The day is here! Angie is out shopping one more time, Bailey is 30 mins. into a great nap full of panda chasing and a Ba Ba is Blogging and packing. The time we have had in China has been great but we miss our boy and family and friends. Today we say good by to good new friends and the birth home of our little Bailey but we hope to return when she is older. The friends we have made are VERY special to us and we all pledge to get the kids together every few years. It is very hard to write about the experience that we had. Words are truly empty when so much of what we are feeling is and flowing moment to moment. It is already hard to look back imagine our life pre-Bailey. We can see her so clearly at home in the pool, camping, tea time and with all of you! You all have been in our thoughts and prays and to my dear family and friends who have taken care of our little man Thanks is not a big enough word! Time to end our blog from China but not our thoughts of this wonderful place. Please pray for the Chinese people. May we be at peace here and around the world...
Tuesday, August 10, 2010
Packing for home!
The day is here! Angie is out shopping one more time, Bailey is 30 mins. into a great nap full of panda chasing and a Ba Ba is Blogging and packing. The time we have had in China has been great but we miss our boy and family and friends. Today we say good by to good new friends and the birth home of our little Bailey but we hope to return when she is older. The friends we have made are VERY special to us and we all pledge to get the kids together every few years. It is very hard to write about the experience that we had. Words are truly empty when so much of what we are feeling is and flowing moment to moment. It is already hard to look back imagine our life pre-Bailey. We can see her so clearly at home in the pool, camping, tea time and with all of you! You all have been in our thoughts and prays and to my dear family and friends who have taken care of our little man Thanks is not a big enough word! Time to end our blog from China but not our thoughts of this wonderful place. Please pray for the Chinese people. May we be at peace here and around the world...
Wednesday, August 4, 2010
Bailey LiAng Blackwell
I do not have words~but I will try! We have had trouble again getting on the blog but we think we are good now. The day started around 4:00am on Monday August 2, 2010 and was long and hot and raw and alive and beautiful. We traveled two hours by plane to Nanchang City in Jiangxi Province, China. Our group of seven family stepped off the bus at our Hotel and were told we would have to wait a little longer because the orphanage wanted to feed the babies and change them into new clothes for us~and surprisingly we did not riot but collectedly said ahhhhh. We went to our rooms, grabbed our cameras and diaper bags (that we had pack over four years ago) and went to try to eat lunch and wait. Then to the lobby we gathered FULL, (hearts, eyes ) ready for the moment. The drivers in China make the rules and there are few if any crosswalks so we stepped into the four lanes of traffic to the other side of the street as if we were invincible-maybe we were. We took a short walk down the street into an office building and crammed into a very small HOT elevator to the 26th floor, also very HOT-did I mention it was HOT. We turned right out of the elevator and right down a dark hall into a big, open, clean, HOT room with benches around the walls with windows above them with grand views of the city. (there were two A/C's in the room but they did little to cool any more than a four-by-four area around them) We sat, we paced, took pictures, and had to indure another hour of waiting.
The Gotcha moment.....
Today is Wednesday the 4th and we have had our little Bailey for two days of bliss...but it started on the 2nd with lots of crying~ Bailey and us. Our guide and Bethany worker told us "they are here," and headed out of the room. We grabbed our video gear and they started into the room with seven beautiful baby girls and with one especially beautiful baby!!! We are not just saying that, she really is the most beautiful one!!!! in all of China!!! Angie was sofly squealing "where is she, where is she" but old (eagle eye) Ba Ba(Chinese for Daddy) spotted her fairly quickly. They sat her on a bench with another baby and she cried loudly!!! The first name was called, not us, then the second name, not us again, then the name "Blackwell" was called and Angie, as beautiful as I have ever seen her, took our daughter into her arms forever... Kisses were given and more crying and more kissing and more~
The paper work, official family picture, and most of the last fees paid took most of the next two hours in the HOT room. Ba Ba walked a sad, mad, and screaming Bailey about five miles in the HOT room while Ma Ma did what had to be done-and it was over... we got the little red book that told the world what God and we already knew...she is a Blackwell!
The Gotcha moment.....
Today is Wednesday the 4th and we have had our little Bailey for two days of bliss...but it started on the 2nd with lots of crying~ Bailey and us. Our guide and Bethany worker told us "they are here," and headed out of the room. We grabbed our video gear and they started into the room with seven beautiful baby girls and with one especially beautiful baby!!! We are not just saying that, she really is the most beautiful one!!!! in all of China!!! Angie was sofly squealing "where is she, where is she" but old (eagle eye) Ba Ba(Chinese for Daddy) spotted her fairly quickly. They sat her on a bench with another baby and she cried loudly!!! The first name was called, not us, then the second name, not us again, then the name "Blackwell" was called and Angie, as beautiful as I have ever seen her, took our daughter into her arms forever... Kisses were given and more crying and more kissing and more~
The paper work, official family picture, and most of the last fees paid took most of the next two hours in the HOT room. Ba Ba walked a sad, mad, and screaming Bailey about five miles in the HOT room while Ma Ma did what had to be done-and it was over... we got the little red book that told the world what God and we already knew...she is a Blackwell!
