Monday, September 29, 2008

Johnny Appleseed Festival




What a great weekend we all had together! Shen continues to adapt to life in the U.S. His English also gets better day by day. He now realizes that "You're welcome," follows "thank you." And, he even follows someone else's sneeze with "God Bless You!"
This weekend we put together a new tricycle for the little man that he just loves. We went swimming, which I think may have been his first time at an indoor pool. He was big-eyed the whole time and loved playing with the small fountains at the pool. I think family time at the pool this winter will be a "hot item" in our household.
The big event of the weekend was the Johnny Appleseed Festival held about 5 miles from our home. Mommy attended an adoption seminar at our church, which we found was EXTREMELY worthwhile! She learned about communicating with children and how communication can sometimes be difficult in the "honeymoon" phase of adoption, yet being aware of "signals" as you get into the 6-month to one-year time period.
But, back to the Johnny Appleseed Festival. It was geared just for the kids and we met a great couple and their son, who are in our Adoption Playgroup. Shen really connected with his new friend Jack (nice name, huh!). I have attached some pictures for you to see. First is Shen with his friend, Jack. Then, you will see Little Man eating his first sweet corn on the cob. He wanted NOTHING to do with "corn on the cob" at first, until he saw his friend Jack eat some. Then, he devoured the sweet corn. The final picture is Shen feeding a small donkey in the petting zoo.
Our family continues to adapt and we thank God for all the blessings bestowed upon us.
We love you all!
Jack, Jodie, Connor and Shen

Friday, September 26, 2008

After One Week at Home




We finished the first week at home last night and I have to say that this is one very flexible child. Shen has adapted very well to mommy, Connor, our two cats, our dog, and our lifestyle. He sleeps well, only getting up once in the night for the bathroom, eats extremely well (not picky at all), and creatively plays with his matchbox cars and legos. He has gone shopping with us and had his first "fast food" meal yesterday. Our neighbors have graciously enfolded Shen into their lives as well.
His english seems to getting better day by day, but he will still go into his "storytelling" mode in Chinese with Jodie, Connor and I not having a clue what he is saying. Last night, Shen and Armin (the youngest son next door) ran windsprints together across their sport court. They just kept running back and forth (of course, it was great that Armin let him win all the time). So, the blending of our family continues.
We hope you enjoy some of the pictures attached to this post. You will see Shen doing crafts with his playdough, then sitting in his carseat that our Angel friends, the Osorios gave us (he looks pretty comfortable, don't you think), and then getting a balloon at Trader Joe's last night.
Love,
Jack, Jodie, Connor and Shen

Tuesday, September 23, 2008

The First Few Days Home




Well, this has been an incredible time for our family. Shen has fit in so well! He is connecting (Big Time) with Jodie and Connor, enjoying the people in our neighborhood, and just getting accustomed to life in America and the Groppel household. We went to church on Sunday and he enjoyed Sunday School. Our neighbors have been incredibly gracious. The Rahn's brought a small stuffed puppy and Disney balloons to Shen, Pastor H.B. stopped by just to give him a quick hug, and everyone has been touching base to check in on the little man.
We took Shen to the Pediatrician today, the one who, on May 20 after looking at Shen's growth/medical records said, "He's a keeper" and then said, "Go get him!" Today, Dr. and patient met. Dr. Ochs felt that Shen was doing great, was very intelligent, and seemed very healthy. There does seem to bit a bit of fluid behind Shen's eardrum's, likely due to the palate and subsequent surgery. We will get him to a specialist later this fall. Then, they wanted all kinds of labwork to meet U.S. immigration standards. So, little man gave it all...blood, urine, and stool samples. They will evaluate EVERYTHING that he is or is not immune to. We need to go back in three weeks to discuss the results.
I am attaching some pictures for you to enjoy. One is from the doctor visit where we had to wait for over 4 hours to see the doctor and get everything done. Shen got bored so, being little Mr. Creativity, he put stickers on himself, his shirt and his shorts (he had a blast and it killed some time :)). The second is of Connor, Shen, and our neighbor's sons, Colin and Armin Ward. We just know that they will all become incredible friends. And, finally, this is the view I saw from behind as Shen and I met Connor coming home from school. Connor took his hand and walked him into the house. You get a great shot of our big 12-year-old guy and our little 3-1/2 year old addition.
Enjoy!! We love you all!
Jack, Jodie, Connor and Shen

Friday, September 19, 2008

WE'RE HOME!!!


