Fell off the face of the earth?

...not quite but it sure felt like it yesterday/today. We left... or rather tried to leave Nanning yesterday at 2:30 pm...didn't actually get to the next hotel until 3:30am. The flight was delayed about 7 hours,but we had so many blessings to be thankful for: 2 other wonderful adoption families to keep us company (it's safe to assume that I probably would have totally freaked out without them...more on that later) and one set happened to be the parents of Saylor's best bud from the orphanage, 2 amazing girls ( who didn,'t complain or fuss at all (love those happy hearts), a gift of a husband who calmed me down and kept me sane, being in the airport instead of already on the plane and prayer. Turns out that Guangzhou (our current locale) had some bad weather and so we were delayed, but the real storm took place inside the airport as the locals went ballistic, and angry Chinese men argued periodically over the course of 7 hours for ...later: a. Another

plane, b. A better hotel closer to the airport, not an hour away in a 2 star dive which is where they would have been headed ( we decided we'd rather stay overnight in the airport), c. Bumping a different flight, so we could use that crew/ plane...still exhausted just thinking about it, but soooo appreciative of the "angels" God sent who masqueraded as other passengers and kept us abreast of all that was occurring.

Our new hotel was so worth waiting for and the shower is absolutely heavenly...one of those rainfall-type jobs. Of course, we only got 3 hours of sleep this morning, but breakfast was soooooo worth it. Thank you,

Marriott....almost considered changing Saylor's middle name, still an "m" though :-) )! After a delicious breakfast, where I quickly made up for lost time in regaining any weight I'd previously lost on the trip, we met up with our travel group and headed for medical checks. It interesting to see how much smaller the world has become with adoption as we ran into 3 couples we'd Met at assorted locations and said hello to new friends in Georgetown, KY and someplace in western KY. We ordered room service for lunch and I

napped with the girls as only one parent was needed downstairs for paperwork. Erik has like the fastest signature in Asia... gotta stroke that ego... so maybe he'll take care of the rest of the paperwork,too. :-)

Saylor's been taking mommy on a roller coaster ride of emotions. Today was a bit more rough and I'm sure the lack of sleep didn't help either. Earlier, it seemed like she'd taken a step backwards in the bonding process and of course my mind raced with all of the possibilities why. Thankfully, we saw at least an hour of the little miss we,ve come to know and love towards the end of the evening. Poor thing, she's fighting an infection, teething, battled a high fever (over 101), new surroundings, people, food, medical exams, etc., Not to mention the plane delay... what else can we throw at her?! She's such a snuggly little thing, though, definitely can communicate what she doesn't want and has quickly bonded with her mama. I read that The

Chinese people consider themselves a big family, so it's not uncommon for them to want to hold an adopted child and wish them well on their journey. At the airport, three ladies gathered lovingly around us (Scarlet receives lots of attention...superstar status and lots of people take pics) and wanted to hold Saylor. One held out her arms and our little cub looked and then buried her face in my neck and wouldn't let go of me for anything (that's my girl). 

All my guys are now asleep next to me and I'd better hit the hay so I can function properly in the morning. Today, not so much, and I liken it to the feeling or loss of feeling you get with novacane, especially if trying to

drink from a straw... fairly comical when your body won't do what you want it to do.

 Miss y'all!

Continued

...bet you thought I was pretty hungry and had to to leave to go eat my pizza, while in reality I thought I'd just lost that entire post (new fangled technology) and would have to start over.... So happy that it was sent to you instead of deleted  It's funny, the language arts teacher in me was rereading the post and I was thinking that I should have proofed better.  :)

So, after pizza, we settled in for an afternoon of rest. Saylor's  been running a fever (which may have finally gone away this morning.....close to 5 am now...slept in today) since we got her and has a pretty bad cough. She has medicine, but hasn't eaten much and has thrown up twice, I think because she gets so upset about having to take her medicine (she,s a bit of a tiger, that little fighter).

