a life (and physical) changing experiance

left-this was the moment Judy and Vicky, and the rest of us got to see the full extent of the 5.63 inches added to her height.

right-one of Judy's friends, Sarah, she was helping get Judy in the car to come home, but through Judy's stay at the hospital she also cared and comforted her.

the pain button was her best friend at times, the x-ray on the left is before, on the right is after.

December 6th Claude, myself and Judy checked into the Children's Hospital in St. Louis, MO for spinal fusion surgery. We were all thankful for what was a fast start to getting changed into surgery clothes, vitals taken, medical information sharing, and a perfectly set up I.V. on the first try. Judy had to receive a massive dose of an antibiotic since she was going to have a lot of metal rods and screws put in the back plus some artificial "bone". This med can create itching, and getting very warm...thankfully Bendadryl solves the itching and cold rags helped the warm face. We called Vicky on the phone and shared prayers as Judy was getting sleepy from pre-surgery meds and then said our good byes to her at the doors to surgery. Claude and I both had tears, praying for this child who waited forever to be adopted and to come America for the best Dr. to treat her Scoliosis. And for what we knew she would be going through during recovery. The surgery started at 9 a.m. and we did not see her in recovery until about 6:30 p.m. and when we did we saw a child attached to three I.V.'s and a central line, compression socks, heart monitors, simply everything....but she opened her eyes to say to us thank you Mama, thank you Baba...oh baby thank YOU!

Judy was in PICU overnight, the next morning when Dr. Linke came in to see her she opens her eyes to say Thank you, Dr. How humbling this child is in her gratefulness. She sat up on the side of the bed while yet in PICU, was moved to a regular room that afternoon, which turned out to be the same one we were in with with Gracie in 2010!

On this floor Judy continued to touch everyone with her thank yous, she called the nurses girlfriend or friend, and they all were simply the best ever! We had to deal with several pleasant things, balloons and stuffed animals sent to her, wonderful care from the providers, great pain team to keep her comfortable...but some yucky things too, breathing treatments, laying flat on her back and not able to turn to throw up (imagine long hair all around her now covered in it) getting up several times a day to walk (she stayed very very strong and walked as far as they wanted to each time).

Judy was released on Tuesday afternoon, a week after her surgery. The Nurses aid Sarah and I got her in the car, her and i held hands and I said just be strong and brave Judy for this 4 hour ride home. She had a wonderful smile for me. What a daunting thing to face, a four hour ride with a spinal patient...at the Alton, IL exit I let my friends Mark and Barb know that we had went past their check point and things were ok and she sent me back the message that she had placed Angels all around our car to get us home. This message stayed with me the whole ride home! Thank you Babs.

We stopped in Springfield next and she got moved to the back seat to lay down and she rode the rest of the way home there. Claude opened the door here at home and looked down over her and she just giggled in delight to be home. I felt like crying in relief to be home!

We are so thankful for Judy having came through this HUGE surgery safely, for Dr. Leinke and his whole team of nurses, pain management, and all for handling this child's health and care as if it were themselves being treated. We are thankful for the 6 girls at home that handled the separation of family during this time as well as they did, and for our family helping or offering to help. Thank you to Carrie and Jodi for the care, and the daunting task of taking 6 girls to get their photos taken, to Cindy and Crystal for filling in here at home besides everything else you do for us. Judy's recovery will be in stages, the first two months the critical time of healing, after that it is 6months of limited activity and then for the rest of a year she still has to be careful. right now she is to lay straight, and has to be helped sit, lay, get up, with no twisting. Even washing her hair now is a task as her back cannot get wet. Everyday will get easier we are sure...today she wanted to do Match class so now she is resting until it starts...an amazing child! And the even better parts to this story is that Judy has seen God answer her prayers and learned that He does listen to you. Plus she "grew" 5.63 inches in height. Please continue keeping her in your prayers....will be a long recovery.

Thanksgiving and so much to be thankful for

I am not that good at this blog and editing...so the labels are not by the photos as they should be...the first one is of our son Alex who had to have part of the $ dance at Eric and Chelsea's wedding, I did not get a picture of the end "dip" but it was fabulous! Good job Alex.

The second is Eric and Chelsea with our grand-children Drew and Gabbie

The third is of our grand-daughters (L) Natalie and (R) Ava. What a perfect picture!

The fourth is of all of us "girls". I was so thankful that Beth was available for an early morning visit to our house to do hair for everyone! This is the completed job! Thank you Beth!!

