Appointments and finding she belongs

Annika's first Dr appt was a success. She's still a whopping 42 lbs. She did great through the exam, including getting poked for a TB test and blood draw. After the appt, I took her and got her a hamburger and thankfully she ate it!! We have been working to get her to eat more meat! My friend, Jewel, who is fluent in Mandarin explained to Annika that she needed to eat more meat (Annika's blood draws are sloooowww) and she listened! She ate her whole hamburger with no qualms. :-)

A great big thank you to Kyndal for watching 3 of my monkeys while I took Annika! Words cannot express my gratitude. You saved my sanity 😜. 

Another great big thank you to Jewel for going with me today to Annika's Dr appt and translating. You are an invaluable friend. Thank you for being so helpful and kind!!! I know her appt would not have gone as smoothly without you!

We will go back in 2 days for TB results. And we should hear sometime next week about blood results. One of the things the blood results are testing is for her immunization titers to see what, if any, shots she needs. 

We also will be going to an ENT soon to get CT scans and whatever we need to find out more about her ears and begin a plan for those! And we go next week to see the eye specialist! 

I was excited for Dr. Deitchman and Nurse Dianna to get to meet Annika today. Our pediatrician office has been so supportive of us in our adoption journey! And she's finally here !! :)

We had lots of fun last night seeing our friends, the Delgados! I loved they got to meet Annika and they quickly won her over!! 

I captured video of how Annika's starting to pick up speed in her English words and she had a lot of fun making animal sounds with Vanessa!! 

This morning, Annika is exploring the house more and looking for connections. She went through the kids' water bottles this morning, learning her siblings have names on several of them. So, she began looking for one with her name on it. So, she literally filled up 3 water bottles with water (I had to resist the urge to make her stop at the first or second 😐), finding one she could have as her very own too. Once she found not one, but two that she asked if she could have, I then asked if she wanted her name on them. She was very happy about this! Black sharpie came out and Annika was written! :-) 

Later, she wanted to get dressed and she went through the closet and asked if it was both sisters, to which I replied yes. She smiled and when I found the Faith shirt for her to wear, and nodded a happy yes to wear it. 

My heart melts as she's inquisitive and learning that she has a permanent place here, and she has everyday items mixed in with ours.....because she is our family. 

Annika Faith is wearing the shirt with her name on it....and the symbol in my and Jay's hearts that stepping out in Faith and trusting the Lord to bring her home was just what HE had planned for us, for her. 

Welcome home, Annika Faith.  ❤God is good!

Christmas Eve

It's been a wonderful last 2 days. We ate dinner (thank you, Kirokiro family!) our first night home as a family of 6. Jet lag had done Jadyn in by that point but at least she was at the table. 

Christmas Eve was a perfectly laid back day. The kids opened their gifts from Jay's work (thank you, CMJ Engineering!!) and a couple other gifts. We started with Asher since he was the youngest with letting him unwrap a couple presents and worked our way up in birth order. We did it that way so Annika could see 1.) everyone gets gifts at Christmas and 2.) it's okay to unwrap it! She's never experienced Christmas before that we are aware of and she has turned down gift attempts since being home. By the time it was her turn, she was all smiles and a bit shy as she began unwrapping her gifts. The only thing she wasn't very excited about was the bike helmet and probably because it was pink ;), but the excitement of the new red scooter was more than enough for her to don her helmet outside! 

We enjoyed playing outdoors, eating Ramen noodles (she got very excited for this and ate it twice today!), colored new pjs, went looking at Christmas lights and ended the day with smiles, prayers, hugs and kisses. 

My heart is full. 

Merry Christmas!

Jet lag and Christmas blessings

Jet lag - so much fun. Lol

Both girls have been wide awake since 2:30 this morning! 😳😳 Jay and I took turns being up with them. I slept til about 6 am and then traded with Jay. We plan to lay low today and just rest and recoup, decorate gingerbread houses and tonight, drive around looking at Christmas lights! This is Annika's first Christmas so everything is new to her. Some things she seems to like and other things she rejects (unwrapping a gift). She's also is learning to not be started or afraid is our pets. She actually wanted to hold Squared and learning to let nice and gently just a few minutes ago! She's also fascinated with our motion-activated trash can! :) 

So many things are new to her (family life, living in a house, etc) that we will be in a constant state of learning for awhile. And even though she is 8, her behavior is often younger - more like a 4 year old at times with the tantrums or whining. But she is also a quick learner and is soaking up family life. 

