Life has been soooo busy, I have not had time to post these past few days, but I think more has happened in this past week than any other week in my life. So, lots to share, but I will keep things short and to the point because I am tired :)
Hong Kong - wow. What a spectacular place. If we are able to go back to China one day, that is for sure a place I would go again. It is stunningly beautiful, people speak English, and I felt safe driving around :) It was also the cleanest city we had been to.
Entering Hong Kong required a long drive (about three hours) and then going through customs since it is it's own entity and not really China. We stayed at a lovely hotel that was very close to the airport. Our decision to go was the right one. It saved us about six hours of travel on our travel day (we would have had one flight to Hong Kong and then a layover of about four hours). We were at this hotel for two nights, a total of about 36 hours. We went swimming at the pool, enjoyed two breakfasts, and two "free" dinners.
Adam and I did take Peng Peng to "The Peak". We took a taxi about 30 minutes from our hotel and then a tram up a super steep hill. At the top was the peak. It was basically a large shopping mall at the top of this super tall peak, but the view was beautiful. As part of our pass we were able to go to the very top of the mall and get to look over all of Hong Kong. We got little ear pieces that we were able to listen to the history and background of different buildings and land marks.
Traveling was brutal, but it actually went very well. Our son still has something wrong going on with his tummy, so he has diarrhea about ten times a day. Being on an airplane for 12 1/2 & 3 hours with this component was not fun. Peng Peng slept twice about two hours at a time, on the first flight, and almost the entire second flight. He was a true trooper with all this travel. Adam and I got about four hours of restless sleep over this 30 hour travel window. When we finally landed in California I could have kissed the ground. When we went through immigration, the officer opened up his sealed document we had gotten at the Consulate in China and stamped his visa on his passport. This moment is when he officially became a US citizen. I could have cried, but I was too tired to do so :)
Seeing the kids at the MS Airport was unlike anything else I have ever experienced. They ran up to us for a quick hug on their way to hug and greet their brother. He had such a sparkle in his eyes. I think he recognized them from the skyping we did, almost twice a day daily. They were soooo excited to see him and talk with him and try to make him laugh, and he was in all his glory being doted on by these two amazing children. They had made a big sign and held it with pride as we walked up to them. We laughed, hugged, and played while Adam and my dad got the luggage. We had asked for others to not join us for this moment for two reasons: 1) We wanted to keep this special for our children 2) we didn't want to overwhelm Peng Peng. I am glad we kept this small and intimate. It truly was a very special moment for our family. In hindsight, I really think he would have been okay having more people there because he loves a crowd, but without knowing his personality that well yet, we didn't want to push him over the edge.
On the way home Peng Peng was not happy about the car seat. He had never been in a car seat before and didn't like being constricted like that. Fortunately, we were home in about thirty minutes. There was so much to do when we got home, plus Peng Peng was terrified of our two noisy & excited dogs, so the chaos level was a bit much. We were all exhausted, but excited. My parents stayed at a hotel and everyone crashed by 10:00 (I actually fell asleep after around 1:00 after running around the house trying to put some things away). Sunday we stayed in and just enjoyed being with one another. My parents and sister helped with some projects and final touches, then that afternoon the kids, Adam, and I took a trip to a local Asian market. The kids were so glad to have us home, as were we. As much as I am eternally thankful for our time in China and having the opportunity for Adam and I to bond with Peng Peng, that was one of the hardest things I have ever had to do - stay away from AJ & Abby for three weeks. I missed them so much. I was constantly thinking about/ worrying about possible problems we might have in China, with our travels, with Christian's medical needs, or with the kids back home. Things went so smoothly though, thankfully those concerns were unnecessary.
Monday Peng Peng and I had fun walking the kids to the bus stop. We had an eventful day while they were at school - met Abby for lunch and got to show Peng Peng off to a lot of coworkers and students, well-being check up at the doctor's office, picked up probiotics at the store, finished putting away things in our suitcase, etc. Monday night was a bit rough - I think AJ finally was able to release some of his emotions he held in with us being gone. As hard as it was, I am glad he worked through it. He was such a good sport with us leaving and having so many changes at the start of his school year, but I am sure it was hard on him. I have tried really hard to make this as smooth of a transition for everyone, but I knew there would be some bumps along the road. Abby has actually handled the transition exceptionally well. Her teacher today shared that if she wasn't told ahead of time, she never would have guessed Abby's parents were out of the country. She has done amazingly well. She did share that Abby had some tears yesterday though when we left school after lunch - Abby was missing me and wanted to see me again. It breaks my heart to cause them stress and emotions, but I hope that in the long run all that I have put them through will only make them stronger and better people for it.
Today was very low key and productive. I got the house mostly back to where I want it to be. We had a busy morning - it was picture day, which is always a difficult morning (baths, nice clothes, hair brushed nice, pack lunches that have no red foods, etc.). I goofed up many times - couldn't get Abby's hair right, couldn't find Christian's socks, made AJ wear pants he didn't like after trying on about six pairs that didn't fit, etc... but once we got through the morning everything went very well. Peng Peng and I ate lunch with AJ, then he asked if we wanted to watch him play soccer at recess. Recess was a blast. We watched AJ a little while, but Peng Peng had quite the following. There were about thirty kids following him around and he ate up the attention. AJ stopped playing to hang out with his little brother. He amazed me with his patience and his protectiveness. He allowed people to hand balls to Peng Peng and for him to throw them, but made sure he had enough space and was having fun. He was so gentle and kind with him, I couldn't have been prouder. Tonight we really did get to watch him play soccer at his actual game, which he did awesome at. Abby had fun rolling down the hills and Peng Peng kept trying to shout, "Go AJ!" while watching him play. The librarian at school had signed out a few books for us to borrow about China, so tonight instead of our regular chapter books we enjoyed reading of adventures in China about about a family who adopted two girls. It was so wonderful to snuggle with them and give them some special attention while their brother peacefully slept next door.
I have been so overwhelmed by our friends and family who have poured out their love and affections towards us in this process. Walking into school these past two days and seeing friends and coworkers offer hugs and smiles means the world to me. It was also a blast getting to show our completed family at soccer practice tonight. As tired as I still am and with all I still need to do to get things back to a normal level of cleanliness, I couldn't be happier. I think it has been about nine years of waiting to feel like our family is complete, and now I can honestly say, "Our family is complete". I do wonder what God has in store for us. I feel like more facets of adoption might be in our future - probably more distant than near, but who knows. I know we are done having children, but I would love to find ways to stay involved in adoption. Only God knows right now what that might be. I do look forward to these next 2 1/2 months off, but I also look forward to going back to work knowing that my mom will be watching Christian for the rest of this year and all of his needs will be met.
Life is good.
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