Just Faith

Well here are some pictures of Faith we took while still in China...

Faith had no trouble figuring out what to do with a telephone. She loves typical girl things (baby dolls, makeup, phones, etc.).







She's really a happy girl!











She loves to copy just about anything you do. If we are eating a certain thing she has to try it (although she might hate it--her favorite so far is raw sliced tomatoes!).









She showed us how to use chopsticks. (Even at age 2 she can probably use them better than most Americans)







Here she is looking rather cool in her shades.








Here she is just being feisty.

More Pictures

BJ and McKenzie climbing the Great Wall of China. The stairs are very irregular and steep so you have to watch your step!









McKenzie was as popular as a rock star in the Forbidden City. She was the only golden-haired child in sight.







This is our group of fellow adoptive families eating at a Chinese restaurant. We were famished so the food disappeared quickly.







McKenzie lost her first tooth on the night of the same day we got Faith!

Our Top Ten Lists

More pictures later, but some reflections on China in the form of Top Ten Lists.

Top ten surprises about China:
10. Staring. Everywhere we went, we tended to get unabashed stares (especially McKenzie with her long, beautiful golden hair, but for anything like if your child is crying, you are eating strange food, etc.)
9. The amazing industrialization and urbanization of China. The cities are big, bustling, busy, bright, etc. to a degree we did not expect.
8. (akin to #9) Many of the tall buildings had most or all of one face covered with a TV screen (I began to think "every building a billboard")
7. The food was great! Especially in Chongqing where everything was spicy.
6. The friendliness of the people. Although we did get stares from strangers, most of the Chinese we interacted with were extremely friendly and kind.
5. The incredible hotel service. At the White Swan in Guangzhou, every time the elevator door opened, an attendant on the floor announced the floor number and helped direct you to where you needed to go. The housekeeping staff watched for when you left your room in the morning and cleaned it almost immediately. You can't beat that anywhere!
4. Crowds, crowds, crowds.
3. Our kids were superstars. (We learned eventually to keep moving, because the longer we stood still, the more likely we were to attract a crowd of people gawking.)
2. We got to see our old friend Annette Place, who is now living in China as a missionary. (Unfortunately we didn't get to see her husband Chris.)
1. Faith. You know, as much as we read and prepared ourselves, we did not expect her to be so bright, vibrant, cheerful (and yes willful) as she turned out to be. And perhaps the biggest pleasant surprise of all, she did great on the plane rides home and seems to love her new home and her newest brother (Marshall) whom she just met last night!

Top ten things we missed while in China:
10. Drinkable tap water. We had to drink bottled water everywhere, including the most metropolitan areas.
9. Regular plugs. You get tired of using adapters after a while (to charge the camera, cell phone, camcorder, iPod, etc.)
8. Normal traffic laws. I'm not sure what the laws were in China but the driving was always crazy. The most basic rule seemed to be: if you're in front, do whatever you want.
7. My own bed. ('nuff said)
6. My own car.
5. A computer (since I didn't bring one)
4. English-speaking radio (we had a few TV channels, but of course none of our familiar radio stations)
3. My own house! (Hotel living gets old after a couple of days...especially with 4 or 5 people living in one room.)
2. All our friends and family and church.
1. Most of all we missed Marshall! Barbara had tears a few times for missing him.

Finally, the top 10 things we are thankful for about this trip:
10. No lost luggage!
9. No late flights!
8. No missed connections!
7. We made great new friends in our adoption group.
6. Our guides in China were wonderful.
5. Out itinerary was really perfect. Some groups with other agencies get scheduled so heavily with activities that they stay exhausted the whole trip. We had just the right balance of touring and rest.
4. We had the opportunity to see Faith's orphanage and even meet her foster mother (a rare treat for adoptive families)
3. We got to see some of the most important historic sites on Earth, especially the Great Wall of China, Tian An Men Square and the Forbidden City. 3,000 years of history in one nation is really remarkable.
2. No one got sick!
1. Faith, our little China doll.

Overall, we are very blessed. We give thanks to the Lord for taking such good care of us and leading us on such an adventure, and giving us a new daughter for our family to love.

