Up, Up and Away

Our Chongqing beauty had her first flight today.  As we entered the airport, we had the realization that Faith was leaving the province in which she was born.  We felt both sadness and joy, as we closed this chapter of Faith's story.  We are so proud to be bringing her one step closer to home.  At the same time, we also want her to be proud of her Chinese heritage.  It is obvious that the people of China love these little girls dearly.  Everyone in the street stops to admire Faith and the other babies being adopted.  They have often given us a "thumbs up" or a "Thank you" for adopting their babies.  According to several sources, Faith is considered to be a beautiful  by the Chinese (and us) because of her fair skin and full checks.  She appears to be healthy.

We have heard that the fine for having a second child could be equal to one years salary.  In addition, the parents would have to pay all the extra expenses that come along with a second child (education, health care, etc).  The government provides these services for the first born.  One of guides, Cheryl, has both a brother and sister.  As a result of having a second child, her father lost his job.  With the birth of the third child a large penalty was paid.

Faith's first flight went well.  She babbled and smiled most of the way.  She also managed to knock over Mommy's Sprite.  (That's right, Christy has resorted to drinking Sprite, as Diet Coke is not readily available.)  The only dicey part of the trip was when we hit big turbulence.  Sam happened to be in the bathroom and Christy was changing Faith.  You've never seen Sam get out of a bathroom so fast!  Obviously, we made it just fine, as we are now in Guangzhou, which is our last stop in China.

After arriving at our hotel in Guangzhou, we had several hours of free time.  We went to the McDonalds for a late lunch /early dinner and then to Starbucks for drinks.  The Starbucks is actually connected to our hotel, along with an upscale shopping mall.  After enjoying our drinks and croissants, we decided to spend the rest of the afternoon /evening in our room.  Faith really opened up and enjoyed playing on the floor.  She has turned into a very talkative and silly young girl.  She has been laughing and cracking us up all night long.  She has really taken a liking to her sister and brother.  Sam loves helping out and Noah is just glad that she is "finally a big happy baby".  Faith truly is the best/most entertaining attraction in China.

Tomorrow Faith has her medical exam.  We cannot wait to find out how much she weighs!!  We are guessing 20 pounds.  We are not anticipating any problems with the exam, as she appears to be generally healthy.  She (along with all the other babies from Qianjiang orphanage) has had a terrible cough and some congestion, but has been improving daily.  She has not had a fever, other than the first day, so I am sure this will not be a factor.   However, we are anticipating that she will be quite upset at all the prodding and probing.  Please continue to keep her in your prayers.

Speaking of prayers, we just want to say "Thanks" from the bottom of our hearts.  We know that God has guided us through this process and that many of you have prayed for Faith throughout the past year.  We believe this transition has been as smooth as it has because of all the prayers said on behalf of Faith and our family. 

Glory be to God for this sweet little blessing!!!  God Bless and Best Wishes!!

Guangzhou