The fifth is of Eric and Alex. They came for a early morning breakfast the day of Eric's wedding. Eric was practising his first kiss of the new Mrs. Williams...Alex was not that excited about him being the practise target.

We seem to have been in a whirlwind lately. Claude and I made the decision to home educate the girls that are in Jr. high and High School. It was hard to understand how a child can be an A student but not be able to read close to that grade level, or how can a child be considered to be put in drivers Ed when they cannot read a sign?, and when a child asks to be moved out of an environment and you speak to them to ask more questions to understand why and to see why it became clear it was time to act on that little push/idea we had been having for the last 2 years. So 4 girls start home education this coming Monday! We are very blessed to have a great team, both Cindy and Crystal will be our educators and we will be involved as well.
Our son Eric married Chelsea and joined his family with hers. We now have another grand-daughter named Gabbie and who is so sweet!. The day was perfect for all and was a wonderful wedding.

Judy had been scheduled for a Halo traction starting in Oct but another child was in need of the Dr much more than Judy and she was bumped out of the line-up. We met with Dr. Leinke the Wed before Thanksgiving and she is now scheduled for surgery Dec. 6th and has been blessed to be found flexible enough to skip the month in Halo traction. We are all glad of this, it would have meant long distance parenting for that whole month as she would have been in the hospital in St. Louis all of that time. Now she is expected to be in the hospital about 5-7 days and then home for recovery. The surgery is a huge surgery, correcting a 107 and a 106 degree curvature in the upper and the lower back. Please hold this child in your prayers for a easy recovery and quick healing.

We have gotten our finger prints done-yes again-and are now waiting for the next document to come so we can send our dossier to China for our next daughter. We have chose the English name of Kim and yet are prepared for the fact that when we get to China she may already have an English name picked out.

Claude and Andrew, Kris and a friend of ours went to Lake Weiss a few weeks ago to enjoy some days of fishing. They were all successful catching fish and having a good time. It was deer season already and Alex and I this year were joined with my grandson Drew age 10. He was so fortunate to be out and see a 8 point buck and get to bag his first deer! Of course Alex had to have him mark his forehead of the first deer a tradition he has carried on from his Uncle Andy, my brother.

As we are closing in on Christmas I hope that everyone is well, and that we are home for St. Louis with our Judy healing well. We are grateful for our family and friends that will help Claude with the girls here at home while I am with Judy at the Children's Hospital in St. Louis. Thank you for the prayers for our family.

catching up

Well I see it's been awhile since I posted so here goes. School started today, all 7 girls are in school all day so that is a blessing. We spent our summer coping with a horribly hot summer, so hot that the pool usually was not even used! All of the girls attended home schooled summer school and we heard no complaints this year so all went very well! We ended the summer with a trip to Myrtle Beach by way of Lexington horse park, a boot shop advertising 10,000 pair of boots in stock!, the beach, a over night in Charlotte for Penny to visit her China foster sister, a stop a few hours from there to meet long time internet friends, then through Atlanta, GA to see a company that I work with, then thank goodness we drove straight through that Saturday and got home.

Our school year has started, it will be a fall of starts - our son gets married to a lovely young lady Chelsea who will bring us a cute as a bug grand-daughter Gabbie. Oct. 20th Judy will enter The Children's Hospital in St. Louis to have a halo set and we will take her that same day to The Shriners Hospital where she will be a patient for a month having traction to lengthen the spine and relax the muscles to make the Scoliosis surgery easier which takes place back at the Children's Hospital on or around Nov 15th. One of us will always be with her during this time so i will use the term long distance parenting .... After the surgery she will be in the hospital for another 5-7 days and then return home to recover for a couple months before returning to school. The Dr. said we should expect her to gain almost 6 inches in height.

We are also adopting again, a girl nicknamed Cloud. She is 12 and from Loudi China. We hope to have her home before summer 2012.

Claude and I decided to have a pond put in to the south of the house. They are here tomorrow to hopefully finish it up in about 5-7 days. This will be a great compliment to our property we feel and give us hours of enjoyment fishing for "that big one". Alex and I walked the creek last Sunday searching for great treasure, the weather was fantastic, and we enjoyed each others company talking the whole time we were wading thru about a mile. No treasures except the time we spent together. We plan on starting next time where the Spoon river and Indian Creek join about a mile farther down.

Hopefully we will have just the same sort of a wonderful day.

