5 Weeks Since Gotcha and 3 Weeks Home

Five weeks ago today, we were in a very warm province in southern China to meet an extremely scared and shy little girl. With no clue as to what was going on, I can't even imagine what her thoughts were as the orphanage director kept nudging her towards us and telling her that's mama and baba. To be fearful and sad was all she knew to do. Five weeks later, I can say that my girl rocks! She has adjusted so well and adapted to change unbelievably. We still have moments of fear, especially when meeting new people and places, but overall she has fit into our family like a piece to a puzzle. She's eating well, sleeping great, sitting quietly through church and is a very happy girl. She's learned that it's okay to go play a while in another room and that mommy will still be here. Her favorite thing of all is bath time! In China, she wouldn't even sit down in the tub. Now, she can't wait to get in the water and doesn't want to get out until its all down the drain. She will be a mermaid in the pool this summer.

As for the rest of us, life is good. I'm finally getting a routine down for 4 children (my biggest challenge) and we just don't know what life was like before she came along :-) Maggie is constant entertainment and likewise, the other 3 constantly entertain her. I dare say she doesn't miss her old life at all. I have to say our older three rock as well! They have been nothing but loving and helpful with Maggie since coming home. That's not to say everyone hasn't had their moments of adjustment as well, because we all have. But everything has gone so much better than I expected. I shouldn't be surprised....that's exactly what we prayed for. Maggie is learning at least one new word everyday. It's been amazing to watch her pick up and learn all that she has. Her eating has slowed down a little as well. At first, she wanted to eat EVERYTHING ALL the time. Almost like she wouldn't get anything else. Now, she is confident that food is here when she needs it. Oh yeah, her other favorite thing is shoes. That's my girl! Her shoes are all in a basket under her crib and several times a day she pulls out the basket and tries them all on. She loves to discover that things belong to her. She is sharing a closet with me for now and she looks through all her little things hanging there and points to herself with a smile. I could go on and on with little sweet things that she does, but I'd be blogging from now until the Lord comes back! She's brought so much joy in just the little time she's been with us.

Home life is good. Going out sometimes presents a challenge. Especially if I'm in a hurry to get in and out somewhere. Not gonna happen! Being in a small town like this and most likely being the first family here to adopt from China, we get a lot of attention! I have to say I really wasn't prepared for that. I knew we'd get a lot of stares (which does not bother me in the least), but I didn't really think about people wanting to stop us to talk so much. Bailey said the other day, "Mom, it's like Maggie's a celebrity. I think everyone loves her". And I suppose they do. Unless someone gets too close for her comfort, she's pretty friendly. Waving and blowing kisses is her specialty.

I am still planning to get our pics uploaded from China to share with you all about the places we were and the sights we saw. Lord willing, I can get started this week. Thank you all who continue to still pray for us. Keep it up! It's working! Love to you all.

"For this child I prayed and the Lord has granted me what I asked of him."
1 Samuel 1:27

Home Sweet Home

There's definitely no place like home or America! While I'm up and have a little sense, I figured I'd post about our trip home. The time change has been rough. It's worse when you come home than when you go over there. I'm sitting here awake and exhausted. Does that even make sense? Maggie has done pretty good with the time change. She's just waking up earlier than me in the mornings. I'm sure it won't take long to be on a good sleep pattern. So everything went as it should. We were taken to Hong Kong by car. Actually a very pretty drive. A few stops for toll booths and customs, though. We spent the night there and flew out the next morning for Detroit. The flight was long, 15 hours long! We left in daylight, flew into dark and flew into daylight again. Kinda strange. We left Hong Kong at 10:45 Friday morning and arrived in Nashville at 6:30 Friday evening. Thirteen hour time change plus 15 hour flight plus 3 hour layover plus 1 hour and 15 minute flight plus a 2 hour drive home. All in a day! By the time Kevin and I got ready to go to bed, we had been up almost 36 hours. Talk about running on empty!

As soon as our plane touched down on American soil in Detroit, Maggie officially became an American citizen. I don't know if I've mentioned this or not, but she was a real trooper when it came to travel. Whether on foot, a bus, taxi, subway or plane she was happy the majority of the time. As for the car seat, she did cry at first, but it didn't take long for her to fall asleep. She's done better each time we've buckled her in. Thanks for the prayers ;)

So getting to the airport and seeing our family was priceless. I've never been so glad to see the 3 faces of our children. There were cameras flashing, balloons and flowers for us. Maggie was a little shy at first, but before we even left the airport she was offering kisses to her new brother and sisters. She LOVES having them as a constant audience. She loves for them to chase her and push her on the swing. I can't imagine her not being a part of us.


