Provincial Completion and Restaurant 101

What a great day! We started off at 9am traveling to two appointments.  The first was back to the CAB office to sign the papers and make the adoption official in his province.  China calls the first 24 hours harmony period and gives adoptive families a chance to get to know a child before committing to them! YEAH RIGHT!!!!! Like there was any doubt we were going to send this little boy back to anywhere but FLORIDA with US!!!! But anywhoo we went to sign papers and meet with his orphanage nannies and director one last time! Jackzhen was looking at a book with Jillian when they walked in the room.  He looked up and said Ni Hao and kept looking at the book.  They were excited to see him and talked to him a lot! They are so happy for us and encouraging of us to him - I love that.  We took some pictures with them and then they left! He didn't seem to care, which is a great sign considering how much he was loved and cared for at his orphanage.  It means that in 24 hours he is happy and content with us.  It confirms our decision to visit his orphanage, it helps us to see that he will be okay going back there, and yet leaving with us in the end! We left that office and drove to a notary.  At both appointments we were with our new friends that we have met through this process! It is so nice to walk into a building in the middle of China and see a familiar English speaking face! Never again will I take living in a small town for granted!!! We sat down at the desk of the notary and again agreed to "never leave, harm, or abandon him" geeeeeeez, I think I have written that 4-6 times in 9 months.... But none the less we jumped through their hoops! Our guide Belinda and the notary were speaking back and forth to one another and I was dying to know what they were saying!!! That appointment only took 15 minutes and we were back in the van heading back to the hotel! I wasn't going to ask Belinda what they were saying, in case they were talking about how ugly my shirt was, HAHA - but she offered! She said that they lady saw my birth year, 1980, and laughed because we were the same age! She said WOW, 4 KIDS??? I smiled and said, she too could have that many right? I knew the answer to that already! Belinda had already gone over the one child rule with us.  She too has a 3.5 year old, a little girl.  Her and her husband are done having children.  She explained to us that there are 52 different Chinese "groups of people" if you will - Belinda is a minority group and therefore she could have more than one child, however, her husband is not a minority, therefore, they can only have one! You would  think that our situation is not a big deal, I mean most people in the US have 2-4 kids and that is normal.  I know there will always be some "JOE" in Target that will remind you that you have your hands full, but for the most part walking around with a few kiddos is widely accepted and most of the time not even talked about! However, here, it fills people with WONDER!!!  Between Jillian's blonde curls, Jackzhen strolling with an America family, my Mark II 5D, and the fact that we have 4 children, it literally stops people in their tracks! They stop our guide and comment on all of the above! It is very normal for locals to ask to take pictures with westerners, but the gaggle of questions that follow are completely intriguing to me! I told Jillian the next time someone touches her curls to ask for 20 yuan!!! haha

Later on in the day we went to the people's park with our friends from the 9th floor.  We fed the fish again, Jackzhen even ate some some fish food himeself, OOPS!!! We then walked to a circular arena and the kids got to kick a soccer ball! I would guess that they are probably the star of about 12 home videos here in China after their game- oh well!!!

We came back to the hotel and had dinner with our friends. Jillian fell asleep before her food came and Jackzhen kept imitating her with her head down on the table, funny stuff!!! We are having quite a bit of fun with our new little parrot! He repeats just about everything we say and we even taught him how to Teebow at dinner! On a side note, here are a few things about ordering at a restaurant here in China... 1.  They bring the food out as it is done, NOT all at once! 2.  They forget who ordered what and you have to juggle food around on the table.  3.  They will not bring you your check until you ask for it, (finger tapping doesn't mean anything to them haha) 4.  No tipping allowed!!! A man ran us down at pizza hut just to give it back!!! (score one for China)

Bedtime tonight was much easier than last night! Jackzhen grumbled and kicked a little, but he laid himself down, and fell asleep with daddy! Progress is being made in just 24 hours!!!

And finally - some sap for this blog post........  I am falling more and more in love with my sweet husband on this trip.  I knew he was an amazing father to the three kiddos that the Lord blessed us with from my womb, but seeing the love and commitment that he has for this little guy, fills my heart with JOY.  Thank you Lord for Jason - for allowing him to see my hearts desire and making it his own, for bringing us half way around the world, and uniting us as a family even more!!! xo

 ASSISTANT DIRECTOR AND TWO NANNIES FROM HIS ORPHANAGE....

 BELINDA, ONE OF OUR GUIDES!!! I CAN NOT WAIT TO GET HOME TO BLOG ALL ABOUT THIS AWESOME LADY!!!!

 HE LOVES TO GIVE US KISSES!!!

