Blake Family - Julie's Adoption

New Arrival Time

2007-04-07T20:23:00.000-07:00

An update from the parents states that they plan on arriving in Chicago at 6 p.m. tomorrow night.

Everyone is doing well, although they are extremely tired and just want to be home. Julie had a very uneventful plane ride from China, and there doesn't seem to be a lot of fussiness.

Please pray that everything would go according to plan tomorrow! We'd like to have them home!!!

NEWS FLASH!!!

2007-04-07T14:15:00.000-07:00

NEWS FLASH!!!!!!
Julies arrival has been postponed for the moment! Due to travel problems the Blakes missed their flight exchange and were not allowed to leave San Fransico. They are as of right now trying to work out the details to get them to either indy or Chicago. Their departure and arrival times are unknown, but more will be posted as it arrives! Thank you for your prayers!

-Alex Blake

Homecoming!

2007-04-07T13:26:00.000-07:00

Today at 8:01 p.m. (Lord willing!) the U.S. portion of the Blake family will pick up the China portion of the Blake family at the airport in Chicago. We can hardly wait!!! It's been 17 days, and we've been counting down each and every one. Little Jules will be home in time for Easter (which is also her 1 and 1/2 year birthday!)

Yay!

Welcome to America, Baby China!!!

Last Day in China

2007-04-06T19:04:00.000-07:00

Day 17 - Friday, April 6, 2007

Well, it is Thursday night in Lafayette and our church family is presenting the Passion Play to the Lafayette community right now. Lord, please give them good success in presenting the simple gospel message. There are many in our community who live without an understanding of the free gift of eternal life offered through Christ. That is true in Indiana and it is true in China. So many people live and die and never here about God’s love, mercy, grace, and forgiveness.

Today is also our last full day in China. We go to the consulate today to take an oath (not sure what we are promising just yet, but we will find out). We will also receive Julie’s passport and visa so that we can leave the country tomorrow.

I think that we are all looking forward to leaving China and getting home to the people, family and country that we appreciate so much. However, there is also a sense of sadness that our China odyssey is nearly over. We have enjoyed the adventure of navigating our way through a totally foreign culture. We have enjoyed all of the sights, sounds, smells, and personal exchanges that are so different from Indiana. We have enjoyed the food, the people who fawn over Julie, and watching Julie come out her shell and develop. Maybe we will come back again someday.

Julie continues to progress. Just yesterday one of the ladies in our traveling party noted by pudgy Julie was. She has gained over 3 pounds (from 16# to 19+#) in the 11 days we have had her. She eats voraciously and we are thinking that we are going to have to start managing the amount that she eats. She continues to progress mentally. She plays with us, mimics what we do, “asks” you to keep doing something that she finds pleasant, and giggles and squeals. She is also able to roam around as a crawler, but still doesn’t take steps without assistance. It is very rewarding to see how human contact, play, conversation, and personal feeding is helping her to develop quickly. We love her.

Looking forward to seeing Courtney and Alex Saturday night!

Picture overload

2007-04-04T17:00:00.000-07:00

If you really want to see ALLLLL of the pictures from our trip, go to ...

http://picasaweb.google.com/blakedad/ChinaDays12

Oriental self portraits

2007-04-04T01:31:00.000-07:00

I thought that I would post some of the plethora of pictures that my beauty queen took of herself in her new silk dress. I think that she is beautiful. Joe

Streetscapes ...

2007-04-04T01:16:00.000-07:00

These are a few shots taken today along aback street near our hotel. Quite different than we would see in Lafayette, IN. The extreme differences from our culture have been fun to observe. There are some of these vendors that have foods that look really appealing, but we dare not try any.

At the zooooooo

2007-04-04T00:54:00.000-07:00

We had a nice, shot visit to the zoo and enjoyed seeing many familiar animals. The zoo was in the middle of the city and surrounded by tall apartment buildings. However, the grounds were nicely landscaped. The zoo looked oldish, built maybe in the 1960's and not meticulously maintained.

We also got to see the main attraction - the panda bear.

One of the little girls in our group had a bunch of stickers that she was giving out. We decided to start a club called the "Star Browed Sneeches" and this is what we looked like. It was good for a few smiles for children and adults. The group with whom we are traveling are really fine people. We have enjoyed many pleasant walks and meals with them.

Dinner in the market

2007-04-04T00:48:00.000-07:00

Margaret, we couldn't keep it secret any longer. This is really what we have been eating for dinner, not those nice sanitary Chinese restaurant meals. Sometimes you make sacrifices when traveling on a budget. Can't wait until McDonalds introduces squid on a stick in the States.

Julie Laughing

2007-04-03T18:02:00.000-07:00

Day 15 - Wednesday, April 4, 2007

Last night we went for a walk through the park that is immediately to the east of our hotel. It was a nice city park with four small lakes, trails, gardens, trees, recreation equipment, and amusement rides. It was fun to see a more pleasant slice of everyday life for the “Guangzhouians”. We saw many people walking the paved trails and enjoying the gardens. We also saw many people using the recreational equipment. They had nice playground equipment for adults - chin up bars, balance beams, a device like an elliptical trainer, back massages, etc. These had the 2008 Olympic committee sticker on them so maybe they were recently installed. We also saw many people playing table tennis and badminton outside on marble tables and paved courts. We all agreed that we didn’t want to challenge even the oldest and most feeble to a match!