Have I mentioned how much this girl LOVES to eat? Oh my goodness, I don't know where this tiny thing puts it all! She likes pretty much anything and wants to eat all of it. It's kinda pitiful. I'm guessing her food was always rationed out. She holds out her hand for cheerios and either tries to put all of them in her mouth or she holds on to them for a long time. In the mornings she goes to the kitchen, points to the fridge and then points to her open mouth. Bless her heart! We love her so much!

One of the neat things the kids has said is that God picked the perfect 2 year old for our family. They are all so fun to watch together! Even though Maggie's probably never heard English until a couple of weeks ago, she seems to understand what we say. It's amazing that we can say or ask her something and she will give us a nod of yes or no. She actually picked up a few English words while we were in China.

We are so happy to be home! As a mother, I am so blessed with 4 children. Stay tuned to our blog. There's more to come with pics of our trip and everything is going now that we are home. If you notice at the top of our page, our little caterpillar time ticker has come to a stop. From the time we got her referral until the day we brought her home was 9 months, 3 weeks and 6 days. About the length of a pregnancy. Love to you all! Thank you from the bottom of our hearts for all the prayers.

".....He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion....". Philippians 1:6

Days 11 & 12- Consulate Appointment and trip to Hong Kong

Well, the Consulate appointment proved to be a piece of cake. We were in and out in no time. Over a loud speaker we heard, "Would the parents of Chen Fu Mei please come to window number 32." Kevin and I were the first ones called to the little window where they ask you if all the info you've provided is correct. We arrived with our group, and of course, people were everywhere, so about a half million of us all took an oath together by raising our right hand saying all the paperwork we have provided is accurate and legal. Then we were called one family at a time to a window to complete everything. That was it. No questions asked. We were expecting it to be much different. I thought they would ask questions like why are we adopting, why did we choose China, etc. Nope. It kinda felt like we were just another number. At any rate, I am so glad to be getting my daughter out of here!

After that we went back to Shamian Park to take some pictures and explore a little more. We ate lunch with our group at a restaurant called Lucy's. Mostly a menu of western food. A lot of people really rave about this place. It was okay....we got cheeseburgers that were pretty good, but not like home! We crashed early after getting back to the hotel. I think I was still tired from the zoo excursion.

So today is Thursday, March 29 and it's about 1:30 in the afternoon. We are going back to the Consulate at 3:00 to pick up the children's visas and then taking about a 2 1/2 hour road trip to Hong Kong. They say Hong Kong is beautiful, but I'm not sure we'll see much of it. I figure it'll be nearly dark when we get there and we fly out of China tomorrow morning. Woo Hoo!!! Also, they say everything is more expensive in Hong Kong. I think years ago they sort of separated themselves from Mainland China. So for now, we're packed, I'm blogging and Maggie and Kevin are napping. On a sad note, I found out this morning that my uncle has passed away. He was the last sibling my mother had. His service is on Friday and we won't be home until Friday night. This makes my heart heavy for my mom and his family. He was my favorite. Please lift them in prayer.

I may or may not get to do a blog post tonight. So please continue to pray us home! For safety and our health (so thankful we have not been sick from anything thus far) and for Maggie as she meets everyone for the first time. Oh yes, we had another breakthrough yesterday! Every morning we have breakfast here in the hotel. And every morning the servers ask if we need a highchair. Have I mentioned she won't sit in anything but my lap? :-) Anyhow, the girl pushed a highchair up to our table and I turned to Maggie, pointed at the seat and she nodded "yes"! Hallelujah! I got to eat breakfast without getting greasy food dropped in my lap. She did also get in the stroller for a few minutes yesterday, but that's because we bribed her with ice-cream. So anyway, I'm still nervous about our car ride home, but I guess if I've survived this foreign country for 2 weeks and found that I have physical strength I didn't know existed in order to carry around our princess, I can surely survive a car ride home. Here's several random pics to share. She'll sit with Ronald even if she won't sit with dad, lol. Also, the pic of us getting on the elevator is to show you the cute panda on her tush. She has on her pink "squeaky" shoes as well. Too cute! Love to you all from Guangzhou. Next stop- Hong Kong!

Day 10- Xiangjiang Zoo

What a day! We've had a day of subways and lots of walking around a very big zoo. We said good-bye this morning to a few of the families in our travel group as they were departing for Hong Kong and will be headed for the USA tomorrow. The rest of us had a free day, so we took the children to the zoo. We had a lot fun, but we're sooo tired! And yes, I carried the princess on my hip most of the day. I am sore all over! She actually did do some walking around, though. Running is really more like it. There's a few pics here from today. She's constantly in action and is usually waving to a camera or a person followed by blowing a kiss. The pic where she is holding up her fists is something her daddy is responsible for! He's taught her to make a face and "put up her dukes". So now she just randomly does it. One of the pics with daddy is of them clowning around and the other is her brushing his hair.

