Diagnosis..... Maffucci's Syndrome

After many months of waiting, the diagnosis of Daniel's deformity is Maffucci's Syndrome, just as expected.  Maffucci's Syndrome is an overgrowth of the vascular system.  The doctor described it like this.  If you are thinking about fertilizing a plant, there is the perfect amount that makes it grow healthy (like most of us).  If you over fertilize (too much blood flow), you can have an overgrowth of the bones.  This is what happened on the right side with his enlarged finger and thumb.  If you WAY over fertilize (WAY TOO MUCH BLOOD) it will cause the plant, or bones in our case, to die.  This is what has happened in in forearm and hand on his left side.

The Good news!  The vascular overgrowth has not reached into his internal organs!  Praising the Lord!  His heart and lungs are perfectly healthy and should never be harmed by his syndrome.  The bad news, there isn't anything we can do to improve the deformity.  The Maffucci Syndrome can get worse during puberty.  About 50% of the patients will show signs of more deformation at this time.  There are a few case that do get better.

Summer Fun

Zachary and Daniel on the kneeboards!

Daniel enjoying the waterslide!

Brothers messing around!

Updates on Daniel

Daniel will be having his first MRI/MRA in Kearney on the 11th.  They will be putting him under and doing an indepth head and chest scan.  The results will then be sent to the Med Center.  I will let you know as we get results.

Daniel is still tutoring at Faith Christian.  He loves going and is learning alot.  

3 Months..... Amazing!!!!

They love each other, they really love each other!  They hug each other (one more than the other), and they can't wait to play with each other.  It absolutely warms my heart when I hear Daniel yell for Zac!  Wow!  What a difference a few months make. 

Fun in the sand!

Daniel loves getting his hair cut!  This is his second hair cut.  He feels so important!

3 Months home!

We have been home for 3 months on June 4th.  In some ways I can say this has been the longest and shortest 3 months of my life.  I have asked for and witnessed more miracles than any other time in my life.  I have never cried harder and laughed more.  I have never been filled with more fear and felt so much peace all in the same hours.  I have also never felt so alone, yet felt so loved by the Lord.  It is a strange place to be, yet right where I want to be.  I know that God has brought us to Daniel and He has walked before us, with us and carried us through this time.  All praise to Him!

Funny Things that Daniel says!

Daniel is absolutely amazing!  He has picked up English sooooo fast, it blows me away!  But no matter how fast he picks it up, I am reminded that he is learning English from a very fast talking mother, who doesn't always use the English language properly!

   My guys's

Yah, I know, it took me a little while to understand what my guys's meant.  It usually sounds something like this.  Ellie is coming to my guys's room.  So apparently when I speak, I say you guys a lot!  "You guys, go to the car".  And in the translation is comes out my guys's!  Who can correct him, it is so stinkin cute!

   My boys

Well, it doesn't sound quit so confusing until you hear Daniel speak it in a sentence.  Daniel will say, "My boys are going to the sand pile".  So, when I say my boys, meaning Daniel and Zac.  Daniel assumes that means him too.  Got to love it!

  I doe know (I don't know)

Whenever Daniel doesn't understand what someone is talking about or the situation he will say, "I doe know".  I was gone with Emma the other night and he looks at dad and says, "I doe know mommy".  Meaning, where is mommy?  He uses this phrase on all kinds of things.  It is adoreable.

   Bana Ice a Cream (Vanilla Ice Cream)

Daniels absolute favorite, it is just so cute to hear him ask for it.  He was saying this the first 3 weeks he was home.  I was so confused between banana and vanilla.  Now I get it!



Saying Good-bye

Tonight we said good-bye.....  Good bye to a dear friend, Lei.  We will not see her again, she is going home to China.  We were all so sad to see her go, but happy for her family.  Good bye to me is hard, but as I think about Daniel, I can't comprehend what it must be like for him.  It is hard on so many levels.  She is the first one in America that could speak both of his native languages, she is familiar.  Her face, her voice, her likes and dislikes.  We are not!  But it goes beyond this.  I can't help but think about the many, many good-byes this poor sweet 6 year old has had to endure.  First and foremost, his birth mom, not by choice.  Then the orphanage, not by choice.  Then his loving foster family (I am sure that was very traumatic), not by choice, then the orphanage and all his friends, then Shinlin, then Elvin, then our hotel, and everything he new that was familiar, and his birth country.  I cannot comprehend the magnitude of hurt in this beautiful child.  But I do know that God will restore the years that the moths have destroyed.

Besides the good-byes, things have been going dramatically better.  The boys are doing well, there is way less tattle-telling and less aggressiveness also.  There are many times throughout the day that the boys are.... get this...PLAYING WITH EACH OTHER!!!!!!  I have even caught Dong Fu yelling for Zac to play with!  My heart just leaps!!!!!  Yeah!!!  Praising God!  And thanking Him for this beautiful family He has blessed me with.  Thanking Him for the wonderful school and church our children are able to go to.  Feeling very blessed by the Lord!

Remembering.....

The theme in my life the last 3 weeks has been remembering..... 

