Home one week-my red beaded braclets

We have been home one week-Morgan started school last Thursday as a 7th grader. To be in a place where no one speaks your language except your sister who is not in the same grade I am sure is wearing, but after she told someone yesterday that she is not going to speak English, only Chinese, well I feel she may learn English sooner than she thinks since she will have to learn how to communicate more than a few screeches and finger pointing. Gracie is a 3rd grader and seems to be doing well. Her teacher just loves her but this mama's feelings are "who wouldn't?" I feel Gracie will pick up English faster than Morgan. Both girls are eating well and seem to be sleeping well too. Morgan is sleeping by herself now and Gracie still pleads to sleep with me....although she is sleeping in her own bed without complaining (she can sleep with me, she knows this, but I think the pleading is a game now)....both girls have been able to make several rounds through the department stores for clothes and shoes and Claude took them to Farm King for outside boots and winter coats. Yes they now have camo too!
I feel all of you have read about my red beaded bracelets...that each time we have committed to adopting that i put on a red beaded bracelet. They come from Wal-mart and are just a few dollars for a pack of several. When we finished Penny's adoption in 2008 I was not able to take off the bracelet and had worn it thru the time and it was still on while we adopted Morgan and Gracie which shows that it was built well and tough to withstand all that I put it thru. You have to remember that I never take them off as I feel the adoptions are "threatened" when i do. Well while in China this last time I kept meaning to take off my beaded bracelet and scatter the beads. Never happened...Saturday at church a lady shared with me that she had been praying about adopting a little girl that they sponsor in China....in a split second I took off my bracelet and put it on her. I told her if she would read our blog she would see what the Red bracelet means....to me it means strength, hope, life, my daughters, our family, health, love, Grace, and the future. Please wear the bracelet in all.

leaving china-and we are home

We were able to get the girls passports and visas Friday night and catch the ride to the airport in GZ. Morgan-13-really has not cried thru this process and when it was time to say good bye Friday evening she was very sad and was crying saying good bye to Zoe. We kept moving forward, it will be ok. When we got in the van she huddled down in her seat with me and the next thing I knew there was Zoe rushing to Morgans side of the van. Hand to the window. Her mom Donna was there with her....The girls said good bye again, very quiet and sad, Elvin told them what Donna and I want them to know, that they will be able to communicate by phone and skype, that they will see each other in July...that they will always be in touch. Gracie was quiet but was not crying, dad and Bev and Carol all hugged everyone goodbye with tears, I knew if I had tears that I would finally just have to sit and cry so the action of moving forward was best.
After a very long evening of getting to the "correct" hotel and checked in, back up 4 hours later and to the airport to check in in Shanghai, and a long flight to Detroit, both of the girls did fantastic on the plane...we were lucky to have the monitors in the back of the seats and Gracie quickly figured out that there were games to play. Morgan as usual slept when in a vehicle...Carol, dad and Bev were all three in the row behind us...when it was time for Carol to leave us for her flight I did not wake up the girls from their sleeping, Gracie on the floor of the airport and Morgan stretched out on the seats..Carol said she would just cry and it was seemingly best to not get the girls started. Dad and Bev you guys are troopers, carrying all the extras...holding Gracie's hand for some balance...thank you. The last week Gracie has practiced the girls names, Penny, Addie, Kate...Vicky...and so was ready to move forward and meet the girls, Morgan was out in front as usual but boy when she say the girls in the airport she scooted right behind my dad and was not willing to come out...in fact part of the time she would get Gracie and have her come sit by her while we were collecting luggage. Hmmm do we have a overwhelmed shy teenager? Everyone fit in the car, we got home and the girls showed all around, and finally bedtime came and I was laying here when Claude had went to check on everyone to have him come up and say Morgan was down there sobbing her heart out...I ran down and scooped her up...it's ok, it's ok...and brought her up to our bed. She was just sobbing...got her some tylonel, tucked in our bed, sent Claude to the spare bed, water in a glass for her and held her...it's ok. Really Morgan it will be ok....and she fell asleep for a few hours..I was woke at 2:30 am to her quietly crying again...so we have been up. I asked her if she wanted to read and so raided by flash light Penny and Vicky's Chinese book collection. We have been up ever since...she has had two tangerines and me my TOAST< PEANUT BUTTER AND COFFEE!!! There is a God! Claude is up with her now and they are cooking some eggs I think. Thank you to everyone for your prayers, the supplied help and meals. I feel this journey of adoption is amazing, and what does God have in mind for these girls future's? Please continue following their lives as we will continue posting...In God's hands, The Coats Family

Countdown to Heading Home Begins! from Ruthi

I forgot to tell everyone! I weighed myself today. Have lost 11 pounds... My jeans don't fit anymore! (sidenote from Nan - this means I might get to raid my sister's closet again! Yay!)

Today we started the day with me typing into the English to Chinese electronic translator, "Will you stop complaining?" They both shook their heads no and said no. At least they are honest. So I retyped it to say, "stop complaining." They then said ok. :) Today we went to a garden which was very pretty, then to eat at a resturant there. The pictures will say it all about the food. On the way out of the park there was a long incline, all marble, and I saw Gracie and Nia at the top of it and they acted as though they were going to run down it, but then stopped - then as quick as you can think - off they went. Gracie was doing great until just the last say 5 feet of the incline when she went down. The knees and the left elbow are both bruised. No crying at all, just toughed it out it seemed. We put cool water on it etc.