We made it home! And, Mommy and Connor are connecting with our Little Man really well. He and I were pretty tired and we both woke up at 2:00 am for about 2 hours this morning before going back to sleep. Don't you just love jet lag!!
As we get acclimated as a family, I want to again thank all of you for your prayers and support during this incredible journey!! I am attaching a picture that I took from the car at the moment that Shen met Mommy and Connor. Do you detect a little "beaming" from everyone?????!!!!
Love to all,
Jack, Mommy, Connor and SHEN

Thursday, September 18, 2008

Layover in Tokyo

We have made about 1/4 of the way home. As we sit in Tokyo's Narita International Airport, realizing that it is in the middle of the night in Chicago, it is just incredible to reflect on the past two weeks. Shen is watching a VeggieTales video and seems happy as a lark (We MIGHT need to get SOME sleep on the next 11-1/2 hour flight).
It looks like our plane is on time which means that by early evening on Thursday, we will be with Mommy!! It is going to be an interesting meeting when the little man gets to meet his forever mom!!!
Even though I have been away for two weeks, I feel closer than ever to Jodie and to Connor. And, our family dynamic will never be the same, but I believe that, with God's guidance, it will be STRONGER than ever!!
I will blog again after the return, probably sometime on Friday. Wish us well! Your prayers have been heard, felt AND appreciated!!
Love,
Jack and Shen

Wednesday, September 17, 2008

Swearing In Ceremony





The Swearing In Ceremony went by without a hitch! There were about 30 families who, after being verified with passports and face identification with the child, were given an oath to swear that all information given the U.S. Government about the children was correct.
I am really sorry that I don't have pictures because it was really a unique experience. One family, in fact, was adopting the ELEVENTH child from China!!!
Today has been a pretty busy day with the process of departure. I have Shen fairly well set up for the LONG trip home with toys, videos, games, etc.
I have to say to all of you that this has been the experience of a lifetime. But, I am ready to go home. I miss Jodie and Connor a lot and am REALLY looking forward to being back home.
I would ask for your prayers over the next 36 hours. We need to get some good rest tonight and have a 4:30 am wake-up call to go the airport. With God leading the way (AGAIN, AS ALWAYS), we will arrive to our awesome home late afternoon on Thursday.
I am attaching a couple of picutures for you to view. There are pictures of the ADOPTION Barbie Doll that the White Swan Hotel GAVE US (notice the blond hair to match Jodie and the dark hair on the child to match Shen - they got this from a picture that I showed them earlier this week), another picture of Shen in front of the White Swan Playroom, a picture of our final night with our great friends, the Beros, Shen and their daughter Anna, and a last evening picture of Shen and Daddy before they head home!!
HERE WE COME, MOMMY AND CONNOR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Love,
Jack and Shen

Monday, September 15, 2008

U.S. Consulate Appointment





Everything went smoothly with the U.S. Consulate meeting this morning. The only "little" blip was that the Consulate needed some extra paperwork (no kidding) to ensure that Jodie and I were approved by the State of Illinois. Apparently, Illinois has some of the strictest adoption rules in the entire United States. The Consulate needed to see our actual license as a Foster Home. No problem! I had the license and all supporting materials in the folio that Jodie helped me organize. So, all is well!
Tomorrow afternoon, Shen and I go to the U.S. Consulate for a "Swearing In" ceremony. I am not really sure what it entails, just that no cameras, no camcorders, no electronics of any kind, are allowed.
Other than waiting on the results of our Consulate Appointment, we have had a pretty low-keyed day. After speaking with Mommy and Connor, we went shopping for "stuff." We had a pretty good time looking at all the trinkets in the small shops surrounding our hotel.
Then, we had lunch with our good friends, the Beros, from Richmond, VA, and took a good, long nap. This was followed by another afternoon of swimming.
Even though it's still a couple of days away, I have started packing our luggage and organizing our carry-ons for the trip home. There is simply an incredible amount of material to care for, between the adoption documents and all of Shen's clothes/toys. It's definitely not like packing for one of my business trips :).
Also, I continue to be thankful for our travel agent, Janet! She arranged with American Airlines to get us directly from Tokyo to Chicago, instead of going from Tokyo to Los Angeles and then to Chicago. That puts us home in the late afternoon instead of late at night. Thank you Janet!!!
I have posted a couple of pictures from the day. The first is Shen, preparing for a big day with daddy (one happy kid), the second is Shen interacting with one of the baby girls in our travel group, and the third is the famous 7-11 and LadyBug Laundry! Enjoy!
Shen and I will post again tomorrow after our Swearing In Ceremony.
Love,
Jack and Shen

