The last couple days have been fairly low-key compared to
the visit to the orphanage. Saturday morning was the medical appointment for
Eva. She handled it really well. We found out at the orphanage that Eva had
actually been in the hospital for 2 weeks to be treated for bronchitis. She was
pretty sick (hence the 5 medications they loaded us down with). It sounds like
she had only been out of the hospital for a few days when we got her. The Lord
was totally in the timing of us coming for her. We actually got travel approval
earlier than we expected and could have gotten her as early as December 23. We
didn’t have a peace about coming that quickly, and it’s a good thing because
unbeknownst to us, she was in the hospital. She is doing MUCH better now. She’s
eating well, sleeping fairly well, and definitely has lots of energy! The last
update we got said she weighed just under 16 pounds. That must have been with
her sumo suit on because she came to 13.9 pounds on Saturday. I have a feeling
she didn’t weigh quite as much as they said, and she probably lost some while
she was sick. She’s making up for lost time now though!
Today we went to the wholesale pearl market and had a little
bracelet made for Eva. The way it works there is that you buy a string of
pearls, and they make whatever you want from it. It’s fun to watch them string
them! Since Eva would probably just chew on it now, we got one for when she’s a
little bigger and then another for when she’s an adult. Ayla has the same thing
at home.
After the market, we went to the Chen Family Temple. It is
over 100 years old and has lots of traditional Chinese art and architecture. My
mom and I took the girls to the very back garden where you could see the backs
of some actual homes. It was our favorite part!
Ayla is doing a little better. Yesterday she said she liked
Eva, which was an improvement from what she said the day before. She still has
more meltdowns than normal, but we do see the real Ayla in between those
moments (right now she is dancing on the coffee table to the Mulan music),
which I’m so thankful for! Ayla is learning the art of “sharing.” You know, if
Eva has something she wants, just take it and put something else in her hands.
It’s working for her for now, but it won’t last long! Seriously though, I am
just praying for wisdom and grace in dealing with her. I want her to be able to
express what she’s thinking about Eva and “big sisterhood” without feeling like
she’ll get in trouble. It’s the same openness I want both girls to feel when
the tough adoption questions come as they get older. It won’t always be easy to
talk about or what I want to hear, but I never want them to feel like they have
to act or answer a certain way to be loved and accepted.
Anyways, I feel like this trip is flying by! We are going to
the zoo tomorrow, which Ayla is really excited about! Tuesday morning we have
our consulate appointment and then a dinner cruise that night. Wednesday we go
to Shamian Island to shop, and then we head to Hong Kong that evening to fly
out at 12:55 am Thursday. Yeah, you can go ahead and be in prayer for that one!
It feels like we just got here, and it’s almost time to leave. We will fly into
Atlanta at 9:25 am on Thursday morning and then drive back to Birmingham. I’m
tired just thinking about the trip home.
We won’t have an airport welcome this time around… unless you want to
come to Atlanta… during rush hour… that’s what I thought! ;)
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| picking out some pearls... |
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| trying them on... |
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| Eva too! |
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| Chen Family Temple |
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Our group of 5 families (2 more joined this week after getting their girls
in other provinces) |
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| While mommy was shopping, Ayla took Daddy on a tour of the place... |
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| The home took 6 years to build and is made of only brick and wood. |
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| The back garden with the homes behind. |
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| Keep up Daddy! |
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| A rock... |
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| A courtyard. |
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A home behind the Temple walls. It looks
like a set. |
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| Let's shake on it! |
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| I might like her... |
3 comments:
I love this Tiff. Love your heart, love seeing you as a mommy, love that you're trusting the Lord to walk you through something most people wouldn't consider. Thank you for sharing!! Love you all!!
Great Blog, would love to see update Bless those precious baby Girls :-)
Love this blog, but I guess it is over, I am not known to you but think the blog is great and your children very precious. I pray for these children daily
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