Remembering ...who I was before I accepted the Lord as my Savior.
Remembering... the freedom for the forgiveness of my sins.  Not because I what I have done, but because of the the cross. 
Remembering... the pain in my life that I have caused.  And how God has not only healed my pain, but has made it beautiful for Him.
Remembering... how God called us to adoption.  And how my plans changed to His will, for a beautiful older child from China by the name of Guang Dong Fu. 
Remembering... the way that the Lord provided for us financially for the entire adoption. 
Remembering... the miracles in China and now at home in the heart of Dong Fu.

Thanking God that He calls us to remember.......

Praising God, that His timing is perfect.  If any of these things would have been in a different order, the beauty would have been missed. 

Old Man or Little Boy

We have been home a little over 5 weeks and things are looking up.  Daniel is now attending Preschool at our church 3 days a week.  He loves it.  It is giving the boys some of their own space.  The boys still tend to battle.  One of my good friends just laughs at Daniel, she says, "you can so tell he was raised by old people".  With that said, Daniel acts kind of like an old person.  If you barely bump him, he thinks he might need stitches.  It really is quit amusing.  And for those of you who know Zac, he gets bumped quit a lot.  Daniel is toughening up.  It is fun to see him start acting a little more like a boy, and a little less like an old man! 

Daniel will be going to a Vascular Surgeon on the 25th.  I ask for prayer for wisdom for the doctors.  And for courage for Daniel.  I am not sure what kind of tests will be ran, but I am sure there will be several. 

Passion For Adoption

Check out this great way to help a family bring home two beautiful girls from China. I know as we were going through the process of adoption, fundraising was crucial.  I want to once again thank you all who helped out in anyway with our fundraiser!

Updates!

Doctor's Visit
The visit to the doctor on Thursday resulted in 3 shots for Daniel.  He did a good job, and only cried a little bit.  We followed the visit with a trip to McDonalds.  The chicken and fries that he told us were his favorite on gotcha day, he doesn't like.  Although he loves the kids hamburger and toy.  Imagine that! 

We will be seeing 2 specialist for Daniels arm and hands.  We will be seeing a vascular surgeon and a hand surgeon.  No testing was done on Thursday (our doctor is reffering it all on).  I am not as concerned about his hands as I am about his vascular system.  Daniel has alot more superficial veins down his left side.  He also has the scoliosis that is also pulling to the left side, and to look at him, his ribcage and chest seem larger on the left.  This is all by the naked eye, the vascular surgeon will run the tests to see what is going on inside.  Please pray for wisdom for the doctor that we will be reffered to.

Swimming Adventure
Daniel went swimming with the kids for the first time this weekend.  It was a blast.  We put a lifejacket and I held him at first.  Then we added the waterwings with the lifejacket and away he went.  He had to learn how to move in the water, it didn't take him long.  So fun, of course, I forgot my camera, so no pictures, sorry.

Preschool
Daniel will be going to preschool for 4 and 5 year olds at our church beginning this week.  The first week we are planning on him attending just 2 days, while Zac is at preschool for 3 and 4 year olds, and I will go with him.  Hopefully after this week he will attend 3 days in the mornings.  I think this will be a good fit for him.  He loves to learn and it will give Daniel and Zac their own time. 

I have been asked by many people what we plan to do next year for him for school.  As of right now, we are planning on him attending Kindergarden at Faith where the girls are.  If he progresses amazingly this summer, then we will send him to First Grade at Faith.  Time will tell!!!!!

How Things are Really Going!!!!!!

Things are going really good!  Daniel acts like he has been in our family for years!  He truly loves being part of a family.  Zac is doing much better, I would say that Zac acts like Daniel has been in our family for years.  There is competition, but I think this is Zac's personality.  Zac is intense in everything he does.  He wants to be first, he wants to be the fastest, and so on and so forth, you get the point!  There have been many rule changes to try to stop the competition, for instance, the boys can only enter the doors on the van where their seats are located.  This takes the pushing and shoving out of entering the car.  So I would say, the boys interact like brothers do!  Lots of love for eachother, a bit of frustrations, and a great playmate (most of the time).

First time on a horse!

Just a Few Pictures

The kids and Lei enjoying themselves outside last week.  We spent most of the day outside, playing in the yard and 4 wheeling down by the river!

Daniel notices all the pictures of the family that he is not in.  We took several pictures of the family together, each picture has someone doing something goofy in it.  I guess that is what happens with a large family.  We will be getting our family photos soon, to replace the ones he is not in.

Perfect Peace

You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in you, all whose thoughts are fixed on you!  Trust in the LORD always, for the LORD God is the eternal Rock.  Isaiah 26:3-4

Perfect Peace
The last 2 1/2 weeks since we have been home have been a roller coaster of emotions.  Some very joyous, some very frustrating, and some just plain exhausting.  But as I take my eyes off of each little moment and focus on what God is doing and look at the big picture, I have peace.  Peace knowing that this is what God has called our family to do, peace that a little boy now has a family.  Peace that Emma, Ellie and Zac are also growing through this journey.  And this is a journey, not a day trip. 

The 2 boys are doing soooo much better.  Zac is learning to share his daddy and sisters, and to be a little bit more gentle.  Daniel is learning to toughen up a bit, and that it is fun to wrestle with his siblings, he is also doing a better job sharing his mom and dad too.  Thank you for your prayers in this area.