We got some snacks at a local market and brought them back to our hotel rooms to enjoy them. We watched some Chinese TV and caught up a bit on international events.

Trevor spent a lot of time laughing at and laughing with Julie last night. Julie learned yesterday (from Momma) how to jump up and down and act like a silly girl. Last night Trevor took Julie’s pants and put them on her head as a hat. She looked like Aunt Jemima and she and Trevor just laughed and laughed as they bounced up and down and acted like wild children. Such fun. It is a delight to see Julie developing and opening up with each passing day. She certainly does not lack attention from Mom, Dad, Bubby and Sissy. We are pleased to think of a future where Julie can enjoy the love and protection of a family. What a neat opportunity to open our lives to one more little one to see what a family, warts and all, can be.

God, thanks for bringing Julie to our family. Thank you for making her transition easy and pleasant for all. Help us to continue to love Julie and to help her to be all that se can be for Your sake.

Day 14

2007-04-03T17:55:00.000-07:00

Day 14 -Tuesday, April 3 2007

Another leisurely breakfast at the Dongfang Hotel in Guangzhou. Right after breakfast we hopped on the tour bus and took a trip to Shamian Island. We went inside the White Swan hotel for the traditional group baby picture on the red couch in the lobby. All eight babies did very well with very few tears. I think that the group got some great pictures. We also took some photos by the indoor water fall in the very large lobby.

We then went to a little photo shop to get passport photos for all of the babies. Julie cooperated nicely!

After that we went to the medical clinic for a physical of all of the babies to make sure that all of the children are healthy as they leave China. Every baby passed the physical. We confirmed that Julie has gained about 2.5 to 3 pounds since we got her 8 days ago! She certainly has not lacked an appetite, but she still is not interested in any solid foods. Her bottle is all she needs, thank you very much!

I am struck by the magnitude of the business being generated with the adoption of Chinese orphans. It would not surprise me if this is a multi-billion dollar a year business. Airfare, hotels, tour buses, taxis, meals in restaurants, medical exams, passports, fees to the orphanage, gifts to caregivers, shopping at the markets, etc. It is hard to remain positive about the process when it seems to be driven by money. With the lifelong commitment that these adoptive parents are making to care for these children, you would think that they should be getting paid for doing so, not the other way around. Oh well, we focus on the goal - bringing a little girl home to nurture, love, teach and guide. What a blessing (Psalm 127).

We then went to a very nice Starbucks on the island. While everything else seems to be a bargain compared to US prices, Starbuck is as much or more than the US. Imagine that … Maybe a few Starbucks franchises in China would be a good investment.

We have noticed that there are a lot of people living in very substandard housing, but then there are those living in luxury. It appears that the Chinese government is allowing people to earn whatever the free market will allow. However, it appears that the gap between rich and poor I widening. It will be interesting to see if that is allowed to continue.

We bought a few pieces of art work at a shop on Shamian. We hope to hang them in a remodeled stairway someday.

We had a nice lunch at a Chinese restaurant by the Guangzhou airport. We have enjoyed the Chinese food and have not gotten ill from any of it. However, we are longing for a nice home coked meal with ingredients that are familiar to the palate.

Anticipation Increases!

2007-04-03T05:30:00.000-07:00

Well, as spring begins its joyful march in to april, the eldest Blake children are becoming more and more eager to meet their newest sibling. As I (alex), walk to class every morning, I look at my watch and try to imagine what my family is doing each day. Most of the time I am awake they are probably sleeping, but in the other times I can invision them trudging through the dirty streets, seeing the sights, and shopping. But other times they are relaxing in the hotel trying to catch up on sleep and tending to the babooshka (julie). And I just realized something, all their posts have pictures.... I haven't posted a single picture from here! So here you go! Thats Courtney and I, in all our spare time we decided to climb Mt Everest... Weeelll its school time all, I will write more later!

The Cruise Down the Pearl River

2007-04-01T20:39:00.000-07:00

On Sunday night after dinner the incomplete Blake family traveled down to the river Ghuangzhou is built around. The group of adopties were taking a cruise down the river. All along the river are tall beautiful buildings like ou would find in NYC except all of these are lit up with neons instead of soft lights. The cruise was about and hour and a half and absoulutely beautiful. The weater was gorgeous and there was a very stiff breeze.

So far Julie has adapted well although i think the crazy routine has gotten her grumpy. She's been talking more and clapping her hands very well. God has truely blessed our family. Thank you for all your prayers durin this transition.

Lowes?

2007-03-30T06:06:00.000-07:00

We love the Chinese hardware stores. Everything from scoop to nuts?

Many funny signs

2007-03-30T05:46:00.000-07:00

We have found a plethora of funny signs and labels. Here is one example on Shamian Island in south Guangzhou. (double click the picture to read the sign)

Another day, another dumpling

2007-03-30T05:15:00.000-07:00

Day 10 - Friday, March 30, 2007
We are getting into a bit of a routine these days. We are up around 6:00 AM, feed Julie, shower, have a leisurely breakfast at the hotel until about 9:30. From there, we generally do some site seeing and have lunch with the group. Then we spend the afternoon hanging around the hotel or doing some shopping at the street markets.