She has the most precious cry, more similar to a newborn and not the wail of a toddler. In fact, she is in many ways more like a 9 month old, which should help us to bond more easily since physically feeding and parenting the child at a younger age is recommended. Another mixed blessing was when she woke up in the middle of the night crying and shaking (I assume fear) our 1st night together. I just held her for the 5-10 minutes that it lasted (one of those heartbreaking cries... Sounded like she was mourning the loss of all she'd ever known) but I think it was one of those breakthrough moments so she knew that we weren't leaving.

Right now, she's sleeping on my stomach, birds are chirping outside and all seems right in the world.  Guys, thank you so Much for your prayers, past, present and continued.  I've had 3, maybe 4 what I'd call rough moments, and that's including the year plus leading up to our travels and I know that can only be a God thing. Scarlett said the most beautiful one for little sis last night... That God would watch over her and help her to feel better (tearing up again just thinking about it...) You'd think I would have run out of those things by now.

Oh, one more perfect, precious moment: she's reaching her arms out/up to me and toddles over when I hold mine out and open to her...heavenly.

Priceless, Precious Memories

Since my last post, Scarlett has had the joy of experiencing squatty potties not once, but twice. She is such a trooper and thankfully, she mostly hits the target and not mommy's shoes since I'm the one holding her.  Her complaints have been rare..  Only three come to mind... And just last a minute, if that. She is such a gift and I am so proud of her with all that she's had to endure for her little sister (multiple vaccines just to travel with us, unfamiliar foods, sights, and sounds, walking, walking and more walking and keeping a happy heart even when so much attention has to be shared). At 4 years old, that kind of adjustment rocks your world; heck, at 33, it shakes me up a bit, and I can't imagine a kiddo who does it better. 

Well, we arrived in Nanning around 4 pm On Sunday and got settled into what is supposed to be a 5 star hotel ( must not be using a base 10 system since we're out of the states) around 5:30.  The drive to the hotel was beautiful, more like what I anticipated in China, but with palm trees.  Guangxi is supposed to be the poorest province, but also the most Beautiful.  We unpacked, ordered room service, and briefly pondered our safety since our guide mentioned that we should't leave the hotel past 6 pm.  Room service was the order of the evening and we fell asleep earlier than usual, maybe 9 or so ( please note that I usually wake up between 2 and 4 every morning and lay awake wondering why I'm not sleeping).

Gotcha day arrived yesterday and flew by in a blur.  We ate breakfast at the buffet downstairs, met 4 other couples/ families also adopting and we got together to pray before heading over to the civil affairs office. Prior to that, we went to the market across the street to purchase gifts for the orphanage... So strange to see poverty and wealth collide as we viewed Porches and BMWs next to ancient scooters like the one my brother used to ride decade ago (love you, Jeff).  For lunch, we ventured far Beyond our comfort zones and nearly lost life and limb crossing assorted streets on our 5 block jaunt to McDonald's. I'd like to say that it was solely for Scarlett's benefit, but I'll just leave it at that.

At 3pm, we met Jane, our guide, and left to go meet our little girl in person. When we arrived, one little one was outside with her nanny and Jane asked if that was her. We didn't think so, but with only 3 pics, it's hard to tell.  Turns out that it was her best bud from the orphanage... And then we saw her walking outside with her nanny, bundled up in pink, with 2 little bunnies on her jacket (those of you who really know our history will know the significance of that).  She was gingerly toddling around, not quite running like we'd been told, but we already have a couple of those crazy marathoners in our family, so that was fine by us (love to M and M). We got to watch her from afar for a few minutes, much more tiny and delicate than the bundled up photos we'd viewed, and then we briefly got to kneel down up close to her.

