One Week Home

We have been home for one week. It. Has. Been. A. Long. Week. We arrived home in the wee hours of last Sunday morning. Somehow, at 2:00AM, I was convinced to make everyone philly chicken sandwiches. We were all in the bed by 3AM. Lin-Ley had us up at 5:30AM. !!! We were up for the day – no naps – because Lin-Ley and Tru had school the next day.

First order of business, Crosse had his first driving lesson.

Slowly, I am pulling Crosse out of his Kindle Coma. The time difference between the U.S. and China has been a challenge for him to understand. However, he still manages to connect with his friends. Somehow, it seems that the children in his orphanage have an infinite amount of time and opportunity to use electronics. Unfortunately for Crosse, now he has a Mommy that limits his time. Even more unfortunately, his Mommy requires him to follow the rules about time limits on the Kindle which has resulted is his losing the Kindle on multiple occasions. Already.

Crosse has had many firsts since he has been with us:
Using a toilet
Taking a shower
Using a shower curtain (We were not precise enough with those instructions!)
Using a fork and spoon
Using a hand towel after washing his hands (rather than flinging the water on the floor)

Today’s discovery – As I was collecting the trash around the house, I discovered at least half a roll of toilet paper in the boys’ trashcan.  I went to Crosse and asked him about it.  At first he acted as if he knew nothing about it.  Then he told me he used it one night to dry off after his shower.

Again, clearly, we are not being precise enough about the shower procedures. 

The problem at this point is that Crosse is bored.  He has not started school yet. 

Last week, must to his chagrin, Crosse was seen at his new school for audiology testing as well as to begin the official application process.  It was found that he does have some hearing in both ears.  However, the hearing loss is considered severe to profound.  We will follow up that testing with his primary care physician and (many) specialists in the near future.  Friday, Crosse was officially accepted to his new school.  Now, we continue to wait until they set-up the intake meeting. 

There is one thing that Crosse does not like – perhaps above all other things he does not like – waiting!!

I am with him on this one.  He needs to be in school.  Now.

Unfortunately, Dallas had to leave several days ago to be with his mother who suddenly became very ill.  We love you MaMa Linda!

So, Fun Daddy left Crosse with Serious Mommy.  Crosse has asked daily when dad would return. 

During dad’s absence, Crosse has been stuck with mom all day, every day.  We have made some progress with American Sign Language and he is catching on very quickly as I was sure he would.  He is taking pride in showing me what he remembers and he is writing his American name very well. 

 

The kids are spending a good deal of time together and still trying to find common interests. Lin-Ley and Crosse both love to run. Tru and Crosse both enjoy playing with Legos. One minute they get along great – the next….

Our TLC.

One week down. A lifetime to go.

Packed And (SOOOOOOO) Ready To Go Home

We have Crosse's U.S. visa. 
Hallelujah!  Hallelujah!!  Hallelujah!!! 

Our bags are packed.
Clothes are ready for the AM.

To say we are ready would be an understatement.

We just had our last meal in China.  I am ready for a big bowl of cereal with ice cold milk.  My next meal will be a peanut butter and jelly sandwich with a glass of ice cold milk.  Ice water - yes, ice water.  Anything with ice. 

Side Note:

To my Chinese friends - If anyone knows how to make this bread and can give me the recipe - you will be my hero. It is one of my most favorite things I have eaten here.











Things we are thankful for:
A loving God who has seen us through our journey to Crosse.
Finally having Crosse with us.
Many, many friends and family who have prayed for our journey.
Other than the need to use Tru's asthma medicine in Xi'an, we have all been well throughout the trip.
Dr. Jin and her medical expertise including a express shipment of more asthma medication.
Papa Bill for taking care of our home and Five-O (our dog) while we were away.
The ability to stay in contact during this journey thanks to technology (and wifi when we could get it).
The many FaceBook posts, texts and emails offering words of encouragement.
The people of China including our competent guides and drivers. 

We check out of our hotel at 7:30 AM tomorrow morning.  In only 27 short hours, we will land in Washington, D.C.  Then an hour drive home.  Then we crash.

Please pray for the final leg of our journey and Crosse's continued understanding and acceptance of his new family and home.

Consulate Interview - Just Breathe

Finally, we had our U.S.  Consulate appointment today.  We, along with many other adoptive families, were interviewed so that our new family members might obtain their U.S. visa.  A must before we can leave China.

