A Thousand Years is like a Day

2 Peter 3:8 But do not let this one fact escape your notice, beloved, that with the Lord one day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years like one day.

I can't believe that it's been over two weeks since I posted to our blog. For some of you it may seem like it's been a thousand years since we posted. For me, it seems like one day. Anyway, I apologize for having so much time go by since the last post.

The first 10 days that we were home seemed like a fog for us. There were times I woke up at 2am and was wide awake and then time I had to take a name at 3pm. Anyway, we now feel like we are on Indiana time for the most part.

It's our intention to post more pictures and to allow you to continue to follow along with us as we begin the "home-based" part of our journey: the four of us becoming a family.

I promise we'll post some pictures on Sunday or Monday evening at the latest.

Thanks for your prayers and comments.

-- Dan

WE ARE HOME !!!!!

Praise God from whom all blessings flow! We arrived home Thursday morning around 10:15am. What a sight we were after 24+ hours of travel. We somehow managed to fit 10 pieces of luggage, various shopping bags, and 6 people into our minivan for the drive home from Chicago. I'm so thankful that my Dad was able to meet us at the airport to drive us home. I was in no condition to drive 3 hours through Chicago traffic.

Right now it is about 7:30pm Indiana time. I took a 2 hour nap earlier as I just couldn't keep my eyes open. Marna, Maddy, and Millie are asleep right now, most likely for the rest of the night. Our days and nights are totally backwards, but we tried to stay up as much as possible tonight.

Thank you for your prayers on our behalf. Millie did great on the airplanes for the most part, although she cried when we landed each time (probably her ears hurting).

I'll post again tomorrow, but for now, I just wanted you to know that we made it home safely.

-- Dan (for Marna, Madeleine, & Millicent)

We want to see you, but...

We think this may be the hardest post YET. :-\

Seriouly though, as difficult as this is to ask...we must!

One thing we've definitely noticed is that Millie does not do well with lots of people and commotion. Plus, after a 24+ hours of travel, and everything being new for Millie, we know we'll be tired when we get home and we'll need time to adjust to being back home.

We definitely want to see you, and we certainly want you to see Millie. At this point, we're thinking that several short visits from different people would be better than one huge gathering for everyone to see her.

If you want to arrange to see us, please call us on Saturday and we can work out a time for you to come for a short visit.

We're thinking that perhaps in a few weeks, we'll be ready for some type of get together to celebrate Millie's "homecoming".

We're signing off now, as the computer is the last thing to be packed. Again, we thank you so much for your comments to us. They were the hugest blessing. Thanks for your continued prayers as we start our travel home.

We leave for home today

As excited as we are to get on a plane to come home, there is a little bit of sadness that we are leaving China. Don't get me wrong, WE ARE READY TO BE HOME!!! But, I feel connected to China now, because that is where I met my Millie. The Chinese people are very friendly and polite. Many people have stopped us in the street to look at Millie. Although we have a language barrier, they seem genuinely happy for us and for her.

Today, we check out of our room at 3pm and put our bags with the hotel concierge. Our shuttle from the hotel to the airport actually leaves at 6pm, so we have 3 hours to burn without a room. We'll probably take a walk around the island, do some last minute shopping, and eat at Lucy's or another restaurant one last time.

We should get to the airport by 7pm at the latest. Our plane leaves Guangzhou at 9pm for LA. Due to the wonders of LA being 14 hours behind Guangzhou time, we land in LA at 7:15pm Wednesday evening, after a 12+ hour flight (shorter flight going east due to tailwinds). Our flight from LA to Chicago takes off at 11:15pm. We are due to land in Chicago at 5am on Thursday morning. So, just looking at the clock, it looks like an 8 hour trip, but we know better! From the time we leave the hotel until we touch down in Chicago will be about 24 hours.

Please pray that our travel will be smooth, that Millie will be a good traveler, and that all of us would have the patience for the long flights. (It's hard to sit in a plane seat for 12+ hours).

Thanks again for all your prayers. We have felt them and very much appreciate the care and concern you've showed to us throughout this whole adoption process.

-- Dan

Red Couch Picture and Visit to the U.S. Consulate

Today we have two main items to accomplish, besides continual learning and adjusting to a new little one in our family.

At 2:10pm today, we are assembling as a group on the second floor of theWhite Swan Hotel to take our "Red Couch Photos". Not sure how this started, but it has become a tradition for adoptive families to take a picture on the red couches. We bought a traditional Chinese dress for Maddy and Millie to wear for this picture. Marna bought one as well, but it is actually being made and won't be ready until tomorrow.

After the pictures, we will go by bus to the USCIS unit of the U.S. Consulate that processes adoptions. At 4pm, we will take a group oath that all the information we submitted for this adoption was truthful and accurate. This oathonly take a few minutes, but requires about a 40 minute bus ride to get there and another 40 to get back. (All the visa processing and oath taking used to take place at the US Consulate right next to the White Swan Hotel on Shamian Island. For security reasons, they've moved that office to another part of the city here in Guangzhou. It would have been great to be able to just walk next door for this, but at this point, we're pretty used to riding on buses, planes, and taxis.)

After the oath, we will receive Millie's visa and all the other necessary paperwork we will need to have her enter the country. Once we land in L.A. and go through Immigration, she will be an official U.S. Citizen !

I've also attached a few more pictures. Thought the one of the package delivery driver was funny.



-- Dan

This morning we wait...and get good news

As I type, our adoption agency contact, Grace, is delivering our visa application document packet to the US Consulate Adoption Unit. We need to stay in our room from 10:30am until Noon today so that Grace can call us if there is any problem. She will call one way or the other. So, we hope for a call from her saying that all the paperwork is fine. If all goes well, Marna, Millie, and I will go to the US Consulate tomorrow at 4pm to take an oath and receive Millie's visa.

This afternoon Marna and my Mom will be going to the Pearl Market, then possibly to the Wet Market. I'll let Marna fill you in on what those places are like.

I'm finishing this post about 2hrs after I began typing it. In that time, Grace has called and said we have "good news". All our paperwork was in order and we will be able to pickup Millie's visa tomorrow. Praise the Lord ! Looks like we are on schedule to return home starting on Wednesday evening.

Also, Marna, Madeleine, and Mom are on the island going to different shops and just having an afternoon together. I'm in the room with Millie, who is now sound asleep for her nap.

It's hard to believe that our time here is almost over. Again, we thank you for your prayers and comments throughout this trip. I'll end this post with a few more pictures.