Touring the Villages






Hello everyone! Well, it wasn't so much going into the countryside as it was going to the far suburbs. This morning, Shen and I spoke with Mommy and Connor, then went to breakfast, and met all the other families for a tour of the countryside villages. We never really got into rural China but we did go pretty far out into the suburbs. After all, metropolitan Guangzhou has a population of over 10 million. Once we arrived in one village, we got out and walked through the village area. Since it was pretty rough cobblestone and dirt walkways, I didn't take the stroller. Little man and I got quite a bit of exercise, and a lot of it was me carrying him. His favorite line sounds like "Go, Babba!" which translates pretty clearly into "Pick me up, Daddy!"
I am attaching some pictures of the area so you can see the lifestyle within these Chinese villages. The first is a walkway in the village with a small canal next to it. The second is an orchard of star fruit trees, then a houseboat made of CONCRETE.
We left the village after about 2 hours and all the families went to lunch together, where we had dumplings, rice noodles, seaweed, various assorted beef dishes, tofu, pork, as well as a "flaming fish" dish. I am including two pictures from lunch with the final being the flaming fish head. The fish's head was REALLY on fire when they brought it out to us. I couldn't understand what Shen said when he saw the fire coming out of the fish's head, but it sounded like, "Wow, that's cool!"
On another note, little man has a bit of a tooth problem, or inflamed gum situation going on. So, we went to the clinic here at the White Swan and the doctor gave him some low level antibiotic for the inflammation. The doctor didn't think it was serious but we will probably need to see a dentist pretty soon after we get home.
He took a really great nap this afternoon and we went for a swim. Then, we went to the photo shop across the shop and we had a mission. I only found out yesterday that the people at the orphanage and foster home, where Shen had been living, were really worried about him. If you remember, when they handed him off to me last Monday, he was in a pretty bad state emotionally. In fact, I have learned today that, when he given to me, he was crying out for someone to rescue him. As I explained on Gotcha Day, they put he and I in a room, in an attempt to calm him, and we never saw the people from the orphanage again. Because they had not gotten to speak with me or say goodbye to him, they have been concerned for him. So, I am going to print out about 6or 7 pictures, showing him having fun and socializing with other people; then have them sent to the orphanage. This way, they will know he is content and doing well.
Now, I want to share something VERY important with all of you who have been following our blog. It is now 4:15 pm on Monday afternoon (3:15 am on Monday in Chicago). It was one week ago right now that Shen became our son! For that, I thank God! I feel so Blessed to have the family that I do in Jodie, Connor and Shen!! I am humbled beyond imagination on what this experience has meant to me. I know that the transition at home will have its trials. But, as long as we let God lead the way, I know we will make it through any hurdles placed before us.
Finally, I ask for your prayers tomorrow (Tuesday). Tomorrow is THE REASON why I am here during this specific time period. At 9:00 am here (8:00pm on Monday night in Chicago), we have our U.S. Consulate Appointment. It is THIS appoinment that determines when you come to China, when you get your child, and when you leave! Bob, our guide, has told me that we may not have any information until after Noon on Tuesday (after 11:00pm Monday night in Chicago) but, from his perspective having done this hundreds of times before, we have all of our paperwork in order. If the appointment goes well, we will have a "swearing in" ceremony on Wednesday afternoon.
I'm sorry this is so long, but there was a lot to share. Shen and I say a prayer for all of you every night.
Love,
Jack and Shen

