Then And Now

Today is June 24, 2014.  Jack has been home with us for a whole 6 months...6 months...I can't believe how fast time has gone on.  When I read my earlier posts about starting this adoption process, I was so scared.  I was scared of the special needs our child would have.  I was scared of being rejected by our child.  I was scared of how having a third child would affect our family.  In all honesty I really had nothing to fear!  People might think I'm putting up a front, but I'm not.  Jack's "special need" really isn't a "special need".  Yes I have to go to a lot of dr. appointments, and yes Jack will have to have other surgeries and yes he may have some self-esteem issues which will break this mama's heart because I think he is perfect and beautiful BUT I am so very thankful my fear of a "special need" did not interfere with God's plan and His will for Jack to be apart of our family.  I am thankful my fear of attachment didn't stand in the way either.  Our attachment to Jack and Jack's attachment to us all happened quite seamlessly!  And our family dynamic only got better!  So much to be thankful for.

 

It hasn't been ALL bells and whistles.  Jack very much had his own routine, his own way of doing things and he still has quite a temper.  Initially he didn't like how this new woman, who called herself "mommy", did things.  But together we have worked through many of these differences.  It has always been my belief that with adoptions you have to let the child(ren) do things in their own time.  As parents we all have set ideas of how we want things done and with biological children you can start putting those ideas into play right from the beginning.  Children who have lived elsewhere, with a different upbringing, will not adapt to your way of doing things immediately...they need to be given time, guidance and encouragement. When social workers come for their visits, or when you make those first few visits to the doctor, or even reading articles etc... there are guidelines and expectations that are placed on adopted children and I personally, who have experienced it three times now, realize that kids need to figure things out.  Giving them the time they need to adjust only allows the attachment and bonding to grow that much stronger.

 

With Nathaniel he just kinda let us do our thing with him and Fredrick was so young he didn't really have a way of doing things yet.  Jack on the other hand was very set in his ways at the beginning and we have come a long way together.

 

THEN:  Jack would never let me feed him.  He absolutely had to feed himself.  This caused a lot of frustration for me.  He would get very messy and would make a big mess wherever we were.  Trying to help him eat would make him very angry and he'd start throwing food and utensils!

 

NOW:  Jack is fine with us helping him to eat if need be.  There is no more fighting and meal times are not so messy anymore!

 

THEN:  Jack would NOT lie down to have his diaper changed.  I assume this was done standing up at the orphanage.  I don't know.  But it was a regular struggle to get him to lie down.

 

NOW:  Jack is fine having his diaper changed lying down!  In fact he will let us know almost immediately if he needs to be changed.  I have a feeling potty training will come early and quickly with Jack!

 

THEN:  In China Jack would have nothing to do with the stroller.  He had to be in my arms or else I had to deal with a tantrum.  This caused some frustration for me since it killed my arms to carry him all the time.  Dad and I didn't do any of the scheduled outings because I knew he wouldn't stay in the stroller.

 

NOW:  Jack loves the stroller.  As soon as he sees it he is all giggles and jumps right in.  He does get antsy sitting in it if we go too far (unlike his brothers who would still take a ride in the stroller if I let them)

 

THEN:  Shortly after coming home, Jack's sleeping patterns changed.  He was no longer the sleep -through-the-night-until-7am child I had first met.  Once he figured out that if he cried we'd come get him, he took advantage.  I had a 2 year old but I was doing twice a night feedings.  It was hard but I accepted it.  This is what Jack needed.

 

NOW:  We are back to sleeping through the night.  No more wake up calls, although he is sleeping with mommy and daddy.  But we're ok with that.  We went through it with Nathaniel and we went through it with Fredrick, we're willing to give Jack the comfort he needs at this time in his life.

 

THEN:  When we first came home, Jack would go to pretty much anyone.  Everyone noted that he was definitely the more social of the 3 (having just come home).

