Joshua's Journey Home

At The Beach

2008-04-22T22:25:00.003-04:00

While in Chongqing, our guide Michael marveled that we lived so close to the beach. He said that his family loved the beach and we promised to send pictures of Joshua at Virginia Beach.

Well, here is little Joshua on his first venture to the beaches of Virginia Beach.

Mom informing Joshua he really is at Virginia Beach,

Joshua's first warmup to the beach at a playground.

He loves the feel of sand between his toes.

Joshua and mom headed towards the water, hand in hand.

Joshua building courage to venture in the sand without mom or dad's hand.

Courage and excitement in high gear.

Joshua checking out the surf with Dad.

Joshua venturing into the surf with his mom close at hand.

Joshua telling the local tourists to "Get out there and catch a wave".

Meeting New Family (The Verhalens)

2008-04-22T22:22:00.027-04:00

Randy's daughter Katie picked us up from the airport upon our return home. Thank you Katie.

You have a heart FULL of love for everyone in your life!!

* * * * *

The following are pictures of Joshua's sister Katie, her husband Ben, and their wonderful family. Joshua had a great time with members of his new family.

Katie and Joshua

Ben and Joshua

Kelleigh and Joshua

Katie, Ben, Tyler & Joshua

Ashleigh & Joshua

Tyler & Joshua At The Races

Grateful & Home in Virginia Beach

2008-04-22T20:39:00.020-04:00

Mom brings Joshua into his new home!

Joshua and Dad having some fun with the balloons from Bonita.

Joshua found these sunglasses on his teddy bear that Mom had placed in his crib to welcome him home. He modeled his "star status" for Mom & Dad. It's amazing how he knew what to do and had that "yea, I'm cool look" on his little face.

Joshua checking out his new home. I think the smile says "I'm home!"

Pappa bear and baby bear down for their naps. All the homecoming excitement wore them slick.

Joshua's new high chair. He was not accustomed to being restrained for eating, but has tolerated it very well since he knows it means "let's eat."

Joshua and Mom out for their morning workout. Sorry Joshua no getting out of the workouts with Mom around.

Joshua takes his first ride in new car seat with Mom & Dad. Smiling it's a good thing.

Hey Dad, your chair fits me!
Joshua's first Sunday Church service. He decides that he's ready to take over for Dad at work.

Our biggest praise report:

Joshua saw a pediatric cardiologists today, and his heart has been diagnosed as 100% normal. He was refered to us as special needs due to congestive heart disease. However, it appears that God has other plans for this young man.

The Journey Home

2008-04-22T20:15:00.000-04:00

Our next destination...the United States Of America.

Dad and Joshua wait at the Beijing Airport for tickets to ride the big plane home.

Joshua was helping to get baggage checked in at Beijing Airport

Headed to Gate E-20 for our flight home from Beijing.

Dad holding Joshua while he sleeps during our long flight home.

Overall Joshua did really well during the 12-hour flight.

Mom and Dad even got a couple of winks in while Joshua napped.

"Boots On The Ground"

Joshua with his feet on the ground in Chicago. His first steps on American soil (well actually concrete, but it's made in the USA)

We stayed overnight in Chicago so we could get some much needed rest and arrive on Saturday in the afternoon instead of midnight Friday. A good decision as you can see from the smiling faces of Mom, Dad and Joshua as we prepare to leave for the Chicago Airport for the final leg our trip.

ma ma = mother in Chinese

ba ba = father in Chinese

Sleeping boy waiting to board the plane in Chicago bound for Norfolk International Airport.

Mean while in Virginia.... a welcoming party is forming.

and waiting...

...and what!

The flight is delayed.

How much longer until Joshua gets here???

Mom, Dad & Joshua as we arrive at Norfolk International Airport with a crowd of 30-plus greeters from Mei Ming Adoption Support Group, sister Katie, sister-in-Christ and co-worker Laura and dear friend and "Gram" Bonita.

