Hannah Ryan's laugh

Be warned...it's contagious!!!! :)
http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=u2JfSHUJ1a8

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Saying Goodbye

Today was an emotional day for all 3 of us. For me and Ryan, because we were again reminded of God's amazing goodness to us. Hannah Ryan did get upset again when we left her nannies, but after seeing the way she has been loved and cared for at Love Manor, it is understandable. The entire place is amazing...it is literally the nicest orphanage in China. It is built on the top of a beautiful mountain in the middle of what used to be a national park, so the scenery is amazing. And, the facilities aren't just "nice for an orphanage", they are nice period. But, even more importantly, I was so touched by how the nannies genuinely care for my daughter. Every person we passed in the hallways, stopped and fussed over Hannah Ryan. Her nannies were elated to see her.

But, here is the part of the day where God really showed His sweet goodness all over again... I am very blessed to be a part of a sweet community of gals in the Birmingham area called the Red Thread group. We are a group of moms who have adopted or are in the process of adopting from China. We meet for coffee twice a month and those who already have their kids home meet for play dates. I can't say enough what a blessing these women have been to me during this process. There is something comforting about having people in your life who have already walked down a road you are walking down. And, in that common connection of precious children from China, friendships have formed. There is one mom in our group that I have become friends with whose daughter, June, is also at Love Manor. Well, I found out today that Hannah Ryan and June are crib neighbors...their cribs are right beside each other. And, according to the orphanage workers, they are best friends!!! How sweet and amazing of the Lord to place these two orphans in homes in the same community where the moms are friends...what a sweet connection they will have the rest of their lives!!!

We stopped for lunch on the way back and Hannah Ryan fell right to sleep in my arms for naptime. But when she woke up, she was in a little bit of a panic and started crying. She recovered and we had afternoon snack. But, as soon as it was over, she lost it. She began sobbing and was inconsolable. She didn't want to be held, but I held her anyway...she was grieving. It finally sunk in that she was not returning to her home and to her nannies. Imagine would it would feel like for a biological child to be abducted...this is what it feels like for her right now. After lots of holding and rocking with Mama, a dum dum finally saved the day. She had another much smaller grieving spell about an hour later and then our happy, laughing girl returned. There will be more moments like these as she continues to grieve...please pray for her little heart as she lets go of the sweet nannies who have cared for her so well.

Tonight was so fun...our little girl was full of energy. We are going to have our hands full!!!

I can't post many pictures of the orphanage for privacy reasons. But, here is my favorite...this first picture is Hannah Ryan and June!















Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

It's Official!

We had the official adoption ceremony this afternoon where the officially pronounced that Hannah Ryan is our daughter! It was such a special moment. They asked us if we promised to love her and never abandon her...to which we, of course, replied yes! Then we each, including Hannah Ryan, had to put our fingerprints on an official document. Then, they presented us with her adoption certificate and a plaque representing Chongqing. It was a pretty emotional experience for me. We are so blessed!!!

We spent the rest of the afternoon in the room playing and our little Hannah Ryan came alive!!! There have been smiles and laughter...it's almost like she knew today made it official, so she decided she could let loose a little bit. Haha! Daddy has even gotten to hold her a couple of times. :) We are absolutely exhausted, so we are going to turn in when Hannah Ryan does tonight. Enjoy the new pics!















Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Gotcha Day!

As I type this post on my phone, I am holding a sleeping angel in my arms. Hannah Ryan just took her bedtime bottle and fell right asleep. She has had a pretty traumatic day. She was so scared when we first met her and wouldn't come to me. I had to take her from her caregiver and she just cried and cried for her. It broke our hearts, but it was to be expected. We left the civil affairs building after about an hour. Our hotel is about 30 minutes from there and she fell asleep in my arms during the ride...she had worn herself out! She literally has spent every second in my arms ever since. She even has to sit in my lap when I go to the bathroom...sorry if that is tmi! If I put her down, she starts wailing. So, Mama just holds her...she doesn't mind. :). She finally ate and drank something...that was a process. She let me feed her dinner, which was huge since she really can feed herself. And, she let me hold her and give her a bottle...again huge, because she usually holds the bottle herself in her crib. We are so thankful for these little blessings...pray that they will continue! I will post pics in the order that they happened today so you can see the gradual progress we made. Enjoy our little princess and please continue pray for her to attach to us!








































Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

We're Here!!!

After 48 hours of traveling, we are finally here! It is almost 6 PM in Chongqing and we are trying to hang on just a little longer before we allow our eyes to close. The only sleep we have gotten in the last 48 hours has been here and there on airplanes, so we are exhausted! We have spent the last couple of hours exploring the area around our hotel. It is so great to be back in China! The sights, the sounds, even the smells...I love it!!!!

Tomorrow is the big day...Hannah Ryan's Gotcha Day! Our appointment at the civil affairs building is at 2:30 tomorrow afternoon...that is when they will hand us our baby girl. Please be praying for her...her world is about to be rocked. We have spent months preparing for this moment, and she has no clue what is coming. Tomorrow will likely be a traumatic day for her as she is taken away from the only home and caregivers she has known. She may even be scared of us at first...we look a little different than what she is used to. ;) Please pray that we can have a good day of bonding tomorrow and she can begin the process of trusting us. Tomorrow we become a family of five!!!


