A note from MADDIE....

Hi! This is Maddie! I am going write about my perspective (my mom’s word!) about China!

My mom is writing all this sentimental stuff, but what is really happening isn’t so warm and fuzzy… (Well, a lot of it is fun, but that isn’t the point!) I am going to tell you what really happened…

When we first arrived in China I was EXTEREMLY excited! Who wouldn’t be?! It was fun walking through the airport and listening to the conversations people were having as my family walked past. I couldn’t understand any of it though! We got our bags and did the normal “leaving the airport routine”…A bathroom stop, passport control, collecting bags, another bathroom stop, and declining all those offers for a taxi ride…you know, the normal routine…So after all that we met our guide Penny. It took an hour to get to the hotel because the airport is outside of the city. While in the car Penny said we would meet Nicholas thirty minutes after we got there! Brandte went crazy and started talking in his pie voice…When we arrived at the hotel my dad checked us in and my family went up to the rooms. At 4:30 we went to the meeting room and saw Nicholas for the first time. I probably said something really stupid like “Uh, that’s him right?” I mean it wasn’t like there were any other little Chinese four-year olds in the room! While my mom and dad were signing paperwork Nicholas and I played with the etch-a-sketch and his Tonka trucks. When all the signing paper work was done we went back to the rooms. Nicholas cried for about an hour, so we took him down to dinner. If you ever go to Fuzhou, China and stay at the Lakeside hotel, ask for the menu! Unless you like to eat baby octopus with its suckers still attached!! After dinner we went back to the rooms and had tickle time! Nicky Qing (pronounced Ching) has one of the most awesome laughs! It is SO SO SO CUTE!!! At about eight Chinese time I fell asleep…stupid jetlag! The next day (Monday) we went to go sign MORE PAPERWORK!!! After all the signing we went and had lunch at a traditional Cantonese restaurant. Their Calamari was AMAZING!!! Their tea was also amazing. I had like fifteen tiny cups! After lunch we walked back to the hotel and rested (did homework.) For dinner Penny ordered KFC!!! I was SO happy! There was only one problem, it didn’t come with french-fries. Apparently they don’t like french-fries to be take away because then they aren’t hot enough on delivery. I know…It’s weird. Then we watched the movie “Cars” and everyone went to bed. On Tuesday we went to the orphanage and had lunch with the director and two ladies from Seattle. They were volunteering. We traveled on a high speed train. It is like an airplane except it doesn’t fly in the air. Obviously! Also while we were at the orphanage we had a tour.The orphanage was VERY clean, but there wasn’t anything soft-…even their little beds were wooden with NO MATRESS OR PILLOWS. After lunch we went outside and took pictures. When it was time to get back in the van Penny opened the door. The director of the orphanage saw Nicholas’ new stroller and Nicholas loudly and proudly declared that the stroller was his. When we were all in the van we went to the hospital where Nicky Qing was found. After that we went back to the train station and waited for our train. While waiting we played with rubber band catapult airplanes and drove Nicholas around in his stroller. On the train I read my book and Nicholas put more goldfish in his plastic water bottle. Thirty minutes into the ride a Chinese person’s cell phone went off. I bet y’all would never be able to guess the ringtone…It was Justin Beiber singing ‘Baby!’ It was SO random and EXTREMELY funny! Once back at the hotel we ordered room service and everyone went to sleep. On Wednesday morning we all woke up and then went and had breakfast. Nicholas had been talking a little bit on Monday and Tuesday, but he really started talking on Wednesday. If we didn’t know he was Chinese my dad and I agreed he could be talking Ewok. (from Star Wars) Nicholas also likes to sing. I think the only song both my mom and him know is Twinkle Twinkle Little Star. I have tried to teach him The Ants Go Marching, but that effort failed miserably. Not really, but he won’t sing it, which is really frustrating because he will repeat almost anything my mom, dad, or brother says! Anyway, on Wednesday it was a waiting day. So we went to the park. The day we went I think it was fieldtrip day for the Kindergartens. There were LOTS of kindergarteners. Every time we saw a group of Kindergarteners Nicholas got extremely quiet and clung to my mom and dad. When we went back to the rooms he turned into a little wild man!! He is a normal four-year old!! While Nicholas was going crazy I tried to do homework. I only accomplished a little bit. Why did Ms. Cutbirth give me SO much homework!! Oh well…For dinner we decided to eat at the hotel restaurant. This time we asked for the menu! My burger was DELICIOUS!!! Nicky Qing kept stealing MY french-fries!!! I can understand why, the french-fries were delicious! After dinner we went back to the room and watched baseball. The Brewers played the Cardinals if you didn’t already know! After we watched baseball and ate dinner we all went to bed. On Thursday we went sight-seeing. First we went to Panda World. I had never seen a Panda before so it was cool to see one in China. We saw Giant Pandas, Lesser Pandas, and Asian black and brown bears. We also went to the Panda World museum. I don’t suggest you go there. At the museum we learned about Panda reproduction and panda anatomy. I got to see an actual Panda stomach (EWW!) and some…other things…After that experience I will never look at a Panda the same way again. (They are still cute though!) After Panda World we went to three lanes and seven alleys. It is shopping. I got some cool chopsticks as gifts. They also sold ice cream, but my mom wouldn’t let me get any!  After shopping we went to a tea house and a lady preformed a traditional tea ceremony. It was cool. She poured all the excess tea over a little Buddha. She did that because she wanted to…not necessarily worship, but to give Buddha a drink. I found that piece of information interesting because she kept doing it over and over and over again. We had Black Dragon, Green, and Jasmine tea. The Jasmine and Black Dragon are my favorites. My mom bought A LOT of tea! (My mom can buy a lot of tea, but I still don’t get ANY ICECREAM!) After the tea house we went back to the hotel. I did Algebra homework… L I also did my Spanish :D I LOVE Spanish! Anyway, after I did my homework my family went for a walk in the park. Any time we went to the park EVERYONE would stare at us and watch us. My mom, dad, and I are convinced we are the ONLY Americans in Fuzhou. It’s funny. After the walk in the park we came back and had dinner. I will never look at Wonton soup the same again. I ordered it and when I got it there were little baby shrimp looking back at me-with eyes and legs still attached!!! (My mom says they look like Sea Monkeys!) Let’s just say I ate French bread and French-fries for the rest of the meal. After dinner we went back up to the room and I watched “Cars” again. Today (Friday) we had nothing to do until 2:30, so we watched a Chinese version of Hannah Montana, Wonder Pets, and we watched snowmen defeat an evil monkey on the Chinese PBS channel. While watching that I started on this blog post. My parents decided we should go take a walk so we went an explored a part of the park we hadn’t seen. This time we explored we didn’t get lost! That was good. When we got hungry we went and ate at a Chinese restaurant. Then we went back to the hotel and I stated working on this blog post again! So now I am at the hotel sitting on a couch waiting for the Police officer to bring Nicky Qing’s new passport so we can fly to Guangzhou tonight!

