Gotcha Day video

O.k. I think I finally uploaded our video from our first meeting with Lucy. Here it is:

We see a different Lucy than these first few days of being with her. She is slowly coming out of her shell. What a precious little girl!

Gotcha Day Plus 2.....much better

May 23, 2012 - Wow what a difference one day makes. Although, I think being out of our hotel room from 8:00 a.m. until about 6:00 p.m helped a lot. We started the day traveling about 2 hours to Jiaozuo City where Lucy's orphanage is located and where she was found abandoned. We had to get Lucy's picture taken for her passport and that was quite the challenge. Remember how I said we are struggling a little bit with learning what makes Lucy happy during the day, well we had a hard time making Lucy happy while getting her picture taken. Let me tell you, they are very strict with these pictures too. She could not have any tears in her eyes. She could not have her mouth open even a little. She had to be wearing a dark colored shirt because the background was white. We didn't know this and she had a white shirt on and the extra shirt I had for her was yellow, which didn't work. So, they found a man's collared button down shirt, threw that on her and we tried for what seemed like an eternity (but really it was probably about 20 mins) to get the perfect face for this passport photo. Jason had to hold her out and let me remind you, so is a chunky baby. He was sweating bullets while we were trying to get this picture just right. Oh, I was just praying they could get one glimpse of her face good enough for this picture. I already see issues trying to get a family picture taken. : ) After we finally had a good enough picture we stood in line to sign some papers. We had to wait quite a while. During our wait several Chinese ladies were talking about us (The Chinese are not discreet about their staring or pointing. It is pretty funny.) So I asked Rita, our CCAI rep and translator, what they were saying and a lady came up to Lucy and put her arms out to hold Lucy. Of course Lucy wanted to go to her, but we had to say no. I am so glad Rita was there to explain to the ladies why we said no to holding her. Rita said it is quite a compliment in China if people want to hold your baby, but this lady understood and apologized over and over. We felt bad saying no, but Lucy is struggling enough with bonding to us, we cannot have her going to everyone she sees. Standing in line for the passport paperwork gave me a chance to ask Lucy's orphanage director a few questions. She said in Lucy's orphanage there are about 200 kids ages birth to 14 years old. Once they are 14 they are not "adoptable". I also asked how Lucy received her Chinese name. The doctor that does the admission exam for every child names the child. This doctor just picked Hu Lu Fei for our Lucy. Kind of interesting.

 After the passport paperwork was done we went to the Jiaozuo notary office to sign a lot of papers and receive a lot of papers. I just do what they tell me to do and check over what they tell me to check over and sign where they tell me to sign. : ) That visit went smooth as could be and we hopped back into the van for some more crazy driving. (Chinese people are crazy drivers. I cannot even watch out the window. No one ever seems to get in an accident or get hit in the middle of the road while they are walking across 6 lanes of traffic so it works for them, I guess). Sorry, I am getting sidetracked! We hopped back into the van and, per our request, we went to the site that Lucy was abandoned. As we walked up to the restaurant where she was found, tears started rolling down my face. I imagined a mom with a two day old baby with a deformed face in maybe a box or a carrier of some sort leaving her baby in the early hours of the morning or late at night in order for this baby to be found by someone. It was quite an emotional moment that I was not expecting. I had to hand the video camera over to Jason because I could not talk without getting choked up.

Rita took a picture of the three of us standing at the place Lucy was abandoned

 You might be able to view the video at this address: http://youtu.be/s39FdgCsecY
(I am having issues with uploading our videos, so I don't know if it will work.)

We were also able to visit the outside of the hospital where Lucy's lip and palate surgery was done. It is a charity hospital that specializes in cleft lip and palate surgeries. It was nice to see. Rita said this is also the old orphanage for Jiaozuo City. They moved to the current orphanage in 2009, so Lucy was never in this builiding.

O.k. well after we made all the important stops, we headed back to Zhengzhou. During this 2 hour trip in the van, we saw a new Lucy emerge from her shell. I made her giggle and smile. She was still sitting on Jason's lap, but I was having a lot of fun with her.

Hi Fei Fei

playing Kid's Doodle on the Kindle Fire

Hollywood!!!!

There's a smile!

 Oh it was so much fun to see a happy little girl with us! We soaked in every minute of it. Oh, funny story: Lucy was playing with her shoes. I would take them off, she would put them on. Then she would look up and point outside at random times. We didn't know what she was pointing to. It seemed like she was pointing to trees. Finally I asked Rita how to say tree in Chinese. She said, "shu" which sounds exactly like our English word shoe. Ha, ha! Everytime I said the word shoe, Lucy was pointing to a tree.

