One week

Kai Wei has been home for a week. It has gone by very quickly, but at the same time it's hard to believe it is only a week. We feel so comfortable together already. It's been a fun week. It hasn't all been perfect- there have been misunderstandings that led to tears and he's not above rolling around on the floor whining when he doesn't get his way, but mostly he has been amazingly adaptable and cheerful.

He discovered our cellphones also play music, and he goes around as often as we'll let him listening to them. He loves two songs in particular by Scott Krippayne, and he practically has them memorized already. It's so cute to hear him sing "stand up stand up, you don't have to be afraid" in a clear little voice. I don't think he understands a word he's singing, but he sure can sing along. He's a very good mimic.

We had another snow day today, so we went sledding at the local high school. We all had fun. Kai Wei really enjoyed the toboggan, which usually went farther than the other sleds. As we sped past everyone else who had already stopped he'd shout "bye-bye!" Jonathan built a ramp, whcih Kai Wei tried to go down, but his sled veered off to the side, heading right towards Jonathan and Daniel. They scattered, but left their sleds behind and he ran right over one, then somehow managed to get the edge of his sled under the toboggan. The toboggan flew into the air over his head and he landed sprawled on the snow. It looked scary to me, but he was up and laughing as soon as he landed.



Kai Wei loves to tease all of us. He calls Rebecca "gege" (big brother), and Tim "Timmy Baby". He makes fun of my Chinese pronunciation and the way I often reply "umhmm" He likes to strike funny poses representing different members of the family. He chatters away at us in Chinese and sometimes we understand what he's talking about, and other times we have no idea.

Kai Wei doing his "Timmy is strong" pose

Tonight he was clearing the table after dinner, and decided he wanted to be a waiter. He was going around getting drink orders from everyone and then presenting them with a flourish. Rebecca jokingly asked for a cup of tea, but he took her seriously. he came into the kitchen, got out a teacup, then asked me where we keep the tea. He asked her what kind she wanted, didn't understand the word "decaffeinated", so took it upon himself to choose green tea for her. He put the tea bag in the mug, filled it with water, and then stuck it in the microwave. Whenever she tried to come into the kitchen, he ushered her back out, presumably lecturing her on staying out of the kitchen. Once he'd delivered her tea (and some water and orange juice to other members of the family), he said to me "xiao jie, wo xiang yi bei orange juice" So I played along and delivered his orange juice, which he took with a very polite "thank you", and then just as if he was really in a restaurant giving orders, requested I add ice to his drink.

We had a web chat again tonight with Sarah Grace. It was fun to have Kai Wei on this end of the web chat. He didn't talk as much as I expected he would. When I told him to tell Ssu Ya about our sledding adventures he told me to tell Maria and she could translate for Ssu Ya! He did enjoy hunting down all the animals to show everyone and introducing all of us to his friends who also stopped by for a few minutes to say hello during the web chat.

First Day of School! :-)

Well, before we brought Kai Wei home I thought I'd wait weeks, maybe even a month before we started any official school--but he gets bored too easily and I don't like seeing kids on computers and game boys! Plus, I figured I'd never get the boys into a school routine if we didn't start soon.

SO, on Sunday night I unpacked that new curriculum and by Monday morning I was totally overwhelmed. Who did I think I was that I was going to teach this child English? Thankfully Monday was President's Day and still a holiday for the rest of the family and I didn't have to start school till Tuesday. By then, my merciful God had covered me with His grace and I was ready to go at it.

We started with these rather fun paper doll worksheets that helped us talk about colors and clothing and body parts. We sang Head Shoulders Knees and Toes (in English and Chinese--sad to say I still don't have the Chinese words down, but I've added some to my vocabulary) We worked on phonics--reviewing the basic letter sounds. Kai Wei knows all his English alphabet and writes well--but he does not appear to know any phonics and can not read English--although he seems to be a good reader in Chinese. Then we "discussed" a bit about our Bible lessons. Well Daniel and I discussed and Kai Wei looked a bit bored. Try getting across the concept of a scroll to someone who speaks a different language! By yesterday he seemed a little more understanding of the concept as we looked at pictures of the Dead Sea Scrolls on the internet and made clay jars to put our "scrolls" in.

