This morning we woke up in Guangzhou, China. It is the third largest city in China, we are getting her passport and Visa. .We had busy morning ahead of us to take Brooklyn for her medical examination. We ate breakfast in the hotel and it was a beautiful sight to see so many American families with adopted children. It looked like a little piece of heaven on earth!! We were told there were about 100 families having medical exams done today so we left early and arrived before they opened. She had to have 3 exams done. ENT, birth weight /height check, physical exam and blood work. During the physical exam 3 different doctors were looking at her scars and asking if she could walk, we tried to get her to walk but she was probably terrified and wouldn't do it. . Poor baby! I just wanted to scoop her up and protect her! We were so glad to have that behind us! For those of you who don't know her special need is a club foot, she had it corrected when she was 2 months old , we will need to have an orthopedic take a look at her foot when we get home. She also has two scars on the outside of her legs right above her knee caps that are very deep. We were told that her birth family binded her legs together to try and correct her foot. Where she was born this wouldn't be an uncommon thing to do with lack of education. We know her mom loved her enough to leave her on the steps of a Bank to be found and we are beyond grateful she made that choice! She is such a brave little girl to endure so much pain at such a young age! We will have them looked at and make sure its not hindering her muscle growth at all and if something can be done cosmetically as she gets older.
We ate at a Mexican restaurant named Tequila, I think I will wait for some Mexican till we get home. My stomach didn't get agree with it but Brooklyn did have her first taste of guacamole. I watched her scoop it up with a tortilla chip and said that's my girl! Then this afternoon we headed out to H&M and Starbucks. So much fun! Good thing Dan was there to keep me on a time schedule and on budget.She has definitely been happier today! She didn't cry when she woke up this morning and has been saying a couple of words. She gets really excited and laughs so loud. We are loving our time with her! Daniel and Nathan have been great helping and entertaining her ;-)
Tomorrow we have a fun filled day plan and I will update tomorrow evening! Thank you for your prayers, with the little bit of communication we are able to have sure makes us want to be home! countdown is on!
Love,
Sarah
Saturday, September 19, 2015
Thursday, September 17, 2015
Reality
Our sweet girl has slept amazing the past two nights but our day started early with her crying at 5:30am, Dan was able to calm her down and I made her a bottle. She feel back asleep and woke up again crying at 7:30am. I tried to calm her down and took awhile. The reality of her grief was setting in for her. The reality of parenting a precious 2 year old that I can't communicate with is setting in. The reality of not knowing what she likes and doesn't like is setting in. My heart hurts when she is sad. We opted out of the full day tour arranged for us today and laid low in the hotel room and around the hotel. We took her for a stroller ride to a nearby park called Green Lake Park, it reminds me of Central Park in NY. Its gorgeous, lots of trees, water where you can ride boats and fun little rides. We went to lunch and headed back to the hotel. Brooklyn and Dan took a nap. The older boys and I headed out to Starbucks. We decided to take a journey to Walmart by ourselves. We even managed to buy a pair of shoes for Brooklyn since the ones I bought are all too small ;-( She has some seriously long toes. haha
The boys are I were pretty proud of ourselves.
We came back to the room and Brooklyn was crying again after waking up form her nap. So hard to tell what she wants. We just give her lots of love and some extra snacks.. ;-) Dan decided to go for a walk with Daniel and give us some alone time. I was so excited to do something I have been dreaming about for years!!! Paint her nails.. I got the nail polish out and she looked down at her hands. She clearly knew what it was. I made Nathan take a picture of me painting her nails. She loved it and kept looking down at her hands. A moment I will cherish for sure.
She still seemed to be sad most of the day so we took back to the park. We got her out of the stroller and tried to run with her and she perked up. She began to smile again. We ran into another family at the park that adopted a little boy from the same orphanage and had dinner with them. She really enjoyed having some food that was familiar. They had a belated birthday cake for their little boy and we celebrated with them. She definitely remembers what cake is. It was so cute to watch her interact with the her friends from her orphanage.
Praying for a great nights sleep and a fresh new day tomorrow filled with lots of smiles from our sweet girl! Tomorrow which is Friday for us, we fly to Guangzhou for 6 days. I hear the internet is better there. Lets hope so! For those of you that took the time to write us notes, I have been reading them every morning and I can't express my deepest appreciation for them. They have encouraged me and reminded me how blessed we truly are! So thank you!!!
A friend sent this to me and it really spoke to me again.