Today we went to a beautiful botanical gardens called Yuntai Garden. It was a very peaceful, beautiful park with wonderful landscaping, flowers, fountains, and sculptures. Very enjoyable walk through the gardens.
Our guide explained that when he came to the USA and went to a “park” he expected it to be a man-made, sculpted, relatively small place. Instead, he found a wooded area with few improvements. He used that as an example of ho our cultures misunderstand each other even though we might understand the words that are being used.

Botanical pandas in the park
Our beautiful Erika!
Lucy,one of our guides
A truly beautiful, peaceful setting
Susan practicing the oriental arts in the garden ... a common sight

Julie is doing better each day. She is crawling a lot now. She lets us know that she wants us to hold her. She talks to us with little squeals. She eats like a horse any time food is offered. In fact, based on the scales in our room, she has gained about 1.8 pounds in the past 4 days. However, she still won’t have anything to do with solid foods. She is not interested at all toys - she pushes them away. She seem very healthy as other babies in the group are dealing with colds, poor eating, and rickets. God is good.

Tonight we played with Julie, took a walk to the market, bought baby supplies, and watched Chinese television. I think that we are all wishing that we could speed this process and return to the US sooner. We miss all of you.

Day 9 in China

2007-03-30T04:59:00.000-07:00

Day 9 - Thursday, Marc29, 2007
(excerpt taken directly from Susan’s journal) Today we went sight seeing at the Six Banyan Trees Buddhist temple. We entered to the sound of chanting monks, drum beating, and gong striking. We climbed the pagoda. We saw lots of golden Buddhas. Joe and Julie participated in a baby blessing by the monk.

We got back on the bus and once again crept along through traffic to an old market with narrow, stinky streets. The stalls were old and dirty, but filled with such incredible sights: teeming scorpions, hundreds of spices, jelly fish, squid, cats, dogs, large fish hanging by their tails, etc. We then went back to the clothing shopping area for a group lunch.

Our guide, Jun Tao, is excellent - he is full of cultural observations and insights. Our other guides are Lucy and Lisa, two lovely Chinese girls.

Here is what lunch consisted of. Large sections of rubbery/spongy rice cake, an interesting cabbage roll of pork (?) with shrimp eggs on top, sesame balls with sticky rice and red bean center, a dumpling of some sort, and spring rolls.

After a group lunch of mostly fried stuff, we went back to the hotel. When we got back from lunch, Joe, Trevor and Julie napped while Erika and I shopped around the hotel. We stopped by the 7-11 to get some nibbles - they were high priced just like convenience stores at home. We got some good crackers with raisins in them, some peanut butter Oreos, etc. Fun! We then went back to the hotel where she and I had a “picnic” while others slept. As I write, Julie is sitting on my lap. Erika is resting. Joe and Trev are out and about.

Crazy Fun Markets

2007-03-28T17:06:00.000-07:00

Trevor, Joe and Erika are having a great time in the markets of downtown Guangzhou. It is so much fun to negotiate prices with the vendors. We think that we are getting great prices for the merchandise. I suspect that the vendors think that they are getting a great price for their goods. So, we are both happy! :-)

Susan is a little apprehensive with the whole process, but is also enjoying herself. Any requests for inexpensive name brand "stuff" should be made known now! I don't know if we will ever be able to shop in the USA again!

Wild Rides

2007-03-28T15:53:00.000-07:00

Wow! this internet stuff is so amazing (this is Susan, the easily amazed). Here we are in China communicating with you all! Julie is progressing every day. She's a great eater and a great sleeper, common characteristics of the females in our clan. In spite of jet leg, Erika and Trevor still find boundless energy for exploring and shopping. We bravely hop in a taxi, point to a spot on a map, and trust the driver (who we really have no reason to trust). So far it's working, though we've experienced some hair raising cab rides, including speeding down the wrong side of the street and shaving by buses and pedestrians. We even had a driver who fell asleep every time the car slowed in traffic. He was the same one who ran red lights, but everyone drives that way.

Left in Lafayette...

2007-03-28T12:58:00.000-07:00

I'm right there with you, Alex!

I started tearing up in the library while I was looking at pictures of you all... I'm so jealous! But I understand that it would not have been feasible for me to go, so I'm enjoying spending more time with my very sympathetic, understanding brother. He's taking care of me like HE'S the oldest. I like it! :)

You all are missed. Erika, please come home and clean out the litter box. I don't want to do it. Ew.

And Mom, I missed trash day. Again. Apologies.

I plan on making up for lost Julie-time when you all get home! But until then I'll just bury myself in psychobiology tests, audiology observations, and avoiding the cat litter.

Love to you all!

Home and Heart wrenched

2007-03-28T07:40:00.000-07:00

Wow I am jealous! I wish I could be there with the rest of the family... But here I am, trying to stay content as I finish my calculus homework. But I know that it was in God's perfect plan for me not to be able to go to China, so now I just have to be happy and look for the reason!

Love you all! Thank you family in China, for all the emails and pictures, and thanks to all the kind people who read this blog!