 

NOW:  Jack is no longer friendly with everyone.  He only wants mommy or daddy.  It takes him a little while to warm up to people (even if he was super friendly with those people before).  Some people may take it personally, but I'm ok with Jack's new "stand-offish" personality.  It shows us that he is 100% attached to mommy and daddy and wants to feel "ok" before going to anyone else.

 

THEN:  Jack didn't laugh or smile a whole lot at the beginning.  In China he seemed so sad sometimes.  This of course was totally understandable given the circumstances.

 

NOW:  Jack loves to laugh.  He loves to make funny faces and show off his most adorable little dimple!  I no longer see sadness in his eyes.

THEN:  For the first few months Jack would get very angry with me if I tried to rub his back when he was crying/upset.  He would also hit several times when he wouldn't get his way.

NOW:  Jack no longer hits my hand away when I rub his back, in fact, it actually soothes him now.  And hitting is pretty much a thing of the past.  He still goes to hit Fredrick from time to time when he is really upset, but he never hits mommy or daddy.

It is so fun looking back at "how things were" to "how things are".  Jack amazes me with his ability to adapt to change.  He amazes me each and every day!

There are two things that have not changed:

1)  Jack always has to have his blankie with him.  He carries it around all day and snuggles with it when he sleeps.  It is his comfort when he is upset and when we are somewhere different.

2)  Jack almost always has a toy (or 2, or 3) in his hands.  It could be a car, train, plane, action figure etc..  He goes to bed with something in his hand, and wakes up with it in his hand!

Jack you are an amazing little 2 year old.  Mommy and daddy love you so much!  I say this often, because it's true, you have completed our family.  You were the missing puzzle piece.  You have only been our son for 6+ months but it feels like you've been with us forever.  Your sweet smile and that dimple of yours, melts mommy's heart!  We love you baby boy!

 

 

 

 

 

A Night At The Hospital!

We spent Saturday at home just catching up. I felt pretty "normal" Sunday morning, so we all headed to church.  There were many people patiently waiting to meet Jack.  Jack was almost asleep in my arms as the service began, but then the music started and he sat right up and listened very intently.  I eventually took Jack down to the nursery where he stayed in my arms and was very quiet and calm.  Everyone commented about how still he was.  I noticed a difference in him but figured he was just tired or overwhelmed.  He dozed in my arms for pretty much the whole service.  Something didn't seem right.  This was not the Jack I had been with for the past 2 weeks.  This was not the Jack who we had spent all day with at home on Saturday.  After church, he continued to sleep a lot at home, but we figured it was jetlag kicking in.

 

Monday morning (December 23) Jack had a bottle and minutes later threw it up.  Then he had a bad bout of diarrhea.  He fell back to sleep quickly and slept, and slept and slept.  He slept for most of the day.  I'd wake him up for short intervals.  He just wouldn't stay awake.  Finally at around 10:30pm Jon woke him up.  We figured he wouldn't sleep through the night if we didn't wake him.  Jon gave him a bottle and began to change him.  Jon called for me to come look at the weird face Jack was making.  I said bring him to the bathroom I think he is going to throw up.  He started convulsing and his jaw was locked.  Suddenly he just went limp in Jon's arms.  Something was terribly wrong.  I called 911.  They said he was probably having seizures.  Finally the ambulance arrived (it felt like an eternity)!  I rode in the ambulance with Jack to the hospital.  He had more seizures while at the hospital.  They kept us there overnight.  He had more seizures while we were there but he still didn't have a fever.  The dr's were pretty sure they were febrile seizures but found it odd that he didn't have a fever (which brings on febrile seizures).  When he had his last seizure, he definitely had a fever.  They treated him with Tylenol and another medication used to treat seizures and he didn't have any attacks after that.  I messaged some of the workers from Jack's orphanage right away to find out if he had had seizures while in China but they didn't know of him having any.  This was definitely a VERY scary situation.  Every time he had an attack my heart broke for him and I was terrified of what these seizures could mean.  Did Jack have epilepsy and this was hidden from us?  Was there something else wrong with him that we were not told?  And of course none of this mattered because Jack was now our son and we would do anything for him.  I was just upset that if this information had been kept from us, we were not given the opportunity to prepare ourselves.

