Leaving China...

Worth the Wait!
Taryn "met" at sweet little 9 month old boy from this Provence (notice the "bundling")
Sweet little Liam (4 yo) and his mommy and Daddy (Scott and Joleene) from Indiana
Faith Ann (2 yo) and her parents John and Jeanie from Ohio
Little Emmalee Rose (16 mo) with her happy parents Doug (a.k.a. "Smiley") and Rebecca from Tennessee
Mei Li (9 mo...Taryn's Orphanage sister) with Evelyn and Jesus...we absolutely love this couple! From Miami Florida
Very "spicy" Sylvia Joy (10 mo another orphanage sister) with Cliff and Amy...we became great friends...from Kentucky!
Our PRICELESS guide Susan with our daughter...we could not have done this trip with out her! Seriously...she was a Godsend...

Today was our last day in Guangzhou China. It is bittersweet. We are SO ready to leave and come home...but, (and I can't believe I am actually going to say this!) it is sad to leave the country where our baby was born. I feel like we are leaving a part of her behind. She is a Chinese-American now (to be PC about it!)...but, part of her heritage is here. And as hard as this trip has been, and as "different" as the culture has been compared to what we are used too...I am still sad about leaving! I can't quiet put into words exactly "why" I am sad...It is mostly for her...and partly because I am so darn tired that everything is making me all mushy and weepy! We are taking away so many wonderful, bizarre, not-so-wonderful, and totally Awesome memories with us. All of a sudden I don't feel like I took enough pictures! I don't know...I am just feeling different than I thought I would a week ago about taking her out of her country. And, apparently, it is NOT out of the ordinary for me to be feeling this way. I have heard from many adoptive moms that they felt the exact same way...I just thought after the crazy, culturally different week we had in her Provence of Jiangxi Nanchang that I would be okay with leaving. I know I will feel differently when I see my sweet boys at the airport...but for now, I am sad for many different reasons!
Moving on to "lighter" things...we went to the US Consulate today and took "vows" to take care of our baby, give her all of the same rights as other US citizens and never to abuse or abandon her. According to China and the United States she is 100% officially our daughter! Wow! We (mostly the moms) were all tearful after saying the vows because we knew it was OVER! And all of the paperwork, planning, tears, worry, stress, ups and downs, renewing everything under the sun (3 times!),answering endless "have you heard anything" questions, and finally...waiting almost 4 years is FINALLY OVER...it was an overwhelming emotion that most of us were not expecting! There was our group of 6 families and then about 50 other families that all said our "vows" together... Taryn is officially ours! Once again, Wow! Praise God it is OVER (have I said that enough yet???)!!!
So, the next time you hear from me (and it won't be until Thursday your time...) we will be back in Kentucky in our dry, mold free beds. With our boys and our daughter all under one roof...a complete and whole family.
Once again...addressing waiting families...please hang in there! Your turn will come and it is SO VERY WORTH IT (another thing I wasn't sure I would ever get to say!). Your son or daughter need you...they really do! I encourage you to keep your "eye" on the prize and like Paul says in the bible...finish the race! It will be over soon...maybe not soon in your eyes...but soon enough for the child God has picked out for you. His timing is perfect...continue the wait.
I am including pictures (once again...but these are more organized!) of the families we traveled with. We will NEVER forget them...they are precious to us!
We have 18 hours of flying and approximately 7-8 hours of layover time tomorrow...prayer is in order please! See you on the flip side friends!