Time is flying and we are sure having fun.

Maddie, Zach, Eliza and Katie

Zach's buddy -- our 100 lb "toddler" -- Baylee

Zach on his new bike!

The front of our house (when it wasn't covered in white!)

And the backyard

Zach is having a great time here in lovely, white, cold Minnesota! We have had a lot of snow, and Zach has been shoveling A LOT of snow! He is such a wonderful helper. He loves to be with his dad and if he sees a tool, he wants to use it! I think I am going to have to buy him his own shovel (so that his dad can get more done ;-).

Recently, I had to repair something in the kitchen. I left to check on something and when I came back, Zach had already reassembled it. If it weren't for the fact that the wood was already splitting, he would have been successful at completing the repair for me. And, the other day, I had a large wrench in my hand to tighten a pipe and Zach stopped playing to follow me and my wrench. What a BOY! That is so unusual around our house. My girls don't want anything to do with tools, unless it is used to put together one of their toys.

Last night, Zach had a chance to talk on the phone to one of his friends from China. He and Nina talked for about half an hour and we had to stop the conversation so that he could take his bath and get to bed. Otherwise, they may have been talking for hours! It was so fun watching him as he talked. He was so excited and laughed and giggled and listened and shared. I am so thankful that my friend Pam told me about the Yahoo group for families with children from Zach's orphange. We have pictures of his friends, we can contact friends, we will hopefully even get together with them in the future! What a joy for Zach and for us. His friends from China are the only people he can talk to who will truly understand what he is going through and what he is feeling. And they are the only ones who will know what he is talking about when he speaks of his past. What a blessing to be able to stay in touch with some of them. Thank you, Nina, for brightening Zach's week! I know he wants to talk again soon.

And, per Nina's request, I have posted pictures from home! She wondered why we hadn't and it is simply because I haven't taken the time to do it.

On a sad and yet happy note, my grandmother went home to her Savior last week. She was 91 and had been missing my grandfather ever since he died so many years ago. They are together now, with Jesus, in a glorious heaven. Zach experienced his first funeral and met lots of relatives. He even remembered to add many of them to his list of people he prays for each night. He named Uncle Chris (my brother who is here from Atlanta) several times! I believe it is a joy for Zach to claim his relatives. We have a family photo that he loves to carry around and name each person in the picture. Again, something we take for granted too often -- family. May we follow Zach's example and remember how special it is to have them.

I am truly thankful.

As with every Thanksgiving, I can say that I am thankful for so many things. First and foremost, I am thankful for a God who loves me so much that He sent His son, Jesus, to die for me that I may have eternal life by believing in Him.

But, this Thanksgiving, I am thankful for something else that many would think odd -- I am thankful that God allowed the fact that Zach has very mild case of Cerebral Palsy to be kept from his referral paperwork.

If that term had been on his paperwork, we likely would not have requested to be matched with him and would have missed out on bringing home a wonderful son. We are human beings with a natural fear of the unknown. Cerebral Palsy is a term that people associate with severly disabled people, only because it is the severe cases that we recognize. I never knew much about the disorder, and still don't. But now, I will be finding out more. I do know that CP contains a vast spectrum of ways it affects people. Some are more severly affected, others like Zach have minimal affectation. But one thing that is important for everyone to realize is that it is not a progressive disorder. The damage to his brain was done at birth (or shortly after) and will not continue to get worse. Zach's disability has not changed, he still has a limp. That is what we knew at the time we requested him, and that is still his disability. The only thing that has changed is that we have a defined reason for that limp. We also now have a course of action to help him walk better and get the most out of the muscle function he has.

As I think about why I would have allowed fear to keep me from requesting Zach, I have to acknowledge some attitudes in me that are not right. Do I think that Zach, because he has a disability, is less worthy of a home with me? Do I think that Zach, because he has a disability, is not worth the time, money, effort made to get him the medical attention he deserves? Do I think that Zach, because he has a disability, is less deserving of the resources with which God has blessed me? Do I think that Zach, because he has a disability, is not worth sharing what we have? These are powerfully convicting questions. God allowed this information to be withheld, because He knows we are human and sinful. I pray that others, presented with the same opportunity, will be able to see these children for what they are -- gifts given by God, deserving of all we have to offer them. That includes our time, money, any other resources we have available to us. God did not give us what we have so that we could spend it all on ourselves, buying luxuries and saving for a wonderful retirement. Too often, we think that His blessings to us are our reward, rather than our responsibility. He gave it to us to share with those who have needs. He gave it to us so that we could spread his love -- that is our responsibility as Christians. We can't do that very well if we keep that with which He has blessed us.

