Coming Home

Detroit before the last leg

Seasoned Traveler

In our Airport--Almost Home!

27 hours, Gong Gong sleeping less than 6 hours (and Momma less than that), and 7 hours in the Detroit airport, but we made it home to Daddy and Big Sister! Gong Gong went straight into Daddy's arms and adores him already. Now to get our days and nights straight.....

I thank you all for your pr*yers for us as I traveled to China to adopt our precious little boy. I clearly felt covered throughout this journey and am so grateful for what G*d has done for our family and our little boy. I was the only "single" traveler of all the families in our agency's group of people adopting from various provinces and many marveled that I could do it alone--but I wasn't. I see now that He wanted to be my companion!

Thank you, Mary Kay, for your kindness and the pics!

Last Steps in Guangzhou

Red Sofa Pics at the White Swan
Joy, Pierce, Megan





White Swan




Joy and Daddy (Mark)

Nanning Group

These guys had some fun together!

Wow, I can’t believe this is our last day in China. This afternoon we went to the American Consulate to get visas for our children. Now I'm saying some good-byes to friends made here on Shamian Island in Guangzhou. It’s been fun wandering around here. This place has a very British colonial feel to it (mostly architecture), with a very healthy dose of Chinese culture. It hasn’t really changed too much since Bob and I were here with our dear daughter (except the prices have gone up!). We are right on the Pearl River and I have enjoyed the view from the restaurant every morning. The White Swan is a very, very nice hotel—much nicer than I need, personally, but I have to admit I have enjoyed their extravagant breakfast buffets and lovely décor. I was able to connect with a friend of my friend, Gina, and had some sweet times of sharing with some young people working in the shops around here.

Gong Gong is doing so well. He seems to be a very happy little boy and is already learning and growing. He has a very healthy appetite and seems to be losing interest in his bottle (he was taking formula three times a day). I guess I would, too, if I were getting an interesting variety of nutritious foods. I’ve had a little trouble with everyone trying to give him little crackers and cakes everywhere I go, innocently enough, but not what I want him eating! He’s starting to pick up a bit on the sign language I am teaching him. He has had a lot of fun playing with the George kids and loves stroller racing! I took him to a park here on Shamian Island yesterday and he really enjoyed going down the slide. He is going to have a blast with his jie jie (sister)!

We leave for the airport very early on Thursday morning (dinner time Wednesday, for those of you on the east coast). The next time you hear from me I will be HOME!!!!! We should, if all goes according to schedule, arrive home at 11:30 PM eastern time! Woo hoo!! We go to Tokyo, change planes, Detroit, go through customs, change planes, then home. I would appreciate your prayer for this trip—its “unbearably” long (more than 24 hours) and I’m hoping Gong Gong does as well as he did on the one hour flight from Nanning (multiply that by 24—that’s not too much to ask, is it?). I thank my G*d for how he has taken care of us thus far—He is able! And, thank you, dear prying friends!

Guangzhou

After a bath
Medical Check Up

The Airplane Ride

All Packed Up for Our Flight

We're here in Guangzhou at last and another step closer to home. Gong Gong had his medical check today--no surprises. Wednesday we go to the American Consulate for the visa and Thursday we come home. Here's the cool part--I gain 12 hours going east (I may not feel that excited about it on the plane, however). I want to thank everybody for their prayers. This has been one incredible journey for me and I don't think I could have done it on my own. I am so thankful my Heavenly Father has taken care of my every need. He is faithful!

With each passing day, Gong Gong's little personality is emerging more and more. He is one fun-loving little fellow! He seems to be greiving less and less and loving life more and more! I have found out that the name Gong means "gentle" and a little gentleman he is. When they weighed him during his medical check he was up to 20 pounds! I am absolutely amazed! He weighed 18 pounds the day I got him. I was talking to some others, wondering if it could be some kind of mistake and I am assured this is really possible--2 pounds gained in one week!

We are staying at the White Swan Hotel--a very upscale hotel and a bit too pricey for my tastes, but this is where GWCA insists we stay as a group. Its about $7.00 an hour for internet access, so I am doing without and sitting in Starbucks and drinking a latte (gotta have priorities, right?) as I use their free wireless to post. I don't know if I will be able to post again before I go home. In Nanning, I could do it from my hotel room while Gong Gong slept. That system no longer works, and since I am IT, guess who has to sit and watch me--not the most exciting activity for him, though he is entertaining himself quite well at the moment!

Guangzhou is something of a shoppers delight for adoptive families and there are many who are willing to relieve us of our $$. Actually, there are some good deals (but not as good as they used to be), so I get do do a little Christmas shopping!

Two more days!!!!!

More Pics!

Ming Yuan Hotel lobby--Nanning

Deli at Walmart

Joe Cool

Leaving for Guangzhou in the Morning!

We are about to wrap up our time here in Nanning. We have our official papers and passports for our little ones. Now, our focus will be on taking care of things on the American side!
I thought I share some precious photos of the other children being adopted in our group. We are all bringing special needs children home. The Iveys have a daughter with hairy nevi and the Georges have a 6 year old who is visually impaired. These are precious children going home with precious families.