So Many Things To Experience
This last week has been filled with many adventures.  Here is a quick run down. 
Vanilla Ice Cream!  Daniels Favorite!  He even asked for it for breakfast, that was a No! 
A trip to my mom and dads.  The kids were able to ride 2 different horses, play with numerous cats, climb on feed sacks and hay bales, and play with his cousins.  It was a great day! 
A trip to the Dentist, Daniel did great.  Lei was able to go with to help with translation.  This was a big help. Just did a real gentle exam today, and plan to do a more detailed exam this summer.  The teeth that show the most decay will be falling out soon, so no major dental work, Yeah!
Emma's Birthday Party!  Daniel and Zac stayed with Grandma and Grandpa for some spoiling and showed up at the end to enjoy some of the party.  The girls went to the YMCA to swim and then had pizza!
Adventure to Come
Daniel has his first doctors appointment in the morning, I am assuming there will be several tests.  You can pray for him.  Lei will also come along to help with translation, praising the Lord for bringing her into our lives.  She is great with all of the kids and fun for Brett and I to hang out with too!
Chinglish????  This is what another mother of an adopted child from China called her child's language as he began to loose his native language.  And according to Lei, we are on our way.  Daniel is starting to loose the tones of his native tongue, and is inserting many English words into his speech.  Please pray for direction for us.  I really want to keep his Mandarin language, but to do this we need to be deliberate.  Pray for the right person for us to hire and the correct timing.  Remember, I didn't think this could even be possible, our adoption agency told me he would only know Cantonese.  So, I didn't have anything set up before we left.  Hoping to post pictures soon, I haven't had time to get them off of my camera!!!!  Can anyone Relate?

It Is a New Day!

New Day
It is a new day at our household!  Daniel Dong Fu is fever free, and so is everyone else!!!!  We have all had those nights where you wonder, should I take my child in to the ER, or should we ride it out.  Well, last night, we were almost there, like many of you have been.  We rode it out, and by this afternoon, our little Daniel was running around and back to his cheerful self.  Thanks for all your prayers, and to the Mighty Healer.

Not My Plans
This whole process has not gone to my plan, imagine that!  But if it would have, we would have missed so many blessings.  The blessings of Daniel being so sick were:  1) He was so tired, that he now sleeps all night.  2) He was going to bed at 6:30pm, so we were able to have time with the other 3 kids to help them to adjust to having a new brother and making up for lost time while we were gone.  3) Zac now stays in his bed all night too!  They sleep in the same bed.  4)Grew my love for him.  Dong Fu was so sick and weak.  To see such a malnourished little boy struggle but still have such kindness to others blew me away.  I can honestly say, that if I were the one sick, I would not have treated everyone as kind as he did.

Seeing Life through the Eyes of Daniel
Knowing Daniel has given me new eyes.  I can't watch a children's movie without seeing the hurtful story line.  I can't look at an old family picture, without knowing the hurt of Daniel for not being in it.  I can't imagine surviving what this child, or any orphan has to go through, let alone thriving.  I look at my life, though ridden with bad decisions, can't compare to what a little boy of 6 years old has already endured.  In just the past 3 months, he said good-bye to a very loving foster family, he re-entered the orphanage, he was introduced to new parents, lived in a hotel for almost 2 weeks.  He traveled on 4 flights to leave his birth county which was well over 24 hours of travel.  He was introduced to 3 siblings that he would have to share his new mom and dad with, was introduced to a new home and new climate (much colder), a new schedule, new foods, and was very, very ill, and did I forget to mention, no one (except Lei) can understand him.  If someone would have done this to me, I would be throwing a HUGE FIT!  But he is not.  God has gone before, and as promised, gave him a new heart.  I want to marvel at Daniel, but I know it is all God!  So, I will continue to Marvel at God and his mighty ways!

Prayer Requests
Still for the boys, they are doing really good, but Zac still struggles with some jealousy.  I think now that Daniel is feeling better, it will be MUCH easier.  For protection over our family.  As always, thank you so much for praying!!!!!

Fever, fever, fever

We have been completely blessed, by a little boy who desires to be in our family so much! It has been a difficult transition to make since one of our children has been sick since we have been home.

Daniel is the sick one now. He has had a high fever since Wednesday. He has had some good moments, but today was difficult. He threw up three times and has a bad cough. He also isn't drinking very much. Please pray for healing for him, and for the rest of us to stay healthy. Eventhough he is sick, is is so sweet.

Much to Say and Much to Praise

Daniel slept last night!!!!!  Thanks for all your prayers.  We went to the Big Apple and ran him at Ballocity, which was amazingly fun.  The kids all played together and had a blast.  And if you know anything about adoption, this is totally not recommended.  They recommend you stay at home.  We then enjoyed pizza and noodles at Valentinos.  Tuesday just happens to be cheap at ballocity and Valentinos, another praise.  Once home we used some benadryl.  He slept from 8:30pm to about 2:30am, we gave him some more benadryl and he slept till 7am!!!  We will only use the medicine for a limited time!  Thanks for all your prayers!!!!

