We are home!

I realized a few days ago that I never updated the blog to inform everyone that we are home. We didn't have any issues, save 1, coming home from Hong Kong. Josiah's name was backwards on his ticket and the guy behind the ticket counter said "we have a problem". However, his supervisor looked at hime like he was crazy and printed our tickets. When we got home, Josiah went all over the house looking around and checking it out. We had people over Thurday, Friday, and Saturday, which in hindsight was probably too much considering that I also spoke at church on Saturday night and Sunday 2 services. However, everything seems to be going well. Josiah has been fitting right in with us. I have been sick pretty much since Friday morning and I am still sick. I will be going back to work tomorrow morning, which will be hard, but I don't have any time off. Josiah and I took about a 6 hour nap today 1-7:30, and he is still sleeping. Since I am sick...I am hoping to be able to get back to sleep. It is crazy how we are all tired at different times. We can just be sitting there and the next thing you know....out. Well I would love to write more, and I will, but I need to get some dinner and figure out how I am going to sleep again.

Brian

We are on our way to Hong Kong

In about 2 hours we leave to catch our train. This sounds like it is going to be another adventure. 4 escalators up and 4 back down with a wheel chair = no fun. Please be thinking about us as we make this last part of our journey. When I am on the plane from Hong Kong to Detroit....I will be a happy man. Even more so when we are on the plane to Detroit. Not so much that I want to leave China, I am just ready to be done with the nerve racking travel. If I could speak more languauges it would be easier, but I don't so I have to struggle through it. My next post should be from home...I leave you with a great picture...thanks everyone.

 

Brian

Consulate appointment done

We had our consulate appointment this morning...it went well. Although we were the last family called. This was our last appointment...thankfully. Tomorrow we pick up Josiah's Visa/Passport and head by train to Hong Kong. Thursday morning we fly out of Hong Kong around 9am...we should get to Detroit around noon time. This is where Josiah becomes a US citizen. Then we fly to Moline around 3PM and get to Moline around 3:45...thankfully....I have been looking forward to this for a few weeks now. I can't wait to sleep in my own bed and eat our food. I don't know how much more internet I will have so if nothing else I will see everyone soon.

 

Brian

TB test OK

Today we went back to the medical exam room and they checked Josiah's TB shot from Saturday. Everything was OK. We also went to the Jade and pearl market, however, Josiah was misbehaving a little so it wasn't very enjoyable. Plus it was hard to bargain and keep track of the family. However, at the pearl market we were able to get a picture of Josiah with Paige's hair...there were people all around laughing at us. Also pictured is our good friend Cormack. He really really helped us on Saturday night. He stayed very close to me and he and I talked almost the whole night. He speaks English (with a british accient), Cantonese, Mandarin, and he is studying German...he even goes to School on Sunday's for additional studying. Well we are getting close to the end of the road here in China, tomorrow we have our consulate appointment and wednesday we receive Josiah's visa packet and head out to Hong Kong via train. Please be thinking about us on Wednesday and Thursday as I really don't know what to expect in Hong Kong. My little bit of Mandarin will not do me much good in Hong Kong as they speak Cantonese. Josiah is taking a nap right now, actually he just fell out of bed and hit his head...that is like the 3rd time since we have got him that he has done that...thankfully his bed at home is low to the ground and has rails :)

 

Brian

Quick Post

Today we are going to the zoo, I hope Josiah does good...he has kind of been in a bad mood.

 

Brian

Some Pictures

I am not sure how many pics I can send at a time so I will send a few at a time...Enjoy!!

Pics

One of the things we really noticed in Changsha is that about 80% of the population was very very good looking. I think it must be some well kept secret :) Here are a few of the people I was able to take their pictures.

