In Case You Were Wondering

We are HOME!!! Thank you for praying for our flights back! They went very well and Hudson did great! We figured out that our travel day was about 27 hours!!! And it was our anniversary so we joked it was the longest celebration of our 11 years and we just hoped we were still talking to each other by the time we got off the last plane:) 

We were welcomed at the airport by Ava and Cooper and my parents! It was so so good to see them and hug them and kiss them and introduce them to their brother! They had been working so hard to make our return so special...there was a sign, balloons, cards and presents!!

We have had a rough start to our week home....just in the sense of getting little sleep due to jet lag and Hudson crying at night time. So if you read this before bed tonight...please pray we would turn a corner soon! We are a needy bunch right now!

Thank you, thank you, thank you for being on this journey with us! We have sensed your prayers and have experienced God's faithfulness and grace for each moment! We are excited to introduce Hudson to each of you very soon!

Consulate Appointment - Check!

 

Here is the view out of our window...I have been overwhelmed at how big each city has been we've been in and how many people, markets, restaurants, vendors and stores there are here! It really seems the city never sleeps. The people have been very friendly and very curious as we are out as to why and how we have a Chinese son. There have been lots of pictures taken from the curious onlookers. 

We had our Consulate Appointment this morning and everything went well. The appointment was basically a group of about 15 adoptive families taking an oath saying we have been honest about all the information we have given and then giving our paperwork over to be checked and stamped which then allows Hudson his visa which we should get tomorrow afternoon. 

We had a low key day after that because Matt woke up feeling sick to his stomach which he still has. Prayers appreciated that in the morning he will feel much better. 

Tomorrow night will be our last evening here. The hotel lobby has been transformed into a Christmas wonderland and there will be caroling, the lighting of the tree, food, and even a Santa appearance tomorrow evening. It should be a good send off! 

We are hearing rumors of snow and ice heading our way back home?? Is that true?? How much and when?? We really really really do not want any delays in our return home Saturday evening!!!

Waiting

So if you are like me you may be wondering why do we have to stay around so long this week?? It is mostly a week of waiting. We are waiting a couple of things...waiting on Hudson medical evaluation which we received today and waiting on our consulate appointment which is tomorrow and then finally waiting on Hudson's visa which allows him to come home!! It certainly feels like lots of waiting which can be hard at times but we are trying to enjoy these moment with him here! We certainly are feeling ready to be home and to give hugs and kisses to Ava and Cooper though too!
In our waiting we have gotten to do a bit of sightseeing. We've gone to a couple of different parks, to the zoo, on a river boat cruise and most recently to the circus!

This wasn't just your regular old circus let me tell you...it was more like cirque de solei...not sure if I'm spelling that right. There were certainly all the circus animals and clowns but so much acrobatics and an amazing show with snow, rain, fire, lights...an amazing production. I looked at Matt and said "I wonder if Hudson will have nightmares?" His eyes took it all in, pointing at everything...it may have been a bit of overstimulation after spending most of his little life in his stark white walled home. Thankfully he slept great!!

It has been so hard getting him to take naps but I'm thrilled right now that I'm sitting in a cute little cafe writing this while he and Matt are upstairs...Hudson is napping and I think Matt is enjoying catching up on some sports scores. Please pray we would wait well these next few days. 

Hudson's home for the last 18 months of his life

Here is the entrance gate to the orphanage where Hudson was abandoned and left wrapped in a blanket with a note from his parents.

We asked if we could visit where the kids played and this is where we were taken. My eyes filled with tears as I entered. No toys to speak of, a TV blaring with non-kid friendly shows and this sweet girl who has down syndrome. She was precious. As I reached for her hand she took it and just begin to swing it back and forth with a wonderful smile. My heart aches.

The foremost crib was Hudson's. And these are 4 out of the 8 children besides Hudson that were in the same room together. They lit up as we came into the room to talk with them and play with them for a bit. There is no heat in the building which is common in this region so that is why they are bundled up. The boy with the red, black and teddy bear jacket and the boy in the brown coat are set to be adopted in the next couple of months!!!