We are asked constantly about adoption-we are going to put another tab on this blog so we can have adoption explained, and to offer advise of situations we have went through...hopefully this will help any and all that are even thinking of adoption. That will happen soon I hope. Thanks for checking in, The Coats Family

Home one week

We arrived home a healthy bunch-had overnighted in the Beijing International Airport where we experienced a bustling huge airport sleeping. Literally, there were people sprawled everywhere, already on the benches that Carrie and I had assumed we would take. We circled the luggage carts, got out the blankets we had and bunked the three girls on the floor. Carrie sat a lot of the next hours with her chin propped in her hands, I think I laid down on the floor...already a distant memory. They opened the check in counter at 4 am and we checked in, went thru customs, and found our gate, I thought. Thank God Carrie was still propping her chin in her hands and was awake, checked the tickets to find I had brought us to the wrong gate, she got us all awake and we trekked back about 18 gates to the right one. By this time the girls had been up almost 24 hours with just the little cat naps and they were really dragging to get there. We got on the plane for home and pretty well crashed off and on the next 13 hours. We arrived into Chicago with a nice enough lay over to get through customs and to our gate before boarding the plane to Peoria. All on time!

The whole trip was good. I pretty well can sum it up by saying thank you to God for this child. I feel great sorrow for the approx 90 children left at the orphanage as I feel we have taken the heart from there and that they are still there. This child snuggled in the first night in China looked at me and said good night mama I love you. Sigh.....and it hasn't stopped...When we arrived into Peoria her and I were first through the door and there were all the girls, a proud Baba, a new grandma and grandpa, a uncle Randy, cousin Jodi and friends....at first Vicky and Judy weren't real sure what to do or say, then they hugged and started talking (Vicky really had lost all her Chinese language yet while we were gone it pretty well returned to her and the girls have been talking in Chinese a lot)

Judy starts school tomorrow. We have her placed in 6th grade "sort of" as she will really be with the ELL teacher most of the time, then getting worked into class's as the language comes but I think it will be really fast the way the last week has gone. She has seen the pediatrician, (she is 49 inches tall!) the dentist (the first cleaning ever and she really hung in there thru it all and has no cavaties), and several stores to get clothes and shoes (this time American Express did not call after Claude's shopping spree so either they realize we have 7 girls or are just used to it).

Today we sat as a family and had the girls translate for us to make sure that Judy understood adoption. At first there was some concern as the girls had translated it as Foster Care and she answered yes she understood, that she got to be here for awhile to play and have fun and then would go back to the orphange. I am sure Claude and I had looks on our faces that need to never be recreated! Then they realized what they had said and got it fixed. Yes she understood adoption. We went on to make sure that she has what she needs, explaining if there is other items she needs to tell us....Addie asked what if Judy asked for a cell phone. It seems at this time all is well, that with the last 6 girls we gained enough experiance to pretty well cover the bases except for a night stand and a desk for her. Easily taken care of!

Claude is on family leave for 2-3 weeks to help get her situated and that really helps. Our house is running smooth, we have gotten Gracie moved upstairs so it is just Judy and Vicky in the one bedroom, I just am not sure yet how everything will play out as far as who is best sister to who...the girls are pretty well paired up it seems...so far it seems it is Judy and Addie...not because of any reason other than Addie just idolizes her and Judy is eating it up. She also seems to be one to like to be alone a little bit, play big sister or mom, and Addie is the same so they may be the ones that are best sisters together. All of the girls have agreed that Judy is a perfect sister. Claude and I agree that we have a 7th perfect daughter. Thank you God.

2/26/2011 Update from Ruthi

Sorry no new photos yet, maybe later....but first of all great news!!!! As usual rules change in China daily or even minute by minute and we are allowed to pick up the visa a day earlier!!! So am going to try to change flights so we can get home Friday instead of Saturday!!! sweet!!! TMZ had her medical exam today. I hope she gained even more trust in me when I got her in the cubicle with the one female Dr. there, when I explained that she WAS keeping on her cami and panti's and when I handed her the tissue thin gauze "sheet" to cover with....all the while holding her hand saying it is ok....the Dr. was quick, examed her nicely and said ok... I quickly helped her dress, all the while letting her hold the sheet against herself...what 12 year old wants to expose herself so soon to a new mom? Let alone on the other side of the flimsy curtian is many more people waiting for her spot? Then thru to the eye exam, to the ent exam, then to the horror chamber...I mean the shot stable...I mean the little area where they give the tb test. That was shot #1-then expose the left arm, shot # 2 and # 3-expose the right arm, shot #4 and #5 then pull down the pants and expose the thigh for #6....what can you do? Administer Tylenol...say I am sorry, hug her. We waited 20 minutes to make sure she was ok and then left....have met the rest of the maa group...great friends! Filled out paper work, got our agenda and now are off to shop! Love to all....will take camera so we can supply some more photos....

