It is hard to believe that we are down to our last few days here in Guangzhou. Funny how you can make a home most anywhere when you are with the people you love. Our little hotel room (#1529) has become home to Chaeli here in China and she is getting very used to her routine here with her Mommy & Daddy. She has no idea that all of this is about to change again for her in just 3 days. We know though that it is all for the better, so we hold our breath anticipating what is to come for our little girl. Please pray that the trip home is a smooth one for Yen Yen.

And thank you to all of you who wrote back to us about how to conquer constipation in a small infant. Unfortunately the good remedies from home like corn syrup, prunes and glycerine suppositories are not common here on the island. We did manage to find and buy whole prunes (which Dan took the skin off of, and after mashing them down into a paste/puree) added to her formula and rice cereal. Chaeli ate it instantly and within the hour was no longer constipated! Hooray! We were clapping and cheering again! Crazy how having a baby can make you get excited again about the smallest things! Kuddos to my husband the smartest, resourceful man I know!

Chaeli does still wake up in the night to eat (she only takes about 4 ounces at a time so she is hungry about every 4-5 hours). I don’t mind though. I just think back to all of those late night/early morning calls with my boys when I was nursing them. And it was all so worth it, just as it is with Chaeli. They grow out of this baby stage so fast that I am trying to enjoy every moment of it…even when the moment comes at 4am. I am just so glad to see her face (seems I waited forever to have her with me like this).

We walked around the Shamian Island for the last time today, and spent some nice time in the park. I love the picture I caught of Danny and Chaeli together there. It is so natural. She really loves her daddy and I hate to say it (but she even snores like he does). Yes, it’s true. My girly girl can make a lot of noise when she is sacked out with her Daddy on the bed. The two of them are like a symphony of some very bad, loud music. I just lay there in the dark laughing and wondering “Why me Lord, why me?” Wasn’t it enough to have to live with one snorer???

To everyone who has been to China & to The White Swam Hotel before you will recognize this next girl instantly! It is the (famous) beloved Lucy. She owns a shop here on the island and has been doing our laundry for us since we arrived, and has also befriended us instantly. What is it about Lucy? Everyone knows her and adores her! And what is it about the way the Chinese do their laundry here? I am mystified! Dan’s shirts have never looked so good, and unfortunatley he too has noticed as he looks at me sideways in the mirror.

To Lisa Gilispie, Lisa Elrand & Tammy Tutton this photo is for you! I know how much you 3 love Lucy!

Tomorrow is our US Consulate appointment where Chaeli will be granted US citizenship and access back into the states with us. It will be a BIG day for her! We have all had beautiful Chinese (traditiona)l clothes made for her big day and we promise to dress up and take lots of pictures for everyone back home to see! Afterwards the Consulate appt., it will be back to the hotel to begin packing for the long, long trip home. I can hardly wait to see my boys again. Dan and I miss them terribly (it is all we talk about now). We have been showing Chaeli her brother’s 3 pictures and teaching her their names. Of course all she ever says back is “Da Da” and “Uh Da.” You can imagine who is gloating over that! Dan loves his girl. He was walking by a shop today and saw a dress in red & black and said to me, “Oh Chaeli looks so good in those colors Sheila. Go in and buy her that dress.” Yep, he is hooked now… line and sinker.

The last bit of news I have been saving to share with all of you is in regard to our adopting from China again. Of course it is something we have talked a lot about, and even discussed again in detail the whole way over here. Dan and I both agreed before receiving Chaeli that Chinese adoption was something we would pursue again.

But the day I received Chaeli something changed inside of me. I told Dan it was like I was so satisfied, so full, and so complete. Having Chaeli fulfilled every longing inside of me. I tell you all of this because only 2 days after I voiced my heart to Dan we heard the news that the CCAA had just made a new change to all international adoptions. All families with four or more children now would no longer be able to adopt from China. When I heard this news I couldn’t believe it. It was like confirmation to my heart. The still, small quiet voice I had heard telling me that Chaeli was it, was the truth. Chaeli really did complete us.