Sunday, August 1, 2010
It's Christmas Eve!!!!!
16 hours from now we will meet our daughter!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
We had a prayer and sharing time tonight with the families in our group and someone said it's like Christmas Eve and we agree. Tonight in our prayer time, people shared about their road here to China, and some of the stories were heartbreaking, encouraging and all around amazing. We "blamed" Steven Curtis Chapman for his influence in our lives and for his impact which led us on this road(and for the long wait---because he did influence so many people to adopt from China).
We had a great day of seeing what pre-modern China looked like, seeing the Forbidden City, Tienanmen Square and we lost a mother in law in T Square (she was finally found with our great search parties). By the way, Dave says T Square is huge. Actually Beijing is HUGE, really huge. There are over 16 million people here and we saw them all today + the 16 million other tourists that are here.
It's time for packing and sleep (if we can). We have to be in the lobby at 5:00 am local time to leave for our flight to Nanchang. KEEP PRAYING!!!
Tomorrow we will have lots of pictures of the most beautiful girl you have ever seen!!!!!!!
Love you all, mean it,
Dave and Angie
We had a prayer and sharing time tonight with the families in our group and someone said it's like Christmas Eve and we agree. Tonight in our prayer time, people shared about their road here to China, and some of the stories were heartbreaking, encouraging and all around amazing. We "blamed" Steven Curtis Chapman for his influence in our lives and for his impact which led us on this road(and for the long wait---because he did influence so many people to adopt from China).
We had a great day of seeing what pre-modern China looked like, seeing the Forbidden City, Tienanmen Square and we lost a mother in law in T Square (she was finally found with our great search parties). By the way, Dave says T Square is huge. Actually Beijing is HUGE, really huge. There are over 16 million people here and we saw them all today + the 16 million other tourists that are here.
It's time for packing and sleep (if we can). We have to be in the lobby at 5:00 am local time to leave for our flight to Nanchang. KEEP PRAYING!!!
Tomorrow we will have lots of pictures of the most beautiful girl you have ever seen!!!!!!!
Love you all, mean it,
Dave and Angie
Saturday, July 31, 2010
Hello from the land of the censored blogs. I found a way around the Peoples Republic of China firewalls so if you don't hear from me~you know why. What a trip and what a place! I will start with the flight-uneventfully but long and well just long! We got off the plane in Beijing and started noticing two things right off-I was hot and it was smoggy. I mean heat indexes at night around 100 to 110! We arrived at our hotel around 12:30am Chinese time and our body clocks at about 10:00am CST. It was a very weird night sleep. I think this will be easier if I just lay this out with a list.
-July 28-29 flight
-July 30 woke up around 7:30am local time (CT)
- had a good breakfast in hotel then to orientation meeting and meet and great other families (19 families total) then to lunch with new friends ( we found this GREAT Chinese restaurant) the bank was next to change our money and wire adoption fees to orphanage; that night Chinese acrobat show (very good) dinner at a KFC (very long walk in night time heat) then to bed, Angie slept great all night I woke up around 2:00am local (my body clock is not letting go...
July 31 breakfast then to a Cloisonne Factory ( look it up) then to the GREAT WALL (very cool)
dinner in hotel and got online to write.
What's Next
Aug. 1 Tiananmen Square and Forbidden City and Hutong Tour
Aug. 2 Flight to Nanchang and GET BAILEY AROUND 12:00 noon!!!!!!!! Adoption Registration in afternoon then JOY JOY and CRYING CRYING all night!!!
Aug 3 Adoption notarization
Aug 4 FREE DAY
Aug 5 Visit Teng Wang Pavilion
Aug. 6 Receive documents and fly to Guangzhou
Aug. 7 Medical exam for Bailey and a meeting to prepare consulate documents
Aug. 8 Visit Guangzhou Folk Art Museum and Yuexiu Park
Aug. 9 Visa appointment
Aug 10 To the consulate to take oath
Aug 11 Consulate to get visa then start the long flight home!!!!
Aug 12 in B'ham Airport at 9:10am!!!
So much in so little time! Big big city!!! Lots of people!!! Traffic is bad and getting worse ever year. It is NASCAR on the roads not just with cars and buses, no they throw in pedestrians and bikes. The drivers are always inches away from a major pile ups or death. I had to stop looking out the front window of the bus!! The Great Wall was awesome but very crowed and very steep! Food so far has been great. Most restaurants have English words and photos. When we arrived the smog was so thick you could not see the sun but today a front moved in a cleared it all out. It was the worst air I had ever seen; you could almost feel it going down your throat in to your lungs. We went through the Olympic Village today and saw the Cube and the Bird's Nest again awesome. Angie and I want to thank you all for your prayers and support and please continue but please add a single lady named Cheryl to your prayer list. She traveled here alone and had never even flown on a jet plane till she gets on a plane to China. I could not fathom coming to adopt a child alone. Pray she gets a GREAT CHILD (happy, content)! Sorry am sorry this is so random but I have not had a lot of sleep and ......................we are good and amazed we are here and we get our little girl in two days! More to come!