So tomorrow (Wednesday) is our appointment with the US Consulate. Hopefully it will go quick and painless. Thursday we will pick up Maggie's visa and head to Hong Kong where we fly out Friday morning for the USA! I'm so ready to get home to my babies, MY bed, MY shower and MY coffee maker. A home cooked meal is at the top of my list as well! I'm so glad my kids are off on spring break next week from school. I plan to rest and be at home with them and find our new normal with a 2 year old. God timed their break and this trip perfectly!

There's a couple of things I keep forgetting to share....one is that it didn't take Maggie long to start calling us Mama and Daddy. Well, actually daddy in Chinese is "Baba". Anyway, one of the sweltering hot days that we were in her province and trying to find shorts for the guys and I had carried her all I could, I sat her down in a store. She didn't like one bit and started crying. I was hot, sweaty and not having a lot of sympathy in that moment. When the crying didn't work, she said "Mama, Mama!". Kevin and another mom with us turned around and together said, "Did she just call you Mama?". Don't worry, I picked her up after that. Another day we were enjoying one of our bumpy bus rides (not really) and Maggie and Kevin were monkeying around as usual. By the way, she seems to play with him a lot more than she does me even though she doesn't want him holding her. Anyway, she was trying to get his attention and he was ignoring her on purpose, so she just comes out with, "Baba, Baba!". We both were so surprised...and overjoyed!

I may have already said how blessed we've been to be with such a great group of families while we've traveled, but I'll say it again anyway. They're all Christians, we all have unique stories and believe it or not out of 9 families 5 of them have been to China at least once to adopt already. For one family from Texas this is their third time in China to adopt! Wow! I've been told adoption is addicting, but I didn't really believe it until now. I'm not sure what God's plan is for the Dyes with future adoptions, but I have witnessed first hand how we are called to care for the orphans in their distress (James 1:27) and how God sets the lonely in families (Psalm 68:6). Last night, almost all the families had their kids out on the playground and before we left we had a time of prayer for our travels, our children both here and at home, for our new children's biological parents and for the kids who have to have surgeries or other medical procedures when getting back to the states. It was a precious time. A time we're so thankful we were a part of. Love to all from Guangzhou and Goodnight <3

Days 8 & 9- Shamian Island

Boy my days are really running together now! I'm trying not to get behind on keeping this blog each day so that a bunch of events don't run together. Sunday was one week that Maggie has been with us. She's went from a very shy and scared little girl to a smiling little monkey. I'm wondering if she thinks she's on vacation :-) I also have to say that she is so much more beautiful in person than any of the photos we have of her. She's absolutely perfect!

So Sunday was Shamian Island day. We attended a Christian worship service in Mandarin-English. It was held in an old chapel inside the park. The house was packed! There were people even standing out the door and in front of the church. They were able to listen to everything thru the outside speaker system. We recognized all the praise songs and the sermon topic was "Do you know Jesus?" It was wonderful to hear God's people praising him in another language.

The rest of the afternoon we spent shopping around. We got several neat things for Maggie and our kids at home. The best part was that everything was soooo inexpensive. Well, I tried to use a little tough love with Maggie to try to get her in the stroller. I finally got her in it, buckled and on the move. The bad part was she still screamed her head off the entire time. I let her cry at first but she was so upset I thought she might throw up. Yep, she won that battle once again. Please help us pray she will get used to things quickly. I'm still very worried about our 2 hour drive home from the airport in a car seat. She's pretty strong-willed. Our other children will be with us for the drive home as well. I'm a little afraid she will traumatize them!

So Monday was a trip back to the medical exam place to check the TB skin tests. Everyone passed with flying colors, yay!!! From there we went to a museum. I really don't remember the name of it, but everything was beautiful and Maggie enjoyed walking around in the courtyards. I'm surprised at the amount of attention she gets from the Chinese people here. If she notices they're staring at us she starts to wave and blow kisses. Too cute! And of course, the people love it. I've attached a few pics of Maggie in the courtyard and a couple from our room. She loves to play peek-a-boo from the bathroom. After the museum most of us went back to Shamian Island for a little more shopping. We ran out of time on the first day and this time we could take all the time we wanted.