We came to China exactly when we were supposed to, to get the specific child that was made just for us. Our hearts are so full and so overwhelmed (with what we have already been given) that we can only say Thank You Lord. Thank you for giving us so much. It was her, only her, and Chaeli is so much more than we had ever fathomed she would be.

May you all be blessed in the New Year, and may your dreams come true in 2007 like ours did miraculously in 2006!

Sheila & Dan.

Hello to everyone back home! It is New Year’s Day here in China, and back home all of you are getting ready ready to celebrate New Year’s Eve. How we long for home! My sister wanted me to comment on the food (since I always do on our trips!) so here I go…

Dan and I have come to really love the Thai food restaurant here on the Island. It is by far our favorite! We have eaten there so many times that it is hard to count. The breakfasts in The White Swan hotel are amazing! They have a HUGE brunch selection of very good food ranging from french toast, eggs, various breakfast meats, fruits, baked goods, parfaits, cereals, juices – you name it! Picture a big brunch at like The Everett Pacific Hotel and that is what this is like. We eat a big breakfast everyday and then sometimes eat a light lunch out. Dinner we like to do close to home – here in the hotel because it is just easier with Chaeli (and by that time I am ready for pajamas and down time). We have spent many meals out too with other families too so overall our eating experiences have been really good. That is not to say that we don’t miss the smells and tastes of home though, because we do! The thing I find interesting here though is that everything we eat and drink is good. Neither Dan nor I have gotten sick anywhere from anything, and we have eaten a lot outside of the hotel. I was expecting to have to be more careful here (like in Mexico) but really it has all been great! The cokes taste a little flat compared to what we get at home but we tend to drink more tea here than we do pop anyways. Surprisingly the lattes are excellent! The Starbucks here has really got it right and there is even a Seattle’s Best Coffee knock-off shop just a block from our hotel that I have visited a couple of times with Chaeli. She sucks on her ba ba and I sip on my latte. We are two peas in a pod!

Last night Chaeli was fussy so I got very little sleep.

I think I was up like 3 or 4 times in the night with her. Laura get your beauty sleep now because you will need a storehouse of sleep to draw upon during the late nights when everyone else is sleeping and your baby is awake. I think Chaeli is constipated again, and wouldn’t you know there is no prune juice around here. She won’t take any solid foods or any other liquid other than her formula anyways, so I am not sure what good it would do us if we found it anyways. It could just be all the change that is doing this to her. When we first got her she was constipated and then appeared to be fine every day after that. It wasn’t until last night again that I began to get suspicious of bm problems. All of you Moms reading this will remember the times your baby pulled their legs in, and arched their backs straight out in pain…that is what little Yen Yen is doing. Please pray for her to get into a regular cycle again, especially before we board the plane for home on Thrs. We really do feel so lucky/blessed to have such a healthy, happy baby, but constitpation can really hurt and we don’t like to see her hurting. All of the new families we have met, since our group departed 3 days ago, have had babies with chronic ear infections and or fevers/colds. We are so thankful that Chaeli did not have to suffer through any of that. Her medical exam was excellent.

Yesterday, Cordelia took me to The Beijing Road which is a famous street of mega shops, where all the young people hang out in the hundreds.

She told me that today there would be a hundred thousand people on those same streets for The New Year celebration (thank God we were there yesterday and NOT today). The street is very old and very famous. In fact there were portions of glass that you could view down into that allowed you to see several layers below the city where the historic orads were first built int he 11th century and even earlier. It was fascinating to see the materials they used and what those ancient roads looked like. We stared and them for a long time and tried to imagine the Chinese people and what they were like 900 years ago. It boggles your mind. And then here I stand, in 2007, looking down at these ancient roads with one of their beautiful babies in my arms. What a moment in time.

