Little taste of heaven....

Friday Night (12 hours ahead of Baton Rouge) 

WE ARE HERE! Change was so needed and we are so so so so so so so much happier in Guangzhou. Oh my gosh I can’t even begin to tell you. For several reasons perhaps many. Hangzhou was beautiful and our hotel was fabulous full of kind staff and all…but over all it was not easy to travel to. However, I think it’s always neat to see how when we go through something uneasy or hard..it makes the happy part taste that much better. So that’s where I AM. Ryan would agree!!!! Hangzhou was hard and I had a lot of tears there if I am being honest (homesick and sad experience plus jet lag plus transition), the one thing I never realized would get to me also so much was all the staring. We were constantly stared at, even if curious looks. It was ALLLL DAY long, head turning looks some cold stares too. At the airport last night I was at the end of my rope with it. I literally stared back at a few people ;-) and it worked, I know rude of me oops! But they did looked away. Ryan and I both agree, it kinda put things in perspective for us. When you feel like the odd man out whether it is because different look, ethnicity, a disability, a physical feature…whatever it is…stares can become hurtful and almost over whelming. I laughed at it at first…but after 5 days of it all day long…it was enough. I can only imagine how one feels after a lifetime of it. Something to think about…always. A smile goes a long way. A kind welcome/hug/kind word even further. Ryan and I both agree, we will ALWAYS keep that in mind! ALWAYS. The friendly people warmed my day.

I have so much to tell on this new place! From the best things, to the realization of things to the funniest things! Funniest first! David here in China, told us that Ryan may have some women approach him while here to take pics with him because he is considered handsome, his blonde hair and all. Sure enough, Ryan was approached and asked if they could take a picture with him. He even had a woman follow him saying you’re handsome I can’t stop following you. Hahaha. Odd. Good laugh.

This is a busy and GREAT city. 15 million people! It is a hub for many people all over the world, it is a big trading city here. So it is a beautifully blended place.

Saturday morning: 

We ate breakfast together and then walked out the hotel today and strolled all over. Ryan and I prayed this am “God please give this family a good day today. Please let these hearts continue to make memories and build trust… WE LEFT THE HOTEL AND found lots of cool things.We walked around and found a cool underground mall, their malls are not like ours, they are very modern and have lots of great restaurants (not chains). We found a great kids toy store and the kids got to pick out some toys. Imagine the prices…here things such as Fischer Price are so much cheaper than US. They had fun getting some new ones for the room. They also had this INCREDIBLE supermarket in the mall, it was like a Wholefoods times 10! They have an attendant on every aisle to help you. Very fun experience. The kids tried some food, pan sautéed sea weed and homemade rice cakes. It was fun. People are also friendly here. That’s refreshing. Remember that prayer we started off with…well it was a GREAT day. Ahhh…one day at a time. It was a great day, we will pray again tomorrow morning that one is too. One. Day. At. A. Time. Period.

I had many little moments where Isaiah’s face, smile or giggle brings moments where I realize ‘that sweet face, yes this is real’. He is our son forever. It’s scary and exciting all in one……. I remind myself of Isaiah’s name and meaning Isaiah 25:1 – God created these plans long before I realized they  ever existed so I can keep walking knowing He will take care of us every step of the way. God picked Isaiah for us and us for him. He loves our precious son so much, he paved the way to forever connect us all from across the world in a city of millions, while forever changing us all in the process. I love that when we give him our hearts and surrender in the place of need, he creates every little connecting dot with a purpose. So instead of just adoption it becomes about: Isaiah healing, Ryan and I growing, Caden learning about life, grandparents experiencing a new love, faith growing in a different way, flaws being exposed for restoration, peace being given in a supernatural way…it’s full of depth. It isn’t just one thing at work..it is MANY. 