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Leaving

All our bags are packed (almost), we're ready to go...

Actually, Ryan just ran out to buy another piece of luggage.  Ha!  But, truly things are coming together!  It is hard to believe that tomorrow we will step on a plane to China to get our baby girl.  This is a moment we have waited for for YEARS...long before we began the adoption process last March.  

We are SO excited and yet also our hearts are heavy about leaving our boys for 2 weeks.  When we left for Ukraine in November of 2005, you couldn't get us on that plane fast enough...there was nothing and no one that we were leaving behind in the journey to find our sons.  That was before I was a mom...before my heart walked around outside my body.  Every time I think about leaving them tomorrow, it's all I can do not to lose it.  Hudson is struggling with us being gone for so long too.  He is SO excited about getting Hannah Ryan home, but very sad about being away from us for 2 weeks.  I have nicknamed him "my little electron"...it really is like I am his nucleus and he is bound to me by an electromagnetic force.  If we are in the same room, you can bet he is within a 3 feet radius of me.  :)  He is also my "emotional mirror"...If I get upset, he gets upset.  So, this Mama has got to hold it together.  My heart is just hurting because I know the next couple of weeks will be tough for him.

Please continue to pray for Hannah Ryan and her attachment with us when we get her on Monday.  But, today I want to ask you to be praying for our boys...and my heart as we leave them tomorrow.  They are going with us to airport in the morning...LONG before the sun comes up.

• Pray that Rowen & Hudson will be safe while we are gone and feel secure and loved.
• Please pray specifically for Hudson these next 2 weeks...that he will feel comforted while we are away. 
• Pray for me at the airport in the morning...that I can hold it together until after we say our goodbyes.
• Pray for our safety as we are away.

The simple life...

As we get ready to embark on this exciting event in our lives, we are thinking a lot about the people around us and how much our lives are going to change.  We are so fortunate to have such loving and involved family and friends.  We appreciate the support and excitement that you have all shown to us as we have made this journey.  We’re thrilled about bringing Hannah Ryan home!  

There are some things about parenting an internationally adopted child that are the same as parenting a biological child.  There are also quite a few areas that are different.  Hannah Ryan will need a specific type of environment and parenting when she first comes home in order to feel safe and secure and to learn how to live successfully in our family.

While we know that every child is different, we also understand that there are many possible things that will impact our daughter’s beliefs and behavior when she gets home.  These include how much nurturing she received, if there was abuse or neglect, the amount and quality of food received, illnesses, the quality of care, and her unique temperament and personality.  The result of these things can include behavioral issues, emotional disorders, and a sense of grief and loss from being separated from the only home and caregivers she has ever known.  Adoption is a traumatic and scary event for any age child whether they are newborn or 10 years old.  They’re being removed from all of their routines and familiar surroundings.  Even babies will feel grief and sadness at an event like this.  In order to help Hannah Ryan feel safe and learn that we are her parents, we are creating the type of environment that will help promote security during this stressful time.

When Hannah Ryan gets home, we need to implement specific parenting approaches to help encourage a strong, attached, emotionally healthy family member.  Hannah Ryan needs to learn that we are her parents.  She needs to feel nurtured and safe.  She will not be used to having parents to love and care for her.

Hannah Ryan and I (Kelly) will be living a very quiet life with limited trips out and few visitors in for a little while.  Social workers and psychologists tell us that when children are first adopted, they may be overwhelmed, scared, and nervous.  By keeping our lives very boring at first, we’ll be helping Hannah Ryan feel safe.  This does NOT mean that we do not want visitors coming to see our little one for the first time.  We will just have to limit it a little so it is not overwhelming.  I know a number of people are planning to meet us at the airport when we arrive home.  That will be wonderful and touching for us to see so many familiar and supportive faces when we arrive.  We just can’t pass Hannah Ryan around for everyone to hold and we will have to be mindful of overloading her with new things and people.  We know you’ll all want to hug, kiss, and help spoil our new daughter, but it is recommended that we be the only ones to do that at first to improve her chances of attaching strongly to us.  Until we feel Hannah Ryan has attached and clearly knows we are her parents, we will need to feed, change, and take care of her.  I know that missing out on some diaper changes will disappoint many of you.  Have no fear – there will be many more once she becomes comfortable at home! :)

As strange as it may seem, internationally adopted children who act very outgoing and affectionate with strangers is not a healthy thing.  It is called “indiscriminate affection” and can mean that they haven’t really attached to anyone.  It would not be a good sign that our daughter has attached to us if during her first months home she will let just anyone take her and hold her without searching for her mom or dad.  We are so excited and can’t wait to bring our daughter home...things are just a little different when you are adopting a baby from an international orphanage rather than having a biological child.  She will be adapting to a lot of new things…new parents, new family, new home, new foods, new time zone (totally opposite of what she’s used to).  That’s a lot to swallow at one time.

We appreciate your understanding in reading this.  More than anything, we ask that you pray for us – that Hannah Ryan would attach to us and adapt to her new surroundings quickly and smoothly!  Thank you so much for your love and support during this exciting time!