When Zach went to the doctor yesterday, the interpreter was unable to be there. The appointment was running late, even though our appointment was at 8:45 a.m. The doctor was apparently IN A LECTURE!!! I am still frustrated with the idea that a lecture comes before seeing patients that have confirmed appointments. He was over an hour late for our appointment because we were the 2nd appointment of the day. By that time, Zach was very upset and started crying. We tried to console him. After a few minutes, he made a sawing motion across his leg. We were devastated to realize that he thought we were going to have his leg cut off! Poor guy, no wonder he was crying! A child's imagination is a powerful thing. By the end of the visit, he was happier when he realized he was able to keep his leg. He went home and gave me and each of his sisters an exam, complete with x-rays (using his clock/radio as the camera, pointing it in our direction, and turning the music on and off) and range of motion tests on their legs.

Through all of this, I also have a new perspective on thankfulness. When I see Zach's pure enjoyment of things we take for granted, I am reminded of how much we have to be thankful for. We had a slight dusting of snow last night. I remembered that I had not bought boots for him yet so I thought I should take care of that. When Maddie gave him the boots, he smiled a huge smile, put them on and didn't take them off until bedtime. He put them in his cubby right by his bed and the first thing he did when he awoke this morning was get dressed, put them on and go outside to play. He used the wagon the kids have to move stuff around the back yard. He remembered one of his favorite movies, Home Alone, and how Kevin used the sled to slide down the stairs and into the front yard. He took our sled and slid down the deck stairs. He is simply enjoying the freedom to play. He is using his wonderful child's imagination to have fun in a way that was probably not possible before -- on his own, doing what he wants to do.

I am thankful for my family. I am thankful for Zach, and for all of our girls and their hearts to bring home a brother. We are learning so much about thankfulness through this experience.

Praising God for a good cardiologist report!

We are so excited! We were in to see a cardiologist on Friday to check up on Zach's heart murmur and the doctor said that his heart is "perfect!" He does have a murmur (I guess I still don't know exactly what causes that), but apparently 50% of kids his age have a murmur. I had no idea! She also said that rather than kids outgrowing a murmur it is probably more likely that, as they grow, their heart gets farther away from the chest wall so the murmur is no longer detectable with a stethoscope. She also said that a murmur sounds much louder when the patient is anxious (yep, he was scared!)

Zach did NOT like the EKG (I think that was what it was...) or the ultra sound. Even with an interpreter telling him it won't hurt, it looks scary. Anyway, we are thankful to have one medical concern scratched off of our list. Praise God!

Tomorrow, we will go to Gillette to have his limp evaluated. We are looking forward to finally having some answers to this mystery!

To prepare for the visit, we had Mrs Wu ask him to please answer the interpreter's questions. He gets really shy and I am sure he is nervous when he goes to these appointments, so he hardly says a word to the interpreters that we have meeting us at these appointments. Some questions are difficult to answer without his input. Not knowing his history like most parents would does make it interesting. So please pray for answers to the question "What has caused Zach's limp?" It may be simply that one leg is shorter (that would almost be too easy, but would be enough for me!). But, realistically, there may be an underlying reason the leg is shorter that needs to be addressed, too. Whatever it is, we just want to know!

So much to report!

Well, again I am sorry to take so long between posts. There has been so much to say, and I wanted to post pictures of the most important event (Zach started school!), but I can't find my camera! I have a feeling Zach, who loves electronic equipment, may have found a place for it (everything has a place you know ;-). Hopefully I will find the camera and post the pictures but, in the meantime, I want to tell you how well everything is going!

As I said, Zach started school. For those that don't know, our girls attend a charter school. There is a waiting list of over 1500 to get into this school. They do give preference to siblings, but even still, Zach is #11 on the sibling waiting list for his grade. I have to say, though, that we probably would have sent him to our local elementary school anyway. They have an ESL program there and God provided for Zach's needs in a beautiful way -- the only ESL teacher in the entire district who speaks Mandarin Chinese is at this school! I can't tell you what a blessing that was when we found that out. Furthermore, now that we have been the beneficiaries of that blessing for over a week, I can't tell you how much this has made a difference in our decision to send him and how he has handled the transition. We may have made a different decision without this added blessing, since it would have been more of a mystery of how Zach would handle the transition to a new place where no one understands him.

We had an appointment with the principal and the ESL teacher, Mrs Wu, and they both suggested that Zach begin on November 5, and enter 2nd grade. We were very pleased because it is exactly what we wanted for him. His birthday is the end of April and he is certainly not a large kid. It will be great for him to have that extra year to get caught up. He has been adjusting beautifully to his new life and he seems to be bonding well with his entire family. We are the ones he wants to be with. We are the ones he recognizes as his ma-ma and ba-ba and sisters. So, the timing felt right. The aspect of his transition to his new surroundings that will take a lot of time to develop is language. Starting school, especially with the assistance of Mrs Wu, will get that going much more quickly and efficiently than waiting.

