#38. Painful Thought
As I watched MM charm his way deeper into the hearts of Chan, his YaYa, Rog, Chan's neighbors & friends, a painful thought erupted: there's a woman in China who carried and delivered MM--and then, more than likely, she abandoned him at the hospital. I wondered if she had any other choice?? MM could hardly breathe. Did she have the $$ she'd need for his medical bills?? Was it possible for him to grow up healthy & someday support his parents?? What an excruciating, painful decision she had to make! And then I thought of the thousands of new Moms who had and would have to make that same decision. It became overwhelming to me--all that heartache--the helplessness of their situation--the gut wrenching pain.
MM's shrieks of laughter brought me back to the joy that surrounded me. That night I prayed for peace & healing for those Moms and thanked MM's mom. He is such a gift!!
#39 Cutting the Cord & Heading to Costa Rica
It was time to cut the cord. The frig was stocked, wash done, bags unpacked and all the safety gadgets mounted. Chan's safety net of friends were in top gear. Though I had loved being in the middle of it all...it was time to move on...and after discussing the pros & cons...Chan booked us a flight to Costa Rica. We landed in San Juan but took the first bus out to Turriaba. There we hiked through the jungle to Gustavo--the oldest archeological site in CR. Saw the many mounds where houses had been built & the aqueduct system used from 1000AD to 1400 BC still somewhat functioning. Biggest thrill was spotting a lots in a tall tree. Actually a guide pointed him out as we'd never had been able to spot it's dark body clinging to a branch so still among thick leaves...I know Sarah, you are jealous. Also saw a tayra, variety of insects & butterflies. The 150+ in of rainfall here feeds a thick jungle. Tomorrow we hope to wake up early enough to see Turriaba Volcano smoking & venting from the upstairs of the hostel we are in. Not sure where next, that's what Rog is working on now!
#40. The Girl on the Bus
That's be me. I love getting a peek into lives & hearing people chatter as we travel via local bus. Well dressed women with babies & groceries, men in work clothes or suits and students in uniforms. We pass neat, colorful small homes in the midst of a medley of flowers. Each small village boast a church & soccer field. The bus stops often as it climbs & descends the mountains..and people hop on & off greeting each other warmly. I love this "buseye" view!
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Thursday, March 9, 2017
Monday, March 6, 2017
Happy Birthday
Happy Birthday, Reagan! Hope to talk to you later today.
Love, Gpa and Grace
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Love, Gpa and Grace
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Sunday, March 5, 2017
#35 Safari. #36. The Long Haul Home #37 Next Few Days
#35 Safari
What better way to kill the last waiting day than at the Safari Park! I rate it a 5*. Huge variety of animals and lots of each. MM & Chan loved the monkeys best and Pandas were my favorite. Sun was shining and all three of us were loving it. What could be better??
#36 The Long Haul Home
It was a long haul--3+ hours to Beijing--6 hour layover--13+ hours to Dallas--2+ hour layover--2+ hour to Orlando. That's the long. The haul was the stuff you need for 30+ hours of traveling with a 2 year old and tons of adoption papers. We dragged into Orlando @ 5:30 pm (5:30 am China time)...and SURPRISE!! There was YaYa--Ed--holding a stuffed tiger & sucker. MM quickly realized that guys was the one he'd seen on the phone! The whole bunched hugged & then the sucker game began. MM licked the sucker then Yaya either got a lick or some smeared on his face...pure fun for MM. Pure joy for Ed, Chan & me.
We managed to stay up about 4 hours letting MM explore his home...then crashed.
#37 Next few days...
Rog's phone call the next morning asking me to open the front door, woke me up. He'd flown in from visiting his brother's family in Calif. He'd been in Puerto Vallarta with Bob & Elsi since leaving Louisiana. So we'd sure been on two different trips these last almost 3 weeks!
The next couple days were spent unpacking, meeting neighbors & laughing at MM. Ed is staying in the Navy base campground less than a mile away. He'd had a toy Kubota tractor shipped so Rog & Ed quickly pulled out the tools to put it together...then repair the stairway gate...then add another lock on the back door...than a wagon. Chan's cute chic home is now a kid's zone with toys & lots of not really toys sprewed all over!