 When we came back to the hotel a few families were getting ready to head to a place called The Lotus Center. It is basically a big shopping mall plus grocery store. We dropped a few things off in our room and we were on our way with them. Again, Lucy loved being out and about with everyone. She sat in her stroller so happy and content. She would look up at me and smile. I even blew her a kiss, not expecting one in return, but I did get one. She knows how to blow kisses. It was great!

Lucy trying on some new shoes at the Lotus Center. She became quite the attraction as we were trying to find sandals that fit her chubby little feet. The shoes I brought are the wrong size.

It is quite fun being among the Asian people. They are so friendly and love trying to communicate with us. While looking for Lucy's formula, one lady said, "My English not very good" and then just laughed and laughed. It was great! I think we will have to make a trip back there again before we leave and yes, Lucy went home with not one, but two pairs of adorable shoes. I also had to find some barrett's to put in her hair. I was not expecting so much hair. The last pictures we received of her, they had shaved her hair again. It has grown a lot! So I picked up some cute barrett's to dress my little China doll. : )

We walked back to our hotel with two other couples from our travel group. We walked through a park and this sign just cracked me up. I must share:

The island to practice English?????? Huh!? We did not find the island, but we will have to go back and look for it later.

We came back to the hotel and played in our room. Lucy did not cry and she actually played with us. Yay! We are making headway. Well, we were making headway for a while. Then she noticed the door and kept begging to get out. We thought she had a long day with little cat naps, so she must be exhausted. We gave her a bath (which is still is not too fond of) and tried to calm her down for bed. Bed time is still hard for her. I think when she gets tired she is looking for her bed she is used to sleeping in. We have to just pace back and forth with her (Jason does the holding and I just pace and hum and sing to her) until her eyes get so heavy we know it is safe to put her in her crib. She is sleeping now. What a great day we had with our little Lucy. Tomorrow we are going to a zoo. Another fun day planned!

I am getting a little homesick. I am especially missing my kids and home cooked meals. This going out to eat is getting old and we still have a long ways to go.

Chinese word for the day: shu = tree : )

Gotcha Day Plus 1

Tuesday, May 22 - Our first night went amazingly well. Lucy slept straight for 9 hours. I think she was just exhausted from the days events. Today during the day has been another story.

As I type this Lucy is finally asleep. Poor, poor girl is really missing her home. It breaks my heart. I sometimes just cry with her because I remember leaving all that I was comfortable with when I moved to Minnesota. I cried the entire 2 1/2 hours home from the airport where Jason and I dropped my sister off after she had helped us with the move. It was a sad trip home. Lucy is going through something similar, only to a much much bigger scale. She likes to be outside our hotel room. When she is in our room she just cries. I think when we take her out and go for walks, she sees faces that are familiar to her and it makes her feel better. I also think she associates leaving the room to getting her hopes up that we are going back to her orphanage. She is grieving the loss of everything comfortable to her. She is grieving the loss of familiar faces and voices and language. She is definately grieving! We will just ride out this storm. It is definately a challenge, but we can do it. I am so thankful to have my anchor with me on this trip. Jason is getting quite a workout lugging this solid baby around. She likes to be held by him and let me tell you, she is no lightweight. I jokingly say, I finally got my chubby baby. : )  We get glimpses of her personality at times when she will play with us and she can be so much fun. It just takes time. We took her out for a walk and ate dinner out. Lucy did pretty good until the end. She was ready to go so she went up to the waitresses (who are all Asian and speak Mandarin) and put her arms out for them to hold her. We had to stop them from picking her up. It just broke my heart. I know it will take time for her to get used to us. This is just a part of this journey I was not expecting.

This song keeps running through my head as I hold my grieving daughter. It reminds me of my Heavenly Father who sent His Son Jesus to take the place of my sin so that I can be a part of  His forever family. There are no orphans....there are no outcasts. Thank you Jesus for rescuing me and for bringing Lucy into our family.

Now I will join my Lucy and go to dream land. Soli Deo Gloria!!