Anyway, I guess the first day was a success because Kai Wei asked the next day when we would start school and seemed eager to do so! SCORE! But, it was short lived. He really did not want to do school today and we had a bit of a "battle of the wills" I felt the need to win only because I really felt he was testing me and seeing if he really had to listen.(I was glad at this point that I was already a mother of five. I've been in this place before. I think if he'd been my first child I would have felt more that there was something drastically wrong with him or me!) I figured if I didn't get the point that I needed to be obeyed across I could forget about successfully homeschooling him. Anyway, I did win and I think he felt OK about it. I pretty much let him not participate while I finished up those things with Daniel that he would not understand due to the language anyway. Although he missed the neat pictures in the science book and the trek outdoors to see the snow and icicles first hand --he had a chance to look at the pictures later and we brought some snow and ice inside for him (still a novelty for a boy from Taiwan). After that he was feeling a little more friendly toward me and I just explained to him (with my limited Chinese and pantomime) that now it was lunch time and in order to eat lunch we had to finish up where we'd left off (Singing Head Shoulders Knees and Toes--see I am not such an ogre--it wasn't calculus or composition--just a fun song I knew he enjoyed!) So with the help of Annie and Jonathan to aid Daniel and I (THEY both had a snow day--hence the lack of interest in school for the rest of us :-) we happily sung Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes ONE time (and then again in Chinese which he said he'd like) and then ate our lunch and went out sledding.

Later in the afternoon I told him in Chinese "I like you" Annie tells me this is what Chinese parents tell their kids--their equivalent to "I love you". He answered me back, "Mommy likes everyone" I wasn't quite sure how to take this. Was it a nice compliment that meant I was a kind and loving person. Or did he mean--yeah, you just like anybody? Well I said, "But, I like you!" And he gave me his cute, "shy" smile.

So, all's well that ends well!

Mommy shi Mommy, Daddy shi Daddy

Kai Wei was singing in the car on the way to church this morning, "Mommy shi (is) Mommy, Daddy shi Daddy, Annie shi Annie". . . naming all of us in turn. Pretty cute. We went to the Chinese church today, and, despite the fact that he could understand what was going on around him again, it did not rank on Kai Wei's list of favorite things. As soon as the sermon was over he stood up and said, "ok. Bye bye!" He was quite disappointed it was not time to leave yet.


This afternoon he decided he could be friends with Java. He started by playing with him from a distance, watching as Java chased his last balloon. Later, when we were eating pop-corn, he would hold a piece up to the glass door when Java was shut ont eh other side. Java would go crazy, barking, pawing at the popcorn and biting the glass. He kept trying to get the popcorn, even though it was obvioulsy on the other side. By bedtime he was comfortable walking right up to Java and petting him.

Together at last, together forever

I am just amazed at how well Kai Wei is doing. I can't imagine being as young as he is and as far away from anything I'd ever known, and still being so happy. He is so curious about his new family and his new house. He wanted to know how many computers we have since he kept seeing our laptops all around. He commented on all the cars we have, so we told him who they all belonged too. Jonathan said when they were out playing later he remembered who everyone's car was excpet my Grandma's. He loves to keep track of where all the animals are, telling us when he finds the cats, Hagar and Chloe, in unexpected places (like under my bed or taking a nap with someone!) He isn't as sure about the dogs. He really enjoyed playing with Holly today (our Grandma's little dog that we are watching), but was afraid of Java, our larger dog who is still a puppy. When Kai Wei first came in yesterday Java jumped on him to say hello, which startled Kai Wei. Once Java was out of his crate today, poor Kai Wei jumped up on the couch and kept saying "No Java no!" He fluttered his hand over his chest like a heart beating fast and told us he was scared. By this evening he was a little more comfortable around Java after he gave his balloons to Java to chase and pop. He even got close enough to Java to pet him and tell him "guai Java" (good Java).


