Archives for March 2017

Well it took Josh Kelley 2 days, 2 meetings with 2 different airlines and a trip to the actual airport to get our flight fiasco all worked out, but Everett and his oxygen machine are approved to fly.  God is too good.  Thank you so so much for praying.

Josh met with Delta yesterday, but they ended up not being helpful.  Today he was gone for 3 hours to the China Southern office and then to the airport to talk with security.  I was feeling quite nervous when we reached the 3 hour mark.  I was already assuming bad news, but he walked in with good news.  We are just so relieved, thankful and cannot wait to get home.

The kids are with Josh at the pool right now.  It’s 8pm and raining, but they deserved a trip to the pool after being pretty cooped up in the hotel most of the day.  Josh’s trip out fell right around Everett’s nap so we just stayed in until he got back.

No sight seeing today.  Just movies and school work and playing in the hotel room.  By the way, Shuai is a lefty and it’s the cutest.  He also loves love loves to cut paper.

Tonight the hotel invited all the families who we’re adopting to a free dinner.  It was super nice.  There was lots of good food and drinks, but the sushi was THE BEST!!!!!  Seriously.  I actually stalked the sushi table once all the California rolls were gone because I really needed more of those rolls.  Solomon also brought Shuai a little bowl of mini chocolate chips.  It was the funniest thing watching him eat them.  Major love between him and mini chocolate chips.

Tomorrow is our last full day in China.  We’re heading to a safari park in the morning and I’m pretty excited to get out and about some more.  Then Thursday morning we head to the airport.  2 more sleeps.  We have so enjoyed China…deeply, but we are all ready for home and cannot wait to squeeze Amon and our littlest to pieces.

Tonight at dinner we went around and listed things we missed from home.  Amon & our littlest, our family & friends, sleeping in our own beds, Legos, karate class, classmates, teachers, bikes, the kids rooms, my morning workouts with Ashley & Alissa, my water bottle and filling it up at the sink.  It was nice to talk about home, but it’s even nicer tonight going to bed knowing this flight mess is done with.  Josh Kelley is relentless  and God opens doors.  We are incredibly grateful and know He is absolutely to be praised.  What a God we serve.

One week ago today we sat nervously in the adoption center in Zhengzhou and watched as our little guy walked through those doors.  One wild and precious week.  Watching him grieve is hard and sad.  I told Josh, I wonder what he’ll be like even just a week from now and here we are.  He is still absolutely processing what all is happening and I assume will continue to for a long long time, but man, what a difference just a week has made.

I met another mom at breakfast one morning and she and I sat by each other at our visa appointment this morning.  We talked about that one week…seven days, but wow what a difference we had seen in just that short time period.  It made us both teary.

Everett has been warming up so much faster in the morning.  Yesterday he was giggling at breakfast and this morning he was giggling before we left the room.  Every day we just move ever so slowly together in the direction of trust.  I cannot even fathom what his little mind and heart are feeling.  I’ll never come close to grasping his sense of loss…or Solomon or Amon’s for that matter.  So I pray.  I pray and pray and pray asking God to be everything they need…to fill in the gaps and mend hearts.

Everett isn’t refusing food anymore.  He eats and eats.  His initial reaction isn’t no every time now.  He’s less angry acting.  Less emotionless.  There’s less hitting.  He has not stood at the sink and let the water run over his hands any the past 3 days.  We are seeing what a funny little guy he is and how he throws up dueces in pictures all by himself.  He loves snacks and naps and funny faces and belly tickles and his medicine and watching himself in videos.

He does not like dirty hands or big crowds or a dirty pull-up 🙂  He still loves his sippy cup, but it’s less of an attachment now and more of just a way to get water.  He understands so much already and is such a good listener.  He mimics easily and knows who we are in photos.  He loves Josh to hold him when we’re out and about and he likes me to hold him at night when he wakes up.  He has snuggled in my arms and fallen asleep 3 times.  And why yes, I am counting.