When Monday evening came we had a breakthrough! She's actually let Kevin pick her up! Wouldn't you know I didn't have either camera with me? We got ice-cream and French fries from a McDonald's next door and headed for the playground at the hotel. We blew bubbles for a long time and she finally decided to swing and slide. During all the fun and running around she ran to straight to Kevin with her arms out. After that, he was toast! They spent the next hour with her running past him (thinking she was being sneaky) and he would scoop her up as she burst into laughter. Thank you, Lord for those moments :-)

Tuesday we have a free day and we're thinking of going to a zoo with a couple of other families. Wednesday is the big day for our Consulate appt. We're getting closer to coming home! We can't wait to get there! Love to you all from Guangzhou, China <3

Day 7- Medical Exam

Well, we made it to Guangzhou. It was way past everyone's bedtime when we got here, but it feels like we're in heaven compared to where we were! We are at the China Hotel Marriott and it is soooo nice. Our last hotel in Guiyang was most likely the best for that city, but Guangzhou is probably what I would picture Vegas to look like. Everything is big and lit up and it's so clean. They have warm weather year round, so all the flowers are in bloom and smell great. Everyone is Chinese, but they speak very good English. We are in good company as there are tons of American families here completing their adoptions. Needless to say we are much more comfortable here with these surroundings. There are plenty of Western restaurants to eat at and guess what the best part is? There's a Starbucks in the hotel! Yes, in the hotel! All we do is go down a few floors and place our order.

So today was Maggie's medical exam as well as the other children in our group. We were taken to the Guangdong International Travel Healthcare Center. Let's just say it was more of a nerve racking experience than a medical exam. There were masses and I do mean masses of people there. About half were Americans with their Chinese children and the other half were all Chinese. The actual "exam" consisted of a check of height, weight, vision, hearing, listening to heart and breath sounds and a TB skin test. So here's how this went....we were herded in like cattle to different stations where all these "tests" were done. Height and weight were taken so quickly I don't even think it was accurate. They told us she weighed 24 lbs. which I find unbelievable. She is tiny and I mean a tiny girl. The vision check was shining a regular flashlight in her face to see if she turned from it, the hearing check was a woman squeaking a toy to see if she turned toward the sound and the Dr. listened to her chest, measured her head and looked over her skin from head to toe. The last thing was the TB skin test which we go back to gave read on Monday. You know what my girl did at all of these stations? Screamed her head off! She did not want to be taken from me for one second. She thrashed and screamed so much for the nurses trying to get her weight that the girl finally had to weigh herself and then weigh again while holding Maggie. And yes, she had everyone's attention that was in our group. I hated that she got so upset, but I am glad to know we are attached. Even when the Dr. did her exam and tried to soothe her with toys, nothing worked. The poor guy just shook his said and said, "Ohhhh". Lol. We've seen so much of her personality come out. She's very shy for the most part, then again she's got a stubborn streak! She's precious no matter what. When she plays with her toys or when we're walking somewhere she sings to herself. I have no idea what it is, but it's heaven to us. She is more of a typical 2 year old than I thought she was at first.

After our exams, the guides took all the families in our group to lunch at a Cantonese restaurant. For us, and most everyone else, it was not good. We all were polite of course. I'm sure they just wanted us to try something out of the ordinary. Maggie pigged out! Evidently she is used to most of the food they served us. Hopefully she'll take to mashed potatoes, chicken and some Uncle Ben's when we get home! So tomorrow we go to Shamian Island. We've heard so much about it, so I'm really excited. We also get to attend a Christian Mandarin-English church service. I'll be sure to post on what that's like.

So here's a pic of some of our snacks. I just think the Chinese labels make it look kinda cool.

Day 6- Leaving Guiyang

Today we leave our daughter's home province. We're happy to be moving on, but it's a little bittersweet to take her from all she's known. Our flight to Guangzhou is at 7:00 tonight. Have I mentioned the weather here? We landed in Beijing to find snow and we landed here to find 70 to 75 degree days. The Chinese people have been all bundled up like it's winter and us Americans have just about melted! Mainly since we've walked almost everywhere and I've carried around an extra 20 or so pounds on my hip! :-) Lots of women carry babies in a sling, but with the heat, I figure it's the same as carrying her in my arms. Wouldn't you know our last day here it's only 42 degrees? Our guide, Michael, told us the name Guizhou means "expensive sunshine". Typically it rains a lot in this province and normally they never have sunshine more than 3 days in a row. He was right. The sun definitely shined on us while sight seeing. Guangzhou weather is supposed to be low to mid 70's while we're there also. Kevin and some of the guys in our group went out shopping for shorts. It was so funny the looks we got from the store workers. Not only did they think we were crazy, but most of them didn't even sell shorts! Well, Maggie is starting to come out of her shell. She offers kisses to both mommy and daddy now without being bribed and she is such a monkey at times! We've gotten lots of smiles and giggles since yesterday. She also likes feeling Kevin's whiskers and pinching his chin. Some things we'll just have to work on when we get home! Right now we're in survival mode and daddy will take whatever attention he can get. Keep on praying, though. She still won't let him hold her. Or sit anywhere but my lap :-) Here's a couple of pics from today and one pic from our tour of the Asian village yesterday. These are our guides, Michael and Kathy. They are both college students here are super kind and sweet! Kathy is so little and cute. She reminds me of the Skipper barbie doll. I told her she should come to America. We've also gotten very close with the rest of our group and their children. Everyone's stories are all different yet designed by the Lord for such a time as this. They have all become precious to us. Love to you all at home. Next stop- Guangzhou!

