Good morning! We are all checked in at PBI. Check in and security went smoothly, and we should begin boarding soon. Jimmy and Madi just went over to Starbucks to find something for breakfast.
elated - terrified - excited - anxious - hopeful
These are all emotions that we are feeling. All bundled up into one.
We likely won't have a chance to connect in Newark, so the next time you hear from us, we will be in Shanghai. We will be 12 hours ahead of most of you.
We want to thank you so much for all of the prayers and good wishes before we left. We received your Facebook posts, blog comments and emails. We are so blessed to be surrounded by so much love.
Thursday, March 17, 2011
Wednesday, March 16, 2011
Shanghai Charlie
Isn't it simply amazing how the Lord works? I woke up yesterday morning on a full-blown emotional rollercoaster and then my prayers were answered by an update, with photos, of Charlie!
I love that Charlie is dressed in green, my favorite color. Madi was the only baby girl dressed in green on her Gotcha day. I also love that he is holding a flower, since Daddy has always been in the "Green" industry.
He appears to be doing great! We received his current measurements:
Height: 70cm, Weight: 9kg, Head: 47cm, Chest: 48cm
Madi rolled over this morning with a big smile on her face and said, "Tomorrow I go to China!" Now the days are melting into minutes:)
Tuesday, March 15, 2011
My Dream
"I had a dream about Daniel last night."
As I spoke the words to Jimmy and Madi this morning, my eyes began weeping without approval. I finally saw my sweet son in my dreams. Actually, I think I should refer to it as a visitation. Then Jimmy informed me that I was giggling in my sleep. The tears became uncontrollable. I knew Daniel had been with me.
We went into the orphanage (it looked more like a hospital) looking for Charlie and came upon Daniel's familiar little face. He was in a wheelchair and his hands and feet were wrapped up in bandages. He had aged only a little, but we clearly knew it was him. As we approached him, he looked up at me and said, "Mama!" We were so thrilled to see him and knew instantly that he would be leaving with us. I was excited to tell him that I had Juice Plus gummies for him, and he squealed with delight.
We continued looking for Charlie in the orphanage but had difficulty identifying him. I'm sure this stems from the fact that we haven't received updated photos of Charlie since November and his appearance will be somewhat of a mystery to us. I just remember feeling so profoundly warm having found Daniel.
The dream went on for a while, but sadly, many of the details escape me now. What doesn't escape me is how I feel this morning as I reflect on what happened last night--it seemed so real. I feel as if I really saw him. I feel as if I truly had him back for a while, and it warmed my heart more than I ever imagined.
As I spoke the words to Jimmy and Madi this morning, my eyes began weeping without approval. I finally saw my sweet son in my dreams. Actually, I think I should refer to it as a visitation. Then Jimmy informed me that I was giggling in my sleep. The tears became uncontrollable. I knew Daniel had been with me.
We went into the orphanage (it looked more like a hospital) looking for Charlie and came upon Daniel's familiar little face. He was in a wheelchair and his hands and feet were wrapped up in bandages. He had aged only a little, but we clearly knew it was him. As we approached him, he looked up at me and said, "Mama!" We were so thrilled to see him and knew instantly that he would be leaving with us. I was excited to tell him that I had Juice Plus gummies for him, and he squealed with delight.
We continued looking for Charlie in the orphanage but had difficulty identifying him. I'm sure this stems from the fact that we haven't received updated photos of Charlie since November and his appearance will be somewhat of a mystery to us. I just remember feeling so profoundly warm having found Daniel.
The dream went on for a while, but sadly, many of the details escape me now. What doesn't escape me is how I feel this morning as I reflect on what happened last night--it seemed so real. I feel as if I really saw him. I feel as if I truly had him back for a while, and it warmed my heart more than I ever imagined.
Saturday, March 12, 2011
The Grasshopper
Saw something in the backyard today that we've never seen here before--a bright green grasshopper stuck to the back of our house. It was so unusual to me, that I told Madi that I would look up it's meaning. Maybe it's just me, but I found some of these to be quite apropos:
A grasshopper's appearance indicates a time in which we will experience great leaps of happiness. It teaches us to trust our inner voice and to act upon it.
The grasshopper’s coloring is significant. For instance, green grasshoppers indicate fresh starts (new beginnings), as well as the concepts of youth, rejuvenation, sentimentality, nature, adventure, growth and health.
Further, it’s a good luck charm as well as a symbol of fertility among Chinese symbolic language. Grasshoppers were thought to be fertility symbols, specifically, omens of the birth of a son. The grasshopper also symbolizes prosperity, wisdom and a leap of faith.
The grasshopper can be an enlightening messenger of ingenuity, resourcefulness, joy and honor. In China, grasshoppers were kept as family pets. It was believed that grasshoppers embodied the personalities of deceased family members.
A grasshopper's appearance indicates a time in which we will experience great leaps of happiness. It teaches us to trust our inner voice and to act upon it.