"For he will rescue you from every trap and protect you from deadly disease. He will cover you with his feathers,. He will shelter you with his wings. His faithful promises are your armor and protection."
Lots of love!
The boys are I were pretty proud of ourselves.
We came back to the room and Brooklyn was crying again after waking up form her nap. So hard to tell what she wants. We just give her lots of love and some extra snacks.. ;-) Dan decided to go for a walk with Daniel and give us some alone time. I was so excited to do something I have been dreaming about for years!!! Paint her nails.. I got the nail polish out and she looked down at her hands. She clearly knew what it was. I made Nathan take a picture of me painting her nails. She loved it and kept looking down at her hands. A moment I will cherish for sure.
She still seemed to be sad most of the day so we took back to the park. We got her out of the stroller and tried to run with her and she perked up. She began to smile again. We ran into another family at the park that adopted a little boy from the same orphanage and had dinner with them. She really enjoyed having some food that was familiar. They had a belated birthday cake for their little boy and we celebrated with them. She definitely remembers what cake is. It was so cute to watch her interact with the her friends from her orphanage.
Praying for a great nights sleep and a fresh new day tomorrow filled with lots of smiles from our sweet girl! Tomorrow which is Friday for us, we fly to Guangzhou for 6 days. I hear the internet is better there. Lets hope so! For those of you that took the time to write us notes, I have been reading them every morning and I can't express my deepest appreciation for them. They have encouraged me and reminded me how blessed we truly are! So thank you!!!
A friend sent this to me and it really spoke to me again.
"For he will rescue you from every trap and protect you from deadly disease. He will cover you with his feathers,. He will shelter you with his wings. His faithful promises are your armor and protection."
Lots of love!
Brooklyn Emilia Stoltzfus
On Wednesday we were scheduled to do a tour of the Golden Temple in Kunming to learn about the history of Kunming. We were pretty tired from the long day before at the orphanage so we rested all morning and headed out at 1:30 for our tour. It was pretty obvious that NONE of us were interested in anything but Brooklyn. Its safe to say we all are SMITTEN by her. We didn't follow the tour guide at all. haha. We did take lots of pictures but took lots of pictures of HER and the sights,HER sitting down with the boys, HER standing with Dan. It was all about HER...So I thought I might as well share a few things we have learned about her the last few days and name this entry after her ;-)
*She sleeps really well
*She eats really well
*She is super smart and figures out how to turn toys on once after watching me
*She loves to be on the move and wanted to do the stairs over and over again whereever we were. She points to her stroller in our room when she wants to go somewhere
*She loves to throw toys at Daniels head (it makes her laugh really loud)
*She is very affectionate, she motioned to give Dan and I a kiss for the first time
*She smiles but tries to press her tiny lips together so we don't see
*She loves being around other kids
Just a few things we have learned about her so far. We ate dinner with another family we have grown close to at a restaurant called Bluebird. We sure wished they lived closer. Its clear Brooklyn and Lucy are pretty fond of eachother after looking at eachother during dinner. I had something that resembled a tostada ;-) I am craving some serious Mexican food!
Love,
*She sleeps really well
*She eats really well
*She is super smart and figures out how to turn toys on once after watching me
*She loves to be on the move and wanted to do the stairs over and over again whereever we were. She points to her stroller in our room when she wants to go somewhere
*She loves to throw toys at Daniels head (it makes her laugh really loud)
*She is very affectionate, she motioned to give Dan and I a kiss for the first time
*She smiles but tries to press her tiny lips together so we don't see
*She loves being around other kids
Just a few things we have learned about her so far. We ate dinner with another family we have grown close to at a restaurant called Bluebird. We sure wished they lived closer. Its clear Brooklyn and Lucy are pretty fond of eachother after looking at eachother during dinner. I had something that resembled a tostada ;-) I am craving some serious Mexican food!
Love,
Wednesday, September 16, 2015
Longest Day of my life!
First and foremost she slept straight through the night! Can I get an AMEN!!!
We started our day off at 9:30am to go back to the Civil Affairs building to finalize the paperwork and give our donation. We did the same ride on the same bus but with alittle girl on our lap. She looked out the window and I just was in awe of her! So in love! Hard to explain how you can love a child you only saw a picture of across the world. We walked down the same streets and walked into the same small room. To my surprise the nannies were there again. My heart was beating fast as I didn't know if Brooklyn would cry or run to her. We all were surprised they were there. We all took our turn sitting at the table doing all the paperwork ready for this process to be over. The nanny came up to her and took her from me, kissed her, laughed with her and twirled her around the room. I love that she loves her but selfishly I was yearning for that from her. I kept telling myself I have the rest of my life to have those moments with her. I would be lying if I didn't say I had a knot in my throat trying to hold back my tears. Brooklyn kissed her over and over again. I am thankful she had a bond with her and I know mine is coming. We took lots of pictures and left about 2 hours later.