We started this morning early at Daniel's basketball game. Kai Wei enjoyed cheering for Daniel and pointed him out to me everytime he had the ball. I think he will really enjoy when he starts playing too.


Rebecca and Kai Wei at the basketball game


Jonathan and Kai Wei watching basketball


After lunch Tim took all the boys to Toys-R-Us so Kai Wei could get a dart gun of his own. He was pretty happy when he got back with a battery operated dart gun that holds 20 darts! Our house was crazy for awhile after that with 5 dart guns in action at once. Kai Wei divided everyone up into teams- He and Daniel and Jonathan against Tim and Rebecca. Since Tim and Rebecca each had the guns that only hold one dart at time, it didn't seem quite fair....



Evenutally Kai Wei got brave enough to venture back out into the cold snow, where we had to convince him that the ice was NOT thick enough to stand on. We've told him about ice-skating, so I'm sure when he saw the ice, he just assumed it was okay to walk on. He was about ready to walk onto it, so Jonathan and I both told him "no", but he still looked skeptical as if we just didn't want him to do something fun. So, Jonathan reached down and kicked the ice, which of course broke completely. I think that convinced him.

He explored the whole yard and was excited when he found a bike (not sure why that was out in the snow...). Jonathan helped him ride it, and then we walked over to a dead end street so he could ride it a little more than in the snow covered yard. I'm not sure if he's ridden a bike before. he got on very confidently, but needed help to get started and was very wobbly everytime Jonathan let go. He never got very far. He certainly had fun though!





It's been a very full day and Kai Wei has done amazingly. He's very patient when we don't understand him, and trys again, a little slower. Most of the time, after a few tries we get at least the gist of what he's saying between the combiantion of the Chinese words we know, the motions, and the context. My Mom and I are really glad we learned some Chinese.

They're Home!

Wow, I thought this day would never come, but it is here. Kai Wei is curled up on the couch with the rest of the family, watching "Mousetrap". We just asked him if he wants to watch or sleep- it's been a long day for him. He barely slept on the plane at all, so he's been going non-stop since last night at 7. But, the suggestion of sleep brought a determined "no,no!"

He hit it off with his brothers right away- while we were waiting on the luggage he showed them "lao hu" (his tiger) and his Taiwan money. Then he enlisted Jonathan's help to collect the luggage, which he recognized.



He was excited by the snow when he saw it out the window and when we were getting close to home he pointed at the houses and asked if they were ours. He commented that they were so big! He told us he bought us presents and they were in his luggage. He was excited to give them to us.



We finally got home where even the little bit of snow we still had on the ground was enough to be exciting. He made his first snowball and then pretended to throw it at Jonathan, but hesitated. I assured him that he could and soon the boys were throwing snowballs back and forth, until poor Kai Wei's hands were frozen.



Once the boys were good and cold we headed inside, where Kai Wei was excited to look around. He eventually asked where his room was, so we took him upstairs. He was so cute up there, excited by the flying monkeys that all the boys including him have, and the little basketball hoop they have hung on the door. He was even jumping up and down a bit he was so excited. We gave him a tour of the rest of the house.

The rest of the evening has been a blast. It's been so fun to see him so animated and excited and happy. IT's hard to believe the quiet shy boy I met this summer at Jonah House is the same little boy who has been running around our house all evening. He is so silly and creative and fun-loving. We've been having nerf gun battles and the refrain "wo si ding le" (I'm so dead) or "ni si ding le" (You are dead!) have been ringing through the house as he either corners someone out of darts or he runs out of darts. He got no end of fun over sneaking up on various members of the house, siblings as backup support, to shoot the gun at them. He and Rebecca and Tim all snuck up on me while I was doing the dishes, and then I followed them as they crawled into the sunroom to shoot Mom who was talking to her sister on the phone. The funniest thing is his running commentary in CHinese, most of which I don't understand. He was even singing about...well, who knows what. Probably how he was winning and was going to get us all. He just thinks its the funniest things when he sneaks up on someone and hits them with a dart. I told him "wo yao wan" (I want to play) and he responded so quickly, giving me a dart gun so I could play too!