YES, THESE ARE FROGS, AND YES THEY ARE INSIDE OF WALMART!!!!!!!! THERE IS A SECTION FOR ANIMALS LIKE THIS, KIND OF LIKE OUR MEAT SECTION AT PUBLIX!

Mimicking big sister...

 Congee for dinner makes Qiu Qiu happy!!!

 Learning to Teebow....

MONDAY in Nanning....

What a crazy busy couple of days! I sit here now in the quiet of our hotel room to write this while Jason is at breakfast with the 4 kids, what an amazing man I am married to!!!  Monday started off great, we woke up way too early but none of us could sleep! We went downstairs for some breakfast.  It was supposed to be western style, however there was nothing but congee (thick soup), rice, noodles, and fruit.  One of the waitresses came over to us and with her one finger in the air said, you omelet? you omelet? There was our western!!!  We ordered 4 "omelets" and when they got to our table, there were not what we were expecting! Chinese people don't like cheese! They think its gross and they don't cook with it, so we had an "omelet" an egg omelet!!! When breakfast was done we were talking out and we were stopped by 2 famililes that I over heard talking about adoption!!! I was happy they stopped us :) Come to find out there were 3 families and they were all adopting.  We exchanged blogs, room numbers, and a few words, and were on our way! More on them later!

We had to meet our guide Shi Shi at 11 to exchange our currency at the bank down the street, of course that meant another walk! Ugh I really do dread walking down the street and for very good reasons, I can't read Shi Shi's mind - she just stops and were supposed to follow suit, however Jillian and I almost got hit by a car today because my telepathy was lacking....  But we made it and got our hands full of some Yuan.  We then went back to our room to prepare the gifts for the nannies and eat some lunch before our trip to meet Jackzhen.

While back at our room we got a phone call from Deanna, she was one of the ladies we met at breakfast.  She said that her and another family were going to meet for prayer at 2:45 before we all left to get our kids! She was wondering if we wanted to join them! OF COURSE we love to I told her!!! So we went upstairs.  I am so excited that God continues to put his fingerprints on this adoption! They were just what we needed this week to help us feel a little more at home!

 Our driver met us at 3:00 and we were on our way! We arrived at office at 3:15 and there were already kids there! My heart sank, I didn't have my camera ready, what if it was Jackzhen? We slowly walked in and quickly saw that it was a few little girls, who were all bundled up ready for the dead of winter! Keeping in mind the weather here is very close to Florida, warm and humid! We walked into the huge buidling with cathedral like ceilings and a ginormous ornate chandelier hanging down! We walked up the winding staircase to get a better look at the door! We watched as children arrived and families arrived.  I fought back tears as I watched those little girls cry the moment they saw their mommy's! OH so heartbreaking, the reality of adoption here in China! I was just praying that those months of praying and packages would pay off for Jackzhen, that he would have a small recollection of who the heck we were! That is when I heard Jason say, there he is, there is Jackzhen!!! WHERE???? I screamed??? He was walking in, in the arms of the assistant director of the orphanage.  Her name is Li Bing and she is the one that got us all of the pictures that we have been enjoying for 9 months! She tried pointing up to where we were but he could not find us! She then started walking up the stairs, and we walked down, I was about to hyperventilate, Madison led the way!!! There we were at the bottom of the stairs staring into the big brown eyes of a beautiful little boy! He was no longer a flat 4x6 piece of paper, he was here, and we were mesmerized! I put my hand out for a high five and he game me a big one! It made him smile! He then proceeded to give each of us a high five! Then he turned around and tried running out the door! It was okay though, he liked us for second, and he didn't CRY!!!   Li Bing got him back and he held Madison's hand as he walked up the stairs.  We had to go into seperate rooms, all part of the "official process" and within 5 minutes he walked into our room, and walked to us! He stared for a bit and then walked to the couch to sit down.  We spend 15-20 minutes slowly walking around with him, he wasn't sure what was going on, but he did like our lollipop rings we had with us! We opened the book that we sent him at Christmas and he sat on my lap to look at it! The moment our voices came on he would press the stop button and we would all laugh, that made him laugh! The nannies had given Shi Shi all of our paperwork and then they slipped away!!! :(   He didn't notice because he was laughing so much! It was an answer to this mama's prayers.... He was sitting on my lap, laughing, smiling, and happy! I could not have asked for anything more!  That was it, he was in our arms and we were off to the hotel! He sat on Daddy's lap for the trip back, there are no need for car seats in China... I know it sounds dangerous, however if you look out the car window, you will understand why! There is a sea of mope heads.  You will also see a mom riding on the back of a mope head, with her infant in her arms, sooooo daddy's lap in a van will be fine for now!We had dinner at the noodle place down the street and then we came back to the hotel, we still had a happy 3 year old on our hands! We did bath time and prayed, Qiu Qiu said "AMEN!" after I did - what a beautiful sound!!! When we laid him down in his bed, he was scared, he did not want to lay down.  He fell and hit his poor little head on the night stand so I scooped him up and rocked him to sleep! He was sleeping in my arms and although bed time was very sad to witness, he was safe, in my arms, and our first day together was a success!

