Do they sell Calgon in China?

My goal is always to keep it real, so keep that in mind as you journey through yet another day in China with us. I realize we are in the home stretch here, but it feels as though Friday will never come! It is close quarters around here everyday. I am have company in the shower and every bathroom stall. The squatty potty situations are the most fun! Don't get me wrong, I adore my girls, and I am so thankful to be with my Maggie Grace, we are just sharing a lot of "togetherness".
I made the mistake of telling the girls I needed some time to not be bothered. Maggie continued yanking on my arm asking, "Huh?, Ma, huh?" Haddie decided to step in and pull her sister off of me saying, "Mama needs a break, no more mama!" I soon realized not the way to communicate mommy needs some space to the newly adopted child who is digging having a mama. All is good now, and the girls are bouncing around the room with balloons. They are loud, but no one is touching me or asking me for something and I am hanging on for 2 more hours till this:




They are precious!
This morning my little FAITH builder, Libi had a seizure. Nothing makes me feel further from home than knowing my precious girl is struggling, and I can't be there. I trusted in the One who was with her, and was not taken by surprise at the circumstance we found ourselves in. It is no coincidence that the night before the Lord was washing me with these words, "On my bed I remember you; I think of You through the watches of the night. Because You are my help, I sing in the shadow of Your wings. My soul clings to You, Your right hand upholds me." Psalm 63




All is well with little Libi Love. It seems that she may be coming down with a cold. So thankful for my amazing man who is doing a phenomenal job holding down the home front!! Can't wait to be in his arms soon and introduce him to our new daughter!




Last night was Pizza Hut for dinner. It was a busy place, and we found it difficult to receive service, which is surprising considering we held the attention of most patrons in the place. The menu was quite extensive for a Pizza Hut and included some interesting toppings such as, corn, and pepper steak.
On the agenda today was the Safari Park. Maggie was very excited! She shared with our guide that she had never even been to a zoo.












As we rode through the half of the park that was navigated by tram, Maggie kept tapping Jacob's leg and pointing. She wanted to share her excitement with Jacob, not wanting him to miss a single animal.




After we acknowledged seeing the animal as well, she would clap her hands with delight!












Jurassic Forest was a new addition and ended up being one of the best parts of the park for all of us except Haddie. Picture Jurassic Park meets a children's zoo, China style!




Maybe this mama should have paid more heed to the "Gentle Reminders":




As we entered, Haddie's apprehension was grew more intense. Not mattering how I tried to reassure Haddie, her imagination outweighed reality. Walking along the path, sounds of roars and heavy footsteps loomed in the air. Maggie was so excited, and Haddie was terrified!








Every time Maggie looked over at Haddie she busted a gut at how frightened she was. Jacob and I were laughing so hard at Maggie, it was difficult to be a comfort to Haddie.




Haddie just kept her head down, and I kept telling her to look at the ground.




The end was almost too much for her to take, and she bolted for the exit. Poor girl!




The dinosaurs were okay for Maggie, but the giant Lion mascot, not so much.




You can figure this one out for yourself, I am still working on it.








Feeding the giraffes was yet another highlight of the park. Haddie found a baby to care for, which is not at all surprising. Her heart was just made to nurture!




Jacob had to help Maggie, because the giraffes were a bit too powerful for her to keep ahold of her branch. She is a tiny little thing!




PEACE!




Even the Pandas were on ice!! It was the hottest day yet, and I am pretty sure Maggie walked miles. Jacob and I kept trying to carry her, but she would not have it. She is a fighter!




Haddie passed out on the way back to the hotel, and once again Maggie thought her sister was hilarious! She tapped me, pointed to Haddie and just giggled her head off!
Some more REAL...
I am still amazed at how comfortable life with Maggie feels. She fits in beautifully, yet there is a bit of apprehension in my spirit when I think about life at home with two girls who are physically handicapped. Honestly, some real fears creep in of what it will require for their care. Maggie often leans on me for assistance when walking. She can walk independently, but it is easier when she has a hand to hold or an arm to grab onto. Getting dressed is more labor intensive as well. Things that the reality of living with her 24x7 have allowed me to see more clearly. It will not be all butterflies and rainbows, nor did I expect it to be. I am thankful that God has blessed me with another daughter, another child to mother; however, I am well aware that the road ahead will have difficult days.
Think of what Maggie's future could have been. There are times in China when the reality of it stares me right in the face. We pass by many who are lame on the streets here in China. This is not a country that has much to offer those who are disabled, or without family.
Last night we passed a gentleman who walked on his hands, literally wore shoes on his hands to move about. The girls were filled with concern for him, and carried money over to his box. I wondered if he too had once lived as an orphan. Is that what landed him in this place of hopeless desperation? A product of the system he lives in? Had he simply "aged out" to be destined for this life he now lived? I cannot just look away. I cannot ignore, even if it is just one. A difference for just one! Just one!
I do not have a photo of the gentleman we met, he deserves more dignity than that, but I have photos of these:
Little boys who could one day find themselves on the street, begging, lonely, and hungry.
Be a voice...be the difference for just one!