This morning, as I saw Jadyn and Annika in our kitchen together, I got all choked up with awe that she is really here now! And I thanked the Lord once again. And looking at Jadyn who also traveled half way around the world with us to get her, I asked her if she was happy that Annika was here. The big beautiful smile said it all. 

I'm also thankful for the treats food Andrea and neighbors left for us! Not having to think about making something from scratch to eat right now - HUGE BLESSING! Lol as I ate cinnamon roll bread thingy to chase the excedrin I had to take at 6 am. 😋 

As I checked my email this morning, I was blown away to see notification that we had received two very generous donations to our Crowdrise sight! 😮 One of them for $500 and the other was anonymously given for $5,000!!! 😮😭😮😭 Jay and I are blown away!! To you, if you're reading this: thank you so very much! We pray the Lord blesses you in more ways than you can imagine!! First, God provides the way to bring our little girl home and now He continues to use people to help provide money for our medical journey with Annika! Thank you thank you thank you!

Annika's first medical appt is next week as we go to her first pediatrician appt. And next week, I'll be scheduling her eye specialist appt!  With 2017 starting in just a few days, we are getting the ball rolling on correcting her eyes and beginning the journey on her ears!  It shouldn't be long before we will be meeting our deductible! Lol I can't wait for my sweet girl to not be self conscious about her eyes and ears and to realize how truly beautiful she already is!

home!

I wanted to share a post my mom (Grandma)made today talking about our arrival home:

"It was early!  Whew!  But worth it. When we were leaving Shannons I went to hug the GKids bye.  Of course Jadyn was her usual loving self, and Asher was a willing participant in the hugs as well.  Eli gave me his usual "love you grandma" with his hug.  After I hugged Eli, Annika was standing near, I opened my arms to her and she came in for a quick hug!!! She's amazing and I think her adjustment period will be short.  On the other hand, our adjustment period might take a while.  The girl loves to talk and does not care one bit that I cannot understand a single word (past "no" that is)."

I am so blessed and amazed at how Annika is blossoming and accepting love. In the last few days, she has really started coming out of her protective shell a little more and allowing more people in.  And today, Grandma got the first hug from someone other than mommy and daddy!

We have had some hard moments in the last week and this afternoon especially as Annika is learning what a family is and how to walk in love (not gruffness or being a bully... things she's learned to live by in the orphanage)....but in those hard moments, Jay and I are striving to walk in love and compassion as we show her what it means to have and be a part of a family who loves her. Unconditionally. That it's okay to make mistakes (and admit to them), that sometimes she makes bad choices (who doesn't, right?), but that we still love her. And we aren't going to hurt her for those bad choices.  Something I fear she's faced all too often in her short 8 years. 

Tonight, we thank the Lord we are all under one roof. Thankful for grandparents who brought us breakfast so we didn't have to think about it, for friends who brought us lunch and helped us with some communication with Annika (they are fluent in Mandarin!), and for friends who dropped dinner off and ran as we were in our jet lag state! We are thankful for kind words and lots of prayer as we learn to be a family of 6 and recover from world-traveling. 

God is so good. He is so good to me....

homeward bound!

After an overnight delay, we are headed back to the airport for our 5 AM flight HOME!!!!!  Not our ideal time for travel, BUT who cares as long as we get home! We can't wait to be in our own beds, our own home, hug our boys and see everyone!!! 

Keep us in your prayers as we fly home. America is about to have a new citizen!

❤️

flight delay

It's Thursday, which means we all woke up early and excited because it's the day we travel home!!! And we just found out our plane has been delayed by EIGHT HOURS!!! 😫😫😫😫😫😫😫😫😫

As of right now, our flight gets in at 11:45 PM instead of 4 pm. And we will still have to go through customs and immigrations when we land. 😫😫😫😫😫 

Please pray for us 

So. Ready. To. Be. Home.

thankful

Things I'm thankful for today:

- how the Jadyn and Annika communicate so well with each other. I love to hear Annika chat away in Chinese as if Jadyn understands her words. 

- how Annika asks for me to pick her up in my arms and then she showers my cheek with her kisses. 

- how Annika waves to people she recognizes and she's happy to see them. She says hi and interacts with others more freely now! 

- how confident she is to run and play, knowing her parents are near by and there if she needs us. It blesses me to see her running, playing and laughing with her sister. 

- how awesome our guides have been each and every step of the way! They truly have walked us through such vulnerable times as well as detailed appts! 

-  how my husband and I have done this trip together!! We've leaned on each other, tag-teamed it and I'm so thankful the Lord chose him for my better half. 

