2007 Travel Journal to Hudson
click on each day to view journal and pictures
March 18 Off to Changsha, Hunan!!! (Our beautiful hotel)
March 21 Shopping, the Park, and Hudson's Smiles!!!
March 23 Hudson's Passport and lots and lots of Hudson photos!
March 25 Hudson's 15 month birthday!
March 26 Visa Physical exam and tour!
March 27 Consulate Appointment, Red Sofa photos, and Pearl Market!
March 28 U.S. Consulate Oath Ceremony!
March 29 We're Coming Home!!!!!!
Welcomed by the tulips!
It's great to be home! We were welcomed by the tulips. We planted tulips in 2005 thinking they would come up March 2006, when we would bring home our baby. The tulips did come up last year and reminded us that our baby was probably born but was not with us yet. One year later, March 29, 2007, we arrived home just in time to see our beautiful red and purple tulips. The small things in life are special blessings from God.
As for the details of our trip, luggage was out by our room door before 6 AM on Thursday morning, March 29 and we left the hotel at 7 AM. We had a sweet ride to the airport as we knew this would be our last few moments with our group. The day before, one of our families left early and that was our warmup for all of us as we knew we would soon go our separate ways. Once at the airport, some of the group were flying to Hong Kong then San Francisco and the rest of us were flying to Beijing and then to Chicago.
Hudson cried the first flight to Beijing, a three hour flight. We were not sure what was going to happen on the 12 hour flight since the three hour one was not good. Once on the plane from Beijing to Chicago, he played and laughed and talked and did everything to stay awake. Once asleep, he slept six hours. We got some sleep during that time but not good sleep as it's challenging to sleep basically sitting up. We were so blessed to get bulkhead seating so we made a little bed for Hudson on the floor. It was so wonderful to hit US soil. We left Beijing at 5:30 and arrived in Chicago about 12 hours later. God makes life so fun. We met our friends at the airport in Chicago. They flew from Guangzhou to Shanghai and then to Chicago. We rode the plane together all the way home with our new babies, Isabella and Hudson.
It was so exciting to get off of the plane and see all the people in the window of the airport. Many friends were there to greet and welcome our Hudson and little Isabella. The first site of seeing Zachary, Joel B. and Alaina's smiles will always be etched in my memory. Hudson was not sure of all these people wanting to hold him and speaking English. He had the same expression on his face as he did the first 56 hours of us having him. It wasn't long that he was smiling. He instantly liked the boys and he laughs at Alaina.
We are slowly recovering. The first night, Hudson woke up at 6 AM after we had just gone to bed at 3 AM. We napped some throughout the day and limited Hudson's naps. Hudson loved going outside. It was such a beautiful spring day. It's so wonderful to come home to Spring. The flowers are growing and starting to look like spring. My mom put away my collection of snowmen and did some spring cleaning while we were gone. The second night, Hudson slept 13 hours and we had to wake him. He crawls everywhere and interested in everything. He likes his squeaky shoes and has started walking. He takes about 4 steps and falls into my arms.
We are very tired but life is good. We are so happy to be home as a family of seven. Last night was our first dinner together as a family. Our table is very full and very precious.
Hudson is going HOME!!!
It's very early this Thursday morning. The luggage is outside and soon we will be leaving for the airport headed for Beijing. This will be our last message before we arrive home. When we get settled at home, I will add the travel pictures of our trip. Pray for a great flight for us. Pray Hudson sleeps...a lot! Please, continue to follow our journey on our site as our journey is only beginning.
Zoo, Consulate Oath, and Packing
Today was very full. We were up very early headed for the Guangzhou Zoo. It was wonderful and such a nice zoo. Lots of pictures to share. After we arrived back to the hotel, we worked on finishing up some shopping. At 2:45PM, we were headed to the US Consulate for the Ceremony. The room was very full of wonderful parents and adorable babies. I would guess at least 100 babies have loving homes now as represented in the big room today. We repeated the words while raising our right hand and before we knew it, we were free to leave the country....Hudson's Passport and Visa ready to go. As soon as we hit US soil, he will have two citizenships: China and United States. Some people have to wait all their lives to be a citizen of our great country. Not only is Hudson, loved and adopted by our family, he is also "adopted" by our country and given permission to walk right into our great land. This is exactly what our Heavenly Father has given us...citizenship in Heaven and Eternal Life through HIM if we believe.
