1,2,3,4,4

That's what we are thinking for the school year.

Joey 1st grade
Joshua 2nd grade
Jacob 3rd grade
Justin & Jack 4th grade.
Jordan 8th grade
Jason 9th grade

We met with our school's vice principal the other day as she wanted to share her insight into how the boys are doing.
They have made some tremendous strides in the last two months of summer school.
They read.
They write.
Their English acquisition is nothing short of remarkable.

John and I....in all of our non-existent professional educatorish wisdom..
intended to hold both of them back this upcoming year
but now
now we think we may have a new plan.

Joey will stay in 1st and Jacob will go ahead and move to 3rd.

This will do a lot for all three of them.
It allows Mr. Smarty Pants to continue excelling at a normal pace
It gives Joey some extra time to catch up and grasp some much needed baseline concepts
and once Joshua arrives it will protect and respect birth order.
Which, when you have 5 kids within 21 months of age
is such an important issue.

Prior to our adventure in adopting I had no idea just how important respecting birth order is.
And to be honest....
I had kinda chalked it up to mumbo-jumbo
but now?
Now
I get it. 

It's a big thing.
A
big
big
thing.

The dynamics of which are both complex and subtle.
Make the mistake of ignoring it.....
(ahem....me)
and it can and will reek havoc on your family structure.

Oddly we didn't actually adopt out of birth order
but what we did do
was have a massive tendency to group the youngest four together.
That is 
Not.
A.
Good.
Idea.

Blessedly I caught on early as it began to rear it's ugly head round these parts
we made some small changes
and now all is well.

 
So all of that to say
1,2,3,4,4
I'm thinkin it's gonna work for us.

Standby for next week when we will probably change our minds again
less you think I have it all together. 

6.

6 months home with Jacob and Joey today.

Whew.

6.

I suppose I should have some eloquent words about how much they've grown
how happy they are
how settled and familiar they are to us now
but I ain't got nuthin.
Wait.....I heard today that an English teacher reads my blog now.....
ahem
let me re-phrase that
I don't seem to presently have any aforementioned thoughts on the above entitled issue.
Their.
I souned smartt now.

The one word I do have is this:
reflection. 
It's been ride my friends.
One crazy
amazing
incredible
ride.

If I have learned anything it tis this:
Families.make.a.difference.
HE makes a difference.

There is such restoration occuring around me every single day
there is now hope
there is now love
there is now peace and freedom and these two are soaking in every bit of it.

6 months ago you could see it.
The hollow eyes

the emptiness.

It was visible.
It was tangible.
It was where they were only
6
short
months
ago.

And as we prepare to begin this journey all over again
we hold on to the hope that we know what is to come.
Praise.
HIM.

I will restore to you the years that the locust has eaten. Joel 2:25 

Here We Go Again

It's time.
It's time to start littering the bedroom floor with all that will need to be packed.
Ahhhhh brings back memories of this only 6 short months ago

and this

and who can forget bathtime monkey scrubber that darn near flew over attached to my head as a hair accessory because it wouldn't fit in the suitcase.

You guys told me then...
a lot of you told me then....
that I overpacked.
And I
well...
I didn't listen.

This time round
I learned.
Ok actually I learned nothing.
I would seriously still bring everything with me....I am just that ridiculous.
But this time it's just John and Jordan and maybe Jason.
Half the people.
Half the stuff.

So in my need for control quest for organization
I am about to start putting JJ's outfits in gallon size ziplock bags.
1 for each day
for half the trip.
Laundry will get done halfway through.
Because, let's just get real here...
nothing will drive me more crazy than seeing that sweet boys face through skype each night and notice that he is not color coordinated.

~Gasp~

Hey.
Don't judge me.
I don't have girls.
Outfits is all I got.

And seeing as how I had massive wardrobe fail with Jacob and Joey's adoption since they were about half the size I expected them to be
I am bent on clothing redemption this time.

My friend Alisa {who just today received her I-797C approval! Holla!} and I are going to do some jammie shopping this weekend for our kiddos.
I'm thinkin this sweet boy of ours will be hanging out in jammies for quite awhile once he gets home
and we all know some Buzz Lightyear jammies beats the heck out of a hospital gown any day.

