Wednesday, April 21, 2010

One More Makes 6

First let me apologize for the lack in blogging. Between two teenage boys who like to play games on the computer, and a 4 year old who likes to watch movies on the computer I don't get much time on here. Plus, it takes forever for the pictures to upload. I will hopefully be able to post more once we get in Guangzhou.

We flew to Hohhot on Tuesday and arrived in the early evening. Just as we arrived at the airport in Beijing Elva called to let me know exactly how things were going to be handled with Drew. She was able to take him to Hohhot on the train and spend all of Tuesday with him, but because of work she had to leave at 5. Since we weren't supposed to arrive in Hohhot until seven Drew was going to be left in the care of the orphanage for a couple of hours. The thought of him having to not only say good bye to his foster family and Elva terrified me. Elva assured me that he would be fine and that she has been preparing him. She even let me talk to him on the phone. As soon as he got on the phone he said "Momma come get me, hurry."

Anyway, Elva had made sure that we would get Drew as soon as we got to our hotel. The orphanage staff were going to bring him to our hotel no matter what time it was. So, as soon as we got to our hotel (which is amazing), and were on our way up to our room I saw Drew sitting on a couch with two other women. As soon as he saw me he got up and ran straight into my arms. He was fine and just so happy to see us.

He is doing well, but is very stubborn and has been spoiled beyond imagination. It is going to take some time (lots of time) for him to understand that throwing fits will get him nothing. If he wants something, he wants it now and will stomp and whine to get his way. That is SO not going to work in our family. He is learning, but like I said earlier it is just going to take time and patience on our part.

Drew LOVES to eat, the only problem is that he is used to eating "crap." Here is an example. When we went to The Great Wall, his foster mom packed a lunch for him. I was curious to see what she had packed and was pretty surprised when I opened the bag to find nothing but crackers and cookies. So, that is something else we are going to have to work on. He also LOVES ice cream and expects is almost daily.

Drew is very happy and was definitely loved by many people. He has the most infectious laugh and is very ticklish. He is going to get along so well with Gabe. Actually, those two may be trouble. He is very loving and affectionate and is always giving hugs and kisses. He will look in the mirror and kiss himself. Ho will tell complete strangers he loves them just to get a reaction.


Before we left Nanjing we were able to do a little shopping and we came across some movies in Chinese so we bought a few to see if Drew would watch them. He LOVES them and we will definitely be looking for more in Guangzhou.


Drew slept with me the first night (and every other night) and he slept pretty hard. he woke up the next morning, sat up and said "Good morning!"


On Wednesday morning we were met in the hotel by the orphanage staff and Government Officials to finalize Drew's adoption. There is another family here from our agency so they were there too. It took about two hours because we had to wait on everyone to arrive, but once they did it didn't take long and Drew is officially a Yager now.







This has was given to Drew as a gift from the orphanage. It is part of the traditional Mongolian outfit. Today we went out and were able to get a few more hats and outfits for him to have later.


Hohhot is very different than I expected. There is literally NOTHING to do. We are SO bored. There is a few shopping malls down he street from our hotel, but they are very expensive and have pretty much the same things we can get at home. Food wise there aren't a whole lot of choices either. We have eaten at McDonlads the past few days for lunch and tonight we will eat in the hotel restaurant. We are ready to go to Guangzhou as there are alot more sights to see and places to eat.

13 comments:

Anonymous said...

The update is wonderful! It is great to see pictures and hear that everything is going well. We miss you all greatly and can't wait to hear all your stories once you are home.
Love,
Kelli

Connie J said...

Praise the Lord for His perfect timing, in every phase of this journey! We are so glad Drew is finally with you forever. Love the pictures, Mandi!
PS, I know me something about STUBBORN :)

MJ said...

Awesome!! Evan was so totally spoiled too! It's amazing how temper tantrums look the same 6500 miles away isn't it?! So it looks like Drew's learning the same ropes as Evan...the NO ropes. :0) What a blessing that with all their spoiling, they have been loved on so much! We have found that Evan was very well prepared and excited for us. Sounds the same with Drew. How so very, very sweet, he ran into your arms at the hotel. What an absolute blessing. God is so good!