I stayed with him the entire first day and then Mrs Wu explained that I would be leaving him on Tuesday. He did so well on Monday that I was less apprehensive. There were several times during the first day that he went off with his class without looking back, so I let him go without me. By the end of the day, his personality was starting to show up (the class clown part, that is!). Tuesday, he was of course a little sad. The teacher (who is a graduate of Bethel and has been to China and on mission trips), recognized this and "assigned" two boys to play blocks with Zach for a half hour. How sweet is that? He was fine the rest of the day. Each day was better and better. Yesterday, even though I thought he would be sad at school since he was still feeling the effects of many vaccinations, he was smiling and laughing the entire day.

We are so thankful for his adjustment so far. We have a long road ahead, but the initial transition has gone so much better than we could have even hoped. PRAISE GOD!

We do have our moments however. Just as he needed to learn that the toilet is not equivalent to a cleaner garbage can, he also needs to learn that a Beta who lives in a vase in the bathroom is not a toy. Nor does he need his fins brushed...

Sadly, yesterday Madeline went into the bathroom only to discover that Milkshake was dead. Definately under suspicious circumstances...

Evidence -- water around the vase, a wet brush nearby, Milkshake had a gash on his side and, yes, Zach had recently been in the bathroom.

Motive -- Curiosity. Zach has never had a "pet fish" before, and could not know that it has a purpose in life.

Conclusion -- Zach would not have purposely killed the Beta, especially had he known that his sisters were attached to the fish and had he known how important Milkshake was to them.

Therefore, we found him guilty of involuntary beta-slaughter. When Steve tried to "ask" him if he put the brush in the bowl, Zach nodded, and shrugged.

We are thankful for Mrs Wu who can explain to him that when Milkshake is replaced with a new Beta he can't put anything in the vase, including his hands, but especially hairbrushes!

Inquiring minds want to know...

if a partially eaten apple can be flushed down the toilet?



Answer: Yes, but not much else can follow! ;-)



Yesterday afternoon, when the toilet didn't flush the way it should, we had a pretty good idea that Zach had decided to flush something that didn't really belong in the toilet. After plunging with no success, Steve went to the hardward store and bought an auger. Low and behold, he managed to pull out a partially eaten apple. We tried to get the point across that apples and toys don't belong in the toilet -- only toilet paper does. We'll have to wait and see if we achieved success in that endeavor.

All things considered, Zach has done a tremendous job getting used to his new life. He now has a scooter, has tried roller blades, and has his own toy horse to play with his sisters. He is sleeping well, even though he is down to one sister sleeping on his floor each night. We are praising God for his adjustment. He is always smiling and seems to roll with whatever comes his way.

We went to church on Sunday and he was overwhelmed with the reception. We are so thankful for the joy with which he was received. The kids in his Sunday school class were so excited that he was joining them. It truly blessed my heart that they were so eager to get to know him. We are blessed with a wonderful church family.

The girls are doing a great job helping him get to know everything. Eliza has taken it upon herself to listen to our Chinese language CDs to try to learn more words to communicate with her new brother. They are getting him acquainted with the other kids in the neighborhood and he seems to be fitting right in.

Here are some pictures of his first days at home. Thanks to everyone for your encouragement and your enthusiasm in following our journey.

We're Home!

I am sorry for taking so long to let you know we have arrived safe and sound and all is so good! Our flights were uneventful and Zach was a great traveler. He slept at least 6 hours of the last leg of our flight. We left Guangzhou at 8:15 a.m. and arrived in Tokyo at about 2:00 (local time). We left Tokyo at 3:25 p.m. and arrived in Minneapolis at 11:45 a.m. How I wish it really was only 3 1/2 hours. But 17 hours later, we were home!

Zach's sisters are so proud of him. They have been great, showing him all over the house, helping him find what he needs, and trying so hard to learn how to communicate. What a blessing my children are. We are adjusting well to life as a family of 6.

Zach also had a scare when he met Baylee (our 100 lb chocolate lab) for the first time. It took a while before he could see Baylee anywhere near him without screaming and being terrified. But by the time he went to bed that first night, he was calling Baylee up on the bed with him and saying "Wo ai ni, Baylee!" Too cute.