Dan was asking me the other day what I loved most about Chaeli. I thought that was an interesting question so I thought on it for awhile. Oh there were lots of things that came to my mind. For example, I love the way Chaeli loves me and lets me love her as much and as often as I want to. I love that she looks at me with her black pearl eyes and really looks deep into my face. I love that she draws people in to her wherever she goes, as if she is a magnet pulling them close to her. But the more I thought about all of the things that I love about Chaeli, the more I came to the conclusion that the thing I loved most about her is that she came with a story. A magnificent, unforgettable story.

My good friend Anna wrote to me and told me that her daughters Ashley & Brittany were trying to understand adoption and to put their young minds around the concept of how a Mommy could get a baby from anywhere excet her own body. As I thought about that I realized that the greatest thing about Chaeli is her rich, heart felt story that came with her to me. I will never forget her story, so for all of the Ashleys & Brittneys out there this was written for you…so you can come to understand the story of Yen Yen…

Once upon a time in a far, far away land, many oceans away, there lived a very kind Chinese girl who had really beautiful eyes. This Chinese girl fell in love with a Chinese boy. It wasn’t long before the girl realized that she had something wonderful that was growing inside of her. It was a tiny baby. The girl did not know what to do becasue she could not take care of a baby in her country, but she loved her baby anyway and would secretly pray for her, not letting anyone know.

When the baby grew it would kick inside of the young the girl and make her happy. She already loved her child so much. It was like having a great treasure hidden inside of her that only she knew about.

After many months, the day came when the girl gave birth to the baby and she saw that it was a beautiful Chinese girl, just like her. She hugged and kissed her baby and carefully kept her hidden away because she knew that she would not be able to keep her in her country. For 8 days the young Mother held her baby and loved her baby, memorizing every detail of her precious face. She knew that very soon she would have to give her baby away because she could not afford to keep her, even though her heart wanted to hold her baby forever and ever.

After 8 days the young mother went to a secret place in the night where she knew she could leave her baby and she would be found. It was a special place that her people knew very well. It was beside the Pearl river. The young Mother dressed her baby girl in a white outfit and gently laid her inside of a basket under a Banyan tree, along the East side of the Pearl river. She then carefully placed a pink blanket over her baby so she would be warm. The young Mother hid herself and kept watch in the night until the people came and found her baby. The mother believed that if she prayed to the Banyan tree it would protect her daughter and would give her baby a good home and family. As the girl prayed to The Banyan Tree, the real God in heaven looked down and heard her praying and crying out. He called all of heaven together to listen, and promised to answer this prayer to protect her child, for the young Mother’s heart was pure.

On the other side of the world there was a mother who had always wanted a baby girl. She tried many times to have a girl of her own, but could not. Instead, this mother had 3 wonderful boys and she was very happy. She began to forget about the dream of having a daughter of her own. But God in heaven remembered her prayers too and He was working out a plan. A perfect plan, for both of the mothers.

This is the story of Yen Yen. She was made by a Chinese Mother who will never forget her, and has been given to an American Mother who will never leave her. Both Mothers will forever love her. Both Mothers will always care for her. One will hold Yen Yen in her arms, the other will hold her in her dreams.

This is why my favorite thing about Yen Yen will always be the story that came with her. Not everyone has a story like hers. Hers is unique and unforgettable and will follow her all throughout her life. She has two mothers, a banyan tree, and a miracle working God who have watched over her and the greatest of these, of course, is her miracle working God.

Being somewhat brave we ventured out of our hotel room the other day and took a taxi to downtown Guangzhou. It seems fitting that we received the very best present ever during the christmas season. We are longing so much to come home. Only 4 more days!

With this video you can really see Chaeli’s personality.

Dan

Enjoy!

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Our guide Cordelia told us that Chaeli’s name Yen Yen (in Cantonese) means someone who helped you when you were in a difficult situation and came to your rescue. Yen Yen can mean different things depending upon the characters but in Chaeli’s case it means a specific thing (someone who came to help you and save you when you were in a very difficult time). For those of you who know us well you know what last year was like for Dan and me. It was probably the most trying year of our lives, and yet over and over again God came to our rescue and was with us. When I heard the meaning of Chaeli’s name I got choked up. Yen Yen will always be a reminder to me of what God did in our lives, and how He gave us the greatest blessings in 2006. Surely He did come to our rescue at a time when we needed Him most.