- for new friends made here in China who are also on their adoption journey. 

- for friends and loved ones at home - praying for us, cheering for us, loving on our boys....

- that she is ours. Forever and always. She's officially ours. ❤️

God is good. My heart is full.

Chen Academy, US visa, and more!

It's been a really good day. Visited Chen Academy Museum, and while there, we got each kiddo's name written in Chinese and we got what's called a Chop (stamp) of Annika's new name and her Chinese name (Yang Ao Fang) underneath. These are written in ancient Chinese characters. The Chop has the Rat on top since she was born in 2008 (the Year of the Rat). All of this means a lot to me as we bring home our daughter and she brings a bit of culture home too. I plan to frame the kids' names at home. 

We also got ALL OF OUR PAPERWORK in hand and can now come home!!!!! Annika's US visa was issued and we begin our travel home tomorrow to arrive on the 22nd! 

We asked our guide, Alexa, to sit down with us today and explain to Annika that we have given her a new name. We asked her to tell her that because she is so special to us and we love her so much, we have given her a new name as she begins her new journey with us - her family. We told her that her name has special meaning ("chosen, favored") and that her new name is Annika Faith Fang Sappington. She took it really well and gave a little smile and was like, "ok".  She even identified herself as "mei mei Annika" this afternoon! She doesn't answer to it much yet, lol, but we are working on it. We honestly think she doesn't hear quite as well as we first thought. There have been many times when we are calling her (by Fang or Annika) and she doesn't seem to hear). Time and Dr appts will tell! 

Tomorrow, a van will pick us up at the hotel here to drive us to Hong Kong. We will spend the night there then catch a jet plane home!!!! 

Please pray for Jay and I. He's still not feeling well at all. And I'm dealing with bathroom issues. 😬😬 We are both taking meds. Hoping tomorrow finds us both in better shape!!

US Consulate Appt/Safari Park

Today has been a big and busy day! 

We had our last appt and it was the US Consulate appt! It was pretty neat to see the US flag flying as we entered the building. This appt was where the US looks over our official adoption paperwork and medical report of Annika and asks us if we know her medical diagnosis (yes, yes we do). Then we swear that everything we know and have filled out is right and true. And then, they pretty much give their stamp of approval and issue her visa, which takes about 24 hours to get. Once we left there, our appts were done and we await the rest of our documents to be handed to us tomorrow afternoon sometime and she will become an official US Citizen when she steps on US soil on Dec 22! It felt so good to be leave there and know we are done! We had to get a picture of our sweet girl in front of the Consulate. :-) We celebrated that and PaPa's birthday today with ice cream afterwards! (happy birthday, PaPa William White!! We love you!)

We then joined several other adoptive families and went to Safari Park! It's like going to the Fort Worth zoo (for our TX folks), but better! We took a safari ride and saw all kinds of wild animals! Then, we walked around and saw many other exhibits, including my fave animal - KOALAS! We also saw the pandas! Jay and I are really relating to how the pandas looked today. Worn. Out! 

We also celebrated with ice cream cones while we were at Safari Park. The girls had a great day and lots of fun! 

Tomorrow is a free day for us as we have some much-needed down time and gear up to travel on Wednesday morning. At this point, we are so ready to just get on the plane that takes us home. We came, we saw, we got our girl, now let's go home. ❤️

Shopping Day!

We've had a really good day today! Met more American families who are here with their newly adopted kiddos.  We enjoyed shopping at the Pearl Market and Shamian Island. Victory Hotel is where many adoptive families stayed on Shamian Island until about 10 years or so ago for a legit reason I can't remember. Lol. It looked like a very nice hotel. 

One of the things on my bucket list while here was to get the girls' picture with the kids' statues on Shamian Island. It was very busy and crowded, but mission accomplished! 

Bonding continues to go really well and now Annika is becoming comfortable with saying hi to people we are friendly with (new friends here). This is a big victory since she didn't even want us talking to anyone else, ESPECIALLY other children at first. (Fear of us liking someone over her, maybe?) Now, she feels secure in us and doesn't feel possessive of us in that regard. It blesses us to see her growing in her confidence and security in our family. 

Please continue to pray for Jay, who has been sick with upper respiratory infection that started two days ago. Thankfully, he has brought a zpack his Dr had prescribed as a just in case. Jay started the zpack last night, so hopefully by tomorrow, he'll start feeling a bit better. 

