Home +5

Today we have been home 5 days.  Can I say it seems like more and seems like less all at the same time?  We left Guangzhou last Thursday morning, flew to Shanghai (our bags were on the same plane we were - novel concept!), almost missed our flight from Shanghai to Seattle because Delta changed the flight time (really?!) and then landed in Seattle on Thursday morning at almost the exact time we left Guangzhou.  Trippy!  (Yes, pun intended.)  It's all a bit surreal.

Zeke and Isaiah got the most sleep on the long flight home yet they have had the hardest time adjusting.  For the first three nights they woke up at 10 p.m. and decided it was time to be up.  We didn't agree and made them stay in their beds (Isaiah in our room and Zeke in his) but that didn't stop them from talking, playing, yelling, and being major disruptions to Mommy and Daddy's ability to sleep! They would settle back down around 3 a.m. and then slept until roughly 10 a.m.  This did not help Mommy's ability to get Isaiah back on a nap schedule.  What's the point of napping two hours after waking up and then going to bed four or five hours later?  Sigh.  We are getting there s-l-o-w-l-y.

So far our attempts to transition Isaiah to his own bed have been met with disapproval from the newest member of our family.  He has made it an hour here or an hour there but that's about it.  I thought we were on to something last night, both boys in bed and asleep around 7:20, until Zeke figured out he could wake Isaiah up and make it necessary to move him to our room.  Hmmmmm . . . too smart for his own good!  Oh well, we will get it figured out eventually!

Monday marked Zeke's first day back at preschool and he was SUPER excited to see all of his friends.  Today was show-and-tell so he was able to share about going to China to get his little brother Isaiah.  He shared Stripes, his camera, a new silk Chinese shirt, and some pictures he chose from the 1,000+ we took while we were traveling.  Apparently he did very well sharing about these items and fielding the questions of his peers. 


While Zeke was at preschool Isaiah and mommy played with puzzles and vacuumed (he didn't run screaming - a good sign!).  Overall we are settling in and I think we have finally made it over the jet-lag.  THANK GOODNESS!

There are so many of you who have followed our journey via our blog and FB posts.  Thank you for joining us!  Requesting prayer and knowing people were praying gave us strength to keep going through some of the harder moments of our trip AND will keep us moving forward now that we are home.  Please don't stop praying!  Adoption is a marathon, not a sprint.

We love you and are thankful for you!
Robyn, Randy, Ezekiel & Isaiah

Done!

October 20, 2015

We were up at the crack of dawn this morning and made it downstairs to meet two of the other families in our group at 6:45 a.m.  We traveled by van to the US Consulate (our LAST official appointment!) where we waited until 7:30 for them to let us in.  We took the oath of fact with a large group of families, met with one employee who went through our paperwork and made sure it was all accurate, and another who verified our personal information and took fingerprints.  Helen will bring us our sealed packet from the consulate tomorrow.  This packet will remain sealed until opened by immigration in Seattle.

Initially our appointment was supposed to be later but there was a special exhibit open to the public on the first floor and they wanted all of the adopting families done and out of the consulate before the exhibit opened.  The exhibit?  The Magna Carta!  There are four signed copies being exhibited in different places around the world.  One copy happened to be in the US Consulate yesterday and today.  As we were walking out of the building our escort asked us if we would like to see it.  Um, YES!  So, she took us through the exhibit.  Amazing!  And a VERY good reason cursive should still be taught in schools.

The rest of our day was low key.  We hung out at the pool, took a walk, and sent Mimi off on an evening river cruise down the Pearl River (she has more than earned it!). 

Here are some random pictures for your enjoyment!

When we arrived at the China Marriot there was a pack and play waiting in our room for Isaiah's use.  It has taken up residence in the upright position against the wall and become a playhouse for the boys.

Isiah is another fan of cars on the windowsill!

There is a window between the tub in the bathroom and the bedroom
(yes, it is random and yes, there is a curtain you can close).
This is about as close as Isaiah would voluntarily go to the tub full of water.
It was an unhappy experience for him to actually take a bath.

One Week Anniversary!

October 19, 2015

Today marks the one week anniversary of Isaiah being with us.  The change in him can only be described as miraculous.  What a hard thing to have your ENTIRE world flipped upside down and lose the only parents you have ever known.  Strange white people who talk gibberish take you away and expose you to so many new things your mind has to be ready to explode.  We can't even fathom what he is thinking. 

