We made it!

Thank you for your support and prayers! Craig could not have done better on his first plane flight. We left the Taiyuan hotel at 9:15 this morning and arrived at our Guangzhou hotel just before 5. He was able to nap in Leya's arms on both buses, and managed the flight with bravado. I think our anxiety about the 22 hours of travel next Friday has lessened a bit after the successes today. All the children in our group did so well. Answered prayers.

Tomorrow he has a medical appointment in the morning and Leya has paperwork in the afternoon. Each step means we're closer to taking him home. Can't wait for you all to meet this special boy.

Craig is teething, so we'd appreciate prayers for a quick break-through. It's clearly hurting him but he tries hard to be tough. Just a few minutes ago he was laughing and fussing at the same time. It's harder for him to enjoy life when he is hurting. Leya put in Orajel when she noticed Isla, who is about Craig's age, teething. Yet another thing we are thankful for. jo

On our walk...

We had a fun experience on a walk-about today. We went to a park and Leya got the scolding we had heard about from the grandmas. Three of them came up and one of them was adamant that Craig was not well enough covered. He was sound asleep through the whole thing in the ergo. He had a fleece coat with hat & socks on his feet. The only exposure to the air was his face, but that wasn't good enough. She tugged at leya's coat and tucked and rearranged until it was 'right.' I got pictures. We just laughed through it all. Fortunately we had both read about this and knew it wasn't personal. A little later a woman motioned that I should put my down coat on him. No dice. I was cold and he was snug as a bug in the pack. Up until about 2 they dress them like the Michelin tire man. The poor kids can hardly bend or move. It's too funny.

It may be harder when we fly to Guangzhou tomorrow. We've heard it's hot and muggy there, so if they still expect us to cover him there, we might have a dilemma. Won't borrow trouble though. Winging it has worked so far.

So Fun!

We are so thankful for how smoothly things are going, and know it is a direct answer to the many prayers. We are here with 6 other families. If it comes to mind, add Stella (18 months) and Evie J (3 years) to your prayers. Both have been better cared for in more of a foster home situation and are struggling with the sadness of leaving.

Wednesday we packed Craig into the Ergo and went to the market. It was two floors of vendor after vendor. Our guide told us we needed to barter by offering half. For the record, if our survival relied and us being good at bartering, we'd go hungry. It was not our forte!

Craig continues to be a delight! I've attached a picture where you can see his mischievous side. He thinks it is quite funny when he pulls off his socks. 

He has also been enjoying his stacking blocks. Wednesday afternoon Leya kept rescuing the errant blocks that "accidentally" ended up under the bed & dresser. Then she caught him purposely stashing them in both places. When she said "you are doing that on purpose," he looked up at her with a BIG smile! What a kick!

Today we pack to fly down to Guangzhou tomorrow (Friday). Pray for Craig's ears on the plane as he sounds a little stuffy to me. We'll write again after we get there.

Facebook & Google Blogs are blocked in China, so we really appreciate Abbie & Jason. It has made it wonderful to be able to keep you all in the loop. We feel blessed to have so many people involved in bringing Craig home. jo

Life is Fun!

Craig is really enjoying life! He (and I) got a good nap and he has been having so much fun this afternoon. He loves interacting with us, and repetition is the name of the game. When he realizes he gets a fun response, he continues doing it again and again.

More Pictures

It's Official!

Craig and I signed the paperwork today that officially makes him the newest member of the Wood family. I used a pen and thumb print and they dipped his hand in ink as his "signature". We had a lot of paperwork to go through, but you can tell they have done this many times and it goes very quickly. 

Craig was able to meet his Daddy via skype as soon as we got back to the hotel yesterday and this morning he was able to meet his sisters. We have all been able to see his big smile and hear him giggle. The girls showered him with kisses and hugs (the computer screen may need cleaning) and brought Craig's toys out to show him some of the things he would be able to play with soon.

Jason and the girls are doing great! They are enjoying all of the special Daddy time they are getting.

So far Craig has been a very mellow and relaxed baby; we were able to talk to the director for a bit through a translator and he said the same has been true in the orphanage. The only time he really gets fussy is when he sees me making him a bottle (he's ready for it NOW) and when his bottle nipple wasn't going fast enough. He's nervous about trying food, the director thinks that he has pain or sensitivity from his surgery.

Thank you for your prayers; I'm thankful for this time to connect with Craig, but missing Jason and the girls.

We were so exhausted, we all fell asleep at 8 last night.  He made noises every hour or two in the night, but Leya just lets him know she's here and he goes back to sleep.  They said he sleeps 9-7.  He loves toys and is very content.  It's easy to get a smile out of him.  He isn't afraid of people.  The Chinese people all comment on his big eyes.  They are rounder than most and really shine when he smiles.

Jason stayed up and talked to Leya and Craig for quite a while.  He was going to post some pictures on the blog.  Hope you saw them.

People seem genuinely excited when they see us with a Chinese baby.  Our guide said they appreciate what we are doing for girls and special needs.

We took him to a nice Japanese restaurant for dinner, linens and all, and he watched everything from the pack until he got a little antsy and he sat on my lap the rest of the time.  The meal cost us less than $15 and we only ate half of it.  Next time it will be less than $10. We are heading back to civil affairs this morning.  Apparently the paperwork Leya signed yesterday was just about taking responsibility for Craig for the night.  Today is the real deal.

Wednesday they are taking us to Walmart to pick up clothes. He is bigger than we thought (12 month). Leya likes him in a dark blue outfit and his dark green pajamas. I heard her telling him he looks good in dark colors. According to her, the light blue wasn't his color. :-) at this point, though, we won't be picky.

Thanks for your prayers. Sleeping at the right times seems to be our only real challenge. Have a good day!