Marsha, I just wanted you to know we are flying out tonight and i will call you when we land in LAX . I love you guys and thanks for all you have done. The house is ok and Alyse and Claire have done a great job. Love, Rich and Ginia and Jack. Can't wait to see you, hugs and kisses.

Dear Friends and Family, This will be our last post before heading home. Please be in pray for Rich, I and Jack. There has been an outbreak of chickenpox with one of our families little girls, they believe she had it for 3 weeks and just broke out this week w/fever and blisters.

The American Consulate has asked us to take all kids to another physical exam before leaving. We did this today and also had pictures redone for the exam. Allot of running today. Please pray no other families have c-pox. They have quarantined this one family and their travel plans are postponed. We pray this does not happen to anyone else. We want to come home!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!



Fri morn. will have to go to the hospital for one more exam and then to the US Consulate for swearing in. This must be done before we can go home. Our plane leaves at 9:30pm and we leave for the airport at 4pm. Pray all goes well. Jack has been great through all of this, let me tell you what a personality he has. At the Dr. visit today they have to put a tongue depressor in his mouth to look at his throat. When the Dr. tried to do this, he did not want to have any part of it. Rich and I have been teaching him to say AW so we can see if he has anymore food in his mouth before taking another bite, because he likes to pile it in, so after the Dr. pulled out the tongue depressor he says AW for her and we all laughed allot. The Dr. thought that was hilarious:) Jack laugh ed at himself and us, he continues to crack us up. I think we may have a class clown on our hands. We Love You, see you real soon. xxxooooxxx

Hey Debbi,
Sorry i lost our call. I will try again on Thurs. I wanted to know if Alyse and Claire were ok?
I let Alyse know to call David if she had to leave sooner. David could handle letting Dakota out and in for a couple of days if ness. Thank you for everything!! See you soon. Lots of Love, Rich and Gina +Baby Jack

Hi Friends and Family, Today is Tuesday the 15th and this morning Ginia spent filling out all our paperwork for Jack's visa to come home. This was a full morning event. We napped this afternoon Jack has been a bit cranky, i think because we have been going everyday, so today he had more daddy time, while mom did paperwork. Rich is loving down time w/Jack! I tried to put him down for a nap and he ran to daddy and clamped onto his leg, we laughed of course. I mean what else do you do? I have to work on that or else he will know how to work the face and try to get his way. Jack is very strong willed, he wants what he wants and we are working on the word NO, of course that is taking some time, but he is starting to realize mommy will not always give in! New parents, and i'm not sure yet who's training who! Ha Ha Ha.....

This evening we went on a dinner cruise on the Pearl River, food was ok, but the sights on the river were beautiful! All the hotels and bridges have lights on them so it felt like Vegas on the water. Jack had fun, but never let go of mom. Sometimes i think that all the stimulation scares him. He seems to have a good time, but you have to wonder what goes through his mind never seeing this much in 2 weeks, after a short 18 months of his life indoors. We love to watch all the expressions he makes.. Rich will just be glad to get home so he does not have to see anymore heads of chickens, ducks, pigs, shrimp and fish on his food! We both are just about there when it comes to becoming a vegetarian!! Sometimes you just don't know whats on the table! Martin our facilitator is alot of fun though, he loves his rice wine at dinner and will do shot's with just about anyone who is willing. Martin has really introduced us to alot of China Culture, which has been great to experience and he has a huge personality, Jack loves him. Martin call's Jack-(Jack-in-the Box) and Jack just laughs and laughs! We have been blessed to have him as a facilitator, they are all great, but Martin just has a way with people and you know his heart is all about the kids and making sure you are ok. He has been a huge help to Rich and I.

Wed. we will go to the fabric store where we can pick something to buy and bring home or make here. The fabrics are pure silk and colors you won't find in the states. Then SHOPPING at The White Swan Hotel, the hotel is beautiful and on the river. We did some shopping on Monday, but had to rush, dinner is at 6pm everynight.

Thurs. Jack will be sworn in at the US Consulate and be given his visa to come home. When he steps off the plane in LA he will be an official US citizen, and already a world traveler!!

Please continue to pray for us, we are doing great, just ready to come home. It's hard to parent out of a suitcase in a hotel room moving from one place to another. Jack is going to think we have a elevator in our house. He runs to it when we open the door. That is his routine, up for breakfast and out the door for some excursion. When we get home, he won't know how to enjoy just being home, or maybe he won't want to leave the house. We love you, See you all soon. Rich, Ginia and Baby Jack.

Hi Everyone, Thank you for your thoughts and prayers. I am feeling alot better. Martin took good care of me. He has been a wonderful help with all our cares and concerns. Praise God for such a wonderful China Team!!! They have made this trip stress free, busy but stress free!!
To our waiting friends who are getting ready to travel, TRUST your CHINA team, they are great!!

Hey friends, Praise God for the gifts he gives us, Jack had his first poop today on his own!! That is something Rich and I jumped for joy over. That means all is working well! Jack looked at us and started laughing. This will make his album! Jack also did great on the plane ride, no fuss at all! It helped that the plane was not very full so he had his own seat, but guess where he wanted to sit? On mommies lap, this is where he has been since we picked him up. This is because of all the bus rides and traveling place to place.

We love you all, thank you Rich and Ginia +Baby Jack

Hi everyone, thank you for your thoughts and prayers.