 

Jack did not have any seizures for several hours and the neurologist was fairly certain the attacks were due to his fever.  We were allowed to go home (December 24).  The neurologist prescribed us some meds just in case the fever returned and we wanted to avoid another attack, otherwise we could just give him Tylenol.  The meds they gave him at the hospital made him so drowsy and he couldn't hold his head straight or stand without falling down so we didn't want to give him any more unless absolutely necessary.  We just kept a close eye on him at home and gave Tylenol if we suspected a fever.  We were also given an appointment for Jack to have an electroencephalogram (EEG).  Everything was normal.  We thank God he has not had a seizure since.

 

Jon and I know this was all brought on by stress.  Of course the dr's don't agree with that because stress itself doesn't cause seizures.  No but I strongly believe stress plays havoc with our bodies in ways we don't understand.  Jack had never had any seizures before while in China (that they are aware of) and I'm confident that it would have been in his report had he had them while in the orphanage and I'm sure he had a fever multiple time before without any seizures.  Suddenly a BIG change happened in his life, he got sick, had a fever and had seizures.

 

December 24-25.  We stayed home Christmas eve.  We didn't want to take Jack to church after all he had just gone through.  Christmas day was also spent at home.  Mom and dad came up for breakfast and the kids opened their presents.  Later in the afternoon Jon took Nathaniel and Fredrick to have Christmas with his family while I just hung out with Jack.  We still weren't comfortable with having him around a large group of people and in a different environment.  We just wanted him to hang out at home and be relaxed and comfortable.  We did that for the next couple of weeks.

 

The boys with their pappy!

Jack is now a healthy, happy, thriving little boy!  He brings us so much joy and laughter.  He is also a very head strong 2 year old who does not like the word 'NO'!  He wants it his way or no way.  Jack can be very frustrating when he is upset.  He throws his blankie on the floor because he's mad, but then screams and carries on because he wants his blankie (which is on the floor).  *sigh* LOL!  Jack wants to do everything his big brothers do which can cause some stress for mama...especially when he wants to climb the high structures at the park.

 

Jack has completed our family!

 

 

 

 

On Our Way Home

2 weeks had finally passed.  We were on our way home.  We'd be in the arms of our loved ones soon enough.

We packed, bought last minute snacks at the grocery store, ate lunch and took a nap.  It was finally time to go!!!

We met all the other families in the lobby and took a bunch of pictures.  One of the employees of the hotel came and asked us to be quiet...HA...at the price we were paying to stay in the hotel, we'd make all the noise we wanted!

 

All the families -- only 2 boys!  Jack and Samuel

Me and dad and Jack...So happy we are to be heading home!

The few families leaving all boarded the bus and headed to the airport.  We checked in.  Then before boarding we looked for somewhere to eat.  Pizza Hut it was.  I find it so funny that I never eat Pizza Hut at home but I travel to Vietnam and China and I'm drawn to Pizza Hut!  The food was pretty good!  

Checking in in Beijing

Eating at Pizza Hut in the Beijing Airport

 

They had dad and I sitting at complete opposite ends of the plane.  1 seat was in the middle of the plane and 1 seat was all the way at the back (the last row near the window).  I decided it would be best to go the back because the other seat was a middle seat.  I sat by the window with another man.  I wanted to cry.  There was no way I could do that whole plane ride by myself, stuck by the window with Jack.  Dad explained the situation to the stewartess and she worked very hard to get us together.  The lady beside dad ONLY wanted an isle seat.  The man beside me was sweet enough to move to the window seat so the lady could have the isle.  I knew he was going to have a long, uncomfortable flight but I am forever grateful!  I wanted to give him the biggest hug!  I couldn't thank the stewartess enough either. So dad and I were finally together.  THANK YOU LORD!  We had a middle and isle seat.  It was "perfect".  Jack slept pretty good he laid across dad and I...until...they started to serve the midnight snack.  A)  They turn on all the lights, B) the stewartess serving the drinks didn't know how to use an "indoor voice" when she got to our area!  Jack jumped up and wouldn't go back to sleep for a couple of hours.  All in all, he did pretty good.  Could have been worst!

