Abby and Zeke

The boys and I spent today with some new friends.  

Abby spent today with a friend she has known for years.  

Let me tell you what an incredible blessing this was for her.  You see, in the last few months, Abby has given up alot.  

She has said goodbye to all of her friends, to everyone she has ever known.  Everyone.

She has left behind a country and a heritage, one that is steeped in traditions and culture that will always be foreign to her new family.  

She has said goodbye to a language that she has spoken for the last eight years, a language that is so very different than the one she is learning now.

You see, Abby has given up EVERYTHNG for a family. And while I would always insist that a family is exactly what she needed, I cannot forget the loss that goes hand in hand with that decision.

So today, reconnecting with an old friend was such a special gift for her.  It gives her one link to her past, however small.  It gives her one connection to someone who shares her history, one connection to someone who has walked the same path as she has, one connection to her past.  It is a gift that I am praising God for, because you see, God always knew these two children from a little town in northern China would one day become friends again on American soil.

Meet Abby's Friends

Meet Manuel (in orange), Francesco (in stripes), and Noe (in blue).  All of these handsome boys are from the same orphanage as Abby.  

It is great news that Francesco and Noe have families working on their adoptions.  They will soon leave China and come home to the United States.  Sadly, when they do, Manuel will have to say goodbye to his best friends.  He will be left to wonder when it will be his turn for a family.  Although Manuel has been available for adoption for quite some time now, he still has no family committed to bringing him home.

Manuel is described as smart, hardworking, and friendly.  He is nine years old and does very well at school.  He easily excels at Chinese, English, math, and handwriting.  His teachers have reported that he is respectful, able to follow instructions, plays well with others, and is a great helper in the classroom.

Why is Manuel still waiting?  He was born with a cleft lip and palate, but both have been repaired.  He is now able to pronounce words clearly and has normal hearing.   In other words, he is healthy!  

So why is he still waiting?  More than likely, he is waiting because he is a boy.  According to Adoptive Families magazine, only 20% of prospective parents will choose a boy.

20%??? Do the other 80% not know how wonderfully fun little boys can be?  

Manuel is a boy and so is waits.  He waits day after day for his family to come.  He waits for a mama who will tuck him in at night and who will kiss his boo-boos.  He waits for a dad to play catch with him and help him grow up strong and confident.  He waits for someone to love him and cherish him for the person that God made him to be.

When we were waiting to bring Abby home, I worried that maybe she would not like us.  I really worried that she would be disappointed that I was a single mom, that she would be upset that she was not going to have a father in her new family.  If you are thinking your family is not "enough" for this child, let me assure you that you are!  Manuel does not care if you are young or old.  He does not care if you have no children or lots of children.  He does not care if you are married or single.  He does not care if you are rich or struggling to make ends meet.  He doesn't care that you don't speak Mandarin or that you do not look like him.  He just wants someone to love him, someone to fight for him, someone to claim him.  He just wants a family.  And for that, he waits.

Manuel is currently listed with Holt International.  More information can be found at

 http://www.lwbcommunity.org/excel-with-manuel

First Visit to Shriners

Yesterday, Abby and I headed to Tampa for her first visit to Shriners.  First of all, let me say that Tampa is a LONG drive!  You know you're in trouble when you turn onto I-75 and the GPS announces that the next turn will be in 237 miles!

Despite the long drive, we made it to Tampa around 12:15, grabbed a quick bite to eat, and then headed to Shriners.  Our appointment was at 1:15 with Dr. Mason, who is a pediatric orthopedic surgeon. 

While we waited for our turn to see the doctor, Abby was entertained by a group of graduate students from the University of South Florida.  They were spending the afternoon volunteering and had brought stickers, coloring books, and lots of other fun activities.  Also in the waiting room were televisions and video game systems and lots of other fun toys to keep everyone entertained.  

When they called our name, we went to our room where I reviewed Abby's medical history with the nurse practitioner.  This took all of two minutes since her known medical history began six weeks ago! The nurse left to put an order in for X-rays, but before she went, she brought Abby this really cool art set.  

