Days Ten and Eleven

Day a Ten/Guangzhou
Our Saturday was a travel day to GZ where we will apply for Logan's Visa. Everyone in China who wishes to exit the country must travel to GZ fir their visa. Our flight was less than two hours and went very well. Logan Grace slept about thirty minutes. When she woke up she took turns between Craig and myself. She also enjoyed looking at the clouds and the wing of the plane. I wasn't prepared for the humidity in GZ. We were literally soaked in the few minutes it took us to get from the airport to our bus. We are at a Marriott called China Hotel...creative name. I personally don't like the room as well as the two before but the hotel is much larger with better amenities. The city itself is totally different than in the two previous. We are in a different province further south. The air is cleaner and you can see the sky.  We spent the afternoon and evening resting and then had dinner with a family from Greenbrier, TN.

Day Eleven/Touring
Today we toured. We started at a Buddhist temple. It was very pretty and serene, but dark at the same time. There were people that had come to burn incense and give offerings to their gods. One lady got irate with our guides for allowing us to take pictures of the Buddha god statues. Apparently this was sacrilege. I couldn't help but think how sad it was that all their efforts were in vain and how much hope they could have if they knew our God. I was glad to leave.
Next we toured the Chen House which was an arts and crafts museum type place. Had it not been two million degrees I would have really enjoyed it. Their craftsmanship is amazing. The silk embroidery was not only amazing but unbelievable. I thought of all my grandmothers. They would have so appreciated the detail and beauty.
Our next stop was some sort of arts and crafts market that was a little pricy in my mind. We didn't buy anything here. By this point we were beyond worn out from wrestling baby bear in the extreme heat and humidity. We were all ready to get back. The bus ride was wild, the noisiest by far. Babies were having one meltdown after another. Baby bear did great, just wiggly.
The best part of the day was when my wonderful hubby walked to the Golden Arches and brought us quarter pounders and fries....amazing. I will never take McDonalds for granted again😊. Even better than burgers and fries wAs the Dove Chocolate bar he surprised me with. I love that guy!
Next on the agenda was napping and getting our paperwork ready for Logan's visa. We are thinking we may try the pool later. Prayers appreciated tomorrow. We go for her medical exam....this should be interesting. Keep cool for us!
Tammy

Day Nine

The Longest Day- Today has been the toughest by far. There was nothing on our agenda and little miss wasn't feeling the greatest which made her whiny and clingy. After breakfast we had to venture out to Wal Mart again. I was very nervous but the traffic wasn't hardly as bad as it was when we went in the evening. We were told we could take a taxi for $30. We chose the lesser of two evils and walked. Man was it hot and humid. We had to change shirts when we got back because they were so wet. I could have stayed longer and just looked around. It is very interesting. It is a three story building. Electronics on the bottom, groceries in the middle, and clothes, toys, and household on top. I don't think I will forget the smell....ever. It smelled like a mixture of over ripened fruit mixed with fish and raw meat. Yuck! Anyway, we found Logan' s formula and bought her a few toys. Craig through some Snicker bars and Pepsi in the cart as well.
Logan seemed to feel a little better after a long afternoon nap. Her new thing today was to walk the halls. She kept going to the door and looking back so I took her out and held her hands while she practiced walking. She felt so big. She would look up at me and grin from ear to ear. The fist time I let her lead, and she took us all the way to the elevator. She must be as sick of this room as we are. Later we were sitting in the floor and she took three steps to Craig by herself. I have been packing up because we leave bright and early for the next destination. Please pray for safe travels for us. By the way, I gave the guides the bibs we collected at VBS. They were amazed and excited!
More tomorrow!

Day Eight

Yesterday was a great day for bonding. Logan Grace showed us a little more personality. It is funny how you see little layers of who she really is each day. It reminds me of a flower that is budding. Every day the flower opens a little more until eventually you have the beautiful creation that God intended. We played on the bed for hours. She would go from me to Craig. She giggled and rolled and tumbled.  She was so happy. Around 9:30 we went with the group to a history museum. We were so ready to be out of the hotel for a few hours. Logan slept in the Ergo most of the trip. When we came back we were a little tired so we skipped lunch and just rested. When it was time for supper we had our usual Mamma Mias. I may never want pizza again... Lol! We could venture out but we have not gotten ill like some who have been more adventurous so we are sticking with pizza and pasta for one more day. Today, our Friday, is our last day in Zhengzhou. We then fly to Gaunzhou (spelling?). We are getting closer to home each day. I am so ready to see my kiddos at home. Not sure what we will get into day. Blog it to you later.
Tammy

More cuteness

I am being fussed on for not posting enough pictures for home. Some of these are on Instagram or Facebook but I know some of you don't have either. So here ya go.....

Pictures

China Days Six and Seven... I Think?

Day Six
If you gave been following along please forgive me for any spelling errors. Yes, I know I am a teacher, and yes I have spell check. Craig has been quick to point out my errors. I am always in a hurry to get my ideas down before I am kicked off the VPN or before Craig has some mini crisis that needs my immediate attention. Enough of that....