Sunday, September 14, 2008

Six Banyan Temple




My plan worked; at least to a point. Since we weren't meeting as a group until 3:00pm, my plan was to get up "whenever," call Mommy and Connor, have breakfast, and then tire the big boy out so he would take an early nap. After a great call with Mommy and Connor, I put his "Oxford" t-shirt on him that my friends from Estee Lauder gave me last week (picture) and then we had a good breakfast. After that, we went to the White Swan Playroom that is only available to adoption families. It is quite the "playroom", as you can see in the picture. Then, it was off to swimming for an hour and lunch. Following the swim, he proceded to take about an hour long nap but woke up crying. After about a half hour of hugs, then some laughter, he was good to go again.
We met the families at 3:00pm and went to the Six Banyan Temple. Today is a BIG day in China as it is the middle of the Autumn Full Moon Festival, the one day of the year when the moon is at its fullest and there is to be the greatest fortune. Tomorrow, in fact, is a National Holiday in China. The Temple was packed with people, all practicing their spiritual rituals. We spent about an hour there, took some pictures and videos, and watched all the childen get blessed in their native cultural way. You can see Shen and I in the middle of the last picture. It was the first time I had actually witnessed such a ceremony.
Today is the birthday for one of the babies in our family travel group so we are all going to a family group dinner at Lucy's, where we will celebrate the Autumn Full Moon Festival and this little girl's FIRST birthday!
All in all another great day for Shen and I. Tomorrow is countryside touring with all the children and our travel group families to see some rural villages. This should really help all of us understand the culture in which these children have grown up.
We hope and pray that all of you are well!
Love,
Jack and Shen

Saturday, September 13, 2008

Paperwork & Photo Day






Today began with a LOT of paperwork! This started the U.S. side of the equation and, wow, was it tedious! I have attached one picture to show how it looked from the camera's perspective. It was 2 hours of going through legal documents, immigration forms, etc. And, the fun part is that there is still more to come.
After that, Shen and I picked up our laundry from LadyBug Laundry, and bought a traditional Chinese outfit for him. He and I both loved the dragons!!
It was then off to photo day for all the families in our travel group! As you can see from the attached photos, it was really fun. Only pictures can describe how beautiful these children looked in their traditional Chinese outfits. So, here is our little guy among all the girls who were adopted in our group. The pictures speak volumes and you can see what a little gentleman that Shen is. Please note that he is, on his own, holding the baby girl's hand in the children's photo :).
Then, it was off to a late lunch, followed by swimming. Dr. Lee, who met with me on Sunday and is the Medical Director for P&G China, visited us at the pool and brought Shen a couple of water toys. Shen loved them!
Well, we sort of lost control of the the day with the paperwork, family photos, lunch, and swimming, so I didn't think he would get a nap in but he just fell asleep. Oh, to be a toddler where you go, go, go, and when you're tired, you stop!
I'm not going to let him sleep too long since it is pretty late in the day. He and I are going to go to the local restaurant called Lucy's for dinner in a little while.
We love you all!!
Jack and Shen

Friday, September 12, 2008

The Zoo




Hello everyone! Today has been another fun day for the Groppel boys!! After a great breakfast, Shen and I met the other families and we went to the Guangzhou Zoo. It's a very small zoo but immaculate and the animal exhibits are beautiful. Shen really enjoyed the day. He got a new pair of sunglasses that mommy had sent with daddy and, being ALL boy, he put them on upside down for quite awhile. This brought a lot of chuckles from all the Chinese people.
And, speaking of the Chinese people, an interesting thing happened today that Jodie and I had been prepared for. Since the zoo is so small, Shen and I walked around by ourselves for awhile. Many Chinese people approached us when they saw that I obviously am not Chinese and that he obviously is Chinese. They just started talking and talking, with me not understanding a thing they said. Thank goodness our facilitators gave us a card to show the Chinese people. It explains that I am from America and have come to their great country to adopt the little boy they see with me. Interestingly, they just nod their "seeming" approval and just keep talking to me. And, I had NO idea what they were saying. I just wanted to get a picture of the Panda (the icon of this little zoo).
After the zoo, we went to lunch where Shen ate his FIRST EVER peanut butter & jelly sandwich (that he devoured). Then, he took a great nap. It sure is interesting; he does NOT ever want to take a nap but, when he finally settles down and becomes quiet, he sleeps like a rock. The same is true at night. He just wants to go and go, but when he stops, he stops. I have to wake him in the middle of the night just to make sure he visits the bathroom. And, trust me, there are more great "bathroom" stories, but for another time.
As for U.S. Paperwork, all is in the works for our initial materials to be picked up from the U.S. Consulate late this afternoon. Then, I meet with our facilitators several times over the upcoming weekend and on Monday to complete the various stages of said paperwork. I'm really not sure how it all gets done but I know there is a lot going on behind the scenes with our facilitators and the two governments.
Well, it's time to sign off for now. We love you all!
Jack and Shen

