And We're Off !!!

Sort of. We flew 35 minutes to Seattle and now are waiting out a six hour layover, before flying all night direct to Beijing. It feels a little anti-clamatic to have flown so little and to be now sitting around for so long, but really, without kids, layovers can be quite relaxing. I've read two magazines and knitted half of a head wrap thingy which is more quiet-time activity than I've enjoyed in the past month combined.

Saying goodbye to the kiddos was not as hard as I had expected. We didn't leave until 9:30 this morning so we had all been up together for three hours and while, early on, we snuggled and I had my teary moment, by about 8 they were saying, "When are you guys leaving???" I think they were ready to get on with the Grandma spoiling and fun that they knew was imminent. I was thankful for that.  

Between the frenzy of the past couple of weeks and the reality of a long-held dream coming true, Caleb and I seem kind of in disbelief that we are really here on the journey part of this adventure. Our sage reflections have sounded something like this:

"4 kids, really?"
"I can't believe we're really doing this"
"Wow, it sure is quiet" 
"Oh, look at that little baby." 
"What a cute family with all their kids." 

Bear with me, as I trust I will have deeper thoughts to share the deeper we get into this.

Here is a general itinerary of our two weeks in China:   
*Arrive in Beijing at 11:40 pm Thurs night (we will be 16 hours ahead)
*Friday: tour The Great Wall and Hutong Lane
*Saturday: tour The Forbidden City and Tiananmen Square
*Sunday: Fly to Rosalie's Province (Shaanxi)
*Sunday afternoon (I get butterflies just writing this): Rosalie's Forever Family Day (Okay, and teary just writing that)
*Monday: Adoption processing and paperwork at government offices
*Tuesday: free day and shopping for baby supplies
*Wednesday: Tour to see the Terra Cotta Army (so excited about this!)
*Thursday: Optional tour to the Wild Goose Pagoda (we'll see if we're up to it)
*Friday: Fly to Guangzhou 
*Saturday - Wednesday: various appointments at the U.S. consulate, medical appointments for Rosalie and getting her U.S. Visa.  We will have several open days for sightseeing.
*Wednesday 3/13: take the train to Hong Kong
*Thursday 3/14: Arrive home in Portland at 8:45 am and reunite as a family of SIX!  

Thank you to all of you back home who are praying for us, taking care of our kids and sharing in our excitement.  We feel very loved and blessed.    

Great Expectations

Trust in the Lord with all you heart

And lean not on your own understanding.

In all your ways acknowledge Him,

And he will make your path straight.

Proverbs 3 5:-6

I am thankful to know the God who knows all, the God who does not always give me what I want because He sees the complete picture and desires His best for me. I am thankful that while I was fully focused on leaving two weeks ago, He knew that my children would just be entering a season of sickness that would last at least two weeks (it isn't over yet) and that I would not want to be apart from them during that time. I am thankful I was here to love on them and care for them during their dark moments (while sanitizing my hands and all hard surfaces every couple of minutes). I praise the Lord for protecting my health during this time of rampant germs. He knows how much I have to do! I laughed out loud during a prayer yesterday where I solemnly told Him I trusted Him with my health and then hastily tacked on, "But I'm still going to keep using hand sanitizer."    

I had pictured the two weeks before we left as a time where lots of learning would be taking place at the Williams' Academy (since we will be taking two weeks off while I am gone), where we would be enjoying family outings and making final memories as a family of 5. Instead, the TV has been on all day every day (I shudder to even write this but it's true), children have been up many times every night, and my main goal has been to not overdose them since I am trying to keep fevers down using two different medications and managing three different medication schedules. I am disappointed that real life got in the way of my expectations, but I realize that does happen sometimes.  

What a two weeks we have had!

The Lowlights:  
* Each child has gone through a week-long high fever and cough (but they were staggered so that it lasted two full weeks).  This was preceded by two full weeks of bad colds for a grand total of four weeks that we we have not done any of our regular-scheduled activities and rarely left the house.  
* Caleb finally succumbed and had a rough several days, but is feeling better today.
* After just a few days of feeling better, Britton woke up with a 103 fever again this morning. The doctor assured us it is just another virus. Please God, do not let this cycle through all the kids again!  
* Our kitty, Mew, was hit and killed by a car. (Another praise that I was here to help Britton through this, as Mew was really His cat and he is truly grieving. I'm extremely sad myself. A sweeter, more beautiful cat there never was.) 

The Highlights:
* Sweet, sweet friends gathered to celebrate the coming of Rosalie with me. I came away marveling at the dear people God has placed in my life.
* Friends from every corner of our lives are helping with our kids while we are gone: everything from rides to activities to playdates and overnighters to just being an emergency or non-emergency contact if grandparents need assistance.    
* I have stayed well.

And I saved the greatest highlight for last:
*We received a very encouraging update and new photos of Rosalie. She has gained two pounds in the past two months, the orphanage workers are no longer concerned with her hearing, and she looks happy and healthy. My heart felt like it would overflow when I looked at this precious face.

Isn't she just beautiful?  And she will be in my arms in 5 days! That puts the challenges of the past two weeks in perspective! Stay tuned as we depart in 36 hours!     

Hold on Baby Girl, Mommy and Daddy are Coming!

We have received our Travel Approval from China, confirmed all of our various government appointments in China, and will be flying out on Wednesday, February 27th. This is two weeks later than we had hoped to leave, but we are at peace. At peace, while fully consumed with excitement, delirious with anticipation, and a little nervous for the many ways (both known and unknown) that our life is about to change. It's a strange mixture of emotions.

I have spent the weeks of the new year organizing everything from my freezer to the kids' clothing, purchasing adorable frilly little necessities for Rosalie, knitting wee treasures, and returning Charlie's room to it's previous girlie splendor. (Thankfully I have procrastinated painting for the past three years and the room is still a precious green and pink. Poor little boy :-)

I guess I will spend the next three weeks making detailed instructions for the grandparents, arranging playdates, activities, and meals for while we're gone, and praying that all goes well, both at home and for us in China. Would you pray for these things too? I would never choose to leave my children for two weeks for anything less than this. Of course, it is beyond worth it and completely necessary, but I am still grieving the reality. I am very thankful for two sets of grandparents who are so willing to give of themselves by caring for our kids in our absence. I know the time they spend together will be special and valuable for strengthening their relationships, and this will surely ease the pain of our missing each other.    

Several years ago, John Piper preached a sermon called "Adoption: The Heart of the Gospel". I have listened to it twice now and it is simply the best thing I have ever heard about our spiritual adoption and the correlation between that and our adopting of children.  Adoption truly was God's idea and it was NOT plan B. It was His perfect plan from the foundation of the world. This sermon is powerful, inspiring, and makes me want to fall on my knees and thank God for including me in His family and for allowing Caleb and I to be a part of such a glorious plan for Rosalie and her life. You can listen for yourself at:
www.desiringgod.org/resource-library/conference-messages/adoption-the-heart-of-the-gospel

“But when the fullness of time had come, 

God sent forth his Son, 

born of woman, born under the law, 

to redeem those who were under the law, 

so that we might receive adoption as sons.

 And because you are sons, 

God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, 

crying, 'Abba! Father!' So you are no longer a slave, 

but a son, and if a son, then an heir through God.”

Galatians 4:4-7