Day six which was our Tuesday was adoption certificate and notarization day. One would think that we did enough paperwork before arriving here that they could surely have everything they need, but apparently not. For the adoption certificate spew had to travel by bus back to the Civil Affairs office where Gotcha Day happened. This does not seem like a good idea to me but all the babies in our group seemed to handle it in stride. By the way, there are 9 toddlers two and under, a three year old girl, and a four year old boy in our group. Three total girls and nine boys. Anyway, received our adoption certificate and had our picture taken making Logan a Grace officially ours. On the way over, our guide said it was the last chance we had to decide if we wanted to commit to our child. I can't imagine anyone ever wanting to change their minds. Once you get here you become quickly set that you are on a rescue mission. I wish everyone could see what we've seen this week. We are truly blessed to enjoy the freedoms we enjoy everyday.
From that office we boarded the bus across town to the notary office. It was a little sketchy. It was a small building in a dirtier part of the city. We had to walk up six flights of stairs to be crowded in a tiny room with twelve other families. More paperwork! Then the notary had her picture taken with us and that was that.
We came back to the hotel for downtime. We ate snacks for lunch, played with Logan and waited for dinner. For dinner we once again went to Mamma Mias. We mixed it up though and had pasta instead of pizza. It was really good.

Day Seven
Passport City Day- yesterday we traveled by van to Nanyang to apply for her passport. It was 3 1/2 hours one way. Logan sat in my lap ( no car seats in China) and within minutes was asleep. She is a great rider. The girl loves to go. She will fit right in! The drive was mostly countryside on interstate that closely resembled that in the US. It was lightly raining and there was little traffic. We stopped along the way at a rest area where I conquered the squatty potty. It wasn't as bad as I had imagined...Lol! Tim, our guide took us to a little dive famous for their noodles. I asked him the name and he said Manchurian Steaming Noodles. I was a little nervous to be honest. It was a very small room, like a small bedroom. Tim ordered us dumplings, ride, and noodles. I didn't care for the dumplings but loved the rice and noodles.  We then drove to the police office where Logan had to gave her picture taken and we had to sign more papers. The orphanage officer was there as well. Typically parents get to visit their child's orphanage on this day. When Tim asked she said they were understaffed and there would be know one to show us around. I was disappointed as I really wanted to get a feel for where she had spent the first 18 months of her life. But being understaffed is probably a sure sign that her basic needs were met and that was about it. The next best thing was to get to visit her finding spot. Our guide was willing to take us but it would have added another hour and twenty minutes to our trip so se opted out. Maybe not seeing was for the best. We can press on and not dwell on the past. She was such a trooper all day. She slept most of the way back. I'm not sure if this was her coping with the day or if she was just so exhausted from the big changes in her life.

She is doing amazingly well. She as attached to daddy, but tolerates me. The girl loves to eat and is very active. She has slept most all night every night. We are feeling your prayers. Keep them coming!

China a Day Four

Today is blog catch up day. I am so sorry to be behind already.
Sunday started early as we had to leave the hotel at six thirty in order to arrive at the airport on time. It was really strange going through the security check here. They were very thorough. By the time we got through security we literally had just enough time to get to our  gait. We had to board a bus that carried us onto the tarmac to the plane. What an experience! We were literally sandwiched together. We had to stand and hold to a safety bar like in a subway. The flight was not bad, about 1 hour and 45 minutes or so. We were met by our sweet guides Vivian and Rita and driven to the hotel.  I didn't expect Zhengzhou to be as big as Beijing but it sure seemed close. We are staying at the newly renovated Crowne Plaza, a five star hotel, and it's very nice. We were very happy to know that inside the hotel was an Italian restaraunt called Mamma Mia. We ate there as soon as we were settled. Delicious pizza! It was then off to bed  because the next say would be Logan's Gotcha Day!
Tammy

China Day Five

Gotcha Day started bright and early. After breakfast we met in the lobby. The excitement was so contagious. As we were driving over our guide explained how it would happen. She then said she had received a call that three children were already there. Those families exited the bus first and the rest of us filed in behind with our cameras ready to capture their special moments. Shortly after that Craig told him he could see a baby coming up the sidewalk and thought it was her. I moved closer to the door for a peek and sure enough it was her. The orphanage officer handed her straight over to me. It was very no nonsense much like a business deal. There were no tears from any of us. We were probably all in shock. It was a very surreal. For two years I have tried to imagine what it would be like. It wasn't whet I thought. I had envisioned much more anticipation time since Logan came from a town 3 1/2 hours away. Guess they started early.
I was shocked at how her hair had grown from the last picture and at how chubby she was. I loved how squishy she felt in my arms. She was also squirmy but no tears for the most part.
After we signed some papers we were ready to come back to the hotel.
Things I noticed right away: she sweats like crazy, she is very active and determined, and she has a great disposition.
Once in the hotel we gave her a bath. Her updated report said that she loved bath time. And she does! We spent the rest of the evening playing and loving on our girl. We ordered pizza from the Itallian restaraunt, face timed with the kids and then went to bed.
Logan Grace was very tired but had a hard time relaxing. It was the first time she showed signs of grief. She had napped on Craig's tummy earlier and he had to rock her to get her to sleep. It took a while. Once she was out she slept between us four five hours unti Craig had to shift positions. She woke up scared and cried for a good while. It was so pitiful, and it wanted to cry with her. After a bottle she finally went back to sleep for another couple of hours. What an amazing day.
Tammy