Last night Randy left to go downstairs for a bit and Isaiah lost it.  Really lost it.  He cried, wailed, howled, yelled and made me wonder if someone was going to call the front desk and complain.  He did this until Randy returned.  As I was sitting there doing everything I could think of to calm and reassure him it dawned on me that he truly thought Randy wasn't coming back.  Why wouldn't he think that?  His Baba, who he was deeply attached to, walked away and never came back so why wouldn't his new Dada do the same thing?  It made me cry to think about it and when I shared my thoughts with Randy we were both in tears.  Please pray for our patience and understanding of Isaiah's emotions and fears through his continued transition.

We did not have any adoption appointments today so we enjoyed some family time in Yuexiu Park (the HUGE park across the street).  We spent several hours there and probably on saw an eighth of it.  Our first adventure was a boat ride (Zeke and Isaiah drove - with the help of Daddy).  We slowly made our way around a little lake and enjoyed the cool of the morning as well as some people watching (as usual we were being watched too).  At one point we saw a man feeding the fish that live in the lake.  This must happen every morning because the larger fish were all near the surface on one side of the lake.  After our ride we walked around and found some fun places to take pictures.  It was nice to be able to get out of the hotel and have some time to just "be." 

     

It took a little work by Mommy and Daddy to get the picture of the
boys in the rock to turn out as well as it did.  There is a progression
of pictures that is hilarious.  Mimi decided to document the documenters. :)

Mimi has been pretty much invisible to Isaiah for the past week (by design)
but today she sat on a bench in the park and he crawled up and sat down
(much to our surprise and hers) about a foot away from her.  Zeke
squeezed in and an opportunity for a great picture presented itself!

Next was siesta time at the hotel (lunch and naps).  Daddy and Isaiah crashed out while Zeke played with Mimi, and Mommy edited pictures and worked on the blog.  Later we went to dinner in the hotel (amazing Cantonese food!) and Zeke made a profound statement.  He looked over at me and said, "Mommy, it's good to have the whole family together."  I responded, "Yes it is, and Isaiah isn't alone in China anymore."  He replied, "Nope, he is with us and part of our family now."  It was a moment that made my heart smile.  

Tomorrow we have our US Consulate appointment where our packet for entry and citizenship for Isaiah will be finalized.  We have to leave the hotel at 6:45am so Mimi and Zeke will be sitting this one out!

Tourist Day

October 18, 2015

As the days go by we are seeing more and more of Isaiah's little personality; he is a character!  He chatters, sings, checks to make sure he knows where Zeke is (and yells until Zeke comes if he can't see him), and gets flustered and frustrated (which includes dramatic screaming and wailing) when Daddy is out of sight.  We have a Daddy's boy on our hands!  Isaiah is also going to give Zeke a run for his money.  He may be smaller but that doesn't mean he is going to be a pushover!  Zeke has a tendency to get in people's faces and Isaiah has already figured out what to do about it . . .   

Today we played tourist.  This morning we went to the Chen Art Academy and Museum and this afternoon we visited Shamian Island.  These were return trips for us, but Mimi is getting background on the culture of her grandsons and enjoying the opportunity to do some sightseeing (and buying). 

We have pictures of the Chen Academy and Shamian Isand from our last trip to GZ so we didn't take many today.  Instead you get to see more pictures of our amazing boys.  We may be biased, but we think they are pretty handsome! 

Loving Guangzhou

October 17, 2015

Ahhhh . . . Guangzhou.  This is an amazing city of 13 million people.  There is never a dull moment!  Can you believe there are areas of the city where people pay 40,000 RMB (about $6,500) per square meter for apartment space?  It's insane!

Today we woke up after the best night of sleep we have had since getting to China.  China Marriot, we love you!  Isaiah also had the best night sleep he has had with us so far.  He only woke up twice and was able to go right back to sleep.  This means that Mommy and Daddy were able to get some much needed sleep as well!  Mimi has an adjoining room so Zeke continued his sleepover adventures. :)

After breakfast we met Helen (our guide) and four other families adopting through AWAA.  It was medical appointment time (a US government requirement).  This is a cursory medical check and the report created today will go into our Consulate packet that is needed for Isaiah to become a US citizen when we land in Seattle on Thursday.  Isaiah ROCKED his medical checks!  We were amazed that he went through them without any tears.  Tears have been his main emotion since last Monday.  There were four different stations he had to go through: ENT (ear, nose, throat), greneral check-up, weight and height, and TB test.  We even saw some smiles while we were waiting our turn.  76 adopting families were being processed through the medical center today!  It was BUSY!  Thankfully Helen is AMAZING and she required us to get up early and get moving so we were one of the first ones in line.  Zeke and Mimi stayed at the hotel and explored while were were busy with the medical appointment craziness.

Isaiah has seemed much more relaxed today (not needing to be held every moment, willing to walk - when told he has to - and WAY less whiny when he doesn't get what he wants) and does not have the same reaction to this hotel room as the one in Guiyang.  Who knows why but we are happy about this development.  