After the Ceremony, we started packing and taking care of last minute shopping. We, once again, had a famous artist draw the kids pictures. They will love it. I gave the artist a picture of each child and he did a very large print. I will include them in the pictures. I can't believe today was our last day in China. Tomorrow morning we set the luggage out at 6 AM, eat breakfast and on the bus headed to the airport by 7 AM. We should arrive in Beijing around noon and then fly out from Beijing to the US around 4 PM. We expect to land at home around 9:30 PM. Enjoy the pictures of the past two days. I will enter the Zoo pictures after we get home. They are really good so make sure you see them soon. This should keep you busy as we are flying the next 24 hours and then you can actually meet our famous Hudson.
Consulate Appointment, Red Sofa Photo and Pearl Market
This morning Jocelyn and Bruce went to our Consulate Appointments and we all passed! Tomorrow, Wednesday we will do our Ceremony at the US Consulate and then we are free to go. Hudson got his Visa picture taken a few days ago and is so cute.
Next, we met around noon for the Red Sofa picture of all the babies and then we took a photo of all the parents and babies. This is my favorite part...all the babies in their silk China outfits. You will LOVE the pictures.
Around three o'clock we met and rode a Taxi to the Pearl Market. It's like a five-story mall of all JEWELRY. As you can imagine, I was in "jewelry heaven" watching them make the jewelry. By the time we were leaving, it was busy traffic so we stood for the longest time waiting on a taxi. I will soon show you my collection of "Bike" pictures. Everybody rides a bike and I love the things they stack on the back....anything and everything. I took lots of bike pictures to add to my collection while we were waiting on the taxi. So fun!
Tomorrow is our last full day here. I can't believe it...we are going home soon. We plan to go to the Guangzhou Zoo and will eventually post those pictures,too.
Medical Exam, Shopping, and City Tour
Today was another busy day. Jocelyn and Bruce our CCAI Reps scheduled a City Tour for us today. It's so funny that it is the same tour that we adventured on with Alaina in 2004. Joel and I decided we didn't want to go again but that we really wanted Alexis to go. We knew she would enjoy it. Sometime soon we will allow her to journal her thoughts of the tour. She took lots of pictures. I especially wanted her to see the Buddhist Temple so she can totally understand the need for Christ in China. She came back from the tour showing me her pictures. I knew, like Joel and me in 2004, that she would have such a love for the people of China after visiting the Buddhist Temple. She witnessed people bowing down to a dead god. Anyone can walk into the Temple. It's like a courtyard. It has big Buddhas all around and people go from Buddha to Buddha bowing to them. Very life changing and I'm so thankful she is able to experience it at such a young age. She loves it here and doesn't want to leave.
I met a store owner who told me very softly that she became a Christian one year ago. We take for granted growing up in a Christian home and all the knowledge of the Bible. She really knows nothing and is searching and learning. So precious. I gave her some books that I brought with me and she was so excited. She held them to her heart and said she would keep them forever and that it exactly what she needed. The books are in English so I would like to find some books in Chinese to pass on to her. Alexis has been learning some Chinese from the store owners and actually she is pretty good. She sounds so Chinese when she talks...funny. Hudson loves to baby talk with the store owners because they speak Chinese to him. Pray for his little index finger. All the babies in our group suck their index finger. Hudson's is looking really bad right now because he has sucked it so much.
After the City Tour, we met at the Medical Clinic for the babies' checkups for their Visas. Hudson is 21 pounds!!! Jocelyn thought that Hudson weight was the most of all the babies--all the rest of the babies are girls. He has been in the orphanage with all women all his life. No boys....well...just the orphanage director. Female Nannies and female cribmates all around him. We have already gotten lots of marriage proposals from the parents of the girls. Too cute.
We will post the pictures soon of Alexis's tour after she adds them to the computer. For now, enjoy Hudson's Medical Exam pictures.
Hudson's First Airplane ride
We made it to Guangzhou! The flight was only one hour. It was Hudson's first airplane ride! He did great and ate cheerios and played the whole hour. He didn't get his nap so by the time we made it to Guangzhou, he was so ready to go to bed. Joel and I felt like we had jetlag all over again from the flight. We were so excited to be greeted by our friends with their new Isabella when we arrived. She is 3 days older than Hudson and a beautiful baby girl. We had dinner with them at Lucy's, a Western Style Restaurant which was a nice change. We are so happy to be here and looking forward to shopping.
