Day three

Gracie is doing well. She has been enjoying all the toys we brought for her. She has moved her continual affection onto a TY panda that I got at the apple and arts festival. Last night on the way home from dinner she left holding my hand and asked Chris to pick her up. Big step. Today we walked through a park across the street from our hotel. Very big, leafy, hilly, expansive park. We played at a playground for awhile and she basically wanted to ride the rocking spring toys for the whole time. She wanted us on with her as well. She would have done that for hours I think. As it was, we were there for probably 45minutes.

She seems to be a bright kid, sometimes deliberately naughty. We are working on that, but trying to be as lenient as we can, without encouraging her bad behavior and all the while trying to teach her appropriate behavior. This seems to happen mostly when she is tired.

She likes to be held and is a fashion queen, loving her clothes and her purse. She does not like things in her hair, however. She is alternately a 5 year old, a 3 year old, and a toddler in her behavior. We have her medical appointment at 3 today. Hoping that goes well and she is not too scared.

We can't wait to see what she is like when we get her home with the boys and on our regular schedule.

Love to all. Thanks for your prayers and support.

Gracie...first days

I know you all have been wanting an update, but it has been crazy keeping u with Grace and our appointments. Briefly, We had 45 minutes to get into our hotel room before we left to get Grace. She came first and we got down on the floor to play with her. She never got our package so she had never seen any of us before. I gave her the American doll we brought as well as a panda. She is completely attached to the doll, carries it everywhere. She was admiring my necklace so I gave her the matching one I brought for her. She loved that as well. She is either fingering the necklace or carrying the doll all the time. She has adjusted well. Got sad during her bath for some reason, but then had a great time. We definitely have a wild child sometimes. She is outgoing and talkative which is what we had been told. Her cleft is bad even with the repairs and she has trouble breathing while laying down. That is disappointing and little scary, but we will work it out when we get home. She talks nonstop. I just wish we could understand her! She sometimes repeats everything I say. And when I laugh at her, she laughs, which makes me laugh even more. She is a riot. She is eating a little better than we had expected, having been told that she only eats soft food and is hand fed. We had a rushed breakfast but then had McDonalds chicken nuggets for lunch. She ate almost all of a four piece meal (without the fries). For the most part she wants to feed herself. She is pretty independent. She likes both of us, but definitely prefers me to Chris for some things. We are about to go for a swim even though it is slightly raining outside. We went to check out the pool and she was having a blast when she was playing in the water. We had our meetings with the officials today and signed all the paperwork promising never to abandon or abuse her. We did promise, and now she is officially our child. We now have medical appointments and TB testing and waiting for her visa and passport to be prepared. Feeling very blessed. Thanks for all your prayers and good wishes. It is awesome to have you all behind us. Praying for you all as the hurricane approaches!

Last day as a family of 5

Today is the last day we will be the parents of three and a family of five. Tomorrow we meet Grace for the first time. It really is impossible to prepare for this moment accurately. So much is unknown. So, we wait and trust. Thank you for your prayers. We are doing so well. We have enjoyed our time here in Beijing and feel ready to meet Grace and start the adventure of being parents to a girl! We miss the boys. It feels like we have been here a lot longer than we have and we have many days to go. We will really be needing to see them by the time we are ready to travel home! They seem to have be having a good time with Grandma Jeannie. So thankful for that.

Today we went to the Forbidden City. If you saw "The Last Emperor", it was filmed here, about the last of the Mantua emperors, a boy king. It was an amazing palace that is so large and has so many corridors and courts that one cannot imagine. The rooves were painted gold and are so beautiful sparking in the sunshine. The smog has cleared the last two days and we had beautiful weather.

After the Forbidden Palace, we went to a Hutong village and got to ride on a rickshaw. It was very neat to see how the people of Beijing used to live. Hutongs are clusters of one story buildings surrounding a courtyard. There used to be thousands of these all over Beijing, but many were torn down to build the Olympic stadiums and parks, and many more to build the high rise buildings that are needed to house the 20 million residents of Beijing. Most people in Beijing live in these high rise buildings. Beijing has amazing architecture, some of the most unique I have seen in any city I have ever been.