The nurse returned to get us and we all went to the x-ray department.  They took four x-rays:  two of her spine and two of her hips.  By the time we finished and got back to the room, the doctor was coming in to talk with us.  He examined Abby and reviewed the x-rays.  He explained that her right hip was indeed out of the socket....well, actually in sometimes and out other times.  However, he did not recommend surgery since he felt her weak hip muscles would not hold the hip in the socket, even after surgery.  Since we would not be trying to correct the hip, he said that we need to watch her closely for scoliosis.  Currently, her x-ray showed no curvature, but it could develop.  She also has a leg length difference, which will need to be monitored as well.  He recommended an AFO (ankle foot orthotic) for her right foot and physical therapy to attempt to loosen some of the tendons in her foot.  He then requested a second set of X-rays, this time to be sure that her tibia and fibula looked good.  Once he was sure she was ok in those areas, he sent us to be fitted for the AFO.  

They took lots of measurements...

...and then made a cast of her foot.

Abby got to select the pattern for the AFO and also the color of the straps.  I am not sure she really understood what she was choosing, but she was determined to have purple straps.  She ended up choosing a purple and pink star pattern and dark purple straps.  

Once this was finished, we were finally done for the day.  When the AFO is ready, we will need to head back to Tampa to have the final fitting done.  Our next appointment will be November 21st.  

Fun at the Pumpkin Patch!

Halloween would not be complete without a visit to the pumpkin patch!

Happy Halloween from our family to yours!

One Month!

A month ago today, we were on our way home from China!  Hard to believe, but true!  

So, how is Abby doing? Well....in a nutshell, she is doing GREAT!

One of the most common questions I am asked is how fast she is learning English.  I can honestly say that her English is MUCH better than my Chinese!  But, seriously, Abby now has about thirty English words.  Given that I only learned four Mandarin words during my two weeks in China, I am pretty impressed!  Among her thirty words are:

"Hot"....South Georgia will make you learn this one quickly!

"Stop"....living with Will and Josh will teach you this one fast!

"Sorry...That's OK."....yes, she usually says it together...no time for anyone to hold a grudge.

"Hugs"...I love this one!

"Stinky"....again, I will blame this one on the boys!

"No do that"....this one is always directed at the dog.

"Sleepy"....usually pronounced "sweepy" and quickly followed by "No!"

She can also say thank you, your welcome, eat, more, mama, Will, Josh, Abby, take a bath, cold, church, apple, shoes, look, mouth, eyes, nose, ears, fingers, orange, and drink.  She can count to 60 in English and write about ten letters of the alphabet from memory.  

Other accomplishments include....

She has taught herself to ride a scooter and is determined to learn to pedal a bike. 

She loves the iPad, mostly to watch Dora in Mandarin or sing Chinese children's songs.  She has the sweetest little voice!

She loves her brothers so much!  She loves all of Josh's silliness, which is a bit trying at times for the rest of us!  And Will is doing a great job of being the big brother....he has even been spotted playing a few "girl" games with her!

She still enjoys school and loves to do her homework.  

She hangs ALL of her papers on our refrigerator...she is so proud!  

This brings tears to my eyes every afternoon....why did she have to wait EIGHT YEARS for the chance to do this???  

Regardless of the reason, we are so blessed to have her here now.  This little girl is truly AMAZING and we all love her so much!

Week Three

Our third week home has been another busy one.  Abby continues to LOVE school, which is an incredible blessing!  She even seems to enjoy doing her homework in the afternoon....I know, the Strickland household has never experienced such happiness over homework, but I guess times are changing!

Week three also brings the return of cross country for Will.  And with that comes the heat, which Abby is most definitely not a fan of.  I find it somewhat telling that one of her first English words is "hot"...usually said as she pushes her hair back and waves her hand in front of her face.  Even hot, though, she is more than happy to cheer Will on as he runs!

Also fun this week was Abby's first visit to Chehaw.  Josh had a birthday party at the playground so we all tagged along.  Abby had a great time exploring the slides and swings!

And this was her favorite...we all loved watching her bounce.  She definitely thought this was GREAT fun!

Week Two....

It is odd to think we have been home only two weeks.  It seems like China was another lifetime...not sure why, and I am way too tired to try and figure it out!  

Regardless, we have had a great second week.  Our biggest news this week is that Abby started first grade this past Monday.  She got up Monday morning and asked if she was going to Anita's house.  I told her no, that was she was going to school.  She was so excited that she jumped up, ran to her room, got dressed, and then grabbed her backpack and stood by the door.  Wow...if only the boys could show a fraction of that enthusiasm!

She did a half day on Monday - I picked her up around 11:30.  We did not even make it to the car before she had opened her backpack to show me her papers.  She was so excited!  She chattered all the way home...I hate that I couldn't understand every detail (or any detail for that matter) of her first day at school.  I finally had her call our friend May who speaks Mandarin.  Abby told her that she liked school alot and that her teacher and new friends were really nice to her.  She also said that she was not scared at all. (I didn't think she was judging by how quickly she said goodbye to me, but it was nice to know for sure!)