Joshua had on his squeaky shoes and ran to meet the crowd of friends and family there to meet him. He was all smiles and giggles as the kids crowed around him. He seemed in awe and just kept smiling and taking it all in. Mom and Dad were overwhelmed to tears as so many wonderful people came out to support and welcome us home. Thank you all. We could not have made this journey without your prayers, love and support! OH IT IS SOOOO GOOD TO BE HOME! We thank you Heavenly Father for our safe journey and our home. To YOU all the glory!!!

Friend and co-worker Laura and Bonita "Gram" greeting Joshua, Mom & Dad.

Big sister Katie is there to greet Joshua.

Katie gave us a ride home and Joshua his first ride in a car seat.

Thanks Katie!!

Bonita "Gram" presents Joshua with his Welcome Home ballons. One ballon said "Welcome Home Joshua" the other red star ballon said "Spicy Boy." Spicy boy is the name given to Joshua by the guide, Michael while in China. It represents his "little temper" and is a trait children from Fuling are famous for.

Ms. Laura presents Joshua with lamb's ear plant.

Mom and Joshua will have to have a planting day soon!

Hope introduces herself to Joshua. He is smiling and reaching out to shake her hand.

"Okay Joshua, we'll get up with you later for a game!"

"That sounds great guys"

IT's GREAT to be home!!

(Special thanks to Sandi for taking these wonderful pictures of our homecoming so we were able to share them with all of you. Thanks Sandi!!)

Homeward Bound

2008-04-09T09:06:00.018-04:00

Today (Thursday) we completed all paperwork and processes at the US Consulate to get Joshua's VISA and bring him home. On Friday we fly to Beijing, and then on to Chicago. When Joshua steps off the plane in Chicago he will be an American citizen. We will then spend the night in Chicago and arrive in Norfolk at approximately 2:30.

We want to thank everyone that has been praying for us and supporting us through the journey. Family, church, friends, work.... you all have been wonderful. Your emails, posts, thoughts and love have been lifegiving. God has blessed indeed.

Joshua is a precious little boy and we are thrilled to have him in our lives. While most of our posted pictures have been of Joshua smiling, laughing and having fun, he also has his spells of crying, being stubborn and trying to have things his way. He actually reminds Randy of his grandchildren when they were much younger. Our hats are off to Katie and Marcia who did a great job raising their kids through some tough times of obstinate behavior, food thrown on the floor, screams when somebody didn't get their way, etc. Joshua's has his moments too.

As we fly out, we ask that you keep all the little children and their respective families in your prayers. We have been with 9 other families this past week. We all fly home tommorrow. The following pictures show the majority of these families:

Our wonderful Chinese guides for Beijing & Guanzghou (Maggie & Rosa)

The children we adopted

Squeaky Shoes

2008-04-09T08:31:00.005-04:00

For those of you have been to China before, you know of the famed "squeaky shoes". Well Joshua insisted on having his own, and we obliged. Joshua wore them around town all afternoon and loved them.

If you need your own personal set.... let us know :)

Day 10 - US Consulate Physical Exam

2008-04-07T06:03:00.010-04:00

Joshua's Exam Day

Today was Joshua's physical exam in support of his entry into the United States. It was a pretty basic exam for the most part. However, our docotor seemed concerned about Joshua's medical history. He read his hospitalization report from July 2007 several times (it states he has congentital heart disease) and checked his heart acouple of times. He then took us to another doctor who did the same thing. The two of them then reported to our guide that they found no problems with Joshua's heart at all. We thank God for this awesome report, and will followup with a pediatric cardiologist in Virginia to ensure he is 100% healed with no further needs. We had a peace in our hearts that he was fine even before we arrived in China. This was reaffirmed as we experienced his daily high energy level, and now the doctors report has been been our third confirmation. God truly has His hand on Joshua's life in a very special way (as He does with each of us) . It will be exciting to see how God uses him in the years ahead.

Joshua & mom outside the exam center after the great news!

***************

And Now For Some Fun

Both Randy and Joshua have adventurous spirits. They like to explore and expereince new things. Since we are on the 32nd floor of our hotel, we have an excellent view of the city around us. So Randy decided he would try to find a playground for us to take Joshua to. He looked left, he looked right, and then there it was. He found a playground sitting on top of the 6th floor of a hotel 2 blocks away. So we suited up with stroller and child and out we went.....