-- Dan

Softly and Tenderly Jesus is Calling.......

there are moments in ones life that can not be explained. i have had one of those moments. actually it was longer than a moment....it was an hour and 15 minute "moment". a beautiful, reflective, mind bending emotional moment......and MANY more words that i can't seem to find to express what i desire.

there are many things about this adoption that i desire for loved ones (family and dear friends) to know....to be able to "walk" thru with us....to be able to connect with me/us about these life changing event. there are also many private, personal events about this adoption that i want to be careful about. you see, this is Millie's past, her life story and journey to our family. a life story that i shouldn't just "broad cast" to the whole world. i've been told that she needs to be able to "give permission" per say when she is old enough to do so about some of the very personal events and descriptions about who and where she comes from. it could be wrong of me to "give" to much information without her "blessing". however, i find this hard because this is also my journey of adoption. and, i desire to record these events so that i can remember to tell her as much as i know and experienced. well, until God allows her to come back to her Homeland i will be her only eyes, ears and hands in this journey of her life......and yet, i SO desire to be careful.....so please Lord Jesus, be my words.....Amen.

friday we went to Millie's "finding place". no matter what words you choose to describe abandonment it all sorta comes back to....well, being abandoned. :-( "finding place" seems "positive" and i am grateful for that. she was abandoned to be FOUND. to be cared for....to LIVE! she IS living.....hallelujah!!!!! as i write this, she is in fact VERY alive, and asleep in our bed. :-) i LOVE hearing her little snores. they are precious breaths of life. thank you dear LORD for her life! thank you dear LORD that YOU found our precious Millie! she was chosen to be found. God has even chosen us, and allowed us to "be found". we all can have a "finding place". :-) my "finding place" was when i was 11 years old. with very few memories of my childhood, ONE major memory i have is when i was FOUND by my personal loving Savior!! i didn't know how lost i was at that time....all i knew was i wanted to be loved. i had been told He loved ME...i couldn't believe it!!!!! i could be loved! thankfully HE knew i needed to be found....and chose me to be His. now my Millie has been FOUND. God has given me the special privilege to see her finding place.....thank you dear Father for this precious finding! my deepest prayer is for that glorious day when Millie chooses YOU to be her personal Savior! then she will have a NEW "finding place!!!!!!!!!!!! oh what a day that will be!!!!!!!!! :-) :-)

what seemed like a horrible mistake on wednesday when we visited the orphanage turned out to be our biggest blessing (besides "meeting" our Millie for the first time) in this adoption!!! it is in fact one of the most memorable honors i believe i will ever have in my life. i'm not sure why i was given this honor....except maybe it is because God gave me such a personal picture of our adoption into His kingdom with this memorable picture. how He found me when i was so lost without Him. how His love came down to choose me to be His daughter of the most High King. how He found my in such lowly estate. oh, how gratefully humbled i am. this thought is beyond my comprehension at times. thank goodness it is recorded in the Bible otherwise i just don't know if i could believe it. but i know Gods word is alive and active AND true, without error.......PRAISE GOD!!!!! :-)

on wednesday when we were on the bus with the other families stopping at their child's finding place they would get off the bus, take some pictures and come back on. then we moved on to the next. for us we had SO much more! i don't mean to take away from what these other families had....for what they had WAS memorable for them and i am so thankful for each child in our group that was FOUND. they are precious, precious children!!!!!!!

we met sandra in the lobby at 10:00 am. we got in a taxi and sandra gave directions to take us to our destination. the ride took about 20 minutes or so. we had no idea what was in store for us, as we weaved in and out thru traffic as we neared this special finding place. when we got to the street the driver stopped and started talking to sandra. the driver basically told sandra we were there. when we got out of the taxi we could chose either to go left or right. we then realized that sandra wasn't sure of the exact building our daughter had been found in, but we were close. we just had to "find" it. we chose to go left and soon realized we were going in the wrong direction (after asking several people) we turned back around to go back in the other direction. in total we walked approximately 6 blocks in all.

as we were walking i was able to start looking around at the surroundings. this was a very poor part of the city. run down. apartments, some high, others low, or shack like and everything VERY close together. a mix of very old, worn, very dirty and gray surroundings. i felt like i had walked back in time. MANY traditional "China" looks, sounds and smells. as we walked we were VERY aware that we were being looked at!! what were these crazy Americans doing walking down these streets is what seemed to be "said". NO one was mean....NO one was impolite. just shocked. we stuck out for sure....in EVERY way. i doubt they had seen ANY Americans walking down their streets before. i NEVER imagined being the first Americans walking down their street that day either. never! but oh how glad i did. it is a beautiful street to me now....one i will never forget, ever!!!!!

after walking many blocks i started getting fearful that we wouldn't find the building. we just couldn't find the number we were looking for. after asking several more people along the way sandra stopped. then she said there it is. we followed where she pointed and we saw the number....70. it was written on the outside of an even worse looking building from the others we saw, or so it seemed. :-( hand written numbers. as we finally reached to the front of this building i needed to take a moment. to let it sink in. this was IT. this was the spot. number 70. the building was probably 8 stories tall. you could imagine what was inside just by seeing the outside. very ,very lowly indeed. very gray, very dirty, very sparse.

we were first told that it was inappropriate to visit this finding spot because this was an apartment building. a place where actual people live. going to the second story meant that we would be IN the building not just near or possibly by her finding spot but in. then sandra did the unbelievable. she asked us if we wanted to go INSIDE. dan and i both couldn't believe it! we thought this was impossible!!!!!! we said YES, only if it was not inappropriate. she said lets try.

there were no doors to enter into this building. it was open. the passage way was VERY narrow. you walked maybe 10 steps at the most, turned left and went up 6 steps reaching a VERY small landing (just enough to fit a bike on, which there was). when we reached the landing along with a bike there and making sure we didn't knock it over sandra stopped. it was that small that all three of us couldn't fit on this landing. she told us then that this is where Millie was found. just like that. found! this was the "second floor". this LITTLE space SO very very small, COLD, dirty, open to ALL the elements was "it". the precious finding place. a place that she was sure to be found. oh thank you Jesus!!! it took a minute for this to process. this was the "second story". at first i just couldn't grasp it. a second story in my mind DID NOT look LIKE this! but it was. this was REAL. no imagining anymore. i KNEW now what this second story looked like.

i cant even begin to tell you how much this effected me. i still cant think about it without tears welling up in my eyes. i will NEVER forget this place. every spot is ingrained. i still feel it. time stood still....just not long enough. i broke down into Dan's shoulder by then....i just couldn't help it. sandra let us cry. she cried. she felt along with us. i didn't want to leave. i wanted this moment to be forever in me. i wanted to actually be able to "give" it to Millie. to bring it to her. i could see my little Millie lying in this cold, dirty floor....crying out, to be heard, found in the dead of winter! this whole process of adoption stood still for me. God, before the foundations of the world was laid, had decided that i would one day stand on this very spot that my precious daughter was found. all of it was to impossible for me to behold. but i did....i stood there. no longer lost was my little girl. AND God even saw fit for me to stand in the exact spot she was in. it was almost as if i could bend down, take her in my arms and hold her, calming her...soothing her as she cried. i was "rocking" her in my mind, telling her all is OK now. "your not lost anymore Millie....mama has you, your safe"......oh God what love you have for us!!!!! thank you for finding us!!!! thank you for soothing us with your word, your Holy Spirit! you are the GREAT COMFORTER.....may we all find ourselves resting in your arms....held. FOUND!!!!!!!!

