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!

Red Couch Day!

The three "Orphanage Sisters"-Sylvia Joy; Mei Li; Taryn Joy
Mei Li and Taryn goofing around...
Our Asian Princess!
How cute are these two! Everyone says they look alike! Because they are both Cute!
Faith Ann; Emmalee Rose; Liam Kai; Mei Li; Taryn Joy; Sylvia Joy

There is a "tradition" among adoption families that when you have "made it" to Guangzhou the babies in your travel group all take a picture on "the red couch" at the White Swan Hotel. First, let me start by saying the White Swan Hotel is the sharpest hotel I have ever seen...hands down nice! It is like a 6 star hotel! We are staying up the road at the "ghetto"(just kiddin') , but our hotel, The Victory is NOTHING compared to the White Swan! We all went to "check it out" the other night after dinner, which we shouldn't have done! We left all sad and mad because we weren't staying there! Anyway, we had to walk to the White Swan from our hotel to get the red couch pictures today. The babies in the photo are all in our "travel group"...meaning, all 6 families are from the same adoption agency and traveled together (in Beijing and now in Guangzhou...we split up for the Provence week). Three of the families are in the "special needs" program and three of the families (including us) are in the "non-special needs" program. All three of the non-special needs babies were in the same orhpanage so we have been together now for almost 3 weeks! We have become really close with these two families and it means a lot that our babies started out together! I really hope we can keep in touch! The other 3 families are precious as well...they have been "called" to a much higher calling than adoption. Taking a special needs orphan takes even more dedication and determination...they are truly wonderful parents!
So, that being said...Enjoy the "cute" pictures of the Red Couch. I will try to "explain" who the children are! Taryn, is the cute one in the light pink Chinese "tutu" (thank you very much!). Mei Li is her "orphanage sister" on her right in the hot pink "tutu"...she has the great hair! Her parents are so much fun to be with, they are from Miami Fl. And then Sylvia (to Taryn's left...the one needing her mommy for the picture!) was Taryn's friend in the orhpanage. We actually have pictures of them together with Sylvia's arm around Taryn! Her family lives in Georgetown Ky! That is great because the two can stay friends by living close to each other! In the middle is Liam...we LOVE this kid! He was special needs simply because of his age. He is 4 1/2 years old...he is the sweetest little boy! The only American word he knows is "hello" and he says it ALL OF THE TIME! You can hear him coming because you hear "hello...hello...hello"...he is precious! Next to him is Emmalee Rose...she has a cleft lip/cleft palate to be repaired in the States. She is ALWAYS smiling...just like her parents! And on the end is Faith Ann...she has a hearing disorder that hasn't been taken care of yet but will be as soon as they get back to Ohio.
So, these are the "kids" in our group. I will miss seeing them! It is funny how "attached" you get on a trip such as this! You really rely on the families to "watch your back" so to speak when you are in an unknown place. And it has so helped to have people going through the same stuff as you! It has been a life changing experience...one we will never forget.
On another note...we have "one man down" in the Feck family right now. I have been a single mommy today...Steve is sick. And, just like at home when he gets sick...he gets REALLY sick! He looks awful and has a fever...he has been in bed all day accept for the short "outing" to the White Swan. We have been teasing him that he is just trying to get out of eating another Chinese meal...but, in reality...he feels awful! Please pray for him if you think about it...we have another day here and then a LONG, LONG, LONG flight home. He will need to be feeling better to get through that!
I also wanted to say a big "HELLO" to my little friends at Rosenwald Dunbar Elementary School in Nicholasville Kentucky! I know some of you have been keeping up with the blog in your classrooms and I hope you have learned a lot about China! Hello to Ms. Brakebill's class and Ms. Burn's class...We will have to bring Taryn in to meet you as soon as she is able!
That's it for now...enjoy the pictures...ONE MORE DAY in China!

For Kicks and Giggles...

Guangzhou China = Gatlinburg TN. United States...

We are now in the "tourist trap" of China! This entire day was busy. We started out going to a Chinese Christian Church...it was lovely. Probably the 2nd greatest "highlight" of this trip for me (the first being getting Taryn of course...). I have never felt so overwhelmed listening to the many Chinese people praising and worshipping God...it was so moving...words can't describe. I couldn't even understand the words...but I recognized the tune from our church at home. I actually "teared up" listening to it...it was beautiful to witness and I almost felt a little "sad" that Taryn wasn't going to be surrounded by such lovely Chinese people as those in this Church. The minister even started out with a joke! There was a translator of course...but, it was a lovely sermon and I was so glad to be a part of something I didn't even know existed in China.
Then, directly after Church we rushed, rushed, rushed straight to the Pearl Market...yeah baby...I said the PEARL MARKET! Wholesale "real" pearls...We got Taryn a necklace and earrings with a silver clasp for 90$ US dollars (sweet!!!). We actually bought these for her wedding day...My goal has been to get her one gift from China for every birthday through her 18th birthday...and then a wedding gift. I know, that sounds ridiculous, but we aren't buying huge expensive items. Just little things from her home Country. The biggest gifts (or most expensive I should say) were the "wedding" pearls and then we bought a Jade (which is also big here in China) ring and bracelet for her 16th year (45$ US!...even sweeter!). Then, and I had to include pictures/video of the next adventure or nobody would believe me...we went to a wholesale market called "Carrefour"...it is like a Wal-mart...only 10 times CRAZIER! We all left there having anxiety attacks! It was nuts! And we only had to get baby cereal! Lesson learned...stay away from Carrefour in China!
Finally, we met for dinner as a group...once again (and probably not the last time) for Chinese. You KNOW it is a good Chinese food restaurant when the food is swimming in the tanks and there are Chandeliers hanging overhead...extra special...hmmmm!
So, I leave you with tons of pictures and video "footage". We are tired...and poor Taryn...went down with a smile as always!

