During the trip I’ll try to send little updates via Facebook when we can, but won’t be blogging regularly until we’re home. I’ll recount all the juicy details then!
Here is a quick breakdown of where we will be and when (remember, any times I put down are China time, so 13+ hours ahead of you depending on where you are). We also will be meeting/adopting the children in the capitol of their home province (Charlotte – Sichuan, Jack – Jiangsu). Since Charlotte is at the orphanage in the capitol of Sichuan (Chengdu) we will be picking her up at her orphanage. For Jack, we will be meeting/adopting him at the capitol of Jiangsu, which is Nanjing, and then visit his orphanage in Xuzhou later.
- Leave at 6:05am tomorrow, 2/28, and with one layover be in Beijing by 3:10pm 3/1
- We will go directly from the airport to visit Jack’s healing home, where he was transferred to last spring to get more one on one care for his health (not sure if he will be there or not!!)
- We will be in Beijing touring with our group until Saturday morning, when we will fly to Chendgu
- Sunday morning we will meet and get custody of Charlotte and take a tour of her orphanage.
- Monday morning (3/6) will we do the official registry and Charlotte will be a Deller!
- Tuesday morning (3/7) we will fly from Chengdu to Nanjing and go directly from the airport to pick up Jack. We will go to the official registry and Jack will be a Deller!
- Wednesday (3/8)we will be in Nanjing and do some sightseeing and adjusting as a family
- Thursday (3/9)we will take the train to Xuzhou (Jack’s home city)
- Friday (3/10) we will take a tour of the orphanage and then train back to Nanjing. We will go directly from the train station to the airport and fly to Guangzhou, where we will be for the rest of our trip.
- Saturday (3/11) the children have their medical appointments
- Sunday and Monday (3/12-13) is down time, a bit of sightseeing
- Tuesday (3/14) we have our Consulate Appointment – the final big step before coming home!
- Wednesday and Thursday (3/15-16) we have down time while we wait for the children’s visas to be processed to leave the country.
- Friday (3/17) we leave for home and will get into Pittsburgh at around 11pm
It’s going to be crazy! But such a good kind of crazy. If you’ve read this far, hold on for just a little bit longer as there is something important we want to share about the kids. When we first come home we will be doing what is known as ‘cocooning’. Our new children don’t know what family is. They don’t have a concept of what a parent is. When Ella cries or is tired she comes directly to John or myself. She knows that mommy and daddy are comfort, safety, and love. We are strangers – we look weird, we smell weird, and we talk weird. They don’t know that we love them and they will always have a home with us. They only know that they were taken from all that is familiar to them and given to strangers. What is to stop these strangers of doing the same thing? My heart aches for the confusion and uncertainty they are going to feel. It’s important that we stay close together, without much interaction with the outside world, for a while.
We are going to venture out, specifically to church. We ask that anyone that sees us to not ask to hold the children or push hugs or affection on them. It’s a process and the moment that we have them with us as family is only the beginning of the journey. As we adjust we will start to invite people over slowly and in small groups to meet the children. We want everyone to meet our new loves, but it will be a slow process.
A few months after we are home we will have the children’s baptism and then a big party afterwards as a Baptism/Welcome Home party –and everyone is invited! More on that when I have time to plan it – you know, when I’m not catching a plane in a few hours.
Wish us well and send us your prayers – we are off to China to meet our children!!
-Theresa