Rog & I still haven't decided on our next move....maybe tomorrow we'll figure that out.
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What better way to kill the last waiting day than at the Safari Park! I rate it a 5*. Huge variety of animals and lots of each. MM & Chan loved the monkeys best and Pandas were my favorite. Sun was shining and all three of us were loving it. What could be better??
#36 The Long Haul Home
It was a long haul--3+ hours to Beijing--6 hour layover--13+ hours to Dallas--2+ hour layover--2+ hour to Orlando. That's the long. The haul was the stuff you need for 30+ hours of traveling with a 2 year old and tons of adoption papers. We dragged into Orlando @ 5:30 pm (5:30 am China time)...and SURPRISE!! There was YaYa--Ed--holding a stuffed tiger & sucker. MM quickly realized that guys was the one he'd seen on the phone! The whole bunched hugged & then the sucker game began. MM licked the sucker then Yaya either got a lick or some smeared on his face...pure fun for MM. Pure joy for Ed, Chan & me.
We managed to stay up about 4 hours letting MM explore his home...then crashed.
#37 Next few days...
Rog's phone call the next morning asking me to open the front door, woke me up. He'd flown in from visiting his brother's family in Calif. He'd been in Puerto Vallarta with Bob & Elsi since leaving Louisiana. So we'd sure been on two different trips these last almost 3 weeks!
The next couple days were spent unpacking, meeting neighbors & laughing at MM. Ed is staying in the Navy base campground less than a mile away. He'd had a toy Kubota tractor shipped so Rog & Ed quickly pulled out the tools to put it together...then repair the stairway gate...then add another lock on the back door...than a wagon. Chan's cute chic home is now a kid's zone with toys & lots of not really toys sprewed all over!
Rog & I still haven't decided on our next move....maybe tomorrow we'll figure that out.
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#33 Unwanted Babies & Old Folks. #34 Count Down
#33. Unwanted Babies & Old Folks
So how did so many couples avoid having more than one baby from 1979 to 2015?? Our CCAI rep answered that question with one word--abortion. And since only sons were expected to care for their elderly parents ...how did parents assure they'd have a healthy son to care for them--orphanages filled with girls & boys with special needs. Our rep also explained that today that picture has hardly changed as many couples are deciding to only have one child due to the stress to succeed economically. In the meantime, the older population is growing. Here the retirement is truly your children. The court will step in if a child is not supporting their parents & require parent support payments. If a couple does not have kids, they'll get gov't $$. All this seems to be verified by the huge number of orphans & the relatively rare times we've seen couples with even one child & the multitude of elders we've seen exercising & playing in the parks! Wonder how much our parent support check will be??? And when will it come in the mail????
(Ben, Bek, Jake???)
#34 Count Down to Home Sweet Home...for Chan & MM anyways. Finally...the last hoop...the US Constable who told Chan--I hope to issue MM's VIsa by tomorrow. Well let's hope so cause we're leaving early the next day and we're NOT leaving with out MM!! We're really not worried as CCAI is a well oiled machine. It has adopted over 12,000 children. Our rep has helped over 1000 families...that's 1000 less orphans in China. Reminds me of a Japanese legend that anyone who creates 1000 organizations cranes will be granted a wish. (Sadako & the Paper Cranes). In this case...1000 wishes HAVE been granted!! Who knew the 1000 cranes could be mechanical instead!
Today we strolled through a beautiful park with manicured bushes & gorgeous gardens of provinces, begonias, canvas, impatients, , poppies, salvia--boasting every color of the rainbow. The apple & cherry trees were loaded with blooms. I noticed all the blooms...but Chan seemed only to notice MM. She laughed continually as he performed antic after antic encouraging her delighted response. He'd run ahead only to turn around & run as fast as his chubby legs could go to her. She beamed with pride as many Chinese stopped to talk to him. We could have been in a sand pit and as long as MM was there she'd loved it...and I was so glad I was with them...in this very special time and in this beautiful park!
