Brody's Forever Family Day

I'm not sure how I begin to describe what emotions we felt today.  Redemption, second chances, loss, joy, family, and faith all come to mind this morning.  I can't imagine all the pain and loss our little guy has experienced in such a short time.  What I do know is that from this day forward he won't experience it alone.

We left the hotel at 9:00 to go to the Civil Affairs office where we would complete the China portion of the adoption paperwork and meet Brody for the first time.  The trip to the office seemed to take an eternity.  As we drove there I wondered if he had arrived?  When did he learn that we were coming for him?  Was he scared?  Would he be open to letting us into his life and heart?  Our guide, Maggie, told us that Brody had already arrived at the office and would be waiting for us. 

When we arrived at the office, the lady said that Brody was there but first we needed to complete some paperwork.  What?!  How do you tell a new mother that you can't see your child when you know he's in the office?  After signing the 24 hour guardianship agreement and the final adoption paperwork for the following day, we could see our son. 

 Anxiously waiting...

 And there he was!  All smiles.  My heart was full.  I embraced him, thinking to myself, little guy this is forever.  He is a very happy child.  He immediately allowed Ryan and I to hug him.  He was so brave and his smile melted my heart.  I'm amazed that God moved so many mountains to bring him to our family.  This is the picture of God redeeming a child who due to no choice of his own was given a difficult start. 

 The institute sent a photo book of him that we will cherish.  It gave us a glimpse into his life and his time in Shanghai.  We also received a DVD about the institute.  Brody is actually in the video and when we arrived at the hotel, he was excited to show it to us.  The institute also sent some gifts for him including shoes, an outfit, and cup.  A volunteer at the institute also sent a game for him to play. 

 A group photo with our guide Maggie.

It was amazing how brave Brody was when it was time to leave.  He took Chase's hand and walked out of the building calm and confident.

 That smile melts my heart...

  Once we left the civil affairs office, we stopped the supermarket to pick up some snacks and toys for our visit to the institute on Wednesday. 

 He was eager to help us push the cart, pick out toys, and load the cart with our snacks and gifts. 

 Many of the grocery stores are located in larger buildings with services and places to eat.  After completing the paperwork and shopping, we were quite hungry.  Brody was hungry as well and cleaned his plate at lunch.  We are working on small bites and slower eating.  I'm sure these are simply behaviors from his time in an institute and he has already begun to slow down when reminded.  It amazed me at how clean and neat he was.  After finishing all (yes he cleaned his plate) of lunch, he neatly organized the items on his tray. 

Brody and Chase hanging out in the hotel lobby.

 Piggy back rides are fun!

 We came back to the hotel and planned to spend some quality time bonding.  Brody was super excited and asked to play hide go seek right away.  After that we played basketball, tossed the sky ball from the loft and first floor, and worked puzzles.  We also purchased a remote control car at a local toy store and the boys enjoyed driving it around the room.  Within just a short time, we were able to tell that he is such a smart and funny boy.  I just look at him, smile and shake my head at his cute personality. 

 

 

 

Our little guy can work puzzles quickly and methodically.  He was proud of his accomplishment.



  A little basketball before bed!

 He had no issues taking a shower and putting on his pajamas for bed. We went to sleep early as it had clearly been a fun and busy day for all of us.  He went right to sleep.  What a great Forever Family Day for a kiddo that already has my heart! 

~A little note from Brody:  sun qiu le brody mama

Shanghai Day 2-The Day Before Brody

Vivianna and Steven left this morning for home so we decided to check out some places around Shanghai that they recommended to us. Our first stop was the Pearl TV Tower. The tower is 1,500 feet tall, one of the tallest buildings in the city.



The view of the city is amazing at 750 feet.



There's an additional transparent sightseeing platform that literally suspends you above the city. The kiddos enjoyed the view above the streets and river. I was a little less thrilled about being so far up without a "solid" floor.







After the Pearl Tower, we ate lunch at a Korean/Chinese restaurant. The rice was great and Maeli liked the noodle bowl.









We stumbled upon a 10 story mall that also happened to have a huge arcade. It is a great break from walking and the kids enjoyed the games.


The malls here have displays that are really interesting.



We finished the day wondering about the pearl and goods market off the Shanghai Science and Technology Subway (we survived the subway alone!) stop. It's fun to look around there and also to negotiate prices with the shop owners. We picked up a few souvenirs and headed to a well known park area to find dinner. After dinner we went to the supermarket for a few items. Once back in the room we had a great time talking, laughing, and spending the last few hours as a family of 5.

It's simply impossible to accurately describe my emotions tonight. I can't help but wonder about him... I pray his heart will be easily opened to us. I know he's had to protect it. He's learned that he's the only person he can trust. We know it will take time to build that trust with him. My heart hurts for the time I've lost with him, the time he's waited... And then I'm reminded that timing is everything... God makes all things work for the good of those who are called according to his purpose. He's been working long before we committed to be Brody's parents that this day would come. I have to trust that He will guide and lead us. Does that mean his journey will be easy? I don't think so. In many ways over the past few months, my faith has been tested... But one thing that has remained the same is God's faithfulness in our process to bring Brody home. 6 months ago, we followed a call and God has been in the details to bring him home God speed. Please, please pray for Brody tonight. At 9 pm CST (Sunday), Brody will see his forever Baba and Mama for the first time face to face. The courage and bravery that it will take for him to walk away from everything he has known the past 8 years into a family, is incomprehensible to me. So I ask that as we celebrate being a forever family, that we remember the loss and pain that came with that new chapter and I ask you to cover him in prayer that God, who can do more than we can imagine would give Brody comfort and courage to let us into his heart.