The staff at the school and Abby's teachers have been WONDERFUL!   They are all so excited to see her every morning and are stopping me in the hall almost daily to share details of Abby's day.  I love it! It just thrills me to know that Abby has been so welcomed and cared for at school!

Also this week, we visited our pediatrician for Abby's first appointment.  She weighed in at 44 pounds and was 42 inches tall.  She had her hemoglobin checked (not a fan of the finger prick), an initial urinalysis (much easier for the boys!), and two shots (ouch!).  By the time we left, she had definitely had enough and cried most of the way home.  Overall, the doctor was pleased with her mobility and said she looked healthy.  He will be calling in a referral to Shriner's in Tampa so we can begin addressing some of Abby's medical needs.  She will also need to go in a few days and have more blood work done, but we will worry about that next week.  For now, we are back to the fun....

First Week Home

It has been a busy week!  Despite my best intentions to keep things quiet and calm for Abby, it has not worked out that way.  Lucky for all of us, she has taken it all in stride!

After arriving home at 2:00 am on Friday, September 13, I managed to get everyone bathed and in bed by 3:30 am.  We had all slept quite a bit on the plane, so I really wasn't sure what to expect.  I got some laundry going and got myself into bed.  I set the alarm for seven, thinking it'd be better to go ahead and try to get up at a normal time.  Josh ended up sleeping until eight and Abby and Will slept until 10:00.  Once everyone was up, we ventured out to pick up Ella, our goldendoodle.

As expected, Abby was TERRIFIED of Ella.  She shrieked and screamed every time Ella so much as looked at her.  Luckily, Ella was pretty tired from her visit at the vet, so she was content to sleep in her crate for most of the day.  

Our neighbor came over around lunch and sat and chatted with me for a while.  It was so nice....she had done lots of reading on attachment and bonding while we were gone and knew all of the recommendations.  I didn't have to explain to her that Abby needed hugs, kisses, and holding only from her family for a while....she knew that already and I was kind of relieved....that is always kind of an odd thing to try and explain to people!

On Saturday, we had a visit from DeeAnna (and Levi, Ethan, and Andrew) and another visit from Holly and her family.  Oh, and we made just a bit of progress with Abby and Ella....

On Sunday, we decided to skip church, fearing it would be too much, too soon.  We did meet our FireHouse buddies for lunch.  It was great to see to see some of our friends and tell them all about our trip to China!  

Sunday afternoon, we visited our friends May and Li, who are from China.  They both speak Mandarin, so they were able to talk with Abby.  Abby's face just lit up when she realized that she could communicate with them!  They were able to talk with Abby about the upcoming week....how Will and Josh would be heading back to school, how I would be returning to work for just a few hours, and how she would be staying with Anita.  They also talked with her about our dog, emphasizing how sweet the dog is (and she is, at least sometimes!)

On Monday, Abby and I saw Will and Josh off to school.  She happily waved goodbye to them both as they boarded the school bus.  I dropped her off at Anita's house and she happily waved goodbye to me as well.  I hope it is normal that I was both happy and sad that there were no tears as I left her.  I headed to work and managed to clear my jet-lag filled brain long enough to teach my two classes.   Monday night began the meal service, thanks to my friend Sherry.  Sherry coordinated meals to be brought to us several times a week for the first month.  I am so happy to not have the worry about dinner for a while!  Our friends Jodi, Staci, and Molly brought the first meal.....lasagna, salad, bread, and chocolate pie!  

Tuesday brought a minor set back in the Abby/Ella relationship....Ella got a little too excited and scratched Abby's arm.  It was a tiny little scratch but with it came tons of tears and what I am sure was some not-so-nice Chinese words!  I was finally able to cheer Abby up with some noodles from the Rice Bowl.  Tuesday night, our friends Laura, Emma, and Allison brought dinner, but more importantly brought some great girl toys!  Abby had so much fun with the costume jewelry!

Wednesday, Abby went back to see Anita while I went to work.  I picked her up at 11:30 and found her fast asleep!  I guess all the excitement is wearing her out!  I got her home for some lunch and she climbed right back into bed and slept until 4:30. I woke her up and we headed to church. I know, I know....we are supposed to be cocooning, but she seems to be doing so well and I feel like getting the boys back into our normal routine will help with the adjustment, so off we went! She really did amazing! She sat down and ate her dinner like it was nothing new. She went outside and played on the playground and then happily headed in with the other kids for the children's program. She was definately a bit of a star as all of the other little girls wanted to sit by her. She smiled the ENTIRE time....this child just loves life! I have a feeling that we will all learn alot from her...I can't wait to see!