This morning, Crosse was too lazy to get up and get dressed for breakfast.  So, he and I stayed in the room.  It was a nice opportunity to try to communicate with him one-on-one to make sure he understood where we were going and why.  I also wanted to reiterate that we would be going to America in two days.  I showed him more photos of our home in Maryland because he has been referring to the hotel as our home.  Just wanted to make sure.
I told him we were going to a U.S. government building today to apply for his U.S. visa.  He told me "no".  I explained that we were going to fly to America in two days and, again, he told me "no". 

He says "no" A LOT!  He never wants to do anything or go anywhere if it involves him not sitting and playing on his Kindle. 
(We are going to have an electronics intervention once we get home.) 
(It's not going to be pretty.) 
(We really haven't had any choice but to let the kids spend too much time on their electronics here.)  (It's super boring sitting in a hotel room when it rains all day.) 
(Which it has done quite a bit!)

That being said, even though he said "no", I was unsure if he was just being lazy, and didn't to go anywhere today, or if he literally meant he did not want to go to America.  We are still trying to calculate his level of confusion/clarity.

So, we are at the Consulate and the officer told us that he would have to interview Crosse separately because he was over the age of 10.  Dallas and I just looked at each other wondering how that would work and what Crosse would say.

Due to his hearing loss, it was necessary to have an agent write the questions for Crosse in Chinese.  The questions were passed back and forth.

Question #1.  Do you understand that you are going to America?
Crosse studied the characters.  He picked up the pen and wrote, "I will fly to America in two days."
(Yes!)

Question #2.  Do you understand that these are your parents?
Crosse read and reread the question.  He shook his head.  He looked at Dallas and myself.
(Stomach dropped.)

I asked the officer if she could rephrase the question using the terms mama and baba (mom and dad) rather than the character for parents.
She rewrote the question.
Crosse read it again.  Again, he hesitated.
(Feeling nauseous.)
Finally, he wrote, "They are not my parents."
(Beginning to perspire.) (Cannot make eye contact with the agent.)

The agent quickly said, "I will accept that.  I am sure he is indicating that you are not his birth parents.  It was a very ambiguous question we asked him.  I am sure he understands."
(Sigh!!)

And with that, Crosse's visa application is now being processed.  It should be ready tomorrow afternoon so that we can fly HOME on Saturday morning. 

*Prayers please that it processes without complication or delay.*

So, what to do?  What to do on this overcast, rain threatening day?  The Guangzhou Zoo of course. 
No surprise, Crosse did not want to go.  "No!"  It is always fun to catch him enjoying something he really did not want to do.

So, this was our afternoon:

Add caption

By far, the highlight, aside for watching the cute pandas, was feeding the giraffes. 
Below is a link to the video of TLC (Tru, Lin-Ley, Crosse) feeding the giraffes.  The lady in charge was very kind and gave them many branches and invited our whole family to participate.

One.  More.  Day.

Still Some Confusion

Crosse has had many firsts in the past 11 days. Probably one of his more anxious firsts was his first flight. From what we can tell, he had never seen an airplane in person previous to our flight Saturday afternoon.

He managed to get Wi-Fi in the airport. He connected with a friend at the orphanage and shared his experience by showing his friend the plane too.
He went to the window and signed to his friend while showing him the airplane. Crosse was concerned that the airplane only had one wing. He could not understand that the gate was blocking the view of the second wing. We finally were able to sign and gesture enough to make him understand.
Crosse's first flight.




















Before we left Xi'an, our guide helped us write Crosse a detailed note making sure he understood we were flying to Guangzhou, China. We would be flying to America seven days later. We studied the calendar together and Crosse said he understood. However, once we arrived in Guangzhou, a 2.5 hour flight from Xi'an, Crosse asked if we were in America. Obviously, he is still confused. We continue to discuss how many days we have left in China. 

Yesterday was the dreaded medical appointment. Again, Crosse was very confused. We explained that he would be seeing a doctor. He told us "no". He did not feel the need to go to the doctor because he was not feeling ill. He wanted to make sure that all of us were going - not just him. We assured him we were going too. While we were there we had to explain to him what was happening next including a blood draw and three vaccines. He was not happy....





Afterward, we asked our driver to take us to Shamian Island for some time out of the hotel. The weather was breezy and the courtyards were beautiful. It was time for some light shopping, lunch and photo ops.

My TLC - Tru, Lin-Ley, Crosse


























Later, at dinner, Crosse was trying to communicate something to us. He was very serious but we could not decipher all of his signs. Finally I convinced him to write it down. We took his note to the hotel concierge to ask for help translating it. Basically, from what we can tell, Crosse wanted us to know that in three years, when Dallas and I are "old", he will move back to Baoji, China. What? I think there is some more confusion...

