Today

First I just have to say that I used to follow blogs religiously of people that were in the adoption process and then go to China to adopt and then.....well, then it's as if they fell off the face of the earth and no longer blogged.  I couldn't figure it out...I was like, "geesh, what happened to them?"

ha ha ha ha ha ahhhaa....now I know.

Oh my cats, who's got time to do ANYTHING besides survive????

But with that said I do want to keep blogging a little bit and have been trying to figure out how much to write b/c let me tell yeah...it's not all pretty around here....but I guess I do (although extremely humbling) want people to see a piece of our reality...because then hopefully you can see God working too.

This whole experience some call "transitioning" has been a big bag FULL of extreme blessings and extreme challenges....for us anyway.  I think there has been some SERIOUS spiritual warfare going on and that has not been good.  Very hard.  But God remains my only constant and when I have been alone and quiet with Him, oh how He has comforted me.  I can finally write to a little bit about this b/c of some dear friends who are praying on our behalf.  One thing I know, I have never been more grateful for my friends and family....especially those who have faithfully gone to the Lord on our behalf..

Yesterday, when I was near bottom, I was listening to the song Lead Me to the Cross by Hillsong (love them) and these lyrics caught my attention:" Lead me to the cross, Where Your love poured out, Bring me to my knees, Lord I lay me down, Rid me of myself, I belong to You, Lead me, lead me to the cross"  And it really hit me hard to have to sing that...at a time when I really was kinda sick of being on my knees, of really FEELING like I was being led to the cross.....I was like, hmmmm, is this what I really want?  Do I really believe it when I sing that (and I usually do pretty loudly)?  Do I really want to go through what it takes to rid myself of me?  I have to tell you, it was a lot harder to sing that to the Lord then it ever has been before.  It was a good thing for me to have to ask myself those questions at that time....ya know, there are times that it seems easy to SAY those words...but now I know and God knows and satan knows I MEAN IT!.....  There were a few tears there.

Anyways, today was a big Meili day.  My amazing mother watched my oldest 3 while Marc and I spent the WHOLE day at OHSU with Meili.  We ended up having 6 different appointments.  The appts. went well.  Meili will probably have surgery the end of January or beginning of February to repair her lip.  She was a trooper.  It was a long day and I am so glad to have it behind us.  I learned a lot and the alone time with Marc was MUCH needed.  Below are a few pics.

(okay, so this pic is from a couple days ago but I just had to post it.)

the CDRC is a part of Doernbecher and they have a Cleft Lip/Palate team that will work TOGETHER to care for our sweet Meili.  Today we got to meet 6 of the care providers and we were totally impressed.

In between two of our appts. Marc searched the computer for a new car.  Have  I mentioned that his car was totalled a few days ago?  Ahhhhh....we know God has another car picked out for us.  We haven't discovered it yet though....

While daddy was working hard for us on the computer Meili and I enjoyed a game of chase.

A 2 hour lunch break was torture for me thinking of all the things that I needed to get done at home.  Thankfully I was with 2 of my favorite 5 people and we did some exploring together....this was taken on the tram.

trust me, Mt. Hood is in the background.  Meili is not yet quite as excited about mountains as her dad is.

yup, there it is.

ah, my girl.  actually, she was almost totally daddy's girl today.

oh, we love her.

having a Starbucks in the lobby of Doernbecher is like them saying....

"parents, I know all of this stuff with your children is going to be hard on you...so we are providing a little treat here for you!"  :)  hee hee.

ahhh, the dentist.  our 6th and final appt. today.  I love Marc's face, it says it all, doesn't it?  And sweet Meili had finally crashed on her beloved dad.  This adorable dentist resident got about half of her exam in before Meili woke up and realized what was happening.  yikes.

okay, I will leave you with God's word that He gave me yesterday and today:

Thanks be to God, who always leads us in truimphal procession in Christ.

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles.

Therefore we do not lose heart.  Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day.  For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all.  So we fix our eyes not on what is seen , but on what is unseen.  For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.

My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.

2 Chorinthians

Portrait

My good friend, Sarah, and I were talking this week about how our lives can be viewed as a bunch of portraits, a bunch of snapshots.....and how we can view those portraits from different angles and they can look/seem different to us.  I suppose they look different depending on our attitude and our heart's condition...perhaps through who's eyes were looking at them through, our own or God's.  We were discussing this because we both had some specific "portraits" of our own lives, ya know "issues", that we were talking to each other about.