After dinner he wanted to get his balloons to lift things so we found a dog bone. It was so funny watching him call the dog over, let her start biting the bone, then let the balloons go and the bone was lifted into the air. Holly jumped for the bone, but after a few times, she gave up.




He ate with chopsticks during dinner and accidently poured a LOT of salt on his food, which he didn't like at all. Apparently Kai Wei ate everything with pepper when he was in Taiwan, so my Dad brought over the pepper and once he had sprinkled it on his food, he reluctantly tried his chicken. (He was happy with the rice and spinach, but tried to feed his chicken to everyone else at the table). Then, my Dad brought up the 1 foot tall hot pepper mill and his whole face lit up. He sprinkled it on the ckicken, and then pronounced it "hao chi!" (delicious).

THis evening has been a blast, and I can't wait for the days that follow and getting to know my precious and hysterical didi.

Back in the States...but not home yet.

"It's nice just having two people home cleaning," Daniel told me (Rebecca) this morning as I cooked dinner and he cleaned the glass doors. "Because that way," he went on, "no one takes the chores you want."

True, but then, there are less people to do the chores too! But Annie and Jonathan come home soon and we'll have the house looking lovely in time for our parents' return.

As I've been cooking and cleaning today I can't help but think about how this home coming will be for Kai-Wei. Will he be scared, nervous, afraid? When he looks around, what will he think? Tonight, lying in a strange bed in a strange house in a strange country and surrounded by strangers how will he feel? Will he realize that we love him and it's okay if he's sad and scared, it's okay if he cries and if he isn't ready to fully participate in family life right away? Will he understand that we've been waiting so long for this and we're willing to wait a little longer if he needs us to?

Thinking about meeting them at the airport in a few hours excites me...but it also scares me. Every time I said 'tomorrow!' yesterday I had a nervous stomach ache. That hasn't stopped.

I imagine being a little boy, tired, missing friends, not knowing the language walking into this house that is so different where I don't recognize anything. I try to think of how I would feel, how I'd react. I remember the feelings I had when I arrived in Bolivia and then I multiply them by 10, by 20, by 100. That was for five months. This is forever.

Mom called from Michigan an hour or so ago. They're back in the states. Kai-Wei is officially an American. Has it sunk in for him that this is forever? Has it sunk in for any of us? Forever is a long time - I don't think we can ever fully understand it except slowly, day by day, laughter and tears, sadness and joy, anger and love.

We're ready, Kai-Wei; the welcome home sign is hung, the balloons are waiting, your little brother Daniel even put a tack in the wall especially for your flying screeching monkey! We've had three years to wait, three years to learn to love you without even knowing you - I don't think we can do anything more to get ready.

No wait, I’m wrong...we still have to vacuum!

On their way home!

They called last night around 7 from the plane before it took off from Taipei. So, they should now be somewhere over the Pacific ocean... We're meeting them at the airport at 3:30. We can hardly wait.

The Father in all of this

“Daddy, Daddy” those are the excited words that tug at my heart over and over again. These two children, KaiWei and Ssu Ya, whose language I don’t speak are still able to communicate with me on the most basic level, love. The human need to love and to be loved transcends any language and cultural barrier that might exist.

I had my reservations about the first day we had scheduled to spend with Ssu Ya. Here we were a jet lagged couple from the unitied states about to spend a day wandering around with a little girl in a large foreign city. Mixtures of anticipation, nervousness and fear of the unknown.

