Day 9.... It is official!

I didn't realize it before we came to China, but "Gotcha Day"  is not the official day that a child becomes adopted.. It is the next day.   So after a wonderful "Gotcha Day" experience (especially when he kissed us both good night and feel asleep holding our hands)  we woke up and got on the big bus to make this adoption official.  We went back to the Civil Affairs building and we were handed the official adoption certificate that officially makes Toby a part of the Faile family.   We are so happy to have him in our lives.  He brings so much joy already.  

Day 8 .....GOTCHA DAY!

A picture is worth a thousand words.... By looking at these pictures, I hope you can see how happy ALL of us were on this day.  We arrived at the Civil Affairs building at around 10:20 am, but we had to wait about 20 minutes before the children arrived.  It felt like that time when you were just minutes from having a baby.  We were all nervous and emotional thinking about the life changing event that was just about to take place.  Toby arrived with a nanny, walked in the door , figured out who we were and ran into our arms.  It was an incredible feeling to know he was safe and sound in our arms and he would never feel alone again.  He played for a little bit in a small play area and then we were on our way.  For the rest of the day, he was a delight.  We taught him 25+ signs and he remembered them all throughout the day.  Lookout world... I think we have a genious on our hands.  We all already accept him into our family and love him unconditionally.  It was a surreal and unforgettable day!

Day 7... Seeing the fatherless = Life changing

On Sunday, Dec. 15, our family had the opportunity to drive an hour away from our hotel to see the Zhengzhou Children's Orphanage.  On a positive note, the facilities were very nice and modern.  They are updating a lot of the areas of the orphanage.  On a sad note,  there were over 200 children there.  The first room we went to was the baby room.  Our hearts were broken as we saw MANY babies just laying in their cribs...some crying..some sleeping and some just looking for attention..  We tried to talk to many of them, but there too many to talk to.  It was my saddest moment of the trip for sure.  We also went into a room of elementary age children with various disabilities... They were watching a movie, but loved it when we entered the room.  Tears could not be contained by all of us..  Just knowing that some of these children will NEVER have a family, just was too sad to comprehend.   Both of my daughters said that they want to adopt when they get older.  If ANYONE would go to an orphanage they would feel the same way.  Praying that these little (and big) ones will find a family one day.

If you have enough room and enough love in your home, you should consider adoption.  I admit that this is going to be a challenge for David and I.  We are a little out of practice with having a littler one around, but we know that God wants us to do this and the frustrations, inconveniences, and difficult circumstances will all be worth it just knowing that Toby will grow up having a family that loves him unconditionally.

Day 6, All Aboard to Zheng Zhou

To start off the day, we took a walk around Beijing. We looked at a variety of vendors and found this really good one that sold something we called, "sesame balls." We bought about 10! It was fun to see the city and eat at McDonalds for breakfast. One of the cool parts was finding a bakery that played English Christmas music! We bought a snack and stayed a while to listen to the music.
After that, we visited our Dayton friends, the Hollins. We stayed a bit at their home, had lunch, and caught up a bit. Then, after packing up our stuff to leave our apartment for the last time, we went to a wonderful Christmas program done by the Church of Haidian and the International Church of Beijing.
Our friend Gracie was a beautiful dancer!

After getting late, we made our way to the train station, getting ready to ride the train for the first time! It was a 7 hour ride, and even though the beds weren't the softest, we were still grateful for having a place to lay our heads for the night, even if it was moving! It was a great experience to sleep in a train! All aboard for Zheng Zhou!

Day 5 ....a Harmonious Day

On Day 5 (Friday)  we had the honor to visit Harmony House (Toby's Foster home) and his deaf school.  We finally got to meet Toby at his home.   What a joy it was to be in the place that we only dreamed about seeing.  We saw the children there and gave them Christmas gifts...as well as to the nannies.  We are so blessed that Toby was in a  loving Christian atmosphere during the past 2 years.  There were several children there that are in need of home.  One of the older boys asked the director  "When is my family coming?"   Our prayer is that someone will adopt him very soon..  I got to do a little home decorating  (can't stay away from doing that...)   I put an ASL vinyl decal sign ( "I love you") on the wall so all the children could see that you can love in any language...  They were all signing it as we left.  Toby is pointing at it in the last picture. We were touched and blessed on this day.

Day 4 Taking it easy...

Day 4 was a more relaxed day!   We spent a lot of time with our good friends, Todd and Dawn.  We are SOOOO blessed to have them in our lives and in our hearts.   Jet lag is a beast and it gets ya all day.   We all have been going to bed at 6:00 pm. or 7:00 pm and waking up at 2:00 am.   It is so hard to fall back asleep after that.  Being tired and groggy does not sit well with us so we will be glad when the jet lag will be over.   We enjoyed the day visiting the local fruit stands and markets.  We got to experience the "real" China.  So glad we have such awesome hosts.

Day 3 Adventure

We woke up on Day 3 and went to one of our favorite and fascinating places in the world.....The Great Wall of China.  It was a cool, crisp and clear day.  It was so much fun!