Can I have your autograph?

It is 1AM here and I am WIDE awake! We are now hours away from meeting Jackzhen!!!! Jillian is awake with me because we both napped from 6-11pm.... So considering I am awake, I thought, why not blog about it.... I can't adequately describe how much we have each been impacted by this process so far, but we have.  From the 9 months of waiting, praying, and waiting some more we were changed, but the amount that we have each changed in the last 3 days is equally as amazing! Jillian has been my little encourager and just what mama needs right now! Madison is our new Mandarin speaker, she keeps telling us how to say things like thank you, hello, good-bye, and reminds me not to speak to them in English!!! WHY that is all I know LOL :)  Mason is our comedian, mostly because of his astonishment by what is going on around him, but also because everything turns into a reenactment with his hands afterwards! I really can't imagine not having the kids here, so glad we made that decision at the beginning of this process!

While out with our guide, Shi Shi, today she talked to the kids about Jackzhen.  She explained to them how he could act towards them and although we have gone over it with them time and time again, it was good for them to hear it from her too! Speaking of Shi Shi, it was soooo nice meeting her! She is such a breath of fresh air to us.  She picked us up at our hotel room at 3:00 and took us for lunch, we hadn't eaten in almost 24 hours and we were very hungry! When we got to the little restaurant, they looked confused that we wanted to order! She said it was because it was 3:00 and lunch is at 12/1 and dinner is at 5/6 - I thought "you mean they don't eat all day like we do in the US?" haha She ordered us noodles and beef, it was very good and only cost 7$ for our entire family to eat.  The funniest part about lunch were the chopsticks!!! That is all they have to use there (of course) - Mason grabbed the serving spoon because he was NOT about to try and twist noodles around a stick, that boy was hungry!!! I am proud to say that Jason and Madison picked up the chopsticks and gave it a whirl, we all managed to fill our stomachs! We even had left overs!  She then took us to the Peoples Park.  That is a 4 minute walk from the hotel.  It is acres and acres of lakes, trails, trees, and people!!! It will be a perfect distraction for a sweet little 3 year old this week! The kids got to feed koi, learn about the buildings, trees, and we all picked Shi Shi's brain about China and the people! We were stopped a few times for photo ops with the locals, some even took pictures of the kids without asking... interesting to say the least....   Overall the people are all very friendly.  We feel very safe here in Nanning and Shi Shi reminded us that it is safe because only the police have guns! Nice..... haha - Well I started this post in the dark at 1am and now it is 2:30 and everyone is awake with lights on! We are all going to try and lay down to get some shut eye, we are 11.5 hours away from Jackzhen!!!!

Adventures in Hong Kong!

