The Local Wildlife...

Just a few pics to let you know we are all alive and well down here. As you can tell, Mark has not lost his sense of humor! We finished up swim lessons this week and are looking forward to wrapping up our last odds and ends to prepare for THE TRIP!! We leave on Saturday, October 4th for the states. Unfortunately, Matt and Grace will miss soccer season this year, but they both agree that bringing their baby sister home is well worth it. They all have their backpacks ready and can't wait to broad the plane. I am busily trying to organize all our supplies which include lots of meds, tons of protein bars, all Joy's essentials, cameras etc. and decide what belongs where. Meanwhile, trying not to let stress take away my joy as we prepare. Mark is busy trying to get ahead of the game with his Master's courses, fulfill all his work responsibilities and check off his honey do list. We are simply exhausted by the end of the evening and we haven't even traveled yet! We did enjoy sleeping in until 8 am this weekend which was quite a treat. Sometimes, the simplest things are the biggest blessings!

Suitcases Everywhere!!

Sorry we haven't posted in awhile, Andrew and Grace have been under the weather. Meanwhile, we decided to do some preparations for the upcoming trip. We pulled out the suitcases and started collecting the odds and ends that we need to pack. We are getting one step closer to the big day!!! YEAH!!!! In other news, I'm sure everyone has heard about the contaminated milk products in China. We have no way of knowing what Joy has been or is being fed. We do know that she is still on formula. We are continuing to stand firm in the knowledge that our Great God is watching over her. Psalm 121

RSV

We received word today via our online yahoo group for Joy's orphanage- Guiping City, Social Welfare Institute- that several children have been recently diagnosed and hospitalized with RSV (Respiratory syncytial virus). It is the most common cause of bronchiolitis and pneumonia among infants and children . It would not be surprising to find this virus in an orphanage setting. The problem is that if your child is sick or hospitalized upon your arrival your trip would be extended until your child is stable enough to return to the states. Please lift up little Joy and join us as we continue to pray for her health and that Our Heavenly Father would keep a hedge of protection around her.

China Itinerary

We received our intra-country travel arrangements yesterday and thought we would share them with everyone. Things will be picking up speed over the next few weeks as we prepare for our journey. The kids and I went grocery shopping today and were so tickled when we bought diapers for Joy. It's the little preparations like this that remind us that we are really bringing our baby girl home soon! The photo above is of the lobby of the White Swan hotel where we will be staying while in Guangzhou.

Beijing

Accommodations:
Poly Plaza
Phone: 0086-10-65001188
Address: 14 Dong Zhimen Dajie (South), Dongcheng District, China

10.09 Pick up family#1 with NW29, and send to hotel.

10.10 Free
10.11 Sightseeing Tour to the Great Wall, Forbidden City and Tian An Men Square
10.12 All fly to Nanning with CA1335 in AM

Nanning

Accommodations:
Mingyuan Xindu Hotel

Phone:86-771-2118988
Add:No.38 Xinmin Road, Nanning, Guangxi, China

10.12 Pick up family #1 with CA1335,and send to hotel.
10.13 Family goes to the Civil Affairs Bureau to meet child. Yeah!!
10.14 Family goes to the Civil Affairs office to do the adoption registration and Notary.
10.15 Shopping for child.
10.16 Sightseeing tour to the Wen Wu Yuan.
10.17 Sightseeing tour to Qingxiushan.
Get passport.
10.18 Families fly to Guangzhou with ZH9555.

Guangzhou
Accommodations:
White Swan Hotel
Address: No. 1 Shamian South Street, Guangzhou, China
Phone: 011-86-20-81886968

10.18 Pick up families with ZH9555, and sent to WS hotel.
10.19 Sightseeing tour to Chen Family temple.
10.20 Taking child’ visa picture and doing medical examination for the child.
10.21 Guide goes to American Consulate to hand in family’s documents, and hand in visa in the afternoon.
10.22 : Family goes to American Consulate for interview and get visa.
10.23 Send family#1 away with NW28.

Gift Giving

As you may know, gift giving is customary in many Asian cultures. We will be packing several small items to take with us as gifts for our guides, the nannies, and other people of importance we will be meeting. Our agency's advice- "don't take anything made in China ." Thus, shopping proved a little more difficult than we originally envisioned. So far, we have some small Vera Bradley cosmetic bags, Jelly Belly jellybeans, scarves made in India, and a few small Maglite flashlights. The act of giving the gift is more important than the gift itself. We were also asked by our agency to bring a gift for the orphanage or donate money ahead of time which allows the agency to call the orphanage and find out what items they are in need of. We received a thank you email today with a picture of what our donation purchased. We are assuming the orphanage is thinking ahead and preparing for the cooler weather. I think these blanket wraps are so cute and functional. I pray each baby held within one is warm enough and cared for by loving hands. We will always feel a special connection to Joy's orphanage and the caretakers who have raised her for the first 18 months of her life.

New Pictures!!!

It seems like every time that we give up hope on something with the adoption a new blessing arrives. Today is the newest. We were resigned to the fact that we would not be able to get updated pictures of Joy Elizabeth, but we of little faith. Here they are! ....Mark

Budding Artists

We have been busy with school as of late and one of the kids favorite subject's is art. They have created a few "masterpieces" over the last few weeks that I thought I would share with everyone. I am delighted with the content and pure enjoyment the kids have gotten from our new curriculum. I hope their aren't too many art critics out there!!

Storm Update

The winds began picking up around 6pm last night and then died off some close to 11pm. As I headed to bed I thought we had seen the worst of it. However, the brunt of our end of the storm hit us about 1 am to 4am with heavy rain and some brutal winds. We are still experiencing the outer bands with some wind gusts and rain. We have faired well as I look out the window, but I fear the other side of the mountains may not. The mountains truly sheltered us from the storm. Thank you God!! Enjoy these pics of the boys enjoying the wind and "Terry the Turtle" aka Andrew taking cover from the storm.

So Far So Good

Just a quick post to let everyone know that all is well here. The wind is gusting and it is raining off and on, but nothing to worry about yet. I will post again in a few hours. Love to All!

Hurricane Ike

We weren't too concerned about the previous storms that have passed our way. Now, it looks like Ike might wallop us and we have to admit we are a bit concerned. Everything is being staged here for clean up and everyone is busy preparing. Our power will probably be shut off as a preventative measure so we will update the blog to let everyone know how we are doing as soon as possible. Please keep the people of the Caribbean in your prayers.

WE'RE GOING TO CHINA!!!!

WAHOO!! We received the much anticipated travel dates today. I was out delivering some thank you notes to our wonderful and gracious friends and had stopped at the store when Mark walks in (after searching most of the base and calling everyone he could think of) and says "how would you like to meet your baby girl on October 13th!!!"? With much excitement, we all start asking questions at once! Here is what we know:

Leave states for China - October 8th or 9th
Become a bigger family when we hold Joy for the first time- October 13th
Consulate Appointment - October 21st
Return to states- October 23rd

Now we need to book tickets tommorrow and look at flights out of here. It's actually happening! Baby Joy we can't wait to hold you in our arms!!