Joshua climbing the playground stairs.

Joshua (aka - One Shoe) getting ready to go down the slide

Joshua enjoying the adventure

Joshua insisting on wearing his Dad's boots

Joshua trys to share his cheerios with his napping dad.

Like his dad, Joshua can take a nap anywhere and at anytime. Come to think of it, Randy's daughter Elizabeth and his brother Kim are known to have the same skill.

Day 8 & 9 - In Guangzhou

2008-04-06T03:54:00.017-04:00

Today (Sunday, April 7) we are in Guangzhou. Yesterday we flew from Chongqing to Guangzhou. We were a bit concerned how Joshua would do on the plane trip. He has been increasingly congested during our time with him, doesn't like to sit confined in one place too long and to our knowledge he has never ridden in an airplane before. On the other hand, we have quickly learned that Joshua loves looking down from high places (40 story buildings, elevators with glass fronts, and esculators) and fast rides. What could have been a stressful plane ride turned out to be an exciting adventure.

Waiting at our gate to board the plane.

Joshua during takeoff.

During take off Joshua alternated between the two windows, placing his face into the glass and loving every minute of it. He repeated this routine until we rose above the clouds and could no longer see land. The routine started again as soon as we decended below the clouds and could begin to see land. Inbetween take off and landing he played happily with books, magazines and toys. What a great experience to have as we look towards the 14 hour flight back home later this week. We at least know he is capable of flying well. :)

We have shared that Joshua has been increasingly congested since recieving him a week ago. Our guide in Guangzhou (Maggie) took us to the local childrens hospital last night. They confirmed that he has an upper respiratory infection and gave us antibiotics. He has begun to get better and we have appreciated everyones prayers. Joshua had severe pneumonia last summer and we did not want to see his health to progress to that stage again. The care at the children's hospital was excellent, and the cost was less than $20 including medicine. Once again God's grace is sufficient for all our needs.

Joshua is down for a nap. Randy is taking the opportunity to do homework for college and Laurie is headed to the gym. Tomorrow starts the paperwork and medical process for Joshua's VISA to America.

Thanks again for your prayers and support!

Day 7 - Chinese Adoption Process Final

2008-04-04T17:01:00.008-04:00

Our journey in Chongqing is now complete. All paperwork has been finalized with the Chinese government and the adoption is official. On Saturday we fly to southern China (Guangzhou) to complete our paperwork with the American Consulate.

Our last day in Chongquing was a "free" day. We had no required appointments, no scheduled tours, and were able to just relax a little. The entire country was observing a national holiday, and we witnessed several different types of celebrations in our local area. It was good to experience more of the Chinese culture so we can later share it with Joshua.

A few pictures that reflect some of our experiences in Chongqing:

We toured the Three Gorge Museum. It contains a 3 wall panaramic view of the 3 Gorge Dam project. In an effort to get off of coal produced electricty, China has built a huge dam to capture the waters flowing out of 3 gorges. The water will be used to produce electricity and is estimated to provide over half of the current electricty used today. The down side of the project is that waters will rise an estimated 10 meters and will put large portions of cities/villages underwater. A total of 1.3 million people are being moved out of low lying areas in preparation for the completion of the dam in 2009. Joshua's town of Fuling is in the process of relocating over 50,000 people. His orphanage is on high ground and will not be effected.

While at the museum there was a local artist who paints with his mouth due to having no arms. He is amazingly talented and painted Joshua's name on one of his paintings of Fuling. This will be a great treasure to pass on to Joshua as he grows up. God is able to use each us for great things, no matter what our circumstances are.

Randy, Joshua, and our guide Michael. Michael coordinates most of the adoptions in Chongqing. He has a great heart and has help us emmensely. Those who may be coming to Chongqing for adoption will be blessed to have him as your guide.

The summer Olympics will take place in Beijing. We some of the Olympic village and stadiums while in Beijing. However, it seems each city has it's own way of celebrating their country being the host of the world Olympics. This is a countdown clock in the 7 story mall that is a part of our hotel.