I could have jumped for joy when we landed in T.O.  First thing first...COLD drink.  Next...FOOD!  A&W you tasted soooooo good!!!  We only had 1 more 1 hour flight.  Of course, our flight was delayed and we hung around the airport longer than I cared to.  We were only 1 hour away...we were so close.

Waiting in T.O.

Jack had fallen asleep in his stroller, but when we boarded I had to wake him up.  He cried and cried and cried on the plane.  Just when I thought we were taking off, there was ice build up so we had to wait longer on the plane.  I can not explain the feeling I had when that plane finally took off.  Jack actually fell back to sleep so that was nice.  It was a quick and pretty easy flight.  I was so emotional when we were finally descending in Montreal.  I just couldn't stop crying.  WE WERE HOME.  I was about to hold all my babies!  I couldn't get off that plane fast enough and find our way to the exit!

There they were.  Fredrick and Nathaniel, in their pjs (it was ~1am), running at full speed towards us.  Fredrick was running so fast, he tripped! LOL!  Oh my goodness, I had only been gone for 2 weeks and Fredrick seemed SO much older!  He was no longer the baby.  Jack took it all pretty well.  The boys had brought him some balloons and he liked looking at those.  Mom was kind of in the background just crying! 

First family of 5 pic

The amazing Welcome Home sign the boys made with Tita Jenn

Pretty ironic that the boys picked out Sesame Street balloons --
this has since become Jack's favorite characters!

I couldn't wait to get home but first thing first, load up the vehicles.  I didn't know how Jack would react being belted into a car seat considering he didn't like being belted in his stroller.  My thoughts of Jack not liking it couldn't have been more accurate.  He screamed and screamed and screamed from Dorval to LaSalle.  It was mom, dad, Jack and myself in the van, and I know mom had a terrible headache so the screaming didn't help.

 

FINALLY!  We were home.  Oh I was so happy to be home!  I still couldn't get over how much Fredrick had grown up.  Jack seemed to be very comfortable in Jon's arms.  He fell sleep rather quickly.  Jack seemed pretty comfortable at home.  Things went really well the first 2 days and then things took a turn for the worst...

 

Asleep in daddy's arms, Jack's first night home.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Days That Followed...

Jack did not want to leave my side.  I must admit it felt good that he stuck to me.  I told dad not to be offended that Jack only wanted to be in my arms.  We went downstairs for breakfast two mornings and by the second, Jack wanted up and down and I couldn't eat in peace.  Dad would kindly take him out to the lobby and walk around with him while I took a few moments to eat peacefully!  On the Wednesday, our guide took us to a history museum of the Xinjiang province.  It was interesting but  I'm not much of a history person to begin with and with a 21 month old who wouldn't leave my arms I REALLY wasn't interested!  And oh the building was SO hot and we all had our coats on.  I was exhausted and HOT!  However, the ride home was worth it...as we drove by the hotel I saw a "supermarket" literally at the end of the hotel building.  After Jack's nap, we walked over and we were able to load up on bags of chips, Pepsi. Yoghurt for Jack and lollipops!  There weren't any restaurants we were willing to go to, so Jack wasn't really eating "well"...but yoghurt was a big hit for him and Cheerios.  It was nice to finally be able to buy Pepsi and keep them cold in the hotel room.  We wouldn't eat in the hotel restaurant as it was VERY expensive (except breakfast since that was included).

Dad and I were starting to get pretty hungry since we weren't eating much for lunch or supper. Finally we decided to order room service.  GREAT idea!  The spaghetti was delicious and nice big portions.  The price wasn't too bad either.  We also found a fast food chicken joint around the corner.  We ate there once.  Dad didn't think his chicken was cooked properly so we stopped eating.  The fries were great though...and Jack devoured those.  Anything that would get him to eat made me happy.  We ordered 2 chicken burger trios with an extra fry...it cost ~$8.00!  That would have cost twice the price in Montreal!