Tomorrow morning (Dec 19 here) is our US Consulate appointment. This is the last official appt we have and it's where she will be granted US citizenship for when she first steps on US soil when we come home!!! It also happens to be PaPa's birthday (Jay's grandfather)! What a birthday present, right? We look forward to celebrating him when we get home!  We are required to wait two full days before traveling to allow for her visa to be issued, which we should have no later than Wednesday. 

After the Consulate appt, we will head to the Safari Park with several other of our new friends and their kiddos! 

Five more sleeps (counting the 14 hour plane ride) until we are home!!

Pearl River Cruise

Today has been a good day with some small victories! At one point, a very tired Jadyn has a break down when Annika accidentally spilled water on her. Jadyn was crying and Annika grew really quiet and for the first time showed that it really saddened and worried her that her sister was crying because of her, essentially. Baba comforted Annika to let her know it was just an accident and it was ok while I helped Jadyn change clothes and comfort her. Once Jadyn let out some tears and pulled herself together, we told her how worried Annika was and to go sit by her and hug her so she knows Jadyn wasn't mad at her. It was a monumental moment where Annika saw that she is loved and she wasn't going to get in trouble. Both girls continue to amaze and bless us with their growing bond. 

This evening, we went on the Pearl River Cruise, which was really neat to experience. We were with 2 other adoptive families, both of whom adopted 13-yr-old children- very soon to be 14. In China, once a child turns 14, they can no longer be adopted. These two teenagers now have a future and a family! Please pray for the teen girl - her transition has been rough and scary for her. She has been very brave, but I could tell her heart was hurting tonight on the cruise. 

Some small victories we experienced were tonight on the cruise. As Annika's insecurity decreases, she is starting to be less fearful/stand offish of other people who she sees us talking with. Tonight on the cruise, not once, but TWICE she spoke to two adults on her own accord.  Once, she waved and said goodbye to a new friend as she and I headed to her first of 3 bathroom trips during the one hour cruise. The second time was when we arrived back at our hotel and she told another friend to get out of the van because we were here.  The fact she showed concern he wasn't out of the van yet was a good sign. During the cruise, she was at ease and enjoyed herself with our new friends. Jay and I looked at each other and silently cheered this night of small victories. 

God is good!

Tomorrow, we go to Shamian Island for some shopping!!!

Medical appt visit and more

Today has been a full day. We had Ao Fang's medical appointment this morning, and she was a champ. I think she actually enjoyed the hearing and vision testing along with the questions the dr was asking her about what parts of clothing were, solving math problems, names of object, etc). Part of the medical exam is getting blood drawn for TB testing. The child did not even flinch, but rather watched in total curiosity. I was so impressed with her! After the medical appt, our guide took us a sightseeing a bit, then took us back to the hotel. I bought my first ever OTC drug today..... allergy medicine, which I forgot to pack! It's all in Chinese, so thank goodness for the guide! :)

Some friends who live in China had to come to GZ (Guangzhou) today to renew their son's passport. They came and spent some time with us and it was nice to visit with them! 

The kiddos enjoyed the outside playground today and LOVED it!! Jadyn and Annika are bonding so well now... I love to watch them interact. <3 I will post some videos in a bit. I love to hear their laughs!

We have started introducing our English names (Mommy, Daddy, Jadyn, Eli, etc) to her. She LOVES to write and can read and write in Chinese. Today, she and I were playing where I would draw a smiley face and she would copy it. I would draw a heart, she would draw a heart. I wrote MAMA... she wrote mama... and BABA and JADYN and ANNIKA. And today, she said her new name! I think she is starting to connect herself with her new name too. I said "Baba Daddy" and she repeated. "Mama Mommy" and she repeated. I pointed to Jadyn, who she calls "Jie Jie" which means Big Sister and I said "Jie Jie Jadyn"...she repeated. I said "Mei Mei ("little sister who she knows is her") ... Mei Mei Annika"..... and she repeated! :) It was the most precious sound to my ears! 

We also experienced Annika's first crying/upset episode today since Gotcha Day too. We are not sure what caused her to react this way, but we were talking to some friends and she went and hid in our bathroom and wanted them to leave. It was a very very hard moment watching my girl cry and panic and not want to move as I scooped her up in my arms and comforted her. We tried to figure out what triggered it, but we couldn't understand her. Daddy came and scooped her up into his arms and comforted her while I took Jadyn down to play with our friends. It took her a long while to calm down. We tried to translate what she was saying, but never could figure it out. Someday she will have the words that we can understand. For now, we continue to love on her and let her know she's safe. Though it was a really hard time for daddy and I to watch her like this, Jay said the good in this is that she has her mommy and daddy now and we are here to comfort her when she is scared and love on her. She has done great this evening and enjoyed playing outside with Jie Jie Jadyn. 