Anyway, as I sat in church tonight and our pastor was talking about Mary, I started thinking of my "portrait conversation" with Sarah and relating it to the portrait of Mary's life at the time of Jesus' birth.  I can't even imagine the amount of people that looked at her life at that time and thought soooooooo negatively of it....that saw the shame in it, the burden of it, the embarrassment of it, the gloom and doom of it, etc.  And yet we can so clearly see today that that portrait was one of the most beautiful ever painted....it was a divine portrait, a portrait of the majestic mighty Sovereign God sending his one and only Son to earth!  Wow....the BEAUTY in that.  The reason that Mary was able to look at that portrait in a different way then almost everyone else and accept it as from God and see the awe of it is because she was looking at it through God's eyes....she saw God's hand upon that situation, upon that portrait....and she trusted Him.

That is what I am thinking of this Christmas.  I am thinking of the portrait that happened 2000 years ago and how people viewed it.  I am asking God to help me see my life more through His eyes and helping me to not get so caught up in my emotions and all the ugliness that I see in so many places.  I want to see my life portraits through His eyes as they really truly are...marked with His prints all over them....all of them controlled by Him and allowed by Him to bring Him glory and for my good.  I want to view my life portraits just as Mary viewed hers.

Okay, so this is a really random blog post but I just felt led to write down these thoughts ....maybe it can help someone else who is struggling to get their mind focused on the things above....as I have been struggling.

"May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him."  Romans 15:13 
Merry Christmas.

The last 10 days.....

Meili turned 2.

Caleb and Meili's birthday party.

My dad turned 60.

The kids had a school Christmas performance.

Doctors appointments.

Weekend in Washington with extended family.

Good friends bring food, do my dishes and laundry.

Welcome Home party for Meili! (thanks Bub & Melis)

Sister and brother-in-law here visiting.

Serious jet-lag.

Host a dinner party for 18 at my house.

Who has time for Christmas shopping?

Transitioning Meili into our family.  Woe.

Did I mention severe lack of sleep?

God remains my Rock and He sustains me.

the first time Meili would be close to her siblings without crying.

happy birthday buddy!

lovin on Aunt Suzy

mi familia

she loves to lead Luke around by his finger.

happy birthday daddy.

the kids put on a show for one of my dad's parties.

and this, my friends, is how I am feeling right NOW.

Happy Birthday Meili!

Meili girl, today is your second birthday.

Today I celebrate you and I have a deep awareness of God's amazing plan for your life.

My heart however aches for your birthmom.  As you sleep so peacefully in your bed right now I wish I could be with your birthmom telling her of how much you are loved, how much you are wanted, of how you will be okay.  I want her to know.  I want her to know how cute you looked all dressed up last night.  I want her to know how many of my friends love you and will support you.  I want her to know that you are a fighter and you have a strong will that will make you a leader in life.  I want her to know of your smile that lights up our entire family.  I want her to meet your brothers and hear of how they plan to protect you.  I want her to meet Jorie and know of the best friend you will always have in her.  I want her to get a peek of you and your dad hanging out together so she can see his deep adoration for you.  I want your birthmom to know that I will always speak highly of her.

Most of all tonight I want your birthmom to have peace.  I want her to KNOW our Creator who holds each of us in his mighty hand and has the perfect plan for each of us.  I want her to rest in Him and know that HE is taking care of you.  I want her to know Him so that tonight, as I am sure of her mourning, she can experience His comfort.  Baby girl, I will pray for your birthmom as long as I live. 

Your 2nd birthday has been bittersweet for me.  So so so sweet to have you a permanent part of our family and experience the fulfillment of God's plan to bring you to us...and so so so hard to think of the pain your birthmom is feeling today.

Meili girl, it's been a big week for you.

The Skips Great Adventure for you has just begun. 

To God be the glory both now and forevermore!

Happy Birthday sweetie.

Dec. 11th....Welcome to America Meili!!!!!

Well, what would you do if it was 4:30am and you'd been wide awake since 1:19am?

Yup, might as well update the blog.

I've already done a few other things, like plan out my future, talked to the Lord, talked with my husband, etc.  Now, I will update the blog and hopefully try to sleep a couple quick hours before the kids awake for school.  Let me tell ya, jetlag is BRUTAL.

Well, our trip home went really well.  Marc and I look back in awe of our trip and how smoothly every single detail went.  God's hand is ALL OVER our trip....but I'll write more on that later.

Our plane arrived a little late into PDX and then we had to go through customs (for the gazillionth time) which took FOREVER.  Being in the Homeland Security office of PDX and having that nice man look at Meili and say "welcome home" is a moment that I will not soon forget.  Then we dashed out of there and were welcomed by friends and family.  The "welcoming" was perfect and another moment created by God for me.  Our friends were so quiet and allowed us a few sweet moments to wrap our arms around our kids and for them to get a look at their new sister.  How sweet it was.  After that I don't know yet if my favorite part was seeing my BUDDIES that have supported me so much or if it was seeing their kids that they brought who had made signs and all of their beautiful smiles and hugs that I KNOW will be a support to Meili forever.  It was all perfect.