Today was our group photo day. We lined up the babies in our group on the famous White Swan Red Couch for a photo. The babies started screaming almost immediately! We tried to take the picture as quickly as possible. Chaeli is on the far right. The rest of our group flies home tomorrow morning, but Dan and I have 6 days left here in Guangzhou. I have also included a picture of Mia and Chaeli (both crying) on the red chair. These two little beauties were in the same orphanage together (you might have remembered that). Don’t they look sweet in their Chinese clothes?

Chaeli and I had so much fun today! Dan had to work so we headed off for a Mommy/daughter day around the Island. Having Chaeli is like having a live baby doll. She is so much fun to hold and dress and kiss. I love playing with her. She gives me so much happiness! Dan said it is amazing how he can say just about anything to me now and it doesn’t even phase me because I am just so happy with my girl! Half the time I am not even aware of the rest of my surroundings because I am just so mesmerized by my girl! Truth is we fight to hold her and love her. She smells so good and is such a cuddle bunny! You just wait…you will see what we mean!

Chaeli is really thriving in our arms. Everyday she does more and more and becomes more active (last night we thought we saw a little red chinese dragon in her!) She was a live one that’s for sure and didn’t go to bed until almost 10!

When we first received Chaeli she didn’t quite know what to do with the toys we brought her, but each day she plays with a new one and really explores the sounds and textures of each one of them. It is exciting to see her mind developing and growing. Chaeli also loves to suck on the corner of towels (funny huh?) We think it is a texture thing – probably feels good on her gums. Another thing we have noticed is that when we first got Chaeli she was much more solemn and serious. We rarely saw her smile big enough to show her teeth. But now Chaeli is almost constantly laughing and smiling and her 4 teeth are so noticeably white all the time! What a happy, pretty baby!

We have as much fun taking pictures of Chaeli awake as we do asleep. When I see her sleeping peacefully I think of all those months that I prayed for her when she was in her orphanage in that metal crib. It is so hard for me to imagine that she was alone most of the time, without a Mommy or a daddy. Now when Chaeli cries or is hungry she has 2 people right there to comfort her, but for the first 10 months of her life it was not like that. I still think of all of those babies lying there just waiting for someone to come and love them and take them home. We thank God that He led us to China. We believe it is the greatest blessing we could have been given…like being put on the road to a secret paradise. We were the lucky ones to receive this little girl, and if we could we would take another and another.

Well we are halfway through our China trip with 6 days remaining here in Guangzhou. I can’t believe how far from home we are. I looked at a map of China a day ago and my mind couldn’t even fathom how far away from our little culdesac that we were. We are on the other side of the world, and with the most beautiful baby I have ever seen. Sometimes I wonder how we got here to this place and time? I seriously don’t know how my life would have been without the face of Chaeli in it. Everyday that I wake up I look at her and play with her and love her all over again. This adoption story has unfolded in such a way, such a good way, that I never comprehended all it would be. How could I?

We wonder how it is that Chaeli can keep giving us so much when we came here to give it all to her? I say it all the time, but Chaeli is my best gift ever. My beloved sons will always be my sons, closer in to me than any, for they were a part of me from the beginning, woven of the very fabric of me. But Chaeli is my surprise gift, brought to me later in life, by the mercy of a loving God. She is my black pearl from the pearl river, made so far far away from me, but nevertheless completely mine. She was not my design. I could not fashion her even if I tried. She was made by a much more beautiful face. A gentler heart. The fingertips of God painted her every detail, exactly for me. Heaven knew my secret longings and gave me more (much more) than I was even asking for. My present is miraculous. She is the voice of hope, the kiss of youth, and the beauty of sweeteness being poured out. Every time I hold her I am reminded of how much my Lord loves me. That He would give me all of this… It is too much for me to take in. I am overwhelmed by His love.