Tonight, we received news that someone in Jay's company passed away. It was a very tragic loss and the company is a family and they are all hurting. Please pray for Jay's work and all those who are now grieving this sad loss. Jay is heavy hearted tonight and grieving.

I finally got my computer up and running here in China, so I can finally include pictures in my posts!!

12-13-16  She is ours forever!

Adoption Finalization Day!

Taiyuan, Shanxi Province

12-14-16

Our beautiful girl... 

12-16-16

Sisters bonding

Different spoken languages... unspoken sisterly love!

thank you

Dear Flight Attendant,

Thank you for getting our 8 year old daughter to buckle her seatbelt for the flight, because she sure wasn't having it from us!

Dear Guangzhou,

It is very nice to meet you. And it is REALLY nice to see more American faces! 

Dear China Marriott,

Thank you for having the Executive Lounge where we can fill our bellies on your hoirdourves (can't freaking spell that word right now) for free. And thank you for the range of drinks. Mommy and daddy are partaking tonight. Oh, and thank you for the playground so my girls can burn some energy!

Dear Baba,

Thank you for getting our daughter to finally untuck her shirt!

different

Someone asked me if Annika was different when we drove off from the orphanage yesterday and I wanted to share...

She was different. At first, she was testing boundaries a bit (not sitting down in the van when I told her to - no kid car seats in China) , but the further we drove away, the more relaxed she came and even sat on my lap and laughed as I bounced her on my knees. She even wanted to trade places with me (I sat in middle with a daughter on both sides) and she sat next to Jadyn for a bit and interacted with her. (She has avoided sitting next to Jadyn most of the time). By last night, she was including Jadyn in a mommy pile up! She wanted Jadyn to get on my back and then her stacked on top as I galloped around the hotel room with their giggles filling the air! It was a blessing to my heart!  

Today, we pack up and fly to Guangzhou where we will be until the 21st. Our first plane ride with her!! She is quite the wiggle worm, so a 3 hour plane ride will be a good introduction to US of what's about to come for a 14 hour plane ride home in ONE MORE WEEK!!!

❤️

orphanage visit

We just left Yangquan. When we got to the gate of the SWI, Annika got nervous. I'm so thankful our guide was with us and able to tell her and reassure her that she was not staying. We had Maggie ask Annika if she wanted to get out of the van and she said no, so we let her stay. Taking pictures of her finding spot - the gate of the orphanage - was bittersweet. Yangquan is known for its coal. Could she have been a coal miner's daughter? There are apartments next to the SWI.  Was her birth mom living in those apartments when she laid her newborn daughter at the gate? We will never know. 

Jay and Jadyn stayed in the van with Annika while Maggie and I went into the orphanage with the director. I asked if I could take pics and he said just of the main lobby area. So, I did. It didn't look like I was going to get to tour, but I was at least grateful to come this far. Then, the therapy teacher in charge of the first floor happened to come out and saw us standing there and whatever she said to the director, she was happy to come show me around! Maggie translated. To see the places AoFang has been.., places I've seen in pictures and videos.... I was in awe and so thankful for this gift the Lord was giving me! I got to meet, the lady who drives the kid tonand from school. I saw the room she learned her math and abcs when she lived on the first floor / the wall with hers and others artwork. The teacher there gave me a sheet of Ao Fang's handwriting and I was so overcome with emotion and thanked them. Maggie told the teacher and therapy lady that I also know several other families from there, including Hong Fu and MiMi. They got so excited and then carefully took down more artwork and handwriting papers so I could give them to their families. They said that seeing how much it meant to me, they were going to try and prepare school/artwork files in the future for families who come and adopt. I pray that is so because it is a gift I treasure. (By the way- she recognized her handwriting work immediately when I got in the car. She wanted to see all the papers I had and then was done with them. ) 

And I saw the toddler children - mostly boys - all orphans. the caregivers got the curious little ones to say Ni Hao and hello to me. It was the cutest thing - all of them fascinated with me - the foreigner. Right then and there, I prayed for them silently. That they would all know the love of a mom and dad. 