We returned to the hotel after our busy morning and had the rest of the afternoon and evening to ourselves.  Mimi treated herself to a pedicure at the spa, Daddy took Isaiah to the play room in the hotel, and Mommy and Zeke hung out in the room.  Later we walked across the street and through one portion of a HUGE park to find a restaurant Helen recommended we try.  We saw a beautiful lake and some little turtles that were for sale.  Stripes even got in on that action!  We went to the same park when we were here two years ago but it was so hot we only saw a small portion of it.  We will definitely go back and explore more of it before we head home on Thursday.

The restaurant we ate at was amazing!  Isaiah is an EATER!  We were surprised when he picked up the chopsticks and was actually holding them correctly (a little long for him).  Zeke was our tea drinker.  I think he played a little too hard today though.  We had to move him to the stroller partway through our meal because he was about to fall asleep in his food. He passed out! ;)

Odds & Ends

October 16, 2015

Today was all about re-packing and traveling to Guangzhou.  Our plane ride was short but . . . interesting.  Isaiah was having a hard day: tummy troubles and wanting to be held every second.  We think he was held all the time by his foster parents in a specific way.  If we are holding him while standing up he is fine (most of the time) but if he is being held sitting down it is the end of the world.  And he has this "Are you kidding me? You are not going to do what I want?" wail that we are becoming very familiar with. Smart little guy had his foster grandparents wrapped around his little finger. :)  Needless to say the wait in the airport and the plane ride weren't great but we survived.  The picture on the right pretty much sums up his mood! :)  

It is great to be back in Guangzhou!  The surroundings are familiar and we have the same guide we had when we were here to adopt Zeke in 2013.  We got off the bus at the hotel and she recognized Randy right away!  This is amazing considering how many families she works with each year.


Since there isn't much to recap from today I thought I would share some of the things we have learned about Isaiah:

He has some language but it is a dialect of Mandarin that the translator app doesn't recognize.  We have figured some of his words out by using context clues but others are a mystery (which frustrates him to no end).

English words he will mimic (so far):  Uh-oh, all done, go.  He will not try signs at this point.

He understands much of what we say, especially if we use gestures.  For example, he will get his shoes when asked, go and find his water bottle, bring me a diaper when asked, etc.

His shoes are SUPER important to him.  He rarely takes them off voluntarily and if he has to take them off (nap/bedtime) he will go and get them immediately after he is done and bring them to us so they can be put back on.

He HATES to be in water.  I had to bathe him in the shower this morning (no tub in this hotel room - Guiyang) and he was NOT a happy camper.  We were warned about this by his foster mom but seeing it in reality alternated between hysterically funny (for me - I know, that's not nice but it was quite an experience) and traumatic (for him).

He likes to be on the go.  He isn't sure about our hotel room (Guiyang) and has not been willing to explore and play on his own (or with Zeke except for a few times) but he loves to go for walks outside as long as you do NOT put him in the stroller.  Carrying him in the Ergo carrier is the best way to go (and is saving my back)!

He loves to be held prefers to be held when you are standing up.  Sit down and things can get dicey!

He has the most practiced and one of the best "boo-boo" faces we have seen in a LONG time.

He is willing to try different foods (some are obviously familiar).  Current favorites: chicken sausage, watermelon, peanuts, rice, fruit pouches, pork buns.


A few pictures just for fun! 

Final Paperwork & A Field Trip

October 15, 2015

Today was our last full day in Guiyang.  Jerry brought us our finalized Chinese adoption documents this afternoon (YAY!) and tomorrow afternoon we board a plane for Guanghzou to go through the final appointments necessary to bring Isaiah home.  These appointments are the US side of an international adoption, according to China Isaiah Jiang Lang Ross is our son!  It will be fun to return to Guangzhou.  This is where we spent two weeks of our adoption trip for Zeke.

Isaiah had a rough night last night and didn't get much sleep (neither did Randy or I) so he and Randy did not accompany us on our field trip today.  Zeke has been having sleepovers in Mimi's room so the two of them were just fine!  Zeke has had a great time getting to know his Mimi better and she has been an amazing help to have along.  We knew traveling with two littles would be tricky but Isaiah is needing so much of our time that it would be very easy for Zeke to get lost in the shuffle.  Mimi is making sure that doesn't happen.  We love you Mimi!  Mimi, Zeke and I joined Jerry on an excursion to Qian Ling Park and Hong Fu Temple today.  These two places are located in the same vicinity and offered some interesting views into Chinese traditions.  