Day 5- Kisses for Daddy

A little bribery never hurts. Daddy got some kisses today with vanilla wafers and French fries. Her little personality has really came out this evening. We were out and about earlier and she was absolutely a monkey! So good to see her smile and laugh. She actually is already calling me mama and while we were in a store this evening, I pointed to Kevin and asked, "Who's that?". She said it was baba (Chinese for daddy). Don't stop praying for us, though. She still won't let Kevin hold her or sit in a stroller. I'm either going to have really big biceps when I get home or my arms are just going to fall off! Today we visited an Asian village that was 600 years old. The weather here today was wonderful about 70 for the high. Tomorrow we will have a little free time and then we fly to Guangzhou where we will spend 7 days for more appointments and getting her passport and visa and then we go to Hong Kong for one night then home sweet home. Please continue to pray for our kids back home, we miss them very much. FaceTime is good but it's getting old. Pray for us as we travel. Love to you all and good night from Guiyang China.

Day 4- She Smiles

Here's a few pics we took just today. The first one is of our Sleeping Beauty this morning. The next one is where she smiled and giggled a little playing peek-a-boo and the third one is daddy getting her to warm up to him a little with some French fries. Well, maybe the pics are all out of order. I'm still learning to blog on this crazy iPad. We have so much to share about our adventures here and plenty of pictures to post, but all that will have to wait until I get home and can upload them on the laptop. There's so much beautiful scenery here in this province and then again in most areas so much poverty. This is one of China's poorest places. We've gotten a lot of stares from people. Here we are...5 American families walking around with Chinese babies. Some people smile and wave, some just get right in your face and stare, some try to talk to you and some even point and laugh. I have to say, little Miss Maggie has got a lot of attention even among the Chinese. They comment on how cute she is and what a lucky baby she is to come to America. Little do they know, we're the lucky ones! Some of the old people get her attention by blowing kisses and waving to us. A LOT of people want to photograph you if you're American! I got a bit harassed yesterday at the monkey zoo. As I'm typing it's 4:00 in the afternoon here and 3:00 in the morning at home. Still so strange. We are going out with our group for pizza at 5:00. That and KFC are the only western places here and trust me, Chinese food gets old after one day! Love to all of you at home. Continue to pray for our safe travels and health. And especially Maggie bonding with Kevin. Also, she won't get in a stroller, highchair or shopping cart right now. I'm really afraid of the drive from Nashville to home. I figure she'll have a fit when I put her in a car seat. Please help us pray for that. Here there is no seat belt or car seat law. Well, good morning to whoever is reading and goodnight from the Dyes here in Guiyang.


This is the Lord's doing; And it is marvelous in our eyes. Psalm 118:23

Day 3 with Maggie

Well, let me start off by agreeing with Kevin that we are not in Tennessee anymore! Our daughter's homeland is nothing like we've ever experienced before. It's been a whirlwind so far and our guide is keeping our group pretty busy to pass the time quick. By the end of the afternoon we are pretty exhausted. Even with napping and sleeping all night (their night) your body is still saying, "Hold on something is way off here!". Right now, Maggie is in my lap as I type. She does not let me get out of sight or reach. And poor daddy....he wants to get ahold of her so bad! But she makes him keep his distance. So far, she's very shy. She keeps mostly to herself even with the other children in our group. She likes to be on the go and doesn't mind all the bumpy bus rides. Sorry there are no pictures to post this time. They're all on our small camera and I'm blogging on the iPad, so there's no way to upload them. I will post some soon, though. Both in size and behavior she is very much like a one year old rather than a two year old. Let me just say there is so much about China that is soooo different. The air quality here is very poor and everyone smokes. And smoking is not prohibited in public places like it is in America. So, you pretty much have the smell of a stale cigarette in your nose all the time. The amount of people here is unbelievable. We are in the capital city, Guiyang, of Guizhou and it has a population of 3 million and is considered to be small. And no wonder Chinese people are all skinny....they walk everywhere they go and let me tell you they walk fast! Our guide has to slow down a lot for us. The air here is also very dry, so it's easy to dehydrate. I think that happened to me the first day we were here. As Kevin said we were on a plane and off to find out that our children were waiting for us. We went straight from the airport to the civil affairs office with no time prepare! We followed our guide into a very old run down looking place and up to the 15th floor. We rounded the corner and there sat my daughter on a couch with her orphanage director. My heart nearly stopped and my feet did. I think I remember saying, "Oh my gosh, that's my baby.". She didn't want me as much as I wanted her at first so that part was rough. Even now she will have very little to do with Kevin. I ask all of you to please pray for her warm up to him. We know all of that is typical, but it's just hard. The hardest thing of all is being away from my 3 little munchkins at home! Oh I miss them so bad! We Skype with them every chance we get. Well, we still have a few more days to go. We fly from here, Guizhou, to Guangzhou on Friday. Our flight back to the USA can't come fast enough! We are blessed to be in good company though with the other families in our group. Good night for now from Guiyang. We love and miss you all!

