we've officially moved. Our blog that is:
Please continue to follow our journey with 3 little ones and a teenager! There's never a dull moment!
Posted by Ohilda at 10:11 AM 1 awesome comments
We are finally counting down the hours instead of days before we leave to bring home our precious Anna Grace. I wanted to keep the journey travel part separate for her Lifebook, so I have created another blog that we will hopefully journal from daily while we are in China.
We will be spending the first 3 days in Kai’s birth city and from there, head to Hefei, where our sweetheart awaits.
Please keep us in your prayers for safe travels and that Kai’s going back to his birth country be a positive experience. Along with of course, our Anna Grace’s little heart being prepared for her new family. The new link is on the sidebar under Journey With Us To China!
Thank you all for your prayers and encouragement on this journey of love. Oh! And please remember to sign her guestbook.
Our next post will be from China!!!!
Posted by Ohilda at 9:28 AM 7 awesome comments
Kai usually takes a nap on my bed every afternoon. Twice now he has gotten into the basket on my nightstand where I have their cologne, baby powder, baby lotion, etc. and has TOTALLY emptied the baby powder everywhere...again, he has done this TWICE! He definitely knows that this basket is off limits to him, and I will win the war so I refuse to move it.
Well, today, I layed him down for a nap, came back out to the living room to continue packing AJs suitcase. About an hour later, I peeked into the room, and he was sleeping soundly. My sweet angel. He woke up from his nap about an hour after that and came out all smiles, as usual.
UGH! A few minutes later I go into our bedroom where my suitcase was on the other end of our king-sized bed (facing AWAY from him, but open) and lo and behold the little (I can't write what I'm thinking)...grabbed the entire thing of baby powder and dumped it all over the top layer of clothes in the suitcase!! Everything was snowy white!! It took everything in my power (after two good smacks on his bottom) to control myself and toss him in his crib. He's done this waaaay too many times now and completely knew because he starting saying..."No! No!" as I was heading into the bedroom. He knew! ::deep breaths:: Needless to say, the clothes in that suitcase had to be pulled out, relaundered and repacked.
An hour later, I start changing AJ who had a wet diaper. I figure I'll put fresh clothes on him, but get sidetracked with something and just change the diaper and put him in the playpen so I can continue with my list. About 20 minutes later, as I head back into the family room, something smells REALLY bad. I head over to AJ and it never fails...he had taken off his diaper and done a repeat performance of what he had done a few months ago! This time, all over the playpen and the stuffed animals in there. This boy LOVES to take off his diaper and spread poop everywhere. It never fails! So, crying (me that is), I grab him....toss him in the tub, and sat on the bathroom floor hysterical. This time there were no pictures.
And we want THREE? Please pray for me. It's been a rough day!!!
Posted by Ohilda at 7:22 PM 2 awesome comments
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Posted by Ohilda at 6:17 PM 7 awesome comments
Things are going well. Last night I went to a prayer group that my sister leads at church. Wow! God really wanted me there. I was able to surrender all my anxieties to him and came home refreshed and made new. I know that He is in total control and that all will be perfect, for His glory and honor! I am completely at peace now.
We received our itinerary yesterday! Woohooo!!! Seeing it on paper makes it even more real. I can't believe we are getting so close!!!! I am going to wish the weekend away, although it will probably fly anyways because I want to finish EVERYTHING by Sunday night. I want to lay my head on the pillow on Sunday night and just think about the fact that a week from that moment I will be looking into my beautiful baby girl's eyes, and not just staring at a picture 100x a day. I don't think I'll be able to stop holding her or looking at her for days! I could just hear myself telling Scott, "I can't believe she is ours!!" over and over. YIKES!!!! The thought fills me with the most giddy and wonderful feeling in the world!!!! I'm in labor again and gonna be a Mama soon!!!!! GOD IS SOOOO GOOD!!!! ::deep breaths::
Here is our itinerary:
June 13, 2007: Leave US in the morning, via Detroit to Guangzhou, China!
June 14,2007: Arrive in Guangzhou stay at airport hotel.
June 15,2007: Leave hotel in the a.m. to catch flight to YiWu.
June 16,2007: Yiwu city Tour and countryside visit.
June 17,2007: Shopping at Yiwu Small Commodities Center. And leave Yiwu in the afternoon to catch flight to Hefei. Arrive in Hefei in the late afternoon.
June.18,2007: Go to Provincial Civil Affairs to pick up your daughter!!!! Your daughter will be with you forever! (WOOHOO!!!!)
June 19,2007: Do registration , notarization, passport application inthe morning. Shopping in the local department store by walking distance. In the afternoon shopping for shoes and clothes for your daughter.
June 20,2007: Book store and Hefei City Zoo (if you have enough time, you could visit a countryside village on that day).
June 21,2007: Visit finding spot and orphanage/foster family visit.
June 22,2007: Pick up notary paper and passport and leave Hefei for Guangzhou.
June 23,2007: Do medical exam and visa photo taken in the morning.
June 24,2007: Walking outside the island to visit Pet Market, Herb/medicine market, Pearl Market in the morning ; Go sightseeing to Six Banyan Temple and Chen Clay Academy in the afternoon.
June 25,2007: Do visa Appointment in the morning. Go sightseeing to Yuntai Park.
June 26,2007: The morning, go for massages! Then afternoon Oath-taking at Consulate.
June 27,2007: The local guide will send you to the airport for USA in the early morning.
