Changes in plans

So life throws us curve balls sometimes.  This is how last evening and today went. Since we planned to leave really early this morning for Chicago to visit our foreign student friend, Jack, we really hit the online classes HARD to get them hammered out before we left.  We had been studying about Chinese culture for probably four hours, when I decided to order a pizza.  It seemed to be taking a long time for it to arrive, when about 10:30 pm my cell phone rang.  I remarked to Ethan, "Good grief!  We aren't even a mile from the place and they got lost?"  because I expected it to be the pizza delivery person.  I answered my phone to hear a man with a very strong Chinese accent ask, "May I speak to Randi Lanz, please?"  Right then the doorbell rang, and Ethan and Tikvah ran off to get the pizza, leaving me with my mouth hanging open and wondering what had happened to Abigail to cause the Chinese authorities to call my cell phone instead of the agency! 

Yeah, it was Jack!  I hadn't heard his voice since Christmas of 2009, and just didn't recognize it.  He got in to New York from China to find that his flight to Chicago was cancelled.   He was on standby with no idea when he would get a flight.

This gave us a work day.  Our goal is to have all of our paperwork and documents in by the end of next week, so we really needed the day.  We were able to take our final test for what I call the "Monster Class."  This class was 19 sessions, each about an hour long, with one to three homework assignments per session.  Wow.  It was a hard one.  So we are DONE with our educational requirements!  The local agency required 40 credit hours (don't confuse that with actual hours, it took lots more!) and the placing agency required certain Hague Convention classes.  We are so, so happy to be through them.

Ethan spent the morning measuring rooms and learning a software to print out a diagram of our floor plan.  We have to post fire escape routes in each bedroom and on each level of the house before we get our fire safety inspection.  No, it still isn't done.

I spent the day cleaning, cleaning then cleaning some more.  We are required to take a photo of each room in the house, and of course I didn't want any photographic evidence that my house wasn't in order!  I cheated in one room  - our bedroom - where I hid two baskets of laundry waiting to be folded. Hey, I can't do EVERYTHING!   The rest is clean.  I'm pretty sure it isn't healthy to have a house this clean. (smile)

I got photos of every room upstairs, main floor and basement with the exception of Tikvah's room.  It isn't too bad, but not photo ready.  She has been happily playing with several neighborhood girls and then went next door to a birthday party.  I figure tomorrow will be soon enough on her room.

Ethan has gone to Lafayette to pick up James.  He is due back at Cedarville University by 8AM Monday morning, and we need to do things with him tomorrow to help him get ready.

And Jack?  Well, he got to Chicago but too late for us to visit today.  We are hoping to get away one day this next week.  It would really stink for him to be this close and not get to see him.  If you are wondering, Jack isn't his Chinese name.  We never could say his Chinese name, nor could anyone at Purdue apparently.  He told us to just call him Jack!

I feel like I was given a treasure today!

I joined a Yahoo group called "Shenzhen Kids" which is limited to people who have adopted from or are in the process of adopting from the orphanage district where Abigail lives.  I have been able to find out so much about where she is and what her life is probably like.  For instance, this particular orphanage seems to be one of the good ones.  The children are well cared for, clean, have toys, etc.  In fact, the orphanage is sponsored by WALMART, so they have the goods, like Mickey Mouse sheets and blankets and Hello Kitty on their head boards!  LOL!  I was super happy to see that (unlike so many that we've been told about) this orphanage is a colorful place.  It looks much like preschools in the states with animal cartoons, etc.

Abigail has been attending an English speaking preschool and actually understands English!  Fantastic!  We were able to find two more videos of her on the agency website of a new online friend.  In it she shows us that she DOES actually have the ability to speak.  We heard her singing - in English.  Granted, it isn't super clear speech, but is better than we were led to believe.  She loves to dance, and has the biggest, most beautiful smile!  At this point I am not allowed to post any photos online.  You'll have to trust me on this assessment, or stop by and I'll be happy to show you the pictures.

A mom from Pennsylvania who adopted her little girl in May of this year sent me a photo and asked if the girl sitting beside her own little girl was our Abigail.  Indeed it was!  It turns out that they were friends in the orphanage.  Abigail is called DAWN in her English speaking preschool.  Seems that we may have a middle name now!  Abigail Dawn works pretty well for us.

We were also able to get a few more photos of her from May of this year, and a BUNCH from December of 2011.  I picked up ONE HUNDRED pictures from Walgreens today!  So, if you DO stop in to see photos, plan to stay awhile!

What did we accomplish today?  We finished our monster class!  We do still have to take the test, but we've been at it for over five hours this evening, and our brains are mush.  It will be done by the time the weekend is over, anyway.

I got my check up papers in progress yesterday.  The Ohio papers are signed and in our folder.  The China papers are in the works.  I went and got a bunch of lab work done today.  The doctor will finish filling out the China form and have it notarized once the labs are in.  Ethan's check up is on Tuesday.

Tikvah and I did some grocery shopping today - at her request - at an Asian Market that we happened to drive by on the way to the lab.  We especially looked for things from the Guongdong Province in China.  Tikvah thought it was a lot of fun. 

I read in Abigail's records that she eats congee quite often.  I had wondered what in the world that was.  We found out today!  It is a sweet black rice and bean dish.  We had it for dinner, and it was actually pretty good. 

We are hoping to make it to Chicago tomorrow to visit "Jack."  He was our assigned student in the Purdue International Friendship Program.  We have lots of really good memories of the times we had with him.  He returned to China a couple of years ago, and we've missed him.  He was supposed to be flying in tonight, but his plane from New York to Chicago was cancelled.  He is on standby for another flight out, and we are waiting to hear.  If there is any way at all possible, we will get to Chicago to see him while he is there.

Keep praying for Ethan's birth certificate to arrive!