So we brought Meili home and were amazed at how quickly she warmed up to her siblings and cousins.  She even warmed up so quickly to our house, as if she knew she was home.  I praise God for that.  We've had her home now for 3 full days and although it is going really well it has not been without challenges. Meili has been hot/cold with her siblings.  She is acting the same to them as she did to Marc and I that second week with her in Guangzhou.  I struggled then and Jorie especially is struggling with that now.  It's hard to bond with someone who seems to adore you one minute and then next is rejecting you.  I am sooooo thankful to God for the time I had with HIM in Guangzhou to process this and learn from Him so that hopefully now I can help Jorie do the same.  I would so appreciate your prayers over her sensitive heart as she deals with this.  

As much as I want to jump back into my normal routines I feel strongly that the good Lord is telling me to do some serious hibernation.  I haven't even turned my cell phone back on yet....and nor do I plan to.....geez, I don't even know where my phone is.  It is quite clear to me that I have only one job to do and that is to be a momma right now.  I have always enjoyed being challenged in life...and this is the biggest one yet.  

God is so good and He is so faithful and as for my jet lag....the best part about it is the sweet moments I have been having with Him in the middle of the quiet nights.  He has been revealing so much to me about how powerful He is and how He has total control over everything...His perfect plan of bringing Meili into our family is being lived out.....it was and is His plan.....He is so awesome and I have never been more in love with Him.  He is my God and I will always praise Him.  Forever.

home sweet home.

the title says it all for right now.  we are home.  and the best news is that Meili LOVES her brothers and sister.  she has warmed up to them very well and very quickly today. I will try to write more details in the days to come...but as for now...I am going to be with my kids, ALL of them!

Thank you for praying for us.

soooooooo good to be home.

Getting closer.

Hey guys, sorry for so many stinkin' blog entries today.  Our room is a mess and I really need to pack...so you know me.....great time to avoid the not-so-fun stuff and just keep writing!

 

Right now it is Wednesday night.  Tomorrow (Thursday) at 2pm we are heading to the US Consulate again to pick up Meili's US visa.  From there we go to the train station and ride 2 hours to Hong Kong.  We will sleep just a few hours in our hotel in Hong Kong and then be at the airport at 5:30am Friday morning.  Our plane leaves from Hong Kong at 8am, about 4 hours to Tokyo....short layover....then about 10 hours to Portland!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  I can't even believe we are almost there! 

 

I can already feel the emotions POURING on...leaving China tomorrow will be intense. 

 

Not sure if we'll be able to blog anymore....if we have internet in Hong Kong tomorrow night then I'll try....

 

Please pray for safe travels and for Meili to have a great flight and for all 3 of us to SLEEP lots on the airplane.  If you want to come to the airport then of course we'd love to see you.  Please just know that Meili will probably have lots of anxiety and our plane often gets in early, I guess.  We will not be offended in ANY way if you don't make it.  I will either be a walking zombie or an emotional mess...or both.  yikes.  From my previous entry you already know how much I love you...regardless if you are at the airport bright and early or not.

 

Much loves!

jen

Thank you.

As we get so close to the end of this part of the journey I HAVE to say thank you to all of my AMAZING friends and family who have lifted us up in so many ways throughout this entire process.  It is so clear to me how God worked through EACH of you to accomplish His amazing plan of bringing Meili into our family.  Each of you played a part in "defending the cause of the fatherless" in a very real way and you have meant more to me then you will ever know!  Mom, your sacrifice, perseverance, selflessness, and love these last couple weeks in taking care of my precious babies at home has been one of the greatest gifts that you have ever given me.  I am in awe of you and thanking you from the deepest part of my heart!  I love you momma!  Dad, thanks for being there too and thanks for the fun times you always give my babes.  Bubs, thanks for helping mom in her gigantic task and thanks for God's Word that you sent with us that has been so encouraging.  Thanks to the entire Skipper clan for giving my kids a very special and memorable Thanksgiving.  And to my friends.....you know who you are and I have to say that you are the MOST AMAZING friends in the world. My next journal entry is going to be about each of you and what you mean to me....the ways you have encouraged us, prayed for us, supported us, given my mom a break and my kids a fun time with play dates, brought us food for when we get home, sent sweet and funny emails to us in China, been excited for us with every important milestone we passed in all that we went through last year, offered my mom support while we've been gone, hugged my kids for me, surprised us in very special ways....oh, I could go on.  I am a pretty good emotional mess right now so it may be a while before I can explain to each of you what you mean to me and what you have meant to me...so in the meantime, know that I am so thankful and I love each of you, my friends, soooo much.

 

I am attaching this picture of Jorie with 2 of her buddies that was taken on one of her "playdates" while we have been gone.  Malia, I can't tell you how much this picture meant to me.  As Jorie struggles a little more every day with us being gone, seeing this smile and knowing that she is being loved and cared for by so many of you while we are gone means the world to this momma's heart.  Thank you everybody!