The boys are doing much better.  They are playing together.  Zac has been amazing through this process.  It is tough to share your toys, your room, your sisters, your mama and most of all your daddy.  He love Daniel.  We just pray that Daniel will return the love to Zac like he does to the rest of the family.

What to do when you meet Daniel for the First Time
A good friend asked me before we left how to respond to us when she was able to meet him.  I told her that I would blog it for all to see.
Here's the deal.  Daniel Dong Fu is doing great.  He is outgoing, but does get shy when alot of people are around.  I would go slow.  Let me introduce him to you.  If Zac is with, please, please pay attention to him too!!!!!  Remember that Daniel really doesn't understand what I am saying, and can't speak much English.  He is really good at sign language and does get his point across most of the time.  I can't imagine what it must be like to not understand what your mom and dad are saying.

More later.  Boys need me!!!  Praise Be to God!!!  Who can and will do more than we could ever imagine!!!

Red Couch Pictures From China

This is the famous Red Couch in the White Swan Hotel where the children dress in their traditional Chinese Outfits and take pictures together. 

Brett and Daniel doing their famous airplane trick or as Dong Fu would say Fay Ge (I know I am not using the correct spelling)

All the families from CWA that adopted children on this trip.  This picture is also taken at the White Swan.

Need Prayer!!!

Daniel is NOT sleeping!  He slept last night from 10pm to 12am.  2 hours is not enough for any of us.  Brett or I lay with him, otherwise he would be out playing.  He didn't nap yesterday.  So, he has had one morning where he actually slept.  This is NOT like having a newborn, we have done that 3 times, they still grab naps during the day.  This is a child who is completely messed up on sleep from traveling half way around the world.  He was a great sleeper in China, in fact slept too much, in my opinion.

Please pray for wisdom for Brett and I, and for Daniel to be comforted at night and sleep the whole night.  I know this problem is only temporary, please pray for rest for all of us!!!  Thanks again.

We have been home a total of 3 days.  Sleep is still an issue.  Last night was the first night that Daniel slept for more than 4 hours at a time.  Although the bulk of his sleep was from 7am to 1pm.  I am praying that tonight we will all get a full nights rest. 

The boys are doing better.  There is still a competition between them for Brett's love.  It is so hard to go from being completely gone from three of your kids, to spending all your time with one of your children to blending it all together.  I know it will all come together with time and prayer.

In the first 3 days of being home, Daniel has made it to church.  He did great!  He saw his first snow fall, rode on a 4 wheeler, and went to the movie theater.  We tried to be outside with him, but he is not fond of the cold.

Eventhough we are having a few issues, I feel completely blessed.  Daniel Dong Fu is completely happy.  LOVES his sisters (this could be adding to the difficulty with Zac), and is so trusting and loving to us.  Just yesterday he was falling blindly into my arms, I would push him back into Emma's and we repeated this several times.  Not sure our other children would trust us to do this!

Brett, Zac, Daniel and Emma on the 4 wheeler.  Ellie was inside with a fever.

Some good old tickle time with all 4 kids.  They all had Brett down at first. 

We Are Home!!!!!

Very Brief Update!  May expand later.

We survived 4 flights and 4 hours of driving and lots of time in the airports.  Everything went very smoothly, except for the gigantic television right in front of us on the international flight of 12 hours.  Daniel maybe slept for an hour on the flight, due to the distraction of the tv. 

Last night was great, the kids played well, and we stayed up way too late.  Daniel maybe slept 2 hours last night, he was so excited to have toys, that he couldn't sleep.  I will let Brett blog about this.  It was quite humorous.

Today, we are struggling a little bit with the two boys.  Please pray for a gentle spirit for Zachary.  He is rough, for those up you who know him, I am not telling you anything you do not know.  Daniel Dong Fu is much softer and Zac's quick and impulsive movements are a bit much for Daniel.  Pray for a love between the boys and not jealousy to rise up between them.  They are doing good, but I am just asking for more.  And pray for rest for all of us, especially Dong Fu.  He is WAY OVER stimulated!

Thanks to all of you who watch kids, took kids to where they needed to go, baked for us, cleaned our house, decorated our house and shopped for us while we were gone, and most of all prayed for us.  You are absolutely appreciated.  We love you all and can't thank you enough.

Foster Family

Brett with Foster Family and their grandchild and father

The garden at the Foster Family

 Outside their house
 

 a bike that Daniel would ride to school

Sleeping quarters

 Foster family of when they visited our hotel

More Picture Memories

Daniel Dong Fu Eating a a piece of watermelon that was carved into.

 This is the paper and how Elvin discussed the Chinese name and the American name. 

 It was a priceless moment.

  Top of the boat viewing the lights from the Pearl River.

 Daniel's good buddy and father
 

 A random man walking through a park with parakeets.  The kids loved it.

  Kids by the huge bonzi tree

Orphanage Visit

Picture one of the huge buildings

The front of Daniels building decorated for the Chinese New Year 

 We were standing outside the toddler room talking to all the babies.  So many babies!