We chose the Zoo and it was an excellent choice. Hand in hand we explored the unfamiliar territory of tropical amphibians and cross cultural chasms. What we discovered was the commonality of sharing. The experience of finding and counting all those toads in among the leaves. At first glance there appeared to be only two or three and then all of a sudden we were able to see nine or ten. Each new discovery was excitedly reported and commented on. Twenty three toads later we were no longer strangers but father and daughter exploring the world together. We, (I) had discovered the many ways we can communicate with those we love without even knowing how to speak to one another.

It is the joy of discovery, the joy of sharing , the joy of making memories together. These are the glues that hold us all together as families. These are what make us strong in the fundamental ability to love one another even when we are sometimes prickly old porcupines and not cute little koalas.

Our time at the zoo went by quickly, even though we spent hours. And I know we made some memories.

So, as usual, Annie has been the driving force of this blog! Thanks Annie!

I look so grumpy in the picture at the restaurant with Jonathan and Mary--but I really had a nice time. They were kind enough to ask us to chose what type of food we wanted and Kai Wie had chosen steak! So we went to the Ponderosa. I don't know if I've ever been to one in the States. The steak came with an American flag toothpick and the kids got a kick out of that. Kai Wei and Sarah Grace really enjoyed their son, Fisher.

Thank you Jonathan and Mary for your kindness and hospitality. I'm honored that you read our blog and know our family as you do. I am looking forward to your visit to the U S!

We also really enjoyed visiting Kia Wei's school today. So different than an American school. It had a huge court yard full of tropical plants (and puddles). The classrooms have wooden desks and I think there are more kids per class than US schools. There was a very friendly, homey atmosphere. I think US elementary schools appear more sterile or something. But maybe it is just he people here. They are such a friendly and warm & inviting culture. It makes me feel like I need to work on being a nicer person!

Anyway, we totally disrupted Kai Wei's class. We felt badly. But they had not known before the Chinese New Year that he was leaving so when he didn't show up on Monday and they found out why they were shocked. So the orphanage thought it would be nice for him to walk over and say goodbye. I'm so glad we could be a part of that. He was obviously well loved by his classmates. They were so happy and cute to see him and us. They said we spoke Chinese because when the teacher introduced us we said "Ni hao!" They said Kai Wei's Baba was handsome and they all call KW "the handsome one" too! It was so funny. They had a really nice card for him that they were passing around for everyone to sign. He was happy with that. It is probably a good thing that their English teacher arrived and we could make an exit because we really felt like we'd gotten the kids wound up. As we walked out they were changing classes and bunches of kids came up with huge smiles on their faces and practiced English with us or just said hi. It was lots of fun. I would have loved to spend more time with them!

I'm really glad I got the chance to meet his teacher. I was able to ask about his math level and that will be helpful when we start school. He seems to be happy with the idea of homeschooling which is great. I know I'll want him home for a while to get adjusted etc. But I think he may want to go to public school eventually as he is obviously very social! And of course he has been raised around groups of chidren.

The bad news. . .I don't have any cute pictures of the school because they are all (and there are lots of them) on the video camera and I don't know how to upload from that. But we will eventually. Kai Wei took the camera for a long time and got pictures of all his classmates! For now here are some pictures at the zoo and one of Kai Wei and Baba playing ping pong at Jonah House. I think Dana won.

They got Kai Wei's Visa!

Well, the paperwork is all officially finished since they picked up Kai Wei's visa at AIT on Wednesday morning. In the afternoon they went back to Jonah House and met Sarah Grace's social worker, Mr. Yeh. Wednesday evening they went out to dinner with Jonathan and Mary and their son Fisher. I stayed with Jonathan and Mary this summer for a couple of days and went to Ying Ge and Wu Lai with them, and spoke at their Sunday School class about God's heart for adoption and our family's adoption. I was glad my parents could get together with them too!

Thanks Jonathan for the pictures!

Some news from Taiwan

Well, Since it is after 9:30 in Taiwan now, and they haven't posted I guess they didn't get a chance to before they went out for the day, so here is some of what we heard from them while we chatted tonight.

