Dong Wu Hotel

We are staying at the Dong Wu Hotel in Taipei.  It is not one of the typical hotels that adopting families stay in, as it is not located in the heart of Taiepei, but rather in an area known as Dadaocheng, an older, historical part of the city near the Dadaocheng Wharf on the Danshui River, known for tea production.  It had very good review, however, and the price was right, so we decided to book here.  We can walk to the subway station to get around, and always call a taxi if needed.  I'll post some photos from outside later, but here are a few from our room, which they graciously allowed us to occupy as soon as it was cleaned this morning, long before normal check-in times.

The bathroom is equipped with all the necessities.

We have a "business double" room, whatever that means!

The shower is awesome!  It felt great after our long flight!

All the comforts of home...

The view from our 5th floor room.

We Made It!

Just a quick post to let you know that we made it safe and sound to Taipei! It was a 6 1/2 hour flight from Newark to Anchorage, and a 10 hour flight from Anchorage to Taipei. That was a very long flight to me! Unfortunately, the flight back with Sophia is 15 hours non-stop, and I'm not looking forward to it! But I digress...

Taipei is warm and muggy, and first impressions remind me more of Santiago, Chile in appearance (with a few traditional Chinese buildings thrown in!) then Beijing, China. They definitely drive more nicely here than in China! Instead of bikes everywhere there are motorcycles--hundreds of them--and they always come to the front of the line at a red light...it's kind of funny looking! We arrived way before normal check-in and the hotel was full last night, so we are waiting in the cafe area until our room is ready. It's very nice and cool in here, and the clientele showing up for breakfast are multi-national. We opted to stay at a smaller hotel off the beaten path (blink and you'd miss it on the city street!) but it has nice reviews from travelers around the world. I'll post photos later!

Will post more later...thanks for your prayers!

Tomorrow!

"Tomorrow!  Tomorrow!  I love ya, tomorrow!  You're only a day away!"

(Source:  Orphan Annie)

Only one more sleep and we are on our way!  God did some amazing things yesterday as I found out that we needed some notarized employment verification letters for our visa appointment.  One of my employers was going out of town in an hour from the time I contacted her, and the other is going out of town today.  Had I not found out when I did about those letters, I'm not sure what we would have done!  God is good!  I figured that God has brought us too far to let three little letters stop us now!

Dave is on his way home from Indiana.  We will be spending the next 20 days together...we haven't been together for that long of a stretch since February!  We are both looking forward to the trip and the time together as a whole family when we return.  Please pray for my parents and our family friends who are stepping in to watch kids, transport kids, feed cats, etc., etc.  I thank the Lord for the support group He has put around us!

So many people have played a part in making this adoption a reality.  There is no way I can thank you all by name, but if you prayed, gave financially, hugged, or encouraged in any way, shape, or form, may God bless you richly!  Another orphan is about to be ransomed!

This is my absolute favorite photo of Sophia that we have received.  She loves music!

Thank you from the bottom of my heart...

Our Baby Girl

One week from today we will meet our baby girl for the very first time.  I am so excited for that moment, but it's definitely a nervous excitement.  I have been brushing up on some reading regarding bonding and attachment, and am trying to wrap my mind around this whole idea of taking a little person from the only family she really knows--not to mention language, customs, smells, food, etc., etc.--and having her become a part of our family without damaging her psyche.  I know it has been done thousands of times over, but it's still hard to comprehend!

Tonight I am getting out a suitcase and starting to pack.  I have been purchasing and collecting things we might need for awhile, but now the moment of truth--can we pack wisely and keep the weight limit where it needs to be!  I am notorious for overpacking (the "just in case" syndrome!) but we don't want to have our hands too full with luggage when we come home with Sophia.  I am so thankful for adoptive families who have gone before us and have given us their packing lists and nuggets of wisdom.  (Thanks, Mandi, Michele, and Robin!)

Just for fun, I leave you with another early photo of our baby girl.  Today I made her first pediatrician appointment for a few days after we get home.  She's becoming more and more of a reality every day!

I can't wait to see this beautiful face in person!

The Rest of the Story

If you notice the counter at the top of this blog, you will see that today marks the one year anniversary of when we were officially matched with Sophia.  In just a few short days (10, to be exact!) we will meet her for the very first time in person.  Wow!

If you are a newer follower of our journey, you may not know that God specifically brought Sophia to our attention twice in our quest to find our daughter in Taiwan.  We were "logged in", so to speak, with the orphanage our agency works with, but due to an increased interest in Taiwanese adoptions, the matching had slowed way down.  We were not looking for a baby, however, so our agency contact told us to keep checking the waiting children listing.  A few months earlier I had been checking around on other agencies' waiting children listings, and had requested information on a little girl listed with another agency.  The social worker attempted to get information for us, but couldn't find anything out from her contacts in Taiwan.  Meanwhile, we found another little girl on our agency's listing.  There was something about her pouty lips that looked familiar, but it never crossed my mind that I was looking at the same little girl that I had requested information on earlier.  The photo was different (she was older), the birthdates were different by a few days, and her name was spelled differently.