Chaeli has brought out such feelings in me, emotions that I didn’t even know I had left in me to give. Every morning it pours out of me, new and full again. She is my precious little girl and I care not that I had to wait so long to receive her. I would start it all over again if I had to. Chaeli was worth the wait and I know now that those 22 months were a small sacrifice for what we were soon to receive. She is the water we thirsted for. Nothing could have quenched our hearts like her. It was always Chaeli. My heart crashed against every wave of the sea on my way to her. I was being drawn to the little Yen Yen who was waiting for me. I tell Danny all the time that I will never leave this little girl. She will never be without me. It is hard for me to even turn from her. I want to see her face always before me for she reminds me how great our God is. We love you all and look forward to bringing our girl home very soon now. She is really crawling all over the place! I wish I could keep her just as she is for all of you to see but I’m afraid this little girl is in a big hurry to experience it all and to catch up on everything she has missed!

Love Sheila & Dan.

I thought you would all get a kick out of this. I was in the narrow hallway of our room, bending down to get something out of the drawer when Dan squeezed by me and said, “So how’s my girl?” I stood up and said, “Oh I am doing great baby.” Dan immediately started laughing and replied back, “I wasn’t talking about you Sheila. I was talking about Chaeli.”

Uh oh. Looks like I have been dethroned.

Enjoy!

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Hello Everyone!

Today was Chaeli’s medical exam and she did great. We found out that her weight was 16.8 pounds. She really is a little baby still. I just love how tiny she is. The doctors said she was healthy and her little chubby cheeks, arms and legs display that well. If you could all remember to pray for Chaeli’s little cough. Last night she started coughing a croupy cough (it was the first time we had heard it). The pollution in the air here is really bad. You can see it hanging thick like smog. We tried to keep Chaeli indoors for most of the day, and headed for a local mall here in Guangzhou. Dan has made a post below about our day.

Chaeli continues to convince me that I have been given the best, happiest, cutest, most cuddly baby in all of Asia. Spending time with Chaeli is like playing with a favorite doll that you can’t put down. I cannot get enough of her.

We love and miss you all very much!

Sheila.
xoxoxo

Internet access was down for the last 18 hours so we are delayed in posting for today. We have had some downtime today and took the opportunity to go, where else? Shopping! Sheila had her toes done and we enjoyed a good cup of coffee at Starbucks at the 6 floor fashion mall in downtown Guangzhou. When you go in to get a pedicure here, you really get a pedicure. There was a very talented male nail artist there who painstakingly painted delicate beautiful flowers onto Sheila’s toes. She said it was the most beautiful art work she had ever seen on a pair of toes! She can’t stop looking down at them (and neither can Chaeli…she is already a girly girl).

China is changing so fast you can tell by the mingling of the ancient with the modern. Here in Guangzhou buildings are springing up everywhere along with businesses to support the masses of people that live in this city. Almost 10 million people live in this city. Traffic is not so bad here as cars are not as abundant as bicycles, though I suspect that is changing fast as a new middle class is emerging and the standard of living is increasing. They recently passed a law forbidding motorcycles from entering the city because of the traffic problems they caused by careless drivers.

There is a craving for everything Western here, from fashion to technology to even fast food. Ask most of the local Chinese and they would tell you they’d rather go to KFC or McDonalds than eat traditional Chinese food, even at the expense of a weeks wages. It seems to me the US has been successful in exporting its culture for China is eating it up as fast as they possibly can. I just hope the Chinese culture, which has survived for almost 5 thousand years, will not dissapear through this process.

The English language is triumphed as the language to learn in order to have the competitive edge in the job market here. They even have a game show on Chinese Television that judges contestants who speak the best English, and awards them with prizes and gifts. I have to admit that it is pretty humorous to listen to some of the contestants structure their sentences. I’m sure the locals feel the same way about me as I try to utter a jibberish thank you in Chinese by saying, “Shea Shea.”

