Thursday morning, we took one last walk through the local park in Kunming with our new friends, Dave, Tricia, and Max, and said our goodbyes to them. Joseph seemed really enthused about the events of the day, and every time it appeared as if it were time to leave for the airport, he would run over and put his backpack on. We met Jane in the lobby at 12:30 to go to the airport. She explained many things to Joseph about the trip, in Chinese, and his responses were all positive.
Jane helped us check in at the ticket counter and guided us to security, at which point we said our goodbyes to her. I always find it difficult saying goodbye to these guides! They are such wonderful resources and you can't help but bond with them over the course of the week. They are your lifeline in many ways! We made it through security, and Joseph was a champ. He insisted on wearing his heavy backpack the whole time. He started to get a little antsy at the gate, and reasonably so. We had two hours to kill, and he wasn't about to nap. We tried our best to entertain him, and since the great big airport was new for him, he really wanted to check out his surroundings.
Jane helped us check in at the ticket counter and guided us to security, at which point we said our goodbyes to her. I always find it difficult saying goodbye to these guides! They are such wonderful resources and you can't help but bond with them over the course of the week. They are your lifeline in many ways! We made it through security, and Joseph was a champ. He insisted on wearing his heavy backpack the whole time. He started to get a little antsy at the gate, and reasonably so. We had two hours to kill, and he wasn't about to nap. We tried our best to entertain him, and since the great big airport was new for him, he really wanted to check out his surroundings.
We finally boarded the flight at about 3:30 p.m. This was already 2 1/2 hours past Joseph's regular nap time, and he still wasn't showing any signs of sleeping, yet he was exhibiting many signs of being overtired. We found our way to our seats, and decided to give him the window seat since he seemed so excited about his first airplane ride. Bad choice on our part.
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Our first major parent/child battle began when he became defiant and refused to fasten his seat belt. We went back and forth with him for about five minutes, but he continued to resist, and finally Daddy had to play somewhat of a tough guy to get him to keep it fastened. The look on Joseph's face was of both anger and betrayal. He hadn't seen much resistance from his parents until then. And it was such terrible timing.
He faced the window and seemed occupied with the outside happenings. As we began to taxi the runway, his fingers were plastered to the windows, and I couldn't get him to turn around...it bothered me. We figured he was still angry, so I rubbed his back a bit in hopes that he would warm up. Not so. Moments later, the plane began to gain speed until the wheels went up. I thought maybe he'd fallen asleep, and I could see through the crack in the seats that the man behind me was kind of pointing at him. Jimmy thought maybe he was going to get sick. By this time, our son's fingers were completely gripped to the bottom edges of the window. I tried to get his attention again, but he wouldn't turn, even with slight force, and not even for a lollipop. When I finally managed to peel him away and turn him back towards us, we realized that our son was completely terrified. He had tears running down his cheeks and drool on his chin. I hugged him and consoled him as best I could. Jimmy and I felt like the worst parents on earth. Thank God, he was back to himself within about ten minutes (seemed like an hour). I am happy to say that the rest of the flight was uneventful, and our son was calm.
We shared our van ride to the hotel with an awesome woman from California and her two daughters (one newly adopted), and I really feel like God put us in that van together for a reason. This woman is an inspiration beyond inspiration. She has ten kids...six at home and this is her sixth adoption of major special needs children. This woman has a special heart and her faith is (as you might imagine) strong as can be. Getting to know them passed the time quickly and we arrived at the China Hotel in Guangzhou at around 7:30 p.m. We felt like we'd arrived in paradise! The room is gorgeous...much more spacious than our room in Kunming, so it is definitely a step up in size. And unlike our in-province room with barely working a/c, this unit is cranking! Jimmy quickly turned that sucker down (too down) and the room gradually turned into a frozen tundra. It was a little too icy for Joseph and me but the great big cozy down comforter made it bearable.
This morning we headed out for the children's medical exams. Our boy was a total trooper. The first stop was ENT, and all looked good. We quickly moved to station two, which was vitals. They weighed and measured Joseph, and then gave him an eye test. He failed. Suffice it to say, we think our boy needs glasses.
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The third station is the medical exam. Basically, a medical doctor asks questions about the child's health and special need(s), then they fully examine each child. We were in and out quickly.