Joshua and his hotel crib. Last night we put his crib in the bathroom and turned the shower on to fill the room with steam. He has been getting congested at night and the steam helped.

We thought we would forego a stroller while in China. Afterall, Chinese babies are very small. Well..... Joshua weighs in at over 30 lbs at age 20 months. Michael said "he is a big boy and you should use a stroller." We took his advice and it has turned out to be a thrill for Joshua too.

Mom getting Joshua ready for another day of adventure

A Dream - An Untold Story

2008-04-03T22:55:00.009-04:00

About 2 months before our travel to pickup Joshua, Laurie had a very vivid dream concerning Joshua. She recorded the dream in her journal, and we have seen it come true. We would like to share the dream with you...

The Dream

On February 5, 2008..... I (Laurie) had a very memorable dream. In the dream, there was a silver metal bridge shaped like a dragon that appeared to be coming down from the sky. The sky was colored in very vivid beautiful sapphire blues. Coming down the inside of the bridge was a dark haired young girl with shoulder length hair (like a nanny) who was holding the hand of a dark-haired little boy. She was leading him down the bridge from the sky to the ground. I was standing nearby the entrance of the bridge (which was the shape of the dragon's mouth). She walked him slowly down the bridge and he patiently came along side her. As I waited at the entrance for him, I looked around and marveled at the little colorful pink and blue shoes etched into the frame of the bridge. The bridge appeared to be covered with these little pink and blue shoes as if many little footsteps had come across this bridge. It felt like a little piece of heaven. I can't begin to describe the joy and delight I felt in my heart.

When I awoke from the dream, I felt in my heart that God had just confirmed that the little boy we were about to receive from China was a gift from His heart. Our little piece of heaven from China.

The Dream Realized

On March 30, 2008 we arrived in Chongqing where we were to meet our baby boy Joshua. Michael, our guide, met us at the airport. We loaded up our luggage and headed to downtown Chongqing to the Harbor Plaza Hotel. Upon arrival at our hotel, to my amazement, there was a bright red ballon hanging over the hotel entrance. There were two dragons crouching on the top of the ballon.

As we pulled up in Michael's car (silver Honda Civic) I gasped as I recalled the dream. Randy nodded and smiled as we retrieved our things from the car to go inside. Once inside, we saw him, our little Joshua. He sat on a small sofa waiting there patiently with two of his young dark-haired nannies with shoulder length hair to greet us. We were both overcome with emotion and awe. There are no words to adequately describe this moment except pure joy and delight. This was our gottcha day, our gottcha moment, our final confirmation of a dream come true.

Joshua being given to Laurie by the nannies (from Fuling orphanage) in the lobby of Harbor Plaza hotel on March 30, 2008.

The next day, I wanted to get a picture of this dragon balloon, but it had been taken down. Yesterday, we shared this dream with our guide Michael. We asked if he could help us find the identical dragon balloon so we could have a picture taken with Joshua. He was very touched by the dream and our request. He drove us around Chongqing until we found the balloons. He took our picture standing beneath the dragon balloons (see below). I asked Michael what the significance of the dragon was in China. He said the dragon is representative of the emperor in China. Michael then affectionately called Joshua "little dragon boy."

We do believe that God has chosen this little one for great and mighty things which is why we named him Joshua. His name means “a deliverer.” The Joshua of the Bible was often told to be strong and courageous, and we see this same spirit alive in little Joshua. While we don’t know the story of his life, we do have the honor and privilege of raising Joshua and being used by God to help create it. God knows the plans he has for all of us…plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. (Jeremiah 29:11)

Thanks for letting us share this dream with you. We serve an AWESOME God!

Day 6 - Trip To Fuling Orphanage

2008-04-02T05:47:00.010-04:00

Today was an incredible day. We traveled 2 1/2 hours into the mountians north of Chongqing, to the city of Fuling. Fuling is where Joshua was discovered on a door step, and then raised in the Fuling orphanage. It was both touching and humbling to see the location of his beginnings. Joshua was excellent the whole trip, seemed happy to see some familiar faces, and relieved to leave with us from the orphanage at the end of the day. These photos reflect a few significant events in little Joshua's life.