Later that day: YES I AM SHOUTING!!!! TOAST AND COFFEE FOR ALL!!! MINUTE BY MINUTE CHANGES HAPPEN IN CHINA AND WE GET TO GO HOME A DAY EARLY!!!! We will arrive, God willing , in Peoria on Friday March 4th at 9:20 am!!!! American Airlines #508 coming from Chicago. Be ready for a tired group.....but we are going to get home early....S-W-E-E-T...I cannot wait to get home...this trip was different from the start that I was already missing home before I left.

Friday, February 25 Update

Just got back from the park where the monkeys are. We saw lots of them...I don't like things like that -- so kept my distance The girls did well. TMZ slept terrible last night. She woke Carrie and I up a couple of times having dreams, and she had a cold when she came and still does. S between the two she is tired. TMZ, Penny and I are in the hotel room and they are both laying down together to nap now. TMZ seemed sad to me, so I had our guide Richard ask her if she was ok, or maybe sad. Se says she is sad today, also missing her friends. We told her we understood and it would be ok. I think rest, good food and taking it easy is best...as we will. We leave in about 3 hours for the airport to go to GZ. Richard said it is 90 degrees there now....hmmm, winter clothes packed...may have to strip dwn to a tshirt.... I have to find TMZ some clothes...her waist is really a bit larger than any length of pant. Maybe capris will work best as jeans...will find her something. Penny let her use a tshirt today as most of the ones I bought are way small. It was very long so I used velcro dots to hem it and she was really pleased....Penny agrees she will be a nice sister.

Thursday February 24 Update

The candy that Morgan and Penny are holding is honey...you spin a dial and it picks a character for you, then the lady had a pot of honey with a spoon, a hot plate of sorts that was about 18" inch square, and she took the spoon with honey in it and made this wonderful piece of art that you then ate...crazy talent! The honey tasted a bit heavier in flavor than ours. Morgan had a rooster and TMZ had a bird form. We ate supper at Pizza Hut..crazy that you could order everything from ice cream desserts to soups to fried rice and other Chinese food. We even ventured to the pharmacy with our botle of cold meds and secured a bottle that matched it, except in Chinese writing. TMZ told me how much the dose is for her...all the while saying no thank you...she really does not like the taste but hey. We understand home is to get 6-8 inches of snow...about the same time we will be on the plane going to GZ to hopefully see 70 degree weather...hopefully the snow stays away from GZ.

Thursday February 24 - What do you want to be when you grow up?

Today we went to an ancient village turned tourist trap :) But it was truly great. TMZ was game to put on the traditional Mao garb and get her photo taken. The other girls said no. Penny was forced to use the squatty potty and I seriously do not know how she managed since I am certian she was holding her nose with one hand :) We also saw tons of water buffalo along the highway walking. Carrie wonders how many mph they walk. We saw so much that really to describe it is so difficult. In all the people that we saw today we saw only 3 women expecting. Did you know that silver turning colors can tell you if water is safe to drink or not, the villagers use silver to tell them. We ate lunch at the ancient village...not too bad but Carrie and I agree we are trying Pizza Hut tonight. Yesterday on the way to Zunyi I asked the guide to ask TMZ what she wanted to do when she grew up. Her answer? (tissue moment) She said that until now she never had any dreams and now she can have them. That she might want to be a scientist, or a teacher, or a jewelry designer. I am so glad this child can have a dream now. And a family...now we just have to figure out the English name issue...she uses Judy. She thinks Callie Jo sounds like a boys name. hmmm...

2/23/2011 Update - Visit to Orphanage

Today we did a 2 hour drive to Zunyi City. We met our friends Zoe's mom there. It was great meeting a lady that can email me from China with concerns about her daughter and I in a matter hours can email her back and say she is fine, she just left her phone in the bottom of her purse. I told her today that she has a wonderful daughter and that she is a wonderful mother.