I bet when I come home my teachers are going to ask me what I have learned. I have been thinking about it and so far, after one week in China I can honestly say…I learned that I don’t miss driving in front of oncoming traffic (Doha Days) and honking at old Chinese ladies crossing the road. I also learned that I like to eat French-fries with chopsticks and when I get home I plan on adding a frosty to the French-fry chopstick experience! I cannot wait to come home, until then…BYE BYE!-as my littlest brother says :D

Maddie                                                                                                                                                                  Jeremiah 29:11  

Prized Possessions...

There is little doubt that Sprout’s greatest (and likely first ever) possessions are all contained in his tiny Thomas the Tank Engine backpack: 3 Tonka Chuck trucks, 1 mini magna doodle, a sticker album of stuck-restuck-and-stuck-again stickers, and a water bottle now full of rainbow goldfish crackers (useful for both occasional snacking AND feeding fish in the lake).  As of today, Thursday, life is pretty darn good for our energetic little 4 year old at the Lakeside Hotel…

Recapping the week in Fuzhou, Monday was pretty much a ‘business day’ as we headed to the Civil Affairs Building and the Office of Foreign Adoptions just inside.  After a few signatures, an interview, some red thumb-printing to mark the occasion, and one more stop at the notary’s building, Sprout was officially a card-carrying member of Team Ream!  Our sweet guide, Penny, helped us end the day’s activities with a celebratory meal of KFC delivered straight to our hotel room!