Road leading to the Fuling orphanage. Joshua's mother taveled this road to place him outside the orphanage walls. The doctors estimate he was 3-5 weeks old when abandoned. Joshua spent the first several months of his life in the orphange, and then transitioned to living with a foster parent across the street.

This is the main gate to Fuling orphanage. Joshua often traveled through these gates to go play at the orphanage even while living with his foster parents.

The door step Joshua was found on at Fuling in July 2006

This is looking from the inner courtyard to the front door of the orphanage. The facility holds up to 60 babies at any one time. The facility also houses the ederly on adjacent floors.

This is the "first hugs" nursery where new arrivals are kept. Today there were approximately 20 babies in "first hugs". Joshua lived in this room for the first several months of his life.

Laurie and Joshua standing next to the crib that was assigned to Joshua.

This the orphanage play room. Joshua used this facility routinely while living at the orphanage and also while living across the street in foster care.

Mom, Dad and Joshua at a mountain view point after leaving the orphanage. Unfortunately the smog in the city made it nearly impossible to see the surrounding mountains. China has come a long ways in their industrial revolution, but has a serious pollution issue yet to resolve. We ended our visit in Fuling by having a traditional Fuling Chinese meal at a local facility. Fuling is famous in China for it's pickles, and we were able to sample those as well. Appears to be a type of squash that is pickled and served in many different dishes. It was acually very good.

Day 5 - Ups & Down

2008-04-01T18:41:00.003-04:00

Today was another wonderful day with Joshua. It was wonderful not because of laughter, giggles and smiles, but becuase we were tested as parents and rose to the occassion. It appears that Joshua is begining to grieve those he has left. Our guide has shared that Joshua was cared for in a foster home. He has been full of laughter and giggles since recieving him, but we had our first melt down today. On the way to the Chinese WalMart he began crying and could not be consoled for 30-40 minutes straight. The remainder of the afternoon he was purposely testing his boundaries to see how much he could get away with, and carefully observing our response. His mood remained reserved and sometime combatant as the afternoon moved into evening. We stayed on program with him and by early evening he was laughing and crawling on the floor with his Dad, playing polar bear races, trucks, bouncing ball and hide-n-seek. The evening ended with Laurie giving Joshua his first bath in the bath tub, Joshua finding out that he loves baths, and then saying prayers before going to sleep. Indeed, God's grace is sufficient for all our needs.

Day 4 - Chinese Paperwork

2008-03-31T09:15:00.006-04:00

Today was day #2 of being with Joshua. He continues to show himself to be very fun loving, free spirited, and yet very sensitive. The morning was spent completing adoption paperwork with the Chinese government. By Thursday the adoption will be complete in the eyes of China officials.

We also got to speak with the Nannies concerning Joshua. They shared that Joshua was actually abandoned at 5 weeks old and left on the doorstep of the orphanage. We had thought he was abandoned in the hospital at age one, but the Nannies stated his hospitalization was after 1 year at the Orphanage. They also gave us a copy of the newspaper add that was run in an attempt to find his parents when he was first abandoned

Joshua is very intelligent and is learning things very quicky. Today he has spent alot of one-on-one time with Laurie and is bonding very well. We wanted to make sure her relationship was a priority as she will be the primary care giver when we return home and Randy goes back to work. Joshua wouldn't let Laurie out of his sights all day,

Day 3 - Gotcha Day

2008-03-30T14:30:00.004-04:00

Gotta love the smiles & laughter. God is very very good!!

We flew into Chongqing at about 7PM and were taken by our guide directly to our hotel. As we walked into the lobby, Joshua was sitting on the sofa with two Nanny's. He readily came into Laurie's arms and was full of giggles and energy. He insisted on playing with Randy too and everyone was surprised at how smooth he handled things. He loves to smile, giggle, play and be "on the move". Everyone in the lobby was taken in by his fun loving spirit.