Gotcha Day

May 21, 20012 - IT'S A GIRL!!!! Presenting Lucy Fei Penner. Lucy was placed into our arms on this day. Here are a few pictures of the day:

Walking into the building where Lucy will meet us for the first time

The proud parents to be waiting for Lucy to arrive

Holding Lucy for the first time

This is a life changing moment for Lucy

The orphanage kept the book we sent her and gave it back!

checking dad out



Lucy and Daddy

The orphanage also kept the disposable camera we gave them. I cannot wait to get those pictures developed

The first time meeting mom and dad is exhausting

It was just so hilarious that Lucy came into the room dressed in what looks like a princess/tinkerbell dress. I think her big sister would appreciate that a lot. We have another princess in the family.

The first day was rough. Once we came back to our hotel room we played for a little bit and then the housekeepers brought in a crib into our room. Lucy did not like that one bit. She cried for pretty much the rest of the day until she wore herself out and fell asleep. We were able to skype with our kids at home and she did enjoy that. We have seen a few smiles, but overall you can see the grieveing process happening with her. She already is a daddy's girl and has bonded to Jason more than me. People keep telling me it will just take time and she will bond to me also. I see a few signs of that already, which is good.

She is fighting sleep right now. So I better go. She does not like being in our hotel room and Jason is having to pace the room to help calm her down. She prefers to be outside and with people. Although her first night of sleep went really well and for that we are really thankful. We are just learning what makes her happy during the day.

One more day

Today (Sunday in China) we left Beijing on a flight to Zhengzhou, the capital of the Henan province. We said good bye to George and off we went. The honeymoon part of this process is over. We had our fun in Beijing, now it is time to prepare our minds and our hearts (not that we haven't already been doing that over the last year, but the time has finally come) for Lucy to be a part of our family. We were met by Yisha, our CCAI rep at the Zhengzhou airport. On our bus ride to the hotel, Yisha gave us papers that describe Lucy's routine in the orphanage and Yisha also gave us a lot of information about what is going to happen over the next few days. We all must have had a 'deer in the headlights' look, at least that is how I felt I must have looked. It is going to be a whirlwind over the next few days! Here is some of Lucy's routines: She drinks formula from a bottle (yes, still!!) and eats rice cereal and noodles. It also says she likes vegetables and meat. : ) She usually goes to bed at 9 p.m. and wakes up at 5 a.m. with two naps during the day. It says she does not wake up in the middle of the night (we shall see what happens when we bring her out of her comfort zone what will happen). It says she is lively and active and she is a little afraid of worm (hmmmmm, what does that mean exactly?? : ) ) It says her roommate friend is Ya Du. She sleeps by herself in a crib and they call her Fei Fei. : )

When we arrived at our hotel room, I started unpacking our stuff and getting all of Lucy's clothes and bottles and formula and toys out in preparation of her arrival. The contractions are getting closer and I am getting completely ready for our addition. : ) We ran to Wal-Mart quick (down the road from our hotel, but so not like the American version of Wal-Mart, but still interesting!) to get a few things now that we know what she eats and drink.

I don't know if this has all sunk into my mind yet. It is all so amazingly surreal! As Jason and I were talking about this adoption process over our supper at KFC (yes, there is a KFC right down the road from our hotel, it was a challenge ordering until they gave us a picture to point to. ha!) we discussed how after all our waiting and waiting, now that the time has come, the wait doesn't seem so bad. : )

God is good and I thank Him for this honor and privilege to do what He has asked of not only myself, but our family. Our kids at home are being asked to be without Jason and myself for over 2 weeks and that is making one of our children sad (at least one that I know of). I pray that God would be working in their lives during this time we are apart just as much as He is working in my own heart and life with this adoption.

Now I am going to close this computer up and ponder and pray over everything that is about to happen in just about 12 hours. Lucy's life is about to be turned upside down and so is ours, but in unimagineable ways.

To God alone be the glory!

Beijing Tours - Day 2

Saturday (in China, Friday in Minnesota) we did day 2 of Chinese culture in Beijing. Our destinations for the day were Jade factory and shop, The Great Wall of China, 2008 Beijing Olympic Park, and we ended the day with an acrobat show. It was another great day of touring and enjoying Beijing with it's rich history. It was a very hot and hazy day so climbing the wall was great workout. I earned my slice of pizza and some ice cream for supper after climbing thousands of stairs on the Great Wall. George (our CCAI rep) told us that while we are climbing the wall to think about the people that actually built the wall and carrying the bricks while climbing. I cannot imagine what hard work that was. Here are some pictures from our adventures.

This entire ship is made from Jade. Yep, a little out of my price range, "we can ship it to your house" is what the saleslady told me. Ha!