Yesterday they went to the AIT apt. in the morning. It took longer than expected, due to a missing paper and the CNY holiday, but everything did get worked out eventually. After AIT they went to the zoo again since Kai Wei said he wanted to go too. Kai Wei was sad in the morning and said that he missed his friends, so after they went to the zoo, they stopped by Jonah house so he could visit. They got to see Sarah Grace again during the visit. They all played Ping Pong together and air hockey, and I think that my Mom's new children both enjoyed beating her at ping pong. ;) Kai Wei invited Sarah Grace to join them at dinner, which pleased my Mom. It sounds like they are getting along pretty well.

They met Yvonne, her friend Joe, Joe's business partner and Joe's daughter Monica for dinner. (Yvonne is the woman I stayed with this summer and Joe spent a lot of time with us, taking us to parks and museums and restaurants. His daughter Monica who is a few years older than me joined us when she could. I was really glad my parents got the chance to meet them as well!) Both Kai Wei and Sarah Grace were really cute during dinner my Mom said. They ate "hot pot" which is when you cook the food at your table in a pot of boiling water. I asked my mom what they ate and she said EVERYTHING. They let the kids order. ;) The kids "fit in perfectly and had a ball" and were laughing and giggling! Yvonne and Joe gave them a driving tour of Taipei 101 and the Sun Yat Sen memorial before they went back to the hotel. They didn't get back until midnight!

This morning Kai Wei said he was feeling happier. He showed us some of his toys, both things he brought with him from Jonah House and toys that my parents brought over. He also showed us some yo-you tricks. My Mom said he is very proud of his new clothes, and also the "jacket system" he has, which he keeps telling her has "2". :)



They were headed to Kai Wei's school this morning so he could say good bye to his friends. They were all surprised when he didn't come back to school after the holiday. My Mom seemed excited that they would get to see his school.

My Mom is really ready to come home, and we are certainly all ready for them to come home. If only it were Thursday night! Just 2 more days...


Kai Wei's tiger and Jonathan's leopard greet each other

Probably not what you were hoping for

I'm sure you were all hoping for a post from Taiwan. I am too. :( but, this is the best I can do for now. We did talk to them last night (our time, Tuesday morning for them) and they were getting ready to leave for their AIT appointment. Kai Wei looked VERY happy, but I forgot to take any pics. We should talk to them again tonight, so maybe we will have more news and pics then.

We had a snow day here, which was fun! It's the first day my school has cancelled this year, so I was quite pleasantly surprised. Jonathan made Daniel an "Anglo Saxon" lunch (Daniel is studying the Middle Ages), we worked on a Welcome Home banner for Kai Wei, and we went "exploring" in the snow.



Mom, please show the snow pics and this note to Kai Wei. Thanks!

凱維，今天我們有雪！我們沒有學校 因為 有雪。 我 (Annie) 跟 Rebecca, Jonathan 和 Daniel去出玩雪。很好笑，很漂亮。這個是照片的今天的雪。你喜歡嗎？ 我們 願 還有雪你在家。下個 星期五 見！ 我們很高興你回家！。

(Kai Wei, today we have snow! We didn't have school because it snowed. Me (Annie), Rebecca, Jonathan and Daniel went out to play in the snow. It was very fun and very pretty. . These are pictures from the snow today. Do you like them? We hope there is still snow when you are home. See you next Friday! We are very happy you are coming home.

Kai Wei!

A RAINY DAY IN TAIPEI
(too bad I can't get the picture to change orientation!)
So we went to Jonah House today and picked up Kai Wei. We had a really nice time meeting him and going around Jonah House and meeting his friends and seeing his home of these past 2 years. He is very excited and nervous too. He did really well today and has been really sweet. As a matter of fact, after getting his own dinner tonight (at the hotel buffet) he came back to help me bring my coffee.

