Wednesday, December 17, 2008

Garrett is coming home! Van Leaves for China on Dec.27th!!!


It is set in stone! Our baby boy is coming home! Van and I have been in a REAL frenzy preparing everything we need to do to get ready for Christmas, and for the China trip. But our Garrett will be home sweet home with his Daddy on January 9th at 7:20 pm! Unfortunately, due to the time frame, our best friend, Niels, will not be able to travel with Van to China. He is going alone, but will have translators and guides in China with him at all times. Our travel approval came yesterday. The Consulate appointment is set up in Guangzhou, China. Van leaves for China out of Dulles Airport on December 27th around noon. He arrives in Hohhot, Inner Mongolia on December 28th at 8:20 pm, and Gotcha Day with Garrett is December 29th! (Our next door neighbor and best buddy, Patty, will share her birthday with Garrett on Gotcha Day! And she is so excited!!!) Van will not be going to Beijing this time because our agency is working so hard to make sure we complete this adoption by the end of the year. No big deal though because we saw all of that when we adopted Gracie....The Great Wall, T. Square, etc. He will be able to visit Baotou City where Garrett is from, and he will visit the orphanage on the trip. And as far as we know, he will be able to meet Garrett's foster family there in Baotou. We are beyond excited. We are feeling very settled and more organized now that we have spent the past two days sorting through everything. We just cannot believe that it is finally happening. Total disbelief. It has taken so long to get here. We are parents of two beautiful children from China, both children born in our hearts and souls long before either of them came home to us. We are truly blessed by God... above and beyond anything we deserve here on Earth. And we are forever thankful for all that He has blessed and provided for us. We always hoped and prayed for our children, Gracie and Garrett. Their names were chosen before we ever began the adoption process for Gracie. We believed that God would bring them home to us, and He has, and He will. We are the lucky ones. These children truly are miracles in every way. They are our miracles, and we are reminded everyday that we will never take our children for granted. We would never trade a single second of our time with Gracie for absolutely anything anyone could ever offer to us in this world. I know that we will feel that same kind of love for our son. We are ready and waiting with open arms! Your forever family is waiting for you, Garrett! Daddy is on his way soon!


We will be posting everything about the trip along with pictures on this website. Van will call me and email me each day with posts and pictures, and I will update the blog. So, stay tuned, and you will get to read all about it here.


I wish so much that I could travel with Van. It is killing me...You know what I mean...not really killing me, but it is SO hard to deal with knowing that I cannot experience all of that with Van and our son...that I cannot be there for Garrett in China. But it is for the best that I stay here at home with Gracie during this time. And I miss out on all of the shopping in China! That is tough to swallow too! LOL. But I am making Van a LONG list of the must haves. :)


Van is pretty calm and relaxed about it now. I am...well, let's just say, I am a little numb. I am better than I was an hour ago. Is that good or bad? The paperwork the past few days has pretty much sent us into panic mode a few times.
There have been the typical conversations like this between the two of us...
"Where is the ______? What in the world is that? What do we need again? Huh? Read that to me again. Ok, didn't we _______ before we _______ed that? The homestudy agency had that. No, it was the adoption agency. No, the assistant stork took care of that. Ok, I think we have that. No, we don't have that. Yes, we do. Here it is! No, that's not it. Ok, here it is. I am loosing it. I can't even think. What did you say again? Can they just write that in plain English? Why is it that everytime we turn around something else is missing?"
OH MY GOODNESS!!!! You would never believe what this is like unless you are in the thick of it. AND we have done this before! CRAZY!
Please say a special prayer for Garrett whenever you think of him. It may be that he has already been taken away from his foster family. Many times, the children in foster care are sent back to the orphanage about a week before they join their forever families. I know that he is going to experience a very great trauma. That breaks my heart for him and for his foster parents and family. They have had him in their care much longer than anticipated. I know they love him and that he adores and loves them too. It will be hard for all of them. I hate to think of what he will be experiencing. I try hard not to think about it. I know it is REAL though, and that he will have experienced two great losses before he joins our family...the loss of his biological family, and the loss of his Chinese family that has loved him and cared for him the past two years. Garrett needs our prayers right now. Also, keep his foster family in your thoughts and prayers too.


Enough for tonight. Just had to share the great news with all of you that Garrett will be home soon! The adventure has just begun!

4 comments:

Dawn said...

CONGRATULATIONS!!! What an amazing Christmas gift and awesome way to begin the new year!!

Dawn
momma to EmmaLi also from AnQing City.

epin said...

Congrats! I am so happy for you guys!!!

Stephanie said...

Can't wait to follow along! :)

Mel said...

BOTH of your children are beyond beautiful! You are so blessed! I too stayed home the second time...I think I have some idea of the feelings that are swirling around in your heart and your head. Praying for speedy, safe travel...can't WAIT to see more pictures!