From that moment, a whirlwind of movement and emotions let lose as we were corralled upstairs with between 7 and 10 other families, hurriedly exchanged info w/ the parents of Saylor's best bud, potty danced with Scarlett on the way to those infamous squatty potties (with no toilet paper and  zero complaining on her part, God bless that girl) and rushed back just in time to hold that perfect, precious bundle in my arms.  No crying, no fussing...  Just all 22 pounds of her snuggled into my arms. Of course, she's absolutely beautiful and officially part of our forever family (as of this morning).  We were able to meet the asst. orphanage director and one of the caregivers to ask a few questions about our girl, but mostly I just asked Jane to convey how thankful we were that they took care if our gal... On with the tears. 

As we drove back to the hotel, the newest Schuld snuggled, or rather lay limp in my arms... Still no crying  on her part, which isnt't necessarily a good thing. At the hotel, I just held her... For a while and it wasn't until I took off her shoes and began rubbing her feet that we finally got what I'd call a bonding moment..when I'd stopped rubbing her toes and moved my hand over a bit, she'd move her foot  back to my hand.  Other magical memories unfolded over the course of the evening, a little whimper when setting her down or putting her in the crib (looks like we really need to invest in a king size bed, so if any of you have any suggestions or want to begin keeping an eye out for a good deal, we'd be much obliged... Apparently the Schuld girls like to sleep in bed with their parents...must take after their mommy), her first smile as I was blowing raspberries on her feet and even her first giggle as I did the same on the side of her tummy....the gal is cute regardless, but when she smiles it took my breath away... And made me cry, too.  She must realize this as well as she is quite fond of gazing at her reflection in the full length mirror..  And smiling at the beautiful baby.

Scarlett had picked out a special toy for her at the market and Saylor clung to that thing until it fell out of her arms as she slept. Today, Tuesday, began with a busy morning: to the notary with a brief interview and paperwork, to the affairs office with a brief interview and more paperwork...It was here that we received a beautiful woven satchel crafted in Saylor's hometown and about 20 or so pictures of her life in the orphanage  (a 1 year party with cake, etc). After that, we shopped at a regional market.... Maybe you've heard of it... Does Walmart ring a bell?!  for additional supplies and picked up a pizza from pizza hut for lunch back at the hotel. 

Saylor

Scorpion for Dinner

...not me, somebody else, but it was pretty cool to see nevertheless. Beetle bugs about 3 inches long, sheep penis, poctopus and king spiders (similar to tarantulas) were also on the menu at the oPen air market ...fantastic place to walk around at night!

Today we visited Tiananmen Square, the Forbidden City (massive) and a silk factory (apparently silk worms taste like peanuts).  I was joking with one of the other moms and said that I didn't realize that there would be so many sales pitches...  Learn about jade, Buy something, learn about silk, buy something... Felt like I needed to break out a little Dave Ramsey (we didn't buy either by the way). Thank goodness Erik's been here before and feels a little more comfortable negotiating and knew that prices were better In Hong Kong... Our final stop before returning to the states.

We also had our adoption orientation yesterday ( About 18-23 people total)... Lots with kiddos and the majority here for their second or even third adoption.  I always had the feeling that we'd be adopting more than once and I guess when God opens a person's eyes and heart to orphans, and when they see firsthand the desperate need, perceptions shift and lives are changed. 

Right now, we're waiting In the Beijing airport for our 3 hour flight to Nanning.  The airport is humongous and gorgeous, lots of windows, modern architecture and plenty of western style toilets (squatty potties are something I'd like to avoid altogether). 

...should be a rather laid-back day.  Stay tuned, though,  Monday is gotcha day!

Oh, buy the way, Erik says hi (he's so verbose). Love y'all!

