It's 2:00am China time and I finally got enough sleep to think straight! I want to get everything about this past 24 hours in writing before I add on more thoughts tomorrow :)
First I have to tell you how amazing our God is!! There is something about each of the kids that, as I dreamed of our first few moments with them, scared me. With Joey, I was really afraid that he would be so scared and that he would hate us and we'd be trying to carry around a kicking and screaming child. As I prayed for our "meeting" I prayed that he would accept us quickly, that he would have peace with us, that we would have patience in understanding his fear and grief, and that God would show us how to give him the love that he needs and that Joey would feel it as love.
As well as our meeting, and entire day went..... God answers prayers as I have learned in new ways over and over again!!
In my previous post I told how we first saw Joey. It was amazing, and sweet, and PERFECT! Like I said before too, Joey is very social and waves and talks to EVERYONE. And tries to share their food and toys and crayons, etc. lol We spent hours at the Civil Affairs office following him around and trying to keep him at a good distance from the other families so they could have some privacy as they met their kids. It was a challenge, and honestly they all really didn't mind him intruding in their gatherings ;-)
Speaking of the other families meeting their kids... when we adopted Jasmine and Jewel they were brought to our hotel so we were the only family there when they were handed to us. This time we went with another couple with our agency, plus there were other families from other agencies there as well. Probably 10 families in all meeting their kids for the first time. The loss and grief and fear in the room was soooooo horribly sad. Nannies crying, more like sobbing as their kids were handed over to strangers... one nanny had to be taken from the building as she sobbed and had to be held back in the parking lot so she wouldn't go back in at which point she collapsed to the ground. The kids were equally as scared and sad as they tried to hang on to their nannies necks and were torn away to be handed to their new parents. It was heartbreaking. Adoption is a beautiful thing... in the "end", when the dust settles I guess you would say. But adoption comes from great loss and that was never more clear to me than today
Joey was brought to us by a worker from the orphanage. He came with his backpack that we sent to him as a care package. It is so evident how loved he is by his Foster Mom. His backpack had everything in it that we sent him, but also was packed to the edges with food and a few other things by his "mom". I can't image how she felt as she packed his last bag, wanting to make sure he has what he needs. The love was so strong to me as I opened his bag and saw all of the stuff. Amazing.
And boy does Joey know that this is HIS backpack. There was no way we were taking it from him anytime soon!! So sweet ;-)
After several hours we were finally able to head back to our hotel. Joey was happy to jump in the van, with his backpack on of course, and go with us. He sat between Jeff and I and just smiled and "talked" the whole ride. When we got to the hotel he got out, grabbed my hand happily, we said goodbye to our guide and into the hotel we went. As we reached our floor it really hit me. This boy now has a forever family! Just a few hours ago he left an orphanage and now he is walking down the hall to his room at the Hilton! That thought has a mixture of emotions attached to it but praise God that this is our SON!!
After getting to the hotel and secretly unpacking Joey's backpack (just because it was heavier than he is and I was so afraid he was going to fall over with it on) we decided to head out to lunch. Hand in hand, with Joey and his now empty backpack and as happy as can be, we walked. We found a Pizza Hut and had a much easier experience ordering this time. And boy can this kid eat!! Jeff and I have been saying that he and Jonathan are neck and neck in how much food they can put down!! lol. As we were waiting for the food, Joey entertained himself (and us) with a small cup, as spoon, and some water. I would pour a small amount of water into the cup and he would sip it out of the spoon Chinese style lol. Since I was only pouring a little water into the cup at a time he was frequently needing more. I'm not sure if I mentioned yet that Joey doesn't speak (not even in Chinese), only gestures and grunts to let you know what he wants. He's good at it though! Anyway, he kept pointing at the water and grunting when he wanted more, so I showed him the "sign" for more. After only 2 times of me showing him, unprompted he did the sign for more when he ran out of water. This kid is smart <3
We did some walking around and spent some time at WalMart. There is an escalator that goes up to a walking bridge to cross the street then and escalator to go back down on the other side. I'm pretty sure Joey have never seen this before but boy did he think this was fun! :)
All in all, besides just a couple of moments of breakdowns about not getting what he wants, we had a GREAT day. We were able to video chat with the kids and Grandma at home which was perfect as well. We're going to have our hands full with this little guy but we're so happy to be able to be his parents!
As we got closer to bedtime I began to prepare myself for the worst, the big freak out and breakdown. I gave him a bath that he wasn't real happy about and put PJs on him. He went to the bathroom (he is truly potty trained which I wasn't expecting) and climbed into bed with me. We read some books, played on the tablet for a little bit, and around 8:00p I just couldn't stay awake any longer. I patted on the bed for him to lay down, which he did without hesitation. I gave him some kisses and cuddles which caused him to giggle then he put his hands behind his head and fell asleep next to me, literally with a smile on his face.
I'm still preparing myself that reality eventually may set in with him that he is staying with us forever and he may freak out, but for now I'm just soaking in this sweet happy little boy that is laying in my bed. He has even giggled in his sleep a few time ;-)
Tomorrow we have to go back to the Civil Affairs Office to finish the adoption process. We have been given approval to go visit Joey's Orphanage and his Foster mom on Wednesday afternoon. This will be a very emotional time I'm sure as Joey will say his final goodbyes. We are also hoping to visit the place that Joey was found abandoned when he was just 3 years old. That will also be a very hard time for me.
Thank you all so much for your love and prayers. They truly are felt here on the other side of the world!!
We are BLESSED
~Tammy
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