Kirill, Jonah, and Patrick Updates

I just had to share some wonderful updates on these three boys who I have written about on my blog. Kirill's family was finally allowed to adopt him and he is home. Here is a picture of him home with his brother. I wrote about Kirill here and you can read more at Kirill's family's blog, Our Eyes Opened, if you are interested in reading about the miracles that brought him home after a judge originally said he would be better off living the rest of his days in an institution versus being adopted by the family who had come to adopt him and already loved him.


Sweet Patrick who is from Kaifeng, just like my boys, has a family who has committed to adopting him. Almost all the children from the Love Without Boundaries foster care program in Kaifeng have been adopted or have families who will be traveling soon to adopt them. I was so thrilled to hear the news that Patrick will soon have a family!


Last but not least, Jonah has a family who wants to adopt him and is in his country right now working to do that while they adopt another child from the same orphanage. The child they were originally adopting is best friends with Jonah and precious Jonah has captured the family's heart too. They are trying to move mountains of paperwork to bring both children home together. Please pray that all the paperwork and approvals will be taken care of and Jonah can come home. He was about to be transferred to the adult mental institution so it is very important that this family be able to adopt him so he never has to spend a day in such a place. Julia, who adopted her son from the very same adult mental institution that Jonah is about to be sent to, wrote about it on her blog.


It has made me so very happy to know that all three of these boys have families who want them. I know God greatly loves all the children in the world who are waiting and waiting for a family to call to their own and He wants to see all of them in loving families. He has moved the hearts of many people who have realized that they too can make a difference in the life of a child whether that be by praying for waiting children, donating money toward adoption costs, sponsoring a waiting child, or opening their families to bring one or more of these children home. Everyone can do something and I believe in my heart that the bigger the sacrifice, the bigger the blessing.

I am looking forward to celebrating four weeks of knowing my boys tomorrow and writing about how they have been blessing us amid the challenges.

Going Back in Time

This last week I received a bunch of reports and pictures of our boys from Love Without Boundaries. Once a family is home with their adopted child, Love Without Boundaries is allowed to send the family any pictures and reports they have. I am so thankful to have the pictures and information. This helps fill in a small bit of the time we have missed with our boys before they came to us and means a whole lot.

We found out that Jacob and Levi have been foster brothers since around July or August of last year which was right after we committed to adopting Jacob and God started slowly working on our hearts about Levi. In one report, we read that Jacob received some new cars and was happy to share them with Levi but would not share them with the neighbor children. He was asked why he would share with Levi but not the other kids and he replied that Levi was family and the other kids were not. I am so glad the boys were able to become forever brothers and family. The boys truly act like brothers and first thing in the morning Jacob always wants to go in to see Levi. Here are some of my favorite pictures that we received of our boys taken a few years ago.

Boys at Home in Pictures

We have been spending a lot of time at home waiting for Levi's new walker wheels to arrive. They came yesterday so we headed to the school playground in the afternoon. Tomorrow we will make a trip to the library. Here are some pictures of the boys at home. I will get some pictures of Susu next time.

Jacob loves his Big Wheel!

Levi's new wheels make getting around much easier.

Why are my boys staring at the deck boards?

Baby robins hatching right under the deck are cool to see!

Archery in the back yard.

Isaiah's original lego design inspired by our trip.

Isaiah builds the coolest stuff!

Adjusting

We have had three more days of adjusting to the new normal with ups and downs throughout the three days. The kids seem to be handling things well. Mom and Dad just need to get used to caring for four children and get our house set up to make that easier. On Saturday morning. I went shopping on-line for a gate to go upstairs. Jacob is good about staying off the stairs but I am afraid he might trip and fall down the stairs when he is going from one upstairs room to another since he moves fast and is prone to tripping. We keep very close watch on him right now and gate him into whatever bedroom he is playing in with a portable doorway gate. It will be nice to have one gate that makes the whole upstairs safe.