And then we went up to the sixth floor where AoFang has lived the past year or so. To see where she slept on a floor of mostly boys.... a room with a lone bed (usually 2 per room), mostly bare walls....so bare except a few flower stickers, and some bedroom furniture. I saw the library, the place where she does homework.... I thanked and hugged the ladies there. Grateful for this gift they had just given me. And I think, I gave them a gift too to see how much I love AoFang. I showed them pics of her new sister and brothers and the pic of mama, baba and jiejie at adoption day. They seemed very blessed to see that picture and got excited to see she now had a BaBa and family. 

Thank you, Lord, for this gift of seeing where my daughter has been for the past 8 years. I can tell that she does not have pleasant memories there and she is glad to be gone from there. I can tell we will have a long road ahead for her to heal from what has hurt her in the past and shaped her to who this little 8 year old is sitting right next to me. We will walk this journey with her. We will love her, grieve with her when she is ready, listen when she has the words to talk, hold her when she is scared, cheer for her in her victories, and show her what family is and above all, show her Christ's love for her. Yang Ao Fang, my daughter, my Annika. You are chosen and dearly loved... and an orphan no more. Baba and I love you very very much. 

China update

We are chilling in the hotel room. Ao Fang is slowly learning that Jadyn isn't going to bully her and that she really is a nice person. She even wanted to take Jadyn's picture and then mine and Jadyn's picture together. This is improvement as she hasn't wanted to take Jadyn's pic or her to see them until this afternoon. It is very evident that Ao Fang has learned it's a "dog-eat-dog" world where she comes from. 

We are also slowly started to insert "Annika" when calling her so she starts hearing it. 

Jadyn is incredible. Words cannot describe how proud we are of her. She is so patient and kind with her sister!!

So, now we wait for our Inter-country adoption certificate and a couple of other things my brain is too tired to remember (good thing we wrote it down!) 

to be ready and notarized today or tomorrow. 

We go tomorrow to see her city - Yangquan - and see her finding spot where she was left when she was about 2 days old - at the steps of the orphanage. The orphanage director has said we can come visit the orphanage too while we are there. This is HUGE as no one has been able to go visit for months. We will see if he still lets us tomorrow, but for now, it's a yes. 

On Thursday, we fly from here to Guangzhou where she will have a medical appointment this weekend and then we have our US Consulate appt on Monday, the 19th. Once we have the visa paperwork needed from there (around Tuesday/Wednesday), we are officially done in China! We leave Guangzhou on Wednesday and go to Hong Kong overnight so we can catch our plane home on Thursday, Dec 22! 

We are almost halfway done with our trip! Counting the days until we are home! ❤️

she is ours!

It is official. Exactly 10 months to the day we stepped out in faith and began this journey, there is one less orphan in this world and Annika Faith Fang is officially a Sappington!!

God is good!

She is doing great today. A bit of a sassy pants 😉, but doing great.

Her life is about to change

Right about now, Yang Ao Fang is getting ready to begin her 2 hour journey from her orphanage, the place that has been her "home" for 8 years and she is making her way to the Civil Affairs office here in Taiyuan where her new life and family will be waiting. She's only 8 years old and my heart and mind can't help but wonder what she is thinking and feeling. I imagine she's so scared and nervous, not knowing what the future holds for her with this family she has never met. I wonder what her reaction will be when she sees us face to face for the first time. Will she feel trepidation? Relief? Maybe even disappointment at expectations in her heart not met? Only the Lord knows how that appointed moment will go. He already knows and He's already there.... waiting to be with us all in that moment and forever going forward. I pray Yang Ao Fang FEELS the love the Lord has for her and His tangible presence fills that room we are in when we meet for the first time. Our prayer is that she feels as if she has come home when she sees us for the first time. But, no matter how she feels, how she reacts, how that moment turns out to be for all of us..... Ao Fang's new journey is about to become OUR journey..... Ao Fang is about to become Annika Faith Fang Sappington and no matter what, she's ours and we are here for her.  Her past, her present and her future are about to connect and the incredibleness of this moment is not lost on us. 

To God be the glory....

Today is the day!

It's about 5:30 am. All 3 of us have been awake since about 4 am. We are all nervous and excited. Jadyn and I have given up on sleeping, though Jay is still giving it an effort. Pray for him. He has a sinus headache. Praying the meds kick in soon. 

Today is the day! It's here! We are on the brink of meeting her. Months and months of prayer, paperwork, preparations..... and it's here. The day we meet our newest daughter and sister. 