Well I better get ready for class..... :(

-Alex

Life with Julie

2007-03-27T21:06:00.000-07:00

Wednesday, March 28 2007 6:00 AM
Yesterday (Tuesday) we went back to the adoption registration center and signed paperwork to finalize Julie’s adoption. She is now officially a Blake! The remainder of the time in China is just waiting for her passport to leave China and her visa to enter the US. Seems like a long process just for those two items, but we don’t make the rules. We did a group lunch and all of the babies seem to be adjusting fairly well. I am sure that it will take time. One experienced adoptive dad told us that three days of being with the children will make a world of difference.

After lunch we came back to the hotel and rested for a while, then we ventured out to Shamian Island where the White Swan is located. It is a beautiful setting along the banks of the Pearl River (?) with wonderful architecture in the surrounding buildings. We did some shopping and Erika bought a silk dress for her and Julie. They hope to wear them on Easter Sunday and to Melissa’s wedding. Courtney also has one that was given to her by an Australian friend, Lavinia. Won’t they be snappy!

We then went to a shopping area that is several downtown blocks of just pedestrian shopping area. What a free-for-all. The kids and I found it exhilarating, while Susan found it a little unnerving.

Today we go to the Security Bureau for another interview and to apply for Julie’s passport. We will have dinner with the group, but the rest of the day is on our own. We are all healthy and are resting well. The breakfast in our hotel is very nice and we are enjoying the hotel accommodations very much. It m be the only time that our children get to have their own room in a 5 star hotel!

Julie is doing well. While have only had her for a little over a day, we can already see some encouraging signs. It seems obvious that she has spent most of her life alone without a lot of personal contact. She is very content to sit for long periods with no stimulus or interaction. She also has the hair rubbed off of the back of her head indicating that she has spent a lot of time just lying on her back. While you would expect that for an infant, you wouldn’t generally see it in a 15month old. She also has a little bald spot right in the middle of her forehead. The Chinese doctor thinks that it was shaven to insert an IV, however, we have a dermatologist traveling with us (a new grandma) that thinks it is a birthmark where her scalp did not fully develop. We think she is correct. We think that a Gene Keady comb-over is in her future! J Other than, that, it appears that Julie is healthy. We are thankful for that.

We appreciate the love and support of our family and friends at home. Your prayers have been very encouraging along with your notes of encouragement. Looking forward to seeing you all soon!

Live from Guangzhou

2007-03-27T20:23:00.000-07:00

Tuesday, March 27 2007
On Sunday, we traveled via tour bus with our group to Tiananmen Square, the Forbidden City, a jade cutting factory, and the Great Wall before traveling to the airport for a flight to Guangzhou. It was a very full day! Now a little about each.

Tiananmen Square was blocked off to the public because of an organized walk to benefit the 2008 Olympics. The Olympic spirit is alive and well and many of the people, especially the youth, seem genuinely excited about the prospect of having the Olympics in Beijing. Tiananmen Square is a tribute to Chairman Mao but also to the people who supported the cultural revolution. The Great Hall of the People is there. The Monument to the People’s Heroes is there, and a large mausoleum for Mao.
The Square stands on land that was once walled in as part of the Forbidden City. It was the area in which the various bureaus and bureaucrats ruled various aspects of the empire for the emperor. On the south end of the Square is a gate that was part of the original wall. On the north end is a gate for the entrance to the outer courts of the Forbidden City. Chairman Mao’s picture hangs over this entrance.
The National Museum (our Smithsonian, but much smaller) stands just to the east of Tiananmen Square.

The Forbidden City is a huge sprawling complex of buildings, gates, walls, and courtyards. The walls and gates are impressively massive and must have been awe inspiring to those who were fortunate enough to ever approach the emperor in his vast City.
The emperor’s number was 9. This symbolizes his closeness to heaven and eternity. All of the gates have brass knobs on them in a 9x9 matrix. There were 9,999 rooms in the Forbidden City when it was completed in the 1400’s. There were over 1 million people that worked on the FC and it took 14 years to build. There were hundreds of designers working on various aspects of the FC. It is phenomenal in its scale! I enjoyed thinking about the complexity of the project and wishing that I could have been a part of the project management!

We traveled northwest to Badaling where we were able to see a Jade cutting shop. There were many beautiful pieces of jade with terrific craftsmanship. There were also prices like it was fine art. I think that they cater to wealthy tourists. Nonetheless, they works were beautiful.

The Great Wall! Oh, the Great Wall! What a spectacular structure! The section of the wall that we saw was massive as it wound its way over the mountain ridges. Trevor and I climbed up a section of the wall that was probably 1500 feet to the peak. The view from the top was wonderful! Again, we are impressed by the scale of this project. I think that our guide said that the wall is 3800 miles long and took 300 years to construct! Whoa! Words are inadequate to describe the Wall.

On the flight from Beijing to Guangzhou Susan set behind a man who had scalp problems. Very “memorable” for Susan.

Monday - this is the day that we got Julie! We had a low key morning with a late breakfast in our luxurious accommodations.
At about noon we walked around some of the main streets and the back alleys around our hotel. China is definitely a country of contrasts. Less than 100 yards from our 5 star hotel, there are hundreds of people living in back alleys looking like they are just trying survive. We walked by several restaurants where you meet your lunch on the way in. These restaurants look like live animal markets where you could buy fish, crabs, lobster, snails, slugs, frogs, eels, snakes, clams, ducks, etc. However, this is the location where you select your item and then it is prepared for you. Very fresh! You have to experience the smell to fully appreciate this dining experience. There is a septic smell combined with the smell of all of the different animals combined with the exhaust of the crowded streets. Overwhelming at times.