We Are Not In Tennessee Anymore!!!

HOLY MACKERAL!!! (that's redneck for oh my goodness). The journey that God has taken us on the past few days is filled with all kinds of emotions and right now Crystal, Maggie and myself are drained. After 3 days of traveling, missing flights, bad weather, 9600 miles,19 hours in the air and 3 days without my kids we finally meet Miss Maggie Mei-Ling Dye. We rushed from Beijing to Guiyang province got off the plane, meet our guide, got on 2 buses and headed to town to meet our princess. When we meet our guide he told us that our children were waiting on us and we were going to get them, right then, in just 15 minutes. My heart done a double back summersault and my stomach drew up in knots. At this point I could tell Crystal was getting emotional. We got off the bus and rushed up stairs and when we got off the elevator and walked through that door my eyes meet hers and we were overwhelmed. One of the most (5 my wife and kids) beautiful sites I had ever laid eyes on was looking back at me. She was a little upset at first but know she won't even let Crystal out her sight. She's not sure about Dad yet but she did let me feed her.
All I can say is God is AWSOME!!! My favorite verses in the bible are in Psalms 62:1-12, in verse 5 the psalmist says "find rest in God alone, my hope comes from Him. (6) He alone is my rock and my salvation; He is my fortress, I will not be shaken. (7) My salvation and my honor depend on God; He is my mighty rock, my refuge. (8) Trust in Him at all times , O people pour out your hearts to Him, for God is our refuge. We are a blessed people and we in America take that for granted Some of the things that we have saw over here is mind-blowing. WE ARE BLESSED!!! As for me and my house we will serve the Lord.
Please pray for Crystal, she is so exhausted and emotionally drained that she is not feeling good. Pray for us cause we really miss our children. God Bless from China!!!

We have arrived and survived!

We made it to Beijing around 11:00 pm and finally made it to our hotel and checked in around 2:00 am. It's daylight hours at home, so I'm tired, but really feeling like it's time for bed yet. We left Detroit at night and arrived here at night, so we really haven't seen anything yet. And by the way, it's snowing here! Around 3 inches are on the ground. Oh yeah, very glad I missed the Great Wall and the outdoor sight seeing that was planned. Our hotel is very nice and somehow we're in an executive suite. Yay us! Tomorrow (well really today I guess) our flight leaves at 12:05 pm for Guizhou. Soon after, we meet Maggie for the first time. It will be quite emotional I'm sure. Pray for us as we deal with this time change. I will post pictures soon!

Ni Hao from Detroit!!!

Off to a bit of a rocky start....our plane was scheduled to leave Nashville at 6:12 last night, but due to storms it was delayed for 2 hours. Our flight from Detroit to Beijing was also delayed, but not enough for us to make the flight. We landed here in Detroit about 15 minutes after our Beijing flight took off. Oh yes, and I was in tears. The next flight to Beijing is tonight. After looking at different flight options and with different airlines, this flight is the most practical. There were no other flights to get us there significantly earlier. So.....we've missed out on a day of sight seeing with our travel group in Beijing. Not the end of the world or anything....just frustrating to not be there as planned. Now, let's look at the glass as half full. We got some sleep last night in a hotel, we're already here at the airport today, there's a Starbucks around every corner and this airport has places to shop! Yay!!! Today is Kevin's birthday and I have to say I'm glad I have him all to myself. We've walked around, shopped, drank Starbucks, people watched and he played a virtual game of golf at Pebble Beach. We're still one day closer to getting our girl and thankfully this bump in the road hasn't altered any plans other than a day of sight seeing. We are scheduled to arrive in Beijing at 11:40 pm (China time) and the very next morning we are scheduled to fly out of Beijing to go to Guizhou and get Maggie! No room to adjust to China time. Just pick up our daughter and keep going. Oh well, I'm used to life being that way with children :-) For whatever reason our plans got changed here in the beginning, I am thankful. Not so much last night when it was all taking place, but after some rest and a lot of prayer I know that God knew all this and planned all of this himself. I have to trust his reason. There was a lot of rough weather around Nashville as well as Detroit last night and I'm thankful we are safe. Now, let's try this again!

For he will command his angels concerning you, to guard you in all your ways. Psalm 91:11

Operation: Bring Maggie Home!