Being cooped up in a small hotel room was getting hard.  No where to go.  We didn't venture out with the guide since it was just too hard to travel with Jack in my arms and he didn't do well in taxi rides.  The hotel hallways were circular, so Jack and I would walk around and around and around...and around.  My body can't handle circular motions anymore...and by the 5th time around I was feeling dizzy and nauseated!  But it gave us something to do!!!  The 3 of us did take a walk outside, just to the corner and back.  Again, I had to carry Jack and I don't think we felt very safe in the area.  The area reminded me a lot of DaNang in Vietnam and we sure didn't feel safe there...and almost no one speaks English so the language barrier can be quite scary.

I kept asking our guide to find us a mall.  A friend who had visited Urumqi to meet her son, gave me the address of a mall she had visited and it had a playzone so I thought that would be something for us to do.  I hadn't brought many toys, thinking I'd get them "cheap" in Urumqi.  HA!  My purpose for wanting a mall was a) find a grocery store so I could buy some baby food b) find some toys c) go to the playzone.  The toys were so expensive, but I just grabbed a few things I thought would be fun and had dad pay for them because I didn't want to know the cost.  The playzone had closed down :-( so that was disappointing.  We did find a grocery store and I was able to get the baby food, diapers, and wipes.  It's so intimidating shopping there because the employees are on top of you shoving things in your face.  It's hard to look at things while thinking of the currency conversion.  But at least I had baby food!!!

Our tour guide got everything done for us concerning Jack's passport.  We never really saw him again until it was time to head to Beijing on the Saturday.  He travelled back with us which was nice since he took care of our boarding passes and luggage.  By the time we got to the gate, I was EXHAUSTED.  We had to walk so far and I did this with Jack in my arms and some carry-on bags.  I was SO thirsty and not one bottle of water, coke or juice in sight. *sigh*  There was quite a wait between boarding and taking off.  Jack was not impressed being confined to my lap.  Thankfully there was a space between myself and the person closest to the window.  This gave me a little wiggle room.  He was not exactly thrilled about having a kid sitting in his row!  Jack had a bag of chips and he got very frustrated and he just threw the bag...chips were everywhere.  Not the greatest moment!  He cried and cried and cried.  No, he screamed and screamed and screamed.  Everyone was looking at us and offering Jack candy etc... this was NOT helping!  Finally he settled down at take off and slept for maybe one hour.  I always get so emotional at take off when we leave our child's "home province".  Jack wasn't living in Xinjiang, but that's where his life began and that is so emotional for me.

It was a long 4 hours but it could have been worst!  I sang patty-cake with Jack for a good 30 minutes towards the end of the flight.  It was keeping him entertained and laughing.  We were so happy to be in Beijing.  Again it felt like the day we landed in Hanoi.  There were delis, cafes etc...at the airport and cold drinks!!!  We had a very nice, comfortable van to take us to the hotel.  The driving is very civilized in Beijing.  We were worried about pollution since when dad and I landed a week prior in Beijing, getting to our connecting flight to Urumqi, we could just smell the pollution.  But our drive to the hotel was very nice and the air quality was really good.  Our guide was shocked how clear the sky was.  But oh.the.traffic!  The drive should have taken us ~45 min and it took almost 2 hours.  We pulled up to the hotel and to my GREAT satisfaction there was a mall literally across the street!  Thank you Lord.

The hotel was BEAUTIFUL...the most fancy hotel I had ever stayed in!  We met with all the other couples who had also met their children (we all used the same adoption agency here in Quebec).  We also met our new tour guide.  We checked in and met the guide down in the lobby.  She was going to show us where to eat and shop.  The malls were open late so we walked over and once we were in the basement, our attitudes changed...FOOD COURT!  Subway, KFC, Burger King, Pizza hut, Dairy Queen, and oh so much more!  The guide brought us to a GROCERY STORE in the mall!  We were able to get baby food, and Pepsi and chips (the essentials, of course).  Dad ended up spending a good 30 min in line, so we learned that we wouldn't all go together.  Carrying Jack around while the other waited in line wasn't fun.  We'd take turns going down to the grocery store while the other stayed back at the hotel with Jack.  We ate at KFC -- oh was it good!!!