So this morning, I prayed to have little taste of heaven moments over and over throughout the day today, and I have. Here are a few…

• This pic of Ryan and Isaiah was so sweet. Yesterday was full of great moments of them connecting. Thank you for praying that. A man has to really walk in faith in this process not having the same maternal instincts we do. I have not only seen Ryan’s faith grow, but his heart, his dedication to his family, and his compassion. I have fallen more in love with him over it. This picture luckily was captured, when he was feeding Isaiah. 
• His laugh, it is contagious. When he laughs, he laughs really big. His eyes squint almost shut and he squeals and does this really cute belly laugh. It makes me laugh. I laugh even harder when Caden then chimes in and does this fake laugh so he can laugh with him. Why are laughs so contagious? I don’t know but its great. 
• He is adjusting so well. He has moments where he is frustrated and tired, but over all, he is doing so well. He feels safe with us. A great start because that is very uncommon. It is really hard with the food issue, but we have gotten it down pretty well to be able to keep him feeling secure. He trust us. It’s a great thing. 

Sunday:

Today was a blast. We ate breakfast then went to explore and found so much interesting stuff on our walk. Ryan and I do agree that while traveling across the globe is not cheap and not easy with kids, it is so well worth every bit because you and your children get exposed to the ways of so many people around the world. You meet the neatest people and see the coolest things. We saw all kinds of things this morning. Sunday seems to be a day people just draw to this area. We saw a group of women singing in a park like a choir, we saw about 50 ping pong tables set up in a park with people playing matches, we saw groups of dancers all performing almost as if it was their version of line dancing, lots of street performing and exercising routines. It was just interesting. I mean I can’t explain it. The kids were mesmerized. People love to fly kites here too. Each morning several go up in the air and even from the top of buildings and you can see them all in the sky. 

More things we learned today about Isaiah:

• His little personality is starting to shine more and more. In an orphanage, the children stay in cribs a lot of the day if the caregivers have many children. Luckily Isaiah is walking and thriving because it isn’t always the case because of the crib confinement. He is doing well. He is so smart. He likes to play games and build things.
• Oddly enough, he likes to line us his toys in a perfect row just like Caden does, he likes to observe things just like Caden, he likes to mimic things just like Caden too. So as a result, we can tell him words and he catches them quickly, It is really cute he says YAYYYYYY when he is happy or does something fun. He says “dank you” for thank you. He calls me Baba which means daddy, not sure why, haha, but he calls me that a lot and reaches for me. It is sweet. 
• He loves the water. He has a blast in the bath tub so we finally took him swimming. He and Caden had so much fun. HE LOVESSSS swimming. He is not afraid of the water at all. If anything he has a little thrill seeking side. Great. I am in so much trouble with my 3 dare devil strong willed children. Game changers for the world but my 18 years will carry big adventures in parenting. He jumped from the side of the pool and had that big squinty eyed smile and he screamed with excitement when I caught him. It made me happy. This child is experiencing so many FIRST TIME fun things. He deserves them all and many more to come.
• Isaiah reached for Caden in the pool, he hugged him. Caden hugged him back, they just hugged for like a full minute. Caden looked at me and said, “mama, Isaiah knows how to hug me”, talk about melt my heart. 

Seeing life through the eyes of a child, Caden, is what I strive for. It is pure innocence at best. They don’t worry about a thing. Life is just living in the moment. Here we are across the world, adopting, in a foreign city…andnd the child sees nothing different and his heart is pure joy just being emerged in the day to day adventure. I want that. I have been challenged to the core in extending faith and trusting God is and always will be in control, even when I think  I am, I can’t be more wrong.  Caden has constant happiness in the simplest things. I am so glad he came with us. He calms my heart. He is the sweetest child. He has truly been a gift to me and Ryan on this trip and is a gift to Isaiah because he just loves him. 

Love is patient. Love is kind. Love is pure. 

More to come. Thank y’all for praying. I promise every single one is pouring into our lives. This child has just peace,joy and trust. Patience, wisdom, security keeps flowing in. Caden is covered in peace and joy! Isaiah could be fretting, fearful, crying and scared…nope He has God’s hand of favor. The flight from Hangzhou to Guangzhou started off rocky in the airport but even our 2 delays were significant, our kids got tired and fell asleep on the plane ride. Isaiah’s first flight. Please do keep praying for these things and I will continue to share so you can be encouraged that your prayers are powerful and I hope if you ever need me to pray for you, you will always ask! The least I can do!!!

Keep praying for tomorrow (Monday)

Medical exam a process of adoption

Our trip to the zoo to be fun for Isaiah and Caden

Our few days before we leave, peace, happiness, fun memories, patient hearts, no anxiety, and a PEACEFUL PLANE RIDE HOME!!!!!

Thank you.