Sheila and I have become more and more bonded with Chaeli everyday. It’s as if she has always been our daughter. Words cannot express the joy we feel to hold this child in our arms. If you have been following the blog and looking at the pictures you can see that in Sheila’s face. You can’t fake this kind of love or joy. It comes from deep inside of you. I can’t wait for Chaeli to meet her 3 older brothers. She will have a life changing impact on their lives, and they will have the same on hers. It is going to be a wonderful life with all 6 of us together.

When we were out shopping today, Chaeli (in typical fashion) managed to attract a crowd of Chinese women (old and young alike) who come up to us cooing and giggling over our daughter, asking us if they could hold her and parade her around. You’d think she was their daughter. In a matter of speaking I guess she is, as she represents the very best that China has given us. It makes us feel good though when she turns to us and puts out her hands for us to take her back. Sheila especially loves this.

One of the pleasures I have while feeding Chaeli is the way she looks up to you with her big dark pearl eyes and stares at you, really studying your face.

Chaeli has really begun to like her baths. When Sheila first put her in the bathtub with her, she wasn’t used to it, but now she quietly lets us submerge her in the warm water without any fussing. The best part is when I get to cuddle her up in a white fluffy towel afterwards. She then takes a piece of the towel into her mouth and chews on the corner.

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When we started our adoption process there were many things that I prayed for and wrote to God about in my journal. One of them was that He would watch over Chaeli and lovingly provide for her all the days that she was in an institution away from us. I prayed over and over again that the people who were with Chaeli would love her, touch her often, and show her favor. How many times over the past 2 years that I tried to imagine who Chaeli was, where she was living, and under what circumstances she was abandoned. These are things that every adoptive parent thinks about, and these thoughts haunt you in the middle of the night and make you ache for the child you do not have.

When I recevied my referral of Chaeli so many wonderful things were answered for me, like what she looked like, how old she was, where she was found and the name of the orphanange she was taken to. It was a great day of relief and celebration when we finally got to look into the face of the daughter we had longed to see. And here we were today, now in China with our daughter in our arms, and yet another great wave of rejoicing being poured out on us. Once again, our cups were spilling over the top.

Today I saw Chaeli’s orphanage and her finding place and what I experienced at both of these palces has left me exhausted from the sheer emotion of it all. It has taken me several hours of “coming down” before I could even type about our expereinces there. It was like secret doors that had been locked were finally being opened to me and I was invited into the holy places where my daughter had been nurtured and cared for all of those months of my waiting for her. I will tell you that there is so much emotion in Dan and me right now that we do not know how to even write. Today was a day of tremendous blessings for us, as many mysteries about our daughter were answered.

Every adoptive parent wants to believe that their child is being well cared for during the months that they are away from them, and that the orphanage that holds their child is a good and nurturing one where child’s needs are being met. Things like cleanliness, good food and water, a loving staff, a stimulating environment etc. are things that every adoptive parent hopes for. That their child would be held, kissed, loved, favored and called a special name by their caregivers would be icing on an already dream filled cake. What we saw today in our orphanage was the cake, the icing and the fufilling of all our prayers answered for our daughter Chaeli. To say that her orpahange was a good one is to not say enough. Chaeli was well provided for, but what was more incredible was that she was extrememly loved and was very special to MANY of the nannies in her orphanage.