He breaths so heavily his little chest moving so quickly, his heart rate is fast and his O2 levels are low.  He’s got the sweetest little purple lips I could kiss a million times over.  We’ve seen him run twice both times towards the spinning hotel door and it was the cutest.  We are so anxious to see what’s going on in his little heart and hear what the game plan will be.  The day we see pink lips and your typical colored & shaped fingers and toes will be a mighty good day.

Harper, Hudson and Solomon are smitten.  Their goal since meeting Everett has been to make him feel better.  They make him smile and giggle and do silly things.  They talk to him and he will say pretty much anything they will.  Sometimes we have to remind them he will be with us forever so there is time…no need to rush…no need to smother 🙂  Sometimes he gets overwhelmed by all of  us so we have to give him the space his little self needs.

We are incredibly anxious for Everett to meet Amon and our littlest.  We have all decided they are sure to be the best of friends and no doubt our littlest will probably boss him around the way she does Amon.  We imagine Everett and Amon are going to be the best of buds.  They are so similar in so many ways.  They love their naps and sleeping in random places and relaxing so chill like…hands behind their heads and legs crossed.  They love bubbles and bananas and shift their eyes to the side & up or down when thinking.  They make funny faces and love silly games.  And they both adore a bath.  Amon will be tickled to have a bath-mate again.

We’ve got a long way to go I know.  I do not want to fool myself, but I also do not want to overlook how God has moved in our son and in our family in just one weeks time.  One week.  One wild & precious week with this boy.  We sit in awe of Jesus everyday…His love, His grace, His redemptive ways, the good gifts He gives.  It is simply too much and our hearts are incredibly overwhelmed by His goodness.

Everett Louie Shuai, it has been an honor to be  your mama for an entire week.  Here’s to forever!

Well China just keeps getting better and better each day.  Just when I think I’ve seen and learned about my most favorite thing a new day arrives and I sit amazed yet again.  Today might have been my favorite site seeing thus far.  Of course The Great Wall was thrilling, but so far at the top of my list had been the Hutong Courtyards & The Sun Yat-Sen Memorial, but today took the cake for many reasons.

Everett was more quickly comfortable this morning than he’s been so far.  I told Josh Kelley the other day I feel like Shuai feels like he’s in Groundhog’s Day where he wakes up thinking it’s a new day…back to his regular life he’s been use to… and to his shock he is with us…again.  Each morning he has been so somber and it usually takes him a while to warm up and show some of his funny little personality.  This morning Josh had him giggling at breakfast which was just the sweetest thing in all the lands.  A) Josh was touching him and he was not ticked about it.  B)  He was laughing and being silly back.  And C)  He was okay with all of it.  Every day we are seeing these small steps as he moves in the direction of trusting us.  It is such an honor to try and prove ourselves to him.  And Hudson’s face as he watched on…oh my goodness do I love that kid.

For the afternoon we headed out first to the Chen Family Temple which is basically a giant folk art museum.  This was my favorite thing!!!!!!!!  There were all kinds of art pieces…woodcarvings, stone carvings, vases, lacquered hanging art, ivory carvings, scrolls, furniture, ornate carved houses for gods and on and on and on.  So so gorgeous and interesting.  It was also all outside with little rooms off beautiful courtyards with blossoming trees and flowers.  Absolutely my favorite.

Each room of art was usually done by one artist, but the insane carvings done all through out the temple and on the roof were done by lots of different artists.

There was also a scroll shop with tons of painted scrolls and a calligraphist in the shop who would write on the scroll you purchased.  We picked out an incredible scroll and figured the artist would just right Kelley on it, but then they brought out a Chinese/English Bible and asked if we wanted a scripture.  I looked over at Josh and he looked down at his panda shirt.

We watched as she wrote in Chinese calligraphy Romans 12:12:

“Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.”