I am both excited about the new jammies
and spending an afternoon with her.
She and my new friend Julee,
who doesn't have a blog by the way...
...she doesn't drink coffee AND she doesn't have a blog...
it's a wonder I enjoy her company,
made my birthday so special yesterday.

A little base bowling alley
Alotta cake
some sweet gifts
and a whole bunch of kids
and a great birthday it shall be.
Two.
Sweet.
Ladies.

I gotta go buy some more ziplocks...
hey
stop it
I can see your eyes rolling from way over here.

It's My Party & I'll Cry If I Want To....

or I'll do cartwheels of joy!

It's my birthday today.
But I kinda got my present yesterday when my phone rang at 9:30am.

Which is a good thing because so far today.....
I have awoken at 1:37am with a beeping security alarm that apparently wanted new batteries....
of which I  had none...
and also no way of disconnecting it....
at least in my sleepy stupor I had no way.....
normal awake people probably would have found a way.

Then after falling back to sleep round a bout near an hour later I woke up at 6:40am to feed
one happy
and one grumpy
small Chinese man breakfast.
Then I took them to summer school,
stopped at the chow hall to procure more food rations for the rest of the testosterone I live with
decided to splurge the extra 75cents for a cuppa {hot} coffee to feed my caffeine addiction
walked to the car
and whilst balancing said food rations
managed to spill said coffee all over my....brea......errrrr.....front side.
One word.
Ouch.

But thankfully I am still  basking in my phone call gift of yesterday.
It was our agency.
Our
off the hook
fantastic agency.

They had recieved an email the night before in regards to our sweet boy,

"CCCWA has start The Most Rapid Process for Hu XX XX to issue LSC...."

Did you hear that?
"The Most Rapid Process"
And in case you were wondering
it was capitalized like that on their end.
I heart capitalized letters.
IT MAKES IT SOUND
EXCITING
AND
REAL
AND
IMPORTANT.

I asked her if "The Most Rapid Process" was normal lingo for "expedited" and she said she hadn't heard it phrased that way before.

I don't know much
but I think John better start gearing up for some airline food because after this LSC, the rest should go
very
very
quickly.

I'm off to apply some burn ointment to my.....well.....never mind.

A Month or So

since we moved.
A few random things:

• My hair has made peace with the humidity.....or salty ocean air.....or whatever other unknown force was causing it to resemble something out of an 80's rock band. For awhile there I almost purchased a crimper......just so I could feel fully retro.
• Do not despair however. I did not buy one. Or find one. Or even seek one. But if I did I think it'd be fun to bedazzle it, wrap a scrunchie around it, and keep it in my drawer right next to my fluorescent green socks and my NKOTB album. 

Did I ever tell you by the way, that when I was in junior high, I had a dream that their tour bus broke down and Joe walked up to me to ask for help?
No?
Well.
I did.
True story.
True pathetic story.

• My BFF the GPS is slowly being replaced with my own natural ability to remember how to get from here to there and back over here. By the time our AF days are over I should be able to fully navigate most cities in America from memory.....or I will be so confused by that point as to what is what and where that I won't be able to get out of my own driveway without it. This is gonna go one way or the other. 
• The gas station here on base is running some kind of evil promotion whereupon when you purchase 8 gallons of gas you get a free package of M&M's. Folks, I drive a Suburban. Let's just say there is a lot more of Sonia to go around these days. 
• I have watched way too much Phineas and Ferb these lazy summer days. I may or may not be as....if not more....excited about their upcoming movie as the kids. Did you know Ferb was adopted? It was that knowledge that planted that proverbial adoption seed in my heart. I'm just sayin. I'm also just kiddin.
• I still miss hearing the word "ya'll" all around me, being offered fried okra with my pancakes in the mornin, and having massive amounts of sweet tea coursing through my veins.
  
• I heart new friends at a new base. Raindrops on roses, whiskers on kittens, new friends at a new base. These are a few of my favorite things. 
• We think we found our new church. Woot-Woot!
• I completely forgot to announce in blog land that we got our LID a week or so ago. It's July 11th. Just in case you were wonderin. Technically I guess that makes today only day 14 of the wait for LOA. My counting was a bit askew. 
• I like using the word askew. 

Askew me now,
Phineas is coming on.
Catch ya on the flip side.