There are many unanswered questions for Crosse. He/We need time to settle and meld together where he will feel totally comfortable and at ease. After receiving this translation, Tru helped clear up one fact for me though. He said, "Well, don't worry Mom. When you get old and die you will be an angel in Heaven. And then you won't have any wrinkles." Oh - thank you Tru!

OK - To bed. Two more days and a wake-up for us. We are sooooooooooooo ready to go home.

P.S. Dear Maytag washer and dryer - oh how I miss you. I cannot wait to spend several hours with you this weekend.

Happy Easter From Guangzhou

Happy Easter!  HE is Alive!  I must share my all-time favorite song/video.  My poor Sunday School students are forced to watch this at least twice each year.  :)

"He's Alive" by Dolly Parton

Yes, the Easter Bunny found us in China.  That bunny knew just what I like - Cadbury Eggs. 
For those of you who have the luxury of visiting the WalMart/Target Easter candy clearance this week, just remember that those eggs keep very well in the refrigerator. Just saying....


Today, we visited the Chimelong Safari Park. We found out about it and decided it sounded worth the hour drive each way. First of all we have had a climate shock as after a 2.5 hour flight last night we went from jacket weather to the tropics here in Guangzhou. Let's just say it - It is HOT! And... everyone and their brother decided today was a great day to visit the Safari Park. You would have had to be here to fully appreciate the experience, but I will try to summarize.  (I am laughing already.)

So, you can drive your car through the park.  Or you can take a park tram.  We opted for the tram so that we could be up close and personal with the animals.  (Haha)  First of all, the line (more like a stampede) to get to the tram was an experience in itself.  Have a mentioned it was hot?!  We were pushed and shoved and squeezed together with the other 5,000 people waiting in line.  Ok - maybe 4,000 people. 

Finally, we got on the tram and took off.  Literally, we took - off.  Like a bullet.  We were instantly laughing.  We flew by the animals.  No chance for a steady photo and certainly no time to focus.  Remember the cars that I mentioned earlier?  Well, the tram shared the road/lane with the cars.  So, we were in the tram (open air - great for up close encounters)  and ... then... there were three rows of cars to our right and the animals were beyond the cars. To get the full picture, let me share some of our best photos:
 

Check out the camels.

Uh-oh. Traffic jam.

Perfect expression.

Lucky shot.

Zooming by the giraffes again. We were cracking up!

The tram ride came to an end and we were on foot. We saw more giraffes and had the opportunity to feed them.

You would have had to be there to appreciate the amount of 长颈鹿口水 (giraffe drool).

We didn't quite make it to the panda exhibit because one of us was not feeling well.

It was a hoot! The whole experience. We continue to laugh about it. It was worth the drive and money. Until tomorrow....

Finally - Pics (And A Video) From Xi'An

Gotcha Day Crosse wrote us many notes in Chinese the first few days. Our interpreter/photographer, Lin-Ley, was a huge help with initial communications.
Adoption Day lunch with our guide, Anthony.
Brothers and their video games.

New clothes. Crosse was not interested in any clothes other than the ones he was wearing (day-after-day). Finally, we convinced him this store was from America. That was all it took. Keeping with the American theme. By far, Crosse's favorite thing is his new Kindle and everything electronic. If we would let him, he would stay on it all day. He has already downloaded software that allows him to video chat with his friends back at the orphanage. He gets so happy to see his friends!

I will attempt to add a video of Crosse video-chatting with his friend.  You will see Crosse introduce Dallas as his dad and tell his friend he is American.  You can see his friend give Dallas a thumbs-up (he approves) then he loses the connection.

 

Things are moving right along.  Just not fast enough.  We are ready to go home.

Next stop, Guangzhou.

Does He Or Doesn't He?

The first medical report we received indicated he had no hearing.  We knew that and we were/are prepared to communicate via American Sign Language.

Six months later we received a report stating "he learns well wearing a hearing aid". 

A week before our travel, after we asked for clarification, the orphanage director wrote that, indeed, Crosse had no hearing.

On Gotcha Day, the teachers had written a note about what Crosse's preferences were.  They indicated he enjoyed music.    (huh?)

The first night we were together, Crosse indicated that he had a hearing aid previously but had lost it.

The following day, as the adoption was finalized, we asked Crosse's teacher if he had a hearing aid.  She adamantly shook her head and hands that he had no hearing at all.  He never had a hearing aid.

So........  Does he or doesn't he hear?

It seemed as if he sometimes heard loud noises.  We thought he had some hearing based on the way he turned at appropriate times to look at something.