He thinks I know more Chinese than I do--so there is a bit of a communication gap! But we are getting along. I hope you enjoy the pictures and I posted some on yesterday's post too that I couldn't get to post last night. I think the trick is to do them one at a time.

Please pray for Daniel at home. I guess he is really missing us. Thanks and Good Night!

EATING LUNCH -- Chi wu fan



DANA & KAI WEI OUTSIDE TAIWAN STORY HOUSE
(Still a rainy day & still can't orient the picture :-)

More on our first day!

So Annie wins. I don't know how she posted so fast--as I thought they were getting ready for church when we called! The pictures from the video chat are good! It is NICE to be on the Taiwan end! The internet connection has been bad tonight. I hope I can get some pics posted of our day.

I don't have too much more to say other than that we all had a great day despite the COLD, DAMP, GRAY day. What's with this tropical island!?

HOTEL LOBBY



AT THE ZOO!
Sarah Grace is wonderful. She is very happy to be with us and was very cute and fun. She really showed a lot of interest in some exhibits at the zoo which we were glad to see. She loved using our video camera (used most of the battery taking pictures (the same pictures) of monkeys). She has been very affectionate and is not afraid to make her needs known which is great. It has been helpful to know the small bit of Chinese I've learned--I wish it was more. She knows a small bit of English too--so we're doing OK. She knows "what?" "there it is" "Wow" "O yeah" and numbers among other things. She is a little shy to talk to people for us (understandable--as most kids don't speak for the adults they are with!) I have to wonder if people wonder why she is with us. I think her age and the fact she is obviously not a fluent English speaker throws people off track. It is more usual for foreigners to be adopting babies OR coming back with their older children who do speak English but don't speak Chinese. The guy at the little restaurant asked her in Chinese who we were and why she was with us(in a nice interested, friendly way, probably because she had to help us order!). She said we were her parents. He seemed a bit puzzled but told us (in English) "she is so cute" and gave her a deck of cards from his shop!

AT THE ARCADE

They had a good day with Sarah Grace!

Well, Daniel and I just had a short chat with Mom, Dad and Sarah Grace. It's almost 9 there, so they have to bring her back to Jonah house for bedtime. Sarah Grace looked happy! Unfortunately, something is wrong with their microphone, so they can hear us, but we can't hear them and we have to communicate via the chat feature. They also kept losing their connection and had to reinitiate the call. They went to the zoo and Sarah Grace liked the animals and bugs. They didn't go on the gondolas, because she is afraid of them.

Hopefully they will update the blog later today with more info and pics!

WE'RE HERE!

It is very hard to believe. After 2 years of planning I somehow feel unprepared and at a loss. This hotel is quite nice, nicer than I would normally choose. But the price was right. It has about 10 floors with a middle atrium that goes all the way up and an enclosed balcony of plexiglas--so when Kai Wei gets here on Monday I can start to do my typical Mom thing and be afraid he will vault the 3 foot barrier and fall to his death. Why is it that moms think their kid have NO SENSE--at least when it comes to heights--Maybe because they do things like tie ribbons tightly around their neck and saw their hands with saws?

Anyway the trip here was very smooth and very uneventful. Thank God! I was really apprehensive, but I did great--so thanks for the prayers. On my own I really can't handle the idea of being 30,000 feet in the air and going 800mph. . . God really gave me a sense of peace. I've never been on such a long flight. They just kept feeding us (OK with us!) It is kind of surreal.

Speaking of surreal, the one airport we changed plans in has this funky tunnel with mood lighting and funky lava lamp type walls and weird piped in music. It connects one terminal to another. I had to wonder if that would be Kai Wei's first impression of America! I kind of hope not! He's a kid--he'll probably notice the snow!

So the picture is our one picture for today--Dana in Japan--sadly we didn't make it out of the airport and the scenery all day has been gray with black tarmac. (except for above the clouds!). Tomorrow we will see the sights. AND SARAH GRACE! And possible Kai Wei!

God Bless!