China Trip to Cole (2)

Sorry for the lack of blog posts, but we continue to have on and off issues with internet access.

 

Since Cole has been with us we have spent most days going to some sort of official appointment, exploring the parks and area around our hotel and trying the local food,

 

 

(boat ride on the lake in the park)

 

 

 

 

 

but most of all we have been getting to know the newest member of our family.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The more relaxed he is getting with us the more his personality is coming out. 

 

What we know so far - he is very ticklish and has a great laugh and smile.

 

 

 

 

 

We have found that he is very considerate and helpful - wants to open doors, do things for himself, and share an umbrella with his sister.

 

 

 

 

This actually was a big step.  The day before we had been caught out at the park in the rain, we had finally purchased an umbrella the day before after getting rained on several times!!  When we got the umbrella out Cole wanted to hold it and refused to let Mia stand under it.  When we went to the bus and had to put the umbrella down, we had to pry it out of his hands.  He was upset with us, and refused to look at us. This lasted for some time, even once we were back in the hotel.  After a while he was distracted with other things and his happy personality was back.  Today we bought him his own umbrella, and as soon as it started raining he opened it up and immediately went over to Mia and put it over her head :)!! 

 

 

 

 

We can tell he is testing us, and pushing boundaries.  It is hard at times, to know when to just let him have his way and when to stand our ground.  It is especially hard when you can't explain things.  He knows what no is and doesn't like to hear it, but what 5 years old does.  He wants everything Mia has so we are having to balance that too, Mia is doing great at sharing and trying to show him how to do things.  Everything is SO new for him, his world has been turned upside down.  We know he probably thinks all the time that this is all going to end, he does not have any way to know that we are here forever.

 

 

 

 

 

 

He has been wearing Mia's purple sunglasses because we couldn't find any for him, until yesterday.  He was so proud to have his own glasses, anything he gets he holds on to.  I know this comes from being in an orphanage where everything you own you share with everyone else, including your clothes.  Oh that reminds me, something else we know, is he loves his clothes, he picks them out every morning.

 

 

 

 

 

He has a great appetite and will try almost anything.  The first day he wanted nothing to do with the bath and was scared of the pool.  Well 3 days later he is loving the bath and can't get enough of the pool.  We no longer have to hold him in the pool.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

He also has attempted several rides at the park, even though he was scared at first, he insisted on going on

 

 

 

 

what we know is he is BRAVE.  Brave because he will do things even though he is scared. 

 

 

 

 

Brave because he is willing to allow us to show him love, and to start to trust us.

 

 

 

 

There are 2 amazing parks near our hotel, with lakes, boats, fish, rides, music, people dancing, statues, exercise equipment, table tennis, and much more.  They are a great place to spend time and get to know a very busy and active five year old boy.

 

 

(someone else who is brave)

 

 

(exercise equipment)

 

 

Although there is a part of us that is very ready to go home.  We have Cole, and we miss Benjamin, Ethan, and Lily like crazy.  We want to be together as a family, but we know this time is precious bonding time with Cole.  If we were home, we would be busy with life.  So we are focusing on him and enjoying every moment.

 

We appreciate all your comments, it makes us feel close to you all.  We also appreciate your continued prayers for Coles adjustment.  We know as we travel home, he will have to face a lot more changes, especially with Lily's up coming surgery.

 

Tomorrow we have Coles medical exam.  We will also be joined by 4 other families with our adoption agency that have adopted from other provinces.

 

 

Ok so right now Cole is trying to play on the iPad, but can't work it out, but refuses help - he is STUBBORN :)!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cole is a Yeatts

We finally have our internet issues resolved and are able to access our blog and post pictures.  There is a lot to catch up on, but this post is dedicated to

 

Our Son Cole



(first glimpse)


Just typing that makes me so happy.

Cole is shy by nature, so when he first came out, he clung to his nanny, and wouldn't look at us. We gave him the car we had bought that made sounds - big hit #1





After a few minutes of playing on the floor, he let me sit him on my lap





and gradually he started to feel more comfortable





Mia was a great distraction, she was right in there playing with him, and interacting with him, it REALLY helped him relax.