We boarded a bus at 3:30 PM local time for the trip to the adoption registration center. It is safe to say that there are many anxious prospective parents. We went to the 8th floor of a rather old office building, and found a nice, bright, clean lobby area. Very quickly after we arrived, they lined up the families in order and gave us our new daughters (there was one boy).
Susan held Julie first and Erika and I were both crying a good bit. Julie was very quiet and compliant and did not mind as we passed her around to each family member.
We gave gifts to the orphanage, signed a few papers saying that we had taken temporary custody of the child, and then we were off to the hotel and then to dinner.

It was overwhelming to think about how Julie had no family, no heritage, limited resources, limited care, and little attention one minute and then the next she had great wealth relationally speaking. We are mindful of how our Father performed the same deed in adopting us into His eternal family. What wealth, what resources, what a relationship, what family we have in Christ. Thank you, God, for adopting us into your family!

Thank you, thank you, thank you

2007-03-27T20:21:00.000-07:00

Monday, March 2, 2007
For the first time during our trip we were able to communicate electronically with Courtney and Alex. How refreshing to hear that they are well and concerned about us. Due to internet challenges in Beijing and not knowing how to acquire an international calling card, we were not able to even let them know that we had arrived safely. I am so sorry.

Courtney and Alex were overwhelmed at the generosity of our church family in holding a baby shower for us on Sunday. They told us about all of the really cool gifts and the love shown to them by our friends. We are truly humbled and grateful to God for all of you. What a model of the love of God for His children. Thank you. A special thank you to Patti Childes who has been an unbelievable encouragement to us throughout this entire process. Patti, you will never know how much your friendly encouragement has meant to us. God bless you.

Ju-Ji, Julie-Boo, "Gus", Baby China, Chicky

2007-03-27T05:16:00.000-07:00

We're trying out nicknames on the newest addition to the Blake household! No Blake can survive for long without an assortment of nicknames. (Courtney- "Chubs" and "Sport", Alex "Bax" and "Albert," Trevor "Trevrika" and "Boop," Erika "Erest" and "Bear." Mom "Mommers" and "Momika," Dad "D" and "Daddest") So Julie has joined our tradition, and, while one contingent of the family is trying-out names in China, the rest of us are making up for lack of cuddle time with our nicknaming creativity.

As already noted, Julie's pick-up was smooth. There were no tears and although (as apparent from the pictures) she seemed a little confused there was no drama. She's very quiet and shy. (A nice change for the Blakes!) And she is very attached to her food. The only outcry she's raised thus far was when Mom took away her empty bottle. (very Blake-like!)

Little Julie doesn't seem to know what to do with toys and likes to play with her hands and interact with herself. However, the more time she spends with the family the more engaged she becomes. And she laughed and giggled when Daddy played with her and tossed her in the air- which gave both of them quite a thrill.

Now the family is embarking on an eleven day effort to claim Julie as a true Blake and establish her as a United State's citizen. Prayers would be appreciated as they attempt to wade through all the red-tape and paperwork which can be so frustrating. Also, please pray that Julie will continue to accept the uniqueness of her situation with the grace and aplomb she has thus far shown. :)

Yay for Baby China! (or Ju-ji, Gus, Chicky, etc.)

:)

-Courtney

More Pictures!

2007-03-26T11:24:00.000-07:00

Here are some more pictures from the family in China... They have to pay for their internet service by the day, so uploading with full descriptions is not always feasible timewise. However, these are the latest pictures snapped and there are promised details coming!

Yay!!! I have a new lil' sis!!!

-Courtney

Julie's arrival

2007-03-26T03:03:00.000-07:00

We just got back from the agency where we got Julie. If you want to see som pics. and read a little bit more about it just visit erika's blog: www.erikalaughs.blogspot.com

WE'RE SO VERY EXCITED!!!!

A few photos for fun ...

2007-03-25T10:29:00.000-07:00

This is the lake and the 17 Arches bridge at the Summer Palace in Beijing. This was an incredible summer retreat for the emperor and his court. Hundreds of acres of parks, temples, bridges, walks, boat houses, with ornate, opulent architecture. The day we were there was hazy which limited the vistas, but gave a surreal appearance to a very enchanting place.

One of several pagodas that were constructed for the enjoyment of the emperor. The emperor was considered a "son of god" that was sent to earth for a short period to rule the people. There still seems to be a lot of reverence for the emperors of old. They feudal system was overthrown in about 1914.

This is called the Jade Belt bridge because it was constructed to resemble a jade belt worn by royalty. The multitude of bridges were a delight to the civil engineers. Alex and Courtney are now thanking the Lord that they didn't have to endured "bridge talk" while hiking around this park! :-)

Erika ordered pork and rice on the Air China flight. The "pork" was some type of grey substance. hmmm. That aside, we have been very delighted with the food.

We had a 10 hour unplanned layover in NY, so we decided to take the train and subway downtown. This is the family outside of Rockefeller Center.

