Hosting, First 2 weeks

The first few days of Yangcai's visit felt so awkward and uncomfortable. I was so nervous I ended up making myself ill. I did not get to enjoy our first dinner together. I couldn't even be in the same room. Thankfully my parents had been invited to a Chinese New Year (late)/Valentine's/Welcome Yangcai dinner and they were able to help serve the Chinese take-out.

Opening valentine's treats and cards.

Yangcai's (pronounced YoungThai) quickly fell into routine with our kids. He had no obvious jet lag. Amazing! And went to bed and stayed in bed as long as Mason.

I am so grateful that my boys made Yangcai feel so welcome. It's so much easier having them be an example especially with the language barrier.

He is not showing much interest in any of these toys now, but for the first 2 days he was very busy.

 

He quickly learned how to relate to each boy, Avery is a whole other story. She is giving him a run for his money. As she does the rest of us. I am now seeing glimpses of a friendship two weeks in.

He seems more comfortable in Costco than any other store. Hmm...

Swinging has become his favorite activity. I had the honor and privilege of teaching him to pump his legs and swing on his own. I almost made myself sick in the process but it was SO worth it. He and Avery can swing a really long time. It's a sensory thing- I think.

 

This may sound strange, but in some ways Avery has been thrust into an older sister role. Not by age obviously, but by length of time in our family. With the addition of Yangcai, she has lost some of her "baby" status. It's been really really good for her and I've seen some obvious maturing in her. Don't get me wrong it's not been easy, but in the long run she and I both needed this. She gets away with entirely too much and demands a lot of attention. With Yangcai here the attention isn't as devoted to her and I am too distracted to cave-in. 

We go to playgrounds as much as we can. I am so thankful this winter has been mild!

He likes to make me laugh and freak out/stop breathing ;)

We've played a lot of games.

He learned to ride a bike on the 2nd try. Amazing.

Dynamite

These two could play video games non-stop. UGH!

The adjustment to 5 kids was rough, I am not going to lie. But in less than 2 weeks it almost feels normal. The hardest part is how my heart struggles on a moment to moment basis with the reality of where he has come from and where he is going. Neither of which I really know anything about. Families/parents play such a vital role in the making of each child. He has missed out on SO much, it tears me up. The first week he was here, I think I cried every day, simply begging God to SHOW me that I can trust His plan for Yangcai. I am not done begging and I am sure there will be a lot more. Thankfully His word promises us that He knows the plans he has for us. Give me faith, Lord to believe in your promises.

"Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be." Psalm 139:16

 

For now I will continue to choose love and God is giving me the strength and a little help from my friends. We've received yummy meals, extra spending money and the occasional free activity donated.

My friend Amy, who speaks Mandarin is pouring out the love. She has become fast friends with each boy and they are constantly begging her for a play date. She is making herself available to help when the other host mom's are working. Please pray for her as communicates with each one and answers so many of their questions and the host parent's questions.

The three boys staying in Richmond are not from the same orphanages. They are becoming friends and it's a honor watching their friendships grow.

 Amy and Je Ti made homemade play dough, a big hit!

One of the other host moms and myself took the 3 boys and Avery to a trampoline arena. They had SO much fun. The slack line was Yangcai's favorite part.

It is pretty obvious the boys don't get a lot of exercise. I was not surprised when my active girl out jumped them :)

We have a fun week planned. Please pray for my bio kids. They are doing their very best, but a long term house guest is difficult on everyone. Their patience is wearing thin, thankfully not all at the same time.

Getting to know Yangcai and friends

I am finding SO little time to do much other than take care of this BIG family of mine. I desperately want to be sharing my heart and thoughts while Yangcai is here. I can't write much now, but I want to spread the word about an event happening this weekend.

If you want a causal way to meet any of these boys or have any questions about the craziness of hosting, then I have the perfect opportunity for you. This Sunday 2/28 at 12 pm we are hosting a luncheon at our church. All three host families will be present, please join us for awkward noodle slurping. No chopstick skills required ;) Details can be found on our church orphan care blog here.

This is an awesome post from my friend, Tracy's blog. She posted about all 3 boys. Please read here.