There were two ‘hard’ days that we anticipated for Sprout, one being the shock of “Gotcha Day” and second being our visit to the orphanage on Tuesday.  As a family, we had discussed the range of possible reactions and emotions that he might experience when we arrived, so needless to say, we were prepared for tears…BUT prayers were answered, although he was really happy to see his best buddy, it was clear that Sprout had NO intentions of staying there!  In fact, as we were giving our good-byes at JinJiang, the orphanage director spotted Sprout’s snazzy new stroller in the van.  He watched her looking at it, and then firmly explained, “That’s MY stroller!”  I guess even though it doesn’t fit in his backpack, it’s a prized possession, too! 

The last two days have been rather laid back, and our family is spending lots of time walking around the beautiful public park across from our hotel.  It’s been pretty hilarious for us to go walk about, because I think we are the only Chinese-American family in the entire province!  The Chinese people can’t help but to stare at us, scratch their heads, and walk off wondering about the strange family pushing a little Chinese boy in a stroller!  We’ve had a couple of locals to stop us, but since we don’t speak the local dialect, we can’t offer much more than a ‘hello’.  So yesterday, I wore my ‘MaMa’ shirt with Chinese characters, and put Sprout in his matching ‘little brother’ one, doing my very best to help bridge the communication gap.  (Just hoping now that we don’t end up on a local YouTube version for strange sightings on the Fairy Bridge. J )

All in all we’re doing great…Sprout is taking on the challenge of our family quite well…we’re remembering that 4 year olds have an insane amount of energy!  We’re treasuring this time, too, allowing every moment to be tucked into the family folds of our hearts.  Watching Sprout discover the simplest of things – bubbles at bath time, getting pushed wildly in the stroller by big brother and grinning ear to ear the entire ride, the thrill of sitting between his big brother and big sister pedaling our paddleboat-is more crazy-fun than we ever imagined.  Just like my own little Sprout, if I could pack up these memories and tuck them into my own little backpack of motherhood, they, too would be some of my most prized possessions. 

We've got our SPROUT!

Gotcha Day was Sunday, October 16...a whole day early!  Our guide, Penny, told us when we left the airport that little Nicholas was already at the hotel waiting for us! What an AWESOME surprise!

Our time in the meeting room went really well, but once little Nicholas was up in the room with us...well, let's just say if you were a little guy carried into a strange place with 4 strange Texans, you would have cried too!  Fortunately, his tears only lasted a little while, and he found that Daddy's lap is a pretty comforting place!  We headed down to the hotel restaurant for dinner, where little Sprout out-ate his new siblings who haven't quite developed a taste for fish balls and tiny octopi. 

Back to the room for bath time, lots of giggles, and finally snuggling up between Mommy & Daddy for bedtime.  He's the only one who slept all night through...(darn jet lag).

Today (Monday) was a good day with no tears, and a crazy new affinity for his new Thomas backpack and Crocs...  He is officially a member of the REAM Team - paperwork signed, stamped and fingerprinted today!  Tomorrow we will all travel to the orphanage to have lunch and take gifts to the nannies and children.

I really wish I could attach pictures, but the computer/internet blocks are giving me a hard time (or tish + internet = crash)  I prefer to state that the internet access is goofy, so we'll post as we can from Fuzhou...Love to all from the Ream Team

Almost, almost there...

This is the post I've been blogging in my mind for months...'We're Off!' I'd write, and follow it with tidbits of humor and naivety, and possibly a quirky little scripture to boot.  But, let me tell you the same thing I was cautioned - adoption is NOT for the faint of heart!  Oh how terribly true!  Just last night, my household had run the full emotional spectrum from tears of joy to doubts of 'what if' to belly laughs of 'can't wait until'... Even the family pets were acting out - the bad puppy consumed a pink plastic ruler and the kooky kitty decided to 'mark' Miss M's bathmat in protest when she sighted the suitcases!  Perhaps, they, too, could sense our anxiousness, worry, and excitement.  I don't know what's gotten into them, or what's gotten into us!  But I do know that in the last 48 hours, my adoption pregnancy -this strange, wonderful, vulnerable journey - has surprised me with emotions that I never expected, nor did I experience when I carried my 'homegrown' sprouts!

And just when I think I've collected myself, dried the tears, and begin the next packing task, I find beautiful little messages written to Sprout from his big brother and sister...(names may be spelled wrong, but sweetest sentiment is there no less!)