Blessings,
Jessica

We Made It! Shanghai Day 1

We left for Atlanta Wednesday night for our Thursday morning flight to Shanghai. Our Korean Air flight stopped in Seoul for a layover before arriving in Shanghai. It was neat to be able to spend a few hours in our youngest daughter's birth country.

Ready for takeoff!







When we arrived in Shanghai, we were greeted by our dear friends from China, Vivianna and Steven, who traveled to Shanghai for the weekend to visit with us. It's amazing how God has woven our friendship together. What started as a friendship between her and I at school during her 1 year internship in the USA has transformed into a lifelong friendship with her and her husband. We visited her and Steven last year when we traveled to bring Maeli and home and thankfully their schedule allowed for them to spend some time with us again. What a blessing that God worked out.

We are staying in the Pudong district in a loft style hotel that provides a little more room than the average hotel. The extra space will be helpful as we plan to spend most of our time in the room playing and bonding with Brody. Here's the view from our room on the 17th floor.






Eating Breakfast with our friends. Thankful for the Starbucks next door to our hotel after the 16 hour plane ride with limited food, we were ready for something familar.



Shanghai has a unique mixture of modern living and ancient culture. My first impression was that city is similar to New York.






I'm amazed at all the bikes and scooters here. Chase had a near crash experience with a bike this evening. It is never safe to cross the road even when the crosswalk says it is!
There are so many shops and goods. With traffic being impossible, many vendors transport goods on bikes.



With Vivianna and Steven's help, we tackled the Subway! There were SO people crammed into a small space!



That would be duck stomach... Steven encouraged us to try it... We passed! :)



We spent the morning at the Yu Garden. There are lots of shops and activities nestled in ancient type Chinese buildings.



Paper cutting is popular in Shanghai and can be made while you wait.



These guys are too much fun! Steven keeps us entertained with his jokes and antics. Notice the cup... He is partaking in the duck stomach snack.



So many people... The New York feel except the population of New York is 8.4 million people. Shanghai is home to 14 million people. A little overwhelming in some areas.



Chase and Steven watching an ancient Chinese movie being narrated. Those two are inseparable.









Having fun! Laughing lots!



Apple Store in Shanghai, different country, still busy... I need to invest in Apple stock when we return home! :)



Nanjing Road-Western Shops



This is the Bund area of Shanghai where the river and cityscape come together to make a beautiful scenery at night.









More of the city at night. We had a wonderful time seeing the city and spending time with our friends. It's hard to believe that we are in the same city as our son. I find myself observing the little boys and wondering what Brody is doing. Does he know we are here? Is he scared, nervous, excited? Only two more sleeps and he will forever be a son to a family that has pursued and loved him for months... A family that doesn't have it all together, but has enough love and dedication to embark on this journey and be his forever.



Blessings,
- Jessica

Steps closer...

We moved several steps closer to our sweet boy.  On September 11th Brody's immigration paperwork also known as the I800 was provisionally approved.  We are hoping for a mid to end of October travel date.  I spent that weekend getting Brody's travel backpack and clothes together for the trip.  The nesting process creates a greater longing to hop on a plane and bring our sweet boy home.  Half way across the world there's a little boy who is loved more than he can imagine.

A week later, on September 18th, our case was sent to the US Embassy in China in order for Brody's visa to be processed.  We completed his visa application and our paperwork was dropped off on September 22 at the Embassy in Guangzhou for processing of his visa.  Typically it takes 2 weeks for this step.  However, his case was expedited and was ready for pickup on Wednesday of this week.  So....  as of September 25 we are officially waiting for Travel Approval (TA)!  Our expectation is that will come after the Chinese National Holiday as they are out of the office from October 1-8.  If Travel Approval were to be issued it would be a miracle.  Since our paperwork arrived on Thursday, that only leaves the Chinese government 4 business days to process our paperwork.  Praying for our TA before the holiday so we can travel mid October but we know that late October is most likely.

~This blog post has been in process since mid September~  And until today (October 3, this was as far as I had blogged and saved....)  Time flies when you are having fun or when life is crazy, lol!  With all the life commitments, schedules, and house addition to make room for Brody, my blog post has been in process for a few weeks

So onto our big announcement:  This afternoon (October 3, 2014) at 1:03 CST, we received our Travel Approval!!!  This is the last China approval before making travel arrangements to get Brody!  We will have a more definite itinerary Monday after our US Consulate appointment is verified, but tentatively we plan to leave October 16th or 23rd.  

It's amazing to see how God has worked throughout this entire process.  Our timeline has been extremely fast, and to me I see God moving mountains (literally mountains of paperwork and tedious details) to get our little guy home quickly because he has waited and been returned and waited some more.  To know we are only weeks away from meeting our forever son, brings such joy and emotion.  This is where we, as a family really need prayer.  He needs prayer.  This adventure will be hard.  He's seen loss and hurt.  We know our parenting will be tested (by him and our current kiddos). We also know that prayer, grace, love, and the Lord as our foundation with consistent trust based parenting techniques will carry us.  I'm sure in the coming weeks and months we will laugh, cry, experience rejection, feel joy.  In all of it, the support of our family and friends will be priceless.  Thank you for those who have prayed, inquired, rejoiced, cried, and supported our journey whether by words or financially.  Your love and support is deeply cherished.  We can't wait to share him with you this side of the ocean.