I'm still here...

I'm still here and things are going fairly well....I will post more later but I didn't want you to think I had abandoned my blog! Evan is still missing his mama every day (at nighttime) but is doing well during the day.

We went camping over the weekend so I didn't get a chance to blog. The weather is amazing here so we are trying to enjoy it as much as we can before it goes away for another 10 months! :-)

More to come....

Would you call?

First, enjoy the photos of the kids...they are just way too cute (yes, I'm biased!). Second, I need your advice...read below! THANKS!

Our 4 munchkins on Canada Day
Miss Alyssa

Evan and Alyssa had a blast in our slide pool today! The weather was hot and beautiful and it felt good to enjoy a real summer day at home with the kids! (ask me in a few weeks and it might be a different story...ha ha ha!)

The big splash

Evan's ready to give it a try

Could he be having more fun?!

The kids are having a great time together - thank goodness! Alyssa and Evan played a lot today and they were actually laughing and having fun. Alyssa has been a bit stand-offish towards Evan since we came home. The other night we were getting ready for bed and she asked me "Are we keeping Evan for good?". I know it can be a bit confusing for her because we have many foster children who come and go and we have explained to her many times that Evan was being adopted like she was but...she's only 4 and it's still confusing. I couldn't tell if she was disappointed or not when I told her, "Yes, Evan is staying with us for good!".

So, I am looking for advice/input!!! We have contact info for Evan's foster mother - I know she is missing Evan so much and I know Evan is missing her. Do you think I should let Evan talk to her on the phone? Do you think it will be too much for him to handle? Maybe she can offer him some comfort that I can't? Please let me know what you think!!

Tears and heartbreak

We are still here and doing well. Jetlag is getting easier and easier for Chris and I (Evan and Caleb didn't seem to have any at all!!). I mostly feel cranky and tired in the mornings but by afternoon I'm feeling lots better.

My parents left this morning after staying and helping for the last few days. They were so great to help with the laundry, meals, the kids and just being here. Chris also started back to work today so it's just me and my little "gang". So far, so good....

Last night Evan finally began his grieving. We were thinking is was just too wierd for him to be so happy and not show any signs of missing his old life or his "mama". After I put him to bed last night, Dylan called me to say Evan was crying. I went in his room and Evan was sobbing and pointing to the picture of him and his foster mother saying "MaMa", "MaMa". It was absolutely heartbreaking. I can't imagine what that must feel like for him - to want his mama so much but can't see her or talk to her. I just held him and rocked him for awhile and then got him out of bed and we played with Alyssa and read stories. I finally got him settled and asleep around 10:30. I know he has to go through this but it is really difficult. Luckily, we do have some contact info for his foster mother and we are going to contact her very soon. I know she must be missing her sweet Jun Jun as well!

Adoption is such a complex experience - so much joy and so much sadness, all mixed together.

Pictures!

An amazing moment...coming down the escalator at the Halifax Airport and seeing these beautiful faces!!! Our sweet little Dylan and Alyssa and my dad!

We had traveled for a total of 46 hours (Chris and I without sleep) and we had traveled on 3 flights (ALL of them were delayed) so to finally be so close to home and see our children was an incredible moment for us!

Chris and Alyssa getting their first hugs after 14 long days!

Dylan was THRILLED to finally meet Evan. People have been telling us that anytime they saw Dylan while we were in China, he would tell them all about Evan and give them a day by day account of our time in China. (I'm sure he can recite the blog word for word!) The smile on Dylan's face in this pictures says it all!

Our first family photo...the 6 of us!

Friends of ours (Matt and Peggy) invited us up to their camper yesterday for a visit and it was just what we needed! The kids had a blast running around, playing at the park and being with their friends. Chris and I enjoyed the fresh air, good food and time with our friends as well!

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Evan continues to do AMAZING! We really can't believe how well he is doing - he is so happy! He is saying more and more English words each day (and without our prompting) and he has even learned to sing the ABC song in English. It's too cute.

Pure joy - I love seeing this on their faces!



Evan conked out by the fire and Dylan enjoyed snuggling with him. Dylan has been a life saver since we returned home...he has played with Evan and enterntained him all day. Chris and I are actually doing really well with jetlag but there are times we need to rest or get some "jobs" done around the house and Dylan is more than happy to play with Evan.