we had to leave now. it was sooo hard. we stepped out again onto the street.....i had to take more pictures. we were being watched by the locals. we wanted to continue to walk back down the street where we had come from. along the way there were shops, where people made there living....shops NOT at all like what you think. these are open small squares of less than 10 x 10 spaces. dan then asked if we could buy something from a shop to sandra. she said yes. we saw a small store just a few stores down from Millie's special place. this store had a little girl standing in front of it. it was a store that sold blankets. we asked if they had any children's blankets. sandra of course translating for us. she did....and we purchased. we wanted to have something from this street....this place....a place that is her heritage. this blanket....NO one would think is "Chinese", but that doesn't matter to us. this is her blanket....a piece to her past. possibly if Millie would have grown up in this neighborhood she would have been friends with this little girl. who knows? but i would like to think she would........i asked if i could take a picture of this little girl....yes, i could. i did.

by this time we had to hail a taxi. we got in and the taxi turned away from this special street. sandra took another taxi home. dan and i were alone on our way back to Millie who stayed with grandma and big sister. all dan and i could do was look at each other. there wern't words yet....it was still all sinking in. we were blessed beyond measure today. we experienced this together. i am grateful!

i know this is very personal. i know i have shared a lot. i can only pray and hope that my words bring you closer to our Lord and Savior. i can only pray that you too have a special "finding place" which can ONLY be found in Jesus Christ! you don't have to be "lost" He is calling for you to come home. He is ready to "adopt" you too. come home......

with all my love,
marna

Quick prayer request

We filled out all the forms for the U.S. Consulate today. It took us about 2 hours to fill out the forms, but we had a wonderful lady named Grace guide us through all the forms. She is the Hand In Hand person here in Guangzhou and is taking care of all the details for each family. The forms will be delivered for processing in the next day or so. Please pray that all the paperwork is in order and that we will get visa approval and citizenship approval for Millie from our U.S. Government. We don't think this will be a problem, but prayer is never a bad thing :-)

That is all for now. Marna is working on the next chapter of her "book". I think she'll probably post something tonight or tomorrow morning. We'll also post another picture or two sometime tomorrow.

-- Dan

More facts.....

hi all ~

Millie is 22.5 lbs. (with a wet diaper) :-)

she does have a small palette (we think it is called something else) in the back of the mouth. it is supposed to be very small and the doctor said, "no problem, no problem". i'm sure we will find out all about it when we get home. :-)

she has finally allowed me to carry her in my "HOT SLING". :-) oh joy for me!!!! she is a back bender when fussy and it has been hard to hold her when she bolts back. she didn't like to be (nor knew how) to be close in a snuggle way and the Hot Sling was to confining for her. now she snuggles away.....still is fussy when she NEEDS to sleep, but now she will fall asleep on me. :-) BIG GRIN!!!!!!!!! oh, by the way i LOVE the Hot Sling. very, very comfortable!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :-)

she is very tactile. feels everything with great concentration.

she does wear 12 month clothing just fine. i thought she was bigger than that....but since it is warmer here in GZ and the "clothing police" (older Chinese ladies who scold you if your child is NOT bundled up with 5 layers of cloths on with no skin showing at all!! and yes, in Nanjing i was scolded several times). :-) well today, i allowed myself to put on an outfit that would possibly show some skin (meaning from the sock area above to the leggin bottom). :-) anyway, the outfit fits her just fine. i am sure it could be because Carters sizes run a little bigger than most. of course she looks VERY cute in her outfits. :-) i know proud mama talking here. ;-)

i LOVE bows on little girls head. well, like big sister (when she was Millie's age) she had to follow suit.....so today she had a big purple flower on her head. :-) the locals here, as we were walking to our medical examination ALL thought it was SO cute....and i'm sure a very funny American thing to do. ;-) also, the nurses at the medical exam had to come over and touch it to see if it was real. then the nose and throat doctor (who was a women) commented on the beautiful head band. :-) so, i guess Millie was a "hit" today looking ALL SO cute! :-)

she has had 2 baths now that she actually likes.....don't ask about the first several. :- now she splashes and loves it. i think she will be a water girl like her big sister. :-)

her favorite food is oatmeal. yep....basically that is all she wants to eat. we have tried to feed her "real" food, but she just spits it out. she wants the oatmeal. she puts up with rice cereal....but the sweeter the better she wants. no wonder the sucker we gave her at first was a big hit. :-) she drinks the formula we brought just fine. she likes apple sauce. :-) we were told she was a very "efficient" eater....not picky", but we'll see about that....so far she's picky. :-)

that's all i can think of right now...... :-)

-------------------------

Mandi, and my Nanjing yahoo friends............... :-)

REGRETFULLY i have to admit that i FORGOT my list of names of those who wanted pictures. :-( :-( :-( dan asked me if i had gotten the sheet of names while we were ON THE BUS, and right when he asked me i about DIED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! i had left the file in our room! i could explain a 100 million reason why i forgot it.....but it doesn't really matter because i feel like i let so many down. i am so terribly sorry!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

HOWEVER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! by the GRACE of our LORD!!!!!!!!!!!

Sandra (our coordinator) came thru for us! :-) :-) :-) Praise the Lord!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

i truly have NO idea if they even would have given us permission (if i had to guess, i would say no....but) to take pictures as we were very rushed thru with lots of whirlwind confusion when we were at the orphanage. but even so, i had felt horrified that i had forgotten the list. please please forgive me!!

here are some of the details:

the schedule called for us to visit the orphanage and then to stop off for each families child's "finding place" afterwords, so you could take pictures. we were told by Sandra that Millie's finding place was very near the orphanage. when we were all on the bus and we were stopping off at the finding places we realized that the bus had gotten further and further away from the SWI......when we finally realized this we asked sandra when we would stop to take our picture. she said the orphanage director told her it would be inappropriate for us to go there (because of where Millie was found). :-( :-( of course we weren't told any of this and we had NO idea that we weren't going to see it. :-( i was SO SO very SAD!!!!!! sandra seeing how very sad i was (and being the beautiful and wonderful coordinator that she is) said she would take us that friday (on her OWN time to Millie's finding place). :-) i will explain in another post about this amazing day later........

anyway....i explained to sandra about the list and she said that she or the director would have Coco take pictures of the children next week and Coco would send them to Sonja at Hand in Hand. :-) :-)

SO, i blundered BUT God came thru!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! AS usual!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! i am SO very humbled!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

so, watch your emails AND maybe even explain to sonja my terrible mistake and ask her if there is anything she needs to do to make sure these pictures come thru. :-)


well, Millie is napping and we are about to meet as a group to go for dinner. i best wake her up.

with much love to all,
marna

We are in Guangzhou !