The upstairs bathroom is also not handicap accessible for Levi so it is unsafe for him to use alone at night. That means getting up with him because we don't want him falling and conking his head on the floor like he did once at a hotel in China. I put in another on-line order for railings to make the upstairs bathroom safe for him. My Dad is going to install those when they come in. I also ordered handles to make the bathtub safer and new wheels for Levi's walker. The ball bearings fell out of one front wheel after we got home and now the wheel on his walker just drags along. All I can say is thank God for on-line ordering. I can't imagine having to find companies or stores prior to the internet where I could easily and quickly order all this stuff and have it shipped right to my door.

Levi has been working hard on his English with me. He now knows between 50-60 different words and sprinkles a lot of English in with his Chinese. On Saturday, my friend Ru from Chinese School came over to visit. Her daughter is in Susu's class and she speaks fluent Mandarin. We were able to tell Levi some things and ask him some questions that we thought of this last week. I keep a list of things we want to talk to him about or ask him about when we have someone here who speaks Mandarin. Aaron and I can cover all the basic stuff with him but obviously we can't communicate more complicated ideas. We can always call Ru if something important comes up. We are so thankful to have her helping us and I know Levi really appreciated having her come over to talk to him.

One thing I have been concerned about is that Levi thinks that he might get sent back if he makes too many mistakes. We wanted to make sure he knows that we are his family forever and he doesn't have to be perfect. I know it will take time for him to really get this. He told our friend Ru that he did not want to be a burden on us. He is such a sweet soul and I can't wait to be able to communicate to him how very special he is once he knows English better. I did have Ru tell him that we think he is a wonderful son and that we love him very much.

Jacob continues to be very mischievous and he has a mischievous smile to go with his actions. He keeps us on our toes but is also learning to listen to his Mom and Dad! I am so glad that he spent his first four years being cared for by a loving foster grandma. It is so much easier to adopt a child who is a bit naughty because he was slightly spoiled versus a child who spent the first two years of her life in an orphanage and is carrying much baggage and fear with her. It is obvious that Jacob expects to be well cared for and he is bonding quickly to both Aaron and I. He likes to rock with me in my grandma's rocking chair before his naps. I sing to him and he closes his eyes and grins especially when I sing the Mama loves Jacob song. I sing it in Mandarin and I made it up for Susu after we adopted her. I can insert any child's name and that song is one of Susu's favorites too.

I realized I need to get my camera back out so I have some new pictures to post. It is harder to stay on top of everything right now. I really want to keep up with my blog because it is my written journal of our boys adoption. Isaiah and Susu both have handwritten journals from their adoptions but I don't have time for that this time around so this blog will have to do. I am glad we can keep our family and friends up to date on the latest as well since phone time is also more limited.

We are so incredibly thankful for all the support we have received. I have read about many adoptive families getting very negative comments from friends and family when they decide to adopt children, especially children with special needs. Families can be understandably concerned about the stress and risks involved and they don't always convey those concerns in positive or loving ways. We have been so blessed to have such overwhelming support and we greatly appreciate it.

Mom's First Day Alone With Four Kids

Aaron went back to work today and left me to fend for myself. I obviously survived since I am writing this post. Four kids is more challenging than two kids but not as hard as I thought, at least not today. It helps that I don't have any infants and my 13 year old very much wants to please his mother.

The boys are adjusting amazingly well this first week home. Their transition seems much easier than Susu's transition home. It certainly helps that I am feeling well and that I wasn't in the hospital getting rehydrated on day 3 of being home like last time we adopted. I also think that it helps tremendously that the boys have each other while Susu had no one familiar.

Both Jacob and Levi have been learning the new routines quickly. I am big into routine and they seem to be embracing ours. Today we did some relaxed school time reading books, playing an alphabet game, working on some English, and listening to classical Chinese music. We also did watercolor painting which both boys loved. I guess I have three artist sons now which is great because I love art.

If you read my post about the Perfect Noodle Storm you will especially understand how thrilled I am to share that both boys are quickly learning good table manners. Here is a cute story. In China, it is not impolite to burp at the table and is actually a sign that you really enjoyed a meal. We have taught Levi to cover his mouth when he burps and to say excuse me. Isaiah told me this morning that Levi got the hiccups very early before the sun was even up. He kept hiccuping and after every hiccup he said excuse me. He got the hiccups again later in the day and I let Levi know that he did not need to say excuse me after every hiccup.

