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!!!!



Itinerary

Well Friday afternoon we finally got our itinerary for the trip.  It goes a little something like this...

Itineraire pour la famille Rice-Desouza

 

12/05 Depart Montreal a Toronto 11am

                     Toronto a Beijing 12:30pm

12/06  Arrivee a Beijing 16:50, correspondance pour Urumqi 20:30-00:40，loge a Urumqi

12/09  Rencontre de bebe au bureau des affaires civiles, inscripion de l’adoption au bureau des affaires civiles et chez le notaire,demande de la passeport a la police

12/12  Envoi des dossiers a SAI

12/13  Obtention de passeport

12/14  Depart pour Beijing 11:20-14:50，loge a JW Marriott Hotel

12/15  Visite de la Grande Muraille

12/16  Demande de visa a l’ambassade du Canada.

12/17  Visite de la Place Tian’an Men et la Cite Interdite

12/18  Visite du Palais d’Ete

12/19  Reprise de visa , retour au Canada 18:45

There is a whole lot of planned sight seeing the week in Beijing.  We definitely do not plan on doing ALL of it.  I'm torn about the 15th.  It's the visit to the Great Wall of China but it's an all day affair.  Of course we want to visit it but we'll play it by ear.  I will base all our decisions on Jack and how he is doing (and of course how dad and I are doing!).  If I think an 8 hour day of touring/eating will not benefit him in any way, then we will rethink our plans.  We can always go on our own just to see it, but then again dad and I are not keen on adventuring out on our own.  We'll see how things go.  We are fine sitting around the hotel napping!  LOL!  Yes I know that sounds crazy.

 

4 more sleeps...

Another Exciting Day...

JACK...MAMA WILL SEE YOU SOON!!!

Today was another exciting day!  First I get an email that our travel approval had arrived and then a little while longer I received the email I was really waiting for -- OUR ITINERARY!

Our tickets are reserved and first thing in the morning, I confirm the purchase of them.

So dad and I are heading out December 05 at noon.  Montreal to Toronto, Toronto to Beijing.  There is very little time between landing in T.O. and connecting to Beijing, which is nice.  No sitting around doing nothing...but there is literally very little time to catch the connecting flight!!!!

I don't know the schedule once we arrive in Beijing.  We still have to get to Urumqi, which is another 4 hr flight.  And I still don't know when I will finally be holding my baby.

The suitcase is out and I'm starting to pack because next Thursday will be here before I know it!  Leaving at noon doesn't give me a day of getting last minute things done since we'll have to be at the airport early.

I can't believe I'm travelling across the world for a third time to meet another beautiful boy chosen to be our son.  This will probably be the last time (unless God has other plans :-) ) so I will be soaking it all in, as much as I can.  My heart hurts thinking this is our last adoption but I will enjoy my 3 beautiful blessings to the fullest.

Is it December 05 yet?!?!?!?!!?

Past Two Days...

Rewind to February 2012.  I did some research and found an organization that gives out adoption grants to Canadian couples (even to couples from Quebec) who meet their criteria.  All I did was fill out a form, and send a couple of other documents.

 

Fast forward to November 21, 2013.  At around 8:30pm the phone rang.  I did not recognize the phone number so I ignored the call.  The person phoning began to leave a message (which we can hear).  "Hi. I'm calling from blah blah blah.  A couple of years ago you applied for an adoption grant..."  Me: JONNNNNNN GET THE PHONE!!!  So they are doing a draw this weekend or early next week and they wanted to know if we are still interested.  Ummmmm YES!  When Jon told her we were waiting to leave she said they would do the draw ASAP!  On the website it says they give grants of up to $10,000.  If we win half of that, it would be wonderful.  I immediately thought just maybe this is why we haven't left yet, but of course I am not getting my hopes up.

 

It was bugging me to know when I had sent in the application.  I remember it was early 2012 and I remember I had sent an email asking for confirmation that our application had been received.  I searched my emails and found this...

 

On 2012-03-01, at 8:36 AM,

> We have received it.  You will only hear back from us in the form of a letter if you receive the grant.  We'll keep it in the draws for one year.

 

Take note our name was only suppose to be kept for 1 year...here we are 21 months later!  Also take note of the date...MARCH 01, 2012...Yup Jack's birthday.  If you know each of our adoption stories there is always something that has happened (adoption-related) on each of their birthdays.  It's pretty awesome actually! 

 

-Homestudy started on July 11, 2006 -- Nathaniel's bday

 

-On July 26, 2010 we sent off an application to the Philippines for adoption #2 (only to be denied) -- Fredrick's birthday

 

-Adoption grant application confirmed on March 01, 2012 -- Jack's birthday.

 

Even if we don't win the draw, it's still pretty cool -- each just makes our beliefs that our boys were chosen by God that much stronger!