We'll post more later, but I wanted to make sure to post a quick message that we arrived safely in Guangzhou last night. Our flight out of Nanjing departed at 7pm. Millie has usually been going to sleep around 6:30pm, so she was fussy as we were waiting in the airport. But once we were seated in the plane and the engines started roaring, she slept the whole flight until we pulled into the gate.

It's a 40 minute drive from the airport to the hotel, so we didn't get to our hotel room until after 11pm. After we unpacked and set up shop, it was close to 1am when we finally went to bed. So, today we're pretty tired, but glad that we are on our last stop before home.

This morning, we had photos taken for Millie's visa and then we went to get her physical exam our U.S. government requires for the visa application. Praise God that Millie is in good health. Some kids have bronchitis, ear infections, etc., but she is a "healthy" little peanut. Contrary to what the orphanage said, the ear/nose/throat doctor said that she did have a small hole way in the the back of her palette. She said "No problem" in her halting English. So, we'll have further evaluation when we get home.

All this was within walking distance of the hotel, which is situated on Shamian Island in Guangzhou. The island is only about 1 sq. km. , so it's easy to walk anywhere. It has a European feel and very much caters to English-speaking people. The climate is like Florida, so it feels more like a vacation spot than Nanjing felt.

This afternoon, we all meet together to fill out all the forms we need to complete for our U.S. Consulate to complete the adoption process for the U.S. side. Then, we're all going together for a group dinner at the Cow & BridgeThai restaurant on the island.

Thanks again for all your prayers and comments.

-- Dan

Just the facts please.....

hi all ~

since i have written 3 post about "deep" stuff i thought i would post some facts that you all might be wondering. :-)

wow, only 3 post and yet there is SO much to share, explain. so MANY details i have left out. REALLY! :-) i feel as if one minute of experiences here could fill a life time of explanation. there is just so much! talk about details. :-)

ok, here are some things about Millie:

she is small, but not as small as thought. her foot size is not 5 inches (probably was with shoes on that were too big). :-) her SWEET little feet are almost 4 inches. she definitely wears a size 18 months. 12 size leggins work...but are just about too small. i also think 24 months will work real soon. she seems "tall" to me. you know tall and lanky, but maybe that is because she is light in weight. i think 22 lbs seems right, but i don't have a scale. she seemed really really small to me when i first saw her....but now she has "grown" on me. :-) her hair is just right. not shaved as before in November. i'm so glad. i think she is going to have great hair. i know, its the hair thing again. :-)

she has a cleft lip, but NOT a pallet (sp?). BUT, will probably have LOTS of dental work...possibly dental surgery etc. we'll find out more when we get home i'm sure. i haven't really tried to feel around to much in her mouth as i haven't wanted to cause anymore trauma in that area. her nose is a button...and will need some work on it as she gets older i believe.

ok, i know its just me, but she is thee CUTEST thing EVER!!!!!!!!!! she is truly beautiful. :-) she has the sweetest hands . the sweetest personality. except when she needs to nap. :-) i mean she just melts my heart. i'm sure i am in trouble big time. :-) i've said it before, but she has this impish-est grin and she does this "something" with her eyes that just melts me. i live to see this. boy, is it ever so cute! :-)

she is also gentle. quiet. maybe introverted? the orphanage said she is shy...i can see this. it will be interesting to see how long this last. :-)

she does not say any words except mama. i know....melt my heart.! also, she does that "ahhhhh" sound. that's IT. no Chinese words of any kind.

she has a sweetness about her.

she is in LOVE with my necklace that has HER picture in it. she ALWAYS looks at it...touches it and "plays"with it. :-)

she loves music and books. i know what some of you are thinking...... ;-)

she LOVES my kisses! :-)

well, that is all i can think of at this time. it is way too late and i should be off to bed. :-

i have to think of getting back on an airplane again. AND this time with a toddler. should be "interesting". :-) :- :-o

thank you for all your prayers and KIND words. wow.....really! it has amazed and humbled me.

love to you all,
marna

The Gift

tomorrow will be our last day in Nanjing. this brings me sadness. yet, i really don't want to stay here....or at least in the hotel. :-) i think i am ready to go. but now, there is this "hold" on me that is hard to describe.

when i arrived here in Nanjing it was just a "place". of course i knew my daughter was from here, but the dots hadn't all been connected for me yet. now they are, and i will never be able to be dis-connected from this place again. that red thread thing (an often used phrase in the adoption community) completely makes sense to me now.

the sadness i have is that i will be leaving a place that now has such a significant place in my heart. a place that has allowed such a significant change to happen in my life. a place that has "given" me something. isn't that weird that a "place" has given me a life...a daughter? how weird does that seem!

i know i am ready to leave....to get to phase two of our adoption, and then finally home! to start living our "normal" life. OK, a new normal life! :-) but i find my heart grieving over leaving.

maybe it is because i cant say goodbye for Millie. maybe i realize that what one mother has lost i have gained. oh, have i gained! maybe i am sad for Millie too (in ways that are to deep to express or explain). i found it odd today that as i was searching gifts out that are special to this area and hopefully special to her....was really just "special" to me. will she even feel a connection to this city...the people? will she realize what a gift she truly is!!!!! that she IS the gift that is special from Nanjing? that Nanjing has lost something.....someone. :-(

i know tomorrow will happen. i cant stop that. i know i will board a plane and leave with my daughter. possibly never to return again? i know i will feel completely out of control for stopping or slowing any of these events to happen. i will be carried again by that "whirlwind". just like it all started. we will leave. it has to happen. but, i leave with a gift. a gift that does come from Nanjing China. BUT yet, came from Gods own hand! He has done this! i will just praise Him....for now i have experienced a "place" that can "be" a gift and "give" a gift.

those have been my heart thoughts of today.

with all my love,
marna

Another day, more great experiences

It is Thursday evening here in Nanjing. Hard to believe that our time here is winding down. We leave the hotel tomorrow at 4pm for a trip to the airport. We have a 7pm flight to Guangzhou, arriving at 9pm. It will be a late night, as we probably won't get to the hotel until 10:30 or so. Millie has been going to bed around 6:30pm for the last few nights, so we'll see how this works tomorrow night.

Tomorrow morning at 10am, Marna and I are going to take a taxi along with Sondra to the place where Millie was found. Someday, she'll be asking many questions, and we want to have as many answers as possible.

We went sightseeing today to two spots in Nanjing, the ancient Nanjing City Wall (we called it the Not-So-Great-Wall), and the Nanjing Museum of Art. After we left the museum, we ate lunch together as a group. Our adoption agency guide, Sondra, has been a joy to be with. She took us to a restaurant and ordered all the food for us. We sat at round tables with a "lazy susan" in the middle of each table. The servers would place the dishes on the lazy susan, and then you would turn it to get to the food you wanted. We had a wonderful assortment of foods: roast duck (for which Nanjing is famous), roast pork, fried beef, chicken, bok choy, pickled radishes, corn w/glutenous rice (this rice is not slender, it looks like a round white ball, like a small marble), watermelon, dates, cucumber, rice soup, and several others things I can't remember at the moment. I tried everything on the table...and I used chopsticks the whole time. Madeleine is a whiz with chopsticks, I manage reasonably well, and Marna at some point asks for a fork or spoon.