We are in Guangzhou

We have arrived in Guanzhou. The hotel we are staying at seems like it should be for royalty. We walked in and we were like wow. We had Josiah's medical exam today...it went great and he was absolutely perfect. I did notice today at the doctors office that one of his legs is longer than the other by a few inches. I don't know how much of a problem this will be for his walking but we will see. Guangzhou is extremely beautiful. Palm trees, blue skys, and waterways. It is a lot more western as there are many different nationalities here in the hotel. The people have also been very nice here and a lot more people here speak english. Plus we are back together with our other Holt families.

 

Our plane ride from Changsha was a little rough...first it was late, then the plane was so small I could literally almost touch both sides. Tina got sick after the flight, and today Paris has some stomach problems. We are going to be eating some McD's for lunch and then we are going to go out to eat with the group tonight. Some good news, our documents said that we needed 600RMB per person, but today we found it was only 600RMB per adult. That saves us 1800RMB/$300.

 

Tomorrow we have a free day, and Monday we are back to the medical exam place to check Josiah's TB test. So far it looks good, nothing raised or discolored. It was a little scary in the Dr. Office because they were a little confused with Josiah's limitations. They were trying to get him to grab a ball with his hands, but he couldn't...obviously. 

 

Sorry McD's has arrived...gotta go...some american food yee-haw!

 

Brian

Last day in Changsha

Hello everybody. Today is our last day in Changsha and I must say I am going to miss it here. The hotel staff has been great, very helpful, and very polite. We even received a letter from the woman who cleans our room, it said, "Dear sir and madam: Welcome to Dolton Hotel Changsha. Your room we have cleaned for you. It's very kind of you. Your Chinese is very good. Wish your baby will become more and more lovely. Best wishes for your family. Lily" This note was written all in English.

 

Our plan for today is to pack up all our stuff. After being here for almost 6 days, we have gotten pretty spread out with our stuff. But Rachel is awesome, what would take me 4 hours she will do in an hour. At 5PM we will me our guide and driver in the lobby where she will give us a bunch of paperwork, and Josiah's passport. We will then drive to the airport and take an hour flight to Guanzhou. This is where we will finalize our adoption and apply for Josiah's Visa. We will be there until Wednesday night. Right now the Guangzhou trade fair is going on so it will be very busy. Please ask the Big Man to watch over us as I really don't like big crowds especially while trying to keep track of my family. We will be in Guangzhou for 5 days, then take a train to Hong Kong, then fly out Thursday morning. I know I may have written this more than once, but just in case you don't want to go back and look.

 

Josiah is still doing very well. He does have his moments, usually when we are eating. It will be nice to get him home and give him some structure, plus we don't want him freaking out in a restaurant. Every morning he wakes us telling me that he loves me and then yells for Paige. Last night about 3:30AM I woke up to find him not in the bed next to me. The other night he did fall out of bed, so I looked on the floor, he wasn't there. Then I looked up and he was in the cot next to my bed. He has made us laugh so much, Rachel especially has laughed a ton as he seems to like making his momma laugh. Well I need to shower again as I have not stopped sweating since I got here in China over a week ago. I don't know how much I weigh these days but I am sure I have lost weight. My next post should be from Guangzhou...see you then.

 

Oh I almost forgot. Josiah can move his fingers in both hands. It isn't very strong, but when I pull on his thumb he pulls back with his thumb. Also when I pull open his fingers, he will pull them back...all this is very light, but he can move them. Plus I asked our guide to ask him if he can feel when I touch his hands and he said yes.

 

Brian

More Pics

These pics are from today...this is how it has been most of the trip...just a lot of laughing. Just a few minutes ago I got on the cot in our room and it folded up on me and both me and Josiah couldn't stop laughing. In one of the pics, Josiah put a piece of bread on his head and just started laughing. We have been trying not to laugh at him when he does something he shouldn't, because he will do it over and over if you laugh....but this one we couldn't help.