After we signed some preliminary papers, Joshua waved goodbye to the Nanny's and the Bell Boy escorted us to our room. The rest of the evening was spent playing, laughing, and Mom & Dad wondering if Joshua would ever run out of energy :). So far no tears and just a sweet playful spirit. We understand most newly adopted children go through a grieving period during their initial adjustment. So we stand ready for that too, but day 1 was an awesome gift in every way.

Tomorrow we begin the China adoption paperwork process. We are told we must move quickly as Friday is a national holiday. By the end of the week China will have finalized the adoption and next week we will head to the US Consulate for the VISA process. Our guide has said he also wants to take us to the Fuling Orphanage (2-3 hours away) this week and we are waiting to hear when that might be. It will be great to visit the orphanage that cared for Joshua, learn more of his history, and see some of his friends.

Having some camera issues (bad download cable). Hope to resolve tomorrow at one of the local stores. Have a couple still photos we downloaded from our video camera. A little grainy but will do for tonight.

Thanks again for your prayers and support.

Randy & Laurie

Day 2 - In China - The Great Wall & More

2008-03-29T18:11:00.003-04:00

Today was a day of touring and getting to know the history and culture of China a little bit more. We toured the massive Forbidden City and the Great China Wall. Beijing was overcast and chilly, and the Great Wall was cold and snow covered. We could only climb part of the wall due to ice and snow, but it was a lot of fun and a spectacular sight. The kids in our group were also able to get in a snowball fight.

The Chinese are a proud yet humble and gracious people. Everyone has been extremely friendly, and go out of their way to help us. We had a lesson on the "one child" law and the implications of the same. China has about 3 times the population of the U.S. and has used the law as a means to gain control of the situation. Allowing adoptions is one part of caring for the Chinese people. It has been reiterated many times, that the children we adopt will always be sons and daughters of China. We are taking precious treasure of China home with us, and to please care for the little ones as such. Of course, our attitude is the same.

Sunday morning willl be another several hours of touring. In the afternoon we fly to Chongqing. By 9PM we should be connected with Joshua. The excitement builds :)

Day 1 in China

2008-03-28T12:20:00.004-04:00

Thanks to Angela Upton who took us to the airport at 4am (what an excellent heart). Thanks also to all those who have been praying for us and assisting us over the past many months. You are all warriors and we are forever grateful to you.

We had a wonderful flight to China today. It took 13 hours, routed us over the north pole (see the polar bear), and was daylight all the way. This was the longest flight Laurie had been on and reminded Randy of some of his earlier jaunts in his naval career. It was exciting to get an aerial view of many of the places we would love to explore.

We were the only members of our adoption group on the plane. We met many wonderful people and were welcomed warmly by the Chinese staff at the airport and hotel. Our AWAA adoption guides in Beijing are Maggie and Rosa. They are both awesome and are taking great care of us. We had an authentic Chinese dinner and are headed to bed. Tomorrow is a full day of touring Beijing and the Great Wall. We do another tour Sunday morning and then fly to Joshua's providence in the afternoon.

Thanks again for your prayers & support!

China Itinerary

2008-03-24T14:20:00.006-04:00

We will arrive in Beijing on March 27

Travel to Chongquing March 30

Pick-up Joshua (Gotcha Day) on March 30

Fly to Guangzhou on April 4
Finalize the Adoption on April 9

Fly to Chicago April 11

Arrive home April 12

We are excited and ready to go !!

Joshua at Fuling (Summer 2007)

2008-03-20T23:14:00.005-04:00

Joshua at Fuling in August 2007.

This was within a month of his release from the hospital.

Looking energetic and ready for action.

Joshua's Birthday

2008-03-20T22:53:00.000-04:00

Joshua was born on July 21st, 2006.

In July 2007 he suffered severe pneumonia and was hospitalized for several weeks. It appears that he was abandoned while in the hospital and later placed into the Fuling childcare system.

Hearts For Adoption

2008-03-20T22:31:00.000-04:00

We have had a heart for adoption even before our wedding.

Our official journey to adoption began in December 2005.

We assumed we would be adopting a precious little girl.

However, God gave us a wonderful surprise in the gift of a precious little boy.