Happy Mother's Day!

Happy Mother's Day to all the Mom's out there.  Our Mother's Day is just ending and yours is just beggining.  Crazy to think about.  I am very tired right now and it is not yet 9pm.  We had a fun day shopping on Shamian Island.  During breakfast today, we introduced ourselves to another family who was adopting two girls.  They already have two girls back home, so now they will have four girls.  They are pretty amazing people!  We really liked this family and a family friend, who was awesome enough to join them and help them out.  We found out that we were all going to the same place so we decided to do a dinner date.  We ended up running into them early and doing some shopping together.  It was funny to watch Dan and this guy haggle to get the best prices.  Rose you would have loved it:) 

We had a great time today.  There were some moments that were rough but tomorrow is a new day!   :)  Plus, unfortunatly I feel like I may be starting to get sinus problems.  So please pray that it is just from being tired and not getting sick. 

All the kids are sleeping right now and Dan is out and about on a diaper run.  I just hope he can find some because I think we have only one!

By the way Michelle, Cole loves porridge so if you can add that to the shopping list:)  Thanks for all  you do!!!!

Here is Cali and Dan doing the one, two, three, lift.   Cole loves this!  My arm started hurting so Cali and Donna had to help.

He has really started to bond with BaBa (Daddy in Chinese) and whenever you say Baba Cole looks for Dan.  He also looks for me when we say Mama and the girls when we say tei tei(sp).  It is very cute.  By the way for those wondering right now we call him ColeXiang.  Pronounced ColeShung.  It is close to his original name Chenxiang and he answers to it.  Except when he does not want to listen.  Then all of a sudden he does not know his name, or any other words be it in English or Chinese:)

Yes Dan had to have it!  Chris Coston this just may be your gift!!!   hahaha

Oh Boy!!!

Yesterday was very intersting.  Good news is he is getting used to us and his personality is coming out more.  Bad news is he is getting used to us and his personality is coming out more:)  He is a handful.  Right before we were to get on the plane to come to Guangzhou he had a major tantrum.  His sisters had to potty but he wanted to keep walking.  He did not want to wait for them to come out and started screaming at the top of his lungs.  Now we are already stared at because we are white Americans.  Then we are stared at because we have a Chinese child who is cleft lip and palate.  Imagine the looks I got when he started screaming.  I had to go to the family style bathroom and let him scream away.  I think they could still hear him throught the airport.  At least I know he has good lungs!  :)  He finally calmed down and it was last call for boarding by the time I got back to the plane.  So by the time we were getting on the plane was packed!  Not one seat was next to each other.  So while boarding I think I scared the chinese flight attendants because they wanted to put our carry ons under the plane.  I said no.  They somehow magically figured out a place to put them on the plane.  They tried to sit the girls seperate from each other.  I gave them a look that made them move people around until the girls could sit next to each other and Dan and I was two seats behind with Cole.  I had paid for a seat for him but did not get it!  By that time I was in tears due to stress.  But Donna Rose really stepped up and took care of Cali and became like a little adult in a second.  So that was cool to see.

Going back to Cole's personality.  He is very fiesty and high energy.  He is also very ornery and if you are telling him to not hit (in Chinese) he will smile at you as he goes to hit.  And then laugh when you try to stop him.  I have to admit it is very funny and I try hard to not laugh at him and encourage him but I have failed.  He goes around the hotel room and makes huge messes.  He loves to throw stuff in toilet so you never know what you are going to find.  We have learned to keep the bathroom doors shut. 

This is us right after we arrieved in Guangzhou.  We made it!!!!  It was also a very rough flight because there was really bad turbulence.

I think the girls have really enjoyed the trip thus far:)

Because of his restlessness we have been reprimended by the hotel twice and at the medical checkup.  Dan and I may just be going off on someone in China because how do you tell a two year old little boy who just wants to play, to not run or have fun after you just rocked their world?  Dan said next time he is going to pick Cole up, who will scream because he is being stopped, and just stand next to the person:)  hahaha  we will show them;)

The medical check up was today and everything went great.  Also, before I go I must tell you about our awesome hotel room.  When we got here there was no room with a king size bed avaibable.  We told them we had to have a king size bed in case Cole had to sleep with us (which he has not because I finally have him sleeping in a crib).  The only room open at that time was a suite.  We are having to pay more a night but it is sooo worth it.  It is huge and totally worth the cost.  We did get a great deal though for those wondering! 

This is the living room/ dinning room.  This is where the girls are sleeping.

Please forgive any typos.  I did this as fast as I could while Cole sleeps and Dan took the girls to the pool!!!

Orphanage visit 2

This is a picture hanging up on the wall of the foster parents house.  The look Cole is giving in this picture is a look he gives alot.  He has a very fiery and fiesty personality!  It cracks me up but I know it is going to be a blessing and a curse.  He has no problem giving his thoughts and opinions!  And to be honest, I really like that about him.  He seems like a survivor.

This is the room that the whole family sleeps in including the parents.  I can see now why he is such a deep sleeper:)  They have one sleeping room, one living room, small kitchen and a bathroom for six kids and two adults.  I don't think we Americans sometimes know how blessed we are!

This is in the living room.  We are smiling but inside we were really sad. 