I want to say, too, that we have some really great friends and family. We drove home in a spotless van, came home to a spotless house and full cupboards and refridgerator! We have received meals and visits. I was not looking forward to grocery shopping when we came home Wednesday, or making meals, and I can't begin to say how grateful we are for all the support. It has meant so much to us on our journey. We have felt the prayers and we know that we are loved. Zachary is doing so well and we praise God for it!

Also, I want to update you on his visit with our pediatrician yesterday. We now know that his left leg is shorter and smaller (less muscle) than his right, and his left foot is slightly smaller. His left ankle doesn't flex past 90 degrees without sustained pressure. We have an appointment scheduled at Gillette on Nov 21 to find out what we should do. Dr Warren suggested that treatment options may include PT, botox treatments (to loosen muscles) or leg lengthening surgery. It's good to be getting answers instead of speculation. I have to say that, considering how quickly the doctors at the visa medical exam diagnosed this, I wonder about all the reasons we were given by the orphanage -- skin condition, femur fracture and infection -- none of which seem to have any merit. I realize that they may have had Zach's best interests at heart in trying to put the best "spin" on what was really causing his limp, but honesty is still the best policy.

We also discovered that he has a heart murmur. Dr Warren has referred us to a cardiologist. He said it could be due to a small hole, or it could be nothing. We pray it is nothing.

I wanted to post some pictures of Zach and his sisters, but in the interests of informing you all is well, I will postpone that until later...

Everything is fine!

Shiyan came to our room last night about 8:30 and said that it is all fine! We go to the Consulate today at 3:00 p.m. to take our "oath" and get Zach's visa! We are almost done! YEAH!!! (And thank you, Sara! We have really appreciated all your efforts on our behalf. You are truly a wonderful Social Worker!)

We spent our afternoon yesterday swimming (Zach really loves that) and playing at a "park," which is really just an open cement area for kids to play). We brought Zach's ball and had a great time.

We also met another family almost exactly like ours! They are adopting an 8 year old boy and have 3 kids waiting for them at home. It was such a blessing to talk to them. They, too, felt God worked through the entire process to validate their decision to bring home their son. Their son, Elijah, is deaf and their story is fascinating. They live in Colorado and she has felt lead to speak to congregations about adoption.

As I listened to their story about what their son endured in the orphanage, it breaks my heart. He was abandoned at the age of 6 (perhaps he had a illness that caused his deafness). In the orphanage, he was placed with profoundly retarded children. He was abused by the other children, and even has scars on his face as a result of an attack from another child.

So, now that I am writing my last post from China, I have to share my heart, again, for the orphan.

James 1:27 : "Religion that God our father considers pure and faultless is this: to care for orphans and widows in their distress and to keep from being polluted by the world."

Fellow Christians -- How are we doing? It is wonderful to feed the hungry and house the homeless. That is important and necessary in every society. But God, in His Holy Word, specifically tells His people to care for orphans and widows. That is what He is calling "pure religion." There are over 100 million orphans (some estimates say 140 million +). What are we doing? We can't just say that giving food to the local food shelf satisfies this command of God. He absolutely tells us to do these things, too, but there is a big difference between what is said in James 1:27 and these other acts of kindness. The difference is that, in most societies, orphans and widows are the most hopeless and helpless people in the society. What can children do for themselves? They can't work (at least in ways that are moral). They can't provide for their needs. God tells His church to meet those needs but, by and large, we are not We are truly thankful for our church and their heart to be open to orphan ministry! But more churches need to do this. We need to understand that when we say that the other efforts on behalf of the needy are equivalent, orphans go hungry and orphans are left without hope. We must do both. We need to stock the food shelves. AND we need to care for the needs of orphans and widows. If the church was actually doing its job, there would not be so many orphans going hungry on the streets of Manila. There would not be so many children in orphanages in Russia, China, South America and Africa. There really are so many ways we can reach these precious children for Christ. Missionaries do wonderful work. But there are not enough of them to reach this massive number. Foster parents can make a huge impact on every child that comes into their home. Again, there are not enough people stepping up to take on this responsibility. Many foster homes are filled to capacity.

And then there is adoption. Children like Zach and Elijah needs homes as much as the most adorable infant who is waiting for a home. They have experienced a great deal of rejection in their short lives. When we asked Maddie, who was the biggest advocate in our family to adopt Zach, why we should do that she simply said "train up a child in the way he should go" (and in the end he will not turn from it). This is our 10 year old daughter, quoting God's Word about the importance of what a Christian family can do for a child -- any child they choose to love and cherish the way God intended for them to be loved and cherished. When Christians adopt orphans, these children are given the greatest hope we have to give. They are trained in God's Word and told about, and shown through our actions on a daily basis, the work Christ did for them.

Thanks for "listening."

