly official there did not charge us again.  This delayed the entire process by at least an hour but we made it through and then applied for her passport.  It is now official:  this precious little girl we have been waiting and longing for is now Catherine Fu Juan Krol!  It was a LONG day, but the boys didn't mind so much as they got to play A LOT of Nintendo DS :)  I am hoping their brains don't turn to mush from it all!!!

Yesterday we went to the Beijing Zoo which the boys probably enjoyed the most of all our field trips.  Fu Juan LOVES to be carried but not so much in the carrier.  And she does not seem to be a big fan of the stroller, but hopefully that will change when we get home.  We saw pandas, of course, and lots of other animals: monkeys, big cats, elephants, hippos, rhinos, as well as a huge amphibian/reptile house.  Another interesting exhibit at the Zoo appeared to be the Krol Family!!!!  Peter coined the phrase, "Lions and tigers and Americans, oh my!"  Heads really turned with lots of counting of all our children, smiles, and requests for our pictures, especially the boys.  I have been so proud of all of them for being so willing to allow complete strangers to take their pictures, especially Patrick who really HATES to have his picture taken :)

Today is a free day and after a more leisurely breakfast (definitely our favorite meal of the day), we are just hanging out a bit in the hotel room and I am pondering how to fit ALL THIS STUFF back into our suitcases!  I am ready to move on to Guangzhou Friday where we will have our appointment with the US Consulate to obtain  Catherine Fu Juan's Visa.  After today, just one more day in Beijing visiting the Summer Palace while we wait for her passport to be processed.

It has continued to amaze us how well Catherine Fu Juan is adjusting.  At first she seemed so timid and shy but as the days pass, she is becoming more and more playful and into everything!  Last night instead of demurely closing her eyes and folding her hands when we put her in her crib, she proceeded to chat and giggle and stand up several times before finally settling down to sleep.  It is wonderful to see her becoming more and more at home with us!

Thank you again for your continued encouragement and prayers.  As the days in China continue, we are all longing for home :)

Touring Beijing

    These last two days have been so incredibly busy!  We have seen the Cloisonné Factory and shopped there, climbed the Great Wall of China, and eaten at a traditional Chinese restaurant with a huge jade store one day.  The second day we toured the Forbidden City and took a rickshaw ride and visited a home in the Hu Tong District.  All with a newly adopted three-year old and three boys in tow!!  Whew!  Makes my head spin when I think about it J  All things considered, it has been a lot of fun although on day 8 of being away from home life in China is starting to wear on us all.  Living in 2 hotel rooms with 4 children, eating unfamiliar food, and feeling pretty isolated wherever you go is trying at times.  But back to the tours, which really were such a wonderful opportunity to experience the native culture of our precious little girl.

    The Cloisonné Factory was very different than I anticipated.  I don't think it would meet any kind of US standard for anything!  But the work is amazing…and we had such a great time buying souvenirs and gifts.  Fu Juan seems especially enamored of anything with pandas.  The Great Wall of China was so different than I imagined.  It truly was breath-taking in its immensity, but it was so packed with people and the stairs were so steep and difficult to navigate, it was hard to take in the presence of it all.  To make matters worse, our darling girl tends to be motion-sick (I think I mentioned that in an earlier post) and after getting to the top point of our climb, she proceeded to throw up all down the front of herself and the back of Stan, who was carrying her on his back in the baby carrier!  What a mess!!!  I was so unprepared: no change of clothes, no bag to throw-up in, and not many wipes.  We got them cleaned up the best we could and headed back down where we were able to find a small "Great Wall" t-shirt (that even had a Panda on it J) so we could at least change her out of the awful smelling shirt.  The group was stopping for lunch that was included in the tour about half-way back to the hotel (it was an hour and a half ride each way) so I am so thankful that worked out, otherwise we ALL would have been miserable!  Needless to say, we were totally spent by the end of that day!

    The next day, we got up and had to be ready early again for the Forbidden City and Hu Tong tours.  We walked an incredible amount and the kids were SUCH troopers!!  Oh my gosh, I have a totally new view of just how wonderful each and every one of my children are!  The thing that stood out in the Forbidden City is just how HUGE it is and how different the Ancient Culture of this land is to anything we have experienced or known in the US.  Everything here is so CROWDED and very dusty and dirty too which is hard for me to deal with at times.  Another interesting aside here is that it is so strange to be the focus of so much attention by total strangers!  I think our family (sometimes all of us, sometimes just the boys) has had our picture taken by about 10 different people/families since we've been here!  Everywhere we go, heads turn as they count kids and then look at us as if to say, "Are they all yours?"  And for the most part, everyone seems so amazed and happy that we have such a large family with a Chinese baby too!  Most say, "Lucky baby" our "Happy family".  I wish I knew enough Chinese to tell them how WE are the ones who have been immeasurably blessed by this little girl from a different land.  Next was the rickshaw ride and tour which was through an area of China originally settled by the Mongolian people of the Han dynasty hundreds of years ago.  It is now an incredibly dusty, dirty, impoverished area although walking inside one of the houses; it was much nicer than I anticipated.  I was glad my boys were there to see how other people live in much of the world…I don't think any of us will take grass, trees, clean air, and a clean place to live for granted as much anymore.

    Through it all, Fu Juan was a smiley, happy girl and my other three were also unbelievably good!  She is doing so well and bonding more each day.  She calls me "Ma ma" and lifts her little arms to be picked up which melts my heart!  She also has started to call Stan "Ba ba" which is Daddy in Chinese.  She is all girl as well which is very fun!!  She LOVES her bows and after I put one in her hair, she will run to the mirror and primp and preen!  It is adorable!  (Can you tell she already has us wrapped around her little finger?!)