"No Operative Indication"

That's what his file says.
"No operative indication."

The first time I read that I thought to myself
Super.
He (oddly enough) doesn't need any further treatment.
Even though that didn't....of course....make any sense with what I read and knew thus far that day about how sick he was.

But then you read on.
And you see
there in front of you
in
black
and
white
as they explain why and
what those words really mean.

The doctors over there have labeled him
inoperable.
"No operative indication."

So there they were, all those years ago saying no.
Nothing they can do.
And now here we are, all these years later
wondering
if there is anything anyone can do.

When she left that
tiny
blue
2 month old baby there
on the steps in front of that hospital all those years ago
it was her hope.
It had to have been.
Someone.
Someone please save him.

His file is now in the hands of the man that will try and treat him somewhat near our new home.
We expect our first phone contact with him in the coming days as we begin to discuss what, when and
the big question
Do you think you can save him?

Breathless
anticipation.

It's where I'm at today.

But honestly.
Whether God heals him this side of heaven or not
that smile.
Oh.
That.
Smile.

That says
I.Have.A.Family.
Someone.
Somewhere.
Loves me.
Has been enough to carry me through.

Because the thing is...
he knows. 
He knows he is dying.
He knows how hard a breath is to come by.
He isn't a baby.
He isn't a toddler.
He is a very bright 7 1/2 year old boy that wants nothing more
than.
to.
live.
(and watch Ultraman)
That is the hard
unimaginable
truth of this.

Adoption.
It's not for wimps.
I am part wimp.

Day 16 of the wait for LOA.
Please Lord may it be soon.

Hi Ho, Hi Ho, It's Off To China With Oxygen We Go.

This is Joshua.


This is Joshua's current O2 saturation:
65%.

When we recieved that information from the orphanage about a month ago I nearly had to pick myself up off the floor.
I had no idea that 65% continuously was even capable of sustaining life.
But indeed
apparently
it can.

Can I go ahead and admit something to you,
My knowledge of oxygen hovers somewhere around the fact that
I know we inhale it
and that the symbol on the periodic table for it is O2.
Thank you middle school science. 

And that folks
is about all I got.
Genius.
I know.
That's me.

So when we found out we were going to need to travel wit it
I set out to figure out how exactly that was going to go down.....or.....errrr....up.

Oxygen in flight?
No prob.
Reserve it a couple of weeks before the flight and we are good to go.
Check.

Oxygen on the ground?
Uhhhhh.....noidea.
Turns out you can't bring a traditional portable oxygen container on board an airline.
Go ahead and say, "duh Sonia".
I can take it.
I live with teenagers.
You can say duh to me
it won't hurt my feelings.

But alas
there is this

a portable oxygen concentrator.
FAA approved.
Hello.
Nice to meet you.
We are going to be good, good friends.

And we rejoice.
And feel knowledgeable
and feel less like an uninformed dork.

To buy: $4,000- $5,000
To rent: $230/week.

I choose rent!
Thankyourverymuch.

Now if I can just manage to have this....rather pricey..... machine not meet the same fate as my curling iron last time we were over there we will be in good shape.

I'm off to read up on voltage conversion and wattage and other such electrical fun now.
Man, I bee gettin smarder bi tha dayy.

Looking Past the "Orphan Appearance"

They don't walk around in the latest fashion trends

They don't sport the hip hairstyles.
They might be fully covered in scabs and bug bites.

They look like
well
like
orphans.

But funny thing happens when one of those orphans becomes your child.
Orphan no longer
but treasured son

You.
Don't.
See.
It.
Anymore.

Well....
you see it.
But you don't see it in that same light.

You see potential.
You see hope.
You
see
the
child
not
the orphan.

You see love.

Case in point.
Jacob then.

Jacob now.

Same child.
Now free.
Now filled with love.

Stunning.

The difference that a family can make
will never cease to amaze me.

Joshua before:

Can't wait for Joshua after.

A father to the fatherless, a defender of widows, is God in his holy dwelling. Psalm 68:5

Withdrawl

Gracious.
I have had some spotty internet the last few days
no blog
no Book of Face
barely any email
Withdrawl.
It's where I'm at.