When I say we meet Grace tomorrow, really for you, it will be the middle of the night Sunday into Monday. We leave the hotel here at 5am tomorrow! Not looking forward to that early morning wake up! We fly to Guangzhou and meet Grace in the afternoon, about 2:30 in the morning your time. So pray for us before you go to bed. And check Facebook sometime tomorrow. I will try to post pics if I am able.

Finally, I was given a verse a few weeks ago about this day. Exodus 3:5 says "Do not come any closer" says God, "Take off your shoes, for the place your are standing is holy ground". I did a little reading about this today and found a few ways in which this applies. First, you take off your shoes to leave behind the "schmutz" of the world, the dirt....to separate yourself from the dross. Also, shoes provide a protective layer so that you can walk without paying attention. Walking barefoot requires one to pay attention to each step. Truly, everywhere we walk is holy ground. Every action we take has a reaction, for good or for bad so you are not off the hook! But these first few moment and days with Grace really feel like holy ground. Moments that cannot be repeated or changed. Pray that we can leave the rest of the world at the door and focus intentionally and preciously.

The Great Wall

Today we went to the Great Wall of China. It was truly awesome. I have posted pics on Facebook as I have not really set up pics on this blog and it took a lot for Chris to post the one yesterday. Chris and I and one other Bethany parent, Paul Bloomquist hiked the whole way to the top watch tower. It was quite a feat. Then we had to go back down! My legs were shaking so bad as we got close to the bottom I was afraid I would fall. The views are amazing. Our guide Tom is very knowledgeable and told us about the building of the wall. Very interesting. We also visited a cloisonné factory and store on the way there. Amazing work these folks are doing. Very intricate. We also stopped at a Jade factory and learned a little bit about jade. Some beautiful creations there as well. Finally we went to the Olympic village and saw the birds nest and the water cube and the torch. It was an exhausting day. Chris and I  just split a bowl of seafood noodle soup for dinner and are showered and ready for bed at 8:29. We did room service because we are too exhausted to venture out to find food!

Getting so close to Grace day. Speaking with some of the other moms today they were talking about their anxieties and I was able to speak some words of peace to them. I hope it helped. Turns out we all three are reading the same devotional! Isn't that a cool thing God did? I am still relatively calm about the whole thing, enjoying the moments. Not sure how I will feel tomorrow evening! Hope I can keep this spirit of peace.

Please pray for Grace and her transition and for us. One more day here in Beijing, the Monday morning we head out on a early plane to Guangzhou and to our daughter. Wow! 

Love to all.

"stupid tax"

So today was our first full day in China. We woke early because we are still on east coast time, but we made use of the time, skyping the boys and getting breakfast early. Our breakfast buffet was so yummy and interesting I decided to take a picture. This is when I noticed that the battery was not in my camera. We soon discovered that not only was it not in my camera but it was actually still in Delmont plugged in on the kitchen island where I plugged it in Tuesday night. Oops. So, since we had no plans till 3 today, we decided to go find another battery. We walked around Beijing for nearly 2 hours looking for a market we never found and decided to get a taxi to take us to a tech market we had been told about. Well, we chose the wrong taxi driver, and he charged us ten times what he should have . Then we paid too much for a charger and battery. Approximately one hundred dollars later we are wiser in the ways of Beijing taxi hailing and fully equipped with our camera gear. We have paid our "stupid tax" for the day and hopefully for the trip. In case you are unfamiliar with the term, it just means that you were stupid and it ended up costing you money. That was us today!



We did finally make it to the Temple of Heaven, which is a very old temple compound here in Beijing. We took many pictures. Hope to be able to post some pictures here with the camera equipment that I remembered, the iPad/sd card converter. We also saw an awesome acrobatic show this evening. Those were some crazy flexible people.

I think all of us are getting antsy to meet our kids. It has been nice getting to know some of the other families , but I am ready to be done here and meet Grace. We bought a jet lag liquid formula and it must be working because even after our really busy day we feel pretty good. Tomorrow is the Great Wall of China. Should be awesome.