Sunday 3/25/07 from Beijing

2007-03-25T10:17:00.000-07:00

Sunday, March 25, 2007 2:30 AM
We had a very western breakfast at the hotel to start our day. Although it wasn't exactly what you would find in a mid-range US hotel, it was very nice. Even more important, it didn't make anyone ill! We had omelets, bacon, toast, fruit, yogurt and juices. However, we also had a round white ball covered in rice paper with a brown sugar/cinnamon filling. We also had noodles and a rice hot cereal. Nicest, however, was the coffee which all four of us enjoyed very much.

We took a taxi to Behai Park on the city’s northwest side. It was a beautifully developed park around a medium sized lake. In the center of the park was a white pagoda sitting high atop a hill on an island. It was very impressive. It was typical of Buddhist construction where you enter this area through a gate and thn proceed up a hill side on a straight line. On the center of the axis are a series of small temples through which one must pass to proceed up the hillside. In each of the temples there are more Buddhas in various manifestations. At the top of the hill around the white pagoda are beautiful views of the city of Beijing.

All around this park there are people trying to sell their wares. As we entered the park, many men were trying to get us to go on a rickshaw tour of the city around the park. The rickshaws are pulled by bicycles. With all of the walking, biking, and use of chop sticks (very frustrating way to eat your food!), it is no wonder that an overweight Chinese person is a rarity. We also saw an open air market that looked very earthy. Not much sanitation in the place. I would have loved to try some of the baked or fried goods, however. We were definitely stranger there. Looked like mainly lower class individuals trying to eek out a living.

At Jingshan Park, which is immediately to the east of Beihai Park and immediately to the North of the Forbidden City, we enjoyed the most spectacular views of Beijing. You can get a feel for how immense the Forbidden City is and can get a layout for the entire downtown. We saw the drum tower to the north, Tiananmen Square to the south and the large number of new high rise construction projects. An interesting fact about this park is that this “hill” was created with the diggings from the moat around theForbidden City. It is a huge hill, but also a huge moat. The Forbidden City was constructed in the 1400’s which makes this feat even more impressive. That dirt was moved in much the same way that you see it being done today - with a lot of men using hand tools and small wheel barrows. Staggering!

As you look across the city, you see dozens of high rise construction cranes. Beijing is booming! I was speaking to someone in the US recently and they were lamenting the lack of construction cranes in our large US cities. I am not sure how the economy of China works, but there is no lack of money for building and developing this city. I am told that is true across China. And yet, many people live in squalor. It is enigmatic that there are huge, beautiful, thoroughly modern buildings going up everywhere, and yet there are people living very poorly. We have not really identified a very wealthy upper class in China, but it may exist.

After Jingshan Park, we decided to walk south past the Forbidden City and down to the Tiananmen Square area - a bad move. It is a lot farther than it looks on the map or the top of Jingshan Park hill. We were all very tired by the time we got to the south end of the Forbidden City. We stopped in the Beijing Grand Hotel (very nice) and asked where we could find a Starbucks or McDonalds - a place to sit down, put our feet up, and get something to drink. We were directed to a McDonalds three blocks to the northeast along the nicest (read most pricey) shopping street in all of Beijing. Very similar in appearance to a mini 5th Avenue or Times Square in New York. We got bottled water, French fries, and a couple of McChicken sandwiches. We also got a couple of hamburger and egg sandwiches - not bad and a nice change from the typical McD fair.

We came back to City Hotel and crashed for a few hours before going to dinner. Erika, Trevor and I slipped over to a clothing market across the street from the hotel. Wow, what an experience. There were hundreds of clothing, shoes, electronics, jewelry, toys, leather, fabrics booths set up in very close quarters in this 6 story building. About every brand name imaginable was available for pennies on the dollar. We bought a couple of things and learned some very valuable negotiating skills. Erika got a pair of stylish Puma shoes for $13. Great price for us but you never know if you could have gotten them for less. We saw one Coach bag look-alike that started at about $90. By the time we walked away without it, t vendor was willing to take about $6.50. We are scratching our heads trying to figure out how this is possible. We can’t imagine being able to buy the materials and put in the labor to make a profit. It also helps us see how much mark up there is on US goods in department stores. An interesting contrast to Saks Fifth Avenue a few days ago.

We had dinner with the group of LaVida adoptive parents that had just arrived in Beijing. They looked pretty strung out as expected. This is a ver nice group of people. There were a couple of little Chinese girls with the group that have been adopted in previous trips. Very cute! We look forward to getting to know these people over the next two weeks. I bet that we will need each other as we assimilate these children into our families and out of the orphanages.

Lord, prepare Julie’s heart to be an integral part of our family. Thank you for adopting us as your children. Thank you for the joy and the eternal hope that is our in Christ Jesus.

Saturday 3/24/07 from Beijing

2007-03-25T10:15:00.000-07:00

3/21 9:15 AM
Well we made it to O’Hare airport through heavy traffic (amazing for an early morning on Wednesday) and were here an hour and 45 minutes before our flight. It gave me a little down time to write a note. We were “chosen” for an extensive security screening complete with pat down and explosive screening of all of our carry ons. A first for all of us. Our flight is on time to JFK in New York. We have a four hour lay over in New York so we might take in the Statue of Liberty before we fly to Beijing!