 Daniel's bed was the one on the right closest to the wall.  There were 3 more rows of beds in this same room I think there were 12 beds total.

  playground at the orphanage

Brett and Dong Fu leaving the orphanage for the last time!  Praise the LORD!

FW: Meeting the Foster Family

On Sunday, February 27th Dong Fu's foster family traveled  to Guangzhou to meet up with him.   Since Brett had already met the family I met them first.  We discussed some rules and when I felt ready, Brett came down with Dong Fu.  Our translator had already discussed with him, so Dong Fu knew they would be waiting to see him.  He remained in Brett's arms and got down and walked over and gave his auntie and uncle a hug.  He instantly came over to me and gave me a kiss.  This showed me that he was happy to see them, but he knew I was his mama.  His auntie gave him a jade necklace some clothes and some treats.  He was very excited about receiving these things, but he instantly told them what his papa and mama had bought him.  We talked for awhile and took lots of pictures.  We didn't find out anything new, since Brett had previously visited with them.  I think it was a relief for Dong Fu to let his foster family know that he was in good hands.  His auntie kept remarking how skinny he was, my same thought when we first put him in a bath.  She had been so worried that he would loose weight at the orphanage and be cold at night.  It seems she was correct about the weight.  We plan to send her pictures and do the best job we can keeping in contact with the foster family.  They truly loved Dong Fu and will be taking another foster child on.  This was my hope, now another orphan will be in good hands with them.  Dong Fu is treasuring the necklace that they gave him.  I am so thankful for this meeting, I am so amazed how God moved every mountain to make this little boy whole. 
 
Having contact with the foster familly and meeting them is almost unheard of.  The names of the foster families are not released, and this in not something that haplpens.  We found the contact information on a book that I had sent Dong Fu.  On gotcha day I was very nervous, once we got back in the car to head home I started peaking in the bag that we sent Dong Fu.  For some unknown reason (just like opening the China waiting children), I opened the book and looked all the way through it.  Very strange for me to do, since I was the one that got the book ready and did the recordings and found someone to translate it.  I knew this book, I didn't need to look at it.  And sure enough, on the very last page there were characters written, we had it translated, and by the grace of God it was the foster families information.  This was bold for them to do.  There isn't suppose to be any contact between them and us!  Praising God for his incredible mercy!

A Father's View of Uncovering Dong Fu's Past

Trip to Dong Fu's past

Friday 2/24/11

Once again God orchestrated another miracle for Dong Fu and us.  We were able to

arrange a trip for just me and a translater to visit where Dong Fu had

lived since December of 2006 in foster care.  Along with staying there the
orphanage would do follow up visits and check on him periodically with
communication through case workers.  The trip was a little over 2 hours to the
north out of Guangzhou to a village with many many people living within one area

(China).  It is very difficult for me to explain how to get there or even the
winding roads that seemed like hallways that we drove through.  The family that
had cared for him was waiting for us on the side of the road and jumped in with
us to direct us to even more winding roads and hallways.   

Entering their home I was instantly treated like a king.  They poured tea for me

and offered me fruit and some nuts which where Dong Fu's favorite.  I was
overwhelmed right away and asked that I could set up our video to capture this
moment.  I was told that Dong Fu called the mom Auntie (I E) and the dad Uncle
(sho sho).  It

was amazing that I was able to meet both of them because Uncle generally works
all day.  I was told that he stayed home to meet me and as I was there some of
the family had stopped by also.  They had one of their older sons stop by and
his wife and little boy that they took out of school for the day they thought he

might get to see Dong Fu.

Wow, I was filled with emotions that I didn't know existed.  I found myself
sitting around a little table with the family and us having the most beautiful
conversation through the translator.  They really really LOVED Dong Fu and
provided him with the best they could and helped him be who he is today.  I
could tell they cared about him so much that they prepared him so well for his
adoption. 

Through our conversation the room was filled with stories and memories of their
time with Dong Fu.  Our translator has met Dong Fu and has helped us communicate

with him and has got to know Dong Fu real well.  He was listening to Auntie talk

and he became very emotional as she told stories about Dong Fu.  She expressed
that Donf Fu always looked out for everyone else and would make sure others were

happy before himself.  In China it is a tradition to hand out red envelopes with

some money in them to family or people you cared about.  She told that when Dong

Fu would get one he would instantly give it to them to help provide for the
family.  She said that he would not eat to much to make sure everyone had food. 

She talked about how he would share the packages from the orphanage with the
family.  The orphanage would send toys and such if they had them donated to
them.  Uncle talked about how Dong Fu would answer the phone and talk like an
adult.  The Uncle also shared that he liked to take Dong Fu to breakfast at a
little place somewhere in their village (Egg & I,China).  Auntie said that Dong
Fu really really likes the TV.  Yes they had a TV and it was on the whole time I

was there.  I believe this is common in China and considered one of their
favorite past times.  Uncle said that Dong Fu wouldn't want to go to bed if he
was watching the TV.  Dong Fu said "I could watch the TV until it has a fever",
meaning that the TV would have to get sick or be broken.  Other things Dong Fu
likes to do is sing and dance.  Wow we where told that this child was quiet and
kept to himself.  The family talked about him performing and how his voice
was "very nice".  The family had a little yard between the buildings which
had some fruit trees, chickens and some vegetibles planted.  Auntie talked about