Just to let you know, I am not supermom and all is not perfect in the Smith household. I made a fancy dinner of scrambled eggs, tater tots, and applesauce. The boys both voluntarily told me how delicious the meal was which I thought was very funny. Scrambled eggs and tater tots are my easy go to gluten free meal that I make when I am tired so I am glad the boys think it is so wonderful. Jacob had a ten minute screaming temper tantrum right after his nap time. He gets both the pre and post nap crabbies as we like to call them in our house. He was demanding that I do something and I told him he needed to say please Mommy and he refused and had the melt down. I read a book while he worked out his lungs until he finally realized that the screaming was getting him no where. Then he very nicely said please Mommy and apologized for the screaming at my request. The kids spent a pleasant two hours in front of PBS and we are slowly weaning them (and Mom too) off the excessive children's television we let them watch in China. There were no limits on T.V. time in China which thrilled all the kids.

As a last random thing that I want to record for our family, Isaiah has a new name. Jacob just can not pronounce Isaiah correctly and calls him Izow which is a quite unique nickname I think.

Tired But Doing Well

Jet lag is still hanging on here but other than that things are well. I can't wait to feel fully awake again. The boys are settling in and we are working on creating a routine of some sort. The weather has been nice and Jacob especially likes to play outside. His new Big Wheel and the Tonka trucks keep him busy and happy. He also really likes our Thomas trains and train table. This boy is all about things that go. He can be active at times but also very calm and focused in his play. He is much less active than Isaiah was at that age, thank you God!

Levi has enjoyed playing with legos and learning English. We have some picture flashcards and he has been working hard at learning the names of things in English. He is very bright. Yesterday we went through around 16 flashcards and he had them all learned in about 10-15 minutes. The easier ones he got on the second try. I wish I could learn Mandarin so quickly! Jacob likes to copy Levi so that will be a big help as he learns English.

Levi is an eager learner and was showing me how he can write his numbers and do addition and subtraction. He was also working on the alphabet and letter sounds with me. It is a shame he never had the chance to go to school in China but I have a feeling he is going to quickly make up for lost time here.

On Sunday, I took Isaiah and Levi to church and Levi loved the music there. He gave it a thumbs up. The music at our church is very good with a full band of instruments. After church we dropped by the grocery store to get some things. It was such a relief to be back in America and have public places be handicap accessible. It is not something I have ever paid much attention to until now but I can tell you it is a huge blessing. Knowing there are so many places that Levi can easily get around makes life so much easier. Levi does great walking with his walker and is actually very fast when he is using it. We didn't know this when we were in China because there were very few places we could actually use the walker.

We are also thanking God for providing our big open house. I felt like God led us to this house and now I know why. Having lots of room to maneuver the walker in our downstairs allows Levi to be mostly independent and we have made our large downstairs bathroom handicap accessible so he can be independent there as well. Adopting two boys with special needs at one time is certainly not easy but God is providing. It seems doable for me on Day 3 of being home and I am thankful that I am not completely overwhelmed. It really helps that our homeschooling is done for the year so we have time to get adjusted without a lot that has to get done right now.

Prayers Answered!!!!!!!

Thank you so much to all the friends, family, and blog friends who prayed for us during the adoption trip. I know so many of you were praying for our family, including my Great Aunt Therese, Sister Vince, and other nuns from MN. The trip was not easy but it was obvious that we were covered in prayer the entire time. All of my prayer requests that I posted on my blog were completely answered. I have copied our prayer requests below and I just have to comment on a few. We definitely had a safe trip and our transition to a family of four has been relatively smooth. Levi and Jacob were not afraid of us and we could see that the boys having each other really made things easier for both of them. No one got sick in China or on the plane ride home. Praise God!!!!! Susu did great on the trip and had only a few very normal Susu moments. She was happy to be back in China with our family and appeared secure for the most part. The biggest miracle to me was that my back, which had been hurting for weeks prior to the trip, stopped hurting on the plane ride over to China. Now really, how in the world did a 30 hour day of traveling and 18 hours of flying in a sitting position heal my back pain. Back pain that was aggravated by sitting. Only God knows that is for sure. Not having back pain in China or on the ride home made things much easier! We are thanking God for getting us through this crazy adventure and home safely. It was pretty nuts traveling with four kids (two mobility impaired) through almost the entire length of China. God gave us the vision to embark on this mission and He saw us through the entire time. We could not have done it without Him!!!!!!! We give much praise and glory to Him!!!!!