Tami said...

You have TWO very brave boys there!!!

So glad things went smoothly for the final transfer...and so very happy that you now have 2 more sons...FOREVER!!! Congratulations!!

I know New Day prepares their children so well for what is going to come and what a blessing the orphanage obviously puts the emotional welfare of their children first above their conveneience as well. Being willing to transfer Drew to you at the hotel at WHATEVER time you arrived is testament to that.

Enjoy!!!

Hugs,
Tami

Tara Anderson said...

I can't tell you how many times I've gone to the New Day site just to see Drew (and Evan's) picture listed under "Adopted". It doese my heart good!!! I'm so glad you have your boys...it just still seems so incredible to me! Our God is SO amazing!!!

The Ferrill's said...

Oh Mandi what a wonderful update...love the pictures of Drew--he looks so at home! Praise the Lord!
I read your post below and just wept for Jaxon and you as you both were crying...but what a sweet moment for Jaxon to see your compassion for him.
This is just the beginning of a new life for you all...so much for everyone to learn! Drew, Jaxon, Mom, Dad, even brothers and sisters will learn so much. You are right where the Lord wants you!
As far as Drew being spoiled, is there something wrong with crackers and cookies for lunch? HAHAHAHA...I'm just kidding! I do tend to err on the side of junk when it comes to food, though. I'm afraid I would be ALL ABOUT crackers and cookies for lunch! :) And ice cream everyday? WHAT A DREAM COME TRUE! I bet your other kiddos are saying "Yeah, Drew! bring on a new tradition!" :) That makes me smile big!
Praying for you all in AL!

Cari said...

Hey Mandi! I don't know what happened but I never saw any post updates since the one from April 15th. I was wondering how things were going and then all of the sudden I have all these posts to catch up on. The one about Jaxon titled "Bravery" really got to me. I'm so glad that you were able to show him that it was okay to cry especially for a guy his age. He is one handsome kid! I'm praying for you guys as I remember so vividly the emotional and physical stress and exhaustion at times of all of this. I pray that God will renew your strength daily. I'm so glad that you brought your older son with you. That helped us to bring our older daughter when we met our new daughter in the Caribbean. We plan to bring her again with us when we return to bring our other daughter home. Hopefully, you'll be in Guangzhou soon...it's so much more fun there and to be able to just get out an walk daily around the island. {hugs}

shelley said...

Such a beautiful family. Thank you so much for sharing your story.

Is your older boy from Wuxi? The director and nannies look JUST like the ones who dropped off our children last year. Our boy came from Wuxi.

Brendan and Melissa said...

TWO posts in one day! How lucky are we! Oh, you are going to have your hands full. Two very different boys with oh-so-different needs. And yet they both need YOUR family and "fit in" in just incredible ways. Can't wait to see you all...

Anonymous said...

He is beautiful! One of my daughters was spoiled too! She had to learn too! Her dad declares that she must have been royalty and they let her out by mistake.:) My oldest daughter is from Nanjing.

TanyaLea said...

This was a fun update to see! Love all of these photos of Drew with your family. Those cheeks of his are so darn kissable!! ;)

And what a blessing that he was so well prepared. I think it may have also been a blessing in disguise that Elva left him with the orphanage staff before you arrived, as this way you weren't the one taking him away from Elva. So by the time you arrived and he seen you and your familiar face...when he seen HIS new family and his mama...he felt safe again and ran straight into your arms. What a beautiful and tender moment to witness. I'm curious what he and Jaxon think of eachother? This is one amazing journey your family is on, and SOOOOO beautiful to witness! I love seeing you with your sons!!!

Praying for healing hearts and continued trust and bonds to be formed in the days ahead. Enjoy your time together...it is such a priceless treasure and each of these days are a gift!

Blessings and Hugs,
~ Tanya

Tara said...

hi mandi. i love reading these posts and am overcome with happiness for your family. i absolutely cannot wait until you get home and we moms can get together and hear all the details!

love ya,

tara

1001tears said...

So happy I found your blog on RQ. Your kids are soooo cute. I love seeing kids find their forever families!

Blessings to you!
Amy
www.1001tears.blogspot.com