The grasshopper’s coloring is significant. For instance, green grasshoppers indicate fresh starts (new beginnings), as well as the concepts of youth, rejuvenation, sentimentality, nature, adventure, growth and health.
Further, it’s a good luck charm as well as a symbol of fertility among Chinese symbolic language. Grasshoppers were thought to be fertility symbols, specifically, omens of the birth of a son. The grasshopper also symbolizes prosperity, wisdom and a leap of faith.
The grasshopper can be an enlightening messenger of ingenuity, resourcefulness, joy and honor. In China, grasshoppers were kept as family pets. It was believed that grasshoppers embodied the personalities of deceased family members.
Tuesday, March 8, 2011
The Festival
Every year, it is tradition for us to attend the Spring festival at St. Vincent Ferrer, our parish. Once again, it was a fun-filled weekend of over-eating and little sleep.
It is so wild to watch Madi's sense of adventure evolve every year. In her first couple of years, the rides were more of a spectator sport for her. Last year was mostly about accompanying her little brother Daniel on rides than immersing herself in them. We are thankful for that, by the way. I still have fond memories of Daniel's face hanging over the side of the ferris wheel. It sent me into heart palpitations at the time, but I am so glad he was able to experience so much fun. He loved every minute of being a "big boy" and trying to keep up with his sister.
This year, Madi was simply unstoppable. Jimmy agreed to get a wristband too, so they could be buddies on all the rides. That worked for half of the weekend. The other half was spent with her little friends, sprinting as fast as they could from one big ride to another. They would run up to the height marker with excitement, hoping that they were tall enough to make it on. The funny part was that they would do this almost every time they approached the rides! They just enjoyed knowing that they passed the test.
We promised Madi this year that she could stay until closing Saturday night, as long as she could "hang" without a meltdown or passing out. We stayed true to our word and they actually shut the rides down before she was ready to leave! It was a great time for all of us.
We are tremendously blessed by our community at St. Vincent Ferrer. We connected with many great friends this weekend--some old, some new. It was an extra bonus being able to share our exciting news of travel to get Charlie. We can hardly wait for next year to get him to the festival too.
It is so wild to watch Madi's sense of adventure evolve every year. In her first couple of years, the rides were more of a spectator sport for her. Last year was mostly about accompanying her little brother Daniel on rides than immersing herself in them. We are thankful for that, by the way. I still have fond memories of Daniel's face hanging over the side of the ferris wheel. It sent me into heart palpitations at the time, but I am so glad he was able to experience so much fun. He loved every minute of being a "big boy" and trying to keep up with his sister.
This year, Madi was simply unstoppable. Jimmy agreed to get a wristband too, so they could be buddies on all the rides. That worked for half of the weekend. The other half was spent with her little friends, sprinting as fast as they could from one big ride to another. They would run up to the height marker with excitement, hoping that they were tall enough to make it on. The funny part was that they would do this almost every time they approached the rides! They just enjoyed knowing that they passed the test.
We promised Madi this year that she could stay until closing Saturday night, as long as she could "hang" without a meltdown or passing out. We stayed true to our word and they actually shut the rides down before she was ready to leave! It was a great time for all of us.
We are tremendously blessed by our community at St. Vincent Ferrer. We connected with many great friends this weekend--some old, some new. It was an extra bonus being able to share our exciting news of travel to get Charlie. We can hardly wait for next year to get him to the festival too.
Thursday, March 3, 2011
Our official travel plans
Here's what we know so far:
We leave on St. Patrick's Day!
We are the only family from Holt traveling to Shanghai
We were able to skip the Beijing leg of the trip this time, so we will get to spend all our time in Shanghai and Guangzhou
Gotcha Day is March 21st and we might be meeting Charlie for the first time at the SWI (Social Welfare Institute)
We arrive back in Florida at around Midnight on April 2nd.
The suitcases are coming out today, so we can begin the packing process!
We leave on St. Patrick's Day!
We are the only family from Holt traveling to Shanghai
We were able to skip the Beijing leg of the trip this time, so we will get to spend all our time in Shanghai and Guangzhou
Gotcha Day is March 21st and we might be meeting Charlie for the first time at the SWI (Social Welfare Institute)
We arrive back in Florida at around Midnight on April 2nd.
The suitcases are coming out today, so we can begin the packing process!
Tuesday, March 1, 2011
We Got it!!!!
Dear China Family:
Your travel approvals have arrived and we have begun working on your travel schedule. Today the Consulate confirmed your visa appointment but we are still waiting for our staff to send the confirmed travel dates. We expect to have dates tomorrow or Thursday and will send them by email immediately when we do.
The tentative dates we offer here are based on the visa appointments so the US return is accurate but the China arrival day is uncertain. Using this information, you can consider your travel plans or book tickets but we emphasize that these dates may change: if you buy tickets before we confirm them you may need to pay a penalty to change them.
Based on your visa appointment, we expect your travel dates to be:
Beijing arrival: 18 or 19 March.
U.S. return: 1 April
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)