Pictures

Some Pics

Another day in Changsha

It is 5:40AM on Wednesday morning here in Changsha. Yesterday was an up and down day. We officially became the parents of Josiah after our civil affairs office visit. They only asked a few easy questions, and I think it was obvious to everyone that we were all very happy together. We have still been struggling to find a good schedule that works for all 6 of us, but we are getting through it. Josiah is used to getting up at 6am, taking a nap from 11-2, then in bed by 8. We have been getting up around 5am, eatting breakfast @8am, napping at noon, lunch at 2 or 3, possibly another nap, then dinner between 7-8, and in bed between 9-11.

 

Yesterday, we experienced Josiah's first temper tantrum. He has had quite a few little instances where he will whine for something and even get very angry, but yesterday was a total melt down for him. We took him to the play area here on our floor for about 30-45 minutes. Rachel was very tired and brought him back to the room, but he wanted to go back and play. When we did not go back he started screaming and kicking. I had to hold him for about 5 minutes while he continued to fight me and want to go. I must say, learning to speak Chinese has been very very helpful and I highly recommend to any one adopting from China to learn as much as you can. After he settled down I was able to tell him that if he could behave, I would let him watch some tv, he was happy with that. He was still pretty mad at me and wouldn't even look at me. But I got down along side him and told him that I loved him and without looking at me he told me that he loved me. I asked him if I could kiss him, which he doesn't really like because it tickles his face, and he said yes. I then gave him some oreos...yes oreos, and he was very happy again...even laughing. I am actually very happy that this happened as he will need to learn his limits. I think it is becoming obvious that at the orphanage he was allowed to pretty much do what he wanted, and he was the oldest child so he probably ruled the roost. Now with me as the new sheriff in town, it is going to take some getting used to, plus he will not be able to do what ever he wants. One of the things I have to remind myself is that he is only 5 years old, and he just turned 5 in June. He is going to do things that 5 year olds do, but we can't just allow it. It was very hard to discipline him in this way because of the life he has had and with his special need, but I know it is the correct thing to do, and it will only get better from here.

 

Today is a free day, and we are planning on going swimming again today. Still trying to get on a good schedule. This hotel even has a bowling alley on the 6th floor which we will visit tomorrow. I am looking forward to today as we have more freedom as to what we are doing. We have another free day on Thursday, and then on Friday we head to Guangzhou around 5, fly out at 8pm. I hear that most people are relieved to get to Guangzhou because of how nice it is and the more prominent western style. I did, however, look at the weather and it looks like it is going to be in the upper 80's and raining the whole time we are there. Plus the trade fair is going on and I heard that that the hotel we are staying at is right next to the trade fair headquarters. I am hopeful that things will continue to get better, even with the hot weather and the crowds of people. One thing I have found is that the Chinese believe that AC is good if it can cool down to 75; the restaurant that we ate at yesterday didn't have the AC on at all and it was about 80 degrees in there...it was like eating at my mom's house :)

 

I will try to update again tomorrow.

 

Brian

Good morning from Changsha

Hello everybody, it is 5:12AM here in Changsha, China. I will try to update you as to what we have been doing and what we will be doing. Yesterday, Rachel and I went to the Civil Affairs office and officially started all the paperwork. We also went and had Josiah's passport photo's taken. It was pretty uneventful at the civil affairs office, and we were able to finish up a lot of paperwork that was intended to be done today. We will need to go back to the civil affairs office again today for some interview type questions. They will ask us things like, "do you still want this child" "did you know about his special needs before you came here" "Do you promise to love him and take care of him the rest of his life"

 

Yesterday we also got to have, what I consider, some of our first fun time together. We all went swimming. Josiah loved it. Last night we also went out to eat at a really nice western/chinese restaurant right next door to the hotel. One of the things that has been really hard to judge is how much food to order, as you might expect, the chinese do not stuff themselves like we do :)

 

Josiah has been doing great and he is really bonding with his new family. We have had some times where he is testing us and trying to push his limits, but we have worked through those things and have been getting better. One thing that he is having a problem with is that he thinks it is funny when he does something wrong and we laugh...he will then continue to do this for as long as he thinks its funny. For example, dropping his fork on the floor, over and over again. Considering some of the issues some children have, I will take these little power struggles any day.