We went to a walking street. It was peaceful and had shops. Morgan got a fan and some earrings. We tested a few bites of different food items for sale and resisted buying baskets that are too large for our suitcases. We ate a lunch that was great...didn't bother my stomach. And then we headed to the orphanage. It took several tries to get there. We even ended up stopping and the guide, Richard, caught a motorcycle taxi and had them lead us for a ways.

We finally pulled in….what words do you use to describe a place that amazes me has children thriving in it? It is difficult to fathom that our daughters, and others daughters, have came from here and are as beautiful as they are? The blue two-doored metal gate with a padlock...a concrete courtyard with concrete playground things...even the slide was concrete. Metal framed windows that had to leak as if they had only screens in them...all the while the kids wanting to see us and see what we had, etc. TMZ’s room that slept 6 girls had bunk beds...two desks, wash tubs under the beds...no closet, and nothing on the walls. There were no Justin Bieber posters, no mirrors, no thick mattresses, no bed spreads with matching pillows...but lots of quilts bundled on them. Two blind girls were there at the desks and got the radios that TMZ had wanted to give them as gifts. Another girl was brought in, the third girl there in the room that is also blind and she got her radio. They all said thank you and I made sure to hold each of their hands when saying you're welcome... Then the other 3 girls that she gave pens to...then she handed out some hair items, a brush, etc. We had the apples for the other children....

TMZ was so excited to share her gifts, the guide summed it up well saying that she is so excited to be adopted and yet so sad to leave her friends that it evens out a bit. The smile has not left her face...maybe one does outweigh the other??

Then we drove to the girls school...to imagine our daughters walking to school on the road that we traveled was just not a good feeling. We said goodbye to Zoe's mom after we left the school and started the 2 hour drive back. Thank goodness that since 2007 there is a road put in that is passable. Before this drive had been 4 hours or more. We are back in the hotel now...tomorrow we go to an Ethnic Village and hope to just spend a bit of time walking, the last full day here in Guiyang. Now we have to figure out how to pack the suitcases!

Update from Ruthi - Tues Feb 22

Tues Feb 22

From Ruthi:

Today we ate breakfast here at the hotel in Guiyang, China. It was raining a bit so we skipped going to the park where they have wild monkeys. We will go there Thursday instead. Today we went to two stores to buy some gifts from China. They are pictures (artwork) and some jewelry and other items to remember China by. We went to eat at KFC but could not read the menu so we came back to the hotel to eat. I had French fries and fruit. They do not have Pepsi here so I drank water. I want a Diet Pepsi SO BADLY! Tomorrow we are driving to Zunyi City, China. It will take us 2 1/2 hours to drive there. We will visit with some friends and we hope to get to go to the orphanage there so Tao Ming Zhu can take some of her friends some gifts. If we cannot visit then we will send them in the mail. Today we are really suffering some from jet lag and so are going to rest a bit this afternoon and then the girls have to do some homework. After that we will just rest again as we have a long day tomorrow. Here are some pictures...in one it shows you that we ate “hot pot.” It is where you have a pot of broth at the table for yourself and you pick out what you want to cook there. It was "ok."

TMZ - Officially a Coats!

As you can see from the pictures, TMZ is officially a Coats and she is already very tightclose to her two new sisters. One of the things I talk to people about when adopting is you have to SEE that they are your child. You cannot adopt to "save a child" no matter how hard that is...you have to have a connection.

In 2009 when leaving China, I tried to take off the red beaded bracelet and I kept putting it back on (read earlier blog posts about the significance of the red beaded bracelet and the red thread that has connected each of our children)...when leaving GZ, I saw a bracelet that was beads that reminded me of Zunyi City and TMZ...I bought that bracelet and have worn it ever since. I had this overwhelming feeling of "memory of TMZ and of leaving her behind in China." When the news arrived that we had first been able to find an agency that would help us find her paperwork, and then when we found her and then when we were approved to adopt her, I always was able to touch these beads at my wrist...my reassurance of her and my memories. Even though she and I had never met--at home I had Vicky, who has spoken of TMZ probably every day. Vicky would talk of hoping TMZ was ok in China, and how TMZ wanted to come to the United States and be adopted. Oh how Vicky prayed for her friend TMZ to find a forever family.

