One Month Ago Today...

Just one month ago in a cold room in Zhengzhou, China, we met a very scared little boy for the first time whom everyone had described as extremely shy.  Well, one month later that same little boy is far from scared and anything but shy.  We have had the privilege of watching him blossom during this past month.  The transformation in him has been such a joy to watch.  During his first few days with us, we saw almost no expression on his little face.  However, now he lights up any room with his smile and those black eyes of his seem to dance.
We have experienced many firsts with Miles during this month.  He spent his first Christmas at home with his own forever family.  I am so thankful that God orchestrated everything in His perfect timing and allowed us to all be home together for Christmas.  We also awoke on Christmas morning to the first white Christmas that I can remember in 38 years.  It was absolutely beautiful, but Miles much preferred gazing at it from the safety of our living room window.  Since then, we have experienced our second snow of the season, about 6-7 inches, which is very unusual in Mississippi.  He enjoyed the snow more this time and even walked around in it some and rode on the sled behind our 4-wheeler.  He is feeling much more comfortable.  He is also learning to play more when we are at home.  At first, he would just walk around the house most of the day.  Now, he is playing with toys and with his big sister and big brother.  Many of our days have been spent with various appointments.  Miles got his first haircut as a Blackburn just the other day.  We had our first official doctor's appointment last week and had blood drawn which I always dread.  I am happy to report that he did much better than I expected and for that I am thankful since we are facing his palate surgery in the  near future.  We saw our ENT doctor today for a routine hearing check and consult for a referral to the surgeon who will hopefully be doing Miles' surgery.  Miles also started Day School for the first time on Tuesday, January 4.  He is doing very well at Day School and is enjoying this new routine.  I am sure we have overloaded him with activity during this first month, but he is handling it all extremely well.  We are so incredibly blessed!

Headin' Home

We are packed and waiting to receive Miles visa this afternoon so we can leave for Hong Kong.  Once we have his visa in hand, we will leave Guangzhou by van for Hong Kong.  Jason, Brynn, and I have all had some kind of stomach bug this week which is why we haven't posted much the last couple of days.  I was well enough by Tuesday to take the kids to visit Mac's orphanage.  We had a great visit with the director and nannies.  It was so nice to see where he spent the first 19 months of his life and to see firsthand that he really was loved.  This morning we took pictures on the famous red couch.  It was chaos, as you can imagine, with eight little ones.  Please pray that our little ones don't get sick on the long trip home and for safe travel.  Thanks so much for following our journey to Miles!  Your comments have been such an encouragement to us.  See you all very soon!

Free Time in Guangzhou

The last couple of days have been spent filing and waiting on immigration paperwork in Guangzhou.  This afternoon was our actual consulate appointment where we took the oath.  Once Miles touches U.S. soil he will automatically be a citizen as a result of today's ceremony.  The girls went to the pearl market for some shopping this morning and the boys went to a local fish market.  Tomorrow we are visiting Mac's orphanage which we were unable to visit in 2008 because of the flooding.  We are excited to have the opportunity to finally see where Mac spent the first 19 months of his life.  We only have two more nights in Guangzhou and one night in Hong Kong before we are homeward bound.  We have, of course, enjoyed our time in China but are ready to bring Miles home to meet everyone.  He is a different child than the scared, uneasy little boy we met just one week ago today.  It has been amazing to watch the transformation in him!

 

Medical Exam Day

We made it to Guangzhou, and I have to say it was a welcome sight!  The weather is beautiful, the surroundings are familiar to us, and there is some western style food.  Miles had his medical exam this morning and passed with flying colors.  He weighed in at a whopping 19 pounds!  We are working hard at getting some meat on those bones.  He loves to eat and comes to life at meal time.  Madeline and Mac are doing great, as well.  They are able to get lots of smiles and laughs from the little guy.  We have a group dinner tonight at a Thai restaurant.  We are looking forward to being home for Christmas with the most amazing Christmas gift ever!

Last Day in Zhengzhou

We are finished in Zhengzhou and ready to head to Guangzhou!  We just received Miles' passport and are packed for our 6:00p.m. flight to Guangzhou.  It is about a two and a half hour flight, so it should be a good test run for the long flight home next week.  Yesterday was very low key.  We took a taxi to the local Wal-Mart and Pizza Hut.  Miles really comes out of his shell at night.  So, when we got back from Wal-Mart we just played in the room and enjoyed seeing more of his personality.  The next time you hear from us we will be enjoying the tropical weather in Guangzhou.  We are looking forward to the familiar surroundings it offers since that is where all adoption trips end.

A Day Of Hope!

First of all, let me apologize for not updating the blog yesterday.  The day was filled with official meetings and paperwork which all sounds pretty boring.  However, by noon yesterday, Miles was officially a Blackburn!  Today has been an amazing day filled with hope in more ways than one!  We were able to visit Maria's Big House of Hope today.  My eyes filled with tears as I saw MBHOH for the first time from the distance.  You can tell even from the outside that it is a place of hope and healing.  Once inside, what we saw and witnessed confirmed what we already knew.  Our son, without a doubt, has been cared for during the past nine months of his life in the most amazing place in all of China.  We watched the nannies care for these children like they were their own.  We watched the faces of our children transform as they were reunited with their nannies and friends.  We watched the nannies and nurses weep as we said goodbye.  God truly is doing an amazing work in and through this place, and we are so grateful that Miles spent half his life at MBHOH.  Once we arrived back at the hotel, we sent Jason and some of the other men to Pizza Hut for a much needed taste of home.  The pizza was great, but what took place after dinner in our little hotel room in Zhengzhou, China was another amazing picture of hope.  Miles began to transform right before our eyes.  He finally got comfortable enough to walk around the room on his own and eventually began running back and forth between Jason and myself giving us hugs.  It was such a joy to see this little guy who has been so solemn and uneasy the last two days begin to realize that he really can trust us.  We got lots of smiles, laughs, and hugs!  What a beautiful ending to a beautiful day!