the time she would spend with Dong Fu in the yard.  She showed me a little hoe
that he would carry beside her with her big hoe.  She said he would dig weeds
and help her with all of her chores.  As she talked about this I could tell this

was special time she spent with him.  Remember those emotions I was talking
about?  Bye this time I was overwealmed with tears of joy and tears of sadness
for the loss this family was experiencing and the life that Dong Fu had with
them.  The Auntie shared that she had been having bad dreams since Dong Fu went
back to the orphanage, which was January 5th, 2011.  She was worried that he
wouldn't get enough to eat and be cold at night.  I showed her some pictures of
him in the bath at our motel and she smiled like she new he was being taken care

of.  More stories of Dong Fu kept coming out.  Dong Fu told the Auntie one time
that he would be happy if he needed to sleep on the second floor.  I didn't
understand this until later but the second floor is not the high rise suite.  It

is the roof where you would sleep if you were the lower class.  He said this if
they needed more room he would go there so he wouldn't be in the way.  Wow God
has big plans for this child! 

My wife had been nesting for over a year and discovered a possible way to get in

contact with Dong Fu many months ago through a place you can send a package to
and they deliver it to the orphanage.  When you do this you hope it gets to the
orphanage and then you hope it gets to the child.  Kristy had heard that others
have tried this but it wasn't very successful.  As you know Dong Fu was staying
in foster care far away in this village.  We don't know how yet but his
caretaker delivered the package to the foster family right away and Autie and
Uncle shared it with him to help prepare him.  Kristy put together a recording
book with our whole family each reading a section to him with our picture on the

pages.  She also included a picture album and had one of the UNK students
translate our names on the pictures.  I don't know how she did all this but I am

just a simple man and can't figure things like that out.  She also put in a
stuffed panda bear blanket and a kids toy learning computer.  Auntie told me
that Dong Fu called the computer the "English talking machine".  This was yet
another miracle which set the stage for the experience we were all
having.  Kristy also sent a disposable camera thinking that we would never get
to see where Dong Fu had lived.  I developed those pictures earlier this week
and was very disappointed because only six turned out.  They were of the panda
blanket, the book, the TV, Auntie and others of the walls.  Auntie said she
didn't know how to run the camera and Dong Fu took the pictures that we
developed.  We laughed about that for quite awhile.    

The Auntie and Uncle shared that they had a grandson about five that Dong Fu
would play with.  They said if the grandson called them Auntie and Uncle instead

of grandma and grandpa Dong Fu would correct him quickly.  They said Dong Fu
repected them and new that they were foster parents trying to help him because
he didn't have a mama and papa yet. 

Having this contact and capturing Dong Fu's past life experiences was absolutely

amazing.  I thought this was going to be like a field trip where I would take
pictures and retrieve a little information.  I had no idea that I was going to
be welcomed like I was and hear the beautiful stories I heard from the family. 
I ran out of batteries and discs for the cameras and couldn't believe we were
sitting down for yet another cup of tea.  Aunite package up Dong Fu's favorite
shirt and toy for us to have.  She also had a can with some fried rice cakes in
it and said they were Dong Fu's favorite treat.  Anything she had that she
thought would be keepsakes or something to give to Dong Fu that he would want
she was wanting to send it with me.  I was blown away by this families heart and

their love for Dong Fu. 

Well my stay there was much longer than expected and I was begining to stress
out our driver that was going to enter into "busy traffic" or rush hour in China

if we didn't leave very soon.  We exchanged good byes and they invited me to
come back with Kristy and Dong Fu.  They also told me I would have to come back
in July when their fruit trees were ready because they would like to share it
with me.  The information I was able to get from them and for me to see where he

had lived was absolutely priceless.  I left there with a REAL understanding of
the life Dong Fu had lived up until now.  I felt so blessed to have that
experience to help understand and put the pieces together for Dong Fu future. 

In closing, I thank all of you who have prayed for our family during this
time.  Dong Fu's adoption and this trip has changed many lives and I thank God
for the many miracles he has performed for our family.  To our children back
home, I thank you for the love you have shown Dong Fu from afar and look forward

to embracing you very soon.   

Busy, Busy, Busy, Day.....

U.S. Consulate Office
  The day began at the U.S. Consulate for our Swearing in Ceremony.  This is one of our last steps to finalize the adoption in China.  The office was located on the 5th floor.  We road escalators up 5 flights of steps.  By the end Dong Fu was getting pretty comfortable with the escalators.  Nothing to exciting happened, except one step closer to home!
 