Yep, I'm a mess.  I will most likely still be a mess when I deplane in Fuzhou on Sunday afternoon.  I'll definitely move from 'mess' to 'WRECK' when we reach the hotel and precious Nicholas is finally in our sight and within our arms...

Keep those prayers comin' my warriors!  And in the meantime, I'm packing waterproof mascara....

Gardening Success Secret #1: We've Gotta Start on Our Knees...

It's official - the Ream Team is traveling to China on Friday, October 14, and "GOTCHA DAY" for precious Nicholas is Monday, October 17th!  It's crazy to believe that in just 12 days, I'm gonna get to hold & hug & squeeze & kiss my sweet Sprout!!!

Thank you so much for your persistant prayers these last months!  But please, don't stop now!  While we may have climbed the paperwork mountain of adoption, I'm looking from its summit to what lies ahead (and long travels, basic trust, language learning, and culture changes, begin in the first days!).  Here's what I am praying for over these coming weeks. I'd be so honored if you would join me as I seek the LORD for:

1. Travelling mercies...restful flights...easy connections...no missing luggage...
2. My time is multiplied & productive while attempting to organize, pack, and prepare everything before we leave....
3. Good health, strong tummies, & surpressed allergies....
4. Ease of language & translation for Nicholas and for us - somehow, that we all can 'understand' and communicate despite the fact that our languages are so very different....
5. All fear is bound and never present; that peace & comfort & love are always evident....

And most importantly, please pray that our hearts & minds will remain open, receptive, & obedient to whatever God has waiting for each of us on this incredible journey!

A Seed Packet Surprise

If only our adoption were packaged neatly in one of those little packets of seeds from the garden center! You know, the little envelopes organized by flower or vegetable on the sturdy displays near the bird feeders and garden flags? I could spend hours just looking at all those delightful packages of planting potential! While I love reading the names like Heirloom and Hot House, or Sweet William and Shasta, I find the cover photos even more tantalizing, offering me a glimpse of what my garden might look like one day (after the season of snooping dogs and crashed bikes and record hot summers has passed, of course).
And in keeping with the idea that my life is just one big Grace-filled garden, it shouldn't come as any surprise that I think it would be great fun to spy a picture of MY SPROUT on the front of an envelope! Oh, YES, I'll take THAT packet to sow! Then, how easy would it be to simply read the back of the packaging so that I knew, without a doubt, all the care and maintenance required for my tender seedling? Let's see, how often should I fertilize? Three meals a day, plus snacks. How far should we space apart? Just out of brother's reach for road trips. Pruning necessary? Only when tired, try quiet time and a good picture book. Days to germination? Always sprouts on a surprise date for everyone.

So as I was piddling away with this blog post, rambling about how it would be so nice to know more about our sprout, what to expect, blah, blah, blah {insert major mommy curiosity compounded by months of waiting here}...Look what crazy, perfectly timed encouragement God sent my way: a little cyber-seed packet in my inbox! New pictures of our SPROUT and his MEASUREMENTS! (It's weird, but I have fretted for months about his shoe size!) Without a doubt, I think these are the most beautiful characters I've seen in a long, long time!

姓 名身 高 height 106（CM）

体 重 weight 17.5 (KG)

头 围 head 49(CM)

胸 围 54(CM)

足 长 foot 16(CM)

江建庆

Any ideas on what the extra Chinese characters say? Unfortunately, I can't read Mandarin yet, but wouldn't it be fun if they read, "See you soon, MaMa!"

Oh, the places we'll go...

It was only a few years ago when both hubby and I were looking at each other and groaning, "When can we get RID of this car seat?!" And now, just look at what my UPS buddy delivered - another ONE!

I never thought I'd be so excited to strap one of these into my momma-wheels again! Plus, after a few difficult days sulking about delayed travel, this was the perfect reminder that one day very soon there's gonna be another little dumpling riding around with us! Off to church on Sunday or maybe to take big sis & big bro to school, perhaps an errand or quick stop for groceries, and later, a spring hillcountry roadtrip to 'oooh & ahhhh' over the first bluebonnets! Maybe he'll even enjoy strolling around the farmer's market with me! Precious Nicholas, oh the places we'll go!

Nope, we haven't received any notice or insight about the specific date he'll come home forever, but in the meantime, we're gettting ready!