-July 28-29 flight
-July 30 woke up around 7:30am local time (CT)
- had a good breakfast in hotel then to orientation meeting and meet and great other families (19 families total) then to lunch with new friends ( we found this GREAT Chinese restaurant) the bank was next to change our money and wire adoption fees to orphanage; that night Chinese acrobat show (very good) dinner at a KFC (very long walk in night time heat) then to bed, Angie slept great all night I woke up around 2:00am local (my body clock is not letting go...
July 31 breakfast then to a Cloisonne Factory ( look it up) then to the GREAT WALL (very cool)
dinner in hotel and got online to write.
What's Next
Aug. 1 Tiananmen Square and Forbidden City and Hutong Tour
Aug. 2 Flight to Nanchang and GET BAILEY AROUND 12:00 noon!!!!!!!! Adoption Registration in afternoon then JOY JOY and CRYING CRYING all night!!!
Aug 3 Adoption notarization
Aug 4 FREE DAY
Aug 5 Visit Teng Wang Pavilion
Aug. 6 Receive documents and fly to Guangzhou
Aug. 7 Medical exam for Bailey and a meeting to prepare consulate documents
Aug. 8 Visit Guangzhou Folk Art Museum and Yuexiu Park
Aug. 9 Visa appointment
Aug 10 To the consulate to take oath
Aug 11 Consulate to get visa then start the long flight home!!!!
Aug 12 in B'ham Airport at 9:10am!!!
So much in so little time! Big big city!!! Lots of people!!! Traffic is bad and getting worse ever year. It is NASCAR on the roads not just with cars and buses, no they throw in pedestrians and bikes. The drivers are always inches away from a major pile ups or death. I had to stop looking out the front window of the bus!! The Great Wall was awesome but very crowed and very steep! Food so far has been great. Most restaurants have English words and photos. When we arrived the smog was so thick you could not see the sun but today a front moved in a cleared it all out. It was the worst air I had ever seen; you could almost feel it going down your throat in to your lungs. We went through the Olympic Village today and saw the Cube and the Bird's Nest again awesome. Angie and I want to thank you all for your prayers and support and please continue but please add a single lady named Cheryl to your prayer list. She traveled here alone and had never even flown on a jet plane till she gets on a plane to China. I could not fathom coming to adopt a child alone. Pray she gets a GREAT CHILD (happy, content)! Sorry am sorry this is so random but I have not had a lot of sleep and ......................we are good and amazed we are here and we get our little girl in two days! More to come!
Wednesday, July 28, 2010
Hi all!!!
We are on our way!!!! In Atlanta then to Seattle, change planes to Beijing. It is 1am Thursday July 29th in China which kind-of weirds me out a little. I did not watch LOST but I think I understand~ still no polar bears but I am watching the bushes for movement. God blessed us with the ability to fly business class so the flight will be long (25 flying hours) but in comfort. I may never get off the plane. We are sitting in the Delta Sky Club now and Angie said, " I might (could) get use to this" referring to the nice comfy seats, free food and conversations with other world travelers about S&Y (stocks and yachts.) I think a Polo game is starting soon and I maybe just saw Wolf Blitzer. Jason M. I put in a good word for you with the boys now that you are a part of The M club-they said' "we already have him on our radar."
PLEASE keep us lifted up in your prayers-very hard good bye with little Raleigh this morning... More soon Team Blackwell out!
We are on our way!!!! In Atlanta then to Seattle, change planes to Beijing. It is 1am Thursday July 29th in China which kind-of weirds me out a little. I did not watch LOST but I think I understand~ still no polar bears but I am watching the bushes for movement. God blessed us with the ability to fly business class so the flight will be long (25 flying hours) but in comfort. I may never get off the plane. We are sitting in the Delta Sky Club now and Angie said, " I might (could) get use to this" referring to the nice comfy seats, free food and conversations with other world travelers about S&Y (stocks and yachts.) I think a Polo game is starting soon and I maybe just saw Wolf Blitzer. Jason M. I put in a good word for you with the boys now that you are a part of The M club-they said' "we already have him on our radar."
PLEASE keep us lifted up in your prayers-very hard good bye with little Raleigh this morning... More soon Team Blackwell out!
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
"SAY WHAT?!You are bringing who home from where?"
Please pray for Raleigh as he makes the transition from being THE one to one of two. I woke up around 5:00 am this morning; I don't wake up that early this time of year. Can't sleep. Why??? It is here, lets run down the check list: her room is pink (Angie says it is lavender), the suitcases are packed (mostly), Raleigh's sitters are organized and briefed, Dave has made a solemn vow to not be... well Dave, if airplanes that should be in the air sit on the ground and he has to wait, and God has been thanked and asked to help the Blackwells move into this new stage in their adventure. Last night as Angie and I where snuggled in bed she said, "this time next Monday we will have a little girl sleeping with us-" Great thought to go to sleep with, but maybe also the reason I woke up so early...
Wednesday, July 21, 2010
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