"Famous" red couch photo!

Sunday evening we took the photo that just about every family adopting from China takes -- a picture of the children being adopted in your group on the red couch in the White Swan Hotel. So, here is Zach with the other Children of Promise babies in our group, and one of Zach with the boys in our group.

Steve and Zach also spent time in the pool yesterday. Zach loves swimming but is not sure about venturing on his own in the water. It is pretty cold in the pool, but since he loves it, they will swim (ba-ba braves the cold, ma-ma does not).

We will find out at noon today if there is any problems with our paperwork that needs to be dealt with. Our guide has assured us that if there are problems it will be fixed very simply by getting a different homestudy addendum from Bethany. We are in capable hands!

During this trip we have been given so many different reasons for Zach's limp (our guide even called the orphanage a couple of times yesterday and was told by them this time that it is due to an infection!). We are not sure what to believe as far as a cause. But in all of this there is one major fact that has not changed -- Zach simply limps. No matter what we finally discover as the cause, none of the reasons we have been given change his "disability." His limp will not get worse. It will probably get better with physical therapy. Even if it doesn't change, so what? We never thought we were adopting a soccer star.

He is, however, a great kid, with a great personality! He is an inquisitive boy who loves to take things apart (we will have to be careful what he gets into when we get home), and put things together. He loves cars and he loves to wrestle. He is a boy who is excited to have a mom and a dad and some sisters he has yet to meet. He deserves what every kid deserves -- LOVE, and home and a family. Part of the problem is that we are afraid to adopt children that need homes because no one can guarantee that they will be perfect. And if they are not perfect then we somehow think they don't deserve a home with us. Too many children are without homes because we let fear stop us from accepting an incredible blessing.

Prayer request

As we told you, we had an interesting day at the visa medical exam yesterday. Then, this morning, Shiyan called us to let us know that the report written by the doctors may suggest that Zach's problem is more serious and complicated than just a minor special need. This could cause a problem, since our home study addendum says that we are willing to adopt a child with minor special needs. If the medical report says the need is more major and the home study says "minor," Shiyan is concerned that they won't accept our application. We added a line to our I600 application that states that we are aware of the different medical possibilities for the limp. She is hoping that this will avoid any problems.

Obviously, we can't know what the problem is until we get home. Steve spoke to the doctor traveling with us and he said that the reason given by the doctors yesterday is certainly a possibility. However, if it is, it usually gets better, not worse. He also said that the doctors at Gillette specialize in this, as well. We are praising God that he is here with us because he also told us he would pull some strings to get us in to see the doctors we need to see there.

Thanks for praying for us! We know it will all work out. In the meantime, it is an added stress that we need peace about.

NOTE: These last two posts are actually posted by me from China! However, I am going to let Megan add the pictures to the first one, since all my instructions are in Chinese, and I have no clue which one is telling me I can add a picture!

Zach's visa medical exam

Yesterday morning we had Zach's Visa photo taken and then we went with Bethany's group to have Zach's visa medical exam. He was by far the oldest child, with the next oldest in our group being about 2 years old. Boy, was that another interesting experience. We were one of the first to be called and one of the last to leave. The doctor that was doing Zach's exam looked at his legs, got a concerned look on his face and left the room for a very long time. Then, he brought back Shiyan, our adoption guide, who asked us questions and I gave her our referral medical documents. Then the doctor brought in what seemed like every other doctor in the building! What we could gather is that he thought the limp was somehow caused by a high fever. Now we have one more "diagnosis" we have for Zach. We had the impression that they needed to attribute Zach's limp to something, so they just wanted to put something on the report.

Shiyan asked us if we still want to adopt Zach and the answer was "of course!" It will really be fascinating when we finally get Zach in to see our pediatrician. I am so curious what he will say, or to which specialist he will refer us!

Also, speaking of Zach's limp -- we have an orthopedic surgeon in our referral group! Even he said that you could barely tell Zach has a limp. We told him about the femur fracture Zach apparently suffered when he was 4 and he referred us to the pediatric orthopedic specialists at Gillette. Apparently, the program there is the second best in the nation. This doctor is from the metro area and knows the doctors there. He gave us his card and asked us to contact him when we get home. God is good and will take care of our needs if we just trust Him!

We love being in Guangzhou. It is so much nicer, more comfortable and easier to be American here. We are enjoying my favorite places to eat from my last trip -- Lucy's for a somewhat American style hamburger (I look forward to ordering a hamburger without worrying that it will come with beetroot -- whatever that is), and the deli next to the hotel.