So today the adoption paperwork was finalized. I spoke to the SWI people who questioned me if would we find a physician for TMZ’s back. They had always felt it was better to hope she would have a physician in the United States. I was able to tell them that Claude had found the #1 physician in the world and that he was about 3 hours from our home and we were making appointments for her to see him. They were very pleased, so much so that they asked for us to email them how and what we found out about her back.(TMZ has curvature of the spine) Today the paperwork was perfect. They announced to me that she is our daughter now...and I had tears rolling down my face. I kissed TMZ and said thank you to God for this child. This child that covered up in bed last night and looked at me and said “I love you mama.” So dear to my heart those words were!
When we got back to the hotel though, I was crying. I was crying because I realized that I had saved my daughter. Not adopted to save her, but my daughter was now saved as ours. I knew that she would be safe in our home, have enough food, have the proper medical care for her spinal condition, and have parents arms to hold her forever.
TMZ has really attached herself to her new sister, Penny. At supper tonight, anything that Penny did, TMZ was doing. I wondered at one point if Penny fell off her chair, if TMZ would too. At lunch, her plate of fried rice was served first. She passed it to us to share and we told her it was all hers, that our food would be here in a minute. (Note from Nan: I remember when Kate first came to her forever home with Ruthi and Claude – Kate would put her entire elbow in her bowl of food – a defensive motion to keep anyone from taking it before she could eat, I imagine TMZ was not used to large servings of food either.) Every article of clothing that I bought for TMZ today she said thank you mama. Penny showed her how to play a game on my Ipod and in about an hour it is lights out…tomorrow we are going to the park where there are wild monkeys. The last time I went there I was glad the wild monkeys did not show up. I sort of hope they don’t again. J

To Vicky: I asked the people from the orphanage if they will look in your file and give me copies of photos that may be there to see if they have any of you when you were very little and they said yes they will look. So maybe Wednesday we will have more photos of you. In a photo book that TMZ has there is a photo or two of you as you were growing up and in a “foster” family that I think you visited a few times…and a picture of you with him I think. You will see these when I get home. Vicky, the orphanage also asked me to show them photos of you with them so on Wednesday when we go there, I have photos of you for them to keep. I will take some gifts for the lady that bought you the new shoes, the tall gentleman, and the lady that came with you when you came to me to be adopted. I will take pictures of them to show you what they look like now. I do not know if I get to see inside the orphanage where you lived but I will tell you when we get back on Wednesday what I got to see ok? I love you. Penny, Carrie, and myself are all getting sore throats from the smoking and the smog. I barely have a voice. What is it with China and my throat? I always lose my voice. Give all the girls hugs and kisses and all my love. We will be home soon!

TAO MING ZHU

This is Ruthi's sister, Nan. I have to apologize to everyone. I am updating Ruthi and Claude's blog while Ruthi is in China. I somehow managed to type in the wrong name of my new niece. Please forgive me, Tao's name is Tao Ming Zhu. I hope I didn't cause too much confusion.
Nan

Tao Zhu Gotcha Day - 3rd update from my sister: Well --no tears, Tao Zhu isjust worried about how she will communicate with us. She is saying lots of “thank you’s.” She said when she found out she was being adopted to Vicky's family she cried she was so happy. She ate some supper-tucked in bed now in the Aeropostle t-shirt that Vicky picked out and red pj pants with a big smile on her face. I bet this little girl is a sweetie over and over....our guide Richard has made the paperwork seamless! Plus we have warm fingers since this hotel has heat...if you are seeing us on the blog, or someone is posting to Facebook, don't forget that my e-mail while in China is jiaforus@yahoo.com . Now I am going to bed...I admit being tired. The cigarette smoke and smog has brought back the hoarse voice and scratchy throat. This trip I packed a steam vaporizer and will be plugging it back in! To Claude: Tao Zhu is not as tiny in size as we thought...I am not sure any of the pants will fit her but will try. None of the shoes fit her...so a bit of shopping is due! To all a goodnight, Vicky, Gracie, Addie and Kate Ilove you...and Vicky, Tao Zhu said she thinks you look like a rock star....