After our sightseeing, we came back to the hotel. Madeleine and I stayed in the room with Millie, and Marna and my Mom went out to shop at the shopping area right by the hotel. Marna picked out a few gifts that we will give to Millie over the years. We wanted to have some things to give her that are actually from her hometown. We'll buy more in Guangzhou, but we definitely wanted to get some things here in Nanjing.

Wednesday night, we had an interesting eating experience. We were all tired of eating American food at KFC, Burger King, and McDonald's, so we decided to get adventurous. There is a restaurant right across the street from the hotel. I'd tell you the name, but I have no idea as it's all in Chinese characters. Another adopting family came with us as well. We were seated in a private room with one round table. The server handed me the menu and I did not see one English word anywhere. Well, I high-tailed it back to our hotel room where we had a sheet of paper that had typical foods listed in English with their Chinese characters right next to it. So, without knowing anything on the menu, I ordered chicken, beef, vegetables, and rice by pointing to the word on our paper.
They brought out the dishes, and aside from the beef being really spicy, we had a pretty decent meal. Then came the bill. The price for seven of us to eat: 95 yuan, roughly $14 total. Not bad for a night out on the town.

Well, it's 9pm here now and I'm pretty tired. Millie has been asleep here in the room since 6:30pm. She has been sleeping about 12 hours a night, so she is taking after her sister, as Maddy was a great sleeper in her early childhood.

Thanks again for all your prayers and comments. Please pray that we'll have safety in our travels tomorrow to Guangzhou. I'm signing off for now, not sure if Marna will post tonight or not. Depending on how late it is when we get to our hotel tomorrow night, we probably won't post until sometime on Saturday.

--Dan

How can a day be so different?

i suppose when reflecting, that each day can be completely different, or even at that the same. i guess i never really understood that until the death of my first husband ....and now experiencing a joyous transformation in my sweet daughter today. how can one day be so different from the next? how can one day be heart wrenching sadness and another be joy? i'm not sure i "know", i only know that i have experience it. this day brings change, but glorious change...for Millie has chosen us. :-)

yesterday was gut wrenching hard!! Millie woke up grieving and it didn't "stop" until she woke up the next day. :-(

yesterday she woke up with "night terrors". thankfully our adoption agency director (thanks Vickie) told us what she had done when adopting her first little one. we tried her suggestions and they helped. however, it didn't stop the grieving that started. you see that night, before she woke up with a night terror, she had had a very hard night. waking up MANY times. of course that meant the mommy and daddy didn't sleep well either. i knew then that what we didn't experience the day before came now. i was fine, prepared and even ready (but tired). God didn't have to give me a great first day with my precious Millie, but i am SO thankful He did. :-)

as the day progressed i could tell that she was having the most difficult time. she really didn't "want" me and i could do nothing to console her. oh how it broke my heart. but, again i knew this day would come, and i know that different kinds of days like this can reoccur. but i am marveling in THIS day now. :-)

when she woke up this time in the morning i wanted to take it slow with Millie. see how she would respond to me after a great night of sleep. which by the way, thank you for praying with us. God answered again. :-) she woke up more rested and not so surprised by us. she just seemed "better" (maybe that was hopeful wishing on my part...not sure). as the morning went on she did well. we had to meet in the lobby at 9:00 am to go to the orphanage. we were ready early, which is amazing now with a toddler. you pack this, and then that, and back to oh i forgot this. :-) what a flash back to the past with our now 13 year old. :-o

i wasn't sure i wanted to go to the orphanage since Millie had such a hard day the day before, but i felt that we just needed to see where her life has been the last 2 years. we are very glad we went.

on our bus ride Millie was tired. i thought OH NO...i know what she does when tired. you see yesterday she didn't nor wouldn't let me "help" her to sleep. she also wouldn't go to sleep. she would just rock. another method of soothing. i HATE seeing this. yet i know this has been a part of her life now for 2 years. i thought for sure we were in for another day. but, she let me snuggle her on the bus ride. she rested on my lap...and sucked her finger. i hoped that she would at least go to sleep by the time we got to the orphanage but alas she didn't. she just allowed for being soothed and snuggled. i accepted. :-)

when we got to her old "home" of 2 years i could tell that she remembered. right away we saw caregivers looking out from the windows. then i saw "her". the "her" is the caregiver that is in most of the pictures we have of Millie. i specifically wanted to see this women who was such a part of Millie's life. i started waving at her. she recognized Millie, and waved back. i couldn't help myself...but i kept waving, looking at her, showing her Millie. i think Millie was just in a "state of confusion", stunned into silence at this point. we were then ushered into an office where the directors gave us gifts from the orphanage. very precious gifts to us. we are grateful.

after they gave the gifts and a cookie to the children. we started our "tour". we didn't reach Millie's "room" until 3 stops later. when we got to her place the caregiver that had been assigned Millie came and scooped her out of my arms. the lady i had seen from the window. there was much excitement from the caregivers as they recognized the children and Millie also. they all wanted to greet her. this was our chance to talk to the caregiver and ask specific questions. with a translator of course. we were also trying to take pictures. as many as we could. this is part of Millie's life. we had to have some journal of her life. thank goodness for our camera.

things happened so fast that it felt like a whirlwind. i wanted it to stop so i could take it all in. to peacefully understand this part of Millie's past. to talk quietly with her caregiver. but, that is not the way here i suppose. i was carried away with the wind....i pray i can remember all of it for Millie someday when she desires to know.

i tried to see how Millie was responding to all this. by this time her stunned to silence was gone. she was tired, cranky and possibly scared. scared to be back? i'm not sure. she didn't seem to show joy that she was there, but rather indifference. that is amongst the crying and back bending. as all this was going on we were asking questions, taking pictures and other whirlwind things. we got to see her crib. they even found her crib name card with picture on it. it was on the floor a few cribs down. we were given permission to keep it. her crib is already assigned to a knew "owner".

by this time we had to go. we were being asked to leave. Millie's caregiver didn't want to give Millie up. she had tears in her eyes, but was thanking us for taking her into our lives. we were thanking her for taking care of her the last 2 years. we were all crying. a directer finally came and gently nudged her to give Millie to me. i couldn't just rip her out of her arms, but yet i WANTED my daughter. not in a way that felt hurtful towards this caregiver, for i have the utmost respect and honor towards her. but, i wanted to feel Millie back in my arms. it had been to long. i was able to give a special gift to this caregiver which i was very grateful for. i pray she will remember Millie because of the gifts. i found out later on the bus ride home that this caregivers name was the same as Millie's Chinese name. what a special treasure i can share with Millie some day.

on the bus ride home Millie settled in right away in my arms. upright of course.... :-) nothing like the day before. she took her finger while tears were still in her eyes and feel asleep the whole ride home. she was mine again. i was so thankful!!!!!

when we got back to the hotel we down loaded and fixed lunch for Millie. she ate and was happy to be back "home". then we decided to go eat our lunch. by the time we packed up our hotel room (ummm...i mean diaper bag :-) got to our place of choice and ordered our food Millie seemed tired again and out of sorts. i am still trying to figure out Millie's schedule after we came into her life and completely disrupted it. anyway, i decided to take her back to our room and just rest with her.

that's when i saw the difference. :-)

dan had decided to go to walmart with a fellow adoptee dad, Maddy and Miriam were souvenir shopping and i had Millie all to myself for hours in our room. it was glorious hours and the beginning of what i pray and hope will only grow from here on.