Thursday, September 11, 2008

Medical Examination




Again, this is the second post since many of you went to sleep last night. After Shen's nap this afternoon, we went to the Guangzhou Medical Clinic for his exam. This is Step 1 in the U.S. side of the process. The clinic is only for people immigrating to the United States and is sub-contracted by the U.S. government to "check" on the health of these individuals. There is a special part of the clinic that is for adopted children. You can see Shen getting his exam in the few pictures with this post. It basically seems like a formality, but it likely screens any "serious" problems. Anyway, Shen is a healthy little guy and I got to formally see his body measurement statistics (40.2 inches tall and 35.2 pounds).
After the clinic, he and I went swimming again. He absolutely loves the water! He went to the lifeguard to make sure that the lifeguard translated to me that he really wanted to swim again tomorrow.
We are now back in the room and he is playing with his cars and the toy tank he got from our guides. As I listen to him in his contentedness, consider his incredible stress on Monday, and reflect on issues in China, I am reminded of the Scripture in James 1:27 that refers to how God views PURE religion: "to look to the orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world." Tomorrow should be another good day for the Groppel boys. Before doing more paperwork, all the families are spending the morning at the Guangzhou Zoo.
Love,
Jack and Shen

Wednesday, September 10, 2008

Botanical Gardens






While "little man" takes a nap, I will send a quick post on what we have done today. After eating a great breakfast, we met all the other families in our group and went to the Botanical Gardens. I wasn't ready for what we saw. As you can see in the pictures, it was beautiful. Unfortunately, it was REALLY hot as well. Shen and I went around the gardens pretty quickly, then stopped for a cold orange juice and waited for the rest of the group. When we got on the bus, he spilled his orange juice on his seat and got his entire outfit wet. It's a good thing daddy had an extra outfit in his bag :)!
After the gardens, the entire group went to a Cantonese restaurant and the food was great. Shen loved the grilled pigeon!!
When we got back to the room, he was still full of energy, but I knew that he needed a nap. So, after a brief battle of wills, I won. He is now napping but, unfortunately, he won't be down for long. We are going to get his medical checkup this afternoon for the U.S. Consulate to begin its weeklong paperwork. But, before that, we are going to drop by LadyBug Cleaners to take our laundry. I have quickly found that I could need up to three outfits a day.
We are having a great time together! And, I will send another post tonight at bedtime.
Love,
Jack and Shen

Application for Chinese Passport



This is the second posting since many of you went to bed last night, so be sure you see the photos of swimming!!!
As I said, little man was exhausted after swimming and, while watching cartoons, fell asleep on the floor. See the attached picture; it was SO cute. And, please don't worry; I put him in bed right after I shot the picture.
This afternoon the six families went to the Guangzhou Police Station to apply for our children's Chinese Passport so they can leave the country with us late next week. I took a photo of the application as they gave us a formal document to bring home with us. We hope all of you are well!
Love,
Jack and Shen

Tuesday, September 9, 2008

The First Swim







Today has been a blast so far! And, I will apologize because this blog is going to have a lot of pictures. After breakfast, little man (Shen) wanted to brush his own teeth (no help from daddy), so daddy took a picture. Then, we went swimming. Notice how Connor's hand-me-down swim trunks are way too big! It didn't matter; he loved the swimsuit!
Now, before I introduce you to the next Michael Phelps, let me explain that he has never been swimming before. But, he took to the water like a little minnow. As you will see, pictures say thousands of words. He actually kept wanting to TRY to swim, thus why I am holding in a front crawl and then a backstroke position. He WANTED to be in those positions!
After an hour of swimming and playing, he was getting a little chilled so we came to the room for a hot bath, and then split a sandwich from room service. He is now taking a nap while cartoons are on in the background. I think the swimming, followed by a little lunch, kicked in some fatigue. But, after all, naps are healthy!!
We have an appointment with the Guangzhou Police Station this afternoon, which is where we apply for his Chinese passport. I will blog later tonight to let you know how that experience goes for us.
Blessings to all!
Jack and Shen