I will praise you, O Lord, with all my heart; I will tell of all your wonders. I will be glad and rejoice in you; I will sing praise to your name, O Most High. Psa 9:1-2
Daddy and his boy at breakfast.
The beautiful waterfall into the Koi pond at the White Swan.
This is one of the lighter loads carried on a bicycle.
Our third trip to China, and we finally decided to have a suit tailored for Daddy! It's going to be beautiful!
Meanwhile, Kambry entertained the other shopkeepers. She's the center of attention everywhere we go!
A view of the plaza we shopped today. No, we did not get the spa treatment. We ran out of time doing necessary things ... but we still have 11 days!
I admit when I awoke this morning I was a little discouraged and even frightened. I keep expecting these 'magical' moments as if Kaeleb will instantly snap out of his grief, loneliness, independence and fear. I know so many of you are praying for him, as we are, and prayers were answered today! It was amazing to watch him play, sing, squeal and reach for me. He still will not sit in the high chair, so our mealtimes are a mess with me feeding him and myself as he grabs everything. Today he ate oatmeal, congee and rice cereal. He liked the scrambled eggs but we later found they were stored in his cheeks! The way he plays, I think he's been defending his territory a very long time. He doesn't like to share and he has a pretty good arm. He has screamed each time we've given him a bath, so tonight Daddy got in the tub with him, and he had a blast. It was a whole new experience, and he squealed as he splashed his sister. Probably the most amazing thing was when he walked to me and reached up. He likes being held.As you know, tomorrow is the orphanage visit. I have been praying about it all day, asking for strength and peace. I finally found peace in knowing that no matter how tomorrow goes I will still bring my son home! I think there will be so many mixed emotions from sadness to joy. I know the plight of my son ~ God has set him into our family, and I am blessed to be his mommy. My fear is the heartache I will feel for those children left behind. We are hoping to have time to hold and pray for each child. We also will take pictures of two very special boys who have families waiting to travel. We will have so much to report after our visit tomorrow. Thank you for your continued prayers and encouragement. Love ~ Clayton, Connie, April, Kambry and Kaeleb ...
The King will tell them, "I assure you, when you did it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were doing it to me!" Matt 25:40
10 comments:
Clayton - you can take the man out of Oklahoma but you can't take the okie out of the man.
Bro. Brian
11 more days! WOW! Make sure you get a chance to go to Baiyun Mountain. You can ride the tram or a golf cart to the top (I don't recommend walking)...the view of the city is amazing!
Blessings~
Wendy
That is the same tailor we used! She is awesome and does amazing work! I hope you are ordering a jacket for yourself (I love mine!). I think next time ;) we are going to have to have at least a shirt made for Chris, too!
We are praying for your orphanage trip and praying for Kaeleb's little heart to begin to heal.
love -
Tami and Chris
Hey Guys,
We are praying for you all. The orphanage trip was very difficult for us, but it (we feel) was necessary. We feel so blessed that we were allowed to visit both our daughters SWI's. We will pray for your hearts, for Kaeleb as he puts closure on his old life, and for all those sweet babies left behind.
May God make this an amazing day for you all.
Kim,Brad and the Smith clan
Connie -
I am so happy to see pics of Kaeleb. He looks so sweet. I am shocked to hear that he only weighs 24 lbs. When I visited him at the SWI, the layers made him look so big! I am envious of your weather, compared to the weather we had in Guanghzhou when we got Caroline. I will pray for continued bonding.
Angie
Congratulations on finally holding your handsome new son. May the rest of your trip be smoothe sailing.
PS. If you didn't buy them last time, stop by the shoppe that sells the cute little wooden Japanese dolls. They were my very favorite thing I purchased last spring. I can't recall the name of the shoppe, but it's within walking distance of the White Swan, on the right-hand side.
Congratulations on your beautiful new son! It sounds like your prayers are being answered, praise God!! What joy you must have felt when he held his arms out for you to hold him :)
Blessings for a joyful, peaceful remainder of your trip!
Stefanie ~ another Lifeline family :)
Please know that you continue to be in our prayers. It's amazing to watch how quickly these kids adjust and get past bonding issues. Some take longer than others. Our prayers are that Kaeleb adjusts quickly. I remember CC not making eye contact, had a wall put up, food problems as she hadn't had solid foods, texture issues, etc., etc. Those times seem so long past and she really did get past these things quick...just seemed long to her mama and daddy. From your posts, it seems like Kaeleb is gradually bonding and it's nice to see him laughing in smiling in the pics. By the way, Kaeleb sounds like Kai....not sharing. Kai has gotten in trouble at daycare three days this week for not sharing and the end result is usually him pushing, hitting or kicking someone because of it. Yikes! Get ready!!!
Barb, Fred, CC and Kai
Hi Connie,
I'll be praying for your trip to the SWI that it will seal with in Kaeleb's little heart and head the knowledge of you as his Momma and your family as his. God can do anything. We just need to claim it as our own. :)
Your babies a Beautiful!!
Take care,
Holly M. Momma of Anna another Xiushan Beauty
What a blessing that you're able to go to Kaleb's orphanage and take him with you! I know that I really struggled with the decision of whether I would take my daughter back to the orphanage for the visit, if I'm given the option but a wonderful adoption seminar helped to make that decision very easy. (I anticipate it being another year before we meet but am already praying that God will allow us to visit her orphanage.)
A return visit allows the child to enter their 'home' with you, see you and the caregivers that they know and trust interact. They see that all is ok in their old world and also that their caregivers are supportive of you and of you caring for Kaleb. It helps these little ones fill some of the gaps that happened the day they were removed from their home and placed in your arms. After I heard that it made so much more sense.
Praying today Kaleb learns to trust you more and know that it's ok to love you and that you will be there for him. So many adjustments for these little ones to make and praying that today Kaleb falls more and more in love with you as you have with him.
Prayers and blessings,
Catherine
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