Back in Business!

We are still here! I am sure some of you might have been worried as the last post said we were flying to another part of China...and then you didn't hear from us again! Once again we had some Internet trouble...and we are now up and running, hopefully until the end of our trip here in China. We are now in Guangzhou China...this is the US part of the trip. We just had our health physical (well, Taryn's physical!) and we get her US visa here as well as meet with the US Consulate where we say our "vows" to never abandon Taryn among other things (I don't really know what we "vow" to do... I will have to inform everyone after it is done...Tuesday.). We arrived here at 5:30 pm yesterday (Friday) and it is now lunch time on Saturday (all of you at home are hopefully sound asleep!). We totally missed talking with our boys yesterday, and I know they like to read the blog and look at pictures...so I was feeling the "mother guilt" all night and couldn't wait to get our "adapter" from the hotel to get some pictures posted for them (and you all!) to have!
We are now staying at the Victory Hotel...is was built in 1860...and, you can tell! It isn't bad...the rooms are huge! Our guide says it is a 4 star hotel and not a 5 star (as the White Swan is...which is the other popular hotel for adoptive parents!). I don't want to complain because there are a lot of great things about this hotel...the surrounding gardens are beautiful. The hotel room has a veranda with a panoramic view of the cobblestone street, shops, and gardens below(many couples come to these gardens to take Wedding pictures. We caught an adorable couple today and felt like the "paparazzi" taking their picture...but did it anyway!). We have very quick access to Starbucks, McDonald's (the boys would like that!), Subway, AND "Lucy's Bar and Grill" (the one "famous" American restaurant here in China!). We had Cheeseburgers and fries for dinner (and a beer! A real one!) TONS of shopping everywhere...this is the place to shop because everyone caters to us adoptive parents. They bargain on everything (we just bought a hand calligraphic name print and 6 embroidered bibs for our darling slobber girl...for 9 US dollars!!!) Dude...I am LOVING' this part of China!!! The down side of the hotel (and you KNEW I was going to have to mention it!) is that the rooms are so old they smell "musty" and are kind of "damp"...lovely huh! There is really nothing that can be done about that short of switching hotels and that can't happen! So, I guess the good outweighs the bad, and in China...that is all you can ask for! We actually both think our boys would have liked Guangzhou...if they had survived the other parts of China without killing each other!!!
So, we are doing well. Taryn's physical exam was hectic (as everything related to the adoption has been!)...they really don't look very closely at anything...and I just checked "normal" for all of the questions they asked! Even though, we DID have to start her on Zithromax yesterday. She started having a fever on Thursday night (101.5) and then Friday morning she woke up with the same temperature. I am about 90% sure it is her ears as she has been pulling on them all week...which we assumed was teething because she didn't have a fever. Now, 2 doses later, she is doing fine! I will have her ears checked when we get back to the US. The antibiotics last through Tuesday and we leave on Wednesday. Steve has been battling a cold as well...luckily, his nurse wife packed an entire pharmacy of medicine to cover EVERYTHING that could possible happen! He is starting to feel better. Because I missed a day...I could go on and on...but, I will stop for now! We miss you Wesley and Garrett...Taryn is ready to play!!!!

Another Day In Nanchang...

It was our last full day in Nanchang. And, once again, it was rainy! We got out when we could...and then I didn't bring the camera!!!! I had our friends take pictures, but there won't be much to post as far a pictures go! I finally got to see what I like to call "food on a stick". The Chinese eat a lot of "different" things as I have pointed out many times before...anyway, some of the fun things they eat are always on a stick...scorpions on a stick, octopus on a stick, etc...today was the first time we were able to get out on the streets of Nanchang today...so I took just two pictures of the food on a stick...I hope to get more for the boys (who like the "cool" pics!) maybe in Guangzhou. We passed a middle school today and were quickly surrounded by the cutest middle schoolers giggling and whispering...they kept saying "hello" and "hi"...and then would giggle some more. It was so cute...teenagers are the same no matter what country you are in! We then went to a bookstore this evening and were, once again, surrounded by a group of little girls. I had my friend take a picture (of course I don't have it because it was in her camera!). They LOVED it! They actually spoke better English than the middle schoolers! One of them handed me a piece of candy...and then they all had to "scatter" because the bookstore owner began to yell at them (in Ky. we call it "Wal-Mart parenting!)...I felt badly because the girls were being so sweet...but, kids here have there "place" and it isn't to flock around the "customer" which was us! So, we have "food on a stick" pictures, and then the "van" picture is China's version of a mini van (ours is way better!!!). And then, of course...cute Taryn pictures!
Speaking of Guangzhou...we fly there tomorrow! It is a 1.5 hour flight...I am praying for an "easy" flight...there will be approximately 15 families with babies flying on our flight to Guangzhou! I know the three in our group are all teething...so it might prove to be interesting! I am not going to pull out the "drugs" (aka...Baby Benadryl!) until our 17 hours of flying next Wednesday!