I cried watching her work.  Those words.  That promise.  From our God who knows, loves and sees us so deeply and truly.  One of the things I have told myself over and over and over again during this fast and furious journey to Shuai is that God knows and loves him more than I ever could and that His plans for him are perfect.  Trust that immeasurable love Laura.  Tomorrow we have our visa appointment and head over to the local Delta office so reading over those words and watching them written out in the most special way in this special place just floored my heart.  Isn’t God too good?!?!?

After The Chen Family Temple we headed over to see the Five Goats Statue.  Earlier in the day Hudson told me, “Mom when I heard we were seeing the Five Goats Statue all I could think was that it would be like 5 goats stacked on top of one another.”  Nailed it.  That’s exactly what it was and it was so interesting and quirky and fun.  This went to the top of my sight seeing list too.

We walked through a lush shaded park with red lanterns and flowers everywhere.  Then we walked to the top of a long staircase and there was the giant 5 goats statue.  There’s a really neat legend behind it about a famine and how 5 celestial beings riding 5 goats came down to the city of Guangzhou and gave the people grains of rice.  Since then Guangzhou has never experienced another famine.  We have really enjoyed all the stories and tales about Chinese history.

Laura Kelley China Fun Fact:  I have received zero of the funny attention that everyone else in our family has the entire trip and I am fully okay with that.  The kids are basically famous people here, Josh Kelley has signed autographs…totally a true story…and Shaui is even quite popular because of his signature sit while out and about with his legs crossed and hands behind his head…the Chinese people think he’s a trip too, but me, nada.  Nothing.  Zero.  Zilch.  On the interesting meter I am a -3.  🙂  Until today.

A young man walked over and said, “Can I take your picture?”  I was totally taken back by this, but agreed and then stood there all alone in front of the giant goat statue and smiled like a giant dork for this random guys pic.  Just call me famous you guys.  Now, we all know what will happen with that picture right?  It is inevitable I will now be the face for some Chinese Refresh Beauty aging cream that claims I’m really 53, but now only look 43 and later will claim I’m really only 47, but now look 37.  Ahhh, fond memories.  That was seriously I could think as I stood there grinning ear-to-ear for this random dude.

We’re winding down now for the night.  We ate McDonalds of all things for dinner.  And you know what, it was delicious.  My BIL Andy said it was better here and he was correct.  We all thought so.  Josh took the kids to the pool and Shuai is sleeping.  Last night I had the sweetest 2 minutes with him where he fell asleep in my arms.  He didn’t fight me or hit me or cry.  He felt comfortable enough to let his little guard down and fall asleep snuggled in my arms.  It was brief before he woke back up, but I counted it a major victory.  And tonight he did the same thing, but this time a little longer.  I could have sobbed a river on his little body.  It was the sweetest thing snuggling our new guy.

So tomorrow we’re up bright and early…7:40am to be exact…for our visa appointment and then on to the Delta office.  Thank you for praying with us and over us and for us about this flight fiasco.  We are just trusting our God…the Creator of the world…to open these doors and make a way.

We had another amazing day in China.  We are seriously trying to soak up every second and just feel so honored to see and learn about China first hand like this.  Some homesickness has set in and we are definitely missing Amon, our littlest and family and friends, but China is really amazing.

Everett had a good night and slept like a champ.  He’s still sleeping a lot during the day too, but today he actually slept a little less.  We also saw more of his personality today which was really sweet and encouraging.  He is just freakin’ precious and we all cannot wait to snuggle the crap out of this kid 🙂

For breakfast he tried ALL THE BREADS!!!  It was adorable.  And he took the littlest bite out of each one of them.  So far oranges, bananas and yogurt are his go-to breakfast foods.

We went to a grocery store today which was so fun.  I love love love grocery stores in other counties.  I think it is a blast picking out all the snack foods.  Chips, candies, crackers, treats…just let me try them all.  We brought home quite the sampling and so far only had one major strike out…we thought we were buying dried orange fruit, but instead got dried orange peels…they are crazy potent.  We gave one to Shuai and he chucked it across the room.