We have also discovered that Zach is refusing to eat with chopsticks and he would not eat the chinese meal we ordered for him tonight. Shiyan wanted us to make sure he gets Chinese food, and suggested the Chinese food at the deli to us several times, so we followed her suggestion. He hardly ate any of it. But he did enjoy the Green Tea flavored ice cream he had after supper! He is eating cereal for breakfast and saying no to things like rice and noodles. I have been choosing many traditional Chinese foods for breakfast, but he is still passing them by. He is obviously making the transition to his new home even before he leaves his old one. It is fascinating how these children adjust.

Our last day in Shenyang

Friday was an important day for a lot of reasons. We finally received the documents we needed from Shenyang that allowed us to travel to Guangzhou, our final stop in China. We received Zach's birth certificate, his certificate of abandonment, a translation of the adoption registration and his passport. It was a blessing to finally have all of those important documents (and it did not seem that receiving the passport was a sure thing, so we heaved a big sigh of relief).

It was also a day of hurry up and wait. We were leaving Shenyang to go to Guangzhou so we had to pack up our things and check out, but our ride to the airport was not coming until 4:00 p.m., since our flight out was not until 5:50 p.m. So, we packed our bags and waited with our new best friends (and Zach's old friend) Hannah and her family in their room. We will be seeing them in Guangzhou on Sunday. The White Swan is a wonderfully beautiful hotel with a swimming pool (we have been preparing Zach for his first adventure into swimming) and it is great that we get to end our stay here. We want to be home, but this is a pleasant place to be if we can't be there!

Sorry for the lack of pictures. This is just a quick note to let you know we are on the last leg of our journey. We got in last night after 11:00 p.m. and have to meet our group this morning at 9:00 a.m. More later!

Shenyang Imperial Palace

Thursday, we had a chance to visit the Imperial Palace in Shenyang. Steve never had a chance to visit the Forbidden City in Beijing, so this visit gave him an idea of what that is like. Shenyang became the capital of the Manchu empire in 1625, so the Imperial Palace here was the residence of the emperors. It is second only in scale to that in Beijing, being comprised of over 300 rooms.

The thresholds of the rooms are high as a result of their belief that evil spirits can't jump very high. The high thresholds, therefore, keep them out. There is a meaning to just about everything that is done. Even the colors they choose. Of course, gold is the color used by royalty. Black apparently symbolizes water so when they built the library in the Palace, they used black ceramic tile for the roof. The greatest threat to the books is fire, so they used the color symbolizing water for the roof to protect them.

There is so much to see here, but we are so glad we finally get to travel to Guangzhou today to our last pre-US destination! We miss our girls, we miss our dog, we miss our home, we miss our friends, we miss our food. We have discovered that Zach likes KFC and have eaten quite a bit of that lately (there are lots of them here, Kelly and Ryan!). It is very hard to eat around the hotels we have stayed at in Dalian and Shenyang. The menus are understandably not in English (and without pictures, we just don't want to guess what we are ordering!), and the people do not speak enough English to trust that they understand. That will be different in Guangzhou, since every adoptive family has to travel there, it is easier to find people that speak English.

We are looking forward to not being stared at so obnoxiously. We are so different as we walk the streets of Shenyang and Dalian that people will turn around at street corners and just stare at us. It is a mission of Steve's to win the stare downs. It obviously makes Zach uncomfortable, since the look on their face as they are staring is not often nice.

We met an 89 year old woman at a park we went to recently. We climbed many stone steps to reach a little pavilion and she joined us soon after we got there. As she entered, she proclaimed her age in wonderful English! She has 4 daughters and 1 son, and her husband, who was a doctor, died 9 years ago. We enjoyed talking to her! She learned English many years ago in Shanghai through a Christian school. Then she proceeded to sing "Jesus Loves the Little Children." She also shared that she thinks the young people have horrible manners. The old people still have manners, she said, but she is saddened by the young.

The three children are Zach, Hannah and Hannah's brother, Andrew.

The furnishings are in the living quarters of the Emperor's family, and of his throne.

There is a picture of a cradle which would be used for the Emperor's child. It hangs from the ceiling. I thought this was really interesting.

Qing Zhao Tomb

Wednesday, we visited the Qing Zhao Tomb which means Luminous Tomb. It is more commonly known as Beiling Park, since it is in the North. This is one of the largest and best preserved of China's imperial mausoleums. It is the tomb of Abahai (1592-1643) and was built in 1643. It is a massive complex with many gates and buildings. The tomb itself is a mound that apparently has not been unearthed and remains sealed to this day. It is a beautiful area and we enjoyed hearing the history.