Well, last night he asked to see Dallas' ipod.  He cranked it up and was holding the speaker to his ear.  He smiled.  He heard it!  We do not know to what extent, but he heard the music.  And what was the first song he heard you ask?  I regret to say, it was.... Waylon Jennings.  Oh my!

Later, he found my ipod and I let him listen to some songs from Glee which he really liked.  He wrote me a note in Chinese:  我喜欢   I like!

Crosse has some hearing.  We cannot wait to get him to the doctors to find out how they can help him!!  What an awesome journey it will be. 

(Still no pics due to the ridiculous wifi availability.)

Day 3 With Crosse

Day 3 as a family of 5. This was a busy one. Tomorrow we will struggle to keep the kids occupied as it is a free day with no guide.

Today, we visited the Terracota Warriors. As most of us, we had seen it on television and in pictures. It was awesome to see it up close and personal and have our private guide give us the history. Of course Dallas and I were they only ones really interested. :) This trip took most of the day. It was an hour drive each way. We had a great meal there as well.

Crosse continues to be a good eater. He understands the sign for "more" and is eager to help himself in the buffet line. He continues to look after Lin-Ley and Tru - he holds the elevator door for them, keeps an eye on them, makes a warning voice to get their attention.

While Tru, sometimes, still does not get Dallas' sense of humor, Crosse is definately beginning to catch on. He is smiling more, occassionally laughing and looking for Dallas' approval often.

Today, our guide asked (using writing - Chinese characters) how Crosse was feeling. Crosse's only comment was that he wanted to see his friend in America. We found out on his first night with us that Crosse had a good friend, from his orphanage, that was recently adopted by a family in America. When we mentioned this to the orphanage director, he instantly knew the child of which Crosse was speaking. He opened his little black book (literally) and gave us the name and address of his friend's new family. Surely, he was not supposed to share that information. However, we will certainly be contacting his friend who now lives in North Carolina. Won't that be a reunion to see!

So far, we have been a number of places where we sign to Crosse, "you want?". He has said no to most things. Today, we wanted to buy him some special keepsakes from his province. He chose a very nice Terracota Warrior replica. He tried to talk us into a sword! Later, we went into a bakery and he brought us an ice cream indicating "I want". Yes, he is our kids. "i want". But the funniest "want" by far was when we passed by a street vendor and he stopped to look at their wares. He pointed to the chicken feet. "That." "You want?" "Yes. That." So... after much laughter, including his, we walked back to the hotel with a small bag of grilled chicken feet. Later, he laughed out loud as he ate them and Lin-Ley and Tru watched in dismay.

So, if Crosse's biggest concern is that he wants to see his friend in America - which we have assured him will happen - we are on a good path here!

It's Official - Herpin Family - Party of 5

** Just for the record - the wi-fi here is unbelievably awful. We have to sit in the lobby to get two bars and that does not allow for photo uploads. Getting wi-fi connected and trying to post the following took over two hours.**  So, no photos for now.

It is official.  Crosse is our new son/brother!!  Finally.

Gotcha Day was a tough afternoon.  As soon as we walked into the government building, Crosse became upset.  Understandably so!  He was there with his orphanage director and two teachers.  It did not seem that he was clear on what was happening.

We pulled out some photos and picture books we brought along.  When he saw that we had many Chinese friends including many Chinese children at home, that seemed to help.  Thank you CBCHC friends!!  Also we brought along a bilingual picture dictionary which also sparked his interest.

It was very difficult for him as he realized that he was going to leave his teachers behind and come back to the hotel with us.  His eyes were brimming with tears but his teachers kept telling him that boys don't cry.  They are strong.  He wiped his eyes and followed us to the waiting van.  Personally, I just wanted to hold him and tell him it was ok to cry. 

Immediately, he began taking a big brother role.  He helped Tru and Lin-Ley with their seatbelts in the van.  We returned to the hotel and he began trying to sign to us.  Many of the signs he has learned in Chinese are very similar to American Sign Language.  That has been very helpful.

Back at the hotel, we gave Crosse his new Kindle almost immediately because we knew he loved computers.  This was just the right ice breaker. 
We soon went to dinner.  Again, Crosse showed his caring toward Lin-Ley, Tru and myself.  When I showed him where the plates were (at the buffet) he handed us each a plate first before getting one for himself.  The first thing on Crosse's plate - M&M's and gummy sharks.  Then a hamburger.