Orphanage Visit
  After the ceremony and lunch we had Elvin chat with Dong Fu about visiting the orphanage.  Dong Fu quickly changed the subject.  We were not going to make him go, but I was going to visit if he didn't want to.  Dong Fu started to remember a few friends and decided he would like to go and take some candy to his friends. 
  The orphanage was much nicer than what I expected.  There was some grass and lots of trees and a small playground to play on.  It was also much bigger than I thought it would be.  There were 3 buildings around 5 - 8 stories tall.  We only looked at Dong Fu's building. Walking up to his building there were a couple boys out on the balcony yelling down, Guang Dong Fu, Guang Dong Fu, Guang Dong Fu, can you come up and play?  He had a little conversation back and forth with those sweet little boys.  Upon walking in to the orphanage it was white walled, but decorated.  They had decorations up from the Chinese New Year and artwork from the kids on the wall.  It was very clean and very quiet.  We past the todddler rooms first, because he lived there from 5 weeks until 2 1/2 years old.  There were definitely more babies than nannies to take care of them.  They were adorable, the little ones all came over to the baby gate and were waving and smiling, some special needs some not.  It makes my heart ache for them, and pray that they would have a forever family soon. 
  We walked past various ages of kids and were able to stop at Dong Fu's old room.  His friends from the balcony immediately came over to him and they were chatting.  This is the only time he left Brett's arms, otherwise he clung to Brett.  He was so excited to give them the suckers that he had picked out from them.  He was chatting quit a lot about everything he had been doing.  He had a good friend that would be being adopted soon.  This precious little boy went to his book bag and gave Dong Fu a coloring book that his foster autie gave him.  The hearts of these kids are amazing. 
  We went to the sleeping quarters next.  It was a gated area, and not so well decorated.  Here is were your heart aches.  There were some children in this area, and quite a few in one room that needed help being fed due to special needs.  We came upon Dong Fu's sleeping room, he wanted nothing to do with it.  We did find out which bed was his, with the help of one on the nannies, but he would barely look in and just shook his head yes, that was his bed.  Right next to the sleeping quarters were these tiny lunch room tables where they ate. Imagine an elementary school lunch room with much smaller tables.
  Everywhere we went there was a nannie telling us something about Dong Fu, and you have to remember he had been gone for 4 years, he had only been back for about 6 weeks.  The one nannie told us that upon reentering the orphanage they do an evaluation and he scored top in his class!  No surprise, we all agree he is very smart!  The same nannie shared with us that after nap the kids all got a snack, and Dong Fu would take his snack to the younger kids and share it.  Maybe this is some of the reason he lost so much weight at the orphanage. (you don't know that story yet, it is too come).  He was loved by the workers, but how do you not love him, he is an amazing little boy.  Overall, the visit was hard, but good.  I am sure in years to come the pictures and closure will help Dong Fu out tremendously.  We were not able to get any other pictures of Dong Fu.  This was a disappointment to me, they just don't take pictures of the kids.  That is not a priority.  Praise God for allowing us to visit.  Our guide told us that the orphanage in Guangzhou almost always lets families visit.  The Beijing families didn't get to visit inside their orphanage.
 
What do you want to be called?
  At the same time Elvin visited with Dong Fu about the orphanage, we had him talk to Dong Fu about his name.  Elvin is amazing.  He took a piece of paper out and showed Dong Fu the name Elvin in Chinese Characters, and told Dong Fu how to say it.  He explained that many Chinese people have an American name and a Chinese name.  Elvin had Dong Fu write his Chinese name on that same piece of paper.  Then Elvin showed him what the name Elvin looked like written in English.  He asked Dong Fu if he would like his mama and papa to give him an American name.  Dong Fu looked excited and was shaking his head yes.  So, Brett took the pen and wrote Daniel and said Daniel to Dong Fu.  He smiled and was happy about that.  We haven't gone to plain Daniel yet.  It sometimes is Daniel Dong Fu, Dong Fu Daniel.  Or Dong Fu come here, Daniel come here.  I am sure we will get to just Daniel eventually, but this makes me feel like we aren't stripping him of his name also.  This sweet little boy has been through more change and trauma in his 6 years of life than many of us have in our whole lifetime.  He amazes me!  God has a big plan for this child!
 
Evening Boat Cruise and Dinner
  We were able to enjoy an evening cruise and dinner tonight.  It was so much fun.  After dinner we went to the top of the boat and enjoyed the most amazing lights on the buildings on the Pearl River.  It was so much fun, almost as fun as the zoo.  Daniel Dong Fu loved it!  We had some great cuddle time at the top of the boat because it was chilly. 
 
Flight Home
  Not good news here, everything is booked.  So, we will be leaving Friday morning.  Thanks again for all you prayers.  Please continue to pray for the kids at home.  It is really hard on them.  Pray for Daniel to pick up English quickly.  I think he knows more than he wants to let on.  And pray for smooth transition with our family when we are united.  Thanks again!!!!!  We love you all!

Feb. 28

Pictures from today.  The one by the ipad, he was using to go back and forth from English to Chinese by using the jibigo program.  It was very cute.  He is very smart.

The picture with the bubbles is outside the medical clinic.  We had his tb test read today, when I looked at it I started praying, we barely passed without a chest xray.  Praise

Yuntai Gardens

Dong Fu didn't enjoy the garden very much, started out pretty grumpy, and then we found the bubbles.  What a difference the bubbles made. 

Relaxing (2.26)

Prayer Request!!!!

China changed it's guidelines February 28th, with that said, we could leave China on the 3rd instead of the 4th.  We have sent a message to our travel agent and they will be checking flights home for the 3rd.  Please pray for a flight to be open and for the price to be about the same!  We have enjoyed our time here, but would love to get home to see the rest of our family.  It is hard being split up!
 