Millie sleeps with us in our king size rock....ahhh i mean bed. ( inside china adoption joke) :-) you see, i cant put Millie in the crib in our room because all she knows to do in the crib is rock. all that does is break my heart. i am glad i had decided before we traveled that this was something i wanted to do with Millie for attachment bonding issues.

so back in our room (with wonderful string hymn music playing in the background) we had several hours to ourselves. i know there are great sites to see here in Nanjing...sites i would even like to see. BUT, my first priority has to be Millie and her transition. she is my only focus at this point. we needed this time and i wont forget this first encounter with my daughter. it was amazing.

Millie and i were on our bed. she was tired, but unwilling to sleep. i think she just needed down time for the morning at the orphanage. so, she and i would just be near each other. me watching her, touching her, she playing with a music box. she is fascinated with music. her favorite toys so far have been a music box. a book that has texture to it. a glow worm that plays music (thank you dawn for this :-) and a classical "i-pod" for kids from target.

while we were just with each other Millie seemed different. she wanted me to be with her, near her. she asked for my touch. she even gave me smiles. i didn't have to tickle her to get them. sweet smiles. oh she has the impish-est grin alive and i could eat it up! she is SO yummy!!!!!! :-)

Millie loves to touch. she loves texture. she loves to touch my face. i have invited this as it causes her to have to look at me. and she does. :-) i KISS her ALL the time. and now Millie is kissing ME. she is drawing me to her. she was falling into me. not allowing us to be to far apart. she tries to speak to me when we kiss. i understand her "words". her words aren't any words yet or even Chinese words. more like coos. more like when you get into a wonderful hot shower after a long hard day. the "ahhhhhs" kind of sounds. that is what Millie does/says when we kiss. it was such a grand time with each other. as the hours went by and we had time to really be together it just got better.

when she couldn't keep her eyes open she would start to suck her finger, but instead of moving off alone she would fall up beside me and snuggle. she wanted me to be close. she would try to sleep for a few minutes...wake back up and we were back to having time together. after awhile i put her off the bed to play with toys with me. we played and then a new game came. :-) she would walk away then turn around and come "running" back to me SMILING, with arms out wide WANTING to be picked up and held. i would get her close, kiss her and she would giggle. GIGGLE. oh the sound was beyond wonderful for me to hear.
this was a different child!! if i got to far away...she would come to me and want me to pick her up. with raised arms. that gesture never seemed sweeter. every time i picked her up she was in gleeful joy and it showed on her face. oh what a sweet face she has. she is beautiful! and yes, YUMMY! :-) :-)

i experienced a first with Millie today. a first of attachment and of bonding. a first of her initiating it. a first i pray of a life long journey of becoming mother and daughter of the heart with each other. :-)

this has been the most amazing ride i have ever been on. AND, it is only day 3. :-)

i know that we may not have everyday like this. i realize that she may "fall" back. i realize also that i will continue to see signs of her past life. but today, i rejoice. i rejoice and marvel at the change. of a day being completely different than the day before. a day that has brought joy. :-) let's praise God together!!!!!!!!!

again, all my love,
marna

thank you so much for you sweet comments specially after my first personal post. it gave me confidence in doing another. i pray that is OK.

The Picture

So, how do i post my message when something this GRAND has happened?????? it is a crazy thought for me....to try to express ALL that has happened since coming to China. i SO wish i could let you see ALL what has happened instead of having to try to write it all out for you....but i really want you to know what amazing things God has done. SO, i will write...and try my hardest to express my thoughts and feelings that run so deep inside of me.

first let me explain that i am typing on a lap top (which i never use) and a space bar that sometimes works...sometimes it doesn't give me a space other times it gives me too many spaces. so, what comes out i wont know...but will try to edit (me edit...now THAT is funny) as much as i can. except for the capital thing. sorry! :-)

i am also so grateful for my husband!! because we can't access our blog (dan being the IT guy he is, and a having a great friend just as "geeky" :-) have figured a way around all the posting problems (Praise the Lord) but has caused us some difficulty we weren't expecting. we knew this could be a problem because of where we are at, but was hoping it wouldn't be. oh well, i'm just so grateful that we have friends so willing to help us out!!!! so thanks Chris for all your hard work on this! ;-)

also, ALL the comments have been SUCH a GREAT joy to us. we can't see the blog, but those IT guys have figured that out too...and send to us, thru email a copy. if you have ever heard of the book Then Five Love Languages you will know when i tell you that "words of encouragement" is one of my top 2 languages. :-) so thank you SO SO much for all you comments!!!! and i think as dan has posted it really does make us feel closer to home and not so very far away.

i am going to try to go in the order of events so i can keep my thoughts in order...ha ha to those that really know me! :-) oh well, i'm trying. :-)

SO, if you didn't know by now....traveling to china takes a VERY VERY VERY long time. :-P i had NO idea that 3 plane rides could be SO hard! the first plane ride from Chicago to LA was scary! i thought for sure we would die before we even got to meet Millie, but God was in control and we landed. :-) first, with a rocky, swaying take off, to a very bumpy landing! oh boy, i don't want that to happen again! from LA we had to get ready for the next take off. we thought we would have lots of time as we had a 4 1/2 layover. boy, were we wrong. from the moment we left Warsaw it was go, go, go! NON-stop travel! at LA we waited in every LONG, very LONG line there was, and then had to board right away. no resting there. no water drinks, no potty breaks. it was off to board after standing forever....what an adventure it was. :-) oh, i forgot the bus ride we had to take. although driving in china now tops off all traffic i have seen (i mean UP CLOSE seen)...the bus ride in LA seemed rather crazy too. of course we had to wait for the bus ride too. long, long! that is all i remember! :-)