We spent our first night in China at the Regal Airport Hotel in Hong Kong. Our first sleep in China was not as bas as I had anticipated, but it wasn't ideal... You have to place your key card in a holder on the wall in order for the lights and air to work! Seems like a great idea for saving on electricity, however, there were three lights that
had no on/off switch, and I can't sleep with lights on :/ soooo I took the card out and hoped it wouldn't be too hot! I woke up around 4:00 because it was too HOT!!! I put the card in and proceed to unscrew two light bulbs, the third was a night light built in the floor of the closet so there was no removing the bulb! However, thanks to the 15 minute MacGyver like actions, I was then awake! sooo that is how the day started. We opted to stay around the hotel and not venture out into the city because we were worried about being back on time for our 5:00 flight, oh boy were we on time! We got to the airport at 12:30 and very much enjoyed the down time, we found our gate and waited! Then our gate disappeared, so we sat staring at a screen until 4:10 when we were finally given a new one! They postponed our 5:05 flight from Hong Kong to Nanning to 5:45, we took the shuttle to a far away gate, where we met our next set of adoptive friends! I was very much enjoying my talk with Robyn, that I barely noticed that they postponed our flight again to 6:45. However, that time also came and went with no boarding. It appeared that they were having troubles with one of the engines, it was open and there were men and metal parts laying all over the ground! The sun was setting and they were still working on the engine, with lights on their heads! My OBVIOUS prayer was for wisdom and a new plane! Our prayers were answered when they announced a new plane was coming and we would be boarding around 8:30. We didn't actually board until 9:00 when the next step of our adventure began! It was just supposed to be a quick hour flight, the key word being supposed! The captain came on the speaker and apologized for the delay, and then he said but we have more bad news (no holding back, this guy was) He said that Hong Kong was only running one runway and that we would have a 3 hour wait for take off! There were only a few groans as he announced this in English, but the best part was then they announced it Mandarin, then the flood gates for groaning swung OPEN - I have never seen so many indignant Asian men in my whole life! I did have a 2 minute feeling of claustrophobia that quickly turned into the thought of "this would make a great YouTube video!" Although I couldn't find the camera, we did sit in astonishment as they berated the poor flight attendants! That was one of the things I was so saddened by, the total male to female disrespect. The poor ladies seemed as if this was not the first time they had to deal with this inferiority. A few passengers left the plane and the rest of them slowly settled. After about an hour we were told that we were going to get under way, at that point we were so exhausted and it was almost 10:30. We taxied around the airport for an hour more before we even took off! I apparently dozed off during that time and woke up to Mason staring out the window! I said, "Mason do you hear that sound? The engine is louder, we are about to get under way!" in which he sternly replied with "No mom that is the 15th time they have done that!" ooops, ignorance is bliss when your sleeping! We finally got under way around 11:40 and landed in Nanning at 12:45. We were met by a guide that had our paperwork and instructions on when we would meet our actual guide, (the next day)! We had an hour drive ahead of us so we decided to go to the bathroom first, and that was the best part of the entire day, we got to see SQUATTY POTTYS!!!!

 We were unusually excited to see those things, LOL - we had heard so much about these amazing toilets in the ground so it only seemed fitting that we were welcomed to Nanning this way! AND just like we had also heard, THERE WAS NO TOILET PAPER!!! And you all thought I was nuts for collecting rolls of TP!!!

We made it to our hotel and checked in without a guide I might add, and we managed to get to our room! We have a double room with an adjoining door, it has 4 twin beds! The mattresses are hard like a box spring, but we are here and safe, we can handle those little things! Tomorrow is Jackzhen Day! We will meet our little guy in 24 hours! Things like the airport, plane ride, and hard beds won't be but a silly story to tell very soon!

Pray for Detours!

3.5 hours to go! I sit here blanketed by a sweet 5 year old! She is the one who was not going to sleep the whole way! The plane is dark, as they try to simulate night time, although because we are following the suns rotation, it never did get dark out! I can watch our planes track on a screen that is mounted to the back of the seat in front of me. It says that we have 3 hours and 23 minutes to go! Considering I am freezing, my backside is numb, and there is no sleep in sight for me, I can't help but daydream about this entire process. My mind immediately goes back to driving down Powell Rd in July of 2010. I will never forget that car ride! I have heard people say time and time again that they heard God speak to them and I could never fully relate, I mean, I believe that no one actually hears him audibly, but instead feeling his holy presence so greatly it is as if He was speaking right in your ear- and that is what I remember on that drive! "What if there's a bigger picture? What if I am missing out? What if there's a greater purpose that I could be living right now!!!". If you have followed our journey to Jackzhen you have heard me quote that song numerous times, but the meaning stays the same from the first time that I heard it! I STILL get chills when it comes on the radio, because it was a life changing moment! My heavenly daddy, sought after me, Mandy!!!, reached down from heaven to speak to my heart! Now, here we sit, 21 months later, half way around the world, to complete the journey that he has laid out before us!!!! Amazing!!! Wasn't I just a photographer, homeschooling mom to three kids, and one handsome husband? Wasn't that enough? I teach a children's church class at my church, surely that is enough? Although my main ministry was the three kiddos of mine, educating them, guiding them, loving them at all times! I was also slowly building a photography business to help here and there with bills and life in general? Wasn't all of that enough? Sure it was! It was enough to fulfill MY plans of what God wanted of me, but definitely not ALL of what He wanted of me! You see through the ministry at church over the past year and a half He has given me a love in my heart for children!!! I use to be the one that would see a child in need of nose wiping, bathroom break, correction, or even love and I would be the first one to show them right where they could go find it! (very spiritual, I know) but now!!! I want to be the one to meet those needs! I love those kids, each one of them! I see deeper into their little eyes. I see a soul that needs a savior, I see a child that needs encouragement, love, a hug! There is a verse in the Luke that says, from everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked. .... I can see that now! Just when you think you have enough God says "I will give you the strength for more!" Just when you think life is good, God says "I want better!" Gods way far exceed anything that I can "plan"! Through this process I have learned not to be so regiment about my life, because it really helps the letting go process when He takes you on the big detour! I could go on an on about how Gods hand has been all over this process, but I think I will save that for another post. For now I will just bask in the excitement that 21 months ago he put a song in my heart, a reason in my step, and a little boy in my mind, that has brought our "perfect" family of 5 half way around the world for MORE- 2 hours and 47 minutes to go and our feet will hit the ground fulfilling Gods plan to OUR bigger picture....... WOW!!!!!!