ZZZZZzzzzzzz

....got up at 3am yesterday.  In the car, one of our favorite songs was playing, "Let faith arise"by Chris Tomlin and Scarlett was belting it out from the back seat...  can't imagine a more perfect way to have started our trip.  Our first flight to Newark was practically empty and we got to see a gorgeous sunrise from the clouds (well, most of us did...one was sleeping...EJS).  The flight to Beijing was a whole other story and I guess I should have known it would be rough when I glanced at my watch and we weren't even a third of the way in.  13 hours on a plane is waaay toooooo loooong, especially when you can't sleep, but we arrived safe and sound and exhausted.  The Beijing airport was beautiful, customs a cinch and we found our luggage and driver easily enough.  An hour's drive led to the airport where we checked in and spent about the next two hours locating the appropriate bank to use to exchange traveler's checks...a comedy routine worthy of
Saturday Night Live (oh, and did I mention how we initially "lost" the check cancellation form even before we left home...apparently there is something worse than "leaving home without them"...not being able to locate them in the first place. 

We returned to the hotel exhausted, ordered room service and tried to Skype with the folks, but quickly gave up and hit the hay around 7:30 pm . Scarlet woke up around 2am, and after a while of chatting and singing fell back to sleep for a couple more hours.

Today, Friday, was fantastic and I was so glad that I decided not to follow through on my plan to jump out of the airplane ahead of schedule.  We had a delicious breakfast at the hotel...mostly Americanized and I loved it Scarlet, not so much until she discovered the Asian noodles.  After that we met 6 other adoptive families and headed to the Great Wall, which was spectacular...awesome scenery, majestic mountains, not to mention interesting toilets...practically on the ground.  Our workout on the wall was followed by a more typical Chinese meal (Scarlet incidentally ate everything on her plate; mommy was a little more picky) and a tour of a jade factory.  Afterwards, we got to visit a Hotung alleyway, a piece of history in China, something akin to our colonial Williamsburg, but still used as homes.  The highlights of the trip included riding in a rickshaw and visiting a local family...not to mention a whole new world view and a renewed appreciation for
the blessing of livivg in the states. We purchased jade chops for our family, a stamp with our American and Chinese names and a carving of  our birth year's animal: Erik, the dragon, gifted, idealistic, intelligent; Tracy, the horse, quick-witted, sympathetic, amusing; Scarlet, the pig, trustworthy, confident but innocent, and little Saylor, the tiger, stubborn and contentious, daring, but intensely loving...can't wait to get my arms around that little firecracker.

Afterwards, we ate dinner at the hotel and took S swimming in the pool.  What a marvelous day...my two traveling buddies are already asleep next to me, so I guess that's my signal to turn in.  Tomorrow, we have our adoption orientation where we'll get new pics of our little tiger and then on to the Forbidden City and a silk factory and maybe an acrobatics show.  Sweet dreams, everybody.  :-) 

Almost Packed

Testing. Testing. Is this thing on?!  ....first official post, first attempt at blogging, first time out of the country (since Canada doesn't really count, eh?!), first time traveling w/ a 4 and a half year old out of the country, first adoption....lots of firsts, but first and foremost, glory to God for all that He has provided throughout this experience.  I am unbelievably joyful (feel like skipping everywhere I go). I am blessed beyond words, and I am humbled that God called our family to experience the amazing gift of adoption!

We leave bright and early tomorrow morning....well, maybe not so bright since it will still be dark out when our plane takes off, but definitely EARLY!  Our bags are mostly packed and I didn't have to sit on a single suitcase to get it closed..........practically a miracle.  :)  We have assorted snacks (granola bars, pretzels, fruit snacks, trail mix, Cheerios) ready to go.......and I get to tell everyone that they are for Scarlett, even though I'm probably the one who will be eating most of them since I'm the picky eater in our bunch.  Our family of 3 is almost, officially, a family of four and I can't wait to share our adventures with those who mean the most to me...and who like to live vicariously through the quirky ramblings of a gifted coordinator (my official title, thanks to my nephew who acts more like the little brother I never had) who's not always so gifted at life (entertaining, yes; painfully clumsy, no doubt; socially inept, often; yes, the list goes on.....).  :) 

So, buckle up and enjoy!  Life is an exciting ride and I'm soooo glad that we have GPS (God's Positioning System) on board and family and friends to laugh at us...........I mean pray for us throughout our journey.