We are hoping and praying that Julie’s transition to the Blake family will be as emotion-free as possible. We are hoping that we can love her and assure her that she is safe. God, help us be sensitive to her needs.

3/24/07 6:0 AM
Our flight from Chicago to JFK in New York was slightly delayed and we arrived in NY about one hour late. That was okay because we had a planned 4 hour lay over in NY. We discovered, however, that the flight from NY to Beijing was delayed by 6 hours. So, we ate Chinese food at JFK (a free voucher from Air China and a good introduction to what we are sure will be many Chinese meals!) and then caught the train to downtown NY. It took about an hour by train to make it to 5th Avenue just south of Central Park. We strolled up and down 5th Avenue and stopped in at Saks. The girls got a makeover from a couple of the hundreds of sales associates in the store. What a place! We were amazed that there are people who shop and buy there! Trevor and I went to the men’s department to check out the $120 “Screaming Bunny” ties and the $1,200 Gucci alligator shoes. Wow!

We also stopped by Rockefeller Center where we saw the NBC studios, the ice rink, and a beautiful dress that Erika decided that she needed for her wedding ($14,900). The Rockefeller Center buildings are just beautiful – brass railing throughout, marble and terrazzo floors, brass inlays in the floors, murals (even some with biblical themes). Spectacular. We also stopped in the Brookstone store right be RC where Susan and Trevor received body massages in their therapy chairs. They only got out the chairs when the sales associate told them that they were to limit their massage to 5 minutes. Oops!

After taking the train back to JFK, we went to our gate and waited. When the designated boarding time came, we thought it odd that the designated gate was occupied by people heading for Paris. In a bit of a panic, we started looking for others who were headed to Beijing. Turns out that they changed the gate and had not communicated it to anyone. The thought of spending another day in NY because we had missed our plane to Beijing was a little traumatic for a few minutes.

Our plane finally left JFK approximately 6 hours behind schedule. We definitely began to feel like minorities on the plane. There were very few Caucasians on the plane. However, there were many friendly Chinese and several very cute babies. We began to imagine the travel home with Julie. We wondered if she would be scared. We wondered if she would be one of the crying babies. We hoped that we could be a comfort and a blessing to her even during the trip home. Lord, give us the strength, love and compassion that Julie needs.

We had a scary taxi ride from the airport that I probably paid three times as much as we should have. But, it was late, the options were few, and I had a tired family that had been on the road for 32 hours. Oh well, live and learn. We all stacked into a compact car, they managed to stuff all of our luggage into the trunk, and we sped off at 145 kph for the hotel. A little frightening and exhilarating all at once. It turns out that the taxi driver took us to the right hotel and we were able to check into a very decent apartment. Two bedrooms, two baths, a kitchen and a living/dining space. The hotel is a little old and run down but appears to be very clean.

Susan wasn’t able to sleep, but the kids and I got a few hours of sleep. We were up by about 7 AM, grabbed a little food that we had brought, and were off for a day of sight seeing. We took a taxi to the Summer Palace on the northwest side of Beijing. It was about 40 minutes taxi ride but only cost about $6.50. A real bargain we thought.

The Summer Palace was beautiful. It was a sprawling complex on beautiful gardens, arched bridges, very ornate oriental architecture, surrounded by lakes and canals. Absolutely beautiful and a real treasure for this very crowded city. The Chinese seem to have an ability to ‘harmonize’ their buildings and improvements with the surrounding land. They have a very intense sense of harmony, tranquility, balance, etc. While the day was heavily overcast and limited the beautiful vistas of this hilly region, it was also somewhat ethereal with the bridges, temples, and other structures shrouded in the fog. The place was spectacular and worth making the trip.

We hailed a taxi and headed for the Bell Tower which is located back toward downtown. As we were driving, the cabbie knew enough English to encourage us to go to the Lamasery – a Buddhist temple that was supposedly one of the premier sites in Beijing. So, knowing no better, we took his advice. What we saw was a sprawling complex of buildings and waking malls with hundreds of different Buddhas. Each building would have several Buddhas that were being worshipped by most of the visitors. There were intense amounts of incense being burned in front of each shrine. People would bow three times, kneel and then bow three more times, and then move on to the next Buddha. All of the different manifestations of Buddha were very confusing to us westerners. We found it very sad that there was such devotion to empty idols.

We took a taxi back to the hotel and enjoyed some time resting. It was tough getting everyone up and going to dinner so that we could sleep better that night in order to be on a Chinese schedule. However, I was able to make contact with our LaVida guide and she recommended a Chinese restaurant that was only two blocks east of our hotel. We walked to the restaurant but had a hard time finding it since we only had Chinese characters for its name. We stood in the lobby of a large new building trying to compare the Chinese characters to the signs. We never could match the characters to the right restaurant! I guess that our Chinese is REALLY bad. However, we went to the restaurant that we thought was the closest match and it turned out to be the right spot. We enjoyed a very nice Chinese dinner served in a very modern, upscale environment. Complete with table clothes, fine dinnerware, live music, and very attentive waiter staff. We tried four different dishes – chicken/cashew, pork/pea pods, chopped pork and peas, and a beef/tomato stew. It was delicious and very enjoyable. The waitresses were very mused our attempts to use chop sticks. Erika and Trevor ate their entire meal with chopsticks, but Susan and I were happy to be saved by the waitress when she brought is flatware about half way through the meal. We concluded our meal with some spirited competition as to who could pick up the most challenging food with their chop sticks. Many laughs and a delightful experience.