Jadyn is ready for the "butt-load" of suckers she knows she gets to eat along with Ao Fang!  Bahahahahah! Let the pile of sucker wrappers and fruit snacks wrappers begin, because that means I've got two little girls who are eating them. :)

The Great Wall

Another long day is winding down and it's been a great one! Experiencing the Great Wall was incredible. Our time in Beijing was memorable. We met another adoptive couple, the Coopers, who joined us on Saturday. We got to spend Saturday and today with them until we parted ways at the airport. They went to one province and we flew to Taiyuan. They are a great couple and we hit it off immediately. We are excited to see them again in just a few days when we meet up in Guangzhou along with several other families! 

Our flight from Beijing to Taiyuan was quick and uneventful! Our guide is Maggie and she met us at the airport and took us to our hotel. She is amazing, knows her stuff and knows how to make you feel welcomed! She even stayed around to order a pizza for us before heading to her home for the evening! She said we are one of NINE families here in Taiyuan adopting this week! 2 families are Spanish, 4 are Italian and 2 are American. She and other guide, Grace, have a very busy week ahead of them! How exciting that so many children in this province alone are being adopted and will no longer be orphans?!! 

We got Annika's backpack ready tonight to go meet her tomorrow. TOMORROW IS GOTCHA DAY!!! We meet our guide, Grace, in the lobby bar 8:40 in the morning to go to the bank and exchange our currency. From the bank, we will go to the Civil Affairs office where we will meet and get Annika about 10 am!!!!

I have so much I want to share, but my tired brain is mush and tomorrow is THE big day, so for now, I'll share one more story before I get ready for bed....

One of the things I was most looking forward to was fulfilling what I had read from others about taking a lock with their child's name on it and 2 keys to the Great Wall. At the Great Wall, there's a certain spot where people take their lock and attach it on a gate there. Then, they take one of the keys and throw it over the Great Wall and they keep the other key. This symbolizes that their child will forever have a part of themselves in China, the land from which they were born. When the child is grown, you give them the other key to remind them they will always have a piece of them in China. Well, I was REALLY looking forward to doing this! I had my lock and keys ready and everything with Annika's Chinese name and new name on the lock. Then, I found out the part of the Great Wall where the gate is that people do this..... wasn't the part we were going to. Womp womp wommmmmp! I was bummed, but decided to take my lock and keys anyways. Jay and I decided that we were going to do our own rendition of it and decided to hide the lock on a place on the Great Wall that won't ever be removed. Our new friends, Ben and Amy Cooper were with us and with the help of Amy, we found a perfect place IN the Great Wall itself, in one of the towers where the brick had a big hole/crack in its mortar. Because the Great Wall is so old, there are several places that are cracked or mortar gave way, etc. After dropping Annika's lock into the dark crevice, we then took one of the keys and I gave it kiss, said a small prayer and I flung it over the Wall. It was a very emotional moment - way more than I expected - as we thanked the Lord for our daughter from China. Amy was kind of enough to record it for us so I will have that moment to look back on. As Jay and I held hands walking back to meet our guide, I could tell he too was moved by that moment and all it signified. Annika's lock is now tucked away in one of the strong towers of the Great Wall. Just as our Lord is our Strong Tower Who hides us in the cleft of the Rock, Annika is too.

I am so thankful for this day. Seeing the Great Wall, experiencing it with my husband and Jadyn who had a blast! And I'm thankful that Ben and Amy were there. I'm thankful for new friendships, connected with the bond of adoption. I'm thankful Amy knew I needed that momma hug after the emotion of throwing that key and thus leaving a piece of my daughter in China. I'm thankful that we only have one more sleep until we are face to face with our Annika!!

God is good.

middle of the night thoughts...

It's the middle of the night and Jadyn and i are awake. Why? Because our schedules are still wonky and we both fell asleep about 6 pm here. Womp womp wooommmp. Lol

So, let me share my middle of the night thoughts....

Thankful....

-I'm thankful the Lord has given us this opportunity to come to Beijing and experience history, cultural, food, etc. 

-I'm thankful and most excited to go see the Great Wall on Sunday. I'm excited to walk on it, touch those stones of ages old and be in wonder of it ... in person 

- I'm thankful we brought Jadyn and she's experiencing it all with us. She has been so good and a trooper and I am enjoying time with just her. It's been nearly 8 years since it was "just" her, so I'm appreciating this time while purposely trying NOT to think about my other 2 heartbeats on the other side of the world and the one heartbeat just a short plane ride away. 

- I'm thankful this time is going fast. (it's Saturday!!!) Because although this is neat being in BJ, I would like to just fast forward and get my daughter, please, so we can go home and I can have my family all complete. 