We have only eaten at one place twice so far here in China.  Every lunch and dinner we try another new place.  Today we found a little ramen stand.  Everyone loved it…especially Shuai.  It was also nice for our whole family to eat on about $2.

After lunch we went out for some more sight seeing.  First we walked around the Qing Ping Market.  This was a blast!!!!  The market is basically a giant pet/herbal medicine market.  There were dogs, cats, fish, turtles, lizards, rabbits, hamsters and scorpions.  And WHOA…the giant bowls full of scorpions kind of weirded me out.  I just kept imagining them getting dumped out and what would happen after that, ummmmm, probably Armageddon.

There was also a whole section for herbal medicines.  We saw lots of super interesting dried things: sea horses, starfish, giant mushrooms, sea cucumbers, snakes and more.  The smell was really different…very medicinal…kind of like oils on steroids.

The last place we enjoyed today was Shamian Island.  It was beautiful.  Big trees and flowers everywhere.  Cobblestone streets.  Little touristy shops.  And fun treats like ice cream and cotton candy.  There’s a manmade canal that makes it an island and “shaiman” means covered by sand.  It used to be the main area for families adopting, but is really popular among locals because of it’s European architecture.  And I thought this was so interesting, but the same artist created all the statues on Shamian Island.

We walked around for a few hours and found some fun gifts for family and friends back home and each kiddo picked out a pocket watch necklace.  So random I know, but they love them.  And I finally found a mahjong game which was the one thing I really wanted to come home with.

(I spelled Shamian wrong.  Wah, wah!)

(We tried to get him to stand in line with the kid statues, but he was not having it.)

Shuai just rode around in his stroller the whole time.  Shopping is not his thing at all.  We bought him a little bubble wand and it was the best $1 we spent.  He absolutely loved the bubbles.  He reminds us so much of Amon, who loves bubbles too!!!

Josh and I tried to get a picture together.  Dang kids!

We’re all about to crash for the night after yet another yummy dinner.  Tomorrow we’re doing some more sight seeing around town and then Monday is our visa appointment.  We gathered all our documents today and filled out what should be officially our last piece of paperwork.  China has been amazing, but home is sounding really good.

Thank you so much for all the prayers you guys are praying on behalf of our family and Everett’s flight.  I simply cannot say thank you enough.  When I say they mean the world, we really mean that.  We are incredibly grateful.  Right now we are still waiting on some doctors’ letters and then on Monday morning we are going to the local Delta office…they are closed for the weekend.  Praying they will be able to help get something done.

Since getting Everett we’ve stayed in our hotel rooms quite a bit.  He is still adjusting of course and is napping a lot.  He gets quite grumpy when we wake him prematurely so we’ve been trying to let him sleep as much as he needs.  He has been so quiet and somber.  Josh calls him Silent Bob 🙂  Every day we get a little more of a glimpse into his personality and it makes my heart soar.

 Right now he does not love being touched (outside of being carried around) or snuggled, but yesterday we were able to tickle him a bit and get him to laugh a little.  Today he played some in the hotel and was being silly.  I just sat there in awe of his little self.  These little glimpses don’t last long, but one day this will all be a distant memory.  I cannot wait for the day when I can snuggle him to smithereens and get him to really belly laugh.

The big kids have been handling the hotel life with trips to the pool and short outings here and there. The weather is beautiful here, but not hot so the pool water hit right around 60 degrees.  Way too cold in my opinion, but they all still took the plunge.  They bounced back and forth between the cold water and the hot tub.  We were the only people at the pool the entire time along with our personal lifeguard 🙂

We’re starting to get out more with Shuai.  He either wants Josh to carry him or he loves the stroller and lounges just like Amon does.  He and Amon actually remind us of each other so much.  We cannot wait for them to meet.  #BFF

The other night we got out for some dinner (by the way we are trying ALL THE FOODS and are soooooo loving everything) and also went into a 7/11 market.  Shuai was hilarious just walking around and gathering up all kinds of snacks into his arms.  We were all laughing and just losing it over how cute he was.