We are now in Guangzhou where the US Consulate is and where we will receive Hudson's visa to come home! We have done more paperwork as well as his medical exam. He was a rock star during that!! Today we went to a park and a shopping market area and then had the afternoon and evening to relax! It was so fun just to hang around our room and see Hudson in his element. He loves to walk all over freely and explore what he can find. It's really as if he is in love with the freedom to roam and be curious! He has definitely been wanting me mostly to hold him but today he warmed up even more to his dada. Would you pray for Matt...he has a cold/sinus infection and hasn't had great energy. Thanks!!

Thank-Full

Hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving! Our hearts are certainly full of thanks in so many ways as we continue here in China! We celebrated with our dear friends, Bryan and Cheryl and their two boys, who came to visit us. It wasn't a traditional day by any means but it was super special. We actually ate at a Tibetan place and ate yak!, beef/potato/curry, bread with soup and milk tea.

It has been a full few days with lots of bonding with Hudson and sightseeing with our friends. Hudson has been doing fairly well as far as we can tell. We have had a couple of break down moments which I know are to be expected. One was on our paperwork day...he had just said goodbye to the orphanage director and another girl from the orphanage they called his "sister" and we were suppose to take a family picture for the some kind of paperwork. He cried for about 45 minutes straight and the lady taking the photo wanted it to be perfect. So we waited and waited with lots of strangers coming up to us offering their "help." That was hard because I think he was sad to be leaving those who had loved him most of his life. I just wanted to scream and say, "Don't you realize you can't make a toddler smile for a picture!" The other break down was tonight....we just got off a plane and got settled in our new hotel and he cried for about an hour as we were trying to lay him down to bed. I don't know if it was another new place that sent him over the edge or what but it made me really sad....so Matt had a crying wife and son:)

We did get to visit his orphanage and take formula to give and interact with some of the kids on Thanksgiving which is another reason it was so special. My heart broke to see his "bedmates" and meet his nannies and see what his life was. I am so grateful for God's grace in the moment and will have it etched in my mind forever. We also received a copy of the birth note which is the letter that was left with him by his parents when they abandoned him....ugh...so moving...it begins as a note directly to him saying...to my cute baby....

We are in our last week and are looking forward to this new city and meeting several other families who had their Gotcha Day last week as well. We are so thankful for your prayers...they mean the world to us!

We were able to see the Panda's in Chengdu! Ava and Cooper would have loved this! They were really fun to see and were very up close!

Experiencing Hot Pot....really yummy!

A Quick Video

Here is a video clip of Hudson's first belly giggle fit......and the first time he smiled for us.

 http://youtu.be/-4vJZlyI8MU

Gotcha Day!

Today was Gotcha Day! We went and met Hudson at 2:30pm this afternoon! What a surreal feeling today as we headed there and as we left with him back to the hotel! He was very stoic the whole time we were with him at the civil affairs office and you could tell his mind was whirling trying to figure things out. 

Back at the hotel it took him about 40 minutes to start to play a little and jabber some. We broke the ice by figuring out he has a huge tickle spot...his belly. It was so fun to hear his giggle! 

It is late here and we are headed to bed. Hopefully, Hudson will be able to sleep:) We are thankful today for his life! More pictures to come later!

We Are Here!

We arrived late last night and met our guide who took us to our hotel. It was a very long day of travel but we are thankful that all went well! You can only watch so many movies in a day and that's what we did for much of the flight. 

Today was a day to rest and adjust a little bit. We enjoyed seeing the surrounding area. We played a lot of frogger crossing from one side of the street to the other and had many tries at communicating with the people we ran into. Our hotel is very nice with the only downfall of being really warm. If you know Matt at all, he loves having a fan even in the winter at our house, so we are on the lookout to buy one:) We were in a store today that looked like they sold them but much to our disappointment it looked exactly like a fan but it was a heater:) Glad we didn't buy it in our excitement!

We will meet Hudson TOMORROW at 2:30pm!!! We are excited as well as anxious. How will he respond? Please pray for him as we take him from all he has ever known. We will keep the bigger perspective in view but know this moment is hard. Our family is about to grow and we can't wait to meet our son!

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Matt in front of our hotel

The Packing is Almost Complete!!

Ready...Set...Go!!! Here we go...we are heading to China early Friday morning to meet our 20 month old son, Hudson! It is hard to believe the time has come! We were expecting to go get him about 3 weeks ago so after the delay we are READY!!!

We hope to get on here often and post updates and pictures of our time so that you can continue on the journey with us! 

Thanks for waiting with us these last few years! Can't wait to post pictures for you to "meet" him soon!!