The drive to Chaeli’s orphanage took us about an hour. We traveled with another family from Wisconsin named Dave & Robin, and their daughter Mia who was in the same orphanange with Chaeli. Mia and Chaeli both arrived to the orphanage in February of this year, and both were given families a week ago (in December – only days apart). It was a unique experience to take these girls back to the orphanage together, knowing that they probably spent every day of their 10 months together in very close proximity there. When we drove up to the orphanage we were all in awe of how beautiful it was. The gate and the court yard were immaculate, and were beautifully painted. There was a large, colorful palyground outside (like one you would see in a park at home) and the grounds were all very clean and pretty to look at. All four of us knew immediatley, upon driving up, that our girls had recevied excellent care there. When we walked into the Qingyuan Social Welfare Institute of Guangdong Province, we were amazed at the landscaped grounds, the pools of water and overhanging trelleses that surrounded the immediate garden area. The Director walked up smiling like a host who was greeting the guests of a very important party. She began shouting “Yen Yen! Yen Yen!” as her face lit up and she recognized our daughter standing there with us. She was followed by several of the nannies who were dressed in pink coats running (and I mean running!) across the court yard toward us, yelling out “Yen Yen!” and clapping their hands as they ran. It was one of the most overwhleming, emotional reunions I have ever witnessed.

Both Mia (aah aah as they called her in the orphanange) and Chaeli (known as Yen Yen) were picked up, kissed over and over again and were passed around from one nanny to the other. There were some girls who were dressed in pink coats who were watching from a distance what we were doing, and in all of the excitement of our visit, were waved over to come and see the girls. These young women (we were told) were the cooks and assistants, who would (on a daily basis) go up to the baby rooms and spend their breaks playing with the babies. They told us that each one of these girls had a favorite baby that they would call “their baby.” It was apparent who these girl’s babies were as they ran up, held their babies and even turned away crying from the emotion of it all. Mia’s caregiver actaully walked away with Mia in her arms to compose herself before coming back to us. Chaeli’s nanny grabbed her and held her and kissed her over and over again in a familiar way, lughing out loud saying “My Yen Yen, my Yen Yen.”

We were all crying as we watched the orphanage staff come running up to recevie our babies back in their arms, knowing that for each one of them this would be the last time they would see the girls. The director is the one second to the right who is holding Chaeli.

Dan video taped while I stood by smiling with such joy that God had heard and answered yet another one of my prayers…Chaeli had been very much loved as a baby here.

The Director of the orphanange was a wonderful, loving woman old enough to be my own Mother. She kissed and held our babies and you could tell that she really “knew” them. She escorted us upstairs to the room where Chaeli & Mia lived for their first 10 months of life, and yes, she even showed us where they slept. She had saved each of the girl’s cribs (with their names still on them) and she pulled them out of the store room and pushed them right to the place where they had been just a few short days ago. We placed Chaeli in her crib for a moment and she spread out like she remembered it well. She never cried once when we were there.

The baby room where Chaeli lived was well lit and was very colorful with music playing and nannies feeding and kissing the babies when we walked in (the entire staff was very affectionate). The babies are all on a very tight schedule and everyday they get music time and outdoor sunshine time with the nannies. The Director takes a lot of care in providing the best for her babies and she let us go freely all around the room. This next part is going to be difficult for me to write about, but with the grace of God I will do my best to blubber through it so as to give you the same blessing that was given to me and Dan today.

When I entered Chaeli’s nursery room I was overwhelmed by all of the babies. There were cribs everywhere, and in every single crib lay a beautiful, perfect, sweet faced, child of god. It was as if China’s most beautiful children were all placed in that one room. I was so overtaken with emotion that I left Dan’s side immediatley, and without even asking permission of the Director or anyone in the room, began walking around touching the face of every single baby that I saw. As I bent down and looked into the little itty bitty eyes I knew that there was a waiting family (somewhere out there) who was praying and longing to hold this very baby. I touched their faces softly and told each one in a whisper that Jesus loves the little babies and that He was with them, watching over them. I said a prayer for each one and then I moved to the next crib and did the same thing all over again. There was this one baby girl in particular that smiled at me like she already knew that what I was telling her was true. She knew and was holding onto that truth until the day that loved came to take her home. I went back to that baby and that crib several times and everytime that I did she smiled up at me and I teared up over her.