 

Paige and Paris continue to do well, although, they have been a little bored. I have not felt very adventurous since we got here, I am more about getting my family through this adoption safely and return home soon. As we spend some more days in Changsha, I am sure I will feel more like getting out and exploring. The scary part is trying to get through traffic. If you end up in front of a car, they will run you over. As you might expect, with 6 people in our group and 1 of them being in a wheelchair, I am not looking to press my luck playing human frogger.

 

Well I am sure there are a million things I could be writing about, but I am running out of time and want to make sure we are not late to our meeting this morning. I am not sure if I have written this in the past but I wanted to make sure everyone knew. Josiah is very small. Most of the clothes we bought him were size 5 or extra small and they are falling off him. I would suggest if you are buying him clothes...buy size 4T. Also, he loves coloring books and I think he will love doing things like puzzles, bigger puzzle pieces. Yesterday, he really amazed us by writing numbers 1-30, with his feet no less :)

 

Andrea has told me that the picture came through so I will try to post some more. Although, with all the hustle and bustle of this trip, I have been forgetting to take pictures...sorry...try to do better.

 

Reporting from China,

 

Brian

We are in Changsha

I am falling asleep on my feet so this is going to be a short message...and I don't know if they are making it to the blog or not. We are in Changsha, we have had Josiah for a little over 24 hours and I don't know if he could love us, or us love him, any more than we do. He has not left my side since I got him, and as you might expect, that makes me very happy. It has been an eventful 24 hours; I have been pee'd on, thrown up on, and he spilled his water on me on the plane...but I love him so much I don't mind. We are in Changsha and we officially start the process tomorrow so please have us in your thoughts as this is a critical step in bringing him home.

 

Brian

We have Josiah

I don't know how long the internet will be working, but I wanted to let you all know that we have Josiah, and I think he loves his new family very much. At first he wasn't real sure, but by the end of the night he didn't want to leave my arms. He kept me up until midnight wanting to play instead of sleep, but Im sure he is going through a lot right now. Some things I already know about him: He loves watching TV, he loves making people laugh, and he doesn't like it when you touch him if he doesn't want you touching him. I will try to post a picture but I am not sure it will work. As for the rest of us, we are all doing well-ish. Paris is having a hard time with the Jet lag and has been wanting to go home aleady. Hopefully over the next few days things slow down a little and she can catch up on some sleep. She does not like the smells here. Hopefully Changsha is better for her. I will try to post when I can but we are moving at 100 mph and I don't know when I will have time. For the next 2 days we need everything to work out well with Josiah because we were not supposed have him and I am not sure what impact that will have on all of our travel. We met the man from his original orphanage last night who will be taking him on the plane and we need to give josiah back to him tomorrow morning. A lot of things need to work out in order for that to happen. Please be sure to think of us often...love you all.

 

  Brian

We are in Beijing

Hello everybody. We are in Beijing. The flight was long, but very uneventful. The kids did great, even after a few pre-flight jitters. I hope to write more tomorrow, but for now we need to get to bed...we are going on about 3-4 hours of crappy sleep in the plane. It is hard to believe that we will be meeting Josaih in about 12 hours. Awesome!!!

At the airport

Made it through security no problems...waiting to board...flight leaves at 5:45 central time. 2 more hours....detroit here we come :)...then on to beijing

Running a test

This is just a test to see if I can email posts to the blog.

China Bound

Da Jia Hao-Hello everybody. It has been a while since I have posted any information, but I wanted to make everyone aware that we are leaving for China tomorrow to bring Josiah home. It has been quite the adventure and we are all looking forward to going. We should be meeting Josiah for the first time on Saturday around 2PM China time. I will post more as we start the trip tomorrow and as we meet Josiah.