I feel shaky.
Sweaty.
I bolt upright in bed in the middle of the night shouting things like
Publish!
Notifications!
Send!
Delete!
Get me batteries for the mouse.....STAT!

It's not pretty folks.
To make matters worse.....
we got new pics' of our little man yesterday
and I couldn't share them with you.
I know.
I know.
The sheer travesty of it all.

Let's ammend that situation shall we?
Yes.
Yes I think we shall.

May I proudly present Joshua, our Joshua & Elisyn.
All very sick heart kiddos.
All waiting for their families.
All being sustained by the grace of God until we can get there.

Funnily enough this is kinda what our own 3 Asian sensations will look like.
Joey is about the size of Elisyn.
Jacob the size of Joshua P
and Joshua
well
the size of Joshua.

Though Jacob will be 3 months older than Joshua
and Joshua only
4 months older than Joey
this is what our youngest trio will resemble.
.....minus the pigtails.......
we don't so much do pigtails around here.

Ha.
Joshua thought that was funny.

Heres' what Andrea, the mom that is there now had to say about our kiddo.

"Hi Sonia!


We returned from the orphanage a while ago, and I was able to see your sweet son! He is a handsome, joyful, polite, and playful little boy! He loved his presents, as you will see in the photos!
I took video of him for you, but unfortunately I can't seem to upload video onto my computer here so you will have to wait until I return to the States on the 29th before I can send it to you.
He is a good height. I took a photo of him next to my eleven year old daughter so that you can compare. She is petitie, and wears size 8 clothing.


He is definitely cyanotic. His lips are blue, and his nailbeds (both fingernails and toenails), are blue and there is noticeable clubbing. However, he was active and very alert. I asked about the oxygen, and they brought in the orphanage doctor to talk with me. She said that he was complaining of stomach discomfort. He was examined by a pediatrician who thought that he might be having digestion issues because of the lack of oxygen. So they started him on the therapy for an hour a day and apparently it is helping. She also said that they give the heart kids oxygen during the hot summer months to help them manage the additional stress that the heat brings.


The orphanage is top notch. It's the fourth I've visited in China, and I was very impressed. They truly seem to love these kids, and there was so much warmth. I feel that our children are blessed, under their circumstances, to be in this particular institution."

This adoption is like a puzzle.
A little bit of information here.
A little bit of information there.
And all we can do is try to put it together the best we can.

The stomach/digestion info is interesting.
His referral file makes mention of the fact that he has been hospitalized before with digestive track bleeding.
But that's all I know.
It's like being handed a puzzle piece and having no idea what to do with it.

So that's where we are at.
Day 12 of the wait for LOA
anxious
hopeful
scared
and wishing I was better at puzzles.

Remember When

Baby Beanies were so incredibly popular?
I didn't get in to that craze I must say.
I believe I was too busy lactating at that point in my life.

Such.
Poor.
Timing.

Many of the beanie lovers that treasured them and/or thought for sure their stash would be worth a fortune one day
have now found that they are in a box
in the attic
kicking it with the dust mites.

What to do
what to do
well who knew that those little bundles of cuteness would one day serve a greater purpose.

There is a virtual friend of mine that is adopting a girl from JJ's same orphanage.
And she is fundraising to bring her sweet daughter home quickly as she is also very sick with a heart issue.
A  donation of those tiny little beanies are helping her to reach Elisyn an ocean away.
What.
A.
Great.
Idea.

I just had to jump in and join in her journey so take a look at what will be in the hands of Joshua in just a few short weeks when she travels to pick up her daughter!

Blog friends ~ meet Peanut.
Peanut ~ meet blog friends.

For $10 you can donate one of her collection to a kiddo at the orphanage, it will have a tag attached with a personal message from you.

We so happened to have a specific child that ours is headed to but anyone can send one!
If you want to browse the remaining critters just head on over to Hope For Elisyn and be a part of her journey home!

Who knew that all those years ago when these things were flying off of the shelves
that someday they would come out of storage
and into the arms of some beautiful children without a home.

Baby Beanies....
serving an adoptive purpose
who'da thunk it?

What They Don't Tell You....

when you decide to adopt.

1. Karate class must be built into your new monthly budget.

2. Karate teacher will begin to salivate with anticipation as he watches his new pupils warming up on the side. They got skillz.