We are HOME!

What a journey!  We arrived home tonight (this morning) at 2:00 am.

I am so thankful to be home!  I am so grateful for all of the support from family and friends!  We love each and every one of you and are so appreciative that we could share this journey with you. 

A big thank you goes to Anita for traveling to China with us.  She now knows more about our family than she ever wanted to and she assures me that she still loves us...whew!   She was a huge help and I could not have done it without her!  

Also, big thanks to everyone who pitched in to help me cover my classes so that I could be gone for two weeks.  Thanks to Barbara, Brad, and Mike for teaching trig and thanks to Holly for "ghost teaching" my online statistics courses.  

Thanks to DeeAnna and Sherry for buying groceries and stocking our fridge with food and thanks to the Everett's for keeping an eye on our house.  Thanks to Tina and Chad for cutting our grass while we were gone.  And thanks to Jodi and all of the staff for taking care of Ella at Magnolia!

And most of all, thanks to everyone who prayed us through this journey from start to finish!  Abby is such an amazing little girl....I cannot wait for everyone to meet her and I cannot wait to see what plans God has for her life!

Heading home!

Our bags are packed and we are off!

We checked out of the hotel this morning at 9:00 am and boarded a bus for the airport.  Our guide helped us check in at the airport.  We are excited that several new friends are on our same flight.  It should make the layovers a little more fun!

The flight to Seoul turned out to be pretty bad.  We sat on the runway (with no air) for over an hour.  By the time we took off, Will had a headache and was running a pretty high fever.  I gave him an Advil and a Tylenol a little bit later, but neither seemed to bring the fever down.  Once we landed, I knew we would have to walk through temperature sensors.  I was so afraid that we were going to be quarantined, but somehow we made it through without raising any red flags.  Our flight was late landing so we really had to hurry to make it to our gate.  Abby walks well, but not quickly and we needed to move fast.  I finally found a luggage cart and put her in it.  She loved the ride and we made it to the gate with a few minutes to spare.

I found a pharmacy (surprisingly) and bought a thermometer.  I paid 10000 somethings for it....hope that is not expensive...I really have no idea.  Will's temperature was 38 degrees...CELSIUS, of course....what is that conversion formula again??  We got on the plane and he went right to sleep.  He slept for HOURS, which was good, but I hated that he felt so bad.

We ate dinner on the plane...the highlight for Abby was the seaweed soup.  Everyone was in a sharing mood this afternoon, so she was able to have three bowls!  

After dinner, everyone went to sleep and seemed to sleep well.  When Will woke up, he felt better, which was a relief.  All in all, the 13 hour flight really didn't even seem that bad, although I was still very thankful when we landed!

Once we got off the plane, we went though passport control, immigration, and customs.  It all went very smoothly and very quickly!  Then we all got to congratulate the newest U.S. CITIZEN!!!

The Visa has arrived!

Today was our first day with nothing on the schedule!  We slept in a bit, went to breakfast, and then thought we would head to the park.  As soon as we stepped out of the air conditioned hotel into the steamy heat, Abby let us know very quickly that she was not interested in the park.  She made a very unpleasant face, fanned her face with her hand, and planted her feet.  She whined for a bit, enough that we finally turned around and went back into the hotel.  We stopped at Starbucks to get some lunch and took it back to the room to eat.  After lunch, we headed to the pool.  Abby seems to really enjoy the water.  Josh has taught her to blow bubbles and today Will tried to teach her to kick her legs.

We found this sign by the pool and also by the jacuzzi.  A picture is worth a thousand words, right?

After swimming, we went to the lobby to meet our guide and to receive our visas and famous brown envelope.  We need the visa so Abby can enter the United States and the brown envelope is needed for us to go through immigration.  Having these two items in our possession means that we can leave China and head home!  We have LOVED our time in China and learned so much, but we are ready to head back to America!  We said goodbye to the Holt China staff...we will miss them!

We ran into McDonalds once more for dinner and then walked to our favorite bakery.  This place has wonderful pastries!

On the way back, we saw the biggest cucumber (maybe?) ever.  Josh just had to have a picture!

Then back to the hotel to start PACKING!