Today we went to a local market/mall.  It was HUGE!!!!!!!!  So many stores and pretty overwhelming, but we still did some shopping.  Chinese dresses for Harper and our littlest, bracelets, key chains, chopsticks, fans, bracelets, ornaments, magnets, paper lanterns and more.  It was really fun seeing everything and picking goodies out to take home to family and friends.  The kids were all on the lookout for gifts for their teachers and classmates.  Harper scored the cutest panda pens for her class and the boys picked out fun pencil sharpeners for theirs.  They are all missing home a bit and especially their school friends and teachers.

“Oh my gosh, please hurry up already.”  This kid!  You guys, he is a total trip.

We also went to the Sun Yat-Sen memorial.  It was GORGEOUS.  Oddly enough this might be one of my favorite places we’ve been so far.  It was simple and small, but so pretty.  The architecture was crazy beautiful and there were flowers and big canopy trees everywhere.

I knew nothing about Sun Yet-Sen before this stop, but found everything so interesting especially that he and Mao had a little beef between each other, but then not.  Confusing right?!?!?  It was not crazy busy and they had little stamp stations through out the place for people to check off areas they’d been to.  There were lots of families and small groups getting their different stamps.  I snagged one for my little China sketch book too.

Tomorrow we are getting back out for the Qing Ping Market and Shamian Island.  We’re all excited to be getting out more and more.  And in 6 days we’ll hopefully be headed towards home.  We miss Amon and our littlest a ton and cannot wait to get Shuai home.

Thank you again for all the prayers and crazy kind words.  I really cannot say that enough.

Yesterday was our most eventful day in China so far.  We headed to the airport at 8:30am to fly from Zhengzhou to Guangzhou.  Everything was packed and ready to go.  This was going to be our test flight to see how Everett’s little heart handled a flight.  Before leaving for China we had to get a special Delta approved oxygen machine and a certain number of batteries all required by Delta.  It was the biggest mess and made me never want to fly Delta again, but we needed that flight and we needed an oxygen machine so we did what we had to do.

When we arrived for our flight in Zhengzhou we started to check in, showed our Delta paperwork and all our paperwork from our doctor.  Then began the longest process to try and make this flight happen.  Wendy, our guide and translator, was working so hard on behalf of our family and Shuai.  Josh Kelley was pissed to say the least and his mustache was in quite the tizzy.  The airline was refusing to let Shuai fly due to his health.  Paperwork was shown.  Explanations were given.  We even called Shuai’s doctor here in China and had him explain to the airline.  Still they wouldn’t budge and refused our son his flight.

While Josh and Wendy were fighting I remembered something on my phone.  Way back in April of last year I woke up one night with a very specific message I felt was from Jesus.  Let me say here before you think I’m super in-tune to God’s voice…I’m not…I’m terrible at hearing Him and feel like I never have these moments so when they do happen which is crazy rare I document it asap.  I grabbed my phone that night and pecked out the date, time and words.

When we get there, I unlock doors.  4/14/16 10:40pm

I had not thought about the message since…until now.  As I watched Josh fight on behalf of our son I gathered the kids and we just asked God to unlock doors.  I knew those words were for our family in this moment.  Not knowing what would happen we knew we had to trust and believe nothing about our day had surprised God and that He would be His faithful self.

Our airline refused to let Shuai fly.  Wendy then  tried the other airline who had flights going to Guangzhou and again he was denied.  Wendy said the first airline talked with the other airline before we could get to them.  Wheels immediately started to turn because one of the airlines who denied Shuai is the airline our first flight for home is with from Guangzhou to Beijing.  Cindy immediately started calling colleagues to try and get this mess figured out.