As far as our day, we started the day at the medical clinic checking Dong Fu's tb.  It passed!  Praise the Lord, it was so close to him needing a chest x-ray.  After that, I spent time with Elvin going through our paperwork.  We will meet at the US consulate office tomorrow for the swearing in ceremony.  And the next day we will have Dong Fu's visa.  And then could go home if all goes well with the flights.  Not much else to report.  Dong Fu was grumpy this afternoon, we woke him from a nap, and he didn't appreciate that.  He has been good this evening.  We all have good and bad days.  Elvin is going to talk to Dong Fu tonight about what name he would like to be called, we will let you know. 
 
We will be visiting the orphanage tommorrow, praying for pictures and things from his past.  His birth certificate even has a 6 year old picture on it.  So the youngest picture I have of him is the ones on the blog.  Please pray for this also.  Thanks again for all your prayers.  We have felt them.

Thanking God for Unanswered Prayer...

Just an update to show you how I have seen God work is some of the unanswered prayers from the first part of this blog.  Yes, our paperwork was lost, yes, we traveled after the Chinese New Year, and yes, I really wanted to have Dong Fu in October of 2010.  All of these were things that I had prayed for, but all were unanswered.  Here is the answer to the unanswer of those prayers.
 
Lost paperwork/later travel date/receiving Dong Fu later than I wanted:
  This is all the same work of God, to have us in China at this time.  Being here these weeks allowed us to be the only family in Guangzhou for the first 5 days.  This allowed God to open amazing doors for us.  We had Elvin all to ourselves which allowed him to make an extra effort to travel with us and take the extra time that I had prayed about with uncovering Dong Fu's past.  If we would have had other families with us, these things would have been about impossible, because he could not have just catered to our needs.  Being the only family also helped us bond and get to know Dong Fu better, it allowed alot of translation between Elvin, Dong Fu and us.  So in order to answer a more important prayer request, He didn't answer the early travel date.  Thank you God for your perfect timing. 
  Traveling at the later date also allowed us to meet up with the other families that were also adopting older children.  This is also nice, the kids are starting to interact, it is a beautiful thing.  All praise and glory to HIM!

The Presence and Will of God

As you have been reading, God is overwhelming us with His goodness.  Today was no different.  The decision was made, I was fearful and doubting, until I felt the wonderful presense of our God.  He went before us and cleared the way, it was a beautiful day!  I will tell you more in a couple of days.
 
The Beijing families are wonderful, and their kids are doing well.  The older children in their group had a much rough start than we did.  Their children were not prepared like Dong Fu was for the adoption procces, but are really making good strides.  We did enjoy a nice evening meal with them and had time with them yesterday at a park and lunch.  Dong Fu did share Elvin with the families, he is adjusting to how he acts with more people around.  He did a shift this morning to really wanting Brett and shunning me away, he usually does this when we are in the public.  By evening he was loving on me like no other.  As I have told you before, he is very street (orphange) smart.  He knows how to get what he wants with wittiness and charm.  We are setting some rules, and he is doing well with them, although we have been tried a few times.  I have to admit, I want to give into him everytime because he is soooo funny.  I can't wait for you to meet him!  He is a little differnt in larger crowds and still perfers to be in the room.  That is where he feels safe.
 
We will go back to the medical office today to get the TB test read and do a little shopping.  We are still trying to get to the orphange before we leave.  We think we will be taking Dong Fu with us there.  Pray for wisdom on that decision.  I think, from everything we learned about him, that he would be soooo proud to walk around with a mommy and daddy and to let the other kids know he is doing great!!!!
 
Please start to pray for our transistion back at our house.  That the love would flow from all ends and that the 3 of us would recover quickly from the jet lag.  Thanks again!!!   

Relaxing Day

Since we changed around are doctors appointments, we have nothing on the plans today.  We did alittle shopping (not Dong Fu's favorite) and managed to get out for lunch.  Otherwise, it has been a nice day getting to know eachother and relaxing in the room.  This day was much needed, we have been doing alot of running and have had so many appointments to make this adoption official.
 
The Beijing families will show up today and we will have supper with them tonight.  It will be interesting to see how Dong Fu does with the other 6 year old boy and girl.  I do not think he is going to want to share Elvin with them.  He absolutly love to chat to Elvin!  We will let you know how he does.
 
I am asking you all to pray about a decision that Brett and I need to make.  Please ask God for widom for us.  Pray for protection around us and for us to have peace either way the decision is made.  I will let you know at a later date what the outcome is.  God is doing big things here!  He has me over the edge of my comfort zone, that seams to be the theme of this year!  And continue to pray for Dong Fu, he is so attached, but the things I am asking you to pray for, could cause a setback for us.  Especially with his attachment to me.  Pray for the kiddos at home, Emma is especially struggling.  Thanks everyone!!!! 

Fun Photos

Just some fun pictures in the room.  He is much more comfortable in the room than out in public. 

Zoo Pictures

The one picture of Dong Fu walking is one of the only ones, he perfers to be held.  And almost all pictures, daddy is holding him.   He is making up for lost time.