Sunday in Guangzhou and some blogging catch up

Today we got all our paperwork ready for the Consulate. It went very smooth, as CCAI is very organized and informative. Our guide, Maggie is truly wonderful. She is so, so sweet and funny. She met with all of us and we planned the next few days. Tomorrow we go to the Pearl Market and Shamian Island. Tuesday we are going on a Safari. Wednesday we go back to the island and then on a dinner cruise on the Pearl River. Lots of cool things are planned for us.

When we arrived, Zoe started an ear infection. That went away and then Rance started running a really high fever, over 103. I got a bit nervous. When we received the twins, they were both congested and had colds. Every newly adopted child here is. We are wondering if it is from the pollution. Very possible. Anyhow, next thing we know, Rance has an ear infection. I brought antibiotics with me, so went ahead and started him. The last thing he needs is an ear infection going onto the plane ride. What do you know, now Tyler, Zoe and Rance have sore throats, and Zoe has a terrible stuffy nose. I wonder if they caught something on the plane and then got so run down they latched onto it.

We seem to be on the mends, thank God. We are loving Guangzhou. It's the coolest place. Beijing was neat too, but very busy. Scooters were constantly flying by us. Yes, on the side walk. Then you add the spitting people and the inevitable stares and it is quite the experience.

Zhengzhou was okay. We did a lot of walking because the things you need are quite a walking distance from the hotel. Once we added Trigg and Ivor to the mix the staring picked up even more. The people of this country do not seem to really grasp and realize how many orphans there are here. Secondly, they don't understand why we would want them. That's not all of them of course, there are several who tell us what a wonderful thing we are doing. Twins are considered good luck, so we get lots of admirers. They are pretty cute ones, to boot.

The three older kids are all totally on love with Trigg and Ivor. I am confident anyone who meets them will be smitten. Rance and Zoe love to push the stroller, and Tyler never minds taking a turn packing a tug boat. That's their nickname, considering they are enormous! We took them to their doctor appointment yesterday and Trigg is 26.5 lb and Ivor is 24. We are told Henan boys are big. Well I guess so!

Every one of the children adopted in our group are eating nonstop. Especial our brutes. We have all come to the conclusion they are just not used to food so accessible and they kind of like it!

They are sleeping through the night. They love to be rocked to sleep. At first they screamed and panicked at bath time but after Rance's bath demonstration and lots of patience easing them in, they are ole' pros. They go to splashing and laughing and it's a wild, grande time.

Tonight, one of the little girls in our group turned 2, so we threw a party. It was great fun celebrating with all the new kiddos. There is not one here, that's not absolutely precious.

Thank you Lord, for all these little sweethearts.

Blessings,

Misty

Some of my favorite pics...

Gotcha Day

Here are a couple photos from Gotcha Day. Trigg cried for the first half hour or so, but before long he was flashing his dimples. Ivor was handed to me, and he snuggled right in and just appeared very scared. He was the one we expected to do the crying. I think he was too shocked. They seem to be bonding beautifully now. They will not go to anyone but us.

Nī hāo

I think we can blog easier now! Everyone is having a pretty good time. We went to a Buddhist temple today. Very interesting, and the people were very nice. People were there worshipping and leaving flowers and incense. We took all 4 of the little kids' Chinese attire and took some photos. It was darling. Trigg still seems to be the leader and funny man. Ivor is extremely sweet. The Nannies said he is "sticky.". I think they were expressing that he likes to be held. He is quite the snuggler. We already can't imagine life without them. They were meant for us. We can feel it. We are humbled and honored that God chose us to be their family.

A few pics

So I think if the pics are on my phone I can upload them through my blogger app from our newest location. Trial run..

Wednesday, Day 3 with our boys

Today we have just relaxed and walked down to Walmart for some formula and other odds and ends. Words cannot describe how cute the boys are. The laugh and smile so much. They are already attaching it seems and things could not be going smoother with them. We are a little tired of rice and noodles. They twins however, love them! Trigg always had a pacifier but now pushes it away when offered. Ivor has never had one but thinks they are a great invention. We are having a great time getting to know them. They are sleeping through the night even! The kids absolutely adore them. They are really doing good with them. The twins think highly of them as well.

Tomorrow is going to be a little hard. We are headed to the orphanage where they have been the last few weeks. We are hoping to locate a friends baby there and give him a gift and some prayers. Then we will go to the place the twins were abandoned to see where it was their mother left them in hopes they would be found and cared for. Thanks to our almighty God, her plan worked. They will now have the care they need as well as all the love they can stand.

We promise to catch you all up on photos when we return. For now we have emailed some to my aunt and she is posting them and tagging me on Facebook.

Blessings,

Misty

Next Stop, Zhengzhou

We are leaving bright and early to Zhengzhou, with our awesome group, on a plane. I, unfortunately have been awake since 3:30. With the big day so close, I am finding it nearly impossible to go back to sleep.

I am laying here thinking about how blessed we are to live in a free country. I think we take that for granted. We all know about the one child policy here, but have you ever thought about it? I mean, really thought about it? Our guide, Cindy, told us of her family story. Her father wanted more than one child so they conceived Cindy's little brother and when he was born sent him to live with relatives in a village, far from their home in Beijing. They longed for their child so much that after 5 months they brought their new son back to live with them. The government discovered this and punished their father by keeping his next two years of income. Wow.

If you want to drive yourself to work around here by motor vehicle, you must first apply to buy one. You would get approval in roughly six months. But now, you must apply for a permit to drive it. That's about another six months. Now that you are driving, you can only drive that vehicle on certain days of the week. Your license plate number indicates which days of the week you are allowed on the road. If you are caught, you pay a hefty fine. Dispite all these efforts, it is bumper to bumper traffic here. With a population of over 24 million in a city, I guess you'll have that.

We are having trouble with our VPN. That's a virtual private network. We need that in order to access Facebook and blogger. Why? Because the government blocks these websites from their citizens.

Cindy also informed us, you have to show your passport to get into a Christian Church here. This way, they are assured none of "their people" are attending.

I am grateful I live in a country that puts their trust in God.

Blessings,

Misty