China day three

Today we visited the Great Wall. I was impressed with its vastness but the overall experience of the climb just wasn't what I had envisioned. It was really hard, and there were many people of all nationalities. Luckily the weather was great. It was cooler than in the city because we were in the mountains. It even sprinkled a little. Despite the cooler temps we still could almost ring water out of our clothing when we were finished. Craig was determined to make it to the top. I, on the other hand, would have been content to turn back at the first station. But we continued to climb until I literally could not go any further. I waited while finished and then we descended together. Going down was much harder than going up. Our legs were shaking like crazy!

After the wall we went to a restraunt above a copper enamel factory. I did not realize the detail that goes into each piece. We bought a bell with pandas on it for the Christmas tree. The food was fair. We were hungry so I ate. We then drove back to the hotel. We passed by Olympic park on the way. It was amazing. The guide said it took 7 years to prepare for. The buildings were very unique.

I was beat when we arrived back at the hotel. Our intention was to search out Pizza Hut for supper but we ended up sleeping all evening and now have our internal clocks messed up again! It us 11:30 pm here and we have to be ready to depart for the airport at 6 am in the morning. We will be flying to Zengzhou (not sure of spelling). We are so close to Logan Grace day! Crazy stuff! Keep up the prayers especially for the kiddos at hOme. They are really missing us. The grandparents have there hands full.
Tammy

China Days One Two

Day One
Most of yesterday is a blur. We were so tired from not sleeping the night before and then not being able to sleep on the plane. Both flights were really good. We lucked out on our long flight with having a vacant seat in our row. We watched a lot of movies and read a little but mostly just stared at the little plane with the dotted line showing our flight pattern and length of trip left to go. I did really well until about five hours out. I finally turned on a really boring movie and curled up on my seat and the empty one beside us a slept about two ours.
I want to thank each of you who were covering us in prayers all day. I was really apprehensive about the travel part. I know many prayers were sent up because other than our initial departure from the kids I was at total peace all day....not one little bit of anxiety or apprehension. I know it came from God alone.
When arrived in Beijing we had no trouble receiving our baggage and found customs to be a breeze. We lucked up and had a flight with a couple from Nashville who are also part of our group. After claiming our baggage we had to enter the main part of the airport and find our guide. You can't even imagine how large the airport is. Our guide said it is the second largest in the world with Atlanta being the first. There were thousands of people and hundreds trying to get their attention. Our guide had a sign and we were able to locate her right away. Once we met up with the three other families who arrived at about the same times as us we headed to the hotel. Normally the hotel is twenty minutes away , but because of rush hour it took about two hours! We ended the long day by going next door to a noodle restaurant. Luckily the menu had pictures and all we had to do was point. I am not the greatest fan of chinese food so imagine how much trouble I had using chopsticks. Just when I was about to give up an older gentlemen walked over with a big grin on his face and handed me a fork! Craig thought that was so funny.

Day Two
Our morning started at around 3:30. We had slept about seven hours and were ready to get up. We got ready and waited for the breakfast buffet to open at 6:30. We enjoyed breakfast with a couple from our group. Around 9:00 we departed for a tour of Tian'am Square and the Forbidden City. Both were interesting. We were amazed at the shear volume of people who were there. We compared it to how Americans would tour D.C. Only there were soooo many more. The weather was nice- around 80 degrees with a nice breeze.

The highlight of our day was the Hutong rickshaw tour and lunch at the home of a local family. I wish I could describe this in detail but words just wouldn't do it justice. We wound through small alleys until we got to the home. We were then invited in two a small room with two tables. The son who appeared to be in his early twenties just kept bringing out plates of good family style. It was all delicious. I told Craig that I imagined it to be our equivalent of comfort food-  beans, cornbread, mashed potatoes, etc. Fun fact: the family raised and raced pigeons! Our guide told us there were over one hundred in this large cage type thing on the roof. After that tour we headed back to the hotel which is where we are now. It is 3:19 in the evening. I am not sure what we will do for the rest of the evening.

In a few short hours we are China bound! Thank you all for your support financially and through prayer and kind words.  I am certain that God has orchestrated this journey. He cares about the smallest details, and we have been amazed at seeing his handiwork during each step. Please remember our family in the weeks ahead. This is a huge transition and we are going to miss each other like crazy. Can't wait to meet my baby girl! More from China later!
Tammy