    As we are about halfway through our trip now, please continue to pray for our perseverance.  The food is especially beginning to wear on me…I have probably felt the worst I've felt since we've been here today.  (Lots of tummy issues!  And a really bad sore throat as well.)  Stan and the boys are weathering it pretty well, although today there has been a few more tears and bickering (mostly the boys)  This afternoon we are headed to an acrobatic show which sounds really cool and then tomorrow back to Civil Affairs and the Notary Office for a long day of paperwork.  If you have read to the end, thank you so much!!!!  I cannot tell you how much the prayers and encouraging support of you all means to us!

Gotcha' Day (June 2nd)

Where to begin????  The emotion and wonder of yesterday was overwhelming!!!  I guess I'll just start typing and see where it goes.  After another rough night (the boys slept some...Peter best of all this time and Stan and I slept not at all!), we were up and getting ready to meet our guide at 8am to drive about an hour to the orphanage.  I was almost numb to everything, feeling so jet-lagged and just really out of sorts.  Not how I wanted to start the day at all and I was really worried about how it was all going to go.  By the time we got to the orphanage, I think both Stan and I almost felt sick with anticipation.  The orphanage is in a very depressed part of the city but the building itself seemed nice.  They ushered us into a large room where we signed and fingerprinted (in red) lots of Chinese adoption documents.  Finally, it was time to meet our daughter!  Words just can't express the overwhelming love and joy we felt upon seeing her for the first time.  She was wearing the outfit we had sent her in a care package and looked so precious and beautiful but at the same time seemed so vulnerable.  And she was so tiny!!!  As her caretaker pointed to me and told her I was her new Mama, she came right to me and pointed to me and said "Ma ma" so softly and sweetly.  It was an incredible moment as I fell in love instantly with this daughter who is more part of me than I could ever have imagined!  She also took to Stan and the boys right away giving shy smiles and pointing to us each repeating the Chinese words for us:  "Ba ba" for Daddy and "gu gu" for brother.  Christopher was so excited he was running laps around the room which she thought was funny :)  The whole experience really was so amazing...the beauty and joy of the moment is truly beyond words...a gift from God!  I am SO glad we were there as a family.  In retrospect, I cannot imagine doing this without us all here to welcome this precious child into our family.

After a short time at the orphanage, we got back in the van to head to the hotel for a short break before going to Civil Affairs for more paperwork.  The car ride back was a little rough as Fu Juan became sick...whether from stress or motion sickness we're not sure.  Once back at the hotel, she perked right up and ate a little something before we were off to Civil Affairs.  All the officials seem so surprised that a family with three boys would be adopting a little girl.  Wherever we go, heads turn!  Most smile and nod and seem so pleased at our unusual family.  After more paperwork we had the rest of the day free as we do today.  A much needed break!

Little Catherine Fu Juan is so amazing!  She is quick to smile and loves all her toys that we brought.  She seems especially enamored with her photo album that we sent in the care package (loves pointing at the pictures...it melts my hear when she points at the pictures of me and says "ma ma"), her little radio that plays classical music and her doll.  She slept great last night (all of us finally did too!) and is napping now.  I just put her in her little crib and she went right to sleep...Wow!  Very different from any of my other kiddos when they were that age :)  Tomorrow we are visiting the Great Wall.  We are excited but a little worried about how the long bus ride will go.  Another surprise was that she is not potty trained...so it is back to diapers for us!  We are hoping this is not the result of her Spina Bifida.  I am anxious to get home and have her seen by docs in the US.  Thank you for your continued prayers!  Stay tuned for the Great Wall news soon :)

P.S. Check the gallery page (at the top) for more pictures!

Hello China!

After a very loooong plane ride, we made it to Beijing.  The boys all did GREAT on the plane.  They enjoyed watching the in-flight movies on their own personal screens and, of course, playing their DS's without Mommy hounding them to get off (at least not too often)!  We were met at the airport by our guide from Bethany who had a van with a driver waiting to take us to our hotel.  The hotel (The Chang An Grand) is lovely for the most part and the people are all so friendly, even when they don't have a clue what you are saying to them!  By the time we got into our room it was about 5:30pm Monday Beijing time (or 5:30am Monday morning Baltimore time) and we had been up over 24 hours with just a couple hours of sleep.  We were all so tired we just decided to eat granola bars and pretty much crash.  Although we had barely slept, none of us was able to sleep really well last night except Patrick, who seems to have transitioned to the new time already.  Christopher woke up after just 4 hours of sleep (about 12:30 am) and was pretty much awake the rest of the night.  Stan and I only got a couple of hours each, so please pray that we sleep better tonight.  Tomorrow morning at 8 we meet our guide to go to the orphanage to receive Fu Juan, and we want to be well-rested for that.

Lying awake last night I was wondering how in the world we would survive this trip but things looked much brighter in the morning after eating a yummy breakfast (quite an usual array of food on the hotel's buffet) and drinking a really good cup of coffee (doesn't everything always look better after coffee?!)

After breakfast we were able to skype with family which was a tremendous blessing!  We just got back from exploring a grocery store in the area which was a fun trip.  Next on the agenda is the hotel's pool, which is quite large by hotel standards so the kids may even get a few laps swum :)

Thank you all for your many prayers...we can feel them!  I will try to post tomorrow evening after our precious Catherine is with us...we are counting the hours until we have our new daughter/sister with us!