More Jade statues

A neat little ball that represents family with is several different generations represented by each middle section and cannot be divided

The section of the Great Wall we walked (or should I say climbed). George says that if you climb this section you are a hero in the eyes of the Chinese. : ) We are Chinese heroes now. Ha, ha!!

Dave, this picture is for you!!! There must have been a group from Purdue at the Great Wall : )

That is what we are about to climb

o.k. made it through one little section, not doing too bad!

O.k. we are getting kind of warm climbing stairs

Yeah, I think this picture is out of order. This is at the beginning of our ascent of the Great (Uneven stepping stone) Wall of China (Seriously, some steps are one block thick, some are two, some were even 3 blocks think). And, I think I look pregnant in this picture, but it is the passport holder thingy under my shirt that is bulging out. : )

Getting pretty high now!

Now it is time to go down. My legs were shaking going down.

This little boy was such a trooper. I followed him on the way down and he just kept stepping down even when it came to the really narrow parts.

Another side of the Wall

Time for lunch! Seriously George, this looks disgusting! Thanks for ordering for us, but no thanks!

O.k. George, you redeemed yourself. Thanks for the fries! : )

Heading to Beijing Olympic Park. Can you say SMOG!!?? Isn't this building funny looking? On the other side are three regular sized buildings next to it. George said when you look at it from the other side it looks like a dragon. They are hotels that hosted Olympic workers, athletes, tourists, etc.

Entrance

In front of the water cube

The Bird's Nest

Acrobat show

Beautiful ladies in the show

It was a fun and exhasting day! Once we arrived back at our hotel, we freshened up a little and went for some pizza at a pizzaria across the street from our hotel with another couple in our travel group. Let me tell you how scary walking around Beijing is. There are just tons and tons of people and cars everywhere. You have to watch your every step because cars do not slow down for you. So just crossing a busy street is an adventure in itself. We were wiped out and went to bed early and had a good night of sound sleep. One more day and we will be with our little Lucy. I cannot believe it!

Beijing Tours - Day 1

After a few hours of much needed sleep we were back into the swing of things. Today we visited three different places: The Hutong district, Tian'anmen Square and The Forbidden City, and an authentic Chinese Silk Factory.

The Hutong district: This is a district where people still maintain the culture of China from hundreds of years ago. This is where court officials and military leaders and upper class citizens lived during the days of emperor reign. We visited one house that was maintained very nicely by a man named, Mr. Hou. He lives in these quarters with his wife, mother-in-law, and his son. He inherited this house from his family. It has been in the family for 150 years. George (our CCAI rep and a very good tour guide) said that if anyone would want to purchase these houses today, the cost would be 3 million dollars. These living quarters remind me a lot of the house where Mr. Miaggi lived in the movie Karate Kid. : )

Mr. Hou (on the left) George our CCAI rep (on the right)

Front door of Mr. Hou's house

Mr. Hou's courtyard

Mr. Hou did all the writing on the this door.

 *I tried to upload a video of our rickshaw ride to Hutong, but it was taking too long and not even uploading, etc, etc. Hopefully I can get it on here sometime soon.


Next stop was lunch. George took the liberty of ordering our food for us so that we could experience what true Chinese dining was like. I must say, it was quite tasty and I am slowly learning how to use chop sticks. : )



Mmmm!

 After some energy food we traveled to an authentic silk factory.

Silk factory

learning about the process of getting silk

Cocoons in water being unraveled

ladies pulling out the silk to make a quilt

silk worms

 Of course we had to get a little gift for Lucy and Isabelle here, but I will wait to show that until I can put it on Lucy.

Next was Tiananmen Square and The Forbidden City. I was fascinated by The Forbidden City. To think that I was walking where emperors from ancient China walked. It was surreal.

Entrance to the Forbidden City

Inside the Forbidden City

The emperor's throne

All the buildings had  very detailed paintings along the ceiling. I wonder how long it took to paint all this.

Another view inside the Forbidden City

It amazed me that this ancient piece of history is in the middle of a very busy and crowded Beijing. The Chinese people value their history. It is evident in how they keep a place like this preserved and protected. This is all part of Lucy's culture and look forward to telling her about our visits to these places. Who knows, maybe someday we can bring Lucy here to show her in person. Four out of the 9 families that are in our travel group have brought their first child they adopted from China. They are showing their children the culture they came from. Very neat!

Today (Saturday) we will visit another piece of China's history, The Great Wall.

Chinese word of the day we learned: xie xie (thank you in Chinese)