2nd Update from Ruthi - Reunion Day for Penny and Morgan with their Foster Families!

we have arrived in Guiyang and are at the Ramada inn but we will be moving tomorrow-i think a tent outside could be not only cleaner but much better managed-I hope that the little space heater they brought Morgan and I to our room will help the chill. Carrie and Penny already in bed under several blankets so said they passed on heater. We have had a perfect trip so far-some highlights include American Airlines saying that our connection was too short of a time and moved us right down the line to Delta...thank you! The flight to Beijing was great...Carrie and I figure we are on the "Lose 16 pounds" plan and the plan food except for the cookies have been a good start. I slept the bulk of the way as did Morgan but Penny and Carrie were hit and miss. We got to the hotel and I knew Penny's foster mother was already there -- but the biggest surprise was when we walked in and there was a piano just sitting front and center stage. Needless to say Mama G got a very emotional and heartfelt piano concert given to her before the guards at the front desk scattered us away. She and I both had tears at this child's success. Mama G spent the whole day with us visiting the Great Wall and then she went on her own to T. Square...best of all also was all of my worries were needles when Morgans foster family came. What basic lovely people this family is. They brought their two daughters and an aunt to Morgan (foster) and they brought Claude and I a Beijing duck! yep cold in the bag!!! hummm What am I to do with that? Mama g was so thankful for the gift when i put it on the plane with her, Morgan was crushed that we were not going to eat it but i asked her if she liked it and she sid "never had it"! How funny. They also brought us a huge gift of tea. Lovely people and I pray to always stay in touch with them. They raised Morgan from not yet walking age to 11 years old....Morgan reduced the mother to tears when she gave her a coat that Morgan and I had found for Morgan for the trip....the coat is now on a lady that I am sure needs it. Carrie is doing great but is tired. I am doing great but tired...Morgan hit the wall today about 6 pm...and Penny followed shortly thereafter....Morgan though, relishes Chinese tv so guess what she is doing here now at 1:30 am?? That will end soon. We get TMZ tonight at 7 pm. I wished that we had been able to Skype it but we get her at the adoption office...we will Skpe shortly after! Say a prayer for her please....signing off....R and the rest of the crew

1st Update from Ruthi - China Trip

I leave this Thursday with Morgan, Penny and my sister Carrie traveling with me. We land at midnight Friday the 18th to wake up and meet Penny’s foster mother at the hotel in Beijing, go to the Great Wall and a Hutong tour then in the afternoon we have been able to arrange a brief visit with Morgan’s foster parents. We then get on another plane that evening at 8 to go to Guiyang and receive TMZ on Sunday. At moments like these where we will be tired I always pray to get the daughter in the afternoon so we can rest some and catch our breath but normally they arrive in the a.m. and they see me exhausted but so excited.

Travel approval, Visa's and a picture

In the past we have never shared a photo of our daughters before travel but this time have been told it is ok. I wish that I could copy and paste bits of what I have wrote in the past but neither Facebook or a blog allow that action so I am typing a bit of it all again.

We are adopting TMZ who we have chose the English name of Callie Jo T.M.Z. Coats for. We hope and pray this name is one that she will love forever. This child is the one that welcomed our Vicky into the orphanage by giving her a pair of slippers to shower in and a piece of candy so she would not be scared. This child is the one that dared to always help our Vicky when she needed it, even if there were possible consequences. She is also the one little girl that always wanted to go to America. She said good bye to one friend who went to America and that left our Vicky and TMZ to be best friends and not a threesome. Then when Vicky was adopted this little girl faced telling her best friend good bye as she left Zunyi City to be adopted, to leave her there at the orphanage, and for the friend to go to America. Everything that she wanted....she was so mad and upset that she did not come to tell her friend Vicky good bye. They parted that way almost four years ago. We, thru the Grace of God, thru the Red thread that holds families together, thru government offices answers and thru the adoption agency Madison Adoption Assoc we have been able to get permission to adopt that little girl.

In the photo above on the left is our new daughter Callie Jo Tao Ming Zhu and the photo on the right is our daughter Vicky Tao Ying (on left) holding Tao Ming Zhu's hand. This photo is one of the last times the girls were together.

Today I have sent for Visa's for myself, my sister Carrie, and our two daughters Morgan and Penny. We did, because of a huge paperwork error last adoption, request a Visa for Claude too in case of an emergency again. I feel that since we have that base covered it will guarantee that there will not be an error this time. Add that to your prayer list please? Please also pray that these girls have a wonderful reunion, that the last four years being apart has not separated them. That this 7th adoption of our 7th daughter, who is 7th in the birth order of our 11 children will be completion for them and of our family.

I also want to tell you that I greatly value the small business There's Always Hope who does Visa's, state authentications and Consulate visits in the Chicago area. She does a great job! Thank you again.

Hopefully in February we will have her home. My sister will post for me on the blog while I am gone so you will be able to follow the trip. Please pray for the family that is at home and for Claude to keep his sanity listening to Justin Bieber, and looking at the color of pink :)