We're Home!!

We arrived back in the states around 9:00 p.m. Friday evening. Since then we've been spending time by the fire, celebrating Sarah Mei's 4th birthday and trying to get our body clocks back on U.S. time (China is 13 hours ahead of us!)

Isabelle is adjusting amazingly well and is already "training" her daddy. Her sleeping is good except for the fact that she wakes up bright and early at 4 a.m....ugh! I'm sure all of our sleep schedules will get straightened out in the next week or two.

Our trip to China was a great experience for Torie and Michaela. It was Michaela's first time traveling overseas since she was six. Because I was isolated in the hotel rooms, Torie had to show Michaela the ropes of bartering at stores, navigating the streets in a foreign country (in China they DO NOT yield to pedestrians so it's an art to walk around there), and which foods were safe to eat. Following is a photo of live scorpions that you could pick out for your lunch...Torie didn't even have to tell Michaela those were a "no" for a main dish.

The girls went to walking parks, a shopping mall and of course Starbucks!!

We spent our last days in Guangzhou, China where all U.S. families must go to finalize their adoptions and be sworn-in as their child's parents. We stayed in the White Swan hotel which caters to adoptive families. It's a beautiful hotel and even has an inside waterfall.



In previous trips, we've always counted down the days to get to Guangzhou because Lucy's, an American restaurant, is close by. This time I found that I loved the Chinese food so much that I grew tired of Lucy's and was excited when I finally got to make an outing to a Chinese restaurant!

The last 2 days I actually left the hotel room for the first times. We spent a few hours shopping on Shaiman Island, where the White Swan is located. On Friday we went to the zoo...which for the record doesn't even come close to the San Diego zoo as someone had told me...but which was still a fun outing.

We are so blessed to have such a prayer team, in you, who prayed us through the whole trip. Please continue to pray as our 1st visit to the cardiologist, yesterday, left us with many questions. We will be going to Charleston for a catherization to see if Isabelle's lung pressures are healthy enough for a heart surgery and also to get a comprehensive echo on her heart. In the States this sort of defect is corrected within a child's 1st week of life. Isabelle's heart has made some adaptations which have kept her alive this long but pose some unique surgical challenges. We are at total peace that the Lord is in charge of it all but would appreciate your prayers for wisdom for the Drs. as they assess the situation.