Next it was daddy's turn





Cole's Nanny said that he had been showing his friends the photo album we had sent him, and was telling them we were his mama and papa.  She said that he recognized us right away from the pictures!





Starting to see that adorable smile

 

 

Hit #2 - bubbles

 



There it is

 

 

Official picture with the Social Welfare Institute (orphanage) representative

 

 

 

and if all else fails there is always the iPhone :)!!!

 

Leaving - he grabbed Mia's hand (oh my heart)

 

 

and then he turned around and grabbed Chris's (tears)

 

 

 

Next we went shopping, he needed sandals as the ones he was wearing were about 2 sizes too big.  He thought the grocery store was fantastic, but he had obviously never been on an escalator before, although he insisted on doing it himself.  We are finding that he is quite independent.

 

It was then back to the hotel.  He played with Mia, jumping on the beds, laughing and smiling, although every time I walked in the room, he would stop and look sad.  I think it may be because I am female and his caregivers were too. They would have not allowed bed jumping, and he probably though I was going to tell him off.  So I got on the bed and jumped with him - problem solved :)!!

He slept great. He was exhausted as he had driven 6 hours in the car that day.

Breakfast the next morning and guess what they are both eating - noodles!!

 

Today,  Tuesday July 30th, we went back to the civil affairs office to sign the adoption papers, have an interview and finalize the adoption.  We were asked if we still wanted to adopt Cole?  Our answer a very loud

YES

He was nervous as soon as we arrived there and clung to us.  I think he was afraid we were going to leave him there, it was at that moment that I fell completely in love with him.  Everything in me wanted to run out of the building with him, I also wanted to be able to tell him that he was ours FOREVER, but instead we just hugged him tightly.

 

 

With an official hand print

 

 

 

and a few statements of declaration

 

 

 

Cole officially became our son

 

 

He LOVES his papa (couldn't resist)

 

 

 

Now for some traditional Chinese food for lunch to celebrate (oh and soda)

 

 

 

He knows how to work a bowl of noodles

 

 

 

and so does someone else

 

 

 

Back to the hotel for some pool fun.  We don't know if he has ever been in a pool before, but by his initial apprehension, I doubt it

 


but once again it didn't take long for him to adjust

 

 

 We are finding it surprisingly easy to understand Cole's needs and communicate with out using words.  Although some instructions I give him in English, he understands??
He apparently understands Mandarin, but only speaks another dialect, that our guide doesn't even understand. 

He has the sweetest personality, and is very considerate of others.  He is also funny, and I think may be a little mischievous.  We are enjoying watching his personality come out, as he feels more and more comfortable with us.

It is amazing how he already seems so bonded to us, it feels like we have known each other much longer.  He and Mia are inseparable, and we can't wait for him to meet the boys and Lily.  I think Cole and Ethan, may get into some trouble :)!!

Thank you for all your comments, prayers, love and support, it means so much to both of us.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Lily's Gotcha Day

Happy Gotcha Day Lily

 

3 years ago today we met Lily.  You all know her story and our journey. 

 

 

 

 

 

(video of Liy's first moments with us)

 

 

As I sit in Chicago airport typing this, while waiting for a flight to Hong Kong to adopt Cole, it is hard to believe that we were in this same airport 3 years ago almost to the day.  Their gotcha days will be 4 days apart :)!!

 

 

 

 

(Lily in China day 1)

 

 

She has come so far, and she is about to face a HUGE milestone in her life with her open heart surgery on August 22nd.

 

 

                                                         

                                         

 

(one year home)

 

 

We have grown and changed as a family because of Lily.  She has taught us so much, and she is loved deeply by all of us.

 

 

 

(lily home 2 years)

 

 

We can not wait to see all that the future holds for our precious girl
 

Leaving for China

WE ARE GOING TO GET COLE!!!!

 

 

Tomorrow we leave for China

 

 

It is hard to believe this day is finally here

 

 

 

 

Chris , Mia and I are going.  Benjamin, Ethan and Lily are staying with my parents - who we can not thank enough. Mia is SO excited to go back to China, and we think she will be a great help, in helping Cole adjust to us all.