Pushing the boundaries

Last night we dined at a Mexican place called Tequila. Jacob and I enjoyed it, but the girls struggled with the menu. I didn't realize that we were entering the "pushing the boundaries" phase of the process, but we were. Can you hear the twilight zone music playing?

After trying 3 different dishes from the menu, and none of them meeting Maggie's approval, I clued into what might be happening. She ended up eating Haddie's meal, which Haddie thought was too spicy. Needless to say, it ended up being our priciest meal yet!


Dish number one...





As I mentioned before, Maggie sleeps well, but I believe last night exhausted her. She fell asleep at 6:30, and despite our best efforts we could not wake her. She ended up sleeping until 6:45 this morning.

We have been working on using some basic English words to eliminate some of the grunting, pulling and whining. At first she resists, but soon complies to what I am asking.

Each day her breakfast choice remains the same: bacon, ham, sausage, and congee. Today she mixed it up a bit and threw in a croissant.



The daily ritual of feeding the fish after breakfast continues to provide a good 30 minutes of entertainment. I will take anything that allows time to tick away on the clock!





Haddie and Jacob are real troopers. I cannot say enough about how proud I am of both of them, and so thankful they are here to help their old mom! Jacob is having his fill of "girl", and I expect he will hibernate with his brothers for a few days when we return home!

Maggie will certainly need some dental work. I am almost positive one tooth is rotting out of her head. She wanted to have gum today, and about 30 seconds in to the chewing she handed me a tooth. I really hope it was a baby tooth, but honestly I don't know.


We went shopping on Shaman Island today. It was an area we were familiar with, due to our previous visits here for Haddie's and Libi's adoptions.


Haddie enjoyed looking at the beaded bracelets. She was patient.


If you look at Maggie's face you can see she was less than thrilled and not exactly patient.


Most of our time has been spent at the hotel. When we go out for meals, Maggie is quieter. When we head back toward our hotel she becomes excited. It is clear that our room brings security and comfort to her.

So, today when we were away from the hotel, and literally dragging her into shops, it didn't go too well. I didn't handle the situation perfectly, but we survived! By the time we hit Subway for lunch she was coming back around, and even shared her chips with me. That was huge, because the girl loves her chips and I really wasn't feeling the "I like my new mommy" vibe!

Back at the hotel we did school work, and she completed her multiplication facts 1-10 without missing any. I really should have brought along worksheets for Maggie. She has ended up completing some of Haddie's!

We are just relaxing now before dinner. Tomorrow we will go to have Maggie's TB test read and head to the Safari Park. shopping definitely out of the question for the rest of the trip!

I am so homesick my eyes fill with tears as I type. Thanks for posting and messaging, it is such a comfort to feel the connection to home.


Talented girl!








Yes, be amazed!

Medical Clinic and other little happenings

Last night we decided to dine at an Irish Pub of all places. We were warmly greeted by our Irish host, who had a thick Irish accent. He escorted us to our table, and as Jacob and I sat down we felt at home. The ambience of the restaurant felt familiar, and it delivered comfort to us feeling a bit connected to home. As we opened the menu, the comfort continued to wash over us. We could actually discern what the dishes were without the need of pictures or translation!


Maggie and Haddie enjoyed their apple juice!


This was my dinner selection of fish and chips. It was decided when we return this meal could easily be divided between the girls and myself!











Jacob enjoying his burger!

The girls do wonderful at bedtime. They like the routine of brushing teeth, getting into PJs and cuddling with mom. Maggie is a terrific sleeper. She seems to be quite cozy nestled in between her mama and big sis!

Maggie likes to take pictures with my camera. Here are a few shots she took this morning:


I did not turn these upside down.






Serious? Too cute!!!!