The countdown is on! One week from today is "Gotcha Day" and Maggie will officially be a part of our family. We leave Nashville airport this Thursday evening headed for China. Much is still to be done and I think I'm about to suffer from exhaustion! This last week was already planned out for me as is this next week. The one thing our Dr. told us to do before going is to get plenty of rest, exercise and fluids. Well.....I got the fluid part down. Pray for my health if I cross your mind. All the busyness combined with the stress of leaving kids behind and traveling is beginning to take its toll. I nearly passed out this morning trying to get ready for church! On the up side of things, I hope to get some rest while traveling (got some meds to help that) and we'll meet our beautiful daughter soon after arriving. Also, I found out that I should be able to blog and facebook (after downloading VPN) while we're there.  Four more days until travel and seven more days until gotcha. I know the Lord has ordered our steps in this journey and I ask all of you to help pray for physical strength to see us through. Hopefully my next post will be from Beijing. So for now, Ni Hao (hello pronounced nee-how) and Zaijian (good-bye pronounced zi-jee-ahn)from Hohenwald, Tennessee.


 A man's steps are directed by the Lord.                                  Proverbs 20:24a


Do not be afraid for I am with you; I will bring your children from the east and gather you from the west.                                                                                       Isaiah 43:5

Travel Plans: Some Babies arrive by plane!

The call we've waited on finally came!  On Friday, February 24, I received a call from our travel coordinator that we had our travel approval and we would be traveling in 3 weeks!  Sydney and I were in Wal-Mart when the call came.  She got so excited that she wanted to call everyone right then.  So we did.  She was so proud to share the news. 

We leave Thursday evening March 15 from Nashville and land in Detroit.  From Detroit we have a long flight to Beijing.  Our total time in the air is going to be around 17 hours.  I plan to take books, music and medication.  We are scheduled to land in Beijing around midnight (China time) on Friday the 16th.  We're practically losing a day on the way over.  Funny thing is, the 16th is Kevin's birthday.  I told him I shouldn't have to get him anything this year since we're literally flying right past it :-)  Since our flight is at night and it'll be bedtime when we get to China, maybe I can catch up some years of sleep deprivation! 

We will be in a travel group with some other families from our agency as well.  Including us, I believe it's 4 or 5 families.  All of us will fly into Beijing and then most everyone is going to a different province for their children.  Then everyone from our group will reunite in Guangzhou where everything will be made final.  It'll be interesting to get to know a few people in the China adoption world.  A sweet little surprise awaited us as I read thru our travel itinerary.  Typically, families are in Beijing for 2 days to sightsee before traveling to their child's province.  Guess what?  We are only in Beijing for one day of sightseeing and then on to Maggie's province.  We will have her in our arms a day earlier than we expected!  That is really a big deal to me!  Isn't that just like God to give you those sweet little gifts?  I just taught our Sunday night kids a lesson on patience a couple of weeks ago.  One of the things I told them is that God in never late, he's rarely early and he's always on time!  Now I'm gonna have to tell those kids he did something early for me!

I also found out that Facebook and Blogger are blocked in China.  Doesn't that figure?!  I will most likely ask someone to keep my blog going for me.  Hopefully I can email them our posts and photos and they can "blog it" for me.  There's a lot of travel in-country once we get there as well.  Our itinerary is as follows:

Thursday, March 15- Depart Nashville for Detroit, then depart Detroit for Beijing

Friday, March 16- Arrive in Beijing at approx midnight

Saturday, March 17- Beijing Sightseeing

Sunday, March 18- GOTCHA DAY!  A.M.- Flight to Guizhou

P.M.- Meet Maggie Mei-Ling Dye!!!

Monday, March 19---Thursday, March 22- Civial affairs appt and LOTS of other appointments as well as some sightseeing and shopping in her home province.

Friday, March 23- Flight to Guangzhou (where adoption will be made final) for Consulate appt and paperwork 

Saturday, March 24---Tuesday, March 27- Maggie's medical exam, more paperwork and sightseeing/shopping

Wednesday, March 28- Consulate appt at 10:00 am and Consulate Oath-Taking Ceremony

Thursday, March 29- Pick-up Maggie's visa and depart Guangzhou for Hong Kong

Friday, March 30- Depart Hong Kong for the USA!!!

Arrive in Detroit (Maggie will officially become a US citizen as soon as our plane touches down)

Depart Detroit for Nashville!!!

My brain is overwhelmed at this point at what needs to be packed, getting all the arrangements in place for our kids while we're gone, paying some bills ahead, etc.  I have to say little Miss Maggie is mostly packed!  I did most of hers today.  So much fun!  On the other end of things, my 3 kiddos are getting nervous now that the time for mom and dad to leave is this close.  They're a little worried for our safety, but mostly worried just because we've never been away from one another for this length of time.  I'll admit I almost tear up when I think about leaving them behind.  I'm afraid if I start crying I won't be able to stop.  I'm praying and I ask you all to be praying that these 15 days will pass quickly for all of us.  We will be able to see/talk to the kids thru skype and they will be able to see some of the things Maggie is doing, so hopefully that will help.