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So how did so many couples avoid having more than one baby from 1979 to 2015?? Our CCAI rep answered that question with one word--abortion. And since only sons were expected to care for their elderly parents ...how did parents assure they'd have a healthy son to care for them--orphanages filled with girls & boys with special needs. Our rep also explained that today that picture has hardly changed as many couples are deciding to only have one child due to the stress to succeed economically. In the meantime, the older population is growing. Here the retirement is truly your children. The court will step in if a child is not supporting their parents & require parent support payments. If a couple does not have kids, they'll get gov't $$. All this seems to be verified by the huge number of orphans & the relatively rare times we've seen couples with even one child & the multitude of elders we've seen exercising & playing in the parks! Wonder how much our parent support check will be??? And when will it come in the mail????
(Ben, Bek, Jake???)
#34 Count Down to Home Sweet Home...for Chan & MM anyways. Finally...the last hoop...the US Constable who told Chan--I hope to issue MM's VIsa by tomorrow. Well let's hope so cause we're leaving early the next day and we're NOT leaving with out MM!! We're really not worried as CCAI is a well oiled machine. It has adopted over 12,000 children. Our rep has helped over 1000 families...that's 1000 less orphans in China. Reminds me of a Japanese legend that anyone who creates 1000 organizations cranes will be granted a wish. (Sadako & the Paper Cranes). In this case...1000 wishes HAVE been granted!! Who knew the 1000 cranes could be mechanical instead!
Today we strolled through a beautiful park with manicured bushes & gorgeous gardens of provinces, begonias, canvas, impatients, , poppies, salvia--boasting every color of the rainbow. The apple & cherry trees were loaded with blooms. I noticed all the blooms...but Chan seemed only to notice MM. She laughed continually as he performed antic after antic encouraging her delighted response. He'd run ahead only to turn around & run as fast as his chubby legs could go to her. She beamed with pride as many Chinese stopped to talk to him. We could have been in a sand pit and as long as MM was there she'd loved it...and I was so glad I was with them...in this very special time and in this beautiful park!
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Fwd: #32 Blooming in Guangzhou
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Begin forwarded message:
From: Jane boyce <janeboyce@live.com>
Date: March 5, 2017 at 2:01:13 PM EST
To: Jane boyce <janeboyce@live.com>
Subject: #32 Blooming in Guangzhou
#32 Blooming in Guangzhou
It was a 2 houcr flight to the much warmer Guangzhou, the Flower City. Here bright pink bougainvillea hang form the bridges, an abundance of trees are deep green, birds sing...and Chan & MM 's bonding is blooming! I love spring in Michigan because little by little, it reveals itself. Watching Chan & MM reminds me of spring. The first major thaw, when MM laid his head on Chan's shoulder, then the slow but sure signs: removing layers of clothing, diaper change without tears, sleeping without shoes, quick bath to laughing in the tub and running to Chan with out stretched arms. Of course, a lot of snacks were embedded in each step. This morning, Chan had to go get some papers from our room, so I loaded the bus with MM...his little brow wrinkled and he looked so scared while pointing to the hotel saying, "Mama?" I had our rep explain to him that Chan was coming in a minute. But it wasn't until he saw her that the the fear turned to joy. Spring in full bloom!!
The last couple days included: paper work; trip to Chen Clan Ancestral Hall/Folk Art museum where we witnessed a Buddhist ceremony where over 100 tubs of live fish, squid & eels were blessed & soon to be purchased to later be set free in the nearby Pearl River; paper work; shopping in high end stores & side street markets; paper work; health check up & yup more paper work. Today we wee at the crowded Chinese Embassy where over 2000 visits are granted each day.
MM keeps us busy and laughing. He has an arsenal of facial expressions...and would do well as a beggar on the streets. He likes wandering checking to make sure we are in tow. We spend lots of time visiting with the other families we've been with since Beijing. Our hotel is the last stop to many other adopting families as well. It's hard to wrap your head around how many special needs Chinese orphans have won the lottery and are now part of a loving family!! Have seen downs, cleft palates, blind...and know many have internal issues...but all have bright smiles...it's like they already know their future will be brighter. Say nothing of how much joy they'll bring to their new families! What an unique and blessed role I get to play in this joyful happening!!
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