Zach continues to brighten our days. He giggles and laughs at bedtime when we say our prayers and give him goodnight kisses. He says "wo ai ni" (I love you) to us spontaneously and smiles, laughs and goofs around with Dad. He has a great personality and seems completely comfortable with us already. He always wants to hold both our hands (which is a challenge on the crowded sidewalks), and gets concerned when one of us is gone longer than he likes.

We asked Maggie to translate some words/phrases for us -- like "obey" "now" and "no whining" (which he does when he doesn't get his way, the universal language for kids!). When she translated "no whining" for us, there is not a direct translation in Chinese. So, what we are saying to him when we use the phrase she gave us is "don't be chickie!" We think that is so funny!

He is trying to learn more and more English and can now count to 8. He says "thank you" and "you're welcome" and repeats other phrases he hears. His nannies told us that he is better at learning language than math (which may be more a function of poor vision than ability) so we are hopeful for better communication in the months ahead.

And Eliza, Maddie and Katie -- he loves to straighten up our room! He is always putting things back where they came from and organizing our suitcases. We definitely think you will be learning a thing or two from your new brother!

Well, we are counting down the days now. Tomorrow, after we receive the documents we need from here, we leave for Guangzhou, where the US Consulate is. That is where we will receive Zach's visa to come to the US. We are looking forward to checking into our last hotel, especially one with a swimming pool and warm weather.

We really just want to come HOME! We miss our girls soooo very much (by the way, the picture of the marble horse is just for you! It is a statue honoring the emperor's horses named Big White and Small White who saved his life many times).

Steve & Hannah

Steve & Zach

Cindy & Zach

Miscellaneous Observations

We had a free day on Tuesday, after traveling back to Shenyang from Dalian Monday evening. We didn't do much, which was nice. Zach loves K'nex and legos. It is a great way to spend time in the hotel room. He also loves the movie "Polar Express." He has watched it all the way through several times now (in Chinese, of course!).

As we have had Zach for a week now, we are praising God for how well he has done so far. Maggie asked him the other day why he was talking in such a sweet, sing-song voice. he said it is because he is so happy! What a great thing to hear!

We know there are a lot of transitions ahead of us when we get home. Here, he can't communicate well with us, although he understands more and more each day (like "time for bed," "brush teeth," "time to eat," etc), but he can talk to Maggie, who is with us everyday. When we get home, there will be no one regularly available who can speak to him. We will see what we can do to help that situation, but it will be different.

As for being in China, we have enjoyed the chance to experience what it is like here. After being on the highways traveling by bus to Dalian and back, I have learned a few things about life on the road in China.

--Lane lines are simply suggestions, not absolutes. If you don't know which lane will go faster, simply drive in both lanes and make up your mind when you need to.

--Horns are for letting those ahead of you know that you are coming and to get out of your way. If those ahead of you are driving in both lanes, it is a way for you to tell them they need to choose the lane that is not the one you are currently in. And, many times, it is not the biggest car that wins, but the loudest, longest horn.

--If you are going to survive on the streets of China, whether as a driver, bike-rider, or pedestrian, you need to be fearless. The one who wins is the one who plays the best game of "chicken." Just because you are a pedestrian, does not give you any rights against those in cars. However, you can win your space if you simply plow right ahead as if no cars are coming.

--If you want to make a turn, it doesn't matter which lane you are in. You can make a right turn from the left-most lane of a three lane street, if you like. It simply is a matter of going where you need to go from where ever you are.

--Sidewalks are not just for pedestrians and bike riders. They can be for cars trying to get around traffic, or cars wanting to drop off passengers. Pedestrians always need to be on the lookout for cars coming up behind them as they walk along.

--Last observation about the rules of the road -- It all works! We have seen no accidents, which is amazing! Somehow, everyone is able to drive, ride and walk in harmony with everyone else. Everyone seems to have a sixth sense about what the others around them are doing so that they can avoid anything unpleasant. Fascinating!

Today, we will visit Beiling Park. We will enjoy the sights, I am sure!

Our day at the orphanage...

We are so thankful we spent time at the orphanage on Monday. We found out so much that was helpful. When we arrived, we were shown pictures on the wall of children from the orphanage that have been adopted and their families. Next to that, we were told about how this particular orphanage has been at the forefront of encouraging children to be placed in foster families. Of the 238 children under the care of the orphanage right now, only 41 are currently in the orphanage. There are approx 168 in foster families and the rest are at the boarding school in Chaoyang (where Zach spent his last year). We are able to take pictures, but were told to make sure we did not take pictures of children.

We were then brought to the nursery. There were 6 babies and 2 caregivers. the room was bright and clean and the nannies seemed very loving and compassionate. One of them brought Zach over to a drawer and she pulled out some baby lotion and put it on his face He has some very dry patches that look like eczema on his face It is hard to buy things here without our guide to help us find what he needs. We thanked her and asked through Maggie if there is anything else we need to know about Zach and his health. We were amazed at the answer.