June 27, 2007: Arrive in US, stay overnight and next morning head for home as a forever and complete family!!!!
Posted by Ohilda at 8:27 AM 2 awesome comments
Last night I went to bed at 10:00. Being so close is really mentally exhausting. My mind just doesn't stop thinking and I am pretty upset about leaving Amanda and AJ behind....last night, it was Amanda (I take turns). I loved having her there when we were blessed with holding Kai for the first time and she was also present just a few hours after AJ was born. I so wish we could have afforded for her to go this time, but it just didn't work out. I know that it was intended to be God's plan that she not travel this time, and I also know that she will be fine with my sister, but it's that "Mama feeling" wanting her close to me during such an amazing moment in our lives. I think it's normal to feel that way, but it still hurts.
Our in-country itinerary didn't come in yesterday because our agency received NSN referrals and their translations took priority. It seems like everything is delayed, but I know that much of it is Satan trying to throw in those last minute wrenches and make me wonder if we are even doing the right thing. Although I was bummed because I really want to be finished with all the planning, I took it in stride and decided to head to bed early. Our God is so much bigger! And every fiber of my being tells me that Anna Grace is a child of my heart and created by our Lord to be forever ours.
After a week of complete insomnia and sleeping only 2-3 hours a night, I thought for sure I'd sleep all night. Nope! At 2:05 a.m., I woke up...bright eyed and bushy tailed! I'm done with Season 4 of 24 so didn't want to watch those again. I came to the computer and was happy to see several emails from people who had followed our journey to Kai and AJ and were still checking in and wishing us well on our trip!! I wish I could express how much it means to have so much support, especially as we get closer to that magical day. Thank you all for your sweet comments and emails. They are truly treasured, especially while we are in China when you feel so far away from home.
Getting back to my insomnia, I ended up falling asleep again around 4'ish. The boys were up and going at 7 a.m., so now I'm dragging....again. Oh well. It's part of the journey, I guess.
So, this morning, I await the itinerary so we can wire that money over and we're pretty much done except for some last minute packing, unpacking and repacking. Speaking of packing....I have brought it down to 3 suitcases, 2 backpacks, the laptop, a diaper bag, and the camera bag. And, I believe my Mom will have a suitcase and a backpack. Not bad considering last time we had 14 bags in all.
Please continue to keep us in your prayers that all go well and that we can travel to China and back without any major complications. But, most of all, please continue to pray that our little sweetheart be prepared for her new family and that she not grieve too much. Thank you and God bless!
Posted by Ohilda at 9:20 AM 4 awesome comments
Just writing these words down seem so surreal. I can't believe that in only 6 more wakeups we will be leaving to China.
I am so very anxious to get there. The thought of heading back and being blessed with another child fills every second of my day.
Yesterday we finally got the call that we had been waiting for. Our consulate appointment was finally confirmed for June 25, our requested date.
Shortly after the phone call, our original TA arrived via DHL. That indeed is the Golden Ticket! I felt like Charlie in Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory when he was opening up the chocolate bar. I slowly opened the package as tears rolled down my face. That one piece of paper is the culmination of all of our efforts and the grand prize awaits us in a far-away land. A beautiful little girl whose life will be forever changed. Everything she has ever known will no longer exist in her world and it will be transformed into what we pray is what her little heart desires.
When I received the call about the CA, I was at my sister's office. I asked our agency director, what else needed to be done....her response, "Nothing....you just need to bring that baby girl home!" Well, that's all I needed to burst into tears on the spot. Again, I can't believe it's finally happening! It's been a great relief to work with our agency. They seem to have everything under control and working like a well-oiled machine, while providing very personal service.
We had some struggles with our airline tickets, but all-in-all, it worked out fine, except for the fact that on the way to Detroit, we couldn't get seats together....but we'll live. I just want to get to China. I also want to put a plug in for our travel agent, Sue Sorrells from Campbell Travel. She was amazing and worked really hard to get us a great price, considering the time of year, and how packed the summer flights are. We leave Ft. Myers on Wed. June 13 and return back home on Thursday, June 28. We are spending the night in Detroit on the 27th. We should be receiving our complete itinerary tomorrow, including in-country travel. I have received several emails from friends/family wanting to meet us at the airport when we return. Although exhausted, we would be honored to introduce you all to our latest blessing. Prior to leaving I will post more about this.
A big part of our journey is going back to YiWu, Kai's birth city. Being so sick last time, it is all a blur. And something about being there fills my mind with thoughts of "Is his birth mother watching? If she ran into us would she "know" that was her little boy?" I know it's absurd in a city of over 4 million people, and who knows if she is even from the city, but I just can't help wondering.
I've digressed. Going back to the preparations for Anna Grace's journey. The only thing left for me to purchase was those darn gifts. UGH! Although I've been through it before, and have been often reminded that it's not a big deal, it's just a truly difficult task for me. So much so that I worked myself up into getting one of those horrific stress migraines. Thank goodness for Amanda who took care of AJ while Kai and I napped. My wonderful hubby took the helm when he got home and made dinner and bathed the boys. After a few hours, some pills, and some quiet time in a dark room.....I am much better.
Things are pretty much going as scheduled and I hope to be completely done and sitting back relaxing by Sunday night, with nothing left to do but watch the clock tick down to that magic hour!
Posted by Ohilda at 7:46 AM 4 awesome comments