then, we finally get on our flight to China. the seats were great. plenty of room. but, we were tired. ready to go to sleep. so we tried. what i remember most about this flight is that it went ON and ON, and that we were upright for a total travel time of 38 hours!!! ;-) really, try sleeping upright for 14 hours. :- i remember asking dan how long we had to go, and he said at least 4 more hours!!!! i couldn't believe it. i asked him how long we'd been in the air so far, and he said about 10 hours (that was just on the china plane ride). i couldn't believe it. i thought this flight was only 12 hours...and now he was telling me it was a 14 hour plane ride. oh those 4 hours took FOREVER!!!!!!! after we landed (a much better landing, thank you Lord) we were officially in china. what a thought. Maddy and i just couldn't believe it! we unloaded off the plane onto the ground with steep stairs outside. a bus waiting to take us to the building. we had to check in our passports of course and got our first stamp in our passport visa thing. Maddy thought that was WAY cool! now she is a world traveler with a real stamp! :-) i was just tired and thirsty (again) and wanted to just get to Nanjing, but knew that required yet again another plane ride. our third plane ride. by this time, Maddy was pretty done with planes as well. but, we knew this ride would feel very fast as it was only an hour and half. this flight was much different cause we were pretty much the only Americans on the plane (except a few other families that were adopting with our agency- 3) so, what we heard was a lot of Chinese and what we saw was a lot of black hair heads. ok, so you may ask why i mention that. well, as a cosmetologist...i have to. i notice hair. ;-)

when we got to Nanjing i was surprised. it was very flat. it didn't look at all like i thought it would. not that that is bad, just different than i imagined! again, we couldn't believe we were finally HERE in Nanjing knowing that this is the city that Millie is in. we were SO close!!!!! but, we were also SOOOO very tired. i just wanted to get back to the hotel, take a shower and go to bed and to get out of thee upright position. :-) i was told though that i had better wait till evening to sleep so that i could get my clock turned around faster. that day couldn't have gone ANY slower (except for that 14 hour plane ride to china). all i wanted to do was sleep! first i had to unpack EVERYTHING....i had to find where all of our stuff was...get ready for Millie the next day...and feel as if i "had it together". ha ha :-) i SO didn't! :-)

i had so many emotions while in the hotel. first i was beyond tired, so i knew that played a huge role in how i felt. but, i also know that it was more involved than just tired weariness. i was scared for the next day to happen. yet, had been longing for it for SO long. i wanted Millie so badly, yet i was so unsure how i could be what God wanted me to be for her and for our family. i truly didn't know if i could do this. here i was half way around the world, tired, scared, excited, and completely a mess! and, there was NO way i would go back to get on yet another plane again....so i was "stuck"! now, please don't think i didn't WANT Millie....i SO did....but i SO didn't know what to expect. you see, i had been preparing myself for the worse. praying that if that were the case that God would just carry me thru, but i was still scared. we have asked for your prayers and i am SO grateful for every ONE because they have carried us thru so much in this adoption journey....but especially now when we needed to be prepared to meet her, and her to meet us. God answered our deepest longings. i am forever grateful for this!!!!!! and, a precious memory i will forever have with my sweetest daughter ever! nothing can take that away from me. it is forever etched in my heart all that has happened. i am rejoicing in our Savior for such undeserved sweetness to me!!!!

so, i wake up on Monday morning...knowing this is the day that was to be! thee DAY. our DAY....Millie's day! i slept well that night which i needed so badly. to be at least functional to meet my new daughter, and be prepared for what come may. i hardly could eat anything. couldn't really grasp all that was going to happen....it was just really VERY surreal in EVERYway.

we were to meet in the Lobby with the other families. we get down to the lobby and there are the other families. immediately we are to load a bus and just go. GO! GO, to meet our daughter JUST like that! on that bus we are....risking death!!! with the way traffic and the way they drive here...... wow, that's amazing in itself. :-) we get off the bus and walk to the building. the building didn't look at all like i thought it would. boy, this is becoming a theme i think. :-() we walk into the front door and go to our left. dan and i were the last family to enter. i heard babies crying,....and i looked back to dan and said....i think the children are already here!!!!! oh man! i walked into joyous chaos!!!! here was the director pointing children out to various families. i saw Millie immediately. she was on the couch looking as sweet as could be. :-) she had a red coat on with the sweetest hat on. my favorite kind of hat on. the director is showing me that this is Millie. of course she didn't have to do that!!! silly...because i KNEW!!!! i had her face memorized! but this was not a picture! it was HER. in real flesh and blood. she was right there ALL cute and SO much smaller than i thought. not a bad small...just a real life small. you see, in all the pictures of her it was so hard to tell how big or small she really was. it just looked as if she was "big". now, here she was real and alive and small AND very very cute! :-) other children were crying...the room was bustling....Chinese being spoken by the caretakers there (those that brought the children to the building) and to help with the children....everything was going on!! BUT, for me all i wanted was to hold and meet my Millie. i went to her. gently i picked her up and all she did was kind of look at me and quickly looked away! BUT, NO crying at all. we got a sucker out hoping it would help this very weird transition for her. sweets are great! she loved the sucker....but didn't know to hold it....but liked it when we put it to her mouth. i knew that dan was recording...taking pictures or something to that nature. at least i hoped he was...i was kind of in a state of shock! :-) all i knew at that moment was i had Millie in my arms and she wasn't crying her heart out! Maddy of course wanted to hold her and couldn't get to her fast enough...so i shared. :-) Millie let Maddy hold her too. Dan finally got a chance to hold her now and without ONE whimper or cry!!!!! oh Praise the Lord!!!!!!!!! She went to all of us without one traumatic sadness! Our prayers were answered. she was prepared!

so, here i was finally with my Millie. i thought i would be a blubbering mess.....i thought i would have cried my eyes out. but, i didn't. i just couldn't. i didn't want to upset her. i didn't want to scare her. she seemed "fine" with us. i was MORE than fine with her! she was priceless! she was completely amazing! God is completely amazing!!!!!!!!! beyond it all! i Praise Him so much! i thank ALL of you who has prayed for this specific event and time! i am forever grateful!!!!!!!! He answers prayers! she was prepared by God Himself! our God is Good! :-)

THEN we leave....but we leave with Millie in our arms. just like that. walk into a building, meet your daughter, and go. except we had to sign a paper for a 24 hour period until the next day when the adoption would be considered final. the Chinese government gives you a chance to say no. of course we were NOT going to say no! she was ours, just not completely in the eyes of the Chinese government yet, but already ours in our hearts for sure! :-)