First of all, they said his eyes were a little crossed and he is a little nearsighted (we had already talked about getting his eyes checked when we came home, he gets really close to things to see them). Then she told us he had broken his leg (we think they said femur) when he was 4! Such important information which may help explain his "slight limp." When he walks, he does have an unusual gait at times, but not always. It will be interesting to see if the leg healed well, or if it was simply relearning how to walk after the cast came off that caused him to "limp." Maggie said something about "surgery" for it, but we find no scars. There is also no indication of any skin problem with his legs.

We were then brought to a school room, again very bright and clean. We saw the washroom, the dining area, the play areas, and another room with more children, mostly toddler/preschool age. We saw the little boy that was with us during the adoption process in Shenyang. We were able to tell him that we had "met" his parents on line through a group set up for parents with children from this orphanage. We told him they are very excited to come get him. He just beamed and gave Zach a thumbs up.

As for the titles of the people we have met, I am confused. The woman we have spent many of our last days with is apparently the Director of the orphanage. We were introduced to another woman, who seemed very kind, who was called the Leader of the orphanage. Then we met a gentleman, Mr Liang, who is the President of the orphanage. He invited us to a special lunch with him in our honor.

We went up a hill to a play area and saw the location of Zach's referral photos. It is prettier in the spring, but it is lovely. There was a play area there. After a while, we were called back down for lunch. It was a very traditional Chinese dinner, complete with fish served whole, shrimp served with the head, eyes and antennae, and chopsticks. Steve had never experienced a meal like this (we have been on our own for meals and have not ventured too far into Chinese cuisine). It was all delicious, and Steve managed to eat with his chopsticks!

We were thanked several times for adopting the children. The president addressed most of his conversation to Steve, as the only man there. We were still with Nancy who is adopting Hannah (among the last single women allowed to adopt), her cousin, Ellen, and Nancy's son, Andrew (adopted 4 1/2 years ago from China). Mr Liang asked where we were from and which NBA team is in our area. So, they talked basketball for a while and Mr Liang said the kids all love to watch the games in the morning.

He then asked Steve for a personal favor. Since the kids all love the NBA, he asked if we could get autographs for all 238 children in the orphanage. He preferred Kobe! But said any would do. We agreed to see what we would do, and we will certainly give it our best try. Anyone out there with connections??

It was a lovely time, and Mr Liang told us to consider this our second home...

Our Day in Dalian

Sunday, our day of sightseeing was simply shopping. I was hoping for a chance to get some gifts and souvenirs, but we were taken to a very expensive department store, at which we could buy very expensive clothes! I think the Chinese people assume all Americans are very wealthy. Anyway, we were able to get Zach two pairs of pants for more than we would have paid at home. The director of the orphanage was with us and we had the feeling we were expected to buy some things for our child. So we did.

After that, we decided to bring Zach's ball to the square two blocks from the hotel to play catch. When we arrived we were immediately approached by a woman who obviously wanted to practice her English on us. She asked about the history of America. Anyone who knows Steve would know that this is right up his alley! He started with 1760 and moved his way through the revolution, civil war and an explanation of our government system with the House and Senate! We had quite a crowd around us, with another teenager practicing her English on me. Then, I ended up helping a student with his application to get into school in the UK. He asked if I would help with his grammar. It was quite a day.

It makes me nervous when anyone but those we have been working with speak to Zach or Hannah in Chinese. Their expression is sometimes so sad, you just want to know what they said so that you can explain away anything that may have been hurtful.

The pictures are of the time at the park. Zach and Hannah did get to play a little and giggled and laughed the whole time.

**There will be more pictures added of the time at the park. Blogger.com was having temporary issues when I tried to upload the other 2 pictures.

Sightseeing in Dalian

After almost a week away from home, we finally had a day of sightseeing! Dalian is a beautiful city and the seaside is really gorgeous. We just drove along the shore and saw the National Hotel, where the Chinese diplomats stayed. Mao had a room there, but apparently never stayed.

We also stopped at a square with many sculptures and some rides for kids to go on. Zach and Hannah had a great time!

Zach continues to do well and we are so thankful to God for the peaceful adjustment he has made to us while here. We know there is more adjustments to be made when we get home. Zach has already told Maggie that he is afraid of his new room -- it will be too big! He wants his sisters to sleep in his room with him for a little while. It will be much different at home than here. We pray the transition continues to go well. And thanks to everyone for their continued prayers on our behalf. We are blessed!