That mall would become our 2nd home for the next week!  After much searching and being given the wrong directions many times, we discovered Starbucks in the mall.  Dad was happy to enjoy his coffee.  We did absolutely no shopping in that mall as it was all very expensive, brand name clothing etc...  Even kids clothes were by Armani Jr.  Pluhleeeze -- I love you Jack but Armani Jr, seriously???  We did find a toy store upstairs so I would take Jack there in the morning and just hang out and play with the toy stations they had set up...couldn't afford to buy anything there though.  At least we had somewhere to visit.

We also discovered the pool in the hotel (a couple of days late but once we did discover it, it became our afternoon hang out every day after!)  So our schedule every day until we left, looked a little like this:

Dad goes for breakfast.  Brings a boiled egg back for Jack to eat in the room.

Jess goes for breakfast (did I mention how AMAZING the buffet was???  Freshly squeezed grapefruit juice...so refreshing!).  Brings Jack some yoghurt.

Walk to the mall.  Hang out in the toy store and if need be go to the grocery store.

Afternoon nap.  Dad would walk to the mall to get us lunch to eat in the room.  Jack would eat when he woke up.

Visit to the pool after nap.

Get some food for supper from the mall.

Play a little, bath, bed!

Of course, Skype in the morning and Skype at night with daddy, brothers and lolli, and sometimes Uncle Jaye and family.

By Thursday I HAD HAD ENOUGH!  I was getting short with dad (sorry dad) and everything annoyed me.  It was time to get home!

Some day during the week (I think it was Tuesday), we visited the Canadian Embassy.  In Vietnam we did all our own paperwork.  Here, the guide did it all for us.  ALL the families piled on a bus and we waited and waited and waited while the guide went into the embassy to request the visas.  It was a long wait.  Had I known I would have gone and left dad at the hotel with Jack or vice versa.  There was no real need for us to be there.  Some other couples wanted to go visit something afterwards but thank goodness we took a vote and they lost!  During our wait, dad was talking to one of the fathers and dad said something about our church.  The father asked what church and what denomination.  Amazingly, they attend a French Baptist church on the south shore, so we had lots to talk about.  It was really nice talking with them and having something in common.

Later that day, we met the guide in the lobby and she took us to an international clinic.  Jack was scratching like crazy and had bumps over his body.  I figured it was just eczema but I didn't have access to any good cream or an antihistamine.  The dr was sure it was scabies.  I knew otherwise!  She prescribed the treatment for scabies and an antihistamine.  I took everything, but I never treated him for scabies.  I had witnessed scabies firsthand in Vietnam and this was not scabies!  The guide agreed with me (and she's a Dr as well).  The antihistamine helped.  I couldn't wait to get home and get some good cream on his body!

On Friday I had had enough of walking to the mall.  I told dad, I am going out and looking for a Walmart, you can stay here or come with me, but I was going out!  I looked up online the address for the closest Walmart.  We asked a couple of people for directions and finally I said we're on the right street, let's just walk.  And there it was...WALMART!  I was giddy.  BUT finding the entrance to Walmart was crazy.  NO ONE could give us directions...they didn't understand "Walmart".  Finally 2 people directed was to the garage...I figured 2 people knew what they were talking about so we walked through the garage and finally found the entrance to Walmart.  It was your typical Walmart.  I wanted to get some souvenirs considering we hadn't been anywhere to buy any, but the prices weren't that reasonable and Jack was getting antsy and my dad isn't much of a shopper so I just grabbed some toy cars for Jack, and some cookies that he loved!  He pulled a fit while dad was in line paying and of course I was getting some nasty looks.

