Home Sweet Home!

We are home!   The two and half week long trip has been amazing and fun, but we all miss home so much.  All of us are still in "zombie" stage - from jetlag, exhaustion, sickness and Pearl's irregular sleeping schedule.

At the airport, my sister Faith, her children Grace and Nick, and Joe (holding the camera) all came to give us a big welcome!    

After we got back on Tuesday night, we "crashed" for two days, anywhere, anytime!

 

My words cannot express enough how grateful we are for all our friends and families during this entire process.    All of their prayers, love, care, encouragement, grocery delivery, meals, baby items and toys, precious hand-me-down clothes and monetary gifts lifted us up and walked us through the way.     Looking back at our prayer list items, by His grace, I am deeply grateful that all of our prayers for the trip were answered and beyond our expectation.   Through our friends and families, I see God's kindness and love poured out toward Pearl.    We feel so blessed for the privilege to be her parents. 

One of my best memory in this trip was to get to know 6 amazing adoptive families in our group.   It's has been an eye opening and inspiring experience to get to know them.    All seven families in our group are adopting special need children - three with cleft, one with heart disease, one 9 year old, one with hand feet deformity, and one with developmental delay.    Some of them were there for their 2nd, 3rd, or 5th(!) adoption.   I always wonder, what makes them willing to do this with such sacrifice and risk? 

A group picture with all of us 7 families (Pearl slept through the entire picture taken process!   so cute!)

All 7 adopted children (except for Pui Pui)

  

Here with our GuangZhou tour guide Amy - a very nice, friendly and extremely knowledgeable and organized lady.

Here is a little recap of Pearl's medical exam on Monday 1/23.   Pearl received 6 shots(vaccines) that day, one after another.   She was totally traumatized by the experience.     

Here at the Physical Exam Building

 The building was jam packed with people.    We had to wait for a long time.

Pearl was already very impatient with the long wait.    With her 6 shots, she just cried her lungs out the entire time.

As parent, I always show friends and families "nice and cute" pictures of our children  :-)    But in reality, all of us do have our "moments".   Here, at the medical center, Yin Yin had an argument with Pui Pui.    I can't even remember what they were fighting about.  But it definitely came at the wrong place and the wrong time!     In the midst of Pearl's traumatized shots, this is one other thing we have to deal with at the same time!     

Here are some happier pictures!

  

  

 

  

I just love the courtyard home design of Chinese traditional houses like this.  The architectural and carving details are absolutely beautiful.   I wish we can build a house like that here, and have my parents on one wing, my sistes and their families on another wing, San's families on another and all share the common courtyard area in the center.   A water fountain in the center,with evergreen trees and flower shrubs like these, great privacy, safe play area for kids, close with families but still each has our own private space, and the best yet, no lawn to mow!   ha,ha... keep dreaming....

In Hong Kong, we met with San's wonderful family.    This is Pui Pui's first trip to Hong Kong.   It's has been 9 years since we all last visited Hong Kong.    We really had a wonderful time there.   We miss all the great food there!   CT and Yi Ting, thank you so much for having us and taking time off from your work and regular routine to accommodate us.    Thanks for ALL the gifts, great food, and the wonderful laundry service!  You poured out your love to us and the children, and overlooked all the inconvenience we have created.   We are deeply grateful. 

The children with Grandma and Grandpa.

     

We also met with San's high school friends.   They took us out for a very nice lunch, and had a good time catching up with each other.    We feel so blessed by their generosity and warm long term friendship.

Pui Pui quickly learn this signature picture post from Jecky(the V sign, is it Japanese or Hong Kong??).  

 

Here she goes again!   She just loved it!    ha,ha...

Pearl's first taste of Sesame Paste Soup!    She loves it!    We all love her beard!