Got it turned the right way!


She told Haddie to make the "peace" sign.


One of the great gifts of JOY since being here was this morning at breakfast. As we were walking to our table I passed this little honey with her mama and baba. I recognized her right away. Her name is Claire, and she was at New Day foster home with Libi. She has been an extremely sick little girl over the last few years, and we have spent many a night praying her through! I was struck with emotion, and continue to process seeing this MIRACLE begin the journey with her family!!! What a gift!


Beautiful girlies!





This picture is for daddy. She already knows how to use the "pouchy lip". It is not working on mama so much, but pretty sure it will work on daddy!


Happy Haddie, waiting for her sister to finish her exam.


So the medical exam, I really don't understand the necessity of it. They check vitals, vision, hearing, height and weight. Then there is an overall exam by a doctor. The doctor kept trying to straighten Maggie's left leg. I got so tickled, I was laughing out loud, and so was Maggie. After the doctor left the room I started my own exam on Maggie. We were hysterical!

She had to have a TB test and was brave, but she did not like that it bled. She kept holding her arm up to me wanting me to wipe away the blood and going me the "pouchy lip". Haddie and I felt bad for her.


After the medical exam was complete we went to Sun-yat-sen Memorial Hall. Our guide compared the memorial to our Statue of Liberty and Sun-yat-sen to George Washington. It was Sun-yat-sen who ended the reign of the Ming dynasty and paved the way to China becoming a republic.


The girls resting in squat position.


Chinese cowboy. That was a whole other story! As Jacob said, not everyday you see one of these!


Happy girl to be at KFC!



First hand in hand walk with her big brother...priceless!



Doing school...



Eating chips! Is there any other way to do school?



She loves to copy out of books. I think her handwriting is pretty neat!


I was also excited to see that she knows some multiplication. She is working on it right now and doing great!

Maggie is quite the parrot, repeating everything. Today when we were going through a Chinese/English picture book she made the mistake of beating me to some of the English words. It became apparent she knows more English than she's been letting on. I began to tease her about it and the giggles struck, there was then no turning back!

Tomorrow we will travel to Shaman Island, where we stayed when adopting Haddie and Libi. There are little shops, and a pearl market, so it will be a full day.

Again, I greatly rejoice in the Lord's goodness to us. His plan is filled with good things for His children!

Another long, yet blessed day

It is just 2:00 p.m. here, but I wanted to update now while Maggie is asleep. Yes, the girl is wiped out! Haddie is doing school and Maggie is snoring away beside me.


Written on the notepad next to Maggie's leg are words she copied from Haddie's reading book. She enjoyed when I would "grade" her work with a star or smiley face.

We ended up having a nice dinner at a Thai/Korean Barbecue restaurant called "Cow and Bridge". I hoped to dine somewhere special for Jacob's birthday, and this place met my expectation. Ordering a variety of dishes I was surprised to see that Maggie enjoyed the spiciest dish most.

Upon our return to the room, this greeted us.


I thought for sure Brad had outdone himself once again and sent Jacob a cake for his birthday, but it was not from Brad. The hotel had sent it. The cake itself was held inside the outer box of chocolate. Quite delicious!






Haddie is hanging in there. She was fighting tears a little while ago, feeling frustrated that she needs to keep up with school work. One of the funniest moments with her so far was the other day when perusing through a Chinese/English book she attempted to say something in Chinese. It came out like, "Ching Jing Jang...blah, blah, blah." Maggie thought it was quite funny as well.



Maggie continues to come out of her shell. We have had some healthy moments of pushing boundaries. She continues to want to do everything I am doing. After I used my cleanser to wash my face, she was right there wanting to do the same. She even attempted to curl her eyelashes this morning.

As far as language, she has been a bit more of a parrot today, quietly mimicking and repeating. We hear a lot of "Oh" and Oh wow!" Today at breakfast a newly adopted 12 year old girl was sporting a fancy frock of frills, and Maggie was quite taken with it. She looked at me and said, "Mom, Oh wow!" So, after breakfast we went shopping!



This is the dress she chose. Enough said, right?

Of course we got one for the other princesses in the Arnold house too. Haddie didn't want to try hers on...but has decided these will be perfect to wear for Easter!


This little button below has become one of my favorite things here. Simply light the switch with the lady and the broom and leave the room. When you return to the room it is clean and tidy! Brad, can you install one of these while I am gone?