It was a really nice walk...it felt good getting out of the hotel and away from the same mall.  It was a fresh day out and it just felt nice.  After Jack went to bed on Friday, dad decided he wanted to treat us to a nice dinner.  He ordered us room service...some ribs and potato.  It was good, but we both had indigestion through the night! LOL!

That would be our final full day in Beijing...Saturday we'd be doing our last minute shopping at the mall and packing up.  Friday was a nice "finale" to our trip.

Meeting Jack

We left the hotel Monday morning (Dec 09) at 9:00am.  We were going to the civil affairs office which was suppose to take 45-60mins but only took 30 mins.  We sat in the lobby making small talk with our guide, which ended up being beneficial because he got me back on Facebook and the blog!

 

Suddenly, he said, "Well I don't know where they are, lets go upstairs!"  Another couple also came in the office from Nebraska who were meeting their 18 month old son.  And then another lady comes in and says, "JESSICA?"  Yup, we had "met" on FB a week or so earlier and she was there meeting her almost 4 year old son.  I really love social media for this reason.  I meet people from different parts of Canada and the US only to meet up on the other side of the world! 

 

Jack was the first boy to arrive.  I was in the middle of filling out papers so I couldn't get to him as fast as I would have liked to!  I finally put down the pen and made my way to him...slowly!  His nanny brought him and she was v-e-r-y emotional.  Just imagine handing over a child whom you have cared for and loved as one of your own to a complete stranger.  As much as my heart was happy to finally have Jack, my heart was breaking for this dear lady!  Finally they made the nanny hand him over to me and Jack did not like that at all!  He cried and cried and cried.  I could not calm him down and the nanny was struggling watching him cry so much and so hard.  I was called to sign more papers and I handed Jack to dad.  Within minutes he was fast asleep in dads arms...

 

This is Jack's nanny (holding him)

 



 

A lady (not sure who she was) came and gave me an envelope with Jack's baby picture and medical file (which I will have to have translated).  There was also a cd of pictures which I am so thankful for (haven't looked at them yet...will do that when I'm home with Jon) and a letter from someone who had spent a lot of time with Jack.  When the lady handed me the envelope and I said thank you a million times, she said, "God bless you!"  This is not something I expected to hear from someone in China.  When I read the letter that I had been given the lady had signed it "blessings" -- again not something I would have expected, so there was something I didn't know...and I was very anxious to do some "research" when we got back to the hotel.

 

Unfortunately "getting back to the hotel" wasn't going to happen for many more hours!  We left the civil affairs office, with the orphanage doctor and director.  The director carried Jack which kept him very calm.  We had to have pictures taken.  The director handed him to me and he didn't cry once.  I'm not being naïve but something in him clicked.  He was calm with me the rest of the day...the rest of a very long day.

 

 

After the pictures we had to get to the Bank of China to exchange my Canadian money to make several payments.  Have I mentioned how slow people move around here??  We were in the bank for over an hour!  After the bank we went to Kentucky Fried Chicken for lunch.  From there we drove to the notary office.  We spent OVER THREE HOURS there...just sitting in a room...waiting...and waiting!  Our guide said in most provinces this step doesn't take this long, but Urumqi has a different process.  Thankfully the other adoptive mom (from the civil affairs office) was there with her son and her friend.  We were able to have some conversation to pass the time.

 

 

This our guide, Thomas and a Dr. at the notary office

Jack still hadn't napped.  One of the ladies kept telling me he was tired - yes I knew that but he was too hyped up.  He finally fell asleep when it was time to leave the notary's.  Next step was the police station.  Urgh, we had to wake Jack up for a picture.  FINALLY we headed back to the hotel...it was SEVEN P.M.!  What a long, exhausting day.

 

 

 

We skyped with everyone when we finally got back to the hotel.  Jack liked looking at everyone on the computer.  He was very entertained by his big brothers.  I also brought a toy named "Scout"...This is actually Fredrick's but I figured Jack might like it.  I was able to pre-program it to say "Jack" and it sings songs and has night time music as well.  This was WONDERFUL!  Jack loved playing with scout and the music came in handy putting him (and I) to sleep!  I rocked Jack in my arms and he was good for the night.  He slept with me in the bed and we both had a great sleep.