On to the 4 hour drive to her orphanage, she is from a town called XuanWei. It was a long drive, we stopped at the passport office to fill out more paperwork. We were all so tired and drained. Another short drive to the orphanage. We decided to leave Brooklyn on the bus with Dan, she had just started to laugh with Daniel and we weren't sure if she would be upset again. The orphanage was so nice, they had classrooms set up, bright colors and a huge play area. We were told there were about 16 children there and lots of pictures of Brooklyn up on the wall. It was clear this was a place that was really special! As I walked up the stairs looked at the picture of kids, one in particular stood out to me more than Brooklyn. the Cox's little boy Shepherd?? Could it be they were from the same orphanage?? After texting with Whitney we confirmed they did!! They were at the same orphanage at the same time! God is so good. The family that we welcomed their new little boy at the airport, a year ago knew the little girl we would bring home a year later! WOW!!!
We gave our donations took more pictures and then off to KFC for dinner.. She had her first french fry and loved it!!
We got back to the hotel around midnight and we were all so tired! A day to remember for sure and thankful it was over!
Today we are taking her to Starbucks and Walmart. Then its off to a tour of Kunming! Sorry its taken so long. We love you guys. Keep the prayers coming.. God has been so faithful in answering s many of our needs.
With lots of love!
We started our day off at 9:30am to go back to the Civil Affairs building to finalize the paperwork and give our donation. We did the same ride on the same bus but with alittle girl on our lap. She looked out the window and I just was in awe of her! So in love! Hard to explain how you can love a child you only saw a picture of across the world. We walked down the same streets and walked into the same small room. To my surprise the nannies were there again. My heart was beating fast as I didn't know if Brooklyn would cry or run to her. We all were surprised they were there. We all took our turn sitting at the table doing all the paperwork ready for this process to be over. The nanny came up to her and took her from me, kissed her, laughed with her and twirled her around the room. I love that she loves her but selfishly I was yearning for that from her. I kept telling myself I have the rest of my life to have those moments with her. I would be lying if I didn't say I had a knot in my throat trying to hold back my tears. Brooklyn kissed her over and over again. I am thankful she had a bond with her and I know mine is coming. We took lots of pictures and left about 2 hours later.
On to the 4 hour drive to her orphanage, she is from a town called XuanWei. It was a long drive, we stopped at the passport office to fill out more paperwork. We were all so tired and drained. Another short drive to the orphanage. We decided to leave Brooklyn on the bus with Dan, she had just started to laugh with Daniel and we weren't sure if she would be upset again. The orphanage was so nice, they had classrooms set up, bright colors and a huge play area. We were told there were about 16 children there and lots of pictures of Brooklyn up on the wall. It was clear this was a place that was really special! As I walked up the stairs looked at the picture of kids, one in particular stood out to me more than Brooklyn. the Cox's little boy Shepherd?? Could it be they were from the same orphanage?? After texting with Whitney we confirmed they did!! They were at the same orphanage at the same time! God is so good. The family that we welcomed their new little boy at the airport, a year ago knew the little girl we would bring home a year later! WOW!!!
We gave our donations took more pictures and then off to KFC for dinner.. She had her first french fry and loved it!!
We got back to the hotel around midnight and we were all so tired! A day to remember for sure and thankful it was over!
Today we are taking her to Starbucks and Walmart. Then its off to a tour of Kunming! Sorry its taken so long. We love you guys. Keep the prayers coming.. God has been so faithful in answering s many of our needs.
With lots of love!