 

We will spend 2 days in Hong Kong, then take a train to Coles province.  We will officially meet Cole some time on Monday and the adoption will be complete on Tuesday.  We will be in China 2 weeks.



 

 

We will update our blog as much as possible.  China is 12 hours ahead of the US.  We will also update on facebook.

 

 

Thank you so much for all your love and support, it means so much to us.  We were overwhelmed by the financial support, it brings tears to our eyes.

 

We will be announcing the winner of the iPad mini soon.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



Lily Update

I apologize for taking so long to update on Lily - life is moving fast in the Yeatts family these days as we prepare for traveling to China for Cole and

 

 

Lily's OPEN HEART SURGERY

 

 

We have a date

 

 

AUGUST 22nd 2013

 

 

 

It has been decided that due to the fact that Lily's lungs are looking so much better, and her pulmonary hypertension has decreased so much, they are going to do one BIG surgery, the Fontan and skip the Glenn.  This is great news as it means only one open heart surgery for Lily, but it also means the surgery will be more involved and recovery will be longer.

 

 

 

 

We have to be in Philadelphia at CHOP on 8/21 for her preop visit.  We are not sure how long we will be there, but are preparing for a month.  It could be shorter or longer, it all depends on how she does.

 

 

This was not our original plan.  We had wanted her to have surgery, in May or June, before traveling to China to bring Cole home, but that didn't happen.  It will be hard to return from China with Cole and have to leave so soon to take Lily.  This is why we need to travel to China as SOON as possible.  WE are hoping to leave sometime around the 20th of July, which would give us 2 weeks home before we have to be at CHOP.

 

 

Please pray that we can go to China soon - we still need our TA (travel approval)

 

We are so grateful to God that Lily is able to get surgery, this is something that we were told may NEVER happen.  She is such a joy to us, and has come so far.  It is scary putting our precious girls life into the hands of the surgeon, but we know that the great physician (our Heavenly Father)will be right there with her. Her diagnosis of Tricuspid Atresia, ASD, VSD, and half a heart, meant she is palliative, she can't be fixed - with this surgery she will be able to live well into adulthood, with out maybe only 5 more years (or less).  The surgery is risky, but we know God has opened a door we were told was closed to Lily, so we are walking through it trusting Him.

This is an emotional time, with the surgery and bringing Cole home, please continue to pray for us.  We need to get Cole home now.

 

 



Bringing Cole Home Update and ipad Fundraiser Giveaway Details

Sorry it has been a while since I posted, but life has been a little busy around here, more to come on that later.  My reason for posting today is to update on our journey to bring Cole home from China.

Things are moving fast. Our article 5 was issued in China yesterday, which was the last piece of documentation we needed before we can receive travel approval (TA).  It normally takes two weeks to get TA, although we have been told it could take a little longer as they are redoing the computer system in China.   Once we have TA, we plan our trip and schedule our US consulate appointment in China.  We are hoping to travel around July 22nd.

 

We can not wait to go to China and meet Cole.  We sent him a care package, with a photo album of pictures of us, a toy, a letter from us and a cake to share with his friends.

There is mass preparation going on in our house - I am seriously nesting.  Sorting, room rearranging, painting!!

We have been so blessed by the generosity of many of you in giving financially and supporting our fundraisers towards helping us bring Cole home.  We still need approximately $8000 to be fully funded.  It is hard to know the exact amount as we don't know how much tickets will cost yet.

We have set up a GO FUND  ME page if anyone would like to help towards the last part of our journey.  No amount is too small.  If 800 people gave $10 we would be funded, if 80 people gave $100 we would be funded.  We appreciate more than words can say the love an support of our family and friends, and even strangers.

We are having a giveaway for an ipad mini. 

For every $10 you donate you earn a chance to win in the drawing.  The more you donate the more chances you earn.

We are going to make it a little more fun by creating a puzzle to hang in Coles room.

So each $10 you donate will also earn you a puzzle piece that will go towards a 500 piece puzzle.  We will right your name on the back of the puzzle pieces, and once it is complete, it will be framed in 2 sided glass, and hung in his room.  We chose a puzzle showing panda's, as they are native to China.

 

 

 

To donate, enter giveaway and build the puzzle, click HERE