That evening, while at dinner the hostess was kind enough to help us write notes back and forth to Crosse.  He was very interested to know, if we were all hearing, why we knew so much sign language.  We told him that we learned it just for him.  He just looked at us - perhaps not understanding why we would do that.  Perhaps the most amusing thing that passed across his paper was an exchange between Lin-Ley and Crosse.  He asked how old Dallas and I were.  She wrote the appropriate character for my age, 四十三 .  Crosse looked at it and jumped in his chair and he stared at me with wide eyes.  While Lin-Ley wrote the characters for 43, he read it as 413!  That took a minute to clear up.  Haha!

Back to the room and ready for bed.  Crosse was very easy.  I signed "brush your teeth", "take a shower", "pajamas on", "time for bed".  He literally jumped into the bed.  As I left the room I gave Lin-Ley a kiss, Tru a kiss, and as he watched with great anticipation as I came toward him, I gave Crosse a kiss on his forehead.  He just turned over and went right to sleep.

Crosse is a smart boy!  He reads and writes Chinese at record speed.  He is fast!  I assume that is rather normal considering that is his first language.  Or is sign language his first language?  I was pondering - Once he gets to America, and begins school, he will be quad-lingual (if that is a proper term).  That's impressive.

We have to give Lin-Ley a BIG shout-out!!  She has been impressing us with her Chinese skills.  She has been constantly bridging the language gap with Crosse.  He likes to write us notes in Chinese that she helps decipher.  We give her sentences to write and she does it!  I love seeing her use her Chinese!  Crosse is already correcting her characters.  Haha.  She is taking it all in stride and communication with her new brother with great pride.

Tru and Crosse are bonding over their Kindle games.  They lay together on the bed comparing their progress.  It is clear that Crosse is looking up to Dallas.  He looks to his new Dad to point out policemen, motorcycles, how high he can jump, and anything sports related.  Guy stuff.  As I type, Dallas has all the kids in the pool.

So, we have been together 24 hours now.  The adoption was complete at 10:30am this morning.  Again, Crosse's teachers were there which made his transition back to us difficult.  But, a trip to Walmart (we got a kick out of that) and a huge, traditional Chinese meal with our guide quickly got his mind off of his sadness.  At least for a while.

And here we go....  Party of 5.

Tomorrow, we are going to see the Terracotta Warriors. 

8 Hours Till Crosse

We are in Xi'An, China.     *What. A. Long. Flight.*

First Snafu - Luggage
When we checked in at Dulles, we were told our luggage was checked all the way to Xi'An.  No worries.
20 hours later - in Beijing - after a 25 minute shuttle ride from Terminal 3 to Terminal 2 - we were told that was not true.  We were  to have collected our luggage at the first terminal and would have to go back and get it.  No way!  We would miss our flight  We were fortunate enough to have some nice young ladies help us and were assured our luggage would follow us on the next flight.  On a different airline.

Arrived in Xi'An - The Photographer
We arrived and went to the customer service desk in baggage claim in inquire about our luggage.  We were promptly greeted by a photographer and airline staff.  He said to me (Jody), "Excuse me, we are working on our foreign customer relations and we were wondering if you would allow us to take your photo as our agents help you."  I said "sure" and began explaining our problem.  It became clear fairly quickly this was just a photo op with the blonde - nothing more.  After he snapped the photos, they quickly prompted us to go to the next desk for help - where the staff spoke no English.

Our Hero - Anthony
Our guide, Anthony, was outside luggage claim to greet us.  He wasted no time making sure our luggage was not only found, but that it was delivered to us at our hotel.  Without delay, it arrived.

Reflections To Date -
There is always humor to be found around here.  As we talked about the oddity that the photographer chose someone for his photos that has just been traveling for over 24 hours, I commented that he could have found someone that looked better than I did.  To that, Lin-Ley said, "Well Mom, I guess he thought you were pretty enough for what they needed."  Thanks, oh so much, Lin-Ley!  Haha!!

Now we wait for Anthony to bring us to Crosse.  Only eight more hours.  Please pray for Crosse and our family as we come together.  Thank you everyone for your well wishes!

12 Years of Loving Lin-Ley

Happy Gotcha Day to all those Spicy Hunan Girls out there!

It was 12 years ago we held our baby girl for the first time.
WE LOVE YOU LIN-LEY!!  XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO
Gotcha!!

TA + CA = Book The Flights!

Travel Authorization - Check!

Consulate Appointment - Check!

After a devastating two month delay involving his U.S. immigration paperwork, things are finally moving along very quickly in our journey to Crosse. The travel agent is on the case and we should have our travel dates this week.

Prayer requests:
Pray for Crosse's acceptance.
Pray for Crosse's emotional well-being.
Pray for our family during travel as well as our transition to a family of five.