3. Aforementioned karate teacher will be slighly disappointed when he finds out they are Chinese.....not Korean. Karate teacher is fluent in Korean karate speak and was looking forward to having someone to converse with.

4. You briefly consider adopting a child from Korea to appease said karate teacher.
5. You decide that is definitly not a reason to adopt.
6. Jet lag is evil.

7. We have already covered how evil jet lag really is.
8. If you want to know more about how aforementioned evil jet lag is consult any and all blog posts of mine around the end of January/beginning of February.

9. Caution: I was beyond coherency at that point.
10. When you are preparing to send your husband and son on a plane to pick up your new son you will be slightly jealous as you browse through old photographs of your time there a few months ago.
11. It makes you want to get on a plane and go with him.
12. But then you remember the jet lag.
13. And the jealously runs screaming in the other direction. And you remember how important it is that one of you be coherent for the journey that lies ahead of you when he comes home.
14. Your new 7 year olds have many toddler behaviors.
15. This will intrigue you.
16. But the speed at which they surpass these behaviors and settle in will positively astound you.
17. Jet lag is evil.
18. You will love your new kiddos more than you ever thought possible and you will be forever grateful that He called you across an ocean to find the perfect children for your family amongst the vast sea of orphans that wait.
18. Putting two #18's on a list whilst making a list will throw your readers off a bit.
18. Putting three #18's on a list while making a list will make them wonder if you have any list making abilities at all.
18. And then after using 3 #18's for no apparent reason, using 4 #18's just seems fun.
19. When you are standing at the playground in Guangzhou behind Lucy's talking to Sally and she asks you who you are going to be coming back for and you assure her that the answer is no one, that you are done growing your family.....be aware......you know not of which you speak because 6 months later you may be there again adopting your 7th son.
20. Your heart will forever be broken for those left behind.

Things they don't tell you.
It's quite a list.

What They Know

is that there is a little boy in China that is our "friend."
And his name is Joshua.

His picture is the screen saver on our computer
Joshua sends us pictures and drawings in the mail
We pray for Joshua who has a specially made heart.

What they don't know
is that
Joshua
is going to be their brother.
Forevah.

We have held off telling Jacob and Joey about his adoption just yet.
Whether that's the right thing
or the wrong thing
I know not.

And if we are being honest
which we are.....
I do worry about how this will all go down.

Jacob and Joey came to us as a unit.
Two distinct people that have spent essentially their whole lives together.
And to add Joshua into that mix smack dab in the middle of them
does cause me some sleepless nights and massive ice cream eating.
Will they accept him?
Will they {quite frankly} be nice to him?
Will they feel a bit put out since they are still so new?

I.
don't.
know.

But what I do know is that this boy is our son.
As are they.
As are they all.
And to trust in that is where I chose to hang my hat at the end of the day.
(If I actually wore hats that is. Some people look cute in hats. I am not one of them)
But I digress.....

On the flip side,
I gotta tell you
I'm ex-cited.
Supah excited.
I think it will be such an interesting and amazing thing to watch this dynamic play out.
Amongst other things I can't wait to watch Jacob and Joey
who have pretty much abandoned all Mandarin speaking
pick it back up again and converse with Joshua.

And it has been a long
looonnnggg time
since we had only one new addition.
One kid?
I don't know how to have just one.
I may feed him double portions
and lay out two sets of clothes for him everyday
just out of habit.
{Crazy American mom wants me to wear two pairs of socks everyday}

I found some Ch*nese cartoons on Tube You the other day.
Hello.
Where the heck have I been the last 5 months?
You haven't lived until you've watched Dora sing her backpack song in Mandarin. 
This.Is.Fantastic.
It's been a really fun way for them to retain their language
even if they chose not to speak it
at least they are hearing it.

So that's the what's what on where we are at.
We will tell them soon I'm sure
as the other option would be to put them in the car one day
drive to the airport
and then shout
"Surprise! Here's your new brother!"
Yeah.
Not our current plan.


Go now.
Go watch Dora doing her thing in Mandarin.
We'll all get together for a sing along one day.

Father to the fatherless, defender of widows — this is God, whose dwelling is holy. God places the lonely in families.Psalms 68:5-6