The nannies and Director were holding and cooing over Chaeli. I was glad that they were, because the number one thing that I wanted to do was to reach out and touch and love those babies who were without parents. There were so many of them – maybe 40? And yet each one I would have galdly taken in my arms, out those doors and into our home. There were the most amazing, beautiful babies. Every single one would have taken your breath away. I am crying so hard now as I type this blog that I wonder if any of this will ever even make it home to where you are. I cry because I think of how I have the room for these children in my home, and at my table, and in my heart. I have the room (like so many of us do) and yet here they lay waiting for someone to pick them up and to take them in.

I must tell you about the nannies at Chaeli’s orphanage. Think of the most humble, serving women that you have ever laid eyes on and then think some more. These nannies were so genuine, so real and so kind. They were not just doing their job – they were loving their job and it showed.

Everytime I would turn a corner or bump into another nanny I would hear a shout of “Yen Yen!” and they would come running to hold and kiss her. Chaeli’s nannies were very affectionate toward her and they all knew Yen Yen. Our guide and translator (Cordelia) told us many times that Chaeli was a favorite of the orphanage staff, and that became apparent by how many ran up to hold her and touch her one last time. I was so proud of these Chinese women and how well they were caring for the children. I don’t know that I would have been able to do all that they were doing if I was in the same circumstances. My heart would have been crippled with emotion.

After leaving the orphanage our guide took us to the finding place of Chaeli…The very Banyan tree she was left under by her birth mother.

The tree was known as a Grandfather tree which is a tree that blesses and protects little children. Chaeli’s Mother obviously chose this tree for the very reason that she wanted her daughter’s future to be a bright one. When we got out of the van and walked over to the tree I saw several signs posted on the Banyan tree.

I asked Cordelia what the signs said and she began to translate them to me. She was reading the signs and then she stopped suddenly and looked up crying. I didn’t know why she had stopped so I turned to her and saw her crying and just knew there was something left on one of those papers. Cordelia was so choked she couldn’t compose herself, so I walked over and held her, crying myself and said “What is it Cordelia? What does the tree say?” She finally told me that the sign on the tree said that this tree was a special tree because it would watch over little children who were left here and would make sure that they were blessed with good lives and were cared for. Cordelia told me that Chaeli’s mom obviosly chose this tree carefully because of its meaning (to find a Grandfather Banyan tree was very rare indeed). Cordelia then showed me where someone had been coming (quite regularly) to pray and light incense on behalf of their baby under the base of the tree. There was even a make shift shrine there. I knew in my heart that Chaeli’s mother lived nearby and that she went to that tree often, praying that the child she had left there would be blessed. Now I was crying uncontrollably too as was Dan. Cordelia told us that this particular area was a very affluent area (it was on the east side of the pearl river). The Banyan tree was right where the map said that it would be and it was the only Banyan tree, clearly marked.

Try to imagine, if you can, standing under the very tree that your daughter was abandoned under by her birth mother that you will never know. I shook with emotion as I held Chaeli there.

Even though her mother was praying to a tree for the safety and the future of her child, I knew that the mercy and the unfailing love of the one true God was hearing her and lsitening to her prayer. I will never forget what I saw there or the signs of love that were left behind for Chaeli to someday hear about. It is almost too much for anyone to take in, all in a single day. As we pulled away, Dan turned with his camera to video out the back window, the last glimpses of that marvelous, protecting Banyan tree. There was not a dry eye in the group. We had found Chaeli’s Banyan tree and had felt the presence of her mother who left her there, and who obviously loved Chaeli very, very much.

“Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you. Before you were born, I set you apart.”
Jeremiah 1:5

Praise God for setting Chaeli apart and for saving her for us. He was with her every step of the way, from her Banyan tree, to her orphanage, to her miraculous and amazing journey to our arms. We are filled with joy over the presence of our long awaited daughter.

When Love Takes You In, by Steven Curtis Chapman. Enjoy.

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Love Chaeli.

Some of you have asked who the music artist was that was used in our video. Her name is Rita Springer, and the song is called “Oh how you love me.” You can purchase this song through the itunes music store for a dollar + change.

A few months ago I had the opportunity to video-tape her in concert. You can check out Rita Springer, live in concert by clicking on the picture below.