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Did I mention how fantastic my children are? We are so blessed!

On Canadian Soil!

WOW, wow, wow! I can't believe we are back in Canada...in our own house and sleeping in our own cozy beds! It feels great.

Evan and Caleb were both great on the trip home...they slept lots (Chris and I didn't sleep at all!). We finally arrived back to PEI on Friday morning at 11:00. What a long trip. When we turned the corner in our subdivision we were blown away by the crowd of children and people waiting to welcome home Evan (and the rest of us, I'm sure)! Evan was yelling and pulling to get out of his carseat when he saw all the people! He jumped out of the van and started saying "Ni Hao" to everyone. Everywhere he went, a group of kids followed him. It was fantastic to come home and see our friends and family!

I have to be honest...I was extremely nervous to come home and start life with Evan - last time I had a horrible time with jetlag and with adjusting with Alyssa at home. So, I felt overwhelmed at the idea of doing again. Seeing our friends and family there really helped ease the anxiety and being able to talk and laugh with Engish speaking people was great! :-)

Today...(Saturday) Evan is doing fabulous. He loves his brother, Dylan and is following him around everywhere. Evan's cousins, Lauren and Michael are over playing and all the kids are getting along and enterntaining each other. It's given me a chance to unpack, start laundry, clean the house and Chris is cutting the lawn...I'm telling you - there is NO rest for the weary!

I promise to post some pictures some later....

THANK YOU for the wonderful comments you all left. I can't express how much it means to our family to know so many people care about us and especially for our new son, Evan. Adoption is such an amazing experience but it is one that has to be shared with others in order to get through it. So, thank you to each and every one of you!!!

More to come....

A day in Beijing...

Today we attempted the Forbidden City...unfortunately, it was too much for the children (lots of walking and getting very hungry - and it was rainy and hot) so we zipped through and really didn't take in any of the buildings, etc....Chris and I had been there before and Caleb did see a few of the buildings but I think he was glad to get to the air conditioned bus as well. He still wasn't feeling that well today either.

We were supposed to go the Market today - the one with all the kids' shoes but everyone agreed it was too difficult to take the kids there. I completely agreed with everyone but I was so disappointed not to get shoes! I bought 2 pairs for Alyssa and 2 pairs for Evan but that's it. It'll have to do because neither Chris or I are willing to enter into "meltdown zone" again!!

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As you know we are heading back to Can.a.da tomorrow and we will be traveling for almost 48 hours. We are not landing at the Charlottetown airport as originally planned because we were unsure of our travel dates as we had thought we would need to stay in China longer due to the paperwork issue with Evan. So, we are flying into Halifax at 6:20 am on Friday morning and my Dad, Dylan and Alyssa are coming to meet us. I can't WAIT to see them. Then, we will drive home to Cornwall and would love for you to visit us at the Welcome Home Party (thanks Chris and Mari Lynn - that is SO nice!!). We can't wait to see everyone and for you to meet out little Evan!

I thought I'd post lots of pictures today instead of more rambling from me...the pictures are great and much more enjoyable....

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Check back to this post later as I'm going to post more pictures from last night's "Goodbye China" party. Most of the kids (and 2 moms) wore traditional Chinese outfits and they were so cute!! See you all SOON!!!!!

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The handsome duo - oh yeah, and UltraMan! Evan is famous for his ultraman moves and his absolute obsession with UltraMan!

This was Chris' highlight of the trip...ha ha ha. He came back from the bathroom and said, "I just felt like I had to wash in all three sinks" and then he showed me the picture of what was in there. Too funny!

This was taken at the end of the Forbidden City...this is a moat that goes around the City.


Evan and XinYue inside Forbidden City - they are playing "I'm stronger than you are"

Cutie pie Evan in a big barrel at Forbidden City. These big barrels are all around the city and they were filled with water (when emporers lived there) in case of a fire, there was plenty of water nearby

Both boys bought new sunglasses at the Forbidden City...they are way too cool!

The Forbidden City...Dylan and Ayssa, can you find Caleb in this picutre? I'll give you a hint...he's wearing yellow...