The George girls: This little girl, Fu Xiang, is a firecracker--what a cutie pie! She is lucky to have two sweet brothers and a sister to dote on her! She is going to fill their house with joy!

Qin Xiu Shan & Guan Yin Temple

Peekaboo at lunch

Our GWCA guide with Gong Gong

The Temple

Burning incense

Fish feeding frenzy!

Climbed to the top with Gong Gong on my hip!

We had a little outing to Qing Xiu Shan today, a small mountain outside the city of Nanning. We also went to Guan Yin Temple. Here are some pics!

Okay, I'm Ready to Come Home Now

but, alas, there's more paperwork to do! I don't want to complain--I have been so blessed--but Nanning is not on the top of my list of places to visit in China. Its a fairly modern city of 6.5 million or so, complete with a Walmart, but if I have to bide time, there are places I'd rather do it. If I thought Gong Gong were up to it, I'd head out to the small town of Guigang he is from and try to capture some images and get a better sense of life there. I was informed he got car sick on the way up here, so maybe that's not a good idea. The stress of the change is exhausting (for both of us actually!) and he is sleeping a lot. He is one step ahead of me when it comes to nap time. Today for the second time, he pointed to his crib right before I was going to put him down for a nap to let me know he was ready. I made a second trip to Walmart with the Iveys this morning and picked up a few little toys Gong Gong. Tomorrow we are supposed to have an outing to a nearby mountain and Sunday we will fly to Guangzhou.

This afternoon we got some official notarized documents back and worked on more paperwork for Guangzhou.

Gong Gong is becoming increasingly more playful. He loves peekaboo and just melts my heart with his sweet smile. And guess what, Bob--he likes to throw a ball (and is pretty good at it!)! The tears seem a bit fewer--I think we are getting through this.

Another Day in Nanning

Some may wonder why we have to stay so long, since the adoption is final. Well, in a nutshell, it is just a lot of paperwork that we need to get done before we can go on to Guangzhou, where we will have our appointment at the American Consulate. Our guide has arranged several outings for us to help pass the time while we wait. Yesterday we went to Walmart. Today we went to an ethnic minority park. Guangxi Province is actually only about 25% Han Chinese, and 75% other minorities, mainly Zhuang. I can only speculate about Pierce's ethnic origins. The population policies do not apply to the ethnic minorities, so at first I thought Pierce would have to be Han (to whom the one-child policy applies). However, it recently occurred to me that it is possible that he was not given up because of the population policy, as is often the case with girls. Some think he doesn't really look Han. I wonder....

Gong Gong seemed to have more and more "happy" moments today. We had a play date with some other adopted children his age today, which was kind of funny. The kids were mostly sitting there watching the adults do silly things with their toys. Gong Gong finally discovered it was fun to knock over a tower of blocks. It was like he really didn't know how to play. He got really animated at dinner and had an admiring audience of pretty young waitresses to perform for. We had some precious play time after his bath and he went to bed tonight babbling happily to himself for a long time before dropping off to sleep. Those sounds were music to my ears.

Two Days Together

Little Gong Gong (AKA Pierce) is much a baby and much a toddler. I was surprised to learn he was still on a bottle, so I'm now nursing him with formula, but he also loves eating fried rice noodles with a fork!

Today has been a tough day emotionally, to be honest. He is really grieving the loss of his foster family and cries a lot. It is so hard to watch. Intellectually, I know I am doing what is best for him, but when I see him cry for them, I feel like I have robbed him of those he loves the most. He wants me to hold him, but pushes me away. My heart aches for him, but I know we will get through this.

It's Official!

The interview...

Signing the papers...

The official footprint...

It's really final!!!

Our adoption group after a morning of "finalizing"! See our smiles... we are blessed!

Napping after our full morning of officializing (with the little monkey we sent in his care package).

What a morning this has been! Up until a couple hours ago, I was Gong Gong's "guardian", now I am his mother! His name was officially on the papers (after much indecision) as Jonathan Pierce Yi Gong Horton!

I really sense that, while this is all a very big change for Gong Gong, he has been well prepared (Thank you, L*rd). He is a little trooper. He has not spoken at all with words, but responds to my questions in Chinese and lets me know things like when he needs to go potty. He is in so many different places developmentally. He appears to be quite bright, but is so small. He still takes a bottle with formula at 27 months. However, he took quite a liking to McDonald's french fries when (at the group's request) we stopped to get lunch on the way back to the hotel (sorry, Bob, I couldn't deny him). I learned so much this morning from the director of the orphanage. She seemed like such a dear lady. Apparently Gong Gong's foster family were friends of hers, the father a retired government official. He had an older foster brother (19) and a "pretty" sister! They gave me a little album of pics--what a treasure! I know he is going to grieve. I see it, yet he wants my comfort. I think this is good. He is such a sweet little guy. I just can't get over how blessed I am!

Gotcha!

No time for a lot of words. Gong Gong (as they call him) cried, and was kind of glazed over looking for a few hours. I've gotten a smile and even a laugh now.... my precious little boy. He likes fruit and nut bars and will hardly let go of the little photo album we sent in the care package (suppose he really likes fruits and nuts--a connection, perhaps?!). What a gift from G*d!