Love to all.

 2 more days till Grace.

We have arrived!

Well, after a late start in Pittsburgh due to a mechanical issue, and a run through Chicago O'Hare airport to make our connection, we were on our way! I was slightly overcome with emotion as the plane lifted from the ground, knowing we were leaving our safe comfortable life for something totally new. That nothing would ever be the same again.

The boys did very well this morning, with very few tears shed. Jude was tired and went back to bed.

The flight was long but relatively smooth. We were on the plane with 5other adoptive families, two that I have been connecting with online for sometime, Georgette Poppelmeier and Kelly Bloomquist.  We had lots of time to chat! There was also another Bethany family and another family from CCAI adoption agency. So exciting.

 We arrived in Beijing about 3am EST, 3pm Beijing time. We catnapped on the flight, but any substantial sleep is nearly impossible. It took over an hour to get to the hotel after meeting with our guide, Tom. Beijing is a big city covered in smog so thick you cannot see for more than a few miles ahead of you. It makes me a little sad for the people here and for our global environment. I pray that things will eventually change here the way they have changed in the States.

The people have been very friendly. We went to dinner with the Bloomquists at a local Chinese restaurant (Around the corner and down an alley). Food was good. We got 4 dishes to share and had 4 drinks, including 2 beers and the total was around $35.00. There is a Cuban cigar shop right next door to our hotel (you know who you are who was asking me about bringing Cuban cigars home).

We were in bed by 9, unable to stay awake any longer. I expected to sleep longer but we were up at 5, bodies still adjusting to this time zone. Not a lot planned today, which is good because rest will probably be on the schedule. We meet with our in-country coordinator at 3pm to talk about the details of our time here and see an acrobatic show at 4:30.

Thanks for all your prayers, facebook posts, and love. It is more appreciated than you can know.

Three more days to Grace!

Well, approximately 17 months of prayer, planning, paperwork, waiting, more prayer, more paperwork, more planning, and more waiting has culminated in this week: we leave tomorrow morning for Beijing! We spend a few days touring Beijing and allowing our bodies to adjust being on the opposite time schedule. We will be exactly 12 hours ahead of Eastern Standard time (2pm is 2am and vice versa).  We will see the Forbidden City, the Great Wall and several other historical sights (see itinerary attached below).

On the 29^th, in the afternoon, we meet Grace.  It will be sometime in the middle of your sleep Sunday night. We covet your prayers. Our sweet girl will be leaving all that she has ever known, with people she has never met, seeing and doing things she never imagined. It will be a time of major transition and most likely grief. Please pray for us and for our little girl. Pray that we can meet her needs with love and patience and Grace! Pray that she can come to trust us quickly and we can somehow communicate with her well enough to comprehend her needs.

God is so good. He has led us here and we can’t wait to see what the future holds for us and Grace.

Keep watch on Facebook or the blog. We will try to post updates if at all possible. We’ll be back on November 8. We plan to cocoon ourselves for at least a few weeks to give her a chance to process her new life, her brothers, and what it means to have them and this Mama and Daddy as her family.

Much love.

Christine

CHINA ITINERARY

Christopher & Christine Klemstine

Thursday  October 25, 2012             Arrive in Beijing via UA851@2:40 p.m.  Airport pickup.  Stay at Jianguo Hotel.

Friday        October 26, 2012             Orientation meeting at 3:00 p.m.  Acrobatic show at 4:30 p.m.

Saturday    October 27, 2012            Visit the Great Wall, Cloisonne Factory, Bird’s Nest.  Lunch included.

Sunday      October 28, 2012             Visit Tiananmen Square, the Forbidden City and Hutong Tour. Lunch included. 

Monday     October 29, 2012            Flight CA1351 (8:00-11:15) to Guangzhou.  Airport pickup.  Stay at the China              Hotel (Marriott). Receive your child in the afternoon.

Tuesday     October 30, 2012            Adoption registration and notarization.

