Yesterday morning Marty and I woke up again at 3:00am. We have learned that it does not matter what time we go to sleep we are still going to wake up at 3:00am. Having woke up so early you can imagine the anxiety and anticipation that we had. When the breakfast buffet opened we of course went to eat. I did not eat too much because of my nerves. I did not want anything to disrupt the moments ahead.
We were scheduled to leave at 2:15 from the hotel. It has been a two year process and this day was finally here. However, those last few hours seemed like an eternity. Finally, 2:00 rolled around and we loaded up Kaegans back pack, grabbed a sippy cup full of juice and headed to the lobby. Emma was there waiting. We grabbed a taxi and drove to the Civil Affairs office.
The room was simple and a little bare. Marty, Emma and I were the only ones in the room. We of course arrived early so we had to wait. It also snowed last night so it took Kaegan a little longer to travel into town.
While waiting another couple arrived who were also adopting a boy from the same orphanage. Their names are Jimmy and Stephanie Pirkle. They are naming their son Maddox. We were all four talking and getting to know one another when the door to the room opened. A lady walked in and had two little boys follow behind. I noticed Kaegan right away. Emma looked at me and said that is your boy. I fell down to his level and began talking to him. It was an amazing moment that I will never forget. Marty and I are the luckiest people in the world to have been blessed with this precious gift.
As you can see in the previous video he was quite scared. Thankfully for me he did not cry. Atleast not verbally. Children in the orphanage are known to cry "silent tears". These are emotional tears that you cannot see. For Marty and I these tears have been the hardest part for us to deal with. Once we got back in the room and began to play with him his personality began to show. We were so excited to hear him laugh and see him smile. We were not expecting either one until the third day so to recieve that on day one was incredible.
Oh Yeah! He went potty!!! He is potty trained. All we did was take him to the toilet and sat him on it and he took care of business. This is very good for us considering we have no idea to ask him if needs to potty. Sign language/motions have come in handy.
It was now time for a bath. Well, the tears came out immediately. He did not like taking off his shirt for his bath. We preformed teamwork and had a quick successful bath. Marty grabbed him to dry him off and just held him until the tears stopped. We then dressed him and all was well.
It was great to finish out the night with our family and friends on the computer. Thanks to yahoo messenger they have been able to see us everyday. Each one got to witness us placing him down for his first nights rest. He did sleep the whole night thru. Marty placed him between us and we just stared at him both in tears praising God and thanking him for this precious gift.
We ended the evening in a family prayer and finally the song we have been waiting play. "Safe and Sound" by Matthew West. I posted it on the blog as well. We would love for you to listen to it.
We are so blessed to have each one of you in our lives. Words cannot express the joy that comes from your comments. We love and thank each one of you for being a part of this journey.
Well, we woke up again at 2:30 a.m. It is wild how this time change effects you. Marty and I tried to lay in bed but started watching TV and I got on Facebook. Finally 6:30 rolled around and went to the breakfast bar. There was so much food. I ate way too much. While we there we met a gentleman who was from Tennessee. We talked for a few mintues about why we were here and he mentioned that he attended church with Steven Curtis Chapman and is in Steve Green's Sunday School Class. He is very familiar with the adoption process. He is in China on Business.
The next pictures are of Jenna and Me and then Marty and Me in The Forbidden City.
There were three things that I wanted to purchase for Kaegan while I was in China. One was a pearl necklace from China to give to Kaegan (when the time comes) for him to give to his future wife. Second, was a Chinese Bible, preferably bilingual and third, I wanted to find information about China and its heritage so I could have it for Kaegan. The Pearls I purchased at the Silk Market so I have that checked off of the list. Jenna mentioned that she will stop by her church and purchase a Bible for us. You cannot purchase one in stores. Bibles must be purchased from the Church. Another check of the list. After lunch Jenna mentioned that she had friend that had just published his first book about the Chinese culture and its heritage. She called him and he was kind enough to meet us at a coffee shop and sold us a signed copy of his new book. It took him ten years to write the book. The pictures are incredible. What is also unique is that it tells of the history of Datong. The city where Kaegan was born. The book is absolutely beautiful. I cannot wait to show it to you guys. The picture below is of Marty, Guohua Yang and Me. The last one is of Guohua with his book. I am so excited about this book. It is over 500 pages of China and its history.
By the way, Wynona, Jenna and Guohua are all christians and attend the same church here in Beijing. God is so good! I love how He puts people in certain places at the right time. His hands have been in every move we have made. I guess that is what happens when you are flying on Faith. 
This is Marty and Me trying to keep our eyes open in Tokyo.
Our long awaited flight to Beijing was on time!
Yep!! That is the women's toilet. Needless to say I waited in line for the American toilet.