Josh and the big kids went ahead and took the flight to Guangzhou.  Shuai and I waited as Wendy took them through security.  We waited and waited and waited.  Then Wendy came running back with the O2 machine and all the batteries because security wouldn’t let Josh through with them.  Their flight was leaving soon and now Wendy and I had to race to the train station to catch a 7 hour train ride to Guangzhou.

The race was on and while riding in the van I nervously ate one remaining Goo-Goo cluster I had brought as part of gifts we gave out.  That part makes me laugh. I wish you could have seen me.  It was not pretty.  We pulled up to the train station, I strapped Shuai in his stroller (Marcie…the stroller has been a life saver), Wendy ran in to get our tickets and then we sprinted though the station to try and catch the train.  We made it just in time.  I kissed Shuai on the cheek in celebration, he wiped it off…it’s what he does…but then he kissed my cheek ever so softly and I died.  I squealed and smothered him in more kisses all of which he wiped away, but who cares?!?!?!?!?!  My boy kissed me.

Then we settled into a long 7 hour train ride.  Shuai was super tired and grumpy and scared.  He slept a lot.  Cried some.  Took a couple of swings at me 🙂  Refused to eat and drink.  Threw a cracker. I might have broken down into the biggest sob while everyone around us looked on in semi horror.  What was wrong with this lady?!?!?!  I can laugh now, but man it was not pretty.  It was more not pretty than me stuffing my nervous face with a Goo-Goo cluster.  Hahahaha.  I bit every finger nail I had off on the train.  It was just kind of a mess.

Shuai went from my lap to his seat and back and forth 1000 times over the 7 hours.  He was quiet and somber.  I read him books and he played with 3 post-it notes briefly.  I listened to Hillsong Young & Free, journaled and creepily stared at him while he slept.  We also worked on the ‘more’ sign all thanks to handsantizer.  Wringing his hands is comforting to him so he loves loves loves handsanitizer.  Figured we might as well start on some sign language.

While Shuai slept I remembered another message on my phone.  One day shortly after starting the process for Shuai, but not sharing with anyone just yet my friend Amber sent me a text with Joshua 1:9 and said she just felt like she was suppose to send it.  I am always so encouraged by things like this…when God is speaking to other people about me or our family…and then they choose to share it.  I grabbed my Bible and looked up Joshua 1:9.  I know the gist of the verse, but I wanted to see it word for word.

“Have I not commanded you?  Be strong and courageous.  Do not be frightened and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”

The exact words my heart needed in such a stress filled moment and time.  Here I was on a train, in China, alone with my new three-year-old who has been with us for 2 days, who is grieving and sad, and wondering how on earth is our flight home going to work out and did I mention alone?  But that’s not what the verse says…the Lord your God is with your wherever you go.  And I knew He was.

We finally arrived in Guangzhou and made it to our hotel around 9pm.  We were hungry and exhausted.  It had been the craziest day.

We all crashed after some tasty local Chinese and everyone slept so good.  Shuai only woke up twice and both times went back to sleep.  I must say it is the sweetest hearing him in the middle of the night call out “mama”.

Today has been pretty chill.  He had his medical appointment this morning and did awesome except when they took labs which made him and me cry.  This kid is tearing our hearts into pieces.  He is the sweetest and seeing him really cry hard for the first time was pitiful.

As always our day was full of good food and naps.  Josh has been working on flight stuff.  We’re just not sure how all this is going to play out.  The airline says we need a note from a Chinese doctor with a stamp saying he can fly.  The hospital said no one in China will give us that so called letter.  Now our agency is trying to get a letter from Shuai’s doctor back in Zhengzhou.  It just feels so messy, but we know that we know that we know God is good, faithful and always in control.  We are choosing to believe He will unlock these doors and make a way.

If you would pray with us about our flights home we would be so grateful.  Your kindness and encouraging words and prayers already have amazed us.  You guys are the nicest.  Thank you for joining in our excitement about Everett…he really is amazing.  God has truly yet again blessed our socks off with another amazing kiddo.