Tuesday all the familes went shopping at Walmart to pick up needed items, we bought Jack a stroller and some shoes, did i mention he is walking and very good too!! I wondered if he would like be straped into something like that, but he loves it and the stroller has come in handy.
Jack loves Rich, but only to play with. Jack will not let Rich pick him up or feed him. So far it's all mommy! He is heavy so Ginia needs Jack to love Rich too so mommies back can feel better.
Jack has a very easy going personality, he laughs alot and we love it. Jack continues to melt our hearts everytime he laughs and comes running to me. Rich wants so much to pick him up and hug him, pray he bonds with daddy too.

Wensday: Martin took us to see The Stone Forest in Kumming here about a 45 min. drive from the hotel. Jack has been a very good traveler so far, and we have done alot of running around this week. The Stone forest was beautiful, limestone rock jetting up from the ground, sorta like a Grand Canyon in China. Lots of lush trees and plants very beautiful. We don't realize China has some beautiful places in the midst of cramped houses and cites. We took lots of pictures and i will try to download some on Saturday after we fly back to Guangzhou. Jack loved walking around there. After we left the Stone Forest, Martin took us all to a Jade Store where they have some of the finest Jade made due to the fact we are close to the mountains where it is mined. Yes i bought some!!! Martin's daughter has been traveling with us, she just graduated high school and has been a wonderful help in translation and bargining as we tour. Jack loves her too.

Thursday: Out again, Martin took us to the Cultural Center of China, where it showed all the different cultures and minority groups of China, this was actually a beautiful park. We would compare it to Epcot. Jack met his first elephant here and we had our pictures taken. It is fun to see all his little expressions. He scrunches his nose when he laughs! He is ticklish all over and loves to be tickled. This is where the stroller was great, we are glad he loves it, esp; when daddy goes down the steps or over bumps! Out to dinner at a wonderful Kantanes resturant, we have loved everything we have tried so far. We are not sure what everything is, but we are going on the don't ask don't tell policy! Martin has been wonderful. Since we picked Jack up on Monday, he has not gone poop! We have been very concerned about this so i asked Martin to take us to a pharmacy where we could pick up some supositorys, you know the one thing i forgot!
When we came back to the hotel Martin did it for me, it was a liquid that i had'nt done before, and OH can i tell you in five minutes Jack was screaming and stiff on his side, i cried ALOT!!!
For the first time it was hard to watch him in so much pain, but he filled 3 diapers!!!!!
After all the drama, we both crashed while daddy went and had a foot and back masage. Did i mention i went the night before!! It was wonderful after all the running and long days we have been putting in.

Today is Friday, four other couples are leaving to see where their kids orphanage is. Rich and i and another couple cannot go because our kids are not from there and they will not let you in.
We stayed in for some down time and glad we did Ginia has a fever of 100.5 and Rich is coughing. Jack has had a cold since Gotcha day and non stop going has caught up with us all!!
You know Ginia does not do well under alot of stress, my body shuts down, and being sick before we left i don't think my immune system has had a chance to recoup. We stayed in bed all three of us and Jack was great, i think he wanted that too. Rich also had a chance to bond with him while mommy slept most of the day. I called Martin and let him know we might not go to dinner because i was still aching and feverish. Martin went to the pharmacy and bought me some kind of drugs, i took them and did what he said, feeling better already. Like i said don't ask, don't tell!! Martin says just trust so i did. God is good!!
Everyone has been great, all the families are helping each other with different needs.
We will fly out in the morning to go back to Guangzhou this is Sat. morning, Pray Jack flies well, we are still not sure if he has any ear infections, he does not seem to complain about them, but then he does not complain about anything. He really is a happy baby and a joy to be around, God truly answered all our prayers. I see his hand continually guiding us we become a family.
Lots of love, cannot wait for you to meet him!! Rich and Ginia and baby Jack.
We love you.

Today is Thursday the 9th.

I left off with our busy Sunday sched. Monday morning we were up early for a quick breakfast and met in lobby to get instructions on which couples were flying into which province. On the bus to airport to fly out to Kumming with 6 other couples for our babies. Our group flew 2 hours into Kumming and on the bus to meet our babies!!

We had a 45minute ride into Jian province and into a group of buildings where Martin our facilitator explanined lived older Chinese and some children. Martin told us that the older Chinese men and women who don't have a place to live often come to a sort of retirement community and care for the children. Very poor conditions!

When we arrived Rich and I had so many emotions, mostly excited to meet Jack, we were rushed to get into Jian, because the Orphanage Director wanted to go to lunch! We arrrived about 11:45 any later we would have had to return!!

Martin rushed us in and the babies were already in the room, usually they bring the kids to you one by one. Very caotic!

As I looked around the room, my mind was racing, would Jack recognize us or would we recognize him??? As soon as we were in the room i turned around and there he was with his nanny, she already new us from the pictures we sent. My eyes met hers and i immediatly new my new son. She was telling Jack - mommy and daddy and pointing to us. I think you are supose to wait for them to call you to your child, but i immediatly ran over and picked him up!!
He's sooo beautiful and smart. The nanny had obviously been working with him due to pictures we sent. She had his blanket with him and his toy. He loves his blanket very much.
Rich and i are so blessed. I thank everyone for the prayers, God continues to make this a smooth transition. Rich and i did not cry, we were so overjoyed with God's favor. The room was so full of nannys and moms and dads, can you believe not one child cried, and we were there for a very long time.

We had to leave for lunch with our children and then come back an hour later to do all the visa paperwork the same day. We talked with the nannies while the dads filled our lots of papers and signed with our finger prints. Then drove to the Chinese goverment office to pick up Jacks offical adoption papers. A very long day and not once did Jack cry or get fussy.
Post more later, called to dinner! Lots of love and keep praying for us. We truly feel all your prayers during this new trasition. Rich and Giniaxxxooxxx