Looks like we are going to try to go to Behai Park, Jingshan Park, and the Temple of Heaven. But, first, breakfast at the hotel!

The Home Front

2007-03-22T11:19:00.000-07:00

This is Alexander Blake reporting in from the campus of Purdue University, one of the world’s finest institutions I might add! I am sitting here between class dwelling on the fact that my parents and siblings are halfway around the world! And not only that, but they are bringing home the newest member of the Joe Blake family. About which I am ecstatic! There will be nothing more pleasant then the sound of her laughter... and maybe crying....maybe....

But in the time till she arrives home, Courtney and I must try to keep ourselves from going green with envy of Erika and Trevor, who were privileged enough to be able to make the trip to China, and try to make sure the house is ready for Julies invasion, I mean homecoming :) So please pray for everyone in our family's sanity whether they are in China, or wishing they were...

More to follow as word drifts back from the Orient, stay posted.

Why Are We Adopting?

2007-03-16T12:00:00.000-07:00

Because you may be wondering why we are adopting, we've listed some reasons for you:

1. Because souls are eternal. "Whoever belives in the Son has eternal life.." Jn 3:36 We want to give Julie a chance to know Christ as her Savior and experience eternal life.

2. Because children are a blessing from the Lord. "Blessed is the man whose quiver is full of them." Ps 127. We have been so blessed by our other children, we just couldn't resist adding another blessing!

3. Because Jesus commanded us to take care of orphans. "Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress..." James 1:27

4. Because Jesus would do it. "Whoever welcomes one of these little ones in my name welcomes me.." Mk 9:37

5. Because it helps make the world a better place. "For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do." Eph 2:10

6. Because we have chosen to love her. "And now these three remain: faith, hope, and love. But the greatest of these is love." ICor 13:13. We consider it an enormous priviledge to have another family member to love.

Why not adopt domestically?

1. Because of our ages it would be more difficult to adopt stateside. The Chinese think older parents are just fine.

2. Because though the foster system here is not ideal, the prospects for orphans in the U.S. are far better than the situation for Chinese orphans.

We are looking forward to adding another blessing to our family.

Looking forward to Julie's arrival

2007-03-12T08:57:00.000-07:00

Life has been kind of crazy around here lately...Courtney's hospitalization, debate tournaments, paper work and details for our trip to China, getting a spot here ready for Julie, trying to get school done, etc., etc. Yet in the craziness we are all so excited about Julie's coming..we know that God has specifically chosen her (just as He has our other children) for our family. We pray that He would display His glory in all we do!

Baby Stuff is Piling Up

2007-03-12T08:07:00.000-07:00

Friends,

We continue to wait for the travel dates for our trip to China. It seems like this process is taking a long time, but I am sure that it is just our excitement about going to China to meet Julie. We have been thinking a lot recently about how Julie will react to our family. We can only imagine how traumatic it will be for her to be taken from familiar surroundings - crib, facility, care givers, food, noises, language - and placed in a totally strange environment. We are praying that we will know how to comfort and reassure her.

Well we installed the baby bed in Erika's room on Saturday so it is starting to look like we might have a baby in the house. Susan has also started to accumulate the necessities for a baby - bottles, diapers, baby clothes, bibs, booster seat, play pen, plush toys, etc. Wow! It sure takes a lot to care for a baby these days! We are hopeful that Julie will find joy and comfort in our home. It surely will not be for a lack of attention!

Lord, please help us to provide the love and nurturing that Julie needs to be the Godly young woman that you desire. Please make her a late bloomer (inside joke :-) ).

For the family, Joe

Photos of Julie

2007-03-06T04:19:00.000-08:00

Friends and Family,

Please rejoice with us in the adoption of our little girl who we have affectionately named, Julie Ann Blake. Julie is currently in China and we hope to travel to pick her up in late March or early April. These are the photos that the Chinese Adoption Agency sent us. We also received a medical evaluation. Julie appears to be a healthy young girl who needs a home and a family to love her. We are glad that God providentially landed Julie in our family.

Please pray that we will be parents and siblings that love her and provide all that she needs so that she can know God and enjoy a relationship with Him.

As we travel to China to meet Julie and get to know her, we will post pictures and other travel information on this web page. Thank you to all of you who have been supportive and encouraging as we have pursued this adoption. God bless you,

For the family,

Joe

Setting up our adoption blog

2007-03-06T04:12:00.000-08:00

Friends and family,

We wanted to create this blog spot so that you all could stay current on our adoption activities as Julie Ann Blake is brought into our family. We will try to post to this blog spot as we travel to China to pick up Julie.

At this point, it appears that we will be traveling to China at the end of March or the first part of April. We have all of our paper work complete and are just waiting on an authorization to travel from the Chinese government. Susan, Joe, Trevor and Erika will all travel to China for 12 to 15 days to visit Julie's land of birth, finalize her adoption, and then bring her to her new home and family.

Please pray that our family will be prepared to love this little girl and to meet her physical, emotional and spiritual needs. We are thankful to God for this opportunity.

For the family,
Joe