I can't believe we're almost there....just a year ago in March we were attending a seminar from our agency to find out what adoption is all about.  I honestly felt God was going to move quick for us, but I never imagined it like this.  I'm so thankful for all we've learned.  We continue to ask each of you to pray.  Right now, specifically for our children and our safety.  Secondly, for our health and the health of our children during these days.  And most of all for the transition that's before all of us.  A whole new world for Maggie as well as transitioning for my family.  I pray Maggie will attach and bond to us quicker than we imagine and that our children will love and welcome her into their hearts and our home as soon as they meet.  Exciting days ahead!  Thank you to all of you for following us, encouraging us and praying for us.

Like cold water to a weary soul is good news from a distant land.   Proverbs 25:25

.....He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion.....Phillipians 1:6

The one who calls you is faithful and he will do it.    1Thessalonians 5:24

You will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast because he trusts in you.   Isaiah 26:3

Happy Birthday!

Our baby is 2 years old today. I was so hoping we would have her and be back home by now, but it's obviously not time yet.  Any day now we are expecting the call from our agency that we have travel approval and can begin making all the arrangements.  I've wondered all day what she might be doing.  I'm wondering if her foster family may have had a celebration for her.  I'm wishing we were with her to sing "Happy Birthday".


 But more than that, my mind has been wondering a lot lately about her birth mother.  On this day, 2 years ago, she gave birth to this precious girl.  She has to remember that.  How could this date not go by without her wondering about the sweet baby girl she chose to give up?  People have often asked me, "What kind of mother would leave her child for someone to find?", or "Is there something wrong with her that the mother didn't want her?".  I've stopped and thought a lot about who this woman must be.....maybe she is young and unmarried, maybe she is older and not well, maybe she already has other children and simply did not have the means to raise another child or very possibly she was forced into giving her up simply because she's a girl.  China has been under a one child law since 1970.  Naturally, families want boys for work and a means of social security for the parents since they are so poor.  Because of that reason alone, tons of baby girls have been given up over the years.

For me, giving up my children would absolutely be the last resort.  I would have to have tried every way possible to make it work.  I would do without for myself or possibly kill someone first if I thought I had to leave them for someone else to find and hope that they would care for them.  Unlike America, China has few options for mothers when it comes to their children's welfare.  There aren't Chinese families lined up on a waiting list to adopt them at birth, there is no government welfare and most families do not have the resources to pay the hefty fine they are charged if they have more than one child.  The irony is, you are not allowed more than one child or there are consequences and it's illegal to abandon children although the orphanages are full and no one is in jail for abandonment.  Boys are revered and girls are considered "no good".  I could go on and on about China's history and the terrible things that go on. I believe abandonment is a woman's "birth plan" in China.  Sure, there are terrible things that go on in America and other countries as well.  But I know without a doubt God led us to China, not anywhere else.

I wonder if her birth mother is a Christian.  Maybe she prayed for a godly family to raise her daughter.  Maybe she's a prostitute.  We will never know.  But I believe with all my heart she has stopped and thought about her baby girl on this day and wonders about her.  Could she ever forget her sweet face?  Could she ever forget the sound of her cry when she was born?  Did it take all the courage she could muster to leave her?  Did she stand close by to make sure she was taken to safety?  When I take myself through these emotions I realize the kind of mother who would abandon her child.  That kind of mother would be me.  That kind of mother would most likely be you.  If it was absolutely impossible to raise a baby, would you want a better life for her?  I feel abandonment is probably the most courageous thing this mother could do for this child.  God had a plan for Maggie long before her birth mother did.  Kevin said in an earlier post that she was created to be our daughter.  Although she was created in the womb of a different woman, she was created for our family.  If I ever had the opportunity to say anything to her birth mother it would be to thank her for giving her life.  To thank her for being brave enough to leave her in order that Maggie may have a better life.  I would want her to know how very much she will be loved and she will be afforded all the opportunities that children deserve.  I would tell her our story of how God put all of this together for such a time is this.

 Happy Birthday my Asian angel. Your family loves you and is waiting for you!

"Can a mother forget the baby at her breast and have no compassion on the child she has borne?  Though she may forget, I will not forget you!"                                Isaiah 49:15

For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb.  I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.  My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place.  When I was woven together in the depths of the earth, your eyes saw my unformed body.  All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.                                                                     Psalm 139:13-16

"....I tell you the truth, whatever you have done for the least of these, you have done for me."
                                                                                            Matthew 25:40