Dinner Cruise on the Pearl River

Last night we had quite an enjoyable evening on our dinner cruise.  We had been told that it was a wonderful cruise but the food would be terrible so everyone in our group ordered our own Papa John pizza.  It turned out to be such a great cruise...so fun...and so beautiful...and so worth it!  So thankful that our memories of this city will include that evening!

Yesterday

Yesterday was a really fun day for me.  I have a friend from home who is living here for a few years while her husband works for Nike over here.  Yesterday she came and met me and we went and had a wonderful one hour massage for ONLY TEN BUCKS!  It was such a treat to be with her and fun to hear of her life in this city and it was a sweet taste of home for me.  She even brought me some homemade chocolate chip cookies!  Isn't that sooooooo sweet!  My time with her was such a gift from the Lord.  After being with her Marcus and Meili and I hopped in a taxi and went across the city to meet another friend from home, Sondra, who is also here adopting a baby...but she is staying in a different motel.  Her friendship has been yet another amazing gift from God this last year and we both know of His Providence in bringing us together.  How sweet He is for allowing us a couple hours here in CHINA to be together.  God, you are so good!  Thank you!

It ain't roses anymore!

Hey guys!  Well...where do I start?  Every day is a different day with Meili so when I let a few days go by without blogging it's hard to know where to start and which pieces to fill you in on.

Right now it is Wednesday evening here in China.  We just returned home from the US Consulate where our paperwork was all double checked over and we swore (with about 40 other US families) that we will care for our daughter with the best of our ability.  At the end of our ceremony our adoption is now FINALLY complete in the eyes of the US gov't.  The entire ordeal today was a bit of organized chaos and very "generic" feeling but at the same time it was emotional for me...I could hardly say the oath with the lump that was in my throat and the tears in my eyes.  The US official said at the end, "it's now official!".  I lost it.  ahhh.....

 

Life with Meili has been a little different since her shots a couple days ago.  We really don't know if it is her shots that is to blame but that is what I am choosing to blame it on....She now refuses to walk so we have to carry her everywhere (this is my girl who could walk a marathon a week ago), she communicates plenty with us now and her communication often consists of whining and crying.  yikes.  she is a little more picky with what she eats.  She does NOT like to go to sleep and although still basically sleeping through the night she now wakes up several times crying throughout the night.  have I said "yikes" yet?  it's been really challenging the last few days.  we are sooooooooooooooooooooooo ready to not eat out any more and I am sooooooooooo ready to be with my other 3 kids.  on a good note she is really starting to engage with other children when we are out and about which is so encouraging.  she also doesn't scream anymore when strangers look at her.  have I mentioned how tired and exhausted we are?  I don't mean to complain...I am just trying to be honest.  We still enjoy our sweet baby girl and we love her so much....we are just worn out.  I haven't cried tears of exhaustion for a very long time (perhaps since Mr. Caleb came along) and today I have had those tears flowing.  It's been a GREAT and very LONG couple of weeks.  What a journey!

The picture I have attached is of her dreaded bathtime...dreaded by all 3 of us and probably most of the people on our floor as I am sure they can hear the screams.  I thought I'd show you a picture that wasn't all happy-smiley....a piece of our reality.

4 days till we come home!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

Our Holt travel group.

we've met lots of fun people from all around America that are here with us these 2 weeks....it's a great group!

so pretty in her Chinese dress.

 

The Red Couch Picture.

I would guess that 99% of kids adopted in China have had there picture taken on the "red couch".  it is a tradition.  So, here is the best picture that we got.....of the adopted kids in our group....AND Marc!  ha ha.

notice Marc trying to convice Meili to sit nicely on the couch....didn't go so well.

the infamous red couch picture

So today we had Meili's picture taken with the other adopted kids from our travel group....it was entertaining for sure.

Meili and Leeyah

friends forever....Lauren and I'll make sure of it.

bikes are everywhere

we are always intrigued and amazed by how much STUFF these bikes can haul.

 

doctor's appointment

so today was the dreaded doctor's appointment.  it's dreaded by all Americans who are adopting because the USA government REQUIRES that our adopted kids are up to date on immunizations before we bring them into the country....the biggest problem with this is that they have to have this mass of immunizations all at one time...Today my sweet Meili had to have NINE vaccinations.  That is A LOT for one little girl to have at one time.  But we're done now and we survived...another  step closer to coming home.

Meili girl

the girl comes out of her shell in our hotel room....she doesn't stop smiling and laughing and playing....especially when it is time to go to sleep.....

Playroom

One of the great things about this hotel is that there is a HUGE playroom for the adoptive kids.....of course Meili is the ONLY kid who doesn't want to play in it.  In our room she PLAYS continually but get her in a room with a bunch of people and sitting close to dad is good for her!