In front of the orphanage.  I know we can't help all of the orphans in the world or even this one orphanage but we can and will help one.  We already love Cole and are very thankful he is in our life.  Everyone talks about how we are blessing him but already he is blessing us!  I thank God for this experience in my life and I pray that I can become a better person and a better Mom through all of this.  I thank the Lord that we have the freedom to have as many kids as we want in America.

Tomorrow we will be leaving the province he was born in and abandoned in.  It is bittersweet in that we are closer to coming home and starting our new family life at home but sad because he is leaving the only life he has ever known.  I really do think the orphanage is a good place or as good of a place it can be.  I think they truelly love and care for the kids the best they can.  I believe the foster parents love the kids and are caring loving people even though I did not meet them.  

I know my kids was affected by this and I pray it is for the better.  I really want them to understand how blessed they are and how blessed we are.  I hope we teach them that to whom much is given, much is expected. 

Orphanage visit

It was a huge debate on whether we should visit the orphanage or not.  We did not want to do anything to hurt our relationship that we had been building with Cole but also did not want to miss an opportunity.  After some very helpful people who had been here before gave some great advice, we decided to go visit the orphanage.  I was nervous a little but not much.  I was not sure what to expect. 

 We first got there we were showed around a little.  They have a toddler room and I asked why all those kids were not in foster care like Cole.  Our guide told us the reason was because there were not enough foster parents for all the kids who need one.  The special needs kids like Cole who needed more one on one got foster parents first. 

Not the greatest of pictures but this is for Jane.  Jane is a another adoptive Mom who is waiting to get her little one.  She is with the same agency as us.  She asked us if we could take a care package to her little girl and I was very happy too!  This is us delivering it to the orphange and them promising to give it to her.  :)

I am going to ask that the rest of the pictures I am going to show never be reproduced or used.  I just put that up as precautionary because there has been problems in the past with people using pictures and the government finding out and then not allowing other parents to take pictures.
We were told to not take pictures expecially in the baby room but while in there the nannies   recognized Cole and started to ohh and ahh over him.  I found out that he had spent the first year of his life in this small room with at least 20 babies if not more.  I asked them if I could take their picture for Cole in the future and they said yes.

After this we were taken to the foster parents apartment and they were not there.  They get one day off a week and this happened to be that day.  I was sad at first that we could not meet the foster Mom but I think God knew what he was doing.  Cole totally reacted when we went into the apartment but he did not want down and the helper Nannie (who watches the kids when the foster parents have a day off) was there but he did not want her.  He seemed very content to stay with me which made me feel really good and that we were doing the right thing. 

I am unable to post anymore pictures so I will continue on another post.

Add this picture to the bottom of last post:)

Here is the picture I was trying to add in my last post. 

Finding spot Day!

Today was actually a really good day.  Today we went to Cole's finding spot.  The finding spot is where he was left at to be found .  Our guide said that most babies are left in boxes with a blanket and a bottle.  I asked if they would still have that blanket and she said no. 

Here we are at his finding spot which is another orphanage.  But this orphanage houses kids who have lost their parents to death and they are not adoptable.  I did not understand it all but while standing there school let out so the kids could go eat lunch at home and a bunch of kids went inside.  They were vert cute and seemed very happy. 

It was very rainy and wet and  his finding spot was located in a small village just north of town.  We decided to do some shopping in this small village to kind of support where he could have come from.  Something that really meant alot to me was that while we were shopping and I was holding Cole, a Chinese woman came up and tried to hold him.  He held on tighter to me and started to cry as she was reaching for him.  It made me really happy to see that he is attaching to me. 

Also, while there we bought this shirt.  Try to read it:)

We thought it would be perfect for Cole.  Even though it makes no sense it is his first American flag shirt!

We then went to the Tengwang Pavillion.  It is very famous in China and it was beautiful.  I wish we were there when it was not raining.  But because of the rain it was not too busy.  I was going to try and post a picture in the garden in front of the tiger which is the year Cole was born.  But I am unable to add any more photos right now.  :(  Maybe in a little!
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Our God is a God who answers prayers!

First I need to give a shout out to a friend I meet online.  She is on a facebook page called Spring time in China and happens to be in the same hotel at the same time!  Her husband fixed our VPN.  Praise God!!!  I am back:)  You never realize how much you miss something until it is gone and I hate to admit it but I love technology and facebook and blogs:) 

I must thank everyone who prayed for us!  The first two days were really tough.  It is starting to get better but I know if is going to be a long road ahead of us.  As I said to Dan it is alot like Groundhog Day.  Where you have to start over everyday. 

I was feeling very lonely but I think because of your prayers we met up with two other families.  One we just happened to meet while eating breakfast and the other is the one mentioned above.  We had pizza night:)  It was so nice to be able to hang out with them and talk about our experiences.  I needed that soooo bad!  Just to be social was nice. 

Today we decided to stay and hang out in the hotel room, which I am so thankful we did.  It was nice to not have to rush anywhere but to hang out.  Dan took Donna and Cali to the pool.  They had a great time while Cole and I took a nap.  During the nap, Cole kept crying in his sleep.  So we did not have a great sleep but that is ok. 

Not many pictures from today because we did not do much!  Here is one where they all were coloring together. 

Thanks again for your prayers because they are working!  Please keep praying:)