Qian Ling Park sits in the hills near a lake sharing the same name.  It is an interesting place to visit because every flat paved area you see is occupied by some sort of activity.  These activities ranged from Tai Chi groups practicing, badminton, ladies dancing for exercise, tradition Chinese top spinning, chain practice (see photos), and just hanging out.  The chains are actually replicas of weapons used in warfare.  They were long and made a firecracker sounding pop when they whipped through the air.  Yikes!

 

At one side of this park is a road that leads to the Hong Fu Temple.  The road winds through  a beautiful forest that is known as the "Monkey Park."  The area is FILLED with Macaque monkeys.  They were everywhere!  In the trees, walking with us on the road, and running up and down the low stone wall along the side of the road.  It was crazy to be so close.  Jerry warned us not to have any food or drinks in our hands because the monkeys would not hesitate to come up and try to take them.  At one point we saw a monkey following a lady who had her coat draped over her arm.  After a few seconds of following he reached up and grabbed the hood of the coat and wouldn't let go.  She gave him a piece of her mind and he had second thoughts.  Zeke wasn't too sure about the screeches the monkeys were making but he enjoyed watching their antics.



At the top of the winding monkey road was the Hong Fu Temple.  This is a Buddhist temple built during the Ming Dynasty (mid-1500's).  It was built in this location because the monk who first came to the area thought the surrounding hills possessed "talents" or powers.  It was interesting to learn more about this part of the Chinese culture.  Jerry noted that many of the people coming to burn incense probably weren't Buddhist but came because of culture and tradition instead.

Never knew an incense burner could be so big!

 There were two pools where you could toss a coin in for luck.  The catch was that your coin had to land in one of the small containers under the water (there were about 8 in this pool).  Looking in it was obvious that very few were successful with this challenge but Zeke wanted to try!  Jerry and Stripes were there to help him out.

There was one building in the temple compound that was a bit unsettling.  Apparently there are 500 different Buddha's and every person born has one assigned to them depending on the day, month, and year of birth.  We walked into this building and there were 500 Buddha's on display (and these things weren't small!).  This picture shows one corridor of that building.  Zeke and I lasted about 2 minutes inside before he turned to me and said, "Mommy, this is kind of scary.  I don't like it in here."  I have to say that I agreed with him!





Thank you (again!) for your continued prayers.  They are helping!!  We aren't sure how Isaiah is going to handle the two hour flight tomorrow or picking up and moving to a new location so if you think of us, please pray.  Thank you!!

Love and Hugs,
Randy, Robyn, Zeke & Isaiah

P.S  A few extras . . . 

   

 This was our dinner tonight.  We ordered take-out from the amazing little restaurant next to the hotel.  Isaiah wanted to eat but he wanted to eat at the nightstand standing up rather than with us at the table.  Okay, that works.

Our Cute Little Snuggler

Rest Day

October 14, 2015

We did not have any adoption appointments today and our guide was busy this morning so we got off to a slow start (which was fine with us). 

Pre-breakfast Drinks

Daddy and His Boys

Isaiah seems to get antsy when we stay in our room for too long so we decided to take advantage of the beautiful day and go for a walk.  There is a river that goes through Guiyang which is not far from our hotel.  On either side there are several parks and landscaped areas.  This is where we headed.  On the way we came across this gentleman creating beautiful Chinese characters using what basically looked like a large Q-Tip.  It had a hose attached to the top and he had a water bag on his back.  We don't know what he was writing but the art of the characters was amazingly detailed considering the device he was using.  By the time we walked back all of the characters had dried and were gone.

Calligrapher

Chinese Characters with Water

We ended up in Peoples Square, where we found this unusual gold structure (you could go up to the top but we chose to avoid the stairs).  We asked Jerry later and he said it was designed to replicate a wind instrument commonly used in the Guiyang area.  Under the structure was an amphitheater where dancers were practicing.  We also saw many Tai Chi groups practicing, an interesting ball and net activity being practiced (it looked more like a dance than a sport) and people waiting for enough wind to fly their kites. 

Walking with Daddy

Catching a Ride
(Isaiah does NOT like the stroller 
and he was perfectly content to hide.)

When we returned to the hotel we had lunch and relaxed for a few hours.

Noodles for Lunch

Later in the afternoon we went to the Jiaxiu Building which was built in the mid-1500's.  The architecture reminded us of the buildings we saw in Beijing at the Forbidden City and Summer Palace in 2013.  The Jiaxiu Building is set in the middle of a bridge that leads to a larger compound of buildings.  Inside the compound there were several different courtyards and gates.  In one of the courtyards there was a member of a local artist group who was hand painting fans.  We chose to get one as a representation of the time spent in Isaiah's home city of Guiyang (we have several paintings from Zeke's province in our living room).