 

Fast forward to November 22.  I came home from work and was talking to my dad.  He is getting very anxious to go and was pretty disappointed we hadn't got the ok to travel yet.  It was 5:30ish when I checked my emails to find an email from our resource person.  She said our Travel Approval had not been received yet, but it was in the system that it had been issued, so it's just a matter of days before we get it.  She said our agency is preparing for us to leave on December 06 with the group that is leaving.  OH.MY.GOODNESS...2 weeks to go!  So now dad is pretty  happy!!!  I will be away on my birthday but I will be celebrating it with my dad and Jack!  We will be getting home just days before Christmas.  Add some jet lag and it is officially going to be one crazy Christmas!!!  I hope to get some Christmas shopping and decorating done before I leave.  We put up a real Christmas tree so we may get one literally right before I leave otherwise it will be up to Jon and the boys.

 

It has been quite crazy emotionally these past 2 days.  Please pray with us that we would a) win the grant b) leave on December 06.

 

Dear Jack,

 

Mommy is COMING!  Mommy is COMING!  Oh baby boy I am so ready to hold you, tell you I love you, give you a bath (yes it is an exciting thing for your mama), wrap you up in your blankie, snuggle with you and read you a book.  Please humor me even if you think I am crazy! :-)  You will have your forever family soon baby.  You will have a mommy and a daddy and two brothers (have I mentioned how crazy they are??).  You will go to church, make new friends, learn about Jesus and learn a bunch of worship songs.  We have a pretty fun time around here and we can't wait to share it with you.  Your BIG brother always thanks God for his home and that it is full of love.  That says it all sweetie...God is love and we share His love with our boys...can't wait to love you more and more!

 

Mama...see you soon xoxo

N-O-V-E-M-B-E-R!

I can't believe it's November already.  I am that much closer to packing a suitcase and boarding a plane for Toronto, then to Hong Kong, then to Beijing, then to Urumqi!  (good grief!!!)  This past Thursday I opened my agenda to see what was on schedule the coming week only to discover I had missed not one but TWO doctor's appointments on the Wednesday!  This has NEVER happened to me.  When I schedule things, those dates are immediately registered in my brain-agenda.  So I guess my brain really is somewhere else -- perhaps in China!

 

In my defense on Wednesday I got a call from our agency to say they had received our "Letter Seeking Confirmation" which is the last step before we travel.  I had to fax off a signed copy to them that day, go to the agency on Thursday to pick up a package of documents to be completed and returned Friday morning.  Included in the package was visa forms and other travel forms.  Ahhhh that much closer now.  This is what Thursday afternoon looked like for me...

 

 

 

Jon's responsibility throughout the process is to, sign here, here and here!  So I asked if he could return the package to the agency Friday morning for me so they could get it sent off to China.  I phoned to ask him how it went.  What he said next, had he been standing in front of me, would have got him a good shot in the nose! LOL!  He said, in all seriousness, "I hope this is the last I have to do.  It's a lot of work for me." I think I went silent for a couple of minutes, I was in absolute shock that he would say something like that. It wasn't until he started laughing that I realized he was joking.  Again my brain is elsewhere because I would never take a comment like that so seriously from Jon.

 

I hand wrote the visa application forms which apparently I was never told they had to be printed from the computer.  So today I have to recomplete the visa form for myself and dad and get them to the agency tomorrow.  Never a dull moment...never a dull moment.

 

I feel like I still have so much to do, but really I don't.  If I don't have everything Jack needs while in China or once we arrive home, no worries.  There is a Walmart in China and a Walmart here.  I'll get what I need when I need it.  I am worried about packing though.  Both other countries were +30oC.  Shorts, teeshirts, and flipflops.  Now we're heading into cold territory.  I'm being told to pack lightly but I don't know how you do that when you have to pack a snowsuit, boots, and warm clothes.  If anyone has suggestions...I'm open to them :-)

 

I will throw this out there too...to all "believers of prayer"...if you think of our family, could you please pray for Fredrick.  I get emotional every time I stop to think about how he is going to feel when I'm gone.  Yesterday I was so sick, so Jon kept him away from me and there were a couple of meltdowns because he wanted to be with me.  I just pray that the Lord would watch over him and that the 2 weeks will go by quickly for him and that my absence wouldn't be too hard on him.  I am hoping Lolli, daddy and family will occupy his time that he won't even have time to think about me.

 

Dear Jack,

 

Mommy and pappy are coming soon.  You look like such a happy boy in the recent photos we received.  I am sure you are being well loved and cared for.  It breaks mommy's heart to know that you will be leaving all that you know, all that you love.  Mommy and daddy promise that we will provide you with a very loving home, with 2 really fun and loving big brothers and a great opportunity for your future.  We will be there for you through all the good and even the bad times.  We will be open and honest with you and will answer all your questions to the best of our abilities.  There may be times you hate us and we get that.  We can't even imagine what you or your brothers may feel as you grow up and we will never pretend we understand, because we don't.  All we can do is be there for you as your mom and dad and guide you the best we know how.

 

Love you baby boy!  See you soon.  Mommy xoxo