Wednesday October 31, 2012          Apply for passport in the afternoon and medical exam.

Thursday     November 1, 2012        Visit White Cloud Hill Park.

Friday         November 2, 2012          Visit Guangzhou Zoo. 

Saturday     November 3, 2012         Afternoon meeting to prepare consulate documents.
             

Sunday       November 4, 2012         Visit Guangzhou Folk Art Museum or Safari Park with Shelley
            

Monday      November 5, 2012         Visa appointment. 8:30am

                

Tuesday      November 6, 2012         Pick up child’s visa in the afternoon.
              

Wednesday November 7, 2012        Free day. Shopping with Ann 10:30 starting at the Holiday Inn Shifu.
               

Thursday     November 8, 2012        Depart Guangzhou via NH934 @ 9:15 a.m. Arrive PIT 6:41pm.

Anxiety??...and travel itinerary!

Anxiety is the result of envisioning the future without Me. So the best defense against worry is staying in communication with Me. When you turn your thoughts toward Me, you can think much more positively. Remember to listen as well as to speak, making your thoughts a dialogue with Me.

If your must consider upcoming events, follow these rules: 1.) Do not linger in the future, because anxieties spring up like mushrooms when you wander there. 2.) Remember the promise of My continued Presence; include me in any imagery that comes to mind. This mental discipline does not come easily because you are accustomed to being God of your fantasies. However, the reality of My Presence with you, now and forevermore, outshines any fantasy you could ever imagine.

From ‘Jesus Calling’ by Sarah Young

This is a great devotion for me and my cohorts in the adoption community. It is a crazy, anxiety producing time. But we are oh so excited. We got our travel itinerary yesterday (see below)! We now know that we will be Grace on Monday November 29^th in the afternoon after our flight down from Beijing. I am imagining quite a crazy after noon. Arriving with all our luggage from Beijing, checking into our hotel, getting transported somewhere (or will she be brought to us??) and then the signing of all the paperwork, and then meeting Grace and bringing her into our family. This will happen in the middle of the night for you, as you are sleeping Sunday Night. So, if you think of us, please say a prayer before you sleep on Sunday. We will try to update when we can. God is so good.

October 25, 2012                 Arrive in Beijing via UA851@2:40 p.m.  Airport pickup.  Stay at Jianguo Hotel.

October 26, 2012                 Orientation meeting at 3:00 p.m.  Acrobatic show at 4:30 p.m.

October 27, 2012                 Visit the Great Wall, Cloisonne Factory, Bird’s Nest.  Lunch included.

October 28, 2012                 Visit Tiananmen Square, the Forbidden City and Hutong Tour. Lunch included. 

October 29, 2012                 Flight CA1351 (8:00-11:15) to Guangzhou.  Airport pickup.  Stay at the China Hotel (Marriott). Receive your child in the afternoon.

October 30, 2012                 Adoption registration and notarization.

October 31, 2012                 Apply for passport in the afternoon and medical exam.

November 1, 2012              Visit White Cloud Hill Park.

November 2, 2012              Visit Guangzhou Zoo.  The rest of your group arrives in Guangzhou this evening.

November 3, 2012              Afternoon meeting to prepare consulate documents.

November 4, 2012              Visit Guangzhou Folk Art Museum .

November 5, 2012              Visa appointment.

November 6, 2012              Pick up child’s visa in the afternoon.  

November 7, 2012              Free day.

November 8, 2012              Depart Guangzhou via NH934 @ 9:15 a.m.

Travel Approval!

We are so excited to tell you that we have been granted our travel invitation from China! It came today to our great surprise. The officials in China must have cleared their desks last week before they started their big mid Autumn festival week, thank you Jesus! Because even the US Embassy is on holiday this week, we will be unable to get a confirmed consulate date until after the US holiday of Columbus Day, so that will be October 9th. We plan to take a leap of faith and book our flights anyway trusting God that our consulate appointment will be scheduled either the 5th or 6th of November!

Thanks for your continued  prayers. We cannot believe that we will be leaving for China in 23 days!