Tuesday, September 15, 2015
Gotcha Day
I am writing this two days later so forgive me if the details aren't all there ;-)
Our Civil Affaris appointment was changed from 10:30am to 2:30pm. This left us with lots of spare time and trying to keep ourselves busy. We went to Starbucks and walked around downtown Kunming. I came back and changed my outfit about 4 times. We prayed as a family and headed out to meet the other 3 families in the lobby. With butterflies in my stomach we pulled up to downtown Kunming and the guide told us the bus was too big so we had to walk another 10 minutes. As we got closer we noticed two girls by a car with a woman. Nathan said that's Brooklyn. I told him to get the ipad out and start recording. This wasn't at all how I was picturing it to go. We slowly walked up to her and said hi. I didn't know if I should pick her up or let the nanny pick her up. My instincts took over and I scooped her up, she cried as we walked into the building. The other two babies were inside for the other two families. It was stressful and uncomfortable as we had so many families with one translator. They asked for one family member to fill out paperwork at the table, I gave her to Dan. She sat with him as quiet as could be, taking it all in. I looked back from the table often as I was filling everything out and saw Daniel crying. It was a very emotional experience for all of us. As we wrapped up the paperwork we needed to do in order to leave, the nanny came to Brooklyn hugged her and cried. I began to get emotional, watching this woman walk away knowing how much she loved her it was so hard to see. It was a realization once again, my gain was at the expense of a another woman's heartbreak! We made the long walk back to the bus with 4 new children and was so thankful to have her in my arms.
Then it was a Trip to Walmart of course. Dan went to the room with Brooklyn while Daniel and I went.. Talk about an experience. I will never ONCE complain about a walmart in the US after going to one in China. We loaded up on formula, diapers, Oreos and a stroller. The necessities right ;-)
Once I got back to the room Dan and Brooklyn were sleeping in the bed. We woke her up, gave her a bottle and stared at her for 2 hours. We played toys with her and then the sweetest moment. She moved over to Daniel and laid her head on his chest. Talk about making your heart explode!!!
He loved every minute! She definitely favors Dan and Daniel but she won't cry when I hold her so we are thankful for that.
I have videos and lots of pictures to share, if the Internet every starts to cooperate! Love you guys and I know you are dyingfor pictures. I promise I will keep trying!!
Our Civil Affaris appointment was changed from 10:30am to 2:30pm. This left us with lots of spare time and trying to keep ourselves busy. We went to Starbucks and walked around downtown Kunming. I came back and changed my outfit about 4 times. We prayed as a family and headed out to meet the other 3 families in the lobby. With butterflies in my stomach we pulled up to downtown Kunming and the guide told us the bus was too big so we had to walk another 10 minutes. As we got closer we noticed two girls by a car with a woman. Nathan said that's Brooklyn. I told him to get the ipad out and start recording. This wasn't at all how I was picturing it to go. We slowly walked up to her and said hi. I didn't know if I should pick her up or let the nanny pick her up. My instincts took over and I scooped her up, she cried as we walked into the building. The other two babies were inside for the other two families. It was stressful and uncomfortable as we had so many families with one translator. They asked for one family member to fill out paperwork at the table, I gave her to Dan. She sat with him as quiet as could be, taking it all in. I looked back from the table often as I was filling everything out and saw Daniel crying. It was a very emotional experience for all of us. As we wrapped up the paperwork we needed to do in order to leave, the nanny came to Brooklyn hugged her and cried. I began to get emotional, watching this woman walk away knowing how much she loved her it was so hard to see. It was a realization once again, my gain was at the expense of a another woman's heartbreak! We made the long walk back to the bus with 4 new children and was so thankful to have her in my arms.
Then it was a Trip to Walmart of course. Dan went to the room with Brooklyn while Daniel and I went.. Talk about an experience. I will never ONCE complain about a walmart in the US after going to one in China. We loaded up on formula, diapers, Oreos and a stroller. The necessities right ;-)
Once I got back to the room Dan and Brooklyn were sleeping in the bed. We woke her up, gave her a bottle and stared at her for 2 hours. We played toys with her and then the sweetest moment. She moved over to Daniel and laid her head on his chest. Talk about making your heart explode!!!
He loved every minute! She definitely favors Dan and Daniel but she won't cry when I hold her so we are thankful for that.
I have videos and lots of pictures to share, if the Internet every starts to cooperate! Love you guys and I know you are dyingfor pictures. I promise I will keep trying!!
Sunday, September 13, 2015
A letter to my daughter
Dear Brooklyn,
This is the day we will lay eyes on each other for the very first time. The first time I will hold your hand and feel your warmth. The first time I will kiss your sweet face and hug you so tight. I will remember this day and this moment the rest of my life. I want you to know how loved you are! How much we prayed for you! How we talked about this moment with your brothers months before this day every came. How God knew YOU would be apart of our family forever! How many friends are waiting for you when you get home! How a whole community of friends and family have and are praying for you. They are waiting to love on you! There is nothing that can separate my love from you! This will be the first of many memories we will create together! I love you!