Leaving on a jet plane............

SO that is not an original title but considering it is 6:47AM and this is the third time I have "woken up" today - that is all you get! HA..... We leave in 4 hours for Detroit and then catch our connecting flight to Hong Kong around 3:40! The oldest monkey, sweet pea, is awake with me! We are sitting on the cold bathroom floor giggling about everything and trying not to awaken the crazies in the other room! 9 months ago today we started the paperwork and today we board a plane, I LOVE how my God does things!!! To everyone that was praying for Jillian, our prayers were answered! She is 100% back to her normal little self! I even had to give the girl a dose of chamomile last night to help her calm down - oh boy was she just a ball of fun - HA :) Thanks for following our journey to the J-Man.... This is a great adventure (thank you very much Mr. Steven Curtis Chapman!!!)   <3Mandy.....

Prayer Time....

Well here we are, feeling very blessed, staying at the airport Marriott, enjoying a good night sleep before our plane departs for Detroit at 10:35 am! As we did our nightly prayer, this was an excerpt from Jillian's... "Lord, thank you for Jackzhen. Help he to know that we, you know, like him!" I love the tender thoughts she has in her little heart, and I think he will certainly know that we LIKE him, no worries my girl.... Off to bed I go, 7am will be here soon!!!!! Hong Kong here we come!!!

9 Months........

We leave tomorrow for China, CHINA! I am so ready to be on a plane and even more giddy about meeting my son.  Although we are very well aware that this adoption may not be easy, there will be a grieving process that our son has to endure, we are certain that God is preparing his heart and ours,  to handle it! I was looking over paperwork tonight and I was elated to read a few dates from the beginning! We entered this adoption process on July 5, 2011.... AND.... We are traveling April 5, 2012 - 9 months to the day (my first kiddo to come on time!!! Score 1 for Jackzhen!!!)  I have said from the beginning that just as my children grew in my womb, my son Jackzhen is growing daily in my heart!!! AND OH BOY is there love in this heart for him!!! My prayer now is for Jackzhen... I pray that he would be able to see our family with joy, with an ounce of understanding, and a whole lot of inquisitive desire! I pray that he is ready to join this Aldrich Family in forever, I pray that he adapts well to the change, and certainly that he bonds with each of us! Please pray with me today for Jackzhen, for his little heart, because his mama loves him SO much!! Thanks everyone xo

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From Clorox to Co-pays........

I sit here WIDE awake, with sweet anticipation of this next chapter in our lives! Today was supposed to be a day of cleaning, but instead turned into delegating and a doctors appointment!  My sweet Jillian Bea spiked a fever today that made me turn from clean freak to nurturing mama! Thank the Lord, it appears to be an innocent virus, did I really just type that?, but none the less my baby is under the weather and that is NOT my idea of a good day... I am grateful to my dear mama who spent her day walking in my shoes! She did laundry, cleaned, organized, and sorted! I was able to take JB to her appt and not worry an ounce about my other two monkeys or the mountain of work that awaited me at home! So, the day wrapped up nicely! My house is clean, we are packed, and Jillian is on the way to recovering! Thanking my Lord for this mama of mine, she is pretty fantastic!!!  As if that was not enough joy for one day, I was also blessed by a friend that picked up travel medications and lunch for us, a friend that dropped off last minute things, that I didn't have of my own, and a friend that brought dinner, despite her "full plate" in life right now!  Oh Jackzhen, you will be so loved by all of these awesome people!!!

Delta Delta Delta

Soooo after researching tickets and prices and talking to our travel coordinator, we have plane tickets and an intinerary!!!! That is a huge wait lifted.  We are leaving from Tampa on April 5th at 10:35AM *a day earlier than expected* and flying to Detroit, where we will catch our next plane to HONG KONG, CHINA!!!!  oh my goodness, this is fantastic.... As I type this I am grinning ear to ear, I can NOT believe it is here!!! eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeek~

 I have met a lot of terrific people through this process and I am excited that my new friend Laura Beth and her family are going to be taking the same flight in Detroit to meet thier son, who is also named "Jaxson"!!!! I am thrilled about sharing this 15hour and 50minute flight with someone we know!!! Thank you Lord for another little glimpse of you!!!