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The fourth station is the one that concerned us, and all parents for that matter. It's the TB test, and it's administered through a blood draw. But things have changed since our last adoption, and they no longer allow parents to accompany their children. I wasn't sure how that would go down with Joseph, but the two nurses explained to him that Mama and Baba would be right outside the door, and our son marched in without hesitation. Within several minutes, he emerged with a bandaid on his arm, and not a single tear was shed. Extra brave. We hustled him down to the lobby for his first strawberry milkshake.
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It was back at the hotel room that we saw our son's first tears. Upon our arrival to the room I asked him if he had to go pee pee ("neow neow" in Chinese), and he really had to go. He sprinted into the bathroom, with me trailing right behind him, and I predicted what was going to happen when I saw the scene. Seems the cleaning lady had shut the extra thick tempered glass door to the commode. I could see it coming, but I just couldn't stop it, and Joseph's head slammed full force into that door...hard. I grabbed him instantly and began to comfort him knowing that it must've hurt, but I also knew it probably scared the daylights out of him. The upside on the whole unfortunate mishap was that he was able to see Mommy in my element, which is administering lots of hugs and kisses to boo boos. After several minutes of consoling, I wiped his tears and he was good to go.
The rest of the day was uphill. The boys took a nap while I attended the paperwork meeting with all the Holt families to prepare for our children's visa appointments. After, we ventured out to dinner with a few of the couples in the group. Now we are back at the hotel room, and the boys are asleep. I am right behind them.
We have a packed schedule this week, but I'll post as much as I can! Thank you again for your continued prayers on our behalf. We will be home in FIVE days, people! FIVE DAYS!!! We can't wait!!!
We shared our van ride to the hotel with an awesome woman from California and her two daughters (one newly adopted), and I really feel like God put us in that van together for a reason. This woman is an inspiration beyond inspiration. She has ten kids...six at home and this is her sixth adoption of major special needs children. This woman has a special heart and her faith is (as you might imagine) strong as can be. Getting to know them passed the time quickly and we arrived at the China Hotel in Guangzhou at around 7:30 p.m. We felt like we'd arrived in paradise! The room is gorgeous...much more spacious than our room in Kunming, so it is definitely a step up in size. And unlike our in-province room with barely working a/c, this unit is cranking! Jimmy quickly turned that sucker down (too down) and the room gradually turned into a frozen tundra. It was a little too icy for Joseph and me but the great big cozy down comforter made it bearable.
This morning we headed out for the children's medical exams. Our boy was a total trooper. The first stop was ENT, and all looked good. We quickly moved to station two, which was vitals. They weighed and measured Joseph, and then gave him an eye test. He failed. Suffice it to say, we think our boy needs glasses.
The third station is the medical exam. Basically, a medical doctor asks questions about the child's health and special need(s), then they fully examine each child. We were in and out quickly.
The fourth station is the one that concerned us, and all parents for that matter. It's the TB test, and it's administered through a blood draw. But things have changed since our last adoption, and they no longer allow parents to accompany their children. I wasn't sure how that would go down with Joseph, but the two nurses explained to him that Mama and Baba would be right outside the door, and our son marched in without hesitation. Within several minutes, he emerged with a bandaid on his arm, and not a single tear was shed. Extra brave. We hustled him down to the lobby for his first strawberry milkshake.
It was back at the hotel room that we saw our son's first tears. Upon our arrival to the room I asked him if he had to go pee pee ("neow neow" in Chinese), and he really had to go. He sprinted into the bathroom, with me trailing right behind him, and I predicted what was going to happen when I saw the scene. Seems the cleaning lady had shut the extra thick tempered glass door to the commode. I could see it coming, but I just couldn't stop it, and Joseph's head slammed full force into that door...hard. I grabbed him instantly and began to comfort him knowing that it must've hurt, but I also knew it probably scared the daylights out of him. The upside on the whole unfortunate mishap was that he was able to see Mommy in my element, which is administering lots of hugs and kisses to boo boos. After several minutes of consoling, I wiped his tears and he was good to go.
The rest of the day was uphill. The boys took a nap while I attended the paperwork meeting with all the Holt families to prepare for our children's visa appointments. After, we ventured out to dinner with a few of the couples in the group. Now we are back at the hotel room, and the boys are asleep. I am right behind them.
We have a packed schedule this week, but I'll post as much as I can! Thank you again for your continued prayers on our behalf. We will be home in FIVE days, people! FIVE DAYS!!! We can't wait!!!
1 comment:
Thinking of you and praying for you as you enjoy your last five days in China! Beep you guys! ~Allie
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