Yesterday, we kissed these sweet kiddos goodbye at 6AM and left them in the very capable hands of our parents to embark on a 2-week journey to China to bring their baby brother home!

We connected through Detroit and then Beijing, where we happened to meet a sweet family from Charlotte who are here in China to pick up their little girl.  We became fast friends and worked our way through the airport transfer process, getting more than a few stares with our massive luggage and empty strollers and carseats…

After 29 hours of travel, we arrived safely in Xi’an around 10PM, where we were picked up by our guide “Anna.”  After barely squeezing all of our western-style luggage and baby items into a small Asian sedan, we drove about an hour to our hotel and got some details on what the next couple days will hold.  Arriving in China felt strangely familiar and brought back many fond memories of our time living in Korea.  We were also reminded of many “Asianisms” that make us smile and will be sure to share some of these in the days ahead once we’re cognizant enough to take some photos =)

On the drive to the hotel, we got to hear a little of Anna’s story, which we both found interesting.  Anna has an older sister, and since she was born during China’s “one-child policy,” she was considered “illegal.”  Because her parents, both teachers, desperately wanted to keep her, they were forced to hide her with relatives at first.  When her father eventually acknowledged her to the government in order to get her proper care, his job was taken away from him for a year as punishment.  Today, families are permitted 2 children, but Anna says that families must be very “rich” to have children in China, since the costs and medical care associated are more than most Chinese families can handle. Her insights gave further clarity on why so many parents are left little choice but to abandon their babies at an orphanage.  Though we’ve read extensively about these policies in our adoption preparation, Anna’s story brought a personal perspective that really struck us.

Once we settled into the hotel, we enjoyed a late night dinner and toasted to our last night as a family of five, before crashing for a busy day ahead!

Today, we are adjusting at the hotel and trying to get ready for this afternoon, when we will get to meet Ben!  Adoptive parents are discouraged from going to the orphanage since it, understandably, causes a disruption for the other children, so Ben will be brought to us at an adoption “facility.”  This morning, we are brushing up on our Chinese phrases (mainly “hello,” “thank you,” and “I’m sorry,” which we find to be a good place to start when travelling internationally ;), finalizing Ben’s middle name, purchasing bottled water, and preparing our hotel room for our little one to join us this afternoon!  We validated that Facebook is indeed blocked on all of our devices here, so this will be the best way to keep everyone updated on our journey.  Please feel free to comment on our blog, I-message, or e-mail us while we’re away.  We can’t thank you all enough for your support, thoughts, and prayers to this point and ask for prayer as we prepare for what will likely be a very confusing day for Ben and an emotional and exhausting one for us.  We are so excited for all this day will hold and will keep you posted with more soon!