My Prayer,
Dear Heavenly Father, Thank you for faithfulness to oversee all the details that brought Brooklyn to us! We are overwhelmed with your goodness! Thank you for placing a community of believers and family in our lives that are lifting us up in prayer and helping with all the details at home. I pray that you will comfort Brooklyn during this time and that she will know our love for her unconditional And one day ultimately Your love for her. Please give me guidance and wisdom on how to comfort her! That she would feel our love for her immediately and would transition into our family with ease.
"With this in mind, we constantly pray for you, that our God may make you worthy of his calling, and that by his power he may bring to fruition your every desire for goodness and your every deed prompted by faith" (2 Thess 1:11) -from the book For the Love Jen Hatmaker
Love Your Mom,
This is the day we will lay eyes on each other for the very first time. The first time I will hold your hand and feel your warmth. The first time I will kiss your sweet face and hug you so tight. I will remember this day and this moment the rest of my life. I want you to know how loved you are! How much we prayed for you! How we talked about this moment with your brothers months before this day every came. How God knew YOU would be apart of our family forever! How many friends are waiting for you when you get home! How a whole community of friends and family have and are praying for you. They are waiting to love on you! There is nothing that can separate my love from you! This will be the first of many memories we will create together! I love you!
My Prayer,
Dear Heavenly Father, Thank you for faithfulness to oversee all the details that brought Brooklyn to us! We are overwhelmed with your goodness! Thank you for placing a community of believers and family in our lives that are lifting us up in prayer and helping with all the details at home. I pray that you will comfort Brooklyn during this time and that she will know our love for her unconditional And one day ultimately Your love for her. Please give me guidance and wisdom on how to comfort her! That she would feel our love for her immediately and would transition into our family with ease.
"With this in mind, we constantly pray for you, that our God may make you worthy of his calling, and that by his power he may bring to fruition your every desire for goodness and your every deed prompted by faith" (2 Thess 1:11) -from the book For the Love Jen Hatmaker
Love Your Mom,
Day 3
This was our last day in Bejing and probably the most spectacular day of all!!! We took an 1.5 ride to the Great Wall! We bought a ticket and took the cable car up to the top and then spent the next 1.5 walking. We decided to take the "easier" route but there is nothing like walking the Great Wall to make you realize how completely out of shape you really are! And if the steep stairs and long walk didn't make you feel out of shape then the 80 older men with canes will ;-) Dan opted to stay at the bottom and wait for us since we figured it would be a long day and he has been there before. Once the boys and I reached the bottom of all the stairs, I told them to go without me. A girl knows her limits ;-) The views they took from the top were breathing taking... I can't wait to update with pictures.
We then ate an amazing Chinese restaurant with noodles, Perch fish, rice, veggies, and corn cake with sprinkles and sugar on top. This might get my little kids to eat more veggies if we added sprinkles and sugar HAHA! After that it was another 1.5 ride to the airport. We loaded up on Starbucks and took off on a 3 hour flight to Kunming. Kunming is the capital of the province of Yunnan. We arrived here after midnight, our guide told us our Civil Affairs appointment where the director of the orphanage will bring Brooklyn to us was changed to 1:20pm. Which is after midnight your time.. Please pray for peace for her and that she would feel our love immediately.
Good night!
This was our last day in Bejing and probably the most spectacular day of all!!! We took an 1.5 ride to the Great Wall! We bought a ticket and took the cable car up to the top and then spent the next 1.5 walking. We decided to take the "easier" route but there is nothing like walking the Great Wall to make you realize how completely out of shape you really are! And if the steep stairs and long walk didn't make you feel out of shape then the 80 older men with canes will ;-) Dan opted to stay at the bottom and wait for us since we figured it would be a long day and he has been there before. Once the boys and I reached the bottom of all the stairs, I told them to go without me. A girl knows her limits ;-) The views they took from the top were breathing taking... I can't wait to update with pictures.
We then ate an amazing Chinese restaurant with noodles, Perch fish, rice, veggies, and corn cake with sprinkles and sugar on top. This might get my little kids to eat more veggies if we added sprinkles and sugar HAHA! After that it was another 1.5 ride to the airport. We loaded up on Starbucks and took off on a 3 hour flight to Kunming. Kunming is the capital of the province of Yunnan. We arrived here after midnight, our guide told us our Civil Affairs appointment where the director of the orphanage will bring Brooklyn to us was changed to 1:20pm. Which is after midnight your time.. Please pray for peace for her and that she would feel our love immediately.
Good night!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