A few pictures

Here is one of our first pictures of Faith.








Here we are together right after getting Faith in Chongqing.








McKenzie and Faith getting to know each other.

("Finally, a sister!" says McKenzie.)






A Panda in the Chongqing zoo. (We didn't adopt him.)

Back in the USA

Just a quick post from my Palm to say we made it back! That long flight is a doozie but Faith slept through most of it. We had to pass through customs and immigration here in Detroit and now Faith is a U.S. citizen. Our bags made it this far so hopefully they will make it the rest of the way OK too. Pictures should start coming tomorrow (we have almost 900 to choose from). Now for helping a 2 year old through jet lag while suffering from it ourselves...

Sugar is evil

Well so much for posting every day in Guangzhou! This will be our last post from China, because it is evening and we leave the hotel before 6:00 AM tomorrow. We have about 24 hours of traveling yet will log only about 12 on the clock due to the time difference (we get back the 13 hours that we lost on the way here). On Saturday we had a nice visit from Annette Place, our missionary friend, along with three of her six kids. Sunday we tried to visit church but Faith didn't want to be still so I (Brian) took her back to the hotel. We did a good bit of shopping here and are fairly shopped out. Last night we took a riverboat cruise and saw the beautiful lights and laser show on the Pearl River here in Guangzhou--the buildings along the rivers' edge are quite spectacular at night as the Chinese seem to subscribe to a philosophy that makes every building a billboard. Today we visited the U.S. Consulate here and received a visa for Faith's entry into the U.S.! That is the last hurdle before we actually travel and pass through immigration in Detroit--which is where she will actually become a U.S. citizen! We have enjoyed being back with our group that we toured with in Beijing and are sorry to say goodbye to them; some live not too far away and perhaps we can visit in the future.

Oh, so why is sugar evil? Well we gave Faith a sucker the other day, and she absolutely loved it; in fact, she wouldn't stop asking for more, so we gave her another and another...but when we stopped giving them, she got a little upset. (dramatic understatement there) From then on, whenever she has seen a backpack (the suckers came out of one of our backpacks), she has begged, cried, and pleaded for suckers. So we learned a lesson there. She had a similar reaction when she had some ice cream the other day. Today we gave her an ice cream cone, however, and when she finished it she was satisfied, and didn't scream at me for more. Progress! She is really a delight and makes people smile wherever we go, so we can't wait for you all to meet her. In spite of the reaction we got from sugar the other day, she really has warmed to us all and has become much, much easier to deal with. Now if only we didn't have to deal with jet lag on the return trip...

Please pray for us in our return trip for safety, smooth schedules, and no lost luggage. We have been very blessed with a smooth trip so far including wonderful company and an absolutely fabulous guide and agency, we simply could not have asked for better. I might add that B.J. and McKenzie have remained excellent travelling companions and have made many things easier, rather than harder, for us. We will see you all soon, then get ready for a steady flow of pictures for a few days thereafter.

The last leg

Last night we arrived in Guangzhou which is where the U.S. Consulate is located and where we are completing the final stages of the adoption process. It was a 1 1/2 hour flight from the bustling city of Chongqing, toward the south where it is even hotter (similar climate to Louisiana). This morning we had Faith's visa phot taken, had her medical exam completed in preparation for our visit to the U.S. Consulate on Monday, and now are about doing a little shopping. Faith continues to be very tightly attached to me (Brian), but has warmed up a little more to Barbara--she has been able to feed her, take her to the bathroom (thank goodness), even give and receive lots of kisses (when Faith is in the right mood). However this morning during breakfast I tried to pass her to Barbar so I could get some food, and she threw the mother of all fits, ending my breakfast unfortunately. She is bright and happy a lot of the time but definitely has a strong will--"spicy" as they say here of Chongqing food and girls alike. This is also a very independent little girl--she even feeds herself with chopsticks!! BJ and McKenzie have been excellent travelling companions and are having the time of their lives.

I'm sure I'm leaving a lot out (I give a lot less detail than Barbara); we'll be adding some other details with pictures after we return on Wednesday. Also there is free Internet access in some of the stores and cafes (as I am using right now) so we will try to post daily these last few days.