Elvin took us to the Beijing street market here where shopping is supposed to be great. We got Morgan a pair of jeans and a shirt, me a great leather bag and a couple of Chinese outfits for the girls when they are older. Gracie stayed here at the hotel with Nia and her father and little brother. They played computer games and had a much better afternoon than if they had been shopping.

We are in the room, Morgan is reading a book. She told me she likes books...tomorrow is a free day until 2:14 pm when we leave for the consulate to swear all info we gave is right...and then Elvin will get the girls' passports with the visas on Friday afternoon and we leave here at 5 pm for the airport. We spend the night in Shanghai, then fly out Saturday am at 10 am! Thank God Claude had been able to come over here and have the time off work, get an emergency visa etc. Otherwise Ii believe that I still would have been in Beijing. The weather there is horrible we are seeing, some reports are over 8 inches of snow. The offices still would not have heat in them until November 15th! Only those of you that have traveled this trip in the past can know how glad you are that it is finally only a few days until you get to fly home....the last couple of days have been very hard as far as homesick goes...food is finally unappealing here at all. Although, this trip I have ventured a bit more into the food than normally. The guides have done a great job ordering for us. Then of course there is Llucy's and the french fries!

I bought a few books for the girls today and hope to have the battery fully charged on the laptop for the games to be available on the plane. I think the way Morgan is when on the bus or on the last flight she may just sleep about the whole way. I worry about Gracies legs dangling the whole trip. I i have the one backpack that I will set on the floor and she can rest her legs on it to help. That's all for now...

Update froRuthi Monday Night 11-9-200

Here are some pictures from yesterday and last night. I washed Morgans hair and wrapped it up in a towel turban which she thought was pretty cool. Gracie was promptly up and ready to get the same... We went on the dinner cruise, no one got sick from the boat movement so all was well but just as we went up on the top deck it started raining so went back inside. They had a juggling act to entertain.

I am still dealing with Morgans behaviour of no one in 13 years telling her what to do. The last couple of days have been wearing as she just will not pay attention when told to stop running, watch out for the car, sit down, stop complaining...so last night when she started running on the boat to go in out of the rain i grabbed her arm and told her to stop running, and let my anger show, then typed it in to the translator when inside. I then also typed in "stop complaining" to Gracie...she has down let's go, lay la (tired) i think if I keep consistent order going, it might stop.

I have been looking for some clothes for the girls but still have not found any except a couple of t-shirts...so poor Gracie is stuck with the same pants over and over.... It is amazing how Gracie is able to do everything for herself, maybe not a button-- but since I brought no clothes with them I don't know. But the new shoes I got her-- she ties them!! I am nervous about her balance but she sure is not worried. There has been no falling down etc as I expected.

Morgan has gotten to where she is helping Gracie such as in the line and putting food on her plate etc.. but only as a big sister not as a caretaker. My cough is much better, I feel I can finally breathe and do not need to stuff a tissue up my nose every minute of the day.
I hope work is going well, I have tried to e-mail work people several times but they get returned to me as not accepted..must not need me :)

Today we go to the pearl market and have nothing to do until 3 pm so the girls and Carol are sleeping still!

Update from Ruthi Monday 11/9/2009

Ok, first thing is a huge yurrah... Claude, I had not bothered to tell you as the stress was enough thru this trip. Morgan Xie's TB test had came back with numbers that were high thus she had to have an x=ray when she had her physical today. I had not told you because we were all certian that it was high because she has had a tb vaccine. This happened when we adopted Kate also...so when given the tb test they react high. Personally all I kept thinking about was that I had not paid for the extended stay on the travel insurance in the event that the x-ray had came back positive. I had laid this wholoe problem down for God to handle and felt He would...which He did. Her x-ray is 100% clear thus all is well.

Morgan Xie had to have 5 shots today. 2 in each arm and one in her leg. We have came back to the room to rest and stay in where it is cool. They suggested the kids drink lots of water today and take it easy. Gracie Mei Qing had to have 4 shots. There were several ow's out of her while getting them. At lunch she was pretty quiet, and like I said we are back in the room to rest.

Ping Ping was not real happy about getting shots. In fact when the dr's came around he waved his hand and said no he was not one being adopted. What a sense of humor!

Tonight we do the river cruise and meal. As long as the girls wake up ok after resting, we will go. Tomorrow we have to stay in the rooms from 10:30 to 11:30 while Elvin is at the consulate. He will call if something is wrong. Pray for no ringing phones! Then tomorrow afternoon we go over to the pearl market and spend a bit of time there. We Elvin will take us shopping on Beijing street. I hope to line these two up with some clothes for school.

Dad and Bev are enjoying the trip...Bev is shopping...dad is carrying the bags :)

It's Official!

Another email from Ruthi:

ok they both said yes (to being adopted)...what a relief to be over that hurdle. i now have one red bead bracelt off and i have plans of loosing it today. i figure if i drop it on the street bead by bead thru out china that my heart and feelings will be spread like seeds....both girls get car sick so before we left we gave them meds to help. thankfully it does and we don't have to use the bags that the driver carries. we are sleeping 5 to the room. carol and morgan xie, me and claude and gracie mei qing.
we hope to get the papers this afternoon but who knows. beijing has its own way..not bad, just stating the facts.
i have attached the photos we took today...i think claude and i are both ready to collapse with relief that this paperwork seems fine and done. claude will have to write a letter explaining why he is heading home for the american consulate for their visas...i want to say this to everyone about my dad. friday when this came around that we had problems here with paperwork we were here in the room talking about the different avenues of fixing this...one was to have to stay an extra week and/or longer. dad spoke up and said he would do what needed to be done and that included staying here with the girls and i.

Halloween on the homefront! What fun!