- I am so thankful that my best friend and better half is with me and we are doing together. We make a great team, he and I. I am thankful he is laying next to me on what feels like a full-sized little bed and he's snoring away while I type this. I am thankful that no matter which way we sleep, we are touching, because again, I'm pretty sure this is a full-sized bed. Being near him is calming to me. I love him and am thankful we are doing life together. 

- I'm thankful for all of you, for our family and friends who are praying for us, and just as eagerly awaiting our home coming. I miss you. 

- and a confession.... I miss my boys. I miss their voices, their hugs, their giggles and even their bickering. I miss Asher asking me to sit on the couch and cuddle and watch cartoons together. I miss Eli giving me his shy smile, ducking his head, opening his arms and coming in for a hug with momma. I miss them so much that I choke up and have to fight becoming a crying mess in the middle of the buffet breakfast or the taxi ride or middle of the night thinking. But I am thankful they are at home (another confession), because they would have been bored so many times and restless and quite vocal about it- and we aren't even to the adoption appointments part of this yet!  Jay and I know the boys staying home was definitely the right choice and we are glad it has worked out this way.  But I miss them terribly and I'm (trying not to but can't help it) counting down til we are back in DFW and I can scoop them up in my arms!

- I am thankful for Andrea Johnson Brown who has made herself fit so willingly and selflessly into our family. I am thankful for her precious kiddos who are going with the flow so cheerfully and doing life under a different roof for a couple of weeks. I love that Colt and Sadie have such big hearts. They come by it through great parents. Andrea and Jim Brown are two of the most giving and serving people I know. 

- I am thankful that wherever I go, the Lord my God is with me. ❤️

Friday in Beijing

Today (Friday), we toured the Summer Palace and the Temple of Heaven. Our guide has been great! We went by taxi to both places and then got to take the Subway back to our hotel! It's been a beautiful day! Our guide took us to a restaurant and we had hot pot! It was very yummy! 

Jadyn's presence has evoked many smiles from the people here. A kind older lady even scooter over on the subway to allow Jadyn room to sit next to her. The lady and the people around her admired Jadyn through two stops. She is a cutie, what can we say? :-) Jadyn is having a great time and has said several times how thankful she is that she is here with us. 

Things we've learned/experienced today: 

- people smoke E-V-E-R-Y-W-H-E-R-E! Taxis, hotels, van rides.... smell of cigarettes. 😷

- when touring historical said Temple of Heaven and you have to go to the bathroom, you have to grab your toilet paper BEFORE you go into the bathroom. Only 1 stall had a toilet - all others were squatty potties. My question is: what happens if you don't grab enough toilet paper when going in??? 😳

- taking the subway is a fun experience

- bringing my essential oils and Diffuser has been a great choice! Diffusing Purification in our room now!

- internet connection is slllooooowwww

Tomorrow, another adoptive couple are joining us at our hotel and our guide is taking us to Tianamen Square and Forbidden City. We are looking forward to meeting the other couple and touring!

 
 
 

we made it to China!

Hello, loved ones!!

We made it to Beijing safe and sound! Jadyn loved the plane ride and all the cool features her seat had (movies, video games and music). She stayed awake the entire 14.5 hour flight, then tried hard stay awake during the hour drive in the van to our hotel. We are now checked into our hotel and can't wait to fall into bed! Tomorrow, we start touring with our guide, Candy. She was waiting for us at the airport and will be with us every step of the way while in Beijing. 

We are in China!!!! We are in the same country and time zone as Annika!!

We love you. We feel your prayers. Keep them coming. 

God is good! Sleep is going to be great! Lol

China bound!

We are at DFW, loaded on our plane and soon will be taking off! Next stop - Beijing!!

 

Getting packed and ready to go

2 more sleeps until we go to China. So many emotions going though me all the time! One week from today is our Gotcha Day! 2 days from now, I won't see my sons for 15 days! My heart is excited to be gaining a daughter, nervous to travel and meet her,  and yes, even dreading the separation from my boys.  Tonight, I made the boys goody bags with surprises and wrote them notes for while we are away. Hopefully, they will find it fun to open a new bag every couple of days while they count down til our return! I'm pretty sure I'll never let them go once we are reunited. ❤️

My to-do list is long, but time will need to stand still for a bit this morning. Asher  loves to cuddle and watch cartoons together. This morning, I looked at him on the couch as I was moving around the house and I asked, "Want me to come cuddle with you?" His face lit up and said, "Yeah!" So, here we are. Daisy dog too. All cuddled on the couch and I'm soaking it up. This momma' heart is going to miss her boys very very much those two weeks I'm away from them.
❤️