Here were our prayer requests from over two weeks ago.

Please pray for:

1. Safe travels our entire trip.
2. That God would mentally prepare all of us for the transition.
3. That Levi and Jacob would not be too afraid and would sense how loved they are by our family.
4. That we would all stay healthy the entire trip and after we get home as well. Last time we went to China, Aaron and I got terribly sick on the flight home. It was awful.
5. That Susu would feel safe and secure with us since this trip may bring up some memories for her.
6. That my back would feel better. It has been bothering me for the last two weeks.

We greatly appreciate all the people who have been praying for us during this adoption!

Finally Home, A Day Late and 50 Million Brain Cells Short

The trip home went well enough considering it lasted forever!!!! In Beijing our flight was delayed by two hours as we sat in the plane waiting for a problem with the engine to be fixed and then paperwork to be done. As is typical, the paperwork seemed to take longer to get done then the actual fixing of the engine. The pilot kept coming on the intercom to say that all was fine with the engine and not too worry, we would be on our way soon. I don't know about you, but when the pilot keeps reassuring the passengers that the engine is fine it is rather disconcerting.

So we arrived in Chicago two hours late with not enough time to pass through immigration and what ever the others lines were we needed to pass through. When we finally gathered up all our luggage, the four kids, the walker, and the wheelchair and made it to the United counter, our flight to Portland had left and that was the last flight of the evening. The airline put us up in a nice hotel but gave us the news that there was no available seats to Portland for seven people until 7 p.m. the next evening. We decided to try flying standby in groups this morning. At 8:45 a.m., I was able to fly to Portland with Isaiah and Jacob. Aaron, James, Susu, and Levi were unable to get another flight until 4 p.m. They just got home about an hour or so ago, had some leftover pizza, and went to bed. I could not keep my eyes open after 7:30 p.m. so I got a short nap in before they got home which is why I am updating the blog before I go back to bed. Poor Aaron was deliriously tired when he finally got home a little over an hour ago.

The kids all handled the long flight really well. We are soooooo happy to all be home or will be when we are awake enough to realize where we are. If no one hears from us tomorrow, it will only be because we are in some kind of jet lag coma.

Sweet Boys!

This morning when Jacob woke up the first thing he did was climb up in my lap for a hug and kiss.  Ching ching means kiss in Mandarin and I get lots of ching chings from both my boys.  There is nothing better than boys who show love to their Mama.

White Swan Red Couch Photos

It is an adoption tradition for every travel group to take a group photo of the children on the red couches at the White Swan hotel.  We may only be a travel group of one family but we sure do fill up a couch pretty well.  We fly out from Guangzhou tomorrow morning at 9 a.m. heading for Beijing and arriving around 12:00.  Then we have a four hour overlay before we have the really long flight to Chicago, almost 13 hours.  Then it is a 3 hour overlay as we get through immigration in Chicago and finally fly home to Maine.  We should arrive around 10:30 on Friday evening.  There are a bunch of adoptive families on the flight to Chicago that we have met here so that will be nice.

Levi is especially excited about flying to America and having Po Po and Gong Gong pick us up at the airport.  Po Po is the nickname for maternal grandmather and Gong Gong is for maternal grandfather.  We have been using our Mandarin a lot with the boys.  Aaron had more opportunity to learn Mandarin since he had a quiet half hour each way to and from work to listen to the Pimsleur Mandarin CD's.  Aaron told Levi that I speak Chinglish (Chinese and English mixed together) and Levi thought that was hilarious.