Most of the kids in our group (we are missing Sam J. and Lily Butler)

Our gorgeous man!

Evan waiting for us at Forbidden City...the kids were full of energy for awhile and were running ahead and then they'd have to wait for their slow poke parents!

Here is Chris, our guide (to the left) and some of the other families in our group (Malcolm and Adrienne and I see Bob M. in the back there, too) As you can see, it was a dreary day but the rain held off for most of the tour.

Caleb at Forbidden City

The four of us just before we entered the Forbidden City. We were also approached several times by Chinese people who wanted their picture taken with us. It was pretty cool. Caleb had lots of Canadian pins that he handed out to the Chinese kids we saw in the City.

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If you read our blog, we want you to leave a comment (and thank you to all of you who do already...we love reading them!!!)- this whole trip that we've recorded on the blog will be transferred to a book for Evan (we have one for Alyssa and it is beautiful - THANK YOU ELIZABETH!!!) so we want to hear who's been supporting and loving our little guy with us! For those leaving a comment for the first time -

1. click on the word "comments" at the end of this post and it will take you to a screen where you can type a message. Type your message.

2. Then under Choose an Identity, click "anonymous"

3. Click "Publish Your Comment"

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Thank you!

We're on Day 11!

Hello fellow blog readers and/or blog stalkers... Chris (Darrach) here... I just wanted to let everyone know about a Welcome Home Brunch we are having for Evan and the rest of the MacKinnon clan this Friday (June 27th) at 10:00 AM at the Darrach residence. Nothing too fancy... just a light brunch... I realize some of you are from "away"... like BC and such places... so I figured if I gave you a couple of days notice you could hop in the car tonight and be here on time. If you need our address, please send me a quick email to cdarrach@gmail.com. We live at #14 right across the street from Chris and Tammy's house!

We all took the kids to a play area in a big mall to let them burn off some energy! They had lots of fun.

Evan riding a helicopter at the play place


Evan posing with his favorite Olympic Lucky Babies!


Ready for the day...heading to the bus

Evan and XinYue played for 3 hours straight in the hotel rooms and in the hallway. They are really just too cute!!!

Sam J (Tracy J's son) came to join in for some fun watching the Olympic Lucky Babies Cartoon.

WOW, we can't believe we are coming home in 2 days. At times, it seems like we've been in China for weeks but it also feels as if it's gone by quickly.

Today we went to the Pearl Market which meant LOTS of things to buy (according to Evan) so it didn't go very smoothly. We knew this going in so at least we were prepared for meltdowns. And Evan didn't disappoint us...we have 4 MAJOR temper tantrums and a few other little ones. To give you an idea of how the day went....when we got back to the hotel room, Chris went over to the big window ledge and said "can I please jump?!".

Each day is a bit easier because we feel like we are understanding each other better but each day is also stressful with several meltdowns. Overall, Evan is really a happy, outgoing boy and loves, loves, loves to play! He is 110% boy!!!

For those of you who have adopted babies and are now returning to China to adopt an older child - you will find the trip much different. The activities that we enjoyed last time are much more difficult with a child who runs everywhere, gets tired and cranky, needs real food to eat and not a bottle and who wants to be carried but can't go in a snuggly or stroller. The shopping expeditions are torture and even meal times are hard to get through. BUT, each day gets a bit easier and every day we get to see more and more personality in the children.

We are still enjoying the interaction between the kids (especially XinYue and Evan) and watching them play together and talk to each other. We are so disappointed everyone lives so far away and we can't get together for playdates.

Our guide from Nanning spoke with Evan's foster mother and she is very, very sad that he was adopted. When she first found out he was going to be adopted she couldn't stop crying. Evan lived with her for 4 years so I'm sure she loved him very much (and we can definitely tell she spoiled him!). She told our guide that we (our family) was getting a wonderful gift in Jun Jun. I was blown away that she used those words because we've titled our blog "the Gift of You". And of course she's right...Evan Jun Jun is an amazing gift to us!

Caleb is doing well but is getting homesick and today he wasn't feeling so well.

Above are several pictures of Evan (and some of his friends)....soon many of you will meet this little ball of energy in person!

Enjoy the photos...