After we had been officially matched with Sophia, I met another adoptive mom who was adopting from Taiwan with our agency.  She was excited that we were adopting Sophia, as she had seen her photo as well, and was praying for a family for her.  She clued me in to another waiting children listing where Sophia was listed.  You guessed it...it was the same site where I had first seen Sophia and had requested her information!  What a way for God to confirm to us that Sophia was our daughter!

When we received Sophia's documents to review, we realized what had happened.  She had been with one foster family her first year and a half of life, but was switched about two years ago now.  The first family was in a different location that was probably supervised by a different orphanage.  So she was listed with an agency that used that orphanage.  Then, when she was moved to her current foster family, her file switched to Cathwel, our orphanage.  That's why the other agency social worker couldn't find any updated information on her.  We know that she was moved at just the right time for us to be able to find her with our agency because God willed it.  That's the kind of God we serve!

This is one of the first photos we saw of Sophia.  She is probably around two years old in this photo.

So now you know...the rest of the story!  

One Week and Counting...

I can hardly believe I just typed that title...in one week we will be boarding a plane for Taiwan!  Woo-hoo!  This past week I finished up my duties at Blue Mountain Christian School, so aside from participating in graduation tomorrow night, I am once again a full-time SAHM (stay at home mom).  This time around I feel a sense of relief and excitement, as I know what I'm getting into, and I'm looking forward to it immensely.  It will be wonderful to be able to spend time at home with our "Littles" as I'm calling the younger three (since I can no longer say "little boys" as opposed to the "big boys"), and run our household without working.  God is good!

Many have asked about our itinerary while in Taiwan.  Here is a summary for you so that you can be praying on specific days.  (Remember that we will be 12 hours ahead of EST, so adjust from these dates accordingly...or just pray and God knows!)

Thursday, June 9 - Leave for Taiwan at 9:45 p.m. from Newark, NJ

Saturday, June 11 - Arrive in Taipei, Taiwan at 5:45 a.m. (Taiwan time...will be 5:45 p.m. on Friday EST)

Monday, June 13 - Take train to Taichung and MEET SOPHIA!!!!!  (We will spend the next few days in Taichung helping her acclimate to us.  We are very much looking forward to meeting her foster family!)

Thursday, June 16 - Return to Taipei

Friday, June 17 - AIT (Visa) appointment

Monday, June 20 - Leave for U.S. and arrive in Newark, NJ at 9:45 p.m. (Same day we left since we will be going backwards 12 hours!  Weird, huh?)

Tuesday, June 21 - Meet the rest of the family and return to PA!

We are very thankful to our parents and some family friends who are helping with childcare while we are away.  Please pray for them, as they are not used to kids 24/7!  Our oldest, Jonathan, will be at camp the week we are away, so pray for safety and spiritual growth for him.  Sabastian, the next in line, leaves for camp on Father's Day, so he will not actually meet his sister until we pick him up on Friday, June 24.  Can you keep that all straight?  I'm trying, but it's hard!!

Dave will be home in PA with us until the weekend, and then he will return to Indiana for the work week beginning June 27.  Please pray that our house will sell soon so that we can all be together in Indiana.  This travel business is for the birds!

I will definitely be blogging from Taiwan, so stay tuned!  I may not write as often as I hope to, but it all depends on how things go.  I promise to post a picture of Sophia as soon as I'm able, though!  Our agency has asked us not to do it until we travel, but that's next Thursday, right?  (Hint...hint!)

With an overflowing heart of gratitude and anticipation...

Two Weeks (minus one day!) and Counting...

Yesterday was two weeks and counting until we leave for Taiwan!  It was a busy and emotional day as I led my kindergarten in their graduation, including my own son, Benjamin.  My how time flies!  But another "to do before we leave" item is checked off my mental list, and that feels great!  My kindergarten children are now done with school for the year, so while the older kids finish up next week, I will dismantle my classroom and check yet another item off my list!

My parents were up for graduation yesterday, so we discussed the childcare plans with them for our trip. They will be watching three of our boys for a good portion of the time we are away, then have all four for a weekend, and then back to three for a couple of days before we return.  Our older boys' summer camps coincide with our trip, so they will be duly occupied.  If you think about it, though, pray for my parents as they are not used to the daily routine of caring for little ones anymore!

Dave is home, too, for the weekend, after a 2 1/2 week trip to Indiana.  We have been able to discuss some of our thoughts regarding our upcoming transition to five children, and he seems so much more calm about it than I do!  Basically, he's expecting the worst and will be pleasantly surprised otherwise.  I'm trying not to have any expectations--we make a good pair, I guess!

It's almost surreal to think that after three years of planning, waiting, preparing, and wondering, we are almost to the point of meeting our daughter.  God is good!  Soon I will be able to post her photos and introduce her to you...I can't wait for you to "meet" her!

Expecting a blessing...