when we finally got back to the hotel room we were able to put her down and give her a few toys, let her explore and walk a little...but i knew she needed to take a nap. everything was new for her now in her little life. i wanted to hold her as much as she would allow without upsetting her to much. it broke my heart when i realized (but had been prepared by reading of such things) she didn't know how to be held when sleepy. she had NO idea of this special process of a wonderful thing called nurture from a mama. i had already started noticing so much! there was no mistaking that she was in an orphanage. it was obvious. it broke my heart. it broke my heart that she didn't know how to be cuddled, be rocked, or soothed. so, i had to begin this teaching and try as long as she would allow. dan and Maddy left the room and went next door (we had to get 2 rooms since there are 4 of us traveling together). she didn't know what to think of all this. she was tired that was for sure. this was her nap time. i was completely new to her. in our room we have one picture. a picture i hadn't even noticed really before. BUT, Millie noticed it. she couldn't stop looking at it. she kept going back to it...she couldn't keep her eyes off it. i knew that this picture for whatever reason was her coping method. she needed it. this picture is a picture of Chinese character writing. we have NO idea what it says, means. all we know is our daughter clung to it. i tried very gently to have Millie look at me. when she did, i would praise her. but often her eyes quickly dashed away. she just couldn't look at me long. poor thing! :-( she was so very tired....and was trying to find comfort in a picture. as time went on though she finally did fall asleep in my arms. i had to sit up while rocking her and she upright as well. her finger is one method of comfort for her. her finger is very "worn" if you will and i soon realized that when she wants to sleep this finger sucking starts to happen. i knew that i wanted her to wake up with me to look at first thing. i wanted her to see me again...and realize that this dream was real. for me i needed to know this dream was real, and holding her while she slept was that time for me. i cried then. that is when my many tears finally came....while holding my daughter for the very first time in a nurturing way. a way every child should be held. during this time i was also able to have my own praise and worship time with our Lord. it was the three of us in that hotel room....crying, rejoicing and bonding.

she then woke up....she was shy....but we had our soft music in the back ground and i allowed her to wake up slowly. i talked softly to her as she looked at me. she had forgotten about the picture for that moment. she was looking me over deeply...and i was soaking it all in. it was our private moments to share. beautiful moments.

it was a perfect first day together!! one i will always cherish and remember. a day i will always give thanks to my God for. :-)

it is now the second day, and Millie has now started her grieving. :-( oh the sadness of a little 2 year old girl is much to break a heart!! we have made lots of strides...but yet she still grieves. i knew this day would be. it was just sad to see it, to hear it, to experience it. my heart breaks for her deeply. i know she must walk thru this even though i wish it weren't true, however i am so grateful that she is walking with us now. she is NOT alone!!! she is being prayed for, she is being held, loved and kissed all over! we cant get enough of her. :-)

the picture on the wall is still getting looked at. BUT, we know she has the most beautiful eyes...how? because she is letting us in...and we see them!!!

with all my love,
marna

We officially adopted Millie today!

Earlier today, we went back to the Civil Affairs office and completed the adoption of Millie. There was no ceremony to speak of, just the six families in the same room where a day earlier we had just met our new children. Each family spent about 10-15 minutes at the desk of the official who processed all the paperwork. We had to make a thumbprint over signatures on several forms. Then, we answered a few questions. After those forms and questions were complete, they handed us the adoption certificate.

Tomorrow at 9am, those who want to go will be taken to the orphanage where our children were living before yesterday. We want to go, but aren't sure we want to take Millie back there. There is one couple who had an older child and they are definitely not going tomorrow. Tomorrow we also hope to see Millie's "finding place", the place where she was left to be found. We hope to take a few pictures so that some day when she asks about her life, we can share as completely as possible.

Thanks again for all your prayers for us. If you will, please pray especially that Millie will be able to sleep well (and thus allow her parents to sleep). We are still all experiencing fatigue from our travel. Last night, Millie woke up many times and we had to console her back to sleep. So, we are going on little sleep after already being tired from the journey.

Right now as I type, Marna is enjoying a much needed break in the next room, while Millie is finally asleep in the bedroom here. Thanks again for your interest in our journey and your comments. They are a real encouragement to us.

-- Dan

We received Millie today !

This morning, we all got on a bus around 8:45am and drove to the civil affairs office that handles foreign adoptions. It took us about 20 minutes to get there. When we arrived all the children were already in the room. We were the last ones to get in the door, and when we walked in, there she was sitting on the couch.

We were in the government office for about 90 minutes, and got back to our hotel rooms before noon. It was just a surreal time as we were finally able to touch and hold Millie after waiting for so long. God answered our prayers (and the prayers of many others) in that Millie definitely seemed prepared to meet us. Marna picked her up and held her. Millie was quiet and didn't really respond to anything. However, after 5-10 minutes, she was starting to respond. She didn't cry at all the whole time.

Later in the afternoon, Marna was tickling her on the bed and Millie was just giggling and laughing uncontrollably. She definitely likes to move around a lot and is a very good walker.

Right now as I type, Marna is trying to get Millie to go to sleep. This could be the biggest challenge of the day, as her whole schedule has been thrown off and she is now with different people and in a different environment for the first time in her life.

I'll try to keep the posts coming. Hopefully we'll get some new pictures us soon as well. Thanks to all of you who are holding us up in prayer. We definitely felt those prayers today.

I'm leaving a lot of details out, as I'm very tired and almost falling asleep at the keyboard. I'll get Marna to post soon and she can fill in more of the wonderful details.

-- Dan (for Marna, Madeleine, and Millie)

Note: At this time, we cannot see our blog or post directly to it. I'm posting via sending an email, which is why I haven't included any new pictures yet. Although we cannot see the blog directly, we do have someone who is periodically sending us the comments that you post. We have thoroughly enjoyed those comments and they make us feel not quite so far from home, so keep 'em coming!

We are in Nanjing !

Well, we are finally here in Nanjing. From the time we left our driveway until we walked into our hotel room in Nanjing, roughly 38 hours had elapsed. Needless to say, we are happy that we got here, but we are so tired. It's about 8:30pm and Marna has already been asleep for about an hour.

The flights were pretty uneventful, although our landing in LA was a little rough. It's the change overs at the airports that provided the excitement. We needed every last minute of the 4 hours we had at LA to get from our first flight to our international flight. Then, when we landed in Guangzhou, we had to get all of our bags and go through a passport/visa check and customs. We then went to the China Southern desk to get our boarding passes for the flight to Nanjing. It was 7:55am and the plane was due to depart at 8:30am. So, we had to pay 40 RMB (about $6) to take an airport tram car from the check-in desk to the gate. We got there just as everyone was boarding, so we made the flight to Nanjing!

Tomorrow morning at 8:40am, all the adopting families will meet in the hotel lobby with Sondra (our Hand in Hand contact here in Nanjing). We'll take a bus to the Civil Affairs office where we will receive Millie and all the other families will receive their children as well. We'll probably be back at the hotel around 11:30am. I can't imagine what that bus ride back will be like.

I'll try to get some pictures posted soon, but I too am ready for a long nap. So, I'll wrap it up for now.

Thank you for all your prayers now and future. Please pray that Millie will be prepared to meet us and that we'll be prepared to meet her needs starting tomorrow morning. Also, thank you for your many comments. They are so encouraging to read.

Good bye for now. We'll plan to post more tomorrow


-- Dan (for Marna, Madeleine, and Millie)


P.S. For those of you trying to figure out the time difference, Nanjing is +13 hours from Indiana time. Right now, it is 8:45pm Sunday night in Nanjing, and 7:45am Sunday morning in Winona Lake, IN.