 

Day 1 = success!

 

 

The First Few Days...

So much has happened since my last post, I don't even know where to begin.  Not having access to the blog the first couple of days threw my plans to blog each day as a record for Jack out the window.  Even, finally having access, I have been so tired that I just haven't had the energy to write.  I think my body has finally adjusted itself, not to mention the good night sleep Jack allowed me to have last night!

 

We arrived in Urumqi on Saturday early in the morning.  It's a very beautiful hotel but the room is very small! 

 

 

 

Later Saturday morning we met our guide and we went for a walk around the area.  We searched and searched for a Bank of China to exchange our Canadian funds but none were open on the weekend.  I have never seen SO many banks in my life...I think there is a different one on every corner.  After having a nap, we met Thomas again and he took us to a local market where they sell many different things...foods, clothing, purses, coats etc...  It's one of those markets where people "attack" you to buy something and you bargain down the prices.

 

On Sunday Thomas took us to a beautiful park that was once a water mill.  It had a "Montreal Beaver Lake" kind of feel.  It was really beautiful.  There was a large Buddhist temple at the top that we were allowed to go up to, where people were bowing before these statues believing that the statues will answer their prayers.  Oh how my heart hurt.

This is called a "Lovers Tree"... apparently it looks like a man and woman with their arms around each other.

 

 

On Sunday night we went out for supper around the corner.  The restaurant was freezing!  Our guide ordered for us.  It was d-e-l-I-c-I-o-u-s!!!  There are many Muslims in this region and the food we ate was very much like Indian food.  Spicy, saucy, potatoes and lamb, served with rice.  Oh would Jon have loved that!!!!

 

On a side note...having been to Vietnam before, nothing shocks me anymore.  Things are done a lot different in these countries and you just gotta roll with it!  Driving is most "civilized" here compared to the Philippines and Vietnam.  They actually have speed monitors on the streets so drivers do get tickets.  There is definitely still some insanity to it -- people walking across main highways, drivers driving down the white lines on the street, driving on the shoulder of the roads, drivers entering and exiting where and when they want on highways etc...  Dad has a new found appreciation for Montreal driving and parking!  Even slabs of raw meat hanging out on the street corners doesn't even phase me LOL!

 

Monday morning was the big day...

The Beginning...

Well here dad and I sit in Montreal waiting for our flight to Toronto.

I was a blubbery mess saying goodbye to Nathaniel and Fredrick.  Nathaniel looked at me like I had lost my mind.  Fredrick started to cry but once Tita Cindy gave him food and said they'd play a game, he was fine.  Hugged me, kissed me and said, "Bye mom!"  Phew!  Mom was just "a little" emotional :-)

Here is our final photo as a family of FOUR (not a great pic but that's what happens when you're running late):

 

(I am so white!!!! LOL!)

 

So we check in our bags and I am WAY over on my weight (the bag not me HA HA!)...It was going to cost $100.  The lady was very nice and suggested I go buy a bag at a kiosk and throw some things in there.  The bag cost $30.  We were entitled to 2 bags each.  Dad brought an extra duffle bag in his suitcase so we'll fill that up coming home.

 

Moving on to security...dad wants me to say everything went smoothly but that would be a lie!  There was a "mass" in his bag that caused some commotion!  A whole bunch of agents were checking out the computer screen to try and figure out what this "mass" was!  They emptied his bag and figured it was just the way certain items were placed.

 

An answer to prayer...our seats were changed on our LONG flight to Beijing (and this was without us asking)...we have seats at the very front! Mom was concerned dad would get leg cramps from being confined to a small area for so long.  Now he can get up all he wants, and stretch out his legs.  THANK YOU LORD!

 

Well, we are boarding soon.  Rice family this is for you...they just called up passenger "Rice", so dad goes and they said, "No, Donald Rice"! 

 

Well I'll write again "soon"!  Keep those prayers coming! 

 

 Jack...Mommy is on her way!!!!