Adventure Awaits!

We leave for China in 22 hours from now. In 22 hours, Quin and I and our two oldest kids head for a brand new kind of adventure. We will see the sites in Beijing for two days, then head on a train to Ewan's province, which is called Shanxi. We will have an afternoon to get acclimated there, go shopping for snacks (or whatever else we can think of that will help Ewan feel more comfortable), and unpack. We will go to sleep one last time, then it's gotcha or family day.

Ewan will be brought to a room and given to us. That kind of change and loss for him is hard to fathom. We got to QQ (or Chinese Skype) with him one last time about a week and a half ago. It was fantastic. He is cute as can be. So full of personality and life! I know we can help him live a full and happy life, but for now he has a different life. A life he will be required to leave behind through no consent of his own. He has a foster mama. She joined the QQ call. She is a lovely woman and they clearly love each other. He sat on her lap and pointed at Milo the whole time. It broke my heart to think of ripping them apart. I have pictures of the call, but we are already on the road and I can't download them right now. She isn't his forever mom, though. In fact, he's already had his biological mother for about 10 months and two foster moms. It might take some time for him to realize we are not going anywhere. His fourth mom is his final mom.

We know adoption is about loss, but this feels so palpable all of the sudden. My prayers are now for Ewan. That his heart will be comforted and that he will bond quickly and solidly with us. My prayer is that he will understand we don't intend him any harm; that he will know how deeply we already love him. My prayer is that he will not be scared.

I've had plenty to worry about lately, and one thing on my mind is how our almost-11-year-old and our 8 year old will do in China. Will they like the food? Will the culture shock be too intense? Will they have any fun at all? Then I think about how Ewan will experience all of this, but magnified. He will not even know what his family is saying! He will be given to complete strangers and will leave his homeland and all of the sites and smells that go with it. He will have foreign food to eat and a language he doesn't know. He will assimilate eventually, but we must always remember how hard this will be and what a dramatic change we are forcing upon him.

However the trip goes, it will be an experience we will never forget. We would love your prayers and well wishes! Whether we're ready or not, the time is now! Adventure awaits!!