And finally, I can't tell you how much good this impromptu pizza lunch date was for my heart. Turns out he LIKES pizza! I love pizza and it was SO fun to realize this about him, to connect with him even if we ate in silence.
I long to "know" my kids and each time we introduce someone new to our family whether biological, adoption or now hosting, I tend to panic in stomach-ill, sort of way. It boils down to wanting to know those I live with, partly because I like things to be predictable (God is helping me with that to) but mostly because my heart wants to know how to love and care for those closest to me.
This is one of the hardest things I have ever done, but God is working in all of us. I hope to be more specific soon.

Welcome Yangcai

The week prior to Yangcai's arrival was full of mixed emotions. It reminded me of my pregnancy nesting days and the days leading up to Avery's gotcha; all preparations for someone I had never met but had prayed for so much.

Ryan gave up his bed for the month (he is rooming with Owen) and Mason graciously agreed to room with a stranger. Sacrifices of love; good lessons learned.

Our wait at the airport was slightly comical and slightly annoying. We had no specific directions other than their flight number. They did not exit when all the other people from their plane did, we still don't know what happened.

A majority of the 3 families were present. A few stayed back for the father-daughter dance at our church.

My dearest friend, Courtney lives close enough that our families got to visit and they came to the airport. Such a blessing for my very nervous heart.

The confusion of greeting someone you don't know when you don't speak the same language.

Yangcai immediately volunteered to gather the luggage which he did very well considering he'd never seen any of this before.

I was so thankful and proud of my boys for welcoming him with open arms. Yangcai was a jokester the moment he stepped off the plane and continues to keep us laughing.

What a typical boy. A peace sign and a goofy face with his food.

In Good Hands

On Feb 3, EJ and I, drove with Ryan and Avery to Columbus, Ohio, to Nationwide Children's Hospital. Avery is a new patient there at the Center for Colorectal and Pelvic Reconstruction. They are one of the best centers in the country concerning her birth defect.

She had four different appointments in 2 days, the final appointment in the OR under anesthesia for two exploratory scopes. We now know the inter workings not-inter-workings of her precious little body. Be glad I am vague, trust me.

She was such a little trooper and so was Ryan who did a lot of of sitting and waiting around.

The hospital was filled with carved animals. I think Ryan took his picture with at least 10.

More waiting

He ate lots of hospital hamburgers. Ha! We kept him busy with crafts from home and he also spent an hour each day in the hospital "club house" child watch bc he could do more crafts :)

We stayed both nights at the Ronald McDonald house. It happens to be their largest facility. A converted apartment complex and newly done! Such a blessing to stay there and we are grateful for the folks who donated so much to help provide an extremely affordable and loving place for families with sick children.

 
It was directly across the street. A short-cold walk and we were at the hospital.

The local ice hockey team sponsored an indoor play area in one of the stairwells.

After the first day of lots of pokes and prods we ALL needed a little treat to share :)

The second day was A LOT of waiting and more waiting for OR time.She kept all the nurses and doctors on their toes with her questions. Even asked to see their photo ids. We may have the making of a pediatrician on our hands ;) If she only didn't fall and hit her hand so much.

Ninja moves with glitter baton. 

After she woke up from her quick procedure and she was happy to see us.

She recovered quickly and tried walking all over the hospital in her woozy state. Somethings never change. Thankfully she didn't injury herself. A quick lunch on day 2 and then an 8 hr drive home. We were ever so thankful to be home and fall into our own beds. The big boys returned the next day after skiing and going to an indoor water park with my parents!

Overall, we are very happy with our decision to take her to Columbus. This is where she needs to be seen. The Drs were wonderful and gave us the time and attention we needed. They are very optimistic. They were pleasantly surprised by the surgery repair she had in Ch1na. Once again, we see God's hand clearly with her, when we were not.
She will be going back again, but nothing has been scheduled yet. For now we are scheduling a local MRI and changing her bowel management routine a little.

Snow Days

On January 22nd we were hit by a blizzard that lasted 2 days. 12 inches is pretty deep for our area. 

 (Owen)

The kids missed 4.5 school days so I had to get creative after awhile. Homemade puffy paint thanks to pinterest,

 Flower power

 Silly Daddy

For the most part I really enjoyed all the time they had off from school. Not as much "me time" of course but not doing homework and packing lunches, etc. is nice for awhile.